Sitting at his desk beside Liv, Asher glanced at the short stack of papers she had pulled from the folder she'd brought with her. She had to sit sideways in the chair to accommodate her tail, but she didn't seem to mind. The documents were spread out neatly in front of him, some overlapping slightly.
"Once you sign off on these, you'll officially be a Special Operations Consultant for the Atlas Military," Liv explained.
"You'll be assigned to the new division General Ironwood created. Aside from you, the only other person in the division is the Director of Operations. Because of your 'contributions' to the division's research and development, you'll be granted elevated privileges." Asher didn't need her to spell it out.
That last part was just Ironwood's way of justifying why, despite only being a consultant, Asher would answer to no one except his Director of Operations.
He was being given as much autonomy as the system would allow.
His finger tapped rhythmically against the desk as he skimmed through each document. With Nexus Space, what looked like a quick once-over to others was actually a deep, thorough read. Liv noticed, of course, but she seemed to take it as a sign that he trusted what she'd given him.
It wasn't until he reached the last page that he spoke.
"There's no hard cap on funding? So this division is operating as a black budget program?" Asher turned to Liv, only to find her staring at him, eyes slightly wide.
He read all that already? But he barely glanced at the pages—how in the world…
Seeing she was still frozen, Asher snapped his fingers.
"Huh?" Liv blinked, refocusing before nodding quickly.
"Oh, right. Yeah. On public records, or anything open to review, this division's budget doesn't exist. But under classified documentation, there's no preset financial cap. The division has full clearance to spend on R&D, equipment, and personnel as needed." Asher frowned slightly, resting his chin on his hand.
"Ironwood's generous, but not that generous. What's the catch?"
Liv nodded.
"Well, it's not exactly a catch. At the end of each month, there'll be a performance review to assess how the funding was spent and whether it was justified. If the division fails to deliver tangible results, advancements, or successes, then the one overseeing it—General Ironwood, in this case—can impose limits or cut funding entirely."
Asher made a small "ah" sound, nodding.
"I see. Clever. Makes sense, considering how determined the general is to push rapid innovation—to the point where he'd even try to recruit a child into his military." Liv responded almost instinctively.
"I mean, who's the odd one here? The general trying to hire a kid, or the kid who's actually worth hiring into the military?" Asher glanced at her with a slight grin before moving on.
"Anything else I should know?"
"Not really. You've read everything, and I've gone over it at least five times myself with the Judge Advocate General officer assigned to this. Everything looks clean enough," Liv said, giving her final assessment. She had been skeptical from the start, largely due to her distrust of Atlas and its military.
But from what she could tell, Ironwood was being surprisingly transparent. Almost jarringly so.
For years, she had worked as a lawyer on the outside, never privy to what went on behind the scenes. Now, she was being shown everything behind the curtain without much resistance.
All because she was Asher's attorney. And because General Ironwood valued him.
"In that case, no point in delaying it," Asher muttered, reaching for the gilded pen resting in its holder. One by one, he signed where needed, filling in the required information on each form without pausing.
As he worked, Liv stared at him, almost like she was trying to see past him. When Asher noticed, he didn't stop writing but spoke up.
"Something on my face?" Liv shook her head.
"No, I was just thinking about something."
"Well, feel free to ask. You know I don't keep many secrets," he said, but Liv just shook her head again.
"No... what I was thinking about was more of an observation. Nothing worth bringing up. But since you're offering—there's something else I've been wondering." She leaned slightly forward.
"A while ago, you asked me to draft a contract for the people you plan on recruiting into your division. But it's an odd contract to offer soldiers. What's that about?" There was a hint of curiosity in her voice, but Asher barely paused.
"That's because it's not a contract for soldiers." He could see the gears turning in her head, so he continued.
"If I just needed soldiers—even elite ones—I could've asked Ironwood to put me in charge of an existing special ops team. But that's not what I'm doing. I need specific people, chosen by me, with no prior connection to Atlas or its military. People who will actually benefit from the independence this division has." Liv narrowed her eyes slightly.
"You make it sound like you've already picked them."
