Save the world? Fuck that, I want to make money! (RWBY SI) ch 12 (Patreon)

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She was ushered to corporate immediately. As soon as the news had hit, the gangly men in suits had arrived to take her and the Academy had far more important things to do than stop them.

Winter Schnee glanced out, her face impassive as she watched the protesters standing outside the SDC HQ, placards in hands and impassioned shouts leaving their lips before rows of riot-police watching them. Across from her, an SDC representative watched the crowds as well and shook her head. "These people a protesting for nothing. Rescue efforts are going underway," she proclaimed.

The Schnee Heiress, for now, turned her attention towards the floozie her father had sent to take her. "Their families are trapped in that mine," Winter said plainly.

"You won't find mine there, Miss. We aren't animals," replied the rep, snickering. Winter fought the urge to grimace at floozy's apathetic comment. She could go and talk her down but she was again her father's creature. An attack on them was attack on him.

"Right..." Winter left it at that to look again outside. She had access to information that this middle-manager didn't. Courrières was one of their many mines under their control. It had been owned by them for a while. Initially, it was among the safest of their mines but the quality had slipped downhill through the years...much like the SDC.  She shook her head and prepared herself. The riot police had taken a step aside and allowed their car to enter the SDC courtyard.

Time to put on a brave face.

The flashing of cameras and microphones being shoved her direction was what greeted her as soon as she stepped out. Journalists and protestors alike made their presence known.

"Miss Schnee, what is the SDC's plan to rescue the miners?"

"Miss Schnee! Miss Schnee! What are your comments to this disaster?"

"Schnee Murderer!"

"Please! My brother's in there! Please, for the love of the Gods, rescue them!"

The middle-manager quickly stepped in between her and the crowd yelling at them. Winter's heels clicked as she made her way into the SDC, behind her chaos. The last thing she heard before she entered the maw of HQ were countless Atlesian airships and bullheads prowling the skies towards the direction of Courrières. The lobby was in chaos, multiple employees walking here and there bearing papers and such. In a corner, a few were watching a screen where live footage was broadcasted from the site. Winter paused to watch as well.

Cries of horror left people's lips as the screen flashed as a bright flash engulfed the screen. Winter near bit her lip, her hands balling into a fist as the newscaster called out to the ground crew in a panic. She forced herself to look away, face up, as she made her way for the elevator to the top floor, where her father and the board awaited.

She stepped in, alone, and released a sigh she had no idea she was holding. This was becoming a fiasco that she'd find hilarious if it wasn't for all the people that would lose something from this disaster. Well...her father was always someone that had a plan for something. Despite his faults, he had that at least. The elevator stopped and its doors opened with a ding. Winter stepped out and found herself in a long hallway. A front desk bearing the SDC logo was all that stood between her and the boardroom.

"They're inside waiting for you, Miss Schnee," the receptionist said. Winter nodded and rounded the receptionist. Her heels clacked against the red carpet floor, the side walls bearing images of the SDC's past. The first mine they owned, the biggest yield they had and so much more pieces of history. She stopped before a particular one, that of her grandfather triumphantly raising a pick as he led miners forward through the snow. If anything, Winter was thankful that he was no longer alive to see what was happening to his company and his family.

He would be heartbroken.

Shaking her head from reminiscing, Winter resumed her path the boardroom. Two suit-clad men with dark sunglasses appeared out of nowhere. They silently opened the doors for her to enter and she did. She had expected a boardroom in the midst of discussion, plotting rescue lines and aid to be given to their workers. But such a thing was only possible in her grandfather's day. No, the board was in chaos.

"What are we going to do? If the public finds out that Courrières was in neglect, they'll demand the Council to investigate the mine! We'll be investigated!"

"We're taking a dip in the stock market!"

"I had a personal stake in Courrières? How am I going to get my money back?"

Winter resisted the urge and it took all effort not to sneer at this disgusting...she paused her thoughts. To think that she shared the same air as these creatures made her want to jump out. "Father," Winter announced. "I have arrived."

Her father who had been quiet and content to let the board panic among themselves glanced up. "Quiet," he ordered. And just like that, the board members paused their bickering to pause, faces unsure, before they went back to sit on their seats.

"Now that my Heir is here, we can begin," Jacques continued, subtly telling her to sit down. She did so, in the one free seat closest to him.

Seated, Jacques glanced up. "How did the fire start?"

"W-well," one of the board members adjusted his glasses. "We are still unsure. We need to investigate the ruins first before we know. But...it's most likely that mishandling with the dust sparked the match."

"Stupid animals. What's so hard about being careful?" a man commented, earning snickers from the others.

"Quiet," Jacques again ordered, glaring at the men. They then tried to make themselves as small as possible. Ignoring them, Jacques turned to Winter. "What do you recommend we do, Winter?"

She paused to think, the other leaning in to hear. "Do we have schematics for how the Courrières is dug?"

