Ker was raised to be a spotter for her Ranger father in his one man crusade against the Legion. He taught her everything he knew, but in the end he left her behind. After learning there was more to life then killing, she became a Courier to find peace in the wasteland. All she found was a bullet to the head. Now, mentally broken from the bullet, she seeks revenge and nothing will stand in her way.
War Makes Us Monsters
In Greek mythology, the Keres, singular Ker, were female spirits of violent death.
"The black Dooms gnashing their white teeth, grim-eyed, fierce, bloody, terrifying fought over the men who were dying for they were all longing to drink dark blood. As soon as they caught a man who had fallen or one newly wounded, one of them clasped her great claws around him and his soul went down to Hades, to chilly Tartarus. And when they had satisfied their hearts with human blood, they would throw that one behind them and rush back again into the battle and the tumult." - Shield of Heracles
Chapter 1: Broken
"We've been spotted." The lithe, young woman lying on the ridge whispered to the much larger man beside her. "We should retreat."
"Can't. Got Legion coming in from the left and right too." The man gruffly replied.
"Then we scale the cliff behind us."
"We shoot."
The woman didn't argue. She lined up her shot and they fired together. They started firing in rapid succession. The Legion kept advancing. Soon they were close enough to use the canyon walls as cover and the pair lost any chance at a clear shot.
"Retreat?" The young woman asked. Her eyes stayed on the scope watching the Legion gather at the base of the hill. They heard an explosion off to the side.
"Negative. Legion is advancing on all sides. We're penned in. They want us bad." The man almost smiled at the thought. "This is gonna come down to close quarters." He stated flatly.
"Two against…. My last count was 37." The woman said lightly.
"Remember what I taught ya?" The man said, taking his eyes off his scope to glance at her.
"Stick em with the pointy end." She joked.
"Focus." The man scolded.
"Right."
"Ready?"
The woman put down her rifle and drew a 9mm pistol off each thigh. "Ready."
"Liberty or death!" The man cried as he rose to his feet.
"Liberty or death!" The young woman cried as she leaped from their hide and slid down the loose rock before her. While sliding down the hill, she emptied the dual pistols into the legionaries who ran out to meet her. Every shot was precise. Her guns were both empty before she reached the bottom of the hill. She dropped the one in her left hand and reloaded the one in her right as fast as lightning. Then she drew her combat knife in her left hand and charged at the legionaries.
Most of them were bigger than her and all were likely stronger than her but she was fast. Feinting in and out, weaving to and fro, sliding under a guard here, and getting inside a swing there. She was like nothing the legionaries could have expected. She had killed perhaps two dozen between her dangerously sharp and precise knife and her carefully aimed, close range shots when she felt the sting of steel down her back. Without even a hint of hesitation she spun and drove her knife into the attacker's kidney. She kept fighting.
The sting on her back brought with it a thought she couldn't quiet. She hadn't heard any gun shots but her own. Breaking her focus she glanced around and saw all the legionaries were focused on her. Her partner wasn't at her back. Had they already killed him? She did what she could to look around but most of her view was blocked. She killed a legionary with a thrust between his ribs only to clear a line of sight to their previous hide. There he was, her partner, scaling the cliff. He was almost at the top when she called out to him.
"Father!" She saw him reach the top. "Father!" She cried as he disappeared from sight without looking back. Her distraction was all the legionaries needed. Several rushed her at once disarming her and restraining her. Still, she fought. She managed a few solid impacts with her fists before she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Then everything went black.
Ker snapped back to reality. She didn't recognize where she was and her instincts took over. She grabbed the hand that was on her shoulder and twisted it as she stood up.
"Whoo! Easy there, girly. You're safe." The man shouted in surprise.
Assess the environment. Note possible improvised weapon. Consider all possible escape routes; impractical and practical. Assess the people. Determine the threats. Never let your guard down. Ker shook her head to clear the rough and stern voice of her father from her mind. Ker looked around while she held the old man in the hammerlock. The room looked like a doctor's office. The man must have been treating her but what had happened? She suddenly realized her head hurt like hell.
He helped you! Let him go! You're hurting him! A kind, young voice shouted with childlike conviction. Sable was right though.
