Tiberius67

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Mary Hawthorne - Her House

“It is a friend of mines, or rather Shelby's girlfriend Eliza owns him. She got shot up pretty good and ended up at the clinic. We just took her back home to our shop earlier and she asked about the horse because everything she owns is in the… saddlebags I guess.” the man replied with a shrug. He then paused and took a long look at her, and seemed to like what he saw. This stirred some feelings in her she hadn't felt since before the radiation had turned her original body into a ghoul. It was then that she noticed he was rather handsome, in a roughhewn sort of way. A fantasy of him throwing her over the saddle in the living room, hiking her shirt up and taking her as she held on for dear life popped up unbidden in her mind...she quickly pushed it back down, though she found the idea quite arousing even as she knew it was a dangerous and unnecessary distraction. “Sorry, yeah, I'm sure she would like to thank you herself.”

"Sounds good", Mary said. She stepped back into the living room and picked up the saddle and brought it outside. With Waylon's help she re-saddled the horse and put his bridle back on, then they followed the man across town.

“Right this way, our shop is down the road", he said. "By the way, I'm Waylon.”

"My name is Mary...Mary Hawthorne", Mary replied, "good to meet you Waylon."

“Looks like you've been set up here for a little bit", Waylon said, "Surprised I haven't seen you around town.”

"I've been here a few days", Mary replied, "Been busy cleaning up my house. It was dusty enough to choke a mule."


S&W Weaponry - Several minutes later

“No...um...", Waylon said to Shelby nervously, "She was taking care if Eliza's horse and would like to meet her. She had the saddlebags too.” He shot Shelby a look, she quickly returned it. to Mary, it was clear that the two were probably lovers. And Shelby looked like a willful one indeed, it would probably be wise to steer clear of Waylon if she were to take a lover here...as bad an idea as that was given what her interests were.

“We just got her upstairs and situated, she wants to rest, so…” Shelby shrugged, “I don't know how talkative she'll be, but c’mon.” Shelby led them to her bedroom where Eliza laid, “Hun, Waylin found your horse and stuff. This woman, Mary was taking care of him.”

Mary was ushered into a bedroom, where a young woman, that was clearly in a bad way, was lying. A blanket covered her up partially, but her bare breasts were clearly visible. Mary had slept with a woman before, her teacher in the Arcane had taken her to her bed as a way to teach her to set aside her inhibitions and prepare her mind for some of the things required to master her craft...while the sex was pleasant enough, women didn't really interest her in that way, she had always preferred men, even if they weren't exactly human on occasion. The woman looked around groggily, then noticed her and self-consciously pulled the blanket up to cover herself.

“I'm sorry, I'm still really out of it.” Eliza's face was starting to blush, “Thank you for taking care of my horse. We've been through a lot together. I take it you're familiar with them?”

"I am", Mary replied, choosing her words carefully, "We had several when I was growing up. folks around here don't seem to have ever seen one, so I decided I'd take care of him." she then added, "Cleaned him and your saddle up, too." She then stepped up to the bed and took the saddlebags off her shoulder and set them on the bed next to her.

"Here are your things", Mary said, "I had to borrow your gear for the horse and leather, but I didn't disturb anything else. I can continue to look after him for you until you get better...if you want."

In From The Fog: A Fallout Far Harbor Roleplay

Steve Miller - Town Reservoir

As Steve brought the rifle up to take aim, the creature ponced on the Enclaver, who let both barrels from what looked to be a sawed-off shotgun fly right into it at point blank range. It staggered back, roaring in anger and pain, then James fired three shots into it, all of which hit but seemed to have little effect. The creature retaliated by spitting another gob of goo at James, which he wasn't able to dodge. Distracted by this, Corrine charged it from behind, thrusting her spear into the base of it's neck. Steve, afraid of hitting Corrine, held his fire for a moment, holding aim until she got clear. Corrine's spear did not finish the creature, however, it swiped at her angrily, then pulled the spear out of it's hide and threw it back at her, much to Steve's horror, something he'd never seen an animal do before.

"What the fuck?", Steve thought with astonishment, "Just what are we up against out here?"

Now having a clear line of fire, Steve took his shot. The heavy 500 grain bullet bit deep, and the creature let out a horrible screech and clutched at it's chest. It then, even as he worked the action to chamber another round, whirled about and fled, his second shot sailing through the empty space the creature had been occupying a mere fraction of a second before. He chambered another round and fired at it as the creature fled into the mist, leaving behind a trail of disgusting blue-green blood that seemed to glow faintly. As it did not cry out again, Steve assumed he had missed. Steve chambered another round, then lowered the rifle and looked around. The creature had ben driven off...but at a cost. Both James and the Enclaver down, but still moving.

