A/N: LONG WAR 2 ANNOUNCED. SET HYPE(RWAVE) THRUSTERS TO MAXIMUM.


Bradford looked at the outstretched hand before him and realized that this was finally it. Time to make things right between XCOM and the Council that founded it. He took Councilman Bailey's hand in a firm grip and looked him dead in the eye before answering, "Welcome aboard, sir. It's a pleasure to have you."

"It's a pleasure to be here." Bailey agreed, "Now that we've taken the first steps towards... reconciliation, the rest will fall into place."

The Councilman took the opportunity to introduce the rest of his guests. He gestured to the younger man on his left, who had the wherewithal to put his scientific observations on hold and direct his focus at the unfolding conversation. "Allow me to introduce Doctor Richard Tygan. He is an… extraordinary biochemist that has led the Council's research into a better... understanding of the biology of our unwelcome guests. I can't think of a more qualified individual to accompany me on this endeavor."

Tygan bowed his head in acknowledgment of the praise. "Believe me when I say it is an honor to be here. The advances made by XCOM's research division are nothing short of awe-inspiring. The opportunity to meet Doctors Vahlen and Shen is something I simply could not pass up." He offered a tentative smile as he glanced between Bradford's Chief Researchers, "I look forward to working productively with you during my stay aboard your ship."

"I don't think the Councilman appreciates your sentiment that the Temple Ship belongs to XCOM," Shen said with a smile, "But thank you for the warm words. You are far too kind."

An uneasy silence fell over the group after Shen bluntly kicked the proverbial Sectopod in the room. Rather than try to frantically smooth things over, Bradford waited to see what the Councilman would say on the matter. Perhaps it would provide some insight into how the rest of the delegation's visit would play out. Bailey cleared his throat, "I have no intention of starting this… critical meeting off on a foul note. Given that XCOM has played caretaker to the Temple Ship for the last month and a half, I think it's… fair to say that it is presently their ship. But there is some truth to your Chief Scientist's words, Bradford. I think you and I both understand that the primary purpose of this meeting is to establish where XCOM stands as it works with the Council of Nations towards the safety and… betterment of mankind."

"A-fucking-men." MacAuley muttered.

"Language." Bailey's security officer chided.

"It's quite alright, Lieutenant." The Councilman said with a small chuckle, "Their house, their rules. Besides, I think we can all agree with the… sentiment expressed by the Central Officer's adjutant."

Bradford seized the opportunity to play off of Bailey's levity. "MacAuley's always been a bit of a loudmouth, though I still trust him as much as anyone else at XCOM to do what's right. That being said, I'd give you a medal on the spot on behalf of all of us if you managed to knock him down a few pegs, miss…?"

"Kelly, sir. Jane Kelly. I run a security detail for the Councilman." She shouldered her weapon and offered her hand in greeting.

"Glad you could join us, Lieutenant Kelly." Bradford said, accepting the handshake, "My staff will be happy to assist and comply with any requirements you have for the safety of the Councilman."

Kelly raised an eyebrow, "That's quite the blank check you've given me, sir."

"I trust you won't abuse it." The Central Officer answered. He turned his attention back to Bailey, "I'm sure you are a busy man, Councilman. Is there an itinerary you've put together for your visit, or should I start with a general tour of the facilities?"

"A tour is fine. While the council does indeed have other issues to deal with, the… importance of the Temple Ship takes priority over all other engagements I may have. You have my full attention for as long as necessary, Bradford."

The Central Officer nodded, "Fair enough. Well, you've already seen the main hangar. It connects to a production facility that very likely holds the ship's ability to manufacture new UFO's to replace the ones we splashed. While we've managed to successfully breach the fab houses and begun our scientific examination of the alien technology, we're not having much luck understanding how they actually used the equipment to produce fully-functioning ships. Work is slow because we're taking precautions to avoid any unwanted incidents, and because most of our research staff is focused elsewhere."

"Given that the… terrible power this ship possesses is one of the main concerns of the Council, I have no issue with your personnel spending their… energies on other avenues of research and development. Perhaps it will come in handy at some point in the future, but I'm certain you've made… far more useful discoveries in the meantime."

That took the Central Officer by surprise. Perhaps it was the post-war fatigue clouding his judgment during their first couple of less-than-friendly meetings, but Bradford got the sense that they wanted access to the ship to access its weaponry. The fact that Bailey seemed more concerned with the non-military applications of the Temple Ship spoke otherwise of their intentions.

"… We have." Bradford answered, "The main power reactor has the potential to be the greatest breakthrough in energy technology that we've seen in centuries. Dr. Vahlen has assigned a significant portion of her research teams to that particular field. We can go there first if you'd like."

Bailey glanced at Tygan. "I hope you're ready for the proverbial… drink from the fire hose."

Tygan held up his tablet and smiled, "Absolutely."


Lily Shen was in heaven.

