Snow crunched underfoot as Applejack pressed forward. Thankfully, Adam was forging a path ahead with his power armor, making the trek across the wastes much easier for her and Rarity to handle. They didn’t even have to give him much in the way of directions thanks to some new navigation software in his armor.

As the trio skirted the edge of the D.C. ruins, Rarity cleared her throat and asked, “Would someone mind telling me what exactly this mission is about? I understand we’re to head to a settlement north of the Capital Wasteland, but I was discussing possible mercenary aid with a trader named Cutler and I didn’t get a full briefing from Elder Lyons.”

Applejack tipped her hat back and looked around for threats out of habit. “Lyons wants us to head to a place called the Pitt and negotiate a trade deal for ammunition for the Brotherhood; apparently, the folks up there are big-time ammo dealers. While we’re at it, she wants us to check out a radio message comin’ from somewhere not far from Raven Rock. Becky reckons it might have somethin’ to do with the Pitt.”

“Apparently it’s being sent out by an ex-slave who escaped from a settlement up north,” Adam noted. “It could be unrelated, but it’s worth looking into either way.”

A pensive frown crossed Rarity’s features. “With a name like the Pitt, I don’t imagine this will be a particularly inviting place.”

“Yeah, Ah don’t reckon it’s gonna be a place you’d pick for your glampin’,” Applejack agreed. “Just gettin’ there is gonna be a pain in the ass. The route the Enclave suggested takes us back past the Super Duper Mart, which you can bet is bein’ used by raiders again. Then, after a quick stop in Megaton, we keep headin’ northwest and try to pick a safe path between the Germantown Police HQ and some place called Paradise Falls.”

“The slaver town,” Adam growled. “I really want to go back and tear that place apart brick by brick, but that’s probably going to have to wait until we’ve finished with the Super Mutants.”

Applejack nodded. “Probably. And this is all before we even get to the radio tower the Enclave thinks the broadcast is comin’ from. On top of that, we don’t even know if the broadcast is just being relayed from somewhere else, or if it’s some sort of trick, or anythin’. Keep your wits about you.”

Rarity grumbled under her breath, evidently rethinking the journey, but soon gave up with a sigh and went back to keeping an eye out for trouble. Applejack couldn’t blame her for being less than amused. Even with Adam making a path and carrying plenty of supplies, it was going to be a very long trek.

Luckily, the trip out of the D.C. ruins was utterly uneventful. The Super Mutants were clearly concentrating their limited numbers elsewhere, and no other group was dumb enough to pick a fight with the Lone Wanderer and a pair of Rainbooms in the middle of such a harsh winter. The trio weren’t bothered as they headed north, crossed the short bridge across the remnants of the Potomac, and headed out into the wastes.

As they walked, Applejack realized that this was the first time she had been almost alone with Rarity since the Unity incident. She wasn’t sure if having Adam there as a buffer was a good thing or not, but couldn’t help a cowardly twinge of relief that his presence would at least prevent any awkward conversations about their feelings.

Thanks to the snow-shoving effectiveness of Adam’s power armor, it didn’t take long for the trio to approach the Super Duper Mart. Adam glanced over his shoulder and asked the girls how they thought they should proceed.

“We should be fine to simply walk right past, shouldn’t we?” Rarity suggested. “Surely no raider gang would dare to attack us as long as we show that we’re leaving them alone?”

Adam shook his head. “Every animal and asshole in the wastes is going to be looking for a warm place to ride out the winter. Any raider gang hiding out in the Mart is going to be the biggest and toughest collection of scumbags this side of Megaton. Personally, I think we should take the long way around.”

The prospect of extending their snowy trek made Rarity scowl. “What do you think, Applejack? Which way should we go?”

Applejack shrugged. “Why not just take a look and see what’s in there? If there're raiders, and they attack, then it just gives us an excuse to wipe the bastards out and make things a little safer for the locals.”

“Fair point,” Adam said. “Let’s see what’s lurking around bef-” He stopped in his tracks and dropped into a crouch the second the Mart came into view. The girls quickly followed suit.

