AN: After I have been asked for a good story in a PM, I oblige :)
If you're looking for a well-written story about Fallout, and have enjoyed the Capitol Wasteland, I recommend
Legacy Of The Capitol by XxNightAngelusxX
You will enjoy this story regardless, but if you're a fan of Charon, you'll definetly like it.
Just check it out, and if you really like it, don't feel shy about showing the appreciation ^^
Si vis pacem Chapter 13
The small group of three people had left the Fort before sunrise. Vulpes wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, but it was over 200 miles to Zion. He would be walking, at least for a week, through deserts, mountains, woods and hard-to-traverse ridges, areas infested with Profligates, Deathclaws and Yao Guais, all in the company of two men he didn't particularly like. He felt like he deserved pity from someone.
They were dressed in simple leather combat armour, so as not to draw attention to themselves when they passed by Boulder City and later, Bitter Springs.
Vulpes was thinking back to the discussion in Caesar's tent the evening before.
He was to take two Frumentarii of his choice and lead them to Utah, and on the way there, make very clear what would await them for failure. He himself was to meet with the war-chief of the Whitelegs and instruct them on how to crush their opponents, then head back to the Mojave. Secretly, he was grateful that the task of assassinating Graham was not his. The young man would not have known how. He could do it, and probably even succeed, but this wasn't a matter of skills, but of willingness. And no matter that Graham had lead the Legion to their defeat at Hoover Dam, he still had taught Vulpes much of what he knew today. As protégé of the Legate, it had been clear from the beginning that the young boy would become one of the leaders of the Legion. Even with his ruthlessness, the Fox thought it dishonourable, even downright sickening to even consider killing the man who made him.
Which is why he had chosen these two particular Frumentarii to accompany him to Utah. They weren't his best men, nor did he like them.
The smaller one, Crassus, was carrying a heavy bag on his back, containing Vulpes' armour. The man was such a terrible suck-up, the leader of the Frumentarii never even had to order him to lug the the heavy garments across the desert. And while the respect, and often times fear, of his men stroked his ego, brown-nosing was disgusting and, quite frankly, pathetic to watch.
The other, Lucanus, was just as bad but in a different way. He had his eye on the leadership position and made no secret of it. But he had neither the dedication, nor the intelligence or cunning to achieve it. Lucanus did have an annoying habit of challenging his every decision though. That annoying trait made him perfect for this mission.
The old leader of Caesar's spies would have never allowed these men to keep their positions, but Vulpes ran things differently.
Having nothing better to do as they passed through Boulder City, he thought about his rise through the ranks.
After he had recovered from his near-crucifixion, Caesar had made him a Frumentarius because of Vulpes' tactical knowledge and general cunning. His superior officer at that time had been Tacitus, a quiet man, very soft-spoken. Vulpes had never figured out if the older man had enjoyed torturing or not. He'd been incredibly efficient, but he never did seem to utilize the skill that much. But Vulpes had learned a lot from him. The young man's natural cruel streak and his ability to see even the most gruesome missions through, quickly made him a favourite of Tacitus'. He was often favoured with assignments.
Vulpes' thoughts drifted to the disastrous mission that had lead to him becoming head of the Frumentarii.
A year ago, Tacitus had chosen him to accompany the older man on a mission to California. They had been tasked with stealing important Intel on NCR presence at the Dam and in the Mojave in general. After three months of deep cover in enemy territory, Vulpes found and assassinated a man of General Oliver's security detail, finding out guard changes and codewords before he allowed his victim to die.
Inside, he was overjoyed, but on the outside he maintained the facade that was expected of him. And that's when things started to go horribly wrong...
Vulpes made it back to their hideout-flat, bursting with pride at his accomplishment and when he turned the last corner, had flattened himself against the wall. Tacitus was being led out of the building by armed troopers and the Fox's first instinct was to rush in, with his crappy 9MM, and shoot every single profligate in sight.
Never compromise your cover. Never, under any circumstances whatsoever, sacrifice your mission.