“Hey", the Enclaver said looking over at James, "can someone help me up?”

Steve then looked over at Corrine, realizing she was still lying on the ground. The spear had thankfully missed, stuck in the ground about a yard from where Corrine lay. He rushed to her side.

"Corrine!", Steve exclaimed, his voice filled with concern, "Are you alright?"

War Never Changes

Over Northern Mexico - appx 7:45 AM CDT

"Greg", A.N.I.T.A said in his wife's voice, "New contacts bearing 135 degrees, range 86 nautical miles. Designating Romeo 1 and 2."

A.N.I.T.A was short for Autonomous Navigation Intercept and Tactical Assistant, the on-board computer. A.N.I.T.A was the legacy of the aircraft's beginnings as a project of the Calculator. Originally intended to operate the aircraft itself, it was retooled into a AI equivalent of a RIO, or "Guy in Back" as they called them before the War. While A.N.I.T.A could still fly the aircraft if necessary, the Order was reluctant to rely too heavily on robots. The boffins programmed it to talk to the pilot in the voice of their spouse...if they had one...as pre-war studies they had found in the Calculator's archives had shown a pilot would react quicker to the voice of someone they had an emotional bond with.

"Thank you, Anita", Paladin Harris said, "Please classify."

"ESM signature and analysis indicates contacts are modified Stingray Fighters", A.N.I.T.A replied, "They are consistent with aircraft known to be operated by the Confederation, and they took off from their airstrip at Ft Bliss." A.N.I.T.A them added, "Be advised, they have detected us and are closing rapidly, ETA ten minutes."

"Rick", Harris radioed his wingman, "you see the bogies?"

"Yes, sir", Torres radioed back. "Looks like the Texans want to play....what do we do?"

"Finish up our mission as best we can and get out of here", Harris replied. "Command has enough on it's plate already, without us starting a war with Texas. Hate to say it, but we're gonna have to let them take the first shot. Keep your eyes peeled while I call this in"

Harris then directed A.N.I.T.A to switch him to the command link and advised Offut of the situation. Not surprisingly, they directed them to not fire at the Texan aircraft unless fired upon, and to terminate the mission once Highway 2 had been checked as far as Agua Prieta for further NCR forces.

"Wilco", Harris replied, then switched back to the tac frequency and notified Rick of their orders. The next half hour was nerve-wracking, as they flew above the highway, with one eye over their shoulder at the Texans. But it seemed that they were probably under orders not to engage as well, as they slowed down once they reached about 25nm, well outside of missile range for a Stingray, and tailed them. Finally, they reached the ruins of Agua Prieta, finding nothing but locals and one NCR supply convoy. Their mission now completed, they turned north into Legion territory, where the Tanker was waiting for them above Albuquerque.

"Time to get gas", Harris said to Torres over the radio, "If our 'friends' follow, we'll have to take turns filling up. Maybe this'll convince Command to fix up some more fighters rather than wait until we can get these into series production."

The Gourmand - Later that day

Barnaky, followed by Brothers Martin and Joseph, strode into the conference room, arriving at the last minute. They had been held up waiting for materials to arrive from home....photos and film from the Photo-Recon mission they had run this morning, and film footage of a incident that happened this morning in a settlement just over the Indiana border. Barnaky noticed that many of the delegates that had been here yesterday had not returned....thankfully one of them had been the damned Cultists. The Legion, the Texans...including a delegation from Vault 99, the Pennsylvanians, the Children, and the NCR, of course, among others...including apparently a delegation from New York City..were here. no sooner did he take a seat than House began the conference with a short speech, then opened the floor to the delegates. First to speak was Titus, the Legion representative. Barnaky considered that unfortunate because he had hoped to pass along the briefing he had received before he spoke...but it wouldn't hurt much as it had already been passed along to Lucius's general staff as quickly as they could manage, it may even have already reached Lucius himself by now. He directed Martin to pass the briefing to one of Titus's aides so he could peruse it after his speech.

Titus's speech was quite good, he was using the boorish behavior of the NCR representative against them quite effectively, he thought. He especially liked how he wrapped it up.

"If we here, now, as assembled nations of this continent, issue a formal denouncement of The NCR and their foolish actions here, we will be sending a message to the NCR people", Titus said in conclusion, "No doubt Kimball will try and spin his actions, and those of his minions, as some sort of heroic struggle back home. Something that he was forced in to to protect his people or defend his nation. Or some other such utter nonsense. I wish the NCR people to know and understand just who is responsible for the current state they are in and who will have been the direct cause of their torments to follow. President Kimball Jr..."

