A/N: I want to give some recognition to reddit user Metaboss84, who graciously offered to proof my chapters before they're posted. Reading through 6.4k words with the intent of catching errors and making suggestions can't be easy, and I'm very grateful for his work.

"Strike Eight, please report to the barracks."

Bradford's voice cut through the stale underground air while team RWBY jogged to the firing range. Despite Major Vance's kind words on the Skyranger and the psychological advice provided during her visit with Dr. Vahlen, Ruby still wasn't her usual energetic self after Bigg's death. In an effort to cheer up their leader and get her mind off things, the rest of RWBY agreed to an early morning trip to the firing range. The message from Bradford, however, resulted in a quick about-face and return to the barracks.

When they reached the entrance to the living quarters, they found a smiling Vance waiting for them.

"Right, follow me."

Weiss, still tired from the early hour, gave Vance a questioning look. "Is something wrong, Major?"

Vance shook his head, still smiling. "Hardly. C'mon."

The four huntresses followed the Major back into the barracks that they had left not ten minutes ago. Since it was still morning, a good number of soldiers were in the bunkhouse going through their own morning routines. None of them, Ruby noticed, were asleep. Some were chatting with their adjoining bunkmates, others were in the process of going through their morning hygiene, and a few were curiously watching as the members of Strike Eight approached. Ruby recognized a few of the soldiers, such as Annette, among the crowd of operatives in the barracks. After getting off on the bad foot during the welcome party, the "psi op" had re-introduced herself to Ruby as Captain Annette Durand. Perhaps because, just like RWBY, she had been thrown into this war by unfortunate circumstance, she felt the need to at least be on good terms with the four newcomers. The fact that she was one of the youngest soldiers at XCOM may have also factored into it.

At the far end of the room stood Central Officer Bradford, his uniform crisp and his posture at attention with his arms held firmly behind his back. To his right was a small table holding an open box, the lid blocking the contents from the newcomers.

Ruby's hands began to tremble despite her best efforts to still them. Did this have something to do with her poor performance during their first operation? Vance said that there wasn't anything wrong, but he could have been lying to put her at ease. She didn't know the Major long enough to know if that was something he'd do or not. No matter, they were already here and face-to-face with Bradford. May as well face the music.

Strike Eight walked down the rows of beds full of curious soldiers and stopped in front of Bradford. Vance stood behind the four girls, grin still firmly affixed to his face. There were a few seconds of silence where Ruby felt all eyes in the room staring at her team before Bradford began to speak.

"PFC's Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xaio Long. You have been called here in light of your recent performance on Operation Swift Flame."

Here it comes. Our first mission, and I already got somebody killed. He's asking himself why he even bothered to trust us in the first place. "Highly trained huntresses, my butt" he's probably thinking. And what's up with that operation name? Does he just have a list of adjectives and nouns that he mixes and matches at random?

"You have demonstrated exemplary skill, tactics, and resolve in the field. Based on what was observed at Mission Control, and the subsequent report submitted by Major Xander Vance, you have been deemed fit for promotion to the rank of Specialist."

… what?

"With the promotion to Specialist comes the assignment of your class. Here at XCOM, we have eight different kits that provide tactical significance on the battlefield. Every soldier, upon evaluation of their unique skill set, is assigned one of these roles so that he or she may further develop combat abilities specifically keyed to excelling in the role filled by their class."

"I believe you have already been familiarized with the Sniper and Rocketeer classes, due to the inclusion of Major Vance and the late Corporal Biggs on your first field op. For the sake of completion, I will formally explain the roles of all eight classes XCOM utilizes in the field."

"The Assault specializes in close combat with the invaders. Utilizing a shotgun, Assaults are trained to strike hard and fast, utilizing defensive equipment to survive any retaliation they may face after the initial blitz."

"The Infantry class is your bread-and-butter bullet hose, given equipment and training that allows him to maintain a high rate of deadly fire. Whether they are joining in the opening volley, or providing critical overwatch to allow their squadmates to advance, Infantry have honed their skills with a rifle to an art form."

"The Scout uses high mobility and lightning reflexes to be the advance eyes for a squad. Trained to stay out of the line of fire, Scouts excel at reaching optimal flanking positions and raining hell on their foes."

