Andrew looked at John, smiling and nodding while he lit another cigarette, replacing the one he had to destroy yesterday. "Now... how is that not tempting? Sure, I'm in." -------------------------------------------------------------- Taylor Bowman, known to the wasteland as "The Lone Wanderer", kept her head down as a stray bullet sped past her head. She was reloading her Lever-Action rifle, a special weapon she found while in Point Lookout. Attaching a scope to the already incredibly reliable yet also powerful weapon, it never failed her. Deciding to take advantage of a situation with the very last bunch of Talon Mercenaries in the wasteland, she was lucky enough for her enemies to provoke a group of Super Mutants while they did battle with them. Taylor slipped into their last hideout while they were distracted, taking the opportunity to wipe them out. Thankfully, nobody would miss them. Two Talon Mercenaries stood at the door looking down the sights of their weapons, while one of them had they physical strength to carry a Minigun. Taylor remained still before deciding to move forwards them, while also dodging the ridiculous amount of gunfire that was raining across the disintegrating cover. Running to the side of the wall sticking nearby the wall, she leapt into the air like a monkey as she seemingly flipped sideways like a cartwheel after spinning herself across the room. While upside down, she planted a well placed shot to the forehead of the Minigun carrying Talon, while also blowing the lower left leg of one of the two remaining Talon members straight off, before firing again in the heart. Frightened that two of his comrades had just died, the pupils of the last Talon shrunk to the size of a pea as he took his weapon, a shotgun, and fired blindly at the women. Once Taylor landed onto the ground, she threw her combat knife across the room, burying itself into the throat of the Mercenary while killing him instantly and pinning him against the wall. Once the carnage was completed, she forcefully took the knife out of the Talon and advanced onwards towards the distracted Talon Mercenary's, finding a hole in the ceiling above a battle in a room below her and dropping down.
(Skippin forward to when John and Andrew and Co arrive at Capitol Hill, which I'm guessing is where she is) John nudged the body of a dead Supermutants Overlord with his foot in disgust, "They're somehow ugly here than back west.." He muttered to himself before returning his gaze to the carnage around him, to him, it was obvious that while the men in the black combat armor and the super mutants had been fighting, they hadn't done quite much damage to each other by the time a third party arrived and mowed down both sides with seeming ease, "Whelp, if I was in Nova Roma, I'ld be willing to go all in if this was a game of blackjack...I'ld be very surprised if this "Lone Wonderer" isn't in here." John told Andrew, "come on, the way should be clear from the looks of it, but keep an eye peeled for trouble.." He then motioned to his men and they quickly ran up the steps, making sure the area was secure, and when John reached the entrance door, they opened it for him as he took out his trusty cowboy repeater that he had nodded to the max, the wind from the doors opening making his duster bellow in the wind, making him seem quite intimidating to...the bunch of dead bodies within, "Coast is clear!" John called
"Coast is Clear!" Taylor turned her head behind her as she had heard more voices from the front of the building. She moaned slightly under her breath as she advanced deeper into the building, encountering dead Super Mutants and Talon's. She looked around the building, observing anything around her that was out of place. She found herself in an enormous mess inside of the Capitol Rotunda, bodies of dead Talons and Super Mutants everywhere, scattered like trash in the wind. Taylor holstered her weapon away, there was nothing else that was alive in the building. She rested against the wall, next to the statue of Thomas Jefferson. She then felt footsteps advancing on her position before seeing soldiers on the other side of the room, alongside a man in a red duster and another aged man wearing bright white Tesla armor. She had no intention to fight the group, but if they turned hostile, she was ready for anything they thrown at her.
