1
A pair of ghouls walked into the room. Wiseman wore his Minutemen's sheriff uniform and Holly wore as mint condition dress as the General could lend her.
"The first is that the Minutemen settlement of the Slog is seeking community status. Since this isn't an expansion of the Commonwealth into an existing community, I am putting this to the Commonwealth.", the General stated.
"Are we prepared to debate this or are people familiar enough with the Slog to go to motions?"
Whitaker raised his hand. "uh, debate question, ma'am. I thought the Slog only had ghoul residents. Can a community exclusively of ghouls behave sociably?"
Everyone turned to him with various expressions.
"Are any of your residents feral?", the General asked.
"No, General.", Wiseman answered while staring down Whitaker.
"How old is the eldest of your residents?", the General continued.
"Mr. Glass is an toy engineer from the pre-war days.", Wiseman informed.
"And this engineer who has dedicated his life to the joy of children - has he ever committed a crime?", she carried on.
Wiseman shook his head. "No, ma'am."
"Vault 81.", the General started. "Can you present to me an example of one of your residents that has gone over two centuries without harming anyone?"
Whitaker looked around at the expressions staring at him, some of them with the offense leaving their face and pity creeping in. "Objection withdrawn?"
"I have a question?", Darcy asked. "Isn't your hometown Sanctuary Hills? Why aren't we bringing in them before the Slog, even if only ceremonially?"
"Sanctuary Hills has been granted an increase in territory, surrounding the path and entrance to Vault 111. Sheriff Sturges is leading a project to gentrify the vault in the light of the Rains. Until that is actually in the day to day life of settlement, they have other things to worry about."
"Is the Slog economically viable?", Derek asked.
"Canterbury Commons, yes - we will be.", Holly croaked. "The name 'the Slog' came from the time before the General when it was a slog to reach us for TARBERRY sales. Our farming has continued and has survived the Rains due to water purifiers."
"Acadia has a question.", Faraday announced. "What is becoming a community going to entail besides a vote and an escape from direct Minutemen command?"
Wiseman replied, "We're only looking for the vote."
"Diamond City has another question.", Darcy stated. "If you're going to start selling the TARBERRY again, what happens to the Commonwealth's plan on food shortages due to the Rains?"
The General spoke up. "Vault 81 has as much of a right to the fruit of their labors as anyone does. Just because they've been putting up food to supplement their caps instead of Diamond City's only putting in caps to support the war effort doesn't mean that they can't choose to put things on the open market. I am not saying that I will never interfere with trade as a whole throughout the Commonwealth, but I'm not going to try to use that as an excuse to keep people under thumb.
"The Slog has dealt with a lot. Whether it's when your synth of a mayor kicked many of their residents out of Diamond City or other settlements felt they did not deserve the same protections from the Rains, or even living that close supermutant playground."
Farenheit actually held up her hand. "Supermutant playground?"
The General snapped her fingers. "um, um...with the satellite dishes?"
"Revere Satellite Array.", Wiseman supplied.
"However, the Commonwealth is run by the civilian government. So?", the General prodded.
"Ark & Dove Cathedral move to admit...promote? Promote the Slog to community status.", Jimson called out.
"The Institute seconds the motion.", the figure in the coverall suit supported.
"All in favor?", the General asked.
Most people in the room nodded. "Aye."
"Any opposed?" Silence.
The General held out her hand. "Congratulations, Mayor Wiseman." The ghoul shook it and then Holly. "I take it Holly's going to be representing you?"
"That's right, General.", she rasped.
"Grab a seat.", the General told her. She strode to a cabinet and took out a stack of papers. "Here's where you sign."
Wiseman nodded and accepted the BALL-POINT PEN. The ghoul carefully spelled his name out on the constitution.
"We're lacking space, and you have Holly here.", the General pointed out.
Wiseman nodded. "No problem, General.", he rasped. "I'll start making my way back to the Slog and spread the good news."
"Piper will want an interview.", the General warned.
"Okay, next!", she continued. "Nuka-World."
Sheriff MacKenzie, in her Minutemen uniform, escorted Aaron Corbett into the room.
The General continued. "Nuka-World is also seeking community status."
"Canterbury Commons - is the sole producer of Nuka-Cola economic viable?", Derek asked.
The room laughed.
"Just getting it out of the way.", he followed.
"About that.", the General stated. "Nuka-World. I want to express that I am not commanding you how many caps to charge for any given bottle you might sell in the future. But - I trust that you will recycle some of the caps you do take in to recap the bottles you do sell. I'm having you say in front of everyone representing a community here that there won't be a sharp increase in the amount of caps on the market, because you won't be using raw materials to print them."
