Chapter 5: Foreign Land

A/N - First chapter of 2017!

Now without biting further into the word count, let's begin the chapter!

Beacon Academy:

The elevator ride up to Ozpin's office was rather quiet. Perhaps that was because having someone like Aaron in the room tended to dampen any conversation. That, and the fact that any 'conversation' would quickly escalate into a lecture from Glynda.

However, even the anti-social Aaron couldn't hold back an impressed nod upon seeing Ozpin's office. Situated high above the rest of the academy, it offered a clear view of students en-route to their classes, and the shimmering expanse of the Emerald Forest.

"Quite the office you have, Headmaster." he said, taking in the clockwork churning above his head.

Leaning back into a tall chair, behind a glass desk, Ozpin offered the newcomer a small smile. "Indeed. Although I wish that it was made closer to the ground."

While Ozpin obviously couldn't see him, far away in the safety of the Orbiter, Aaron blinked, before tilting his head, the Warframe following his movements back in the office. "One of the most powerful men -supposedly speaking- in the world is afraid of heights?"

"We're all afraid of something, Tenno. Speaking of which, I believe Ms. Rose pointed out that 'Tenno' was not your name, rather your... state of being?" he questioned.

'Here we go.' He cleared the voice filters, allowing his real voice to emerge through the Warframe."My name is Aaron. Tenno is my... designation, if you will."

Beside Ozpin, Goodwitch gave a small cough. "And judging by your design, I'd assume you're some form of Atlas technology? An advanced mech mixed with their newest AI cores?"

There was a minute pause. "Atlas?"

Glynda gave him another glare. "Yes, Atlas, the world's leading Kingdom when it comes to robotics and AI technology. I wouldn't put it past James to pull something like this in the middle of-"

Aaron cut her off. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

She opened her mouth to say something, but Ozpin spoke first. "Do you know where you are?"

Aaron nodded. "Beacon Academy, yes. You said so in the letter."

Taking a sip from the cup on his desk, the headmaster regarded the suit of golden power in front of him. "And do you know where Beacon is?"

"Nope."

Ozpin paused. "Well, Beacon is located in Vale, one of the four dominant Kingdoms on the planet of Remnant, is located on the continent of Sannas. Does any of that ring a bell?"

Once again, Aaron shook his head. "No, but I know exactly why. And I don't think you'll like the answer."

Glynda stepped forwards, her hand edging precariously close to her riding crop. An untrained viewer wouldn't have spotted the move, but to him it was as obvious as her waving her arms around her head. "And what is this reason for you not knowing what planet you're on?"

Back in the Link, Aaron took a deep breath. 'No going back now.' "I'm... not from Remnant."

"... What?!"

Aaron turned his palms up, the Warframe copying his movements. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is the truth. I am not from Remnant. I'm not even from your system."

Ozpin seemed remarkably calm for someone who had just made First Contact, but the dangerous glimmer in his eyes was more pronounced than before. "If you're not from Remnant- which makes you an alien, by the way- then where are you from?"

Aaron held up one finger. "Firstly, alien implies that I'm of a different species than you. Though I have no direct method of proving it right now, I am human."

Glynda leaned forwards. "There are no humans outside of Remnant."

He shook his head. "Humanity, as far as I've hypothesized, was transplanted here. By my empire. As for where I come from..."

He stepped back, and lifted one arm, the palm facing upwards. For a second nothing happened, causing both of the teachers to raise their eyebrows. Then, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the room, drowning out the sun. Glynda instinctually reached for her crop, while covering her eyes, ready to attack, but when she opened her eyes, she was met with an incredible sight.

Floating in the room was a huge holographic projection of a stellar system. In the center, an orange ball of fire roared, miniature prominences licking through its shell. Revolving around this central point, were a multitude of celestial bodies, along with a large belt of rocks like some cosmic weaving that encircled the star.

While she and Ozpin surveyed the display, Aaron spoke. "This... is the Origin system. My home." He pointed at the star. "This is Sol. The life-giver of every living being residing within Origin. Speaking of those beings..." he twirled his fingers, and the projection vanished, save for a single planet and its moon.

Neither of the professors failed to notice that the planet, while similar to Remnant, held several key differences. The moon, for one, was even more shattered than Remnant's. Golden superstructures honeycombed around the circumference. The continents on the planet were very different. Clouds of rock orbited around the world.

Both looked at him as he continued his narration. "This is Earth. The birthplace and cradle of humanity. We lived and thrived on its surface for millennia."

"It was the only world in our system capable of sustaining life. And so, for millions of years, we did not leave our cradle. We had sufficient technology to go to our own moon... but no further. And for many centuries, we were stuck, finding better ways to explore the system. "

Ozpin looked away from the display. "But here you are... on a separate world."

