UNSC Dominion, Bridge
October 12th, 1542 local time, 2552
With the Grimm dead and the military standing down, Atlas began the slow process of recovering from its exciting but terrifying brush with a threat to its very existence. The Council and media set about trying to calm everyone down, although it would likely be days before the full extent of the protesting settled down.
Hopefully by then, there's no Schnee Dust Company left for them to be angry at. Richard thought.
The atmosphere on the bridge had lightened somewhat. Although the officers remained quiet and kept their demeanor professional, it wasn't lost on him just how much their victory had affected the crew. Little things like Lieutenant Chen humming happily as she worked, or the extra levity in Ensign Williams' step gave away that maybe morale had fallen further than Richard had realized.
Monitors around the bridge relayed multiple news feeds from Atlas, and the results were mixed. Some stations seemed to be more open to trusting the UNSC, while some seemed a bit more standoffish. Of particular note was a candidate for the Atlesian Council elections, Robyn Hill, the same woman whom Richard had watched give a grand speech against the SDC. She'd managed to end up on some kind of talk show, where Richard heard her make a number of interesting statements.
"These revelations about the Schnee Dust Company mean that we need to do more than reevaluate our assessment of the UNSC." She said, seemingly in the middle of a calm but passionate debate with the host of the show.
"What about them?" The host of the talk show asked. He was the kind of guy who Richard imagined went to sleep in their business suit and probably foreclosed on orphanages for fun. "Whether or not the SDC is committing slavery, the UNSC has still attacked and killed our citizens. We have it on record that actions taken by the UNSC have led to the worst shortages of dust and other major materials we've seen in recent decades."
Robyn crossed her arms in a frustrated manner. "Citizens? Altas has declared the SDC a terrorist organization due to its heinous actions. We have the UNSC to thank for revealing just how bad things have gotten." She paused a moment, breathing deeply before continuing. "While they have caused a dust shortage, we can't forget why that is, because they have removed the labour force of the world's largest supplier. A labour force that just so happens to be slaves in all but name."
"Whatever General Ironwood's called them, they're still the world's foremost su-" The host of the show began to argue, but rather amusing, Robyn shut him up with a single angry glare.
"They're slavers and murderers that nearly started a war between Atlas and the group we might not be able to beat... and as of now, armed and dangerous criminals." Robyn countered. "I know you love to criticize the White Fang on this show Jim, and the SDC is certainly better funded."
Bradford gave a soft chuckle from behind Richard's chair, alerting him to his executive officer's presence. "Yeah, I like her too."
"Who, Robyn Hill?" Winter asked, momentarily looking up from whatever she was doing on her datapad. Oddly enough, she seemed distracted, which made Richard somewhat concerned about what she was doing.
It's probably not important, I'm sure Ensign Gillespie would notify me if something was out of order. Richard thought.
"Yeah, at least, if you're talking about the Councilwoman candidate." Bradford answered.
Winter gave him a look of disapproval. "You know, Huntress or not, she's faced charges of robbery and sedition before."
Bradford shrugged. "That's fairly tame, actually, especially for a politician."
Winter seemed quite reasonably surprised. "Are you serious? That doesn't bother you?"
Richard decided it was probably time to interject. "We've lived under martial law for twenty-six years, Specialist. Please keep in mind that our sense of justice may be a bit... skewed, by what we've seen. And besides, charges are accusations, not a definitive legal statement."
Winter did not seem at all satisfied by his answer, but she gave a firm nod and returned to what she was previously doing.
If that's how she feels about minor crimes like that, how would she feel about what ONI's done in the past... or my own crimes for that matter? Richard thought, quickly banishing the images that flashed in his mind.
"Sir, I have a message for you, from an "Evening News Team"." Lieutenant Chen said. "They're interested in hearing about what we did in the battle, and why."
"By my count, that makes three news stations who have had the balls to actually call us." Bradford said, with a hint of amusement. "Shall I handle this one Sir? I imagine Lieutenant Oswald already has hands full with the other two."
"Good thinking, see to it, and remember to keep things... digestible." Richard instructed. "Oh, and keep it brief, we'll have plenty of time for interviews and public relations once the SDC is out of the fight."
