Vault 15! (Wastelands Chapter 3)

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"It's agreed, we are moving as planned." Inne said as she walked towards the group.

"Ok, let's review. Team 2, consisting of Carib, Daniel and me. Zeke if he feels like it and Roadrunner if she feels up to it. Team 2 moves out silently and covertly at midnight, to avoid detection from any enemy scouts in the area. Team 1 is Inne, Sam, Ved, Rob and a bunch of Viper snipers. Team 1 moves out at daybreak and decoys the whole operation." Richard said, reviewing every detail in his head.

Although he was not doubting the skill of anyone, he was a bit concerned by the lack of actual manpower. He had been hoping for a lot more help from the Vipers. Agreed, 6 "snipers" with scoped huntingrifles would come in extremely handy for team 1.
During bootcamp he had reviewed many strategies like this, but during each scenario, he had a lot more manpower. What he wouldn't give to be able to call upon his mates from back home. This little skirmish would be over in minutes. However, the Desert Bogeys were far far away now, no use in wishing for things that are impossible.

"We are not expecting the main enemy forces to come out of hiding and attack team 1 head on, but be sure to watch your six when you change direction and head off the enemy coming from the outpost." Richard said while especially looking at Sam.

"Enough chit chat, we all know what we have to do. One hour till sundown. That means we've got a couple of hours until team 2 gets rolling. Get your gear ready." Carib suggested.

"Gentlemen, drop your cocks and grab your socks." Richard said while fondly remembering bootcamp.

"Euh, sorry ladies." Richard said as he realised his audience were not a bunch of macho hungry-for-action military types.

Richard slowly walked off towards his tent and checked his gear. Again.

After making absolutely sure everything was in order, he sat down outside, watching the sunset while oiling his gun and loading his clips. One jacketed hollow point, one armor piercing, one jacketed hollow point, one armor piercing. He had done this so many times before. The almost mechanical movements allowed him to empty his mind and concentrate on the coming conflict. Yet he could not shake the feeling that if this went wrong, he would have a lot of blood on his hands.
 
As he walked by Richard, Daniel stopped to speak
"How can I grab whats mostly rotted off anyway."
Daniel kept on walking before Richard could respond.
 
OOC: :)

IC:

Inne got her gear ready. Actually she was trying to concentrate on what had to be done and not worry about the danger, or being away from Carib, or whatever could get wrong in the operation. She usually trusted herself and went on with action instead of worrying too much. But something was changing inside her, she had not made that too conscious but she knew -and she could feel it happening. As if she could see herself as a brand new person. As if she was re-thinking and re-creating every bit of her , a small part every day.
It was a bit scary. But it was interesting. She caught herself humming a tune when she finished checking her pistol and rifle and puting the last of the provisions she would take with her inside the backpack.
A simple but shiny metal plate on the wall of the cabin was used as a mirror and Inne was gently runing her fingers through her red hair while looking at it. The green eyes that were looking back at her seemed different from the last time she took her time to look at a mirror. She touched the freekles in the delicate skin of the cheek - the skin had become tanned many times, but now she wondered how she would look if she protected it more and kept it white. And her clothes were very clean - she chose to wear the ones that looked more feminine. Still pants, boots and a white blouse, but the details were feminine and the clothes did become her well, favoring her athletic figure. One of the women in the camp had washed her clothes the previous day, and Inne was looking at the mirror, a bit surprise to realize that yes, she could be feminine too - and that ir would not make her less skilled in fight or strategy or whatever.
She even risked a smile, before leaving the tent.
Outside she met the rest of the group.
Ok, is everybody ready?
The men Alex had pointed to go with the group replied positively.
Sam Ved and Rob were ready too, and nodded positively. Before we go, I wanna say I am glad everybody made peace. We are one group. We have each our own agenda, but we are together to one common goal, so if we all cooperate, its better for everybody. You have shown you are all mature, so we shall have no problem from now on, eh? She gave a moment for the words to sink in. There were nods and agreements and then she added: All right, lets move!

