CHAPTER 2: THE YAEGER I
Remnant, System Unknown
Kingdom of Vale
Beacon Academy
April 10th, 56 AGW
Tony had gotten to work immediately from the get go. He had one month to deliver what he had said, and given his lack of knowledge in some of the basic laws of science in this world, he was really putting his balls in a vice grip. That being said, it was that same pressure the compelled him to complete this project and make it really good. Regardless, it was still a lot to accomplish. A month's time was barely enough to draw up a detailed schematic, get the materials needed for modifications, repurpose already-existing technology to reduce building time, testing for flaws and bugs, and then actually putting the weapon to use. Normally, this was worth at least six months of work.
Week one had been spent on mapping out a blueprint. He took the extensive knowledge he did have about missiles and weapon systems from Earth and began to draw up a simple but effective design. He made the design with the expectation that weapon systems in this world were at least peripherally similar, therefore cutting his project time by a month.
On the first day of the second week he received every single piece of hardware he needed. Equipment, tools, completed missiles, missile parts, and various other raw materials. One look at the internal systems showed that there were enough similarities in design and operation that these systems could be retooled. It was a stroke of good luck.
Weeks two and three were solely dedicated to assembling all the physical components of the missile. It was best to make a big bang to kick things off, so power was the key here. With that decision made, refinement would become a secondary concern.
The last week was spent making minute adjustments, adding some new features whenever possible, and then running tests and simulations. A combination of Earth and Remnant components made for some very interesting and promising results. Best of all, it wasn't a complicated concoction, just a simple little trial gone right.
While working on his weapon project, Tony took the time to consume the ins and outs of dust and its application to technology. The reality was that it wasn't that complicated to use and its applications were hilariously underwhelming at times. What made it worse was that there was literally nothing else out there that served as a viable alternative. That was more than a little alarming. This world had developed along such a linear path that exploitation was less a matter of if and more a matter of when.
In any event, opportunity was knocking and he would be a fool to not use this knowledge to his advantage. The Arc Reactor could become the new face of energy in this world. Not only that, but any form of renewable energy could become revolutionary to this world. One day, he would be able to achieve this vision and change Remnant forever. In the meantime, he would stick to dust, learn how to utilize it best before going any further.
A beep alerted Tony that his little side gig was done. His eyes began to scan the nearby screen, his grin growing wider by the minute. Hacking into the Atlas Military wasn't just ridiculously easy; it was a really bad joke. The Pentagon had better security than this, but then again, the Cold War was still on, hence the tightened security. Remnant's last war was over fifty years ago, so he could chalk up this lackluster security to complacency, not that he was complaining. It made his job easier. He now had access to top-secret military technologies, plans, and secrets, and there was a LOT to go through. It was actually pretty fun to rummage through classified data like he owned it.
The young man had also hacked into Beacon's database to discover a plethora of battles and fights for huntsmen and huntresses in training. What he saw could only be described as absurdity and comic book imagination. No person on Earth was capable of such inhuman displays of speed, strength, and dexterity. It just wasn't possible, not by the laws that he was familiar with, but aura changed everything quite literally. One huntsman or huntress was worth ten special forces soldiers, maybe even twenty.
And now apparently he had this power too. The young genius had already felt the differences during his month at work. Physical work took far less effort than he remembered, but he promised himself to never allow himself to grow reliant upon the power. If he did, he worried that he would lose any sort of appeal with women and that was one that he definitely did not want to live without. He needed to maintain a good body image and keep the women coming. That applied to Faunus women too.
Sure, old Hugh Hefner could pretty up his girls and dress them in bunny ears and bunny costumes, but now that women had actual bunny ears and tails, things were going to get really interesting, and not just the bunny girls. With such a variety in the Faunus community, hooking up with some of them sounded pretty fun. Tony was sure that he could look up some rather raunchy videos of Faunus girls getting their sexy on, but since he anticipated getting some of that action himself, the young Stark decided that it would better to surprise himself. Some of the prospects were just so damn interesting.
