"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap..." Jaune tilted his head back, gripping his face as he shifted his weight. Both his hands massaged the flesh underneath, rubbing in a vain hope of changing the situation. "Why now?" he all but hissed.
"What's wrong?" Eliane questioned sternly, her posture shifting into an evident combat stance. One of her hands felt along the tip of the bow on her back, fingers ghosting over the metal.
The young man inhaled deeply, sucking in breath from between his palms. "Some people have a terrible sense of timing." went Jaune's muffled answer, from him squeezing his face.
The blonde woman's gaze flickered, showing confusion. "I don't understand."
Dropping his hands, Jaune briefly hunched over before facing her. He brought his hands together in front of himself, taking a deep breath. "Ellie, I missed you. I'm sorry for not getting in touch sooner, but a lots been going on." he spoke, calm yet strained. Though his features were neutral, it wasn't difficult to see how hesitant he was to go on.
"A lot going on?" Eliane repeated, face wrinkling as a glare overtook her. "You were missing Jaune, everyone thought you were dead. Mother, father, all of us, we held a funeral for you." she snapped.
"Just listen for a second." he continued anyway, fighting back a grimace.
"I went looking for you Jaune, after they called off the search. Now you're just, here. Like nothing happened." the blonde's voice had turned dangerously cold, her hands curling into fists.
"I'm sorry." Jaune gripped the woman's shoulder, causing her to flinch. Eliane was bristling at the contact, but she stopped herself from pushing his hand off. "I'm really sorry. I can't tell where I've been, not this second." he added quickly, halting her furrowed brow. "I promise though, I will explain everything. Okay?"
Eliane narrowed her gaze. "You don't have a good record of keeping your promises." she stated, making him flex his free hand while he exhaled.
"That was then. Now, just give me five minutes. Then we'll sit down and have a nice long chat." he vowed, forcing a weak smile.
"Five minutes." she repeated, examining him carefully.
"You can keep track if you want to. In the meantime." he nodded to the two girls, who had been mutedly standing by while they watched the exchange. "My friends here will keep you company." he said, gently turning her to face them.
After glancing at her brother for withdrawing his hand, Eliane locked on to a now guarded Pyrrha. Clearing her throat, the redhead composed herself and stepped forward to hold out a hand. Eliane didn't return the gesture. "Hello Eliane. I'm-"
"Pyrrha Nikos." the blonde interrupted, her voice suddenly devoid of emotion. This time there was no mistaking it; her irises were faintly glowing. "Two time champion of Sanctum Academy. Transferred to Beacon shortly after winning last Academy tournament. Presumed deceased approximately three years ago." she recited the information emptily, like a robot. The red haired girl was still caught off balance, though she recovered quickly.
"That's right." she agreed hesitantly, frowning at the blonde as she withdrew her hand.
"Former mascot of Pumpkin Pete's cereal brand." Eliane added as an afterthought, the glow in her eyes fading.
Pyrrha took in a breath, stopping herself from grinding her teeth together. "Yes, thank you for reminding me of that." she said lowly. She tilted to the side to level a dry look at Jaune, who had just stepped into the alley. He offered an apologetic glance before darting out of sight.
Turning her head, Eliane's gaze landed on Ruby. The red huntress braced herself, feeling unwelcome trepidation; on the one hand, this was Jaune's sister, ergo an automatic friend of hers. On the other, besides a noticeable facial resemblance the two had virtually nothing in common. Before she spoke the woman's eyes glowed for a moment, likely giving her the same treatment as Pyrrha.
"You have silver eyes." she noted.
Needing a quick breath, Ruby wasn't sure whether to be put off or relieved at the response. "I'm Ruby Rose, I'm a student at Beacon. And, um, your brother's friend." she answered, trying an open smile.
What she hoped for was a 'are you really?' followed by Eliane starting to unthaw her frigid attitude. Instead she nodded once in acknowledgment. "How long have you known Jaune?"
"Since, eh, I started at Beacon. I met him on the airship on the way in." Ruby kept up the friendly act anyway, suspecting it was a lost cause but unwilling to give in yet. A part of her hope the answer would do the trick.
Eliane lacked inflection as she blandly responded with, "Do you know where he's been in the interim?"