After weeks and weeks of nagging her father about visiting Remnant, he finally acquiesced. Lily thought she'd lost any chance of going when her father mentioned that trouble seemed to be brewing in Vale, and that he was concerned for her safety. She knew it was selfish to still try and find a way to see Ruby's homeworld even in the face of danger, but Lily couldn't help it. A whole new world! Filled with legendary heroes to fight off monsters and keep the people safe. She'd just have to be careful if things were getting dangerous. But of course, none of that mattered unless she could convince her father to let her go. As luck would have it, though, help came from the unlikeliest of places.

Captain Beagle.

Lily was ashamed to admit that one of the conversations she had with her father got a little… heated. Loud enough that Beagle poked his head in to see if everything was alright. Rather than yell at the Captain for intruding, her father took the opportunity to use another opinion to help Lily see reason. After all, Beagle had been to Remnant on multiple occasions and could attest to the fact that Remnant was too dangerous. In that case, Lily wouldn't be able to argue that it was just her father being overly protective: he'd have the word of a highly-trained operative to point to. Except the unthinkable happened and Beagle sided with Lily on the matter. Sure, tensions were getting a little higher in Vale, what with Blake having her little episode in her latest match, but security had increased to compensate. Huntsmen were everywhere, Ironwood had doubled Atlas's ground presence, and Lily could easily stick with XCOM operatives for additional safety. In fact, Bradford had asked him to take the next 'shift' supervising the Valean Recon Division, so why not bring Lily along? H'd be heading to the comm facilities MacAuley had set up, so Lily could see some of the sights on their way to the Beacon dorms. She could even help Beagle make some adjustments to the hardware. He'd seen the way she tinkered with stuff down in Engineering. Someone like her could be pretty useful after a little bit of instruction. And the Comm room was out of the way and known to nobody except for XCOM and Ozpin's gang. So how about it, Doc?

After her father agreed, it only took Lily five minutes to grab the bag she had pre-packed and race over to the hangar where the Captain told her to meet him. A quick shuttle ride (not aboard the Skyranger, much to Lily's disappointment) took them down to the old XCOM base, and while Lily would have loved to spend some time exploring the station where her father spent the last year and a half saving the world, Remnant wasn't going to wait.

"Earth-to-Remnant jumps used to be impossible during the war." Beagle commented as they waited for the on-base techs to warm up the relay. "Damn thing took up way more juice than we had available, and Bradford wasn't about to shut down the entire base just so Vahlen could tinker with a technology that might work. Now that she's refined her methods, along with the war being over... well, we figured that it couldn't hurt to give the old Anthill a new purpose."

The techs indicated that the portal was ready, and Lily followed Beagle's lead as they prepped for the crossing. A couple of button pushes here, a mysterious portal thingy there, and Lily found herself standing in a small field with a grinning Aussie.

"Drop point, Alpha." He explained with a sweeping gesture, "This is where it all began with Team RWBY, or so I'm told. Technically it's on the outskirts of Grimm territory, but we set up motion sensors around here a week ago… err, last night, depending on whose perspective you're looking at it from. Anyway, it's secluded enough where nobody will notice a giant portal pop into existence, and we can see any Grimm within half a mile of here with a push of a button. I checked beforehand, and the place was deserted, so we'll be good before we reach the campus. We're on a bit of a schedule, since Bradford really is concerned with security, so we don't have time to meander and explore right now. You'll have a chance to wander and get lost some other time, yeah?"

Anything Beagle had time to show her was more than enough for Lily, especially since Beacon still had plenty of sights and people for her to enjoy. Huntsmen walked around with their weapons casually hanging off their hip or strapped to their back. It reminded Lily of all the security she'd seen walking around the Temple Ship, but the armaments carried by these students looked far more exotic. And the Faunus! Lily knew that some chose to hide their heritage like Blake used to, but Lily saw more than one tourist sporting rabbit ears or a tiger tail. She wished that she could just go up and talk to some of these people, but she knew that it would be socially inappropriate. Plus, Beagle said they didn't have time to kill.

The campus itself felt nothing short of magical. Lily recalled taking a trip with her father to Disneyland, and remembered being awestruck by the giant castle in the center of the park. Beacon, however, dwarfed that sense of wonder by a mile. It felt like she was entering an elaborate fortress as she and Beagle walked down the main thoroughfare. Tiled walkways, arching structures, and bright lights all came together to give a unified image of strength and elegance. Off in the distance, the Amity Colosseum sat languorously in the sky, and Lily felt a small pang of sadness that she couldn't be there watching the fights between supernaturally gifted warriors from across the world.

"C'mon, this way." Beagle called out. As Lily caught up with her guide, he passed her a scroll and said, "Check out this awesome replay from the latest fight."

Lily's heart soared at the thought of watching a bit of combat, then a brief sense of confusion set in when she saw simple text on the screen:

Need to take a roundabout way to the comm room. Brad's been paranoid about tails, so we have to stop by the occupied dorms for a few minutes and 'rest' before moving on through a back way.

