It took a short while to sort things out with the troopers stationed at the monorail station. After having half of the monorail's occupants try to crush me, I was hauled off to a cell in the MP's barracks. Honestly, I was glad they didn't just shoot me out right for the misunderstanding. The whole mess lasted maybe an hour though. Hsu sent word not long after that I'd actually managed to out McCarran's mole, and pulled some strings to get me released. It took me about another hour to get back to McCarran after that. The MP's and monorail crew shut the thing down for 'maintenance'. I.E. Checking to see if they'd succeeded in missing any other suspicious parcels. From everything I'd seen, the monorail itself had made it through unscathed, minus a few blown out windows.

After walking back, I re-entered the concourse and wandered around for a bit trying to find Hsu and Boone. They weren't in the former's office, or waiting by the rail station like I thought they'd be. Instead, I found them in the holding cell area. Along with a, regretfully, still alive Curtis. Though if the bandages wrapping both of his knees were an indicator, he probably wasn't in good spirits.

"He give you any trouble?" I asked Boone, joining him and Hsu.

"Wish he did." Boone growled "He didn't move a muscle until Hsu showed up."

"I'm inclined to agree with you." Hsu said, glaring at Curtis "… But we need him alive. That's why we did all of this."

"James, listen-" Curtis started "You've got to understand, I-"

Whatever Curtis was going to say died in his throat. Hsu was the calm sort; he'd told me as much when I'd first met him. That he kept his calm, cool, collected head so that others knew it was safe to follow him. It was one of the things I respected him for, that he put forth so much effort to ensure his troops had reason to trust him.

In that moment though, I saw Hsu drop the self-imposed stoicism.

He didn't so much as look at Curtis, as much as he did burn holes through him, intent on reducing anything and everything inside of him to cinders. The levels of hate that I could feel coming off of Hsu in that instant made me wonder if I was even looking at the same man. In his eyes, at that moment, I got the feeling he'd reach through the bars and break Curtis' neck if he were allowed. I knew why too. Curtis had been responsible for the deaths of countless NCR citizens, both military and non. He'd given the Legion everything they'd needed to dismantle NCR forces around the Mojave, and helped prolong the suffering of everyone involved.

Worse, Hsu had trusted him. Trusted him to the point he'd put Curtis in charge of the Monorail inspection crew. An invaluable NCR asset for the sole reason of being near impossible to replace.

Hsu was a good man that had watched his trust get betrayed by a close friend. Hsu didn't just hate Curtis.

He wanted to crucify him.

Just like the Legion had to so many.

Curtis could see it, I saw it, and I'm pretty sure even Boone could see it. Further still, we might have even helped him do without being asked.

But it didn't go that far.

"Get comfortable, Curtis." Hsu gritted, turning away from Curtis "You should enjoy it while you can."

He began to walk away from the holding area, Boone and me following close in tow. There wasn't much more that could be said after something like that.

As we walked out though, we did pass Contreras' holding cell. I flipped him the bird just because I could.

We began walking down the long hall leading back to the terminal building. As we did, I saw Hsu slump a little with each step. By about the halfway point, he stopped walking altogether and stopped to lean on the wall. One of his hands balled into a fist and he struck the wall. He shook a little, not out of weakness though. He was furious.

"Damn it." Hsu cursed; his tone bitter.

I walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You couldn't have known."

"I should've, it's my job to know."

"Maybe, but you're not the only person who could've put it together. You did the best you could. End of the day, you've at least stopped it from getting any worse."

"…" Hsu shook his head, pushing off the wall and continuing forward. "I'm going to make sure we get everything out of Curtis."

"Anything we can do to help?" I asked.

"No, I'm going to keep it internal for now… When I get something concrete, I'll send someone to find you."

I nodded "Alright, just do me a favor: Don't kill yourself over this."

Hsu gave a small chuckle. "… Thank you for your work."

"Don't mention it."

Without another word Hsu split from us. Leaving me and Boone to walk back to Vegas the long way. We stepped out of the terminal building and began across the grounds. The day wasn't even half over yet, and I already wanted to go rest.

"What're you going to do now?" Boone asked.

"Dunno" I shrugged "That's what I've gotta figure out next. This is probably the first time in a while where I've got a stretch of time to kill and nothing to do it with."

"Last time you had that, you spent a month hunting bounties and fixing McCarran" Boone chuckled.

"Made me some caps though." I said "Not to mention it's what got us to outing Curtis. Could do it again I guess, it's either that or try my luck at Vegas or the Thorn."

Boone gave an amused snort "You and me both know that'd end only one way."

"Hmph, yeah, I know my luck." I shrugged "You wanna tag along?"

"Pass" Boone said, stretching "Much as I'd be willing to watch you get beat on, I'm gonna go rest."

"Don't blame you" I shrugged "We've been up for nearly twenty hours straight now… probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get some shut eye myself."

"Why not come back then?"

I shrugged again "Don't feel like it yet, feel like I can push a little harder."

"…" Boone shook his head "I swear you've got a deathwish."

"That's rich comin' from you."

"It's also means I know what it looks like."

We passed through the camp's gates and I turned to look at Boone. "I might be hearing things, but it almost sounds like you care."

Boone kept his stoic expression on tight. The only thing he gave me was the questioning quirk of an eyebrow.

