Chapter 89: Home Among the Clouds.
Raymond had never in his life imagined anything like what he was seeing from the deck of the small airship that had descended to retrieve his delegation from the surface.
The small airship looked like something out of a steampunk novel or film, it was like a small boat that had been fitted with a large leather balloon and leather wings on the sides while two large slowly turning propellers pushed them through the air.
Honestly, Raymond found himself more amazed that the small craft was actually able to lift the considerable combined weight of half a dozen super mutants, a claw girl and assorted others as it flew into the clouds but it didn't seem to miss a beat so it was obviously the definition of small but mighty.
As they drifted lazily upwards Raymond began to see something hiding among the ever-present clouds above them but thanks to the white mist he was unable to make it out until they got higher but when they did his eyes nearly fell out of his skull.
There floating in amongst the clouds hidden nearly perfectly from the ground while also aided by what appeared to be a series of angled mirrors mounted all along the bottom of it which seemed to act as some form of crude but effective camouflage was a full-sized city.
The whole thing seemed to be sat atop of large ballast bags much like the one that held them aloft currently but with far greater thickness and also redundancies, they were grouped into masses so rather than rely on one large bag they had many much smaller ones and Raymond guessed this was for safety incase one or more of the bags suffered damage the city integrity would not be compromised.
All around the outside and underneath in strange rotating glass pods they could see what appeared to be gun turrets designed with the sole intention of defending against encroaching aircraft, they even seemed to have what appeared some shoulder-mounted rocket launchers that had been fitted into quad-shaped frames so they could be used like makeshift SAM turrets.
Raymond really couldn't be more amazed at these people's ingenuity, they seemed to really like to reuse and recycle everything they got their feathery little hands upon, he instantly recognised captured Brotherhood equipment mounted inside of those turrets in the form of things like laser miniguns.
Given that these people could fly Raymond found himself why they needed airships like the one in which they rode, the only use he could see that they would have for them would be for retrieval of non-flying people like them and also picking up captured equipment from the ground.
The airship circled the city before taking up a waiting pattern in a queue of other similar ships that were waiting to enter the city docks which appeared to be through a pair of large gates into what appeared to be a large glass dome of some kind.
From where he stood at the bow he could see what appeared to be a security checkpoint of some kind that dispatched officers to each ship to check both the goods and people aboard before fluttering back to their station to allow the ship to enter.
When it finally came to their turn four security officers who all looked like oversized humanoid Magpies to Raymond fluttered onto the ship stopping short when they saw both himself and Lia looking at them and their bright sharp eyes all locked onto Lia with a look of alarm plastered on their Avian features.
"Greetings," Lia said putting on her best smile as Raymond had instructed her to do to make a good impression on their hosts.
"Ummm greetings, I am going to assume you are the delegation that the honoured ambassador spoke of that is here to parlay with the Elders?" the closest Magpie officer who appeared to be a female by her body shape asked in a very high-pitched and sing-songy voice and Raymond nodded.
"That would indeed be us my name is Raymond," he said and she looked at the paperwork that she had been given and nodded approvingly as obviously the name she had been given matched what he had said.
"I am to relieve you of your weapons and issue receipts for all individuals that then can be collected upon leaving the city as we do not allow firearms within the city limits, given the nature of our city I am sure you can appreciate this," the female officer said and Raymond nodded instantly hearing a low murmur of disapproval from Jack and his men as well as his own people.
"Indeed I can and mightily impressive it is I must say and honestly I am sure we will not need them given the ambassador gave his word to us that we would be treated with both respect and honour but I must impart a warning, neither a super mutant like myself and my allies here or my beautiful Claw girl here need weapons to be dangerous and will not hesitate to defend ourselves if we must, also while you may take our weapons our armour stays with us, I will not be rendered defenceless," he said making sure the woman understood that this was not a threat but merely a warning to make sure that civility was observed and she nodded.
"Understood and we appreciate your cooperation," she said nodding her narrow head before issuing a series of whistles and chirps to her comrades in what was obviously their own language.
The group moved forwards and Raymond's group handed over their weapons though Raymond noted that the Ronin seemed to have been prepared for this occurrence and he had noted that many of them had rather subtle blades hidden among their armour which would be invisible to all but the most vigorous pat down or the sharpest of eyes.
