Chapter 441 - Orbital Blockage Removal

Colonel Moore just raises a brow at him, she hadn't thought he'd be stupid enough to actually try and attack the Legion's front line forces. "You know, even with that truck of yours you'll definitely die if you go there." she states, not believing anything else could occur.

"Wish I could see your face when you find out just how wrong you are." he crosses his arms, "So let's go down to brass tacks... Will you let us pass unmolested or not?" he asks, the tension rising suitably to match his tone and confidence.​​

"As happy as I would be to let you commit suicide, you still have many crimes to answer for... The deaths of Ranger Emory Emmerich and Lowell Thompson Jr, and in all probability more." she states.

Afton tilts his head downwards to look her in the eyes, "Is this from pride or stupidity, Colonel? Would you really risk the lives of all the men here for no real justifiable reason?"

Her lips for ma thin line as she tries to meet his eyes through the visor, "Just who do you think has the advantage here, Parker? We have dealt with technology similar to what you're wearing before, did you think we wouldn't have methods of dealing with it?" she asks with a scowl.

Afton chuckles, "Oh? Do you mean the twenty-one Rangers armed with Anti-Material Rifles? The few soldiers armed with Pulse Grenades? The guys armed with high explosives?" he lists off, the Colonel struggling not to gape at him as he does so. "My tech isn't like what the Brotherhood of Steel or even the Enclave uses. Mine is better... So, if you want to try your luck against me and my truck." he gestures over his shoulder with his thumb at the K9000 that was now pointing at the small army. "Go ahead, make my day." he growls, yet again stealing Clint Eastwood's catchphrase... Not that anyone else knew, as far as they were concerned Afton had coined the phrase.

A few soldiers shuffle uncomfortably as they send glances to Colonel Moore. Obviously, most didn't really care about the supposed crimes Afton had committed, even less so allowing him to attack the Legion's front lines... Even if he failed, he'd probably take some of the red-fucks with him.

Of course, Afton was bluffing slightly... His armour was definitely more advanced than whatever the Brotherhood had, but the Enclave was another matter entirely... He simply had no idea what tech they had or even if they could properly use it.

Colonel Moore glares at him, though, whether she's actually thinking about a solution or just stubbornly resisting him Afton had no idea.

"Well?" he asks, and Moore looks like she's about to retort when the sound of the trucks turret opening occurs behind him.

Glancing backwards, Afton spots Veronica in full Power armour peeking out the top of the truck, "Afton! We gonna go or what? Stop measuring dicks! We've got shit to do!" she exclaims, but her words don't reach the soldiers...

The only thing they realise is that Afton isn't the only one equipped in Power armour... And that the advantage they supposedly held isn't as great as they once thought.

Colonel Moore growls under her breath before finally gesturing with a hand at the soldiers behind her, "Let them pass. We'll scavenge what we can off of their bodies once the Legion deals with them. Keep an eye on them as they go across the Dam." she states as she leaves, entering back inside the Dam.

The soldiers look left and right at each other before scrambling back into their positions. The Rangers taking point atop the towers while the soldiers gather around the various barricades. Usually, they wouldn't be this alert, but once Afton and his group cross the Legion might counter-attack, so they had to be ready.

Afton nods and heads back into the truck, Veronica stays hanging out the top of the truck while manning the turret. It was best for her to do it as she was far more armoured than everyone else and wouldn't immediately die to a stray bullet.

Afton sighs as he starts up the truck and starts driving, "Nyx, make a note to train the others in how to use Power Armour..."

"Done, and done." the AI chipperly replies.

"Nice."

The ride across the Dam is quiet, tense, and a tight squeeze... A few soldiers had to get out of the way so the truck could pass by... The walkways were designed for humans, not vehicles, so it was pretty surprising that they were driving across with such ease.

Regardless, soon enough they reach the East side of the dam. At the end were tall canyon walls and a single path towards, of which there was a huge blockade of scrap metal, wood, and stone that'd been compiled into one large wall.

Legionaries were everywhere, atop the canyon, atop the wall, even in front of the wall... There was a reason the NCR weren't able to completely get rid of the Legion, even despite winning the Battle for the Dam.

Their defences were simply far too great for any regular force to breach... Ten Legionaries could probably defend against one hundred NCR troops with relative ease, simply due to the advantageous positions around the blockade.

Afton stops the vehicle a good distance away, but it was clear to see that the Legionaries had noticed the truck. They were all gathering, preparing to call for reinforcements, and setting up artillery to use should Afton attack.

"That looks like a tough nut to crack, Afton... Any plans aside from crashing into it?" Veronica asks from the back of the truck.

Afton grins under his helmet and retrieves the Range Finder from the hidden compartment in his armour. "Yeah, just one." he states, slowly opening the window and pointing the Range Finder at the blockage...

Due to it being high noon, the lasers were almost invisible, and the Legionaries were completely unaware, even when the Orbital Bombardment began.

Through a cloud, a huge laser blasts from the sky and into the blockage, incinerating anything that is unfortunate enough to get caught in it. The wall holds up for a couple seconds, at least, until it starts melting and turning into molten slag, and lava.