Chapter Thirty-Four: On The Home Front.

Roman was seriously starting to reconsider his choice in career paths. Sure it wasn't really his fault that the battleship was shot down, how was he suppose to know that they had a weapon that could take down one of the most powerful airships in the world? And really he had told them to target Beacon first instead of just going straight for the civilian population. Again not really his fault that that the Faunus hadn't listened. That more White Fang agents had been arrested and more warehouses raided wasn't his fault either, he had told that bullheaded leader that they should wait just a bit longer but no he just had to go in when he wanted. But did any of that really matter to the White Fang leader? No, apparently not.

"Why weren't we informed that they could bring down the battle ship?" Adam growled out as he eyed the criminal. "You're the who's been gathering our information here, so how did you miss that?"

Roman fiddled with his lighter keeping his eyes on the Faunus' sword arm, he didn't care if the arm had been broken during the fight the Faunus could still draw his sword if he felt like it. "Well it's not like I've been actually able to get into Beacon, they do watch everyone that comes onto the campus and if they found me out I'd be of no use to you."

"I'm starting to think that you're of no use to me anyways." Adam's eyes flashed behind his mask and his off hand drifted to the trigger on his sheath. "Half of my forces here have been arrested and our supplies are beginning to dwindle."

"Hey now I've been doing by best to keep the flow of ammo and Dust coming in but with that last failure it's been a lot harder." Roman defended, "They've been guarding the ship yards a lot better now and cops are working overtime on their patrols so we can't hit any of the Dust shops effectively."

Adam triggered Bush causing Wilt to shoot out of the sheath and impact Roman in the stomach, Roman doubled over as the air was forced from his lungs. Before the criminal could even blink the red blade was glinting at his throat drawing a small amount of blood. "You had better fix this Roman, or you will regret it." The Faunus leader quickly resheathed his blade and stalked off.

"Already do." Roman wheezed as he tried to stand up using his cane to steady himself as he walked over to a map. He needed a way to fix or he was going to wind up with his head on the floor. Taking out a cigar he looked over the map, red x's and notes about patrols and where possible targets remained, there were not many of the latter.

A soft chuckling filled the air behind Roman that sent shivers up the criminal's spine. Yeah he was really starting to reconsider his choice in careers. "Well Roman you sure seem to be in a predicament."

Lighting his cigar Roman took a draw before he turned to face the Doctor. "Hazards of the job. Besides if it was easy were would be the fun? So what do I owe the pleasure?"

The Doctor's smile split his face, "Well since it seems you've found yourself in a very sticky situation, we'd like to offer you a way out."

"And what would that be?" Roman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A large shipment of high quality Dust and ammo will be arriving in Vale in nine days." The Doctor explained, "My employer has stated that he'd be willing to part with it for a, specific price."

"Well lien isn't something that's just laying around here." Roman snorted, "If it's escaped your notice the White Fang is a bit broke."

"The price isn't money Roman." The Doctor shook his head, "They want a person."

"Kidnapping is not my forte." Roman sighed.

The Doctor shook his head again, "We don't need you to take this person, we already have a resource set to do that, what we need is for you to cause a distraction so the plan may be carried out."

Roman frowned, "So you want me to use the White Fang to cause this distraction?"

"Precisely." The Doctor nodded, "My employer sees this as a chance to rid themselves of two annoyances at once. The first being the White Fang and the second is Beacon."

"Wait, wait, wait back up." Roman shook his head in confusion, "You want me to convince the White Fang to attack Beacon?" The Doctor nodded, "The world renown academy that trains everyone of its students to become a one person wrecking ball? The same Beacon that has produced some of the best Huntsmen and Huntresses that our world has had in the past hundred year? That Beacon?"

"It's not like these Faunus are of much use beyond cannon fodder." The Doctor shrugged. "Besides if they are crushed beneath the heel of Beacon then you can consider this job done and my employer will fulfill their end of the contract."

Roman sighed, "It's not going to be easy. They won't do anything unless their leader says so now that he's here. And if he gets a whiff that this is a set up he'll kill me before I get two words out."

"You just need to give him the right incentive." The Doctor smiled as he passed over a picture. Roman took the picture and looked at it, it showed the black haired Faunus that the White Fang leader had asked him to find along with a blonde haired woman. The picture showed them locked at the lips with their hands in very intimate spots.

