It wasn’t much longer until the warehouse and the surrounding area were occupied by Remnant and STAR forces. The civilians were escorted out of the city along with the equipment, which I noticed had a lot more protection than the personnel did. While everyone was moved to safety, or debriefed, I stayed off to the side and out of the way. I got some stares, but for the most part, everyone seemed to be aware of who I was, or too frightened of me to question my presence.

While I waited I took some time to think. As I saw it, the Remnants now owed me two suits of power armor, a complete restock of my ammo, a new shotgun, hundreds of Patriot Points, four or so lasguns, and a meeting with their cabinet. That wasn’t to mention the two grenades Mercy owed me, and the rounds I’d need back from Leah once she returned my gun. I considered going through the compound and doing some looting as well, but I decided against it. I doubted they had much of value that the Remnants weren’t expecting to get back at some point anyway. Besides which the sight of a deadman picking through shattered houses may cause some people to overreact.

Thinking about it, I realized I hadn’t seen a single deadman among those in the Republic. That made my teeth itch and I began picking at them as I considered the grim implications of that along with everything else I’d encountered in my brief visit.

Trying to take my mind off of it for a moment, I pulled up my notifications.

Congratulations Citizen! You have earned a rank in Long guns! Good job exercising your 2nd amendment rights!

Excellent work Marshall! You’ve successfully performed a secondary goal of your job ‘Combat’! You’ve earned 60 Patriot Points!

Excellent work postman! You’ve successfully performed a secondary goal of your job ‘Protecting the Cargo’! You’ve earned 50 Patriot Points!

Congratulations Citizen! You have earned a rank in Melee Weapons! From Bowie knives to Pickett’s charge, the US may have been too advanced for swords, but it’s spilled blood for freedom!

Excellent work Marshall! You’ve successfully performed a secondary goal of your job ‘Combat’! You’ve earned 60 Patriot Points!

Congratulations Citizen! You have earned a rank in Pistol! Good job exercising your 2nd amendment rights!

Congratulations Citizen! You have earned a rank in loading/unloading! Even the statue of liberty was shipped here one piece at a time!

Excellent work postman! You’ve successfully performed a secondary goal of your job ‘Protecting the Cargo’! You’ve earned 50 Patriot Points!

Those were some modest gains. I guessed that I received the rank in loading/unloading from when I’d moved the metal crates to block the door, and the bonus for 'protecting the cargo' was especially good considering I was only travelling with a single letter. I'd have to make it a point to always have something on the way to being delivered, to do otherwise was leaving points on the table. The multiple rewards for ‘Combat’ were a welcome surprise as well. It seemed there’d been enough of a gap between skirmishes that I was able to gain the points for it twice. I’d have to remember that possibility in the future, though I doubted I’d ever have a combat situation convenient enough to allow me to take full advantage of it.

After I was done dismissing the notifications I’d received and completing my mental inventory of what I had and was owed, a man in a suit of power armor approached.

“Your presence has been requested by the Cabinet.” said a soft, slightly distorted voice through the helmet.

I stood, placing my hat back onto my head and adjusting the pistol on my hip. “Where are Leah and Mercy?” I asked.

“Mercy is with our medics. Leah is being debriefed ahead of you.”

I nodded and followed him. As we walked I took note of burned-down buildings, ongoing negotiations with people holed up in small bunkers throughout the city, and a large number of prisoners being moved at gunpoint to different parts of the city. The resistance was very fierce considering how thoroughly the Remnant and STAR forces had managed to penetrate into the city. The citizens of the Republic seemed to fight with more tenacity rather than less, the heavier their casualties and the more clearly their battle was a lost one.

Outside the city walls, I saw a row of heavily defended tents that matched the ones I’d seen when I’d first watched the Cabinet descend in their droppods. I was led to the largest of them, and the soldier guarding me paused.

“Please wait here.”

I nodded, surprised by the please, and watched as the soldier walked in. The sounds of battle were muffling things, but I could hear voices inside through the thin canvas walls of the tent, and knew that things were getting heated.

“”-a DIRECT ORDER to stand down. Instead of listening, you went off and recruited an asset on what easily could’ve been a suicide mission to save another asset. I have never before questioned your competence. You and Graves were the first to land, and paid a heavy price for it, but you seem intent on ruining any of that goodwill.”

I recognized the one speaking as Masters’. He had the kind of voice that you couldn’t help, but turn your full attention to.

“I think, perhaps, that Leah has been among those not of her own kind for too long.”

That was Adam’s voice, the same one that gave the patriotic speeches on the radio.

