OOC: For Tib's character. Rolled a 1 so that's a pass. Also we're approaching evening in-RP time.

Far Harbor Docks - Rose

In her distraught and frustrated state, Steve was easily able to tail Rose through the docks of Far Harbor. The fading daylight intermingled with the thickening fog and masked his movements, leaving her completely unaware of his presence.

Rose seemed unsure of herself and she twitched with nervousness. Jumping at shadows and the odd harborman that passed her on the dock. It was clear she was paranoid if not outright terrified. She walked straight through the town and then up to the hull. After looking around her, she ducked out and over a low point on the makeshift wall and came down on the other side, making a run for a nearby abandoned building in the town proper.

(OOC: Assuming Steve still intends to follow her beyond that)

Inside the building, she had a small makeshift camp setup with a small ham radio on the ground that she had apparently scavenged from Far Harbor somewhere. She was playing with the radio, trying to get it to receive anything other than the complete static she'd been hearing constantly,

"Mercer Safehouse. Come in Mercer..." She pleaded into the radio microphone, "Goddammit come in. I need help!"

Steve Miller - Outside the Last Plank

Easing through the door, Steve caught sight of Rose heading away and followed her at a discreet distance. He could tell by her body language and the way she would start when she came across one of the harbormen that she was badly frightened. He knew little of what went on in the Commonwealth, but he had heard a little over the years....if these androids, or synths as Rose called them, were like Harkness, then she was right to be scared...Harkness was the toughest SOB he'd ever met.

Walking down the street, Steve noticed the giant boiler that was being used to cook a Mirelurk whole. Its size, and sturdy construction made wheels turn in his head.

"Perhaps", Steve thought, "that could be converted into a weapon against the mutated creatures the cult commanded". He knew full well what scalding hot steam and water was capable of...he'd seen men die, or wish they were dead, from it's effects...perhaps it would work on them. He couldn't imagine how any living creature could tolerate being doused with scalding hot water for very long, instinct should force it to flee immediately. He made a mental note to bring it up with Corrine if he hadn't burned his bridges with her. He should have given more thought to what he said, but he found it hard to be patient with such stubbornness. Didn't they see they needed every gun they could muster for whatever was coming tomorrow?

Steve showed that thought aside for the moment and kept focused on the task at hand. Near the end of the dock he could see that merc from the bar talking to another man. Rose maneuvered to avoid them and dodged between some buildings. Steve followed, and saw that they had come to the Hull. Steve managed to duck out of her sight as Rose looked around. Satisfied no-one was watching, she vaulted over the wall. Steve approached, seeing her darting off into the mist. He noted the spot she had picked was close enough to the ground so that one could get back up...a dangerous oversight. committing the location to memory, he looked around. The coast was clear, so he went over after her. Pausing to pull his .45 revolver, he checked to make sure the cylinder was loaded and then quietly as he could went after her. Fortunately, the fog was relatively thin, so he was able to catch sight of her fairly quickly. She made for a old boarded up gift shop, moved a old board aside then crawled in and put it back into position behind her.

The fog drifting around the derelict buildings really began to creep him out, not to mention the odd warm feeling that came and went as he moved between patches of fog, but he chanced it and approached the building. From inside, he faintly heard the hissing and squealing of what had to be a radio of some kind over the annoying buzzing in his ears.

"Mercer Safehouse. Come in Mercer..." he heard Rose plead, "Goddammit come in. I need help!"

The woman was clearly terrified. Enough so that he questioned the wisdom of contacting her here, or at least alone. He guessed she would stay here a while, trying to raise help from her friends, and give him time to see if Corrine would help or not. He had no idea what he was going to do if she wasn't there...near as he could tell she was the only resident of the town likely to hear him out. He decided he had better go back. Retracing his steps, he returned to the low spot at the Hull. after carefully listening, and not hearing anyone, he holstered his revolver and jumped up, getting a purchase on the top of the makeshift wall and pulling himself up until he could get an elbow over the wall. Thankfully, no sentry was in sight. Steve then threw a leg over the wall and hoisted himself over. No alarm having been raised, Steve dusted himself off and walked back into town, coming out a past different building and crossing the street and heading for the path to where he hoped Corrine was waiting for him. Heading past the old gun shop, then up the stairs, where he found Corrine, pensively, waiting there for him.

"I knew you'd come", Steve said with great relief, looking around to make sure they were alone. Once satisfied, he turned to her. "I promised I'd explain, so here goes. Back in the Capital Wasteland, I grew up in a settlement called Rivet City, as I told you. About ten years ago, before I left something happened....."

Steve then quickly explained to Corrine his story about Harkness, the security chief of Rivet City, and the story Butch had told him about Harkness's secret...something he had never told anyone else before.

"You see, Corrine", Steve concluded, "Harkness lived among us for years, and no-body suspected him of being a "android", or "synth", or whatever. I certainly didn't. If he could fool us, one of them could fool you harbor-folk, too. Whoever killed Bishop is not a friend to this town, and we can't wish them away. We also cannot be sure they will stop with Rose, either. And however you cut it, letting this killer roam free weakens this town..in fact, it already has. When the Cult comes we're going to need every last man, woman, or child who can handle a gun if we want to make it. Bishop could have helped...but he's dead. Rose needs out help....not only because it's the right thing to do, but because we need her as badly as she needs us." He then looked at Corrine hopefully. "What do you say?"

CORRINE DOOLAK - The Hull

Twilight had set in while Corrine dawdled on the Hull. She fidgeted for two reasons: one, out of nervousness; two, the joints in her fingers seemed to ache worse around sunset. She was acutely aware of the pistol in her jacket, its weight foreign. She wasn't even sure why she'd kept it all those years, considering she never used it, let alone knew a thing about what to do with it to take care of it and so forth.

She idly tapped her foot while she waited. Corrine wondered what she should say to Steve when he arrived. Should she apologize? Explain herself? Both?

Longfellow was right, but Steve was also right. She turned at the sound of footsteps to see the latter, himself.

"I knew you'd come", Steve said with a sigh, looking around. "I promised I'd explain, so here goes. Back in the Capital Wasteland, I grew up in a settlement called Rivet City, as I told you. About ten years ago, before I left something happened....."

