A/N: Patsmckraken is the one hundredth person to favorite Not What You Expected. Hurray! Next shoutout is for the one hundred and fiftieth, so let's keep 'em coming.
But seriously, thank you everyone who took the time to read this, I appreciate it.
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"What do you mean you don't know where its located?"
"That's it! She just gave us a couple pictures and asked me to send them to you. I don't even know what this thing is, I only bothered because we didn't have anything else to report at the time. Ask her if you want directions, I dunno where this things at."
"Fine. Wait, what do you mean you couldn't get to them?"
"Tried, haven't been able to get close enough. I'm not the only thinking this whole job was a waste of time, am I?"
Massaging the black mass coating part of her arm, Cinder let out a small breath, bleakly wondering when things got to be this complicated. How all this began was so simple she could almost laugh; find a few lost kids, find out what they knew, and kill them. Nowhere was the death of her master's favorite pet on the cards.
By no means was Cinder broken up by Tyrian meeting his end, she would've done him in herself if she thought she could get away with it. But that didn't change the fact he was one of the inner circle, so his death couldn't go unanswered. Salem wouldn't accept any other outcome. And as luck would have it, another powerful member of said circle just entered Vale for unrelated business, so redirecting her was as simple as sending a brief message. It was as straightforward as things got.
So it came as a total shock when Salem's communique arrived via the tiny Seer Grimm on her arm, further nursing the uncomfortable pit in her stomach. Finding some old statue and avenging Tyrian were equally important? She had a bad feeling about the ring when she first saw the picture, and her master's strange fixation on it was only making it worse. The woman wasn't entirely sure she wanted to find out what this bizarre construct was, or why it was so important.
Abruptly realizing she lost track of the current conversation, Cinder refocused to appear involved.
"-approximately eighteen hundred local recruits so far. More would be nice of course, but we only have so many supplies." droned a heavyset faunus clad in the uniform of the White Fang sans mask, pacing over the decrepit office while an operative of his sat on a repurposed desk.
Arms crossed, Cinder glanced out the dirty window towards the underground stadium, built during Mountain Glenn's heyday and never finished. Not so long ago it was a dark expanse inhabited by wild animals and the occasional Grimm, the stadium abandoned when the city was evacuated. She imagined a poet could look at this place and write a tale about the folly of men, something along the lines of battling the inevitable. The same could be said for much of the city she supposed.
But that all changed. Right now, the stadium was positively bustling with activity, everything illuminated by giant searchlights planted all over to banish the darkness. When they moved in the White Fang cleared away the larger debris, sealed as many holes as they could find, and proceeded to transform a sporting field into a heavily armed camp.
Cinder could see many faunus from the old vantage point, making out several groups busy on various tasks. Some were practicing marksmanship on a makeshift firing rage, the cracks of gunfire from the scavenged Atlesian weapons reaching their location. Others were pouring over several Bullheads and Paladins, either repairing or refitting the vehicles. Still others were engrossed by what was clearly physical training, from running to weight lifting to hand-to-hand combat, in order to whip the former civilians into shape.
"Impressive isn't it?" asked the self proclaimed General, one Burgundy Hale if she remembered correctly, stopping to smirk at her. "Taurus gave me five months to turn this motley crowd into an army, and at their current progress they'll be combat ready in under four. By the time our deadlines up, this will be the best trained and best equipped unit the White Fang have." he explained pridefully.
"Won't mean much to an Atlas battlegroup." she idly replied, glancing out the window again.
"We're banking on that. You see, our engineers managed to recover one of their own laser cannons from a wreck, it's being worked on at another site. The crew tells me its perfectly functional, the only problem is supplying enough power. But that's being sorted out as we speak. Ironic that the weapons Atlas built to smite their foes will be used to bring about their downfall." he gloated, peering out to the training field himself.
When she glanced at him again, Hale's smile dipped. "Of course, our overall supply situation could be better. Scavenging the wreckage from the original battle helped, as did many of the recruits bringing their own weapons, but it's still a lot more stilted than I'm comfortable with. I've requested more munitions and spare parts, but for now this is going to be the best I'll get."
Cinder let out a breath through her nose, lowering her hands to first look at the the mute two toned girl, who smiled back. Keeping a cold visage on her for a second, she glanced back to Hale. "So you guys are serious about razing Vale."
