Radiance Ch. 104

Chapter 104: Strange Bedfellows.

Raymond watched Jack and his Ronin sweeping the place where they were going to be having their first face-to-face with the Brotherhood and he couldn't help but admire how meticulous about every little detail they were.

They may be mercenaries and super mutants at that which by most people's standards were not the metric to measure grace and control, but Jack and his team moved with absolute professionalism, checking every corner and every potential danger spot for traps, ambushes and even snipers, hell they even sent William who was the team's sniper out to set up on a rooftop to oversee proceedings in case things went sideways.

Raymond had worried that someone the size of William might stick out easily from the air if the Brotherhood team came in by Vertibird but Jack simply waved off his worried telling him that if they managed to somehow spot William up there the fuckers would have better eyes than their new Valkyrie member as he was a master of camouflage.

Once Jack and his team were satisfied he had his guys set up around the place on overwatch so they could keep an eye on things, he wanted as many levels of security as he could get set up in the short time they had available to them and Raymond understood his concern, the Brotherhood were no joke and without Seven or Wisp here to be able to overwhelm them with sheer force they had to rely on more conventional methods to be able to control the situation.

While Jack was doing his whole soldier of fortune thing Raymond set up a meeting table in the centre of the warehouse floor so that both he, Oliver and Adam would have seats along with three for the Brotherhood contingent though in truth he didn't know how many the Paladin would be bringing with her so he just settled for even three on each side would make them equal.

Once everything was set all that was left to do was wait, Raymond sat on a large stack of old crates watching as Lia went over some plans with Oliver, Adam and Jewel and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself about how strange this must all be for the young human Knight, where he was helping to negotiate a cease-fire on behalf of not only a non-human species who had taken him prisoner but now talking the plans through with a bunch of non-humans, though at least whatever it was the Zixxy had done seemed to have helped him get past the trauma of what had happened to him with Jewel, though the Avian woman was still on tenterhooks with him she was treating him like he was made of glass and Raymond had noticed Zixxy talking to the pair late last night before they'd gone to sleep though he assumed it was both private and sensitive so he didn't pry.

"So any worries?" a familiar voice said from his right and he turned to see Jack's impressive bulk looming over him.

"Many but I'm trying to keep them all in check as best I can," Raymond said and Jack plopped himself down on the wooden pallets next to him leaning back against the crates.

"Yeah that's understandable this is probably the first time that a non-human has tried to negotiate a cease-fire with the Brotherhood of Steel before, they usually have a shoot first think about asking questions policy," he said.

"Least we have you guys here to help prevent that," Raymond chuckled.

"Yeah don't you worry laddie if they bring out the heat we'll turn up the flames," he said confidently which made Raymond think that maybe Jack had more experience fighting the Brotherhood than he let on.

Jack seemed to sense his thoughts because he simply gave him a sly grin and then turned to look at the others as they stood talking, "So how was it?" he asked suddenly and Raymond shot him a quizzical look.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Don't play coy with me, laddie, your first night with yer big scaly girlfriend over there, how was it?" he said repeating the question and Raymond felt his cheeks flush a little.

"For want of a better word, amazing," he said.

Jack's grin returned and lit his whole face up, "Yeah sounded like it too, the noises she was making made Abigail's feathers fluff up so much I thought she was going to turn into a fluffy egg at one point, though she did seem rather jealous kept shooting very loaded glances at young Oliver over there, kept wondering if I was going to have to try and coax him down off a roof later on with a stick or something," he said making Raymond snort a laugh.

"Yeah sorry about that if there is one thing Claws most definitely are its fully honest with their heart, they don't pull no punches and don't care a single shit who knows how their loved one makes them feel, hell half the time I believe they go out of their way to make them scream just as loud so they can feel proud about it," he said and jack roared with laughter.

"Sounded like she gave it a hell of a go," he said.

