Chapter 12 : Halycon Days
"My Brothers may be gruff, but they will lay down their lives for you."
- Knight Captain Colvin, Lyons Pride
The boat jostled violently as it made its way down the Potomac. It's old pre-war engines running with a low rattling noise that seemed to cut through the quiet stillness of the empty shores. The Captain watched with satisfaction as he paced the upper decks, content to let the current of the stream take the ship down river, away from the Capital Wasteland and into the former state of Maryland. He didn't know much about the pre-war geography, save for the maps he found stowed away the day he bought the Duchess Gambit. It had been a great business, one that was quickly picking up. Thanks to the arrival of the soldiers who called themselves the Brotherhood of Steel, the communities of the Capital Wasteland were protected enough from the Super Mutant to begin trading. Rivet City, Underworld, even Big Town in the far west. And he, Tobar, captain of the only sizable boat in the Capital Wasteland, was not blind to the need for his transport, and his right to charge exorbitant prices to any passengers who deemed to use his boat.
That was of course, any passenger that wasn't packing heavy power armor and sporting an array of heavy weaponry.
"Are we there yet Ferryman?" Tobar turned over his shoulder to see the outline of a Brotherhood Paladin standing impatiently above deck, the laser rifle handing casually off the sling on his back.
Tobar instinctively took a lick of his finger, holding it up against the faint breeze, a favorite trick he did to impress and awe his usual passengers, but the Brotherhood soldier seemed unphased.
"We're making good time," The riverboat captain said confidently. "Though I can't imagine why'd nice fellows like yourselves are interested in going to Point Lookout."
"Just keep the engines running. And be sure to rendezvous with us at the agreed time. You'll receive the other half of the payment upon extraction." Before Tobar could even reply, the soldier disappeared below deck.
"Oh god. Just lay me down." The Initiate gave one last gasp as he ducked his head down, emptying the contents of his lunch into an empty black bucket.
"psst...Get a load of the newie." Knight-Captain Sarah Lyons smirked as she gently elbowed her squad mate in the ribs.
The 'gentle' jab unfortunately, was amplified by the power armor Sarah was wearing, which quickly jerked Knight-Sergeant Fitts out of his day dream.
"God damn Sarah! Almost dug my rib into my kidney." Fitts coughed uncontrollably, while Sarah simply laughed at her friend's discomfort. "Sometimes I think you're doing this on purpose."
"Can you blame me for forgetting?" Sarah said casually, "We almost never take this power armor off. Unless you count the time we snuck out of Gunny's Initiate training." She chuckled playfully.
Fitts snickered to himself, before assuming the authoritative air. "Keep it down Sarah, we got to keep up appearances in front of the newies after all."
"Always so serious aren't we John Fitts? Getting too old for this already?" Sarah Lyons smiled, at twenty years old, they were the youngest to be promoted to the rank of Knight Captain in the Brotherhood chapter.
"Heh, well unlike you, I don't have daddy to pull my ass out of the fire."
The next jab into his ribs was not so gentle, but Sarah still had that smile on her face, with the beginnings of a sarcastic smirk.
"Okay, Okay. I get it." Fitts grinned in reply.
"It's not like I'm not pulling my weight you know, being Daddy's girl had nothing to do with being one of the top in marksmenship class." Sarah remarked, crossing her arms as though it ended the discussion right there.
"Second, you mean, I recall someone from the Brotherhood Hawkeye squad besting your score." Fitts added with a smile.
"Just you watch Fitts, one day, we'll have the best squad in all the Brotherhood!" Sarah exclaimed. "And you'll be a fine second-in-command."
"Great...Just the demotion I was waiting for." Knight Fitts said stoically.
Sarah sighed, and was about to add more until she heard another 'plop' go into the Initiate's bucket. "Whatever you say Fitts. In any case, I don't think the initiate has enough sense left in his head to understand what we're talking about. Isn't that right newie?" Sarah gave the initiate's bucket a kick, which she instantly regretted as the contents splashed up into the initiate's face. Her face flushed as she realized what had had happened. Fitts and the rest of the squad however, simply burst into laughter.
