If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
Because even when something ended, there was always something else waiting to begin.
Morning came slowly over Sanctuary.
Not the quiet, uncertain kind of morning that followed danger.
Not the tense stillness that settled after gunfire.
This one felt different.
The kind of morning that arrived after something had finally been resolved.
The sky stretched wide and pale over the Commonwealth, soft gold breaking through the distant clouds as the sun climbed above the ruined horizon. The wind carried that familiar dry scent of dust and old earth, brushing gently through the wooden structures of Sanctuary and rattling the loose metal sheets that patched together some of the older buildings.
People were already moving.
Sanctuary never truly slept.
Even when the lights dimmed and most of the settlement rested, someone was always awake. A guard at the watchtower. A mechanic finishing repairs by lantern light. A trader organizing inventory before sunrise.
But this morning had a subtle shift in it.
A quiet sense of relief.
Word had spread through the settlement overnight about the convoy.
About Preston's return.
About the network finally being broken.
People didn't celebrate loudly. That wasn't the Commonwealth way. Too many losses, too many scars for easy celebration.
But there were nods.
Small conversations.
The quiet knowledge that something dangerous had been removed from the world.
And that mattered.
Inside the Freemason Headquarters, the halls were already active.
Messengers moved between offices with stacks of papers. Radios crackled with short bursts of communication. The smell of coffee drifted through the corridors, strong and bitter, keeping tired minds sharp.
And behind one of the office doors, Sico was already awake.
He sat at his desk, the early sunlight slipping through the window behind him and stretching across the papers spread in front of him.
Reports.
Inventories.
Operation summaries.
Magnolia's documentation from the convoy recovery was stacked neatly in one organized pile.
Every cache.
Every recovered cap.
Every item cataloged.
Magnolia hadn't missed a single detail.
She never did.
Sico leaned back slightly in his chair, flipping through the last page of the inventory report.
Thousands of caps.
Resources that had been siphoned away slowly by Carver's operation.
Taken piece by piece from settlements that already struggled to survive.
Now returned.
Or at least secured.
Waiting to be redistributed.
He tapped the pen lightly against the paper as he read through Magnolia's final notation.
"All assets accounted for. No discrepancies."
A small thing.
But in the Commonwealth, small things mattered.
Sico closed the folder.
For a moment, he simply sat there.
Thinking.
Not about Carver.
Not about the operation.
That part was done.
Instead, his thoughts had already moved forward.
Because in Sanctuary, victory wasn't a finish line.
It was a chance to build something stronger before the next problem appeared.
He stood slowly, stretching his shoulders before grabbing his coat from the back of the chair.
Today wasn't about command meetings.
Or field operations.
Today was about something else.
Something quieter.
But just as important.
The Science Building stood near the center of Sanctuary, not far from the workshops and power stations. It wasn't the largest structure in the settlement, but it was one of the busiest.
Inside, engineers, doctors, mechanics, and researchers worked on everything from water purification systems to experimental power cells.
And somewhere inside that building.
Mel was probably already working.
Sico stepped outside headquarters and began walking down the main path of Sanctuary.
The settlement was fully awake now.
Farmers were already tending the rows of mutfruit and corn near the riverbank. A caravan had arrived earlier that morning and traders were unloading supplies near the market square. Guards rotated shifts at the watch posts.
Several people nodded as Sico passed.
He acknowledged them with small gestures.
Not slowing.
Just continuing forward.
The Science Building came into view ahead of him.
A long reinforced structure made of salvaged concrete walls and steel supports. Solar panels covered most of the roof, feeding power into the settlement grid.
As he approached, he could already hear the sounds from inside.
Tools clanking.
Machines humming.
The steady rhythm of work.
He pushed open the door.
Immediately the atmosphere shifted.
The air smelled faintly of metal, oil, and old circuitry.
Workstations lined the interior of the building. Some were covered in electronic parts. Others had mechanical tools, welding equipment, or experimental devices in various stages of assembly.