Once the weapons were handed over and the inventory taken receipts were written for all of them and handed to their owners, "These will be held in our lock up here at the port and can be retrieved once you leave our fair city, please be welcome here," the security officer said before the group turned and fluttered their way back to their office and opened the gates for the ship to proceed inside.
The docks themselves were just as impressive as the outside, wood reinforced with steel and brass surrounded them and a plethora of berths were stacked towards the top of the dome in long rows.
The shift drifted lazily upwards towards a long berth above them off their port side before slowly slotting the ship into a V-shaped cradle that was fixed to the side of the dock, folding in her wings and her fans as she did.
The two additional crew members who had accompanied the pilot stepped out onto the bow and caught the thrown lines from the dock hands in order to pull the ship into the berth itself where it slotted perfectly into the V and some large clamps came up from inside the metal housing and locked onto the hull allowing her to settle into place.
"We are here if you will please head to the end of the berth the ambassador will meet you there and escort you from there," the seagull-like pilot said and Raymond nodded and thanked him and the crew for their efforts before disembarking with his team.
The whole group walked down the suspended dock to what looked like a dock office and there waiting was the ambassador and his entourage.
"Ahh Raymond I am happy to see you arrived with no problems, please walk with me I'll give you a quick tour of our city and then we will go to see the Elders," he said doing a dramatic gesture with his arms turning them briefly into wings and then back into arms which confirmed Raymond's suspicion that their wide hinged wrists were what allowed them to extend their arms into wings.
"Thank you Oliver and I'm sure my people would appreciate that I know I do," he said and a warm smile lit Oliver's short beak as he began to lead the way while also walking at Raymond's side.
"So what do you think the chances are that I will be able to convince your people to come to the negotiation table?" Raymond asked.
Oliver seemed thoughtful for a moment then he turned to look out of the corner of his large eye at Raymond, "Well I believe it will all depend on the Brotherhood now won't it because I believe we would not be opposed to it but we will not back down to them, we will not allow them to simply roll over us unopposed and unchecked just the same as we wouldn't allow any group to do so," Oliver said and Raymond nodded in agreement.
"On that, we agree I do not believe anyone should have the right to act against any group of people aggressively without any form of an answer and it is part of the main fundamental ideas behind my group itself, we stand for those who cannot stand for themselves for whatever reason, Seven our leader and another called Wisp along with a number of the Claws in our group were subjected to horrendous experiments by a group that calls them the Enclave and now they wish to ensure that things like that never happen to anyone whoever they are or whatever species they belong to ever again, our leader Seven is mated to a Claw called Visa like my lovely Lia right here and together they try to stand as a symbol for what different species can achieve together as one and when we stand together there nothing that we cannot achieve and that this is the first step to making this world a better place in which to live for everyone," Raymond said.
Oliver looked at him with both an amazed and fascinated expression on his features, "Lia here is your mate? he asked.
"I am indeed and happily so, I fought hard to show Raymond that I was the superior choice for him to make and I am happy to say that he made it correctly and now he is mine and only mine," Lia said proudly puffing out her chest as she spoke.
"Fascinating indeed, you do raise a valid point and it does seem to work for people from what I have observed in the limited time that I have conversed with you and it also pleases me that you can see our point on not simply giving in to them, I do believe we will have many things to discuss and it is indeed my hope that we can bring them to the table as I believe diplomacy should always be our first option, not our last resort," Oliver said and Raymond nodded.
"Exactly and this is our belief as well, violence should always be our last option in my opinion but our enemies should always know that we are more than prepared to use it and will stand our ground but words should always be the first things exchanged," Raymond said and Oliver let out a very happy sounding hoot noise and ruffled his feathers.
"Then you and I are of a very like mind Raymond, I believe we will have much to discuss at the table and I do believe you will be a definite benefit to have at the table," Oliver said with a smile.
They spent the next two hours touring around the city, Oliver took great pride in showing them the floating farms they had that grew their grains and vegetables, onto their smaller but obviously no less important animal farms that raised Brahmien and other smaller livestock, it seemed that they had done everything they possibly could to become self-sufficient, even down to making large water capture traps that fed into aqueducts that ran all over the city.