"Yes, Overboss-er, General. Ma'am.", MacKenzie agreed.
Jimson raised his hand. "Why would that be a problem? If there's more caps to spend, then everyone could buy more stuff - right?"
"In my day, it was called 'inflation'.", the General explained. "If there are more caps, then any given cap is worth less than it was as a fraction of the economy as a whole. So people would end up charging more caps for any given thing. And since any given person only has so many caps, their personal ability to buy things decreases even if they don't spend their caps."
Kessler cut in. "Ark & Dove Cathedral. There may be a day when we want more caps printed - more people in the Commonwealth, the rate that scavvers find Nuka-Cola in the wasteland slows down, etc. You are right in that we would want enough money for people to have, work for, produce products to exchange for, and the like."
Trish raised her hand. "Due to Wiseman's remarks, we see that an economically educated perspective is needed for safe-guarding the markets we all depend on.", she rasped. "Perhaps a committee for the more business related communities to oversee such a dire need should be formed - of Canterbury Commons, Bunker Hill, and of course Vault 114.
"And the General, by all means. Her extensive pre-war education would be of great use. In keeping all of us safe."
The surface suit raised its hand. "The Institute would like to remind Vault 114 that we are completely aware of the entire spectrum of economic theory mankind has produced - from Karl Marx to Milton Friedman."
"Who?", Trish rasped.
The General glared at Trish. "There's not going to be an exclusive committee over anything. Nice try, you gangster. If there is a situation that threatens the Commonwealth, then the Minutemen will take care of it. If there is a need of expertise to do so, any - and that means every - community is free to contribute. Read your constitution."
Trish shrugged.
"So who has a real question? We all know that Nuka-World can trade for its own.", the General stated.
"Can they farm for their own?", Milly asked.
The General turned to MacKenzie and Corbett. "The Pitt's question?"
"We're more a trading post. We do have cultivatable land. But considering what we can produce, we're planning on trading for raw materials and stock piling for any emergencies. After all, our supply was separated from the Commonwealth for a long time and thanks to the Overboss' efforts against the raiders and slavers in freeing us there are a lot fewer mouths to diminish it.", Corbett answered.
"Lincoln Memorial - slavers?", Torres asked.
Corbett and the doctor looked to each other. "Yes. Before the Minutemen were factionally viable...that is to say, before they tamed the Institute...well.", MacKenzie began.
Corbett jumped into it. "Before the Minutemen meant anything again, the Over...the General single handedly destroyed the three raider outfits that had collars around our necks. Very few raiders survived that."
"Who?", Farenheit asked.
"Red-Eye.", Corbett answered.
The General's eyes widened behind her WRAP-AROUND GOGGLES.
Before she could reach Corbett, he called out "Wyeth. At least her."
Trish processed the situation faster than even the Institute representative. "Do you mean the loudmouth on the television?", she coughed out over her dry, ghoulified vocal chords while standing for attention.
The General stepped in front of Corbett. "Yes. However, the Minutemen did manage to capture him. And without injuring any of the hostages he was holding."
"Where is he now?", Trish continued as everyone looked to her.
The General nodded. "He is still in one of the prisoner of war areas that were left over from the Gunner Civil War and are now being readied to house unrepentent Brotherhood of Steel members. Colonel call-sign Bridget offered him a place at the tip of the spear of the Marine Corps, but he refused to make up for his crimes." The General scoffed. "He said that he was born to be a star."
And the she abruptly stopped herself. "Excuse me. I need to speak with Radio Freedom right now. Go ahead and vote on Nuka-World's acceptance in the mean time."
2
"Howdy there, Overboss!"
The General socked him in the bridge of his nose as hard as she could. Granted, what made her S.P.E.C.I.A.L. was not her strength by any means. But Red-Eye was still hand-cuffed on his ankles and bound in rope, so keeping his balance was next to impossible.
She turned to Radio Freedom. "Ma'am. There are not a lot of men that know their way around broadcast equipment. And active combat Gunners were allowed to for the Marine Corps. With service that suits his talents...otherwise he's going to be in the camps until we, your, or time kills him."
Red-Eye smiled up at her. "It's not like you're so mad because I can't croon like a lark. You can see, I am the real deal."
The General glared at Radio Freedom. "You're right." Then she drew KELLOG'S PISTOL on Red-Eye.
"Now, now...hold on there, Overboss.", Red-Eye spouted. "You aren't one to kill a bound man trying to make good. Otherwise, you wouldn't be protecting all these silly-vans or allowing them to send people here to tell you what to do. You didn't even shoot me back at WRVR."
