A/N: Less and less Spanish as we go along. Also. Graphic death below. It's bad. It's sad. Be prepared for the feels.
Six was teaching them English ("La Lengua Sagrada," they called it, ever since they heard her shout it at Hecate before she killed her), but it was a slow process, even with Arcade helping.
"Who controla la cría?" asked Yvana.
"Who controls the what?" Six asked.
"Por los niños?"
"What? The children? The Priestesses." She turned to Arcade. "I don't know the word for 'priestess'," she said.
"I don't think that's what she's asking," he replied with a smirk.
"Um. El sexo. Por los niños," Yvana said again.
"What, like breeding?" she asked, startled. Arcade laughed. A number of things about their society suddenly made sense to Six.
"Ah. Um. Me. I control. Is very important. Only me. Solomente yo."
Yvana nodded.
"También, if any man tries tener sexo contigo, matalo," Six said loudly.
Ruth laughed. "Claro que sí."
She smiled and turned to Arcade. "Keep working with them on their English, alright? I have some things to check on."
"I do have a life, you know," he said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Do you?" she asked teasingly.
His smile turned to a sneer. "Well, now that you put it that way, _master_, your wish is my command."
She sighed and said quietly, "You know, by now I bet Caesar would make you a member of the Legion. If you'd just-"
"Thank you for your advice, Six Inculta," he bit out, "but I'd rather die. Run along. I'll teach your new disciples how to speak the holy language."
Six reached out toward him, but he turned and walked away.
The Daughters of Hecate still await your response. You have pledged to serve the Goddess with your life, and your absence is noted. The Maricopa and Papago tribes still stand with us. Send a response with this messenger and prepare yourself for travel. We march on the Lipan in two weeks.
-Six
She crossed that out and wrote Six Inculta. Then grimaced and tried Yvana. Still unhappy, she put a line through that and wrote Trivia.
Six was working on translating her missive to the Hounds of Hecate when Vulpes entered. She was about to ask what name or title she should use, because 'Six' didn't seem very impressive when their last boss was a self-proclaimed Goddess. She was forestalled by the unmistakable sound of a rifle being fired at some distance. Not an uncommon noise around a military camp (there were always patrols keeping the radscorpions away, which suited Six just fine; she was allergic to antivenom), but this one was accompanied by a heavy thump directly outside the tent. Vulpes pulled his 9mm and Six grabbed her 12.7 from the table.
They crouched on either side of the doorway of the tent. Vulpes pushed the flap open a few inches with his weapon and surveyed the area. When he was done, Six did the same on the other side.
They carefully exited the tent. Six checked the man on the ground while Vulpes kept watch. The legionary was dead.
"It was a sniper. The tribe to the south has better firepower, do you think it's-"
"It is useless to speculate on who the culprit is," he said, cutting her off. "That shot was far off, and he put it directly between the eyes. I think..." he looked around at Six and dropped his gun to his side. "I think if the sniper was going to kill us, he would have already. He is probably already moving so we can't track his location."
Six didn't stand, but she did holster her weapon. It wouldn't help her against a sniper. "We should inform Atticus. He needs to up the patrols around the camp."
"It's already been done. This is not the first time the sniper has struck. I will tell Atticus that it isn't enough; however I doubt anything aside from building ten foot walls would be."
She looked back down at the legionary. He was just a recruit, on his way to the mess tent or the latrine. Never saw the end of his life approaching. She wondered if it was better or worse that way. She looked out at the dark, empty desert and shivered.
Six's mornings were filled with English lessons. Arcade didn't come anymore. Caesar had sent two other Legionaries that spoke Spanish to help her, and also dispatched a few more to teach the other tribes that were assimilating. It was very tiring. At least it meant that by the time afternoon drills arrived, everyone was ready to stop repeating phrases and start hitting each other with machetes for a while.
The Hounds of Hecate had still not sent a response, and what was even more worrying was that the messenger hadn't returned. Six consulted Yvana, who suggested the two go in person to speak with them. Caesar agreed, but sent a chaperone in the form of a Frumentarius named Alerio. Six selected two more Spartans, leaving Ruth in charge of running the drills. And she brought Remus. Ever since he helped her defeat Hecate and her hounds she never let him get too far from her.
The trip was long. The Hounds stayed on the other side of Santa Ana. It was a boring trip without Vulpes, though she supposed that was a good thing. Yvana was picking up on English quickly and it wouldn't do to have her overhear the kinds of disrespectful conversations they usually had.
When they finally reached the Hounds' homestead it was past sunset. They didn't see the smoke until they were almost on top of it.
The flames had long since burned down, but the charred remains of the buildings still smoldered. One of the women became very distressed. Six quickly pulled them all aside.
"Do not let your emotions get the better of you," she said quickly. Yvana translated in a whisper, apparently thinking the woman was too distraught for English. "Be strong. We will find revenge for this act."
The woman tried to pull herself together. Yvana leaned over to Six. "It is Merrin. Her mate was a Hound."
"I guessed as much. But she needs to handle it," she said, sparing a small glance toward Alerio. He was watching with an amused expression. "We cannot show weakness in front of men."