"Um, yeah, but I can't tell you. Not here." she said quickly, holding up her flattened hands to stop her protest. Ruby hoped she wouldn't have to defend herself, fearful of hurting her friend's sister. At the same time however, Ruby was more fearful of her friend's sister hurting her.
When Pyrrha clapped her hands together, Ruby felt a sense of guilty relief at Eliane taking her attention away. "Okay, how about we get out from the middle of the street." she suggested, inserting false cheer into her voice. When she tried to put a hand on her arm, Elaine visibly bristled, cold hostility starting to radiate off her. Drawing back, Pyrrha needed a second to rethink her approach. "Um, just out of the way is fine."
Hovering right by them, Ruby felt uncomfortable. She walked right beside the women as Pyrrha gently guided Eliane to the facing of the Dust shop, wanting to help but seeing no way how. Even talking wasn't an option, since the blonde huntress was effectively ignoring her.
"You were missing too. Were you with Jaune this whole time?" Eliane began, stopping at the side of the building to stare at Pyrrha. The redhead took a breath, apparently trying to loosen up.
"Yeah. Now listen, I get it. You're confused and upset. But please, just wait a few minutes. Then we'll..." she paused to think over her plan, flexing her fingers. "We'll take you to Beacon, then sit down to explain everything. Okay?" she finished, gathering a hopeful smile.
"Very well." Eliane agreed coolly, crossing her arms. Though she looked away, the huntress only turned her head far enough to avoid directly staring, keeping the younger woman in her vision.
After a moment of silence, Ruby cleared her throat to catch both their attentions. "I'll... check on Jaune real quick." she said, jabbing a thumb to the alley.
"I'll come with you." Eliane spoke, starting to follow her until Pyrrha hurriedly got in her way.
"That's not a good idea, believe me. Would you please just wait for a minute?" she stepped sideways to intercept the blonde, holding firm under the hard look she was receiving.
Ruby took the chance to flee, mentally promising to drag Jaune back if he were finished with his task. As she entered the alley, she yanked out her scroll to send a quick message to Professor Goodwitch; with her current information, she only typed 'Earthers are here, will call with more info soon' and sent it. That done, she strode further in.
She heard Jaune before she saw him, identifying the clipped tone at once. Pushing her unease aside, she rounded a corner into the relatively clean back alley, coming face to face with him. The blond nearly jumped when he saw her, his whole body flinching before he realized who it was. Ruby shrugged regretfully, noticing how he had the radio clutched in one hand.
"Sorry. So, how's it coming along?" she asked, shrugging to loosen up.
Jaune sighed before running a hand through his hair. "They still haven't answered me." he muttered. When he brought the device back to chest level he paused, a grimace flickering over him. "Um, you should go wait back out front. This is, well, SGC stuff."
"I can handle it." she replied brightly, grabbing her hands behind her back as she smiled.
"Well, but it's..." he looked away, starting to go for his neck before stopping.
"Its okay. I'll be quiet." Ruby added as an afterthought.
He sighed. "Alright, just... I know this makes you uncomfortable." he said apologetically, adjusting his footing.
"Its fine now. I promise." she pressed on, gesturing at the blocky radio.
Exhaling, Jaune nodded and lifted the device to his face. Clicking something, he spoke in the same businesslike tone as back on Earth. "This is Sierra Golf Two-Five calling Papa Actual, respond, over."
Clicking it off, he faced Ruby again in preparation of more explaining. The red toned girl felt a flash of pride when she said, "Code names, I get it." and got him to hurriedly clear his throat.
"Yeah, never know who might be listening." he told her lamely, groaning as he shifted his weight.
"Just to make sure though, Papa Actual means the Prometheus right?" she checked with a small frown, which he answered with a nod. Ruby let out a quiet "yes!" in victory, pumping a fist in celebration of her deduction skills.
"Remind me later, I'll fill you on what it all means." he said distractedly, bringing the radio back up. Her task done, Ruby turned to walk back out front. "Repeat, this is Sierra Golf Two-Five, come in Papa Actual, respond-"
"This is Papa Actual, we read you loud and clear Sierra Golf."
Ruby stopped mid step, whirling back around to face him and the no nonsense female voice from the radio. Jaune jerked the radio away from his head, surprise crossing him for a second while he cleared his throat. Sparing a quick look at her anxiously excited form, he took a breath before bringing the radio closer again. "Check, authorization code Delta one five zero, respond?"
