Before the General was the General, and she was just a lawyer doing the long commute so her family could stay suburban, Vault-Tec had catergorized what made her S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Sure it was the latter half the 21st century. But she had not expected them to say that she held any great Luck. Even the military and law school did not measure that. And it was not like she did not do all the things that people mistake for luck - happening to be born in one of the world's super power at the height of their economies, taking advantage of the opportunities that did come her way, asking her husband-to-be out first.
But it was days like this that she began to see where Vault-Tec was coming from.
The General and Colonel Bridget rode in the back of an APC. "Your feelings?"
"'bout what?", Bridget answered the General.
The General raised an eyebrow.
Bridget rolled her whole head before nodding. "It's not the kid's fault. She did the right thing even. If she didn't order fire down on the grounded vertibird, Lil' Miss Bad Ass would have used its weapons to sink one of the others even if they had split up. There's nothing worse than ordering fire on your own men - torture at the hands of the enemy, rape, the nasty stuff that's out there in the wastes. Even desertion.
"It's gonna haunt Natalie. And if she doesn't break, it'll keep haunting her. But she still made the right call."
Luck:*
The APC slowed down. The General furrowed her brow and stuck her head in the drivers compartment. "It's too soon to be slowing do...wn.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me. Lower the door."
The General hopped out the back and started calling out to the rest of the forces on their way to unseat Talon Company's blockade of the one land path between the Capitol Wastes and the Commonwealth. "Hold your fire! Don't shoot."
One Minuteman looked to the General and then the horde of ghouls walking up the road to meet them. He lowered his weapon. The General turned to him, "I didn't say 'stand down'. This is definitely not a stand-down type of situation. Just...easy on the trigger." The Minutemen raised his weapon again.
The General walked toward the front, or at least as close as the forces protecting her were going to let her. "Oswald the Outrageous! Is that really you?"
A smoke grenade popped off in front of the horde of obviously feral ghouls. As the mist cleared, a glowing one in a showman's tuxedo bowed. "Overboss. I hope that none of the ones up the road were any of yours. All the world's a stage, even the highly irradiated parts that aren't considered part of this road that we came through...and they have played their part."
The horde of ferals shuffled behind him. None seem to have taken the armed Minutemen force as a target.
Luck:**
"If you mean the Talon Company mercenaries that were blockading an important trade route and pretending our colors to do it, then no.", the General conceded. "They weren't mine. We were headed there to explain that to them. I was expecting the hard way.
"These are though." The woman gestured to the power armors and soldiers and APCs behind her.
"Then I believe introductions are in order.", Oswald stated. "May I introduce my wife. Rachel, come meet the Overboss."
A ghoul walked up. The General supposed it could...have been female. It was quite feral. "Isn't she loveliest assistant a magician could have?", Oswald rhetorically asked.
The General clenched her lips shut. "She's a peach. Your...people fell upon the Talon Company encampment."
The glowing one flared. "Oh, my. Overboss! They're much more dexterous than that. The mercenaries...not so much."
"To the last man."
Oswald smiled.
Luck:***
The General nodded. "So where do you expect to take your...entourage now?"
"The stage calls!", Oswald reminded. "We shall make our way back to our home at Nuka-World!"
"Nuka-World is now an independent community in the Commonwealth. They get to decide who they want living there. And...this is going to be a big ask."
Oswald turned a particular color of green. The feral ghouls behind him focused a bit more on the Minutemen in front of them. "It's been the only home my wife has known for many, many years."
Minutemen weapons started being held at a bit better an angle.
One soldier trotted up to the General. "uh, ma'am."
Both the General and Oswald turned to the Minutemen. She gulped. "One of the council members is asking when we're going to be off the road. His cargo's getting impatient."
The two continued to stare at the Minutemen. "I think we're in the middle of a more important conversation. So even if...wait. His cargo is getting impatient. After what I've done to Nuka-World and Paradise Falls?"
"It's Michael Masters."
Luck: ****
The General dared to clench her eyes but only for a moment. "Oswald, would you be able to excuse my rude absence while keeping your new friends polite?"
"Of course, madam.", Oswald acknowledged with a tip of his hat. "We pride ourselves on the height of courtesy." The horde of feral ghouls (was that two bloated ones together?) did not exactly disagree.
