Ch.10
Rising Stakes
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"Excuse me, I need to see Professor Ozpin. It's very important," a calm, friendly voice suddenly requested causing the receptionist, who was organizing a stack of papers, to nearly jump out of her chair causing some of the papers to fly out of her hands and gently float down to the ground like feathers.
"Oh, goodie! It's going to be soooo fun reorganizing these papers for eight hours and...oh, General Ironwood! I-I'm sorry, sir. I-I didn't see you there!" the receptionist stuttered nervously with a light blush on her face while giving an awkward laugh causing the tin man to laugh softly and put his hands behind his back as the receptionist composed herself and sat up straight.
"That's quite alright, I'm sorry for giving you such a scare," the general responded coolly with a slight grin on his face causing the receptionist to rapidly wave her hands with a blush still on her face before taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out.
"No, it's fine, general. You don't need to apologize and you can go right up. Professor Ozpin is expecting you," the receptionist stated in a much more professional tone with her hands clasped causing the general to nod and approach the elevator with a slow, powerful stride.
"Thank you," General Irowood responded with the same warm smile on his face causing the receptionist to grin and nod back and when the door to the elevator closed, the general let out a huff and shook his head before wiping away the grin on his face for a stern, focused frown.
"The White Fang is right at our doorstep and Oz wants to do nothing? No, even he wouldn't so passive when the enemy is right in his face," Ironwood mused and clenched his fists tightly at the thought before relaxing his hands and letting out a soft breathe before straightening his posture as the door to the elevator opened.
"General, please come in. From the message you sent me, it's sounds like we have much to discuss," the esteemed headmaster of Beacon Academy cordially welcomed his old friend who chuckled and stepped into the office where he shook his friends hand and greeted the Glynda who gave a dismissive huff and folded her arms.
"What is it now, James? Knowing you, you probably want to make another grandiose display of military might and you want us to follow your lead," the witch remarked disdainfully causing the tin man to chuckle under his breathe and fiddle with his cuffs before pulling out his scroll and placing it on the headmaster's desk.
"Well, you're not entirely wrong," Ironwood conceded as information pertaining to White Fang troop movement, weapons, and bases appeared on the hologram causing Ozpin to clasp his hands and slightly lean forward while Glynda narrowed her eyes.
"I'll cut to the chase; when the White Fang attacked one of our outposts a few days ago, it set us back a fair margin, but they revealed a critical weakness that we can exploit," Ironwood explained calmly, but quickly while putting his hands behind his back and patiently watched his friends study the info as Ozpin made no outward expression and sat up a bit with his hands still clasped.
"And what weakness would that be, general?" the headmaster inquired causing Ironwood to narrow his eyes and walk over to Ozpin's desk and entered some sort of code into his scroll which brought up a recording of the outpost's attack.
"Technology, Oz; this recording shows that the squad of White Fang troops in charge of stealing the dust from the outpost and some members of the distraction team are still using Great War era tech which confirms my theory that there's not enough modern weaponry for all the White Fang recruits. It's an advantage we should capitalize on and we should start by quashing any presence of the White Fang with extreme prejudice and take away Salem's advantage of manpower," Ironwood explained coolly, but was inwardly ecstatic at the info, but frowned when he saw Ozpin let out a breathe and lean back in his chair while Glynda scoffed and put her hands on her hips.
"And how would you like going about this, James? Should we start firebombing the countryside in the hopes of flushing them out, set up curfews and constantantly watch over all faunus within Vale, or would you like your soldiers busting down doors and arresting suspected White Fang sympathizers?" the witch sharply retorted causing Ozpin to briefly glance at instructor before looking back at the general who rubbed his temple and shook his head before letting out a soft sigh.
"Glynda is right; if we start dropping bombs, the people are going to wonder not if we're winning, but how strong our enemy is if we have to resort to such extreme measures," Ozpin wisely added and promptly took a sip from his mug causing Ironwood to snort quietly and clench his fist before relaxing his hand and fiddling with his scroll which brought up holograms of certain geographical locations around Vale.
