Chapter 180: Chapter 175

It had taken six months to finally get here. Three damned months of going around Caesar’s lands, three months of sneaking past raiders and monsters, six months of toughing it out in the wasteland.

 

But being here in the Nexus Severalty, with the lush, healthy greenery lining the streets, and clean, grit-free air… Those six months of suffering and the unfortunate casualties were worth it. 

 

It was unnerving at first when they were intercepted by robots even before they came across the famed Obelisks of Light marking the Nexus’ borders, especially the giant ones that materialized out of thin air. But then the Nexus kindly sent out a bus to pick up the fact-finding team. Even with its basic appearance it was clear that the vehicle was a far cry from the restored pre-war stuff and salvaged scrap vehicles that rolled around in the NCR. Something about the solid-looking frame and the glossy silver and black paint just screamed ‘fresh’.

 

As head of the eastern expedition, Senator Julian Toomes of the NCR was glad that he recovered his composure when they embarked into the bus. The interior was sinfully decadent, with soft cushions, a robot driver, and most importantly air-conditioning. Back home the best anyone could do was installing small desk fans in their cars. Being blasted with refreshing, cold air on a scorching afternoon was a pleasure Julian and his team of diplomats and mercs hadn’t been prepared for. He couldn’t blame the near-orgasmic groans some of them let out.

 

The ride into Nexus lands was smooth, and looking out the window Julian saw the transition from wasteland into grasslands. There were weird looking Mr Handy robots floating around the bits of wasteland at the edges of the Nexus’ border, while the same terrifying Sentinels from before tore up ancient roads or rotting trees. The deeper into the Nexus they got, the less ruins and more grasslands and lush forests there were. The sheer amount of industry Julian saw, along with the power that must be needed to fuel it, left his jaw gaping. 

 

His jaw dropped completely when the first true signs of civilization were seen. This was not the repaired city ruins or the ramshackle shantytowns he had initially expected. Instead, a new city was being built before Julian’s very eyes. Steel frames rose into the sky as metal and glass plates slowly caught up with them. Some timber and concrete could be seen as well. Buzzing around each growing building were swarms of robots that lifted and welded and hammered away.

 

The NCR had only a few structures built from scratch that reached ten floors or more, and here it seemed that every other building was at least a dozen storeys high. And they were using robots, not human laborers. The swarms of Mr Handys seemed to go in and out of construction yards that had wheels on them for some reason. The senator even spied massive sparks spewing from a huge furnace in one construction yard, powered purely by electricity instead of the jury rigged coal/generator systems used back home.

 

What kind of energy output did the Nexus have here?

 

The bus drove to the edge of the city-to-be, to a squat looking building of shiny metal and painted concrete. As the NCR expedition reluctantly disembarked from the comfort of their transport, Julian immediately noticed that the open-faced building had stairs running beneath ground level. He noticed the small assembly of people right after that.

 

The man at the center could only be Sev, with the black coat on him that was one of the consistent things about him in the many tales. He stood casually, regarding the NCR group with a measure of curiosity and amusement. There was little arrogance exuding from what many regard as the most powerful man in the east.

 

To his side were a quintet of young women and girls, most likely his harem (or wives, or willing sacrifices…depending on which rumor one heard). Considering the judging looks they were giving, Julian assumed that they were not the air-headed sex slaves some stories painted them as. It was probably safer for his party’s wellbeing too if nobody assumed that.

 

Flanking them were the fourth most terrifying things from the Nexus, below their robots, the sinister Blacksite Tleilax, and Sev himself. The armored soldiers were not the spiked monstrosities some tales made them out to be, instead they were actually smaller than power-armor frames. Yet despite the smaller size, there was a danger to them that made even the most advanced Enclave suit look puny. Julian could make out the faces behind the green tinted glass-faced helmets, and these young soldiers were clearly less than impressed by the guests they were welcoming.

 

Considering how everyone in the Nexus was clean and free of wasteland dust, he could imagine why. It’d be like the NCR formally receiving tribals, probably.

 

The senator immediately put up his default politician’s smile as he began to step towards the Nexus party with a hand extended in greeting. “Thank you for receiving us. As I’ve informed your robots, I’m Senator Julian Toomes, of the New California Republic.”

 

Sev smirked faintly as he stepped forward to shake Julian’s hand. The handshake was firm, but devoid of the petty crushing to establish dominance. “I’m Sev, the…uh, ruler of the Nexus. Aren’t you a bit far from home, senator?” 

 

“We’ve been hearing stories from the east for a while now, and it was decided that some investigation and outreach was in order,” Julian said with half-false confidence. “So I volunteered, as Ambassador Crocker was still recovering.” He didn’t include the fact that he eagerly took the job to avoid the looming shitstorm that he might or might not have been involved in, regarding ranching and scavenging licenses. It wasn’t really relevant right now, after all.

 

Sev’s smirk grew. “Investigation and outreach?”

 

“Well, rumors of the Nexus Severalty from traders are…inconsistent, to say the least. The Republic decided it was best to separate fact from fiction, and seeing as most of the stories thus far paints the Nexus as being open to diplomacy...” Julian trailed off with a shrug and a self deprecating smile.