"… Hmph." I chuckled "I'm fine Boone, far as I can tell I'm not lookin' to drop dead yet."

"… If you say so."

I rolled my eyes. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, you can send Cass, Raul, Veronica- heck anyone, to come watch out for me. Have 'em meet me down by Novac."

That seemed to shake Boone a bit. "Why so far south?

"Thinkin' about scouting out Forlorn Hope, Barring that, I'm sure I'll find trouble somewhere."

"Hrm, almost think I should go with you now." Boone grunted "I'll make sure someone stops you from doing anything stupid."

"Thank you." I said, chuckling.

With that, Boone and I split, him heading back to the 38, and me to the south. It was probably going to take a while for anyone to actually come meet up with me, all things considered. But that just gave me time to figure things out before they did. I started south towards Novac, and whatever was next. I flicked on my pip-boy's radio, tuning it for Radio New Vegas. Part of me wanted to know what Mr. New Vegas was going to say about what had happened, if anything.

Except my pip-boy couldn't seem to pick up the signal. Which was strange enough on its own, given it was able to automatically lock and tune onto any pre-located frequencies. I began messing with the dials, trying to clarify which station it was supposed to be locking onto. But as I adjusted, I noticed, to my ever-growing curiosity, that whatever the pip-boy had picked up wasn't your standard station. Whatever was being broadcast was reaching out over the Ultra-Low Frequency spectrum. A range of the radio spectrum that'd been used pre-war for long distance emergency broadcasts. This was the first time I'd seen it too.

I isolated Radio New Vegas, then set about isolating this new frequency. It didn't take too long for me to clear it enough for easier listening. The smooth, forlorn notes of a stringed instrument. Perhaps a fiddle, or a viol. It had a dissonant, echoing quality to it, as though it were being played from somewhere far off, sounding almost as though it were wailing its tune rather than extolling it.

I stopped and listened to it for a moment. There was something eerie about it that I just couldn't shake, and wanted to listen to see where it went. This wasn't a normal frequency, and may well have been worth my time to pay it some mind. The music lasted maybe a minute more, if half that, before a woman's voice superseded the music, and it faded into the background.

"Has your life taken a turn?" The woman asked "Do troubles beset you?"

'You don't know the half of it.' I thought.

"Has fortune left you behind?" She continued.

'… are you spying on me?'

"If so, the Sierra Madre Casino, in all its glory, is inviting you to begin again."

I stared intently at the hunk of metal affixed to my arm. I'd never heard of the Sierra Madre until now. Was this a new place someone was trying to open?

"Come to a place where wealth, excitement, and intrigue await around every corner." The woman spoke, smooth and velvety "Stroll along the winding streets of our beautiful resort, make new friends, or rekindle old flames. Let your eyes take in the luxurious expanse of the open desert under clear star-lit skies. Gaze straight on into the sunset from our villa rooftops. Countless diversions await: Gamble in our casino, take in the theater, or stay in one of our exclusive executive suites that will shelter you and cater to your every whim."

I glared in suspicion at the monitor of my pip-boy. What was this lady on and where could I get some? This had to have been a recording from before the war. But why was this the first I was hearing of… well, any of it?

"So if life's worries have weighed you down, if you need an escape from your troubles, or if you need an opportunity to begin again, join us, let go, and leave the world behind at the Sierra Madre grand opening this October… We'll be waiting."

The woman's voice faded, and the instrumental wailing recommenced. Given enough time it would probably loop back around. But rather than stand and listen, I flicked back to Radio New Vegas. Then I took a look at the date marker on my pip-boy.

It was June.

If a few alarm bells hadn't already been going off in my head before, they were now. There was clearly something up with that broadcast. But I couldn't say what. Maybe some raiders had figured out how to rig up a pre-war radio system? Lure in people too dumb to know better, then rob them blind. But why would they use ULF? Very few radios were actually equipped to intentionally pickup that frequency. That wasn't even getting to the 'casino' that was advertised. I'd never heard of the Sierra Madre before. As far as I was aware, there were a grand total of five casinos in the Mojave. Six if you wanted to count the Atomic Wrangler. I'd never seen the 'Sierra Madre', or even heard anyone talk about it. But if the message was from before the war, then there was no telling what was left. Vegas was only standing because House shot down any missiles that got too close for his comfort. There was no telling what was actually left of this place, if it even existed.

Of course, then I heard my pip-boy grinding away. The sound of something new developing itself. I clicked another dial and shifted over to the data section, Quests heading.

Sierra Madre Grand Opening!

-Track down the source of the Sierra Madre invitation.

'Well now, that's certainly interesting.'

I'd had quests pop up at random before, but normally through other people or documents. This was the first time just listening to the radio had solicited such a thing. Which, if it hadn't already warranted exploring, certainly put it near the top of the list.

Looking at my compass, there was a marker pointing off to the south east. Almost neatly in line with the direction I was already headed. An odd coincidence.

"… Well, I guess I could take a look into it." I said, shrugging "there shouldn't be any harm in it, and I can always double back if something comes up. I'd rather not go blindly walking anyone into danger if I can help it."

My curiosity piqued, I pressed onward. Intent to discover the origin of the broadcast.

…

I don't have a whole lot of experience with aircraft. I've been up close and personal with some on occasion, increasingly so since I arrived in Remnant. But in the Mojave, I could count the number of times I'd actually been up close to functioning aircraft on one hand. One of them being when I removed the bomb from Bear Force One. Suffice to say though, I'd never been on one nor helped maintain them.