Barnaky decided he would second the proposal, he would also use the opportunity to reveal just how treacherous the NCR had actually been....given the sizable force less than a hundred miles from Las Cruces, in Legion territory, had to have been on the march for a week or more before they launched their attack on the Legion's Western border. It might also get some clarity from the Texans....after all, they knew all about the NCR force from the speed with which they responded to his pilots.

“The Free Confederation of Texan States will take time to consider your proposal.”, the Texas representative replied tersely as he gestured for some of his retinue to approach several other representatives, those from the Keys, the Pennsylvanians, and the delegation from Franklin.

“Now I would like to inquire about a matter we can surely agree on.”, the Texan paused for effect, then continued. “What action is being carried out against the Cult of Ug-Qualoth? My scouts report fighting in the north. This cult seems to defy basic human rights, and we believe action against them might be necessary”.

"The gentleman from Texas is correct", Barnaky stood up and replied. "there is fighting in the North, the Cult's bestial behavior violates all norms of human decency, and something needs to be done about them...and I am doing just that. At 3:00AM this morning, my forces have advanced into what was Indiana, to begin the first stage of a campaign to break their power completely before they become a threat to everyone in what was the United States."

"while I have plenty to say about this campaign, and the necessity of it", Barnaky continued, "I am not prepared to move on the subject of the NCR's aggression and mendacity just yet." He then gestured and Martin and Joseph's aides began passing out manila folders to each delegation. Inside the photographs was aerial photographs, some taken at relatively close range, a estimate of the NCR force size and composition, and a map showing their location less than one hundred miles south of Legion territory, along with the projected line of attack, North along I-25 to Albuquerque and then to the Legion capital of Santa Fe.

"Now", Barnaky continued, "no Infantry force can march 400 miles in two days, so it is obvious that Kimball launched this offensive a week or more before this conference even began. And somehow, I don't think Kimball would have withdrew them even if Lucius Caesar had given in to Kimball's territorial demands. Five years ago, my Brothers and Sisters met the NCR in battle outside of Albuquerque. the comprehensive defeat of the NCR forces under General Moore resulted in the Impeachment and removal from office of the current President's father. I had hoped that the son would have learned from the Father's mistakes...but sadly he did not. The NCR will continue to expand, papering over it's mismanagement of it's economy and what resources that our wastrel ancestors didn't manage to squander before they destroyed themselves, then move on to the next victim once they have bled it dry. It is clear now that this pattern will never end until they are forced to change. So, with great regret, I have no choice but to state the following. If the NCR has not withdrawn it's forces in Legion territory, and the force currently in Mexico, by 4:00 PM Pacific Time tomorrow, then a state of war shall be considered to exist between the Midwestern Order and the New California Republic. Though as a concession, I will not object if the latter force turns themselves over to the Confederation for internment until the cessation of hostilities...due to their close proximity to the NCR force's current position."

Barnaky then sat down, adding. "And for the record, I second the motion of Queastor Titus."

In From The Fog: A Fallout Far Harbor Roleplay

Steve Miller - Far Harbor

The abandoned and rotting buildings of the pre-war town...called Bar Harbor according to the peeling signs....loomed up out of the fog as they trudged down the road. It was a downright creepy sight...Steve shuddered a bit even though he felt a odd warm feeling every time the fog touched him. Soon, they passed beyond the perimeter of working condensers, now the ones they passed by were silent and from a cursory glance, much worse for wear. Steve thought it might be worth it to retrieve some later and see if he could puzzle out how they work. From what he heard, the locals had relied on Acadia to provide the things....with them gone they had to figure out how to make them themselves, and fast.

Corrine was the only one of them who had real knowledge of the lay of the land, and from her body language, she was not at all thrilled to be out here. Neither was he...or the others....but he saw little choice. The people back at the docks had been making no preparations that he could see to repel an attack...for that matter, he could hear one of the sentries on the Hull snoring when they had left, which made him question whether they even took the Cultist's threats seriously. The equipment on the Vertibird should give them the edge they needed to buy time to get some real defenses in place...then perhaps they could figure out just what they were up against.

After they cleared the town, the needle on the devices gauge began to climb steadily. They were near...maybe less than a quarter of a mile....but outside the condensers the fog was so thick they could only see a few dozen yards. Soon, a pond became visible ahead...the line of silent condensers leading to it. The pipes running into it suggested that it was the settlement's water supply. Steve was no soldier, but he knew a vulnerability when he saw one....without condensers it would be simple for a Enemy to cut off their fresh water supply.

"We're not far", Steve said, pointing in the direction the signal was coming from, "About two-tenths of a mile, best I can estimate."

