AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry about posting so late. I lost my cushion, so I've spent most of tonight writing this chapter! Anyway, to preserve the element of surprise, more notes to follow at the end. This is something of an infodump chapter.

Commanding Officer's Office, Joint Base Beacon

Wisconsin, United States of Canada

12 May 2001

"Now, Major Nikos, it is my understanding that you plan on becoming an American citizen, and renouncing your Greek citizenship?" Rissa Arashikaze asked.

"Yes, Miss Arashikaze," Pyrrha answered. She took the seat Ozpin offered, which still saw her almost surrounded: Ozpin at his desk, Rissa, Glynda and Ironwood in chairs facing hers. It felt like a board of inquiry, though she'd been reassured it was no such thing.

"Why are you doing that?"

Pyrrha looked at the floor. "I don't feel I belong there anymore. Yes, I'm a heroine there, but for all the wrong reasons. I can't deal with it. Coming to Vytal Flag was an escape, and I…I feel I've found myself again here. I don't know if the United States is the answer, but I also know I can't stay in Greece any longer."

"You're going to disappoint a lot of people there," Rissa told her.

"I know. I don't feel good about that. But if I go back, I fear for my life. Not from someone else," she assured them, "but that I'll take my own life."

"I assume the Greek government is aware of this?"

"Yes. I will finish out Vytal Flag as a member of the Hellenic Air Force. Then I will resign my commission, renounce my citizenship, and become an American citizen. I've been told—" she glanced up at Ozpin "—that I will be allowed to transfer into the United States Air Force. If I so choose." Her fingers twisted in her lap. "I may retire."

"I doubt that," Glynda said. "As you said, you've really come alive since you joined Juniper Flight, Major. I think you may find that it's not as easy to pull the pin as you think." She looked pointedly at Ozpin.

So did Rissa. "I don't think she's the right person."

"Major Nikos is quite skilled," Ozpin replied. "Her conduct here has been exemplary, and her career has been stellar."

"I agree. And I include Crete in that." She turned back to Pyrrha. "I read the report. All of it. I know you feel quite guilty about that incident, but I don't think you should." Before Pyrrha answered, Rissa continued. "That's not my concern. If you have divided loyalties, you are not fit for this position."

Ironwood fixed Pyrrha with a stare. "You've been informed that you are going to be offered a position of incredible responsibility. Rissa's right: if you take this position, you cannot be loyal to two masters."

Pyrrha nodded, returning his gaze without faltering. "As I recall, General, in the oath of naturalization I renounce all previous loyalties to other countries." She sat up straight in the chair. "What are you asking me to do?"

"Before we do that," Ozpin said, "you need to understand that what we are about to tell you is known to a handful of people in this country, over half of which are in this room. It is beyond top secret. It is the most important secret known to mankind."

Pyrrha opened her mouth, but Rissa interrupted her. "If you're let into this circle of knowledge, Pyrrha Nikos, you will take the secret to your grave. You will not tell your mother. You will not tell that French boyfriend of yours. You will not tell your flight. You will not tell God in prayer, unless it's a silent one. If you break this oath, you will be killed. Anyone you tell will be killed. I will execute these orders personally. I've done it before. Do you understand?"

The steel in the little woman's voice took Pyrrha aback. She hesitated.

"This is your last chance to get up and run out that door," Ironwood told her.

Pyrrha took a deep breath. No, she told herself, this is the price I will pay. My penance for what I've done. "I swear to you that I will tell no one. My word is my bond."

"Very well." Ozpin got to his feet. "Major, please follow me. Glynda, James…"

"I'll stay," Ironwood said. "Too many people going into certain areas attract attention."

"I'll go," Glynda volunteered.

"I'll bow out, if you don't mind," Rissa said. "I made my point to Major Nikos." She stood and put her hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. She was short enough that Pyrrha still came up to Arashikaze's small chest even when sitting. "I don't meant to scare you, Major. But I'm not joking about how secret this is. None of us are. I have killed to keep this secret. I won't hesitate to do it again, but I'd prefer not to."

Pyrrha gave a short nod. "I understand, Miss Arashikaze." At no point had she been told exactly who Rissa Arashikaze was, but Pyrrha decided it was better she not know. Rissa patted her shoulder again and left.

"Glynda, Qrow should already be there, but do you want to remind him?" Glynda nodded, and pulled out her cell phone. "Major?" Ozpin showed her out. Ironwood got up as well. "If he's wrong about this," he said quietly to Glynda, "we're all going to be in deep shit."

