Spending the weekend at my mother's house to make sure she stops trying to go do work outside with the horses while she's meant to be resting her knee. Means lots of mucking out stables for me, but I took a laptop with me to write.


Cover Art: Aristeo Storm

Chapter 66


Ozpin did not often lose his patience as thousands of years of life had made it difficult to truly rile him up. Anger was for the young and brash, and anything someone might say to upset him was typically brushed away as words born of youthful inexperience. Many had insulted him over his lives but he rarely, if ever, let it bother him. There were greater things to focus on.

But this…

"This is a farce, General Sol."

The man who had a moment ago been speaking to the Vale Council paused. The soldiers on his left and right bristled, but the man himself didn't react. He carried himself as military commander and politician both and knew well the battle that was the political sphere.

"A farce? So says a simple teacher in Beacon. I know not why you're even here, but I suppose someone ought to represent a bunch of children who almost unleashed Grimm in Vale."

"My students did not release them. As well you know."

"What I know is that dangerous terrorists intercepted a shipment from Atlas and seek to implicate us in an act so vile and so mindless in nature that it threatens to shatter an alliance we have held dear for years." General Sol looked back to the council of Vale. "Atlas and Vale have stood as neighbours and friends for decades. We have poured resources into Mountain Glenn with you, and now we stand accused of seeking to destroy it?" He spread his arms wide. "Where is the logic, councilmembers? What reason would we have? None at all."

"None but the assumption you would not be caught in the act."

"Ah, of course. Let's speak of assumptions, shall we? The good representative from Beacon has certainly been full of them. One might wonder what bias he has against Atlas that pushes him to accuse us so. Perhaps because of our victory in the last Vytal Festival?"

Ozpin snorted. "Hardly. The Vytal Festival is all about cooperation. We are united against the Grimm."

"United. Yes. We have always been united against the Grimm, against all threats. Where is that unity now against this new threat? A second faunus war stands on the horizon—"

"Enough!" Ozpin stood, his control slipping. "There is no such war, General, not even in your imagination. You are simply using them as a scapegoat for your own actions. The White Fang have been peaceful protestors. Nothing more."

"Tell me, teacher. Didn't you recently speak up on behalf of their leader, Ghira Belladonna? You were quite determined to see his sentence reduced."

"There was no sentence. Ghira Belladonna was being held in a cell despite never being charged for a crime. What I sought to address was such a blatant assault on Vale's laws and values. One that could have disastrous consequences."

"And since when has the law been determined by a simple teacher…?"

Ozpin clenched his teeth. Were he king, he'd have this man thrown in a pillory to be bombarded with rotten fruit, and the world would be better for it. Times had changed, however. Democracy ruled now. Ozpin had been a great supporter of it, seeing it as a way to ensure the kingdoms could run even if he died or was busy elsewhere. It had been that, for a while, but all it took was a period of peace for competent leaders to be replaced with complacent idiots turning it into one big popularity contest. It was no longer the best and most capable who ran and were elected, but those who had the most money and the greatest connections.

"It is a teacher's duty to educate the world and ensure that concepts such as history and law are understood," Ozpin said, forcing calmness into his voice. "When people in positions of power cannot understand why their actions have breached the law, it is left to a teacher to educate them."

"And who elected you to this role? Do Vale's citizens rejoice at having this unelected official meddling in matters of state? Council," he barked. "I would ask for Beacon's representative to be removed. I shall accept the headmaster of Beacon, but no less."

Mayor Baldwin, head of the council, who had been silent while they argued, looked vaguely ill as he said, "The headmaster personally selected Mr Ozpin—"

"The people did not. I am empowered by the people of Atlas to speak on their behalf and I will not speak with a terrorist sympathiser. Given his involvement with the students responsible for this, I dare say he should recluse himself from proceedings anyway. The Council of Atlas shares my views and are prepared to introduce retaliatory measures against any kingdom who harbours or defends these terrorists. This includes an end to our free trade agreements."

The Council was instantly in uproar. Free trade, the economy, money. It took precious little time for that to win out over anything else. Ozpin was escorted from the council chambers by two very apologetic men, all while General Sol smiled victoriously. It was tempting to strike back. Ozpin had his connections and he had his ways, but doing so might fracture the alliance between Atlas and Vale. The bigger picture – both Salem and Mountain Glenn – demanded the alliance hold.

