Fallout Equestria: Inertia

Fallout Equestria

Inertia

Thermite and Other High-Explosives

“All the ponies in this town are CRAZY!”

I looked up at the ponies sitting at the table. Mom made peas and squash for dinner tonight, Soot’s favorite. It was his birthday after all.

“So how’s the dinner, birthday colt?” My father asked, a warmness in his voice.

“‘S yummy, daddy! I wuv peas n’ sqwas!” A salt and pepper foal babbled.

He turned four today. What's more is he still had his innocence. An innocence that, by default, would have to be stripped from him at one point. But that time was far from now, and now was a time to celebrate. Dinner passed quickly, and it was time for presents. A gift wasn’t usually more than an old Sparkle-Cola truck, but we didn’t mind.

“And here’s your present, sweetie!” My mother coddled the small foal in her lap, bringing around a small wrapped box to him.

The small foal greedily tore it open, like a Steel Ranger would a Stable. Inside was, as expected, a Sparkle-Cola truck. A Sparkle-Cola RAD truck, actually. Instead of the normal coloring, it had a dark red tint to it, similar to that of the radish it was named for. Presents were usually found while scavenging. My brother and I had learned that long ago. The only time this wasn’t the case was when a caravan passed through.

That was always a treat. It was fun to see other ponies, besides the family. We all got tired of each other sooner or later. My father trotted in with a small package in his hoof. It was a sweet roll. The cellophane crinkled and glimmered in the light. Enjoy the little things.

He ripped the packaging off, and placed the sweet roll at my little brothers hooves. The tiny colt flopped from the cradle of his mother and waddled towards the pastry. He eyed it with confusion, and slowly picked it up. After a single tentative lick, the entire pastry was obliterated from existence. The small colt looked up, a sugary glaze enveloping his muzzle. One couldn’t help but smile at it.

“Moaw?” The little foal asked, desperation in his little eyes.

“Sorry, son. I’ll try to get one soon.” My father said, chuckling.

The small foal took this as an acceptable explanation, and toddled over to my mother. We sat in silence for awhile, allowing ourselves to be comforted by the presence of one another. Homage sat in a chair, a blanket curled around her gray coat. May Lily lay down at the base of the chair, and Scoutwing sat next to her. I was leaned up against my small brother and mother. My father sat on his chair, skimming over an old magazine.

In an instant, the silence was broken with a loud crash. The veil of serenity shattered by an explosive, temporarily blinding us. Soot began to wail. As soon as we shook ourselves off, my father, Scout, and I shot up and grabbed our weapons, which we had set down for the birthday party.

We rounded the corner, and the reaper stood in the doorway. It took a step forward, and something strange began to happen. The reaper crackled and fidgeted like an old display, transforming from an angel of death to a pony in black carapace armor. An enclave soldier.

It began to talk, beginning in a deep voice, suspiciously similar to Commander Borealis’s.

“It has come to our attention that you have two able bodied pegasi. Hand them over, and we will not destroy this place.”

Halfway through the sentence, it’s voice turned into a mare’s, resembling Monsoon’s voice. Everything melted away. The cozy house I was in gave way to a cloud prison. Ponies shuffled in monotony, each one being branded with a number.

“523, 524, 525.” A stallions voice sounded after each brand.

I frantically searched around. I spotted a door, guarded by identical ponies. I barreled past them, entering a familiar hallway.

“526, 527, 528.”

I kept galloping. Rounding a corner, I reached an open door. It was my old workstation. Parts and bullets littered the floor, and a pony devoid of all color was working on something. I approached the pony.

“E- Excuse me. Where the buck am I?” I asked, panting.

The neck of the pony turned, leaving me face to face with myself. My eyes were pits. An endless swirl of bleakness and despair. If I stared too long, I would’ve fell into them. I looked around. The walls changed from white clouds into the storm clouds of nightmares. A silhouette of a pony phased through the wall, and it turned an evil grin.

“Welcome, Jury.” The voice of Borealis spoke.

There was no face to put the voice to.

“I told you once, whelp. If I found you, you. Would. Die.” He spat, malice and hate in his voice.

He raised a gun to my head. He pulled the trigger.

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 I shot up in my bed. Sweat beaded my forehead and back, gluing my jacket to my back. I lifted my forearm and looked at my Pipbuck. It was 3:12 in the morning. I scanned the room. I noticed that Spare and Gunpowder pushed their beds together, and put their gear on the other beds. I hopped out of bed, making sure to be light on my hooves. I stretched, feeling my bones crack and my muscles releasing a day's stress. Shucking my jacket, I started for the kitchen.

