498. Building a Cattle Farm

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Sico took one last look around Sanctuary, watching as the settlers went about their day, unaware of the storm that could be coming.

The sun was barely cresting over the horizon when Sico made his way across Sanctuary. The settlement was already stirring to life—settlers hauling supplies, Minutemen patrolling the perimeter, the faint sound of hammers striking wood as new structures went up. It was a scene of progress, but Sico couldn't shake the unease creeping at the back of his mind.

Mel and his team had worked through most of the night on the prototype scanner, trying to fine-tune its sensitivity. While they weren't finished yet, the initial results were promising. But with progress came danger, and Sico knew it was only a matter of time before the Institute caught wind of their work.

For now, though, he had other matters to attend to.

Jenny had been pushing for a proper cattle farm for weeks now, arguing that Sanctuary needed a stable food supply beyond scavenged crops and trading with Abernathy Farm. She had finally gotten Sico's approval yesterday, and today, he was going to check in on their progress.

The farm was being set up on the outskirts of Sanctuary, near the riverbank. A decent-sized patch of land had already been cleared, and a simple wooden fence was being erected to contain the cattle once they arrived. A handful of settlers were working under Jenny's direction, hammering posts into the ground and setting up feeding troughs.

Jenny herself was standing off to the side, scribbling into a weathered notebook while occasionally barking instructions at the workers.

Sico approached, hands in his pockets. "Looks like things are coming along."

Jenny looked up, smiling as she tucked the notebook under her arm. "Yeah, slowly but surely. We've got the fencing almost done, and I managed to work out a trade deal to get us some Brahmin from a caravan passing through next week."

Sico raised an eyebrow. "A caravan? You trust them?"

Jenny smirked. "Relax, I'm not an idiot. It's one of Daisy's contacts from Goodneighbor—reliable folks. I made sure we weren't getting scammed before agreeing to anything."

Sico nodded, satisfied. "Good. The last thing we need is some shady trader giving us diseased cattle."

Jenny snorted. "Exactly. Besides, we don't have the luxury of screwing this up. If we do this right, we won't have to rely so much on scavenging. We'll have fresh milk, fertilizer for the crops, and eventually, meat. A real, sustainable setup."

Sico crossed his arms, scanning the half-built farm. "You've put a lot of thought into this."

Jenny gave him a pointed look. "Of course I have. Just because I used to be a scav doesn't mean I don't know how to plan for the future."

Sico chuckled. "Didn't say you didn't. Just making an observation."

She sighed, wiping some sweat from her brow. "Yeah, well… it's nice to be working on something that doesn't involve shooting people for once."

Sico nodded. He understood that feeling all too well.

Before he could say anything else, one of the workers called out. "Jenny! We got a problem over here!"

Both Sico and Jenny turned. One of the settlers—a young man named Chris—was standing near a stack of wooden planks, looking frustrated.

Jenny sighed. "What now?"

They made their way over, and Chris gestured to the stack. "Half of this wood is rotted. It's no good for fencing."

Jenny muttered a curse under her breath. "Damn it. I knew some of these planks looked off when we got them, but I didn't think they were this bad."

Sico knelt down, inspecting one of the boards. It crumbled slightly under his touch. "Yeah, this isn't gonna hold. Where'd you get this?"

Jenny exhaled through her nose. "Traded for it from a group out of Lexington. Guess they saw us coming."

Sico stood up. "We can't afford to use bad materials. Take an inventory of what's still good. We'll have to get a fresh supply."

Jenny nodded. "I'll get on it. Maybe we can salvage some of this for patchwork repairs, but for the main fencing, we'll need better wood."

Sico clapped her on the shoulder. "You'll figure it out. You always do."

Jenny smirked. "Damn right I will."

Sico folded his arms, glancing around the half-finished farm before turning back to Jenny. "So, we're just trading for Brahmin? No chickens?"

Jenny wiped a streak of dirt off her forehead and snorted. "Chickens? You think those are easy to come by?"

Sico shrugged. "Not easy, but not impossible. If we're talking long-term sustainability, having a steady supply of eggs and poultry wouldn't hurt. Brahmin are great, sure, but we can't exactly milk 'em forever. Eventually, we're gonna want some variety."

Jenny sighed, looking out toward the open land. "I know. I've thought about it, but finding chickens that aren't half-feral or sick is a pain in the ass. Most of the ones I've seen out in the wild are either too skittish or already someone else's dinner."

Sico smirked. "You saying you're not up for the challenge?"

Jenny gave him a deadpan stare. "You volunteering to go chase down chickens in the wasteland?"

"Depends. Would I get to see you try first?"

She groaned, shoving him lightly. "Asshole."

Sico chuckled, shaking his head. "Look, I get it. Chickens aren't exactly roaming around waiting to be scooped up, but we should keep our ears open. If we hear about someone selling livestock, we check it out. Brahmin are good, but chickens are a solid investment too."

Jenny crossed her arms, considering it. "Alright, alright. I'll ask around when I head out for the next supply run. But no promises."

"That's all I'm asking."

Jenny turned back to the workers, clapping her hands together. "Alright, you heard the General. Let's get back to it. Chris, see how much of that wood we can salvage. Everyone else, keep working on the fencing. We're making this happen, rotted wood or not."

The settlers got back to work, hammering and hauling supplies, and Sico took a step back, watching for a moment. Jenny was right—building something sustainable wasn't easy.

Sico rubbed his chin, watching as the workers continued hammering away at the fence. "You know," he said, glancing at Jenny, "while we're building the cattle farm, why don't we go ahead and build the chicken coop too?"

