The Energy of Aura

by Phoenix4Lord

An exploration into the life of Pericles Polendina: A reincarnated soul who believes in Ironwood's dogma and hopes to be a guiding light for a better Remnant. He plans to do this, all while protecting his retired Huntress mother, genius father, robot sister, and everyone else that just barely tolerates him. Welcome to The Energy of-*Crash* "Dammit Tortuga! What did you break?"

3. Prologue: Chapter 3: Watts and Ironwood

AN: Alright, fair warning, this chapter is going to be a lot faster paced than the last two as we race towards the start of the show.

Also, I updated some of the mistakes in prior chapters and changed Leonidas' sister Chloe, to be his brother Eros instead.

...

Alright, I have to confess, this story got away from me after chapter 1. I had intended for Tortuga to only be a minor character that acted as a friend and confidant to Pericles, but I started to really love writing about her, and now we're here, and she's just barely not the deuteragonist (Secondary-Protagonist).

...

A couple of things that I feel are important context to be understood:

-I do not have a degree in Biomedical engineering, nor any form of engineering for that matter. As such, all of the 'science' in this story will be purely fiction based and will have many inaccuracies.

-Also, a lot of young people are going to appear throughout the story, holding positions and titles of people that we would associate with a more experienced individual.

I have chosen this because based on three reasons.

1. Remnant has a significantly smaller population compared to Earth, being only in the millions in total. As such upward mobility would have less competition.

2. Alongside this is the fact that smaller militaries wouldn't need as many intermediary ranks as modern militaries have, in order to organize large forces. As such, the proverbial 'ladder' to climb is much shorter.

3. Finally, Remnant is depicted as a world that is still coming out of the Industrial Revolution in some areas, and as such the age of both adulthood and working would be seen as much lower. Along the same vein, due to the threat of Grimm, people would in general die younger and children would have to step into adulthood sooner for it.

...

Questions for readers:

-Would y'all prefer more exposition on my version of the world of Remnant (I'll do my best to not make them info dumps), or more focus on smaller events that occur between time jumps?

-Also I'm curious, what are y'all's theories on Pericles' parentage? I'd love to hear them in the reviews.

(There is a very small and subtle hint to his parentage in this chapter. I don't know if anyone will get it, but I'm interested in seeing none the less).

...

Review Responses:

Cyan-Snake: I'm sorry that you feel that way. I understand that you are annoyed about him being forced onto the soldiers schedule, and that deliberately was supposed to be unreasonable. Even the other soldiers thought that the idea was absurd.

Pericles froze up, mostly because he had been put into the body of a child, he was surrounded by many people that seemed dangerous and hostile, and because he is in a foreign place.

Pericles stands up to his father, because by that point he's learned not only to act with discipline and respect to others, but also to recognize when others aren't treating you with respect, and to stand up to it.

I hope that you will give my story another chance, but if not, there are plenty of other authors out there who I am sure you will enjoy, and I wish you the best of luck in finding a story that suits your tastes.

merendinoemiliano: Thank you! I was trying really hard in that chapter to make the character's feel 3-dimensional. As I have noticed in my previous works that I have a tendency to make all the characters act somewhat machine-like in manner if I don't have them think directly in the story, and let the readers see their thought process.

Shaydee87: I'm glad to hear that my story was able to convey the idea on Atlas military discipline well. I personally have no direct connection to any form of Executive force, and as such am only able to work with what I know from context clues.

CriticaofRandomness: This chapter along with the next one, takes a deep dive into that situation. Watts is personally my favorite character from the whole show, purely on the standpoint that his motives for why he is involved feel fun and exciting, the way that he roasted the ever-living Fuck out of Cinder, and his suave style. As such, I plan to explore him a bit more as this story progresses.

...

Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" is owned by the French.

---

~Previously (Prologue: Chapter 2: The Tortoise and Achilles)~

She interrupted him, "I believe you."

Those three words would stick with him for the rest of his life, because he knew she meant it.

...

The old scientist nodded, "I wouldn't every dream of it."

Father and son embraced, and both cried as night blanketed the Kingdom of Atlas.

---

Prologue: Chapter 3: Wattson Moriarty: A Study in Tin-Men (Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet)

~73 A.W. (Present Day), 15 years-old, and 9 years before the Red Trailer~

Father and son left for work together the following day.

Making his way to sick-bay, Pericles once more passed by Lab 3B, where the same guard from yesterday was already posted outside the door.

"Staff Researcher." The woman saluted same as yesterday as Pericles approached the lab.

"Private." Pericles returned the greeting as he walked over. "I have clearance from the Chief Researcher to join the team carrying out the investigation on the incident." As he spoke, Pericles handed over a document that he had gotten his father to sign the other night.

While Pericles had forgiven Pietro, he was still a little uncomfortable to go directly into working under his father after their fight. So Pericles convinced Pietro in order to put him on the team performing the investigation into the incident.

The Private briefly read over the document before handing it back to Pericles and stepping out of the way.

Walking past the guard and through the lab doors, Pericles took in his surroundings. Papers and equipment were strewn across the table and floor, it looked like a fight had broken out.

A few other researchers were already present, disposing of hazardous debris and cataloging information.

Across the ceiling, walls, floor, and other large objects, scorch marks could be seen in bloom-like patterns, indicative of some form of energy based or explosive attack. However, explosives were ruled out as it would have made a noise far too loud to not have been heard elsewhere in the facility far before the witness had arrived.

Based on the information in the report he had received, one of the researchers in lab 3A had heard sound of tearing metal followed by the sound a series of minor percussive blasts and then he had heard the fire alarm go off as he had raced toward the other lab.

Being across the campus of the Research and Development district of the Atlas Military base, Pericles along with many other researchers, only found out about the incident far after it had ended.

According to testimony that Watts had given to the previous researcher in charge of the case, he had been dismantling the Paladin when it went rogue, attacked him, and ripped a whole in the wall of the lab, before finally being put down by Arthur shooting a hole in its battery pack causing it to ignite and the robot to shut down.

The Paladin itself was laid on its side, the battery pack on it, scorched to the Grimm-lands and back. Meanwhile, behind it stood a hole in the lab wall, leading out into the open air. The hole itself was concave outward suggesting it had been pushed open internally... Or pulled open from the outside.

After getting approval from Lead Researcher Gail, who was leading the investigation, Pericles left to speak to Arthur.

...

"Arthur?" Pericles called out.

Arthur Watts turned in his hospital bed at the noise. The top left side of his face was covered in bandages, and to Pericles' amusement, the man's mustache appeared to be missing.

"Pericles, I must say that I am surprised to see you here. I would have thought that your father would still have you locked up in the lab, away from bad influences such as myself." Arthur remarked dryly.

Pericles laughed, "I'm glad to see that your sense of humor is intact, along with the rest of you. As for my presence here, beyond the fact that I wanted to check on you, I am actually here on my father's orders. I convinced my father that other than you, there was no one who knew the Paladin better than me, and I would therefore be a useful asset for investigating the Paladin incident."

"I... See." Arthur answered hesitantly.

"Great!" Pericles walked over to the door of Watts' hospital room and locked it. Walking back over to Watts, he pulled over a chair and sat at the bedside before speaking, "So, what actually happened?"

Arthur flinched at the question, "As I stated in my testimony on the incident yesterday, the Paladi-

"Yeah, yeah, we both know that's a load of crap Arthur." Pericles cut the man off.

Arthur looked worried, but continued anyway, "I don't understand why that is so hard for you to grasp, but the Paladin activated on its own while I was disassembling it."

"Except besides the parts that are damaged, the Paladin itself is wholly complete, not disassembled at all." Pericles challenged.

"Well, I had started with the battery, which caused the incident in the first place. I would have thought that you were smart enough to realize that its safer to disable a machines power source before you dismantle the rest of it." Arthur tried to turn the conversation on to Pericles.

"That would make sense... If it wasn't for the fact that the battery was dead." The young researcher informed.

"How are you certain that the battery was dead?" Arthur asked with suspicion.

"Because I didn't charge it after the tests the day before yesterday, and in the eight months that we've worked on the project, you've never charged the battery once." Pericles answered truthfully.

Arthur was clearly sweating now, and Pericles could see he was frantically searching his mind for an explanation.

"So Arthur, I'll ask again. What happened?"

The older man looked fretful, "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Pericles challenged.

Resolve burned in Watt's eyes, "Look, Pericles, its best if you stay out of this alright? If you want to report this as an intentional incident that I caused, do so, but after that, stay out of this, okay?"

'Damn!' Pericles swore in his head. He had a feeling that he already knew part of what happened, but he had hoped Watts would start talking, allowing him an excuse to know about the situation.

The young man began to rack his brain for a possible solution, and it eventually came to him, he felt a little bad about how he was about to manipulate his mentor but justified it by knowing that he was going to help the man in the process.

"I'm not my father, you know? You can trust me." Pericles said, acting morose.

Watts sighed, "Pericles, it's not a matter of trust, but a one of caution."

"Caution against what?" Pericles reiterated.

Arthur looked like he was about to speak, but stopped himself, "Look, I will give all the details to the General, but this is not something for you to get involved in."

Pericles was about to try once more when a terrifying thought rose up in the back of his head. The young man stood suddenly with frightened eyes.