John noticed the woman on the opposite side of the room from them as he entered, the soldiers behind him fanning out into a sort of skirmish line, their wordless, coordinated movements showing these weren't ordinary soldiers or mercenaries, these were highly trained soldiers of discipline equal to or greater than the best Brotherhood soldier. John stepped into a more lit area and looked directly at the Lone Wonderer, "Hello Lone Wonderer, it is a pleasure. The name's Augustus Jonathen Caesar, or just John, leader of The Nova Roma Empire and long-time former Enclave. I am here for one reason and one reason only; to track down my former superiors and find out voluntarily or forcably just what was my past in the Enclave, then, if they are guilty of playing part in the planned mass murder, then they shall die by my hands. I came looking for you to request your help in finding Colonel Autumn."
Taylor looked over the the large force, easily noticing that they will be far harder to kill than simple Enclave soldiers. She turned around and walked over to the group, scratching the back of her head. "Colonel Autumn...Yes, he's alive. You just happened to have good timing, the smug bastard has been on the run for months. A contact of mine managed to get a photograph of him the other day." Taylor replied, handing over a black and white photo of Autumn leaving an Enclave base. "Taken three days ago, roughly 150 miles away. Northwest from here. He's not there anymore, but it's a very good lead."
"There's an easy way to draw him out. Just make sure that he knows "Master Sargent Trueman" is in the Capitol Wasteland. Hell, wouldn't surprise me if he's on his way here now. We have history together, and he'll likely think I'll provide him protection. And since I learned he was 2nd in command of the Enclave, he should know about "Project Overthrow", which is about all I know to be codename for my training." John scratched the back of his neck slightly before continuing, "So, I hear you're friends with the Brotherhood of Steel. Next time you pop around them, let them know that...back west is a bit friendlier to their actions now, and the leader of Nova Roma, me, has something to do with that." He shook his head then extended a hand in offer of a handshake, "Pleasure to meet you by the way. My nation may have originated as a slaver nation, and admittedly still uses them, but we are always glad to see the average wasteland slaver get put down, especially raider type. There is, after all, a difference between those that can't pay their debts and POWs and average day Wastelanders forced into servitude." To that there was a small grumbling of agreement from John's soldiers, "And fierce warriors always are respected."
Taylor reached out and accepted the handshake, turning her head to notice how the guards were dressed and armed. She could easily tell that the soldiers were based on the Roman Empire, and preferred to use melee and unarmed weaponry over the use of a rifle. She could easily understand the reason in that. She also noticed that there were no women in the guard, leading her to believe that they were to be used as housemaids or breeding tools. “I’ll let the Brotherhood know that you come on peaceful terms, that that would eliminate any hostility problems. Now...how exactly are we going to draw him out?”
"As I said, if I'm here and he knows he can come on safe terms, he will come." John said confidently, "In the meantime, I need to make my presence in this land as loud as possible, to the Enclave Remnants who remember Project Overthrow, they will no doubt see my arrival in this land as their chance to regroup. Which means a base of sorts will have to be made to help convince them I am here to help them. Then, when I have the information I need and I have had my chat with Colonel Autumn, we can hit them hard and remove the last traces of Enclave from the Wasteland, pure and simple. Speaking of which..." He turned to one of the Umbras, "et revertetur ad terram nostram, et reversus est a legio." (Return to our lands and return with a legion), who promptly saluted and ran off, then turned to face Taylor, "Don't worry, just getting some reinforcements. This land looks like it needs a good, strong force for the good in it. Not insulting your brotherhood, but I doubt they have the numbers to make this land safe like I do."
"It's alright, the Brotherhood gets insults regularly. I even deliver a couple sometimes." Taylor nodded with a small smile on her face, folding her arms as she looked at John. "I'll tell the Brotherhood to keep it quiet for now, you'll have enough voice pretty soon in the wastes. You might even have a loud echo within a few hours. I'll be seeing you around." Taylor replied before walking away from the group and left the Capitol Building entirely. Andrew looked back at John. "There are Enclave and Brotherhood defectors in the hills in a camp to the far North-west, near Raven Rock at Fort Constantine. They are good people, they should be willing to help." Andrew said before looking around.
