(A/N)- For those of you who may be confused:
"Text" is the original James talking to the insert.
James or Vincent was currently dealing with the paperwork on his desk, more requisition forms, permission slips for student missions and the occasional signature to go forward with another project of Peitro's...
"Are you sure we can trust team RWBY?" the voice in his head, or rather the real and original owner of the body, James Ironwood spoke.
"They're rather naive but I believe that their hearts are in the right place, it's just that their 'we need to save everyone' attitude is going to be a major hurdle for the progression of our plans."
"Hmm, not like I can do much besides complain."
"Hey, don't be so gloomy now, I'll make sure that we survive and that millions of Atlesians don't get suddenly displaced in what is the harshest kingdom on the planet."
"I still don't get why they went there? They could have gone to Argus and even Vale?!"
"The hell if I know bud, I'm just a wanderer who hooked on, and about that what if we-"
"Fuse into one soul like Ozpin? I don't know, sure I don't want to get erased from existence but it's not like I... we have a choice at this point."
"Let's move on to less depressing matters."
" I don't know how being responsible for the fate of millions is less depressing or taxing on the mind but sure. What did you wish to talk about?"
"What do you think about my plan so far?"
"It's still like my original plan but with extra steps and back ups. But are you sure keeping the kingdom's trade routes is wise though? For all we know Salem has more agents or scum willing doing to do the dirty work for her."
"It's a risk I'll have to take, but if you're so worried about saboteurs then I suppose we can do something a month or two before we finish the project."
"I don't feel so sure about this anymore."
"What, the plan?"
"Betting everything on a global satellite system."
"That's what I wanna talk to you about."
"You're having doubts as well?"
"Well, fist of all satellites are normally launched from the equator and second it still has a high chance to fail."
"You could set up an alternate launch site or sites? But I'm not too sure about the budget though."
"Perhaps we could use the emergency funds Ozpin left us?"
"Hmm, the council will naturally be suspicious of where we're getting all the money, if we're gonna do it then we will need to do it via a third party organization."
"What you mean a kind of shell corporation?"
"Sort of, except that it'll be a real one, we could set up a proper business and have someone stand in for us as the CEO or our second in command. Using that we can use the proceeds to ease the pressure on Mantle when the trade routes are shut down via charity and such."
"Won't the council and Salem's agents be suspicious about a shadowy figure suddenly appearing with a shit ton of money and setting up a corporation out of nowhere?"
"They would naturally, and I don't doubt that Salem has eyes and ears in this pit of snakes but it'll be a risk that we have to take unless... "
"Unless what?"
"Unless we provide them with a distraction, something of great importance that will take up their eyesight allowing us to set up base of operations in other places and proceed un-harassed. How do you feel about sending three light cruisers to Vale along with the required parts for a new CCT tower?"
"Can we afford that?"
James called out E.V.E and the A.I. immediately appeared and greeted him with a bow, he quickly asked her to run a few calculations and asked her if they could afford the operation in question.
"It'll leave 7% of your annual budget remaining if the Mistralian conflict drags on longer than expected."
"Thank you E.V.E, you may go back to your previous duties now."
James tapped on his desk and a hologram of the globe and a map of Remnant popped up; he held his head in his hands, there were many alternate sites that he could use. There was a good site in the lush green prairies of Mistral but that was unfortunately in Bandit Alliance territory, Menagerie was an alternate site that almost nobody would pay attention to but yet again another hostile group had influence there then there was the bush of Vacuo, the kingdom wasn't entirely sand but most of its settlements tended to be in Oasis in the more desert region of the place which meant while it could be easily kept in secrecy it was also isolated from any and all help.
"What do you think?"
"Let's try Mistral first; Vacuo and Menagerie are too far away for us to actually do anything meaningful there."
"Hmph, I already promised Jacques that I'll vote in favour of intervention didn't I?"
"We have air superiority and soon elite Special Forces filled with pseudo huntsmen."
