The guard stared slack jaw at the APCs that pulled up to the entrance of Paradise Falls. Armor, actual power armor got out of them and they were hoisting weapons that made whatever he was packing shrivel up inside him. Then another, an armor he couldn't even recognize the color of - some sort of shimmering blue...pink...green, dropped from the hovering vertibird like it was somehow was supposed to.

The guard could barely make out the lightning bolts and musket insignia before losing focus as a leather satchel bounced off his face. He picked it up and started listening to the speaker amplified voice from the power armor. "I know slavers don't do anything for free. But a general should only get the very best. So that's to pay for the tour you're about to give me and mine."

The power armor punctuated the statement by gently placing the sole of its foot against the guard and shoving him out of his chair. The guard promptly scrambled off into Paradise Falls.

A moment later, Grouse came out carrying the satchel. And immediately put his hands up at the amount LASER MUSKETs, assaultron beams, and heavy weaponry pointed at him. "Me and the men here were wondering if that was enough to buy a look and see through your operation. I'd hate to think I purchased a slave when a better one was available."

Grouse let out a relieved chuckle. "Of course. You must be the General. Heard all about you on Three-Dog's show. I can assure you that we have the finest merchandise in the Capit...Commonwealth.", he finished pointing at the General.

The colored power armor returned his point.

"Come with me and I'll show you what we can offer.", he said with glee while pocketing the satchel.

The guard returned to his seat. As the Minutemen force entered Paradise Falls, the General pointed at him. Three marines stayed behind with him. He tried to get up to greet them, but they gently patted his shoulder and sat him down in his chair again.

Once inside, the General asked. "Do you train any of the enslaved?"

Grouse glanced over his shoulder. "Don't you worry, General. The collar around their neck keeps 'em where you need 'em, training or not." When he was through speaking and looking where he was walking, the General gestured again. One of the assaultrons cloaked.

Grouse walked up to a holding pen. "This is where we keep the child slaves."

"Now what am I going to do with a child slave?", the General asked him.

Grouse waggled his eyebrows. "Anything you want." And waited.

"Ha, ha.", the General replied. "You only have one guard posted?"

"No, no.", Grouse assured. "I keep two here. Wouldn't do to have these kids believing, would it?"

The General gestured again as the group was led off and six marines stayed behind.

"Here are our barracks, for my slavers.", Grouse explained.

The General yelled back to the farthest power armor. "Hey, you see these barracks. This is where the slavers sleep. It's better than I give some of you."

"You're right about that, General.", the power armor yelled back while raising his arm and repeatedly pointing at the barracks.

"Now these might be your style.", Grouse attempted to sell. "This is where we keep the adults. They know what that collar around their neck means. That's why we can keep them under control with only two guards."

The General piloted her power armor directly to Grouse. "So it only takes two guards to keep these many people?" Most of the prisoners cowered away from the fence's edge. But one put their fist down and extended only three fingers from one hand. The General's armor pointed to nine marines. "Stick around here and see if you see anything you like."

One marine drew a knife and looked at one of the guards. "Oh, I see something I want, General ma'am."

"Lead on, slaver.", the General told Grouse.

"But these are our pens.", Grouse stated.

The power armor nearly leaned down to his height. "A professional slaver? Leader of the ring? I'm sure you've got something special for yourself. Even if it's to keep up appearances. C'mon. Or do you want to offend a customer with my deep pockets?"

Grouse rocked his head from side to side. "Oh, alright. You can meet 'em. But I'm keeping at least one, alright?"

"You're funny.", the General told him.

Grouse led them to what once was a pre-war theatre. The General told a couple marines to stay by the door. "This is the man's house. Don't you wanna give him some privacy?" The marines laughed as a couple in power armor escorted him in.

Grouse gestured to the slaves inside. "These are/"

The General's power armor cut him off. "Why don't the slaves just take off their collars?"

Grouse stopped. But he smiled again. "That's because if anyone tampers with the locks, it explodes. The only way to unlock them is with these keys right here." He patted one of his pockets for emphasis.

"Grab him.", the General commanded.

Two power armor clad marines grabbed Grouse. One looked to the slaves and...made his and his weapon's presence known.

The General ripped the pocket off his clothes and looked over the keys. "Check him for a detonator."

One of the power armors swung an over sized metal fist into Grouse' abdomen. "You got a detonator?!", the marine yelled through its speakers.

Grouse shook his head.

"I didn't hear him.", the General stated.

Grouse saw the power armor wind up. "No!", he mangled out. "Your man smashed it with that punch. I can show you."

The General started up a device she brought with her. "Ask him if he's hiding anything else. Slaves, back up controls, any slavers we missed, whatever."

Grouse slid to the floor. "I'm not.", he told the power armor clad marines.

"General - Bridget wouldn't believe him.", one of them commented.

The General turned to face him. "Are you supposing my judgements and the Colonel's are the same? That I should abide by her mercenary judgement. Let you just beat this man to death from inside your armors."

"No, ma'am.", the marine replied.

"Good.", the General stated. "Now carry him up to the balcony of this place and throw him out a window."

A few moments later there was a crash of glass. And there would have been the sounds of people dying to the knives of a lot of marines. But that was drowned out by the APCs' mortor fire on the slavers' barracks.

The General walked outside. Marines stood over the corpse of Grouse. The General piloted her suit so it was speaking through the doors to the slaves. "You can come on out now. If you want. No one's forcing you to do anything anymore. But considering I'm going to be unlocking the collars with these keys out here, and burning down this place including the building you're in - well, I know what the smart decision is."

The recently freed followed the General over to the pens. Marines were tossing slaver bodies aside and opening fences. "How many did we lose?"

The ex-Gunner looked at her like she was crazy. "Of us? From them?"

"Hostages, marine.", the General explained.

"Oh.", the woman understood. "None, ma'am."

The General turned to the hostages. "We counted seven slavers on the way in. Did we miss any?"

At that moment, a woman managed to wrench herself free from the smoldering barracks.

"First person to beat that woman to death gets their collar unlocked.", the General said. Before anyone could move. "I'm sorry, bad joke. Please let me unlock your collars. Marines, kill that woman."

After all the collars were unlocked, the newly freed looked to the General. "If you have somewhere to go, you're free to go there. I might be able to arrange a ride and I apologize for not being able to guarantee you one. For others who feel that they don't have a place...well, I'm working on it. Anyone that wants to join any Minutemen settlements will have jobs and a command. And I understand how that might feel right now. There's Lincoln Memorial, even Nuka-World: I'm sure they will have empathy."

"What can we do in exchange for our freedom?", one man asked.

"You have your freedom.", the General stated. "I can let you loot this place before I burn it to the ground, if that helps?"

The man blinked. "Is there anything that we could do for you?"

She took a breath. "Wherever you go, as free people...Let people know that it was the Minutemen freed you.

"And the Brotherhood of Steel did not."