Radiance Ch. 62

Chapter 62: Under New Management.

The cargo Vertibird might not be the fastest aircraft in the world but it did the job rather nicely of getting the team out of the hot zone that was DC and on towards their next target which was Chris's home town which after a quick discussion with Gregory and some course-plotting it was discovered was about a three-hour flight from there.

On the way, Wisp and Riss shared what they had learned in the Brotherhood archives which really made a few of the group prick up their ears in interest.

"So there are bird people now?" Shepherd exclaimed and Wisp nodded.

"Apparently so and from what we overheard they've been skirmishing with the Brotherhood," she said.

"Sounds to me like these bird people are merely trying to protect their nest from invaders, their attacks sound distinctly territorial to me, it is something any self-respecting Claw would also do if the sanctity of their nest was violated," Vess said with a proud note in her voice and all the other Claws in the bay were nodding including Passa.

"Sounds like something we might need to look into after we finish up with these Enclave muppets," Seven said leaning back in his seat to stretch his aching muscles, it really had been a hectic couple of days and it was beginning to take its toll on him physically.

Zixxy watched them curiously before turning to Seven, "You would go looking for them in order to offer assistance based on an overheard rumour?" she said and Seven shrugged.

"Its more than a rumor those were Brotherhood scout reports, from what we're learning about the Brotherhood is that they are a lot bigger of an organisation than we first guessed with many different factions running around, though most seem to operate under the control of the group in DC which kinda makes sense as from what I understandd they are made up of the remnents of the US military so them operating out of what used to be the main control centre of the US military makes sense, but in answer to your question yes we would, we are trying to help foster a new era of human and non-human co-operation and understanding, so if we can stop the two groups fighting and possibly broker some kind of peace then I think we are under a moral obligation to try, this has become so much more than just trying to stay out of the clutches of the Enclave now, we have a very real chance to do somthing good for this broken world and I for one would rather die knowing i tried my hardest to make things better than to die at a ripe od age always stuck with the knowlage that I'm a coward who rather than take the chance I wa offered chose to run and hide instead, that I couldn't live with, I'd rather die on my feet with the ones i love at my shoulders and back than in a bed wrackd with guilt" he said and all of the claws around him nodded in agreement.

Visa turned and grinned broadly at Vess, "See? I told you my beautiful human had the heart of a Claw" she said proudly and Vess nodded.

"He does indeed my beautiful niece he does indeed," she said smiling proudly at Seven before shooting what Seven caught to be a hopeful look at Chris who was still sitting next to her though was now asleep as he was still recovering from his injuries and was obviously exhausted.

Seven then glanced over at Shuna and Timothy who were both gathered around a terminal mounted forward on the bulkhead just behind the cockpit as they poured over the Project Unity instruction manual.

"You guys getting anything from that thing?" Seven asked and Shauna shot him a glance and nodded.

"There's some corruption to the data but that's not surprising given its age but we're getting there," she said.

"Glad to hear it," he said.

"Just don't expect this to be a quick study Seven this data is pretty damn complex, I haven't seen genetic manipulation on this level before it's gonna take me a bit to be able to wrap my fucking head around all of this," she said and Seven nodded.

"Take your time Shauna I'm pretty sure Passa isn't going anywhere," he said shooting a glance at the winged Claw boy who was sitting at the end of the cabin.

"Not if I have anything to say about he's not, with all the non-human girls around here we hetero human girls need some pretty non-human boys to look at you know and I honestly never thought I'd hear myself saying that, I blame fluffy bum over there," Shepherd said pointing at Malakai before turning and flashing a smile at the startled claw boy who twittered his wings with embarrassment folding them around himself protectively and it was obvious that the Claw boy was still feeling very insecure about his appearance or rather his new appearance and it showed in his eyes not to mention the fluttering of his new feathers.

"How is it my fault!?" Malakai exclaimed overhearing the fluffy bum comment and turning to look while twittering his little mandibles at her while Wisp scowled over his shoulder from her seat atop said fluffy bum.