"Not razing, conquering." he corrected with a wagging finger, his two curved horns twirling too. "We don't just want to bleed the kingdom, we're planning on taking it over. After that, we'll repurpose Vale's resources and industry to our own ends. The humans will toil for the faunus, just like they always did to us."
"You'll do this with just two thousand fighters." she said dryly.
Hale's brow twitched, a faint scowl on his features. But no insults followed the dirty look. Not for the first time Cinder was glad she left the others behind; Emerald would've gotten snotty over his disrespect, although Mercury would keep his mouth shut when she told him to do so. Their lack of progress over the past week wasn't endearing them to her either, the duo wasting time avoiding the police instead of doing what they were told. Not for a moment did she accept the excuse of the cops being more active than usual.
"There are two other factions being assembled, around a thousand fighters apiece. In six months all our groups will muster on the borders and attack. We'll sweep their defenses aside and take the city, any faunus that wants to join us will be welcome. Beacon will be the first to go." he ended with a smirk, enjoying the momentary scowl on her features.
Cinder contemplated putting a fireball through him, but she reluctantly vetoed the idea. For now, she still needed him and his group of wannabe revolutionaries.
"That's all well and good. But in the meantime, about my... request." she got out, tasting bile in the back of her throat.
Hale smirked once more. "The additional intel your group provided was very useful, it nicely complimented our own informant's findings. In exchange, I'll be happy to loan you a Bullhead and a dozen guards."
"Good, get one prepped immediately. I want this done and over with..." she trailed off when he shook his head.
"Your little diversion isn't happening today. An Atlas warship is doing a sweep over this region, and I'm not compromising this entire operation just for your little job. When its past, then I'll oblige you, not a moment sooner." he explained cooly.
Cinder gritted her teeth. "I need that taken care of as soon as possible."
"I just told you the score." Hale glanced at the girl on his desk, for a moment flashing the same expression as her a moment ago. "Listen, I don't like you any more than you like me. If I could I'd get you out of my hair right away, I would, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I can't, not without putting my whole operation in jeopardy. Either wait a day or two, or find someone else to cart you around."
Sucking in a breath, Cinder clenched then relaxed her fists. She wanted nothing to do with this arrogant faunus, but she knew he was right. Glancing at Neo once again, her scowl was met by a playful grin, the girl staring intently at her the entire time.
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"Okay, yes, it was a mistake." Daniel conceded, pacing in front of the headmaster's desk.
O'Neill sighed, standing at attention a few paces away with his hands in his pockets, watching his friend defend him. He was doing exactly what the bespectacled man insisted he do an hour ago, which was stand aside and let him do the talking. The Colonel didn't disagree.
Peeking to the side, he noted Qrow watching the display with a dry expression, doing little to hide what he thought of the meeting so far. O'Neill wanted to tell the huntsman things would be okay, but instead he kept silent, for fear of invoking more wrath than he already had. The only thing he made sure of before Ozpin summoned them was sending Eliane off to a hospital, in spite of her insistence that she was alright.
"But he had a good-" Daniel's spirited defense ended when Ozpin raised a hand, silencing the casually uniformed man.
"Doctor Jackson, I can appreciate you defending your comrade, even though you have plenty of grievances with his actions yourself." Ozpin's voice was calm, but the coldness in his tone was unmistakable. "However, this doesn't change the facts of what happened. Colonel O'Neill, what do you have to say to defend yourself?"
"Nothing Doctor Jackson hasn't already said." O'Neill replied, deciding to keep the snark down for once.
Ozpin slowly nodded, resting his elbows on the desk so he could tent his fingers. "Doctor, Mister Brawen, please wait outside."
Daniel opened his mouth, evidently planning on arguing long after his cause was lost. But when O'Neill cleared his throat to catch his attention, the man grimaced at the man's backwards nod. Dejectedly walking towards the exit, he slowed when passing by him.
"You did the best you could." O'Neill offered softly. Daniel huffed and stomped away.
Qrow appeared leery, coughing into a fist. "Well Oz, I'm at fault too. I should've called the cops."
"That you could have done Qrow. Now step outside." Ozpin spoke simply, devoid of any trace of goodwill.
The huntsman winced, sighing as he turned around. Offering one last look towards O'Neill, he nodded at the shrug the Earther gave him, before walking off as well. The Colonel watched him leave for a moment, though he didn't move from his spot. Nor did he look over his shoulder, hearing the door open then clamp shut. The entrance sealed with a smooth hiss, reminding him of a bank vault. Or a prison cell.
