RWBY: MRRN
Volume 7, Chapter 12: Kingdom Politics
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.
Edit: I received some major backlash with the scene about Ironwood withholding the evidence from the Council. I've rewritten the scene and i hope it's better than the original.
"Our lives are in danger?" asked Xiang Zhong asked Glaucus, the Councilwoman of Human Resources. Glaucus sat in the main Council chamber with the remaining six members of the Council at a large round table. He sat in Leonardo's spot, where he formerly sat and had been empty since the Council hadn't selected a new Haven Headmaster yet. Behind him stood Silvio Steel and Aria Azul.
There was Lan Se Tiankong, the Councilman in charge of Finances who had been overseeing the distribution of money to help repair Mistral. Next was Zhao Aoi, the Councilman in charge of Human Resources, who had been busy monitoring the welfare and status of the Mistrali population. Then there was Sparax Viridi, the Councilman of Defense, who too had been busy overseeing Mistral's defenses against Grimm and Iron Knights. The fourth was Sosciles Caeraleum, the Councilman and General of the Mistral Military, a close friend of the Steel family who had helped swell the ranks of the Bushi Militia after the Fall of Beacon. The fifth was Midori Kohana, the Councilwoman of State, who been the most active in negotiations with Atlas. Finally was Kasshoku Yusuke, the Councilman of Labor who had been working closely with Zhao Aoi and Sparax Viridi through means of manpower.
"Do you have any evidence to support this?" Lan Se questioned. "Without proper evidence, this is little more than theory."
"My Semblance allows me the power of clairvoyance," Aria answered. "I saw all of you killed and my visions are seldom wrong. You must understand-"
"You mean to tell us that because of some visions that we're in danger?" Lan Se seemed to dismiss. "We have more practical concerns to worry about, such as this mess following Lionheart's treachery."
"I always told everyone at this Council he'd betray us," Sparax insisted, contempt and disdain in his tone. "You cannot trust the Faunus in positions of leadership. Who's to say that Ghira wasn't involved as well? What if we're playing right into their hands?"
"Ghira Belladonna came to our aid," Sosciles brought up. "As for Lionheart, we may never know what possessed him to betray us, but that doesn't mean all Faunus are guilty of his crime. That's the mindset Darren Moss had before he was murdered."
"I quite agree," Xiang Zhong agreed as she stood up from her seat, proud and confident. "We cannot afford to turn away Ghira's help; the Faunus of Mistral won't listen to us after what happened with the Wild Hunt. Only Ghira will be able to help us convince them to lend their aid because of right now, too many people are being pulled into armed service. Among the civilians, there's almost no one but the elderly, the children, the women and the disabled. This is not a time to alienate possible allies."
Glaucus let out a sigh in annoyance, hating that the Council were almost ignoring him. Their lives could be in possible danger and they were ignoring the issue. Yes, they had other issues to worry about, but the possible attempt on their lives couldn't be ignored.
"Perhaps it'd be wise to call for help from General Ironwood or the other Kingdoms," Sosciles asked. "If we could send messengers to Vale-"
"Vale is in no condition to lend aid," Glaucus interrupted. "The Fall of Beacon has left the Kingdom vulnerable and on the brink of destruction. Now, you can stop ignoring me and the possible attempt on your lives?"
"When aren't our lives in danger?" Sparax questioned. "There are always people who want us dead because we make decisions that make very unpopular sometimes. With respect, Mr. Viisaus, you are practically beating a dead horse."
"Not this time," Silvio claimed. "We believe Valkoin Viisaus is involved."
The Council suddenly turned silent as soon as they heard that name. It was common knowledge by now that Valkoin Viisaus was one of those responsible for the attack on Haven, having been confirmed by Silvio Steel himself. He was described as a very dangerous and intelligent adversary and had eluded capture following their defeat at Haven Academy.
Lan Se was doing his best to not show any signs of being nervous or scared since Glaucus easily guessed who was involved with his plan. If Valkoin was captured and he revealed his motives and reasons behind what he did, Lan Se could face the death penalty for treason against the Kingdom of Mistral.
"If he's involved, then perhaps it'd be wise to hear Mr. Viisaus out," Sosciles insisted.
"Thank you," Glaucus replied to the Councilman before starting.
"There is no doubt a conspiracy to kill you all. Valkoin is not one to be taken lightly; I don't know who he's working with, so I must ask you. Is there anyone you think he could go to for help? Crime lords, anti-Faunus groups?"
