"They say strangers are just friends you haven't met... unless they're shooting at you. Then they are definitely not your friends... nor will you ever meet them"- Captain Tai Lastimosa

     You awoke to find yourself sitting on a bunk bed. Around you, there were several others. All grey metal, with the same for the surrounding walls. It looked like a military squad dormitory that you had slept in once while in the 9th Militia Fleet after you had left Orthros. You heard chatter outside the room door- two men. You slowly rose to your feet, the world seeming to go in slow motion. You were tired; your bones felt weak and your muscles ached. Stepping toward the door, you hesitated before opening it. What were they talking about? Did it concern me? Why are they here? When you finally opened the door, the two men stopped their conversation and looked at you with disapproving and disgusted faces. They shared a glance before walking in opposite directions. You were curious as to why they acted this way but didn't follow. You started walking. You didn't know where you were going - just walking.

     As you went, everyone you walked by looked at you with anger or disappointment. The edges of your vision were foggy, adding to the nauseating feeling of the slow-motion world. Your mood grew worse. You knew why they were looking at you like this, but it wouldn't come to mind in your conscience. As you neared your destination, the number of people grew. The number of looks you received grew as well. You noticed what you were wearing as well. It wasn't the pilot's uniform or the off duty outfit. It was the outfit given to a captured traitor. You kept up your pace, no longer stopping to look at anyone and instead focusing on the interior of the ship. The gray walls around you had a strip of orange paint through the middle. Various doors and rooms had labels over them, marking important locations. 

     Military personnel were walking around, performing different tasks. You tried your hardest to ignore them. It didn't matter. You could feel their eyes boring into you like a fiery brand. There was no escape. Then the shouting started. People were stopping around you, shouting terrible insults that were only ever used as slang against the enemy. Then they surrounded you, forming a wall. You tried to push through it, only getting so far before you yourself were pushed down. A group of men started kicking you, punching you, just beating you in general. Several things were yelled "Traitor!" "You did this!" "It's all your fault!" You didn't know what they meant, or what was going on. When the pain finally stopped, they had stood up. One came from the crowd holding a bucket of water. They brought you to a knee and put the water in front of you. Some held your arms back, while others held back your legs. You didn't have the energy to resist anyway. One put a hand on the back of your head before roughly pushing it into the bucket and it wasn't long before you felt yourself slowly slipping away.

     You shot awake, your head snapping up. Your breathing was sporadic and panicked. So much so that you didn't see the people standing in front of you. As you calmed yourself down, you felt how wet your face was, and looked to see an empty silver bucket sitting on a table to your left, right next to your SRS helmet. "Oh good, you're finally awake." A voice said from the other side of the table. His face was hidden, as the only light in the room was pointed at you. You were about to speak when whoever this person was spoke before you. "I hope you don't mind the cuffs." It took you a second to realize what he meant. As you tried to move your hands, you felt the handcuffs on your hands behind the chair you sat on. "Now, you caused quite a lot of trouble on your way here. Many people are dead today because of you."

     "Wow really? I thought that on the planet of school girls wielding giant fantasy weapons, you'd all be invulnerable to my rockets. It appears I've overestimated . . . whatever technology you appear to possess." You said sarcastically. If there was one thing you remembered from the times you were interrogated, it was to get the interrogators mad. The loss of rational thought would allow you to make them do things they wouldn't normally do.

     "How dare you! I'll have you know that what you destroyed was state-of-the-art Atlas technology." This was said by the other person in the room. She obviously had a lot less pride to spare.

     "Gee, I had no idea. Hey, you think they got some 'state-of-the-art' Atlas technology lights you can turn on? This lamp hurts my eyes." Before she had time to react, the first one spoke.

     "Now, now, Glynda, he is just messing with your head. Whoever you are, you've caused panic for the city and grief for the families of the pilots of those mechs. I'm only going to ask this once. Who are you? From where on remnant have you come? And what was your intention when you attacked my students and invaded the streets of this city?" You stared at him with a bored look on your face.

     "I don't know what you're going on about, or what 'Remnant' is. My name is classified and even if it wasn't, I wouldn't go handing it out some random ass people who decide to shoot first, ask questions later. And I never intended on "invading" your streets. I was simply acting in self-defense after being attacked on an unknown planet."

     "Do you think this is some kind of joke? People are dead because of you." The woman said, venom laced in her every word.

     "And I would have been dead because of those people, so I guess that makes us even." You retorted monotonously.

     "We wouldn't have attacked if you hadn't attacked first." She said.

