Intermission
The World of Remnant
The Aesir Project
…Should I be talking about this? Ah, it doesn't matter. It's the past, and we've gotta learn from the past if we don't want to repeat it.
(The title of the short recording is shown:)
THE AESIR PROJECT
Where to start… A little background on the protocols back then should suffice. Alright.
(The darkness lit up to the global map of Remnant, ravaged by flames. Every single major landmass was burning bright embers, and the map itself was blotched with splatters of brown and reddish drop splats.)
(A blue Dust crystal appeared in the center of the burning map, followed by the four basic forms of Dust.)
Many, many years ago, Dust and its nature was still very much unknown.
(The map was replaced by a minimalist art form of Hazel Rainart, raising his arm that had a yellow Dust crystal embedded in it.)
We were aware that it was possible to fuse Dust directly into one's own body, but it wasn't efficient enough to fully replace weaponry, and over long periods of time, became taxing to the user. The human and Faunus body automatically shuts down when someone fuses with too much Dust.
(Hazel faded out and the map of Remnant returned, along with the Dust crystal and the four basic elements.)
There were mandates from the Kingdoms on this practice, and pretty much the government was the only entity allowed to do extensive research into this field. That didn't stop some people, though.
(The map was then replaced by the deserts of Vacuo where a grey structure was seen, blatantly standing out in the hollow, sand dunes.)
Deep in the deserts of Vacuo, a group of private scientists separate and unknown to the government began conducting an illegal human-modification project called the 'Aesir Project'.
(The scene switched over to a purple-colored woman with lilac hair, standing on a platform and presenting her idea.)
The woman who headed this project was a former Atlas politician; 'former' as in, she proposed this project to the Atlas high council, and was exiled for it.
(A hand interrupted her and pointed to the door.)
People selected for the Aesir project to become Aesir are chosen because of a specific type of semblance: Absorption.
(A bronze hand was raised into the hair and started glowing brightly.)
That means the user can absorb an energy source, whether its kinetic energy, electric energy, or another person's Aura, whatever.
(An image of Yang Xiao Long was shown, followed by Nora Valkyrie and ended with Adam Taurus.)
The Aesir project used people with absorption semblances.
(Adam faded out and was replaced with someone with their arm and hand strapped down to a metal table.)
In the beginning months, they had conducted experiments on these people; horrible things like injecting their body with inhibitor drugs to bypass their automatic shutdown reflexes, and then fusing them with as much Dust as possible.
(A mechanical needle arm came down and started injecting Dust into the subject's arm. The arm began to spasm and screaming could be heard in the background.)
Sometimes, they injected Dust powder into the subjects' bodies to see what would happen.
(Electricity flashed through the subject's arm as it began to smoke.)
The results were… ugh.
(There was a bright flash of light and when it was over, the mechanical arm withdrew from the arm of a now charred corpse.)
I hope your imagination isn't very vivid, because I don't want to say what happened and I'm sure you won't be able to stomach it either.
(Another subject was shown strapped down to the table.)
Anyway… they eventually got to the point that their subjects could actually survive the following experiments.
(The robot needle came down and started injecting Dust again.)
They began… merging Dust directly with the subjects' bones. This was because Dust would not bond with mature blood cells, but would bond with blood cells still in formation inside bone marrow…
(The subject's arm began to shake violently but this time, the subject wasn't electrocuted to death. Instead, the subject's bones began to glow a golden hue, successfully fusing Dust into the body, emitting crackling waves of electricity in the skin.)
Or at least that's how I understand it. The most noticeable side effect of the experimentation was that a subject's aging process and metabolism was changed significantly. Their bodies grow half as fast as a normal human's. They also become drastically more sensitive to cold temperatures.
(The scene changed again, showing a blue Dust crystal in someone's hand.)
The result of their more successful tests were the Aesir; people who could absorb energy straight from Dust Crystals, store that energy in their own bodies, and then project them outwards as pure energy.
