Decisions and Sorrow

The ramp of the BlackRose sealed with a hiss, leaving Blake and Ruby in the solitude of the dimly lit dropship. The noise of the deck crew working to refuel and rearm the Beacon's Hunter and Paladin-crafts sounding muffled and distant through the thick armor. Reaper was seated at her console staring at the last scan she had taken, the number of civilians at the landing site. Shadow was leaning against the bulkhead just behind her copilot, her voice pulled the wolf Faunus' eyes from the lime green digital 93 that had seared itself into her mind.

"Ruby, do you blame me?" The feline Faunus asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"W-What?" The wolf Faunus' ears twitched at the question, as if she didn't think her heard her pilot properly.

"I was the one who suggested we have them draw lots. Do you blame me?" The black and white suited pilot said, repeating the question.

"No," Reaper replied with a sigh, closing her eyes against the green light of her console, her ears flattened morosely against her head once more, "Part of me thinks if we hadn't done lots I wouldn't have had to shoot that man, but with the crowd… No, it was the right call." She couldn't hold back as her adrenaline faded. Down time after an engagement was a double edged sword for a soldier, it gave them time recover but also to think about what they had done or witnessed during the mission. "Damn it Blake, I saw kids in that crowd who couldn't have been more than 5 or 6. Fuck… I can't get their faces out of my mind. They were scared but I don't think they even really knew what was happening!" Tears started to well up in her eyes, the black and red suited pilot buried her face in her hands.

The amber eyed pilot spun her copilot's chair around, knelt down and gently took the wolf Faunus' hands in her own. "If we had had the time, we'd have gotten them all off planet. I know what's going through your head, it's alright to grieve for the ones we couldn't save. But we have to be able to still protect those that we could get away from the Grimm." Blake's eyes were misted with her own unshed tears but her voice was calm and steady.

"And how do I do that, Blake?" She asked, her voice cracking as tears streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto the back of Blake's hands. "Every time I blink I can see every detail of the faces of those terrified civilians. Their children...the panicked look on those parent's faces when they realized that even their children were going to be left behind! Even the soul crushing resignation that filled the eyes of those who realized they were going to die is won't leave me!"

Blake let go of one of the wolf Faunus' hands and pulled her into an embrace, letting Ruby shed her tears onto her shoulder. "We use what the Grimm did to us as motive to never let someone who sets foot on our dropship die. They get to and from where they're going in one piece, civilian or soldier. And anyone who tries to stop us gets the business ends our service pistols and the BlackRose's 30mm cannon." She could feel the red and black haired pilot digging her nails into her flight suit as she vented. The raven haired woman trailed slow circles over Ruby's back, rocking her gently as the smaller pilot's sobs racked her. Blake only shed a single tear, it was enough for her. She would grieve for, and honor, the colonies by never letting someone die if they were in her care.

"How, How do you do it?" Ruby hiccuped lightly as her sobbing finally started to subside, her lips only a few inches from Blake's ear.

"Do what?" The amber eyed woman asked, still rocking the silver eyed pilot. They were sharing the copilot seat, the feline Faunus had seated Ruby in her lap.

She replied, almost emotionlessly, her energy drained, as she tried to nuzzle deeper into the crook of Blake's neck as the images of the clearing started to return. "Act so calm, even after all this? We lost our homes, condemned people to death, and now… there can't be more than 100 thousand Remnants left out of billions."

The black and white suited pilot trailed her fingers through the other's crimson and black locks, somewhat guiltily taking pleasure in the smaller woman's touch as she thought, We are still licking open wounds, but holding you is enough for me. Knowing you're still with me is enough for me.

As that thought cemented itself into Blake's mind she replied, "The same reason I was able to survive my family dying during the riots on Menagerie. I'm thinking about the bright things. We lost the colonies, we lost so many people that we may honestly never fully recover, but homes can be replaced. Families were still saved and new ones can start again from the survivors."

"But what's the bright side for you?" Ruby asked finally moving her silver colored gaze to Blake's.

