The food served in the feast was refreshing and served to calm me after Tandi’s confession. The story she told felt real. Her fears, her sorrow and her regret- all felt genuine.
It helps now I have a reason why Ben cannot be contacted. Though, I have my doubts. That many people having to disappear to work on weapons deemed illegal by the Brotherhood seems difficult to cover up. One day they will know, and their wrath will be mighty.
As difficult as it is to comprehend the Brotherhood turning their backs on us and limiting our scientific growth, since they were always the heroes helping the people of the Wasteland. Protecting us from the mutants of Unity and the zealots from the Cathedral. To have my entire worldview collapse into nothing and now I had to think of them as an enemy felt surreal. Especially an enemy so greedy they’re willing to backstab their life-long allies. It was infuriating and saddening to learn of their betrayal.
“My boy, why aren’t you eating more of your brahmin stew? You need to eat to grow.”
I must’ve zoned out, “It’s delicious, Mamma. Don’t worry.” I said as I spooned and savoured the stew.
The people in the feast were me and my family, Edward, Tandi and a few Ministers from her Cabinet.
A man with intense grey eyes glared at me as I did my best to not look uncomfortable. Eventually, he asked me, “How’d you do it, boy? How did you come up with a way to turn nitrogen into ammonia?”
I grinned and explained the intricate process of the Frederik Process, making sure not to reveal critical information like the iron catalyst being used to accelerate the reaction.
“Pardon me. My name is Peter von Dietel and I’m the Director of the OSI. It’s interesting. I didn’t even think about reacting nitrogen with hydrogen directly, thinking the pressure required to accomplish such a thing would be impossibly high. And, distilling diatomic nitrogen from the atmosphere is very energy-consuming. And reacting those two would take a long time. You must use a catalyst.”
Mamma looked at me with greater scrutiny. Hours and hours spent on lessons about answering without really answering were about to pay off. I schooled a blank expression, my face still as a statue, “The people of the Boneyard University were of great help.” I chose to misdirect him and knowing that he may press me further, I asked a question of my own, “So, Mr Dietel, you seem to be very knowledgeable of the Frederik Process, yet the OSI hasn’t funded any research on this. Why?”
“I was developing a better system to make ammonia without requiring tonnes of steel to withstand the pressure. Several pre-war books were salvaged from a few vaults and one of them was the Miller-Urey Experiment. This experiment showed the possibility of making ammonia from the air using electric discharge. Of course, the ammonia will need to be extracted out and further purified.”
Are you kidding me? That is so wrong. Those books must’ve been unreadable to the point of causing this misunderstanding. “The Miller-Urey Experiment is not about creating ammonia. Instead, it’s a study to prove the origin of life by creating the earth’s early atmosphere with lightning, and thereby creating a primordial soup full of organic molecules that formed the foundation of life.”
Peter’s eyes grew, his ever-present scowl disappearing entirely. “How’d you know about that?”
“The books in the library back in the Boneyard.” I was actually telling the truth since a book does exist, but I first learnt of it from my dreams. “I must admit those organic molecules may help replenish soil fertility, but it’ll be inefficient. Plants need nitrates for protein synthesis, not extra carbohydrates.”
“How about you join the OSI?”
“I’m afraid, I cannot. I don’t have a GCE.”
“I can make an exception. Most of my scientists don’t have the Certificate of Education because it was implemented quite recently to standardise education.”
That was tempting. I could do a lot for the NCR as a researcher for their scientific arm. If I played my cards correctly, I could even gain influence and maybe become the Director in the future. However, I needed to know more since I couldn’t just abandon Frederik Chemicals. Mamma may be an able businesswoman and Pappa an excellent marketing executive, but I have so many plans for this company. “Does the OSI cooperate with the private sector?” I queried. I hid as much anxiety as possible since I was treading in unknown waters. My dreams didn’t have much in economic and business development. I had to rely on Mamma’s tutelage for that.
“Would you consider the Followers as a private company?”
