Chapter 29 - Stations, Suspicions & Scientific Pursuits (Snipe Hunts)


"You okay, Sarah?" Paladin Vargas asked, as he followed the leader of Lyons' Pride into the Galaxy News Radio station, behind the two Wastelanders that had helped them break the siege of Galaxy New Radio.

"I'm fine." Sarah Lyons replied instinctively, unwilling to let her mentor and unofficial second-in-command shower her with concern. She was the squad leader, the Sentinel, the Elder's daughter. It was her job to be concerned for others, not the other way round. "How's Initiate Reddin?"

"A few broken bones, but she'll live." Vargas replied. "Vault Girl said she was lucky that her broken ribs didn't puncture any internal organs, when she helped patch Reddin up. The men are moving her into the station to rest, but it might take a while before we can evacuate her..."

Sarah Lyons nodded numbly, as she processed the damage report. Those injuries would've been a death sentence, without timely medical intervention. Yet another thing she owed the two Wastelanders. She was used to death, after the past 22 years of fighting against the hordes of Raiders, Ferals, and Frankensteins that infested the Capital Wasteland, but it still felt good to not have to bury yet another one of her squad.

"We'll let her rest here, while we continue hitting Super Mutant outposts around the outskirts of the downtown area." Sarah instructed. "The next supply caravan should be due in a few days. We'll load her up with them and escort them back to the Citadel."

Vargas nodded, and quickly moved to give the instructions to the Knight Sergeant in charge of guard Galaxy News Radio station.

Sarah remained where she was, looking out towards the plaza where she'd almost lost her life. She didn't want to admit it, but that was the hairiest fight she'd ever been in. It wasn't the first behemoth she'd fought, but back then, she'd had the entire Lyons' Pride behind her, as well as two other squads of Knights. But the Lyons' Pride was spread thin nowadays, the squad split even further, running so many more missions, putting out so many more fires throughout the city.

She frowned, as she just imagined the After-Action Report she was going to have to write, as well as the debriefing she was going to have to give her father. Hey dad, remember the giant super mutant behemoth that took three full squads to kill and saw a casualty rate of 50 percent for that mission? Guess what? There's more of them! And your only daughter would've died too, if it hadn't been for two Wastelanders who'd wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time!

Speaking of the Wastelanders... Sarah's thoughts turned back to the blonde swordsman, Jaune Arc. A small smile crossed her face. For some reason, most of her brothers were rather stiff around her, treating her with formality and respect. Sure, she was a professional and no-nonsense woman during missions, but the fact that they all treated her like that as well when the armor was off, so differently from how they'd used to treat her when she was younger... it was still something she couldn't figure out, honestly. And on the other end of the spectrum, most of the Wastelanders she met were either arrogant hotshots or just intimidated by her power armor. Jaune Arc was probably the first person she'd met who hadn't been afraid to talk to her like a normal person, to push back when she was hard, while still not come off as arrogant or condescending.

The crater of glass and the two leg stumps caught her eye, and she played through the battle again in her head. Jaune Arc was crazy, of that she could be sure, charging head-first into a horde of Super Mutants. Undoubtedly strong and effective, too, seeing as how he'd survived. But there was a lot about him that wasn't adding up, that was bugging her.

For one thing, despite him being in the company of Vault Girl, despite the close relationship the pair shared, he clearly wasn't from a vault. That strength and skill came from training, experience, ages honing his ability. Where in the Capital Wasteland would he have learned how to use a sword and a shield? Who even used a sword and a shield when there were guns around?! And there was the look in his eyes, and the way he'd just charged without any hesitation. If not for those, she might have thought he'd been a former vault dweller who'd left the vault years ago, but he was too young, clearly in the prime of his life, and far too used to his current lifestyle.

And there was his absurd strength and endurance. Even in power armor, a trained Knight would have a hard time in close-quarters combat against the average Super Mutant. Not only had he effortlessly dealt cleaved through their hordes, he'd blocked blows from a behemoth without flinching! The same behemoth that had sent Reddin flying! She could even see the cracks in the concrete, from him enduring the hits in front of her, and he'd somehow made it through all that without a scratch!

Even that final blast at the end...

Sarah froze, as she replayed that moment.

How the hell had he not been moved in the slightest by a mini nuke detonating at nearly point-blank range?!

"Something bothering you, Sentinel?" Vargas asked, interrupting her thoughts as he walked back to her, having finished organizing things with the local garrison and the Citadel over the radio. The look on her face rarely boded well for anybody.

"I'm just thinking... about that Wastelander, Jaune..." Sarah admitted, chewing over her thoughts a bit more.

"Oh, has a man finally attracted our dear Sarah's attention? Are we going to see a new member of Lyons' Pride?" Vargas teased, after making sure they were safely out of earshot of any of the other Knights. The daughter of Elder Lyons and the leader of Lyons' Pride had a public image to maintain in front of the rank and file, after all.

Privately though, he shared Elder Lyons's concerns that his only daughter seemed to have all but forgotten that she was a woman, and an attractive one at that.

