Chapter 81: Chapter 78

Special Agent David Hevell slowly stalked towards his goal, keeping a timer running in his head for when his Stealth Boy would need to be replaced. Not wanting to take any chances, he had activated the first unit the moment he saw the silhouette of a talon appear in the distance. His squad followed suit, each armed with four rechargeable Enclave standard Stealth Boys, silenced pistols and rifles, multi-spectrum goggles and an advanced stealth suit. Together the six of them snuck their way closer towards the lands of the Nexus Severalty.

What little rumors he and his squad gathered said that the giant border posts also served as a defensive structure of sorts, maybe as a laser emitter from the red-glass tip. There were also robots patrols to consider once they were actually within the border. Not that the agent was worried. David had executed infiltrations before, even against heavily patrolled regions studded with turrets. As long as he and his team played it safe, they’d make it across.

Then they’d find the leader of this Nexus Severalty, surprise him with the standard show of stealth and subtlety, and impress upon him that the Enclave was still a force to be reckoned with despite the fall of Raven Rock. It’d make the following negotiations for ‘cooperation’ between the Nexus and General Morgen’s remaining forces, paving the way for the eventual return of the Enclave in the Capital Wasteland.

They got close to the curved spire without any issues, as expected. David didn’t expect better, but he was still disappointed by the clear flaw in border security of the supposed superpower of the Commonwealth. Clearly the people here were used to relying on intimidation to shoo off the primitive wastelanders, rather than running an actual checkpoint or setting up a border fence at the very least.

Maybe the robots might prove a challenge, he thought, but quickly dispelled it. The clankers would probably just rely on the usual visual cues to enact their programming, with maybe infrared at best. Nothing the Stealth Boys weren’t equipped for.

Enjoying the thoughts of his superior training and experience, the special agent did not have the time to notice the Obelisk of Light towering above his team suddenly activating and sweeping a thick beam of light through his men. Not until they gave aborted screams and burst into ashes.

He barely got the chance to look about in surprise when the air around him blurred and blood began flying in the air. Special Agent David Hevell realised too late that the enemy were also stealthed, and far better than him and his team too, when something pierced the back of his neck and ripped his head and spine out of his body.

The closest his team ever got to infiltrating the Nexus were the stray droplets of blood spattering onto the broken lands within its borders.

*****

“Lieutenant Evon Trevor, 3rd platoon, Baker Company,” the woman announced clearly as he saluted sharply, though not quite masking her nervousness.

I offered a placating smile. “See, you, I like. Open with your affiliation and announcing yourself clearly.”

The lieutenant and her men stood at wary attention right outside of our border, beneath the shadows of an Obelisk of Light. That they had bothered to stop and declare themselves when my bot patrols came across them already earned them a lot of points in my book. Not the first group to do so, mind you, but I appreciate the gesture, especially compared to the groups trying to sneak in by disguise or stealth.

They looked a bit haggard, but didn’t seem too badly off for defeated Enclave forces; There was still some shine to the buttons of their uniforms, and the desperation wasn’t coming off them too thickly.

“So what are you here for, lieutenant?” I asked.

“I’d like to request, uh, sanctuary for me and my men, sir.”

That makes it the seventh group so far in four days. Contrary to expectations, we seem to be getting refugees rather than any big shots trying to win us over. I mean, if the Enclave had a President, there should be a line of succession right? So where’s the next one?

Or are they busy jockeying for position amongst themselves? If so, shouldn’t they be holding onto their forces instead of having them come to us like this?

I’ve already voiced those questions in private with my team after taking in the third group, but I still can't help asking myself those same things.

Anyway, back to the present before I look weird for pausing for too long. “Sanctuary? The Nexus does not and will not offer temporary safe spaces to foreign factions, save for an official embassy perhaps.” I watched the Enclave soldiers who heard me react badly to the words, but kept going with the prepared lines.

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“I will accept however applicants for citizens to my realm, so long as the intentions to join are sincere and without any hidden agenda.”

The Obelisk behind me glowed to slow, ominous life, causing the foreign troopers to flinch.

I put up a hand with three fingers, counting them down as I continued. “So you have three options, lieutenant: Leave my lands in peace, drop your allegiance to the Enclave and be welcome as actual applicants to the Nexus with all the rules that entails…or try and force your way in and see how far your ashes will fall.”

With my hand now curled to a fist, I slowly lowered it and grinned as darkly as I could. “The closest batch we had made it four feet to the actual borders, discounting the bits that got blown in by the wind at the time.”

Lieutenant Trevor gave a worried glance back at her men, gulped once, and then asked in a shaky voice, “Could I…could I have time to confer with my men?”

“Of course,” I nodded graciously, and watched her walk off to do just that. The sensors from a stealthed eyebot above them were picking up their whispered meeting, but since Eva wasn’t pinging me, their conversation topics must be harmless to us. It’ll still be quietly processed later by my expanded admin team, since you never know what information might be hinted by deserters like these.

After a bit of waiting, the lieutenant trudged up to me with a worried look. “What would happen if…if we wish to join the Nexus?”

So the expanded Station 81 would be seeing more occupants. Yay for increased human resources. “You’ll be going through the same process as anyone else…quick checks, a walkthrough the rules, probations… Though we’ll also like a few questions answered about the Enclave to fill in the massive blanks we still have on them. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be about anything too classified or stuff you can’t share, I just prefer getting a better picture, is all.”

Besides, this lieutenant didn’t look too bad. If I had to, I guess I could try winning her over and seeing if I could fuck the information out of her. Might as well put that new macro to test anyway.

*****

Sarah found herself wishing she had died on the trip up north. Now she was stuck in an interrogation room in the Citadel (much less comfortable than the one in the Nexus), getting questioned repeatedly about her time in the Commonwealth, while she was herself coming to terms with the sudden changes that took over the chapter during her absence.

Meeting the new Elder was not a surprise, but finding out that Elder Cory was the second one elevated to his rank since her disappearance was. Elder Darrick had fallen not to super mutants, but as a result of failed negotiations with the Outcasts turned regrettably hostile.

The details of the attempt at reconciliation had first shocked and then angered Sarah. Darrick had dared call her father’s work ‘a mistake’ when treating with the Brotherhood Outcasts, spitting in the face of all they had fought for, together, in the Capital Wasteland. The cold hostility towards their traitorous former brothers turned into murderous hatred after that, and at least Elder Cory still respected the mission set by the late Owyn Lyons.

Not that it worried her less though. Fredrick Cory seemed to treat her and the other survivors with heavy suspicion ever since they returned. They were isolated from the rest of the chapter and grilled day after day with pretty much the same questions. Their recounting of their time from the impending slaughter by super mutants to the rescue and recuperation under the Nexus was believed to an extent.

Were they worried about potential brainwashing or compromise from the four survivors? Or could they not believe the Nexus’ obvious superiority?

Nevermind Sev’s offer, the chapter was too engrossed with trying to just wrap their minds around the fact that a power that utterly dwarfs the Enclave in technological and military might was nearby. The same questions about on the white lasers, advanced robots and use of borderline eldritch technology got the same answers, which so far got the same dubious reactions.

Sarah didn’t know how long they’d go on with the interrogation, but it was interrupted five days in when alarms went off about the impending arrival of the Brotherhood Outcasts. After the failed meeting, they had mustered their strength and had come in force, intent on sieging the Citadel.

Worse, scouts had spied new gear amongst the Outcasts, possibly looted off some hidden cache. The survivors of Recon Team Heracles were freed from confinement and joined the rest of the chapter to aid in the impending civil war.

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