The sun had set over the Mojave Wasteland as Ean walked back down to the town where he saw Chet the shop keeper looking through the corpses of the powder gangers that attacked the town and ultimately failed.

"Hey" Ean said surprising Chet

"Mind if I take something" Ean said picking up one of the powder ganger's cowboy hat, he figured it would be smart to have some protection from the unforgiving desert sun when he leaves the town tomorrow.

He put on the hat and tipped it to the shopkeeper to allow him his looting. Ean knew it was a common thing in the wasteland, if a person dies no point in allowing his tools and food to go to waste.

He walked back into the Saloon where he saw Sunny who just smiled at him

"Great work Ean, that will show the powder gangers whose boss" Sunny said

"I know" Ean said sitting at the bar counter where Trudy set a bottle of Sarsaparilla in front of him

"On the house for what you did for this town" She said

"Thanks" Ean said popping the cap off and was about to pocket it when he heard the voice of Trisha

"Hey is that a Star Cap?" She asked

Ean turned around to see her

"Star Cap?" Ean asked

"Yeah, check the bottom; does it have a blue star printed on the bottom?" She asked

Ean looked at the cap and true to behold, it did have a blue star on the bottom

"Collecting them?" Ean asked

"Oh don't listen to her, she is just suckered into that legend" Trudy said

"It's not a legend, look I'll buy that cap for $40 NCR dollars" Tasha offered

"What legend?" Ean asked not understanding what they meant

Tasha sat down beside Ean

"Look, according to a story floating around the Wasteland, whoever finds 50 of these caps will find a great treasure it could be money, weapons, hell even the key to world peace, who knows, I'm gonna find that treasure and no one is gonna stop me" Tasha said

Ean thought for a moment

"Do you do mercenary work?" Ean asked

"Sure, either 100 caps a day or $20 NCR Dollars a day" Tasha said, Ean inferred this wasn't the first time she offered her services as a merc

"How about every star cap I find including this, plus 300 caps when I find the man who shot me" Ean offered

Tasha thought for a moment

"Alright you got a deal" Tasha said as Ean handed her the cap, she pulled from a side pocket on her pants a small leather pouch, she opened it and dropped the cap inside

"Right, so any idea where the man who shot you is?" Tasha asked

"I have an idea where he went, ever heard of the Tops?" Ean asked

"In New Vegas, yeah I've been there a few times" Tasha said

"Yeah, but I don't know if he is going there, but I do remember he had a couple of Great Khans helping him" Ean said

"Khans? They came here" Trudy said and Ean turned around almost spilling his drink

"Which way did they go?" Ean asked

"Well I didn't catch much from their conversation but I heard them mentioning something about Primm, they even bumped my radio onto the floor, good thing Tasha was here to fix it though" Trudy said

"Was a man in a checkered suit with them?" Ean asked

"Yes, why?" Trudy asked

"That's the man who shot me" Ean said clutching his head, the memory of Benny pulling the trigger flashed in his mind. He shook his head and then turned to Tasha

"So Primm huh, I suppose I need to head there anyway" Ean said

"Why?" Tasha asked

"Well I know they have a Mojave Express office there, maybe I could find some information on the package I was carrying, I mean why would he want to take a Platinum chip from me" Ean said

"Platinum chip?" Tasha asked

Ean held a finger up and opened up his pack that he had nearby, and he opened it up, and then Tasha could see he opened up a hidden pouch on the left side, if you didn't know it was there it would be easy to overlook.

She could see Ean open the pack and in it she could see a small envelope and what looked like a switchblade

Ean opened the envelope and handed her a piece of paper

"Instructions

Deliver the package at the north entrance to the Vegas Strip, by way of Freeside. An agent of the recipient will meet you at the checkpoint, take possession of the package and pay for the delivery. Bring the payment to Johnson Nash at the Mojave Express agency in Primm.

Bonus on completion: 250 caps.

Manifest

This package contains:

One (1) Oversized Poker Chip, composed of Platinum

Contract Penalties

You are an authorized agent of the Mojave Express Package until the delivery is complete and the payment had been processed, contractually obligated to complete this transaction and materially responsible for any malfeasance or loss. Failure to deliver to the proper recipient may in forfeiture of your advance and bonus, criminal charges, and/or pursuit by mercenary reclamation teams. The Mojave Express is not responsible for any injury or loss of life you experience as a result of said reclamation efforts."