Corrine listened curiously as Steve recounted the story of someone called Harkness, and how easily the harbor could have one or more synths living among them with everyone unaware. "And however you cut it, letting this killer roam free weakens this town..in fact, it already has. When the Cult comes we're going to need every last man, woman, or child who can handle a gun if we want to make it. Bishop could have helped...but he's dead. Rose needs our help....not only because it's the right thing to do, but because we need her as badly as she needs us." He then looked at Corrine hopefully. "What do you say?"

Corrine swallowed, her throat dry. "Look, I don't know anything about synths, other than a bunch of 'em went up to Acadia to live in peace. But..." She sighed. "I agree. Synth or person, we need folks to help stand up for our home, and if there's someone lurkin' about trying to take us out before we get that chance, then...you're right."

"What do we do, though? It's not like I know anythin' about tracking a killer. Longfellow's probably the best hunter in these parts and he made his opinion quite clear back at the Plank. What's next?"

She shifted her weight and as she did so, was reminded of the gun in her pocket. "Oh, right," she mumbled, as she fidgeted the pistol out into the open. "You asked for a gun, well, here it is." She smiled sheepishly. "I don't know anything about how it works or what to do with it, though."

Steve Miller - The Hull

"Look", Corrine said, "I don't know anything about synths, other than a bunch of 'em went up to Acadia to live in peace. But..." She sighed. "I agree. Synth or person, we need folks to help stand up for our home, and if there's someone lurkin' about trying to take us out before we get that chance, then...you're right." She then added, "What do we do, though? It's not like I know anythin' about tracking a killer. Longfellow's probably the best hunter in these parts and he made his opinion quite clear back at the Plank. What's next?"

"I know where she's hiding", Steve replied. "Problem is approaching her without her bolting deeper into the fog...or worse, us getting shot....she's terrified out of her wits. She probably isn't much safer where she is, though..given what is coming."

"Oh, right," Corrine mumbled, as she fidgeted around in her coat pocket and produced a pistol, by the look of it a N99. "You asked for a gun, well, here it is." She smiled sheepishly. "I don't know anything about how it works or what to do with it, though."

"I'll help you with it", Steve said as he reached out for it. Corrine placed it in his hand, and he examined it. Sure enough, it was a Colt N99...a 10mm automatic that from the sheer numbers still floating around must have been the most popular handgun in the Old World...the "US PROPERTY" Stamp on the side of the frame marked it as military issue. The finish was somewhat worn, but it didn't look to be in bad shape. He popped the magazine out and palmed it, then tried to rack the slide...but it resisted opening.

"That's not good", Steve said with a grimace. "Let's go to that shop so I can get a better look at this."

Together, they descended the stairs back to the alley, and Corrine unlocked the old gun shop and they both entered. Steve turned on the light above the weapons workbench and got to work. The internal mechanism seemed gummed up....Steve was concerned by what he would find if he got it apart, if he could, anyway....but after some effort, he finally managed to open the slide, ejecting a unfired cartridge, it's brass case split at the mouth and green with verdigris. He then locked the slide back and flipped the take-down lever and field-stripped the old pistol. Examining the weapon, he learned the difficulty. Someone had chosen to lubricate it with some kind of vegetable oil, and quite some time ago, by the look of it. While vegetable oils seemed like a good lubricant...they weren't as when they dried they leave a residue that gums up the surfaces it was intended to lubricate. Grabbing a cleaning kit from a shelf of the workbench, he cleaned the gummy substance out of the pistol, finding that under the muck it was still in good condition....the vegetable oil had at least preserved it. The bore cleaned up well, once he got the gunk and verdigris out of the chamber. With all major part groups cleaned and properly lubricated, he reassembled the pistol, locked the slide back and placed it on the workbench. Pulling the magazine out of his pocket, he removed the cartridges and placed them on the workbench. He then disassembled the magazine, cleaned it, then reassembled it again. The weapon now cleaned, he picked up the pistol and inserted the empty magazine into the butt, then hit the slide release. The slide leapt forward into battery with a satisfying "Thwack". He then engaged the safety and pulled the trigger...grunting with satisfaction when it did not fire. He then disengaged the safety and pulled the trigger, and the hammer fell as it should.

"It'll do nicely", Steve said to Corrine with a satisfied air as he began to examine the cartridges that had been loaded in it. Four of them, including the round that had been chambered, were bad....cases that had been reloaded one too many times or were otherwise neglected. The other nine looked OK...but she needed more than that. He began rummaging around in drawers and boxes on the shelves....getting lucky and finding a half-full box of 10mm cartridges that looked good and another N99 magazine.

"Here's how you load the magazine, Corrine", Steve said as he demonstrated by loading one magazine with twelve rounds. he then handed her the other magazine and pushed the box, now with only thirteen rounds in it, towards her. "now you load this one." Once she had loaded it, he demonstrated how to operate the safety, then loaded one of the magazines into the butt and racked the slide, chambering a round, and engaged the safety. He then handed the pistol to her butt first.

"It's loaded now", Steve said, "You have twelve shots, once the last one is fired, the slide will lock back and you remove the empty magazine and insert another like I showed you. Make sure you put the empty magazine in your pocket so you don't lose it...you can reload it later. To fire, disengage the safety. With the safety off, it will fire if you pull the trigger, so watch where you point it." He then handed her the other magazine. "Unless you can open up one of these cans, that is all the rounds you have...don't waste them."

"A few questions", Steve said, "Is there a pre-war military base on this island? I've noticed a lot of stuff that has US Government markings on them, usually that stuff only turns up if there is some sort of military facility in the area."

"Secondly", Steve continued, "Back in the Last Plank, Rose said something about meeting a "Enclave Bastard".....any idea who she meant by that?"

"Also", Steve concluded, "I've got an idea about rigging that boiler they're using to cook Mirelurks to spray scalding water on those giant critters you mentioned.....nothing that can feel pain will stand still for that...who would we talk to about getting permission, not to mention the tools, to do that?"

James Williams-Far Harbour

"Aye you could say that," He replied sternly, "We found a man drowned in the wat....ah hell, who gives a shit. Someone gutted that newcomer like a trout. One of the two you and Corrine found up at Acadia. Slit his throat and tossed him in the sea. The other one, the woman, is going on about people not being real-people or some mainland nonsense. Institute this, Synth that. Whatever. I'm going to go lie down..."

