The fires burn all around. The Fort, Caesars main camp is burning and so is his tent. A few miles away I can see the remaining legionaries under the command of Lanius scurrying to the desert to retreat back east. There were only a hundred or so. The Legionaries even though capable in combat hadn't stood a chance when the securitron MK IIs started pouring from the factory below. Their bodies lay everywhere. I crouched down before one of the bodies. The dead man was a praetorian guard, one of Caesars elite. From his hand I removed a curious weapon known as a "Ballistic Fist". A metallic gauntlet that had a built-in shotgun attached to a pressure plate on the knuckles. A punch with it would leave more than a bloody nose behind. I put it inside of my backpack for closer examination later. The weapon was barbaric, but extremely efficient. I closed my backpack, stood up and started making my way down the hill towards the entrance where I came from. Down the hill, Rex was laying on the ground panting.
Rex barked happily as I came down and I gave him a little scratch behind his ear. "Good boy… Come on, let's go home." I told him in a soft voice and started making my way through the decimated camp. I had seen the massive explosions and lashes of machine gun fire tearing through the sky from the dam but the Fort was in absolute ruin. There were a few damaged or destroyed Securitrons laying around but mostly only bodies of Legion soldiers. Recruits, Primes, Assassins, Centurions and Praetorians. Soldiers of all ranks had fallen under the surprise attack. I was a little worried too at the amount of the bodies. I remembered seeing children in the camp training several times and hoped that they had not too been killed. But there were no bodies, so I thought it to be most likely that they had escaped or that the Securitrons had spared them. Then I noticed something that caught my eye. I stopped dead in my tracks and Rex cocked his head at me and whined curiously. I lifted a finger and told him to stay as I moved closer to one of the bodies. I could have recognized that headware anywhere. Vulpes Inculta. The first legionary I had ever talked to, the first I ever wanted to kill. And there he lay. His fox head hat torn sunglasses cracked and blood oozing from his mouth. As gruesome as the sight was it brought a smile on my lips. The deed was done. Nipton and lord knows how many others had been avenged. I lifted my leg a little pulled it back and placed a well aimed kick to the side of his head sending his glasses flying a away. "I hope karma gets you good." I whispered and walked away whistling Rex to follow.
As we started nearing the gates of the camp Rex started growling quietly. I looked around, but saw nothing and asked him "What's wrong boy?" Just then the main gate to the Fort was blast apart. The shockwave sent me onto the ground, and Rex reeling for cover. My ears were ringing and my vision was cloudy, but I could make out some of my surroundings. I rolled down to my side and started bringing myself up too first pushing myself up on all fours then bringing my other foot to the ground to a kneeling position and then carefully starting to rise onto both feet. I regained my balance in a few seconds after swaying around and waiting for my inner ear function to return. I The dust swirled blocking any kind of visual through the gate, but I could make out 5 figures moving through the cloud. I moved my hand to my hip unclipping my revolver from my belt. Rex was carefully crawling from behind one of the torn tents and looking at the dust cloud ready to charge anything that came out. The dust started settle and the silhouettes cleared. Rex got ready to pounce forward and attack but I waved for him to stand down. I could see they weren't Legion atleast and gripped my revolver a little looser, but didn't let go of it. Four desert rangers stepped out of the cloud in full combat gear. Behind them in a mere fancy uniform a man with a smug grin on his face as wide as the Colorado. This must be general Lee Oliver. Or General-Wait-and-See as the troops usually call him. I could certainly appreciate the accuracy of the nickname now. He stepped closer and spoke to me: "Caeser on the cross, been a long time since I saw the kind of work you've laid down today, a damn long time. The screams of those Legion bastards as they kicked dirt running back east…. Like music to my ears. Speaking of which… That crazy lightshow over at The Fort? What was that, some kind of thumb of God you called down upon them? Amazing, fucking amazing. Could use a hundred of you, scatter you all over the east. Give those plumed fucks a what for." I just stared. After a minute or so I cleared my throat and responded: "Uuhh.. Thanks I guess. I can't take all the glory though since I had some help from my friends here…"
Behind the general and the rangers 20 Securitron Mk IIs were getting into positions with the Yes Man leading them.
