Joseph and I spent the rest of the day's good light scanning around the perimeter of the HQ, looking out at the expanse of the Capital Wasteland, trying to anticipate any potential threats. It was also a chance to get to know our surroundings without having to go anywhere. We could see several distant buildings that looked like they had been reinforced, with boarded-up windows and scrap defenses, though none of them were near us, thankfully.

  To the south of the HQ was Washington DC proper. I had no idea how it matched up with the DC from home, but here, the city was split by the. One side was marked by the and, with a massive crane and the in the distance of the other. Both sides were densely filled with buildings, and looking at them all, frankly, made me nervous. Luckily, they started to thin out a bit as they approached our location, becoming a much more manageable sprawl. I would have preferred a mile of empty land, of course, but I would take what I could get.

  On our west-hand side were the buildings I already cleared, as well as two crumpled and collapsed structures. Beyond them, however, were a few more isolated buildings, followed by the Potomac again. On the other side of that was a much more open area. Sure there were several more large buildings, but they were much more spread out, and mainly to the south. I was pretty sure Vault 101 and Megaton were somewhere to the west, but I couldn't be sure without doing some exploration.

  Behind the HQ, where the barracks were placed, was a decent chunk of empty land. The baseball field and surrounding area was nothing but dirt and the occasional debris pile, the perfect place to start a fledgling base. To the northwest of that land was another large cluster of buildings, dozens and dozens of them, with more hidden behind the first rows. This was at least a half mile away, though, maybe more.

  Directly north of us was a vast swath of residential neighborhoods, with hundreds of visible homes gently crawling up a slight rise in the ground. Most of them had collapsed into piles of useless junk, but some of them still stood fine, making me think the standing ones were built differently than the others. In the distance, above the homes, I could see some sort of shuttle line, a mono-rail perhaps, though it was hard to tell from this angle and distance.

  This residential area continued all the way until heavy northeast, where it turned into a small mall of shops and smaller buildings, including a few connected parking lots that we could eventually expand into when we ran out of room in the clearing directly behind the HQ.

  While most of this was not exactly new information, especially considering how much I knew about this world already, having the monocular did hammer home just how much the scale had shifted. This was a place you could traverse in a few minutes. Despite the fact that we had a mostly clear shot at it, the Super Duper Mart was at least a fifteen or twenty-minute walk away. While I was pretty sure this was smaller than the DC from home, it was, or rather had been, a huge fucking city.

  When Joseph and I were done messing around with our new toys, we headed inside. The sun was starting to set, and even if I felt slightly more confident with Joseph backing me up, there was no way I was wandering around in the wastes at night. Not when I knew what sort of things could jump out and surprise us if we did.

  The rest of the evening was spent cleaning up and quickly eating dinner, heading to bed before it got too dark out. While having working lights was incredible, lights shining out from the interior was as good as posting a sign on our building that said, "Well-established people, please come rob and or take out cool building from us."

  Despite being forced to call an early night, not that we wouldn't have anyway, I stayed awake for some time after laying in bed. What little progress we had made today felt insignificant compared to what we would need to do to make this place secure. There was so much that needed to get done and so little time to do it.

  My thoughts continued to circle, no real solution or solace to be found, until I finally managed to fall asleep into a night of fitful rest.

  The next morning, I was woken up by the sound of gunfire. The pops and whizzing bullets were all too close to the HQ and very clearly getting closer. I cursed and rolled out of bed, quickly grabbing my chest armor and helmet, putting them on, as well as my holster, before quickly grabbing my rifle and rushing out of my room. Joseph had beat me by a few seconds and was already running past my room, his rifle up and ready. We quickly rushed through our hallway and into the HQ's main room, where we could see outside just a bit better.

  There, outside along the west side, was a small trade caravan, with two and a dozen people. They were clearly being chased by something, but it took a moment for them to come into view. Then, suddenly, what looked like two dozen or more raiders came screaming into view around the corner of a ruined building.

  As we watched, we could see that only half of the people in the caravan were armed, all of them doing their best to cover those that weren't as they ran. Meanwhile, the raiders, armed with everything from pistols and rifles to a machete and a tire iron, and covered in everything from metal pans to cut-up tires for armor, chased after them, shouting and screaming.

  "Sir?" Joseph asked, his unspoken question quite clear.

  "...ffuuuuckkk," I cursed after a pause, drawing it out as I shook my head and ran further down the hall, getting to the front door.

