The house that General Ironwood had procured for the duo was more than adequate for Vader's needs. Three bedrooms, two baths, and a sturdy set of foundation and walls to fend off the occasional Grimm attack. It even had a basement and a large barn, both of which Vader was going to be making extensive modifications to. He had already begun clearing out the barn, or rather, Trivia was using the Force to clear out the barn. It was a perfect excuse to exercise her strength within the Force. That particular bit of work had started nearly three days ago, and Vader was mildly impressed with Trivia's progress. Of course, there were things that even she couldn't lift, such as the large, useless tractor and some of the farming equipment within, but Vader dealt with that himself. At the current moment though, he was standing in the kitchen, cooking an odd-looking pasta and meat sauce the natives called 'spaghetti.' While the foods here were… rather simple and unfamiliar to the Sith Lord, he found cooking almost as relaxing as working on machines. As he placed the lid back on the cooking pasta, his 'scroll' began to ring. He picked it up, inspecting the curious little device for a moment before answering it, "General Vader speaking."
"Oh, Mr. Vader! I was hoping you would pick up. I was looking at the schematics you had given me for your weapons, and I had a few questions." A soft, female voice spoke up on the other end of the line. It was Argentea Smith, a local weaponsmith in the nearby settlement who had been highly recommended by the locals. She had agreed to make some training weapons for Vader and Trivia, if he fixed some of her equipment.
"Miss Smith… I suppose I can answer some questions." Vader reluctantly nodded, sitting down at the kitchen table.
"Perfect! So, um… Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. What exactly is powering this… 'light blade?'"
"Saber…"
"Right, saber." The sound of something in the background made Vader realize she was actively taking notes on the schematics. The woman spoke again soon after. "The Light Saber doesn't seem to have a single Dust cell powering it. I see something here called a 'power cell', but I have no idea what that is."
Vader mentally cursed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. He had forgotten that this backwater planet hadn't even discovered nuclear fission yet, much less fusion. "My apologies, madam. It seems that in my haste to replace my own weapons after fleeing Vacuo, I had forgotten that Atlas was unaware of alternative energy sources. The power cell within a Light Saber utilizes diatium, which is a rather interesting and difficult to produce isotopic polyatomic molecule of lithium carbonate."
Silence. And then, "Um… Mr. Vader, do you think you could maybe show me how to make that? As well as… well… most of the things in this schematic?"
Vader had to take a moment to reign in his temper, something he found that he was having to do more and more and on this world. It was probably a good thing that the natives had replaced his cybernetic components for ones that weren't designed to torture him. Keeping a cool head was easier when your body didn't feel like it was being raked over the lava beds of Mustafar at all times. Before he could continue any further into his musings, he was pulled out of it by Argentea trying to get his attention on the other end. He sighed softly, nodding in reluctance, "I suppose I can come by and assist you with some of the more technical aspects of manufacturing this weapon. In the meantime, do you think it would be at all possible to create a similar weapon using your dust techniques?"
"A telescopic cylinder of flame dust suspended within a matrix of electrical and gravity dust should do the trick, if I'm reading these schematics right… Given the size of it, compared to the amount of tech I'll have to use, I should have it done by the end of the week."
"Excellent. See that it is done, and I will have to find a way to pay you back for the extra set of weapons. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to cooking." Vader ended the call before Argentea had time to really get going. He had no idea how the woman could nearly be the same age as him, and yet have so much energy! He sighed, checking the pasta again before sending out a mind call to Trivia, calling her back inside for dinner. Shortly after, a rather tired and dirty, but happy-looking girl ran into the house at full speed. Trivia immediately slid to a halt as Vader gave her a single, admonishing look, his blue eyes seeming to look right through her. She ducked her head with a small, sheepish smile.
