MARZ Rising

by FandomPariah

It's been thirty years since Ruby Rose saved Remnant from Salem and almost a decade since it was saved again. Salem is gone yet the Creatures of Grimm remain and now a new generation of Hunters are ready to begin their story... By enrolling at the Breaktide Academy of Menagerie where they'll be trained by legends including Team CFVY and Ruby Rose herself. Part 5 of the Spiral-Verse

78. At Last We Meet

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Chapter 78: At Last We Meet

To say that Athena-Jade Slate was nervous would be an understatement of cosmic proportions and the museum built from the remains of what had once been Beacon Academy itself somehow felt as though it were the only place on Remnant, certainly in Neo Vale that could provide a fitting backdrop for what was to come.

Today she would be meeting Damascus Nero in person for the first time and the thought had left her throat dry and the clawed tips of her fingers extending slightly at every minor stimulation.

"Are you okay?" Zirconia asked, mismatched eyes drifting downwards to the point where their hands were joined "You're a little clammy?"

"I'm fine" the shorter of the two girls managed to force a light-hearted note to her voice despite having to pause and swallow thickly between the simply two word response which, unsurprisingly failed to convince Zirconia at all.

"You're worried?" the Grasshopper's question began with a matching light-hearted tone though her expression quickly became serious as she gently led her partner and girlfriend to the side of a walkway so that their conversation would not trouble any other tourists, of which there were enough that the Bear Faunus could blend into the crowd despite the instantly recognisable traits she shared with the rest of her famous family members.

"I'm honestly a little bit terrified" Athena admitted with a sigh; she was eager and excited to meet the man who had raised her girlfriend yet her desire to make a good impression upon the man had allowed her to work herself into something of a panic over the course of the weeks that it had taken to arrange such a meeting, Chairman Damascus Nero was after all a highly influential figure within the city and Kingdom as a whole even if he did prefer to position himself away from the spotlight and public attention and without the familiarity and common ground that came with being part of a lineage of Hunters as her own family were Athena could not help but be put in mind of certain elements of Atlesian high society no matter how much Zirconia had tried to assure her that Damascus was anything but the snobbish or self important sort.

"You have nothing at all to worry about" Zirconia assured her gently, casting her eyes around the crowd before leaning down to kiss Athena upon seeing that doing so would likely go unnoticed by those around them; all the while trying, with an admittedly greater degree of success to keep her own maelstrom of thoughts and feelings in check. Nero had bid her to inform Athena of, at least the broad strokes of their intentions swiftly once the two of them had been properly introduced and she was still uncertain of how and when she would broach the subject in a way that would be well-received but in short order that final check would be removed.

"Easy for you to say, my parents already adore you and they haven't even met you yet" Athena noted with a toothy smile as she rested a head on her partners' shoulder, inadvertently allowing Zirconia an opportunity to give a knowing smirk that might have raised questions if it had been seen; her feelings for Athena were genuine and she would hear no suggestions or aspersions to the contrary however she was well aware that once they learned the truth her partners' parents would be amongst the first to curse and damn her.

"And Damascus will feel the same way about you, he is as eager for this meeting as you are. You have nothing to worry about" Zirconia repeated before pulling back "I love you-"

"I love you too" the words left Athena easily and happily, said often and with sincerity now that the subject had been broached between the two of them.

"But I do know that Damascus will take a dim view of us being late, we should find where we intended to meet with him" Athena-Jade nodded at that and allowed herself to be lead, sapphire blue eyes gazing in wonder at what had once been the academy her parents had both attended and indeed been the place they had first met and fallen in love. Following its' devastation in the fall of Vale the academy and a vast swathe of the city around it had been walled off and reduced to a Grimm infested exclusion zone which for years had served as the initiation grounds for prospective Halo Academy students, including Team FADE until roughly a decade ago the defences keeping the Grimm at bay had been utterly destroyed, leading to a near-catastrophic attack on the city though in the years since the once lost ground had been reclaimed and something beautiful had been forged from the ruins.

With the museum at its' heart.

Much of the original interior had unfortunately been lost, with a sizeable amount of the academy destroyed by Cinder Fall's legendary battles with first Headmaster Ozpin and Pyrrha Nikos in quick succession and subsequently the ravages of time and the attentions of Grimm, including an enormous trapdoor Spider Grimm which had made its' lair in the academies' basement and been bested by Team FADE upon their formation. What could not not be salvaged could at least be imitated however, with the museums internal layout and its' architecture being intended to mirror that which it stood as a monument to whilst those original features which had been saved being framed and highlighted with an overall feeling with Athena was forced to admit teetered on the brink of becoming tacky in several instances, though was clearly done with the best intent and was never intentionally tasteless.

With Zirconia taking the lead Athena was treated to glimpses of several displays in an order which she might not have chosen for herself, though it was still entertaining to see the awed looks on the faces of children as they took in a life-sized replica of an Ursa Major looming over and locked in combat with waxworks of two Hunters which the Bear Faunus realised with a start were in fact a much younger Lie and Nora Ren. Eventually however the two of them made their way into a more subdued part of the museum, built in what had once been Beacons' library and whilst the displays that lines the walls were now documents such as declassified mission briefings from major conflicts with the Grimm, weapon schematics from retired Hunters who had donated them to the owners of the museum and such rare and unique documentation the pervading sense of silence had continued to linger about the place.

"It's hard to imagine that some of our Professors….Even Headmistress Adel used to study here" Velvet noted quietly as she sought out Damascus.

"From what Mum tells me Professor Scarlatina should have done more studying, she failed first year history and had to retake it….Then again I'm pretty sure a few students slept through Oobleck's classes"

"Sloppy work then, a teacher who cannot teach well enough to keep his students interested….I imagine the professors I studied under would have words for him; not that I condone sleeping through lessons Zirconia just to be clear"

"Damascus, behave….please" the Grasshopper Faunus offered an exasperated sigh as she whipped around with such fluidity it was if she had known all along where the man was and offered him a warm smile before the two shared a brief hug which allowed Athena a moment to take in the sight of the Chairman and gather wits that had been scattered by his almost casual dismissal of the work of a Hunter whom she had for as long as she could remember heard discussed amongst the greatest in his field.

"I wouldn't dream of of being less than a gentleman and a credit to you" Damascus offered Zirconia a smile with a taunting yet playful edge to it, quartz coloured eyes gleaming which immediately and paradoxically went some way to soothing Athena's nerves as she had seen similar looks upon the faces of her own father more times than she could count.

"Good afternoon Mister Nero, it's a pleasure to finally meet you" Athena managed to speak, somewhat stiffly though still managing a smile as she felt the man's gaze sweep over her and take in every minute detail.

"Hop-Zirconia did say that you might not insist on the formality but I would feel rude if I used first names without your permission. It would feel presumptuous….Sloppy"

Zirconia's face dropped to her palm at that whilst Nero offered a hearty laugh in response

"Damascus will do fine" he assured her gently as he held out a gloved hand for Athena to shake and upon doing so the Bear Faunus took care to keep her expression entirely neutral and unmoving upon feeling something that should not have been as unexpected as it was beneath the silky surface; Zirconia, like so many other Hunters including Athena's own father, aunt, cousin and sister-in-law wore their prosthetics proudly and openly however if Damascus chose to keep his covers Athena would respect that and make no acknowledgement.

Yet something in Nero's look told Athena that her momentary surprise had been seen and catalogued away for future discussion.

"So Miss Slate, we finally meet" he continued and Athena forced herself to, for once not seek out Zirconia through simple habit and instinct and focus on the man "I won't bore you with anecdotes about having met some relative of yours at some event or another, it would be a crass way to make a connection and I feel that we have more important things to discuss….Like what exactly your intentions are towards Zirconia"

"Damascus!" Zirconia exclaimed, a hushed and biting sound which went unanswered as Athena folded her arms across a chest that puffed out in something akin to pride as she locked eyes with the man and offered a response that flew in the face of all Atlesian etiquette with its' flippant honesty.

"To be at her side whilst she carries on being the most amazing person I've ever met"

"AJ!" Zirconia's voice was both mortified and at the same time filled with emotion as her cheeks burned scarlet. Damascus's smile widened into something catlike as he loomed over Athena for just long enough to cause the Bear Faunus to wonder if she had misspoken before he finally turned his attention towards Zirconia.

"I think I like her already"

---

Team MARZ had initially entered Neo Vale as a group, with Athena and Zirconia departing some time ago to attend to their own affairs and leaving Astra and Regalia free to enjoy their day as they saw fit, which at present involved the pair visiting a fast food establishment which was not the cafe Astra's mother worked at but had still been something of a regular haunt for the Deer Faunus and their peers before Astra had left their home Kingdom to study in Menagerie, as was evidenced by the fact that the person had taken their order, a teenager approximately the same age as the students whose skin had been plagued by the spots caused by such a greasy environment had recognised them and greeted them as warmly as the need to serve as many customers as possible would allow. The place had also become a staple of sorts for Team MARZ as a whole, but especially for Astra and Regalia as it was located conveniently close to where airships deposited those travelling from Halo Academy and other aerial platforms; the half of the team accustomed to more fine dining tolerating the semi-regular stops to the establishment but not quite relishing it the way Astra did, which had led the Deer Faunus to make several jokes about Athena-Jade and Zirconia simply not wanting to be photographed in such a place.