Outside, Ozpin adjusted his collar and began walking. Began thinking. The White Fang being labelled as terrorists did not sit well with him and might become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Atlas wouldn't care about that. They'd genuinely be pleased if it happened, because it would brush this issue of theirs under the carpet, all but confirming their claims.

Harold, the serving headmaster, wouldn't control the meetings in his place. The man had little fight left in him. He'd promise to do what he could when Ozpin asked, then let himself be run over by anyone who raised their voice. Ozpin held a hand over his face, squeezing his temples to try and ward off the coming headache.

Democracy was better ninety-five per cent of the time, but that five per cent really had him wishing he could throw someone in a dungeon.

/-/

Bartholomew Oobleck excused himself from his team with a laugh and a smile. Things had become so much better among them following Roman's sudden improvements. He was still the weakest in class but had won one or two bouts since the year began. Suddenly, others in class were nervous about losing to him. Naturally, Bart had thought the worst at first – that Roman had taken to performance enhancing drugs – but it hadn't taken him long to discover the truth. A much more mundane explanation, that their combat instructor had taken steps to help Roman improve by finding him a new sparring partner.

It was good that Beacon's teachers were so prepared to go the extra mile. Beacon stood as a bastion of defence for the kingdom, a shining pillar. Of course, anything that shone would inevitably cast a shadow, and Vale needed protection from threats less obvious. Under the guise of training, Bart left Beacon and entered the Emerald Forest, eventually making his way to the designated meeting point. He was there only forty seconds before a man in black entered the clearing, face concealed by a glass-like mask.

"Sir." Oobleck knelt. "You summoned me."

"Yes." The man's voice was not his own. Bart knew the helmet was subtly changing it to sound like someone else. It was still a very realistic voice. "Circumstances have changed with regards to the Atlas incident. Atlas is threatening an end to trade deals and the Council of Vale has little choice but to give. The matter is closed and the White Fang are to blame."

"Officially, anyway," Bart said.

"Indeed. Officially, there is no reason to suspect Atlas. Unofficially, we know Atlas is at fault. Exposing them, however, would not be ideal. Fitting as it would be to see the looks on their faces, it would all but force Vale to cancel their alliance and punish Atlas – and Atlas would respond in kind. Retaliatory measures benefit no one. Our kingdoms must stand side by side. But Atlas must be made to learn that it is side by side, and not them standing above or ahead of us. Our alliance is equal. They forget this in their hubris."

"Atlas is aware of us, though. They know the VSS exists. Anything too obvious will make it clear we were behind it." Bart tested his own words. "Which means you want this to be done outside of us. Branwen again? He's a boy."

"As are you."

"Yes, but he's a first year. An orphan."

"A deniable asset."

Bartholomew sighed. He knew better than to complain and argue; it was not his decision to make anyway. The hard decisions had already been made by people who had far more experience than he.

"What is to be my role, then?"

"The shipment of Grimm to the research lab has been interrupted. Atlas will not dare try again, knowing their shipments will be monitored, but the same cannot be said for those at the lab. We believe they make take unwise risks to procure Grimm."

"You think they'll go out and try to catch them? I know they have security teams there but none are huntsmen from what I know. Typical soldiers would be slaughtered without the equipment the Atlesian army makes use of."

"That is why we believe they will make use of mercenaries. There are no shortage of huntsmen willing to do a little extra for lien. You will be posing as a rogue huntsman and we shall be creating a history for you. A failed student of Beacon. Spend your weekends close to the facility complaining about how poor you are. We shall make sure one or two of their security members hear of you. With luck, they will take the bait."

"Am I to deliver Grimm?"

"We shall see. For now, we are more interested in who they have hired and who is doing the hiring. If needs be, our message to Atlas may be in the assassination of the one responsible. That will be carried out by a more experienced agent." he said to calm Bart's nerves. "Your job is simply to identify said person."

"And Qrow Branwen?"

"He will infiltrate the facility as originally planned. We still need to know what they are doing and why they want the Grimm. He shall discover that while you discover who their contacts are. Then we shall act on this information."

Bart nodded. "For Vale."

"For Vale and Mountain Glenn, Agent. One kingdom; two cities. We protect both now, be that from our enemies or from our own allies."

What a world it had become that they counted their most beloved ally among the ranks of those acting against them. Bart bowed his head and waited for the handler to leave before standing. It was a shame he would have to cancel his team's plans, but they would understand. They knew he had a part-time job to support his ailing parents, and that it called at odd hours. Or, rather, they knew what the VSS wanted them to know, as he had no parents nor family that needed him.

