The Talon Company mercenaries were assessing their success. They had just taken out a group of raiders that had yet again set up on a highway near Vault 101.
"At least this'll turn a profit.", one stated.
Another shook her head. "You're just thinking on the short term. Sure, the weapons and ammo ended up being worth our time, this time. And with the Brotherhood only covering their own ass since Maxson, raiders are usually coming up with better stuff. But the raiders gotta get it from somewhere. The civilians are gonna dry up."
"Just because the Aqua Pura runs stopped doesn't mean the civvies are gonna literally dry up. We've been doing this how long? There's always been work whether it's contracts or work of our own making. Like this.", the third gestured around him.
"That optimism is going to cost your head one day.", she replied. "You can't count on previous success to mean future opportunity."
The first drew his laser. "That's not opportunity!", he yelled while aiming at something shimmering in the sun light that wasn't really there.
Before the other two could react, an ELECTRIC SWORD passed cleanly through the third mercenary's neck. His body was pushed into the second mercenary by her back as the Lone Wanderer dodged out of the space the laser beam tore through.
Her sword came down through the first mercenary's wrist, through his spine below the diaphram and continuing her spin around through the first mercenary's neck.
By then the second had shrugged off the headless corpse of her compatriot. She tried to bring up her ASSAULT RIFLE but the Lone Wanderer slammed the hilt of her sword down on the wrist holding the receiver of the gun. The mercenary could barely perceive the stealth suit knocking away her hold on the gun with her sword and back kicking her to the ground.
But the mercenary was up in a fraction of a moment, driven by the fact that the other two were already dead at the hands of her assailant. Drawing a KNIFE, she feinted at the phantom she faced. The Lone Wanderer did not, and simply tapped the flat of her electric blade to the extended leg of the mercenary. When the woman slowed, she kicked the knife out of her hand and using the reverse motion to take a huge step forward kicked the mercenary to the ground with even more force than before. The prone woman drew a back up baton that just received another electric shock. The Lone Wanderer jumped and fell knee first into the woman's stomach.
Pointing the sword close enough to the mercenary's throat for her to hear the hum of the current, the Lone Wanderer asked, "Did that take the fight out of you?"
The mercenary coughed, held her hands by her face and nodded in response.
"Good.", the Lone Wanderer declared while standing up. "That will allow me to let you live long enough to tell me a few things."
"Who...who are you?", the mercenary asked. The Lone Wanderer merely pulled off her CHINESE STEALTH SUIT's mask, allowing her Asian features to catch the sunlight. "Oh no.", the mercenary assessed.
"Who else was it going to be?", the Lone Wanderer asked while gesturing to the other, more dead, mercenaries. "Now why don't you stay there and still breathing while I collect everything you thought you were going to."
The Talon Company mercenary watched the Lone Wanderer rifle through the corpses of her companions and raiders alike.
"You know, I had always thought you Talon types were smarter.", the Lone Wanderer told her. "After Commander Jabsco was taken out for interfering with Aqua Pura deliveries, you certainly had the education."
The merecenary was now recovered enough to assess her situation. "Commander Jabsco was like, two command chains ago."
The Lone Wanderer continued as if she had not heard her. "One would think that you'd have gotten in on the Minutemen scam like the Gunners did."
"Who are the gunners?", the mercenary asked.
"They were the mercenary outfit up in the Commonwealth.", the Lone Wanderer replied. "They joined in on the Minutemen hustle to 'offer their service' to the communities. Now instead of risking, or in the case of your crew, getting their lives taken they just sit around bullying townsfolk for what they want. And the people thank them for it."
"So that's what's happening over on the east side of the Capital Wastes?", the mercenary continued.
The Lone Wanderer nodded. "Yep. Everyone identifying themselves as Minutemen gets to take whatever. And the civilians let them. So now the Gunners are having the time of their lives. I'm honestly surprised you guys haven't taken a cut of that.
"Now shut up. I'm scavenging."
The Lone Wanderer continued searching bodies for useful items. When she came back to the space she left the mercenary in with the order to be quiet, the mercenary and an ASSAULT RIFLE were gone. The Lone Wanderer was already masked and back in stealth mode. She checked over the side rail of the once highway and could make out where the mercenary was high tailing it away.
She smiled. Her plan for that just might work.