Tacitus had drilled this into his head from the very first day. Peering around the corner, he saw that there were too many opponents for him to handle. He bit back a curse as he watched his superior officer be led away. Tacitus' hands were bound, but he was standing tall and Vulpes saw the small cut on his throat. The profligates had gotten him before he could end his own life. For now, he had no choice but to slip away. He'd get the stupid folder with Intel himself and then, by rights, he should head back to the base camp in the Mojave.
"Sir, we're approaching Bitter Springs. Ranger Station Bravo is close by."
Vulpes snapped back to reality when Lucanus spoke to him. He hadn't realized how far they had walked already. It wasn't noticeable yet, but evening was descending on the Mojave. He squinted to the west. A few more hours until it's dark enough...
"Thank you for that keen observation, Lucanus," Vulpes couldn't help snarking at the man, "Find a sheltered spot. We will wait for the cover of darkness."
When his men acquiesced, the Fox bared his teeth in a predatory grin. The night would enshroud them from the Rangers, but not the critters.
"We will have to be on the lookout for Deathclaws and Cazadors, so stay vigilant. You're of no use to me dead."
The grin turned smug when his men paled.
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Sian and Boone walked through the night and didn't talk much. While they were still traipsing down the mountain, Boone told the girl what to avoid when travelling at night.
Some things, like how far voices travel at night,seemed weird to her, but she decided to trust him on it. The sniper also showed her how to hold a cigarette so the red glow wouldn't give you away and how to field-strip them when you were done.
Sian didn't smoke much, certainly not as much as him, but it was good to know.
About an hour later, Boone commented on her strange walk, which Sian found very confusing. But he insisted she walked differently than him.
"See, I step on my heel first, but you, you kinda step on you sole first. I noticed it on the way here, but I didn't see what it was until now. Looks uncomfortable."
Sian looked at her feet as she walked a few steps. He was right, but it definitely wasn't uncomfortable. She tried mimicking his heavy steps, firmly planting the heel of her boot to the ground. It felt unnatural and after a few steps it began to hurt all the way up to her spine. The girl suddenly felt uneasy and noticed with a start, she was hearing her own footsteps. Well, this just wouldn't do.
"Walking like you do is uncomfortable. I think I'll just keep my weird walk, thank you very much. It's quieter than yours anyway."
"Yeah, you like sneaking up on people, I noticed.."
Sian didn't answer, just smiled impishly, and they continued walking. Not much of interest happened until they passed the same destroyed caravan they'd seen before.
Sian experienced a fleeting moment of panic when a huge Cazador shot out behind it.
Rex charged at the monstrosity and sank his fangs into its body, just as two gunshots rang through the night. Boone's .308 lodged firmly into the Cazador's right wing joint while Sian's bullet veered off course and just blew a hole through the left wing. But the mutant couldn't fly away any longer and Rex tore it apart.
They walked faster after that. Sian was tired and her side was hurting again, and Boone had gone too long on too little sleep as well. Both just wanted to make it back to Vegas so they could finally rest.
The sun was starting to creep over the Mojave when they reached the Freeside gates. Sian grabbed Aurelio and placed him in her messenger bag again. She wondered what to do with the small nighstalker when he didn't fit in her bag any more. But she didn't dwell on it. She was tired, Boone was tired, even the damn dog was tired. When they had finally made it back, they found the first unoccupied room at the King's school, Rex ran off to find the King, and Boone and Sian just crashed onto the bed, both of them dead to the world immediately.
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THUMP
"Get up, sleepyheads! Get up! Get up! Get up!"
Sian awoke with a start, disorientated and still half-asleep, to find Veronica bouncing around on the bed. She pushed herself up, but the other girl's elbow landed between her shoulder blades and she gave up, flopping back on her stomach.
Boone wasn't having it though. After a particularly violent jump, he caught the scribe around the waist and tossed her off the bed.
Veronica landed on the floor with a thud, giving an indignant little yelp and a much deeper laugh sounded from the door.
Sian pushed herself up once again and squinted in that general direction, bleary-eyed, and saw the King laughing at them. Rex was at his side and Sian figured why the older man was in such a good mood. She gave him a goofy grin and climbed over Boone, her movements still somewhat uncoordinated, then flopped to the ground to sit beside Veronica.
Rex came bounding over, showering her with affection and some very slobbery kisses.