     "One, I find that hard to believe. Two, you attacked me first so . . . I guess that solves that problem." You were hoping this was working. Pissing people off dared them to listen to you, allowing you to use your glorious charisma on them.

     "According to the report from my students, it is quite the opposite," the man said. 

     "Then your students are delusional." You really wanted this 'Glynda' woman to lash out. She was the weak link here.     

      "You little . . . ugh! You don't even know who it is you're talking about." The woman almost yelled.

     "Yes! Exactly! I have no idea who these "students" of yours are. I'm also wondering about those mechs. You said they were piloted, but any good pilot with any kind of sense would have fought better than they did. You sure they weren't on autopilot?" As you said that, you saw one of the shadows raise something into the air. An arm went up and quickly caught it before it came down. You now knew which was which. The one the right was Glynda, while the other's name was still unknown.

     "Do you recall a group of eight people that came to talk with you after you made your first landing?" He asked you.

     "Ah, yes, the I'm-gonna-use-a-weapon-twice-my-size-because-it's-so-practical group of girls that I saw earlier. I recall them." You said.

     "I was informed in the report given to me by that group that they had seen you take on an entire pack of Beowolfs on your own, and proceeded to attack them upon their first interaction with you."

     "That's a funny story, but mine is different." You smirked at him.

     "Then please, what is your story?" His shadow sat in front of me, lacing its fingers.

     "Well, it starts in an interrogation room. There was a weird old man and a mean woman who were asking some innocent man questions. Then, the man asked for light, and the weird old man turned them on. They all lived happily ever after." The older man sighed, and motioned for Glynda. She hit a switch and the room was illuminated. "Hallelujah." You said while making a failed attempt to raise your arms. You could now identify who they were. The old man was actually not that old. He wore a black suit with a green interior. He had white hair and yellow eyes. Glynda wore a black skirt with black leggings, a white shirt thing that the author was too lazy to look up the name of, a cape (one of those weird ones that only goes to the lower back), as well as blonde hair and green eyes.

     "Oh Glynda, you're so pretty." You said smugly. She was about to hit me with her riding crop until the man stopped her.

     "So you were saying" he said.

     "Right. I did take on a large pack of . . . what were they called? Beowolves? Yes those. They were relatively easy targets. Then I was there, minding my own business when I heard the cock of a shotgun at point-blank range, followed by a threat. So no shit Sherlock, of course I retaliated. The city incident was no different. I was hoping to find help, but you all dropped those disgraces to all mechs everywhere basically on top of me, guns blazing. Did you really expect me to just stand there and take it?" He looked skeptical at first, but his features soon relaxed.

     "I believe that we may be in the midst of a very large misunderstanding." He said looking over at Glynda. That moment of understanding was only temporary, as a larger, more muscular man in a white coat walked through the door. 

     "Ah, I see criminally insane is finally awake. I trust the interrogation is going well?" You could already tell you'd have a distaste for this man.

     "We seem to have made some unusual developments. It would appear that this incident may have been the product of a miscommunication." The suited man said.

     "A miscommunication? You can't be serious. He's killed more people just today than some huntsmen do in a lifetime."

     "You should hear his story. It's very interesting." The grey-haired man met the eyes of the man in the coat

     "Story? Ozpin, the only story there is, is the story that Vale and the rest of remnant believe. That story is that an advanced machine jumped Vale's wall and wreaked havoc in its streets. The world has its opinion, one I share at that."

     "I think it would be in our best interests to here more of what he has to say. He did attack, but there is the possibility that he fought in self-defense." The man now known as Ozpin stated.

     "Self defense? You saw how brutal he was. Even if it was self-defense, he was ruthless in dealing with our countermeasures. The only reason he hasn't been sent to prison and most likely put on death row is because emergency forces are so busy dealing with his attack." The general said this in a matter-of-fact tone that said a lot about his character. Deciding you were done being silent, you interjected.

     "Alright General Marder, I understand you think you're the smartest person in the room, but give ol' Ozzy here a chance. I mean, I know you think you're doing the world a favor but stop. Stop trying to be a hero - you'll live longer." You smirked as you said this, repeating the words of a certain mercenary.

     "Excuse me? You are in no place to be making any kind of demand. In fact, you're in the custody of the Atlas Military and, as of now, you will go where we want and when we want you to go. Don't even think about escaping. You might be strong from within that machine, but it is not here. Speaking of which, that robot will be out of your hair Ozpin. It has been scheduled to fly to Atlas tomorrow for deconstruction." As he said this, you perked up.

