Sins of the Forefathers

Act the First: A Beacon of Hope

Author's Note: So, Jaune lost. Not without good effort, however. Now we can move forward to more important conflicts.

Also, sorry for the wait, folks. Got hit with a bad case of Writer's Block, but hey, we're moving on now. And you got An Arc's Promise out of it, so don't complain.

Chapter Seven: Queen Takes Knight

I woke up, but instead of jolting awake like some kind of dumbass, I stayed relaxed, keeping my eyes closed and my body slack. My left arm throbbed dully, the fracture probably beginning to heal, depending on how long it had been since I was knocked out. My hands were cuffed behind my back, and I was sitting in a hard chair of some sort, with my legs taped to the chair's legs. It seemed to be a similar product to what I'd used on Junior a few nights ago. I focused on what I was hearing, and didn't catch anything, so I slowly opened my eyes into slits to see.

I was alone in an empty room. Empty gray walls surrounded me, and a single lamp hung from the ceiling over me. There was a table in front of me, on which was laid my gun, magazines, knife, and improvised taser. The wall directly in front of me had a mirror - likely a two-way one, since I couldn't think of any other reason to have a mirror there - that took up most of the wall's space, and a door to the left of it.

Mentally, I ran through what had happened. The date, and the fight with Cinder and her followers, which apparently now included Roman. Roman said he had a new apprentice, and then… A heel to the chin, and a flash of pink white, and brown. Whoever his new apprentice was, they were definitely skilled.

Speaking of skill, I took some time to question why Cinder and her followers had held back so much. If they had really tried, any of them could have beaten me.

Except Greenie, maybe. She didn't seem much like a fighter. More like a support.

Still, Cinder and "Merc" were definitely trained fighters, probably killers. Cinder held back because she knew me, but was Merc under orders to do the same? Or did he underestimate me too much?

Obviously there was no way to know the reality of the situation. For whatever reason, Cinder and Merc had slipped up and allowed me to get the upper hand in our confrontation. Still, theorizing all the possibilities while I had nothing else to do was a good mental exercise in strategy, and would come in useful later if I had to fight them again.
I reviewed the fight in more detail mentally, trying to remember all the techniques that they had used, as well as the ones I had used. I remembered things in segments, a strike here, a parry there, and worked out how one technique had flowed into another. In doing this, I didn't just remember the fight - I relived it, and then mentally analyzed Cinder and Merc's fighting styles. I imagined myself performing their moves, seeing what was useful and what would need to be modified to be useful.

After a while, I'd done all the 'mental training' I could do in a chair. If I really wanted to steal their techniques I'd have to get out and practice them. Speaking of getting out...

I couldn't help but wonder where I'd been taken. This seemed too much like a professional interrogation room, which Roman was definitely capable of getting access to, but… That didn't really help with figuring out where I was.

After waiting a few moments with no action, I relaxed as best I could - it wasn't like I could do anything in my situation except wait, so I sat up and flexed, breathing evenly, doing my best to center myself, calm down, and consider my next moves.

Hopefully, wherever this was wasn't too far from what I knew of the city.

"I WANT HIM DEAD, GODDAMMIT!"

Junior raged at Roman, spittle flying out of his mouth as he yelled, spraying it over Roman's face. Roman, disgusted, pulled out a handkerchief and wiped himself clean.

To the side, Cinder and her apprentices stood watching Jaune through the two-way mirror. Cinder seemed deep in thought, considering something, while her apprentices watched her, uncertain of their next moves. Behind them, Neo simply stood with a smile on her face as she reveled in the fact that she had defeated what the three of them had failed to.

Another yell brought his attention back to Junior.

"Do you have ANY idea what he did to me?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "Yes, I was informed. He beat you and then tortured you for information." Roman placed a hand on Junior's shoulder and less than politely moved him away from his face. "Look Junior, I don't know what to tell you, but you had it coming."

"WHAT!?"