No running in the house. I remember…
Vader nodded curtly, beginning to dish out a plate for Trivia, "It has been a while since I last cooked, though I believe that this recipe should suffice." After dishing a plate for himself, Vader sat down at the table. He looked down at the dish, which was… refreshingly simple when compared the extravagant feasts his Master enjoyed hosting. It honestly reminded him of the meals that he had with Obi-Wan… or his own mother… He knew it was unbecoming of a Sith to be reminiscing like this, but in his defense, it had been over three weeks since he had landed on this quiet little rock, and while he hadn't grown complacent per se... Three weeks without constant pain and torment… nearly a full, standard month without needing to contact Sidious, fight a war, or interrogate prisoners. It was rather refreshing. Stang, he had actually slept in for once this morning! He hadn't slept in an actual bed since… since Mustafar. Before darkness could fully creep into his mind and thoughts of rage could interrupt his good mood, Trivia pinged his mind several times to try and get his attention. He blinked rapidly, jumping a bit and turning to look at her.
Mister Vader, are you okay? You've been staring at your plate for nearly ten minutes now, and your eyes are starting to look funny.
Vader knew what Trivia was seeing almost immediately after the words left her mind. He could envision the hateful, orange discolouration in his irises appearing as the anger and thoughts of revenge filled his thoughts. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to control his emotions, so as not to scare the girl. He didn't want her to fear the Dark Side of the Force. "No matter the path you take, Apprentice, there will always be consequences if you stray too far to either extreme. The Dark Side of the Force can alter your physical appearance. In most cases, it generally alters the eye colouration of the user when delving too deep. However, going too far can have drastic effects on your body and general appearance. The Dark Side of the Force can be considered a much more… physical side of the force. Passion, anger, fear… these fuel the power of the Dark Side. However, do not be fooled by the honeyed words of the Light Side. It has its own dangers as well. Just as the Dark Side alters the body, the Light Side alters the mind. You can become sedentary, apathic… You feel as though you are a rock in the Force, immovable and unaffected by the trivial, pathetic pursuits of the general population. It made the Jedi weak and easy to exploit by the Sith. It is a delicate balance that you must learn to navigate safely."
Is that why you had to wear that horrible armor, sir?
Vader froze, frowning sharply as he looked at his apprentice. After a few moments, he responded with a cold tone, "Finish your meal. You should complete your meditations before retiring for the night."
Trivia cringed slightly, before quietly nodding in assent. She mentally kicked herself for saying that. It had been nearly a month now since she met Vader, and she should have known by that point to never bring up that particular part of his life. Vader said nothing as the girl finished her meal and hurried to clean up and do her meditations. As she left, Vader could almost hear Obi-Wan mocking him for the situation he was in. He had complained about meditation hours quite frequently, especially during the clone wars. But here he was now, and it was apparently his turn to be the surly old master telling his apprentice to go meditate. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before looking down at his hand with a slightly confused look. Every time he thought he was used to no longer needing to wear his suit, he would do something on instinct, and then realize what he had done a split second later. He looked outside, towards the setting sun. An odd urge came over him to go out on a walk, which was rather odd for him, even before he gained the suit. It was like a strange itch that just would not go away, even nearly half an hour later, when the dishes were dried, and the kitchen was cleaned. He sighed, shaking his head, "Trivia, I am going on a walk. You know what you should be doing."
Not waiting for a response, Vader grabbed a cloak, wrapping himself up and quietly leaving the house. The homestead that Ironwood had found for them was near the southern shore of Atlas's kingdom, so while winters could certainly get cold, the rest of the year was moderately temperate. As he began making his way to the nearby forest, he reveled in the feeling of the cool, fresh air slipping past his face. The forest was… both quiet and full of noise at the same time. There were no people, nobody to ask him about logistic lines or battle plans, and no idiotic senators trying to curry favor with him. But at the same time, the life he could feel and hear within the trees was almost deafening. It was almost like being back on Felucia, only everything wasn't trying to kill him…
A low growl interrupted his thoughts, and he let out a long-suffering sigh. He just had to say something. Calmly, he turned to see a rather large creature that looked like a cross between a Wookie and a rancor, covered in bone plating. The behemoth was glaring at him with glowing red eyes, and without even trying to extend his mind Vader could feel the rage and hatred being directed at him. There was no sense of territory, no urge to defend itself. It was just darkness, pain, and rage. "I don't suppose you'll let me continue on my way, right?"
A roar was his answer.