"There is one I feel he could go to for help," Xiang replied. He pressed a button on the table and in the center, a projection of a well-groomed Fox Faunus appeared, holding a weapon that seemed a mix of a cane and a rifle.
"Honest Giovanni Volpe," Xiang informed. "One of Mistral's most notorious crime lords. Unfortunately, he's always found a way to stay out of the law's reach and remains at large."
"But he hasn't been active or seen for a long while," Lan Se brought up. "We could end up wasting resources on a wild goose chase. We cannot afford that, not with the state Mistral is in right now. Yes, we're recovering from the attack on Haven and, from what you told us, Mr. Viisaus, the Iron Knights were dealt a very crippling blow at Argus days ago. But that doesn't mean we're safe; we must keep our focus on the welfare of this nation."
Glaucus's eyes were narrowing at the Councilman of Finances as he brought the topic away from Valkoin and Honest Giovanni. While he did bring up points about how they could waste resources on a theory rather than the welfare and protection of Mistral, he was constantly pulling the topic away from Glaucus's warning.
"Councilman Tiankong, why are you so insistent on ignoring my warning?" Glaucus questioned. "If you all die, then the official leadership of Mistral would be gone and there's no telling of what could happen after that. This is not something you can pretend exists."
"I'm not ignoring your warning," Lan Se claimed. "What I am saying is that we must be careful with how we use our resources. We cannot afford more panic in the Kingdom, not when the majority of our Huntsmen are dead, thanks to Lionheart."
The Council did not react well when they learned of Lionheart's betrayal and his affiliation with those involved in the Fall of Beacon and attack on Haven. Some of them expected Leo to eventually betray them and they took the opportunity to say how right they were about the Faunus traitor.
Glaucus looked down with regret in his heart. While he held contempt towards Ozpin for his lies and hypocrisy, he couldn't deny the credence of his idea to paint Leonardo as a martyr rather than a traitor. Had Lionheart been claimed to have died protecting his school instead of a betrayer who sold out all the Huntsmen in Mistral, then perhaps things would've been better in the Kingdom.
"I will admit that Glaucus's words have some truth, but our resources must go to the protection of Mistral, not to a wild chase hunting down one criminal," Lan Se acknowledged. "If Honest Giovanni Volpe and Valkoin Viisaus are at large, we'll track them down, but in the meantime, our focus must be on Mistral."
After some debate, Glaucus's warning ultimately fell on deaf ears; or more specifically, the Council, excluding Sosciles and Xiang, ignored Glaucus's claims and stated that they would not hunt down either criminal unless their presence was shown again in Mistral. Glaucus tried to convince them, but they wouldn't hear him and was made to leave.
"You've got to be kidding me," Silvio groaned in frustration as he, Glaucus and Aria left the Council Hall. "There's an attempt on their lives and they won't listen?"
"Mistral is in a very fragile state right now," Aria brought up. "To start a manhunt for either criminal right now could risk leaving our borders vulnerable. But yes, it is irritating that they're ignoring our warning."
Glaucus, Silvio and Aria returned to their friends at the Steel Manor, where Team SSSN had also been welcomed. Sun, to the surprise of some, was on the sofa with a huge bump on his head and clearly unconscious.
"What happened with him?" Silvio asked the group.
"This is why we don't let kleptomaniacs into our homes," Oren stated, having been the one to knock Sun out cold. Neptune, Scarlet and Sage were openly dismayed by the disrespect their team leader received from the others. Yes, Sun was a kleptomaniac and a bonehead, but he was still a very good-hearted individual.
"So what'd the Council say?" Neptune asked. Glaucus sighed.
"They will not search for Valkoin," Glaucus informed. "However, we have a possible lead: Honest Giovanni Volpe."
"One of the most notorious crime lords in Mistral," Oren brought up. "If we're going to search for him, then we'd better head to Kuchinashi; that's where most sources say he is. He has eyes and ears everywhere, so we'd need to be-"
"Beg my pardon, but I don't think you should come," Glaucus interrupted. "Mr. Fields, you have a terrible habit of freezing whenever you see a blade. I've noticed and, to be truthful, it may make you a liability."
Oren and Cole both glared at Glaucus for what he just said. His words were undeniable, but the Lynx Faunus was fully aware of his bad habit and had been trying to take steps where he wasn't a burden. Before they could argue, Sage spoke up.
"Maybe not all of us should go," he suggested. "Silvio Steel is known all across Mistral, so him going down there could alert Giovanni and Valkoin to our presence. Only a number of us should go and track them down."
