Retaliation

October 24, 2287

I informed the couple of their remedied nuisance, they thanked me. Seeming surprised to see me return. Then I departed. My task accomplished, I returned to Sanctuary beneath the darkened sky and its dotting stars. Finding my home a smidge more populated by the time I had returned from my venture.

There were some defensive walls and barricades placed on the other side of the bridge to accompany the turrets which had been set up by Sturges. These paralleled a similar defensive measure erected along the path leading toward Vault 111.

"Welcome back, Hal." was my greeting.

I nodded, telling Preston "Job's done. I think I'll go get some sleep."

Preston seemed to be fine with this; and I was halfway to departing for my house when I heard the guard at the bridge yell "We got another, guys!"

I joined Preston in seeing what the sentry was talking about. Seeing two silhouettes running toward the bridge. Their faces were familiar. As they should have been. They were the settlers from Tennpines Bluff.

They were running frantically.

When they reached us they barely had any breath to speak after I asked why they were present.

"Th-th-th-those raiders we had you kill."

"Yeah."

"You missed some of 'em."

I was admittedly skeptical. "What're you talking about? I took out everyone there."

Then I saw what they were on about. There was a medium sized host of raiders approaching. Led by a man with a scar that went from his left brow to his right cheek. As the wife told him, "I guess you missed some."

As I looked at the approaching raiders all I could mutter was "Understatement of the year." before I pulled the laser musket off my back and joined the defense at the bridge. Aiming for the center area among their fronts. I stayed my hand from firing, but I kept my aim firm and was ready to kill them.

The medium sized mob weas led by a dark-skinned man with white warpaint over his face grabbed in leather armor as well as leather clothing. This, I presumed, must have been Jared—the one I thought I killed with the rest of the raiders at the assembly plant.

Preston approached the front of the defensive, holding his rifle—resting it on his shoulder—with one hand as the settlers rushed into Sanctuary for protection. Meeting the leader's eye "Can I help you?"

"Yeah." Jared said indignantly. "Hand over the one of you who killed my people as well as those two love birds and maybe you get to live."

I must confess, at that moment I was sure they would hand us over. Preston is my friend. I trust him now without question but back then I barely knew him and I imagined in this new nightmare of a world I have awoken to one must be willing to do anything to survive. And it would have been easier to just give us away and make the problem leave them alone. Marcy said as much.

But he didn't.

He told them "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Can we kill 'em now?" the biggest one among them asked. He was a boulder of a man. Big, tough and dumb looking, and someone who seemed like he could do some serious damage.

"Patience, Ajax." Jared said. He then looked back to Preston "Are you really willing to throw your lives away over three people?"

Preston leveled his own musket rifle toward them and retorted "What do you think?"

From there a gunfight broke out. We fired upon the raiders, Marcy was wounded, but she would survive. Jared's second-in-command was taken out. At the sight of his death, Ajax went mad and charged. He hit him several times but the bullets and laser bolts seemed to do little to affect him. Between his armor and dense body it barely fazed him. He tore through the barricade, knocking me to the ground and causing me to drop my laser musket before the big juggernaut grabbed me. Lifting we up in his hands and against the wall of a nearby house.

He mocked me. Saying how foolish I was to go against them and that he was going to take his time with the settlers I helped. That angered me. Causing me to rip off his mask and then I gouged out his eyes and he dropped me. Taking advantage of the moment I knew my knife and plunged it into his gun, dragging it sideways and causing him to literally spill his guts.

As he fell to his knees, I drew my pistol and finished him by emptying the weapon into his head and neck.

I reloaded then took a pistol of my kill and raised both pistols to fire upon raiders who were rushing across the bridge. I fired upon them, killing one after another alongside Preston and Sturges as chaos engulfed Sanctuary.

The raiders had managed to break through the defenses, but the turrets had whittled them down before they were taken out. Before long I found Jared and we fought. He disarmed me and I disarmed him. Drawing our knives.

Gradually he gained the upper hand and nearly killed me. Thankfully Preston dispatched him quickly before he could deliver a killing blow. And with that the raider band was finished and we were the victors.