“Can’t see shit in fog...”, the Enclaver said as he wandered towards the edge of the pond. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. Steve stuffed the tracker in his haversack and just as he reached for the leather sling of his rifle, a large mutated creature popped out of the water, roaring a challenge, then spat something at James, who dodged it with catlike grace, drawing his revolver. It then lunged forward, and knocked the Enclaver off his feet with a single mighty blow, sending his rifle clattering along the ground.

"Fuck fuck fuck....", the Enclaver yelled as the creature moved towards him, "Where’s my gun?"

Shots began to ring out as James began firing his revolver at the fetid smelling creature, and the Enclaver forgot about his rifle for the moment and reached for a sidearm. As Steve readied his rifle, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Corrine was rushing forwards, a spear in hand.

"Cover me!", she shouted at him as she moved to work her way behind it. Steve worked the lever to chamber a round as he brought it up to his shoulder. He took aim at where his best guess of where it's heart and lungs were and fired, chambered another round, and fired a second shot as quickly as he could. He then chambered another round and took careful aim at it's head, ready to fire again if necessary.

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Mary Hawthorne - Her House

"That'll be lovely, I thank you. Wasn't sure if the was a guesthouse or Inn in town for me to stay at." Rick replied, then suddenly became agitated and stood up excusing himself from table, "SInce I'm...Since I'm going to be staying here...perhaps I should check out the town."

"Lovely weather for it", Mary replied, "I'd go with you but I have to clean up the saddle of the horse and find his owner...if they are still alive, anyhow."

Rick left via the front door, and Mary finished her lunch then packaged up the leftovers and put them in the refrigerator, then washed the pans. With two of those robots working, she could get this house properly cleaned in a fraction of the time it would have taken her to do it. Something odd about Rick though....he seemed better educated, and less worldly than the Wastelanders she had met. And he seemed to be eager to hide that as well....like he was protecting someone or something. But then she hadn't exactly been fully forthcoming either....she had understood exactly what the Cultist's battle-cry was, words in a language never intended for human tongues to utter. As for what it meant specifically...she would have to research it. She would investigate tonight...for now she had other things to do. She went into the living room, where two of the robots now sat upright, their legs curled up underneath them, being charged by a device Rich had connected to the two of them. The third, partially disassembled, sat off to the side. And sitting on a old folding construction sign was the saddle she had taken of the horse, dried blood spattered all over it. Finding some saddle soap in one of the saddlebags, she thoroughly cleaned the saddle and saddlebags, removing the bloodstains. Once clean to her satisfaction, she put the items back in the saddle bag and moved to drape them over the saddle, when suddenly a knock was heard at the door.

"Hello?", came a man's muffled voice outside. It wasn't Rick. Mary walked to the door and opened it, a stranger stood there, a tall, scruffy looking man in jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt. At his hips were a pair of semi-automatic pistols.

"Good afternoon", Mary said, "How may I help you?". She heard out the man's reply then spoke again.

"The Horse?", she asked, "He's not mine, sad to say. I decided to step in when I noticed he was left tied up outside the Diner all night with no food or water. He's not yours either....you look too healthy for that, the saddle and bags were covered in blood and there isn't a mark on you."

"With that said", Mary continued, "If you know who he belongs to, I'd be obliged if you would introduce me. I'm sure they would like him back, not to mention the contents of the saddle bags."

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Mary Hawthorne - Her Home

"That sounds good...", rich said with a nod, he then gestured out towards the living room. "Do you mind if I take a look at those Mr. Handy's for you? I know a thing or two about robots"

"Be my guest", Mary said, "We didn't have anything like that when I was young...well, where I grew up."

Rick walked back to the living room and busied himself while Mary prepared lunch for them both. She could hear the clattering of parts moving around, and odd whirring, but she left him to it as, raised in a simpler age, she had no idea how the things worked. Once lunch was ready, she called for Rick to come to the table.

"Be right there", he replied, "need to charge em up!"

After a moment he came into the kitchen and took his seat.

"So tell me, Rick", Mary said in a friendly manner, "What brings you to Salem?"

Rick looked up at her, "Oh well im doing some travelling and I was just curious about the north. You know away from the minutemen, and battle for Boston. Figured I'd visit the old town of Salem and see some witches. Bunch of nonsense if you ask me, if someone doesn understand something they call it magic."

"Quite true", Mary replied.

"Take a look at those robots. For someone not versed in robotics or science, they'd consider that magic. For me child's play... sorry I've had so many debates on this issues back home at..."

He then immediately changed the subject....clearly he had caught himself just before saying something he felt he shouldn't.