"I'm serious, Vargas." Sarah chided with a roll of her eyes. "There's just something about him that doesn't add up."

"What do you mean?" Vargas asked, seeing that she wasn't kidding.

"Well, for one thing... who uses a sword and a shield, in this day and age?" Sarah pointed out.

"He might have come from a place where ammunition was scarce?" Vargas suggested. He knew she had a point, but as her second-in-command it was his responsibility to challenge her assumptions, play the devil's advocate, if only to make sure her assumptions could hold up under fierce scrutiny. There were, after all, some older members who thought Sarah only got her rank because of her father. "Would also explain his poor marksmanship..."

"How long do you think anyone with melee weapons could survive in the Wasteland against armed raiders and Frankensteins?"

"Well, seeing his performance against them, I'd say pretty long."

"Vargas, he didn't even know what Super Mutants were, or that they were "common" to this area. He asked me about them, before we made it to the plaza. And there's his sword and shield! What the hell kind of sword just cuts rebar and lead pipes effortlessly? And what kind of shield can stand up to the amount of bullets and blows they were throwing at him without even denting?"

"I don't know, but we should probably ask him about it." Vargas conceded the point.

"And how the hell did he make it through all that unscathed?!" Sarah continued on. "Not even a scratch on him!"

"He must have been very skilled with his weapons?"

Sarah just raised an eyebrow, and looked back at the plaza.

"Very skilled." Vargas emphasized.

"He didn't even flinch when he took that blow from the behemoth for me, Vargas. I was watching him; his arms and legs showed no signs of straining! And how did he make it through the Fat Man's blast without being sent flying?!"

"Well, Vault Girl did aim for the top of the behemoth... I just figured the bulk of the behemoth absorbed the rest of the blast."

Sarah just gave him a look that asked, really?

"Honestly, I was just too relieved by the fact we all survived, Sarah." Vargas admitted, allowing himself a moment of vulnerability. "We weren't expecting another behemoth..."

Sarah didn't press the point. She'd felt the same way too, when the smoke had first cleared, and he'd stood unmovingly, like a figure out of legend. Instead, she changed the subject: "There was also that flash of light that suddenly occurred, when he took that blow from the behemoth..."

"Yeah, I saw it too." Vargas racked his head. "I got nothing, Sarah. Maybe it was just the sun reflecting off of the shield, maybe it was just the sparks flying from the impact. Maybe it was even some prototype reactive shield."

"Reactive shield?"

"Yeah... you remember some of the Pre-War design documents from the Citadel? About reactive armor on tanks?"

"What, strapping shaped charges to the exterior of tanks, so that they detonated when given sufficient force, and redirected the incoming force outwards?" Sarah wasn't a Scribe, and hadn't gone through the old files, but as the Elder's daughter she'd been expected to know a bit of everything, if only so she could advise her father on what projects sounded feasible and took priority.

"Yeah, that's the one." Vargas snapped his fingers. "Maybe he just strapped a few flashbangs to his shield."

"The guy who uses a sword and a shield would have flashbangs?"

Before they could continue their discussion any further, the elevator dinged, and out walked a disappointed-looking Ruby and a sighing Jaune.

"How the hell is my dad so fast?!" Ruby complained bitterly, upset that she'd missed him. Again.

"Well, hey, at least we helped the people here." Jaune tried cheering his friend up. He'd honestly expected something like this, having been through it enough times back in Skyrim. "And hey, Moira did want us to research on the history of Rivet City..."

Vargas subtly elbowed Sarah in the side, before nudging his head over at Jaune. Before she could protest, he walked up to them, calling: "Hey, Vault Girl! Got a minute? I need to ask you about Initiate Reddin..."

"Uh, sure. What do you need?" Ruby replied, splitting off to join him as they walked towards Reddin.

Before Jaune could follow them, Sarah intercepted him, mentally cursing Vargas all the while. How the hell was she supposed to do this?

Just before the silence could drag on too long, she blurted out: "So... no luck here?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Jaune sighed. "We got another lead; it's better than a dead end, at least."

"Where are you two heading to next?" Sarah asked, just to keep the conversation going.

"Rivet City, wherever that is." Jaune rolled his eyes. "Hey, do you know the safest way there?"

"Didn't Three Dog tell you how to get there?"

"He did, sure, but I'd rather get a second opinion from you... I doubt he leaves the station very often, you know?"

Sarah felt her spirits buoyed slightly by his trust in her, before confusion set in, as she wondered why. Ignoring it, she answered him: "Yeah, sure... just follow the river south from here."

"Huh, just like he said..." Jaune noted. "Thanks, Sarah."

"Hey, it's the least I could do. And speaking of which, why did you ask about defusing land mines? Planning on exploring a minefield or something?"

"Oum, no! What, do you think I'm crazy or something?" Jaune chuckled. "No, I'm just doing some research for a... client, I guess you could say. She wants to write a Wasteland Survival Guide, and apparently defusing land mines to sell can be very profitable."

