Blake stared at her book, not really reading it as her spoon played with the oatmeal set before her. Despite her best attempts to distract herself, her mind kept wandering back to the events of last night. So many questions continued to go unanswered and while she'd been told to let it go, she couldn't find it within herself to simply ignore everything that had happened. In hindsight, this was a self-destructive habit she had developed that was going to eventually spiral out of control. She'd attempted to turn her back on the White Fang once before, leaving everyone and everything that she had known and been a part of for the better part of five years in the past. Yet, despite her best attempts, the past had reared its ugly head, and rather than maintaining course, she'd instead confronted it without a plan and nearly paid for it with her life and the life of Sun. The same thing seemed to be happening now, though, it had been offered to her as a means of satisfying some sort of itch before sending her back to Beacon with the warning that she should commit to her new life lest she be swallowed up by the past.
It made sense and, in a way, she understood what they were attempting to do. Still, she couldn't help the curiosity that gnawed away at her in the night as she replayed everything that had happened, looking for some minute detail she might have missed. There had been more to their operation than simply placing tracers. Not only that but she was curious about where the White Fang were taking the Dust and what they were planning to do with it. Despite her efforts, she knew she'd get nothing from Calcipher or his friend. She'd have to do it on her own but doing that was risky considering that Professor Goodwitch had her eye on her.
"So, Blake, you want to tell us where you were last night?"
The question was posed by her blonde-haired partner, Yang. While she was usually pretty good about minding her own business, the fact that they'd been visited by Miss Goodwitch earlier this morning on them all a little on edge. None of them had ratted her out, though, which was something she appreciated. Still, she'd rather not go into details, especially when it could implicate her team in her nightly escapades.
"Not really," she said, attempting to avoid the conversation altogether.
"I really think you should," Yang replied, her tone implying she wasn't going to let her drop the subject.
"It's none of your business Yang," she shot back.
"I'm your partner, it's my business by default, especially when the teachers start taking notice of you sneaking out of our dorm in the middle of the night," she pointed out.
"The less you know the better."
"Why does that give me the feeling that you're out there looking for the White Fang and getting yourself into trouble?" Yang moaned.
"Because she probably is," Weiss spoke up, for the first time in a while. "The fact that she hasn't been caught or been seriously hurt is a miracle in and of itself."
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself," Blake shot back in an annoyed tone.
"That's hardly the point," Weiss snapped, irritated in such a way that had Blake hesitant to speak. "We've already lost one friend because of our negligence and inability to properly react to the situation. I don't want to lose anyone else."
Blake opened her mouth to apologize but quickly snapped it shut. She knew there was nothing she could say to alleviate Weiss' worries, especially after what she'd been forced to go through. Even after they'd reunited after the semester break, they'd been walking on eggshells, uncertain of how to speak or act around her without setting her off. Granted, Blake had seen her fair share of allies and comrades killed in battle. It was simply the way of things, the way they'd lived when she'd been a part of the White Fang and had been fighting for a better future for her people. That same ideal was something she kept close to her even now as she worked towards becoming a Huntress. She knew she'd have to bear witness to allies and civilians both of whom she'd been too late or too weak to save, but her friends were still innocent. Ruby still believed that they were heroes just like her mother but the loss of her close friend, her first friend here at Beacon, had been a major blow to that ideal of hers. It had been that difference, that distance between herself and them that had made it easier for her to act on her own, keeping her team safe while she risked her life to bring her former comrades to justice and hopefully help them see the errors in their logic. Now, though, she was beginning to realize just how selfish that was, and she idly wondered if that was what Calcipher had seen in her when he'd brought her into his home and hosted her at his breakfast table.
"So, any ideas on what we should do today?" Yang asked, attempting to steer the conversation towards something less confrontational.
"I'm not really in the mood for a teambuilding exercise," Weiss replied, opting out altogether.
"You've been going out on your own a lot," Ruby pointed out. "Not like Blake, obviously, but you've been going down into Vale on your own every weekend since we got back. Maybe some time together would help?"
"I'll think about it," Weiss replied, giving an answer that was neither a refusal nor an agreement.
They walked in silence, each of the girls mopping in their own way and finding little desire to speak about anything else. As they passed the hall leading towards the Headmaster's office, Weiss chanced a glance down and choked on the sharp intact of air she engulfed in surprise. She stood there, stunned, as she looked down the hallway, her absence noticed by her teammates mere moments after she'd stopped moving.
