If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
Turn their full attention toward the next challenge that might stand in their path, The Freemasons Republic.
Far from the steel corridors of the great airship Prydwen, far from the tense strategy discussions of Arthur Maxson and his officers, the Commonwealth looked very different around the quiet banks of the river where Sanctuary stood.
Morning sunlight spread slowly across the settlement.
Mist rose gently from the water.
Farmers had already begun their work in the fields beyond the wooden fences. The distant sound of a hammer echoed somewhere near the construction yard where Sturges and his crew had resumed reinforcing sections of the defensive walls.
Sanctuary was alive.
Peaceful on the surface.
But beneath that surface, the machinery of the Freemasons Republic was constantly turning.
Inside Freemasons Headquarters, clerks were already hard at work.
The building itself had become the administrative heart of the growing republic. Once just another sturdy structure in the settlement, it had been expanded with reinforced walls, additional office space, communication rooms, and meeting chambers.
Now it hummed with activity every day.
Men and women moved through the hallways carrying ledgers and supply manifests.
Messengers hurried between departments delivering reports.
Radio operators kept their headphones pressed tightly against their ears while monitoring communications from patrol units scattered across the Commonwealth.
Somewhere down the corridor, a typewriter clacked steadily as someone recorded the latest shipment of purified water arriving from a distant settlement.
Government work rarely looked dramatic.
It was paperwork.
Organization.
Logistics.
But it was the kind of work that slowly turned scattered settlements into something larger.
A functioning nation.
And this morning, in one of the upper offices overlooking Sanctuary, Sico was buried in exactly that kind of work.
The office smelled faintly of paper and ink.
Stacks of documents covered nearly half of the desk in front of Sico.
Some were already signed and neatly organized into piles.
Others still waited for review.
Supply requests from outlying farms.
Construction approvals from Sturges.
Medical production reports from the pharmaceutical building where Curie continued expanding stimpak output.
There were also trade agreements waiting to be finalized.
Caravans now traveled regularly between Republic settlements, and each route had to be documented, secured, and taxed appropriately to support the growing infrastructure.
Sico leaned back slightly in his chair and rubbed the side of his neck.
Running the Freemasons Republic had turned into a constant balancing act.
Military planning.
Economic planning.
Civil administration.
Every decision affected thousands of people now.
He picked up another document and scanned through it carefully.
It was a report detailing the weekly tax deliveries arriving from several settlements under Republic protection.
Each settlement contributed supplies instead of caps.
Food shipments.
Water.
Medical herbs.
Construction materials.
The system had been Magnolia's idea months ago.
Instead of forcing struggling settlers to pay currency they barely had, they contributed resources that strengthened the republic as a whole.
It had worked surprisingly well.
For the most part.
Sico signed the bottom of the page and placed it onto the finished stack.
He reached for the next document when a knock sounded at the door.
Not a casual knock.
Firm.
Quick.
Urgent.
Sico glanced up.
"Come in."
The door opened almost immediately.
One of the clerks stepped inside.
But instead of the calm professionalism most of the office staff carried, this one looked slightly tense.
"Sico," the clerk said quickly.
"Magnolia is here."
Sico raised an eyebrow.
"Magnolia?"
That alone was unusual.
Magnolia rarely visited the administrative offices unless something important had happened.
She handled many of the Republic's financial and civilian coordination efforts, but she usually communicated through written reports.
For her to come personally meant something serious.
Sico leaned back slightly.
"Send her in."
The clerk nodded and stepped aside.
A moment later, Magnolia walked into the office.
Magnolia usually carried herself with a calm confidence that matched the smooth voice she was famous for when performing in bars across the Commonwealth.
But today…
She looked serious.
Not panicked.
But definitely concerned.
She closed the door behind her and walked toward the desk.
Sico immediately noticed the folder she carried in her hand.
Thick.
Heavy.
Too thick for a simple report.
Sico leaned forward slightly.
