It was estimated that, altogether, over a hundred White Fang members were operating within the Atlas Branch, which was based in the Pale Dawn Initiative building.
Given the heavy resistance and the nature of the raid, only fourteen White Fang members were captured alive; the rest were killed in action. Still, thanks to the pincer movement through the building's floors, Atlas forces managed to keep their own casualties below double digits—far fewer than originally expected.
In the end, the success of the mission was mostly due to Asher and Penny. Their early breakthroughs, combined with the execution of Asher's plan, let them complete what should have been a weeks-long operation in just one day. The only significant loss was Branch Leader Sinn, who took his own life during the confrontation.
Fortunately, Asher had already interrogated Sinn beforehand and managed to gather a considerable amount of intel.
When the operation's report landed on Ironwood's desk, it was clear there was only one way to describe the outcome: a complete success.
"I'll admit, I was surprised when I heard about the progress you two were making in the field," Ironwood remarked, glancing one last time at the holographic report hovering above his desk before shutting down the hard-light projector.
"But I suppose sending you both really was the right call." There were four others in the office aside from Ironwood: Asher and Penny, who stood together, Winter, as usual, remained close by the general's side, and Pietro, who had been quick to check on his daughter, only relaxing when a scan showed she was mostly unharmed.
Other than her rumpled hair, slightly worn clothes, and a few bruises from the fight, Penny was as cheerful as ever. Asher, still in his exosuit but with his helmet and mask removed, seemed just as unbothered. The suit had absorbed most of the punishment, and even then, he'd barely taken any direct hits.
"I thought I'd get an earful for hijacking command," Asher mused, a faint smirk crossing his face. Ironwood let out a low chuckle and nodded.
"Oh, there were complaints at first. But not many people can argue once the results are in," Ironwood replied.
Winter spoke up, a rare smile tugging at her lips.
"Regarding any issues about you taking charge, we've decided to put those aside, given the outcome."
"Indeed. Penny, both Pietro and I are incredibly pleased with what you accomplished. I faced more than a little scrutiny when I put you on this mission, but you exceeded every expectation. And best of all, you both came back in one piece," Ironwood added, clearly satisfied.
After all, unlike the Insurgency, Asher's identity—and his division, the P.E.N.N.Y. Project—weren't exactly national secrets. Plenty of people in the military already knew about Penny.
Would anyone question Asher, so young, being put in charge of a mission like this? Of course, they would—if they even knew he existed.
Penny, on the other hand, was both not human nor considered very mentally mature, which led many to doubt her combat abilities. To some, it was like handing the launch codes of a missile to a teenage girl with barely any social experience.
But all those doubts had been proven wrong.
"That's right, Penny, we're very proud of you," Pietro told her, giving her a warm, fatherly smile.
Hearing their praise, Penny felt overjoyed. She had finished her first mission and made a friend, too. She glanced at Asher, who caught her eye and nodded, a silent way of congratulating her.
"Oh! Does this mean we can have a celebration? Like my birthday parties, with cake and ice cream?" Penny asked, her enthusiasm catching Pietro and Ironwood off guard. They exchanged looks.
"Well... I don't see why not," Pietro said, a little cautious but hopeful, glancing at Ironwood for approval.
Ironwood gave a small smile and nodded.
"Of course. This is a big moment for Penny. As long as she doesn't break anything like last time, a celebration can be arranged. But, before that, there are a few things we need to go over."
Penny managed to rein in her excitement as the attention shifted back to Ironwood.
"So, what is it?" Asher asked, though he had a good idea already.
Ironwood didn't waste time.
"The leader of the group dealing with the items laced with NPM-9 finally cracked. As we expected, NPM-9 isn't something just anyone can get or distribute in the crater without raising red flags. Not only does it require military-grade facilities to manufacture, but it's volatile and needs special containment during transport."
In simple terms, it wasn't a drug you could just hand someone and expect them to manage without strict precautions. It demanded careful handling and a solid plan for use.
Ironwood paused, then let out a sigh.
"From what we've uncovered, this isn't just the work of a single high-ranking officer. Atlas soldiers are involved. Whatever they're being promised, they're using routine patrols that slip into the crater's territory to smuggle the contraband out without drawing attention."
No general would be happy hearing that. It was one thing if the corruption was only at the top, where bad officers could be replaced with ones who had a clean record. But if regular soldiers were part of the problem, it meant something deeper was wrong, and fixing it would require a much bigger effort.
In the end, the rot had spread farther than anyone wanted to admit.
"So… if we figure out who the soldiers report to, we'll find our main culprit. Have you already done that?" Asher asked.