Being so well acquainted with the place had meant that Astra had a favourite table and it was here where Regalia was currently lounging comfortably, a corner booth away from the noise generated by children and a group of hooded teens who had grown visibly nervous and pointed frantically at the sight of two student Hunters; the view from the window allowing her to keep an eye on both Astra's still unnamed pickup truck and Clunker which was secured in its' now default position in the bed of the truck. It was supposedly unlikely that anything would happen to the car in this particular part of town however Regalia still felt a need to be at least a little cautious, though that caution was robbed from her by the distraction of Astra setting their food down between them as they took a seat.

"They literally forgot that was on the menu, it's been so long since somebody ordered it" her partner gave her a fond smile as they handed over the burger with a combination of flavours and toppings so uniquely inspired that the Racoon Faunus had felt it almost a personal challenge to her.

"Heh, good thing I ordered it then" Regalia replied after wolfing down the first bite "This is too good to be forgotten"

"You genuinely scare me sometimes" Astra chuckled, downing a handful of fries and washing them down with a slurp of milkshake which allowed Regalia a chance to speak again, her tone becoming a touch more serious.

"So are there any more places you want to look, or are we out of leads for where to find Petrol?" Astra's expression hardened at that, though in the way that showed how their mind seemed to race at a mile a minute when they set it to a task; a look which Regalia had to admit to herself she appreciated very much. With the understood, if unofficial blessing of Professor Branwen the pair had continued their search for the Avian Faunus on weekends though thus-far Astra's deductions ad process of elimination had done nothing to close the net of Petrol no matter how often Qrow repeated the mantra that keeping the enemy on the defensive and reeling was an important part of the process and that the knowledge that he was being hunted would have that effect on Petrol.

"I've got nothing right now" Astra admitted, tweaking one of the points of their Mohawk and casting their sea-green eyes slightly in the direction of the teens Regalia had spied earlier "One of them spoke to me while I waiting for the food-"

"You think they're spies….Gang members?" Regalia asked, both hopeful and suddenly nervous.

"Runners and lookouts maybe, nobody high up on the food chain" Astra shook their head "The one that spoke to me guessed who I am, knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a Deer Faunus who's back in town for the Vytal Tournament and the kid's never met a Hunter for real before…..Could be legit but I'm still kinda tempted to follow 'em when they leave and see who they talk to….Does that make me paranoid?"

Regalia was spared from having to answer that question by the sound of her Scroll as it alerted her to a text message.

'Dress shopping for the dance. Yuki says if Astra keeps being dense then buy this and try it on in front of them until they get the message' the message was from Honey Scarlatina and the Racoon Faunus willed her cheeks not to flush scarlet though she was certain that her eyes bulging at the sight of garment in question had alerted her partner to something; it was black, lacy and sheer to the point Regalia suspected it would almost be suffocating if not for the plunging neckline which reached to below the sternum whilst one leg was left bared almost to the hip by a vertical slit.

"You okay?" Astra asked, to which Regalia privately chided herself thoroughly upon realising that her expression had indeed given her away. She promptly managed to get the mental images of herself in such a revealing costume out of her head and instead enlarged the picture to such a degree that the accompanying message was out of view before showing it to Astra.

"Honey and Yuki are dress shopping and saw this"

"Nice, I'd go for it in red and make a statement with it" Astra beamed, flashing Regalia a bright smile and a wink that managed to immediately fill her head with other images which she would unpack, parse and likely savour the moment she had some privacy; deciding to be bold in the present she forced herself to focus and keep a conversational tone as she asked

"A statement for who, have you got someone you want to ask to the dance?" she waited with bated breath, hopes beginning to crack under their own weight for several painfully long seconds before Astra offered an answer that began with a sigh which seemed to leave their entire body deflating.

"Nah, I really haven't been paying attention to things like that" Regalia would have offered a truly scathing retort there if she had the nerve however her partner continued "There's just too much going on, the tournament and all the training we need to do, this thing with Petrol and who he's working for now, classes and missions and stuff….And honestly, I mean really honestly; I don't think I'm far enough removed from the whole Wolfram thing. I'm just starting to feel like I'm getting my feet under me again"

"Yeah" Regalia nodded, disappointment and understanding mingling to form a sort of resigned acceptance tinged with an odd amount of hope "Yeah that makes sense I guess"

"What about you? Been thinking about the dance?"

"I've been thinking about going, heh I've never been to anything like it" Regalia paused for a moment, realising that if she chose she could be frank here and simply let what ever followed happen but ultimately finding herself unwilling to take that risk "But you know I don't really date, or do casual dating….You were the one who explained what being Demiromantic is and helped me understand that there's nothing wrong with me….I still don't know how to thank you for that-"

"You don't need to thank me" Astra shook their head "But if you wanted to….Then you coming to Faunus Pride and seeing how Faunus away from Menagerie celebrate would mean a lot"

"Absolutely!" Regalia answered without hesitation, smiling from ear to ear even as Astra continued on completely oblivious to the effect their words had on their partner.

"And if you don't meet anyone you wanna date that's cool, but if you do meet someone and find that connection there and decide to try things out; I'll be rooting for you the whole time….But maybe ask AJ or Zirconia for tips before you ask me" Astra gave a self-deprecating shrug and Regalia, with scenes from various movies playing in her mind gave serious consideration to the idea of simply reaching across the table and pulling them into a kiss; halting out of a mixture of her own uncertainties, a respect for Astra's boundaries and on a more simple level a desire to not inadvertently spoil their meal with the sauces from her own.

The moment, one-sided as it might have been was ruined an instant later by the sound of mechanical screeching and a colossal impact from somewhere close by, followed by the sounds of panicked civilians whose fleeing forms quickly came into view; though none of them saw fit to take cover inside or even to call through the open door of the fast food establishment and give a warning of what exactly was happening. Astra however, as a native of Neo Vale and moreover one who was currently on something of a mission could think of few things large enough to produce such a sound and fearsome enough to elicit such a reaction, a list which shrunk drastically when Creatures of Grimm were discounted.

"I think we should go and see what's happening!" the keys to their pickup were already in hand as they leapt to their feet, food and milkshake forgotten.

"Fasten your seatbelts it's going to be a bumpy night" Regalia declared as she followed her partner, though she did have the presence of mind to take her burger and Astra's milkshake with her.

---

Petrol, despite his posturing and efforts to present himself as something a cut above the common rabble of thugs and petty criminals that he had fashioned into a unified force with his Benefactor's aid was still undeniably exhilarated by the brazen daring of his current undertaking; though the Avian Faunus did at least manage to convince himself to some extent that beyond the simple rush of it all tackling the Benefactor's latest assignment as he was served a valid purpose.

It presented a chance for him to keep his recently expanded organisation under his control.

Those under him were gangsters through and through, many of them stubborn and hard-headed to the point of self-destruction as was proven by the amount of force and violence necessary for Petrol to wrest control of the various other gangs that they had previously belonged to and no matter how lucrative and sensible his propositions might be he understood, in a way that he doubted the Benefactor could that unless opportunities for the rank and file to unleash their pent-up aggression there would be mutinies in short order.

The Benefactor had reached out to Petrol a few nights prior and explained that it was within the shadowy figures' power to sabotage certain non-essential parts of the CCT tower based within the city and that when the parts required to repair the damage were sent it was also within the Benefactor's power to force the truck carrying them to be rerouted due to road closures or faulty signals which would in turn allow Petrol to act as he saw fit, so long as the good were taken and delivered to a specific location without failure.

Petrol for his part had initially considered approaching the operation in the way that he was most experienced in, namely a well-timed and planned out used of stealth, speed and co-ordination followed by a deliberately started fire in order to cover his tracks however, seeing the steadily mounting tensions amongst the various factions of his organisation; members of gangs who were formerly rivals forced to work together, aspersions being cast about the whereabouts of the equipment they had stolen from Cosmo-Guild and were yet to have returned to them as promised and an overall sense of being cheated that came with inaction it had become apparent that Petrol had needed to make an example and had demanded that one of the mech-suits be made ready.

The scene might be more impressive were the suit in question not a hastily repaired salvage job.

In truth the machine, piloted by a young man Petrol did not know personally but had been vouched for and showed promise was one of the last few of the original batches supplied to the various gangs by the Benefactor, with most of the others having been captured or destroyed in the attack on Cosmo-Guild whilst this machine bore only battle scars in the form of blackened and twisted armour in several places. The mech-suit was based on tow differing Atlas Paladin models which had been saw apart and sandwiched together to give it four spidery legs upon which it could skitter at a frightening speed and a blocky, robust and heavily armed upper body which was humanoid yet headless and had paid for its' firepower with the loss of functioning hands. Whatever paint the disparate components might once have possessed was long since stripped away to reveal a dulled, bruised and partly corroded base metal, giving it a ramshackle appearance which was only added to by the makeshift repairs to the central mass where the cockpit was located, armour panels reattached to create an incomplete shield which left the head and shoulders of the pilot visible and showed that he currently wore some sort of headset which covered his eyes to compensate for the loss of various screens and readouts that had been destroyed.

