“WHAT IN THE BLOODY TARTARUS DID YOU DO?!” I screamed as I slammed a motel door open.
When I found myself staring at an empty room, I felt my my anger replaced with a slight concern. I looked down at my EFF, and while it showed my ‘tracking’ arrow was in the room, there were no targets inside. I unsheathed my shovel and slowly walked in, keeping my eyes open for any sign of an ambush.
Three of the four beds had been used recently, and there were some scattered bits of trash around the room as well, but nothing else of note. Finally I found what my ‘arrow icon’ was locked onto: a familiar grenade launcher. The thing was broken again, and there was a note on it.
‘Amber, please read note on the table.’ Pincers writing was clear to read.
I grumbled as I walked over to a small nightstand with another note on it that looked like someone had used it for- ugh. I tried to ignore it as I noticed another note with a badly drawn arrow pointing at the unused bed. Going over to it (and fighting hard to control my annoyance) I started reading Gildanns clawed writing.
‘Amber, we turned in the file and accepted a job to guard a caravan since we don’t know when you will be back. We should be back in about a week, the rooms are covered for the next six months, and we get one free meal a day.’
I set the note down and calmly walked over to the bed where an unruffled pillow sat idly. I slammed my head into the poofy thing and let out a very muffled scream of absolute frustration.
“Miss Amber?” Teardrop asked quietly.
I lifted my head off the pillow and was met with a robot giving me a concerned look that wouldn’t look out of place from a puppy (which was impressive with her thin mechanical arms and eye stocks). As I looked over her custom framework and unique paint job, I felt my rage starting to subside. Slightly. I noted she had the note in her claw so I didn’t have to explain the situation.
“I’m… well, not alright. But I’ll manage for the time being.” I patted her on the head, “It’s easier with you here in any case…” My words trailed off as I hadn’t exactly planned to not find them.
In fact I hadn’t planned on that eventuality at all. When I had gotten the ‘Failed Mission’ message, I had quickly taken off to Friendship City. My original hope was to track the file directly, but I hadn’t ‘tagged’ the file when I first acquired it. The Pipbuck hadn’t updated the quest either to try and recover it, like it knew it was hopeless. With no other option I had switched to tracking Crackerjacks grenade launcher so I could at least find them and figure out what the hell happened.
Poor Teardrop followed me and got her first real taste of wasteland hospitality when five idiot raiders tried to ambush us. After killing three of them and driving off the other two, Teardrop was horrified to find I was taking anything they had of value before burning the bodies. I explained that it never sat right with me to leave a body to rot, so burning was the best solution. I then realized that I had to give her an explanation of how the Wasteland worked:little could be wasted, fight for survival, and bottle caps are the current accepted currency.
Out of all that, she seemed really flabbergasted about the whole bottle cap thing.
But back to the bigger problem at hoof, I refused to give up on the file. I asked around about my… friends to get an idea of what may have happened. However, the guards I asked only gave seemingly random and gruff responses about not bothering them, jokingly about if somepony stole a sweet roll, or talking about being adventurous like me before getting shot in the knee. Finally it clicked that there might be one pony that would have a better idea about the ponies I was looking for…
“Wait, that wasn’t you?” The elder motel owner asked.
I took a deep breath as I gathered my patience, “Why would I be asking if it was me?”
“Well, you have about the same build and accent of the pony who had the room.” He responded.
My mental train came to a fiery wreck that engulfed all other thoughts at this revelation. “Wait, somepony who sounded like me?!”
He nodded, “Yep. Even had glasses like you too. Though she was wearing some sort of thick cloak that you wern’t.” He then rubbed a hoof under his chin, “Funny thing though. I saw her go up to the room with the others you described, but I never saw her come back down when they did.” He gestured at me, “It’s why I was confused when you barged in all angry like an hour after they left.”
I glanced at the EFS, and it showed that there were no other detectable targets in the area. “So, as far as you were aware, my group is the only one currently renting rooms, and nopony saw anyone else besides them leave?”
He nodded, “Yep. Two other groups have rooms as well, but they usually don’t come back till’ later at night. No windows or back doors upstairs either, so unless one can teleport, no one gets out without me or the night pony noticing.” He smirked, “Good way to make sure ponies don’t try to skip on the bills.”
I didn’t bother pointing out that everypony had to pay in advance for the rooms anyway. I left and tried talking to a few guards and others that were wandering about, but most barely said a word, if not ignoring me outright. Meaning that my search for the file was effectively at a dead end.
