Chasing Bounties
Hey everyone, this New Vegas story is an AU piece, which means that it shouldn't be considered officially canon. It features my Courier Birdie Church, and my friend Fantasmagoriam's OC Flavia Morales. I hope you folks enjoy!
I do not own Fallout: New Vegas, that belongs to Obsidian and Bethesda
Death was about to rain down upon the Legion encampment below, they just didn't know it yet. They went about their make-shift camp, keeping the campfire blazing and their slaves in-check, not even realizing that today was their last day on this nuclear-soaked world. On a ledge high above, leering down upon the Legion encampment, were the two people ready to bring death to these Legionaries.
One was a man, wearing a red beret and a pair of sunglasses, his sniper rifle trained on the encampment below; his name, Craig Boone. The other was a woman, her brown hair tied up into a ponytail and a scowl etched onto her tanned face, as she was busy reloading the worn trail carbine in her hands; her name, Flavia Morales.
"How many do you see?" Flavia inquired, an intrigued tone to her voice.
"Ten or eleven, with a few dogs." Boone muttered. "Also got about three slaves. We gotta free them."
"Yeah but we'll have to kill all those Legion bastards first." Flavia responded. "Except for the leader, the guy with the fancy cape held on by an animal skull."
"Yeah, Cornua Apri." Boone answered, letting out a small grunt. "Got a 750 cap bounty on his head by the NCR."
"And since we're running out of caps, seems like a perfect time to take out some scum." Flavia stated, finishing reloading her trail carbine. "Got a clear line of sight?"
"Yeah, see Apri right in my scope." Boone grunted. "Could blow his head right off, right now."
"Aim lower, if you're gonna shoot him." Flavia responded. "We need the head as proof to get the caps."
"I know, don't – wait a minute." Boone muttered, the frown on his face deepening. "Someone's attacking the camp."
Now that made Flavia stop dead in her tracks. Placing her rifle down on the ground, the woman made her way to the ledge and looked down at the Legion camp; sure enough, all hell was breaking loose. The distance was pretty far and it hard to make out some details, but Flavia was pretty sure that there were currently two people causing hell down there. Some of the tents had caught on fire and a few of the Legionnaires laid dead on the ground, as these two people slashed and smashed their way through anyone in their way.
"Looks like someone beat us to that bounty." Boone muttered, shaking his head. "Gotta keep looking."
"Bullshit, Boone." Flavia growled. "We had this bounty first, we've been hunting this bastard for two weeks now. I'm not giving up this bounty without a fight!"
Before the NCR sniper could say anything, Flavia was already running down the ledge and was heading straight down towards the Legion encampment, her rifle cocked and ready to fire. Boone just stood there for a few moments before letting out a small sigh and shaking his head, before following after Flavia.
"Always running straight into danger…." Boone muttered to himself.
The Legion camp was ablaze, the slaves had escaped and most of the Legionnaires laid dead. The hot Mojave sand was stained red with the blood of the Bull, and Cornua Apri knew the end was here for him. The Legion captain was currently kneeling on the dirty Mojave ground, blood pouring from a wound on his skull, with two of his Legionnaires kneeling side by side with him. The one on his right had a stern look on his face, a veteran called Stultus, and the one of his left was a new member, a young boy by the name of Kessel. And as Apri looked up, he looked into the eyes of the woman who currently held their fate in her hands.
Her skin was dark and her eyes were a deep shade of brown, her head shaved bald. Her armour was stained with blood, and her machete had turned a deep red. But the look in this woman's eyes, that's what drew Cornua's attention; they weren't blazing with anger but were devoid of emotions, like ice. It was a look Cornua had seen many times; either from soldiers who had been in one too many battles or from slaves who had served for too long in the Legion.
"My name is Birdie Church, and I am your angel of death." The woman stated, as she stared at the three men kneeling in front of you. "I have seen what the Legion has done, what they do to women, and I say 'enough'. No more will the Legion continue to act this way, without receiving any type of punishment. I have already cast judgement upon the rest of the Legionnaires here, and you three shall all receive judgement."
"Can we just get rid of them now and head back?" A new voice inquired. "No offence but dead bodies and burning tents isn't what I'd consider a good date."
Another woman soon appeared in the field of vision, a wide grin on her face. Her face was mostly hidden, due to the fact she wore a hood and a dirty cloak that covered most of her body. A worn power fist rested on one of her hands and a small grin was evident on her face.
"I'm sorry Ronnie, but I have some Legion scum to deal with." Birdie responded. "Once they've been dealt with, I promise we can head back home and relax."
"Do your worst, witch." Stultus interrupted, a scowl etched onto his face. "We may die today, but the Bull will continue on to win Hoover Dam. And Caesar will take you and your profligate slut and crucify the-!"
The world would never know how Stultus would finish that sentence, as the sound of a gun firing filled the air. Blood splurted everywhere, hitting Coruna and Kessel, as Stultus collapsed to the ground in a heap. His eye was a bloodied mess, as that was where the bullet had entered. Birdie and Veronica quickly whipped their heads around, weapons drawn, as they laid their eyes on the culprit; a man with a beret and a sniper rifle and a scowling woman carrying a brush gun.
"Who the hell are you?" Birdie demanded, scowl etched on her face.
"Doesn't matter who we are, I'm here for that old bastard in the Legion outfit." The woman answered, offering a scowl back. "Just hand over Coruna, and nobody dies. Well…except Coruna."
"And yet you're pointing guns at me and my lover." Birdie stated. "You're not offering me anything in the form of trust. How do I know you're not Legion sympathizers?"