"Pericles? What-what are you doing, what's wrong?" Arthur asked, disturbed by the young man's erratic behavior.

"The lab's security system." Pericles explained.

Every lab had a security system installed in order to prevent break-ins, but also specifically for investigating incidents like this. Said security system, included a 24/7 camera feed of the lab.

Arthur's face rapidly paled, "Have they not checked the footage yet?"

"If they had, then they would know that you lied. They probably forgot about it like we did, but it's only a matter of time before they remember." Pericles warned.

Arthur looked heavily conflicted, before a look a tired acquiescence crossed his face, "I don't want you involved in this, but if the other researchers that are part of the probe for this occurrence see it, then all of them will get caught up in it too. I need you to get me my laptop from the lab, I'm not asking you to help me cover this up. I promise that I will tell the General everything, but no one else needs to know."

"Arthur, you're one of the smartest men I know, but that doesn't mean that you can't ask for help sometimes." Pericles advised.

Arthur's voice caught in his throat, "I... I'll think about it, but right now you need to get that laptop before everyone in Atlas knows about this."

Pericles nodded and quickly darted out of the room and back across the large campus of the Research and Development portion of the Atlasien base. Entering lab 3B once more, after a quick salute to the guard, Pericles looked for Arthur's laptop.

He found it in the arms of Lead Researcher Gail.

"Fuck." Pericles cursed under his breath.

He took a breath and walked over to the senior researcher.

"Ah, Pericles, you're back." She said kindly as he walked over.

While researchers were unlike the rest of the military in that they rarely every saluted another researcher, unless for a formal occasion. They still usually referred to each other as Dr. followed by their last name. People that knew one another well and considered themselves friends, might go on a first name basis, but otherwise it wasn't common.

Pericles certainly didn't see himself as friends with Diana Gail, but he knew that she was just trying to act friendly so that she could get into his good books and therefore get into his father's pants.

However, he could use that to his advantage.

"Yes Diana, I had an enlightening conversation with Arthur and came back to grab something before him and I returned to it." Pericles spoke with sickly sweetness.

"Oh Pericles, you know you can just call me Deedee, Diana is so formal." She responded, talking to him like he was eight.

'Bitch! I'm only half your age, meanwhile my father is twice yours.' Is what Pericles wanted to say, but he held his tongue.

"Of course... Deedee," He wanted to vomit, "I hope you don't mind, but I need to borrow that laptop so that Arthur and I can return to our discussion."

"That's fine, let me just download the surveillance footage from the lab onto a flash drive and you can take it to him." Diana responded as she pulled a flash drive out of her pocket.

"Why don't I do that for you?" Pericles offered, "I'll take it to Arthur and download the recording while I'm at it."

"Nonsense, it will only take a moment, dear." The Lead Researcher dissuaded as she plugged in the flash drive.

"Are you sure? I would really prefer to do it myself. I want to impress my father with this assignment." Pericles lied while he gritted his teeth.

"Now, now, dear, your father is a wonderful man. I'm certain he will not be expecting you to be doing all the work in this investigation." She gently chided with a fake laugh.

Pericles began to stumble over his words as he tried to find a solution, however a saving grace soon arrived.

"Ah Pericles, just the researcher I was looking for, and you have the laptop I requested as well, quite the stroke of luck." A voice behind them interrupted.

Turning, the two researchers were both met with the approaching General as he amicably smiled toward them.

""General Ironwood." The whole room turned and saluted at his arrival.

The General gave a salute in return and then raised his hands placatingly, "At ease, all. Please don't let me disturb your work, I'm just here to borrow one of your follow scholars."

Ironwood turned away from the crowd and faced Pericles and Gail. "My apologies for disturbing your investigation Lead Researcher, but I hope you don't mind me stealing Pericles and that computer from you, for the day."

"Oh, not at all General." Gail answered neutrally, and slowly proffered the object over to him.

"Come along, nephew, we have a busy day." Ironwood guided as he placed a hand on Pericles back and led him out of the room.

Once they were a good distance from the lab, Pericles heard Ironwood mumble a curse, "Dammit."

Pericles nervously looked over to the man, "Uncle, what's wrong?"

His uncle gave a despondent sigh, "What have you gotten yourself into nephew?"

Pericles wisely chose not to answer.

Soon, the two arrived in Arthur's hospital room, where the man himself waited.

"General, Pericles." Arthur inclined his head in greeting to the both of them.

Pericles gave the injured man a look, and Arthur answered the unasked question, "I became worried when you were taking a while to return. So I contacted the General and informed him of what had transpired, so that he could prevent a possible leak in security."

"By contacted, he means that he hacked into the comm system in my office." Ironwood corrected.

"I hardly count something as trivial as that as hacking." Watts said wryly.

Ironwood gave the man a hard glare, "Watts, you've broken several protocols, and forced me to cut short a meeting that with the Council. One that I had called in the first place. Whatever this is, it better be important."

"It is." Watts confirmed, and reached out for the laptop, which Ironwood eventually handed over. "Two days ago, after I had received the news that Chief Researcher Polendina had cut funding for Project Paladin without even consulting me on the decision beforehand, by getting a majority decision through Lead Researcher Gail, I was... Disgruntled."

Pericles had to restrain himself from snorting at Watt's words.

The man continued, "Apparently, someone was waiting for this opportunity. A woman contacted me, offering a new job and purpose, one where I would be better recognized for my efforts. Her name was Salem."

A hard look came across Ironwood's face, and the man's eyes darted over to Pericles.

"She wanted me to fake my death, and work for her. I admit that I was persuaded." Arthur continued.

A look of intense indecision played across Watt's features, before resolve set in, and he lied, "Something was holding me back though, so I consulted Pericles, and he opened my eyes to the truth that I was being manipulated. I knew that the only way to get back at her for her trickery was to manipulate her in return. The rest, is in the video."

Arthur turned the laptop around and hit play.

[The video showed Arthur standing alone in the lab, waiting for something, or rather, someone.

Soon, the sound of tearing metal and concrete could be heard as one of the walls was ripped out.

A woman in a black robe floated in through the opening.

"Arthur, it's time." She instructed.

The Arthur on the screen steeled his resolve, "My lady, I do not think that is wise."

"What was that?" Her voice was steel, honed by thousands of years of rule.

"You see, I don't believe that the plan we have se-*Crash*

Arthur stopped talking and dodged to the side as an orb of magic was launched at him. However, Salem continued her assault and launched more as Arthur scrambled for cover. Soon, the lab was covered in the scorch marks of the witch's magic.

Eventually, a stream of magic flew forward and wrapped around Arthur's throat, lifting him off of the ground and towards the Grimm queen.

"You dare back out on your servitude to a Goddess? You will pay dearly for this." The immortal woman claimed as she raised her right hand, holding a ball of magic, and aimed it at Arthur's skull.

The man struggled and grasped at the restraint on his throat. "Of course not, my lady. I merely believe I am of more use to you, when I am within Ironwood's confidence."

That seemed to work, as the magic around his neck lessened in intensity.

"Hmm." Salem hummed in thought. "An interesting opportunity, one I trust you can make use of."

"Y-yes, my lady." Arthur's voice hitched as the pressure momentarily increased.

"Good, however, I'd like to prevent any future surprise decisions, so hold still, would you?" Salem instructed cruelly, as she began to bring the violent arcane mass towards Arthur's face.]

Arthur paused the recording just before it made contact, the bandaged side of his face flinching at the image on the screen.

Ironwood once more peered over at Pericles. This time giving a despondent sigh as he softly mumbled, "I never wanted children to have a part in this."

He spoke once more, this time louder, and with authority, "Neither of you will speak of this with anyone, this information is classified to the highest level, not even the Council may hear about this."

He turned to Arthur, "Dr. Watts, you will meet with me as soon as you are discharged from here."

Then he turned to Pericles, "Dr. Polendina, you will inform Lead Researcher Gail that the investigation is concluded, and that Dr. Watts' testimony was found to be entirely truthful. The cause of the malfunction was a cyber-attack of untraceable origins, but the security breach that facilitated the attack has been patched."

Finally, he faced the door and began walking out of the room, "I have some calls to make."

...

Pericles had done as the General ordered, and after finishing up for the day, he now found himself here.

*Ding!* *Dong.*

Pericles heard footsteps trudge to the door, and a few moments later, it was thrown open.

"Oh, my Dust! You look like a dork!" Pericles exclaimed with mirth.

"W-what?" Tortuga sputtered out as her usual pale freckled skin, started turning pink.

"You never told me that you wore such dorky glasses." Pericles explained, cackling with laughter.

Tortuga Thatch stood in the doorway of her apartment, wearing sweatpants and a sweater, her hair done up in a loose bun, and thick rimmed, navy blue, circle glasses, framing her face.

Her eyes widened and she quickly brought her hand up to take them off, "Dammit, I didn't know you were coming."

Pericles continued laughing, as Tortuga felt her face continue to heat up.

"Ugh! If you only came here to laugh at me, then I might as well leave you there." As Tortuga said this, she began shutting the door on him.

"Wait! Wait! It's important, can I come in?" Pericles was still smiling but had at least stopped laughing.