   I took a step, hoping that the floor wouldn’t groan. Thank Luna it didn’t. Gunpowder once told me what happens when one wakes Spare Part up early. I shuffled to the kitchen, wiping the last bit of sleep from my eyes. The lights were off, and turning them on might wake up the others. I decided to find the light button on my Pipbuck. I eventually found and activated it.

My eyes were completely unprepared for the unbridled power of the tiny bulb. I covered my eyes, and eventually got used to the light. I couldn’t do much without making noise, so I decided to go outside. I opened the door and stepped into the night air.

It was cool. Not frigid, but bracing to say the least. I inhaled deeply, letting the cool air warm in my lungs before releasing. The light from my Pipbuck was far less intense outside than it was in the kitchen, but it still illuminated the dusty ground. I scanned the horizons, hoping for a glint of sunrise. I knew it was far too early, but still.

Today was going to be a long day. I hope that we can make good time, but Ballista’s leg will probably slow us down. Although we will have the added benefit of the Eyes-Forward Sparkle on my Pipbuck. Skirting around enemies is better than gunning them down, I suppose.

The mustiness of sweat still clung to the back of my neck, the product of nightmares. I sat on my haunches, and skirted over to a smooth boulder. I wriggled into a comfortable position and closed my eyes. Maybe the cloud cover would help me drift off. Sighing, I let myself slip into REM.

I opened my eyes and groaned. What was blocking the light? I rubbed my eyes, and found a certain gray mare standing over me. I yelped and jumped back. A boulder to the back of my head stopped me mid-cringe.

“Gah, Gunpowder? What the hell?” I asked, rubbing my throbbing skull.

“Well you were sleeping outside, silly!” She chirped.

“Just. Just don’t do that please?” I asked, hoping to Luna she said ok.

“Okidoke! No more watching Jury.” She piped.

I let out a sigh of relief, and flopped onto my belly. I stood up on my legs, and began to stretch. A wave of cracks ran up and down my body, signaling that my body was limbered up. I trotted inside the old shack. I reached my bed and began gathering my belongings. Barding, check. Saddlebags, check. Jacket, check.

Satisfied, I exited the room and the house. It had warmed up since the morning, bringing a feeling of neither hot or cold. I wished the Pipbuck had a thermometer. My companions stood in a half circle, idly chatting. I walked up to the group.

“Alright. There’s a settlement about nine miles from here. If we can get a decent pace, it should only take us a few hours. Once there, well, I’ll figure it out.” I explained.

I hesitated with telling them my real plan. A nagging feeling kept telling me they wouldn’t agree with it, so I stowed it away until the time arrived.

“Well, let’s not waste daylight. Let’s get goin’.” Tesla said, which set us off.

And another day of walking commenced. And kept going. And going. And going. I never thought that canyons were dull but after awhile it starts to get stale. I lifted my Pipbuck up to my face. I had already checked everything, and I knew where we were on the map. There was a marker that I got from the tour guide map that was labeled “Two Note Strip.”

Before the war, it was a stripmall smack in the middle of nowhere. After the spells hit, it became one of the few non-irradiated locations in the world. Caravans would pass through the Badlands to get to it, as Two Note’s traders had some rare items. Being in the middle of nowhere left some pretty good looting.

My eyebrows raised a bit when I spotted the Radio tab. I had forgot that existed. I switched tabs until Radio was highlighted. On the screen before me lay two signals: Ranger Distress Signal, and DJ Pon-3. I flicked on the distress signal. Nothing but static buzzed from the speakers, and I frowned. I flicked the switch over to DJ-Pon3. I was caught off guard when a deep and extremely entrancing voice blared from the speakers.

“Goooooood morning, wastelanders! Prepare to be bedazzled, astounded, and otherwise stupefied; I’m DJ-Pon3, your friendly neighborhood disc jockey. Time for the news!”

“The settlement of Bluegrass has reportedly been attacked by slavers! However, due to happenstance, a group of displaced ghouls passed by, and aided the small village in fighting off the slavers! Ain’t that a thing how we can do most anything if we band together and fight the good fight? And what’s more, is that the grateful Bluegrassians allowed the ghoulies to settle there! Two problems fixed with one coincidence. Sometimes Lady Luck does smile on us!”

