POV Rio
I watch as Ack-Ack burns alive, and once the fire extinguishes, I pick up the lighter I used to ignite the oil. Then I continue to loot the facility. The place was filled with bullet holes but otherwise still in good condition. The best outcome was that the main room, with all the computers and devices, remained unscathed. Which was great as it contained the terminal used to connect with satellites. It was offline, but with my Science skills and previous life's knowledge, I had a way to reestablish the link. The only issue was whether any satellites remained in orbit.
It takes a lot of finagling and some jury rigging, but I eventually get a connection, and when I do, I am beyond ecstatic with what I can connect with. It provided me with a list of operational satellites, and more importantly, it offered the option to download the information gathered from an old US Spy Satellite. I had to overcharge the fusion reactor of the base, but I started the download.
While the information was downloading, I went to loot the rest of the facility. I got the locket for the Abernathys. I also found a Mini Nuke, an overdue book, four service rifles, over a thousand rounds of ammunition, plenty of purified water, pre-war food, healing supplies, and various technical schematics. I also found a copy of the U.S. Covert Operations Manual. Specifically, FH 5-10, Tiptoe Through the Tulips. It was a very interesting read while I waited for the download to complete.
Once the download was complete, I had it copied onto a customized holotape and then made sure the data was transferred completely. Then I deleted the data and overwrote it so no one could recover it. I would have tried to establish a link with the other satellites, but they weren't in the proper position to do so. But that was fine. I could always come back to try later. Before I left, I took the Fusion Core from the generator so no one could mess with the terminal while I was gone. Then I double-checked that I got everything I wanted and then left the facility.
I went back to Sanctuary to drop off all the loot I got. It was already almost 9 pm by the time I arrived, so I decided to do some exercise and training while I waited for the morning. At first light, I started the short trip to Abernathy Farm. It didn't take long to arrive, and I was quickly spotted.
"You're back. Does that mean..." Blake asks with a hopeful look.
"Yes, Ack-Ack and her gang are gone. And I got the locket back," I say while handing him the locket.
He looks at the locket with a sad smile.
"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me. To us. Now, here is your payment. I know it isn't much, but we don't have much to spare," Blake offers me a pouch of caps.
I push it back to him with a smile.
"Keep it. I got more than enough from the loot I got from the raiders. And you guys can use it much more than I," I refuse the offered caps.
"I don't know. We don't have anything else we can offer besides the workshop access, but I already promised you that," Blake says with an apprehensive look.
"How about this? Send word out that I am friendly. I am pretty sure I am the only person who is dark blue and has wings and a horn. But the more people that vouch for me and get the word out, means I will have fewer people who will shoot me on sight," I offer.
"That I can do. I will make sure everyone we do business with knows you can be trusted. While I can't guarantee our word will go that far, you can always be certain that you have friends here who will support you. If you ever find yourself in the area, just drop by; you will always be welcome here," Blake says with a smile.
I give the news to Connie, and she gives me a hug, which I am surprised by. It was the first hug or really physical contact with a human I had in this life. I returned the hug and wished them luck as I returned to Sanctuary. Or rather, I would have done that, but I decided to check out Concord first. When I arrived, I noticed some signs that people had been through the area recently.
At first, I thought it was Preston's group, but that changed when I saw a couple of men in Raiders gear walk through the area. They were well armed. One had an AK-47 or equivalent gun, and the other had an RGM-40 Kastet.
'Those are some pretty powerful things to give to some scouts.'
"Dogmeat, do you smell anyone other than those two nearby?" I whisper to Dogmeat.
He responds by sniffing the air and then communicates that they are alone. I take out my bow and line up a shot. My first target would be the grenade launcher wielder. I take the shot right as the AK user turns a corner. That few seconds of delay gives me the chance to drop the first guy, and as the AK user turns around after hearing the sound, my second arrow is already on its way to his skull.
Thud x2
I search the bodies for anything, and besides their weapons, I find a note. It reads.