"Weiss, you okay?" Ruby asked, concerned about how her friend was acting.
When she didn't answer, the girls glanced at one another before moving to see what had caught her eye. Looking down the hall they could see a man sitting in one of the chairs set before the elevator for visitors waiting for an appointment. He was currently reading today's newspaper, which wouldn't have been much to draw their attention, aside from the fact that he was turning the pages with his left arm due to the absence of his right.
"Who is that?" Yang asked.
"Not sure. Haven't seen him before?" Blake replied.
"You think he's a Huntsman, maybe a friend of Professor Ozpin's?" Ruby asked, curious.
"Maybe. Not many Huntsmen that sport a missing arm without getting a replacement," Yang pointed out.
"He's not a Huntsman," Weiss said, the surety in her voice surprising them all.
Before any of them could ask how she knew, Weiss was already walking towards the man with the girls quickly following in her wake. He heard them coming long before they reached him, and the man looked up from his paper to inspect the quartet. He had short brown hair cut into a moderately professional look and Hazel eyes that stared at them with a mixture of surprise and what seemed to be recognition. Blake only noticed this small detail for a split second before it disappeared and the man smiled warmly at them, folding the paper neatly before setting it down on the seat next to him.
"Weiss, what a pleasant surprise, though, given where we are I guess that's a bit presumptuous of me isn't it?"
"N-not at all," Weiss said, her tone remarkably friendly, almost to the point of excitement, which was a surprise considering whom it was coming from and directed at. "I didn't expect to see you here, Phoenix."
"We're just here on business, I'm afraid."
"We?"
"My employer and I. He's upstairs speaking with Ozpin. I opted to wait down here both because what they have to talk about has nothing to do with me and because I'd find it incredibly boring to sit through. Besides, this gave me a good opportunity to catch up on current events and even see you again."
The last comment earned a blush from the heiress, a detail that did not go unnoticed by her team, Yang especially. The girl saw the opportunity laid out before her and pounced on it like a pack of dogs on a three-legged cat, feral smile and all.
"So, Weiss, you going to introduce us to your friend?" the blond asked.
Weiss's attention snapped up to her, her eyes zeroing in on her teammate's feral smile. She hesitated, unsure of how to proceed without stepping on the numerous landmines Yang no doubt had lying in wait. Thankfully, Phoenix came to her rescue well before Yang had a chance to pounce.
"I'm sorry, that's so rude of me, I haven't introduced myself," he said, sticking out his hand without hesitation to shake Yang's when she offered hers. "Phoenix Ash, wonderful to make your acquaintance."
"Yang Xio Long, Beacon's resident Blond bombshell, party girl, and all-around badass," she replied.
"Hi, I'm Ruby Rose," Ruby said, quickly shoving her sister out of the way in order to make a proper introduction as her team's leader. "I'm the leader of team RWBY and before you ask, yes, it does get confusing at times."
"I'll bet," Phoenix replied with a warm laugh.
"And this is- "Yang began, motioning to her partner.
"Blake Belladonna," he replied, looking towards her.
"I'm sorry, have we met before?" Blake asked, confused and a little off put by the familiarity with which he'd used her name.
"No, no, we've never been formally introduced, but I've been told a great deal about you by my employer."
"Who's your employer?" she asked, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as she wondered just who he could be working for that would know so much about her for a complete stranger to recognize her.
She didn't have to wait long as the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Blake stared wide-eyed at its occupant, her whole body going rigid as she recognized the man immediately. While he was dressed differently from when they'd first met, there was no mistaking his appearance. Apparently, he recognized her too, and the jovial smile that spread across his face was enough to have her heart sinking to the pit of her stomach.
"Miss Belladonna, how lovely to see you again. I hope you've been staying out of trouble since the last time we met."
His comment earned a snarl from her, but she quickly schooled her features as he stepped from the elevator. Already she could feel her teammates' eyes on her and the questions that were no doubt on the tips of their tongues. She knew, as well as he did, that she'd been acting out in an attempt to track down and bring the White Fang to justice. The fact that he'd ask a question he already knew the answer to was proof that he was willing to keep up their little ruse if only to ensure that her secret was kept safe from Ozpin as long as she cooperated.
