"Someone asked me once what the difference was between an Outcast and a Brotherhood soldier, I'll tell you now. Unlike Lyon's personal little frat club, we remembered the mission."
- Anonymous Outcast
Chapter 3 : Salvage
The Pitt, 2255 AD
The followers of the camp watched in silence as they saw the lines of Brotherhood troops return from their last battle. Many of them had their power armor completely riddled by bullet holes, others came back with savage scorch marks, evidence of the kind of trickery the cowardly Pitt raiders had used against them. But despite all that, they had returned.
Even as the women and children of the camp rushed up to greet their fathers, brothers and sons, it seemed the soldiers were dazed by the fight. Isolated in their own private little world, seeing nothing but the burning wreckage in the distance and feeling nothing but the aches of their legs as they dragged their feet towards the next step. Even so, they had won, and without losing a single man.
The sky glowed a bright amber orange, lit almost clear as day by the dozens of burning fires that spread throughout the Pitt, formerly known as the City of Pittsburg. Although it was not hit directly by any nuclear warheads during the Great War, Pittsburg had the disadvantage of being located at the basins of three irradiated rivers, which quickly contaminated and mutated the residents, throwing the city into chaos. Two hundred years did little to change the anarchy that drove the city. For decades the city was ruled by anarchy, with squads of rape gangs and torture squads descending upon the weak and helpless, while petty gang wars tore the city apart. Hundreds of raiders converged onto the defenseless town, starting a slave trade, as well as setting up a permanent base of operations.
All that changed when the Brotherhood arrived, cleansing the entire area in a sea of flame and destruction.
One of the lead Paladins took off his helmet, hydraulics hissing as it revealed the face of a middle aged man, with a short beard and grim, hardened features.
"Paladin Lyons, it is good to see you and your men back safely." One of the knights nodded a greeting, reaching out and gripping Lyon's hand tightly.
"It was a tough fight." was all Lyons could manage to say. "but we've managed to scourge them out of their hideaways. Unfortunately, dozens more escaped. There were too many."
"You did all you could sir, everyone knows that." The Brotherhood Knight said. "Besides, this operation could not have gone off any better, we didn't lose a man."
"Just one." Lyons replied, and the Knight nodded silently in repose. "Paladin Ashur?"
"We lost him during the attack on the mill. One of the raiders set off an ammunition dump, after the explosion...we tried to dig through the rubble..." Paladin Lyon's eyes set in with exhaustion, despite being a young man, it seemed to the Knight that he had aged visibly by several years since the attack. The things they must have seen...
"I'm sorry for your loss sir, his name shall live on forever in the annals of steel, I'll make sure of it. For now, let's get you and your men some rest. The rest of the reserve squads can mop up, I'll handle the rest."
Paladin Lyons nodded quietly, before putting on his power armor helmet again, his voice quickly filtered through the helmet radio.
"Do you think you'll ever grow tired of this Casdin? The never ending battle?" Lyons asked his friend.
Knight Casdin seemed taken aback by the question, fighting for the Brotherhood, for the technology of humanity seemed second nature to him, but through Lyon's words, he felt a bit of the burden of the responsibility that was placed on his friend's shoulders, when the Elders chose him to lead over a hundred of their members east to the D.C region. In that split second, he did not envy his friend.
"However long it takes Owyn, we must stay the course. Besides, it's not like you're alone in this, you always have me and Rothchild to pull your ass out of the fire." Casdin grinned.
"That I do my friend, that I do." Lyons chuckled wearily, then saluted to his friend before proceeding back to camp. He was forever grateful to Henry for making sure that the camp, and by extension his young eight year old daughter, was safe. They were the future and she was the reason why he fought so hard. The Brotherhood's mission ultimately was to create a better world, but from what he had seen so far, it was not going to be accomplished in his life time, nor possibly even Sarah's, but he would be damned if he didn't at least try...