Several researchers were already busy.
One team was examining a dismantled generator.
Another group was testing water filtration equipment near the back wall.
Sico walked through the room, weaving past work tables and equipment racks.
He knew where he was going.
Mel's lab sat in the far corner.
Separated slightly from the main floor by a half wall and a sliding metal door that was almost always left open.
As Sico stepped closer, he could already see Mel standing at his worktable.
The man looked exactly the same as he usually did.
Sleeves rolled up.
Hair slightly messy.
Completely absorbed in whatever he was working on.
Blueprint papers were spread across the table.
Several tools lay nearby, along with measuring instruments and old mechanical parts.
Mel didn't notice Sico at first.
He was too focused on the paper in front of him, pencil moving carefully as he added another line to the drawing.
Sico stopped a few steps away and leaned slightly against the edge of another table.
Watching.
Mel worked in silence for another few seconds before finally pausing.
He leaned back a little, studying the sketch with narrowed eyes.
Then he erased something.
Redrew it.
Only then did he glance up.
And finally notice Sico standing there.
"Oh," Mel said, blinking once.
"Sico."
Sico gave a faint nod.
"Morning."
Mel rubbed a bit of graphite off his fingers onto a rag beside the table.
"Didn't hear you come in."
"Most people don't," Sico replied.
His gaze dropped to the paper spread across Mel's worktable.
The blueprint.
It wasn't machinery.
Not a generator.
Not a weapon system.
It was something else.
The outline was unmistakable.
A vessel.
Long.
Narrow.
With detailed internal sections drawn carefully along the sides.
Sico stepped closer, resting his hand lightly against the edge of the table as he studied the design.
"A boat?"
Mel followed his gaze and nodded casually.
"Yeah."
Sico raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What are you drawing a boat for?"
Mel leaned forward again, tapping the pencil lightly against one section of the blueprint.
"Future operations."
Sico tilted his head slightly.
"Future operations?"
Mel shrugged.
"You never know."
He adjusted the paper, sliding another blueprint sheet partially underneath it.
"I was digging through some old archives we recovered last month," he explained. "Found a storage unit from what used to be a Coast Guard office."
Sico's interest sharpened slightly.
"Coast Guard?"
Mel nodded.
"Yeah. Most of the files were useless. Flood damage, corrupted drives, incomplete manuals." He pointed to the blueprint. "But this survived."
Sico looked down again.
The lines were precise.
Detailed.
Every section of the hull mapped carefully.
"What kind of boat is it?" Sico asked.
Mel smiled faintly.
"Defender class."
Sico folded his arms, studying the design more closely.
Mel continued.
"Used by the Coast Guard before the war. Fast patrol boats. Durable hulls. Built to operate in rough water and coastal environments."
He tapped the blueprint again.
"This one was designed for rapid response. Interceptions. Patrol operations."
Sico remained quiet, still studying the layout.
The Commonwealth had rivers.
Plenty of them.
But boats…
Boats weren't common.
Not reliable ones.
Most people relied on makeshift rafts or small fishing vessels salvaged from old docks.
Nothing like this.
"You're thinking of building one?" Sico asked.
Mel shrugged again, but there was a spark of excitement behind his eyes now.
"Maybe."
He gestured toward the blueprint.
"If we ever need to move people along the river… or run supply routes… or even hit something across the water…"
His voice trailed slightly.
Then he smiled again.
"It's good to have options."
Sico nodded slowly.
Because Mel wasn't wrong.
Options mattered.
Especially in a world like this.
He looked down at the blueprint again.
The Defender class patrol boat had a clean design.
Long reinforced hull.
Twin engine mounts.
A compact command deck near the center.
Mel had even started marking possible modifications in the margins.
Stronger plating.
Fuel alternatives.
Reinforced propeller systems.
"You're serious about this," Sico said quietly.