Winter nodded and answered right away.
"Colonel Emeric Flae."
Pietro, who had been quietly listening, brought a hand to his chin and stroked his beard.
"I can't say I've ever heard that name before."
Ironwood laced his fingers together on his desk and nodded.
"That's not too surprising. Of the three possible traitors, he's the least known. He didn't become a Colonel through any big accomplishments—just worked his way up, gained trust, and kept a low profile."
"So, a textbook corporate ladder climb. Not exactly shocking," Asher remarked. Ironwood gave a reluctant nod in agreement.
"Oh, is that why we're here? Is our next mission going to be arresting him?" Penny asked, her curiosity and excitement clear. She rarely got to leave Atlas Academy, so the chance for another assignment had her eager.
Winter shook her head.
"No. As much as we'd like to, we need to find out who's backing him first. We've cross-referenced the evidence, but aside from being the leak for our military hardware and NPM-9, he couldn't have set up the Pale Dawn Initiative and all the legal channels alone."
They had uncovered the grunts and even one of the main players, but the true masterminds were still hidden. That was why Ironwood had called Asher and Penny in—he wanted to use their success to flush out whoever was still pulling strings behind the scenes.
Before Ironwood could say more, Asher jumped in.
"If it's the masterminds you want, I think I have enough to get started."
Everyone turned to look at him, caught off guard.
"What do you mean?" Winter asked, a small frown appearing.
Asher raised his palm, and the holographic projector built into his hand flickered to life.
"I was going to talk to you and Ironwood anyway, because of what I learned from Branch Leader Sinn before he… well, before he took his own life. Most of what he told me wasn't useful, but I did manage to get a name—at least, part of one." He glanced away from the hologram, looking at Ironwood and Winter.
"Mr. Raldo. That's the name he gave me."
Both Ironwood and Winter took a moment to think after hearing the name, but Ironwood eventually shook his head.
"I know almost every important figure in Atlas. I've never heard of anyone named Raldo. It could be an alias, or Sinn might've given you a fake name. Still, we'll have our people look into possible matches. It's a pretty common name, after all."
Asher gave a low hum and shook his head.
"There's no need for that. Before, I didn't have enough to go on, but now that we know Colonel Emeric Flae is involved, it's a different story." He turned back to the projector and spoke up.
"GAIA."
Immediately, Asher's AI assistant answered, its voice familiar to everyone in the room—after all, it was integrated into almost every piece of tech he had developed.
[Yes, sir?]
"I want you to run a worldwide search. Use Atlas Military clearance Level 7X-943 as your main access point. Pull everything—open-source intelligence, government records, federal registries, news archives, financial transactions, and any relevant metadata from international databases."
As he spoke, the holographic screen began flashing rapidly as the system recognized his command and went to work.
"Cross-reference all of it for any links between Colonel Emeric Flae and anyone named Raldo. Include indirect connections, like shared contacts or communication patterns. Make data integrity the top priority and flag any unusual findings."
GAIA was quiet for a moment, then responded.
[Understood. Initiating multi-source cross-correlation protocol.]
Instantly, streams of data began to flow across the screen, moving too quickly to follow.
Pietro, catching on to the scale of Asher's request, leaned forward in surprise.
"Your AI can run a global search like that just using your exosuit's processor?" He asked, sounding both impressed and a little skeptical.
Asher glanced at Pietro and shook his head.
"Not quite. But GAIA can remotely connect to one of the central access points here at Atlas Academy and use their servers to run the search instead."
Ironwood paused, raising an eyebrow.
"But we never gave you full access to Atlas Academy's servers."
That drew a small, knowing smile from Asher.
"It was easier than you'd think, once I had partial clearance. Don't worry—I already patched the backdoor I used. The restrictions were just a bit too tight for some of the things I needed to do."
Winter's voice was dry as she responded, "It's reassuring to know how seriously you take federal crimes."
She left it at that. No one here was planning to make an official report, even if Asher had just admitted to several major security violations. They waited only a few minutes before a soft ding sounded and GAIA's voice returned.
[Anomaly found.]
"Already?" Pietro muttered, watching as Asher's eyes narrowed at the data on the display.
After a moment, Asher's lips curled upward. Penny, standing beside him, leaned in.
"Did you find something?"
Asher nodded and reached out, interacting with the holographic screen. He looked over at Ironwood and made a flicking gesture.
"Take a look," he offered. The display built into Ironwood's desk lit up, mirroring Asher's screen. Winter shifted closer to read, and both she and Ironwood focused on the new information.
Ironwood's eyes moved down the page, then widened—not out of shock, but in sudden understanding. He gave a short, dry laugh.