"The Sniper uses our long-range weaponry to eliminate targets from afar. Trained to locate and target critical locations on a high-priority target, Snipers are often considered to be a squad's 'ace in the hole' when a situation turns bad and an operative needs bailing out."

"The Rocketeer is our premier explosive expert. Whether they are using conventional high explosive warheads to deal impressive damage or our specialized 'Shredder' rockets to break through a target's defenses, Rocketeers excel at crowd control area of effect attacks."

"The Gunner is XCOM's heavy weapons specialist. Where Rocketeers use heavy explosive ordnance against their foes, Gunners use Light Machine Guns and Squad Automatic Weapons to spit out a veritable hailstorm of fire against the aliens. Suppression, area denial, and creating advantages against a target are all roles filled by the Gunner."

"The Medic is a squad's anchor. Whether they are healing up injuries in the heat of combat or creating cover for their allies with a well-placed Smoke Grenade, soldiers of XCOM can rest easy knowing the Medic has their back."

"The Engineer specializes in tearing down cover. When the aliens have dug themselves into an unassailable fortress of a defensive line, the Engineer's job is to blow that fortress straight to hell with the destructive force of their grenades."

Bradford gave the girls a moment to let all that sink in. It wasn't exactly vital that they memorized the role of each class, but knowing how they operated with each other would help Strike Eight coordinate more effectively in the field. If anything, they'd learn simply through practice and experience.

"Ruby Rose, you have been selected for promotion as a Sniper. Considering your excellent accuracy during Swift Flame, as well as the nature of your… preferred weapon, I believe this will be a good fit for you."

While Ruby blushed at the compliment, Bradford reached into the box next to him and pulled out a pair of patches. The first had a pair of dots inside a circle while the second was a crosshair inside a diamond. "These represent your rank and class, Specialist Rose. Major Vance can show you where they are supposed to be applied to your uniform."

Ruby muttered an absent-minded "thank you" while staring at the patches. The items themselves weren't anything special, but the meaning behind them was what really affected Ruby: 'we believe in you.'

"Weiss Schnee, due to your affinity for close combat with the enemy witnessed during Swift Flame, you have been selected for promotion as an Assault. Your tactics during the incident in the auto shop were particularly impressive."

Again, Bradford reached into the box and handed Weiss two patches. As with Ruby, she was given the dots inside a circle to represent her rank of Specialist. Her class patch contained a stylized alien skull inside of a diamond, which Ruby thought looked pretty cool.

"Blake Belladonna, your ability to deftly weave through enemy fire while on point and provide critical information to your fellow operatives has given me good reason to select you for promotion as a Scout. I strongly believe that your ability to reliably provide your squad with advantageous intel will be a boon for Strike Eight.

Bradford didn't realize it, but Ruby suspected that his words meant a great deal to Blake. For a long time now, she'd been struggling with her darker side that believed she was an untrustworthy coward, only good at running away when her friends needed her most. Along with the Specialist patch, the class patch Bradford gave Blake looked like a hawk caught mid-swoop inside of the diamond. Even as Bradford moved on to the last member of the squad, Ruby noticed Blake continuing to stare at the Scout patch.

"Yang Xiao Long, your impressive aptitude with grenades originally led me to believe you would best be suited as an Engineer…" Bradford was unable to suppress a smile as Yang's eyes shot wide with fear at the idea of being promoted to an Engineer. "However, sources tell me that you would much prefer the explosive comfort of a rocket launcher strapped to your back, so I have selected you for promotion as a Rocketeer." He handed the final two patches to Yang, with her Rocketeer patch containing an explosion inside of the diamond.

Ruby assumed that Bradford was finished giving them recognition (recognition she still wasn't certain they deserved) after he gave Yang her class and rank patches. However, he picked up the box on the table and looked curiously at the contents still inside. "Another thing… here at XCOM, we take pride in the diversity of nations coming together to fight back against this global invasion. As such, each soldier is given a patch that denotes their place of birth, worn on the back of their armor." He gave the girls a look that was a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Clearly, none of you are from Canada, or Japan, or any other nation on Earth, and yet you still stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of our operatives who have a very real stake in this war."

