"Vale and Mistral have other scientists. Grown ones. I still don't see why you're so damn important."
Reese tugged the strap on her pack tighter to her shoulder, wondering the exact same thing. Goodwitch and the rest of Vale's leadership had asked her to come to The Cove and bring whatever essential equipment would fit into a few large packs. She had fulfilled the first part of the request. As for the second…
She looked over her shoulder, back along the tarmac. Twenty paces back Nadir and Bolin were tugging a pair of crates mounted on levitating dollies, early prototypes of what eventually became her hoverboard. Reese rode on her hoverboard, pulling a dolly and crate of her own. Arslan had spurned using any form of assistance, opting to carry her crate across her back like a coolie, grasping the thick strap she had wrapped around it with one hand. Her usual look of exasperation had grown surlier over the last day and a half, and every second Reese ignored her statement, her scowl grew deeper. Reese coughed.
"You're not wrong," she said. "But they told me all Vale's experienced scientists and huntsmen are busy trying to keep the capital together right now. They're relying on the junior huntsmen to pick up the slack. I guess they finally ran out of qualified Beacon students."
Arslan growled. "Qualified for what? I appreciate the need for inter-kingdom cooperation, but things are about to get hairy back home. I'd like to know why I'm going to be missing my only halfway-competent team member."
"My mentors from back home recommended me," Reese said. "If they think I can be useful, I want to help."
"And you still don't know why they want a dust engineer. This is why I hate Vale. They act like they're nothing like Atlas, then they hide secrets with major consequences. At least Atlas doesn't pretend to be transparent."
"Arslan, that's not fair."
She scoffed. "What? You're telling me Ozpin had no idea there was a giant dragon grimm buried inside a mountain?" Reese didn't reply.
They stopped inside the hangar the guard had directed them towards and unloaded the crates, Arslan setting hers down with a heavy, controlled 'thump'. The Cove was Vale's only large military base, filled with research labs, proving grounds, training facilities, and hangars similar to the one they had entered. This particular hangar was attached to the main command building. Reese looked up at the far wall and saw windows from a conference room overlooking the interior of the building. Lights were on and shadows moved, but no one approached the glass.
"Up there, huh?" Arslan asked, leaning against the crate, her arms folded. "I'll walk you up. Bolin, Nadir, watch Reese's stuff."
The other two huntsmen nodded. Reese and Arslan walked through the door at the rear of the hangar, then turned left to climb the stairs. They walked in tense silence for a while before Reese spoke.
"Listen," she said as they ascended. "I know you're not happy about me leaving so abruptly, but after the Vytal Tournament and the fight at Beacon, I think I'll be better in a support role."
"Sounds like your skill exceeds your enthusiasm for once," said Arslan.
"Well, maybe I got my delusions knocked out of me! Maybe skating in Mistral's slums and getting into street fights doesn't translate into skill as a huntress!"
They exited into a hallway on the top floor and Reese leaned back against the wall, looking down. "Maybe I shouldn't have been allowed into Haven," she said, her voice quiet.
"Hey," Arslan said. Reese ignored her. Arslan grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Look at me!"
Reese locked eyes with her leader and pouted.
"I've never allowed that self-pitying crap on ABRN and I'm not starting now," said Arslan. "Yeah, you're our weakest fighter, but do you think I would have let someone who should have washed out stay on our team? Do you think we'd have even made it to the tournament?"
Reese just glared wordlessly, then tore away from Arslan, heading towards the conference room at the end of the hall. Arslan scowled and stormed past Reese, intentionally shoving her with her shoulder as she walked ahead.
"Bolin's strength, your brains, and Nadir's medical skills. I swear, sometimes I feel like I'm the only complete person on this team."
Reese winced, then hurried to catch up. Arslan kept muttering something about ABRN's failings, until they drew closer to the door. Shouting, punctuated by the occasional muffled thump, leaked into the hall. Arslan's frustration turned into caution. She exchanged a wary look with Reese. They nodded in unison, then Arslan opened the door.
"—I don't care how good they are, that's not the point! I want a team I have experience working with for a mission like this. This isn't a simple village outreach or search and destroy, this requires a greater degree of cohesion, and all of you have enough experience to realize that!"
Coco punctuated her last remark by slamming her fist into the conference table hard enough to scuff the wood. The three other people present in the room—a fit man in a suit sitting at the far end of the table, a frail looking man with thinning strawberry hair standing behind his right shoulder, and a woman sitting a few chairs down from the seated man—all looked to the open door. Coco followed their gaze from where she was standing and turned to see Arslan and Reese.
"Hey guys. Haven't seen you two since the fight at Beacon."
