A/N: Alrighty folks, here we are with a new story! One I was originally not planning on writing.
I've been having a… thing… as of late, which as many of you noticed means I haven't updated squat in a while. It's nothing to worry about, I'm just trying to get myself going again. So what better than a sequel to my most successful story?
I do not own Stargate or RWBY, those belong to MGM and Rooster Teeth respectively, no profit is made from this story, anything else you spot belongs to its proper owners, yadda yadda, you know this song and dance. Special thanks to KisaragiKei for proofreading.
This is How-Not-To-Do-Something, and I hereby bring you 'Idea Haec Mala.'
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It was over in seconds.
The fresh faced student, a kid with shiny new armor, talent enough for his whole team, and possessing vast confidence challenged the guest speaker for a spar, absolutely certain he would emerge victorious. His excited classmates supported the student, enamored by his skill and charm since the semester began. Twin warnings should have told him this was a bad idea: the devious smirk of his teacher, and the wide smile of his opponent. Both went unheeded in his mind.
A fearful yelp lasted until he slammed onto the training mat, his cry morphing into a whimper as his arm was twisted behind his back, a firm knee planting itself on his spine for a solid finisher. An arm swiftly wrapping around his neck in a classic chokehold was just rubbing salt in the wound. When he groaned plaintively, his face slapped the firm surface a second after the hold was released. The teen's entire body followed suit, going limp from the swift yet merciless duel he subjected himself to. Meanwhile his opponent just stood up to wipe her hands on her tracksuit.
"And that's how you disable your opponent unarmed." she announced with a small curtsy, smiling at the couple dozen student watching in awe. That done, she stepped aside and used a lone shoe to flop the challenger over. When he opened his eyes, he found a hand outstretched for him.
While the young woman yanked her numb challenger up, the teacher clapped her own hands as she returned to the forefront, planting her fists on her hips when she overlooked them. Her long tailed jacket swayed with her movements, rustling slightly when it brushed against her pants. The belt around her waist kept her coat behaved, as well as keeping her somewhat undersized shirt firmly covered up.
"Alright, hope all of you learned something from this." she stated, grinning as she jabbed a left hand towards a hapless student. "Oralie, what did Vermelho do wrong here?"
The girl she picked gulped. "Uh, he… charged right in?"
"Okay, now what about you Snow?" she switched to another, flicking to the side when the beaten challenger staggered before being caught.
"He didn't get a feel for his opponent."
"Almost." the blonde woman nodded, at last turning to the slumped loser. "Alright Vermelho, why did you get your butt kicked here?"
The teen in question averted his gaze, grimacing at the few snickers from his classmates. "I underestimated my enemy."
"Close enough." she crossed her arms, her long mane of blonde hair swishing when she gazed towards her class. "I learned this the hard way. There's situations when you don't have time to figure out a strategy, but that doesn't mean you can always wing it. Have a plan of attack, and find out what you're up against whenever you can." she lectured in an even tone, at last switching to the young woman silently waiting for her cue. The teacher's lilac eyes narrowed slightly at the couple suited guards standing by the far wall. "Anything to add on your end?"
"Just one thing." the tracksuit clad woman said, stepping into view of the class. Her short black hair shone in the unobtrusive lighting, barely reaching past her ears. "No matter how good you are, remember this: you're part of a team. Winning on your own doesn't mean a thing if it's just you at the end."
"I like it." nodded the blonde, bringing a gauntlet encased wrist up to peer at a watch. "And…"
A high pitched ring came from above, chiming thrice before going silent. At the sound the teens visibly relaxed, a handful beginning to head towards the doors before halting, either by themselves or because another student stopped them. The blonde waited just seconds for their attention to return.
"Don't forget, your reports for the Faunus Rebellion have to be on my desk by tomorrow morning. If I catch any of you cheating, well…" she grinned dangerously rather than finishing. A chuckle left her at the visible quake roiling through her students, cheerfully gesturing towards the door. "Alright, class dismissed."
Life returned to the students when they turned away, filtering into their normal social groups on their way out. Chatter filled the air, concerning gossip, the various assignments she gave them, and of course, the one sided duel they just witnessed. The formerly upbeat challenger was almost slinking away, despite the consoling from his friends and admirers. The four adults in the room stayed behind however, with the blonde in particular turning her head towards the guest softly walking to her side.
Once the door slammed shut, the tension visibly seeped out of both women.