Orphans ever have made the best assets, he thought.

If they didn't act, history was doomed to repeat itself – and Bartholomew had always had a remarkable interest in history and the many mistakes made throughout it. This wouldn't be the first time in history someone had sought to experiment on Grimm, nor the first where it had gone wrong. The VSS had learned, however. As had Atlas, seeing as how they were running said experiments on someone else's soil.

"Bad business all around when allies turn on one another like this." Bartholomew Oobleck turned back to Beacon. "As if the Grimm weren't problem enough."

/-/

Their return to Beacon took place in silence. Maria had received an update from Ozpin and had warned Qrow about Atlas' scummy decision to blame the Grimm on the White Fang. It was almost ironic to him given the White Fang absolutely had done that in the future, but irony soon gave way to worry. Not only for the sakes of Kali and Ghira, but for what Atlas might create by doing this.

And whether he'd changed history in any way.

If the White Fang took this to go terrorist, then nothing would technically change, but Qrow still couldn't help but worry. He'd have to check up with them and see what their plans were. Make sure they weren't thinking of doing anything reckless. The moment their Bullhead landed; they were confronted by Atlas soldiers.

"Qrow Branwen. We would like to speak with you."

His team were there, in the background. Qrow noticed Peter take out his scroll and start recording. Good man. Ozpin was hovering not too far away, but his thunderous expression suggested he couldn't do much to stop this. He was only a teacher, officially. Qrow frowned at the soldiers, six in total with one officer in the centre. They expected him to quail at the overt display, and a child his age might.

But he was not a child.

"Then speak," Qrow said, gesturing with his good arm. "I'm right here."

"We've reserved a room to speak in."

"I'd rather talk in public if that's all the same to you."

The officer, who looked to be lower ranking than Ironwood had been – not a general, then – clenched his jaw tight. His nostrils flared, but he soon calmed himself. "The maters we would speak off involve one of national security for Atlas. We cannot speak of them in public for fear of undermining our investigation."

"Oh, I understand completely. Wouldn't want to put any investigators at risk…"

"Thank you, Me Branwen. Then if you would—"

"That's why I think it best we schedule a time to meet. I'll need time to get in touch with a solicitor and ask them to be my legal representation."

"Legal…?" The officer blinked and then laughed. "Mr Branwen, you're not under arrest. Please don't misunderstand our purpose here. You're under no suspicion."

"Neither was a peaceful protest group, but the moment things started to look bad for you guys they ended up being thrown under the bus. Which is odd, really, since the whole reason I was there in the first place was because I overheard an Atlas military officer discussing the transportation of Grimm to Mountain Glenn. Someone in uniform."

The soldiers bristled. Frustratingly, they bristled with righteous indignation instead of fear – even the officer looked angrier than he did alarmed. They all believed the lies, then. Of course they did. Atlas soldiers would always believe Atlas. It was them against the world in their minds, and anyone who talked bad about Atlas obviously just hated Atlas. That was the only explanation. It could never be genuine criticisms delivered in good faith.

"It would seem you are misinformed as to the current circumstances," the officer said tensely. "We would be happy to show you the evidence we've collected that proves terrorists were involved in this. There is plenty of it."

"I'm sure there is. You can show me when a meeting is arranged and I have a lawyer with me. After all, I have to decide if I want to sue for damages."

"You…" The man closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. "Very well. That is your right. Atlas respects all laws and rights of other nations." Qrow snorted. "If a court decides the harm done to you was by negligence or failure on our part, compensation will surely be awarded. I will pass on your request to my superior. Someone will be in touch, either via mail or through your headmaster. Please contact a solicitor sooner than later as your account of events is vital to bringing the guilty parties to justice. Every moment wasted gives terrorists time to pick new targets." The man turned away and signalled to his men. "I wish you a swift recovery from your injuries. Thank you for your service dispatching the Grimm."

The men marched away, leaving Qrow feeling like he'd neither won nor lost. Hard to even play against someone who didn't realise it was a game. Those soldiers were as much victims of their nation's bullshit as the White Fang were. Qrow waited for them to depart, and Maria to chuckle, before making his way over to his team.

"You handled that well," Nessa said. "Peter was recording just in case."

"Was gonna splash it online," Peter said.

