CBLT: Behind the Wall

by rcon11

When most people think of Conway, they think of the giant wall and defensive military. Conway is much more than that, a place of rich history and a past worth talking about. This selection offers a unique perspective, as you are a student at Polaris Battle Academy. You are taking a history class and are learning the history behind the city you call home.

1. First Contact

"Hey wake up!" he slammed your desk with his ruler. You are a student at Polaris Battle Academy in Conway, and you had just been caught sleeping in history class. "Hopefully I won't have to do that again" he said "now class as you may remember from the last time we went we were beginning to go over the Age of Change. This time period is when Viscount Allisont was in charge of Conway. Under her leadership Conway experienced a technological renaissance, thinks never before possible became possible. Allisont was a very curious person, who wanted to see beyond the frozen wastes. She was pressed to find the answer to the great question of the time, are we alone? Yes you"? A boy next to you had their hand raised and asked a question "what relevant material could we have left to go over? We already talked about all the technological changes from the time, what could be left"? "Excellent question" he replied "perhaps the greatest change in Conway happened in the latter portion of her rule. But it all begins when she makes first contact with people from the outside, and makes history, and forever makes Allisont one of the greatest Viscount in Conway history"!

The scene is the Royal Palace in Conway, but it is far larger than the one in the present. The snow is falling but not as vigorously, as it is the warm season. A woman was in the back yard with another man, he was in a lab robe. She was clad in leather armor and had short dark hair and aw warm complexion. "So these new flying machines will help us fend off the Nevermores?" she asked. "Yes Allisont" he said "they are much more full efficient and are equipped with better propellers for increased speed. And with the wealth of natural resources from the mountains, we can have a whole fleet of fighters ready within the decade". "Professor" said Allisont "may I ask you a favor"? "Of course Viscount" he said "anything"! "You know the stories right, how we got here?" she said "for many centuries our people have lived here, never knowing if any others are out there. I have always wondered is anybody lives beyond the fjords, beyond the frozen tundra. Would there be any way to build a flying machine that could reach beyond, to see whether or not we are alone"? "Well theoretically it is possible" he said "but you and I would probably not see it in our lifetimes. It would need to be powerful enough to get above the high altitude storms, have a huge fuel capacity, and a capability to land anywhere. But yes it could be done". "Once these new machines are finished, I want work started on something like that" she said "isn't it in the name of science to answer these questions? Are we really alone in this world"? "As you wish" he said "plans shall be made for a craft that can show us the world". The man walked out of the gates and left. "Still haven't lost that spark hmm?" somebody said. A man came down the steps and approached her. His name was Argon and he had dark skin, gray hair, and wore a mix of chain and plate armor. "I can't help myself" she said "I like to let my mind wander. That is how it was when I married you". "Clever" he said "but to be honest, what if we aren't alone"? "What do you mean?" she asked. "If we ever do get at least a peak" he said "would we like what we see"? "What do you mean?" she asked. "What if they are nothing like us?" he said "they could live differently, behave differently, and maybe even look differently"? "That may be true" she said "but I am holding out that regardless of who they are, that we can cooperate for the greater good". The two turned to see commotion at the front gate, a guards was talking with a soldier who was clearly out of breath. Allisont made her way to the gate with her husband behind her. "What is with the commotion?" she asked. "Viscount Allisont" he said "a small group was found outside the wall. They were escorted inside and are being held in one of the barracks". "A group of what?" she asked. "They are people but" he paused "they look strange. You have to see them for yourself". "What makes you think that it is safe for the Viscount to see them?" said one of the guards. "Never mind my safety" she said "soldier, take me to where they are being held". "Honey" said Argon "are you sure this is a good idea"? "I'll be fine" she said "I promise I will be back". Allisont left with the soldier, venturing towards an event that could change Conway forever.

