Emma fought off the complaints of her aching legs as she trudged on with the convoy. It had been several days since they left the failing safety of Mall Pass to seek refuge in the near-mythical New World 81.
She glanced at one of the carts with a weak smile. At least her children were young enough to book a ride with the settler’s cargo.
After Sev’s fearsome appearance, there had initially been anger and disapproval at the four settlers who were returned. Bad enough they caused an incident, they didn’t even make it to Diamond City to arrange for a trade caravan. Scavenging around Mall Pass had long ago dried up due to the dangers lurking about, so they relied on imports from the wealthier settlements out east for resources to maintain their ever crumbling building of their namesake.
And then days later a haggard group of refugees passed by and brought more news about the mysterious stranger. These sorry folks had fled from Vinebrook, after Sev paid them a visit and called them out on their slavery. Emma remembered how shameless the men and even the women were as they were upfront about their former settlement’s dealings.
She couldn’t fathom the justifications for a parent to knowingly offer up their child, their own flesh and blood, to feed the dark desires of savages.
Sev had bought those children meant for sale and then promptly freed them, giving them the option to follow him back. No surprise that the children followed him.
Emma remembered how nonplussed the refugees were as they passed it off as slavery with extra steps. Worse, these men and women complained that if one of their own hadn’t damaged their own daughter so badly and thereby ruining their first impression, they might have been able to strike a deal with Sev.
From what Emma had heard from a remorseful Arnold and the others of how New World 81 treated its kids, she doubted that very much.
So with the fact that the settlement was now vulnerable, and with fear of further reprisals from Sev, Vinebrook was abandoned by practically all of its inhabitants. This particular group of emigrants were among the last to leave, hoping to head southwest to the Capital Wasteland.
None of them survived to see the morning.
Some of the more concerned citizens of Mall Pass decided to just burn down the shack the refugees loaned for the night along with them in it. It was better than earning Sev’s wrath from inaction, on the chance he really was hunting for Vinebrook’s folk. Emma didn’t celebrate their demise, but neither did she feel any grief for scum like them.
After that, life in Mall Pass continued on as if nothing ever happened.
Until the next super mutant reavers came and almost breached the walls. Fortunately it was a much smaller attack than usual and was repulsed with no casualties.
Unfortunately, the damage was still extensive enough that the lack of resources from Diamond City made Mall Pass’ existence highly questionable.
A heated discussion brewed amongst the adults and eventually everyone agreed on leaving immediately before the next round of attacks razed the place down to the ground. What everyone couldn’t agree on was where exactly to head to.
Some, surprisingly led by Arnold, Lamar and Tommy, wanted to plead their case to New World 81, and if it failed, then they’d move on east to Diamond City or the smaller settlements around it.
Chuck was understandably against it, preferring like some others to just try their luck elsewhere, maybe southwest to the Capital Wasteland or the places in between.
The poor man was stuck wearing a kilt now and adopted a waddle to keep himself from keeling over in the middle of the street. He became somewhat of a social pariah, with the allegations that he no longer bathed or sat down to eat shrinking his social circle even more. Everyone also politely ignored the pathetic sounds from his outhouse whenever he had to take a piss.
In the end the people of Mall Pass left in two groups, and Emma followed the convoy headed east. She and the other parents had planned to beg Sev to at least take their children in, if even half of the tales about New World 81 were true.
The journey had been slow though the strength in numbers made it far less dangerous that it could’ve been. After several days Arnold showed them their goal, the large building jutting out in the distance amongst the sparse forest.
At this point, things would get really dangerous. Everyone stuck closer to each other and the former settlers of Mall Pass warily trudged towards potentially hostile territory. It didn’t take long for them to encounter their first robot patrol.
Somehow, miraculously, nobody was too twitchy to open fire when a couple of hulking robots rolled up. The pack of four assaultrons flanked around the settlers, keeping a passive post that somehow made them look even more dangerous.
