Welcome to Ch 11. Enjoy


Jaune stared blankly at the book that laid open before him. He should be reading it, he knew that, but right now it was impossible. Just staying awake required a tremendous amount of focus.

But could anyone blame him? Last week was hell. Ever since he severed the Link with Penny, Gepetto went all out with both ARES and testing his Semblance, all on top of his catch up lessons. As a result, Jaune was retiring to his room exhausted, both mentally and physically.

But even sleep didn't give him respite. Every day, or rather night, just before retiring to his bed, he would reconnect with Penny in The Room. They would talk a bit, and then examinations would begin. He had no idea why it was needed, but Penny insisted, and every time he tried to question it, she would get all teary-eyed, and mumbled something about him not having to do it if it disgusted him.

It was a simple guilt trip - they both knew it, but it made it no less effective.

It wasn't that those examinations were particularly hard, or even long. Usually they lasted only a few minutes, and all he had to do was give his opinion on how Penny looked. The real problem were dreams he had after that. They were… detailed.

So very detailed.

He felt like the worst kind of scum for having dreams like that about his best friend.

But again, could anyone blame him? He was a healthy young boy, and every night he got to see Penny in various states of undress. At least he'd convinced her to wear underwear. That helped him focus on the task at hand, but it still wasn't easy. Especially when she demanded he will check if a particular part of her body 'felt' right.

It shouldn't have mattered, since she wasn't real, but it definitely felt real. A few images flashed through his mind. He still could remember the sensation of touching her body. Her warm, soft…

Stop. Bad thoughts.

"Jaune?"

It took him a few seconds to realize he was being spoken to. The blond boy raised his head to see Gepetto looking at him intently.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. What were you saying?"

"I was asking if everything is alright. You seem to be spacing out a lot lately."

Jaune shook his head, trying to stifle a yawn.

"I guess I'm just tired."

Gepetto watched him for a moment, then nodded.

"Well, we did have a busy week." he checked his scroll and hummed. "Allright, let's cut today's lesson short. In that state you won't learn anything anyway."

Jaune nodded gratefully and left Gepetto's office. He let out a tired sigh, and this time didnt try to stop the yawn. He idly wondered what to do with a whole afternoon free. Play some video games? Watch tv? Read some comics?

After brief consideration, he discarded all these ideas, and headed straight to his room. Right now what he wanted the most was to get some rest. Hopefully this time Penny would show him some mercy.

The blond boy hummed, thinking about his friend. Nearly a week has passed since they'd severed the Link, and it was both smaller and bigger change than he expected.

He could still see Penny's "avatar," but it was blurry, sometimes glitching out, or just turning into a simple ball of green light.

They could still talk, but it was as if he was reading messages and just imagining it was her who said it.

And, of course, he couldn't feel her emotions. But he still was aware of her presence, like an itch in the back of his head, right where his implant was.

Without even thinking, he reached out and touched the smooth metal surface. At the beginning, he was ashamed of it. He saw it as an eternal reminder of the fact that, at the end of the day, he was still a cripple.

But now?

It was a symbol.

Of him winning over his disability.

Of his connection with Penny.

Of his involvement in ARES.

The blond boy smiled. Gepetto said he was already working on the third model of the suit. Jaune couldn't wait to find out what it would be capable of.


P:A v2.5 logs entry 11

Just as I expected, severing the Link with Simple Soul greatly increased the capacity of Operator's Semblance. While it initially led to an overall decrease in performance of ARES (Operator described it as the suit feeling 'heavier'), after some practice it started returning to standard levels. However, there are some differences.

Aura consumption went up, and it seems like Operator is having trouble keeping up steady performance in rapidly changing environments.

However, he is capable of operating the suit with much greater precision when he can focus on a single task. While the suit moves slower, it appears that it reacts faster to Operator's commands.

In conclusion, while linking with Simple Soul makes operating the suit easier, severing it and assuming full control can be beneficial in certain situations. Both options should be explored.