“The instuite.” James muttered

Once old Longfellow had wandered off Steve turned back to the other James “Considering the Brotherhood just invaded the Commonwealth I’m gonna assume you know what the instuite and synths are.”

“Well what you may not have heard is that the Brotherhood isn’t the only one fighting back. Bishop and Rose belonged to a group called the Railroad; except they wish to feel synths instead of destroy them... I sorta work or worked I guess for them as well but...let’s just say My role required that I wasn't an...Publically an official Member.”

and Even desperate people probably wouldn’t want to be associated with an enclave officer

“Needless say but freeing synths and interrupting instuite operations doesn't exactly get you well liked by the instuite and with railroad lacking the Powered armour army the brotherhood have they are easily eliminated once the Instuite discovers the cell or in this case the counting mission.”

“When we first met Bishop and Rose they said the atom fruitcakes and their mind control beasts tore apart their squad as they went up to the observatory but me Connie didn’t encounter any Atom members until we reached the top and they made it quite clear they could have attack us anytime....“

And now rosey is the only one left.

Nodding towards the Gun store, with James needing to prepare before the Atom attack he began to Walk and talk with the other James “Rose is the last railroad agent so if the instuite courser wanted her dead they’d just shoot her and leave.... they have no reason to stick around and probably have their own method transportation of the island.”

Should play abit dumb...

“Instuite Courser are about as deadly as your Brotherhood Paladin’s and frequently use stealth boys... You may not like the idea but only way we are going to have a chance to beat the bastard is to catch them in the act.."

Steve then entered the Gun-store Just as Tour Guide Connie’s Mainlander “friend” asked her “ "Secondly", Steve continued, "Back in the Last Plank, Rose said something about meeting a "Enclave Bastard".....any idea who she meant by that?"

“she was referring to me.” Steve replied as he stood in the doorway, his Overcoat still open and his battle damaged enclave officer suit clearly visible to both TGC and Steve.

CORRINE DOOLAK -- The Gun Shop

By god, did Corrine love watching the man work. There they were, again, in that gun shop, with him hunched over the work bench, moving parts around her dad's old pistol, mumbling to himself as he worked. His breath puffed out in little grunts and huffs as he laboured.

"It'll do nicely", Steve said to Corrine after several minutes and testing the mechanics. She peered over his shoulder to watch was he was doing, but she as yet couldn't make sense of his actions. Finally, he turned to her, holding the weapon and speaking in a gentle, but informative, tone.

"Here's how you load the magazine, Corrine", Steve said as he demonstrated by loading one magazine with twelve rounds. he then handed her the other magazine and pushed the box, now with only thirteen rounds in it, towards her. "now you load this one."

"Ahh...okay..." She quivered slightly as she took a hold of the pistol. Corrine mimicked his demonstration as best she could, and was impressed he hadn't corrected her. He took it back to show her a couple more things before handing it back.

"It's loaded now", Steve said, "You have twelve shots, once the last one is fired, the slide will lock back and you remove the empty magazine and insert another like I showed you. Make sure you put the empty magazine in your pocket so you don't lose it...you can reload it later. To fire, disengage the safety. With the safety off, it will fire if you pull the trigger, so watch where you point it." He then handed her the other magazine. "Unless you can open up one of these cans, that is all the rounds you have...don't waste them."

Corrine took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as she merely held the gun in her hands, staring at it. She cleared her throat, remembering her manners. "Thank you."

"A few questions", Steve said, "Is there a pre-war military base on this island? I've noticed a lot of stuff that has US Government markings on them, usually that stuff only turns up if there is some sort of military facility in the area."

"A base? Uhhh..." Corrine thought carefully for a moment. "Not sure what exactly you mean by that. Only military type spots were the vehicles. One bein' that atomic sub the Children live on, and the other the great big rig out on the far coast that was overflowin' with trappers, last I heard. MS...flower...somethin'. Aster? No. Azalea." She shrugged. "Seems likely my previous family would'a scavv'ed the place out a long time ago."

"Also", Steve continued, "I've got an idea about rigging that boiler they're using to cook Mirelurks to spray scalding water on those giant critters you mentioned.....nothing that can feel pain will stand still for that...who would we talk to about getting permission, not to mention the tools, to do that?"

"What sort of tools would you need? Tools are easy -- Brooks has all sorts of stuff, and the Mariner had quite a collection back in the day..." She drifted off, daydreaming about tools momentarily. "Uh, anyway. Only person I can imagine cookin' mirelurk in such volume would be Mitch. If it ain't him, I'm sure he'd tell you who it is."

"Lastly", Steve continued, "Back in the Last Plank, Rose said something about meeting a "Enclave Bastard".....any idea who she meant by that?"

Completely uninvited, Steve burst in and interrupted their conversation. “She was referring to me.” Steve replied as he stood in the doorway, his overcoat wide open like he were some kind of exhibitionist.

Several moments passed, silently, and awkwardly, before Corrine spoke. She grit her teeth. "What the hell is the meaning of this? You just put yerself into any conversation you want?" She shook her head and pointed a finger at James, accusingly. "Well, he ain't lyin'. Up in Acadia, he flat out told Bishop and Rose he was 'Enclave'." She paused for a moment, reflecting on the exchange that happened all those hours ago. At the time she was anxious to rest, or leave, and hadn't become too involved in the conversation. "Didn't mean much to me, but now that I think about it, Bishop and Rose weren't too happy about it."

"Now," she all but growled at James, "what do you want?"

James Williams-Far Harbour

Several moments passed, silently, and awkwardly, before Tour Guide Corrine gritted her teeth and spoke. "What the hell is the meaning of this? You just put yourself into any conversation you want?" She shook her head and pointed a finger at James, accusingly.

“Oh please from the sound of it I wasn't ruining any....”tour guiding” You had going on, just some plan about boiling water... Good idea by the way. ” Steve replied as he then noticed the finger pointing at him “and watch where you point that finger, liable to get bitten off that way.”

"Well, he ain't lyin'. Up in Acadia, he flat out told Bishop and Rose he was 'Enclave'." TGC paused for a moment "Didn't mean much to me, but now that I think about it, Bishop and Rose weren't too happy about it."

“The enclave leadership tired to kill everyone...” James added on “well in DC alteast, not sure if it would off had an affected up here.”

and even if did porbably would have affected them for some time.... years probably

"Now," she all but growled at James, "what do you want?"

