Off to the doctor today to have my eye looked at. Getting this out the way first.

Cover Art: Serox

Chapter 40

"You must be pleased, General."

"Should I be?" James said, staring up at the projections of the Council around the communication room on the upper deck of the Vanguard.

The wispy blue images were vague and indistinct, even intimidating since they surrounded him, but that was more a flaw in the design of the holograms and the connection between Vale's CCT and Atlas' than any intention on their part. It was something he'd gotten used to, and it helped to remember they were just sat at their desks, only able to see his face and unaware of the commanding positions they had.

"Matthew Fields is dead, Chivalric Arms are retreating from Vale and we have an international incident the likes of which could spark a second faunus war-"

"I'm not sure why I should be happy about any of that," he interrupted. "A company under was plotting genocide under our nose, and had I been allowed to investigate them as I wished we could have found and stopped this before it became an incident. It could have been handled in house with no one needing to know. Instead, it's been handled by Null, and I – as much as you all – come off incompetent."

The Councillors remained silent, digesting that news. They had come wanting to blame all their problems on him and he wouldn't let them, not when so much could have been avoided had they played ball.

"I'm going to assume no one in the Council knew about their faunus genocide plan because supporting that would have been utterly foolish."

"Fields acted alone in this," Sol said. "Or so Chivalric's Board is suggesting."

"Of course they would say that now," another councillor said.

"Regardless," Sol continued. "This Council had no idea of that particular plan and would not have allowed it if we did. Faunus make up a significant part of the workforce for military and private business. Killing them off would hamstring us, not to mention make us the enemy of every Kingdom on Remnant."

If it were found out. Naturally, Chivalric Arms would have kept their hands clean and Atlas would have done little to interfere as faunus across the world slowly became sterile, families dying out and clinics full of women trying for pregnancy unsuccessfully.

James could imagine how quickly it would turn from concern to panic – the moment at which people realised this wasn't just one or two people struggling to conceive but a worldwide pandemic in which no faunus could be born. Meanwhile, human supremacists would use it as proof that the human gene was meant to continue, that it was somehow `better` and had wiped the weaker, recessive faunus gene from existence.

They complained about it now but had the plan gone ahead, the Council would have united behind it, if only because they would need to run damage control to stop anyone finding out Atlas' involvement.

"This could have been our victory," James said. "It should have been. Instead, the victory falls on a team of huntresses from Beacon. And on Null."

"Not on Null," Sol said. "News of his involvement was successfully suppressed."

Yes. And James was sure the young man had noticed that and had his own thoughts. From the Council's perspective, it was the only thing they could do – after all, they couldn't let people start to question of Jaune Arc was innocent. That would mean questioning whether Atlas had knowingly lied to conceal their crimes by throwing an innocent boy under the bus.

"Let's not waste time, General. You called this emergency meeting and we've yet to hear why." The Councillors nodded and grumbled their agreement. "What is it you want from us?"

General James Ironwood placed his hands down and pushed himself to his feet. He stood before them, firm and uncompromising. "I want control."

"Excuse us?"

"I want control of the Vale theatre. With Chivalric gone, there's no need for you all to get in my way to protect your dirty little secrets." He watched them recoil and argue, pointless as that was. "So far, you've hamstrung, interfered and outright sabotaged me in places – and do not bother arguing. We all know it to be true. This has allowed Null to run rampant and gain a foothold in the city, and even to assassinate Matthew Fields and expose the Council. We are supposed to be on the same side. We are supposed to be fighting for Atlas. We are supposed to be a single united front against our enemies."

James let that sink in, fist clasped before him as he looked at each Councillor one at a time. Some, the civilian ones like Jacques Schnee, looked away or tugged at their collars nervously. The military and ex-military stared back.