“Let’s not go that far.” Interrupted Masters, his tone evening out as he seemed to calm down. “I understand the impulse to want to extract Mercy, but our mission is paramount. We were born for it.”

“Masters seems willing to let you off with a scolding, but the risk you took to our equipment cannot be minimized. It is invaluable. That medical tech alone would take decades to recreate.”

That was the Science and Tech leader, Matthews. I remembered her keen interest in my skin and regeneration. She’d looked at me the same way Julian looked at new tech he couldn’t wait to take apart.

“Let’s not forget that this whole thing could’ve been avoided if your calculations hadn’t landed the supplies in the middle of the Republic, to begin with! Slate and I were inches from the goal line. Opening trade and annexing them was inevitable until your screwup.”

“Curtis is right. We can sit here and criticize Leah all day, but it was your foolishness that drove her to such a choice to begin with,” said a woman’s voice, Slate I presumed, by process of deduction.

“The calculations were perfect. The fact is that at this point there are certain spaces between orbit and the ground where physics no longer apply. I can’t be held accountable for that,” answered Matthews

“That’s enough. Leah, do you have anything to say for yourself before you’re dismissed?” asked Masters.

“Yes sir. I just want to say that I still believe in the mission above all else. My mission to rescue Mercy was in service to that mission. If we do not protect our assets, we’ll have difficulty turning new ones in the future. We need a certain level of trust.”

There was a snort. “The spy is talking about trust. Cute,” said Adams.

There was a long sigh. “That’s enough everyone. Leah, you’re dismissed, but are not to leave the camp.”

“Yes sir.”

There was some muttering I couldn’t make out, and then I heard the soldier who’d gone in ahead of me tell them I was outside. It was apparent that Leah had recruited me for Mercy’s extraction without getting permission from her superiors to undertake the mission. That, or the entire conversation was an elaborate trick in order to make me think that was the case. It did make sense in context though. I truly believed that the cabinet didn’t give a damn about Mercy beyond what value they felt they could extract from her, and the timing of their attack, and Graves’ inability to come in to extract us also made more sense in the context that Leah’s mission had been unauthorized.

The soldier opened the tent flap and gestured for me to come inside. I did so, activating my lie detector ability as I did, and activating my Eyes of the Law ability to check what their Jobs were as well. Masters was a general, which was a class I’d never seen before. Matthews a Lead Scientist, Adams an Orator, Curtis a Diplomat, and Slate a Commercial Liason. I had no clue what those jobs meant, but they sounded damned impressive compared to what I was used to seeing in the wastes. I assumed that was a perk of knowing more about the system.

Masters gave his magnetic smile as I entered. “Donovan, it’s good to see you.”

LIE, said the system as he finished speaking. He’d said it in a way that almost convinced me he meant it, but it was good to see that the system seemed to be working. I just nodded at him.

“We appreciate your assistance with extracting Mercy.”

LIE

“I didn’t do it for free.”

No break in his smile at all. “Yes, Leah mentioned. Could you let us know what all you require?”

I smiled and took a small page from my notebook where I’d written everything down, tearing it out.

“I’ll take it,” said Slate.

I handed it to her and she looked at it for a few moments, unable to hide a grimace.

“Problem?” I asked.

She looked up at me, then at Masters, then shook her head. “No.”

LIE

“We’ll have this all to you right away… The power armor may take longer.”

“Have it taken to Pott’s, to the care of Julian.”

I saw Masters and Matthews exchange a glance, but they said nothing.

“You’ll do it?” I asked, looking for a yes or no.

He hesitated. “Yes.”

TRUTH

I nodded satisfied. “I had only one more thing I wanted to ask each of you. The agreement with Pott’s. You leave them be, do not attack them, and assist their undertakers. I want to hear each of you say you’ll honor that agreement.”

“Is this some type of waster thing?” asked Adams with a sour expression. “Should we cut open our palms and swear a blood oath while we’re at it?”

I slid my hand down to the knife handle on my waist. “We can if you’d like.”

Masters held up a hand and smiled. “We will honor the agreement to leave Pott’s alone and allow their undertakers to take any deadman children they desire, and we will prohibit the persecution of deadmen exactly as we have agreed to.”

TRUTH.

The others hesitated, until Masters looked in their direction. They all repeated what he said, or at least the gist of it, and all of them came up as telling the truth.

“That was all I needed. I expect the rest of my payment before I leave.”

Curtis nodded. “The rest of it will not be an issue. I’ll have someone find it and give it to you.”

I nodded, and tipped my hat to them, before turning and walking out of the tent. They had all been telling the truth according to my ability, and there was no indication that they had the ability to mask from it like Leah had. In spite of that though, my teeth were itching in a way that told me there was something else going on.