Bradford palmed an item from the box before putting it back down, though Ruby couldn't see what it was. "We noticed several… motifs prominently displayed on the clothing you wore when we first met. I don't know if they represent nations you come from, or what… but I think I'm right in assuming they hold a resonance with each of you similar to the nationalistic pride each of our operatives have when they wear their nation's flag on their back."

Once again, Ruby was stunned as Bradford held his hand out and revealed four more patches, each one bearing a symbol unique to the four huntresses of Team RWBY. "It turns out that Dr. Shen is full of more surprises than even I'm aware of. He made these himself when I asked about it."

After she had taken the proffered items, Bradford resumed his original position.

"Now that you have been promoted to Specialists, you can begin your training in earnest. Each class has a hallmark skill that you are required to become proficient with as soon as possible. Once you have mastered that, several choices will be available to you regarding how you wish to further specialize in your squad role. Our more experienced soldiers will be happy to assist you in both of these matters."

"Before I dismiss you," he added once he saw Ruby getting ready to turn around and make a beeline for the range, "There is one more thing I would like to address."

Ruby had a momentary resurgence of fear that she was going to get reprimanded for losing Biggs. Her fear was short-lived, however, when she saw Bradford turn to her partner.

"Specialist Schnee. While some of the events of Operation Swift Flame were regrettable, your actions and initiative did not escape our notice at Central when the situation turned dire. When all hope seemed lost for your comrades trapped in a building with a full-strength squad of Sectoids, you were determined to find a way to help them no matter the cost. Your quick thinking and decisive action very likely averted further tragedy on Strike Eight's first operation."

Weiss's eyes, already wide from the out-of-nowhere compliment, grew wider when Bradford reached once more into the box and pulled out a medal. "In light of these events, I award you with XCOM's Urban Combat Badge." He smiled as Weiss carefully took the medal from his hand. "It's not every day that a Rookie willingly charges into a dangerous situation and comes out the other end with zero casualties."

With the final decoration formally presented, Bradford snapped a salute at the young operatives, who in turn mirrored the action. "Now that we're done here, you are cleared to return to the Armory and commence training as Specialists. Good luck, Strike Eight."

Ruby was absolutely in love with the Pulse Sniper Rifle. While it didn't have the comforting kick of Crescent Rose, it's sleek design and ability to easily strike a target from long range made Ruby feel like she was slowly moving back to her old style of combat. Sure, she couldn't decapitate an alien by swinging the rifle at its head, but the familiar weight of a long rifle helped put the huntress in a better mindset. Plus, the lack of a heavy recoil could be seen as an advantage in some situations, like during a maximum-range accuracy drill with Vance at the training field. Ruby was very impressed with how easily the live fire course could be modified depending on the needs of the operative. The first thing Vance told Ruby she would be mastering was what the operatives of XCOM had come to call "Squad Sight." Essentially, so long as someone on her team could spot for her, it was expected of Ruby as a Sniper to be able to hit the target.

And so for the next few days, Ruby found herself frequently standing at the front of the live fire course, with Vance down by the other end. When the drill would start, he would call out targets and landmarks scattered all over his end of the massive hall, allowing Ruby to quickly scope in and hit the alien dummy. While she was getting the hang of it, she had to admit that the subtle power of Pulse weaponry, along with the rest of the accuracy-boosting equipment she used to mod her rifle, was definitely a boon when it came to demonstrating her abilities as a marksman.

Talking with the rest of RWBY revealed similarly intensive drills for the other Specialist classes. Weiss was not only expected to master the use of a shotgun (a weapon she had never touched before), but to be able to accurately hit a target with it while running at full sprint. Her instructor, a Master Sergeant from Strike Two, explained to her that because Assaults were so frequently within spitting distance of their prey, the best way to stay alive was to ensure their would-be attackers were given a new head cavity before they got the chance to pull the trigger. So her training consisted of drills such as: firing while sliding into cover; firing while running backwards; firing after spinning 180 degrees; firing after coming up from a dodge roll; and Ruby's favorite, firing while vaulting over the target's cover. The sooner Weiss was able to line up a shot, the less time her enemy had to shoot back.