“What do you see?” Rarity asked quietly.

“Radscorpions,” Adam replied. “Lots of little ones and one big albino fucker. Messing with them isn’t worth the hassle if you can avoid it, we’ll take the long way around.” Neither of the girls objected, so the group backtracked and headed half a mile west before getting back on course for Megaton.

The town hadn’t really changed since the last time the Rainbooms had visited. A handful of residents were sporting Pip-Boys and other kit clearly traded with Vault 101, and there seemed to be a few more Disciples of Harmony and Children of Atom than usual, but the place itself was much the same. The real surprise was waiting in the Temple of Harmony, where the trio were amazed to find Uncle Leo casually chatting with visitors.

Unsurprisingly, the Disciples were ecstatic to see Applejack and Rarity. They eagerly tried to get the girls to stay for a feast, but laid off when they learned that the trio were on a mission. After a light meal, a rest, and a visit to the crapper, the three got their armor back on and set off once more.

The next leg of the journey was just as quiet as the first. Thick snow blanketed the wastes, save for the rare places where someone, or something, had forced their way through it leaving narrow trenches in their wake. Trudging across the rolling terrain, the group were mildly surprised when Big Town slowly came into view. “We’re makin’ good time,” Applejack said, tipping her hat back and eyeing the settlement with a satisfied air. “Ah was expectin’ it to take us at least another hour to get this far.”

“Are we paying them a visit?” Adam asked.

Applejack shook her head. “Nah, we’ve got a long way to go, and we don’t want to waste the extra time. There might even be a Regulator or two stationed there if they managed to spare anyone.” She glanced at Adam as something occurred to her. “That reminds me, how did your negotiations with Reilly’s Rangers go yesterday?”

“Eh, could be better, could be worse,” Adam replied. He explained about their current geomapping contract and his suggestion to Elder Lyons about providing data in exchange for assistance against the Super Mutants. “The Elder said she’ll consider it and send someone back with her reply when she’s decided.”

The idea seemed like a no-brainer to Applejack, but the final decision was in Lyons’ hands.

Leaving Big Town behind, the group turned due north, hoping to pass between Paradise Falls and the Germantown area without getting too close to either. Applejack made a point of checking her Pip-Boy regularly to make sure they were on the right track. “We should be comin’ up on the Hallowed Moors Cemetery soon, or whatever’s left of it since the bombs fell. After that, we just need to keep headin’ north for abou- hey!” She almost walked into Adam as he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. “What gives? Is there somethin’ up ahe- … Holy shit.”

The trio stopped and stared in shock at the sight of an immense snow-free crater, almost the size of Megaton, lying right in their path. Applejack cautiously stepped up to the edge of it. Her Pip-Boy’s geiger counter started ticking in protest, but radiation wasn’t all that was coming from the crater. “You smell that? It’s like hot cotton candy.”

“Pinkie’s magic?” Rarity breathed in deeply. “I suppose this must be where the teleporting Meta Human met his fate. Good grief, I knew her magic was powerful, but this is just beyond the pale!”

Applejack nodded absently. “Let’s just hope she doesn’t do anythin’ else on this scale, or we’re gonna have to redraw the maps after every damned fight.” She altered the Hallowed Moors Cemetery on her Pip-Boy map to the Hallowed Moors Crater before getting out of the irradiated area. Taking care to avoid getting too close again, the trio made their way around the edge of the crater and continued on.

Next came the most tense leg of the trek so far. Applejack was confident that the group could handle any stray slaver crew, and it was vaguely possible that the Germantown Police HQ was empty since the Rainbooms had cleared it out, but a conflict just wasn’t worth the risk so far out from the major settlements. Not without the rest of the Rainbooms present, anyway.

After quite some time spent advancing in cautious silence, Adam spotted a large complex ahead. It looked like some sort of pre-war reservoir or water treatment plant to Applejack, but the large concrete silos that would presumably have once held water were surrounded by a glittering multicolored haze. Clearly magic was at play. The trio debated for a few minutes as to whether they should investigate, but in the end they decided to simply make a note of it and prioritize the mission. The Brotherhood was going to flounder if it didn’t find a stable source of ammunition.

