Fallout: Louisiana Blues | IC | Closed and Dead |

[Tayner]

"Well, Victor, that's quite a good story. If I was in your position, I'd want to kill every brotherhood of steel and NCR fucker I came across. I think I'm gonna hit the rack, unless you have anything else to say. Be awake at 6:00" Gunny said to Victor.

[SaintB]

Hey brothers and sisters, its Crawdaddy Jenkins, and that means it must be time for some news baby.

Today's news comes from some of the more out of the way locations in the northwest.

A mid-sized settlement called Arcadia was attacked by a tribe or somethin' calling themselves The Bundle of Knives led by a cat styling himself as a warlord and named Cornelius White. After a several day siege all that fought against the man and his warband that didn't flee were quite handily subjugated.

It sounds like war has come to some areas of our beloved state brothers and sisters, and y'all know what Crawdaddy thinks of war. What's it good for? Absolutely nothing man, and ol' CJ will say it again.

How about a song that evokes what Crawdaddy wants for y'all.

[Neo-Chicago]

Jacob, The Haven Broadcast

"Hellooooooo wasteland! Your old pal Jacob here, and have I got some news for you! That's right, the Gatekeepers are mobilizing! An elite task force of ours is dead set on a path for Providence, where we'll clear up whatever it is that's ailing you, so sit tight, we're on our way! Meanwhile, I'll still be here all day and all night, playing records and chatting with you good folks. Anyone who wants to join up, come down to New Orleans and we'll set you up with some armor and a weapon. Hell, we'll even pay you! Speaking of which, I think that task force is going to know what it means to miss the Big Easy..."

Jeremiah, SS. Natchez

Jeremiah stood at the helm of the ship, waving goodbye to some of his fellow Gatekeepers. Before he had left, he had deemed General Isaac the leader of the New Orleans chapter until he returned. A somewhat cheerful melody played from the steamboat's radio, about missing New Orleans. He was glad he had set up that radio station, at least he would know what was going on with the other Gatekeepers. He had taken 30 or so soldiers and about 20 citizens with him, leaving the remaining 40 soldiers and 90 citizens at the base, considering it was the Gatekeepers' Headquarters.
"Jeremiah, what do you plan to do once we reach Providence?" asked a knight, snapping Jeremiah out of his thoughts.
"Well, we're going to find a cathedral and set up in it, and then we'll start recruiting. We'll probably start killing some vampires in the area, so they know we're on the side of good." Jeremiah said, while absent-mindedly steering around a collapsed bridge, a few cars sticking out of the river. The Natchez was traveling at 25 knots, or about 30 miles per hour. The sun hung directly over the steamboat, although you wouldn't have been able to tell from the boat if you were just looking horizontally. The swamps made every day look overcast. Senior Knight Sarah had insisted on coming along, and she was now looking over the side of the boat, presumably for some creature to pop its head out of the river. The Gatekeepers had taken a cross from the Haven and hung it over the entrance to below decks on the riverboat.
"We're lucky we're travelling North, considering what I've heard about Morgan City from the locals in Rat City." said an Inquisitor, who was sifting through the river water with a trench knife, hoping to stab something.
"Yeah..." Jeremiah told the others, barely listening. In the swamp, a huge figure loomed, gazing at the boat before returning to whatever it had been doing.

[Ontorisa]

The Front, Louisiana

"Well met then Rocky. I didn't know there was a Local Regulator chapter up and around here. Where are you folks heading to?"

Rocky's presence in Lousiana disturbed him. Having Regulators so far down south spelled trouble for his plans. It also meant that the Regulators had exoanded closer to Florida. More troubles for the old families. For now he decided that he would act as a start up Brahmin herder. From his latest information, Louisiana lacked a permaneant food supply source. He would start up a Brahmin Pasture and then use the profits from there to start up his Slave trade.

"Do you two have a map of Lousiana and extensive knowledge of the area?"

"The Front", Northern Louisiana

Monet, listening to the conversation, kept his eye on the man before he lowered his shotgun. Lifting his rifle and standing up, Monet relaxed, replacing his sunglasses on his face and slinging his rifle on his back. The man was definitely an outsider, as they were called up here. His accent, Monet figured it was East Coast, probably southern as well, not too far from here.

"Monsieur, I'm Désiré Monet. You can call me a local, a poacher or a hunter, but right now, I'm probably what's standing between you and your Brahmins from becoming Jengal and Backcush food." Monet called out on the top of his lungs. "We're heading to Saint Jacques, a village not too far from here."

Looking back over his shoulder for anything, Monet focused on the surroundings before resuming the conversation. He didn't like causing this much noise, since he felt like he was being followed by something. He had no idea what, but he felt like it was dangerous and ferocious.

"You can come with us or you can continue to wander around and disappear like so many people." Monet nodded, shooting a glance at Rocky. "This is a one time offer, just saying."

