☰
Navigation :

Spurs Jimmying & Jangling 10

Harriette cozies herself up to the burning ant while Mr Barker turns his attention to the wounded merc. The man is down to a knee, propped up by his plasma rifle. He has taken some large bites and is looking dangerously injured. Mr Barker slides up and the merc shuffles and levels his laser rifle as the bot comes up.

“All right sir. I’m a doctor and he’s a murderer. I don’t really care which you want but point to the one you want.” Mr Barker says gesturing to Jeremiah.

The merc looks between Mr Barker and then looks to Jeremiah for a moment before he puts down his rifle. He adjusts in the dirt road and coughs out before her lets out a rough sounding “My name is Nick.”

Mr. Barker slides in close and looks over the injured merc. He realizes that he’s going to need more bandages and slides over to the bhraman but Nick pulls back up his rifle at Mr Barker. “Hands off the merch…” Mr Barker sighs and comes in, cleaning out the wounds and stitching up his wounds best he can, instead using the merc’s own cloths and some bandages that Nick offers up to help clean him up.

Nick gnaws on some food he had in his pouch, just to help his energy and then wobbles up onto his feet. He gives a big nod to Mr. Barker and really sizes up the floating mr handy bot.

“Thanks a lot, we thought you were raiders at first. So sorry about the whole…” and then he nods to his rifle. He then gives Jeremiah a bit of one of those knowing nods and turns to watch Harriette with some confusion.

“You guys seem like some honest folk. I can’t leave the stock behind. This is how I do my thing and I’d like to get paid. If you can go get Jimmy & Mark and make sure they don’t end up dead while I hold down this fort. I’m pretty sure you can get some reward here.”

“Well that’s good because reward is our middle name.” Snaps back Mr Barker.

Mr Barker decides to chase down the merchants since Harriette is engrossed in the burning ant and Jeremiah doesn’t want to leave Harriette since more ants might be coming.

As Mr Barker slides off Jeremiah does a bit of area scouting. He then realizes that they are in the middle of an ant line, and it won’t be long till plentty more come wandering across this spot.

“Hey, we’re gonna need to drag her twards the south.” He tells Nick.

“I can get these old cows along if you can manage to pull her along”

“Harriette we have to go” Jeremiah tells Harriette.

“Awwwwww! Can’t I at least take a limb?” she asks. Harriette gets up and grabs at a leg and with some tugging and a foot brace she manages to break off a leg, and the viscous fluid inside of it does easily catch fire and hold the flame like a torch.

Jeremiah leads the way as Nick ropes up the bhramin and they all start heading south slowly to meet up with the rest.

Meanwhile Mr Basil E Barker finally catches up with the two merchants and mercenary where they are all catching their breath.

“Good afternoon gentlemen! We’ve taken care of your ant problem, nick is still with the bhramin, if you want to come back and gather up your things. We are ready for you now.”

“Well I haven’t seen that kinda politeness in a loooong time.” one of the merchants says right after they laugh out. He introduces himself as Jim and they all start to walk back up north to meet up with the rest of the caravan.

“You know what the moment you started shouting and chucking shit we were shure you were raiders looking to cash in on this hazard but honestly I’d honestly loose the caravan over my life.” says Jim as they walk

The other merchant introduces himself as Mark but doesn’t say much, the final merc not even saying anything. Just keeping to himself rifle out waiting for anything.

Everyone finally meets up and Nick gives a good nod to the other merc who seems a bit shocked to see his partner and not a sneak attack. Mark shuffles though the merchandise and ensures it’s all there before he gives a thumbs up.

“Well, here’s the deal boys. We don’t have the kinda carrying caps to reward guys like you but I suppose I could give you a few really good deals if you are looking for it.”

“Well in fact we are, my associate right here is looking for shotgun shells…” Starts Mr Barker. and as he does Mark reaches in and lines up five boxes of shells.

“Well how many are you looking for here? I got five boxes and as you just well know each box gots six shells in it. Listen, you guys did us a square and that doesn’t happen int he wasteland so I’ll do you a square. I’ll give you these puppies at cost. 12 caps a box”.

Jeremiah is more than happy to buy up all five boxes. Mr Barker gets two stimpacks and a medical kit.

Jim gives a look to Harriette and her makeshift torch she is obsessed in curiously. Nick leans over and whispers to Jim and with a shrug and a laugh he pulls out a box of strike anywhere matches and holds it out to Harriette. “one cap?”

Jeremiah jumps up “No!' and Mr Barker goes over and starts to lecture Harriette about the responsibility of having her own box of matches and on using caution and restraint. Everyone else looks totally confused now.

Harriette slinks up and trades the matches for a cap with excitement.

Once all trades are made they give nods to each other, needing to head different ways.