That did not change the fact, however, that I knew exactly what a jet turbine sounded like. Especially when it came roaring past me.

I'd just been giving my eyes a post-workout rest when a trio of aircraft came roaring over the dorms. I came up, ready for a fight, and nearly threw myself over the edge of the roof. It took a second for my eyes to trace after them, but things came into focus as I stepped away from the edge of the roof.

They weren't the same as the ones I'd occasionally seen around Vale though. Bullheads, I think they were called. These were different, from what I could glean from their growing distance. They painted different for one, most of the 'Bullheads' I'd seen around vale were a dull metallic gray. These were a stark white color, close enough you could probably lose them in the clouds. Their dimensions were different as well. These smaller craft looked all around thinner, and shaped at angles that gave them a more… aggressive look. Like a bird of prey readying to drop in on its unsuspecting target.

But as the aircraft flew further afield, their high-pitched turbines faded. What replaced them was closer to the rumble of distant thunder. If such a noise could be brought closer in the defiance of acoustics.

I hardly had to turn to see what was causing it, since they were absolutely massive.

Floating in the precipice that spanned between Vale and Beacon's 'Front-gate', were three airships. Or what I was assuming were airships as, much like the aircraft that'd nearly thrown me off the roof, they didn't look the part. They stretched probably twice the length of the airships normally used for getting between Vale and Beacon. Their design was different too. The airships Beacon used were closer in style to some kind of barge. These looked vaguely more gun-like, with what I could only assuming to be some form of deck extending out ahead of it. To the degree that it almost made up half the length of the total ship. The other half consisting of talon like spikes extending from the rear of the ships, and what I was assuming was the propulsion system. Conversely to the smaller craft though, these ones were visibly made of multiple parts. Just looking at them though, I could immediately pick up one difference of actual importance: they were armed. Heavily. These weren't passenger ships; these were war vessels. Though given Grimm made it so dangerous to travel, that line was slim enough that it almost didn't exist.

Traveling with the three massive ships were even more of the smaller aircraft. Swarming around them like bloatflys and Brahmin dung. Given the knowledge that those three vessels were meant for combat, the same probably applied to the smaller craft as well. Two of them were staying a distance away from Vale at the moment though. Probably keeping a holding pattern until given permission to approach. The third was mooring into the air docks at the moment, black and gray to separate it from the smaller craft.

At the tip of the bow was a crest, a pair of notched circles bisected by a spear. The Atlesian national crest, assuming my knowledge was correct.

'… Well, somebody's certainly compensating for something.'

…

General James Ironwood gripped his right shoulder, a rare phantom pain stabbing through the machinery. Even so many years since he'd lost it, there was the rare occasion he'd be randomly reminded of it. An unnecessary reminder in his mind, as there were already plenty.

The general stood patiently as the elevator arrived at its destination. Striding confidently from the car and into the office of Professor Ozpin. On the far side of the room, across from the elevator, stood the man in question. As well as Glynda Goodwitch. Both situated at the large windows behind his desk.

"Ozpin!" James said, giving a friendly smile.

"Hello General." Ozpin answered formally, walking around his desk.

"Please, drop the formalities." The General spoke, stepping further into the room. Ozpin met him halfway and the two locked hands. Iron clasping Ozpin's in both of his in warm fashion. "I would say it's been too long, but given recent events, we were never really parted."

"Agreed." Ozpin agreed with a prim chuckle "Coffee?"

"Gladly."

With a turn, the professor returned to his desk, and an awaiting kettle of coffee. In his place though, Glynda found herself moving for the elevator.

"Care to stay and chat?" The general asked "It's been too long since we last-"

"I have a class to prepare for." Glynda said, cutting him off. Leaving without another word.

"… She hasn't changed a bit." Ironwood sighed.

"Recent events have made her more… on edge." Ozpin said, returning with two mugs of coffee. He surrendered one to the general, and they moved back to the professor's desk. "Which I can assume is why you're here, instead of back in Atlas."

"I think we both know there's no need to assume." Ironwood chuckled, pulling a flask from his coat pocket and pouring some of its contents into his mug

"It's not normal for the headmaster to travel with their students. Nor is it normal to for them to bring a small fleet."

"Well, there's nothing normal about recent events."

The professor sipped from his coffee, savoring the moment. "We are in a time of peace, James. Shows of power, unprompted ones at that, are only going to give the wrong impression."

"I would hardly call it unprompted." The general answered, shaking his head. "A Visitor from another world falling out of the sky, technology decades more advanced than any we've ever seen, and if what Qrow's told us is true then-"

"Then we will handle all of it with tact and forethought." The professor answered, unsparingly calm "But bringing weapons of war to a celebration of peace is no different than openly inviting trouble."

"I prefer to think of it as being cautious." The general answered, sipping his drink.

"Caution is not transporting hundreds of active to a celebration of peace. That is paranoia."

"Are you going to tell me it's wrong?"

"… sadly, no." The professor sighed "But the greater the lengths you go to in preventing tragedy, the more likely you are to cause it."

The general rolled his eyes and took another sip of his drink. This was not a time where they could afford to be 'cautious'. "… Speaking of our 'visitor', have there been any new developments?"