"What's going on?" An authoritative voice shouted from above deck, followed by the heavy stomps of power armor on wood.
The Brotherhood initiates and knights stood to attention, removing their helmets as the two Paladins made their way down.
"Knight Captain Lyons, you seem to be the center of this," The paladin gestured towards the spilled contents of the bucket, and the helpless initiate. "Report."
"It was nothing Star Paladin Cross. Just getting to know the new initiate that's all." Sarah said nervously, and Fitts nodded in assent.
"You do realize this is a serious recon mission young lady, not your private party." The second Paladin spoke out now, and Sarah instinctively tensed up when she saw the other Paladin unlatch his helmet, staring at her coldly. As Elder Lyon's second in command, Paladin Casdin had that effect on his subordinates, even worse was that glare he gave her whenever she walked past him in the Citadel. She knew he was friends with her father, and that he would look out for her, but recently the relations between them had strained, and she felt it as he treated her differently from his other recruits, at a much higher standard. The 'special' treatment Fitts usually joked about came in the form of extra training and tasks no other Initiate or Knight would have been assigned. Then again, Sentinel training was unlike anything the Brotherhood Knights had, but she wasn't sure how much of it was due to the training itself, or Casdin.
"No Paladin Casdin," Sarah said, skillfully making her face into a mask. "You are correct."
"Sir, I can vouch that the Knight Captain meant no harm, it was simply to help the men with their morale."
"We can talk about that later Knight-Sergeant Fitts." Casdin quickly latched his power armor helmet back on. "We'll move out soon. Get prepped."
The landing at Point Lookout was a former pre-war mall that was built next to a set of docks. Windows and doors were shattered or boarded, and the concrete buildings were beginning to crumble after two centuries of decay. A small gust of wind blew across the scene, spewing litter and debris over the abandoned stands and shops, while the air seemed to be hung in a perpetual misty grey.
"I'll be back at the landing within two days, just as we agreed. Hope you folks enjoy the sights." Tobar gave the squad a friendly wave, just as the Duchess Gambit slowly pulled away from the harbor.
Paladin Casdin and Cross watched as the remaining four Brotherhood soldiers departed from the docks, getting their bearings.
Casdin was the first to start, clearing his throat. "Before we start, I'd like to introduce you to your new team, for this recon mission, you will be assigned to work together. Sarah, as senior Knight, this will be your command."
Sarah's eyes widened in surprise. Her first independent command. She never expected Casdin to entrust a mission to her, in fact, she thought that the senior Paladin hated her guts, but from his grudging smile he let her know that she was ready for it and that he trusted her.
"Thank you Paladin, I will not let you down." She saluted.
"I know you won't Sarah. I've trained you harder than any recruit Ive ever had, and I think we have a future Paladin in you."
Star Paladin Cross nodded, pointing to one of the soldiers who carried an assault rifle. "This is Initiate Kodiak, I know you're familiar with him Sarah."
"Yes Paladin Cross." Sarah nodded, remembering him from her circle of childhood friends.
"A honor to serve with you, Knight-Captain." Kodiak tilted his head in acknowledgment.
"And this," Star Paladin Cross waved her hand towards the other initiate. "Is initiate Colt, one of my pupils. I trust you met?"
"Yes, I still can't get the smell out of my armor." Sarah unconsciously wiped her shoulder.
"Sorry ma'am. Never been on a boat before, didn't even knew what the hell a boat was until today." The initiate said grudgingly.
"I can tell that I'm going to hate your guts already." Knight Sergeant Fitts sighed, before backing down as Paladin Cross gave him a hard stare.
"Now that introductions are out of the way." Casdin remarked, "It's time to brief you on the mission." The Senior Paladin unfurled a map of the area they copied from one of the computer terminals in the Citadel.
"According to our intel, the pre-war US army once used this area as an internment camp for Chinese spies and infiltrators. It was also a depot for confiscated weapons and technology, a prime ground for our salvage teams. In addition, there's also Calvert Mansion, home to a powerful pre-war family, another potential scavenge area. This is where you come in. You will scout these two locations and the surrounding area for any useful technology. Cross and I will head for the coast. The records speak of a Chinese submarine that was lost nearby. If we're in any luck, the submarine will be salvageable and be a great boon to our chapter."