Facing the desk once more, O'Neill slid his hands into his pockets. "The behind closed door rant. A classic."
"That's correct O'Neill." Ozpin replied, lowering his hands just far enough to settle his cold gaze upon him. "You're evidently used to it."
"It happens. Usually means the one on the delivery end is angry." he shrugged to loosen up.
"No. I am not just angry." Ozpin replied. He reached up to take his glasses off for a moment, closing his eyes and rubbing the sockets. But when his expression returned to the Colonel, the look was powerful enough to leave even him taken aback. "I am furious."
Stunned at the massive shift, O'Neill could only observe the headmaster using the cane to rise to his feet, all but seething.
"Do you realize what you've done? A man is dead because of your actions. I don't care how dangerous he was." he interrupted O'Neill before he could reply. "He should have faced a proper court of justice, not a summary execution by a man who believes his own judgment is superior to the law, of a foreign land no less. You put yourself, your subordinate, and mine at risk, giving no thought to the consequences because you're so used to getting your own way. Why should I trust your world if they're willing to give such authority to someone as foolish as you?"
"Now wait a second." he tried to protest, only for a swiped hand to stop him.
"This is not your world, you cannot do whatever you please when it suits you. If this is the behavior I can expect from Earth, then this interplanetary deal should be terminated now." Ozpin snapped, causing the man to do a double take. "Before I tie my world to a band of lunatics, who will happily ignore any rules in existence when it suits them. Your position is much weaker than you assume it to be, so do not presume you can force myself or anyone else to cooperate."
Lowering his hand, Ozpin was breathing heavily as he glared daggers at his silent guest, who had put on a neutral visage instead of arguing.
"This is the one chance I'm giving you Colonel." he all but spat the rank. "If you attempt anything like this again, I will sever all relations with your world, permanently. Come here after that and I'll have you thrown in prison for the rest of your life. Now." his expression flickered as he lowered himself to the chair again, but he couldn't tell if it was from pain or fury. "Get out of my office."
Activating the display on his desk, Ozpin immersed himself in the day to day affairs of running Beacon. The glowing surface was replete with documents, reports, requests, and messages of every variety, all of it vying for his attention. It was a workload that would leave a lesser man in tears, but he went to work without a second thought. His assistant could only do so much after all. Occupied as he was however, he was far from deaf.
"I told you to leave." he commanded, focusing on the work while he reached for his coffee.
"Salem."
The hand froze in place. The headmaster ceased all movement, his breath catching in an undignified hiccup. Unseen by anyone, his normally sharp mind came to a screeching halt in an instant. Slowly lifting his head, Ozpin's hollow gaze fell on the visitor.
"Last night, right after Teal'c shot him, I tried wringing as much information out of that nutcase as I could. That word was the only thing Tyrian told me before he died." O'Neill explained, his face a blank mask. "To tell the truth, I went after that guy myself because my gut told me there was more to him than what met the eye. Over the course of my whole Air Force career, my gut has never once been wrong. You just showed me it wasn't this time."
Walking up to the desk to plant his hands on the surface, he leaned over to narrow his eyes.
"That guy knew something, and you're afraid of it. You wouldn't be nearly this angry if we hauled him back in chains, that I'm sure of." he said lowly, no trace of amusement on his features. "I'm willing to bet there's a nice dark hole set up you could toss him into, and after that it'd be the last anyone ever heard from poor Tyrian Callows."
"You don't want to get involved in this." Ozpin replied in the same way, hardening his own expression.
"You're right. Fact is, I don't give a damn about your problems. I'm here to do a job, that's all." he stood up, crossing his arms. "Part of that job involves me making sure I'm not putting my planet at risk, so I have to make sure there isn't a worm in this apple. So, all I wanna know from you is one thing. Is your baggage going to be a problem for me?"
Ozpin narrowed his bespectacled eyes. "I was hoping this deal between our worlds would help get rid of my baggage, within two years if it goes as I hoped. In no way will it impact you."
"Works for me." O'Neill agreed lowly, backing up to stuff his hands in his pockets.
"The current draft of the trade negotiation will be presented to the Council later today. Within a day or two it'll be ratified, and then your work here will be done." the headmaster explained coolly.
"Fantastic." he replied with no trace of enthusiasm. "If you had asked nicely before this, I just might've helped you take this Salem person down."
Without warning the door whooshed open, admitting a lone interloper jogging to the pair. As Ozpin picked up, O'Neill turned around to raise a brow.
"Doctor Jackson, I asked you to wait outside." the headmaster said, his tone cold yet warily curious.
"Just got radioed by Sam, something's come up." Daniel got out quickly, stopping by the desk to glance between them.
Noticing his agitation, O'Neill quietly huffed. "Let me guess, snakes."
"Sort of. Headmaster Ozpin, we need you to come up with us." Daniel spoke rapidly, worry flashing over him.
"Very well." he muttered. Rising with a groan, the old man tapped an icon on his desk. "Glynda, there's a special event going on, I'll be unavailable for the next hour." he said with strain, which was muted when he was up and supported by the cane. "Let's go."
There was a flash of light, and then all three men were gone.
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Pyrrha swung Akoúo around to slide onto her back, facing away from her friends with a heavy heart. Sighing for the umpteenth time since the previous night, the redhead slowly walked to the foot of the bed, snagging Miló resting on the frame to join her shield. Adjusting the weapon to a more comfortable spot, she took one more breath and turned around.
Jaune was on his knees in front of the second bed, a P90 and its cleaning kit set out before him, placed on a mat so he could tend to the weapon. He was dressed and armored, missing only Crocea Mors, which was resting in the corner. Ren and Nora were already prepared for the day, the orange haired girl finishing up by placing Magnhild on her back like Pyrrha did. The sable haired young man had his scroll out, seemingly absorbed with checking on the device, instead of leaving like he said he would.
Finally Jaune dropped his tools, rising to his feet before grudgingly turning around. A sour look was on his face, one she couldn't help wincing at.
"Just get it over with." he muttered, rolling his shoulders.
Nora huffed and faced him, planting her fists on her hips. "Why'd you do it?"
"Because I had to." Jaune retorted, brow wrinkled while he crossed his arms.
"No you didn't." Ren said softly, closing the device to absentmindedly rub his shoulder. "You disobeyed orders because you wanted to show off to O'Neill."
"Not this again." Jaune milled about, rubbing the bridge of his nose and grimacing. "We had a chance to actually help for once, to do something."
"Besides die?" Nora countered, setting her features into a hard line. "I'm all for doing risky stuff, if there's a good reason. Impressing O'Neill, especially when he said not to follow him, isn't one." she declared, stabbing a finger at him.
"We didn't stand a chance against Tyrian. Doing what we were told was the best thing we could've done." Ren said, crossing his own arms.
"How do you know?" the blond snapped, stomping on the floor. He flung his head over, his anger morphing into a pleading look. "Pyrrha, please. Back me up."
Sighing, the redhead swallowed a lump. "I... I don't think you should've left. I understand what you wanted, but this wasn't the time or the place."
Her diplomatic reply failed; Jaune sucked in a breath, grabbing his face to rub the flesh underneath. She could almost hear his teeth grinding together, making her wince.
"Jaune." Ren stepped closer, hand outstretched.
"It wasn't like that." his hands fell, his chest slumping with them. "I didn't care about impressing O'Neill, alright? I, I..." dropping his head, he sighed. "We could've helped. We could've..."
"There's no guarantee your sister wouldn't have gotten hurt." Ren offered soothingly, still holding out his splayed palm as he approached, his free hand gesturing at his side.
"Okay, say we did disobey orders to follow along." Nora began dubiously, carefully stepping back. "Maybe your sis didn't get stabbed and nearly bled to death. Instead she could've gotten her throat cut, so that'd be the end of her right there. Or I could've gotten stabbed, or Ren, or Pyrrha, or you. Then what?"
Jaune hissed through his teeth, affixing a sour look at his advancing friend. "Maybe. Or we could've overwhelmed Tyrian with our superior numbers, and taken him alive, of got the chance to Zat him. Or, something." he threw his hands in the air, turning away to avoid looking at the interloper. "Could you stop that?"
"If you promise to calm down on your own." Ren answered flatly.
Pyrrha let out a breath to take a step towards them, only to immediately pull back to her previous spot. The numbness on her senses faded as fast as it arrived, though far from completely. Nora had likewise retreated to the far wall, standing akimbo while she kept her look. She was keeping a safe distance from the deadening field, plainly intending on avoiding its effects as much as possible.
"I can feel my soul leeching out of me." Jaune protested bitterly.