From my impressions talking to Adam Farkas, the Followers and the OSI aren’t on good terms. But the Followers were obligated to cooperate with the NCR when the Boneyard joined the Republic. That cooperation is not clear given Adam’s refusal to be part of the OSI. With the recent arrest attempts on their people, I’m sure communication is heavily damaged between the two. I think I can exploit that fact. “Yes, they are a private organisation,” I said not yet revealing my plan.
“Then yes, we do. Despite the recent conflicts between us, knowledge and expertise are regularly shared between our two organisations. The OSI also have jurisdiction in the powerplants but they're nationalised.”
That may be a problem, I needed to know if the OSI has any experience in dealing with companies so I can judge whether they can be a good working partner for Frederik Chemicals. This should be Mamma doing this! I gave her a look for help but all I got was a nod of encouragement. “Does the OSI have any past relationships working with other companies other than the Followers?
“Other than supplying electricity to factories, then no. You must understand research and development are extremely expensive and not many businesses are willing to invest in such things. The scavenging industry is still booming where abandoned vaults and pre-war facilities are ransacked for any blueprints. Any need for R&D is unfortunately not considered.”
“Well, Frederik Chemicals is willing to work with the OSI.” I may as well give him a carrot.
Tandi gave the Director a severe gaze and interrupted, “That’s very generous of you, Leon. The OSI is still new, and it needs time to develop but with your help, it can generate useful research to progress the Republic.” I was sensing a ‘but’ coming with her tone. “But you must understand, the OSI can’t just rely on one company. We need as many companies as possible to invest in this.”
“I understand that. I was thinking more about merging our research and development together. More minds working in research and generating patents, the better.” They better accept. With the Followers and OSI working for me, I’ll be able to turn my dreams into reality.
I sensed Peter was about to say something, but Tandi cut in, “How are we going to split the royalty fee?”
“Based on the number of resources invested into it. Let’s say I have two employees from my company working on a project that leads to a patent, and the OSI matches this with two researchers, then it’ll be split fifty-fifty. Of course, we’ll have to include what equipment, reagents and other resources were involved during the project. Mamma will help me finalise the deal if you’re interested Madame President.”
“I’m sure the OSI will be interested in working with you.” I was glad to see the Director nod furiously at that; his crease in his forehead slackening ever so slightly. “As I said before, the OSI is new. Only reading a few scavenged blueprints and overseeing power plants. But it needs to grow. It needs to grow and develop the country's industry. And I think you hold the key to that. What do you say? Would you help the OSI develop the NCR even further?”
What more can I do? With the deal I set up earlier, I would be acting as a middleman between the Followers and the OSI. Given that most of my R&D department are Followers. Hopefully, I'll be able to bridge the gap growing between the Followers and the NCR.
“You can give permission to the OSI to distribute your patent for the Frederik Process.”
Mamma coughed as her eyes enlarged and her breathing became louder.
“Please hear me out,” Tandi pleaded. “You’ll still own the patent, along with the royalty fee. Peter, here, will consult you whenever the patent is given out.”
My heart was about to burst from my chest, yet I forced myself to calm down. I saw an amazing opportunity so prodded her for an answer, “Only the Frederik Process?”
“Of course.” Bingo! The Frederik Process only involves creating ammonia. The NPK nitrates used as fertilisers aren’t part of it! This was huge! I can pawn off the most expensive process to other companies then I’ll buy their ammonia, then the Old Hag and her technicians can create it into nitrate fertilisers! I’ll make sure to give it to as many companies as possible to increase competition and drive the price of ammonia down! And profit from the royalty fee too!
“Mr Leon Frederik?”
Damn it! I zoned out again! In front of the President too! How embarrassing. “I accept.”
“Leon, my boy. Let’s think this through, please?”
“Please, Mrs Frederik. The Frederik Process belongs to your son. It’s not your decision to make,” Tandi said whilst giving me a bright smile. “Thank you for accepting. With this selfless decision, may ‘millions of flowers bloom’ as you say.”
“Excellent choice. Let us toast to a productive relationship!” Peter exclaimed and raised a glass prompting everyone to do the same.”
