Team SSTO

Please report to my office at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow. There are matters that I need to discuss with you with regards to your missions this year. There will be a number of other people attending this meeting, so do be sure to come in your uniforms.

You will be exempt from lessons for the day.

-Sion Greymoon, Headmaster.

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It was strange to think that they were in their final year at the Academy. And if she was being honest with herself, Winter Schnee could never have imagined coming to care for her team as much as she did. When they first formed, they did not mesh well in the slightest.

First, there was her partner. Sirius Oracion. Proud scion of one of the ‘Old Families’ and much loved nephew of Councillor Lethe Oracion. Carrying himself with a swagger and a perpetual smirk, he had been exceedingly insufferable for the first few months. Boasting about his family history and bemoaning the fact he had to listen to the daughter of a ‘mere’ businessman. But by the end of their first year, he had fallen into lockstep with her and her decisions and had even saved her life during one of their missions in the third year. Yes, there were rumors in gossip magazines about them being in a relationship and yes said rumors were nonsense. He wasn’t into women and she hadn’t figured that sort of thing out yet.

And she had to admit, watching Sirius punching his father square in the jaw when the older man had insulted their team at some high society banquet or other would live long in her memories and made her wish that she’d recorded it.

Then there was Tortuga Darwin, a tortoise Faunus. He had started a year later than the rest of the Team due to certain familial circumstances, but had been quick to prove himself worthy of being at the Academy. His skin had a faint green tinge to it, and there were a smattering of scales across his body. He was tall and broad and the closest thing to a living embodiment of a gentle giant that Winter had ever met. Outside of battle, at least. She’d seen him pulp a Grimm’s skull with his bare hands on more than one occasion, after all.

There had been some degree of prejudice on both sides when they had first met, but they had long since apologized to each other and come to peace. She had come to trust his insights and judgment calls (and his breakfasts were divine).

And lastly was Orchid Mander. Winter was still not sure what to make of her even all these years later. Despite the fact that her last teammate had her head in the clouds more often than not, and had once driven Winter to the point of actually shaking her whilst screaming at the top of her lungs…Winter couldn’t deny the fact that Orchid had a knack for pulling off the impossible, often without explanation. On more than one occasion she’d saved the lives of the rest of her team from a threat that they’d not even known was there.

True, Orchid still acted like she wasn’t all there most of the time, but at least now Winter knew it was probably down to her Semblance rather than anything untoward. Having total awareness of everything within a hundred meter radius at all times would drive anyone a little nutty.

Together, they weren’t just Team SSTO of Atlas Academy. They had become the Headmaster’s ever dependable ‘Stormies’, handling a spate of special and classified missions for him. It was troublesome to keep things from their classmates, especially Teams AALM and SHNZ given how close they were despite (or perhaps because of) their friendly rivalry, but it had been a lesson on how to keep things secret.

So it wasn’t with any real sense of concern or trepidation that they had entered the Headmaster’s office that morning. Winter wouldn’t go as far as to say she was excited at the prospect of another mission, but she was certainly looking forward to being back out into the big wide world again. They’d been to the City of Oasis in Vacuo during one particular mission the previous year, and spent ten days chasing down the dregs of a smuggling ring that had been based in Mantle but had fled to the infamous ‘city of sin’ across the ocean. Working alongside a local non-association Huntsman a couple of years their senior, the mission was wrapped up within a week and she and her team had enjoyed a couple of days just cutting loose and having fun. Their hangovers at the end of it were inevitable, but totally worth it.

What Winter hadn’t counted on however, was just who was waiting for them in Headmaster Greymoon’s office. Swiveling around in the Headmaster’s chair, hands steepled and glasses glinting was Professor Casper Schwartz, looking like some stereotypical maniacal mad scientist from Friday afternoon children shows.

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Not that she would know about those, of course.

“...Does Headmaster Greymoon know you’re messing with his chair, Professor?” It was Sirius that asked the question, cheerfully snarking at their history teacher without even a moment of hesitation.

Not in the slightest!” Professor Schwartz grinned sheepishly as he got up. “But I figured it’d be best to start things off with some levity today. You’ll be getting into some pretty heavy topics soon, and I’d rather your entire day not be one long series of complicated….stuff.”