"So that's it... That explains everything." He leaned back in his chair, sighing as his brow furrowed.
"Colonel Emeric Flae. Fiancé and soon-to-be husband of Lye Maron, from the noble Maron family. Lye is the daughter of Raldo Maron." In Atlas, there were the unofficial elites, but Mistral still ran on a true system of nobility—those families held most of the financial and political power outside the kingdom's council.
It was no wonder that tracking down the group behind the trouble in Atlas had been so difficult. They'd been operating through proxies, and the real players weren't even in the same Kingdom.
"Huh? Wait, I don't get it. Why would a noble family from Mistral go through all this trouble just to mess with Atlas? They're so far away," Penny said, glancing around the room. Since she was born and built in Atlas, it made sense that he wouldn't know the details.
Pietro let out a sigh before explaining.
"Sweetheart… noble families in Mistral aren't exactly like the ones you've read about in stories."
Ironwood closed the holographic display on his desk and nodded.
"That's right. Mistral is the center of most organized crime in the world. Any syndicate that matters can trace its roots back there. Many of Mistral's noble families are actually crime families." With enough power in a nobility-based system, you could make yourself untouchable—unless someone managed to find truly damning evidence.
And with all the potential profit opportunities so close to so many syndicates, the number of nobles who were crime lords was staggering. That was why the crime rate in Mistral never really dropped, no matter what the government tried.
"I've heard about the Maron Family a few times," Asher added, drawing everyone's attention.
"They have a surprising amount of influence here in Atlas—investing in companies, buying up property, and hiring Faunus labor on a massive scale. They even worked with my parents for a while. People always wondered how a family so far away could finance so many business deals. Now we know."
No one could say when it started, or how long it had been going on, but the Marons had turned nearly the whole crater into their operation—supplying the White Fang, selling off stolen military hardware, and probably running all kinds of illegal imports from Mistral to Atlas.
Asher just shook his head and let out a quiet laugh.
And they managed it all while staying safely anonymous, hiding in the rot in Atlas's underbelly that has spread unchecked. No wonder the crater ended up like it did, and no wonder Mantle could never seem to get ahead. I suppose you can't blame everything on them—Atlas's own culture plays a role—but they're the ones steering the ship.
With all the investments the Maron Family made, their influence was everywhere. It didn't take much—just a few nudges here and there, deals and promises made behind closed doors—to make sure their operations went undiscovered. And with a Colonel as a future son-in-law, the military never saw a thing.
In the end, the Marons just kept pocketing the profits, laundering it all as they continued to pour money into new ventures, slowly creeping their hand over Atlas.
"What a rotten mess," Asher muttered. No one argued. Now that they saw the full picture, it was obvious: this was corruption at its deepest, tangled right into the roots of Atlas.
"Yes, but now that we know who's behind it, we can do something about it," Winter pointed out, while Ironwood nodded his agreement from nearby.
"She's right. Now that we know who's backing Flae, there's no need to tiptoe around when dealing with him. Losing a Colonel will leave a gap, but we'll manage. The bigger problem is the Maron Family." He paused.
Atlas and Mistral were allies during the Great War, and their relationship had always been fairly good. But they didn't have the authority to march into Mistral and arrest one of their noble families.
Ironwood stood from his chair.
"I'll need to call in some favors. This will be a bureaucratic nightmare, but with the evidence we have, we should be able to bring the Marons—or at least the ones directly responsible—into custody."
Ironwood then looked at Asher and gave him a grateful nod, saying, "We wouldn't have figured all this out without your help. You have my thanks, Asher."
"I just want what's best for Atlas, that's all," Asher replied, returning the gesture. They talked a little longer before Ironwood sent them on their way, mentioning that he and Winter still had a lot of work to finish before the day was over, especially now that they understood the bigger picture.
As they left the office, the sound of Pietro's chair rolling down the hallway echoed softly, with Asher and Penny walking alongside him. When they reached the main foyer on the top floor, just before the elevators, they stopped.
"So, are you two heading back to the lab now?" Asher asked, glancing at Pietro and Penny.
Pietro nodded.
"Yes, I want to run a diagnostic on Penny, just in case, to make sure everything's alright. After that, I'll need to start planning this party of hers." At the mention of a celebration, Penny clapped her hands together, her face lighting up.
"Oh, wonderful! Can I help plan it, Father, please?"
Pietro hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, you can help. Just… no animals this time, dear. They never seem to react well to you."
Penny didn't seem to mind. She turned to Asher, eyes shining.
