Courier 6

by foodwizard

An adaptation of Fallout New Vegas incorporated to include a backstory and eventually a further story for the events after the game itself.

1. Chapter 1

Imagine the novel being told as a story by the narrator talking about his memories with both first person, past, and present tenses. The first part will consist of a background story for the Courier in New Vegas. The second part will be loosely based on my (heavily modded) playthrough of the game, and it will include details from many of those mods (bounty hunting, the underground, etc). The third and final part will consist of a completely original story that will be the Couriers life after the events at the Hoover Dam leading up to him telling this story. References to Fallout 3 and 4 will be included when I feel they may be applicable.

**Chris is proficient in lockpick, long range guns, revolvers, shotguns, and is the best knife/hand-to-hand combatant in the wastes. He has an equivalent of about 50 speech, 8 strength, decent hacker, excellent repairman, melee and unarmed are very strong as well as energy weapons. He starts off terrible at stealth and close quarters but gets better as he learns which goes with his ability to adapt quickly. He is smart and a people person but doesn't always think things through and he can get overly attached to things.**

Prologue

War… War never changes…

It all started when the bombs fell. Death. Destruction. Radiation and horror. But before that, there was peace. 2077, people lived in harmony. Times were normal and happy. Kids played in the streets, and mister Handy bots tended to the houses. Then the war started. For several hours China and Russia had a contest against the US to see who could hurl the most nukes at each other. The US was drawn into darkness, but underground a beacon of light shone a new breed of hope. The vaults made by Vaultec housed thousands of survivors from the wastelands. Still all wasn't as it seemed. The vaults were all secret testing facilities for a variety of different experiments to be done on the residents. Even in the underground petri dishes, a few exceptions had to exist. A dozen or so vaults stayed true to their advertised purpose. In Reno, one such exception known as Vault 141 existed, and among its residents was man named Thomas Lane. He is now aged and out of commision, but his son Chris Broshear had just turned 25.

Chapter 1: The Awakening

2263

"Happy birthday Chris" was all I heard as I made my way down the halls. I've been in this damn bunker all my life hearing the same things from the same people every day. I'm sick of it. Hopefully someday i'll be able to go outside, if that damned Overseer gets the stick out of her ass. I make my way down the halls past the people and the bland decorations to the kitchen. 'The one good thing about having a birthday that even I can't complain about is the cake' I think to myself.

"Surprise! Happy birthday" they all yell in unison as I enter the room. Fuck. I have to interact with them. After i greet and thank them all I finally make my way back to the few real friends I have in this place. Carl, Andy, and Jessica. The four of us talk for a good hour or so before they hand me my present. A new pipboy.

"Holy shit guys where'd a find this. I thought the vaults whole stock was garbage or rust" I say.

"We had to pull a few strings, and break out quite a few dollars but we got one cleaned up and working great" says Andy.

Before I could respond I hear a loud crash coming from across the vault.

"What the fuck was that?" Asks Carl to himself.

No one responds, but we all get up to explore the sound. After wandering down the hallway we get corralled by vault security saying that there was a breach in the main door, but we should all stay calm. Exactly as I would have imagined everyone lost it and starts rushing towards their rooms looking for solace, security, or both. I quickly rush back to mine as well and find my trusty Revolver. To this day i'm still the best shot in the vault. After acquiring some hardware I make my way back to the doors and volunteer to help potentially defend us. I'm lying. By volunteer I mean "scout" outside and just happen to not come back. Little do people know i'm a bit of a psychopath and I tend to break when things try to attack me. Suffice to say after I was done with the radroaches there was no more threat to the vault, but I still needed to get out of there. I made my way back into the Vault to grab the remainder of my possessions before I would make my escape, but upon re entry I found my friends. Dead. The fucking radroaches had gotten to them. Oh I was pissed, and hell was coming to all who stood in my way. Just like my grandpa had told me about his grandfather during the great war.

He told me it started in Anchorage, my great grandfather James Lane was a member of the Marine Corps 52nd Raider unit. The best of the best. They were sent on a training mission in Alaska to test new winter tactics. Then the Chinese attacked. They came in quickly and spontaneously. In a mere week Alaska was predominantly there's, unless James had anything to say about it. Being special forces meant that his training operation and the weapons they had was strictly off the books. Which meant the Chinese had no idea what hit them when his unit struck back. It was early morning, three weeks after occupation had begun when the guard shack simply dissipated.

"Marines don't just accept defeat" my grandpa told me. "They fight till the last. Till the last enemy is standing that is".

The Chinese sent out squads to investigate, they never even made it within half a mile of James and the Raiders. Once the American command caught word of the operation they were both pissed and amazed, fortunately they chose to ignore the former and a counter attack begun. It's said we were winning with James leading a whole damn regiment before the first bomb went off. Poor bastards in DC didn't stand a chance. Grandpa said the White House was hit directly. From what i've heard there were vaults in the area that managed to save groups of civilians, but the Pentagon and our government was gone.

"They broke our bones, killed our people, attacked our home, but those bastards never broke the American spirit" my grandpa would always say.

James had been able to secure my great great grandma Mary entrance to Vault 141. James told them he was gonna finish the fight no matter what it took, that hardass bastard was a determined motherfucker. He fought the Chinese all over the US, commanding Marines left and right. Even when he was wounded so badly that his leg needed amputation, it took a direct order from his OIC to make him leave the combat zone. He moved into the vault just four days before Nevada was hit. For a full day the US and China had a nuclear throwing match with each other. They devastated us but we hit those fuckers back twice as hard. When it was over the bombs were depleted and everyone was either in a vault, dead, or missing and presumed to be gone forever. James never gave up hoping till the day he died. Grandpa said he was told that James's last words were "Semper Fi till the day i die". I would love to have met that man.

I looked over the bodies of my only friends in the world and cried for at least two hours. The rest of the vault let me be. Good choice. Once I composed myself I vowed to live the dream the three of us wanted, to get out of this shithole and make a life in the land my relatives called home. The US of A. I took my present, my revolver, and as much food as I could carry and walked straight through security into the wasteland.

It all hit me at once, the smells, the light, the sounds. I fell to the ground and fought the urge to crawl back in my bed and forget my plans. After several minutes I managed to recompose myself and start walking. I felt odd in my jumpsuit, something wasn't right. I thought back to the books my grandpa had given me about the old west. Cowboys and Indians had once ruled these lands long before the war. I always thought it would be badass to be a cowboy.

"Maybe I might be able to find some of those types of clothes someday" I thought to myself more jokingly that seriously. Little did I know.

I walked for what seemed like days until I happened across a very old structure. A mat was outside the door with the words 'welcome' strewn across them.

"Odd" I said aloud before making my way inside revolver drawn. The house was empty but i did manage to scavenge an old comic book from a wooden nightstand. Then I lied down in bed and slept.

That night I was plagued with nightmares of my friends and what I might find out in the wastes. My night was less than comfortable but I needed sleep and energy. In the morning I ate a few pieces of meat and drank some water before I decided to try and scope out my surroundings. I pulled up my pipboy and looked at the maps it had built in, it said it was synced with road maps from a year before the war and that I was in a town named Reno. The map made it look quite large but all I saw when I looked around was death and despair. Many large empty buildings towered on the horizon in the distance. I combed through my house one more time and found a scoped .308 rifle under the bed.

"Fuck me I need to search shit better".

I made my way out of the house and started walking forward towards town. As I got closer and closer I began to see human looking shapes walking around. I was thrilled to see people, hell I almost jumped in joy. Then I remembered that not all people are nice. I grabbed my newfound rifle with its eight bullets and scoped down. There was four of them, they were clad in leather armor and had shotguns and what looked like some sort of rifle. Definitely didn't look friendly. My dad had taught me how to shoot in the Vault firing range and I took my training to heart. I aimed down the scope, held my breathe, and slowly squeezed the trigger until a round went off. Before they knew what was going on, they had hit the floor. I popped the other two down and continued forward towards them, being cautious of any other potential threats along the way. The bodies had nothing of much value other than the weapons which I gladly took before i moved on. I noticed a large supply of bottle caps on each man, not knowing what they were for I took them. Might find answers eventually. After I made my way past the bodies, I continued towards the large buildings. They were tall, Grandpa used to talk about the stories he heard about skyscraper. Buildings so tall that they touched the sky. As a child I used to dream about one day going to the top of one. Looks like i'd get my chance here. After walking several thousand feet I found the closest thing to civilized humans since I left the vault. A long, wooden wall stretched miles along the city. A sign read New Reno and a shack suspended in the air contained three people carrying guns.

"Hey you, stop. What's your business here?" They challenged.

"I really couldn't tell you, I came from the vault a few miles from here" I returned.

"We got that from the outfit, my boss is gonna want a word with you. Come on inside."

I walked through the gates past the guardhouse. Inside I was completely stunned. Hundreds of people were inside. They all stared at me. I saw a variety of looks of disgust and wonder. I could hear them talking amongst themselves. Guess it's odd to see a vault dweller in town. Before I could wander off three men in combat armor herded me towards one of the larger buildings. The outside read casino in large glowing letters above the main door. Once inside I was once again met with a wonder of sensations. Most of all the smell. Smoke. I couldn't say I particularly enjoyed it, but it was different. I wasn't complaining. I was led up some stars towards an office. Felt like those days in the vault when I needed to talk to the Overseer for planting cherry bombs in the toilet. I always hated being chewed out.

"I must admit i've seen a lot of strange people come through Reno, but you are quite new." Said a man in a checkered suit. "Vault dwellers are a rare lot. So tell me son, what made ya leave?"

"Well my friends are dead, it was too fascist for my tastes, and frankly. I was bored." I replied.

"Shiietfar. You'll like it here then son. Welcome to New Reno. Im Isiah the mayor here. We have the best gambling in the wastes, besides New Vegas that is, and all the supplies and whiskey you'll ever need. Granted you have the caps." He said.

"Caps?" I replied. "Is that the currency out here?"

"You betcha, paper money died a long long time ago. I'm guessing that's what y'all used in the vaults?" He said.

"Yep, all pre-war cash or trading favors."

"Favors huh, a lot of people could use some of those out here. Were a rare sight in the wastes, but even a well off city has it's problems…. Oh well I won't bug you with all that. I hope you enjoy your new life!" Said the mayor.

"No wait, I was bored down there and frankly i'll be bored here without things to do. What kind of favors are ya suggesting?"

"Well aren't you kind stranger. Well we lost some men that were on a scouting party, the water supply might be in danger, and i'm sure the rest of the people here would have jobs for you. Of course we'll pay you for anything you can help with, and i'm sure the good people would too"

"Interesting…. I'll be sure to check in with you about all that, but is there anywhere I can stay for a few days at least?"

The mayor directed me towards a vacant house on the northern part of town before wishing me luck and going back to his office. 'First things first, weapons.' I thought to myself as I walked back into the multiplex that made up the town. I went from shack to shack looking for anyone selling weapons. After several minutes I found my mark and walked up to the man behind the table.

"Howdy, welcome to Johnson's guns and knives. I heard you're new to town" said the man I assumed to be Johnson in a pleasant voice.

"Howdy, I found some of these bottle caps on some guys that tried to kill me and the mayor said y'all use em as money" I said.

"Yessir, since you're new to this whole environment i'm gonna spot you one item of your choosing. Pick good." He said.

I began to scan the hardware until my eyes came across a lever action rifle with a wooden stock and engraved sides.

"What can ya tell me about this piece?" I asked.

"Well you have some fine taste, that's a Henry repeated from wayyy back before the war. They were used in the Cowboy days. Shoots .44 magnum rounds. I can get you the rifle but unfortunately I don't have any bullets for it. The caravan that supplies me never showed up, I fear it was raiders looking for some easy caps." He said.

I reminisced the mayor talking about favors and chuckled softly to myself.

"I think I got these caps off some raiders. Big guys in metal armor?"

He nodded in affirmative. "You got it, wish we had more manpower to protect the caravans. Guards are just spread too thin here. It's a shame, traders are some of the rare few honest people in the wastes nowadays." He said somberly.

"What if I went out to go look for the supplies" I offered.

"Well that would be quite kind and unprecedented, hell you'd save me a lot of money and might even save some traders from future attacks… But it could be sending you to your death. You just got out of a vault and I know how hard it is to adjust." He said.

"Wait you're from a vault too!?" I asked in surprise.

"Mmhm, names Tyler, grew up in vault 101 way out east, built up quite the reputation back there too. Just too old to keep on adventuring now. My dad had left to try and save the world being a scientist, but he was killed. Story for another time I suppose. But anyways, if you do ignore me and go out there like I woulda done back when I was young and restless, and happen to survive i'll hook you up with all the guns you can get, and maybe even my best find. I'll show it to you someday." He said.

I nodded. "How much ammo do you think i'll need to take these guys down?" I asked.

"You really are serious about going out there, I like you kid. Here take this shotgun and 50 shells. Should do the trick if they get closer than what you'll be shooting with that hunting piece on your back."

I thanked him and continued around the town looking for any more useful items. I made my way through several more shops before I decided i had enough supplies such as radaway and mentats before I would make my mark on my first job. I found an older house that a gentleman informed me was vacant and I took my leave for the night.

In the morning I awoke to the sound of a radio. A man going by Reno Jack gave a short spiel on the appearance of a newcomer to town, which I figured was me, before he began to play some songs deemed country. The first was introduced as Tyler Farr and called a classic. It was pretty sweet I had to say, might need to hook this radio up to my pipboy somehow. I gathered all my newfound equipment and decided it was a good a time as any to make my move. Little did I know my journey of the Mojave was just beginning and that I was in for the fight of my life. Literally.

After figuring out how to add the station to my pipboy, I made my way back out into the great unknown. Outside I made my way back through town where I waved to my friend at the gun store. I was told by the gatekeepers that if I made it back alive the code to get in was "yankee". I'd have to ask about that someday. They uploaded the last known location of the bandits on my pipboy map and told me good luck before I was on my way. Funny how they all seemed like they didn't expect me to return. The day before I had finally, at least partially, started my dream of the cowboy from the old stories I heard as a kid. I had bought some boots and spurs with the caps I had found with a promise of a free bat upon my successful venture. I was serenaded by the gruff but extremely appealing voice of Johnny Cash as I began my journey.

"I think i'm gonna like it here" was my last positive thought of the day.

Chapter 2: The Ranger

"Holy shit son you're alive!" I was getting tired of hearing that. Ever since I made it back late last week its all anyone would say to me. It seemed I was now the legend of the town. Funny what almost being killed and being passed out in the medical station for four days does to your reputation. Now you're probably wondering what happened out there, and i'm getting to that. But first I need to tell you about what didn't happen. The radio said I waltzed in and murdered everyone in a swift fashion before being crippled by a deathclaw that I also slaughtered. While I did waltz in that's the only part of the story that's completely true. That day started with Johnny Cash teaching me about a General Lee. I hiked several miles to the appropriate location and walked inside as stealthily as possible. At the time, stealth to me was not being caught stealing an extra sweet roll from the vault diner. To the raiders my "stealth" was a joke. I'm just lucky that they didn't kill me on sight. They thought I was a joke which infuriated me at the time, but looking back…. A joke was a step up for my performance. They kicked me around for a bit before locking me in a cage. I thought it was completely hopeless, but just when I was about to give up I found both a bobby pin, and my unnatural skill for picking locks. Only took me seven tries. Not bad for a kid that was eye deep in shit. See I have a habit of not planning things through, and that day was not an exception. I made it out of the cage just to be met by the guard. How the fuck did I forget about the guard. I somehow, luckily, got a decent kick at his groin giving me just a moment to find his knife. I still carry that knife as a good luck charm. Adrenaline kicked in and I slit his throat. Simply relieved to be alive, I fell unsuspected to the shitstorm I had just activated.

"Hey John can ya bring me another be- YOU LITTLE FUCK I'LL EAT YOUR HEART OUT"

Just like that I was fighting my way through raider after raider. The gun I found on John bought me enough time to get to my confiscated supplies in a neighboring room. I still think I shot more bullets that day than any other single event I found myself in since. I found cover behind a crummy old bar top and used the expired vodka to my advantage. Molotov cocktails are still my weapon of choice in constricted spaces. After what seemed like 20 years I managed to kill the raiders, i still don't know how I did it or why some divine power intervened, but damn am I glad they did. I made it to the backroom and got the missing supplies before hightailing it the fuck out of there. Three more raiders were waiting out front that I took down with my shotgun before turning back to Reno. Sorry, no deathclaws that day. I stumbled back into town powered by nothing but adrenaline and a damn fine pair of boots. The guards challenged me for a code, but I was passed out before I could even think of a response. The next day I was told I said "yankee doo you fuckin twat" before laying face first in the dirt. When I finally woke up a fine piece of ass was looking me in the face and treating my… Well everything. Nurse Julie, one of the best people I ever met. She said she had treated my wounds with stimpacks and that I had apparently sustained seven gunshot wounds. Funny how even now I can't remember those particular ones. Apparently I was a town legend now. I had gotten the ammo back as well as a lot of supplies taken from other vendors in the area. Jack thanked me and told me to come by later to pick up a special gift. The rest of the town said i'd get half off on anything I bought here on out. Of course it would take several days before I could make use of any of the offers. During the time at the medical tent I bonded a lot with Julie, she let me know she was simply bored with Reno. She wanted to be a nurse for the NCR. She explained it was a government organization in California. They were trying to re-organize a democracy in the wastes, but the Caesar's Legion was doing everything they could to stop them and introduce a dictatorship in the Mojave. I tended to agree that taxes was superior to slavery. We spent a lot of time together and I admit I was starting to fall in love. She said she wanted to travel with me wherever i may roam and I promptly agreed. First things first though I had to talk to Tyler in the gun shop.

"Hey you made it out of the hospital alive, congratulations! I never got to really say thanks for killing those raiders. You saved my business."

"I'm just glad I could help" I replied. "You said to check in afterwards for a story didn't ya?"

"Yep, I wanted to tell you about my trips once I got out of the vault. Hell I think Three Dog still talks about me over in the Capitol Wasteland. I did a lot back there including destroying the Enclave, but of all the things I kept this rifle is my most prized. Lincoln's Repeater. I found it in a museum heavily infested with ghouls. I don't know how I got out, but when I did this baby went everywhere with me. It'll cut through most any non power armor. I'm giving it too you because I know how hard it is to have to adapt to such a new place in such a short time. Good luck out there son. If you ever want a good story, information, or weapons you know where to find me" said Tyler.

I thanked him profusely and decided it was time to get some target practice with my new rifle, preferably facing enemies at longer distances. By the time I made it to the guard shack I got my wish. Like a swarm of angry Cazadores, deadly fuckers by the way but we'll get to that later, a group of bandits were making their way to the city. I climbed up the wall as one of the gate guards sounded the alarm. All the townsfolk that were able, came out armed with a variety of rifles. I made my position behind some sandbags and took aim. My first shot was a hit on a bandit wearing leather armor. He went down before he knew what hit him. What I wasn't expecting was the power behind my rifle. God damn did that fucker kick. I pulled the lever and took aim over and over. One by one bandits went down. Even with the fire from the townsfolk, a group of five or so bandits had made it inside. They threw a grenade into the town square before being mowed down by one of the Mayor's power armored bodyguards wielding a minigun. I reloaded and sprinted to the square, what I found nearly killed me. There lying on the ground next to a wounded shopkeep was Julie. The girl I had fallen in love just days before. First my best friends and now her. Someone was going to pay. Almost immediately I loaded up all my supplies and all the ammo I could carry before making my way out to bring the fight to the bandits front. Too many people had pissed me off and it was time for them all to pay now. I made it several miles out in the middle of a sandstorm killing rad scorpions and other bugs on the way. I wrapped my face in a balaclava and slapped on some night vision goggles I got from Tyler's store. My repeater stood up well to the environment as I put down everything in my path. Once I reached the bandit stronghold I took my lessons from my last fight to heart and climbed a hill to gain a vantage point. Even with my NVGs it was hard to pick anyone out in the storm. I'd need to get closer, bad idea. I made sure my shotgun and revolver were ready just in case I needed them, and I took aim once again with the repeater. I spotted the slight outline of a bandit and took two shots. The first was a grazing hit on his left arm while the second put him down. I stood there ready for more to come running, but realized that the storm hid the acts. I'd need to wait for either the mext guard shift, morning, or i'd have to go to course i'd have to go to them. I slid down the hill and shot another guard while I was coming down. Made me feel like an action hero in the old movie holotapes we had in the vault. I holstered the repeater and grabbed my shotgun reading myself for the battle.

