Save the world? Fuck that, I want to make money! (RWBY SI) ch 75 (DEFUNCT)

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I spread my hands, and a holographic model of Mount Glenn materialized before us—an exact scan of the fallen city, the most accurate my satellites could capture. The ruins smoked and rusted; streets were empty, abandoned by life. Nature had crept in, overtaking the crumbled structures with greenery, but the place still felt cold, lifeless. Vale had poured immense resources into turning this area into a new home for its people—the winding avenues, the boulevards—but now it stood desolate. With a flick of my hand, the model of the city shifted, turning red, the Grimm face mask marking it as enemy territory.

"The plan is simple," I declared. "We'll establish a beachhead with the vanguard troops."

The hologram shifted. Dropships bearing the Imperial eagle soared across the sky, and troops and Titans descended onto key locations—centers, outskirts, bridges, breaches in the walls. The red hue of the city was now peppered with blue, the sound of the Imperial Eagle's roar reverberating through the scene.

"The vanguard will fortify the beachheads, enabling the next wave of troops to land," I continued. "Once we have enough forces, they'll expand and connect their positions to secure the surface." As I spoke, the map seemed to breathe, the Eagle spreading over the city, uniting the landing zones. "Meanwhile, engineers will secure the breaches in the walls, sealing off the city once again."

"Once the surface is recaptured, the Shields will dig in, fortify, and begin rebuilding. The tunnels, both underground and in the mountains, will be reclaimed piece by piece. Ideally, we'll complete this in five months."

General Ironwood fell silent. I looked up to find him in his office, his eyes flickering with calculation.

"This is… bold," he said, finally. His gaze met mine. "How many men do you have at your disposal? Supplies? Support? Contingency plans if things go wrong? Are you prepared to take responsibility if things fail?"

"The Valean and Solitan Themes will be mobilized," I replied. "Ten thousand men and women, with everything I have in my arsenal at their disposal. The bulk of the fighting will be done by Knights—robots. I won't send organic troops into the most dangerous spots."

I paused. "The base where I'm speaking to you from is one of many I've built all around the Kingdom. These act as supply depots for the reclamation of Mount Glenn. This project has been years in the making, General."

"You wanted this?" Ironwood asked, disbelief in his voice.

"It was a long-term plan, if things went my way. To be executed once I had the resources to back it up. Fortunately, the stars have aligned, and I now possess both the wealth and means to bring it to fruition," I revealed. Then I added with a grim smile, "Long time coming, indeed. For every life that will be lost, I've arranged a generous pension for their families. I'm asking my people to fight and die for my ambitions. The least I can do is ensure their loved ones are taken care of."

This entire endeavor was going to cost me a fortune. Even the preparation had drained resources—constructing kastrons across Vale, training and equipping troops, logistics, and supplies. But the benefits far outweighed the costs.

A human city fallen would be reclaimed. The industrial areas, intact, retaken and relaunched. More importantly, Vale's future would be secure. Vale was the second-most populous Kingdom on Remnant. It wasn't just a major population center; it was also a massive consumer of military goods. Vale alone accounted for a significant portion of the earnings from my weapons and Imperial Entertainment subsidiaries.

That's why I was so invested in this. Millions upon millions of lien were riding on it. Reclaiming Mount Glenn was also a matter of insurance—denying the enemy the use of their dragon.

"I see no problem with your plan on the surface," Ironwood said, his tone thoughtful. "It's sound, methodical, and strategic. I have no doubts about your arsenal and the capabilities of your Shields. But…" His voice darkened. "Have you considered how the Queen might react?"

"At worst, I expect she'll send her hordes after us to harass the forces. But for now, I think she'll bide her time," I replied, keeping my tone steady.

"You believe she won't interfere in this?" Ironwood's disbelief was evident.

"No, I fully expect her to intervene, but I suspect it will be minimal," I explained. "She likely sees this venture as doomed from the start—either it'll fizzle out or the pressures will overwhelm me. She underestimates us, General. That's why this victory, our victory against her, is assured."