"Sorry...two of the robots are charging right now.", he said. "It'll be a basic charge, maybe last a few day. I see town has no electricity, so if you have a generator, I'd recommend you hook them up over night every few days. the third one just needs some parts and i could get it to work"

"Really?", she said with genuine surprise, "you fixed two of them already? I'm not sure what to say...that was very kind of you." She then added, "I don't have a generator, but I do have a supply of fission batteries to power the appliances and my purifier...would one of those get them charged up for a while?"

Rick cut up some of the meat before him, and atarted to eat, slowly at first, as if he'd never eaten venison before, then faster as he seemed to like the taste of it.

"I wonder what those raiders were shouting when they charged at us:, he said absentmindedly, "Sounded like latin, but im not so familiar with dead languages..." he stopped himself again.

"That wasn't Latin, Rick", Mary replied amusedly. She searched for a current day example, but could think of only one....those annoying Papists from the 'Abbey of the Road' that liked to snoop around Point Lookout, like Marcella. Obediah had wanted to kill that woman, convincing that pigheaded man killing her would only make things worse had taken all her powers of persuasion. But it only figured that if only one organization would survive the War that it would have be the Papists. "I've heard missionaries from the "Abbey of the Road" saying their prayers in Latin, and that sounded nothing like those two." she then added, "They are probably Tribals speaking some made up language."

They weren't Tribals, Mary knew that much. What Rick had told her, and her altercation with the Cultists, alarmed her greatly. She had some research to do, and tonight she would do some investigating on her own. The time she had spent learning alchemy...and other things from Orne and Hutchinson would come in quite handy.

"Are you just visiting Salem", Mary asked, "or are you planning to stay? If you like, you can stay here for a few days...it's the least I can do for helping me with those robots."

In From The Fog: A Fallout Far Harbor Roleplay

Steve Miller - Lee's Gun Shop

“Sounds good to me”, James replied. “I need to put on my Brotherhood outfit for armor, even if it is dirty. The material is thick enough to offer some protection.”

"I'll...go get my things", Corrine said, visibly nervous about the idea. "Be back at the gate in thirty minutes."

“I’ll be at the gate soon too.”, James said with a nod, he then turned to Steve. “Either of us could operate the device, though I have more weapons. It might be best if my hands weren’t full.”

"I'll hold onto it, then", Steve replied. "Need to pick up something then I'll be right down."

Steve then headed back to the Last Plank, and entered the bar, ignoring a couple of snickers as he jogged up the stairs to his room. He removed his pistol belt, wrapping it around the holster the .45 revolver was in then set it on the bed and then rummaged around in his haversack, pulling out another holstered revolver, a box of .38 shells, and some .357 on speedloaders. He put on the other belt, and stuck the ammunition in his left coat pocket. He then searched further until he found his compass, a old metal cased military model on a lanyard. He looped the lanyard around his neck then put the compass in a shirt pocket. He then emptied the haversack on the bed, then placed the items in the dresser, and slung the haversack over his shoulder. He then left, locking the door behind him, and left the bar and headed for the docks. On his way to the gate, he saw the Enclaver talking to a sour faced woman at the gun shop...apparently she was the owner.

"You should easily be able to get 200 caps if not more this, so 150? for the shotgun", he said to her as he handed her a old Combat Shotgun butt first, "...and the rest of the bill I'll pay in caps."

"Doesn't look like much....", the woman said, as she examined the weapon with a critical eye, "..but fine, I'll give you something for it. 100 caps, take it or leave it."

She then put all the guns and ammo in a small burlap sack and handed it over to James once he handed her a bag a caps.

"Here", she said gruffly as she handed him the bag, "Now let me close up for the night."

She began closing up the stall as the Enclaver noticed him. He pulled a lever action rifle out of the bag and handed it to him, followed by five boxes of shells. Steve took a quick look at the rifle, which appeared to be worn but well cared for. On the barrel was stamped "Marlin Model 1895 Caliber .45-70 Gov't."

"Thanks", Steve said, "but it's going to be a while before I can pay you back for this..."

"You can pay me back with one of power armour suits... and maybe a plasma rifle." The Enclaver replied with a chuckle.

"You'll have to take that up with James", Steve replied, "He has more of a claim on that stuff than Corrine and I do. Speaking of them, they are waiting for us at the gate....lets go."

As Steve approached, he saw Corrine and James waiting there for them. He walked up and stopped. He didn't really want to go out there, but there seemed to be no choice.

"Looks like we're all here...so lets get this show on the road", Steve said, doing his best to hide his apprehension as he turned on the device, and took a bearing with the compass on the direction it was in. He then pointed in the direction that the signal was coming from. "It's that way....what would be the best way to proceed, Corrine?"