  While the raiders might have had a numerical advantage, they were running and following the caravan wildly and, better yet, had no idea we were there. Unbeknownst to them, they were about to run past our front door, opening themselves up to a pretty brutal flank. As we crouched by the thick wooden doors, I shared a look with Joseph, raising my hand to count down from three.

  At one, we pushed the door open, one for each side, and opened fire. Immediately, several raiders were dead, both of them close and armed with guns. Before their friends could even realize what had happened, we had killed two more. Unfortunately for us, the element of surprise only got you so far, and the remaining raiders quickly shifted their focus to the new threat. Some of them did their best to jump for cover, while the others, most likely high out of their minds, immediately charged at us, their making-shift melee weapons ready to swing.

  They barely made it a few meters before half of them were dead, and the rest were forced to huddle behind what little cover they could find.

  Meanwhile, the armed members of the caravan, now realizing they weren't being chased, turned and dug in, taking cover behind cars and chunks of concrete before raising their rifles and opening fire. Another wave of raiders dropped, the dwindling group now stuck between us and the guards. Between both groups, the remaining raiders quickly fell apart and tried to run, though they failed to get very far with Joseph and I watching them from such a favorable angle.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  When the raider killing field went silent, I watched as the caravan runners shared glances among themselves, clearly trying to figure out if we were a threat or not. Rather than confuse them, I made a rather large statement by passing Joseph my rifle. I still had my pistol, but the action held enough weight that the caravan guards all seemed to relax, standing out of cover and lowering their guns. One of them, wielding a that he carried with a deceptively casual stance, waved to another of the guards.

  "Go get the bossman and tell him it's all clear," He said, his underling agreeing with a nod before the clear leader turned to look at me. "Thanks for the help, stranger. We were hoping to reach a choke point where we could fight them off in, but no telling how many of us would have made it that far. Or if it would have worked with so many of them. Names Reed."

  The man stepped closer and held out a hand, which I took and shook tightly. I could feel him and his group as they looked us up and down, noting the armor and weapons.

  "Happy to help, Reed, names Connor," I said, looking back at the various raider corpses. "Any raider we kill today is one less we deal with later."

  "Fair enough," He agreed with a nod and soft chuckle. "Though it looks like we woke you guys up, most would have let us run by for that alone."

  "I say blame the scum, not like you'd have been shooting otherwise."

  We shared another laugh as another man, this one dressed in travel clothes and a wide-brimmed hat, approached, the two brahim and other travelers following behind.

  "Reed, what happened?" The man asked, looking around nervously, eyeing me up with a practiced look. "Troubles gone?"

  "These two gentlemen stepped up as we passed, managed to put the raiders in a jam," Reed explained, nodding our way. "Bossman, this is Connor. Connor this here is Adam Farli, a traveling merchant and my boss."

  "Good to meet you, Connor. My thanks for lending a hand," He said with a smile, reaching to shake my hand. "Walkin' away from a raider attack unharmed is rare enough to reward. I don't have much in the way of caps, as we are traveling heavy with goods, heading to Megaton, but we might have some food and ammo to spare, if you're interested."

  I could feel my mind spinning, working through what he said and just what exactly I wanted. This was potentially a disaster in the making, as the more people who knew about us, the more at risk we were. A trader, traveling to dozens of places around here, spreading rumors of a new group, or even just some people living nearby, was a massive problem. I needed to convince every one of these people that keeping our secret was in their best interest.

  "Keep your ammo, friend. Instead, I ask for you to keep our presence and this location a secret," I explained, eyeing both the guard and the trader. "My friend and I are scouts, coming from a nearby location, looking to expand into Capital Wasteland. At the moment, we only have a few members, but more are planning to join us in the coming weeks."

  "New to the area?" The merchant asked, eyeing us again. "Your armor and weapons do look different from what I have seen. What exactly are you doing here?"

  "Our original settlement is growing smoothly, so we are looking to expand and create a sort of forward operating base," I explained. "Maybe even setting up an entirely new settlement. We are mercenaries by trade, but that's a service we won't be able to provide until we properly settle the location."

  "A new settlement, aye?" He asked, looking at the building behind me, at Joseph as he stood at the HQ entrance. "An interesting idea. You know Megaton, an already sizable settlement, is only a few miles to the south."

  "We aren't looking to butt heads or steal resources from them," I assured him. "But settling near the Potomac will have some serious benefits."