Ozpin led Pyrrha across the street to the hospital, retracing the route he'd taken with Rissa the day before. What he didn't know was that he was being observed. The area was in line of sight of the park, and Cinder Fall had been taking her lunches there, on the odd chance she might see something. She'd seen Ozpin and a short woman going to the hospital the day before, which meant nothing. But now she saw him again, this time with Pyrrha Nikos.

Cinder watched, finishing her sandwich. She waited a little longer after they went into the hospital, then saw Glynda Goodwitch cross the street as well. A little while after that, Ironwood came out and got into his car. "Interesting," she said, smiling. "Very interesting."

She opened a bag of chips and finished her lunch. Patience was a virtue.

Pyrrha and Ozpin went through the same hallways, to the same room, and through the same hygienic procedures. They went down the elevator to Amber's room, where Qrow Branwen waited. Pyrrha's hands went to her face at the sight of Amber. "Who is she?" she asked.

"Your predecessor," Ozpin said simply. "I wanted you to see her, and so did she. Rissa told you the consequences of breaking silence. Amber is what happens when someone else learns of you." Ozpin put his hands behind his back, gazing at the broken woman in the bed. "Sometimes it is better to be blind than to see."

"What is going on?" Pyrrha said, though she kept her voice down for Amber's sake; the other woman looked to be asleep, her chest barely rising and falling. Ozpin said nothing, but Pyrrha jumped when the elevator behind her opened, admitting Glynda. He nodded to her, then motioned them to seats, though he remained standing, the cane behind his back. Qrow sat next to Amber, reaching through the plastic to gently stroke her remaining arm.

"A history lesson, to start," Ozpin began. "In October 1962, as you are aware, the United States and the Soviet Union went to war over nuclear missiles being placed in Cuba. Why the war started doesn't matter, only what happened next. Millions died in the nuclear exchange, and it was considered a limited one. The Soviet Union ceased to exist, the survivors reduced to a Middle Ages existence. Parts of Europe, such as the British Midlands and parts of both Germanies, were destroyed. Most of the West Coast and Northeast United States were also destroyed, but the United States, somehow, survived—a Remnant, if you will.

"In the aftermath, what was left of the United Nations convened in Geneva in February 1963. Most of the world's nuclear weapons had been expended, but the United States in particular, as well as Britain and France, still had a few left. Though it had been the Soviets who had fired first, the UN believed that the United States also bore some responsibility. President Kennedy, who had been evacuated from Washington DC only minutes before it was destroyed—he had lost his entire family in the destruction of Washington—did not quite agree, but offered to disarm and render inert all remaining nuclear weapons, over a period of ten years, if all other nuclear powers at that time also agreed. They did, and the Treaty of Geneva, which led to universal nuclear disarmament, was signed in November 1963."

"I was aware of that," Pyrrha said, keeping her voice neutral. The Treaty of Geneva was taught in grade school, and Oobleck's lectures had reinforced it.

"Of course," Ozpin nodded. "What you don't know is that there was a secret collorary to the treaty. Almost all nuclear weapons were destroyed by 1973. But secretly, each nuclear-capable nation was allowed to keep twenty devices, until 1984, when the remainder were indeed destroyed. By that time, China had acquired nuclear weapons, but this was not considered an issue."

"Why not?" Pyrrha asked. "I'd think any nation with nuclear weapons would destabilize the world."

"It sure would," Qrow put in. "If we didn't already have something that was worse than nukes."

"Arguably worse," Ozpin said. Suddenly, he looked very old. "And here is where we go down the rabbit hole, Pyrrha. Again, I ask you: are you willing to do this?"

Pyrrha looked at Amber. The poor woman looked close to death. "May I ask one question?" Ozpin nodded. "What happened to her?"

"Some people found out that Amber was privy to the same secrets you may be," Glynda said. "And they shot her down and tried to capture her, or at least kill her. Qrow was able to rescue her, but to say she was badly injured would be a gross understatement."

"Will she live?" Pyrrha saw Glynda slowly shake her head. The Greek woman stood, walked over to the plastic, and stared for awhile at Amber. The room was silent except for the whir and beep of machines keeping Amber alive. "All right," Pyrrha said.

Ozpin continued. "By 1984, four of the five major powers in the world—the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Israel—signed another secret agreement, the Strategic Defense Initiative. To counter China's nuclear weapons, any other groups that might acquire nuclear weapons, and mass GRIMM attacks that threatened the existence of any of the four treaty members, each of the SDI signers received a single weapons satellite. No one knows who coined the term, but they were all codenamed the Maidens."

