Expedition convoy, just outside of South of the Border

The convoy had found a clear stretch of highway a few hours ago they had begun to cruise, Finn sat back looking at his driver. The entire expedition packed into nine vehicles, rolling along the road there had been a couple eventfully moment back in Virginia, swiftly ended with fifty caliber fire from the support truck. The five deuce and half, trucks were cloth covered three of which carried power armor, supplies, weapons, and computers. The remaining two carried the forces from up north, Devils Brigade as they were known, and the other carried the scribes and volunteers from their allies back in the capital wasteland. Bringing up the rear were two pre-war infantry fighting vehicles, carrying the knights and enclave troops. Ten soldiers in each, two up front and eight in the back they took the rear as to cover the convoy from attack from behind with their thicker armor plating. Second in line in all this mess was the hummer, the support vehicle the once gas powered car had been converted and refitted for service, like most of the vehicles here they had it's shocks had been replaced. So most of the convoy rode in relative comfort, save for one the lead vehicles.

The lead vehicle, was pre-war jeep with a mortar mounted to the back that Finn sat shotgun on as it tore ahead of the convoy Finn advising the driver where to go. As it had always been it bounced like mad Finn swore he'd kill whoever told him he'd have to ride in the lead vehicles instead of in the hummer with the other officers or riding with the troops. They had spent the morning driving through the old north state heading for the outpost sight that had been selected in South Carolina, Parris Island formerly a US military base one that had no local through they would be crossing several swampy areas to reach it.

The pine trees and grassy areas rolled past Finn the occasional stares of farmers or waves from travelers as they stared in awe at the convoy. While the south east had escaped worst of the destruction few had seen anything like what the expedition had brought with them, even fewer didn't have at least some apprehensiveness about the strangers and the military convoy. Finn finally came on the radio after what felt forever to send a message back towards the support vehicle with the commanders in it. "We are coming up on South of the Border, towns the last big trading hub before we get in bandit country. Locals here will have plenty to trade and we should be able to meet up with the Marshal post here to try and get in good with the local leaders. Finn clicked off the radio as the jeep came over the hill he stared down at the scene below, a fucking mess is what it was.

The town as it was was built up around the the old hotel and nearby fireworks warehouse the area around them had been built up with brick, sandbags, and destroyed vehicles to create the walled town. Having been fortified by both the North and South each time it had traded hands, though now it remained firmly under Tarheel and Marshal protection a full platoon stationed there constantly and Marshal station here meant the place was well defended. Bodies were strewn across the field up to half a mile out, closer to the walls the were piles on top of each other almost like addition barricades. Hundreds of them at least, rumor had been that the muties were running raiders up from the southern states but, this was fucking nuts. Even with all the corpses he see at a hundred of them making another charge at the main gate a few other groups in the dozens charging at weak points in the walls. This had to be several days of siege, he could see far off beyond the town a camp of sorts, no doubt where the fuckers were camped. "Uh guys, might wanna bring the IFV's upfront we've got... Well a lot fucking raiders, not smart ones but... A shit load to say the least, they got the town in a siege.

Soon the hummer had pulled up alongside, Finn gave a long whistle as he muttered looked at the IFV's drivers preparing to head for the town as soon they got the green light. Finn flipped his radio to open channel and broadcast to the town below. "This Knight Captain Cassidy of the Brotherhood of Steel. We are sending reinforcements to clear hostiles assaulting the town, do not fire. I repeat do not fire on the incoming vehicles they are friendly." With that Finn waited for the rest of the expedition leaders verdict before signalling the drivers to begin the assault.

---

Meanwhile in the town below...

The Marshals and Tarheels had been under siege for nearly three days, while supplies were still fine it was manpower that was the issue. While they had few deaths among the troops, they had to focus their defense on the north and south gates. So when a man was wounded, made an ammo run, or whatever it opened up holes along the east and west walls which they had to pull with volunteers from the town or traps when they could. This allowed the occasional group to scramble inside and attack the civilians, half starved raiders with nothing to lose and everything to gain with a crazed psychopath whipping them into a frenzy over a 'promise land' of soft people and food had them willing to throw themselves into weapons fire again and again. The Constable who ran the Marshal's in town and acted as commander to the Tarheels had died covering the north gate when they caravan who didn't know what had happened came to the town.

Stanton Danforth sat in the radio office, one he usually worked in to help out his brother in the Marshals, with the entire platoon and all Marshals on the walls Danforth had taken over the radio operation. He'd sent several distress calls to the Speedway but he didn't know if they got through yet as he'd yet to get a proper response from anyone. Outside on the wall the attack was in full swing, raiders rushing the walls either firing wildly with their salvaged guns or trying to get into close enough to use melee weapons. While they didn't think they would be over run, if it continued for a few more days at this pace ammo could become a problem, all these years of Confederate idiots trying to take the place all they needed were bodies than they had bullets.

Danforth sighed and cleared the channel as he sat back listening to the sound of gunfire outside, then turned the radio's back on letting music drift out to cover up the noises outside. The Senior Marshal didn't like the music from the nearby radio station's but it calmed the civilians and drowned out the fighting at least somewhat. Before he set the station for music a new sound cut through on the receiver picked up something else coming in clear as bells, across the town even outside. "This Knight Captain Cassidy of the Brotherhood of Steel. We are sending reinforcements to clear hostiles assaulting the town, do not fire. I repeat do not fire on the incoming vehicles they are friendly." Came the message and Danforth couldn't believe not only was it reinforcements but those big lugs he'd heard had an outpost over at the Creamery, maybe a few sets of power could get the out of the this mess.

Meanwhile across the town Tarheels gave a cheer, waiting for the reinforcements to hit their enemy from the rear. It was at this moment a small group of raiders manage to scramble over a few corpses heading right for the old hotel where most of the civilians were staying. They were hungry and where there were people, there was food. The Marshals stayed quiet most of them unsure if this would be the relief they wanted or people looking to earn favor with the Trade Union government.

---

Back on the hill...