But more important, how my Pipbuck knew that I couldn’t find the means to track the file, (or for that matter, knew I couldn’t accomplish certain tasks) before I did was both astounding and damn annoying.
“What will we do now?” Teardrop asked.
I pondered for a moment, “Well, the others won’t be back anytime soon, and I don’t exactly want to risk dangerous jobs with just the two of us.” I pulled up my Pipbuck menu and went to my quest log. “Wait.” I started at it for a moment, “Huh, well that’s one thing we can do…”
“Welcome to Equestria Historium, home of some of the last historical artifacts of the old world!” A red unicorn mare greeting me and Teardrop as we walked in, “How may I-oh! Hello Amber, how are you doing today?”
I waved at the red unicorn, “Honestly, it’s been a rough day.” I grumbled as I thumped my head against the counter. “I’m also surprised you remember me.”
She chuckled, “Oh I make a point to remember everyone who comes into my shop, especially those who are working for me. And I see you have a new friend with you.”
I rolled my head to look at Teardrop as she curtsied, “Greetings, I am Teardrop. It is a pleasure to meet you miss…?”
“Ink Rose the Twelfth if we are pushing hairs,” She said, and I mentally thanked Teardrop for asking as I couldn’t remember. “But you can just call me Ink Rose.” She then looked at me, “Now my counter isn’t much for sleeping, so what can I do for you?”
“You said that this was Equestrian Historium?” Teardrop asked, “Do you teach history?”
“I’m glad you asked!” She then gave an old Equestrian Military Salute (I think), “My family have been historians and librarians for generations. I’ve been keeping up the tradition and always looking for any history that can be recovered before its lost forever.” She then gestured to the various items in the room, “This little paradise of mine holds irreplaceable pieces of our history, as it’s important to remember the past in order to build a better future!”
“Wait! Is this the signed documentation making Lunas Reign over Equestria confirmed?!” Teardrop squeed as she stared at the document.
“Yep.” Ink said proudly, “My family have been historians and librarians for generations. I’ve been keeping up the tradition and always looking for any history that can be recovered before its lost forever.” She then put a hoof under her cheek, “Strange, your voice sounds familiar…”
“Oh!” Teardrop floated over, “That could be because I am based off Twilight Sparkle herself!”
“Really?!” Inks attention was fully on the robot, ignoring the fact that my head was still on the counter, “There are many questions I would love to ask-”
“My personality is based on Twilight, but I don’t have her memories. I could give you a reasonable idea of her opinions and the like though.” Teardrop said.
Part of me wished I had a camera to capture the ‘before’ and ‘after’ expressions of Ink as she went from utterly elated to completely disappointed. That dark part of me got thumped and shoved back into whatever dark corner of my soul it spawned from, though I swore I heard it cackling as a very dejected ‘Oh’ came from the unicorn.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Teardrop said, “I seem to have upset you.”
Ink Rose shook her head, “No, it’s not you… just thought I might have a gateway to the past was all.” She smiled, “Don’t fret about it, you’re fine as you are.”
Despite her words I could feel she was still disappointed. I felt bad for her and decided it was time to do something about it, “I do have a consolation prize.” I said as I set down the items from the Drive-In, “Found three fully intact movies for you, and five bags of magically preserved unpopped popcorn as a free bonus.”
“Excellent!” She clapped her hooves together, her mood improving, “More than expected and you even kept them in their protective casing to prevent damage. Even better!” She put a bag of bottle caps on the counter where my head had just been. “750 altogether for a job well done, though I was surprised when your friends came back without you.”
“Yeah we got a bit sidetracked…” I said as I glanced into my bag.
Sitting in one of the side pouches were the pile of holotapes that had been recovered from Stable 66. A thought crossed my mind that Ink might be interested in listening to the past of a stable. I opened my mouth to make an offer, only to stop and look at Teardrop who was back to ogling over other historical items that were in the shop.
“Teardrop. I want to talk to you about something.” I finally said, walking away from the counter.
She turned to look at me, “Yes?”
I stared into her optics as I searched for the words I was looking for. “Teardrop.” I finally began, “I didn’t think about this before, but I found a number of holotapes in the Overmares Office.” I opened by bag to reveal them, “I haven't listened to them yet.”
She hovered a little closer and looked at them before looking at me, “Why are you telling me this?”