"Maidens?"

"Someone's idea of a joke," Glynda said; she looked at Ozpin as she did so, though Pyrrha didn't notice.

"Each Maiden is named for a season," Ozpin said, ignoring Glynda. "The Fall Maiden is controlled by the US. Winter is Europe's. Spring is Israel's, and Summer is Japan's."

Pyrrha turned away from Amber, shock on her face. "And they're in orbit right now?"

"Three of them are," Ozpin replied. "The Spring Maiden malfunctioned. Israel relies on its military prowess to defend it from its enemies—though nowadays the Arabs generally leave them alone. However, it is strongly believed that, when the Spring Maiden failed, Israel merely armed itself with nuclear weapons—assuming they didn't already have them. We don't ask, and—" Ozpin smiled "—they don't tell."

"Orbital nuclear weapons." Pyrrha suppressed a shudder.

"Nope," Qrow corrected her. "Not nukes."

"Kinetic energy rounds," Ozpin said. "Each Maiden carries fifty rounds. Each round is a tungsten rod weighing ten tons. When fired, the gravity well of the planet itself and its own propulsion causes it to accelerate to speeds up to, and exceeding, ten times the speed of sound. When it hits, it will hit with the same lethality and destruction as a ten kiloton nuclear weapon—without the residual radiation."

"It's meant mainly to stop a massive GRIMM attack," Glynda added. "But the existence of the Maiden also ensures that each of the three nations can prevent an attack on the others. Should the EU attack the US, for instance, we could retaliate against every European city. And because the Maiden's weapons are so fast, they cannot be intercepted."

"Rods from God," Qrow sighed.

Pyrrha sat down. "My God. That explains why China never used its nuclear weapons during the Reunification War."

"No. Beijing was warned after the Maidens went operational of their existence. They also knew Japan needed little provocation to use the Summer Maiden if they so chose," Ozpin replied. "Since China has been reunified, there is talk of adding a fifth Maiden for China, but that is still in negotiation." He shrugged. "I suppose I might as well tell you. Until China gets a Maiden, it is allowed to maintain fifty nuclear weapons for balance—secretly, of course."

"Balance of terror," Pyrrha said.

"Exactly. The same mutually assured destruction the world operated under with nuclear weapons. A policy that, sadly, failed."

"What's to stop it from happening again?" she wanted to know.

Qrow leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs. "That's where you come in, kid."

Ozpin nodded, and finally took a seat, scooting it close to Pyrrha. "The Maiden can only be fired with the permission of three people: the leader of the nation, a senior military official, and…a junior military official. The latter is selected by those who know about the Maidens in each nation, and they are selected for high trustworthiness, ability to make quick decisions, and…their humanity. They also must be fighter pilots."

"Why?" Pyrrha asked.

"Because we're in the air a lot of the time," Qrow answered. "Damn hard to get to us." He looked at Amber. "Most of the time."

"The reason why there are three is obvious," Ozpin said. "All three must agree to weapons release. If any one person disagrees, the Maidens are not used. In the old days, with nuclear weapons, each missile launch crew was provided with two keys, which had to be turned simutaneously and both had to agree. In fact, some missiles of all three nations involved in the Third World War refused to launch based on that agreement. The third person was added to provide an added layer of responsibility. The fact that the third is also a junior officer means that a bunch of tired, old people are not in charge of the power to devastate the world a second time." Ozpin chuckled. "I suppose it is the last vestige of the Victorian Era, when women were put on pedestals, that all of the junior officers chosen thus far have been women. It is the idea that women, as traditional nurturers and mothers, might be more reluctant to unleash hell than men."

Glynda laughed with irony. "Apparently they didn't realize back in the 80s that we ladies can be every bit as murderous as men." She shared a quick glance with Ozpin: both were thinking of Salem. But explaining that mystery would need to wait. Pyrrha had enough to absorb as it was.

"Especially every 28 days," Qrow grinned. Glynda gave him a good-natured middle finger.

Ozpin cleared his throat, getting them back on track. "The three people who have control of the Fall Maiden are President Shawcross, myself, and Amber." He pointed to her. "All of us have a device nearby to us at all times. For the President, it is the briefcase carried by his personal aide. For myself—" Ozpin held up his cane. "And for Amber, it is that box on her wrist. For the junior officer, the box measures heart rate and respiration. There is a small keyboard beneath the flap. Should heart rate or respiration cease, the device activates a small thermite charge inside within three minutes and is rendered inert. Should Maiden release be authorized, the officer will type in their personal keycode, chosen by the officer and known only to them." Ozpin ran a hand over his cane. "If all three codes are accepted by the satellite, it becomes available to use. Coordinates can then be typed in by any one of the three, and the Maiden fires."