"Fuck no! I have no damn love for the Legion." The woman growled. "And honestly, you are really starting to piss me off."
Birdie stood there for a while, staring at the woman and the sniper, before brandishing her machete and taking a step forward. A blood bath was definitely about to commence, if it wasn't for Veronica saving the day by stepping in front of Birdie.
"Wooooah, now wait a minute. Before we go and start killing each other, could we try and talk things out first?" Veronica demanded, looking at the two parties. "I'm Veronica, and this is Birdie. We've bene hunting Coruna cause we heard he was carrying some slaves back to the Fort, and we were just trying to stop them. Okay? I promise, I'm being honest here."
`The four stood their ground and stared at each other, seemingly
Well fine, since we're doing introductions…the name's Flavia, my friend's name is Boone, and we're here for Coruna cause he has a 750 cap bounty on his head." Flavia stated. "So I'm here for that damn bounty, and you're not gonna take that from me."
"Bounty?" Birdie inquired. "I'm not interested in any bounty."
"Bullshit." The woman fired back. "Why else would you willingly storm into a Legion encampment, if you're not interested in a bounty?"
"Revenge, for what the Legion has done. For all the pain and suffering they've brought down upon the world, and the women and children who have suffered in the name of Caesar." Birdie explained. "That is why I am here, not to claim some caps."
"Sounds noble, but I don't believe you." Flavia answered, cocking her gun. "So unless you hand over Coruna's head, things aren't going to end well."
Birdie stood there silently, her eyes still as cold as ever, before she pounced. The woman turned around and jumped onto Coruna, jamming her machete deep into the Legionary's throat. Veronica and Boone stood shocked, while Flavia had a disgusted look on her face, as Birdie repeatedly slammed her machete into the throat of Coruna, until finally his head came clean off. Birdie grabbed the decapitated head and stared into the horrified eyes of the dead Legionary, before tossing the head at Flavia and Boone.
"Not a particularly clean cut, but the head is still recognizable. You should be able to get the full bounty from the NCR." Birdie stated, dusting off her pants. "Our business has concluded, so you can leave now."
"…the hell is wrong with you?" Flavia asked, as she bent to pick up Coruna's head. "You've got some screws loose or something?"
"I told you, Im not interested in the bounty, just revenge." Birdie stated simply. "Now enjoy your caps, while I deal with the rest of this Legion scum."
Silence passed between the two women, staring at each other, as if playing some game of chicken. After what seemed like an eternity, Flavia let out a grunt, before turning around and walking away, Boone following right behind her. The sounds of screams filled the air, before they were quickly silenced, which could only mean that that woman was continuing her path of destruction. The sniper and the mercenary were silent for a while, walking across the arid Mojave desert, before Flavia finally spoke.
"Your thoughts?" Flavia inquired. "About those women, I mean."
"Wouldn't have liked to fight them, cause I doubt we would win against them, at least in a close quarter fight." Boone answered. "That woman with the machete, she was telling the truth. She wants to hurt the Legion, see it burn to the ground."
"What makes you say that?" Flavia inquired.
"Cause I've seen that look before," Boone explained. "Seen it while looking in the mirror."
"Maybe, but at least we got the bounty." Flavia retorted. "And let's just hope we don't run into those weirdos again."
Night time had fallen on the Mojave desert, washing the irradiated sand in pitch blackness. The only light for miles around was a small crackling campfire, surrounded by two figures, one with a machete and the other wearing a dirty cloak.
"She had a point, you know?" Veronica stated.
"Are you referring to the two bounty hunters?" Birdie inquired, eyebrow raised. "And what point did she have, exactly?"
"The woman, Flavia, about you hacking off that Legionnaire's head." Veronica explained. "I mean you have to admit, that was pretty barbaric."
A small chuckle escaped Birdie's lips, as she scratched at her throat. Veronica couldn't help but smile at Birdie's response; the woman was usually a fortress, not wanting to show any emotions to anyone and being a general hard-ass. The moments when Birdie finally opened up, when she cut loose a bit and showed off the woman underneath the burn marks and anger, that was what made Veronica's day.
"I will admit, my actions were a bit…aggressive. But you can't deny that they didn't work." Birdie retorted. "Those two bounty hunters left with their prize, but most importantly left us alone to continue our work."
"So I guess the answer to any problem is by chopping off people's heads." Veronica retorted, a grin on her face. "What's next for us, chief?"
"I think its time to return to the Strip, and see what task Mr House has for us next." Birdie explained. "It has been a while since we dealt with the Omertas and the White Glove Society, and I suspect House might be getting somewhat antsy."
"You sure that's smart, Bird?" Veronica inquired, eyebrow raised. "I mean, lets look at Mr House's track record. The guy sent us first to the Fort, where all the Legion and their misogynistic beliefs reside. Then he had us running dodge artillery shells and deal with the Boomers, and then had us deal with cannibalistic gamblers and Legion-helping Omertas. No offence Bird, but all our missions with Mr House tend to be…well, painful."
"True, but the man does pay well." Birdie responded. "And anyway, its better than helping the NCR or the Legion out. I am not the biggest fan of House, but I do believe that he is the best chance the Mojave has, in surviving this war."
And Chasing Bounties is done and dusted! Once again, a major huge thank you to Fantasmagoriam for allowing me to use her OC Flavia Morales for this story, it means the absolute world to me! But anyway, I hope to see you folks soon!
Love,
The Desert Dancer