"Few, in the week since we talked." Ozpin chuckled "His teammates know of his origins now. He's also properly introduced himself to aura now. There was also an issue in Vale, regarding the burning of a building and a large-scale homicide."

The general's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's been kept under wraps to avoid further panicking the citizens. There's enough chaos in Vale's nightlife without all the details being put out. I also have no verification that our 'visitor' was involved. They were supposed to be corralled on campus for the break. The investigation is still ongoing however."

"That's serious business, Oz." The General said, draining the rest of his coffee "… But you also know it's not what I'm referring to."

"… He has been informed to the nature of his situation." The professor confirmed.

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"Excellent." The general nodded "Then that means we can begin moving forward with-"

"He refused." The professor answered.

"… Oh."

The professor shook his head. "He's aware of the dangers the machine that brought him here poses. When I attempted to broach the topic with him, he listed the reasons why doing so was a poor idea. He was utterly adamant on the idea we would use it to change the course of Remnant's history."

"… I would be lying if I said the idea had not crossed my mind." The General answered, feeling guilty.

"As would I." The professor agreed "If nothing else, he's taken the responsibility of protecting it seriously. In that, I will not fault him. Especially given what we've done with the technology we have collected from him."

"Does he know?"

"Of his technology, our situation, or both?"

"…"

"He's still unaware for now. Unless required, I would prefer to keep it that way."

"But it also leaves him with no way to return home."

"Which is something entirely within his hands to change." The professor answered "In the four months I've been observing him, I have come to at least understand one thing about our 'visitor'. He responds poorly to force."

The general chuckled "I don't think it took you four months to figure that out."

"No, but it's been time to understand him better. While stubborn, he's not beyond reason, and seems to prefer taking less violent solutions."

"Really, what's given you that idea?"

"The fact that he remains here despite now knowing we've made no progress on returning him home."

"What's to say that he isn't just lazy?"

The professor chuckled "Little, he's been known to spend a good deal of time sleeping… But I do know that he is a more than capable fighter, just from Glynda's observations of his few sparring matches. Not discounting anything he has done off-campus. While I do not fear him, I know provoking him needlessly is both dangerous and a waste of time."

"So instead of forcing him, you're hoping he'll come to the decision to cooperate of his own accord?"

"Preferably. I'm putting control in his hand while ensuring he knows enough to make whatever decisions he deems will return him to his world of origin. I do not intend for him to become involved in our troubles. But… there's always the chance he will."

"… Hmph." The general gave another small chuckle "Then perhaps you should just tell him."

"Perhaps..." Ozpin assented "However, I cannot shake the feeling that, when motivated, our 'visitor' is someone who is capable of great things."

"I do not see how that is a negative thing."

"Great is not the same as 'good', James. You know this."

"I do, but I'm not afraid." The general answered "We need all the aid we can get in this fight. I think we would do better in recruiting him outright."

"You may be right. But that is not a risk worth taking yet. Who's to say, in learning what's been hidden from him, he won't immediately turn on us?"

"Who's to say he would?"

"… Some who already have. I imagine if he were to learn of our research into his confiscated items that would certainly make it easier…" The professor stood from his desk and turned to stare out the windows of his tower. Looking out over his kingdom, and the airships waiting at his gate. His mind traveling back to the day a young girl left on a mission she wouldn't be returning from. The day her brother, upon learning of his loss, swore vengeance on the professor. "You may be right, and that he won't betray us. But that is a gamble I'm not willing to take at this moment. For now, I would rather we focus on ensuring he returns home. If we are successful, then we still have the knowledge gleaned from his technology to work with. If we fail, then we will have no reason to continue hiding the truth from him."

"… It still seems unnecessary to me." The general said at last "But my men will continue working regardless. If there is a way to return him home, we're bound to find it eventually. Hopefully our 'visitor' will find it in himself to lend a helping hand."

"You will be the first to hear, I assure you." The professor said, turning to face the general once more. "Though I cannot imagine it will be any time soon."

…

"Until further notice, this Arena will be where class is held." Goodwitch announced "Please note that you will also be expected to spar with your upperclassmen."

The room we were sitting in was just as Goodwitch described, an arena. It was certainly a place better suited for combat training than our previous room at that. The fighting area was set into a recessed area at the center of the room, and surrounded on all sides by high walls. Which, in turn held the seating for us spectators / students. There was a long hall at the far side of the ring which, if I had to guess, probably lead back to the locker rooms. The ring itself was nearly triple the size of our original training room.

And, as perhaps a tangential bonus, there were partitions to prevent stray projectiles from nailing onlookers.

My only question became why we hadn't just used this room in the first place.

"We will continue to use this space until the Vytal tournament begins. At which point, classes will be suspended until the conclusion of the festival." Goodwitch continued explaining "I expect all of you to push ever harder in preparation for the tournament."

As per usual when it was mentioned, there was a small titter of cheers at the mention of the festival.

Goodwitch squashed them with little but a stern look. Kill joy.

"Qualifying rounds for the tournament are still some weeks away." She said, adjusting her glasses "While I understand your excitement, I expected all of you to use the time to further hone your skills… This also holds true for any visiting students from our neighboring academies."

