Chapter Text
“Multiple new contacts closing in fast!!”
“We’ve got Nevermores attempting to breach off the starboard bow!”
“What’s the status of the Quantum Drive?”
“We’re ready to jump on your command, Captain!”
“All Valkyries are on-board and accounted for! No one’s getting left behind!”
“PHASE JUMP! NOW!!!”
WHOOOOMMM-PHOOOOOOSSH!!!
I was jerked forward by an unseen force as I gripped the handrail as hard as I could. Once my vision returned to normal, I looked out from my balcony on the bridge of the Hyperion and outside the reinforced glass canopy. A purple sky full of stars, hurtling past the ship as if it were travelling through hyperspace. Here in the Sea of Quanta, we were safe… for now.
“Ai-Chan! Status report!” I shouted.
From a screen on my right, a cabbage-haired cartoonishly proportioned girl appeared. “The Hyperion has made a successful jump! All systems are functioning normally and no Grimm detected on the hull.” the ever-trustworthy Ai-Chan answered.
“Give me a rundown on our Valkyrie Strike Teams.”
“Alpha Team and Gamma Team are reporting injuries and will require medical leave for around 4 to 7 days. Delta Team is fatigued, but will be ready to return to action after 3 days!”
“The Herrschers?”
“Conditions are stable for all three of them. Unfortunately, the battle has taken a heavy toll on their bodies. They will require an extensive stay in the Sickbay before they are combat ready again.”
“Thank God… I won't let their sacrifices go in vain…” I thought to myself. “How’s our ‘guests’ doing?”
“As per your request, Teams RWBY and JNR, in addition to Qrow Brawen and Oscar Pine, are onboard and receiving a debriefing from Miss Apocalypse right about now,” chirped the smiling AI.
I held my breath. “And the Winter Maiden…?”
“She is being examined by the Medical Team, but so far appears to be fine!”
At long last, I could finally relax. I let go of my white-knuckled grip of the handrail as the tension and stress built up over a year dissipated in a long, deep sigh.
I had changed the course of Remnant history.
Or rather, ‘we’ did it. It was a team effort, after all. No point in taking all the credit for myself. It just wasn’t my style.
“I’m glad to see you relaxed again. For a while, it looked like you were going to collapse from stress!” chirped Ai-Chan.
“We can celebrate a little later. There’s still work to do around here. Namely, cleaning up after the Battle of Atlas.” I responded.
“Your orders, Captain?”
“Have all our uninjured Valkyries dress down from their missions so they can get cleaned up and begin their mandatory down time. Meanwhile, let’s have the tech-heads commence repairs on their battlesuits and weapons, in addition to patching up any damage to the hull.”
Ai-Chan’s avatar ‘shook’ her head. “Current hull integrity stands at 97%. Emergency repairs won’t be necessary. However, most of our AA weaponry munitions were depleted in the battle. I’ll have the technicians restock them, but another supply drop may be needed afterwards.”
“Noted. Meanwhile, I’m going down to the infirmary to check in on Kiana, Mei, and Bronya. Those three really gave it their all today. I’ll oversee the removal of their Herrscher Cores and then give them a post-game pep talk.” I replied.
“OK. I- Hold one.” Ai-Chan paused as she received new data from elsewhere on the ship. “...It seems that Team RWBY wishes to speak with you directly.”
Already? I was going to talk to them sooner or later, but not this soon! “Tell them I’m busy with something and I’ll talk to them later.”
Ai-Chan’s avatar froze for a few seconds. Then she made a small frown. “I’m sorry, but they’re adamant about confronting you. It appears that Miss Apocalypse’s explanations are insufficient for them.”
Damn. Looks like the Herrschers are going to have to wait. I hope the procedure goes without incident. On the other hand, the insertion procedures went (relatively) smoothly. Besides, we’ve got some of humanity’s best and brightest minds against the Honkai onboard, in addition to their religious-like devotion to standard safety procedures.
But for me, Team RWBY is demanding answers. If I had to wager a guess, they’re still highly suspicious of me and my Valkyries for coming in out of nowhere and handily thrashing the Grimm and Salem’s henchmen. Like it or not, I’ve got to oblige them in order to fully win over their trust.
