TWD - Chapter 483: You Want an Outpost (Patreon)

"Oh? Be more specific, Joe." Calista leaned forward slightly.

Joe took a breath, as though recalling something unpleasant.

"A few months ago, I had more men, and we were feeling bolder. We figured we'd try our luck in Virginia. Didn't take long before we ran into a bunch of crazy raiders."

His speech quickened, but his description remained unusually clear. Whatever had happened had obviously left a deep impression on him.

"To be precise, we didn't actually meet them face-to-face.

"At first, a few of my men were picked off in the woods. I never even saw the people doing it. Hell if I know what they looked like. I've never seen anyone kill that quietly before, and they started killing the moment they found us. No warning, no reason.

"Honestly, it scared us. We decided to head back to Georgia and get as far away from them as possible.

"A few days later, we thought we'd finally gotten outside their territory, so we sent some people out to look for supplies. Two of them never came back. Eventually, we found their bodies.

"They'd both been cut in half at the waist."

As Joe spoke, Calista almost immediately thought of Captain Jack from the Riverbank Guerrillas.

When he'd described how his group came to join Rock Fortress, he'd mentioned something similar.

They had gone ashore in Virginia to search for supplies and encountered a group of extremely dangerous land-based raiders. They never even saw the enemy clearly before being routed, losing several men in the process.

The people the Riverbank Guerrillas had encountered might very well be the same lunatics Joe was describing.

"How many of them are there? And roughly where?" Calista asked.

"Hard to say how many. They might be split into several groups operating over a huge area.

"The two incidents happened pretty far apart. The first was south of Arlington. By the second, we'd already made it to southeastern Virginia."

Joe continued, "The first time, they just killed people. The second time, they were vicious about it. I don't know if us running away pissed them off or what."

"You should call your people back, Commander," Joe insisted. "That group didn't make me feel like we were in a fight.

"It felt like we were being hunted."

"I understand why you're concerned," Calista said. "But that mission has to be completed.

"If this group's territory really is that large, then we also can't rule out the possibility that they'll eventually wander into Tennessee or Georgia."

Calista suspected it might be The Wolves.

But while The Wolves was certainly brutal, their combat ability hadn't seemed that impressive.

Could they really have driven both Joe and the Riverbank Guerrillas into retreat without even showing themselves?

And Arlington was south of Washington, D.C., in northern Virginia. Southeastern Virginia was still a long way from there.

Could The Wolves really cover that much ground?

Or had the original storyline simply weakened them once the protagonists became involved, while in reality they were much more dangerous?

"Anyway, their recent activity has been getting close to the state line," Joe said at last. "If your team heads north, they need to be extra careful."

"Thank you for the intelligence, Joe."

Calista's voice remained calm, but after a brief pause, her tone deepened.

"You specifically asked to speak directly with me. You've given me detailed information and haven't held anything back.

"That doesn't sound like ordinary information sharing."

She knew exactly what kind of man Joe was.

An ordinary survivor might eagerly tell Rock Fortress everything after being taken in.

But Joe, as far as she knew, wasn't nearly that generous.

The corner of Joe's mouth lifted slightly.

Rick noticed the expression, and alarm bells immediately started ringing in his head.

"What do you want from me?" Calista asked directly.

Joe caught the meaning immediately.

She was asking his price.

He liked that.

This woman didn't waste time.

It confirmed what he'd spent the last several days observing.

Rock Fortress hadn't built its order through endless democratic discussion. It had been built under a leader who understood how power worked.

Joe glanced at Rick, then looked back toward the radio and decided to lay his cards on the table.

"Commander, I want to make a deal with you.

"I've been watching the prison outpost for a few days now. It's one of Rock Fortress's outposts, right?"

"Go on."

"Rick's a good man. I like him," Joe said without sarcasm, though there was no particular respect in his tone either. "But he's too soft.

"An outpost is supposed to be the base's front line. It should be run more like a military position.

"The prison outpost needs someone tougher. Someone who can make sure people survive.

"I'm willing to take that role."

The communications room fell dead silent.

Rick's eyes widened.

His ears practically rang.