"Aye Sir." Bradford said, before walking across the bridge to join Chen at what was now the communication station.
On that note... Richard thought, before reaching to enable the shipwide intercom. "Lieutenant Jorge, please report to the War Room."
Once he had repeated the instruction, he disabled the intercom and turned his attention to Specialist Schnee. "Specialist, please come with me, we have a mission to plan. Bradford, you have the bridge!"
"Yes Sir." Winter said, stowing away her datapad and following him off the bridge. Bradford also gave a quiet acknowledgment, but Richard had effectively shifted his focus by then. The end of the war was in sight, and he sought to reach it.
Beacon Academy
October 12th, 1553 local time, 2552
To Curie, Beacon represented a marvelously potent distraction. Usually she found it quite easy to focus on singular tasks, but lately, she'd been uncharacteristically scatterbrained, and found herself getting sidetracked by pretty much any minor oddity. She attributed it to the exceptionally fascinating environment around her, as it played directly into her natural curiosity.
How often did one end up in an entirely different dimension than the one they were created in? How often did said dimension have laws of physics so different and yet so similar to their own? How of-
Curie cut herself off. Like she had realized, there were simply so many distractions.
One excellent example of such a distraction was Blake Belladonna. She was a teammate of Ruby Rose and, as Curie quickly discovered with minimal research, the missing daughter of Kali and Ghira Belladonna. Currently, she was making her introductions to Ben with the help of Ruby, which Curie used as an opportunity to quickly file a report to the Dominion detailing her discovery. Although the discovery had little strategic value, it was worth reporting solely for the sake of helping their closest ally.
Hopefully, I can convince Miss Belladonna to give her parents a call. Curie thought optimistically, as she read through the official missing person report. I wonder why she hasn't? Surely she knows that Menagerie is reconnected to the CCTS... or perhaps, she left on her own volition? It is not unheard of for a teenager to run away for the sake of joining the military.
"Curie, are you still with us?" Ben asked, his voice carrying a hint of faint amusement. She snapped herself back to attention, she had once again become distracted; she would need to try harder to stay focused.
"Hmm? Yes, I am well." Curie said, displaying her hologram as she replied, which clearly took Blake off-guard. "My apologies Miss Belladonna, I had hoped that my companions would have warned you about my-"
"How did you know my name?" Blake demanded. Curiously, there didn't seem to be any hostility in her voice, more like an odd form of defensive curiosity.
The attitude of a scholar. Curie noticed, immediately feeling a hint of approval. She decided that perhaps it would be a good idea to mislead Blake and give off an impression of not knowing much so that she could learn more about her. Although it was dishonest, driving her away was the last thing Curie wanted.
"I read your personnel file from Beacon's public archive." Curie fibbed, it was technically the truth, but she had done quite a bit more than that. "Why, is something wrong?"
Blake awkwardly scratched her head. "Oh... uh, not at all."
"Think nothing of it." Curie replied, happy to diffuse the issue. "It's good to meet another member of Miss Rose's Squad."
"Miss Rose's Squad..." Ruby recited to herself, seemingly mulling it over, before giving a shrug. "Eh, I still prefer team RWBY."
"It does have a better ring to it." Blake voiced her agreement. "But, yeah... good to meet you too... I guess."
Hmm, she seems somewhat uncomfortable, perhaps she is just not very social? Curie noted to herself. "So, what brings you to the Laboratory, Miss-"
"Blake." She softly interjected. "Please, just... call me Blake."
"...Blake?" Curie awkwardly finished her sentence, before she made the connection that explained Blake's odd behavior. Ah, Ruby must not know about Blake's heritage, and she must want to keep her true identity concerned. Perhaps a further investigation in the future is warranted after all...
"Oh, Yang-" Blake began.
"Curie, that next batch of nitrocellulose is probably done by now." Ben interrupted, before realizing he'd just made a social faux pas. "Uh, sorry ma'am."
"Not a problem at all Ben. Would you please store it and begin the next batch?" Curie replied, leaving Ben with some instructions, something that would keep him busy while she talked to Blake and Ruby.
While he walked back to his station, Curie turned back to the young Huntresses, who seemed a bit taken aback by Ben's odd actions. "Sorry about the interruption, when working with explosive mixtures, expedient communication takes priority over social pleasantries."
