SAPR

by Scipio Smith

Adam's Last Victory (New)

Adam’s Last Victory

"I remember," Blake said, "that there was a time when you told me that being in Atlas meant there was more backup available than to huntsmen from other kingdoms."

"That's right," Rainbow replied. "I did say something like that, and I think the carrier and full cruiser squadron behind us backs me up."

"Mmm," Blake murmured, committing to nothing. "Explain to me then, that being the case, why we have to go in by ourselves?"

"Because I want to be sure that this is what we think it is before I drop the heavy end of the hammer on it," Cadance's voice came over the comm from the CIC of the carrier Jeffrey Sinclair, one of the ships of Third Squadron holding position out of detection range of Ramshead. "If I send in a battalion of troops to what turns out to be a perfectly legitimate SDC mining operation, then Jacques Schnee will skin me alive and use me as a throw rug — and he'll deserve to."

Blake's eyes widened. "Ma'am, I—"

"That's right, girls," Cadance said, a touch of amusement tickling her voice, "I can hear you."

Blake cringed. "Sorry, ma'am."

"Oh, don't mind me; I'm just glad that I could clear that up for you," Cadance said. "How's it looking, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow didn't reply for a moment as she looked out of the cockpit towards their destination. While Cadance was holding her ships back until or unless they were needed, Rainbow, Blake, and Penny were approaching in The Bus. After all, the SDC was not an enemy of Atlas, and this was not an off the books facility; there was nothing that anyone could find strange about an Atlesian airship flying overhead, and once Rainbow requested clearance to land and refuel, well, no one could find anything strange about that, either.

If they objected to her landing request, that would, itself, be pretty conclusive proof that there was something fishy going on at Ramshead.

But for now, there had been no communications with the surface; they were probably hoping that Rainbow would just fly on by. They were still some distance out, but not so far that Rainbow couldn't see what Ramshead looked like spread out beneath them.

The grimm trouble that had led Nicholas Schnee to declare the site not worth bothering with had led the SDC of today to erect black metal walls to surround the mining colony on three sides; only the side that butted up against the mountain, and the tunnels that led into the mountain to the mines within, was not walled off. There were towers built into the walls, and androids crewed the searchlights and the heavy weapons that were mounted on said towers.

Although both lights and guns were facing outwards at the moment, it occurred to Rainbow Dash that walls like that, while keeping the grimm out, could also serve to keep the … the ‘workers’ in. Although, even if they did get out, there weren't many places they could go; it was a long way across the tundra to Atlas, Mantle, or anywhere else.

Within the walls, Ramshead looked a dull, grey, dreary place, devoid of amenities or joy of any kind. The buildings were low and dark, some long and some squat, but all low; only the great dust storage tanks had any elevation at all. All the buildings were square too, all save for a single round, windowless structure that seemed sunk into the earth. A single spur of railway track led through the walls — via a gate which could be closed so as not to leave a permanent gap in the wall — towards, presumably, Mantle and the refineries there. A docking pad near the centre of the settlement already had an airship docked there, a Skyray with the SDC snowflake on its wings.

In the time it had taken to assemble the assault force, the sun had risen over the horizon, bathing Ramshead in a cold light, and in that light, Rainbow could see people, so small from up here, beginning to move through the town, emerging from the long, low blockhouses to move in a mass like a river towards the mountain tunnels.

"It's hard to say from up here, ma'am," Rainbow said. "It looks miserable, but we won't know if it's anything worse than miserable until we get down there."

"Understood," Cadance said. "Remember, the go-word is 'Canterlot'; say that, and I send in the troops. The abort word is 'Chrysalis'; say that, and we stand down."

"Acknowledged, ma'am," Rainbow said. "We're going to go silent for now. We'll contact you once we've assessed the situation."

"Copy that, Rainbow Dash," Cadance said. "Good luck out there."

"Thank you, ma'am." Rainbow tapped her earpiece, turning it temporarily off. Blake and Penny did likewise.

"I'm a little surprised the Councillor came herself," Blake observed.

"She wants to see this through," Rainbow said. "We both do." She glanced at Blake. "Are you okay?"

Blake looked away, a frown besmirching her features. "I … I keep thinking about the other Adam, the one in Equestria. The one who's marrying that other Blake, the one who is somebody. I know that Adam, our Adam, from this world, made his own choices and has to shoulder the blame for them, but at the same time, I can't help but imagine what he might have been, might have become, if his face … if he hadn't been … if things had been different."

