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Individual System
James Ironwood didn't have much free time. It had been that way for the longest time.
When Ironwood had been young, he and his team had always been out on missions. As he grew older, the jobs he had to do changed. No longer was he out there killing Grimm, patrolling the borders, or even doing secret jobs for Ozpin. Now, paperwork was his bread and butter.
Read. Sign. Stamp.
Read. Sign. Stamp.
Repeat as necessary.
It was only to be expected. James Ironwood was a headmaster, a general, and the owner of two seats in the Atlas Council.
For the headmaster of a Huntsmen Academy to hold a council seat wasn't exactly unheard of. Leonardo Lionheart over at Haven was one such example. He was the headmaster of Haven Academy and had a seat in the Mistral Council.
Like him, there were many similar cases to be found ever since the end of the Great War.
Ironwood had just gone a step beyond.
Some people had complained about centralizing so much power in one man. Even Ozpin had expressed some concerns, but Ironwood had not allowed those opinions to sway him from his chosen path. Really, he didn't understand what Ozpin found so objectionable about his actions. It wasn't as if Ozpin was a stranger to having power. If anything, he was one of the most politically powerful men in Vale. The headmaster of Beacon was a Councilman in all but name, though he would likely kill himself before ever admitting that.
For a reincarnating wizard that had designed the current world order in a way that allowed him to always have some level of control over the affairs of the four kingdoms via the huntsman academies, Ozpin drew the line at rather odd places.
Regardless, with all the power Ironwood held came responsibilities. Hundreds of them.
Literally. Hundreds.
Read. Sign. Stamp.
Most of the documents that passed through his desk were things that really shouldn't need his approval. Pathetic as it might sound, the most powerful man in Atlas spent most of his time doing a job even a monkey could do. A part of him wished that he could just sign every one of these documents without reading them. However, doing so would be foolish. Ironwood had long lost count of how many times someone had tried to sneak in something in a seemingly mundane document.
Another part of Ironwood's job were the many trips and parties and absolutely necessary meetings with "important people" he needed to attend. You'd think people would just let him protect the kingdom from the monsters that had threatened humanity since the dawn of time, but no. Gods forbid he missed a gala.
Over the years, Ironwood had come up with several ways to ease his many burdens, mostly because if he didn't, he'd never have time to get anything important done.
Chief among those ways was Agnes.
Agnes was his secretary and had been so for the past five years. She was a short, stout woman with a face that might as well have been carved from stone. Other people in Ironwood's position might have picked someone more approachable. Certainly, there had been no shortage of attractive young women with impressive resumes applying for the position, but Ironwood was smarter than that.
Agnes was neither welcoming nor friendly. She was a no-nonsense woman who could intimidate even huntsmen-in-training with a stern glare, and Agnes always wore a stern glare. Anyone who wanted a meeting with him would have to get through Agnes first. That ensured only those who really needed it would be able to get in touch with him.
Unfortunately, not even Agnes could turn everyone away.
"You have been hiding things from me."
James rolled his eyes as he signed yet another document before putting his pen down. Briefly, he thanked the circumstances that had given him a metal arm. He was sure his hand would cramp terribly otherwise.
"You are going to have to be a little more specific, Jacques. I know several state secrets that I am not at liberty to discuss with you. I am sure you can understand why."
Rich as the CEO of the SDC might be, Jacques Schnee was still just a civilian.
"Please, do not attempt to play coy." The white-haired man's prominent mustache twitched as he spoke.
In the safety of his own mind, Ironwood cursed the man who thought video calls were a good idea. What was wrong with sound-only? You didn't need to look at someone to talk to them. Especially when he had literally a dozen better things to do with his time than pay attention to Jacques Schnee.
Unfortunately, Jacques Schnee wasn't someone he could afford to ignore. The man played a critical role in the world stage.
In spite of many attempts to branch out, Dust was still the most reliable source of energy in Remnant. Cars, ships, machinery, weapons. Everything ran on Dust, and the SDC was the largest provider of Dust on the planet. That made Jacques Schnee, owner of the SDC, a very powerful man.