2277 A.D, Fort Independence Bridge
Protector Casdin watched quietly as the remaining Outcasts began clearing the ruins of Fairfax of bodies. Some raiders were thrown into mass graves while others were simply piled together in clumps and incinerated by flamer squads. The area had to be purified, lest their disease riddled bodies began infecting his men, medical supplies were rare enough as it was. The science teams began setting up Gutsys and Sentry bots to patrol the area, while another member began painting crude Outcast insignias on street signs and lamp posts, signifying that the area was now their territory. Eight Outcast members and a squad of Sentry bots and Protectrons now combed the ruins, searching for any hidden raiders and weapons caches they may have missed, they weren't much, but with the battle over, Henry dispatched the rest of his squads to procure more technology and salvage, they desperately needed materials for repair and they were running low on fuel and energy cells.
Fairfax now belonged to the Outcasts, and Henry found his patrol problems intensified. He had already decided to garrison one squad of four permanently in the metro tunnels, with regular sweeps of Gutsys and Protectrons on the surface to alert them to any intruders, but that meant less regular sweeps to the East and North. He preferred to keep a presence in the East by Andale and the North to Megaton, just to keep abreast of the Wasteland events, but now he would have to sacrifice some extra patrols just for the sense of security.
And it was a delicate security at best. Even in a battle against under equipped raiders, he had two men killed, one missing. Which were losses he could not afford. Though they were outnumbered a good three or four to one in the fight, Raiders had inexhaustible numbers, kill one and ten more would take that scum's place, but for the Outcasts, each casualty permanently decreased their numbers by one. They would have to tread more carefully in the future.
And that brought Henry to the business of the day. One tied up, ruthlessly beaten Talon who sat in front of him. The man's face and body was bloodied and bruised, some from the battle, but most of them from the 'interrogation'.
"To be honest, I didn't expect to find any Talons out here." Casdin said flatly, casually adjusting the energy cells of his laser pistol. "I knew you guys were dumb enough to take any job, I just didn't think you'd be suicidal."
The Talon did not say anything, his gaze a mixture of numbness and defiance.
"I will be honest with you Talon, you are a professional at what you do. I respect that. That also means you have enough brains to know what is coming next." Casdin gestured towards one of the Outcast spec soldiers, who seemed radiate cloaked, black armored death, ripper already in his hand. Defender Anne Marie Morgan stood by silently, watching the entire exchange.
The mercenary watched quietly, nodding. "Corporal Finch, 2nd squad, Talon Company. Sorry, got no fancy holotag serial number and rank like you Brotherhood folk."
"Outcast." Henry corrected him. "Don't even mention us in the same breath."
The Talon remained silent.
"Good, now we got that formality down, lets continue. I know you people work for cash, no other cause. So we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I have one man missing, two dead, and a whole bunch of Talons operating in our territory, and a bunch of answers I need. I'm not a generous man, you won't get another shot."
The mercenary lifted his gaze to meet Casdin's, whose face was hidden beneath the power helmet. The laser pistol charging up in Casdins hand.
The Talon sighed. "Yeah, Ok. What do you need to know."
Both Outcasts could not contain their surprise. "I'll be honest, I was expecting this would be a lot more difficult."
The Talon simply shrugged. "Nothing written in my contract states that I'm not allowed to talk if captured, but then again, they don't tell us much either. You'll find out nothing from me."
"I'll be the judge of that Talon, first you can start by telling me what you were doing with the raiders." Henry asked.
"Our Sergeant told us we were to move south, to assist the raiders in procuring power armor. Word has it that a client was willing to pay us big for pre-war technology."
"Who?" Casdin asked.
"Hell if I know." The merc grinned. "Like I said, they don't tell us much. Just who to kill, where to find 'em."
"So our missing man..." Defender Morgan connected the dots.
"Most likely on his way north right now, back to Bannister." The man grinned. "Now can you loosen up my bonds?"
"Do you think he knows anything else sir?" Morgan asked Casdin.
The Protector shook his head. "No, nothing else worth extracting from this prisoner." He turned to the Outcast spec ops member.
"We're done here. J.T, make it quick please."
"Sir." The Outcast put away his ripper, instead taking out his laser rifle.
The Talon's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait! but you said-"
"I said there would be an easy way, or a hard way." Casdin remarked. "The hard way was us torturing you to death. This is the easy way." He nodded towards J.T.
Before the Talon could say anything, a red laser beam hit the Talon in the sternum. There was no pain as he had his spinal cord and airways severed from his brain. A split second of awful realization dawned on the man's face as his body began glowing bright orange. The man's face seemed frozen in time as his body began carbonizing into dust. Steam rising into the air as his insides began frying instantly, along with bits and pieces of ceramic armor as his body fell backwards. The body maintained its shape and size until he hit the ground, bursting into a billion particles of dust.