John nodded, "Then that's stop number 2. Settle in there and start to attract ex-Enclave, hopefully I can get some to join me, could use some heavy power armor troops and the technical knowledge in my nation." He said to Andrew, "Anyways, shall we?" (time skip? Also; you gonna sign up for Eluuna's high school RP?)
John looked at Fort Constantine through his binoculars, studying the limited, but extremely well armed Enclave hell troopers patrolling the area, "Whelp, how are we going to seem we are coming in peace...? Would hate for them to go hostile without even getting a chance to talk." He said to Andrew, "But don't wanna go waving the white flag, that suggests surrender."
Andrew looked over at the building, able to see that some wastelanders were pouring out of the main building. Healthy wastelander's... Andrew then realized that this was not just a military base, but the capabilities of a small town. He scratched his head before seeing a reply. "They'll let us in, I'm quite sure of it." Andrew replied. "It appears that the fort has been turned into a small town, despite the security measures they have taken place. They must take security seriously." The old Enclave member then began to walk towards the town, brushing off some dirt from his armor.
John nodded before getting up and motioning for his guard to follow, "Hopefully having you will help, and once we get inside, anyone who was in Project Overthrow will recognize me, ensuring our safety." he said, "Let's just hope for the best..."
Andrew went towards the small town, the gates instantly opening when the Enclave noticed his white armour. Andrew turned around and waited while John caught up with him and went towards the gate. Once John had made it, Andrew had just finished speaking with a guard before he turned around to face the leader of Nova Roma. "Same rules as any other town. Provoke anybody, expect swift action."
John simply nodded in response, "Yea yea, now, is there any kind of leadership in this town? I need to see if they now anything about a "Project Overthrow"." John said to the guard, "It's fairly urgent."
The guard pointed to the northwest, where an isolated yet surprisingly tall building had been undergoing renovations. Nearby was a sniper's nest hidden inside of a cliff-face, with a Brotherhood Sniper at the top with a Gauss Rifle. The town was surprisingly fortified, with fortifications rivaling any of that of another town, possibly being better then Rivet City. Due to its former importance as Fort Constantine, the base was already easily defensible and was quite populated with former Enclave and Brotherhood Scientists, Soldiers and even some Wastelanders wondering around performing their daily duties."You will find our superior, Commander Rivera , inside of the building. He might point you in the right direction." Andrew nodded in response before starting to walk into the town. "Then that is were we are heading."
John followed Andrew into the town, making their way through the "streets", drawing stares from the people they passed on their way to the command building. Upon reaching the front door, John walked up to the two guards, "I am John Trueman of Project Overthrow and I demand to see the man in charge."
The two Enclave guards guarding the door looked at each other before side-stepping to their left to grant access to John and Andrew. Once the two old men had walked inside, a long series of corridors awaited them. Not long after they were led in, two Brotherhood scouts and an Enclave Hellfire trooper were escorting the two of them to Commander Rivera, a former Enclave general who was present on the Oil Rig before it's destruction who left the Enclave for the same reasons that Andrew left, for Colonel Autumn illogical and extreme methods. Once the two of them made it inside of the room, it revealed a wooden desk with a three seats facing opposite of one large chair. It was a typical office room with a terminal on the desk, a water cooler to the side and a painting to the left. But on the back wall were three different banners. On the left was the Brotherhood of Steel, The Enclave on the right. In the middle was a black flag with a picture of a white wolf, showing that the defectors had truly ended their ties to the organizations they were once apart of.
John nodded in greeting to Commander Rivera, "Hello. I am John Trueman." He said simply, getting straight to the point as John's soldiers stood in a row on the back wall, "I am here because I know you should know about Project Overthrow. I want to know about it. Because when I was released from the Enclace decades ago by Colonel Autumn Sr, my memory was wiped of the majority of my time in there. Little bits of the Fall of Navarro, bit of training and being with friends is all I remember. I want to know just what was done to me, I want to know what my mission was, and I most of all want to know why. Answer me truthfully, and you'll find yourself in a friendly position with the most powerful nation to arise since the Great War."
