Chapter 6: The weird old hermit.
Professor Ozpin sighed, Beacon Academy's long term Headmaster had been around for longer than most, so it was rare when he saw something that was brand new to him. Usually, seeing something new was exciting, a rare break up to the monotony of life, but this time was different.
He placed his mug down on his glass desk, listening to the cogs of Beacon tower tick behind him. He'd had his office installed here for personal reasons more than anything else, yes the gears did drive the clock behind him, but that was more to justify building it, the cogs were more there to remind him that keeping things working was important. If even a single cog fell out of place, the whole machine would crumble, which was as true for the tower's clock as it was for his duties.
Looking down at this latest report he'd received from one of his agents gave him the impression that the well-oiled machine of daily life was about to be sabotaged, but by whom, he didn't know. He massaged his forehead as he reread Qrow's message.
'Never seen anything like this, definitely isn't a Grimm.'
Below the message was a photo of some kind of scaly bird, the hole in its chest suggesting it had been on the bad end of Qrow's gun. Studying the picture, all he could conclude was it was a biped, and that its milky eyes were rather unnerving.
The problem was that this bird creature wasn't the only thing Qrow had sent him pictures of recently, he had also sent images of strange equipment, all of which was clearly military in nature. Usually it was either purple and smooth, or boxy and grey, the latter was usually emblazoned with the letters 'UNSC' and an insignia of an eagle and a globe, and that was just from Qrow.
He glanced up into the corner of his office; the most interesting find he'd been sent was standing there, and he never knew how to feel about it. He wasn't superstitious, but he could've sworn that it felt angry, and defiant.
The Professor grunted with frustration, reaching for his mug and took a brief moment of satisfaction from the hot cocoa within. He'd tried switching over to drinks like tea or coffee, but he would always gravitate back to his favourite.
As he sat his mug down to begin another round of pondering, the double doors to the towers elevator opened and the rather stern-looking Deputy Headmistress of Beacon walked in.
"Hello Glynda, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Professor Ozpin said with a smile, gesturing to the scenery behind him. "Have you come to enjoy the view?"
Glynda nodded curtly, her blond hair shifting as her green eyes darted to the window and back. The view outside the headmaster's window was stunning, Vale lit up at night and had a rather pleasant glow, but he very much doubted she would take the time away from her office to enjoy such simple pleasantries. She was far too driven for her own good sometimes.
"The view may be nice, but that's not why I'm here." She explained, lifting her tablet. "Team CFVY has encountered something which I believe requires your immediate attention."
Ozpin nodded as he leant forward to examine the screen. It was a picture, presumably Miss Scarletina's work, as only she could get a clear shot in very heavy rain after struggling through a forest for over a week. Photographed clearly was a giant ape and two bipedal lizards. He took the tablet from his deputy and looked at the attached message.
'So we might have a problem, we encountered these things in the woods, the Ape nearly killed us but we took it down, and we haven't seen the lizards since, please advise.'
"I suspect Miss Adel wrote that message." Glynda explained, adjusting her glasses as she sat down in the chair across from Ozpin. "Which is good, I've been worried about her and her team, their mission is already a week past schedule."
"You allowed that?" Ozpin said, a slight smile creeping onto his lips, he understood the value in bending the rules somewhat, could it be he had finally convinced Glynda it was worth it sometimes? The slight blush she let out would suggest yes.
"They refused to leave until their mission to destroy the local Grimm nests was complete. Given that is a desired attitude for professional Huntresses and Huntsmen to have, I decided to allow it." She admitted, shifting about in her chair before continuing. "However, I had grown concerned in recent days as I have had no communication with them for some time, the photo and their location would suggest poor weather conditions are responsible for the lack of contact."
"Most likely." He said as he scrolled up to look at the picture again. "I assume that you aren't familiar with these creatures?"
"No, I was hoping that you were." She admitted. Ozpin chuckled at that.