"Something wrong?"
Magnolia placed the folder on the desk.
"We've got a problem."
Her tone was calm.
But the words themselves were heavy.
Sico sat up straighter.
"What kind of problem?"
Magnolia opened the folder and slid several papers across the desk.
"These are the latest tax delivery records."
Sico frowned slightly.
"The ones we just started receiving this week?"
She nodded.
"Exactly."
Over the past month, the Freemasons Republic had expanded its territory significantly. New settlements had officially joined the republic, accepting protection from patrol forces in exchange for resource contributions.
Those contributions had begun arriving regularly now.
But Magnolia tapped one of the documents with her finger.
"And that's where the problem begins."
Sico picked up the papers and began reading.
At first glance, they looked normal.
Delivery manifests.
Settlement names.
Supply quantities.
But as he continued reading…
Something started to stand out.
Numbers that didn't quite line up.
Shipment totals that seemed slightly lower than expected.
Sico looked up.
"These numbers look off."
Magnolia nodded slowly.
"Exactly."
She leaned slightly against the edge of the desk.
"At first I thought it was simple accounting mistakes."
She tapped another document.
"But then I started comparing reports."
Sico flipped through several pages more carefully now.
And the pattern became clearer.
Several settlements had reported sending larger shipments than what the headquarters actually received.
Not by huge amounts.
Just enough to be suspicious.
But small discrepancies across multiple shipments added up.
Sico placed the papers back down slowly.
"Someone's skimming."
Magnolia nodded.
"Looks that way."
Her voice stayed calm.
But her eyes showed the seriousness of the situation.
Sico leaned back in his chair again.
"Any idea who?"
Magnolia shook her head.
"Not yet."
She folded her arms.
"That's the part that worries me."
Sico studied her expression.
Magnolia continued.
"Because this isn't just one shipment."
She pointed back to the folder.
"It's happening across multiple settlements."
Sico's eyes narrowed slightly.
"How many?"
Magnolia answered quietly.
"At least six."
That made the room feel suddenly heavier.
Six settlements.
That wasn't a random mistake.
That was a pattern.
A system.
Sico stood up slowly from his chair and walked toward the window.
Outside, Sanctuary continued its peaceful routine.
Settlers walked through the streets.
Guards stood watch from the towers.
The pharmaceutical building continued producing medicine.
Everything looked calm.
But now he knew something was happening behind the scenes.
Someone inside the Republic's supply network was corrupting the tax deliveries.
Sico finally spoke again.
"Let's start with the basics."
He turned back toward Magnolia.
"The shipments themselves."
"Who handles them?"
Magnolia answered immediately.
"Caravan escorts."
She walked over to the map hanging on the wall.
"Each settlement sends their tax shipments through scheduled caravan routes."
She pointed to several paths drawn across the Commonwealth.
"Republic patrols escort them part of the way."
"And then they're handed off to transport teams near Sanctuary."
Sico crossed his arms.
"So the theft could happen anywhere along the route."
Magnolia nodded.
"Exactly."
She tapped one of the papers again.
"But there's something else."
Sico looked up.
"What?"
Magnolia flipped to another page in the folder.
"This report came from one of the settlements."
Sico took the document and read.
The settlement had recorded sending ten crates of preserved food.
But headquarters had only received eight.
Two crates missing.
Not destroyed.
Not delayed.
Simply gone.
Sico's jaw tightened slightly.
"That's not an accounting error."
Magnolia nodded.
"No."
Her voice grew quieter.
"That's corruption."
Sico stared at the document for several seconds.
Someone was stealing from the republic.
Not just supplies.
But trust.
Because the entire tax system depended on settlers believing their contributions were actually helping build something stronger.
If word spread that shipments were being stolen…
Confidence in the government could crumble.
And the Freemasons Republic was still too young to survive that kind of damage.
Sico finally looked back at Magnolia.
"You said it might be a group."
