Chapter Three: Plans and Revelations

Winter Schnee stood stock-still in the ornate lobby, hands clasped behind her back, as she waited. Poised near the doorway to the meeting room, she resisted the urge to pace. It wouldn't do to show impatience.

She succeeded, mostly. Her upbringing and education had taught her to keep her feelings close, and while military service had been an escape, it had reinforced that capacity. Still, there were times when she was tested. When aggravated by that drunk, Qrow Branwen, for instance. Or when she'd returned from Mistral, only to find out Weiss had just fled there looking for her. She'd been sorely tempted to storm her way back to Mistral, border closures and orders be damned.

And then there was now, when the fate of remnant may have almost literally fallen into their hands, and yet she couldn't tell the General because he was kept in some meeting. A little exasperation was forgivable, or so she thought.

For the moment, she chose to channel such feelings into her demeanour. She'd seen a few glares from some of the others waiting in this lobby. She wasn't sure if it was because of the uniform, or her family; her white hair, as white as the long coat of her uniform, gave the latter away. Neither would be new. Of course, considering a few of those waiting were likely to be staffers to the other members of the council, it might have something to do with her association with General Ironwood specifically. Again, it wouldn't be the first time, nor the last.

The lobby was silent, save for the ticking of a clock, an antique Mantellian timepiece. The other aides and the rest of the coterie of hangers-on were quiet too, saved for the occasional hushed murmur when they exchanged a word or two. Aside from Winter herself and the two guards that stood either side of the mahogany doors, they were seated on the couches that lined the walls of the lobby. Their eyes for the most part remained on their Scrolls, doubtless checking communiques or such like, although from time to time they'd look up, glancing at Winter herself or at the doorway that lay between them and their masters.

At last, the silence was as the door handles turned and the latch retracted. Everyone's eyes turned to the doors as they stood, and the doors swung open. First to leave were several figures in suits, snowflake pins prominent on their lapels. Winter took some small amusement in their disgruntled expressions as they swiftly departed, a few lackeys following in their wake.

Councilman Sleet was next, followed by Councilwoman Camilla. Neither seemed particularly happy as they exchanged a few brief whispers on passing through the doors. Their staff converged on them, and the two turned their attention to their respective aides. A few more glares aimed in Winter's direction suggested her superior was making no friends with the other councillors this day. She remained standing, unmoved, as the two parties eventually left.

Finally, one remaining figure emerged from the meeting room, clad in the white and blue formal uniform of the Atlesian military. Head bowed, forehead furrowed, of all those to leave the room General Ironwood seemed least happy of them all.

"Sir," she called out.

"Winter," he looked up at her with sharp yet tired eyes. A flicker of a smile briefly appeared around the corner of his mouth. "I wasn't expecting you here."

"I had some important news sir," she fell in alongside him as he continued walking, a glance at those ahead in the corridor sufficient to communicate that they needed to wait until the other parties had dispersed "How was it?"

The General didn't reply, but simply sighed, pinching his nose with his hand.

"I see," she said.

"The SDC are pushing for more concessions, unless we drop the embargo," he explained.

The snowflake pins had told her the meeting had involved them. Them being the Schnee Dust Company. Meaning Jacques Schnee, her father. As if the man deserved either that title or the family name.

"And the Council?" she asked.

"Sleet and Camilla are inclined to listen. I'm not. We're deadlocked. At least for the moment."

Two votes apiece: Sleet and Camilla had one each, while the General held two, as headmaster of Atlas Academy and General of the Atlesian Military. Of course, the Atlesian Council normally had five seats, but one seat was temporarily vacant. But it wouldn't be for long.

"Until the election in Mantle?"

"Precisely."

"Robyn Hill isn't likely to offer the SDC too much help."

"No, but she's likely to push for the end of the embargo too, and for disclosure of any projects we need resources for." Ironwood said. Winter needed little clarification as to which project he was worried about. "But you're right that she's not likely to give the SDC much joy. Which is why it seems Jacques has decided to run himself."

Winter gritted her teeth, unable to restrain the reaction. She forced it away, but General Ironwood had already noticed, turning to her with a raised eyebrow.

"My apologies sir," he quickly said.

He raised a placating hand. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

"You're not responsible for my father, sir.

"In this case, I rather am. It's my measures he's opposing, after all."

"Hill's still the favourite to win."