"I'm sorry to say, but I truly have no idea. Qrow has recently begun encountering similar beings, but outside of that, these are all new to me." He explained, tapping the call button on the tablet. "Miss Adel's team might have useful knowledge, and any information that we can gather from them will likely prove essential. If that ape-like creature attacked them, they may be a threat. We should remain vigilant."
Glynda nodded, although the way that she wouldn't meet his eyes made it clear she had doubts.
"You still think that I made a mistake placing her as their leader, don't you?"
"She has consistently performed inadequately in that regard, the only thing that she has ever truly excelled in is combat. It's hard to believe that she could give us any useful information." Glynda said simply, thinking back to the Teen's poor grades and poor behaviour.
"Keep an open mind Glynda. Miss Adel and her team have encountered these creatures, and we have not. That alone should be a valid reason to hear her and her team out." Ozpin said rather firmly. He respected Glynda and had picked her to be Deputy Headmistress for a reason, but she was not without faults,, and one of them was her perfectionist attitude and expectations. He knew that Coco Adel would make a better leader than anyone else on CFVY. Now if only Glynda and Coco herself would believe it.
The call connected and the video started up. The quality was terrible and the connection faulty, but Ozpin found it hard to be bothered. He remembered the times when talking across any large distance was impossible, and simply began speaking. He immediately noticed that Coco wasn't present, which was worrying, but not enough that he felt truly alarmed.
"Hello Team CFVY, I had some questions about your encounter today, would you be willing to answer?"
"Of course, just let Coco and Noble Six get back." Velvet said, glancing off to look at something Ozpin couldn't see, probably the door to their hotel room.
"Noble Six?" Glynda asked, looking at the crew of teenagers curiously.
"We met her in the Forest." Yatsuhashi answered. "She saved me from the Brute."
"Brute?" Ozpin asked.
"The Ape in the photo, she says they're called Brutes." Fox answered, turning his head to face the scroll before turning it away again, letting his ear face the speakers.
"She knows about the creatures?" Ozpin asked. He did his best to keep his tone calm, but he could tell that Glynda noticed his excitement.
"Yes, she also says the Lizards are called 'Elites'." Velvet answered before she bit her lip, nervously looking around, her ears rotating towards where she'd glanced earlier. "Sir, have you ever heard of a 'Spartan' before?"
"I can't say that I have." Ozpin responded just as the sound of a sliding door was heard and two sets of footsteps entered the room. One was the familiar clack of Coco's heels and the other one was a much softer set. Coco entered the shot and sat down next to Velvet while the other figure looked for a place to sit, eventually settling on the floor mat near Velvet.
The poor resolution made details hard to track, but it seemed the girl moved extremely deliberately with a level of control reserved for hand to hand fighters. She paused to look at the Scroll, giving the Headmaster a chance to notice her orange eyes and, far more importantly, the intent to look behind them. She was young, perhaps below even the age of a typical first year student, but she held herself with a level of determination that was beyond her years; her shoulders stiff and her feet roughly a shoulder width apart, it only took him a moment to recall where he had seen that stance before. It was a Soldier's stance and, were she wearing the right uniform she wouldn't have looked out of place in Atlas.
When he looked up she'd sat down, and that was another rather curious matter, her attire. She appeared to only be wearing a poorly fitting coat that was completely drenched, making the Headmaster wonder why she hadn't taken it off for something dry.
"You must be Noble Six." Ozpin offered with a smile, watching closely for the girl's reaction.
"Spartan B312 of the UNSC, Callsign Noble Six."
The answer was short, robotic and straight to the point, the tone implying she'd said and repeated those exact words countless times. That fact, as well as her wording, only helped reinforce his assumption.
"Would it be too much to ask for an actual name?" Glynda asked, examining the girl. Ozpin sighed, she already didn't look very impressed by the girl, and he doubted that would change anytime soon.
"I'll answer to my callsign." Noble Six responded flatly.
