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From The Personal Recollection Of Leanne Walker

Our attack on the Enclavers around TecVault went well, considering, and was immortalized by a BoS Scribe later as 'The First Battle Of Bethesda'.  It was clear very early on that they had warning - some Verti-Birds were lifting off in a hurry, and the encampment was busier than an ants' nest as we approached.  But between the BoS and the Ghosts and TecVault Security (who surfaced to good effect when the party got started), the Enclave camp was ripped apart and their surviving troops sent in full retreat towards the Bethesda ruins. 

There was an interlude as casualties were tended, and introductions made between old and new friends, then everybody pitched in to drag all the Enclave hardware and supplies we could grab down into TecVault.  "Waste not, want not," as Paladin Monash cheerfully put it.  He was the youngish, upbeat head of the BoS team who would guest at TecVault for a while.

It was good to see Jiao and Chiaki again, though Chiaki chose to stay at TecVault for a little longer.  She and the TecVault techies (an evilly devious bunch, as I knew well) were working on "a surprise" for future Enclave visits.  With dawn approaching, the BoS and the Ghosts headed for home, the TecVault buttoned up again, and Cross and I started our covert journey to the 'Temple Of The Union'.

The trip was harder than we expected.  The terrain in between was torn up even by Wasteland standards, and V-Birds passed in the distance several times.  We had our stealth systems but took no chances, reducing our pace or going to ground if they got too close.  The Enclave comm channels were busy and I never doubted that the attack survivors were catching verbal hell from someone, perhaps multiple someones, over what had just happened.

We had good map coordinates for 'The Temple' and, as evening closed in, it became clear that our destination was a fairly intact lone building showing some lights.  "Fairly" intact in that it still had some of two or three stories to it, that is.

As it turned out, the 'Temple Of The Union' is an anti-slavery group, made up of runaway slaves devoted to helping others of their kind.  At that time, given the strength of the Slavers around DC, they were naturally cautious and even rather paranoid when it came to strangers who could be Slavers in disguise.  Even strangers dressed in high-tech armor, coming in answer to the message they had sent.  There was some back-and-forth, mainly their guard trying to convince us how dangerous she was, and us trying NOT to talk about how dangerous WE were.

Eventually, we were allowed in and talked to the Temple leader, a fellow by the name of Hannibal Hamlin.  He seemed a decent sort, if very intense about the Temple's cause, and who could blame him for that?  I'm not sure how else to put this, but the Temple's members very literally worship President Abraham Lincoln, about whom they stubbornly retain some odd ideas.

When asked about the message sent to the BoS, Hamlin told us, " ... A few days ago, this man, Wernher, came to our home.  He says he's from The Pitt, where we know many slaves are sent but none ever return from.  He had heard of the 'Temple Of The Union', and sought our help ... "

"For what?" asked Cross.

"I'll ... let him tell you."  Hamlin gestured for us to follow, then climbed the stairs to an upper floor. Comfort was minimal - a couple of fires, a few odd bits of furniture.  The old jukebox was their only luxury, if it could be called that.  There were several people there, mostly eating or relaxing, but the man standing alone at one fire stood out.  If making a snap judgement based on appearance, I'd have said 'Gang Lieutenant' .  Not the biggest guy in the gang, or even necessarily the one in charge, but the deeply scary member who seemed to run things regardless.

I wondered how this guy came into the Temple without the guards shooting him on general principle.  Yes, he looked exactly like that.

"Wernher," said Hannibal.  "These people have come in response to the message."

His guest turned towards us, "Well dang, Hannibal.  How nice of you to show them up ... "

What came through to me then was that Hannibal Hamlin and Wernher did NOT like each other one bit.

Wernher stepped closer, and openly appraised us.  To Cross, "Brotherhood.  Do-gooder, just as I thought ... "  To me, "You're interesting ... "  He gave me another look  "Yeah, a damn HERO ... "  He said that last word like it was something crawling out from under a rock.

Cross said, "MIster Wernher.  I am Star Paladin Cross.  This is Commander Walker.  What is it you want?"