"Don't change the topic," Cole demanded. "Oren's been fighting as much as the rest of us and this old man's just going to call him a burden? Look, he may not have been fighting as long as you, but he's still-"
"Cole, please," Silvio responded to the leader of Team COAL. "Now's not the time to get angry."
The revelation of Ebon's betrayal weighed heavily on Cole Stone. Never in a thousand years would Cole ever suspect his brother would join an army of hypocritical terrorists who painted themselves as heroes and protectors. He had spent so long hoping his brother was alive, but now wished he was dead so he wouldn't have to fight him in the future.
"I agree with Sage," Neptune agreed. "Maybe a few of us should go down there and scout the place out. Hopefully, we can find these two guys before any Council members are killed."
"Something else should be considered," Glaucus brought up. "Lan Se Tiankong, the Councilman of Finances, was actively trying to keep the topic away from our discussion. Something's not right."
"You don't really think that Lan Se could be involved with Valkoin, do you?" Silvio asked.
"We can't rule out the possibility," Glaucus replied. "While some of us search for Honest Giovanni and Valkoin, the rest of us should keep an eye on Lan Se Tiankong."
So the plan was devised: Team SSSN and Glaucus would search Kuchinashi for their enemy while Silvio and the three members of COA kept an eye on Lan Se Tiankong and the other Council members. If Valkoin was successful in his plan to kill the Council…the consequences would be disastrous for all Mistral.
-0-
Ironwood, Winter and Clover waited in the Atlas Academy Conference Room for the four Council members. Clover sat by patiently while Winter was the opposite, unsure of why they needed to address the Council at all.
"Is everything all right, Winter?" Ironwood asked after noticing how tense the Specialist was.
"Sir, with all due respect, I don't understand why we need to consult the Council about my fath…about Jacques Schnee. Why can't we just arrest him and be done with it?"
"Because with the crimes Jacques is charged with, it becomes a Council matter, Winter," Ironwood informed. "If we arrested Jacques now without speaking to the Council first, it could be seen as an abuse of power and cause a scandal. We need the Council on our side before we arrest him."
The doors of the Conference Room were opened by two soldiers, then in walked the Atlas Council members. This prompted Ironwood, Clover and Winter to stand up to show respect to them.
"Members of the Council, thank you all for coming," General Ironwood greeted the four members of the Atlas Council as they seated themselves.
"We're actually very happy you've called this meeting, General," Sleet informed the General. "Because we have much to discuss."
"Indeed, we do," Ironwood agreed. He took a scroll out from the pocket of his coat and placed it on the table.
"Members of the Council, Jacques Schnee, current President of the SDC, is a terrorist and a traitor to Atlas."
The Council was in a shock at this sudden revelation. They knew Jacques Schnee wasn't always the most reputable of Atlesian citizens, but they never suspected that General Ironwood would outright accuse him of being a terrorist and a traitor to the Kingdom of Atlas.
"A terrorist and a traitor?" Stark questioned. "Based on what evidence, General Ironwood?"
"The evidence is on this scroll," Ironwood answered, gesturing to the scroll he had put on the table. "Fraud, human and Faunus trafficking, murder of Atlas and Mantle citizens, funding the Wild Hunt in Mistral-"
"Funding the Wild Hunt!?" Camilla gasped. "You cannot be serious, General. You mean to tell us that Jacques Schnee willingly aided terrorists in their violent campaign against Faunus? What would he have to gain from associating, or funding as you claim, the Wild Hunt?"
"Because Mr. Schnee possibly saw it as an opportunity to make the Faunus 'lesser citizens' again," Winter spoke, not bothering to hide the contempt she held for her father. "Mr. Schnee will do whatever it takes to get what he wants, no matter how many innocent lives are trampled in his wake."
On the inside, Winter was celebrating that her father would be exposed as the corrupt monster he was. No longer would he finally hide behind his PR. No longer would he evade justice for the lives he destroyed for his own glory. No longer would he get away with the numerous crimes he had committed.
"Is this evidence legitimate?" Polaris questioned the General.
"It is," Ironwood confirmed. "It was confirmed by Dr. Pietro Polendina, who we all know is one of Atlas's best minds."
"May we see this evidence please?" Camilla asked the General.
Ironwood was reluctant to share the evidence with the Council after what happened with Lionheart. Any one of them could be working for his enemies, for Salem, for Jacques, for the Iron Knights. But he had no choice; if he was to arrest Jacques Schnee, he couldn't keep this secret. He had to share this evidence with the Council to ensure the arrest of the corrupt President of the SDC.