"We have been anything but, and our enemies have taken advantage of that to make fools of us all. With no more reason to curtail my actions, I'm asking for the control that should have rightfully been mine from the start. I'm asking for carte blanch to do what I believe is right, when I want, as best I can. In return, I shall deal with Null. I will bring this insurrection to an end. I shall ensure the Vytal Festival runs smoothly and that no one dares question Atlas again."

The Council exchanged long looks and silent lip movements, conversing between themselves while muting him. Ironwood stood firm in the centre, face carved from stone. After so long second guessing and holding him back, there was undoubtedly a large part of them that wanted to continue doing so, but with their secrets in the air and problems back home to deal with, what did they have to gain or lose in Vale anymore?

Better to put the responsibility on his shoulders.

In the end it was Sol who spoke, answering for the Council. "Very well, James. You shall have your authority. Bring this matter to a close once and for all. Atlas is done being made fools of."

James saluted. "Sir. Yes sir."

/-/

The smaller vessel came to a slow landing on a patch of open ground between the eastern wall of Beacon and the cliffs leading to the Emerald Forest. It hovered in the air until it was abundantly clear any and all students were out of the way, then slowly lowered down to land. The door opened and Clover and Marrow exited, securing a ramp to the floor that General James Ironwood used to trek down to the grass. He would have rather jumped but then his Specialists would complain of having nothing to do.

"James." Glynda welcomed him with a terse, brittle smile. Their last meeting hadn't been the best and they both knew this wouldn't go much better.

"Glynda. I'm here to speak with Team RWBY."

"I think Ozpin would rather you talked with him first, especially if it's in regard to one of our teams-"

"I've already called ahead and spoken to Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao-Long, both of whom gave their permission for me to meet with the team. Winter has similarly given permission for her sister."

"I see. Well, if Team RWBY agrees then I can't stop you."

Indeed she couldn't, and neither could Ozpin. James motioned to Marrow and Clover to look after the ship and made his way down the corridor with Winter and her two personal guards, Cardamon and Jasper, as his guides. She knew the way well, leading him directly to Team RWBY's door. He knocked on it sharply, only mildly surprised when it was not one of the team but Qrow Branwen who answered.

"Ironwood," he greeted, for once doing away with the vitriol. James returned the same favour, nodding once.

"Branwen. How are they?"

"Better. Good, even." He opened the door wide. "Come on in."

The Team RWBY dorm was cramped for four young women and a dog and no better off for adding two men and three soldiers to the mix. With ten souls inside, the huntresses were forced back to their beds, sitting on the mattresses of bunks that looked catastrophically unsafe to his eye. The fact that the youngest could scale onto hers was a welcome sight, however. The paralysis that had mysteriously plagued her was gone, and she looked brighter and more alive for the fact.

"Team RWBY," he greeted. "I would first like to apologise for the trauma you have been through as a direct result of Atlas' ill rule. While I realise that won't change much, I will assure you all now that I am not here to counteract your actions or hold you accountable for them. You did what you believed to be the right thing, and your actions have saved lives. How are you, Miss Rose?"

"M'okay," the girl said shyly.

"You can walk again?"

"Yep. My knees are normal again."

He tilted his head to the side in confusion, hearing the snigger from the blonde and watching Rose duck her head behind the wooden railing of the bed. Some inside joke, he supposed. "I'm glad to hear that. That you were stolen away from under my care must paint me in a poor light. I'm sorry that we could not do more to save you the horrors you undoubtedly witnessed."

"At least you're apologising!" the blonde spat. "Ozpin won't say a word!"

"Yang!" Weiss Schnee chastised with a rasp.

"Do not speak, Weiss," Winter said quickly. "It only aggravates your throat."

James held a hand up. "Peace. All of you. There's no need for arguments. I'm here to get your side of the story – the side I'm sure many others have refused to hear. Branwen knows I and Ozpin do not see eye to eye on this matter-" He received a nod from Qrow. "I would hear your story in full."