Finding the target had been so simple Petrol had been briefly concerned that the belligerent young men under his command might complain at the lack of challenge provided by the task, however the spectacle had been enough amuse them as they had arrived in the truck carrying their war machine, two nondescript white vans of the sort used by tradesmen everywhere which would largely serve as decoys and a small contingent of masked hooligans on motorcycles brandishing weapons; all joined by Petrol himself who was driving a luxury car which, despite its' quality was unremarkable save for tinted windows and would draw no attention from police as it was the sort of thing that might be driven by any number of successful businessmen in the city.

Naturally was Petrol's car which good were being loaded into.

"Damn I at least thought we'd get a fight!" the pilot of the mech-suit called out, straining his neck to crane his head over the lip created by the damaged and hurriedly repaired cockpit whilst still wearing his headset.

"Then you don't understand how my people do things. Professionals" Petrol sneered back from his position within the drivers' seat of the car and leaning partly out of the window; relishing the sense of authority and control which came from overseeing things and profiting from crime without ever having to do any of the heavy lifting. They had laid in wait and attacked without hesitation; the bikes being used to surround and halt the truck until the mech-suit was deployed at which point the machine had simply smashed its' way through the vehicles armour and exposed the goods to be stolen at which point the people in the vans had sprung forth to restrain the driver of the truck and his mate, knocking them unconscious with more brutality than was necessary before beginning to unload the goods and deposit the specified items with Petrol. It was fast, messy and chaotic in a way which Petrol rarely allowed his plans to be for several very good reasons, with one of those reasons becoming readily apparent as the sounds of bystanders fleeing in all directions was replaced in short order by the sound of a roaring engine speeding towards the scene of the crime.

Someone had alerted a Hunter.

"You wanted a fight you've got one!" Petrol barked to his mech-pilot "You, deal with this shit! Everyone else scatter, that's gotta be a Hunter!"

"This fast?" the more inexperienced thief demanded in disbelief, something which left Petrol sorely tempted to hawk acid directly into the headset covering their eyes until the plastic cowling melted and fused to skin.

"Must have been nearby, now move!" with that Petrol retreated from the window of his car and wound it up to ensure that the Hunter was given no time to identify him before checking the various boxes that had been loaded into his car against a mental checklist of specific parts which the Benefactor had insisted by taken whole and undamaged before finally speeding away with tires screeching and spewing smoke as he raced around the nearest corner at a dangerous speed with his cohorts setting off in different directions a moment later and leaving the mech-pilot to deal with the pickup truck which came speeding into view.

With Astra Mars leaping out of the drivers' seat and readying their weapons and yet it was too late as the Deer Faunus and Petrol had missed each other by mere moments, each unaware of the others' presence.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Astra's voice trembled with incandescent fury as they were forced to leap onto the hood of their truck and deploy the Hard-light shield of Buckshot Ares to prevent a short burst of some of the mech-suits' weapons from utterly demolishing the vehicle and the brief moment of distraction was swiftly capitalised on, the four mechanical legs of the suit powering backwards with scuttling insect like motions before the entire upper torso rotated neatly at the waist and allowed the thing to simply gallop and thunder through the city, launching barrages of gunfire and small rockets into parked vehicles seemingly at random in order to send fresh waves of chaos and screaming civilians pouring through the vicinity.

"WE'VE GOTTA GO AFTER HIM!" Regalia exclaimed as she and Astra watched the destruction unfold, the war machine covering a frightening amount of distance in a matter of seconds. After only a few moments the Deer Faunus shook their head and spoke with a sense of conviction.

"I'm gonna message Professor Branwen, then anybody else who might be in the city….he said not to engage Petrol but that's not Petrol" their expression became focused and fierce as they added "Take Clunker and use your Semblance to find somewhere we can trap that mech and I'll try and herd it towards you"

"You got it" Regalia exclaimed, all other concerns falling aside in the face of what needed to be done as she hopped onto the bed of her partners' truck and began readying her jetbike to give chase.

"Hey Regalia!" Astra called up to her with a wide smile, almost feral in its' appearance "How bad have you been wanting to have a high speed chase like the movies?"

Regalia's only answer to that was a matching smile, quickly lost beneath the faceplate which extended from goggles as her jetbike came roaring to life and the two partners split up.

---

Athena-Jade was still nervous, naturally so as she continued to explore the museum at what would otherwise be a leisurely pace alongside the closest thing to a remaining parent that her first real girlfriend and partner had, her lack of experience with such situations leaving her undeniably self-conscious and awkward as she second-guessed every word to pass her lips; though at present things seemed to be progressing well.

The three of them had engaged in a mixture of small-talk and discussion about the various exhibits they passed, with Zirconia and to a larger extent Athena being able to add additional context or details that were not openly advertised about a respectable amount of the exhibits and this in turn being used to segue into conversations about what the pair and Team MARZ as a whole had experienced thus far in their studies, as well as plenty of well-meaning questions about Athena herself and her relationship with Zirconia whom the Bear Faunus could see was cared for and loved like a daughter by the man who had raised her. At present however Zirconia was several paces away, intently studying a display case which contained the partially dismantled remains of a Hunters' weapon which took the form of a violin capable of deploying weaponised Dust along with a sizeable collection of schematics and writings on how this particular item, outdated as it was had revolutionised several fields; the Grasshopper Faunus had naturally been drawn to the exhibit and was seemingly trying to commit its' contents to memory.

Leaving Nero free to turn his attentions to Athena-Jade, dark eyes studying her before he murmured conversationally but quietly.

"I am unashamed to admit that I was deeply worried when Zirconia received her acceptance letter for Halo Academy" seeing that he had the Bear Faunus's attention "Even now it concerns me how close to danger she is forced to be"

"Zirconia told me that you had worries" Athena smiled briefly before realising that the expression might come across as dismissive and catching herself before she could be foolish enough to utter the word 'overprotective' with all of its' connotations

"I completely understand that, I think of lot families who don't have a history of serving as Hunters feel the same when a relative joins the academies; our team leader and friend Astra's parents felt the same" she continued, smile returning softly and with obvious fondness as she added "But Zirconia is….well she's something else entirely, she saves people and makes it look easy"

"Saving and helping people have been her goals for so long its' hard to imagine her doing anything else with her life; she's wanted to make Remnant a better place since she was a child….an understandable goal given what she had to endure, far too much loss far too young" Nero's eyes were distant for a moment and Athena dared not prod further and simply waited until he added "A goal I support in whatever form it takes and wholeheartedly agree with, as I hope my work shows….Even if I don't choose to play the hero by waving a weapon around and handing out witty quips when I stand over a beaten foe"

"The quips are really hard to pull off, most people just don't have the timing or the charisma even if they do have a good line ready" Athena noted casually, hoping to soften whatever mildly accusatory tone seeped into her words as she voiced a realisation that had come to her "You don't have much faith in Hunters do you….is that why you invested in an arms company, or is this because Team MARZ couldn't capture the people who attacked Cosmo-Guild?"

"Hmm, astute and with a very keen edge about you….I think I can see some of what drew Zirconia to you" Nero's tone was faintly amused and Athena kept herself from visibly bristling "Rest assured Miss Slate there are several individual Hunters that I have a measure, or indeed a great deal of respect for on a personal level; many of your relatives amongst them….Your mother's advances in synthesising Dust are one of the greatest accomplishments in recent decades and your father was something of a pillar of the community when he was a member of the White Fang"

"That isn't something that we discuss in public" Athena's answer was sharp, more forceful that she would have liked however the surprise at the knowledge and the calm and open way Nero discussed such things had caught her entirely off-guard.

"Oh come now, I didn't start out wealthy….Far from it" the slender man with the burned and discoloured skin reaching from his neck to the side of his jawline gave a crooked smile "I'm still a Vale boy at heart and Gangrel Slate was something of a legend in certain parts of this city long after he moved on"

"And you respect that more than you respect Hunters?" Athena questioned carefully, wanting so badly to have this meeting go well and do nothing that might jeopardise things with Zirconia and yet still confused by Nero's position to the point of needing an answer she could understand.

"More than I respect Hunters as a collective and a class" Nero corrected, voice slipping into something that had a decidedly practised cadence about it "Individuals can be heroes, many are where the time calls for it….But you were right when you suggested that my funding of Cosmo-Guild and other similar ventures is partly due to my lack of faith in Hunters; or more accurately my desire to see that you're not the only ones with the means to defend the Kingdoms and their people"

"My team and I saw some of your companies' machines in action before we arrived in Neo Vale, aerial drones that made short work of the Grimm….They were impressive and I can honestly say that it wouldn't hurt my pride as a Hunter to know that there were more of those things protecting people everywhere"

"All being well there certainly will be" Damascus gave a smile that gave Athena the distinct feeling of being studied, if not for weakness exactly then at least something similar; though given the idiosyncrasies of many of Atlas's wealthy upper echelons it was an experience she was familiar with and managed to simply power through.