"I was required to carry the package on my person to keep it safe, but everything else that's important to me I keep in that secret compartment in my pack" Ean said taking back the paper

"And that switch blade?" Tasha asked

"It belongs to my father who taught me to fight" Ean said

"Right" Tasha said, "So when do we leave?" Tasha asked

"Tomorrow" Ean said

"Right, if you need me I will be sleeping outside under the stars" Tasha said walking out

"Right….now I just need a place to sleep" Ean said to himself

They heard a knocking at the door and Sunny opened the door

"Howdy, is Ean here?" They heard the voice of Victor and Ean walked to the front door

"I'm here" Ean said

"Need a place to stay? I figured you need a place to catch some shuteye" Victor said

"Well I do need a place to stay for the night, thank you" Ean said

"Well follow me" Victor said and Ean tipped his hat to the people in the saloon and walked out

"You actually have a house?" Ean asked the robot as they walked down the path in between the houses

"Sure do, the folks like me around, you know as a protector and it is nice to stay out of the rain when it comes down every once in a while" Victor said

"So you don't mind me staying in your place" Ean said

"Well I don't need a bed and you do, so why be selfish about it" Victor said leading them to the small shack

Inside was a bed, some spare parts and electronics, and some crates of canned goods which obviously didn't looked touched due to the resident living here

"Bed right over here, pleasant dreams and don't let the giant mantis bite" Victor said leaving the shack and Ean alone

"Right" Ean thought setting his pack down and laying on the bed, sleep overtook him quickly and the night went by quickly.

The next morning came and Ean after a quick breakfast of pork n' beans provided by Victor, walked to the Saloon where he saw Tasha walk out with a backpack

"Got some food for the road, come on we better get going if we want to get to Primm soon" Tasha said and Ean nodded in agreement

"Come on then, let's go" Tasha said shouldering the backpack and making her way across the old road while Ean followed her

The duo walked down the road for about 10 when Tasha held her hand up

"Hold on" Tasha said running to a nearby rock and jumping on top of it; she pulled up her binoculars and scanned the area

"I see an encampment, looks abandoned….could find some supplies there" Tasha said to Ean, she didn't look away

"That would be smart" Ean said as Tasha hopped down

"Well come on" She said leading Ean to the camp, the camp composed of a large trailer and truck, Ean could see a small fire pit and table in the middle but before he could investigate Tasha grabbed him and pulled him back

"Look" Tasha said pointing down, Ean saw a small canister and he looked back at Tasha

"Powder charge" She said

"What's that?" Ean asked

"It's like a frag mine, only a lot weaker. Not as dangerous but it can break a leg. Powder gangers love these, we must have found one of their camps" Tasha said kneeling down and with quick hands deactivated the mine and set it into her pack

"Careful, we may be walking into a trap" Tasha said looking around, Ean walked down the small hill near the truck to see if there was any supplies in the truck but what he saw were two powder gangers who were hiding in the truck, one of them had what looked like a large staff and he stabbed it into Ean who felt a shock, it was a cattle prod and he felt really numb

He fell back landing in the muck, his eyes were closed

"Got one, now for the other" One of them said to the other quietly

Tasha who heard the noise of the shotgun ran down the hill and saw Ean knocked out and was about to pull out her pistol but she too fell victim to the cattle prod

"Heh, looks like Eddie has a couple of people to sell" One of the powder gangers said and the other nodded as they picked up the duo

Ean was the first to awake, he looked around the area. His hands were not tied together but he quickly realized why, he was in a an old prison cell by the looks of it, his pack was still with him and he checked the inside and he wasn't surprised to find his weapon and supplies missing, they must have left him his pack only to mock him.

Tasha was in the cell with him, but unlike Ean she was still out cold.

"Ok where am I?" Ean asked peering out of the caged door, one of the guards looked at him

"Well finally your awake, welcome to the NCR Correctional Facility, I'm Chase, and I will be your warden during your stay" The guard said, he was almost mocking Ean, Ean could see he had what looked like a Kevlar vest, and at his side was his 10mm pistol, the man must have taken it from him.

"Why am I here?" Ean asked

"Suppose it's only fair to tell you, you're being sold, already found some buyers, the Legion is going to buy you as a slave and her as a whore, enough information for you?" Chase asked

"I suppose" Ean said sighing and sitting on one of the beds, according to his Pip-Boy which the guards decided not to take from him, it was 5:42 in the evening, and judging by what he heard from the guard, both their fates were not going to be good. He heard stories of the Legion and what they do to woman as for him, well he also heard tales of the suffering of the slaves who worked for them"

He heard a moan from Tasha and he could see her getting up and clutching her chest

"I feel like I ate some bad Gecko steak" She said feeling her head, but then her eyes widened

"Where is my beret?" She asked, "and my Star caps" she added checking her pockets only to find them gone

"I don't know, they took my stuff as well, the powder gangers got us and we are going to be sold to the Legion" Ean said shaking his head

"Damn it….we got to get out of here" Tasha said looking around and then at Ean's pack

"Hey Ean" Tasha said looking out the cell door, it looked like the guard wasn't paying attention as he was too busy reading a magazine," Still have it?" She asked pointing to the inside of the pack and Ean put 2 and 2 together and nodded his head