 

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Sev took on a thoughtful frown. “Huh, that so.” He quickly shook it off and offered a smile to the senator. “In that case, I guess it’s a good time to test out our diplomatic protocols.” 

 

The Nexus’ ruler stepped aside and ushered Julian and his team into the squat building, and the other Nexus welcoming party moved aside as well. “This way, senator. The subway’s a more comfortable and faster trip to Boston. We’ll have your accommodations prepared soon.”

 

What followed was more akin to a fantastic dream. 

 

Starting from the marvel that was the Nexus’ subway system that once again, was not some restored pre-war tech, the train cars would’ve been comfortable enough to convert into low cost housing back in NCR. For all the claustrophobic conditions, their underground journey felt far more comfortable than even the bus. They stopped at stations, and Julian noted the clean, healthy people (ghouls too, if you can call them that) boarding and unboarding. He also noted how they bowed or nodded deferentially at Sev when they saw him. Even rambunctious kids slewed to a stop and got on their best behaviors when they saw him.

 

Sev and his ‘close advisors’ traded questions and answers with Julian and his staff while during the travel. The rumors about the annexed Brotherhood of Steel and Enclave were discounted, while it was certain that Nexus technology truly was leagues ahead of anything the NCR had. They were highly secretive about it too. Sev’s questions about the NCR were more broad, more interested in their views on slavery and ghouls, and their interaction with raiders.

 

Then they reached the main terminal in Boston barely an hour later, and three of his assistants fainted from the shock. Julian was glad he didn’t give in to that temptation. The place was beyond even the wildest comics and cartoons, pre-war or otherwise. Glinting skyscrapers of glass and metal dominated the skyline, partitioned by neat roads with robot cabs and buses whizzing by. Every few blocks were parks where people strolled in. Apartment blocks were clean and spacious, and were far more vibrant and hopeful than the overcrowded tenements back home.

 

Delicious scents wafted in the air from nearby food kiosks, unidentifiable yet undoubtedly mouth-watering. Mixed along it were the faint smells of soap and shampoo and detergent. What really made Julian inhale headily was the sense of cleanness in the air. No metallic tang, no grit, no taste of ash or decay…it was better than the recycled air from the purifiers back home.

 

The city of Boston was full of life and optimism, and more often than not Julian saw genuine smiles amongst the crowd, heard genuine laughter. There was none of the wasteland desperation or grimness, no trace of harshness that the outside world might have brought in. Glancing at the people around him and then back at his own diplomatic team, it was the NCR outsiders that were the dirty, depressing eyesore staining the brightness of the city.

 

They stopped at an open air food court for a gluttonous feast of a late lunch. Julian saw the curious Nexus currency being used and after asking around for the standard cost of living here, he was appalled at remembering the fact that one Nexus credit was currently going for twenty one caps, which meant more than fifty NCR dollars. A bowl of beef (not brahmin) stew here cost ‘only’ five credits, which was…

 

Julian stopped calculating and decided to just enjoy the cornucopia of Nexus food laid out for him and his people. He wasn’t alone in crying as he ate. He gulped down rich fruit juices, licked clean bowls of meat stews, and even realized the joys of a fresh salad for the first time. After all this, going back to the Republic’s normal diet would be…challenging.

 

Everything was paid for by Sev, who insisted when the stall owners tried to refuse seeing that he was their ruler and all that. The NCR delegation, even the hardy mercs, ate like starving refugees and as if the food would suddenly vanish if they didn’t stuff it down their throats in time. Julian felt only a bit ashamed at the amused looks he and his group were gathering from Sev and other Nexus folk, but focused his priorities on trying out every flavor of fruit drink. Strawberries were a pleasant surprise considering the name, so maybe pineapple would be just as great?

 

After glutting themselves on the meal, Julian and his staff were ushered into robo-cabs, where they suffered for their gluttony until they arrived at their assigned quarters for the duration of their visit.

 

“The hotel industry’s still young, but I can assure you that you’ll not find anything lacking,” Sev said, still with that amused smirk of his.

 

Julian easily forgave him for that veiled condescension. Especially after he stepped into the hotel lobby and saw the marble and granite tiling and the chrome-silver Mr Handy valets. Even more especially after Julian was shown his penthouse suite.

 

The apartment was big enough to house four families. The bed was large, and - once he tried sitting on it - seductively soft. The bathroom had far more than just a shower and toilet, with towels whiter than he had ever seen before. The view of the city below and the lands beyond was breathtaking. The miscellaneous and unnecessary furniture only further accentuated the sheer extravagance of the suite.

 

His suite, for as long as Julian stayed here as an ambassador of the NCR.

 

“This is heaven?” he voiced to himself aloud. “I died along the way, and this is heaven, right?”

 

Julian let himself drop onto the bed and fall into the most comfortable sleep he’s ever had. He’ll go back to being a senator and representative of the Republic after his sleep. This was most definitely worth the six months of suffering getting here.

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