Prologue

2281 October 19th: The Courier wakes up in Goodsprings after being shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave. He swears vengeance on the men that left him for dead.

2282 March 13th: With the help of ten thousand Mk II securitrons the Courier defeats Caesars Legion; after the battle is over he uses the securitrons to force all NCR military personnel out of the Mojave and back to California. The Courier then takes control of the Hoover Dam and New Vegas with the help of his securitrons.

2282 April 6th: After many weeks of negotiations the Courier reins in order by forming the United Mojave Alliance. The first members to join are The Boomers, The BoS, The Great Khans, all the factions on the Strip, and The Followers of the Apocalypse.

2282 April 11th: The Constitution of the UMA is drafted and the UMA Council is formed; the Boomers, the BoS, the Khans, the Strip, and the Followers are given seats on the Council.

2282 April 28th: The securitrons are stored back under the weather monitoring station. The Chairmen and the Omerta's are to act as local law enforcement for the Strip while the Brotherhood guards the dam. The Boomers, after given control of the Searchlight airport, guard both the northern and southern borders. The Khans are low on manpower so one hundred Mk II securitrons are sent to guard the western borders until the Khans fully recover their numbers. The Followers are given access to technology from the Lucky 38 and Big Mt. The Brotherhood is given control of HELIOS One, the REPCONN headquarters, and the REPCONN test site. The Boomers are given planes and bombers from Camp McCarran to repair and study. The Great Khans are given back Bitter Springs and the surrounding area.

2282 May 22nd: The Kings join the UMA and are given a seat on the Council. With their help Freeside joins as well and the Kings continue to act as the local law enforcement for Freeside.

2282 August 20th: The Courier begins negotiations with representatives from all the towns and settlements in the Mojave.

2282 August 27th: After an exhausting week of negotiations, North Vegas and Westside sign under the UMA but maintain their relationship with New Vegas as independent entities. The towns of Goodsprings, Primm, Novac, and the repopulated town of Nipton all join the UMA. Each town having worked out their specific terms and conditions.

2283 February 4th: The Courier asks the Council for volunteers from all towns and factions across the Mojave to form a military for the UMA. Up until this point the Mojave settlements were protected by local militias. The number of UMA citizens that respond is staggering, three hundred and seventy-five men and women. They are sent to Camp McCarran to be trained by Brotherhood paladins and some volunteers from the Boomers. Some of the soldiers who do exceptionally well are hand picked by the Courier to join the Mojave Guardians.

Mojave Guardians: A hand picked special task force specializing in covert operations, assassinations, sabotage missions, VIP extraction, and intelligence gathering. They operate by themselves or in pairs.

2283 February 5th: The Mojave Wasteland is united under one flag.

2283 June 6th: The Courier sends securitrons and repair bots to the pump stations, New Vegas Steel, The Quarry, H&H Tools Factory, and Hoover Dam. It takes months but the pump stations are brought back online after the flood damage has been repaired. New Vegas Steel is made operational again and begins production of Mk III securitrons; which are designed for labor and construction rather than combat. Mk II and Mk III securitrons sent to the Quarry securing the area and work begins again. All the generators at Hoover Dam are brought back online and supply power to all of the Mojave.

2283 October 21st: Two thousand Mk IV securitrons are designed and manufactured as improved versions of the Mk II's. They are faster, smarter, and more heavily armored.

2284 January 28th: Eight hundred NCR soldiers still loyal to General Oliver invade the Mojave, without orders from President Kimball, to take back the dam sparking the first official military campaign of the UMA.

2284 January 30th: In retaliation to the invasion the generals of the UMA lead five hundred soldiers into battle backed by three hundred Mk IV securitrons. The Courier dispenses Guardians for assassination, infiltration, and sabotage operations. The Guardians manage to infiltrate and extract NCR VIP's from behind enemy lines with no casualties.

2284 July 7th: The UMA's first military campaign comes to an end after General Oliver's forces surrender. The death toll comes to one hundred and fifty-four UMA soldiers KIA. Twelve Guardians are KIA. Three hundred thirty-two NCR troopers KIA. The Courier personally oversees the capture and transport of General Lee Oliver. All remaining enemy POWs are escorted by thirty Guardians through the Mojave Outpost back into NCR territory.