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Mary Hawthorne - Riding a borrowed horse - outskirts of town

Tiring of riding circles around the Village Square, and to find a spout to let the horse graze, Mary ambled down the road South. She didn't plan to go far, as she didn't know how the horse would react near the Museum. Heading to the outskirts of town, Mary passed by the ruins of houses, looking for a suitable place to stop. It was then she noticed the stranger down the road, running towards her waving his arms over his head. He looked young, wearing a jeans, with a green jacket over a T-shirt. He was armed, a rifle was slung over his shoulder, but his demeanor didn't strike her as threatening....he seemed to be running away from something. She nudged the horse forward and trotted up to him and stopped.

The man appeared to be completely distracted by the horse, and approached and began to gently run his hands along it's face and neck. Obviously he had never seen a horse before...Mary could only guess that the horse and it's rider had come from elsewhere. West? From Canada? But he hadn't been signalling her so he could touch the horse...he was scared of something, and it wasn't just the Museum.

"There something wrong, mister?", Mary asked politely, "You looked like you were in trouble."

He shook his head then spoke. “You have to be careful out here", he said, pointing West, "I just came from some place called Dunwich Borers. Some creepy stuff happening over there, hooded men and women chanting before some stone monolith."

"The Quarry?", Mary asked, "Worshiping a monolith?" Mary found that quite odd. "The Quarry is held by Raiders...never heard of Raiders worshiping an idol."

"Also they were digging further down...", he continued, "They chased me when they saw me, I think I gave them the slip, but I’d be careful if I were you. They definitely did not seem friendly… and the presen-…yeah not friendly.” He looked like he was about to say more, but checked himself and started fiddling with his backpack nervously.

“Sorry, for the rudeness.", he said after composing himself. "My name is Rick, Rick Noel… But please believe me, stay away from that area.”

About then, the hairs began to stand up on the back of her neck...she was in danger. Not from Rick....but someone else nearby.

"Pleased to meet you, Rick...i'm Mary Hawthorne", Mary replied with a eerie calm as she reached into a pocket and her fingers curled around the grip of her revolver. "Don't act alarmed, but we're about to be attacked. Be a dear and get that rifle unslung, if you please."

As Rick unslung his rifle from his shoulder, the bushes in front of the ruined house less than fifty feet to Mary's right rustled and two forms hurtled out, rushing straight for them.

"PH´NGLUI SOTH!", one of them screamed as he raised up a old Chinese officer's sword and charged straight for her. Mary pulled out the revolver and rapidly emptied it into his chest. At least one round connected, as the assailant screamed, dropping the sword and clutching at his chest as he staggered back. About that time, Rick opened fire, the sound of the high-powered rifle startling the horse and causing it to rear back. Unable to hold on, Mary leapt off instead, landing on her feet. She raided the revolver again and pulled the trigger, only to hear a click as the hammer fell on a spent cartridge. Her attacker, blood beginning to trickle from a corner of his youth, looked at her with pure hatred as he used his free hand to inject himself in the neck with a Psycho injector he had produced from within his robes.

"Bitch!", he spat at her as he pulled out a large knife that had been jammed into his belt, "I'm gonna make you wish you'd never been born!"

Mary dropped the revolver and snatched the sword off the ground and fell into an "en garde" stance, waiting for her assailant to make his move. He lunged forward to strike, which she easily parried, leaving him wide open so that she could run him through, the blade finding his heart. This was too much for even his drug induced frenzy to compensate for, and he sunk to his knees, blood now gushing from his mouth. He gurgled something at her then fell over dead. She stood there for a moment, panting to catch her breath as she savored the moment...then looked around. Rick had dealt with the other attacker, fortunately. She stuck the sword in the ground, point first, and picked up her revolver, ejecting the shells into her hand then pulling them in her pocket and reloading the cylinder with a speed loader. She then walked up to the attacker and put a round into his temple to make sure he was dead. Noticing a medallion around his neck, she pulled it off and pocketed it. Walking over to the crumpled form of the other one, she saw a check shot was unnecessary as the back of his skull had been blown out from Rick's rifle. She looked over at Rick, her arm, still holding the smoking revolver hanging limp by her side.

"We need to get out of here, Rick", Mary said. "there may be more of them".

Fortunately, the horse had not gone far, so she was able to approach it and calm it down, and climbed back aboard.

"Get up behind me", Mary said, reaching out her hand for him to take. "just stay still, and hold on to me and we'll get back to town alright."