"You know each other?" Weiss asked, glancing between Blake and their new guest.
"Oh? She didn't tell you?" he asked, giving her a moment to try to explain before swooping in by saying, "my niece and I found her passed out in the streets during a down poor. I brought her back to my home to recuperate before sending her back to Beacon when she was better. I assumed Professor Ozpin had informed you all of this."
"First I've heard of it," Yang said, her eyes turning to her partner, their violet hue giving way to crimson.
"When did this happen exactly?" Weiss asked.
"Around a week and a half ago," he replied.
"I knew it," Yang snarled. "You were out looking for the White Fang again, weren't you?"
"I was doing just fine," Blake argued.
"You really weren't," Calcipher interjected.
"Stay out of this!" Blake snapped.
"Blake, don't be rude!" Weiss snapped in turn.
"You had a fever of 105, were passed out in the middle of the street, soaked clear through your clothes, and were barely conscious or even capable of fighting back if it came down to it. You ran yourself ragged and nearly paid the price for it. Take it from someone who's been in that sort of situation before, having people you can rely on is something you should never scoff at."
"Like you would know?" Blake scoffed.
"Yes, I would, as did your parents," he remarked, causing her to flinch. "I owe them a great deal for all the help they showered me with in my early days and never asked for anything in return. I would have hoped such a lesson would have been passed down to their only daughter."
That proved enough to take the wind out of Blake's sails. She clenched her mouth shut, choosing to glare holes into the floor rather than look at him or her teammates. They likewise looked at her with a mixture of confusion and concern. They obviously wanted to know more, not only about her parents but how this man knew them, but none of them were all that eager to broach the subject.
"I apologize for my teammate's behavior. Blake has a lot of pride, and it has a habit of getting her into trouble," Weiss said, taking the initiative. "I'm Weiss Schnee, a pleasure to meet you, sir."
"Calcipher Mordan and I'm well aware of who you are, young lady," he replied, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. "You look a lot like she did at your age," he commented softly.
"Who?"
"Willow," he replied, causing Weiss to flinch in shock. "You're almost her spitting image, you know that?"
"You- you know my mother?" Weiss asked.
"Better than most, I'd wager. She and I grew up together and were practically raised together. In truth, your grandfather Nicholas was my mentor and a father figure to me during my boyhood right up until his passing. It broke my heart when news of his death reached me."
"You didn't attend his funeral?" Weiss asked, shocked that she'd spoken those words rather than kept them private, and quickly moved to apologize but was outmaneuvered by Calcipher instead.
"Unfortunately, I was unable to be present," he said, his expression a mixture of guilt and remorse. "Circumstances at the time prevented me from returning to Atlas at all."
Weiss gave the man a quizzical look, obviously detecting something more to that statement, but found herself brushed aside as the man turned his attention towards the sisters.
"That must mean you two are Qrow's favorite nieces," he said.
"We're his only nieces," Ruby pointed out, beaming with glee at hearing their Uncle talk about them.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," he replied. "If the Beacon rumor mill was to be believed, when your father attended this school, he was quite the Casanova. Who knows, you two may have some older half-siblings you don't know about running around Remnant which means you have some competition in that department."
Rather than deny what he'd just told them, the two girls instead blanched at the thought of their father flirting and sleeping with girls their age when he was a student here. They looked almost like they might be ill, which only helped to fuel the man's laughter as he waved the comment off.
"I'm only joking," he confessed. "I wouldn't believe half the things your old Uncle tells you, whether they're about himself or your father."
"R-right," Yang said, still looking a bit green in the gills.
"So, seeing as how you know Blake's parents and Weiss' mother, does that mean you knew my mother too?" Ruby asked.
"We've been on a few missions together in the past. I mostly ran with your Uncle before⦠no, my memory deceives me. He was working for Ozpin even then. Always did make things a little stiff between us."
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing to work for Ozpin," Yang pointed out.
"I have difficulty trusting men like him who have too much power and influence for their own good. That and the fact that he never seems to question the man's orders or reasoning, even when they end up getting some of his friends severally injured or killed."
The last comment he said with a grimace, almost as if he was referring to a past event that none but him were aware of. Team RWBY exchanged awkward looks, unsure of what to say or if they should speak at all. Their saving grace came from Phoenix who cleared his throat to draw attention back to himself.
