Chapter 145: Chapter 141

Regardless of whether they chose to leave or join the Nexus, the terrified and meek populace of Ithaca were herded nearly a mile out of their city for a grand viewing. Two days after the failed attempt to nuke out the Nexus army, and the punitive invasion that followed, most of the Enclave citizens had little optimism about their fates.

 

They saw and heard the screams of their bloodied senator and the leaders of Ithaca’s military.

 

Still, the Nexus robots had brought clean water and food, and healed even the most crippling wounds as they scoured through the city. And other than Ithaca’s leaders, no one else had been put on screen or had gone ‘missing’. Even the agents sent out to scout the Nexus were returned to join the assembly. The men looked badly rattled, but were otherwise healthy and sane. None would speak of what they’d experienced during captivity though.

 

Sev’s announcement about not being indiscriminate in assigning the blame had held up for now. But Ithaca would still need to be destroyed, to serve as a message.

 

So the crowd was forced to gather on some clearing alongside the Nexus’ robots, soldiers and towering war machines…and a bunch of journalists with far more cameras than anyone in Ithaca thought was possible. The highly regulated luxury goods drew about as much attention as the massive walkers, as well as the female reporters who weren’t in the appropriate cleavage- and thigh- revealing attire.

 

There was a sharp descent to silence when Sev’s face appeared in the air via some hidden hologram, and his voice came through the speakers from several tentacled robots swimming above the crowd. “People of the Enclave, and anyone of the broken remains of the country that was the United States of America. I am Sev, ruler of the Nexus Severalty. I have tamed the wastelands of the Commonwealth, cleansed the radiation and devastation to restore the lands back to what they were before the Great War.”

 

The crowd of Enclave citizens and Nexus soldiers alike were fixed to the hologram as Sev gave his speech. A very rare event, those who served him knew. “The Nexus has broken raider warbands and purged super mutant hordes. We have erased irredeemable cannibal communes and sadistic cults. We offer a place to any who wish succor from the misery of the wasteland, we provide liberation to the oppressed and enslaved. And we respect the sovereignty of those who wished to be left alone, so long as such intentions were delivered in a civil manner.”

 

Even through the haziness of the hologram, the surrendered Enclave soldiers in particular flinched when they saw Sev’s gaze harden. “The Enclave city of Ithaca, or rather, the rulers of it, have not been civil in their communications.”

 

Sev’s face was replaced with close-ups of the back of metal-capped super mutants’ skulls, the wiring and screws clear for all to see. Then the image flickered to a video of a massing sea of giants, zooming out to capture it flowing past the ruins of a city. “First, by sending its tamed super mutants to organize a region-desolating horde against us…”

 

The hologram flickered once more, this time to show missiles streaking through the skies before detonating in blinding atomic fire above super mutants, robots, and armored soldiers. “...and then, when their mob were losing, they launched a barrage of nuclear strikes on our forces.”

 

Sev’s face returned with a disapproving frown. “No attempt of negotiations were made beforehand, nothing but infiltrators sent to sabotage the peace of the Nexus.” His face vanished again to show the upper bodies of several Enclave special agents looking downcast from guilt, holding small boards with their names and designations printed out. 

 

Then Sev was back on the hologram, his features back to the hard stare. “The leadership has been apprehended and will be punished soon. But make no mistake, the Nexus Severalty will not tolerate such actions anymore.”

 

Again, his face blinked out but this time nothing replaced it except for the view of Ithaca city. The Enclave crowd shifted uncomfortably, the apprehensive tension stretched thin as they feared for what would follow.

 

An unnatural white glow from the heavens drew everyone’s gaze up, and for a moment it seemed like the city was bathed in a massive column of light. And then, in a flash, the glow turned into an intense, blinding flash that made the captive audience scream out in surprise and pain. They forced their stinging eyes open in time to see a massive cloud of dust blanket and roll out from Ithaca.