For better or worse, it was in Ironwood's best interests to keep a good business relationship with him.
"I received some interesting footage from one of my mines," Jacques said, almost conversationally. "The one near Fort Grey. I am sure you are familiar with it."
Ironwood's lips thinned.
Jacques Schnee smiled.
"I must say, that is quite a toy you have there," Jacques said, his hands steepled over his desk. Satisfaction radiated from the man. The type that could only come from someone who knew he had just gained the upper hand in the conversation. "The cameras caught quite a bit of the fight against that Grimm."
Jacques knew. He knew, and there was no point in trying to convince him otherwise. Jacques Schnee was many things, but an idiot was not one of them.
Oh, well.
Regrettable as this might seem, IXA was always going to become public knowledge. Ideally, Ironwood would have preferred if IXA remained a secret for another year, but Jacques learning of it was not an unsalvageable situation.
"However, I feel a little insulted the SDC was not trusted with such a project," Jacques continued. "We have, after all, an exclusive contract with Atlas on droid development."
Droid?
Did Jacques think…?
It took all of Ironwood's prodigious willpower—the same willpower that had kept him alive after the tragic accident that had cost him almost half his body—to not show any outward reaction to Jacques' words.
It made sense. If Jacques had discovered IXA thanks to the security cameras near the mine, then he should only have received footage of IXA fighting the Wendigo and the soldiers coming to pick it up. Atlas having a new type of combat android was a natural assumption for him to make based on that information. It sounded far more believable than Atlas having come up with a power armor that worked using the wearer's Aura.
The notion of a person being underneath IXA likely hadn't even occurred to Jacques.
Now, how to play this?
"If you are concerned over the possibility of us working with another company behind the SDC's back, then you can rest easy," Ironwood said smoothly. "IXA was made entirely by the military. There are no external contracts involved in its production."
"And you expect me to believe Atlas will foot the bill to mass produce something like that?" Jacques scoffed. "You say there is no company involved in the production of this… IXA now, but what about in a year or even a few months?"
Ah, Ironwood's eyes flashed with understanding, so this was what Jacques wanted.
Always after a contract.
The relationship between Atlas and the SDC was fundamentally a simple one, though it may not always seem that way. An inexperienced observer may see Atlas as beholden to the SDC considering the sheer amount of Dust they bought from it as well as the many military contracts the company had been granted over the years. The White Fang certainly saw it that way.
However, their relationship went both ways. Atlas was by far the SDC's biggest client. Without Atlas to buy all that Dust, the company would experience massive losses.
In layman terms, they needed each other.
Jacques had seen IXA's performance and thought some company was trying to cheat him out of a potentially lucrative contract. No doubt he wanted the SDC to be the one to mass produce IXA.
"It is true that mass-producing IXA would be a challenge for us." Atlas already had to take care of so many other things. It was why it was easier to let the SDC handle the mass-production of the Atlesian Knight series and other combat droids. "However, there are no plans to mass-produce IXA."
Jacques frowned. "You will have to forgive me if I find that hard to believe."
"I cannot blame you, but it is the truth, Jacques," Ironwood replied, looking completely at ease. "As I am sure you have noticed, IXA's performance is far superior to that of other combat droids."
Jacques' frown grew deeper. However, the truth was undeniable. Short of something like a Colossus, no mere robot could surpass IXA.
Well, maybe the Paladins would, but Ironwood doubted that would remain the case once Jaune Arc's skill grew.
"However, such a high-performance does not lend itself to mass production," the general continued. "IXA is meant to be a high-end unit designed to combat extremely dangerous species of Grimm. Even for the SDC, the costs of mass-producing IXA while keeping its specs as they are would be astronomical. It would be like trying to mass-produce the Colossus. I'm sure you have had your people ran the numbers on how much that little venture would cost."
The slight choke from Jacques told James that he had indeed done that.
