The Cracks in the Rift
Have Become More Apparent
A Decision Must Be Made
Before Everything
Finally Breaks.
“Are you completely sure of what you saw out in the field Evan?” Miles said as he leaned forward on his desk clasping his hands together.
“I know what I saw” Evan said as he brought up a picture on his monitor. “Nathan and the Children of Aequo ripping apart a settlement to root out a hidden cell of the Order.” Everybody in attendance either gasped or murmured in confusion. This was a holographic conference between several key players amongst the Kingdoms of Remnant. In attendance were Professor Ozpin and Christy representing Beacon, Weiss representing Atlas, Pyrrha representing Mantle with Evan there due to his eye-witness accounts, Sun Wukong representing Vacuo, and Miles and Blake representing Menagerie. Ty, Brooklyn, Jacob, and Natalie were all on the call as well due to each of them having a personal stake in this conversation.
“At the very least,” Ty said pulling up the mugshots of the captured Order members, “he did manage to find some important figures in the Order.”
“But at what cost?” Christy snapped back at Ty. “A few members of the Order is not worth the damage caused to the civilians and their village!”
“Well it’s not like we’ve fared any better when it comes to the remaining cells of the Order” Weiss said looking over the evidence. “But I do agree, not only are the tactics completely cruel and brutal, but they are completely unnecessary.”
“I can attest to this” Pyrrha said pulling up different images of several other villages in Mistral. “For every village that they find members of the Order, there are three other villages where there are no members of the Order to be found, but carnage and destruction all the same.”
“Yeah, there have been a few instances that have nearly wrecked important pieces of the Oasis Restoration project” Sun said as he pulled up images of destroyed work sites and water towers. “We almost lost all the available clean water just because he heard somebody say that the Order might have poisoned the water supply. And instead of testing it, he just straight up destroyed everything they could before we stopped them.”
“He’s gotten better over time” Brooklyn piped up. “I mean, in comparison to some of the earlier reports….”
“He only got better because we told him to” Ozpin said pulling up official documents. “Ever since we made him sign the treaty that allowed his organization to run freely while still adhering to the rules of the four Kingdoms, he has tried to put on a pretty face. But we can’t ignore his actions any longer.”
“What do the representatives of Menagerie say?” Jacob said looking at Miles. “You’re uncharacteristically quiet despite your vocal objections to Nathan’s actions.”
“Everybody here knows my stance on Nathan” Miles said leaning back in his chair. “No need to beat a dead horse.”
“Besides, neither Nathan nor the Sons of Aequo have come anywhere close to Menagerie over the years” Blake said stepping forward. “If anything, we have the least reason to be here.”
“Miles is one of the last remaining citizens of Aequo” Ozpin said taking a sip of coffee. “He has more reason than anybody else to be in this room” Miles pinched his forehead as Ozpin said this.
“So you’re just going to ignore the fact that Jacob, Evan and Natalie are all from Aequo as well? Why am I being singled out here?”
“Because you and Nathan had direct contact with the Order during the….”
“Time of the attack. Yeah, I get that. So what do you expect me to do about it? I’m not his baby sitter.” Ozpin stood up from his desk after Miles said his last piece, and then made a motion which caused several holographic switches to fly to the different members of the room.
“We need to make an executive decision here” Ozpin said as he enlarged an extra pair of hologram switchers. “We will vote on the actions that the Four Kingdoms will take in regards to Nathan Grover and the Sons of Aequo. Very simple decision. Either leave them be and trust the treaty that was signed, or bring them in to face justice for their actions. There is no judgement based on your decisons, nor is there truly a wrong answer. Just the answer we make together for what we think is best for the world.” Ozpin sat down and cast his vote. Weiss looked over the options, then cast her vote. Pyrrha, Sun, Christy, Evan, and Blake cast their votes. Ozpin looked around the room.
“Everybody here needs to vote in order to make a decision.”
“I don’t see why we just leave them be” Brooklyn said. “Until they start attacking us directly, they’re actually taking out the bad guys.”
“And harming innocents in the process?” Christy said clearly upset. “Do you have your head on backwards?”
“We let the Branwen tribe run free all they want” Ty said taking a step forward. “Heck, a lot of Mistral is all over the place in terms of the amounts of bandit tribes and illegal activity we don’t’ keep under control.”
“Those groups may be great in number,” Pyrrha said interjecting, “but they are still treated as criminals in the eyes of the law. If any one of them shows their face to those in authority, they would be arrested on the spot. Nathan is one of the heroes of the battle of Vytal. There hasn’t been any form or decree stating that he should be stripped of those titles and declared a criminal. I say we should take action and make him pay for his crimes against Remnant.”
“I respect that Pyrrha, but why do we need to vote on this?” Jacob asked walking towards the center. “Me, Brooklyn, Evan and Ty aren’t exactly anything more than huntsmen. Why does it matter what we think?”
“The world council recognizes the efforts of you all during the battle of Vytal” Ozpin said.”
