Tuxedo Fox

Fallout: Orleans

@Ulstermann
SECONDARY QUEST-A Light in the Darkness

For one brief and fleeting moment Boss made out the ocean on the horizon, the serene and peaceful sight seemingly everything he had dreamed it to be for so many years-that was until this beautiful scene was shattered by the sound of two boats ripping through the waters. The outraged look on Boss's face made it clear he had taken this as some sort of personal attack.

"Fuck!" Carson cursed. "Boss! BOSS! Look alive! Some bastards are looking for a shoot em up!" As he spoke he clicked his safety off. "You too, little guy." He told AH. "Charge up your lasers or whatever. You'll be needing them if you don't want to end up a pile of spare parts!"

Luckily for Boss and Carson the entirety of the old river boat was surrounded in a chest high solid metal guard rail that was about a good half inch thick-despite the steel being somewhat rusted it still worked as damn fine cover against small arms fire. Admittedly there was a blackened empty hole here and there from the randomly well placed plasma round but for the most part it was the best place to take cover when fending off an attack.

Heeding Carsons words Boss wasted no time in throwing himself down to the floor, back against the guard rail he set his shotgun aside and simultaneously pulled out his machete and .44 caliber handgun-he was well aware the shotgun would do him no good against a moving boat. "We got company comein up on our left, you know the drill!" Boss roared in Cats direction as he peeked over the rail at the closing boats, the speedy little red crafts closing in quick.

Knowing the barge could never outrun the speedy raiding boats that Boss and his men had come to encounter in their journies it became routine for the group to steer the barge ass close to shore as they safely could without grounding themselves: hopefully cutting off a side to be raided from and allowing for a quick escape to shore should things go horribly wrong. On rare instances, such as this, Cat could even use the ships one form of offense and steer the ship into head on collisions with raiding boats-the smaller variety literally being crushed to splinters against the slow behemoth that was Boss's barge. Most of the time raiders could easily outmaneuver such an attack, but it had worked often enough that Cat continued to try; Boss was pretty sure she just loved the sensation of running over raider boats.

Now with both bandit boats coming straight for them their attackers were forced to choose between wrecking their boats against Boss's hull or breaking course alongside them, possibly turning around afterwords. Hopefully they couldn't ride in the shallow waters that separated the Barge from land Boss thought; for if they couldn't there was no way his group could now be circled.

Letting out what could only be described as a war cry Boss sprang to his full height while still clutching both his machete and gun, the sight of him shooting up past the guardrail no doubt resembling some sort of pirate from a forgotten time. Aiming as best he could he let off three quick shots; the sudden explosion of bullets around him causing him to retreat to cover yet again. He wasn't sure if he'd hit anybody and now he only had three shots left in the chamber.

Damnit.

He could hear AssHead unloading quite the laser payload on their attackers but he had no idea the extent of damage the crazy eyebot had inflicted. Cursing himself he banged the back of his head against the cover he hid behind-if only he had some sort of long range weapon on hand. And then he remembered.

"Choke on this you sonsofbitches!" Boss barked while pulling the pin from one of the grenades he'd pocketed earlier, after letting it cook for a moment he hurled the thing with all the strength and luck he could muster in the direction of the atackers.

Fallout: Orleans

@Ulstermann

I wonder if we should blow up/sink Boss's barge? In the course of this quest?

Fallout: Orleans

@Ulstermann
"Holy shit-He got it workin Boss." Cat spat in clear astonishment at how quickly Carson had been able to pick up a signal.

"Meh, beginners luck probably." Boss spat, trying his best to act unimpressed. He was a horrible actor.

---

Boss left the cabin halfway through the radio transmission, returning moments later with his large pump action shotgun. He'd already decided that he was going to offer Carson his help moments before the man began listing reasons why it would benefit Boss to do so. Everything Carson said made sense too: his logic sound in both the possible monetary and reputation rewards completing such a task would bring. But those reasons weren't what made Boss decide to lend his gun (and more importantly, boat) to Carson-the fact of that matter was that there was a man out there who was likely being attacked by some of the very men and women that killed the people Boss had been responsible for; the twelve faces of the crewmen he'd lost in the area flashing before his eyes as he loaded slug after slug into the shotgun he held.

"Not gonna lie Carson, this piecea garbage is just as likely to sink. But fuck it, it's gotten us this far. Cat?" He nodded to the woman who wordlessly slid into her large leather seat as if understanding exactly what Boss wanted, her familiar smile still hanging from her lips despite the fact they were now steering the barge towards their possible deaths-or even worse, loss of merchandise.