"I didn't lose you, Ruby." The amber eyed lieutenant answered, losing herself in those twin silver pools.

Neither of them knew which of them moved first, but Blake could feel Ruby's hand bury itself into her obsidian tresses, pulling her toward her. While the feline Faunus' own hand already on the wolf Faunus' back, tried to hold her smaller frame tighter against her. They quickly found their senses overwhelmed. The sound of each breath that slipped passed their lips with every short gasp of air. The taste of the other's tongue as they played, neither vying for dominance. The rhythm of their heartbeats syncing until they couldn't tell the difference between them. The sharp scent of sweat and adrenaline still clinging to each other, all of it intoxicated them. That moment for the both of them was one more bright spot in the darkness of the cosmos.

After a few minutes their lips parted, Ruby once more rested her head in the crook of Blake's neck. Her eyes were half lidded, a small ghost of a smile curled the edges of her lips. She could feel a faint contented rumble rising up from within the raven haired woman's chest. She nodded lightly in agreement with the feline Faunus' earlier reply, exhaustion starting to take over. "I didn't lose you either, Kitten."

As the red and black haired lieutenant's breathing evened and sleep over took her, Blake slowly resumed rocking her. A contented smile curled her lips. I'm not your only bright spot in the dark, Wolf, but I am glad to be one of them. She gently leaned forward and keyed the BlackRose into the Beacon's shipwide comm, the thick armor would muffle the sound outside the craft. The feline Faunus had no intention of waking the slender figure in her lap by going back to their bunks, this way the pilots of the dropship BlackRose would hear if they were called to station.

Beacon Bridge

"So the plan is to become wandering nomads, Major?! Did I hear that correctly?" Col. Branwen ground out the question between his teeth.

Summer nodded as LtCmdr Oobleck magnified an image of the crippled Solarius. Indicators flashed and lines of data accompanied them, detailing the severity of the damage. "Yes, and the Solarius can't come with us either. At least not by jumping. Tai hasn't said the dreadnaught is a lost cause but it's fairly obvious."

"Do we have a census count of every survivor yet?" Tactics officer Port asked as he examined the locations indicated by the DRADIS.

"Not yet, we were still gathering data when you arrived. But a rough estimate would be around 80 thousand." She replied with a grimace, the colonies had been home to almost 600 billion Remnants spread across multiple planets, moons, and stations.

"Jesus… We're going to need to take stock of what supplies we have," Dr. Torchwick said, his face paling at the estimation. "And we're going to need to jump again soon, this is a dead area of the stellar cluster there's nothing here that can help us."

"There are still dozens of stations that we may be able to go to. They're near the middle of the Remnant star cluster and we know they weren't engaged because we're still getting intermittent signals from them." The Beacon's navigations officer said, dismissing the image of the Solarius and replacing it with a map of the Remnant star cluster. Blue diamonds representing the locations of the stations pulsed and danced as the DRADIS tracked their orbits around the various celestial bodies. "It's also possible we may find survivors there as well as supplies."

"What do you think, Ms Goodwitch? Even though you haven't officially been sworn in yet, you are the President of the Remnant Colonies." Commander Ozpin said, looking at the former Presidential Aide.

"I watched billions die today, Commander Ozpin. If Major Rose's estimation is correct we need to do everything we can to make sure we don't lose anyone else. I say we make for the closest station, gather what supplies and survivors we can and then move on to the next only if we need to. If need to become nomads to survive then that is what we will have to do." Her voice was steady as she spoke, her eyes were still red with grief, but Glynda's demeanor had changed as the calm after the storm settled among the survivors. Roman was right, James Ironwood didn't die in vain, she was alive and the successor to the Colonial Presidency, she needed to have a clear head and not return to being the crying wretch she had been just hours before.

"Lieutenant Peach, your thoughts? You're a bridge officer as well, all input is welcome." Commander Ozpin said, causing the other officers and the civilians to bring their full attention to the comms officer.