"She is, but politics is an unpredictable business. One I have little patience for when it gets in the way of what needs to be done." An edge entered his tone at the last, but he shook his head as if dismissing it. He stopped walking, and glanced up and down the corridor, making sure none was in sight. He turned to her again. "So why the need to meet me immediately after the meeting?"

"Clover reports success in Mantle, but also says he's picked up a bottle of your favourite whiskey…" she said evenly.

She saw his eyes widen as the codeword hit home. A codeword they had never imagined using in this context.

The General looked at her incredulously. "In Mantle? From the infiltrators?"

"Yes. He believes this particular bottle comes from Haven."

"But that doesn't…" He ran his hand through his dark beard. "Is Clover sure?"

"He's confident. He's on his way to your office now." One look at his face was enough to tell her she'd anticipated his next request. "I have transport waiting for you."

-000-

The General had been silent, focused, on their trip back to the Academy. Winter had anticipated this too, and likewise had expected the driven nature of his strides towards his office. She'd likewise foreseen the intensity with which he'd studied the proffered object.

She'd been surprised by his mild chuckle. But it was a welcome sound; he'd given little sign of being amused by anything since the fall of Beacon.

"I know your semblance is good luck, Clover, but this is a little ridiculous," the General said, looking up from the ornate lamp. "To just stumble across the Relic of Knowledge?"

"We didn't just stumble across it," Clover said with an easy smile.

"Is it genuine?" asked Winter.

"I think so," the General replied. "It's clearly magical, and I can't imagine its power is confined to a cosmetic effect. And Ozpin only told us of one such lamp."

"What does it do?" asked Clover, "aside from the resizing thing?"

Ironwood's eyes went back to the relic. "Ozpin told us it could answer any three questions per century."

"That could be useful," Clover suggested.

"It could also be dangerous," Winter pointed out. "Should an enemy get hold of it…"

"Both true," the General conceded, looking back up once more. "As it is, I don't know how to use it. Whether that's true of our adversaries… well that's a risk I don't want to take." Walking behind his desk, he tapped out the combination for the drawer safe within and placed it inside. "Of course, there's the other question: how did it get here?"

"The White Fang attack on Haven," Winter proposed. "We suspected a connection with Salem just like at Beacon. If her agents gained access to the power of the Spring Maiden, they could open the vault and grab the relic. With the death of Professor Lionheart, who would even know of the relic's existence, let alone that it was missing?"

"And yet our prisoners don't strike me as employees of the Queen of the Grimm," Clover commented. "And Doctor Polendina seemed to know something too. I'd expect a call."

"Pietro?" Ironwood's eyebrow rose. "I doubt he'd work with unsavoury elements. And if they were her agents, why bring it here? She wants the relics above anything else; surely she'd want it taken back to her. What you suggest is certainly logical, Winter, but I think we're missing something." He looked towards Clover. "Though perhaps we don't need to speculate. Where are the prisoners?"

"Just arriving at the landing pad now," Clover replied, smoothly checking his Scroll. They'll be inside the academy in a few minutes."

"Perhaps we should head them off," Ironwood said to Winter before turning back to Clover. "Thank you, Clover, tell the Ace Ops they've done good work. You can stand down for tonight."

"Thanks, sir." Clover saluted and left, bare moments before they did the same. Winter was once again unsurprised to follow the General as he strode through the corridors with a single-minded purpose.

But of all the things that could or should have been expected or anticipated, what they faced when they came across the prisoners was far from anything Winter had envisaged. Despite Clover's words, she still half-expected to find Salem's servants; they'd posed as students at Beacon, after all. Or if he were right, perhaps it was some cell of White Fang, having fled Haven and unaware of what they were carrying.

She hadn't possibly foreseen that she'd find herself looking at her younger sister and her friends.

"Weiss?!" she gasped.

"Winter!" Her sister caught sight of her.

Winter moved forwards, walking past the guards, and took her sister's hands. She noticed then that her hands were bound, cuffed together by gravity bolas. As were the hands of all her friends. Her sister and her sister's friends were the prisoners. She turned to the guards. "Remove these restraints immediately," she ordered in a chill tone.

"Uh, of course, ma'am!" The guards set to, taking to the change of orders quickly. Winter looked over the group as the guards removed their cuffs. Her sister's team of huntresses-in-training, some young lad who looked Whitley's age, and another pair of trainees, a tall blond boy and a redheaded girl who looked like – no, she was – the former champion of Mistral. And finally… oh no… there was Qrow Branwen.

