Big Trouble In Big Town

If you have been following the main quest line up to the point of Picking Up the Trail, you should find yourself in a town called Little Lamplight. There's something strange about Little Lamplight-it's run entirely by kids! Locate a boy named Sticky, who is easily distinguished from the rest of his shunted friends because he is wearing a red party hat. However, if you're the impatient type, you could initiate the quest sooner by stumbling into Big Town, a settlement to the northwest of Megaton, during your mindless adventuring.

When you've started the quest with Sticky, follow him to Big Town, or ignore him and head there yourself if you want. Either way, once you've managed to infiltrate Big Town through Dusty, the town guard, whose suspicion of you melts away after a courteous chat, you discover that the town (at least the population) isn't as big as it seems. Many of the buildings are abandoned and boarded up.

You're encouraged to explore what's left of this decrepit town and speak with everyone in the settlement to find out what's going on; it seems everyone (the entire town of five people) is shakin' up about the recent Super Mutant raid on their unprotected town, during which a few of their friends were captured and dragged away. Big Town's state has been made especially dire since the Mutants decided to treat the town as their food reserve. Many have resigned themselves to a fate of horrible mutilation brought on by the nasty Super Mutants, but when you convince them otherwise you instill upon them a glimmer of hope, and they reveal to you the location of the Super Mutant's hideout-in the Germantown Police Headquarters.

Begin your arduous journey north out of town towards the Germantown Police Headquarters. It won't be long before you collide with Super Mutant and other hostile forces. You should make a pit stop at the dilapidated church settled in the distance to secure it and make your return trip a little easier. Expect to deal with some very aggressive foes within the church, including one using a Minigun. Once the hostile occupants have been neutralized, you realize this party was watching over a captive Wastelander. Choose to untie or leave her, although untying her is the obvious positive Karma route. Ransack the remains of the church too for various useful items as well.

Continue to Germantown. As long as you've thinned out the numbers of vicious characters on the town's periphery, you need not worry too much about much more resistance. Fortified by sturdy mesh fences, the Police HQ can be somewhat troublesome to infiltrate because there exists only one entrance in to the building, situated around the back. However, if you have been diligently pumping your Lockpicking skill, you can break into the HQ through an alternative, highly-advanced locked door on the ground floor, after the mesh gate. The latter leads directly to Red's cell.

The interior of the building is just as dangerous and troublesome as the exterior, if not moreso. The place is loaded with Super Mutants and Frag Mines, deadly traps that must either be disarmed or skirted completely. The Frag Mine acts as both a deterrent to intruders and as an "alarm" of sorts that attracts many of the nearby Super Mutants to its location when it goes off. You can certainly (and is recommended) maneuver through the area using Sneak minimize enemy encounters or at least get the preemptive strike on unsuspecting victims.

It's also worth exploring the Police HQ for its modest supply of weapons and various goods. Make sure you at least pick up the Password for Lockdown Computer from one of the rooms early on. You can find a copy of Lying: Congressional Style in the debriefing room. Make out like a bandit in the armory after either hacking or lockpicking your way into the weapons cache. Within you'll find a Combat Shotgun, .32 Pistol, Silenced 10mm Pistol, Frag Grenades, and a Laser Rifle.

You're looking for two Big Town resident captives, Red and Shorty, held somewhere in the building-most likely in the holding cells. Check there, and sure enough, you come across a red-clad individual. This must be Red. Eradicate the Radroach infestation around here before releasing Red from her jail. The lock on her cell door is rather difficult to pick, so opt for the easier route and access the adjacent terminal to unlock all cell doors (the Password you found earlier required).

A brief chat with Red reveals Shorty's whereabouts-in the kitchen. Returning with both captives alive is not necessarily a prerequisite to completing the quest successfully-if need be Shorty's life can be forfeit. If you've any sympathy for the poor lad though, ask Red to stay put while you investigate. Head back into the main corridor, east, then north, following the path to the Door to the Police HQ Basement. This leads into an unsightly shooting range that holds a few useful items and weapons, but of main interest is the locked door that you can bust through with a high enough Lockpick skill. Inside, reap the valuables in the likes of a Fat Man, Assault Rifle, and a variety of ammunition.

Proceed to the kitchen and prepare yourself, for it is a horrific sight to behold indeed! Gun down the Super Mutant in the kitchen and untie the joyous Shorty. Return to the eagerly awaiting Red, but not before raiding the kitchen for edible goods that will aid you in your journey. With the two of them now free and ready to get the hell out of here, it's time to escort them back home, to Big Town. Once you leave the Police HQ, Fast Travel back to Big Town (Shorty and Red will miraculously make the trip with you).

Speak with Red to for your Caps reward, 300 Caps. If you are feeling particularly greedy, you can up the reward by 200 Caps after passing a Speech challenge (though your Karma will take a hit).

Now to deal with the pressing matter of an imminent attack on Big Town led by enraged Super Mutants. Depending on your skill, you can teach the Big Town folk a number of different methods with which to defend against the onslaught of Super Mutants. If you don't care about their final fate at this point now that you've reaped your monetary rewards and experience points, you can simply leave them to their death, or handle the situation yourself.