I spared a glance around the room. I couldn't quite tell who was or wasn't from a different academy. This was the one class where you could practically wear whatever you wanted, and people here had some insane tastes in clothing. I'd probably figure out who was or wasn't a foreigner in due time, but for the moment I could only pick out a few. Monkey boy and his blue haired friend were sitting in one of the far-off corners. With them were two others, who I could hazard the guess of being their teammates. Both were guys, one of a darker complexion, and the other fairer than all three of his teammates.

I could also pick out Cinder not too far away either, sitting with her supposed teammates as well.

And, just past her, I could make out Coco, Velvet, and their two teammates. Fox and Yats, I think their names were. They actually noticed I was looking their way, and Coco gave me a brusque wave of her hand. Not one to be rude, I gave her one right back.

"All of that said, are there any questions?" Goodwitch concluded "If there are not, then we will begin sparring immediately."

No one made any motion to ask. I idly entertained the idea of asking if it was necessary for us to need to spar a certain number of times. We were expected to begin prepping for some tournament, so it didn't make much sense to meet some arbitrary number on top of that. I kept my mouth shut though, because I was just going to get it over with as quick as I could anyway.

"… Very well then, is there anyone who would prefer to volunteer?"

Hands went up all around the room, including my own. Aside from wanting to get the 'requirements' out of the way, I was generally intent to try and take these fights a bit more seriously. Both as an opportunity to start stress testing aura in a controlled environment, and to gauge workarounds. Two bouts of having to fight for my life against people who shrugged off bullets like pebbles had been plenty. I wasn't going to let a third happen before I got the message. Of course, aura varied from person to person, and I had no clue what I was doing with regards to my own aura. But, that was just how it was going to be. By my own experience, my aura could probably take one hit, and then I was on my own. But I could work with it, I was used to playing against a stacked deck. I'd lost enough hands of blackjack at the Tops to know it. All I needed to do was keep my hand raised and eventually Goodwitch would make a fuss out of it. She always did.

Goodwitch scanned over the seated students. She rattled off names as she went, pairing people off. It didn't take her too long to reach me.

We locked eyes for a moment, and she stared at me. It felt longer than it probably was. Probably only a second or two. In that interim though, I could see something going through her mind. I couldn't really tell what, but considering it probably had to do with me I almost instinctively felt irked.

Then that second passed, and she moved onto someone else. Completely ignoring me.

I lowered my hand, and watched as she moved right along. Half a minute later, and everyone Goodwitch deemed worthy was readying to spar.

"... What was that about?" Ruby asked, to my immediate left.

"Hell if I know." I answered, shrugging. "She's always got a stick up her ass where I'm concerned."

"I'm more surprised you want to fight" Yang said to my right, just past Blake. "Normally you just sit there and sleep."

"I don't sleep, I just rest my eyes." I grumbled "I honestly wouldn't have raised my hand if we weren't required to spar anyway. Just wanted to get it over with."

"Not to make you mad, but with your aura probably wouldn't have been able to take it." Blake said.

"No shit, like I would've let that stop me anyway."

"That might be why you weren't chosen." Weiss said.

"Hm?"

"We're not actively trying to hurt each other. Just hone our skills."

"I have evidence to the contrary."

"Does any of it not involve you?"

"… um."

"I'll take that as no."

"This is normal, Six." Ruby said "Part of the reason we spar using live weapons is because it helps us train our aura."

"Yeah!" Yang whooped "And it makes it so when you go flying into walls it doesn't hurt as much."

"We don't think you're weak, Six" Ruby continued "But… um…"

"You don't want to fight me because you might accidently run the risk of killing me if you're not careful." I surmised.

Ruby nodded.

"… That didn't stop Yang from trying to take my head off last time."

"Hey, I tried to stop you." Yang smirked "Plus, y'know, my hair."

"… Fair."

"None of us actually doubt you at this point." Weiss said "If anything, it's you who's doubting us. Thinking we're all suicidal enough to arbitrarily spar with live weapons."

I nodded at that. It had been something of a bad habit.

"That goes without mentioning that you get messed up every time you fight." Yang added.

I nodded again, though a bit more stiffly this time. I knew that good enough without having it pointed out. I stood up from my seat on the bench and began squeezing past Ruby and Weiss, making for the nearest staircase.

"Where're you going?" Ruby asked.

"For a walk." I answered bluntly "Clearly I'm barred from fighting, and I'm not gonna gain anything from just sitting here."

"But professor Goodwitch-"

"Can bite my pale ass." I interrupted "If I'm just going to be wasting time, it's going to be on my own terms."

"You realize we're liable to be punished as a team for that, correct?" Weiss asked.

"What are you, my keepers?"

"… Given the technical sense of the word… yes."

"…"

I left without another word. There wasn't much sense in debating that.

As I walked to the exit, I looked down towards the ring and noticed Goodwitch was eyeing me again. Her expression was unreadable, some mix of irritation and indifference. But that wasn't unusual, she always looked like she was mad. She was probably thinking up some new way to punish and/or torture me too. I honestly didn't care, if I wasn't going to gain anything from being there then there was no reason to stay.

I left the arena and found my way back out of the building. There were still students milling around, some just arriving from parts unknown, and others not yet attending class. Both a blessing and a misfortune, less likely to stick out in the crowd but less freedom. Not that I had a whole lot of free time anyway. Maybe enough time to go make myself some trouble, but not enough to do much worthwhile.

Without much real direction, I headed back towards the dorms. It was either there or go to my garden. There weren't many places to be private, and if I wanted company I could've just stayed in class. The dorms were likely to be deserted by that point. Most of the students would be elsewhere on the grounds.