Aaron held up a hand for patience. "I'm getting there. The first step we made, was through genetic tinkering. We created the Orokin." The view of Earth disappeared, replaced by a single figure. It wasn't hard for Glynda or Ozpin to see what was different about this... Orokin.

Golden veins ran along its body, giving it an ethereal appearance. Eyes of molten brass shone from a luminous face. Completing the angelic figure was a set of golden wings, their plumage glittering in the nonexistent light of the hologram.

"The proper way to describe the Orokin would be as a caste. A caste far superior to any human. They were capable of incredibly physical feats, had intellects that no normal human could challenge, exquisite beauty without compare."

"They soon created a new human empire, free from poverty, or war, or death. They were immortal gods upon our planet. Soon, they discovered something that would change humanity forever. The Void."

Once again, the hologram changed, this time to reveal a bizarre realm. Unlike the inky blackness of space, it glowed a myriad of colors, from gold, to teal, to blue. Strands of vast cosmic fluff stretched across this expanse, forming strange clouds, or winding formations.

"The Void... can't be described in normal terms. It is not normal. The best way to describe it is as a blinding hellspace, an alternate reality where none of the laws that govern our normal, material plane, function. Science and logic mean nothing to the Void."

Glynda looked uneasy. "You talk about it like it's a living thing, rather than a place."

Aaron contemplated this. "Perhaps it is alive, but not in the way we know the word. Like I said: The Orokin were brilliant, but even they had no idea what to make of the Void. It took centuries of work from the most brilliant Orokin Archimedians to figure out anything."

"Soon the Void was being used for long-distance travel between planets, between systems. We could go from Earth to another star in a matter of seconds. The Orokin empire flourished in the Void Age, for that was what we called it."

Ozpin tapped his fingers on his cane. "So how do we, the people of Remnant, fit into all this? If what you said is true, then how did Humanity come here, to Remnant?"

Aaron audibly sighed. "I don't know. Most logic paths point to the idea that you were once a human colony, which was abandoned by the Orokin. It makes sense, honestly, considering what happened."

"So, we were... forgotten?" asked Glynda. She seemed to be rather disturbed by what they had learned. "Aside from the fact that this information contradicts every known record of human history, I hope there was a monumentally good reason for that."

Back in his Orbiter, Aaron grimaced. He really didn't want to talk about this bit. "Again, this is merely speculation on my part. And as to the second doubt, there was a war. A war that resulted in the first use of the Tenno, and the extinction of the Orokin."

Ozpin jerked back. "Extinction?"

There was a grave nod in response. "Yes. You see, in order to colonize new planets, in far away systems, the Orokin needed a device to do that job for them, so that when colonists arrived, the system would be ready for habitation.

The answer was a series of machines. These creations were designed to be the most adaptable terraforming machines ever designed. You chop off the arm of one, and it would grow back the arm. Not only that, but the arm would grow into a new machine. On top of that, both of those machine would have adapted so that they would be immune to such attacks in the future."

Ozpin nodded, processing this information. "Of course. Such machines would be able to adapt to any number of hostile worlds, and keep doing their job no matter what."

"And that's what made them so deadly. In order to survive in such worlds, they needed to be intelligent. They needed to be Sentient. And therein was the problem."

Glynda stepped forwards. "Let me guess, these machines were shipped off to another, barren system, gained sentience, realized that they had been ditched, and decided to come back and use their terraforming tools on civilized worlds."

"No they-" Although they couldn't see him, Aaron did frown. "Correct. And so, armed with tools of planetary destruction, the Sentients marched through the Empire. Worlds burned as single Sentients turned their surfaces molten, their cores distended. Fleets were whittled away like wood to a knife, and trillions died. We were pushed back to Origin."

Ozpin took another sip from his ever-present cup. "And so I assume this is where the Tenno come in?"

Aaron nodded. "Correct. The Sentients- that was their name- had one weakness. To them, the Void was poison. It neutered their reproduction capabilities, bypassed their adaptations. While all the technological might of the Orokin only lead to greater and greater defeats, the Tenno were able to push them back out of Origin."

"I will not share the story of how the Tenno came to be. We were once human, and through a series of terrible events, we became open to the Void. We could channel it, control it. Of course, it came at... great cost to ourselves." He gestured to himself, the Warframe. "These suits, these Warframes, they stabilize us." A technical lie: He didn't even inhabit the suit, and he was perfectly fine, physically speaking, but it was close enough to the truth.