3…. 2…. 1…. GO!

I burst down the door and aimed in. The radio inside played Marty Robbins' Big Iron. Six bandits turned to face me. It all felt like slow motion. I took aim and dropped the bandit farthest to the big holding a rifle. The two in front of him wielding handguns were next to go. I saw an arm fly against the rear wall. A fourth charged me with a tire iron, a 12 gauge shell of hot red lead sent him flying backwards into the fifth man. While he was distracted I capped the sixth in the legs before going back up to finish the fifth.

"It was over in a moment" sang Marty as I lowered my shotgun.

"Not quite a big iron but it did the trick" I muttered to myself.

That day I found out about my odd 'bullet time' talent as I like to call it. Loud and proud was my new mantra and from thenceforth I would only use stealth if the situation required it. I searched the house for anything of use and found some ammunition and a map. The marker had blips on two places. Lake Tahoe and Carson City. Both had the words "NCR" and "target" next to them.

"Fuck it I have nowhere else to go" I said to myself before I made my way south to investigate Carson City. On the way I saw a variety of destroyed machines that I assumed were the cars I saw in movies.

"I wonder if I can get one of those working so I won't need to walk everywhere". I decided i'd work on that project some other time. When I passed back by the New Reno city gates I saw a mysterious looking figure leaning against a post smoking a cigar. He wore a smoky brown trench coat with a Stetson cowboy hat. His jeans were tight but not skinny, held on by a silver belt buckle with an eagle on it. His boots were snakeskin square toes. On his hip he carried a big iron and a badge clipped to his belt.

"Holy shit, I found me an Arizona ranger".

He finished his cigar, tossed it on the ground and walked in my direction. I hoped I wasn't in trouble with the law.

"Howdy" he said.

I responded in kind.

"Heard what ya did for my people, I'm mighty thankful. Fact, I wanna offer ya a job. We need rangers and them bandits are scaring off any potentials".

"I've heard that song on the radio but I didn't know Arizona rangers still existed". I said in shock.

He laughed slightly. "We ain't no Arizona rangers, were Nevada rangers. The NCRs trying to merge with the desert rangers but we're uninvolved in the whole matter. Desert rangers control south Nevada while we have the north and California from Bakersfield up to Bend in Oregon. NCRs really just got the lower half. Good lot they are, just hope they don't get too invested in our business. But damnit ya got me side-tracked. Do ya wanna be a ranger or what?" He asked pleasantly.

Now keep in mind, i'm just a kid from a vault who happened to be good at killing people. I had nowhere to go and nothing better to do. Damn was it the best decision of my life.

"You're goddamn right I will!" I told the man. He nodded in approval and told me to follow him to his vertibird, we were headed to Fresno, Carson City would have to wait.

It was a long trip and I got sick… Twice. Vertibirds were an entirely new concept and apparently even now they were pretty rare. The ranger told me his name was Ranger Yoakam and that his post was Fresno. After I passed training and spoke to the head ranger I'd be Ranger Broshear in charge of a town called Bakersfield.

Now keep in mind I wasn't always a courier, or an adventurer. I had a few jobs, and I did them well. A lot happened as a Ranger and it helped make me become the Courier and make the decisions that would forever alter the Mojave, and well me.

Before all that though, I needed to meet Ranger Lawrence. He was the chief of logistics and operations for the Oregon-California Free State (OC Rangers) law enforcement agency. The free state made consisted of northern and southwestern California to Bakersfield, southern Oregon and parts of Nevada and a small portion of Idaho. Rangers were spread across the areas and communicated through towers. Head rangers were the new sheriffs of cities while experienced or more deadly rangers patrolled the wastelands, lead combat units, or commanded small stations across the free state. I was to be a head ranger. Ranger Lawrence informed me that Ranger Yoakam was to come to Bakersfield with me and teach me the ropes. I could lead teams to fight anyone that needed it, and I was free to wander or travel as long as it didn't interfere with my work and I had at least two deputies watching the town.

"I really appreciate all this sir, but why would you put me in charge of a full town without any experiance on the job?" I asked.

"Yoakam saw and heard about how you fought, you're voracious and we need that kid. Young enough to be fast and not be judgmental, but old enough to know right from wrong and to do what needs to be done. Of course Yoakam will be your immediate superior, but don't think that means you're just another deputy." Said Ranger Lawrence. "Good luck out there kid. Oh and by the way, we don't expect you to walk all the way to Bakersfield so we got you a motorcycle. All the rangers get one, pre-war tech that we got running pretty decently for the age. Hope you like it."

I thanked him while trying not to explode in excitement.

"Oh and sir one last thing. We control Carson City and Lake Tahoe right?" I asked.

"Yes, why?"

"I found these sir" I handed him the map from the bandits that had the target markers on them.

"Good work Ranger, i'll send a patrol to go clear em out. You're welcome to join them once I get the squad picked out. Till then I suggest visiting your new town". Said Ranger Lawrence.

Yoakam led out of his office and towards a supply room.

"You're gonna need all this" he said handing me an outfit very similar to the one I first saw him in. "You're welcome to change up some parts, badge is the most important part anyways. Every Ranger i've met has always kept the hat and the spurs at a minimum. Just sayin'" chuckled Lawrence as he brought me to my waiting bike. I put on some goggles and my new hat before he handed me a radio saying it could reach him and every other ranger in the free state. Then I was on my way. The motorcycle was definitely old, and you could tell right away. It sounded like a duck was stuffed in the exhaust pipe and that the engine was falling apart. It took me several hours to get to town and damn was I exhausted. Luckily I had a welcoming party. A dozen fiends were attempting to break down the walls while the militia held them off. I immediately drew my shotgun and rained fire back at them. I took down two before they realized I was behind them and they were stuck now. Two lanes of lead hit them like boulders as they went down one by one. The last one standing tried to make a run for it but was shot down less than 500 feet away from the walls. I made my way inside and met my new partner, Ranger Elkins.

"Howdy partner. Im guessing you're my new boss?" He said.

"I guess so" I replied. "You pry know more than me though" i said.

"Yeah I reckon I do, been here for a few years now." He said.

"Why aren't you the sheriff then?" I asked.

"I just like being the advisor I reckon" he said "Well anyways we're glad to have ya. Here i'll show ya around."

He told some militiamen to clean up the fiends and we started walking into town. He pointed out Buck Owen's crystal palace from before the war as well as dozens of other places. After about an hour or so we arrived back at the Ranger station inside the Crystal Palace.

"You're office is in the back, not too much paperwork comes through here but we do get some good action from raiders a few times a week. Rangers send in ammo pretty regularly but you can always request for more." Said Elkins. I thanked him and walked inside. I made my way to my new desk and checked inside, three dozen documents.

"No paperwork, my ass" I muttered under my breathe.

After about an hour I had finished up my desk work and heard quite a ruckus coming from outside. I made my way over to investigate and found a supply caravan trying to make their way inside the town.

"Any problems here?" I asked the gate deputy who had introduced himself as Skaggs earlier.

"Yeah boss these people think they can just wander on in without any papers."

I didn't want to sound inept, but I figured now was as good a time as any to learn the ropes.

"Papers?" I asked.

"Yeah, caravans need to be registered with the free state to sell in our settlements" he said.

"Ah gotcha, i'll see if I can go sort this out" I replied.

He nodded and I walked over. Leading the caravan was my pal from New Reno, Tyler. I immediately became suspicious, wondering if he was stalking me, but the caravan seemed like an ordinary dealer. He was probably just making some runs.

"Hey bud, short time no see" he laughed at the sight of me. I greeted him back in kind and asked what was going on.

"Telling me I need some papers, I make this run a few times a year and this is the first I heard about needing papers" he said.

"To be honest it is for me too" I said.

"Haha, well you do seem to have a new getup after all" he said eyeing my new outfit. I wore a pair of blue jeans, an armored trench coat with my badge, a rustic cowboy hat with matching boots and some combat gloves. I personally couldn't be happier I was finally the cowboy I thought would be pretty badass.

"Yessir, got recruited late last night, going pretty well so far"

"Glad to hear it, I was wondering what became of you after the attack in Reno" he said. We kept up the small talk a little while longer and he asked about the repeater he had given me. After a few minutes I told him i'd go fetch some of the proper paperwork and that he and his men could wait inside. Skaggs let him through and I went back to the office. The papers seemed pretty simple and I signed off as the Ranger approval to trade. After I gave him his papers he was free to conduct business and I went to take a much needed rest from it all. Surprisingly I didn't have any nightmares, and for the first time I could ever remember I was actually happy. I was going to like it here, and damn was being in a town with a history of good music enthrilling.

The next morning started like any other average day, but damn was I in for a surprise. I walked around town and introduced myself to all the settlers and shopkeepers. They all seemed like good, decent, friendly folk. One was named Ricky and owned a local bar. Upon entry he seemed a little weirder than the rest. His bar was in shambles and he seemed to be dressed like a hobo. He had a thick southern accent and carried a sturdy looking shotgun on his back. When I went to talk to him though all the pieces fell in place.

"Howdy sheriff, look ah know yer new here N ah ain't fixin to impose, but ah need yer help" he said.

"What can ah do for you?" I could tell that after being here for a while longer i'd adopt an accent of my own.

"Ah need yer help, m...my daughter, shes a missin. Went off to sell with her caravan a few weeks back N but she ain't back yet. I'm mighty worried for her sheriff".

"Do you know where she was headed?"

"Up north, town called Bishop. It's quite a ways away, but ah don't know who else to think ah'm crazy but ah know the legions got her! Them bastards'll kill her. Please sheriff help me" he begged.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He seemed like a decent man and had genuine concern. I told him i'd see what I could do and headed to talk to Ranger Elkins. I'd never heard mention of legion before but I hoped he could shed some light on the whole thing. After I explained the situation he spoke.

"The legion! Ricky is a good man, lived her as long as I have, but there's no way the legion could be behind this." He said.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Slavers, murderers, thieves, scum of the earth if you ask me. Seem obsessed with latin and their boss goes around calling himself Caesar. Loony fucks, but dangerous nonetheless"

"What makes you think they couldn't have done this, based on what you said they seem like good candidates?" I asked.

"I wouldn't put it past them, but legion never comes this far west. Well, at least never before. I heard from a buddy in the NCR that they have been fighting down in the New Vegas territories. Mighty odd, but I still doubt they'd try to fight us too. Even with their numbers they couldn't afford to fight us and the NCR. Regardless, Ricky's daughter has been missing and legion or not someone might have kidnapped her. You could go investigate. Mind you, Shelby's a tough sumbitch, whoever did this is either one hardass fuck or there was a lot of them. Be careful boss." He said. I told him I was going to check in on it and he said he'd hold down the fort. After taking everything he said into consideration I decided I would probably need more ammo. Then I was on my way. Bishop would be a several day walk so it only made sense to take the bike. I radioed to Yoakam what had happened and he said he'd meet me there by nightfall. I got there a few hours before his meeting time. The town was small. A collection of decent sized shops lined main street, including a courier's office in an old western store called the Toggery. A bakery was on the north edge of town and it seemed to be the new Ranger station. Inside was a Ranger named Strait.

"Howdy, I heard you might be coming. You're the new guy aint'cha?" He said.

"Yes sir, going on day three. I came down looking for a missing person though. Any news?" I asked.

"Well I got plenty of news but none of its any good. Some of the people have gone missing here too. At first I thought it was just some raiders looking to get in on the slave business, but I fear it might be Legion coming over. After all we are only a few miles from the NCR's border." Said Strait.

"My targets father said Legion too, my deputy didn't seem too keen on the idea though." I said.

"Can't blame him, Legion ain't ever been this far west, the power struggle to the east seems to be inviting all the leftover Legionnaires to come into our land. I've been unable to radio command about the news, I think they cut my lines. Then I was just on a sting with some friends in the NCR. We took down a Legion camp that made it into a nearby town in Nevada called Tonopah. Its NCRs, but since we're so close and they needed manpower I took a deputy down to assist. Just wish we were a little quicker… Bastards killed everyone before we arrived. Lost a few NCR guys in the fight too, but we won in the end." He said while reminiscing the scene.

'Must've been horrible' I thought to myself.

"Anything I can do to help?" I asked.

"I appreciate the offer, but besides finding those people there's not much to do. Can you just tell command what transpired?" He pleaded.

I told him I would and thanked him for the info just as Ranger Yoakam walked in.

"Hey Strait how ya been" he said as he walked inside.

"Been better hoss, been better…" Said Strait.

"I came down to help out the newbie here, any chance you'll lend a hand?" He asked.

"I wish I could, but I just got back. I need to catch up on some work. Oh and good luck if you were planning on using your radios. Legion fucked up the towers and our solid lines."

"The Legion! Holy shit this ain't what I was expecting" said Yoakam.

"No sir, none of us were. You remember that NCR guy Frankie"

Yoakam nodded.

"He didn't make it" said Strait.

"Damn thats a shame, good honest men die to fuckin' soon that's for sure." Said Yoakam.

"You said it brother."

"Well i'm gonna go see if I can't fix the radio problem." He looked at me. "Go check out that town Strait was talking about, maybe they left some clues." Said Yoakam.

I nodded and swiftly made my way out before driving to Tonopah.

About 30 miles down I ran into an NCR checkpoint. It was manned with four troopers, a scary looking dude in a trench coat and a helmet, and one man who introduced himself as Lieutenant Nash.

"Hey where do you think you're going!" He yelled as I pulled up.

"I'm with the OC Rangers, investigating a potential kidnapping. I have reason to believe it was the Legion and I heard a town just east of here." I told the Lieutenant.

"OC huh, you look a little green to be a Ranger" he said.

"I am pretty new" I admitted, "figured it'd be best to learn quick though."

"Very true indeed, towns called Tonopah and it's just a little ways away. I recommend not having a full stomach when you get there, you're sure to lose it. Them fuckers killed everyone and strung up like fuckin ornaments. Anyways, talk to Major Steele once ya get to town. He fought em off and can tell you more than me, carry on."

He let me through the checkpoint and I kept driving east. I could tell that there was a deep pile of shit to look forward to, and I had just gotten into it.

Chapter 3: The Legion

I made it to Tonopah about 30 minutes later and I went to talk to Major Steele in the city hall. A large NCR presence was in and around the building, unfortunately more were dead than alive. The inside was littered with around ten injured soldiers being overseen by a doctor. Inside the old mayor's office was the Major.

"Checkpoint radioed ahead, I've been waiting for you" he said.

"Ranger Strait said to come here to look for leads in a kidnapping back in my city" I said.

"Yeah that figures, the Legion bastards that were here had some slaves. We freed as many as we could but none talked about being from the OC. My guess is your person is either dead or in their camp further south." Said the Major.

"Wonderful" I said sarcastically. "Can you tell me about what happened here?" I asked.

"The Legion happened here. Moved in and killed everyone that tried to stop them. They pinned them up and down main street as a warning. One guy managed to get out about a week ago. He sprinted his ass all the way to the forward camp in Warm Springs just east of here, and reported what happened. We got here as quick as we could after that… But we were too late. At least we can say we avenged the people. For what it's worth. Lost too many men in the process though. Just kids signing up not knowing what they were getting into. Poor saps".

"I'm really sorry to hear all that. Is there anyway I can help out?" I offered.

"If you could just tell any other NCR camps or even your people what went on it would be great. The more people that know about the Legion the better. Oh and one more thing, once you find those apes. Kill them for me." He said.

"You got a deal Major" I responded.

He pointed out the direction of the Legion camp on my map and gave me some ammo before I departed. I stopped for a bite to eat in town, slept, and then made my way south into the lion's den. The Major had warned me about Centurions that were basically warrior generals. They commanded outposts and armies for the Legion and were a force to be reckoned with. I had my work cut out for me. It was about an hour into my trek before I spotted the smoke. It looked at least 50 feet high and was black as the night. Wherever the Legion had made camp had to be in ruins. I started thinking if all this was really worth it, to leave a Vault that may have been boring but at least kept me safe. If becoming a Ranger was a good idea. I was torn but now was not the time for that kind of thinking. I had made my decisions and had to stick to them at least for now. And now meant saving Shelby and stopping the Legion from killing more innocent people. I got my head in gear and made my way closer to the camp. I was situated up on a hill looking down on the poor town. A pile of bodies was stacked on the main road and soldiers dressed in metal armor paraded around. On the bright side I'd get to test how good a shot I was with my repeater at distance. I took aim at the soldier on the roof of a store and fired. My first shot was a miss and I startled the man. Before he could signal for trouble I managed to put him down with the second bullet. By now the rest of the bad guys had heard the bullets, but had no idea where they came from. I could see them scrambling to get weapons, and they could see their people dropping one by one. It took a solid five minutes for them to get smart and take cover inside buildings. I decided I would wait a few hours before marking my presence. They didn't know where I was and I was taking advantage of it. I sat down and had a small lunch while I watched them. A counter-sniper had set up and was scanning the hills for my position. My ranger gear was tan in color so I fit in pretty well with the blandness of the desert. After what felt like two hours I decided to make my move. I could take down the sniper announcing an attack and then move in, or I could try to approach stealthily and try to catch them by surprise again. Either way that sniper would have to go first. As I was trying to decide I saw a figure approaching from the direction I had come from. It was Ranger Yoakam. He came up to me and said exactly what I had just thought.

"We can try to move in and take them down, or pick off that sniper now. What's your call?" he asked.

"You've done this longer, what do you think?"

"Well if I was alone i'd try to sneak in, but with both of us here I think we can take the sniper than have one of us move in while the other covers him." he said.

"I like it, I'll go down. You get the sniper and cover me" I said.

He nodded affirmative and I sprinted towards the camp. I heard a muffled shot behind me and I knew the sniper was dead. I continued down and hid behind a shack. Three Legionnaires were in front of me, I could probably take two before being spotted so I hoped that Yoakam had eyes on them. I took aim with my silenced handgun and took down the one facing me, the second target was looking perpendicular to me and it took two shots to bring him down. Before I could even aim on the third with his back to me he was on the ground. Glad I wasn't at this alone. I ran through a building and into the common areas. Several Legionnaires were sitting around relaxing and talking while the Legate sat at a table by himself yelling at people. I scurried around to the side of a building and managed to take an enemy down with my knife before I jumped into the shadows. After considering my options I decided stealth wouldn't work anymore and I lobbed a trusty grenade into the crowd before ducking behind a wall with my repeater out. I saw a few of them falling from sniper bullets, but a vast majority remained. The grenade had devastating effects, I saw a few severed legs fly in different directions and at least three Legion were incapacitated. My repeated destroyed two more in my first spout from cover, followed by another who ran at me. It didn't take long to kill the lackeys, but once they were gone the Legate stood up. He still casually ate while his men died, waiting for his chance to fight patiently. I saw his armor indent slightly with a loud clang where Yoakam must have shot him. He shrugged it off and moved towards me. I knew my repeater would be useless and my shotgun was only good at short ranges, so I pulled out another grenade and lobbed it at his face. By now he had pulled out a very very large sword and was running in my direction, he had me cornered. The grenade went off and I used my shotgun hoping it might break his steel chest plates or metal helmet. Right when he got within striking distance of me I could see where the grenade had damaged him, and I took full advantage of it. I unloaded as many rounds as I could in the split-second I knew I had before I was two pieces. It seemed close calls were my forte as he went down with his sword raised and poised to end me. I later learned that Yoakam had his an unarmored part of his arm to slow him down a bit as well. Nevertheless, the Legate was down, but I still needed to find Shelby and the other captives. Yoakam met me in the middle of town and helped me fan out to find them. The first body was in the basement of a residence, he had been fed to the Legion dogs. The next few had been crucified and put on display across the town. Eventually we found the survivors in the city hall. Shelby was easily identifiable based on her immediate call to action to help free the townsfolk. She was a beautiful tall, buxom, slender woman with long brown hair and ocean blue eyes. Her demeanor had a 'don't fuck with me or else' vibe, she had a pair of blue jeans and a button up western shirt on as well as a straw cowboy hat, finally she spoke with an accent.