Raymond couldn't help but be heavily impressed by what the Valkyries had achieved in the time that they had walked this earth, this city was nothing short of a technological marvel, where they meshed together both modern technology and the simplicity of village life and it was beautiful to see, he could also see why they were so determined to protect it and the land on which it orbited as he could see that from underneath it would be supremely vulnerable despite being so high in the air maybe Malakai could help them out there?
As they walked through the main city centre Raymond could have sworn that just for a brief moment he saw a human man walking with what looked to be a female Valkyrie who looked to be either of the Eagle or possibly hawk genus but given the distance, he couldn't be sure at all and it was only a brief glimpse, one that did not repeat itself so he just shook it off as his mind playing tricks as it searched for the familiar among the unfamiliar.
Eventually, it seemed that the Elders were now ready to receive them and their tour ended right at the hall of the Elders which turned out to be a large building at the centre of the city surrounded by very interesting statues depicting various parts of Valkyrie life from the search for knowledge depicted by a large Owl genus holding up a large book, through to the fighting for what was there which was depicted by an Eagle genus holding a large sword and shield, it truly was a sight to behold.
Oliver asked them to wait in a dimly lit lobby which to Raymond's mind was supposed to represent peaceful reflection by how quiet it was not to mention dimly lit, it had an odd sense of tranquillity and order to it, as all around them were what appeared to be scribes working away at little desks writing into huge ledgers.
Raymond and his group stood patiently waiting as they listened to the chirps and hoots which was obviously Oliver speaking to the Elders in their native tongue, "I gotta say laddie I never imagined seeing something like this in my lifetime," Jack said in a low whisper and Raymond nodded.
"I know right? The Brotherhood described them as savage tribals but they are anything but if anything they are more civilised than just about any human settlement we've seen along our path," he said.
"Ain't that the fucking truth," Spectre said from his left as she looked around high shelves filled with what appeared to be handwritten books and he found himself wondering if these were some of their history in written form?
Suddenly Oliver appeared out of one of the side rooms and gestured for them to approach, "The Elders will see you now," he said and gestured to the room beyond.
Raymond took a deep breath as on the inside he was shaking like a shitting dog, he desperately did not want to let Seven and the others down here, Seven had placed a great deal of trust in him and he was determined not to betray that trust by fucking this up, this could be the true start of something amazing if only he could find the common ground for them all to tread.
As they entered Raymond instantly noticed the group of figures all gathered together and the first thing he noticed was the other Owl genus that turned to face him.
The Elders looked remarkable like tribal Elders with their large ornate headdresses and silken robes, Raymond couldn't help but be impressed by the refractory mirrors that bounced light around the room giving it an odd glowing aura that made it hard to pinpoint where the light was coming from exactly, it was all very impressive.
"Greetings you must be Raymond of the Free People of the Wastes," the large male who looked like a horned owl said rotating his head slightly as he spoke.
"Indeed honoured Elder and I must say it is good to meet you, this city of yours is very impressive, I find myself quite in awe of what you have achieved here it is quite remarkable," Raymond said extending a large hand in greeting.
The Elder looked at it and then reached out and took it in his much smaller hand causing Raymond to have to be careful of how much pressure he exerted when he shook the Elder's hand.
"Thank you your kind words are appreciated, now young Oliver here has informed us that not only have you shown great respect in your initial meeting of our people at our borders but that you have proposed a rather intriguing proposition regarding our Brotherhood problem?" the Elder said gesturing to a table that had been set up for them and by the look of it the thing had been dragged in here especially for them because Raymond had not seen a single one of them sitting yet.
No seats had been provided for Raymond's group only for himself and the Elders so the rest of his group took up positions behind him as Raymond sat facing the elders at the circular wooden table.
"Indeed I have honoured elders, I am here as you have stated representing a group that calls ourselves the Free Peoples of the Wastes and our singular purpose is a remarkably simple one, we wish to show the peoples of this wounded world that the only way we are going to heal it is by working together as one, now we do not for one moment believe that this is going to work in all cases as some people are simply too set in their ways, but we hope that if we can at least change enough minds that our mission will begin to spread to others like us and then it will not be our mission but everyone's," Raymond said proudly.
