Chapter 7: An explosive welcome
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"Careful, careful, get down, get down!" I shouted to my men.
A missile was launched at the Legion's marching columns. My men and I managed to jump to the other side of the road, but we saw dozens of legionaries who weren't as lucky.
Limbs flew everywhere—legionaries with shattered bodies, some screaming when they realized they had lost a leg or even both.
Before we could get up, another missile was fired at the legionaries who had only just begun to scatter.
Once again, several legionaries died in the attack.
I noticed a figure peeking from the hills with a rocket launcher, but I managed to hit him in the chest with my battle rifle.
"What happened to the patrols that were supposed to secure our passage?" I yelled, hoping to be heard by a superior.
With no response, I assumed the centurion had died in the ambush.
"Legionaries, to the hills!" I shouted, pointing toward the source of the attack.
Everyone who heard my orders began charging up the hill, which wasn't very steep. Soon after, more figures appeared with rocket launchers, but this time they were gunned down by the number of legionaries with rifles who fired as soon as they showed up.
Reaching the top, we began firing at the group retreating after seeing dozens of legionaries charging toward them.
After turning them into bullet-riddled corpses, we inspected their weapons. They weren't the usual repaired arms or crude pipework weapons—these were well-crafted arms, and what stood out most was the fact they had rocket launchers.
Just thinking about this and recalling the Legion's tactics, I could already foresee that the Legion would suffer heavy casualties fighting these tribals.
This time we didn't continue north. The Legate decided to march east to face the Federation of Summers. We didn't know much about what kind of weaponry they had, but the leader's title—The Booming Brigadier General—suggested they had a strong fondness for explosives.
And we soon felt the consequences. For some time, they had prepared for the Legion's attack, and the area was littered with mines. Losing complete contact with patrols meant to cover our flanks became a regular occurrence as we tried to move forward.
Using carriages was out of the question. We had already lost nearly twenty of them to mines, forcing us into a slow, tedious advance with heavy losses.
This Federation of Summers had access to all kinds of explosives—from grenades and dynamite to grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and to top it all off, high-quality machine guns. This meant either someone was supplying them with good arms, or they had the means to make them themselves. Either way, it made me burn with anticipation to defeat them and seize whatever we could.
Many of the merchants in Castra Sol Rubrum were eagerly awaiting the usual spoils the Legion would bring back, but I had the privilege of choosing first. If I could get my hands on the tools needed to manufacture weapons, I would become so essential to the Legion that no matter how meritocratic they claim to be, they would owe me one favor after another.
Fortunately, since our last battle with the previous tribe, my contubernium had been classified as prime. We weren't the first to enter combat anymore; we were held in reserve for the second wave. We saw less action, but when we were sent on missions, it wasn't simply to scout.
Our usual tasks were to eliminate groups of enemies that had caused problems for our scouts or to attack fortified points to secure the Legion's flanks. This wasn't as simple as fighting local tribal militias defending their villages with whatever little weaponry they had.
But we were finally putting into practice the modern group tactics I had been teaching my contubernium, especially after we acquired a machine gun from the dead.
This time it took us two weeks to cover a relatively short distance, but moving through mines and constant explosive ambushes turned our once rapid advance into a slow crawl.
Upon reaching the capital of the tribals, Fort Summers, we found the name deceiving—these fortifications were centuries old, built long before the Great War.
We counted ourselves a bit lucky because if it had been a pre-war military base, capturing it would have been impossible with the current difference in weaponry.
It took the recruit legionaries a week to clear the area of mines while we surrounded the town. Even with the protection of several of the Legion's expert snipers to prevent the locals from attacking the legionaries as they cleared the area, the losses were massive compared to previous casualties. Around a thousand legionaries were killed, and half were wounded to varying degrees.
But now, the path to the city was clear, and the locals didn't have as many defenses beyond the ancient fortifications.
True to the Legion's nature, several waves of recruit legionaries were sent in to overwhelm the defenders and force them to spend their ammunition, hoping it was limited. Up to this point, they had demonstrated no hesitation in firing, and their men always carried plenty of magazines or spare bullets.
"Centurion, requesting permission to seize the opportunity with my men. We can take out the gunners—they're very exposed, and we can use our rifles," I requested authorization from Centurion Nicodemus.
"Go," the centurion responded, while watching the constant explosions and the chains of fire coming from the machine gun nests.
I took my contubernium and advanced several meters until we found a good firing position and started shooting at the machine gunners.