"Fine." Tortuga pouted and stepped aside.

Pericles walked in, and Tortuga closed the door behind him. She had told him where her apartment was months ago, but this was the first time he had actually stepped foot in it.

While it may not have been the fanciest place in Atlas, it certainly was a nice apartment.

It was a thousand square feet and shared the floor with only one other apartment. As he walked around, Pericles caught sight of at least two bedrooms, a full bath, a modest sitting room, and most of all, a comprehensive kitchen.

Knowing Tortuga, he had a feeling it got quite a bit of use.

Taking out a small rectangular metal box from his coat pocket, Pericles set it on the counter and opened it.

Taking out his Scroll from his other pocket, he placed it in the lead box, followed by Tortuga's Scroll, and then closed it.

Pericles had created a simple security measure soon after he had started telling Tortuga about his past life and his knowledge of the show. Working for the military and specifically under Watts, meant he knew that there were in fact systems on the CCTS network, which scanned for security leaks and terrorist threats.

After all, Watts designed most of those systems in the first place.

Turning away from the box, Pericles whistled in appreciation as he admired the apartment, "Cool place, I didn't realize Navy Captains were paid so well."

"I have my ways." Tortuga answered with mysterious airs.

"Special-Operative, ring any bells then?" Pericles asked knowingly.

He watched as Tortuga's eyes widened in shock, before she regained her composure. "Of course you know about that." She said, somewhat bitterly, "I kind of enjoyed for once knowing something that you didn't."

"It's going to be tough finding something like that. Unless it's like... sports related, in which case you're guaranteed to know more than me. Well that, and history." Pericles admitted.

"History, really?" Tortuga asked in genuine surprise as she sat down on the couch, motioning for Pericles to do the same.

"Yeah, I mean, I've always loved it, but while the rules of science, math, and English-sorry, Vytalian- are the same on Remnant as they were on Earth. The history here is widely different from my world. I mean sure, there are some parallels, with Atlas mirroring Eastern Europe, Vale Western Europe, Vacuo as The Americas and Africa, Mistral is... Um is there something on my face?" Pericles trailed off, confused at Tortuga's intense stare.

"No," She answered mischievously, "I just enjoy listening to you talk about things you're fascinated with."

Pericles felt his face heat up. "I-uhm..." He stuttered, before finally settling in a response, "Thanks."

Tortuga gave a short bark of laughter, before she rubbed the top of his head affectionately, "Your welcome... Dork."

Pericles groaned at the title she gave him, "Anyways, I came over here for an important reason: As I predicted, Salem went and met with Watts, however it seems that this time he has chosen to act as a double agent for our side, instead."

"That's great that your plan worked!" Tortuga congratulated.

"I wouldn't really call it much of a plan, more of a spur of the moment idea, after I was put under Watts for apprenticeship. Either way, I now have an in with James for why I know about Salem." Pericles informed.

"Well, what's the next step then?" The Faunus inquired as she lazily got up and started perusing through her kitchen for something to eat.

"I have not a fucking clue." The Human admitted as he watched Tortuga scour her cabinets.

"Aha!" Tortuga exclaimed as she triumphantly lifted a Styrofoam container out of her fridge. "Truffle fries." She explained, as she threw the leftovers in the microwave and turned it on.

"Exciting." Pericles dryly remarked with a smile.

"Well if you're gonna be sarcastic about it, then you can't have any." Tortuga threatened as she put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, alright. All praise the glory of the truffle fries." Pericles worshipped dramatically.

"That's better." Tortuga smirked as she pulled them out of the microwave, walked over, and sat back down on the couch.

They sat and ate in comfortable silence, but something about Tortuga's expression had caught Pericles' eyes.

"Alright, what is it?" Pericles finally asked.

"What is, what?" Tortuga deflected.

"Tortuga, you and I both know that we know each other too well to get away with lying. So, what is it, what's on your mind?" Pericles inquired once more.

She hesitated, but eventually spoke, "Pericles... can you tell me about what I was like. Y'know, in the show?"

The young man was certainly surprised by the request, Tortuga had never broached the topic of the show, only listening when he talked about it. "Oh, um, you've never asked before, what brought this on?"

Tortuga sighed, "It's just that, whenever you talk about the show, you never mention me. I get that I'm probably some side character, but I still want to know if I did anything important, if I was liked, or even hated."

Pericles was nervous, "Tortuga, that doesn't matter. You shouldn't worry about the person you were in the show."

"But I want to know, please." Tortuga begged desperately.

Pericles made the mistake of hesitating, and Tortuga thought the worst.

"Oh Dust! I'm not even a character at all, am I? I'm just some nobody, that never even talks to one of the characters." Tortuga guessed heartbroken.

"No! No, Tortuga you're not. If you had met the cast, you would have been a fan favorite, everyone would have loved you." Pericles dissuaded as he hugged her.

"Then why not, why wasn't I there?" The friend asked as she huddled in his embrace.

"Because," Pericles drew the word out slowly, "you couldn't. You didn't meet the cast because it wasn't possible."

"Why?" Tortuga asked once more.

Pericles let out a hollow breath as he gave her, her answer, "You were dead."

Tortuga stiffened against him, but said nothing, so he kept talking, "The show never said how you died, or even when. All I know is that sometime between the point where you joined the Special Operative program, and the cast arriving in Atlas... You didn't make it."

"Oh." Tortuga finally spoke, "Tha-I, uhm. I'm scared."

Pericles grabbed a napkin off the table in front of him and wiped Tortuga's eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want you to worry. It's going to be okay though. My project is coming along great, and soon you'll have an extra tool in your arsenal to stay safe, okay?"

Tortuga nodded, but asked a question after, "Wait, is that why you've been working so frantically on that project?"

"Yeah," Pericles admitted. "I'm racing against the clock, but I can't even see the timer. I'm just as terrified as you, cause I have no idea when it happened in the show, let alone how. All I can do, is do my best to prepare."

"Thanks." Tortuga mumbled softly into his shoulder.

"Of course." Pericles answered simply.

Tortuga shifted so that she could speak again, "So, I wasn't in the show at all?"

"Not exactly," Pericles explained, "One of your..." he hesitated on the word to use, "teammates mentions you at one point."

"Who?" She inquired further.

"Harriet." Pericles informs, "You know how I told you that everyone was based on a fairytale? Well yours and hers was 'The Tortoise and the Hare'."

"I'm a turtle Faunus." Tortuga complained.

"I know." Pericles soothed as he rubbed her back.

Once more, the room settled into silence, and once more, Tortuga broke it, "Can you tell me it?"

And so he did.

...

It was the following day, and Pericles was currently making his way through the command center of the base.

A journey that should have taken ten minutes, from entering the door, to his destination, instead took twenty. This was because of the large number of high-ranking officials that he had to stop to salute as he made his way through the halls.

However eventually, his goal was in sight. After hitting the button for the intercom to the side of the large doors and identifying himself, Pericles waited until he heard the buzzer, before pushing them open.

Entering Ironwoods office, Pericles caught sight of Ironwood and someone on the other end of a video-call.

"General Ironwood, Sir." Pericles saluted as the doors shut behind him.

"Staff Researcher Polendina," Ironwood returned the salute, "please meet a friend of mine and an ally against Salem, Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy."

At Ironwoods signal, Pericles walked around the large desk so that he was facing the monitor.

"I must say, it is quite the honor to meet 'The Prodigy of The North', I am grateful to have such an asset on our side for the coming conflict." Ozpin complimented.

"Thank you, sir. It is an honor to meet you as well. Though I must admit that I am ignorant of most of the details on who exactly we're fighting against." Pericles responded in kind.

"Yes, I am curious, as Remnant's expert on Aura, what would you have to say about our enemies' semblance?" The immortal asked.

'He's trying to figure out how much I know.' Pericles realized, 'Alright then, let's try a little push for info.'

Pericles thought for a moment before responding, "I wouldn't be able to say anything."

Ozpin rose an eyebrow, "Truly?"

"Of course, as you said, I'm an expert with Aura and Semblances. However that, wasn't either." Pericles answered.

"And what would make you say that?" Ozpin probed.

Pericles turned to Ironwood, "Can you bring up the video, Sir?"

The General nodded and after a few keystrokes, the surveillance footage was displayed on the screen next to Ozpin's video feed.

Scrubbing through the video until he reached the point where Salem sent a tendril of magic to choke Watts, Pericles explained, "Beyond the fact that not even the best Aura manipulators in the world can project their Aura more than a few inches beyond their body, the way that it moves through the air is not conducive of natural Aura movement. Unlike Aura, it acts like it has mass, and appears to be weighed down the further away from the host's body that it travels, and even seems to sway with the air currents of the room."

"Why couldn't it be a Semblance? I can count a number of my students that have Semblances that can project far beyond their body." Ozpin pried further.

"Because of the way Watt's Aura reacts to it." Pericles informed as he pointed to the video once more. "Even with Semblances that involve an effect that is decentralized from the user, there is still trace amounts of Aura present. When Aura comes close or into contact with a person who has an unlocked Aura, then the Aura subconsciously flares up in response. Even I struggle to suppress my Aura when I can feel someone else's. Yet, Watt's Aura doesn't flare until after the tendril begins to choke him and stops flaring when it weakens its hold on him. It only reacts due to the damage her ability causes, not the Aura in it, because there is none."

