Qrow was not happy. Winter had grounded him both figuratively and literally unknown to her. After his last wander she had given very strict instructions. He was not to try and sneak into the seran camp again. Any other time he would have delighted at disobeying those instructions, but not now. Not after what he'd learned.
These people were crazy. He'd managed to sneak into their camp. Discovered their dark history and they'd published it before he could report them. Not only that. They then tracked him in his alternate form and attacked him to buy the time to pull it off.
Messing with the COG was a bad idea. Better he lay low for now and find out what he could. Ruby had been on the line ever since she found some of the battle footage from their arrival. She kept asking if he could get one of their rifles as a gift. He laughed it off. But Winter would probably try to steal one if they got the chance. He'd noticed her pocket a round or two from the seran supplies. Her prizes were probably on their way back to Atlas with some report for analysis.
He'd thought the COG had been pissed after the incident in Atlas. Waiting for a few days for some kind of response. A crack down, expelling people or something. But nothing had changed. The days carried on as before. Foot patrols with their troops to clear out Grimm. Occasional meetings when they had their brains picked for information. But no real moment of fury or anger.
Then out of the blue they were invited to the Camp, apparently as guests. Winter insisted he be on his best behaviour. Qrow figured they were going to be punished. Him for entering without permission Winter as an example to Atlas. What could he say, he saw the worst in people. Imagine his shock when rather than a platform for their execution they were at a party.
Some sort of square with a stage setup by a big metal building unlike the others. Winter had needless to say put some distance between them. Fine with him if she didn't want to be seen next to him all the more drinks for him. He'd gotten a glass from one of those androids that was walking around. Not often he bothered with wine but why the hell not try it. Qrow took a sip.
It was strong and good stuff. Strong as hell with a nice bit of a kick. He looked over at the bottles on the shelf. Settlement 3 Vineyard was on each one. Qrow looked at the glass before taking another sip. He'd toast to the place. Hell the drink was rather good all things considered. Then again it was from another world.
He looked around the space trying to pick out any faces. There were a few uniforms both COG and UIR. Some of the Outsiders if he was guessing right in their own little groups. Otherwise it was mostly just anyone who seemed to have turned up. Their little area was fenced off but most of the square had people walking in and out freely. There were serans from all of their factions and people from Remnant even faunus. The COG had called this a founding party, whatever that was.
Qrow was about to try and see if he could find anything else on offer when he noticed them. The black armoured figures exiting a group of cars. He kept his composure and grabbed another of wine whilst walking quickly over to Winter. She was talking to one of the UIR people, some guy with a cape of his own.
'-OG and UIR have their history but for now we are looking to the future,' The man said.
'Indeed Kapitan Doležal but what sort of future do you ima-' Winter started.
She stopped when Qrow wandered into their conversation.
'Qrow,' Winter uttered his name with an edge.
'Ah Mr Branwen I presume. I heard you got a little lost on your last visit. How are you finding the COG's hospitality?' Doležal said with a light smile.
'Well the bar's stocked nicely so I can't complain,' Qrow said. Taking a sip of his new glass.
Winter was about to say something when he managed to get her to follow his gaze. She saw the black armoured figures arriving as well and nodded.
'I'm sorry Kapitan, perhaps we should continue another time,' Winter said with a polite nod.
'Indeed it seems Governor Emmerich has arrived. No doubt the show is about to start,' Doležal said. Nodding as he saw the new arrivals.
He left quickly, moving to stand alongside an older man in a UIR suit.
Qrow turned to look at the much spoken of governor Emmerich. He'd not seen the guy properly before. There had been a few images from his time in Atlas but never in the flesh. After a few moments to allow his guards to get into position. The door to the last packhorse opened and the governor stepped out.
He was young, far younger than most leaders. With him walking alongside his guards. You could clearly see he was nowhere near as bulky as the COG soldiers. By all appearances he was normal. To most people that would have been the end of it. But not Qrow he was getting more worried.
Leaders in his experience tended to be a few things. Strong enough to gain power. Be that physically or intellectually. Have enough wisdom to keep hold of it. Which often tripped up many when they started out. Only getting better with age and experience, if they lived that long. Charismatic to some degree. Since they would need to convince people to do what they wanted. Even if it was against their own interests. And finally ruthless. They had to be willing to make the decisions no one else wanted or could.