The terrain beyond the water place rose swiftly. It wasn’t long before the girls found themselves struggling to climb the snowy slopes, and even Adam was having to watch his step as he plowed through the large drifts. On the plus side, the increasingly rough terrain helped Applejack to get her bearings on the map, allowing her to adjust their course. They had barely been climbing for a few more minutes when their Pip-Boys picked up a new signal with a crackle.

Adam and Rarity immediately went on guard, eyeing their surroundings warily as Applejack set her Pip-Boy to the right frequency for the broadcast. “To anyone who can hear me, my name is Wernher,” a gruff voice crackled from the speaker. “I come from a settlement to the north. I have information of great value to anyone willing to help me free my people. Please… help us. This message repeats.”

Applejack lowered the speaker volume and glanced at the others. “That sounds like the guy we’re lookin’ for. We must be gettin’ close.”

“You don’t think it could be coming from those satellite dishes, do you?” Rarity asked, pointing west.

“Ah sure hope not, Ah doubt anyone hidin’ out in there is friendly,” Applejack replied, glancing nervously at a collection of huge radar towers a mile or so away. “Besides, the Enclave thinks the broadcast came from somewhere a couple of miles north of here.”

Adam took the lead again as the group headed northwest. After passing an old electricity substation the trio found themselves in incredibly rocky territory, prompting Rarity to create bridges and stairways with her magic so they could proceed. Even so, it was a grueling hike, and the girls soon found themselves drenched in sweat despite the frigid air.

Just as Applejack was considering pausing to find shelter and build a fire, the sharp report of gunfire rang out from somewhere up ahead. “Shit!” She ducked and limbered up her minigun. “Is that aimed at us?!”

“No, we’re clear,” Adam replied, “Are we close to where that broadcast is coming from? It could be the guy we’re looking for.”

Applejack stood and checked the map. “It should be right on top of that cliff up ahead. Let’s go!”

Filled with fresh urgency, the trio charged ahead, Rarity conjuring a sweeping staircase as they approached the sheer rocky wall. Adam thundered up first, his weapon raised and ready, followed a heartbeat later by Applejack.

A clearing greeted the three at the top of the cliff. A half-rusted radio tower reached up from trampled snow, and at the base of it was a man fighting for his life against a group of strangely well-equipped raiders.

Applejack hesitated, unsure if the group really were raiders, when one of them spotted the trio and took a pot shot at Adam with a terrified yelp. The response was immediate and deadly, Adam and Rarity dropping the last of the aggressors in only a few short seconds.

The man they’d just rescued stared in shock, apparently surprised that it was over so quickly, but quickly pulled himself together and stepped away from the mast. He had short filthy brown hair, a patch over his right eye, and a set of heavily soiled and patched clothes that Rarity would almost certainly burn if given half a chance. Applejack noticed that he also had a scoped large-caliber pistol held not-too-loosely at his side. The man took a moment to get his breath back before speaking, “Thank you for your help with those guys. They finally tracked me down… I thought I had more time.”

“You’re Wernher?” Applejack asked cautiously.

The man sighed and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. The broadcast was risky, I know, but it had to be done. So you know who I am, and you’re obviously a Regulator-” he nodded at Applejack, “-but who are you other two?”

“You’ve never heard of the Rainbooms?!” Adam exclaimed incredulously.

“That ain’t important,” Applejack cut in quickly. Something didn’t feel right about Werhner, and she really didn’t like the calculating look he was directing at Rarity. “Your broadcast said you needed help freeing your people, so why don’t you get to tellin’ us what the problem is?”

Wernher gave her an oily grin. “I was hoping that someone would come, but I wasn’t expecting one of you righteous heroes of the wasteland to show up.” His face turned more serious as he explained, “I come from a place far to the northwest. It’s called the Pitt.” Applejack immediately perked up. “It’s… well… let’s be honest, the place is a nightmare. Radiation, mutation, disease. But the worst of it: my people, some of the only survivors, are slaves.”