The two IFV's rolled forward aiming the one-hundred-five millimetre carefully before at the ground in front of the north gate. The explosion would rock the town suddenly changing the attention of all the remaining raiders. On to the two metal behemoths as Finn picked up the radio clicking it two the command channel, smirking slightly. "Lancers, put the fear of god in these morons. Engage at will, don't stop until you reach the south gate. We'll be thirty seconds behind you, everyone else get your shit ready might be hostiles in town."

With that the IFV's took the lead firing another salvo from their main guns, high explosives rocking the town once more as both guns shredded the enemy forces they turned and fled. Even raiders as dumb as these moron's understood they couldn't take on a armored vehicles, the whisker seventy-six millimetres opened up now firing into them as they split a part going east or west trying to run around the outside walls. The IFV's split apart chasing them around the walls firing into them again and again, as those got to close became speed bumps as the raiders at the south gate were broken ranks first and run for the camps.

The deuce and half trucks came rolling down, the hummer and jeep leading the way, Finn stood up waving towards the town as they moved towards the north gate and it slowly pushed open. As the convoy rolled in Finn hopped down from the jeep, he was dressed BoS officer's suit the black jumpsuit had combat armor pieces over painted in BoS blue. A stetson cowboy hat on his head as it always was along with his old rifle, bomber jacket he wore along with a proud smile. "Howdy folks! I heard you could use a hand and we are happy to give it." The IFV's backed up to the south gate stopping there and letting the Enclave and BoS troops pile out. While not a one of them was in power armor, the shock and awe of the attack had sent the raiders running and the IFV's at the south gate meant they wouldn't be back anytime soon.

A good time to clean up and chat about what the hell was going on for the few in the town who knew at least some of the stories of the wider Wasteland Enclave, BoS, and more turning up here meant something big.

---

---

Marshal Smith always had a reputation as a acerbic personality, and the last few days hadn’t done much for his mood. He’d arrived to help to defend the town, much of which involved stopping the damned civvies from running about like headless chickens in a blind panic; add to that a small caravan arriving with a ‘girl’ who seemed totally bewildered by the world as a whole, and who had latched onto Sam, just minutes before the raiders arrived left him with one more thing to worry about.

Now three days later, he was sore, sleep deprived and running on a mixture of chems and coffee. Perched on the town’s water tower with his rifle, a pre-war megaphone and a whistle that’d once been Constable Wyatt’s, he blew a shrill blast into the megaphone. ”SOUTH GATE! SOUTH GATE!” He bellowed as the latest wave of Raiders pushed the gate. Fire from the defenders crackled and raiders fell in droves.

From his perch, Sam fired into the back ranks of the attackers, targeting anyone how look like they where either in some sort of leadership role, or carried a weapon more effective than an old piece of pipe. His M72 ‘cracked’ and a raider’s head exploded like an over ripe mutfruit, causing the raider to drop their lit firebomb. It shattered and set two more raiders alight; but Sam wasn’t watching, keeping his focus on other targets, engaging them at will.

Movement beyond the assault tugged at the corner of his vision, but he assumed it was hostile reinforcement…at least until an unfortunately familiar voice cut in over the town’s PA system.

"This Knight Captain Cassidy of the Brotherhood of Steel. We are sending reinforcements to clear hostiles assaulting the town, do not fire. I repeat do not fire on the incoming vehicles they are friendly."

” ‘Friendly’ my leathery ass…” He muttered.

Whatever their over all intentions were, the tin cans did open fire on the rear ranks of the raiders with high-ex and canister, churning the force assaulting the town into so many pounds of meat, some of which was still screaming. A cheer from, most, of the beleaguered defenders went up as the raiders died, though from his vantage point, he caught a glimpse of bodies scrambling over the West wall. ”Shit!” He blew another whistle blast into the megaphone. ”Breach! Breach! Breach! They’re heading for the hotel!”

His rifle came up once more, but he swore violently as he realized he had no shots. Below him, a group of Tarheels, Marshals, and town militia were already heading towards the hotel, and he could hear gunfire bark from the folks who’d been left to defend the non-combatants. He wanted to go rush in and join the group, but he knew they had it under control..and that he was in command now, so the new arrivals were something he needed to deal with. ”Fan-fucking-tastic…”

He scrambled down the tower in short order, and made his way to the gate, swapping in a high-cap magazine to his rifle as he did. All too soon he was standing in front of a man he’d really hoped to never see again. ”The fuck are you doin’ here Bob?” He growled, glaring at the Knight-Captain. A few of the BoS troopers seemed to take umbrage with his tone, but when one made a half-step towards Sam, the reaction from the Tarheels still on the wall made them stop. ”Thanks for the shooting, but you’ve done your bit, so feel free to fuck off.”

He moved closer to Finn, pitching his voice so only the two of them could hear it. ”You got a lot of nerve showing up ‘round here after the shit you pulled… ‘specially when you’re pallin’ ‘round with a bunch of jumped up raiders like this. Swore I’d put a bullet in you the next time I saw you Bob, so you’d best talk fast.”

They’ve been traveling for a few days now. For Annabeth, it felt like forever since she had traveled this far for this long. Ever since she walked The Long Road, it felt like that part of her life was so far into the past you may as well have happened before the nukes dropped. Since her arrival to the Capital Wasteland, Annabeth only spent a few days to rest up before she had volunteered to take part in various missions all over the state on behalf of the Brotherhood. Thanks to the credentials of her promotion, she was highly recommended to mediate peaceful negotiations with other tribes, in particular she was involved in the facilitation of the Tree Minders. They were an odd group to be sure, so small and lightly armed that a well armed raider could’ve taken them all out. However they were among the few and only people to have access to trees, which rarely grew anywhere in the wasteland due to the radiation still in the soil. And it was thanks to their cooperation that Annabeth had a rather fancy looking bag on her back.

Made from yao guai leather and decorated with leaves, this bag held Annabeth’s spears, made from fresh wood, tipped with a sharp steel blade forged from the Brotherhood’s own armory. Compared to your typical tribal spear, Annabeth’s humble javelins seem positively advanced in material alone. And it was a weapon she was well versed it, much to the derision of some of her fellow Brotherhood members. Of course most would look down upon any weapon that wasn’t shooting some sort of energy bolt or at least made of metal, but for Annabeth it had a practical purpose. A few javelins were easier to use and carry than a dedicated silenced weapon, could be retrieved if she missed, and can serve her well in both range and melee combat. No one really brought her pitch though, so Anna was the only one who used spears as far as she knew.