     "Like hell it is." The three of them look at you. "Like hell you're going to take apart my partner. He is worth more than you could possibly imagine." The general simply laughed at your comment.

     "It's as I said. You're nothing without that pile of scrap metal, no matter how advanced it is. That's why we're taking it apart. We will have an army of them, and you will be punished." He said this with such arrogant confidence that you started to suffocate.

     "You just made a huge mistake pal."You said before he walked out.

     "And what might that be?"

     "You just broke rule #1 of Frontier warfare: never underestimate a pilot." Your voice became somewhat darker as you said this.

     "Is that a threat?" The General asked.

     "No, its a warning." The conversational diversion had thankfully been successful, as none of them saw you tampering with something in your hands. The General chuckled but quickly stopped. You had long before mapped out the room in your head. The door was directly behind you, and captain self-righteous was behind you to your right. His laughing stopped as you put your plan to action. Breaking out of your cuffs, you jumped up keeping your left foot on the seat part of the chair and your left hand on the top. You grabbed your helmet with your right hand and pushed off the edge of the table with your right foot. Using the momentum from the push, you jumped with your left foot in the same direction you kicked and used your hand on the top of the chair as an anchor, directing your body in the general's direction with a  270-degree turn and delivered a flying roundhouse kick to his jaw. You did this all in one fluid motion, effectively dazing the white-jacketed prick.

     Completing the final 90 degrees, you faced the door as your helmet found its way back onto your head. Yanking the door open, you drew the hidden Smart Pistol you kept under your body armor. It looked like the inside of a warehouse. There was a curved metal ceiling and metal walls, as well as a mesh platform that came out a yard from the wall at second-floor height with a railing at the edge. There were two other doors. One at each far end of the room and various other doors on the first floor. An armed guard could be seen at either side of the doorway. You got a running start and used your left foot to jump off the railing and spin in their direction mid-air. Using the Smart Pistol's aiming system, a headshot dropped the two guards at the doorway. You spun again killing ten more that stood about the area, finishing off the magazine before hitting the ground with a roll.

     Upon making contact with the ground, you stood and readied for a fight. You launched your fist at the face of the first person you saw and turned around to catch the fist of another guard before pushing him into someone on your right. You then caught the foot of someone kicking you from behind and roundhouse kicked his knee joint hearing a satisfying crack. Turning to the left, you caught a fist and judo flipped the guard over your shoulder. You ducked under a flying attempt to tackle from your left and backflipped over another from behind, landing, and snapping the man's neck. 

     Ducking under a punch, you kicked the knee joint of someone behind you. The one in front was pushed away as you snagged the forearm of a guard holding a knife and twisted under his arm, breaking it, and using the man as a meat shield as rifle fire riddled his body. There were several men on the railing in front of you, so you took the opportunity to blow off the heads of the five riflemen with the Smart Pistol. From there, you disarmed the meat shield of his knife and cut diagonally across the chest of someone on the right, spun 270 degrees and side kicked the knee of someone on the left. From there, you spun back around to stab through the head of someone in front of you through the bottom jaw. From the right, a guard with a knife came at you with a slash to the head, but you kicked him away before ducking and doing a crouched 360, landing the knife inside the abdomen of another unfortunate soul. The one you kicked away came at you again but you moved between him and another charging guard and did a jumping split kick, knocking them both out. Catching the forearm of another knife strike, your jump kit flared as you did a flying knee to the lower jaw of the assailant, breaking his head back with a deadly crack. 

     Only a few men were left. Two of them came at you, both with swords. You limbo-ed under a horizontal swing from the first attacker and threw the knife you held at the neck of the second. You then grabbed his body before it fell and used it to block the stab of the sword from the first guard. In his shock, you jumped up and came down on his arm with a hammer fist and broke his elbow, disarming him of his weapon before catching it and shoving it through his face. Sensing the impending attack, you turned around and rolled forward as a barrage of machine-gun fire pelted the area where you previously stood. Your suit's stim activated, as you knew you couldn't run faster than a bullet. The remaining men were four in total, each of them carrying an automatic rifle. You performed a power slide, moving under their shots before boost jumping up to fire on them with the Smart Pistol, dropping the quad before they had time to react.

     From that position, you turned around and aimed at the three people on the platform from which you first came. Ozpin, Glynda, and as you had heard it from one of the guards, General Ironwood. The pistol locked onto them with its three remaining bullets. Ironwood sat there dumbfounded, the bodies of his men littering the floor. Glynda looked horrified and Ozzy sat with a calm face, sipping from his mug. "This is your fault, FYI. I mean, this could have been avoided, but you just had to run that arrogant mouth of yours. This is what happens when you fuck with the wrong people."