There was a reason why Atlas had only made ten of those things.
"So what? Your plan is to make only a few of these… IXAs? How many? Five hundred? Two?"
"One hundred," Ironwood answered. "While Atlas will continue using the Atlesian Knight series as our main forces, IXA will serve as a commander-type unit. A symbol for the people."
Light shined in Jacques' eyes. "And I assume there are already plans for action figures and all sorts of merchandise for the patriotic young children of Atlas to pester their parents into buying."
Ironwood smiled. "That contract is still open."
Jacques Schnee placed his elbows on his desk and brought his hands together, a serious look on his face. "And when exactly were you planning on revealing your latest toy to the people?"
"As I am sure you must have been able to tell from the video, IXA is combat ready. I was merely waiting for the right occasion."
Jacques' blue eyes judged him carefully. If the older man spotted any weakness, any trace of deceit, he would pounce on it right away. However, he didn't.
James Ironwood was an honest man and a damn good liar.
"I am hosting a party for the maiden voyage of the Argonaut," Jacques said at last. "I trust you are familiar with the specifics."
"I have seen the news."
The Argonaut.
The SDC's latest luxury airship. It had ten five-star restaurants, spacious rooms, six different pools, and the best amenities money could buy. It would fly from Atlas to Argus where there would be a party, before setting off on a luxury trip around the world. The tickets had been sold out for months.
"You want IXA on the ship?"
"For the party and the press conference. I believe it would reaffirm the bonds between Atlas and the SDC," Jacques said, smiling behind his mustache. "I am also sure your new toy would benefit from the exposure."
As with most things, he wasn't wrong. Ironwood leaned in.
"I am listening."
xXx
The Wendigo opened its mouth in a silent screech.
Clad in IXA, Jaune quickly stepped to the side to dodge. The Grimm shot off like a cannonball and slammed against the wall with such force that the entirety of the pure white room trembled. However, even an impact like that wasn't enough to slow it down.
It stood up right away, head and body twitching in awkward motions. Jaune readied himself for the next round.
The beast jumped.
Its strength was such that it reached the ceiling right away. Before that happened, the beast twisted its body, so it landed legs first. The moment it touched the ceiling, it jumped off, coming down on Jaune like a comet.
Jaune moved away, but the beast had been expecting it. It leapt away the moment it touched the floor, not giving Jaune time to counterattack.
Again and again, it leaped around the room. From walls to ceiling to floor like a demented pinball. Jaune gritted his teeth with impatience. Dodging the beast wasn't hard. A few steps to the right. A few steps to the left. A few steps forward. Once he got the monster's rhythm down, Jaune would even dare say it became almost easy.
However, he couldn't win by just dodging.
He needed to stop the Wendigo's movements somehow. Not for the first time, he became annoyed by IXA's lack of ranged weapons. Jaune was stuck using his hands and feet, which meant if he wanted to stop the Wendigo, he needed to get close to it.
If he got close, he'd be more likely to receive damage, and considering how badly the Wendigo was damaging the supposedly reinforced training room, it would hurt.
A lot.
On the other hand, if he took too long with this, Winter would yell at him. More than she was already going to.
Hm.
Decisions. Decisions.
With a mental sigh, Jaune planted his feet firmly on the ground as the monster came for him. He raised his arm as its massive claw swung down.
The force of the ensuing shockwave shook the whole room and cratered the floor around them. Jaune winced as pain bloomed in his left arm. Still, he got what he wanted.
For one moment, the Wendigo wasn't moving.
His right fist smashed into and through the beast's chest. Cracks spread through the Wendigo's crystalline body before it shattered into a thousand pieces that soon faded away.
Jaune let out a sigh of relief as the alarm signaling the end of the exercise rang. He experimentally shook his left arm, which was rapidly growing numb. It was probably going to bruise later on, and it was going to be a nasty bruise at that.
Good thing he had Aura.
"So, how was that, Doctor?" Jaune asked, raising his head to look at the cameras. Even though the Wendigo had been jumping all over the room, it had never once touched them. Amazing.