"You're an Assassin, Junior!" Junior promptly shut his mouth as Roman began to berate him. "Did you forget that? Forget what you've done? You've gotten complacent while I was in prison, but that doesn't change what you are! For fuck's sake, you lent men out for a hit on him! You should have expected some sort of retaliation! If you couldn't beat him, then you only have yourself to blame!"

"Maybe you're right, maybe I have gone a little soft. But I control this district, and what he did is unforgivable!"

Losing his patience, Roman decided to cut off the argument at the head.

"Well tough shit Junior, because he's protected."

"What, by you?"

For a moment, Roman considered simply telling Junior the truth; that Jaune was the son of Jack the Ripper.

Just a moment.

It passed as he remembered that if he ever sold out his children, he and Neo - and possibly the others at the orphanage - were dead men walking. As it was, he was going to have a tough time working around the fact that he'd told Cinder…

Still, one thing at a time.

"Yes Junior, by me. I'll say it clearly just so you understand: Jaune Arc is under the protection of Roman Torchwick."

With that, the matter was settled, no matter how much Junior still wanted to argue. Junior couldn't beat Roman in a one-on-one, let alone with all the others in the room. Hell, even if Junior had all of his goons attack Roman at once, it was still likely that Roman would come out on top.

Junior growled. "Fine. But I don't want him anywhere near me or my people, you understand? Even if he's under your protection, I can't guarantee what'll happen if he comes near any of my guys again."

Roman nodded. "I understand. Will that be all?"

Junior gave a curt nod before storming away, slamming the door to the hall closed behind him.

"Well, that'll damper that contact for a while…" Roman muttered as he turned back towards Cinder and the others. "Any movement?" he asked her.

"He woke up while you were speaking to Junior. He's definitely used to this. He hasn't panicked or done much of anything, really. He's just waiting."

"In that case, what's the plan, boss? Do you want me to keep him waiting, or should I go in now?"

"I had considered allowing Emerald and Mercury to go in first, to give them experience in dealing with captured prisoners, but… Jaune is beyond them, intellectually."

Her apprentices bristled at the comment, but Cinder paid them no mind.

"You and I shall go in. We need to convince him to work with us."

"And you attacked him at the park because?"

"He deduced a significant portion of my long-term plans. I was attempting to force his hand."

"Wait, what? How did he figure it out when I can't?"

"It's no fault of yours, Roman. During the dinner, he proposed a game - a session where we told each other only truths in response to questions. While we both diluted and distilled the truth as much as possible, it would seem I gave him enough clues to work with - and didn't give his intelligence enough credit."

"Got it, so he knows something I don't. That explains that. Okay, so how do you want to do this? I hate to admit it, but he's got all the leverage just by virtue of who he is."

"I know. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Yeah, don't bring his family into it."

"We spoke of his family a bit, in fact. Do you have any idea why he is the only one amongst his siblings with Assassin training?"

"No, and I'd prefer to keep it that way. I didn't even know he had siblings... Look Cinder, you're walking on a fine line here. Trust me on this - don't push the family angle. Jack keeps his private life private, and everyone who digs into it dies."

"So what should we do, then? You know him better than I do."

Roman sighed. "Honestly? There's nothing we can do but give him the offer again and let him go if he refuses. We can't hurt him without his father killing us, but he can't hurt us by himself either. Well, he can't hurt me," he chuckled as Cinder scowled at him.

"Anyway," he continued, "if push comes to shove, we can just hire his dad. Depending on the strength of the people you want killed in the long run, we might even be able to get him for free."

Cinder nodded, appreciating what Roman had told her of Jack. So he likes to fight strong people, to the point that he would even work for free? Interesting.

"Very well. There may be one card I can play, but it will be a bit of a gamble."

"Is it someone I know?"

"In all likelihood, yes. In any case, let's go in."

Roman motioned with his arms. "Ladies first."

Cinder rolled her eyes and stepped for the door.