"I so wish I could do that all the time." said Yang Xiao Long, sighing as she threw an arm onto the woman's shoulders. The guest didn't resist being drawn into a hug, chuckling as she embraced her sister back.
"Me too Yang." smiled Ruby Rose for the hundredth time since she arrived.
Thrumming from many students reverberated through the walls, and the twin stares of the stone faced guards didn't leave Yang, but neither sibling had a care. When they let go, a tiny wave from Ruby let her sister take the lead, twin footsteps from the bodyguards joining their stride.
"Think that was a little rough?" she asked in concern.
"Nah. Vermelho needs to get knocked down a couple pegs. He's good, don't get me wrong, but the ego on that kid is something else." the blonde replied with a shrug, swinging the door open; a bright glare from Signal's many windows replaced the gloom of the training room. A wave of sound from students, half again as many compared to just a couple years ago, buffeted the four strong group when they left.
Ruby paused before she moved on, earning a bemused look from Yang, and wary looks from the bodyguards. For a moment she closed her eyes, softly smiling as she took it all in.
"I missed this place." she murmured. A couple passing students saw the reflecting guest, but the teacher's shooing wave made them scurry off.
Yang chuckled before she clapped her on the shoulder. "C'mon, takeouts in my office."
Ruby opened her eyes and nodded, powering off after her sister. Students flowed past her on their way to their various destinations, silhouetted against the oncoming orange glow of sunset. Some gave her odd looks, most didn't bat an eye, but every single passerby either frowned or raised a brow at the guards a couple paces behind them. She ignored the unwanted attention, focusing on how her sister dealt with her pupils.
"Miss Xiao Long, here's my waiver for the flight course."
"I'm visiting my family over break, what about you Miss Xiao Long?"
"Wow, I can't believe Kyrie got taken down so fast!"
"Miss Xiao Long, can I get some help with fixing my sword?"
"Can you please talk to the headmaster about the offworld training course?"
Ruby gave the last student a thoughtful look while they ran away, brow creased. But before she could ask her sister about that question, Yang stopped in front of a nondescript door to pull out her key, opening the lock with a barely audible click. Just as she began to follow her in, a hand clamped onto her shoulder.
"Its fine." she stated, brushing the hand off; it didn't budge.
"Ma'am, we have to stay by your side-"
"Its fine." she repeated, this time shoving her guard's grip away. She twisted around to level a displeased stare upon the duo. "I'm not going anywhere, and I can defend myself."
The second guard stiffened nervously. "Ma'am, headmaster Ozpin-"
"Will hear from me if you keep being a pest." Ruby warned dangerously. "Just wait here, I'll be back in a little while." she finished, swinging the door closed behind her.
Once she was inside the office however, the young woman slumped against the door with her eyes squeezed shut. A drawn out groan escaped her as she sank downwards.
"Pushy, aren't they?"
"Yeah." Ruby agreed quietly, picking herself up to meander closer. "I know its their job, but just I wish they'd give me some space."
Yang's office had nowhere near as many decorations as Ruby thought it would; there were a couple mementos hung up (including her framed teaching license), but overall she added little besides pictures. Not many at that, with most of the frames set up on her desk. Snagging one when she sank into an offered seat, she studied the small photo as her sister plopped onto the tabletop, relaxing beside a stack of papers.
"Now that your watchdogs are gone, you doing okay?" Yang asked, leaning back. She turned about to fetch a medium sized paper bag and a bottle of soda, Ruby accepting the latter when she held it out.
"Yeah, just a little bored is all." she replied, taking a swig. "If I didn't get out as much as I do, I'm pretty sure I'd go nuts."
Yang smiled, though her expression was still laced with concern. "You're not pushing yourself too hard are you? You kinda look under the weather to me."
"Really? I shouldn't, just took a shot this morning." Ruby frowned. She gave her arm a worried look, though she didn't pull back her sleeve.
"Maybe its just me." Yang shrugged, though her expression hardly lifted.
Ruby let out a low breath, dismissing her thoughts. "So, how's things on your end?"
"Same old." the blonde tipped her head back and groaned. "Exams are coming up, so there's a pain I could do without."
"It's just checking papers right?" Ruby probed with another sip.
"Pretty much, it's just…" Yang cringed when she twisted around, letting her sister see a paper stack right beside her. A rather large stack by her reckoning. "If I knew teaching would have this much paperwork, I would've taken up freelancing. Heck, maybe I should've tried getting into the Fleet."