But getting back to the main point, huntsmen and huntresses, for all of their power, still weren't enough to kill all the Grimm. If they were, then Grimm wouldn't be a problem anymore. That meant either huntsmen were not as strong as they should be or the Grimm were more powerful than common knowledge said. Those were more conventional conclusions to come to; the Stark heir came to his own conclusion. Mindless creatures couldn't possibly win long-term against mindful sentient beings. That meant that the Grimm had to be commanded by something… or someone, but who'd be crazy enough to take these things out for a joy ride? They would have to be totally out of their mind or just really love killing people.
To Tony's logical mind, it didn't make any logical sense, which could only mean one thing: someone knew the truth. Someone knew what was really going on. Assuming that was the case, then there was far more going on than what he had been told, which sounded about right now that he thought about it. Ozpin was hiding a lot of things, that much was clear. The man had a look in his eyes that clearly expressed wisdom and knowledge that few people were aware of. It was too bad that the old man didn't have a better poker face because now that Tony knew that Ozpin was keeping secrets, he was going to find out what they were. To do that, he needed to clear his debts and become his own man as soon as possible.
The brown-haired young man took another look at his scroll. The device more than fascinated him. It was such a small thing yet it had the power and capabilities of computers in his world and then some. They were small devices that folded in the pocket yet durable. The screen and interface were so alien yet easily accessible. This was the king of tech that could only be imagined in sci-fi movies. This was pretty much Star Wars levels of nerdom and that was pretty cool. He could imagine George Lucas looking at this stuff and literally having a heart attack. Maybe it would inspire him to create some more awesome and cheesy films.
Getting back on topic, Tony ran another simulation on his computer to see what he was dealing with. The raw destructive output of his weapons was more than what he needed for his demonstration, but what mattered more was the accuracy of said weapons. Raw destructive power by itself was all well and good, but without some form of control, they would be nothing more than bombs. It might as well be more effective to fashion some really high-end grenades and lob them at the Grimm.
Yes, these weapons were aimed to kill Grimm, but these weapons, with the proper tweaking, could be just as effective in conventional warfare, man to man style. World peace wouldn't come merely with the destruction of the monsters of this world. If anything, the Grimm being wiped out would only invite an arms race between the four kingdoms to see which could acquire more land, more resources, and more leverage over each other. There would be a need for weapons long after the Grimm were gone.
It wasn't evil to be the supplier of these weapons. If anything, it would help keep the peace. Like he said to Ozpin, an imperfect world demanded morally grey actions. Nobody had to like the outcome, but it was still necessary.
For now, focus on the Grimm.
Iron Man - - - RWBY
Remnant, System Unknown
Kingdom of Vale
Near the Emerald Forest
April 12th, 56 AGW
Tony looked around at some of the assembled faces and took stock of what he was dealing with. These were all military leaders from Vale that had come in response to the summons of Ozpin. Apparently, being the headmaster of Beacon Academy granted him a seat on Vale's council. That meant the man had insane pull not just in politics, but also in military matters. Paying this favor back would be no small feat, but if his predictions were right, then there would be no need to worry. After all, he wasn't a genius for nothing. He knew what to look for when it came to business. The key was knowing what this world needed and wanted. Even better was giving people what they wanted before people even realized that they wanted it, a skill that the best businessmen had in their arsenal.
Tony checked himself over to make sure that he was looking his best. It was custom-made and tailored to him specifically, which had made it a more expensive suit, but the cost was simply tacked onto the cost of the development of the weapons that would be tested today, so in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't all that expensive. Nevertheless, having a spick and span appearance was always critical to making a good first impression. People loved professional looks and a suits screamed high-class, even in this world.