The two finally arrived at the barracks, it was right up against the wall. The wall wasn't as high as it would be in the present day, it was only a mile high. The soldier lead Allisont over to one of the buildings used to house the garrison for this section of wall. Soldiers stood guard at the doors for the building. "They are being held in there" he said "allow me to escort you inside". He borrowed a carbine from another soldier and followed Allisont inside. Two soldiers were already inside watching the visitors. "We will take it from here" she said "leave us". The two soldiers left and Allisont and her escort were alone with the visitors. Allisont got a closer look and what she heard wasn't wrong, they did look quite strange. There were ten of them and they all had strange body parts, as they had body parts like tails and extra ears. The parts reminded her of animals, it was perplexing how they looked. Among the adults were even some children, who seemed to be in the worst shape. In addition to their odd features they were starving, looked quite weak, and looked scared. "Can any of you speak?" Allisont asked. There was a pause as the group was terrified, but one of the men had the courage to speak. "Yes" he said. "Good you can talk" she said "now what are you"? The group seemed surprised at the question, the man spoke up again "what do you mean"? "What are you?" she asked again "I have never seen people like you before". "And if we tell you will you let us go?" he asked. "If you answer all of my questions" she said "and I'll give you guys a meal too, how long has it been since your last meal, you guys look like you're starving". "Three weeks" said the man. Allisont was surprised and turned her escort "go outside and get something for these people to eat from the mess hall". "Yes Viscount" he ran outside. "Now back to my questions" she said "what are you"? "We are Faunus" he said "where are we"? "You are in Conway" said Allisont. "We thought nobody lived way out here" said one of the women. "Where are you from?" Allisont asked. "We are from" the man stopped mid-sentence "wait how are we supposed to know you won't just send us back"? "Back where?" Allisont asked. These Faunus people perplexed Allisont, why did they not want to go back, where they criminals? "What are you running from?" Allison asked "are you criminals"? "The only crime we committed is being different!" one of the teens shouted. His mother held him down as the boy was clearly frustrated. At that moment the soldier came back with some ration boxes from the mess and laid them out on the table, he also brought hot coffee to warm them up. The food was laid out before them, but they just simply stared at it. "Why are you helping us?" a woman asked. "I am Viscount Allisont of Conway" she replied "and this is my kingdom". "Never heard of it" said a man "how do we know this isn't some kind of trap"? "Soldier!" said Allisont "put your rifle on the floor and leave us"! "But Viscount?" he said. "That is an order!" she said. He dropped his gun and went outside. Allisont put the carbine on the table and slide it over to the Faunus. "That magazine is loaded and the safety is off" she said "you can shoot me and this all ends, or don't and we can learn from each other". The Faunus seemed to deliberate in whispers for a while until reluctantly one man picked up the rifle, and with his shaking hands he gave it to Allisont. "Thank you" she said "now what is your name sir"? "Don't have one miss" he said. "What kind of person doesn't have a name?" said Allisont. "I'm not a person" he said "I'm only property". "Property?" she said "what decides that a person should be property"? "These" he pointed to his long and rabbit-like ears. "But about where you came from?" she asked "doesn't everyone look like you"? "No miss" he said "there are humans in charge, they look like you. And then there are the Faunus; the slave labor". "What kind of horrible place is this?" she asked. "Vale" he answered. Allisont was silent while she digested this information. "Now to answer your earlier question" she said "I won't". "Hmm?" he said. "I will not send you back" she said "secondly, you guys get to live here for as long as you like. I will give homes, jobs, education; things that I think this "Vale" should have provided for you". "But wouldn't your people treat us the same way as Vale did?" said one of the women. "Nobody in the city has ever seen a Faunus before" she said "they won't see you any differently unless you give them a reason. And lastly, got any names you like? Cuz I need to know what to call you guys". The man that had done most of the speaking thought for a second "I like Adam". "Well Adam" she said "welcome to history".

Argon was lying alone in his bed, Allisont entered the bedroom in her nightgown and climbed into bed. "So" he said "how does it feel to make history"? "To be honest" she said "you were right, I didn't exactly enjoy what I heard about this Vale place. They enslave people for no good reason, and they are not very far away either". "But look at the bright side" he said "you didn't just write history, you saved their lives from that terrible situation. You gave them a fresh start with the lives they deserved". "Your right" she said "I just wish I could do more. They said there are hundreds more just like them in not just Vale, but all over the world. I just wish I could do something about all this". "What's stopping you?" he said "you will find a way, you roped me into marrying you right"? "Not like I gave you a choice" she joked "but yeah, I'll find way". "Glad to hear it" he said "now onto other business". "Can this wait until the morning?" Allisont asked. "I think we should talk about having a baby" he said. "How long have we been married?" she asked. "Three years" he said. "Here is the deal" she said "I can't do all this Faunus stuff with a baby in me, but when we catch a break". "Better than a no" he said "sure". "Okay" she said "now go the fuck to sleep".