Defender Anne Marie Morgan watched the execution uneasily, and that did not escape Casdin's notice.
"It had to be done, he's seen too much of our operation. He would have been a liability. Besides, he was a local, not like he was worth our time." The Protector said.
"I know sir, but it doesn't mean it sits well with me." Morgan replied. Killing a Talon or Raider when they were attacking you was one thing, but executing an unarmed prisoner of war...
"The Talons would have disposed of him anyway, this was a kindness." Casdin remarked, putting the discussion to an end. "Now, can you give me a damage report."
Morgan's features hardened underneath her power helmet. "As you've said sir, we've lost three men in the operation. Two dead, one missing, Defender Torres. From what the Talon has told us, they are heading north, possibly to Fort Bannister."
Casdin remained silent.
"I know what you're thinking sir. It's suicide."
"Dead or alive, I don't like the thought of those mercs having one of our men. Animals like raiders and Talons leave their people behind, but we don't. That is what separates us from them."
"And you propose we assault Bannister, at the cost of more lives?" Morgan said, almost with reproach.
"No, at least not now. We're too low on numbers, ammo and supplies. We'll need to rest and refit first. That is our number one priority right now." Fifty dead raiders, ten dead talons, at the cost of three dead Outcasts Casdin thought grimly, that left roughly thirty of them left in total, including the scientists and non-combatants, barely enough numbers for one Brotherhood Battalion. It was a rate of exchange that he could not afford.
"Is the science team mobilized J.T?"
The third Outcast, this one a young man in his mid twenties, saluted. "Only me and L.J are here. The rest of the guys are still patrolling up north by Megaton."
"Any reason why?" Casdin asked, it was the reality of the situation, with their limited long range communications equipment, that there were squads in his Outcasts that operated outside of radio contact and Casdin's knowledge.
"We've received word from the locals at Megaton that a new Vault was opened a few days ago, some Vaulties emerging from it. T.T thought it may be wise to check it out to see if we can procure any technology. We have a three man patrol in the area to investigate."
"Is this a registered vault?" Casdin asked.
"Yes sir, Vault 101."
Casdin thought for a second. Registered vaults were usually provided with a plethora of equipment, such as water purifiers, spare parts, and power generators. Enough to start their own city. Salvage from just one of these vaults could prove useful to the Outcasts. If they were lucky, they may even contain a G.E.C.K, one of the stated goals of the mission from the Elders from Lost Hills.
"Alright, I'll leave that squad for now. You and L.J, report to Fitts. I have a special assignment for you."
"Hey local, shouldn't you be banging rocks together or something?" Defender Colt grunted rudely as he watched a caravan of wastelanders pass him. Although many in the wasteland were thankful for the Brotherhood presence, these locals were both ignorant and annoying. Their dumbfounded gazes made it look like they've never even seen a Brotherhood knight before.
Secretly though, Colt enjoyed seeing their responses. Whether they felt intimidated by the power armor and fled, or if they were dumb enough to actually fight back.
"Just passing through sir, no disrespect intended." The scavenger raised his hands peacefully, showing that he was unarmed, a wise choice. The man wore an old roving trader coat, along with a stormchaser hat and biker goggles. Usually traders hired a caravan guard or two for several hundred caps, reasonably well armed mercenaries who would have even given an Outcast squad some trouble. However, this scavenger obviously did not have as much caps as the established caravans, keeping only a dog for company.
Protector Fitts stepped forward, his hard gaze piercing through the visor of his power armor helmet. He had been walking west all day from Fort Independence under the blazing sun, and was in no mood for trouble.
"We're on the lookout for the salvage parts. Robots or scrap metal. Our intelligence says that there is a facility near here, a Robco facility. Do you know anything that can help us?"
The scavenger held his hands up, as though he were expecting the Outcasts to pounce on him.
This is why i hate dealing with locals. Colt simmered in his mind.
"Well, there's a building near old Tenpenny tower that may help you out. Can't say that Mister Tenpenny will be helpful much, but I know a feller scavenger there. Tinker Joe is his name. He's the fella you should be asking."