"Very well, Miss Six." Ozpin said, talking firmly to make sure Glynda understood that they were not dwelling on the name. "Team CFVY has informed me that you have information on the creatures shown in their photo. I was told that you were the one who identified them as a 'Brute' and 'Elite", is that correct?"
"Yes, technically Brute and Elite are not the species name, the actual names are Jiralhanae and Sangheili.'' However, we use the nicknames for the sake of brevity on the battlefield." Six explained, looking awkwardly at the Beacon team before continuing. "They are part of the Covenant, an alien hegemony who have declared Humanity heretics to their religion, and have been attempting to exterminate us as a result."
"Aliens?" Glynda asked, eyebrows raised as she stared at the purple haired teen. Ozpin instead sat and considered for a second. What exactly was the best way to respond to her statement? To put voice to his doubts would only serve to drive her away, and with her being the only source of information on these 'aliens', that was something he wasn't willing to risk.
"Miss Six, are they a threat?"
"Yes. Although I cannot say how much. Any Covenant force is dangerous, but if they don't have many numbers, you may be able to fight them off." Six answered. "The circumstances of my arrival have made it hard to determine how many are here, the only thing I can confirm is that they do not have a ship. If they did, I suspect they would have just glassed this planet like they normally do when they find an unimportant human colony."
"Glassing?" Ozpin asked. He noticed how her voice sounded somewhat bitter and hollow as she had said the word.
"Orbital plasma bombardment, they usually do it to human planets when they're done with a ground invasion, or if they decide the planet isn't worth invading." Noble Six explained, the picture quality rising enough to see her face was scrunched up, fists tightened, her breathing growing increasingly erratic. "It's what happened to the world I was on last, they unleash enough plasma to melt the surface, usually leaving nothing but glass."
Ozpin slowly nodded along to what the girl was saying, taking note of how her breathing wasn't getting any slower. He had seen far too many people in this state before. Remnant was a cruel world, and it didn't spare many from the horrors that it held. He'd never liked seeing a child talk about the destruction of their home, especially with such… detachment. It was with a heavy heart that he could tell she was being at least somewhat genuine, that kind of pain being something impossible to fabricate.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Ozpin said, choosing to ignore Glynda's look of complete disbelief over the girl's statement. Whether or not the girl was telling the truth was, for the moment, irrelevant. She clearly had information to share on the mysterious creatures, and a willingness to share it, and that was what mattered. "May I ask how you got here? Everything you've suggested implies you're from another planet."
The girl nodded.
"I am, it was called Reach, and I'm unaware of how I arrived on this one. I've never even heard of Remnant before."
Ozpin thought deeply about the statement, it was hardly the most far fetched thing in the world for her to be from somewhere outside of Remnant. He alone was living proof that far stranger things could exist in this universe. The mysterious creatures and advanced military equipment that was showing up seemingly randomly across Remnant certainly offered some credence to what she was saying. He briefly considered the possibility that she was just hysterical, but discounted it immediately when he once again saw the hollow look in her eyes.
"I see. Do you believe that they will continue their campaign against humanity here?" He asked, deciding the girl would appreciate it if he cut straight to the point.
"Yes, undoubtedly." Noble Six responded without hesitation or second thought.
"Do we have any time to prepare, perhaps even negotiate a peace?" Ozpin asked, but the girl simply shook her head.
"They will not wait for peace. Their devotion to their faith is fanatical, and they will use any means necessary to kill as many Humans as possible."
"What of the Faunus, do you think they will attack them as well?" Glynda asked as she uncrossed her arms and looked down at the Spartan who nodded. She still didn't look entirely convinced by what she was hearing, but she no longer seemed outright doubtful either.
"They have already attacked Velvet, and while you may wish to make the distinction, I assure you they will not."
"I see. Glynda, could you get the helmet and bring it over here?" He asked, pointing to the suit of armour standing in the corner, Glynda nodded and retrieved the peice, Ozpin took it and looked at the purple haired girl. "Miss Six, do you recognize this as belonging to the Covenant?"