Sarah and Fitts nodded, the great war and the resulting nuclear fallout had erased any reservations they had about using Chinese technology. Technology was technology, didn't matter if it came from China or the far side of the moon.
Cross added in. "You will work as a four man team to scout the area. We want to get as much knowledge of the local geography as we can. We've also received reports of suspicious activity to the North East. So you are to investigate, and haul back any technology that you can."
"Those are pretty vague orders ma'am, if you'll excuse me, you're essentially tell me to scout two locations that aren't remotely close to each othert." Knight-Captain Lyons added in.
"At your discretion Knight-Captain. Welcome to the world of independent command." Cross grinned. "We know of some pre-war technologies out here, but sketchy on details. Normally, we would assign this to a more senior Paladin, but Casdin says you're good to go."
Paladin Casdin nodded at both Sarah and Fitts.
"Scout the area, and make note of any locals or tribes in the area. Although Camp Turtledove is where you should end up. Calvert mansion would be a good place to start."
"Your will, Paladin." Sarah saluted.
"Good, now go. Cross and I will rendezvous with you tomorrow at this spot, the old Motel will be our headquarters. Now I suggest you get prepared to move, we have a long day ahead of us."
Both Cross and Casdin, veterans in their own right, nodded to each other and began disembarking north, into the foggy swamps, their heavy power armored boots slushing in the muddy grass.
The rest of the morning passed without much incident, Fitts and Sarah prepped their equipment as the rest of the squad got into line. One thing that amazed Fitts so far was the lush vegetation that was still present in the area. The nuclear fallout had reduced the Capital Wasteland to a barren desert, dry winds, dust tornadoes and tumbleweeds. Point lookout seemed to be perpetually bathed in a moist green fog, accompanied by the swamp gases and tall grass.
"So straighten me out here sir." Initiate Colt asked as the group patrolled through the tall grass. "What're we doing out here knee deep in mud."
"Whatever we want you to do Initiate. Know your place." Fitts exclaimed, pissed at the knee deep mud they were wading through. "And that's Knight-sergeant to you."
"And I thought Paladin Cross and Casdin were bad." Colt uttered quietly.
"Stow it Colt." Sarah replied. "First and foremost you are a Brotherhood soldier, start acting like one."
The Initiate mumbled to himself as he dragged his heavy equipment through the mud. Sarah meanwhile, conferred with Fitts.
"A real hot head that one. Just how in the heck did he get assigned to us." she asked, genuinely curious.
"He's our heavy weapons specialist, they're not generally known for their brains." Fitts replied. "We just need to point him in the right direction."
Sarah sighed. "Anyone tell him this is a recon mission? It's not like we're expecting any combat."
The Knight sergeant shrugged. "Can never be too sure can we Lyons?"
At this moment, Initiate Kodiak, who had volunteered to scout ahead, returned to the patrol. He had vanished through the swamps and reeds ten minutes before, taking the role of scout. Trained as a generalist, Kodiak was a jack of all trades, from explosives, sniping and spec ops, though not a master of any, but for the purposes of this mission, it suited Sarah to have him in her squad. She also knew that Kodiak was a bit of an outsider, having been adopted by the Brotherhood of Steel from the Pitt, he never quite fit in with the rest of the initiates, and she saw that distrust evident in Initiate Colt, who kept his distance.
"No active locals here sir," Kodiak began his report. "But I've found traces of their camps. Burnt out fires and makeshift beds."
"You don't have to tell us twice, no one's shot at us yet." Colt remarked.
"You almost sound disappointed there Initiate." Fitt's fell in line next to the Initiate, before gesturing Kodiak to finish his report.
"I've also spotted Calvert mansion up ahead. It's mostly intact, but no sign of any activity."
Sarah nodded, unholstering her laser rifle while Fitts did the same. "Well, we know how quickly that usually changes. How far ahead?"