"What's going on?" Ker grunted as she released the old man after what she knew was a long pause.
Don't give up your advantage! Her father shouted.
Shut up, father. Ker shot back.
"I was hoping you could tell me." The old doctor asked as he turned to face her and rubbed his arm.
You were sloppy. They weren't even Legion. Ker ignored the voice of her father and thought. Her dream had been vivid but that was years ago. She tried to focus. The man in the checkered suit. The Great Khans. Her package. She growled as she realized she'd been left for dead.
"Easy there, girly. You got a name?" The doctor asked almost taking a step back.
He did save your life! Sable whined.
Ker considered for a second. She owed him that at least. "Ker." She replied, taking a breath and willing away the pain.
"Ker? As in Courier?" He asked.
Ker might have laughed at that, once. "Yeah." She scoffed. "Let's go with that."
Ignoring her instincts and the voice of her father, Ker trusted Doc Mitchell. She sat silently on the table while he checked over her head wound. Many people would be embarrassed to be sitting nearly naked in the room of a strange man. She didn't care.
"It's healing well." He said as he brushed her straight, raven black hair aside. He walked past her to get a small flashlight. Then came back and shined it into her grey eyes. "This will probably scar but we all have scars out here, some are just more visible then most." She knew what he was alluding to. Ker was covered in scars, the worst of which were the long vertical lines on her back. Her wrists were bad as well, the off colour marks circled just below her hands. The rest of her body was covered in a myriad of lines, long and short. Her face was no exception; the most obvious one was the vertical mark above and below her right eye. She didn't mind that one. It tended to scare people. Ker had come to terms with her scars a long time ago. They were part of her; they made her what she was.
"Thank you, Doctor. You didn't have to help me." She said after he moved away. She started absently running her fingers through her hair to work out the knots and dirt.
"Don't mention it. It's what I'm here for." He turned around and started rummaging through the cupboards.
"Not that I'm ungrateful, but why is it so loud?" Ker said as she tried to ignore her father and Sable arguing.
"Loud?" He turned to look at her.
"Voices, in my head. People I knew…" Ker pressed two fingers against her throbbing temple.
"It wasn't like that before?" The doctor looked at her with concern.
"No."
"I guess that bullet might've knocked a few screws loose. Head injuries are tricky things. Could be temporary, could be permanent. There's really no way to know."
"Alright. I understand." Ker said.
"You'll probably want to get cleaned up. Here, take this. Was my wife's. I think she was about your size, and she hardly wore it after we left the vault. Felt it was too brazen." He handed Ker the vault suit.
A few hours later, Ker stepped out into the wasteland. Her long black hair, now in a braid hung to just past her shoulders. Doc Mitchell was one of the kindest people she had ever met. Not only had he saved her life he'd also given her a vault suit, a Pip-Boy and a 9mm pistol. That and the only thing she had in here pockets when she was brought in; a Mojave Express courier contract.
Ker set to work making herself known around town. She met with the locals and helped Sunny clear the geckos around the source with ease. Then she spent the rest of the day scavenging around the town. By nightfall she had cleared a cave of a pack of nightstalkers, found an old workshop and cleared the schoolhouse. She took her loot to Chet and bought what she could afford to try and replace her lost gear. She replaced her vault suit with wasteland doctor's fatigues, basically a dingy old, whitish tank top and dark tan cargo pants plus a good pair of leather boots. After that she couldn't afford much more than the basics: a sturdy pack, a canteen, a few bottles of water, a lighter, a thigh holster for the 9mm, a combat knife and a couple of switchblades. Her new Pip-Boy that she was still figuring out how to use would be useful in a dozen different ways.
She gathered all the information she could. She discovered her attackers were headed to New Vegas. But with the current deathclaw problem just past Sloan, they would have to go south and hook around the mountains. Ker could deal with the deathclaws, if she had her gear still; which she didn't. Armed as she was, she had no choice but to follow them south.
Before she turned in for the night she climbed to the Goodsprings graveyard. There she found the grave she'd been dug out of. Looking at the grave made her angry. It just reminded her of exactly what people were capable of.
A desperate man. Sable whispered.
