AN: Hello again! The first chapter of this story is now live! I'm really excited for how this story will turn out. I want to make a note here that, even though Ruby and Yang are the only characters listed in the story preview, I intend on introducing the other members of Team RWBY soon enough! Maybe even JNPR if I can write them well enough! Also, a minor note: I edited the prologue to this story a little bit to make the locations more descriptive. Also, at this point to the story, Ruby and Yang are still very young (6 and 7 in the prologue, 8 and 9 starting in this chapter) but they are more mature and have a better understanding of the world. It might seem a little off but for the sake of the story I'm sticking with it. Otherwise, any reviews, requests, or comment will always be helpful! Thanks, and I hope you enjoy Chapter One!

P.S.: Gold star to whomever can spot the RvB reference I made!

CHAPTER ONE

0600 Hours, December 09, 2527

Aboard UNSC frigate Rising Sun,

In orbit above UNSC Colony World Remnant

2 years after destruction of UNSC Colony World Patch

The haze of cryo gasses faded as Ruby opened her eyes.

She sat up slowly and blinked away the blurriness. She tried to inhale, but proceeded to double over, coughing and hacking over the side of the cyro pod as her body purged the bronchial inhalant from her throat.

Ruby recovered and drew her first full breath in almost two weeks. She shivered, as the chill of cyro sleep still hung around her body. As much as she had used these facilities in the last two years, cryogenic suspension wasn't something one got used to easily. Ruby climbed out of the pod, and glanced around. The cyro bay was bustling with ship personnel, either waking crew members or just waking up themselves. A sound of coughing next to Ruby brought her attention to the only person here who she cared about. The only person she had left.

Yang sat up in her pod and gave Ruby a weary smile. "Sleep well, sis?" she said, as she stretched her muscles, aching from her long nap on ice.

Ruby looked at her sister with tired eyes. "As well as I could, I suppose," she grumbled. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "I had the nightmare again."

Yang sighed and stared at Ruby with a worried look. "You know, you could ask the crew to sedate you in cyro sleep so you don't dream…"

Ruby rounded on Yang, eyes filled with vehemence. "And why would I do that? I want to have these nightmares, Yang!" Ruby felt tears form in her eyes, as she turned away from her sister. "I…I want to remember them…"

Ruby felt strong arms wrap her from behind. "Don't worry, Ruby," Yang whispered into her ear. "We will never forget them. That's why we're here now."

The days following the destruction of Patch were dark for Ruby and Yang. The freighter they were on was only one of maybe 7 ships that managed to flee the system before the alien conglomerate known as the Covenant completely annihilated their home. The footage that made its way to the newsreels made Ruby and Yang sob in despair those first few days: images of purple alien vessels launching plasma bombardments that melted buildings into slag, turned rivers into steam, and scorched the very ground to glass. But it wasn't just the pictures that wrecked the two sisters. It was the memories that they refreshed.

A blade of energy cutting their father in two. A bolt of plasma striking their mother in the back. Watching her die on the deck of a fleeing freighter while their home burned.

Ruby and Yang were alone. When the freighter finally landed at the nearby colony of Vale, the two girls were taken by UNSC personnel to a nearby base. After receiving what seemed like a half-hearted condolence from a grim-faced lieutenant, they were offered the chance to be admitted into Signal Academy, a local UNSC-sponsored military school for orphans. "It's the least we could do for you girls, given your father's service to the UNSC," the lieutenant had said. "We can house you in the school dorms, feed you, cloth you, make sure you two are taken care of until you can care for yourselves. And, if you want to join the UNSC when are old enough, a diploma from Signal will basically guarantee entry into any Officer Candidate School you wish to attend." Ruby and Yang, not having much of a choice, had agreed.

The two girls, desperate for distractions, had thrown themselves into their schoolwork. They steadily rose to the top of their class, with perfect scores in most of their subjects. Almost two years after they enrolled, the girls had transcripts that even rivaled some OCS candidates. Considering their young age, it was all the more impressive. But the empty feeling remained, especially for Ruby. It didn't help that psychologists kept asking her questions about the day her parents died, forcing her to recall the events. Every night when she slept, she relived the day her parents died over and over. At first, the nightmares woke her every night, soaked with sweat and screaming. Over time, however, Ruby used the horrible images as motivation. One day, I'm going to be strong enough to destroy them all, she always thought to herself. I will kill the monsters that killed my family.