"Not far Knight Captain, maybe ten minutes walk from here." Kodiak pointed eastwards, towards the end of the swampland.
"Sounds good Initiate, lead the way."
The tall grass rustled some distance behind the Brotherhood soldiers, revealing several hulking shapes in the darkness. They were dressed in old pre-war garments, coveralls, fisherman's clothes or simply torn pants and muddy boots. They watched quietly as the newcomers trespassed on their swamp. The tallest of them snorted a chuckle, it was rare for outsiders to come into their swamp, and usually the ones that did made good dinners. The purdier ones were reserved for breeding, and his hungry eyes watched as one of them was a blond one, looked fiesty too he reckoned. Part of him hoped the others were as bulky as their suit of armor suggested.
"There they is, I'd reckon we eat good tonight." A small scampy looking figure pulled up beside the tall one, armed with a lever action rifle.
"They're definitely outsiders." Another one said quietly, "Good huntin' too."
"No use lettin' good meat go to waste, 'em I rite?" The scrapper slapped his knee in anticipation.
"AH gosh darnit let's get em!" A tracker swampfolk exclaimed, a hunter's axe hanging out his arm.
"They're headin to the old Calvert place. Reckon we camp out here for a while. After all, we ain't in a rush, and they gots to come back here."
"That's why your the smart one heres Obadiah. I'll pick a nice place for a big ole fire."
Calvert mansion stuck out like a sore thumb in the Maryland Wasteland, towering above the surrounding swamps and grasslands of Point Lookout. Owned previously by the famed and powerful Calvert family, it lay abandoned for almost two centuries, dilapidated and slowly being consumed by the growing marshlands surrounding it.
The four Brotherhood soldiers advanced cautiously between two rows of statues to the front door. Kodiak and Sarah, both armed with laser rifles, advanced in front while Fitts and Colt covered the rear armed with pre-war assault rifles.
Sarah raised her hands, gesturing the Brotherhood column to stop. There was no visible movement in the courtyard, but something seemed off, a soft sound echoing through the air, like dull thuds resounding from inside the house.
"Okay," Sarah began, leaning back. "Fitts, you and Colt go around back, Kodiak and I will-"
Suddenly, the intercom next to the door blared to life, jolting the four Knights.
"YOU! you're not tribal! Get in here and help me fight these bastards off, Goddamnit!"
"Guess that ruins your plan eh Knight-Captain?" Colt chuckled softly. "Time for the direct approach." The Knight raised his boot, and before Sarah could even utter a command, three hundred pounds of Brotherhood soldier and armor crashed through the wooden doors.
Sarah and Fitts both recognized the sounds of gunshots before the door even shattered, Kodiak and Colt scrambled to find cover, while bullets slapped off the stone and wooden foundations around them.
The center of the hall was fortified like a bunker, sandbags, spotlights and auto-turrets lined the central room, while a dozen men and women dressed in primitive tribal garbs rushed what they presumed to be the defenders. A ghoul sporting a pre-war suit and two grey dogs.
More shouts came from the second floor, and Fitts mentally gauged that the sandbag fortified area was the best spot to aim for.
"Brotherhood, into the main room!" Fitts yelled. Sarah saw no reason to countermand the order as the four soldiers rushed the pack of Tribals.
Splinters of wood flew about as more figures emerged from the walls around them, crashing through the ancient wooden fixtures with sledgehammers and makeshift weapons.
Assault rifles roared, and one of the tribal's heads blossomed into a red mist. Six more Tribals were in front of them, too focused on hunting their prey to realize four heavily armored troopers behind them.
Colt fired a burst of rounds into the shoulder of a tribal, but instead of going down, the man simply snarled and yelled something incomprehensible, charging at him with a mallet.
"What the-" Before Colt even managed to finish the sentence, he took a sledgehammer into the chest, the metal panging off his power armor but even he felt his chest cave in as the man hit him with what seemed to be unnatural strength.
