POV Rio
We started to head back towards the Slog, and the trip was relatively easy. We avoided any trouble spots, but that wasn't common. It seemed like the Gunners had scared most things out of the Northern Commonwealth. The only noteworthy stop we made was to Radio Tower 3SM-U81 and Recon Bunker Theta. I was tempted to enter the bunker but decided against it. Paladin Brandis could be theoretically considered to be no longer a member of the BOS, but I decided to wait until I at least had proof of what happened to his group.
As for the radio tower, we investigated the 3 signals it led to. One was from a beached ship. The ship was in great condition, and I marked the location as a possible future salvage site. The next location was an old bunker in a park that didn't have much other than some skeletons and some empty aluminium cans. The last location was the most interesting find. It was an automated broadcast about a nuclear reactor malfunctioning. I had a Hazmat Suit and decided to see what the issue was. I was able to fix the issue quite easily, as it was just a clogged outlet pipe that was causing alarming levels of radiation.
Once the reactor was restored to proper condition, I checked where the power was being sent. It was apparently sending power as far East as the town of Salem and as far West as USAF Station Olivia. But what really caught my attention was the large amount of power being sent North. I checked my Pip-Boy and found why that was. There was an old research facility a few miles North of me. It seemed like over 80% of the power was being diverted to this facility.
'Odd, that suggests that someone came here post-war to divert the energy. But who would do that and not come to repair the faulty reactor? It was clearly producing far less power.'
I wasn't sure why the facility needed so much power, but according to my Pip-Boy, no faction controlled the facility, so I decided to leave the power distribution until I needed it sent elsewhere. The only thing I changed was the power sent to USAF Olivia was sent to Salem instead. I didn't want to risk anyone tampering with the machinery there. Once that was done, we left and headed to the Slog. The trip there was easy. We avoided any enemies, which were not many, and arrived around the afternoon.
The Slog was in bad condition. There were several craters and bullet holes all over the place. And not too far from the main settlement was a large graveyard. I looked at Preston, and I could tell we were thinking the same thing. There might not be any survivors. We looked around the settlement and eventually found some survivors. Or rather, they found us.
"Who are you people? What do what here?" asked the ghoul while aiming his shotgun at Preston's head.
"We're with the Minutemen, we got your request for help," I responded calmly.
"Minutemen? You guys are still around?" the ghoul responds with a bit of surprise.
"Yes, we're still around. Or at least I am rebuilding it with Preston here," I respond.
He lowers his gun.
"Okay, I heard rumors about you. They say you are a friendly mutant. And I know of Preston. If both of you are really with the Mintuemen, then come in and we can talk," the ghoul says while walking inside.
We sit down and we all introduce ourselves. He introduces himself as Wiseman, the leader of The Slog.
"May I ask what happened here?" I ask.
"Sigh. We built a place for those that society didn't like. The outcasts. The ghouls, the mutants, and anyone else that society deemed undesirable. We had nearly 70 people living here. But then the Gunners came. We had no quarrel with them. We weren't even a threat. But we got dragged into their civil war. Only two of us remain," Wiseman responds with sorrow.
"I'm sorry for your loss. It sounds like you built something really wonderful here," I respond.
"Yeah, it was nice. Not the greatest living. But it was stable living. We had food on the table for those who needed it and comfortable beds to rest our heads. But I won't let this keep me down. We can rebuild," Wiseman replies with conviction.
"Can you tell us what happened in greater detail?" Preston asks.
"Sure, I don't know much, but I know that one day the Gunners to the south started shooting like crazy. Several Vertibirds were flying in, and an army with them. The Gunners started attacking their own in the old junkyard, and those radiers called the Forged teamed up with the junkyard Gunners. If that were all, it would be okay. We had no intention of getting involved, but one day, some of the outside Gunners attacked us. We responded in kind and kicked them to the curb," Wiseman said.
"But I assume that didn't last," I reply.
"You'd be right. The Gunners came back with a fury, and we fought them as hard as we could, but we kept losing people. I tried to negotiate, but the Gunners wouldn't have it. It was sheer luck that we weren't wiped out entirely. You see, all the fighting had caught the attention of the nearby Super Mutants. During what I thought would be our last stand, an army of Super Mutants appeared out of nowhere and started attacking the Gunners," Wiseman said.
"An army? How big are we talking?" Preston asks.
"I'm not fully sure myself, but at least over a hundred, and more importantly, they had a Behemoth. The Behemoth smacked a Vertibird out of the sky with his massive hammer. It was a shock to everyone as no one, not even me, knew that such a large group of Super Mutants was in the area. The outside Gunners ended up winning, but they also seemed to have forgotten about us, as they never came back," Wiseman said with an exhausted look.
"A Behemoth? That is surprising. I suppose the Gunners dealt with them. But from what I was told, that was what you needed help with, wasn't it?" I ask.
"Yeah, it was what I asked the Minutemen for help with, and that is still true, as the Gunners didn't wipe out all the Mutants. In fact, they didn't even wipe out the Forged. Or at least I don't think they did. I've been fairly busy burying everyone to do much investigating. But I did at least go a bit North to see if the old Super Mutant farm was empty. But it still has around 11 Super Mutants and 3 of their hounds. I even saw what I think is a Centaur, but not really sure, as I have only heard about them and never seen one," Wiseman replied.
"The Forged are still around? And you said there might be a Centaur? That is really odd. Gunners aren't known for mercy, and as far as I know, Centaurs mostly only appear on the West Coast and in the Capital Wasteland. I've never heard of them appearing in the Commonwealth," I respond with a confused face.
"You're not wrong. Everything I have heard says that Centaurs don't show up in the Commonwealth. The closest you would find them is in the ruins of New York. As for the Forged, I can't say for certain they still exist. I just know I have seen some people who look like the Forged patrolling the old Saugus Ironworks. I didn't dare get close as we can't afford another attack. But the other thing I wanted to warn you about is that the Super Mutants up North look weird," Wiseman says.
"Weird how?" I ask.
"I'm not sure, but they look a little... yellow. They just don't look quite right. They are equipped with the usual weapons. Some hunting rifles, some old boards, and one had a Super Sledge. Other than that, they seem normal enough. With them being there, the traders have to take longer routes to bypass them, or they don't come here at all. And with us just getting hit so hard, we can't afford not being able to resupply. So can you deal with them for us?" Wiseman asks.
I look at Preston and the others, and we all seem certain.
"We can do it no problem," I reply confidently.
"Thank you. And I know this might be a bit much, but could you also head south a bit and check on the old Finch Farm? We trade with them on occasion, but I am worried that they might not have survived the recent fighting. I will pay extra, and either way, you will have access to the Workshop here," Wiseman requests.
"No problem, and you don't need to pay us anything. I am sure we will get enough supplies from looting the Super Mutants. But if it isn't too much trouble, could you tell me if the Gunners took away the crashed Veribirds?" I inquire.
"Hmm, I don't think they did. The main Gunner force only left recently, and I would imagine they have been quite busy with all the damage to their base. Not to mention all the corpses and loot they have to sort through. They lost 2 Vertibirds in total. One to the Behemoth and the other to the junkyard Gunners. I can point to where I think they crashed on your map," Wiseman responds.
The two places he points out are not that far away. We checked out the two sites, and Gunners guarded neither. I decided to take everything of value from them, only leaving stuff like the outer shell of the Vertibird. The salvage was more than enough for a plan I wanted to try out later. One of the Vertibirds was in surprisingly good condition. The other was basically scrap as it looked like it was snapped in half by extreme force and then walked all over. But it still had some valuable parts that I was able to salvage.