It works for me on piped too

There’s even a pal trader you can sell pals to. So you can literally sell people into slavery

I always thought the initial explosion was so hot it vapourised everything in a certain radius. Would an atomic frag work?

I know times are tough but who TF out here stealing batteries

I’m pretty sure the intro quest to base building is optional. Once you save Gravy and friends you can just leave and go about your day ignoring Sturges. The teleporter later on is mandatory though but that only takes a few minutes.