Blake eyed the Spartan as he walked away, seemingly trying to memorize the details of Ben's armor. "Don't worry, I'm used to having chatty teammates."
"Yeah... hey!" Ruby said indignantly. Blake didn't smile but the curve on the edge of her lips showed that she found it amusing nonetheless.
"But like I was saying, Ruby's sister wanted me to check on her and ask what she was doing. She's uh... busy." Blake explained, a hint of reluctance reaching her voice towards the end of her statement.
"She didn't hurt anyone, right?" Ruby asked, sounding genuinely concerned, which inspired a bit of worry in Curie.
"No... well yeah, but... not permanently." Blake awkwardly answered. "Ok, so you know how she took on Cardin and Russell in a match?"
"...No..." Ruby replied, her concern intensifying immensely, inspiring Curie to do a brief search of the campus for Ruby's aforementioned sister using the campus' rather elaborate camera network.
She quickly located her, a young woman named Yang Xiao Long. She was located in Beacon's infirmary, although she was seemingly unharmed. The two young men beside her however, were not, and it seemed that Miss Xiao Long was getting a stern talking to from an older woman, an instructor at Beacon. It seemed like she was holding a... riding crop?
If I wanted to design an unconventional weapon, I can certainly think of better options... Curie thought, somewhat perturbed by the Huntsman and Huntresses apparent aversion to capable, conventional weapons.
"She is currently in Beacon's infirmary, but she is unharmed." Curie interjected before Blake could offer her own, awkward explanation. "The two Huntsman students that Blake just mentioned have suffered from moderate lacerations and multiple broken fingers and toes, likely inflicted by Miss Xiao Long. I believe they have suffered a training accident."
The color drained from Ruby's face. She gave a faint, squeak of a response. "Oh."
"Don't worry Ruby, broken fingers fix easily!" Ben yelled from down the room, Curie sent him a green status symbol as thanks for trying to reassure her.
"Do not worry about your sister Miss Rose, I'm sure it was a mistake." Curie said.
"No, I'm uh... not so sure..." Ruby replied.
"I know it wasn't." Blake mumbed before sighing with frustration. "I'll go check up on her..."
"Thanks Blake." Ruby said, before Blake left. "Yeah uh, sorry Curie, my sister can be a little..."
"Violent?" Curie suggested, now understanding Ruby's concern. "Or perhaps ruthless?"
Ruby's expression flickered in a way that Curie didn't recognize. Curie assumed that it was a negative reaction, and immediately began thinking up how to reassure her. "She's... a bit of both of those, actually."
"I live inside the head of a supersoldier, I can empathize with having a violent partner." Curie said, hoping that having some common ground would help her.
"Not like she ever complains..." Ben teasingly interjected from his station.
Ruby giggled at their exchange, but Curie decided to continue anyway, as she was not finished speaking. "Well, I don't. Just because a person is capable of violence, doesn't mean that they're necessarily a bad person. A soldier has to be willing to hurt people, but that does not mean that they need to forget who they are to do that."
"Like a Huntress." Ruby noted, seemingly fixated on her words.
"Precisely." Curie said. "Although I would compare your organization more strongly to a sort of institutionalized mercenary group with an unusually strong moral complex."
"...Thanks?" Ruby said, seemingly confused as to whether or not that was a compliment.
Curie recognized that a more direct method might be needed. "I intended to offer a sense of reassurance to you, that just because your sister is willing to hurt people does not mean that she is a bad person, but you made that connection yourself."
"Oh!" Ruby said, now seemingly understanding what Curie was trying to say. "Don't worry, I know that Yang's a good person!"
Curie adjusted her expression to display her confusion. "Then why did you react negatively when I suggested that she had violent habits?"
"...Negatively?" Ruby asked, seemingly confused. "I was a little surprised, given that you've never met her, but I wasn't angry or anything like that."
Curie mulled Ruby's statement over in her head. "It appears I offended you, my apologies Miss Rose."
"Oh, it's not a problem!" Ruby reassured her.
"I don't mean to interrupt on your conversation, but can I get your help with this Ruby?" Ben interjected.