"To get a gun.... This is a Gun store is it not? Plasma defender may be good up close but I need something for long range, maybe one of lever action rifles Old Grumpy has.”

=====
(ooc: Wild wasteland trick roll! Bird flies in and bites off finger!)

Steve Miller - Closed Gun Shop

Corrine accepted the pistol from Steve with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation, then began to answer his questions. She mentioned that a pre-war atomic submarine was present at the island. Steve's stomach churned a bit when he remembered what "SSBN" meant....it was a carrier for nuclear missiles.

I hope to God they launched them all during the War....if it still has one or more on board and someone finds a way to launch it....

There was also another vessel, MV Azalea...but that was probably a freighter. No...the gun and multimeter came from that submarine. That might be something worth looking into...as much as he disliked the Brotherhood, they would be able to deal with a stray nuke better than anyone else he could think of. He'd seen the bomb craters around Washington with his own eyes...the idea of something like that being set off again made him ill.

As far as the cooker, apparantly that belonged to the owner of The Last Plank, Mitch. Corrine indicated the merchant Brooks and someone called the Mariner had heavy tools. The big problem would be protection for whoever operated the hose...if it ruptured someone with exposed skin would be scalded to death where they stood.

And before she could reply to his final question, a voice from the door interrupted.

“She was referring to me.”

Steve looked over to see the merc from the bar standing in the doorway, his coat thrown open to reveal a well worn gray uniform.

"What the hell is the meaning of this? You just put yerself into any conversation you want?", Corrine said angrily, suspicion and dislike written all over her face. She shook her head and pointed a finger at James, accusingly. "Well, he ain't lyin'. Up in Acadia, he flat out told Bishop and Rose he was 'Enclave'." She paused for a moment, then added, "Didn't mean much to me, but now that I think about it, Bishop and Rose weren't too happy about it."

"Because they have a habit of killing anyone they run across that's not in their little tribe", Steve replied. "They make the Brotherhood seem almost reasonable by comparison."

"Now," she all but growled at James, "what do you want?"

"To get a gun.... This is a Gun store is it not?", the merc replied, "Plasma defender may be good up close but I need something for long range, maybe one of lever action rifles Old Grumpy has.”

"The owner's dead, I hear", Steve said, "Not sure who is seeing to his affairs these days. Probably oughta find who that is before you go walking off with something. Folk out in the Wasteland tend to shoot thieves....just sayin'"

James Gregor Castner

"Aye you could say that," He replied sternly, "We found a man drowned in the wat....ah hell, who gives a shit. Someone gutted that newcomer like a trout. One of the two you and Corrine found up at Acadia. Slit his throat and tossed him in the sea. The other one, the woman, is going on about people not being real-people or some mainland nonsense. Institute this, Synth that. Whatever. I'm going to go lie down..."

So a man was dead. And the Institute and synths were involved. This town’s problems kept building up by the second. He’d read the reports about the Institute: scientists spewing scientific horrors like robotic imitations of people onto the Commonwealth for the sake of it. No accountability, no oversight. He hadn’t exactly agreed with Maxson’s crusader plan, but he believed they had to be stopped.

Once old Longfellow had wandered off the other James turned back to him “Considering the Brotherhood just invaded the Commonwealth, I’m gonna assume you know what the Institute and synths are.”

“I do. A base full of scientists creating whatever dangerous tech they want. And synths are fake men.”

“Well what you may not have heard is that the Brotherhood isn’t the only one fighting back. Bishop and Rose belonged to a group called the Railroad; except they wish to free synths instead of destroy them... I sorta work or worked I guess for them as well but...let’s just say my role required that I wasn't publically an official Member.”

“I’ve heard some reports and there was a branch in the Capital Wasteland I ran into once. Don’t seem like bad folk, though my old comrades might disagree. Some synths are just workers who want freedom from what I’ve heard. I could understand that.”

“Needless say but freeing synths and interrupting Institute operations doesn't exactly get you well liked by the Institute and with railroad lacking the Powered armour army the brotherhood have they are easily eliminated once the Institute discovers the cell or in this case the counting mission.”

He simply nodded at that. It made sense that an underground organization like that could get wiped out if an enemy like the Institute came knocking.

“When we first met Bishop and Rose they said the atom fruitcakes and their mind control beasts tore apart their squad as they went up to the observatory but me Connie didn’t encounter any Atom members until we reached the top and they made it quite clear they could have attack us anytime....“

“That’s strange. Most mutant cult types are more bloodthirsty. I’ve got a few ideas how we can fight back.” He was already imagining the wonders he could do in his power armor and Cracker.

The other James nodded towards the Gun store, needing to prepare before the Atom attack. He began to walk and talk with the other James “Rose is the last railroad agent so if the institute courser wanted her dead they’d just shoot her and leave.... they have no reason to stick around and probably have their own method transportation of the island.”
“How the Institute moves was still a mystery to us before I was dropped here. It has to be something unconventional.”, he thought for second, scratching his beard. “Maybe it wasn’t the Institute who killed Bishop? Perhaps some islander fed up with outsiders like Longfellow just was?”

“Institute Courser are about as deadly as your Brotherhood Paladins and frequently use stealth boys... You may not like the idea but only way we are going to have a chance to beat the bastard is to catch them in the act.."

He shrugged. “Unless the Institute has somehow advanced stealth boy technology, then it shouldn’t be a perfect disguise. He’ll have a hideout somewhere, maybe out of town. If it is an Institute Courser that is. It seems like a Courser would have killed them before you even found them in Acadia.”

They then entered the gun-store just as an islander woman asked a man about something “ "Secondly", the man continued. He looked oddly familiar, "Back in the Last Plank, Rose said something about meeting a "Enclave Bastard".....any idea who she meant by that?"

“She was referring to me.” the other James replied as they stood in the doorway of the gun shop, his Overcoat still open and his battle damaged enclave officer suit clearly visible to both people.

It was silent for a few moments. James stood there awkwardly, feeling at the drama the other James had created out of his background. Then again, he had provoked the same sort of drama earlier hadn’t he?

The woman grit her teeth. "What the hell is the meaning of this? You just put yerself into any conversation you want?" She shook her head and pointed a finger at the other James, accusingly. "Well, he ain't lyin'. Up in Acadia, he flat out told Bishop and Rose he was 'Enclave'." She paused for a moment "Didn't mean much to me, but now that I think about it, Bishop and Rose weren't too happy about it."