As Pericles finished, he was surprised by a chuckle from Ironwood, "I told you he was observant Ozpin."

"Yes, I see that, that was no exaggeration." The man answered as he steepled his hands together on his desk.

"Well Dr, Polendina, I must say that I am impressed. You are correct in that what she used was not Aura. I hope you don't mind the small test, but I was curious if you would figure it out." Ozpin admitted.

"Thank you and I don't mind at all, as I recognize that understanding the aptitude of your allies is important. However I must ask, since it seems as though you already know the answer, what was that actually then?" Pericles questioned.

Ozpin returned it in kind, "To answer that, I'd need to ask you a question first. What's your favorite fairytale?"

"Eh, I prefer fables actually. Ever heard of 'The Three Little Pigs'?" Pericles answered, barely suppressing a grin.

That seemed to throw Ozpin off his game temporarily, and Pericles was pretty sure he could hear Ironwood snickering behind his hand.

"I am unaware of such a tale. Though I'm sure that you have heard the tale of 'The Four Maidens'." Ozpin tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"Nope." Pericles answered popping the 'p' in the word.

That one really seemed to give the man pause. "No?" He asked, incredulously.

"Yep." Pericles once more popped the 'p' in the word.

"Uh, well... I suppose I could tell you it." Ozpin clearly wasn't expecting the conversation to go this way. Though based on Ironwood's continued laughter, this is exactly what he hoped would happen.

"That's alright, I'm not interested in fairytales." Pericles declined the offer.

That finally seemed to break the man, "You-you're not interested? That's not... I... You need to understand..."

At this point Ironwood gave up all pretenses of hiding his amusement and began to laugh heartily at Ozpin's disgruntlement.

Ozpin's eyes narrowed as he turned to and accused the General, "You set him up to this, didn't you James?"

Ironwood slowly contained his laughter and answered, "No, I just knew that if anyone would be able to put you on the back-foot, it would be someone just like you."

"I see." The reincarnator answered noncommittally. He turned back to Pericles, "So you really don't know the tale of 'The Four Maidens'?"

"I've heard parts of it mentioned, but I've never actually read it, Yeah." Pericles answered.

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard to rectify." He wizard said tiredly to himself.

Ozpin took a few moments to regain his composure and posture before beginning once more, "To put it briefly: There once was an old man who had secluded himself from the world. Then, he was visited by four sisters over the course of the year, named Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Winter taught him to meditate and reflect on the past, Spring brought flora and took care of his garden, Summer brought him back out into the world to embrace nature, and Fall helped him be thankful for what he already had. The man thanked them for their kindness by gifting them with great power, so that they may extend their generosity and the seasons of the year, across all of Remnant."

"Hmm." Pericles hummed in acknowledgement.

"Now, what would you say, if I told you that it was true?" Ozpin leaned forward slightly on his desk, awaiting the researcher's answer.

"Okay." Pericles answered simply.

"You believe me, just like that?" The headmaster was in disbelief by the enigma that was Ironwood's nephew.

"Well, yeah. I mean, most fairy tales are derived from real events, just with embellished details. If I had to guess, this sounds like a syncretic tale of a creation myth for the seasons, along with a historical account of a man with a Semblance that allowed him to either gift power to others or boost the power they already had. Some of the details are no doubt muddled through the sands of time, but the key events seem roughly untouched." Pericles explained.

That actually brought a smile to Ozpin's face, "Yes, exactly. I'm glad that someone else realizes that fairy tales can hold important insights into our history. I can see now what you meant when you said that he reminded you of me, James."

The General nodded at that, and a look passed between the two adults. It took Pericles a second to realize what the two men were thinking about.

'Oh shit! They think I'm Ozpin's next reincarnation.' Pericles concluded, 'Wait, could I be the next one? Would I even be in the system that determines where his soul goes? Is there a system for it? Is the God of Light just manually doing it himself each time? Cause that sounds really tedious.'

"Either way, as I said, the story is true. There were four girls bestowed with power beyond Dust and Aura, they were granted magic." Ozpin explained.

Pericles merely silently nodded along at the man's words.

Ozpin questioned his silence, "You're not about to tell me you just automatically believe that magic is real as well, are you?"

"Eh, yes and no." Pericles answered, "Most of the things that we are capable of doing today would be seen as magic even fifty years ago. So the idea that there was some technology or secret of the workings of the world that we lost to time, is not that improbable. I mean, stuff like that has happened before. Back when the Qrutaph Dynasty of Mistral collapsed, the world forgot how to make Dust Steel for hundreds of years and it eventually fell into the pages of myths and legends before samples of it were discovered in old weaponry. So what's to say that something similar couldn't happen again-or rather, have already happened? Besides, it would explain the powers that Salem exhibited against Arthur."

"I must say Dr. Polendina, you are just full of surprises." Ozpin complimented. "However, we should continue. The maidens were granted magic, but an issue arose over time. When the Four Maidens inevitably succumbed to their age and passed on, the magic did not return to the old man, but rather found new hosts. Through study, our group has determined that the line of succession is based on who the wielder was thinking of in their final moments. Unless it was man, in which case it appears to select a host randomly. I'm sure that it isn't hard for you to imagine that such powers may incite unsavory individuals to abuse them for their own gains, and Salem is one of them."

"She plans to take the powers for herself?" Pericles inquired.

"Not exactly," The ancient man admitted, "For reasons we don't yet know for certain, it seems that Salem herself is unable to actually play host to the magic of the Four Maiden's powers. Instead, she attempts to gain hold of them through proxies. Sending minions to slaughter the ones we have under our protection, and in the process, making their killer the last person in their thoughts."

"Alright then, that's quite a bit of information, but I believe I follow. So you, Ironwood, and I'm assuming others, work together to safe-guard the Four Maidens. Therefore, I'm guessing that this talk is your efforts towards bringing me into the fold, is that correct?" Pericles asked steadily.

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Ozpin answered, clearly accustomed to using flattery to build up loyalty in his allies.

"In that case, I guess all that I can do is ask this: What does that exactly involve?" The Staff Researcher queried as he awaited the man's answer.

Ironwood jumped back into the conversation "At the moment, nothing. All we can do is wait for Watt's to feed us information from the enemy. Other than training and continuing your research, the only thing left is to be patient."

"Alright then." Pericles accepted, "If I do somehow come across information relating to our enemy, what would be the protocol for such an occurrence?"

"Meet with me as soon as it is safe to do so." His uncle instructed, "And if for some reason I am unavailable or incapacitated, then relay that data to Ozpin."

As the General finished speaking, Pericles felt his Scroll vibrate in his coat pocket. Pulling it out, he found a notification displaying the contact information of one, Ozpin Grove.

"Understood, Sir." Pericles agreed dutifully, as he returned his Scroll to its pocket.

"Well Dr. Polendina, it has been a pleasure meeting with you, and I hope we can talk more in the future." Ozpin said kindly.

"The same to you, Sir." Pericles recognized the dismissal for what it was, and after snapping off a salute to Ironwood, began to exit the room.

"Polendina," A voice called from behind him, and Pericles turned to it, "I will only be a moment, please wait outside my office."

Pericles gave a respectful nod and then continued his March from the room.

As the heavy doors settled behind him, Pericles let out a sigh of relief as he leaned his body against the wall near the doorway.

It was only a few moments after he had started waiting by the doorway, when a sound interrupted his thoughts.

*Click Clack* *Click Clack*Click Clack*

Pericles recognized them as the sound of an officer's shoes echoing across the tiled floors of the compound. As they got louder, Pericles stood up straighter into a more proper stance, anticipating the arrival of the noise's owner.

What he didn't anticipate, was who.

Emerging from a bend in the hall, Army Major Winter Schnee, marched purposefully toward Ironwood's office.

For all of Pericles' time in the Atlesian military, he had only seen Winter once or twice, and had definitely never talked with her. He was curious how this would go.

Once she was about ten paces away, he entered a salute, "Major Schnee, Sir."

Her gazed flittered over his uniform before she returned the salute, "Staff Researcher Polendina. Would you care to inform me as to the reason for your presence outside of the General's office?"

"Of course, Sir. After my meeting with the General concluded, he requested that I await his presence, upon him finishing up certain other matters." Pericles answered respectfully.

"And what might be the nature of the meeting that you had with the General?" Winter asked.

"Classified." Pericles answered simply.

Winter nodded understandingly at that, and then pressed the buzzer near the door, "Army Major Winter Schnee, reporting, Sir."

A seconds later a low *Bzzt* emerged from the device, and Winter gave him a brief nod before entering the General's office.

...

After ten minutes had passed, Pericles decided to take a seat at the bench near the office.

After thirty minutes had passed, Pericles took out his Scroll and began scrolling the internet, until he got a text.

It was from Watts.

[Pericles, I need a favor from you. Meet me outside of Lab 3B.]

'Well that's not ominous at all.' Pericles thought sarcastically.

Pericles was debating whether or not to head over to the lab, when the doors to Ironwood's office finally opened.

Winter came out looking slightly perplexed, while Ironwood appeared disappointed about something.