"Because you're an A grade card carrying cutie and Wisp is a damn lucky woman but you single handedly or maybe I should say single spineretedly opened my eyes to the fact that boys of other races having the ability to be serious fucking cute, once that thought started bouncing around in my head it just got faster and fucking faster until I started to seriously look at the world and at this group that's when I noticed that noticed that Ven in a serious hottie as well i mean its like two ends of the non human boy sexy spectrum right her, one one side you have fluffy, cute and all soft that just drips soft gentle loving that would make you just want to bounce all over his fluffy bum not to mention the rest of him before smothering him in kisses and cuddles and then you have mister muscles and scales over there that just makes you think he's gonna pick you up throw you over his shoulder and carry you the hell off to his nest to ravish you which now that I come to think about it is obviously why Gregory always has his face lit by the brightest of smiles, both of them are enough to make a girl's heart jump all over the place and her knees go weak and now we have Passa here and I mean just look at him, he's all kinda of cute all wrapped up in the pretiest white scales and I must say i always loved a pretty ass white boy never thought the pretiest one I have ever seen would have a sexy long tail though and now with added feathers for all the fluffy a newly discovered non-human loving human girl could wish to run her fingers through, so all the muscles and all the fluffy all in one serously sexy package with a son that pretty it's no wonder Vess is one proud looking momma claw" Shepherd said making both Malakai's mandables and spinnerets twitter with embaressment while Ven's tail swished.

Wisp first looked shocked at the very candid confession before looking real proud and happy by the beautiful non-human she had bagged for herself and both showered him with hugs and kisses.

"Damn straight my claw boy makes me go weak at the knees every time he swishes that sexy tail of his, so it's no wonder I walk around like I'm drunk when he walks down the street and I'm behind him," Gregory said over the intercom making Ven smile proudly.

"Trust me, my friend it's beautiful pain I know well, if my little love spider here didn't let me ride around on his gorgeous bum I'd have no chance of walking anywhere he'd be dragging me down the damn street as I'd be clamped onto his sexy spinnerets by my teeth all the time," Wisp said kissing the back of Malakai's head making him flush.

Vess was nodding away happily and proudly, "Exactly and you are very much correct Shepherd I am very much a proud mother claw, I have three beautiful children and I am very proud of my beautiful son, he makes me puff out my chest proudly and say I made this beautiful creature, I brought him into this world and your kind words do you much credit and honour young one it pleases me to see the women of your kind can see the beauty of the boys of mine and to my eye, my son is the prettiest of them all," she said proudly.

"I agree with you wholeheartedly Vess" Shepherd said shooting another smile at Passa.

Passa looked embarrassed and both his wings were twittering and ruffling, "I-I-I thank you for the kind words but I'm not even a real claw anymore, I-I-I don't even know what I am anymore, I-I-I don't have the right to call myself a claw anymore" Passa said breaking his silence and hanging his horned head in what was obviously shame and grief and that's when Shepherds true colours really came out to shine.

She stood up and walked the entire length of the cabin and dropped herself down onto her haunches before him and she reached out and grabbed his hands making him jump in surprise and snap his head up to look at her in wide-eyed shock.

"Hey! Now you listen to me and you listen fucking good you hear me?" she said and the shocked claw boy nodded in wide-eyed and dropped jaw surprise.

"You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, you are as much claw as any of your family in here, sure you look different but can you point to two identical claws in here?" she said and Passa glanced at his sisters and his cousins and even his mother before shaking his head.

"No exactly you can't so don't you dare start thinking these pretty wings and these beautiful feathers make you any less of a claw than any of them, you are a proud claw from a noble pack and I fucking dare anyone to even hint at you being less of a claw in earshot of any one of us because once I'm finished boxing their fucking ears Seven or your mother will most like tear their head clean of their shoulders and shove it where the sun doesn't fucking shine, so lift that pretty head up and you puff out that sexy chest of yours and you react after me and I want to hear you say it, I am claw now hear me roar!!" Shepherd said and Passa stammered a reply.

"Say it!!" Shepherd said.

"I-I-I am claw now hear me roar" Passa stammered.