"Ozpin, causing a panic will be worth it if we can eliminate one of Salem's strongest allies. Without the White Fang, her operatives won't be able to work out in the open and they'll have to be more cautious meaning all of the kingdoms will get to breathe easier," the general pointed out gruffly and hoped his old friend would see it his way, but to his disappointment the headmaster narrowed his eyes and leaned forward slightly in his chair with his hands clasped.
"They'll also be harder to track down as well, James. Even if the White Fang is out the picture, she still has another army at her disposal that spans the globe and is, I remind you, getting stronger with each passing day. It's to my great displeasure that I've received reports that some huntsman are now struggling against Grimm that should have been easily killed like the Beowolves," Ozpin countered calmly and took another sip from his mug causing Ironwood's lip to twich and resist the urge to bang his fist on the desk and instead turned to the holograms of the geographical locations.
"Maybe so, but we still should do something about the White Fang. My men have already determined the locations of some outposts around the forests in Vale and my troops have secured hideouts they use in the downtown area, it's just that we suspect they may be hiding in Mountain Glenn," the general stated causing Ozpin to remain as calm as ever while Glynda folded her arms and studied the holograms with skeptical eyes.
"And what makes you think that, general?" Ozpin inquired with his eyes slightly narrowed causing the general to let out a guilty sigh and lower his head briefly before picking his head up and straightening his posture.
"A squad of troops attempted to go rogue and scout Mountain Glenn by themselves, but a corporal tipped us off to what they were trying to do and now they're currently being court martialed. In spite of the fact that what they did was wrong, they decided to take action when no one else would and that's what we need to do now. Ozpin...the people are already getting anxious about the fact that the bulk of the Atlesian military is here, but all they seem to be doing is work that's best left to security guards," Ironwood pressed causing the headmaster to raise a brow and calmly stare at the general who looked back at the headmaster with his eyes narrowed while Glynda snorted and adjusted her glasses.
"They're only here because you brought them here, James, which not only tipped off our enemies that we know they're here, but also made fighting them a lot more difficult than it needs to be," Glynda criticized causing the top tin man to blankly gaze at the witch and let out a breathe before staring back at the headmaster who hadn't moved an inch.
"That's enough, Glynda; I believe our friend has a point that soldiers doing menial work is offputting to the people so I'm willing to hear what it is you're trying to propose, general," Ozpin acknowledged casuing the general to grin ever so slightly before it disappeared behind a steely gaze and once again Ironwood typed something into his scroll which brought up a hologram of eight elite Atlesian soldiers.
"Oz, although I can't understand your methods sometimes, I'm...willing to follow your lead which is why I'm suggesting you have the squad of soldiers I'm reccommending accompany the team of huntsman you're planning to send to Mountain Glenn. Oz, trust me; this will alleviate people's fears that my troops are planning on holding the line against some insurmountable enemy," Ironwood requested causing the headmaster to quietly blow into his hands while Glynda huffed and crossed her arms as she glanced at Ozpin.
"Do these soldiers have personal experience with the White Fang and faunus in general?" Ozpin asked coolly causing the general to raise a brow and briefly glance at Glynda who narrowed her eyes before Ironwood cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Oz, these are undoubtedly the finest soldiers Atlas has ever produced-"
"That doesn't answer my question, general. Do these soldiers have any personal experience with the White Fang and the faunus? If they only see the White Fang as targets to eliminate and every faunus as potential White Fang members, then I'm afraid I can't grant your request," Ozpin interrupted the general without missing a beat causing Ironwood to growl under his breathe as the headmaster took a sip of coffee and typed something into Ironwood's scroll.
"How about this soldier, though? Judging from the way she acted when she confronted one of the members of the squad in charge of stealing the dust, she seems to have been offended by the way the White Fang were carrying themselves," Ozpin pointed out causing Ironwood and Glynda to watch as the battered soldier in question pulled herself out of the pile of debris and grasp the ankle of a certain burly faunus with an angry, confused look.
"You fucking bastards...there's good faunus fighting for equality the right way and then shits like you set all their hard work back to square one," the soldier furiously stated causing Glynda to adjust her glasses and expected the soldier to retort with some sort of tirade of how faunus have been oppressed by humanity and what they were doing was justified, but her eyes widened by the words that came out of the goon's mouth.