"Who in the fuck ar' ya'?" she asked as me and Yoakam made our approach.

I looked at Yoakam and he gave me a look telling me it was my problem.

"I...I'm Ranger Broshear from the Oregon free state" I said distracted by her looks, "Your dad sent me out to find you."

"Hmmmm, well a'right then. Glad ya got here 'fore ah killed them bastards myself. They tried to rape me ya'know? Poor girl was't as good a fighter as me and she got some of that business." she said.

"I'm really sorry to hear that." I said.

She nodded.

"Ready to go home?" I offered.

"Yessir, just let me get my gun. They took it when they captured me". She ran off and grabbed a rifle that was being 'held' by a dead Legion soldier. On the way I couldn't help but admire her sway in her steps. She was well endowed to say the least. When she got back so said she was ready to go. I went back to Yoakam to tell him the news.

"Yeah, yeah go on get. I'll take care of the rest of these folk. And hey, you did a mighty fine job today. Good work Ranger" he said.

I thanked him and me and Shelby were on our way. As we got back on the motorcycle I could feel her chest pressing into me, I could get used to this. We rode back into Bishop and stopped for a bite to eat in the Ranger station where I also told Strait that we were successful. I finished before Shelby and decided to take a look at the radio signal issue. I walked up a small hill to the tower and turned the fusebox off and back on. My radio had signal again.

"That's it?" I said aloud. I shrugged my shoulders and walked back to Strait's office.

"I got your radio working" I said as I walked inside.

"Yeah, I heard the thing turn on, how'd ya do it?" he asked.

"Just fucked with the fusebox and it came back on" I said.

"Well shit, thank you". I walked out of the room and could hear him radioing HQ about the Legion's presence in the area. I was glad word was getting out. I walked back over to Shelby who was pacing back and forth next to the bike.

"Took ya long enough hotshot" she said.

I rolled my eyes and climbed back on with her behind me. We drove back to Bakersfield and were there just as night fell.

"It's good to be back home" she said as we rolled into town.

"You said it there" I replied.

Before either of us could say another word I saw her dad come sprinting towards her, and the two embraced. I stood there, smiled, and felt like I was doing right. Before he could come thank me I decided to sneak away and let them have their moment. I'd talk to Shelby again some other day. I made my way back to my room, stripped to my skivvies and passed the hell out. Week one out of the Vault was over, and damn did I feel good to be alive.

The next three weeks were pretty normal as far as the Wasteland goes. I dealt with a few raiders and one Legion party that tried to enact revenge. They didn't last long against my covered high ground and the town's militia. Some more caravans came into town and I had some paperwork regarding them. At night I started to eat dinner with Shelby and the two of us were getting along more than nicely, but more on that later. Tyler and his gun sales had stayed in town, which led to a little more of a stalker feel but I deemed it harmless. His business brought the town business so who was I to complain anyways. HQ had finally received word that Legion was closer than previously thought which led to a new Deputy being sent over. His name was Deputy Bates and he was a new recruit from Reno. Another message was received saying that the NCR had bought all of Nevada from us, but that we were welcome to come and go at any time. This left the problem of Carson City, the place marked on the maps I had found a while back. The NCR was taking over the operation and had invited me to come and help. I had accepted the offer mainly out of sheer curiosity for whatever the raiders had planned up there, and I was set to meet the NCR in two days time.

"You should bring me with you" said Shelby.

"I don't want you getting hurt" I said back to which she responded by throwing a book at my head.

"You know goddamnwell that ah can take care of myself!" she said back to me.

"Calm down girly, yeah I know ya can but I don't want to take any chances" I said.

"I swear to god if you get hurt up there i'll kill you" she said.

"That's very nice of you" I replied.

Before she could argue further I pulled her in and kissed her and then ran out the door. Damn was I lucky. After rescuing Shelby and bringing her home I asked her to meet me for dinner so I could write a report on how she had been captured. She told me that she had been taking her caravan up to Nevada to try and sell some things. Sounded like a pretty normal run, until she got to Tonopah. The Legion snipers killed her brahmin and her crew before they took her. She said she managed to kill two and wound one before they had her surrounded and she was forced to surrender. After that she was taken to the cages and forced to wait while other women were raped and she was fed dog scraps. After recounting her tale she went on to discuss her personal life and we chatted like normal people. I learned that she was an only child and raised as a tomboy. She became an exceptional shot by the time she was 16, and had already began leading a caravan at 18. Anyone who tried to attack or touch her was dealt with in a painful manner. Now she was 23 and was looking for both a home and something to do with her life. I told her how I had grown up in the Vault and came out in a search for adventure and something more. After that we started seeing each other daily and talked more and more. At week two I officially asked her out and we started dating. It started off with little more than kisses and small talk but it only built up from there. After a few weeks we were alone in my room just taking when her hand started moving down slowly from its roost on my chest. My body started to heat up and she bit her lips. I knew what was going to happen and I loved it. Her hands grasped me firmly, I started to caress her face where I leaned in kiss her face then moved slowly started kissing down her body. I stopped at her breasts and clasped them both gently and squeezed. She leaned her head back and moaned softly as my lips drug over her nipples and sucked. She started to stroke me while I sicked and bit her nipples. The feeling of ecstasy ran between us both. While I was exploring her she started to undo both our pants and rolled hers off and onto the ground. My hand migrated back up to her shirt and I slowly pulled it off. Her breasts popped out of her bra tenderly. While she went down to pull my boxers off my hand migrated to her panties. I slowly crept them inside and could feel her wetness. I started to rub the outside of her womanhood before I reached my two middle fingers in up to the second knuckle. Her eyes rolled back in pleasure as I dug deeper with every stroke. After she had come to the brink of release I stopped and moved my mouth down to help. Before I could make any more moves she slid over so both our faces were engrossed in each others babymakers. While I ate her tenderly and lustfully she sucked me dry. I had never felt anything so good in my life. We both finished in each others mouths but we needed more. She seductively crawled onto the bed and presented her perfectly round ass to me. I didn't need to be asked twice and scurried up behind her. My member penetrated her in a wet hug while my hands found her hair and pulled back. She was pounded past the brink and collapsed on the bed, but I wasn't finished with her yet. I flipped her on her back and reinserted myself while I caressed her soft breasts and suckled her neck. The burn of her fingernails clawing my back and the wet slapping all but intensified my desires while I came to the brink of finishing. She could tell I was there and before I could think her mouth was wrapped around me and I was sucked dry. We had shared a last moment together with another sweet embrace before redressing. I had a mission that even love couldn't stop. The last thing we said to each other was a shared "I love you".

Now I was on my way to god knows what in Carson City. I met up with the Lieutenant that I had met back on my trip to Tonopah.

"Howdy Nash, how've things been in the NCR?" I asked.

"We've been spread pretty thin since ya'll sold us the rest Nevada. We opened a new base called the Mojave Outpost to act as our southwestern border. Got some traffic from prospectors already, but it seems like the tribals in New Vegas seem to be planning some kind of power play. The increased Legion presence by the Hoover Dam isn't helping either. I sense a battle in the making." said LT. Nash.

"Sounds like you guys have your hands full, good luck with all that" I offered.

He nodded solemnly. "Ready to go Ranger?" he asked.

"Lead the way LT" I said.

We walked down the road and met with a group of seven NCR troops in long brown dusters and riot helmets. They all carried short dirk like knives and very large revolvers that they referred to as Sequoias. These guys were veteran Rangers of the NCR. On the way over one stopped and handed me one of his knives.

"You're gonna need one of these out there Ranger, knives are quieter and, in the right hands, faster than guns. I suggest learning their trade and taking it to heart." he said before merging back into the column. I took the blade and sheathed it into my boot. It was extremely light and sharp, I knew right then and there that knives would take over guns as my primary weapons. We walked for about an hour making small talk until LT Nash held his hand up in a closed fist. "Stop!". The column halted and we fanned to the sides scanning the road for potential threats. The LT walked backwards towards me.

"This was your find so it's your call. I see about twelve raiders ahead of us. Good news is we can take 'em no problem, bad news is that there just a forward party. There's gonna be more of them up ahead. Do you wanna take 'em down now or try to outflank them and hit the main force."

My mind processed the information, if we took them now we would have to immediately move to engage the rest of the force before they caught word of what had transpired. Or, we could outflank them and try to gain more information of what we were up against while leaving the twelve there to do god knows what.

"We take them now, on my mark" I said.

Nash gave me the thumbs up and I stalked towards the front of the NCR detail my silenced handgun and new knife in hand. I could see them relaxing under one of the few trees in the wastes, taking a break from their walk. I took aim and popped one in the head, immediately I heard a chorus of loud fire ring out from behind me. Limbs splattered in all directions as the raiders were split to tiny pieces. Those Sequoias packed a helluva punch I thought to myself. We descended quickly forward into the unknown. Like a pack of angry yai-gui a seemingly unlimited pack of raiders charged forward into our position. Three were packing power fists and one made it through the unrelenting fire of the NCR. He bombarded into our lead man with speed and precision, he connected unsparingly into a Ranger's face and I could hear the loud squeal of the fist's microfusion cell being spent. I watched in horror as the Ranger's head was separated from his body. Before my body could comprehend what it was doing I sent my knife flying through the air, it came to a halt as it connected with the enemies left eyeball sending him slumping to the ground.

"Holy shit kid, nice throw!" I heard Nash yell as he emptied his weapon in the enemy's direction. The whole battle took around a minute and a half, but it felt like several eternities. By the end of it the raiders were all dead, minus one, and two NCR were dead with a third wounded. I had sustained a bullet wound to the knee but both adrenaline and a quickly administered syringe of med-x made me feel nothing. I'd need to make a trip to an auto-doc sometime soon. We had captured one raider who had explained that the Legion had already made their move, they had supplied the raiders with enough ammo and supplies to make a keen distraction for the NCR so that the main Legion force could attack the Hoover Dam, which was confirmed by a cry for help heard in LT Nash's radio during the interrogation.

"SOS, any NCR troops out there… it's happened. The Legion is here. Hoover Dam…. hit…. 30 men dead in minutes…. need reinforcements."

Nash cursed to himself before he made his move. A swift bullet ended the captured Raider's life, and as quickly as humanly possible the NCR troops were on their way to assist at the Dam. Which left me, standing there in solace. It had begun. The first battle of the Hoover Dam was underway, Legion strike teams were assaulting major cities all over the NCR and the Oregon Free State which included Bakersfield. My city. I had to get back, to help them. But in the back of my mind I knew it was too late. I'd been a Ranger for four weeks and I was already out of the job. That day I vowed never to return to Bakersfield.

Chapter 4: The Checkered Suit

The year was now 2275 and I have been a Courier with the Mojave Express for eleven years. After my spout with the NCR I had wandered hopelessly. The first town I made it into had told me the news. The Oregon Free State had shrunken to the Desert Rangers who had made a pact with the NCR. Together they pushed the Legion back to the east and won the Battle of the Hoover Dam, but at what cost? Thousands lay dead, including the major towns of the OC. Including Bakersfield. I was a lost man left wandering and scavenging, until one day I met a man from the Mojave Express. He gave me a simple job and a simple life, deliver packages from one place to another. After eleven years I received an anonymous order to deliver a certain package. On that orders route I passed through a quaint little town named Goodsprings. That day I forgot it all. The last things of my old life were gone forever at the sound of the crack that should've killed me. Standing over me was a man in a checkered suit, a man I vowed to exact revenge upon from that day forward. My life as a Ranger were long gone, my life as, not a Courier, but The Courier had just begun.

The next section will go on to talk about the game of Fallout New Vegas and my own take on the Courier and his actions. It will follow both the game's story and my own imagination. Names and some dialogue from here on out will match those from the game as well as the quests undertaken. Some characters and quests will be from mods and others from the vanilla game. The previous chapters will no longer be pertinent to the following due to the Couriers memory loss that opens the game, I wanted to make a more in-depth backstory adding character development and explanation on the skills he has acquired, it is for additional reader information more than pertinence to the character and his actions. Though as the story progresses he will remember more and more, but never everything.

I awoke in a small room with an older man staring back at me.

"Hey watch it there, I'm Doc Mitchell and you son shouldn't be alive."

"Wha… what happened."

"I was hoping to ask you just that. You were shot son. The robot outside dug you up."

"Robot?"

"That'd be Victor. He's an odd one but he hasn't harmed anyone around here"

"Where am I?"

"Goodsprings. Here let me ask you some questions. What's your name"

"Chris Broshear"

We went through a series of other tests before the Doc relented and led me to the door. He handed me an item that seemed vaguely familiar to my past self. He explained that he was from a Vault and that it was called a Pip-Boy. I thanked him and made my way outside. My mind waged with questions, but one thing was for certain. The man in the Checkered Suit was going to pay. I wandered over to the bar where I met a nice woman behind the counter and helped her fix her radio. Then I talked to another woman named Sunny Smiles who offered to teach me how to survive, I accepted and spent a few minutes taking aim at some bottles before making my way back inside the bar. Of course I was met by an argument. An average looking man in a blue jumpsuit was yelling and when he left I asked the barkeep what had happened.

"Powder Gangers" she said. "One of them came into town a few days back looking for a place to hide so we sent him to the old gas station. Then that delightful bastard came in looking for him. Apparently they're ready to kill us all if we don't give him up".

I don't know what compelled me, but I told her i'd talk to the refugee and help her town. She thanked me and pointed to the station from out the bars window. Upon entry he met me with ferocity and pointed a gun at me. I didn't like that. Quickly I spun around the barrel and gave him a blow to the jaw whilst disarming him of his weapon. He was sent to the ground and now I was ready to talk.

"I'm sorry man, I thought you were here to kill me"

"Wasn't planning on it but i don't appreciate guns being pointed at me" I said solemnly while honestly having no idea how I pulled my attack off. "Whos trying to kill you and why?" I asked.

"Powder Gangers. I tried to run but they've been tracking me. Please don't kill me!" he begged.

"I won't. I'm here to help the town which means you. They're fixing to attack come tomorrow and we're gonna stop them."

I helped him up and we walked back into town, the relief emanated off his body.

The two of us walked back into the town and he suggested that I talk to Sunny Smiles again about protecting the town, I agreed and was off.

"I know why you're here, you need help against those Powder Gangers. You don't need to say anything, i'll help."

Her immediacy shocked me and I just nodded in reply.

"Go talk to Pete about explosives and the General Store about getting us some more supplies. Meet back with me when you're ready to proceed" she concluded.

I went outside the saloon and saw Easy Pete in his usual position lounging by the front door.

"I need to talk you about defending the town, I heard you might be able to help us acquire some explosives" I said.

"No, dynamite is a dangerous weapon and I don't want any of the good people to be hurt by it. If you can prove to me that you know how to use TNT than I can help you, if not than I say good luck" said Pete.

"Uh, can't say that I'm able to prove that" I said back.

"Good luck then sir" said Pete as he ended the conversation.

I walked over to the general store hoping that it would go better. About five minutes later I left with promises to help supply ammunition for the townsfolk. I went back to Sunny to tell her we were ready to go.

"Were ready" I said.

"Good, I can see them in the distance. They're coming!" she yelled. "Get ready!"

The fighters gathered in town guns ready. I stood in the middle of them with a small 5.56 varmint rifle and a knife at my side. As they approached I took aim and blew ones dome into pieces. The townspeople opened fire and the Powder Gangers took some hits, yet they still kept coming. I charged them right back with my knife at the ready. The first man I met was the one I heard yelling in the saloon. He delivered a sharp jab into my stomach and I retorted in kind by delivering my blade into the bottom of his jaw. His mouth oozed blood and he fell to the ground. I turned around and saw the rest of the Powder Gangers dead and the town was tending to their wounded.

"Hey, thanks for saving my life man, I owe you big time. If you're ever up in New Vegas stop by the Crimson Caravan and i'll make sure we pay you back. Here's a little up front" he handed me 100 bottle caps before running to the northeast.

I went back to Sunny who also thanked me for the help.

"I have to admit looking at you I didn't expect that kind of ferocity. You're one hell of a bladesman." she said.

I didn't know what to say so I just stared back at her until she started laughing.

"Any idea where I can find some info on who shot me?" I asked.

"Try talking to Victor" she said. "The robot did dig you out after all".

I thanked her for the information and went off in search of Victor who I found roaming along the north part of town. We chatted for a while and the name Primm came up. As I walked out of town I heard Victor yell out.

"See ya later partner!"

And off to Primm it was.

The trek took me about 30 minutes and as I reached the northern edge of town I was stopped by a soldier wearing combat fatigues and a hat and google combination. Above him waved a flag with a grizzly bear with two heads.

"Hey, whoa there Primm is off limits"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Powder Gangers took over the town and it's not safe for travelers anymore"

"You're a soldier, and I see your camp right behind you. Why don't you go take them out"

"Primm's a free territory, the NCR doesn't have any jurisdiction in there. But we do control the road."

"I'm gonna go sort this out"

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" he yelled as I walked past him and onto the old overpass connecting the NCR camp to the town proper. About five steps in I heard a moderate beeping.

"What the fuck is that" I thought to myself. Suddenly I heard a boom behind me and I felt a shock. Mines. I sprinted forward over more beeping and jumped into the dirt on the town's side of the bridge. I was breathing heavily and lucky to be alive. I vowed to make sure I became proficient in explosives in the future so things like that didn't happen again. I stood up and made my way into town. On my right two half destroyed buildings stood and one was labeled Mojave Express. On my left there was a casino and in front of me was an even bigger casino with the name Bison Steve in big letters above it, all around the casino was a dilapidated roller coaster. I walked towards the casino on my left and walked inside expecting a fight. Inside I found a quain scene, it was full of settlers, a robot, and an elderly black man who introduced himself as Johnson Nash. He was the head of the Mojave Express across the street.

"I'm told that I was a Courier, any idea on what I was delivering and why I might have been shot?" I asked.

"Funny story actually, a securitron with a cowboy etched on its screen came in and ordered a delivery actually. He wanted six couriers and you were the sixth. Said you were to deliver a Platinum Chip to Mr House in New Vegas"

"Victor…" I muttered under my breathe.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing, sorry. Was there any word of a man in a striped suit?"

"Yeah actually, but Deputy Beagle could tell you more than me. His dumbass got himself captured by the raiders in the Bison Steve across the street. They took over the town and all us decent folk have been hiding in here since".

"Deputy huh, where's the sheriff?"

"Dead. They got him and his wife in their sleep."

I decided i'd need to have a word with the deputy. I thanked him for the information and stepped back outside to be met by gunfire from the roller coaster. A single gunman was at the top. I had my knives ready to take him down but he was too far to throw so I took cover on the side of the building and took aim with my rifle. It took several shots to break his armor and even then it was a fall that ended up killing the man.

'I'm gonna need some better guns' I thought to myself as I made sure no one else was around before entering the Bison Steve hotel. Inside I found a front desk with two men conversing behind it. They didn't seem to notice my entry and I wanted to keep it that way. I snuck into the shadows and found a locked door, the terminal was too hard for my technologically ineptivity so I picked it with some spares bobby pins. Inside I found a few supplies including a few more throwing knives, a curved kukri machete and some bullets for a .44 magnum revolver. I left the room and noticed one of the men had started to patrol the hallway behind him. I took my opportunity and snuck up to the sitting guard. I delivered a thrown blade straight to his throat, blood spurted but he fell to the ground fairly quietly. The hall monitor seemed oblivious to the whole thing which didn't bother me one bit. I positioned myself by the body waiting for his return and upon it I severed his left leg with my new kukri. He fell and before he could scream I relieved him of his head.