"You didn't even tell us where Wyeth went!", she yelled at him.
"I didn't know hide nor hair of that crazy chemical c/", he cut himself off at the change of expression in the also female General's face. "And even if'n I had: it's not like we could've reached down into Brotherhood Hotel and pinched her up. So don't even try to blame the Rains on ole Red-Eye. T'wasn't like I didn't get wet."
The General lowered her weapon. "You were exposed during the Rains."
"Ah, don't sound like that Overboss.", Red-Eye lamented. "You spent plenty of CONCRETE and LEAD and STEEL keeping us in there. It kept enough out when we needed it to. Red-Eye just got a little hungry is all.
"Ow!", he yelped as the General kicked his prone form in the stomach.
"Eat that.", she commanded. The woman turned to Radio Freedom. "Major, are you absolutely certain?"
The man shrugged. "Certain? Well, no ma'am."
The General holstered her weapon and pulled Red-Eye up by his bindings. "You hear that? No one's vouching for you. Not even your would be commanding officer. You slip up once and it's not P.T. or even back to the camps. I'll feed you to Nuka-World piece by piece. I'll feed some of those pieces to the Pitt. I'll ship what's left of you around the Commonwealth for everyone to take their pound of flesh from you and have the Institute think up some way of keeping you alive to explain yourself when I run out of more primitive ways to do so.
"You know what? In fact/", she dropped him back in the dirt. The General called over some Minutemen to carry Red-Eye. "Follow me."
1
When the General returned to the chamber with the representatives of the Commonwealth, they were all still seated and chatting among themselves. Trish straightened her tie and nodded to the General. The General nodded back but spoke to another. "Lincoln Memorial, could you join me out in the hall here."
Alejandra hesitantly stood up and walked outside. She was met with a bound man being held upright by Minutemen. The General held out a shiny, high caliber pistol. The woman turned to her.
The General explained. "This man isn't a slaver. He just ran their radio broadcasts while eating what their slaves brought in. Nevermind gloating over the last mercenary group of the Commonwealth running roughshod over people's homes."
Torres smiled. "Why thank you, General." With that she took the weapon and pointed it at Red-Eye's gut. "Wait a minute. Why didn't you just kill him yourself?"
The General crossed her arms. "My Major of Communication wants to use his unique skill set to expand our reach to the rest of the Commonwealth, now that we have actual multiple territories to cover. There aren't actually trained broadcast operators available. And there's a war on."
"So you want him to make up his past crimes living a life time of service to protecting people. But you're showing him that at a moments notice, you will make sure he's executed at a moment's notice. So he can work in fear for years on end.", Torres surmised.
"Oh, it's not a show." The General took back the gun and displayed to both Alejandra and Red-Eye that it was fully loaded with no empty chambers and then handed it back. "If you want to kill him right now, I'll think of that as a better use of him than giving him back to Radio Freedom."
Torres handed her KELLOG's PISTOL back. "On the condition that Lincoln Memorial get first stab at him."
The General shuffled from side to side. "Really, he hurt the people of Nuka-World more than anyone."
Alejandra held out her hand for the gun.
The General looked down at her hand and then at Red-Eye. "What do you say? I let her kill you now? It might not be too quick or too painless but at least it will be over. Otherwise, if I hear tell of one single slip up - and not just from your Major but over the air or from some civilian or anyone - then I get to remind you that you wanted the world tour on the pain tree."
"I'll do twice the job Radio Freedom wants from me.", Red-Eye promised. "You can stick that on me, Overboss. Everyone knows that I'm the real deal."
"I'm going to look forward to sticking that real deal on Yggrassil like Odin on the eight days.", the General told him. No one knew what the General meant by that, least of all Red-Eye. She shook her head to the side. "Get him back to Radio Freedom. Tell him I want reports from him. Regularly. Because Desdemona's going to be giving me them as well.
"Let's get back to the others."
The General returned to front of her quarters.
"How did the vote go?", she asked.
"Eighteen in favor, none opposing.", the Institute representative replied.
"Congratulations Nuka-World.", the General announced. "Mayor MacKenzie, I have a constitution for you to sign onto. Aaron, you have your fellows and peers to meet."
After MacKenzie signed and the General put away the constitution, she turned to face Trish. The General folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.
"About that slick move I pulled.", Trish rasped out quietly.
"And?"
"When the Minutemen need a contributing voice over the amount of caps in circulation, Vault 114 would appreciate the opportunity to contribute a large amount of expertise."
"Fine."
"Have a nice day, General.", Trish rasped out.