"It's… it's good to see you again," she heard the General say. "All of you."

"Yeah, it really felt like it," complained Qrow, rubbing his wrists.

"My apologies. When an unauthorised ship ignored hails to make a run into Mantle, we feared the worst. At the very least, we believed the ship might be stolen."

Weiss's partner gave an awkward laugh at that point, as the others glanced at each other. Winter narrowed her eyes. They hadn't?

"We… kind of did…" Ruby Rose admitted.

"You what?!" Winter whirled on her sister. "You stole an Atlesian airship? How could you have been so irresponsible?! What if you'd been–"

To Winter's shock, Weiss moved forwards and threw her arms around her, clasping tightly. "I'm sorry for worrying you," she said softly. "It didn't look like we had any other choice."

The hug felt unfamiliar. Such gestures of affection hadn't exactly been part of their youth. And yet Winter felt her anger ebb. Her sister was here, was safe, and had apparently grown in a way that she could show genuine care. The least she could do was try to offer the same. Slowly, she managed to place her arms around Weiss and return the hug.

"Perhaps it didn't," she conceded. She looked upon the others, before catching sight of one particular individual and reluctantly letting Weiss go. He's to blame for this, I'm sure. "Although perhaps others should have been old enough to know better, Qrow!"

"Hey, Ice Queen, I didn't know what to do either!" the grizzled man shot back with a nonchalant shrug. "Your tin soldier was keeping us out of Atlas, and you try stopping these kids when they get an idea."

Winter glared at him with suspicion, irked – as he well knew – by the use of the soubriquet and his careless behaviour. Yet she was surprised – again – by the fact that his voice lacked its customary drunken slur. His habit had always bothered Winter. Had always reminded her of… no, best not to think of home.

"It was my fault," one of the other trainees, the blond boy spoke up. "Commander Cordovin wouldn't allow us to travel to Atlas. So, it was my idea to steal the airship." The champion laid a hand on the blond's arm, apparently torn between approval and concern.

"One person might have an idea, but something like this usually takes a few people to carry it out," General Ironwood said, but Winter could tell that there was a lightness to his tone that was rare these days. "Tell me, how did Cordovin react?"

"Er… she wasn't happy," said Ruby Rose. "But she let us go in the end."

"Well then, perhaps we can overlook it just this once, considering the circumstances," the General replied, amused. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you made it. I think we have a lot to discuss…"

-000-

The sudden reversal of events had been quite drastic. But a short while ago they'd been prisoners, hands bound, headed to some unknown destination in the city in the clouds. Now they'd been set free and ushered into the place that they'd originally planned on coming when they'd set out from Argus. The General had welcomed them, alongside Penny and Weiss's sister, and Pyrrha couldn't help but think they could have skipped a few steps had they simply landed at Atlas in the first place. Still, Pyrrha knew the question that ran through the heads of her friends. Could he be trusted? Ruby, she knew, felt they should be careful about what they shared. Pyrrha wasn't sure.

The General himself did seem to have aged since they'd seen him at Beacon, although the beard appeared to suit him, lending him gravitas. His office had seemed incredibly for one man., with a large open space between the pillared walls and bookcases on either side. The wide floor was decorated with golden stars in the pattern of constellations, save for a large circle in the centre upon which the seal of Atlas was depicted. Finally, at the other end of the room was a wide, semi-circular glass bay, upon which the General's desk sat upon a dais, and behind which the night sky could be seen.

Pyrrha had stayed out of the conversation so far. After Qrow had tried to argue for a confidential meeting, the General revealed he'd briefed Winter, Penny, and the team that had arrested them in Mantle. Ruby had then asked the general about the Atlas relic (safe in its Vault) and the Winter Maiden (in a "stable condition" and, from what Qrow said, apparently of advanced years).

Winter appeared to have some role there, one which caused Pyrrha to wonder. She'd be about the right sort of age, and from her position as the General's aide-de-camp was presumably trusted and capable. She held herself with a cold demeanour that was reminiscent of Weiss when she'd first arrived at Beacon. But while Weiss had been prickly and entitled, before she grew and that had melted away, Winter seemed different. Her conduct seemed the sort to be driven by a desire to live up to something, some cause or goal…

That was a mindset Pyrrha understood all too well. But she knew better than to ask about something like that.