Tails? Why would Central Officer Bradford be worried about Faun-

… Oh.

For a few minutes, Lily had let herself get caught up in the wonder of a strange new world and forget the reason why her father didn't want her to come here in the first place. Well, Beagle seemed to know what he was doing, so Lily knew she'd be fine so long as she stuck with him.

"Holy shit, that was badass!" Lily said, pleased with herself for remembering to go along with the charade as she handed the scroll back to Beagle. The Captain raised an eyebrow at her.

"Your dad know you've got a mouth like that?" He cracked a grin and threw her a wink, "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

They entered the lobby for one of the dorms and dropped down into a pair of sofas in the corner. Lily pulled a small journal out of her backpack and started taking notes (what she'd seen so far, questions she had for Ruby, etc.) while Beagle let out a weary sigh and pulled up his scroll again. Lily glanced up at him now and again, and noticed that he looked pretty bored. Every now and then, however, she watched his eyes flick up from the device in his hand, scan the room for a few seconds, and then return to browsing the images on his screen. Aside from the occasional student, though, nobody seemed to be coming in or out. After a few minutes, Beagle got up with a "C'mon, we're gonna be late," and the two set off again. After a few seconds of walking, Beagle passed Lily the scroll again.

Motion sensors aren't picking up anything unusual, so I think we're good.

They left the building through a back door that led them through an unused garden trail before ending up at another building. Beagle waved his scroll over the lock next to the door, and the two of them slipped inside. Down the hall, up the stairs, right at the intersection, and they came to a stop in front of a dorm room door. A few specific knocks later, and Lily found herself looking at another operative standing in front of a giant mess of technology.

The operative snapped a salute at Beagle, but eyed Lily with concern. "What's with the kid?"

"Wanted to come along." Beagle answered, "Besides, I'm just here to check on things real quick before I head over to Amity. Even though Ironwood's got his panties in a twist about us trying to replace his security, Central still wants eyes on the Colosseum."

Lily's head shot up. The Colosseum? The Captain never said anything about going there when he was talking to her dad earlier. Heck, he didn't even say anything to Lily even after they made it to Remnant. She must have had confusion written all over her face, because Beagle looked down at her and winked. What did that mean?

"You guys come through Alpha?" Timmons asked.

"Yeah." Beagle answered, his tone suddenly wary "There a problem?"

The operative handed Beagle a tablet, "Maybe. Been keeping an eye on it all day with the motion sensors. Saw a spike of Grimm activity in the last few hours. Nothing major, but it's still statistically significant. Do you think…?"

"That it's related to Sabertooth's match? Yeah, I wouldn't count out that possibility." The Captain scanned through the timestamped data for a minute before handing the tablet back to Timmons. He poked his head into the room, glanced around for a second, and gave the operative a pat on the shoulder. "Welp, guess I really have some shit to do now. I was just gonna take the next great Doctor Shen to watch some matches at the Colosseum, but this sounds like something the big wigs need to hear. Something tells me I better deliver the news in person. Keep up the good work, Timmons. I'll be on comms, so give me a shout if you see anything else that's fishy."

"Aye aye, sir." Timmons answered with a smart salute before turning to Lily with a grin, "Have fun at the Colosseum."

"Won't be all fun and games." Beagle said, putting on a mockingly stern face as he turned to his companion, "We should be able to reach Amity with plenty of time before the next match starts, and I expect detailed notes about the variety of weapons you see along the way and how they could be integrated with XCOM hardware."

Lily suppressed a giggle as she offered Beagle a salute to match the one from Timmons and followed the Captain down the hall.

"Sir, yes sir."


"May I join you, Doctor?"

Vahlen looked up to see the new scientist standing at the end of her table. Given that she only stayed with Bradford's tour group for a little while before excusing herself and returning to the labs, she wasn't quite sure what to make of Tygan just yet. He seemed genuine enough, but impressions were easy to fake for some people. Well, if one thing remained true in Vahlen's experience, it was that science never lied. No time like the present to formulate a true opinion on her newest colleague.

"By all means. Please." Vahlen answered, waving Tygan over while returning to her work, "Though I'm surprised to see that you're not glued to the Councilman's side."

"Councilman Bailey retired with your Central Officer for a private discussion some time ago." Tygan explained as he joined Vahlen at the table, "While I've been exercising my free reign to explore whatever part of the ship I feel merits my scientific attention for the last half hour, I genuinely meant what I said when I expressed interest in working with you. Moreover, I believe that spending some time in the labs would be a good place to get a sense of XCOM's research priorities."

A diplomatic statement that didn't exactly say much. The Chief Scientist adjusted the magnification on her scope and checked the illuminated sample again. "The labs is where we conduct our research, yes. An excellent observation, Doctor."

