Not Who I Said I Am

As we rode on into the fringe of ruined Scottsdale and took in the sea of rubble, a strange thought hit me. Where were all the people? The outskirts of Phoenix had giant markets, tent encampments, and ranches for miles beyond the gate, but not Scottsdale. Scottsdale was completely dead directly outside the northern walls without a single person in sight. Despite sharing a western border with the packed squatter town of Phoenix, the Scottsdale wall stood alone facing the north, proud and isolated. With that, I continued to hold onto Mark as we strode on into the no man's land north of civilization.

The sky got very dark as we finally approached the old gas station just off the western highway to Flagstaff. We got lost for a while navigating the ruins and successfully avoided the roaming packs of feral ghouls, irradiated creatures, and heavily armed raider patrols. We were alone on the crumbling highway with not a caravan, raider, or monster to be seen. Up in the distance, we saw the dark silhouette of the old gas station marked on my map. As we approached, the wind began to blow harder, but the wastes were dead silent. Under the giant gas station awning, I saw the shadow of a lone man who I assumed was the strange courier named Josh or Joshua.

Mark and I dismounted from the beast and approached. As we got closer, Joshua took a few steps forward, allowing the stars and full moon to expose him to the both of us. Joshua stood tall beneath the awning in a dark crimson tunic, large black fur fringed combat boots, and a golden bull figure above his right pec mounted on dull steel pauldrons. Mark Dinero was right, Joshua clearly had some sort of Legion affiliation if his outfit was any sort of indication. We stood only feet away from the man as his face remained stern and expressionless before saying;

"Who is this man you brought? I told you to come alone. Did I not?"

Somewhat taken back by his authoritative tone, I recalled his relatively calm demeanor from days prior and responded, "This is Markus Dinero, Chief Ambassador of Scottsdale. He said you two had business together?"

Joshua gave a slight grin, illuminated by the moon, "So, you found your way into Scottsdale like I suggested? Good…" Looking at Mark, Joshua continued, "I wasn't exactly expecting him to show up with you, but is there anyone else I should be worried about?"

Briefly looking around the night shrouded desert, I said dumbly, "Nope, just brought him."

Staring at me with a menacing gaze, Joshua said, "I assumed so. I know we didn't mutually agree to this, but I hope you don't mind that I brought some of my own people." He held up two fingers, and over a dozen shadowy figures came out of the night dressed in dark crimson and heavy steel armor, carrying large weapons. The men encircled us, then stopped, and silently watched our every move through their goggles and face masks.

With all the heavily armed Legion soldiers surrounding us with automatic guns and sharpened blades at the ready, I asked with a shake in my voice, "Are you going to kill us?"

He looked at Mark for a brief second and then said to me, "God forbid I should do any such thing. My guard here is to ensure our safety... The open desert is a dangerous place after all."

The crimson guards stood motionless and dead silent. I felt their eyes, and my mind begged for some kind of explanation for all of this. My mind couldn't even consider how Mr. Dinero was feeling, or what he was expecting in those moments. Voice still shaking, I managed to utter, "So… What do you want?"

Joshua had a stern expression, and eyes that looked straight into my soul. He said, "I know of you, Drifter. I really do. From dealing with the raider menace down in Two Sun, to living off the land in a secluded shack, conflicting with the preppers at Agua Caliente, and helping to butcher over thirty of my legionaries in Sedona… You make your mark wherever you go..."

He paused for a moment and focused on me intently, "Like your friends in Mr. Swilling's' Resistance, I too have eyes everywhere."

I asked, "So, you want revenge from me for what they did to your men in Sedona?"

Looking at Mark who still stood nervously and hadn't made a single noise, Joshua said, "Give me your weapons. Toss them to the ground."

I stupidly asked, "Why?"

All the crimson, steel clad, and faceless soldiers broke the desert silence by a uniform crackle as they racked their weapons and aimed them at Mark and I. With nearly twenty guns pointed straight at our heads, Joshua said calmly, "This will go better for you if you do what I ask."

Arms vibrating, I slung the shotgun off my shoulder and tossed it to the ground. Mark withdrew his engraved revolver and did the same. My mind couldn't handle any more of the mystery or suspense despite how terrified I was. So, I flat-out asked, "What do you want from me? I did help kill your men; so, if you want to hurt me or whatever, you should just do it."

As soon as the last syllable left my lips, Joshua immediately responded, "I don't want your blood, or any sort retribution for the incident you partook in. In fact, I want the contrary. I would like to thank you for assisting me at Hallow Wicks and present you with the opportunity of a lifetime… I want you as an ally of the Legion."

I was almost in disbelief by what Joshua said, and honestly caught off guard. I fumbled for words for a moment before realizing how powerful this guy was. "So, I guess you aren't just a mail man? I knew you were something else from the moment I cut you down from those gallows..."

I paused and asked simply as I could, "Who exactly are you?"