"Yeah, about that." Ruby scratched the back of her neck, grimacing. "A while back I actually talked to a few people who joined the RDF." she sighed at the look of wary curiosity Yang sported. "It doesn't get any better. At all."
"Figures." she slumped.
"Plus, you need to be in a uniform all the time. And you'd have to cut your hair." she added with a shrug, stifling a laugh when the blonde immediately gripped her long mane.
"Yeah, definitely should've gone freelancer." Yang shook her head, sighing. "I dunno how Weiss or Blake can put up with this stuff."
"I think Blake has her own assistants, but well." Ruby frowned pensively. "I'd say she needs them. Running the Black Fang is pretty stressful."
"No kidding. Last time I called her, she was up to her ears in meetings. When's the last time she left Menagerie anyway?" she turned around.
"Not since the last goodwill tour on Second Chance." the younger woman replied, for a moment glancing away. "At least she's in calling distance, even if she's busy most of the time."
Yang frowned. "Is Weiss still offworld?"
"Yeah. I'm not supposed to tell you this." Ruby warned first, although she rolled her eyes; she couldn't recount how much confidential information she shared with her friends over the past two years. "But Weiss is on Hebrida for another trade deal. The council wanted to send the whole diplomat team on the Vale, but its hyperdrive broke down again."
"I didn't need any more convincing, but thanks." Yang sighed dramatically. "When's she supposed to be back?"
"Another week or so." Ruby answered with a shrug.
The two women went quiet after that. Outside her office the muffled noise level was dropping as students moved on to after school matters, whether it be studying, training, or just relaxing. No doubt the twin guards outside were causing a stir in the rumor mill. But in the enclosed space, the only sounds were from a wrinkled bag of fast food, and the quiet sips from a soda.
Lowering her sandwich after one bite, Yang set her food aside and slumped. A sigh worked its way through her entire torso.
"Sorry for always asking about the big stuff." she quietly apologized.
Ruby sank further into her seat. "Its okay. I mean, there's really not much happening with me anymore."
"Yeah." Yang nodded slowly. Noting the look on her face, the red toned woman huffed.
"Are you thinking about kidnapping me again?" she asked, smiling when the blonde chuckled.
"Every time you visit. Shouldn't be too hard, just gotta fight our way to the Stargate and get out, and make sure they don't see the address." she lifted her head to smile, but no mirth shown in her eyes.
"Yeah, maybe with a Dust bomb or two to draw the guards away first." she played along, her expression a match for the blonde's. "We'll visit Pangar first, grab a lifetime supply of tretonin, then we find a place of our own. We'll call it." she sat up to pose triumphantly. "Planet Rose!"
"No way, its Planet Sun Dragon. That or Planet Zwei, we'll flip a coin." Yang finished with a heroic pose of her own.
Both women laughed, their act disintegrating just as fast as it formed. Countless times had they gone over their master plan, and each retelling had its own brand of crazy ideas. Luring guards away, a covert infiltration, even crashing an airship through the complex in Atlas, they went over countless strategies for this goal. They knew this brilliant escape scheme was never going to happen, but the thought counted. That was the important part as far as Ruby was concerned.
Once she quieted down some, Yang cocked her head to the side. "You brought the letters right?"
"Yeah, right here." the red toned woman squirmed when she dug into her pocket, swiftly withdrawing a heavily wrinkled pair of envelopes. Her sister perked up again at the sight. "Here you go."
Snagging the first, Yang pushed the top flap open to drag out a few pieces of paper, turning them around to read. The moment she saw the handwriting, she cracked a wide smile.
"About time Uncle Qrow wrote us." she said brightly.
"It just got here this morning, right before I left for Signal. The Daedalus is heading back to Atlantis in a month if you want to write him back." Ruby explained lightly, smiling in anticipation. "I only scanned over this one, haven't read it fully."
"Okay, let's see…" Yang read over the letter, processing the words before she spoke. "Dear girls, of course." she smiled as she shook her head.
"How are you doing these days? Well I hope. Things have been pretty hectic here, but I'm doing okay. No serious injuries or infections since that one sniffle everyone caught. The bug swarms here are still huge, I've barely made a dent even after this long." she paused to send her a curious glance. "Say, do you know…"
"Not really, sorry. All I know is there's a lot of them." Ruby answered, flashing a grimace; fighting Grimm should've inured her to the concept of those vampiric monsters infesting the Pegasus galaxy, yet she still found herself creeped out by them. Perhaps because the Wraith were obviously sentient, almost human in appearance, whereas Grimm were just animal-like most of the time. A silly feeling considering the exotic Grimm she'd personally seen, but she didn't know how to explain it.