“Hear! Hear!” Pappa yelled along with a chorus of merry cabinet ministers.
“Hear, hear,” Mamma murmured with her eyes drooped down.
“Can I add something?” A man with facial features similar to Frank's asked. “My name is Wendell, the defence minister. You’re a smart kid, surely, you’re not naive to think that your invention will only be used for fertilisers?”
Ah. I knew the cat was going to be out of the bag, but I didn’t realise it would be this soon. “You're right sir. I’m aware this process could make more gunpowder and explosives.”
Edward briefly stopped eating as he parted his blond bangs and stared at me.
“I’ve already instructed a few of my researchers to synthesise ammonia to explosives.” It wasn’t that difficult to make. I reckon it’ll just be ammonia nitrates with a few stabilisers. Perhaps with experimentation, we can increase the yield by putting in nitroglycerin.
Peter looked like he was about to fly off, “Wait! I’ll have my researchers contribute to that.” He sat back down, “After all the paperwork is all signed off.”
“I’m afraid they’re on the verge of a breakthrough. The patent is on its final draft, ready to be sent to the Trademark Office.” It’s good that was one of the few things I’ve started to do as soon as possible. Waiting four-hundred days for a triplicate harvest; I had to scale back the production of fertiliser since many people were still sceptical and not buying before the study was finalised. So, I diverted resources to this and it’s paying off! I suspected many of my researchers were actually former Enclave agents since they had zero qualms about making explosives.
“I don’t suppose the Ministry of Defence can have a deal similar to the one Peter got?”
Mamma glared at me. I felt cold sweat dripping down my back. I had to be careful what to say next. “The patents for the explosives will remain exclusively with Frederik Chemicals.”
“That’s a shame.” He then shrugged at Tandi who looked like she had a sharp gleam in hereyes.
“Wendell... Who makes our bullets? Artillery shells? Grenades?”
“The Gun Runners, Ma’am.” Her eyes grew sharper, more vicious as if they could cut a cazador in half.
Tandi addressed Peter, “Perhaps we can make the first project between OSI and Frederik Chemicals about making functioning bullets, artillery shells and grenades using Leon’s gunpowder. And see the compatibility of Leon’s explosives with our other weaponry.”
“Understood, Ma’am.”
“As you wish, Madam President,” I said with visible glee. More money for me and from the looks of it, the Government is trying to wean off their dependency on the Gun Runners. I’m sure Julie will appreciate this. The Spitfire always hated them, despite the reason being irrational and childish.
There was a lull across the table, with sporadic back-and-forth conversation between Pappa, Edward and the ministers. This changed when the President addressed Edward directly, “I heard you’re planning to have an expedition to Arizona. Towards the Grand Canyon. May I ask why?”
I saw Edward take a loud gulp, “Ma-Madame President, I wish to discover more of the world. To learn of the people that live there. And as Leon says, ‘bringing the torch of civilisation to them’.”
Tandi chuckled then gave me a kind smile, “For a young lad, you seem to have a lot of memorable phrases.” As if a switch was turned on, Tandi's posture suddenly straightened – she somehow looked bigger than a deathclaw, as she turned her attention to Edward. “What an admirable goal. But why all the way to Arizona? I mean there are still a lot of places in the NCR that require help. Take the Baja for instance; La Yaqui is under siege by the Paz and Valle tribes. Perhaps you should start there. Who knows, maybe you Followers will succeed where we failed and manage to civilise them.”
I did warn Edward of this. The Bear cannot afford to have a rival to the east when a powerful enemy sits right in its doorstep. And those enemies have power armours and energy weapons. Looks like Tandi realised the potentially disastrous consequence if he managed to uplift the natives of Arizona.
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I could see Edward wiping the sweat forming on his forehead using a napkin. Edward jerked his head towards me and gave me a silent signal – to which I was entirely ignorant of the meaning, but for some reason, I nodded. “Leon here has promised to send prospectors to the Grand Canyon. The books we’ve read that the canyon is full of minerals like copper, silver and... Uranium.” I didn’t like being put under a spontaneous spotlight and gave him a side-eye then eagerly waited for the President to respond.
