1
"Sheriff MacKenzie!", the General called out from the rickety lift up to the Fizztop Grille.
"In here, Overboss.", the doctor called out. She stood amongst a few of the other traders, all now free people.
"I'm here to tell you exactly what you're going to do.", the General told them.
Fritsch scoffed. "Is this all about Red Eye getting a gig with the Gunners? You know that fool's mostly funnin'."
"Just because you didn't actually put a collar on anyone's neck and worked for a living doesn't mean that I won't bury you and find someone else that understands that this is not a time for remaining calm but a time to start getting excited. Do you understand me?", the General warned.
"um, Yes'm, Overboss.", he quickly agreed.
The General took a breath. "This is the war I've been warning about. The Gunners have declared full out war with the Commonwealth at large. Which means they are to be considered just over the horizon and prepared to destroy every single one of you. And considering that I found you alive, I'm thinking your people found even slavery preferable to death."
MacKenzie frowned. "But if things are so serious, why did the Vertibird fly out of here without you on it?"
"It's transporting two civilians back to Diamond City.", the General answered. "I have my own ways.
"Anyway, I need you to reprioritize. There's three projects and three projects only that you can justify anyone being outside the walls of Nuka-World proper.
"The first is securing the tram. How's that coming?"
MacKenzie reported. "Well, we've kept the turrets and the path of the Gauntlet. Mostly, we've just cleaned up the traps and the threats and the...remains. And told the turrets to stand down, in the interest of trade."
"Good.", the General congratulated. "Turn the turrets back on to a state where they consider everything hostile. And keep the tram itself parked on this side of the tracks. When I get back to the Commonwealth, I'm going to declare a state of emergency. Anyone traveling on that rail will be announced ahead of time on the CB radio network the Minutemen have set up."
"So we should start calling you 'General', Overboss?", MacKenzie asked.
"Sheriff, that is the least of our problems.", the General replied. "By the way, is it 'Sheriff' or 'Doctor'? I don't want a Hypoccratic Oath getting in the way of winning this war."
"I saved Colter's men because it was the best way to save my people, not because I wanted Colter's men to walk away.", MacKenzie shot back.
"I can accept that.", the General stated.
"Alright, the second project: all the Star Cores are back in place. How are the robotic defenses of Nuka-World working?"
"You really think it's going to get to that?", Fritsch asked. "The Gunners have been poking their noses around Nuka-World ever since I got here and never once have they been that serious."
"This time they will be.", the General warned. "Where ever they hit next will be with all their might. They're going to try to tear chunks out of the Commonwealth's ability to defeat them or entrench in order to make themselves undefeatable. And they're only going to entrench if they can bet that they're made of sterner stuff than the Commonwealth. Hence, the propaganda that my real civilians have to be flipping out over right now.
"So, robots? Defenses?"
Fritsch nodded. "I've been working with that one fix-it-all Trader. Every robot that survived you is back on line and defending Nuka-World. That includes an instruction to raise the alarm if under attack."
"Great, that means I can reprioritize you both to the last project.", the General informed. "The Vault-Tec generator designs I gave you from Vault 88. That's the main goal that needs to be accomplished. Otherwise, we're going to have people stranded out at the power plant and try to defend two places at once and either lose power for defenses or just lose.
"Salvage the power plant if you have to. Use everyone, shut down trading booths if you need to. Get the generator inside the walls up and running."
The General started to explain rather than command. "The only way to maintain trade will be to ensure that the Gunners will break their teeth on Nuka-World and they know it. So the plan is to first keep even the idea of the tram line off the table for them. According to some of their own records, pulling a Hannibal through the mountains to get here gives them a fifty percent casualty rate from the start. And I seriously doubt they have the capacity to move one of those tanks through as well. Taking away any possibility of a soft target, and I'm hoping Nuka-World can remain open.
"If it can't: shut it down. I'll take the Gunners losing resources with the opportunity of those caps every time.
"I'm going to see if I can get you a military advisor. Put the any of my 'tribute' caps in the back and leave the room empty until tomorrow. I'll pick them up."