She nodded slowly.
"I'm starting to think so."
Sico leaned forward slightly.
"Why?"
Magnolia pointed to the shipment routes again.
"These thefts aren't happening randomly."
Her finger traced several lines across the map.
"They're happening along specific routes."
Sico followed her finger.
Routes that passed through certain regions.
Certain checkpoints.
His eyes narrowed.
"You think someone inside the transport system is involved."
Magnolia nodded again.
"Either that…"
She hesitated slightly.
"…or someone out there has figured out how to intercept our caravans without leaving obvious traces."
That possibility was even worse.
Because that meant organized raiders.
Or smugglers.
Or perhaps even political enemies testing the republic's weaknesses.
Sico turned back toward the desk slowly.
"Have you told anyone else?"
Magnolia shook her head.
"No."
She looked him directly in the eye.
"You're the first."
Sico nodded once.
Good.
Keeping the situation contained was important until they understood what was happening.
He walked back to his chair and sat down again.
For several seconds, the office remained quiet.
Outside, the sounds of Sanctuary continued as if nothing had changed.
But inside the office, a new problem had just emerged.
The Freemasons Republic was growing.
Expanding.
Becoming stronger.
But growth always attracted new threats.
Sometimes those threats came from outside.
And sometimes, they came from within.
Sico finally looked back up at Magnolia.
"Alright."
His voice was calm.
But firm.
"We're going to find out who's responsible."
Magnolia nodded slowly.
For a few moments after Magnolia nodded, the office remained quiet again.
Not the calm quiet of a peaceful morning.
But the kind of quiet that comes when two people understand the seriousness of a situation and are already thinking ten steps ahead.
Outside the window, Sanctuary carried on with its daily rhythm.
Somewhere down the road a brahmin cart creaked past the marketplace.
A child laughed.
A hammer struck metal again in the distance where Sturges and his construction team were reinforcing the settlement defenses.
Life in the republic continued normally.
But inside this office, Sico knew the situation could become dangerous very quickly if handled the wrong way.
Corruption.
It was the kind of threat that didn't announce itself loudly like a raider attack or a super mutant raid.
It spread quietly.
Slowly.
And if ignored, it could rot a government from the inside out.
Sico leaned forward slightly and rested his forearms on the desk.
Magnolia watched him, waiting.
Finally he spoke.
"We're going to keep this quiet for now."
Magnolia nodded immediately.
"That's what I was thinking."
If rumors spread too early, settlers might begin questioning whether their contributions were safe.
And once doubt started spreading, it was very hard to stop.
Sico tapped the tax reports again with one finger.
"First we confirm the scope of the problem."
Magnolia crossed her arms lightly.
"And if it is corruption?"
Sico's eyes hardened slightly.
"Then we deal with it."
His tone left little room for interpretation.
The Freemasons Republic was built on trust.
On cooperation between settlements.
If someone was stealing from that system, they were not just stealing supplies.
They were undermining the foundation of the republic itself.
Sico reached toward the small communication bell on the corner of his desk and pressed it once.
A moment later the door opened again and the same clerk stepped inside.
"Yes?"
Sico spoke calmly.
"Send a runner."
The clerk waited.
Sico continued.
"Call Robert and MacCready."
Magnolia smiled faintly at the correction. Even in a crisis, names inside the republic sometimes overlapped in confusing ways.
Sico finished the order.
"Tell them to report here immediately."
The clerk nodded and left without another word.
The door closed again.
Magnolia moved to the window beside Sico's desk and looked out across Sanctuary.
The sunlight had grown brighter now.
More settlers were moving through the streets.
Caravan guards were unloading supply crates near the storage warehouse.
From this distance it all looked orderly.
Efficient.
Exactly what the republic was trying to build.
She spoke quietly.
"You trust them."
Sico didn't need to ask who she meant.
"Robert and MacCready?"
Magnolia nodded slightly.
Sico leaned back in his chair again.