"It's been lovely meeting you all, but we have a prior appointment that we need to be getting to," he said, giving them an easy smile which they readily returned. "We'll have to continue this another time."
"Indeed," Weiss agreed, glad to have the situation pass.
Phoenix gave each of them an awkward handshake, awkward due to him using his left hand rather than his nonexistent right. Calcipher simply opted to nod politely to them all and no one had the courage to call him out for it. Judging from their expressions, they were all eager to move on from the conversation.
"Shall we get going? Phoenix asked, turning to Calcipher expectantly.
"You go on ahead. I'll meet you at the bullhead. I have someone I have to see before I leave."
Phoenix gave him a quizzical look but shrugged it off soon after.
"I'll walk you out. Fewer people will bother you if I'm acting as an escort," Weiss offered.
"Few people bothered me on the way in," he replied, completely ignoring the fact he'd been accompanying Calcipher.
"Don't be rude, Phoenix. Walk the young lady out. It's the least you can do."
Phoenix shot Calcipher a disgruntled glare but otherwise surrendered to Weiss' grasp as she took hold of his arm and led him down the hall towards the bullhead docks.
/-/
Calcipher walked steadfastly through Beacon's garden's, ignoring the odd looks he received from students as he walked along the paths. No doubt many of them here recognized the fact that he wasn't one of their instructors but the overall way in which he held himself along with the dangerous aura he typically gave off usually ensured people either assumed he was a Huntsman or avoided messing with him altogether. It was a rare occasion when someone ignored their instincts and attempted to either intimidate him or mug him. Neither scenario ever ended well for the perpetrator.
As he walked along the number of students he met quickly dissipated until he was completely alone. He was grateful for that. His destination was one he preferred to have his solitude at and, while it wasn't the exact spot where his beloved was memorialized, it made for a decent substitute. It was only when he neared his destination that he noticed he wasn't alone. Already he could see a young woman with long red hair standing before the memorial, her attention on it fully enough to allow him to walk up next to her without alerting her to his presence.
"Afternoon," he said, startling her from her thoughts.
"Ah, o-oh, hello," the young woman replied. "May I help you?"
"I take it you're here to pay your respects as well?" he asked.
"O-oh, yes, yes I am," she replied.
"Then don't let me keep you," he said, turning his attention to the memorial below.
It was a simple thing, a cement plaque with Jaune's name along with a message of remembrance. The tablet itself was raised a few inches off the ground and had managed to incorporate the Kingdom's symbol along with the Arc family's crest into the design, something which he was pleasantly surprised by. If memory served, while they hadn't had a body to bury here, Nicholas had instead opted to lay his family sword in Jaune's place. It was his means of saying that the line of Arc Huntsmen would end with him and that no one else would continue the tradition only to suffer the same fate as his son. If only he knew the truth. No doubt Juniper would have some choice words for him and that was only after Nicholas had finished smashing his head through the nearest wall.
"Um," the girl said, giving the man an uneasy and wary look. "Are you a friend of the family?"
Calcipher chuckled, eliciting another look of concern from the girl before he answered. "You might say that. I'm actually Jaune's Uncle by marriage."
Pyrrha's mouth moved much like a fish gasping for air on the beach. It was obviously taking her a moment to realize what he meant and to then connect that back to Jaune.
"I had no idea. I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were family."
"Neither did he, I suspect," he said, motioning to the memorial. When she gave him a quizzical look, he explained, "his father Nicholas, and I never really got along, even after his sister and I got married. Our relationship only worsened when she passed and I doubt he ever saw much need to inform his children of an Uncle he barely knew, let alone cared for. I still kept tabs on them, though, should any of them need me."
"I'm so sorry for your loss. Were you able to attend the funeral at least?"
"Unfortunately, I wasn't," he said with obvious regret. "Ever since my wife passed, I'd thrown myself into my work. When I heard about Jaune's untimely passing I was in another Kingdom and wouldn't have been able to make it back in time."
"I'm sorry that something like this happened to you again. Had I been a little bit faster, I might have- "
"Hey, don't do that," he interrupted and, seeing the look she gave him, continued, "I know quite well what you're doing. You can't blame yourself for what happened. There's nothing you could have done to change the events that transpired. None of you could have. The fact of the matter is, what happened was unavoidable. Despite what we may think and wish to believe, we have no more power over past events than we did when they happened."
