AN: Sorry for the delay. I had a slight medical problem that took up a lot of my time and made me paranoid. I am healthy right now and the situation is being dealt with. I will also let you know that I do read your reviews and feedback, and use it to help better my skills. Either way I hope you enjoy this chapter of Abyssal Rose.
"Professor Ozpin I presume?"
Ozpin looks up from his desk to see a new face. Ace Operative Clover Ebi.
"Please come in, though I'd say that your arrival has been causing quite a stir in the media. Some are openly asking the idea that the situation down south is all but an elaborate conspiracy to make Vale a vassal of Atlas."
"I assure you that we're here to help, the general has provided me with men and material to begin my investigation, as well as gauge the situation in Vale proper."
"Very well then, I'll try to keep this brief."
Ozpin walked back to his desk and activated a holographic display of Vale. The southern section of Vale is highlighted in Red.
"Southern Vale has historically been undeveloped and dangerous for most of history. It is a graveyard of fallen kingdoms, cities, towns, and people, and served as a great challenge for Valean explorers. However in the last few centuries, the region was conquered, trade and dust mining occurred, life flourished…all except for one region."
The screen then focused on a large region on the tip of southern Vale, one of the noticeable features is a large peninsula.
"The Moonfall Forests named out of the local beliefs that a large fragment of the moon felled there, alongside the beautiful nights, has resisted all forms of colonization. Nine years ago, The SDC bought mining rights to develop the region and hired huntsmen to cleanse the region of Grimm with remarkable effectiveness. The railroad was built, and then…"
"The first settlements were destroyed, then when the white fang turned violent, the attacks increased with intensity and barbarity, alongside revealing the culprit."
The screen switched to a picture of the white fang logo…painted with blood. It then switches to scenes of a massacre, and then more pictures. The number on the bottom increases with each slide. This…doesn't make any sense for clover, as clearly a large chunk of the victims are Faunus.
"I'm not sure if this is an extreme radical sect of the White Fang, so extreme that they would be willing to kill their kind for being "tainted by humans". Sienna has denied all involvement in the attacks, and I'm inclined to believe her. After all, how can you be for liberation if it includes wanton destruction for everyone? But that doesn't change the fact that an unknown group in an isolated region is slaughtering innocents and ensuring the area stays isolated."
"Is there any more information professor?"
"Besides the forests are filled with bandits and scavengers, no I can't say anymore. Whoever doing this is highly coordinated, with no regard for life, and is planning something dangerous. Any attempts to thoroughly investigate the area have been squashed due to arriving Grimm."
"Thank you, professor. My men will not let you down. I'll begin my investigation post haste!"
"As will I, I will provide any new developments I find within the Beacon archives. Perhaps a mention of extremist Faunus exists somewhere in the books. I bid you a good night Ace Operative Ebi."
As the elevator stopped and he began walking back toward the ship, Clover thought about the information he had come to learn about. Faunus being killed indiscriminately isn't new to the history of Remnant, there were such examples during the Faunus Rights Revolution, however, this is different. The bloody white fang logo Ozpin displayed would undoubtedly point the blame towards the WF, but that goes against the modus operandi. Sienna may be a terrorist, but she knows how to handle PR and reign in the more "radical" among her ranks.
Perhaps it was the new up-and-coming Adam Taurus. He read the file on him. The young and brash up-and-coming leader who would "take the fight to the humans". Unlike Sienna he seems to be the type to employ extremist tactics like this, perhaps in his mind being enslaved by humans is comparable to being "tainted". Though they'll have to capture a terrorist to gain insight, preferably a lieutenant.
Clover's thought process was interrupted when someone knocked into him, alongside the sound of paper falling to the floor.
Instead of an apology, he heard something unintelligible and unknown spoke above him before he was quickly lifted.
He sees a girl, a young teen looking no more than 15. A concerned look is on her face, however, Clover notes how…out of place she looks. Clover is familiar with the variety of outfits many people wear, from the ragged uniformity of the happy huntresses to the vivid colors of Mistral. He thought he'd seen it all…yet this girl, this "little" girl who is now dwarfing him, stands out completely. She looks like an honest to gods time capsule with the way she looks and her arm…
"Art…thou…alright~?"
His training tries to kick in but gets a hold of himself. That voice…was Beacon compromised by some infiltrator Grimm?! But this is just a kid…with the voice of an ancient Grimm?! Right now it feels like he and Qrow traded semblances. He has to play it cool, play it cool and quickly return to the ship.
"Y-yeah, just a few bruises but I'm alright."
The face of the girl softens, and she takes a sigh of relief. Clover's eyes fell upon her arm as she began to pick up the scattered paper
White, artisan crafted, almost looks like stone. It contrasts well with her black and red clothes, and then clover noticed something. It was a complete arm replacement, down to the shoulder.