Blake read slowly through the pages of Hamlet, taking her time to appreciate the dialogue as it was written, as well as to ponder the deeper meaning behind the character's words. She hadn't been reading long, having gone through Scipio's Commentaries first - and wasn't that an eye opening experience as to how one should wage war - but she was already growing frustrated with the titular character.

Why doesn't he go through with it? She wondered. He has his proof… or what passes for proof in this story, I suppose. What's stopping him?

Her thoughts were interrupted by her teacher's summons.

"Blake," a low ranked member called to her from outside her tent, "Adam wants to see you. He's in the meeting tent."

Sighing sadly as she wanted to continue, she bookmarked her stopping point and got up, grabbing Gambol Shroud on the way. She thanked the soldier as she passed him and wound her way through the camp towards the central tent.

When she arrived, she announced herself before entering.

"Adam," she greeted him. "Is this about another… off the books job?"

"Blake. No, not at all. I just wanted to inform you that the plan for the Dust raid next week has been finalized, and I'd like you to double check my work, see if you notice anything I failed to." She took the file of papers that he handed to her and began to look through it.

"I doubt I'll catch anything that you didn't…"

"Being too humble is also a failing, Blake. In any case, I was entrusted with your education, and there's no better education-"

"Than experience," Blake rolled her eyes as she finished his common maxim. Still, she carefully examined the documents, going over the train number, it's make and model, the number of cars attached, its cargo manifest, the list of defensive options it had, etcetera etcetera…

Eventually, she put it down and nodded. "It seems fine with me."

"What kind of defenses are we expecting?"

Ah, pop quiz. Of course. "Atlesian Knight-130's, armed with twin blades and 5.56mm automatic guns. Not too strong, but there's an estimate of fifty of them on board defending the cargo sections of the train, and the gunfire might be troublesome in close quarters. Some anti-Grimm defenses on the top, 20mm automatic cannons. It won't be out unless a Grimm is attacking, and even if they brought it out against us, we're fast enough to get by. As with all railway transportation, there are a full team of Guardians on board, likely at least Rank 7, but company protocol mandates that they stay with the passengers barring any emergencies, so if we move fast, they won't even know we're there."

Adam nodded. "How many cars are on the train?"

"Aside from the engine, there are five passenger cars, two cars for storage of passenger effects, and eight more for miscellaneous cargo, totalling sixteen sections in all."

"Which cars have the Dust?"

"The second and third-to-last cars on the train have the SDC shipment. The last car would usually hold cargo, but the SDC has opted to fill that car with the AK's. The fourth from the last car as well, and there are probably a few AK's stationed in the cargo containers as well, probably melee only to avoid damaging the Dust."

"What's the plan?"

"We assault the train from mission point Alpha, at the top of a cliff near the North-Western edge of Forever Fall. That cliff gives us a good vantage point over the railway, and will grant us ample time to approach as the train comes down the track. Once we board the train, we cut of the last car of Atlesian Knights. Puma and Jaguar will then approach that car and plant timed charges on it. We will then work our way through the two cars of Dust, eliminating the AK's and then separate those two cars from the train. We'll then call for pickup, and contact the railway authority to leave an anonymous tip about the errant railcars of Atlesian Knights and empty SDC containers. The timed charges will further distract Valean authorities and, if they do go off, will decrease their capacity to stop us in the future."

"Excellent work, Blake. That will be all."

Blake nodded and turned away, before glancing back. "Adam?"

"Yes?"

"The explosive charges… the plan says we're using a different kind than normal. It's not the usual homemade stuff, it's Atlas Military Grade stuff. Where'd we get it from?"

"Tukson has some contacts through his old tribe."

"Tukson? Really?"

Adam nodded. "Shade Academy imports Atlas Military armaments for its students to train with, as well as for the defense of the city proper. They lack the capacity for a full Barrier around the city, and so rely on non-stop patrol shifts, as well as other conventional defenses. In any case, being from a Tribe gets you a lot of sway in the Vacuan underground. Even if he and Baburon left their Tribe, in the Tribe's eyes, they're still part of it."