And soon she’d have to test them in battle once again. Originally, the convoy was supposed to stop by a large trading town in order to extend peaceful relations with the locals, so that they would have a base of operation as they worked their way through the much more hostile south. However Annabeth heard radio chatter that seemed to indicate that there was trouble ahead. Sure enough Knight Captain Finn Cassidy radioed in that the IFV needed to take point: the settlement was under attack and they were tasked to clear out the boogeys.

”Both thorn and thistles it should bring forth, for us. For out of the ground we were taken for the dust we are, and to the dust we shall return.” Annabeth muttered quietly as she adjusted her armor and loaded a fully charged microfusion cell into her rifle. Her current Fusion Battery was sitting pretty at a 97% charge. All systems clear, her mind ready for the coming battle. The IFV would have no trouble mowing down the bulk of the raiders, routing them with ease. However even without optics Annabeth knew that some likely have already gotten inside, or possibly did the smart thing and found some cover where the IFV couldn’t simply blast through with their weapons or otherwise crush them beneath their tracks. As safe as it would be for them, Annabeth knew that soon enough they'd need to get out and clean up any raiders that managed to avoid their assault.

Soon enough the trucks stopped. Annabeth heard a familiar voice over the comms mentioning that she spotted a few raiders within the town and that she’s already marked them on their IFF’s. Anyone wearing a Power Helmet or has some form of electronic HUD would be able to see the marked enemies as soon as they get a visual on them. At the moment, the town’s own militia were too spread out and likely lacked the same level of technological information to intercept and deal with these raiders in a timely manner. That’s where the Brotherhood came in.

When her vehicle stopped, Annabeth took it upon herself to leave. ”Knight Sergeant Elliot, heading out to sweep and clear. There’s reports of raiders within the town. I’m on my way to deal with them.” Annabeth said over the radio as she proceeded with her virtuous mission. Once she had her feet on the ground Annabeth broke into a sprint. With power armor giving each step a burst of mechanical speed, moving far faster than any human ever could. Raiders, defenders, Brotherhood, and civilians would hear her thunderous steps through the town.

Thanks to the raiders being marked through her HUD, Annabeth was easily able to spot a small group of three sneaking through an alley. They saw Annabeth and in their panic, opened fire on her. They were armed with a mixture of cheaply made submachine guns, and only one had anything resembling a proper battle rifle, the ever classic R91 assault rifle. And because that was the best gun among the three, Annabeth did not have anything to fear from their firepower; their bullets would barely scratch the paint, let alone penetrate her armor. As she charged towards them she fired off three blasts from her Laser Rifle. Two shots took down the raider armed with the assault rifle, one blast slagging his weapon while the other burned a hole into his arm, chest, and face, even burning through his metal breastplate. The third blast had one beam strike the raider in the neck, killing him instantly. And even if it didn’t, the other two shots landed into the raider’s head and disintegrated him.

Before Annabeth could take her fourth shot she was already upon the last of the three bandits she encountered. Armed with only a 10mm pistol, he emptied his magazine right as Annabeth knocked him to the ground. Before he could even turn his head to look at the Knight, Annabeth’s big foot crushed his head as if it was a radroach. ”Three down. More to go.” Annabeth says quietly as she made sure to confiscate the firearms, as to prevent other raiders from commandeering them, and went to secure the town.

---

Bete spent the better part of her time asleep, guzzling Nuka Cola, or playing games on her Readius. At first it was mostly just Automatron, but after a while even that got so dull she decided to boot up Grognak and the Ruby Ruins again. The problem with that though is that she’s already completed that game three times, even solo, so she already knew most of the tricks and secrets. And it wasn’t exactly the most complex story told, as it mostly consisted of turn-based combat. Still it was something to do: the convoy hardly got bothered by anything that didn’t flee as soon as one of the IFV fired on it. Short of being attacked by a horde of super mutants or something, Bete didn’t really think they were going to be in any danger.

At least they were making progress. It took Bete a good two months just to hoof it from the Pitt to the Capital Wasteland, and it was not an easy trip. Even without the benefit of working vehicles or vertibirds, the Brotherhood still traveled as a huge group and were armed to the gills with energy weapons and power armor. No one fucked with them when they went back to the Capital Wasteland. Bete didn’t have that sort of benefit, and spent most of her time on the run for the various mutants and madmen looking for an easy target. She had one too many run-ins with ruffians who shot first and probably wouldn’t even question where she came from. Bete lost a lot of useful robots getting to DC. But ultimately, it was worth it.

The Capital Wasteland was still a wasteland, and there were still plenty of scumbags and dickheads to go around. But the Brotherhood did a damn good job turning that shithole into a proper bathroom. Even has clean running water you could use to wipe your ass with. In this day in age, that was a luxury indeed. Still Annabeth has seen good men turn evil when they have too much power and not enough oversight, and she worries that the Brotherhood will get too big for its britches. She still remembers the old history of how when you run a system of government based on your military might over, say, democratic equality among the citizens, you just end up in a sort of feudal society ruled by a military junta.

In other words, just another warlord trying to take over the world. Bete’s seen that a lot. Time will tell if the Brotherhood ends up repeating history too.

Still Bete can’t deny that things are at least peaceful. She hasn’t needed to kill anyone since she arrived to the Capital Wasteland, and much to her surprise they didn’t seem too bigoted when they found out she was a Ghoul. She was even more surprised when she found a whole area full of ghouls barely a stone throw away from a Brotherhood outpost. Granted, it’s not as if the Brotherhood accepted Bete with open arms either. She was smart enough to know not to just waltz up to a paladin and ask if she could join. But thanks to a bit of networking, she was able to get into contact with some of their outreach members and find steady work using her technological skills. With a steady stream of caps, a roof over her head, and some actual safety, it almost felt like Bete was living like it was the old world again. All of that thanks to the Brotherhood having the guns and guts to make something from the mess they found themselves in.