‘Ok, don’t screw this up.’ I mentally told myself, “Because… even if you were only awake for a short time, Stable 66 was a home for you. I wanted to give you the choice to listen to those who lived there. However…” I took a deep breath, “You may not like what you hear.”
An awkward silence came between us as we looked at one another. She then extended a claw and slowly picked up a holotape and stared at it intently. “I… I was supposed to be the backup personality for the Stable. But I never really got that chance…”
Her words were lost as she continued looking at the holotape. While I felt odd just standing there, I also felt that I couldn’t just walk away, or even really stretch for that matter. It would really ruin the mood, and I didn’t want to distract her unnecessarily as she made such a difficult decision.
“You planning on selling them?” Ink Rose asked in my ear after about two minutes, causing me to jump “If not, I do have other customers to get to.”
“Oh, sorry!” Teardrop and I said in unison as we moved away from the counter and towards the shop exit.
The unicorn waved at us, “Thank you for visitings Equestrian Historium, have a nice day!”
I waved back before turning my attention to Teardrop, “Would you rather wait?” I asked.
She was quiet for a few moments longer before turning to me, “Will you listen to them with me?”
I was caught off-guard by the question to be honest, and was going to ask her to confirm that she wanted my presence. But when I looked into her optics (all three of them), I couldn’t help but nod, “Of course.”
We went back to the room the others had acquired and began going through the surprisingly high number of holotapes I had. 'Seriously, how did I fit all of them in my bag with everything else?!. I wondered to myself.
Most of them were progress reports of the stable; logistical reports, maintenance tickets, and supply manifests. A few of the holotapes were of Overmares initiations and stepping down, but nothing that talked about how things in the stable actually operated, or what they even did. What was more strange, at least to me, was that somehow my Pipbuck had ‘organized’ all of the holotapes It wasn’t alphabetical order, it wasn’t based on dates, it all seemed based on what would be more ‘relevant’ to what we wanted to listen to.
“So, if your hunch is correct, these holotapes most likely detail the last days of the stable?” Teardrop asked as she looked through them.
I looked at the last batch and nodded, “Sure of it. Only the Sisters know how this thing is able to do that-” I gave a suspicious glance at my Pipbuck, “But it hasn’t steered me wrong before.” I then looked back at Teardrop and put a hoof on one of her ‘arms’. “You sure about this?”
She nodded silently. Taking a deep breath I inserted the first of final holotapes.
“Overmare Acorn now officially reporting in. It should be a happy day right? Being assigned from chief engineer to the new ‘Best Foalsitter Ever’ assistant. I get to chose who should have children, I get to have the best pick of the events in the stable, and everypony will look up to me when the system is busy for guidance and the like. So why does my heart feel so heavy?”
She was silent for a moment before thumping her hoof on what I assumed was her desk, “Oh right, my big sister White Oak and best friend Maple Sugar got sent out of the Stable to supposedly go to ‘Big Town’ where all of the ‘adult ponies’ have to go. I mean, they each had kids of their own already, and they were able to stay a few more years than normal but… I can’t shake a nagging feeling. Like I’m never going to see them again.” She let out a deep sigh before continuing, “I’m going to have to move carefully so that computer program won’t notice what I’m up to. But I will figure out where this ‘Big Town’ is and make sure that they are alright.” She tapped her hoof on the table again, “Good thing I ‘disconnected’ the Overmare’s Office from the AI core . The thing still thinks there was an accident and hasn't been able to find the problem.
When it ended, Teardrop gave me a curious look, “Big Town?”
I shrugged, “Never heard of a town with that name.” I ejected the first one and inserted another.
“Well, I figured going through official channels wouldn’t work. Naturally nopony has any idea of the place beyond what the computer has said: ‘It’s a place where the adult ponies live and can be happy.’ But I’m not buying it at all.”
The beeping of a computer came over the holotape, "Even with the combat training and weapons, the ‘travelers’ still have to give up their Pipbucks to the younger generation. That is a major disadvantage for them, especially since Pipbucks would be more useful out there rather that in the Stable. Even more troubling is that I haven't found a single instance of the outside trying to communicate with us, or us trying to reach out to them. Hell, not even any signs of children being born out there and being brought back for safety.”
She let out a groan as I made out the distinct sound of her drinking something before setting a bottle too close to the recorder. “Requests to send search teams have been met with ‘Oh, but it’s far too dangerous for little foals to go outside! 'Besides, it’s better to be here with your super best friend and foal sitter right?’ Ugh, Annoying AI. But I think I have a plan that should give some answers. Hopefully the Sisters are looking out for me.”