"Well he is obsessed with that black haired girl." Roman noted, "If he saw this it just might motivate him to attack."

"Retrieve the Dust and ammo first," The Doctor said, "Then use this to motivate him into attacking Beacon."

Roman considered his options before nodding, "Your employer had better be ready to fulfill their end of the contract, I'm not going to be hanging around Vale once this goes to shit."

"Of course Roman, my employer always pays their debts." The Doctor smiled.

Ozpin leaned back in his chair as he looked at the man who sat across from him. His usual natural expression exchanged for a cold hard one. His brown eyes glaring at the General. Beside him Glynda looked ready to throw the man out of the window and frankly he wasn't sure if he'd stop her or not. The only thing keeping the blonde's anger in check was the information that the General might be able to provide them.

"You need to come clean James." Ozpin said calmly, the steel of his voice just below the surface. "Why did you lie to us?"

"I never lied." Ironwood defended himself. "I told Summer not to go but she went anyways."

"A lie by omission is still a lie." Glynda sheeted, her eyes burning as her nails cut into her hand. "You knew there where chimera there and if you had told her she would have come to us and gotten back up."

"The situation was far more complicated then take." Ironwood tried to explain again.

Ozpin leaned forward his eyes becoming deadly, "Let me be perfectly clear James. Should you not tell us why that situation was so complicated and if you do not divulge every thing you know, I will end you myself." The room grew colder as the older man continued to glare at the General. Both James and Glynda shifted uneasily as the Headmasters Aura began to trickle out.

Sighing James hung his head in defeat, he should have told them years ago. They had every right to know and he had kept it from them. Right now he would be lucky to walk out of this meeting alive. "When it was discovered that there were chimera in the area I launched a full investigation into it." The General began to explain, "I knew that only two people who knew how to make the chimera, one was dead and you'd never use them Ozpin. I know you sent Summer after every hint of that project but if she had missed something crucial and someone was now making them again I had to find that person and stop them."

"You could have told us about it." Ozpin stated. "If you had we could have destroyed them and sought out the person making them."

"But then I would have to admit that Atlas forces were stationed in Vale territory." Ironwood shook his head, "If I had done that I would have been tired for treason against Atlas and it would have gone no where."

"So you let Summer waltz in to a chimera den and let them kill her." Glynda growled as blood started to well up around her fingers. "You murdered her James."

James shook his head, "When I learned Summer had gone in despite my dissuasions. I had a team rush in there to try to evacuate her they came to late, she had killed everyone of the chimera but at the cost of her own life."

"Did they find her body?" Glynda asked, it had bothered her that they had never found the body of Summer Rose.

Ironwood continued to shake his head, "The best they could piece together she went over the cliff with the last of the chimera and was lost in the water. I warned her not to go but she just wouldn't listen."

Ozpin pushed down the anger that threated to well up below his skin. He hadn't lost control of his temper in a very, very long time and it would do no good to lose it now when they had more pressing matters at had. "We'll come back to that later but right now tell us; is the Doctor dead?"

Ironwood flinched back and let out a low growl as he clenched his hands into a ball. "Why do you think I'd lie about that madman being dead? He turned me into this human-machine hybrid; he took my life and twisted it to prove he could."

"You lied about the chimera nest so how do we know you're not lying now?" Glynda snarled as she glared at him. "Now answer us: is the Doctor dead?"

"I saw the aftermath of the White Fang attack on the 'Leviathan' facility myself." Ironwood ground out, "I saw his body that had been sliced up by the falling wreckage that he had had to die long before I arrived. I saw his assistant impaled with so many pieces of rebar that she was barely recognizable. They are both dead."

"Raven believes otherwise and I'm starting to believe her." Ozpin sighed as he shook his head.

Ironwood's eyes hardened, "What do you mean?"

A few day's ago a team from Beacon was sent to Sanctus Isle to track down a downed cargo ship. They ran into a chimera while they were there." Ozpin explained, "We know Summer was never able to get the Doctor thanks to Augustus, and we know he's the only other person with the knowledge on how to make them and he has supposedly died five years ago. So that means either he taught someone else how to make chimera or he's still alive. Frankly, knowing the man as well as I do, I believe it's the latter."