"Authorization approved, response code Delta six four nine."
Jaune sighed in relief, giving Ruby an encouraging look before proceeding. "Copy Papa Actual. Welcome to Remnant."
"Thanks for the greet Two-Five, nice looking planet you got here. Status?"
"Status nominal, team is accounted for and in good condition. We are standing by for further orders." he replied, catching Ruby giving him a thumbs up. He quickly gave her one back.
"Roger. New directive for you Two-Five, Papa Actual callsign is Chariot Action. Acknowledge?"
"Copy that, Chariot it is." Jaune lowered the radio for a moment, sighing in relief while he ran a hand down his face.
Ruby didn't quite get everything he or the speaker were talking about, but she understood the gist of the conversation. Knowing things were alright nearly made her dance in place, driving her to jab a hand at him for a high five. Just as he started to clap her hand, the radio crackled once more. "Two-Five, sensors have a bead on your position. Be advised, we're reading a life sign in your immediate vicinity. How copy?"
The color drained from Ruby's face as she shrunk back, worried fear coming over her. Jaune coughed nervously before clicking the radio, briefly flustered. "Roger Chariot. Subject is cleared for information, no risk of a security leak. Repeat, no risk. Over."
"...Copy."
Clearing her throat once he finished, Ruby was close to cringing. "I didn't get you in trouble, did I?"
"What? No, nonono." Jaune shook his head, holding his hands out to her. "I swear, its okay."
"You sure?" she asked carefully, forcing herself to hold still.
"Yeah, its fine. Don't worry." he smiled reassuringly, which seemed to help calm her down.
"Okay." Ruby agreed hesitantly, nodding as she breathed deeply. "So, what happens now?"
"Well..." he tipped his head back, sighing. "Now, I'll get them to contact me again in an hour, we'll go to Ozpin for coordinating stuff, and then we'll have to find a good out of the way landing zone." When Jaune realized it, he glanced to her again and winced. "Sorry, but it looks like we're done for the day."
"Its all good." Ruby nodded, suppressing the flash of disappointment. "We still have tomorrow. Although..." she chuckled nervously, looking away as she started to wring her hands. "I don't think your sister is going to like it."
"I know." he sighed, rubbing his brow while glancing around the alley.
"Two-Five, status?"
Jaune yanked the radio back up, immediately snapping to attention. Ruby picked up too; the speaker was different, a deeper masculine voice she didn't recognize.
"Status nominal Chariot. Awaiting further orders, over." he spoke into the device, a frown crossing him. When he saw Ruby mouthing 'who's that?' he shrugged in response.
"Understood. Hold your position Two-Five, prepare for matter transmission."
Jaune blinked once, comprehension flickering over his face. Then he jerked the radio closer, alarmed when he spoke. "Say again Chariot? Did not catch that."
"Sensors locked. Standby for beaming."
The arm holding the device dropped to his side, the young man all but slumping as quiet fear overtook him.
"Oh no." he muttered, briefly holding a look of terror.
"What's the matter?" Ruby demanded worriedly, bringing her hands up to help.
Jaune quickly cleared his throat as he stood up straight, unable to shake the concealed alarm. Turning to face her, he took a breath. "Ruby, I promise I'll be fine, just don't freak-"
There was a flash of light, making the red toned girl wince. Briefly rubbing her eyes, she looked back to the blond when he fell silent. She blinked, turning her head from side to side.
"Um. Jaune?" she hesitantly called out, hearing no answer in the narrow alley. Nervously approaching where he was last, she swiped a hand in the space he occupied a moment ago. She felt only air.
Gulping, Ruby committed everything she heard and saw to memory before turning away, only just restraining herself from using her semblance. She needed to find Pyrrha; no matter how overjoyed she was to have her long lost friends back, leaving out important details, like the Earthers having the power to make people vanish into thin air, wasn't something she was going to let slide.
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"-out." Jaune finished. The light in front of his eyes vanished, a wash of vertigo quickly following the event.
He needed a couple seconds to process his surroundings; his vision was adjusting for the far dimmer light, the illumination coming from electric lights rather than a real sun. He was picking up details by the second, such as the grey metal walls studded with innumerable panels and reinforced by several layers of bracing struts. A unique hum filled his ears, sourced from banks of computers and the smoothly running engines.