"They allow us to focus our powers into various forms. Every Tenno bonds with a different frame. I bonded with this Excalibur, a suit of blades. Few Tenno could match me in a melee duel. Amongst my teammates, I have teammates who can manipulate ice and snow, or stop time, or go invisible. The Void allows us to accomplish the impossible, and so using that power, we beat back the Sentients."

Glynda, ever the perceptive one, heard the unfinished tale in his sentence. "But then how did the Orokin go extinct?"

"... That information is classified. I am not at a liberty to share that information with you."

"So the Orokin just went and died.?"

Aaron sighed. "There is a long and rather disturbing story behind the fall of the Empire. An agent rose from those ashes, the Lotus. She is our... leader, in a way. After the collapse, she put us into cryosleep for centuries, after which we awoke to our modern system, where new factions arose out of the ruins, to claim those ruins for themselves. The Tenno exist to ensure that no faction can win, and that no matter what, no civilians pay for all those warmongers's crimes in blood."

A pause. "Our civilization is not an optimal one; yours is far better, untouched by the war. But it is mine."

Silence reigned, both Ozpin and Glynda quiet after the tale that they had been told. Finally, Ozpin looked up, a new light in his eyes. "Firstly, despite the detail in which you have told your story, I will require some proof to ensure you haven't lied to us in any way."

The golden being nodded. "Understandable." 'I know exactly how to prove it, too.' Unknown to the two teachers, he called to Ordis, back in the Orbiter. "Ordis, can you please uncloak the ship, and bring it to my coordinates?"

" -FLY INTO THE BUILDI- Of course, Operator."

Settling back into the Warframe, he turned his head towards the two other inhabitants of the room. "If you would be so kind as to look outside the window."

They duly observed, waiting for something out of the ordinary to occur. They waited, seconds passing, a minute passing.

Aaron called again. "Ordis, you're making me look bad. Just bring it down."

"Do you know how hard it is to move this thing while two engines are disabled?"

"No, and I don't care, just bring it down without crashing."

Aaron merged back with the Warframe to hear a small gasp of surprise from Glynda as the clouds parted to reveal the massive form of the Orbiter, hovering above the campus. On the ground, Aaron could see multiple students leap to their feet, gawking at the monstrous vessel above their home.

"Is that enough proof for you, Headmaster?" he inquired, with the smallest trace of humor lighting his voice, as Ordis cloaked the ship, moving it back up to safety.

Shaking his head, Ozpin turned back to Aaron. "Quite. Now, for the second matter. I watched footage of you fighting in the forest yesterday, during the initiation test for some new students. You demonstrated incredible prowess in taking down those Grimm, and in saving my student, Ruby Rose. Your weaponry is also quite impressive."

The Warframe inclined its head. "I suppose."

Ozpin looked at Glynda, who simply stared back with a mix of trepidation, and dawning understanding of what Ozpin was about to do.

"Normally I would take what I've seen and heard as proof enough, but considering what I want from you, I'll need a little more... firsthand evidence."

The phrasing of that sentence was strange. Aaron moved his hand closer to his waist. "And what do you mean by that?"

Ozpin smiled and stood, hefting his cane in one hand. It was just then that Aaron noticed that the handle incorporated a large trigger into it. And then, the man moved.

Even by Tenno standards, Ozpin was fast. He was less running, and more blurring into motion. To Ms. Goodwitch nearby, the elderly headmaster must have nearly disappeared from view with the speed that he had moved.

As for Aaron, he was able to draw his blade just in time, stopping Ozpin's cane millimeters from his Warframe's skin. He would have expected the unlikely bludgeon to have been severed when it came into contact with the insanely sharp edge of the Nikana Prime, but it didn't even chip its paint.

Once again, Ozpin blurred, now launching an overhead strike at his undefended back. Without a single wasted movement, swirled his blade onto his back, the cane clanging off the Orokin metal.

'What on Earth is he doing?!' Aaron thought, frantically spinning, deflecting attacks by a hair's breadth, as Ozpin struck again and again, become increasingly ferocious with every passing second. He was shocked, to be honest, that Ozpin was even able to effectively launch an assault against him. Almost no one could challenge a Tenno in melee combat, save for some other, more experienced Tenno.

To Glynda, she watched on in a mixture of shock and awe, unsure of what to do, as her old friend whirled around the Tenno in jade cyclone, momentary blurs of silver indicating where his cane was striking. Papers flew off the desk from the wind generated.

And in the center of this maelstrom was Aaron, a golden tornado of blades, spinning like a top as his blade seemingly vanished and reappeared, intercepting every attack. Molten gashes appeared in the floor where the blade struck it. The combat had reached an intensity where even the sheath for that golden weapon had joined combat, deflecting attacks that the blade could not.

