AN: Reposting this. I didn't like the draft I had up although this only has a few minor changes. This is basically a quick Vulpes/Courier pairing but will definitely be a little different than many of those on this site already.
Please let me know what you think with a review. I always appreciate the feedback. I took some liberties with dialogue in this first chapter and will do that throughout. Its really only going to focus on the Legion and will probably be fairly short. But again, review, review, review!
1
The smell of burning rubber bit as his nostrils as he emotionlessly looked out over the smoke-filled town. Nipton had been weak, like most profligate settlements, and corrupted by all the poisonous influences of those outside of Caesar's authority. It had been a pleasure to corral the settlers of the town, handing them the small slips of paper they desperately hoped would save them. In reality, only the slaves were saved. They would at least be under the influence of Caesar, their children having the opportunity to be made into warriors.
"Sir, we are ready to continue," one of the small unit of legionaries said. "We surveyed the surrounding area and there aren't any outposts nearby."
"Shame," he answered, looking out over his masterpiece through his dark glasses. "The lottery winner isn't the sort that will survive long enough to speak of what we have done here."
"Should I give the orders to proceed west, Sir?"
He closed his eyes, forcing the young soldier to wait patiently. It was so common in the younger warriors to lack the patience that often would bring about the greatest rewards, but that was partially why Caesar had ordered that the majority of his unit to be fresh soldiers. There was no better way to show them how the Legion functioned than to make them obey orders during the chaos judgment.
"Sir! Someone is coming," the young man said suddenly, his voice holding all the uncertainty of the inexperienced.
Sighing, Vulpes slowly opened his eyes and watched the graceful form of a woman slink into the town. He watched her as she approached the pile of burning tires, the charred remains of the town's mayor adding the smell of cooked meat to the banquet of scents. She seemed to watch the flames for a few moments, her body not reacting with the expected weaknesses of females, such as fainting at a horrific sight or fleeing in fear. Instead she remained perfectly still, her arms hanging at her side as if the smell of blood, fire, and death had little impact on her.
"Let the woman approach me," he said to the waiting legionary while keeping his eyes locked to the strange addition to the town. She didn't move like a chem-addicted raider or the overly cautious caravan driver. Even more odd, she didn't react like a mercenary or scavenger to the destroyed town, her steps keeping her on the road rather than immediately searching the houses for valuables. It roused his curiosity on exactly who the darkly clad woman was.
Her stance didn't change as she made her way down the street lined with crucifixes, the moans of a few that hadn't slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness serenading her confident steps to the town hall. She didn't even seem to hesitate at the numerous soldiers all wearing Legion red that stopped to watch her approach him.
He watched her dirty face as her grey eyes took in what was happening around her, confusion causing her brow to come together under the wisps of pale hair that had escaped from its binding. "Don't worry," he started, keeping his own curiosity from his voice as he looked down at her from his step. "I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates. It's useful that you've happened by."
She continued to stare at him, her eyes slowly moving from the coyote he wore when doing the less delicate work of his leader, to his red and brown armor made in the image of the old Roman Empire. He could tell that she was calculating her options as she glanced from his waist to the waists of his companions in search of weapons.
"Who exactly are you?"
Her question was not what he expected, leaving him to wonder if she meant him personally or the group as a whole. Deciding to answer both as simply as possible, he motioned towards the red flag with the bull insignia. "I am just a face of Caesar's Legion."
"And what do you want?"
"I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton, to memorize every detail. And then, when you move on? I want you to teach everyone you meet the lesson that Caesar's Legion taught here, especially any NCR troops you run across."
She silently considered his words, her eyes never leaving his as her face subtly changed from curiosity to thoughtfulness to acceptance. "What are the lessons?"
"Where to begin? That they are weak and we are strong? This much is already known. No, the true lesson is that the depths of their moral sickness and their dissolution is what I want you to teach. Nipton was a wicked place, debased and corrupt. It served all comers so long as they paid. Profligate troops, Powder Gangers, men of the Legion such as myself…the people here didn't care. It was a town of whores who sold themselves for a pittance."
"And everyone was judged?"