And thus, Bete is here. Away from her rather cushiony room at Carol’s Place, drinking all the Nuka Cola she could get with her caps. Partying at The Ninth Circle. Bete just sighed and shook her head. ”Quit yer bitchin. You volunteered for this gig.” She told herself as she put the Readius away. Just in time too; seemed like something was going on. Some radio chatter indicated that the convoys were getting closer to the big settlement they were suppose to stop by, but it seems like they were having a minor infestation of raiders. And by minor, more like being besieged by a fuckton of raiders. ”And here I thought this whole operation was going to be a bust. Time to earn my caps. Scout, you know what you need to do.”

Walking towards the back of the truck, Bete took out an Eyebot from her bag. Compared to most Eyebots, this one was much, much smaller, about as big as a mininuke. But despite it’s compact size, it was fast, loaded with useful tech, and of course it could fly. As soon as it received Bete’s commands it flew out from the truck and activated it’s stealth cloak, zooming past the convoy to get a bird’s eye view of the battlefield. A battlefield that Bete was now viewing through her Readius. The Knight Captain ordered the IFV to route the raiders, an easy enough task, but as they were doing that Bete noticed a break in the wall. She wasn’t the only one; a bunch of raiders managed to escape the IFV’s by going through the break and into the town. No doubt that the defenders of the place could find them eventually, but Bete was nothing if not effective when it came to getting the job done fast. Commanding Scout to fly a bit closer, she marked each bandit she saw as hostile, and sent the information to the Brotherhood. Anyone with a Pipboy or some sort of HUD would receive the transmission to help them spot the enemy. Bete herself informed them of this over her own personal communicator. ”Bete here. If anyone’s got a Pipboy or a working Power Helmet, know that I just sent some data to ya. I marked a few hostiles that managed to breach the walls and it looks like they’re about to check in at the hotel. I’m sure you know what to do with that info. I’ll have Scout keep an eye on things around town in case anything comes up.”

Wen was crouched behind the Hotel reception desk as rounds impacted the wall behind her as the Raiders rushed the Building which housed non-combatants, wounded and a scattering of defenders to watch over them. She was one of those defenders and was posted to the front of the building as the Raiders tried a brute force assault through the front doors, one of the Tarheels in the building had been caught outside of cover and lay wounded in the Foyer propped up against a pillar with a steadily growing pool of blood around him oozing from the wound in his gut.

An armed trader who had volunteered to help stand guard was cowering behind the reception desk and trembling the fight having terrified him to the core. The other guards watched over the Foyer from the upper floors and staircases and began a methodical and consistent rate of fire down onto the Raiders fighting their way into the building.

The Raiders launch another charge into the Foyer and hearing heavy footsteps approaching the counter Wen pops up and fires two shots into the man bearing down on them, he's a tall, lanky man with scars on his arm from drug use. His eyes are wide and moving rapidly, he lets out a scream as he approaches the counter but his charge is cut short by a round in his left arm and another in his chest. He stumbles and falls head first into the sturdy counter with a loud thud.

Wen crouches back down behind the counter and takes a deep breath "One Down!" the sound of gunfire and groans of agony echo in her ears as the other defenders whittle down the attackers, more running footsteps approach the counter and she pops up again and fires three shots this time towards a woman rushing towards her with a crowbar and neon pink mowhawk, the shots hit her in a loose grouping moving up her torso sending her flying back over a coffee table, her impact turning the table into little more than firewood.

The raiders attacking the hotel are pinned down at the entrance by the combined fire of Wen and the other defenders of the hotel, leaving them with shrinking numbers and not much options. She fires some more shots towards the door in an attempt to continue suppressing the attackers, by this point the wounded Tarheel has stopped moving and seems close to death while the Trader next to her has pissed himself. Wens heart has been pumping with adrenaline ever since the Raiders forced their way inside the Hotel and as she sits waiting for either another wave from the front door or for reinforcements to arrive she sits behind the counter, a little further from the Trader than before with plaster from the ceiling and walls falling onto her helmet making a pattering sound as rounds impact the walls and ceiling around the reception counter. "Jesus... And i thought you stank before. Try not to piss yourself in your next fight."

On the road for six hours, six damn hours sat in the same uncomfortable seat with what may as well have been no padding whatsoever. The company wasn't up to much either leaving any conversations more than a little lacking the scenery going past wasn't all bad, the small woods and farms they went past all seemed peaceful enough and given the composition of the convoy encounters with Raiders were few and far between. As the convoy neared the town gunfire rang out across the hills infront of them and as the humvee crested the hill Eliza had a near perfect view of the battle unfolding below them, well she would have done if it weren't for one thing "Snoring noises" yes it woulf seem that not even rather loud explosions of the IFVs primary weapon firing could stir the fair maiden from her beauty nap.

Eliza had been lucky so far, not only had her meatheads and the BoS meatheads not decided to have a punch up but she had also managed to get herself a seat in the Humvee. The humvee trundled down to the towns southern gate, Eliza's head bouncing up and down unceremoniously as the humvee went over the uneven ground, Starlight slung across her chest rattling against her webbing, the occasional snore or grumble disturbing the otherwise relatively peaceful ride for the other occupants.

There was a knocking on her window followed by a deep, calming, southern voice. "Hey Captain you awake in there? We've arrived" Snort"I'm awake, I'm awake I swear, what'd I miss?" "Oh nothin much sir, just the entire firefight." The man said opening the door for her. "Ah nothing important then, oh thankyou Sergeant ever the gentlemen." Eliza gave her arms and legs and good stretch and checked her equipment before retrieving her pack from under her seat. In terms of numbers the Enclave had contributed the least to the expedition, numbering less than half a dozen including herself. But after just ending a bloody civil war could anyone really blame them.

Before reassignment Major Parker gave her pick of the litter when it came to selection for her fireteam, there was herself, SSgt William Kirby (Asst SL), Sgt Daniel Taylor (Grenadier), Cpl Ryan Balletto (medic), Cpl Jose Soto (Marksman) and herself making five in total. The Brotherhood had brought over double their numbers and the Canadians even more so, but Eliza would still bet on them in fight any day. Moving towards the gate itself she noticed Finn engaging in conversation with a Ghoul and beyond them lay the wall itself, the bodiesof Raiders and defenders strewn across the landscape. "Balletto, since the BoS have decided to go hunting, head on in see if there's anything you can do to help. Kirby, Soto go with him and lend a hand, Taylor you're on me." There was an almost synchronised "Yes Sir." From her squad and the three others departed for the town gate.