Raymond rubbed the back of his head remembering the passion of their night together so very vividly in his mind's eyes, of his sweat glistening on her scales, of her rippling muscles moving in perfect sync with his own, "Actually that was kinda my fault," he said a little sheepishly and jack instantly clicked onto what he was inferring and his grin widened to epic proportions.

"Well well young Raymond is a bit of a dark horse is he?" he said chuckling, then he glanced at the rest of the group and his eyes settled on Cho who was polishing her knives at a table not far from them though not close enough to listen in.

"You know being around you people has really helped me Rayond, hell I think it's been damn good for all of my boys," he said a more serious note creeping into his voice but it was still warm.

"Oh? How so?" Raymond asked curiously.

"It's shown us that there are still good people out there and not only that it has shown us that there are people namely humans who will accept us for who we are now no real questions asked, all we do is prove we're on the level and we're good to go and you probably don't need me to tell you how fucking refreshing that it is," he said and Raymond nodded in understanding.

"Yeah this group is one of a kind but we're very much hoping it doesn't stay that way, that's kinda Seven and Wisp's mission, they want to show the world who we are and what we stand for, they want to teach people to stand together not apart and to heal things through understanding and co-operation, not division and tribalism," he said.

"Noble goals indeed my young friend," Jack said and Ryamond nodded.

"Yeah and to be fair when I first tagged along I thought they were fucking crazy but I owed them my life, got taken prisoner by the fucking Amazons a loony toon bunch of super mutants made from fucking militant feminists, watched them torture, rape and kill men and boys alike and they were gonna do the same to me until Seven and his people happened and they lost one of their own in the fight, a mutant like us an ex-Amazon who joined them and led them to place, it still weighs on my heart that saving me cost her life but I'm thankful for it every day because they changed my life, took me with them let me be a part of this wonderful thing they're trying to build and hell even trusted me to do all of this, they even gave me a love to call my own in the form of that giant scaly angel over there, so no matter what I'm not gonna ever let them down, not now or ever," Raymond said.

"Sounds like a hell of a path you've walked since we let you with the Greasers my lad," Jack said and Raymond smiled.

"Yeah but every step has been worth it, Seven and Wisp really are great people, Jack, if you'd heard the shit they've endured the fact that they are still going at all is nothing short of a miracle but the fact they are so determined to help people and to make things better for every one human and non-human alike is just beautiful man it really is and I'm proud to be a part of it," he said.

"You know what kid consider me sold," Jack said and Raymond glanced at him quizzically prompting him to continue.

"Well having seen for myself what you guys are about and how you operate me and the boys talked it over and we agree that what you lot are doing is good shit for everyone and we want in on the ground floor, so if you guys will have us I and the Ronin wanna join your group on a more permanent basis," he clarified and now it was Raymond's turn to give him a sly grin.

"You sure it's that or because we happen to have the current monopoly of open-minded non-human loving human girls?" he said shooting a loaded glance in Cho's direction as she continued to polish her blade and suddenly she sneezed and looked around herself.

Jack chuckled heartily, "Not gonna lie to ya kid that had a part in the decision but it's not the whole reason, not even close, we see the good you guys are trying to do and we wanna be more than just guns for hire you know? We want to have a legacy, a story that people still tell long after we cark it, we want normal human people like those in diamond city to be like hey did you ever hear about those Roaming Ronin who stood with that Seven guys? They changed the world they did, and they were a real force for good, yeah I wish I could do something like that, plus yeah you guys do have the monopoly on all the cute non-human loving human girls and that's not exactly a bad reason is it?" he said and Raymon laughed and shook his head.

"Not at all my friend, love is a powerful thing, it drives us and makes us want to be the best versions of ourselves for the one who matters the most to us so even in only that context it's incredibly important," he said and suddenly there was a soft growl from his left and he turned to see that Lia had snuck up on them and had been listening to their conversation.

Before he could even say a word she slid straight onto his lap and straddled it, planting her incredibly firm scaly rear end right over his crotch and resting her weight on his thighs while draping her long tail down his legs.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a fang-filled smile, "I couldn't have put that better myself my big green love machine," she said leaning in to kiss his lips softly.

