It was only through great willpower that Vulpes Inculta managed to listen to the great Caesar's speech and still watch every motion of the woman's body at the same time. He and Legate Lanius had already been honored for their feats, and he just knew that the woman would be too.

The Legionaries were still quiet, as no one would dare interrupt Caesar even now, but soon the night would be filled with screams of victory - and other less pleasant screams, Vulpes thought as he looked at the frightened NCR soldiers who had been captured alive. They were merely slaves now. He silently wondered how many of them would survive this night, how many would fall prey to the blood lust that many Legionaries still maintained, the 2nd Hoover Dam battle still fresh in their minds. He wondered how many women would be lucky enough to be killed instead of raped, and how the even luckier ones would just get beaten up for fun. That luck would probably not last them long here, though.

His mind flicked back into reality as the woman - the Courier kneeled in front of Caesar. With no small amount of surprise he listened as Caesar proclaimed that for her contributions she was to be honored with a golden coin adorning her face, new value for their currency that would be distributed across the entire Mojave Wasteland. He could see the surprise on many faces around him, but no one would dare speak against the great Caesar.

"You honor me, great Caesar." She spoke, her tone as neutral as always, though she was bowing her head deeply in respect. She was rewarded with a smirk in response.

"Stand tall." Caesar ordered. She obeyed. He turned to the mass of Legionaries again. Vulpes listened intently as their leader proclaimed that this would mark the start of a new era, that the land would be painted red with the blood of their enemies.

Soon the camp was exploding with roars of victory, Vulpes joining in. When he looked at the Courier's face, he was not surprised to see that her face remained as passive as always.


Vulpes suspected that the celebration would last throughout the night. Naturally, Caesar was in a good mood, so he would allow it. He grew tired of it soon, though, so he instead wandered to one of the more quiet places in the Fort.

His lips twitched into something that might be mistaken for a smile when he spotted the Courier standing at the edge of the camp, apparently looking at the water below her. Though when he walked closer, he saw that she was just making tricks with her knife, spinning it around and exchanging it between her hands fluidly.

"I was hoping I would get the chance to talk to you tonight." He said out loud.

"And why might that be, Inculta?" She said, seemingly unconcerned. She was still spinning her knife around.

"I have always wondered," He began. When he was standing next to her, he continued. "Why would a woman want to help us?"

"You question my loyalty?" The Courier sounded bemused, though he knew she was merely imitating the emotion. Sometimes, when he finally thought he would see an emotion in her, it would merely turn out to be an act. This was one of those times. "Caesar does not. That is all that matters."

"Perhaps." He said, unconcerned. "But I am still quite... curious. Does it not bother you? Listen closely, some of the men have already started."

It was true. Although subdued, it was evident that many women were screaming in the camp.

"I hear it." She said, turning away. It bothered him a little that he could not see her face anymore, but that little gestured showed him more than her face ever had. It might have been the first emotion he had ever seen in her.

"So it does bother you." Vulpes allowed his voice to sound a little bit triumphant. "Does it bother you more because you were the cause of it?"

The Courier remained quiet.

"Yes, those other fools would never believe it, but I know. We would not have won if it had not been for you. The great Caesar acknowledged it himself, in his own way."

"I know." She whispered.

"Do you feel guilty, perhaps? Guilty that you, a woman, is one of the most respected people in the whole Legion? Yes, everyone who matters cannot help but respect you, even if they do not like you. Does it bother you that the other women get no such respect?"

The Courier gripped one of her arms. He could see the faintest hint of a tremble.

"That's it, isn't it?" Vulpes asked, finally allowing himself to smirk. He had her. "The sole reason you did this was to feel superior. What better way to prove how skilled, how intelligent you are... by rising in the ranks of Caesar's Legion, we who are notorious for treating you women like cattle. But now that you have proven how capable you are, guilt is eating away at you."

The Courier was shaking openly now. He could hear muffled crying.

Finally. Finally he did what he had always wanted to do ever since meeting that seemingly emotionless woman. Victory truly was... delicious.

"Inculta..." Vulpes could hear the woman gasp out. She turned to him, and he realized she was not crying. And the trembling was not what it had seemed at first. He took a step back.

Her lips were parted, curled up in a savage grin. Still gripping her arm, she suppressed her hysterical giggles.

"The screams of those women as they are violated..." She choked out. "They are like the sweetest lullaby to me. And the knowledge that they are my doing... oh Inculta." She licked her red lips. He realized that it was blood. "Acknowledging it was the greatest gift you could have given me."

Vulpes stared at her, still in shock.

"I have found out a long time ago," Her grin was reduced to a wide smile now. "The suffering of other people is... intoxicating. Oh, Veronica's heartbroken cries when I showed her what I had done to her 'family'. And the look on Arcade's face when I gave him to Caesar..." She reminisced fondly.

"This is the reason why I fight for the Legion. Only someone delusional or monumentally idiotic would believe that the Legion is preferable to the NCR, unless one would ignore all the slavery, rape, forceful recruitment, murder..." She snorted, smiling at him smugly. "Yes, the only reason why I fight for the Legion is because it causes people to suffer. It's not complicated, not at all like you had thought. My reasons are ridiculously simple."

"And it doesn't bother you, how most here treat you?" Vulpes found his voice again. Perhaps that was not the most relevant question right now, but he couldn't think of anything else.

The Courier actually laughed at that. "Why would someone like me concern herself with the opinions of ants like them?" She sneered. "For all his other failings, at least Caesar is capable of recognizing greatness when he sees it. Oh, don't tell me you have ever believed all this 'women are inferior' nonsense. I had thought you were smarter than this, Inculta." She sounded disappointed. "Caesar thinks he is above that, telling himself that pretending to be misogynistic is just him being pragmatic. The truth is if he was really pragmatic, he would not waste able-bodied women as breeders. So, obviously, he is misogynistic. Isn't that just amusing?"

"But even more amusing is that his ridiculous little empire will fall apart sooner or later." The Courier said, still smirking in that infuriating arrogant way. "I predict that the NCR will eventually eradicate the Legion. Of course, that will take a while. So there is still plenty of time for having fun." She sighed happily.

"Why..." Vulpes licked his dry lips. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Oh, Inculta." She looked at him, almost sadly, though in a tone that also suggested mockery. "You don't really think you will survive this conversation, do you?"

Vulpes opened his mouth. He choked, coughing blood over the Courier's hand. When...?

"The tricks with my knife weren't just for show." He heard her voice say, but wasn't really sure where it came from. He only saw black. He tried to say something again, but just a pitiful croak came forth. Darkness consumed him, and soon there were no thoughts anymore.


The Courier looked down at the dead man. She carelessly kicked him into the water.

She was not bothered at all by eventual repercussions to what she had just done. Even if someone had seen them, she knew that it would be child's play to convince Caesar that her actions had been justified. What a naive fool that man was.

Though it was a shame to kill someone as intelligent as Vulpes Inculta, the look on his face throughout her rants had been worth it. She wore cold indifference as a mask, but sometimes, just sometimes, she needed to let her emotions out. To let off some steam. To gloat. And, oh, she felt so good right now. So alive.

She licked her lips, and they twitched a little. She still felt like grinning, but she had done enough of that today, she thought.

She could hear a woman scream loudly somewhere in the camp. Hmmm. Oh, yes, that was right. There was still so much to enjoy, so much despair to bring to the people. She was going to have a great time with Caesar's Legion, however long it would last.

The Courier's lips twitched again.