In that, at least, I appeared to be right. Walking through the corridors of the dormitory, I found the place mostly deserted. I could hear voices occasionally, or errant sounds of movement through the walls. But none of it sounded close enough to matter greatly.

I reached the hall containing my team's room, and took a few steps down it. I stopped not too far in though, pausing to look at the Janitor's closet. My former abode and current personal storage room. While staring at the door though, a wave of uncertainty swept over me. I stored a lot of stuff in there, TPPT included. What's to say they weren't using the time I was in class to ransack my belongings?

I obviously knew they weren't, I checked it daily and would notice if they had done something like that.

But that also didn't stop me from going in and rummaging through my boxes of junk.

I found the TPPT right where I'd always put it, under my inverted skillet, covered in clothes and books.

I took out the device and held it in my hand, staring at it.

Yep, it was still there.

I turned and checked back out in the hallway, just to make sure no one was watching. I grabbed a jar of my moonshine and went back to my teammates' room. I entered and locked the door behind me. Alone at last.

With the same tired gesture I'd used several times before, I pulled the trigger of the TPPT. Just like every other time, I got nothing of value in return. Some say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly, but expecting a different outcome.

I began to more thoroughly examine the TPPT. The Think Tank had re-calibrated it to allow me to 'travel through time' so clearly there was some way to interface with it beyond the obvious. But how that was done wasn't. Judging purely by the way the TPPT was put together, there was no port for me to, say, connect my pip-boy to. Given RobCo's relationship with the staff of Big Mountain, I had a few ideas why. So what might've been the simplest place to start was out. The next step would've been to disassemble the TPPT and see what I could figure out that way. But that still didn't resolve the interfacing issue. Plus, just because I could take it apart didn't mean that I could put it back together. I was good at fixing things, but there are parts about Big MT's tech that went well over my head. My brain could probably puzzle it faster than me, and probably already had, but they couldn't exactly communicate with me. If I took it apart, there was a decent chance I'd break it and screw myself out of my only potential way back.

But standing there, staring at it. I felt the growing urge to do it anyway.

I'd tread the paths of why enough in recent days.

Vegas.

Dala.

Cass…

There was no question I needed to go back. But the more I thought it the more frustrated it made me. Because there was nothing I could do to help my situation. Everything, everything, was out of my hands. I couldn't fix the TPPT, couldn't even diagnose it, so there I was. Stewing in my thoughts and fears. That Vegas had been leaderless for near on four months. That someone as dangerous as a member of the Think Tank could be running loose. That Cass was still…

I took a deep breath and walked over to the room's window, looking out at the academy. Taking slow, calming breaths. Followed promptly by a shot of moonshine.

This couldn't last. I couldn't keep standing around and hoping I was suddenly just going to fix what was wrong with the TPPT. I knew what my options were, and I didn't like either of them.

But then, I guess liking them didn't matter, did it? Vegas could be burning, Dala could be… 'experimenting', and Cass was no closer to being where she needed to be. The point between what I liked and what I needed was already long past.

I let my gaze shift out to the Academy's edge, where the airships sat armed and ready. Then let it pan up to the skyline. High overhead, I could See Ozpin's tower. Looming ominously over the academy.

'… This is a bad idea.'

I put the TPPT in my pocket, turned, and walked out of the room. Locking up behind me and continuing quickly down the hall.

'This isn't just a bad idea, it's the worst one.'

I descended a few flights of stairs and exited the dorm, not breaking stride.

'This is like letting the Legion take the Dam.'

I coursed the grounds, picking up the pace as I went. I couldn't afford to lose my nerve now.

'This is like letting Elijah loose with the Madre's vault.'

Students looked at me in surprise as I skirted past them, almost running at a dead sprint.

'This is like letting the NCR take charge of the Divide's missile Silos!'

I approached the base of Ozpin's tower, slowing as I approached the doors leading in.

'… No, this is letting the NCR take the Divide.'

I stopped just outside the doors of the tower's foyer. Taking a moment to stare long and hard at my reflection.

I was about to hand over something more dangerous than I could imagine, to someone who I barely trusted. Someone who was the equivalent to a political figure in this world, who probably had more pull than I was aware. Someone whose job was to train literal children to fight monsters, in a war that was unlikely to ever end.

Someone, in a position of authority, who I had to trust to do right by me.

Because that had gone over sooo well in the past.

This was a bad idea.

It made me wish I'd bothered to quaff a bit more of my liquor before coming here. At least I'd be able to approach it in a more amiable mood. Instead, I was going to approach it with all the piss and vinegar I'd had when establishing Vegas. Because, hey, old habits die hard.

'… Do it for Cass.'

I opened the door and walked across the foyer. There was an elevator on the far side that lead up to Oz's office. Thing was though, it wasn't readily accessible. There was a microphone and speaker set above the buttons to call the elevator. The past few times I'd had to visit Oz, I'd done so with either an escort from the man himself or Goodwitch. Not this time though.

I pushed the elevator's call button and waited. A trilling tone played over the speaker. After a moment, the tone cut out, and a voice came over the speaker.

"Yes?" Ozpin asked

"It's Courier Six, open up." I answered curtly.