She paused for a moment. "We might not stop it completely here, today, but if we can spare that fate … I might not be fine, but I am ready to do some good."

Rainbow nodded. "Penny?"

"I'm ready," Penny declared.

"Okay then," Rainbow said. "Let's do this." She pulled a microphone off the wall beside her and spoke into it. "This is Atlas Echo One-Eight-One to SDC facility requesting permission to land, over."

There was a moment of silence before any response crackled over the speakers.

"Echo One-Eight-One, what is the reason for your request, over?"

"We're low on fuel; I'm worried we might not make it back to Atlas," Rainbow said. "Requesting permission to land and refuel."

There was another pause, longer this time, a pause which dragged, which devoured the moments.

"What do we do if they say no?" asked Penny.

"Say it's an emergency and land anyway," Rainbow said. "What are they going to do, shoot down an Atlesian airship?"

"Can you be sure they wouldn't?" Blake asked.

"They wouldn't dare," Rainbow declared. "It would be the end of the SDC if they did."

"Echo One-Eight-One, you are cleared to land on the docking pad, over."

"Acknowledged, Control; we owe you one," Rainbow said into the microphone before she replaced it back in its cradle on the wall. "See?" she said. "What did I tell you?"

She began to guide The Bus down in a gentle descent towards the docking pad, the mining colony at Ramshead getting larger and larger beneath them as the airship descended upon it.

"Now, once we get down there, they might keep a watch on us, make sure we don't stumble onto anything they don't want us to know," Rainbow said. "In which case, Blake, you're the stealthy one, so you'll have to sneak away somehow and find Leaf or any evidence that justifies calling in Cadance and the cavalry."

"What happens if we can't find anything before the airship is refuelled?" Penny asked.

"Then … then I'll sabotage The Bus and give us an excuse to stick around for longer," Rainbow answered.

It would be a wrench to do it, especially since she'd have to do something that wasn't an easy fix, but it wasn't as though they could just leave with the job undone. At the very least, they needed to find Leaf and get her out of here, and preferably rescue any other faunus being held captive against their will.

The buildings of Ramshead were life-sized now, but they still looked squat and small and mean as The Bus made its final descent upon the docking pad. Rainbow set her down next to the SDC Skyray, feeling the slight jolt of landing before she cut the engines.

She unbundled herself from her seat, Blake doing likewise as Penny retreated from the cockpit to make way for them. Rainbow grabbed Undying Loyalty from where it leaned against the cockpit doorframe and slung it across her back.

The three of them lined up together, side by side, as Rainbow hit the button to open the side door.

The door slid sideways, revealing three figures standing on the tarmac waiting for them, all three of them wearing white uniforms with the snowflake of the Schnee Dust Company upon their breasts.

Rainbow really didn't like the fact that SDC Security wore the same colour uniforms as the Atlesian military; it was a cheap shot for everyone who wanted to say that there wasn't any difference between them.

Two of the three who greeted them were men, their faces impassive, with shotguns in their hands. The central figure was a woman, a dog faunus about Cadance's age, with terrier ears coming out of her short blonde hair — dyed blonde, judging by the hints of black and white just visible at the roots — which she wore in a pixie cut. The long sleeves of her uniform bulged with concealed muscle, as did her grey pants around the thigh area. Her collar was trimmed with gold braid, and although she wasn't carrying any weapon that Rainbow could see, nevertheless, Rainbow kept her eyes upon her, rather than on her gun-toting companions.

"Rainbow Dash, I presume?" she said, a smirk upon her face. She glanced at Blake. "And Blake Belladonna too, a pleasure that is no less welcome for the fact that it should have been expected."

Rainbow leapt down out of the airship. "You know who we are?"

"Your actions have brought you to general notice," the woman said, "and I've been expecting you." She held out one hand. "I'm Calliope Ferny, head of Schnee Dust Company Security."

"'Head'?" Rainbow repeated. "Head at this facility?"

"Head absolute," Calliope corrected.

"This … this is our teammate, Penny Polendina," Rainbow said. "I'd have thought that the absolute head of security would have a big office in Atlas instead of being out in a place like this."

Calliope chuckled. "Well, if I'd wanted to spend time in a big office in Atlas, I wouldn't have gone to work in Security, would I? Besides, I wanted to be here to roll out the welcome mat for you."