Finally, I relented. “OK, send them up to my quarters. Did Miss Rossweisse prepare hors d'oeuvres before the battle?” I requested this to Rita earlier as I didn’t want to overburden her by resuming her maid duties immediately upon returning from a major battle.
“Yes sir! She told me they’re in your fridge.”
“Good. The ship is yours, Ai-Chan. Summon me if there’s an emergency, as usual.”
“Very well. Good luck on your talk!”
I waved goodbye and entered the elevator at the rear of my perch on the Hyperion’s bridge. Descending into the bowels on the massive airborne battleship, I took a moment to reflect on all that happened to me. Although by now I should be getting used to jumping between realities that once seemed to be purely in the realm of fiction and imagination, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. One day, I’m struggling to get by in college. The next, I’m in the same room with characters from one of my favorite video games. And now, I’m about to be face-to-face with the titular characters from the web animation show RWBY. Isn’t life funny like that?
Five minutes later, I step through the door to the Captain’s Quarters, which resembled a cross between a large suite on a luxury cruise ship and a small studio apartment. Crossing over to the kitchen area, I opened my fridge door to find two trays full of bite-sized meats, cheeses, fruits, and crackers. Pulling them out, I suddenly remembered Ruby loved cookies. I managed to fill a bowl with the last of the Chips Ahoy in the pantry, hoping it would be enough.
Setting the snacks, along with some drinks I still had, on the living room coffee table, I heard a knocking at the door. It had to be them. As I approached the door, I heard muffled female voices on the other side. Taking a deep breath, I slid open the door.
Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang stood on the other side, patiently waiting for me. They seemed… apprehensive of me. Which I suppose is understandable, given my recent actions.
Without wasting any time, I gestured them to follow me. “Ah, glad to see you’re all OK. Come on in.”
“About time you bothered getting back to us,” quipped Weiss with a predictable amount of iceiness to her voice.
“Sorry to keep you waiting; I’m still a very busy man, after all… but please, take a seat and feel free to have some snacks,” I calmly replied as they stepped through the door.
We all took a seat in the living room, with Blake and Weiss across from Yang and Ruby on the couches, and me on a chair facing one of the table’s ends. Although I expected them to be famished after everything they’ve faced, the Huntresses only took a small handful of snacks at a time (except for Ruby, who went straight to the cookies). When everyone was settled, it was Yang who made the first move.
“So… what gives?” the blonde brawler asked.
I raised my eyebrows in response. “About what?”
“About everything! You show up in Atlas out of nowhere, with technology clearly not from Remnant, and somehow magically knew when or where Salem’s followers are!” Weiss snapped.
“It is rather suspicious just how quickly your ‘Valkyries’ took down Watts and Tyrian. How did you know about them, anyway?” inquired Blake.
Ruby, thankfully, was much more forgiving. “Uh, Captain, is it? We aren’t mad, but we just want to know if we can trust you. Especially after… you know.”
Right, trust. That’s what nearly killed their relationship with Ozpin, or Ozma, back in Volume Six. Though arguably, the truth behind me is far, far more shocking than the fact that Salem is immortal and this entire shadow war is practically pointless. If they learn that I know everything about them because they’re fictional characters from a show in my world, it just might drive them insane…or they may think I’m the crazy one. Either way, it’s not good. Luckily, I had prepared for this beforehand. Steading myself, I began to unravel the truth.
“You’re right to think that I’ve been behaving strangely. In truth, I’ve wanted to tell you the truth about us for a while now. But with Salem and her followers everywhere, I didn’t want them to know either. So I’ve waited until I could bring you here to tell you why.”
Silence. Then Yang spoke up again.
“...well?”
“Oh, yeah. You may wanna get settled; this is going to be a long story.”
I then began to tell them a mostly true version of the story of how the Hyperion came to Remnant and what we’ve done from the shadows. However, I simply couldn’t bring myself to reveal my true origins.
What I’m about to tell you, however, is what really happened.