A dangerous man. Her father added. You were sloppy.
"I know, father. I have to do better." Ker replied aloud.
After her anger calmed, she headed for the old schoolhouse to get some sleep. She had imposed upon Doc Mitchell more than enough already.
Ker was on the road before the town woke the next morning. It had been a long time since she'd travelled so light. She scavenged as she went; gathering anything useful. This often took her off the main road and she ran into more than a few critters. She was careful with her bullets. She couldn't afford any ammo and only had what Doc Mitchell had given her; two clips or 26 bullets. She shot the critters once as they approached and then finished them with her combat knife. As she scavenged she came upon a small camp.
"Hey, girly. You look lost." She heard a man say from off to her side.
Threat level low. Her father began. Judging by attire, designate Powder Ganger. Criminal. Eliminate.
Ignore him! Just move along. Sable countered.
Ker made a disgusted noise and pointedly ignored the Powder Ganger.
"I'm talkin to ya, girly!" The man shouted, coming up close behind her. "Maybe I oughta teach you some manners!" He grabbed her shoulder from behind.
Threat level moderate. Eliminate at once. Ker agreed with her father.
"You're no better than Legion!" She growled. In one fluid motion she pinned his hand, drew her knife and spun to face him. Using the momentum of the spin she broke his elbow with her forearm then slid her knife down his arm into his neck. He never had a chance to scream. His buddy started screaming though.
"You killed him! You fucking killed him!" He started lighting the dynamite in his hands.
Secondary threat detected. Adjust to ranged tactics.
Ker sighed, adjusted her knife and threw it into his shoulder causing him to drop the dynamite. She saw his eyes go wide as he went to dive for cover but the dynamite exploded first. There was a secondary explosion on the body then everything was quiet again.
That was… bloody. Sable sighed quietly.
Powder Gangers. Another fuckup of the NCR. Abject failure in securing their own territories. Well executed, daughter.
Ker was glad she hadn't wasted a bullet on either of the Powder Gangers since the only loot she got out of the camp was a hand full of caps and a single stick of dynamite. Still it was something.
She continued south, all the while searching for anything she could use and killing any Powder Gangers who got too close. The desert provided lunch in the form of gecko steak and she managed to gather a fair number of yuccas. As the sun was setting she saw Primm in the distance, and the NCR trooper guard. She stopped in her tracks.
New California Republic. Her father said bitterly. Corrupt, genocidal warmongers. They're too strong to take on in force. Use stealth tactics if elimination becomes necessary.
She knew little about the NCR beyond what her father had taught her and he had hated the NCR. But the decision to proceed was hers and hers alone. She forced herself forward toward the guard.
"Watch yourself. Town up ahead has been taken over by convicts." The guard called when she got close.
"And you're just sitting on your ass instead of helping the town?" Ker asked menacingly.
"Town's not NCR jurisdiction."
Typical NCR bullshit. He father said spitefully. Show them how desert rangers do things.
"Fuck that. I'll deal with those bastards then." Ker stomped off toward the town. She dealt with the two patrolling guard with ease. Just used the building as cover and waited. They both died fast and easy.
She found the sheriff and his wife dead in bed; murdered while they slept. She saw the sheriff's duster in the corner on a coat rack. It reminded her of her father. He was rarely without his ranger armour and almost never without his duster. As much as she want nothing to do with him a duster was far too useful in the desert to pass up. She took it and slipped it on; as payment for the work she was about to do. It fit well enough and didn't restrict her movement.
Ker headed to the big hotel next. She only had a single clip left for her 9mm. It would be more than enough inside the confines of the building. Gun in one hand, knife in the other, she didn't hesitate and kicked the door in, surprising the hell out of the Powder Ganger on watch. He managed a choked scream before he died and Ker knew she'd lost the element of surprise. It didn't matter, she was never very sneaky. She liked to charge in and deal with her problems head on. She flew through the halls, stabbing and shooting. The Powder Ganger with the incinerator was a surprise but the lobbed balls of fire were easy to avoid and she weaved toward him, closing the gap and making the kill. When the floor was quiet she noticed the hostage.
Civilian! Sable shouted. Play the hero!