Ean pulled out the blade and handed it to her

"Now then let me handle this" Tasha said quietly to Ean as she held the switchblade behind her back

Tasha walked to the cell door and looked out, Chase now noticing her walked up to her

"Well looks you're your awake too, I'm sure your friend there explained that you are going to be sold to the Legion" Chase said

Tasha smiled

"Oh I know, and I know what's gonna happen to me, but what do you say you test me out, you know make sure I'm worth the caps they are paying you" Tasha said winking, the man blushed and was surprised by her behavior

"Uh sure…I guess" He said pulling out a ring of keys, he was about to insert it into cell door when Tasha quickly grabbed his head with her left hand through the bars and slammed it into the cell door, and with one quick motion she stabbed the switchblade into his neck

He died instantly and slumped to the floor and Tasha grabbed the keys through the cell bars and opened the lock smiling

"Here" She said grabbing the 10mm pistol and tossing to Ean, she walked out and looked around to see a varmint rifle which she took

"Not mine but it will have to do" She said reloading the rifle

"Now that was good acting" Ean said looking through Chase's pockets to find the rest of the 10mm rounds

"Man or woman, if I can seduce it, I can kill it as well" Tasha said

"Alright what's the plan?" Ean asked

"We have two options, one, we go in guns blazing and hope to kill them all, or two we sneak around and take them out, but given the fact we don't have any silenced weapons apart from your switch blade, I have my doubts we can do that" Tasha said looking around for more weapons, she found some sticks of dynamite and a silenced .22 pistol with 7 shots

"Well what we do have is a switchblade, a varmint rifle with 23 shots,10mm pistol with 19 shots, 4 sticks of dynamite, not looking good for us" Tasha said looking out the door

"And soon they are going to switch guards and they will find the body and they will find us. So in other words we need a plan and fast" Tasha said

Ean looked at Chase's body and then at Tasha, after a moment of thought he smiled

"I have an idea" Ean said

The door outside of the prison block opened and Ean walked out carrying Tasha over his shoulders, he wore the outfit that Chase wore and just in case wore a pair of sunglasses that they found on one of the desks, Tasha was acting dead, using a combination of shooting a hole in part of her armor a few times with the silenced pistol and using some of Chase's blood, it looked like she had died from a shooting. Tasha had left the varmint rifle. The plan was to escape and try to find some help, there would be no way they could fight an entire prison full of

"So far so good" Ean thought as he made his way through to the exit but before he could make it to the door he was stopped by a powder ganger

"Hey what happened to her?" He asked

"Damn bitch tried to kill her cell mates, so I had no choice but to put her down so we didn't lose any merchandise" Ean said trying hard to sound tough and convincing

The powder ganger sighed

"Again, honestly those cell mates need to learn to get along, but what's done is done, just chuck her body to the Geckos and take anything valuable off her" The man said

"Got it" Ean said walking through the visitor center where the powder gangers just glanced at him like this was normal for them

He then walked out to the entrance where he walked past a guard who rubbed his chin

"Hey hold up, could you turn around for a second" the guard asked

Ean turned towards the man who smirked

"Well, I've seen everyone who walked through here, and you are not one of us" The man said slamming a button with his fist, an alarm was set off and he was about to shoot Ean when Tasha quickly fired the concealed .22 pistol into the guards head

"Ean run" Tasha said and Ean quickly let her down and they both ran from the prison and climbed up the nearby hill avoiding the snipers in the prison towers

"Damn it keep moving" Tasha called out as a bullet grazed her shoulder and she winced in pain and Ean fired two shots from his pistol at the tower hoping one of the bullets hit their mark

They made it over the hill and were face to face with two Powder gangers

"Hey what the fu-" One of them let out but Ean had already fired a shot at the man's face killing him instantly, the other tried to swing a tire iron at Tasha but she had grabbed his wrist at the right time and twisted his arm forcing him to drop the weapon

She smirked and punched him in the face and let go, he fell back and she grabbed the man's tire iron and let out and smack right into his face, the sickening crunch made it obvious he was dead

"Right, looks like they aren't following us" Tasha said looking back, "They must not want to leave the safety of the prison" She added

Ean grabbed a nearby shotgun; it was an old looking caravan shotgun that he assumed was taken from an unlucky traveler

"Here" Ean said handing her the weapon and the shells from the man's body

He also took the man's jacket, unlike the uniforms the powder gangers preferred to wear; this one was a Merc outfit

He put on the jacket (behind a rock away from Tasha)

"Alright, glad we got out of that, but we need to get help if we want to get our stuff back" Ean said

"Agreed" Tasha said turning towards Primm, they could both see the town in the distance and it wouldn't be long before they made it there and hopefully find help.