2284 July 9th: After the memorials are completed General Oliver is publicly executed by firing squad. He is charged with the war crimes committed by NCR troops he led into the Mojave on July 28th. He is charged for the murder of 32 civilians, forced labor of POWs, the torture of POWs, and the execution/murder of 47 POWs.

2284 August 7th: A service is held for the families of the dead and monuments for the fallen are erected in each town or settlement. The monuments are simple; two life size sculptures of UMA soldiers are holding battle rifles. The soldier on the left is standing at attention and the one on the right is leaning casually against a large memorial plaque framed by solid granite. The memorials list the names and birthdates of every soldier that was KIA.

2284 August 8th: The UMA Council and Kimball sign a treaty reopening the Mojave Outpost. Hoping to end hostilities between the two nations in exchange for excess power from the dam and open trade routes.

2284 December 1st: All major roads have been repaired; the walls of New Vegas have been replaced with concrete from The Quarry; The H&H factory is mass producing materials to replace and improve the existing infrastructure of the UMA.

2285 April 8th: Present day.

Chapter One

The Courier

Present day 0800 hours, Lucky 38 presidential suite:

A man in an armored vault suit. He's sitting on a rocky outcropping beside a highway. Waiting. A caravan is ambushed. The guards are killed. The caravaneer is captured. She begs for her life.

"Oh hush missy, it'll be alright; I just want a little fun is all. It'll be-"

"The biggest mistake you ever made." The man in the tattered vault suit appeared beside the raider. His voice is familiar. The hammer clicks. The raider's head explodes with a boom.

The Couriers eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, the Lucky 38's presidential suit. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked to his right. A wave of emotion flooded his heart. Cass had draped her arm across his stomach and laid her head on his chest. A faint smile and a few locks of her red hair obscuring her beautiful face. The Courier brushed the hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. Her smile grew slightly and she mumbled something before rolling over onto her side. He quietly extracted himself from the bed. He snatched up his cloths and his boots. It was still early so, not wanting to wake her, he went to the bathroom to dress.

The near constant fighting for survival and traveling the wastelands had not been kind to the Couriers body. At twenty seven years old he had reached his prime; and now the years of hardship were starting to show. He looked into the mirror at the man that was staring back at him. He stood roughly six feet and some inches tall with sun bleached brown hair, his eyes were a dark brown that almost looked black. He had scars, burns, and bullet wounds all across his broad shoulders and down his back, and each scar told a story.

After pulling on his combat pants he adjusted the knee plates so they fit comfortably. Then came the arduous task of lacing the combat boots. After spending five minutes making sure the laces were perfect, he secured one of his bullet belts with the .44 revolver in its holster. He made a note in his Pip-Boy about the dream so that he could visit Dr. Usanagi later. He looked down into the porcelain sink letting his mind wander.

He had asked her about the dreams in the hopes that it would help him remember anything about who he was. He had been going to her for help over the past few weeks and her theory was that the man in his dreams was him. The man certainly fit the bill, but the dreams were brief and unclear. He had seen landmarks of the old world in the dreams and if Usanagi was right, then he had to go find them. The fact that it might trigger something was enough to make him want to pack up and leave. But he couldn't do that. Not now anyway, so he closed his eyes. He concentrated hard on the voice, the people, and the locations…nothing. He was frustrated with himself for not being able to remember despite the fact that it was out of his control.

A pair of arms snaked through his own and around his waist, Cass had woken up to an empty bed. His side of the bed was still warm so she knew he hadn't gone far.

"You had another dream." She stated more as a fact than a question. She waited as he stayed silent; knowing he was still partially lost in thought.

"I did." He turned to face her and looked into her eyes. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and with Usanagi's help I know the places in my dreams are real, the landmarks and monuments. If I ever want to remember who I am…I think my best chance is to leave; to go to those places." His eyes searched hers for a reaction. "But I can't just leave you and our-" he was cut off by a slap to the face. It wasn't hard, but it definitely wasn't soft either.