Rainbow licked her lips, “I don't know—"

"I suppose this is about the time one of you claims to need a bathroom break and then sneaks off to try and snoop around?" Calliope said. "Why don't I save us all some time? I've known you were coming ever since Miss Kelly was caught misusing company property last night. I don't know what you expected to find out here, but if you'll come with me, I'll put your mind at ease regarding any concerns you might have."

"Can we see Leaf?" Penny asked.

"No," Calliope said softly. "No, you can't."

"That would go a long way towards easing our concerns," Blake said firmly.

Calliope snorted. "I'm sure it would," she said, "but Miss Kelly is in solitary confinement after her little stunt of last night; if she were removed now, it would … it would have generally deleterious effects on discipline; I'm sure that, as soldiers of Atlas, you can understand that."

Rainbow folded her arms. "And I'm sure you understand that we've got absolutely no reason to take your word for any of this."

Calliope was silent for a moment. "Come with me," she said again. "You cannot speak to Miss Kelly, but I will show you her and answer any questions you may have."

Rainbow hesitated. This was not going at all the way that she had expected it to, but the more she thought about it, the more she thought she should have expected it to go this way. Leaf had been caught calling someone, calling Rainbow Dash; of course they had to have expected to come out here looking for her. Well, they might have assumed she couldn’t locate Leaf, but apparently, Calliope Ferny wasn't that complacent. She had come out here just in case they found it, to intercept Rainbow and her friends, to … Rainbow was reminded of the horror stories you heard about nursing homes, how they cleaned up the old folks before their families came to visit to hide how badly they were being looked after the rest of the time.

Is that what Calliope Ferny had come here to do? Clean up before visitors?

Rainbow thought about the brand on Adam's face. How was anyone supposed to clean that up?

By stopping them from seeing anything like it, maybe.

But they weren't going to have much luck getting away from her — any of them, even Blake — while she was standing right in front of them and on her guard, so Rainbow said, "Sure, we'll come with you." She glanced at Blake and at Penny where they stood on either side of her. "We'll all come with you."

Calliope smiled thinly. "I'm so glad. I'm sure that we can put all this to bed without any further misunderstandings."

She turned her back on them and began to stride away, forcing them to move briskly to keep up with the pace she set with her long legs.

Calliope led them across the settlement, passing the last of the throng of miners entering the tunnels under the watchful eyes of uniformed SDC guards. The guards, Rainbow noted, did not, in many cases, carry guns; rather, they held shock batons in their hands, glowing with yellow lightning dust.

It wasn’t a great look, but there was no sign of any of them actively mistreating the miners: no beatings, not even raised voices.

No doubt, Calliope had put them on their best behaviour.

"Is there any reason your men are watching the workforce like they're prisoners?" Blake asked.

"You won't be aware of this," Calliope said, without breaking her stride, "but the Atlesian worker is the worst idler in the world. Even those like Miss Kelly who come from other kingdoms eager to work swiftly become infected with the laziness of their Atlesian colleagues. They need careful, constant supervision in order to get a hard day's work out of them."

"That's … debatable," Rainbow murmured.

"Perhaps," Calliope allowed. "But the SDC has the right to manage its workforce as it sees fit. Within the bounds of the law, of course."

"Of course," Blake muttered.

"Why are they all wearing jumpsuits?" Rainbow asked, watching the workers in their identical dark blue outfits shuffling along into the mines.

"Why do you wear a uniform, Rainbow Dash?" asked Calliope. "It promotes discipline, a sense of unity, togetherness. Management practices which, again, can be disputed but are not, themselves, illegal."

Calliope led them into one of the smaller buildings, an office, with a large desk taking up most of the back wall and row after row of monitors took up the entirety of the wall on the left as they came in. Not all of the monitors were working, some were black and dead, but others showed people entering the tunnels, some boarding or aboard trains to carry them deep into the bowels of the earth; others still showed those who were already at work, digging precious Dust out of the cold hard rock. On the screens, people — not all faunus, some of them human — could be seen working in the kitchens or cleaning up in the empty bunkhouses.

On the cameras, Rainbow and the others could see that the employees slept in the large buildings with no rooms, no privacy — not even a screen visible to separate one sleeper from the other, not even a bed, just row after row of groundsheets and blanket rolls laid out on the floor.

"Cosy," Blake muttered.

"I'm sorry that we don't put our employees up in hotels, but we aren't running a holiday camp here," Calliope replied. "Besides, is it much worse than your dorm rooms?"

"Our dorm rooms have beds," Rainbow pointed out.

Calliope smiled. "Here at the SDC, we believe that uncomfortable sleeping arrangements provide an impetus to get up and go to work in the morning."