Mel chuckled softly.
"I don't draw blueprints for fun."
Sico smirked slightly at that.
Fair enough.
Mel leaned back again, crossing his arms as he studied the drawing.
"You know how many rivers we've got around here?" he said. "The Charles. The Mystic. Half the Commonwealth's connected by water routes."
Sico nodded once.
Mel continued.
"And nobody's really using them."
That was true.
Most groups focused on roads.
Or ruins.
The waterways had been mostly ignored.
Too unpredictable.
Too many collapsed bridges.
Too many unknown currents and debris.
But if someone actually had a reliable vessel…
It could change things.
Trade routes.
Transport.
Even military movement.
Mel tapped the blueprint again.
"This thing was built to patrol coasts and rivers. Fast. Stable. Tough as hell."
Sico remained thoughtful.
Because suddenly the idea didn't seem so abstract anymore.
It seemed… practical.
"How big?" Sico asked.
Mel pointed at one of the measurement notes.
"About twenty-five feet long."
Then he pointed at another section.
"Crew of four to six comfortably."
He flipped another page, revealing an internal cross-section.
"Twin engines here. Reinforced hull plating. Mount points up front if we ever want defensive hardware."
Sico studied the details carefully.
Mel had already begun adapting the design.
Swapping materials for things they could realistically salvage or manufacture.
Steel plating.
Improvised engine systems.
Fuel modifications.
"You've been working on this a while," Sico said.
Mel nodded.
"Couple nights."
He grinned faintly.
"Needed something different to work on after the generator upgrades."
Sico nodded again.
Then he looked back at Mel.
"And if we built it?"
Mel shrugged.
"Then we'd have the first real patrol boat in the Commonwealth."
A pause.
Then he added with a grin:
"And I get to see if this thing actually floats."
Sico laughed quietly.
It wasn't a loud laugh.
Just the kind that slipped out naturally.
He looked down at the blueprint one last time.
Then back at Mel.
"Keep working on it," he said.
Mel raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah?"
Sico nodded.
"Finish the design."
Another pause.
Then he added:
"Because you might actually get the chance to build it."
Mel blinked.
Just once.
Then a slow smile spread across his face.
"Now that," he said quietly, tapping the blueprint again.
"Is motivation."
Mel kept looking down at the blueprint for a moment after Sico spoke.
The paper itself was already crowded with measurements, structural lines, and notes scribbled into the margins in Mel's quick, slightly uneven handwriting. But despite all of that detail, the drawing still had that unfinished feeling engineers always recognized.
The feeling of something halfway between idea and reality.
Mel tapped the end of his pencil against the edge of the table thoughtfully.
"Finish the design," Sico had said.
That meant something.
It wasn't just permission to tinker.
It was approval.
And in Sanctuary, approval from Sico usually meant the idea had already started becoming part of a larger plan.
Mel glanced up again.
"You're serious," he said.
Sico gave a small shrug.
"I don't tell people to waste time."
Mel chuckled softly at that, then leaned back over the table and studied the blueprint again, his mind already racing ahead.
But before he could fully disappear back into his work, Sico added something.
Almost casually.
"Just don't forget something important."
Mel glanced up.
"What's that?"
Sico nodded toward the front section of the boat blueprint.
"If you're building a patrol vessel…"
He paused for a moment.
Then finished the thought.
"Add a machine gun."
Mel blinked once.
Then a grin spread slowly across his face.
"Or something for self-defense."
Sico's tone was calm, but there was no humor in the logic behind it.
This wasn't the old world.
A patrol boat here wasn't just transportation.
It would be a target.
Raiders.
Mutants near riverbanks.
Even hostile groups who might try to intercept supply routes.
Mel leaned forward again, scanning the front of the hull section on the blueprint.
"Of course," he said.
His pencil began moving again.
Quick strokes.
He sketched a reinforced mount point near the bow of the vessel.
"Something like this," Mel said while he worked.