Most importantly, before him was a set of highly reinforced windows. Outside Jaune saw two things: a star patterned black sky, and a multicolored planet taking up half the view. The young man knew what it was already, but he felt the need to pick out details. Things like the shape of continents he learned when he was a boy, or the whitish edge of the shattered moon. All of it combined together to crystallize a singular thought.
Not good.
A firm cough from behind him made the young man stand up straight, exactly how he was taught years ago. Releasing a short breath, Jaune turned around with his expression blank.
"Sergeant Arc I presume?" greeted the first as he rose from his chair. Jaune snapped out a quick salute to the older man in the green jumpsuit, his eyes scanning for his name badge.
"Sir." he replied, finally discovering who the officer in front of him was.
"At ease." Colonel Lionel Pendergast commanded, making his guest's arm lower. The commander of the Prometheus roamed his gaze over the Sergeant, for a moment focusing on the sword hanging off his belt.
"Sergeant, you're out of uniform." noted a second man, hands in his pockets while he strode up to him. A second salute was Jaune's greeting, which O'Neill waved off.
"My apologies sir, I wasn't expecting you for another fourteen hours." he answered neutrally while lowering his arm.
"Don't sweat it. By the way, nice threads." O'Neill complimented, appearing bemused while he planted a fist on his hip.
"It came as a surprise to us all Arc. Now." Pendergast gestured before turning to stride away.
O'Neill watched the commander for a second before turning to him. "You doing okay kid?"
"I'm fine sir." Jaune replied calmly, waiting for O'Neill to indicate he was done with him.
"Really." Instead the greying man turned to face him entirely, wearing an inquisitive expression. "You're home for the first time in years, and you don't have a single problem."
"Nothing worth bringing up sir." Jaune told him, inserting a tiny amount of coldness into his voice. O'Neill shrugged, hopefully understanding where he shouldn't tread.
"Alright. Over here then." he jabbed a thumb to the same direction Pendergast went, taking his time. With as much self control as he could muster, Jaune followed. "Just so you know, I'm not gonna bail you out of your family trouble." he added, causing the young man to miss a step.
O'Neill continued to move away at the same easy pace, not sparing a look back. A good thing, otherwise he would have caught the flash of anger on Jaune's expression.
The blonde composed himself by the time he caught up with the two Colonels, stopping in front of a desk station with the gathered personnel. While the screen showed an array of data, Jaune found himself caring more about how badly he stood out from everyone else: each of the men (and one woman) sported a green outfit of some design, from Pendergast's jumpsuit to the splotched BDUs of the two men.
Of the assembled men and woman of SG-1, they fitted his mental image almost exactly. Carter maintained the same discipline as the other officers, whereas Teal'c stood with his arms clasped behind his back. Daniel Jackson alone had his hands in his pockets, being technically exempt from the same rules as the rest. All three nodded to Jack.
"Okay." O'Neill began, glancing at him as he waved a hand around. "Arc, you know Pendergast and SG-1. Colonel Reynolds and Major Washington are here for SG-3 and SG-9 respectively. Everyone, this is Sergeant Arc." O'Neill's finished, a sharp look stopping Jaune's hand from snapping up.
"Sirs." he acknowledged instead, earning a nod from the two men he knew of by reputation.
Colonel Albert Reynolds appeared to be an unremarkable man at first glance, being a little younger than O'Neill. Jaune knew better; the Marine hadn't become the leader of SG-3 for nothing. He had to be good, otherwise his team wouldn't be the preferred backup for SG-1 whenever Hammond thought the situation might be too much for them. Reynolds stood at attention, his eyes flicking over the young man's choice of wardrobe.
Major David Washington on the other hand was a different story. Although still in this thirties, the leader of SG-9 appeared far older. No shortage of rumors followed him when he transferred to the SGC; the most persistent was a former NID affiliation, something to do with training mercenaries. Whatever the truth, Washington had the unenviable mission of establishing treaties and agreements with off world governments. Every time Jaune thought his own job was bad, all he had to do was think of SG-9 to feel relief.