[Togeria]

Danny got off the boat, and stretched her arms and legs. The only thing that sucked about being confined in a car or boat was it being cramped, but it sure as he'll beat walkin'. A few men dressed in raider gear approached her

"Hell you doin' here?"

"I'm sellin' your damn drugs."

"Are all six boxes there?"

"Why don't we check."

They went ahead, and removed the cargo. Counting each of the six boxes, they looked at each other, and then at her.

"You're cleared, go inside and get your pay." Was all they said, calling out two more guards to help carry the boxes.

She went inside, and the place looked fairly decent. The walls were cracked, wall paper tattered, and paint chipped away, but that was due to the natural wear and tear, and a decent portion to the bombs that fell. It looked like slowly they were fixing it, but they were drug dealers, not carpenters. Fixing this place up was the last of their worries.

She went to the front desk.

"What do you want?"

"I delivered the drugs, I came to get my pay."

She looked at the list for a minute before speaking.

"You Danny?"

"Yes ma'am."

She rung a bell, and twenty minutes later a man came in, wearing a pre-war suit. It didn't look to flashy, so he was anyone of particular importance or interest. He gave her a sack, and she counted the caps. Her faced turned red, as she counted. There was only $8,000 caps, she was promised $10,000.

"What the fuck is this?"

"We've been hit hard. It'll take awhile to recover, don't worry though, we'll get you the rest of the money once we're back and running again. A messenger will be sent."

"Fine."

She left the building, still mad, and uttering curses along the way. She got in the boat, and made the trip back to Sawyer territory.

[Lingria]

Jule Denny Sawyer

Jule frowned as he walked "Hmm.....I feel as if I forgot something" After about 30 minutes of walking he remembered what he forgot "Ah Hah!" Turning around he went into a full sprint back to the house "Uff Uff Uff". By the time he had arrived his sister was already crying "Sis, What's the matter?" Walking up to her he wondered what would make her so upset "I thought....*Sniff* You left me...*sniff* For good" Jule couldn't help but laugh at this, He really didn't mean too but it was inevitable "Eh! Stop laughing at me!" Screamed his sister "Sis, No Matter where I go. I will never leave you for good. I will make it my life's wish to return to you every time I leave the house" He said this to his sister smiling "Do....You mean it?" She asked "Yes Sis...I mea..." He was cut off from his sentence when he sister embraced him tightly and kissed him on the lips "Eh.....What?" He was in awe at her courage but moreorless that she had kissed him. She giggled at him as he stood there in confusion "I think....I forgot something" stumbling over himself he walked to his room and laid on his bed before passing out

[SaintB]

It's Crawdaddy man and I have a heaping helping of news for y'all.

We go back to the northwest again where some strangely dressed cats showed up at Natchez to trade weapons and armor for food and medical supplies. These new outsiders were polite but aloof until the town's mayor tried to trade them a plasma pistol.

The strangers identified themselves as Brotherhood of Steel and accused the Natchezian, Natchezites, Natchezetopians? Nachos? At any rate they accused them of being the thieves and after roughing the mayor up a little bit headed off into the wilderness after mentioning Baton Rouge.

So brothers and sisters of Providence be on the lookout for some more heavily armed strangers to come sniffing around your town. Maybe these ones can catch your plugger for you if you hid your plasma pistols?

Until then these Brotherhood types are somewhere out there, like a rolling stone...

[Tayner]

Gunny heard crawdaddy's broadcast, and imeaditley went to Victor. He then said "Hey Vic, did you hear that shit? I hear that trouble is comeing here." Gunny said to Victor. " How we gonna take care of this?" He asked.

[SaintB]

The Front, Louisiana

"Well met then Rocky. I didn't know there was a Local Regulator chapter up and around here. Where are you folks heading to?"

Rocky's presence in Lousiana disturbed him. Having Regulators so far down south spelled trouble for his plans. It also meant that the Regulators had exoanded closer to Florida. More troubles for the old families. For now he decided that he would act as a start up Brahmin herder. From his latest information, Louisiana lacked a permaneant food supply source. He would start up a Brahmin Pasture and then use the profits from there to start up his Slave trade.

"Do you two have a map of Lousiana and extensive knowledge of the area?"

"The Front", Northern Louisiana

Monet, listening to the conversation, kept his eye on the man before he lowered his shotgun. Lifting his rifle and standing up, Monet relaxed, replacing his sunglasses on his face and slinging his rifle on his back. The man was definitely an outsider, as they were called up here. His accent, Monet figured it was East Coast, probably southern as well, not too far from here.

"Monsieur, I'm Désiré Monet. You can call me a local, a poacher or a hunter, but right now, I'm probably what's standing between you and your Brahmins from becoming Jengal and Backcush food." Monet called out on the top of his lungs. "We're heading to Saint Jacques, a village not too far from here."

Looking back over his shoulder for anything, Monet focused on the surroundings before resuming the conversation. He didn't like causing this much noise, since he felt like he was being followed by something. He had no idea what, but he felt like it was dangerous and ferocious.