Without waiting Boss strode out onto the dock where Asshead seemed to be investigating that vast amount of random and rare objects on board. "Hey A-H?" Boss asked in a demanding voice, the little robot responding with his own inquisitive chirp. "Go ahead and keep an eye out at the fronta the barge here." He gestured towards the front of the ship with his shotgun. "Let us know if ya see anything that looks like it means to shoot or rip our faces off. And feel free to shoot at em if they do."

Asshead let out a few happy beeps before floating off towards the front of the boat, as if the permission for possible violence was all he'd been waiting for. Ignoring the homicidal robot Boss quickly made short work of untying all the ropes that kept them tethered to the docks-hopefully Ted wouldn't show up to find an empty peer.

With the skill of someone who'd bee piloting the same vessel day after day Cat pulled out of port rather smoothly before turning the ship in the direction of the Ocean. "You gotta tell me where to go though, allright guy? Don't know the waters around here at all, despite what it may look like." Cat laughed at Carson as she steered the clumsy barge onward.

"Hey Carson!" Boss's voice barked from out on the deck after several minutes "Get your ass out here, got a lil somethin for ya. Call it a company perk." As Carson exited the cabin he could see Boss standing over a small wooden crate that he had broken into, the wooden box stuffed with straw held what looked like little dark grey baseballs-on closer inspection however it was quite obvious it was about half a dozen fragmentation grenades. Boss tossed one to Carson like it was a toy and not some deadly explosive that could likely kill them both and sink the barge in one fell swoop.

"Can't wait to see that Ocean."

Fallout: Orleans

lol thats what I figured, ya never know though

Fallout: Orleans

@OrdureI worry me an ulster are posting to much-im sure this is mostly just cause im effin paranoid but, ya know, wanted to say somethin. Just leme know if we are!

Fallout: Orleans

@Ulstermann
Boss let out a brief chuckle as he pocketed the handful of caps, not even bothering to count the meager sum. "Try livien with the guy." he said as they made their way into the shack sized control room. The room was somewhat small, standing at about seven feet tall there was enough room for about three people of average height to lay on the floor if need be-that was if you threw the large "only slight torn up" leather chair out onto the decks; Cat jokingly referred to this as her Captains Chair. Aside from the chair they drug into the room there wasn't much else to see aside from a pile of food and water stacked neatly in the corner: unfortunately like most things from back home the room was covered in the inescapable old world filth that seemed to plague any structure from Boss's home.

Despite spending most of her time in the trashy room the women known as Cat still sported a rather genuine smile; a look that went rather nicely with her golden blonde hair and sharp facial features. Like usual her eyes were hidden behind the large Aviator sunglasses she always seemed to sport, the dark black reflective surfaces causing Carson to look at his own face as she stared him down. Unlike Ted though she kept smiling, giving Boss a nod as the pair entered the room. Boss immediately noticed she was clutching that book in her right hand that she was always reading, the half scorched old world paper back that she called War and Pieces or something. No matter how much ribbing Boss gave her she always seemed to read and reread that damn book.

"Howdy." Cat said while giving the dark black cowboy hat on her head a slight pull with her left hand in a friendly gesture. Where she had come up with a cowboy hat in the short time Boss was gone was completely beyond him-probably a passing trader no doubt. He had to admit she pulled the look off though; the well worn hat, glasses, and army fatigues giving her the heir of a woman that knew her way around the wasteland despite her gentle features. And as Boss had seen in the last four months she damn well could.

"As you can see there isn't much to look at. Got the main controls and the ships wheel." Cat gestured at the chest high control console in front of her that faced the front of the ship, a large sturdy looking ships wheel likewise centered in between the various controls. "And then there is the radio." She pointed to the rather sturdy if somewhat dirty looking contraption that resembled a large metallic tower with a built in computer panel; various wires and cords lead to a small hole in the cabins ceiling that snaked up into a large antennae on the roof. "We haven't had any luck with it though. Old Pete swore he almost had it fixed..." Her voice trailed off.

"Yeah, poor Old Pete..." Boss picked up, as if finishing some horrific unspoken story. Cat was quick to chime back in though before the mood got any darker.

"Feel free to try your hand at it though. Names Cat by the way." Putting her book in the nook of her arm she then extended her hand towards Carson, determined to crush his hand in a handshake.

Fallout: Orleans

@Tuxedo Fox Thanks. I just hope someone actually goes on one of them.

@Ulstermann

Almost had Boss say somethin about it, but then decieded he'd rather just get the fuck back to his ship. He feels naked without his shotgun.