Jacques nodded and clicked on a button, allowing a model of Courrières to appear at their table. WInter turned to it, thinking some more. "It is safe to assume that the explosion has collapsed sections of the mine. I...I am quite sure that the miners trapped there are either dead or the rescue will be-"

"There will be no rescue," Jacques interrupted.

Winter paused. "No...rescue?"

He leaned in, pointing at the tunnels. "Winter, look at how the tunnels of Courrières are dug. The pitheads may be interconnected by underground galleries but that will only increase the debris that no doubt have blocked places. Trying to rescue the miners will not only be a waste of time but a needless expense, not when we simply hire new workers by the dozen."

Inwardly, Winter trembled. That was...she....

"No rescue," Jacques said with finality as he leaned backwards.

"Y-yes," she stammered, forcing the bile back in her throat as she continued on, trying to hide the shaking inside her core. "Until we have live feed again, I do not know what can be salvaged. We...should wait until the fires have safely died down to not risk more of our staff. "

She finished and leant back, looking right as rain.

"I agree," Jacques nodded as he turned his attention back to the board. "Members of the board, I have heard your concerns and I assure you, the SDC will not suffer from this. Firstly, our stock will take a dip at the stock market but such is natural in the face of this disaster. Tomorrow morning, it will stabilize as soon as the heat dies down. It will stabilize more as soon as we can re-assure the public that Dust supplies will flow. The Dust that we have withheld, we will release it bit by bit. By doing that, we can still ensure a flow of supply while justifying its cost. Secondly, the mine itself is insured hence the SDC doesn't have to fear bankruptcy."

He leant forward, eyes narrow. "Thirdly, there will be an official inquiry to this. A natural consequence from how public this disaster is but do you think the Council will really delve deep to expose us when they themselves have shares in this company and when the Kingdom relies on us for Dust?"

He shook his head, voice cold and logical. "No, they will go and demand us some minor concessions to make it look like they did something then in a few weeks, this will all be forgotten by the public and we all can resume our lives. This disaster is a setback, yes, but look at the facts now. We remain yet a multi-billion lien industry, Remnant looks to us to power their homes, their cars, their needs. We are untouchable, ladies and gentlemen."

"But what about the faunus?" a board member asked.

"What about them?" Jacques scoffed. He adjusted his tie. "The ones in our official lists will be paid their dues, publicly. That way, we can avoid being accused of inaction."

The same board member pressed forward. "But...we had more employees there, sir. Not on the lists. Will those workers and their families be paid too?"

Under the sterile light of the board room, Jacques Schnee raised an eyebrow. "What workers?"

Winter Schnee listened to this.

And then she made her choice.

Whatever goodness that was inside her father had long since died out, replaced by snake wearing his skin and whose only purpose in life was greed and avarice.

By tomorrow morning, she was out.

Damn her father.

Damn these cretins that had the gall to call themselves 'elites'

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The seas were calm, the wind flowing through the water. But soon, the waves splashed as a ship coursed forward. And from it, screams of horror left its cabins.

"By the brother gods! No! NO! NOOOO!"

Cries rang throughout the cabin as a bright light engulfed the screen then...nothing. Silence fell among the crew of the Sunflower as the watched the newscaster frantically call out for the ground crew but, there was nothing. Others sobbed, hugging one another. Some watched quietly, frozen in place. That was until a man stood up, expression in quiet fury.

"In front of all these witnesses, I swear on the Gods, I shall not rest until the Schnee Dust Company pays for this injustice!" John Brown proclaimed, eyes blazing in zeal. His cry was taken up by the others who turned to him. They did not care he was human, only that he was going to do something about it. Sienna, to her surprised, found herself being lifted up too.

A new voice however, joined in.

"No, we will not."

Eyes turned to see Kali standing by, her eyes red with tears, her makeup in ruins, and her cheeks puffed from weeping. But, she held her head high as she walked into the cabin.

"Kali. You have seen what has happened," John Brown argued. "We all know how that blasted company treats the faunus, slaves in all but name. Something must be done!"

Kali stepped up, looking up at him. Her expression was set.  "And there will be, properly, by talking with the SDC and with Atlas."

John Brown raised his hands up in frustration. "Talk! Talk, Kali! I am eternally tired of hearing that word: talk. It is nothing but the word of cowardice! Talk will not save the choking faunus bereft of light and warmth!" 

Sienna felt her heart lift at that. Atlas and the SDC had never listened to them despite their petitions, their talks and pleas. They needed...more. Kali looked pained but still, she trudged on. "What do you intend to do then? Take men and attack the first SDC facility you see?"

Horror went to her face as Brown nodded. "Perhaps. If that is what it takes for justice then it shall be done."

"This will not win us, Brown," Kali said quickly, unyielding. "We won our freedom through blood but slavery was ended by paper, Menagerie was gained through negotiation!"

She took a breath, forcing herself to calm. Nothing was going to be gained by shouting. They needed to talk. "Brown, Sienna. Come with me to my cabin, please."

