It took a bit to vihem that I had no ill i, but ohey were out of the funk I kind of put them in; I asked them why they reacted the way that they did. Hearing my question the ghouls went on to tell me about how their friends that were also ghouls, which wasn't a big surprise due to most ghouls being discriminated against if not ht shot on sight by most wastenders, were taken by a group of people equipped in bck power armor that looked simir to mine.

  After their abdu, they don't know what happeo them because they were loaded into an aerial vehicle probably a vertibird and taken to god knows where with no ability to pursue the kidnappers given that the 3 of them were on the ground and their foes were in the air.

  "That's a sad and unfortuurn of events. I'm sorry your friends were taken from you."

  "Thank you. You are one of the very few civilized people we've met sihe day the bombs dropped some two turies ago." One of the houls said.

  "Thankfully, you guys are in luck. I might actually know what group took your friends."

  "REALLY?" One of the ghouls asked excitedly in his signature raspy ghoul voice.

  "Potentially. Did the people who took your friends have a rge symbht around here on their power armor, by any ce?" I inquired while pointing at the left side of my chest.

  The ghoul leader tried recalling for a few seds after thinking about it, he began. "Hmm, I don't recall them having a symbol on the left side of their chest, but they may have…"

  Before the leading ghoul could finish answering, the ghoul who hadn't spoken much till now interrupted him with a hate filled voice. "I remember with crity what they looked like. So I clearly remember that each of the bastards had a capital E on the left side of their chests."

  "Ohh, in that case, the Eook your friends from you guys then. How long ago did they take them?"

  "It happened about a month ago." The ghoul who interrupted the leading ghoul quickly responded.

  "...I don't particurly like giving people false hope since I see it as basically lying, so I'll tell it to you straight. Your friends are more than likely dead at this point."

  Before all 3 of them could lose all hope, I tinued keeping them on a roller coaster of emotions. "However, there is a ce they may be still alive, although the ces of that being the case are quite low, and the lohey're with them, the higher the likelihood they've already left this world for the ."

  Once I had finished saying that, the general mood for the 3 of them plummeted through the floor, especially so for the ghoul who clearly remembered the details of the event.

  I waited for a dozen or so seds to pass and added while the ghouls were still processing, that their friends were more than likely dead at this point. "Sorry that I couldn't give you all a better answer, but that is most likely who took them."

  "Hah, thanks for telling us smooth skin, it's better that we knew who took them and what happeo them than to go on thinking that we would have a ce of seeing them again someday, even though that's a very uhing out here in the wastend to begin with." The lead ghoul responded.

  "Back to what I was going to ask you 3 inally. What are your names, occupations back before the great war, and what sort of skills did you pick up from the time sihe bombs fell till now?"

  They collectively thought over my questions for a minute before the leading ghoul answered first in his harsh, raspy voice. "My name is Don King Hill and my occupation prior to the war was a sniper in the US army. As for what sort of skills I've picked up in the many years, I've been alive following the great war with my brothers, I've mao pick up and learn an assortment of skills ranging from how to repair ons from scrap to how to survive and avoid most dangers in the wastend by going off of tracks and other such clues left in the enviro."

  When Don was done answering, the one of the two ghouls ielding a .32 hunting rifle o him started answering. "Well, now that my brother has finished answering, I guess it's my turn. My name is Kevin Watts Hill, and I was ari. I also had a hobby of w on cars, but I'm not able to enjoy that hobby anymore due to the current state of the world, as you see."

  "As for what sort of skills I've picked up sihe great war they're a pretty simir skill set to my brother's but I would say I'm better at putting things together than him as well as disassembling."

  "That he is." The ghoul leader agreed.

  Following Kevin's answer, we all looked at the st remaining ghoul who had yet to answer. He didn't seem like he was all there, thus Don put his hand on his shoulder and woke him up from his thoughts and told him to answer my question after retelling him what I had asked inally.

  "Ahh, sorry about that. My name is Hugo Dean Hill and before the great war I was employed at RobCo as a researcher in the robotics department. As for the skills I learned sihe great war I would say I've bee very good at hag, lockpig, and a couple of skills that I picked up from my brothers. Though not to the same levels as them." Hugo answered in the signature ghoul voice.

  Mm, they all have pretty det skill sets and they seem to be halfway det people, though that could all be bullshit since I don't think there are all too many who would want to pick a fight with me when I'm right on top of them. Despite that possibility, that's not the feeling I'm getting from them, hence I'll listen to my gut for now and see if I 't recruit them. Having 3 ghouls that are over 200 years old, each holding a wealth of knowledge and experience, is a very valuable asset to have no matter how I look at it, especially in this day and age.

  With them done answering my questions, I decided to do the polite thing and introduce myself as well. "Seeing how you guys have already introduced yourselves, I'll do the same. My name is Harold Todd Woods and I'm a vault dweller from Vault 101. It's o meet you, Dom, Kevin, Hugo." I said with my power armor helmet off, showing my face for the briefest of moments while shaking each of their hands.

  The instant I was dorodug myself, I put my power armor helmet ba and tinued. "Now that I know a bit about you 3 brothers and know a little about me, I have a proposition for all of you, if you're all ied?"

  "Sure, I'll bite. What's the proposition?" Don replied after a couple of seds while his 2 brothers focused their attention on me.

  "Here's the deal. I'm looking to recruit people as subordihat would be useful in trying to achieve my goals. And I think the 3 of you fit that to a tee hence, why I'm extending this offer. As for the sort of bes you would receive for w for me, I'm sure you 3 brothers will be more than pleased with what I offer."