"You can come with us or you can continue to wander around and disappear like so many people." Monet nodded, shooting a glance at Rocky. "This is a one time offer, just saying."

How did this Urban guy know who the Regulators were? There weren't many outside of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, less of them in the Carolinas than Rocky had toes and as far as he knew he had rambled further south than an other known members of his little group but they weren't exactly the most centralized or organized 'organization' in the wastes so maybe there had been ones before him, or maybe this man had been as far north as Virginia, no way to tell without interrogating him at length and Rocky didn't have the time or energy for that right now, "I was just rambling from a ways up north and ended up here. You gonna come with to Saint Jaques or are you and that delicious steak buffet of yours gonna take your chances with the wildlife, and the lowlifes?"

Rocky signalled to Money indicating he would follow and said loud enough for the hunter to hear, "If Urban here is gonna come with I'll bring up the rear and we probbaly shouldn't split off more than 20 paces or so from each other just in case something hungry comes along."

Rocky didn't have any trouble with the idea of letting the pack brahmin become a late lunch for any of the predators that might be hanging around here but he did have a little bit of one letting a man who greeted him with the barrel of a shotgun and knew who Regulators were walking along behind him.

[Galter Gulcher]

Nuka Cola
Nuka Cola shifted through the small brick building in Rat-City, called Jeans Electronic Store. He was cloud 9 with some of the stuff he found, a solder dispenser, a few fission batteries, and a 3 foot long adjustable antenna that could be shorted down to 5 inches . Once he had found a cozy place for each item in his gear, he walked outside into the empty New Orleans street. It was almost time to agitate the gravel from Rat City back on home, so he decided he would be good to check back at F/V Bayou Runner, the tugboat that had carried him,Two-Million,Samantha, and Speed to Rat City on a scavenging and trade run. Walking blocks,crossing streets and strutting across railroad tracks to a swamp side dock were Bayou Runner was roped up. Two-Million, the ships captain was the only person present, the others were gone, probably finishing up there assigned runs. The two men drank some pop and talked, waiting on there accomplices.

Life was well back home, the Bio-diesel plants were producing well from new Algae fuel extraction techniques and work was being done to get a radio station up and running. The tribe was looking towards opening more trade with exotic lands like Quba and Key of the West although that would not be for a long while as there were more pressing intrests, such as making Grand Isle a more dominant trade figure around the Mississippi Delta.

[Ontorisa]

"The Front", Northern Louisiana

Monet, listening to the conversation, kept his eye on the man before he lowered his shotgun. Lifting his rifle and standing up, Monet relaxed, replacing his sunglasses on his face and slinging his rifle on his back. The man was definitely an outsider, as they were called up here. His accent, Monet figured it was East Coast, probably southern as well, not too far from here.

"Monsieur, I'm Désiré Monet. You can call me a local, a poacher or a hunter, but right now, I'm probably what's standing between you and your Brahmins from becoming Jengal and Backcush food." Monet called out on the top of his lungs. "We're heading to Saint Jacques, a village not too far from here."

Looking back over his shoulder for anything, Monet focused on the surroundings before resuming the conversation. He didn't like causing this much noise, since he felt like he was being followed by something. He had no idea what, but he felt like it was dangerous and ferocious.

"You can come with us or you can continue to wander around and disappear like so many people." Monet nodded, shooting a glance at Rocky. "This is a one time offer, just saying."

How did this Urban guy know who the Regulators were? There weren't many outside of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, less of them in the Carolinas than Rocky had toes and as far as he knew he had rambled further south than an other known members of his little group but they weren't exactly the most centralized or organized 'organization' in the wastes so maybe there had been ones before him, or maybe this man had been as far north as Virginia, no way to tell without interrogating him at length and Rocky didn't have the time or energy for that right now, "I was just rambling from a ways up north and ended up here. You gonna come with to Saint Jaques or are you and that delicious steak buffet of yours gonna take your chances with the wildlife, and the lowlifes?"

Rocky signalled to Money indicating he would follow and said loud enough for the hunter to hear, "If Urban here is gonna come with I'll bring up the rear and we probbaly shouldn't split off more than 20 paces or so from each other just in case something hungry comes along."

Rocky didn't have any trouble with the idea of letting the pack brahmin become a late lunch for any of the predators that might be hanging around here but he did have a little bit of one letting a man who greeted him with the barrel of a shotgun and knew who Regulators were walking along behind him.

"The Front", Northern Louisiana

Monet looked up at the sun before down at his analog watch, which winded up as he moved and everything. The time was 3:41 PM, with the closest safe place being an hour or two away. They had to move quickly and with the trader coming with them, their progress was being slowed considerably. Regardless, the man deserved to have a chance to survive.

"Fine, but if he trails off or doesn't listen to my directions, we leave him for the Backcushes." Monet replied in the same tone. "If we don't get to Saint Jacques, we're going to probably be dead by sunrise."