As soon as she saw it the girl's detached demeanour shifted drastically, from an almost mechanical professional to rage driven in a second. Her hands dug into the mat she was sitting on, her shoulders tensing and her face snarling. He resisted the immediate urge to pull the helmet back out of view, and held it in place for her to see.
"Where did you get that!?" She hissed, her furious eyes burning into Ozpin even through the screen.
"One of the local Huntsmen found it in the Forever Fall Forest, he described an orange light in the sky, and the suit falling out of the air. I believe it saved his life by crushing an Ursa that was sneaking up behind him." Ozpin explained.
"Give it to me."
The response was quick, almost childish with how bluntly it had been said. For once, Ozpin was caught completely off-guard. Up to that point she had been nothing if not professional, now she sounded almost petulant. Glynda's expression of doubt vanished, replaced by one of irritation and frustration.
"Young lady! Just who do you think-"
"That belonged to my Squad mate, Emile A239, Noble Four!" Six said, bulldozing through Glynda's scolding and her eyes locking with the Headmaster. "That… that is UNSC property, you have no business with it! You will relinquish it to me."
"He must have been a good friend." Ozpin noted aloud, as he looked at the helmet. It was a surprise to see a garment like this had belonged to someone with any connections whatsoever, the skull hacked into the gold visor was rather… unfriendly.
"He was my Squadmate." Six said firmly. "More to the point, that is the helmet of a suit of Mjolnir Powered Assault armour. I cannot let it be in the hands of non-UNSC personnel both because of its value, and because of how dangerous it could potentially be to both of you."
Glynda looked apprehensive at the child who was bossing her around, and was about to say something before Ozpin held up a hand to silence her.
"Noble Six, would you be willing to come to Beacon and discuss the Covenant threat in more detail? In exchange we would be willing to offer you board, and the return of the armour that belonged to your friend."
The girl was thinking hard for a second, and to Ozpin's delight, visibly calmed down.
"So long as you agree to surrender any and all UNSC technology, I think that is an acceptable agreement."
"Very well, we will send a bullhead to retrieve you in the morning, Team CFVY you are welcome to return on it as well, if your mission is complete."
"I think it's complete enough, we can-" Coco began before Six butted in.
"Sir, there are Covenant forces in this area, you need to take them out. Allowing them to regroup is quite possibly the worst thing you could do. I strongly recommend a counteroffensive."
Ozpin was about to say something before a bright blue explosion erupted in the background, forcing the team to dive for cover as the windows of their room shattered.
"Team CFVY are you okay!?" Glynda cried out before the call was abruptly cut out. Ozpin slumped back in his chair, thinking hard.
"Glynda, scramble a Bullhead immediately, and contact Qrow. He should be nearby. Send Locasta and any of the staff who are ready for a fight, I have a feeling CFVY is going to need backup as soon as possible."
The Headmistress nodded, having already stood up and tapping on her scroll to message Beacon's Airship Staff to get an airship ready to launch.
"Consider it done, I shall be back with them in the morning."
Ozpin nodded as she entered the elevator and began the descent down the tower. He looked at the helmet on his desk, the thing was battered and normally seemed to radiate anger. The Headmaster had always assumed that whoever the armour had belonged to had been nothing but a violent monster, but now it seemed to radiate something else, disappointment and maybe a bit of concern?
"I'm sure your friend will be fine." He said as he placed the helmet on the neck of the armour, sitting down he pondered the girl. She was the right age to have attended a combat school, but the way that she spoke and moved suggested she'd seen far more combat then most of Atlas' top generals. That combination wasn't just rare, it should have been impossible. It was rather worrying to say the least, although at least she'd survived long enough to reach that point. That spoke to her skill. He would have to wait and see, but maybe she would accept an offer if he made one.
Author's notes: Special thanks to kpmh2001 and Wyatt, my two editors who both did so much work to make this chapter not suck huge amounts of ass.