OOC: Will Dwemer succeed in his ordeal? Will the teams remain united when battles begin and when looting time comes? Will the romances flourish in the wastes? Stay tuned and add to the show! ;)
Welsh, your turn!
 
*6 hours earlier*

Team 2 gathered in a tent at the outer ring of the viper compound. Zeke had turned up together with Roadrunner, but both of them kept rather quiet.

"We will head out separately and reunite 1.5 km due west of the camp. For people having problems imagining where that is, it's at the base of the second hill, in this direction." Richard said and pointed to the west. "I'll head out first together with Carib."

"I don't have to tell you all that our survival depends on secrecy and surprise. Be quiet, stay hidden and don't do something stupid like smoking a cigaret. Both Carib and I have a silenced pistol each. If someone has to be taken out before we reach the objective, either we do it or you do it SILENTLY with melee weapons." Richard said. "That's about it, from this point on Carib is in charge. I understand some of you might have a problem with it, but I expect everyone to be mature about it."

Carib was caught off guard, but did not show it. Richard was looking at Zeke, hoping he got his point across.

"No sense in standing around here then, we have some ground to cover. You three leave in 15 minutes, Rich and I will leave now." Carib said.




*heading West*

"Why the hell did you put me in charge? You were doing good enough yourself." Carib asked.

"I'm ok at thinking up plans, but I am no leader of men. I don't have what it takes. I know that arguably you don't see yourself as a leader either, but you obviously have a lot more experience fighting. Most of my experience is from bootcamp. Anyhow I'll explain that later."

The two men silently made their way towards the base of the hill. After making sure no scouts were in the area, they sat down near a rock formation, waiting for the others.

"I almost forgot, I got hold of some batteries for the laser mounted under our pistols. I think we can have some serious fun with it." Richard said as he showed Carib how to use it. "Only use it for very short periods though, it could give away your position."
 
Carib accepted the batteries and gave a wane smile, "You know, sometime ago, I would have refused the whole leadership role, but a man gotta do what a man gotta do, right? Besides, these laser sights rock." He put them in and gave the sight a test, seeing the tightly focused beam come to life.

He knew no one was around, but he clicked it off before it would become some toy.

Carib never really thought of it, but this whole group thing was pretty fun and it had been sometime before he actually ran into friends that would look out for him like that. Then again, Pirates and Gangsters run very short on friends but make a lot of enemies along the way.

****

An hour....

Richard brought the small scope to his eyes and spied a few, unorganized raider patrols. Men in dark leather weilding small rifles and pistols.

"Small patrols. Not very good. Hmph. You'd think a raider force like that would be me organized. No sentries. Just gaps in the lines." Richard noted with disdain.

"Must raider groups move like most gangs, in numbers. They don't always think with their heads. The again, we just seeing the outside. By the marker, Vault 15 is someways from here. A small shack."

"Whats the move." Richard asked, his pistol unholstered.

"We give the rest a couple more minutes. After that, we take out the guard if he comes to close and try to secure the area. Since they have the advantage of sealing us out from above, best move is to cripple that advantage." Carib suggested. "Of course, if you got any ideas, I'm up for suggestions."
 
Zeke was walking along with Roadrunner and Daniel. Twirling his knife and practice stabbing at the air. After a few minutes they were both looking at him like a moron.

what?

nothing nothing

I thought so...

Zeke grabbed his knife from its spin and began sharpening it with a piece of flint. When he was done he loaded his .45, and took out the desert eagle he had in his backpack. It was dirty, but notably was chambered in .50cal this would make it harder to find ammo for and more difficult to deal with the recoil. Luckily he had a full clip with 20 extra rounds in the pack. He began toweling it off as he walked and brushing out the chamber. When he was done he oiled it down and put the extra bullets in an accesible belt pack, and slid it's holster onto his belt. If they were detected after stabbing a few guards the handgun would certainly put the fear of God into the raiders. Hell, even if he missed the wind from the round would probably knock an opponent on his ass.

Zeke let out a dry chuckle, and once again the others looked at him like a kid with a mental illness and a book of matches.

STOP DOING THAT DAMNIT!
 
