20Inside a dimly lit room two individuals were facing each other, on the right side of the table they sat around you could see a young man, dressed in a slightly dusty uniform, his face bearing a barely noticeable mix of excitement and fear.
He was faced by a peculiar creature, a middle aged man dressed in a civilian manner, with only his armband giving up his affiliation. The man's eyes were fixed on a piece of paper in his hand, all while he used his right hand to rotate a pen. Despite this strange behavior, it was unmistakable that he was the one leading this strange arrangements.
"I believe that you know why you are here, for the better or worse you managed to get our attention." He still wasn't looking at his interlocutor, switching his piece of paper for another one, but still let his words sink in for a few seconds before resuming. "You created something truly frightening you know ?"
The man pulled out a cigar before reading out loud from the piece of paper in his hands. "Your invention has proven to be of lethal effectiveness against most lifeform, including, but not limited to, Grimms"
"But ?" At those words the man suddenly stopped all his movements, before slowly raising his head to look at the young man straight in the eyes.
"I don't think you realize the potential of this weapon, and what it could do if it fell into the wrong hands. Entire battles, what am I saying, entire WARS could be decided by how this weapon is used."
"Unlike what you seem to believe, I didn't develop it after some kind of impulse or stroke of genius. It was a long and strenuous process, and I've had enough time to think about the ramifications and enough chances to turn back and give up, but I didn't, do you know why, my dear General ?"
A smile slowly etched its way on the General's face, as he took a puff of his cigar, releasing a cloud of toxic fumes in the space between the twos.
"Oh, I don't. But please enlighten me, tell me everything that lies inside that head of yours."
"Because, despite your best efforts to hide it, I know that a war is coming. But not a simple war, I am talking about a war that would put even the Great War to shame. This invention will be used, by us or by them, wether you like it or not, and I, am only trying to give us an edge in this upcoming storm."
"Another Great War you say, and you are willing to bring death and suffering to our enemies from the possibility that they may do the same ? An interesting view to say the least."
"However I fear that others Kingdoms won't be our greatest enemy in the upcoming struggle, for I believe there to be something else, I'm not talking about the Grimms, but about something nastier, silent and invisible until it strikes. There are too many holes in our history, too many secrets, a piece is missing, I can feel it..."
"You are... a fascinating person, my dear friend. And I may just know someone who could help you out with this problem. So this is what I suggest, you continue developing this weapon under me, while I provide you with an opportunity to learn everything about this threat you speak of." Concluded the General, before offering a hand for the young man to shake.
Fritz hesitated briefly, examining his future employer's face for a short, barely noticeable, instant. He didn't seemed like an honorable individual, not at all. Trusting him probably wasn't a good idea. But he had to know, this was his one opportunity to prepare the world for war, for the only war that mattered.
He firmly met Kerran's hand, accepting the offer. He would work for him, at least for now.
Not that far away, a certain operative was slowly waking up.
What had happened ? She vaguely remembered entering an airship, but that's all. Where is she now, and what is this place ?
"You find yourself inside of Atlas, the infirmary to be precise. It is 10 in the morning, and it's the third day of June, if you want to know everything."
Griza's eye took a while to adapt to the blinding light surrounding her, but eventually she was able to discern a person sitting next to the bed she was in.
"Who are you ? And why am I here ?"
"You were found passed out inside one of my airships, who's captain decided that you needed medical assistance. As for me, I am the supreme General of the kingdom of Atlas."
In retrospect Griza felt like she had been very rude, which probably wasn't a good idea when the person she was talking to could so easily end her life.
"I... I'm very sorry... General. I didn't knew who you where, but I'm very grateful to be in your presence." Griza clumsily said, all while she worried about the reason of his presence. Had he learned about her short fraternisation with the faunus boy ? Or was it about her and her master's intervention in Vacuo ?
"Oh, I'm undeserving of all this praise, and the pleasure is all mine." The General paused for a few seconds before resuming.
"I have been following your career with great interest for some time. You are barely an adult and yet you accomplished so much already. I can only hope that you continue to exceed our expectations."
"But I didn't come here simply to state the obvious, the truth is that with your actions in Vacuo, you put us in a precarious situation. Unsurprisingly the council of Vale didn't appreciate having their influence over Vacuo completely shattered for the first time in over a century."
And here was the 'but' Griza was expecting, she could only hope for it not to be too bad.
"Needless to say that they immediately put the blame on Atlas, and it's safe to say that relations between our countries have never been this low since the great war."