"If I may ask" she braced herself for a dismissal and to be told that she had overstepped a boundary but persisted regardless "Where does the lack of trust in Hunters come from?"

"Beyond the glaring lack of oversight, the fact that when a Hunter goes rogue the only ones capable of detaining them are their former comrades….Or the fact that there are places on Menagerie which, if I'm not mistaken have been carved out into little domains for Hunters turned despots?" Nero's tone shifted from something biting into a more subdued one, which matched the distant and harrowed look on his face as he added "Salem's siege of Neo Vale….Not that any of us knew about Salem until it was too late. So many people…..So many good people"

"My family were there" Athena-Jade murmured, now regretting the turn the conversation had taken but seeing no way out of it without persevering and powering straight through "The leader of Team MARZ was there and….Well, she's never told me directly or in detail but I can guess that it was when Zirconia lost-"

"If she hasn't told you then nor will I" Nero interjected, whispering but firm.

"I'll tell her" Zirconia's voice stunned Athena and Damascus alike, breaking the tension of the moment and bringing them wheeling around to face the Grasshopper Faunus who had likely been close enough to hear them for some time. Athena delicately took one of her partners' hands in her own, expression oddly sheepish before she managed to speak.

"You don't have to"

"But you deserve to know and I've never intended to hide it from you….I just rarely talk about it" Zirconia paused, forcing a lightness into her words "And besides, whatever stops you from debating politics when you've just met"

"You wound me" Nero snorted with the same faux-lightness, Zirconia however ignored him and began.

"My parents lived in an apartment only a few levels above the ground back when most of the city was Hive-Towers; not a great part of town but still above the actual ground where the start up company my parents were working for was based-"

"A company founded by a mutual friend. Zirconia's parents, myself and my partner and a few others Houndstooth and Herringbone Bio-labs; we hoped to make great contributions to medical science" Nero interjected and it was with a single look at the profound loss that Athena realised that few, if any others of that former group remained.

"I was at home when it started" Zirconia continued "My parents were going to be back soon, I knew how to look after myself but I was supposed to stay in the apartment and not answer the door when there was nobody home. The alarms started and I didn't run to the shelters like everyone was supposed to….Salem's siege, it was horrible Athena; she didn't just surround the city she created a pool of liquid Grimm tissue or something like it and began sinking us"

"Subsuming New Vale into its' own footprint, the damage to the foundations of many buildings is why the city was so extensively reconstructed" Nero's eyes still had that distant quality "Anything living that was caught in that darkness was simply gone, when the tide pulled back we found nothing"

"It reached the level of the hives where my parents apartment was" Zirconia's eyes were damp now and Athena squeezed her hand tighter whilst reaching up to brush moisture away with the other though the taller girl pressed on, unable to stop now that she had started "I was so scared….The floor of my home just wasn't there any more and the whole world seemed to be coming apart at the seams around me. I couldn't get to the door so I hid in my bedroom and climbed up onto my closet but the city kept on sinking until my legs…."

"I am so sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up at all" Athena was as harrowed as either of the pair who had lived through and been haunted by the experience and pulled Zirconia closer to her, in a gesture that was for both of their comfort.

"Damascus saved me" Zirconia mumbled into her partners' broad shoulder, prompting the snowy haired girl to stare disbelievingly at the man and try to comprehend what he could possibly have done in the face of such a threat; a silent question the Chairman recognised and answered.

"Our company was on the ground, the lowest level of the city and the first to fall to Salem's darkness" Nero visibly shivered "It wasn't just the darkness, it was the factories exploding around us as chemicals ignited or machines and Dust supplies reacted….I saw someone I planned to spend the rest of my life with vanish in an instant, I had corrosive chemicals eating at the flesh around my throat and chest and, in what will be a moment of weakness I carry with me for the rest of my life I ran screaming….Except when I came to my senses I realised that there was nobody with my best friends' daughter and there might be nobody else left to go to her"

"So you made it into a sinking apartment?" Athena managed to croak the words out, the descriptions she had been given of what had transpired by those who had fought in the chaos giving her enough of a frame of reference to understand the courage required to act in such circumstances.

"I broke into the apartment above and uprooted flooring, heating, essential wiring for the tower and everything in between until I could reach down….I lost my arm in saving her and was too late to save her parents or her legs but-"

"I have never held what happened that night against, never" Zirconia's words were hushed as she broke away from Athena for long enough to pull the Chairman into a crushing hug.

"What you said earlier about being heroes when the situation calls for it….I guess you were speaking from experience" Athena swallowed thickly as she sought to get her emotions under control, not wanting to be on the verge of crying in a public place. In wiping her eyes she missed the brief moment where Nero and Zirconia shared a lingering and meaningful glance, the Grasshopper Faunus silently questioning the Chairman and him responding with a single silent nod which left the young woman he had raised as a daughter struggling to master her own swell of emotions, though the sudden brightness in her mismatched eyes made it clear that her own feelings were of relief and overwhelming joy, though trepidation coloured it all.

Before the conversation could return to more mundane, safer topics the moment was lost as both Athena-Jade and Zirconia felt their scrolls vibrate in tandem and were alerted to the latest act of derring-do that Astra and Regalia had found themselves embroiled in.

"Well, I did have an important meeting planned for later today" Nero noted calmly, arching an eyebrow as he added "I take it duty calls for us all?"

---

Team TRQS had been enjoying an uneventful and largely ordinary weekend.

Tiger, in a break from what had been her custom for what was beginning to see had been far too long had allowed her team-mates to coax her away from the brutal and exacting training regimen she imposed upon herself and into the city where she could spend a Saturday simply relaxing and socialising as any other eighteen year old might be. It had been proof, if further proof were needing to the previously intractably stern leader that her previous single-minded approach to Team TRQS's development and leading through example and perfectionism was a poor substitute for the current sense of friendship and simple togetherness which was far closer to what she had envisioned for her team from the moment she and her twin brother had departed from Mistral's territories to attend Halo Academy.

The plans for the day had consisted largely of shopping for necessities that were either not readily available on campus or else would be snapped up by the first student to see them available and would be traded and bartered for at extortionate prices, along with shopping for more luxury items or at least eyeing product with the intent to purchase later in the case of Amaya and Rye as they looked for outfits for the rapidly approaching dance that would serve as a prelude to the Vytal Tournament; the couples' preoccupation allowing Tiger and Stygian to take in the changes undergoing the sprawling Hive-city as it began to prepare for the festival and the Vytal Tournament itself, adding much needed colour and vigour to the steel and oddly sterile and lifeless neon set against a dull grey sky and it had been then that Tiger had noticed, with a bittersweet feeling just how easily the Mouse Faunus would have been able to fill in the space left by being separated from her brother if she had allowed him to do early on. It had also been understood that Team SHMR were elsewhere in the city and that Team TRQS would rendezvous with them later in the afternoon, with Tiger and Ravi both eager to spend more time together and rebuild their relationship after a year of awkwardly tiptoeing around one another's presence; an opportunity which Tiger would even suffer the presence of Snapdragon for though even here Stygian had come to her aid by promising to run interference and keep the leader of Team SHMR from irritating anyone too much.

All of this however had been put aside when Team TRQS had received what amounted to a distress call from Astra Mars of Team MARZ, the Deer Faunus explaining that they and their partner were attempting to apprehend a heavily armed criminal who was fleeing through the city and willing to harm civilians to avoid being cornered.

Which was why Team TRQS were currently on the move.

"COME ON, WE NEED TO HEAD THEM OFF BEFORE THEY CAN CROSS THE BRIDGE! Tiger bellowed from beneath the armoured veil she had deployed from within her decorative headdress as she led her team at a full-tilt sprint through crowded streets towards their target. They were within one of the many Hive-towers, both a commercial hub of the city and a way to keep out of the biting cold when the news of the attack had come and based on the information that Astra had been able to provide as they gave chase it seemed clear that thief who piloted a mechanical battle-suit, a phenomenon Tiger had been unaware of before arriving in Neo Vale intended to plough through a shopping district which accounted for almost two entire levels of the tower in question and would, given the time of the day and the fact that it was a weekend be filled with thousands of densely packed people. Seeing the pending catastrophe Tiger had ordered her team to head to the bridge which connected them to the adjoining tower, from which the attacker would be approaching, making their way through crowds of fleeing citizens and over parked and abandoned cars which confirmed that news of the coming threat was spreading fast enough to perhaps limit the damage if Team TRQS were unsuccessful.

Not that Tiger would allow anything other than success.

"HOLD THE LINE AT ALL COSTS!" she demanded as she came skidding to a halt the opening in the wall of the enormous monolithic structure before carefully taking several tentative steps out onto the bridge with her trident at the ready, wind and a faint dusting of snow swirling around her and her team at her side as she mentally prepared herself. Astra had given her the location of the mech-suits' likely angle of attack and assured her that they would attempt to keep them from changing course at the last moment and that Regalia was already moving into position with a plan of her own.