"Not a problem, I'm on it!" Ruby acknowledged, offering a mediocre salute before returning to her tasks.
She did not seem to hesitate when it came to returning to duty... I wonder what kind of soldier she would've turned out to be? Curie thought, before dismissing the unimportant inquiry and returning to her research.
Beacon Academy, Team RWBY's Dorm Room
October 12th, 1833 local time, 2552
In truth, Weiss had not only lied to Ruby and Sergeant Benjamin, but she had lied to herself.
She hadn't actually wanted time to think, she had just wanted time to read through her father's personal files. The woman's voice, which Weiss assumed was some kind of alien A.I, had given her a wealth of knowledge not just about her father's crimes, but about her father's other activities. She began to feel less sad and angry as time went on, her emotions only replaced with a dull sense of exhaustion at the overwhelming nature of what she was reading.
She could barely bring herself to read some of the files, and she immediately wrote off several others as things she would never touch, no matter how curious she was. Just by reading the titles, she could get a fairly solid grasp at the concepts.
I... I don't need to read that. Weiss thought, swiping away at one of the offending files, sending it away from the main folder, where she would never have to look at it. I can't delete them... all of this evidence is too valuable. But if the UNSC has copies... well, maybe I can afford to get rid of these.
She tried to keep her mind clear despite the circumstances. She knew that a Huntress was supposed to think clearly, and not let their emotions get the better of them when confronted with difficult situations. Still, it was difficult to think in anything but irrational ramblings. She was immediately confronted with a strong doubt of practically everything that she knew, which did not help her focus on what she was reading.
Even despite everything that Weiss was seeing, there was still a vain part of her mind that clung to the hope that maybe it was all fake. That maybe the UNSC had forged all of these files in an attempt to fool her and turn her against her father. That maybe her father was just genuinely misunderstood, and that the UNSC was the enemy.
But the more she read, the more sense it all made. For one, the slaves weren't listed as Weiss had expected in the documents, they were simply called "employees", just like any other worker.
Not paying the workers, keeping them against their will below the surface, the beatings, the brandings, it had all originated from a single killing of a Faunus worker, where it all spiraled out of control. There was no structure to it, no rhyme nor reason, just hatred from the human guards, and a cold will to stand by their "accomplishments".
Apathy, my father just... doesn't care... Weiss realized, feeling utterly destroyed. His personal bigotry had made him completely apathetic to what was happening, and that blended perfectly with what she knew of him. He'd never been truly evil, nor even particularly clever, he was just an angry careless man in a position of power.
She closed her scroll and took several deep breaths, she forced herself to stay calm. In that solitary, cold moment, Weiss had no idea what to do. She thought it over for at least half an hour, sitting on her bed, and pondering what to do with what she now knew.
Help the UNSC?! A cold, wrathful voice in her mind suggested. You're a Huntress, and putting evil in its place is your job!
"I... I can't." Weiss said, to nobody in particular. The empty room around her didn't even echo her voice.
What choice do you have now? The voice snarkily asked. Maybe Blake was right, maybe you are just a bad person! Maybe you won't ever be a tenth of the woman that your sister is!
All at once, her mind rushed back into a state of cohesion. The UNSC soldier had said that Winter was aboard their ship, and helping them fight the SDC! In the blink of an eye, her doubt, sadness, and exhaustion vanished, replaced by determination. She opened her scroll again, and quickly scrolled to her sister's name in her list of contacts.
No matter what happens, I trust Winter to do the right thing. Weiss thought. Whatever she says I should do, I'm going to do it.
UNSC Dominion, War Room
October 12th, 1803 local time, 2552
"What's the situation?" Richard asked, returning to the war room after a rather unremarkable visit to the head. Around the holotable was a handful of officers who had been joined by Winter. Jorge, Lieutenant Clark, and Thomas paused their conversation and turned to him.
"I've... just received a call from my younger sister, Weiss." Winter answered, carefully concealing her break in professionalism by clearing her throat. Although she concealed her emotions so well that Richard genuinely couldn't decipher what she was covering up.
I've met ONI officers that are easier to read than her. Richard thought. "I take it that she had something important to say?"