The General walked at a brisk pace to the rear of her column. Michael Masters was holding literal chains that encased a few feral ghouls who were much more adamant about expressing their desires for their smooth skin counterparts.
"What do you think you're doing?", the General asked.
Masters grunted as he held back the ferals. "Our end of the deal. These are from Spectacle Island."
Luck: *****
"You know, I think there's someone I'd like you to meet.", the General told him.
"Who?", Michael wondered.
A blast of smoke and that shade of green appeared out of it. "Me, my dear lad.", Oswald appeared.
Masters was startled enough to drop the chain. He glanced at the General, cursed, and jumped towards it only to land on it. Even with the chain in hand, he was still surprised he actually caught it and the ghouls had not turned on her.
On the other hand, Oswald was relieving the newly feral ghouls of their chains. "Now, now. No need for these."
"Are you sure?", the General and the representative both asked. "What about the others you're leading at the front?"
Oswald...smiled, she supposed. "Oh, they'll be fine for a few more moments. They know the difference between taking a break and having time to play."
The General looked to the newly unchained feral ghouls and back to Oswald. It's not like she heard any gunfire in the distance.
"My question, and I believe I am asking because you may have a similar affliction as my people do, is where do you believe you were leading my people?", Oswald posed to Masters. "In chains."
Michael shrugged. "The chains were the only way I could think of to keep them safe. Part of Tenpenny Towers deal to get into the Commonwealth was bringing our people in. From wherever they might be."
Oswald turned to the General. "The resort hotel. Where a political player comes to play?"
The General nodded.
"And the condition of the place?", Oswald asked. "It's not on its side due to nuclear wind?"
Luck: ******
Masters shrugged. "No. It's in tip top shape. We're in the lap of luxury."
"And everyone with the Affliction is welcome?", Oswald continued.
"We got floors to fill.", the Capitol Wastes ghoul told him.
Luck: *******
Oswald dimmed then flared before walking back to the front. (The General glanced at her PIP-BOY and slammed a RAD-X. The Minutemen staring at this proceeding did so as well, if one handed while still holding their weapons on the ghouls.) The ferals from Spectacle Island followed him. The General and the representative took after him.
"A new home! It will be a perpetual honeymoon for me and the missus." Michael mouthed 'wife' to the General and she just shook her head. "I do hope we'll still be able to perform.", Oswald put out.
Michael shrugged. "Sure, man. Whatever you want.
"Holy moley, that's a lot of 'em."
The ferals that seemed to be slowly waking up from a standing trance and turning more attention to the Minutemen stopped once Oswald reappeared to them. The ghouls Michael had brought mixed in. "Attention! Attention!", Oswald called. "Change of plans people. We're going on vacation.
"It's this way, I presume."
Bridget looked at the General. The red head nodded slowly. "Yes. It is.
"But the other end of the road is currently blockaded by the terrorists known as the Brotherhood of Steel."
Oswald shrugged. "But you haven't expended any of your force here on Talon Company. Can't you use this force and whatever you're using to blockade them from the other side to displace if not destroy them?"
Luck: ********
The General and Bridget looked to each other. "I...suppose."
"Besides.", the glowing one started. "My people rolled over this so-called Talon Company contingent. Our aid should make this a piece of cake."
The General, Bridget, and even Michael all exclaimed. "You'll help?"
Oswald the Outrageous held up a hand, which glew brighter until he snapped its fingers and piece of paper 'appeared' in the other. "The Commonwealth Constitution specifically states that as a government for the people, by the people that we're allowed now that we're citizens of Ten Penny Towers."
Luck: The General tapped her PIP-BOY as if she suspected it of malfunctioning.
Bridget turned to her. Michael turned to her. She shrugged. "Sure, the more the merrier. Just remember that even if they'll obey you, you'll have to obey Colonel Bridget. We'll get on an APC's radio and coordinate with the people ahead."
Oswald asked her, "Well, if I'm in command of a special unit then shouldn't I be promoted to major like MacCready and Radio Freedom?"
Bridget turned to him. "You really want to push that?"
The glowing one shrugged. "It's just that the missus appreciates a well dressed man.", he said denoting his specialized performance tuxedo. "And who's better dressed than a man in uniform?"
The ghoul he identified as Rachel was still quite and obviously feral.