Fritsch asked. "What about the perimeter? If everyone's inside the walls, then we'll only have eyes so far, right?"
The General nodded. "I have an idea about that too. You just get that generator in here and scatter as many laser turrets along the walls of the park as you can."
2
"Get out of here before I...oh, it's you.", Brett Dunmore not so greeted the General.
The General took off her hat. "Do you have a TV?"
"T? V?", Dunmore repeated.
"A television? I'm going to take the answer as no.", the General surmised. "I'm going to have to ask you to make a decision. It's a big one. So I'd want to put it to your whole family."
He frowned. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Deadly." the General stated.
Once Monique and Kali were in the Dunmore Homestead's living room, the General began. "The Gunners have just declared war on the Commonwealth. I expect them to come this way. In my hands, I want them to regret that decision. In your hands, your ex-Gunner family is alone out here in a maybe they'll come, maybe they won't situation."
Monique crossed her arms. "And I suppose the big, bad Overboss has a solution. I'm just dying to hear this."
"Have I not taken care of the raiders that you were staring down everyday?", the General asked.
"No."
"Have I not freed the traders?"
"No."
"Did you not see the fireworks display from the power plant turning back on?"
"I saw."
"Then maybe, just maybe, I'm actually living up to the hype.", the General countered. "But it still takes other people. My sheriff in Nuka-World can hold the people together, and she's got the techs to keep the place running. But they're traders and not fighting men. I need a military advisor for them because I have an entire Commonwealth to think about.
"In exchange, we have walls and food and numbers and luck holding electricity. So can I get you to provide protection for your family by helping some innocent people defend theirs?"
The family exchanged looks among themselves. "Are they really coming?", Brett asked.
"Once you're inside, you can watch Red Eye's broadcast for yourselves. Apparently, he's signed up with the Gunners and upgraded to the small screen.", the General assured.
"And our farm?", Monique asked.
The General shrugged. "I can't really do anything about an unmanned farm. I can try to have my perimeter man take a look-see every now and again, but I can't promise anything."
Monique smirked. "Well, at least she's honest. Alright, we'll do it. But they have to listen to us."
"MacKenzie is my sheriff of Nuka-World. She runs the place.", the General warned. "But she's got enough sense in her head to not be stupid. She'll listen to everything that makes sense, even if it's at the expense of something for the greater good.
"Take this letter. They'll show you up to her."
Brett gave the message a strange look. "This doesn't look like any writing I've ever seen. Is it some type of code?"
The General frowned. "My handwriting is in cursive rather than block text. Don't worry, my other ex-Gunner, MacCready, had a difficulty with it as well."
3
"Cito!", the General called out.
The man spotted the General and then slid down one of the ropes of the lift to Cappy's Tree house. The General was still amazed at how we moved over the cages. The ghoulrillas still made her nervous. But she had to calm her nerves or risk offending the very force she planned to call upon.
"Friend.", Cito greeted. "You come to tell Cito of new friends. Ones you sent not angry and fight all time like ones that come before."
"I wish.", the General stated. "Bad people might be coming here. They want to destroy...break our homes. Kill people."
"You want help go fight?", Cito asked. "You help family. Cito family help go fight."
"Not exactly.", the General informed. "I am trying to keep my people safe in Nuka-World. I need someone who I know can survive to go around, in the land, and look for the bad people. They are called Gunners, and generally wear green. Sometimes they have a picture of a skull. Can I ask you to look for them and if you see them, come and tell my friends at Nuka-Town? er, The park over that way."
"Cito don't understand. What good it do to tell coming if not fight?"
The General drew her customized laser pistol and fired a heated red bolt of energy.
"Cito know better now. Will look for Gun-ner. Cito family will find."
With Cito grunting to the ghoulrillas, the General was able to take her leave. All that was left to do was teleport to the caps left for her by the traders and teleport over to the Castle via the Institute's molecular relay. There was no telling what fresh hell was happening in her capital.