Jenny turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "You really on this chicken thing, huh?"

Sico shrugged. "Think about it. We don't have chickens yet, sure, but that doesn't mean we won't find any. If we build the coop now, it'll be ready when we do. That way, we're not scrambling to put something together last minute."

Jenny exhaled through her nose, looking out over the worksite. "Alright. Makes sense. If we're gonna do it, might as well do it right. We'll set up a small enclosure next to the Brahmin pen—keep things organized."

Sico nodded. "Exactly. Chickens don't take up much space, and we can fence them in easy enough. If we get lucky and find a few, we'll be set."

Jenny smirked, hands on her hips. "You really want some damn chickens, don't you?"

"I want sustainability," Sico corrected. "Brahmin are good for milk and meat, but eggs are a solid protein source, and we won't have to slaughter birds as often as we would cattle. Long-term, it's a smart investment."

Jenny snorted. "Look at you, all responsible and forward-thinking."

"Somebody's gotta be," Sico shot back.

Jenny rolled her eyes but was already pulling her notebook out and flipping to a fresh page. "Fine. I'll draft up a plan for the coop. We'll need a small shelter, nesting boxes, and a fenced-off area so they don't wander into the river and drown like idiots."

Sico grinned. "See? You're getting into it."

She ignored him, sketching out a rough diagram. "We'll have to scavenge for proper materials. Wood we got, but wire mesh might be tricky."

"I'll put the word out," Sico said. "If any traders passing through have extra fencing or even a few birds, we'll see if we can make a deal."

Jenny nodded, tucking her notebook back under her arm. "Alright. But don't come crying to me if we build this thing and never find a single chicken."

Sico smirked. "Then I'll just blame you for bad luck."

Jenny scoffed. "Asshole."Sico rubbed his chin, watching as the workers continued hammering away at the fence. "You know," he said, glancing at Jenny, "while we're building the cattle farm, why don't we go ahead and build the chicken coop too?"

Jenny turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "You really on this chicken thing, huh?"

Sico shrugged. "Think about it. We don't have chickens yet, sure, but that doesn't mean we won't find any. If we build the coop now, it'll be ready when we do. That way, we're not scrambling to put something together last minute."

Jenny exhaled through her nose, looking out over the worksite. "Alright. Makes sense. If we're gonna do it, might as well do it right. We'll set up a small enclosure next to the Brahmin pen—keep things organized."

Sico nodded. "Exactly. Chickens don't take up much space, and we can fence them in easy enough. If we get lucky and find a few, we'll be set."

Jenny smirked, hands on her hips. "You really want some damn chickens, don't you?"

"I want sustainability," Sico corrected. "Brahmin are good for milk and meat, but eggs are a solid protein source, and we won't have to slaughter birds as often as we would cattle. Long-term, it's a smart investment."

Jenny snorted. "Look at you, all responsible and forward-thinking."

"Somebody's gotta be," Sico shot back.

Jenny rolled her eyes but was already pulling her notebook out and flipping to a fresh page. "Fine. I'll draft up a plan for the coop. We'll need a small shelter, nesting boxes, and a fenced-off area so they don't wander into the river and drown like idiots."

Sico grinned. "See? You're getting into it."

She ignored him, sketching out a rough diagram. "We'll have to scavenge for proper materials. Wood we got, but wire mesh might be tricky."

"I'll put the word out," Sico said. "If any traders passing through have extra fencing or even a few birds, we'll see if we can make a deal."

Jenny nodded, tucking her notebook back under her arm. "Alright. But don't come crying to me if we build this thing and never find a single chicken."

Sico smirked. "Then I'll just blame you for bad luck."

Jenny scoffed. "Asshole."

The sound of hammers striking wood and the chatter of settlers filled the air as construction continued. Sico rolled up his sleeves, stepping in to help secure a wooden beam for the fencing. Jenny was nearby, overseeing the placement of the support posts for the coop while also keeping an eye on the Brahmin pen.

As they worked, Sico glanced over at Jenny. "So, how's the farm situation looking? Are the crops holding up?"

Jenny wiped some sweat from her brow, leaning against the half-built fence. "Yeah, actually. We've got a solid surplus this time around, which is a damn good sign. Means the soil's holding up, and we're managing water distribution well."

Sico nodded, pleased. "That's good news. A surplus means we're not just getting by—we're thriving."

Jenny smirked. "For now, at least. But yeah, this season's harvest has been solid. If we can keep this up, we won't have to rely on trade as much. Hell, we might even have extra to barter with."

"That's what I like to hear." Sico tightened a bolt on the fence post before stepping back to check their progress. "You think we can keep this momentum going for the next harvest?"

Jenny let out a thoughtful hum. "I hope so. Nature's unpredictable, though. One bad storm or a pest problem could screw us over. But if we keep up with maintenance, keep the soil healthy, and maybe get our hands on more fertilizer, we should be in good shape."

Sico nodded. "Sounds like we should start thinking about stockpiling extra supplies—seeds, fertilizer, water reserves. If this harvest went well, we should plan ahead for the next one."

Jenny crossed her arms, considering it. "Yeah, you're right. I'll start setting aside some of our surplus. Maybe even expand the fields a little if we can manage it."

Sico glanced around at the on progress cattle farm, and know that this place will become the next important place after the farms. The place were slowly coming together—slowly but surely, he hope that with this cattle farm build, there will be a stable supplies of meat for them.

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• Name: Sico

• Stats :

S: 8,44

P: 7,44

E: 8,44

C: 8,44

I: 9,44

A: 7,45

L: 7

• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills

• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.

• Active Quest:-