The first page was some kind of old handwritten entry. It was far more ornate than any Emmerich had seen before. He read the beginning.

I've taken it upon myself to keep this record. The Coalition of Ordered Governments. Is a young fledgling ideal. With our nation's reserves of Imulsion we can create a better future. Equality so we might be drawn into a war beyond comprehension.
New as it is, we've already struggled. Some in the shadows already ask why we must live by the eight guiding principles. Why must we limit ourselves? Why not use this new power to make our nation even greater?
I do not know if they have forgotten by choice or are simply ignorant. But the crimes of the Archipelago War are still clear to see. A peaceful nation rendered a husk all for greed. Yes the Southern Islands had valuable resources. Resources that now enrich them as well. But there are still scars upon the land. Scars that will take generations to heal.
I'm unable to find the source of these objections. The other founders stand with me but others prowl looking for opportunities to gain power.
With the new energy source discovered by Doctor Helen Cooper offers a new way forward. If we can ensure the fair and balanced distribution of this power we may yet avoid a war.
But such is the rule that once in power deals must be struck to maintain it. Secrets must be kept. Crimes must be hidden. Mistakes ignored. Some to protect the people. Others to protect the COG itself. I will record what sins I commit so that those who follow may know they are not alone upon this road.

To the one who reads this, know the path of a leader is long and dark. But you are not the only one to walk this path. Merely the latest in this line. I hope your world is more peaceful because of my actions.

N Embry

Emmerich took a sharp breath. And looked at Myers. It took a few moments to get the words out.
'This.. this is.. Real?' He managed.
'Yes, sir.' Myers said, nodding.
'That… Is… the signature of Nassar Embry?'
'It is.'
'The founder of the COG?'
'Yes.'

Emmerich rolled a little way back on his chair. That single page held so much meaning. It was a copy of course. But the words. The man who'd written them was the Allfather Prime. The original author of the Octus Canon. He'd made the COG. Built it from a small fringe party during the later Age of Silence. Into a supranational and intergovernmental power house.

Emmerich moved back towards the book. At the top of the page was a small tab marked . Reading through the tabs he found each leader of the COG had a section. Some were pages deep, others were small sets. Some held one title or another until it reached the Chairman during the Pendulum wars. D Prescott, T Dalyell. There was Richard Prescott's section. And below it A Stroud.

Anya Stroud the original First Minister of the new COG. She'd used this journal? Why? Anya loved the people. She'd had the freshest start of anyone. No opposition. No rival. Right? Why would she use this journal? How did she get it?

'Myers. This book.' Emmerich began. 'Or should I say it's original. How did it survive the Locust war?'
'During the Lambent Pandemic the Locust seized the COG's final hold out. A classified bunker known as Azura. It was meant to be our final stronghold in the event we lost the Pendulum wars. Chairman Prescott was forced to flee to seek reinforcements. He left the journal in a secured location on the island. When the reinforcements arrived the base was retaken. A group of surviving Onyx guards took possession of the journal. Once First Minister Stroud was elected we passed the journal to her.'

Emmerich nodded and started reading. The secrets of the COG were laid in these pages. Every deal, betrayal, willing and otherwise. All the sections started the same. With hope they would never use this book. But they always started writing.
A deal to keep the economy afloat during a crash. A research program that turned into some mad experiment. Cutting portions of the budget to fund secret programs in the hope of ending the war.
The road to the future was paved with good intentions gone rotten. He wanted to stop. He felt sick. But it was like watching some horrific accident repeat over and over each time slightly differently.
These people had been held up as icons of the Coalition. And here he was reading how each was slowly crushed by the mantle placed upon them.
He read about how New Hope had been set up. How its attempt to create a cure for Rustlung had been perverted. The monsters that had been created in the name of making better soldiers. The facility had been marked for closure and the staff were to be prosecuted.
They had fled into the Kadar valley. Assumed dead in the unforgiving mountains. But Jinns' section reported that a group of Delta squad had found a hidden base there. A base not on any records. One that held Locust Drones. Original Locust Drones.
The COG or at least a part of it had made the Locust.