With some hesitation, Ironwood sent the evidence to the scrolls of the Council members. A few moments of silence followed as the Council members examined what was presented to them by the Atlesian General. Some were shocked, others were horrified, and they were easily convinced of what they were seeing.
"By the Gods," Sleet gasped in horror. "This..."
"This is an outrage," Polaris spoke up in defiance, placing his scroll down. "We cannot seriously believe this, can we? Jacques is many things, but a terrorist is not one of them."
"Polaris, didn't you see anything on what was on there?" Ironwood questioned, shocked by this outburst. "Dr. Pietro Polendina himself confirmed that this evidence is legitimate and we all know he's one of Atlas's best minds."
"He's also a man in your employ," Polaris pointed out. "How are we supposed to know that he's not lying just so you can get Jacques Schnee out of the way? It's no secret that he's been opposing you ever since you called for the Dust Embargo and closed our borders. For all we know, this evidence could've been forged."
Ironwood frowned. It was indeed no secret that he and Jacques had been at odds with each other ever since the aftermath of the Fall of Beacon. Jacques viewed his Dust Embargo as a betrayal of their business partnership since it was crippling his business as well as many others in Atlas. He claimed he cared for Atlas's welfare, but James knew that in the end, Jacques only cared about himself.
"I am many things, Councilman Polaris, but I am not a liar," Ironwood stated. Polaris scoffed in response.
"Members of the Council, may I remind everyone here of what Ironwood has been doing? His actions could be viewed as abuses of power, could they not? He's still keeping us in the dark about the Amity Project."
"The Amity Project needs to remain classified for safety reasons," Clover insisted. "Once we're finished, you'll know what it is and why discretion was so important. We ask that you be patient."
"Patient!?" Stark questioned. "You've been keeping us in the dark for so long about much of your intentions, General! I must side with Polaris on this: how are we supposed to know this evidence is legitimate and not some way to get rid of your opponents?"
"I would not stoop to framing people for crimes they didn't commit," James stated firmly. "I assure you, this evidence has been proven irrefutable."
The Council members spoke among themselves for a while. Polaris had brought up a point that raised questions: was the evidence forged? Was Ironwood simply using this as a way to get rid of Jacques Schnee? Could he be trusted after many of the actions he had taken with consent from the Council? The Dust Embargo, the closing of borders, the military presence in Mantle, his 'discretion' surrounding Amity Colosseum...too many things weighed against Ironwood.
"Regardless of how you might feel about General Ironwood, this evidence is very condemning," Sleet brought up. "Perhaps it'd be wise if we had some more scientists confirm it themselves."
"People WE choose, not General Ironwood," Polaris suggested. "If what he said is true, then Jacques Schnee will be punished to the fullest extent of Atlesian law for treason." He turned to face Ironwood.
"But I warn you, General; if this evidence is forged, we'll view this as another abuse of power and demand your resignation as both Headmaster and General. Who agrees with me?"
All four members of the Council agreed with Polaris. If this evidence was proven irrefutable by another source, then Jacques Schnee would be held accountable on charges of treason and terrorism. He would be punished for his crimes against the Kingdoms of Atlas and Mistral. However, if they discovered that this evidence was forged so Ironwood could get rid of Jacques, then he would pay the price for what would be considered an abuse of power.
Ironwood was confident that everything would work out for him. Dr. Pietro Polendina was one of Atlas's smartest scientists, his genius and talent indisputable; even with the point Polaris raised, no one could doubt when Polendina said something was real or not.
"General," Camilla asked. "Why are you so intent on keeping Amity a secret? Keeping it secret from the public is one thing, but from your own Council members...do you not trust us?"
"Councilwoman Camilla, it's not a matter of trust, but of safety," Ironwood claimed. "I do not intend to use Amity for illegal purposes, if some of you are wondering. Our enemies are still out there, proven by the fact that supply trucks are being attacked-"
"Speaking of supplies, you do know they're supposed to be used for Mantle's outer wall, correct?" Polaris asked. "By stealing those supplies, you're leaving Mantle vulnerable to attack from Grimm or possibly worse. Have you no care for those people?"
"The Amity Project must take priority," Ironwood claimed. "But we're not here to discuss that, we're here to put a traitor in prison."
"Only if this evidence is proven irrefutable," Polaris replied. "Pardon my bluntness, General, but we don't feel inclined to trust you since you're fond of acting without our consent. However, since we've decided on how to proceed with that, I see no reason why we can't discuss Amity Colosseum."
