Steel Waste

*Flashback*

The NCR squadron had immediately headed for the black plume of smoke they'd spotted off in the distance. This had to caused by the people they were looking for, and Sergeant Volkman was more than enthusiastic to get moving towards it.​​

However, as soon as they reached a position where they could see the destroyed caravan, they spotted two people who looked like Powder Gangers heading towards the people responsible for destroying it.

Emil could tell they weren't all that friendly just the way they walked, it was slow and precise, as if they were anticipating a fight. This was fine though, both men were wearing NCRCF prison clothes, the trademark blue jacket was easy to spot from a distance.

They seemed to be talking with each other, the older man with the Stenton cowboy hat walking past and surveying the seen. The younger one wearing some sort of metal plated leathers with the NCRCF jacket tied around his waist following cautiously.

Some of the recruits around Emil almost jumped out of their skin when a loud gunshot went off, the older man had quickly turned and put a bullet in one of the Gang member's chests before striking another with the pistol itself.

A gunfight broke out and he was impressed to see that the duo who'd originally approached had managed to kill the four Powder Gangers without sustaining any injuries. The younger one was firing a Laser pistol and Revolver simultaneously and seemed well versed in hand to hand combat.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he knew it was time to apprehend them, he'd have liked to kill those raiding scum himself, but this way he didn't have to risk any of his men, something he appreciated greatly.

*Flashback end*

The NCR soldiers recovered everything from the destroyed caravan, along with the civilian's corpses before making their way towards the encampment outside Primm.

Afton felt incredibly uncomfortable to be unarmed and without any means to defend himself, he knew the NCR had laws that prevented them from executing or even torturing prisoners, so he was relatively safe...

In all honesty, an NCR prisoner was probably safer than your average civilian, the prison guards would act as protection and the prison would act as thick walls between you and the wasteland. It'd be a pretty good deal if Afton didn't care about his freedom.

Of course, he thought it was incredibly stupid to waste so many resources on criminals, he had every intention of taking advantage of them and eventually gaining his freedom. He didn't know what they knew about him, he'd killed a few NCR soldiers during his time with the Powder Gangers, so hopefully they pinned those murders on someone else.

He'd checked his reputation with the NCR, and it was slightly below average, the reason for this was the fact he was a Powder Ganger, but they had no crimes to his name so he should be alright... Karl however, was a different story.

Everyone in the NCRCF knew him, he was calm and efficient when doing jobs, no doubt his reputation had spread to the NCR, especially since he had apparently been one of them at some point. They'd know his appearance, name, and the crimes he'd originally been imprisoned for.

The journey to the encampment wasn't all that difficult, the road used to have heavy traffic, and any threats would have been eliminated by the NCR as they passed through earlier. Afton was surprised to find that Primm held a humungous roller coaster.

He knew it was broken, but was impressed that it'd survived this long... He vaguely remembered stories of roller coasters falling apart while people were riding them. This one here had literally been hit by nukes and was still standing.

From what the Powder Gangers in the NCRCF had told him, the town was famous for its Vicky and Vance casino. He didn't know much about the duo it was dedicated to, but from what he'd heard they were basically just a discount Bonnie and Clyde.

The town itself was an average size and must've held at least one hundred people, you'd think with a town this size the Powder Gangers would have many opportunities to gain supplies, but this was not the case.

Most caravans came from the south where an NCR outpost was located. Nothing really came from the north anymore due to the Deathclaw infestation, the only other places of note were Sloan, Goodsprings, and the NCRCF, all of which had nothing, or weren't willing to trade.

The NCR had Afton and Karl follow them closely as there were mines scattered all around the area, judging by the black mark left on the ground nearby, they'd forgotten to mention that to someone previously.

The encampment itself just looked like a bunch of military tents scattered around the ruins of some buildings. Some NCR soldiers milled about but stopped what they were doing to watch the two prisoners that'd just been brought in.

Someone entered the biggest tent here and a man with a stern face, green beret, and cleaner armour that the rest of the soldiers stepped before them. "I am Lieutenant Hayes, 5th Battalion, 1st Company. Are these the men who've been raiding civilian caravans?" he asks looking to Emil.

He shrugs, "From what I saw, no. These men killed the ones who'd just raided a caravan, they're wearing Powder Ganger clothes though so better to bring 'em in to be sure."

Lieutenant Hayes slowly nods but squints at Karl, "Do I know you?" he asks.

Karl frowns and shakes his head, "No, son. First time I've seen you in my god-damn life." he states, Afton could tell from his limited time with Karl that he was lying... The man only ever seem this concerned about keeping his own secrets, that or dealing with people who break his rules, Tommy being one such example.