“So why aren’t the rest of the members of Team RWBY or Team JNPR here then?” asked Evan. “They played as much of a role in the battle as we did.”
“Natalie” everybody stopped as Miles spoke up almost out of the blue. “You’ve been surprisingly quiet about this whole ordeal. This is your brother we are talking about.” Natalie sighed. This was clearly tough for her. She curled herself up in a small little ball in her chair.
“I’m not sure what to think. I love my brother and he’s doing good in fighting the Order, but at the same time, it’s hard to justify his actions.”
“So make a decision then” Ozpin said as his voice grew more impatient.
“Let me try talking to him. Maybe I can reach him if he knows how the rest of the world sees him.” Natalie said pulling up a map of the Mistral region. “He’s kept in touch with me over the course of the last few years, and constantly asks me to join. If I say I want to join him on his crusade, maybe I’ll get the chance to talk him out of going farther than he already has.” The room fell silent. Everybody contemplating what Natalie said. Then Professor Ozpin stood up, pressed a couple buttons on his tablet, and a new slew of buttons flew out to the different members on the conversation.
“We shall take a new vote” Ozpin said as he sat back down. “We either let Natalie take one more chance at reasoning with Nathan Grover, or we let the decision of the World Council be the final decision. Everyone vote this time. I mean it.” With that said, everybody actually managed to vote on the issue. Some voted almost immediately, others took their time in voting. But everybody did manage to vote. The results made their way to Professor Ozpin’s monitor.
“The final tally is a vote of seven to five in favor of letting Natalie reach out to her brother and try to talk him down from his current actions.” Everybody in attendance started murmuring, and eventually quieted down.
“It’s settled then” Ozpin said as he moved all the information off his screen. “Natalie, you will secure a position with the sons of Aequo in order to tell your brother that he needs to watch himself if he wishes to not be considered a criminal in the eyes of the world council. You have three months in order to convince him to stand down. If we have not heard any word from you or Nathan regarding this matter and his actions have not improved, we will have no choice but to act. Is that clear?” Natalie nodded her head softly. Ozpin nodded back then sat back down in his chair.
“We are adjourned” with that, the holographic projection of Ozpin faded from existence. Every other projection faded, all except for Miles’ and Natalie’s.
“What did you vote?” Natalie asked looking over at Miles.
“Does it even matter? What’s done is done. It’s up to you now.”
“Look, I know my brother has done….”
“Natalie” Miles spoke in a commanding voice as he stood up. “My resentment is towards your brother. Not you. And if there is even a glimmer of hope that we can get him back on track to him being himself again, then I want you to take that chance no matter how I feel about him.” The two of them stood silent for a few moments. Natalie then smiled, a few tears running down the side of her cheek.
“I wish we could just go back to those stupid days when you tried to kill me on the first day of school.”
“Yeah” Miles choked as he tried to hold back tears. “Me too.” Natalie deactivated her hologram, leaving Miles alone in the room with his wife.
“You okay?” Blake asked placing her hand on his shoulder.
“I just hope she knows what she’s doing.”
“Yeah, that’s what’s going down Nathan” Natalie’s voice said through the earpiece. “We don’t have much time before the world council takes action against you.”
“You called at just the right time Natls.” Nathan said with a grin on his face. “We just found where their primary stronghold is.”
“You serious?”
“Yeah. All their leaders, the old farts we fought years ago, everybody. We take these guys down, and we win. We finally avenge Ember.”
“That’s great! When do we leave?”
“I’ve got a shadow airship heading out to your location to pick you up. When we arrive, we go over strategy with Katie, and then we strike. Be ready.”
“I will be” Natalie hung up, leaving Nathan to look out over the ruins of Aequo.
“Your old home is truly beautiful” Nathan turned around to see a thin woman with long flowing black hair, a scar over her right eye, dressed in red cloak with orange and red armor carrying a green staff.
“Katie. How did the scouting go?”
“See for yourself” Katie handed Nathan her Scroll and pulled up a holographic diagram of a secure compound.
“This is fantastic! How did you manage to get all this information?”
“The Order is still running on dated technology. It’s super easy to get in and pull all the vital files.”
“Good stuff. I’ll plug this into the main computer and make sure we’re ready to go when Natalie gets here. Ready the troops! We attack the dawn after my sister arrives!”
“On it boss” Katie replied as Nathan slid down the side of the mountain. As he disappeared from sight, Katie formed a malicious grin. She walked away from the valley and activated a short range communicator. A grunt soldier of the Order of the Four Seasons appeared on the holo-disc before her.
“Just gave him the plans. He plans to attack tomorrow at dawn. Prepare the trap.”
“As you command, Lord Imperia.”
The Previous Generation at a Crossroads
Forced to Make a Decision
To Determine the Fate
Of One of their Dearest Friends.
They Choose to Try One Last Time
To Reason and Reconcile.
But it May Be Too Late
As Everything is Finally in Place
As Lord Anima Imperia Has Designed It.
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