This would be normal…but such a high-quality arm would cost an arm and a leg and would be obtainable only through Atlas, but there's nothing to suggest it was even made in Atlas. No visible metal or robotic parts, just a stone-like material similar to the moon. By all accounts, it should be useless, yet she simply picks up every piece of paper as if her original arm was there. Every alarm bell is going off for him, but he can't act. There's too much he doesn't know.
Clover whistles and quickly walk away. He'll have to request permission if he can open a case on this enigmatic figure…and why they weren't notified of their presence.
Marrow never imagined this would be his first assignment.
He worked so hard, overcame all the hurdles Atlas threw at him, and became an Ace Operative, only to be ordered to listen to literal high school gossip while delivering a package Winter made for her sister. He sighs as he walks down the hallway, at least they'll be leaving towards the south later today.
Clover didn't specify, but he did say that he'll "know her when you see or hear her", his ears tuned to the passing crowd of students, class just ended so he should be able to quickly find Weiss.
"...did you hear about…"
"... the party that Floyd…"
"...Cardin keeps picking on…"
Pointless gossip, as Marrow expected. He'd rather clear out White Fang strongholds in Mantle than listen to this.
"...Rose doing weird stuff for Ozpin."
"Rose, that weird giant? Of course, she would be, how do you think a prude like her stays in Beacon…"
That passing pair… was new.
"...Voice of an angel, but also a Grimm. No wonder she tends to be quiet…"
"...Combat classes, besides initiation I've never seen her fi…"
"...Hates her, and she hates her in return. Honestly way more interesting than WF vs SDC…"
Hoo boy, this is bringing some horrible memories from his teenage years. Then Marrow sees…oh wow Clover was right. Her face and Weiss' look sour though.
"...Up girls, looks like we got company from Atlas' finest."
"Is this mutant a part of the Kingdom of Peace military force? What would warrant his appearance here?"
Unintelligible, yet the voice of an angel, one of the most beautiful languages Marrow has ever heard in his life. She looks so young too, it's a wonder how she managed to get into Beacon. Time to make his move.
"Package delivery for Weiss Schnee!"
"Ooh~, I didn't know your family made the army your mailmen Weiss."
"Shut it, Yang! I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."
Weiss snatched the package from him before inspecting it, her angry face turned surprised and calm. All the while Marrow notices that the girl is just…staring at him as if she was inspecting him.
"It's from Winter…"
"Your sister?"
"We don't have many opportunities to talk, ever since she went to the military. I'll be sure to send a message in the future. Thank you."
Marrow internally sighed, the girl hasn't taken her eyes off him the entire time. Now he has an excuse to leave and report back.
"Well, that's the goal of Ace Ops! Protecting the world from those that threaten it, one delivery at a time! I've got to go now, have to report back to the ship and leave down south and-"
"Wait~."
Marrow's instincts immediately flare up. The telltale sign of an ancient Grimm using mimicry to lure its prey. His hand went towards fetch and nearly took it out, but he stopped himself. The girl is looking at him curiously, just wondering what he would do next.
"Rank…occupation~?"
By the gods, she has the voice of a Grimm.
"C'mon Silver, don't you think you're scaring the poor man to death? Not everyone is used to your Grimm voice."
She panicked for a second before composing herself and bowing.
"Apologies…curious…fear understandable~."
"Uhh, I need an explanation."
"Silver is a…special girl." Yang gave an awkward chuckle, Marrow quickly understands that it was a very complicated situation.
"Oh she's special all right, can't even speak yet she's got Professor Ozpin's attention!"
"You're just mad that you can't use your status as SDC heiress to get all cozy up with the headmaster."
"That's not true! I got here on my merit, while this barbarian over here can't even read and write yet she gets special exemptions from our classes and private lessons with our teachers?!"
"Aware…thy…power…Snowflake~. Though…thou…weak…beowolf…here~."
"What does that even mean?!"
"Think she's saying that she knows you're powerful, but you're powerless here."
Marrow watched as the two, or rather three, began to argue. The black hair girl seems to serve as a translator with the black-red hair girl, Silver. This is bringing back so many repressed memories from high school, but he needs to ask.
"Is it always like this?"
"Hmm, I mean Silver and Weiss can get along with anyone…except each other. It's like watching a Mistrali soap opera where two rival families are living together, and they can't eliminate each other. It's kinda fun to watch, but I know by know when to step in before Silver man handles Weiss into the ground."
"What about work?"
