RWBY: A Time of War

Chapter One: Ruby's Rangers

15-May-3030

Free Worlds League

Leopard Red Knight

Ruby's Rangers

06:18 Zulu Time

Ruby Rose was never much of a fan of space travel. Especially in a Leopard. Even if that Leopard was, at least for now, considered home.

However, seeing as her chosen career, was that of a mercenary. That she was plying her trade both in the Inner Sphere and The Periphery; she made the services of her lance and their heavy metal available to all customers; that made space travel via Leopard, an unwelcome necessity.

It was a combination of things really that got to her. The disorientation of time, the cramped confines of the hull and sleeping quarters shared between the lance and crew. The lack of amenities like showers or even running water, the severe restrictions on fresh foodstuffs as one flew from combat zone to combat zone, was taxing to say the least.

But the one thing that got to her was the sheer, unrelenting boredom of being trapped in a flying metal box, as it flew from JumpShip and point, to planet and back again, as her mercenary company, Ruby's Rangers, travelled from the Free World League to the Draconis Combine. From the Lyran Commonwealth to the Taurian Concordat.

There were ways to deal with it. Sure.

Weiss Schnee, the former CO and now XO, for example, studied history, philosophy and could often be found hiding away in the CO's cabin. Where she would write articles and essays on various events. At least not when she was going over combat footage of the Rangers last drop, and coming up with detailed training regimes to correct what she saw as 'deficiencies'.

Blake Belladonna, likewise could often be found with her nose buried in a book or dataslate, squirrelled away in a dark and private corner of the Leopard out of sight and out of mind. Though unlike Weiss whose literature was of the more academic variety, Blake's tended to veer off into the fantastical and more often than not, explicit in nature. In short, her vast book collection was mostly smut from the Magistry of Canopus.

While her half-sister, Yang Xaio-Long, could be found either working out, often giving the heavy bag a work over with her fists, lifting weights in their small gym at the aft of the ship; or she could be found lounging in her bunk, annoying Blake or playing some game on the holo.

Ruby herself had her own way of dealing with the never ending slog of boredom and routine; as she hummed along with the overly cheerful, upbeat cheesy pop song that crackled from an old worn out speaker. In truth the music was less for her and more for her beloved Shadowhawk BattleMech, Crescent Rose as she touched up a seam in the 'Mech's foot actuator.

Normally this would have been a job left for Port and his team, but Ruby always felt like she had a special, almost intuitive bond with her 'Mech. She had piloted Crescent Rose from almost the very start of her days in the Taurian École Militaire and through her tour on the border of the Concordat, dealing with the FedRats of House Davion and the odd pirate raid, to her life now as a mercenary.

"Excellent work Commander Rose!" Port bellowed happily, his grey and bushy moustache twitching with delight as he looked over her work. "Superb! It is always a pleasure to see MechWarriors capable of looking after their machines so diligently. You could teach my boys something or three about proper maintenance."

"Thanks Port." Ruby chirped back as she lifted the welding mask up to look over her work.

"You know you remind me of a young MechWarrior I knew back when I was serving as a mercenary in the Eridani Light Horse. Ah those were the days." Port chuckled, as belatedly, Ruby recognised the beginning of a long and winding story that was the hallmark of Staff Sergeant Peter Port, chief mechanic of Ruby's Rangers.