"Yes."
His answer was simple.
But firm.
MacCready had proven himself time and time again since joining the republic's military structure. The former mercenary had an eye for trouble and a natural instinct for tracking down people who thought they were being clever.
Robert, meanwhile, had become one of the most capable field commanders in the republic's commando unit.
Together they handled the kind of operations that required discretion.
And intelligence gathering.
Magnolia turned back from the window.
"You're thinking covert investigation."
Sico nodded.
"If we start interrogating caravan drivers openly, word will spread."
Magnolia agreed.
"And whoever is responsible will disappear."
"Exactly."
So they needed people who could investigate quietly.
Follow trails.
Ask the right questions without drawing attention.
That meant the commandos.
And the two men Sico had just summoned.
Minutes passed.
The quiet ticking of the clock returned.
Magnolia remained standing near the desk while Sico flipped through the shipment documents again, memorizing routes and settlement names.
He marked a few lines on the map hanging beside the desk.
Six settlements.
Three caravan routes intersecting near the same areas.
Interesting.
His mind was already forming theories.
But he needed confirmation before acting on them.
Footsteps sounded outside the office door.
Heavy boots.
More than one person.
Then a knock.
Sico glanced up.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Two men stepped inside.
The first wore combat gear with a long rifle slung casually over his shoulder.
His expression carried the familiar half-smirk of someone who had spent most of his life surviving dangerous situations.
This was MacCready.
Beside him walked Robert, one of the senior leaders within the republic's commando forces.
Unlike MacCready's casual demeanor, Robert carried himself with quiet discipline.
Both men stopped in front of the desk.
MacCready looked between Sico and Magnolia.
"Well," he said lightly.
"This looks serious."
Robert folded his arms.
"You called for us?"
Sico gestured toward the chairs in front of the desk.
"Sit."
Both men pulled the chairs back and sat down.
MacCready leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Alright boss."
"What's going on?"
Sico glanced at Magnolia briefly before answering.
"Magnolia brought something to my attention this morning."
He slid the stack of tax documents across the desk.
"Take a look."
MacCready reached forward and picked up the papers while Robert leaned slightly to read over his shoulder.
For several seconds neither man spoke.
They simply scanned the numbers.
Settlement names.
Shipment quantities.
Route notes.
Then MacCready's eyebrows slowly lifted.
"Huh."
Robert frowned slightly.
"These numbers don't match."
Sico nodded.
"No."
Magnolia stepped forward slightly.
"Several settlements are reporting larger shipments than what we're actually receiving here."
MacCready flipped through another page.
"And it's not just one place."
"No," Magnolia said.
"At least six settlements so far."
Robert leaned back slightly in his chair, thinking.
"That's too consistent to be random."
MacCready nodded in agreement.
"Someone's skimming supplies."
Sico crossed his arms.
"That's our conclusion as well."
MacCready looked up from the papers.
"You want us to find out where the missing crates are going."
Sico nodded slowly.
"And who's taking them."
The room grew quiet again.
Robert spoke next.
"Do we know where along the route it's happening?"
Magnolia walked over to the map again and pointed to several marked caravan paths.
"These are the routes connected to the affected shipments."
MacCready stood up and stepped closer to examine the map.
He scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Interesting."
Sico raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
MacCready tapped one section of the route.
"These paths cross the same region."
Robert noticed it too.
"Near the old highway ruins."
Magnolia nodded.
"Yes."
MacCready leaned closer.
"That area's full of old overpasses and broken buildings."
Robert added quietly.
"Perfect place for an ambush."
Sico watched both men carefully.
"Do you think it's raiders?"
MacCready shrugged.
"Could be."
"But something about this feels different."
Sico tilted his head slightly.
"Explain."
MacCready tapped the shipment numbers again.
"If raiders were hitting the caravans, they'd take everything."
"Food, weapons, brahmin, whatever they could carry."
He flipped the document again.