Monet turned his back and started to head off, before stopping a couple of paces where he started out from and stood there. Waiting for Rocky's response to the man named Urban. What kind of anglophone name was Urban anyways?

[Palonitr and Howland]

The Front, Northern Louisiana

"Well you boys are more familiar than me with the land. Tell you what, dinner is on me when we get to Saint Jacques. Lets start walking. We'll keep ol' Beatrice here in the middle. This one's my livelyhood."

Urban started walking and guided Beatrice. He'd keep his gun handy and thank the gods that the Regulator had not noticed his duster being similar to his own. He had taken it off a dead Regulator during one of his visits to Paradise Falls. He had a decent bit of caps and really wanted a place to stay since Vicksburg had been hell.

"You two ever gone through Vicksburg? Its hell out there right now. Super Mutants, a dozen or so tribes and mercs are having pitched battles between each other. Its a battle royal. Couple those with Deathclaws and other things. Its 3 weeks of just tying to get out of hell on earth. "

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Victor Robinson

Victor, who had rented a room and slept for the night (sleeping in his power armor, in case some thief decided to break in and try to steal it), was drinking a bottle of bourbon to start off his day when he heard Crawdaddy report that the Brotherhood of Steel had arrived in Louisiana. Anger building up inside of him, Victor clenched his fists around the bottle of bourbon he was holding, causing the bottle to literally shatter underneath his grip, shards of glass falling all over the floor. The fucking Brotherhood of Steel? Figures, that those bastards would be here. They're probably here to try and steal the treasure in the vault before the Enclave can get to it... Victor thought, enraged at the presence of the Brotherhood, one of his most despised enemies.

"Well, I can tell you what we aren't going to do; we aren't going to waste time and ammo fighting a group of petty raiders. No matter how many caps might be involved, it would amount to nothing more than a vanity project at best, and an utter waste of time at worst. We aren't going to accomplish anything by killing small-time raiders. No, we ought to do something significant, something that might actually make a difference; we need to set up a defense against the Brotherhood, a bastion of Enclave ideals, securing supplies and manpower to help in the Enclave's fight. My plan is simple; we need men and supplies in order to wage a proper war against the Brotherhood of Steel, and we aren't going to get either by wasting ammo on raiders. So, what we do, instead, is head to a place where we can find both people and supplies, and then take over, seizing the supplies in the name of the Enclave and gathering recruits to throw onto the battlefield.

"I've overheard some talk from the locals about a settlement of slavers, raiders, and other criminal scum based in Morgan City. What I propose is that we gather a few friends, maybe hire a few mercenaries, and head down to Morgan City; then, we take over the city for ourselves, a coup d'etat if you will, killing anyone who refuses to acknowledge the Enclave's acquisition of the city. The city's supplies, we'll secure in the name of the Enclave, the city's merchants we tax in order to buy supplies and ammo for the fight against the Brotherhood, and the city's inhabitants we give the offer for them to join the Enclave. They might be criminal bastards, but they'd certainly make good cannon fodder on the battlefield, and do a good job taking bullets instead of proper Enclave soldiers; besides, you never know, there might actually be a handful of decent soldiers that could be recruited for the Enclave's cause. Doing something along those lines would not only be a great boon in the Enclave's fight against the Brotherhood, but it would certainly put me in a good position to get a promotion for my work, and at the same time give the Enclave a good reputation here in Louisiana; after all, cleaning up a den of vice and crime, bringing in the law, would certainly be looked upon favorably by the wastelanders. Of course, you're probably thinking about what you would get out of it, and to that, I'm not going to offer you something as petty as caps; instead, I'm going to offer you something infinitely more valuable. Help me round up a good fighting force and take over Morgan City in the name of the Enclave, and I'll talk to my Enclave superiors and see if I can get you a place within the Enclave. This is an extraordinary opportunity, and I don't recommend you pass it up."

Victor said to Smith when he walked up to him and asked what they were going to do about the Brotherhood of Steel. Victor honestly despised the Brotherhood, and was prepared to do just about anything to knock them down a peg. They were nothing more than glorified raiders with good weapons and armor, stealing whatever technology they could get there hands on, to Victor, and he hated them with a fiery passion. The thought of crushing the Brotherhood, and slaughtering the Brotherhood expedition to Louisiana was a very pleasing thought to Victor, something that he would do all within his power to make happen. Securing territory and resources to bolster the Enclave's cause, to Victor, seemed like the best way to allow the Enclave to wage and escalate a major conflict against the Brotherhood in Louisiana; income from taxation, resources from the land, and manpower from the local population would all be a big boon to the Enclave, and getting a reputation for cracking down hard on raiders and criminals would make the locals more inclined to side with the Enclave in the coming battle.