I tried to resist the urge to snicker, “She does a good Pinky impression.”
“Amber.” Teardrop said disapprovingly, not unlike a parent scolding a child.
I gave her a sheepish grin before playing the next holotape.
The sound of tapping came through the recording for a few seconds before Acorn started speaking, “It has been a year now since I took over, and I find it funny. I always believed the Overmare’s position was mostly used for pairing others up regardless of ponies feelings on the matter, since we do need to reproduce to keep our numbers up. I always felt that it was rigged, or there were hidden agendas when certain ponies were paired up and I hated it. Especially when sis’ didn’t get chosen with the partner she wanted, even though everypony thought it was a good match. I swore that if I became Overmare that I wouldn’t do such things to the others and yet… it’s the only thing I can do. See, my replacement in the engineering department is Maples kid sister, Cotton Ball. The poor filly has been sweet on one of the security guards, Apple Seed for years. The idiot lug only has eyes for resident pretty mare Sparkle Water.”
Acorn let out a shudder before continuing, “No accounting for taste or personality. Thing is, Sparkle likes Apple Seed, which leaves me with a problem. I promised that Cotton could have Apple as her chosen partner in return for a favor. See, I’ve convinced the AI that we have more robots than we need, so one of the older models are going to be sent with the next wave of ‘Travelers’. During its reprogramming to handle acting without the AI, Cotton Ball secretly installed a transmitter that will allow me to see and hear what exactly it's like on the outside. For additional security I constructed a receiver that should be able to receive the transmissions on a coded frequency that the AI won’t detect. Hopefully. Well, at least Cotton Ball can be happy with Apple Seed. Again, hopefully.”
I looked at the last three holotapes with uncertainty, “I don’t like where this is going... are you ready?”
She stared at it for a moment before nodding and I slipped it into my Pipbuck. I waited expectedly for a few seconds when I noted that there was no sound emanating from the little computer. I looked at the screen and saw that it was playing, so I put my ear closer to see if there was something wrong with the volume.
“CELESTIA DAMMIT!” Acorn screamed, causing me to flinch as my ears began ringing.
“Ow.” I whined, though Teardrop ignored me as she listened intently.
“I knew it! I fucking knew it! That Luna cursed AI has been lying to us since day one!” She took several deep breaths before speaking at a more reasonable level.
“I’ve been keeping tabs on the group for the last week now. Things were rough out there, but none showed signs of radiation poisoning, so that was a small bonus. However, after reaching the coordinates of Big Town…” She was quiet for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. “Our group was attacked by other survivors, ones not from the Stable. They killed half of them and damaged the robot, but I could still see and hear. I saw…”
She sounded on the verge of crying as she spoke again, “I saw White Oak. She… she… damn it all, she was the best of us. Always looked out for the little ones and was a fair and thoughtful Overmare, better than I’ve been. But now… she was helping the attackers. She was laughing as the others were tortured, raped…” She took in another deep breath, “I can’t allow any others to suffer a similar fate. But that damn AI is big on rules, and doesn’t ever budge from them regardless of what the situation is.”
The familiar sound of tapping on the desk started up as she continued, “I can’t risk the failsafe. For all I know, the reprogrammed ‘personality’ would be no better than the current one. I’m going to have to shut down the AI core if we are going to keep this Stable alive, but I will have to move extremely carefully. The damn thing has control of the various robots and cameras, but I have to find a way. I must find a way, for everypony still in the stable. As for those that already... well, one thing at a time. One thing…” Her voice trailed off before the recording stopped.
“They didn’t trust me.” Teardrop said. She had tried to keep her voice even, but I could hear the sadness in her voice. “I would… I would have done things differently…”
I set a hoof gently on her chassis, “They didn’t know you, and Acorn clearly had a distrust of AI’s even before the revelation. If you noticed, she never once even called Pinkie by her name, only referring to her as ‘that computer program’ or AI at best. They never gave you the chance you deserved.”
Somehow I could tell that Teardrop cheered up a little when I said that. I didn’t bother to bring up the fact that she may have well been as much a slave to her programming as the Pinkie AI. I guessed that the only reason that Teardrop was different was because of the fact that the Pinkie AI had taken most of the protocols and command functions with her, leaving Teardrop as a partial backup that was slowly growing to be her own individual to fill in the gaps.