"Hhmm? Oh sorry, Sir, but I think we may have a problem." The auburn haired woman apologized, one hand holding her headset to her ear, while the other worked the dials of her station trying to clean up the signal.

"Explain." Ozpin ordered, the bridge descended into a deafening silence.

"It may be nothing, but I keep getting a brief garbled signal over the comms. I've been trying to clean it up but nothing has worked so far." Lieutenant Peach clarified, still working on the signal. "Wait… I think I can hear something now...is that a pulse monitor?"

"A pulse monitor? Why would we be picking that up?" Ghost asked, her ears perking up alertly, worry starting to creep into her voice as she walked over to the comm station.

"I'm not sure, Ma'am...but…" She trailed as she tried to trace the signal, when she found where it was coming from, her eyes widened in shock. "Commander, you're going to want to get on the horn with Admiral Tai. That signal is coming from both the Solarius' bridge and their reactor!"

A pulse monitor signal in those two locations meant only one thing, the Solarius' wartime protocols were still active. At that moment the dreadnaught was effectively a high energy explosive device three times the size of the R.C.S Beacon. Protocol dictated that fleet ships had both a manual trigger for detonating their reactor and aura drives, as well as a pulse monitor keyed to the commanding officer. This redundancy was only engaged if the ship's C.O. thought the signal from the manual trigger could be intercepted and blocked.

Bridge of the Solarius

"Admiral, the last of the nonessential crew are away and folded into the rest of the fleet as ordered." The dreadnaught's Comms Officer said.

"Good, Good, you know you can all leave as well, yes? The Solarius only needs it's commanding officer now."

"With all do respect, Sir. When, not if, those metal bastards show up you'll need us to help cover the rest of the fleet while they jump. And you know they will try to board us so, who better to defend the Solarius' bridge than her own bridge officers, eh?" The Tactics Officer said, racking the slide of his service pistol with an air of finality.

Tai nodded with a sigh, "Alright then. Comms, is that line to the Beacon still open?" He asked, wondering what Ozpin would have to say when he told them they'd be leaving him and the Solarius behind.

"Yes, Sir, they're already hailing us."

The Fleet Admiral picked up the private receiver at his command station. The Commander of the R.C.S: Beacon wasted no time questioning his superior's motives. "Admiral Tai, do you want to tell me why you still have wartime protocols engaged?" The question was stiff, as if he was holding back most of his emotions.

Tai replied with the same stiff tone, this part of the call had to be formal. His nails bit into the armrest of his command chair. "Because, Commander Ozpin, effective immediately the highest ranking military officer of the Remnant fleet is now you. The Solarius is a ghost ship, I have already folded its crew into the civilian vessels with orders to report to you directly after you jump from here."

"What about you, Sir? We can't just leave you behind, you haven't even talked to your wife or children!" Ozpin's voice grated through the receiver, hard, angry. "I know you're in pain but a suicidal last stand is not-"

Tai cut him off, his voice was a choked, cracked, whisper against his subordinate's understandable denial of his current actions. "The Grimm will be here soon. We know they're tracking us."

"What…?"

"Don't you get it, Commander? We built them to be able to sense the emotions of our enemies when they were planetside. The sweat, blood, decay… the fear. The aura drives respond best when a ship population is unified in an emotion, joy, fear…. It has been a century since the last battle," An almost insane chuckle slipped into his voice at the revelation. If the military brass, scientists, and colonial leaders had realized this blatantly obvious possibility sooner then maybe, just maybe, they'd have had a better chance. But it was too late now. "We should have realized they'd have had the time to adapt the abilities of their older models into ship sensors, and then further refine them. They'll be here soon, how could they miss an aura drive trail filled with the fear and pain of almost 100 thousand people?"

"We built the prefect killing machine and they decided to start killing us in return. This is the price we pay for playing God…" Ozpin's relenting sigh hissed over the comm, "What would you have me do?"

Tai said, his tired, sleep deprived gaze scanned the DRADIS idly as he spoke. "Follow whatever plan you have made thus far. If I blow the Solarius' aura drive and reactor I may be able to scramble your trail, buy you all some time."