The smile lingered upon her face, stretching it out in a way that seemed a little unnatural, and frankly just a little bit creepy, before she said, "Now, you're anxious about the fate of Miss Kelly; well, here she is." She leaned back and picked up a small black control from off the desk, pointing it at the bank of monitors.

All of them, even the ones that had been blank before, changed, displaying a single larger than life image of Leaf. She was … they couldn't see where she was, but she didn't look too happy to be there, her mouth twisted with disgust, her eyes wide and darting every which way.

"Leaf!" Penny cried. "Let her out!"

"No," Calliope said flatly. "Miss Kelly has violated the terms of her employment with the SDC—"

"Then fire her," Rainbow said.

"Let me make myself very clear," Calliope said. "You have no authority here; that I am deigning to indulge you, to explain to you, is a courtesy, nothing more."

That, Rainbow thought, and you want us to go away and stop looking too deeply into this.

"Leaf said that you took her scroll," Blake said. "And now you're punishing her for making a call to Rainbow Dash."

"That was clearly stated on page twenty-four, section one hundred and nineteen, subparagraph three of the contract signed by Miss Kelly prior to taking up her employment here," Calliope said. "Personal scroll use is strictly forbidden on company time or facilities, and this entire town is a company facility."

"So she can't use her own scroll, and she can't use a company device," Rainbow said. "Sure sounds like you want to stop anyone from getting word out from here."

"Miss Kelly isn't here to have an active social life," Calliope said. "She's here to work. That's what we pay her for."

Blake folded her arms. "Is she getting paid?"

Calliope scoffed. "Of course she is. Miss Kelly, like all our employees here at Ramshead, receives her contractual salary. Minus income tax, legally-mandated pension contributions, contributions towards her legally-mandated health insurance, and contributions to help cover the company's corporation tax … really, if you think that Miss Kelly isn't keeping enough of her own money, I suggest you take it up with the Council, not with me."

The smile returned to Calliope's face. "Oh, and there are additional deductions for room and board here, but wage garnishing of that nature is perfectly legal, provided it can be justified."

"You're charging her to sleep on the floor with a whole bunch of complete strangers!" Rainbow snapped. "I don't think I'd call that justified."

Calliope shrugged. "Nevertheless, she is getting a place to sleep and two meals daily."

"And after six months, she'll be let go?" Blake demanded.

Calliope nodded. "Unless, of course, she decides to sign an extension to her contract. Many do. Some even transfer from the mines to my Security division. Most of the guards you see outside were once workers here, or at a facility just like this one." Calliope paused for a moment. "You might not like the look of this place. Miss Kelly might not be enjoying herself, but she signed a contract stipulating all of the conditions of her employment, and everything here is perfectly legal."

"Is branding your employees like property legal?" Blake growled.

Calliope's eyebrows rose. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Then you won't mind us taking a look around," Blake said. "As a courtesy."

Calliope was silent for a moment. Her blue eyes flickered from Blake to Rainbow Dash.

"You're very brave, Miss Belladonna," she said softly.

Blake snorted. "Should I be scared of you?"

"Not me, no," Calliope said. She gestured towards Rainbow Dash. "I was referring to your new partner here. Not everyone would throw in with a jinx without reservations."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "What are you—?"

"'A jinx'?" Blake repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Has Miss Dash told you about Team Raspberry?" Calliope asked. "One comrade missing a limb, another traumatised—"

"But none of them dead," Blake declared. "Thanks to Rainbow Dash."

Calliope smirked. "She hasn't told you about Kogetsu Koryu, then?"

Rainbow sucked in a sharp intake of breath. She … how could she … how could this woman…?

“Who?” asked Blake

Rainbow felt her insides turn to ice; Blake … she didn't want Blake to find out about this, and certainly not like this.

"Shut your mouth," she snarled. "Don't talk about him."

"So you didn't tell her about the last person to put their faith in you," Calliope said. She chuckled. "It's ironic, isn't it? Your semblance is super speed, but you weren't fast enough to—"

"SHUT UP!" Rainbow yelled, decking Calliope Ferny across the face hard to send her staggering backwards, hard enough that when she collided with the desk the desk was shoved backwards.

"You don't talk about Kogetsu!" Rainbow roared, her hand still balled into a fist. "Keep his name out of your mouth, understand?"

Calliope's face was hidden behind her hand as she clutched at her jaw, but when she looked at Rainbow Dash, there was a triumphant glee about her smile. "That's assault," she said. "Either you leave this facility at once, or I'll have you arrested."