Yang was perfectly happy learning how to operate XCOM's personal brand of rocket-fueled justice. The warheads provided for training were paint-tipped duds, but they still let out a satisfying swish as they streaked across the room and marked how close (or far) she was from striking the desired region. The launcher was far bulkier than Ember Celica, to be sure, but Yang felt like she could get used to handling equipment this big, a sentiment that earned her a smack upside the head when she shared it with her partner (wink included).

If the rest of RWBY was training in the art of hitting their target, Blake was training in the art of not letting her target hit her. During some of her free time, Ruby watched one of Blake's sessions on the live fire course. While all operatives found themselves in need of running from cover to cover, Scouts like Blake often had to do so while aliens had their guns ready to shoot the first target that moved. Safely running overwatch meant spotting her attackers before they fired, predicting where their shots would land, and twisting your way out of the line of fire while dashing for something to hide behind. It was here that Blake's faunus heritage served her well: the instructor and several assisting base personnel would wait for her to make a move, and Blake would gracefully weave, twist, and slide her way around the field while a flurry of light chewed up the concrete around her. Ruby was truly impressed by how easy she made it look.

The only complaint Ruby could think of for their current situation was the whole Aura problem. However it seemed like that the subject caught the interest of Dr. Vahlen, who asked to meet with them all at their earliest convenience.

Ruby swore that every time she entered Dr. Vahlen's lab, the woman always had her face buried in her work. Did she never take breaks? Ruby would have to ask Weiss about trying to get the doctor to loosen up a bit as a part of her 'public image repair program.'

The arrival of RWBY didn't go unnoticed by Vahlen, however, who quickly wrapped up whatever she was doing and turned her attention to XCOM's newest Specialists.

"Ah! Good, you're here. I would like to speak to you about several topics, primarily related to information I gathered from the questioning and tests we conducted over the last few days. Please, have a seat."

Dr. Vahlen waited until they were all settled before proceeding. "The results of the biometric tests I conducted have been… interesting. Without a doubt, the humans of Remnant have the same genetic structure as the humans of Earth, with a variance of less than 0.1%. Physiologically, however, you are much stronger than us. While it's not to the extreme degree of muscle fiber density that we've seen in the legs of the Thin Men, it is still quite remarkable. Superior upper body strength, natural resistance to impact blows, and heightened respiratory capabilities are all qualities you posses relative to the rest of our operatives, even when the age difference is factored in."

Yang grinned and flexed her bicep. "Well, Doctor, if you ever want a closer examination of these guns-" was all she managed to get out before she earned a smack from Blake, forcing Vahlen suppressed a chuckle. In truth, she would like to have another examination of the young woman's musculature if given the chance.

"While this result is fascinating for many reasons, the one I'm most curious about is the phenomenon you all refer to as Aura." And with a single sentence, the range of bored-to-annoyed looks immediately transformed into ones of excitement. "From what you have all told me, every hunter on Remnant is a skilled practitioner in the usage of this… ah… 'power of the soul', is how I believe you best described it. Additionally, from what you have told me, none of you have succeeded in projecting this soul power while here on Earth."

Vahlen gave the four huntresses an amused smile. "While modern science here on Earth has been unable to quantify the concept of the soul with any level of satisfaction, it seems that the technology exists on your Remnant, and is developed enough to fit in your hand in the form of these…" she picked up a small device that the four huntresses recognized immediately.

"Scrolls." Weiss supplied.

"Yes, scrolls. From what Weiss has shown me, your scrolls are capable of providing you with an instantaneous analysis of your aura's current strength, allowing you to determine when an expeditious retreat is desirable. What's interesting is that these scrolls still show your auras to be at full strength. I believe this is why your sudden lack of abilities came as a shock to you, yes?"

The huntresses nodded.

"This leads me to believe that your aura is, in fact, suppressed rather than missing. The process will take some time, but it is my hope and belief that my team will not only be able to find a way to determine why your abilities have been locked, but find a way to restore them."

Yang pounded her fist into the palm of her other hand, an excited grin playing over her face. "Sign me up for whatever tests you need to run, Doc. As much as I enjoy playing with Shen's rocket launcher, the sooner I can bust some heads the old fashioned way, the better." The other three similarly exclaimed their willingness to do whatever it takes to help with Vahlen's Aura research. The doctor had to put her hands up as a means to silence their emphatic promises to help.