"And your family?"

"Summer has been transferred to the Beacon. Paperwork be damned. But if she doesn't want to command the CAP then don't push it onto her, find something useful for her to be able to stay aboard the Beacon. Military liaison to the President, tactical advisor for Captain Schnee, anything." The Fleet Admiral said, slowly resting his head in one hand, while the other held the receiver his ear.

"And your children, Sir?" Ozpin pressed, feeling his own sorrow for the lieutenants Rose and Xiao-Long, and for Major Rose, settle heavily in his gut.

"Keep them safe if able. And let your crew find their happiness where they can," The reply was quiet, whispered as if the blonde haired admiral was scared that even mentioning the Grimm would call them forth "Sorrow leads to pain, and both lead to the Grimm."

"I understand, Sir. Can I at least request that your children be able to go see you?" He requested, knowing full well what his Commanding Officer's reply would be.

"I'd like that, Oz, I'd like that very much. Have Summer come with them. I, I need to say goodbye properly." He said ending the call, finally letting his tears slip between his fingers. His bridge officers continued their work around him, consciously oblivious to the call that had just taken place, each feeling the same pain in their own ways.

Admiral Tai's Quarters

"Th-There has to be another way, Tai!" Summer cried, failing to control her voice. "You don't have to die just so we have a small chance to survive another day!"

Ruby was standing beside the distraught wolf Faunus, she was shaking, her tears streamed down her downcast face dripping onto the floor of the fleet admiral's cabin. "Dad… Please, just use the manual trigger. Don't chain yourself to a deathtrap." She whispered, her voice somehow reaching through the air above her mother's shouts.

"I'm, I'm sorry, Petal but I can't. I need to make sure the Solarius is destroyed so that you, your sister, your mother, and the rest of the fleet can get away. If I leave the ship and the Grimm jam the manual detonators then that won't happen." Taiyang said, resting his hands on the splintered remains of his desk, shamefully picking at the splinters near one of the many bullet holes that riddle the piece of furniture.

"That is bullshit, dad! You're throwing your life away on a gamble that won't even protect us forever!" Yang growled, bringing her fist down onto the desk with a loud bang.

Tai finally looked at his stricken family, circled the remains of his desk, and stopped in front of them. He pulled a small sealed envelope from within his uniform coat and pressed it into Summer's hand. "I truly am sorry. But I have no other choice, I need to make sure you three survive even if I do not. I would rather die knowing you all have a chance of living, and of being happy again, than risk losing you to the Grimm."

"Tai…" Summer trailed, her voice hoarse and cracked, as she felt the weight and shape of what was inside the envelope. It held his wedding ring, her husband's mind was made up.

"Please, Summer, promise me you and our children will find the will to smile again after this." He begged, his voice cracking under the weight of his own words.

The last CAG of the Solarius closed her eyes, swallowed back the lump in her throat that threatened to choke her, and after a moment finally replied to his request. "I can't promise that. But we'll be safe, that much I can promise."

Vacuum Enroute to the R.C.S: Beacon

The BlackRose was making its way slowly back to the R.C.S: Beacon, almost six hours after Admiral Taiyang had requested his family join him on the Solarius so that he could say goodbye. Shadow was piloting with minimal engine power. Ghost, Dragon, and Reaper were in the transport bay grieving for what was to come. The feline Faunus wanted to give them time alone with each other before returning to the Glyph-class carrier.

"Was this really the only way, Sir?" Blake mused to herself within the solitude of the dropship's cockpit. Her hands tightening around the yoke of her flight controls, the creak of her leather flight gloves filling her ears. "Yeah… I guess it was. I'll make sure you aren't doing this for nothing. And I'll do it for them." She murmured, glancing over her shoulder that the sealed door that was between her and distraught trio of pilots.

As she turned back to her console, she could see that the dropship was being hailed. "Beacon Actual to BlackRose, come in BlackRose." Lieutenant Peach's voice piped through the comm. Her voice was devoid of the cheer the raven haired pilot had heard when she'd first approached the Beacon twelve hours ago. Those twelve hours may as well have been twelve years ago.