General Ironwood had then in turn asked why they'd brought the relic to Atlas in the first place. Pyrrha understood why Qrow and Yang were vague about the Spring Maiden, Yang's mother. Family was a difficult matter, especially their family, but they'd communicated enough: that Cinder had made an attempt on the relic, that the Spring Maiden had opened the inner vault, but left without closing it, leaving it permanently ajar. And finally, that Haven's headmaster had betrayed them.

"Lionheart had been sending scores of huntsmen to their deaths," Qrow growled. "Even before he tried to help Cinder get the relic. He died to one of Salem's creatures, and frankly I don't mourn him."

Ironwood leaned back in his chair, and to Pyrrha's surprise, merely let out a sigh. "Leonardo was the traitor," he said to himself.

Qrow looked at him incredulously. "You knew?!"

"That we had one? I suspected," the General replied. "Several actually: to have the know-how to compromise my systems likely needed someone from Atlas. But I also suspected someone from Ozpin's circle. Salem's agents knew too much, knew things we kept only between ourselves and didn't put on any network. Add the way they infiltrated Beacon as students…" he trailed off.

"You already thought one of the headmasters was a traitor?" Ruby asked.

"Or a close member of staff. Someone in a position to listen in and to provide credentials."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Qrow demanded.

"Tell who?" Ironwood said. "You'd have told me I was being paranoid, and Glynda would have said I needed to show more trust. And you were the two I did trust; if I'd trusted anyone else in the group, I'd have ended up telling him. And I couldn't risk telling anyone what I was planning."

"And what are you planning, James? The Dust embargo? That fleet out there? That ain't normal."

"No, it isn't," Ironwood admitted, "and I know how it must look, especially after your dealings with Leonardo. But I had to keep Salem from infiltrating the kingdom, and I needed the military here, for what's to come."

"For what to come?" asked Qrow.

General Ironwood stood, reaching for a panel of buttons set into the surface of his desk, pressing one. As he made his way around the desk, shutters rolled down the windows, blocking out the ambient light from the night sky. The lights inside dimmed, while the large circle displayed on the floor began to rise.

The group scattered out of the way. Perhaps the room's less spacious than it looks, Pyrrha thought. The circle twisted, segments sliding out as it turned.

"Until now, Ozpin has had us fight this war in secret," Ironwood said, walking over. "He believed it best to keep the veneer of peace. I can't say if that was right or not. But what is clear, with the fall of Beacon, is that Salem is acting far more aggressively than she has before. In the space of just over a year, she's shut down two huntsmen academies. She's left two entire kingdoms – fully half of humanity – teetering on the brink and brought down the CCT system. And she's come far too close to her real goal. It's doubtful she'll stop there. And so we find ourselves needing a new approach."

The mechanism settled into the form of a table, and as the General reached it, he pulled out a small remote. With a click, the holographic display in the table sprang to life, projecting a blue floating image over the table, one which illuminated the darkened room. An image of a sight familiar to Pyrrha's eyes and her memories.

"Amity Colosseum…" Jaune breathed.

The vast floating arena, that symbol of peace, which travelled from kingdom to kingdom in turn, hosting the bi-annual Vytal Festival tournaments. The very last fight of the last tournament being the one in which Pyrrha Nikos had unwittingly torn Penny Polendina apart. Pyrrha dared not turn to look at her.

"When the Beacon CCT fell and took global communications with it, I knew we needed something else. Amity was always intended to bring the nations together. It did so before through games and culture. I have a different method in mind, but one which will serve the same purpose."

He clicked the remote again, and the image changed, the Amity Colosseum now appearing with a distinctive tower upon the top, the characteristic shape of a CCT tower.

"Isn't it wonderful!" Penny said enthusiastically, and Pyrrha felt her tension ebb at the girl's happy tone. "By building a new tower on top of Amity, we can restore communication across the entire planet. Everyone will be able to talk to each other again!"

"And by launching the tower high up into the atmosphere, we can keep the tower permanently out of the reach of Grimm," added Winter. "It'll be invulnerable to attack and allow us to keep global communications running even if another tower were destroyed."

"That is wonderful," Pyrrha heard Ruby murmur.

"It's impressive, but you don't need the entire air fleet for this, James!" Qrow said.

"I might do, if she finds out about it first," replied the General. "But what I really need them for is the next part… when I finally tell the people about Salem."

There was an audible intake of breath. He's going to do what? Pyrrha thought.

"But the people will be scared. They'll panic!" ventured Weiss after a moment.

"That's why you need the troops?" Qrow guessed. "For the panic."

