The Enemy We Fight
I'd always heard of other types of legionaries, but never considered or noticed any difference. All the waves of red clad crazies that hit us in the night or in the sandstorms seemed the same. The trooper who made that remark on the line about "New Mexican Legios" was a replacement from Searchlight. Though I had only one legitimate experience with legionaries that wasn't in a truly dangerous context, the trooper from Searchlight claimed familiarity with different types of legionaries; the types a lot of us were at least somewhat familiar with.
That guy from Camp Searchlight had a few run ins with the Legion himself, and after the survivors from that Raid Squad were escorted to the doc, the rest of us watched that still motionless mass at the south end of no man's. The line was fully awake in this moment, and everyone waited for another "Send'em out!" order or even a "Pour it on'em" when or if they advanced. The mass of legionaries never moved for a solid 15 minutes until finally they started to disperse and trickle back towards Nelson. Once that happened, the day boys went back to sleep, and dawn was not too far away. Hearing that trooper's words in the silence after the "Send'em out!" order, me and some of the other night fellas started talking with him.
Camp Searchlight was far south, and acted as the eastern front due to a Legion crossing point at a place on the Colorado called Cottonwood Cove. Though the boys over there didn't have much luck with captives either, the trooper gave tale of a slave who collapsed on their perimeter maybe a year prior. A slave with much knowledge.
The slave claimed to have been one for about 13 years, and spent her entire time looking for an escape. That seemed like real dedication to me. Hearing that made me wonder at what point a person under harsh circumstances simply comes to terms and accepts the situation. Either way, the slave was from New Mexico, well familiar with the Legion, and even did work in a library in the Legion's capital of Flagstaff out in Arizona. In recovery, the slave's knowledge came out, and NCR quickly put her under protection. Much of what the military knows about the Legion, if not from the desert rangers who'd been fighting them long before Hoover Dam or the occasional storied rumor from out east, was from that slave who ran away over a year ago and before I was even in the army (I think). That trooper on the line helped Searchlight's doc in watching over the runaway slave, and word about who was what in the Legion spread to the common troopers from all over through the odd letter to a friend or change in duty station.
Apparently, despite my interactions with those Legion prisoners, the creature that killed Dawn, and even some of my other less noteworthy experiences with a Legion raid, the folks in Nelson are people too. Different in some ways, same in others.
You look around any camp of NCR troopers back in NCR, or out in the Mojave, and you may not immediately see the difference. However, if you look closely, you can see who is what, and the diverse culture of our own NCR military shows in different ways.
One type of trooper you may see will be one from the Hub. Being from one of the first post war cities that was built on trade, troopers from there will usually be toughened from life in the streets, and know how to sell you whatever. I've often been thought of as a Hub trooper because of my propensity to acquire things for people through my pen pals (And by the fact that our company was originally part of a Home Guard regiment and Hub battalion). Then again, when they hear me refuse to curse, or have no response to Hub related jargon, they're left confused. Usually the most lively troopers, if they don't live for the Republic, they'll live just to go home with enough savings to have something when they get back. Despite that, Hub troopers are usually the worst when it comes to saving money. I believe the guy on my leave group with only 800 dollars in his entire military account was one such Hub trooper.
A common trooper in any unit is one from a place called the LA Boneyard, or just Boneyard. Even though there were two real types of typical Boneyard troopers, my Follower pen pal was from there, the one who worked at a university. The university is one of the big attractions in that town, and that led to one type of Boneyard trooper. That being, one who spent his childhood in their library and thinks he's too smart for the infantry. That know-it-all wasn't smart enough to join the Followers of the Apocalypse to avoid the draft though. That kind of trooper was usually shut up by his brother from the Boneyard; the street tough industrial worker, or Gun Runner patriot. Apparently, the town was pretty known for having lots of industry alongside the university, and that created strong people. One of those industries was firearms led by the Gun Runners company who supplied the NCR military's weapons. Working close with the NCR military, some Gun Runners employees felt it was their duty to join the military, but kept a better grip on reality than those troopers from Shady Sands.