They gave it. The story was delivered piecemeal, differing perspectives and comments as Rose would speak her side and the responsibility for the rest would be split between Xiao-Long and Belladonna, with Weiss Schnee only nodding or grunting to draw attention to inaccuracies or forgotten details. The story painted differed markedly from the official one for obvious reasons.

"They cut him out of everything!" Xiao-Long raged. "And I'll bet money he thinks we did that to shaft him!"

"More like me," Belladonna said. "Jaune already hates me and this is the kind of thing he'd think I would do. He's going to hunt me down and kill me for this, and it's not even my fault."

"We told them everything." Yang said. "We even tried mentioning his sisters being experiments. You know what they said? Oh, that's interesting – leave it with us and we'll look into it. And then we see the news report and it's not even mentioned. They didn't even say we worked together."

"Which you shouldn't have!" Qrow interrupted. "He could have killed you."

"We needed him to get Ruby back!"

"I'm not saying it didn't work; I'm just saying you banked your lives on him agreeing. And for what? On the hopes he's a good person underneath?"

"No. Blake said he lost his sisters to Chivalric so he might be sympathetic to what happened to Yang."

To put it short, they banked on manipulating him and it worked. Dangerous. Very dangerous. James wouldn't be the one to tell them that since the event was already over and he was sure their families would chastise enough for him, but it could have well ended in disaster.

"He said one was trapped in Beacon, too. When we asked Ozpin, he just said we shouldn't trust the word of a convicted killer over that of the headmaster, but when we brought up Chivalric taking Ruby for a trade – which Fields himself said was true – he just said not all is as it seems and left it at that!"

Damn it, Ozpin. His old friend was hooked on the promise of an end to his eternal war, something Amber Arc might offer, and he was willing to throw things away to get it. James couldn't fault the intention, but he could sure fault the methods being taken.

"Jaune is going to come for Beacon, isn't he?" Rose asked.

"He is."

"He's going to kill people to get what he wants."

"I'm afraid that is almost certainly the case, Miss Rose."

Officially, he ought to have lied to them, if not for issues of confidential information then to keep the peace. They had been through enough, however. He wouldn't put them through more and become part of Ozpin and the Council's actions.

"We're withdrawing from Beacon," Weiss said.

His brows rose. This was news. "Really?"

"We talked about it this morning." Yang took over. "All of us did. We can't stay in a school where we don't trust the teachers. We still want to become huntsmen but there's just too many bad memories in Beacon to deal with. It wasn't easy but we want to transfer."

"Have you made a decision to where? I could fast track you all into Atlas."

"Not Atlas." Ruby all but yelped, fear evident in her voice. Terror, even. She then looked ashamed and hid away. "S-Sorry."

"No. I'm the one who should apologise." Blind of him not to see the effect Chivalric had on her. Of course she wouldn't want to go to Atlas, nor would Weiss with her father there or Belladonna with her White Fang past. "Shade or Haven might be best for you and I have connections with the heads of both. I will personally assist in the transition – consider it an apology for having failed you before. Just let me know what you decide."

"We… We were thinking Shade," Rose said softly. "It's closer to Patch. Home."

"Shade is a wonderful academy," he said. "They prioritise freedom and expression there. And believe me, it's neither as hot, dry or as sandy as people imagine. It's situated around an oasis and is quite the lovely locale. Do you want moving there immediately?"

Did they want to avoid Beacon and Jaune Arc's inevitable attack on it?

"The girls are coming home for the Vytal Festival." Qrow answered for them. "And their friends are coming along, too. The team can't really compete with Ruby recovering. We talked it out and there's room aplenty at Taiyang's cottage." The four girls agreed with their own nods.

"I'll see Mr Xiao-Long provided a stipend," Winter said. "Consider it a thank you from the Schnee family. Caring for four girls won't be cheap or easy."

"Heh. Tai is used to it."

"We want to be out the way when… when he comes," Belladonna said. "I mean, if we could fight then we would, but we've seen how that went before. We can't fight him."