"Hey, it never hurts to ask." Vader quipped, back stepping out of the creature's reach as it attempted to separate his head and shoulders rather forcibly. He slammed forwards with the Force in return, sending the creature careening into a tree with a dull crunch. It bellowed in pain and anger, lumbering back to its feet and charging at Vader. Vader watched it with incredulous surprise, eventually jumping over the creature, executing a nice and clean flip before landing behind it with gentle ease. He straightened up and looked down at his hands again, flexing the metal fingers and nodding in approval. The creature looked around in confusion, before finding Vader once again and roaring at him. Vader looked up, a smirk playing on his lips that would have sent the enemies of a certain Anakin Skywalker running for the hills. "I suppose I should thank you for this opportunity. I've been meaning to test the limits of this new body."
For the first time in its short existence, the creature in front of Vader, an Ursae, hesitated. Vader was a pillar of darkness, much like its creator and master. However, this darkness felt… more refined and disciplined. And somehow weaker and more powerful at the same time. If its master was an insidious, creeping force that slipped its way across the world to grab it in a stranglehold, then this monolith of darkness before it was a sledgehammer capable of precise and devastating blows. Of course, this hesitation and attempt at forethought didn't last long, as the infinite rage and anger that drove the creature took back over, and it charged Vader again. This time, Vader met the creature head on, reinforcing his body through the Force before slamming a metal fist into the creature's face. The beast recoiled in shock and surprise, its eyes slightly dazed and a large crack appearing on its bone mask. It tried to shake the blow off and recover, but Vader wasn't giving it a single chance. He continued with his brutal attack, grabbing the monstrous thing by the edge of its bone mask and slamming its head into his metal knee. Then came several rapid blows to the throat and chest, resulting in wet, meaty cracks. While normally something like this would have never phased such a large and armored grimm. A grimm had yet to encounter a cyborg with Force enhanced strength. Nobody had ever been brazen enough to take on an Ursae bare handed, and right now that terrified the creature.
Vader, on the other hand, relished each and every blow. The Dark Side of the Force was singing in his blood, and for once it didn't feel overwhelming or like some bittersweet drug. Vader quickly pulled back and lashed out with the force, eager to blast the creature through a few trees. What happened surprised even him. Instead of a ripple of telekinetic power sending the beast flying, there was a flicker of red power that traveled along the metallic surface of his new limbs, followed by a burst of blood red lightning that roared and crackled through the air, slamming into his opponent and throwing him through a tree, pinning him on the ground behind it. The roars and bellows of the creature became esoteric screams of pain as the Force Lightning ate into its black fur. However, instead of letting up out of shock, Vader gave a sadistic snarl, pouring on the power as his eyes glowed an insidious orange. He had no idea that his new arms would be capable of sustaining this, but he was happy that it happened because all he could imagine now was his Master under this onslaught of power and rage. Within seconds, the pitiful creature that had dared to attack him had been reduced to dust under the deadly onslaught of Force Lightning. He cut off the flow of power, breathing heavily while red lightning continued to crackle around his forearms and hands. That had been rather intense.
A flicker in the Force let him know that he wasn't out of the woods just yet. A series of low growls and rustling sounds around him let him know that the creature had friends… and a lot of them by the sounds of it. But… they weren't the same, not physically at least. As Vader slowly scanned the trees, he could see strange, lupine shaped creatures, clinging to the sides of trees and looking at him angrily. On the ground, odd creatures with two arms crawled on the dirt, growling and chittering at him, and he could see several other of the massive, furry rancor creatures standing in the shadows as well. Vader instinctively lowered his hand to his hip, clutching on empty air and remembering that his saber was currently lost in the mountains of northern Atlas.
"Well… that's not good."
The creatures almost seemed to leer at him, taking their time as they moved out of the trees and into the clearing, as if they knew that he didn't have his weapon. Vader raised his hands, lightning crackling off his fingers as he prepared to fight with the force once again. A small, thin battle cry caused both parties to pause, looking around in confusion. The sound grew louder and louder, until a white blur trailing rose petals slammed into the clearing, taking the head off of a furry rancor with one blow.
"The calvary has arrived!"