"Still, wars in the jungle rarely went as easily in my world. I've fought in a jungle, I can assure you that technological superiority counts for naught."
"All right then, I'll leave you for now. I'll go and brood about anything we can use to our advantage."
James decided to make a call, he had a candidate in mind to stand in as the leader of his shadow corporation for now. The call was short and formal, he continued working through the mountains of paperwork, thankfully being part cyborg meant that one's brain didn't have to shut off and rest as often as he normally needed to so he could really push himself. After an hour of working minus a quick five minute coffee break the doors of his office opened as a young woman walked in.
"Sir" James looked up from his work desk, "Come in Ciel, here have a seat."
"Thank you sir, you said this was important?"
"Yes I did and didn't I tell you to come tomorrow morning?"
"I assumed it was urgent sir, hence why I arrived as quickly as I could." James put his pen away and re arranged his desk and pushed the finished forms to the side.
"Tell me Ciel, what is your favourite fairy tale?" he asked with a smile on his face.
/-/
Medical Treatment Facility,
Fort Krieg, 1345 hours.
Sigismund pushed the flaps open, the inside of this place smelt like what he expected a laboratory to smell, clean, sterilized and with hints of chemicals in the air. The lab was wide and spacious painted in a stark white colour with a slightly grey ceiling, various doctors and nurses walked around the room checking on his men who were kept sedated in beds, several tubes connected to them pumping them full of some weird concoction that he knew absolutely nothing about, he never did pay much attention to either Biology or Chemistry back in school.
He approached one of the beds, a young man who looked no older than twenty slept peacefully, on his head was a wild mane of bright red hair which contrasted with pale Mistralian skin and features, a proof that he was the son of migrants. The young man was wearing nothing save for some boxer shorts. He remembered his face from the training course, out of all the candidates he was the physically weakest, but he made up for it by being an excellent marksmen.
"Impressive isn't it?"
Sigismund turned around to Dr Lemon, but most of the staff around here called her Miss Lizzie or Dr Lizzie.
"I can't say I'm not impressed, this young man resembled a twig a two weeks ago, now he's built up more muscle and has grown taller from what I can tell."
"That's the magic of the Ubermensch formula." She gave the unconscious man's bicep a squeeze to check on his muscles.
"I developed it to help normal people catch up to huntsmen, it doesn't change much. All my little magic formula does is take what's inside and crank it up to eleven."
"For all the tools and equipment we can give them I don't think they'll ever match professional huntsmen."
"Oh cheer up Oberst. At least now your boys have a fighting chance against bigger hordes." she then released her grip from his bicep and then checked the workstation next to the man, running through his vitals and recorded any changes she saw, "So, did you have anything to ask me."
"No, not really"
"Why don't you tell me about yourself Oberst?"
"Why the sudden interest?"
"A woman can get rather lonely in a place like this; my entire day is made up checking up on medical reports, addressing minor issues and occasionally checking on your men."
"There isn't much to know."
"Everyone came from somewhere; we all have our own stories I just wish to know yours."
"Hmm, alright I give in." he raised his hands in faux surrender "Well I was born in Mantle, my parents were factory workers and we lived in a house with my uncle who was part of the commissariat."
"This was back during the rule of the Commune right? During the middle years of the Great Industrial Rush?"
"Yes... well growing up me and the other kids in the neighbourhood would play tag in an abandoned shopping complex. I went to school as normal and then moved onto Atlas Academy where I pursued a degree in Electrical Engineering up to my master's then I joined the military and that's about it so far."
"No wife, kids or girlfriend?"
"Ex actually, we were married for five years and things didn't exactly work out between us. We were lucky that we didn't have any kids tying us down; I think we fell in love with the idea of falling in love rather than with each other. Both of us had rather different expectations of a married life. At first it was a few things here and there, than an argument about my parents, about me going out too often, and another one about her being too clingy and me being too ignorant and so on. She was the one to bring divorce up on the table then thankfully we split off on good terms."