    "Y-You!" His face grew angry. "Men! Get in here and kill him!" From the doors around the room, men in full body armor came rushing in with rifles. They formed a circle around you, some kneeling, others standing. There were at least 100+ guns aimed at your head. "Men, aim and fire!-"

     "Delay that order." Ozpin interrupted the berating general. He, as well as some of his men, looked at the professor in curiosity. "You know, I had gathered that you were somewhat skilled based on your performance earlier, but I expected nothing like this. It seems as if the rumors are true. You are quite dangerous. A danger that would perhaps be foolish to let go to waste." He looked down, muttering the last part. Even as he did so, Ironwood and Glynda could hear him, but he spoke again before they could react. "You killed several squads of Atlas's soldiers on your own with nothing more than a pistol and a knife. I don't think I've seen skill like that in quite a long time. It seems we were, in fact, wrong to underestimate you."

     "This is nice and all, but what the hell are you getting at?" You asked, slightly annoyed. He smiled before answering.

     "You have certainly impressed me. I have a proposition for you."

     "A proposition? Oz you can't be serious. He belongs in prison or better yet, dead."

     "I know you're upset, James, but something tells me that even if you gave the order to fire, he would still escape. Is he really someone you want to have against you?" Ozpin was trying to be reasonable.

     "It doesn't matter what I want. What matters is the safety of the people. The people that he endangered."

     "If you decide to pull the trigger, he could become more of danger than he is now. Certainly, you can see an opportunity when it is right in front of you. We could use someone with his skills."

     "Skill that could be all too easily used to kill us all. He is in my custody and that is final." The banter was beginning to piss you off, so you decided to finally input.

     "Hey Ironwood, are we in Atlas right now?" You tried to sound like an ass while asking.

     "What? I-" He was trying to respond, but was abruptly cut off.

     "Are we in Atlas right now? Yes or no?"

     "We are currently in Vale." He said with a pissed off voice.

     "Then it isn't your jurisdiction. So technically, I am in his custody." You gestured towards Ozpin. "But before you say anything, Ozzy, deals are built on trust, something I'm short on right now. If we're going to make any kind of deal, I need to know I can trust you." Throughout all of this, Glynda just stood there. Now, however, she was appalled. She never expected you to live this long, let alone start making deals.

     "I'm listening," Ozpin said.

     "I want something, and I think you already know what it is. I want my Titan back. And don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. It's hard to miss 40 tons of walking death machine." If they were going to work anything out, you weren't going through without your partner.

     "Out of the question!" Ironwood frustratingly yelled.

     "Hey-uh, Irondick, not your jurisdiction, remember? Not your choice to make." You momentarily looked at him.

     "I am general Ironwood of the Kindom of Atlas! My jurisdiction is wherever I deem it necessary to maintain peace and order!" 

     You smirked. "Careful. We wouldn't want to say the wrong thing and start a war, would we? The titan is harmless as long as you don't pose a threat to him or I. So Ozpin, what'll it be?" You were going through with this, no matter how hard you had to push them. Ozpin sighed and looked at Ironwood.

     "Tell your men to have his 'titan' brought over to us." He held the bridge of his nose as he said this. The General looked like was either about to go on a rant or shit his pants. Both would be equally as entertaining.

     "You have never led me astray, Ozpin, but this is too far. If he took possession of that machine, there's no telling what damage could be done." Ironwood tried to protest but stopped when Ozpin held his hand up.

     "I am well aware of the risks that come with trusting his word, but we need him to trust us. Bring his machine, or I will call them and tell them myself." Ozpin said, getting tired of the constant back and forth. Ironwood sighed and pulled out his scroll. A few mutters could be heard as he made his call.

     "Your robot is being moved to us as we speak." As he said this, you began talking into your comm system.

     "Osiris, you there?" No response. "OS-1415 this is (Y/N). Do you read me?"

     "This is OS-1415. I can hear you, pilot. Status: I am currently being carried in your direction by air. I can attempt to escape."

     "That won't be necessary, Osiris. You're being carried to my location specifically. Stand by." The three above you sat there confused.

     "Who are you talking to?" Glynda asked accusingly.

     "Who do you think? What is the only other thing I have referred to as a person in the time that you have known me?" 

     Her face had a look of confusion. Then a look of shock. "W-What? The robot? There is no way the technology is that advanced. We are still so far from artificial intelligence." 

     "Well, then I guess it's good I don't think like you." As you said this, a large thud was heard outside the warehouse door.