For a moment, silence reigned.

Then Rainbow grinned as she tapped her earpiece, turning it on. "Canterlot."

Calliope blinked. "'Canterlot'? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I'm just giving the code for a squadron of Atlesian warships to descend on this location and tear it apart," Rainbow said casually.

Calliope's eyes widened. "You … a … what?"

"I got to hand it to you; you had me going for a second," Rainbow said. "Maybe this was all legal, and there was nothing we could do about it. But then you resorted to a stunt like that to try and get rid of me, and you know what that says? It says you've got something to hide, and I can't wait to find out what it is."

The smile slid off her face, leaving only a hard scowl behind. "And for your information, his name was Kogetsu Ironwood."

---

Rainbow wrenched the door open. The room inside was dark, so dark that, past the little light coming in from the corridor, she couldn't see anything at all.

"Leaf?" she called. "Are you in here?"

"Rainbow Dash?" Leaf replied cautiously as she stepped into the light.

Rainbow grinned. "You can come out now," she said. "Atlas is here."

Leaf stared at her for a moment silently. Then she said, "Took you long enough."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Just … come on," she said, gesturing out the door as she stepped back from it.

Leaf ran to the door as though she were afraid that Rainbow was going to slam it in her face if she moved too slowly. She emerged from the solitary confinement cell. "Blake, Penny. Hi, I … you all came?"

Penny nodded. "We wanted to make sure you were okay."

Leaf made a kind of hoarse sputtering noise with her throat as she looked away. "You guys … you're really kind people, you know that? Thanks for coming."

"Don't mention it," Rainbow said. "I kind of feel like we should be thanking you."

"Thanking me," Leaf said. "Why?"

"Without you, we never would have found this place," Blake said. "Without you, we never would have rescued all of the people here."

"All the people here?" Leaf said. "Just the three of you?"

Rainbow chuckled. "No," she said. "We had some help. Come on outside; we'll show you."

They led Leaf out of the building on which she had been held and out into the grounds of the Ramshead facility. The Atlesian warships of the Third Squadron hovered overhead, casting long shadows across the open ground and the squat and grey and dreary buildings. Mighty Paladins, clanking and thumping, stomped between the buildings, while Atlesian soldiers moved here and there or manned the wall against sky grimm drawn by the sudden negativity.

Said negativity, if it came, would come from the SDC guards who had all been disarmed and were kneeling on the ground under the watchful eyes of Atlesian troops and Paladins. Other soldiers were leading labourers out of the mines or tending to the worst injured or affected of them.

Not every worker had an SDC brand upon them, but many did. Strangely, so did some of the guards. Apparently, Calliope hadn't been kidding when she said that they started off as…

As slaves. The SDC had been keeping slaves right here in Solitas, and no one had realised it.

Not all the workers here were faunus, but all the ones with the company name burned into their skin were.

All the ones marked out as property were.

But they had stopped it. She and Blake had stopped it, Cadance had stopped it, Atlas had stopped it.

And now justice would be done, by Atlas, in the eyes of the world.

She had to remember that; she had to hold onto that.

"Wow," Leaf said, looking around. "You brought all this … for me?"

Rainbow smiled. "Civis Atlarum Sum."

Leaf frowned. "I have no idea what you just said."

"It means you're under our protection," Rainbow said. "Because you're one of us."

"Rainbow Dash," Cadance called out as she approached. As she drew closer she said, "Miss Leaf Kelly, I presume?"

"Uh, yeah," Leaf said.

"Councillor Mi Amore Cadenza, at your service," Cadance said, holding out her hand. "On behalf of Atlas, I am truly sorry about all of this; you should never have had to suffer this."

"C-councillor?" Leaf stammered. "I, um…" She saluted.

"You still don't have to do that," Rainbow murmured.

"Right," Leaf muttered. She took Cadance's hand. "Sorry, I just … a Councillor?"

Cadance smiled. "And, as I said, a contrite one."

"There wasn't really much suffering," Leaf assured her. "Thanks to Rainbow, Blake, and Penny."

"Yes, they're very good on that regard, aren't they?" Cadance said. "Nevertheless, Atlas owes you an apology and a debt. An apology, for the fact that you were put in this situation, and a debt for enabling us to uncover something that has eluded us until now. It will take some time, no doubt, to establish everything about how this system of abuse was propagated, everyone who was involved, any other facilities, but already, we have found a great deal, and it would not have been possible without you."