I like knives.

I continued down the hallway trying to stick as closely to the shadows as I could. It was long and had boring colors on the wall and carpet. It opened into a larger room with five more baddies. The closest to me was armored in leather and carried a large tank on his back with a large spout looking mechanism in his hands. He turned to corner and walked in my direction. I was quite happy with the lights being as dim as they were. As he got closer I delivered a thrown blade to his chest. It penetrated his leather outfit and left him on the ground. Unfortunately the rest of the group heard the metal tanks fall.

"Boss that flamer to heavy for ya?"

Flamer, sounds fun.

When no one responded to the question, they got jumpy and started fanning out.

"Boss?" Said one pleadingly. I crept back into the long hallway and decided to wait and see what they did before making a harsh decision.

"Must be jumpy" I heard another say followed by the sound of a rifle being holstered.

Are they fucking stupid.

I crept back up and decided anyone this stupid could be cleared out fairly easily. I popped back up and in a swift movement fired several shots. Unfortunately I missed all but two.

Goddamn it, maybe I shouldn't be using guns at all.

The first went down from a lucky strike to the head, but his friends were aware of my presence now and they returned fire in force. I ducked behind an overturned table and wondered how in the hell it's flimsy wood was protecting me from bullets. When the shots lulled I stepped back up and fired again. Somehow, just somehow I managed to hit one of their grenades that sent all of them up in flames.

"Thats one way to do it" I said aloud.

I let my guard fall and I continued into the room. I figured they wouldn't need their gear anymore so I decided to indulge myself. The first had a shotgun that I traded for my shoddy varmint rifle, the second had some more ammo, and I retrieved my knife from the "boss". I decided taking the flamer would just weigh me down so there it lay. I continued into the kitchen in search of a meal. On the counter I found some chems and a steak. It was chewy. Halfway through my meal I heard a voice that caught me by surprise. I immediately reached for my kukri and I advanced towards the voice cautiously. Once I found its owner I sheathed my knife. It was a tied up man with long black hair wearing a badge.

"Deputy Beagle I assume"

"Yeah, now get me out of here!"

"I need some info first, you ever seen a guy in a checkered suit come through town"

"Maybe, being out of this rope might help jog my memory"

I untied him.

"Much better, he came through a few days ago with some Khans. All I heard is that they were heading to Novac. Now can we get out of this hellhole please?"

I stepped out of his way and he filled behind me as I retraced my steps to the outside.

"You planning on restoring peace here deputy?"

"We need a damn sheriff that's for sure"

"And you can't do it why"

"You saw me, I got captured. Do you really think i'll make a good sheriff?"

"No I reckon not. What do you propose?"

"NCR is across the road, and I bet you could reprogram the bot in Vikki and Vance"

"Alright, now I assume you want me to figure it out for ya ain't that right?"

"Well…. Maybe…"

I sighed heavily and walked back into the Vikki and Vance casino. I went up to the robot who introduced itself as Primm Slimm. It asked me if I wanted a history of the casino and I figured it might be entertaining. Slimm went on to tell me some pretty damn funny tales of 'villainy' that Vikki and Vance went through. At the end of his tale I asked if he could be reprogrammed. After hearing an affirmative I went to work. Took me longer than I would've wished for but in the end I got it to work. I went back to Beagle.

"Done, Primm Slimm's your new boss". Before he could retort I walked away.

Ain't gonna miss that sorry sap.

I decided investigating Nash's business for clues on my shipment might be useful so I made my way inside. An odd looking robot rested on the counter.

"You wanna be a deputy?" I asked to no one in particular.

After investigating the shop and finding nothing but some scrap metal and electronics I let curiosity get the best of me and I returned to the robot. The letters ED-E ordained its side and it seemed to be capable of repair. I didn't have the parts on me but I made a mental note to return and check in on it sometime soon. For now, I needed to get to Novac.

Chapter 5: The Crew

Boring was as far from the truth as I would have ever imagined for the road south. I was met with a gang calling themselves the Viper's camped out at an old police station, and then giant ants attacked me.

Isn't the wasteland great!

The Vipers caught me off guard, but I still managed to take them down. Two patrolled the area outside the station and were easy enough to put down. One had a decent bolt action rifle that I relieved from him before entering the building with a shotgun in hand and knives at the ready.

"Had enough!?" I heard one yell as he fired bullets in my general direction without a single regard for accuracy.

I swear I thought fighters would actually know how to fight.

He was the last to die as I pumped lead into his friends and stabbed him in the gut with my new favorite weapon. Being that night was falling I took it upon myself to have their food and sleep in the stations prison cot. When I awoke I continued my trek. Another few miles down the road some ants attacked me.

What the fuck else is in the godforsaken shithole.

I admit I did underestimate their ability to spit fire, but their resistance to bullets was futile at best. When I reached the edge of the road a decision had to be made. It split in two, one way was south to a very, very large statue of men shaking hands, while the other went east towards a town with a large smoke trail in the distance. The statue looked less like imminent doom so I decided it would be my first stop. At the top of the road a sign that read "Mojave Outpost" and another two headed bear flag greeted me. At least the NCR wasn't trying to kill me, a first for the day. Inside it was musty and dark, an officer stood behind the desk and pointed me to Ranger Jackson in the back when I asked how I could help.

"I assume you're another caravan. Sorry we can't let you go north, roads are deadly."

"I'm not a caravan, i'm here to help"

"Oh shit really, well thats pretty nice of you"

"What can I do?"

"Well the roads for one, Ranger Ghost on the roof might have a few more things for you too"

I informed him I had already cleared the roads of ants on my way down and he thanked me and 'lost' some supplies as my reward. He informed me the NCR wouldn't forget my help and that I would be quite the ally if i kept it up. I made my way back outside and went to the roof of the bar next door. A silver-haired, pale, woman clad in NCR gear was stationed with a rifle in hand.

"Do you see it?"

"See what"

"The smoke, above Nipton. Somethings happened"

"Uh huh"

"I need you to go scout it out and report back on what happened up there"

Fantastic.

"Can do"

I made my way back downstairs and went into the bar looking for a good drink. I got some whiskey and talked to a woman named Cass sitting at the bar.

"No, no, no I ain't looking for company. Fuck off"

"Haha is the NCR really that bad at controlling their men?"

"You'd think soldiers could at least behave"

"Indeed you would, so who am I talking to here?"

"Names Rose of Sharon Cassidy, but you can call me Cass. I'm just here drowning in my sorrows for the 20th day in a row don't mind me"

"You know I cleared the roads, you and your caravan can move on now"

"Clearing the roads huh, are you some sort of fucking macho man. And no I can't take my caravan out of here because it got sacked. Ain't life just fucking fantastic! So yeah, that's why i'm drinking my ass off"

"I'm sorry to hear that"

"Yeah everyone's just sorry, sorry don't fucking bring em back"

"Ya'know what, you come travel with me and we'll go find out who did it and we'll make em pay"

I could see her contemplating the offer.

"Let's go kill some shitheads!" She exclaimed as we exited the bar.

I was gonna like her.

On the way out a horny drunk soldier made a move. He swiped Cass off the ground slobbering incoherently. She kicked him in the nuts and sent him down to the ground.

"I thought you were drunk too. How'd ya manage that"

"Simple, i'm drunk"

We made our way back to the main highway and headed to the smoke towered town called Nipton. We stalked up to the west side of town and saw an interesting sight, a man and a woman were engaged in an argument over star bottle caps. The man took down the woman and ran towards me with my guard on high alert.

"Did you see that. She tried to kill me!"

"What was that about?"

"We met a few days ago and started traveling together. I told her about my lucky necklace and then she told me to give it to her, when I refused she attacked me"

"Lucky necklace huh, let me take a gander"

He pulled it off and showed me the necklace scrapped from bottle caps that had blue stars at the bottom.

These look different, might come in handy one day.

"Those are actually bad luck, you should hand 'em to me so I can go destroy them for you"

"oh, ah really? Ok"

He handed me the necklace and ran off into the desert.

"That was one odd motherfucker right there" said Cass.

"Indeed he was. You have any idea what these star caps are?"

"Can't say that I do"

The two of us headed back towards the smoke plume and when we reached the boundary of the town another man dressed in Powder Ganger attire came running out.

"Whooo, yeah. I fucking did it! I won the lottery!"

Me and Cass looked at each other with shared "Another one?" looks.

"What lottery?" I asked with a deep sigh.

"THE lottery man. I won!"

"Have fun with that"

He ran off into the desert heading west. I watched him for a few minutes and laughed as he entered a radscorpion nest. He tried to fight them off but ended up perishing.

"He won't be missed" I thought to myself, the look on Cass's face led me to believe she was thinking the same thing. We finally made it into town with plenty of questions about the lottery. The first building we entered had nothing but a few scrap pieces I figured I could use to build things someday. The next two were similar in what they contained. Of course the third had someone inside. He was a young black man that was sitting in a wooden chair in the middle of the room. His legs appeared to be broken and he couldn't walk.

"Who the fuck are you, why are you in my goddamn house?"

"Whats with the hostility?"

"The fucking Legion comes in here and kills everyone, then breaks my legs and you ask why I'M hostile"

"Wait, what happened?"

"The Legion. They came in and deemed us profligates, all the adultery and gambling made us subhumans. They took it upon themselves to "cleanse" us. Those bastards instituted a lottery. First place got to live, I got second place and they broke my damn legs. Everyone else was either strung up on poles, fed to to the dogs or just shot. Legion happened and I suggest you get out before you share our fate you stupid fuck".

I left the building solemnly and made my way through the center of town. Evidence of the Legion was all around us. Townsfolk were crucified to telephone poles from before the war. At the end of the street town hall stood with seven or so Legionnaires and two dogs standing out front. One that looked like the leader started walking towards me and I looked over at Cass. She was infuriated I could tell. I nodded at her and she winked back.

"Shitheads" she said.

The Legionary heard her comment and looked up at us. Cass made her move before I did. She lifted her shotgun and took aim. The first shot blew the head Legionnaire's head off and the second killed one of the approaching dogs. At the same time the dog was let loose, so was I. I unsheathed my kukri and charged the stunned assailants. I saw one reach for his gun but I was faster. I anticipated where he would aim and twisted my body as I leapt towards him. When I landed he was aiming at nothing and with a swift cut his rifle, and arm, were on the ground. I quickly turned around to see the second dog being shot by Cass. She took cover as the last Legionary fired on her position. With the one disarmed, literally, I made my move. I struck low and cut the man across his right thigh sending him to the ground and making him shoot the ground, as quickly as my first strike I slashed upward through his face ending him. I stood up and looked back at the armless man. His eyes had no remorse and neither did mine. I threw a knife from my belt and it embedded firmly in his face. He was dead. From the point forward I vowed to kill all the Legion I came across. Cass walked back over to me and I could see the crazy in her eyes. We decided we should report back the the NCR outpost on what we found so we treked back up. The outpost had less waiting caravans than the last time I was here. I made my way back up the plank to where Ranger Ghost was.

"I scouted the town, got into quite the fight"

"How are the people"

"Dead. Legion came in and killed them all so I killed the Legion"

"The Legion?! They haven't been this far west since before the Battle at the Hoover Dam. I need to report this immediately. Thank you Courier, the NCR appreciates your efforts".

She ran back down the plank into the command office next door.

"You ready to go?" asked Cass as I stood on the roof presumably looking confused.

"What? Oh, yeah let's go"

We took off again back through Nipton and headed northeast to Novac in search of my attackers. We followed a railroad track up and passed another NCR compound on the way. It was a Ranger outpost made up of destroyed trailers with a shack office in the southeast corner. We passed through without stopping and after another five minutes or so we saw the giant dinosaur that announced our arrival in Novac. Not knowing any particular person in town I started at the motel office. Outside an old sign saying "no vacancy" stood. Only the letters "Novac" were lit. The office had an old woman that seemed friendly enough, but I got the feeling she was hiding something. I went up to the dinosaur and on the side I found a door with a sign saying "Dinky the Dino Gift Shop". Inside was Cliff Briscoe the owner.

"Howdy, welcome to the shop. Are you looking to buy any dino figurines?"

"Can't say that I am. I do need some information though"

"Go talk to Boone in the dino's mouth, he works nights and Manny Vargas does days. Both might be able to help you out"

"Thanks, do you have any other items for sale?"

"You bet"

I purchased a few more rounds of ammo from him as well as a blade sharpener for my knife. I went up the steps inside and opened a door into the dino's mouth. A middle aged man in a red beret holding a sniper rifle stared back at me.

"Are you Boone?"

"Yeah"

"I heard you might be able to get me some information?"

"Depends"

"Did you see a man in a checkered suit come by here anytime recently"

"No, ask Manny"

"Why don't you talk more"

"No reason to talk to people here. But you, you're an outsider. I need an outsider"

"What are you talking about"

"My wife is dead"

Oh here we go.

"She was taken, sold to the Legion by someone in this town. I need help finding who did it. Here take my beret, when you find them bring them outside the dino at night and put the beret on. I'll take it from there"

I took his hat.

That night

"Well what can I say, she was kinda like a cactus flower Real pretty to look at, but there was no getting close to her"

I stood outside the dino wearing Boone's beret. After a few minutes Jeanie May Crawford walked out of the hotel office and met me there.

"What did you want me to come out here for again?"

I stood there silently as her head turned to mush by one of Boone's bullets. I walked back up to his nest and handed back his beret.

"How'd you know it was her?"

"When I talked to her she sounded suspicious, but after I found the bill of sale it was confirmed. 1500 caps for Carla Boone and her unborn son. I'm sorry Boone"

"No don't be. Thank you"

"What will you do now"

"I don't know, wander maybe"

"Why don't you come with me and Cass?"

"You know what, sure. I got nowhere else to go"

The three of us headed out, not that far to start. I went to sleep in a vacant hotel room I had claimed after learning about Crawford's secrets. In the morning I made my way back to the dino and found Manny Vargas watching the road.

"Hey whoa watch it there. Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry, just came up cuz I was told you might have some information"

"Oh yeah? On what?"

"A man in a checkered suit. He shot me and I was told he traveled through here. I need to know where he and his men went"

"Yeah I can help you with that, but you'll have to do something for me first"

"Of course i will, what is it?"

"We've had a ghoul problem, over at the REPCONN facility to the west. They inhabit the area and we need you to go clear them out"

"And you can't do it why?"

"Somebody has to watch the road for raiders"

Of course being the hero that I am I accepted the task, but first I decided I was going to investigate Manny's room for any clues he might be holding out. I went back to the motel across the road and entered his room. Inside was a locked terminal, that after a few minutes of struggling, I managed to get through. Inside was information on the Great Khan's that were travelling with Benny. The man who shot me. Details on them travelling north to Boulder City gave me a new clue to where I should proceed. Of course me being me, I decided I was going to help the town first. I gathered my companions and we headed west through the mountain pass. On the way I encountered an abandoned makeshift encampment nestled underneath an overpass. Some ammo and supplies were taken and then I carried on. It didn't take long for us to find something to shoot. The bastards were humans, or at least they used to be. Their bodies died long ago but they carried on. I had heard about ghouls in the past and had even met a few non-feral ones on the way to Novac. They had been alive since before the war and the radiation had somehow kept them alive even as their bodies were destroyed. These ones, however, were feral and charging towards me. I heard a shot behind me. Boone wasn't much of a talked but damn could he shoot. I saw parts of a ghoul erupt into pieces followed by more being struck by Boone and Cass. Meanwhile I was head first in the fray. Kukri drawn I struck as many as I could before none were left standing. Boone and Cass reloaded while I checked my blades for dents. When we cleared up we continued inside the building. More ghouls met us and were dispatched quickly. We ventured upstairs and I found some anti-radiation chems that I kept for later use. In the adjacent room I straddled a series of metal steps until I heard a voice over the intercom. It was scratchy like the non-ferals I had met previously.

"Jason want's to see you, come up the stairs and go to the locked door"

With no other option seemingly available I followed the voice's instructions and found myself at the door. I spoke into the intercom.

"Uh, i'm here. What now"

Without a response the door opened and standing behind it was a non-ghoulified human named Chris Haversom. He spoke like a ghoul and told me that Jason Bright needed to speak to me.

"You're not a ghoul, why are you talking like one?"

"What are you talking about smoothskin, of course i'm a ghoul. Come now Jason is waiting"

I decided some questions were better left unanswered and I stepped inside. More non-ferals were walking about and I made my way upstairs.

"Ah smoothskin we've been waiting for you!" said Bright.

"Waiting for me, what are you talking about"

"You've been sent to help us on the great journey of course! Just like Chris"

"Yeah speaking of him, he thinks he's a ghoul"

"Yes, we've tried many times to tell him the truth but he won't believe it. Regardless he has been instrumental in our quest. He was sent here just like you"

"Uh huh"

"We need you to kill the demons in the basement. They ran us out before we could finalize preparations for the great journey"

"Demons? Great journey? What in the hell are you talking about?"

"The great journey. We are here to get away from the wastes and live in harmony far from here. Our preparations were almost done by the time the demons attacked. We are going to take us and all of our feral brothers away from here"

"The ferals are mindless"

"Maybe now, but once the journey is complete they will be welcomed to begin again in the new world"

I told Jason that I would help with the 'demons' and I made my way to the basement. Once there we were attacked by an unseen force, well unseen until you shot one. They were giant humanoid beasts using cloaking devices. Fortunately they were fairly easy to kill as far as giants went. Shotguns seemed to be the better tool to knives so I grudgingly joined Cass in close quarters combat. After the first few fell I started to recognize the slight tint in the air left by the cloaking devices. I heard a few in a different hallway talking unintelligibly, I caught a few words calling themselves nightkin. I'd have to ask about them later. After a long and painstaking fight I managed to clear them out. In a makeshift prison I found a dead ghoul in wasteland clothing with a note on her body saying she knew she wasn't going to make it, it always told a man named Harland. I continued deeper into the basement until I reached what looked like a reactor room. It was guarded by another ghoul.

"Stop or i'll blow your head off" said the distinctive scratchy voice of a ghoul.

"I came down to kill the demons, not my words but the general idea is true"

"Bright recruited you huh? Well if you want to come in here I need you to find my friend. In the last fight with the super mutants we retreated, I made it here but she was captured"

"I think I already found her. She was in a makeshift prison cell. Had a note on her saying sorry to Harland who I assume is you"

"Yeah that's me, damn I was starting to like her too. Alright smoothskin you can come in"

Harland came down from his position on the raffling and walked out the way I came in. Inside I found more bullets and some fancy looking technology. Once the basement was completely cleared I made my way back up to Bright who thanked me for my help and then said he needed some special machinery to launch rockets. Of course being the completionist I was, they were the pieces I found in Harland's room.

"Oh thank you. We can finally finish our preparations. The great journey shall commence!"

Bright immediately ran out of the room and his acolytes followed him all dressed in stupid looking rubber spacesuits. I followed them back into the basement where I once again met Chris in a room overlooking three rockets. He was plugging info into the terminal while Bright and the rest of the ghouls piling into the rockets. Bright was the last to go in but before he did he looked up at us.

"Chris, I don't know how to thank you enough. We would love to take you on the journey but you aren't a ghoul"

Chris insisted otherwise.

"I'm sorry Chris but the radiation would kill you. You will forever be remembered for what you've done, and thank you too Courier we couldn't do it without you"

Bright went into the rocket while Chris crumpled into a corner. I figured he'd figure out what was going on sooner or later and I walked back to Bright's room at the top of the stairs. I found an observation post and decided to watch the show. We stood there watching as Cass drank her whiskey and the hillside opened to show the rockets waiting to launch. I hit the switch in front of me and they took off. Two flew high and straight while the third stuttered before reaching its maximum power and following the others. I felt accomplished and shared a bottle with Cass while Boone looked off into the distance with his generic solitary stare. We returned to Novac and informed Manny that the ghouls were gone. He paid me a moderate sum of 100 caps and told me what I already knew about Boulder City. The road north was relatively desolate until we reached an abandoned gas station. Once there we were ambushed by more of the Legion bastards. I could tell from the look on Boone's face that he was glad they were there. I let him do most of the work mainly because of what happened to his wife. The four attackers were defeated in decent time and I decided to explore the gas station. Inside was another star laden bottle cap.