"Falling in love seems hard doesn't it?"
"No shit." he laughed, it was slightly pained "Now that the world's gone to shit I don't think I'll live to meet someone I can share my life with."
"I'd say it would be the opposite actually, if people believe that disasters are imminent that they're more likely to care about their surroundings, people around them and such."
"Speaking from personal experience?"
"No, just a theory but your men certainly seemed interested in me." she flicked her purple hair over her shoulder, "Some of them were about as charming as a donkey holding trying to hold a rose in it's hoofs"
"They didn't try anything did they?"
"No! Brothers no!" her laughter filled with mirth "They were polite enough, most of them were the young ones they were rather embarrassed when I gave them my honest opinion on what I thought of their pickup lines and attempts to woo me."
"Ha, serves the idiots right they're still a bit cocky good soldiers but not exactly the most stellar examples of good men."
"What a man does is all on him not on the rest of his brethren, but I'd say that trans-people fall in the grey area in regards of what either gender should be."
"Depends on what you define as a man or woman, in my eyes having a reassignment surgery doesn't change what you were born as or who you are, I see it as their own inability to accept who they are and hence they seek way for people to change the way they look at them."
"Whoa there, cool it with the transphobic comments." she joked, "Let's just say that kind of mindset is a bit outdated in the modern world."
"I don't hate them doctor, if they wish to change their bodies I'm cool with that and I'd be a hypocrite considering that I myself am a recipient of your formula. What I can't stand is how some of them are considered to be 'women' when they're not and I don't think I can ever consider them as one."
"Fair enough but let's just agree to disagree here."
"Sure. Let's move onto less sensitive topics, now that I've told you my life story what about yours Dr Lemon?"
"Didn't I tell you to call me Lizzie?" she fake pouted, "My story isn't that interesting either but since you shared your own sob story I'll tell you mine."
"I'm from Atlas, the city. I'm an only child, my parents weren't anything more than tailors who happened to be very good at their work, they made suits and dresses for the rich and powerful which in itself pays pretty good, so they showered me with everything I needed to make up for the time that they spent working instead of spending them with me."
"Don't be too harsh on them; I'm sure they loved you very much. My parents had multiple jobs at different factories so I didn't get to spend too much time with them either so they occasionally brought home small gifts as well, it's probably an universal tactic used by working parents."
"I guess that's one thing we can agree on, anyways on with the story, so they showered me with gifts and I'll admit that had made me a bit of a spoiled brat. They also hired a rather expensive private tutor for me while I went to school, 'Old man Hobb' I used to call him, and he would cane me if I made any mistake and award me with sweets if I did exceptionally at school."
"Seems pretty much like your standard Atlesian's origin story so far."
"And then came school, I had a rather rough experience there initially at least, when I started showing up on the public boards as a rather exceptional student I had gathered a following of sorts."
"What, you mean like a gang?"
"No, more like fan club but then I learned that their loyalties only extended to the point where I helped them with their studies. There was this other girl, Coral, she was pretty, best student in the school and rather well endowed, and she didn't like the rate at which I was climbing the ranks."
"Sounds like your typical teenager alright."
"This was more than simple jealousy Sigismund, the bitch actually had the audacity to attack me, and all those 'friends' of mine? Ran at the first sight of Coral's little girl troupe, didn't even give me a call next day wondering if I was fine. I spent the rest of my school life not trusting other people, and that extended to my love life as well."
"Reminds me about that spiked animal, what was it called hadhog, heihog?"
"Hedgehog, how exactly does that compare to me trusting other people?"
"Well you know how they have spikes? I have rarely seen two get close to each other, maybe it's because they are so afraid of hurting each other which reminds me of your situation, you're afraid of being hurt so you try not to get close with other people. But I'd say you're doing better than you were in school considering the fact that you just shared your entire life story with me."