"A stabilized mount right here. Enough room for a heavy machine gun or maybe a modified minigun if we ever get the parts."
He paused, then added a few more lines around the mounting structure.
"Elevated slightly so the operator has a clear line of sight over the bow."
Sico watched silently.
Mel kept going.
"Could also add secondary mounts along the sides," he muttered.
"Nothing heavy. Just something defensive."
He scribbled more notes into the margins.
"Ammunition storage here… recoil brace… maybe a protective shield plate…"
He leaned back again, studying the addition.
"Yeah," Mel said quietly.
"That works."
Sico gave a small nod.
"Good."
Mel looked up again.
"You planning to start a navy now?"
Sico smirked faintly.
"One boat isn't a navy."
Mel grinned.
"Yet."
The two men shared a brief moment of quiet amusement before Mel returned to the blueprint again.
Sico watched him work for another minute.
Then pushed himself away from the table.
"Well," he said, adjusting his coat slightly. "I'll let you get back to it."
Mel didn't look up this time.
His pencil was already moving again.
"Don't worry," he said absentmindedly.
"I will."
Sico walked away from the lab, leaving Mel fully absorbed in the design.
Behind him, the sounds of the science building continued.
Machines humming.
Tools clicking.
Researchers discussing theories and testing equipment.
But Mel's corner of the room grew quieter again as he leaned deeper into the blueprint.
Now the design had purpose.
Not just curiosity.
A real possibility.
And Mel loved that feeling.
Because every line he added was a step closer to something real.
That night, Mel barely slept.
Not because he had to.
Because he didn't want to.
The blueprint spread across his worktable had grown into something far more detailed than the original Coast Guard document he had found.
The original Defender-class design was still there.
But Mel had changed it.
Adapted it.
Commonwealth-style engineering.
The hull plating had been modified to use salvaged steel sheets reinforced with welded support ribs.
The engine compartment had been redesigned to allow multiple power options.
Gasoline engines.
Diesel engines.
Even the possibility of hybrid generators.
The weapon mount at the bow had been reinforced.
The internal layout adjusted.
Crew positions defined.
Storage compartments expanded.
Mel leaned back in his chair sometime just before sunrise, rubbing his eyes as he stared at the finished design.
"Alright," he muttered.
"That might actually work."
For the first time since he had started, the blueprint looked complete.
Or at least complete enough.
And that meant there was only one thing left to do.
Show it to Sico.
The next day passed quickly across Sanctuary.
Morning faded into midday.
Midday slowly stretched toward afternoon.
By the time the sun began drifting lower across the Commonwealth sky, casting long golden beams across the settlement streets, the Freemason Headquarters was busy again.
Inside Sico's office, the familiar rhythm of paperwork had returned.
Stacks of reports sat neatly organized across his desk.
Trade agreements.
Settlement supply lists.
Security briefings.
Resource allocation requests.
Running something like Sanctuary meant constant decisions.
Constant adjustments.
Constant planning.
Sico sat quietly at his desk, pen moving steadily across a document as he reviewed Magnolia's latest taxation distribution report.
Every cap collected from caravans.
Every supply transaction.
Every redistribution order.
Magnolia's work was always precise.
And it made his job easier.
He had just finished signing the bottom of the final page when there was a knock on the office door.
Three quick taps.
Sico didn't look up immediately.
"Come in."
The door opened.
And Mel stepped inside.
He looked a little different than he had the day before.
Not dramatically.
But there were small signs.
His hair was messier.
There were faint smudges of graphite along one side of his sleeve.
And in his hands he carried a large rolled bundle of blueprint paper.
Sico leaned back slightly in his chair as he looked up.
"Well," he said.
"That was fast."
Mel closed the door behind him.
"Didn't sleep much."
He stepped closer to the desk and set the rolled blueprint down carefully.
"But I finished it."
Sico raised an eyebrow.
"Finished?"
