Nathan Cordroy sighed in exasperation, stretching his neck and rolling his arms. They were in the fourth hour of the second day of negotiations and Tenpenny's Merchant puppets were not making this any easier. They were bloodsuckers through and through, grasping on to any opportunity for profit that they could find during these torturous ordeals. In fact Nathan knew some actual bloodsuckers who had a greater sense of honesty and fairness than the three well dressed, smug looking men that sat across the table from him. It pained him to deal with the likes of Tenpenny, but what he had, the Union needed.
It started a year before, when Tenpenny sent a unit of his personal guard to capture and clear the RobCo facility that lay nearby. Apparently, according to an anonymous Union source, he had hired a former member of the now disbanded Brotherhood Outcast, in order to repair the facility. The engineer had managed to get the centuries old factory machinery up and running and now little old Tenpenny had begun to form a monopoly on machined equipment, something that hadn't been seen in the East since before the bombs. So here Nathan sat rubbing his eyes as he forced himself to dive back into the increasingly banal dialogue. He reminded himself that if they didn't work out some sort of deal, Tenpenny would quickly become the most powerful man in D.C, and that was definitely not going to happen on his watch.
"How about 10 crates of energy cells a month plus five suits of power armour" said a dark eyed and sickly smiling man wearing a neatly pressed suit. Vauhn Ghirst was his name, he replaced the sinister Mr Burke after his death as Tenpenny's right hand, and for the last two days he had relished in the fact that he held all the power in these negotiations. The thing that bugged Nathan the most was the promise he made to himself years before. When he found out that it was Tenpenny who wanted to detonate the dormant bomb that gave Megaton its name, he vowed never to deal with the likes of the shrivelled old businessman. But all those years ago he wasn't responsible for the lives' and wellbeing of thousands of DC's inhabitants, the only things he had to worry about then was feeding himself, his dog and the search for his father. Oh how he wished for those times.
"You know we don't trade power armour, Vauhn. Doing so would be stupid and would jeopardise any sort of advantage we have in situations like this, you know that, I know that. So stop insulting us and make a deal that would be beneficial for everyone, it's the only this will work." Nathan said this not in desperation, because such tones and attitudes would cause Vauhn and his lackeys to swoop in for the kill, but with a determination, because if he believed there could be a positive outcome to these talks, maybe the money minded businessmen might believe it too.
Mr Ghirst gave a small chuckle at Nathan's response and with a thin smile still on his lips said, "Just for clarification's sake, what would you do if I decided to work out right now, how would your precious principals cause you to act? Would you be outraged? Would you let me leave, holing up behind your city walls and philanthropic posturing? Or would you lash out, abandoning the rules and codes you have set for yourself?"
Leaning forward, his grin widened as he half whispered, "Would you become like us, stooping to our lowly state?" Nathan pounded his fist on the table at this, gathering the anger and rage at the whole situation that had reached a boiling point when Ghirst had laced the word principals with enough venom to kill ten men. "That's enough! You know I have thousands of civilians to think about, compared to your few hundred wealthy businessmen and those former raiders you call mercenaries. We still outnumber you twenty to one, not to mention outgun you. If you force my hand I will order an attack and it will not go well for your burgeoning Merchant Empire."
The last few words had almost been a low growl and Nathan took a moment to compose himself before continuing, "I'm sure it doesn't take a genius to see that an up and coming Business Empire might have a great future with a growing nation, but only if you smooth things over now. Make it easy for us, sign a deal which will benefit the people, and I assure you, you will reap the rewards."
Nathan had barely finished when a side door burst open revealing a heavily breathing Union Knight, rushing forward to stand before the negotiations table. He caught his breath, saluted looked at the civilians standing around the table, obviously unsure as to their level of security clearance. Nathan gave him a short nod and the trooper began, "Sentinel Cordroy, Knight Farrow reporting. Paladin Athree, Commander of the Rivet City guard has requested your presence ASAP. We spotted something sir and I in Paladin Athree, we need to do something about it or it's gonna bite us on the ass, sir, respectfully sir!"
Sentinel Nathaniel Cordroy of the Capitol Union took a deep breath noting that the messenger before him wasn't just any ground-pounder; he was a knight, an officer. Athree believed this issue warranted sending one of his officers to deliver the call, to say nothing of the fact that the man had just sprinted the 5 mile journey from Rivet City to the newly refurbished Conference rooms of the Citadel. "Knight Farrow, proceed immediately to the Bailey and inform Sentinel Lyons to meet me in Vehicle Storage, you need your rest but it will have to be in your own bunk at Rivet City, you're coming back with us."
Five minutes later the leaders of the Union's military had gathered in the Vehicle Storage facility that opened up onto the surface outside the Citadel's outer ring. One of the trucks that Scribe Rothchild had managed to get working was powered up, and a small honour guard of Paladins accompanied the Sentinels on their trip. It had taken eight months of solid work by a dedicated force of Union engineers to clear, repair and in some cases rebuild the roads between the Union's administrative capital and its largest city, but the effort had payed off a when the small fleet of trucks at the Union's disposal were able to travel freely, carrying supplies, information and troops for the battles to drive out D.C's aggressive mutant population. That same road now carried the small contingent swiftly to their destination.
The Sentinels ascended the Rivet City Ramparts at a quick trot and were greeted with a smart salute by Paladin Harkness Athree before he motioned them to join him at the metal railing which bordered the tower they stood upon. "See that?" he said pointing out over the bay that stretched before them, "It's been sitting there for two hours now." They did see it. It was a boat about a quarter the size of the full length of Rivet City, however what set it apart from every other boat they had seen in afloat was that it was like the one they stood upon. It was constructed from steel and wrought iron. That much was evident even at the distance it stood out on the bay. All other details however, were indistinguishable, for there was great mist which the boat stood just beyond the edge of.
"At first we thought it might be a trader from the North or the South, or even an explorer." Harkness continued, "But what Trader or explorer do you know of that wouldn't jump at a moment's notice to make a landing when they see a place like this, even if it was abandoned." Nathan nodded, "Hence why you called for us, get one of your men to radio for some reinforcements, I don't like the fact that, that boat out there looks like it might be built for war."
It was as Paladin Athree was turning to a trooper to relay the order when they heard it. A great Horn, blasting throughout the bay, and slowly from beyond the mist over a dozen massive vessels began to approach.