"Morning Blue, saw y'fixed up my old Rexxie. Wanted to come say thank-you but y'were in a different world entirely." He smiled down at the girl, who scratching Rex just where his organic ear began. "Rexxie here likes ya a lot. Been whining in front o'that door for hours."
Sian had her arms full of excited cyberdog and she felt happy. Seeing him roll around on her lap gave her the same feeling she had when she was playing with Aurelio.
It was a sense of security and a vague feeling of deja-vu. The girl didn't even care when Rex's wet tongue licked across her face again. She was just happy that he was happy.
But then her thoughts started to wander back to the mercenaries at Jacobstown.
She had meant every word she said to the man, and she knew she was capable of doing it. But now, with Rex laying in her lap and Aurelio coming to join the fun, she felt disgusted. Not at the fact that she could've done it, but that she had wanted the merc to fight so she could torture him.
She maintained a friendly conversation with the King while she grabbed her stuff, placed Aurelio back in her bag, and he told her to visit Mick and Ralph's for the Strip passes.
Sian managed to convince Boone and Veronica that she'd be fine on her own, although the sniper only relented when the King told her to take Rex along. Insisted the dog didn't get enough exercise.
The girl threw him a grateful smile, she knew he was just saying that to get Boone of her case. Quickly, before he could find another reason to not let her wander off on her own, Sian left the school and head west toward Mick and Ralph's.
At the store, she told Ralph that the King had sent her and ordered three passes for Strip.
"Three passes, King's discount.. Eh, let's say 600 and we're good."
Sian dug through her bag. She had those caps. After random finds and small payments she'd received, the girl had about 1400 caps. But she purposefully pulled out the smaller pouch. Looking at Ralph with wide eyes, she didn't even have to think about what to say or what tone to use, it came naturally.
"The King said I'd be able to pay for them. I only have 400 caps. Could you.. could you make an exception? Just this once, please?"
Ralph stared up at the girl. He was a business man through and through, but there was something about her. That pretty face gazing down at him, his thoughts wandered a bit.
But seeing Rex quickly shook him out of it. Girl had the King's favour, meant she was off limits. The dark-haired man heaved a sigh.
"Fine. Gimme the 400 and come pick up the passes tomorrow." Ralph tried to grumble, but when she smiled and thanked him profusely, he just couldn't. He smiled right back.
Sian wandered around Freeside and thought about the mercenaries again. She tried to shove these thoughts away, but they wouldn't leave her alone. She needed to talk to someone. But who? Boone was out of the question, she didn't know Veronica all that well and Sian didn't know who else to ask. But when she looked up, she saw the Mormon Fort.
Arcade was a doctor and doctors talked to people when they had problems, right? Would she be able to talk to a stranger? She didn't even know what to say to him.
I enjoyed imaging horrific torture, am I insane? Doesn't sound so good, does it?
She wandered throughout the Fort and found the blonde doctor in one of the tents at the back. The girl stepped through the opening soundlessly and addressed him in a soft voice.
"Hey, Arcade.. You have some time to spare? I could really use someone to talk to right now.."
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Boone dragged himself out of bed shortly after Sian left. His rifle needed some repairs and he might as well get them out of the way soon. He noticed Veronica was still sitting on the floor. He couldn't just leave, could he?
"Hey. I'm gonna head to the Gun Runners. Wanna come?"
"Sure! Never bought anything from them before but I heard their inventory is amazing."
Veronica jumped to her feet, and trailed after him, leaving him alone as they walked out of Freeside. She and Boone hadn't talked that much yet, but she was looking forward to it. He tried to be all stone-cold all the time, Veronica wasn't buying it however. There was compassion underneath the rock-hard exterior, she had seen it the day they met when he'd looked after Sian's wound. He had been so careful without even noticing it.
And the girl? She was definitely something else. Maybe Sian would be able to help her with this problem she'd been pondering over. But she would need to find the right time to discuss the problem.
But now was not the time to think about it. They were not far from the Vendor's shack now and Boone was already going through his pockets for caps.
Veronica looked down at the metal contraption encasing her hand.
Could use a few new chromed tubes.. Can hardly see mine under all the rust. Let's go shopping!