'Myers have you read this at all?' Emmerich asked. Putting the journal to one side.
'I've been permitted to read the contents. I'm now the acting commander of the Onyx Guard.'
'Promotions all round then.' Emmerich said.

They remained in silence for a moment. Emmerichs mind ran with the knowledge he now had. The deal he'd made had asked for some things but. It felt like there was more too it. What had the purple figure said about the event? "When it was agitated the energy within was released and destroyed your camp."
Agitated. But a whole base had been built up in the area. If that hadn't accidentally disterbed the power then. It had been intentional.

'We're not here by mistake.' Emmerich muttered.
'Sir?' Myers said . Cocking his head.
'I don't think whatever happened was a mistake. Or a malfunction or whatever we've called it that brought us here.'
'I believe we settled on A COG teleportation experiment for the spin. Any reason why. Sir?'
'It's too neat.'
'Neat?'
'That bunker has a great deal of ordinance in storage. Not the sort of thing that just goes missing.'
'Agreed. But there were sites like that setup as final strongholds.'
'But we would have records of them. Wouldn't we?'
'Some were above top secret.' Myers said with a shrug. 'But even they were known to a few.'
'Then we have the data Fisher decrypted. They mentioned sending supplies to Kadar.'
'The site of the lab that the scientists from New Hope fled too.' Myers said. 'I don't like this picture.'
Emmerich nodded. 'I spoke to Ramos during an inspection. She said our site didn't make sense. According to her there must have been better locations to that one.'
'How did it get picked?'
'According to her, they enter the requirements and one is selected based on the parameters.'
'And you think our site didn't make sense?'
'That's what she said.'
'But why bring an expedition to the base. If it was meant to stay hidden, why draw that much attention to it?'
'I'm wondering if someone tried to arrange things to delay the Settlement.'
'Such as?'
'Ramos and O'Connor. Both are good at what they do. But in all of the COG no one with any joint experience.'
'How did they get the job then? Wait, don't tell me. Enter the requirements and people get assigned.'
Emmerich nodded. 'The same as a number of job roles. There was also the issue with picking a Governor.'
'The first two were… unavailable.' Myers said. Aware that Emmerich had known the first two candidates.
'Yes… But think about it. How would the Hospital fail to log a time of death. It would have been done by a DeeBee at least. But for nearly a day the report of death was delayed.'
'Meaning no one was picked.' Myers said, nodding.
'And Carter was on medical leave. Why was he selected? More to the point, why did I get picked?' Emmerich said.
'I know why… Jinn told me she picked you.'
'She picked me? Why?'
'Apparently you. "Can do what needs to be done." Her words.'
Emmerich sighed into his hands. 'Settlement 2.'
'She told me sir. For what it's worth. It's never easy being in command.'
'Thank you Myers. But still we know that someone or several someones were interfering. And if they were causing issues before. Then some of what's happened now takes on a darker light.
Myers nodded. 'The bunker computers being wiped could have been written off. But the Network outage was suspicious.'
'So we have a large population of trained personnel. Plus the Constructor and our military forces. Being taken to a place that just so happens to have a secret base. Said base apparently has the ability to teleport. What does that sound like to you?'
Like someone wanted to bring a little bit of the COG with them. If we assume we're not here by accident then it's by design.'
'Any idea of how we can confirm that?'
'I'll have the bunker gone over again. Perhaps someone else can find something to point us the right way.'
'That's about the best plan we have.' Emmerich said, placing the journal back into its case. 'Hopefully we can make a good impression on the locals. The last thing we need is for someone to blab about our history.'