Gristle said he found the old woman. She was last seen heading with a caravan through Lexington and heading north. Wait in Concord, and if they arrive, hold them there, and while they are stuck, come get Gristle and his men. Succeed, and there will be a lot of chems for you. Fail, and you know the cost.
'Hmm, it sounds like Preston and his group will be coming here soon. I should hide these bodies and then wait in one of the ruined buildings. I can be there when the chaos starts. I might also want to see if that Deathclaw is still sleeping down there. I am not too keen on fighting that thing. But maybe with that set of T-45 power armor I can take it out.'
I was going to just bury the bodies, but I decided against it as I thought of a way to make them more useful. In the meantime, I decided to start making some preparations. I started with 3 different sniper nests. Each one would have escape routes to avoid getting stuck. Once that was done, I went underground to check Civic Access. I wanted to know what was down there so I could alter my strategy.
SNORE~
I look upon the massive, slumbering, mutated lizard. It seems the info I got from the traders was accurate. They told me that Concord had been abandoned because a Deathclaw made its home there. Another interesting thing was that there were other creatures living in the Civic Access. There were a couple of Mirelurks, a brood of Mole Rats, and a few Radroaches.
'Hmm, maybe I should test the waters a bit.'
I decided to test the Deathclaws' temperament. Not directly, but more to see how hard of a sleeper it was. It was fairly easy to get the Mole Rats to start attacking the Mirelurks. Mole Rats can be very territorial, so I just made an illusion that made it seem like the Mirelurks had encroached on their territory. I was going to do the same for the Radroaches, but decided to wait and see what happened. It should be noted that Dogmeat was not brought down here as he smells strong enough to possibly wake up the Deathclaw. I didn't because I regularly washed and I further knew how to mask my scent.
I was somewhat disappointed by the Mole Rats. They only had to kill 2 Softshell Mirelurks, and yet they had lost nearly a half dozen before even killing one of them.
'I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Mirelurks are often seen as the bane of Melee attackers.'
The Deathclaw didn't wake up even with all the screeching and blood that was spilled. Or at least I thought that was the case, but when the Mole Rats had managed to kill the Mirelurks and were beginning to feast on the corpses of their fallen and the crabs, the Deathclaw started to stir. I backed off just in case, even if I doubted it would sense me.
What followed next was interesting. The Deathclaw approached the Mole Rat Matriarch, and the Mole Rat didn't flinch and instead offered some meat to the Deathclaw. The Deathclaw started to eat the meat, and then, when it was satisfied, it left. Then the Mole Rats went wild and started to attack the leftover meat like rabid animals. Which might be accurate.
'Fascinating. It seems like the Mole Rats have a tributary relationship with the Deathclaw. I never would have imagined that they could have such intelligence. Mole Rats I have fought so far have been fairly mindless. So what makes these Mole Rats different? Or are they different?'
I had a lot of questions, so I decided to get the roaches involved as well. Not much changed. Only the Matriarch survived, but the Deathclaw got up again and took several corpses with it, and returned to its nest. The Matriarch Mole Rat was injured and limping, so I waited for the Dethclaw to leave completely before killing the Matriarch. It was easy, and I quickly took the corpse and left.
When I returned to the surface, I took the corpse out and discovered something very interesting.
'It has 3 cases of Mentats on it.'
The Molerat's brain was also much larger than normal. What I couldn't figure out was how the heck this Mole Rat got Mentats, and further, why it ate them.
'I guess this is why it was so much more intelligent. Is this something that can be replicated? Or is it a unique mutation? Also, why did the Deathclaw accept the deal with the Mole Rat Matriarch? Is it also more intelligent, or is that how smart Deathclaws are normally?'
I had a lot of questions, but I knew I couldn't answer them, so I left it be for now and continued with my preparations. I crafted some bait for my future plan and then went to get Dogmeat. Once I was ready, I settled in for a wait.