"If he is alive we need to find him." Ironwood clenched his hands into fists. "If he's alive then no one is safe Ozpin."

"I am well aware of that James." Ozpin sighed, "But first we need to find proof that he is."

"I'd start with Schnee." Glynda huffed. "He protected that madman last time he'd know for certain if he's alive now or not."

Ironwood shook his head, "Lord Schnee will never tell us if the Doctor is alive or not. Not with Atlas in his clutches even with the Revolution he has more than enough power to protect him. The only way to find out would be is if Atlas fell to the people."

"I just received reports from Mantel." Ozpin frowned, "The other Generals of the Wall have been ordered into the city and are to retake it by any means necessary." The other two in the room understood what the Headmaster meant, they had been ordered to destroy the civilian revolt.

"Will they comply?" Glynda asked in a concerned voice.

"I can not say for sure." Ironwood sighed as he shook his head.

"We can only hope that hey do not side with Atlas." Ozpin nodded, "If the people of Mantle fall then so much of what we have worked for will have been for nothing."

Taiyang sat on the front porch of the house he had built for his team just after they had graduated Beacon. It had been his and Summer's idea during their second year, instead of moving to the city and living out of apartments that never felt like home they should build their own home where their team could live and relax between missions. A place out of the hustle and bustle of the cities, a place out of the way where they could fight and train at full force an not disturbed the neighbors. A place that was all their own. A place where they could raise their families together. A place that was always full of life and noise. A place that they could call home.

Now that place felt empty and silent. Now there was no life or noise save for the lone Huntsman who sat there watching over it like a silent sentinel. A prison he had made for himself. A place he could leave whenever he wanted but a place that would never leave him.

During his time at Beacon Tai had fearless and full of bravery, now he couldn't bring himself to leave his island home or seek the adventures he had once longed for. He was still just as strong as he had been, possibly even stronger with his continued daily workouts. He was still just as imposing had he had been back them, just as tall and just a muscular. But he couldn't bring himself to look like the Huntsman he was trained to be. He just didn't have the courage any more.

Back the when STRQ had first come together Tai had thought himself incredibly lucky, to have not one but two striking beauties on the team had been a young mans dreams. Summer with her long red hair the color that bellowed behind her like a crimson banner could turn every head in a room towards her when she let the locks free and Raven with her long seeming endless legs drew eyes when she strode into a room radiating confidence. At first Tai only saw them as women to try to woo and protected. It had taken both of them trouncing him thoroughly several times for him to realize that neither one needed his protection, Summer could plant him on his ass faster than anyone else and Raven would leave him on the ground from exhaustion if he tried to keep up with her speed. No they were strong independent women who needed no one to protect them.

At first he had tried to win Summer's hand but had been shut down when she told him she was only interested in women herself and that for her males held no attraction whatsoever. He had been hesitant to try with Raven, even when she was young she had a cold and intimidating demeanor that could scare off even the bravest with a single glare.

But Summer had never been one Raven could scare off. Their small leader would just smile and proceed to tackle the taller woman in a tight hug whenever she was fixed by that red-eyed glare. Summer was never effected by Raven's cold nature slowly breaking the dark haired woman out of her shell. And then they had begun to date.

Once Summer and Raven were together the red-eyed woman seemed to change seemingly over night. Where once was a cold stony frown was now a small soft smile. The harsh glare from red eyes was replaced with a warm light. The biting stinging comments replaces by light and happy giggles. Summer had done wonders for Raven's attitude in the team too.

At first Raven would push the team dynamic off always fighting solo and away from the group. Always putting herself at risk not caring if she was injured. But then Summer had worked her into the team, making her see that when they fought together they were much stronger, that her semblance could be used to make strike and retreat attacks drawing the Grimm into a larger trap. Summer had shown her how to forge stronger Dust blades and how to make them more versatile.

Tai had been jealous of their relationship at first. He had watched two beautiful women forge a stronger bond that either had with him and he felt as if he was being left behind. Qrow was trying his best to get Glynda to notice him but the blonde witch was to interested in her Dust craft to be bothered by the young scythe wielder, though she had admitted to Tia that she thought it endearing. But after he had gotten over his jealousy he couldn't have been happier for them.

