"Am I supposed to feel good about this?", Longfellow asked.
Minutemen marines were tossing down sleeping bags around newly constructed fog condensors. The newfound civility between Acadia and the Institute had at least garnered the production of the machines that could clean the air to what counted as breathable in this apocalypse.
It was of course anticipated that the retarding of the spread of radiation on the island would antagonize the Children of the Atom. But it was not expected to be to the breaking point. Unfortunately, there was a lot of evidence it had. If it did, then certain measures became necessary. Hopefully, they would not need to be implemented after the Children's of Atom nuclear armed, nuclear submarine was securely in the hands of the Minutemen navy. If that submarine was no longer nuclear armed...well that's what the corps was for.
"You're supposed to feel like you can express your thoughts honestly in the settlement in your charge, Sheriff.", the General replied. "This was your land before the expansion of the fog condensors after all. It was your land before I even came to these shores."
"You never came here?", Longfellow asked. "I mean, ya know...before."
She crossed her arms. "Just because we had civilian air and rail service doesn't mean I've been everywhere. We had the infrastructure to travel all over the globe, sure. Enough of us made it to the moon for it to be a contentious issue even. But I hadn't crawled through every standing structure in the world before the apocalypse put me in a position to need to.
"Anyway, what's your real objections?"
Longfellow shrugged. "I don't really have any. I've walked along side you. I've seen you handle things.
"It's the other islanders. They're catching sight of the cranium tattoos that some of these marines have marked on them. It's suspicious."
"I didn't think I was hiding the fact that the corps was made primarily out of the mercenaries competent enough to have faced us and not have been killed.", the General explained.
"But it's not front page news on the Publick Occurrences either, is it?", Longfellow countered.
The woman frowned and narrowed her eyes. "You know, it kind of bothers me that it isn't. You'd think Piper would have called me out on this by now. She must be nose deep in something else to keep from writing about this."
The old man nodded along. "So you see why some of the islanders might be a tad jumpy. These people were such a threat that you asked for volunteers to serve under MacCready to hit 'em where it hurts. And now they're being strewn about like brahmin droppings."
The General took a moment to reply as Longfellow pulled out a bottle and took a hearty swig from it.
"Well first off, they won't have to see a face long enough to become familiar with it.", the General began. "Part of the makings of the corps was making it an externally facing force. The people here will head inland to the National Park's Visitor Center as their following marines roll in. And after the entire force is on the island, they'll head out of the settlements altogether on Nucleus.
"In fact, an orderly progression through the settlements will make stationing them around Acadia that much more acceptable. Heh. Imagine Acadia appreciating the Institute having a presence because of the ex-Gunners being stationed there.
"But the second point. What the islanders should be worried about is the Children of the Atom. I may have made the biggest mistake with them. At the time, it seemed reasonable to not start hostilities with them. So I let them keep a nuclear submarine and its fully armed ICBM. They didn't seem to have the codes to fire it, but I did and they have two hundred years on me.
"However, times change. The Minutemen's forces are much more well endowed. And many of the previous threats to the Commonwealth have been eliminated."
Longfellow wiped the remnants of his bottle slurping from his beard. "And what about the ones that haven't?"
"The settlements have their commands restored if not being fully repaired. Murkwater has a new sheriff, Sommerville has his family land back and Curie held Egret Tours throughout the entire war. The previously at war Minutemen are now in a standing protective position. And I left MacCready's promotion and unit intact so Preston can throw that at any fires that any APC unit needs back up on.", the General said.
"What concerns me is Colonel Bridget proving the worth of her corps. Both her and I know that it's going to take some battlefield success and loyalty for her and I to truly trust each other. But she does know the worth of proving oneself to an employer. Also, the previous to the war ending Minutemen outnumber her forces and are embedded around them in every settlement they get stationed in.
"So the real concern is in how to overrun an entrenched cult with possible mutated powers in their nuclear sub housing bunker."
At that moment, a woman in a COLONIAL DUSTER and wielding a MISSILE LAUNCHER walked up to the pair. "General, every corpsman that's made landfall's secure for the night. They're memorizing the paths to National Park's and will be ready to move out at sunrise."
"Bridget, why are you here?", Longfellow asked.
"Because the General told the corps to be here, prep to secure resources for and get ready to kill enemies of the Commonwealth. Sir.", Bridget nearly auto-replied.
"Wait a minute. Do I outrank him? And he's not a civvie, right?", she asked the General.
The woman nodded. "Technically, Colonel. He's not in your chain of command as both you and he technically answer directly to me but yes...colonels have a farther reach than sheriffs."
Bridget set down her weapon, placed her hat on it and stepped into Longfellow's face. "Well then. I'm giving you permission to speak freely, old man. If you have a question then now is the time. And if you've got something to say, I'd just love to hear it. And if you have something to prove - I'll be your Grognak."
"We don't operate that way, Colonel.", the General warned. "There's a reason why we have a Colonel of Personnel and things like that step very close to proving why he's useful."
The ex-Gunner shifted her eyes, but only her eyes, off Longfellow onto the General for a moment and shifted them back. "Then consider the last part belayed. Ma'am."
Longfellow did not budge. He took a swig of his bottle and then spoke. "You're a mercenary. Might be playing dress up as one of the captain's/"
"General to you, old man."
"Captain's people from the mainland. But a gulper doesn't often change his color. Why should any of us trust you not to abandon or even turn against us if the pays' no good, the going gets tough or if the other side's payin' more?"
"If that's the case, then why aren't my men chewing through your settlement like locusts?", Bridget pointed out.
"But if you need a more vivid answer - the General and Cypress were both right.
"On one hand, the Gunners are raised and bred mercenaries. There's no other way for us be. We're killers and are going to keep right on being killers. Cypress was absolutely correct in that.
"In the other, the Commonwealth and the world itself can't grow into what it needs to be if everyone is at each other's throats all the time. Humanity needs to be unified. A bunch of different interests so violently set against each other that they require the services of mercenaries will eat away at us until nothing's left.
"That's why I left the war in the first place. Cypress wanted to go back to the old ways. I might not have if the General wasn't new, doing things in new ways. But she let in the Triggermen when she had the power to tell them to go stuff themselves. Hell, she probably could have hired us to do it...but that would have been that one job and that was it. Instead, I was waiting for both sides to be worn down to the point that the winning side would need us. Then we'd be part of the ruling party on our terms. A unified Commonwealth with only the usual external threats: super mutants, feral ghouls, monsters, etc.
"The Gunners collapsing after Gunner Plaza was nuked shouldn't have happened. And in case you're wondering, my corps will carefully explain that to whomever is responsible. But what is, is. The world must unite under the Minutemen. Maybe there won't be a need for the corps after it does. I'm not seeking recruits right now anyway. But if all I can do is fight then at least I can fight for something worthwhile. And after seeing everyone else' end goals, whether it's the Brotherhood's of Steel taking tech for just themselves or the Institute's shadiness, the only worthwhile one on the field is the General."
"Does that answer your question, old man? Or do I need to throw you in the ocean and find another sheriff?" Then Colonel Bridget raised her hand to the General. "Belay that ocean thing. We're all on the same side and playing...'nice'."