"We must hurry, Carib hungers for blood." She said from the rare. The supple gypsy girl checked the .44 Magnum revolver in her belt. It was a sturdy pistol, a six shooter that carried six little brothers of death. She had maybe tweny five or thirty rounds left. She noted her name etched in the brown wood matted handle of the pistol. A deadly weapon, well balanced and built to last. Also it just gave you this strength when you used it.

It brought back fond memories of famous cinema flick of the late twenth century, featuring the husky voice of Clint Eastwood.

She smiled, those were fonder times. Roadrunner knew the task ahead. The gypsy knew that she'd have to kill Rovers in order to rescue Brute, her champion. But she never felt comfortable at the sight of human life. She wasn't like Carib or Sam or even Ved; they were professionals, they were forced to kill to survive. But even as a hangman's daughter, she still hated the sight of death. She hated th stink that came after a man was strung up; from the sickening snap of the vertebra to the stench of a dead man's last shit.

She could never understand how her old man had enjoyed that line of work or even force his family to bare witness to what happens to those who break the law. It didn't matter to him, old or young. You did wrong, it was the last thing you ever did.

Even now she looked back to the past and recalled the last man her father hung. It wasn't a man but a boy, a mere teenager, scurged with hunger and forced to poach and steal in order to survive. He had been caught by the sheriff.

He was just a lad, malnurished and fearful. There was no trial. He was captured, and hung the very next morning. Roadrunner could recall the scent of fear and urine. The poor lad was trembling to the gallows all the way. And when the padra came to him and spoke, the boy nearly died from freight on the spot. When he was hung, he didn't die, he was too light to have had his neck snapped.

So he swung around, gagging and struggling. The hangman just went for some stones and bottle caps and placed them in his pockets to add the weight to complete the suffocation.

It took nearly an hour before the boy died. Roadrunner was there all the way, she had been the silent comfort in it all. At the very end, Roadrunner could have sworn he closed his eyes as everyone walked away.

****

Leaving that memory, Roadrunner rested her in her palm and began to weep.
 
Noticing Roadrunner crying, Daniel turned to her as they walked and whisperd.
"Are ye allright short stuff ?"
"I am fine." she whisperd back. "Sometimes the past is harder to deal with than the future."
"Aint that the truth. Heh, I'd be bawling about the past too, except for one thing"
"Tell me grandfather, what do you do to get past such memories ?" Roadrunner asked in her girlish voice, respectful as usual to the ghoul, something he found to be almost odd.
"I dont. My tear ducts rotted away a few months back."
 
The longer the others took to reach Carib & Richard, the more Richard was starting to see the errors in his plan. The fact that there were no people with good medical skills in the second group. What if the outpost did not take the bait? What if the main base did sent out patrols to attack head on?

Doubt raised guilt, guilt led to remorse. Yet there was no going back now. One could only hope that luck would be on his side today, as it had been so many times before.

The others finally made their approach and time came to silently move in closer to the outpost. Then the group would hide until past sunrise. If the plan worked, some raiders would leave the outpost to intercept team 1...
 
Daybreak. Inne stretched herself and washed her face, then she left the humble house the Vipers have given the group while they were in the camp.

It was time to leave. Inne was not the most patient person in the world and really did not like having to wait till sunrise, but it was ok - they had a plan that could work and she was going to do her best to make it work.

Sam, Ved, Rob and the other six people in the group - the guards Alex designated - were readyto leave.

Good morning
Morning, everybody. All right, lets go. I hope the others are ok and the plan is going smoothly. Lets get moving!

And so they started the small travel.

*SOME TIME LATER*

Team one could see the outpost a few hundred yeards away.
Everything seemed calm and normal. Sam used the binoculars to make a small recon (OOC: I dont remmeber exactly who had binnoculars - lets say she did for siimplicitys sake)

Hows it going?

All is quiet. Inne, it seems they have not noticed us yet.

Also they dont seem to be preparing any action right now, eh?

Sam nodded. Yes, so it seems.

No signs of team 2, Ved?

Nothing, They shall be around but must be very well hidden.[/color]

Ok, lets wait a minute before we get into action. It would be foolish to face straight the outpost without being assured of our backup - also it would be foollish to waste us and leave the other team without backup.