A lot can be presumed about any group of people, and judgments should always be determined after figuring out individual character. However, 8 out of 10 troopers from Shady Sands dreamed much bigger than they could deal with. Shady Sands being the capital of NCR, it's no wonder that they have some of the most patriotic troopers. Troopers from there join up with stars in their eyes, and dreams in their heart only to wonder where their "Senator Father" is when the load on their back is too heavy, their "Dayglow trash" sergeant was too mean to them, or when faced with a dangerous assignment. Many Shady troopers (Though not all) grew up without a worry until faced with the Mojave heat, or some blood covered creep in sports pads and a skirt. Though that created the most cowardly, or fatalist troopers, I've seen many officers who got their position from a connected parent act very brave under fire. 1st platoon's old LT before dying on a recovery team was one such officer.
Another trooper you might run across is a Redding trooper. That title was given to a lot of down home country fellas regardless if they're from Redding itself. That town was a mining town for a long time, but after some incident, it became a giant ranching one. The tough people who come from that town on the northern border of NCR territory, or other wasteland homesteads, kept their legacy, creating some of the nicest, most understandable, and still tough troopers. Those guys don't have too many plans for big cities, and don't look twice at the lights of New Vegas, preferring to spend their leaves at home or some Podunk town reminiscent of the life they left behind. I think there was such a Redding guy in our failed leave group who was perfectly content with spending it at that dumpy little 188 post.
I'm not sure what to say about troopers from Dayglow, considering I hadn't met too many of them. I joined that battalion coming up from the Hub, and the two other random companies at Forlorn Hope were from Boneyard and Mojave respectively. Although, I did hear that a few replacements for another company were from there. What I've heard is that everyone there is slightly mutated. I hadn't seen any ghouls in the service (At least not yet) but that town is sorta known for scav. Again, I don't know too much, but if you see a trooper with an extra toe, or one who's good with old world trash, they're from Dayglow… I guess?
Next is probably the New Reno trooper. Though I still didn't know too much about the town, or even if it was actually part of the NCR, New Reno troopers where known pretty well in a couple ways, and somewhat similar to Hub types. I suppose the best description for a trooper from there could be based on that Corporal Hutsgy I talked about during the section on camp punishments. Always with the best stories, funniest jokes, and only sincere with their friends in the heat, they often found themselves in trouble. If they weren't looking for a ticket out of that city through service, they were conscripts who got themselves in trouble back home and carried over their habits straight to the Forlorn Hope jail. Sometimes they were both. Everything I heard about that city describes somewhat anarchy, and autonomy from the NCR, but I'm not sure how to describe it. Like I said, if a New Reno trooper didn't join up to get away, they were conscripted somehow. I think the NCR government itself isn't even sure if they own New Reno, especially considering other talk about gang control. Nevertheless, if troopers from there aren't your typical flag waving die-hards, they're at least pleasant company and loyal to whoever has their back in the no man's.
The next type of trooper is the one who isn't predictable; the Mojave troopers. The NCR military had been in the Mojave for at least a few decades in small and then big ways. Some people from the Mojave liked what the NCR had been doing, trying to civilize the lands and all, so they joined up. Some escaped prison sentences or time on the chain gang after arrest in NCR jurisdiction, and took the option to serve. Others simply liked the idea of getting regular meals and access to neat firearms (Until they get to Forlorn Hope where their pristine rifle from a better station is confiscated for the Raid boys in exchange for a busted piece of trash). Like I mentioned earlier, one of the companies at Forlorn Hope was attached to a Mojave battalion, and though they had their own little jokes or bits about being close to home, they were great company in the fray. After all, they were fighting for their homes and joined the only foreign army trying to help instead of enslave. Although that company was constantly replenished by troopers from everywhere, Mojave troopers were still pretty recognizable by their jargon and talk of familiarity with the region. Even though Mojave boys varied in loyalty or priorities, trouble making and conforming, we were all together in the heat, gun smoke, and dust.
The final type of trooper you might see is one who shouldn't really be there (IE: Me). That random sort of person was from an NCR town without its own culture like Junktown or Sac Town, from an autonomous tribal village, or from some other tiny in-descript location or background. These sorts of people usually just blended in or were categorized as one of the above types of troopers. Either way, wherever a trooper was from, they all found their place or added their own unique color to the scene that was "The Heat" but in such a way that was a little more unique than what we could see from those south of the Observation line.
As for our enemy...