"Alright, lets get down to business." O'Neill brought his hands together, turning his gaze towards Jaune. In seconds the rest of them followed suit, each of them boring their eyes into him. The blond stood up straight, hoping he didn't make a mistake.
"Sirs, our primary objective has been completed. My team and I have successfully made contact with a local leader, Headmaster Ozpin." he began, clasping his hands behind his back.
Major Washington raised an eyebrow. "A schoolteacher?"
"Yeah actually." Daniel interrupted before glancing towards O'Neill, who nodded. "Academies here are international organizations, they don't have a lot of real power but they do wield a lot of influence. Its a given a headmaster of one has a lot of connections. If you're looking for someone to talk to, you could do a lot worse." he finished with a shrug.
"Jaune Arc was previously familiar with Headmaster Ozpin. It was a pragmatic decision to contact him." Teal'c spoke as well, unmoving from his pose.
Washington inhaled through his nose. "Understood."
"We'll need to get in touch with him as soon as possible. Does he know we were on the way?" Carter inquired neutrally, directing the question towards Jaune.
"Yes ma'am. However, he isn't expecting your arrival for a while yet." he replied carefully, making her nod thoughtfully.
"Yes, about that. I admit to a mistake there." the blonde woman confessed, ignoring a snicker from O'Neill. "I based my estimate on an upgraded Goa'uld hyperdrive, not the high quality design the Asgard gave us instead. With the current specs, the Prometheus could have made it here in under twelve hours if we really needed to. But Colonel Pendergast didn't want to push the ship that hard right now." she explained, gesturing towards the greying master of the ship.
"The ship just got fixed up, I'd rather not break it immediately. General Jumper warned me if I did I'd get a desk job like Ronson." Pendergast replied evenly.
"Overall, the Asgard were generous this time. In addition to the hyperdrive, we have an improved energy shield, upgraded our railguns, they even threw in transporters. As you've already seen." Carter added with a hint of regret. "The last did come with a set of programmed restrictions admittedly, which we're not supposed to alter or break."
"Probably because of the whole Perdition Rift thing, Thor was real happy about us taking care of that for 'em. Little guy never did say why though." O'Neill frowned in thought while he crossed his arms.
"For the record, we actually got here about forty five minutes ago. Doing some orbit level recon, which won't be misinterpreted at all." Daniel said the last part under his breath, getting O'Neill to narrow his brow at him.
"You'd do the same thing and you know it." he half mocked.
Teal'c halted a petty argument via a well timed interruption. "I believe we should be underway soon. Is Headmaster Ozpin aware of our arrival?"
"I can't say for certain sir. I assume my team have contacted him by now, but he is likely expecting the Prometheus to find a landing zone first." Jaune answered, maintaining his calm before the Jaffa. Internally he hoped the intimidation he felt was disguised well enough.
"Very well. Colonel O'Neill, you have the most experience in these matters." Pendergast invited with a wave, getting the leader of SG-1 to step forward.
"Alright, this is how we'll do it then." O'Neill announced as he planted his hands on the station, regaining the mixed groups attention. "Daniel figures we're gonna have to stretch this out over a few days, so that's what we'll do. Pendergast?"
"I have no objections. If we get a recall order however, I'm dropping everything to run." the commander informed.
"Works for me. Today we're just gonna do some introduction stuff, swap some names and all that. Tomorrow we'll start hammering out details." he continued, glancing deliberately towards Washington.
The Major inhaled deeply. "Understood sir."
"Reynolds, you and your boys are backup if we need it. I got fifty bucks in the pot that we will." O'Neill ordered, the last part spoken with an air of cynicism.
"Yes sir." Reynolds acknowledged with a nod, hiding his thoughts on the matter.
"Game set match then. Now, where are we going?" O'Neill turned to the young Sergeant, silent throughout the briefing.
Rather than doing what he was told, Jaune cleared his throat. "Sir, there is something you have to know before we proceed any further."
"What would that be?" O'Neill questioned evenly, leveling a flat gaze upon him.
"After we gated through, my team and the visitors came under attack by a dangerous local lifeform." Jaune started, internally preparing himself.
"The Creatures of Grimm." Teal'c offered neutrally, making Pendergast, Reynolds, and Washington give him an odd look.
"Yes sir. As per General Hammond's instructions, we subsequently tested our standard issue weapons in combat conditions." he elaborated, stopping a grimace when he remembered how it went.