Now, Vader wasn't sure who was more incredulous. Himself, or the small horde of literal monsters as they both stared at the small, waif of a woman wearing a white cloak and wielding a large, axe like weapon that was quickly shifting into something resembling an old fashioned slug-thrower rifle. Silver eyes peered up at him, twinkling with excitement. Vader towered over the woman, staring down at her imperiously, "Are you trying to get yourself killed, woman? I had this situation well in hand!"
Whatever sort of answer the woman was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. The excited shine in her eyes dimmed as she saw Vader's still rather rugged and scarred face. Despite making rather impressive headway in healing due to the dust treatments in Atlas, Vader still bore many of the scars from his lava bath on Mustafar. She shrunk back at the powerful man's baritone voice, before screwing up her courage and snapping back, "Oh yes, the lone man without a weapon facing off against a horde of Grimm is more than capable of surviving? How about a 'thank you' for saving your bacon?"
Vader narrowed his eyes, which were currently a strange mixture of blue with flecks of orange. He lashed out with one hand, blasting one of the smaller creatures with his red Force Lightning and vaporizing it in the blink of an eye. The other creatures flinched, growing restless. At least until the woman's eyes lit up with excitement of all things. Vader had no idea when she moved, but she was suddenly right next to him, inspecting his cybernetic hands with something akin to childish glee and wonder.
"Oh, wow! What kind of weapon is this? How did you get it to shoot out lightning like that? Is it your semblance, or maybe some sort of combination with dust?"
As she rambled on, the Grimm decided that they certainly weren't going to get involved anymore, slowly slinking away before anymore of them could get vaporized by the scary human with the dark soul, or decapitated by the absolutely deranged female with more energy than they had ever seen. Vader noticed that the creatures were fleeing, and grumbled in annoyance, "Great, and now you've scared off my entertainment."
The woman looked around in confusion, noticing that the Grimm had fled. She tried to process the fact that a group of Grimm had actually retreated, which was contrary to everything she had ever seen. The only explanation would had to come from the massive man who she had just saved. She looked over to question him, letting out a yelp as she realized he was walking away. "Hey, wait up! I'm not done talking to you!"
Vader, of course, was having none of the woman's crazed antics, giving a short wave behind him as he walked, "Well, I'm done talking to y- What the stang!?" Vader jumped back as the woman appeared right in front of him in a blur, grinning impishly up at him.
"The name's Summer Rose, and I'm a Huntress from Vale. Would you mind answering a few questions?"
Vader looked at the woman incredulously, before scowling and brushing past her. He decided not to comment on the fact that she continued to follow him, instead speaking up to try and get her to falter, "I wasn't aware Vale and Beacon were sending people out on international missions. You're a long way from home, huntress."
"Eh? How did you know I was on a mission!?" Summer's eyes widened as she heard the massive man's words.
Vader chuckled, shaking his head as he continued on his walk, deciding that it was best for him to head back to the homestead, "I didn't… It was just a shot in the dark. Thank you for confirming that for me. General Ironwood will be pleased to find out."
"Oh, please don't tell James! Headmaster Ozpin is trying to keep this as secret as possible!"
"And yet, you continue to babble to me. I've had interrogations where the inmates pissed themselves that were harder than this." Vader smirked as the woman went quiet, thinking he had sufficiently cowed her curiosity with a tiny taste of his morbid past. Glancing down though, he saw her thinking carefully, as if trying to remember something. A light probe into the woman's mind made him realize two things. One, that she was feeling a rather odd emotion that Vader was having trouble placing, and two, that Ironwood had actually spoke to this Ozpin individual about his arrival, causing him to frown in turn. "Ah… so Ironwood has already informed others about my arrival. Curious. I had assumed he would try to keep my presence a secret."
The woman gave a start, looking up at Vader in confusion, "Wait, what? James… Headmaster Ozpin… How did you…"
"Deductive reasoning, dear. You work for Ozpin. I work for General Ironwood. I have my methods about gathering information, just as your employer does. So tell me, Miss Rose, what sort of mission has Headmaster Ozpin tasked you with? I may be able to shed some light upon it." Vader continued pressing the woman for information, subtly influencing her through the Force to get what he wanted.