His primary problem with this presentation was him being an unknown with no credibility. As far as everyone here was concerned, they were here wasting their time and only by Ozpin's words did they even bother to come here for the slim chance that things would get interesting. In the business world, nobody ever took anyone seriously until they proved they could sell their goods or services. With this fact in mind, it was impertinent to conduct himself in a way that was both confident and certain yet not arrogant or pompous in any way that could dissuade interest in what he was doing. He could become what he wanted once he had proven that his words weren't just smoke.
"My name is Tony Stark." The young prodigy began. "My trade is dealing in weapons. Whether it's for soldiers in the field or for large-scale destruction, I can build it. Yes, you heard right. I personally build my own weapons as well as sell them. Before I'm a businessman, I'm an inventor."
Behind his shades, Tony watched the reactions. So far, everyone held poker faces, but he could imagine that none of them were truly taking him seriously, which didn't surprise or bother him. He still had a ways to go.
"With that out of the way, I'll get straight to the point. The current ways of fighting Grimm aren't enough. There aren't enough huntsmen in the world to push back the Grimm; the armed forces all around the world aren't properly equipped to deal with Grimm on a large scale. You have to wonder to yourselves: how long are we going to fight the Grimm? A few more years? A decade? A few decades? A hundred years? A thousand? Haven't we been doing this for long enough? Isn't it time that we took care of the pests and actually made use of this world the way we ought to use it?"
Tony was aiming for less eloquence and more simple and straightforward words. The effect that he desired was very clear. He could see some nods, some subtle, others obvious, but all pointed to a single common desire: seeing the Grimm gone for good. That was going to be his main selling point for now. Everyone had a common enemy in the Grimm, nobody could deny this fact.
"I'm here to offer the first of many solutions." The young man surveyed everyone present before taking a glance at his work to his left. "I present to all of you the first of many crowning jewels to come. This missile is the first of its kind in Remnant. It makes use of a system I like to the call the Automated Grimm Exterminator, or A.G.E. if you're feeling lazy. As you've already guessed it, this missile is intended to target Grimm, but unlike simple missiles that explode and cause a big mess, this missile is designed to damage only one thing: Grimm."
Tony, with his scroll in his hand, began to work something out without even looking at the screen. He had memorized the controls on the device, making his presentation less about him messing with things and more about showing off. People's time was precious and the last thing any presentation needed was to drag on needlessly.
"If you'll direct your attention to the screen, this is live data of Grimm activity within the Emerald Forest. All those red dots are Grimm, and there are a LOT of them, but that's about to change. All you need is one good reason to fire this thing off and I personally guarantee you the Grimm will be given a reason to fear us."
With less than a second of fiddling on his scroll again, the missles began to arrange themselves into position to begin firing. At first glance, they didn't appear to be anything more than what they appeared. This was where the fun wound begin.
The A.G.E. system began to receive data regarding the positions of the Grimm within the forest, then began calculating its greatest area of effect. All of this programming should have taken a competent team of ten about a month to create and the genius had done it in a week's time with more than a few all-nighters and coffee. There had been many simulations to test the viability of the system, but this was the first live demonstration. If it didn't work, he might as well just fade into obscurity and give up entirely.
With the proper information needed, the left-most missile in the pod ignited its rockets before blasting off into the sky, a clear trail of smoke left in its wake. The now airborne missile began a slow but steady ascendance into the sky. Some seconds crawled by before the projectile had increased speed and reached a sizeable distance from the launching area. Once it had reached the optimal point in the sky, the missile seemingly began to break apart into smaller pieces, each carrying a part of the true weapon.
Whenever Grimm were killed, they would often leave dust in their wake. Usually, it was hard to recover the black monsters in a state that would allow for any sort of study. However, because Tony was connected to Ozpin, he had the advantage of being able to get his hands on some rather rare things. The inventor had no idea how the headmaster had acquired that Grimm samples that he did, but he certainly was going to make good use of it.