"And the resulting Grimm," Ironwood answered. "They'll be attracted to the fear, but I believe we can be ready to stop them. And once Atlas is secure, I'll use Amity to spread the truth to the rest of Remnant."

"It'll be chaos!" Yang said. "The Grimm will be everywhere!"

"But Atlas will stand ready to assist," replied Winter. "And with communication restored, we'll be able to coordinate a response."

Qrow shook his head. "Oz kept this secret for a lifetime… many lifetimes."

"And if we keep trying to keep this secret, it will kill us all," Ironwood replied. "Ozpin managed to keep victory from her grasp for many years, but each time she retreated to the shadows and came back stronger. Now she's tilted the balance against us, and if we don't stop her for good, eventually she'll win. But by restoring communications, and telling the world the truth about Salem, we can unite the world against her. We can stop her trying to turn humanity against each other, and together we can destroy her!"

The last phrase echoed in Pyrrha's mind as the General clicked the remote again. The table began to retract the way it came, the lights brightened, and the shutters began to slide open, but all Pyrrha could focus on was the one thing it was clear the General did not know.

That Salem could not be killed.

She glanced at the others, to see if they would say anything, yet they all seemed at a loss of words too. She knew Ruby wanted them to be careful about what they said, and that the others were minded to follow, but surely this was different? Could they let him strive vainly to do the impossible?

She thought of the train journey to Argus. At their anger that Ozpin had omitted to tell them that the relic they were carrying attracted Grimm. At the lives put in jeopardy – theirs and the civilian passengers – because Ozpin refused to tell them what they were facing. She remembered the dream she'd had earlier today. Of the time she'd been laden with a dangerous truth and decided to share it with one it concerned. A decision she'd reflected on again and again since, but one which she could now truthfully say she did not regret.

She stepped forwards.

"General, I don't know that I can comment on the virtues of your plan," she began. "Restoring global communications sounds like a good plan. And telling the truth about Salem may be the right idea. But there's something else you should know first."

"What is it, Miss Nikos?" Ironwood asked, his eyes falling upon her. She could feel the eyes of the others likewise fixed. I'm sorry, but this is the right thing to do.

"Salem cannot be destroyed," she said.

Ironwood looked at her for a full moment before speaking in a stilted tone. "And how would you know this?"

"From the relic," she said, realising he'd have to know the news came from an unimpeachable source. "We were working with Ozpin–"

"You've seen him?!" Ironwood asked with sudden desperation.

"He's… he's in my head," Oscar volunteered. Pyrrha winced a little; she hadn't meant to put Oscar on the spot.

"I'm so glad you're here," Ironwood said eagerly, moving swiftly to Oscar's side and kneeling to look him in the eye. "What do you–"

"He's not exactly here right now," Oscar said. "Sorry."

Ironwood's face fell. "That's not normal." He looked towards Pyrrha again. "What happened?"

"It was Professor Ozpin who advised us to take the relic to Atlas," she admitted. "However, he concealed the fact that the relic attracted Grimm from us. When Grimm attacked the train to Argus, there was an argument." She glanced at the others to see them staring back. And yet she needed one of them to fill in the blanks. "Team JNPR wasn't there for the next part, but…"

"We were worried about what else he hadn't told us," Weiss stepped in. "Oscar managed to tell us how the relic worked, and so we used it to ask what Ozpin was hiding from us."

Ironwood stood once more, his face an unreadable mask. "And that's what you found out?"

Qrow barked a short, bitter laugh.

Weiss pursed her lips for a moment, doubtless trying to organise her thoughts. "We were shown… the spirit of the lamp showed us a vision, one containing so much that I don't know where to begin. Salem's story, Ozpin's too. We were shown she was cursed by the Gods with immortality, and how he was sent back by the God of light. We saw how they lived for a while as husband and wife, before it all ended horribly."

Ironwood's eyes widened.

Weiss continued. "We saw how in the end he tried to gather the relics to use them against Salem, and how he asked the spirit of the lamp how he could kill her. And she told him he couldn't."

Ironwood looked almost without seeing, and then slowly turned and made his way to his desk. Pulling out his chair, he suddenly sat down heavily. Planting his elbows on the desk, he placed his head in his hands.

"I told Glynda he was hiding something…. but all this!" he said quietly to himself. "Why didn't he tell us?"

"He was worried we'd betray him like Professor Lionheart did," Ruby said softly. "Especially when we found out he didn't have a plan against Salem."

