Stargazing With Beilah

Training for the Armada

Training for the Irken Armada was cutthroat and painful for everyone involved. Those in charge of their training wouldn't hesitate to throw even the youngest of the trainers into the rings with one another, allowing everyone involved real weapons ranging from ridiculously sharp spears to flamethrowers. From there, they would be forced to fight one another ranging from group fights to one-on-one fights in varying "environments" that the Armada constructed of its own accord. Many invaders-in-training suffered intense injuries during their rounds- even during supposedly intelligence-oriented evaluations. Invaders were taught at a young age that they may never be truly safe and this stayed deep within the bones of their being. 

Others, though, formed alliances. 

One who fell into both of these categories was Invader Qrow. He came into their universe full of scepticism and distrust for others. There was one person in his life who was an exception, though and that person was Invader Sophia, and, together, they were a force to be reckoned with.  

Neither Sophia nor Qrow were idiots- regardless of what Qrow has said about Sophia- and they both knew that they weren't safe from the Armada just because they were training under it. Irkens were ruthless and cared for no one but themselves. If they lost a few hundred soldiers here and there, they could merely make more. Every soldier was expendable and the two of them had known that from a young age. They knew that the universe was a dangerous and troubled place where no one was to be trusted. 

They also, however, knew that strong allyships could save lives- even entire planets worth of them, which is why they decided to team up. 

Sophia had a deadly fantastic aim and could be ridiculously ruthless in her battles. She could be emotional, but, frequently, during fights, that could be a major assistance, helping her unleash her rage against her opponents and letting her feelings fuel her brutal actions during battle. The combination of skills with varying different weapons and fighting techniques paired with her brutality made her deadly. What she lacked, though, was strategy- something that Qrow had in abundance. Unlike her, he was proficient in creating weapons, observation, and thinking on his feet but was absolutely useless when it came to aim. Together, though, they were the absolute Dream Team. With both of them in the ring, they could take down any enemy the Armada threw at them and dodge any obstacle thrown their way. They were each so powerful in their own strong suits that, together, they far surpassed expectations in every way. They knew they had to protect one another or they themselves wouldn't be able to survive. They were the best weapon in each other's arsenals, each an unstoppable force on their own made even more powerful with the other as backup. They were both leaders in the making and working together to ensure the other's safety was only natural for them to do, right? 

But slowly, there began to be other reasons for them to want to protect one another. Reasons that were far less analytical and logical and far more... emotional. It developed slowly over time but became just as powerful as their desire to best everyone during training. They became the closest of friends and, soon, it was just as important that the other succeeded as it was for them to succeed. As members of the Irken Armada, they would stop at nothing to dominate entire solar systems. As best friends, they would stop at nothing to make sure the other was doing just as well. 

While they both worried that this would impact their training- as the Armada was careful to drill into their brains at a young age- it only made them more powerful. Their emotions didn't hinder their actions in battle. Instead, it fueled it and made them become even more powerful. Qrow had the reasoning skills and logic to help Sophia utilize her emotions to destroy their enemies and benefit the two of them while Sophia gave Qrow the emotional power to create things that would assist in said destruction. Nothing could stop them.