CHAPTER ONE: A NEW POWER IS BORN. BY DESERT RANGER CARACAL.
LOCATION: JUST OUTSIDE THE MOJAVE OUTPOST, NEAR THE STATUES.
DATE: JULY 7TH 2281.
TIME: 10:30AM.
TEMPERATURE: 90°F OR 32°C.
Joseph stood in the relatively stagnant area that was the Mojave express, doing what he often did this time of the year. Coming to the statues and spitting on them as a sign of continued hate for what had happened all those years ago. He knew why most of the remaining rangers chose to stay, but during his time out in the Mojave, he'd seen continuous failure on the part of the NCR to keep Caesar's Legion down. Alongside the fact that the NCR failed at doing anything good in a long term manner, such as the failure of the Bitter Springs Massacre, the displacement of the locals, and other such failures.
It had to at least leave a semi bitter taste in the mouth of the Desert Rangers turned NCR Rangers who still fought in the Mojave against the Legion. Otherwise, they truly had assimilated into the NCR and had gotten used to the shitshow going on in their former home. As Joseph continued to stare up at what he hated, a little voice in the back of his head chided him for doing this ritual still. Instead of fighting against it, the caracal listened. It criticized him for just hating the NCR and not making any sincere efforts to fight the NCR's imperialism and not just the terror of Caesar's Legion.
After a brief bit of working it out in his head, the ranger left after spitting on the statue for the last time, making his way down to Primm. An hour later, the caracal had met with an old ranger buddy, a human named Rodriguez. He had attempted to settle down in Primm, but hadn't found much in the name of work, and was considering taking one of the courier jobs on offer at the local Mojave Express before his old pal Joseph came over to his little home. When the ranger came and knocked on his friend's door, Rodriguez was happy to see Joseph standing in front of him. He even gave his friend a friendly shake of the hand as he laughed about the sudden surprise.
"Come on in old pal! I could use some company, even if you don't drink."
He said, happy to see Joseph. The older ranger had been one of the first men to see Joseph when he was a prospective ranger, his brown skin battered by his decade of being a volunteer ranger, having lived in the Mojave his whole life. His home was pretty bare, an abandoned little place that did the trick for housing, not like the townsfolk here minded. There were a pair of chairs nearby, one for him and one for guests. Unsurprisingly, Joseph took the less comfortable guest chair, not like he minded much, he didn't intend to stay here long.
"What in the sam hell are you doing here Joseph? Shouldn't you be off killing Legion or something?"
He asked as he grabbed an old whiskey glass, pouring himself a fairly sized glass of whiskey for himself before taking a seat.
"Normally I'd say yes but, I've got greater plans in mind. You obviously know how bad the NCR's handled the situation round here, I doubt you're unhappy about staying away from them."
The caracal said, watching as his friend took a sip of whiskey. Rodriquez nodded, before looking back at the feline.
"The moment I heard about the initial fuckups they got into around these parts, I chose to never join the NCR, even if I was gonna die otherwise."
He said, as Joseph nodded in response.
"From what I've talked to with NCR soldiers on leave, the brass says the more dead legionaries, the better things look for the papers. Personally I say anyone who quantifies total legionaries killed as the ultimate sum total of victory is a fucking moron, especially when the NCR brass says that."
Said the caracal, much to his human friend's amusement.
"Next thing you'll tell me is that they're gonna try taking the farmers boys who failed to qualify for NCR training the first time and try training them with holotapes and robots."
Rodriguez said, to which both of them began laughing in amusement over how ridiculous the idea sounded to them both.
"Aahhh, as funny as that is, I did mention that for a reason. See, what I want to do may sound insane, but I think we can do it. So listen to me with an open mind."
He said, to which Rodriguez began to take another sip of whiskey.
"I want to create a militia to actually take control of the Mojave territories. To shove the Legion and NCR out once and for all."
Joseph said. Rodriguez nearly choked on his whiskey, swallowing it down before giving his response.
"Are you fucking crazy? How the hell could you make such a thing happen in these parts?"
He asked, bewildered at how the seasoned ranger could think of doing that.
"I may sound meshugge, but I have a plan. I definitely can't do it alone. I was thinking of getting the rest of the gang, then recruiting several others who've got moxie and experience, and then going from there."