[Tayner]

"Ok Victor, there are a few things you need to know. First, my name is Gunny Smith. I didn't tell you my first name because there are a few cats out there who want my head on a pike. Second, those glass shards were on the floor when you got here, I don't want to hear the innkeeper bitch about it. Third, I know some people in Defiance, they can get us guns and ammo and mercinarys for real cheap. And finaly, if I die, go to Springhill, a small town, up in northern Louisiana, find Johnson's Bar, and blow that fucker up. I mean, like C-4 Grade explosives. " Gunny said to Victor. He then said " I saw some reinforced combat armor earlier, for real cheap, in good condition too, I'm going to buy that. You need anything?"

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Victor Robinson

"That's the spirit, Gunny. We head up, meet your friends in this Defiance place, which, if I've overheard the locals correctly, is in the city of Lafayette, hire a dozen or so mercenaries, maybe buy some extra ammo, and then head down south to put Morgan City under new management. As for buying supplies right now, some medical supplies would be useful, so if you happen to come across anybody selling them, make sure to buy some stimpacks and maybe a couple of doctor's bags. The battle to take Morgan City will be significantly easier if we actually have supplies to treat wounds with. As it just so happens, I have a decent degree of medical training, in addition to my military training, and I should be able to keep our mercenaries alive for a little while longer during the fighting. Now, enough chit chat; if we move out now, we should be able to make it to Lafayette and then to Morgan City by the end of the day. All three cities are within close proximity, so it shouldn't take more than a few hours to travel between each." Victor said to Gunny, not wanting to waste any more time talking than absolutely necessary.

[Tayner]

Victor Robinson

"That's the spirit, Gunny. We head up, meet your friends in this Defiance place, which, if I've overheard the locals correctly, is in the city of Lafayette, hire a dozen or so mercenaries, maybe buy some extra ammo, and then head down south to put Morgan City under new management. As for buying supplies right now, some medical supplies would be useful, so if you happen to come across anybody selling them, make sure to buy some stimpacks and maybe a couple of doctor's bags. The battle to take Morgan City will be significantly easier if we actually have supplies to treat wounds with. As it just so happens, I have a decent degree of medical training, in addition to my military training, and I should be able to keep our mercenaries alive for a little while longer during the fighting. Now, enough chit chat; if we move out now, we should be able to make it to Lafayette and then to Morgan City by the end of the day. All three cities are within close proximity, so it shouldn't take more than a few hours to travel between each." Victor said to Gunny, not wanting to waste any more time talking than absolutely necessary.

"Let's rool out then. I also have decent medical training too, and I find that Med-X helps with bullet wounds. Then dump some whiskey on that open wound, and bandage, your good to go." Gunny made a list of shit he would need.

10Stimpacks
A fuckton of ammo
Basic medical supplies
A group of mercanaries.

"Ok, Vic, let's get gone. "Gunny said. He planned to hit up every market stall for supplies on the way. And he said " Once we get to Defiance, we talk to a man named Bob Hudson, he has meda, ammo, and all the shit we need, for a reasonable price"

And with that he walked out of the Redwood Inn.

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Victor Robinson

"Alright then, let's get this business underway." Victor said, simply, to Gunny as they left the inn. After spending about a half hour buying supplies from the market merchants, with Victor compensating Gunny for some of the medical supplies, they hit the road towards Defiance, or, as Victor knew it by, Lafayette, with pre-war names being much more familiar to the Enclave veteran than wasteland nicknames. After leaving Baton Rouge, it took the two men around five hours to arrive in Defiance, them arriving a little after noon, with the walk being fairly uneventful, aside from a handful of raider attacks, which were rather easily dealt with by the Enclave veteran. Luckily for them, Lafayette was close to Baton Rouge, and the trip didn't need to take very long.

"Well, that was brief enough, and uninterrupted enough. But, anyway, what really matters is that we're here in Lafayette now. You can lead the way to your friends, and we can get to dealing. It shouldn't take too many men to handle some petty slavers and raiders, so I'd say a dozen or so decent mercenaries, coupled with my Enclave experience, should be more than enough to handle whatever backwater militia Morgan City's owners will throw at us. Now, let's get down to business; time is of the essence." Victor said to Gunny when they arrived in Defiance, eager to get things underway and put his plans into motion. Victor didn't like wasting time, and was the kind of guy to rush into action, not wanting to unnecessarily delay important business. Considering this, Victor wanted to hastily finish up hiring a group of mercs and head towards Morgan City as soon as possible.

OOC: Tayner, I do apologize if you wanted to do anything along the way, but I'm going to assume you aren't going to want to do any posting about them walking; there isn't much to post about when it comes to just walking to a location, so I'm going to figure you won't mind. Also, if I miscalculated how long it would take to walk from Baton Rouge to Lafayette, just say so, and I'll edit accordingly; I'm not exactly an expert on judging travel times, so don't judge me.