“And now for a public service announcement: Remember, kiddies, always perform routine maintenance on your weapons. If your gun’s broken, the only wasteland asshole it’s gonna kill is you. So be smart. Salvage those parts. That’s it for now, kiddies. And here’s Sapphire Shores, talkin’ about sunshine.”

A soft melody began to radiate from the speakers, filling the silent air with a lovely tune.

“Well, that’s nice.” Spare Part piped. “It’s kinda pleasant to have a radio going, as well as current events.”

I nodded, and let the music play. I absolutely adored music. I had an old record player in Thunderhead, but they confiscated it on the way to Neighvarro. Although I didn’t have any records of Sapphire Shores, I did have a few Neighvana and Rampones albums. This wasn’t nearly as grungy as that. But music was music, and it eased the boredom.

Although the music helped alleviate the dreariness of continuous walking, it quickly became white noise as our brains slowly adjusted to the monotony of marching. It wasn’t until the canyons cleared and a flat valley lay before us did we perk up once more, knowing that our destination was drawing near.

“How far left?” Gunpowder asked.

“About fifteen minutes.” I replied.

She smiled and began to hum Sapphire Shores. The town of Two Note was an above average settlement. It lacked the draw of Dise, or the safety in isolation of Friendship City, but it had walls and guards. That put ponies at ease, which drew some pilgrims in. Caravans would stop on the way through to more populated settlements, which allowed the citizens to trade for supplies.

I had never actually been in the city before, but I had to find a safe place for my friends, and this was as safe as it got around here. They had skills, so finding work wouldn’t be too hard. They might actually help advance the place, due to a common knack for practical problem solving. Once they were settled, I’d go out and find my family.

The fifteen minutes seemed to go by fast, and the concrete walls of Two Note were in sight, a tall gray line contrasted the light brown aridity of the landscape. Our pace increased, and soon the metal gate was visible, along with the two ponies guarding it. I stopped the group.

“So it’s time I told you my plan.” I said, getting it off my chest. “The plan is as follows; All of you will settle here. I have caps for you to get started, and I trust in your ability to find work. I’m leaving to find my family, and I’d rather not put you at risk. Besides, you’d be a great addition to their community.”

Tesla Bolt was the first to butt in.

“Hell no. We’re in this together.” He exclaimed, stomping his hoof. “You can’t go alone.”

I shook my head.

“I’m sorry, but it’s what’s gonna happen. I’ll stick around for a bit; help you settle down. Then I’m gone.” I replied grimly.

He opened his mouth to speak, but clamped it soon after. I knew he knew I was right. The others hadn’t said anything, which meant they either agreed or are still ruminating over it. We approached the gate, and the two ponies standing watch stepped forward.

“Hold up, friends.” A dead grass-ish colored stallion asked, eyebrow raised.

“What’s yer business?” A mare with the same color pattern as the stallion asked.

Spare Part and I exchanged looks, before I stepped forward.

“Looking for work and shelter. No harm meant.” I replied, puffing out my chest in bravado.

The mare spoke up.

“Aight, Wheat, Search ‘em.” The mare said, causing eyes to open wide.

Wheat and the unnamed mare approached us, rifling through saddlebags and prodding us. Ballista maintained a sheepish grin, and I did my best to keep from wavering. Tesla seemed cool as ever, and Spare Part was getting antsy. Gunpowder seemed to be enjoying it, completely oblivious to the molestation of her belongings.

“Ok, Barley, they seem ok.” The stallion spoke, and a name was given to the mare. “You can head inside, but don’t be causin’ any trouble, ya hear? An if’n y’all hear a trouble, don’t come cryin’ to us. We guard the gates. Settle yer own disputes.”

I nodded and faced the gate. The rusted metal groaned as two hidden ponies operated a set of winches. The gate resisted it’s masters, but it gave in after a yank. I entered Two Note, wide-eyed companions in tow. Two Note was by no means a bustling hub. In actuality it was kind of small, with towns like Flank and Friendship city dwarfing it.

However, it was spacious, with a large lot surrounded on three sides by a continuous building that housed a plethora of stores and residences. In a small grassy section in the middle of the area, a group of stalls sold goods such as food and ammunition. On the opposite to where the gate was, a large department store held the main market.

