Ironwood opened his eyes as rays of light shined in through the blinds. With a strained breath he pulled himself up to greet the day.
'Day Two, still no news from the expeditionary fleet, or any sort of bounty for them.' he mused while stretching his arms. He performed a series of sort exercises to limber his body and ease the strain of his cybernetic.
'Is it possible the fleet was lost before contact could be made with any Mainland civilization?' he continued while dressing himself.
'Do they know about the fleet, are they playing dumb or are they truly unaware?' he questioned.
'What of the weapons, ones so devastating that they turned this world into a Wasteland?' he pondered.
"Do you see it James?" Ozpin inquired, drawing Ironwood's attention from his pondering.
"What?" Ironwood inquired.
"The way the people of the Wasteland interact with one another." Ozpin stated.
Ironwood turned to Ozpin, staring him right in the eye. "I have noticed, the barely contained hatred for those folks from this... Legio Unum, especially from the NCR and STN." James said.
"Not just that, you see James, I joined in a long discussion with several individuals from both the Wasteland and other parts of Remnant." Ozpin began.
"And?" James inquired.
"Several pieces of vital information came to light; why Super Mutants exist, The current policies held by different territories, What can cause a Ghoul to turn feral... And so many other things." Ozpin trailed off.
James gave him the look once more, his lip turning up in a small frown. "I assume very little of it is good." He said.
"Some is good, Ghouls can stave off going feral through regular social activities and avoiding large doses of radiation." Ozpin paused afterwards.
"So the zombies can stay human." he said bluntly.
"James!... I understand that you are stressed about the missing Expeditionary Fleet, but we can not have such slip ups during our meetings." Ozpin chided him.
Ironwood just huffed, before relaxing his shoulders. "Carry on." he said.
"Super Mutants... they were meant to be an army, super soldiers created by something called The Master using Old World Chemicals... on the West Coast at least." Ozpin paused again as James gestured for him to continue. "On the East Coast they were more random, it's why those three Super Mutants at the Meeting looked so different." Ozpin stated. "The ones from around the ROC were made in what they called a Vault Experiment, the ones found around the NMCG were made by a group called the Institute." Ozpin stopped.
"So, highly powerful Super Soldiers, created to fight in a brutal war." James surmised.
"And something else..." Ozpin said.
"What else?" Ironwood inquired.
"There's very few of them left, most of the remaing West Coast ones moved to the STN while most of the East Coast Mutants were wiped out." Ozpin said.
"Really? Super Soldiers of such calibre, and they're almost completely wiped out?" Ironwood inquired.
"Yes, The Majority of the East Coast ones spent their times pillaging and killing anything that crossed their paths. The West Coast had to deal with numerous civil disputes and changing policies about how to deal with Super Mutants." Ozpin explained.
"Then why did they moved to the STN?" Ironwood asked.
"Better rights, the West Coast Mutants followed in the path of Marcus and moved to the STN." Ozpin said.
"Did Marcus himself say that?" Ironwood asked.
"No... but many of his colleagues inferred it and he didn't dispute such claims." Ozpin said.
"And the East?" Ironwood asked.
"Less than one hundred left between both the ROC and NMCG, though they said such a number only referred to their own territories and not the unclaimed areas around them." Ozpin said.
"Is there anyway to access the "thing" that created the Super Mutants?" Ironwood asked.
All he recieved was silence.
Turning to look Ozpin in the eye, he found the headmaster of Beacon Academy frozen, his minds flashing to something shocking if the shrunken pupils were any indication.
"Ozpin?" Ironwood asked with deep concern.
"James... Promise me that you will not seek out such things?" Ozpin said, a dead seriousness in his voice.
Ironwood raised a brow at Ozpin's change in expression.
"I won't," he said quietly.
"Look me in the eye and say it, James." Ozpin spoke with an intensity Ironwood had never seen.
"I will not seek out, or attempt to research how the Super Mutants were created." Ironwood said while looking Ozpin in the eyes.
"Its for the best that it's kept that way." Ozpin said before turning away and walking off.
Ironwood just watched as he did so, his eyes narrowing. 'If it has Ozpin spooked, best to keep such knowledge need to know.' he surmised.
Marcus watched as Six clutched his head in pain. The stetson now discarded on the ground as Six's digits dug into blonde hair while the man himself whined.
Slowly, Marcus turned to Arcade and Ed-E. "I can see why you called me? Has this been a regular occurance?" he inquired.
"Every few hours, it started as nothing more than a headache but it's been getting worse each day." Arcade explained.
Six let out a pained breath before rising to his feet. He breathed deeply, gritting his teeth on every exhale. Slowly he looked up, a pained expression still present in the faint glow of his eyes.
"How did you make it through the first meeting?" Marcus inquired.
"Hopped up on painkillers." Six answered as he grabbed his stetson and put it back on.
"I assume you have a plan to deal with this?" Marcus inquired.
"Ed-E was communicating notes to me through an ear piece, helped keep me on track while the wires in my head kept me sane." Six said.