"But this?"
He pointed to the missing numbers.
"They're only taking small amounts."
Robert nodded slowly.
"Enough to profit."
"But not enough to immediately raise alarms."
Magnolia folded her arms.
"Which suggests planning."
MacCready smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
"Smart planning."
Sico leaned forward slightly.
"And that means?"
MacCready met his eyes.
"It might be someone inside the system."
Robert didn't look surprised by the suggestion.
Caravan escorts.
Checkpoint guards.
Transport handlers.
There were many people involved in moving shipments across the republic now.
And any one of them could potentially exploit the system.
Sico finally spoke again.
"That's why I called you two."
He stood and walked around the desk toward the map.
"I want this investigated quietly."
MacCready nodded.
"No public interrogations."
Robert added.
"No disrupting the caravan schedules."
Sico pointed to the routes again.
"You'll take a small commando unit."
MacCready crossed his arms.
"Recon operation."
"Exactly."
Magnolia looked at them both.
"Track the shipments."
"Follow the routes."
"Find where the supplies are disappearing."
Robert asked the final question.
"And once we identify who's responsible?"
Sico's voice turned colder.
"Then we stop them."
MacCready grinned slightly.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
But Sico's expression remained serious.
"This isn't just theft."
He gestured toward the documents again.
"This is someone exploiting the trust between settlements."
His eyes hardened.
"And I want that ended before it spreads."
Robert stood up from his chair.
"We'll start immediately."
MacCready picked up the map marker and studied the routes one more time.
"Old highway ruins…"
He muttered quietly.
"If I were running a smuggling operation, that's exactly where I'd set up."
Magnolia watched them both.
"You'll report directly back to us."
Robert nodded.
"Of course."
MacCready pushed his chair back and slung his rifle over his shoulder again.
"Well."
He gave Sico a small grin.
"Looks like the commandos are going hunting."
Sico allowed himself the faintest hint of a smile.
"Find the trail."
MacCready nodded once.
"Oh, we will."
For a moment after MacCready finished speaking, the office settled into silence again.
The kind of silence that comes after a decision has been made.
Not hesitation.
Not uncertainty.
Just the quiet understanding that the next steps were already moving into motion.
MacCready gave a quick nod toward Sico.
Robert followed with the same calm acknowledgment.
Then both men turned toward the door.
Their boots thudded softly against the wooden floor as they crossed the office.
MacCready reached the door first and paused for a moment, glancing back over his shoulder.
"You'll hear from us soon," he said.
His voice still carried that easy confidence he never seemed to lose, even when walking into dangerous work.
Robert added more simply.
"We'll find out what's happening."
Sico gave a small nod.
"I know you will."
The door opened.
Then closed again behind them.
Their footsteps faded down the hallway.
And just like that, the investigation into the republic's first real corruption case had begun.
For a few seconds, neither Sico nor Magnolia spoke.
Magnolia remained standing beside the map on the wall, arms folded, eyes still resting on the caravan routes drawn across the Commonwealth.
Sico returned to his chair slowly and leaned back again.
He exhaled through his nose.
Outside the office window, Sanctuary continued moving through its day.
A pair of brahmin carts rolled past the storage warehouse.
A group of settlers crossed the road carrying lumber toward the construction yard.
In the distance, the clanking of metal tools continued where Sturges was working with his team.
Everything looked peaceful.
But now Sico understood something important.
Growth brought complications.
When the Freemasons Republic had first formed, there were only a handful of settlements under their protection.
A few farms.
A few caravans.
Small shipments.
Back then, corruption would have been almost impossible.
Everyone knew everyone else.
Every crate had a face attached to it.
But now?
The republic had grown.
New settlements had joined.
Caravan routes stretched across larger sections of the Commonwealth.
Supplies moved constantly.
And where systems grew larger, opportunity appeared.
Magnolia finally broke the silence.
"You're already thinking about how to fix this long-term."