"While I appreciate your desire to help, there is a process to scientific progress. Before I can do anything that would require your assistance, the first step is the more mundane task of data analysis. With all the information I have collected from the initial testing, it will take some time to sift through it and detect relevant patterns. Piecing together what has been gathered so far is an absolute necessity before I can even begin to think about follow-up tests that can further our progress in this avenue of research. My goal in asking you all to meet with me was simply to inform you that your… unique skills are something Central Officer Bradford and I have deemed worthy of significant research. I will keep you all appraised of any new information that comes from my team's efforts."

"Not to trivialize your generous decision to research the issues we are having with Aura, Dr. Vahlen, but have you also made any progress on understanding what happened with the Hyperwave Relay?"

The doctor nodded, not at all surprised that Blake was the one perceptive enough to ask about the research that was of utmost importance to her team. After all, if Vahlen was unable to find a way to send them back, then RWBY had bigger things to worry about than their malfunctioning Aura.

"As with our initial research into Aura, we have already begun to parse the data collected during the Hyperwave Event. Because of all the instrumentation my team had set up to monitor every aspect of the machine, the amount of data that requires analysis is far greater than what I have collected regarding your soul energy. It will not be a swift process, but we will steadily uncover the phenomenon that led to the creation of the transdimensional portal that brought you to our doorstep."

That answer seemed to satisfy Blake, who seemed to be mulling over the idea that they'd be stuck here for as long as it took Vahlen to "process" and use the data from the relay. "Fair enough. Is that all?"

"Unless you have any other questions for me, I've covered everything I planned to discuss with you."

The huntresses, having no more questions, filed out of Vahlen's lab. Except for Weiss, Ruby noted, who had stayed back to talk with Vahlen. At this point, Ruby wondered if the two were actually becoming friends, rather than Weiss simply doing a favor for Vahlen that she'd collect when it was convenient.

"Alright Ruby… you ready?"

"I'm always ready, Major."

The sound of a harsh buzzer filled Ruby's ears, marking the start of the drill.

"Sixty yards, left of three stacked barrels."

The soothing snap-hiss of Ruby's rifle quickly replaced the sound of the buzzer as she struck her first target.

"Adjust ten yards right, inside the dumpster."

She fired again, and another target disintegrated under the pulse rifle's destructive force.

"Eighty-five yards, about five yards left, behind the crate."

Ruby took a fraction of a second longer on the next shot to ensure the (large) jump in distance didn't throw off her aim. A gentle pull of the trigger discharged an orange bolt that struck the target firmly within the "acceptable" zone.

The drill continued for another minute as Vance kept calling out targets and Ruby to zero in and smoke them until the painfully loud buzzer rang again to mark the conclusion of the exercise. By the time the Major made his way back to his protégé, Ruby was already halfway through the maintenance check on her rifle. When she looked up, she could see that Vance was all smiles.

"Well done, kiddo. I think that's a new personal record for your Squadsight speed trial." He pretended to brush some dirt off his shoulder. "Not as fast as mine, of course, but not everyone can be perfect marksmen like me." He laughed when his mock bragging earned him a punch square in the rib.

"Seriously, though. It didn't take you long at all to get the hang of this. You show off this level of talent in the field, and you'll be finding yourself promoted to Lance Corporal pretty quick."

Ruby was about to respond with a word of thanks, but was cut off by Bradford on the intercom.

"Would all members of Strike One please report to the Skyranger. Operation Enduring Shield to re-take Japan from the aliens will commence in one hour. I repeat, all members of Strike One are need for this operation. Gear up and report to the Skyranger."

Major Vance's eyes widened at the announcement. "Holy shit… he's calling for the whole gang to get together…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously and gave Ruby a sideways glance. "Ah… listen Ruby, I haven't told you yet, but… I'm technically being summoned by Bradford's call for Strike One."

Ruby raised an eyebrow at the Major. "Buuuuuuut you're part of Strike Eight. Is it normal for soldiers to be part of different strike teams? It sounds like that would cause complications."