As Eliza and the Sgt approached Finn and thr Ghoul it was clear their conversation wasn't a friendly one and after the Ghoul appeared to tell him to "Fuck off" and threatening to shoot him it was clear things might escalate. Eliza could sense Taylor's itchy trigger finger and placed her hand on the barrel of his rifle. "Not yet Sergeant, remember we don't shoot the non-ferals on sight anymore." Though she did place her free hand on the grip of her own rifle just to be on the safe side, making sure to keep a sade distance from Finn but within sight of the Ghoul just in case he tried anything funny.

---

Fennec placed around the office he had commandeered for the past three days, the rate of his footfalls steadily increasing as his inpatients grew. What had started as a simple supply run to maintain stocks in the Speedway Medican Centre had evolved into a full-blown siege situation, one in which he had been charged with setting up and overseeing the emergency field hospital inside what had once been the cafeteria of the town's hotel. Today all that was left of the old restaurant was the main counter, the chairs and tables had long since decayed or been removed and the seating area was now filled with beds of the wounded that were attended to by Fennec and a few experienced volunteers from the town's populace.

He paused for a moment, transitioning from his pacing to gently tapping his right hand with his opposing digits. Sieges made the doctor nervous, as much as anyone likely, but when combined with the lack of rest he had recieved over the past few days it left him scared. Several men were under his care at present and he was scared that in his exhausted state that some grave lack of judgement may be made in their treatment; what a great gesture of appreciation that would be.

A delicate rap on the door drew Fennec's attention from the chem organiser he'd set up on the desk, as he turned the door to the office opened and an older gentleman with greying hair walked in. "They've just brought in another one, sir" he wheezed, sounding slightly out of breath from rushing to the back to alert the doctor, "a young man sir, similar injury to someone else who came in earlier, to the shoulder sir". "Thank you Derick, I'll join him moment" he replied politely as the man showed himself out.

He drew in a deep breath, and another, he could do this. As he reached out his hand to turn the knob on the door he felt the soft vibrations of his wrist communicator. A deep sigh escaped his lips, the other times he'd been reached on this frequency over the last few days one of the defenders had been taken out of the action through an injury caused by the raiders; Fennec assumed this to be no different as he raised his wrist to his ear to listen."... Cassidy of the Brotherhood of Steel. We are sending reinforcements to clear hostiles assaulting the town, do not fire. I repeat do not fire on the incoming vehicles they are friendly". Another sigh left Fennec's mouth and he shook his head dismissively. "The only thing the Brotherhood are good for is causing conflict, not ending it".

The doctor emerged from the room a few minutes later, looking somewhat more relaxed and less twitchy than he had short while earlier. His sleeves rolled up his arms with his cuffs lying just below the elbow as he walked through the makeshift ward. Their newest intake lay in a bed by the door, one of Fennec's assistants was applying pressure to the patient's shoulder, fabric dyed red with the man's blood. "You can probably lay off some pressure for the moment" he promted, the aid stepping back to allow Fennec to perch on the edge of the bed and get a closer look. Unfurling the makeshift bandage that had been applied he was greeted with a bloody wound, right through the top of the man's shoulder just scraping the bone beneath. "It's not too bad" he said reassuringly, "What's you're name?"

"D-david" the man struggled out, face pale with pain. "Well then David, you got lucky. The bullet managed to miss everything vital. Unsurprisingly you'll be in a bit of pain for a while, that I can help with" Fennec added with a kind smile, "but as long as the wound is kept clean as it heals, you're not losing your arm this time". Being careful not to jar David as he stood up from the bed, Fennec made room for one of the volunteers who had returned with a needle filled with painkillers to help the man with the pain.

Originally planning to do a walk through of the centre just to check on how everyone was doing today, the doctor was sidetracked by a commotion from the hotel's foyer. A few muffled shouts followed by what sounded like gunshots. A number of people in the clinic visibly flinched in surprise of the sounds, but without missing a beat Fennec's hand went straight to his wrist com, holding down the broadcast button as he spoke. "If any of my runners can hear this, get word to the Marshal. The hotel is under attack, I repeat, the hotel is under attack" he said, each word calm as if he had been having a casual conversation with a patient. Cautious nonetheless however, he retrieved his revolver from his office and holstered it, focusing some of his attention to listening to the noise coming out of the foyer.

---

The settlement was surprisingly friendly, given the temperament of the few wastelanders Typhon had encountered beforehand. The one that had problems with his skin, in particular, seemed rather nice, as he had taken her in. Well, he seemed like he would have, but then he had to run off to deal with some kind of incursion. The man's skin was something the computer in her head, and the brain working together could not process. The man's skin seemed to literally be rotting off his body, yet somehow he seemed to be functioning fine without any sort of intense pain. It was truly an odd conundrum that made her desire to offer him some sort of skin lotion. If she had any. He certainly looked like he needed it, and he seemed polite enough that some return kindness was appropriate. Yet, as she could hear the gunshots in the distance that had been going on for literal days at this point, she wondered if the kind man was actually going to be coming back or if he had perished in the town. That would be inconvenient. Others seemed to expire so quickly and easily.

Lost in her thoughts as she leaned against the car in the garage, the girl was suddenly roused by the sound of a door opening nearby, and several footsteps entering. Looking up from her position on the floor next to the car, she spotted a group of six approaching her. Two females and four males, wearing various states of leather clothing with scrap metal for armor. Their features and piercings varied from person to person as the first woman pointed her out with a jeer, and pointed her gun at the young girl. "Oi, boys. Check out the fun-size over here. Boss could have some real fun with her. Jay! Hit 'er." The woman declared, as a rather burly dark-skinned man came forwards towards the young girl sitting there. "Unidentified Contacts." The girl muttered, earning a jeer about being broken already from the raider. Immediately, he swung his bat towards the girl's head, aiming to knock her out with a single hit. However, the man yelped out as the bat hit something solid and all momentum stopped. "Updated. Hostile contacts. Initiating defense." She said firmly, as the man's eyes went wide at the girl's metal hand. Then seconds later was slamming into the wall nearest them, with a loud crunch of bone. Moments after, the group in the building staggered back as another limb raised up behind the young girl, three mandibles spreading apart on the thing over her shoulder, and flames licking at the center of that hungry maw.