Boone let Veronica talk to the Vendortron first and checked the weapons laid out behind him. He just wanted an extended magazine for his hunting rifle but it never hurt to see what best weapon suppliers in the Mojave had available. That was when he saw it.
A beautiful, sleek rifle, with an unusually long barrel and a fine wooden veneer covering the grip. The little cardboard sign next to it said it was an Anti-materiel rifle and that it cost over 5,000 caps...
Something to save up for. I'm getting that rifle.
Veronica bought her modifications and when Boone didn't step up to make his purchase, she threw a glance and caught him staring at a rifle like it was a piece of meat.
She raised her brows and cleared her throat, getting his attention quickly.
Boone flinched and Veronica started laughing when he actually blushed the slightest bit. The man growled as he pushed past her and bought a modification kit to extend his magazine capacity.
The walked back and sat down near the gates of Freeside and started to work on their respective projects in silence for a while.
"So, Boone... What made you team up with Sian? You two don't seem like a natural fit.."
"Just happened," Boone grunted out the answer, not wanting to discuss this in detail, but Veronica gazed at him expectantly. "She helped me out with something. And I couldn't let her leave on her own. She was hurt, would've probably been eaten by a Gecko or something.."
Veronica smiled. Of course he tried to play it off. But he cared, it was plain as day. Maybe he'd speak more openly day. But today was not it. The scribe was done with her modifications and saw that Boone was having some trouble attaching the new magazine. He probably knew what he was doing but she still leaned over. He still needed to file away some of the edges and Veronica saw why he had trouble with it right away.
"Here, let me. My hands are smaller than yours, I can get it done quicker."
Boone handed her his rifle and watched her work, a lot faster than he had been. After he was satisfied that she actually knew what she was doing, he laid back in the burnt grass, his head resting on his interlocked hands.
A couple of days ago, he had just been a retired 1st Recon sniper, whose wife had been abducted and who had been doing his damnedest to drink himself to death.
And then, this blue-haired game-changer had walked into town. Well, dragged herself and her friend.
Why did I even follow her? She helped me, but I offered to pay and be done with it. Maybe because she didn't question it? Because she didn't accept the caps?
No, that's not it and you know it. You followed her because she gave a damn, because she bothered you to find out what happened. You followed her because she was nice to you and looked like she needed help. Because letting her go off on her own, would've been an absolute dick-move. Now, you're stuck with her.
Stuck with this girl with the big blue eyes, an air of innocence and a weird propensity for violence.
Boone thought on this for a while. It seemed the Brotherhood scribe now belonged to their little team as well. She was a bit quirky, but nice enough. He'd get used to both girls eventually, and he was honest enough to admit to himself, he did enjoy the company.
In the last few days he'd been drinking less, walking more and feeling better than he had in ages.
Veronica was done filing and wanted to give Boone his rifle back, but when she was about to speak to him, the words caught in her throat.
He was stretched out on the ground, eyes closed and the faintest smile on his face. Completely zoned out.
The scribe grabbed the new magazine and started attaching it, intent on letting him just be relaxed for once.
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Sian led Arcade to the Atomic Wrangler. He followed her a bit reluctantly but she had outright refused to talk to him at the Mormon Fort, and she did look like she needed someone to listen to whatever her problems were.
Arcade wasn't good at this, never had been, but this Sian seemed like a nice kid and she had looked so lost when she came to him. He had found himself unable to refuse.
Now, the blonde man watched with interest as she was greeted enthusiastically by the proprietor, James Garret, talked to him for a moment and then weaved through the crowd and found them a table where they'd be left alone.
After the two got seated, Garrett came by their table and placed a bottle of good whiskey and two tumblers upon it's relatively clean surface. Rex had trailed after her and laid down at her feet.
The girl poured some whiskey in the glasses, downed hers and filled it again.
Arcade took a sip of his own amber liquid and watched her intently. She looked tired. No, scratch that, she looked exhausted.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
Sian stared at him for a moment, seemingly having forgotten why he was here. Arcade felt like he could drown in those dark blue eyes of hers.
The girl steeled herself. It felt incredibly wrong, baring her thought and feelings to a stranger. She tried to speak several times but no words would come.