"I'm not sure we'd want to," Yang echoed. "He helped us out and he got shafted as a result. Plus… you know, with what happened to his mom, I'm not sure he wouldn't hunt us down if he had the chance."

"It's better we are not around," Weiss finished.

"I agree." James said. "And I think it speaks well of you all to recognise that. Some battles are best avoided – and your presence among the students might only endanger them. Rest assured I will be leading any defence of the school. You needn't fear for the safety of your friends."

"Are you going to kill him?" Ruby asked quietly.

Suddenly, all four of them were intensely focused on him. James sighed. It wasn't the question he wanted even if it was the one that plagued him the most. "I will do whatever I can to take him alive and spare his life, even if that means going against Ozpin's wishes. However, I will have to decide based on how far he is prepared to go. I wish to see justice done, but I won't sacrifice innocent lives to achieve it."

"Can't you speak to Ozpin and make him see sense? Release Jaune's sister?"

"If I could, Miss Rose, I most certainly would."

"He tried." Qrow echoed. "Believe me. I was there."

"Has Ozpin okayed their absence for the Vytal Festival?" he asked.

"He has. Didn't even hear them asking, just welcomed them back and agreed without a second thought." The way Qrow said it hinted at his annoyance and James couldn't blame him. Ozpin is letting himself be distracted by Amber Arc's Semblance. He's not so different from Matthew Fields with her brother's Semblance in that regard.

"I'll speak with him. Thank you for your time, Team RWBY, and enjoy your time off. Don't worry about Beacon. I will do my best to protect it. I'll give you time to think before contacting Shade Academy. The ultimate decision will be yours and yours alone."

He made to leave, only to stop as Miss Rose shouted out. "It's not you."

James looked back and the girl's face was bright red. Despite that, she continued.

"I-I'd be fine going to Atlas if you were the headmaster, but it's remembering what happened. If Chivalric are still there and I see their robots or their weapons…"

"I understand, Miss Rose. You needn't feel any shame over the matter." He smiled. "And thank you for your kind words. I do my best and will continue to do so, and I will never turn away from my students."

"Then… can I ask a question?"

James turned back. "Of course you can."

"Will Penny… come back…?"

Ironwood's face said it all, the slow closing of his eyes and the way he looked down before speaking. There was a whimper from the girl and the others shared a moment of grief.

"Pietro Polendina has lost himself to grief, guilt and shock. He has been placed into an institution pending charging for his crimes should he ever recover. Until then, no one can provide the Semblance required for Penny's revival, and even if he does recover, I doubt he will bring her back after her betrayal. I'm sorry. Penny Polendina has been posthumously awarded the Mantle Cross – the highest award a soldier can receive. Her name will go down in history as one responsible for saving millions of faunus lives. As will your own, I'm sure."

"Oh… Oh… I… Okay…"

He could hear the way her voice cracked and knew there would be tears. Ironwood was also aware his and his soldier's presence would only make those harder, so he nodded to each of them and then to Qrow Branwen before leading his people out the room. Qrow followed, closing the door behind him and leaving Team RWBY to their moment.

"You going to talk to Oz after this?"

"I plan to, yes. What about you?"

"I promised Tai I'd keep an eye on them. Literally, an eye on them at all times until they're safe in Patch."

"That's probably for the best. I doubt Chivalric will come for them, but I wouldn't put it past Jaune Arc to target Belladonna. Keep them in Patch no matter what happens."

"I will. Honestly, I'm more concerned about Ozpin. Both Taiyang and I am. He bent the rules to approach Ruby and draw her to Beacon before either of us had a chance to ask him what the hell he was thinking." Qrow sighed. "We let it go because Ruby was so excited. Over the moon. Now though, he was willing to let Chivalric take her to keep Arc's sister. It's like he found a new toy and threw Ruby away. I'm done with him, Ironwood. Maybe… Maybe Raven was right. Not to leave, but… maybe it's the way he thinks or the way he sees people."