"Anymore?" She called.
"Lots more upstairs. Mind freeing me, miss?" She rolled her eyes and cut him free.
Useless baggage. Her father commented.
"Get lost." She said as she headed to the stairs.
Ker was in her element upstairs. The tight space allowed her to use her combat knife very effectively. She wasn't expecting there to be as many Powder Gangers as there were, but it didn't matter, they all died. One tried to ambush her. He ended up breaking his pool cue on her blocking Pip-Boy covered forearm. Ker hadn't even considered the usefulness of the Pip-Boy in combat. She grinned when she came out of the fight without a broken arm.
Sturdy forearm protection added to list of usable assets. Her father commented.
She cleared and scavenged the floor. She found a myriad of improvised weapons, but none as good as her knife. She also found lots of used drugs. In the end she found little of any real worth, just a few sticks of dynamite and a baseball bat. With the bat over her shoulder she headed back to the first floor. There she found a safe she couldn't open and the incinerator. The incinerator was a piece of garbage; she was surprised the tank hadn't exploded when it had been fired. She left it behind and headed for the casino.
When she opened the door to the casino someone grabbed her wrist. She swung around, dropped the bat and pulled the arm into a painful, but not hard enough to break anything, hold.
"Easy there, youngin, thought you was a Gangster." The man said with a hint of pain in his voice. She looked around the casino to see all the townsfolk with their weapons trained on her, some of them with shaking hands.
Threat level moderate. Injuries likely to be received with this many firearms pointed in your direction. Deescalate the situation.
Agreed! Sable squealed.
"Have them lower their weapons and I'll let you go." The old man nodded and the weapons were slowly lowered. Ker released the man. "The Powder Gangers are dead." She announced.
"All of them?!" Asked the former hostage.
"Everyone I could find. I'm looking for information." Ker headed back to the hotel to spend the night. She learned the man who shot her passed the town and was headed through Nipton to Novac. She'd traded the dynamite and baseball bat for some 9mm ammo and a small bag of gun maintenance tools. Once she reached the hotel, she found a room with a working lock and went about cleaning her gun. She had a few of the yuccas she had found for dinner and tried to get some sleep.
She didn't waste any time and was on the road at first light. She knew she was several days behind the man in the checkered suit and she needed to make up time. Instead of going through Nipton she stayed close to the hills and tried to cut off as much time as she could. She kept a quick pace and ignored anything that ignored her. Travelling off the road did mean she used more ammo then she had expected fending off the things that didn't ignore her.
She was hoping to make the three day journey in two. She trusted her survival skills to provide for her on the trip. She pushed herself hard and made good time. Around midnight she found an isolated cliff and curled up to spend the night. At dawn she headed out. She stumbled on a nest of Vipers around noon.
"Looky what stumbled by!" Said a chubby man with a tire iron. "Get her!" He yelled and his four armourless lackeys charged.
Threat level low. Eliminate.
I know, father. Ker replied.
Ker made a disgusted noise as she fired her last four bullets. Each shot ended a life. She hadn't even needed to move. Then it was just her and the chubby. She holstered her pistol as he charged. A graceful sidestep exposed the raider's whole back to Ker. She took her choice of target and went for the heart.
And the Mojave is a little safer thanks to Ker! Sable cheered.
The raiders hadn't been very good at their jobs. They had little of value. The melee weapons were too heavy to be worth carrying but they did have some old world food and water. Ker took that and headed north. She saw the strange shape in the distance in the early evening. It was well after dark when she was close enough to figure out what it was.
Oh my god! It's a dinosaur! Squealed Sable. I wanna see it closer! It's so big! I didn't think they were that big!
Ker caught herself smiling when she recognized the dinosaur. Her mother had taught her how to read before she died. Ker had loved books once. She'd tried to read every book in town, even the boring ones. She'd read one about dinosaurs. She'd always wanted to ride a dinosaur. Ker shook away the memory. That was a long time ago. She hadn't read a book in years. Her smile abruptly disappeared as she entered town.
Ignore the dinosaur. Note the silhouette in its mouth instead. Her father chided. Town is guarded.
Even though it was late, as she entered the heart of town an older lady approached her.
