The time they had lost was unfathomable. The time they had lost was surely unrecoverable. The time they had lost was also inevitable.
Putting up the caps for their disguise was trivial. They had Old Man Stockton's half-up-front. Mercenary work was lucrative if you survived it, and Reilly's Rangers had. Also, if she were honest with herself, the amount of caps the Lone Wanderer had squeezed out of the wasteland might be able to buy a vault if it wasn't too occupied.
The complete team except for Fawkes was now clad in ROAD LEATHER, ARMY FATIGUES, and other high durability clothing. They wore a patchwork of cobbled together METAL ARMOR and LEATHER ARMOR. Some, and always Charon, wore gas masks. They stored their actual gear and anything they might need on the back of their Brahmin in trunks to mimic trade goods. And acquiring all that in Canterbury Commons was nearly trivial considering it was a trading hub.
No, their time had been eaten up by the very reason a caravan could pull a profit. Moving between areas of post war habitable spaces was an absolute nightmare. Undrinkable water. Dangerous beasts. Unpassably radioactive stretches that still seemed to give off a molten glow. Places that were just missing. The environment wanted to hate them but seemed to chaotic and insane to figure out exactly how, so it tried everything. If the Lone Wander was not armed with a PIP-BOY, they were certain that they would never have arrived in the Commonwealth. If they were not armed as only they were, they certainly would never had made it in one piece.
But that time. They had no way of telling how many more communities had fallen to the General. They had no way of telling if there was even a peace left to save. Until they had arrived.
The Lone Wanderer had not received the message on her PIP-BOY for nearly a decade: notification of a new radio station. Just as the air seemed to allow them to live, she flipped to the station.
"Travis 'Lonely' Miles, broadcasting from beautiful Diamond City, the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth is at your service.
"First, let's take care of some of the kind folks that keep us on the air. For your medical needs and recreation pleasure: Chem-I-Care is open at...well, no set schedule. But knowing Solomon, I'd try late afternoon. Next up is the Science Center! New exhibits, courtesy of the Institute, are available to tantalize the mind and inspire dreams of the future. And outside of Diamond City, Nuka World is open for not just traders but visitors as well. Several entertainments from the pre-war era are now powered up and ready to be explored. See what entertained people in Our Favorite Vault Dweller's time first hand. I am told it is a complete hoot.
"And now, for a little something something to make you appreciate a stretch away from civilization."
Danny Kane and the Andrew Sisters tinned out of the Lone Wanderer's PIP-BOY.
"He's a far cry from Three-Dog.", Butcher commented.
Reilly scoffed. "If he's any less worshipful than this Piper Wright reporter, he'll be enough. You'd think Wright was sleeping with the General, the way she talks about her."
"That was so long ago.", the Lone Wanderer reminded. "Whatever he says will tell us if we're too late and if we can still save the world or are just avenging it at this point."
"Well, we might have survived our travel but we still haven't made it to...what did Old Man Stockton say was the closest? Quincy or University Point?", Brick ventured. "I mean, sure it's a surprise, but even I think we may need a place we can eat and not get eaten."
"Those were both beginning to be resettled.", Charon grizzled out. "The closest official settlement is Warwick Homestead. But if we want to avoid a Minuteman run settlement, then we're aiming at Atom Cats Garage."
Reilly asked. "How do you remember that off hand?"
"Because I was told." was the reply.
"I want to go to Diamond City or the Castle.", the Lone Wanderer said. "We didn't come here to try. We came here to do."
"And we did so under cover.", Reilly reminded. "If we're coming as newly licensed traders and show up smack dab in the middle of the Commonwealth with no one having seen us, that's going to be the slightest bit suspicious. Remember, Stockton said that the towns have two way radio up here."
The first woman frowned. "Fine. Then at least we should...hold on."
The group looked ahead. Barrelling down on them was their first test. An APC, which was sure to be just full of Minutemen, was coming straight at them.
"Remember, we're traders and we have a license."
The vehicle stopped in front of them. They could easily notice the two cannons that pointed out the front. After the hissing of a door being opened, a power armor was piloted directly in front of them. "You just come from outside the Commonwealth?", it asked.
"Yes, sir.", Reilly responded immediately.
The suit pointed directly at each of them. "Six waters.", it said.
"Well, that shake down started early.", the Lone Wanderer muttered.
Only a Minuteman came from behind the APC carrying six PURIFIED WATERs. "I hear the other caravans tell us it's a mess out there.", she said while handing them out.
The Rangers nodded their thanks and started drinking, except for the Lone Wanderer and Charon. "You're just handing out water?", the Lone Wanderer asked.
"Well, this is our patch of road.", the power armor stated. "It's our job to make sure no one dies out here. And getting a little liquid into you guys will help you get where you're goin'.
"Hopefully up to Atom Cats Garage. They told us to keep a look out for traders. They keep claiming they haven't rebuilt their stockpile since the Gunner War. Can't really believe it considering how long ago that was. But it's not like they ever stop...how do they put it?"
"Fixing to flaunt.", the other Minuteman answered. "Look, it'll take an edge off of us if you can keep them quiet for a week.
"Why aren't you drinking, big man?"
Charon's GAS MASK looked from one Minuteman to the other.
"Don't act like ghouls don't get thirsty too.", the POWER ARMOR declared. It took off its helmet to reveal that it was piloted by a ghoul.
Slowly, hesitantly even, Charon removed his gas mask.
"Man, you're jumpy.", the rasping voice gritted out now that it wasn't being modulated by the suit. "You really are from the Commonwealth."
"What's that supposed to mean?", the Lone Wanderer asked.
"Well, ma'am.", the Minuteman started, a bit more formally than earlier. "I just heard that the Brotherhood of Steel acts like every ghoul is a time bomb waiting to go off. So most of the Capital Wastes are having a hard time coming out now that the General is bringing some real freedom to the places we've gotten to."
"Places you've gotten to?", Reilly inquired.
"Yeah.", he answered. "General calls it nation building. Only way to bring the Capital Wastes into the Commonwealth is for every town to see both sides clearly and then make the right call. We even have orders to make sure everyone understands that we are only going to start shooting to protect people after we're invited. I'm told that's leaving a lot of people out in the cold considering how the Brotherhood's blocked off the Spike Down."
"Spike Down?", Butcher asked.
"Spike down from the Republic of Rosie all the way down to Underworld. Brotherhood that forgot they surrendered is keeping us from linking up with Rivet City, but I've never seen the General choose wrong.", the ghoul explained.
"Sure she has, remember when the Gunners ran her ragged?", the Minuteman asked.
The POWER ARMOR became complete as he replaced his helmet. "La la la, I can't hear you in here."
"Get back in the APC.", she scolded. The massive metal suit turned around with a short salute and started back.
"Look, you keep heading up north this way and you'll get to Atom Cat's Garage, no problem. If you hug the coast, you'll meet up with Mr. and Mrs. Warwhik. I'm sure Quincy or University Point would be glad to see you, but they've just gotten set up and may not be the best spot for a caravan of your size." The Minuteman turned to return to her vehicle.
The Lone Wanderer looked confused. "You aren't going to check our license?"
"Who do I look like, Diamond City Security? Either you're traders or you spent a lot on those brahmin and trunks to tell a huge lie to good people. Catch ya'll on the way back down to the Capital Wastes if you're heading that way."