Fallout: Orleans

@Ulstermann
"Rev-OH-Lewsh-in" Boss sounded the foreign word out as Carson spoke, clearly trying his best to make sense of the word. "Guessin those were the guys attacking the red coats-er, Order-eh?" He asked rhetorically as he let Carson keep speaking. He quickly clammed up when Carson talked about the ocean being a nightmare. He couldn't-no, wouldn't, believe that the ocean could be a horrible place. It just couldn't.

"You know that before the War people used to cross it for months on end? They'd be trapped on a ship for months. No women, no land, no nothing." Carson shivered. "Crazy bastards."

Boss bit his tongue; the mere idea of what Carson described not only sounded like quite the adventure but an extremely peaceful life when compared to the constant killing of the wasteland.

Then Ted showed up, making the idea of a secluded boat on a vast ocean sounding all the more appealing.

---

Ted momentarily flashed Boss a glance, clearly half expecting his long time crewman to have his back in the situation that had unfolded between himself and Carson. Sadly Boss only gave him a stone cold expression-the sight causing Ted to throw his hands up in the air in a mocking I surrender stance. "Woah woah woah, Sorry there buddy. Forgot my place-Its not like I live here or anything afterall, you know? Who am I to speak my mind?" He let out a forced laugh before he started to rant again-only Boss quickly cut him off.

"Ted..." Boss had to keep himself from sighing. "Why don't you go and see the town buddy? You can even take a few pouches and bring back some goodies, I still owe Cat a dinner afterall."

"Yes sir, buddy."

Flint watched Ted storm off the boat, quickly losing sight of him in the shifting crowds. He felt slightly bad watching the man go; honestly he deserved better from Boss. "Sorry about that." Boss spat at Carson as he lead the man further onto the boat, the pair passing the fortune of supplies that was haphazardly strewn about on the ships deck. "He's a good hand, just has a mouth on him. Sure you know the type."

Quickly they reached the metal cabin that housed all of the ships controls, Boss forcefully began banging on the large metal. "Open up Cat, its me. Got a local that's paid good caps to use the radio." As soon as he finished speaking the sound of various locks being opened sounded from behind the thick metal cabin door, quickly followed by the squealing sound of metal on metal as the door began opening.

"Speaking of Caps though..." He let the words linger, clearly expecting the meager sum before letting Carson use the radio. Clearly he was a business man first and foremost.

Fallout: Orleans

I'll be posting the first secondary quest in the next couple of minutes. The rules are simple. If you accept it all you have to do is write SECONDARY QUEST-QUEST NAME at the beginning of each post concerning the quest. That way we won't get confused about who is doing what and where.

@Ulstermann

I think that's an awesome way to handle side quests

Fallout: Orleans

@Ulstermann
"Probly somewhere you've never hearda, big place called Chicaghoul. It's way up North, lived there for years while workin for the Redfield Caravan Company." Boss quickly answered in his gruff voice-for some reason the man was easy to talk to. "What about you? Said you've been to the ocean? I've been tryin to reach the coast since I was a kid, damn great lake had me fooled for years. Must be somethin to see." The last sentence was said more for himself then Carson, Boss obviously briefly lost in thought about the fabled ocean.

As the two continued to talk Boss guided them along as best he could; which wasn't that good at all, actually getting lost for a good five minutes before catching sight of the dock by chance. Of course he didn't let any of this on to Carson, Boss walking with such purpose the only the keenest eye would call him on his bullshit.

---

Finally they made their way to the still rather busy docks, Boss quite happy at the sight that his old garbage barge was somehow still afloat. No doubt Carson would have been dumbfounded that the old bullet riddled burned up boat still sat atop the water. So many people still flooded the docks that it caused Boss to literally have to shove his way past individuals at times (which he did remorselessly.) Apparently the merchants and traders had business so important it didn't matter a small scale war had just taken place. Boss laughed inwardly when he realized he was such one crazy individual.

"Here she is, home sweet home." Boss said as he swung himself aboard the barge, his tone made it hard to tell if he was joking or not.

As soon as the two men set foot aboard the barge they were greeted by the ghoul known as Ted. "Heya Boss, looks like you survived that shitstorm out there. And here I was weaping over the thought I had two split all this sweet loot two ways now...ah well. Oh SHIT!" Ted noticed Asshead witched bobbed behind Boss low to the ground, the sight of which almost made the little robot look self conscious. "You got me a fuckin robot! Oh man Boss-I swear I'll never talk bad about you behind your back again. Except when your not here, of course. For real though man this is fuckin epi-" He seemed to notice Carson for the first time (or atleast chose to finally acknowledge him), sizing the man up for a moment the look on his face made it rather apparent he didn't like what he saw. "So who's the smoothskin, Boss?" His words dripped with venom as he locked eyes with Carson.