Summer squirmed slightly under the look that Vader gave her. It felt like the look that Raven and the rest of the team gave her when she was about to do something really stupid. She reluctantly mumbled under her breath, stating that Ozpin had sent her to do reconnaissance on a target up north. Despite this, Vader could feel something else underneath the statement, something… more. He frowned, pushing a bit harder on her mind, "You don't agree with his request for reconnaissance, do you?"
Summer immediately shook her head, frowning in a much more subdued manner, "No! I have m… I have a weapon, something that could potentially kill the target, but he won't let me attack her! He says it's too dangerous."
"Headmaster Ozpin likely has a reason to say that." Vader calmly walked besides her, letting off of her mind somewhat. He began casting his mind out, making sure more of those creatures weren't attempting to ambush them. He very nearly paused as an odd presence made itself known. It was certainly human, but there was something odd about it. Summer letting out a groan of annoyance disturbed his concentration, dragging his attention to the smaller woman.
"Ugh, not you, too! Raven has been saying the same thing this entire trip!"
And now the presence suddenly made so much more sense. He stopped fully this time, not even looking behind him as he spoke up, "You can come out now."
A flicker of surprise and shock pinged off of Vader's mind, and he felt… something strange occur in the Force. As though something that was one thing, shifted completely into another. There was a rustle of leaves, and a woman wearing light armor and a white bone mask dropped from the canopy, landing nearly silently on the ground. She stood up, warily placing her hand on the hilt of the large, single edged blade attached to her hip, "That's a neat trick. How did you know I was there?"
"As I told your friend here, deductive reasoning." No need to let her know the real reason why he knew she was there. "Raven, I presume?"
Vader continued walking, forcing Summer and Raven to pick up their own pace to keep up. Raven scowled slightly, looking over at Summer, "Yes, that is correct. Summer, who is this man?"
Summer winced, looking up at Vader and rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, "I uh… actually never got your name, sir."
"I never offered it. Lord Darth Vader, former General of the Vacuo Grand Army, Intelligence Division. Current Intelligence… Advisor for General James Ironwood, at your service." Vader responded coolly, though there was a slight hesitation as he considered what his current title would be. "I would be more than happy to retrieve what data we have regarding our mutual enemy to the north."
Raven's scowl deepened as Vader spoke, and she quickly shook her head, "That won't be necessary. And how would you know of the enemy we're after? It isn't something that he should be speaking openly about."
Vader chuckled softly, gently probing the minds of both women, skimming their surface thoughts to see if he could glean any information to put Raven's suspicions at ease. Though she had every right to be suspicious, considering who Vader was. He saw images of an odd icon, similar to that of something from a Dejarik game. No, wait… Chess. He couldn't remember for the life of him what the piece was called, but it should be enough to make a proper excuse… "I do believe that there are too many listening ears to be speaking about pieces on the chessboard, my dear."
Raven stumbled slightly, obviously not expecting Vader to say something like that. Summer gasped, her eyes widening, "Wait, so it's true what Headmaster Ozpin said about her being able to hear through the Grimm?"
Vader shrugged slightly, making a bit of a show of glancing around, "Regardless of if it is true or not, are you willing to take the chance?"
Raven's scowl returned in full force as she reluctantly conceded Vader's point. In her opinion, it just gave her more time to convince Summer not to go through with her plan. "Okay then, General. If what you say is true, then where are we going?"
"My home. In return for my services, General Ironwood has… graciously provided a homestead for my apprentice and I. The two of you can rest while I contact him and obtain what information I can for your benefit." Vader spoke casually, as though they were simply taking an evening stroll. Granted, in his case, that had been his original intention, before the grimm attacked. He realized with some mirth that, despite having done so much research about the other kingdoms and international politics, he had yet to actually look into this Grimm threat. He supposed, now was as good a time as ever. After a moment, he spread his senses far and wide, reaching out towards Trivia and lightly brushing against her mind, " We have company, my young apprentice. Two huntresses from Vale on a reconnaissance mission from one Headmaster Ozpin. Please contact General Ironwood and inform him of the situation. Tell him that I will be speaking to him upon my arrival."