"Will you come? You'll come, right? I've always wanted to invite a friend to one of my parties. Usually it's just me and Father—and sometimes Mr. Ironwood or Winter, if they have time."
Asher smiled, giving her a gentle pat on the head.
"Of course I'll come. I just need to take care of a few things at home, so let me know the date ahead of time, alright?"
Penny, who seemed used to, or at least didn't mind Asher patting her head now, nodded and smiled to herself.
With that, Asher split off from Pietro and Penny, heading home. Before boarding an airship back down to Atlas from the academy, he took a moment to store the Vex-MK 1. Just like equipping or unequipping weapons, Asher could switch out entire exosuits with a single thought—a feature he found endlessly convenient thanks to the Nexus Space.
The flight home was short. When he landed, his parents' private security convoy was already waiting. The drive through Atlas was quiet. Asher barely spoke, his eyes fixed on the city as it drifted by outside the window of the armored truck.
His mind was full of swirling thoughts: the Maron Family, the state of Atlas and Mantle, and—most of all—the so-called rewards Mori had promised to show him once he got home.
There's no doubt he's only doing this to nudge me in a certain direction. Right now, our interests just happen to line up. Who knows how long that'll last, or what he'll try once things change… Still, I can't help but wonder what these rewards are that he keeps hinting at.
As Asher mulled over his thoughts, the scenery outside shifted from bustling city streets to quieter neighborhoods, and finally to Frostvale Manor. The convoy followed the winding driveway and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He heard one of the bodyguards step out and move over to open his door.
Asher climbed out, glancing up at the familiar building, then turned to the bodyguard.
"I won't be going out again anytime soon. You can all take the rest of the day off."
The bodyguard nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Asher headed up the broad staircase. The front door opened automatically, and two maids stood inside, bowing slightly in greeting.
"Welcome home, Young Master," they said in near-perfect unison.
"Thank you, Jae, Zure." He smiled at them, calling them by name as he slipped off his coat and handed it over.
Asher had memorized the names and faces of everyone who worked there—not out of obligation, but because his mother once told him, if there's anywhere you don't want to have enemies, it's in your own home.
If remembering a few names could earn trust and loyalty, it was well worth the effort.
"Of course, Young Master," Jae said with a smile as she took his coat and headed off to put it away.
At the same time, Zure informed him, "Your parents are home. They asked us to let them know when you returned and wish to speak with you in their office."
Asher listened, brushing his sleeves before nodding.
"Tell them I'll be free within the hour. I want to take a shower and clean up first."
"Of course," Zure replied as Asher made his way toward his room.
Mother and Father have been busy lately. I wonder what they want to talk about.
He thought on that briefly before reaching his door, where his focus shifted.
Pushing open one of the two doors that led inside, it closed automatically behind him with a soft click. He paused before locking the doors and took a quick survey of the room, frowning slightly.
Mori said he put the information on the rewards somewhere secure in my room.
As Asher started undressing, pulling off his shirt, he tried to figure out where that might be.
The cleaners rarely needed to come in since he kept things tidy himself. Still, his room wasn't off limits to the staff. So what qualified as "secure"? It would have to be somewhere or something only he was aware of. With that thought, Asher paused after tossing his shirt onto the bed and glanced toward the entrance of his room.
More specifically, the wall panel next to the doors. It was sleek, blending perfectly with the room's design, and controlled the lights and temperature.
Narrowing his eyes, Asher walked over and reached out to turn one of the dials that adjusted the brightness. The room slowly dimmed—the curtains were already closed, and the fireplace was filled with wood but unlit.
He stopped when the room settled into a familiar twilight, the exact brightness he preferred to sleep at.
Turning away from the panel, he looked up at the ceiling. Where there should have been only a mirrored, dome-shaped roof with lights hidden beneath its glass surface, something different appeared—a hidden display that only showed itself in this dim light.
Asher silently read the message, which he guessed Mori had left for him.
[Hey, Asher. If you're reading this, then you made it home. Congratulations! Sorry, I can't be there, you know I don't stay in one place for long. But I'm a being of my word, so I've left some information about three possible rewards you can choose from after finishing your quest. I put a lot of effort into gathering them for you.]
That phrase caught Asher's attention: gathering, not creating. The rewards weren't made by Mori himself.
[They're not on the same level as your Nexus Space, of course. What happened to you was unique. But they are in the same category as [Absolute Abilities]. So it's unlikely you'll find anything like them anytime in the future. Think carefully, you'll only get one chance in the future to make this choice.]
The message ended there, and below were the names of the three possible rewards:
[Limitless Workout]
[Coincidence Generation]
[100% Physical Skill (Random)]