"Oh well." Yang returned to the letter. "I've made a lot of new friends here between missions. I thought Beacon attracted weirdos, but this city blows it out of the water. Literally. There's people here from all over Earth, a dozen planets around here, and of course me and Eliane, but she doesn't get out much so we forget she's here half the time. Weird how a place this big can run out of space so fast. On the bright side, I've gotten good at swimming. The ocean grows on you, get me? And you would not believe the kinds of alcohol around here. Of course." Squeezing her eyes shut with a wide grin, the blonde lowered the letter to snort.
"Good to know some things don't change." Ruby giggled to herself. All too easily could she mentally picture her favorite uncle out cold, splayed wide on top of a pile of booze bottles.
Shaking her head again, Yang picked up the letter once more. "Besides that, there's lots of folk here who need help, so I've been busy quite a bit. Its a lot like helping smaller towns outside the Kingdoms actually, just with more keeping an eye on the skies. The bugs are relentless, but so far they're easy to avoid if you know what to do. A lot of people want to fight back, and I've been hanging out with a few groups onto something big. Makes for some fun times."
"Definitely sounds like fun." Ruby grinned, a moment before she flashed a frown. "Wonder why he keeps calling Wraith bugs? We have security clearance to know this stuff."
"Probably for dad. He doesn't know Uncle Qrow's in another galaxy, so this won't get him in trouble." Yang replied before switching back. "Looks like I'm due for another mission soon. Sheppard and his team are heading out to see about a rumor on a man the bugs are tracking, and since that kid Ford is still in the infirmary, I'm filling in this time. McKay is coming with too, so I'm packing lemons. Seriously?" she gave Ruby an odd look, who only shrugged in confusion. "Rumors say these guys are supposed to be good, but I'll tell for myself if we find him. If he is though, I might find somebody that can keep up with me. Sheppards' too squishy and Teyla criticizes me too much. The less said about McKay the better."
"How much more is there?" Ruby asked in concern.
"Not much." Yang pursed her lips, irritated at the brief length. "I want to tell you more, but a lot of stuff here… I don't know where to even begin. This place is crazy, dangerous, and exciting in so many ways. I wish I could show you what its like. Maybe I can bribe Caldwell or O'Neill to bring you over for a visit? That'd be nice."
"Teyla is at the door, its time to go. I'm not even here most of the time and she still treats me like a teacher handling a slacker student." she paused, noting Ruby starting to wane. "Love you girls, can't wait for your reply. If your talk to your dad about me, tell him I'm doing okay but it's gonna be a long while before I come back. Stay safe, and good luck to you and all your friends. With hugs, your dear Uncle."
Yang lowered the letter to toss onto her desk, sighing at the same time as her sister.
"I was kinda hoping he'd come home to visit." she said wistfully.
"Me too." The way Ruby spoke, how she slowly glanced towards the plain tiled ceiling, earned a worried look from the blonde, which swiftly morphed into a wince of deserved regret.
How selfish she felt now, disparaging her teaching job and talking about new occupations just because of some paperwork. Either seeing the wider galxy from joining the Fleet, or striking out as a roving huntress to travel the full length and breath of Remnant. If she wanted to she could even start fresh at her world's blossoming new colony. All in front of her sister, cursed by the awful power she unwittingly took from its last owner. Yang could do whatever she wished; as the Fall Maiden, Ruby couldn't even go outside without being under guard.
No matter how she felt, Ruby sighed under her breath, then picked herself back up. She dove back into her pocket and retrieved another crumpled envelope, this one in much rougher condition.
"Here, its from Jaune." she offered.
Burying a groan, Yang took this letter and pried it open. One glance at the paper made her chuckle.
"You already read the whole thing, didn't you?" she asked slyly. Ruby simply rolled her eyes, not even pretending to deny it. "Want me to read it to you anyway?"
"Please do, I wanna see what you think." she invited.
Yang chuckled, smoothing out the couple sheets before reading. "Dear Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake. However you been? You won't believe what's been happening here…"
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Deep in the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain, a visiting man was experiencing a momentous event. For him this was a milestone in his life greater than all others before it; joining the United States Air Force, earning his wings, being selected to join a covert outfit protecting all of Earth, everything paled next to this moment.