“Oh! If such things are found, who are you going to sell it to?”
He fidgeted some more as I spied him nervously wiping his hands with the tablecloth. “The NCR, of course.”
“Good lad,” Tandi harumphed then beckoned a lady with blue hair. “Mary is my treasury minister. Do we have a budget to send a few squadrons of troopers to the Grand Canyon?”
“I will need to consult with my aides and secretaries to work out the exact cost, but we’re financially in the green.”
“How about it, Mr Sallows. Will you have NCR troopers travelling alongside you, providing security and helping to build this outpost you seek to build?”
I wanted to say yes. But this is my friend’s project. His expedition. I didn’t want to undermine his leadership this early on.
“H-how did you know I wanted to build an outpost?” Edward then remembered basic etiquette, “Madame President, I didn’t mean to sound so confrontational.”
Tandi waved her hands away. “That’s quite alright but to answer your question - I got eyes everywhere, Mr Sallows. I also know your scepticism regarding our Republic.” I felt like someone punched my gut. This was a personal conversation between Edward and me. Was it Chancellor Adam Farkas who tipped off the President? He did boast of having good intelligence across the campus. I felt bad, even if I kept my mouth shut, my insistence on debating with Edward led to him possibly being accused of treason.
I was in my own world for a while, drowning in guilt and regret, and then Tandi turned to me, “You don’t need to be guilty, Leon. It wasn’t you who told me by accident, however, I won’t reveal my sources.” She cheekily held a finger to her lips. “And you, Mr Sallows, don’t need to be so worried. A free-thinking mind is essential to a working democracy. Criticisms are welcome in the NCR. So, what exactly is your grievance? It’ll be interesting to note an opinion from an intelligent young man, like you"
Edward then spoke of anthropology and explained how we're making a mistake in rebuilding the Wasteland. And how it could lead to the same conditions that caused the nuclear apocalypse back in 2077. I thought it was all nonsense. We can learn from history and prevent this from ever happening.
Tandi was patient and hummed as she listened to Edward ranting. She let Edward finish before replying, “Interesting take. I must admit, I’m guilty as charged. I want a return to pre-war. Where everything was aplenty. Where prosperity and technology reigned. Where children went to school instead of being drug mules working for raiders.
“My policies for nearly fifty years have reflected this and it will continue, hopefully even after I die. It is not ‘primitivism’ as you call it. The goal of a pre-war state is not a lost utopian cause. With the indomitable spirit of the New Californians,” She took a quick pause and stared at me. “It will be inevitable, and what a utopia it will be! It’s a shame I won’t be able to see it. As someone smarter than me said, ‘a society grows if the elderly planted trees whose shade they’ll never sit in’.”
“You’ve already planted a tree so wide; they’ll always overshadow your future successors.”
“Thank you for the flattery, Mr Sallows. But I disagree. I see two men, well; one boy, who are destined for many great things. I’m happy I was able to build an environment where people of such talents have been nurtured.”
Both of us swelled with pride.
“But I got a question for you, Mr Sallows, that I couldn't quite get off my chest. If I didn’t know about this expedition, how would you provide security?”
Edward stared at me, again, making me more guarded than usual. “Leon’s Father is good friends with Roger Westin. Leon promised to intercede on my behalf to his father, so this expedition could get guards from the Stockmen’s Association.”
“The Stockmen’s? Interesting, indeed, good choice too considering they’re very influential. Perhaps there’s an opportunity here, far more than providing security. Have you asked the barons – em, I mean the wealthy landowners to invest in your expedition? I expect them to risk investing for the chance of profiting on mining.”
Sensing an opening I answered her question, “We tried, Ma’am, but they were not convinced. They need more proof and I think the prospectors should provide this. But then distance will become a problem, but this should be remedied with engine-propelled caravans, ferrying supplies to the canyon and metal ores back. The explosives my company is developing will help in mining.”
“How about it? The NCR will invest in this expedition and outpost - speaking of it, where are you planning to build the outpost?”