He said, to which Rodriguez nodded slowly, before finishing his glass of whiskey up and replying.
"Alright, I'll admit. You have a plan in mind. As insane as it may sound, I do know the others are still in the Mojave territories. When do we start gathering the gang and how will this shit be set up?"
Rodriguez asked, closing his bottle of whiskey up as he began getting what he needed for the mad journey ahead. His old armor, his 12 gauge lever action shotgun, 12 gauge slugs, his half full bottle of whiskey and a bit of food and water.
"As soon as possible, I want this to be an operating militia by the end of the next month, and a serious Mojave power player at the end of the year."
Joseph said, unholstering his Blackhawk, setting it into half cock and opening the loading gate, spinning the cylinder slowly to inspect what was inside. Not a single fired round in it, good. He closed the gate and closed the gate up. Afterwards, he looked back to Rodriguez and holstered the behemoth, the rangers exchanging nods before heading out of the house.
LOCATION: Grub N' Gulp rest stop.
DATE: JULY 8TH 2281.
TIME: 11:00AM.
TEMPERATURE: 90°F OR 32°C.
After spending the previous day walking up through the Mojave, and spending the night in the El Dorado Gas and Service, the two rangers were happy to just get a bite to eat at the somewhat nearby rest stop. They'd go to Boulder City, but they'd heard that wasn't where their next recruitable ranger was. That, and if they'd been mislead, Boulder City could be reached in the day, so it wasn't hopeless. The rest stop sure wasn't all that full, so it didn't take long to scan those there.
The current merchants were there, alongside a pair of NCR soldiers, some random travellers and by the looks of it, the guy they were looking for. Rodriguez approached first when the NCR soldiers had left, each having purchased some Iguana on a stick for lunch. He soon enough got a closer look at the man. He was a cheetah unlike the other humans there, and unlike the others, had a long barreled .357 on his hip. When the cheetah turned to see Rodriguez he shot him a smile.
"What are you doing here? Last I heard you were in Primm."
He said, as the human laughed back.
"Well Russell, I can't help but get bored in one place when I stay there for too long. That, and I've got an old friend of ours who wants to talk."
He said, as Joseph stepped behind him, looking down at Russell.
"Glad to see that you've managed to stay in one piece since we last met, I think that was about a year and a half ago."
Joseph said, to which Russell nodded.
"I remember, you came back from a trip all the way up to Oregon by taking Caravans that were going up that direction. Rumor has it you shot and killed a man who came from Texas and was heading to Washington on foot."
The cheetah said, to which the caracal nodded.
"That mad gunslinger got what was coming to him, but we ain't here to talk about that. Let's talk more privately, there's a place that'll do the trick for us." He said, as the cheetah though for a moment.
"Sure, lemmie get some lunch and I'll follow."
He said, before turning to Fitz, buying a freshly cooked Brahmin steak for his meal. Rodriguez followed suit with a bighorner steak also fresh off the grill, before heading off. Their intended location was reached within the hour. Mountain Shadows Campground was a great spot for them to settle at the moment, as Joseph finished up an MRE from his pack after they reached the campground, stopping for a bit before looking to Russell, who had finished eating during the trip alongside Rodriguez. The three of them sat down in the ruins of the campground, looking around to see if they'd been followed or not before Joseph spoke.
"What I'm about to say may seem insane, but it is doable. I want to create a militia that can be a power player in the Mojave by the end of the year. That, and I want to use this militia to push the Legion and NCR out of the Mojave before 2282 is over."
He said, as Russell blinked heavily, rolling the seemingly insane concept around in his head before shrugging.
"Fuck it, honestly I was getting bored just wandering the desert. I don't know how you do it. Sure, I'll join up, but only if Ruth and Deborah come along. We need our expert sniper and comms master."
He said as he stood up, the other rangers following suit.
"You know I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, I have a feeling that I know where the two of them are."
Joseph said, pulling a map of the Mojave out, laying it on one of the nearby destroyed cars.
"Somewhere in Freeside I bet, probably in the Atomic Wrangler."
The ranger said, pointing at Freeside on the map before putting it away.
"Let's make haste."
The caracal said, much to the approval of the others. And so the rangers got to moving steadily and up to Freeside. It was late afternoon when they'd gotten to the city, with a clear goal in mind and as the sun began to set.