Mel nodded.
"Or close enough to finished that it can actually be built."
Sico gestured toward the desk.
"Let's see it."
Mel didn't need to be asked twice.
He unrolled the blueprint across the desk carefully, spreading the corners flat so the paper wouldn't curl back up.
The design was far more detailed than the one Sico had seen the day before.
Multiple pages.
Layered diagrams.
Structural views.
Internal compartments.
Reinforcement layouts.
Weapon mounts.
Engine systems.
Sico leaned forward slightly, studying it.
Mel watched him carefully.
Waiting.
Not nervous exactly.
But invested.
Sico's eyes moved across the paper slowly.
Taking in every change.
Every addition.
Every modification.
"You worked all night," he said after a moment.
Mel shrugged.
"More or less."
Sico pointed at the bow section.
"You added the gun mount."
Mel grinned.
"Of course."
He tapped the reinforced section on the blueprint.
"Heavy mount point here. Designed for minigun caliber machine gun or something equivalent."
He moved his finger along the diagram.
"Operator position here. Ammo storage below deck."
Then he pointed toward the sides.
"Secondary mounts along both sides if we ever want extra defense."
Sico nodded slightly.
Then continued scanning the blueprint.
"Engine system?"
Mel leaned over the desk, pointing to the rear section.
"Flexible configuration."
He flipped to another page showing the mechanical layout.
"Primary design uses twin salvaged marine engines if we can find them."
He tapped another set of notes.
"But I also included alternative setups in case we have to improvise."
Sico looked up briefly.
"Like what?"
Mel smiled.
"Truck engines."
Sico blinked once.
Mel shrugged.
"Hey, power is power."
He pointed to the mounting brackets.
"Modified transmission coupling. Reinforced propeller shaft."
Then he added casually.
"It won't be elegant."
A pause.
"But it'll move."
Sico chuckled quietly.
"That's what matters."
Mel nodded.
Then he pointed to the hull structure.
"Reinforced plating along the bottom. Extra rib supports."
His finger moved across the blueprint again.
"This thing's built to take hits."
Sico raised an eyebrow.
"From what?"
Mel smiled faintly.
"In the Commonwealth?"
He shrugged.
"Anything."
The room fell quiet for a moment as Sico continued studying the design.
It was impressive.
Not just creative.
Practical.
Mel had turned an old-world patrol boat into something that could actually exist in their reality.
Finally, Sico leaned back in his chair.
"Well," he said slowly.
"That's a boat."
Mel folded his arms.
"So?"
Sico looked back down at the blueprint.
Then back up at Mel.
"Now we see if we can build it."
Mel's grin returned instantly.
Because that was the answer he had been hoping for.
"Good," he said.
Then he tapped the blueprint again.
"Because I already started making a materials list."
Mel's grin still hung in the air for a second after he mentioned the materials list.
The blueprint spread across Sico's desk looked less like a drawing now and more like the beginning of a project that might actually change something in the Commonwealth. Every section had been thought through. Every piece of the design carried the mark of someone who had spent the night turning an idea into something that could exist in the real world.
Sico leaned forward again slightly, resting his forearms on the desk as he studied the papers a little longer.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
The quiet wasn't uncomfortable.
It was the kind that came when both people were thinking ahead.
Mel was already imagining the machine itself.
The hull plates being welded.
The engine roaring for the first time.
The first launch into the water.
Sico, meanwhile, was thinking about something else.
Logistics.
Because in the Commonwealth, building something wasn't about ideas.
It was about where and how.
Finally, Sico tapped one finger lightly against the blueprint.
"Before we get into the materials," he said calmly, "there's something we need to talk about first."
Mel looked up.
"What's that?"
Sico leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Where we build it."
Mel blinked once.
That part… he actually hadn't fully thought through yet.
His mind had been buried in engineering details all night.
Hull strength.
Power systems.
Mounting brackets.
Not geography.
