Chapter 1

To those curious, GS&R is what will ideally become a character-driven adventure story revolving around Jaune, Penny, and several select members of the RWBY cast. There'll be elements of romance and pseudo-hard sci-fi coming into play fairly soon. I'm adding this message here because it's come to my attention that the summary gives the impression of a comedic fic, and that wasn't my intention.

Note: Penny's "father" here is not Pietro Polendina from canon RWBY. I had a similar character fleshed out as an OC prior to his introduction, and to retcon everything now would be awkward.

Jaune woke to the soft humming of airship engines. It was a constant, monotone noise. Not quite loud enough to warrant any true annoyance, but not soft enough to be ignored once you noticed it, either. He lay there, blinking at the tiled ceiling, idly musing about how terribly bland it was, until his brain caught up and he remembered where he was.

Or rather, where he would be in several hours.

Nervousness. Excitement. These were emotions that he had suppressed for years, for with them, came mistakes that he never could afford. But this time? He couldn't bring himself to care as they ran rampant through his mind, throwing his thoughts into utter disarray and generally making a mess of things he didn't like messy.

Beacon, for God's sake. He was going to Beacon Academy, a place that he wouldn't have dreamt of setting foot in as a student in his next ten lives. Until now, that is.

And there, was the excitement. As for the nervousness? Most of it stemmed from one question:

Was he prepared?

Maybe.

Should he be worried that his answer to the question wasn't a resounding "yes", considering that not being prepared would almost certainly entail evisceration, dismemberment, or some other form of horrible, violent death?

Probably.

Was he being overly dramatic and working himself up for no reason?

Yes.

Jaune sighed, sitting up and shaking his head to clear away those thoughts before his brain melted down.

Less than a second after he did, a beep came from outside his room, followed by the click of an opening lock, as the door creaked open. A head poked in - bright orange hair, green eyes, and an inquisitive expression. "Friend Jaune, are you awake?"

"I am. Good morning." He replied, rubbing the last vestiges of grogginess from his eyes, then looking up at her. "Mind I ask, though, why you decided to take my locked door as an invitation to come in? I could've still been asleep. Or indecent."

She frowned, confused. "I would not have entered if you had been. My sensors detected a change in your breathing patterns and heart rate indicating that you had woken, and confirmed that you were clothed. I even waited for you to physically rise from your bed, to ensure that you did not intend to return to sleep. Were my actions inappropriate?"

Not exactly infallible logic, but surprising for what it was - this was coming from Penny, after all. Jaune's eyebrows rose ever so slightly. "Not… entirely so, apparently. I did not expect you to consider so much."

"I have updated my social interaction protocols to a higher priority, under the assumption that we will need to interact with other students on a regular basis who are not aware of my… artificial nature."

Jaune hummed, even if he didn't much appreciate how Penny referred to herself. "That's reasonable. Quite nicely thought out, in fact. Well done." He gave her an affirming nod, swinging his legs off his mattress and slipping his feet into the pair of shoes set neatly at the foot of his bed. He was already dressed, having anticipated a busy day ahead last night.

"Thank you!"

Jaune smiled and stood, walking to the doorway and pausing for a moment. "It might, however, help for you to keep in mind what the implications of a locked door are. As a rule of thumb, knock before entering anyone's dorms in Beacon."

Penny nodded. "Understood. I will take note of that for the future."

"Wonderful. And-" Jaune cut off, as he stepped out into the main cabin - partly from what he saw, though mostly because of the heavenly aroma that wafted to his nose. "You cooked breakfast?"

"I did." A more enthusiastic grin appeared on Penny's face. "I did not think you would enjoy the pre-packaged meals, and decided to make use of the onboard kitchen." She tilted her head. "You are hungry, yes?"

"If I wasn't before, I certainly am now." Jaune laughed, pulling a seat out from under the table. Crispy, glazed bacon, perfectly cooked eggs, and a pile of golden brown potatoes. Probably not the fanciest meal that could've been made considering how ridiculously luxurious the ship Doctor Polendina had put them on was, but definitely far better than what he normally got in Atlas.

A downside of the military running your school was that functionality was valued over comfort. While boiled food was indubitably healthy, it… tended not to taste the best.

This, though?

It was a fantastic start to the morning, for sure.

If only he could do something about the butterfly performing a damned gymnastics routine in the pit of his stomach.

Ironwood sighed. "I truly cannot fathom why you put so much faith in the boy. He can't be nearly strong enough to be on par with the students attending a huntsman academy. I'm concerned for his safety. Why did I let you smuggle those two off to Vale again?"

"Mm. Don't you forget, you yourself personally approved my request to send him to Beacon. Should this bring to question your sense of responsibility for those under your command?"

"Oh, cut the crap, you old bastard. I said that you could bring a suitable person to accompany Penny. That said individual be properly trained should've been implied."

"I must've missed that particular tidbit, silly me. And my, keep your voice down before you're heard talking like that." Polendina chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. "Besides, Jaune got himself accepted. That should speak at least somewhat of his ability, no? Beacon could hardly allow the ill-prepared to participate in their initiation."

"You don't know Ozpin nearly well enough if you believe that. It's a miracle no one's been killed yet! Honestly, Victor, I doubt he even looks at the applications he passes."

"Surely you jest? Do relax, James." Ironwood did not. "Jaune doesn't give himself the credit he deserves - and neither do you. I'm confident he'll be able to, shall I say, hold in his own right."

Ironwood threw his hands up. "Don't even get me started on that. You let him away with enough ordnance to level all of Vale!"

"I did no such thing. I've arranged for shipments to be sent to him monthly. He has enough to level... a tenth of Vale at best. Not that he would. He's a responsible child.