The Enclaver and the woman bickered some, and said something about a boiling water scheme, which sounded like a clever plan. He didn’t quite understand, but he did understand he was tired of being a third wheel to these islanders and some Enclaver. After they were done talking, he spoke up. “I have my own plan to help out. I was in a Brotherhood of Steel vertibird on the way over here when it crashed somewhere on the island. It’s got good gear on it: power armor, heavy weapons, ammunition, and the armor plating could be salvaged from it”, he looked over at the man who hadn’t yet spoken. It looked like he had just finished doing some serious gun maintenance. “I have a device that can locate the downed vertibird, but it broke when I… fell out of the bird mid air.”, he held out the transmitter device to the man. “Think you can fix it? Also what are your names? I’m James Gregor Castner, former Paladin of the Brotherhood of Steel”.

CORRINE DOOLAK - The Gun Shop

I guess our date's over, was Corrine's first, sad thought, as her and Steve's private chat turned into an impromptu gathering. Steve was right in that they had to start rounding up folks to execute a plan for defending the town, but couldn't she have had five more minutes? Especially since they'd been interrupted so rudely...

"To get a gun.... This is a Gun store is it not?", James snapped, "Plasma defender may be good up close but I need something for long range, maybe one of lever action rifles Old Grumpy has.”

"I wasn't ruining any 'tour guiding,'" he said. Cocky, unapologetic asshole. I like him less and less with each passing moment. No manners at all.

"The owner's dead, I hear", Steve said, "Not sure who is seeing to his affairs these days. Probably oughta find who that is before you go walking off with something. Folk out in the Wasteland tend to shoot thieves....just sayin'"

"No one that I know of," Corrine added. "Unless it's Brooks. Guns ain't exactly my thing."

“I have my own plan to help out," the stranger began quietly. "I was in a Brotherhood of Steel vertibird on the way over here when it crashed somewhere on the island. It’s got good gear on it: power armor, heavy weapons, ammunition, and the armor plating could be salvaged from it”, he looked over at Steve. “I have a device that can locate the downed vertibird, but it broke when I… fell out of the bird mid air.”, he held out the transmitter device to Steve. “Think you can fix it? Also what are your names? I’m James Gregor Castner, former Paladin of the Brotherhood of Steel."

Corrine peered over Steve's shoulder to look at the device. Her scavver instincts kicked in immediately and she nearly salivated at the thought of the parts inside it, just waiting to be rescued. She forced herself to return her gaze back into the room.

"I'm Corrine. My family's been on the island for generations," she nodded, wary of extending her hand to the newest stranger. "Nice to hear we have another mainlander on our side."

James Williams-Far Harbour

"Because they have a habit of killing anyone they run across that's not in their little tribe", Steve replied. "They make the Brotherhood seem almost reasonable by comparison."

“Somewhat.... I won’t lie and say we didn’t kill most if not of the people we came across but when we killed you it was quick and painless; Brotherhood taking away people’s weapons “because you can’t be trusted” left you weak and vulnerable for whoever showed up..”


And potentially a much worst death

-

“"The owner's dead, I hear", Steve said, "Not sure who is seeing to his affairs these days. Probably oughta find who that is before you go walking off with something. Folk out in the Wasteland tend to shoot thieves....just sayin'"

“Surely someone must have taken it over?” James asked. Even if they didn’t “run” the store someone must have inherited or even just claimed the stock for themselves wouldn't have been left lying here with the town under constant threat.

"No one that I know of," Corrine added. "Unless it's Brooks. Guns ain't exactly my thing."

Brooks... that’s the store owner next door

“I have my own plan to help out," Brotherhood began quietly. "I was in a Brotherhood of Steel vertibird on the way over here when it crashed somewhere on the island. It’s got good gear on it: power armor, heavy weapons, ammunition, and the armour plating could be salvaged from it”, he looked over at Steve. “I have a device that can locate the downed vetibird, but it broke when I… fell out of the bird mid air.”, he held out the transmitter device to Steve. “Think you can fix it? Also what are your names? I’m James Gregor Castner, former Paladin of the Brotherhood of Steel."

Tracker looks pretty fucked up did the tin-can sit on it or something? best let that steve guy try and fix it instead of giving it ago myself. Could use the power armour and weapons though

Once Tour Guide Connie and Steve finished introducing herself to Brotherhood James spoke again “Since you’re the better Handyman it seems I’ll leave you to fix that and find out who owns this store. Even with the tracker fixed we may not be able to recover the equipment in time for the atom fruitcakes attack and should have access to the store’s stock without risk of being shot for being a thief.”

May let an islander off with it but they hate mainlanders already, just be an excuse to shoot us.
Leaving the gun store James went next door to what once may have been an souvenir shop on the docks and whilst it may not sell souvenirs anymore still had a clerk, a large amount of stock, an in-use till and Giant “sale” on the wall.

Approaching the middle-age clerk James asked “Brooks right? Do you know who owns that gun store? I’d like to buy an Rifle and some ammo.”

Steve Miller - Gun Shop

“Somewhat....", the merc said, "I won’t lie and say we didn’t kill most if not of the people we came across but when we killed you it was quick and painless; Brotherhood taking away people’s weapons “because you can’t be trusted” left you weak and vulnerable for whoever showed up..”

"So your Death Squads were doing us a favor, is that your excuse?", Steve sneered, "Well, forgive me if I'm not feeling very grateful. I'm not a fan of the Brotherhood by any means, but I can't deny they did us a solid by dealing with you people. I always thought the Brotherhood claims that you people tried to spike the Purifier with poison were bullshit...listening to you, I see now that it probably wasn't."

About that time a third man appeared behind the merc...he had a soldier-like air about him too, in spite of the clothes. He stood there, quietly listening, as Corrine and the merc....who she clearly disliked...began to bicker again about who ran the gun shop now.

“I have my own plan to help out", the man said. "I was in a Brotherhood of Steel vertibird on the way over here when it crashed somewhere on the island. It’s got good gear on it: power armor, heavy weapons, ammunition, and the armor plating could be salvaged from it”

"All of which we desperately need right about now", Steve replied, perking up a bit as the idea gave him that hope that between Corrine and their stranger, his luck might be finally turning for the better. "The idea I had will be a lot more doable if the operator is in the iron. If the hose bursts, it would kill or maim an unprotected operator. How far away is the wreck?"