"Here it comes!" Stygian declared, his katana finding its' way to his hand in an instant as the rest of Team TRQS similarly armed themselves; the enhanced hearing of the Mouse Faunus was unnecessary as the screaming of metal on metal and a cacophony of thunderous impacts filled the air, echoing out from the opposite side of the thankfully empty bridge to provide a crescendoing sense of tension which finally peaked as the quadrupedal war machine came stampeding into view, the positioning of its' scuttling limbs suggesting that it had trampled over several vehicles on its' rampaging escape and its' upper body rotating to face forward, with blossoming fire in the tower behind it making it apparent that the pilot had turned and fired at Astra to cover their advance.

"Now!" Tiger barked and it was Rye who acted first, taking Chivalry in its' rail-gun form and firing at the waist of the mech-suit to target the seam where halves of two distinctly different models of machine had been grafted together and being rewarded with a deafening explosion which rocked the entire bridge on which they fought, sending the machine staggering to the side with fluids igniting as they spewed from a ragged wound in its' side all the while listing and sagging as a person who had been punched in the kidneys might until finally, the pilot of the machine recovering from what must have been a nerve jarring impact enough to retaliate.

At which point two things happened at once.

Regalia Russet made her presence know, her jetbike racing out onto another bridge into the expansive and well connected shopping district on the layer above and positioned a short distance to Tiger's left, which allowed the Racoon Faunus to aim and fire her harpoon into the right shoulder of the mech-suit and, with a Herculean display of strength pull the machine off-balance enough that the salvo of shots it fired from its' various rocket launchers were sent veering off-course.

The second thing to happen in the same instant was that Stygian Blue took action, the Mouse Faunus seeing that a single rocket was on a wild and careening trajectory that would see it not only strike and likely destroy the bridge but would also directly hit Tiger. Before the leader of Team TRQS was forced to flee or evade her partner used his Semblance and appeared directly between her and the incoming projectile with Sharp Cheddar flashing out at blinding speed and glowing faintly as Ice Dust was sent coursing through its' blade to cleave the rocket in half and sent the two frozen halves clattering to the ground where they promptly shattered. From there Stygian was in motion again, pivoting himself so that his first slash could easily be carried into a second and teleporting once more into the path of danger which allowed him to appear amidst the legs of the struggling machine as the tour gouges into the surface of the road and deliver a single decisive blow to pistons, coolant pipes and power cables alike before throwing himself aside.

Allowing Astra to enter the fray with gusto.

The Deer Faunus's pickup truck could be heard and seen screeching to a halt a mere instant before the leader of Team MARZ themselves came hurtling out onto the bridge, their Aura engulfing them in a fiery red glow and their stride lengthening with each pace forward as they engaged their Semblance until finally they were encased in a construct of pure Aura large enough that when Regalia retracted her harpoon and delivered a final, almost dismissive shotgun blast to the back of the battle-suit Astra was able to seize the ruined and crippled thing by its' shoulders and drag it to the edge of the bridge before hoisting it over and holding it aloft so that Astra's own eye level within the centre of their Aura-self was level with the pilot, who had finally removed the headset which allowed him to better control the machine though rather than meet the gaze of the Hunter who had caught him he began frantically unfastening himself from the harness of the cockpit.

It was Tiger who spoke, trident in hand as she prepared to perch on the arm of Astra's Aura-self and carve the makeshift armour of the cockpit away.

"I believe this is the part where painful consequences are implied if you choose not to surrender" she tried to make her voice light and conversational yet still managed to sound harsh and fierce largely by virtue of her personality alone, yet despite the threats the pilot of the machine continued to struggle and grasp at things within the cockpit of the machine and for all of their efforts neither Astra not Tiger relished in their victory for long as a single gunshot rang out.

Striking Astra's Aura-self in the head.

The force of the impact could only have come from an explosive Dust shell and Tiger watched as the Deer Faunus was sent staggering backwards, their hold on the mech-suit failing and the head and antlers of their Aura-self reduced to a web of faintly glowing white cracks and fissures as the machine tumbled from the bridge down several stories into the city below where it impacted with a ground-shaking crash and subsequent burst of flame as, whether by the fall alone or some fail-safe to prevent capture the things' power supply detonated. The pilot however lived as the reason for their determined scrabbling became clear, the front of the suits' armoured cockpit ejecting forcefully allowing him to leap free with a makeshift yet functional glider at the ready and a parachute strapped to his back in case this first means of escape were riddling with bullets. Before Tiger, or indeed any of the students present could leave the glider and the parachute that would follow it unable to function another attack came, though this time it was not a gunshot and came unmistakably in the form of a Semblance.

A mass of spears and blades of solid, arterial crimson light ripping out from a window or similar opening along the edge of the Hive-Tower Astra and the suit had come from, ripping into Astra's damaged Semblance and tearing through the Aura-self entirely to leave the Deer Faunus collapsing to the ground with their Aura flickering faintly around them; Tiger and her team-mates hurrying to the Deer Faunus's side and covering them whilst the roar of Clunker's engine assured them that Regalia would cross the distance between them in short order.

"Holy shit! Holy shit!" Astra exclaimed breathlessly, sea-green eyes wild as they struggled to rise only to be held down by Amaya and Stygian so that Rye, who had some knowledge in the field could check them for injuries.

"What the hell just happened?" Stygian demanded, brushing stray dreadlocks from his face with an agitation suggesting that he would like nothing more than to give chase and find the source of the cowardly attack.

"Holy shit" Astra repeated "He shouldn't even still be alive….I need-I need to talk to Professor Branwen?"

At that Tiger's eyebrows vanished beneath her headdress as they raised in shock, eyes turning briefly to her partner confirmed that he was similarly surprised by the statement though before any clarification could be given the sound of Clunker's roaring engine drawing close from one direction and the sirens of the emergency services, no doubt escorted by qualified and experienced from the other forced things to a halt.

Though Tiger resolved to get to the heart of the matter and exactly what was going on with Team MARZ soon enough.

---

Chairman Damascus Nero was in his office within the headquarters of the Clara Die Novum Conglomerate headquarters, awaiting the meeting he had left his meeting with Zirconia and her girlfriend in order to attend.

In truth he could have stayed far longer and enjoyed an afternoon in the company of the young woman he would forever consider his daughter, it was now early evening with the building being vacant save for security guards and those employees whose projects were time sensitive or were simply career focused enough to linger so late in the day on a weekend and the man with whom he would be speaking had only recently entered the building and was expected to arrive at any moment. The early departure had been unavoidable however in the wake of his meeting and conversation with Athena-Jade Slate who, almost certainly unintentionally had inadvertently managed to leave the Chairman thoroughly rattled; disregarding the physical aspect of things Damascus could understand easily why Zirconia was so taken with the Bear Faunus and found himself agreeing with her opinion that Athena-Jade would not only be an incredibly valuable asset for his plans, the credence and sense of authority which came with her family name a tempting addition to her already impressive abilities but also that it was a realistic possibility that she could be convinced to help the people of Remnant in a more substantial way than continuing down the path of becoming a Hunter yet despite all of this the discussion of his own shared past with Zirconia had touched raw nerves and left the Chairman dangerously close to saying far too much, possibly even revealing things the snowy-haired girl was not yet ready to hear and being such a fragile, disorganised mental space would not do.

Not when he would be dealing with Qrow Branwen.

The man, who in many ways had become more than a man and ascended to the status of a living legend across Remnant, especially within the close-knit and insular community of Hunters had been seeking a meeting with Nero for some time now, spending several weeks urging without ever directly applying pressure yet casting a looming shadow over the Chairman all the same. Eventually it had become unavoidable, the insistence on ones' own privacy and a hectic schedule would only be accepted by a figure such as Qrow Branwen for so long before suspicions were raised and the veteran Hunter and spy turned his considerable talents along with those of the people in his employ to the task of ferreting out any information they could use; an underlying threat of consequences which came with every dealing with Hunters that was magnified astronomically by the knowledge that this was the Hunter at the heart of it all, Nero's opposite number and nemesis, the master manipulator at the heart of the cabal which had twisted and warped the path of events for over a generation to ensure that they were above all others.

Upon retreating to his office, for he refused to ever allow a man such a Branwen into his home Nero had hoped that a stiff drink would brace him enough to steady his nerves however now, as the door of the office opened it became clear with the rising spike of fire and venom in his belly that the Chairman had only been cast further off-kilter and would have to carefully measure every word and action to prevent a disaster; all whilst being kept on uneven footing by the fact that he was unaware of what Qrow actually wanted from him.

"Mister Nero….You have been a hard man to contact, I think at this point I've been speaking to your secretary more regularly than some of my colleagues" the grizzled old Hunter noted by way of introduction, tone cheerful and conversational if somewhat weary and offset by the way his eyes scanned his surroundings incessantly though Nero noticed, after using the few moments it took for Qrow to cross the office in his many-limbed chair that the action seemed to be compulsive; a habit which had become a tic.

"I've been and continue to be a man who values his time and thus makes it hard to waste….I don't often allow meetings with people who refuse to justify them, though I suppose in your case I must make exceptions" Nero managed to keep the scorn in his voice to a manageable level, giving the appearance of a wealthy man simply annoyed by inconveniences rather than any of the deep-rooted malice and contempt he held the man before him in and managing to further offset the tone by placing the bottle of vintage brandy he had previously been drinking from on the desk between them and producing two glasses.

