Chapter 5: Chapter 5

“Why is this coming from you?”

Piper was right, he didn’t like the idea. She sighed, wishing Nat was older to help her with this.

“You yourself said you had no clue where to go, so I’m just suggesting a destination.”

Sev raised an unimpressive eyebrow. “I’m also supposed to keep you two safe. Painting a target on my back is going to draw a bit of attention.”

Piper groaned aloud and threw her hands up at his thick-headedness. “That’s the point. You’ve already made yourself a target, dummy.” She sighed again before gesturing generally in the tank. “We’re driving around in something that’s bullet and laser proof. Even without the guns working this tank is a big deal for a lot of people.”

He considered her words for a moment, glancing around the tank. He looked at Nat briefly, who was obliviously watching the exchange, before returning his gaze to Piper. “Guess you’re right about that. But still, carving up my own land?”

Piper shrugged. “It’s like starting a settlement, but you just make it clear you’re the boss”

“And we’re back to you wanting me to act like a raider again,” he replied in a flat tone.

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to go out raiding, just show off a bit to make sure no one messes with you.”

Sev scoffed at that. “Or if they do mess with me, they’ll make sure they can win.”

Piper pondered that reply for a second, then gave a confident smile. “Then we make sure to make it real hard for that to happen.”

As usual, Sev gave in to her, raising his hands in surrender. “Fine, I’ll consider setting up a lair of doom when the opportunity arises.” He shook his head as he got back in the driver’s seat.

Piper didn’t let him get the last word though. “Once things are safe enough, I’m sure people will come looking to stay and you can get a teacher for me and Nat like you wanted.”

That whole schooling thing had been something Sev kept worrying about. He kept offering to settle down in some town or even Diamond City so she and more particularly Nat could get an education. While she appreciated how much he cared, education beyond learning how to read and write was a luxury, and Piper knew enough to teach her sister what she needed for now.

She also was worried that settling down like that would bore Sev and he’d leave them. Or worse, someone more useful would get his attention and Piper would have to live alongside his new favorite. She had to find an opportunity to prove herself, even if Sev thought otherwise. Here in the tank, as nice as it was getting to sleep in his arms, there was no privacy from Nat. Maybe if they could find an intact bunker or...

*****

Piper’s ambitions for me aside, starting up my own place sounded interesting I guess. I’d have to figure out how to work more of the console though, because in the end it’s still just me and the Wright sisters for the time being.

Were there vaults or bunkers west of Boston? I can’t remember.

As we drove on, we finally found an intact settlement that didn’t seem inhabited by raiders. There were a few ghouls amongst the settlers who were just as curious as the others as we stopped outside of their palisade.

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I climbed out to greet them, giving the usual reassurance that I didn’t come with any violence in mind. I checked with the girls, and they agreed to spend the rest of the day enjoying the hospitality of Whitestone.

It was a nice change of pace moving in a non-hostile crowd, even if I wasn’t much of a social person. I traded out all the weapons and ammo stored in the tank for various purchases for myself and the girls. Guess who can clone .50 cal rifles now? I bought some protection for the girls and with the amount of stuff we gave away, the people in Whitestone were more than happy to introduce me to their tailors and armorsmith to help resize combat armor to fit Piper and Nat.

Other than shopping, the girls socialized with the kids of Whitestone. I heard some questions about me, and hearing Nat and Piper bragging about how awesome I was made me feel much like I could be a good thing for them, instead of being just a stray thought away from being a Saville.

“So you’re just passing by?” One of the Whitestone folk, a rather nosy woman asked. “Where’re ya headed?” She fielded most of the questions from the townspeople so far, like how much food we had, how I was faring with looking after the girls, how’s the journey been so far… Either she was the town’s gossipmonger or there was a point to these questions.

I answered the questions as politely as possible, not bothered to try stretching the truth or making up stuff since it’s only harmless stuff, no one’s asking about how the tank works or rounds of ammo the cannon has or such.

At least they weren’t asking too much about the girls after Nat told them how I saved them from raiders in a heart-wrenching way only an innocent kid could. Then Piper chimed in with how they had to leave because no one else would take care of them. She was stretching the truth a bit there, but it still was effective enough that I saw a few listeners looking utterly devastated.

I’m betting those people had kids themselves and were imagining their kids in the sisters’ shoes.

The girls wanted to spend the night back in the tank, even though we could easily pay for a room and actual beds. At least I managed to buy some cushions to furnish the tank and make living inside a bit more bearable. Even with comfortable bedding, I ended up spooning Piper as usual and wondering again if the console could manage arousal levels.

*****

Priority report.

Encountered POI Questor today. Questor calls himself ‘Sev’ and is not of interest to SRB.

At first glance Questor seems benign enough, though could be spurred into altruistic action with the right incentives given how he saved his charges and continues to look after them.

On a related note, Questor and his charges are emotionally attached at least on a platonic level, though it is possible that the older girl might harbor deeper emotions. As they are travelling with Questor for the foreseeable future, suggest both girls be given POI designations.

Considering the circumstances, asking about the acquisition of the tank seemed impolitic, but that Questor did not brag about it or attempt to show off hints that there are some secret methods involved in getting a pre-war tank operational.

Using the girls as a source of information, or as currency to trade for information, would be risky until we know more of Questor’s own capabilities. Thus far the tank itself serves as a potent weapon to fend off any engineered threat we might be able to muster against them.

Finally, on the suspicions of Questor’s knowledge of the Institute, simple questioning has revealed that he instructed his charge to shoot at watchers as “they’re the most abundant and practical targets available” and that they were “not too hard or too easy as target practice for a newbie like her”. It is a credible answer, virtually all of his audience agreed with him and there were suggestions to adopt that for militia practice. Will work on ensuring that motion does not pass, but also suggest lowering the density of watchers.

Other than that indirect damage dealt from that, Questor does not seem aware of the true identity or value of the watchers. Or if he does, he does not care enough about the Institute. I find the former more believable.

End of report.

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