"Well. Welcome to you. You look tired from the road. Why don't you relax a spell, let this fine town take care of you?" She greeted sweetly.
Old, weak, trusting. Easy to overpower. No threat.
Of course not! She's just being friendly! Be friendly Ker!
"I don't know you." Ker stated firmly keeping her distance.
"Oh, what am I doing? I got to thinking about making a good impression and plain forgot to tell you my name. I'm Jeannie May. I take care of folks here at the motel. Long as they aren't trouble makers."
"I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat. Have you seen anyone like that?" Ker asked.
"Well he might've been wearing a fancy outfit, but he wasn't any kind of a gentleman to me. Had his nose stuck so high in the air, you couldn't see it above the clouds. City folk, they always think they deserve better than what they got. Those hoodlums he was with seemed to know Manny for some reason. He's our daytime sniper, up in the dinosaur's mouth."
Sniper? Dinosaur's mouth provides height advantage as well as line of sight. Effective sniper range is out to 1500 yards. Avoid line of sight with the nest if necessary. Her father explained. Consider removing sniper before commencing any operations in the area. Sniper will likely be easy to ambush and lack in melee training.
"Sniper?" Six asked surprised.
"We got these two gentlemen snipers watching the road day and night, keeping the trash out of Novac. They've been a blessing."
"Rangers?" Ker asked, with worried intrigued.
Doubtful. Her father scoffed.
What nice people! Protecting the town like that! Sable sighed happily.
"I don't think so; you'd have to ask one of them about that."
"Alright. Manny and…?"
"Oh, Boone's the nighttime sniper. If you speak to him, don't be put off by his gruffness. He's been going through a lot." Jeannie May seemed genuinely sad.
Ker didn't really care but knew enough about social interaction to feign interest. "What's wrong with Boone?"
"Nothing that wouldn't be wrong with any man who loses a wife, I suppose. Poor dear. I know he thinks she was kidnapped, but I'm not so sure she didn't just run off on her own. You could tell she was thinking about it ever since they arrived."
Alert! Likelihood of Legion activity in the area extremely high.
"A woman from town was kidnapped and no one but her husband cares?!" Ker asked, though why it surprised her, she didn't know. "Typical." She muttered, too low for the woman to hear.
"Oh no! Nothing like that, the poor man just can't come to terms with her leaving."
"Oh, alright." Ker wasn't convinced. "What's with the dinosaur?"
"Oh, Dinky? He's the town mascot. He's a sight. You can go up inside, too."
"Inside?"
"Cliff Briscoe runs the Dino Bite Gift Shop in there and the snipers use the mouth to watch the roads."
"I see." Ker thought carefully. "Can I rent a room?"
Town threat level low. Safer to sleep with sniper on guard. Good call, daughter.
"Well, I think that's a fine idea. I'll give you a good flat rate, 100 caps, and you can stay as long as you like. Least till the busy season comes. Sound good?"
Ker pulled together all her caps and only just had enough. No caps. No ammo. Dammit. Need to find some work tomorrow. All that work to catch up and I'll still lose a day. It was full dark by the time Ker headed to her room.
I wanna see the dinosaur! Sable cheered.
Assessing capabilities of sniper guard seems a beneficial use of time.
She was just about to ascend the stairs to her room when her curiosity got the better of her. She headed toward the dinosaur instead.
The door was unlocked but the shop owner was gone. Trusting. Ker mused idly. She headed up the stairs and opened the door. She barely caught sight of the man inside before he turned and raised his gun toward her. Her instincts took over and she brushed the barrel aside and grabbed on tight. She knew his next move would be to try and strike her with the butt of the rifle so she immediately grabbed for that. He was stronger and forced her up against the wall of the sniper's nest.
Shit! This isn't what I wanted. This is gonna escalate fast! Ker thought quickly. While they momentarily fought for the rifle she noticed the man reeked of alcohol. She wasn't sure if it was his breath or his clothes.
Slip under the rifle and withdraw your knife. Alcohol impairs motor functions. Sniper will move at a reduced speed.
This wasn't going to end well.