Jack chuckled to himself, "I suppose with one of those girls you don't have to worry about being too rough and breaking her," he said shooting Lia a grin that she matched in its evil intensity.

"More like she's likely to break me," Raymond said squeezing Lia's hip and rear and making her growl softly at him.

"A girl can but try," she said.

"Jack was just saying that he and his Ronin want to join the team permanently," Raymond said to Lia and she nodded her head in agreement.

"I believe they will make fine additions to our numbers, they have already proven themselves stanch and worthy allies and in my opinion, they have earned the right to stand proudly at our shoulders as we march forwards toward the future that Alpha's Visa and Seven have envisioned for us," she said proudly.

"Well I'd say that means you got the Claw vote," Raymond chuckled.

"I feel honoured," Jack said with a grin.

Suddenly one of the Ronin's personal comms units sparked up and Jack froze his demeanour instantly flipping into business mode, "Go for control go ahead sky eye one," he said pressing a finger to his ear so he could hear his earpiece properly and then his eyes flicked to Raymond.

"Looks like our special guests are here better to get everyone in position," he said and Raymond looked at Lia.

"Looks like it's game time," he said and she gripped his face.

"You are going to do fine, don't you dare doubt yourself, I believe in you and so does everyone here, you have not steered us wrong my love, plus you'll have all of us and Zixxy backing you up, so chin up and chest out my Raymond you got this," she said and to his surprise and indeed delight he felt a rush of both joy and confidence flood through his heartwarming him from the inside like fire in his veins.

"I won't let you down," he said kissing Lia before she slipped off his lap and he made his way to collect Oliver and Adam, it was game time.

As Raymond sat at the table he could hear the throbbing of Vertibird engines as they passed overhead before there was a loud whine that signalled the landing gear being lowered, a heavy thump indicating that the bird touched down and the engines wound down.

"Alright, people here we go let's break some people's perception of reality shall we?" Raymond said and both Adam and Oliver nodded in unison.

A very noticeable clanking and thumping of power armoured footsteps began to grow louder and louder as the group approached before the large warehouse door was screeched open on its frame causing Raymond and the others to turn and stood up to greet their guests.

Paladin Wright was the most obvious of the group of four as her armour was marked with rather obvious decorations on both the chest plate and the shoulder pauldrons, as soon as she saw Raymond all of them stopped dead and Raymond saw her beginning to reach for her rifle.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you lassie you are seriously outgunned here, we didn't come here to start or to perpetuate violence but that doesn't mean we are not ready for it so let's keep this civil shall we?" Jack's voice echoed from the shadows near the door making all of the Brotherhood knights freeze.

"We mean you no harm and as you can see I am unarmed, we have come to treat in good faith as promised but that doesn't mean that we will not respond in kind if pushed," Raymond said.

"The confusion is positively washing off them," Zixxy said into Raymond's mind.

"Ok, an articulate supermutant I was not expecting that, care to explain this Knight?" Paladin Wright aids turning her helmeted head to focus on Adam.

"I will do Paladin I promise but there is a lot to go over so please join us," Adam said gesturing to the seats on the opposite side of the table.

Even through her helmet, Raymond could feel the doubt dripping off her even without Zixxy giving him a direct line into her thought process but she still moved over to the far side of the table, before debating whether or not to step out of her armour and by the slight movements of her hands he got the feeling she was using a private channel to communicate with the three comrades.

But eventually, she decided to bite the bullet and step out of the power armour leaving it standing like a silent sentinel in the background, Paladin Wright was a tall slender and very well-built blonde woman with the second most piercing blue eyes he'd ever seen, the first belonging to Seven himself.

Out of her three comrades, only one other stepped out of their armour and this appeared to be a young man of Asian descent by his features Raymond figured him to be of possibly Indian descent and by the garments he wore he was blatantly a scribe.