I hope I found out what these fucking things are for soon.

We left a few supplies richer and stopped at a watering hole on an old overpass. The barkeep told me that she ran it with her father and that there was a representative of the Gun Runners below if I needed to buy or sell any weapons. By the bar was a woman wearing a gray cloak. She said her name was Veronica and I could swear she was checking out Cass who was stationed at the bar.

"Now all I need's a little shame to wash it down" I heard Cass say before drinking even more whiskey. I decided to take a break and chat with Boone some more before investigating Veronica.

"What happened with your wife?"

"I don't want to talk about it"

"I just want to understand you better, especially if we're travelling together"

He sighed loudly.

Several months ago

"Craig when can we leave here, you know I don't need anything fancy but no one here will even talk to me"

"I'm sorry Carla, you know i'm doing what I can"

"We came here with Manny but the two of you won't even look at each other anymore. With our kid on the way I want a more hospitable environment"

"You know what happened at Bitter Springs, I just needed to get away from it all. To leave the NCR"

"I know Craig, but please"

"Ok, we'll leave soon… I love you"

"I love you too Craig"

Boone awoke to an empty bed. On the table was a note that read "I can't stay here Boone, i'm leaving without you". He knew it wasn't Carla, the handwriting was wrong and she never called him Boone. Someone had taken her. He knew the Legion was the prime source of slavers so he quickly sprinted out into the wastes. Cottonwood Cove was too the southeast and contained a major Legion slaving encampment. Boone was poised on top of a hill overlooking the camp, rifle in hand. He scanned and scanned until he was Carla being loaded onto a shipping dock. He knew she would be raped and tortured by the legion, not Carla, not while Boone was breathing. He took aim and fired twice. Carla was impaled by two bullets, one to the chest and one to the head. Then he changed his fire, tears streaming down his face, and he engaged the legionnaire that had bought his wife. Boone ended his life and as many other Legion bastards as he could. He left the rifle on the ground and walked off, back to Novac vowing to take revenge on whoever had given her to the Legion.

Present

"I… I'm so sorry Boone. You did the right thing though. Anything's better than being a slave to the Legion"

"Yeah"

I let Boone be and decided it was enough for one day. Veronica was still looking at Cass who was three bottles in.

"Hey!"

"Hi"

"I have a name but I can't seem to remember it or much else nowadays, people call me the Courier"

"Well i'm Veronica. Nice to meet you"

"You too, what are you doing out here?"

"My… family sends me out to get things. They call me a procurement specialist. They don't get out much. But hey! You're here. You wanna go punch something"

"I prefer stabbing myself"

"Oh that's a shame, I like punching and i'm pretty good at it too" she held up her right arm that was covered in a ballistic fist.

"I like it, very shiny"

"Thanks"

"Tell me about yourself"

"Well uh, first I need to ask you something"

"What's that"

"What do you think of the Brotherhood of Steel?"

"Can't say i'm too familiar with em, so I don't mind em I guess"

"Ohh good, I'm one of them. We like to hide underground in a bunker but I prefer it out here. McNamara says it's safer down there, he's too much of an isolationist. My job is to gather supplies and bring them back. We really like technology too, mostly pre-war stuff. I really just like to punch things, AND DRESSES I really like dresses. Do you happen to have one?"

So she can stop talking.

"Can't say that I do"

"Oh darnit… HEY we should travel together, maybe I can find one, and I can punch things that want to kill us. Did I mention I like punching?"

"Ya'know what. That might come in handy. Welcome to the team"

"Everything's coming up Veronica!"

Veronica and Boone have always been my favorite in game companions. The two seem to have the most development predone and have the most fun quests in my opinion (although shooting the Crimson Caravan boss for Cass was pretty awesome). Her quirkiness and positive attitude mixed with Boone's depressed state always make a happy medium. I'll be gathering them all eventually and going over all their backstories and the quests they do with you in the game. They will come and go and I will have sections with them being the narrator to show their previous lives and thoughts as well. In the end they will play a pivotal role and will develop more than the game would normally allow.

Chapter 6: Boone

After talking to Veronica more I learned that she was in fact a lesbian and her ex-partner was dead. She explained how Father Elijah was the old elder and he had been her mentor. He started to push into acquiring new tech while all the other elders were stuck in the past. The rest sent Elijah east into a sort of exile and McNamara became the head of the chapter. They had all gone into hiding after the defeat by the NCR at the Helios One and were now hiding in a bunker somewhere to the west. The four of us all got acquainted and we moved north to Boulder City. It was a relatively short walk and we found the town surrounded by the NCR. The ruins were barricaded and the door leading in was protected by a Lieutenant Monroe.

"What's going on here?"

"Khan's are in there. They took some of our guys hostage and they'll kill em if we try to make a move. I'm ready to take them down regardless"

"Here, let me go see if I can sort this out first"

"Alright, but if things go south we can't promise you'll make it out alive"

"I understand"

I told the gang to wait outside and I entered the destroyed part of town. I walked past a few NCR troopers that held positions looking at the Khans, and I made my way to a semi-standing building. On my left were three NCR soldiers being held at gunpoint while five or so Khans waited in the adjacent room. The leader was named Jessup and he didn't seem to happy that I was there.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I'm here to negotiate the release of those men. What will it take to get everyone out of here in one piece?"

"We want 500 caps and a guarantee that they won't attack us"

"Alright listen bud, they have you surrounded and are ready to strike. You basically have the option to die or to let them go. It's your call"

"A…. alright. I guess I can let them go"

"Good choice"

I walked back out to where LT Monroe was and I informed him on the good news.

"Thanks a lot, they can go free. You have my word we won't go after them"

The former prisoners came walking out unschated and the LT had his men stand down for the Khans to walk out. As Jessup was leaving I went back up to him and asked him about Benny. Benny was apparently the head of the Chairman and he ran the casino. He told me that he was done with the bastard after he stiffed them, he handed me Benny's lighter and informed me to stick it up his ass once I found him back in the Tops Casino in New Vegas. He had hired the Khans to help him get the platinum chip from me during my delivery, and no one but him and Mr House knew what the chip did. I now needed to get to Vegas, but much was needed to get done before I made my journey. After we left Boulder City, Boone informed me that he wanted to revisit Bitter Springs.

"What happened there"

A few years ago

Boone

It was early morning and the NCR was headed out to Bitter Springs to take down the Great Khans. Boone and the First Recon were there as well, their job was to form a perimeter and stop Khans from escaping. The battle was fairly quick and the woman and children began to attempt an escape in the direction that Boone's men were set up. Then they received the order.

"Lieutenant Gorobet's you have orders to take down the escaping Khans"

"Sir, there all women and children… we can't"

"Follow your damn orders. Do it!"

"Yes… yes sir"

Gorobets, the commander of the First Recon had no choice but to give the order. Boone had no choice but to act on them. It was a slaughter, Khans of all shapes, ages, and gender were destroyed and the NCR moved in making a base of operations. Boone quit the service shortly after with his friend Manny Vargas. Bitter Springs was a dark moment of his past that he wanted to gain some closure on. So he and the Courier went.

Present

"You did what you had too, orders are orders Boone"

"Doesn't make it right"

"We'll make time for it, let's get going"

I told Cass and Veronica that this was a moment for Boone and the two went back to Goodsprings until I would return. Boone and I made our way northeast towards Bitter Springs.

"Can we go to coyote tail ridge. It's where I was stationed"

"Of course"

We made our way to the ridge and I saw Boone deep in thought.

"I forgot to remember to forget" I heard him say. "This is my destiny, to die for what i've done… Do you mind if we stay the night?"

"Whatever it takes Boone"

The night was dark and lonely, Boone just seemed to scan the area deep in thought. In the morning Boone woke me up.

"The Legion is coming. My time is now, but we need to help the town first. The NCR has a refugee base here and they won't be able to fend of the raiding party alone"

"Let's move then"

Boone kept his position on the ridge and began to snipe the incoming Legion troops. I climbed a tall rock and prepared for their advance, when they got close enough I lept from the rock onto the backs of one of the Praetorians and delivered a knife blow to his neck. Half the group continued towards the main camp and was either engaged by the NCR troops there or from Boone's fire. The other group of about six charged me. I injected my neck with a dose of med-ex and I stood my ground, kukri in one hand and dirk in the other. Four were armed with power fists, one with throwing spears, and the last had a 9mm submachine gun. The gunman would be the most dangerous so he was my first target. I ran up and kicked off of the rock twisting myself in midair over two legionnaires. While in the air I threw down a knife into one of their shoulders that made use of his right arm unimaginable. I landed within striking distance of the gunman and I made my move. He took aim and was about to fire as I ducked low and drove myself forward under his fire. I drove a punch into his midsection and sent him off-balance which allowed me to throw a knife up at a slow pace. It went up straight vertically and I drove my foot into it using the force to push the knife and my foot into the Legion members chest. In a spasm of death he fired his weapon past me into the group of other legion. One was killed and another was wounded from the fire. In unison two with power fists charged me and I heard a microfusion cell being expunged as the fist drove forward with extreme speed and force. I managed to weave out of the way and my left arm absorbed the impact which dislocated my shoulder, but saved my head. I drove my knee up and connected with the man's jaw while his arm was still fully extended from the fist's power. He became disoriented and it gave me a prime moment. The other power fist clad enemy began his strike, but I used the stunned enemy to block the fist killing the man. I pushed the body off of me and unto the attacker while I grabbed his extended arm and activated the power again. The fist was meant to be activated while punching, using it with an extended arm sent his arm shattering at the bone and the fist flying into the chest of the third fist-clad Legionnaire. The last man threw a throwing spear at me which skimmed my dislocated shoulder. I threw a dead Legion helmet at his chest and stepped forward to engage him. As I walked out I put my arm back in place with a painful pop and injected a stimpack to help heal my wounds. The Legion man stared back at me with hate in his eyes. The glare was returned and I waited for him to make a move. He obliged me with a daring charge, spear in hand. As he got close I kicked dirt at his face and drove my kukri up into his stunned face. He fell to his knees and looked up at me in shock.

"Fuckin' piece of shit slaver" I said as he died in the dirt.

I ran after the other group to try and assist the NCR in protecting the rest of the town. When I arrived only one Legion man was left standing. He had taken a refugee hostage and was holding him at gunpoint hiding his entire body behind him so that even Boone couldn't make the shot. Fortunately his back was to me and gave me a prime time to sever his spinal cord with a kukri stab to the back while I used my other hand to move the gun so it was pointing at the dirt. With the Legion dead the town was safe. I went to check in with Boone.

"I guess… I guess I wasn't meant to die here"

"No, you're a good man Boone and like any man you make mistakes. You shouldn't be punished for them"

"Maybe you're right. I think I can finally move on too. Thank you Courier, you've helped me a lot. I think it's time for me to adorn my old uniform too, to be prideful of my past"

Boone went into a tent and put on his old sniper uniform which consisted of tan fatigues and a military jacket, of course his red first recon beret stayed.

"I'm glad I could help Boone, you aren't much of a talker but you're a good friend and I need you for my quest whatever it may be"

"Yeah"

Boone was back.

I talked to the NCR in Bitter Springs and learned about their supply issues and of a sniper that's been picking people off. I told them I would take care of him and that if I found any spare supplies i'd bring them back. The doctor asked for any medical books I could find and I told him i'd be on the lookout. I continued past the camp to the hills in the north in search of the sniper that's been causing the ruckus. I had told Boone to go back to Goodsprings and hang out with the ladies to get some much needed rest. The sniper was mine, and mine alone. It took me longer than i'm proud to admit to find the snipers cave, and once inside he spoke rather than shoot.

"You know why i'm here"

"Yeah, I know what the NCR did. But by doing this you're no better than them"

"I am a KHAN, we take pride in our people and enact revenge when needed!"

"I understand that, but you're shooting refugees and innocents, not the NCR that dishonored you. Stop while you still can"

"You know I can't do that"

"Then you leave me no choice"

He bowed his head in understanding and we met eyes before he made his move. The Khan was quick in getting his rifle up to aim and he fired in my direction. I dove backwards out of the fire and rolled back onto my feet. I took cover behind a rocky pillar and fired my shotgun back at him. I missed. No wonder I used knives. The suppressive fire allowed me to close the distance which made his already ill-equipped weapon even more useless in the enclosed space. I threw a punch which he blocked using the rifle's stock, he kicked at me and I returned a jab to the neck. The blow made him drop the gun and take a few step backs, all the while I was running at him. A few feet before I ran into him I jumped up and drew a blade in between my fingers. The force of the jump added to my knife-punch and delivered a devastating blow to the Khan's sternum. He wasn't dead but he was losing ground. His next attack was easily parried and I moved in for the kill. Using a rock to my side to propel myself up and forward, I grabbed his neck and used the momentum to swing around and break it. His head was 180 degrees to the back and I was panting hard, but I had won. After the fight I searched the man's cave and was more than delighted to find not only some supplies for the NCR, but also a set of clothes.

I look fucking awesome.

I was now adorned in brown leather combat boots, armored khaki pants, an armored riot gear coat with a chest strap flashlight, and an NCR style (but not factional) riot helmet fitted with a rebreather. The mouth piece would take some getting used too but it would be worth it for the water breathing and radiation resistance from inhaling. I left my shitty jeans and bland jacket behind.

I walked back down to the camp and informed Captain Gilles that the sniper was gone, and I gave her the supply cache I had found.

"You've done so much for the NCR Courier, I don't know how to thank you"

Money or supplies would be nice

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I need your help once again. I need you to check in at the other camps in the area and see if they can spare any more men for us. We need them desperately"

"I'll see what I can do"

She had marked the locations of Camp Forlorn Hope, Camp Golf and Camp Searchlight on my map before I departed. Forlorn Hope was close enough, but I had other things on my mind. I wanted to know my history, and it just so happened that I got an invitation from another Courier named Ulysses to do just that. I told the gang I wasn't going to see them for a while, and I made my path west towards the canyon wreckage and I entered The Divide.

Chapter 7: The Divide

It was cold, too cold. My duster flapped in the wind as I made my way down the cliffside pass. It seemed to go on forever as I looked down to the death that lay below me should I make a false step. I had gotten used to the rebreather and it was now an extension of my body, it made talking difficult but it did the trick nonetheless. I could sense a war was coming and I would need all the help I could muster, but first I needed to do some soul searching. I felt the Divide as an extension of my body and in many ways it was. I could tell I had been here before, long ago. Perhaps it was even my home for a time. Only time would tell.

It took me three months to cross the Divide. It ended upon a metal door inscribed with signs of military life of a time long passed. I could also hear a voice on the intercom. I was not alone, in fact it seemed that I never was. Ulysses was watching me ever since I passed into the Divide. I made my way inside the bunker. A terminal told me it was called Hopeville, a second terminal proved to hard for me to access so I proceeded towards the commissary where I saw a familiar face, well. Sort of. The eyebot looked exactly like the one I had seen in the Primm Couriers office. His identification badge was also labeled the same ED-E. I used the nearby terminal to release him from the clear tube he was being held in. He departed and came to talk to me. A very short discussion allowed me to learn he was the same model as the bot in Primm and that he would follow me. Away we went. I brought him to the main control room and he went to the console to boot up the power. I made my way upstairs through a terminal unleashing a power door. Inside I found some turrets that decided to hassle me. The first was fixed to the ceiling and peppered me area with 5.56 rounds that would normally tear me to shreds. I quickly ran towards the wall on my left and used it to vault back to the right, I used the newfound height advantage to gain an upperhand, or in this case knife, and threw a perfectly placed dagger into the barrel of the turret. I still don't know how in the hell I did it but there ya go. It fired only one more shot that became plugged in the barrel causing the whole turret to detonate under the force of the expanding pressure and gas. I looted some of the undamaged rounds from the turret and moved into an adjacent storage room. Inside were a few ammo boxes with both fragmentation and plasma grenades.

Never was to found of energy weapons, but hell it might come in handy.

As fortune would have it, they did. As I rounded the next hallway I came across a flaw in my edged weapons primary plan. A sentry bot was staring directly at me. He was built to be an ultimate defensive machine, bulky in nature with a tripod "leg" system. It moved via wheels on the feet. The legs moved upwards into a fat, Army green torso that held the bulk of the combat functions. The arms contained twin machineguns and a flamer. The head was small and contained simple killing mechanics that would detect and process how to eliminate potential targets. Its back was large and most likely contained ammunition. The back, as is the fact with most combat robots, contained a combat inhibitor that if destroyed would terminate the bot.

"Hostile in the area, scanning, scanning, hostile detected. Eliminating threat"

"Well fuck my asshole" I muttered to myself.

My first instinct was to charge forward but I had to contain myself, a head on assault with nothing but blades was suicide. I forced myself to take cover back behind the corner I had come from. Once there I dug through my bag to find those plasma grenades I had found in the other room. I tossed one back around towards the sentry bot that was engaged with ED-E. The grenade went off sending energy towards both my enemy and my ally. ED-E was taken aback by my performance but the job was much easier now. The grenade had severely damaged the bots head causing its balancing functions to go haywire. The sentry bot was spinning in random directions leaving its back vulnerable to attack. I rushed forward during one of the turns and dug my kukri into the combat inhibitor. He was put out of commission almost instantly. The now harmless sentry bot now rolled in the direction I had come, unable to process what had just happened to it. Just beyond the bot were two things of interest. The first was three bodies of ghouls. Normally such a thing wouldn't make me bat an eye other than for the purpose of looting, but this time was different. The bodies were clad in makeshift armor that resembled both Caesar's Legion and the NCR. Even more interesting was the skin. Exposed muscle tissue was visible in a pure red form, though they seemed to be former ghouls they were unlike the decayed skin ghouls I had encountered in the past. I took all of the bodies ammunition and knives, then proceeded to the second object of interest. A large blast door with a star on it. The star lead me to believe that, this being an Army facility, a General had used this room sometime in the past. His body was ghoulified and long dead. I took his vodka bottle and his 10mm ammo that was on his desk. His terminal told me information on his sentry bots.

"Would've come in handy earlier"

Just for the hell of it I turned the turrets and bots off. ED-E and I went back to the main entrance area and ED-E accessed a mainframe allowing us entrance to a southern door. Behind it was yet another sentry bot, fortunately it seemed that the General's terminal had deactivated them. We made our way out of the silo and into the town of Hopeville.

The town was decimated. Most buildings were completely destroyed, and those that weren't crumpled around me as I made my way through the old city. For the first time in a long time I had my guns ready. On my waist was a suppressed Colt M1911A1 that I had found back in the Mojave. Actually, I had it a lot longer and just forgot about it. A short time before I entered the Divide I remembered something from my past, when I became a citizen of the Mojave I stored some supplies for future use including the gun. Of course the one thing I remembered had been looted furthering my advancement in combat experiences.

Four months earlier This portion contains details and gameplay/story from a mod called The Couriers Cache which I highly recommend.