"I have," Asher confirmed. She blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
A beat of silence passed before she cautiously asked, "Would you mind telling me who they are?"
"Oh, you're probably familiar with them," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"It's the same group of Faunus who tried to rob us when we visited the warehouse in Mantle." Liv went still. The memory surfaced a second later, her confusion evident as she tilted her head slightly.
"Wait, excuse me—what?"
"The Faunus that tried to rob us. You remember, don't you? They were part of the Night Talons, a gang from the slums in the crater," Asher reiterated. The moment he said it again, Liv slammed her hand onto the desk and shot to her feet, pushing back her chair.
"Are you insane?!" Asher's hand stilled mid-signature. He turned his head slightly, his eyes flicking from her face to the hand now planted firmly on his desk.
Letting out a quiet breath, he said, "I didn't think you'd react this strongly."
Liv opened her mouth, but no words came out. After a few seconds of silent disbelief, she slowly raised her hands, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Then, exhaling sharply, she sat back down, her gaze locked onto him.
"Asher, what are you thinking? Bringing gang members into a division of the Atlas Military? For starters, any Faunus with a criminal record isn't even allowed to-" Asher raised a hand, cutting her off.
"I've already taken care of that. As of about a week ago, they were granted a conditional expungement. Their criminal records have been erased—on the condition that they meet certain requirements. The first is 24/7 surveillance. The second is military service." He turned to face her fully.
"Right now, their records are only temporarily stricken. But if they complete their service over the designated period, the expungement will become permanent. After that, they'll be free to live their lives. All fully sanctioned by the general, of course."
Liv frowned, murmuring to herself, "Designated period… so that's why the contracts you had me draft were only for a year. I did think that was strange."
"Observant as always," Asher remarked as he signed the final document and set the pen back in its holder.
"But I still don't get it… why?" Liv frowned, studying him.
"You're not the sentimental type to give second chances for something like this, and I doubt you're doing this to be inclusive. So why them, of all people?" Asher let out a small sigh, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands in his lap.
"Because they don't have preconceived ideals."
"What?" Liv blinked, clearly caught off guard.
"The one thing you'll notice in the Atlas Military is nationalism," Asher explained.
"It makes sense. Atlas has always promoted itself—whether it's through recruitment programs, academy training, or even everyday propaganda. Even when it's not blatant, the goal is to instill pride and loyalty into those who will serve." He paused, briefly considering his words before shrugging.
"Of course, not everyone falls in line, but there's no denying that Atlas's military is the most devoted of all the kingdoms. If my division existed solely to serve Atlas, they'd be the perfect candidates." His eyes sharpened slightly.
"But that's not the purpose of this division. They won't be here to serve Atlas—they're here to-"
"Serve you?" Liv interrupted, skepticism clear in her expression. Asher met her gaze, giving a half nod.
"Not exactly. They'll serve the ideal I instill in them." He leaned forward slightly.
"Unlike the people of Atlas, the Faunus in the slums are different. Some moved there, but most were born there—born into oppression and poverty, forced to look up at the kingdom in the sky. They have no loyalty to Atlas, and more importantly, no deeply ingrained ideals of their own."
For those people down there, survival was the only priority. Simply making it through the day was the reality of life in the slums.
"And that's what makes them valuable," Asher continued.
"They're blank slates. I can carve any ideal I want onto them. As long as it's something they can believe in—something they can latch onto and devote themselves to—while also seeing real, tangible change in return."
He let that thought hang in the air before adding, "People in bad situations tend to cling to hope. And when you offer them order—real order—they'll follow."
Liv's mouth slowly parted as her eyes widened, realization dawning on her.
"You... you're planning to use them to influence all the Faunus in the slums." Liv's voice was quiet, but the realization hit her hard.
"This isn't just about them. You're going to spread this ideal to the entire Faunus population in Atlas—through a division made up mostly of Faunus." She pieced it together quickly enough. If Asher succeeded—if his ideals resonated with the Faunus he recruited—then they would spread beyond the division.
