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91.53% Steel Waste / Chapter 649: Stories from the Divide

Chapter 649: Stories from the Divide

Tamia and Ulysses are led into the Think Tank after making their way through the scans at the entrance. Glados' drone leads them upstairs, and into the Sink where Afton was waiting for them. He smiles, but before he does anything he checks Ulysses with his karmic sight and [Living Anatomy]

The man's karma is... A bit below neutral, meaning he'd committed crimes in the past and probably had a lot to atone for... It wasn't too bad, especially considering Afton's own karma, but it was definitely something to watch out for.

As for the man's status? Well...

[Ulysses]

Health : 100%

Stamina : 100%

DT : 18

Strength : 10

Perception : 10

Endurance : 10

Charisma : 10

Intelligence : 10

Agility : 10

Luck : 10

Ailments :

[N/A]

(These are Ulysses actual stats in New Vegas)

What the actual fuck. This guy wasn't human! How in the fuck did he have max stats in every attribute!?... This is definitely not fair!

The duo both notice Afton's strange expression when he looks at Ulysses, but shrug it off for now, seeing it as a tick or something.

Afton forces his expression back to the neutral smile he had before and envelopes Tamia in a warm hug, though, the effect is lessened considerably due to her power armour. "You were gone longer than expected, Tamia. We're all glad you're okay though."

"Yeah, well, It's not like I expected to be there so long either... Ah," her back straightens, "This is Ulysses, we met in the Divide and decided to team up. He's quite the fighter from what I've seen." she adds, wanting to promote her new friend to her 'boss'.

Afton slowly nods and presents a hand to Ulysses, "Sorry for the lack of hugs, but they are reserved for pretty women." he says while flashing a cheeky smirk at Tamia, who just snorts in response.

Ulysses takes the presented hand and nods, "I have heard many things about you, I hope at least part of them are true... From what I have seen from your city, they might have more truth in them than I thought." he praises, surprising Afton.

Afton glances at Tamia who responds with a shrug, "Thanks for the compliments but, the city still has a long way to go." he says, finally noticing the BLT sandwiches carried by the duo, "Here, you two can eat those in here." he offers, walking into the 'living room', turning on the large T.V and sitting in the couch.

"Ey, heyoo. Who've ya' got comin' here today? Lookin' like the start of a reeaaal good part-ay! Let's get the beats movin'." Blind Diode Jefferson, the wonderous talking jukebox announces as they step inside, beginning to play an old jazz song.

Tamia huffs, "Even your home is weird Afton... You get so lonely that you made some company?" she jokes as she sits next to him and unboxes her sandwich.

"They were here long before I came along. I don't really have the heart to evict them either." he admits.

"Aww, we love you too Afton!" Lumina, otherwise known as Lightswitch 01 coos.

"Ay! That switch is mine to play with, don't you get any funny ideas now!... 'Specially you, with the funny hair!" Jefferson shouts

Afton crooks a brow, "Hey, I know I haven't cut it in a while, but I thought It looked fine." he mutters semi-sarcastically while tugging on a long stray strand of hair in front of his face.

"Not you! The other guy!" Jefferson states, causing Afton and Tamia to turn towards Ulysses... Who was just about to flip the light switch... He returns the look with slight confusion but relents and temporarily stops his curiosity.

Afton just shakes his head and kicks his feet up, "Alright, enough of the antics. What've you been doing since you were gone Tamia?"

"I'll tell you, but, you gotta get me up to date afterwards as well." she offers, and receives a nod.

---

"-and do you know how many times I was forced to run from hoards of Tunnelers? I'm honestly surprised I made it out!" she mutters.

Afton scowls, "How many'd you say?" he asks, wanting to know how big a threat those hives would eventually be.

"They inhabit most of the Divide, their Tunnels spanning far outside its territory. I never had the strength to clear them, their numbers were in the tens of thousands last I took the time to check." Ulysses adds from the side.

"Tens of thousands?" Afton gapes, feeling as if he was being pranked... Such numbers were far, far outside the range of his expectations. With that amount, they'd probably be able to overrun any faction they care to properly attack.

Ulysses gives a grave nod, "I fear, even if humanity joined hands. We'd still fall to them."

Afton shakes his head determinately, "Not if I have a say about it. Looks like I'll have to amp up Bulwark's subterranean military forces... Maybe if we develop a way to collapse Tunneler tunnels from the surface, that'd work?" he question, not knowing if Tunnelers could survive being buried in rock.

"Such attacks would kill the smaller ones, but would allow the others to escape and reproduce elsewhere... They would eventually adapt to such attacks." Ulysses explains, getting a nod of affirmation from Afton, already knowing about their ridiculous adaptiveness.

"Anyway," Tamia cuts in, not wanting to talk about those creepy lizard things any longer, "Once I escaped, I only had bare minimal forces left-"

---

"-and then I see him there, standing in front of a bunch of huge nuclear missiles..." she looks to Ulysses, "How long had you been standing like that and waiting for me to arrive?" she suddenly asks with a funny look.

Ulysses' cheeks redden slightly as he turns his head away, "Far longer than I would like to admit." he sheepishly admits.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Niggross Niggross

Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!

Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :

ShinAmazake

Kingsprovince

Nazlican Erdem

Shameful69

JayJonnaJamison

Chapter 650: Observative Abilities

Afton and Tamia laugh at Ulysses' admission, both picturing the man practising for his final confrontation with the Courier.

Afton eventually stops though, putting two and two together, "Wait, so it was you two who launched those nukes?"

"You saw them?" Tamia asks, wondering if they reached their target.

Afton scoffs, "Who didn't!? They flew right over Hoover Dam as the war was going on! I swear, the smell of shit got real intense after that. If the NCR and Legion hadn't shit their pants after my guys arrived, then they definitely had when the nukes passed overhead." he jokes.

"Ah, so they did hit where they were supposed to? Good." she confirms, thanking whatever gods existed that she didn't accidentally nuke Afton or the Mojave... She wasn't sure if the missiles would reach their marks, or fall out of the sky due to how long they'd been underground.

Ulysses doesn't react to this subject of conversation, still feeling a multitude of conflicting feelings concerning his actions. Regardless, it was probably for the best, especially after witnessing the transformation of this place.

"So, what happened next? Did you shout at each other until you became buddies or something?" Afton asks.

...

Tamia glances at Ulysses and sighs, "Er, something like that... He'd been planning to nuke all major NCR trade routes, but I managed to talk him out of it. Good thing I had too, since it sounds like the NCR wouldn't be able to leave the Mojave if that happened."

Afton nods, "Yeah, that's a good point... The NCR would be stuck in the Mojave fighting for their lives... I'd probably still be out there clearing out whatever was left of their forces." he shrugs, "Plus, the west trade routes are kinda important... With the Legion in the East, it'd be almost impossible to import and export anything... At least, not without the use of teleportation." he explains.

"She spoke of her belief in you and House. Said that you would be the start of a new nation, a greater, nation." he leans forwards and locks eyes with Afton, "Is that was you intend?" he asks.

...

Afton chews his lip and thinks for a moment, a nation wasn't his goal... Not really, at least, House already had that covered, and Afton didn't want any more responsibilities to pile onto his back. Despite his experiences, skills, knowledge, and talents. He was still just a young guy without much of a clue about the future.

The reason he'd left House to lead the founding of the new Mojave, was because the man had experience, and more importantly, had ideas and plans to go with it. That's not to say that he wouldn't be involved, because he'd definitely force himself into it... But because he was in the perfect position to intervene should House lose his way.

If House started going the way of a tyrant, Afton would be there... And if what House had said was true, he'd probably always be there... In the future he might change his mind and try to take the reigns, but, that was so far away that Afton couldn't even consider it.

He looks back at Ulysses and shakes his head, "Creating a nation was never my intention, but since one formed party because of my actions, I guess it's my responsibility to make sure it doesn't strangle itself in its crib..."

Ulysses keeps his gaze for a couple more seconds before relenting and relaxing, "Wise words, hopefully, you will keep to them..."

...

"So, what'll you be doing now," Afton asks, but has to correct himself as both Tamia and Ulysses look at one another. "I mean, what do each of you want to do now that things have calmed down?"

Tamia shrugs, "Well, I'm still technically partnered with House, so I'll go see what he's up to and if he needs help with... What was it called again? Solphelicity?"

Afton chuckles, "Don't get me started, I've already asked him about the name and he basically said it's good because it's bad..."

She nods, "Sounds like something he'd say... I'd also like to keep working for Bulwark, if you'd have me?

He grins, "Well, we could always use a scary amazon to teach the kids some discipline... Or maybe we could dress you up as a female Grognak, make you our mascot?" he laughs.

She gives him a firm punch in the shoulder, "I mean it! I've forgotten most of my past, but this place is where my friends and family are now... I want to be useful." she admits.

He releases a sigh, "Relax, I was joking. If you want a job, you could always lead my new military... Well, you'd need some training, but I think it'd suit you... Plus, we'll eventually need someone with Tunneler experience to sort that out." he allows her to think about it as he turns to Ulysses, "And you... Any ideas?"

Ulysses nods, "I wish to observe Bulwark, and the nation House has created... To keep it moving forward. Instead of backward." he explains.

Afton crooks a brow but scratches his head in thought anyway, "I think I could help you with that... Though, I don't really know you well enough to give you such a... Authoritative position..." he trails off.

"What position?" Ulysses inquires.

Afton shrugs, "Well, it'd essentially be a manager, health and safety inspector, detective, general, and ambassador combined, all rolled up into a single position that'd allow you to observe everything from House's foreign affairs, small to large businesses, and even some departments of the military." he explains, though, was making it up as he goes.

Such a position didn't really exist yet, even if it would have some benefits. The only problem Afton could see with it was potential corruption forming within it. People with so much power and influence would be incredibly dangerous if they lost their way. However...

"It'd be dangerous to allow anyone to have such a position, even if I trusted them... But, if you were willing to ease my worries by undergoing a small operation, I'd be willing to give you a shot." he explains, getting a curious look from Tamia and Ulysses.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Niggross Niggross

Hope you liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!

If you like my content or want to read ahead please go to : https://www.p.atreon.com/Nagross, I'd appreciate it.

Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :

ShinAmazake

Kingsprovince

Nazlican Erdem

Shameful69

JayJonnaJamison

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