"Moved by the plight of the Faunus Allisont was more than happy to accept them within Conway" said the teacher "this was also Conway's first impression of the outside would. While nowadays a culture that enslaves others based on race may seem barbaric, back then the concept of slavery in Conway had never before been though of or considered. Allisont may have been disgusted, but she was also confused as to how and idea like this came to be. For those of you who read the assigned reading last night, what did Viscount Allisont do following the arrival of the first Faunus, you in the back"? "Allisont founded several small outposts in the frozen wastelands around Conway" he said "these would be dedicated to guiding escaped Faunus to Conway". "Glad somebody read the book last night" he glares at you "and there was one more thing she did to help the Faunus, what did she do"? He glares at you waiting for an answer, but hope shines upon you. The girl in the deck next to you tilts her book in your direction, the answer becoming plain as day. "She was able to convince some Faunus to return to Vale to tell the people still there where they could run off to" you say "this allowed for more Faunus to escape to Conway". "Very good" he said in surprise "these Faunus bravely returned to their bondage to relay a message of a better life beyond Vale. Their heroics in some cases had them return to certain death at the hands of their masters for escaping or helping others escape. But over the course of twenty years Vale began to notice their workers were slowly disappearing, and began noticing that many were running to the frozen north. It was only a matter of time before they decided to figure out what was going on".

In the yard behind the royal palace of Conway, Allisont is sword fighting with a child who was around twelve years old. The boy was trying hard but eventually was disarmed and had Allisont's sword at his throat. "You are too aggressive" she said "you have to parry and block, not just thrust and swing". The boy had dark skin, dark hair, and wore a set of leather armor. "But mom you remember my ability" he said "I can shrug off blows no problem". "Well one day your ability won't be there to save you David" she said "you need to learn how to fight without it. And remember that your ability exhausts you? You can't rely on that or you will never have a fighting chance". "Yes mom" he said. "Don't worry kid" she said "in a year we are gonna take you down to the forge and build you a weapon". "Why can't I get one now?" he asked. "Because you have to be mature about it" she said "a weapon is more than a tool, it is an extension of your very being. Your weapon has to be you". "Can I see yours mom?" he asked "to get an idea"? "Fine" she shrugged "let me put it on". She took the sheath of the training sword and put on a belt holding two short swords. She drew them and they ignited, the swords split apart into flaming razor segments. In a quick second the blades retracted and she withdrew her weapons. "Thanks mom" he said. "You kids are so easily amused" she said "now how about you go see your friends. Mommy has some work to do". David ran off and Allisont made her way to the gate, where she met up with a soldier. "How are things at the wall?" she asked. "We had some new guns and equipment installed on the south wall" he said "we thought you would like to see the new toys". "That sounds nice" she said. "And also" he said "the chief engineer personally invited you to see it. He developed them himself". "Sure" she said "let's go".

Allisont was on the wall with the soldier surveying the new equipment. "The chief engineer will explain how this all works" he said. A Faunus made his way towards Allisont, his clip board in hand. "Good day to you Viscount" he said "I am Damian, the chief engineer. Some the equipment I will be showing you is of my own design". "You look quite familiar" she said. "I should" he said "my father was one of the first Faunus to arrive, you should remember Adam"? "You are Adam's kid" she said "how has your father been it has been quite some time". "He is of age now" he said "back in Vale he would have never lived this long. I invited you personally to thank you for what you have done for my family and my kind". "No problem" she said "it was the least I could do". "Now" he said "some of the new wall guns you see here have a greater range and rate of fire. Perfect for stopping Grimm charges and intrusive Nevermores, the shells can even deal significant damage to Wyverns and Goliaths". "Impressive" she said "now enough about these, I want to hear about your new toys". "Well thanks to the education I received in Conway" he said "I have learned how to build and develop new forms of radar and terra sonar. Follow me". He led her to an elevator shaft which brought them down to a bunker. "We plan to have facilities like these installed across the wall" he said "I was able to improve on the existing radar to allow for faster scanning pulses, but this next piece is on hundred percent, my work. Under the wall and in the "no man's land" beyond I have several receiving rods that are ultra-sensitive to any movement. If something is detected moving across the surface, or even below; it sends a signal to all facilities like these across the wall". "Excuse me" a soldier got in between them "we have a situation". "What seems to be the issue?" Allisont asked. "We have a few readings on the seismic sonar" he said "but they are not Grimm". "Are the more Faunus?" Allisont asked. "None of the forward bases radioed ahead" he said "any Faunus making their way here would have made contact with one of the outposts first". "How far out are they?" Allisont asked. "Three kilometers" said the operator "should we tell the wall guns to engage"? "Negative" said Allisont "it could be some Faunus that missed the outposts on the way. Get me a convoy and take me out to meet them". "But Viscount, what if it's a Grimm?" said the operator. "Then I kill it" she said "get wheels on the ground in five minutes".