"Indeed young one, this seemed like both an impossible but also noble goal that you have set for yourselves, what if I may ask does it entail and how does it benefit us?" one of the other Elders this one kinda looked like a female swan asked.
"Simple honoured elder, it works by showing all peoples that they do not have to fear each other, we aim to try to end suspicions and fear of what's different by showing understanding and spreading knowledge, while also aiding those that need us and therefore showing that we practice what we preach, our leader Seven says that the more people who see us stand for them then they will learn to stand together not apart and this will make them stronger in the long run, on how this benefits you I believe we may be able to help you end this war you seem to have found yourselves in with the Brotherhood of Steel, therefore ending the vile bloodshed that has come with it," Raymond said.
"They invaded our lands with impudence and arrogance, they started this!" one of the elders this one an Eagle snarled and Raymond nodded as he turned his attention to the large male Eagle.
Suddenly a little voice spoke up in his head, "They are dubious give them examples they can understand," Zixxy said.
"Oh this I believe wholeheartedly honoured Elders we have quite a history with the Brotherhood ourselves, take myself and my friends here for an example, one of the Brotherhood's primary missions is to rid the Wastelands of what they see as abominations or perversions of nature this includes us despite us not having a choice in what we were made into as it was done to us against our will, but as you can see unlike the vast majority of our feeble-minded brethren we are not violent simpoltons driven by a sense of superiority and anger, we are educated men and women who had unspeakable things done to them but now strive to show the world that not all of us are vile or evil, that we are as individual as they are, this includes the Brotherhood," he said.
"That's good they are thinking about that, press the issue," Zixxy said telepathically.
"Take a long look at my group honoured Elders, it contains super mutants, humans, Claws, even an alien from another world, while the larger group contains other species as well like Arachnakai, Night Stalkers and Ghouls and we all work for a singular purpose, to show the world what we can do when brought together, how our unique strengths and talents can benefit one another and make almost any take we set our minds to so much easier, we have engineers, scientists, tailors and soldiers all working together for a common cause and we believe that we can apply this here too, that we can help you overcome your problem and broker a peace with the Brotherhood that would stop the killing and end the loss of your young soldiers and defenders, then who knows maybe you and the Brotherhood may even find that you have enough common ground to be able to aid one another because believe me when I say this there is far worse out there than they," he said.
"You really have their attention now," Zixxy said.
"How do you aim to achieve this Raymond?" the horned owl asked.
"One of two ways, we bring the Brotherhood to the table and we like all civilised beings should use our words to discuss this like the civilised beings we all claim to be do," he said.
"And if they refuse to talk?" the Eagle asked curiously.
"Then we lend our strength to yours and me make them listen, if you shout loud enough you can make even the willfully deaf hear you because they will have no choice," Raymond said with a growl in his voice that triggered a response from his group and they all flexed their collective muscles in a display of strength that the Avian people could easily recognise.
All of the elders looked rather taken aback by that and glanced at one another, "you would join our cause and risk your own lives for us? Why?" the horned owl asked.
"Simple because it is you who have been wronged here, you have been struck by aggression when you were merely asking for your territory and lands to be respected, the Brotherhood is supposed to be an organization built on honour and respect and if they have forgotten this then we will remind them, we may not look like much but outnumber contains a great many specialists who are incredibly good at what they do, you should see our leader he might just be the most powerful being to walk these lands but he is the most polite and respectful person you would ever wish to meet, he is the epitome of the human phrase tread softly and carry a big stick but in his case, it's the power of his mind which he can use to level to dust with but a single concentrated thought, you see he is telekinetic," Raymond explained and they all glanced at one another.
"What does this word mean, Telekinetic?" the owl asked.