After a couple attempts, she was able to get Rick onboard, and they rode back into town, heading for her house. She put the horse in the brahmin pen, and took his bridle off.

"Well, Rick", she said, "I must say that meeting you has been....interesting. If you'd like, I can put out a extra plate for you...and perhaps you could tell me more about what you saw in that Quarry."

She led him inside, passing through the living room and the robots she had found piled up on the floor. As well as the bloody saddle from the horse....something she needed to address soon.

"Amazing what folks throw out, isn't it?", Mary said, "Found them while looking for bottles. I hope to find someone able to get at least one of them working again...don't know the first thing about fixing them myself."

She then took Rick into the kitchen, inviting him to take a seat at the kitchen table. She offered him some brahmin milk from the refrigerator, and then began to prepare venison stew.

"Only meat I have is venison", Mary said as she moved about the kitchen, "but I've got some pretty good recipes for it."

Once it was prepared, and cooking, she got herself some milk and sat down at the table opposite him.

"So tell me, Rick", Mary said in a friendly manner, "What brings you to Salem?"

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Mary Hawthorne - Her House - Dawn

Awakened to the sound of a rooster crowing, Mary opened her eyes and began to stir. A slight breeze was moving the threadbare curtains on her open bedroom windows, the dawn of a new day beginning to be visible through them. It had only been a few days, but the absence of the aches and pains she had felt for so long was gratifying....not to mention her now clear vision and improved hearing. A ghoul's extended lifespan carried a heavy price indeed...a burden Mary did not care to re-assume unless she had to. She climbed out of bed and put on the tan dress she had laid out on the dresser the night before. The musty smell and accumulated dust of the long vacant house irritated her...not to mention offended her reacquired sense of smell....she had spent most of the day yesterday cleaning the house, and there was still much to be done.

Making her way downstairs, she lit a fire in the fireplace then grabbed a pail and went to the kitchen sink. Turning on the tap, she waited until the brackish water cleared up then thrust the pail under it and let it fill. Obediah had been good enough to include a small purifier with the items she had brought from Point Lookout...and showed her how to use it...but it only produced a couple gallons a day, and she needed that for cooking and cleaning so the brahmin would have to make do with tap water, not that it would hurt the mutated creature any. Once the first pail was full, she swapped it out for another and placed the first one outside her front door. Once the second was full, she shut off the tap and went outside, picking up the other pail and heading for the brahmin enclosure next to her house. As she walked, she noticed that there were more people moving about than there was yesterday. She entered the pen, and emptied the pails into the old bathtub she was using to water her brahmin. The thirsty creature mooed contentedly and began to drink. Exiting the pen, and closing it behind her, she looked around....noticing two things right off the bat.

On the roof of the Diner, a sign had appeared.

Looking for some entertainment after your meal?
Head around the corner to the Pleasure Den!
BOOZE! DRUGS! AND GIRLS!
Also Hiring!

"Girls" and "Also Hiring" made her lips curl with distaste.

"A whorehouse? Here in Salem?", she thought bitterly, "John would have had that whoremonger horsewhipped and run out of town on a rail!"

She then caught herself....the stern morality of her youth was not relevant anymore...that was a far different world than the one she was in now. She also knew now what she had not then, that they were not sinners in the hands of an angry God, ceaselessly watching over them and keeping score. Whore or virgin, there was only one thing behind the veil for all....oblivion in a vast and uncaring universe. It really didn't matter in the scheme of things what you did...though it was still foolish to squander what little precious time they were given with such activities. Also, a place like that might have it's uses. The idea of actually selling herself in such a place was out of the question...but other opportunities might present themselves. The sort of people who frequent such places might be useful as helpers...if paid in sufficient coin. And she would need help indeed with the task that had brought her home after all these years. She decided to find this place and speak with it's proprietor later.

The other thing that got her attention was the horse....the first one she had seen since a few years after the War. She had noticed it tied up to a lamp post outside the diner yesterday, after she had been distracted from her cleaning by some silly child playing with a small pistol in the streets. If that woman who had confronted the Mutant hadn't taken it from her she would have gone out and given her a piece of her mind. She hadn't given the horse any further thought, but she now saw it was still in the same spot today, and getting a bit restive from the way it had begun to pull at the halter securing it to the lamp post.

Heading back into the house, she put away the pails and got the clean pail she was using for clean water, then filled it from the plastic tank the purifier was discharging into. She then exited the house and, pail in hand, walked towards the Diner and the horse. As she approached, she noticed the horse, a silver dappled Rocky Mountain Horse, was still saddled and there was blood on it's flank. Approaching the horse, she patted it reassuringly and moved around the front of it, and placed the pail of clean water where the horse could reach it. The horse immediately plunged it's muzzle into the pail and began to drink greedily.