It only took me five minutes to silence the machine gun nests, taking out around two dozen men who had taken over the machine guns. It seemed no one else wanted to take them up, knowing it would almost certainly mean a bullet to the head.
As we continued moving toward the ancient fortress, another wave of recruit legionaries was sent in, as only a handful of legionaries were still moving through the cratered field littered with dismembered body parts.
This time, without the machine gun fire and with my contubernium well-positioned to shoot anyone who stood up in the fortifications, nearly all the legionaries managed to enter the city, though many explosions began to echo around us.
That meant there were mines and booby traps throughout the city.
This time, the order to charge was given, sending what remained of the army into the city. Recruits, prime, and veterans all entered the city, making excellent use of the recruits as cannon fodder while my group and I moved safely through the city, eliminating any threats from the windows.
After several minutes of intense house-to-house fighting by the recruit legionaries, the assault on the fortifications began. It didn't take long for an improvised ramp to be built, and the legionaries quickly began overwhelming the defenders.
There was no rush for my men—they had already earned their glory, and if I didn't lose any of them, it would be a great personal victory.
By the time it was our turn to enter the fortifications, the fighting was over, and the legionaries had already begun looting the fortress, mostly grabbing high-quality weapons. Everyone knew how to appreciate the fine craftsmanship of these tribals' weapons.
Entering the fort's building, we found it was where the Federation's leader had resided. But in the underground section of the fort, it seemed the real valuables were stored, as several legionaries were trying to break down a door protecting the underground area.
Since there was no terminal to hack, my skills were useless. I might have tried picking the lock, but I doubted it would work with a secured door, so I just waited for the legionaries using a fallen steel beam as a battering ram to keep at it.
When the door finally gave way, we found a small group hiding inside, but we also found the real treasure.
There was machinery that almost certainly belonged to a munitions factory. This machine did the same work as the hundreds of slaves in the Legion's main settlement, who were making bullets for the conquest of the East.
Their weapons production was rudimentary, but they had pre-war blueprints for all the weapon parts, so all we needed was to hand them over to someone who knew how to manufacture them, or find the machines they used to make the parts, and we could start a decent assembly line.
Additionally, there were many elements used in the creation of gunpowder, which could improve what we already had. It could boost the production of glycerin and the acid needed for gunpowder, and we could produce more ammunition.
While I was focused on the machinery, the legionaries had their eyes on the slaves and the weapons here.
"Gaius, stop drooling, the Legate is coming," Drusus said, elbowing my arm.
The Legate arrived, surrounded by centurions and veteran legionaries, and began inspecting the facilities attentively until his gaze fell on me.
"True to Caesar, Decanus. I see you've arrived in one piece. I suppose you know what these machines are for? Avoid the technical terms," said Legate Lanius in his characteristic voice.
"True to Caesar, Legate. That one produces ammunition, that area assembles weapons, and that zone over there is used for making smokeless gunpowder. We've found the reason they had so many explosives and ammunition to spare," I replied to the Legate.
"Fine acquisitions for the conquest of the tribals. The Legion will put them to good use, so don't get your hopes up," said Legate Lanius.
"These machines and installations require specific care and maintenance, Legate Lanius,"i responded the Legion officer.
"I suppose you're the only one who knows how to perform that maintenance, aren't you, Decanus?" said Lanius, maintaining his tone of voice.
"I'm not saying I'm the only one—those captives over there probably know how to use them. But when the machine breaks down, which it will because that's just how finicky machines are, that's where I come in," I replied to Lanius.
"Therefore, it would go against Lord Caesar's teachings if something that can produce more but in an unreliable manner is discarded in favor of more reliable methods. But with the knowledge that is valuable to your tribe, let's talk about payment to the Legion," said Lanius after thinking for a few seconds.
"We can discuss payment once we see the production capacity, Legate Lanius?," I said to the Legion officer.
"So be it, Decanus. Start disassembling it," said the Legate, leaving the room, followed by all his men.
'Blessed be Caesar's disdain for unreliable machinery.'
With the help of the legionaries, we disassembled everything in a couple of days and sent it back to Castra Sol Rubrum, as the Legion would continue south to finish off the last pockets of resistance on the eastern flank.
And it was a group that I truly hated with all my heart.
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CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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Chapter 8: Facing power armor
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When the Frumentarii told me what we were up against, my blood began to boil—the Executives, a group that wore that stupid Vault-Tec gear. It seemed many of the employees of this corporation had taken refuge in their vaults, which probably didn't have experiments like ours, since they had already emerged to the surface.