"We weren't exactly pen pals when you graduated Sanctum either, Adel," Arslan said as they entered the room. "Still, you ended up with a solid team. If Reese is tagging along with your crew, all I have to worry about is her coming back with a haughty attitude."
Coco flashed her a grim smile. "Funny you should say that: the members of our little inter-kingdom coalition were just telling me I can't bring the rest of my team with me. We're assembling a provisional team for this mission—from scratch."
"What," Arslan said.
"Yeah!" Coco said, then turned to the group at the table's end. "That's what I said."
Reese and Arslan looked towards the seated man, who smiled with calm good humor at Coco.
"Miss Adel, we told you that this mission required a very specific skillset. Team CFVY has proven themselves repeatedly, but we feel that your teammates lack those specific skills. Furthermore, I seem to recall you mentioning—quite proudly, I might add—that Miss Scarlatina and Mr. Alistair were involved in a project here at The Cove. We can't spare them in the field right now."
"Then why even ask me?" Coco said.
"Because of all Vale's available huntsmen, professional or student, you have the best leadership record."
"No, you said that already. Why ask me if you're going to deploy Mistral huntsmen? Why not send all of ABRN?"
"The three of us discussed this with Professor Goodwitch," said the woman, smoothing the sleeves of her green suit jacket. "Councilor Stonebridge and Dr. Rouge feel that a force comprised primarily of Vale huntsmen would perform better due to their familiarity with the kingdom's geography. Stonebridge and I also feel this approach respects Vale's jurisdiction in the matter."
"What did the Professor have to say about it?" Coco asked.
"Glynda wanted a more experienced force to execute this mission," Stonebridge said, rising from his seat and walking towards the three huntresses. "Unfortunately, all our professional huntsmen in Vale are occupied with urgent matters at the moment, and Ambassador Sylva tells me that Mistral is in a similar condition: No overt crisis yet, but tension has been rising in Mistral ever since the aftermath of the Vytal festival. Glynda is…accepting of our reasoning, if not particularly enthusiastic about it."
Arslan sighed, speaking slowly to control her frustration.
"I follow your logic. But if Reese is so important, wouldn't it make sense for at least one member of my team to come along? If you tell me what it is, I can do it; Ambassador Sylva can vouch for my abilities."
The ambassador shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. "The decision to exclude you and the rest of your team was actually unanimous. Although you are an accomplished huntress, Hori and Shiko lack certain qualities we need for this mission. And after examining ABRN and CFVY's field records we determined that Team CFVY is capable of acting independently while Coco is deployed elsewhere. We don't believe that your colleagues on Team ABRN are capable of that degree of autonomy."
There was a loud crash from the hangar down below. Stonebridge and the three huntresses moved to the windows and saw Bolin and Nadir sprawled on the floor, surrounded by the contents of a toppled crate. Arslan palmed her face and sighed.
"I'm going to kill them," she said under her breath.
"Hey, it's not a big deal!" Reese said. "Who cares if the team is assembled from scratch? If Vale recruited me, it can't be anything like a search and destroy. What are we doing? Patching infrastructure for a rural settlement? Field-testing some new Cove tech?"
"I'm afraid we can't discuss that with Miss Altan present," said Stonebridge. "Once she leaves the room we can divulge some of the classifi—"
"Deep-wilderness recon," Coco said, her arms folded. Stonebridge glared at her and she returned his gaze without blinking.
"Something strange has been going on in the southwest. We're going to be out there on our own until we find out what it is. We think it might involve—"
"Say another word Miss Adel, and I'll have you arrested!"
"I'm not going to lead someone who doesn't know what we want her to do!"
"Councilor," said Sylva, rising from her seat. "She raises a valid concern. Miss Altan should have a rough idea of the mission requirements if she's going to be loaning us her teammate."
She looked at Coco. "That said, I would divulge only what's necessary, Miss Adel. If I had to devote energy towards any security risks arising from you oversharing classified information, I would need to defer resolving your family situation for an indeterminate period of time."
Coco swallowed. She nodded towards the Mistral Ambassador, then turned to Reese and Arslan.
"So, I can only say what we're looking for and how Reese figures into that with her. What I can say to both of you is that we'll be deployed long-term with minimal support from Vale. We're not mounting any sort of major assault, we want to run this fast and stealthy. Reese will primarily act as a specialist with the rest of us handling any combat."
She focused solely on Reese. "We may not encounter anything more than small packs of grimm or a few bandits, but you do need to be ready to fight if the need arises. You think you can handle that?"
Reese tightened the strap on her glove. "Sounds pretty vital."
"It may end up being nothing, but that's not a gamble anyone wants to make. Vale has a lot to worry about right now and we want to know what we're dealing with. We've been getting along okay since Beacon fell, but no one likes our chances of dealing with a second major disaster."