Regarding the overheating problem, initially I tried to limit the amount of Aura Operator can transfer into suit, but it had the opposite effect than intended. Limited Aura transfer forced Operator to create more Links, thus increasing Aura consumption, and as a result heat generation.

But I think I finally found the solution - and possible way to operate the suit without use of Operator's Semblance. Seeing as limiting Aura transfer did not solve the problem, I tried to make it easier by installing an additional socket for direct Aura transfer.

The increase in performance was noticeable, but not as big as simulations suggested. Still, it's the best solution I can think of. I believe that adding more sockets, as well as properly integrating them into the suit's frames should lead to even greater results.


The Atlesian Knight model 145 was, by many, still considered the best instalment of the series. Even though it was over ten years old, and several new models had already been developed, it was still the most produced and used combat droid by both the Atlesian military, and many private companies across the world. Cheap in production, easy to maintain, it might not have as good performance as newer units, but it could hold its own against most common threats, especially in greater numbers.

Jaune grinned, crushing the head of one such knight in his hand. He lifted it in front of him, using the disabled unit to shield himself from incoming gunfire. He ran ahead, slamming into another droid, his fist crashing into its torso.

It flew through the whole room and slammed into the wall, its remains flying in every direction.

The maniacal grin adorning Jaune's face grew even larger.

This is awesome.

The blond dashed forward, dropping his improvised shield, bullets chasing after him. He knew he could just run ahead, that low caliber bullets couldn't hurt him, but Gepetto insisted he try to avoid being hit as much as possible.

And damn was much more fun that way.

He circled his opponent, slowly closing the distance, and waiting. Guns were wonderful weapons, but, unlike some games and a lot of movies wanted you to believe, you couldn't shoot one infinitely. At some point, you had to reload. The Atlesian Knight could reload his SAAR in 1.5 second.

Jaune, clad in the third iteration of ARES suit, covered the ten meters separating him from his target in less than half of that time. He grabbed the droid by the neck, his other hand closing over the mecha's arm. He pulled, ripping the appendage off, then pushed its head down, to meet his ascending knee. The Atlesian Knight fell to the floor, now nothing more than a bundle of scrap and spare parts.

They were good units, capable of holding their own even against larger Grimm, if they had the numbers advantage.

And Jaune just tore twenty of them apart in less than ten minutes.

He looked around, just to make sure there were no more enemies.

"Penny?"

One of the fallen droids was surrounded by a red hue. Jaune picked the gun off the Knight he just defeated, took aim, and sent out two short bursts. The red hue disappeared, but Jaune didn't lower his gun.

"I'm not detecting any more active enemy units. I believe the test is over."

Jaune just stood there for a few moments, panting heavily. The sound of his frantic heartbeat in his ears, the pain in his muscles, the elation of victory, it was too much. He threw his head back and screamed, announcing his triumph to the whole world.

"I take it you enjoyed yourself?"

Jaune turned towards Gepetto, who just entered the room. The old doctor watched his pupil with an amused smile. Jaune chuckled, but all the excitement overpowered any embarrassment he might have felt.

"Yeah…"

"So? How was it?"

"Amazing! It moves much smoother than before, it doesn't drain as much Aura, and it doesn't turn into an oven when I want to push it harder."

"I'm glad to hear it. I need some time to analyze the data we obtained, but it looks promising. For now, take a break, we will resume tests in half an hour."

"Should I take the suit off?"

"There is no need."

The blond nodded and leaned against the wall. The ARES mk3 looked identical to its predecessor, but something must have changed since piloting it felt much easier. Jaune supposed he could just ask Gepetto for the details, but discarded the idea. He made this mistake once, and spent the next three hours just sitting there, desperately trying to catch even a single understandable word from the relative flood that the old scientist was spewing. Eventually, he was saved by his father, and he swore to never make this mistake again.

A few minutes later, Gepetto announced it was time to begin the next exercise. This time it was an obstacle course.

Jaune smiled. He couldn't wait to see what his new toy was capable of.