"Well, that makes two of us," Ironwood said with a hollow chuckle, before setting his jaw. "But I am not Lionheart." He looked back up towards the group before him. "And what happened to Ozpin?"

"Everyone was upset," Oscar said. "Including Ozpin. He locked himself away."

"We'll have to encourage him to come out, then," Ironwood replied. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then reopened them. "I'd be worried about using up a question, but perhaps that was the best question to ask after all."

"I'm sorry," Ruby said.

"Don't be, it's far better to know this than not. Better to know now than try to kill her and then find out it doesn't work."

"Sir," Winter stepped forward. "The Amity plan is still viable. Even if our final objective is out of reach, restoring global communications would still be a step forward. Even revealing Salem's existence may still be worthwhile."

"It might be," the General conceded. "Even if it's not the panacea we're looking for. Though I'm not sure we could share this latest news with the public. I'm going to need time to consider this. In the meantime, if those who saw this vision could provide a report of what they can recall, I'd be grateful."

"You want the full story?" asked Yang.

"I admit I'm curious, but the details of what you saw may provide vital intelligence. It would also be useful to know exactly what Ozpin asked, and the answer he got. Perhaps there's some loophole, or some other way of defeating her permanently?" He paused, seemingly caught in thought for a second. "Does the relic have any more questions left?"

Pyrrha glanced at Ruby, who looked back at her. Pyrrha kept her gaze even, hoping her unspoken message was clear.

"There is one left," Ruby eventually answered. "We don't know who asked the first question. Do you want to use the last question now?"

"No," Ironwood shook his head. "With one question left, we have to be sure the question we ask is worth it and provides a useful answer. If we don't get the wording right, we might waste it and get an answer we already know."

Ruby nodded. "So what should we do with the relic now?"

"The Spring Maiden's condition means we can't place it within the vault, not at the moment anyway," he replied. "For the time being, I think it's best if it's kept in a safe in here. I can increase security around my own office without attracting too much attention, and the fewer people who even get a hint of it, the better. With one question left, I don't think we can risk it being carried about and seen by any passers-by." He seemed to catch sight of Ruby's uneasiness, and so addressed her directly. "Miss Rose, I promise you I won't use it without consulting all of you. You deserve it for your efforts."

"And what do we do tonight?" asked Blake.

"It's late," the General said. "I… I have some thinking to do, but I'm sure you all want some rest. Penny, why don't you find our guests some accommodation in the visitor dormitories?"

Penny looked positively overjoyed. "Come on!" she said, grabbing hold of Ruby's arm and gesturing for the others to follow. "It'll be just like Beacon again!"

The others filtered after Penny, Pyrrha just behind them, as they left the General, Winter and Qrow in the office. As they left, Pyrrha could just about hear the General whisper some parting words.

"I sure hope not."

-000-

In view of their tiredness, Penny had left them to get some rest in the temporary room they'd been given, although she clearly looked forward to seeing them again in the near future.

There was one last thing to discuss.

"So," said Yang, leaning against a bunk, "why'd you tell him?"

"I thought we'd agreed we weren't sure if we could trust him?" added Blake.

"And I'm not sure if we can, though I'm not sure we should distrust him either," Pyrrha answered. "But isn't keeping vital secrets from allies exactly what Ozpin did? I thought we'd all agreed not to do that too."

"This is different," Ruby answered. "We shouldn't trust everyone."

"We could have played along a little, before we made any major decisions," Weiss offered.

"But what about before he made any?" Pyrrha replied. "His whole plan culminated in uniting humanity to destroy Salem. He'd have been risking not only himself, but the whole kingdom, on something we knew wasn't possible. Perhaps we could have told him later, but it seemed better to get that out of the way now. Just like Ozpin should have told us about the relic before we got on the train."

"Ouch! That's a low blow!" Yang said, a smile showing it was without rancour.

"I'm not sure it is," Pyrrha said. "Trust goes both ways. How trustworthy would we be if we let disaster happen when we had the chance to prevent it? I don't know that we can trust him, but I couldn't let that happen. I've seen the damage keeping vital truths secret can do."

"Pyrrha's right," Jaune agreed.

"And you're biased," Yang smirked at him.

"We've disagreed before," he said mildly. For a moment Pyrrha couldn't help but think of arguments beside a campfire, in the wilds of Mistral. She shook her head of such thoughts.

