"Yeah I used to run with this kid straight out of a Vault, looking for their dad or some shit. They played Santa Claus too much for my liking but rolling with them kept me out of trouble." Jericho said to the Colonel as Adam walked over. Jericho stopped speaking as he saw Adam approach. "Need something?" He said with a harsh tone as Adam stopped in front of them.
"I thought I might join you two, figured this might be a good buy-in?" Adam said as he pulled out a bottle of whiskey he had bought from one of the mercs on his way over for 30 caps. He wanted to speak with them and figured the best way to do that was to join them outright. 30 Caps to buy some liquor was a small price to pay to get chummy.
Jericho looked at Colonel Harrison and then shrugged, took the drink out of Adam's hands, popped it open, and drank some right from the bottle before handing it back.
"Suit yourself, just talking about the past." Jericho said with a shrug.
"Don't let me interrupt you, you can keep going." Adam said as he took a seat next to the Colonel and sipped at the whiskey himself. Jericho looked at him for a moment and then nodded.
"Well anyways, as I was saying, things were different back then. The Capital wasteland was a lot different. I wasn't even part of the Talon Company yet, I had other shit to do, but after the Lone Wanderer went off with that giant ass robot the Brotherhood had I never saw them again. Heard they might have died in the Project Purity or whatever the fuck it was called. Also heard rumors they might have survived, but I saw the writing on the wall for me. No one needed an old raider like me around anymore. I couldn't get back in the game but still wanted some action. Luckily the Talon Company had room for me, 11 years passed and I now head 'em up. Funny how life is." Jericho finished before he took another swig of his drink.
"I remember hearing of the battle in the Capital wasteland, I was still a corporal in the Gunners back then, but then again, the Gunners were still just getting their feet off the ground as a mercenary company back then." The Colonel started as he sipped at a bottle of beer. "By the time I had some actual command authority we were already on the backfoot in Boston, the Minutemen were back on the rise despite them collapsing initially, the Institute was acting out all over, and the Brotherhood had that massive dirigible. The Gunners were running out of room to operate." The Colonel sighed and then took a big drink of his bottle before looking at Adam without saying a word. Adam took a moment and then nodded, handing him the whiskey a moment later, which the Colonel took and drank readily.
"Final straw was this new player called the Rust Devils. Every engagement with them resulted in losses for us. They simply had too many robots to throw at us. And in the battle of man versus machine the machine won every time. With dwindling numbers and a shaky foothold in Boston, along with the obvious end of the potential for profits I took my men and led the charge out of the area. Some Gunners might still be there, but when the General died our morale plummeted and I couldn't watch as the Commonwealth stole what little we had built."
"Is that why you two hate the Brotherhood? Or your people anyway?" Adam asked, interjecting. "Because they stole your homes?" Jericho let off a single laugh.
"I don't like 'em cause they are assholes, regardless of whether they are acting holier than thou or taking your tech, they all are dicks. Though I don't hate them personally. I worked alongside one for a while, Star Paladin Cross. Woman never took off her armor and had no sense of humor but she was a hell of a shot and I used to silently thank the world she was on my side." Jericho took another sip of his drink.
"But I'm alone in my feelings for the Brotherhood. Well, the part about being neutral about them. The rest of the Talon Company haven't forgotten how they wiped them out, or how they pushed them out of the Capital wasteland. Many of those guys lost good friends from those days. I ain't even become a merc until after the shooting stopped." He shrugged.
"Boston was a mess." Colonel Harrison said stoically. "Frankly the fact we got out at all when we did is a minor miracle. But the state the Gunners were left in was due to, in no small part, thanks to the BoS. They had enough Vertibirds to coat the skies and enough power armor to field nothing but. They were tough bastards. SoP back then was to avoid engagement at all costs. But they were dogged and were not a fan of us operating in the area. So I understand my men's problem with that woman…" Colonel Harrison said as he looked back towards the APC where Mira had set up a spot for herself to sleep. "But I refuse to be emotional about it. We are mercenaries, we are Gunners, we are above such things." Adam nodded slowly.
"Sounds like you two have quite a history." Adam said in understanding.
"Yeah I've been in my fair share of scraps. Been all over too, but I can say I found my tribe, just took me most of my life." Jericho said as he took out a pack of cigarettes and then smoked a bit offering one to both Colonel Harrison and Adam, both of whom declined.
"What about you?" Colonel Harrison asked Adam. "You seem no stranger to conflict, even getting this many people to work together is no small feat, and I've heard one or two things about you after I was hired. Standard practice to look into details after all. I can't imagine a Vault offers much opportunity to test your mettle." Adam chuckled.
"Well, honestly, no, it didn't." He smiled sadly. "But I had experience before… uh… things happened, so I'm no stranger to danger, in addition, I found the way of life I chose for myself to suit me well. Can't say I have as many war stories as you two, but I've already racked up my share of experience since I left the Vault." Adam shrugged, both downplaying what he had done since he woke up and not mentioning his time as a soldier pre-war. After all, mentioning that would only raise more questions, best leave this to a casual conversation, not an interrogation.
"Though I must say." Adam continued. "Both your outfits are operated quite well, you run tight crews and even from the small border skirmishes with the few ferals we had to deal with I can see your men are well trained. It's nice to be working with professionals."
"Gunners have a saying: 'Take no prisoners, become no one's prisoner'." Colonel Harrison said with a steely tone. "We take our jobs very seriously. Times have been hard on us. And the Gunners have gone through many ups and downs especially after the successful attack on Quincy, but truthfully we respect strength and order above all else. We don't ask questions, we just require payment. My men know how to respect the chain of command, the rest is drilled through training and repetition."
"My boys are the same." Jericho said as he took a puff of his cigarette. "Talon Company works hard to ensure we are the best of the best. My boys can be a bit rowdy but on the field they are drilled well." He then chuckled before adding. "The old commander used to drill us all hard. Once he died and I got in charge I loosened up the rules, but a healthy dose of beatings keep them from acting a fool." Adam nodded.
"Maintaining a military hierarchy can be hard, especially in a world that lacks such strict rules." Adam commends. Jericho shrugged.
"Harder than being a raider, easier than being the Lone Wanderer's whipping boy. It's just life."
"Once you join the Gunners, you are in for life." Colonel Harrison said as he looked at Adam. "Every man under me knows what they signed up for. And leading them to victory and keeping them alive is my responsibility as their commander." Adam nodded slowly to him as he too now took a sip of his drink as well.
"I was curious about one thing, Colonel." Adam said as he turned to look at the Colonel again.
"What?"
"Where on earth did you get a Vertibird?" Adam asked, curious. The Colonel grinned slightly, breaking his steely facade.
"Aquisition from one of our engagements with the Brotherhood."