A Fairly Reasonable Crashout (RWBY Adam SI) ch 50

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I leaned over the table. On it lay a paper map. It had to be updated every now and then as new information came in. Red circles marked lines, depicting recent ambushes. The map represented a Cell that had struck an SDC convoy. In the past, we would have relied on messengers to relay our positions, a necessity when fighting nobles and bandits that required coordinated efforts. But now, against a vastly different enemy, that was no longer the case. The ambushes alone were enough to tell us where they were.

The SDC was losing bots and men at an alarming rate. The bots were expendable. The men, however, were not. I was certain the SDC was afraid. Fear wasn't something you could measure, not in most circumstances. But here in this world, you could. The sheer number of Grimm now lurking in the region was proof. If we kept up the pressure, moving through this area would soon become impossible for anyone.

I heard the tent flaps rustle behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Sienna enter.

"Good morning," I greeted her.

"Morning," she replied, her voice rough. Her eyes were bloodshot, her movements sluggish.

"You didn't sleep well," I observed.

She gave a small nod.

"I don't blame you," I said, returning my focus to the map. At this rate, it would be better to pull back from this region and shift our efforts to other SDC sites. A token force could stay behind to harass their operations and keep them distracted while we moved on.

"What are you doing?" Sienna asked, her voice cutting through my thoughts.

"Planning our next moves," I replied. "The Grimm are becoming too much of a threat, even to our own operatives. We've put enough pressure on the SDC here. It's time to move on to other areas."

Sienna grunted in acknowledgement, stepping closer to study the map before settling into a nearby chair. She clasped her hands over her knees, her posture tense but attentive.

I continued, "A small force can stay behind to keep the SDC preoccupied. Let them think we're still here. By the time they realize we've moved, their supply lines will already be in shambles."

Despite her exhaustion, Sienna's eyes flickered with sharp calculation as she processed my words. "If we do that, it'll force them to spread their freighters thin to protect the other sites. Or, if Dalrymple tries to consolidate his forces, he'll have to abandon this region entirely."

I nodded. "And if we can take down one of their freighters, it'll leave them even more vulnerable. Fewer men to protect their operations means we could strike directly or even inspire rebellion in their so-called safe zones."

"Or," Sienna mused, "if they pull out entirely, we'll be seen as liberators again."

"Exactly," I said. "Liberating this region twice over would cement loyalty. More recruits. More support."

Sienna leaned back slightly, her gaze thoughtful. "You're surprisingly forgiving toward those humans."

I shrugged. "Let's not pretend loyalty is their motivation. The villages here called on us to rid them of their overlords because it suited them, not out of any allegiance to us. They hadn't truly experienced the 'mercy' of living under the SDC before. Now they have. And we freed them from it. Whether out of gratitude or necessity, they'll remain loyal."

"Some would call that cold," Sienna said, her tone neutral.

"We're fighting the most powerful monopoly on the planet," I replied evenly. "We'll do whatever it takes to win."

Sienna studied me for a moment, then gave a curt nod. "Good."

A silence settled between us, heavy but not uncomfortable.

"What happens if we manage to drive the SDC out of this region entirely?" Sienna asked after a moment.

I gestured broadly across the map, my hand sweeping northward. "Then we continue. We march north. We seize control. We free Mistral from the SDC."

"This kind of conversation," Sienna mused, "you'd never hear with Ghira. With him, it was always about the next protest, the next demonstration."

I crossed my arms. "In a better world, that would've been enough. But things are never that simple when humanity views us as second-class citizens at best. If I have any regret, it's that we didn't strike at the SDC sooner."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You did what you thought was right," Sienna countered. Her gaze softened as she looked down. "Adam, I..."

I waited, listening.

"I'm sorry," she said simply. "I froze. It won't happen again."

I nodded. "You told me your reasons. Malik spoke on your behalf. All is forgiven."

Sienna let out a small laugh. "He spoke on my behalf, huh?" She paused, her expression thoughtful. "Just like that? I'm forgiven so easily?"