  "If you got the ability to transport along it, but boats are rare, and the water is full of rads," Adam pointed out with a frown. "Until then… it sounds like you might need a consistent trader to keep you supplied."

  Suddenly, my nervousness started to abate, as the trader finally bit on to what I was hinting at. While looting wasn't our first priority, it was going to inevitably be a part of creating… whatever it was we were building. Trade was in the same exact boat. I had no doubt that as the HQ grew, we would have ample ways to generate money, which we could then use to get things done, hire workers, and pay anyone living with us that weren't my soldiers.

  Of course, Adam didn't know that we had a plethora of options. Instead, he saw an opportunity to have exclusive access to something that might turn into a profitable location. Sure, he probably assumed we would be deathclaw food by the end of the week, but on the off chance we weren't, all he had to do was keep his people quiet to have sole access to a new settlement for a good chunk of time.

  "That… does sound like something we would need," I admitted with a smile. "At the moment, our needs are few, but as we clear the surrounding buildings, we will undoubtedly find things worth a few caps. And as we grow, we will most likely need things like ammo and tools."

  "Of course, of course. And as long as we keep your a secret…"

  "If no one else knows about us, then I suppose you would be the only person we could trade with," I admitted, sharing Adams' knowing smile.

  "Hmmm, I think I can ensure my people keep their mouths shut," Adam said confidently, glancing at Reed, who gave a much more subtle nod in return. "How often would you be prepared to trade?"

  "How often do you come here?"

  "Once every two weeks, give or take a few days for bad weather or other issues," He responded easily. "Do you have anything to sell right now?"

  "We… might have a few bottles of liquor or a case or two of ammo," I said, shaking my head. "Nothing worth rolling out the goods. We haven't been here very long, after all. Next time, however, we will be more prepared."

  "That's good. If it's profitable enough, we may buy another brahim to move the goods you find," Adam said, pulling off his hat to run his hand through his hair. "Assuming you find enough. We'll see how it goes."

  "Sounds like a plan," I said with a smile, reaching out to shake his hand. "I appreciate you and your people's discretion."

  "Of course! A merchant's goal is to keep his clients happy, after all!" Adam said with a chuckle, putting his hat back on. "Now, how about we get our hands dirty, strip down these bastards, and drag them away from your home. Should help keep the trouble off your doorstep."

  "I appreciate the help, but my friend and I would like to go get dressed before we chip in."

  We shared another laugh before Joseph and I quickly headed inside and put on our full fatigues and the rest of our armor. Once we were done, we headed back out to help them drag the bodies clear of our area, throwing them into a collapsed pit of a building some distance away. We covered any spots of blood with dirt and sand before making our way back to the HQ. After the job was complete, I grabbed the two bottles of alcohol I had scavenged and handed them to Reed and Adam, a final bribe to stay quiet. They accepted graciously before the whole group left as one, Reed and Adam at the lead.

  "Well… That could have gone worse," I said, watching the whole group leave before turning and heading back inside, Joseph following behind. He was carrying two old stimpacks, a, and a bag of mixed ammo, our portion of the loot.

  "That was well done, Sir," Joseph responded, sealing the doors behind me. "Turning our need for secrecy into need for secrecy. Smart"

  "Maybe, let's just hope it works," I said, shaking my head. "Max, what do you think?"

  Maxwell, who had been listening from the other side of the door for most of the conversation, followed after Joseph and I as we walked to the main hall.

  "Considering the possibilities, I beltwo questieve that was the best result we could hope for," Maxwell responded, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Assuming that one, we actually stepped in to help and that we didn't just kill the merchant and his guards."

  "We could have ignored them, but… well, the raiders were walking right into a flank, and I didn't want to condemn the group just to make our lives easier," I explained, shaking my head. "And I'm not sure we could have taken that many people. They seemed pretty well armed."

  "Perhaps," Maxwell said with a shrug. "My point stands, however."

  "Right. Well, either way, this is for you, Maxwell," I said, handing the man a nine-millimeter pistol and a dirty sack full of rounds I had taken from one of the raiders. I also gave him the two stimpaks. "While we are doing today's quest, you should clean these up the best you can and keep them under your desk. Just in case."

  "Very well, sir," He said, taking the weapon and bag gingerly. "I would like some practice with it as well, at some point."

  "Not a bad idea," I said with a nod. "We can talk about it over breakfast."