It wasn't a question.
Sico looked up at her.
"You know me too well."
Magnolia gave a small, knowing smile.
"Someone has to."
She walked back toward the desk and rested both hands on its edge.
"The investigation will deal with whoever is stealing."
"But that doesn't solve the weakness in the system."
Sico nodded slowly.
"Exactly."
He reached for the stack of shipment reports again.
"These deliveries rely on too many different hands."
Caravan drivers.
Escort patrols.
Transfer crews.
Warehouse handlers.
Every step added another opportunity for someone to take advantage.
Magnolia tapped the folder lightly.
"So what's the alternative?"
Sico leaned back again and stared at the ceiling for a moment.
Then his eyes returned to hers.
"We change the system."
Magnolia raised one eyebrow slightly.
"How?"
Sico stood up and walked over to the large Commonwealth map beside the window.
He studied the settlements marked across it.
Sanctuary.
Abernathy Farm.
Greentop Nursery.
County Crossing.
Several more.
All connected by trade lines.
All paying their resource taxes.
But instead of letting those settlements send shipments through long caravan routes…
Another idea formed.
Sico turned back toward Magnolia.
"What if we collect the taxes ourselves?"
Magnolia tilted her head.
"Explain."
Sico pointed to Sanctuary on the map.
"We send a dedicated tax collection convoy."
Magnolia's eyes narrowed slightly as she began to understand.
"They travel settlement to settlement."
Sico nodded.
"Exactly."
"No scattered shipments."
"No multiple transfer points."
"One organized collection team."
Magnolia walked slowly toward the map, thinking.
"Less chance for supplies to disappear."
"And easier to monitor."
Sico crossed his arms.
"And more secure."
Magnolia looked at him.
"You're thinking military escort."
"Not just escort."
Sico's voice turned slightly firmer.
"Full protection."
He walked back to the desk and pulled out a blank piece of paper.
"If someone is stealing shipments, there's a chance they'll try interfering with the new system too."
Magnolia nodded slowly.
"So we make it very clear that touching those shipments would be a bad idea."
Sico began writing as he spoke.
"One convoy."
"Three Humvees."
Magnolia gave a quiet whistle.
"That's serious firepower."
Sico didn't look up.
"Good."
"Let people see it."
He continued writing.
"Two transport trucks for the soldiers."
Magnolia stepped beside him and looked at the paper.
"Soldiers?"
Sico answered immediately.
"Fifty soldiers."
Magnolia's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"That's basically a mobile platoon."
Sico finally looked up again.
"Exactly."
The logic was simple.
If the republic was going to collect taxes directly, they needed to make it clear that those resources belonged to the government once they were loaded into the convoy.
Magnolia studied the plan for a moment.
Then she nodded slowly.
"You want my team to run the collection operation."
Sico gave a small smile.
"You're the one who designed the tax system."
"Who better to manage it?"
Magnolia folded her arms again thoughtfully.
"I'd need logistics officers."
"Clerks."
"Inventory specialists."
"You'll have them."
Sico tapped the desk.
"And you'll command the convoy personally."
Magnolia blinked once.
Then gave a quiet laugh.
"You're sending me out into the Commonwealth with fifty soldiers and armored vehicles."
Sico shrugged slightly.
"You've handled worse."
Magnolia's smile faded into something more thoughtful.
"True."
She looked toward the window again.
The idea made sense.
And if corruption was happening along the caravan routes, a heavily escorted convoy would make it far more difficult for anyone to tamper with shipments.
Magnolia nodded once more.
"Alright."
"I'll start assembling the team."
Sico returned to his chair.
"Good."
While those plans were beginning to form inside the administrative office.
Across Sanctuary, another kind of preparation was already underway.
Inside the republic's military compound near the edge of the settlement, the atmosphere felt very different from the calm order of the government building.
This was where the commandos operated.
Training yards.
Weapons racks.
Barracks.