"Again and this time fucking mean it!!" Shepherd said with powerful aggression in her voice.

"I am claw now hear me roar!!" Passa said with more energy and it was obviously beginning to work.

"Again and let every single one of those doubters fucking hear you!!" Shepherd yelled.

"I AM CLAW NOW HEAR ME ROAR!!!" Passa yelled before a pride of angry lions all of his kin bellowed out a roar that shook the whole aircraft and woke Chris up with such a start that he looked around in pure fear, after it passed Passa lifted his head and let lose a roar that shook the whole place on its own.

"Now that's more like it!! Don't you dare let me catch you speaking like that again you hear me? You are beautiful and you are powerful, you are strong and don't you ever forget that" Shepherd said patting his large thigh and Passa looked down at her hand and then he reached down and lift her hand before pulling it up and to everyone's surprise kissing it and holding it tightly between both of his much larger hands.

"Thank you, Shepherd, you have no idea what those words mean to me, so thank you so so so much, I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for this," he said softly.

"No problem at all Passa it was breaking my heart to see such a proud claw boy feeling so down and miserable over something like that, you need to be proud of who you are and where your from because in this world all we have is that and each other that's it, but if you really do want to repay me I'll take a kiss as a down payment," she said with a playful note in her voice indicating to all that she was joking with him but to everyone's surprise the big claw boy move his hands from her hand and up to her face taking it in both of his hands and before anyone could say anything he pulled her towards him and planted his lips right on hers.

When they parted Shepherd looked just as surprised as everyone else in the cabin, "W-W-Was that ok? I mean I've never kissed before you know given that claws don't really do that, it's a human thing after all but I just tried to copy what I've seen Visa and Ven do with their humans" he said in a soft and nervous voice.

Shepherd's handsome face cracked into a wide smile, "Pretty good but your technique needs a fair bit of work" she said and Passa looked kinda embarrassed.

"O-Oh I'm sorry....." he began but Shepherd held up a hand to cut him off and he looked up at her in surprise.

"I wasn't done pretty boy, but its something I'd be very very happy to help you practice and a lot more besides," she said with a soft purr in her voice before moving her held up a hand to the side of his face and gently running up onto his horn making him shiver and gasp as his wide eyes locked onto her.

"A-A-Are you saying what I think you are saying!?" he exclaimed and she grinned and chuckled softly.

"Polite version is yes I very much want to be your girl white claw boy, not safe for work version is I fucking wish I was Shauna's size so I could throw that sexy rear of yours over my shoulder and carry you off somewhere I can get to know every single one of those gorgeous white scales of yours very very very intimately, so what do you say Passa wanna take a chance on a human black girl who knows a sexy claw when she sees one?" she said giving him the biggest grin on a human that Seven had ever seen.

Passa looked like his brain was broken but he still managed to nod his horned head rather vigorously making Shepherd chuckle again then she turned and smiled at Vess, "Hey momma claw permission to snog your sexy son's face off and claim those sexy thighs as my new seat?" she said Vess gave her a massive and fang-filled grin.

"Granted and thank you for asking," she said.

"Welcome and thank you for bringing this hunk of sexy claw boy into my life best gift anyone's ever given me by a long fucking shot," Shepherd said and with that, she whipped around grabbed hold of Passa's horns and gave him a cheeky smile.

"Now pucker up sexy boy and prepare to find out what a real human snog slash kiss feels like," she said and as Passa opened his mouth to answer Shepherd darted in and jammed her tongue right into his mouth making the startled boy go cross-eyed as all the alien feeling and sensations crashed into his heart and soul like a tidal wave.

Seven was the first one to start clapping but pretty soon then entire lot of them were following suit even Chris who was truly new to this whole thing was clapping as he watched the pair in wonder and surprise, hell even Zixxy was clapping as she watched the pair.