Qrow offered a fist. Peter smiled and bumped it. "Good man. I was kind of hoping they'd give you some ammunition to do just that. Be real funny if they dragged me away. I had this whole plan to make them grab my arm, scream and twist it back out its socket."

"Don't do that," Gretchen said, palming her face. "How was your trip?"

"Boring. No Grimm, no fighting, but good food. We stayed at an inn. You didn't miss much. How was Atlas?"

"Pathetic," said Nessa.

"Determined," said Peter.

"Pretty much that," Gretchen said, shrugging. "We were interviewed by people who weren't really interested in hearing about what you and I overheard in Mountain Glenn. When I finally managed to stress it to my guy, he said he'd kick it up the chain but it was probably a terrorist disguised as an officer. The worst part is they all seem to believe it. Just, flat-out belief from them all."

"That's Atlas for you. They're a stubborn lot. I'm not going to say indoctrinated, but they grow up learning how great they are and how terrible everyone else's lives are. They're revisionist, too. They don't even learn they lost the faunus revolution. In their minds, they brought an end to it to bring peace, compromising in the interests of the people."

Sometimes there were teacher exchanges and mutual classes between the academies and pre-academies. Ways for teachers to share ideas and learn from one another. It was a cooperative, almost like the Vytal Festival but for education staff. It was there that Qrow learned about Atlas' tendency to selectively edit details in their lessons. Just little tweaks here or there that would brush away some of their more questionable moments in history. He had come to blows with at least one teacher from Atlas over it.

"That's insane. They're insane."

"They're pragmatic," he grumbled. "To a fault. Misery draws Grimm so they make sure no one has any reason to feel bad. It's authoritarian as all hell, but you can't expect them to be a perfect democracy when two seats on their council are automatically given to positions of power within their military."

The headmaster's seat for Atlas Academy wasn't strictly seen as military but, since the academy and its students were interwoven with the military and taught by military staff, it was absolutely the same thing. They even shared living quarters with the army up on the floating city. In Atlas, you were seen as part of the military complex if you were a huntsman. The headmaster there was often an officer anyway, like Ironwood had been, so it wasn't uncommon for the headmaster's seat to literally be subordinate to the military's seat on the council, following orders as given.

"You handled that well, Mr Branwen." Ozpin spoke out as he approached, a warm and – dare he say – proud smile on his face. "I trust your journey was a productive one."

"I like to think so, sir. I hear things have been rough here."

"Rough. Yes. An apt way of putting it. I'm afraid things are not well, though I have managed to secure Ghira Belladonna's release. A small mercy. I'm just sorry that he does not come out to good news."

"I'll talk to him, sir."

"After you've found yourself a solicitor, I assume."

"After that."

He was tempted to offer the spot to Ozpin. The man wasn't licensed but probably had experience in law over all his years. Plus, he was allowed by law to ask anyone to represent him in a case. It was just a bad idea to not have an actual solicitor do it. If he made it a condition, Ozpin would be there in those meetings.

But he held off. Ozpin would do it, he was sure, but he must have already been on Atlas' shit list for helping with Ghira and trying to protect his students. There was no reason to make Ozpin's life any harder. The worst part was all these corrupt people wouldn't be cycled out like they had in his timeline, because the event which caused their fall was the destruction of Mountain Glenn. Saving Mountain Glenn this time around would mean leaving these people in power. Annoying, but not worth letting people die over.

And if they're in power, they can continue to pressure Ozpin. They might even force the headmaster to skip him and elect someone else.

That'd be fine if it was someone else that was loyal to Ozpin; the immortal wouldn't care if he had the position of an ally. But what if it wasn't? What if it was someone unaligned or even someone loyal to Salem? That'd be a disaster.

"I'll figure something out. I mostly just said it to screw with them."

"I assumed as much." Ozpin chuckled. "You might reach out through Willow to her father. Mr Schnee favours you and could recommend a skilled solicitor to take the case. Having someone familiar with Atlas law could only help."

"Won't they be more loyal to Atlas?" asked Gretchen.

"A lawyer loyal to anything other than money? Miss Rainart, you might as well ask for a unicorn." Qrow barked a laugh. Ozpin could be sassy when he was in the mood, and it seemed his actions toward Atlas had put him in a good one indeed. "A word of warning, however. Headmaster Harold is… He is not as firm as he should be. Should you be summoned to speak with him, please remember that he cannot force you to meet with any representatives from Atlas. He's unlikely to try on his own initiative, but I wouldn't put it past Atlas to try and arrange a meeting that way. If they try, simply ask what school matter this is about and refuse to discuss anything beyond that. You're also free to ask for a teacher to accompany you for any meeting on a school matter, so add to that." Ozpin's stressing of the words made it clear who he wanted Qrow to invite.