"Well that's mainly professional courtesy Oberst, but yes I learned that people aren't that bad either, but it'll take some time before I'm ready to really open up and let a person in."
"You're still afraid aren't you? Of getting hurt I mean" Lizzie looked at him, her smile was clearly faux, gained from years of having to properly greet and wish a client at their store but the Oberst knew naught about such things. "No, people just seem so incapable of loving and caring for each other, I figure why take the risk? Good day to you Oberst."
With that she got up from her seat and proceeded to head towards the laboratory leaving the Oberst to wonder if he said something wrong to strike a nerve.
/-/
"So that's about it."
"I-I see, I've already made up my mind sir, no use in dilly dallying around."
"Are you sure you don't need to take a minute or even a whole day?" Maybe Vincent was a bit rough suddenly dropping the info bomb on her like that, Ciel for her part looked exactly like what one would expect of someone who had just been told that everything that they've ever known was under eternal threat from a shadow enemy.
"If you'll give me my assignment than I think I can rest easier knowing what's ahead."
"Dedicated this one, isn't she?"
"You'll have to give me more access to your memories James; I can't just make decisions nor assign people on the half assed accesses you've given me"
"Let's discuss that later, for now focus on the task that's ahead of you"
"Well' I'd like you to go scout out a few locations for potential launch sites."
"For the satellites you mean?"
"You caught on rather quick, I didn't know today's average teenager was interested in revolutionising communications technology."
"Well sir, they do teach us in history class about the past attempts at space faring, which all failed... rather horribly may I add."
"You don't trust that the rockets will work?"
"Well, yes, I mean dust only works within the atmosphere."
"You let me worry about what we'll launch the rockets with, now onto your second assignment. I need you to act as a public figure for the shell corporation that will handle these back up launches." he pulled out a manila folder and opened it, inside was the details of a huntsmen who had been missing for the past few years one of their older comrade in arms within Ozpin's inner circle the man's death was hidden by fact that Tyrian Callows was last seen carrying his body "Officially speaking this man will be the CEO of the of the shell corporation that we're gonna set up but in reality you'll take all your orders from me."
"So I just have to be the public face and nothing more?"
"It's more than just cocktail parties with the high and mighty, you're to take care of all the minor decisions, it would be a shame to let that MBA of yours go to waste. In return I'll allocate an allowance for you and the permission to work with a great degree of autonomy."
"Well I don't think I can say no at this point but I have to ask sir, why me of all people?"
James let out a sigh and stood up from his desk, he looked out his window and onto the cities below. He gestured her over, Ciel stood up and straightened her skirt before walking over to the window.
"Look out there Ciel, what do you see?"
"A few buildings?..."
"I see a nest of brooding vipers, ready to strike at each other in their moments of weakness and below them lies a city of the desperate and downtrodden, while life for them has been improved since the fall of the commune they still lead harsh lives due to their new overlords."
"And it's our job to keep them safe from this Salem?"
"Partially true, but at the same time people from both cities would most likely be willing to cooperate with our enemy, whether directly or through contact with a third party, they're potential enemies as well. I need good people, people who are trustworthy and people who are willing to make the necessary sacrifices in order to win. I don't blame the people though, they've all been given their lot in life and all of them want more, it's part of what makes us human. That's the reason why i choose you, you've proven yourself as a capable agent thus far and have displayed excellent descision making capabilities"
Ciel stood next to him quite for a few minutes, she was in deep thought, James knew not of what she was going through but at present she was one of the few trusted agents he had that he knew won't have any canonical reasons to betray him.
"That's all for now Ciel, report to me on Monday morning should you choose to accept this mission."
The young woman left with the Manila folder in hand. The next two weeks went by in a flash for James; he had to attend the graduation of the fourth years, inspections at Fort Krieg to check on the Fireflies training. Atlas had meddled with genetic engineering before, it was also a particularly sought after science during the rule of the Commune but after the fall of the Commune everything that was associated with said Authoritarian One Party Regime became taboo, particularly how much freedom Huntsmen were given as part of the Commissariat.