The silence that followed her sarcastic comment caused Vahlen to wonder if she had stepped out of line. She reminded herself that Tygan hadn't spent the last eight months around people like MacAuley, Beagle, Van Doorn, Xiao Long, Valkyrie… besides, he did say that he held a great deal of respect and admiration for her work, and yet she decided to start off their first real interaction with a rude remark. With a sigh, she pulled herself away from the scope and offered offered her full attention to her guest.

"I apologize. My work here has a tendency to be… stressful at times. My associates can attest to the fact that I tend to get snippy when a particular project isn't going my way."

"She's not wrong." One of the other lab techs called out from across the room. Vahlen noticed that the apology and attempt at levity had the intended effect, as Tygan seemed to brighten a little at her words. "Let's try this again."

She held out her hand and put on a smile that Weiss could be proud of. "Welcome to XCOM's research division, Doctor Tygan. How may I help you?"

Tygan glanced over at the scope sitting behind Vahlen. "Perhaps the better question is 'how can I help you?' You said that your work is giving you some trouble, yes? Perhaps a fresh perspective on the matter can be of use."

"Oh, that? It's more of a side project, really." He couldn't know about Remnant until Bradford gave the OK. How should she phrase this? "One of our operatives was… ah… injured by a Grimm in the field. Given that the soldier quickly became irrationally aggressive shortly thereafter, I'm conducting blood tests to see if there was a toxic agent introduced in the operative's system from the attack."

Tygan furrowed his eyebrows. "Venomous Grimm? That does sound concerning. However, given my background in biochemistry, perhaps this is something where I may be able to offer my professional opinion. If you don't mind…?"

"By all means." Vahlen answered, gesturing to the scope, "I admit that my strong suit is with physics rather than biology, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's something I'm missing. My only fear is that I lack the luxury of time, as I wonder if the agent will decompose and become undetectable if I take too long trying to find it."

While that statement was mostly true, the real reason for Vahlen's time limit was likewise not exactly something she was at liberty to reveal. She watched as Tygan took a moment to familiarize himself with the equipment before he directed his attention towards the sample. The two of them very quickly fell into a comfortable cadence, with Tygan pointing out various details and Vahlen comparing them against the notes she'd already made. He didn't find anything new for the most part, but his professionalism and completionist attitude impressed Vahlen. Additionally, Tygan's comments were clear, precise, and succinct, which conveyed to the Chief Scientist a deep understanding of the subject matter at hand. After only a few minutes, it became clear to her why Bailey had picked him as the Council's scientific representative.

Vahlen, however, noticed that something had clearly caught Tygan's attention when her research partner grew unusually quiet. She looked up at the lack of observational callouts ceased, and she saw Tygan staring intently through the scope.

"Fascinating…" He whispered, "I'm not sure how I missed this before."

"Doctor? What are you seeing?" Vahlen asked, her curiosity piqued.

Tygan pulled away from the scope and gestured for Vahlen to take his place. "There is a pattern of damage to the blood cells that is… familiar."

Vahlen looked through the scope, though she wasn't sure why this had grabbed his attention so completely. "Yes… we made a note of this pattern earlier, and attributed it to natural deterioration. What's so intriguing about it?"

"I'm looking at it again, and it reminds me of a phenomenon I saw several months ago."

That caught Vahlen's attention. "During the war?"

"Yes. The Council bought several Berserker corpses from XCOM -around June, I believe- and I was part of the team assigned to conducting as many useful studies as we could think of. My sub-team's particular focus was blood work, which was partially inspired by reports of your success in developing Combat Stims for XCOM's operatives. After we managed to create a serum that achieved similar results to your stimulants, we decided to try and continue our search for further applications of the creature's blood."

"I'm certain you discovered that the untreated blood is toxic." Vahlen guessed, "One of my first experiments after acquiring a Berserker sample was to test the raw toxicity."

Tygan nodded, "Correct, but we also discovered a way to… well, I suppose 'supercharging' would be a crude way to describe it. In an agitated state, the contents of the stimulant are able to drastically outperform the conventional combat stim, but they do attack the surrounding cells, very similar to the damage seen in your sample."

A shiver ran down Vahlen's spine. "Did you… use your agitated serum on live subjects?"

"Not human subjects, if that's what you're wondering. We aren't brutes, Doctor." Tygan said defensively, "But we did run injection tests on lab rodents, which is how we were able to compare the performance differences between the two stimulants."

"What were the side effects? Aside from the cellular damage."

"Since the chemical agents are drawn to the electric signals of the brain, there is a high risk that the inherent damage caused by the Berserker blood sends the user into Stage II, potentially Stage III shock."