"However, should something go wrong we want you to take over the negotiations on Nevada's side." Arcade interjected.
"Why me specifically?" Marcus asked.
"Well, you are one of the most skilled negotiators in all of Nevada, not to mention your political savvy." Arcade explained.
"Arcade refused to take over and we needed someone we could trust with... this." Six said while pointing at his head. Marcus just nodded in understanding.
"How will I know to take over?" Marcus asked.
"I'll give you a signal." Six said before crossing his arms. Marcus just watched as Six patted his left bicep three times then ran his palm over the left forearm.
"That's the signal?" he asked.
"Yes, we'll also give you an earpiece like the one I have. If Ed-E will start beeping into your ear you'll know." Six explained as Arcade pulled out a small case. Opening it, Marcus saw Arcade pull out a small receiver and look to him.
"We just have too set this in your ear." Arcade said as Marcus took off his headset. Arcade walked to his side, and Marcus felt the receiver slide into his ear.
"It won't get stuck will it?" he asked, watching as Arcade stepped back.
"No, but if it does we have a magnet to retrieve it without causing any sort of damage." Arcade explained.
"Good to hear." Marcus said, putting his headset back on. It wasn't long before a faint series of clicks was heard in the one ear.
"What is your receiver saying?" Arcade inquired.
"Code..." Marcus paused for a moment, then raised his brow. "Are you sure we could sell that many Big Horners?" he asked.
Arcade nodded as Six let out a chuckle.
'There was one thing I didn't tell them.' Six lamented as he sat within the chamber once again. The representative for the Gun Runners had taken the stage for the moment, pushing for each of their cities to let them set up shop. He was helping vouch for them, they did supply a lot of the guns and especially the ammunition that helps keep Nevada safe after all.
If only his stubborn mind would calm down. Everytime he saw that man, the man with grey hair, this Ozpin... His headache returned tenfold.
He could sit and grit his teeth, let his aviators hide the pain in his eyes. He could even remain still as pain killers dulled his body while the wires in his skull kept him lucid.
Yet it just grew worse the more he looked at him.
A living hell, forced to remain still in the fsce of such torment.
He could signal Marcus, let Ed-E guide him with various notes and recording he had made in advance.
But now is not the time for such a thing, they still had hours to go before this meeting would end, he didn't want to force Marcus to do all the work.
So he remained still, pain hidden for all not in the know.
'Such foolishness.' Rimor lamented as he listened to the drabble of these representatives. Some he could respect; that Man of Iron from Atlas, The Grey Man of Vale, the numerous hardy folk from the likes of Vacuo and Menagerie. Yet as he listened; let the fat men of Mistral talk, the sheer arrogance oozing from this man of the Schnee Dust Company, even the dainty privilege from others in Vale.
It sickened him.
Reminded him of stories, of other Tongues sent to meet with the likes of the NCR and STN. The decadence of the Brahmin Barons, the Vipers in those Casinos littering Vegas and New Reno, All the snakes infesting the NCR leadership.
For those present that he respected, there stood many who he despised.
On and On, Dust and Grimm, Economy and Technology.
Jabs weaved between lines, slights hidden from those not in the know.
Across the Wasteland, in the Legio Unum, if you had such strife with others. You either kept it hidden behind closed doors and sealed away rooms, or you said it to their face with no means of keeping such feelings hidden.
One does not jab their own ally when faced with the unfamiliar.
While the NCR did such things during their talks with the other Tongues, it was never during the meetings. Any insult or slight was made behind their backs or too their faces when all the pleasantries were finished.
He understood why such slights were made. Would it not be reasonable to declare vengeance on a beast that dragged away your loved one?
The Sins the Legion committed in their war against the NCR may never be forgiven. But the Legion is gone, dead with the first Ceaser after his armies broke themselves upon the Mojave.
These Nations still live, still carry the scars and burdens left inflicted upon one another.
One of the first things the king did when trying to appease the NCR was return the bodies of those strung up on crosses throughout their territories.
It is understandable that they are not truly united, no matter the front that they try to throw on.
Not even the Wasteland was united.
The NCR was split with much of its South thrown into chaos. The STN was small, using its resources to prop up other nations and make deals that benefit both groups. The Legio Unum only controlled territory from Denver too Pheonix, it's western border right against that of the STN. To its south, its east, even it's north, stood the squabbling remnants of the Legion.
It may only be a matter of time before Lanius would march upon them.
Alas, he's getting off track.
As the Weasel from Dust finished talking, he could see The Redhawk rise from his seat.
The game continued, going in circles once again.
The Wasteland did not need this Dust...
They did not need it for power for their homes were powered by the great dam, by fields of shining metal, by the black tar of the earth and the pulsing cores of the Old World.
They did not need it for weapons, such variety put to much risk, gunpowder has already shown much of its worth for centuries untold.
They did not need it for technology, they had already dug through the archives and had brought back the power of the Old World.
The Wasteland did not need Dust, but it can want it.