OOC: OK. Communication time
 
Sun-up.

Dwemer had switched directions a few times during the night. First he had shifted south, than west, hoping to come around. Then he had gone South again until returning to a more northeasternly course. He hoped he could confuse his pursuers.

They had not falled for his first shift. At one point he had stopped in a thicket to rest and had seen two figures dimly move within speaking range.

But for the lack of moon, he probably would have been caught. As luck would have it, with the morning sun, he could see none of his pursuers. There were more of them, he was sure of it. The ones he had spotted had been walking high ground. Undoubtedly there were more working through the rivines and gullies.

A sharp wind picked up from the northeast, that whipped the dirt into his eyes and into his clothes. Soon the trail behind him disappeared as the storm intensified. Dwemer struggled on, a bandanna over his mouth, to keep out the sand. But soo there was no more use. The sandstorm did little but confuse him, turning him about. For all he knew, Dwemer might be moving in the wrong direction.

He found a dark cave and slipped inside, careful not to stir up any scorpions or snakes therein. The cave sank deeper into the ground and disappeared. He watched the opening for a few moments, thinking about Vault 15, about the men that chased him. Hopefully he had pulled some of the Rovers away from their outpost and their main fort. If so he would make the task of his comrades that much easier. He would wait Finally about Roadrunner. WIth the gypsy girl on his mind, and a smile creasing his dirty face, Dwemer fell asleep.
 
occ- For those curious, this is an NPC that we have seen earlier in this tale.

IC-"So you say they went in the direction of Vault 15?" asked the beautiful woman.

To seth she was mesmerizing. Where Tandi was youthful, lean and athletic and innocent to the world, this woman was exotic, silky and flirtatious. Had the woman asked him, he would have gone anywhere she led.

"That's right. The two of em, Brute and Melvin, went with a group of mercs to deal with the Rovers. We've been having problems with them lately and we think they have a few of our people hostage. So Brute, Melvin and the others were sent to see if they can get 'em back." Said Seth.

He glanced back at courtyard in Shady Sands, checking to see if anyone else had seen this vision from the wastes. Good thing Katrina was feeling poorly or Seth might embarrass himself.

"That's very brave of them." Said the woman. "I hope they are well armed."

"Well they got guns if that's what you're asking. A few real tough characters in that pack. I am sure even if they don't succeed, they will put some pain to the Rovers."

The woman touched her arm which was bandaged. "Yes, I am quite sure they can deliver pain."

"We have a doctor inside if you want someone to look at your arm. It would be my pleasure to help you out." Said Seth.

"That's very kind of you. I am sure you would be most attentive to my every needs," She said with a smile. "Perhaps I will return and we can discuss it further, but I fear I must go on. Promises to keep and miles to go before I can sleep, you know."

"Yeah, sure." Said Seth, not really understanding. "At least let me see if I can get you a stimpack. Wait here a moment."

Seth ran to see Raslo, heedless of his obligations to guard the gate no matter what the dangers of raiders. When the doctor resisted Seth's demands for a stimpack, Seth grabbed the first he could see and pushed past Raslo's wife to get back to the gate.

But when he got there the woman was already gone. Seth went out past the gate and looked in all directions, but lingered on the way east. But there was no sign of the woman.

All he saw was a large rat, running away from Shady Sands. A vermin of that size was potentially dangerous, and Seth drew up his rifle. But when he tried to draw a bead on the rat, the vile creature and disappeared in the wasteland grass.
 
Carib grabbed the bionoculars and spied some approaching fires in the distance. Making out the red hair, he smiled to himself. Glad to see she made it, Carib thought. He wondered if she could see him through the scope of the rifle, though Carib could imagine a lof of people would love to have them in their crosshairs.

Just then, Roadrunner, Zeke and Daniel came along, taking cover in the darkness of night. The small gypsy had her .44 revolver already drawn, her finger carefully away from the trigger, pointing outwards and not in the trigger guard. Smart, she knew her stuff and Carib appreciated that. Though the hand canon wasn't something he'd use for the subtly of the situation.