"I'll make sure to call on you for any disciplinary meetings I might be called to, sir."

"I hope so. I'm your legal guardian after all."

The arrival of his sister and her team put a halt on that. Raven immediately wanted details on the Grimm he'd faced and wouldn't accept that he'd fought none – accusing him of trying to skimp out on the details. It took him an hour to convince her otherwise, and the following two were spent talking her down from showing Atlas what "terrorism really looks like" before she could start a one-woman crusade.

No one was happy about it.

"So…" It was Taiyang who put words to it. "Ranting aside, we are planning to prove Atlas as liars and fuck 'em over, right?"

Everyone looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

Summer clicked her tongue. "Obviously. Why do you even need to ask?"

"He's blonde," Raven said.

"Hey, come on…"

/-/

It was late when Qrow managed to find a moment alone to make a call. He didn't have the excuse of training in the Emerald Forest anymore, so he instead excused himself as wanting to look up some solicitors on the school's computers. That was just boring enough a job that no one volunteered to accompany him. Qrow made sure he was alone before calling his contact in Vale's little spy agency. He still didn't know the name.

"Hey. I'm back in Beacon and heard about this crap with the White Fang."

"Welcome back. And yes, we're aware of the deceit. We can't act on it. The safety of Vale is paramount and Atlas IS a part of that. However, know that we are displeased. We're seeking to extract our own pound of flesh from Atlas, only without damaging them enough to compromise our security. Is that all you called to hear?"

"No. I need a lawyer."

"Easy enough."

"One who is loyal to his client and justice more than they are money."

"Would you like a pot of gold and a side of world peace with that as well? You might as well ask me to pull a dragon out my arse."

Qrow laughed. This man and Ozpin would get along. "Then can you provide me a spy loyal to the kingdom who can pretend at being a hardass lawyer? You want your pound of flesh; I want to see Atlas squirm for this bullshit of theirs."

"…" Silence came down the line for a few seconds, before, "I think we can provide you someone capable enough of putting General Sol on the spot. We can't remove him, however. He has lied and he is corrupt, but he is good at his job and Atlas needs him. Vale needs Atlas, too. And we need Atlas strong and capable. Better a corrupt leader than none."

That was where their opinions differed, but he supposed these people didn't have the benefit of foresight. They had no idea what was to come and, for all they knew, General Sol might be integral to preventing a crisis that would take place a year from now. He wasn't, but Qrow had no way of proving that.

"Yeah, sure. I just want that research facility in Mountain Glenn shut down before anything can go wrong."

"On that, we are aligned. We have teams looking into it. The facility is our primary objective right now. Mountain Glenn cannot be allowed to fall."

Best news he'd heard all day.

"I'll trust you with it, then. Let me know when and how I'm meant to find this lawyer of yours. Wouldn't want it to be suspicious."

"We'll be in touch."

The call ended with a click, leaving Qrow to sigh and lean on the nearby library wall. The future would change, that much was obvious, and it could change in good ways if Mountain Glenn was saved. The problem would be the knock-on effects. If Mountain Glenn succeeded, the political groups behind it would reap the benefits and stay in power. That wasn't the end of the world since most of them probably weren't terrible people.

Mountain Glenn had been a good idea after all.

The problem was one of them. This General Sol. Qrow didn't recognise the name at all, which probably meant he'd been dismissed or shuffled back into a quieter role after the failure of Mountain Glenn. Atlas hadn't been blamed because no one had known their involvement, so he would have been free to retire and step out the public eye.

Allowing General Ironwood to take his place.

Someone loyal to Ozpin, and who – for all that Qrow didn't get on with him – was a staunch ally against Salem. If Sol stayed, Ironwood wouldn't get his chance to rise up and take over. That would be bad. Sol had to go, but he wouldn't go because Mountain Glenn couldn't fall this time, which meant there had to be another way.

"So, despite what they want, I need to get rid of him. For Ironwood's sake. For Remnant's sake." Qrow groaned and ran a hand down his face. "Damn, but this shit is complicated."


Next Chapter: 15th February

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