Protecting the Water Way

Protecting the Water Way is a side quest .
==Quick walkthrough==
==Detailed walkthrough==
Scribe Bigsley asks the Lone Wanderer to investigate the organized bandit attacks on the Aqua Pura caravans, directing the Lone Wanderer to speak with Officer Lepelletier of Rivet City for more details. Scribe Bigsley does not have to be spoken to at all; Officer Lepelletier will give the quest as well.
===Consult Officer Lepelletier===
Officer Lepelletier can be found on the first floor of the ramp area entrance of Rivet City. She will explain that a water caravan heading towards Canterbury Commons has just left the Jefferson Memorial and will ask the player to travel with it and discover who is behind the hijacking. The player is asked to catch up with the caravan, and speak with Officers Davis and Lorin who are escorting it. Passing an easy Speech check with Lepelletier will net a plasma rifle and a few microfusion cells before departing to protect the caravan.
===Meet Officers Davis and Lorin north of Project Purity===
Following the river leads the player to the caravan just as it is ambushed by three bandits. The ambush point is under the large bridge between the Citadel and the D.C. ruins. It is difficult but possible to save the lives of the two guards, but the caravan driver will always be dead. There is also a scavenger camped out under the bridge who will help fight the bandits, who can possibly be saved as well.
===Find out who is responsible for the attacks===
Upon searching any of the bandits, a holotape titled New meeting place from Split Jack, the bandit leader, will be discovered. The holotape instructs the bandits to regroup at Wilhelm's Wharf and includes the password (mirelurk stew) to avoid being attacked.
===Deal with Split Jack and his gang===
When reaching Wilhelm's Wharf, the player character can speak to Split Jack (the password is "mirelurk stew") and pass a difficult Speech challenge to persuade him to give up. Note that if the Speech check is passed successfully, then Grandma Sparkle is likely to be immediately killed by the bandits. Failing that, Jack has to be killed either by attacking him and his bandits, or by joining his gang and then slaying him in a duel for leadership of the gang.
If choosing to join their gang, the Lone Wanderer will receive a metal armor and helmet, which must be worn before Split Jack will talk again. He will ask the player to sit down and wait for "other gang members to arrive." However, no matter if the player sits and waits or not, no further events are triggered. At this point, the player can go speak with Split Jack and pass a Speech check convincing him that no one would pay for the water if they could just get it for free, in this scenario Split Jack would simply call off his scheme and take off with his gang to "blow off some steam." Alternatively, Split Jack can be challenged to a fight to the death, in which case he lets the player choose one of three melee weapons to fight with (lead pipe, combat knife or nail board). As long as he is fought with the weapon he gives, none of the gang members attack and will instead cheer on the fight.
The melee fight is by no means a push-over, as Split Jack has high HP and blocks well. More importantly, the item HP of the chosen weapon is low, making it quite possible that the weapon will break before Jack is dead. It can, however, be replaced with another weapon of the same type, or be repaired the instant he gives it. If Jack is hit with fists or any other weapon, the entire gang will become hostile. Note that any follower will attack Split Jack, causing the rest of the gang to become hostile.
After the duel, one of the unnamed bandits will approach, stating that while they do not want another leader, the Lone Wanderer should speak with Lepelletier about a "protection" contract. The player will be able to interact with the bandits again after making a choice with Lepelletier (see below). It is possible that even if using the weapon Split Jack gives, the bandits will turn hostile after winning the duel, making further dialogue with them impossible.
===Report to Officer Lepelletier===
If choosing not to side with the bandits, Lepelletier thanks for the assistance, but is unable to give any reward. She then asks the player to speak to Scribe Bigsley in order to receive compensation which consists of some captured Enclave gear - Enclave power armor and matching helmet, a Gatling laser, a plasma pistol and ammunition for the same. The quest will then be complete.
If choosing to join the bandits after killing Split Jack, two extortionist options will be available that will both decrease Karma (by 200 points). The first option is to blackmail Lepelletier for 500 caps immediately after passing a Speech check in exchange for stopping the attacks. The Lone Wanderer can tell her that they want 500 caps now, and 500 caps after the attacks have stopped, but she will refuse and still only give them 500 caps. The second option is to make her pay a weekly "protection fee" of 200 caps for the bandits stopping their attacks. If choosing the latter, the bandits can periodically be spoken to at the wharf for a share of the 200 caps for the rest of the game. The quest will complete upon finishing these dialogue options.
If any of the evil options are chosen, Lepelletier will tell the player that she will kill them if they ever talk to her again; and indeed, if she is spoken to after completing the quest, she becomes hostile, as well as the Rivet City guards outside the ship (but not inside the city itself). Meanwhile, if any option other than the "protection fee" is chosen, the remaining bandits at the wharf will accuse the player of backstabbing and attack them when spoken to.
==Rewards==
* 100 XP
* Enclave power armor and helmet
* Gatling laser
* Plasma pistol
* 29 electron charge packs
* 16 energy cells
==Quest stages==
==Notes==
* At the ambush site:
** The water caravan trader and their brahmin cannot be saved, it is scripted that they die.
** It is possible for both of the Rivet City guards to survive. When interacting with either of them, they will say they need to report back to Lepelletier immediately and leave.
** It is possible for one of the bandits to be "unkillable"; they may be killed but their inventory will be inaccessible and any surviving officers will continue to attack them perpetually (but not followers).
* At Wilhelm's Wharf:
** If wearing a full set of metal armor while talking to Split Jack for the first time, he will remark that one is already in the gang uniform.
** If the player successfully convinces Jack that his extortion scheme is pointless because the water is free, he and his gang will kill Grandma Sparkle, and they will then leave the area.
** It is possible that an Enclave soldier will walk into Wilhelm's Wharf and attack before starting the battle with Split Jack. The soldier will likely kill a couple of the members if not all without some intervention.
* While battling Split Jack in challenge combat:
** Split Jack's bandits tend to get close to the fight and in the way, making it possible to accidentally hit them and turn them hostile.
** Any followers will join in the fight with Jack, causing his crew to attack as well. Have the follower wait inside Grandma Sparkle's shack or they will rush in and start shooting. Also, the Mysterious Stranger counts as an ally, and if he appears in V.A.T.S., the rest of the gang will attack.
** Split Jack does not block as often when being attacked in V.A.T.S.
* After dealing with the gang:
** If deciding not to side with the bandits after killing Split Jack, they will become hostile upon a return to Wilhelm's Wharf, but only if engaging in dialogue with them. They will answer with "Backstabbed us and sold us out, did ya? You're gonna pay for that." Grandma Sparkle will most likely run away from the firefight and return when it has stopped. She goes on acting as if the bandits were never there.
* After talking with Lepelletier and then waiting for 2–5 in-game days outside of Rivet City, the caravan will sometimes spawn at the ambush point. The merchant and brahmin may be dead, the officers alive, and the bandits' bodies strewn about.
Category:Broken Steel quests
de:Beschützen des Wasserwegs
ru:Защита караванов
uk:Захист караванів