“That’s a problem,” Rarity said flatly. “The Brotherhood of Steel will not do business with slavers.”

It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone, but Wernher apparently didn’t notice as he shook his head vigorously. “Ashur, the asshole in charge of the Pitt won’t trade with the Brotherhood anyway, especially if they’re in cahoots with the Regulators. The Pitt does most of its business with Paradise Falls; your goody-two-shoes groups have done way too much damage to their bottom line for them to see you as customers. Having said that, I think there’s a way we could help each other out.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “How d’you figure?”

“The Pitt… it gets to you,” Wernher replied heavily. “It’s like a disease in the air and water, you can’t escape it. After a few years it starts to turn people into something less than human.”

“So we’ve heard,” Rarity cut in. “The East Coast Brotherhood passed through the Pitt several years ago, they warned us about the dangers.”

Wernher nodded. “Right, the Scourge, when your power-armored boys swept through and killed anything that tried to put up a fight. That was right around when I was born. Anyway, Ashur and his bastard crew have found a way to cure the sickness. Once they have it perfected, my people won’t stand a chance of escaping, but if you guys come with me and help me get the cure, then Ashur won’t have any choice but to release the slaves.”

“So the cure is a bargaining chip,” Adam noted quietly.

“And once he can’t use slaves anymore, Ashur will have to hire workers or pay his own men to do his dirty work, which will burn right through his profits. He won’t have the luxury of turning down other customers, no matter who they are, if you catch my drift,” Wernher finished.

Applejack narrowed her eyes at him. “And how exactly are we supposed to help you get the cure? The Brotherhood has enough on its plate without getting into a trade war with slavers.”

“Ashur won’t know that you’re a Regulator, or that you’re working with the Brotherhood of Steel,” Wernher told her. “The guards won’t let random armed wasters through the gates, but if we disguise you as a slave, and your power-armored buddy if he ain’t too weird-looking, you should be able to slip in with no problem.”

“And what about me?” Rarity asked.

Wernher snorted and shook his head. “Not a chance. Ashur’s cronies are dumb, but they’re not dumb enough to believe that they’ve got some albino sorceress as a working stiff, no matter how well we disguise you.”

“Excuse me?! I think you’ll find that no-one in the entire Capital Wasteland is as skilled with disguises as I am!” Rarity cried indignantly.

“Hmph, it’s your head,” Wernher shot. “Just remember that if they rumble you, it won’t just be your life that you’re pissing down the drain.”

The trio shared a concerned look, silently trying to decide whether or not to commit to this. It was insane, but, in the end, it wasn’t really a question at all. The Brotherhood needed supplies. Adam sighed heavily and slung his plasma rifle across the back of his armor. “Alright, Me and Applejack will go with you. Rarity, do you think you’ll be able to carry our excess equipment back to Megaton or something if you use my power armor?”

“Screw Megaton, Raven Rock is much closer,” Applejack supplied. “We’ll escort you there, let the Elder know what’s goin’ on, put together some disguises and head on off to the Pitt.”

“Not so fast!” Wernher said quickly. “You don’t want to ditch your shit just yet. There’s a group of slavers camped out at the train tunnel to the Pitt, west of here, waiting to make a sale to these fuckers on their way back.” He gestured to the dead raiders. “You’ll have to take them out to get past, and you may as well grab your disguises off of the new slaves while you’re there.”

Wernher’s plan was sounding sketchier with every fresh word out of his mouth, but Applejack just wanted to get the job over and done with. “Fine, we’ll hit the slavers first, free the new slaves, get our disguises, head to Raven Rock, then get back to the tunnel. Reckon you can point it out on a map?”

“Sure. I imagine you’ve already got plenty of supplies for the trip, but make sure not to waste anything; the Pitt is a long way from here.” Wernher marked the tunnel location on Applejack’s Pip-Boy before looking back at the base of the radio tower. A threadbare bedroll was rolled up next to one of the struts. “I’ll catch my breath here for a while, then meet you at the tunnel.”