"Thirsty, are you?", Mary said as she stroked the horse's neck affectionately as she examined the blood on the horse. To her relief, the horse was uninjured, the blood on it's flank and smeared on the saddle was human, probably it's rider. "What happened to your rider?", she said. The horse looked back at her and snorted, not that she expected an answer. Looking in the Diner, there were several people, none seemed at all concerned with the horse or her. "Well, lets get you cleaned up and get that saddle off you....these people clearly don't know what you need....but I do."

Mary untied the horse and led him back to her house. Once there, she removed the saddle and saddle bags, draping the blanket over the railing of her front porch then hauling the saddle bags and bloody saddle inside. Looking into one of the bags, she found among the personal effects of the rider the horse's brush, which she took and closed the bag up again. After filling the pail again, she went back outside, and gave the horse more water. She then turned her attention to cleaning the blood off the horse and brushing it, while it grazed at the overgrown grass in her front yard. The horse patiently allowed her to take care of it, though she could see that all was still not quite right.

"You need some exercise, don't you?", Mary said. "I don't have a big enough pen for you to run in so we'll take a short ride....how about that?" She then clambered up onto the horse's back....the water having earned her enough good will for the horse to accept her....and after a few unsteady moments, coaxed the horse into a slow trot. She hadn't ridden a horse bareback for so long that she could barely remember it...she had been fifteen and had done it on a dare from her elder brother. How upset father had been at her for that...both of them had gotten a taste of his belt. The sensuous feeling of the powerful animal between her bare thighs brought the old memories flooding back...her life had been a happy one in those days....happy in her ignorance of the awful truths that she would come to know, and what the world had been like before the fools running it had ruined it for everyone else.

After the first circuit of the streets surrounding the Village Square, she felt secure enough in her seat to coax the horse into picking up the pace, trotting around the Square, smiling at the townspeople who had noticed what she was doing and stood and gawked. Soon, she would need to find who this horse belonged to and get their property back to them....but for now she chose to enjoy the moment.

War Never Changes

Offut AFB 0715 (6:15 PDT)

"Three hours ago", the briefing officer said, "One of our cargo planes, returning from a mission to deliver cargo to a contractor in Brownsville, Texas, picked up NCR tactical radio comm traffic in Northern Mexico. This is an alarming development to say the least. It could mean that the NCR is trying to flank the Legion forces and either attack them from behind...or perhaps an attack on the Legion capital in Santa Fe. Needless to say, that will put the NCR into direct confrontation with us."

Paladin Harris, and his Wingman Paladin Torres both nodded grimly. They were well aware that the elite Brimstone Guards Brigade had been deployed to Santa Fe...for this very contingency.

"The source of the signals is somewhere in Chihuahua, Mexico.", the officer continued. "We've got a tanker en route to Albuquerque, you will rendezvous there to refuel then proceed south into Mexico. Your mission will be to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the target area, then return to report. Intelligence believes that any NCR force will be traveling along either Federal Highway 2 or 10, so start there."

"Sir", asked Paladin Harris, "What are the rules of engagement?"

"Do not engage NCR forces unless fired upon", the officer replied. "With that said, we want them left with no doubt in thier minds that we know they are there...so feel free to be creative." He then added, "Just be careful...your Hellions are the only two we have."

West of El Paso, TX - 7:30 MDT (two hours later)

The Hellions headed south into Mexico, picking up the old Mexican highway Federal Route 2, and following it about 5000 feet up. Cruising along, they overflew the highway, which was deserted except for a small caravan. After about 10 minutes, they began to approach the ruins of Ascensión, which had been one of the larger towns in the area Pre-War. Beyond it, approaching the town, was a large column moving East down the Highway towards the town.

"That's gotta be it", Harris said triumphantly to Torres over the com, "Look at the size of that column....there is several thousand men at least!" He then added...I'm making my run.....watch my back." Harris descended to about 500 feet then started the cameras in the recon pod along the center-line of his aircraft and kicked in the afterburner and made his run, speeding over the column just over the speed of sound. Once clear, he banked right then made a second run, this time parallel to the NCR column. As he sped by, he could see the column was thrown into disarray. The then made a run down the other side, once again parallel to the column. He then waggled his wings at the astonished NCR troopers, shut off his camera pod, and proceeded to follow the road again, down the direction the NCR force had come.

"Well, that certainly got their attention", Torres said with a laugh, "You should have seen them scatter when you flew over them...too funny!"

"That'll make the highlight reel", Harris said with a chuckle, "We'll see if that's all of them then it's back home. Command will want to know about this."