First tests of mk 3 are very promising. The unit performs much better, and the problem with the overheating is almost completely gone. I think it's safe to say that abandoning the hybrid construction and focusing on the Aura Fibers was the right call. While I wasn't able to completely discard traditional materials, I replaced most of them.

While it did force me to design many subsystems from scratch, not to mention increased production cost and time, the results are well worth the effort. Even in its current state, the new unit is more than capable of holding its own in a fight. Speed and power are above what I expected, but its defensive capabilities need improvement. Implementing HIDE technology should solve this problem.

Additional sensors proved quite useful. While Operator has trouble operating all auxiliary systems on his own, with the support of Simple Soul he can make good use of all additional information.

While I was hesitant to pursue this solution, seeing as it's unlikely that the connection between Operator and Simple Soul could be fully replicated, I believe a simplified version could be used in mass produced models.

Only significant downside of all implemented changes is increased Aura consumption, when operating at maximum power. Operator can last only for twenty minutes, compared to almost an hour of mk 2. However, when operating at lower settings, it can last even longer than before.

Summarizing:

General performance saw a great increase compared to the previous model. Lowered operation time at maximum settings. Increased on lowest settings. On standard setting operation time is mostly the same.

Increased speed and strength. Lower durability, especially against blunt force. Should be easily solved by implementing HIDE technology.

Implementing additional scanners, even if Operator needs outside assistance to operate them in most cases, proved greatly beneficial. Exploring more options that would take advantage of Operator and Simple Soul's connection may prove to be beneficial, even if such solutions will be hard to replicate for general use.

Aura Fibers proved to be much more effective material than anticipated. More tests are needed to determine their full potential.

Conclusion:

Current ARES unit performance far exceeds what was set as minimally acceptable for the initial project, and in some cases even our best-case scenarios. Even if it was not its intended function, the suit is capable of high performance in a fight, and should prove effective in combating the majority of commonly encountered Grimm, as well as armed opponents. While I wouldn't consider the suit finished yet, I believe it is time to move to field tests.

Also, thanks to all the data I was able to obtain from recent tests, I think I'm ready to begin construction of a personal unit for Simple Soul. All I need now is a blueprint, but as per our arrangement, Simple Soul will deliver it to me when ready.

I'm close now, so very close.

Gepetto stretched, and stifled a yawn. He stared at the latest entry in his journal, considering his options. Field tests were a necessary step, but also a very delicate subject he had yet to bring up with Arthur.

He glanced at his scroll. It was almost three in the morning. Arthur was either asleep, or running late night drills for whatever poor souls were put in his tender care.

I'll guess I'll just catch some sleep.

And maybe make some plans. This was not a conversation he could go in for unprepared.


"So, you want to start field tests now, right?"

And there goes the plan.

Gepetto sighed. It took Arthur no time at all to figure out what he wanted to talk about. The Arc patriarch listened to Gepetto's report about ARES progress without interrupting, then nodded once and cut straight to the chase.

"Yes. I believe that the current design is the best I can come up with our current knowledge. All that is left is optimization. Some things I can do in the lab, but to progress further, ARES needs some live experience."

"Allright. Keep me updated on any progress. And keep him away from Grimm for now."

Gepetto blinked. That was unexpected.

Arthur smirked.

"Surprised?"

"Yeah." Gepetto massaged his forehead. "I was certain I'd have to fight tooth and nail to get you to agree to this."

"It's not like I didn't know this would happen sooner or later. I had a lot of time to think about it, and I have come to realize one thing - that there are two kinds of people in this world. Those who hide and those who fight. And Jaune is definitely a warrior."

"How do you know?"

"For one, he is my son. And besides that, it wasn't that long since he went off to fight an armed terrorists to save a group of people he had never met before. When we talked afterwards, I could see it in his eyes. This fire, this burning desire to go out there and do something, to make a difference. To make a name for himself." Arthur chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'd have to be a pretty big hypocrite to deny him such a chance."

"Even if it means putting his life in danger?"

"Yes. I will not stop him. I'll just make sure he is more prepared than I was when I ran out there."