It took a second tumbler of whiskey to loosen her tongue enough.
But then, the words spilled from her like a tidal wave.
"Boone and I took care of some mercenaries in Jacobstown and I told the leader what I'd do to him if he wouldn't leave. And I promised him some awful things. That I'd shatter his kneecaps and elbows, leave him for dead by a Cazador nest and listen to his screams. And I was going to do it. They were harassing good people... mutants.. -Whatever! They were trying to provoke them into attacking so they'd have a good reason to wipe everyone out. And for some lousy caps, because some crappy NCR-Brahmin-fuckers thought that having money gives you the right to be an asshole."
She hardly took time to breathe while she spoke. Arcade was listening while he nursed his beverage. The amount of violence she was willing to use was surprising, but thugs harassing innocent citizens always had to count on someone coming along who would put them in their place. He was about to say exactly that when the girl caught her breath and divulged the root of the problem.
"The scary part is that I was excited. I wanted him to fight me so I could do these things to him. And this is not the first time this happened. I fought some thugs in Primm and Goodsprings and I enjoyed killing them. Seeing them bleed made me happy and I just didn't want to stop. I don't know what I was like before, I don't know what I was taught to do, if I was taught anything at all. But when I fight, I know exactly where to strike to kill and where to strike to simply hurt. When I see blood, it's like there's this thing inside me, some kind of beast and it tears at me, trying to get out. And the one time it escaped, it was bad. I.. It... it was like I completely frenzied. I can hardly remember what I did. Just that when everything cleared up, the thugs were dead, I was covered in blood and was disappointed that it was already over. I don't know how to keep this in all the time. It's like there's two people inside of me and I don't know what to do.. Sometimes I feel like I'm insane."
The girl's voice had gotten softer and softer as she spoke until it was barely a whisper. The blonde doctor also noticed how shiny her eyes had gotten, but Sian refused to let herself cry. The bottle was half gone by now, but she poured herself another generous amount of alcohol and downed half the tumbler in one go.
Whiskey was making talking a lot easier she noticed. And her head felt so nice and light.
Arcade watched her with unease, not sure if he should cut her off soon. What she had revealed to him was unusual, and he was not sure how to deal with it. His gaze wandered to the fresh scars on her hairline. Had those bullets made her violent? Or did they cover it up most of the time? Could this girl, this sweet-looking girl, really be dangerous?
But when she looked up again and her eyes locked onto his, he sighed.
He switched seats, took the chair next to her and hesitantly laid an arm around her shoulders. She flinched a bit at the contact but to both of their surprise, she leaned against him.
"Listen, I'm not sure what to tell you. Maybe you've learned this violence before, maybe you haven't. You have a chance at a fresh start now, believe me, many people would kill for that. I get that this situation is probably terrifying for you, and that you don't understand yourself at times, but you've done a lot of good for the relations between Freeside and the NCR. You helped the citizens of Jacobstown. You went out of your way to fix the King's dog. You're a good person. Perhaps you weren't before, but that doesn't matter now. What matters is who you choose to be. Your actions define you and around here, you're well liked. I don't think you have to worry so much. Maybe you were just trained to defend yourself and now, because you've forgotten that, it's seems like excessive violence to you. Give it some time, I'm sure that those feelings will stop. And if you need someone to talk to, you can always talk to me, okay?"
He gave her shoulders a squeeze and Sian smiled at him. She really needed to hear these things. Arcade had been the right choice and the girl was glad she could apparently trust her gut when she wasn't sure how to proceed.
The tall blonde poured out the last of the whiskey and waved for another bottle. He felt that a night out drinking might be exactly what the girl needed. He toasted her and almost spat out a mouthful of liquor when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder.
"Andy! I almost didn't come over here, wasn't sure if it was you. But that grin is unmistakeable. Are you flying both ways now? And here I thought I was special."
A very visibly drunk man stood at their table. He didn't look all that bad and the grin he was giving Arcade was clearly supposed to look seductive. Arcade on the other hand looked horrified and very flustered. He threw a furtive look at Sian, who was seemingly amused at this turn of events.
"Uhm, I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong guy. I... I don't know who you are, sorry."