"You sound like someone who's grappled with similar feelings," she replied.
"I have, yes," he said, his tone more somber as he turned back towards the memorial, his face set in a neutral expression. "I haven't had many people in my life whom I could honestly say I trusted, let alone loved on some deeper level. When I did, though, it wasn't long before I found myself in situations that ultimately led to me losing them."
"I'm so sorry," she said quietly.
"Losing them wasn't the worst part," he continued, nodding to acknowledge her sympathy. "It's living with that loss that's the hardest. It's difficult, and almost downright impossible, to continue living and to find the means to forgive yourself for what happened. I've put myself through countless scenarios revolving around the events that took each and every one of the people I loved away from me. At the end of the day, though, they're dead and there's nothing I can do now that'll change that fact. The one thing I can do is live. Live and grow and fight to ensure the same thing doesn't happen to anyone else."
He motioned to the memorial as he spoke, saying, "I didn't know my nephew as well as I wish I had and most of that can't be blamed on his father. I had the ability and the opportunity to reach out to him, to forge a connection with him, but I instead chose to leave him be, more so for my own emotional security than for his overall safety. What I do know of him I can say with confidence. He wouldn't have blamed you for what happened. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself either. What happened was beyond your control and everyone else's that was present. None of you can change how events took place but you can use the experience to become better so that this never happens to anyone else."
Having said his peace, he took a deep breath, stayed a few minutes longer, and then began making his way out of the gardens towards the bullhead air pad. Pyrrha watched him walk away for a minute, and glanced down at Jaune's memorial, before looking back towards his Uncle.
"How long?" she called out.
"Hmm?"
"How long does it take?" she asked. "How long before it no longer hurts to think about them? To think about what happened and what might have been?"
The man didn't answer at first, instead giving her a sad smile.
"It doesn't," he replied. The answer wasn't what she was expecting nor was it what she wanted. He knew that, though. She could see it in his eyes. "It does get easier, though. Time has a way of dulling the pain, but you have to do something that seems almost impossible first before you can start to heal and move on."
"What's that?"
"You have to forgive yourself," he replied.
/-/
Weiss didn't know what had come over her. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made to her. She should simply drop it and accept the situation for what it was but, knowing how her mind worked, she simply couldn't do that until she had a firm grasp on what she'd done and why. In theory, it was a simple and easy matter to explain. She'd watched as her friends, her teammates, acted awkwardly around Phoenix, enough so that it was painful to watch. It had all the hallmarks of how their first meeting had gone and she'd silently wondered if she'd looked just as bad to him or if it had looked much, much worse by comparison. Things hadn't been much better when his employer arrived and began socializing with them. She was still wondering whether or not his statement about him knowing her mother had any truth to it or not. Her natural reaction was to deny it. She was a Schnee after all and it wasn't uncommon for people to claim to be friends of her family as a means of growing closer to her and digging their claws into the possibility of gaining some sort of influence in Atlas' High Society through their acquaintance to her. However, if that were the case then the manner in which he was going about it was very peculiar. For one thing, no one had attempted to use her mother's name as a means of getting close to her in years. Ever since an argument she'd had with her father seven years ago where he'd vocally confirmed he'd only married her for her family's name and influence, her mother had slowly but surely closed herself off from the rest of society, as well as her family, in order to spend more and more time with an ever-increasing amount of wine.
Not only that but her instincts told her the man didn't want anything from her. In truth, he appeared to be rather well off himself. Having taken a look at his clothing she could see it was all custom-tailored and certainly wasn't cheap. The fact that he owned and operated a business that revolved around the extermination of Grimm in more isolated areas meant he was able to negotiate his own contracts, including the payout expected from them. It would also mean that the equipment they purchased for their jobs didn't come cheap either. Huntsmen equipment was expensive and that was mostly due to the fact that they fought and killed creatures that didn't bleed, feel pain, or were even slowed down by a missing limb until you lopped off their heads. Still, she wasn't too keen about confirming the man's claims of being acquainted with her mother. She hadn't spoken to the woman in years, and she wasn't at all eager to cross that bridge just yet. Perhaps when it became absolutely necessary but not before then.