"You had years of combat training, not to mention a team to watch your back. And you didn't need implants to be able to walk."

Arthur chuckled.

"True. But I didn't have high tech power armor, or a friend that apparently can hack into any device, or system, no matter how well protected. As for combat training, we can figure something out. Just don't throw him to the Grimm just yet. Let him play around with droids first."

Gepetto laughed.

"Well, if you are so willing to give me a green light, I won't complain."

"Allright, I need to go now. I'll leave the details to you, just keep me updated. See you later, Doc."

With that the call ended.

Gepetto stared at the dark screen for a few moments, his lips slowly twisting into a smile. Arthur's agreement was a surprise, but welcome one. With his blessing, project ARES could enter the next stage.

As long as Jaune agreed. It will be harder, and more dangerous too, but somehow the old scientist didn't doubt that his patient would decide to see it through.


Pale moonlight covered the world, reflecting off pure white snow. It gave off enough light to see quite clearly, despite it being late at night.

Which was why Jaune was glued to the Bullhead's window through the majority of their flight. He wasn't even sure how long they were in the air, he was too busy drinking up the incredible sights.

Some people might claim that a snow covered tundra at night wasn't that interesting.

Those people, naturally, had every right to have their own opinion. And they were completely and utterly wrong.

Maybe it was how the snow sparkled in the pale light. Maybe it was how the snow covered trees that he could make out in front of him gently swayed under the wind, but the primal beauty of this sight really spoke to Jaune's soul. He just wished Penny was there to admire it with him. But so far from the clinic, it was impossible for them to connect.

Never mind. Once she gets her body, we'll go camping. Maybe Dad will tag along too? It will be just like old times.

The blond smiled.

His father took him out to camp in the forest a few times. "Boys' alone time" he called it. They only went two or three times, never for more than three days, and never too far from the nearest city. Arthur promised they would go on a real camping trip once Jaune turned thirteen.

The blond's smile fell a little. That never happened, on the account of him being paralized and needing constant medical attention.

Jaune sighed, and shook his head to get rid of the unpleasant thoughts. Things were bad back then, but they were good now. He could walk again. He almost could run. He had an awesome friend in Penny and dare he say it, in Gepetto.

He had ARES.

His smile returned. When his father called him and told him he would be going out of the city to conduct 'field tests' of ARES, the blond boy couldn't believe his ears. Only when Gepetto walked into his room and confirmed it was really happening, did Jaune believe.

"Consider it a warm up. If you do well, we will go on that camping trip I promised you." His father said.

Of course, even though it was his private clinic, Gepetto couldn't just snatch one of his patients and fly him away somewhere into the Atlesian wilds. People would ask questions. So, as of yesterday, Jaune had finished his rehabilitation and was no longer a patient of Gepetto's clinic.

Officially at least.

Jaune wasn't sure what bullshit reason Gepetto gave to keep him there, or more importantly how his father convinced the rest of his family he should stay, but it happened. The blond smiled again. He wasn't sure where the old doctor was taking him, but he couldn't help the excitement that built up.

ARES was nearing completion. Gepetto said that the suit's main frame was about as good as it could get with the current technology. All that was left to do was to iron out details. Minor performance improvements, adding a proper HUD, and additional equipment.

And weapons.

Jaune didn't dare to ask, but Gepetto confirmed that live testing would include real combat. Not immediately, but he said with a smile that if everything went according to plan, Jaune would get a chance to fight real Grimm in two or three weeks.

The blond grinned. Not even a full year ago, he was lying in a hospital bed, full paralized, and without any hope of ever recovering.

Now he was close to standing against Humanity's greatest enemy, a dream he had abandoned long ago.

And all thanks to this eccentric old man sitting next to him. Jaune glanced at Gepetto, who was seemingly completely focused on piloting the large Bullhead. How could he ever repay the old man for all he had done for him?

I guess I'll have to think of something.

Jaune was broken out of his musings when the Bullhead started to slow down. It hovered for a moment before beginning a slow descent.

