Free Commonwealth – Capital Wasteland


The march from the railway station had not been long. They didn’t receive any surprise welcomes from anyone, neither friendly nor hostile. After all a force this size would make one think twice before attacking. Charon admired the column of Free Commonwealth troops marching southward, with the glistening big golden cross, being at the front. The cross being pulled by Brahmin, was large and overshadow those that stood close to it, as it was roughly the size of 4 to 5 men.  He found it spectacular to say the least, a relic of a time gone by.

Charon turned southward and moved out with his personal guards and a small strike force, provided by the Free Commonwealth. His fortunes had turned, the commonwealth had bought his contract and shredded it to pieces. All they asked in return was for his expertise and skills in exchange for some hard cold caps, and plenty of them. He recommend that they take the abandoned Fort Independence, once home to the outcasts, and now refuge for a few settlers.

He led his men at a quick pace, they would arrive before the bulk of the expeditionary force. The settlers would be no issue, they were just a handful. He felt he needed to let them know, and inform them they could stay but would have to work for their housing and food. That was more of a secondary mission, his primary mission was to head west from the Fort and take Tenpenny Tower. The men ran at a quick steady pace and soon reached the outer wall of the tower. 

They raised their assault rifles and slammed the gates open. It seemed they were left unlocked, as the inhabitants most likely fled the area when the cult attacked. They slowly filtered inside, carefully watching for any movement. It was eerily quiet, nothing but the sound of the wind. They split into groups. One would go around back and look for a rear entrance, another would remain on the grounds, securing the yards. The third group would go through the main doors.

Charon clutched his shotgun, and held it as a commonwealth soldier opened the main door, and another threw in grenades.  They stormed inside, but like the outside, it was quiet. They flipped on the lights on their rifles, and looked around, to an empty hall. They scoured the nearby rooms, and as they entered the area marked bar, they were met with a most obscene stench. Charon headed in, as smell didn’t bother him.  Laying on the floor, surrounded by empty booze bottles was the rotting body of a man. Charon gave the all clear, and they continued to scouring the area.  The men scoured the rest of the tower and found it empty. The Commonwealth command would be most pleased with the peaceful acquisition of the tower.


Charon approached Fort independence. The army had arrived, and they had promptly entered the facility and set up shop. Outposts were being set up in area between Tower and the Fort, and a large contingent of troops made its way to the tower to set up defenses and make place livable once again. Engineers were busy setting up turrets around the fort, as well as security towers.  Charon headed to the main room, as it was busy with activity. These soldiers were quick o get to work. They had pulled up maps, and reports of the area and of their target at Point Lookout. There was a great debate as to what strategy they should take. Charon took a look at the map, and stood there with his arms crossed. He could feel the men staring at him, he could tell his presence made them uneasy. He was used to Softskins looking down on his kind, and these men and women were no different.

It seemed they wished to attack the area in force. Charon disagreed with that point of view he shook his head and pointed to the map, “This area is filled with swamps and marches. We are a force unfamiliar with the terrain, it would be disastrous for us to just storm the area.”

He looked around as the officers viewed the map and nodded in agreement. The colonel looked up, nodding, “agreed, we would be slowed down to a halt in the swamps, and these men there are familiar with the area and could easily ambush us. What is your suggestion?”

“I propose we send out scouting parties to find out the size of enemy troops and just how well guarded the area between us and Point lookout is. Also, once we have the reports, I propose we set up multiple small strike groups to strike at various parts of the enemy defenses. One, to test out their response and two to keep them on edge, Small strike groups can easily move through areas undetected and do some damage.” Charon said as he pointed to possible areas where enemy might be located, based on older reports. 

“Very well, we shall go with your strategy Charon. IF you have any other ideas please let us know.” The colonel said as he crossed his arms and shook his head in approval.   

Charon turned to leave, but as he was walking he stopped as a thought came to him. He turned around and motioned to the Colonel, “Actually, I know of one excellent little strike group that would be of most benefit to your men. They are pricey but they are worth every cap. They are called Reilly’s Rangers, I highly recommend you send a messenger out to them in DC and hire their services.”