As expected of Winter.
"Excellent!" Doctor Polendina replied. "It seems everything works as intended. How does the suit feel now?"
"It's good," Jaune replied, before thinking over the question carefully. "The suit doesn't overheat nearly as much now. It feels lighter as well, but that might be because I've gotten used to wearing it."
After the fight at Fort Grey, Doctor Polendina had repaired the suit before having Jaune do a few more tests. Nothing as taxing as the fight against the Wendigo. Just a few exercises in the snow. Once they had returned to Atlas, however, Polendina had really picked the suit apart. Jaune hadn't seen the man for weeks.
Now, they were testing the latest version of IXA.
Jaune could definitely feel the improvement.
"It's only to be expected," Polendina said. Jaune could faintly hear him taking down notes. "The data from the fight against the Wendigo was most useful for improving the Aura Reactor."
"Wait, you tweaked the reactor?" Jaune gulped as his hand reached for his chest. As much as he trusted Doctor Polendina's big brain, he still remembered the suit had blown up on him due to that same reactor. Any mention of it being messed with understandably made him a little nervous.
"Oh, I did more than just tweak," Polendina replied imperiously. "You're wearing an entirely new version. It's far more stable than the previous model. As I'm sure you have noticed, it doesn't consume your Aura at nearly the same speed as before, leading to less overheating. By my estimates, you should be able to use IXA twice as much as before."
"Huh."
It was true he had been wearing IXA for over an hour now, and he didn't even feel winded. Granted, most of that hour had been spent doing boring exercises before the fight against the Wendigo, but still. "That's cool."
"Yes, I suppose you can call revolutionary advancements in technology 'cool.'" Jaune could almost feel the man rolling his eyes at him. "Now, is there anything you wish to say? Something you feel is necessary for me to know?"
"I'd really like a weapon," Jaune said immediately. "The IXA Knuckle is good, but it's meant for close range."
When he'd been chasing the Wendigo to stop it from reaching the mines, a gun would have been handy. Honestly, that IXA had no ranged weapons had always seemed odd to Jaune. He'd seen enough tournaments through the CCTNet to know everything nowadays turned into a gun or some sort of ranged weapon.
Even when it made no sense for it to be.
He still remembered that recording from a Vytal Festival about two decades ago. One of the participants had a thermos that turned into a flamethrower.
Who did that?
Seriously, who?
Regardless, it made IXA, which was supposed to be the latest in Atlesian technology, not having anything more than the IXA Knuckle odd, to say the least.
"I see how that could be a problem," Polendina replied. "Originally, IXA was meant to have more than one weapon. IXA Calibur was to be IXA's main weapon while the IXA Knuckle would have been a backup weapon. At least, that was how it was supposed to be in the planning stages."
"Wait, what?"
IXA Calibur? The suit had another weapon he could have been using?
"What happened to it?"
"You blew up." Polendina's plainly delivered words brought Jaune's speculation to a screeching halt. "The accident proved the Aura Reactor was not ready to fully power IXA. It couldn't handle the necessary Aura. After the explosion, we had to make several changes to IXA, so it would demand less energy from the reactor. Removing IXA Calibur was one of those changes."
Jaune looked down.
"Oh," he said glumly.
"It wasn't the only thing we had to change. We needed to reduce several of IXA's parameters for you to operate it. You can say the current version of IXA is in a Safe to Use Mode or Safe Mode for short."
Jaune considered all he had done with IXA for a moment. The suit dramatically boosted all his stats and protected him from harm. With IXA, he was easily a match for most huntsmen-in-training. Winter had told him that, so he knew it wasn't an exaggeration.
This was Safe Mode?
"As we stabilize the Aura Reactor, IXA will become able to unleash its full capabilities. Until then, well, I suppose we could commission a handgun for you. I will leave that up to Specialist Schnee. Speaking of...I don't think I can keep her away for much longer. You're on your own."