Leaf looked down at the ground. "That's, um, that's really nice of you, and I appreciate it, but … I have to make rent, so is there any chance that Atlas's gratitude could take the form of some money? And soon?"

Cadance laughed. "Yes, Rainbow told me that you recently moved here looking for work. I think that Atlas gratitude can stretch as far as covering your expenses until you find your feet here. I'll have someone from my office get in touch to arrange it." To Rainbow, she said, "How does it feel?"

"It feels." Rainbow paused for a moment. "It doesn't feel anything," she admitted. "Because what we've stopped … it should never have been allowed to happen in the first place."

Cadance gave a slight nod of her head. "I suppose I can understand what you mean by that," she murmured. "Still, this is good work. We've taken another step towards the Atlas that can be. Blake."

"Ma'am."

Cadance turned away and left them once more to their own devices.

"You're gonna stick around here, then?" Rainbow asked. "You're not going to go back to Vale?"

"No," Leaf said at once. "But … I am going to call my mum. Thinking about it in that cell … I don't want to leave things … I want to talk to her."

"That's a good idea," Rainbow said softly. "Whatever happens, at least you gave her a chance."

Silence fell briefly upon the four of them.

Blake frowned a little. "Penny, can you look after Leaf for a second? Rainbow and I need to talk privately."

"Of course!" Penny declared enthusiastically. "Would you like something to eat, Leaf?"

"Uh, sure."

"Then come with me! The soldiers have set something up over here." Penny took Leaf by the arm and led her off in the direction of the field canteen the troops had set up for the liberated labourers.

Rainbow and Blake were left alone.

And Rainbow had a pretty good idea of why Blake wanted to speak to her alone.

It didn't mean that she was looking forward to it.

"Kogetsu … Ironwood?" Blake murmured.

Yep, there it was. Rainbow supposed it was inevitable, after what Calliope Ferny had said.

She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't like talking about Kogetsu; she didn't like thinking about Kogetsu.

Rainbow considered telling Blake that it was none of her business; Blake would, she was sure, accept that and back off ... even as curiosity and doubt niggle away at her.

She would find out sometime, if not from Rainbow than from someone else, maybe someone less trustworthy.

Best to get it over with.

Besides, it was Blake; if anyone deserved to know the truth, she did.

"He was the General's son."

"I didn't know he had a son," Blake murmured.

"A son and a daughter," Rainbow replied. "Their … their blood family was wiped out, when they were young; General Ironwood adopted them both."

"So … Koryu, that was their birth name?" Blake said. "It sounds Mistralian."

"It was," Rainbow said. "It is. An old Mistralian warrior clan."

Blake frowned. "General Ironwood told me … the General told me about a young student of great promise who…"

"Yeah," Rainbow said, her voice hoarse. "That, uh, that was, um…"

She reached around behind her, into a pouch she wore at her belt, and from that pouch, she got out her wallet. From her wallet, she got out a picture, well-worn from being folded and unfolded so often, a picture of four people at a fairground. Rainbow was one, Twilight was another, and with them was a slender boy with a thin, delicate, pretty face, with jet black hair kept out of his face with a neon blue sweatband tied around his brow. He was holding a stuffed bear, smiling, standing almost side by side with Twilight, while Rainbow stood behind them, looming over them, her arms around their shoulders and necks as she grinned.

Off to one side of the picture, her back half turned on the others, glaring at them over her shoulder, there stood another girl, with long brown hair, all dressed in pink, with a sword across her back.

"This was taken at the last Vytal Festival," Rainbow said, handing Blake the picture. "Kogetsu is the one holding the bear. I won that in some shooting game, one of the toy pistol things, you know?"

Blake nodded. "And the other girl?"

"His sister, Aska," Rainbow said.

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Is she—?"

"Dead? No," Rainbow said. "She went back to Mistral. Atlas wasn't good enough for her."

Blake frowned. "So she went to Haven instead?" She sounded sceptical, and rightly so.

Rainbow laughed bitterly. "Oh no, not for her, not for the last Koryu. She had to complete her training under a sensei out in the wilderness somewhere, for authenticity or some pretentious garbage like that." Rainbow paused for a moment. "We didn't get on."

"I'd never have guessed," Blake muttered dryly.

Rainbow snorted. "Twilight told me that I should be more understanding, that I should have some empathy, that I should think about what it was like to come to a strange new place that was different from what I'd known before. But I didn't need to think about that; I knew what that was like, I lived that, and I was appropriately grateful for the opportunities that I was given."