"Mister Six?" Ozpin asked, sounding amused "Odd, I thought you were supposed to be-"

"Ozpin-" I cut him off "I don't have the patience to banter right now. Let me in, we need to talk."

There was a moment of silence. I'd probably caught him off guard.

A few seconds later, the elevator doors slid open.

"I'll see you in a moment." Ozpin said, and the cut out.

"For better or worse." I said to the dead air.

I stepped into the elevator and rode it silently to the top of the tower. A deceptively short ride, considering the height of the tower. But it didn't feel like it on the way up this time.

After an indeterminate amount of time, it glided smoothly to a stop, and the door slid open once more. Spanning outside the door was Ozpin's office. With all the gears and windows that entailed. The man himself was at his desk, papers splayed out in front of him. Either he was pretending to look busy, or I'd caught him at an odd time. As I strode into the room, he greeted me without looking up. "I believe you're supposed to be in class."

"Sparring." I answered "Didn't get picked, not much sense in sitting around twiddling my thumbs."

Ozpin nodded, sparing me a glance. "Might I ask what business you have?"

"I think you know why I'm here." I answered "I'm not intent to play coy either, so drop the shit and let's get this over with."

Ozpin looked at me proper now, a solid steady gaze. A moment passed, and he began neatly placing the papers away. "If you believe I'm being facetious regarding your situation, I must ask you to look outside. The arrival of Atlas airships, ones requesting airspace for docking at that, does involve a fair deal of paper work."

"Sounds like someone else's problem."

Ozpin gave a curt chuckle "Nothing wrong with extending some kindness."

Ozpin finished collecting his papers and set them aside. He leaned against his desk, his fingers touching each other in a steeple. "Now then, what was it you decided?"

"…" I reached into my pocket and gingerly pulled out the TPPT. I flipped it around until I could hold it openly in my palm. At the sight of it, Ozpin quirked an eyebrow. "This is the Big Mountain Transportalponder(!)" I said, stepping up to the desk. "Prior to now, it was a device that allowed for the near instantaneous travel of a user from one location to another. A… teleporter, you could say." I set the TPPT on Ozpin's desk, and I watched as his gaze followed it, before rising back up to meet mine. "Just prior to my arrival here on Remnant, it was modified to account for displacement in time as well. But, as you can probably imagine, that little inclusion failed to work as desired."

Ozpin's gaze lingered on me a moment longer, then fell once more back to the TPPT. He reached a hand out, and laid it on the device.

I clapped my hand down over his and gripped his sleeve. I half expected him to try and recoil from it. He didn't however, and just gave me an unperturbed look instead.

"Allow me to be crystal clear with you, Ozpin." I continued "I don't trust you."

"You've already said as much." Ozpin assented.

"Yes, but I don't think I've been clear enough. So, allow me just a few more seconds. I do not trust you. I do not trust Goodwitch. I do not trust anyone when it comes to tech like this. It has nothing to do with my sympathies of your situation. I've seen technology like this, and worse, lead to the destruction and ruination of people who shared a similar plight. I've walked, fought, and lived through the aftermath as far as I can physically remember. So I want you to understand me, perfectly, when I say this: If I find out this wound up in the hands of someone who would abuse it, I'm coming for you. If this winds up in the hands of someone with the power and authority to think they're 'justified' in using it, I'm going to lay them low, and then come for you. If I found out you tried to use it, I'm going to burn this place down around your ears and dance on your ashes." I tightened my grip on Ozpin's hand "No matter what, if this device winds up in the hands of someone it shouldn't, I'm going to kill you."

As I finished speaking, a tense silence filled the air. Ozpin's eyes were locked with mine, allowing the understanding to sink in. No matter what came at me, if Ozpin thought he could pull a fast one on me, he was dead wrong. I'd hold him accountable first, make sure I got everything I needed to know, then close shop on everything wholesale. I was not going to let my mistakes plunge a world in to chaos… more so than it was anyway.

Looking at Ozpin, he seemed to realize that as well. I'm not sure what I saw, when it flickered over him, but for a moment he looked… tired. For a second, just like the last time we spoke, I saw something underneath the calm air he carried himself with. He seemed older, more worn down. Training children to fight or die probably does that to you.

"… Your words should carry weight." Ozpin said, closing his eyes "However, considering you yourself have clearly used the device, I cannot help but find your attitude a touch…"

"Hypocritical?" I offered.

Ozpin chuckled "At least you're aware of it."

I released Ozpin's hand, calming myself. "Your world has enough troubles. I don't want to be one of them."

"Believe me when I say this, Mister Six, you're far less trouble than you may consider yourself."

I snorted at that.

Ozpin's hand lingered over the TPPT a moment longer. Rather than pull it closer to himself though, he just retracted his hand from it. A gesture to help re-assure me, probably.

"… I want to go home." I said, softly "I'm going to trust you, because it's the only choice I have now. Please… don't make me regret it."

"I will do what is within my power to assure you don't."

I nodded, and turned to leave. Sparring was probably still going, but I'd rather not stand around Ozpin's office either.

"Before you go, may I ask you something?" Ozpin asked.

I stopped and looked back at the professor.

"This is a rather sudden change of heart. If I may, why?"

"… I need to get home." I reiterated. "That's all you need to know."

Without another pause, I left the office.