“I have a device that can locate the downed vertibird, but it broke when I… fell out of the bird mid air.”, he held out a device, which Steve took. “Think you can fix it?"

Steve gave it a cursory glance, feeling the warmth as Corrine pressed up against him from behind and looked over his shoulder at the device.

"Damn it", Steve thought with slight irritation, "We were having a moment here...couldn't they have waited a bit?"

It was rectangular, with a couple buttons and dials, and a analog gauge. The cover was cracked in a couple places, but at least wasn't crushed. When he operated the power switch, nothing happened.

"Maybe", Steve said, "If you don't mind I'll need to get it apart to know for sure." He then glanced over at Corrine, her chin perched on his shoulder....noticing her face was close enough to his to kiss...

"Corrine", Steve asked, inwardly cursing the two newcomers as he restrained the urge to kiss her, "Could you open up your tool box for me, please?"

"Also, what are your names?", the Man asked, "I’m James Gregor Castner, former Paladin of the Brotherhood of Steel”.

"I'm Steve Miller", Steve said, "Chief Engineer, and sole survivor of the SS Regina...she was a tramp steamer out of Halifax. Went down in a storm about three weeks ago. Folks that picked me up dropped me off here."

“Since you’re the better Handyman, it seems, I’ll leave you to fix that and find out who owns this store", the merc said as he turned to leave. "Even with the tracker fixed we may not be able to recover the equipment in time for the atom fruitcakes attack and should have access to the store’s stock without risk of being shot for being a thief.”

"You do that", Steve said, glad to have the man out of his hair for a bit. Given the situation, he needed the Enclaver, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "I could use a rifle as well, and Corrine needs 10mm ammo and N99 magazines."

James Gregor Castner

"So your Death Squads were doing us a favor, is that your excuse?", The handy man sneered at the other James, "Well, forgive me if I'm not feeling very grateful. I'm not a fan of the Brotherhood by any means, but I can't deny they did us a solid by dealing with you people. I always thought the Brotherhood claims that you people tried to spike the Purifier with poison were bullshit...listening to you, I see now that it probably wasn't."

“It wasn’t”, James spoke up, his voice heavy with the memory of when they first discovered the Enclave’s plot. It was horrifying how close they had come to sure death. “I was there for all of it.”

The woman peered at his device over the handy man’s shoulder. It now looked as though she was about his age, but older than the man she had been standing so close too. She extended a hand. "I'm Corrine. My family's been on the island for generations," she nodded, wary of extending her hand to the newest stranger. "Nice to hear we have another mainlander on our side."

He shook it firmly in return. “Your town seems like it could use help, and I want to help. I crashed here like some god wanted me here. I would have had three more men behind me if we hadn’t been hit by something in the sky.”

The handyman turned his attention to him, responding to his proposal and then examining the tracker. "Maybe", Steve said, "If you don't mind I'll need to get it apart to know for sure."

He was a little nervous about handing off Brotherhood technology to an outsider. Years of living under the codex ingrained that in him, yet he had to push it aside. “No problem”, he heard himself saying. Corrine was getting even closer to the handyman, pushing her face near his. James remembered Colleen doing much the same thing one evening, when they were barely out of their power armor after a daily patrol. He sighed softly.

"I'm Steve Miller", Steve continued, "Chief Engineer, and sole survivor of the SS Regina...she was a tramp steamer out of Halifax. Went down in a storm about three weeks ago. Folks that picked me up dropped me off here."

“Sounds like a terrible experience. I’m not sure I would have been brave enough to take to the sea like that after so many years of fancy vertibirds.”, he chuckled a little, pushing away the bittersweet memory of the past. “Where are you from originally? You seem a little familiar.”

Before Steve could respond, the Enclaver interrupted again. “Since you’re the better Handyman, it seems, I’ll leave you to fix that and find out who owns this store", the Enclaver said as he turned to leave. "Even with the tracker fixed we may not be able to recover the equipment in time for the atom fruitcakes attack and should have access to the store’s stock without risk of being shot for being a thief.”

"You do that", Steve said, sounding glad to have the man out of his hair for a bit. "I could use a rifle as well, and Corrine needs 10mm ammo and N99 magazines."

“I already have Shark, Bear, and Talon”, he said as he gestured at the weapons on him. “But we lack armor unless this shop has some, or we get to the vertibird tonight. Also I'll standby to help you get the tracker up and running.” He squinted out a cracked window at the setting sun. “I’m not sure we have much time for anything if we don’t start preparing now. And I’m sure going outside the wall at night will be a bit more dangerous than day time.”

Brooks - The Bait Shop

Approaching the middle-age clerk James asked “Brooks right? Do you know who owns that gun store? I’d like to buy an Rifle and some ammo.”

"Well now that's rough," Brooks said with a slight chuckle, "Walk up to a man's store and ask him to help you shop at another...I've got some guns and ammunition here too you know."

He then sighed, "But...I don't have near what the Lee's have, I admit. So to answer your question, Sandra Lee, Allan's sister, runs his store ever since he died on The Hull. She's struggling to keep it going without her brother but she does the best she can with what she's got. Best get what you need to soon though. Night is coming quickly and everyone's getting ready to turn in and close up shop. Nobody likes to be out after dark these days...."

Old Longfellow - The Hull

A drunken Longfellow made his way back up to the top of The Hull and fell back down against the wooden battlements of the makeshift wall. In his stupor, he wasn't much of a watchman, but he still remembered he was supposed to be on duty. He looked over and thankfully saw at least a couple other guards on The Hull tonight, although one of them was 3/4ths in to a bottle of whiskey himself and seemed to be in no better state than Longfellow.

Drowsily, the old codger tried to keep awake, and keep staring out towards the fog and the encroaching night, but the stress of the day's worries had taken a toll on him, and he was fast falling asleep.

His eyes drooped, and he fell fast asleep.

Steve Miller - The Gun Shop

“Sounds like a terrible experience", James said, "I’m not sure I would have been brave enough to take to the sea like that after so many years of fancy vertibirds.”, he chuckled a little, pushing away the bittersweet memory of the past. “Where are you from originally? You seem a little familiar.”