I don't know much about the Legion army firsthand, since I've never been in it (And hopefully never will), but from everything I've heard, and everything I've seen, if there are any differences in their units, I only learned about it through standard trooper knowledge and the accounts from guys like that Searchlight trooper (Who happened to be a Boneyard Patriot type). Apparently there are unique cultures in the ranks of our enemy, and though they may be small, their fanaticism nearly buries anything you'd notice in the chaos of an attack.
In my bit about the prisoners, and the legionary who killed PFC Dawn, I described those legionaries as Arizonans. Though I didn't know what that really meant at the time, even propaganda back in Sac Town described them as the worst. Again, you wouldn't stop to consider who was swinging at you in the fray, but Arizonans Are the worst.
Brutal, vicious, merciless, and absolutely zero chance of their surrender. I suppose that can explain why the legionaries we captured way back when broke their own jaws, or pounded on the bars psychotically after their suicides were interrupted by capture. Like I said, the fact we even captured legionaries of any kind was a miracle. Anyway, troopers talk of traders from the east meeting with NCR, and those traders talked about the difficulty of the Arizona desert in general.
Despite those neutral traders talk about regional safety out that way under Legion occupation, they too vouch for the sadistic nature of any legionary who's labeled an Arizonan. Traders tell a story from out that way talking about a legend in Arizona or the Sonoran Wasteland. The stories we hear praise the Legion for stabilizing Arizona, and credit it to a single man who isn't Caesar. The legend of a man called the "Interfector of Phoenix" or "Murderer of Phoenix" details a metropolitan oasis in the middle of Arizona that was utterly obliterated because of him. Vowing to help the people of Arizona by joining some moral organization, he exploited their open hearts and abandoned his honor for a place at Caesar's side. Even though the story was told with dread, the twisted story we hear thanks the "Interfector" or "Murderer" for taming the Sonoran Wastes. Although, one theme of the story remained despite the years; "Never trust an Arizona Drifter." Even though a person may seem kindhearted or noble, you don't know what they'll do in the end. Tribals conscripted into the Legion embraced the Murderer's story, and cut out any kindness or honor in their hearts. Those Arizona tribals use the Interfector as an example of how to achieve glory and approval in the eyes of Caesar. That makes Arizonans the most horrifically savage and loyal members of the Legion, whether they want to be or even know that they are.
The other big story about Arizona pertains to the Legion's current number 2 and battlefield commander that the rangers have talked about. Caesar's biggest commander, "Legate Lanius" is said to also be from Arizona. If the propaganda posters showing the Legate's supposed mask, and stories of what he does to the conquered are true, I think it's safe to say that he only confirms the reputation of Arizona legionaries.
So, the standard trooper bit goes: If you see a tall legionary who takes time out of the battle around him just to play with his victim's blood and revel in the mess, or if you see a rabid legionary who took ten troopers to subdue and halt his suicide, he's probably an Arizonan.
The next type of Legionaries are those from New Mexico, far beyond anywhere a soldier with a bear patch on his uniform has been. Again, most of the information we lowly troopers had on them was from independent traders who occasionally crossed the Colorado into the west. Though still horrific, and still likely to crucify those troopers captured in that Raid squad, New Mexican legionaries are somewhat known for having some sympathy or even hesitancy to the Legion's brutal ways. Apparently, there used to be plenty of peaceful tribes all across New Mexico, and though they weren't afraid of self-defense, they were systematically slaughtered or absorbed by the Legion over many years while the famous Arizona campaign was still going on. Rangers say that the New Mexican tribals were very spiritual and believed in many superstitions that the tribes spread to others. It was because of this notion, rangers believe stories about the Legion's former 2nd, Legate Graham or "Joshua Graham's" merciless reputation spread like wildfire long before Hoover Dam. While he was conquering New Mexico, tribals who escaped Graham's wrath told of atrocities that led to bounties offered by Desert Rangers back before they were integrated into the NCR Rangers. However, once those New Mexican tribes were conquered by the Legion, some of that story telling lingered, and still with a fixation on the old Legate Graham. Many troopers believe it is because of New Mexican legionaries that stories of the Legate Graham turned "The Burned Man" circulated in Legion camps, and even escaped into the Mojave. Those tales say that the old Legate still walks, even after what we all know happened to him for failing Caesar at Hoover Dam.