"Don't you dare get all 'macho-man' protective over me." She said with a scowl, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth.

The Courier was grinning, he pulled her into a bear hug, "There's the woman I love, good morning honey." He was rewarded for his greeting with a shot to the kidney, making him grunt in pain and loosen his grip.

Cass slipped out of his arms, "And don't get all lovey-dovey on me either, asshole." She laughed. To say that the Courier and Cass had a strange relationship was like saying radiation is dangerous. Everyone knew it but nobody really understood it. "I'll go make some coffee. Cook up some of those gecko eggs we've got in refrigerator." She said walking to the kitchen, "And stop starring at my ass!"

After breakfast they went up to the penthouse to relax on some of the many couches and chairs. As they looked out over the city the Courier couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. He had helped craft this, the Mojave was a safer place because of his actions. It was a rising power on par with the NCR, and everyone knew it.

The Courier was gazing out the window at New Vegas when it hit him like a brick wall. "Look out the window and tell me what you see." He said without looking back at Cass.

"I'd say I see New Vegas," Cass responded. "But there's something else you see isn't there?"

The Courier nodded, "I just realized that the Mojave doesn't need me to push it in the right direction anymore, it's too big for that now. With the Council making most of the decisions 'The Courier," he used his fingers to make air quotes, "is nothing more than an urban legend." He wasn't sad about it, if the smirk on his face was anything to go by he was happy. "That's a good thing; I can stop bothering with all the political bullshit. I can focus on finding answers."

"You're going to the places from your dreams…" Cass hesitated. "That's not exactly close by. It'll take years for you to get there."

The Courier paused, "You've got two things wrong," He turned to look Cass in the eye. "First off, I won't be going alone. At least I hope I won't." He looked at Cass for a response.

"It's about damn time we got back on the road!" She yelled at him smiling. "It's been too long since we've traveled farther than the road to Novac. What was the second thing though?"

"It's not going to take years." He grinned. "It'll only take a few weeks. Remember when I took a few of the Guardians to capture Oliver's second in command?" He asked, "We came back a week before schedule with our VIP and three vertibirds. It's amazing how much distraction and panic you can cause with a few well-timed explosions." He said remembering the night.

2284 April 20th, 0200 hours

"It's a pretty nice place for a temporary base of operation." The Courier muttered under his breath observing Moore's command tent, it was two in the morning and they had just executed phase one of the extraction. They had Moore, who was unconscious, crammed into one of the two wooden supply boxes. The second box was half full of ammo and intel they gathered from CO's tent.

"Yes sir it is…" Mitch, aka Guardian-two, grumbled quietly wiring the distraction. "Sir, the C4 is hot n' ready." He stated with a slightly proud undertone.

"Alright men, just like we planned." Neil, aka Guardian-three, grinned. "Drinks on me if we pull this off without firing a round." Neil always found light in situations like this. Here the three of them were forty klicks behind enemy lines preforming a covert operation and twenty klicks past any hope of reinforcements. Their objective was to extract Brigadier General Cassandra Moore, who had been promoted from colonel, from the middle of the NCR's base of operations. The idea behind mission was to convince the NCR that it didn't matter where they drew the front lines on their war maps; that nowhere was safe. It weakened the overall morale and at the same time it removed some major commanding officers.

The three of them had collected solid intel that the NCR was preparing shock troopers for an attack on Primm to end a three day siege. They also had intel suggesting that Cassandra Moore was stationed at that very same base. So the Courier opted to send himself and two Guardians to perform an extraction to cripple the chain of command and find a way to stop the shock troopers.

"Alright," the Courier stood straightening his NCR uniform. "Neil you're helping me with Moore's crate," he said as the two lifted the crate with ease. "Mitch you've got the other crate. Remember our alibi; we're just transporting some extra supplies to the vertibirds."

"Roger that, let's get going. I can't stand this NCR outfit; it chafes in all the wrong places." Mitch complained.

"We can get you some baby powder when we get back to friendly territory." Neil grunted.

"Can the chatter you two, we're oscar-mike." The Courier snapped.

"Yes sir," both of them echoed.