"We are here." Gepetto announced.

Jaune looked around curiously. They were in a large clearing, surrounded by snow covered trees. He could see two buildings in front of them, a wooden cabin, and some kind of barn.

Overall, it looked more like some kind of farm, rather than a secret testing facility.

"Grab the suit and move it to the barn. Then join me in the house. We need to talk about a few things."


"So, what did you want to talk about?" Asked Jaune once the two of them settled down.

"About the future. ARES is nearing its completion. In fact, it's already fully functional, all that is left is a few finishing touches." Gepetto said. "That means that, once we are done with practical tests, your involvement will no longer be necessary."

"Oh." Jaune deflated. So this was it, huh? He knew from the very beginning that this wouldn't last forever.

"So, you have to decide what you want to do."

The blond blinked, surprised.

"What?"

"You can quit ARES, and either go back to Vale, or stay here in Atlas. Go to school and lead a normal life. Or..." Gepetto leaned closer, his eyes locked on Jaune's " we could put our little project to good use."

Jaune shifted uncomfortably. The whole idea of continuing with ARES was appealing, but the older man's gaze was a bit too intense for his liking.

"A-am I really the one who should be deciding such things? It's your project after all."

"It's our project, Jaune. I had an idea, but ideas are cheap. It's making them into reality that is hard, and this one would never become reality without your help. So yes, I think you have as much to say about ARES' future as I do. Maybe more, considering you are literally the only person in the whole world who can pilot the damn thing."

Jaune laughed, rubbing the back of his head. He did consider himself part of ARES, but having said it out loud like that by Gepetto himself did make him feel good.

"Well, I certainly would like to continue. It wouldn't feel right to just let it sit in the basement and gather dust." he said, smiling at the older man, who responded in kind.

"I know right? It would be just so wasteful." He took another sip from his cup and hummed. "So, just for the record, we both agree that ARES should be put to use?"

Jaune nodded eagerly.

Gepetto smiled, but it soon fell.

"Good. Unfortunately, it means that soon we will have to deal with the greatest plague that torments humanity. Politics."

The old doctor spat the last word with such hatred Jaune couldn't stop a wince. Was it really that bad?

"While I always intended for it to be mass produced, I don't think it's possible. Not until a more efficient method of producing Aura Fibers is developed. That means that model 3.5 will remain as the only functioning ARES unit for the foreseeable future. Which means that there will be people, influential people, that will want to take control of it. And we have to decide with whom we side."

"Do we really have to? It's not like anyone can just take ARES away from you, right?"

"No, they can't. Not immediately at least, but there will be people, with Council at the forefront, that will try. If not to use it to gain more influence, then to prevent someone else from doing it. The more we try to stay independent, the harder they will press. It will be easier in the long run to get allies now."

"Better to propose cooperation, than to be asked for it?"

"That's right. Right now we hold all the cards, so we can negotiate some good conditions for ourselves. If we wait, we might find ourselves in a situation where we need some support."

Gepetto took a sip from his cup and remained silent for a few moments.

"We could spend a lot of time considering who the best ally might be, but it all boils down to three choices. We either look for an influential, private company that will help us out for profit. If we play it right, this should offer us the most independence. But the best, and unfortunately only real candidate here is SDC."

"Why is it unfortunate? Even I know that Schnee's are the richest people on Remnant."

"Because, Jaune, they are also self-centered, arrogant, greedy assholes, that would sell off their own family into slavery if the price was right. They care only about making more money, and can't be trusted, under any circumstances." Gepetto said it all with a calm voice, but Jaune could feel the pure hatred radiating from the man.

I wonder if there is some history between Gepetto and the SDC.

"Ok. What are our other options?"

"Government and Military."

"Aren't they basically the same thing?"

"Not really. While the military is technically controlled by the Council, unless it's something really big, the one who makes the decisions is Ironwood. And he is probably the only politician that I trust to do the right thing, rather than the most popular."

"Wait." Jaune said "Can't we just act like independent Hunters? Like my dad?"