The man soon schooled his features and turned to Pericles, "Apologies for the wait, Polendina. Things ran a bit longer than I anticipated."

"It's no issue, Sir." Pericles dissuaded his worries.

"Good, now do you still have a few moments to speak, then?" James inquired as he walked over.

"I should, though Senior Researcher Watts has requested my presence at Lab 3B." Pericles readily informed.

"That's of no issue, we can walk and talk." The General stated.

Then he turned to Winter, "Thank you for participating in this interrogation exercise Major Schnee, you've given Headmaster Ozpin and I a lot of information to analyze. Dismissed." Ironwood gave her a salute which she quickly returned, before the man began walking off in the direction of the Research and Development Center.

Pericles followed behind the man but was able to catch the somewhat bitter and jealous look that came across Winter's features.

'Oh, Fuck Me!' Pericles mentally groaned. 'This is going to be an issue down the line, isn't it?' He asked the universe rhetorically.

"You are probably curious as to what I was talking to Major Schnee about, are you not?" Ironwood's question interrupted Pericles' thoughts.

"Yeah." Pericles answered simply.

Ironwood looked over at Pericles as they walked, seemingly awaiting more.

"You're not going to ask?" The man pressed.

"Nah." The young man answered as the pair rounded a corner through the hallway.

"Usually you wouldn't be able to restrain yourself from asking me questions during our walk and talks. Even if you know that it would most likely be classified information." Ironwood commented as he raised a brow.

"True." Pericles agreed as they passed a pair of soldiers who saluted them.

"You're trying to get something, and you want to impress me with restraint." Ironwood stated with confidence.

Pericles sighed, "Am I that easy to read?"

Ironwood good-naturedly ruffled the wavy black locks of hair sat upon Pericles head. "What are you trying to get?"

Pericles hesitated before answering, "Well, I wanted to see about the reinitialization of Atlas' space program-

"No." Ironwood instantly denied.

"Worth a shot." Pericles defended.

"Beyond the fact that the department budget is already strained, that many have tried before you, and that you are not a Senior Researcher, and therefore can't head a project. Let alone one of this scale, which would require a Lead Researcher." Ironwood listed. " You don't even have a degree in aerospace engineering."

"Okay, fair point. But... hypothetically speaking, if I were to become a Lead Researcher and get a degree in aerospace engineering...?" Pericles pressed.

Ironwood rolled his eyes, "Then I'll consider it. Though you'll still have to convince your father to approve the project as anything other than a fool-hardy errand."

"I'll take it." Pericles said happily.

"You do realize that your mother is going to blame me if you start going for another degree, right?" Ironwood warned.

"Yep, have fun with that uncle." Pericles cheerily answered as he waved the man goodbye and entered Lab 3B.

"Good, you're here." A voice to his left spoke.

Turning, Pericles was met with a still recovering Arthur packing his belongings.

"Arthur, I'm glad to see you well, so soon after the incident." Pericles said honestly.

Arthur snorted, "Sadly the sentiment is not shared. Now that I am mostly recovered, she is expecting me to meet with her in the Grimmlands."

"Well if the favor you wanted was for me to come with you, I think there will be several people that have issues with that." Pericles with humor.

"No, I wouldn't want to babysit you. Instead, I need you to babysit someone else." Arthur explained.

Pericles was taken aback by that, "Babysit? Did you adopt a kid, because there is not a chance in The Brothers' Dust-ridden Remnant, that a woman let you into her bed."

Arthur looked up from his briefcase to glare at Pericles. "Very funny." He remarked dryly. "No, I owe my brother a favor and he has cashed it in for me to give my nephew a tour of the labs. I already have Ironwood's permission to do so for the areas that are open to civilians, but I will not be here to do it myself."

"When and for how long are we talking?" Pericles asked for clarification.

"Tomorrow, and for a few hours, half a day at most. Apparently, the little snot has been hounding his father to see them, and my brother wants to get it over with so that he doesn't have to deal with it anymore."

"Wow, father of the year." Pericles remarked sarcastically.

"Believe me, he's a sorry excuse of a person all around." Watts claimed.

"Alright, I can do it." Pericles agreed.

"I am... grateful." Arthur thanked him.

...

"What the Fuck, Arthur?!" Pericles whisper shouted into his Scroll.

It was the following day, and after applying for some courses in aerospace engineering online the previous day, Pericles stood outside of the civilian entrance to the research center.

His eyes trailed across the sky as they followed the rapidly descending luxury Bullhead.

The Schnee emblem was emblazoned on the side of it.

"I presume that you may have an inkling as to my brother's identity." Arthur Watts answered coolly over the Scroll.

"Why didn't you say that your brother was Jacques Schnee?" Pericles harshly queried.

"I prefer not to be associated with that buffoon of a man. It's why I changed my last name as well." Arthur explained.

"Watts, is pretty on the nose for a systems engineer, don't you think?" Pericles sarcastically remarked.

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to keep it as Géle. I need no ties to him outside of absolute necessity." Arthur claimed.

"What favor did he even do for you?" Pericles interrogated.

The line was silent for a moment, then Arthur responded, "Paid off my student loans."

Pericles couldn't actually fault the man there, "That... That actually makes sense."

"Believe me, if there was another option, I would have taken it." Arthur said sincerely.

Upon landing, the gangway to the Bullhead extended, and two individuals stepped out.

"Jacques has a better mustache than you." Pericles quickly stated, reminding Watts of his scorched off facial hair, and then hung up on him.

Jacques Schnee confidently walked down, sniffing disdainfully at the military base around him, and looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but there.

Behind him trailed a small child with a mixture of fear and excitement lighting his eyes.

"Whitley! Keep up." Jacques harshly ordered his son, who quickly increased his pace, to catch up to his father.

Jacques made his way over to Pericles as military officials traversing the compound stopped and looked at the odd sight of Jacques Schnee at a military base.

"You must be the one my brother nominated." It wasn't a question.

Pericles answered it anyways, as he offered his hand to shake, "Yes, It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Schnee, I am Staff Researcher Dr. Pericles Polendina, I will do my-

"Pericles Polendina, you say?" Jacques Schnee interrupted.

"Yes, Sir." Pericles confirmed diplomatically.

"Hmm, I heard about you a few years back, but the General always blocked my advances to learn more." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card that he placed in Pericles' open hand. "Give me a call when you realize that the General is stifling your talent. The SDC can always use skilled scientists."

Before Pericles could even respond, the man pulled out a wad of Lien, "My foolish son has gotten it in his head that he wants to pursue a career in science. When he should clearly be preparing in case an emergency heir is needed. Do us all a favor and educate him on how imbecilic these ideas of his are."

Jacques Schnee, formally Géle, then turned on his heels and began walking back to the airship. Speaking to his son as he did so, "Remember Whitley you are representing the Schnee name while you are here. Do not, disappoint me. Klein will be here to pick you up in six hours."

And with that the doorway closed and soon after the airship lifted off leaving behind a very nervous six-year-old.

Looking down at his hand, Pericles found it filled with a business card containing Jacques number, and a stack of Lien cards worth 1,000Lien.

'Just roll with the punches.' Pericles advised himself.

Making his way over to the kid Pericles knelt down until he was on Whitley's level, and held out his hand, "Hello there, I'm Pericles. What's your name?"

"Uhm, I'm Whitley Schnee. Second in line to the Schnee D-Dust Company." He nervously answered as he fidgeted his hands.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Whitley. Your uncle tells me that you want to be a scientist someday, is that right?" Pericles stood up as he spoke.

"Yes, Sir. I want to study Dust." Whitley answered, his mood improving at the change of topic.

"Really now, you must be very smart then." Pericles concluded sagely.

That brought a smile to Whitley's face.

...

"While it may be somewhat uncomfortable for some, it truly is in the people's best interests that the SDC have mining rights on the gravesites of Huntsmen. We have the technology to properly excavate the Dust deposits formed at the site without disturbing the remains. Leaving the Dust there is only creating a risk of an accident." Whitley explained to Pericles, completely unfazed by the morbid topic. They had gotten to talking soon after Whitley had arrived and had only stopped briefly to eat before continuing.

"True, but what about the mourners? How would they visit their loved ones?" Pericles inquired as he wrote on a piece of paper.

Over the course of the past few hours Pericles had learned that Whitley was quite the bright young man. Especially when it came to opportunity and Dust. He may not have been on Pericles' level at that age, but he didn't exactly have the advantage of being reincarnated either.

"Graveyards can be designed with hollow areas underground. All the SDC would need would be one day a month to extract the Dust crystals that have grown from the di-diff-diffu." Whitley got caught on a word.

"Diffusing." Pericles helped.

"Diffusing." Whitley nodded, "To extract the Dust created by the diffusing Aura from the late Huntsmen."

"Hmm, an interesting thought, but one that we will have to discuss at another time. It's already been several hours, and your butler will be picking you up soon." Pericles informed.

Whitley looked sad, "But my dad won't let me come back. He didn't even want me to come here in the first place."

"True," Pericles agreed, "but I believe that this should remedy that." He slid a paper over to Whitley.

"What is it?" The boy asked as he stared down at Pericles' messy scrawl.

"It's what you are going to say to your father when you next see him." Pericles instructed.

Whitley read the note.

