32 Moral Quandary

With the raiders now gone the Brotherhood slowly made their way inside Helios One, the Knight and Paladin's had already checked it over for traps, which allowed the Scribes to go mental and do whatever they like.

They'd already requisitioned what looked like a control room, someone's voice echoing through the building as a young Scribe spoke into the intercom... Apparently, they hadn't realised it was working and had said some embarrassing things that they'd not soon be allowed to forget.

Afton had to assist with carrying the half-disintegrated bodies of the facilities previous inhabitants... They were all dumped into a large pile a good distance away from the building before being set ablaze.

He couldn't help but notice the ages of the raiders, it seemed that Head Paladin Mcnamara, Hardim, and his father hadn't shown mercy, even to the children of the raiders. The youngest was around eight to ten years old, half their face had been reduced to ash by what could only be a laser weapon. It was a grim reminder of what could've happened to himself had he not been fortunate enough to reincarnate in his current situation.

Some wanted to bury the bodies as a sign of respect and regret for their deaths, but in the end they were burned to prevent predators, and potential diseases from becoming a problem. Afton still hadn't shrugged off his previous worlds sensibilities, so he was finding it hard to digest just how indiscriminate the Brotherhood was at removing threats.

When he asked his father about it the man just gave a shrug, "The moment they raised a weapon against us is the moment they sealed their fate. I might not like it, but there's no other recourse, its kill or be killed out here son, a moment of hesitation could mean your end."

Afton felt like his fathers feelings on the matter were actually the minority opinion, so he went to ask Paladin Hardin what he thought... "Anywho don't follow the Codex's axioms are no friend of mine, our role is to safeguard humanity against themselves, regular people don't know what responsibilities they have, they are only concerned with their own struggles. So, dealing them a swift end is a mercy, the alternative is letting them out into the Mojave...

Those raiders, they don't have any skills or ability to survive without causing harm to others, its better they die at my hands instead of in a ditch someone after ransacking a settlement." he explains his view, a pragmatic and unempathetic argument that Afton couldn't really find faults in.

"But, what about the children that were killed?" he asks, wanting to find out where Hardin stood on that particular matter.

"As I said, its a mercy to kill them. Their parents didn't teach them how to survive properly, and in turn would only die of starvation, getting eaten, or continuing to raid. Had we let them live, and assisted in getting them to a nearby settlement, they'd still likely hold a grudge against us... I'm not in the business of making enemies, only ending them." he states.

After his talk with Hardin he'd began walking back through the facility to his room, but ended up walking into Head Paladin Mcnamara... He'd ended up asking the man about his own position on the subject,

"I'm not like the others Afton, I think we could be a little less strict with how we deal with our enemies... The raiders we faced today stood no chance against us, our armour and overwhelming firepower saw to that. I had tried to intervene when the slaughter of the younger raiders began, but it was a lost cause when they started taking up their parents firearms and retaliating."

He looks around the hallway as if he was about to give a big secret before leaning down and speaking quietly, "I think we could do a lot of good for the wasteland, unfortunately, the Codex strictly forbids it. I'm sure you've learned of what had been happening in the Capital Wasteland, I imagine that group has been eradicated by the Brotherhood due to their insubordination...

As Head Paladin I have many responsibilities that are hard to fulfil, but the one I feel is the heaviest to bear is the one I've placed on myself... You are not wrong in that we could have done something for those children, but there's nothing that can be done. All we can do is try to make decisions that'll have the most merciful outcomes, the Elder wanted this facility, so everyone inside had to be eradicated... But in my capacity as Head Paladin, I can sway the Chapter in the direction that'd be more beneficial for everyone." he explains, clearing remorseful over what'd been done to the children living here.

Afton nods, "I see, thank you for you time sir." he says and gives a nod before beginning to walk away.

"Ah, and Afton." Mcnamara's voice causes him to turn, "Let's keep this chat to ourselves, you know as well as I that questioning the Codex is... Not regarded well."

"Don't worry sir, I'm very aware of that." he says with a knowing look and finally leaves.

It'd taken around three weeks to completely clean the facility, there was trash everywhere and the raiders that'd previously been inhabiting the place weren't worried about tidying up after themselves. Afton wouldn't put it past those savages to shit on the floor just because they felt like it.

He was honestly started to agree with Hardin the more he saw inside Helios One, the raiders hadn't just gone around stealing food and supplies, no, they'd been kidnapping people... Specifically women and children, what for? You can use your imagination. They'd even been writing plans for their next raid on the walls with the blood of their victims.

Afton regretted not following everyone else and taking potshots at the surviving raiders, the despicable bunch of cunts deserved everything that came to them.