"I think that's the most eloquently I've ever been told to come back with a warrant" Qrow laughed dryly, eyeing the proffered glass and adding "I see you're a man with good taste, but I'll pass. This is business….Of a sort"

"The sort which you won't be returning with that warrant to conduct I assume?" Nero matched Qrow's demeanour, allowing the man the appearance of being the one to set the tone of the conversation in a way that the Chairman assumed the Hunter was used to doing.

"No, almost the opposite" Qrow replied, something in his cadence shifting to become more businesslike in a way which Damascus recognised easily as preceding a well-prepared speech "I'm here to alert you to a possible threat against your family, yourself and your business"

"Go on" Nero breathed the words out slowly and couldn't help but cock his head with some degree of genuine interest at this, intrigued to know what Qrow had uncovered given they control the Chairman currently had over the more daring criminals in the city or else see the angle that the man used in order to manipulate him.

"As you're aware the individuals who attacked your subsidiary company, Cosmo-Guild were in the employ of someone else; someone with the means and funding to supply them with the modified battle-suits that criminals across the city have taken to using"

"I've heard how those have been something of a thorn in the side of Hunters for a year or two now" Nero noted, a confirmation and subtle barb that offered nothing else to which Qrow nodded and continued.

"We believe this figure is also connected to a smuggling operation on Menagerie, along with various other crimes and also that they and their associates, specifically a man named Carmesi Hueso were the cause of the Creatures of Grimm breaching Port Alistair over several months ago. This figure is currently unidentified, going by the moniker 'The Benefactor'"

"And you think that this individual means me harm?" Nero's surprise was genuine as he heard Qrow's summation of his activities, twisting them without context in a way that left bile rising in the Chairman's throat.

"You own several companies, with Cosmo-Guild being the most obvious which would be of use to this figure and their plans" Qrow answered simply, pausing as if to prepare himself before adding "The person identified as leading the attack on Cosmo-Guild is a recently released criminal who has a history with a member of your….Foster or adopted daughter?-"

"Foster, it was her choice to remain her parents' child legally" Nero answered honestly.

"With a member of your foster daughter's team; it was also reported in debriefing that Zirconia was singled out and isolated from her team-mates by the attackers. I believe that it's highly likely that these people intend to harm or possibly capture Miss Shadowmoon if possible in order to send a message and scare you into complying with any future demands they might make….I hope you understand my reluctance to discuss this in any way other than face to face given the influence that this Benefactor figure has and the possibility that people within your own company may be compromised"

"I see" Nero was now stunned, yet in a way that was oddly pleasant as he listened to Qrow's understanding of the situation and delighted at just how wrong the man had gotten it; proving that he was indeed merely a man and not the all-seeing figure he was often painted as by those who revered him and his ilk.

"This conversation was already a priority however I'm glad I could speak to you today as a few hours ago I received news of something which changes the situation and makes it more serious….A group of the same individuals who attacked Cosmo-Guild attacked a vehicle carrying parts to the CCT tower, suggesting that the new when and how they would be transported; there are also reports that Carmesi Hueso, a known murderer and rogue Hunter was believed to have been killed during the breaching of Port Alistair was present and aided the group which confirms that they are in the employ of the same person"

"And you have thus far been unable to apprehend or even name this Benefactor?" Nero leaned hard into the impression of a wealthy and irritable businessman, imperious and frustrated with good reason by the news he was receiving which Qrow seemed to accept without question as he bowed his head solemnly.

"It is one of the most severe threats Remnant faces at present and we devoting every available resource; which is why I would like to make an offer" Qrow waited, seeking permission to continue which Nero gave him with a nod

"It has been public knowledge for some time now that when Professor Ozpin was the Head of Beacon Academy he founded an organisation including the heads of the other academies and those in positions or with skills he believed would help turn the tide in the fight against the Grimm and that I was one of the individuals within that group….I have been acting as its' head since the death of Glynda Goodwitch in Salem's siege on this city and, after conferring with other members of the organisation I came here to offer you a chance to join us; to add your resources to our own so that we can put a stop to this Benefactor and whatever plans they have"

Nero was too numb to speak.

Here, in front of his very face was an opportunity for him to infiltrate the heart of his enemies den of lies and secrets and break them in a way which even his grand plans would fail to do and that Zirconia would likely need another decade of uninterrupted work to accomplish; a chance to free Remnant from the grip of Hunters and yet the Chairman could not bring himself to accept it, no amount of good it would do in the long run managing to surmount the bile that rose in his throat or the cold, sinking feeling that crept through his entire body until finally he regained the ability to speak and when he did so every syllable shook with an incandescent fury.

"How dare you?" his voice was not raised and yet Qrow recoiled all the same, running a hand through his hair as he struggled to find excuses and justifications.

"I'm afraid I don't-"

"HOW DARE YOU COME HERE, TO MY OFFICE AND TRY TO HOLD MY DAUGHTER'S SAFETY OVER ME YOU BASTARD!" the words echoed from the walls "HOW DO YOU COME HERE AND BLACKMAIL ME! TO TRY AND FORCE ME TO BE A PART OF THE SAME CONSPIRACY THAT TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!"

"You misunderstand-"

"I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU LIE, YOU LIE AND YOU CLING TO POWER AND USE THE THREATS WE FACE TO DO IT, THE REST OF US ALL BE DAMNED!" Nero heaved out several slow, trembling breaths before continuing; voice more measured yet with no less fury "You lied and kept the truth of the Grimm and the 'Salem' figure leading them from everyone for decades, until this city was almost lost and now, after everything, after the sacrifices you demand everyone else make you sit there and tell me that you are still doing the exact same thing! You tell me that there is another grave threat and that it's being kept secret, but that you want my resources?….Tell me Branwen, is the threat real? Was Salem? Or are you simply justifying your own power as you take more of it?"

"The threat is real" Qrow managed to keep the words toneless, despite looking as though he had just been struck "And the secrets are being kept to prevent a panic that would only make things worse….I hope you understand that and act accordingly"

"I hope that you understand that if you don't leave my office this instant I will have you ejected from it! I hope you know that everything I do that the media call charity, every life I make better through my works is an effort to try and rebuild even a tiny portion of what was taken from me. No Branwen I will not be a part of your campaign….I bled enough enough for you already"

With that Nero tore away the silken glove hiding his right hand and pulled back the sleeve of his jacket, forcing Qrow to stare at the cybernetic below.

It was a cheaply made thing, slapdash haphazard and almost certainly uncomfortable if not outright painful to wear.

The kind of prosthetic worn by those without access to the more advanced designs of Atlesian origin that had been the standard for decades; a ramshackle and skeletal mass of gunmetal, brass and visible workings which leaked oil in steady droplets with each movements attached to the cleanly sheared stump of an elbow in a far more brutal and grisly way than the standard nerve caps, with components visibly breaching skin and muscle in several places. Qrow knew well that there had been something of a boom in such limbs during the days that had followed the breaking of Salem's siege when hospitals, clinics specialising in cybernetics and the suppliers of the prosthetics had all been overwhelmed with the influx or patients which had led to several back-alley doctors and manufacturers springing up to take advantage of the situation before the law fell upon them. That Nero wore such a limb even now, in his position as one of the wealthiest men in the Kingdom when he routinely covered the expenses involved in providing more modern prosthetics to those in need of them spoke volumes; the painful limb kept beneath a glove was intended to serve as a reminder of his loss and his motivations and a driving force for the man.

Upon seeing it Qrow knew that further discussions would be pointless.

"I'm sorry for the offence I caused and for wasting your time" he murmured, his chair turning to carry him out of this office "For what it's worth I deeply appreciate everything you've done for this Kingdom and Remnant as a whole, I wish you nothing but good luck"

With that Qrow left and Nero let a single, choked and wavering sob before hurling one of the glasses at the door which the man he so deeply detested had left and then pouring another measure of brandy into the one that remained before fishing out the encrypted and secret scroll he used to contact Carmesi, finding that the Komodo Dragon Faunus had already given him an update of the situation.

He had been forced to reveal himself, though that was now known to Nero thanks to Qrow however the mech-suit that had been deployed, one of the older samples remaining in Petrol's arsenal had been so thoroughly destroyed that even the talented Eagle Arc would struggle to identify its' various components the way she had with the machine used by Rowan Oralie in Port Alistair, spelling the end of the group of sadistic and wealthy individuals whose businesses and holding Nero had taken to subsuming into his own in short order; the matter made doubly certain by the fact Nero insisted that the mech-suits he provided be reliant on a pilot being present inside them rather than using a transmission which could be tracked. Most importantly of all however was the news that the mission had been a success, that Petrol had acquired and delivered the parts that were needed to put Aefen's plans into action.

Nero managed a weak, yet vicious smile at that.

The bright new day was dawning; however with his current mood he was committed to greeting it with a resounding hangover.