"No, I think they're onto something," Weiss said.

"You're biased too!"

"I am," Weiss admitted. "I'm not 100% sure we can trust the General, although he was by far one of the better people here during my last stay. But I trust Winter, and I believe that trust is well-founded."

"He didn't hit me, at least," Oscar added, to winces and apologies around him.

"Ruby?" Blake said. "What do you think?"

Ruby had been facing away from them but turned at Blake's question. "What's done is done," she sighed. "We can't do anything about it now anyway. We just have to keep moving forward and work out what to do next. I think… I think restoring the CCT system would be a good thing, even if we're not sure what to say about Salem."

"One of the last things Professor Ozpin said – while still Professor Ozpin – was that we couldn't let the CCT tower fall," Pyrrha remembered. She felt Jaune grasp her hand, perhaps remembering what she'd been prepared to throw away to do that. "It fell anyway, but it seems right putting something in its place."

"It's not likely to be our decision, guys," Yang pointed out.

"That's true, but General Ironwood may ask us to help," Ruby said. "And I think we should give it."

"If he doesn't, it's difficult to know what our next step should be," Blake murmured with a yawn. "Aside from getting some sleep."

By unspoken agreement, the meeting broke up as they found themselves bunks and made themselves ready for bed. Jaune was out quickly, a gift he'd frequently displayed from Beacon onwards, but as she settled herself, Pyrrha couldn't help but think of Blake's last words. What was next for them, now the relic was here? They hadn't even made it to the end of one year of formal training; would they be invited to complete their studies at Atlas Academy? Or if there was nothing more for them to do here, perhaps she and Jaune could find some way to return to Argus, to return to their families and Nora and Ren? Yet as much as she liked that idea, she also didn't like the thought that there was nothing they could do. They knew what was at stake, knew Salem was a present threat. There had to be something they could do.

Although perhaps it could wait until the morning…

-000-

As Qrow left, Winter felt herself to be almost in a state of shock. She'd been stunned by the revelations. To think she'd thought it surprising when she saw her sister. And now she'd just seen the General hug Qrow Branwen!

Although perhaps her mind was simply seeking refugee in the more mundane marvel. As offensive as it was to her sense of reality, it was still easy to grasp, easier to handle, than some of the truths they'd learned tonight. The task ahead of them had already seemed arduous, but now they'd learnt that their enemy couldn't be killed. How could they win this fight?

And yet Winter refused to concede, even in her own mind, that any fight was unwinnable. There must be a way. And she'd do her duty in helping to carry it out.

She glanced at the General, saw him looking out through the windows at the night sky, and the view of Atlas beneath it.

"What now, sir?" she asked.

"I don't know," the General confessed. "Like you said, there's still much to recommend the Amity project, but as a solution to Salem… Perhaps it was too easy, thinking we could turn this into a straight fight."

"Revealing her existence might still be right move."

"Perhaps, although we'd then have to work out precisely what we share and what we don't. Perhaps this is why Ozpin decided just to keep the whole thing secret." He turned his head to look at her. "You should get some sleep, Winter."

"So should you, sir."

"I should, but I can't." He looked back out over the city, eyes moving as if he saw something else there. "I'll try in a bit, Winter, I promise. You're dismissed."

Winter saluted and left, leaving the General in the darkened office.

Author Note: This chapter was a considerable challenge to write. Since events hadn't diverged much yet, many of the basic beats were still similar, but even with fresh dialogue, simply having the same scenes as canon didn't feel gripping. Combined with the fact that the plot is slower and broader in scope than Fallen Maiden (which is much more focused and faster paced), and so needs more threads to be set up, the first draft of this chapter really didn't feel compelling. I had to take a chainsaw to the chapter, but was far happier once I was done, with hopefully more emphasis on the personal perspectives of our key characters, and less overlap (although some was unavoidable, considering the plot importance of the plan, Amity and so on). It's also going to be much less of an issue going forwards, as the divergences grow.

In the show, Ironwood giving the relic back to our heroes to guard was a gesture of trust (according to the V7 commentary), albeit one that really took some serious risks, since it was left with a 14-year-old who appears to have carried it openly with him everywhere (that's how Neo and Cinder located it after all – Neo saw him have it on his belt while he was visiting the Schnee manor!). I did consider having Ironwood do the same here, but since he's aware it has one more question, and has been left more uneasy by knowing the truth about Salem, it just didn't feel like a decision he could bring himself to make.