"I read you Beacon Actual, go ahead." Shadow replied, her ears tight against her head, she hoped it wasn't another serious comm call. Waking up to a call to station only to find out it was to help Ruby say goodbye to her father broke her heart. She'd had to help the wolf Faunus to her flight chair, her knees had buckled and she'd been despondent until they'd landed in the Kight-class dreadnaught's landing bay.

"You're being diverted to the Atlas to pick up a colonist and bring them back with you." The Comms Officer informed the pilot.

"The Atlas, copy that Beacon Actual, changing course to vector 7.9 mark 3.2 mark 8.8. Who are we picking up?" The amber eyed pilot asked, as the large science vessel started to grow in the viewing canopy.

"Dr. Winter Schnee," The auburn haired woman replied. "She's the only highly skilled medical professional we've found so far in the fleet, the census is still being collected so we may get lucky and find another as well. But for right now though we'd like her aboard the Beacon. Less risk of losing her."

Winter Schnee, eh? Well there is Ice Queen's bright spot. Hhmm… smart move wanting to move her to the Beacon. Protect a major asset, but we need more medical staff than one person. She's going to need to train people. Blake thought to herself as she replied, "Understood, Beacon Actual, BlackRose out."

The door between the cockpit and the transport section of the dropship opened with a hiss as Reaper walked over to her station, "Why'd we change course, Shadow?" Her voice was hoarse, raw from venting her grief.

"We've, We've been asked to divert to the Atlas to pick up Winter Schnee." Blake said, as she engaged the autopilot. Even at maximum burn the flight to the Atlas would take half an hour. The feline Faunus spun her flight chair around to better see her co-pilot.

The red and black suited pilot was a mess. Her silver eyes were bloodshot, glazed as if she just didn't want to see anything anymore, her face was ghost white and drained of energy and emotion. She'd bounced from emotional low to emotional high and back again in such a short time that the amber eyed pilot wondered how the wolf Faunus was even able to find the energy to stand.

Shadow did the only thing she could think of just then, she pulled Reaper into her lap and slowly started to rock her. No tears came from the red and black haired pilot this time, she didn't have the energy left to weep again. She simply circled her arms around her pilot's neck and gave into the soothing rocking motion. Before letting the oblivion of sleep claim her again she practically begged into Blake's ear, "Promise me, Kitten, promise me you won't leave me."

"I promise, Wolf. I will never leave you." Blake vowed, slowly running her hand once again through the red and black locks. Her amber eyes hardened coldly in the dim light of the cockpit. And anyone who tries to make me won't live to regret it. For that matter, anyone who tries to hurt you, your sister, or your mother will end up on the wrong side of an airlock. You've lost enough already.

Blake carried Ruby back into the transport section of the BlackRose before she needed to begin making the approach to the Atlas. She could see Summer was dozing in her flight restraints, the wolf Faunus' energy just as spent as her daughter's, if not more so.

Yang however was still awake. "So, Winter did make it off Atlas after all? Good, at least something good came out of this flight." She muttered as Blake filled her in on what was happening.

"Yang… I…"

"I know, Blake. I know, just make sure you… you know." Dragon sighed, gesturing toward her sleeping sister as a few of her own tears slipped from the corners of lilac eyes.

"You know I will. We… We were rather forward with each other, in a way before the...call." The feline Faunus said, trying to say or do anything to dispel the tense air in the transport section of the Paladin dropship.

"Well, if it was indecently forward then spare me the details please." The blonde haired Hunter pilot said, waving her hands slightly as if to ward off mental images. "But, if you want to be with my sister, then that just gives you more of a reason to make sure she stays safe and happy if you're able. You've always done that, so I trust you, Shadow."

"Damn right it does give me another reason, Dragon. But, you don't have to be with someone to also want them to be happy. If...If you ever need to talk, or Hell, get a drink or something don't be afraid to ask. You, me, Weiss, Ruby, everyone in the crew, we've all got to look out for each other now." Blake advised her ears perking up just a little. If the R.C.S: Beacon, the entire fleet for that matter, were to survive everyone would have to look after each other.

