Note from the author:

Thanks for the reviews, I'll work on my chapter length and keep an eye out for spelling errors. In related news I was busy today and didn't write much. Sorry.

Chapter 10

"Where's Hsu?" Boone asked the power armored officer. "And who are you?" The room was identical to that of Hsu's, aside from the excessive weaponry in this one.

"Hsu is indisposed right now. Moore reassigned him to Oregon," he explained. "My name is Royez. I'm a Colonel. You'll be reporting to me now."

"I already submitted my report."

"I know, I'm the one who reviewed it. And now you have a new assignment," Royez explained.

"There is no new assignment. I've done my job," Boone argued.

"Craig, you're a patriot. You killed more legionaries after your discharge than when you served. Why do you want to fight your nation all of a sudden?"

"I'm not fighting my nation, I'm leaving it."

"Now why would you want to do that? We're the strongest, richest, and most civilized nation there is. Probably the only nation there is."

"I wouldn't say you're civilized. I'd say Caesar's Legion is more civil than the NCR is," Boone spat as he stood up to leave.

"The only thing civil about the Legion is their war. And the war the Empire will start with us will be ten times worse than anything the Legion ever gave us."

"I told you, they don't want war."

"They don't want war yet. When they grow, and when they see the technology we have, they will attack us."

"I'm done listening to this," he grunted as he turned to the door.

"Don't you want to know who gave you that order at Bitter Springs?"

"You have my attention." He turned back to face the Colonel.

"Here's your target," Royez explained, handing the sniper a file. "Her name is Rose of Sharon Cassidy."

"This is a friend. I'm not going to kill her."

"Kill her or not, it doesn't matter. She owns one of two major caravan companies in the Mojave. You need to destroy her livelihood. Kill the Brahmin. Kill the caravaneers. Burn the goods. Loot what you like. Do it how you want. When you return you'll get the name of the officer, as well as a new life in Oregon."

"Fine," Boone muttered. "Wait, what happened in Oregon that prompted you to send Hsu?" he asked curiously.

"Some rebels are trying to declare independence. It's a whole big mess. Now go, do your job.

A week had passed since Gannon had met with Royez. At the end of the meeting he'd been given an ultimatum: kill Leo or we kill the Followers. Walking passed the Old Mormon Fort toward Vegas, he still hadn't decided what to do. Robots and workers were transporting debris and cleaning up old buildings, making Freeside inhabitable again.

"Arcade?" a familiar voice asked.

"Leo. Um, hi," he muttered. "How are things?"

"Things are... Things are good," Leo replied awkwardly. "How are you?"

"I'm good I guess. Left the Followers. Now I'm a doctor in LA."

"That's great," Leo said. "So what are you doing back in Vegas?"

"I came to see you."

"Really? After everything we've been through you still want to see me?"

"What can I say?" Arcade replied. "I still miss you."

"I miss you too..." his voice drifted off. After a moment of silence, he continued. "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know. I just..." the two were interrupted by a soldier.

"Leo, McNamara wants you. The Council will be arriving soon."

"I'm sorry Arcade I have to go," Leo said. "Can you stay?"

"Where would I be staying?"

"My base in the Steel Tower. Just like old times."

"Alright, I can live with the Presidential Suite."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" General Moore shouted at Royez. Her office was much larger than his, booked and filed scattered across it like a grenade went off. If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then what's this a sign of? "Are you trying to get us all killed?"

"No, ma'am. I'm trying to save the Republic," he tried to explain.

"I should have you court marshaled. When Kimball hears about this-"

"When Kimball hears about what?" a voice asked. Moore and Royez turned to the door and saw none other than President Kimball. The two saluted him as he entered. "At ease. Now, what happened?"

"Sir, Colonel Royez has coerced an outside party to kill Leo Storm, and another to destroy Cassidy Caravans," Moore reported diligently.

"On whose authority?"

"Nobody's, sir. This was a clear act of disobedience and treachery."

"I wouldn't go so far as treachery," Kimball replied, leaving Moore agog. He approached Royez, sizing up the Colonel.

"Sir, this man may be starting a war. You said it yourself, we can't let the Dam be our gravestone."

"Yes, I did say that. Let me make this perfectly clear. The speech I gave in Senate was complete brahminshit. This is an election year. This November the people will vote on who they think should lead us. The Brahmin Barons have put up their candidate on the platform of peace. If I don't convince the people that we can defeat the Empire then I'll leave office disgraced. That isn't going to happen."

"So you're just going to ignore his war crimes?" Moore exclaimed.

"No, no, of course not. If they succeed then I'll let the people know that it was all according to plan. If they fail then I'll paint you as a traitor and have you hanged. I'd suggest you don't fail," Kimball warned Royez. "Now General, you know how much the Mojave means to this country. Don't ruin this chance for us."

"Yes, sir," she conceded as Kimball left.

A caravan of men and women in simple armor reached the gates of New Vegas. These people of course were members of the Brotherhood of Steel, who escaped the NCR under the guise of a caravan company. The convoy lasted miles, with dozens upon dozens of Brahmin and hundreds of people. The Elders decided to leave a dozen or so soldiers in each bunker and a single Elder in Lost Hills to keep tabs on their bases in California.

As the gates opened, Sinclair escorted High Elder Arthur Maxson, a boy nearly fifteen, to the Steel Tower. Before the tower stood Elder McNamara, Head Paladin Hardin, Head Scribe Taggart, and Sentinel Storm.

"Welcome, High Elder," McNamara said, "to the Empire of Steel. I hope it exceeds your every expectation.

The pubescent child-soldier could not care less about the Empire or the Brotherhood. He only wanted to go back to the Capital. "It's cool I guess," he muttered as he was escorted into the Steel Tower.

When they got off on the Penthouse Floor, McNamara began to show the boy around, "This is where you and Elder Sinclair will make your home."

"But there's only one bed," Arthur objected.

Before Sinclair could do something creepy, Leo interrupted, "I've got a few extra beds in my room, if our High Elder would rather stay there."

"No, that is not-" Elder Sinclair began.

"Sounds great. Can we go now? This tour is lame," the boy said, offending Elder McNamara.

"As you wish," Leo said as he took Arthur to the elevator.

"Great job you've done raising him," McNamara snidely remarked.

"I don't understand. I thought he'd be excited to go outside for a change."

"He's probably upset that he was forced to leave all his friends in DC."

"What friends could he have had?" Sinclair objected. "It's a wasteland."

"And we're a military organization," McNamara replied, "but he just made a new friend."

"If you have a problem with how I'm raising him, go ahead and say it."

"I've said it a dozen times you ignoramus," McNamara shot back. "You're using him to push your agenda and I won't have it."

Without a reply, Sinclair got in the elevator and left.