"And Kogetsu?"

"Kogetsu," Rainbow sighed. "Kogetsu was nice. Sweet, kind, smart. He used the name Ironwood when his sister wasn't around to scold him for it. He was sure to graduate top of his class from Apennine Combat School. But … he listened to Aska too much. She's the one who filled his head about the clan and tradition and Mistralian honour; she was the one who kept at him for being too Atlesian, for forgetting who and what he was. For being too close and too nice to a lowlife faunus like me. It hurt him, it got to him, I could see it, but … Twilight told me to leave it alone, told me it wasn't my place to get in the middle of a family issue like that. I wish … it’s about the only time I wish I hadn’t listened to Twilight."

"He didn't run," Blake murmured.

"He didn't retreat when he was ordered to," Rainbow corrected her. "Everyone was falling back; the combat school students were supposed to assist in the evacuation, not fight. When the grimm broke through the front line, they were engaged, but the evacuation was proceeding, and so they could get out of there. Kogetsu wouldn't go; he knew there were reinforcements en route to retake the town, and he thought that he could hold the relay tower until they arrived. A Koryu doesn't run, doesn't turn his back on the enemy, doesn't give ground." Rainbow paused, her whole body shuddering. "I was with the reinforcements. Even as our air support was starting to burn through the horde, General Ironwood ordered me to get to Kogetsu. I … I promised him I would.”

'I'll bring him home, sir, I promise.'

“But … it's like Calliope said: I wasn't fast enough. By the time I got there … I found half a dozen beowolves of the apex alpha's guard, all of them alpha sized themselves or near enough." Rainbow closed her eyes. "I was in time to save his body, but…"

Eyes closed, Rainbow felt rather than saw Blake pull her into an embrace.

"That wasn't your fault," Blake insisted. "It sounds as if he made his own choices, for better or worse."

"I was supposed to save him," Rainbow whispered. "I was supposed to be fast enough to save him."

"And I was supposed to be gentle and kind enough to save Adam, " Blake said. "To gentle the monster inside the man by loving him."

"That's ridiculous," Rainbow snapped.

"And what you're saying isn't?" Blake replied. "Does General Ironwood—?"

"We don't talk about it," Rainbow said. "Ever."

"But if he blamed you," Blake pointed out, "he wouldn't have given you Rosepetal."

Rainbow didn't respond to that. "Blake, will you promise me something?"

"That depends," Blake replied. "What promise do you want?"

"Don't do something stupid, don't … just live; for Atlas, for us. 'Cause you've got so much to live for."

"I know," Blake said softly. "And because I know, I can promise with a light heart."

Rainbow smiled. "Hey … you know what?"

"What?"

"Adam…" Rainbow murmured. "I never would have gone down this road if it wasn't for him, if I hadn't seen that mark on his face. This … this is his victory."

"Huh," Blake murmured. "I … I guess it is. Adam's last victory over the Schnee Dust Company.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash."

Comments

[Christopher28]

I keep getting surprised when Rainbow Dash does this… rather than acting on her own, she consistently acts with the full might of Atlas behind her whenever it’s actually appropriate to do so.

And when the corporate stooge makes her play to get them removed, she doesn’t back down, she pulls the trigger. She was right of course, it was pretty obviously a ploy to get rid of them… but still, she had the courage to make the call.

This is maturity we don’t see in fanfiction all that often. It’s refreshing.

[Snowdrifter]

"The Schnee Dust Corporation disavows all knowledge of the alleged activities of the rogue Ramshead installation. Calliope Ferny acted alone, abusing her position as Head of Security to conceal her activities. Consequently, she has been suspended pending an internal SDC investigation. Please direct any press inquiries regarding this matter to our press hotline at 2-555-7337, and any legal inquiries to your branch office of Dewey Skrewim and Howe. Thank you."

[Cyrus Windstrider]

11470570
Hell of it is, that sounds so very reasonable to hear from the SDC.

Also, Dewey Skrewim and Howe, nice damn touch. xD

[Snowdrifter]

For a real twist, watch Jaques Schnee *not* be in the loop on this. After all, even his computer had practically no info on Ramshead and conditions there.

It won't save him, but it would be interesting and might even lead to character development!

Or he could stay an irredeemable jerk.