---

By the time Astra found themselves trudging slowly through the campus of Halo Academy night had fallen across the aerial platform and city below, the shattered moon hanging overhead and bringing with it fresh snow and a wind which made the cold air bite more severely to send the majority of the inhabitants of the academy and its' attached orphanage alike retreating inside for warmth and granting the Deer Faunus privacy as they sought to clear their head.

Shortly after Carmesi Hueso had revealed the fact that he was indeed still alive, albeit without ever being directly seen by Astra as he forced the leader of Team MARZ to release the mech-suit his fellow criminal had been piloting the bridge had been approached from both sides and even from the air as a response team of specially trained and armed police officers, complete with a small contingent of their own mechanised weaponry and a group of Hunters deployed alongside them as a response to the unfolding situation. Team TRQS had joined Astra and Regalia in being briefly detained before the police were reminded by the Hunters present, with no small amount of annoyance in their tone that the questioning of students of the Hunter academies was under the purview and jurisdiction of the academies themselves and as such the six teens had been promptly escorted back to campus, with Astra and Regalia being allowed to retrieve their respective vehicles in doing so.

Once back at Halo Academy the matter had predictably been treated as though it were a mission briefing, though with an added degree of severity which saw Team TRQS explaining their understanding of events to Headmaster Professor Ren whilst Astra and Regalia found themselves before Professor Qrow Branwen who had told them bluntly that his time was limited and that he needed all available information. The two had explained what they had seen and how they had been spurred to intervene directly despite Qrow's instruction for them to simple observe and report any findings in regards to Petrol and his associates; the grizzled old Professor had understood the situation and thanked them both for their actions and the information that they had managed to provide, whilst the thieves and the mech-pilot had ultimately escaped knowledge that Carmesi Hueso was present in the city after being believed to be dead for months was invaluable.

Eventually Astra and Regalia had been dismissed and the Deer Faunus had found themselves unable to settle.

Regalia had recounted events to Athena-Jade and Zirconia upon their return to the dormitory and from there the Racoon Faunus had decided that she was simply too exhausted to contribute any more, it was doubtful that she would actually be able to sleep though she was determined to rest for a while and to respect this decision Athena-Jade and Zirconia, both of whom were more visibly enamoured with one another following the meeting the Grasshopper Faunus's guardian had departed to spend time with other students whilst Astra, having abandoned their meal earlier that day had initially made their way towards the canteen but had instead drifted on an aimless and meandering path through the campus upon deciding that they were not so hungry after all.

They had found themselves wandering around the outer edge of the floating structure, periodically leaning over the railings of the anti-gravity platform to watch as snow fell steadily down on the vast expanse of steel and neon below before making their way slowly around to the front of the campus, to the yellow brick road lined with golden statues of Hunter who had given their lives in the service of Vale and studying the images of the heroic figures and reading the plaques detailing their accomplishments. An honorary uncle to Athena-Jade whom she had never gotten to meet, standing atop one plinth whilst Jaune Arc and legendary Pyrrha Nikos, team-mates Professors Lie and Nora Ren stood beside one another, their statues reaching out to hold one another's hand for all time.

"Astra!" the sharp, snapped out demand from their attention brought the Deer Faunus wheeling around and nerves that were still raw and on edge after the earlier battle had them dropping into a fighting stance for a brief moment before keen Faunus vision identified the speaker as Tiger Santara who strode towards them with a sense of purpose and Stygian Blue only a single pace behind; Astra noted that the Mouse Faunus lacked his partners' intensity and presence in that moment though before they could properly question or understand it Tiger had closed the distance between them.

Her hand flying to Astra's throat in an instant.

"Hey what the hell?" the furious demand was accompanied by a casual backhand to bat the offending limb away only for Tiger to step close and deliver a follow up palm strike to their chest, Astra attempted to fight back with a knee strike but struggled to find purchase or angle from which to strike as Tiger slipped within their guard and used the breathlessness that her first blow had caused to overpower her opponent, driving a forearm under Astra's neck and forcing them back against the nearest plinth only for Stygian to appear between the pair with the use of his Semblance, materialising into a space that should not have contained him and in doing so forcing the two combatants back which slammed Astra more forcefully into the plinth but kept Tiger constrained at arms' length.

"You agreed with me! You said that we should get answers?" Tiger demanded harshly, tone accusatory as her eyes narrowed at her party only for the Mouse Faunus to visibly sag and let out a sound of pure annoyance.

"Yeah but I didn't mean beat it out of 'em though, what the fuck Tee?"

"Does anybody wanna tell me what the hell is going on here, or do I have to start kicking ass?" Astra demanded, bravado offset by the wheezing and sputtering that came with the attempt to speak; hearing the Deer Faunus both Stygian and Tiger returned their attention to the leader of Team MARZ and the Mouse Faunus stepped aside to allow his partner to draw closer once again, though this time Tiger was content to rely on words alone.

"Whatever it is that Team MARZ are involved in put my team at risk today" her arms folded across her chest and stared resolutely "We backed you up, now I want to know what's going on. What exactly did you put my team at risk for?"

"I don't know-"

"Astra, we have different leadership styles but do not let that confuse and make you believe that my teams' safety is not a priority to me….And do not allow yourself to think for a moment that I'm an idiot" Astra, still struggling for words and breath remained silent with their eyes darting insistently from Tiger to Stygian until the blue-haired and tattooed young man chose to intercede.

"Look at it this way, your team are pretty well connected to a lot famous Hunters and you get extra training from Professor Branwen. You explained that and we accepted it" he held up a hand to silence any interruptions "But then today you take on the gangs with mech-suits, nearly get assassinated then start talking about how whoever that guy was isn't even supposed to be alive. As soon as we get brought back here you and Regalia get taken aside to debrief separately with Professor Branwen and word is that he left shortly after for an important meeting….You have clearly got some shit going on and Team TRQS just went and got ourselves involved"

"We're Hunters Astra, we know that there are always risks" Tiger almost growled the words out "But we should at least know what those risks are"

"Okay" Astra nodded, stepping away from the plinth and side-stepping in case Tiger tried to land another hit "Okay you're right, you deserve to know….But I can't tell you everything, I mean can't not that I don't want to"

"Then tell us what you can" Tiger said simply whilst Stygian pulled himself up onto the edge of one of the plinths which held a statue, sitting on it and listening intently.

"Okay, it's kinda complicated because a few different things connect with each other and it gets messy" Astra began with a sign "Basically Team MARZ found about some really high level organised crime, connected to things I can't talk about but also the supply of those mech-suits and some other, even more dangerous shit. We weren't supposed to know about it, we basically stumbled into things because the two Hunters who took Team MARZ on their first mission were corrupt. The guy with the spiky Semblance early who's supposed to be dead, his name is Carmesi Hueso….That's one of them-"

"And the other one?" Tiger asked.

"Definitely dead" Astra answered simply before continuing "But today wasn't even about him, like I said I had no idea that he was even still alive; everyone thought he died in Port Alistair. I've been searching around the city for a local gang leader by the name of Petrol for the last couple of months with Professor Branwen's approval, that's why he's been giving my team the extra training-"

"Branwen let out give yourself a mission, just went along with it?" Stygian asked, eyebrow arching questioningly.

"I told you it's messy" Astra shrugged "Petrol got out of prison recently, I was the one to help police bring him in a little over a year ago and he's holding a grudge, that's who stabbed me at Cosmo-Guild. His gang were kinda small time before but now they're working with the gangs that have mech-suits, by the looks of things those gangs are working together now because whoever is organising all of this and supplies them all has told them to and Petrol is one of the people in charge….My parents live in this city, I need to catch him before he decides that the heat is off and he can risk taking a shot at my family to get even"

"Good thing dropping a mech-suit from a bridge got the polices' attention then" Stygian snorted "The heat is definitely on now"

"So to be clear" Tiger dragged the words out slowly "You're getting extra training because a criminal you put behind bars is now out for revenge and is part of a larger conspiracy which involves a mastermind uniting all of the gangs and criminals in the city to orchestrate things such as the attack on Cosmo-Guild and has at least one Rogue Hunter working alongside him. On top of whatever else is happening, which you can't tell me, there's a chance that this criminal might target your parents?"

"It sounds crazy" Astra admitted

"It sounds like an action movie" Stygian laughed from his raised position "Regalia lucked out partnering with you, she must be having the time of her life"

"Are my team at any risk of retaliation?" Tiger asked, visibly tense.

"I don't know" Astra gave a defeated sigh "I really don't, it's not like I've ever had a chance to ask Petrol what's his crew's policy on payback is; I mean they got away but we smashed up one of their robots so they might-"

"I understand" Tiger help up a hand to silence them before looking up at her partner "I'll explain the situation to Rye and Amaya but right now I trust your opinion Stitch, how would you handle this in my place?"

"Families' are off limits man" the Mouse Faunus said simply before slipping down from where thy sat and landing alongside their partner, pausing to consider for a moment before adding "I think Astra should let Professor Branwen know that there's gonna be a few more people in on those extra training sessions-"

"Wait what?" Astra eyes widened

"We're offering you our help dumb-ass" the Mouse Faunus laughed, playfully punching Astra's shoulder.