'Can you believe it. A whole day's hunt and one Beowolf! And a mere lesser at that!' Port bellowed.
Qrow turned from his drink. 'Really? Just one?'
'It is quite strange.' Oobleck said. 'For an island that hasn't had a human presence in some time there should be Grimm abound.'
'We've scoured the usual places though.' Port said, nodding. 'Its like they've cleared the whole place.'
'They can't have cleared the place. Some Grimm always slip though.' Qrow said.
'We know. But so far the locals are keeping a tight lid on things.' Oobleck.
'I don't like the sound of that. Last time someone tried a stunt like this was Mountain Glenn.' Qrow said.
'And many lives were lost because of that. But we can't get anyone to talk to us about what they're plan is. The moment we try to ask they button up.' Oobleck said.
'Perhaps they're not sure either.' Port said with a nod.
'This is too much thinking for me.' Qrow said with a yawn. 'I'm heading up. See you in the morning.'

Qrow made his way to his room. He'd not managed to get anything out of the people at the Harbor either. They would go on patrols with the Huntsmen and work with them. But they didn't seem interested in talking about their plans for the future. Or the past for that mater. The latter made sense quite a few new villages were built by people looking for a fresh start. But they always wanted to talk about their future. The house they would build. The crops they would sow. But not the locals.

Qrow knew when he was being played. He'd been in towns before that tried to hide their dark underbelly. The harder they tried the darker the secrets. Sometimes they passed words to Bandits about travellers. Other times it was the Bandits trying to get your guard down. But there was always something.

He walked with an extra sway to his room. Entered and moved over to the bathroom. He closed the door roughly and made a show of using the toilet. As he finished and dropped the seat he slipped a scroll out of a pocket. He timed it right and had the program setup.

A couple of years back Ruby had complained about his snoring. It had reached the point she'd recorded him and sent it to him to prove how loud he could be. His niece had given him the perfect tool for covering his night work.

A little work by a friend who owed him and he had his own little decoy. Of course if someone came in he'd be rumbled. But he'd checked and no-one came to check if he was asleep. He set the program off and heard his own snoring bouncing off the walls.

He turned towards the window set high up on the wall. It was far too narrow for anyone to fit though. At least if they were person sized. He walked forward then shifted. One moment he was about to put his other foot down then he was airborne. He darted out of the bathroom window and rose over the harbour. The COG had robots watching them 24/7 but they never paid him any mind when he was in feathers.

He'd tried scouting this place over the last few days. Even when they were well out of earshot the COG wouldn't say much. That meant he needed some place they weren't on their guard. Azure had told him about a whole village hidden to the south. By her description it was more a large town. Lots of people, at least a few would have loose lips. He headed south it was going to be a long flight.

Qrow watched the road as he flew along it. There were Goliath tracks heading south. He knew the locals claimed to have killed the one that inhabited this place but it still seemed far fetched. That beast had a history stretching back to the time of the original Kingdoms. And what they'd just shown up and killed it? Any other day he'd have thought it impossible but there was no way they'd just set up shop without a fight.

He could see lights in the distance now. This place must have been closer then he thought. He could see the wall Azure had spoken about. Small lights likely from the few guards on night duty faced outwards.

It was high enough to hide most of the buildings behind it and stretched around the whole place from the look of it. That was good. Some villages made the mistake of only building a small wall or palisade. But you needed a good barrier to keep the Grimm out.

Then he noticed the trucks entering and leaving. They looked like toys. How big was this place? He closed further. The light on the wall weren't some lanterns they were full blown spot lights. He could see groups of armored figures marching along it. A lot of figures.

There must have been hundreds of people just manning the wall. As he looked down he saw they were digging trenches outside. Why would you need trenches with that massive barrier around the place? What were they so afraid of?

He passed over the wall seeing the emplacements. Gun turrets faced outwards. That was a lot of guns for anyone. Even Atlas didn't have that much out in full view.