"...You're right," the White Fang thug conceded and slowly shook her ankle free of the soldier's grasp before bending down to confiscate her radio and before the battle instructor could see more of this interesting development, Ozpin suddenly paused the video and calmly stared at the general.
"I'll have to look her up in our database," Ironwood responded warily as he approached Ozpin's desk and quickly typed something into his scroll which brought up a profile of the solider Ozpin was interested in came up causing Glynda to stare the hologram curiously.
"Tai Nguyen, recently turned 25, grew up in Mantle, worked as a maid until she joined the military at seventeen, participates in non-violent protests fighting for equal treatment of faunus, and an outspoken critic of both the SDC and Atlas's policies towards faunus," Ironwood tersely stated causing the headmaster to slightly nod his head and lean back in his chair which didn't go unnoticed by Glynda who raised a brow and glanced at the general.
"You want Tai to be the only soldier I send with your huntsman to scout Mountain Glenn?" Ironwood stated with his eyes narrowed and his back straight causing the headmaster to take a sip of his coffee and set the mug down.
"Almost, but no; if this profile of Mrs. Nguyen is correct, then more of Atlas's soldiers should aspire to be like her. I will allow her to go...if Mrs. Lavender goes as well," Ozpin offered causing the general to narrow his eyes while the witch raised a brow before crossing her arms and gently tapping her shoulder with her riding crop.
"Lisa Lavender, the reporter? Why let her come, Ozpin?" Ironwood skeptically inquired which is something Glynda wanted to know as well, but kept it to herself and simply spared a glance at Ozpin who's expression hadn't wavered.
"Because James, it's like you said. The people are concerned that your troops are doing work best left to security guards and when she see's that you're indeed trying to do something about the situation, she can inform the citizens about the fact along with whatever she discovers in Mountain Glenn to ease people's fears. However, we will have to censor some of the information Mrs. Lavender puts forth like we've done in the past," Ozpin retorted calmly while taking another sip from his mug causing the witch to raise a brow before going back to a stoic expression while Ironwood blankly stared at the headmaster long and hard before letting out a soft sigh.
"Very well, Ozpin," Ironwood relented after a moment had passed before extending his hand to the headmaster of Beacon Academy who slowly stood up and grasped the general's hand before shaking it and calmly retracting his hand.
"I feel there's more to this than you're letting on, James," Glynda stated with a hand on her hip and adjusted her glasses with her other hand causing the general to nod and type something into his scroll which brought up a video of a certain sergeant in the White Fang deflecting bullets fired by the tin men by wielding her blade like it was a knight's longsword.
"The way she fights leaves no doubt in my mind that she either trained at the combat school in Mantle, or she participated in the reccomendation training program. To be frank, I want her apprehended so she can be tried by the Atlesian council so she can't teach or reveal any methods that we use to train future generations of huntsman to the White Fang," Ironwood bluntly explained causing the witch to raise a brow and cross her arms while Ozpin clasped his hands and narrowed his eyes causing the general to rasie a brow.
"This is something Glynda would normally say, but considering how faunus are treated in Atlas, especially ones trying to become soldiers or huntsman, it leaves little doubt in my mind why she would not defect to the White Fang. Yet, you are correct that if she were to teach any soldiers advanced forms of combat, the White Fang might become even more of a threat then they already are," Ozpin replied causing the general to nod and remove his scroll from the desk causing the holograms to dissipate and causing the room to become darken.
"However, I ask that if you do manage to take her into your custody, that you let Glynda and I talk to her to see if we can convince her to join our side. After all, considering that Salem seemingly has agents everywhere on Remnant, it wouldn't hurt to have more allies, right James?" Ozpin stated and took another sip from his mug causing the general to scowl and slowly put his scroll back in his pocket before adjusting his collar.
"Ozpin, I know what you're saying, but what she did...is a serious crime. She betrayed not only me, but every single person in the military and every man, woman, and child in Atlas for joining the White Fang and potentially revealing our training methods to our enemies. When I catch her, she'll be brought before the Atlesian council, tried for treason, and be executed by a firing squad," James resolutely stated with an unwavering tone causing the headmaster of Beacon to sigh softly and take a sip from his mug while Glynda scoffed and adjusted her glasses with a frown while thumping her riding crop against her shoulder.