"Stop!" She shouted. Both still held firm on the rifle but neither fought to take it. "I'm gonna let go and you're not gonna point that weapon at me." He didn't respond. "Alright?" She prompted roughly. She looked him dead in the eyes; trying to see through the sunglasses. Neither moved, both wore neutral expressions.
Threat level low. This is an error in judgement. He attacked you. Kill him and leave town. Her father ordered.
You did walk in on a sniper in his nest without any warning! Sable huffed.
Ker took a breath and let go of the rifle. The man took the gun and took a step back. She could see him trying not to point the rifle at her. Huh. A bit of decency. Ker thought with surprise.
Who the hell was this? Boone had seen her approach the town, a lithe young woman wearing a duster with a near empty pack. She only had a 9mm pistol on her thigh and a knife on her belt yet she'd made it through the desert unscathed. When he'd heard the door to the nest open he thought his time was up. He'd been ready though. He was expecting company after all, but she had been fast. He might've been able to overpower her but in these close quarters his rifle was practically useless. She had the advantage. That made him angry. "What the hell do you want?" He said fiercely.
"Expecting someone else?" She asked harshly.
"Yeah. I guess maybe I am. But not like you. Huh. Maybe it should've been you I was expecting all along. Why are you here?"
"That woman, uhh… Jeannie May? She said you thought you're wife had been kidnapped." Ker said as she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "Lots of people out here who do shit like that, but this close to the river? You're probably dealing with Legion."
"Huh." Was all he replied. He kept the surprised expression off his face. She was pretty direct.
Assessing situation.
Ker looked out through the teeth pensively. "Why didn't they take the whole town though?" She said mainly to herself. "You got, what? 180 degrees of sight here? Maybe 270 if you stick your head out." She walked over to the teeth to check her estimate. "Assuming you're a good shot, you'd be able to take anything in sight range. But the town…" She stuck her head out through the teeth. "Is pretty much outta sight from up here." She pulled her head back in. He hadn't interrupted her so she continued. "All they'd have to do is get behind you. But Legion walking into town during the day would cause chaos and taking someone out of a busy town without anyone noticing would be tricky, even disguised. Especially if her husband was at all vigilant." She crossed her arms and looked back at the sniper. "They came at night then, while you were on duty." She scratched her head. "Had inside intel to know where you couldn't see. Frumentarius in town maybe?" She wondered aloud, noticing the sniper's subtle flinch at the Latin word. "But why just one woman? That's a lot of work for not a lot of gain." This one had her stumped. "Maybe they wanted to get to you?" She thought aloud as she tapped her chin.
"Enough." The sniper said sharply. Ker looked over at him. "How do you know all that?"
"Too much experience." Ker said simply.
"It's close enough I'd wonder if you were in on it."
Ker shrugged. "If that's what you think." She shook her head. "I never even set foot in this town before today. Add that to the fact that I'm a woman and I'd think that would be all the evidence you'd need."
The sniper stared at her intently. Ker stared back. "I need someone new in town I can trust and you just volunteered."
"What?" Ker asked surprised.
"You're right, about everything. I want the son of a bitch who sold my wife. Frumentarius or not."
Sold his wife?! Sable shouted in surprise.
"Why not go after her?" Ker asked.
"My wife's dead."
Ker sighed at that. "Son of a bitch." She whispered.
Her father offered his opinion first. Legion frumentarius is worth ferreting out. Request may be difficult to complete. Accept at your own discretion.
Someone sold his wife! You have to help him!
She looked out through the teeth. Ker wasn't in the habit of helping people. Most people didn't deserve it. But helping this man would let her kill Legion and maybe net her a few caps. "What do I do when I find this person?" She asked, rubbing her face with her hand and trying not to regret this already.
"Bring him out in front of the nest here while I'm on duty. I'll give you my NCR beret to put on. It'll be our signal, so I know you're standing with him. And I'll take care of the rest. I need to do this myself." He handed her the red beret he was wearing.
Red beret. Patch: bear skull with crossed rifles behind it. Slogan: The last thing you never see. First Recon: elite NCR sniper company. Increasing target threat level assessment to moderate.
"I understand." Ker said taking the beret. I understand better than you know. She thought to herself.
