Daren nodded slowly, "I see, well, I'm Daren White, my grandpap was Captain John White, a Power Armor Ranger corp member. He has just been granted his T-51B armor just before the bombs fell, he was going to take part of the assault on Beijing. That's how I have this armor even though I have absolutely nothing to do with those strange "Brotherhood of Steel" fellows. My family has gone through an adapted version of the training my grandpap did, though I suppose I'm the only one left, I don't quite know about the rest..."
"Edward Cooper. Master Infiltrator and Gunslinger, old ghoul, personal agent to five american presidents and the last director of the CIA. Pleasure to be an acquaintance." The ghoul responded back to Daren, already noticing that the man before him had nothing to do with the brotherhood. He didn't understand the Brotherhood, nor did he want anything to do with them.
Daren saluted the ghoul, "Pleasure ta meet'cha, sir." he said, "...Say, are ya planning on leaving town soon? I've been in town about 3 months or so and have been makin' a good livin' and all, but...Well, I ain't the man to get too settled, ya know what I mean?"
"I understand" Edward said, being quite sophisticated to some extent when it came to speech. "I've just arrived in Sac-Town only a couple hours ago, there's practically nothing around the area from here for miles. I've always enjoyed company, so if you asking to join me, then I'd be happy to."
"That would be great, I'll be right back." Daren told Edward before ducking back into the tavern and coming out a few minutes later with his knapsack and gatling laser, "Just so ya know, I made some modifixations to my armor, allows me to be a lot more agile. So I aint gonna be no lumbering tank slowin' ya down and what not." He said as he affixed his power fist/ballistic fist mix onto his fists, "Whelp, ready ta go when you are, sir."
"Let's head off then..." Edward responded. ----------------------- The two wastelanders headed out of town and into the wasteland around them, where the environment truly lived up to it's name around Sac-Town. For virtually twenty miles, there was literally nothing. No life, no settlements, no buildings or anything natural. Just a flat lifeless horizon. Heading south would result in them passing by Lost Hills, and they wouldn't like how Daren wore his power armor. Of course, avoiding the area entirely would take far longer.
Daren looked towards the Lost Hills area, "Whatcha think we should so, sir?" he asked, "Through or around?"
"As much as we should go through, this place is a death trap. Couple thousand Brotherhood in this area and they would kill to have your armour. We should go around for safety's sake." Edward said, pointing to the east. "It might take longer, but it's better in the long run."
(Just so you know, I'm going.to be gone a day tomorrow (for me) as between work and school, I will have 0 time to post.) Daren nodded, "Sounds good to me."
(Okie dokie. I'm free for about two weeks since I got holidays, see you soon) Edward and Daren avoided Lost Hills and headed to the East. Unfortunately, Southern California had almost double the amount of raiders than up north, one swift yet troublesome reminder about the wastes. With Daren's strength, firepower and surprising agility and Edwards practically superhuman skill with his revolvers and stealth capability always put any conflict they were in was a guaranteed victory. From raiders to hostile wildlife, it didn't matter. From the Boneyard to some territory in Nevada, it really did fit the bill of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. After some travelling across a long stretch of road, Edward began conversation with the power armoured giant next to him. "Quite a history you have there Daren." Edward started "You know about how I can shoot as well as I can, but I'm not really that interesting." The ghoul joked at the end before taking a bottle of heavily irradiated water, the radiation levels far higher then what was normally found in average items and having a sip. The water practically glowed in the dark. He looked at the bottle and thought of how he wasn't human anymore. "Had I been human, that bottle of water would have killed me in exactly 3.2 seconds due to the radiation level inside. Because I'm what you see now, I can drink this like it was purified. Hell, it actually tastes better for me."
"I'ld be careful wuth that sir, I've seen perfectly sane ghouls go zombie in high radation. Might be a bit better to keep your radition diet to a low, sir." Daren told him as the walked along.
"Yeah, I suppose. I've seen that occur as well. I'm just one of the lucky ones" Edward said before taking a small sip before putting the bottle back down.
"And that luck may run out one day, sir." Daren replied, "Say uh, why exactly are we goin' to this town you're, well, we're headed to? You've been a might bit tight lipped about it."
"Because the Hub ain't exactly the friendliest of places, they've inlay recently finished fighting a Civil war. It's enormous, about three times the size of the largest settlements in the wastes, also one of the most dangerous. We have your typical crime, purely unfriendly locals but friendly merchants and enough raiders that can swallow all of Sac-Town like it was nothing. Tensions are still high from the fighting, which doesn't make anything easier. The South is worse than the North, that's for damn sure. It's fairly close to the Boneyard, but I remember it as Las Angeles."
"Yes I understand the where, sir. I'm wondering WHY we are." Daren reiterated, "I don't see how going to sucha dangerous place is gon a be much use."
Edward laughed for a second, the old ghoul playing around with Daren with his wordplay. "Oh....you'll see" (Time-skip?)
The two wanderers traveled across the wastes and soon found themselves in The Hub, a settlement that was easily the biggest town in the wasteland as of yet. Edward guess that there could be as much as around 2,000 inhabitants inside of the town alone, but the number of travelers and caravans that come to the merchant town could have been much higher, easily putting the average visitors of the town to around 5,000. While Caravans are organized in the town, it houses a large community of traders, barterers, gamblers, and other interesting scum. Edward didn't like the place at all, but it was the largest organized location for hundreds or even thousands of miles. A conflict known across this part of California as 'The Great Merchant Wars' was in it's first year and started when a band of merchants seized the water tower in the Hub. They demanded anyone wanting water must pay a toll. The water merchants sealed up the town, but were outnumbered almost 20 to 1. Ending the conflict in the area would be a load off the mind of the people in the wastes and life can begin again. Unfortunately, the 'war' would last until 2128 Edward had to see somebody for a job while trying his damn hardest to avoid a particularly nasty gunfight while doing so. He needed to avoid a nasty yet sophisticated raider known as 'Killer Bee', who had only recently arrived in the area a couple months ago. Killer Bee was already brutal enough as it was, but he has already made plenty of enemies. Edward happened to be one of them after Edward previously threw a glass of whiskey into the face of the raiders men just to torment him. If him and Daren could find a job, then the opportunities in the Hub were almost limitless. This was essentially the trading capital of the wastes after all. (I've been thinking about, and reading about, the situation of Australia in the Fallout universe. Interesting to say at least, perhaps I should expand onto the idea.)
Daren looked around as they walked through the city, he had never been in a town of more than just 100 inhabitants, to him, this was like a Pre-War farmer who's only exprience was small towns in Nebraska finding themselves in New York City. "Amazing place, dirty though." He noted, "What do we need to do?"