Slowly walking up the metal ramp with his cap in hand, the man's expression was one of unbound wonder as he stood transfixed, his awe filled eyes roaming over the statue before him. Almost seven meters tall, lined by chevrons and many glyphs of archaic origin, and shaped as a single large ring, this construct was clearly not built by human hands. Large clamps held the ring in place, each one thick and covered in cables, jarringly standing out against the black surface. The man needed all of his willpower to avoid gawking, his heart thudding in his chest when he stopped in the ring's interior.
Outwardly he was a model officer of the United States Air Force; in his mid thirties, the man's body was well built, his brown hair cropped short, and his form tall and disciplined. His dress uniform, emblazoned by a host of commendations underneath his silver leaf, was virtually immaculate. Demeanor alone betrayed his new status, his sheer wonder a world apart from the stony faces which greeted him since he arrived.
One of his hands gingerly reached out to feel the inner ring, the man's dress blues wrinkling when he lowered to a crouch. Looking at the alien made device in pictures couldn't possibly compare to seeing it in the flesh. A smile came to him unbidden when he felt the glossy stone, processing that this was real, that this was actually happening. He was now-
"Colonel sir."
The man jolted upright, his wide gaze falling on the plexiglass windows overlooking the room. Clearing his throat unnecessarily, he straightened out his uniform and made a move to replace his cap, only to stop himself a second later.
"Please clear the disembarkation area, incoming wormhole in one mike, mark." the loudspeaker crisply announced.
A nervous breath trailed a jitter through the man's system, striding away from the Stargate at a controlled pace. Yellow warning lights flashed once he cleared the ramp, with a lack of alarms informing him things were going as they should (so he hoped anyway). But instead of leaving the man paused by the blast doors to turn back, his expression one of wary intrigue. The lack of guards escorting him away was taken as a sign of approval.
When the Stargate unexpectedly clanked, he braced himself. In the blink of an eye powerful light sprang from the inner surface, creating a tidal bloom of destructive energy that was roaringly loud in the enclosed space. He breathlessly tracked the blast as it reached out, peripherally noting that it didn't reach past the yellow hazard stripes at the ramp's base. Just as soon as the bloom appeared it withdrew, sinking into a stable pool within the gate's interior. The entire process took seconds.
Steadying himself, the man took a moment to examine the rippling glow vertically suspended; light played off its surface in random patterns, seemingly brighter than the ceiling fluorescents. The light was stronger in the center compared to the outer edges, although the water (a wormhole he guessed) completely obscured the rear wall. It was simultaneously less overwhelming than he anticipated, and vastly more impressive than the reports described.
When a single figure left the glowing puddle with a wet plop, his attention immediately switched. This lone arrival walked from the gate at an easy gait, sparing a quick glance over their shoulder; a man he determined, a tall one with black hair underneath an infantry cap. He noted the SGC uniform he was wearing, the green of his sleeves and pants matching the black vest around his torso. To his puzzlement however, he spied a pair of weirdly shaped sidearms clamped to his thighs, the pistol in sight looking as if it had a large blade attached.
Next to appear was a woman much like the first man, save for her bright red hair and what looked like a bronze shield slung around her back. Although he wasn't entirely sure, the man felt confident that there was a small spear tucked under the shield, the twin edges poking out diagonally to her form. Right as she exited another woman strode out at her flank, this one possessing a bounce to her step, bright orange hair above an easygoing expression, and a compact grenade launcher attached to her back. All three had P90s hooked to chest slings he noted, although the ginger's weapon was held underarmed as opposed to the two handed grips of the others.
Last to exit the wormhole was another man, different yet so much like the others; blond hair poked out from underneath his cap, shadowing a handsome face. Like the others a P90 was secured to a chest sling, but joining the gun was one of the last things he expected: hanging from his belt was a gleaming sword, a meter long and half covered by a reflective sheath. The man's eyes tracked the blade for a moment, watching the silvery length jostle from his stride.
Once all four travelers were clear, the first arrival jabbed a raised thumb at the control room, and a moment later the Stargate cut out with an electric crackle.
Rolling his shoulders, the man walked towards the freshly arrived team as they left the ramp, a couple of them beginning to slump. First to notice his presence was the redhead, who's rapidly stiffening posture alerted the others. In the time it took him to cross two paces, all four were standing at attention with sharp salutes.
"Colonel, sir." the black haired man greeted first, his smooth asiatic features blank.
"At ease." the man returned a quick salute, watching their arms lower after his.
