The sound of propellers reached Elizabeth and me as we were settled outside the Hydra.
I had pulled out a beach chair and was soaking up the sun while Elizabeth was running around collecting loose bottle caps, as I had suggested she do to fill the time.
What? Child labor laws? Never heard of them...
At least she was having fun collecting pre-war junk. She had actually scrounged up an assortment of old plushies that she wanted me to clean up for her so she could have a clean collection of them.
Just another thing to eat up my time, but I was content with that if it made the child happy.
I heard the Vertibird getting closer before it hovered above me and then landed gently next to the Hydra.
Lady popped out and then stood before me.
"Mission complete, Master. Are we just waiting for the cadets now?"
I pulled out another chair and set it next to me. "That's right. Take a break for a while with me. You earned it."
She sat down, and I pulled a glass of chilled mutfruit juice from my inventory and handed it to her. We were now both sipping on juice, relaxing as we watched Elizabeth running around doing kid stuff.
The plan was for us to camp here until the cadets arrived, which I expected would take two days, and then we would spend five days here while the cadets performed the tasks I had planned for them.
The missions I had assigned them to complete in Boston before arriving here were meant to give them experience doing things on their own as a Division.
The missions I had for them here would give them experience working with their fellow Divisions. They would have to work together to accomplish what I had planned for them.
I wanted them to get used to functioning as a well-oiled machine. They each had their specialties, and the Captains would need to make good judgments together to achieve the objectives.
I would not be interfering. Instead, I would be enjoying a camping trip with my daughter and subordinate while those cadets were working.
I didn't invest all those resources only to end up doing everything myself, am I right?
Two days had passed, as I had suspected. In that time, I had set up a grill, some tents, and some tables before the cadets arrived.
And to my pleasure, they did so around noon on the third day. The monorail track, which hadn't been used in many years, was finally put to use as a Nuka-Express railcar arrived and docked at the transit building.
No doubt those cadets were excited upon arrival. Nuka-World really was an impressive place.
Since I had predicted roughly when they would show up, I was already firing up the grill to reward them with a hot meal. They really enjoyed the mirelurk steaks I cooked, although they had been hesitant to eat them at first after seeing what they came from.
Off to the side, I had a small fire that had already been started, with a pot of vegetable soup cooking over it.
The cadets descended the stairs one by one, and I counted them, confirming that all 21 of them had survived.
They came down, and the smell of freshly grilled steaks assaulted their tired and hungry senses.
They had left with rations and survival syringes, so a hot meal was sorely needed for these weary travelers.
"Boss!" Jonny ran up ahead of the group, followed by Markus and Reina.
"Yo. Looks like you all made it back safely. Have a seat and eat first. We can talk business after."
The cadets smiled and happily sat down. Lady came around and began serving lunch trays that held roasted mirelurk steaks, vegetable soup, and a glass of chilled mutfruit juice.
These were all made with ingredients sourced directly from our home, so they were considered staples.
The mirelurks had been relocated to the other side of the island, where I had placed a building for them to nest in and left them to their own devices.
Every few days, some would come too close to the compound, get butchered and harvested, and then be added to public rations or our cryogenic deep storage as surplus.
Once a week, we would go around and throw razorgrain around the southern part of the island to attract more fish for the mirelurks to consume.
I can only say that I had really acquired a taste for our local lobster, and the healthy diet of fish made the meat taste even better.
The cadets dug in, and their exhaustion melted away. After about an hour of feasting, they all wore satisfied expressions.
After another twenty minutes had passed, I called everyone to attention.
"Captains of Divisions One through Three, report on your assignments," I ordered, now standing before the lined-up soldiers.
Jonny stepped forward. "Mission complete, Boss. Division One recovered the canisters and terminal hard drives from HalluciGen, Inc. We also recovered the DIA cache from Hub 360.
Both are secured aboard the monorail."
The young man and his company were intact and in good spirits as he spoke. They looked as if they had encountered some trouble but were proud of the results.
I nodded. "Transfer the assets to the Vertibird after this, and then get some well-deserved rest. Good job, Captain Frost."
"For the Imperium!" He saluted and returned to his place.
Markus was next. "Division Two, reporting!"
I nodded for him to continue.
"Sir, Division Two cleared the target location of an enemy presence consisting of feral ghouls. We cleared them all the way up to our secondary objective, where we placed the network transmitter. Only minor injuries to report."
"Great job, Captain Cole. With that, we will be able to provide reliable communications to agents on the mainland around Boston. After this, get some rest. There's more to be done."
"For the Imperium!" He saluted and then returned to his place as well.
Reina was next, and her report was similar. Success with only minor issues.
"Sir, Division Three was successful in our assignment. We secured the Cambridge Polymer Labs building and collected the data left behind by the pre-war researchers.
We were able to find the proper samples to complete the experiment. We collected the data concerning the manufacturing process, as well as the completed sample."
I smiled brightly because I already had numerous plans concerning the technology, not limited to just power armor.
I am, of course, referring to the Piezonucleic Power Armor that was made at Cambridge Polymer Labs. In the game, it is just a piece of armor that increases action point regeneration depending on how many Rads the player has.
In reality, it was supposed to function as power armor that could recharge its fusion core by converting ionizing radiation into electrical power.
What if I took this principle and applied it to, say... a spaceship? It would potentially reduce energy usage if the hull were made out of piezonucleic plating. That's just one example.
Or it could end up being useful for something else entirely. The point is that I'm excited to have it added to my collection.
"Job well done, Captain Reina. Transfer the assets to the Vertibird once the meeting is over."
"Thanks, Commander. For the Imperium!"
Once she took her place, I addressed all of them.
"Congratulations, cadets. You have all passed the first half of this exam. The second half begins tomorrow at the location directly behind you.
But don't get cocky just because you survived some easy assignments. This place will be a test of how well you can function by relying on each other's talents.
Get a good night's rest and assemble at 0700. Dismissed!"
The cadets scattered, engaging in excited chatter and socializing, while some went straight to a tent to rest despite the sun still being high in the sky.
I was giving them the rest of the day to themselves, but tomorrow...
That's when they would have to start taking things seriously.