Without so much as a backward glance, Applejack pointed Adam in the right direction and fell into step behind him, placing a hand on Rarity’s shoulder to gently pull her along as well. When they were out of earshot, Rarity whispered to her, “You don’t trust him, do you?”

“Nope,” Applejack said simply. “Do you?”

“Not as far as I could throw him,” Rarity replied, much to Applejack’s relief. “However, at the moment, I’m more concerned about the fact that you’re trying to kick me off this team,” she added sharply.

“Ah ain’t tryin’ to kick you off the team!” Applejack winced as she realized that she had spoken a little more forcefully than intended.

Rarity scowled, clearly not convinced. “Look, I know that things have been a little, er, awkward, between us lately, but surely it would be better if we talked things through rather than you just trying to get rid of me.”

“It ain’t like that,” Applejack replied, and she was as surprised as anyone to realize that she was actually telling the truth. “Ah don’t trust Wernher, but if he’s tellin’ the truth about the slaves, then tryin’ to disguise you as one of them is just askin’ for trouble. Besides, sure, things have been weird since, y’know, but…” She pulled her hat down low over her face to hide her blush. “Ah’ll feel more comfortable knowin’ that you’re safe here with the Brotherhood instead of trampin’ around some diseased hellhole out in the middle of nowhere.” Applejack braced herself for the inevitable protest that the fashionista was more than capable of handling herself, but it never came. A subtle peek revealed a faint blush creeping up Rarity’s cheeks as well.

The moment was abruptly doused as Adam loudly cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but there’s another cliff here. Any chance of some magic assistance?”

“O-of course, darling!” Rarity hurried forward and created another staircase. She was clearly flustered, as the railings were wonky and the steps were all slightly askew.

More rocky terrain followed, once again making the journey treacherous and slow. Thankfully, Rarity’s magic helped with the worst of it, and it had the added benefit of keeping the girls too focused to talk.

After another long slog, the trio spotted a collection of ramshackle shelters built from scrap. Several armed wastelanders were huddled around a fire in one of the shelters, while three more people huddled under a blanket in a wire-mesh cage. It was clear even to Applejack’s inexperienced eyes that the latter three were slaves waiting to be sold.

As the trio approached, one of the slavers happened to glance up in their direction. His eyes flew wide open at the sight of them. “Rainboo-”

A shower of crystalline needles stabbed into the gang before the others even realized that they were in danger. The slavers screamed and cried out in agony, but Rarity showed no mercy as she methodically threw a razor-sharp crystal into each of their skulls.

“Huh, Ah was just about to let loose with the minigun,” Applejack said casually.

“It’s a good thing I got there first then.” Rarity tossed her hair and strode towards the cage containing the stunned slaves. “After all, I believe these unfortunates are going to need fresh clothes to get to Raven Rock.”

Applejack smirked and followed after her. “Fair point.”

The slaves tried to thank the trio for saving them, but they were too worn down by cold and hunger to muster up much energy. Adam and the girls quickly helped them to settle down around the fire, change out of their rags and into the slavers’ clothes, and have a small meal using supplies that the slavers had stashed around.

While the slaves ate, Rarity adjusted their rags to fit Adam and Applejack a little better. There wasn’t much to them; merely a length of cloth each that could be wrapped around into a simple skirt, another strip of cloth for wrapping a woman’s chest, rough sandals, a leather harness that went around the ribs and over the shoulders, and finally a filthy poncho to protect against the cold. For the first time in her life, Applejack shuddered at the thought of wearing such a ragged outfit.

“We’re going to fucking freeze in those,” Adam said with a shake of his head. Applejack opened her mouth to agree, but all of a sudden he whipped around and snapped up his plasma rifle, only to relax again a second later. “Where the hell did you come from?”

Applejack looked around to see Wernher striding towards the group. “I followed you,” he replied bluntly. “I’m very good at staying out of sight when I don’t want to be seen. It looks like your sorceress friend is going to have company on the way back to wherever she’s going, so do you mind if we skip the escort and get under way? Every hour we waste here is another one of my people dead, or worse.”