"It can also be very dangerous." Sarah pointed out with a frown.

"I told her the same thing, but hey, if things work out, the guide can help people across this wasteland." Jaune said with a shrug. Honestly, he could think of worse goals, and it did give him something else to do, after he got Ruby to her father. "And trust me, it wasn't even the worst that she asked for!"

"Oh?" Sarah was now intrigued by the tone in his voice, and she found herself leaning forward despite herself.

"She also asked us to come back with a broken limb and radiation poison- oh, hey Ruby. Done already?" Jaune turned to Ruby, as she came out with Vargas.

"Yup. Vargas just wanted to know if it was okay to leave Reddin confined to bed rest here for a few days. I told him it should be fine, though they should definitely get her out her armor first." Ruby explained. "Now let's go! We're burning daylight!"

"Alright, alright. See you around!" Jaune waved farewell at them, before walking out of the radio station with Ruby.

"So... did you find out anything?" Vargas asked, as the doors closed.

"No... there wasn't enough time." Sarah answered, unwilling to admit that she'd gotten too engaged in the conversation to try and lead it.

"Well, Ruby told me quite a bit. Apparently, she only met him about a week ago."

"Really?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow. The pair looked like they were practically joined together at the hip.

"Yeah, apparently he saved her from raiders after she first left the vault. Also, she says that he claimed the sword was made of the bones of a giant lizard, one that almost bit him in half, and the shield was a family heirloom. Even he doesn't know what it's made of, apparently."

Sarah chewed over the new facts, her curiosity peaking. A mystery man, who could go toe-to-toe with a behemoth without a scratch, who could survive a near-miss from a mini nuke without even flinching, who used a sword and a shield in this day and age. Whose sword was made from the bones of a giant lizard that had almost killed him (Deathclaw, perhaps?), and whose shield was clearly Pre-War.

"Just who are you, Jaune Arc?" Sarah murmured, looking at his shrinking form.

-RIVET CITY, THREE DAYS LATER-

"I... It's you." Doctor Madison Li stammered, as she got a good look at the two newcomers to her lab. "My heavens, you look so much like them! You're James's daughter, aren't you? What are you doing here?!"

"You know my father?" Ruby asked excitedly, looking around the room. "Is he here?"

Dr Li looked away sadly. "Your father insisted that we return to work on Project Purity. I tried telling him too much time has passed; there's no way it would work. Like before, he refused to listen to me. He said he could prove it would work, and ran off to the old lab."

"Well, that sounds fine, then." Ruby said optimistically, completely missing the look on Dr Li's face. "Where's this old lab of yours?"

"It's in the old Jefferson Memorial building, northwest of here." Dr Li automatically replied, before quickly adding: "But please, don't go after him! That building was overrun by Super Mutants years ago! It was foolish of him to even think about going there alone!"

Ruby blinked, as she processed the doctor's words.

Her father wasn't here. Again.

What was worse, he'd snuck into a building full of Super Mutants.

And, seeing as how her father was a doctor...

Jaune sighed, coming to the same conclusion. James wasn't here, and he doubted the good doctor would be at the memorial either.

"Hey, Vomit Girl. Cheer up! We'll probably find another lead there." Jaune joked, slapping her lightly on the back, not wanting her to give up hope just yet. In the meantime...

"Excuse me, doctor? Do you think you could answer a few questions for me?"


Author's Note: Sorry, Ruby, your father is in another building. Again.

Did people think I was going to let Jaune get a badass moment without any consequences? Really? Sure, in Remnant people often do far flashier moves than that (Monty Oum's animation style was truly iconic), but in Fallout... well, there's the sheer naked relief that they survived the fight that distracts them initially, prevents them from questioning their good fortune.

Sarah and Vargas are also still a bit too shocked to react, and Reddin is kind of in pain. They're not really in any state to immediately confront the crazy guy who just tanked a hit that sent a power-armored soldier flying, and who used a behemoth as a meat shield against a mini nuke, who did just save their lives, and who is currently carrying a shield that blocked said hit and a sword that sliced through Super Mutants like a hot knife through butter.

After all, whatever absurd things they saw in the heat of the moment... they're sure it can be all explained when they sit down and discuss it, right?

Ruby, on the other hand, is probably naive enough (and has read enough comics) that she thinks that whatever Jaune does is perfectly normal, with enough training and practice. Of course, when she eventually sees what his sword actually does...

Also, I don't actually know if Lyons' Pride has run into behemoths before, canonically. There's only five throughout the Capital Wasteland, in-game. In this story, though... I'm saying they ran into one, a few years before Jaune's arrival, but they never ran into any others after that fight, so they assumed it was just a random and unique mutation. Of course, it's possible that other Brotherhood of Steel squads have run into other behemoths, but didn't live to tell the tale.

And yes, we're once again using the almighty power of time skips. Because do you really want me to write chapters dedicated to each day they spend walking through the ruins of a desolate city shooting raiders? I'm not Tolkein, you know...