Allisont had set up a convoy of three APCs to drive out to the location. The signature was out in the middle of "no man's land", a barren wasteland filled with craters left over from repulsed Grimm attacks. It was a full on blizzard, so Allisont had to ID the signal source and fast. "How much longer till we reach the coordinates?" she asked. "Five minutes" said the driver "we will stop a few meters away and offload you and the troops. We will drive up behind you as cover". "Hey Allisont are you there?" somebody called over the radio "we have an update on the signature". "What is it?" she asked. "After closer inspection we have found the signature is actually two entities. We recommend extreme caution and the wall gunners have been alerted, they are at your command". "Thank you" she said "we will check back soon". The doors opened and the troops unloaded onto the snow covered ground. "You know the mission" she said "find and identify the phantom signature. If anything goes wrong you shoot to kill, let's move". The soldiers followed Allisont and the trucks slowly followed behind. The blizzard had made things almost a virtual white out, they could only see a few yards ahead of them and had to rely on IR scans from the trucks behind them. A driver called out over the radio "we have visual". "What do you see?" Allisont asked. "The IR shows two trucks, they seemed to have bogged down in the snow" she said "we also see several human forms, they are not Faunus. They also seem to be armed, proceed with caution". "We copy" she said "tell the other trucks to hang back while we approach. The rest of us will approach the trucks, crawl through the snow. When I call over the radio we will all rush in and surround, we take no risks". They all crouched and slowly approached the area, slowly but surely the trucks came into view. The soldiers began to split up to surround the trucks while they approached. Allisont hit the ground and rubbed snow over her armor, trying to get it stuck on the use it as camouflage. She slowly approached the trucks and started to see the humans, she could hear them talking. "The engine is frozen" said a voice "we can't get it started again". "We are gonna freeze to death out here" said another. "Maybe that's what happened?" said one "they just simply died out here". "They wouldn't come out here just to die!" said another "get the engine running so we can get moving so we do not freeze"! Allisont ducked down and used her radio. "1, 2, 3; MOVE MOVE MOVE!" she yelled. Soldiers rose from the snow and the APCS came up from behind and the top guns aimed down. The unknown soldiers aimed in defense. "Identify yourselves!" they said. "Under whose authority!" said a Conway soldier "you are on our land! You identify yourselves"! "Your land?" he replied "this land is unclaimed by any of the major kingdoms. Which kingdom do you serve"? "Conway" said Allisont. "The hell is Conway?" he said. "The kingdom who has claimed this land for centuries" said Allisont "now I suggest you stand down so this all ends in everyone's favor". The unknown soldiers looked at each other and stood down and withdrew their weapons. "Now isn't that better" said Allison as she approached "now how about we hook up your trucks to ours and take you back to Conway". "Sounds agreeable enough" said the soldier in charge "lead the way".