With what little spare time he did have, Tony had studied the substance that made the Grimm. It was unusual to say the least and as of right now, he didn't fully understand it. What he did understand, though, was that the substance was highly unstable to say the least. How this thing managed to make anything resembling an intelligent creature was tantamount to an act of God and Tony had never believed in a God or any supernatural miracle. Regardless, he had tested various dust particles with it and quickly determined that dust could be used to break apart the bonds that held it together. With this in mind, the creation of his weapon become much more easier.
Keeping all of this in mind, Tony could imagine the missile in the sky now scattering the specifically-configured dust particles in the air. Normally speaking, dust could react to a number of factors in the environment if left to its own devices or if mishandled, but the prodigal scientist had managed to restrict the way that the dust responded to what it was exposed. Put simply, the dust loaded in the missle wouldn't react to anything at all.
Except the Grimm.
For a minute, everyone seemed confused by what had happened. Tony simply kept himself still. Everything was going as he wanted it to. Even with all the various risks involved, it was all falling into place. The screen showing the position of the Grimm in the forest began to shift. Where there were many red dots on the map now there existed less. A few disappeared, then a few more, than many more. Less than half the original numbers existed. Soon, they dwindled into a dozen or so. Finally, they all were gone, as if they had never existed. The absolute proof of the confirmed kills were the many trails of black mist that came from the treelines. There were no more Grimm.
"For your consideration," Tony gestured to his handiwork and declared proudly, "The Jaeger."
Judging by the stares he was getting, he would say that this was a resounding success.
RWBY - - - Iron Man
Remnant, System Unknown
Kingdom of Vale
Beacon Academy
April 20th, 56 AGW
The success of the weapon test was more than a moderate successful. All expectations had been blow out of the water. The requests for the new Jaeger Missile were in effect. The Council of Vale were more than eager to purchase the device for the price that was being asked. At this rate, making money wouldn't be an issue. Now, the question was a matter of how much money there was going to be.
It hadn't even been that long and already Ozpin had found himself being paid back what he was owed. Tony had immediately send lien to cover the costs of the total loan over the past month. After that, Mister Stark moved out of Beacon as if his life depended on it. He was serious about repaying his debts in full and as far as the headmaster of Beacon was concerned, the man had done just that. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that this man had the potential to rival even the Schnee Dust Company given enough time and that was saying something considering that the SDC was arguably the most well-known businesses in all of Remnant.
The newly-minted Stark Industries was now a subject of much talk within the political and business realm. Everyone present at the demonstration was thoroughly impressed with what they witnessed. Only a few concerns were raised as to whether or not one man was capable of building this entire system himself. Ozpin himself had given his account of how everything done here was due to Tony Stark. With the support of the headmaster of Beacon Academy, nobody really had any reason to ask further questions. With the results being what they were, everyone was already scrambling for a piece of the action.
The most interested and enthusiastic buyers were those that came from the scientific community. Predictably, they were interested in more than just the actual weapon itself. The A.G.E. system was of great interest to them. Due to its specialized nature in dealing with Grimm, it was rapidly becoming something of a much sought-after software. It wouldn't be surprising if Mister Stark decided to classify his invention as proprietary technology of his company to keep anyone else from potentially profiting off of his work.
And it was probably just as well. Tony was a businessman as well as an inventor among other things.
Over the past month plus some days, Ozpin had become familiar with the man that was Anthony Edward Stark. The man was brilliant, perhaps one of the most brilliant men that he had ever seen in his entire lifetime, which was considerable, so that was saying something. That brilliance didn't just extend to one field. The young Stark was an expert of many scientific fields not to mention a very savvy businessman. The level of growth and potential that Stark Industries was showing was nothing short of staggering. All of this was realized at the young age of twenty-one.