It was then that he realized how young they were; despite their crisp appearances, not one looked over twenty five. Combined with the odd weapons this team had, he wondered if they were really SGC personnel. It wasn't impossible the kids in front of him were visitors, but that didn't explain why they reacted as they did, not to mention their ensembles.
Dismissing his thoughts, the man put on a perfunctory smile. "Names Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, I've been reassigned to Stargate Command. Pleasure to meet you."
Some tension seeped out of the kids, but far from all. The blond man stepped forward, delivering another quick salute before clearing his throat.
"Colonel sir. I'm Captain Jaune Arc, commander of SG-25." he recited carefully, pausing when the officer blinked.
"Sorry, Captain?" Mitchell questioned with a raised brow, looking him over. He could certainly buy this young man being a lieutenant, but a rank like that at his age?
"As of last week sir." he replied, a slight flush to his cheeks.
Mitchell was firmly unconvinced, but he decided not to press the issue. "So, a gate team. Think we might be working together in the near future."
"Looks that way sir." Arc replied, the others nodding. When Mitchell's gaze flicked over, the sword armed kid cleared his throat before gesturing to each team member.
"I'm Airman Pyrrha Nikos, sir." the redhead answered the unspoken question, her pose ramrod straight.
"Sir, Airman Lie Ren." spoke the black haired man, now expressionless.
The ginger put on a smile when her time came around. "Airman Nora Valkyrie, at your service. Sir."
Mitchell nodded slowly at the eclectic bunch. "Well, pleasure to meet you all."
"Thank you sir." Arc nodded. The ginger started to open her mouth, but one peek at the others made her clamp right back up.
"My position, right?" he asked, receiving several confirming nods. At this Mitchell smiled sheepishly, shifting his weight. "I've, ah, been assigned to SG-1."
Mitchell expected awed looks and a round of congratulations. For such a prestigious assignment, he couldn't imagine anything less. But what he saw instead was far different; frowns broke out on the team's expressions, exchanging rapid glances amongst each other. Arc and Nikos shifted their footing nervously, while Valkyrie glanced pensively to the blond for directions.
"Sir, were you told the news about SG-1?" Ren carefully asked in their stead.
"It's a demanding job I know, but they're the best of the best." Mitchell answered with a smile, that wilted upon seeing their uneasy looks.
Arc cleared his throat. "Actually sir, SG-1 was-"
Without warning a clank came from the Stargate, the inner ring beginning to spin when red lights flashed above their heads. A siren rang as Mitchell snapped towards the gate, catching SG-25 swinging their P90s around at the now active ring, a couple heartbeats before a half dozen rifle toting guards jogged into view.
"Unscheduled offworld activation." announced the PA system when ten weapons trained on the gate.
Arc glanced over his shoulder with a grimace. "Sir, you should get back. Nora?"
"On it." went the ginger immediately. Mitchell's split second puzzlement lasted until the woman grabbed his arm, her unyielding grip brokering no argument. He grunted when she shoved the Colonel behind her with only a hint of care, placing herself between him and the gate, while Ren sidestepped to join her. Right before the Stargate activated once more, Arc and Nikos took point for the quintet, and proceeded to astound him.
The blond pawned the cover from his sword, while the redhead reached overhead to yanked her bronze shield. Although there was a pair of Airmen in the way, Mitchell saw what they did; Arc jerked the sheath in hand, which transformed into a triangular shield half the size of his torso, styled like it came right out of a medieval painting. Nikos made a similar gesture, her small disc tripling in size with a quiet clank. Both put their shields forwards with their P90s at the barrier's flanks.
A flash of recognition swept through the Colonel, but he didn't get the chance to speak. The destructive bloom surged out once again to subsequently retract back just as quickly as it appeared, recreating the bubbling surface.
"Receiving IDC." the loudspeaker announced, although neither the Airmen nor Mitchell's impromptu bodyguards relaxed. "Cleared for arrival."
The Colonel tensed when three new travelers stepped out, needing a second to realize two of the men were clad in MARPAT camouflage; Marines he recognized. Both cradled M4s, although the second was also hauling a shiny briefcase at his side. But between them was a sight which required a double take: a dark haired woman in a black leather outfit, a jacket or sash flopped over one shoulder, which failed to conceal a somewhat revealing top.
She scanned over the wary personnel in front of her and smiled. "Quite the welcome party. I'm Vala Mal Doran, is there a Doctor Jackson around here?"