Allisont had pulled the soldiers inside the wall and dropped them off at one of the barracks. "This is a reserve barracks for the 45th armored battalion" she said "they will share the base with you while we repair your trucks". "Thank you very much miss" said one of the soldiers "I am Lieutenant Burns of the 23rd expeditionary force. Now this is quite an interesting kingdom here" he said "we never knew anybody even lived out here". "We have been here since humanity won the world from the Grimm" she said "we have thrived here since". "Now Conway sounded quite familiar" said Burns "there is a myth we had back home, of a group of warriors who traveled the world righting wrongs and fighting evil. Until one day long ago they vanished, they were called Conways; are you the same"? "Well if the shoe fits" she said "I mean we didn't even know anybody else was even alive beyond our walls to fairly recently". "Recently you say?" he said "I hope I am not a bother miss, but I need a favor". "I don't see why not" she said "what do you need". "Could I get an audience with your King?" he asked 'it is very important to our mission, and I must speak to him". "Um" she said "what is a king"? "You lord" he said "the man who is in charge of your kingdom". "Well I don't know about any man in charge" she said "but if you are looking for the person in charge, you are not very far off". "I beg your pardon?" he seemed confused. "I am Viscount Allisont Conway, and if you are looking for whoever is in charge; then you found her". "Well this society of yours is definitely, strange" he said. "What do you need to know?" she asked. "Recently some of the property of my kingdom went missing in this area" he said "we were hoping to find it and then bring it back where it belongs. Would you happen to know anything"? "If anybody finds anything strange here I am the first to know, so unfortunately I have nothing of use to you" she said "but you are welcome to stay as long as you need too". "We thank you for your hospitality" he said "the kingdom of Vale thanks you".

"They said they are from Vale?" said Argon. "The same place Adam and the others came from all those years ago" said Allisont. The two were eating dinner together at the palace, David was absent as he was out with friends. "From what you have told me it seems like they are not here for the Faunus" he said "he said the kingdom lost some property right? As soon as they find it then they will leave". "I hope you are right" she said. In the room barged Shogun Arthur Mansolillo. "Forgive my intrusion my Viscount" he said "but this is important". "What is going on?" Argon asked. "It is about the visitors" he said "there was an altercation down at the barracks and the group is being detained. Mr. Burn was brought up here to help explain the situation, he is out in the yard". "What happened?" she asked. "The mechanics of the 45th didn't fully understand the configuration of their trucks" he said "so chief engineer Damian and his team was brought in to see if he could get them working again. The moment he and his team set foot in the base Burns and his men attempted to arrest Damian, some of his engineers, and some of the soldiers arriving on the base. All of those they selected were Faunus". "Bring him in" she said "I want an explanation". "As you wish" said Arthur, he went to the window and gestured outside. On que two Faunus soldiers dragged him inside the palace, he had cuts and bruises all over his face. "What happened to him?" Allisont asked. "Collateral damage" said one of the soldiers, coming off almost sarcastically. "Unhand me you animals!" Burns yelled. "Release him" said Allisont. The Faunus dropped Burns and unbound him. "Well I guess I know where the animals went when they got out of their cages" he said. "Silence" said Allisont "you were here for the Faunus weren't you"! "They are the property of Vale and must be returned!" said Burns. "People are not property" she said "it doesn't make sense what you people have done to them". "Our economy relies on the Faunus labor" he said "if they will not work then who will"? "Why don't you do it then?" she said "rely on yourself, not the baseless enslavement of others". "With all due respect miss" said a Faunus soldier "but I know how these people think. They are set in their ways, there is no hope changing them". "Perhaps you are right" said Allisont "now I will ask a few things of you. One, we will fix your trucks and you will leave with the same amount of people as when you arrived. Second, any more Faunus who come here get to stay. And thirdly, you and the rest of Vale are forbidden from ever setting foot in Conway until you correct your mistake. Do I make myself clear"? "You are making a mistake" said Burns "animals are meant to be tamed". "So I see" said Allisont "detain his group until the trucks are fixed, then send them on their way". "Yes Allisont" said Arthur "you heard her"! The soldiers rebound Burns and dragged him out of the palace.

"And so Burns and his troops were forced out of Conway" the professor said "and as far as Allisont was concerned, that was the end of foreign interference in Conway, yes you"? Someone off to the right had raised their hand "why did she let them live? She could have just killed Burns and his troops". "Allisont knew the meaning behind first contact, this was Vale's first impression of Conway" the professor replied "if she just killed them outright than she feared that Vale would see Conway as a bunch of violent and bloodthirsty killers. She also may have wanted to foster good relations with Vale, so she can campaign there for Faunus equal rights. It could of been for a number of reasons but we may never know truly why". The bell rang and everyone began to get up and leave, but the professor had one last thing to say. "There will be no homework tonight" he said "but tomorrow is the last day before vacation, so we will finish the Age of Change them. You are dismissed".