The general nervously looked behind and mumbled: "And… Well… Uhh… Huh, these boys with you? Hello, there, smiley."
He came forward a few steps and reached inside his coat, to which the Securitrons immideately reacted by raising their weapons and aiming them at the general. Oliver stopped right where he was and then nervously laughing asked me: "Say uuh, could you tell your boys to lay down their arms. Was just reaching in my coat to hand you a cigar." I looked over his shoulder at the small company of robots at m disposal, I could easily wipe them out. The NCR would never know. They would be just a few more casualties in the battle. I looked at Oliver and stated "Hoover Dam has been won… For the state of New Vegas. I am giving you a chance to relinquish your weapons and surrender."
Suddenly the generals attitude changed very dramatically. "I would rather spit on the grave of my dead mother than let some courier-walk-the-wasteland-fuck talk to me like that. Who the hell do you think you are? Looking to cash your chips in to the sound of NCR bullets, eh? I can oblige.."
The general went for his belt to draw his 44. Magnum but before he had even clipped the holster open I was pointing him in the face with my own revolver. "General there has been enough bloodshed on this day. Lets not start more."
He stared at the barrel of the gun for a few seconds then moved his hands away from his hip. He sighed and spoke again: "Look, I know you're riding high right now, but you ain't pissing on me right now. You're pissing on the bear. You have been far enough West I'm guessing to know how far that claw stretches, fuck with the bear and…"
I pulled my revolver back pointing it at the sky and answered: "General I was hoping we could be more pleasant about this."
Oliver stood defiant and raised his fists "Noo, I came here for a fight today, and if you're looking to make me budge you better have a damn good left hook or I ain't going nowhere."
"General you must realize that your effort is hopeless, you are surrounded, outmanned and outgunned. Please I advice you to reconsider. I wish to negotiate." I tried to convince the general to stop his hostilities.
He glared at me but seemed to relax a little and sighed: "What do you mean negotiate?"
I lowered my revolver finally and answered: "As you did just say I do know how for the might of the NCR reaches. As a newly formed state Vegas cannot be threatened on two fronts. I have no intention of starting hostilities with the greatest military power in the American wasteland."
"Then why the fuck are you doing this? You can't seriously be thinking that the NCR will not retaliate to such an insult!" The general raged on me.
"Because this is best for both the New California Republic and New Vegas. If the NCR takes control of the Mojave they must assign more troops here to keep the peace and protect traders and destroy harmful wildlife. This would severily lower the NCRs grip on the west and might lead to instabilities. The NCR is not very welcome in the Mojave either. The people here will not just bend over and accept NCR rule." I explained to him calmly. "To keep the peace and make most of the use of the Mojave, Vegas needs independence. Now as I said earlier, I am giving you a chance to surrender. Relinquish your weapons and you will get to walk away from here without any deaths or injuries."
General Oliver stood there for a moment in silence. Probably thinking his options out. After a few minutes he removed his holster and dropped it onto the ground and silently whispered to his men: "Do as he says."
I walked forward and as I passed the general I patted him on the shoulder and said: "You made the right choice." I then motioned a few of the Securitrons to come to me and gave them specific orders to take General Oliver and his men somewhere safe. They saluted and rolled past him to escort them. Then the Yes Man rolled forward to address him. "You did a super job wrapping things up! And I'm not just saying that because I have to!"
"Wrapping things up?" I asked quirking an eyebrow. "No, no my friend… This is merely the beginning."
"Well of course it is, but you know with my programming I need to stay positive at all times!" The Yes Man laughed and then continued: "So any new orders boss?"
"Plenty." I said. "I want you to send a part of the Securitron army to Camp Maccarrran, Camp Golf, Camp Forlorn Hope and Bitter Springs to detain all NCR personnel. Also have the Securitrons at the Strip start rounding up any soldiers on leave. Only use non-lethal force. I want absolutely no casualties. Then also call in a meeting with the heads of the Three Families, we need to make sure that the Strip stays in order. Also invite The King to the meeting."
Yes Man nodded as well as he could and said: "Sure thing boss, anything else?"
"Yes… Take me home…" I mumbled before my vision blurred, I fell down on my knees and the darkness swallowed me.