Edward gulped looking like he wanted to refuse, but Tandi’s tone suggested it would be an unwise course of action. “I’m planning to build it in the ruins of Flagstaff. Rumours say that it is far less radiated than Phoenix. And closer to the Grand Canyon, too.”
“Smart lad. And well-connected to existing infrastructure. If my memory serves me well, it lies directly on Interstate 40, right?” She asked prompting Edward to give an affirming nod. “Of course, the highway will be a shadow of its pre-war state. Perhaps the NCR can help with repaving the road. How about it? After all, what use is an outpost manned by our boys and girls without a reliable way to transport their fruits of labour back.”
“The NCR seems to be promising a lot. I’m asking what it wants back?” Edward said maybe a little too heatedly.
“Finally, you’re showing some backbone. I’d rather work with this than someone who says ‘yes’ only to complain behind my back. NCR has a few outposts outside the country. For observatory purposes and to hunt down fleeing Enclave personnel. I’m looking forward to a base in Arizona, and you, young man, have provided me an excellent opportunity. The promises of mineral resources are an extra cherry on top.”
“Will Flagstaff be under my command or a Governor, assigned by yourself?”
“Civilian command will be democratically elected, and the military stationed near there - will be answerable to local civilian control. Unless ordered by me or future presidents.”
“So, you seek to displace me from my project? My expedition? I poured every ounce of effort to make this a reality.”
Tandi smiled then slightly tilted her head, “Why would you say that Mr Sallows? Do not underestimate yourself. I have full confidence you’ll win the hearts of future NCR citizens residing there. But to alleviate your concerns, you’ll initially be given a five-year mandate then an election will take place. If you’ve done a good job, you can easily win it.”
“Tha-that’s acceptable.”
I saw him cringing and clenching his fist under the table. Perhaps with time, I could persuade Edward of the good the NCR has done in the Wasteland.
“Excellent. I feel like we’ve made history, gentlemen. I expect great things from Flagstaff. I’m sure the Arizona will bloom with NCR assistance.”
Now that the major decisions have been agreed upon by Tandi and Edward, more minor details had to be ironed out by secretaries and lawyers. Something, I absolutely abhorred because of how boring it was.
Instead, I was excited by the progress and inroads Frederik Chemicals has achieved during this dinner. I rubbed my hands as I dreamt about displacing the Gun Runners as the supplier of ammunition and weaponry. My company is halfway there with gunpowder. Now the next step was for the OSI and my R&D to set up an industry and machinery to mass produce service rifles, grenades, rocket launchers, mortars and artillery.
This all needed to be done away from the eyes of the Gun Runners. They had too many scrap scavengers in the Boneyard and Dayglow. They had factories in Junktown, Necropolis and a few settlements bordering New Reno. That reminds me, I have to figure out the connection between the Gun Runners and the mob bosses of New Reno.
If I'm lucky to see any link of connection between the two, the NCR might destroy them. Maybe nationalising them, however, this will lower the confidence of investors – many of whom are private citizens, which can affect the ballot. I don’t see this problem if the President was alive, but their successors would have to jump through hoops and cliffs to claw those votes back.
And this leads to my next point, to prevent this, the Government will have to buy out the investors which will cost an ungodly amount, I’m sure. But if my prospectors struck gold in Arizona and the sales of fertilisers continue to grow, I may offer the government to buy them out instead. The future looks great, and I can’t wait for it.
I’ve already convinced the professors and Chancellor Farkas in the university to let me pause my studies for a few years, so they won’t have any problems with going to Arizona. Now comes the hard part. Persuading Mamma and Pappa to let me go on this expedition.
----------------------------------------
Interlude – Edward I
It felt like it was yesterday when Edward saw someone half his height come to him with an arrogant smirk and loudly declared to ‘wipe his boredom away’. At first, he was tempted to ruffle his tuff of black hair, similar to the way his mother would do to him. But the sharp way he looked at Edward gave him pause. In the end, he decided to humour the little boy.