Then shortly after they graduated something had shifted with in Raven. She became distant and cold again no matter what Summer tried to do, it hadn't helped that Summer was always being called away on missions from all parts of Remnant. Some mission would take her away for months at a time. But she had continued to try to get Raven to open back up. It was when Summer was away again on a mission that Raven and Tai had made their mistake.

They had just gotten back from their own mission that had been particularly hard and were drinking to forget the horrors they had seen and in their drunken state had wound up in bed. It had only been on night but that's all that was needed. When she had told Summer what happened the redhead had picked up her bag and calmly stated she needed some time to think. She left with her hood drawn up over her hair and shoulders slumped.

Then something broke in Raven when she learned she was pregnant. She became even more distant that she had been, barely talking to anyone or only speaking when asked a direct question. For nine months Raven would sit on the front porch staring down the pathway with a distant look in her eyes. Summer would only drop by for a few days before leaving again saying she had another mission and only stopped to see if they needed anything. Qrow was less reliable in when he would stop in, as his missions required him to be in deep cover for the majority of the time.

Then Yang had been born. Raven could barely bring herself to hold her daughter always cringing away from her when she cried. Many doctors said it was postpartum depression and that it would resolve itself with time but Tai knew the truth. Raven saw Yang as a clear sign of her sins. The sign that she had broken Summer's heart. To Raven, Yang was her curse. Then Raven had disappeared.

It had been a stormy night when Tai had awoken to a screaming Yang, as he walked around the house trying to get the infant to calm down he had found Raven's room empty with a note on the bed that had two words on it, 'I'm sorry'. All of her gear was gone, a large amount of Dust and food were also missing. Raven had fled the home he had built of them. Summer reappeared a few days later.

She had come back to try and fix things with Raven but had discovered she was too late. Tai had tried to yell and blame the smaller woman but when Yang had started to cry and he had failed to clam the infant down Summer had taken her from him and comforted the baby while silently crying herself vowing she would never leave them again, that it was her fault Raven had left and now it was her responsibility to bring her back.

Summer had kept her word keeping her missions short and always making sure Yang would be taken care of while she was gone. She had taught Tai how to care for a child, how to change her, how to feed her, how to make sure she was properly exercised. She had done her best to help raise the child that wasn't even her own. Summer had done everything that he had failed at and done it with a smile.

Slowly they raised the little Yang together making sure that the young girl knew she was loved and that they would always be there for her. Summer had even convinced Qrow to come back and take lighter missions so that he could get to know his niece. She had started to work them back towards what they use to be, towards the family they had planed to be. Summer had even expanded that family when she had brought home a little wolf named Ruby. Together they were repairing what they had broke. Then Summer had been killed.

Tai could still remember the day Ozpin and Glynda showed up on their porch with grim faces and sad eyes. That day Taiyang had ceased to be a Huntsman, he ceased to be a father. Summer had been the light that had pulled them back together had she had been snuffed out by the encroaching darkness.

The numbness he felt still radiated in his bones preventing him from feeling much beyond sorrow and pain. On that day he had vowed he would never leave his daughters and would never put himself in harms way so that he would always be there for them. Qrow left shortly after that day and when he showed back up months later he was never seen without a drink far from his hands.

Ozpin had tried to recruit Tai into his group of Hunters in order to protect the world but he had refused. He could no longer do the job he was trained to do. He could no longer lift his weapon to fight the darkness. He could not leave his home.

And so Tai sat there. Waiting for his family to come home. Waiting for them to come back to the place they had built together. Waiting in a place that he stood guard. Waiting silently.

A/N: So really sorry for the delay on this chapter, I had a week that seemed to fight me for time and I kinda ran out of time. Anyways this is a really short chapter and again sorry but the one that I originally had planed got pushed off till next week so I can do it properly so I decided to to another set up chapter to show you what's going on in other places. But next week we'll hopefully be back on schedule but this week is also a bit hectic for time so please bare with me, planing for grad school and looking for a job is very time consuming. AND I might have a little flowery surprise for everyone next week...

With that: As always everyone of you has my thanks, please drop in a tell me what you think, and may you find a reason to smile.