[Tayner]

Victor Robinson

"Alright then, let's get this business underway." Victor said, simply, to Gunny as they left the inn. After spending about a half hour buying supplies from the market merchants, with Victor compensating Gunny for some of the medical supplies, they hit the road towards Defiance, or, as Victor knew it by, Lafayette, with pre-war names being much more familiar to the Enclave veteran than wasteland nicknames. After leaving Baton Rouge, it took the two men around five hours to arrive in Defiance, them arriving a little after noon, with the walk being fairly uneventful, aside from a handful of raider attacks, which were rather easily dealt with by the Enclave veteran. Luckily for them, Lafayette was close to Baton Rouge, and the trip didn't need to take very long.

"Well, that was brief enough, and uninterrupted enough. But, anyway, what really matters is that we're here in Lafayette now. You can lead the way to your friends, and we can get to dealing. It shouldn't take too many men to handle some petty slavers and raiders, so I'd say a dozen or so decent mercenaries, coupled with my Enclave experience, should be more than enough to handle whatever backwater militia Morgan City's owners will throw at us. Now, let's get down to business; time is of the essence." Victor said to Gunny when they arrived in Defiance, eager to get things underway and put his plans into motion. Victor didn't like wasting time, and was the kind of guy to rush into action, not wanting to unnecessarily delay important business. Considering this, Victor wanted to hastily finish up hiring a group of mercs and head towards Morgan City as soon as possible.

OOC: Tayner, I do apologize if you wanted to do anything along the way, but I'm going to assume you aren't going to want to do any posting about them walking; there isn't much to post about when it comes to just walking to a location, so I'm going to figure you won't mind. Also, if I miscalculated how long it would take to walk from Baton Rouge to Lafayette, just say so, and I'll edit accordingly; I'm not exactly an expert on judging travel times, so don't judge me.

"Alright, stick behind me, these fuckers have enough supplies to take us both out. A fuckton of ammo for me and the new armor, and some pulse grenades are lying around. Let me do the talkin, and don't start shit." Gunny said as they were walking to a wharehouse covered in graffiti and gang signs. As they walked in Gunny said "Hey, Michel, I ned some guns, no questions asked, where is Hudson?" And the man named Michel pointed to a shady lookin door. As Gunny and Victor walked through Gunny said " Hey, Hudson, you home?"

Hudson replied: " Well if it ain't Smith, what you need?"
Gunny : " remember a few months ago, when I saved your ass from a 10mm bullet to the head? I'm here to cash in a favor"
Hudson: " What'ca need man"
Gunny: " a dozen men, guns and ammo, you, of all people have that."
Hudson: " That don't come easy round these parts, but take a few of my guard. They come with ammo and food and guns, all in metal armor. Head down the hall and find a few"
Gunny: "thanks, you need anything you know where to find me"
Hudson: "Ha, even a legion centurion couldn't find you, your lucky, I'm in a good mood today"

Gunny went down the hall with Victor and said " That guy, man, were lucky, he's usaly drugged out of his mind trying to kill someone." Then they got the Mercinaries and set out for Morigan City.

[SaintB]

Hey there brothers and Sisters, its DJ CJ, or Crawdaddy Jenkins if you feel more formal today.

Right into the news it is believed that the Amazons are hanging out somewhere around near Rat City these days. "How can you speculate about that Crawdaddy?", you might be askin' the radio right now. "It's simple," says CJ, "That's where the latest crop of young bucks have been disapearin' at.

'Cours ol' Crawdaddy could be wrong; it could might be an ol' swamp witch!

[Neo-Chicago]

Jacob, The Haven Broadcast

"Hellooooo wastelanders! Your old friend Jacob Crownley's still here, playing these old records all day and night! The Gatekeepers should be arriving in Providence shortly. That's right Providence...ites, I suppose, you're getting Jeremiah himself up there! So folks, I'd head to New Orleans or Providence, which ever's closer, and enlist! We're fighting off the vampire menace, and maybe getting some inbreds along the way. Stop in, and say hello to my friends. Now I know this song isn't our usual style down at the Haven Broadcast, but those Gatekeepers are probably trudging through the Mississippi Mud now."