Blake nodded her understanding, and left the tent to return to her reading. As she read, she continued to question the protagonist.

Why can't you do it, Hamlet? She thought. Is it your morals? Your religious beliefs? What is it that's stopping you?

I wore a tired expression on my face as Roman and Cinder entered. Honestly, I don't even know why Roman bothered to knock me out, since he was going to have to let me go anyway. All things considered, he was probably panicking at what my dad was probably gonna do to him due to my injuries from my fight with Cinder.

He needn't have bothered. While it was a lie that my father had cut me loose as an Assassin, he wasn't going to get vengeful over a simple broken arm and some superficial cuts.

He'd broken my limbs himself before, after all.

As they approached, Cinder glanced down at the weapons I'd used in the fight. As she did so, I nodded to Roman and motioned towards my bound arms.

He walked behind me and unlocked the handcuffs. I rotated my shoulders as I moved my arms back into a comfortable position.

Cinder sighed as she realized what he'd done, but accepted it. It wasn't like having my arms free would let me fight them, anyway.

"Jaune," Cinder began.

"Cinder. Roman."

There was a pause as Roman moved to stand next to Cinder and everyone considered their next moves.

"So," I began, "how's your breathing?"

Cinder grimaced as she replied, "Fine. How's your arm?"
"Broken."

Things went silent for another moment before Roman spoke up. "All right, quit with the curt jabs at each other. Jaune, it's good to know you're as creatively deadly as ever. Cinder, if you were committed to fighting Jaune you should have tried to maim him, not just beat him."

Cinder glared.

"Speaking of which, why did you even fight?"

I shrugged. "Cinder threatened me. I don't respond well to that. Junior and his men could tell you that."

Cinder opened her mouth only to be cut off by Roman. "Okay, so now without the threats, can you answer whatever it was Cinder asked you?"

I shrugged again. "Sure, I'll do your two jobs."

They both blinked. Cinder actually looked surprised.

"Wait, really?"

"I don't have any reason to refuse to do them. Of course, I'm gonna need some compensation for being injured."

"Right, there it is…"

"Would you accept something other than money?" Cinder asked.

"Depends on what it is."

"I can Awaken your Aura."

My father had forbidden me from getting it Awakened for years - he believed that having it Awaken 'naturally' in response to danger or stress meant that your Aura would be stronger.

Fat load of bullshit is what that theory is. All scientific studies of Aura show no significant deviations between people who've had their Auras Awakened 'naturally' or by another. I could only benefit from Cinder Awakening it here.

After a moment's consideration, I nodded. "For Mountain Glenn and a Guardian, I'm going to need it."

She nodded and stepped over, placing a hand on my shoulder and one over my chest.

"For it is through guile that we seize immortality. Through this, we become the vessel of our destiny to surpass all others. Infinite in wit and unfettered by truth, I release your soul, and with my will, grant thee power."

A white light bathed the room as my Aura flared up, my body instantly feeling stronger for its presence. My arm tingled as the Aura set to work healing it, and the various cuts and bruises I had also felt the same. With a surge of new power, I leaned down and tore the tape off my legs before standing up. Cinder assumed a stance, but Roman stopped her from acting rashly, holding his arm out in front of her.

She didn't have to worry. I just walked over to the table and began collecting my stuff.

"You have my contact information," I began without prompting. "Get in touch with me when you've decided on when we're going to go into Mountain Glenn. We can discuss pay then. Roman, I need intel. Maps of the city, schematics of Merlot Industries Tower, Grimm reports for the area, the history of the city, whatever you can get me. Cinder, I need to know exactly what we're looking for and where we're likely to find it. Get in contact with your client and find out what you can. I'd prefer if you contacted me when my work shift has ended for the day."

With that, I pocketed the last of my stuff and left a shocked Cinder and exasperated Roman behind. Cinder probably expected more talking, but I wanted to keep them on the back foot.

