"Sir!" The captain stood at attention as General James Ironwood strode onto the bridge of the Atlesian air cruiser Grey Triumph.
Ironwood gestured for him to sit. "At ease, soldier." He frowned. Things had happened so fast after the incident at the Breach. Torchwick wouldn't cooperate, and with Qrow off the radar that left he and Ozpin no leads regarding who was behind the attack. However, there was something else that was troubling him.
It hadn't been easy to go behind Ozpin's back like that. He trusted the man more than anyone he knew, but his approach had failed. It was time to take a more aggressive strategy, otherwise the peace that had been so long in the making would shatter in an instant. Of course, Ironwood had counted on the Vale Council to get the motion passed; after all, he and the Atlas Council had a rather rocky relationship. He had expected the Atlas Council to fight tooth and nail to prevent his appointment, which had made their unanimous support all the more surprising and, he was beginning to realize, rather troubling.
"Captain," Ironwood said, "patch me in to Hesperides Hall in Atlas. I need to speak with the Chairwoman."
"Yes sir." The captain shouted some commands to the bridge crew, and after a few seconds Chairwoman Dawn Lumina appeared on the large screen in front of them. She was a beautiful woman, lean and graceful, with medium-brown skin and bright gold eyes. Her auburn hair was uneven, much longer on the right side than the left.
However, it was the Chairwoman's youth that was most striking. At only twenty-nine years of age, she was by far the youngest leader that the Atlas Council had ever had. Her intelligence, skill, and charisma were unparalleled, and her political influence incredible. Unfortunately, it seemed that she had decided to direct all her talent towards the singular goal of making Ironwood's job as difficult as possible.
"James," she said, smiling, "it's good to see you." He knew she was lying, of course, but she was a politician, so he supposed it was habit more than anything else.
General Ironwood turned to the captain. "Leave us." As the crew exited the bridge, he sighed. "Chairwoman. You're looking well."
"And you as well. Congratulations on your new promotion, by the way. Command of security for the Vytal Festival is almost never given to an official from somewhere other than the hosting kingdom."
"That is part of the reason I called. Look, Dawn, it's no secret that you don't like me. It's just a bit of a surprise that you were so, erm, cooperative in this matter."
She chuckled. "I don't appreciate your decisions as a statesman, James," she said, once again avoiding any use of his proper title, "that doesn't mean that I cannot recognize your military achievements. Though I may doubt your ability to run a kingdom, I can think of no one better to provide security for this festival."
Ironwood felt that there was more to the issue than she was telling him, but there were other problems to deal with. "If that's the case, Chairwoman, then I am rather baffled at the decisions made at the latest meeting of the Council." He tapped a button on the command console, projecting a holographic display of the agenda for the meeting. "I requested the approval of the transfer of thirty Paladins to Vale to assist in security, but the Council unanimously voted against its enactment. If you trust me on my decisions in this matter, then why are you and your cronies denying me access to critical hardware?"
The Chairwoman's smile faded. "I would ask that you mind your tone, James. I'm afraid that circumstances in Atlas are not so simple. Increased activity from marauders in the southern steppes has the Council worried that they are planning a raid on the kingdom itself."
Marauders? The petty tyrants that claimed dominion over the relatively secure areas outside of the kingdom's borders had been raiding villages for decades, but they had never posed a threat to Atlas itself. "They would never be so bold."
"Our intelligence suggests otherwise. As it is, the situation in Vale is under control. The White Fang are not a serious enough threat to warrant such measures, so unless there's something you aren't telling us…" Her tone of voice indicated that she was certain that he was hiding something.
Ironwood closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Chairwoman, we have been over this a hundred times. I am not keeping secrets from the Council." It was a barefaced lie, of course. There were a hundred and one secrets that he and the other headmasters were keeping, and though he didn't like keeping people in the dark, it was necessary. "As I have said before, we have reason to believe that there is another threat to the Festival, perhaps directly linked to the recent White Fang activity."
"And yet, you refuse to explain exactly why you believe this. James," her expression was dead serious, "I'm sick and tired of this game. If I find out that you have been withholding information that could have saved lives, then I will go to any lengths to remove you from your position. Are we clear?"
He sighed. "Yes, Chairwoman. But you have to understand that these measures are necessary."
"I'm trusting you this once, James. I'll make sure the shipment goes through. Do not make me regret this decision. Or else." The image blinked out of existence.
Ironwood groaned. If only he could tell her why the units were so desperately needed! Of course, it probably wouldn't stop her from opposing him whenever she could, but it might help. He knew the secrecy was necessary, but it was far from ideal. Was it worth all the lies? It had to be. Ozpin knew what he was doing.
Right?