Jeremiah, the SS. Natchez

Jeremiah had been piloting the boat up the Mississippi for over two and a half hours. They had finally reached the shore of Providence, and Jeremiah docked the boat next to a large green building extending over the water. "Look, a cross!" Jeremiah shouted, overwhelmed by a sense of deja vu. He wasn't lying, though, he saw the cross at the top of a cathedral. There was a large battleship names the SS. Kidd docked at some white platform just up the Mississippi from the Natchez. The small army of Gatekeepers marched up to the cathedral, where a name was emblazoned on a sign directly in front of it.
"The St. Joseph Cathedral. Fitting, I suppose, since Joseph was the one who led us here." one of the Gatekeepers said, slightly saddened by the memory. Entering the cathedral, the Gatekeepers were pleasantly surprised to find the place kept well. Unfortunately, it was almost full of vampires.
"Gah, they're everywhere! Die, you abominations of God!" Jeremiah shouted, spraying laser blasts all over the room. The creatures began to panic, and for a moment, Jeremiah was almost sure that they were speaking English. "I shall not listen to your trickery, ye foul creatures!" he said, shooting down a chandelier and crushing several of them under it. Meanwhile, a radio in the room was playing a swing song by Dean Martin.
"Jeremiah, they're escaping. It's no use, it's best to leave them to their own devices until we can gather up a force that's stronger than our current one." a soldier said, Knight Matthias, Jeremiah remembered his name was. It was true, the creatures had all fled the building.
"We'll get them. Mark my words, their days are numbered." Jeremiah vowed. He turned to the mess in front of him, the cathedral now in various states of disrepair. The vampires would probably spread their story, which may lead other similar-minded folk to the Gatekeepers. The cathedral was smack-dab in the center of Baton Rouge's old downtown. Although Jeremiah was a bit hazy about the exact whereabouts of Providence in the Baton Rouge ruins, he was certain the cathedral was just outside of, if not IN the settlement.

[Azaflaza]

"Finally!" Thought Jessie, it had been three days since she fell ill with the flu and remained bed-bound but now she was feeling in tip top shape again. She depended on her trusty radio to keep her sane and up to date on recent events and while she would keep and extra eye on the possible conflicts brewing, much of it wasn't her business and she needed to focus on earning a living. Her next paycheck was looking to be coming from the providence government after their appeal for help in capturing the serial killer. She wasn't interested in teaming up as suggested by the authorities, no way was she sharing a paycheck when she's is perfectly capable of killing them herself. Her first manner of business was gathering information about the current murders so she headed off to the council buildings with her reliable sidekick, her M1911, by her side.

[Chrysaor]

Defiance

After parting ways with the traveling merchants, Hugo stepped into the first bar he found- a dilapidated little joint called The Grinning Ghoul. The place was dimly lit, sparsely populated and decorated with colorful furniture that was felt faintly tacky yet completely honest. The bartender slash owner was called Fitz, a grumpy fellow who was, predictably, a ghoul.

Hugo sat down on an empty stool and ordered a beer before suspiciously eyeing the odd assortment of character around him. No one else had taken notice of his appearance and yet that feeling of unease had not passed. His warrior instinct was telling him something was very wrong. Fitz dropped a large beer mug in front of the man and must have noticed the frown on his face.

“Bad day?” he asked curtly.

“I feel like it’s about to be” Hugo replied and hoped he was wrong.

The ghoul shrugged and left him to his drinks which Hugo sipped gingerly. A few folks did look his way but more than anything, they were curious about the nervous stranger sitting there a lone with his tell-tale scars. 10 minutes passed without incident and the drink had begun to take effect. Hugo relaxed a bit…maybe it was nothing after all. The stealth boy must have made me paranoid again, he thought.

“Claudius?” a familiar female voice said suddenly. “I almost did not recognize you with that beard.”

The man froze in place. That name...no one around these parts could possibly know this name. Hugo himself had not heard that name spoken aloud for more than 4 years now. And that voice…It was another time, another life…

“I’m sorry miss. You’ve mistaken me for someone else.” He replied, his back still turned before picking up his drink to move away from the woman.

“Even Caesar himself could not have predicted this.” The voice said contemplatively. “For me to run into a ghost- a wanted criminal, so far east and away from civilization…”

“You’re wasting your time, miss. I have no idea what you are talking about.” Hugo was walking away now, his voice filled with barely concealed fury as his right hand moved to the grip of his blade.

“Do you not recognize me, Claudius Davus?” the woman sounded almost sad. “I promise you I have not changed that much, not as much as you at least. This might be a chance meeting but you know must now that no matter where you hide, Caesar’s eyes and ears will always find you.”

At her provocation, Hugo was no longer in control of his anger and his body. He whirled around and threw the empty mug at her which she dodged easily. Other guests in The Grinning Ghoul had started to take notice of the pair.

“TRAITOR” he screamed and lunged at her with a foreswing and following it with a backswing. The woman dodged the first and met the second with a short blade hidden in her sleeve. Chico’s weight sent Hugo’s opponent’s blade back, back, back…but not far enough to knock the blade free of her hands.

She looked exactly as he remembered her…plain yet deeply unnerving. The woman was tall, skeletal yet well-muscled with fair skinned and a dull gaze that seemed to pierce your soul. She was dressed in a grey jumpsuit and her long dark hair kept in a simple bun. One might mistake her for a common farmer but Hugo knew the way she moved and the way she fought was the way of someone trained in the way of the Frumentarii.

Back when they knew each other, she was merely Alexia- a slave of the Legion and a friend.

Alexia striked. Her arc swing sliced the fabric of Hugo’s shirt at the midsection. It missed the flesh behind it by perhaps a centimeter. She managed a smirk. Hugo had to admit it was impressive but the sight only made him angrier.