Looking around, I acknowledged the fact that this was a great place to settle. Easy to defend, and spacious. No wonder the caravaneers would call a diamond in the rough. My companions looked around in awe. They’d been used to clouds, and solid concrete was a whole new game.

We slowly drifted apart, curiosity driving us to explore. I wasn’t here to explore. Although I really wanted to. I trotted over to the cul de sac of merchant’s stalls. On some signs, crude paintings of bullets and knives signified a weapons vendor, if the customer couldn’t tell by the heat the owner and her guards were packing.

I decided to walk over to what looked like an apparel stand. Racks of barding and, to my surprise, power armor were strewn about the small stand.

“Um, excuse me?” I asked with a sheepish grin, as a unicorn stallion popped up from under one of the bundles of barding.

“Can I help you?” He asked, rolling his eyes.

“Is there somepony I can talk to about finding a job and some housing?” I spoke.

“Why are you asking me this?” He spoke with a scowl.

“Well, yo-” I started but was cut off.

“Talk to Double Action in the building to the left of the department store.” He interjected. “And don’t bother me.”

I huffed and turned away. The nerve of some ponies. I looked for this building the stallion spoke of, and there it was, what used to be a soup kitchen before the war now transformed into an impromptu jail and sheriff’s office. I approached the door, which was guarded by a mare shrouded in a cloak. I was smart enough to know she had more than a knife under that cloak.

“What’s your business with Double Action?”  A raspy voice spoke; a ghoul’s voice.

“Need to inquire about a job.” I replied, maintaining my composure.

She nodded me in, and in I went. Inside the office it was actually pretty nice. It was well furnished, and whoever chose the paint chose well. In the back of the room, a pony had it’s legs propped up against the counter that I assumed soup was given out on, and a desperado hat upon it’s head. The pony looked up and spoke.

“What can I do for ya?” She spoke, a smirk on her face.

“Well, ya see, my friends and I recently got into a bit of trouble with the Enclave, and yea, they’re lookin’ for work.” I answered.

“And a place to stay.” I added.

The green mare’s eyebrows bunched, and she blew a tuft of black mane out of her eyes.

Maybe she’d like a bobby pin, I thought, smirking.

She sat there, mumbling under her breath, and even though a pony’s hearing is good, sometimes it didn’t take the cake. I checked the time at least twice, and given in to the desire to take a seat on a stool in front of the counter. She look up, and nodded.

“Okay. Lemme get this straight. You folks got into a scuffle with the Enclave goons, and have been ‘relocated’?” She asked. I nodded.

“Since I saw you come in, and each one of ya’s is a pegasus. That means you were all Enclave at some point or another. Normally, I’d say no to your request. But-” She paused as she sat up, revealing a set of dull green wings.

 “You have my sympathy. I know you Enclave ponies are generally pretty intelligent. That means you could be of assistance. Not to mention my grandfather, Radar, had the same thing happen to him.”

My eyes widened at the mention of that name. I had heard Borealis talking about it with Calamity at one point or another.

“Tell ya what. We’ve been having a problem with a raider boss by the name of Grease Trap. Nasty bastard. Attacks caravans headin’ our way, and we can’t have that, now can we?” She spoke. “You and your buds take ‘em out, and they get a place to stay. Their skills alone’ll score them a job around here.”

I nodded.

“I see you have a computer-watch. I’ll update it with the coordinates, and send you on your way. You might wanna stop by Thermite’s and Alphonse’s shop before you go.” She finished.

She clicked a few buttons on my Pipbuck, received a loud beep, and sat back down. I smiled and turned around, walking towards the door.

“Hey!” She exclaimed.

I turned, eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Good luck.” She finished, as she readjusted her hat for napping.

        I exited the building, with a strange feeling welling in my chest. It was familiar, but I couldn’t put my hoof on it. Ah yes. Happiness. A smile crept up on me as I trotted along, searching for a set of curious pegasi. As I trotted around the complex, I peeked into an alley that might’ve drawn one of my friends in. I was greeted with a buck and a mare engaging in... activities, and I immediately ducked away.

Nope nope nope nope nope, I thought as I tried to flush the images from my brain. Look for friends. Friends.

After purging my now damaged brain, I resumed my search. After a half-lap around the lot, I spotted Ballista and Tesla browsing the stock of one of the stalls. I trotted up, wondering what poor weapon they were violating. Tesla had in his hooves a laser rifle. Sort of. It was incredibly dirty, and many parts looked to be totally lost causes.