For the first time, I was eager to fight them. It was very likely that within their security systems, I could find answers to all my questions. The problem was how difficult it would be to combat them.
They were seen wearing power armor, though Vault-Tec's power armor was more designed for support tasks, like carrying heavy loads, unlike West-Tek's armor, which was created for war with the intent of increasing the average soldier's survival.
But considering that most of the Legion's weaponry has low penetration capabilities, it would be tough to face those armors.
Considering our last encounter with the tribals, we suffered massive losses—almost half the forces that had gone out for conquest were torn apart by the explosives from the Summers Federation.
Lanius took his time in the area, taking control of all the settlements from his new conquests and filling his armories with quality weapons—a good reward for the massive losses we suffered in the recent battle.
Finally, the wait ended when several hundred legionaries joined our ranks, but again, they were only armed with the Legion's football armor and a machete. The only good thing was that the legionaries were very well-trained.
This could give them an advantage against the Vault-Tec employees, who would be carrying 10mm pistols and riot armor, and possibly some assault rifles. So the difference in weapon quality wouldn't be as big as facing someone with a grenade launcher or a missile launcher—the only problem was the power armor.
With the arrival of the new reinforcements, we marched south to conquer the last tribe Lanius considered vital before continuing north to fulfill Caesar's orders.
Using the carriages, we traveled through all the territories that separated us from the border with the Executives.
As was typical of the conquest, hundreds of legionaries were sent to scout and loot the border to force a battle, but so far, everything had been resolved by besieging the tribals' capital, and I doubt anything will change, given that Lanius's cohorts are considerably larger compared to what the tribes in the area can muster.
Even for the Vault-Tec employees.
In our first skirmishes, we noticed the obvious—their troops' standard weapon was just a 10mm pistol and the typical riot armor from the vaults. It was much better than what the average legionary wore in terms of protection, but now with the Summers Federation's arsenal, many legionaries had good rifles and machine guns. The problem was still the limited ammunition, which was reserved for the most competent men of the Legion.
After taking out several of their men in our patrols, we arrived at a decently sized town, and with the support of three other Decanus, we decided to attack it.
Eliminating the guards at the palisade gate, we entered the town and found it… broken.
The population had bags under their eyes and lifeless gazes, as if someone had already beaten us to stripping them of the will to live.
Searching the town, we found that they processed steel here for various types of machinery and weapon bodies.
When we found the town's supervisor hiding like a coward, I slowly began cutting him with a knife to get him to talk about the town.
And it was funny, worthy of Vault-Tec—they didn't practice traditional slavery, but they charged for everything at a price equal to their wages: water, food, electricity, housing. For all these services, they had to work long hours for Vault-Tec just to earn money they already owed if they wanted to keep living. These inhabitants were already slaves—they just didn't have the title.
After all, a slave owner practically has to guarantee water, food, and a place to sleep so they can work. So, it wasn't that different from the Legion's system.
Capturing the inhabitants, I took out much of my frustration on the supervisor, torturing him slowly until finally slitting his throat. We returned to our camp and continued patrolling the area.
I had managed to establish good communication with the other Decanus, and we frequently coordinated to attack more heavily defended targets. There were more people to divide the loot among, but at the same time, it made it much easier to capture these smaller settlements.
Several days passed, and as we continued fighting other patrols trying to slow our advance, we finally faced what I feared most—Vault-Tec power armor.
There was an anti-materiel rifle, but a centurion claimed it for himself, and I couldn't convince him to sell it for food or gold. It seems he was also preparing for this encounter, so we had to resort to using the terrain to our advantage.
With three members of the Executives using those armors and one of them wielding an assault rifle, much would depend on how close we could get to try and get lucky with a shot that could penetrate that armor.
They were stationed at a fixed point on the highway, probably to prevent legionaries from using their carriages to travel down the road and loot the towns further away where Vault-Tec's influence could fully take hold.
As was characteristic of the campaign area, it was desert-like, rocky, with many light hills, so an idea occurred to me to try to defeat the power armor.
We could try to lure them into the hills and attempt to surround them, but they would surely stay at their checkpoint.
"I didn't want to have to use them; they might break my weapon, but it's either that or calling for help, and I'd like to have those armors to study them. Drusus, the bullets I asked you to keep for me," I said to Drusus, who was near me as we lay prone, watching our enemies.