Brown wordlessly walked forward, his expression stern. Sienna followed shortly. They left amidst murmurs and unsure looks between the rest of the crew. Arriving at Kali's cabin, the Chiefess of Menagerie sat back on her chair, the only mark of luxury in a spartan cabin. SIenna stood next to her, quiet, as Brown stood strong and unabashed.

"Kali," Brown began, his eyes still blazing. "This cannot go on forever. Action must be needed to enshrine true equality between humanity and the faunus. Do you think that the corporate man and the fat councillor will treat your people as equals without the threat of blade?"

"And usher in violence?" Kali snapped, her patience nearing its end. "Brown, the violence that you so desire, I understand it. I feel it. But this will scare humanity, the kingdoms will look to us as the violent beasts they portray my people to be and re-arm! I will not allow my people to be martyrs no longer!"

​The zealot and the idealist glared at each other. Sienna understood both. It was true, very much so, that through institution and talk, a peaceful dialogue could happen. But what if the other side refused to listen? Sienna was well aware of the SDC's terrible practices regarding its faunus workers. Paid very little, housed in cheap work camps made with the lowest bidder, abuse both physical and emotional, company men forcing their workers to purchase useless company scrip. It was honestly laughable how comically evil the SDC was being towards her people, the sort of stuff Sienna thought only cartoon villains would do.

But this wasn't a cartoon. The abuse was very much real.

"What do you plan to do, then?" Brown pressed, crossing his arms.

Kali's ears twitched. "I have spoken with Ghira via scroll. He wishes to organize Remnant's biggest strike from Vacuo to Mistral, North to South. All faunus will refuse to work until the Kingdoms force into law protections for faunus workers."

Sienna ran the numbers in her head. Her people accounted for the most dangerous work such as mining, forestry, and other stuff deemed dangerous by most folk. If they did the strike then it would hit the one place the Kingdom's cared the most, their wallets. It would hit the Kingdom's hard but still...it would not make the SDC accountable. The countless faunus dead buried or choking, they needed justice.

They needed retribution.

Brown still looked unsatisfied. "And let those responsible for this sad disaster go free?"

"We will demand that SDC be held accountable too through a fair trial," Kali sighed. She looked worse for wear, the stress of the situation making her age a little bit more. "The rule of law will win us, not violence. If we let violence continue, Brown, then what is the use of laws? Of civilization?"

"Such laws, Kali, are only useful when they will be enforced freely and without the taint of sin," Brown spat. He rounded forward, looking directly into her eyes. "Do you truly believe that the SDC will pay...for this?"

Kali had no reply.

At that, Brown shook his head. "Out of my respect for your wishes and that of your husband, I will not attack the SDC. Not now, at least. You wish to fight the SDC in the courts, do so. Your people and mine need my help in Mistral. They will get it."

His stare turned hard. "However and should my business there conclude and the Atlesians refuse to bring the guilty to responsibility...then I, John Brown, shall."

With that, he turned on his heels and made his way out of her cabin. As he left, Sienna turned to Kali and found her looking at the floor. "No more martys, ever again."

Sienna had looked at Kali and her husband as leaders, as mentors. But seeing this...she couldn't help but balk at the sight.

John Brown was right.

Action was needed.

And the Belladonnas and those that supported them needed to understand that. If not...then perhaps the Faunus needed someone to give them that. 

She left Kali to weep by herself, walking after Brown. "Human!" she called out to him. 

The man stopped, turning around. "Miss Khan?" 

"Where are you going?" she asked, looking up. 

"Mistral, Miss Khan. The Branwens have to be dealt with first. Far too many have been taken by them," Brown said, shaking his head. He raised an eyebrow. "Why, has Madam Belladonna sent you to stop me?"

Sienna shook her head. "No. I want to come with you."

Despite him being a human, Sienna felt she could trust John Brown. The man was consistent in his fight for her people's freedom. Any human willing to take up arms for the welfare of the faunus and bled for them was alright in her books. Besides, he clearly had the good idea that force was going to be needed. She had attended far too many rallies and protests for the faunus only for it to achieve...nothing. The idea was there but she needed more. The human was clearly crazy but who was she to turn to for new instruction?

"I thought you had to go to Atlas?" Brown pointed out. Sienna resisted the urge to growl. A part of her whispered that going to Atlas was just a waste of time since the objective of her visit had already blown up, literally. Sienna paused to think. She could still go and get there, organize the local White Fang Chapters towards her ideas but...she didn't exactly have the same respect and gravitas the Belladonnas had. Weak as they were, they had credentials.

She needed those too.

She had been riding their coat-tails for far too long.

But there was public exposure to be found in Atlas at the very moment. No, she was well aware how this was going to end.

"No, when the Sunflower docks in Anima, I am getting off the boat with you," Sienna decided. Besides, fighting the Branwen tribe would give her the necessary prestige. 

"Very well then," John Brown nodded. He then smiled, a rather sick thing considering how elderly he looked. "Welcome to my League, Miss Khan."

"League?" Sienna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My militia of faunus and human volunteers," explained the old man. "The League of Gileadites."

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A/N: Jacques Schnee is a cold mfer and John brown knows no chill, dawg.