Chapter 155: Chapter 150

Kelly moved throughout the new lands of the Nexus with confident purpose, her bodyguards from the 1st further reinforcing her surety. As much as she disliked the ash and blood and dust of the newly acquired wasteland, she had a job to do. Sev and Gwen had charged her with finalizing the integration of various settlements, something Kelly saw as a sort of test.

At least the locals of the Capital Wasteland had been suitably cowed enough to not stall negotiations too much. If anything, they were as keen to pledge full fealty as quickly as possible. But procedures had to be followed though, especially when it came to filtering out undesirables. 

Honest answers were required from each town and village, particularly with things that Nexus laws found immutably damning. Kelly expertly finessed her way into picking out those with a history of rape or slaving for more thorough processing, and the pair of bodyguards took care of things should the whole settlement ended up being…deviant. Like the cannibals of Andale. 

She also had to clarify Nexus rules in terms that even the dumbest, most brain-slagged wastelander could understand. That proved to be the most challenging thing, especially with particularly dense settlers.

“So we are free to tend to our god?” the ‘cult’ of the Treeminders asked for the fourth time. Andy and Vicky groaned in the comms.

Kelly simply took a deep breath and leveled her blankest stare at the leaf-covered man. “Yes, Tree Father Birch. So long as you adhere to Nexus laws, which your group has been doing excellently already, the Nexus will stay out of your affairs.”

The damned old man was still not convinced. Again. “Even if we still follow the Great One?”

“Yes, the Nexus believes in freedom of religion,” Kelly sighed out, not bothering to mention the caveat of Nexus laws this time. It’s not like this was a proper cult anyway, the occultists had double-checked before her arrival, and after Kelly paid a personal visit to the talking tree - or more accurately, a ghoul trapped in a tree - she actually pitied Harold, the Great One of the Treeminders. Supposedly Sev would be dropping by later to look into properly resolving the issue, right after he settled some things with a few vaults around the Capital Wasteland.

Someone wanted to set up a bet that by the time he’d finish, Sev would be adding a few more cocksleeves into his inner circle. It was a sucker’s bet, so instead it turned into putting credits on what Sev’s next loyal slut would be. Kelly had a few creds on another lab-coat, as well as a smaller bet on a veteran soldier type.

*****

Vault 101 was not what anyone had expected. Other than the fact that it was the Lone Wanderer’s home, there wasn’t much intel on the insular vault, which made their distress signal all the more concerning. According to eyebot sensors and a few occultist rites, something of a civil war had just started brewing within. Sev seemed to have made up his mind on what needed to be done, so Gwen, Piper, Curie and Sarah followed along. 

Cait was stuck with Nat overseeing the transition for Little Lamplight, while Edward and the rest of the 1st were busy looking into potential altars and ritual sites.

It had been a while since Gwen stepped out of the comforts of a growing Boston and Caladan, so there was some nostalgia at breathing in the desolate air and having a shroud of…dirtiness all around her. 

Sev activated the intercom and spoke into it with his ‘formal speech’ voice. “I’m sure you’ve picked up signals from the outside world. I am Sev of the Nexus Severalty. I have been made aware of the ongoing troubles within your vault.”

There was a long stretch of silence, and before it got too long, the intercoms came to life. “Outsiders are not welcome.” Gwen thought the speaker sounded rather stressed. “Leave us to our own affairs.”

Sev drew in a breath before speaking into the coms again. “This is not a polite or fair diplomatic exchange. Any refusal to negotiate will be viewed as potential hostility, and be treated as such. If you do not wish to open talks, we will take a more direct, and far less friendly approach in meeting with you.”

The man on the other side sounded to be riled at the threat. “Your so-called power has no hold over Vault 101. I am the overseer of the vault, I hold the authority over the vault. Not you and whatever self-importance you’ve stuck to yourself. This is an internal affair, Vault 101 does not need outside interference, regardless of what my traitorous girl spouted.”

“Oh, he sounds like he’s applying for Tleilax,” Piper commented under her breath, causing Curie and Sarah to smirk. Gwen herself felt pity for the overseer on the other end. It’d be nice to meet another sane overseer at last, but it seems that this one wouldn’t be it.

Sev gave a heavy sigh into the intercom. “Last chance. For the sake of your vaulters’ wellbeing, for the sake of your vault’s continued existence. Open up and let’s talk.”

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“No, I will no-”

Deciding that enough was enough, Sev resorted to the direct approach, dashing to the vault door and then tearing out the thick metal slab with his bare hands. It landed with a ground-shuddering thud in the side of the cavern, and the five of them entered to find an overseer’s office occupied by a few shocked vault guards in paltry conventional firearms and an equally stunned overseer.

The aging and clearly overstressed leader recovered first, pointing at the Nexus’ delegation. “Who are-”

“Shut it,” Sev snapped almost immediately. “I’m going to speak to your ‘traitorous’ vault dwellers.”

There was a pause as he began to move with intent, as if knowing the layout of the vault (honestly, it was Sev, so Gwen found it likely he probably did through one eldritch way or another). 

The overseer sputtered, eyes wide, outrage fuelling his courage. “How dare you! What give you the right-”

Shimmers of de-cloaking a dozen Strigoi bots behind Gwen and the others shut him up, and some of the vault guards dropped their weapons and yelped at the sight of the hulking, clawed automatons of the Nexus.

“By right of overwhelming power,” Sev answered with a vindictive smirk, and then he gave the vaulters a challenging glare. “If you want to speed things up, please, someone shoot us. That way I only have to deal with one less faction leader.”

They went through Vault 101’s halls unopposed after that, and Gwen met the supposed ‘rebels’, led by the overseer’s own daughter. Amata Almodovar and the others in her faction were very wary of the Nexus invaders, but between Sev conjuring new tools and essential vault parts, and Gwen’s well honed diplomacy, the traitors of Vault 101 accepted the backing of the Nexus with little issue.

Deposing Alphonse Almodovar was also an easy thing. With more killbots looming menacingly, Gwen and Curie played the good cops to Sev, Piper and Sarah’s bad cops. Logic was used as a carrot, and immediate extermination as the stick.

“You know as well as I that your vault cannot remain closed indefinitely to the outside world. Why doom your daughter to a miserable future?”

Sarah added over Curie’s reasoning with a huff. “Might as well save her the grief and take her with us. She’d only need to mourn you, and not her doomed future as well.”

Vault 101 was annexed shortly after the one-sided negotiations. Humanitarian necessity aside, Gwen didn’t like the rather ruthless approach, but Sev had questions that needed answering from the vaulters here. Important questions, judging from how quickly he started asking questions, taking Sarah Lyons with him. While they dug around for information on [], Gwen, Piper and Curie helped in settling Amata in her role as a vault overseer to an open-bordered Vault 101.

The young woman would have her work cut out for her, but a fleet of Mr Handies and Sentinels were already on their way with resources to restore the vault and connect it to the rest of the Nexus. Gwen would probably have to station an aide here as a liaison and advisor, though Kelly was out of the question. The girl might actually die of sex starvation if she didn’t get Sev’s cock for too long.

They left when Sev was done with his interrogations, and it worried Gwen to see him and Sarah frowning throughout the journey out to the surface. “So, you get what you came for?” Piper asked with a hopeful smile.

“Yes,” came the curt answer, but after the girl’s silent gaze he relented a bit. “His name isn’t Gary.” The answer made no sense, not until Gwen returned to Caladan and got the report on 1st Company’s quarantining of Vault 108.

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Author's notes: Another 50 chapters, another scheduled break from this story. I know it's bad to leave on a cliffhanger, but it's my cheat to get myself to come back to this story a little easier.

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