Dr. Polendina has informed me that if I were to join the Research and Development division of the Atlesian Military and were to show significant enough aptitude to advance in rank. I would eventually become privy to knowledge of higher clearance levels, including the production process of Hard-Light Dust.

Whitley looked up with widened eyes, "Wait, are you allowed to tell me this? Won't you get in trouble?"

"Trouble for what?" Pericles asked with faux-ignorance. "I'll I'm doing is informing a potential candidate for the research department that if they were to join, they would eventually gain clearance to information on previous projects completed by the department."

"But no one knows how to make Hard-Light Dust. My dad has been angry about it for years. It's the one Dust that the SDC can't sell. Do you even know how?" Whitley asked in disbelief.

"Know how? Whitley I was part of the project that made it in the first place. If you work here, then you could be part of the team that's dedicated to making it for the other projects." Pericles explained.

"Would the General really just let me tell my dad how to make Hard-Light Dust?" Whitley asked unsure.

"Ha! Not a chance." Pericles laughed, "No he wouldn't, but your dad would claim that his researchers figured it out themselves to avoid the fallout."

Once more Whitley is confused, "But why tell me this then?"

'Because hopefully by that point I will have convinced you to give your father the proverbial middle-finger and possibly the literal one as well.' Is what Pericles wanted to say.

Instead he said, "Because you're a very smart kid-a good one too-and I think it would be a real shame if you never got to study Dust like you want to. Besides, maybe you won't want to tell your father in then end." Pericles suggested.

"Oh." Whitley answered hollowly as he slowly stood from the chair opposite of Pericles' own.

"Something wrong?" Pericles couldn't help but ask.

"You said I'm a good kid." Whitley explained, sounding confused by the praise.

'Jesus H Fuck, Jacques! What the in the Hell have you done to this kid?!' Pericles wondered, disturbed at Whitley's behavior.

"Yeah, of course you are Whitley. Weren't you just telling me how you wanted to make Huntsmen graveyards safer?" Pericles assured the kid as he stood up and began guiding Whitley out of the room.

"I guess... Do you really mean that though?" Whitley inquired. The kid looked lost and desperate.

"Of course. I also meant what I said about you being smart. When you become an Assistant Researcher here, I'll take you in as my apprentice." Pericles promised the youth.

"When?" Whitley asked.

"When." Pericles confirmed, "I have no doubt in my mind that you could be a Lead Researcher here someday. You'll easily be accepted as an Associate Researcher."

Whitley smiled so bright that one would think Christmas came early.

Except Remnant didn't have Christmas. But the point still stood.

"By the way have you memorized the note yet?" Pericles questioned.

Whitley nodded mutely and offered it to Pericles, who promptly tore it apart, threw it in his mouth, and swallowed

Whitley gaped at him.

Pericles gave a Cheshire grin, "Shh, it's our little secret."

Whitley dissolved into a fit of giggles.

...

"Why do I feel like I'm not going to like the next words out of your mouth?" General Ironwood asked tiredly.

Pericles had quite literally sprinted over to Ironwoods office and had thankfully caught the man as he began to leave for the day.

"Well, cause I did something that may rear its head later on." Pericles admitted somewhat nervously.

Ironwood massaged the bridge of his nose, "Pericles Figaro Polendina." He said sternly. "What did you do?"

"Okay, so you know how Watts asked me to babysit his nephew? Well turns out his brother is Jacques Schnee and therefore his nephew is Whitley Schnee. And Whitley wants to be a scientist, but Jacques is against that. The kid though is good, I'm talking genius level intelligence, Sir. He could be a valuable asset for us." Pericles rambled.

"Pericles, get to the point." The General ordered.

"Okay, so Jacques would never let Whitley back here, let alone study anything but a business degree, right?" Pericles lead.

Ironwood nodded hesitantly.

"So, I decided to trick him. I told Whitley to remind Jacques that the Research and Development division is responsible for the creation of Hard-Light Dust, and that a researcher of high enough rank could gain access to aforementioned classified information." Pericles elaborated.

Noticing the General was about to say something, Pericles quickly continued, "So! I have a plan. Now if Jacques let's Whitley come work for us, then there's two ways this can go. Option A is that Whitley hopefully learns some discipline while here and realizes that he doesn't want to help his father, which means we've effectively crippled Jacques of one of his heirs. Option B on the other hand, if Whitley still chooses to support his father and tell him how Hard-Light Dust is made, is that Jacques can't do anything, due to Hard-Light Dust requiring Aura to make. The man may be an idiot, but even he would realize that he couldn't escape punishment for breaking the law on unapproved Aura extraction."

Ironwood seemed to mull it over in his head for a bit. Then he spoke, "Technically you haven't done anything wrong and have only encouraged a bright youth to one day join the military. And if you are calling someone smart, then they must be a real prodigy."

Pericles was relieved at that.

"However, I would prefer if you ran something like this by me first in the future." The General lightly reprimanded.

"Sir, yes, Sir." Pericles readily agreed with a salute.

The General snorted at that, "Honestly, I kind of hope the kid tells Jacques, and that the man is dumber than we give him credit for. I would love nothing more than to arrest the man."

"There's a long line for that position General." Pericles commented.

"That there is, Nephew. That there is." Ironwood nodded.

---

~74 A.W. (Present Day), 16 years-old, and 8 years before the Red Trailer~

"Ta-Da!" Pericles happily exclaimed with a showman's flare, as he swiftly pulled the velvet cloth off of the table.

"Uh... Pericles, what is it?" Tortuga asked, perplexed at the object.

Sitting on the table in the Atlas training room, was an amulet that consisted of one third of Pericles' overall project.

"Yes, I am curious as well to know what you've been using all that Hard-Light Dust you requested for." The General asked,

Pietro chose to remain silent as his son walked over and picked up the device.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have called the three of you here today to introduce to you the next great advancement in the defense of our brave soldiers. It is the Orbital-Haven-Inducing Operator, or Ohio for short." Pericles informed as he placed the device around his neck.

Tortuga snorted at the name of the device, but quickly played it off as a cough when Pietro and Ironwood turned at the noise.

"The device is designed for two purposes, the first of which I will need a volunteer to demonstrate." Pericles explained as he stepped away from the table.

Tortuga happily ran over, excited to help her friend out with his project.

"Great, now Tortuga, take this for me, would you?" Pericles asked as he handed his friend a gun that fired rubber bullets.

Tortuga awkwardly took the weapon into her hands as Pericles stepped away from her and held out his right arm.

"Now, I want you to aim a few inches off from my arm and fire. Close enough for me to think its going to hit me, but not so close that you might actually do so." Pericles instructed.

Tortuga seemed a little nervous at the prospect but did as instructed.

*Bang*

The bullet stopped midair a few inches before Pericles; blocked by a semi-translucent hexagonal barrier only a few inches across. Shortly afterwards, the barrier fizzled out and Pericles stood in the training room unharmed.

"Alright, as you all can see," Pericles reached into his pocket, pulled out his Scroll, and then turned it to them, "my Aura is currently depleted after training earlier today. However, I am still fine due to the amulet. The device is based around using a large central Hard-Light Dust crystal that acts as a power-source for the several hundred tiny crystal fragments that serve as foci for the creation of each hexagonal panel that you all just saw. The device itself activates as a result of two conditions being met: The device detecting that the user's Aura is depleted and the user's instinctual attempt to activate their Aura at the sight of a threat. It is intended to work as a last-resort emergency measure to keep a soldier safe until help can arrive."

Ironwood was fascinated by it, "How were you able to get the device to project to areas that are blocked by the solid matter of your body? There had been efforts to create something similar to this, but all ventures had shown that it would require several projection centers for the shield, which would often be far too heavy and end up with gaps in the barrier."

"Ah, that did cause me problems for a bit, until I considered using the other barrier plates as guiding pieces. That would pull the other hexagon projections into place as they moved as well. Sadly, that would defeat one of the major advantages that I wanted with this design, which would be that only small sections activated as a result to a threat, conserving its 'battery-life' so to speak, as much as possible. So, it was back to the drawing board." Pericles slowly began to pace back and forth as he explained. Getting into the rhythm of his oration of his thought process.

"Then, I realized that I was thinking about this all wrong. I was trying to find a solution as an engineer, but I should have thought about it as what I was truly: An Auralogist. I knew that our Aura automatically knows where to project onto our bodies to defend from an attack, even if we can't specifically see that part of ourselves. So, I connected myself to the device in a way that would allow it to directly interact with the intent of my Aura, even when it was broken. Meaning that I needed to bond it with my Auric Base." He continued, his feet falling in a periodic pattern on the neon floors.

"The Auric Base is the dormant part of our Souls that acts almost like both a natural battery and generator for our Aura. Whenever we use Aura, we draw it out from the Auric Base within us, and everyone's Auric Base has a unique signature, hence why everyone's Aura is unique. The Auric Base is why fighting a person with a greater Aura capacity is exponentially more difficult than one would think. Not only do they have more Aura than you, but they also recover it faster, as its all based on the size of their Auric Base." Pericles lectured as he moved back over to the table.