 

A tremendous, rumbling roar followed seconds later, the shockwave knocking some off their feet and threatening to rupture eardrums. The stunned audience stared on as the dust settled, and it became clear that the silhouette of their city was missing. It took a few minutes for the view to clear up enough, and mortals and machines alike finally got a clear look at the gaping crater that was once the Enclave city of Ithaca.

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“Let Ithaca city be an example of how the Nexus treats those that prefer low cunning and sabotage over formal diplomatic measures. We have captured thorough information about the Enclave communications network. I know which cities you govern and what bunkers you hide in. ”

 

Sev’s hologram appeared for the final time, staring down at the cameras and the terrified crowd with a dark grin. “Please, test me. Launch another nuke, or send out whatever secret weapons you have, from wherever hole you’re hiding in. Next time, there will be no warning, and no hesitation for the collateral that would be used as human shields against us. Try me, and you will not have the time to hear the screams of your own extinction.”

 

*****

 

All in all, we still had an overwhelming victory over Enclave Ithaca. The obliterated super mutants were a minor loss in the grand scheme of things, and more than made up by the massive and highly detailed information about the Enclave. Our maps could be updated to show which cities and outposts were major strongholds, and we also had coordinates to several converted oil rigs in both the Pacific and Atlantic.

 

We also got access to the Enclave’s encrypted landline, a thorough breakdown of their courier network, and a very recently updated information on significant strategic assets on the strongholds. Nukes, vertibird fleets, even tanks… The Enclave bases had a lot of gear, but they were each too fragmented, too busy in politicking to actually be a single coherent threat. Instead, the weekly reports were a sort of dick-waving contest and a deterrence against territorial issues from their colleagues.

 

So they were like pre-modern, pre-colonial empires, where states and fiefdoms schemed and backstabbed against each other as everyone vied politely for the title of emperor.

 

Very useful information, secured by a supposedly brilliant and selfless secretary who was trying to save her home and friends from the actions of her incompetent superiors. Kelly’s going through probation now, but if she passes and still wants a job, Gwen’s got a spot for her. That, or I could carve out a low-stress PA job for her to enjoy. The girls agreed that she seems eager enough, and I’m not going to complain if someone on par with Gwen’s competence served to handle my paperwork. 

 

And yeah, I’m not going to complain if I have to ensure my new assistant’s loyalty with a good, thorough fucking.

 

Anyways, Enclave aside, the new toys performed as well as I’d expected. The Hornet anti-grav tanks were a neat replacement to the heavy tanks we had, being agile and small enough to slip into alleyways while packing a punch to level city blocks. Hard to hit, quick to mobilize, and all-terrain to boot. I’ll definitely be using that for an amphibious assault on an oil rig or three later.

 

As for the Mad Cats, the mechs fit nicely between the city-killing power of the Warlords and the block-busting Hornets. The missiles in particular gave them a collateral friendliness that our usual fare of white lasers and PPCs didn’t have. Also, they were great fun to pilot. Eva really came through with the easy controls there, and having bullshit tech of Fallout didn’t hurt either.

 

All in all, a good showing all around. The recordings of Ithaca’s cratering were sent out to dead drops where embedded Enclave agents in frequent inter-wasteland trade caravans would pick them up and disseminate them. Just in case, I had Kelly send out an encrypted message to ensure that everyone in the Enclave network knew about the pickup sites just outside Ithaca crater.

 

The Tupile’s many sensors were on watch throughout the continent for any signs of idiocy on the Enclave’s part, and ready to retaliate with another white laser turbo lance. All I’d just need is a ping from Eva or Cabal and a quick sign off, and the Nexus’ new superweapon would create another glassy crater.

 

I honestly hope someone would give me a reason to use it, really. Screw the civvies and bystanders and whatnot. I think I need at least four shots of the turbo lance to justify the headache of getting Nora on board the idea. The game doesn’t do her any justice at all; the lady can really scream through an entire conversation with clarity and coherence. 

 

Still hasn’t physically lashed out though, so it’s two more enraging meetings to go before I win the bet with Nick, and nine more for the bet with the girls.

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