Yeah, I figured she really didn’t need to hear my opinion on the matter. Instead I picked up the second to last holotape and put it in my Pipbuck. I took a deep breath as I prepared myself for bad news.
“Overmare Acorn speak- no, that title really doesn’t apply anymore does it?” She was silent for a moment before speaking again, “Guess this will be the last progress report I give in this Stable, and there is a lot to cover.” The familiar sound of her drinking from a bottle echoed over the recording, “The damnable computer program caught on to what our plan was before we could get all the bots out from under her control. As expected, when I presented the data acquired from the outside, she tried to dismiss it and wanted to have business as usual. A battle broke out which cost us over sixty percent of the robots along with at least 20% of the entire stable. The losses would be acceptable… but just to spite us the damn computer broke the water talisman as a last ditch effort to retain control before somepony put a few bullets into the thing."
The sound of a computer terminal being typed on came through the holotape, “We’ve got about three months of good water left before the stable will be uninhabitable. There are a few places that might have a usable water talisman for a replacement, but sending out even a small team would be suicide, especially with the… raiders outside. Worse, the computer apparently helped manage the rest of the stable systems, and we can’t run properly them without it. With no other option, I’ve ordered preparations to abandon the stable enmasse. While the others prepare, I will personally lead an elite force against the raiders so they aren’t a threat, and hope to the Sun and Moon that something goes right for us.”
As the holotape ended, I didn’t even give Teardrop time to process the message as I switched to the last holotape. Now I wanted to know the last chapter.
The all too familiar sound of her hoof tapping the desk began to echo through the holotape, “Well, we did it. We won.”
Despite her words, her tone was not one of victory, “We got lucky and came across a settlement that had been suffering from them for some time. With their help, the raiders were no match for us. My sister was captured alive, and she begged and pleaded for me to spare her, making excuses for the actions she committed. When I asked her what happened to Maple, she broke down screaming that she was sorry over and over again, that she didn’t want to kill him. The moment I heard that… well, I suppose we all have to grow up in this wasteland.”
The tapping stopped as there was an inaudible voice that spoke for a few seconds. “Well, that’s a good bit of news at least. We rescued some prisoners from the same settlement centered around an old hospital complex, and we came to an agreement. We are going to help fortify the place, give them some of our technology for maps of the area, as well as taking in our youngest, weakest, and most injured from our Stable.”
Acorn stopped for a moment as if thinking on the decision, “I hate splitting up the residents, but there is just no way they can support over seven hundred residents, plus their own. The fact that they are willing to take in over two hundred is a kindness. Or I would like to say that, but the truth is that they have taken losses from raiders and other things that live out here, and they need the help and pony power.”
I could hear sounds of a terminal being accessed, “As far as the rest of us, we are heading north to find somewhere to call home. The west is in bad ways, and the south was already a wasteland before the war. The north sounds problematic, but we can go beyond the border towards the Crystal Empire. Old documents suggest that there is some kind of transport we can take to avoid the worst of the weather, and that there might be livable locations beyond. I’m just hoping the sisters grant us better luck than those that came before… “ She stopped tapping on the desk and let out a chuckle, “Surprising to say, but I’m going to miss this desk. Only one and a half years of being Overmare, and I broke the stable. Well, here’s hoping for the best. This is Acorn, signing off.”
“Amber!” Teardrop suddenly yelled.
Her other words were lost to me. Her sudden outburst caused me to jump, lose my balance, and smack onto the floor in an unceremonious mess. While I wasn’t certain, I thought I heard an old pony yelling about ‘not breaking the rooms’. I didn’t have time to verify as I recovered and saw Teardrop staring at me intently.
"Did you hear what I said?!" She asked with urgency.
“Ow. I’m fine by the way.” I rubbed my head as I got up, “What’s wrong?”
She put her claws together and bowed slightly, “I apologize for my abruptness, but how old are the holotapes?!”
I could hear a desperation in her voice as her eyes looked at me pleadingly, “Alright give me a moment.” I said as I flicked through my Pipbucks screens back to the holotape and looked into its details. “Lets see… with this timestamp, I’d say this all happened about fifty some-odd years ago.”
Teardrop was quiet as she processed the information, and honestly I couldn’t blame her. I allowed her the time she needed before looking back at me, “Have you ever heard of an exodus of Stable Dwellers before?”