"My God," Pyrrha repeated. "What about the EU's—the Winter Maiden?"

"The Winter Maiden is controlled by the President of the EU—currently Sleet van Geffen. The other two are Supreme Allied Commander Europe—SACEUR—and a member of the Luftwaffe, whose name you don't need to know." Ozpin smiled. "It's not a Schnee, if you're wondering." Not yet, he added to himself. Freya Gletscher was junior only in name, was actually advanced in years, and not in good health. Once she died, Winter Schnee was on the short list of people to replace her. Unknown to everyone but Ozpin, so was Weiss Schnee.

"Isn't SACEUR always an American?" Pyrrha observed.

"Yes. The EU felt that there were too many old rivalries between the European nations, but Americans have no skin in the game," Glynda said. "Don't ask about Japan. Even we've never been told by the Japanese who controls the Summer Maiden."

"So let me get this straight," Pyrrha said, using an expression she'd heard Nora use. "If I accept, I will have that box on me at all times—"

"Or nearby," Ozpin interrupted. "In theory, we could even build it into a circlet, like the one you like to wear."

"—all right. And I would be responsible for possibly concurring in the death of tens of thousands of people?"

"Yep." Qrow withdrew his flask, took a drink, and offered some to Pyrrha, who refused. "That make you sick?"

"Yes," Pyrrha replied.

"Good," Ozpin said. "Because that is why we chose you. Myself, Glynda, Qrow, Ironwood, and now Rissa Arashikaze. Someone who wants the power can't be trusted with it. Someone who hates the power can be trusted with it. And if you're wondering about Crete," he told her, reading her mind, "that figured into our decision. You regretted your actions over Crete, even if they may or may not have been the correct ones. Someone who will think before they take a step like Maiden release is someone we want in that position. Someone who understands personal responsibility."

"And because I'm planning on becoming an American…" Pyrrha began.

"Your name shot to the top of the list," Glynda finished.

There was another long stretch of silence. Then a fifth voice entered the conversation. "If…you're done…with the…infodump," Amber said hoarsely, "can I…talk…to her?" Her hand raised weakly and motioned towards Pyrrha. "C'mere, you."

Pyrrha got up and went over. "Hmm," Amber said with a tired smile. "Redhead. Don't think…I agree. Gingers…don't have souls." Both started laughing, though Amber's laugh degenerated into a wheezing cough. When she could, she raised her hand again. "Hi there. Amber Tardor."

"Pyrrha Nikos." She shook Amber's hand through the plastic.

"Um. Good grip. Whatcha…fly?"

"F-16," Pyrrha answered.

"Viper driver." The smile broadened. "Me too." She seemed to summon up what remained of her strength. "You believe…this bullshit?" Pyrrha paused, then shook her head. "Yeah. Me…neither. But…true. All of it." She inclined her head towards the box on her wrist. "I like you…already. I think…you…you'd be okay. But…y'know…give it a few days."

"Amber," Ozpin warned, "we may not have a few days."

To their surprise, Amber struggled up to almost a sitting position, balancing on her only arm. "I'm…not dead yet. I'll last longer…than that." She grinned. "Fuck you…Oz. Give her time."

Ozpin was quiet for a moment. "48 hours. No more."

"More like it." Amber collapsed backwards, gasping. Pyrrha took her hand and gripped it tight.

AUTHOR ENDNOTES: So those are the Maidens. It may seem a bit of a reach, but this story kind of is in general. The idea of "kinetic energy rounds" has been around since the 60s (Heinlein uses them in Starship Troopers), so no, I didn't get the idea from Call of Duty. However, I greatly increased the amount of damage kinetic rounds can do; they actually can't hit with quite that amount of destructive impact. But the technology exists, and it wouldn't be surprising if something like the Maidens already exists in some form. Having a "three key" system involving someone like Pyrrha or Amber is very unrealistic, but it keeps the RWBY Maidens without actually having magic.

The possibility of Kennedy surviving a nuclear war resulting from the Cuban Missile Crisis isn't unrealistic. Helicopters were on five minute standby to get the President clear of the blast zone (with 10-15 minutes between launch from Cuba and impact), but there was no provision for evacuating JFK's family. I slightly borrowed that from the book of Fail-Safe.