"Hm, well ..... What I want?"  He paused, as if to collect his thoughts.  "I'm from The Pitt.  Used to be Pittsburgh, before The War.  Whatever it was then, well, it's a hell-hole now.  The place is polluted in every way you can think of, and then some.  Food, air, water, you name it.  Slaves work the factories, making stuff a lot of other places pay well for.  Trouble is that slaves have to be replaced all the time - most die pretty damn quick, or 'go trog'-"

"Trog?"

"Hero.  Live long enough there, you'll eventually turn into a Trog.  Kind of a mutant.  No mind.  No good as slaves, all they want to do is #### and kill and eat.  Anyhow, the guy in charge is Ashur, who calls all the shots, everything happens on his say-so.  He has a Cure, that would stop slaves going the way they do, but he keeps it w-a-y out of reach.  Just for him and his buddies ... " 

 His mention of Ashur had Wernher show emotion, he said that name a lot like he said 'Hero'.  Definite history there.  He continued  " ... That bastard's got to go.  We've tried and failed, but I've a solid plan now.  Just need the right person in the right place ... "

Cross again, "Ashur is colluding with the Enclave, we know that."

"Sure, a few of them around these days, and their choppers come and go.  But they don't run the place, Ashur does.  I know the Enclave is a problem for you down here.  Help us get rid of Ashur, and we can turn that around.  Just need someone to go ... undercover, I guess you'd say.  Can't be me - they know my face already.  Can't be any of the wimps here, either.  They wouldn't last an hour, even if any had the guts to try."

If looks could kill, Hamlin's glare would have nuked Wernher right then.

"We have a number of highly skilled people," Cross offered.

Wernher looked almost amused.  "Yeah, sure, and I know exactly what you're thinking, Do-gooder.  But The Pitt is a fortress now, not like when you types last visited, and there are checkpoints between there and here.  The moment Ashur gets word your army is on the way, he shuts the railway down and you get stuck.  Then he'll send assorted scum to flatten you out and get things moving again.  Nope, one person is all I need.  Someone who can take care of himself."

"Better be me then," I said, thinking of ... a few things.

Cross and Hamlin both stared at me.  Wernher actually grinned.  "You?  Hah!  Wouldn't last a minute in The Pitt!"

I stepped up to him.  "I'm full of surprises, Wernher."

Wernher leaned forward just a hair.  He looked relaxed, obviously anticipating a combat move from me - AND extremely ready to counter it.  But he instead flinched in genuine shock, as my forefinger gently tapped twice on the end of his nose.  Before he had even started to bring his guard up.

"What the-?  How the @#$%^& did you move so fast?!?"

There was a small sound from Hamlin, sounding a little like a choked-off laugh.

"She COULD tell you, Mister Wernher, but then we might have to kill you," said Cross who was almost, ALMOST smiling.

"Huh.  Cute trick."  Wernher recovered his composure remarkably fast, then shrugged.  "Okay, Hero.  So MAYBE you'd last longer than a minute.  I can't be too particular, right?"  He looked at me quite differently now.  Not an improvement though, maybe speculation on how to take me down in future.

"Right.  Plenty of questions, but one thing I have to ask first."

"Shoot."

"You're no slave ... or if you were, it wasn't for long ... "  Understatement.  If you put a slave collar on Wernher at sunup, my guess was you'd probably be dead before dinner.  " ... So what's your stake in this?"

Wernher's mouth twisted, and his eyes shifted Hamlin's way.  "Sure, Hero.  I WAS a slave ... but, yeah, not for long.  Before that, I was in Ashur's crew ... "  Hamlin shifted a little, but he obviously knew this much already.  " ...  But I kept asking the wrong questions, about the slaves and the Cure, so Ashur and me had a ... 'parting of the ways', you'd probably call it.  So I'm all about helping the Pitt Slaves give Ashur and company what they deserve."  He grinned again, not pleasantly.  "Next question?"


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Pic - "Ill-met By Moonlight"  Wernher and Hamlin at the Temple, at night.

Paladin Monash, for John Monash - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Monash