(Blue electricity sparked out as the energy of the Dust was absorbed into the subject's hand. A female subject was shown, unleashing the ice Dust stored in her body and created a giant block of ice.)
If it wasn't released over a long period of time, the Dust energy inside them would react with their Aura, burn it away, and build up exponentially until it erupts out… violently.
(That same subject was then kneeling on the floor, her body lighting up with crackling energy. The scene panned out to scientists watching behind a protective glass as the female subject exploded.)
They learned this the hard way. The scientists didn't care how many people they lost, though. They simply learned and became more careful when testing out the successful subjects' abilities.
(The screen darkened again before showing the map of Remnant in a darker tone, lit only by the blazing fires spread across the land.)
That's what the real nature of the Aesir Project was. Its goal was to create a fighter that could gradually amplify the power of Dust that is absorbed in the body.
(Humanoid figures then appeared over the map, their Dust infused skeletons glowing.)
You see, they wanted to create a perfect super-soldier, capable of weaponizing pure Dust without guns or machinery. These soldiers were to be an insurance plan in case another Great War broke out. This was happening just in the wake of the Faunus Rights Revolution, mind you, and people were understandably scared shi—well, paranoid. I mean, the Great War was terrible for the people left undefended in the kingdoms; no one was protecting them from the Grimm.
Can you imagine a second one?
(The map darkened.)
They only ever got to a stage of testing where Aesir could project lighting fields, though.
(A female Aesir with blond hair appeared in the darkness, clutching her head.)
At some point, one subject went berserk.
(Dust energy began illuminating her body.)
This wasn't within their calculations; yeah, she did happen to suffer from manic-depressive disorder, but they for some reason didn't think that would have an effect on the Dust energy she absorbed.
(Her skeleton started glowing pink or violet.)
It did. This subject was earmarked for euthanasia, and unfortunately, she found out.
(Her skeleton started to glow red.)
In her panic, the fallout from her uncontrolled Dust energy destroyed the laboratory, and killed the researchers who ran the facility and every test subject besides her.
(A bright light exploded from her body, covering the screen before all faded into darkness. And then the building in Vacuo was shown, burning away in the middle of the desert.)
Nothing remained of the people involved in the Aesir Project in Vacuo, and since they built their facility in uncharted desert, no one ever found the ruins of the laboratory. Supposedly, nobody survived…
(The screen panned out, showing a familiar blond-haired girl in a brown girl.)
(What stood out about her were her violet flaming eyes.)
Supposedly.
"I am glad to see you have settled in nicely, Dr. Watts."
Watts kept his arms folded behind his back as he addressed the dark woman. "Though I admit, your place is far from the comforts I am used to, I am thankful for the hospitality, my lady. Thankfully, it's enough for me to continue my own work."
"Have you looked over the reports I gave you?" Salem asked.
"Yes, the ones regarding the Silver and Bronze Knights, their weapons known as the Keyblade and the Aesir Project." Watts stroked his moustache. "I had no idea there were people so ambitious back then. Of course, it's understandable why this was easily overlooked given it was happening in the middle of the Faunus Rights Revolution."
"Professor Hojo was smart enough to keep his notes secured somewhere else other than the main facility. Despite my own efforts, I have not managed to locate the one survivor from the project." Salem admitted. "In the meantime, I believe you and one other can be most helpful in finishing what he started."
"One other?" Watts raised an eyebrow.
The doors opened behind him, and a voice was heard. "I am here, my lady. Apologies for the wait, but I was-Ah, Arthur!"
Watts turned around slowly, his eyes widening at the sight of the man who had entered. "Ivo Merlot."
The new arrival was an elderly man with disheveled gray hair, a matching mustache and beard and prominent eyebrows. His left eye was robotic and glowed red and around it were noticeable claw marks. His right arm was also robotic and was dark and metallic and had red inner circuits. He wore a light gray jacket with a high collar and a red shirt underneath. On each sleeve of the jacket was a dark gray hexagon shape.