LOCATION: The north entrance of Freeside.
DATE: JULY 7TH 2281.
TIME: 6:00PM.
TEMPERATURE: 75°F OR 24°C.
Freeside is a nasty, dangerous place regardless of who you are. From the most influential businessman or gang leader, to the lowest beggar, living in Freeside is a hell of a time. Joseph, Rodriguez and Russell knew not to spend too much time here, lest they had to fight desperate Freeside thugs and waste valuable ammo. Coming through the North Gate was easy, and the city was in clear view. The merchant selling questionable meats was right in view, alongside the bodyguards for hire, none of whom tried to push their pitch on them. Joseph alone looked like he could dominate this sort of work. Rodriguez and Russell also looked like they could do well, so why bother?
As they walked through, they could feel a good amount of the desperate locals staring at them, especially those recovering from one problem or another in the Old Mormon Fort. The followers in the fort were more focused on the issues in front of them, and didn't pay much, or any attention to the rangers. Luckily it was an uneventful walk as the three made their way through the internal Freeside gate and into the main part of Freeside. There the city opened up for them, the smell really hitting them like a Super Mutant wielded super sledge, alongside how the sights and sounds of the desperate place rattled around. Freeside amazingly held together somewhat, in a calm that clung to life at the best of times. Active, sincere peace couldn't be found here till after the war, that was clear as the glass of the hangout of The Kings.
It didn't take a genius where The Atomic Wrangler was, the massive neon sign of a cowboy riding an atom was enough for most, but the crier telling everyone what was all for grabs at the wrangler certainly brought enough customers. At least she had to be, otherwise she was just being paid to annoy the town into pickling their livers. The three of them easily made their way into the wrangler, which was beginning to fill up with locals looking to make investments at the tables and slot machines, or to wash the day down with the freshly distilled drinks made by the Garret twins.
Russell began the search as he began looking over for who was around, and by the looks of it, Ruth and Deborah were there alright. The two of them were playing a game of blackjack with a pair of locals, a pair of locals who were definitely getting more and more irritated by the minute. Joseph observed carefully, ears scanning the room to get a fuller picture of what he was seeing. Looks like Ruth and Deborah were playing Blackjack like utter professionals, with faces that were stiff and unyielding, and the two locals here weren't expecting to lose their chips this hard and this fast, and were clearly antsy about it too. That, and the pot seemed to total about 1000 or more caps worth of chips, definitely something that these irritated locals were probably going to be willing to fight over. Russell approached the table slowly, looking the four of them over before smiling at the two old friends of his.
Ruth was much like him, a cheetah from the same town who had been a lifetime friend since they were small children. Deborah was human, and had black skin that bore the scars of being a wasteland wanderer like most others who lived in the Mojave. She had been a member of a small California community before joining the NCR as a young adult, becoming a radio operator. During her time, she lost what faith she had in the NCR and after her service she left to become a Desert Ranger, serving from 2267 till the end of the Desert Rangers in 2271.
After that, she and Ruth got to wandering together, and the last they saw Joseph was after they left Gan Shalom, when the Secular Guard was up and ready to work on its own. Their stiff faces remained as they saw Russell, not wanting to risk the chance of losing the caps they had in front of them so easily. Besides, Russell was someone they saw fairly often. He wasn't a sight that could make them lose their breath.
"Just so you two know, me and some old friends of ours wanna have a talk outside of Freeside. We'll wait for this game to be over."
He said fairly quietly, as the two women nodded back. Russell could be trusted, they were sure of it. Soon enough they laid their cards down, Deborah had a winning suit, and was gathering the chips up to cash in and split with Ruth when one of the locals stood up, his face wrenched in anger as several blood vessels threatened to pop in front of them.
"Lousy bitches, stealing our caps and getting away with it! I'll turn your mutant friend into a carpet, kill you and nobody's gonna stop me!"
He shouted at Deborah, trying to unholster his pistol when his face was shoved into the table and a revolver barrel pressed against his skull.
"Now saying that'll get your ass kicked by the staff here, thing is I don't trust them to really drive the point home like I can. Renounce your desire to do that to my friends and I'll let security escort you out. If not, I'll beat it in with the butt of my pistol."
