Chapter 497 - Study On Negotiations And How To Break Them.

"Now that the Boomer's cooperation has been secured, I think that it's time for us to see whether or not Supermutants are capable of operating in civil society... Once you are ready, head to Jacobstown and check the place. I'll defer to your judgement on the matter, as I am sure you have far more experience dealing with barbaric savages than I." House explains.

Tamia nods, "Alright... I'll get to it in a couple days or so. If there's nothing else,?" she asks, waiting for a moment before nodding and leaving. She'd just spent weeks with the Boomers and felt like a vacation was more than necessary. After all, all work and no play makes Tamia a dull girl.​​

Elsewhere :

Veronica, Anja, and eventually Tamia returned back to Big Mt after their long mission at the Boomers. Afton allowed them their breaks but revealed that he may need a couple of them to accompany him to the 'Peace agreement negotiation' in Primm that the NCR had so gracefully set up.

They reluctantly agree to come should he need them and continued with their vacations. This left Afton alone to plan what'd actually happen for the event, and what he actually wanted to accomplish while there... If the NCR really did want to negotiate, he'd need to think about terms he would actually like to provide and receive... After all, going in without studying would end worse than an exam would.

1 week later :

It's almost time for the event, and things had been steadily progressing in Big Mt... Tamia, Veronica, and Anja had basically been resting the entire time, but everyone else had been doing their own things.

Boone had been learning to create and use various improvised weapons, explosives, and traps under Karl. And in his off time had been showing Josie how to properly spot for a sniper. Afton upon hearing this had the rather manipulative idea of using the duo to cover him at the event.

They'd be set up a good distance outside of Primm, but in a position where they could view everything that happens... He was still apprehensive about what they'd do if forced to choose between Bulwark and their country, so he'd try to fix it by showing them the true face of the NCR...

Of course, they could backfire magnificently if the peace agreements actually go on unmolested, but Afton thought that an impossibility at this point... He'd been monitoring the Mojave Outpost and spotted a number of unmarked vehicles that almost certainly belonged to the NCR... Vehicles were rare enough, but for them to turn up as the Peace negotiations were happening? He called sus.

The good news was that he, Klein, and Mobius had managed to patch the EMP vulnerability in the Power armour. It took a while to adapt the implant EMP defence into the armour, but they managed eventually... Most would just say to upscale it and install as it is, but of course, most people had no idea how electronic shielding and energy dispersal actually worked.

There'd be no point to using the EMP shielding if a single bullet would damage it too much to be usable. So, Afton currently had two suits of Power armour, both of which were upgraded with it. These belonged to Veronica and himself, which was unfortunate as he still hadn't decided on his second 'bodyguard'.

This wasn't the only thing on his mind however, despite the imminent event that was rapidly approaching, his thoughts were still on Christine and the radio signal purported to be from thee the Sierra Madre, the place she and that old fuck Elijah had gone.

Glados had sent a robot to check it out and, surprise surprise, found a bunker with a single makeshift radio that'd been booby-trapped with incredibly powerful sleeping gas, one that might've even been able to affect Afton, despite all his resistances and regeneration.

Glados was still trying to trace back where the original signal was actually coming from, so he'd need to wait and watch the progress. It wasn't like he could intervene and make it go faster, as Glados was simply more efficient at tasks such as this.

A robot drone pops out of the floor next to him and turns its orange eye towards him. "Speak of the devil." he mutters, breaking out from his thoughts. "Is something wrong Glados?"

"No, creator. Have you decided on your second bodyguard yet?" the AI asks out of nowhere.

Afton shakes his head, "Unfortunately no, I don't want to risk anyone's lives for this, as I am almost certain it's a trap of some kind. I'll have Boone and Josie near the town to support if it gets really bad, but other than Veronica who has Power armour, I am hesitant to bring anyone." he explains, though, he was sure Glados neither cared, nor understood the information.

"Might I suggest someone then?" the AI asks and continues at his nod, "The Cyberdog patrol lead by Gabe has returned, perhaps you should bring Gabe as a bodyguard? Its body is big enough to shield you from fire, and its sonic bark would likely knock a building down at full blast." she says.

...

Afton finds himself unconsciously nodding at the idea, Gabe would certainly be a 'statement'... It would be as if he brought a Deathclaw as a bodyguard, except more s significant as not everyone could genetically alter a dog enough to produce something like Gabe. Even Borous was confused at how Gabe became so big... The mixture of Chems, Cybernetics, and centuries of time had had a peculiar effect on the dog, one that wasn't so easy to replicate.

"Alright... I'll bring Gabe, that'll show those fuckin' bureaucrats who's boss." he chuckles, inwardly raising a brow at the fact Glados was mimicking laugher through the robotic drone.

"Ha...Ha...Ha...Ha..."

...

"Glados, could you perchance not do that ever again? Your laughter sounds like something you'd hear before someone was jettisoned into space..."

"...Undetrstood."