"After making sure that I was in a secure place, and that safety measures were in place if something went wrong; I used the Aura extraction device from Project Penny, while my Aura was already broken. It was difficult, and a little weird feeling, but I was successfully able to extract half of a percentage point of my Auric Base, and..." Pericles paused and rested his hands on the table, he looked burdened. Like he was subject to some terrifying and equally beautiful truth.

"It didn't just work... it worked. I had thought that I now might be able to subconsciously activate the device as it was tied to my own Soul, but it does far beyond that. Its conscious, alive, and I can, communicate with it. I fell while wearing it once, and the device activated to soften the impact, it now passively recharges itself, albeit very slowly, and it was more than three times as efficient as I estimated. I'll admit that I've recognized that it seems to have some slight psychological effects, as I have found myself having a strong emotional attachment to the device, and I feel... Incomplete when not around it." Pericles disclosed.

Tortuga marched over and grabbed his shoulders, "Pericles! You ripped your Soul apart? What were you thinking?"

"And illegally extracted Aura without the permission of a Councilor." Ironwood spoke sternly, sounding disappointed.

Pericles sighed guiltily, "I'm sorry. However, if you all will let me continue, you'll see that it is nowhere near as bad as you think it is."

Tortuga glared at him, but finally stepped back.

"As I was saying, I extracted my Aura using the device I was provided with for work on the Penny project, which is exactly what I used it for." Pericles explained, "I realized that all of my tests to imbue Penny with a Soul would fail, no matter what system of Hard-Light Dust we used, because we were using Projected Aura, which is only an echo at the least, a semblance of one at most. So, I theorized extracting my Auric base to provide her with a true Soul would work better. I decided to kill two birds with one stone, as one might say, by testing it on my project, with the permission of the Chief Researcher."

All eyes turned to Pietro who looked guilty as well, and Ironwood and Tortuga realized that the man had made no objection to what Pericles had done. For he already knew about it.

"My father gave me permission to experiment with my Auric Base for the project, and as such it was done with permission of the Council as this project has already received permission from the Council. There were also several professionals on standby in case things went South, but in the end, it worked, and after a little bit more experimentation, I've found that it is completely reversible." As Pericles said this, Ironwood seemed mollified and nodded his head along, recognizing the logic and merits of the decision. Tortuga still seemed pretty mad about it though.

"You do realize that this project is no longer your own, correct? This is now a small part of the greater P.E.N.N.Y. project." Ironwood declared.

"Of course, my father said so himself before he agreed to the experiment." Pericles confirmed.

"Then I'll I can say is congratulations, researcher. It seems that you have completed your goal and then some." Ironwood praised, "While I am hesitant to incorporate this technology into our forces until more tests and improvements can be made, along with determinations on cost and how widespread its use can be, I am overall hopeful for what it can provide towards the project, and Atlas as a whole."

Tortuga stayed silent.

"Well, that was actually the main reason I requested that Tortuga be given permission to be here and clearance to hear small parts about Penny. After I perform a few more tests and refinements on the device. I was hoping that it could be put through some field tests with your permission, the tester being Tortuga." Pericles explained.

Ironwood brought his hand to his chin as he thought aloud, "It could prove to be a useful aid, and the sooner that we can get it in use, the sooner it can start saving lives..." He turned to Tortuga, "Captain Thatch, you would be the test subject for this, what do you think?"

Tortuga finally turned away from glaring at Pericles and looked to the General, "I think it's got the potential to do a lot of good, but I'll need to think on it."

Ironwood smiled uneasily, "Great, well while you consider it. Pericles, why don't you show us the other function of the device."

"Sure, as I was saying. The device also functions as a battery system for any other augments that the User is wearing. Said augments are still heavily in the testing phase, but I can demonstrate one of them if we head over to the outdoor firing range." Pericles picked up his weapon and then loaded an odd looking round into the M110-A1 rifle.

As he turned back around to face his audience, however, Tortuga was nowhere to be found.

Ironwood came over and rested a hand on his shoulder, "How about you show us the rest of it another time, alright nephew?"

Pericles nodded vacantly and left the training room, his destination in mind.

...

Pericles waited patiently at the doorway to Tortuga's apartment.

Slowly, it opened a crack, and Tortuga could be seen peering through the doorway.

"What do you want?" Her voice was clipped.

"To talk." Pericles spoke non-confrontationally.

"Do you know why I'm mad?" Tortuga questioned.

"I have a pretty good idea." Pericles answered.

Tortuga huffed and opened the door fully.

Pericles slowly walked in, and eventually was faced with a stern, cross-armed, Tortuga, "For the supposed smartest man in the world, you do some really stupid shit sometimes."

"Not without good reason." Pericles defended.

"What reason could possibly be worth you risking your life in such a flagrant manner? You could have died!" Tortuga yelled.

Pericles let the room be silent for a few moments, before he quietly spoke, "It would have been worth it."

Tortuga went to protest, "No it woul-

"Yes, it would." Pericles' voice was low, but hardened, "If it had a chance of keeping you safe, then it would have been worth it."

Tortuga had nothing to say to that.

"Tortuga, you're mad at me for risking my life, and possibly leaving you behind. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about the experiment beforehand, but I'm not sorry that I did the experiment." Pericles said honestly as he felt emotions bubble within him. "You felt today the fear of the possibility of me being gone... I feel that same thing about you: Every. Single. Day. Because I know that something happens Tortuga." His voice broke as he said her name, "I know something happens, and I can't fathom what I'm going to do with myself if I find out that I could have prevented it. If I could have saved you."

The fire left Tortuga's eyes as she slowly walked back over to her friend.

Pericles felt his legs go week and he slouched to the floor, "Tortuga... hate me all that you want, scorn me, never speak to me again... But please, I beg of you, just use the device, please keep yourself safe."

Tortuga knelt down to her friend, and slowly wrapped her arms around him, "I could never hate you... I'm sorry I yelled at you... D-do you really worry about me being gone that often?"

Pericles nodded, "I wake up every morning, wondering if today is the day that my world falls apart."

Tortuga slowly leaned away and grabbed a napkin off of the counter. Then, gently, she began to dab the tears from Pericles' eyes.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you. I get why you did it now: For the same reason that I was hurt today, neither of us want to imagine a world without the other." Tortuga apologized.

"So, will you use the amulet?" Pericles asked.

"Yeah, I'd much rather be here to spend time with you, than just knowing that you're safe." Tortuga agreed.

"Y'know, if I had a therapist, they would probably say that our relationship is an unhealthy codependency, but I think I'm just fine with that." Pericles admitted.

Tortuga laughed, "I still can't get over what you named it."

Pericles giggled as well, "I had a feeling that you'd find O.H.I.O funny."

---

~75 A.W. (Present Day), 17 years-old, and 7 years before the Red Trailer~

"For he's a Jolly-Good Fellow~"

Noise permeated the Polendina household.

"Which nobody can deny! Hey!"

The song finished and Pericles leaned forward to blow out his candles.

A rousing cheer echoed out as the flames were extinguished.

To Pericles right and left sat his parents, both happily smiling at him.

To the right of his father sat James Ironwood who had for once forgone his military attire and was dressed in a lavender button up shirt and jeans.

Across the small round table a slightly uncomfortable looking Whitley Schnee sat in a chair facing him. The boy had been very surprised to have been invited to a birthday party, but seemed happy to be there overall.

Though it did take the boy a bit to get used to how few people were at the 'party'. As he was most likely used to the balls and galas of the Schnee manor.

Behind Pericles stood a smirking but uncharacteristically nervous looking Tortuga.

Tortuga for her part had been surprisingly reserved and civil when she had met Whitley the year prior.

Whitley on the other hand seemed more afraid of the Faunus than disgusted by her. It had taken a bit of time and careful exposure, but the eight-year-old would now only tense up slightly when a Faunus appeared, and usually not at all for Tortuga.

That's not to say that the boy was friends with her of course. He only talked to her when it was necessary and otherwise seemed to ignore her presence, but progress was progress.

Pericles had received a gift from each of them and was quite surprised at the results.

Whitley had gotten him a restored antique pocket watch, which Pericles had a feeling was way beyond the appropriate price range of gifts.

His parents had gotten Pericles new clothes, as all parents did.

Ironwood had gifted him a custom pistol modeled after the man's own weapon, which Pericles was very excited to try out.

Watts, who had declined to attend had still sent him something in the mail the day prior. Being a card that gave him a 10% discount on medium purchases of Dust from the SDC.

The man had apparently weaseled the card from his brother in exchange for putting in a good word for Whitley with the General.

Finally, was Tortuga's gift to him.

She had insisted that he open here's last and Pericles had acquiesced to the request.

Pericles had unwrapped the box to pull out a snow-globe, of unique contents.

The snow-globe contained gold glitter instead of white particles, looking like stars against the black base of the object.

hovering within the liquid and between the glittering stats, floated a planet.

Earth.

There were inaccuracies and most cartographers would have been appalled, but Pericles recognized it.

He loved it.

Everyone else had been confused about the object and Pericles had lied that it was a world based off of a book series he had read.

Pericles had hugged his friend and whispered a soft, "Thank you." Into her ear before stepping away.

The group ate and slowly the night wound down. People began to leave and soon only Pericles and Tortuga remained, as his parents went to sleep.