[Voltaje]

Wow, everything Fenry said, is completly illegal in a minig operation, i worked in mines, so this was so cringe and full of BS, jumpsuits? in a mine, EVERYBODY has PPE, Personal Protection Equipment, miners, drivers, office workers, even if you are in an office the furthest of the mine sitting at a computer all day for years, solitary confiment? if a worker commits a fault, that worker is either fined, or fired on the spot, they are sent home as soon as transport is available, guards with battons observing the workers? that was the first and only sign needed to know they were keeping slaves, workers go to work to WORK, if a miners doesn't work, he gets fired, end of the story, anyway, now that this is uncovered, it is needed to be proven if the Boss knew about it, because running a slave operation without him knowing, is almost impossible.

[Adser]

11470606
Legality is defined by whatever is governing a place. Everything she rattled is horribly dangerous, abusive and SHOULD be illegal, but unless someone in story with a good knowledge in Atlas laws says it actually is illegal we won't know for sure. The marking is 100% illegal at least.

[Mister Morden]

Rainbow is refreshingly smart... she got angry and struck the woman. But... was it a ploy? Or did she calm down enough to see what was truly happening?

Either way, the SDC now has some massive egg on their face. But as others have said, disavow and sweep it under the rug will be the play.

[Mastermind4892]

OK, this was an outstanding chapter! I was really getting worried that they would be turned away and sent with their tails between their legs (no pun intended). The Head of SDC Security herself showed up no less, and made a damn good effort at keeping them out! It was really tense! But Rainbow’s instincts were dead on that they were trying much too hard to hide something, and that it was worth the risk to call in the cavalry!

This was a much greater victory then I could have imagined! Leaf rescued, countless abused miners saved, the SDC’s abuse and slave methods exposed! But the cherry on top is the Head of SDC’s Security, the personal right hand of Jacques Schnee himself, has been caught red handed!

Look, we all know that Jacques will weasel his way out of this, but he will NOT walk away unscathed. Your hand-picked Chief of Security caught covering up slavery and this kind of monstrous abuse? That is something that the courts, politicians, and especially the media does not forgive or forget. This is a dagger in the eye to the SDC’s reputation. Jacques will be spending the next 18 months meeting with lawyers and doing PR damage control. And even then, these accusations will be repeated by his enemies no matter how thoroughly he repudiates them.

I also can’t wait to see how Sienna Khan, Gilda, and the rest of the White Fang will react to this news. That all of this was exposed by Blake Belladonna and Rainbow Dash, as well as the Councilwoman that Chrysalis tried to abduct. And furthermore, exposing a slave operation is quite the career maker for two prospective Faunus Huntresses in Atlas. This is the stuff of legends. No political adversary will have an easy time making them look bad.

And finally, this entire thing is symbolic of Ruby and Sunset. Sadly, Ruby blindly encouraged Leaf to follow her dreams just cuz, and the Faunus in question got pressed into slavery. The only reason this turned out well is because Sunset had the foresight to ask Rainbow and the others to watch out for Leaf. After today, Ruby and Pyrrha will never be able to deny Sunset’s merit in watching out for you.

EDIT: Another point is that Ruby is indeed right about wanting to follow your dreams and taking that first step. But you also have to think it through, have a plan, and especially allies. Ruby could have asked Rosepetal the same as Sunset did, doesn’t she have Penny’s number? But no, it was Sunset who thought to ask. Just like when an unprepared Jaune was called in for faking his transcripts, we were this close to losing if Sunset didn’t act.

[Lancerguy]

11470621
She was taken in at first I believe, she is emotional first and foremost, but she didn't become team lead by being an idiot. It may have only clicked when Callie told them to leave, but that was all she needed.

It turns out, overconfidence was Calliope's weakness, but faith in her friends was Rainbow's strength

Also, congrats on 3.2 million Scipio, what a chapter to hit it on

[Kiue Jin]

11470640
Personally, while I believe that there are going to be members of the White Fang who are going to be butthurt by this due to tribalism and the fact that a traitor to the cause did this I don't believe Gilda, Sienna and the majority of the Fang will mind. Because in the end this wasn't about Blake or Dash or personal glory... This was about exposing one of the great cruelties of the SDC towards Faunus kind and forcing those accountable to pay for it.

To give some context, Chrysalis might be completely insane and have a reason to hate Dash and Cadence personally, but given the chance she will shank Calliope to death in the prison shower without hesitation.

[Aleck_Ultimate]

Welcome in the real world for to many personnes.

The last softball world championship in Qatar ? That was just like that, just for our entertainment.

Enjoy the real world !