Getting back to the enemy's culture and how it impacts us: All things about the New Mexican legionary's culture and background in timidity and story telling, troopers say that New Mexican legionaries are the best you could face. Given their supposed ingrained beliefs even under the Legion banner, some call New Mexican legionaries cowards, or the preferable alternative to the other types of red clad crazies. I don't look that deep though, I take a look at the uniform and see the aftermath. I don't think I'd call anyone under Caesar's banner a coward, if anyone says a New Mexican is preferable, I'd say, "Tell that to the guys on that failed raid squad." Most of those Raid boys didn't come back, and despite their plausible origin and refusal to attack that night, I knew there would be a couple new crosses down south the next morning.
Although the New Mexican legionary's supposed mercy or cowardice was nearly buried by the uniform and flag of Caesar, I did hear one trooper talk about a legitimate reason for the assumption. There was a big battle against the Legion sometime after Hoover Dam that brought about ideas of the New Mexicans' lack of fanaticism for Caesar. When our boys in brown finally caught their breaths after that mess at Hoover Dam, and after recovering from some "Natural disaster" out west, a bunch of troopers were sent to take the fight across the Colorado at a place called "Arizona Spillway." A ways south of us, the planning for the operation had rangers infiltrate the enemy ranks at Arizona Spillway, where they learned the Legion fortification was occupied by a force of fillers from New Mexico. Intel didn't even know what or if that meant anything, so our guys eventually crossed the Colorado and took some derelict resort, beating back many legionaries rather easily than initially planned for.
Although, NCR supply chains were disrupted after the initial victory, and the legionaries only really fell back or retreated to encircle the landing zone. Even though the battle of Arizona Spillway was considered a success, when scouts caught sight of Legion columns with Arizona banners approaching (Blood painted banners), Command of the battle deemed the location too difficult to hold and fell back across the Colorado. The initial fight being a fairly easy success, the troopers deemed the initial New Mexican garrison as weaker than usual because of that fact. From there, the stereotype spread through our ranks, especially when old ranger talk of New Mexican tribal culture mixed with it. I suppose if the consensus is true, some of the legionaries from that far off land still had a lot of timidity and reluctance for Caesar engrained in them despite the stories of that brainwashing I hear goes on in Legion soldier camps.
Bottom line: If you see a legionary running away, actually retreating from the fight to regroup, or if one of them lets you withdrawal, they're probably a New Mexican. Either that, or they have a New Mexican commander who may actually care about battlefield losses.
Colorado legionaries are the next type of legionary, and something we supposedly deal with all the time. They're also probably the reason for my failed leave plans. Troopers talk about stories they heard, describing when the Legion was invading Colorado. All the while, their troops were getting ambushed, getting their supply lines severed, and having their New Mexican columns attacked by Colorado tribal raiders. Legion was focused on some big tribal city called "Dog Town", but had to simultaneously fight a guerrilla war against the other Colorado tribes. One by one, the tribal raiders were picked off or conscripted until the Legion encircled Dog Town. Though the battle for Dog Town itself supposedly lasted many weeks, the Legion won, but also had to battle the hordes of rabid dogs that gave the town its name. The Colorado tribals really strained the Legion's supply lines and logistics during the focus on Dog Town. The reason the city was besieged for so long (If the stories are true) was because of that style of fighting. But like I said, as those tribals were slowly eliminated, and after Dog Town fell, Caesar put those kinds of tribals on the job of raiding supply lines and towns essential to his next enemy. The addition of the famous Dog Town "Denver Hounds" to the ranks only added to the character of the savage raiders at Caesar's disposal.
I still had yet to actually see one of those famous "Denver Hounds" in person at this point, but after the Legion took Dog Town, the army south of us harnessed their most recent conquest's abilities with dogs and fully integrated them into the army as well. The Legion's use of Denver Hounds became so well implemented that the very image of those snarling beasts was a common symbol of the Legion that their picture was the subject of the first propaganda images to line a wall back in Sac Town. Since the implementation of their favorite pets, and coupled with Colorado tribals' specialty in raiding things, legionaries from Colorado made up the scouts, raid teams, and even many of their spies. If those guys weren't excelling in getting close enough to cut throats out in no man's they were taking their pets out the west road from Nelson to hit caravans while keeping us pinned.