"Lemme guess." O'Neill began drolly, adopting a flat look. "You went on a hunting spree, and got more trophies than walls to put em on."
Inhaling, Jaune braced himself. "No sir. I personally emptied my P90's magazine into a basic type, at a range of perhaps ten meters. It failed to kill the creature."
O'Neill's expression was blank. "Failed."
"Correct sir. I made the Grimm angry, but my weapon caused no real harm to it." he finished, tensing up.
Glancing to the others, the Colonel flicked a hand in his direction. "Any of you believing this guy?"
"Well, do you have eyewitnesses to confirm this?" Carter ventured diplomatically, worry on her features. Along with the rest of the men now that he looked.
Jaune nodded. "I do ma'am. If you want I can arrange for a test under controlled conditions. But the gist is our primary firearms are ineffective at best. The exception was the AT-4, for obvious reasons."
"Hm, that's troubling." Reynolds commented, rubbing his chin. Washington and Teal'c nodded in agreement.
"If you say so kid." O'Neill shrugged, appearing to be the only one who didn't believe him. "Anyway, lets get back on track. Directions kid?"
"Yes sir." After glancing at Pendergast, Jaune reached over the display screen. Carter played with the controls for a moment, bringing up an aerial shot of a nearly cloudless city. It took him a moment to realize it was Vale.
"Over here ma'am." he directed respectfully, guiding the controls towards the outlying area of the city.
When the grainy display moved over the recognizable shape of Beacon, Reynolds whistled. "Looks like a castle."
"It does actually." Daniel agreed, hunching over the display to look closer.
"I find it to be a poorly designed fortress." Teal'c critiqued. "But it must have prowess. Wreckage surrounds the Academy."
Jaune quickly cleared his throat. "Sirs, I discovered approximately eight months ago Beacon Academy came under attack. It was repelled, but at a severe cost."
"Ouch." O'Neill winced in sympathy. "I'm gonna guess it was bad?"
"Yes sir. Now, here..." Jaune moved on rather than dwell, not wishing to go into detail yet. When he pointed at the topmost tower, the aerial shot was overlaid by a line covered image. The new view showed internal details of the tower, with numerous glowing dots visible all throughout the Academy. Idly he wondered if anyone down there could tell they were being scanned from orbit.
"Top of the tower." he directed, making Carter zoom in a bit further. When the screen showed an open room with a single life sign inside, he tapped on the screen once. "This is the Headmaster's office sirs." he explained, backing up a step. He felt Crocea Mors jostle on something, but the lack of a yelp told him it wasn't someone important.
"A king in his ivory tower." Daniel mumbled to himself, doing a decent job of hiding how impressed he was.
"Great." O'Neill clapped, a devilish smile coming over him. "Its time to go-" Daniel and Pendergast simultaneously cleared their throat, halting him in his tracks. "What? I wasn't going to say anything else." he defended testily, jerking his arms in an indignant wave.
"You were about to compare us to the away team of the Enterprise." Teal'c accused flatly, getting everyone to quietly groan.
"No I wasn't."
"Yes you were." Daniel rebutted, crossing his arms. Carter and Reynolds coughed.
"...Oh for crying out loud, how could I not?" O'Neill admitted. "Look around, when have we ever been more like Star Trek?"
Carter raised an eyebrow. "Sir, I don't see the parallels here."
"Alright, lemme explain. You're Scott, the engineering genius." he pointed to her, then to Teal'c. "You're Spock, all logical and stuff." Ignoring an adjustment of his brow, he moved on to Daniel. "And you're McCoy, being the snarky doctor." to finish he glanced to Jaune. "Sorry kid, this means you're a redshirt."
"Which implies you are Captain Kirk." Teal'c concluded. His brow shifted a few degrees, showing what he thought of the assessment.
O'Neill wore a smirk as he waved his arms out. "Hey, if the shoe fits."
"Quite the deduction Colonel." Pendergast said flatly, turning to the rest of the team. "Major Carter, Dr. Jackson, Teal'c. If Colonel O'Neill mentions the Enterprise or claims to be the master of this ship, you have my permission to shoot him."
"With Zats sir?" Carter checked, frowning while she ignored O'Neill's mutterings about them being ingrates.