        “This is garbage! Selling this to somepony is ensuring their own death!” Tesla exclaimed.

        “Nonsense! Thermite sells only the best weapons!” The mare replied smugly, and the gryphon leaning against the stall grunted in agreement.

        “See? Even Alphonse knows that Thermite sells only the best!” She added, an arrogant grin on her face.

        I trotted over, and took the weapon from Tesla’s hooves. It really was in bad shape. The crystals that focus the magical energy were cracked, and the actual firing mechanism was warped from heavy use.

        “He’s right. This is in bad shape. And eventually, somepony who knows a bit or two about weapons like this will see that, and then what? Your reputation is damaged more as the word spreads. Honest business makes for easy living.” I backed Tesla’s claim up.

        The gryphon shifted, but remained silent.

        Thermite just started at the weapon, and I think she was just contemplating it. Tesla looked at me, and then at Ballista over by another stall. We both left Thermite and Alphonse at their respective stalls and walked over to Ballista. In her hooves she cradled a submachine gun. It looked to be in decent condition.

        “Oh, Tesla! Jury! It’s good you found me here. I’d like to buy this weapon, and you have the money. I mean, if it’s okay with you. I don’t want to spend all our money.” She asked, in a quiet voice.

        Tesla looked at me for an answer. I bit my lip, thinking about it. I was going to leave them here, so what did it matter?

        “Alright, sure.” I said as I pulled out a bag of soda tops. They jangled like crazy. “How much?”

        “Eighty caps, good suh.” The buck behind the counter spoke, his name tag reading “Plink”.

        “Alright, Mr. Plink. Here you go.” I said as I set the required amount of caps (plus tip) on the counter.

He smiled and nodded, pushing the gun over the counter. It was 10 mm, and had an extended magazine. I didn’t think he knew it was modified, but I still reached into my bag and put a couple more caps on the counter and nodded. As we turned around, we were met face to face with a bubbly gray mare and her lover. They were dressed in some fancy new armor that looked pretty expensive. Instead of just torso protection, they had armor down to their knees and hooves.

“Um, guys? How much did that cost, and where did you get the money?” I asked, worried for my financial well being.

“Nothin’ at all! They had thrown some damaged armor out, and we just took it, cleaned it, and fixed it!” Gunpowder

chirped.

“How... resourceful?” I replied, laughing nervously. Who knows what sort of substances were on those.

The couple nodded, grins from ear to ear.

“So, Dear Leader. What’s the plan?” Spare Part asked.

“Well, we have to go kill some raiders.” I said, as a-matter-of-factly.

Ballista’s eyes widened, and slightly shifted off of her injured side. I took notice of this.

“Ballista, you stay here with Tesla. Can’t have you get hurt.” I reassured her, and she sighed with relief. “Spare and Gunpowder, you’re with me. Shouldn’t be too hard, since we’ll have the drop, but I don’t want to take any chances. Tesla, while you’re here, get to know the place. See what needs to be done.”

They nodded, and trotted off somewhere.

“Okay, we’re gonna get in, and get out. Minimize bullet impact upon flesh. The main goal is to kill them all, including their boss, Grease Trap. I know you guys are still new to this wasteland business, but it’s gotta be done. Are you guys ok with this?”

The other pair nodded.

“You guys need any ammo? The fight with the raiders yesterday left my revolver dry, and I didn’t take extra from Neighvarro.” I asked.

“Uh, I probably do. Plus we’ll get to check the market out.” Spare replied.

We turned to face the market and trotted up to it’s door. It’s main room was quite large, with the shelves moved around to line the walls. Goods lined the shelves, and ponies separated by crude wooden barriers tended to their stores. It looked to be organized by categories, with stores selling the same thing bunched together. A sign stood in the middle that read, “Rent-a-Shop: 50c per day.”

Looking at some of the lines, it seemed that some stores were doing much better than their neighbors. Gunpowder had zipped to one of the lines leading to a store called “Ammunation-State.” I chuckled at it, and joined her in the line. The line went pretty fast, probably because purchasing death projectiles wasn’t rocket science.

The buck- no, colt operating the stand was barking out orders to a couple of terrified looking mares to fetch ammo from a storage room. As we approached the counter, the two mares must have gone through that door at least five times.

“Name’s Philanthropy. I know it’s ironic. Now whaddya want?” He asked with an impatient and frankly rude tone.

