RWBY Reloaded Volume 9 Chapter 1: The road to the Future.
For months, Raven has been missing, and, life has gone on at Haven Academy. The construction that was initiated at the beginning of the year has now nearly completed. Reuben himself trained at length, while the remaining huntsmen teams scoured Vacuo for the Summer Maiden. Theodore, Headmaster of Shade Academy chose not to assist the Haven students on principle. Remnant is more fractured than ever, with the shards of Atlas and Mantle forming a cohesive exclave in Mistral, parallel to the ones sent to Vacuo. Vale was still limping along, but it was clear that Mistral has replaced Atlas as the sole great power, exerting control over Solitas, and parts of Menagerie. The current issue is defense of the now larger population, with the combination of a second relic, the Grimm will soon flood in. Reuben sits with Ducard and the other members of the Mistral council to discuss it. Seven members, with two seats granted to the newer territories as a sign of good faith.
Reuben: Now, the Vytal summit is in a few days, we need a plan to submit to the other powers.
A brown haired, olive skin woman eyed the headmaster. It was clear she was from the southernmost region of Anima, she has green eyes, almost like a female version of Oscar Pine. She came dressed in what seemed to suit her, an elegant shirt and shorts, with sneakers, fashion akin to a young woman.
Octavia: Mr. Clark, I do believe my people should retain our previous rights exercised under the previous council.
Reuben: As do I, Councilwoman, however, we are at war with the most powerful woman on the planet.
A white haired, red eyed man looked over at Reuben, shrugging his shoulders. He looked to be well off, but certainly not flush with cash, since the destruction of Atlas and likely his previous employer.
Marc: That's exactly what James said, Headmaster.
He huffs a bit.
Marc; Most of my constituents are currently destitute, and have never worked a day in their lives. That being said, I don't feel like giving them the right to own weapons akin to the Huntsmen would do them any good.
Ducard; The reason Ironwood was able to effectively put you under Fascism was because the masses like you weren't armed.
Octavia: Hey, that's how we kept the precious peace where I'm from. For the last 80 years if the council wanted to seize our weapons, they'd have to pry them from our cold dead hands.
Reuben: Councilman Antony, You have been told in our previous meeting that the new Northern Mistrali's will have to arm themselves, we can guarantee your safety within the continental borders, but not in Solitas itself, where your temporary exclave resides.
It would be nearly impossible to respond militarily to each and every Grimm threat. Most kingdoms have a liberal unspoken right given to the people to keep and bear arms.
Ducard: We're willing to, after this crisis is over, restore all former lands of the Atlesian Kingdom. As well as return apart of Southern Vale to its new Republic.
Reuben: However, that comes with the caveat of you proving you're able to stand back on your own, without reverting to military worship.
Reuben turns to Octavia.
Reuben: I cannot promise a return to the old, weak central government, which is what nearly lead to all the huntsmen being wiped out three years ago.
Octavia: Very well, but when will the high speed rail infrastructure be complete?
Ducard: At it's current rate, the Animanian transcontinental rail line should be completed at the end of this fiscal year. But passenger rides will be limited as we ship foodstuffs from our breadbasket all around the countryside, bringing down the price of bread by a third.
Marc: Ick, that's right, you were considering an extension into that vermin land of Menagerie, weren't you?
Octavia: Hey, Hey, racist. The Faunus have valuable meats that we can only get by trade. We need tons of their food imports to help industrialize this place. Plus, there's only two places where the tracks could go.
Reuben: Indeed, track would run from the mainland to the first island, then from the island to Kuo Kuana, but we'd have to construct massive bridges to connect the two. Not to mention bridges that will connect parts of Anima to itself, and other islands, but those could take five years. Heck, it'd be cheaper to run rail from one part of Anima to Saunus.
Marc: That could work.
Finally, a woman from the second Atlesian exclave spoke up.
Sapphire: Will Argus be returned to Atlas?
The young girl looked around the room for an answer.
Ducard: No, Argus itself is being demilitarized, and will instead be a trading hub.
Sapphire: What about the Atlesians living there?
Reuben: Deported. All of them aided and abetted the military industrial complex, likely into other regions of the Kingdom.
Octavia: It's funny, you keep saying Kingdom, but it seems more an more like its an Empire.
Penny came into the room bearing coffee and tea.
Marc: I would say Atlas is more of an Empire, we did have almost all of our Authority vested in James in our twilight days.
Penny gave Reuben his special cup.
Sapphire: This your maid?
She goes bright red at the accusation.
Penny: N-No! He's just the headmaster and I figured I'd surprise you with refreshments!
The ginger scoots closer to him, blushing madly as her emerald eyes look at her boss who seemed to be more focused on everyone else.
Reuben: Anyways, we should turn our attention to the Socialist Republic of Solitas once again. Previously Incumbent Headmaster Henry argued for the restoration of Atlas Academy, however….
Ducard: Such an institution would suffer from a severe lack of funding. Welfare spending is to comprise 75% of the Solitas budget, per Executive Councilor Schnee. Councilor in arms Robyn has already been making claims of restoring Solitas to the pre-war borders, as I said before we'd be willing to agree, if the government can stand.
Marc: The people whom I represent do not have a city to go back to, inflation due to the low grain yields, and the lower quantities of available dust. cannot be mitigated unless we get the others on board.
Octavia turns to Marc.
Octavia: Inflation isn't real…
She the tuns to Reuben.
Octavia: Make shit cheaper, or we'll just steal it from you.
Penny had long disappeared from the room, no one heard her leave.
Ducard: Then you'll be treated just like the Branwens.
Sapphire: I heard what happened to them earlier in the week, they helped you two come to power and then…
Reuben: A necessary evil, criminals are only good for perpetuating crime and the Branwens. no different. However, we need to keep order in our society preventing our Kingdom from breaking out into multiple riots influenced and fueled by the Branwens; therefore, we had to send troops to break up the settlements
he looks at the others, gauging them
Reuben: There was never really an agreement on paper, just a verbal agreement between the government and their so-called tribe that they would be left alone for as long as they were useful to the government…. well that day is finally here they're no longer useful to the government and therefore shall be broken up in order to fit more and more of remnants population onto Anima.
Ducard: We have a proper well equipped well-funded military now the last thing we need is a bunch of rednecks with their rifles going around thinking they're the sheriff in town. They were fine when we had no Huntsman to speak of on the continent, but years later that is no longer the case. Trained Huntsman flocked from all over the globe to train study and live and now one of the most peaceful kingdoms on Remnant.
Marc: Who is to say you won't dissolve our exclaves like the Branwens?
Octavia: It'll be a full scale war if you go anywhere near my turf.
Sapphire gulps a bit, her head spinning from all this philosophical and political lessons bestowed on her by the council. Suddenly the doors fly open, Elm is clutching the staff.
Elm: I've found Team RWBY.
The room goes silent, as the ex-Ace Operative has the floor.
Elm: They're trapped in the Ever After…
End of Volume 9 Chapter 1