As much as Vahlen wanted to believe that Blake's actions weren't a result of PTSD, the alternative of active sabotage was even worse. And this new information from Tygan just raised the chances of option B.. While it was ridiculous to think that the poison injected by Mercury was derived from Berserker blood, it was perfectly within reason that life existed on Remnant that was capable of producing the same result. Unless… was Remnant the original homeworld of Mutons? Depending on how long ago they were invaded and subjugated by the Ethereals, it was possible that humans on Remnant have no recorded history of the event. Or perhaps the Mutons were so deep into Grimm territory that the people of Remnant didn't even know of their existence. But then…?

No, too many questions that didn't help with any of Vahlen's immediate concerns.

"How certain are you that this is the case, Doctor?" She asked Tygan.

"Not certain at all." Tygan answered, "As you can see, the cellular damage is very similar to natural degeneration. Since we have seen nothing yet that indicates a strain of Grimm similar to the Berserker, Occam's Razor suggests that we should suspect the more likely answer unless we find more conclusive evidence. The similarities are enough that a non-zero chance exists, however, and I may have a way to confirm or refute my hypothesis."

"Go on…"

"My research into Berserker blood revealed some intriguing chemical behavior. One such experiment produced a very clear biomarker after I introduced an external reagent and let the reaction run until it achieved equilibrium." Tygan explained, "If the Grimm's venom is similar to the Berserker blood in its composition and structure, we can concoct and apply the reagent to produce those biomarkers."

Good. Supporting evidence is exactly what Vahlen needed right now. "How long would it take?"

Tygan hummed as he tried to recall the details of his research team's work. "It will take some time to contact my associates from the war so that I can acquire the specifics of replicating the experiment. Once that is done, however, it should only take two hours to develop the catalyst, and the test takes another five hours to fully mature and produce the biomarkers. All told? Twelve hours at the most. Hopefully the toxin doesn't fully degenerate by then."

Vahlen ran the numbers in her head and figured that the experiment gave her one hour of Remnant time before she would have an answer. While she would have liked a smaller window, Vahlen decided she would take what she could get. But the process needed to start now.

"If you don't mind, can you contact your colleagues now? I need to confer with Doctor Shen, and then bring this to the Central Officer's attention when he's finished with Councilman Bailey."

Tygan nodded. "It would be my pleasure. If there is indeed a strain of Grimm that is displaying venomous properties, it is vital that we learn more about it as soon as possible. I'll see that work begins immediately."

"Thank you, Doctor."


Bradford shut and locked the door to his private quarters and approached the table with the waiting Councilman. While he was slightly relieved that Bailey agreed to a one-on-one conversation, the Central Officer was also surprised that his guest was willing to give up his security detail and lock himself in a room with a man he'd spent the last few months quarreling with. Perhaps he trusted Bradford to realize that assassinating him here would be a suicidal move for XCOM? Or maybe Bradford had completely misjudged him. Either way, the time had come to begin with the main purpose of Bailey's delegation.

"Thank you for the… warm welcome aboard the Temple Ship." Bailey began as Bradford took his seat, "While it is unfortunate that we lack the time for a more… thorough tour of your facilities, it is clear to me that your organization runs with… impressive efficiency."

Bradford bowed his head in acknowledgment of the Councilman's compliment. "We are in agreement on that, believe me. The men and women working behind the scenes of XCOM never cease to amaze me."

"You'll find that we agree on a great many things, Bradford." Bailey said wry smile, "But let us get down to the business of things we… don't agree upon."

Now came the hard part. Bradford held a debriefing with Van Doorn shortly after their conversation with the council, and they came to the conclusion that Bradford needed to start off his serious conversation with the Councilman with a very crucial action. It was Van Doorn's idea (as Bradford was too prideful to admit to its necessity), and it took a fair amount of convincing to get the Central Officer to come around to the idea.

"There's something I'd like to say, first." Bradford started. With Bailey giving him a curious look, Bradford closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I… I need to formally apologize, Councilman. I've talked things over with my advisers and spent some time introspecting and trying to figure out why things played out the way they did these last few months. I… I wasn't entirely myself shortly after the war's conclusion. Perhaps the strain of command was finally getting to me, or perhaps the victory over an impossible foe had gone to my head… I don't know. But I do know that I was in a poor frame of mind when we started our discussions regarding what to do with the Temple Ship. And after multiple meetings with the council in this… unfortunate state, our relations had devolved into an embarrassing mess. One where I wasn't willing to admit my fault to a Council representing the interests of the world I had spent months trying to protect.

"Looking back, it was foolish and paranoid to think that you wanted some degree of oversight put into place for this ship for malicious reasons. And even if the Council was somehow compromised, the way I acted certainly did nothing to help the situation. Honestly… it was a huge relief to me that you were willing to personally oversee this delegation, because it's easier to admit my mistakes to a single person behind closed doors than to an entire council. And for that, I thank you."

Bailey considered Bradford's words before glancing over the Central Officer's shoulder and commenting, "That's a nice wet bar you've built for your quarters."