---

The door to the garage exploded open as bodies clambered over each other to escape the building. The majority of the group seemed to make it out, as they turned and had their weapons already up and firing a cacophony of bullets towards the open door. Yet this hail of bullets was soon interrupted as the raiders scattered. With a terrifying roar, a sound that was made of a mixture of pained screech and the roar of flames as a burning raider slammed down among where they were formerly gathered. From the open doorway, emerged the very figure they had been planning to kidnap moments before. "Five. She muttered with an emotionless tone. One of the surviving raiders took a quick shot at the girl, attempting to stop her where she stood. The shot impacted with a sick thwack, instantly followed by a loud metallic pang as if he had shot metal, the force of the impact caused the girls head to turn away, though she somehow seemed to catch herself as she slowly turned back towards the group, beneath the bloodied, ruptured skin around her temple and near her left eye, light reflected off a shiny metal. Just the corner of a glowing orange light, likely what was beneath her eye giving it that odd orange glow, could be seen as she faced the group of raiders. The group collectively took a step back and nearly stumbled over each other in fear of that thing which could so easily shrug off bullet impacts to her head. Any hint of the bloodlust and the eagerness to fight of those raiders was broken under that cold gaze. The group stood frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. The fear ripping through their veins from the inhuman beast before them seeming to hold of their usually warped minds. This standoff could’ve gone on eternally, if the girl hadn’t suddenly raised her right arm, and the glint of the barrel in the forearm betrayed its purpose mere moments before firing. The raiders were ripped violently from their stupor as the one who had shot the girl shook violently from side to side from the rapid impacts of the ten millimeter bullets that spat from the girl’s arm. "Four.”

"R-Run!” The female from before shouted, turning and leading her gang on a path away from the monster they had unknowingly unleashed upon themselves. Not a soul dared to attempt to grab their former comrade, now bleeding on pavement, as their primal need to survive drove them tearing through the settlement like radstags fleeing an incoming deathclaw. Even as the distance between them increased, the raiders could still hear the cold, emotionless voice of the girl they attacked. "Do not flee, this will only draw out your expiration.” She said, before taking off at a dead sprint after the group of four. As the group split off their own ways through the settlement, it became clear to Typhon that she would not catch all four if she ran through the streets. Instead aiming herself directly at one of the metal buildings that she suspected passed for housing in this town. Just as she was slamming into the wall, the girl’s vision became overlayed with a projected path to allow her easy traversal of the environment to cut her prey off. With a small hop beforehand, Typhon slammed her metallic feet into the ground and pushed off once more into a powerful leap. Propelling herself high enough that her hands were easily able to grab the edge of the building and catapult herself onto the roof in one fluid motion. Then tearing off in the direction where she could hear the nearest of her prey’s panicked cry, Typhon sprinted along the rooftops at speeds a human could not, easily able to leap the gaps between buildings with a minimal effort. As she surged closer, the girl was able to pick up the man’s panicked breathing easier and easier. As well as his muttered words that he had surely lost her, one which he was quickly reminded was not the case.

Launching herself off a rooftop, the man saw her shadow overtake him on the ground, turning to see her descending on him with just enough time to let out a panicked scream. The scream was quickly cut off as the sounds of a sickening crunch floated on the air, followed by a single gunshot. "Three.” A mere moment later, one would see the girl take off down an alley between rows of buildings, as she spotted one of the two woman go ripping by the end of the alleyway. As she neared the end, Typhon did not slow a single bit, instead she leaped at the wall to her right and immediately jumped back off the metal to change her direction around the corner. Landing in a roll, the girl came to her feet with a terrifying grace as she started closing the distance between herself and the raider ahead. As the raider turned to try to fire at the girl, she instead was met with a piercing pain through her back as her legs suddenly seemed to just… stop. Toppling head over heels into the pavement, it only then occurred to the raider that she had been shot. Before she could even shout something in defiance, the monster was upon her, and another gunshot echoed through the air as the raider was silenced. "Two.” She said, wheeling around to find her next target. Just behind her, she saw the woman who had seemed in charged earlier staring at the scene with a look of abject horror. Flanked by the remaining man as they seemed to notice they were now the center of her attention. The two immediately tore off in a dead sprint, making their way towards the spot where the defenders of this town seemed to be coordinating from, in a last ditch gambit to survive.

The two would draw closer to their target, with their pursuer hot on their tracks. Cutting around a few extra corners, and even staggering her back with a rouge shot from their guns, the two raiders hoped they created enough distance to survive. The two arrived where the Marshalls were coordinating their attacks, the woman immediately throwing down her gun as her compatriot held his but made no threatening gesture. "Tell that thing to stand down! We surrender!” The woman shouted out, tears in her eyes as she was practically begging for mercy. Yet the gaze of those who had noticed her was not on her, but of the mechanical beast that was leaping between the walls of the alleyway to accelerate faster than she could run, bearing down on the two raiders. Too late, did the woman realize why they weren’t responding, as she felt something grab her arm while she tried to turn to run from the thing coming after her. There was no time wasted as the mandibles of the tail grabbing her arm closed tighter, then the limb whipped her violently to the side. Slamming into the metal of the building she was thrown at, another crunch could be heard as she crumpled to the ground and the metal was indented from the impact. The monster then closed on her target, laying there and whimpering on the ground, and raised her arm to finish the job. "On-“ She said, being cut off by a warcry from behind as the remaining raider, having produced a sledgehammer from his back sheath, came in to protect the woman with a large overhead strike.