Fuck this, I'm not going down from a tribal. Colt lunged forward, cracking the man's face apart with the butt of his assault rifle, augmented by his power armor. Before the man even fell backwards, both Kodiak and Sarah disintegrated their opponents with well aimed laser blasts. While Fitts blasted the knees off of another.
It did not take long for all four knights to leap over the sandbag barrier.
"Get down!" Sarah yelled, throwing a frag grenade out as all four troops huddled behind the sandbags.
A split second later, flames hot from the center of the room, throwing bodies and debris all over the area.
The mysterious stranger backed into what appeared to be his control center, and Fitts nodded at Sarah, gesturing for the men to fall back. He took one last look at the front door. More tribals were appearing, these ones armed with an assortment of heavy weapons from miniguns to flamers. They were tougher than the standard tribals they encountered in the wasteland, even some of the supermutants. Either they were doped on drugs or simply mutated, but they way too many bullets for any normal human.
Fitts took one last scan of the lobby, now reduced to a sprawl of bodies, before checking with Sarah and the ghoul, who had gathered by a series of computer surveillance monitors.
"Don't know who you are, but you need to help me if you want to stay alive." The ghoul rasped.
"We can handle ourselves just fine, freakshow." Colt said rather gruffly.
"Watch that fucking tongue of yours kid, you're liable to lose it one day." Desmond grunted.
"Enough. What's going on here?" Sarah asked, knowing introductions were pointless under a combat situation like this.
"The damned tribals have been at it all night. I think they are just about to reach the inner walls. If we hurry, we can catch them in the act."
"I tend to side with my subordinate on this one Ghoul." Fitts said, even as the sounds of gunfire and sledgehammers echoed in the chamber from the auto turrets. "I don't see any reason these tribals can endanger us. So why should we help you instead of fighting our way out?"
Desmond grunted impatiently. "I've been around long enough to know you. Brotherhood of Steel right? Interested in pre-war tech? I know an underground bunker full of it, and it's yours if you help me out."
"Kind of convenient isn't it?" Sarah asked suspiciously.
"This bunker also happens to be guarded by my enemy, who commands this army of primitive tribals." The ghoul grunted.
"I see." Fitts nodded. "What do you think Knight-Captain? Sounds like a lead?"
"Beats trudging through the swamp." Sarah nodded. "Let's do this."
Knight Kodiak leaned against the monitors, quickly studying Desmond's schematics. "According to the pressure sensors in the mansion, we have about forty of them breaking through the walls. They're coming from the East and West wings."
"How are we going to do this?" Fitts asked, frowning at the door where the Tribals, "We don't have anywhere near enough ammunition to fight off this pack?"
"I can assist in that department." Desmond grumbled, hitting a button on the wall to reveal a compartment of pre-war weaponry. Several shotguns, assault rifles and most of all, a pre-war minigun with several boxes of 5mm ammo.
Even though no one could see his face beneath his power helmet. A single tear flickered in Colt's eyes. It was the most beautiful thing he'd seen all day. Although Colt was trained in heavy weapons, he rarely fired any in the live-ammo exercises in the Brotherhood. Ammunition was considered too sparse to train with back then, so he had to make due with repair and maintenance. Still, nothing beats the satisfaction of walking slowly into an open room with a big ass machinegun and blazing away at anything that moved. That, plus the fact that tribals tended to hug Tribals tend to hug cover like a wastelander hugs an irradiated ghoul? Beautiful.
Fitts and Sarah ignored Colt as he merrily equiped the minigun. "They'll try to flank us at once, we can split up."
"You take the west wing, and Colt and I will take the East?" Fitts suggested to Sarah and Kodiak.
"Move into each room, clear them out and seal the entrance."
"Sounds good, meet up in the lobby when the job's done." Sarah smirked, eager to get this show on the road. Both her and Kodiak rushed out the door, disappearing into the West wing.
"Colt, get your gear and let's haul ass!" Fitts yelled above the roar of gunfire.
He shouldered his laser rifle, picking up a sledgehammer that fell on the floor, while Colt happily followed with his newly acquired chaingun, belts of ammunition jingling against his metal armor as he ran. Eager to test it against the batch of tribals.
I will call you. Vera