"I… thanks, Councilman." Bradford answered with confusion. Of all the responses he'd anticipated, that one was pretty low on the list, "It's a collection of gifts from my operatives after they came back from their various shore leaves during the December holidays."

"An… admirable gesture. Do you mind if I make use of it?" Bailey asked.

"… By all means. Drinks are meant to be shared, after all."

The Councilman got up and availed himself to the options offered by Bradford's cabinet. As he browsed, he resumed their conversation, "You saved humanity from utter annihilation. It may seem to you like we of the Council have... forgotten that fact, and I'm certain that our straight-to-business attitude doesn't help. I can assure, however, that XCOM's many feats in the face of… impossible odds remains at the forefront of our thoughts during our dealings with your operation."

He finally decided on a bottle cognac (Bradford wasn't at all surprised that the Councilman had expensive tastes), and brought it to the table with a pair of glasses. "You are also human, with all the qualities -good and bad- that come with it. Your… explanation regarding your actions following the war makes sense, and now I ask you to see things from my perspective. To understand why the Council acted the way it did." He picked up his glass and considered its contents while he continued, "As you have likely concluded, your… irrational behavior during our meetings raise suspicion among my peers. For someone who so selflessly and courageously defended humanity from an... enemy unknown, why is he now treating the Council, a collection of nations that have backed him every step of the way, with open... hostility? Several explanations were put forward, though the true cause remained… uncertain. No matter the case, however, this… change… was reason for great concern.

"Even so, it would be dishonest to say that we... reacted in the best possible way. The sudden change in your attitude sparked a similarly... abrupt shift in ours. Perhaps if we had been more level-headed in the early days following the war, all of this could have been avoided."

Bradford took the other glass and sampled the alcohol. He caught a brief look of distaste crossing the Councilman's face, and wondered if he was breaching some sort of etiquette by taking the first sip. Oh well, he was a soldier not a socialite. "It means a great deal to hear you say that, and I can assure you that I am no longer in an unreasonable frame of mind. I think you and I can both see that XCOM is making the most out of its possession of the Temple Ship, and that we are more than happy to cooperate with the Council in a global effort to restore some semblance of order and safety to our planet."

"That is good to hear, Bradford. I've received word from the Security Delegation that your presence was… greatly appreciated. The after reports were promising, but I'd like to hear your… personal opinion regarding the event."

The two of them discussed the meeting that Bradford had attended the previous day. Bradford kept an eye on the glass in Bailey's hand, and waited until the Councilman had sampled his own Cognac before Bradford did the same. The more they talked, however, the more Bradford got a sense for Bailey's genuine concern for the safety of Earth. Although the Grimm posed the most immediate threat to humanity's safety, Bailey also raised questions about how XCOM's advances could be used to improve other, more mundane, security concerns. Transportation, infrastructure, communication... when Bailey started pointing to several specific R&D projects as potential candidates for these initiatives, Bradford realized just how closely the Councilman was paying attention during the general tour.

This man, it seemed, headed the Council for good reason. The secrecy of their debriefs during the war meant that Bradford could never properly gauge the character of anyone on the Council (understandably so), but now… now he felt almost ashamed for letting the shitstorm between the Council and XCOM brew for so long. Bailey cared about the well-being of Earth. Bradford could feel it through the passion he poured into their conversation. His worldview could be considered shrewd and pragmatic, sure, but the safety of humanity was the driving force behind every single plan he put forward during their conversation.

Perhaps… would he care about the safety of extraterrestrial humans?

Bradford knew that the subject of RWBY would come up during their talk. It had to. Even before the Central Officer's view of Bailey had changed so drastically, this delegation was an olive branch. If the Council had found out that Bradford had kept something as huge as a transdimensional portal to another world hidden from them after they sent one of their own to personally meet with the staff of XCOM… oh, there would be hell to pay. But while before Bradford was trying to find a way to broach the subject in the least damaging way possible, now he wondered if something good might come out of that part of his talk with the Councilman.

He waited until there was a brief lull in the conversation as Bailey poured himself another serving of Cognac. "Councilman. There is… another topic I'd like to discuss with you."

Bailey looked up from his drink. "Oh?"

"It's about some recruits our organization picked up back in March. They're… well, I suppose the best word for them is 'unique.' "

"This wouldn't be about the men and women of Strike Eight, would it?" Bailey smiled, "RWBY and JNPR, if I'm not mistaken."

Zhang would have been proud of the pokerface that Bradford maintained when the Councilman dropped that little bombshell. "Yes. It would. Since it seems you're at least somewhat informed of their nature, perhaps it would be best if you lay out anything else you know so that I don't repeat old news."

"Very well. They are a band of fighters who possess… supernatural combat prowess. Most cohesive in teams of four, they are widely regarded by your staff as the single greatest factor of XCOM's… incredible success. I have heard reports that the battle on the Temple Ship would have been… catastrophic if not for them." Bailey smiled, "The Council has known about your ace in the hole for some time, Bradford. I was not planning on leaving your ship until we… discussed the details, but I wanted you to be the one to raise the subject."