"If you must. Good luck SG-1." the greying man backed away, turning to gesture at an airman.
Before the airman could begin, Teal'c spoke. "I propose Jaune Arc be sent down first."
Up until that point, Jaune had been content with staying silent, present yet ignored. He knew better than to intrude on a briefing; he said his piece, watched his warning get disregarded by the one man who should have taken it seriously, and had pointed Earth's best towards the leader of Beacon. He stayed quiet, if sputtering out a nervous cough counted for silence. Especially once the rest of the assembled officers glanced at him questionably.
"May I ask why?" Pendergast inquired with a frown.
"If we were to appear out of the ether, Headmaster Ozpin could interpret it as a threat. I would assume one does not become headmaster of an Academy without acquiring a great deal of experience in dealing with threats." Teal'c explained evenly.
"Oh..." Daniel grimaced as he rubbed his chin. "I didn't consider that. You think we should pop in somewhere else, then call him to visit?" he asked, swinging his head around for a reply.
"Hence sending Jaune Arc first. We will follow you in a moment." the Jaffa finished with a cordial nod towards the blond.
O'Neill tipped his head. "Good thinking T. Let's do it."
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An insistent beep came from Ozpin's desk. Seated in his chair, the wizened master of Beacon regarded the alert for a moment. Out of reflex he sipped his coffee.
"I have to end this call, there's another matter which needs my attention. Yes, two days. Ironwood should arrive sometime tomorrow, I know. Glynda voiced similar concerns. Would you like for me to inform your nieces? Very well. Safe travels." Ozpin flicked his finger across the pocket sized scroll, terminating the call before he set the small device on the desk. Then he brushed across the glowing display, connecting him to Goodwitch.
"Headmaster, are you busy right now?" his often overworked assistant questioned rapidly.
"Not anymore. Is something the matter?" he replied, layering concern into his tone.
"I just received a message from Miss Rose. She claims the Earthers are here." Glynda told him urgently, her controlled panic getting him to set his coffee down.
"Very well. Contact Team JNPR, get them here as soon as possible." Ozpin ordered calmly, his hand bringing up the most up to date map of Vale he possessed. He had spent much of the previous night going over all the information available to him, picking out locations removed from the main populace. What he hoped was for the Earthers to come down via a gunship equivalent, saving the trouble of finding a place to park their ship. If they didn't use that method, then his options were unusually limited.
"Right away." Glynda replied, ending the call from her end. Ozpin nodded, though she couldn't see him. While he poured over his map, he reached to grab his cup again.
A flash of bright light from the periphery of his vision put a stop to the action. Freezing in place, Ozpin creaked his head up several degrees. What he saw accomplished something most thought impossible: he was caught off guard.
"Headmaster." Jaune Arc greeted with his hands clasped behind his back, looking deeply uncomfortable. He stood ramrod straight, trying to get his expression under control.
"Mister Arc." Ozpin acknowledged after a moment, frowning with one of his eyebrows raised.
Jaune brought a fist up to clear his throat. "If you haven't been told already, the Tau'ri are here."
"...I see." Ozpin nodded, refraining from dropping his frown. In spite of the important message, the headmaster had another matter on his mind. "Mister Arc, how did you get into my office?"
There was a flash of white light, appearing a couple meters away from Jaune. It only lasted for a second, dissipating as fast as it appeared. Ignoring the spots in his eyes, Ozpin refocused his attention. He noted immediately the new intruders.
On the end of the short row, a man in fatigues and an open jacket whistled, crossing his arms while he looked over the spacious office. "Nice place." he said admirably, his back to the headmaster. The glasses wearing man beside him cleared his throat, making the greying arrival realize what happened. Quickly righting himself, the man muttered, "Very funny guys."
Stepping forward, the lone blonde woman of the new arrivals nodded respectfully. "Greetings."
"Greetings." Ozpin replied after a moment, once he managed to get past his surprise. "I am Ozpin, the headmaster of this Academy. I'll assume you're the representatives from Earth?"
The first man took a step forward, wearing a friendly smile as he appeared completely at ease. "Colonel Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force, at your service. This is SG-1." he paused to wave at the newcomers. "Doctor Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, and Major Samantha Carter. It's nice to meet you."