Qrow's eyes slid to Cardamom, Winter and Jasper, and that was the biggest clue as to what he meant. Ozpin's immortality, a secret they didn't know. "It's a possibility," James conceded. "When you live a life as long as he has, sometimes your goals start to take precedence over other people. Ozpin has lived a rich old life. He's seen people come and go."

What were a few more? Tragic, yes, but for all the fact he had him and Qrow as allies now, he must have had others like them in the past. Every generation of Ozpin's life, he would have made new allies. A different Glynda, Qrow, Ironwood and Lionheart. He wouldn't say that Ozpin didn't respect and even love them in his own way but losing them wasn't a new experience. Old age or enemy action, Ozpin would have seen allies die many times before. Enough that the prospect of losing them, while difficult, wouldn't break him or his plans.

Ruby Rose, and the silver eyes, were one such ally. A tool, a weapon, and perhaps an outdated one now that he had found something a hundred times better.

"Winter. I want you to stay with Qrow and guard Team RWBY. I will speak with Ozpin alone."

"Sir!"

/-/

"Here at last?" his old friend asked, looking up from his desk with a small but noticeable smile. "It's not like you to blow me off so thoroughly, James. Did you enjoy your meeting with Team RWBY?"

"I did. They are smart girls."

"They are some of the best of my students this year."

"They won't be your students much longer, Ozpin. They've asked for a transfer to another academy."

"They have?"

Ozpin's genuine shock was as much a sign of his lack of action as anything else could be. His team had just come back from truly traumatic action and were obviously hurting, and rather than take them aside and talk to them, work things out, he'd focused so heavily on his new acquisition that he didn't even know of their intention to leave.

That's a failure in your role, Ozpin. You're meant to be the one the students can always trust to be on their side.

"That's rather distressing," he eventually recovered, adjusting his glasses. "Let me guess. They will be joining your academy?"

"I did not poach them from you, no. They want to go to Shade. Atlas has too many negative connotations for many of their members, especially Miss Rose after her recent abduction." James tapped his finger on Ozpin's desk. "Which you would have known if you'd spoken to them as you should."

"I did speak with them."

"To control the flow of information, welcome them back and lie to their faces!" His finger became a fist, slamming down. "They're not idiots, Ozpin. They saw with their own eyes what was going on, heard with their own ears. It's not just Jaune Arc who mentioned his sister – so did the CEO of Chivalric Arms. The responsibility for action, or at least explanation, was in your court and you failed to take responsibility for it. Little wonder they lost faith in you, especially now that they know you left Rose to rot."

"I did not leave her!" Ozpin barked, standing. "My student was abducted off your ship, James. And you were next to useless in finding her. Don't place all the blame on my plate."

"I was held back by the Council. What's your excuse?"

"My excuse is fighting the war to save all humanity!" Ozpin swept his arm to the side, knocking his mug off the table. It shattered on the floor, spilling cold coffee everywhere. "I am dealing with more than one shattered family and a company experimenting on people. I have to focus on the bigger picture! The fate of humanity is bigger than Mr Arc. It's bigger than Miss Rose. It's bigger than any one team."

"Is it bigger than Beacon? Because Arc is coming for his sister."

"You know that it is, James. Amber's Semblance eclipses that of the Maidens. It eclipses the power of the Relics!" Ozpin's face took on a desperate glee. "James, it suppresses even them! I had the Relic of Choice placed beside her and it became inert!" His face looked manic. Wild. Desperate. "Her Semblance can suppress the power of the Brother Gods!"

"Are you saying she's a god?"

"No. No, no, no. They're Gods, James. Semblances are but a shred of their power, so you can't expect it to be worth more than it – but it does something. Whether it suppresses, invalidates or causes a reaction that temporarily pacifies it, I don't know. It might even be like a wave frequency subtly interfering with another, a pure strand of the God of Darkness' power that mixes with the power left on the Relics in just the right way as to turn them off for a period. Whatever the case, it will change everything. It might even be enough to remove Salem's immortality."