This kid didn't match up enough with other leaders. Or at least those who were out in the wilds. Which meant he was abnormal somehow. He lacked any clear physical strength over his people, so he must have more brains than brawn. But he was so young how did he know what he needed to do? Was he making it all up as he went along or just following some plan already laid out? How charismatic did you need to be to run the COG? Was everyone just following his orders because of his rank? So far he'd only met their military and the Outsiders which had given him opposite pictures. Which left the last part ruthless. This guy was the one in charge, unless he was a figurehead, which meant he was calling the shots. Was this guy willing to make tough calls and if so how tough would he choose to be? Given their last major government had burned most of their planet he might just be a total psycho.
But Emmerich showed no such darkness. A few cheers went up at the sight of him. He smiled and gave a light wave to the crowd before heading into the fenced off area. Stopping for a few small conversations on his way to the stage. First with a woman from the Outsiders crowd and then the older UIR guy. Were they the other leaders?
Finally he reached the stage and walked over to the podium. The conversations died away before he reached it and all eyes turned to him.
Emmerich nodded politely before speaking, 'Thank you all for coming. For those of you who have not met me before. I'm Acting Governor Alexander Emmerich. Try saying that three times fast.'
A light round of chuckles went through the crowd. Emmerich smiled and waited for it to quiet down before continuing.
'As we all know. Our arrival here was unexpected. We are still unsure about how we came to be here. But we've never let uncertainty slow us down before. Progress is a near constant throughout our history on Sera. Whilst much of our recent history was filled with darkness. It's my solemn hope that our time on Remnant will be a boon for all. The knowledge of two worlds combined for common prosperity,' Emmerich said. Holding his arms out to gesture to them all. A round of applause went around the crowd. Emmerich gave a small bow of his head.
'Now if you will all join me. I believe it's time we wished our guest of honour well on this short trip,' Emmerich said. Then turning to face the wall behind him.
An attendant walked over and passed him a bottle of some kind. There was a line tied to the neck. Qrow followed the line up to the wall. Why would they do that?
'In the name of the Coalition of Ordered Governments I christen thee Phoenix Bay,' Emmerich declared. Letting the bottle swing and strike the "wall". Right after it impacted a horn sounded, loud enough to shake the glass around them. The ground started to shake with a rhythm that was clearly artificial as a loud whining built from the wall.
Then the "wall" started to move. Slowly moving to the right. Qrow was quite sure it wasn't a wall at this point but his mind still refused to believe what it was seeing. It was a vehicle, an utterly huge machine unlike anything he'd ever seen. If he had looked to the screens set about the place he would have seen the Constructor in all its glory.
'What in the name of god?' Qrow muttered as he watched, 'Ice Queen, you got any idea what that thing is?'
'I… Well… It's bigger than our mobile crawlers.' Winter mumbled as they watched the machine.
'I'm going to need another drink.' Qrow announced grabbing one from a passing android.
Much to his shock Winter grabbed one as well and downed it in one gulp.
Qrow cocked an eyebrow before remarking, 'Didn't know you drank.'
'I don't,' Winter snapped. As she repeated the action with a second glass.
In another section of the camp Zane and Erwin were watching the ceremony in the community centre. Their view had already switched to that of a Watcher flying overhead. On the displays a massive truck pulled away from the stage and moved off though the Camp.
'Dad. What is that?' Erwin asked. Tugging at his Zane's sleeve.
Zane was watching with amazement. But dragged his eyes from the screen to look at this son.
'It's the Constructor. They had us help clear a path for it.' Zane said smiling.
Erwin's eyes widened, 'You mean your job was to help that thing move?'
'Sort of yeah,' Zane said, rubbing his son's head, 'We helped clear the way for it to go where the COG wants to drive it.'
'That's so cool.' Erwin said, 'What does it do?'
'If my boss was right. It's going to make a city.' Zane said, still not believing his own words.
'A city. Like magic? From the stories?'
'Yes Erwin like magic from the stories.' Zane said wrapping his arm around his son and hugging him close.
The Phoenix Bay headed for the wall around the camp. Its exit had been planned down to the minute and its path cleared of any obstructions. The road way was wide enough to accommodate it and the exit it was heading for was already open. Construction mechs and cranes had dismantled the tunnel roof so it could leave the walls.
As it left the shelter of the Camp its escorts moved into place. Groups of Packhorses, Minotaur's and a few loaned ASPs on the ground. In the air were flights of Ravens and Kestrels. Nothing was going to harm their charge.