Having the initiative is important for social conflicts as well as physical ones. I didn't do enough to keep Cinder guessing before, but I could start now. Not to mention, Cinder isn't stupid enough to be caught by the same trick twice. If I wanted contingencies against her, I'd have to come up with something new.

As for Roman, he'd get the intel. And he'd reassure Cinder that I was on board - he'd have to, to make sure his own position was safe with her. As it was, both he and Cinder probably thought that he was caught between two big powers - myself, and her.

At first glance, simply being related to my dad would make it an easy choice. After all, the backing of a Rank 1 is hard to pass by.

But then again, on another level…

Raven Branwen. The Omen of Victory.

While not as strong as my father in a straight-up fight, she's still a Rank 1 herself, and incredibly deadly in her own way.

My father told me about her - how her Semblance allowed her to open portals connecting any two places in physical space. And like most people with an extremely powerful Semblance, she had grown to master it. From shooting weapons out of her portals, to using portals to redirect attacks, whether they were her own or of those against her, to performing instant position changes, there was very little outside of her reach.

Including, you know, literally anyone on the face of Remnant.

As long as she had a location to work off of, she could open a portal and kill just about anyone, at any time. And considering Roman's attachment to the orphanage he was raised in, it isn't hard to see how he'd be pressed to stay on Cinder's good side.

Still, I need to be careful with using my father's reputation to bolster my position. I'm trying to avoid him after all, so I need to be wary of threatening something I can't go through with.

And since I would be betraying them eventually, I'd have to keep up my momentum so they can't figure out how I'll do it.

First of all, though, I have to figure out how I intend to do it.

As I passed through the door, I came face to face with "Merc", Greenie, and a third young girl who had to be Neopolitan - who was shorter than I imagined. Merc and Neopolitan had amused expressions on their faces from what had happened, whereas Greenie was practically seething. Apparently she was the most loyal of Cinder's two apprentices. Or perhaps 'obsessed' would be the right word. Maybe she was just mad that Cinder had Awakened my Aura.

In any case, I gave Neopolitan a nod - she had bested me after all - and walked away.

"Daddy?"

Tukson sat up straight at the sound of his daughter's voice. He looked over at her, and reminded himself of why everything he did mattered.

Tariro was a puma Faunus, like him. Aside from his Faunus traits, however, she took after her mother more. Deep green hair, once long and lush, was now shaved down to stubble due to the surgery, leaving her puma ears alone on her head. Dark skin, like mocha, had paled a bit due to the amount of time she'd been forced to spend inside. Bright amber eyes were open, but only barely, as though she couldn't muster the strength to force her eyelids open.

Considering what she'd been through the past few days, that didn't surprise him.

His gaze drifted further down, where an IV had been stuck into her arm. The surgery had been successful, but it had been so invasive that they'd needed her to stay for further follow up checks and other nonsense like that.

For over a week!
He wasn't sure if they were serious about needing the checks, or just doing it so they could squeeze all of the money they could out of him.

Then again, it had been brain surgery, so what did he know.

In any case, he thought, it doesn't matter if they are screwing me for pay. As long as Tariro gets treated, it's all worth it.

"What is it, sweetheart?" he finally replied.

"Why have you been here all day? Shouldn't you be watching the store?"
"It's okay, T. I've got the new kid watching the place."

"Oh yeah, you told me about him… John, right?"

"Jaune."

"That's what I said…"

Tukson chuckled, fully aware of the confusion his daughter was feeling.

"Is it really okay?"

"Yeah, your uncle Baburon is watching it with him."

"Uncle Babs? That's good…"

With that, her eyes slowly closed and she drifted off to sleep again.

Tukson kissed his daughter's forehead before leaning back in his chair, sighing. He rubbed his eyes for a moment before realizing that his Scroll was vibrating.

He pulled it out and checked the message, his eyes narrowing.

Puma,
I have a new assignment for you.
-Bull

Cinder stared at her fingers, flexing them over and over again. She lounged languidly, draped on a couch in one of the private rooms at the Just Right. At the table, Roman sat and compiled some of the information he already had on Mountain Glenn, and made notes as to where to get more, who he should talk to, etcetera.