The way he was laying it on thick got Applejack’s back up, but at the same time she could understand where he was coming from. If he was telling the truth. “What do you think, Rares? The wastes might be all quiet-like thanks to the snow, but that sure as hell don’t mean that they’re safe.”

“I’ll be alright, Raven Rock is only a few miles from here,” Rarity assured her. “I’ll have Adam’s power armor, your minigun, and I imagine that these three won’t mind borrowing the slavers' weapons once they’ve rested up.”

Applejack nodded, glad that Rarity was comfortable with the plan, but now she was having to wrestle with her own anxiety of letting Rares cross the wastes without being able to properly use magic.

Unaware of Applejack’s internal struggle, Adam sighed and got out of his power armor. Steam wafted from his sweat-streaked clothes as he stretched and shivered. “Man, this sucks already.”

“It’ll suck more once you’ve got those disguises on,” Wernher told him. “I’d get them on now if I were you; you can probably find somewhere to stash your clothes before we get to the Pitt, but there’s a good chance that some scavver will swipe it all while you’re dealing with Ashur’s crew. Leave behind anything you don’t want to lose.”

Applejack and Adam both grimaced. Neither of them liked the idea of putting the slave outfits on, especially in the snow, but it was probably for the best. Giving everyone a stern warning not to try and peek, Applejack shrugged off her minigun, snatched up her disguise, and stomped over to a nearby shelter that offered a little privacy.

Stripping down was just as awful as Applejack had expected. The slave skirt barely reached halfway down her thighs, the harness restricted her breathing a little, she couldn’t even wear a bra with the chest-wrap, and thanks to how much she had sweated on the trek she was shivering more than a sapling in a storm. The only silver lining was the fact that Applejack’s Geode was easy enough to stitch into the inside of her new skirt, keeping it hidden.

Gathering her effects, Applejack stepped out of the shelter and rejoined the others. Adam, already changed, was guiding Rarity as she clumsily waddled around in his power armor.
Applejack fought the urge to stare as she spotted the strange black patches beneath the skin of his joints and ribs. “Hey, Adam, see if any of the slavers has a pack we can fit our clothes in,” she called out.

“Sure thi-” Adam glanced over and quickly whirled away the second he saw Applejack. “Yep, sure thing! Can you get the minigun and stuff strapped to the armor?”

In the space of a few frigid minutes, the former slaves were armed and Rarity was loaded up like a pack mule. Adam’s weapons were strapped to her back along with the pack containing all of the good clothes, Applejack’s armor was tied across all of it like a bizarre turtle shell, and the minigun was clenched firmly in her hands.

“Be careful with that thing, it’s harder to use than it looks,” Applejack warned.

“I can well imagine,” Rarity grumbled.

Applejack smiled softly. “One last thing.” With a strong sense of melancholy, she reached up and perched her hat on top of the power helmet. “Be careful with that too. Ah don’t want to see any more damage to it than it already has when we get back.”

The helmet hid Rarity’s face, but Applejack still felt her cheeks grow warm as the cold electronic eyes turned to her. Unfortunately, any further conversation was forestalled as Wernher coughed loudly. “Are you finally ready yet? Come on, let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Calm your tits. Ah don’t need my pretty coat on to plant my foot up your ass,” Applejack growled. She threw him the angriest glare she could muster, not an easy feat given how much her teeth were chattering, then turned back to Rarity. “Well, Ah guess we’re out of here for a while. Take care of yourself.”

“You too,” Rarity said quietly.

Applejack just nodded and turned away. Adam had the pack containing their rations for the journey, so the two fell into step behind Wernher as he headed further west.

The trio emerged from the makeshift shelters right next to a huge concrete train tunnel that backed onto a snowy slope. The main gate was shut, and probably had been for two centuries, but Wernher opened a small door next to it and led the others through.

Applejack felt goose pimples rise all over her body as she stepped into the slightly warmer air of the tunnel. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she saw a single set of tracks leading down into darkness, lit only intermittently by burning barrels and flickering ceiling lights. An ancient handcar was sitting on the tracks right next to the gate.