Winter nodded along, and allowed herself a smile. She had admittedly been somewhat apprehensive when she had first met Professor Casper Schwartz. The man had after all come right out and told them that they were his first ever class, and it was to her shame that she lacked confidence in him because of that. But in the few years since, she had come to both respect and like their Professor of History.

He showed no one any favor, tolerated no insults or discrimination, and did his utmost to always teach in a manner free from propaganda. Or at the very least, always told them when his sources were probably propagandistic in nature. His essays on the Pre-War World were concise, and if the rumors were true, the outline of a series of books he was writing on the subject.

However, it was the care he had for his students that had propelled him firmly into the ‘favorite teacher’ slot. Whether it be his willingness to listen or his open door policy or the fact he actually cared about them and not the Specialists they were training to be.

“Might I inquire as to who else is attending this meeting, Professor?” Tortuga asked, drawing Winter from her thoughts and getting those in the office back on topic.

Professor Schwartz’s smile faded a little, and he shook his head. “I am afraid we’ll need to go somewhere else for that, Mr Darwin. I’m here on escort duty.”

Before any of her team could comment further, their Professor glanced at his watch and gave a nod, and proceeded towards the door, and Winter noticed that he was armed. It was with the standard issue sidearm that most soldiers and specialists were given, but Winter could honestly say she’d never seen Professor Schwartz armed. Her team shared a glance amongst themselves before falling into step behind him.

“And Team SSTO.” The Professor paused at the door, and continued to speak in what was for him at least, an unusually serious tone. “From here on out you are under mission conditions.”

It was as though a switch had been thrown, and within the space of a single step Winter allowed her smile to dim to an emotionless mask and her relaxed gait to give way to that which was far more professional and combat ready. She didn’t even need to glance behind her to know that her teammates had done the same.

If even Professor Schwartz, practical and honest and laidback Professor Schwartz, was in full ‘military mode’, whatever it was they were about to be brought into had to be of some ridiculous level of importance or secrecy. Or both.

Likely both. Winter thought.

They followed in obedient silence, even as they left the Academy proper and headed into the Military Headquarters. Passing by personnel who paid them no mind and through the corridors they recognised…until they reached ones they didn’t.

Several sets of security doors soon passed them by, and Winter could confess some level of anxiety was setting in. Gone was the background noise of dozens of conversations. Gone was the background noise of computers, scrolls and news reports. Gone was any form of background noise at all. There was simply silence, save for their own footfalls.

This increasingly unnerving state of affairs mercifully ended when the group reached what outwardly appeared to be just another stretch of blank corridor…only for part of the wall to open up to reveal a hidden office which their Professor led them into. It was unlike any office any of them had ever seen before. Each wall was covered with multiple screens displaying too much information to take in at a glance, and the table in the middle of the room appeared to be a highly accurate and advanced map of Remnant.

The Headmaster was there, as were four other people. All of whom Winter recognised to some degree.

Jade Vocino was the right-hand woman of General Ironwood and effectively the person that ran the day-to-day operations of the entire Military. It was her that was spearheading the reforms that were starting to be implemented across the various branches of the Military, finally dealing with the mess of contradictions and inter-branch rivalries that had plagued the organization ever since it was essentially founded after the Great War, with new branches effectively tacked onto the existing apparatus. And then of course there was the racism that had to be finally expunged from their ranks. Winter did not envy Vocino in her task.

Ace-Ops Commander Clover Ebi was there, happily sharing a joke with a blonde woman she had never met before. She had seen her around before of course. Everyone had. Bianca Schokolade was practically a celebrity, the Specialist turned Detective that had used her ‘Object Memory’ Semblance to solve dozens of unsolved crimes in the span of a single summer.

And the final person in the room was the General of the Military himself, James Ironwood. Winter had met him before, but only ever in passing. Most of the time her interactions with him were limited to when he would occasionally watch their combat classes and offer advice or other observations he had. He had also personally congratulated her team when they had completed one of the ‘special’ missions they had been assigned, although she was only now wondering if said mission was more significant than it first appeared..

But she didn’t have much time to ponder this, as the General cleared his throat and finally addressed them with seven words that would go on to change her life, and the lives of her teammates forever..

“Team SSTO, welcome to the Blue Room.”