Oscar looked concerned. Jaune took a strange comfort in seeing the worry on Oscar's face, as it justified the barely concealed terror Jaune himself felt. After all; if one knew an immortal being that changed bodies when needed was looking worried, you could take it as a good indication that your own worry about the same thing was justified. Still, it was unsettling to see someone like that even slightly concerned.

Jaune, Yang, and Ruby had just received the briefing. Ruby had gone off to deliver a curtailed version of the brief to Weiss and Blake. Blake was heir to the throne of Menagerie, and Weiss was head of the Schnee Dust Company, a strategic asset for Atlas. They were friends, but they were still citizens of other kingdoms, so the majority of the briefing's content could not be shared. This was part of the red-tape nonsense that he could not stand while working with Vale's government.

"How did they manage to escape?!" Jaune thought to himself. "There were multiple witnesses to their death. Emerald was strong, but not that strong." Emerald had a talent of deceiving others by illusions, but historically only one or two people could be deceived at any one time. The reports of their deaths had been confirmed by twenty different eye witnesses, to include Jaune and Ruby. All of them saw the blast, and multiple people nearest to the site saw the two get shredded by shrapnel and debris. Jaune, himself, had nightmares for days after the event. No one had wanted them dead more than Jaune at the time, but it certainly was not a pleasant way to go.

More concerning to him, though, was the second question. "Why now? Why resurface?" These two were many things, but sloppy was not one of them. Five years is a long time to hide during peacetime, and one of the first treaties at the end of the war gave combatants from the losing side the ability to turn themselves in and be spared for a set time frame. Someone as high up as either Emerald or Mercury would have likely been imprisoned for a significant portion of their life, but that would still be better than being hunted for the rest of their lives.

The sunset provision for that treaty expired two years ago, any remaining forces had since then been deemed outlaws and hunted down relentlessly. Neither were Faunus, which excluded them from being splinter members of the Adam Taurus' White Fang zealots. Most of that group who refused the peace died alongside Adam. In that campaign, Sun Wukong nearly killed himself in an act of reckless heroism; and the 'conversation' that followed between him, Weiss, and Yang nearly succeeded where the enemy had failed.

These questions would get him nowhere, but they gnawed at him. "What have they been doing all this time?"

…

Seven Years Ago

Mercury heard pipe and drum music. He hated hearing the enemy's music, primarily because of it's effect on his force's Grimm. The Grimm were attracted to negative emotions like fear, hate, or terror. The music had a motivating effect on the enemy and an unnerving effect on his own troops, making the Grimm less reliable or effective in the fight.

As much as he hated those tunes, he appreciated what they told him. 'Regiment Strength, Marching on foot, Vale provincial troops, from the southwest' The size, cadence, tune, and direction of the sounds informed how he would employ his two battalions of White Fang and Brigands. It also helped him decide to keep the Grimm and their handlers in reserve, rather than as a shock force at the front. He quickly gave orders, then moved his guard to a nearby hilltop to see the approaching regiment.

The force arrayed against him flew two banners; one the grey crossed axes of vale, the other a golden banner emblazoned with a burning heart. Combined, the picture was complete. Today he faced the 3rd Vale Infantry Regiment. Formally named the Xiao Long Legion, over the years it had gained a nickname to both sides, "Tai's Tigers." This would be a tough fight.

The yellow bastard was here! Mercury could see the Blond haired old man marching at the front of his troops. That fact alone was worth concern; Taiyang Xiao Long, for all his prowess, was legendarily cautious. That, Mercury assumed, was in part why his daughters were equally reckless. Yang would hit hard, and Ruby would strike with quick precision. Tai's fighting style was the slow grind, and his Soldiers were well trained in that craft. Tai's regiments fought like tigers, but there was not a foolish "hero" among them, no weakness of hubris to exploit.

Mercury looked over his troops. Among human, or rather human-like, forces, there was one band of fanatics and one band of miscreants. The fanatics looked to him as an agent of their prophet, Adam Taurus. The brigands, rejects from society, looked to him as a hero. Like him, all had come from the scum of the four kingdoms' and countless villages'' societies. Like him, all had rejected their lots and fought the systems that had so wronged them.

Unlike them, however, he saw the truth: they were the villains of the story. No matter how long, or valiantly, they fought; history would brand them all traitors and renegades. Those fortunate enough to live would have their own decedents denounce them for centuries. Mercury accepted this, Mercury would leave no children himself, Mercury was free.

The enemy stopped. "What are they doing?" he thought.

"Thump. Thump. THUMP." The new sound was coming from his right. He turned, seeing three pink smoke trails from a distant point. The trails arched overhead, then he heard the whistling of the incoming shells. His men were out-flanked, they were all under indirect fire, and there was not enough time to react. "Oh, no!" he thought, as the rounds hit their mark.

...

Six Months ago

Mercury sat up with a start. He was not laying on sand, he was not covered by a simple poncho, and he was not out doors. "This is not Vacuo. Where am I?" He thought. He felt the bed underneath is hands, a firm mattress with a soft hand-sewn quilt draped over his lower body. Sunlight streamed through a nearby window. It illuminated a humble, but sturdy, farmhouse constructed of hardwood. Birds chirped happily outside. He remembered where he was.

"A dream, only a dream." The thoughts washed over him, soothing away the worry and terror he had felt both seconds and years ago. That battle, near an oasis in Vacuo, had occurred ages ago. However, days like that one never fade. Reflection on those memories could dull their impact; but the hot sun, burning sand, and cacophony of the fight could never truly be removed.

"I did what I had to do." He told himself, trying to convince a part of him. That smaller part whispered back "liar." There was nothing Mercury could do about that now. He stretched his arms, pulled back the covers, and started his day.