“This’ll get us to the Pitt,” Wernher said. “It’s a rough trip, but it’ll get warmer the further we get away from the Capital Wasteland. It isn’t anywhere near this fucking cold at the Pitt.”

“Thank fuck for that,” Applejack muttered. She allowed herself one last look back at the door, then took a deep breath and climbed up onto the handcar.

Elder Lyons put her pencil down and rubbed her eyes. She hated paperwork, but ever since becoming Elder she had had more and more of it to do than ever before. Even the Brotherhood getting almost wiped out by Unity somehow hadn’t seemed to put a dent in it.

Just as Lyons was psyching herself up to start on the next piece, a requisition form for certain magical crystals from the science team, someone knocked on the door. She glanced at Maxson standing to attention behind her, then called out to the Initiate outside, “What is it?”

The door opened and Initiate Peters stuck her head in. “Defender Morgan of the Outcasts is back. She says she has a message from her superiors.”

“Send her in,” Lyons said, eager to put off her paperwork for a little longer even if it meant dealing with a different pain in the ass.

Peters stepped aside to let the woman in before closing the door behind her. Defender Morgan was out of her armor once again, instead wearing the blackened fatigues that the Outcasts were so fond of. Lyons offered her a curt nod. “Anne.”

“Elder Lyons,” Anne said politely.

Lyons felt herself relax a little. The fact that Anne was following proper Brotherhood protocol was a good sign. “Have a seat.” Lyons waited for Anne to sit before resting her elbows on the table and interlocking her fingers. “So, what do your superiors have to say?”

Anne’s features twitched as she fought not to scowl. “They’re considering your offer of reconciliation. However, before they open formal negotiations, they have a request of you, as a gesture of good faith.”

The audacity of the Outcasts to ask for a favor after stealing a bunch of equipment when they split from the Chapter was galling, but Lyons forced herself to keep her tone neutral, “What sort of request?”

“We’ve discovered a cache of pre-war technology.” Anne grimaced, as if the discovery wasn’t exactly the sort of thing Outcasts dreamed of. “Unfortunately, we need a Pip-Boy to interface with it properly. We tried getting our hands on one ourselves, but…”

Lyons raised an eyebrow at her. She almost blurted out that the Outcasts could easily trade for one with Vault 101, or they might even be able to find one in one of the other wasteland settlements if they deigned to deal with ‘locals’, but she held herself back. “Your superiors want me to find them a Pip-Boy before they’ll negotiate?”

“That’s not all. The technology has fused with the magic that’s spreading across the wastes, and as far as we can tell it’s pretty unstable,” Anne explained. “I saw that the Rainbooms have Pip-Boys of their own, so my superiors have asked if you can send one of them to assist our recovery team as soon as possible.”

“Hm.” Lyons crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, pretending to consider the request. In truth, none of the Rainbooms were around, or she would have gladly agreed. Twilight was assisting the Enclave with Sunset’s recovery, Fluttershy and Pinkie were on a mission to Little Lamplight, Rarity and Applejack were on their way to the Pitt, and Rainbow was on her way to the Republic of Dave to investigate a report of Super Mutant attacks. “How soon is soon? I might be able to spare one of the Rainbooms in a few days, maybe a week-”

“That’s not soon enough,” Anne insisted. “We need them today if possible, or tomorrow at the absolute latest.”

Lyons shook her head. “Not a chance. The Brotherhood are at war, I can’t pull one of our best soldiers off a mission just so they can-” She stopped mid-sentence as a thought occurred to her. Ignoring Anne’s questioning look, Lyons looked through her stack of paperwork until she came across a missive from the Enclave. Luckily, President Shoichet was still at Rivet City, personally making sure that the most recent delivery of equipment was being transferred properly, so it would be easy enough to request a meeting. The tricky part would be getting a certain someone to agree to Lyons’ idea. “I can’t spare the Rainbooms, but I might, might, be able to spare someone else who has experience with magic.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 189 - A Request and a Railway Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 54 Minutes