Tony was also nothing if not confident, arrogant, and just a little bit condescending, yet somehow he managed to make himself quite the charismatic figure, enough so that whatever behaviors that he displayed that could be classified as rude behavior was overlooked in favor of his greater traits. It was a balancing act of being respectable yet also annoying; few could pull it off. Ozpin personally had no problems with his behavior. There were worse men in the world and being arrogant was hardly a new trait. If anything, this brand of arrogance was slightly more justified, slightly being the key word.
The young weapons developer aside, there were still things he had to do in the meanwhile. The work of a huntsman never stopped, not while the Grimm roamed free and not while his ultimate enemy still was out there in the world. This shadow was had been going on for thousands of years, but now, there just might be a chance to break the stalemate and bring a decisive end once and for all. The old man never thought he would be saying this, but now he was ever-so thankful to have in his company the genius and intellect of a man who was in the business of war.
Ozpin was also grateful that the weapons that Tony had built worked exclusively on Grimm. The last thing any of them needed were the four kingdoms gaining news weapons and giving each other new reasons to be wary of each other. They just needed to survive long enough for the Creatures of Grimm to be eradicated once and for all. After that, there would be time to discern the finer details of a world with only Mankind in it. For now, he would take any advantage he could get, even if morally questionable.
Despite the test having been relatively close to Beacon Academy, the effects on the school were minimal, hardly felt by the students. That was due in no small part to the students being on spring break. Those that did stay at the school hadn't even heard a word of anything unusual going on. The ignorance of the students neither positive nor negative. Even if the children did know what was going on, it wouldn't have made a difference. Huntsmen and the military forces of the world operated separately. Aside from the occasional joint exercises, both stuck to their intended roles.
The inclusion of Grimm-specific weaponry in the world would ultimately not change all that much despite what the implications suggested. Huntsmen performed similarly to a military special forces unit; both made use of unconventional strategies and tactics, both had access to special weapons and equipment, and both took on mission that weren't always disclosed to the public. In fact, more than a few huntsmen and huntresses were working as special force operatives, especially so in Atlas. Getting back on topic, things were not going to be all that different. For thousands of years the Grimm persisted while Mankind evolved. Not to downplay Tony's work now, but his weapons only provided an advantage in the shadow war, not a deus ex machina.
In other news, Team STRQ was had gotten into some trouble, the kind that couldn't be swept under the rung. Apparently, Summer Rose had taken it upon herself to take out some criminals in the dark corners of Vale. According to police reports, the encounter was chance and like the leader Miss Rose was, she roped her entire team into it and there was not a thing any of them could do about it. That was just about what he expected from the silver-eyed girl. She was such a spitfire with a thirst for justice and righteousness and good of which he had not seen in many years. There were a lot of years.
Already Ozpin had been recommended that he do something to discipline the team, but he wouldn't be doing that anytime soon. His logic was simple and wasn't all that different from the reason he had let Tony prove himself: nobody could change the world by doing what the world tells them to do. Team STRQ was an unorthodox team that did unorthodox things not unlike the young weapons developer. In that sense, the team and the man shared many traits despite having never met.
The facetious nature of the inventor lended itself to making it harder to get a bead on who he was deep down. The man could simply just be like he was inside as he was outside. He could be hiding a softer side that he didn't show often. It could be both of them and it could be neither of them at all. It was far too early to tell what his outward behavior was really indicating aside from his own self-assurance in his genius and his logic. Chutzpah by itself was never a determining factor in how a person's life played out.
Ozpin noticed a message on his scroll. Disconnecting from his train of thought, he grabbed the device in his hand and saw the sender ID labelled Mister Stark. How strange that this was happening. If he recalled correctly, wasn't this further contact that was not necessary? Tony, though never explicit, had always implied that contact between himself and Ozpin was going to remain low after the moving phase. Whatever this was about had to be something more business-related than anything else.
Curious now, the headmaster steeled himself and opened the contents of the message to see what was going on. What resulted was nothing short of unexpected and slightly surprising as well.
Oz, I've got an proposal for you. While we're talking expansion, let's talk about opportunities for students. I'm willing to have some of your kids intern for me. Consider it a co-op between two parties looking out for each other.
