Chapter 166: Chapter 161

Like Ottawa in the east, the fortified city of Ronto had stood strong for over a century against the worst the northern wasteland could throw at it. It was however a city of humans instead of ghouls, and the Ice Talons had been expertly rebuffed through the use of bribes and threats.

 

Nobody, not even greedy mercenaries, ever wanted to be on the wrong end of the guns of Imperious Ronto.

 

Yet for all its dread reputation, Grand Mayor Cain Nadeau was glad that he was the sixth Grand Mayor to govern over a mostly peaceful city. No raiders, super mutants, or even the ghoul packs had come close enough to warrant the use of the well kept, pre-War ordnance.

 

The fact was, Ronto’s infamy was far older than everyone in the city. It helped that occasionally there’d be test fires, partly to keep the Honorable Gunners’ skills sharp, and partly to remind everyone around the devastation a few barrels could wreak, nevermind what the whole awakened battery might erase from existence.

 

It was with this ingrained knowledge that allowed the Grand Mayors and their council to maintain an ironclad peace and allow the region to prosper. Traders and settlers alike gladly paid the tolls and taxes for the security the shadow of the guns provided, while many a desperate raider had approached the city with arms raised in surrender, hoping to begin a new life as an indentured servant.

 

Cain sighed as he looked out the balcony of the mayoral citadel. The silhouettes of the floating farms on Lake Ontario could just barely be picked out by the rising sunlight, the calm waters shimmering beneath them. Oil and electric lights warred with the dawn to illuminate the rest of the walled city, and very soon the comforting drone of Mr Gutsies, Protectrons and Sentrybots would be drowned out by the bustle of city life.

 

The Grand Mayor sighed again, turning to leave the balcony for the warmer citadel interior. He still had plenty of time to get ready for the welcoming party; The Nexus Severalty’s little delegation was only due to arrive in a couple of hours.

 

As he soaked in his bath, the Grand Mayor of Ronto let the bitter truth seep out of him. Contrary to what everyone believed, he knew that the city would stand no chance at all against any dedicated assault. It was a grim state secret that only the Grand Mayor, the Lord General and the Most Honorable Chief Engineer knew: 

 

The great guns of Ronto were slowly dying to old age.

 

Over the decades, maintenance slowly ate away at the pre-War spare parts, and already some of the barrels were nothing more than display pieces as their failing mechanisms were scrapped for parts. Ronto simply did not have the capability to produce the finer and more precise parts required for replacement. 

 

Cold snaps had also damaged whole pallets of artillery shells, forcing them to be carefully disassembled.

 

Even the robot legion was slowly shrinking. Few would notice it due to carefully scheduled rotations, but the weekly reports from the Most Honorable Chief Engineer made it clear that they had less than a third of the robots compared to the time when Ronto first rose to power with looted US Army stockpiles.

 

Thankfully, all of that would no longer be a problem anymore. 

 

As he exited the citadel, Cain’s first sight was of intimidating Sentinel robot swarms in the distance, swimming in the air as they replaced Ronto’s walls of rusting tanks with actual hewn boulders and sturdy metal plates. Down by the Metro Square, Nexus Enforcers herded growing lines of Ronto citizens through healing arches or to receive BSC jabs, depending on their maladies.

 

More Sentinels flew overhead, hauling huge metal parts through the sky towards the new fusion plant being constructed. It had been only two days since Ronto accepted the offer to join the Nexus, and already the power plant was halfway done. And the only reason it wasn’t completed yet, according to Nexus administration staff, was that the Sentinels had prioritized the upscaling of the residential areas first. Shacks and houses of crumbling cinder blocks, rusting metal and rotting wood had been replaced with sturdier buildings of concrete, bricks and alloyed plates. Or tidy apartment complexes that rose up in where the slums used to be.

 

All of them hooked up to the Nexus’ extensive power and water infrastructure, all of them provided with basic furnishing including electric heating, just like his own suite.

 

Once the fusion plant went online, Ronto would be able to power itself if it ever came down to it, but the engineering roles it required would also allow the respectable engineers class to keep their status as an essential caste of the city.

 

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The Grand Mayor turned back to take in his mayoral citadel. The unfinished tower turned stronghold would eventually be renovated by the Nexus to fulfill its pre-War purpose as a major communications relay. Cain had been assured that he would still maintain his residence there, but at his age, he preferred opting for a lakeside manor instead when the time came - Less stairs to worry about.

 

The ongoing changes towards a new Ronto was already drastic enough from the old, stubborn city. The red-topped, claw-like spires looming outside the walls were the new defenses for the city. Supposedly, these Obelisks of Light were far more efficient and effective than pre-War cannons. Cain hoped he didn’t have to see that proven true anytime soon.

 

He took a leisurely stroll towards the lakeside, nodding at bowing residents along the way. It was good to see them so happy, so hopeful. It also was nice to be able to remain as the Grand Mayor after being part of the Nexus, along with all the deference that came with it.

 

Cain knew his position and that of the council was now far less important than before, but it mattered little to any of them, really. They didn’t have to worry about food shortages or trader disputes anymore. The Nexus’ healthcare and infrastructure also ensured that they didn’t have to worry much about facing future cold snaps or snowstorms.

 

Their positions were now ornamental, but Cain and his colleagues were happy for the chance to finally relax a little.

 

Down by the lake the shuttered floating farms, once the main source of food for Ronto, were all bobbing quietly on the lake’s surface. With food flowing in from outside, there was plenty of time for the Nexus engineers to upgrade the floating farms ‘to Nexus standards’. Supposedly they wanted to purify the entire lake, and turn it into a radiation-free fish farm. 

 

From anyone else, Cain would see that as a fool’s dream. 

 

But after seeing everything else the Nexus has done?

 

He couldn’t wait to taste un-mutated fish.

 

The silhouette of Centre Island also showed signs of development, with water purification stations and a massive domed facility (rumors were that it was a mirelurk park) replacing much of its skyline.

 

Cain spotted some boats far off in the distance, the researchers of the Nexus Severalty doing their testing on the lake’s aquatic life. He hadn’t seen it himself, but the Honorable Archivist had said that they were injecting the stuff they caught with serums or sprinkling some sort of powder on them, which often caused them to change.

 

Supposedly, all fishes were supposed to have just two eyes and not be so fanged, and the shell monsters weren’t supposed to grow to even half the size of a man, nor actively hunt humans.

 

If that was the case, Cain wondered how different radmoose would look like after the Nexus changed them. For all he knew, those giants might end up being plant eaters!

 

Smirking at the thought of a bloodthirsty eight-feet tall monstrosity munching on leaves and grass, the Grand Mayor continued his walk along the rocky beach and enjoyed the sights and sounds of changes taking over Ronto. Once the sun fully rose, he’d take a trip to visit Lord General Price, and see how the Town Guard’s training by Nexus officers was going.

 

Maybe once the subway was built, he’d take a trip down to Boston along with his council, to pay formal respects to Sev. And enjoy some sightseeing along the way as well. The Enforcers had confirmed that Deathclaw Park was real. Maybe he’d get to see a Deathclaw up close without dying, or even pet one? They were supposedly smart enough to accept petting in the Nexus.

 

If even Deathclaws can be domesticated, maybe Sev could get his Nexus to do the same to the Doomgeese flocks terrorizing the outskirts…

 

Come to think of it, maybe Cain could put in a petition to have a few of those monsters caught and used as a display for the Obelisks of Light. It’d be a good comparison against the cannons; it took three well-placed rounds on average to down a Doomgoose, how many shots would the Obelisks need?

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