A week later, Granite and his Company reached Arcata, the capital of the "mercenary country" of Eureka. Upon arrival, various mercenaries and locals began to look at them askance, as well as whisper about them, but, apparently, they did not care who was hanging around, the main thing was not to disturb their way of life.
Despite the whispers, they first handed over their seriously wounded (pumped to the brim with stimulants and drugs) to the local medics, and only then headed to the mercenary headquarters, recognizing it by the large number of different people in different armor and weapons. Entering the building, they went to the local boss. The head of the "country" turned out to be a super mutant. The mercenaries called him "Portmaster".
- Hm, and what do I see? People who walk around in Enclave power armor like they are at home. Introduce yourself. - the mutant began right off the bat.
— My name is Granite, my men and I passed by the destroyed Navarro, and got the equipment there, including their armor. — the lie flew off Granite's tongue very easily. Now, they have a new life, there is no way back yet.
— Hmh, that sounds logical. The Enclave would not erase their insignia from the armor, much less come here. They would rather come with helicopters at the ready and kill everyone here. I believe you. And what do you want to do here? Create a mercenary squad? — asked Portmaster.
— And why not? The armor can be repainted, the Enclave has good equipment, it would be a sin not to use it. — Granite says. The super mutant nods.
After that, he took out an analogue of a form to fill out, and there he had to enter the information. Having written everything, only the name of the squad remained. Granite glanced around at his men, then wrote "Granite Company" with a light hand.
"Hmh, great. Go rest and prepare your gear. A messenger will come to you soon with your first task."
The group was given five medium rooms with two bunk beds, so it turned out to be exactly 20 people. Unfortunately, the power armor had to be left in the warehouse in their new personal nook. Taking the paint from the quartermasters, they immediately repainted their Advanced Power Armor in wasteland colors. It was decided to leave the black Enclave jumpsuits as they were, since they are under the armor and are devoid of everything "Enclave-like", and the full-body combat armor was also repainted to match the wasteland. As a result, they were ready for the first task not as a "Perimeter Control Company", but as "Granite Company".
After a few hours of rest, Granite came to the "notice board", where orders from various "organizations" and groups were posted. Looking through the orders for mercenaries, he caught sight of one task. Taking the piece of paper, he began to read.
The task indicated that raiders had begun to raid the roads along which caravans travel too often. Not only was the economy of the settlements and Arkata itself being undermined, but this was also partially affecting the mercenaries themselves. They were not only engaged in mercenary work, but also sold weapons in limited quantities in order to get money for better equipment for their mercenaries, which they could not produce themselves.
Granite chuckled, of course he didn't have enough to help the wastelanders, but what could he do - he himself suggested the idea of mercenary work, and mercenaries didn't give a damn who they worked for, as long as they were paid well. He sighed heavily and went to his own.
A small council was assembled in a few minutes. During a small argument, it was decided not to show off outside the Enclave, and to do the job. Actually, the specifics of the work have hardly changed - follow orders, get paid. True, here the salary is paid depending on the quality of work and the "honesty" of the clients.
So they got ready. They got dressed, armed themselves, and headed on foot to the approximate place where the caravans were attacked. And they also did not forget to notify the "curator" about the beginning of the task, and decided to lure the raiders "with bait".
Ahead of the "Granit Company" went a caravan with all sorts of things in order to lure the raiders into an attack, where the Company would destroy them.
After a few hours of travel. Evening
And so, they approached the place of the ambushes on the caravans. While they were walking, a lot of time had already passed, and evening began to fall on the wasteland. Some of the soldiers turned on their night vision devices, and others - thermal imagers, looking for the enemy. They were walking a kilometer away from the caravan.
And then, the convoy seemed to pass an invisible line, after which shooting began from one of the sides of the "ditch". The first shots killed the Brahmins, then several guards. The rest hid behind large animal carcasses and began to shoot back. The raiders were in no hurry to destroy the remaining caravanners and guards, thinking that no one would come for their souls. This was their main and last mistake...
Granit's company reached the battlefield in a few minutes. The auxiliary soldiers opened suppressive fire, pinning the raiders to the ground, although even so there were several killed on the enemy side, the raiders were like a bullet made of shit. At this time, Granite and his soldiers in power armor went into "close" combat. Monstrous shotguns, created specifically for stormtroopers in power armor, turned the raider scum into a bloody mess. The battle was over in a few seconds. Only a few half-dead raiders remained in, but from which it was possible to squeeze information out.
- Well, raider scum, are we going to talk?! - Granite asks.