There was a soft flicker of acknowledgement in return, and he received an image of Trivia logging onto the CCT call station he had installed in the house for this purpose. He nodded slightly, before glancing at the two women slightly, "My apprentice has been made aware of your presence. She is contacting General Ironwood at this moment." He paused, feeling that wave of odd emotion coming from Summer once again. Guilt. The woman was feeling guilt, but why was that? He frowned ever so slightly, glancing at Raven and taking in her surface thoughts as well. Confusion, frustration, and annoyance… the last one was directed at him more than anything. As they exited the forest and began approaching his farmstead, he spoke again, "Of course, as foreign nationals operating without the purview and knowledge of this kingdom's governing body, I'm sure you'll understand if we have to contact Headmaster Ozpin to confirm everything that has been said thus far."
Raven rolled her eyes, muttering something about Ozpin never answering his scroll, and Summer… Summer let out a tiny little squeak of fear, causing both Vader and Raven to pause and look at her in confusion. The front door opening distracted Vader, and they all turned to see the tri-toned Trivia stepping out to greet them. There was an odd squee of excitement as Summer's eyes lit up, and she vanished in a blur of white rose petals, reappearing right next to Trivia and scooping her up into a hug.
"Oh, my Oum she is so cute! Look at her hair! And this funny little robe outfit! She looks like some kind of warrior monk! Raven, look at her! She's already getting ready for Halloween!"
Vader gave Raven an incredulous look, and the woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, "Sadly… this is completely normal. I'm guessing that's the apprentice you mentioned?"
"Correct… I suppose I should save her before she has a panic attack and sends your friend through a wall…" Vader mused, stepping forward with his hands crackling ominously with lightning. "Huntress Rose! Drop my apprentice immediately! This behavior is unbecoming of a huntress!" Vader relished in the fact that he could yell without the need for a voice modulator to aid him, hearing his rich baritone boom across the yard. He noted with some satisfaction that Summer dropped the girl as if burned, Trivia hurrying away and rushing to his side. He placed a firm hand on her shoulder, steadying her with a tiny grin tugging at his lips. However, he quickly wiped the expression on his face, glowering at Summer, who meekly waited by the house as Vader approached with his apprentice in tow, "Huntress Rose, I would kindly ask that you do not insult the traditional garb of a religion that you couldn't possibly understand. Now, get inside. Trivia, show these two to the kitchen while I speak to Ironwood."
Vader left the three behind, heading to the call station and settling down in front of the camera. It felt strange to just be sitting casually to make this kind of report, rather than being on one knee and bowing his head. He shook himself as Ironwood came online, though he was slightly confused as to why a grey haired man with a green scarf joined the call as well. However, after scanning the surface thoughts of the two women earlier, he could make an educated guess, "Headmaster Ozpin. I was unaware that General Ironwood was inviting you to this call." False. Even if Ozpin hadn't joined, Vader was going to request his presence regardless.
The grey haired man nodded, taking a sip from a white mug and speaking before Ironwood could, "Yes… James felt that it was pertinent I attend, considering two of my own Huntresses are involved. You must be the former Vacuo national that Ironwood hired. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vader."
"That is Lord or General to you, Headmaster Ozpin." Vader's response was ice cold, and his eyes flashed bright orange for a brief moment before he turned his gaze upon Ironwood, "General, Huntress Rose claims to be on a reconnaissance mission to investigate the enemy codenamed: Queen." Vader finally remembered what that piece was called, and was pleased when he saw Ozpin quite literally choke on his drink, his eyes going wide in shock.
"James! How does he know about Salem! You swore secrecy!"
Ironwood seemed just as shocked as Ozpin was, though more capable of keeping his cool, "Ozpin, I swear I told him nothing. He was hired to investigate the splinter cells of the White Fang. General Vader, how is it you know of this?"
Vader scoffed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Sith Lords did NOT roll their eyes. Instead, he quirked an eyebrow at the tone of the two men, shaking his head, "Gentlemen, please, I ran the single largest intelligence agency on Remnant before the war. You don't get to my position without learning how to keep an ear to the ground at all times. Salem… a name to add to the bingo book. At least now I have a name for it. James, you need to get Jacques Schnee to grant me access to his mining operations, before I have to do so with… less than above board means."
