Cards of Remnant

Chapter 38: A Night to Remember

"U–Uh, P–Penny? What Penny truly is?" Ruby coughed, swallowing what cookies she could and fidgeting with those left in her hands. "Wh–what you do mean, Ironwoo–general? Sir? She is a student at Atlas Academy–your academy–which I hear you are doing a great job of running."

"Thank you," Ironwood replied, his stern expression unaffected by the nervous flattery. "But I suspect you know what I'm referring to given how you've been trying to cover for her all night. Or would you like to 'send a report'."

Ruby deflated, clearly knowing the jig was up. Ironwood felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl at the sight of it. She was usually so endlessly peppy, and even if she did know Penny's secret, he doubted that she'd come by it maliciously.

Still, he had to know for sure. He had to make sure that intelligence was tightly controlled, or else The Queen could strike to jeopardize the project before it became a true threat to her forces.

"The first artificial intelligence capable of generating an aura," Ruby confessed. "That was how she phrased it at the docks."

"An Ignis. That's the official designation," the general said, his broad figure imposing over Ruby's shorter frame. "Have you told anyone else?"

"Uh…" Ruby pursed her lips. "You're not gonna kill me if I say 'no', are you?"

Ironwood chuckled. Then he saw that Ruby's face remained as serious as the grave.

"N–no," the general stammered, the veteran huntsman suddenly sputtering like he was the teenager between them. "I don't know what your uncle has told you–"

"My uncle?" Ruby interjected. "You know Uncle Qrow?"

"We've…" Ironwood paused, considering all he'd done with Qrow for Ozpin over the decades that Ms. Rose should not know about. "... worked together before."

"Cool!" Ruby exclaimed. "Wait, when he was sober or drunk?"

"Mostly drunk."

"I'm so sorry."

Ironwood let out a hearty laugh. He knew the silver-eyed girl wasn't joking that time, but she needn't have worried. Qrow may have been the most commonly drunk friend he had, but, most of the time, he was still a friend through and through.

"Don't blame Penny for me finding out about her," Ruby implored him. "She saved my butt at the docks and I saw what was underneath her skin when she got damaged."

"Did anyone else see?"

"No."

The general let out a sigh of relief. "Good. To be frank with you, Ms. Rose, I would not have chosen to trust you with this information if I had a say in the matter. The safety of Penny and the Ignis Project as a whole is paramount to the safety of humanity. The circle of those who know of it in this sensitive stage is minuscule. Not even Ozpin knows."

Ruby cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Why would he? Isn't it an Atlas Military project?"

"Just want you to understand how serious this is," Ironwood said, internally kicking himself that he just accidentally implied there was a reason a Beacon headmaster should know about such a project. It was obvious that Ozpin was grooming Team RWBY to be his replacements for Team STRQ, but until that time, there was no reason for them to know about the inner circle. "If development goes as planned, it may be possible to manufacture Ignis hunting duelists on par with your uncle at a rate that can rival the Grimm's reproduction."

"Woah! Really?" Ruby gasped, her eyes twinkling with wonder. Only to dim right afterward as she nervously glanced around the general into the ballroom, the next Tag-Duel having drawn the crowd's attention. "Uh, there wouldn't happen to be some flaw in Penny's programming that would make it possible to… hide from her. Not forever! Just… you know…"