The pair took their seats at the table and looked over at the three very different faces on the opposite side and an uneasy silence descended so Raymond decided to break it, "So before we leave Adam to tell you his story my name is Raymond and I represent the Free peoples of the Wastes, this is Oliver he represents the Valkyries and obviously you know Adam, so if you would be so kind as to introduce yourselves," he said gesturing to them which seemed to genuinely shock Paladin Wright but she cleared her throat and then spoke.

"Well I am Paladin Evelyn Wright of the Brotherhood of Steel and this besides me is Scribe Ghalie and I must say you'll have to forgive me if I come across as either sceptical or surprised at times I'm not exactly accustomed to having a polite even civilised conversation with non-human species, especially super mutants, there's usually a lot more shooting and threats of being eaten involved," she said obviously trying to diffuse some of the tension with a little humour which Raymond took to be a good sign which was confirmed by Zixxy a moment later.

Raymond gestured to Adam for him to tell his story and the young Knight nodded before taking a deep breath and launching into what had happened on the night of his patrol.

He told the story in vivid detail but Raymond noted that he left out what had happened between himself and Jewel and Raymond wondered for a moment if it was because he was embarrassed because of what had happened but Zixxy softly told him that it was because he didn't want to give the Paladin the wrong impression of them and of her, "...he's also worried she may try to kill her, the Paladin is very protective of her people and finding something like that out may tip her over the edge enough to lash out without stopping to see what has transpired since the event," Zixxy said.

"Probably for the best then," Raymond said silently using his mind's voice.

Once Adam was finished Paladin Wright seemed to consider his words carefully before nodding her understanding, "They are good people, Paladin, they were merely defending their territory and themselves nothing more, they could have killed me on that battlefield but they didn't they took me prisoner and now thanks to Raymond and his people I am here at the table with you being returned to the very people who sent me to attack them," Adam said.

"Firstly Knight let's get one thing straight I didn't send anyone to attack anyone, I've been against this incursion since the begging, we have enough problems with people like the bloody Institute and the Enclave at the moment to be starting more shit with the indigenous people here non-human or not," Paladin Wright said sternly.

"My apologies Paladin I meant no offence I was talking in the context of you being a representative of the Brotherhood and its interests," Adam said and the Paladin sighed and nodded pinching the bridge of her nose between her finger and thumb.

"I know and I'm sorry for lashing out Knight Hill it's just this whole situation has been most stressful as you can imagine hell this whole situation here is as fucking surreal as it is quite possibly the closest thing we've had to something going right," she said.

"Time to get stuck in Raymond there is an opportunity here," Zixxy said silently and Raymond nodded, he'd heard his chance too.

"Sorry to interject here Paladin but I couldn't help but notice you said you were having problems with both the Enclave and the Institute as well?" Raymond said and the Paladin looked at him curiously.

"As well? You mean you are having problems with them too?" she asked and Raymond nodded.

"The Enclave are no friends of ours trust me on that, a great many people of our group are freed test subjects or prisoners of the Enclave and the Institue has been causing major problems for the good people around here a lot recently something we are currently looking into in order to aid them," Raymond said and Paladin Wright looked genuinely surprised by this news.

"Well it seems that we indeed do have enemies in common, infact I just read a report just yesterday that one of our patrols operating in the city stumbled across an ESF team," Paladin Wright said and Raymond's heart skipped a beat, could it be the one that Wisp and her group were hunting?

Since the Paladin had been quite forthcoming and honest about that intel Raymond decided to pay it in kind, "Yeah we've been aware of them for a while we had a team in the field tasked with hunting them down," he said and the Paladin looked intrigued.

"Well that might go some way to explaining what my people reported seeing, there was a strange report of a person flying out of there using what appeared to be a jetpack or personal propulsion device of some kind and when the team went to give chase they saw another group clearing out of the city but they were like nothing they had ever seen before they seemed to have non-humans and humans together but they vanished before they could really good look at them though what they did say is that they saw two what looked to be Deathclaws with them, know anyone like that?' she asked and Raymond smiled.