This man had been here only a few days, and now he was openly asking to replace him, right in front of him?

This was absurd.

Even Calista was stunned.

That was incredibly direct.

Most ambitious people would try to ingratiate themselves first, prove their worth, build trust, and only then hint at what they wanted.

Joe had skipped every step.

He hadn't even bothered with pleasantries.

He'd simply put the knife on the table.

He was gambling that Calista respected directness.

Gambling that she valued strength more than loyalty.

"Joe," Calista said after clearing her throat, "you really don't hide what you want, do you?"

"I figured you weren't the type to dance around the subject."

"Then I'll be just as direct."

Calista's voice hardened again.

"Impossible.

"Rick is the person I personally appointed to run the prison outpost. His loyalty and contributions to this community are obvious.

"I'm not replacing him with someone who's only been here a few days, no matter how capable you think you are."

Rick visibly relaxed a little.

Joe, however, showed no disappointment.

That answer had clearly been within his expectations.

"But," Calista continued.

The single word immediately drew both men's full attention again.

"I have noticed your directness, and I recognize the value of the intelligence you gave us.

"You said you've spent several days observing the prison outpost.

"Then you must have also noticed that Rock Fortress's influence is expanding."

Joe nodded.

"You're the strongest organization I've run into so far. Organized production, organized defenses, even the beginnings of a proper medical system.

"You're building order.

"And order needs strength behind it."

Calista gave a slight nod.

Not everyone understood that.

Most people only saw Rock Fortress's walls and guns.

They didn't see the production chains, distribution system, or the rules supporting everything underneath.

"Exactly."

A faint smile appeared on Calista's lips.

"Rock Fortress's territory is expanding steadily, but we have manpower and resource-allocation problems.

"We can't station large numbers of people at every useful outpost."

Joe's eyes brightened.

He understood what she was getting at.

"You want an outpost."

Smart.

Calista continued.

"If you really have the ability to establish a position of your own, then you can search elsewhere in Georgia for a suitable location.

"Somewhere that's easy to defend and hard to attack, has useful resources nearby, and can serve as a regional observation point."

Then her tone abruptly turned cold.

"But there's one condition.

"I need to make this very clear, Joe. Within my sphere of influence, I will not tolerate survivor settlements that refuse to submit to Rock Fortress.

"If you decide to establish your own independent camp and turn against me, then we'll treat you the same way we treat raiders.

"As a threat.

"And I don't go easy on threats."

Joe became more cautious.

"So what's your offer?"

"Find a suitable location and report it to me.

"If I decide the site is valuable, I'll send administrative personnel, engineers, and a Defense Force squad to help establish the outpost.

"We'll provide supplies and equipment.

"And you..."

She paused.

"...will manage that outpost and report directly to me."

Joe fell silent, considering it.

"How much freedom do I get?" he finally asked.

"You'll handle daily operations and defensive decisions," Calista replied. "But you'll follow Rock Fortress's basic rules.

"The point system. No indiscriminate killing. No slavery. No raiding other survivors. And when necessary, you'll cooperate with the broader strategic plan.

"Anyone you recruit yourself will also have to pass Rock Fortress's basic background screening. We don't accept raiders or extremists.

"Simply put, the outpost belongs to me.

"You'll just be running it on my behalf."

Joe thought about it for several seconds.

He knew how to fight.

But actually building a settlement required people who understood defenses, water systems, electricity, and countless other things he knew nothing about.

And that didn't even include all the resources they'd need afterward.

Only with a major power like Rock Fortress behind him, with its established industrial and agricultural base, could he realistically control a proper settlement.

Otherwise, he would always end up the way he had before.

Leading a group from place to place, exhausting one source of supplies and then moving on to the next.

And the moment they ran into something truly dangerous, everything would fall apart.

Joe nodded.

"Deal."

"Good."

Calista was pleased that he understood the situation.

"I'll have Rick give you a copy of our basic rules. Everything will work the same way it does at the prison outpost.

"You have two weeks to think it over. If you accept, start looking for a suitable location.

"If you don't..."

She paused.

"...you can stay at the prison outpost as an ordinary member, or leave my territory."

"Understood," Joe said.