The team heads down south, they find a lot of dead bugs, that was not the first ant problem along this road. Harriette’s ant leg finally burns out along the road and she tosses it aside, now sulking along the road. They all reach a hill with lots of old world dead vehicles littering the road, forming something you really have to weave through.

They reach the top where there is a large fence and a group of people all in the same sand uniform, each one having a vest that sports the same NCR from earlier. The guards are the first people not to be shocked in any ways to see the odd travelers. They have a air of discipline and confidence, only really giving a nod to group.

One guard holds up a hand to the group before they enter. “Just to be sure you know; this is a fully owned and operated by the NCR military trade post. Any problems and we’ll take care of them dead. Glint’s in the sky.” He then gives a nod and steps back to let them through.

The small base has a lot of low buildings in a bit of a canyon, there is a staging area full of merchants and bhramin as well as a section gated off with what looks like offices and possibly baracks.

Mr Barker asks a grunt for the CO and gets directed to a building behind the extra fence. They group slides through the extra security without too much fuss and slide right into front desk. It’s covered with a bunch of signup forms for the NCR military and has a lot of Pro service slogans. Behind the counter working paperwork looks up at the group, his tag reading Jenkins or Hudson depending on the angle that you look at it.

“New recruits?” He asks.

“Well wishers” Offers up Mr Barker.

“Well if you are just well wishing what can I do you for? Need some arms service or information?” asks Jenkins

“Well actually we are in the powder ganger hunting business and we know this area has been having some trouble and gather you have some trouble with them.”

Jenkins goes up stiff as a board and cuts off Mr Basil E Barker. “Why don’t you wait right here.” and he buzzes in someone else.

A large man in a hat two sizes two big from that even waves the team back, and by wave them back two large men slide over and escort the team back into an office in the back and sit them all down by force. He leans back and stares into Jeremiah with one of those looks that can drill the soul out of a new recruit. The man is so intimidating Harriette goes into a hand wringing sweat. He drags on the moment just before someone else speaks up before he busts out in a hard drill sergeant voice.

“So tell me now what you are talking about powder gangers.”

“Well, so what we understand powder gan-” starts Mr Barker but he’s cut off hard by the officer

“Ex-Excuse me? What the?” He says as he looks to Jeremiah and then realize it’s the robot talking. He looks between the two and then waves his hand “Continue”

“Seems to be they took over your police station”

“Prision” he corrects sternly. “All right, first off tin can, it’s a high density prison and we’ve had a coup adn some serious problems. I’ll tell you what and I’ll tell you why; the’ve got as meny men in there as I got men in this base and we don’t screw around with odds like that. I can’t take the losses. I don’t know how all those weapons got smuggled in but we will be talking care of this problem once we can find the most efficient solution. Now, that said, word gets around fast around here and I’ve heard ganger camps have been going up in smoke. So why do you tell me a bit more about what you know.”

“My tag team and I are currently in the powder ganger killin business. we are pretty good ay making their insides become outsides. We would be happy to help front the assault on them for you. We realize they are heavily arms so we were looking for some reinforcements or weapons. You have everything to gain here and nothing to loose. If we fail, no loss.”

The officer smiles wide and leans in. “You know what tin can, I really like you. Here’s the scoop. I don’t have the men to send out right now and I really don’t have the money to be paying mercenaries, that’s not how this game is going. However If you can take care of our problem I bet I can lose a whole lot of supplies. I can front you a few weapons up front but for the most part it’s all payable on delivery.”

Mr Barker goes on the barter for stealthboys & firepower up front, and passage onto the strip on success.

The man laughs and nods “Well we don’t carry stuff like that around here. But go talk to the merchants out front. I can’t promise you anything but go tell them Sgt Michelson sent you and they just might help you out. Firepower, I can get you guys some good rifles and access to the store here but what’s you get is what’s you get. This line of credit is real thin.” He leans back then “Passage into the strip? I can do that. I can make a few phone calls and get some strip passes, which you will need if that’s where you are headed.”

The men slip out and hand over three standard issue NCR rifles and five hand grenades. Before they are lead out the Sargent nods and notes “Remember guys. Service in the NCR is it’s own reward.” The guards then physically excort the group out and back to the front of the office. Jenkins gives a nod to the group as the come out to the lobby.

“So Hudson you seem to hate them Powder Gangers do ya?” Offers up Mr Barker.

“I lost some good friends down at the corrections facility and we don’t have such nice words about those inmates. I don’t understand why we bothered to lock them up. Free labor my ass all they did was cost us good men.” he stiffly mutters out.

Mr Barker offers the recruit to come with them but Jenkins declines, not having the R&R to take to join the group, but he does wish them the best and also offers them help for equipment repairs. Jenkins then explains about all the problems on the 15 road going up north to Vegas and how it’s all on hold and they are staging out merchants because of the issues while troops try to clear the path more.

The team slips out and after name dropping the sergeant slip into the pen and talk to all the merchants but none of them have the stealthboys they want

Feedback