A/N: First of all, I don't own Fallout. This is basically a novelisation of the 'Beyond the Beef' quest. However, I've changed the speech a bit and added a bit of backstory, if that makes sense lol. Also, at a certain point I'll be straying a bit away from what is supposed to happen in the quest. Simple reason is because I can't complete this quest. Unless I want to kill all of the White Glove Society, but I'm going off topic. Anyhoo, enjoy :)


"What a day!" thought the Courier. After putting up with the constant gunfire from Fiends, countless attempts to understand that mutant called Mah-something-blah from Westside and finding a random molerat in 'Jimmy's' Well, it was time to head off to the Strip to relax. Even then, there was the trouble of picking which casino to relax in.

Lucky 38 was out of the question immediately. No point in going into a casino where it's empty except for a few robots here and there. Gomorrah wasn't the Courier's first choice either. The memory of a ghoul prostitute who had trouble of taking no for an answer still lingered in her mind. Yes, Gomorrah was definiately out of the question.

That left the Tops and the Ultra-Luxe. The Tops wasn't that bad of a place. Booze, gambling and entertainment were all certainly big ticks. The only trouble was that every time she entered the casino, Swank would bombard her with questions concerning the disappearance of Benny. Just because she slept with him the once doesn't mean she had a tag on him. Heck, the Courier was pretty certain that she wasn't in her right mind when she did the deed with him. She was certain she had a couple of drinks in her when she made the decision.

So, that left Ultra-Luxe. The Courier had never actually been in the casino before. Sure it looked pretty, but the place was owned by the snooty White Glove Society. Did the Courier really want to endure the remarks of the White Gloves while they look down at her in disgust? She shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah, what the hell?" she spoke out loud. She had worst things before. Like being shot in the head for example.

Upon entering the high-class casino, she was stopped by one of the members.

"Beg your pardon, but could I trouble you to turn over your weapons?" he asked.

"Yea, sure whatever," was the Courier's reply. After handing over all the weapons she acquired since waking up in Goodsprings, the Courier went straight to the bar. A nice alcoholic beverage would be a welcoming way to end the stressful day.

While walking to the bar, the Courier couldn't help but notice the guy in a cowboy hat, complete with a shirt and dungarees. She also noticed the large gun in his hands. The guy caught her staring and snarled,

"Want a picture?" The Courier put her hands up in defence and quickly replied,

"Woah, hold up there! I was just wondering why you're able to carry that gun here."

"So I can shoot you if you carry on bothering me," the cowboy threatened menacingly. The Courier backed away from him and headed to the nearest seat.

Just before she could order her drink, the Courier felt a tap on the shoulder. It came from the person sitting next to her. She turned to face an older man in a brown suit. On top of his grey hair was a cowboy hat. Similar to the guy with the gun, but his was a muddy brown colour. He asked,

"I beg you pardon mam, but I'm looking for someone. You ain't seen a young man lately have you? He's got dark brown hair and a white hat." The Courier wondered if she had, but had to shake her head and reply,

"No, sorry." The old man sighed desperately,

"Damn it. Ain't nobody got one lousy speck of information about my boy? I've only been here one hour and already my son's disappeared on me!"

Intrigued, the Courier asked,

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here? You don't look snobby to be staying in a place like this." The old man chuckled,

"I'm here for business. The Ultra-Luxe get their Brahmin steak from my range. Got a whole load of Brahmin and Big Horners to my name. I have a lot of land, so I quite popular around the Mojave wasteland. By the way, name's Heck Gunderson." The two shook their hands after their introductions.

Another question popped into the Courier's mind.

"Is that why you have a bodyguard? Why he is allowed to have a gun?" The bodyguard heard the questions and stared angrily at the Courier. She chose to ignore him. Heck explained,

"It's an arrangement with the casino. If they want business with me, they have to play by my rules. I should've had him watching my boy though. None of this would have happened then." The Courier sympathised with Heck. She offered,

"I'll go look for your son, Mr Gunderson. I'm good at finding people."

Heck's face brightened up.

"Ah, why thank you mam. I'd be so grateful. His name is Ted and he went missing after I had to talk to some White Gloves. I was hoping he would come back here, but I've had to give up on that hope. If you get him back, I'll pay you well. And if not, I'll make sure those sons of bitches who're responsible definitely get their comeuppance." The Courier rose out of her seat and sai goodbye to Heck.

After leaving Heck and his bodyguard, the Courier let out a sigh. Why did she agree to go looking for this 'Ted'? The evening was supposed to be a peaceful one. One where she didn't have to go finding some missing person. All for she knew, this Ted could have gone to another casino!

"No, no! He's probably at another part of the casino." the Courier concluded silently. So she would have to go looking around the huge place. It'd be a good way of exploring the casino and what other services it provided. What's the worst that could happen?