Ironwood leaned back, his gaze hardening. "That's an assumption, Mister Wayland. Not fact."

"I can only base my conclusions on what I've observed so far," I responded. "I'm no mind reader, and I can't pretend to understand the motives of someone like her. But we've learned enough about the enemy, and an immortal witch like that… who knows what goes on inside her mind?"

"And what has Professor Ozpin said?" Ironwood asked, bringing up the elephant in the room.

"I assumed he had told you and has thus sent you to dissuade me," I crossed my arms.

"You are correct," Ironwood nodded. "He fears for what might happen if you fail. A campaign like this is not as simple as a skirmish."

"He's too cautious, goodness," I clicked my tongue in annoyance. "I already know he isn't going to support me in the field. I am not asking for his permission or approval. I told him this out of courtesy."

"And when do you plan to do this? This offensive?" Ironwood asked.

I smiled.

"Soon. Do not worry about Salem, for I have something in mind to keep her distracted. And if you would excuse me, General, I must make a call."

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Councillor Arcenciel's fingers tapped the wood of his table, his face marred by an ugly frown.

A war machine, dozens of other weapons, the port of Vale closed. While it was only a part of it, the Army had to ensure the rest of the port's safety. It was then that his scroll rang. He glanced at it, then spoke up.

"Mister Wayland. Mind explaining why your arms and war machines are at Vale's port?" he seethed.

"Thieves, for one. And an opportunity for us." Alexander replied.

"How exactly is this an opportunity?" Arcenciel asked sarcastically. "Weapons of war in our port, millions of lien in damage, and the business sector is anxious about the port closing!"

"You asked for opportunities to take the Fleur down a peg. Here's your chance," Wayland explained. "For example, you could ask how customs failed to find the smuggled weapons. Or how the police took their sweet time to respond to the disturbance." 

Arcenciel took a moment to calm himself. This was an explosive situation, but he saw the opportunity. He could rally against the ineffectiveness of certain officials and get them replaced with those friendly to him and the Color Revolution. The Ports and Police back in the camp of friends. Vital areas of influence. From the port, they controlled the economy, and with the police, they had access to the Sentinels and the force themselves.

"Do you have further ideas?" Alexander asked.

"Urging for calm and reopening the ports will set nerves at ease. As long as basic necessities aren't touched, the people won't riot," Arcenciel thought aloud. "I'll rally my people for moderation. The Fleur win by appealing to sensationalist hogwash and fear."

"You got it. You could be the voice of reason in the Council. The Fleur propose their escalationist stick, you bite them back. Point out that the government has failed to curtail all these problems despite the spending on the army and everything. They wish to propose instability, you propose stability."

"That could work," Arcenciel mused. "But many will rightly point out that attacking the police and the army at this moment would be foolish."

"Indeed, hence, you could call for a replacement. Get the Fleur-aligned officials out and yours in. Point out the incompetence of the past ones, and put in ones that you trust and have good records."

"Furthermore," Alexander continued. "I'll help in steering support your way. I have a mech to reclaim and I am not going trust the Fleur in safeguarding it." 

"We have a plan, at least." Arcenciel sighed. He leaned back on his chair. "How are you going to reclaim your Titan? The army's taken possession of it." 

"I will ask it to be returned to me. It's company property, not Valean property," Alexander declared. "No soon but immediately. That Titan is dangerous in the wrong hands." 

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A/N: I must admit, I am getting worn out with RWBY. I have been doing this for awhile that I am losing interest. Without interest, quality drops. Reviewing my last few chapters, I have noted that it's quality is not up to snuff. I've chalked it up to burnout. To settle this, I am going to slow down the updates of the RWBY stuff and give my brain a chance to pursue other projects. I would like to take a small hiatus with RWBY for the moment to rethink storylines and such.

In this arc, I wanted to do stuff with Alex of course launching a campaign retaking Mount Glenn and being more actively involved in things. But recent reviews in QQ wish for him to do business and economics stuff again. This is a contrast to what I want to write.

How about you guys? What do you feel I should improve on? Do more? I would like to understand the sentiment so that I can compromise on the direction of this thing.