"Sorry for how my teammates acted back there," she said, hoping the simple apology would help to make the situation feel less awkward.
"Don't worry about it," he said with a wave of his hand and a soft smile. "Honestly, if anyone should apologize it's me."
"You? For what?"
"For not warning you ahead of time of our visit," he replied. "I knew my employer and I would be visiting today but I assumed you'd be busy with lessons or other matters, and I figured our meeting here would be short. I didn't anticipate meeting you all here, nor Calcipher reacting the way he did with you all. Given his profession and the life he's led up to this point, the man can be quite eccentric."
"I think that goes without saying," she replied, earning a slight chuckle from him. "You don't need to apologize, however. I'll admit it was a bit of a shock to learn that he knows my mother well enough to be on a first-name basis. That being said, he's certainly different from how I pictured him."
"Oh? How did you imagine him to be?" he asked.
"Someone more business-minded," she said, like her father though she left that part out. "His easy attitude made him more approachable and personable. It was certainly refreshing compared to some others I've had the displeasure of meeting."
"I'll bet," he replied with a smirk.
It didn't take them long to reach the docks Beacon used for their transports. They had fallen into some easy conversation along the way, something which Weiss appreciated. She was finding it easier to speak with Phoenix than she had initially anticipated and, oddly enough, it made her feel eager to keep the conversation going. Any thought of him departing left her with a feeling of discomfort, something which she didn't quite know what to make of just yet. As they stepped outside, though, it became easy to locate the transport he'd be taking as it was the only one currently docked with the pilot leaning against the bullhead as he waited for his passengers to arrive.
"I suppose this is where I should let you go so you can rejoin your team," he said as they drew close.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait with you until your employer arrives? It doesn't look like he's finished with his errand yet," she pointed out eagerly.
"I'll be fine on my own, Weiss. Besides, he won't be long, and you can't rely on me as a convenient excuse to avoid your teammates."
"It's hurtful that you'd think so low of me," she replied with an annoyed huff.
"Uh-huh," he said with a chuckle. "Go on, before they send out a search party. I'm sure they're oh so eager to hear your recounting of how we first became acquainted with one another."
That comment had whatever retort she was about to throw his way dying in her throat as her ears slowly heated up from the memory of it.
"You still remember that?" she asked sheepishly, enough so that her own father would have been livid with how she was acting in a manner unbecoming of a Schnee.
"Oh, my dear Miss Schnee, it's one of my fondest memories," he said with a devilish smile that had her blushing from embarrassment.
Before he could say anything further to enflame the situation, Calcipher stepped into view, granting Weiss a convenient excuse to make her escape while Phoenix watched her go with obvious amusement.
"Anything I should know about?" Calcipher asked, glancing towards the retreating form of Wiess Schnee.
"I'll fill you in later," Phoenix said as he climbed into the bullhead.
/-/
"As you can all see by this map, this area here," Calcipher said, waving his hand over a mass of red dots, "is where the majority of the Dust the White Fang have stolen was transported to with another smaller collection being shipped out to various other locations in Vale which we are assuming are previously set up safehouses."
A few hours following their visit to Beacon, Calcipher called a meeting between himself, Phoenix, Lazarus, Max, and various other members of their unit that we currently operating in other parts of Remnant. On a nearby monitor, Lazarus' face could be seen. The man was currently in Mistral though that would change as he had plans to make his way to Vale in time for the upcoming festival. There were no other screens present for the other members and instead they had speakers with various locations labeled underneath them to designate who was currently present and had a little red light that would illuminate whenever their member spoke. This was meant to ensure their identity remained anonymous though Calcipher knew all their names and faces while Phoenix knew one or two at most.
Before them was set a holographic representation of the area of Mountain Glenn with the red dots signifying the location of the trackers they'd placed on the Dust shipments. While this looked impressive, those in the know were aware of the fact that the CCT was capable of reaching out as far as Mountain Glenn without using military-grade equipment, something which wouldn't have gone unnoticed by the city itself. Instead, they'd used geographical surveys conducted a few years ago to recreate an assumed representation of the landscape and, using the coordinates sent to them every few hours from the trackers themselves, they were able to place each red dot until they had a firm approximation of their exact location. That was the layman's version, at the very least, and the easiest one for Jaune to understand. The actual technical descriptions had left his head spinning, enough so that he'd requested a dumbed-down version just so he could make sense of it all.