The warcry then turned high-pitched and pained as the tail turned suddenly to face him, and began belching flames directly at the attacker. Even as the gun in her arm fired, killing the one on the ground. Turning away from the two freshly made corpses, the tail’s flames fell away into nothingness as her arms lowered and the girl became more relaxed in stance. Looking at the marshals, she then turned her attention towards the man with odd skin at the gate, talking to another. The one she recognized who had told her to stay in the garage. Approaching him, she spoke in that same emotionless and nearly mechanical tone. "Hostile infiltrators eliminated. Awaiting next order.” She said, looking up towards Sam and ignoring anything other might’ve said in those moments.

Finn, hand was at his side in a second, his fingers danced along the the handle of Piecemaker when the old ghoul grabbed him Finn couldn't help but crack a smile, it reminded him of his days in training. "Howdy, Sam-o! Relax would ya, we ain't here for trouble. Actually, I suppose you could say I hoping I'd see you. Now I've said before and I'll say it again, I was plum wrong for what I done did, but that don't mean that it didn't need doing." Finn spoke, back calmly in the same quiet tone. "But I'm here cause you are gonna have worse problems than raiders in a month or two, you've got an army of big green and yellow bastards marching up from Florida. Super Mutants, like the kind that used to wander down occasionally from the Virginia's?" He placed his hand that wasn't on his hovering over his pistol on Sam's arm making the old ghoul turn him loose.

"So I'm here with the Enclave and forces from up in the Great White North, and volunteers from DC too. Course we're still looking for more..." He eyed how the other Marshals and Tarheels responded to Sam's movement, still had the authority he hated using. "Sam, I still got family here and you still care about this place same as I do. I'll show you the proof of what I'm claiming once get things safe around here but we both know the Trade Council don't believe there is any threats out there a few Marshals couldn't stop. What would you do if a few hundred muties rolled up with miniguns and rocket launchers?" Finn asked in a serious tone, knowing the answer and that Finn was right they would need all the help they could get, especially with the Tarheel soldiers having been reduced to a shell of their former numbers.

Finn finally stepped back letting Sam mull it over, as he grabbed a radio tuning it to the command frequency. "All units Brotherhood soldiers, sweep for threats then meet up in the town square." Finn then clipped the radio back into place in the jeep looking back at Sam. "Check on your boys, we can handle watch while they get some rest..." He addressed Sam first, he could see how exhausted just about every member of the defense was. This was the first solid break they in days Finn would wager, he'd seen shit like this during his time in the Super Mutant purge up in Capital Wastes.

"Captain Eliza! Mind grabbing one of those maps you showed me, we're gonna do a little show and tell with the locals once things are calmed down. See if we can't make a few friends while we are spinning our spurs here, mind having your team take watch on the southern gate? Even if we got the IFV's pointed at them want a little insurance against'em." Finn spoke stepping towards the Enclave officer, she seemed well rested probably thanks not riding in the spine breaking Jeep like he had. He could feel the tension with the Enclave troops and the ghouls in town, Enclave had even less tolerance for ghouls than BoS hardliners up at the top. While he wasn't in charge, he was the most familiar with the people here so he figured he'd do his best not to ruffle any feathers.

Finn hadn't been looking when he heard the commotion, spinning towards it with gun in hand before he was met with the sight of the small girl with what looked to be robotic limbs. Her voice and tone seemed almost robotic in nature, he was wondering if she was really robotic or one of those god awful things the US of A cooked up. Finn gave a look at Sam then sighed, "I uh, see you got your own problems too? Look we might be able to help, got access to records from the old Pentagon might be able to help you figure who she is?" Finn offered, staring again at the small war machine, she looked pretty human be she sure didn't carry herself like one.

---

Inside the hotel, the raider who had made it in were falling quickly few had guns with enough ammo for a prolonged fight even fewer had the training or skill to make use of the weapons. As the last shots rang out, a couple of Tarheels moved through the wounded and dead outside the gates in the town ending the lives of any raider unfortunate enough to have not died on the initial attack. The worn out began to move wounded into the restaurant of the old hotel, Scribes move to gather tools and start work on repairing the walls, others helped break open weapon kits and unload power armor for those that wanted their suits. While people muttered about the Enclave and Brotherhood presence, they did look the gift horse in the mouth.

However, Stanton Danforth recognized the face of one Phineas Cassidy as he stood in town, getting on the radio he did his best to make contact with somebody. He figured radio station might give him a reward for that tidbits on the Brotherhood, Enclave, and of course info on the fact that one of the new DJ's brother had rocked into town. Not to mention the fact he needed to rescind all of those reinforcement requests, so the tired radio man soldiered on with what would hours of work trying to even get a decent signal with this hot-wired garbage.

As they moved the wounded into the makeshift hospital, many people took the chance to head for their homes or unload their weapons as the threat finally passed. The Tarheels for the most part were in either laying wounded or moving to their barracks in the warehouse for some much needed rest. The Marshals on other hand were moving about town keeping an eye on the new comers, until Sam told them otherwise they were treating the new comers like they could be a threat. All of them however gave a wide berth to the strange tailed girl, BoS and Enclave might have been unsettling but she was complete unknown.

---

Outside of the town miles back in the raider camp, the survivors were telling their leader what had happened that now metal behemoths from before the war had minced the entire assault in moments. That now reinforcements had reached the town, war horns sounded in the distance to tell the other raiders out on patrol or scavenging to come home. They would us all of their supplies and have one last great feast and party, tomorrow they would storm the town with every single raider in their camps. They would have to end this now or their leaders would lose power and they would turn into small bands fighting each other once more. Freakshow himself had given the order, he would not be denied his prize his right as prophet and leader of this great army. They had to make it, if they didn't it was death for them and they all knew it deep down.

---

---

Sam fixed Finn with a glare that would break most people. “Don’t apologize to me,” He snarled. “Apologize to the families of the men and women your selfish action killed, apologize to Frank Turbot for having to watch his sister get eaten alive by a fucking Deathclaw!” When Finn tried to put a placating hand on his shoulder, Sam slapped it away.