"You're right, Shadow. You're right," The lilac eyed woman replied sighing a little, her bloodshot eyes looked over to the fitfully sleeping forms of her step-mother and sister. "Summer is more of a mother to me than my own birth mother was. I gave her so much shit when I was a kid… yet… I haven't once called her mom. It's foolish I know… but I feel like such an idiot for not doing that, at least once."

"Maybe you could start? She's not going anywhere anytime soon." Blake said, turning back toward the cockpit door, but not before leaning down, just a little and pressing a brief kiss to her sleeping co-pilot's forehead.

As the door sealed with a hiss Yang couldn't help thinking that the raven haired Paladin pilot was right.

R.C.S: Atlas

As the BlackRose touched down in the port landing bay of the Atlas, Dr. Winter Schnee was already moving toward the entry ramp. Her blue and white lab coat settling around her again as engines spun down. I can't do much good for the colonists if I'm confined to working on the Beacon. Sure they have a decent facility but what if a patient can't be moved? She thought as the ramp hit the deckplate with a thump.

"Dr. Schnee?" Blake asked, from the top of the ramp, her helmet still resting under her flight chair in the cockpit.

"I am, yes." The alabaster haired doctor replied.

"Do you need any help with your equipment?" The feline Faunus asked, gesturing toward the three bags the woman had brought with her.

"No, thank you. I can manage," She said, quickly stowing the bulky equipment bags. It was then that she noticed the three pilots, two still dozing in their restraints, the third had her lilac eyes boring holes into the deckplate between her boots. "So...the rumor about the Admiral's protocol engagement is true then?" She asked recognizing the three of them.

"Yeah, Doc. It is." Yang replied stiffly.

"I am so sorry, Lieutenant Xiao-Long." She said, bowing her head slightly.

"Thanks…you'd best get strapped in. The Captain will be jumping for joy when she see you. I don't think the bridge crew told her you'd come up on the census." Dragon replied, her face giving way to a mirthless smirk.

"Weiss…she's alive?" Winter asked, surprise filling her voice.

"Nothing keeps a determined Hunter pilot from coming back to family if they're still alive." The yellow and black suited pilot said with a nod. "And, you're the one I bet would've made it off Atlas. Guess I was right, eh?"

"True, but I was already on the R.C.S: Atlas when the first nuke hit. I was just lucky." She replied as the restraints clicked into place. "Or I guess unlucky, in a way. The rest of my family didn't make it."

Yang pursed her lips, "Sorry, Doc."

"I shouldn't be surprised, this is the result of playing God." The blue eyed doctor replied with a grimace, as she leaned back into her harness. "I will miss my mother and brother, Hell I'll miss my bastard of a father but...the pain will fade with time. And as long as the Grimm don't kill us we've got all the time in the world to recover and pay them back."

"Damn right, Doc. Right now though I'd settle for a very stiff drink and helping my friends and family recover from this." Yang said, reaching into a bag she had taken from the Solarius and tossing Winter a metal flask.

"To the colonies and those that were lost." Winter toasted, taking a swig from the container and passing it back to Yang.

"To the colonies and those that were lost." The Hunter pilot parroted, before taking drink from the flask.

Sixty seconds later the BlackRose leapt from the Atlas' landing bay. Blake spiraled the dropship slowly around to orient with the R.C.S: Beacon and started their return flight.

AN: So yeah... This chapter took about six rewrites to get done. I also hadn't planned on kicking off the Ladybug shipping this early but as I was writing that scene it just kinda happened. I know it seems like the Rose and Long family is getting the tar beaten out of them right now, but it's not always going to be the case. Also I'm kinda not done yet in that regard, I've got at least six different ideas for how the next chapter will go. Any who I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next one! Keep moving forward, enjoy the journey, and don't feed the guard dogs! - Phoenix Commander signing off!