The words came out so fast, neither Sian or the strange man understood everything. But she saw that her new friend was rather embarrassed and looked like he wanted to die. So she leant forward, resting her head on her hand. She grinned at the stranger when she addressed him.
"Sorry, buddy, but you really got the wrong guy, trust me. But I'm sure if you look around a bit you'll find someone who'll make you feel 'special'."
A quiet understanding passed between the two and the inebriated stranger winked at her and left. Arcade let out a relived sigh. Sian wasn't done yet, however.
"Andy? You usually go around and give people wrong names? And don't even try telling me that you don't know him! It's obvious. So, he a good hook-up?"
Arcade looked hilarious. Mouth and eyes torn open and face beet-red. Sian couldn't hold back anymore and started laughing and Arcade just joined right in. It was like some kind of dam had broken. All the bad feelings were flooded away and the two of them spent the next hour gossiping and rating the hotness of the people around them.
They were nearly done with their second bottle of whiskey when a very angry Boone stormed in, followed by Veronica, who looked slightly worried but relaxed at the sight of the now familiar blue hair.
"What the hell is wrong with you? We've been looking for you for hours!"
Boone was very angry, but Sian wasn't fazed at all by him. She just giggled, taking another swig of whiskey.
"Oooh, come on. I get to have some fun once in a while! Don't be such a grump all the time. Sit! Drink something with us and have some fun for a change. You're always frowning. Why are you frowning, Boone? Vero! Vero, come here! The whiskey's amazing, you have to try!"
Boone and Veronica shared a look. Sian was drunk and any scolding would just wash right over her. The sniper gave a frustrated growl and rubbed his face over his hand.
The blonde one was a doctor for crying out loud! Why would he let her get so drunk.
Veronica sat down next to Arcade and Boone felt Sian's small hand close around his wrist and she pulled him to a seat with surprising force. He gave up. Waving at Garret, Boone ordered some more drinks and just decided to go with it for now. He leaned over to Sian and spoke to her quietly.
"Don't just run off again. I.. we were.. worried when we couldn't find you."
Sian gave him a reassuring squeeze, her hand resting on his forearm for a couple of seconds.
"Don't you worry about me. I always find a way to deal with whatever comes up."
The unlikely group of people sat at that table for hours, drinking, laughing and swapping stories. They even managed to draw some smiles from Boone to Sian's delight. He was far to serious most of the time. But around four in the morning. Sian and Arcade were absolutely wasted and Boone and Veronica were pretty drunk as well.
Sian was dozing, her head resting on Boone's shoulder and Arcade and Veronica were giggling at some private joke.
Garrett came over and offered them a room, only one unfortunately, but a rather big one and Boone took him up on it.
He practically threw Sian over his shoulder, which elicited some more drunken laughter from her and hoisted Arcade up by the arm.
Veronica and Rex followed him up the stairs and they found their room for the night. It was as dingy as the last one he'd been in, but Boone noticed the bed was a lot larger than those he knew.
The blonde doctor jerked out of his grip and collapsed onto the bed, Veronica jumping in right after.
The burly sniper dropped Sian on the mattress. He looked down at the three and snorted.
Lightweights..
He was looking around him, trying to spot the cleanest patch of floor and didn't notice the look that passed between the girls. With a devilish grin, they darted forward, each grabbing one of his wrists.
"You're not sleeping on the floor, dipshit!" Sian voice was slurred and she couldn't focus on him anymore, but Veronica still could.
"Yeah! He gave us this probably custom bed so we all could sleep. Don't be a martyr."
Still laughing, they pulled him backwards. Arcade was dead to the world and didn't move, Boone couldn't. Before he could even come up with any kind of response, both girls laid down again, and he found himself with a head on each shoulder.
The alcohol did the rest and both Sian and Veronica were fast asleep within minutes.
Boone fought an internal battle, debating whether or not to get up. He could've shrugged them off, the man sincerely doubted they would pull him back again. But he didn't move. The fact that they wanted to be near him was strange. Boone knew that he wasn't the most social person and he was fine with the fact that most people didn't bother to speak with him or make the effort to make him in any way comfortable. This was really a novelty to him. He drifted asleep over these thoughts, before he had even decided if this was nice, or just plain strange.