"It means he can interact with the world physically with nothing but his thoughts, if he wished he could lift a being from the ground, or stop a bullet from impacting an ally, or crush power armour to the size of a soda can with the occupant still inside, he is a force of nature, created to be a weapon for a group calling itself the Enclave, but he escaped and chose not to be a weapon for anyone, now he is a force for good and he stands for it where ever he goes, it was he that not only recruited everyone of us but not by force but simply giving us a choice, to come with him and to see what we could achive, look at myself as an example of this, once I was aimless and hateful at what had been done to me, I hated myself and everyone who looked at me like I am a mindless beast, I got locked in a cage by others like me and was awaiting a vile fate but then Seven came and he lifted me up showed me who I could be, he told me all I had to do was want it bad enough and I would make the change happen and that's exactly what I did, now look at me I am an ambassoder here speaking to you good people with the most beautiful Claw girl to grace this world at my side, so now I will pay what Seven did for me forwards to any and all that I meet, i will show the world who I truly am and it was who I wanted to be all along," Raymond said his voice going proud and dignified towards the end.
The elders chittered together in their own language for a few moments, "They are discussing what you have said and they are highly cautious but they are also highly intrigued by your proposition," Zixxy said.
When they finished chittering and whistling at one another the owl turned back to Raymond, "Do you really believe you can convince the Brotherhood to back down?" he asked and Raymond nodded.
"They'll either listen to reason or we'll make them see consequences, either way, we will get them to see that we are not mindless beasts that they can simply trample right over, if they are the people that deep down I believe them to be especially as one of our number used to be a member of their organization before he joined us I know that there are good people in their ranks, so yes I do believe we can reach them," Raymond said and this little revelation seemed to shock the Elders.
"One of your group used to be in the Brotherhood?" the Eagle asked glancing over the people who stood behind Raymond.
He nodded, "His name is Timothy and yes he used to be a Brotherhood scribe, right now he is in a place called Nukaworld north of here with our leader Seven figuring out how to not only help a local population of Gatorclaws who are cousins of my beautiful Lia here as well as an enslaved population of humans to be free by working together before you ask they were enslaved by a population of scum raiders, now Seven and the team with him which is the makeup of humans, Claws and a super mutant like me are working to free them one and all and I have no doubt in my mind that they will achieve exactly what they have set out to do," Raymond said proudly.
"How will you approach them, all attempts we have made fell on deaf ears?" the swam Elder asked.
"Let's just say we have someone in our ranks who can speak without words or even being near to the person who is near them, I highly doubt they will ignore her," Raymond said with a smile and they all looked curious.
"Greetings honoured Elders my name is Zixxy and I am not of this world you call Earth but now my place is here among these good people," Zixxy said directly into their minds making them all go wide-eyed in surprise and alarm.
"You can speak directly into our minds!?" the owl elder exclaimed and Zixxy nodded.
"It is a trait that all of my race shares, we rarely communicate verbally with one another and forgive me for the scare but I wished only to prove Raymond's point, this simply follows onto what he was saying about our group being diverse in its abilities and skills," she said vocally.
"Well I must say your group is indeed full of surprises Raymond and actual being from another star, truly incredible," the swan Elder said craning her long neck to see the little alien female over the table.
"Indeed and for over two hundred years a prisoner of humanity until Seven found her, now she stands with us and strives for the same goals we do with as much passion and strength as anyone of us, she adds her skills and unique talents to ours and makes the whole stronger," Raymond said.
"With them, on the side, I do believe we have a chance to make this work, at the very least they will have no chance to ignore us any longer," the owl elder said and the others while seemingly hesitant nodded.
"Very well Raymond of the Free People's of the Wastes, we accept your offer of help, we will provide you both sanctuary and lodgings as well as food while you are here with us and we will discuss your plan and how best to implement it tomorrow, but you must be both famished and in need of rest, so please be our guests, Oliver here will arrange you some dwellings for you and your people," the owl elder said gesturing to him and the younger owl nodded and bowed his head.
"Thank you, honoured elder you will not regret this wise decision I promise you," Raymond said raising from the table to offer his hand to them in turn and they shook it in turn.
With that his group filed out of the Elder's place and stood outside in the sunshine again, "I must confess I am very impressed Raymond, not many could have convinced our Elders so easily but that display you put on in there was quite something, you are a shrewd negotiator and I find myself very pleased to have you on our side," Oliver said smiling and Raymond nodded.
"Thank you and I am also pleased that your elders listened to the voice of reason, now all we have to do is make good on it," he said and Oliver nodded and then gestured with a winged hand towards the town.