"That's a little extreme, don't you think James?" Glynda pointed out with her eyes narrowed causing the general to glance at the witch and shake his head before stoically glancing at Beacon's battle instructor and putting his hands behind his back.
"Not when the crime is treason, Glynda. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make the arrangements with Tai's CO," Ironwood stated calmly as he shortly nodded at his two friends who returned the gesture before the general walked toward the elevator and entered it before the doors closed.
After a moment had passed, Glynda let out a sigh and before turning to face Ozpin who took another sip from his mug and coolly looked at his partner.
"I have to admit, even with James suggesting we send an entire squad of soldiers with our huntsman, his request is a lot more tame than his usual suggestions," Glynda noted causing the headmaster to make no reaction and simply sipped from his mug again before glancing at the witch who calmly looked back at him.
"True, but everything he does is to protect mankind even if his methods lack...tact. Anyway, we shouldn't concern ourselves with that for the moment; after all, the dance is coming up and it wouldn't do if he mulled over this far more than we should," Ozpin replied causing the witch to let out a soft sigh and nod reluctantly as the headmaster of beacon went on his scroll and went about making the proper arrangements for what would be needed at the dance.
"Go talk to Lisa Lavender about your special assignment, she says. It will be a great learning experience, she says. Ugh, it just sounds like I'm going to babysit some know nothing know it all reporter," a young, robust woman with unkempt black hair and dull blue eyes thought to herself as she irritably stomped toward the VNN building with her hands in her pockets while ignoring any stares she was being given.
Pushing open the door to the building, the young woman let out a huff and approached the front desk while taking her hands out of her pockets as the receptionist continued typing away without even noticing the young woman causing her to clear her throat and fold her arms.
"Yes, what do you want?" the receptionist inquired with her eyes narrowed causing the young woman to snort and reach into her pocket and take out her wallet and show her Atlesian military i.d. to the impatient receptionist.
"I need to talk to Lisa Lavender; she's always wanted to do a report on Mountain Glenn and General Ironwood is giving her that chance," the young soldier retorted with her teeth gnashed causing the receptionist to huff and type something into the computer before something resembling a badge came out of a printer to the receptionist's left.
"Second floor, down the hallway, third door on your right," the receptionist tersely stated while slamming the visitor badge on the counter and then making a shooing motion with her hand before giving her full attention back to the computer causing the soldier to shake her head and stick the visitor badge onto her shirt.
"Thank you very much," the soldier stated through gritted teeth which the receptionist didn't even react to and just continued typing things into her scroll causing the young woman to roll her eyes and take the stairs up to the third floor.
Scanning left and right, the young woman remembered the instructions she had been given and gently knocked on the third door on the right causing whoever was behind it to stop moving and clear her throat.
"Come in," the voice stated curiously causing the young woman to let out a soft sigh and pull out her wallet again before gently opening the door and saw the gray haired reporter raise a brow as the soldier showed the woman her military I.D.
"Mrs. Lavender, I have orders from my commanding officer, and by extension General Ironwood, to tell you that you're being given the opportunity to scout Mountain Glenn while being escorted by me while accompanying a team of huntsman Headmaster Ozpin is planning to send in six weeks time," the young woman stated right off the bat causing the gray haired reporter to widen her eyes and rub her temple before looking at the soldier with a raised brow.
"Well, this certainly is an...interesting development, Mrs. Nguyen. Pray tell, how come Ozpin decides to offer me help now when he's denied me assistance in the past?" Lisa inquired with her eyes narrowed causing the young soldier to shrug and sit down on the chair across from the reporter with her back straight.
"I wish I could tell you, Mrs. Lavender, but I'm just in the dark as you are. My best guess is, and I don't mean any offense by this, is that Ozpin didn't consider your request important until White Fang and criminal activity suddenly skyrocketed," Tai replied calmly causing the reporter to huff and fold her arms while the soldier put her hands on her legs and stretched her back a bit before refocusing on Lisa who was tapping her chin with her finger.
"Why just one team of huntsman and single soldier though? If Mountain Glenn is supposedly a hot spot of criminal or White Fang activity, why not send in more huntsman, or failing that, more soldiers?" the reporter inquired calmly while folding her arms causing the soldier to snort before taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out.