"Unfortunately, no. Even Hunters have to be registered to gain a licence and be allowed to take official jobs, use weapons in the city, and so on. Even if we did register you as a Hunter, which you would have to either go to school or pass an exam for, people will still want to try to take control of you. As a completely independent force, you, or rather ARES, are too dangerous."

"But why? My combat test results aren't that great."

"Maybe. But you managed to hold your own against Jackal. I did some research on him, and even though he is supposedly not extremely skilled, he is a Hunter. And you managed to hold him off."

"More like I barely managed to not get killed." Jaune mumbled.

Gepetto shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. People will believe what they want. A mecha that can face a trained Huntsman is valuable. An armor that lets untrained fifteen year olds who can barely walk do the same is dangerous. Do you know why?"

Jaune shook his head.

"Because a mindless machine will not go rogue. It will not decide to run off to another kingdom, or settle down somewhere. It will always obey orders. It's easy to control. But technology that potentially allows anyone to fight on a Hunter level? That is something no government would want."

"But why? If everyone would be strong enough to fight Grimm, we would be safer, right?"

Gepetto shook his head slowly.

"From Grimm, maybe. But man's greatest enemy was, is, and always will be other men. Why do you think not everyone has their Aura unlocked?"

"Ummm… because it's very hard to do so? And it requires training to use effectively?"

"Yes, those are valid reasons, but there is another. Escalation of power."

"Escalation of power?"

"Yes. For a normal, Aura-less person, a simple gun, or even a knife, is a big threat. A single police officer, with a simple handgun has enough 'power' to stop your average criminal. In response to that, criminals seek to acquire more power. They band together, arm themselves with bigger guns and so on. Why do you think we dont give better equipment to police in response?"

Jaune pondered the question for a moment.

"Because then criminals would buy bigger guns?"

Gepetto smiled and nodded.

"Exactly. Sure, not every single petty thief would start carrying assault rifles around, and we might see a decrease in small crimes, but any bigger incidents would become even more devastating. It's the same with Aura. It's easy to subdue civilians, but a Hunter is another story."

"But if everyone had their Aura unlocked, would it really change anything? Everyone would be on the same level."

"Unfortunately, no. Aura works like a multiplier. The difference between people who are physically fit and those that aren't would be even greater. But even if that was not the case, there is another problem with having the whole population have superpowers - collateral damage. Imagine that two people got into a brawl. It usually ends up with a few bruises, and little to no property damage. But if it were two Hunters?" Gepetto shook his head " Just recall how much of a mess you and Jackal made. And believe me, it can be much worse."

Jaune winced. He really did make a mess back then, didn't he?

"That's why we register Hunters, to keep them in check. Especially the more powerful ones"

"But do we really have to go official with this? We could keep it unofficial. Just jump out from time to time, help people in trouble and be gone soon after."

Gepetto looked at the blond boy and smirked.

"You want to become a vigilante superhero?"

Jaune chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"I gotta admit I considered it…"

"You did?!"

"But that was before you fought Jackal. Now that the Council knows about ARES they won't be fooled. Not for long anyway. And as much as I dislike the idea, it's better to work with them than against them."

Jaune sighed.

"So, is it either the military or the Council?"

"Pretty much."

Jaune groaned. He was just a crippled teenager. Why was Gepetto asking him to make such important decisions?

"I really don't know what to say, Doctor."

Gebetto chuckled and nodded.

"I suppose. But don't worry, it's not like we have to make any decisions right now. We still have at least a month of tests before I allow you to use ARES in real combat, so we still have time. I just wanted you to be aware of what situation we are in." The older man got up, and patted Jaune's shoulder. "Think about it. But for now, go get some sleep. We begin the tests early tomorrow."

"Allright." Jaune got up, and smiled at the older man. "Good night, Doc."

"Good night, Jaune."


And that wraps it up. ARES enter the next stage of development, and Jaune, Gepetto and Arthur have to make some important decisions. Good thing they still have some time to think it through, right?