"Good. I'll make it worth your while. And one more thing. We shouldn't speak again. Not until it's over. No one in town knows that I know what happened to my wife. Best they never know. Or the Legion will be after me next."
Agree with sniper's assessment.
"I hear ya." Ker said knowingly. She turned and trudged down the stairs of the dinosaur and out into the courtyard. She finally headed to her room. The room was in pretty good shape, all things considered. There was a bed and a lock on the door. She checked the bathroom and happily found running water. The perks of the civilized world. She thought sarcastically as she stripped down for a shower.
In the morning, Ker found out the town was filled with oblivious Brahmin. She'd asked about the sniper's wife, Carla, only to hear the same thing from everyone; big city girl didn't care for small town Novac. To Ker's immense surprise, even the sniper's former partner shared the same low opinion of her. The morning meeting with the day sniper had gone well. He'd tell her what he knew about the Great Khans and the man in the checkered suit if she cleared the ghouls out of REPCONN. But she needed ammo to kill ghouls and she currently had none.
She also picked up as much info as she could on the REPCONN facility, HELIOS I and the Legion occupied town of Nelson nearby. Nelson intrigued her. Especially since there was an NCR outpost nearby that was doing nothing about it.
When she ran out of townsfolk to question she headed to scout out REPCONN. She spent the rest of the day scavenging the REPCONN area for anything useful while avoiding the ghouls.
It was just getting dark when Ker headed back into town. There were only a few people out. She headed to trade in her loot.
"Who sent you? I ain't talking. They tried to get me to talk before, but I didn't say nothing. And I don't aim to now, by gum." Ker saw the man yelling at a cactus. She hadn't seen him earlier that day.
"Uhh... Sir? Do you know anything about the disappearance of Boone's wife?"
"Seen it all. Seen shadowy folk come to his room and leave again in the middle of the night. Thought one might've gone in the lobby, too, for a spell. Could be that person went in to get something. Or use the john maybe. Mighty interesting either way, you ask me. I thought it was cannibals, come to eat us all for sure, so I kept out of sight. But now I know better."
"Who was it?" Ker indulged the man.
"Molerat men, come up from the Underneath to steal young women with promises of riches and fancy mud mansions with all the latest designer appliances. They covet our ladyfolk's long hair for wigs, it's said, being either bald or balding themselves."
"Uhh… huh." Ker just nodded. "Thanks." It was pretty insane and outlandish but maybe he'd been out that night. She changed course and headed to the lobby. Ker wasn't the best with a bobby pin so she tried to break into the lobby quietly. Surprisingly the door wasn't locked. After a bit of searching she found a floor safe. She lay down on the floor and spent the next ten minutes picking the lock carefully. When it finally clicked, she sighed in thanks.
Inside the safe wasn't much; a little more than a hundred caps and a note. Ker read the note.
The sniper lost his child too?! That poor man! He must be devastated! Sable cried.
Bill of sale paperwork. Unsurprising.
Her heart raced as her eyes saw red. She stood up and started pacing while swearing loudly. She walked over to the wall and punched it as hard as she could, putting a hole in the brittle drywall. Oh, now she was pissed. She swiped the caps and stormed out of the lobby.
Finding Jeanie May was easy. Waiting until the town was quiet enough was harder. Ker went and traded her little bit of scavenged loot for some ammo while she waited. Around midnight, she knocked on Jeannie May's door.
"It's a little bit late for a social call dear, but what can I do for you?"
"There's something you have to see in front of the dinosaur." Ker tried to be as excited as she could and not show her rage.
"Oh, if you insist." Jeannie May followed the excited courier to find nothing special out in front of the dinosaur. By the time Jeannie May noticed there was nothing around; Ker had the note in one hand and the beret in the other. "What's this about?" She demanded.
Ker held up the note as she lifted the beret over her head. As Jeannie May's eyes went wide, Ker let the beret fall onto her head. The gunshot was instant and Jeannie May's head exploded in a way Ker had never seen up close before. When the body hit the ground, Ker shoved the note back in her pocket and then kicked the lifeless body. Ker was angry. It was people like Jeannie May that made this world a nightmare. Ker's hands were shaking in rage and she could barely see straight. She needed to calm down. But this, how does one calmly deal with this? Ker's mind ran through all the horrors she'd seen the Legion commit. Then her mind went digging and pulled up memories she didn't want to see. She tried to push the thoughts away but she couldn't help looking at the scars around her wrists. She had to think of something else, had to focus on something else.