A gamechanger. James would be the first to admit he felt the same thrill, the same temptation that Ozpin did. It was there – there was no use denying it. But then, he always did when faced with a solution to a problem. That was normal. What wasn't normal was dropping and throwing everything you'd ever worked for away to grasp it.

"There are lines you don't cross, Ozpin."

"There are few I haven't crossed at one point or another," he replied. "This is bigger than me, James. This is bigger than morality, justice or compassion. I have a chance to end Salem once and for all. I have a chance to secure a future for all humanity. If I must steal a girl away from her family and use her as a weapon to do so…" He fixed his eyes on James'. "Then I will."

He had a feeling he already knew the answer to his next question, but he asked it anyway.

"Jaune Arc will come for his sister. He has the backing of the White Fang and may well find the backing of Salem if he wishes it. We could curtail that right now by releasing his sister to him. Will you?"

"I will not."

"Then Beacon shall come under attack…"

"And we shall defend it," Ozpin said. "The students, the huntsmen and also yourself and the military of Atlas. Our alliance dictates you must step in when Vale comes under attack from outside forces. I trust you will honour that, James." He sat back down again, reaching for a cup of coffee that wasn't there before clenching his fist and gripping his cane instead. "I think this meeting is done."

"I think it is, old friend. I pray this decision doesn't come back to haunt you."

In answer, Ozpin only snorted, waving his hand as if to dismiss a pesky fly from before his face. Ironwood sighed and turned, marching back to the elevator with a thunderous frown. His efforts to prevent the disaster before it could come had been in vain, as they always had been.

Now, it was time to prepare for disaster.

/-/

Jaune moved forward and grasped the hand offered to him. Their fingers locked, wrists connecting as the two old friends stared at one another doggedly. Adam looked as though he had aged a decade since their parting, and Jaune expected he looked no better.

"I heard you killed Fields." Adam said. "Good work."

"Blake betrayed me. I didn't leave on purpose…"

"I know. Blake betrayed us all." Adam squeezed his hand and drew him in, thumping his back with his fist. "I didn't once doubt you. Not after I got your sisters to Menagerie. I'm sorry for your mother. I wish I'd had a chance to meet her."

Jaune's eyes burned. "She died knowing the others were safe. I… I think it was quick. She didn't suffer."

"She may not have, but you did. We'll make them pay, Jaune. Believe me. We'll take Beacon, reveal their lies and save your sister in the process. And everyone who ever stood against us will perish."

"A wise choice of words, Adam," Cinder Fall said, approaching with a wide smile. "We've all something to gain and something to prove, and we can all help one another achieve it if we work together. We're in this together."

Adam pulled away, sparing him a brief look and asking without words if he trusted Cinder. Jaune didn't shake his head but he did move his eyes from left to right, shaking them instead. Adam regarded her warily, one hand on the hilt of his weapon.

"Yours has always been somewhat secretive, Cinder. To kill an Amber, is it not? I hope that is not Amber Arc."

"It's not. Not at all." Cinder was so certain, so adamant, that even Adam accepted it with a quiet nod. "If that was my plan then I'd have never revealed myself to Jaune. The Amber I seek is not Amber Arc, and I would like to keep our partnership together after this. Should you both be willing. I have designs on the other academies, and I'm not beyond starting with Atlas since it is dear to both your hearts."

"We can discuss that after." Adam said. "We're striking during the Vytal Festival. Correct?"

"That was the original plan. However, thanks to Jaune's little stunt yesterday, General Ironwood is alerted to the incoming danger and will be moving to fortify Beacon even as we speak." Cinder smiled dangerously. "I think we should move our schedule up a little bit. Catch them unawares."

Adam and Jaune exchanged quick glances and nods.

"We're listening."

Right. Off to the doctors. Wish me well! I really don't want to need surgery or anything invasive.

Next Chapter: 30th November

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur