Chapter Two: Introductions and Backroom Politics
Ozpin stared in open disbelief with jaw dropped at the wild claim from the tall teenager in power armor that had crashed into his office. At first, the headmaster thought that the young man had sustained a serious injury to the head from the crash landing. A genetically-enhanced human from another planet crashing into his office by complete accident after being teleported to Remnant with the use of alien technology seemed absurd. However, the unusual materials that were used to make the teen's weapons had been enough evidence to convince the headmaster.
"If what the teen has told me is true, then what does that mean for Remnant?" The white-haired man thought to himself as he stared at the teenager in question.
Standing in front of the headmaster's large desk, the heavily-armored teen's feet were at shoulder's width with hands behind his back. It was painfully obvious to anybody that the young man had received a lot of military training at some point. The polite refusal to take off his helmet was a very clear indicator to Ozpin that the teen had been serving for more than a few years.
"So tell me something, Mister….." The headmaster started to ask before realizing that the teen hadn't revealed his name.
For once, Ozpin didn't know how to proceed as he had never been caught unprepared like this before. The fact that he was unable to gauge the young man's reactions on the account of the helmet was making things more difficult. He was currently flying blind at the moment and needed to trust his instincts.
"I have been designated as Spartan-B312, sir." The teen responded in a cold and monotone-like voice that caused the headmaster to flinch.
It was like he was staring at somebody that came from a world that saw the emotionless faction prevailing in the Great War. It wasn't hard for Ozpin to connect the dots between the military training and lacking of an actual name. The teenager in front of him was a child-soldier that had been trained only in the art of killing.
"Very well, Spartan-B312. I was wondering about what you would do now?" The headmaster commented in a curious voice.
It simply wouldn't do to allow a heavy-armed warrior with advance technology to move around the kingdom without any supervision. He was particularly concerned for the Faunus as the white-haired man had a sinking suspicion that Spartan-B312 had never seen one before.
"To be perfectly honest with you, I don't what to do with myself as I only know how to fight." The teenager spoke in a somewhat dejected voice as he had spent his entire childhood learning how to fight against a genocidal group of aliens.
Ozpin truly felt sorry for the young man as nobody should have their childhood robbed from them and forced to obey the will of somebody else. Making a decision at the spur of a moment, he did something that would greatly alter the course of history.
"How would you like to attend the Beacon Academy and learn how to socialize with other people?" The headmaster offered to the displaced teenager.
Secretly, he hoped that the young man accepted the offer as it would make things a lot simpler for him to explain to the Vale Council and his staff. It was common enough for people to hear about an isolated settlement taking drastic measures in order to survive.
"What would be required of me?" The Spartan asked in the hopes of gaining more information.
Ozpin took this as a very good sign as it meant that the lad was interested in the offer.
"You would be required to attend classes on a regular basis and go out on assignments to deal with Grimm." The headmaster supplied in an effort to look helpful.
Spartan-B312 pondered over the idea of going to a school and learning how to adjust to a peace-time setting. Before being placed on the last pelican drop ship to evacuate from Jericho VII, he recalled the promise to his dying caretaker of trying to live a normal life after the war. However, such a promise wasn't possible to fulfill as his enhancements and training had left him with no other skill besides killing things with extreme prejudice. This offer was probably the closest thing to him having a somewhat normal life.
"Headmaster, you got yourself a student." The teenaged warrior commented with a level of reluctance.
Ozpin let out a sigh of relief as he didn't think it would possible for him to take down a genetically-enhanced soldier without a lot of help. However, there was a certain matter that needed to be addressed before they could continue.
"What sort of name do you want on your identification papers?" The headmaster asked as he pulled out a paper and pen to jot down the name.
Spartan-B312 briefly paused at the question as he never had a name before. Nobody within the office of naval intelligence had ever bothered to give him a proper name as they simply viewed as a disposable asset to handle their dirty work. He wanted a name that would symbolize his newfound life, while honoring his past as a Spartan.
"You can call me…David Ambrose." Spartan-B312 spoke with absolute certainty in his voice.
Two Weeks Later
David-B312 was aimlessly exploring the halls of Beacon Academy with eyes that were filled with absolute awe and wonder. Before being "rescued" from a refugee camp by an oni agent, he had been too young to go to school. During his training to become a Spartan, Camp Currahee was completely isolated from the only town on Onyx to prevent the program's existence from being leaked. So this was very much a new experience for him.
"I can't believe that a place like this can actually exist." He thought to himself as the Spartan examined a classroom with great interest.
Ozpin and the majority of the school's staff had found his childlike-wonder to be somewhat amusing and disheartening to watch. The school nurse's detailed report on the various enhancements to his body had given them nightmares for days as they couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind such actions. The fact that he had openly admitted to being awake during the entire medical procedure had increased the horror factor by ten.
"Mister Ambrose, I take it that you're impressed by the top of the line facilities that Beacon has to offer." A woman by the name of Glynda Goodwitch asked in a somewhat disinterested voice.
It was obvious that the blonde-haired teacher was against the idea of having a soldier like him attending the academy without earning the right to do so. However, she could not overrule Ozpin's decision and was forced to accept the situation for the time being.
"This place is absolutely amazing! There's nothing like this back home." He commented with no shortage of joy in his voice.
It was true to a certain extent as most public and government buildings had been built with only utilitarianism and pragmatism in mind. However, the academy looked like a medieval castle that been outfitted with the comforts of the late twenty-first century.
"I'm very glad that you approve of our proud institute. Now if you can follow me, we can get you measured for the custom-made school uniform that you'll need." Glynda ordered as she recalled the fact that the clothes currently being worn by the ex-soldier were barely fitting him.
It simply wouldn't do for him to be walking around campus in clothing that didn't keep him within school regulation. The largest male uniform that was kept in stock at Beacon Academy was designed to fit teenagers that were seven inches shorter than Mister Ambrose. This would be the second time in three weeks that the school had to order a custom-made uniform to accommodate a person's height.
"Yes, ma'am." David politely answered as he followed the deputy headmistress towards the school's tailor.
He knew that the school probably didn't have anything in his size as the UNSC had the same problem on a much larger scale. Creating a single Spartan was considered a huge financial investment and they took the necessary steps to keep them well-equipped in order to have them stay in the field. The biggest problem that the United Nation's Space Command faced was transporting the supplies over the vast distances of space in order for it to reach the intended personnel.
"At least, he is able to show proper respect." Glynda bitterly thought as the duo walked towards the office that housed the school's tailor.
She made a mental promise to keep a very close eye on him to make sure that the students weren't in danger by his presence at the school. If need be, she'll go behind Ozpin's back and inform Ironwood about Mister Ambrose's existence.
Elsewhere in the Universe
Captain Serin Osman glared angrily at Doctor Halsey through a one-way mirror as an interrogator tried to coax information out of the elderly scientist without success. She had read the mission report from fireteam Osiris about her kidnapper teleporting a Spartan using Forerunner technology. While Spartan Locke managed to get an incomplete identification signature, it was enough to narrow down the search to the Spartan-III program's Beta Company. So now she was waiting for a report to come in from several agents that were undercover as police officers.
"Did she really achieve the impossible and brought a Spartan back from the dead?" Serin thought as she heard the sound of Halsey's interrogator slamming his hands down on the metal table in the interrogation room.
The idea of resurrecting fallen Spartans was appealing and horrifying for the former Spartan-II candidate to think about. While Serin hadn't spoken to her makeshift brothers and sisters for years on the account of the ongoing war with the Covenant, she still cared a great for them. It was one of the many reasons that she had practically begged to Admiral Parangosky that she authorize a top-secret project that was given the codename of legacy.
"If Halsey continues refuse to hand over the information that we want, then I'll have to authorize the use of enhanced interrogation methods." The Naval Captain muttered to herself as an agent quietly walked up from behind.
The agent in question was a newly-promoted Veronica Dare that had a look of concern on her face as she gave a final looked over at the data pad in her right hand. It contained the report from the undercover agents that investigated Halsey's personal laboratory. What they had found was shocking as they found countless documents that focused on ways to stabilizing flash clones.
"Ma'am, the agents have reported back and they found some things that require your immediate attention." Dare softly spoke as she handed the electronic device over to the head of naval intelligence.
Serin took the device and looked over the information with anticipation at the possibility of getting a psychological edge over Halsey. However, what she read had the opposite effect as Osman's eyes widened in shock at a sentence at the bottom of the file.
IT IS OUR BELIEF THAT DOCTOR CATHERINE HALSEY HAS SUCCESSFULLY MANAGED TO RESURRECT SPARTAN B-312 FROM THE DEAD.
Serin dropped the data pad in surprise and turned around to look at the elderly woman that was sitting calmly in the interrogation room. With more experts in alien technology being available to them, the good doctor's expertise was not as irreplaceable like before. Now that Halsey had developed a way to resurrect fallen Spartan with the use of cloning, she was had become a high-value asset.
"Find Lieutenant-Commander Locke and tell him that I have a new mission for fireteam Osiris." She ordered as a small migraine started to develop in the former Spartan-II candidate's head.
The task of tracking a single person in the galaxy was an almost impossible undertaking for most organizations, but the Office of Naval Intelligence wasn't an ordinary agency by any means. It was infamous for being able to hunt down a single insurrectionist that operated within the outer colonies in a matter of months. Besides, recovering a hyper-lethal soldier like Spartan-B312 would be a great boon for the UNSC's counter-insurgency operations.
Okay, a new chapter for you guys to enjoy as I start to work on the next one. I would like to deeply apologize for the delay in this chapter's release as I had serious computer problems for a while. Now then, this chapter was basically filler with six getting settled into a new life at Beacon Academy. I hope you guys like the name that I came up with for Spartan-B312, it's a combination of Agent Washington's First name and the false surname that Colonel Anderson gave to Kurt-051. Glynda isn't trustful towards B312 on the account of him being a soldier and it's going to show in the story. Finally, ONI has become aware of his resurrection and want him back.
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