It was also here that he realised that the Atlesian Government and Remnant's form of democracy was very flawed, the fact that the upper council had equal powers meant that decisions were slow in the making, particularly more so that the ones back home on earth. Perhaps it was due to the fact that this system was a prototype that Ozpin never completed?
"Those are rather dangerous thoughts Vincent, be careful that no one outside our mind hears it."
"It's not like I have a damn choice, our influence has increased after that fall of Beacon due to possibility of another attack yes, but at the same time we are rather limited by the constraints of having five heads of power who share the same power."
"You plan to overthrow the government?"
"No, not yet at least. But it would be possible for us to have a much more efficient form of government."
"That's dangerous but I'll have to support you in your endeavours no matter how absurd they are, it's not like I have much choice."
"I never wanted this James..."
"Neither did I but we're both here aren't we? We'll just have to work on through it."
Vince pushed the door open, the valet immediately rushed over and apologised for his behaviour but Vince brushed him off saying he's fine and even gave him a tip in the form of a Lien card. The Schnee Manor stood tall and proud in front of him, he had invited Winter to as his 'date' but she declined the offer clearly distraught at having to return to her 'home'.
Jacques had invited him to a charity ball of sorts where Weiss was to sing one of her songs; he could feel James grunt inside his head at the mention of Jacques. As he had learned James hated Jacques not only because he was a greedy bastard who made his life harder but he was also a friend, one of the kids he grew up alongside in Mantle. James had provided him with access to his memories, Vince could now understand why he despised him, and he also felt a bit betrayed by Jacques.
"He betrayed everything we stood for, the three of us."
"Three?"
"That's a tale for a another time."
"Alright, fair enough James, I won't pry too deep if you're not willing to share yet. In the meantime though, tell me about Jacques, what exactly was your relationship with him?"
"I gather you've done some research about him in your free time yes?"
"Yea I did." he accepted a glass of wine from one of the waiters, "His records before him working for the SDC under Nicholas are nonexistent, care to tell me why?"
"To put it short, he's from Mantle like me, he wanted that fact destroyed and forgotten so that he could increase his clout with the upper classes. He and I grew up in the same neighbourhood. I was living at this nearby orphanage where my mother left me shortly after I was conceived, the matron was a kind old woman, she cared for all the kids there like a mother would and would try to do the same for the Faunus children, even though she was clearly unnerved by their inhumane features. One day Jacques arrived at the orphanage he only brought a letter with him from his mother, we had no idea what happened to her and Jacques refused to speak."
"And he was your friend?"
"Yes, I'd say we were friends, only that Jacques was more than willing to manipulate kids so that the two of us got the better things and better treatment. I remember he was quite the marksmen with that sling of his, shooting down any and all pigeons that he could see, then we sold the meat for more money." he heard James laugh in his mind, clearly cherishing the simpler times "When we were no older than thirteen moons we made a deal him and me, we were both tired of seeing everyone around the neighbourhood so grim and gloomy, we set out to change it, I did what I could via outreach programmes and the 'Service for education Act' in the military, only something happened to him. Something changed..."
"Seems rather complicated."
"Yes, I made efforts to visit and help out in Mantle from time to time, he did too for a time, that was until he became the head of the SDC."
"Maybe the power went to his head?"
"Possibly, but Jacques was one to use his power for people he cared for. Something must have changed during that time."
" What do you reckon it was? "
"I haven't the slightest clue, if we ever manage to catch him then I suppose we can ask him. For now just mingle with them and make small talk, we have to keep up appearances that we're in a position of strength."
Vince grumbled at the prospect of having to interact with the snobby upper class of this city.
(A/N)- Fixed the mistake of repeating dialogue sorry for that