"That's called being melodramatic. Now." he placed a hand on his friends shoulder, for the moment not quite able to muster the right feeling. Emotion damping was a double edged sword. "Let it go. We'll have our chance, okay?"
By the door Pyrrha cleared her throat. "I'm heading out for a while. I'll be on Beacon grounds, so just call me if something happens, okay?"
"Yeah, stay safe." Nora gave a lackluster wave, sighing at the circumstances. The boys did so as well, though Jaune's hurt look made her wince apologetically.
The last thing she heard before exiting was Ren's soft voice, still trying to console his teammate. "How about we go spar for a bit? Work out the frustration?"
Closing the door behind her, the redhead sighed dejectedly to let her head rest on the wood. She knew this would happen, knew this was coming ever since Jaune returned last night to explain what happened. The only thing giving her any solace was his lack of punishment for insubordination, her relief overshadowing her amazement at him finally discovering how to manipulate his semblance. It could have been worse by far.
Pushing away from the door, Pyrrha took off at a sedate walk towards the exit, heading in the direction of the main dorms. Her stride was even, but her mind was a tumultuous mess of conflicting emotions. In an attempt to soothe her thoughts, the redhead idly wondered how her commander would take the news of what happened last night, the mental diversion finally breaking her grim expression.
"I like his heart but not his head. How's about a handshake and a boot up the ass, that should do the trick." went the informal voice of SG-10's leader, Captain Carolina. She was a stern woman with no stomach for any kind of formalities, who didn't care about the redhead being an alien to them. All she minded was the so called 'stuck up' attitude she claimed Pyrrha kept, though she never actually explained what that meant.
Covering her mouth, the redhead shook her head as she smiled wryly at her latest mentor. She could easily picture Carolina managing this mess in her usual direct approach, a method of sheer crassness that left Pyrrha speechless in the early days. Glancing to the ceiling, she idly wondered how she and SG-10 were doing; were they moving on without a problem, or could they be talking about her right now?
Shaking her head, Pyrrha moved from the guest block into the main dorms, her good mood fading the further she walked. She was grateful for the momentary reprieve, but now she had to put that aside for the time being. Focusing on the matter at hand was her only concern, or so she told herself.
Counting the doors while she strode in, she frowned at a blocked off wing that rang with the sounds of workers, giving it a strange look for a moment. Pyrrha needed a moment to realize she stopped, but not at any random door.
"Right." she murmured to herself, backing away. The currently empty dorm room in front of her didn't belong to her team anymore, it hadn't for quite some time, and likely never would again. Sighing to herself, she pressed on.
A short distance away and Pyrrha halted again, this time meaning to do so. She paused before the plain door, unremarkable except for a small plaque above the frame, one which marked this room as number twenty eight. Curling her hand into a fist, she raised her hand to knock, pushing the hesitation to the corner of her mind.
But before she could do anything, the door swung open on its own. Jerking back in surprise, she almost drew a weapon, but forced herself to stop and take a deep breath. After noticing she took her hand away from the javelin, fingers ghosting over the grip.
"Can I help you?" asked a calm male voice, one that reminded her of Ren.
Lowering her hand, Pyrrha straightened up before the student in black, unwittingly trailing her eyes up for his face. The boy was about half a head taller than she was, making her feel short despite her own aggressive growth spurt, and his calm features shown with measured curiosity. He only opened the door halfway, keeping a gloved palm resting on the edge.
"Hi, is this team BROM's room?" she checked, trying to force some casualness into her stance.
"That's right. My names Ron Mavros." he offered, tapping on his chest. "Is there a problem?"
"Sort of. My names Pyrrha Nikos." she greeted, clearing her throat. "Is Masculum Aries in there?"
Ron went still, unmoving save for his breathing. For a moment she feared she made a mistake, but then he unexpectedly sighed, dropping his head to shake. His dreadlocks rustled with the movement, flopping back as he lifted his head. This time there was a sour look on his face.
"What'd she do to you?" he questioned laconically, sounding exhausted all of a sudden.
Pyrrha took a deep breath. "She told me... told me a friend of mine did something."
"Ruby Rose, its that the issue?" Ron asked, making her blink. "Yeah, thought so. Come on in." he shoved the door aside, gesturing into the room before heading in. Although she was reluctant about following him, Pyrrha carefully walked after the boy anyway, readying herself for a fight just in case.