And just as quickly as the storm had begun, it stopped as Ozpin reappeared on one side of the office. Aaron, just as quickly, raised his blade to shoulder height, pointing at the smiling headmaster.

"Well, Aaron? Won't you counterattack?"

Whether or not the statement actually provoked him, Glynda would never know. The Tenno raised his blade, and with an echoing shink that would have been heard across the schoolyard, he slammed it down, materializing a dozen ethereal longswords around him.

Ozpin only laughed. "What an interesting power. A suit of blades, indeed."

Aaron darted forwards, the blades forming a protective shield as Ozpin met Aaron's first strike, a horizontal slash. While the emotionless facade provided no clues, she could have sworn that Aaron was surprised.

'How was he able to intercept that strike?' wondered Aaron, as he moved into action, his blade turning into a golden arc of destruction, only to be met by the silver of Ozpin's cane each time.

Frustrated, he sent forth his Javelins in a hurricane of strikes, dancing around the headmaster.

It took every ounce of Ozpin's Semblance and skill to hold them off. Aaron simply stood and watched, obviously torn between amazement and anger.

"You are quite skilled, Headmaster. By this point, even a Tenno would have found it challenging to keep up."

Ozpin stared levelly back, pushing his spectacles up his nose. "Tenno prowess is quite impressive. As is your command over this... Void of yours."

Back in the Orbiter, Aaron only smiled, as he called forth energy, surging it through the limbs of the Warframe. Glynda's expression changed to one of shock as the armour raised its hands, and drew a pulsating blade of energy out of thin air. Prominences of energy danced around it, humming as it travelled through the tense air.

Without further delay, Aaron rushed forwards on a wave of light, striking out with this new weapon. Ozpin knew for certain that his cane could not take it, especially with his Aura levels as they were. So he resorted to a more unorthodox tactic.

He depressed the trigger on the handle, causing a bubble of energy to appear in front of him. Aaron's blade was met with this aegis. The results were... explosive.

Energy howled outwards, as both Aaron and Ozpin were blown back by the force of the blast. Glynda managed to project a telekinetic shield around the office before she herself was thrown into the wall. Even with the barriers she kept up, the reinforced glass groaned as the blast force roared around the room.

When the ringing in her ears stopped, she looked up to see Ozpin standing tall, hands on his cane, as Aaron warily stood at the opposite end of the office, katana still pointed at the two of them.

"Explain yourself immediately, Headmaster. I will not hesitate to use extreme tact-"

Before Glynda could react, Ozpin blurred forward, and Aaron raised his blade to deflect. But it took some time before either of them realized that Aaron wasn't Ozpin's target this time.

There was a force on her lungs, and she felt herself lifted off her feet, and thrown off her feet, into the windows, and out into freefall.

Time seemed to slow, as she struggled to cry out for help. In the speed of the attack, she hadn't thought of trying to suspend herself with her Semblance. In a few seconds, she would have no doubt collided with the pavement, and without her Aura fully raised, she would be pulverized.

Just as she mentally started writing her obituary, something dashed outwards, defying gravity, as it lept off the tower, and caught her in a vice grip. It was Aaron.

Before she could even make a comment about how he had accomplished absolutely nothing with his act of seeming chivalry, despite the speed that her world seemed to move at, Aaron righted himself in midair.

And in full defiance of gravity, and practically every other law of physics, he pushed, and the air pushed back. Within seconds, she found herself back at top of the tower, Ozpin serenely gazing on like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Then Aaron, rather unceremoniously, dropped her like a sack of potatoes onto the ground, before drawing his weapon once more and turning to the headmaster. And while she couldn't see his face, his voice was laced with confusion and fury.

"What the absolute hell was that, Ozpin?! I haven't even known you for more than an hour, and I'm already convinced that you've lost your mind."

A warm voice of welcome cut off the furious tirade. "I told you that I needed some firsthand proof of your powers, your origin, and your skills. I have all three."

"All weaponry on Remnant is based upon Dust. That suit of yours most definitely does not use Dust. Any current war-suit here on Remnant would have burned through its supply in minutes with the kind of force I was attacking you with, not to mention the possibility of being destroyed outright. Those abilities are not Aura-based for sure. In fact, I can't even sense an Aura coming from you.

And of course, these facts match up with your story. Of course, I do apologize for the abrupt manner of my testing, but I suppose such is my nature."

Aaron lowered the blade slightly, but still kept it out of its sheath. "So what was the point of this? Just so you have definitive proof that I'm not from around here?"

Glynda rolled her eyes. "I don't think Professor Ozpin would have had needed to level the office for something as petty as that."

