Nier Chapter 102 (Patreon)
Content
Once we entered the main office of Ozpin's I saw the headmaster himself and, Glynda Goodwitch, sitting around a large table with several newer faces all sitting at the table as well.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the invite to the high table as it were." I said sitting down in a chair at the end of the table closer to Glynda while 2B and A2 stood behind me warily taking the other rooms occupants.
"Yes indeed, you and your forces have proven to become a major player on the field as it were." Ozpin started off and then he started pointing out the people I haven't met so far not that that I didn't know them after recognizing them out of RWBY's art style. "That gentleman over there is General Ironwood one of the leaders of Atlas, and beside him is his once adjutant Winter Schnee that has taken the helm of the Schnee Dust Corporation and also the older sister of your girlfriend Weiss Schnee." Ozpin said with some humor as Winter eyed me like she was attempting to judge me.
I guess though with Winter having proven herself as Ironwood's trusted aid and having taken over the responsibility of the largest energy provider in the world that they saw fit to bring her in on Ozpins shadow war against Salem.
Then Ozpin continued to point at the last person that was laying his head on his palm as he tottered back and forth... But before Ozpin even said anything I knew that was Qrow Branwen as he smelled like he got dropped into a barrel of paint thinner. "And lastly is my right hand here in Vale being Qrow Branwen, the uncle to Miss Rose that is also on your team."
I nodded in greetings to everyone before I spoke. "I am not so sure what Ozpin has said of me and my operations but to be succinct I belong to an interdimensional pro-humanity force that arrives in new worlds and helps uplifts them to the level in which they can mine the local solar system for resources, so the humanity of that world doesn't do the typical bombing and poisoning of the world to kill off all humans at the behest of some insane ruler." I said calmly putting on a poker face but I noticed that the Atlas people weren't looking all to enthused at my story, so I focused on them.
"I see you don't really believe me all that much. Well, how will you explain the dozens of satellites and weapon platforms we have installed around the orbit of Remnant?" I asked rhetorically. "Your efforts to hack into Oracle to learn how it works and make your own Atlas variant is adorable, but your civilization is literally and with no exaggeration more than ten thousand years behind mine so don't bother." I said rolling my eyes as Ironwood's hands that were folded across the table creased as I hit the nail on the head.
"Well, you cannot blame us when ninety percent of the world is using your applications and much of the newer entertainment has your hand in it. To say nothing of the random rays of light that strikes the earth wiping out hordes of Grimm at seemingly random times." Ozpin spoke reasonably and I agreed with his words honestly as I would likely do the same.
"So what is your endgame here Jake. And on a personal note, what is your intentions for my sister Weiss, and did you approach her for her possible connection with our family company?" Winter began interrogating me and I saw Goodwitch cough as she hid her face in her coffee cup to hide her blush.
"Oh no Winter I didn't approach Weiss for some underhanded nonsense. If anything, she was the one to approach me when she had that sleep deprivation episode remember?" I said reminding her of the short call us three had that time when we learned of their fathers most unfortunate passing. "But as for my intentions I must say I already accomplished them." I said shrugging before I continued wryly. "I stole her heart, and filled the hole with my seed and now she is pregnant with my child. Regardless of anything I care for her and will be keeping her with me no matter happens." I finished and Winter chewed on those words before she nodded slightly giving me a pass.
"Anyway Jake, I have decided to formally include you in these meetings as your presence on the world scene have reached a level that we cannot ignore any longer and I personally wanted to know if you had any suggestions as to do with our common enemy the Queen of the Grimm Salem." Ozpin spoke respectfully as he placed down his large mug and tapped his cane on the ground as though excited for my thoughts.
For a moment I thought about what to actually say before I sighed and brought out my YoRHa data slate and brought up a holographic projection of the area surrounding Salem's castle. "Alright so Salem's castle is in the heart of the Grimlands and sure I could nuke the area into glass but the issue is I don't have enough satellites that will keep the Grimm that are sleeping across the world in check." I focused on Ozpin as I continued to speak.
"As you well know the Grimm pools just around her castle output a flat five hundred Grimm a day and after thousands of years of dozens of such pools outputting that same amount of Grimm?" I took a breath as I shook my head. "The question is not whether I can actually kill or remove Salem from play. But can humanity even on separate continents survive millions of Grimm coming to life instantaneously as Salem is in fact keeping the vast majority of Grimm asleep while she plays this shadow war?"
At my question all the round table grimaced as they considered my question, but Ozpin sighed brushing his glasses off some imaginary dust as he spoke and I realized the man was still an immortal tired man who was ready for true death and if Salem's curse would be the breaking of that, he was ready to sacrifice anything for that future.
"Just like before when the gods wiped out mankind, I am sure humanity will survive though if you could squirrel away a breeding population of humanity on the moon or something Jake that would be perfect. Or otherwise, General Ironwood you could have Atlas be sealed and heavily armored while moving to a more temperate climate so your hunters can acquire food for the people in the city." He said bringing up solutions making me scowl at how the man just wanted to roll over and die but I couldn't blame him beyond just being annoyed as he was truly a broken man after millennia of stealing people's bodies.
"No... Such drastic measures without much preparation are utterly impossible Ozpin. Sure, we could seal off Atlas and abandon everyone not within a deep bunker to die horribly but that won't change that Atlas as you said is in a hostile climate and will take weeks to drift over to Valean airspace to say nothing of accumulating the resources to keep the city alive if it was under siege for years by millions of Grimm." Ironwood said strongly.
I coughed and raised my own data pad. "Granted as I said I have my own forces and I can thin out hordes but as Ironwood said much preparation needs to be done and if we have the time, we can also fortify the other major cities like Vale and the others." I continued as although it would be difficult there was nothing stopping YoRHa from fortifying the city with one sided directional energy walls that would even work for beneath the city and would allow people to shoot out of the energy walls but nothing except for air would be able to come in.
"Now lastly, I would like to talk about these three people and their subordinates my forces have picked up on." I said pushing a couple buttons on my tablet for it to project the images of Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai. and below their pictures being Roman Torchwood and his accomplice Neapolitan. "These three are subordinates of Salem that I have pinpointed through the Oracle app's voice recording features and their words hit certain keywords for the scrolls to begin recording their lives and actions including talking to Salem's Seer grimm." I pointed out and brought up their information.
"I suggest in the interim of dealing with Salem permanently we deal with these people that have been orchestrating the Vale's dust thievery and other crimes which will also greatly declaw Salem herself as she will only have a couple more subordinates of note." I said as I put away my tablet and stood from the table.
"It's been a pleasure to speak with you all. And Qrow tell Ruby to stop trying to mount a rail gun on her sniper... She is Smoll and I don't want to tell you she yeeted herself out of the atmosphere." I said confusing the clearly drunk man as I walked with my two escorts out of the room before they began questioning me how I had all this info on Cinder and the others and most importantly didn't come running to tell them.