"I didn't say Mountain Glenn was a hot spot, Mrs. Lavender," Tai pointed out causing Lisa to scoff and lean back in her chair with her arms still crossed causing the soldier to purse her lips for a brief moment before blankly staring back at the reporter.
"You didn't say it wasn't, Mrs. Nguyen," Lisa retorted calmly with her eyes closed causing Tai to mentally curse, but kept her expression calm and shrugged before leaning forward in her chair and putting her arms on Lisa's desk.
"Alright, so maybe I didn't, but will you accept the job?" the soldier asked as calmly as she could while feeling uncomfortable as Lisa examined her like she was a piece of meat before the reporter pursed her lips and put her hands on her desk.
"I will go...provided you answer some questions for me first. This will be strictly off the record so you won't have to worry about me putting this in some article or reporting it on the evening news," Lisa requested causing Tai to raise a brow and resist the urge to rub the back of her head before she let out a soft sigh.
"I don't mind doing this, Mrs. Lavender, but may I ask why?" Tai responded curiously causing the reporter to nod curtly with her hands clasped.
"If you're going to escort me, I feel it's prudent that I get to know you a little better. After all, I'd want to know if my partner is a trigger happy sociopath or some other unsavory character before I go to the most dangerous area in Vale with them," Lisa replied with a calm, sharp tone causing the soldier to narrow her eyes and snort before sitting up straight and similar to the reporter, clasped her hands and sat up straight.
"I assure you, Mrs. Lavender, I'm very principled and I'll do my best to protect you," Tai said with her patience wearing a thin which the reporter took note of and softly coughed into her sleeve before letting out a breathe.
"Then I guess I have nothing to worry about, Mrs. Nguyen. To start off, why did you want to join the military instead of attempting to become a huntsman like so many other children?" Lisa asked the soldier who raised a brow and shifted in her chair slightly before letting a slight grin tug at her lips.
"Oh, that's easy. I just feel that huntsman, especially this generation, don't take the duty of safeguarding the world seriously, you know? Between Qrow who's drunk off his ass and has the social skills of a spoiled toddler, Raven who went rogue and is leading a bandit tribe, and Ozpin who isn't doing anything about the fact that the White Fang somehow got access to top of the line military tech, the world's supposed guardians don't exactly inspire me with confidence. I don't like the methods General Ironwood uses sometimes and I have formally complained about them to the Atlesian council and the media networks in Atlas, but at least he's trying to do something about it," Tai ranted causing the gray haired reporter to briefly widen her eyes before her expression turned thoughtful as she pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling before giving a simple nod.
"Very interesting, Mrs. Nguyen. Next, how do you feel about the fact that the average age of White Fang recruits tends to be around 15-19?" Lisa inquired calmly causing the soldier to solemnly sigh and smack her lips while wiping away a tear from her eye with her index finger before staring at the reporter once more.
"I hate it; I don't think any sane soldier gets up in the morning and looks forward to seeing a child staring back at them in their iron sights. I don't know what Sienna Kahn's making his men tell these children, but we have to stamp it out as soon as possible. Until then, as much as it disgusts me, I'm going to have to keep on shooting misguided kids who think they're fighting for a noble cause," Tai responded before covering her eyes with her hand and breathing slowly as streams of tears flowed down on her cheeks causing Lisa to grab her tissue box and push it toward the weeping soldier who grabbed a tissue and began wiping her eyes.
"I'm...sorry, Mrs. Lavender," Tai stated while continuing to wipe her red, teary eyes with the tissue causing the reporter to shake her head and with her hands up before clearing her throat and clasping her hands.
"It's quite alright, Mrs. Nguyen; you seem trustworthy to me so we can stop here if you want," Lisa assured the soldier causing Tai to shake her head and put the tissue on the desk and let out a breathe causing the reporter to push the tissue box closer to the soldier just in case.
"No, it's fine. You can continue," Tai replied causing the reporter to slowly nod and briefly look up at the ceiling before looking back at the soldier with an empathetic expression.
"If this sounds too personal, then you don't have to answer it. What're your thoughts on the SDC and the Atlesian military?" Lisa cautiously pressed causing the tin man to let out a puff of air from her nose and put her hands on her legs with a calm, stoic expression on her face.
