#rafale m

It was observed through the latter stages of the war that her mere presence in an airspace or over a battlefield directly affected the morale of all involved, either for the good or bad.

"That jet; we called it the Burning Rose, for the flames it left behind were akin to falling petals." - Separatist Atlesian POW

(Rafale M of the RVAF's 9th FS, serial 0148-011, dubbed "Crescent Rose")

Originally based out of Beacon AFB, located just outside of Vale's capital district, the 9th FS specialized in precision ground attack and tactical strike operations. Trained for interdiction, tactical bombing, precision and maritime strike, as well as the capability to self-escort to and from a target area, these pilots were renowned for their accuracy and tenacity.

However as the Second Great War progressed, Ruby Team found themselves at the spearhead of offensive and defensive operations across the theater of war. Ruby Team were also only one of the few from a handful of squadrons across both the Royal Valean Air Force and Royal Valean Navy's Maritime Air Arm to escape the fall of Vale to friendly territories.

"I swear, you could hear the confidence of the troops skyrocket when those four were seen overhead. You could be on your last magazine, but hearing those four sets of engines made you feel you could take on an entire armoured column." - Valean Army 'Hunter' operator.

(Rafale M of the 9th FS, flown by FLTLT Weiss 'Ice Queen' Schnee. Ruby Team's #2)

Few actually know of the four pilots of Ruby Team beyond their names, ranks, and posting at the time of the Second Great War. Part of that was attributed to the loss of records as a result of the Fall of Vale, but anecdotal stories from allies and onlookers alike show that whilst not aloof the members of Ruby Team did tend to stay out of the limelight and out of view whenever they were on the ground between missions.

One common trait was clear though, remaining consistent regardless of whoever was interviewed about their encounters with the Burning Rose:

She inspired others with little more than a smile and a 'follow me'.

"If you were on the same [frequency] as them, you wouldn't have known it. They were at the level where merely a few words needed to be exchanged before each pilot moved to act. It was as if they had telepathy or something. And to watch them fly was just awe-inspiring." - Senior Lieutenant Wukong, 10th Fighter Squadron of the Mistral Aerospace Forces

(Rafale M 0240-009, "Gambol Shroud". Flown by Ruby Team element leader, FLGOFF Belladonna)

Many theorised over the factors and reasons why Ruby Team performed as well as they did during the course of the war. They weren't the only squadron to have considerable impact on the war and it's progress, with many successful operations attributed to other units that formed up the Remnant Strategic Allied Forces (RSAF).

One key attribute that some have indicated may have been a factor was their composition of pilots: a young Valean prodigy born from renowned ace pilots; the daughter and prospective heiress of one of the largest mega-corporations on Remnant; a reformed activist looking to right wrongs done in the past; and a free-spirited yet loyal daredevil who never gave up even in the worst of odds.

"Ruby Team saved our lives, both personally and collectively. When things were at their darkest, they were the ones who said 'Fuck that, we aren't dying here. Let's go.' And I think that was what did it for everyone, once you cut out all the other bullshit." - FLTLT Arc, "Juniper" Team flight lead, 11th Fighter Squadron, 2nd Air Division, RVAF.

(Rafale M 0122-009, flown by Ruby Team #4, FLGOFF Xiao Long.)

Regardless of the anecdotes, the stories, and the varying pieces of news reporting from all sides of the conflict, it is undeniable that if it weren't for the efforts of Ruby Team, there may very well not be a Remnant left to live on.

Yet, despite their impact, once the fires were extinguished and cities were rebuilt, nary a trace of the The Four Beacons could be found. I personally would not blame them; they've more than earned their peace and quiet.

I just hope that their rest is not disturbed by another conflict.

Excerpts taken from "The Beacons, The Rose, and the Second Great War - An Account of the War from the tip of the spear", written by Oscar Pine.

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Yeah, back on my crossover bullshit. Working on a whole series of skins of different aircraft and squadrons as "what if's" - Namely, what if RWBY was set in a world like Ace Combat.

Squadrons tend to follow matching paint schemes, and I also didn't want to give Ruby and her team a uber-distinctive and unoriginal livery like full black and red or something like that. I've kinda pulled inspiration from different Ace Combat titles and liveries of primary and secondary characters. It may not be visible on the renders above, but each aircraft has a personal touch, apart from the character's respective emblems located behind the cockpit:

Ruby: cursive "Crescent Rose" in red written below the cockpit in front of the right intake.

Weiss: a red arrowhead/dagger shape representative of her scar.

Blake: has the two lines seen on Gambol Shroud running along the spine of her aircraft from nosecone to tailfin

Yang: pin-up girl silhouette with the words "Ember Celica" flanking on either side, lower left nose in front of the intake.

I have an entire word doc with an order of battle drafted up, assigning each team of students and hunters to squadrons from specific air forces. I may post this up later if there's significant interest...