Vance shook his head. "Nope, but Strike One is unique. It represents XCOM's "A-Team", the best of the best. All its members are spread among the rest of the strike teams to supplement them with superior combat experience and skill. Only in very rare cases does Central call for Strike One to assemble for an operation, and for two reasons: not only is it usually overkill and a waste of energy for XCOM's best operatives, but it would be a massive blow to XCOM if something were to go wrong and a lot of soldiers went down. Like I said, Strike One is the best of the best. Spreading its members among the rest of the teams minimizes losses if a mission goes seriously fubar. C'mon, I can tell you more about it while I grab my gear."

So Ruby listened while Vance explained. If there was a mission that absolutely, positively had to succeed, Bradford would bring in Strike One. The costs were high, though: its members were usually the top operatives of all the other strike teams, so having them out of commission for a few days on account of required R&R meant that every single strike team at XCOM would have its strength reduced until the members of Strike One had recovered. This meant that usually Bradford would assemble half of Strike One for an important op, leaving the other half rested so that their squads can cover any operations that crop up shortly after the important one. To have the entirety of XCOM's A-Team together for a single mission was something that, quite frankly, didn't happen anymore.

After Vance was finished grabbing his equipment from the armory and checking its integrity, he gave Ruby a sly grin. "Hey, how about you come with me while I tag up with the rest of Strike One at the Skyranger? There's some pretty cool cats who'll be there, especially our Field Commander, and you'll get to see all the greatest toys XCOM operatives get to play with."

Ruby didn't know what Vance meant by the Field Commander, but her eyes lit up at the mention of tech. She'd seen a lot of equipment laying around Shen's foundry, but it'd probably look a lot more impressive when properly wielded in the hands of a combat veteran. "That sounds great!" Her smile faltered when a thought occurred to her. "I won't be going on the mission, though… right? It sounds like it'll be really dangerous, and I'm only starting to get the hang of fighting without my Aura."

The Major shook his head. "Absolutely not. Even if the Central Officer himself asked you to, which he wouldn't, there's no way I'd be okay with you coming along. Once you have more experience, then maybe. For now, though, you're just there to wish us good luck when we dust off."

The pair soon arrived at the hangar/launchpad for XCOM's transport vehicle. From the lack of impressively-armed operatives, it seemed like Ruby and Vance were the first ones there. They watched tech crews scurrying around the Skyranger, performing last-minute maintenance checks and topping off the aircraft's fuel pods. The flow of work carried on until the sound of cheerful laughter emanated from the main entrance to the hangar and the base personnel cleared out while the newcomers strolled in.

Ruby looked over to see eight soldiers casually walk through the doorway and towards the waiting ship. Her mouth started to water as she looked closely at the equipment they were packing. For starters, their armor was way more impressive than the Carapace Armor Bradford had given to the members of Strike Eight. One of the soldiers, who carried a wicked-looking Light Machine Gun, was wearing armor so heavy that Ruby wasn't sure how he was able remain standing.

"That's Colonel Shaojie 'Chilong' Zhang over there in Titan armor," Vance whispered, "I've seen him eat a full volley of plasma from a Mechtoid in that armor and walk it off no problem. Dude's a badass, no doubt about it."

A little further back in the group, Ruby recognized Captain Durand. Almost as if Annette sensed Ruby's attention (which would not surprise Ruby at all), Annette looked over and gave Ruby a smile and a wave, her laser shotgun resting casually resting on one shoulder. Annette's armor wasn't nearly as heavy as Zhang's, but it was just as complex. Channels of purple energy flowed through multiple grooves in the armor and, though Ruby didn't have her Aura-based sixth sense, emanated with subtle power.

There was other, equally impressive gear on display in the group. Two soldiers wore armor with jetpacks, and several more had grappling hooks attached to the forearms of their suits. Ruby remembered Vance talking about the grappling hooks back on their first tour of the base, but she didn't realize he was serious.

In addition to the mechanical technology and psychic abilities of Strike One, Ruby noticed several biological enhancements that were clearly the handiwork of Dr. Vahlen. One of the operatives was a little… jumpy. Ruby had seen students at combat school jump around a bit when they were nervous before a tournament or something, but she never recalled seeing any of them jump five times their height from a dead stop. Another seemed to crackle with electric energy, while a third had skin that looked faintly metallic. All in all, an impressive group of fighters stood confidently before the huntress.

Then the MEC troopers came in.