I shrugged. "We all have our moments. Crashing out is reasonable from time to time. I can't fault anyone for that."

Her smile was faint but genuine. She glanced toward the tent flaps, her expression shifting. "I checked in on Ghira earlier through the radio. ANN says he's recovering well in a hospital."

Her face tensed, reflecting her unease. I understood why.

"Ironically, an Atlesian hospital is probably the best place for him," I said. "Did they report anything else?"

"Yes," Sienna replied, her tone measured. "He's being guarded by White Fang and Faunus soldiers from the Atlesian Army."

I mulled it over. "No humans around? Understandable. But we should prepare for the possibility that Atlas might try to keep Ghira there indefinitely as a hostage."

Sienna stared at me like I'd lost my mind, but her expression quickly shifted to a grimace. "Gods above, they would try that, wouldn't they?"

"Probably," I said. "They'd keep him there and use him to call for calm. And knowing Ghira, he'd do it willingly."

Her brow furrowed. "What do we do if he does call for calm?"

I snorted. "We don't calm down. Not at all. Ghira is admirable, but he's not our leader. We make our own decisions."

Despite my words, I was sure that some White Fang would calm down from that. Though not anyone from Mistral at least considering how terrible this whole place was. 

"Let's focus back here," I said, ending that conversation. "The Albains haven't reported back. I think it's time for us to call upon them." 

I tapped the map, towards train lines in the back. "These are the places that are beyond our reach. They can try for those. Bring the fire closer to the SDC. Though by doing this, I think we will gain a new enemy." 

"Who?" Sienna asked. 

​I traced my fingers eastwards, towards Mistral. A true look of disbelief came upon her face. "Are you serious?" 

"It's a fifty/fifty," I admitted. "Throughout all this time, we have kept the fire in the periphery. For the average Mistrali, this is another bandit kerfuffle. But the closer we bring the fire to the city, the likelier it is for the Upper Crust to act on it. Once the specifics of our Union is brought to the poor and to the choked, I will bet they will be concerned of it. Plus, we will be attacking rail-yards, SDC sites, and what not. Important infrastructure that other sectors rely on. Pressure from them will force them to act."

Even despite the literal hellhole plaguing MIstral, the city had been content to let bygones be bygones. As long as no one attacked vital infrastructure, businesses and the upper crust in the city would not do anything. 

I withdrew my hand from the map. "Or they won't. They might just bury their heads in the sand and pretend everything is fine. After all, they don't have a real army to contest us."

"They don't," Sienna confirmed. "At most, they have the Mistrali Guard. Nothing more than glorified thugs. They're used to breaking knees and taking bribes in the Lower City, not waging wars."

"Grimm food, then," I mused.

"Quite," Sienna agreed. "But if the Regents do decide to act, they'll use what they have in abundance." She reached into her clothes and pulled out a card.

Lien.

"Mistral is rich," Sienna said, her tone sharp. "Or rather, the Regents are. If they feel truly threatened, they'll open their coffers. They can hire scores of Huntsmen, mercenaries, or even pay the warlords in the provinces to fight us."

"Ah, yes," I drawled. "Let us empower and enrich power-hungry warlords. Surely, that will never backfire on anyone."

Sienna withdrew her card. "The Regents are confident, Adam. They've ruled a broken nation for so long that they don't fear being overthrown, even if a warlord or two becomes too powerful. No one has seriously tried to supplant them, and I think there's a good reason for that."

"Which is?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Sienna shrugged. "No one wants the job. Why would any self-respecting warlord want to take on the mantle of nationhood? Be the face of Mistral? Attract the world's attention and scrutiny? Take on the burden of actual responsibility? If I were a warlord, I'd much rather stay in my nice little slice of Mistral, quietly getting rich off the backs of others."

I mulled over her words, and the more I thought about it, the more sense they made. "Fair enough," I said with a shrug. "Still, we'll need to prepare for that eventuality. Better to be ready for something and not need it than to need it and not have it."