Jaune never got the chance to ask what Polendina meant by that. The door to the training room chose that moment to open and in walked a very irritated Winter Schnee.
"What was the meaning of that?"
"I… won?"
The moment Winter's eyes narrowed, Jaune knew that had been the wrong thing to say.
"Of course you won!" The woman snapped at him. "If you had lost against a summon of that level, it would have been an embarrassment!"
Jaune winced. Still, Winter had a point. Her summon was not weak, but fighting the real Wendigo had been an entirely different experience. Jaune now understood what Winter meant by the difference between training against her ice constructs and fighting real Grimm.
Merlot's experiment had been a mad beast that wanted nothing more than to reach the nearest population center and cause havoc. It had no interest in facing him. Jaune had to chase it through the snow for miles to bring it down.
It was nothing at all like fighting Winter's Wendigo in the relative safety of the training room. There was nowhere for the Wendigo to run or hide. There were no unexpected factors to consider. It was just strength against strength.
And Jaune had a lot of strength.
"The point of this exercise was not mere victory. Only a fool would take pride in accomplishing the minimum," Winter continued, now going into full lecture mode. "You were to take down the Wendigo by properly timing your counterattacks. Receiving attacks head-on like a fool is beneath you."
Jaune winced. Getting scolded by Winter always hurt, especially because she was always on point. She was probably already planning a presentation that would show him each dumb mistake he had made during the fight or something.
"I thought I was supposed to take advantage of my strengths."
Why, mouth? Why?
"In a real fight, I would have minimal problems with the maneuver you used," Winter said, much to Jaune's surprise. "However, this was not a real battle. This is training. That means you are able to try out new strategies without having to worry about dying if you make a wrong move."
Uplifting as always.
"Tell me something, Arc. Do you know what the biggest difference between you and the students training in Atlas Academy and other Combat Schools is? Beyond your Aura, of course."
Jaune thought carefully on his answer. He knew the obvious choice was most likely to be wrong, but his brain couldn't come up with anything else.
"I am slow?"
"Is that a question or an answer?"
"I'm slow, ma'am," Jaune affirmed. "I cannot move as fast as people who have trained for much longer than I have."
Case in point, Winter always made him feel horribly ungraceful whenever they sparred. His large Aura gave him incredible toughness. However, he couldn't come close to pulling the maneuvers he had seen people in tournaments do.
"Wrong," Winter bluntly said. "Contrary to what you may believe, you do not lack speed. Aura gives you strength. Strength generates acceleration. The speed at which you close the distance between yourself and your opponent is, without a doubt, first-rate."
Jaune stared at Winter, perfectly dumbfounded.
Was Winter saying he was fast?
Then why did he…
"What you lack," Winter continued, interrupting his train of thought, "Is not speed, but conditioning. You lack the sense of timing and reflexes others have built up over years of training. That was what this exercise was supposed to accomplish. By properly countering the Wendigo's charge while trying not to get hit, you would be able to hone your reflexes and sense of timing in combat. However, if you allow yourself to remain confident in your Aura, you will merely wallow in mediocrity."
Cold blue eyes pierced through his soul.
"Those who do not step outside their comfort zone do not improve, Arc."
Oh.
Well, now Jaune just felt like a jerk.
"I apologize, ma'am. It won't happen again."
Winter regarded him for a moment. "Good. See that it doesn't."
A glyph appeared next to her.
"Let's try this again."
xXx
Sitting aboard a White Fang-owned bullhead currently flying over Anima, Adam Taurus cleaned his sword.
Another successful mission had gone by. Yet again, humans had been reminded why they should fear the faunus, and the White Fang had successfully stolen a large cargo of Dust. This time the target had been a relatively new company that thought it could compete with the SDC by exploiting its workers with the same fervor.
Well, Adam thought, not quite the same fervor. If they had, he'd have made it a point to aim to kill instead of wounding or maiming at worst.