"That she did." Winter answered emotionlessly. "Apparently she ran into one of your soldiers at Beacon Academy, and that he and your A.I shared everything that you've uncovered with her."
Richard nodded for her to continue, he had already known that. He'd instructed them to try to convince Weiss to share whatever intelligence that she could with them, although Curie had warned him that the results might be lackluster. For whatever reason, Weiss must've contacted Winter.
Maybe they just trust each other? They are sisters after all... Richard thought, cautiously optimistic for what Winter had to say.
"Weiss... didn't know the full picture of the war, unfortunately." Winter reluctantly said. Just beneath the surface of her words, Richard sensed a cold, unyielding sense of hatred, one that sent a chill down his spine. "Needless to say, she was quite disturbed by what you discovered."
"That's good, it shows that she's got a conscience." Bradford bluntly stated, to which every other person in the room looked at him in surprise.
Winter glared daggers at the man before continuing. "I talked with her for some time, and I managed to convince her that helping you is the right thing to do."
"Her support is certainly appreciated, as is yours." Richard said. He was fully aware that practically everything the UNSC had done on Remnant so far had been plagued by disaster, so having Winter speak in support of them, especially to close family, was a greatly appreciated gesture. "Was she able to recall any information regarding their stronghold?"
"She did, and I made notes of everything that she was able to tell us." Winter answered with no small amount of pride, no doubt for her sister. "Admittedly, it wasn't much. But once I combined it with what little I knew, and what your recon elements have provided, I believe that we have enough information to formulate a plan of attack."
Although he did his best to suppress it, Richard couldn't resist the sense of optimism. Maybe this is it, we end this war right now. Then we'll be able to take it easy for a bit, really become accustomed to who we're sharing a planet with.
"We should call the General." Jorge suggested. "If he has forces to contribute, he needs to be involved here."
"Good thinking. Lieutenant Clark, do you mind handling that?" Richard asked.
"Not a problem Commander." Clark replied, taking a step back from the table and reaching for his earpiece.
Winter looked somewhat uncomfortable during the silence, something that Richard immediately sought to address. "Specialist, is something wrong?"
She thought for a moment, before letting out a reluctant sigh. "I wish there was another way to do this. Maybe a way to goad them into surrendering, but I think it's too late for that."
"We can't change the past." Jorge unexpectedly interjected. "We just have to... live with what's happened, and make the most of what we still have to keep moving forward."
Richard was taken somewhat off guard by Jorge's comment. He had shown himself to be, like most Spartans, a relatively soft-spoken man. I wonder what inspired him to speak up?
"That's... quite insightful, Lieutenant." Thomas commented, seemingly just as surprised as Richard was.
"I've had a lot of time to think." Jorge replied, his voice devoid of any considerable emotion.
"Well, you're certainly not wrong." Winter said, glancing at Jorge with a modicum of gratitude. "Maybe we can't change the past, but at the very least we can end this war, and bring peace back to Atlas."
The silence went on for only a couple more moments, before Clark spoke again. "Connection established Sir. Are you with us General?"
"I can hear you, yes." General Ironwood's mildly distorted voice echoed throughout the room from the speakers in the holotable. "Commander Richard, what was it you had to say?"
"Specialist Schnee has just acquired a fresh dataset on the remaining SDC holdout at the Central Distribution Center." Richard explained. "We're going to formulate an attack strategy, and I was hoping that you would be able to supply some forces to help us."
Without the Grimm breathing down their necks, he's short on excuses. Richard thought, wondering if the General was going to put up a fight when it came to relinquishing forces for the attack. It took him a few seconds to respond, a hint that he was putting some thought into it.
"I'm afraid that might not be the best idea." Ironwood finally said, seemingly with a hint of reluctance. "The theft of three entire Cruisers and the myriad of defections we've suffered proves that we're still having issues of... loyalty. Whatever forces I send would need time to be examined for these individuals, and with a Dust shortage looming over our heads... we can't afford to wait."
"Unfortunately Sir, he's right." Thomas added. "I have all five of the major nations on Remnant on board with our financial plan, but without those freighters..."
