A Midjourney Story, Part 2

It was rare to find an entire sheet of fabric left, so most balloons were pieced together. That’s how most things have been rebuilt, scavenging parts and fixing them together with whatever tools and bits were close by.

Once ballooners set out between cities, they discovered countless shipwrecks that had been buried where once there was water.

The ship graveyards had opened up, exposing their dead for all to see.

Water was increasingly scarce. Rain was rare, and it seemed as if the underground reservoirs of water must have evaporated in their caves.

One thing the ballooners did discover was that in the early morning and late evening, it was possible to collect dew from the sides of the balloons if they flew high enough.

This is what eventually led to A.W.C., or Air Water Collection.

A Midjourney Story, Part 1

After all artificial forms of energy had been depleted on earth, the winds began to blow, hot and relentless. Though the heat and dust made it hard to breathe, we did manage to harness it to revive an old mode of transportation.

With the resurgence of the balloons, we could once again travel long distances relatively unhindered.

But celebrations were short-lived for soon the sky began to fill with air pirates. They would descend upon helpless travelers, raiding their goods and slashing their balloons.

It was time to recommission the Air Force to police the skies. This is the beginning of an account of that history.