"I was born in Megaton", Steve replied, "But grew up in Rivet City. Was in a caravan with my dad...but our little caravan stumbled into the middle of a fight between the Brotherhood, or at least the ones calling themselves Outcasts back then, and the Enclave near the Ft Detrick crater....God only knows what they wanted there, the Chinese hit whatever the pace was so hard that even ghouls can't go in that crater without turning feral. Dad didn't make it out, and we lost the cargo so the caravan went bust. I had nothing keeping me in the Capital Wasteland anymore, so I went down to Baltimore and used my experience on repair crews in Rivet City and signed onto a ship...been at it ever since.

“I already have Shark, Bear, and Talon”, he said as he gestured at the weapons on him. “But we lack armor unless this shop has some, or we get to the vertibird tonight. Also I'll standby to help you get the tracker up and running.” He squinted out a cracked window at the setting sun. “I’m not sure we have much time for anything if we don’t start preparing now. And I’m sure going outside the wall at night will be a bit more dangerous than day time.”

"You're right", Steve observed, "we need to get this done soon if we're going to have time to make the trip and back before it gets too late. He flipped the light on over the workbench, and once Corrine unlocked the chest he removed a screw driver set, the multi-meter, and rummaged around until he found a soldering iron, which he set aside for a moment.

"Corrine", Steve asked, "Is there a working ham radio in town? If so, could you borrrow it and bring it here? It'll help test this device."

Steve turned his attention to the device, and carefully removed the screws and placed them in a small container he found on Corrine's shelf. He then slowly opened the casing and examined the contents. It was powered by a MFC, and a decal of the circuitry diagram had helpfully been placed inside the back cover. Testing with the multimeter indicated the circuit was good, as was the MFC.....yet there was no power. Steve looked closer at the power switch, and found the problem, the contacts on the back of it had been snapped off by the impact. The switch was ruined, but jury-rigging a replacement would be simple enough....all that was needed was another that was about the same size. He carefully removed the switch.

"We need a replacement for this, James", he said as he showed him the switch. "it's broken but any switch about this size will work in it's place. Other than that it should still work....at least as long as it doesn't take another blow like that one again."

He then began rummaging around in the various bins and boxes on Corrine's shelf, and gestured for James to join him.

"I forgot to ask", Steve said, "What frequency is this device set to detect?"

CORRINE DOOLAK -- The Gun Shop

“I already have Shark, Bear, and Talon”, Castner said as he gestured at the weapons on him. “But we lack armor unless this shop has some, or we get to the vertibird tonight. Also I'll standby to help you get the tracker up and running.” He squinted out a cracked window at the setting sun. “I’m not sure we have much time for anything if we don’t start preparing now. And I’m sure going outside the wall at night will be a bit more dangerous than day time.”

Go out...after dark? Corrine shuddered, reflexively pulling her coat more tightly around her. No one who wanted to live to the next day went into the fog after dark, even before it became...what it is now. Fear filled her, but she tried not to let it show as she stooped to unlock her tool chest.

"You're right", Steve observed, "we need to get this done soon if we're going to have time to make the trip and back before it gets too late. He flipped the light on over the workbench, and once Corrine unlocked the chest he removed a screw driver set, the multi-meter, and rummaged around until he found a soldering iron, which he set aside for a moment.

"Corrine", Steve asked, "Is there a working ham radio in town? If so, could you borrow it and bring it here? It'll help test this device."

As if I'd ever say 'no' to that face, she smiled to herself. "I'll see what I can find." Corrine took a breath and gently squeezed his arm, before nodding to Castner and leaving the Gun Shop. As she passed the former Paladin, something seemed a little familiar about him. Perhaps it would come to her, later. She glanced about the square, noticing the activity level beginning to wind down. There remained a few folks still puttering about, finishing last minute errands or wrapping up some final chores.

Corrine looked over to her right to what had been the Mariner's shack. If there were anyone else who would have collected a hefty assortment of treasures, it would have been her. She rubbed her knuckles and entered the shack.

The fixtures were dusty, something she wouldn't have expected for a dwelling only recently unoccupied. She swallowed a lump in her throat that formed as she reflected on the Mariner's untimely death. They lost so many good people in such a small amount of time. She wiped an angry tear with the back of her hand, clicked on a lantern, and focussed on her task.

The Mariner wasn't quite as diligently organized as herself. Corrine took a deep breath as she began to shuffle several items around on a shelf, knocking around small components, screws, filaments, and making a royal mess. Nothing.

She took another breath as she looked over a large, overflowing chest of salvage. Corrine crouched and began pulling items out, one at a time. Broken tools. Small appliances with their electronic guts hanging out. It was starting to seem hopeless. Her knees were starting to ache from her posture, as were her hands and wrists. She flopped back onto her backside, sighing and wiping some sweat off the side of her face.

She turned to look out towards the sky, certain it had darkened further while she toiled about in the old house. Something caught her eye. There, in a shadow cast by the windowsill, sitting on the ruined desk, was the radio she had been looking for. Corrine groaned at the thought of all the wasted time and effort and hastily re-packed the crate, with no regard for being careful. She gathered the radio in her arms and took the few steps back to the Gun Shop.

She entered to find Steve and Castner rummaging through her containers, but respectfully replacing them where she had originally put them. Mainlanders might impress her just yet. "I'm back," she called into the shop, placing the radio onto the counter. "How're you makin' out, in here? Can I help?"

James Williams-Far Harbour

James chuckled slightly “don’t worry Pal I also plan on spending abit here but with the atom attack we are gonna need all the guns and ammo available ... err do you know where Sandra is? She’s not in the shop”

Hopefully she hasn’t shut the shop yet.

James then reached into his overcoat’s pocket and pulled out a bag of caps and two cartons of smokes “I’ll go find her in a minute in the meanwhile however I’ll 100 rounds of 10mm & a Mag, 4 combat amour chest pieces, 32 units of lead, 6 bottle of wondeglue and about 20 screws.”

Lead line the chest pieces to block some of their radiation attacks.

“Or if you have the leaded combat chest pieces I’ll just take them instead, will save me the trouble and time of having to assemble them.”

--------
OOC: since post is small I'll also include James going to find Sandra, will remove this bit if brooks doesn't know/other reasons.