Said professor gave a disapproving look to his long-time friend. "While I wouldn't call it petty, she is correct in that that's not why I did that.

You see, on Remnant, things have been getting worse, in terms of the Grimm. Over the last few years, the survival rate for outer-Kingdom establishments has been going down. More and more people are being hunted as they attempt to start their lives outside the Kingdoms.

Here at Beacon, we teach the brightest children on the planet on how to combat the Grimm effectively, turning them from hopeful children, into the Huntsman and Huntresses of the future. I feel that what training we're giving them now... won't be sufficient, for what troubles may rise in the future."

If Aaron could have made the Warframe raise a non-existent eyebrow, he would have now. "I feel like there's more to that statement than you let on." he said, earning him another severe look from Goodwitch.

Ozpin paused. "I suppose that's true, in a manner of speaking. But that is irrelevant, at this point in time. I need to be able to prepare my students for what is coming. And I need someone who can help my staff and students accomplish that.

I would like you to help."

"I beg your pardon?" His expression, though unseen, was identical to Glynda's.

"Professor Ozpin, you can't be serious!" Came the outraged cry of said professor

Ignoring the anger of his colleague, Ozpin turned to his possible new recruit. "We teach the students here how to protect the kingdoms from the Grimm, creatures of unfathomable darkness and hate, which seek to devour what is left of humanity, and the Faunus."

Tapping into the local databanks that Ordis had provided, Aaron nodded. "Faunus are the humans with the animal parts right?"

"Correct."

"Hmm." He gave it a few seconds. "Possible Void mutation, will have to research later. Anyways, why do you want me to be a... teacher?"

Ozpin stood, and circled around his desk, pacing in front of them. "Not a teacher, per say. You have shown remarkable combat skill, and fighting against the opponents you said you have, you no doubt have decades of combat experience. I believe you could join Glynda here as an assistant combat instructor- 'You what?!'- and teach the students things they normally would not have considered."

While Glynda looked ready to impale Ozpin, Aaron seemed to be giving it some thought (though they couldn't be sure, as he was speaking remotely through the Warframe). "I will accept, on one condition."

Ozpin gave him a look. "What?"

"I need access to resources to repair my ship. The whole reason I'm here is because my ship was escaping from a volatile situation, took a hit which damaged the engines and the Void Core, and sent me here by accident. I need a way to repair the ship, so I can get back to the Tenno, and inform them of your existence. Trust me, you don't want someone else finding you first.

I'd also like to make a point of saying that this is considered extreme courtesy by Tenno standards. Most wouldn't have bothered to ask. They would have stolen the resources themselves."

Ozpin nodded. "Alright. Is that it?"

Aaron nodded. "I will most likely stay in my ship for the nights, but I will assist in any way that Ms. Goodwitch here needs me to. I'm not exactly a people person." Said teacher gave an annoyed noise, like the idea was giving her indigestion.

"Good." said Ozpin, clapping his hands together. "Now, before I take you on a short tour, I need you to do one small thing for me."

Aaron was immediately on guard. His hand drifted near his waist, ready to materialize and draw his guns if needed. "What?"

Ozpin had noticed the movement. "Oh, don't worry, it's nothing like that. I just want to introduce you to the young woman you saved yesterday, and accept her thanks."

'Greeaaat. Talking to children. My only weakness.' With an outwards sigh, he nodded. "Alright, let's not delay any longer than we have to."

"Follow me."

A/N - Alright, this is a little short, but I honestly didn't see any reason to continue it, just for the sake of word-count. Sorry for the late update, but real life happened to come along and kick me in the guts, so I've honestly had very little motivation. Hopefully this won't be a recurring thing.

A fair number of you have expressed your concerns with how I'm portraying Aaron, and the Tenno as a whole. You felt that the two fight scenes we've had with Aaron were rather quick and boring, simply because Aaron ran through his opponents with little effort.

Understandable as it is, firstly, you have to understand the level that the Tenno normally operate on, compared to Huntsmen. The sheer amount of Void energy they throw around in a fight ensures that they have the upper hand, no matter how skilled or well-armed their opponents may be. On a purely skill-based, or weaponry-based level, they are, for the most part, the same as the inhabitants of Remnant, with some exceptions.

Additionally, these fight scenes were mostly a way for Aaron to 'show off' his prowess to the Beacon initiates. They are not the standard by which I'll be making the fights in later chapters. So please put down the pitchforks, as I will definitely be delivering longer and more drawn out fights later on.

Also, so that no one is confused:

"Hello" - Normal talking.

'Hello' - Thinking.

Alright, cheers!

-PVonTuckIII