…

I took my time meandering back to class. I really hadn't been gone for all that long, and I still didn't want to spend too much time sitting there. Eventually though, the inevitable happened and I walked back. Stepping through the door as everyone else was picking up to leave. I sidestepped people as I made my way back to my teammates. Things seemed to be looking up, considering I'd succeeded in running out the clock.

Then I saw Goodwitch was waiting with my teammates. I momentarily entertained the idea of turning back around and leaving. But I'd just be delaying the inevitable. Besides, if she'd gone and chewed out everyone, I was going to give her an earful for it.

"Mister Six." Goodwitch said, eyeing my approach.

"'Sup?" I answered.

"You recognize you were not given permission to leave class, correct?"

"Yup, but honestly, I don't rightly care." I motioned to my teammates "You gonna punish them too? I don't think you could call that justifiable or fair."

Goodwitch glared at me for a moment, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm not going to punish them. I am however, going to offer them a chance to earn extra credit."

That caught my teammates by surprise as much as it did me.

"… Huh?" I grunted.

"Before you ask however, I am not going to be extending it to you. This is going to be your punishment for skipping class and forcing myself, your teammates, and your tutors to wait for you."

"I'm… sorry, what?... wait, what do you mean tutors?"

"She means us." A familiar female voice answered. I turned to look, and found team CFVY climbing the stairs toward our seat level. "From what she said, it sounds like you need it too." Coco smirked

I turned back to Goodwitch, and found her watching me impassively. "It was brought to my attention by doctor Azure that your aura was successfully activated during your previous sparring match with Ms. Xiao Long."

"Um… and?"

"And he also informed me that your aura was severely weakened as well. To such a degree that it would likely fall against a stiff breeze." Goodwitch continued "As such, I cannot allow you to continue sparring until it's been rectified. Hence why I've asked team CFVY to tutor you."

"Professor Goodwitch asked us if we wanted extra credit." Coco said, smacking my back as she and her team walked over to Goodwitch "All we have to do is help you with your aura."

It took me a second to get the gears moving in my head. I honestly been expecting the usual song and dance between me and Goodwitch. This however…

"… I'm sorry, could you be a bit more clear, I'm just… I'm completely lost here. It sounds like you're trying to do something that… helps me for once."

"Of course, I am your professor-" Goodwitch said, giving me a pointed look "- Contrary to what you believe, it is my job to help you."

"… I have so much evidence to the contrary."

"This, however, is still your punishment." Goodwitch continued "As such, you will be barred from sparring until Ms. Adel deems you fit for training. Your teammates will be receiving extra credit to ensure you actually attend the training."

"Oh, he will." Weiss said, giving me the evil eye.

"I'm not planning for my team to go easy on him either." Coco confirmed, tipping her shades and giving me a vicious smirk.

I looked at everyone blankly for a moment. "… so to summarize: I don't have to get the tar kicked out of me, and can spend the next several classes working on something that's going to benefit me much more in the long run?"

"In a sense, that is correct." Goodwitch confirmed.

"…Well shit, alright." I shrugged "No complaints here for once."

"We'll see how long that lasts." Coco said, turning to leave with her teammates. Velvet giving a small wave goodbye as they did.

"Language, mister Six, you will start next session." Goodwitch nodded "Bear in mind, I expect results."

"Mhmm, whatever you say." I said, waving her off.

Goodwitch glared at me a moment longer. Then she turned and left to do whatever it is she does when she's not torturing hapless students. Leaving me with my teammates. All of whom, excepting bookworm Blake, were smirking smugly at me.

"… Not. A. Word." I said.

"No need." Weiss said, standing up.

"That's two."

"We weren't wrong."

"Five."

"Hey, at least now we can help teach you something." Ruby said.

"And we can start sparring more seriously too!" Yang whooped.

I looked at the four of them for a moment. I could've said something sarcastic, slightly acidic, or disparaging. I certainly wanted to. But, in all honesty, this was all for my benefit. They didn't have to help me understand my aura any better, they could've just left me to flounder until I figured it out. But they weren't and they were doing it with, if somewhat self-satisfied, smiles on their faces.

I honestly appreciated it.

"… Thank you." I said, bowing my head slightly "You've made this easier for me than you know."

My teammates shared a look with each other that I could only assume was to further cement their satisfaction. Ruby hopped up from her seat and headed for the door. "Class is done for the day, let's go do something fun!" She said.

"Like what?"

"Umm…" Ruby hummed, thinking a moment before snapping her fingers "Dad just sent me a new boardgame, we can go play that!"

"A board game?" I asked. "What're we gonna do, play checkers?"

"You'll see." Yang smiled "C'mon"

Yang got up and joined her sister. Followed in short order by snowflake. The only person to remain sitting was Blake, apparently lost in her book completely.

"You coming?" Yang asked, motioning to her partner.

"What?" Blake asked, looking to us "… Oh, yeah, sorry."

She too got up and joined our little collection. As we began walking, I kept an eye on Blake. She'd been noticeably absent the past few day from a lot of conversation. Not something strange for her, but definitely notable. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts about something. I could probably hazard some guesses as to what.

As we walked, I looked at my pip-boy, checking the 'Quests' Section.

Brighter Than The Sun

-Talk with Yang about what happened in the club.

What's New Pussy Cat

-Make things up to Blake.

They were still there. Something told me they weren't going anywhere anytime soon either. Just like me. But I still had the power to change that at least.

'… I guess it's time to go to work.'