-----

a short while Later on

After finishing his business at Brooks James followed his instructions and found Sandra lee "excuse me, Sandra lee? Is your store still open I'd like to buy some guns and ammo."

James Gregor Castner

"I was born in Megaton", Steve replied, "But grew up in Rivet City. Was in a caravan with my dad...but our little caravan stumbled into the middle of a fight between the Brotherhood, or at least the ones calling themselves Outcasts back then, and the Enclave near the Ft Detrick crater....God only knows what they wanted there, the Chinese hit whatever the pace was so hard that even ghouls can't go in that crater without turning feral. Dad didn't make it out, and we lost the cargo so the caravan went bust. I had nothing keeping me in the Capital Wasteland anymore, so I went down to Baltimore and used my experience on repair crews in Rivet City and signed onto a ship...been at it ever since.”

James shook his head ruefully. “I’m sorry. Something very similar happened to me when I was a child in the Capital Wasteland. Only it was raiders before the Brotherhood or the Enclave were really around.”

Then they continued to work on the device. Steve sent Corrine away to find a HAM radio, while Steve disassembled the device. He wanted to tell Steve to keep Corrine close, to never let any petty thing drive them apart, or give him some advice he learned. The younger man reminded him of his younger self. But they needed to focus on the task at hand. It didn’t take them long to figure out what the problem was: the switch was broken.

"We need a replacement for this, James", Steve said as he showed him the switch. "it's broken but any switch about this size will work in it's place. Other than that it should still work....at least as long as it doesn't take another blow like that one again."

Steve then began rummaging around in the various bins and boxes on Corrine's shelf, and gestured for James to join him. He bent down and began digging through a nearly rotten cardboard box full of junk. It seemed to be filled with electronic components only partly taken apart, as if the scavver had been forced to stop before they were done. He made sure to put things back neatly when he was done, mindful of the junk’s possible value and Corrine’s ownership of it. Other Brotherhood soldiers might try to find dangerous tech in the box, he thought as he dug. Maybe he wasn’t much of a Brotherhood soldier anymore.

"I forgot to ask", Steve said, "What frequency is this device set to detect?"

“Military Frequency AF47”, he replied without looking up. Under a toaster chassis, he had found a switch similar to the one they needed to replace. Only there was a chunk of plastic still attached to it. He held it up for Steve to see. “Would this work?”

It was a little while later when Corrine came back with a HAM radio. "I'm back," she called into the shop, placing the radio onto the counter. "How're you makin' out, in here? Can I help?"

“We might just have gotten a working switch.” He looked to Steve to respond to needing help or not.

Steve Miller - Lee's Gun Shop

“Military Frequency AF47”, James replied without looking up. Reaching for another box, he lifted out the chassis of a toaster then began to sort through the parts inside....after a moment he found something, and held it up for Steve to see. “Would this work?”

Steve took a look. The switch was similar to the one they needed to replace, except there was a chunk of plastic still attached to it....most likely the casing of the device it once was installed in.

"Let me see", Steve said once the switch was handed to him. The switch had been held in place with a nut, he found it turned easily with his fingers so he simply removed it from the piece of plastic....mildly curious why Corrine had cut it out of the casing rather than just unscrew the nut, before dismissing the thought as irrelevant. "Looks good." He then removed the MFC from the device and then swapped out the switch and then fired up the solder gun and soldered the wires to the switch. He then replaced the MFC and as he reassembled the casing to the device, Corrine returned.

"I'm back," she called into the shop, placing the radio onto the counter. "How're you makin' out, in here? Can I help?"

“We might just have gotten a working switch.”, James replied to her.

"Great job, Corrine", Steve said, "James found a switch for us, just got done putting it in. Well...here goes nothing", then flipped the switch. The green light on the device immediately turned on, and the needle in the gauge moved, raising up noticeably when he aimed it in a North-Westerly direction. He smiled triumphantly. "it works...all that remains is to test it. Turn the radio on and set it to Military AF-47...when you key the mic the meter should spike when we point it that way."

When the mic was keyed, the needle jumped to maximum when the device was pointed at the radio, dropping off again when it was released. Through the Ham radio's speaker, a steady beep from the signal could be heard.

"It works", Steve said happily. "if we had the time using the tracker and the radio we could probably triangulate the position to within a stone's throw but time is something we don't have. If we're going to get the armor and weapons, at least, we need to go in the next few minutes. Once everyone's back, we need to go if we're going to do this. What do you guys think?" Steve asked in concluded.

CORRINE DOOLAK - The Gun Shop

“We might just have gotten a working switch.”, Castner replied to her.

"Great job, Corrine", Steve said, "James found a switch for us, just got done putting it in. Well...here goes nothing", then flipped the switch. Corrine dashed over to his side, eager to see if the fix had worked. The green light on the device immediately turned on, and the needle in the gauge moved, raising up noticeably when he aimed it in a North-Westerly direction. He smiled triumphantly. "it works...all that remains is to test it. Turn the radio on and set it to Military AF-47...when you key the mic the meter should spike when we point it that way."

"I got it," she answered, stepping back over to the radio and fiddling with the dial. "Okay, there it goes. Anything?"

Steve stared at the device with a serious look on his face. Through the Ham radio's speaker, a steady beep from the signal could be heard.

"It works", Steve said happily. "if we had the time using the tracker and the radio we could probably triangulate the position to within a stone's throw but time is something we don't have. If we're going to get the armor and weapons, at least, we need to go in the next few minutes. Once everyone's back, we need to go if we're going to do this. What do you guys think?" Steve asked in concluded.

Time slowed down for Corrine. The very thought of going out into the fog, after dark, terrified her. It raged against her very fibre. The fog was dangerous decades ago, in the best of times, and no sane person would go out in it for any reason in the dark.

A large lump formed in her throat and she felt the blood drain from her face. Her entire being screamed NO.

If you don't go out there now, you'll die tomorrow. If you do go out there now, you could die, now. Ain't much difference,
is there?

She glanced towards Steve, still waiting for a response. Corrine took a slow breath. "I'll...go get my things. Be back at the gate in thirty minutes."

Corrine made her way back to her bunk in the common house one more time. She retrieved her spear and considered leaving her duffle bag behind, when she groaned and snapped it up. It never hurt to have some carrying capacity and a few tools. Following that, she wandered back to the town gate, and waited.