He looked along the wall. It made regular turns forming a massive octagon. At the corners were green vehicles that scanned the sky with their turrets. Small dishes on their tops span. Qrow felt his aura tingle for a moment. One turned to look at him.

Don't look at me. I'm just a crow. A totally normal crow.

After a few moments the guns returned to their sweep beyond the wall. Qrow would have sighed with relief if this body would have let him. He looked down at the place.

Nope not a town. This was a city. Who called this place a camp?! There were roads wide enough for two lanes of traffic. Paved roads! The buildings were boxy and utilitarian but they were all concrete and steel. Six stories high seemed to be the norm with their roofs covered in strange layers of hexagonal glass. He swooped down and looked closer.

They were solar panels. He'd seen a few places that used them. Most people just had a generator hooked up over a stream but that didn't work out in the Desert. But every building was powered like this? That was crazy! The dust used to make these things would have been expensive as hell. But here they were all wired up.

He was about to shift and take a picture when he heard something rush up behind him. He shot off and looked back. One of their robots was hovering watching him leave. That had been a close one. He took to the air again looking for somewhere to shift and ask some questions.

There was a vast stretch of concrete off to one side. He wondered why they would need that? Not like the space was being used. He watched one of the what did they say? Helmo? Hello? Heli that was it. Helicopters take off. That was a no go. He'd never found ground crews like it when random strangers appeared asking questions. He kept looking.

A few buildings had antennas on their roofs. One seemed to have enough Androids and Robots around it might have been some kind of robot only district. On the opposite side to it was a place that screamed military so hard it was painful. Armed guards, mean looking equipment and a sea of people in uniform. The central building seemed to be the heart of things. People were streaming in and out even at this hour. Some in overalls, others in suits, even a few in armour.

As he watched he noticed a few in black marching around. Azure had mentioned the local leader kept some personal guards. Best not to attract their attention. Then he saw it. A flicker of green.

Coming along one of the roads was a green truck of some kind. It looked heavily built with two wheels at the front, both sides at the back were tracks. It rolled along before turning into another section of the city. Qrow was now looking into a massive group of green uniforms and suits. There also didn't seem to be as many of those robots around. Jackpot.

He glided down and found an alleyway to shift in. Emerging from the shadows he walked round the corner. Making sure to act a little tipsy to keep anyone off guard. And walked into a group of people that were coming out of a side door. Qrow was startled for a moment not by the collision but by what came out of their mouths.

'Kheĭ! Gledaĭ kŭde khodish piyan.' One shouted.
'I'm aaa… Sorry' Qrow tried he wasn't that drunk right?
The figures kept talking around him looking him up and down.
'Sŭzhalyavam, kazva toĭ. Kakvo pravi edin COG skitnik tuk?'
'Otkŭde da znam.'
'Toĭ mirishe.'
'Vizhte drekhite mu. Ne mislya, che e COG.'
'Aut·saĭder togava.'
'Neka prosto go vŭrnem obratno v kvartala Outisders, predi da povŭrne tuk.'

Qrow had travelled most of Remnant. He'd heard nearly every known accent on it. But right now these people had to be drunker than him. Or they didn't speak anything that he could understand. Given they were not hostile, bar the one he'd walked into, he let them guide him along.

Elsewhere in the camp analysts Wilson and Cortez were doing their reports for the day. They were near the end of their shift and looking forward to some down time. The door to their office slammed open. It was Thompson from Public security.