So he didn't know about Remnant, at least. Well, XCOM was a big place with a lot of people. Bradford knew he should have been more realistic in his expectations, though Bailey's statement made it seem like he had quite a few members of XCOM coming out to talk to the Council about the huntsmen.

Bailey took Bradford's silence as permission to continue. "While XCOM may not be as… tight-lipped as you would like to believe, it may bring you comfort to know that all reports we received on Strike Eight exhibited… fierce loyalty to No-Scope, Dakka, and their subordinates. They were especially quiet about the… origin of these fighters." The Councilman swirled his glass pensively before glancing up at Bradford with a slight smirk, "On a related note, I'm curious to know XCOM's process in… developing call-signs for its operatives."

Bradford rolled his eyes. "You've already met my adjutant, Sargent MacAuley."

"I'm not surprised."

"He took it upon himself to 'welcome' RWBY and JNPR to Earth."

Silence, then, "… Even during our… misunderstandings, I've never known you to misspeak, Bradford."

"Correct."

"Then I take it you intend to… expand on that statement." The Councilman said.

"It is why I brought them up in the first place." Bradford explained, "It is also why I hope you will appreciate the magnitude of the situation I found myself in and why I made the decision to omit any details of it in my reports to the Council."

"When you say magnitude…"

"This is Vermilion Level, Councilman."

That gave Bailey pause. "… Remind yourself that the last time intel was classified as Vermilion-"

"-was when we confirmed first alien contact before the Long War." Bradford finished, "I am well aware, Councilman."

Bailey downed his Cognac. Apparently the time for social formalities had come and gone. "This answers quite a few questions, though it also raises others."

"When the Hyperwave Relay finished its startup process, it somehow bridged a connection to another world." Bradford explained, "We don't know where, and we don't even know when, but that bridge is what brought RWBY, and later JNPR, to Earth. Remnant, their homeworld, is overrun with Grimm, and so children are encouraged at a young age to train and aspire to become Huntsmen: highly-specialized fighters who protect their kingdoms from the forces of darkness."

"Do take a moment, Bradford, and realize how… ridiculous this sounds." Bailey said.

Bradford couldn't help but laugh. "Believe me, Councilman, I've spent the last nine months coming to terms with it myself. But if you could see them in action, all traces of doubt would be removed from your mind."

"The Council has seen recordings. We… attributed the fantastic displays of power to your Psionic program."

"And did you ever wonder why nobody else could summon ice from thin air? Or protect themselves with hard light shielding? Or move faster than the eye could track?"

Bailey didn't have an answer for that. After giving his guest a moment to digest the implications, Bradford continued. "The good news is that they come in peace, as you can probably guess. They were adamant about helping us fend off the Ethereal invasion, and they never once wavered in their conviction to see our war through to the end. That is likely why none of your contacts were willing to betray the true nature of their secret."

"When you say 'The good news,' I assume there is also… less-than-desirable news as well."

"Unfortunately so." Bradford said, "As if the idea of mystical warriors fighting the forces of darkness isn't enough of a fairy tale for you, there appears to be other parties interested in destabilizing the tenuous peace and safety on Remnant."

"Tenuous?"

"I'm sure you've seen the reports regarding the Grimm on Earth, and how they are drawn to regions of unrest. Imagine how easy it would be to provoke an attack on a world so overrun with the creatures when all you need to do is start a panic."

"EXALT's wet dream." Bailey muttered.

Bradford nodded. "I've been in contact with… well, I suppose it would be Remnant's equivalent of the Council. They are concerned that this third party is a serious threat and not just some low-grade fringe element stirring up trouble for its own sake."

"And if XCOM helps deal with this… problem…" Bailey mused.

"… Then we'd have a strong platform from which we can begin diplomatic relations with an entire planet, yes." Bradford said, "Captain Rose and her compatriots foresaw this possibility almost as soon as they arrived on Earth, and it is one of the motivating factors behind their willingness to help us against the aliens."

"While our global economy is… unstable in the wake of the war, the technology boon we earned from our victory is… substantial."

"We don't need a full-scale military commitment." Bradford agreed, "In fact, we already have an organization that is uniquely familiar with the way hutnsmen operate, experienced with alien-grade technology, and possesses real combat experience against the Grimm threat."

Bailey cracked a smile at Bradford's thinly-veiled proposal. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had this planned from the beginning of our… discussion."

"I just didn't know how diplomatically I needed to word it." Bradford said.

The two of them took a moment to sit back and enjoy another pour of Cognac. Finally, Bailey spoke up. "This is indeed a most… delicate situation."

"I'm glad you can see that." Bradford said, "How do you propose that we proceed?"