The ranger warned sternly to the man, as his friend beside him merely held his hands up high to make it clear he'd leave without incident.
"HOLY SHIT! Okay, okay! I'll leave them alone! Hell, I'll leave town if you want me to, just please don't kill me!"
Shouted the pinned local man as best he could, looking up at the ranger with a look of genuine terror. Joseph holstered his revolver and let go of him, stepping back for the security of the Garret's place to escort the two men out, who left without any other incident. Joseph then looked to his friends and smiled gently.
"As Russell said, we oughta talk outside Freeside, cash in, follow us and we'll get to it."
He said calmly, walking to the bar as Russell and Rodriguez got to chatting with the two winners. Joseph looked at James and began rummaging through his pockets.
"I'll have a bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla, nothing else."
He said, setting down the caps on the table.
"Well even if you ain't getting drunk, you're at least decent enough to buy something. I'd ask if you wanted a job here, but I doubt you're interested."
James said, taking the caps and walking to a crate of the old soft drinks, opening it up and pulling a dusty, intact bottle of the old drink out. He passed it to Joseph, who took it and opened it right up.
"You're correct in that regard. I bet it pays well, but it ain't for me."
He said, standing up, opening the bottle up, putting the cap in his pocket and taking a sip. Before too long, the other four rangers were ready to go, and followed Joseph out of the Wrangler, out of Freeside and into an abandoned home, suitable for them to converse freely in. It was in shambles, and clearly had been used as a fiend hideout but it would do the trick. Every single one of them got comfortable, Joseph stood by a counter, with Rodriguez and Russell sitting on a nearby couch, as Ruth and Deborah stood close by a table and looked at the caracal. Joseph finished up his drink, setting the bottle on the counter behind him. He looked around the room to see if everyone was paying attention, and then laid out his plan.
"Alright, lemmie elaborate on why we've gone this far out of Freeside and into this abandoned home. I want to create a militia that can be a power player in the Mojave by year's end. That, and I want to use this militia to push the Legion and NCR out of the Mojave before 2282 is over, to create a properly free Mojave. I can't do it alone, that's why I've also gotten Rodriguez and Russell to help out here."
Joseph explained, watching the two women to hear what they had to say about his plan.
"I think you're insane to push such a plan. Creating a militia on those lines can be done, I know we've done it before. But actually making it powerful enough to push the Legion, and NCR out? You're mad to think we can do it."
Deborah said, looking up at Joseph as she dismissed his words calmly.
"I expected as such, but I want you to remember why you chose to leave the NCR in the first place. Why you left California for the Mojave, to become a Desert Ranger."
Joseph said, stretching slowly as he looked at Deborah.
"If I remember right, you lost any idealism you held for the NCR when you read through reports the NCR had regarding pushing people out of their homes, butchering tribals and the like. That, alongside being made to issue orders through the radio to do just that. It tormented the good inside of you and galvanized you to turn against the NCR by the time you left the NCR ranks, and came here to become a Desert Ranger. I don't need to tell you why declining this offer may be a bad choice in that regard."
He said, to which Deborah nodded.
"Shit, you're right. I can't idle around here any longer. I don't want to see what the NCR would do around here if they took control. It's this or running off to Texas. I'll join you."
Deborah said, as Ruth nodded in kind.
"You're correct. I'm joining in as well and I'm going to make damn sure to keep the bastards of the Legion terrified to come out of their tents."
Ruth said, the desire to rush the Legion out sincere in her voice. Joseph nodded at her, before looking around at the others and speaking.
"Then it's settled, we're gonna make this militia together and we're gonna get this shit running as quick as we can. So, what should we call ourselves?"
He asked, letting his friends make the choice before anything else.
"Mojave Rangers."
Rodriquez offered.
"Mojave Freedom Fighters."
Russell offered.
"How about the Free Mojave Forces?"
Ruth asked. Deborah nodded.
"I like it too, let's go with that."
She said, before Russell and Rodriguez gave thumbs up of approval. Joseph nodded.
"Then it's settled, in the late hours of July the 7th, 2281, we have created a new Militia to tame the Mojave Wasteland and make it into an independent region, free of the NCR, free of Caesar's Legion, and all those who seek to push the Mojave under their heel. Now, if you're with me, stand tall, stand proud, and prepare to fight!"
