Factory Fracas

"us workers know the only time the bosses will lift a finger to save our lives is when theirs are on the line!"

Factory Fracas is a quest in Wasteland 3: Battle of Steeltown.

Background
''Abigail Markham wants us to go down to her War-Bot Factory and end the conflict there between the workers and the guards. She has also requested that we minimize casualties and destruction.''

Walkthrough
Welcome to the middle of an old timey labor dispute! Pinkertons, err, Karl Ludlow's goons are trying to break a strike led by Salene Crow, and you're here to break the stalemate. Pick up disruption guns from Lazar Blazer (Markham really doesn't like her workers being shot) and head with Di in tow to the elevator.

Down there you're introduced to Ludlow and Crow in the middle of a conversation, which ends with Karl angrily shooting the holoprojector and bemoaning his inability to murder workers because of Markham's order and, more importantly, the giant armored door separating him from his victims. After a brief discussion, Di proposes blasting through the door with a laser cannon mounted on a war-bot (good thing you're in the war-bot factory). So you have your marching orders. Ludlow will stay behind, but not out of your hair. Head over to the assembly line through the door near the control booth.

Your first encounter is with Giles, on the barricades. Approach the robot dog and you get the chance to introduce yourself and more importantly, defuse the situation. The workers ask for the robot dog to be shut down and stop harassing them. You can call Ludlow and get him to disable it with Kiss Ass 8. After the dog's done, Giles is willing to provide some more context on the situation, describing Ludlow's management style, and eventually he'll ask the big question: Why are your Rangers trying to get through? You can openly declare what you want to do, but need Kiss Ass 8 to explain that cutting through the door is necessary to resolve the conflict. In the nearby locked shed (Lockpick 8 and Explosives 8 for the trap) you'll find Luna Moon. Head up the stairs to the northwest to reach the war-bot leg assembly section.

After assembling the legs, head down to the next station, south. You'll run into Reg, who is busy tearing apart the machines with his crew. You can pacify some of his crew with Hard Ass 8, as they will wilt once they consider the risk of being shot, rather than stunned. The resulting combat encounter will be an introduction to a new mechanic, Powerloaders, which lock on and attack targets with wanton abandon. Remember to use disruption weapons to deal with the workers non-lethally (and dismiss your friendly critters). Then just reassemble the bot.

The final step is the laser cannon. Combat here is unavoidable and you'll be facing four workers under Mabelle and a powerloader. After disposing of them, mount the laser gun on the war-bot. Then head out the northern door and return to Ludlow to make the big decision: Side with Crow, Ludlow, or something else entirely. Before the war bot starts cutting, Di will offer to disable the war-bot to keep the non-lethal options open, once the door is destroyed. You can agree to score points.

Inside is the big finale, a confrontation between Salene Crow and Ludlow, where you can act as a mediating party and listen to both sides. Ludlow plays up his humanitarian side, that he deliberately disobeyed orders from the Computation Engine to give the workers some slack (while profiting off it handsomely, as Crow points out), and that he was just following orders. Crow explains that the situation was completely unbearable and (true to history) that the only possible moment for striking was with the gangs closing in, which would force management to come to the table and bargain with the workers. Crow will generally be much more open to the Rangers if they didn't kill anyone on the way in.

Finally, you have to choose: Arrest Crow, Ludlow, or both of them. This devolves into a brutal fight where you have Crow in a powerloader and her rebellious workers, Ludlow with robots, and if you decided to arrest both, a menage a trois. Once the chosen enemies are down to about 1/3 health, they'll yield, giving you the option to arrest them.


 * Outcomes
 * Crow: Salene will ask the Rangers to bring a list of demands upstairs to Markham. The workers will get back to work. Mention this to Markham and she will agree to talk.
 * Ludlow:
 * Both:

Rewards

 * Hazard shield launcher, Elite pneumatic gauntlet recipe, Money