It was a decision that he regretted and praised. Leon worked him to the bone and had high expectations. Edward had to plan out a reliable source of high-grade steel capable of withstanding pressures two hundred times more than the ground-level atmosphere.
Constantly, going back and forth between the Boneyard and Necropolis. Some steel manufactories were closer to home, like in Junkyard and the Hub, but the experts in metallurgy – like Professor Mertz said that steel in Necropolis were more reliable.
It helped that Necropolis was the home of many ghouls who were alive before the bombs fell. Many of whom were factory workers, engineers, technicians and many more. Combine this with Central Government assistance through tax cuts and stimulus packages, factories sprouted like weeds like never before.
Eventually, his contributions were recognised and even had the opportunity to meet President Tandi herself. Leon promised him money, power and fame and he has delivered. The ten-year-old, as much as it is hard to believe, delivered on his promise.
His dreams of adventure and escaping all this were becoming a reality. His dream of carving up a kingdom under his vision. His ideals of enlightenment, cooperation and collectivisation will be realised as many will flock to him.
Until President Tandi smashed it all up. By increasing the military presence of the NCR, by promising to pave interstate-40, and by promising to send NCR citizens. This will result in greater NCR scrutiny and if he doesn’t do a good job peddling to the uneducated citizenry, his role as a leader of the expedition will be stripped away from him.
He was under no illusion what would happen next. His kingdom will be annexed and swallowed whole by a hungry Bear. And what next? Will the two-head Bear continue to look west? Perhaps look to the north, where the Canadians lived, perhaps look to the south where the Mexicans lived. It was a repeat of what caused the nuclear apocalypse!
Was history bound to repeat itself? Will the destructive nature of man consume itself over and over again under a rain of radioactive missiles?
Edward scoffed as he internally blamed himself. Leon warned him of this. Warned him of the dangers of contesting the suffocating hegemony of the New California Republic. His intention wasn’t to create a rival but to create a kingdom that cast the pre-war away.
Now he was forced to live with the consequences. Sacrificing autonomy for faster development of Flagstaff using NCR resources, he felt ashamed that he was browbeaten into this situation. He was outmanoeuvred and completely trounced by President Tandi.
“What are you thinking about?” Leon asked.
“It’s all unfair. I wanted greater freedom to shape Arizona in my own image.”
“Well, you’ve certainly lost that freedom. Democracy is the consensus of many, not one man.”
Another queer thing he noticed about Leon, is his unusual and stalwart defence of democracy. He’s pretty sure this is an anomaly amongst the upper class of the Republic. People with vast tracts of land, wealth, and plenty will typically have complete disdain for people they consider below them.
However, after meeting Leon and his parents, Brian and Liane, his prejudice and bias were slowly thawing. It’s still very much the truth. Constant liaising with stakeholders – many of whom are Brahmin barons, regarding various research in the university, has only hardened and confirmed his prejudice. But there were always anomalies; the Frederik Family being one of them.
“You’re right. Because it’s a consensus it is typically slow, but any decisions will be the most accurate.”
Leon smiled, “It fills me with confidence of that you haven’t dismissed democracy. I must say, from listening to your rants, I’ve pegged you as an autocrat.”
Edward snorted and shook his head in an effort to stave the reddening of his cheeks. “Maybe I am. The thing is, I haven’t found a single government framework to base Flagstaff on. Except the NCR,” he bitterly said.
“I don’t think you have a choice in that. Tandi put her foot down quite forcefully during the dinner.”
Edward remembered that and felt rage. He tried his best to hide it but from the way the kid was shivering and flinched, he knew he failed. “I’m sorry Leon, I didn’t mean to scare you. I don’t blame you. But someone ratted us out.” His eyes sharpened as a barrage of names came into his head, fuelling his growing paranoia. The scrutiny that came with fame and the promise of power completely derailed him. He wasn’t prepared for it. However, it was a valuable lesson and he made sure this never happened again. “I was thinking of who in our circle was the informant for Tandi.”
Leon shrugged and murmured, “I got a suspicion it was Adam Farkas. The Chancellor boasted how he had eyes and ears everywhere in the campus.”