And a constant hum of readiness.
Robert walked through the compound with purposeful strides.
MacCready walked beside him, hands resting casually on the straps of his rifle.
Several soldiers snapped quick salutes as they passed.
Robert acknowledged them with small nods.
MacCready, as usual, just gave them a quick grin.
They entered the command center building.
Inside, a large tactical table sat in the center of the room, covered with maps and field reports.
Robert stopped beside it.
MacCready leaned against the edge.
"So," MacCready said.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a mystery."
Robert didn't smile.
"More like a rat problem."
MacCready chuckled.
"Fair."
Robert turned toward the communications officer stationed at the far wall.
"Send a message to all commando units currently stationed in Sanctuary."
The officer looked up.
"Yes sir."
Robert spoke clearly.
"I want fifty commandos assembled in the training yard in thirty minutes."
MacCready added casually.
"Bring their field gear."
"And quiet boots."
The officer nodded and began transmitting the orders.
Within minutes, the news spread through the compound.
Commandos began emerging from barracks.
Weapons were checked.
Armor adjusted.
By the time thirty minutes passed, fifty elite soldiers stood assembled in the yard.
Robert and MacCready stood at the front of the formation.
The group represented some of the best fighters the republic had.
Scouts.
Snipers.
Recon specialists.
Men and women trained for missions that required skill and silence rather than brute force.
Robert stepped forward.
"At ease."
The soldiers relaxed slightly.
But their attention remained fixed.
Robert spoke clearly.
"We've received orders from Sico."
That alone was enough to sharpen everyone's focus.
"When the Republic's leadership called directly for commandos, it meant the situation mattered.
Robert continued.
"There is evidence that tax shipments from several settlements have been disappearing."
Murmurs rippled quietly through the formation.
MacCready stepped forward.
"Someone's stealing from the Republic."
The murmurs stopped immediately.
MacCready's tone turned sharper.
"And that someone is about to have a very bad week."
A few soldiers allowed themselves small smiles.
Robert raised a hand slightly.
"This is an investigation."
"Not a raid."
"We gather information first."
MacCready nodded.
"Quietly."
Robert looked across the assembled commandos.
"We're splitting into two teams."
He pointed toward MacCready.
"Team one under MacCready."
Then toward himself.
"Team two under me."
MacCready folded his arms.
"Twenty-five commandos each."
Robert continued.
"We'll investigate the caravan routes where shipments have been disappearing."
Maps were passed around the formation.
MacCready pointed to several areas.
"Old highway ruins."
"Collapsed overpasses."
"Trading checkpoints."
"Anywhere someone could intercept supplies without being noticed."
Robert added calmly.
"Our priority is identifying who is responsible."
MacCready grinned slightly.
"Once we know that…"
Several soldiers chuckled quietly.
Robert finished the sentence.
"…we report back to Sico."
MacCready tilted his head.
"Then the fun part happens."
The commandos understood.
Justice in the Republic was not gentle toward people who tried to exploit settlers.
Robert looked over the formation again.
"You leave in one hour."
"Prepare your teams."
The commandos saluted.
Then the formation broke apart as soldiers moved quickly to prepare for deployment.
MacCready watched them go.
"Fifty commandos."
He whistled softly.
"Someone out there has no idea how much trouble they're in."
Robert simply replied.
"They will soon."
Back inside the administrative building, Magnolia was already organizing the tax convoy.
Clerks moved quickly through hallways carrying orders.
Vehicle crews began preparing the Humvees.
Soldiers were assigned to escort duty.
And somewhere beyond Sanctuary's quiet streets, two very different operations were about to begin.
One to collect the republic's resources safely, and another to hunt down the corruption hiding within its growing system.
______________________________________________
• Name: Sico
• Stats :
S: 8,44
P: 7,44
E: 8,44
C: 8,44
I: 9,44
A: 7,45
L: 7
• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills
• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.
• Active Quest:-