  "You've piqued my i. What sort of goal do you have and what could you offer my brothers and me?" Hugo asked, both intrigued and somewhat skeptical at the same time.

  "My dream is t some sembnce of order back to the wastend and to ultimately build a try upon the ashes of the Uates. I'm nowhere he point of making that a reality just yet. However, I do have the sembnce of a foundation to make that dream e true one day, preferably in the decade or two."

  "As for what I could offer you and your brothers I offer you safety, actual food that's the equivalent of what you used to eat prior to the world turning into a radioactive wastend, fresh non irradiated water, better equipment, and a nice pce to live. And that's not all I also give you, something to strive for instead of wandering the wastes looking for your meal and the ce to get back at the Ehat ripped your friends from you. How bout that?" The moment I was done presenting my offer, Hugo instantly responded with a bit of a crazed look in his yellowed eyes.

  "If all of what you said is true and you keep your word, you have yourself a deal, Harold. If there's a ce I take revenge on those bastards, I don't even care if you work me to the bone." When his two brothers heard Hugo, they both sighed and shrugged their shoulders as if they expected he would react the way he did.

  I guess the Encve must've taken someone he cared for deeply if he's willing to jump on an offer that doesn't really have anything of substance bag it up other than my word. Not that I would go bay word, but now that I'm thinking of it, I also haven't even givehe stuff I offered to them earlier.

  "As happy as I am to hear you're willing to work yourself to bone for me, I'd rather you not. So you see human civilization reborn from the ashes of atomic war along with your brothers Dom and Kevin."

  "heless, I'm happy to have you guys join me. But before we go any further, let me get you the items I offered you 3 initially so you see that I'm a man of my word and not full of shit. Also, while I'm at it, let's sweeten the deal a bit more a you guys kitted out with better gear since you're all now my people and I, for oake care of my people." I said whilst sending a signal with Mechu-deru to my robots to start bringing the items I had initially offered them, as well as some Type 93 ese Assault Rifles with drum magazio upgrade from their .32 hunting rifles and some other miseous items.

  In no time at all, my robots brought them the items I had promised them, as well as the additional things I had asked them t over. And right as they did, Kevin gave off a whistle, very impressed by the ons. Don and Hugo also looked quite satisfied with what I gave them when I looked over at them.

  When they were done admiring their ems, I asked another question. "I have another questiarding what happeo your friends, what dire were they taken because if you remember, I may know the location of where your friends might've been taken?"

  Hearing me say that some hope returo their eyes and their collective mood improved further, and once a few seds had passed Hugo, who remembered the event iail, asked hopefully. "I remember the vertibird flying off in the northwest dire. Is that at all useful?"

  "Definitely, they were most likely taken to Raven Rock, which is a bunker meant for top military officials before the great war."

  "We won't be able to do anything right now due to the Encve having a ton of guys equipped with all sorts of advanced onry as well as power armor. But I promise the moment I have enough firepower, we take them out. Hopefully, by that time, your friends will still be alive and well. If not, hopefully, their remains are still there, so you y them to rest." I added before any of them could respond.

  The sed the 3 ghoul brothers processed what I had just said, Hugo looked ready to charge directly to the Encve headquarters. heless, his brother Don walked up o him and put his hand on his brother's shoulder and slowly shook his head side to side, to which Hugo ched his hands into fists before rexing them aing out a sigh a few seds ter.

  "So Harold, what do you want us to call you by now that you're our leader?" Hugo asked.

  "Ehh, I haven't given it much thought... Just call me by name for now, and if we start getting close to the makings of a try or some other entity iure, just call me by whatever title is selected for my position iure when in public."

  "I got one more question. When do you think you'll be ready to take on the Encve if you don't mind me asking?" Hugo asked expetly.

  "Yeah, I don't mind answering. I would say within a year to give myself enough time to accumute resources and firepower, but that timeframe could probably be cut down as long as there are no major setbacks." I answered, which put a satisfied look on his face or what I thought was one. I could be wrong si's very difficult to tell due to ghoul faces missing most of their human facial features, but that's the feeling I was getting.

  Finished answering Hugo's question, I had my robots begin opening the sealed entrance of the building with my stashed loot. About a minute in, they had it opened up, thus my worker bots headed inside and began the process of transferring the loot onto the hauling bots. While my worker bots were busy getting everything loaded up, my now 3 ghoul subordinates, and I ehe building and took a seat at a table away from the bloodstains oore's floor and started chatting about different things happening in the wastend.

  As we were versing, they started eating and drinking the food I had given them before. Several minutes quickly passed by from then and before I k, they finished filling themselves up. And right as they did, my robots were just about doing everything loaded up. So with nothing keeping us here any longer, I headed outside with the ghouls following behind me.

  "Alright, time to head out to vault 101. Don, do you want a Type 93 ese Assault Rifle like one of the ones your brothers are currently using or do want something else, perhaps?" I asked Don.

  "Hmm... do you have any R91 Assault Rifles on hand? I would much prefer one of those since I'm much more used to them from my time in the military?" Don answered in his same old, raspy voice.

  "Yeah, I have a few of those." I answered while I sent 1 of my worker bots to retrieve 1 for Don and when it came back, it hahe on to Don.

  The instant Don got hold of the gun in his hands, he went over the on and racked the assault rifle's bolt, clearing a jammed bullet.

  "Now I'm ready." Don said while he had his sniper rifle slung on his bad the R91 Assault Rifle in his hands loaded with a drum magazine.

  Ohe 3 ghoul brothers were ready, they loaded up into Hauler si was faster for them to ride on it than it was for them to try to keep up with my usual traveling speed. From there, we headed towards the east, following the crumbling aeriorating asphalt road.

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