Sniper is observing current behavior. Cease behavior. Her father directed.
It's ok, Ker. That's all over. Sable soothed.
Ker took a breath and knelt to grab the bitch's ankle. Then she proceeded to drag her into the desert. People like her didn't deserve to be carried. They didn't deserve to be buried either. She found a spot out of sight of the dinosaur and left the body to rot.
By the time she got back to town, Ker had her emotions back in check. She headed up to the nest. She was sure to knock first this time.
"That's it, then. How did you know?" He asked when she entered the nest.
Ker hesitated. The note in her pocket indicated that the sniper hadn't just lost his wife, but his unborn child too. Did he even know? No one in town had mentioned it. Ker finally had her answer as to why the Legion had gone to so much trouble over one person.
"You do have proof… right?" The sniper said menacingly. Ker saw his hands shift to a better shooting position on his rifle.
"I do." Ker said firmly. "I found the bill of sale." She reached into her pocket and withdrew the worn note. She held it firmly in her hand in a way that indicated she would not be parting with it. She let out a loud sigh and then held the note out to him. She lit up her Pip-Boy so he could read it in the dark. Then she took off the beret and waited.
Ker waited, each second seeming far longer than the one before. She watched as the sniper read the note. First once, and then again. The only reaction she saw was his jaw clench tighter at one point. He roughly shoved the note into his pocket. Ker passed back the beret when his hand was empty. He took it back and fit it back on his head.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It'd be like them to keep paperwork. Here. This is all I can give. I think our dealings are done here." He withdrew a bag jingling with caps and held it out.
This will assist with the purchase of ammo.
Don't take his money! Sable retorted. Hug him or something! He lost his family!
Ker reached out to take it. She needed the caps. She hesitated. This guy seemed like a decent man. In the wasteland, that meant something. She needed caps, but not his. "No." She pulled her hand back and rubbed her face with it. The nest was quiet then, as the two regarded each other. Ker broke the silence with the first thing that came to mind. "What will you do now?" Ker brought her eyes up to his. She almost gasped when she saw a look on his face she had seen a thousand times before on her father's face. She knew what that look meant. Knew where it would lead. She didn't owe this man anything yet she felt obligated to step in, if for no other reason than to prevent him from becoming like her father. She knew exactly what the sniper would do now.
"I don't know. I won't be staying, I know that. Don't see much point in anything right now, except hunting legionaries. Maybe I'll wander, like you."
He startled Ker out of thought. She swore under her breath. This was a bad decision; one she was sure she would regret. And yet something about the sniper intrigued her. No. She traveled alone. She wouldn't…. she couldn't… and yet…
Trusting people is always a mistake! Her father shouted.
Do it! Doooooooo it! Help the sniper! Sable tried to shout over Ker's father.
"I'm heading to Nelson in the morning."
"Legion took Nelson yesterday."
"I know. They're isolated on this side of the river; vulnerable." She couldn't help the malice in her voice. "I expect half a century, maybe a decanus if I'm lucky."
"40 legionaries against one poorly armed woman?" He said with obvious skepticism.
He underestimates you. Ker's father laughed.
"Throw in a sniper on my side and I'd say the odds were even."
"You don't want that."
Agreed. You don't want a stranger looking at you through a scope. Her father said sternly.
"What? Trust a strange sniper I just met in the desert to watch my back against a horde of testosterone fueled barbarian assholes?" She thought for a second. "Ugh… I've made worse decisions."
"I was thinking the same thing."
"You trusted me once." Ker didn't know why she was wasting her time trying to convince him. She worked fine alone. "Fine. Make up your mind by dawn. I could use a sniper, but I'll do it alone if I have to." She turned and walked down the stairs of the dinosaur. "Get some sleep if you're coming." Ker left the dinosaur and headed back to her room. After preforming some quick maintenance on her 9mm, she took a shower and got some sleep.