It turned out and headed along the path that had been plotted. There was a light gradient but nothing the machine's twelve wheels could not overcome. Boulders were crushed to gravel and foliage rendered flat by its passage. Forming a rudimentary roadway.
As it reached the ruins of the Bunker it slowed as it moved through the gap that had been made. There was a margin of error but the crew were not about to push their luck. Once inside the ring of concrete and metal they moved the deployment point. Then started their final checks.
Back at the party Emmerich was watching the screens trying not to look nervous. He hoped he was pulling it off.
'You seem tense, Goveonor,' Široký said. Moving to stand next to him.
Around them their guards stood watch over their principles, the crowd and each other.
'Just excited. It's been a while since a Constructor deployment was broadcast. This was the latest model before we left. Should be quite a show,' Emmerich said.
'True. But do you think you've played things up a bit?' Široký asked. His arm lightly gestured to the party.
'People need to relax not like we have many reasons to celebrate at the moment. So we figured we might as well make a show of it.' Emmerich admired calmly.
Široký gave a chuckle before replying, 'Quite true. You are learning how to be a true politician. Now then if you will excuse me. I must do my duty to the Union and relive you of your finest alcohol.'
'Feel free but don't drink it all. Save a bottle for a few years. Stuff is rare enough already. Anything consumable we brought from Sera is irreplaceable. I imagine the wine is going to become quite pricey,' Emmerich said.
'I think I will take you up on that offer,' Široký said, moving away.
Emmerich watched him go out of the corner of his eye. His focus was on the display before him.
Reporting green across the board Phoenix Bay commenced deployment. Eyes across the world were watching this moment, some with wonder, others with ill intent.
From the outside Phoenix Bay seemed to shift. The whole outer body moved slightly then it began to lengthen. The front and back portions seem to move apart and deploy stabiliser legs. The mid sections top and sides slid away revealing the main excavation system. A seal expanded and fitted to the ground. Anchoring itself with several dozen piles fired into the ground. It was wide enough the whole mid section of the Constructor could fit inside. The air was constantly pumped out to form a near vacuum.
Now that any risk of debris was taken care of, the main drill started up. The first Constuctores used mechanical drills to dig. Later models shifted to rocket drills to minimise wear. This one used an array of focused beams to heat the rock and soil before it. Rather than simply making it molten to ease drilling however it vaporised it to gas.
The mixture was extracted from the hole and sucked into the Constructor. Where it was run through a series of plasma converters. Within each converter the gas passed through the plasma torches at their core. Molecules flew apart into the atoms that once made them up. All of the now raw elements were drawn out and filtered based on their atomic mass.
The newly sorted atoms and isotopes were then filed into their respective containers. The system now treated the natural forms of dust like fissionable elements. Adding binders to render them inert as it went for safety.
Inside the Constructor the fabricator systems went to work. Atoms and isotopes were drawn off or mixed as needed. Then added together to form the concrete foundations of the Construction Hub. The process would take hours as the drill was lowered into the ground. But there was always a first part. The first piece of what would become Phoenix Bay.
Once the first section of soil and rock had been cleared an inspection camera was activated. Its feed broadcast out letting everyone watch the first piece was lowered into place. A cheer went up across the Camp as it settled into a perfectly level grove. The celebrations continued in earnest as the display ended.
Over the next few hours the Constructor toiled away. It dug deeper, moving the seal down to protect the growing tunnel as it grew. New sections were added. Some with mounting points for internal structures. Others with gaps ready for their own tunnels to be dug out horizontally. At some point the machine ran out of umbilical. But this did not stop its work, only pause it.
The mid section now shifted again, then began to lower into the tunnel. Then the remaining parts moved closer and each split off a portion of their structure. A new mid section formed out of the parts. Once the line ran out again the new section was lowered. The process repeated four times. By the next morning the entire machine had folded itself into the hole. Only a surface lift and stairwell entrance remained visible from above ground. All set into pristine concrete.
Underground the Constructor was breaking itself apart. Portions detached and were moved away by DeeBees and robotic arms. Each gram of the machine had been chosen from the design stage for this purpose. Building a Settlement required an industrial base. But such a thing would need a number of high end materials to be brought to the site. That should have taken a large amount of organisation even with the COG's level of automation. A single delayed shipment could set back the time table.