     "Your titan has been delivered. Now it's your turn to listen." Ironwood spoke up. You could tell he was barely maintaining his composure at this point.

     "I want him in here with me. He's my partner and we do this together. I'd also suggest your men get their guns away from my head. He might take that as a threat."

     "No. I have gone through all the way with this, but there are limits to what I can tolerate." Ironwood said, beginning to look tired.

     "Well then it's good I didn't ask you." You smirked, knowing that you would be able to get a lot from Ironwood because of his temper. You did wonder one thing, however, and that was why all the leaders seemed to have so much damned pride. You made a wave with your arm and suddenly, two huge hands burst through the door and pried it open. From the new doorway walked the greatest thing you had seen all day. Your titan, OS-1415, proudly walked into the room. As proud as an artificial intelligence could be, anyway. Some of the soldiers began to shoot but were quickly told to stand down by Ozpin.

     "You ok, OS?" You asked your titan. The disbelief that an AI could exist was about to lead some of those in the room to ask why you were talking to a machine. They were quickly silenced.

     "All primary systems are online, pilot. Critical systems are running. Any and all viruses are being removed via the AI firewall built into the data core."

     "I'm sorry, did you say viruses? What viruses?" This surprised you, as titan data cores were programmed with nearly untouchable systems.

     "Upon my capture, military forces inserted several computer viruses to attempt at shutting down different systems, as well as finding the blueprints to the chassis. Any that are still operational are being decoded and destroyed." OS monotonously replied.

     "Hmm. Interesting." You looked over to see a very pissed looking Ironwood, and a very surprised Glynda. 

     Ozpin still stood, his mug never seeing to run out. He then decided to finally speak. "You have what it is you asked for. Now I believe you owe me your attention."

     "Whoa, whoa, not so fast there Ozzy. You forgot something." You said, partially serious.

     "What more could you possibly want?!" Ironwood made an overdramatic arm gesture as he said this.

     "If I recall, my titan here had two weapons. I want to know why he doesn't have them."

     "How stupid do you think I am? Did you really think I was going to let such a dangerous machine sit around with weapons bigger than a bullhead?" Ironwood asked this barely keeping his cool. You began to answer but were cut off by Ozpin.

     "I will see to it that your and your robot's weapons are personally delivered once we finish here, but please, just listen to what I have to say." Ozpin was even getting annoyed at this point.

     "Alright Ozpin, I'll bite. What trap do you have set for me?" You were reluctant, but you also didn't want the supposed planet turned on you.

     "If you recall the students from earlier, the reason they were all carrying such over the top weapons is that they attend a school where they are taught to fight the creatures of Grimm. Those creatures are what you encountered when you first arrived here. Weapons such as the ones the students posses are required to effectively combat these creatures. Each one is unique to the person wielding it, as they are designed by the user. The school those students attend is called Beacon Academy. At Beacon, students are taught not only to fight Grimm but also how to defend humanity from any threat it may face. They go to become huntsmen and huntresses, to learn how to protect the innocent and keep the balance of light in the world." You thought about what he said and already suspected what his request would be.

     "Cool. Wonderful. What does this have to do with me?" You wanted to get out of this, but it didn't seem like you had much choice.

     "You don't know much about Remnant, I've gathered as much. What I am offering you is attendance at Beacon. You will be given a place to stay, as well as storage for your equipment. You will also be given the time to study this planet's history and the enemies you will face while on it. It will also give me the ability to keep a . . . closer eye on you. If you don't want to, that is fine. There is always the alternative. I apologize for the lack of options, however, I cannot have you set free after the events of today." As he finished, he gestured to the room full of armed men. It was a good offer, but you still weren't completely sure of Ozpin's intentions. You then realized you didn't need to be.

     "OS, what do you think of this?" You turned to your titan, knowing his analysis abilities would allow partial clarity.

     "His vocal patterns suggest sincerity - he is not lying pilot. I recommend accepting his offer. With no active mission and no prior knowledge of this planet, moving to his school is our greatest chance of survival." His one eye looked at you, waiting for his next order.

     "What if Ironchode here decides he wants to bring me in? What would the circumstances allow me to do in terms of self-defense?" You were ready, but you wanted to leave no stone unturned.

     "There will be no issues as long as you follow the guidelines and refrain from hurting other students unless it is for instructional purpose. Criminal activity is also prohibited. If you can manage this, then I will see to it that you are fully protected for the duration of your time at Beacon Academy." When he finished, you looked over to your titan to see him give you a thumbs up.

"Alright, Ozpin. You got yourself a deal."