"Sanctuary?" Mel said after a moment, glancing toward the window instinctively as if the river outside might answer the question.
Sico shook his head slowly.
"No."
Mel frowned slightly.
"No?"
Sico gestured vaguely toward the direction of the river that curved through Sanctuary.
"The river here's too shallow."
Mel thought about it.
And almost immediately realized Sico was right.
The water near Sanctuary wasn't built for something like this.
Small boats could float there.
Fishing skiffs.
Improvised rafts.
But something like a Defender-class patrol boat?
Twenty-five feet of reinforced steel hull and engines?
It would scrape bottom before it even cleared the bend downstream.
Mel scratched the side of his head slowly.
"Yeah…"
He exhaled a short breath.
"You're right."
He leaned over the blueprint again, almost reflexively looking at the hull measurements.
"Draft's too deep."
Sico nodded.
"That's what I was thinking."
The room went quiet again for a moment.
Mel's excitement hadn't faded, but now a new problem sat right in front of them.
Because if Sanctuary couldn't support it…
Then they needed somewhere else.
Sico spoke again after a few seconds.
"I think we should build it near the Castle."
Mel looked up immediately.
"The Castle?"
Sico nodded.
"Near the sea."
That changed things.
A lot.
Mel straightened slightly, thinking through it.
The Castle sat closer to open water.
The coastline near it connected to deeper channels that once carried ships in and out of Boston Harbor.
Even after the war, much of that water was still deep enough for larger vessels.
Not huge ships anymore.
But something the size of a patrol boat?
Absolutely.
Mel's mind started running through the possibilities.
Better water depth.
Access to the harbor.
Longer navigable routes.
Even potential expansion if the design worked.
He slowly nodded.
"That… actually makes sense."
Sico watched him carefully.
Mel pointed to the blueprint again.
"If we build near the Castle, we could launch straight into deep water."
He traced an imaginary path along the edge of the paper.
"From there we could reach half the coastline."
Then he added quietly.
"And the river mouths."
Sico gave a faint nod.
"Exactly."
Mel leaned back in his chair.
Now the idea wasn't just about a prototype anymore.
It was starting to look like a strategic project.
The Commonwealth's first real patrol vessel operating from the coast.
Trade protection.
Recon missions.
Water transport.
Even defense.
Mel let out a slow breath.
"Alright."
Then he looked back at Sico.
"But that means something else."
Sico tilted his head slightly.
"What?"
Mel pointed at the blueprint again.
"If we build it there…"
He paused.
"…I'll have to go there."
Sico nodded without hesitation.
"Yes."
Mel continued.
"With a team."
Another nod.
"And we'd have to start by building a prototype first."
Sico didn't interrupt.
Mel leaned forward again, tapping the hull diagram.
"Before we build a full vessel, we need to test the design."
He pointed to the propulsion system.
"See if the engines actually work with the coupling system."
Then the hull plating.
"Check if the reinforced ribs can handle stress."
Then the weight distribution notes.
"And most importantly…"
He tapped the bottom of the blueprint.
"See if the thing actually floats."
Sico smiled faintly.
"That would be important."
Mel chuckled.
"Very."
He leaned back again.
"So yeah… if we're doing this, I'll need to head to the Castle with some of my team."
He gestured toward the blueprint.
"We'll build a prototype frame first."
Sico nodded slowly.
"And gather materials while you're there."
Mel gave a small shrug.
"Exactly."
Because building something like this wasn't just about drawing plans.
They would need steel plates.
Engine components.
Fuel lines.
Bearings.
Marine propellers.
Mounting brackets.
And about a hundred other things that didn't exist in neat supply catalogs anymore.
They had to be scavenged.
Recovered.
Repurposed.
Sico folded his hands together thoughtfully on the desk.
"Yes," he said after a moment.
"You should go there."
Mel nodded once.
The decision felt solid.
But Sico hadn't finished yet.