Looking at the Colt 6520 10mm with the supresser, he knew he only had three clips and then he'd have to use the Desert Eagle. For now, every bullet had to count. So all he had in his megar arsenal was his Desert Eagle .44 with seven clips of .44 FMJ and four clips JHP. A combat knife, a grenade, two stimpaks. So it was all or nothing now.

Richard was prone on the ground, checking his pistol.

Zeke was ready, his hands playing with the knife he was weilding. It looked freshly sharpened, thus making it easier to open some vessels. If Carib didn't dislike him, he would have shown some conecrn for him being in the group. But it didn't matter now.

Daniel stood, their and well wasn't unwelcomed, but Carib somehow felt the ghoul was out of place; not that he was prejudiced of ghouls, he just knew they were pretty frail. One quick hit with the gun butt and Danny boy wouldn't have his head on his rotted shoulders.

"OKay, people," Carib began, feeling a bit rediculas giving his team a peep talk. It just didn't feel right. "Now, we got raiders out their. So far, only six have been spotted. Two guarding that galvanized shack and perhaps four more making patrols out there." His hand pointed towards the darkness.

"Now, Inne and the snipers are getting into position and will be watching our backs. The whole idea is stealth and silence. Me and Richie here will make our ways toward the shack. We grease the two guys there and when its safe, you make a move towards us. Now, I'm guessing they have a manhole or some stairwell going down underground. Most likely we may find Dwemer their. Dead... or alive, but I'm betting on alive. We gotta make it down their and spring our boy and break these Rovers sons of bitches.

So that is the Nuka Cola man's plan. Anyone has objections. Speak now... or follow me and we kick some ass."
 
Sam was well hidden behind some hills, her binoculars locked unto Carib and Richard. Well her concern wasn't more or for Richard and less for Carib, but she did like the boy. He was sweet, and while Carib had this gangster bad boy appeal, she prefered Richard.

Sam pulled down the binoculars and checked her AK-112, adjusting the night sight scope. "Get into position, people. Inne, I got support on Richard and Carib. We need to angle this good so we can back them up. You got my back, Ved?" She looked to her Brotherhood comrade.

It was now or never and the Rovers were going down.
 
Richard lay there, silent, observing, pondering. Then he looked up at the moon, silently took a drink from his waterflask. He spilled some onto the ground and the soil turned into a darkish brown. He picked up some mud with two fingers and smeared it over his face. Although he had a tan, he didn't want to risk going out there looking pale, the moonlight might give him away. He pulled back the slide of his gun and checked the breach one last time.

"I'm ready to get going if you are." Richard said to Carib and then turned toward the others. "You guys wait here until we signal you to move closer."

"Lock and load." Carib said as they both began moving closer towards the guards and the shack.

Both men were wearing black, so they phased in perfectly with the scenery. They moved in about 10 meters apart. About 100 meters from the shack they crossed their first patrol. The two raiders were dead before they could lift up their guns. The silencers did their work to perfection and the other guards did not notice a thing. Carib quickly pulled the two casualties into a ditch, to prevent accidental discovery. Richard signaled Roadrunner, Daniel and Zeke to move in and take cover behind a big rock nearby. Although only 4 other guards had been seen up til now, nobody knew what was going on inside the shack and maybe quick backup would be required as they moved in. For all they knew the raiders could be having a "bake&sale" for a good cause in that shack...

The closer Carib and Richard got to the shack, the less cover was to be found and the harder it was to hide. Now less than 50 meters from the objective, the second free raider patrol was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully they were now far behind the shack somewhere.

Carib and Richard quietly took aim at the two stationary guards at the shack and flipped on their laserpointers at the same time. Each red dots centered on the skull of a guard, the raiders had little chance of reacting to it. A couple milliseconds later their brain splattered over the shacks walls. However, one or even maybe both 10mm bullets made it through the skull unharmed and continued flying through the metallic shack wall. The entire shack resonated and acted as an amplifier for the sound of lead hitting metal.

Moments later, the shacks door flew open.
Their cover had been blown...
 