Sienna hummed thoughtfully. "This is just an educated guess, so take it for what it's worth."

"That's exactly why I keep you around," I snorted.

"How touching," Sienna replied with a roll of her eyes, crossing her arms. "If the Regents decide to fight us, let's break it down into two scenarios. First, they hire mercenaries and Huntsmen to come after us without involving the warlords. Less likely, I think. Unless they're hiring entire companies, individual mercs won't be enough to take on an entire movement. Maybe they'd implement a bounty system, paying per Union member captured."

I snorted at the thought. "What's going to stop some merc from grabbing a random farmer, calling them a Union member, and carting them off to Mistral?"

"On a purely corrupt level?" Sienna mused, her tone dry. "The Regents might tolerate it. It would give the illusion that they're doing something. But whether it's individual bounty hunters or entire companies of mercenaries, the result would be the same: people would hate it. Armed gangs of mercs trampling through the region, tearing up territories, and harassing civilians? That would infuriate the locals. And the warlords? They'd fight them unless they were paid off to look the other way."

Her voice wasn't surprised, just pragmatic, as if she expected nothing less from the Regents. I could tell she didn't hold much faith in their ability to act without making things worse.

I considered her hypothesis. It sounded stupid and arbitrary but then again, people were more than capable of doing stupid and arbitrary things. "It sounds so far-fetched and comically evil. But people have made stupid decisions before," I commented. 

Sienna shrugged, unfazed. "Then there's the second scenario: the Regents pay off a powerful warlord to do their dirty work. It shifts the heat away from them and onto a single group. Sweeten the deal by naming them Grand Marshal, Regent, or whatever title strokes their ego. If I were that warlord, I'd demand a hefty price to maintain control, especially since I'd be trampling on others' toes. Smaller groups would either fear or resent me, but that legitimacy would let me crush my rivals outright."

She eased back into her chair, her tone shifting to something more contemplative. "If this happens, we might see smaller groups flock to us for protection, seeking refuge in our strength. Or they might form their own confederacy, banding together to survive."

"If that does happen, we'll have to put our foot down. Bandits can eat dirt. Nobles…maybe, if they're willing to lose their power and surrender their arms to us," I said, musing aloud. Accepting bandits into the ranks was out of the question; they were rapacious, disgusting vermin. Nobles weren't much better, but at least they had some veneer of legitimacy. Still, I wasn't about to let the Union sacrifice its ideals just to welcome Count Dickwad the Second into the fold. At most, they could keep their fancy titles for vanity's sake, but their authority and weapons would belong to the Union.

Sienna considered my words. "I understand the bandits, but the nobles might hesitate."

"They can either come to us and be assured of fair treatment, or they'll face the tender mercies of whatever bigshot warlord takes the job," I said with a shrug. "This Union doesn't recognize nobility, only equality. Every man a king, every woman a queen, every son a prince, and every daughter a princess. But no one wears a crown."

She stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing. Despite myself, I couldn't help but smile. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said, still chuckling. "You just said that so seriously, it was funny."

I snorted. Then turned back to the map. "Well, should that happen, it's also reasonable to expect that everyone will hate that too for obvious reasons. Should they come, we do the same thing as we have done with the SDC. We strike their supply lines, bleed back into the woods. They might fare better than the SDC but we've face their kind before. We can win it again." 

​"We'll be ready," Sienna hummed. She stood up, hey eyes still on me. "Adam...I..." 

​"Hm?"

​"Thank you," Sienna said. 

"What for?" I raised an eyebrow. 

"Just...just accept my gratitude, damn it," The Tigress hissed. 

I snorted. "You're welcome, though I haven't the faintest idea what I'm being thanked for." Shaking my head, I added, "Now, get the word out, Sienna. Tell the Albains to begin their attacks. We've got a monopoly to destroy."

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A/N: Updoot.