The standard trooper bit goes: If your supply caravan gets hit before you can fire, or if you see a man in red with a snarling and mangy four legged sidekick watching your every move from a cliff, they're probably some of Caesar's Colorado boys.
The last real distinct group in our enemy's twisted culture are the Utahs. Recent word from some of the new rangers says Caesar is still fighting in Utah while giving us Heck all along the Colorado River. Those rangers describe Utah as a beautiful place with not much civilization. Much like the other places Caesar conquers, it's full of tribals. The big picture shows every tribe from there as either peaceful and reclusive, or outright savage and merciless. Even though only a small sliver of Utah is under Caesar (According to ranger accounts), you can tell which tribes he actively recruits from.
The famous old story of the Legion's former 2nd in command, Legate Graham, say he was supposedly from Utah. Word said that he belonged to one of those peaceful and reclusive tribes that had a thing for old world religions, but he found himself in Arizona, and developed a reputation east of the river that reached NCR (As I talked about in the New Mexico section). I suppose Graham was born in the wrong tribe because the stories about him are too profane for me to really write about. As I previously talked about, there's more to that guy, and even that ghost story in the Legion's lines, if the supposed New Mexican legionary tales are true. But, the savagery of those Utah legionaries is comparable to Arizonans. I think the one distinguishing feature about Utahs is that if they aren't known for savagery, they're known for their smarts. I'm not sure how that characteristic came to be, but perhaps it was from Legate Graham's strategy across Northern Arizona and New Mexico… At least up until his famous blunder at Hoover Dam.
We knew pretty much nothing legitimate about our enemy in Nelson, whether their attacks were sometimes from Arizonans, New Mexicans, Utahs, a mix, or if their raids are exclusively led by Colorados, we didn't know for sure. However, the way they've held Nelson so firmly while giving us Heck at the same time leads many to believe that whoever is in charge over there is a Utah. Perhaps the commander over at Nelson learned a thing or two from the late Legate Graham about holding a place while not being overzealous and losing what he had. Perhaps Utahs had that tactical mindset in common, and learned easily from other Utahs' mistakes. Although, perhaps the commander at Nelson wasn't a Utah. I was inclined to believe that the commander over there was a Colorado, especially thinking about the way they took Nelson without too much trouble. On the other hand, the commander at Nelson could've been an Arizonan, if his repeated use of those horrific savages was any indication. We were fairly certain Nelson's commander wasn't a New Mexican, if the stereotypes were true, but perhaps that played into the likely Utah's strategy. Perhaps the trooper consensus was correct, that guy in charge of Nelson was a war minded Utah who knew how to keep us down, hit the western highways, and hold Nelson all at the same time... Or perhaps there's only one low level guy in charge of holding Nelson, while Caesar or some other distant bigshot officer just sends his folks through Nelson as a staging point. We don't know crap about how the Legion command really works. (You see a feather head, shoot him first if you can.)
Either way, to summarize the little known Utahs: If your unit is taking continuous heat from a crafty and easily adapting Legion commander, or if faced with another suicidally savage guy in sporting gear, they're probably a Utah legionary.
I learned a lot of this over time on the line, but that incident after the failed Raid squad, and after talking with the Searchlight trooper, I got to thinking again about our enemy. Despite their tiny differences we can see, I have no experience with legionaries off the line, or ones who aren't extra savage from being in NCR custody. I can't tell you if they joke around after chow, comfort their buds when things are extra stressful, or if they write letters to their likely slave wives before coming to our lines. I couldn't tell you if they have lighter punishment for menial things other than crucifixion, or how they pass time while waiting for action. I can only say that we've seen them too many times in the heat or sandstorms, and pick up a thing or two about their supposed cultures in the odd story from out east.
Reflecting on our differences with those in the enemy's ranks, one overall theme got me thinking. The diverse nature of an NCR unit didn't matter in the way it apparently does in the Legion. Everything I mentioned about NCR troopers didn't really relate at all to war in the way I talked about Legion troops.
In the end, Caesar is clearly a smart man, despite how horrible his fellas are. The little differences we pick up, if true, show he knows precisely who goes where and does what in his army. Even though his army still abides by the same savage culture regardless of where from, it's smart to not just call them barbarians, because they do know how to adapt their brutal methods to keep our camp's name "Forlorn Hope."