The solution was simple in many ways. The Constructor was the materials. Each component was chosen so it could have maximum utility. If a part was not useful in function its raw materials would be.
Soon enough the drill itself was separated into smaller units. These were then moved back up to begin work on the fabrication halls of the hub. These first few chambers would hold the first chemical plants, smelters and factories. Fabrication technology had its limits and the Constructor pushed against them. A production line was still more energy efficient in the long run but you needed to build it first.
Over the next few days the images of the hub were broadcast to the world showing its changes. During the day workers would break down the Bunker. Come night DeeBees would take over their work. The supply of raw materials was fed into the lift like it was the maw of monsters from times of myth ever hungry for more. But soon enough it began to pay back the bounty. Prefab modules, fresh machinery and the other building blocks of the city started to come up. Soon enough it began supplying rails and carts for its workforce to use. Carts full of materials were soon going down and returning full of new goods. Each phase of the process built on the last to be faster and more efficient.
Construction began on the main tower. A skeleton of metal rose skywards with concrete added to give it a body. Solar arrays were fitted to its sides adding the sun's power to the process. At its cap were fitted weather sensors and communications systems. Including a newly bought CCT relay. Its reach would only be to the valley and the coast for now. The terrain would stop it from giving a better signal further across the island.
Across Remnant eyes watched the birth of a city. No nation on camera. Some with excitement, others with measured apprehension and finally those with ill intent.
Salem had not often been surprised in recent centuries. Often the Kingdoms of old had bragged about their newest discovery. Even if it had been pulled from the ruins of another Kingdom. She had watched people celebrate prematurely so many times. At this point it had all just blurred together into one mass of dancing fools.
But not now. This was something new. Something she couldn't recall having seen before. Her servants had ensured the castle had a CCT connection that was discrete. She needed to monitor the world and the Seer's could not show her this sort of thing.
Clearly part propaganda and advertisement. Look at us we can build a city anywhere we want it all cried. But that was a problem. She'd been quite careful over the years choking off access to resources selectively. Not only to limit human expansion. But to foster conflict over those resources they could reach. These newcomers were becoming more of a problem by the day.
She moved through the castle and entered her war room. The space had once housed a dozen chairs for commanders to view the map table. Now she had no commanders, no officers worthy of the name. Just servants that could be disposed of once they were no longer useful.
The walls and ceiling of the room were now covered in eyes that watched the table endlessly. Any change worthy of attention would cause the Overseer to summon her. Its intellect was granted at the cost of its mobility. Small Seers the size of a palm floated around the table. Moving the small icons that represented her forces on the Overseer's behalf. Rarely did she need to muster Grimm in such numbers to be worth an icon. Most were simply older Grimm who controlled their territory. Their location being reported by the Seer assigned to them.
Salem glanced over at the pile of icons that had been removed. New ones on top of the pile spoke of her losses. So much potential destroyed in a single night. These serans were already disrupting her plans.
'See to it that our forces on the Dragon's Tail are replenished. Do not use the air for any that can't fly. These newcomers have proven quite adept at watching the sky,' Salem commanded. Walking around the table.
The Overseer gave a grumble of acknowledgement and a new set of icons were moved onto the table.
For now they would simply be Seers being given the task over their shared link. Each would have its part to play. They would gather the Grimm needed and bring them to the island. It was difficult to move forces around whilst appearing a mindless horde. Difficult but not impossible.
Her agents had spent years filling books and thesis about how the Grimm must come into existence. All a smoke screen to keep them in the dark. Better they hide around their little embers of hope then look into the darkness for the truth.
She left the war room and moved to one of the balconies overlooking the spawning ground. Below her were the pools where her army's were born. Newborn Grimm emerged, sometimes naturally other times they were made to order. Weavers, Crafters and Splicers moved over the pits. Their limbs constantly shape the latest forms of Grimm to be even more deadly.
Their twisted minds worked to perfect each Grimm in turn. Once Solitas had been unassailable. It's cold striking the Grimm down before they could attack. Now however they were making newer forms. Ones able to survive the temperatures of that frozen land.
But each change had a cost. The more energy spent on a Grimm the less of that form they could make. The Leviathan pools had been a strong weapon for a time. But the drain was too great for too small a benefit. Better to make many smaller forms and let them grow larger and more powerful with time.
Time was always on her side. It was the only thing she could count on. Endless accursed time.