"Yes. Their foremost sin was disloyalty. None would fight or speak for those they even claimed to love, watching them as they were dragged away to be killed. All the while they remained silent, clutching their lottery ticket with the hopes that they would survive. They stood and watched as their fellows were butchered, crucified, and burned, one by one. Each only cared for themselves."
His words seemed to stir something in her as her jaw clenched slightly in determination. "I will do this for you."
"Then I bid you vale. Until our paths meet again," he answered, motioning for his men to make their way to their nearby raiding camp. The woman remained where she stood, her eyes following him even as he turned his back.
There was something different about the woman, but he didn't waste time thinking about it as he led his men across the dusty wastes. She was, after all, nothing more than a female who was lucky to serve a purpose. He didn't doubt that she would do as he asked, ensuring that the weak profligate who had escaped judgment with his life wouldn't be the only voice speaking about the Legion's strength.
It was the first part in a series of campaigns meant to strike fear into the hearts of the NCR. Once uncertainty and terror took root, it would spread like a disease. Soon the Legion's enemy would find less and less recruits while more established soldiers would desert rather than face the fate of Nipton. It would help to ensure that their push west would cripple their enemies.
Yet, all of this hung on the tale of what happened in Nipton spreading across the Mojave. He had little faith in the male doing this work to the extent necessary before his pathetic existence was wiped out, but the female may prove to be what he needed. She seemed stronger than the male and would likely survive to do what was necessary.
Smiling, he enjoyed the contradiction his plan had created. He not only relied on a profligate, but he had more trust in a woman of all things then a man. Still, using the weaknesses of his enemy to undermine the NCR seemed fitting. Perhaps he would mention his use of her to Caesar when he returned to camp. If she did her work favorably, she would be a good example for the other whores they enslaved once they controlled the Mojave. At the very least, it was something to think on.
Eris remained in Nipton long after the legionnaires had left. This was far from what she expected to find in the town, but after hearing what the dog-clad man had said she couldn't say that she felt sorry about their fate. They had turned their backs on those that they had claimed to love and let them die. It had stirred up old memories that she thought had died a long time ago, but as she sat there staring at the black plumes of smoke she could hear the screams of her past that had brought her to the Mojave to begin with.
"Enough," she growled to herself as her chest began to tighten. "No more. Focus on your goal and forget the rest."
The pep talk didn't do much to fully push away the unwanted memories, but it was enough to get her moving again. Setting out, she kept her gun in hand as she moved up the road where she knew a little NCR camp was set up. She hadn't many dealings with the so-called law in the Mojave, but she assumed they weren't much better than the Enclave and the stupid politics they used in a world that was ruled by strength and power.
And I have strength, she thought darkly her mind flashing to a different face that had pointed a gun to her head years ago. But that was a score that had yet to be settled.
She was pulled from her thoughts only a few miles up the road as the uncomfortable feeling of being watched settled over her skin. Cheng had always told her to trust her instincts and it was a lesson she took to heart as she slowly pulled back the hammer of her handgun, letting the little click be silenced by her footsteps.
"Who's there?" she yelled, whipping around to see a man in a blue coat running towards her. Perhaps he was just a traveler, making his way down the road just like she was, but her gut told her different. Squinting at the man, she kept her gun ready as he gave her an elated wave.
"Only the luckiest man in the world!" the man called to her, his huge grin only growing. "I'm so lucky I just can't contain it!"
She could smell the whisky on him once he reached her, his outfit marking him as the annoying group of ex-convicts that had been hanging around Goodsprings. "You a Powder Ganger?"
"What? Oh, well, I was, but not anymore! Who needs them when I could be king of New Vegas. With my luck I can't lose!"
"What are you talking about?" she asked, her eyes watching for sign of attack.
"I won the lottery!"
"The what?"
"The lottery!" he shouted again, completely oblivious to her reaction. She stared at him in disgust, realizing that this piece of filth was the sole survivor of Nipton.
Gripping her gun tighter, she gave the man a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Lucks run out, I'm afraid."
"What? What do you mean? I won the lottery! Nothing can stand in my –"
The echo of her gun covered anything he might have said in protest when she lifted the barrel to his forehead. If he even had time to process what was happening before she squeezed the trigger, the smell of gunpowder floating around her as pieces of his skull flew through the air. Slowly, she used her hand to wipe the blood and brain from her face before turning and continuing up the road. "Bastard."