Oh shit ! It was that bad. Was helping Vacuo's people really worth another great war ? In retrospective it surely didn't feel like that to Griza.
"And worst of all, they are now feeling cornered. Their reaction to this loss of control was to reaffirm their ties with Mistral, which doesn't help us to say the least."
Guess it made sense, after the treaty of Vital Mistral had rapidly entered in a cordial relation with Vale, mainly for economic benefits, as their old trading partner, us, had suffered an immense amount of destruction, who's trace is still visible to this day.
"As you may know, Vale controls the only maritime road to Vacuo that don't involve crossing Grimm infested waters. This means that while Vacuo has been friendly to us until now, Vale remains in the capacity to completely cut us off from them."
All this was interesting and all, but why was he telling her this ? He probably expected something out of her, probably something that involves killing innocent people like usual. He gave the orders, to her, and to many others. How many lives had he destroyed ?
"It is obvious that if war were to come right now, we wouldn't far well. Vale could simply ignore Vacuo and then mount a joint invasion against us with the help of Mistral. Nonetheless I have a plan, even if only a temporary one. But time is what we need, and for this Atlas needs your help."
"What... do you expect from me ?" Griza asked, deciding that she had to learn more before opting out of the General's pet project.
"I knew we could count on you ! My plan involve... persuading... a strategically placed town on Anima, to join our cause. This town, or more small kingdom I would say, has recently broken all ties with Mistral after a plot involving their ruling family."
"This means that by aligning them we would not only gain a foothold on the continent, but more importantly create an obstacle for Mistral to clear before they could ever hope to link up with Vale."
Yes, it was all coming together now, but there was still an important question left.
"How exactly do you plan to persuade them to ally us ?"
"Well, the reality of our situation is that failure simply isn't an option, if we fail nothing will guarantee our survival in the coming years. This is our only chance, and this is why I am here. In the regrettable possibility that they refuse, we will have no choice but to use force..."
"You're suggesting an invasion, plain and simple !"
"No, of course not, we aren't some kind of warmongering empire. We aren't going to take over the city or anything, I'm just saying that a show of force may be necessary for them to accept."
"That's still coercion at best, you're aren't any better than the Valean we kicked out of Vacuo !"
"Please, I beg you to calm down and think about it for a moment. Do you understand what failure would mean ? Haven't you seen the destruction and misery defeat brought us ? Even now, more than a half century later, the descendants of their invading armies are still roaming the streets, waiting for an occasion to rise up and destroy everything we have painfully rebuilt !"
As much as Griza hated to acknowledge it, there was a part of truth in his words. Many of Atlas' modern problems could be traced back to the great war, the war and it's consequences having left almost a fourth of the kingdom's population death.
Decades of instability and chaos followed while famine ravaged the country. And what was left of the invading armies soon became bandits and mercenaries, turning the temporary occupation of Mantle into a multiple decades long plunder.
But she had been to Vacuo, she had seen its people struggle in a similar way to her own. Could they have changed ? It had been almost thirty years, the majority of those who would fight this new war weren't even born to witness the first. Butt those that did were still here, holding on to their past glories in a desperate attempt to maintain their influence.
"Listen, I know the situation is complicated, I know you aren't sure what to believe. I know because I've also been through this, I was there thirty years ago, wondering if I what I was really fighting for, if it had all been worth it..."
"But you are not me, you are different. Your name is on everyone's lips, they know what you have done in Vacuo, they have heard your speech. Whether you like it or not, you have become a symbol."
Her speech had been recorded, this was kind of embarrassing. More importantly it meant that the entire world now associated her with the rising tension between the kingdoms.
"You cannot hide any longer, and you cannot stop what you started. The only choice that is given to you is wether you will refuse to take responsibility for your actions and let the carnage start without intervening, or finish what you started and limit the losses."
It did seem like there was no escape for her, a lot of people probably already hated her, but if she were to refuse the General's offer, she would be seen as an hypocrite an those who approved of her intervention in Vacuo would stop supporting her.
While she didn't really care what people thought about her in itself, to be despised by everyone would hardly do any good to her career and her ability to live in Atlas in general. And if the General decided to get rid of her, where would she go ? Mistral and Vale probably weren't good ideas, and Vacuo was still well, Vacuo.
On the other hand there was something Griza hadn't thought of before, judging by the General's insistence in participating in his little project, chances were high that she would be given some level of authority or influence over the operation.
So it meant that if she accepted, she would be able to intervene during the process to avoid any loss of life or at least limit it.