"In my opinion, the SDC is no better than Torchwick's mafia which makes the fact that they're our main supplier all the more appalling. If I use the SDC's equipment, it's basically saying that I'm okay with their questionable business practices. My armor and weapons? They're replicas made by a blacksmith in Mistral with a few interesting perks that look like the gear the SDC gives us tin men," Tai admitted while putting her index finger to her lip causing Lisa to nod and mimic the gesture as the soldier rapped her knee with her fingers before staring at the reporter.
"Have you voiced your objections to your superiors?" Lisa asked causing the soldier to give a heavy sigh and run a hand through her hair which made the reporter to raise a brow as the soldier rubbed her temple before looking back at Lisa.
"I have, Mrs. Lavender, and they are conflicted about it as well, but they say the benefits of having the SDC stay in business and give us a steady supply of military tech outweigh the consequences our partnership brings. I'm also not a fan of how my superiors tend to treat faunus recruits like keeping most of them in non combat positions, sending them into dangerous zones before they send in human soldiers, and doing nothing about the constant harassment they suffer, but a few have taken strides to correct this behavior," Tai explained hesitantly causing Lisa to resist the urge to slam her fist onto her desk and instead took a calm breathe while closing her eyes before letting it out and glancing at the soldier.
"That's unfortunate to hear...Tai. I have one last question that's hypothetical if you're willing to answer it," Lisa stated causing the soldier to nod and let out a sigh as she straightened her back and put her hands on the reporter's desk.
"What do you think should be done about the SDC, Atlesian military, and the policies regarding faunus in the kingdoms?" the reporter inquired causing Tai to purse her lips and look down at her hands blankly before looking back up at Lisa with her eyes narrowed.
"The SDC needs to die out; it used to be a respectable business, but that time has long since passed. I know that rumors say that Weiss Schnee is trying to become a huntress to redeem the company's reputation and I can respect that, but what she's trying to do doesn't matter. Most of the discriminatory policies against faunus in Atlas are because of the SDC so running them out of business may not get rid of the policies immediately, but with them out of the picture faunus can actually make progress fighting for equality," Tai stated passionately with her fists angrily clenched before the soldier let out a breathe and relaxed her hands causing the reporter to raise a brow at the gesture before blankly staring at the soldier and nodding in response.
"Anyway, as for the military, we'll manage without SDC. Our allies in Mistral would be more than happy to give us equipment that may not be state of the art, but they're reliable, meant to last, and not made with slave labor. Plus, maybe some of Mistral's...forward outlooks on life will influence people in Atlas; unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon," the soldier finished sadly while looking down at her hands causing Lisa to purse her lips and awkwardly put a hand on Tai's shoulder which made the tin man give a small smile.
"Maybe it will be true someday, Tai. As for that mission at Mountain Glenn, I'd be more than happy to go now that I know my partner a little bit better and know she's going to watch my back," Lisa assured the soldier while patting her shoulder causing Tai to laugh softly and gently brush off the reporter's hand before scratching her head.
"Alright, I'll go tell my CO that you agreed to go...Lisa. Oh, and are you proficient with any firearms?" Tai asked the reporter who nodded and rummaged through her purse before briefly flashing the grip of the pistol similar to the one Vale's policemen use before the reporter put the weapon back in her purse and solemnly glanced at the tin man.
"Unfortunately, I am. I've had my fair share of jobs where my life is on the line like reporting on what Torchwick's mafia is up to, sending back data to my boss about how well the Valean Militia is doing on fending off Grimm, and keeping the people informed of White Fang activity," Lisa responded without missing a beat and for a few seconds, Tai noted the remorseful look on the reporter's face when she spoke of her last job before Lisa reverted back to a stoic expression.
"Well, it's good to hear that you can fend for yourself just in case something happens. I'll see you at the courtyard at Beacon at 0700, okay?" the soldier replied causing the reporter to nod as Tai left the room and gently closed the door before walking away with her hands in her pockets while staring ahead confusedly.
"What's really going on, Ironwood?" Tai mused while glaring up at the ceiling before letting out a breathe and continue to walk down the hallway in complete silence with no sound escaping her lips.