Ozpin gripped his cane, grunting as he pushed himself to his feet. He saw the unease on the newcomers (with the sole exception of the man with the emblem on his forehead), but he stayed resolute in his choice. When the headmaster was on his feet, he extended an open hand towards the soldier. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Welcome to Beacon Academy."
O'Neill took the offered hand, giving it a hearty shake before releasing. The silent offer to the others was declined, so Ozpin lowered himself back into his chair. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you get here?"
"Right, sorry if we frightened you. We call it beaming, its a form of remote matter transportation technology using many of the same principles as the Stargates." Carter explained quickly.
In a second Ozpin saw a dozen applications for such a machine. The very fact it wasn't a semblance meant many of his potential options were not viable; they used it to make themselves appear in his office from the stars, how could he defend himself from being abducted? How could anyone? But for now, he had no choice but to play the role of the friendly headmaster.
"Now that the introductions are out of the way, we should get down to business." he suggested.
"Indeed." rumbled the dark skinned man, Teal'c. Ozpin reflected on the odd name as he clasped his hands in front of him, noting how Jaune seemed to be trying to slip through the floor.
"I was informed of the basics of what to expect. However, I was under the impression you were going to arrive much later." he began, causing the woman to cough.
"That was a mistake on our part. Our ship, the Prometheus, was recently refitted with a more advanced drive than I thought. The estimate I gave to Arc was based on the wrong data." Carter explained.
"I see. Alright then." Ozpin leaned forward, for once refraining from grabbing his coffee. "It is my understanding that your people are travelers, seeking new technologies and resources in order to help defend yourselves from an aggressive alien empire."
"Yes, that's the short version." the glasses man, Doctor Jackson, spoke up. Though he was clad in the same uniform as the others, he didn't carry himself like they did. "If possible, we'd like to set up trade with your world, to benefit the entire planet."
"A noble goal. But I must caution you, I don't speak for all the people of this world. While I do approve of what you are proposing, not everyone will. Moreover, I am not willing to make any binding agreements without consulting anyone else." the headmaster warned, tenting his fingers.
"That's fine, I'd look at you funny if you did." O'Neill shrugged off, stuffing his hands in his pockets. For a moment Ozpin mentally contrasted this man to Ironwood.
"So, that's why we're here." Jackson finished with a quiet clap, appearing hopeful.
"Very well. Before we continue, can I offer any of you any refreshments?" Ozpin offered.
His door slid open, catching everyone's attentions. Glynda strolled into the office, making it a half dozen paces before she noticed the arrivals. Upon seeing her freeze in utter confusion, Opin cleared his throat. "Professor Goodwitch, nice of you to join us. May I introduce SG-1, the representatives from Earth."
Gulping down a lump, Glynda hesitantly nodded. O'Neill gave her a short wave, smiling as he did for her superior. "Hiya."
"SG-1, this is professor Goodwitch. I understand you'll wish to keep your presence here a secret for now, but she is my most trusted confidant. You don't need to fear exposure from her." Ozpin explained, gesturing for her to come closer.
"Greetings." Teal'c nodded respectfully towards her, though he was otherwise unmoving.
"Now." Ozpin spoke once Glynda had made it to his desk, largely recovered for the moment. "For now, let us discuss what it is we have to offer each other."
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In orbit, an airman monitoring the new subspace transmitter picked up when the display beeped. He obediently signaled for Colonel Pendergast to come closer, moving out of the way to avoid glancing at the 'officers only' stamp on his screen.
Pendergast opened the downloaded package, letting out a quiet breath when he saw it wasn't a recall order. Knowing Earth was still safe put him at ease, a little something to relieve his overall anxiety for this mission. Scanning over the information, he skimmed the obligatory congratulations and the usual status updates. But an attached document caught his attention: the preliminary results of two blood tests the Cheyenne Mountain medical personnel did yesterday.
The words 'retroviral scarring matches previous subjects' made him worry. And made him order for an immediate reply to the SGC.
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A/N: Yep, the plot thickens. You guys better hope I have a plan, otherwise this will be worse than a pit of yarn balls. I sense a lot of you are going to be mad at me for what happened in this chapter, in which case you're probably justified.
Usual thanks to KisaragiKei. When you read this part, go to his profle and check out his stories, Arrows are Dragonsbane is a very good read in my opinion.