I made my way into Primm following instinct and half-memories led me behind the Mojave Express building into the basement. It was my supply depot, the problem was the use of the word WAS. The place had been looted, and semi-recently based on what I could tell. Two bodies lined the floors and one contained a note. It had information on a man who had helped loot the place but then contained information on his newfound desire to clean up the Wasteland as a vigilante justice persona that was now "a force to be reckoned with" named Carlos. I looted the body of a bald man who the letter was addressed to named Bruce. I took his duffel bag and some ammunition, the other body had another note and a water canteen. The note led to information on Carlos being in Freeside. It would be a trek that led to more than just loot. The rest of the supply room gave me some building materials and a wedding ring. I assumed it was mine but it evoked no further memories, I became quite saddened by this and my quest for answers had begun. Freeside was miles away and led me down a dangerous path. I decided to take the eastern highway north, as opposed to the deathclaw packed western. Once again I passed through the familiar territories of Novac and Boulder City stopping for nothing. Everything further north was hostile territory filled with raiders and who knows what else, but I had a mission. For the most part I followed the main road and came across a few animals that were mere harmless specks in the totality of the wastes. I passed just east of the Strip, the lights were bold and sharp. They lit up the night sky and let the world know just how much New Vegas was set on never dieing. It was all due to Mr. House who I would later deal with immensely. Tonight, the lights, HIS lights, were all that the Mojave had to see as a glimmer of hope. As I reached the area just north of the Strip known as Freeside I knew I was in the right place. It was a bustling community, as far as post-apocalyptia is concerned, filled with voices and people. Unfortunately they weren't voices of positivity. Freeside was a slumhole. People lived in the streets on the doorstep of the Strip and had to resort to robbery to make it through the week. Some businesses thrived such as the Van Graffs energy weapons and their competitors in the non-energy field known as Mick and Ralphs. The Atomic Wrangler casino was bustling with activity and The Kings ruled the rest. They were run by The King and his gang of 1940's Elvis impersonators that provided paid protection for travelers headed to the Strip. I was here for one man, and I found him outside Westside's gate.

"Hello my friend, you must be here to learn of Carlooos" said the man in a slow paced drawn out manner. He was wearing fatigues that I vaguely recognized as mine.

"You took my gear and I'm here to get it back"

"You must have heard of my good deeds. How I strike fear into the bad hearted" he said disregarding my comments.

"Alright listen, you can give my gear back or you can die"

"I have been waiting for robbers, and now they are here. Come now and watch as Carloooos deals justice"

I felt like I was in a bad pre-war police movie. With not better options short of killing Carlos I decided to follow him. He stopped about half a mile north and pointed into the desert.

"There, I see them"

He walked out to a small raider encampment.

"You are bad men, Carloooos is here to deal justi-"

Before Carlos could even finish talking they had put multiple bullets into him. I couldn't help but laugh at his stupidity. I quickly moved to engage the raiders as they adjusted their focus to me. There were four in total and they began to charge towards me. I dodged a knife blow by one and sprinted up a tilted rock in the desert, using the height advantage to bypass behind the knife wielding maniac and dive onto a raider holding a shotgun. As I jumped I pulled two knives from my belt and used my build momentum to dig them into his chest killing him. The knifeman turned back towards me and slashed missing me by an inch, I grabbed his outstretched arm and bent up and backwards effectively disabling it. I then used him for cover as a third raider fired multiple bullets at me. They splattered his body and I kicked it at the raider and ran towards him. While the corpse was still in motion I jumped forward and dove kicked it while throwing a knife at the same time. The body slammed into the third raider and the knife killed the fourth who had a rifle. The third was stunned and on the ground, I finished him off with a sharp downward application of pressure from my leg and boot that broke his neck. With the raiders out of the way I went to Carlos' body and retrieved my fatigues and a note highlighting a 'base' of sorts to the northwest.

Great, more walking

9:45 that night. May 13th, 2276

I had walked for another hour before I came across another pack of raiders just south of a large silver structure underneath an old highway billboard from long ago. They were too many to try to take down hand-to-hand even for me, so I had to refer to my hunting rifle that shot .308 rounds. I managed to put down around four before the rest noticed me. By the time they had gotten to a counterattack only two remained and they were easy combatants to take down with my kukri. The silver building was uninhabited but it possessed a sale receipt from Carlos to a Marty Stu. He seemed to be of the same mind of Carlos in thinking that he was here to stop all crime, and similarly he had some of my gear in his possession.

Wonderful more idiots I'll have to deal with

He was on the opposite side of Freeside and not only had he bought another one of my armor pieces, but he had an old gun of mine. It was a .45 repeater with the words A Lincoln inscribed on the stock. I had a short flashback of a man in a weapons market giving it to me as a reward, but I couldn't remember why. Anyways, it was mine and I intended to collect even if it meant dealing with another loony who had probably never been in a fight, much less seen a raider in person before. And there I was again, going to Freeside after I had a nights rest in the bunker that I effectively claimed as my own.

10:30 May 14th

Freeside was an easy walk filled with nothing more than a radroach. Marty Stu was easy to find wearing a stupid hat and sunglasses on the north part of town. He claimed to be an NCR First Recon sniper, but when I asked him about Boone he clammed up. I apparently was supposed to have heard of him and his record for justice, but for some odd reason I hadn't.

Must've been a bad meal.

When I finally gave in and asked what he was doing he cryptically responded.

"I'm a half demon, half wolf, half man. I've been tracking these raider for…. At least twenty minutes now and it's time to exert justice"

Knowing this was going to go horribly wrong and wondering if he was an escaped mental patient I told him to lead the way. Of course, he talked to himself while walking.

"Marty Stu, Marty Stu. Half demon, half wolf, half man, Marty Stu"

What have I gotten myself into, why am I even bothering.

Not surprisingly he didn't exert justice on the bandits. He saw them, turned tail and ran as he yelled:

"Oh crap, I think I shit my pants"

My pants you mean

He was shot in the back, once again, leaving me to kill the bandits.

Splendid.

There were only two this time and they seemed pretty new at the whole business. I kicked on square in the chest and drew my kukri slicing his neck at the same time. The second pulled up his rifle to fire but I was quicker. A knife pierced his left eye and sent him to the ground. Marty Stu's body had my clothes, my repeater and a pre-war Colt M1911A1 with a suppressor and an ivory pearl grip. I spent the next few days moving into the basement supply area and clearing it out. Then I was off to find Ulysses.

The Divide. September 23rd 2276

Hopeville was filled with the red ghouls. I heard two talking in a house I was trying to sneak past. Naturally, I had to listen in. They talked about their previous experiences in the NCR and the Legion. The Divide had been an outpost location for both before it was destroyed in a nuclear fashion. Both factions left them for dead and they threw down their arms against each other and banded together to protect their new home from any who try to invade. The so-called Marked Men were the Divide's residents and they would be it's defenders for eternity. Unexploded nuclear warheads plagued the Divide waiting to be detonated. I got into a few minor engagements with the Marked Men as I made my way through town looting the equipment. I continued towards more and more Marked Men until a camp was in view. I dispatched the front guard with my Colt and made my way inside its gates. The 'command post' had about six ghouls inside that were easily dispatched with my blades. I used the desks as cover from their weapons in the old army base. The last Marked Man was killed with a double slash to the throat. Behind him on a desk was a laser detonator and then I got a message. ED-E flashed to life and a human voice spoke through, it was gruff and deep. It was Ulysses. His voice seemed familiar, like I had known him from a time long ago.

"What is this place"

"Hopeville, it was once a large city filled with people. They preserved through the war and the wastes before the bombs went off again"

He told me the history of the Marked Men and that he could find me on the Courier's Mile, assuming I survived the journey there.

"I hope you found a laser detonator, you'll need it"

The transmission ended before I could ask more. I continued the pass through the Marked Men camp and came across a collapsed overpass tunnel with an unexploded nuclear warhead blocking my path. I equipped my laser detonator and backed up. The beam hit the warheads and after several seconds they went off. The warm glow of the radiation basked me as I passed through it and into the tunnel.

It was dark and warm in the tunnel. I knew I was being watched but I couldn't tell from what. Sharp, green eyes pierced the darkness and vanished in the blink of an eye. I had my Colt at the ready with my kukri in my other hand, ready for anything. A small shadow ran by in front of me, it was quick and deliberate. They wanted me to know I wasn't alone. They wanted me to be afraid. I continued through traveling slowly and cautiously. Then they struck. They were small black creatures with sharp claws on their hands used for tunneling. I killed one with my gun and saw another jump into an underground hole. I turned on my pipboy light and it did little to pierce the black. The rest of the tunnel was filled with them and I was thrilled to see light in the shape of a v shaped exit back into the free air. I followed it out and onto a high road in the shape of an old overpass for a freeway. Destroyed cars piled the road and a few Marked Men inhabited it. ED-E once again sparked to life.

"I see you've met the Tunnelers. Pleasant sort aren't they?"

"What are they?"

"Mutated people, I don't know how long they've been here and don't care to go ask them"

"What now?"

"I'll be at the Ashton Missile Silo. Good luck getting here. You'll need it"

The call ended and ED-E returned to his normal self. We continued on the high road and met a few Marked Men. ED-E blasted them back to oblivion while I slashed my way through others. Further advancement down the path led me to the crows nest. An old skyscraper filled with Marked Men and a deathclaw. The only path of advancement was up and over based on the marked left my Ulysses on my map. The Marked Men were easy kills, but the deathclaw was anything but. A large scaly beast with horns and claws as long as a human's arms, it stood at seven feet tall and moved at a speed that seemed impossible for it's size. I tried to stay low and out of sight, but it was to no avail. The deathclaw had my scent. In an instant it seemed he teleported to me and was swiping with immense force. The claws were overly large and were sharp enough to rip a brahmin into shreds in one swipe. I ducked backwards as far as I could and missed the attack my mere centimeters. As he recoiled from the attack, I stabbed a homemade blade in its arm. The blade had a shaped charge in the hilt and as I bounded backwards I detonated it. The deathclaw was taken aback, but far from out of the fight. I used the wound to my advantage and scaled to its head over its arm. I was clinging to its back as he tried frantically to shake me off. His strength was immeasurable to any other standards. The deathclaw was simply death incarnate, but I was hell itself. I performed a cartwheel maneuver over its face while leaving another knife charge in its left eye socket. Once I bounded on the ground it was half blind, but my smell was strong. He sprinted towards me once more and I detonated the second charge. His face was torn, but somehow he kept coming. Hell might have met his match. A swipe struck my chest, and only a last minute calculated twist saved my neck from sure decapitation. In a last ditch effort I somehow landed a blow to its exposed belly with my kukri, it was just barely sharp enough to break the skin and I forced the blade up. It took everything I had but I forced the blade farther towards the beast's face. Green blood dripped free and organs poured out, but the fight was now mine. Hades had won and the thick blood from Death rivaled that of the River Styx. My face and torso was drenched but I had survived and I knew then that nothing short of a god could defeat me. My mind went ablaze with thoughts of a burning Hoover Dam and Caesar's Legion bounding through the Mojave. Then I saw myself and my compatriots holding the line. Boone, Cass, Veronica and several more faces that were foreign to me, but faces I knew I would come to recognize with time. The vision reached its climax with a free Mojave with me at its helm. I knew my destiny then and there and no enemy to strong, or no group too large would stop me. I was Courier Six, and this was MY land.

The rest of the Divide was filled with danger and deceit. The skyscraper was a simple traverse with traps and Marked Men galore. At the end another unexploded warhead marked my journeys peak. Ashton Silo was just around the bend. Ulysses was mine for the taking. Like a reborn ancient I conquered the Divide and arrived at the silo. Inside a longhaired and masked face awaited me.

"Courier, I applaud your performance"

"You have my attention Ulysses, but not for long. Why did you bring me here"

"For your destiny of course. The eyebot has served us well, but alas all good things must come to an end"

A single shot pierced ED-Es eye scanner and after a series of sad clicks he landed in a clunk. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss him.

"Do you remember this place six? You should. This was your home. You were hired by the NCR long ago to transport a package here. What they didn't tell you is what it contained. I myself still don't know, but it…. Spoke, to the the warheads underground here and you can see the results. I figured you for dead but somehow you survived, I don't know how but I must see it to be so"

"Why, why do you want me dead?"

"I was one of Caeser. A Frumentarii of a tribal sort. They conquered my land and I joined them and I became one of the best. I did my service, and like you became a Courier. Although you meddling with the NCR could not be allowed. I was the first chosen to deliver the platinum chip and imagine my surprise at seeing your name on the list. The man who survived the Divide. Of course I figured the Wastes would sort you out, but you have triumphed and now the pleasure is mine. This is your road, when you come you'll walk it alone. You can kill me Courier, but I have destroyed your chance of saving the Wastes. That eyebot holds the key to stopping the bomb behind me from destroying all of the Wastes. Now you must choose, yourself or others"

"What I choose is both, and you Ulysses… Are mine"

"So be it, the launch will commence either on my death or if you lose this contest"

In the back if my peripheral vision I could make out a glimmer from ED-Es monitor.

There's a chance

"Make your move Ulysses, but keep in mind. You can't beat the unkillable"

"Your pride is your biggest- AH!"

I had kicked a rock into his face to both cut him off and close the distance. He struck back with inhuman speed and precision trying to stumble my inertia. But my catalyst was in play. Ulysses struck fast, but it put him off footing, giving me the perfect opportunity for a counterattack that I took full advantage of. I swept his leg out from under him and dead weighed my foot for a crushing blow on his skull, but he managed to twist away just in time before reaching for his pistols. Once again I was quicker and before he was fully drawn there was a knife in the nerve cluster occupying his right arm. He shrieked out in pain and I sprint jumped to deliver a finishing blow with brass knuckled to his cranial ocular cavity. Ulysses was down but the panamoniam had just begun. The bomb clock went off immediately on his passing. I slid to ED-E and found his main functions still online, although he couldn't move.

Damn was he heavy, but I got ED-E to the command terminal. On the screen he transmitted a message to me saying he could stop the bombs launch, but not its detonation.,He gave me a final goodbye and told me to run like hell. I patted him softly and he clicked in satisfaction before nudging me away. I sprinted like hell as the room began to prepare for self destruction. The bay outside had a cliff above a patch of water and I took my chances and leapt. My heart stood still as I plummeted from the sky. About halfway down I felt the heat from the explosion through my leather jacket and it propelled me faster. The impact was slight at first and I assumed I was dead, but I wasn't. I swam to shore and made my way back to the only home I had left, contemplating the things I had forgotten about my life the whole way. Was I really unkillable? It was a long trek back but when I made it I only felt accomplishment in my veins. The path of the Divide was mine alone, and I had conquered it.

The Mojave. December 3rd 2276

Goodsprings

"The bomb went off after I had made it out of the escape bunker. I still miss that little clanker"

"Sounds like quite the adventure" said Boone. "I'm glad you got some closure and made it back to us alive"

"Who else was gonna pay for my whiskey" said Cass.

I smiled at my friends and we continued to shoot the shit until nightfall where we took our places in my new home inside a now renovated schoolhouse.

Damn was it good to be back.

Chapter 8: Veronica

She was the newest addition to our team and damn was she quirky. Veronica would do anything for a dress and made it abundantly clear. I had met her at the 188 trading post just north of Boulder City before making my way to the Divide. The word quirky was the first to come to mind when describing the Brotherhood Scribe. Her ex mentor Father Elijah must have been fuming when trying to deal with her wild and free nature. After my return from the Divide the two of us had traveled together for a little while, and had continued the chase for Benny while Boone and Cass went their own ways for a while. We tracked him back to Bitter Springs where the information from Manny Vargas back in Novac led us. Boulder City was a shitshow. The NCR was having trouble, again. Great Khans had taken hostages and of course the NCR wasn't gonna let em be without a fight. By the time I got there it was a Mexican standoff. The NCR had the town and the Khan's had a destroyed area that used to be the town. Of course me being me, I had to resolve the issue.

"What seems to be the issue" I asked the NCR officer.

"Khans took some of our guys and they're holding 'em hostage. I need them dealt with but if we move in our men are surely dead"

Here's where he asks for help

"If you could resolve this I got some caps with your name on em"

I agreed to help and strolled into the ruins. On my right walking in were NCR snipers hiding just out of sight.

"Hey, who the fuck are you. You don't look like NCR?!" yelled a Khan.

"Yeah you got that right. Look i'm just here for information, but if we could clear your situation up in the process I wouldn't be against it."

"At this point so would we. We just wanna go home but they'd slaughter us the moment we tried to. If you can guarantee a free pass i'll help ya out with what you need."

The next 15 minutes involved me running back and forth between the NCR and the Khans. In the end, I got the deal.

"Alright Mister you helped us so i'll help you. What do ya want to know?"

"I'm looking for a man in a checkered suit. A while back he shot me and took my cargo while I was working for the Mojave Express. Any idea where to find him?"

"Benny is who ya want. Listen kid it's nothing personal but we were there. He hired us as bodyguards while he went after you. I gotta admit I never would've expected a kid to survive a fuckin bullet to the head, i'm glad I didn't have to fight you here. But yeah, Benny stiffed us the full payment and ran off back to the Strip. We got caught up down here and the rests history."

Inside I was boiling knowing these men had helped Benny. But a deal was a deal and he seemed genuine.

"Any idea where he is now"

"Try the Tops in New Vegas. He runs the place. Oh, and theres a minimum cap limit to get in the Strip. Hope ya have some saved up."

I left Boulder City eager to make my move, but I knew it would be too soon and seeking revenge half-cocked only ended up with a headstone with your name on it. Fortuneatly, I had some things to do first.

Veronica had started to open up to me. She didn't like how things had been going with the Brotherhood lately. Father McNamara was a good man, but he had his faults.

"I was sick and tired of him just making us wait underground to die. If the Brotherhood wants to live we need to go out there and make it happen." She would say.

"Have you told this Elder how you feel?"

"I've tried to tell others, but they wouldn't listen. My job is to find and bring back useful items, but lately it feels like they're only making me do it so I cant spread my 'heresy' on the rest of the Brotherhood."

"Do you think it would help if an outsider were to talk to him?"

"I can take you there to try, but they rarely let strangers in… You'd have to build some trust first."

Oh wonderful. Chores.

"For you, i'll do it"

"Super! Maybe we'll find a dress too!"

I couldn't help but laugh.

She took me to the Hidden Valley in the next few days and showed me which of the bunkers belonged to the Brotherhood.

"Oh one last thing. Don't wear anything NCR while were down there. I think they're swell guys, but not everyone agrees with me"

I nodded my acknowledgements and she led me inside. The bunker was bare except for some rubble and another door at the far end of the wall. She walked over to it and hit a button on the intercom. I couldn't make out what was said, but I could tell I was in for some scrutiny.

After a heated discussion the door finally opened and we walked in, only to be met by a man in a very large suit of power armor.

"You're lucky outsider. Normally i'd have to take those pretty little blades of yours. But the Elder wants to see you."

I walked past the man solemnly and followed Veronica to the back of the bunker. Inside it was like a maze of metal men and energy weapons. Surprisingly children were even frolicking about. The one thing I was aware of more than any though, was the steady stare of everyone inside watching me like a hawk.

"Veronica. What is the meaning of this. Violating our sanctity with an outsider. You know the rules. I could have you excited for this, fortunately for you. Im curious. Tell me outsider, what brings you here?"

The Elder was in his fifties. He had gray hair and wore a slick gray robe. His office was large and he sat behind a circular desk that was positioned in the center of the room.

"Veronica and I have become friends. She has some concerns that I wanted to address, but I understand you might need some help around here. I'm The Courier and I seem to have a knack for helping people."

"Interesting" he glared at Veronica. "It's true were having some issues, but why should I allow some outsider to assist us with Brotherhood business?"

"If im understanding this correctly no one here goes outside. I know what it's like out there and I can hold my own. Whatever you need I can do it."

"Why do you wish to help us?"

"Like I said Veronica's a friend and I help my friends. And i'm always looking for allies."

"I see. Perhaps there is something you can do to strengthen my trust in you Courier. We sent out scouts a few weeks ago to report on particular places we want to keep eyes on. We haven't heard back. If you can find them and report on their activities or find their bodies we can start to help each other."

"Done."

"Here you'll need this." He handed me a paper with a callsign to prove I was sent by him, and he downloaded the scout's tracking chip info to my pipboy. "Good luck Courier." Victoria and I made our exit.

"Seems like a decent enough guy to me" I said as we walked towards the first marker at the NCR prison by Primm.

"He's doing what he thinks is right for us, I don't blame the man but I wish he listened to more people"

"That's why we're here, build some trust and then try to talk"

"I know"

"Hey lighten up, i'm sure everything's gonna come up Victoria" I told her with a smile. She giggled and smiled back. Within an hour we were in the hills outside the NCR prison. Recently it had been taken over by the inmates and used as a Powder Ganger outpost while they ran raids. The Brotherhood scout was crouched atop a hill crest watching the activity inside. The Paladin focused his attention, and gauss rifle, on me as I approached his position.