- F-fuck you! Should I bow and scrape to a mercenary any more... - the raider cursed and spat blood. Granite snorts, then steps with all his might with the boot of his power armor right on the criminal's foot. The foot turns into a mess, the raider almost loses his voice from screaming.
- And now? Where did you come from?!
- I'll tell you! I'll tell you! We... we came from a base in the northeast... really, how are you going to defeat us, there are 35 of us, you will all die there! - the raider starts laughing, and Granite takes a 10mm pistol and shoots the raider in the head.
Granite nods to the remaining caravanners, and one of the guards fires a flare gun into the air. The group gathers together.
— So, the base is in the northeast, 35 people, that bitch didn't give us the coordinates, but it doesn't matter. If there are 35 of them there, then the base can be seen anyway. Check the equipment, we're moving out.
Granite's company moved on, now to the raider base.
A few hours later. Night
They walked several kilometers, but Granite and his soldiers still saw fires and primitive walls. And here is the raider base. Granite examined the walls with the binoculars built into the helmet of his power armor, and seeing the "patrolling" raiders, who are rather hanging around doing nothing, he smirks contentedly. And here is the target, completely defenseless and insignificant for the military training of the Enclave and their equipment. The Company Commander lightly waves his hand forward. The squad began to move closer to the base.
Having approached the base, Granite gestured to get ready, and the missileman - to blow up the wall. The Rocketeer nods, then raises his rocket launcher and fires. The shell hits the wall and it simply evaporates from the explosion. The camp is in turmoil, and Granite Company is already rushing inside to kill all the raiders.
The raiders were running around in panic, cursing, and when Granite's soldiers entered there... Well, the massacre began. The raiders tried to counter the power armor, but the bullets bounced off their armor like peas off the walls. Shotguns, miniguns, rifles and other weapons, in turn, mowed down the raiders like grass. In a few minutes, it was all over: corpses were strewn everywhere, and the auxiliary soldiers finished off the survivors with a finishing shot to the head.
- Search the camp. - a short order, and the soldiers begin the search.
Mostly, they come across goods that the raiders brought here after attacking the caravans. Food, some weapons, ammunition, water and much more.
Suddenly they stumbled upon primitive cells, where settlers and traders were placed in a heap, now they looked like slaves. Some were trying to lie down, some were groaning, some were looking around sluggishly. All of them were wearing metal collars with a red lamp. Granite was thinking what to do with them: Either say goodbye to the barbaric past of the Enclave and free them all... or kill them all, because of the danger of being recognized by their characteristic power armor.
Granite understood that it was because of such a finished policy that the Enclave perished when he himself retreated from the oil rig, turning on the turrets and destroying Frank Horrigan, a creature that looked more like a mutant than a man. So... Granite did not hesitate.
- Free the prisoners. — the same short order, and here the primitive lock evaporates from a shot of a laser rifle, the door is thrown open and they begin to help the prisoners (or slaves?) out. Now it remains to bring them to civilization.
But... one way or another, the task was completed. Granite's company began to return to Arkata.
The next day, Arcata.
And so, the company returned to Arkata with the rescued in tow. They were immediately handed over to the medics, and Granite himself, having let his people rest and service their equipment, went to Portmaster.
— I have already been informed of your task. The raiders were destroyed along with their base, and the prisoners were rescued from there. Not bad... not bad. For completing the task, in total destroying the group, the base, and freeing the prisoners, you will receive 1500 caps.
Granite nods, after which he is given a large hefty purse of money.
— Just don't drink it all on the first day! — jokes Portmaster.
— Yes, yes, we know. — snorts Granite.
Already in their dwelling, these 1500 caps were divided among 23 people, and each was given 65 caps.
Then, Granite came to the hospital and decided to visit two of his soldiers. They were in a four-bed ward. Entering the ward, he saw that these two soldiers were unconscious, but alive. The fact that they were not in the local cemetery and were still breathing pleased the soul of the Company Commander. Having looked at them and made sure that everything was okay with them, he found the attending physician before returning to the company.
— Doctor, I'm talking about two of my soldiers. When will they recover? — asked Granite.
— The wounds are severe due to the many fragments, but they are in stable condition. Due to the number of foreign objects, and the time to remove them, plus recovery, they will be here for about a month.
Granite chuckled to himself. One month... well, thank God at least not in the grave.
— Can I help with anything? Maybe pay for the treatment?
- Thank you, but there is no need. In Eureka, despite being a "paradise for mercenaries", there is state medicine, so the state pays for everything. Don't worry, in a month both will be better than before. - the doctor assured him. Granite nods, then takes a last look at the entrance to the ward, and leaves.
So the first days of the newly-formed mercenary squad passed, and in the next few months to a year, this will be their main job
To be continued