"I have not seen you since we took that little expedition through the jungles of Anima with good old Ansem." Merlot recalled with a fond smile. "I heard you finally had enough of working under the Tin-Man."
"So, you didn't die when the Mount Glenn people rose up against Merlot Industries." Watts narrowed his eyes. "I heard that the headquarters for your company collapsed."
"My own encounter with the Bronze Knight, Terra. He noticed my attempts to draw Grimm closer to the city and rushed to the defense of the people." Merlot rolled his human eye. "He figured out I intentionally left holes in the defense system of the settlement and was luring Grimm in. I had anticipated Ozpin sending someone, even the famous Team STRQ to stop me but the Bronze Knight…Well, even I can't account for everything."
"Glad you can admit that." Watts said dryly.
"And what about you, old friend?" Merlot smiled despite Watts' words. "I heard Ansem outwitted you."
"I simply underestimated him." Watts said stoically, his posture becoming still to keep himself from having any tells.
"That speaks more to your intelligence than to his." Merlot chuckled. "I suspect he even has something to do with the new defender of Remnant, the machine that has been popping up everywhere. Taking down Crimson Fang recruitment centers, busting criminal organizations. The ones in Vale and Mistral are so scared they are considering an alliance."
Watts rolled his eyes now. "And why are you here?"
"Dr. Merlot is the head a special project for creating new and more powerful Grimm. I believe he would be the perfect partner to have as you make your attempt at the Aesir Project." Salem answered, causing both men to look at her. "The Aesir Project was conceived by Professor Hojo to not only create Artificial Maidens but as one of several projects to also create a warrior powerful enough to face down a Keyblade Wielder like the Silver and Bronze Knights."
"Unfortunately, Professor Hojo and his merry band underestimated the one woman who destroyed it all. They reached a point where an Aesir could project lightning fields before the facility was destroyed." Merlot cut in. "And of course, he was also helping Her Grace create her own batch of warriors to face down the Knights that luckily were not in the same lab where the Aesir Project was being conducted."
"And you wish for us to work together on this?" Watts questioned Salem who nodded.
"Merlot is a renowned scientist in genetics, and you are a doctor yourself. I believe working together, you can perhaps finish what Hojo started and create a fully realized Aesir." Salem explained.
"That would take…A great deal of resources, not counting the part where we would need subjects with specific Semblances." Watts pointed out. "Semblances that can absorb energy, I recall."
"I have one subject already in mind." Salem waved a Seer over to her. "She is a promising young lady from Vacuo."
The crystal ball showed a fair-skinned woman with black hair braided into two loops on either side. She wore a long dress with many sheer layers of blue, white, green, and purple that resembled running water, and a silver chain was wrapped around her waist matching the slim silver diadem that gleamed on her head.
"Her Semblance allows her to siphon Aura from anyone she touches, store it in her body and even pass it onto others. Of course, the Aura passed onto others eventually fades away, but she is able to keep an endless supply of Aura, even when not in battle." Salem explained with a smile. "Her name is Gillian."
"Interesting." Merlot rubbed his chin. "And you believe if successful, she will be a match for the Silver and Bronze Knights? And what did you offer her in exchange for undertaking such a test."
"Possibly but they should never be underestimated as you should know, Doctor. As for her reward…You might have the honor of meeting the future Queen of Vacuo." Salem smiled at the surprised look on Merlot's face before she then glanced to Watts who managed to remain stoic. "Do you understand what I am asking of you?"
Watts nodded. "Of course, my lady. I am interested in seeing it if it is possible to finish this project."
"Good." Salem smiled. "The girl will be brought to Merlot's lab on his island, far away from the eyes of the other kingdoms but do keep me updated on her progress. I want to see for myself what might come from this."
Merlot and Watts nodded, sharing a look as they turned to the door once they were dismissed.
Salem looked out the window and smiled. "And I look forward to see what you think of this…Aqua."
The Aesir Project was another RWBY fanon idea conceived by Lightning-in-My-Hand who has given me permission to use it.