"Give me one good reason not to blow you to bits"

Without saying a word I slowly reached my hand into my jacket and pulled out the paper McNamara had given me. I handed it to the paladin and he read it slowly. When he was done his rifle was aimed to the floor and he handed me a holotape with an update.

"One down two to go." Said Veronica. "Where's the next one at?"

"Looks like it's at REPCONN headquarters."

"I heard that place was abandoned. Most people are afraid to go in it"

"Guess your scout buddies weren't. Assuming they made it out alive"

"Looks like we're gonna find out"

The trek over was fairly long and drawn out. It took us almost a full day to get there while dealing with raider parties and some Legion groups that were still hunting me. Veronica was a damn good puncher and she loved to prove it. Not very often I got to travel with another close quarters fighter. One Legionnaire still had pieces of brain matter on my coat by the time we had gotten to REPCONN. The building was dilapidated and looked almost sad even compared to the rest of the wasteland. When I got inside the greeting party was the last thing I expected.

"Welcome to REPCONN. Would you like a tour?"

I slowly lowered my knife and gave Veronica a cross eyed look that silently spoke "what the fuck?"

"Uhhh, sure. Lead the way"

"Splendid. We don't allow any pictures or touching around the exhibits, and don't even think of going upstairs."

The Mr Handy bot hovered us towards the side room that was housing some statues and equipment behind velvet rope.

The bot rambled on about the science and importance of the objects.

It bored the shit out of me

Near the end of each item he would spout something about how the critics were wrong and it being perfect safe. My personal favorite was "statement is figurative and unadmisable as evidence in a court of law". It made me wonder just what these guys were doing back in the day. When the tour was over I couldn't help but notice the dead fiends lying in the corner or the sentry bots guarding the entry to the upper levels. By the look on Veronica's face it seemed that she hadn't' either. My locator from Elder McNamara signaled that the scouts were in the building, the tour had taken us through the entire bottom floor which meant I had to go up and investigate.

I just had to offer to help didn't I

When the Mr Handy giving the tour turned its back to us I made my move.

My knife dug into the combat inhibitor and the systems were fried. Of course I now gained the attention of the sentry bots lurking around. Before I could move on them I saw Veronica whip out her power fist and drive into one's face. The second let off a blast from it's gatling laser and I dove just in time to knock her out of its blast.

The wall behind us was shredded and the bot started to advance. I threw over a plasma grenade to slow its advance then I leapt over a desk and onto it's head. The wires in the back of the neck made an easy target and I began to dig into them with both hand and blade while the bot fired randomly around the room. After a few seconds the fire died down and the bot was out of commission.

If that's downstairs what's it like up there

Veronica let out a long breath and charged up the steps into the next room. The floorplan said there were three floors and the locator beacon was, of course, on the third.

"You go distract them and take out as many as you can. Ill try the sneaky approach and see if I can get 'em from behind or find a terminal"

"You got it boss. Time for some hitting!"

She was headstrong as always. Veronica made it the next floor and I heard a loud clang as she punched a bot.

I'm glad i'm on her good side

I crawled to the top as quietly as I could and rounded the corner to see Veronica beating bot after bot. While she went left I took off to the right and went through the rooms. I found some decent food supplies and Sunset Sarsaparilla as well as a few Mr Handy's that weren't drawn to the violence. The first had its back turned so I only had to deliver a cut into the inhibitor. The second I took down with a plasma pistol I kept for robots. The second floor was clear of any Brotherhood tech or shut down terminals for the security so I made my way to the third and final floor. It seemed eerily quiet. Of course I could still hear Veronica clanking away below me, but this floor was something else. The robots didn't seem to bother me here. Two scanner bots approached me with no questions and welcomed me to the lab. For the first time since I left the Divide I felt like I was being watched. As quick as I could I gathered the holotapes from the two dead Brotherhood Scouts on the opposite side of the room and I got the hell out of dodge. Veronica and I sprinted out of the building and took cover outside, ready for a counterattack. It never came.

"I guess that protection program just applies to the building" she said.

"Looks that way"

"Wheres our last beacon at?"

"Looks like it's up north. By Nellis Air Force Base. Before the war i'm guessing"

"Whoa wait! Nellis? Is McNamara trying to get us killed?!"

"What's at Nellis?" I asked genuinely confused.

"Boomers"

"What the hell are Boomers?"

"Insane bastards with a lot of missiles. They set up shop there and bombard anyone who gets to close."

"Sounds like we got a challenge on our hands then"

I decided to take inventory of my weapons before we left. As usual I had my plasma knife, two fixed fighting blades, a karambit, a machete, about 2 dozen other blades, and a sword. A plasma pistol for robots. Two 1911's as backup. The last weapon was my favorite, but I didn't know why or when I got it. It was an old repeater with 'A Lincoln' inscribed on the barrel. I always carried it with me but it was just another one of those mysteries about my life I hoped to solve some day. I re-packed all my weapons and we began to trek north to the old Nellis Air Force base. We took the eastern path that shadowed the strip and came across several buildings and places I marked on my pipboy map to investigate later. The whole walk took us three days and we took refuge in an abandoned shack just south of the road to Nellis. That night it rained hard and I was focused on my life while Veronica slept peacefully in the ramshackle bed. Most nights I tried to remember anything but I had never focused on any individual parts before. Tonight was different. I focused on the repeater and found vague outlines of memories from years ago. I remembered an old man in a vender booth, and a city not unlike the strip. New R… What was the R for. Before I could finish my thoughts a man busted through the door. He was shivering and had his arms wrapped around him to try and stay warm, so far he had no idea I was building. He closed the door and turned around to face me before starting to walk to the other side of the room. He stopped dead in his tracks and I saw the gears in his head moving while he comprehended my presence. The second time he turned to look at me he had a gun out, but I was ready. My throwing knife zoomed through the air and severed his trigger finger with pinpoint accuracy. He screamed.

"FUCK! YOU BASTARD! You goddamn bounty hunters just won't leave me alone"

I had no idea who this man was or who had put a bounty on him but I never passed up an opportunity for caps.

"Gotta make a living somehow. So tell me, why are you wanted. Poster wasn't too specific."

"You're the fuckin bounty hunter you tell me. Just make it quick and tell those bastards at the NCR i'm gonna haunt em for putting cash on my head."

He wanted it to be quick so I gave it to him quick. My kukri severed his head with one swift motion and I stored it in my backpack for a bounty sometime down the line.

Well that just happened

I sighed deeply and fell asleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, I could feel it.

I woke up to Veronica poking me.

"Uhhh why is there a headless body in the house?"

"He broke in"

"Again, why is there a HEADLESS body in the house?"

"He thought I was a bounty hunter that was looking for him, considering I have no idea who is his I figured a head would be good enough proof to claim the reward"

"You're a bounty hunter too?"

"Not before last night, but if I get some caps out of it why not

A few hours later after we ate some breakfast we trekked up towards Nellis. On the road a man stepped out of the shadows and into our path.

"Whoa there friend, this road leads to Boomer country. You probably won't make it out alive"

"Wanna bet" I said dryly.

"Well, now that you mention it sure. 100 caps if you make it back alive. If you do you get yours back and if not, well, don't say I didn't warn you"

I took his offer and gave him my caps. Considering it would be easier to avoid missiles alone I left Veronica to make sure he didn't try to stiff me and run off. I continued alone up the road.

All around me were destroyed buildings and skeletons of those who I assume belonged to the losers of previous bets. About ten feet further in I heard the first whistle of a rocket. As fast as I could, I ran to the least destroyed house and took cover. The game of cat and mouse continued until I reached a security fence. I was covered in dirt and injured from a piece of wooden shrapnel that decided to camp out embedded in my left leg. The only reason I had gone to the fence was to request a ceasefire while I looked for the scouts bodies.

"Holy shit how did you survive that!" Said a man wearing green armor behind the gate.

"I ran"

"Mother Pearl is going to want to see you"

"Listen kid, im here to pick up some bodies and be on my way. Can you lay off on the guns for 20 minutes while I find em, then ill get out of your way"

"Hmmm, only if you promise to come back and talk to Mother Pearl in the future"

"Yeah, sure kid. I promise" The young Boomer seemed satisfied and called off the guns. I had no intentions of ever coming back, but something in my gut told me I would before too long.

It took about five minutes to collect the scouts tape and leave. I collected my winnings from the man and two daya later I dumped the three tapes on McNamara's desk.

Chapter 9: The Brotherhood of Steel

"Im impressed outsider" said McNamara. "I never thought an outsider like yourself would ever be capable of a task like that, even less so take it on in the first place. I thank you Mr…?"

"Courier. I'm just the Courier"

"I see, well thank you Courier. Now you said you and Veronica wanted to talk to me about something?"

"You got that right" interrupted Veronica.

I stood to the side so she could make her claims.

"It's about you keeping us locked up. We've been rotting down here for years, no one has even seen the light of day in too long. It needs to stop"

"Veronica you know what happened last time we were above the surface, the NCR fought us and cast us out of Helios One. I can't allow it. How will we survive?"

"With people like my friend. He just proved that not all outsiders are evil and hate us. We can negotiate with the NCR and just live in peace."

"I'm sorry, Veronica, I just can't" said McNamara with what seemed like genuine concern and sadness.

I decided to butt in.

"I can talk to the NCR. Try to work something out as a middleman." I said.

"Please…" begged Veronica.

"I… I'm sorry…" before he could go on Veronica was storming out of the building. I exchanged a concerned look with McNamara and followed behind her. We cleared the various floors and made our way back outside. Waiting for us just out of the bunker were three Brotherhood Paladin's in full power armor.

"You think you can go in there and talk heresy with the Elder like that and not hear about it from us?" asked the Paladin in charge to Veronica.

"He invited us in to speak" I said.

"Stay out of this outsider. This doesn't concern you"

"Considering you're threatening one of my friends, i'd say it does"

"Leave now if you don't want the reputation you made with us to be obliterated"

"If you go back inside and let her pass i'll do just that"

"I can't do that to this little punk. She thinks she can just question the Elder and get away with it. She's going to pay"

"Bad idea"

"This is your last chance outsider"

"I could say the same to you"

Before he could react I shot a small knife i'd been concealing behind my wrist up into one of the other paladins eyes. For a reason unbeknownst to me he decided he wouldn't need his helmet. He screamed and naturally the others began shooting at me, or rather where I was two seconds ago. I had already rolled over to the right and was preparing another attack on the other lackey. He had his side exposed to me, and little did he or anyone else in the Brotherhood know I had been examining their power armor suits. During every expedition to find the scouts I had studied it further. They looked indestructible, but looks are just that. They had a weak point on both sides. The area that covers the belly was weaker to enable movement, it also had a small crack that would be almost impossible to hit with a bullet. But with a knife in the hands of a master of edged combat, it was an easy target. I plunged my dagger deep into the soft spot and I could hear the kidney burst. The paladin hit the ground screaming and I was now standing face to face with the head of the trio. He had me where he wanted me, in the sights of his plasma gatling. The only way I was getting out of this alive was with a miracle. I got one in the form of a girl overly obsessed with dresses. She had snuck up behind him during the confrontation and now she was midway through a punch. Her power fist connected with the Paladin directly in the neck. Even his armor couldn't withstand that kind of abuse and he went down, his spinal cord shattered. The other two Paladins were both on the ground screaming bloody murder while I collected my thrown knife.

"What now?" I asked.

"Well I don't have a home anymore. Do you?"

I took her back to my old school house base and introduced her to Boone who actually spoke like a normal person for once. I was glad that they all got along and we had a nice celebration that night. Beer was passed around and we had a good time enjoying our lives and sharing adventures. Then we got a knock at the door.

"Courier. We need your help."

"Who's there?"

"The NCR."

God damnit what now

I opened the door and a ranger stepped inside. I recognized him as the one that rewarded me for clearing the roads back at Mojave Outpost.

"Whats going on?"

"The Brotherhood of Steel is back. They attacked one of our patrols a few hours ago. They demanded that you were brought to justice."

I could hear Veronica fuming in the corner.

"Ok. Where and when, what do you need from me?"

"We just need them dealt with. If you can get them to back off peacefully we'd be more than happy."

"Got it"

He thanked me and left. I turned around to see a pissed off Veronica standing next to Boone and Cass. All three had already suited up.

"You sure you wanna go on this one Veronica?"

"They were my family, but family doesn't attack unhostile men. They're not my family any more."

I grabbed my trusty hat and my lucky repeater and we were on our way.

The walk to the Hidden Valley where their bunke was, took a few hours. When we got there we were met with a sandstorm.

"It does this at night to keep people away" said Veronica.

"Were not your average people" muttered Cass. Boone nodded his agreement. We muddled through the sand while Veronica led us to the Brotherhood bunker in the maze of abandoned ones.

"What's the battle plan?" asked Boone.

"There's a console in the back that has a self destruct sequence encoded in it. If we can get to that were golden, if not we just have to shoot them all." said Veronica.

I heard Cass check her shotgun and we moved in. The door was locked but Veronica had a failsafe code. When the door opened we were met with a flurry of plasma shots and explosives being shot up the staircase. Cass and Boone took positions behind guard doors flanking the stairs and shot right back. Veronica and I made a slow but steady descent down. Most of the inhabitants were armored, but not in power armor, making my job easier. The ones that were in power suits would be a hassle to say the least. One brave fool decided to rush us and was met with a kukri to his left lung before being kicked back to his allies at the bottom. I tosses down a smoke bomb and jumped into the fray. My winchester repeater went from my back to my hands before I made it to the ground. The first shot was a hit on an unarmored paladin in the leg. The aftermath reminded me why I kept the thing around. His leg erupted into bloody pulp and sent bone fragments into his allies. I continued to fire covering my teams advance down the stairs. We split off and covered the floor. From down the hall I could hear Cass's double barrel erupt, followed by the screams of her victims. When my repeater ran empty I switched back to my method of choice for slaying bodies. I had a karambit in each hand and I was devastating my opponents. Five charged me with power fists. The first swung for my head, I ducked below it and cut the throat of the man behind him before I swung back around and stabbed my original attacker while his punch was in it's follow through. I kicked the third in the stomach and sliced around the back of his throat while he was keeled over. The fourth was stunned and I managed to grab him in a necklock while the final assailant punched at me. I stabbed downward and my knife caught his arm mid extension. It dug into the power wiring of his fist and shut down its power functions. The sudden weight of the weapon sent him to the ground. I quickly broke the headlocked paladin's neck before I plunged my blade in the downed man's spine. I took a moment to catch my breath and adjust my hat before I continued into the dragon's lair. At the stairs to the next level I caught up to Boone who had a trail of bodies behind him. He nodded and reloaded his bolt action rifle. From below I could hear the next wave of attackers moving towards us.

"Get out of my way fucknuts" said Cass from behind me while she pushed through me and down the stairs. She blasted two enemies at once and bludgeoned another. One tried to get up behind her but I cut him off with a well placed throwing knife.

"This is too easy" said Boone.

"Yeah, hopefully they don't have something big planned for us on the last level." I said.

The two of us moved down mowing down enemies as a well oiled machine, Boone with his rifle and me using a combination of my 1911s and thrown blades. The second floor had almost no resistance as it was mainly a living quarters. It also had an armory that I saw Veronica throw a grenade into. The third floor had the Elder's office and I knew it would defended the heaviest. Knowing that, I still didn't expect what I got. Two Paladins in full power armor sporting plasma gatlings, guarded the Elder's quarters. I pulled out the repeater again and went for headshots, hoping to break the armor for Boone's much stronger rifle. My shots were true, but the armor was just too thick. I could hear Cass cussing about their armor being made of Deathclaw skin while I shot. Boone and Veronica were back to back with me and Cass, mowing down all the other attackers. On the last shot of my repeater I could see one of the Paladins keel back in pain.

"Boone, the one on the left. Headshots!"

He yelled back roger and I took to the other. I charged him with a chainsword I had made. I had to dodge plasma rounds left and right but I made it to him and targeted his plasma gatling. My hit damaged it enough for him to have to toss it and draw his own plasma sword. I knew my own sword wouldn't last if I parried, so I chucked it and drew my trusty karambits again. I had to dodge cut after cut as he tried to get a hit on me. In the middle of the fray I saw the other Paladin go down. Boone had hit his mark.

"Go… Get to the console… Blow this place to shit… I got this one!" I yelled between dodges.

Cass tried to object but Veronica was already pushing her towards the control room. I jumped off an adjacent wall and managed to climb up on the paladin's back. I unleashed a volley of 1911 rounds into his helmet while he struggled to pull me off his back. I cut the power line to his helmet and was ripping it off when I heard an alarm go off and my teammates running towards the exit.

"You gotta leave now, it's gonna blow in three minutes" yelled Veronica.

"I'm right behind you" I responded. When they hesitated I yelled "GO!"

They sprinted back up the steps and I was left with my problem. He wildly cut behind his back with the blade, I had no choice but to grab the sharp end and plunge it into the helmet. It finally broke off, but he had got ahold of me and flung me across the room.

"Sorry big guy, times up" The now defenseless Paladin received a thrown knife to the face, killing him instantly. I was now on the move running as quickly as I could to the exit. Right as I got to the exit stairs the world turned red. The bunker blew up in a flurry of shrapnel and heat. I couldn't feel my feet.

Outside

Boone, Cass, and Veronica were standing outside just far enough away to be protected from the blast. They had captured a fleeing McNamara and had him with them. All three were waiting and watching for me. Then the bunker bellowed and growled up a fiery doom for all inside.

Cass was the first to cry. It was completely out of character, but even she couldn't control herself.

Boone was the first to speak.

"Jesus…" He said. "I actually liked that bastard"

Veronica just stood there in shock holding McNamara by the collar. Cass fell to a sitting position still bawling her eyes out while a figure came out of the fire.

My hands were bleeding and my whole body was covered in shrapnel.

"I… I think I need a doctor." I said before I collapsed.

The next few hours were a blur. I remember Cass and Boone carrying me out of Hidden Valley. The next time I woke up I was in Novac under a white tent with a woman in a white coat looking down at me.

"He's fucked up" I heard her say.

No shi-

I had passed out again.

I woke up feeling like shit. I was back in the old schoolhouse and Cass was asleep in the chair next to me.

"What the fuck happened?" I said aloud.

"You blew up" said Boone over Cass's snoring.

"How am I alive?" I asked struggling to stand up. A hand shot out and stopped me. The lioness had woken up.

"Easy there man, you're all sorts of fucked up" said Cass.

"I was halfway up the stairs. How did I make it outside"

"We've been wondering the same thing." She said.

I looked around the room and found one person missing.

"Veronica?"

"She's safe. The NCR came by to pick up McNamara last night. She's with them."

I sat up in the bed.

"No, I don't get it. I should be dead"

"Yeah you should be. But you have some enhancements. Some of your limbs are part mechanical."

"Wha- "

"Doc said they've been their for a few years now."

It came back. I knew in the back of my mind they had fucked with my body but I had repressed it.

"I remember now. It was before I met Cass. I found this radio signal on my pipboy. Led me to some crashed satellite and being teleported to the Big MT. I… I don't know what happened there. I think I need some time to figure out what happened to me, to find answers."

My team and I discussed it when Veronica got back and they all okayed my solo mission. The three of them would work on fixing up the school and do some work while I was gone. I didn't know how long i'd be, or where I was going. But I knew it had to be done.