'What are you two doing?' Thompson cried.
'Writing our reports why?' Cortez said.
'Are you even watching your monitors?'
'Of course no change. They're all in for the night.' Wilson said.
'Oh really.' Thompson said walking over. 'So explain this?'
He punched in a Watcher ID. The feed connected and both Wilson and Cortez cursed. Qrow was inside the camp. Worse he was with the UIR.
'Shit how did he get there?' Wilson muttered.
'I don't know we've still got him snoring inside the bathroom.' Cortez said pulling up the feed. True to her words they could hear the snoring through the open window.
'Its a decoy. He's been playing us!' Wilson shouted.
'But how did he get to the camp? The whole road is under guard.' Cortez said.
'He got there somehow.' Thompson said. 'Wait where are they taking him?'
'Oh hell that's the Outsiders quarter. We'll lose him!' Wilson said.
'Get some clothes from the quartermaster.' Thompson said.
'Why?' Cortez asked already knowing the reason.
'You two are going to keep an eye on him. Unless you want to call the boss yousleves?' Thompson said.
Wilson and Cortez looked at each other then ran for the quartermasters office. Sneaking into the Outsiders quarter or face their boss after this. It was no question.

One of the people in green waved as they approached. Then spoke with a heavy accent. 'Hey Outsider. We found one of yours wandering around.'
'You sure he's ours?' One of the guards shouted back.
'Does he look COG to you?' The man in green said jerking his thumb at Qrow.
'Fair enough. Might be he's from a smaller group. I don't recognize him.'
Qrow picked his moment. 'I'm Qrow, Qrow Branwen. Nice to meet you.'
'Ah so now he speaks.' The one in green said.
'I can't say I know your people Branwen where you from?'
'Little group in Anima.'
The locals looked at each other then shrugged.
'Never heard of it.'

Qrow was taken to see one of the local head honchos. He apparently was sat inside a bar called the Sheared Bolt. Bar wasn't quite right. The Bolt was some sort of truck that unfolded into a miniature building. Qrow had seen the like among traveling bands before but not like this.

As he was led inside he took in the room. Lots of people of all stripes. Some were drinking, others were playing cards. Yeah this was his kind of place. All he needed now was a beautiful young lady to keep him company.

'Hey Nomura. Check out what the UIR dropped off.' Qrows escort shouted.
At the table ahead was a row of men and women. All had bulky helmets with them, each seemed customized for its owner. First their eyes ran over Qrow, then all but one pair of eyes turned to look at the head of the group.
The man had a large bandage on his head and was sat in a wheel chair. Qrow could have guessed he was the leader by how the others were seated around him.
'Any reason they dropped him here?' Nomura said.
'They seemed to think he was one of ours.' The guard reported.
'I think we'd all recognize anyone walking around with a sword. What are you some kind of Knight?'
'Huntsman actually.'
'What do you hunt with a sword?'
'Grimm mostly but I sometimes have to deal with Bandits.'
'Grimm?'
'You know them. Shadowy monsters lots of teeth.'
'I've heard about them. Saddly I've spent a few days asleep.'
'Good night?' Qrow asked.
Nomura frowned. 'A bad one. We lost quite a few people in the fight.'
'Fight? I don't know about any fight.'
'What you been living under a rock? There was a battle just to hold off the Swarm'
'The Swarm? What Swarm?' Qrow asked.
'Your not one of ours are you?' Nomura asked leaning back.
Qrow thought for a moment. Fifty fifty this guy liked the boys in blue. 'Not really. I'm sort of a guest of honor. The COG has me and a few friends living it up in the harbor.'
That was the right choice. Nomora laughed and banged on the table. 'Ah you're local. I wondered how long before we met someone. You're Tyran is quite good. How often you practice?'
'Never.'
'Really? I figured that whole load about how we can understand you was a joke.'
'Nope but I couldn't make out a word of what those guys in green were saying.'
'The UIR tend to speak Gorasni.'
Qrow descritly filed that away.
'I had a couple of questions for you. If its not to much trouble?'
'If it will piss off the COG sure. Go ahead.'
'Whats the Hammer of Dawn?'
The room took on a moment of silence. Qrow looked around worried.
'You really aren't from Sera are you?' Nomura said.

Off to one side a couple of new arrivals went back to sipping their ale. Both were trying not to look right at Qrow and Nomura. The later of whom began to spill every dark mistake of the COG to his guest. Perhaps they should just shoot themselves and get it over with.