The door flew open with the reaction time of a planned sting. The Rovers were alert, Carib could give them that, and before he could even draw, the incoming Rovers fired calculated shots with their Desert Eagles as well.

"We got company boys." A raider shouted as the door swung open.

"No one takes over this place." Another chidded behind his comrade.

A .44 slug nearly knicked his arm if he hadn't obeyed his instinct to drop. Carib hit the dirt and aimed for the knee cap of one attacker. A squeeze on the trigger and the AP round tore through the knee cap, dropping his foe on bended knee. The man cried out as he looked down at his shattered knee cap. His woe would be ended shortly.

The laser bead traveled up the body and landed right in the head.

BANG!

The body doubled over into the dirt. His comrades shouting curses at Carib's move.

"Score three to two, RIch." Carib said, keeping his tally in mind. After all, they were playing he street favourite: Whose the Better Killer.

The next two were smarter, keeping within the shack and turning to fire shots with their widowmakers.

"Move, Kid." Carib shouted as he rolled out the way, trying to get Richard to do the same. Carib was firing behind the door, hoping to make a lucky hit on the hiding raider. The bullets punched holes through the shack and light began to seep through.

Everytime a raider tried to fire, Richard gave a supressive shot, making him back in.

"You gotta a plan, boss? Or are you making it up all the way." Richard asked between firing.

"Sure. I gotta a plan." Carib took one of his grenades and pulled the pin. It was the ever so popular American made Fragmentation grenade. This baby would hit the ground and scatter bits of shrapnel and powder the area. A good weapon for a desperate time. With a heave he tossed it into the shack. So much for subtly, but the situation became desperate.

The grenade rolled inside, and thr tree shotgun Rovers only could stare as they say the small ball of death roll between them.

"Oh... Fuck." Came the unison sigh followed by a deafening explosion accompanied by screams.

"That makes...Five to two."
 
(OOC: Ok here we go. I will assume we are close enough to have seen the gunfire and to be able to provide cover)

They did it, they put down the first raiders! Now they will get through the gate! Lets move closer, but still under cover! Remember guys that we are the cavalry!

Inne said, and so team one moved a bit closer, still away enough to be safe in cover by the nearby rocks. She released the safety in her rifle, to be able to shoot. Then she noticed something that made her blood chill: a small group of raiders was coming silently from behind the out post. Dit they have an extra exit? Some tunel or something? She did not know, but they could get to Carib and Rich and take them by the back unless they did something!

So Inne aimed and shot her rifle. With the precision aquired by years of pratice and the will to protect her friend Rich and the guy Carib she was learning to love. With the pressure of life and death situation. She did not think twice - she reacted with the heat of the moment.

Oh, one hail to technology and long range rifles! The rider fell on the ground with a thud as the bullet crossed his heart. His companions cursed and steped back as quick as possible, one of them risking a shot in the general direction from where he thought the shot came from - but Inne had ducked under the large rock.

Party is on! Lets play more music! And she got ready to give another shot.
 
Rob had his rifle at the ready and was picking off radiers at ease until he could hear the sounds of men behind him,he turned around and noticed a few men coming up from behind,Inne was in a crouching position behind a sand dune and Ved who was in a Prone position not far from Inne but both were unaware of the presence of the raiders behind them.

one of the raiders came up into firing range and drew his colt and took aim at Inne.

"Inne!!"Yelled out Rob.

but it was too late and without thinking Rob quickly jumped infront of Inne taking the bullet in the side of the chest which would have been a clear head shot if it were to have hit Inne.

"I can't believe I bit my tounge again...."said Rob as he spat out some blood and fell to the ground.

Rob was unable to get up so as a last resort he quickly drew his rifle and blew a hole in the raiders head before he could finish off Rob........
 
Daniel was leaning aginst the rock that they were using for cover when three raiders came by running.
Only one spotted them, and as he started to bring his weapon to bear, Daniel let loose both barrels from his sawed off shotgun, droping two of the men and wounding a third.
Suddenly, the third mans skull exploded.
Looking behind him, Daniel noticed Roadrunner reloading her gun, replacing the spent cardtadge.
"The cards, they see much death in the future."
 
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