14 Returning To Primm
Service Rifle, or should I say, cheaply mass-produced version of the M16A1 that was based on my world? Yeah, that was an NCR service rifle, an M16A1 with wooden furniture instead of plastic furniture, resulting in a heavier weight. However, for the wasteland purpose, it was quite a decent rifle to have. Inspecting the weapon, the rifle had been modified as well.
[Service Rifle+]
DAM: 21
DPS: 150
Mods: Light Gas System
It was a semi-auto rifle chambered in 5.56x45 mm bullet and mainly used by NCR ground troops. The 5.56 also provided a good armor piercing capability, equivalent to reducing 10 DT of any armor. Basically, quite a good rifle for what it was.
It also had a 20-round magazine in comparison to the 5-round magazine that the Varmint Rifle used. It made Varmint Rifle that I brought obsolete, including the one that Sunny gave to me. Well, it was time to sell it to Lacey anyway. She also sold bullets and weapons after all.
"Hmm, that's quite a lot of weapons you have there, still, those are not exactly expensive weapons, you know?" Lacey commented on all of the weapons that I put on the table. "I know you modify this Varmint Rifle, but still, it's a cheap gun."
"Well, I only want to get rid of these weapons, anyway," I said to Lacey.
I sold the 9mm pistol alongside the two Varmint Rifles that I currently owned. It should net me caps for what it's worth. Still, Lacey wasn't exactly eager in buying those weapons. "Since you've helped NCR a bit, I think I can give you something. 150 caps for this all, deal?"
"Isn't that too little?" I asked.
[Barter Check Failed]
"Too little? Look, I'm being nice here, I'd usually just pay 100 caps for this, so, deal or no deal?"
"Fine…"
Lacey picked up all of those weapons and put 150 caps on the table. I picked those caps and it immediately transferred to the inventory of my Pip-Boy. All and all, it was quite a good way to make sure my inventory stayed organized.
"Lacey, do you have something to eat?" I asked.
"I have this snack bar, for 3 caps," Lacey said as she put something. It was a chocolate-caramel bar with an expiration date of more than 200 years ago, would it be fine if I consume it, though?
"Lacey, isn't that past the due date?" I asked.
"Well, take it or leave it, the soldiers are used to it," Lacey said.
I sighed, "Fine…"
I picked up that snack bar, opened the packaging, and man, the smell was funky. I couldn't tell whether it was the expired chocolate, but it had this acidic smell coming from it alone. There was no fungal or anything, it just smelled funky.
I put the first bite in my mouth. Yuck. How to describe it? Imagine biting on a lemon covered in chocolate with a shitton of caramel sugar on it. It was the best way to describe the taste of that horrible snack bar from pre-war.
Screw with it, I took the whole snack bar at once and gulped it down with my saliva, ignoring the terrible taste, hopefully, Mitchell wouldn't notice that I had eaten a 200-year-old snack bar. The stomachache would be more than explosive if I wasn't lucky with that thing.
I threw away the package to the nearest trash can. "Wheck! That's horrible."
"Man up, people used to call that a delicacy," Lacey commented.
"Do you have water?" I asked.
"Yeah, purified water? For 2 caps, sure thing," Lacey put a bottle of bottled water. This time, it was legit purified water from the New California Republic. I picked up the bottle and gulped it all at once to rinse that battery acid flavor from my mouth.
I put 2 caps on the table and threw away the plastic bottle in the trash can. My mouth tasted foul, but it wasn't as strong as before. Perhaps, I should stay away from snacks coming from the pre-war era. All of them tasted like a piece of shit.
"Lacey, thanks for the snack, where can I sleep in here, though?" I asked Lacey.
"Just take any bed in the barrack, it'd help," Lacey said.
"Thanks," I said.
On the side of Lacey's store were indeed a lot of beds to sleep in, and I doubted that any of them was permanently owned since most of the lockers were placed on the other side of the barrack. I sat down on one of the beds on the far side of the room, where most people wouldn't choose as a place to sleep.
===
"WAKE UP, MERC!" An NCR soldier shook my bed and pushed me away from the bed. "This is my bed," he said before laying down on the bed. I shook my head and I stood up and looked at the clock in my Pip-Boy.
[06:00 A.M.]
It was morning already. I wanted to punch that person, but then again, this was an NCR barrack reserved for NCR people, I was lucky that they didn't throw me from the top of the barrack with the help of Ranger Ghost. Well, time to move out before the whole barrack came after me.
I walked outside of the outpost and started walking back to Primm where I could see what I could get for myself on the way. On the way down, I encountered multiple caravans accompanied by NCR soldiers. The taxpayer money at work, it seemed.
With nothing else to see about, I held the new Service Rifle from my back and walked back to Primm. This Service Rifle that I held in my hand would protect me from half-assed raiders at the very least, and I doubted that I'd meet another gang member again.
It only took me less than an hour and I reached Primm. I immediately headed to Mojave Express to get my payment from Mr. Nash, my boss for now. He welcomed me warmly once I entered his office. I couldn't say I didn't like it.
"Good job with the package, here's your payment," Nash gave me 100 caps on top of the counter.
"Thanks, Mr. Nash," I said.
"No problem, now, if you want to get more job, I have some more courier job, for you, since you are able to do the last job quite nicely, what do you say… what's your name again?" Nash asked.
"My name is Enzo, just call me Enzo, please," I said.
"Enzo, huh? I'll be sure to remember that name. However, this brain of mine had gone quite old, you see, young man. I couldn't remember things as it used to be, what do you say if you just register yourself as a formal courier with Mojave Express?" Nash offered.
"What's the advantage of being a courier for the Mojave Outpost?" I asked.
"For example, you can do a high-risk package job for me. An ordinary courier that doesn't have any affiliation like you wouldn't get more than 200 caps per delivery, and I tell you that 100 caps are big enough for an unregistered courier like you," Nash explained.
"Hmm, is there any requirement to sign up?" I asked.
"Well, just fill in your name here. Are you a wanderer, too?" Nash asked as he gave me a piece of paper alongside one pen.
"Yes, does it matter, though?" I asked.
"Yeah, fill the check with 'freelance courier' so I know that you won't be around all the time," Nash said.
"Alright, that should be all," I filled my name alongside the options that it provided. I was a freelance courier for the Mojave Express with an interest in a high-risk packages. It should net me enough amount of money, right?
Nash put the document in his drawer. "Alright, you'll be Courier 10. Way easier to remember you folks with a number, if you want to know."
"I see. So, about this job, what do you have in mind?" I asked Nash about the high-risk job.
"There is a package for someone in Nipton. The address is the general store in the edge of the town. Whoever sent this said that the mayor has been waiting for this 'thing' for quite a long time." Johnson sighed as he put a package on the counter.
The package was in the box, which meant I really couldn't see what was inside of it. I shook it, and it sounded like plastic hitting the wall of the box. I lifted it up, and it wasn't heavy either. I wondered why this thing was considered to be a high-risk package. I put it in my Pip-Boy inventory as usual.
(Suspicious Package has been added to inventory.)
"The pay for this one will be 500 caps. The client isn't that patient, I suggest you hurry," Nash said.
"Don't worry, Mr.Nash, you can depend on me."
"Alright, I'll pay you once you return. If you want a bonus, just ask from that general store, alright?" I opened the door leading outside and left Mojave Express as quickly as I entered it.