As she flexed her fingers, she remembered how she felt when she Awakened Jaune's Aura. The feeling of a pull, of drawing out the power that lay dormant within him. And when it Awoke, the surge of strength that flowed out, such that it even spilled over into her sensation.

It was the first time she had manipulated a person's Aura directly like that, ever since she had first been taught the technique. Before, she had simply practiced by analyzing the Aura of those who had already been Awakened. It was good practice for what was to come, but still...

"That boy… Jaune…"

"Hmm? What about him?"

"His Aura levels are massive. I don't know if it's just a side effect of it being recently Awoken, but… He had more Aura than most of the people I know. Certainly more than anyone else his age."

"Exactly how much?"

Cinder angled her head to look at Roman. "Around the average for a Fourth Rank."

Roman's eyes widened. "Holy shit."

Cinder nodded. "Jaune will undoubtedly grow even stronger as time passes. We may have been holding back so as to spare him, but it cannot be denied that we lost to him. We will need to make plans to ensure that he remains on our side. Beginning with Beacon."

"What does he want with Beacon?"

"He wishes to attend as a student. When I asked for his motivation, he simply said that he wished to 'do good in the world'."

"And we don't know if he's serious about that or just using a euphemism for an assassination attempt."

"Or some other thing. Roman, I need you to stop holding back your information on Jaune. I need to know everything."

Roman sighed and leaned back in his seat for a moment, before taking a deep pull from his cigar. He held the smoke in for a few seconds, then exhaled up into the air of the room. It swirled around before floating up into the vents, which would carry it outside.

Normally, Cinder would have demanded that he stop dragging his feet, but she sensed that this was the moment she should pull back. Now that she had told Roman who she was backed by, Roman had to make a choice.

Where did his allegiances lie?

Roman thought hard for a few moments, inwardly debating the pros and cons of each party.

"Cinder."

"Yes?"

"If I help you… if I help the Branwen tribe get what they want in Vale, can you guarantee something?"

"Your safety?" Cinder prompted.

Roman shook his head. "No, if this goes badly for Jaune or his family then not even Raven could keep me safe from Jack. I want you to guarantee Neo's safety… hers, and the other kids at the orphanage. If Raven gets what she wants, she should have that much power."

"Done. Jack the Ripper will not harm Neopolitan or the children at the orphanage in Bohemia. This is my promise to you."

Roman looked at Cinder then, into her eyes. Unlike the last time he had, he no longer saw something to fear. Instead, he saw a scared little girl, alone with no hope. Someone who had endured terrible suffering to get to where they were now. Someone whose rise was only thanks to the lucky kindness of a stranger much more powerful than them.

Someone who understood. Someone like him.

"...okay Cinder. I'm with you."

Neopolitan hummed with delight as she scooped ice cream into her mouth - a reward for a job well done, Roman had said.

On seats in front of her, Emerald and Mercury sat separately. Emerald was performing maintenance on her weapons, replacing the spent Dust Crystal's, and Mercury was running an inspection on his mechanical legs, checking to see if the damage they had suffered in the fight had debilitated their effectiveness.

They were in the Just Right's back rooms, where people like them could plan, hold meetings, gear up and the like.

Inwardly, she giggled. All that and they had lost to someone who hadn't even had Aura at the time! Meanwhile, she had knocked out Jaune with a single kick!

Sure, he had already been wounded and was distracted by Roman, but whatever! A win's a win!

Still…

She cocked her head to the side and considered - Jaune had reacted to her, hadn't he? Even if it was just a fluke… with the mere mention of her name, he turned in her exact direction.

His senses were sharp. Sharper than hers, perhaps. And he had been wounded, distracted, without Aura…

How would he fare against her now that he had Aura? If he was healed and had his weapons of choice? Would she still claim victory?

Neo licked her lips.

The thought of fighting him again, when he was strong…

She couldn't help but get excited.