Chapter 10: Old World Blues

I had been on the road for months. I didn't know what day it was or how long i'd been gone. I was in Chicago. What was left of it anyways. The once thriving city suffered a direct hit in the great war, and not much remained. While passing through I found a few small settlements with normal people trying to survive, but more often than not I encountered raiders and super mutants. They could really take a beating and damn did they smell horrible. Before Chicago I had followed train tracks and old highways leading me through cities new and old. Most were dilapidated and abandoned but some thrived on. The Mormons still had a foothold in Utah and were rebuilding their homes and cities. Smaller new settlements popped up along the highways and had good amounts of people ready to make America a country again. Even the most destitute places were working to make a living in this nuclear hell. But Chicago was the worst i'd seen. A few months back I had found an old motorcycle and a mechanic had helped me get it running again for a decent fee of caps. I was now riding it through Chicago looking for answers. Recently I had learned my repeater had belonged to Abraham Lincoln and that it was from a museum in the Capitol Wasteland. An man calling himself the Mysterious Stranger told me he used to save an old adventurer that used it. It all came back to me after that. I remembered getting the rifle back before I was shot and I remembered the man that gave it to me. Tyler. The Stranger told me that he had seen him a few weeks ago moving east, and I was on his trail. I needed to find him so he could help me remember who I was and what I had done. In Chicago I had found people that told me he passed through but they didn't know where he was going next. Apparently he was a legend in the east. The Vault Dweller that became the people's man. Radio stations I heard on my pipboy talked of the exploits of the Lone Wanderer. I had to find him.

I slept underneath an old skyscraper watching the stars. It was a quiet night with little more than rats moving about. But I couldn't sleep. I knew someone, somewhere was watching me. It was obvious who they were, the Brotherhood had been sending men from different chapters to kill me for months. All had been decent fighter, but I was more than just decent. This one seemed to be better than the rest however. He didn't try to sneak up on me at night or try to blow up my motorcycle. He just watched, waiting for an opportunity to make a move. I could respect that. I woke up the next day and continued on my search for Tyler. Considering no one else had come through with a vehicle in years I felt self in saying I was only a day or two behind him. The road leaving Chicago was the last sign of cover for miles so I knew the Brotherhood assassin would have to make his move soon. About fifty feet down the road my suspicions were confirmed.

The bullet hit my jacket and made quite the dustball. I quickly turned and moved my bike off the main road. I walked back out of the cover of an old office building and faced the direction of the bullet. Standing with his front towards me was a man in Legion armor.

Huh. Well I wasn't expecting this

"Caesar has sentenced you to die!" He yelled.

I swung my coat out of the way of my waist and waited silently.

"Any last words heretic?"

I said nothing.

"Very well." the Legionnaire charged me. He was a huge man and carried both a power fist and a plasma sword. He wore the robes of a high ranking Legion officer and I knew I was facing a Legate. He swung the sword and I barely ducked out of the way while I pulled out my own blade. While he was recovering from the sheer power of his weapon I managed to slice into his left thigh, but he seemed uninterested in my petty attack. The power fist came next and damn did it hurt. He only got a glancing blow but I could feel a rib break. His armor was too thick even for my guns, so what came next was a long game of duck and weave. No matter how many cuts and stabs I managed to connect the Legate kept coming strong. It was as if I was a man fighting a god. Only a killing blow would suffice. His massive arms threw back to unleash a deadly sword chop, but I took the move as an opening, his chest was undefended. Even a single second of defenselessness could make or break a fight, and I aimed to break him. Time slowed, I ran forward and kicked off his bent knee using it to propel myself up to his face. His arms were now on the downstroke. I kicked as hard as I could and somehow managed to remove his Caesar adorned helmet. I landed at the same time as his chop, but I was two steps to the left of his target. The next part was easy. You never let a master blade fighter get an opening on your face. Once second the Legate was staring at me with a face of pure rage and hatred and the next he was on the ground with a knife in his head. I took my foes power sword and restarted my bike. I had just lost twenty minutes of my trail.

It took three days but I finally found him. He was traveling with a Brahmin caravan heading east to DC. There was a woman there too who called herself Shelby.

Why does that sound so familiar?

Tyler didn't recognize me at first but Shelby did. Her face looked just as confused as mine surely did. There was anger, happiness, surprise, and even… Love. In West Virginia I managed to sit down and talk while the caravan did some trading. They told me everything after I explained what happened in Nevada. I remembered Shelby and once I knew who she was I lost it. I loved her and I left her in Bakersfield to die when I could have gone back.

"When the Legion attacked Shelby and I got the hell out of there. We knew we couldn't do anything so we ran. Like cowards. I hated myself for it, I spent my life fighting evil and then I just ran from it"

I couldn't help but agree with Tyler

The two had found a caravan and joined it while they looked for signs of me or the other townsfolk. After nothing came of it they decided to keep working for the caravan until I showed up. Now the three of us were going back home, to New Vegas. Even after all that Shelby still said she loved me and looked for me all these years. I had my memories back, I had HER back. But I still had questions. What happened at the Big MT was the top of the list. It was going to have to wait for another day though. I finally knew most of my past and I had the woman I love in my arms again. Life was good.

The next day we started our journey further east. Shelby and Tyler received a final paycheck from the caravan and said their goodbyes. All three of us couldn't fit on the bike so we had no choice but to sell it to some kid who wanted to make a "podracer". He seemed happy so we didn't ask about the stupid name. It was a long trek but we were making good ground. I could see Brotherhood scouts watching us the whole time, but they never made any moves. In a month we made it to DC and Tyler took point through his old stomping grounds. He led us to Vault 3. Before he left he helped open the Vault to the outside world and let travellers come and go. Upon returning, we found disaster. The entire structure was in ruin. Long dead bodies littered the floors and anything of value was long gone. Tyler fell, he was grief stricken and no one could blame him. Shelby and I left him alone and waited outside.

"I… I didn't come back for you" I said.

"No, don't dwell on the past. Were alive and that's what matters" she replied. "We have each other, and friends to count on. From what I understand, you're going after the Legion aren't you?"

"Yeah. They've killed too many innocents to be left alive. Me and my companions will make sure they don't stay that way"

We held each other in solemn silence until Tyler came out. He said he wanted to see some old friends and go back to New Vegas. So we left.

Three Dog was quirky as ever. He still did his radio show and was delighted to see Tyler again. After a few hours of talking he gave us some supplies and said we were welcome back anytime. On the way out we already heard him talking about the Lone Wanderer's return on my pipboy radio.

He found old friends and stopped by, they all greeted him in kind and we left in peace. The day was quiet and easy. After staying the night in Underworld, we departed for New Vegas.

It took 3 months to return, and when we did things were looking on the up. Cass and Veronica had taken down the Fiend Motor Runner and his top lieutenants for the NCR, and Boone had collected several bounties from a guy running a shack just west of Primm, named Randall. The schoolhouse base was looking clean for once, and we all had separate bedrooms as well as a few spares for guests and potential new inductees to our team. Thanks to Cass the liquor cabinet was well stocked and we had electricity thanks to a non-feral ghoul named Raul. He had been working as a prisoner to a super mutant named Tabitha until Boone rescued him and invited him as a permanent addition to our fucked up family. Tyler introduced himself and captivated my friends with tales of the east while me and Shelby snuck off to bed. We simply passed out and slept for what seemed like forever.

The next day I told my friends about our trip and the life I had regained memories of. They all sympathized my cause and Cass became Shelby's new best friend.

I have two tomboys to worry about now

In the afternoon Boone introduced me to Randall and he gave me my first bounty against an NCR deserter and expert marksman. Within four hours I returned with his finger and got a reward and a new target. As well as advice to stay away from The Judge. Who the fuck is the Judge. I let it pass and moved towards the target. I was after a weasley pair of raiders known as Gork and Mork. Supposedly they only cared about violence and thought painting their skin red made them faster. They weren't fast enough to get away from the hot lead from my sniper rifle though. The trade continued for a few weeks. Randall gave me targets, and I gave Randall fingers. After too long I felt like I needed another change, and of course having a plethora of friends made that easy to deal with. Still, I felt I needed to be alone. Not as much for my sake, but for Shelby's. I couldn't stand to hurt her again. But where would I go?

Three days later I heard a strange transmission coming through on my pipboy. I followed it the the Old Mojave Drive In, an ancient place used to watch movies in your car of all things. I'd been there before to scavenge for parts. But today there was something rather new sitting in the parking lot. A large metallic object crashed into the earth. The side had the word "satellite" on it. I'll remember that for later research. I walked up to the side and found what looked vaguely like a terminal. When I went to hit a button… I blacked out.

…

When I woke up things felt very different. My eyes were tired and my head felt empty. Naturally, I went for my gun and found that it wasn't there. What the fuck is going on here. It took me longer than it should have to realize that my clothes were gone. When I looked out at the night sky I then realized I was no longer in the Mojave. I was standing on the top of a tower looking out into a crater filled with large industrial buildings that still seemed to be in action. Behind me was a metal door marked "BIG M.T.". Of course I had to go inside and find out what was going on. The inside met me with quite the variety of odd machines, some were recognizable such as the old Auto-Doc. A large table like device was centered in the room and another door was at the end of the hall, marked "Think Tank". After a quick search of the room I found none of the machines worked so I wandered into the Think Tank room. What I found inside I will never forget. Seven floating robot heads much like ED-E were all conversing when I entered. The one that seemed to be in charge kept asking about what to do with the lobotomite, for some reason they all either seemed to not notice my presence or simply ignored it.

"Hey assholes, i'm right in front of you. Mind telling me what the fuck is going on"

A female voice from one of the floating robo-brains was the first to respond to my inquiry.

"Oh look the little lobotomite is trying to communicate with us, those even sounded almost like real words."

"Yes Dala, we did quite a job on this newest lobotomite. Perhaps our best work, it's too bad we lost it's brain" said the robo-brain that seemed to be in charge in a very deep voice as if he was trying to be more threatening than he actually was. At this point I was absolutely livid.

"Wait… what did you just say about my brain…. DID YOU LOSE MY FUCKING BRAIN?!"

A series of static erupted from another one of my tormentors.

"Dr. 8 no need for the harsh language, it appears this lobotomite can understand us after all. Can you lo-bot-o-mite? I am slow-ing down my wo-rds so tha-t you ca-n und-er-sta-nd me bet-ter" said Klein, the bot in charge.

"If I don't get an explanation in the next 30 seconds i'll have no choice but to kill all of you"

"Silly lobotomite" said a new voice that was slightly nasally and less harsh than Klein's, "you can't hurt us here. Since we removed your brain and replaced it with your stronger mechanical one you've fallen under the influence of our protection field. No one can raise a weapon in here while the field is up."

"Well said Doctor Borous. Yes, lobotomite, we removed your brain, and spine, and heart. And we replaced them with SUPERIOR REPLACEMENTS!"

So naturally I was pretty mad at this point, but since I was wearing nothing but a lab robe and didn't have my guns there wasn't much I could do but scream at the top of my (now probably fake) lungs.

"Uh, Dr Klein, Doctor Klein. This lobotomite has a pipboy attached to his wrist, I vote we have it forcibly removed"

"A pipboy? Nonsense! No lobotomite could understand how to use one of those, isn't that right lobotomite?"

"I. Am. Not. A. God. Damn. Lobotomite." I said. "Now you need to give me back my brain right now"

"Well we can't give back what we don't have" said Klein. "The evil Doctor Mobiuuuuuuus has it in the Forbidden Zone"

"How did you end up having my brain given to another person, what is the Forbidden Zone?"

The five mental invalids that called themselves scientists all collaborated quietly together before turning back to me. Klein was the first to speak.

"Lobotomite, we need your help"

"MY HELP. AFTER YOU STOLE MY BRAIN!"

"Oh don't be so dramatic, your new brain is much better, you can't get addicted and bullets won't do as much damage to you anymore. But yes we need your help, Mobius and his evil robo-scorpions are a great danger to the Big M.T. We were once a great land of scientists working to further the weaponry for the Great War, Doctor Borous even made a great new creature called Nightstalkers, a wonderful splice between a wolf and a rattlesnake. Of course you'll only find them here, they never were sent outside the Big M.T.

Note to self, tell Borous later that Nightstalkers are in the Mojave

Unfortunately the war came to us before we could end it in our favor. To make sure we could continue our work, the great minds of the Think Tank put our brains in these floating cases and became the permanent guardians of the Big M.T. Mobius was once a part of our great tank, but he has since gone insane and created his Robo-Scorpions to take over the world! We need you to stop him, and at the same time take your brain back if it will have you.

If IT will have ME?

We need you to go to the various X lab sites around the Big M.T. and acquire our various experiments we have housed inside them. The X-13 stealth suit, the Y-12 antenna array, and the X-8 research center. With these tools you can defeat Mobius and get your body parts back. Of course you will have to find the personal data card for the auto doc too. While you're at it, you might as well find the data chips for all the appliances we keep in the sink."

It didn't take me long to decide i'd help them, get my brain back, then kill them.

"I'll need my weapons back."

"Guns? You can't have guns, they're deadly!" yelled 0.

"I think it's very manly" said Dala, "Oh it's been so long since i've been with a real man. Mmmmmmmm"

Dala's awkwardness wasn't lost on me for long.

"Very well, your items will be in the chest in the sink, do you need anything else"

"I'm sure you have some sciencey weapons that might come in handy for me"

"The Sonic Emitter, yes. That will come in handy when you get to the force fields we have lying around the Big M.T. Of course you'll need to find the upgrades to it to be able to get past some of the more formidable places." said Borous.

"How about something that spits lead?" I asked.

"Ah they K9000 Cyberdog gun. Be careful, he's known to bite".

After I got my weapons and ammo back in good order on my person, I learned about my first item to acquire. The X-13 Stealth Suit. It was designed to be, well, a stealth outfit used by special forces. Granted it never made it past the rough draft phase. I would have to go to the south-west corner of the Big M.T. to find the research center. It was a fairly short walk, but the things I encountered were far from the norm, even for the wildness of the Wasteland I was used too. Skeletons in neon red spacesuits attacked me wildly while lobotomites with power axes and other melee weapons charged me in an eerie silence. Even rabid robo-brains attacked claiming victory against a long gone Russian enemy. When I did reach the facility housing the suit I made my way in fairly easily. In front of me was a very large metal door not unlike the ones in the Think Tank, to my left was a hall that led to a DNA splicer room according to the signs on the wall, on the right was a hallway that led down some steps into a different research room. I took the right path first. The room had a variety of tables and scientific looking instruments. One of the tables had a pair of boots and a skullcap sitting on it. I picked up the pieces of the stealth suit as well as some other various items in the room and continued back the opposite direction from the lobby area. The DNA splicing room had the rest of the suit as well as a terminal that caught my eye. When I turned it on it gave me a set of rules saying I could only splice three times a day. The rest of the screen gave me choices for splicing a dog and a robo-brain, lobotomite and robo-brain, and a lobotomite and dog. Naturally I tried the lobotomite and robo-brain. It was both amazing and horrible all at once. Immediately a human appeared on the platform claiming to have found a whole new world where he felt free and unbound, then it got nasty when no less than ten seconds later he screamed in horror and collapsed to the floor dead. Feeling my scientific prowess wasn't quite done I of course tried the lobotomite and the dog. Unfortunately there were no results so I decided that was enough science for one evening and continued my descent into the laboratory. I quickly found the pieces to the rest of the stealth suit and continued deeper into the facility to try and find some decent loot, then the thing talked to me. Seriously the fucking suit talked to me.

"Time for sneaking!" It said in a soft spoken woman's voice.

Now obviously at this point I was pretty terrified and began to wonder if all the radiation i'd been exposed to over the years had started to eat at my brain.

I froze.

"Please tell me my clothes didn't just talk to me…" I said uneasily.

"Oh… I guess you don't like me" said the suit.

Okay, I really did just lose my mind.

"I swear, if someone else is in bere fucking with me I have several knives and I will kill you".

"Did I scare you? No one's talked to me in a long time. I'm sorry".

Now obviously I was contemplating burning the suit and hightailing it the hell out of there at this point when a wolfpack of Nightstalkers somehow sensed I was going insane and decided to attack. The first one just managed to get a claw in me before my instincts kicked back into fight mode. I threw it off my back and drew a knife in one hand and one of my handy dandy pistols in the other.

Time to tango.

The second leaped out of the shadows created by the poorly lit room and almost managed to wing me.

Almost.

My knife found its jaw and peeled away the top half of its skull before his friends made their moves. A bullet penetrated the second straight in the gut and went flying backwards. The third found out the meaning of disemboweled the hard way just as I regained my footing. I knew there was one more based on the sounds of pattering feet in the room, but I just couldn't find it in the appalling lighting of that mad scientist's laboratory.

"Behind you!" Came that woman's voice again, and before I had time to question it my spider sense kicked in and I turned around, knife hand first, to find my blade plunging into wolf-rattlesnake hybrid meat.
"How did you… know where to go?"

"I'm a stealth suit, what do you expect" said the suit.

"So what else do you do?"

"I'll let you know when it's time for sneaking, when enemies are present, and of course I can just talk… unless you don't like me"

"That'll have to be determined" I said.

After she terrified me further by suggesting the previous statements, I decided the best course of action would be to continue the push further into the lab to try and find even more loot or something else of note.

Like i'll really find something more interesting than a talking suit.

It didn't take long for me to find a very large door marked "X-13 Stealth Suit Testing Area". There was also a large terminal just to the side of the door offering me two tests to do. My objective was sneak into the base, steal a document from the safe in an office, and avoid all the robots inside.

"Sounds easy enough" I muttered to myself.

After I selected the base option the door slowly opened and I creeped inside the mock office space. Immediately I scanned the room and saw a few laser tripwires and several robo-brains patrolling the halls. In front of me was a very large front desk, on the left was a hall, protected by a tripwire, that went deeper into a different room. The right of the desk turned into another hall where I could hear even more robo-brains wandering the halls. I started creeping towards the right first and quickly disabled the laser tripwire. The hall continued into a filing room that had a corner spot that only went right. I waited and watched the robo-brains go about their routines for at least an hour before I made my move. I threw my knife through its glass head dome, and sprinted past when it cracked into the robot's brain. I stopped when I found myself in a long abandoned bathroom, naturally it smelled pretty fucking awful in there. At this point I could hear another robot making noises in the hallway at approximately where I had dropped its friend. I had been in every room besides the one directly next to the bathroom at this point. I had to get back in the hallway to sneak around. I peeked back out and almost got my ass spotted by another pesky robo-brain. My two options now were to go out guns blazing, or too somehow get around the corner into the next room in the five seconds it took for the robo-brain to turn around and face in my direction again. Of course coming up with a plan, and putting it into action are two very different things. I did manage to get around the corner and avoid the robo-brain, but naturally I found a damn laser tripwire waiting for me in front of the office I needed to get into. All at once a siren went off with a speaker telling me I failed and that I could try again at the terminal outfront.

"Sneaking done" said the suit.

Mother Fucker.

It took me another two tries before I was able to get the damn document from the office. I had a choice to do it again with more robots and obstacles, but I was getting so irritated i just shot the terminal and left back through the DNA splicing room. Just to make myself feel better I spliced another lobotomite and robo-brain to a very similar result as last time. It was now time to go find the Y-12 antenna array. When I checked my pipboy map for the marker left behind by the idiots in the think tank I found where I needed to go, on the other side of the Big MT. I decided I might as well stop back in the think tank to see if I just might be able to squeeze a little more information out of the "scientists" in there. While I was making my way back I heard the magic words.

"Time to fight!" said the suit.

This just might come in handy.

A loud, old voice, began to speak. It seemed to be enhanced by speakers I couldn't see all over the Big MT. Considering I was the only coherent thing in the entire crater it was pretty obvious he was talking to me.

"HA HA, I am Doctor Mobius, my robo-scorpions are coming little one. Soon I will take over the entire Big MT with my army"

I could very easily tell from the stupid voice that he was not only talking gibberish, but he was also batshit insane. Kinda felt bad for the guy I had to kill to get my brain back. He was right about the robo-scorpions though. About five of the mechanical insects decided to make their moves on me, but I was ready. I drew a handgun in each hand and started taking my shots. The first two, one from each gun, went straight into the torso of the closest robot and shattered the pieces. The third and fourth shots each made contact but didn't kill. My next shot took off the stinger of the second robot and sent it going into a frenzy, even attacking the other scorpions around it. Looked like I found a weak spot. The third robot was taken down by the second and they both felt the need to explode. The fourth got blasted a few meters by the explosion and, in midair, was blasted again by a .45 caliber handgun shell. The last one met its demise at the power of a bullet going straight through the "face".

"Fighting done" said the suit.