"Here you go, Decanus," Drusus said, handing me the Reversed bullets that I had crafted myself.
"Good, let's hope this doesn't blow up in my face. Aelius, Cato, you two are coming with me; we're going to flank them. Drusus, you and the rest will stay on the hill and start shooting at them to draw their attention. The peripheral vision of those armors is terrible, so it will be easy to sneak up on them, and we'll see if this can penetrate their armor if we fire at point-blank range," I said, giving orders to my contubernium.
I distributed the ammunition among my legionaries, and we began moving through the hills, avoiding the gaze of the men in power armor.
When we were well-positioned, we waited for the time I indicated to Drusus to pass and saw several shots being fired at the power armors stationed in their small building.
The attention of those men immediately focused on my troops as they tried to return fire.
We quickly began to move against them.
The armor of our opponents was formidable, as Drusus with his machine gun managed to land dozens of effective shots, but they all simply bounced off the armor. However, their weaponry was lacking in comparison; the 10mm pistols were very ineffective against my men on the hills, and the only real danger was the assault rifle. But since they were being fired at from an elevated position and my men were covered using rocks, it wasn't easy for them to hit.
While my men and I descended to the road, taking advantage of their distraction, they didn't notice that we were running toward them.
We managed to get close without being noticed, even with the several times they turned to reload their weapons.
We waited for them to start firing again, and when they did, I quickly stepped forward with the loaded bullets, approached them, and managed to position my rifle close to the left joint of a power armor, hoping it would penetrate.
When I fired, I felt the recoil much stronger than usual, but seeing the user spasm before falling to the ground after the shot, I knew our trick had worked.
One of my legionaries managed to do the same, but one survived as the bullet was deflected.
"Shoot the entire magazine at him!" I shouted, running and kicking the pistol out of his hands.
My men obeyed, emptying their magazines, while I jumped back to avoid the punch the man in power armor tried to land on me.
Seeing that he was trying to grab his pistol and that my legionaries' bullets were just bouncing off, I approached him again as he bent down to pick up his pistol and fired at the arm joint. This time, the third bullet worked when a small amount of blood trickled out of the hole, and the armor fell inert.
"These profligate are truly tough," Cato said, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his forearm.
"Decanus, do you think Vulcan's cult could do something like this?" Aelius asked while inspecting the power armor he had taken down.
"I doubt any blacksmith could make something like this; it takes a lot of work to make one. Open the armor and remove these profligate from our new acquisitions," I said, checking the building where these men had been stationed.
We waited for Drusus and the others to come down, and we managed to open the power armors and remove our enemies' bodies. We quickly loaded the armors onto our carriages and took them back to the camp.
When the other legionaries saw us bringing in those armors as loot, I could sense the envy of many men who recognized what this meant for the Legion.
The appointment as Centurion requires facing many enemies, and one of these was the tin men the Legion had encountered in several places, and I, with my contubernium, defeated three without losses.
But I didn't have time to boast when I felt Lanius's piercing gaze on my back.
"Ave, true to Caesar, Decanus Gaius, I have a question precisely for you," said Legate Lanius, who was carrying a man dressed in the Vault-Tec riot armor, except it was shattered, and his limbs were bent in an unnatural way.
"Ave, true to Caesar, Legate Lanius, how may I serve you?" I said, looking back at him.
"These tribals, they wear the same armor you wore the day you knelt before Lord Caesar. My question is, are they your tribe?" asked the Legion officer.
"In a way, yes. Vault-Tec, the pre-Mars company that built the vaults where I lived, likely has vaults in the capital that allowed them to survive Mar's purifying fire," I replied to the Legate.
"Interesting. Considering they are part of your tribe, do you have any special requests on how we should deal with them?" Lanius asked, throwing the shattered body at my feet.
"Let them suffer and pay for the lies and atrocities they've committed," I replied sternly.
"That determination, that anger, I've rarely observed it in you. But use that anger in battle. Congratulations on your victory, Decanus. Few legionaries can say they've defeated a man in power armor. Avoid dying in the coming days; I will need your knowledge if they have vaults like yours. We don't have enough explosives to force those doors," said the Legate, walking to his tent, followed by several of his bloodied men.
'Strange, I don't know if the Legate was testing my loyalty or trying to win it over.'
I focused on storing the power armors and trying to study how to use them, though the Executives likely had holotapes with training on how to use the power armor.
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Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
23 Power
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