Yvana looked over at Alerio so obviously Six wanted to roll her eyes. Finally, she nodded, and went to go speak to the woman. Six walked over to Alerio.
"Hard as steel killing machines until their boyfriends bite it. Can't say I'm surprised," he commented.
Six didn't punch him in the face. "Looks a few days old. I think we can assume our messenger got caught up in it, though I doubt there's anything left of him to find."
Merrin came up to them. There were still tear marks on her face, but her expression was hard. "Lipans. Lipans did this." She pointed to one remaining wall of a building, where a symbol was painted in what looked like blood. Handprints forming a large X. "We kill them," she finished.
"We will," Six assured her. The Lipans wouldn't come without a fight, so there was no chance that was a lie. "We will."
They hunkered down in an abandoned building half a mile from the site and waited for morning. When it dawned, Merrin was sitting next to Six, staring at her as she woke. It was an uncomfortable way to wake, but it was made even more so when she said, "Lo creo, Trivia. Creo en ti."
Remus bounded in front, oblivious to the dejected air of the group. For his playful nature, he sure was a good fighter. They would often lose sight of him for twenty minutes, then come across a dead radscorpion or giant rat, and he would have a little more blood on his face. Six smiled and scratched him behind the ears. She didn't know why more people didn't have dogs. Perhaps it would be too much to feed them all.
She reported to Caesar with the information that the Hounds of Hecate were destroyed by a southern tribe. To her surprise, he didn't blame her for it. He took it as read that the Hounds were as good as assimilated and a crime against them was a crime against the Legion. They would be pressing south, soon. First the bloodthirsty Lipans, and on to the next.
Six valiantly did not put her head down on the table and start snoring. She fought hard to be involved in these meetings; it put her Spartans on an equal footing with the Frumentarii and Praetorians. She was equal to Vulpes Inculta and Lucius. And after the first couple times, fuck, it was it boring.
Provisionally equal, anyway. Her Spartans were still technically on probation, but it was looking good in all directions. The satellite tribes had fallen in line, with the exception of the one that had been slaughtered, and after the battle where they had defeated male legionaries at a margin of almost three to one the other soldiers didn't fuck with them.
Report after report after report. What did she care about the rice levels in the kitchen? She blinked. She was now responsible for feeding thirty people. Maybe she _should_ pay attention to the rice levels. Come to think of it, who had been making sure her Spartans had food? She glanced over at Vulpes, who raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. Bastard. He had probably been waiting to do that for the last four meetings.
"And now on to my favorite topic," Caesar said. "How is this sniper still at large? Can you tell me, Atticus? Aurelius of Phoenix wouldn't have let this continue for so long. Perhaps I should call him from New Vegas to take your place."
"I am raising the number of random patrols, Lord Caesar. He will not evade us for long."
"That's what you said last time. Perhaps we don't need more random patrols, but planned ones. I don't care if you have to get every Legionary to stand in a line and walk the desert, he will be found. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Lord Caesar."
"Last order of business. Vulpes, I want you to get a full report from the men we've acquired as to the location, geography, munitions, all that stuff, of the Lipans. You know the drill. We have three weeks before we reach their main territory. Find out if they will stay there or come to meet us."
"Yes, Caesar."
Six was about to protest but had to turn it into a cough when he said, "You get one, too, Six."
"Yes, Lord."
Six bumped her shoulder into Vulpes' as they walked from the tent. He started away from her, and she laughed. "Thanks," she said.
"For?"
"Keeping my people fed," she answered.
"Indeed. I knew you wouldn't think of it right away. You had a lot on your plate. Unlike your Spartans."
"Was that a pun? Vulpes, you shock me."
"I am a man of many talents," he said dryly. "Now that you are aware, I will show you the requisite forms and I shall never do it again."
Six sniffed. "Now I kind of wish I never realized they needed food."
She could see Vulpes fighting a laugh.
Six woke up early that morning with a full bladder. Remus followed her as she walked to the latrine. It seemed he was as attached to her as she was to him. He jumped around her, happy as always to be outside and moving. She laughed.
Suddenly Remus yelped and cried, falling to the ground. She dropped down immediately and crawled to him. His legs were jerking violently. She tried her best to hold his head at her awkward angle, to hold his body still. After a few seconds, the flailing calmed. She could see his entrails falling out of his shattered ribcage. There was no stimpak in the world that could fix that, even if she had one on her. Remus started to whine. Not a friendly whine. Or an I'm-hungry whine. Or an I-need-to-go-outside whine. Or even a hurt-paw whine. It seemed to go on forever, that desperate, helpless noise. His eyes seemed to plead to her, but she didn't know what they were asking for. To fix it, to not leave him alone, or to simply make the pain end. Just when Six was cursing the fact that she left her machete in the tent, thinking she would have to break his neck to put him out of his misery, the whine stopped.
"This isn't enough."
"You wanted to kill her. Then you didn't. Now it's not enough. Let's kill her, then."
"No. It wouldn't be enough. We must destroy them. All of them."
"Hmm. Sounds good. How?"
"Those markings by the fire site. Another tribe did that. We should find them. Before they do."
A sigh.
"Alright. Good a plan as any, I suppose."