Again, Ironwood insisted that the project needed to be remain classified until it was finished. No matter how hard the other Council members pushed, Ironwood would not reveal what he was building. He'd only tell them that it was intended to help Atlas and Mantle, but beyond that, he wouldn't say. As time went on, the Council members starting believing more and more towards what Polaris had claimed: the evidence was false and Ironwood was simply looking for a way to get rid of those against him.
"As we said, General, if this evidence is proven true, then you may earn back some of our trust," Stark stated. "But...if this turns out to be a lie, YOU will pay the price." The meeting concluded and the Council members left the room, leaving Ironwood, Clover and Winter alone.
Polaris broke off from the others, made sure no one was listening or nearby and started dialing a number.
"Mr. Schnee, we may have an opportunity here."
-0-
"Whoo!" Math cried out as he leapt using the Wind Dust in his new armor as he trained in the Atlas Training Room with his cousin. This had given much needed speed and agility that he had lacked before and was enjoying every moment of it. This would undoubtedly give him a much needed edge in the fights to come, especially against Nachtfel when he sees him again.
"Well, someone's having fun," Robin chuckled as he tested out his new arrows on the projection targets. The arrows flew as faster as a sniper round, almost invisible to the naked eye thanks to the Wind Dust in them.
His visor now was also much more effective than his old one that had been destroyed by the Disciples. The alternate modes were the same, but additional features were aim assist, giving detailed information on objects and enemies, and the ability to analyze fighting patterns, which would require some time on actual opponents.
"Robin!" Math called to his teammate. "Check this out!" Math requested the training officers in the control room to summon a projection of a Megoliath. Upon being summoned, the colossal Grimm charged at Math with ferocity. The wolf swordsman turned on the Earth Dust in his armor to half way and stood his ground, waiting for the giant projected Grimm to attack.
As soon as it did, Math leapt up and smashed his fist into the Grimm's face, easily shattering the hard bone-like face like a fragile stone. One could argue that this meant little, but thanks to the technology of Atlas, the projection had the same properties as an actual Megoliath Grimm. The Earth Dust in the armor made Math so strong that even the strongest Grimm armor would be useless against him.
"Yeah!" Math cheered as the Megoliath Grimm fell to the ground. "Man, I love this-YEOOOWWW!" The tusk of the Megoliath fell on Math's foot; even though it hurt like absolute heck, his Aura and armor prevented it from being crippling. The training officer made the projection disappeared as Math held his foot in pain.
"You okay?" Robin asked his cousin as he growled and groaned from the pain on his foot.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," he responded. "My foot only got slammed on by a Megolaith's tusk."
They continued training with their new upgrades until they decided to call it quits and leave the training area. The upgrades had worked much better than they expected and were looking forward to the other additions their friends would receive. However, Robin could tell that something was still bothering his cousin.
"What's wrong?" he asked Math. The swordsman sighed and made eye contact (or what he could to at Robin's visor) with his cousin.
"Our powers…how are we supposed to learn about them? Jinn is out of questions. Maybe Ironwood could provide some resources, but we don't know if we can fully trust him yet. I mean, he's proven that he'll stab others in the back and may weaponize our abilities for him to control."
"We'll figure it out," Robin assured. "We must figure our abilities out. The fate of Remnant depends on it. If we don't find out, then all those people who died throughout Remnant died merely delaying the inevitable." Math nodded his head in agreement, his cousin giving him the words needed to assure him.
"Then we will," he agreed. "Salem may be immortal, but she's not invincible."
Very true were his words. Against almost any other means, Salem would simply return and continue her rampage against Remnant. With the combined powers of the Dark Heralds and the Silver Eyes, they would defeat her once and for all and work to redeem humanity in the eyes of the Brothers.
But that brought up another point that needed discussion: Nachtfel had been revealed to be a Dark Herald as well. His ability allowed a crystal-like substance to grow on his limb after his arm had been cut off during the Battle of Argus. This allowed him to create tears in Aura that left vulnerable spots like openings in armor. He, too, was now learning about his abilities, which would undoubtedly let Salem know what she was not thorough in destroying the Dark Heralds as she thought she was.
They played a very vital role in the redemption of Remnant and the defeat of Salem, something that Ironwood didn't know. But he would soon, provided that he proved he was of stable mind where he wouldn't react extremely and how much the Kendricks learned of their abilities.
Could they trust Ironwood to react without doing something extreme? Could they trust him not to do something where he would ultimately be in control of their powers? Would he be willing to truly return the trust and loyalty he asked of others? Time would tell.