"But what would by role in this operation even be ?"
A discreet smile appeared on the General's face when he heard that Griza was finally entertaining his proposal and persisted as he answered.
"We opted to send 3 companies of 100 men each, with the support of 30 specialist to be divided between them as needed. You would integrate this expeditionary force as the Warrant Officer of the third company. To be honest your role will mainly be to advise this company with little to no direct fighting involved, so you will basically be a figurehead."
"And how are you going to proceed exactly ?"
"I can't tell you everything unless you join, but the general informations should do. The force will arrive there on board of 10 airships, the one you are on will then land in the town itself to start negotiations. We will offer them protection and economic aid in exchange for their alliance, and they won't have more than 24 hours to answer."
He paused a moment to catch a breath and verify that Griza was following, before resuming.
"If they refuse or fail to answer on time, the fleet will bomb the town before sending another, slightly modified, offer. If they don't accept within the hour, you will have to occupy the city. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it ?"
Lacking anything to continue temporizing, Griza had to face the hard truth.
"I don't really have a choice, do I ?"
"I am pleased that you finally understand the situation. Yes, you don't have a choice. But I also don't have one, and Atlas doesn't either. This is our only hope."
"I want my participation to be quiet and anonymous, no public announcement or anything like that."
"This can be arranged. Anything else ?"
"When do we leave ?"
"In about three hours, everything is ready, and we were only waiting for you. I'm afraid that time is a luxury we don't have, don't worry though, you will have plenty of time to recover during the flight."
Griza answered with a nod and the General slowly got up from his chair.
"I can only wish you good luck, and do keep in mind what is at stake. Goodbye Operative."
The operative un question waited to be alone to finally do an health checkup. All of her injuries seemed to have healed, even if a nasty scar was now adorning her throat where the faunus had bitten her.
She found out that her legs were functional, and tried to go out of the bed. One step after the other, Griza shakily walked towards the door, gaining stability as time went on.
The infirmary itself was almost empty, with the exemption of a few hospitalized students whispering to each other. After a not so quick detour to the locker room, Griza headed towards her new assignment.
The atmosphere was unusual, to say the least. Griza couldn't remember those corridors ever being empty. The few peoples crossing her path looking at her either with admiration, or with a mix of fear and hate.
In the end she wouldn't even be able to sleep a single night in her dorm, with the company of people she knew. How did James fare during all this time ? Maybe something happened to him, maybe he was dead, and she wouldn't know a thing.
But such morosity would lead nowhere, and as for now, she had a duty to uphold. Now outside of the academy, she could see the launching pads buzzing with activity, a dozen or so airships surrounded by a swarm of soldiers and specialists, present in numbers greater than anything Griza had ever witnessed before.
Griza started looking for the company she was assigned to, before a voice suddenly interrupted her.
"Griza ? Griza is that you ?" The person in question turned around to see someone that she had almost lost hope of being reunited with ever again.
"James... What... How..."
"What so surprising about me being here ? That's where I work. But I can't tell the same for you, what's going on ?"
A small smile crept it's way over Griza's face as she answered.
"A lot of things happened for me to end up here, but you ? You haven't changed at all."
"Oh come-on, stop bragging about yourself like that, I've been doing a lot of things too. Look I even graduated while you where burning your ass in Vacuo, I'm in the Army now, as a Major to be precise."
"How considerate of you, Mister Major, you always had a way with words."
"Well, can't someone care for a friend anymore ?"
They stared impassively at each other for a moment. A smile slowly crept its way onto James face, and Griza suddenly started laughing, quickly followed by James. So many things had changed, yet remained the same.
"Of course you can." Griza answered as James took a tentative step forward. Then, out of nowhere, he started hugging her. At first it was a little awkward, Griza didn't knew how to react. But it was comfortable, and for the first time in a very long time, she felt at home.
"I've missed you a lot you know." Griza let out in a suddenly serious tone. "Things weren't always nice, and I lost count of how many times I whished for you to be there with me."
A flash of silent comprehension passed through James eyes. "I know. I... I feel like you simply aren't cut for the job. Did you think about switching branch ?"
"I don't think I've got a choice at this point, things are now in motion that cannot be undone. All I have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to me."
"I missed you too." Said James after a moment of silence. Eventually, Griza begrudgingly slowly broke the hug.
"You remember what I promised you before leaving ? Believe it or not, I actually found some kind of ancient weapon in a ruin during the mission, take a look." Griza said while handing him a pistol wrapped in torn clothes.