"I'd say there's a rivalry, they'd set aside their hatred and help us or JNPR with assignments and homework. Silver can't speak but man is she a master with numbers…and taxes. Kind of strange that someone from gods-knows-where can easily understand what sales tax is though. The rivalry comes in the form of one-upping each other in classes and presentations. I'd often see them in the library with stacks of books next to them, and occasionally drag them out of the library."
"I see…Well, I got to get back to the ship now! I would rather not be in the blast zone or whatever that is."
"Yeah yeah, see you around."
Marrow quickly walked away and wonders what deity he angered to be subjected to this. Not to mention the report he'll have to write for Clover.
"Hey Giada, what's with the package?" A single Atlesian soldier asked curiously about his friend, who was carrying a package into the Atlesian Sensor System.
"I got a package for one of the techies, Mark I think. The package sealed up nice and tight and asked to be delivered straight to him."
"There's no one in there though, also doesn't that sound a bit…I dunno suspicious?"
"What you think there's a bomb in here?"
"Could be."
"Gris, my dude, my friend. We are literally in the safest, most secure location in all of Remnant. The hard-light shield can stop any attacks reaching Atlas, the Navy can swat any Grimm or ship out of the sky, and even if. Even if some poor sod was strong enough to land on Atlas proper, they'll have to face the full might of the military! I doubt that if someone would try to attack Atlas, they'll use anything BUT a stupid package bomb. Even the White Fang wouldn't do something like that!"
Gris' mouth curled into a thinking expression, before letting out a sigh.
"Fine, you can drop the package. I'll let this slide once, but if I let any more unauthorized packages in, my ass is going to get frozen by Operative Winter."
"Can she even do that?"
"I'd rather not be the first person to find out."
Gaida entered the Atlesian Sensor and Navigations Center. This room contains data servers, mainframes, and monitoring desks. The sole purpose of this is to provide Central Command with 24/7 updates on current situations occurring in Solitas, Atlas, and Oblivion, as well as provide navigation due to the constant blizzards in Solitas. Gaida places the package by one of the monitoring tables. Being a guard stationed on Atlas has proven its worth to him.
Gaida casually walks back out, whistling a tune as he begins preparations for his new future.
"Hmmm."
James Ironwood contemplated the barrage of emails he has been receiving lately. He would have just assigned it to spam, but how they change with each email interests him. First, it was completely normal, a simple request to join the "Queen in Black and White" play. Then with each request, the words would just degenerate, starting from a few typos to complete misspellings of entire sentences to now. The email he's seeing is just a wall of text with the words "Join Us" in all caps.
Another screen showed a recent news report. The linguist that was translating the play was found dead…by scratching. His walls were covered in mad ramblings, unintelligible to anyone sane. It was discovered that he had mental illnesses, and was not taking his medication at the time of his death. Either the play gave him the illness, or it was a convenient excuse.
There's something about this play that's sounding every alarm bell in his mind. By all accounts he should step in, can the project, arrest those involved, and launch an investigation. But unfortunately, the speculation and PR around it serve as a shield against him, any action he would take would result in every single upper-class twit in Atlas throwing a hissy fit about the military "stifling culture" and "returning to the pre-war traditions". They can't attack him but they would lobby the council to stifle every move he could take and drown him in bureaucracy. He'll have to wait and see what would happen next, something he's sure Ozpin will appreciate him doing.
Not to mention the recent events occurring around the world. First Salem, then someone managed to destroy the biggest human trafficking syndicate in Vacuo, not to mention who or whatever is in Southern Vale. No one said this job would be easy but James wants to pull the metaphorical lever back a bit so he can breathe for once.
His computer chimed, a report from Clover. Good, finally something he could…
" "Silver Rose", an unknown unidentifiable tall 15-year-old girl is stationed at Beacon. She speaks an unknown dialect and wields a prosthetic arm that does not match any records documented in Atlas or the CCT net. She is a member of an unknown kingdom, her body language and clothing suggests she is nobility, but no match. Permission to launch a secondary investigation with the help of professor Ozpin?"
James looked at the message with utter disbelief before typing a message, he resists the urge to just say no and remains formal.
"Your orders are to investigate the mysterious attacks on SDC mining towns in Southern Vale, not to investigate a Jane Doe. I will ask Ozpin about this Rose person when I arrive in Vale. Continue your previous orders."
James slumped back in his chair, before sighing and getting up. A simple walk and chatting with the men can help clear his mind. Especially since it feels like the world is going mad right now.
"Winter, I didn't expect to see you so soon. Isn't the huntsmen training regiment continuing for another two hours?"
"An injury was sustained involving the AK-130 drones in combat training. The victim overextended himself resulting in his aura breaking and suffering a wound on his chest. I had to step in and end the training right there."
"I take it he's alright?"