He let Finn speak his piece, whatever his other failings were, Sam knew Finn wasn’t one to blow smoke. At the mention of ‘Enclave’, coupled with his own realization that a chunk of the forces Finn’d arrived with were also Enclave, his own pulse spiked and he nearly drew anyways. His men were tired, low on ammo and out-gunned…but he nearly committed them to combat with this new force anyways; his mood as soured even further when Finn called out the Enclave Captain and it was her.

He kept himself in check, instead fixing Finn with another withering glare. ”I’ll say this once Phineas. If any of your little tin cans or your new fascist ‘friends’ act out against the folks here, I will shoot them myself, clear?” He let out a long, and slightly aggravated sigh, swaying slightly as he did. Ghouls could go longer without rest that normal humans, but the only things keeping him on his feet at this point were adrenalin, spite and a few hits of ultra jet sometime yesterday. He was about to continue his venting against Finn, when a rapidly approaching commotion distracted him.

Two raiders were rushing towards them, though their attitude seemed much more fearful than hostile. Sam’s fatigue fogged brain was still trying to sort out what was happening, when it all came to a moot point. The strange robot/cyborg/whatever who’d been chasing the raiders caught up with them, and made rather short work of the pair in quick succession. He grunted an acknowledgement to Finn, but kept his eyes on the ‘girl’ as she requested new orders.

”Well done,” He said, ‘her’ actions had saved him expending any more ammo on those two. ”I’m still sorting shit out here, and I think these tin cans can handle the mop up, so take five.”

"Order not understood. Requesting clarification.” The blank stare that accompanied elicited another sigh. When she’d arrived with the caravan, she’d latched onto him for some reason, but only seemed to respond to formal pre-War style directions. He shook his head and let out a small ‘huff’ before trying again. ”The reinforcements will handle further location security; stand easy until further orders.”

A half-forgotten short range radio on Sam’s vest crackled to life. Goddamn civvies! He brought it to his lips. ”Hold your position for now. We’ve got support sweeping the town for raiders. Will ring town bell when it’s safe, for now keep this channel clear. Marshal Smith out.” Stuffing the radio into a pocket, he returned his attention to his one-time protege. ”So, super mutant army? Just what the fuck is going on Bob?”

Eliza rolled her eyes and let out a soft sigh through her nose he knew she hated being called by her first name, especially when she was on duty. If they were making camp for the night then she didn't mind but not here, she wouldn't call him Finn afterall. Then again he probably knew it would annoy her and that's why he did it. "Taylor go and get the maps from Kirby for me please." "Yes sir." The soldier replied with a chuckle in his voice.

The town before her seemed very normal for the wasteland, if anything she was slightly impressed by what they had built. During her expeditions to hunt Purist remnants she'd heard of this fairly successful town and if anything seemed that, burning huts and bullet holes aside, it was better than the traders and travellers had said it was. Though when a small girl appeared next to the Ghoul, who Eliza could swear she knew bit just couldn't put a name to it, the girl was more machine than human and spoke almost like an Assaultron and honestly left Eliza on edge, it was a complete unknown and from the screams that proceeded it, it was probably best to not piss it off.

Eliza travelled with Finn, the Ghoul and the Robot as they made their way through the carnage left by the raiders, her rifle slung on her shoulder to try and put the locals at ease, but it didn't seem to allay their opinions, those they passed seemed just as fearful of her and the Enclave roundel on her shoulder as they did of the murder machine in front of her. Hardly surprising really, Public Relations hadn't really made it this far south yet and even then there were still Purists running around down here, that's why she was there afterall.

As they moved past the gate they were rejoined by SGT. Taylor holding a brown leather satchel, newly adorned with a few blood splatters. Looking over to her right she saw why. The rest of her fireteam were trying to pin what appeared to be a Marshall to the ground to stop him flailing in pain as Balletto was trying to remove the bullet lodged in his leg. "It'll hurt a lot less if you'd Stop. Fucking. Movingng" the medic shouted frustratedly. "Taylor go help em out I can handle things here." The Sergeant nodded and made his way over to help pin the wounded man down.

"Here you go sir." Eliza said extending the satchel towards Finn. "Sorry about the blood, couldn't be helped." Eliza tilted her head gesturing towards the injured man being pinned to the ground.

---

---

Sam gave his radio a grunt of acknowledgement as Eliza came over with a map. ”Hmm,” He let out another grunt as his eyes fixed on the insignia of her uniform. ”And here I thought you were just some merc doin’ their dirty work…if I’d ‘ve realized you were one of ‘em…I’d ‘ve done the world a favour and shot you.” The very lack of heat in his voice amplified the utter sincerity of his words.

Another woman, this one in Brotherhood gear approached, and he was turning to at least give her a minimal greeting when a Marshal came trotting up, throwing Sam a rough salute while ignoring the others. ”Marshal Smith. Last of the raiders are down, though a few may have slipped back out of town.”

Sam replied with his own salute and a nod. ”Fine. Ring the bell to let the civvies know it’s clear, then gather up as many as you can for a graves detail; I want our losses put to rest as soon as possible.” The Marshal saluted again and was about to move off when Sam raised his hand to stop him. ”Oh, and Danforth, get that idiot brother of yours to find out where the fuck our reinforcements are.” Danforth simply nodded before heading off.

He let out a long sigh, and almost reached for the inhaler of Ultra Jet in his coat pocket for a ‘pick-me-up’…but he knew that was false energy and he’d crash even harder once it wore off. Turning his attention to the new woman, he nodded. ”Marshal Smith…can’t say I’m overjoyed to see more of you lot…but hey…” He shrugged, before looking back to Finn. ”I know you’ve got some important shit to lay out, and your folks have been a help,” The thought of thanking Brotherhood or Enclave troops left an unpleasant taste in his mouth, but they were words that needed saying. ”But if you really want to do some good, I need the dead raiders buried before they start to rot and stink up the place any more, and scouts to find where this lot came from. Whoever is in charge of this ‘crew’ wasn’t here, and if they’re ballsy or mad enough to assault the town, odds are they’ll be back.”

Raising a hand he waved it towards the northwest. ”Just dump the bodies in the swamp north of here…” Sam closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, swaying as he did so. ”I’d send some of my own to scout…hell, the crazy bastards would volunteer to go…but we’ve been running on chems and adrenaline for four days now…”