Still wide awake, Pericles offered to walk Tortuga to the Bullhead docks.

...

"So, I finally found out why you kept asking about Earth's geography." Pericles mentioned. For the past month Tortuga had been asking him to draw various pictures of Earth and its various features.

"Yeah, I hope it's not too incorrect." Tortuga said nervously as she rubbed her arm.

"Well... you forgot New Zealand, but most people on Earth forget to include New Zealand as well. So that's par for the course."

"Par for the course?" Tortuga repeated back confused.

"Oh, right. There's no golf on Remnant. It's a sport term, meaning that something is common or average." Pericles explained, but he could tell Tortuga was only half-listening.

"Alright, ask it." Pericles ordered.

"Huh?" Tortuga turned over to him confused.

"You have that look on your face. It's the same one you get when you want to ask a question about Earth, but are too nervous to say anything." Pericles told her.

"Not necessarily about Earth, per say." Tortuga gave an anxious giggle.

Pericles slowed his step before stopping and raising an eyebrow at her.

Tortuga slowed as well and soon faced him. Taking a big breath, she spoke, "When you were back in your first life... d-did you ever, date?"

"Oh, um, yeah I guess." Pericles answered, thrown off by the question, "Once, but it was only for a year, why?"

"Pericles, we're friends, right? And nothing would change that, right?" Tortuga was practically begging for the answer to be yes.

Pericles panicked, "Oh Fuck! Are you dying? I knew it, I should have prepared for it being a disease. Don't worry, whatever it is, we can find a cure. I'll talk to the General we can-

"Pericles!" Tortuga shouted, breaking him out of his startled rant.

He turned to her as she set her hands on his shoulders. Her height advantage had shrunk over the years, but she was still a good three inches taller.

"Pericles, I'm not dying." Tortuga gently informed.

"Are you sure?" Pericles questioned.

Tortuga laughed, "Yes Pericles, I'm sure."

"Then, why do you ask? Of course we're friends" Pericles felt very lost at the moment.

Tortuga clutched her arm tighter to her chest and turned away, "I... look, I know there's an age difference, and some people might say it's improper, but I want to try... us."

"Us?" Pericles was still confused.

"I want to date, I want us to date, I want to date you!" Tortuga's nervousness seemed to finally snap as she stated the naked truth and faced him.

Pericles had never felt his face become so hot. He felt himself freeze in place as his mind ran a million miles-per-hour.

Tortuga saw him freeze and misinterpreted it. She began to walk away as she spoke, "Never mind, forget I said anything. It was a stupid idea."

Pericles snapped out of his reverie, and reached out to grab her hand, "Wait! Are you sure? Even with the age difference, you want to?"

Tortuga slowly turned back to him, she looked to be on the verge of tears, "Yeah, I may be three years older than you, but I care about you all the same."

"Tortuga, I care about you too, but I'm not talking about you being three years older than me. I'm talking about the fact that I'm thirty-seven and you're twenty." Pericles explained as he held her hand.

Tortuga looked guilty, "Pericles, I'm so sorry. I never should have joked with you like that. You're seventeen, not anything else."

Pericles stepped back, hurt, "You don't believe me?"

Tortuga quickly backpedaled, "No, I do, I really do believe you. But just because you lived for a long time, doesn't mean you ever got to grow up. You were reborn as an infant at twenty-years-old and had to do it all over again. You never got to experience what it was like to be thirty, and barely even twenty for that matter."

"I... I never thought of it that way." Pericles admitted.

Tortuga slowly walked over and hugged him, "I'm sorry that I made you think I didn't believe you. I've always believed you, and I want to be the one that believes you in the future."

"I trust you. I was so frightened that someone would find out one day, and everything would collapse around me. But you know the truth, and you're still here." Pericles admitted as he buried his head in the crook of her neck

"I'll always be here." Tortuga promised.

"Then, I want that too. I want to be with you, Tortuga." Pericles declared As he pulled her tighter against himself.

They happily stayed in their embrace for what felt like centuries. Each of them just basking in the comfort of being with the other.

"I have no idea what to do from here." Pericles admitted embarrassedly.

Tortuga giggled into his hair, "Neither do I."

"I guess we should go on dates from now on." Pericles mentioned.

"We already do that." She softly reminded. "We go to bars and restaurants to eat and talk, hang out at each other's places."

"Trips then?" Pericles offered.

"Where to?" Tortuga asked as she ran a hand through his hair.

"We've always talked about visiting Pyrrha in Mistral." Pericles thought aloud as he nuzzled into her embrace.

"We just started dating and your already thinking of other women?" Tortuga teased.

Pericles laughed softly against her, "Well, I've always had a thing for girls with exotic hair color."

---

~75 A.W. (2 Months Later), 17 years-old, and 7 years before the Red Trailer~

Slowly, Pericles crept through the alleyway. His target was in sight.

His fellow agent was in the alleyway opposite his own. He took out his scroll and briefly flashed a light towards the other side of the road to signal them.

They moved at once.

He reached the target first. Quickly he threw his hands under her armpits and lifted her off the ground.

Pyrrha let out a squeal of surprise as her feet suddenly found no purchase on the sidewalk, and instead she found herself sat on Pericles shoulders.

"Hi Pyrrha!" Pericles joyfully exclaimed.

"Pericles?!" Pyrrha shouted in shock.

"Pass." Tortuga called out, and Pericles quickly lifted Pyrrha off his shoulders and tossed her the few feet over to Tortuga.

Pyrrha let out a small yelp as she felt herself go weightless once more.

Catching her, Tortuga turned the small girl around until they were facing each other. "Hey Pyrrha, how's it hanging?"

A breathless Pyrrha took a few seconds to answer, "Tortuga?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Tortuga joked.

Pericles groaned, "I never should have taught you that line."

Pyrrha finally began to giggle at their antics.

"How have you been Pyrrha?" Pericles asked the girl as Tortuga finally set her down.

Pyrrha smiled, "Good! Aunt Pysche unlocked my Aura and has been teaching me how to use it. I even unlocked my Semblance!"

Pericles' eyes widened at that, "Really, so fast? Can you show us it?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Mhm, one sec." She turned and focused on a small waste bin sitting on the side of the road. Soon, the bin began to levitate off of the ground a few feet before it was set back upon the sidewalk.

Tortuga smiled and patted the girl's back, "Well done, Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha's grin was brighter than the Vacuoan Sun, "Thanks! Come on, I'll have to let my Uncle know that you're here." She began to walk off through the streets, motioning for them to follow her.

Slowly, Pericles and Tortuga began to follow behind the girl.

"Something is bothering you." Tortuga idly commented. Softly enough that Pyrrha couldn't hear her.

"It's stupid." Pericles dissuaded.

"Doesn't mean that I don't care enough to want to hear it anyways." Tortuga countered.

Pericles sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The black locks had grown longer and had started to swoop down across his head until they tapped at his shoulders. He spoke quietly, not wanting Pyrrha to hear him, "It's just that... Pyrrha has only had her Aura unlocked for a few years at most. Meanwhile, I've had more Aura unlocked for nine years, and am supposed to be the lead expert on Aura in the entire world. Yet, out of the two of us, only one of us has their Semblance... and its not me."

Pericles felt Tortuga's hand come to rest upon his shoulder, then she spoke, "That's not stupid at all. I get it, you feel like you must be doing something wrong, if someone who has been doing something for a shorter amount of time, has already done things that you haven't. It's how I felt when you were teaching me about Aura, and I bet that it's how many researchers feel back in Atlas. Someone as young as you, who is already so smart and is revolutionizing the field."

Pericles felt significantly better hearing that, "Still, doesn't feel the best."

Tortuga nodded understandingly at that, "That's okay. I think that you are going to unlock your Semblance soon, though. Call it a gut-feeling. In the meantime however, maybe a few kisses will help soothe your bruised ego."

Pericles laughed at that, "I don't know, but we can certainly try it."

The pair were so distracted by their flirting, that they ended up accidentally bumping into someone.

"Oh, sorry kid. I didn't see you there." Tortuga apologized as she offered a hand to pull the boy up off of the ground.

"It's okay. My sisters say that I'm a klutz anyways." The kid answered as he accepted the hand and after standing up once more, started to brush off the bit of dust that had gotten on him.

Pericles' mind was too focused to even hear what his girlfriend and the kid were saying. His eyes were trained up the boy's bright golden hair, and opaque blue eyes.

The boy's eyes widened as he seemed to remember something, "Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My mom would kill me if she knew I had such bad manners. The name is Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, and the ladies love it."

Pericles would soon regret to find out that Tortuga's prediction was accurate.

---

AN: Hey, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and even if you didn't, I would love to hear what y'all think in the reviews.

Reminder of Questions for readers:

-Would y'all prefer more exposition on my version of the world of Remnant (I'll do my best to not make them info dumps), or more focus on smaller events that occur between time jumps?

-Also I'm curious, what are y'all's theories on Pericles' parentage? I'd love to hear them in the reviews.

(There is a very small and subtle hint to his parentage in this chapter. I don't know if anyone will get it, but I'm interested in seeing none the less).

...

I doubt I'm going to get another chapter out before the holidays so... Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, and good tidings for every other holiday you might be celebrating!

I'll see you all in the New Year!