"... You're out of your mind."

"Ah, don't you worry. If it comes down to the worst, there's always Penny to keep the situation in check."

"And that's supposed to fill me with confidence!?"

Jaune cleaned off the plate in what felt like seconds. He toyed briefly with the idea of asking for more - his stomach wouldn't have complained - but thought better of it. Wouldn't do for him to end up stuffing himself sick on the very first day.

Unfortunately, that left him without a distraction, for staring at the clouds whipping past outside the windows really wasn't much of one. Penny had left earlier to conduct several final operation checks, leaving him alone.

The intercoms installed in the ceiling buzzed, breaking the silence as a tinny voice spoke. "Approaching Vale airspace. ETA to destination, ten minutes."

Jaune bit his lip.

What if he wasn't good enough? How could he hope to fight alongside people who'd trained all their lives to kill Grimm?

Well, he'd drop out. His application to Beacon was legitimate, so it wasn't as if he'd face any actual consequences for failing other than disappointment in himself - aside from dying, of course, there was always that.

What if people found out what Penny was?

Even if someone did, nothing would come of it. Penny was no longer a classified project, having completed her field-testing stage. That Atlas had been attempting to develop advanced combat AI was also common knowledge for any working in the field.

But none would. He'd make sure of it. Penny wanted her secret kept, and his sole task was to aid her in that regard. He was not going to screw up and deny her the chance to experience life proper after so long - a chance she was unlikely to receive again with the pressure the General was putting on Doctor Polendina. This was the one time he was being depended on, and he would not let her nor her father down.

... Then dropping out isn't an option either. If I'm forced to leave, Penny won't be able to stay. There's no way she'd be allowed to. Back in Atlas, she...

That wasn't all.

What if others got hurt because of him?

What if he tripped down a flight of stairs and broke his neck?

What if...

Jaune let out a long breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The problem with "what if" questions was that they never ran out. He'd defeat himself trying to answer them all long before anything else - namely, murderous murder monsters - could.

He wanted this. He wanted to go to Beacon. That didn't mean there was any less pressure on him.

"Is something bothering you, friend Jaune?"

He turned, to be met with a concerned gaze. "No, I'm fi-" He caught himself. "I'm... just a little anxious."

Penny settled down opposite him at the table, chin in hands. "Why is that?" She inquired.

"I'm weak." He said, raising a hand when she opened her mouth to object as he'd known she would. "There's no denying that. I don't even have a semblance. Though it's not my fault, the fact remains that Beacon's students have to be anything but weak."

"But I will deny it." Penny protested. "It is not a requirement for a competent huntsman to have a powerful semblance or mastery of ten styles of martial arts. Our soldiers are not as skilled as huntsmen, yet they can kill Grimm all the same - and you are both far better equipped and better trained than the average soldier."

"That's not the point. I want to prove that I can be as good as everyone else. We have combat classes, and it's not as if I'm exempt from spars. I can't exactly defeat my opponent in the usual Atlas fashion by blowing up the ring, can I?"

Penny frowned. "I did not say you could. I was addressing your misconception that there is a large discrepancy in ability between you and the other initiates to defeating Grimm, which is the primary objective of Huntsmen. If your wish is to be 'as good as everyone else' in terms of skill, then you can simply improve to fulfill it. You have a plentiful amount time."

"I can't download skills into my brain like you, Penny. Seven years. That's how long most people train in prep schools before going to an academy. I've had one year. I can't imagine how it's possible for me to improve fast enough to catch up, but I will need to."

"I do not understand why you feel this obligation in the first place. Huntsman can play a multitude of different roles in the field besides physically eliminating Grimm. And, even beyond that, have you not already come close to achieving what you claim to be impossible, albeit in a different field?"

Come close to, but not quite, she didn't say. Penny minced words. She never lied. "No. This is… it's… complicated. Different." Jaune sighed, but flashed her a grateful, if halfhearted, smile. The effort in and of itself was commendable. "Thank you, though. Your words help more than I may make them seem."

Penny gave him a thumbs up. "I am always ready to help my friends, Jaune! And, as you appear not to wish for the continuation of this conversation, I will oblige." She hesitated, her expression sobering. "I still believe you are setting unreasonably high expectations for yourself - you fear failures that do not exist. I hope we can discuss this in more suitable circumstances in the future."

He stared at her. "I thought I was supposed to be your mentor, not you my counselor."

"You are, but that does not disallow me from providing you aid when needed. In fact, I would be more than willing to offer you further training during our time in Beacon. I have installed multiple programs just for that purpose."

"That was a joke."

"Oh! I did not realize you had made a humorous statement. Does that mean you accept both my offers?"

"Of course." Jaune laughed, genuinely this time. "Thank you again, Penny. You're amazing."

"I was not made to be anything less!"

Jaune considered correcting her there, then decided that now wasn't the time for a repeat of that argument.

All things aside though, he did feel better.

There would be many challenges on the road ahead of him. He would face them, and he would overcome them - no, he needed to overcome them. Doubt had no place in him if he wanted to succeed, and he would. Perhaps Penny couldn't fully grasp why he had to, but he knew she would support him, as much as he did her.

And that had to be enough.

"We're beginning our descent. Please secure all loose items and prepare to disembark."

This time, when he looked out at the rapidly approaching spires of Beacon, gleaming in the sunlight, he felt only one emotion.

Determination.

Well, determination and raw panic, as his airsickness chose that opportune moment to set in, but that was a moot point.

That's it for the chapter. How was the pacing? Did you like the dialogue? Let me know in the reviews!

:D