He stood tall but only moved to clasp his hands behind his back. The way he puffed his chest out made my eyes focus more on the golden bull on his chest. He said, "I am Legatus Joshua Graham, Commander of all of Caesar's armies in the field…"

He stopped himself before tying our first conversation into the present, "I want your help in bringing Arizona under one banner."

Mind still swarming with thoughts and feelings, I muttered, "Wasteland Unification', right?" I knew he heard the words by the slight grin that grew on his face.

He ignored the sarcastic muttering and I asked directly, "I don't understand, why me?"

Joshua's eyes caught mine, and even though we were the same height, his posture made him appear as though he towered over me. "Because you have made a habit of defying your mortality. You leave your mark wherever you go whether you intend to or not. Yes, I know that you didn't intend to be idolized by killing 'El Tiro de Muerte,' but that doesn't matter. You are an icon in southern Arizona, and most importantly; a trusted friend of Jack Swilling's Resistance…"

I interrupted his explanation, and all the stories I heard about the Legion hit me at once. Joshua or "Legatus Whatever" was just explaining how his group could use me for their own ends. I almost completely disregarded the guns pointed at my head and said defiantly, "So, you want me to betray my friends in the Resistance to be one of this 'Caesar' Guy's… Servants? That's how you want to thank me for helping you? A life of slavery or whatever!?"

He didn't seem phased at all by my outburst. Instead, his face remained the same as he looked past me at the faint glowing lights of Phoenix and Scottsdale far to the south. I frustratedly awaited an answer and saw Mark still standing nervous and silent. Joshua ended the pause by saying monotonously, "Phoenix will fall… That is simply what is going to happen whether the Resistance interferes with our marches or not. Your friend Mr. Dinero here understands that. It became quite clear that he is on our side given the correspondents I oversaw. All I ask now is that you see what is coming for Phoenix."

I said instantly, "What if I want to go back to Phoenix?"

He sternly said, "I will not stop you… Once we are done here, you can either accompany me to Caesar with Mr. Dinero, or you can walk back to Phoenix at the mercy of the wasteland. You will be unharmed by my men here, but when the Legion inevitably takes Phoenix; you will die there in the streets, or on a cross. I leave the choice to you. Do you want to win? Or be erased from history?"

Joshua saw the bewilderment on my face and graciously motioned for me to step back and think it over. I sat on a nearby rock to consider all that happened to me in only a couple short weeks while Joshua spoke to Mark Dinero in private. My mind raced about what to do. I couldn't betray the Resistance, I had obligations to them. But then I thought, "Do I though?" They saved me from getting hanged for being the spy I wasn't, and I did agree to join their movement but… It was in those moments of self-reflection that I remembered my plans to escape the entire world again. Joshua just showed me the exit, but I wondered what he meant exactly. He said that when the Legion inevitably takes Phoenix, I'd die on a cross or in the street, but what if I wasn't in Phoenix? I wanted to escape everyone and everything, and just live the rest of my days in my shack… I was involved in things I wanted zero-part in. Looking at the Legion guys who focused their guns on me, I remembered the effect of not taking any action from all those years ago and how it all lead to where I currently sat. All of northern Arizona was under Legion control, and I finally concluded: Given everything I stumbled into; it couldn't hurt to at least see what Caesar had to offer?

So, I got up, approached Joshua Graham, and asked, "What will happen when we ride to Caesar?"

A very small and barely noticeable grin appeared and disappeared from his face before he said, "Once we arrive in Flagstaff, you and Mr. Dinero will be taken to Caesar directly. Considering your connection with the Resistance, he will likely appoint you to the Frumantarii after undertaking a task. Before you perform the task, you will be granted some sort of training and equipment…"

I quickly asked, "What are Frumantarii?"

Joshua said, "Frumantarii are soldiers of the Legion who specialize in infiltration, assassinations, intelligence gathering, and whatever our Lord or I require. There won't be time to train you on everything the Frumantarii do, given the recent events, but you will learn what is necessary." He paused, noticed my eased expression, and said, "I am glad you agreed to my offer, you will not regret helping us."

I said plainly, "I hope so" then asked, "Can I get my gun back?"

Joshua the "Legate" took that as his que to rally the stone legionaries around us and one of them came out of the darkness leading his own pona. As Joshua mounted up and handed over Mark and I's guns to one of the soldiers, he said, "I cannot do that I'm afraid, in Caesar's territory, no one other than his legionaries are allowed to have weapons of any kind. Once Caesar meets you and you swear loyalty, you will be granted access to your weapons."

I'd never truly gone into the wastes without some kind of weapon, so I felt naked despite the twenty heavily armored soldiers around us. Joshua saw our hesitation and said somewhat boastfully, "Don't worry, Legion lands are the safest in the wasteland."

With that, I jumped on the back of Mark's steed and rode alongside Joshua while his men marched on foot behind us. I looked off the road and saw a sign that said "Flagstaff 105 miles"