The stolen Dust would be used for weapons and other necessities. However, part of it would be sold through the black market. With that money, clothes and food would be bought for poor faunus families in need of support.
The White Fang knew how to take care of their own.
No one else was going to.
"So what's next for us?" The man sitting beside him asked. He was a tall, muscular faunus wearing a Grimm mask that fully covered his face. It was even larger than Adam's own mask. He was a man who didn't share much of himself, but his effectiveness in combat could not be denied.
People called him Banesaw.
"You will remain in Mistral," Adam replied. "I will be returning to Atlas after this. Sienna already informed me of my next mission."
"Oh?" Even with his mask on, Adam could see Banesaw's eyes gleam with interest. "This mission from Sienna wouldn't happen to involve a certain SDC luxury ship, now would it?"
Adam said nothing. It wasn't proper to share such details so freely. Some level of professionalism was necessary for an organization like theirs.
Still, his silence was all the answer Banesaw needed.
"You lucky dog!" Banesaw said, nudging Adam with his elbow. This attracted the attention of the other members in the bullhead, but none dared to interfere with the conversation. "Man, I swear you get all the cool jobs. Why is that? It's the cool suit, isn't it? Chicks dig suits."
"I will do you a favor and not tell Sienna you just called her a chick."
Mainly because Banesaw had called his suit cool. Adam appreciated that. He put a lot of effort into making sure his suit was always in good condition. A hard task for a freedom fighter such as himself.
"As if I care!" Banesaw said, waving him off. "So is it going to be just you? Not going to take the Belladonna girl along?"
"I didn't take her to this mission," Adam replied. "What makes you think I would take Blake to something so potentially dangerous?"
She might have the skills, but Blake was still just fifteen. He wasn't much older than that, but Adam had stopped being a child a long time ago. If at all possible, he'd like to protect Blake for a little while longer. For now, attacks on shops and providing security for their rallies against the police were the most dangerous things he felt comfortable with her doing.
Sienne agreed with him, but it was for different reasons. For her, it was essential to keep the daughter of Ghira Belladonna away from needless danger.
The Argonaut was to be a gathering of Atlas' rich and powerful. A collection of those who indulged in luxury while faunus starved in the cold.
Naturally, Jacques Schnee would make sure the party was heavily guarded. The Atlas military, like the loyal dogs they were, would be there to protect their masters. There was no need for Blake to be close to that. Contrary to what she might think, it wasn't at all like fighting Grimm.
As Adam thought of Blake and Atlas, his mind drifted back to the young faunus boy he had met at that restaurant months ago. He might not have seen his face all that well due to his hood and the low lighting of the room, but his height and his voice told him all he needed to know. A young faunus who was unaware of what path to take in life.
A young faunus who had come to a gathering spot for the White Fang.
Adam understood the situation in an instant. The boy wanted to do his part for his race. Even more, he understood the inherent risks and wanted to do it anyways. Needed to do it. He wasn't like others who joined the White Fang with false notions of glory. Adam approved of people like him.
And so, he had given the boy the best advice he could.
He had to leave Atlas shortly after they had that conversation, so he never got the chance to see the effects his words had on the boy. Even now that he was going to return to Atlas, Adam doubted their paths would cross.
Still, Adam wondered how that boy was doing right now.
"Just to check, you know Belladonna is going to be angry at you for keeping her out of it right?"
"Angry? Try furious."
AN:
When I started writing this story, I didn't realize how much of a pain italicizing all electronic communication was going to be. But damn it, I made a choice, and I'm sticking to it!
Also, yes, Adam does think Jaune is a faunus. As Jaune notes in that chapter, the restaurant he went to had mostly faunus clients. Adam jumped to the assumption that was most natural to him. It helped that Jaune looks much younger than he is and his face was covered by his hood. Adam interpreted that as hiding him hiding his traits.
As an aside, canonically, IXA's standard mode is called Save Mode, not Safe Mode, but I changed it to suit my purposes.
Anyway, it's time for a fancy party with no altercations of any kind!
Till next time!