"We were mostly in agreement that we would help you if we could before we came in looking for you" Tiger added "I just wanted to be certain that you wouldn't make us regret it later"

"Thank you" Astra managed to breath out, still struggling to keep abreast of the situation as it seemed to change with each passing moment; shaking their head to clear it before continuing "Seriously, it means a lot….I've been kinda driving myself crazy worrying over this"

"Well now it can be our foes' turn to worry" Tiger stated with a flat and cold assurance about her which managed to catch Astra off-guard and leave them faintly awed "But before we start helping you search the city I still need to know exactly what some of these enemies are capable of-"

"I just want to know what some of the big secrets are" Stygian laughed "If this is the stuff that's not top-secret and confidential then what the hell is the stuff you can't tell us?"

"Believe me" Astra laughed "You wouldn't believe it even if I could tell you"

Author's Notes:

So this was a fun chapter to write, it had a few conversations and revelations in it that I've wanting to get to.
Also….When I first started writing RWBY fics my average chapter length was about 3k words, now I'm often writing over 2k just on one scene.
Randomly, I checked something and to hit one of my New Year's resolutions I need to post or at least write up to Chapter 91 on this story by the end of the year….Well, I've already got plans for everything up to 84, so my New Year's resolution completion will likely be somewhere around the finale of Vol.05.

But anyway let's summarise shall we?:
AJ's nerves here are super cute, but also more justified than she can possibly know.
So implied jump of more than one week since the last chapter.
Of course Hops is worried as well.
This is actually the first time we've seen the inside of what used to be Beacon since the fall of Vale in the Downward Spiral, though Team FADE's initiation in FADE: Legacy brought us to the outside of it, which was referenced here.
Nora's reaction to there being a waxwork of her fighting an Ursa on display in a museum must have been amazing.
Okay, on the one hand Damascus is right in saying that it's a poor teacher who habitually can't keep the attention their students, on the other hand it's one of the constants of the Spiral-Verse that Oobleck is a bad-ass….He punched Ironwood in the mouth.
The interactions between Nero and Zirconia are always fun to write and honestly having AJ be part of that makes it even better….She handled that intro without completely putting a foot in her mouth, it's such a shame that all of that is ultimately going to be wasted effort.
So, that's what's under Nero's glove….AJ knows plenty of people with Cybernetics, but most of them are Hunters, it's a lot less common for a civilian to lose a limb or an eye (Though I get pretty close to it at work).
Always nice to throw in the casual reminder that this city is Astra's home turf and there's gonna be plenty of random background characters who they happen to know.
Of course Regalia orders from the secret menu that even the cooks forgot about….Also, enjoying pushing the scenes with these two into the 'Totally not a date' territory bit by bit.
So, much like in the real world with ongoing cost of fuel….The search for Petrol continues.
Astra definitely sounds a little paranoid there.
Honey continuing to wing-woman for Regalia, whilst Yuki responds to getting dragged along for this ride by favouring the straight forward approach of raw sex appeal.
No Astra, you haven't been paying attention.
Faunus Pride to be a location for "Something".
And now for the fun stuff.
His Benefactor's aid, because Petrol is the only member of the villain's team to not know who Nero is.
Carmesi mentioned to Nero that Petrol's people are getting restless, which is gonna become more of a thing but I decided to keep building on the idea here.
The Cosmo-Guild mechs haven't been fixed up yet, 'cos I'm holding onto them for something bigger, instead get what is basically the top half of a Paladin welded to the legs of something more similar to the spider-bot from the Black trailer.
I'm imagining Petrol's plan here was basically akin to something you'd see in the UK, also his personal getaway car is probably a Mercedes or an Audi.
The mech-pilot is an idiot, definitely jinxed it.
Astra and Petrol literally just missed each other…..Because that showdown can't happen just yet.
The diversion worked, can't chase down the getaway cars and bikes when there's a robot smashing things up.
Also, I know Regalia had a little bit of a high-speed chase in Vol.02 with Rowan but come on this is a real action movie chase not just a bike race.
Violin weapon = perfect way to keep Zirconia occupied.
Nero letting the mask drop just a little bit and going from concerned and slightly overprotective parental figure to showing some his disdain for Hunters to the girl who was pretty much born into it.
And here's what makes Nero a fun villain to write; beyond some of the insane shit he's doing in service of his plan (Which we haven't seen all of yet) he has several very real and solid points to make, one of which being that he opposes a class of people who have an unelected seat on the Council of every Kingdom and overwhelming force which they can use with very little oversight.
It's not the first time I've mentioned that fact that some places on Menagerie are the personal Kingdom of a Hunter who settled an area and took it over.
Nero could have done the big reveal about Zirconia's backstory there himself but it was important that it be Zirconia that told her story, for her relationship with AJ and also for Nero's characterisation.
If you read FADE then you'll remember that the pools of darkness were a product of Salem having access to alternate timelines through the Wizard and also the space between realities, which is what the void was.
So….There's Zirconia and Nero's backstory; tragic enough for you? I told you I was saving it for a fitting moment.
So, AJ gets the nod….Nero has given Zirconia the okay to bring her into the fold; it's just a matter of finding the way to approach it.
So Tiger is actually originally from Mistral's outer territories, places that now intersect with the Anima Diaspora tribes.
Just felt throwing in some more fleshing out for Team TRQS, although I keep missing opportunities to put the spotlight properly on Stygian the way I keep meaning to; but I promise we will get a proper backstory for him before the mid-season finale.
And now, all aboard the hype train because Team TRQS were obviously conveniently in the right part of the city to be able to answer Astra's call for back up.
Okay so running headlong into wherever Rye is waiting is a bad idea, that will get your shit broken.
Also, the set-up between Regalia and Stygian was completely uncoordinated, it's just that Stygian and Astra have approaches that are similar enough despite their different weapons and Semblances that she can probably guess what he's gonna do….But also, the Ice-blade cutting a rocket in half was just peak anime nonsense.
It's always a bad day for someone when Astra's Semblance goes off and that part of the plan works.
Despite what AJ said about quips being hard to pull off Tiger has definitely got the menacing aura for that kind of thing.
Boom, head-shot….Followed by some Batman the animated series level of bullshit in regards to the villain surviving a fall.
Surprise, Carmesi was on stand-by making sure that Petrol's people didn't fuck up the entire time; but him stepping in now means that the cover of people thinking he's dead is gone.
So Nero wants AJ on the team as well, because she's good for Zirconia and is also an absolute unit and would make a great figurehead.
And now we've waited for this meeting long enough, Qrow and Nero face to face for the first time.
It's honestly interesting to figure out how Nero thinks of Qrow and the lengths he thinks Qrow would go to, he basically sees him as some sort of boogeyman in a lot of ways, but at the same time considering how many secrets were kept from the people of Remnant it's understandable.
Just let that sink in, Qrow told the man with most of the cities' criminals in his pocket that there might be a threat against him.
"I've heard how those have been something of a thorn in the side of Hunters for a year or two now" gotta brag about the quality of your work, even if the person your bragging to doesn't get it.
This is also the first time Nero has heard directly how his enemies see and understand his actions, seeing that Zirconia doesn't get to sit in on meetings and was unsuccessful in bugging Coco's office.
So here we have Qrow finally getting to make the offer that he's been wanting to make to Nero for a while and bring him into the fold so that his assets and resources can be used….Only for it to blow up spectacularly in his face.
It might have been tactically sound for Nero to be the man on the inside and take the offer but it wouldn't fit his characterisation….Also the rant and screaming was something I've been waiting to get to; we've heard Nero's academic and philosophical reasons for what he's doing, now we get to the real meat of it.
That prosthetic alone tells a story.
And now Nero can move forward with his plans because the McGuffin Aefen needed has been secured, so the Cyber-Grimm initiative is going to be back underway; also I decided to throw in some explanation of why the mech-suits Nero uses have a pilot inside them and aren't operated remotely; that one Rowan used wasn't actually one of his.
Quick recap of what happened after the bridge fight, largely what was expected and enough inferences to imply that this is happening at roughly the same time as Qrow's meeting; also the reaction of those Hunters to the police….Kinda gives Nero some weight doesn't it?
Just some fun descriptive writing because honestly Halo's design is just fun to think about.
And now Tiger trying to be a bad-ass team leader….And not quite getting it.
Tiger explaining it from the outside perspective really kinda drives home that Team MARZ would look a little shady if it wasn't for their connections to some reputable people.
Followed by Astra explaining most of it, but still leaving out the sentient Grimm part because right now nobody outside of Nero's group knows that Gestalt-Prime is still alive either, although Qrow's group aren't gonna be in the dark forever.
"Regalia lucked out partnering with you, she must be having the time of her life" I may have looked directly into the camera like a character in the Office.
And now we have Team TRQS getting officially involved; because Team MARZ can't be the only ones looking for Petrol and the other villains.

Thank you to OrcPaladinArthur for their review on the last chapter.
Welcome back, the reviews have been missed but I hope school is going well for you.
Tiger is a fun character to write, to the point where I feel like she might be overshadowing Stygian a little bit; which is something I'll have to rectify because Stitch is needed for some fun stuff later on in the story.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.