"The injury is threatening but nonfatal with the right treatment, he should be healthy after a month's rest."
"That's good to know."
There was an awkward silence between the two as they walked. James notes that it's been a while since he did an actual chat between Winter that wasn't related to work. Well, there's always the family option
"So how's your sister?"
"She received my gift, I got her message on the CCTnet just now."
"That's good." Gods why is he having so much trouble just chatting?! It wasn't like this with the Patch Campaign, but here, it's like fighting a Sand Worm! Did he lose his social skills, or perhaps being the General reprogrammed how he communicated with his subordinates?
"General I must ask, why are you wandering the halls?"
Oh, thank the brothers. "To clear my mind."
"Your mind sir?"
"Yes! During the Patch campaign, Mettle helped with my focus on my assignment, but it was more of a band-aid than an actual solution to the problems I faced. Men dying, injured, and feeling hopeless against the seemingly never-ending tide of the Grimm. Walking in the forests just… soothes my mind. Listening to the rustle of the forest lives, the crunch of dirt on my boot. It gave me the much-needed peace, and I used that peace towards ridding Patch of the Grimm."
"I see…"
"I know that keeping a calm, stern facade is useful for the troops. But engaging with them is as important as dust, guns, and machines. I'd often just talk about the world with my men, and it help pass the time and dull the pain of our situation. You'd be surprised how much an effect just talking with the troops about life can have on morale."
Winter looks…conflicted with the knowledge she's receiving. James knows that face all too well, the decision to maintain stoicism against the hardships of the world or give it up and become "vulnerable". An important decision he faced for many days before deciding on the latter, that decision he sees no reason to regret. He also sees that they're walking by the Sensor and Navigations Center.
"Here's a suggestion. When you meet your sister in Vale, drop the formalities and just go for a walk. Talk about her grades, or school life, and catch up. You've been separated for far too long, and I think you two would appreciate each other's stories. You'll be surprised with how much the little things in life can take you."
Winter stopped, causing him to turn around and face her. Her face looks even more conflicted before she sighs and gave a small smile.
"Thank you, Gen-"
Muffled. Everything he hears is muffled. He can feel someone dragging him, but his ears can't discern what is happening. All he sees is black.
Then his vision slowly returns, and the hallway is in red. Emergency lighting has kicked in, and the faint ringing of an alarm can be heard. He sees fire…so much fire. The center, it's engulfed in flames. The person dragging him passes by an unfortunate soldier that was caught in the blast, he has no lower body.
Everything is becoming clearer, and more horrific for him. Someone runs out of the center completely on fire, a soldier uses a fire extinguisher but it doesn't work. The flames stick to him like it wasn't even touched. The man keels onto the floor, dead. The flames just keep burning and burning with such heat and intensity, and he notes darkness within the flame. It reminds him…of ash.
"...Need medical staff at the Center. The General has been hit! I repeat the General has been hit!"
He hears Winter yell above him. Was this Salem's doing? No, it can't be. She wouldn't do something so brazen as this, Atlas security would have caught one of her cronies in the attempt. But maybe? So many questions…his body is so sore. God damn it.
A group of staff and soldiers run past him with extinguishers as he can hear the sprinklers kick in. Then he hears Winter shout again.
"I have received confirmation that Corporal Gaida is responsible for the bombing, he is heading to Warehouse #45 in Mantle. Your orders are to shoot on sight! I repeat your orders are to Shoot on Sight, the target is hostile and will retaliate!"
Gaida whistled a happy tune for himself. He can't believe that worked! And judging by the commotion up above, Huginn will surely uphold her end of the bargain!
Immortality, and power beyond human recognition, all for placing an Ash Dust bomb, whatever that is, in the Sensors Center, that's got to be one of the best things Gaida had in his life! Goodbye Atlas, and hello Yggdrasil!
He opened the warehouse door…and sees no one. He walks inside, thinking she will be deeper inside…and sees nothing. Nothing besides boxes…and a note
He picks it up and reads it.
"Here's your reward…smiley face? What does that mea-."
He realizes what this means.
"No! Nononononno! You bitch! You can't leave me out here to dry like this!"
He hears the sounds of engines, and soon after, footsteps.
"I'll find you, I'll take you with me! You hear me!"
Gaida takes out his pistol and starts shooting in random locations. Then a flashlight is shined on him, he turns around and quickly fires.
"There he is! Open fire!"
He didn't last a single second. Gaida was struck with so many bullets it tore chunks out of his armor, and he slumps over. Dead. The note falls onto his blood pool, ruining the note and any connection he had with his contact.
"Target is KIA. I repeat target is KIA, might need to bring an extra bag. Target's body integrity is close to none, and any serious attempt to pick him up could result in a limb falling apart."