A strange orange light glowed in the middle of the revolver and looked like it was pulsating in slow yet powerful way. Despite the pistol's apparent power source's color, the metal's coldness could be felt through its wrappings.
At first James simply stared at the strange device, trying to figure out it's functioning. He hesitated a short moment before slowly grabbing the weapon. At the instant his finger made contact with the cold metal, his whole body stopped and his usually blue eyes switched color in favor of a burning orange. His left eye soon regained its original color, but the effect lasted long enough on the other one for Griza to notice the change.
As James began to move again, seemingly back to normal, a spark of orange shortly appeared in his right eye. It was only now that the duo noticed that the glow inside of the weapon had not only grown considerably smaller and slower, but also that it's color had changed to a light blue.
"How... Where did you find this ?" James asked.
"It's a long story, basically we where on a mission in Vacuo, I can't tell you the details but we ended up in an abandoned fortress. Then, well I fell in a hole, and found this thing while looking for a way out."
"This really feels like a short version. Anyway this weapon feels strange, did you find anything else with it, like ammo or something like that ?"
There had been something else, a chess piece to be accurate. She had left it somewhere inside her backpack since Vacuo, it would be a pain to find it. But wait, something was wrong... There was something in her pocket, she felt it under her touch. This wasn't something that had to be shown. Griza didn't knew why, but she felt the need to keep it secret... to keep it safe.
"I'm sorry, there wasn't anything with it. Honestly I wasn't expecting you to actually use it, this thing probably has more value as an archeological discovery or in a collection."
James was now closely examining the weapon, trying to find a way to disassemble it. In a very peculiar manner, there was no screw on it, in fact it didn't seemed like there was any part that could be removed, it was like the whole thing was molded as a singular piece.
In addition to this there wasn't any cartridge clip, and James was now seriously doubting if the weapon had ever been used.
"Guess you are right, I shouldn't mess with it unless there isn't any other option, it probably belongs in a museum."
"On another note, do you know where the third company is ? I've been assigned as its Warrent Officer if I remember correctly."
"I'm in charge of the first one, but I believe they're on those three airships." James answered while pointing at a few airship in which barrels were being loaded.
"Thanks, I really hope all this operation will go well. To be honest I'm not feeling good about it at all."
"Well, You're the one with actual field experience, so I guess it's not a good sign. Try to be careful, if your instincts led you this far, you should probably trust them. But I don't have any more time to catch-up for now, just remember, believe in yourself, and if you don't, believe in me when I say that I believe in you. Good luck."
Watching her friend leave, Griza resigned to her fate and headed towards the airships. As she neared them Griza could observe a few dozen soldiers sitting impatiently, while an officer lectured them. The officer in question was the first to notice Griza's presence and addressed her.
"You're finally here, thought we would be waiting all day. You might have treated by some as the physical incarnation of the gods, but don't expect the same treatment here. I've known many entitled pricks like you, the only difference is that, unlike them, you're still alive."
Calm down, this is a serious mission, you have to be professional, don't start yelling at him.
"Then I would be happy to prove you wrong." Replied Griza while the officer simply huffed at this.
"I'm Major Three, and before you ask, no that's not my real name, but that's the only name by which you will address me, understood ?"
"Shall I remind you that I'm not one of your men ? I'm not obligated to follow your orders, but you already knew that didn't you ? You seem to know who I am, so I won't waste time with introductions. So unless you wish to make us waste more time, I would suggest that you shut up and do your job."
Well, that couldn't really be described as "professional", but it would suffice. She didn't know why she had been this aggressive, this guy just made her mad. He didn't know anything about her, she didn't ask to be here, she didn't ask for the General's attention, this was just a shitty situation and everyone had already started on the wrong foot.
At least the privates seemed to appreciate her retord, 'Three' probably wasn't really popular. And as the airship slowly elevated itself into the air, as the city below faded on the horizon, a single thought remained on Griza's mind : She was starting to miss Vacuo.
More exposition than I would like in this chapter, god it's almost entirely dialogues. Something actually impactful will happen next chapter.
While I'm talking about this, the next chapter may very well be the last of this version of the story. To be honest I've been disatisfied with this fic for some time now, I've added a lot of things in the heat of the moment and now I don't know how to deal with them.
I've been drawing up plans for an Akame ga kill! fic, which I will probably start before rewriting this one. But if anyone has any other idea, I'm willing to give it a shot.
Anyway, thanks a lot for your support, I would never have gone this far without you.
Until next time.