Shepherd never even broke the kiss as she slid herself up onto Passa's large thigh and settled herself happily into his lap slipping her hands off his horns and wrapping them around his neck in a hug which he returned wrapping his long arms around her slender frame and when they finally parted she looked into his eyes and he looked drunk and a soppy smile broke out on his face, "Now that's a human kiss pretty boy and you had better brace that sexy scaly ass of your for a whole lot more of them because now you are mine i ain't ever letting go of you, those scale tick things you all keep talking about ain't got shit on how far I'm gonna dig my black ass under those sexy white scales, now how about you put those pretty wings of yours to good use and give me a cuddle thats gonna make all those other claws over the jealous that they can't give" Shepherd purred in Passa's ear and without a word he did as she asked and wrapped his leathery wings around her encasing the pair of them so only her head was popping out the top and boy was she smiling.

"Claw kisses and wing cuddles now this is the life," she said grinning at the others as they chuckled and Seven grinned at her.

"Claw lover club meetings are every Thursday and is always bring your own claw," he said and she grinned at him like a Chesire cat.

"Well got me one of them now and damn is he fucking pretty, so count me in," she said leaning in to rest her head against his shoulder making their skin tones cast such a beautiful contrast.

Vess cocked her head curiously, "What is this claw love club and how does one join?" she asked and Seven snorted a laugh before giving her a big grin.

"It's kind of a running joke that we've got going that involves us finding claw loving humans and human loving claws, though at this point I'm beginning to think we should rename it the human love club and open the membership to all non-humans, so yeah I guess its bring your own human then," he said chuckling as he did.

"Got me one of those now so I guess I'm in then huh?" Passa said happily and Seven grinned at him.

"You bet your tail you are," he said.

"Ahem, it's super sexy luscious tail I'll have you know, get it right Seven thought you of all people would know a sexy claw tail when he sees one," Shepherd said and he laughed before he turned and ran his hand right up Visa long tail.

"You bet your ass I do and this one right here is the sexiest and most luscious one of all" Seven said lifting Visa's tail tip to plant a kiss right on it making her blurt out a surprised growl as she wasn't expecting it.

"That man right there knows how to love his claw," Vess said and Visa pulled him right into her lap and just about wrapped her entire self around him.

"You got that right," she said resting her head atop his.

"I hope I will get a chance to join this club one day soon," Vess said and Seven spotted the sideways glance she shot at Chris who was staring off at Shepherd and Passa and was totally oblivious to the attentions of the big alpha matriarch claw next to him.

"This group is absolutely fascinating I must say, it is pleasing to see a group that is so at ease with their emotions, after two hundred years in that pod I have seen many things and have felt so many groups pass within my range but this is the first time I have seen a group like this" Zixxy said turning her large head from left to right as she watched the proceedings taking place in the cargo area.

"Well thank you I guess," Seven said to the smiling little alien.

"Well given that you have answered one of the burning questions of humanity by simply being here so here's another one how did you end up here?" Wisp asked.

"I was part of a mining crew, our ship was in the outer edge of your solar system mining the asteroids for minerals to sell to the large mining consortiums back home, my crew were a group of freelancers as you humans call them meaning we worked for ourselves, but as good as our ship was we weren't expecting to get hit by micro meteorites the second we lowered our energy shielding to bring aboard our extraction pods, they completely shredded our drive section and killed three of my crew who were in the section working, it vented the atmosphere and destroyed our engines, the reactor began to go critical so we had no choice but to make an emergency landing on this world given that it's the only one that's habitable in this system, it went about as well as you can expect given that we have nothing but thrusters left, failing power, no energy shielding and were already missing three of our engineers, yeah we hit hard, killed everybody except me," Zixxy said sounding very saddened.

"I'm so sorry for your loss>," Wisp said and Zixxy shook her head and waved her little hand.

"It's fine honestly, I've had over two hundred years to get over it and being stuck in that pod gave me nothing but time to think, they put me in a kind of metabolic stasis but I don't think they took into account the strength of our neurology and our psionic abilities so while my body was effectively shut down my mind was free to wander and work, I saw the bombs fall through the eyes of the people who lived through it and I have never in my life seen such pain and such horror, I never imagined that I would be present at the moment that a species tried to destroy itself, it was truly a terrifying experience and one that I hope I never see again," Zixxy said.