"Please follow me I'll take you to the dwellings we can offer to you for your time with us, we keep some dwellings available for when we have guests and traders in our fair city as rare as the occasion is, as we only allow highly trusted individuals to walk upon our soil up here," he said and Raymond smiled.
"Then I thank you twice once for the hospitality and twice for the trust that goes with it," he said.
Oliver smiled and gestured for them to follow him and they set off towards the bridge that led to an island that had a series of buildings that were separated from the rest of the city which to Raymond spoke of as an enforced separation as well an afterthought.
But the buildings didn't look rundown or any less carefully maintained than the rest of the city and the building they were staying in looked like a multi-story dome-shaped building that made Raymond think of an upside-down nest.
As they walked in they found what appeared to be a large woman who looked to be of the chicken genus and instantly Raymond got a mother hen vibe from her by the way she smiled and walked straight up to them without fear or reservations.
"Ahh so these must be the mysterious strangers that the whole city is clucking about, I was hoping that I might get to see you welcome to my humble establishment," she said in a very friendly and warm voice fluffing up her gold and white feathers as she spoke.
"Greetings my name is Raymond and this is my group it is very good to meet you," Raymond said offering her his hand to shake which she took and shook most heartily all while fluffing her feathers.
"Oh what nice manners you have your wife must be very pleased and proud of you," she said and Lia's face positively lit up.
"I am indeed my good woman, he makes me very proud to be the one who stood at his side," she said and the hen looked at her in surprise but rather than ask the obvious question she just smiled and nodded.
"One extra-large double room coming right up for you two then, any other couples among your number?" she asked.
"Unfortunately not no but we're working on it," Spectre said shooting jack a smile that make the large super mutant swallow and look amazed.
The hen chuckled a laugh that sounded remarkably like clucking, "is it ok if I leave our new friends with you then Abigail?" Oliver asked and she beamed at him.
"Of course, you can handsome and if you want some company later you come and see old Abigail I'm sure I can find some time in my busy schedule for a handsome owl," she said making Oliver's feathers fluff up and his eyes widen in what Raymond assumed was their version of blushing.
"Umm yes well I err have to go, thank you, Abigail," Oliver said and with a final wave to Raymond he shot off out of there so fast he very nearly left a trail of feathers floating in his wake.
Abigail chuckled to herself as she watched him go, "So easy to tease that boy he's lucky he's so handsome that it borders on adorable, well let's get you good people sorted out to come along follow me and you two no breaking my beds you hear me?" she said glancing between Raymond and Lia and making the rest of the group giggle as Lia put her arms around Raymond's shoulders from behind.
"No promises," she said and the big hen chuckled and led them up the spiral staircase that ran around the outer wall to the rooms upstairs.
The building was shaped with the levels getting gradually smaller until there was a singular room right at the very top of the dome which is where Abigail herself lived when she wasn't manning the desk, as they walked and she handed out keys to people until finally, she handed one to Raymond and Lia.
"Dinner will be ready in about an hour, make sure you attend Raymond boy needs his strength when he has a lady to take care of isn't that right missy?" Abigail said and Lia shot Raymond a devilish smile.
"Right you are miss Abigail," she said with a deep purr in her voice that made Raymond chuckle and swallow hard.
"Same goes for you though missy you make sure you have a hearty meal tonight, the girl has to keep her strength up if she wants to properly care for her man so you make sure your big scaley behind is in one of those chairs at my table later or I will come up here and peck you until you are, you hear me?" she said and Lia looked at her in amazement and nodded dumbly.
"Good well I'll see you love birds later," she said and with a ruffle of tail feathers she was off leaving Raymond and Lia standing there watching her descend the winding stairs.
"Well she's really something isn't she?" Raymond said and Lia nodded.
"I have to admire her tone, she is like a feathery Alpha matriarch Claw tending to her brood," Lia said and then seemingly snapping out of her shock she proceeded to grab Raymond and positively drag him into the comfortable-looking room before slamming the door behind them.
"Tonight beautiful male you are all mine and nothing on this earth or in these skies is going to stop me from having you!" she growled before slamming her lips to his as she pulled him down by his collar, oh boy tonight he was really in for it now.