"We'd need to redo the whole thing." Richard finished his statement, his voice rich with frustration at their predicament. If they did wait for Ironwood to straighten out his army, the Dust shortage would only get worse. They needed the SDCs freighters to keep Remnant safe, and that meant that they needed to act fast, before the SDC did something desperate.
The sympathy in Ironwood's voice told him that there was nothing the General wanted more than to smash the SDC with a battalion of his men, but it was an excuse that neither of them wanted to be as potent as it was. After the outrage in Atlas, it would look bad for Ironwood's men to cool their heels while the UNSC did all the work, and both of them knew it. Richard meanwhile, was unhappy that his men would be faced with steep odds yet again, while potentially useful forces were left in practically useless positions.
But we've faced steep odds before, and we'll do it again. Richard thought. And we have a few ways to even the playing field.
"I agree, the risk is too great." Richard reluctantly agreed. "We'll do this ourselves then, the intel that we've received from both Weiss and Winter Schnee will have to suffice."
"But that doesn't mean we can't help you." Ironwood stated. "I have a team of Specialists at my disposal who I know that I can trust. While you attack the Central Distribution Center, we'll launch our raid on Schnee Manor, and capture their leadership."
Hmm, that would be a much better use of a single team of Special Forces then what I would have suggested. Richard thought. "That's good thinking."
"General." Winter interjected. "I know the Schnee Household layout, may I lead the raid?"
"What do you... oh." Bradford quietly said, seemingly having momentarily forgotten just what Winter's relation of Jacques Schnee actually was.
To be fair, the resemblance is... nonexistent, actually. Richard thought, thinking back to the profile they'd assembled on their primary target.
"Denied, The UNSC may still need your help." Ironwood replied.
Winter's shoulders slumped very slightly, and even through her stringent professionalism, Richard could sense her disappointment. It only took Richard a moment's thought to realize that maybe he could say something on her behalf, and more importantly, that he probably should.
Why not? It's not like she hasn't done her part to help us, why not help her back, even in a little way like this? Richard thought, recognizing that there was nothing that Winter wanted more than to go on that mission, and frankly, she was well qualified for it.
"Actually General, I believe that Specialist Schnee would be far better suited towards your operation then our strike." Richard said with a sly grin, seemingly taking Winter completely off guard. She gave him a look of utter shock and surprise, and remained utterly silent.
There was a moment of hesitation from the General while Winter looked at Richard with a look of genuine bewilderment, finally his voice spoke again. "Are you certain?"
"I am, she's already contributed what she could on the intelligence front, and we now understand the mechanisms Aura and Semblances, and what they mean on the modern battlefield. She'd do far more good with you than with us." Richard said, not betraying a hint of further emotion on his face. "That being said, I believe that after this mission is done, I still need her help with several other matters, and would appreciate her continued assistance."
"...Very well. Specialist, return to Atlas Academy by 2400, we'll have planning of our own to do." General Ironwood said, after a moment's thought. "Did you need anything else, Commander?"
"Not as of right now, but we'll give you a call if that changes, Dominion out." Richard replied, before closing the transmission.
Everyone around the table looked at him with a look of mild surprise, while Winter was still looking at him with utter confusion. "Was something wrong, Specialist?"
"You didn't have to do that, Commander." Winter said, in a rare moment of humility. "But... thank you."
"You offered to help Corporal Fairfire with… whatever is wrong with her, I figured that I owed you one." Richard replied. The other officers in the room looked to Winter with an expression of surprise, except for Bradford, who gave her a look of begrudging respect. "And I wasn't lying when I said you'll do more good on the ground."
"I understand." Winter said, not betraying any emotion. Still, her earlier disappointment was long gone.
"Speak with Fireball when you're ready to depart. You're dismissed, Specialist." Richard said. He thought about making a joking comment about giving her father a few swift kicks on his behalf, but figured that she probably wouldn't appreciate the gesture.
Winter offered a sharp salute, before departing from the room.
"Well, that was awfully nice of you." Thomas somewhat cynically said. "It's not everyday that a young woman gets the chance to arrest her war criminal of a father."
"We look out for those who look out for us." Bradford answered, speaking the exact words that Richard was going to say. "Besides, she's not going to hit anything with a sword while she's inside our ship... at least, I hope not."