Fitts nodded, reaching into his power armor and pulling out a few bottle caps for the Scavenger.
"Tinker Joe. Alright, here's your payment local, now get out of our way." He gestured his head eastwards.
"Don't have to tell me twice." The scavenger mumbled, taking his caps before walking away with his dog.
Protector Fitts looked back to the rest of his squad, Defender Colt, armed with a pre-war laser rifle. While the two members of the science team, J.T Benning, and L.J Rogers, followed in tow. Unlike normal Brotherhood scientists and scribes, the Outcasts science team also doubled as medics and soldiers. A necessity as manpower was stretched thin, but they were also a valuable addition to any salvage and recon missions as well. Yet, because Outcast doctrine called for limited numbers per squad for maximum coverage, he had to temporarily detach Kesler and Farsight off to a recon mission up north.
"J.T, how far west are we looking to travel?" Fitts asked.
"Not far Protector, pre-war records in Independence indicate that there was a RobCo facility not more than three miles west of us."
That meant another hour or two of walking, and Fitts carefully calculated the extra water rations they brought with them in their suits.
"Alright, any hostiles in the area?"
"Just the Tenpenny tower guys sir. We may see a few Feral ghouls but the region is pretty quiet. We don't disturb the locals, they don't disturb us."
Fitts nodded. "Colt and I will take point then, you and L.J will back us up."
"Roger that sir."
Several more hours passed as the four man squad made their way westwards from Independence. Defender Colt himself was bored out of his skull, listening to the current ramblings of the self proclaimed 'most trusted news source' of the Capital wasteland, Three Dog. It was interesting...a week ago the signal was mostly just static, but now, it was suddenly clear as day, providing the Outcasts with up to date intel on Lyons and his band of merry knights, as well as other developments...
"People of the Capital Wasteland, you can HEAR MEEEE! Yeeeaa haaaa! You can't stop the signal, baby! That's right, from Megaton to Girdershade, Paradise Falls to the Republic of Dave, we are coming to you loud and proud, in a special live report! But Three Dog! You're in that cool radio studio in D.C. How do YOU know I can hear you, all the way out here in the ass end of nowhere? Because of the kid from Vault 101, that's how! That cat actually managed to repair our antenna relay. How's that for ingenuity, folks? From here on in, it's bye-bye stupid static, hello magnificent music. So sit back, relax, and absorb these classic tunes. Kid, you get your ass back to GNR, you hear me? We've got some stuff to talk about!"
The radio then switched to a song, and Colt himself whistled the tunes of "Civilization" as it was sung eloquently by the Andrews sisters.
"Bongo...bongo...bongo.."
"Shut that thing off Colt." Fitts ordered. "We're near a Yao Guai heavy area."
"Hell sir. If anything the Defender may be scaring them away." L.J snickered behind his helmet.
It did not take long before the impressive sight of Tenpenny tower came into view, a luxurious pre-war hotel that was over fifteen stories tall. Easily the tallest thing in the Capital Wasteland except for the old pre-war Washington Monument. It was perhaps the only bastion of humanity in the Southwest quadrant, powered by prewar generators and staffed by dozens of soft locals bathing in luxury. Of course, they also had a garrison of mercenaries for protection. Word had spread that the patron, Allistair Tenpenny, had tried to detonate a nuclear device north of Independence recently, to 'remove' a blot on the landscape known as Megaton. Their leader was unpredictable at best. They would have to tread carefully if the Outcasts were to operate in the area.
East of Tenpenny Tower, was the old RobCo facility, a large warehouse and factory complex with its own parking lot and power stations. Fitts guessed that even two hundred years later, there must still have been some working power generators within the stone building. Even from the distance, he saw the squads of patrolling Protectrons and scrap metal in the parking lot, as well as several burning husks that used to be cars. It looked as though a battle had taken place recently. But that did not deter Fitts, he saw an entire facility filled with potential resources to be used by the Outcasts. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of power cells that could keep their weapons and armor running for years, not to mention Protectrons and Robots that could help alleviate their manpower problems.
Fitts nodded. "Alright squad, this looks to be it. Take five, then we'll see just what we can salvage from that pile of scrap heap."
Slow update: More action to be had in the next one! :)