The room was an otherwise typical dorm, just with the addition of a small television and a mini fridge in the corner. Nothing about it stood out to her, except for its occupants. On one bed a dark toned boy looked up from a sword on his lap, stiffening up at the mere sight of her. When she offered a short wave in acknowledgment, he looked away nervously.
But on the bed besides his, the white haired girl with horns set her scroll aside to flop up, suddenly grinning. "You came."
"Yeah." Pyrrha replied guardedly, resisting the instincts telling her to draw a weapon.
Masculum rolled to her feet, for some reason still clad in the thick white and red outfit from the night before. She took a second to straighten her jacket out before beaming at the arrival.
"So, you really do wanna find out the truth." she said, smiling broadly. Meanwhile Ron stepped around, his expression hardening at the girl.
Catching movement Pyrrha glanced over, beholding a fourth occupant she initially overlooked. Leaving a bed to join the gathering was a small girl, appearing mature yet short. Clad in a black jumpsuit, her green hair rustled around a pair of ribbed horns rising up from her scalp, the redhead noting the black and glossy protrusions. For a second she wondered what kind of faunus the girl was, putting the question aside when she spoke.
"Let me guess." she began drolly; for as small as she was, her voice was surprisingly full. "You're Nikos."
"That's right." Pyrrha nodded, frowning at the stranger.
"I'm Bael. And I'm gonna assume you're here because Masculum told you to come?" she went on, sparing a look at the other girl in the room.
"Yep!" Masculum proclaimed, standing akimbo and beaming.
"Yeah." Pyrrha reluctantly agreed, glancing between them. A questioning look at Ron was met by a shrug.
Bael sighed. "Okay then. All of you out."
In the blink of an eye Masculum shoved between Pyrrha and Ron, barging right up to the smaller girl to snarl with indignation. "Wha?! No, I was gonna do it!"
"Out." she repeated simply, pointing at the door.
Ron turned to the boy, arms crossed and features neutral. "Go on Oscar, I'll join you in a little while. Tell Raoul I'll help with his physics work later if you don't mind."
"Y-yeah." he agreed with a rapid nod, picking up the broadsword to place on his back. The last thing the boy did was snag a small black greave, sliding it over his left hand as he half jogged to the door, sparing a quick peek back before vanishing.
Finally Masculum threw her hands in the air, whipping around to stomp away from the small leader, giving the redhead a sour glance before she too vanished from sight. Finally Ron walked past her, bringing up two fingers to mime tipping a hat on his way to the exit. He grabbed the door to lock it shut behind him, leaving the two girls alone in the room.
As the horned girl sighed, Pyrrha raised a brow. "That was..."
"I don't trust Masculum to handle this right, not at all." Bael replied, crossing the room for the mini fridge. After rooting around, she held up a small can over her shoulder. "I got three kinds of soda pop and water. Can I offer you anything?"
"I'll take some water." Pyrrha answered; she didn't want one, but she felt playing along was a good choice.
Tossing a clear bottle at her to catch, Bael gestured at the far bed, heading back to her own with a can in her grip. Giving a leer to the messy sheets, the redhead elected to shake her head in a polite refusal. On her part Bael flopped down on the bed in front of her, popping the tab to take a long drag of the soda. Lowering the can, she was silent for a moment, regarding the guest in her room.
"Just to make sure, what did Masculum say to you, and when?" she spoke, features neutral.
Pyrrha cleared her throat, trying to avoid staring at the girl's vibrant eyes. "Last night, in the guest dorms. My teammate and I had... a disagreement, and after he left she showed up. We talked for a minute, then she mentioned something about a friend of mine, Ruby Rose."
"Go on." she invited.
"Masculum mentioned Ruby did something during the Vytal Festival, but she wouldn't tell me what. All she said was to come here, and, well..." the redhead waved a lackluster hand around, holding the water bottle in her grip.
"That. Of course, had to be that." Bael closed her eyes to shake her head. "I told her to give it a rest, but of course she didn't listen to me." she sighed, opening her eyes again to regard the visitor. "She's my friend, I love her to death, but she really gets on my nerves sometimes." she finished, clenching a fist.
"So?" Pyrrha gently prompted, giving her water a considering look.
Bael leaned back, expression blank. "What did Ruby tell you about the festival?"
"Only that the Battle of Beacon interrupted it. I know she competed." she answered, frowning.