"I see." Ozpin nodded to himself. "Go on."
Iron Man - - - RWBY
Remnant, System Unknown
Kingdom of Vale
The City of Vale
April 20th, 56 AGW
Tony's initial sales had been nothing short of incredible, yet expected. Almost overnight, he had gone from owing money to being a millionaire. Lien was practically flowing into his pockets by the truck loads and he was happy as could be. Stark Industries was looking to make a major killing on Remnant. Maybe in the future if he could find a way back to Earth, he could pool his resources here with the resources there. It was a far-off dream and unrealistic right now, but hey, dreamers needed something to work towards.
Besides his new funds, he had plans to set up a headquarters in the financial district of the City of Vale. It was really unoriginal name, but whatever. It was a small thing to worry about. Speaking of finance, with his newly-acquired cash assets, he could now afford to take out some loans that he would put to use in growing his company as well as his name. He could now finally use the insider knowledge of Stark Industries as well as his father's tips and tricks to make himself a fortune to rival anyone on Remnant. The thought made him smile more. A legacy on another world.
Stark Industries would need more than just himself a brand-new building. He needed the right people to help him accomplish his goal. He needed a team that not only was competent but also motivated and capable of the ideal synergy. No business ever succeeded without the right kind of help. Finding the people would be easier said than done though. Although he had done his basic homework in regards to geography and the kingdoms and all the places that looked really important, he needed to get a better look for himself. Meeting faces and getting names would be important.
Tony's first destination, regrettably, was the Kingdom of Atlas. That place was basically a really uptight places, a floating iceberg surrounded by a lot more ice. In essence, an antarctic hellscape. Why anyone deigned to live there was beyond the Stark's comprehension. It was like people in Atlas lived like ice kings and ice queens. Maybe that was how they got their kicks. He heard rumors and Ozpin spoke of a militaristic and formal culture. That had to be more of a thing within the upper class. Some pretty rich people lived in the most advanced kingdom in the world. Until he became rich too, then he would have wait and see.
While the inventor had a disliking for Atlas in terms of the fun factor, he couldn't deny that from a business perspective, they were a gold mine. Yes, those dust mongers might have the best technology in the world, but he could do much better than they ever could. By the simple fact that their technology relied upon dust, they were already behind the Arc reactor. Until a time came when he could directly challenge Atlas directly in technology, he would need contacts and connections within its upper echelons of society.
Well, no time like the present. Tony thought to himself as he boarded the plane. Let's go see if Jack Frost is willing to play snowball.
This chapter is slightly shorter than the first chapter, but this seemed to me like a good stopping point. Next chapter, we'll get into Tony establishing relationships with some of the big wigs of Atlas. You've probably already guessed the first one with the last line of this chapter, but there are others to watch out for too.
I'm pleased that so many people think that I nailed Tony Stark as a character. In my opinion, it's really hard to nail down the what exactly this character might do at any given time. I had to rewatch some Iron Man moments from the MCU to figure out what makes sense and what doesn't. Robert Downey Jr is Iron Man and I want to be respectful of his performances.
And on a final note, one of my readers noted that Tony Stark could accidently become a father to Ruby. I thought about that for a minute and then I had an even crazier idea: why not have Tony Stark by the biological father of four of the RWBY characters? Let's not forget that Tony is a womanizer and has no dated and slept with many women. Plus, I chose magical four because hey, it's RWBY. Four just seemed right.
So how is this going to work? Well, since it was a reader who gave me the idea, I'm going to give my audience the ability to decide who Tony's going to be the father of. A poll on my profile page will be launched following the release of this chapter. Vote for your four favorite characters. The poll will provide further details.
Now how did you guys like this chapter? Leave a review with feedback. Anything that'll help me will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading this chapter.
"You prove your worth with your actions, not with your mouth."
Jean Paul