"I'll have Preston prepare a convoy."
Mel looked up.
"A convoy?"
Sico nodded.
"You're not walking to the Castle with a blueprint and a toolbox."
Fair point.
The roads between Sanctuary and the Castle weren't exactly safe.
Raiders still moved through parts of the Commonwealth.
Super mutants occasionally wandered closer to settlements.
And transporting equipment made people targets.
"Preston will organize an escort," Sico continued.
"Armed vehicles. Security."
Mel exhaled slowly.
"Good."
Then he added with a small grin.
"Would hate to lose my masterpiece to a bunch of raiders."
Sico allowed a faint smile.
But then his tone shifted slightly back toward planning.
"As for materials…"
He tapped the desk once.
"I'll talk to Magnolia."
Mel nodded.
That made sense immediately.
Magnolia controlled the Freemason trade system.
If anyone could secure parts through caravans and traders, it was her.
"She can buy whatever we can't salvage," Sico continued.
"Engines, mechanical parts, tools."
Mel added quietly, "Steel plates if anyone has them."
Sico nodded.
"I'll include that."
But that still wouldn't cover everything.
And both men knew it.
Sico continued.
"I'll also speak to Hancock."
Mel raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Hancock?"
Sico leaned back again.
"His scavenger teams know the ruins better than anyone."
That was true.
Hancock's people moved through the old cities and industrial zones constantly.
Salvaging scrap.
Recovering machinery.
Digging useful things out of places most people avoided.
"If something exists in the Commonwealth," Sico said, "his teams can probably find it."
Mel smiled faintly.
"That would help."
Because somewhere out there.
Old shipyards still existed.
Marine equipment warehouses.
Dockyards.
Industrial yards.
Places where parts of a boat might still be buried under rust and rubble.
Mel leaned over the blueprint again, looking at it differently now.
Not just as a design.
But as something that was about to start existing.
"Alright," he said quietly.
"So step one…"
He tapped the blueprint.
"Convoy to the Castle."
Sico nodded.
"Preston will handle it."
Mel continued.
"Step two, my team builds the prototype frame."
"Correct."
"Step three, we test it."
Sico raised an eyebrow slightly.
"In the water."
Mel grinned.
"Preferably."
They both chuckled softly.
Then Mel rolled the blueprint slightly inward, not fully packing it up but gathering the pages together.
"You know," he said after a moment.
"What?"
Mel glanced at Sico.
"If this actually works…"
He paused.
"…it could change a lot."
Sico nodded.
He already knew that.
Water travel had been mostly ignored across the Commonwealth.
Whoever controlled the rivers and coastline…
Controlled movement.
Trade.
And sometimes war.
"That's why we're doing it," Sico said simply.
Mel nodded once.
Then he began carefully rolling the blueprint back into its bundle.
"I'll start assembling my team tonight."
Sico stood from his chair.
"I'll talk to Preston."
Mel tied the blueprint with a thin cord and tucked it under his arm.
"And Magnolia."
Sico nodded.
"And Hancock."
Mel smirked faintly.
"Sounds like we're starting something."
Sico looked toward the office window where the golden light of afternoon had begun stretching across Sanctuary.
People moving through the streets.
Farmers working the fields.
Guards walking the walls.
A settlement that had survived.
And now…
Was building something new.
"Yeah," he said quietly.
"We are."
Mel turned toward the door.
"Then I'll get to work."
Sico nodded once.
"Good."
Mel opened the door and stepped back into the hallway of Freemason Headquarters.
The noise of the building immediately returned.
Voices.
Footsteps.
Radios crackling.
The constant rhythm of a place that never stopped moving forward. Behind him, inside the office, Sico sat back down at his desk.
______________________________________________
• Name: Sico
• Stats :
S: 8,44
P: 7,44
E: 8,44
C: 8,44
I: 9,44
A: 7,45
L: 7
• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills
• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.
• Active Quest:-