"Is the Atlesian Paladin there as well?" their Agent in Menagerie asked.
"Unfortunately, no," Calcipher replied. "We've tracked that to another safehouse in Vale where one of the trackers went dead. We anticipated this happening, though I think it's safe to assume that our adversaries will be aware they're being tracked and will start checking their assets for more trackers. We anticipate they'll start going dark within a few days once word begins to spread to their other agents."
"Understandable though not unanticipated," the agent from Atlas replied. "Phoenix did place one of these trackers to act as a decoy should they suspect their cargo was being tracked. Now that we have an exact location, they'll begin to panic as it would take a monumental effort to move all of their assets to new locations again. With Beacon now aware and Atlas already nearing Vale airspace, it's only a matter of time before we are able to squash their operation before it has a chance to take off."
"And what if they don't start moving anything?" Vacuo lit up as they posed a new question. "Given the overall volume of Dust the White Fang stole as well as the effort they went through just to transport it out to Mountain Glenn of all places, I'd think it's safe to assume they're not planning on going anywhere. If anything, I'd be more concerned with what it's all meant for. While the White Fang aren't strangers to stealing dust, if you compare the total volume they've stolen from Vale to their previous heists, it's obvious they aren't stock-pilling it for weapons. There's something bigger at play here and I for one don't like not knowing what the intended outcome might be."
"Agreed," Calcipher said, drawing attention back to him. "The sheer amount they've accrued could only mean they intend to start producing bombs."
"That goes without saying," Atlas said. "The only real question now is what their intended targets are. Even though we can safely assume they're crafting improvised explosives, that's still a large amount of Dust which would mean a large number of targets they intend to hit."
"Or a few large targets to bring down with a cascade of explosions."
That comment had them all falling into silence and while none of the other areas lit up, it was safe to assume this new information had everyone feeling on edge.
"Fang, is there any word through the grapevine in regard to what the White Fang intends to do here in Vale?" Calcipher asked, directing his questions towards Menagerie.
"Unfortunately, no and that's not due to Sienna and her agents being tight-lipped about the operations they have going on in Vale. In truth, it has more to do with the members of the Fang growing increasingly discontent with her methods, leading some of her lieutenants to begin acting on their own accord. One name in particular that has been popping up around here a lot recently is Adam Taurus."
"I'm not surprised," Atlas cut in. "The boy has made quite a name for himself, especially with how violent and public his methods have become over the years. If memory serves, he was one of Sienna's most loyal agents, something which led her to put him in charge of their cells here in Atlas."
"He was, though that changed recently within the last year when Sienna sent him and his team to intercept some military shipments bound for Vale. He's apparently remained in the Kingdom in spite of Sienna's orders for him to return to Atlas. His increasing rebelliousness in regards to her orders is just one thing that has me on edge here."
"What else can you tell us, brother?" Calcipher inquired.
"I've heard persistent rumors from some of the grunts revolving around their distaste with Sienna's methods as well as their admiration for Adams'. Given that Sienna's ideology has left them with little to show in the last couple of years, Adam's increasing victories, if that's what you can call them, have left many to shift their support in favor of adopting his methods as their own. What's more, the twins haven't been at all subtle with their praise for Adam, causing a rift to form between them and her. Seeing as how they're in charge of the Fang's PR campaign, it's starting to look like there might be plans to remove Sienna from power and replace her with Adam."
"Ironic. It was Sienna who all but forced Ghira and Kali to leave the Fang before she took the reins. Now she finds herself threatened to be replaced," Atlas said, a chuckle managing to find its way through to their end.
"As poetic as it would be to see Sienna become the victim of a co de ta against her, I can't say I like whom they have in mind to replace her," Calcipher said. "She and I have always had an understanding and, while I don't completely agree with her methods, I can at least appreciate the fact that even she has a line she won't cross. Adam, on the other hand, is beginning to act more and more like a rabid dog let off his leash."
"I can't imagine he'd force her out of power through peaceful methods either," Fang replied. "I've a feeling his ascension to the head of the White Fang would be a violent and bloody affair, one that would come to define the White Fang and Faunus as a whole for decades to come."