Swing. Swing. Swing. The first two missed badly, but the third, a backswing off the one before it, found flesh. She screamed out in pain and clutched at her bleeding arm before taking back a few steps.

“The years have not dulled your claws, old cat.” She sounded vaguely amused. “I remember how good you are with a blade and I have no death wish.”

Before he could react, Alexia kicked a table to block his way and dashed outside. He tried to catch up but was caught by the obstacle. When Hugo managed to push past terrified and angry customers of The Grinning Ghoul and out the door, the Frumentarii was already on the other side of the crowded street.

[Azaflaza]

A short trek into the centre of providence and Jessie arrived at the mayors office, the grandest of all the buildings in Louisiana it is said. Strutting up to the receptionists desk she placed her gun on the table, "I wish to speak to mayor on matters concerning the providence slugger, and of course the bounty upon their head" she said with a smirk. She felt no need to introduce herself, this woman didn't need to know her name and in any case it is likely she already knows. Jessie has made a name for herself in this town already in such a short space of time, whether that be famous or infamous.
Looking around she saw many seemingly important official carrying out seemingly important tasks, either that or they pretend to look busy while thinking of ways to spend their inflated salaries, mostly on degrading and immoral expenses no doubt. Prostitutes and drugs are usually the top vices of the rich.

[Ontorisa]

The Front, Northern Louisiana

"Well you boys are more familiar than me with the land. Tell you what, dinner is on me when we get to Saint Jacques. Lets start walking. We'll keep ol' Beatrice here in the middle. This one's my livelyhood."

Urban started walking and guided Beatrice. He'd keep his gun handy and thank the gods that the Regulator had not noticed his duster being similar to his own. He had taken it off a dead Regulator during one of his visits to Paradise Falls. He had a decent bit of caps and really wanted a place to stay since Vicksburg had been hell.

"You two ever gone through Vicksburg? Its hell out there right now. Super Mutants, a dozen or so tribes and mercs are having pitched battles between each other. Its a battle royal. Couple those with Deathclaws and other things. Its 3 weeks of just tying to get out of hell on earth. "

"The Front", Northern Louisiana

Monet ignored the man, who gave a shit about Vicksburg anyways? Not Monet, that was for sure. Walking forward, Monet could feel something was happening. He knew that since the I-49 ran through the Front, fading out at parts, but still going through the Front, there would be trouble brewing. This morning, he had been speaking with his friend, Michael, at the Bernard Nord's bar, the Cheerful Gator. Apparently, Michael had saw something no one in Louisiana had seen in years. An eyebot. It was old however, and it looked like it had been rotting there for a month or more, but regardless, it was a sign of the Enclave. And everyone in northern Louisiana knew that wherever the Enclave went, trouble followed. It also didn't help that the Brotherhood of Steel had a bunch of members down here too. Trouble was brewing, perhaps war, and the Front would simply be another front line.

Sighing to himself as the group started to move, Monet led them forward, trudging and looking around, occasionally looking back at the Brahmin, Rocky and Urban. Seriously, who names their kid Urban? It's ridiculous. Passing over a sandy hill, Monet began to walk down cautiously before stopping and looking forward. Ahead of them were members of another hunting group, six men, two of them wearing armour and carrying Chinese Assault Rifles, and they didn't look happy. Crawling back over the hill, Monet slid down and put his finger to his mouth in a shut the hell up or I'm going to toss you over this hill gesture.

The men were talking loudly as well, Monet could pick up bits and pieces, but nothing more serious than this.

"So, you guys find Jared and them?" One of the men asked.

"Yeah, we did. Jared was shot dead, Adam was basically blown to bits by something and Isaac was shot once in the chest. Plus, there was a dead Backcush and a bunch of cut up Top Half Meat just lying on the ground. They got ambushed man, by something. Or they got shot up, by something." Someone else replied.

"Oh fuck me man, we're out here with some crazed maniac with a gun?" The man laughed loudly. "Holy shit, that's not new at all."

"What the hell are we doing with Jared's girl though?" A third man asked as the footsteps continued to echo in the valley below.

"Dibs, that's all I'm saying." The second man called out in a joking tone. "She's hot, just saying."

Monet stopped listening there, but he looked back at the men and pointed over. Hopefully they would understand. Hopefully.

[Elerian]

Mayor Gregor Bolden
Providence

"You may proceed upstairs to the Mayor's office, Miss Wales" the secretary said after Jessie placed the pistol on the counter. Before Jessie left, however, the secretary corrected her saying, "It's the Plugger Miss Wales, not the Slugger." And with a smile she motioned for Jessie to head to the elevator.

Gregor drained the glass of cheap whiskey that he'd been meaning to finish off all day. He wasn't drunk just yet, but within the hour he would be. The Mayor heard the voice of the secretary come over the intercom, "you have a visitor, Miss Wales is headed up as we speak." Gregor took out another shot glass for Miss Wales while he waited for her imminent arrival.