“Can’t say that I have, but I haven't asked before either.” I thought for a moment, “Could be why ponies are only slightly surprised when they see my own stable suit though-oh! Maybe Ink Rose heard something-”
She shot out of the room in a purple blur before I could finish. I let out a little sigh as I gathered up all of the holotapes and put them into my saddlebag before slowly trotting after her. By the time I reached the Historium, the purple robot flew out and nearly smacked into me.
“Amber! She has records of them traveling through here! She wants some caps in order for me to fully access the information, so I would like to request-”
“Slow down Tear.” I said sternly. I felt that my tone might have been harsher than I meant it to sound when she recoiled away from me, “One step at a time. First off, what are you hoping to accomplish?”
“I have to find them!” She exclaimed, “They are my responsibility, it’s what I was born to do! While I’m thankful that you rescued me from being lost, it was my duty to serve the ponies from Stable 66, so I must find them!”
I closed my eyes as my mind began rapid-firing possibilities and things I could say to her. For the briefest of moments I could almost swear there was another voice mixed in with those thoughts, distant and otherworldly that, while slow on its end to come up with ideas, seemed to be processing almost instantly for me. Within moments, I came to a conclusion of what I wanted to say.
“You want to help them because it is your duty, right? Well, there is a very real chance that you won’t find them willing to accept the help of an AI if Acorn spread her own disdain towards your kind to the others, especially with what happened with the Pinkamena AI.”
I stopped and wondered where that nickname came from, and Teardrop seemed confused as well for a moment before shrugging it off. Somehow I also felt my Pipbuck just updated the things name....
“That… is a valid point.” She gestured to herself, “But I feel I still have to try.”
I realized quickly she wasn’t going to budge from this, even if I tried pointing out how dangerous the wasteland was to travel in, or how much she disliked that part. Then a new idea came to me, “There is a way for you to help them without looking for the main group.”
She cocked her eye stocks in confusion, “How so?”
“River Point Junction.” I said with certainty, “Acorn said a hospital location took a large number of them in right? That place showed clear signs of well thought out fortification, and it did look a lot cleaner than most settlements, right?”
She stared at me for a moment before the realization came through to her, “You’re right.” She glanced at my saddlebag, “They did leave a number of their youngest at the settlement didn’t they?”
“That’s right. We don’t know where the others went exactly.” I pointed in the general direction of River Pointe, “But we have their descendants suffering right now. Are you just going to leave them behind while they suffer?”
“No.” She said quietly before she hovered a few inches higher and spoke more loudly, “No, I will not abandon them now!”
“Damn straight!” I replied, “We are going to do our best to help them, and they will be happy to have it!”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” I raised a hoof to the robot with a confident smile and she hit it with the flat end of her claw.
“We can do this together!” She said with enthusiasm, before looking at me curiously, “So, where do we begin?”
I placed a hoof under my chin, “I’ve got a few ideas…”
“Ink Rose really knows her stuff, doesn’t she?” Teardrop said as she placed a few items in my saddle bag.
I nodded as I went through one last inventory check on my Pipbuck , “She’s very enthusiastic about her work. Though I am surprised,” I turned to the purple robot, “Surprised that you allowed me to sell the holotapes of Stable 66.”
“Well, I’ve heard them already.” She said quietly before turning to me, “Besides, the trade gave us the information that we needed to get started with the search.”
I nodded as I pulled up my Pipbuck and looked over the updated map section, “Indeed. The Razzi’s Rangers Mercenary group she hired did a really thorough job mapping out the various regions in the area. Makes up for the cost, especially since this intel is only a week old.”
I scrolled in and looked at a few marked locations, “So there is a water plant located here that should still have a working water talisman, but old cloudmagic has prevented any pony from being able to access it. We’ll have to wait until Gildann returns with the others.” I flicked through a few other mapped locations, “But there are several buildings in Manehattan that should have parts for the generator, along with replacement fusion cores.”
“But there was nothing wrong with the fusion core.” Teardrop said.
“True-ish.” I nodded, “The fusion core was doing fine, but with it trying to work with a malfunctioning generator, having a spare or two wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
She thought for a moment before nodding her eye stalks, “Very true. So do you have an idea of where we should go?”
“Yep.” I pointed at the destination, “And this seems to be a good place to investigate.”
Teardrop hovered closer to take a look. The destination I chose was the Ministry of Morale.
Hoofnote
New Quest: Solve River Point Junctions Water Problem
*Bonus Objective - Find new parts for River Points Junction
New Quest - Find out why your allies gave away Watchers Disk
*Optional - Shoot the idiots.