“No, it wasn’t him. You weren’t here when those military police tried barging into Franklin Canyon and tried to arrest our researchers and their families. Many Followers, including me, were tempted to secede from the Republic. With us gone, the Boneyard will follow.”
Leon’s eyes grew comically large prompting Edward to chuckle. “Don’t worry, cooler heads prevailed. But it didn’t stop people from grumbling and gambling on Tandi’s perceived bleeding heart. We were all confident our secession wouldn’t be met with gunfire.
“But from Tandi’s strong reaction to me helping the tribes in Arizona, I’m starting to think force will be used against us.” Edward gulped as he ruminated how terrifying this would be. The combined might of NCR troopers will flood the Boneyard.
“I won’t be surprised,” he said as he shook his head in dismay. “I can’t believe you and the Followers were this close to committing rebellion and insurrection.”
“We protect our own. You know the module leader for metallurgy, the one who advised me on what steel to buy? Professor Mertz was one of the people they wanted to arrest. When I asked him why he and a few academics were about to be arrested, all I got were vague answers. So, I was curious and investigated.
“It came as a shocking revelation that those people never had a past! Birth certificates were clearly forged because of how white and clean it was. The ink was newly printed, it was obvious how fake it was. Which comes to my next question, why has Tandi decided to arrest them?”
Leon glared and said, “They were former Enclave researchers. Tandi showed me a few experiments they’ve done with the goal of killing everyone. They saw us as lesser beings and wanted to get rid of us for their goal of rebuilding America with ‘pure’ humans. So, Tandi wanted to put them to justice.”
Now it all makes sense. They all joined the University back in 2242, the same year Camp Navarro was taken. “I hope they all get a fair trial. From my interaction with them, they didn’t strike me as particularly genocidal or bigoted. Anyways, I’ve heard arrests were made across the country, when will their trial be held?”
“That, I don’t know. But the courts will issue a press statement about the reason for the arrest. They had to wait for a while to stop the populace from panicking. Not many people are as smart as us and will be paranoid of hidden Enclave agents. Troopers and marshals will be mobilised across the country to calm the populace.”
Another thing Edward disagreed with democracy and universal suffrage. Too many people with keys to power will eventually spoil the broth. A vote must be a privilege and should only be given to people who are learned. Giving suffrage to ignorant idiots will only spell doom for the NCR. He didn’t bother airing this out to Leon, since he’ll disagree, and they’ll be in an intense debate for hours. Hours Leon and he didn’t have.
“Thanks for answering my question. How was your meeting with your R&D and the OSI?”
Leon bounced on his feet as he puffed his chest. He looked adorable and it is always a breath of fresh air for the precocious boy to display the normal behaviour of a ten-year-old. “Great progress has been made! We made mercury fulminate! A common primer for bullets! The pilot plant was successful and now there’s talks of scaling this up to factories, and how to divvy up the profits – Mamma will take of that.”
“How exactly does this differ from the way the Gun Runners make it?”
“No difference. Mercury mixed with nitric acid dissolved in ethanol. Quite elementary. But the difference is the strength and purity of nitric acid! I instructed them to make it straight from ammonia, through platinum and rhodium acting as catalytic oxidisers and, -”
“I’m going to have to stop you there before you go into a massive explanation.” Edward stared at Leon for what seemed like a long time. The lad definitely had a sort of prescience about him. His plans were well-layered and well thought out. One thing seamlessly led to the other as if it was planned from the beginning. “You’ll be making a massive enemy of the Gun Runners.”
He gave me his signature grin and from past experience, this was a prelude to another brilliance. “That’s how I was able to persuade Mamma and Pappa to let me leave the country. With me gone, they’ll have no one to blame and target. Perhaps the OSI and my researchers but they’re well protected by the NCR. Pappa also knows how to fight and knows a few in the military.”
He then reached out with his short arms to Edward, “What’d you say, partner? Will you have me for the expedition?”
“Of course, like I said two years ago, you’re more than welcome,” Edward reciprocated and gave him a handshake.