“Ten millimeter, forty four magnum, three-oh-eight caliber, and forty millimeter grenades.” I said.

He belted a command at one of his workers, who scurried through the door and came out with a small crate. She plopped it on the counter and skedaddled back to her post.

“Two hundred caps.” He deadpanned.

I gulped. That was close to half of our money gone.

“One-eighty.” I retorted.

He raised his right brow and smirked.

“Bartering, eh? Two hundred.” He shot back.

“One hundred and eighty. This ammo might not be pristine.” I returned.

“One-ninety.” He offered.

“Deal.” I said, and handed him the caps.

“It’s been awhile since somepony put up a fight for a deal.” He said, “Come back soon.”

“I think I will.” I replied, shaking his hoof.

It wasn’t a steal, but the fact that the colt acknowledged it might prove useful. We left the market with magazines full and saddlebags weighted. Whilst I was bartering with Philanthropy, Gunpowder had gone on a shopping spree for potions, and managed to snag ten potions for fifty caps. Luna knows how.

Once the items purchased were distributed, we left the department store and out the gate. We had waited until leaving the boundaries of Two Note before taking flight, because unwanted attention was not high on my list of things to have. I never really realized how much more difficult take off was with gear.

Once I got up though, all I had to do was find a nice thermal to climb on. I pump my wings and gain loft. A warm spot of air comes under my wings, and I point them downward. Spare and Gunpowder followed suit. My indicator on my Pipbuck crept up towards the icon Double Action had set, and I motioned for a landing.

Our hooves clacked on the cracked ground as we hit the earth, our weapons whapping against our hides. Canyon walls were on two sides of us. None of us said a word. They knew we were close to Grease Trap’s hideout, and Luna bless them, chose to keep their mouths shut. According to my Pipbuck, we were right on it. As we crept up on the marker, a towering canyon wall began to loom over us.

Grease Trap had his back to the wall. Couldn’t tell if that was an advantage. We approached the wall and found nothing. Spare Part looked at me, and I could only shrug.

“They aren’t here.” I said, being captain obvious.

“I dunno. That little opening looks suspicious.” Gunpowder piped.

What? How did she notice that? Spare Part and I exchanged flabbergasted looks. Powder trotted over to a small nook in the corner of the canyon walls and disappeared. Spare and I followed, and were surprised to find a small cave.

Another cave?, I thought to myself.

I shimmied down through the narrow space. My small frame allowed for me to go gear and all. Spare, slightly more built, had to shuck her packs before coming down. Soon enough, we all stood in a small cave, pressed against each other. I wriggled my way into the front, and cracked my neck. Perking my ears, I tried to pick up any noise that might echo through the cave.

A faint crack resounded through the cave, and loudly. I looked to the left. Now that my night vision was getting better, I could see an opening. I got on my knees and pulled myself through the narrow hole. Two mares poked their heads out after, and the rest of their bodies soon appeared.

This space was much more open than the previous one, and we were able to stretch without poking one another. As I looked around, a dim light flickered on the wall. I put my shoulder to it, and followed. The light got brighter, and a campfire came into view. The cave opened up into a ravine with a roof. Daylight poured in from narrow cracks in the ceiling.

Ponies milled about, examining weapons, counting caps, and tending the fire. To my horror, groups of ponies were crammed into cages and set dangerously close to the fire. Raiders prodded the prisoners with the barrels of their rifles. There didn’t look to be much by way of cover, and that worried me. We were here to kill all of these ponies, and with no cover, it was suicide.

We could use explosives, and something told me Gunpowder had some in stock. But that put the prisoners at risk, who were now at priority number two. That was the only valid choice we had, though. I nudged Gunpowder in the shoulder and motioned to her pack. She pulled out a grenade, and I nodded. I poked my head out from hiding, and so did Gunpowder. Spare was preparing her submachine gun.

I pointed at three groups of raiders who were a safe distance from the cages. She nodded, and pulled out two more grenades. I slung Judicis from my shoulder, and then hesitated. Shaking my head, I pulled out my revolver instead. Judicis was too bulky to maneuver in this space. Spare had her gun ready, and Gunpowder had her explosives primed. I looked out at the battleground before me. I inhaled and nodded at Gunpowder. A few grenade pins clinked against the ground.

Follower Perk Acquired: It was under E! - Whenever Gunpowder is in your party, she increases your perception by 3!