Ruby felt the ground quake even before they entered the hangar: two robotic cybersuits came stomping through the entrance, easily standing head and shoulders above the other operatives. Just as the regular operatives wore different armors, so too did the MECs. While one looked even more heavily armored than Zhang in his Titan suit, the other was plated in armor clearly geared more towards mobility and hit-and-run tactics than heavy tanking.

The armaments carried by the MECs were equally impressive. Both carried gatling lasers and carried a wide array of additional armaments on their suits. The heavier MEC carried a large grenade launcher on its back and a flamethrower on its left wrist, while the skirmisher had a rocket fist (or "Kinetic Strike Module" according to Vance), EMP backpack, and what looked like a much larger equivalent of XCOM's standard medkit.

Ruby and Vance watched the soldiers mill around and chat for another minute before the Major turned to the doorway and shouted "Commander on deck!"

Ruby noticed all of the operatives immediately stopped their conversations and turned to salute at whoever had come through the door. Ruby followed their gaze and saw the authoritative figure of a tall man stride across the hangar with an air of utmost confidence towards the Skyranger. However, once he noticed Ruby and Vance standing off by the edge of the landing pad, he let out an "at ease" and changed direction to approach the duo. He carried a laser rifle in both hands and smiled lightly when Vance offered him a second salute.

"At ease, Major. I take it the little lady here is why you're not with the rest of the squad…?"

"Sir, this is Specialist Ruby Rose, squad leader of Strike Eight." He lowered his salute and held his hands behind his back in an "at-ease-yet-still-respectful" posture. "I thought it would be a good idea to give her the opportunity to see the best of what XCOM has to offer."

The man nodded, then held a hand out to Ruby. "A Specialist ordering around Major Vance, hmm? Sounds like Bradford has big plans for you. I am Field Commander Peter Van Doorn, a pleasure to meet you, Ruby."

Ruby slowly took van Doorn's hand and shook it. "Likewise, Mr. Van Doorn- uh… Commander… Sir," she finished lamely. "That's… quite an impressive team you have assembled there."

Van Doorn laughed. "Forged in the fires of life-or-death combat, courtesy of our alien guests. I would risk my life for any one of them, and I know they would do the same for me." His tone suddenly became more serious. "I heard about Swift Flame. I assume that was your first operation as a squad leader, Miss Rose?"

Ruby looked down at the corrugated metal beneath her feet, unable to look the Commander in the eye. "It was my first operation period, sir. I don't know why Bradford promoted me after I screwed up so badly."

A firm hand on her shoulder caused Ruby to look up in surprise to see Van Doorn giving her a sad smile. "If there's anything I learned after joining XCOM, it's that Central Officer Bradford does not make mistakes when judging character. If he says you performed admirably, then that's exactly how he feels. The loss of Corporal James Biggs was tragic, but it wasn't pointless and most certainly not your fault. In fact, Operation Swift Flame has given XCOM a crucial advantage: the alien bastards made the mistake of showing their hand early and letting us know that their Thin Men now posses sniper training, and likely have other nasty surprises for us as well. If, for example, they had waited until Enduring Shield, I am certain that Strike One would be coming back from today's mission with a lot less than the twelve soldiers leaving."

Ruby shifted uncomfortably. Van Doorn had a point, but it still didn't make her feel any better. Still, he continued. "Believe me when I say that I understand how hard it is on your conscience to lose a good soldier under your command. I know that no amount of encouragement from others can truly help you overcome that personal demon. It's up to you to look within yourself and come to terms with Biggs's death in your own way. Only then will you be at peace."

He took his hand off her shoulder and gave her a salute. "In the meantime, I still expect you to do everything you can to become a soldier capable of leading with confidence. Major Vance is with you in Strike Eight, and the best damn sniper I've ever worked with, which means you must train hard to learn how to tactically use him and the rest of your operatives in the most efficient manner possible. Know that if Vance believes in you, then so do I. Show those alien bastards that it would be a mistake to underestimate the capabilities of Strike Eight, and make sure they pay for every life they take and every civilian they abduct."

He picked up his rifle and turned to head back over to the Skyranger, but not before leaving Ruby with one final quip and a wink. "After all… it's not fair if I have all the fun."