The slums would take notice. The Faunus struggling in Atlas, those who felt abandoned, would see his division as a beacon of hope.
A chance for real change.
A cause they wouldn't just support, but may even actively join—just like the White Fang does every day. Only this time, it would be a movement sanctioned by the government and backed by the military.
That would make it harder to trust at first. But if it gained momentum, if it proved itself, it would be seen as a genuine attempt at making things better. And the one credited for it all would be Asher.
Seeing that Liv had grasped his intent, Asher spoke.
"The Faunus population in Atlas is an untapped reservoir of potential. Even my parents know that. But Atlas is built on foundations of prejudice. Trying to tap into that potential the usual way is nearly impossible. Hire too many Faunus workers, and you get pushback from both sides—those who oppose them, and the activists fighting for them." His gaze sharpened as he locked eyes with Liv.
"But if they come on their own, the activists have no choice but to stay silent. And as for the general public… well, they have no say in who a privately sanctioned division of the Atlas Military enlists." He leaned forward slightly.
"Not to mention—you, of all people, are proof of how much the Faunus community supports their own 'heroes' here in Atlas." Liv stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words.
She wasn't looking at a fourteen-year-old boy. She was looking at someone who was about to try and turn an entire population into his backing, his support, his volunteer workforce.
No company could pull this off without abandoning its financial interests. The military and government? They were part of the problem to begin with.
But Asher, Asher had the general of the Atlas Military behind him. The headmaster of Atlas Academy backing him. And the influence of his family's name.
Only he could make this happen.
"Asher… I don't know about this." Liv's voice wavered, uncertainty clear in her expression.
"You're using an entire race's suffering and desperation as a means to rally them—for your own gain. I… I don't know if I can-" Her words trailed off, hesitation weighing heavily on her. She was still trying to balance whether this was right or wrong.
Seeing the conflict in her eyes, Asher spoke.
"You're right," he said simply.
"In the end, whether I stay true to the ideals I give them or not, I'm not doing this out of the kindness of my heart. I'm using them for my own agenda." He stated it plainly, without any sugarcoating, and Liv's lips pressed into a thin line.
"But this is the best alternative I could come up with," he added, his tone shifting as his expression grew solemn and Liv's frown deepened.
"In the end, what I plan to do with this division will help people—Faunus and Humans alike. That, I can promise you. And even if my intentions aren't what people assume they are, that doesn't mean the good that comes from it is any less real." He exhaled slowly, sitting up straighter in his chair.
"Of course, my intentions only matter if you believe I won't stray from them. Something created to help, but built on shaky foundations, is easy to corrupt. So… it would help if I had someone with their head on straight to keep an eye on things. Just in case I do veer off course." His gaze locked onto hers, making it clear—he was placing another choice in front of her. Just like the others.
And, just like before, it was built on trust. Liv's expression turned complicated. She let out a long sigh, running a hand through her hair.
"You know, Asher… I'm starting to think you might be a bit of a devil on my shoulder with the things you ask me to do. You're seriously asking me to help you manipulate all the Faunus in Atlas—just for your projects?" There was a hint of disbelief in her voice, but Asher didn't waver. Instead, a slight grin tugged at his lips.
"Well, to be fair, when I hired you, I never said I was a good person." His grin widened slightly.
"Luckily, being good isn't a requirement to make the world better tomorrow than it is today." Liv narrowed her eyes.
"You're way too smart for a kid, you know that? It's actually kind of creepy." Asher didn't respond, and Liv rubbed the back of her neck with a resigned sigh.
"Alright, fine. I've already agreed to too much to back out now—especially considering how much your parents pay me." She shook her head before glancing back at him.
"So, what do you need?" Asher's smile grew upon hearing that.
"For now? Your name and reputation among the Faunus," he said.
"And for you to act as a middleman tomorrow when we visit Mantle." Liv tilted her head slightly.
"Wait… Mantle? Why?" Asher stood, looking down at her.
"Because we're going to meet up with our division's recruits tomorrow, and it turns out they look up to you quite a bit. So, you're going to be my way in—my key to getting them to trust me."