Reese shuffled her feet. Everyone she spoke with prior to coming here had suggested she'd work in Vale proper, maybe leave the city for a couple days at most. The prospect of a journey into the southwestern wilds was not something she had prepared for. And yet, travelling light, simple observation, and minimal fighting…what self-respecting huntress couldn't handle that? She plastered the cockiest grin she could manage onto her face and shrugged, palms up.
"I guess I'm your girl."
…
Reese cruised in a circle on a patch of tarmac near the bullheads, spinning and flipping her hoverboard to burn some excess energy while she waited for Arslan. Ambassador Sylva and Councilor Stonebridge had asked to discuss something with her, so she remained behind while Reese walked her teammates to their flight home to Mistral.
Bolin and Nadir had boarded after saying their farewells. Bolin had yanked her hood down and mussed her hair through the fabric like he usually did when he wanted to tease her, but after they parted Reese saw him wink and noticed her hoodie pockets had been weighed down with several military-grade lightning dust crystals. Reese suspected Vale leadership would supply her with any dust she requested before they deployed, but she appreciated the gesture all the same. Nadir gave her a first-aid kit that possessed such a large variety and number of items it seemed bigger on the inside than the outside. He hugged her, saying; "Stay safe, ukht saghira," then left to follow Bolin.
Reese hopped off the board, kicked it up and caught it, then sat on the ground, leaning back against a parked cart. For almost two years, she had spent nearly every day with ABRN sparring, studying, and occasionally sneaking off campus to visit some of the less reputable parts of the capital, much to Arslan's aggravation. By the time they returned to Mistral, it would be the longest she'd spent apart from them since ABRN was formed. Reese couldn't begin to fathom how far she'd be from them or how long she'd be gone. Feeling anxious, she flipped over her board and separated it into its halves, examining the circuitry to occupy herself.
From back towards the hangar she heard laughter. Turning, she saw Coco laughing at something Arslan had said as they walked in her direction. Arslan didn't look particularly jovial, but she didn't look irritated anymore either. When they were twenty or so paces away, Coco stopped Arslan and shook her hand, then took out her scroll and paced while she made a call. Arslan continued towards Reese and the bullheads.
"You two look like you reached an understanding," Reese said, climbing to her feet.
"Yeah, we both hate all the paperwork and bureaucracy Stonebridge and Sylva inflicted on us," she said. "Besides, Adel was never my main concern. I give her a hard time, but she's changed a lot since Sanctum. You'll be in good hands."
"You think you'll pick up a substitute while I'm gone?"
"Probably not. We'll just take some small jobs in the capital and finish out our time at Haven. We do still have an academy we can return to."
"I'd seriously consider a fill-in," Reese said, in a sing-song tone. "Bolin will behave since you can watch two huntsmen closer than three, but Nadir is going to want a new wingman in his endless quest for true love."
Arslan made a face. "Why do you put up with that?"
"Because it's sweet in a pathetic sort of way and because I don't know how to say 'no'? And surprisingly, he's sometimes a solid wingman in return. His attempts to set me up don't always work, but when they do—"
"Stop. I'll live a longer, healthier life the less I know about my team's love lives."
Reese stuck out her tongue. They paused for a moment before Arslan spoke again:
"You do know you don't have to do this, right?"
"Yeah, I know," Reese said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Coco and that guy from Vale were very clear that I could bail up until we fly out to deploy."
"I wasn't talking about them."
Reese looked at Arslan. She stood arms folded, stern as ever, but there was a stiff character to her posture that gave a brittle impression instead of a strong one.
"Even if you feel like dead weight you're—still a valuable part of ABRN, Reese. You know that, right?"
Reese felt her cheeks warm. "I…yeah, I do. But for whatever reason they need me—"
"—and you've got something to prove, even though I think that's a stupid idea that would be less stupid back in Mistral." Arslan sniffed. "Do what you have to then. It's one less stubborn dumbass I have to deal with for a while."
Reese perked up a bit. "You could always pay for teammates if you're so concerned about us dragging down your status."
"I think you delinquents are actually rubbing off on me. Maybe you can give me a tour of the Mistral underbelly when you get back."
"The distinguished Miss Altan wants to try the street urchin life?" Reese said, grinning. "Now I've heard everything."
Arslan smirked. "Take care of yourself, Reese." She clapped a hand on Reese's shoulder, gave it a firm squeeze, and walked off towards her flight. Reese leaned back against the cart watching the bullhead until it had flown out of view. Coco chose that moment to appear at her shoulder.
"Are you ready? We've got a lot to discuss."
"Yeah. Let's get started."