"By keeping this classified until we have the chance to further… assess the extent of Remnant's instability." Bailey answered, "I still have many questions, but it is clear that this… unique situation will require a great deal of finesse. I will make a report to the rest of the Council immediately. They will understand our… silence when they see the Vermillion classification."

Evidently, Bailey meant 'immediately' in the literal sense, as he pulled out a tablet and began tapping on it as he continued to speak. "Additionally, I would like to visit Remnant personally. It sounds as though you have already begun… diplomatic relations with key players. I believe I can assist in the capacity of an ambassador to Earth."

Bradford was both afraid of this and expecting it. If only this meeting had happened a week later and the situation with the Vytal Festival and (hopefully) been resolved, he could be more comfortable about Bailey's visit to Remnant. Still, it would be a terrible idea to deny the Councilman's request at this stage of the negotiation, not after he'd laid everything out on the table only moments ago.

"Of course, Councilman. I can start working on that once we're finished here. How soon would you like to make the visit?"

With a final tap, Bailey returned the tablet to its pocket in his jacket. "As soon as possible. I do not doubt the… veracity of your claims. But you cannot tell someone that you possess access to another world and expect them to exhibit… patience."

"Fair point." Bradford said with a chuckle, "I'll call ahead and have the technicians warm up the relay for a jump. I take it you plan to bring your security chief along?"

"As well as Dr. Tygan. I am certain he will not wish to pass up this… opportunity."

Twenty minutes later, Bradford found himself standing in front of the Hyperwave Relay with Bailey as the technicians went through the final steps for activation and Dr. Tygan finished up a project he had down in the labs. The two men had talked almost nonstop as they made their preparations, with Bradford trying to answer as many of the Councilman's questions about Remnant as he could.

"This… Vytal Festival is a joint effort between all four Kingdoms?"

Bradford nodded. "Correct. Civilians and huntsmen all convene in one location for a celebration of peace and a show of friendly competition between the academies that train the next generation of fighters."

"I can see how this creates a… delicate situation for yourself and Ozpin."

"I think 'a pile of dynamite doused in gasoline' would be more accurate." Bradford said. Over Bailey's shoulder, he spotted both Vahlen and Shen approaching. "Excuse me for one moment, Councilman."

He walked towards the two doctors and asked in a low tone, "Is everything alright?"

"Most likely, yes." Vahlen said, "But I wanted to let you know that the likelihood of sabotage of Blake's match has gone up in the last half hour."

"Not by much." Shen added, "Though it's still enough where it should be brought to your attention."

Shen's pointed look at Bailey didn't escape Bradford's notice. Of all the times for more bad news, the Central Officer needed it to be 'not right now.' While Bailey would probably understand if their excursion got called off, he probably wouldn't be happy about it. Perhaps a good compromise would be to pop in, show him a match at the Colosseum to demonstrate the potential of huntsmen, and then leave.

"He needs to see Remnant for himself." Bradford explained, "We'll watch the next match of the tournament and then come back. Ironwood has doubled the presence of his Knights on Amity since Blake's incident, and there's an APB out for Emerald and her team, so I don't think they'll be stupid enough to pull another stunt at the Colosseum. I've also got some operatives on-site. I think Captain Beagle is coordinating their efforts now."

"Ah, right. From the Comms facility." Shen said.

Bradford raised an eyebrow. This felt like a trap. Why did this feel like a trap? "Beags has always believed in leading by example. He should be at the Colosseum. Is that a problem, Shen?"

Was that… anger in Shen's eyes? "Not for you. Is there room for one more on your trip to Remnant? The good Captain and I need to have a conversation."

The sound of footsteps pounding into the room announced Tygan's arrival. Bradford had no idea what beef Shen evidently had with Beagle, but something told him that it would be a bad idea to deny the Engineer's request. "Sounds like you're just in time, Doctor." He glanced at Vahlen, "Am I to assume that you're coming along as well?

Vahlen nodded, with some hesitation. "… Yes. After talking with Dr. Shen, there are a few things on the Colosseum that I wish to examine. And I might need to get another blood sample from Blake."

"These things you need to take care of… are they things that Ironwood would approve of?" Bradford asked, eyebrow raised.

"Hopefully, yes. He did grant us access to the CCTS tower, after all. This would just be more of the same."

"Did your scan find anything wrong with the CCTS?"

"Not yet, No."

Vahlen seemed uncertain of her answer, which worried Bradford slightly. However, part of the chain of command meant not second-guessing his subordinates. If she said she had nothing to report, then he needed to take her word for it. "Well, if Ironwood needs someone to chew out, it might as well be me." Bradford sighed. "Let's get going."


A/N: Getting reeaaaallly close to the end of the Vytal Arc now. I actually thought I could cram it all into this chapter, but then I slowly discovered that I have a lot more scenes I want to fit in than I had originally anticipated. But I still had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I look forward to the future Adventures of Vahlen & Tygan: Science Bros. (team name for Bradford and Bailey is still pending)