The armies of Slasher and Johnson both had around a thousand mutants in their ranks, but they functioned very differently. Johnson in many ways represented the old ways. A new Attis or Gammorin or Keene or Tabitha, they were a true horde. They travelled with whatever they could carry on their hands or back, fully expecting that through slaughter or intimidation they would grab loot, potentially discarding what they arrived with entirety as their meagre ammo stores ran out in favour for better craft. They had brought some FEV with them but for the most part they expected to replenish their numbers by assimilating other supermutant warbands or finding new FEV. 

Slasher was entirely different in modus operandi. He did the professionalism implied in "Cockburne's army" justice, it was a true Expedition. Almost half of the force was dedicated to the support of those who would be fighting. Smiths, mechanics, commanders, radio operators, medics, technicians, negotiators. They rode a column with brahmin towing many carts of supplies, RVs were bearing labs, smithies, repair rooms. Cars were used and modified to bring mutants into the close combat they had such an advantage over humans in. Trucks were armoured to make APCs, tractors modified to be IFVs and bulldozers turned into veritable tanks. Only a few hundred mutants of the more than thousand strong force would find themselves going off to raid, fight, scavenge or more peaceful matters trade, investigation, diplomacy. The rest would remain at the camps they would form to ensure the rest would work as efficiently as possible in the field. 

But ultimately they were born of the same root and terminated in the same goal. 

Johnson’s Army first headed North for a detour to the great lake coast, hoping to strike at the lucrative trade routes there. They did just that of course. Johnson sat on the pile of heads that his underlings had assembled him, watching through the hundreds of mutants before him walk over to present what tribute they had recovered from the town that had been hit. One brought a gatling laser, another a rack of fusion cores, a third a water purification chip. Good, but none were what was truly wanted. Cockburne had commanded that they go East, but Johnson was confident he was making the right choice by not rushing and first consolidating his resources. But no, this paltry town would not do. He threw over his shoulder the helmeted head of the Chieftain of the place, supposed to be some great warrior without parallel. Rising up by his improvised handholds, Johnson grinned at the squelches before moving to address his troops. The mutant had to admit that Cockburne’s methodes were effective. It felt good to have all the flat-capped heads of his armies turn at once with a salute as he cleared his throat. 

“One more hour for the looting, then we move out!” he cried out. Nightkin with the army were to later clean up, and leave no trace that it was Cockurne’s army that had been behind the atrocity, with but a few supermutants heading south with the slaves of the place to dip them into FEV back in Titan City. It was a good day’s work, yes. But greater treasures awaited!

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Slasher was a second generation supermutant, hence the less articulate, tribal name. But potential was seen in him by Attis who had implanted cybernetics into him to ensure he would perform far above what he was born into by the FEV of Texas. Now he was in a position almost akin to the Lieutenant of centuries past, serving the new De Facto Master of supermutants: Jordan Cockburne. But he did not let himself by trapped in what many called old world blues, even if his definition of the term differed by quite a bit from what most humans defined it as. Though bearing wisdom of his own, Slasher believed in the wisdom of Cockburne. The Colonel was wise, for he saw past the pettier conquests of Attis, Gammorin, and the others. He knew that what mattered was the survival of the supermutant race.

His service to the glorious leader had lead him East. Cockburn’e army had good knowledge of the Pitt through the traders that travelled between there and Columbus. But beyond that Pitt was a very alien place to the super mutants. These new treasures had to come into grasp of the Army. Overlooking the billowing cloud of smoke and evaporated coolant that his column made, he knew that this was the future. Eventually the cures to the ails of the supermutant race would be found. Eventually Unity would be achieved, as all men would see the wisdom of super-mutation. Violence would not need to be had! After all, why would men refuse to become so clearly better?


Pressing down the pedal of his command vehicle, Slasher grinned. The Master would reward him for this.