Conquerors

Chapter 6

We walk around the big pool in the center of the plaza, old Nuka cola boats sunk and toppled over in the stagnant, green water.

"You'll get used to the smell." He says, taking note of my wrinkled nose.

We step up onto a wooden platform. Gage hits the red button and suddenly we start to rise in the air. I grasp onto the wooden railing, watching the ground below us quickly disappear. As soon as it starts, it stops.

"Alright boss, here's your new home," Gage says stepping onto the floor. He motions to the big room.

It's surprisingly nicely decorated, given that it was done by raiders. But it's not what I would have chosen to do to the place.

"You can change what you want. This is what Colter did with it. There are plenty of places to find new furniture and beds."

"Good. I'm not using the one he slept on." I mumble, my eyes spotting the old, brown mattress.

"I wouldn't recommend it. He didn't bathe much."

I walk around, my boots sounding noisy against the tile floor. I find a cabinet and I begin to unpack some of my weapons and ammo.

"You got a lot of chems," Gage observes. "I wouldn't touch that shit. Gotta keep your mind clear. I only ever use simpaks."

"Chems? These are drugs." I say, putting my jet and buffout in the drawer.

"You from the old days or something? Nobody's called them 'drugs' for a long time."

"I am. I'm from before the war."

"You're lyin' to me." He says, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not. And I can prove it to you. But we'd have to go back to Boston."

"Alright, boss. If that's what you want." He responds, clearly skeptical.

I put some of my extra armour on a random mannequin beside the bed. Then I strap my now lighter backpack back on.

"So what's there to do? Anywhere to get some something to eat?"

"Well for starters, you should talk to the gangs and introduce yourself. And second, yes. You can have anything you want."

"Is there anything fresh?"

"Well, boss," he says, chuckling. "You're about the freshest thing out here. Even your vault suit is cleaner than most of the shit in this hellhole."

"So you only eat 210 year old food?"

"We eat brahmin. Sometimes you get some nice steaks out of 'em. Just gotta avoid the pockets of pus. But it isn't as bad as it sounds." He explains.

"What is a brahmin?" I question curiously.

"They're our cattle. You get milk and meat from 'em."

Brahmin sounds like what I would call cows. Maybe steak wouldn't be so bad. My stomach is growling and I feel ravenous. The 210-year-old potato crisps almost sound appetizing.

"Want to get something to eat?" Gage asks, watching me eyeball some of the food on the counter.

"Please."

"Alright. Let's go hit up the diner." He says, guiding me back to the platform. When we're on our way down he leans in. "Remember, you're the boss, now. And a lot of these gangs are full of crooks and killers. You might wanna act like you're at least a little tough. You beat Colter and they're expecting something... more hardened."

"Listen, Gage. I woke up in a vault after being... frozen since 2077 and I watched a man murder my husband and kidnap my baby boy. I'm out here for blood. Whoever did this is going to pay with their fucking life. You got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." He responds. He looks less tense. That's probably what he was looking for.

"I'm not here to pick daisies and wear dresses. I'm going to take over Boston and find my child and I'll do whatever it takes. This world burned once and I'm going to burn it down again."

"Maybe I underestimated you." I see his mouth twitch up into a half-smile. His eyes soften. "This is the right place to get that started. You got an army to help you do that."

"She's already sounding better than Colter." A lady in metal armour says. She has a weird helmet on. It looks like something from Greek mythology.

"Boss, this is Nisha. The leader of the Disciples."

"Welcome to Nuka World, boss."

I remember Gage's words about not sounding soft so I just nod. Does politeness equate to weakness?

"We look forward to seeing how you'll turn this shit show around. Colter left this place in a mess."

Nisha comes across as a 'no-nonsense' type of person. Her clan invented the gauntlet. And their motto is "survival of the fittest".

After we speak to Nisha we talk to Mason, the leader of the Pack. The Pack are a wild-looking bunch. They wear scraps from mascot suits and their faces are painted in bright colours. They have wild animals in cages and they force them to fight to the death in a ring.

Mason comes across as being psychotic, and willing to fight anything that moves. I'm sure if I weren't Overboss he'd be slicing my head off as we speak.

Next, we meet Mags Black, the leader of the Operators. They wear suits and are very easy to talk to. They seem less bloodthirsty than the other two packs and more willing to negotiate.

Mags talks in a seductive tone and comes across as a man-eater. I'm sure there isn't a single man who could resist her.

She insists on talking to me away from anyone else. She puts her arm around my shoulders and walks with me across the candlelit dining room.

"You look like a pretty little thing, so between you and me, trust no one, except for me and Gage. Maybe Nisha. She's not too bad. But not Mason. He's out for blood. All the gangs want is violence, except for us. We want to take over the Commonwealth with you.

"The best way to get supplies and grow is to form outposts at settlements. Take over and force the settlers to become slaves. Gage will tell you more about that. And don't forget us when you assign outposts to gangs." She gives me a wink. "Why don't you come back here after dark and I'll... tell you more?"

"Well, we'll see. I'm going to travel back to the commonwealth."

"Like I said, just don't forget about us, okay?" She gives me a wink.

I notice we've circled and walked back to Gage and the rest of the gang. He takes things from here.

"What did she tell you?" He asks me after we've left the building.

"She told me to take over settlements and create outposts. And to make sure and assign her gang to some of them. She also told me to meet her back here after dark. Didn't say why, though."

"Ah, she wants to fuck you. I knew to expect as much."

"Excuse me?" I exclaim, taken aback. "She wants to have sex with me?"

"Yes." He responds simply.

"Why?" I feel my face turn red.

"For two reasons. She wants to get on your good side, and she thinks you're pretty."

"How do you know?"

"I've been here a long time. I've seen the way all the gangs react to a new Overboss. How do you think she got Colter to bend over backwards for her?"

"Okay, but how do you know she thinks I'm pretty?"

"Because you a..." He cuts off. "She told me she thought that. She's got eyes for anyone in power."

I take notice of his slip of the tongue. He quickly changes the subject.

"So do you want to head out to Boston tonight, or wait until morning? The train ride over will take a while."