They made their way out of the tent and turned left toward the vertibirds that were one hundred yards away from the CO's tent. There were a few guards patrolling the base however most of them were guarding the outskirts in observation towers. A sergeant came out of the tent suddenly and bumped into Mitch. Fuck.

"Hey now, what's the hurry men?" The sergeant asked with an eyebrow raised. Mitch had to recover quickly or risk compromising phase two of the operation.

"Sorry sergeant, we're loading up a few last minute supplies for the heavy troops tomorrow. You can never have too much ammo." Mitch replied confidently.

"I heard that." The sergeant laughed, "Tomorrow we give those bastards the what-for, it'll teach them what happens when you piss on the Bear." He nodded before walking off. "As you were, soldiers."

"Yes sir," Mitch returned the gesture. The three of them continued through the maze of tan tents and fire pits to the landing pads, passing only one other patrol. When they got to the landing pads they loaded Moore and the intel onto the first vertibird. Both crates were strapped into the cargo net so that they wouldn't shift during the flight.

"Alright men, remember your training in the flight simulators and this'll go off without a hitch. Neil go to the vertibird down there," the Courier said pointing at the bird on the opposite end of the pad. "I want Mitch to be able to see my signal."

They had Moore, now they had to extract her. It was time to execute phase two. Mitch got into his vertibird and looked to his left for less than a minute before turning back to the Courier. He gave a thumbs up, the signal that Neil was in his bird ready for lift off The Courier took one last glance at the base and gave Mitch the signal to blow the roof off of this base.

Reaching into his pocket he retrieved the detonator, he always loved when things went smoothly. Mitch looked out at the camp with his finger on the detonator, "And here, we…go." He pulled the trigger and on the other side of the camp the mess hall exploded in a ball of fire. Mitch had placed it next to the fuel supply for the stoves. Panic. Their engines roared to life as the trigger was pulled again. Fifty yards outside the base three massive explosions shuddered through the camp. Diversion. The vertibirds were in the air, turning to make their getaway, when Mitch pulled the trigger for the third and final time. The CO's tent, in the heart of the base, was blown to kingdom come as the vertibirds made their way back to UMA territory.

"Well done men. Neil, I'm looking forward to that hooch you're buyin' me," laughed Mitch through the squad radio.

"Stay frosty you two, we're still executing phase two." The Courier scolded them through the radio, and then laughed. "But god damn it, I love when a plan comes together like that! Good work, that'll send them all the way back to the planning board."

They flew all night and at five in the morning they could see the UMA boarder. "Mojave Outpost Bravo, this is Guardian-one actual, how copy over?"

After a few moments of static someone answered, "Solid copy, this is Mojave Outpost Bravo, go ahead."

"Requesting permission to land, we're flying three enemy birds. We've got solid intel and one pissed off NCR officer in custody."

"Roger that, you've been cleared for landing. Welcome home Guardians."

Present day 0930 hours

"So," he said walking over to the couch where Cass was sitting, her feet kicked up onto the table. "We'll take one of the birds, some supplies, and scram tomorrow morning." He sat down next to the one person who loved to travel as much as he did. "What do you think?"

She looked at him hard with a gaze that could make a deathclaw turn tail and head for the hills. After a full minute her gaze finally slipped and she smirked, "I can't think of a better way to get back onto the road." She pulled him into a lung crushing hug. Her voice no louder than a whisper, "And I've always wanted to see the east coast."

Authors note: There's a few shameless movie references in here somewhere, see if you can spot them, some are harder than others to spot. I had most of this written so the next chapter will take a little while longer.

The Courier and Cass. It's probably been done before but I'm trying my hand at it. She's not the type that falls head over heels once she meets the 'right guy'. In the game she tells you that she isn't looking for anything more than someone to travel with, but that's the game…and this is my story. She maintains her gruff and tough personality from the game, but the two of them do have deep feelings for each other and they will show it in private. But mostly it'll be like the relationship you have with Cass in the game.

P.S. Please let me know what you'd like to see happen. Ideas, suggestions, and criticism are always welcome. It lets me know that people are actively reading what I write.