That earned a brief chuckle from the other officers, before Richard cleared his throat to get everyone's attention again. "We still have a job to do gentlemen, let's get to it."
UNSC Dominion, Sickbay
October 12th, 1911 local time, 2552
While Fairfire and Winter participated in what Nathan could only describe as meditation on the floor of Sickbay, he undertook the final calisthenics he needed to pass to return to duty, namely a series of grueling stretches. His Aura had worked wonders to speed along his healing, along with the help of the Doctors aboard the Dominion. At Winter's request, he remained completely silent, but couldn't help his curiosity as he watched the two try to force Fairfire's Semblance, which she may or may not even have, into activation.
"A Semblance is most commonly viewed as an extension of your Aura, although this connection is quite inconsistent." Winter explained. "Your Semblance is completely unique to you, even if someone else might have a similar Semblance, chances are it's for a different reason."
"A reason?" Fairfire asked.
Winter stood up and drew her blade, summoning a small blue glyph on the floor of the Sickbay, before rapidly dispelling it. Even from across the room, Nathan noted how cold it suddenly felt. "A Semblance is, like your Aura, an extension of who you are as a person, your soul. They are not the same, but they are closely connected."
Ok, I get that, but what does that mean? Nathan thought, but forced himself to keep silent.
"I'm... not sure I understand." Fairfire admitted, from her cross-legged position.
Winter frowned. "You've used your Aura before, correct?"
"Yeah, I've been trying to heal my leg with it, ever since Mags activated it." Fairfire answered. "Why?"
"It's the same principle." Winter explained. "How would you describe using your Aura, what does it feel like?"
Fairfire's facial expression shifted to one of deep thought. "...Like a gut instinct, like lashing out at something trying to attack you, or like... thinking, I guess."
"Well, I suppose that's not the worst explanation I've heard..." Winter replied, seemingly a bit begrudgingly. "Your Semblance should be similar, especially if it's tied to your emotional state of mind, like I think it is."
"You... think?" Fairfire asked, with a hint of doubt.
"I don't know for certain if your semblance influenced your actions in Atlas, Corporal, but I strongly suspect that it did." Winter admitted. "So, let's give this a shot, shall we? Focus on trying to conjure your Aura, we'll start with something simple, like a defensive barrier."
Fairfire's Aura flickered as she conjured a barrier around her. Like most of the Dominion's crew, she hadn't yet learned how to create a passively-activated barrier, which apparently required a great degree of time to master. Still, just for the sake of following along and maybe even discovering his own Semblance, Nathan decided to join in, and conjured a shield of his own.
It's like a muscle, it gets stronger and easier to use the more that you train it. Nathan thought, quoting one of the earlier classes that Winter had given on the usage of a Semblance, although so far there was only a single person on the Dominion who could use theirs, and Nathan didn't know him.
With Fairfire's barrier up, Winter continued to speak. "Now, focus on the base of your Aura, where do you feel it coming from?"
"...The brain." Fairfire answered, after a moment's thought.
Winter seemed somewhat unimpressed, but continued. "Focus on the source of your Aura, and try channeling it into something else."
"Like what?" Fairfire asked, seemingly echoing Nathan's thoughts.
Winter considered it for a moment, as if assembling a strategy. "Try to focus on something in the room, and try reaching your Aura out to them."
While Fairfire followed Winter's instructions, Nathan did the same, reaching his Aura out to the wheelchair in the corner of the room. What happened immediately after surprised him so badly that he inadvertently let out a scream as he fell on his butt.
As if someone had switched out the lights, his vision shifted to one of black, and he couldn't see anything. Fairfire was shouting in panic, while Winter was shouting some kind of command, but he was too busy furiously blinking and rubbing his eyes to understand what they were saying.
He stopped touching his eyes as something bumped into him, an outline of a person standing next to him and reaching down to him appeared, as if suddenly becoming a part of the world. More details began to emerge, like the outlines of the hospital beds, and what was fairly apparently Specialist Schnee standing behind Fairfire.
"Nathan, Nathan whats wrong?!" She demanded.
"I can't see!" Nathan answered, his voice filled with more panic then we would have liked.