Ozpin peered at Vader curiously, and Vader could feel a strange sensation hovering over him, as though the Force was scanning him. He narrowed his eyes at the man, immediately blocking the strange probe, "Regardless of how I came about the information, the reason I'm calling is because I found the two of your Huntresses on my land. Miss Rose is of the impression that your orders to conduct recon and surveillance are ill advised, and seeks to attack this Salem individual directly."
That seemed to distract the silver haired man from his attempts at scanning Vader. He nearly did a second spittake, his eyes widening as he coughed softly on his tea, setting the mug down finally, "I ordered no such thing. You're telling me Summer Rose is sitting in your house right now?!"
Vader chuckled, nodding slightly, "Correct. As is one Raven Branwen, though I get the distinct feeling that she's only here to try and keep Miss Rose safe. Not that she's succeeding. Miss Rose charged head first into a confrontation between myself and some wayward grimm that had wandered onto my property before I could give them a proper lesson in etiquette."
Ozpin closed his eyes, and Vader could see a vein throbbing in his forehead, "Mr… I mean, General Vader, please fetch the two Huntresses."
A few minutes later, a rather contrite looking Summer Rose shuffled into the call center, while Raven wandered in behind her, looking mildly annoyed and relieved at the same time. Ozpin actually looked rather angry, and even Ironwood seemed concerned. He took a deep breath, speaking in a deceptively calm voice, "Miss Rose, I have received no less than fifteen calls from your husband, who is frantic and trying not to panic in front of your daughters, who are both very confused and unable to understand why you haven't been home for the last week. I have been telling him that you likely went off on some mission that caught your eye, as it wouldn't be the first time you have done so. And now I find out that not only have I been lying to him, but you have decided to leave your family to go on a suicide mission!? What on Remnant were you thinking!?"
"I-I just-"
"No!" Ozpin cut the woman off before she could make an excuse, obviously angered beyond belief. "You didn't think! I thought you had grown out of this nonsense when you went through Beacon! All of those detentions, the personal tutoring, even Glynda stepped in to assist when I wasn't available!" Ozpin continued on his little rant, while Vader simple looked on while trying to keep an amused, somewhat smug look off his face. He may not have been as skilled or proficient as his master when it came to manipulation, but even he enjoyed toying with people from time to time. It didn't help that these natives were making it so easy. Vader watched the drama unfold for a few minutes more, before sternly clearing his throat.
"As entertaining as all of this is, I feel as though we are beating a dead horse. Ironwood, it appears as thought my initial request for information regarding Salem was unneeded. I will continue my attempts at gaining access to the SDC mining operations. Have you had a chance to go over my findings and suspicions?"
Ironwood suddenly looked even more uncomfortable, clearing his throat pointedly, "Vader, you must understand, the accusations you are leveling upon the Schnees, it just isn't something that happens overnight. I can put some people on it, but don't hold your breath. Focus on the White Fang for now. I need to take care of some business here, but I will certainly look into it in depth at a later date. A VTOL will be there tomorrow to escort Raven and Summer back to Vale." With that said, Ironwood cut his transmission.
Ozpin watched the interaction curiously, sipping his tea slowly. Once Ironwood was gone, he spoke with a candid tone, "General Vader, would you mind explaining what that was about?"
Vader contemplating telling Ozpin to shove it, before realizing that this was the perfect opportunity to get another powerful native on his side. He shrugged, gesturing slightly, "Ironwood wanted me to compile data and intelligence against the White Fang, specifically the factions that have been splintering off with a more… violent agenda. I noticed that many of the supposed White Fang attacks were focused on SDC mining operations and Dust transports. I decided to do some digging into why they might be so interested in the SDC. They may transport the most resources, but they also have the highest security. After a bit of digging into their finances and history, I noticed a rather… disturbing trend. I fear they may be using Faunus slave labor."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow, taking his time to deliberate upon the suspicions, nodding slowly, "I see… I would like to see the relevant data, if at all possible. Maybe I can help you gain access to what you need."
Vader nodded, "Of course. I can send the files with your Huntresses when they return to Vale tomorrow." Of course, Vader had also drawn many more conclusions from the information he had pulled, but he would let Ozpin see that for himself. He was just the messenger, the politics would be left to powerhouses like Ozpin and Ironwood.