"We should start by cutting him off at the pass," Vacuo replied. "I take it you have something in mind for his operations in Vale, Calcipher?"
"Indeed, I do." He clicked a button, causing the hologram to shut down and for the image of a man nearing middle age to pop up. Next to him was a short bio to include his name, residence, his current business, and most interesting of all his race which read as Faunus.
"This is Tukson. He's a former White Fang operative, though his records from Menagerie read him as current. He's one of the originals, having joined in Mistral when Ghira was still leading the White Fang in their peaceful protests. He stuck around after Sienna took power and was sent to Vale in order to head one of their more clandestine divisions."
"That being?" Atlas asked.
"Smuggling, mostly weapons," Fang answered.
"Can we assume he had a hand in the smuggling of the Atlesian Paladins in Vale?" Vacuo asked.
"It's doubtful. From what we've been able to learn he's mostly hand firearms and has used his bookstore as a halfway point between the shipments and the safehouses they're distributed to."
"Charming," Atlas commented.
"Knowing all this, we were able to track the shipments and used that information to locate some of the White Fang's safehouses here in Vale. Unfortunately, Phoenix has discovered that those places either don't show signs of the Dust having been sent or housed there or were abandoned some time ago. It's obvious they're being smarter about how and where they've been transporting their Dust which means it'll be that much more difficult to determine what their targets might be."
"This is all well and good but what does that have to do with the operation as a whole? If the man's stance within the White Fang doesn't put him in a position to help us locate the Fang's targets, then why are we focusing on him?"
"A recent purchase he made has placed him in our crosshairs," Calcipher said.
Pressing another button, a second image popped up, this time showing a ticket for a public flight from Vale to Vacuo, one way.
"Now that's interesting," Vacuo commented.
"From what we've been able to gather Tukson isn't being relocated to Vacuo by the Fang which means that he's attempting to abandon them in order to start over. The fact that we were able to intercept this information has led us to believe other elements with the Fang itself might also be aware and could already have agents on their way to silence him."
"While it's a bit of a stretch, the fact that he's choosing now to flee has led to the theory that Tukson might know something about the operations planned for Vale or at the very least saw something he shouldn't have and was shaken enough to decide to cut his losses. Either way, we've been granted an opportunity to garner some insider information I currently don't have access to here in Menagerie which is why Calcipher has green lite an operation to apprehend him and offer him a deal, one where we'll help him create a new identity for himself in Vacuo so long as he's willing to divulge any information he has on the White Fang's current operations."
"Currently, Max, Phoenix, and I will be heading this operation. Phoenix will be in charge of slipping into the back of the store while Max and I remain out front to distract Tukson until we receive confirmation that we've found evidence pinning him to the White Fang. From there we'll offer him the chance to come with us of his own volition. Should he refuse, we'll be more forceful with our methods. From there we'll return later in the evening to trash the store and plant some of his blood along with evidence showing that he was assaulted by citizens who have a less than positive view of Faunus."
"Not sure how I feel about that last part, to be honest," Vacuo replied.
"More importantly, are you sure we should allow Max to be a part of this operation? She is your daughter, after all," Atlas interjected.
"She's a key part of their disguise. Calcipher is going to be acting as her father and she'll be used as a lookout for the most part. We don't expect there to be a confrontation of any kind but if Tukson does become physical then Calcipher and Phoenix should be more than capable of handling him," Fang informed him.
"That's all we have for. Return to your current assignments. I'll inform you of any significant changes to the operations here in Vale as well as anything new we manage to learn from our friend. Lazarus, we'll be awaiting your arrival as well."
With a nod from the doctor and affirmations from the others, the holo was shut down as they each got ready for the operation that would shortly take place.
Building up to a portion of the storyline that I had in mind for quite some time now. Just so my readers are aware, the fact that Calcipher happens to know everyone's parents isn't something I just added to make him seem more OP. I will have parts of the story that include moments where portions of his past are brought up, examined, and even alluded to with many of these past relations being key to the forging of alliances in future chapters. I won't have him referencing relationships to key characters without there being a reason behind it. Also, some of these relations are being transplanted from my old "World War Remnant" storyline so I do have some groundwork already laid out in advance.
Hope you all enjoy. I already have the next chapter in the works so expect another update before the new year. Might take a break after that but we'll have to see.