Yang was distraught over the loss of her parents as well, but not on the same level as Ruby. Yang was worried that Ruby might push herself too far, so she vowed to stick by Ruby's side for whatever life could throw at them. Which is how they wound up here.

A few weeks ago, Ruby and Yang were approached by a smartly dressed Petty Officer while on their lunch break at Signal. He handed the girls an envelope, said he was ordered to deliver it to them, and left without explaining the contents. Curiosity piqued, the two girls opened the envelope to find a letter from a UNSC Navy Major Glynda Goodwitch, requesting that Ruby and Yang travel to the colony world Remnant to meet with her for the chance to join a new school. If they agreed, they would leave Signal later that week and board an outbound frigate to Remnant, where the new school was located. Ruby and Yang spent the night discussing it, and decided that moving to a new school would be a good thing for them. They received clearance to take a shuttle up to the waiting UNSC Rising Sun, and prepared to leave their home for the last two years, towards a new horizon.

Ruby and Yang broke apart, and proceeded to don their Signal cadet uniforms. These were the only official clothes they owned, and it felt prudent to look as well kept as possible if they were going to meet with a UNSC officer.

"So, what now?" Ruby asked, looking around the cryo bay. No one appeared to be waiting for them. "Where do we go?"

"I believe I can be of some assistance," a disembodied voice said, causing both Ruby and Yang to jump slightly. They turned towards the sound of the voice.

A holographic projection stand warmed and the image of a young woman in a flowing dress materialized. "My name is Aurora. I'm the Rising Sun's A.I."

Yang looked confused. "A.I… What's the 'A' stand for?"

"Artificial," Aurora replied.

"What's the 'I' stand-"Yang started to ask.

"Intelligence."

"Oh." Yang still looked confused. "What's the 'A' stand for again?"

Aurora looked exasperated. "I thought you two were supposed to be smart?"

Ruby and Yang shared a look and started to giggle. "I'm sorry, Aurora," Yang said as she caught her breath. "I couldn't resist. We know what an A.I. is."

"Can you help us though?" Ruby asked with seriousness in her voice. "We are supposed to meet a Major Goodwitch here."

"Of course," Aurora answered. Data scored up her holographic side. "Major Goodwitch is waiting for you two in Conference Room 17-B. Would you like me to guide you there?"

Yes, please," Ruby said. She and Yang gathered their duffels and proceeded towards the conference room, following Aurora's direction.

After a short walk through the halls of the frigate, Ruby and Yang arrived at the conference room. "Here we are." Aurora said. You can go right in."

"Thanks," Ruby said. She and Yang walked inside.

A tall blonde woman was sitting at the conference table, studying a number of file on her data pad.

Aurora projected herself into the conference room. "Major Goodwitch, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long are here to see you." she announced.

The Major looked up from her pad. "Thank you, Aurora. That will be all. You are dismissed."

Aurora nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Her projection dissolved.

Major Goodwitch gestured at two seats at the table. "Sit. Both of you."

Ruby and Yang complied. The Major set aside her data pad and focused on the two children in front of her. "My name is Major Goodwitch. I'm the assistant director of a new UNSC program which will be explained to you shortly. I assume that you both have many questions, but I'd like to begin by going over your history before you arrived at Signal. What happened to you on Patch? I want to hear your account of the events that transpired."

Ruby and Yang were floored by this request. This woman wanted them to recount the worst day of their lives? It seemed like yet another psych evaluation. Yang felt Ruby tense up next to her. Ruby was clearly disturbed by the request. Yang spoke up. "Ma'am, I don't think we would be comfortable talking about that-"

"You will tell me about those events, or I will send you straight back to Signal." Goodwitch said with an air of finality.

Yang started to get angry. She started to conjure a response, but Ruby spoke first.