The color failed to return to his eyes, before he spotted a single dark green object in the endless void of grey that was the rest of the world. The wheelchair he had tried to focus on stood unmoving, as if it was the only thing of any importance.
"What, what the hell?!" Nathan asked aloud.
"What is it?" Fairfire asked, seemingly having taken an effort to calm herself down.
Nathan didn't answer, instead focusing on the only object that had any color to it. By now the rest of the Sickbay was visible, in an odd greyscale sense, at least. It was as if his vision had completely focused on the wheelchair.
"Wait... wait hang on..." Nathan thought, as the realization clicked within him.
"What's happening, what do you see?!" Fairfire asked, more urgently this time.
Is this... my semblance? Nathan thought. He reached out with his Aura again, only this time, he tried to close it off from the rest of the world.
Almost immediately, the color returned to the world, and he recoiled in shock once again. "Wait... it's okay, it's okay I figured it out."
"Are you okay?!" Fairfire asked. "What the hell happened?"
"...I think I just found my Semblance." Nathan answered, after a moment's hesitation.
"What?" Fairfire demanded.
"Hold on a moment." Winter interjected. "Private, were you doing what I was instructing Corporal Fairfire to do?"
Oh shit, she doesn't sound happy... Nathan thought. "What? No, I was um... yes ma'am, I was."
The judgemental look that she gave him could've probably drilled a hole in his head if she had wanted. "Do you always do your best to make yourself out as a reckless idiot?"
Nathan opened his mouth to protest, but Fairfire was faster. "Yes ma'am, that's a habit of his."
"Hey!" Nathan protested. "I might've gone blind for a minute there, but I found my Semblance!"
"Really?" Winter asked, now seemingly intrigued. "Well, go on Private, tell us."
She can't pull rank on me! Nathan thought stubbornly, but decided that maybe he had already made enough of a fool of himself already. "I think I can focus on things!"
They stared at him for a moment before he realized how stupid he sounded.
"like, certain objects. I focused on the wheelchair over there, and it started glowing!" Nathan elaborated.
"And you couldn't see anything else?" Fairfire asked, a notable hint of concern in her voice.
"Not at first..." Nathan answered, reluctant to admit just how afraid he had been for those first few seconds. "But everything else kinda became visible in a sort of highlighted fashion, a bit like the VISR in our helmets, actually."
"Well, that's certainly enlightening, although that certainly doesn't sound like your whole Semblance, merely a component." Winter coldly stated. "How about this private, since you've already discovered at least a component of your Semblance, perhaps you could serve as a valuable test subject to help us find Corporal Fairfires?"
Although he definitely did not like the sound of the words "test subject", he immediately knew that he was going to agree. "Sure, I guess... what do you need me to do?"
"Well for starters, complete the exercises that the Doctor instructed you to." Winter commanded. "And don't follow along with any of my teachings unless I expressly instruct you too, do you understand?"
Nathan steadily stood up with some help from Fairfire. "Understood... ma'am."
I figure I should at least give her a little effort, especially if I get to learn how to use whatever the hell my Semblance is. Nathan thought.
"Excellent, get to it." Winter instructed, before turning to speak to Fairfire. "I'm Afraid that I have to return to Atlas for some time, but we will certainly continue when I return."
Fairfire seemed somewhat disappointed, but nodded regardless. "Do you have anything for me to practice while you're gone?"
"The only person who can find your Semblance is you, do not be afraid to experiment." Winter instructed, before giving a disapproving look at Nathan. "Oh, and please make sure he doesn't hurt himself."
Fairfire laughed, a genuine laugh that made Nathan forget any embarrassment he would have otherwise felt, it was good to hear her be happy again. "Understood ma'am, I'll make sure of it."
"Good." Winter said. "Farewell, Corporal."
As she left Nathan hobbled his way over to where Fairfire was standing. "You uh, doing alright?"
She looked to him with an expression of bewilderment. "Nathan, you blinded yourself and you're asking if I'm the one that's okay?"
He gave a shrug. "Yeah, but I got better."
And doesn't that sound crazy saying out loud. Nathan thought.
"I'm more worried about you, how are you going to find your Semblance?" He asked.
"Well, I imagine it's like any other kind of training..." Fairfire said, returning to her meditative sitting position. "...trial and error."