All six bots spoke as one. “You are entering the shared territory of Vault 81 and New World 81. State your reason for entry.”
Then there was a pause as six mechanical heads turned their attention to Arnold, Tommy and Lamar, and the air of danger thickened.
“Notable miscreants identified. Arnold Spalds. Chuck Havlon. Tommy Rodds. You are entering the shared territory of Vault 81 and New World 81 once more. State your reason for entry.”
Despite the voices remaining the same, the repeated inquiry cowed everyone. Arnold somehow got the balls to speak up, keeping his hands in the air as he did so.
“We want to speak with...with Sev.”
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“Reason?”
“We’re hoping to settle in here...had to leave our old place.”
The pause that followed unnerved Emma and the others, some gripping their guns tighter, others looking like they were on the brink of turning and bolting. Thankfully the robots announced their answer before anyone could do anything stupid.
“Acknowledged. Prime owner Sev is currently absent. You will be led to representatives to appeal your case. Follow us.”
After that, more robots appeared, essentially surrounding the group of migrants. The show of power instilled a healthy amount of fear, and Emma wondered just what the four men were on when they created trouble in New World 81.
The former residents of Mall Pass were escorted to a smaller but no less impressive building, one that Arnold and his two friends swore was not here before. There, Emma met the familiar faces of Sev’s two girls, and some people in vault jumpsuits.
While the vault dwellers gave a polite welcome, the younger girls were clearly not as warm.
The youngest girl, Piper, spoke up with the authority of a trusted deputy. “So, you’re back.”
And so the grovelling began.
*****
Vinebrook was no more, and Kyle took what satisfaction he could of burning everything down before he left. Bad enough to know that some of his friends were to be sold off as slaves, Kyle was ashamed that he didn’t run out to beg the warlord Sev to take him along, at least then he’d be with Keryn and Tomas.
Instead Kyle had to watch Vinebrook slowly bleed out its people, until eventually he woke up one morning to find his own parents gone, emptying out the pantry and hidden stores as they left. None of the adults cared about the abandoned boy, and the few kids still around ignored him out of fear.
Kyle had to resort to scavenging the abandoned houses even as more people fled from the settlement. Some latched alongside passing caravans, others just disappeared overnight like his parents.
Kyle cursed his parents, cursed the adults, and cursed the raiders for his predicament.
He didn’t curse Sev though, not yet. There might be hope for Kyle there.
Out of sheer spite Kyle kept himself in Vinebrook to witness everyone else leave, to watch his home he now utterly loathed die. Only then did he cremate the corpse of Vinebrook, making sure that the tree with the lynched corpses of Brian and Shannon Hackett was the last to burn.
It was all he could do for Cait, who he was told back then was ‘messed in the head’ and ‘out of control’. Kyle knew better now. He hoped she and Keryn and Tomas were doing ok.
Only one way to find out. With his past in ashes, Kyle started to leg it in the rumored direction of Sev’s New World.
*****
[Message decrypted]
Questor is expanding his area of influence far faster than we expected possible. The possibility that he might have some hidden backer seems plausible, though once more we do not have any insight into the motivations of territorial expansion.
As with his other reported feats so far, how Questor did what he did at Fort Independence should not be prioritised until we actually have a grasp on what exactly took place. Father does not take well to wasting time and resources on idle speculation.
Considering Questor’s more reactive approach to his environment, there should still be a likely chance of success in opening communications with him. If we are to contact Questor, I suggest we do so sooner rather than later, before the Commonwealth’s general perception of us colors his views too much.
On that note, counter-propaganda should also be prepared. Probably best to provide concrete evidence to refute the more commonly misheld ideas about us.
On the proposal that Questor might be hostile to us, judging from the amount of robots he has up and running so quickly, I suggest we err on the side of overkill and send in every synth we have in that hypothetical offensive, or draw enough threats over to his territory to thoroughly purge his holdings.
End of report.