"Why do you want to know?" she shouted. "More to the point, why do not already know?" Ruby had answered these types of questions hundreds of times over the last two years, and she was getting pretty tired of it. "We lost our parents that day! Our home was burned! Yang and I watched our mother and father die right in front of us! Slaughtered like animals! And now people like you want to prod us and find out how we feel about it? I'll tell you how I feel! I'm FURIOUS! I'M DISTRAUGHT! ALIENS MURDERED MY FAMILY! I WANT TO GET STRONG SO I CAN KILL ALL THE COVENANT!"

Ruby was standing up now, shaking with fury. Yang tried to grab her, but the switch appeared to have been thrown. "So now that you have your answer, what are you going to do with us?" she screamed.

Major Goodwitch seemed stunned. She touched a control switch on the table. "You may come in now, sir." She said.

A door slid open behind the Major. A man in full UNSC dress walked in. The silver wings of a full bird colonel flashed on his shoulders.

"Do you know who I am?" The man asked Ruby.

Ruby flinched. She liked to think that ever since watching her parents die, she wasn't afraid of anything anymore. But the way this man carried himself, the authority that radiated off of him, Ruby couldn't help but feel a little fear. "N-n-no sir," she stammered.

"I'm Colonel Ozpin," the man said. He gestured to the Major." Major Goodwitch here is my Executive Officer. And, to answer your question, Miss Rose, I wish to offer you a chance to do what you desire to do."

Ruby sat in her seat, a look of confusion on her face. "W-what I desire, sir?"

"To kill the Covenant. To destroy the one who took you parents. Burned your home."

Ruby gasped. A chance for revenge! "O-okay, I'm listening."

Ozpin sat at the table. "You see, you and your sister were chosen to meet here for a very specific reason. It wasn't just your grades at Signal, although that certainly was a plus." He smiled. "You two have lost everything you hold dear. And, like those who have lost everything, you two are ready to fight against those who took it from you."

Ozpin took the data pad from Major Goodwitch. "I want to offer you two the chance to join a new military program. The UNSC is struggling in the war against the Covenant. The loss of life among our soldiers is too severe, as many of them are not strong enough to face the Covenant in battle. Our objective with this program is to train new, younger soldiers with exceptional minds and strengths, and, when they are old enough, physically augment them to increase their abilities. You do know what 'augment' means?

"You're going to surgically enhance them." Yang said, a look of worry on her face. "You're building super-soldiers."

"Quite so." Ozpin replied. "That is why I am offering you two the chance to participate. The UNSC cannot force someone of your age into service. Normally, we would have to ask your parents to allow you to participate, but, seeing as they have passed, we are asking you instead."

Ruby was in awe. She thought of her mother's last words to her: "I know you will achieve great things." This was her chance to live up to her mother's request and avenge her death. She could do this. She looked at Yang. She didn't seem as enthusiastic about it as she was. "There has to be risks to this," Yang said to Ozpin. "What happens if we are seriously hurt?"

Ozpin sighed. "I'm not going to lie to you Miss Xiao Long. There is tremendous risk. The training will be very intense and severe, especially since you are so young. We will teach you to be the ultimate weapon, a perfect soldier. The enhancement we will make to you bodies will be some of the worst pain one can experience. That is, if you even survive the procedures. But unfortunately, in order to rebuild you, we first must break you."

Yang looked appalled. "Ruby, you can't be seriously considering this!"

Ruby turned to Yang. "Why not? I have nothing else to live for! Don't you want revenge? Don't you want to strike back at the monsters who took everything at us? THEY KILLED OUR PARENTS, YANG!"

Yang was stunned. Ruby was entirely committed to getting revenge on the Covenant. Yang wanted revenge too. Every day for the last two years she had fantasized about killing the monsters who destroyed her life.

She was just afraid to find how far she would have to go to achieve such a goal.

Ozpin cleared his throat. "Look, girls. I can't promise you that you will survive the procedures. I can't even promise you that you will survive the training. But there is one thing I can promise you. If you complete this program, you will be part something special. You will be a symbol of hope, not just for yourselves, not just for the UNSC, but for all of humanity. For us, as a species. You will be the shining beacon for our race to rally behind. We could end the Covenant threat once and for all."

Ruby and Yang shared a look. Both could read each other's faces. Their decision was clear.

"We'll do it." They said in unison.

"Very good," Ozpin said. "Welcome to the SPARTAN Program.