"Yeah, figured. That's her prerogative, can't imagine anyone who wouldn't say the same thing in her place. So." she settled her unsettling green eyes on Pyrrha, causing an involuntary shiver to crawl down her spine. "This is the only chance you'll have to turn back. You can walk out that door without hearing what I have to say, to no consequence. If Ruby herself wishes to tell you the story, she will. Or you can stay, and find out behind her back."
Pyrrha blinked in surprise, raising a brow after a moment. "I don't understand."
"What I have to share with you is important. It also violates the trust between your friend and yourself. Both Ruby and her team had their reasons to keep this a secret from you, I imagine they'll break the news to you on their own time. Unless you choose to stay." she raised a hand towards the door, her intent obvious. "Are you certain you want me to tell you?"
The redhead gulped, but she did nod. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Alright." Bael set her soda beside the bed, letting out a breath as she looked up. "The finalist duel was the event that began the panic, which led to the Battle itself. It happened because Ruby Rose murdered her opponent."
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A flash of light announced Ironwood's arrival, the General sucking in a breath of processed air before letting it out as a quiet sigh. A brief test of his arm confirmed the obvious: it didn't respond to him whatsoever, just as he knew it would. Huffing to himself, he turned from the window view to the man waiting for him.
"Colonel Pendergast." Ironwood acknowledged respectfully.
"General Ironwood, welcome. Thanks for coming on short notice." the master of the Prometheus replied, showing a level of strain far above what he saw the last time he saw him.
"Did something happen Colonel?" he asked immediately, frowning in worry.
"Not the worst case scenario, but its bad enough. Over here." the greying officer turned to stride, either forgetting his guest's problem or too occupied to care this time.
Frown deepening, Ironwood trudged across the bridge to the operations center, nodding to the crewmen in his path. He joined the gathering around the raised table showing a low quality digital picture, taking note of the men and woman apparently waiting on him.
"Gentlemen." he nodded to them, his gaze falling on Ozpin.
"General, thanks for coming." the bespectacled man greeted, his expression grim.
Pendergast stood up straight, gathering the collective attention of the group. Around the table were SG-1, Ozpin, Ironwood, and a man in a different style uniform to the others. The General needed a few seconds to recall his name from the tour several days ago, Reynolds if he remembered correctly. Everyone present sported an uneasy look.
"Alright, now that we're all here." Pendergast began, glancing to the General first. "Hope you weren't busy sir."
"Just a staff meeting for the 33rd. What's going on?" he inquired guardedly.
"I invited you General, I felt your consul was needed here." Ozpin replied, turning to the lone blonde among them.
Carter stood forward, clearing her throat. "Sirs."
"Go ahead." O'Neill invited from beside her, arms crossed and with a tight expression.
"Approximately thirty minutes ago the Prometheus detected a blanket subspace transmission, emanating from here." she fiddled with the controls, allowing for a large picture to be displayed on the table. Once it loaded, Ironwood needed seconds to realize what it was.
"The moon?" he asked in surprise, glancing up.
"That is correct." Teal'c supplied, his stoicism failing to entirely mask his concern.
"We did a thorough scan when we arrived in this system. The only signals were radio, and they were coming from Remnant." Pendergast spoke. "There wasn't subspace comms of any variety, until now."
"When I traced the signal, we found this." Carter did something to make the grey pockmarked surface strip away, revealing numerous red circles and lines underneath. There was a pattern to the array, but not one he saw. "The shielding here is impressive, it took almost fifteen minutes to even detect this place. Sensors are still mapping it out as we speak. If the ship still had its previous setup, I don't think we could've found this facility at all. Even now it's difficult."
"Someone went to a lot of trouble to hide this place." Daniel added, arms crossed as he stared.
"Indeed." Teal'c mumbled.
"Why though?" went Reynolds, leaning over the table. "Underground facilities are nothing new, but why go through the trouble and expense of building one on an airless moon, when there's a perfectly habitable planet right there?" the Marine finished by gesturing out the window.
"The Grimm are likely the reason. This place would be infinitely safer than any location on Remnant." Ozpin offered, fixated on the screen.
Ironwood cleared his throat. "What even is this place?"
O'Neill crossed his arms, briefly looking at the others. "Want me to say it?" he asked, receiving no objection. Satisfied, he met the General's expression with his own. "This is a Goa'uld base. It's been floating over your heads this entire time."