Joseph said boldly, proudly, and with vigor galore, ready to get to work right away. Rodriguez stood first, then Ruth and Deborah, and lastly Russell, all within seconds with a proud smile on each of their faces, each ready to get to work. Before too long, Russell looked to Joseph and got to asking questions.
"Well we oughta get ourselves some recruits and get to meshing something together by the end of the month. Got any ideas?"
Russell asked, knowing they couldn't just make a militia with just five ex desert rangers and no recruits. Joseph looked over in the direction of a certain star and nodded.
"Yeah, I do. I can't do it myself though. They'd be too eager, they need to accept the idea on its own, without knowing I'm the head of the operation."
He said, turning back to Ruth.
"You'd likely be the best for the job. The Blue Star's a place you'd look right at home in. My advice, go for those who aren't members of the Secular Guard anymore, those who came before the Legion assault would be best, and are no longer members."
Joseph advised, to which Ruth nodded.
"I've got a pretty good idea of who to offer the gig to, provided they've left the militia and are open to joining."
She said, gears turning in her head as she thought of how to convince them.
"Then it's settled, Deborah will be joining you as well and also be on the look for recruits wherever you're not looking. In the meantime, the three of us will be seeking active headquarters where the NCR doesn't have jurisdiction. We'll get to it tomorrow. Tonight we'll find a place to sleep."
Joseph said, beginning to make his way to the door before Rodriguez spoke.
"Now hold on a second, before that happens, we should solidify things a bit more. We're all commanders here but at the same time we can't just go undefined. I think we'll be taking the same roles we did last time. Now I taught effective machine gun tactics, both for squads and as a defensive means."
He said, to which Russell nodded.
"Yeah, and I made sure that they were capable in terms of melee combat. That, and effective submachine gun and assault rifle use."
Russell said. Ruth shrugged.
"Sniping and spotting lessons for me. Hey, that's no issue, you know I like teaching others how to slam lead at high speed into legion skulls at long distance."
Ruth said. Deborah nodded.
"Communications, now that's a skill any militia needs to know if they want to survive for any period of time. I still know those skills like the back of my hand, so I'm gonna teach them and manage comms at the same time. I can do that."
Deborah said. Joseph nodded.
"Looks like I'm the head of operations, and the one teaching squad tactics and the other essentials. Fine by me. Now as the head of this militia, let's move."
Joseph said. True to his word, they were able to find a room to sleep in at the El Ray, thankfully a room they could lock effectively. It helped them sleep better before they moved out and got to the agreed upon operations.
LOCATION: The town of Ha Bakar.
DATE: JULY 10TH 2281.
TIME: 1:00PM.
TEMPERATURE: 85°F OR 29°C.
While Ruth and Deborah were not locals to the place, they knew enough about the culture of the area that when they arrived on Saturday, they made no attempts to even think of recruiting anyone. The next day they waited till lunchtime rolled round and a good amount of townsfolk were at the Social Hall before scouting around. The people here were getting lunch served to them hot and ready for low prices. It didn't take that many caps for them to be served a hot and ready meal with water to drink, and after they ate they got to looking around for potential recruits.
About a half hour into investigating, they found a pair of leads. They were sitting with each other discussing their time in the Secular Guard, and what they aimed to do after leaving the militia after six years of membership. The individuals in question were a caracal and a fox, both having recently ate their lunch with little issue. Ruth made her move, approaching them both with a smile on her face.
"Hey there, I heard you two were both discussing things to do after you left the guard. Wanna discuss an opportunity that I think you'll appreciate?"
She asked, to which the both of them nodded, a bit apprehensive about it, but willing to hear her out.
"Great, follow me outside and we'll discuss it over a walk."
She said, walking outside with them, discussing the goals and intents of the militia Joseph made, all without telling them who founded it and why. By the time she came back to Deborah, she had a pair of interested fighters ready to move out and get to it. The fox in particular seemed fairly excited to be a part of a militia where she could really kick legion ass, and the caracal was happy to work on firearms without the risk of making a shop and failing at fixing and selling guns for a good price.
Deborah on the other hand had found nothing yet, but the four of them agreed to stop at a nearby mining town before returning to the agreed upon meeting point, the entrance to Northside. A few hours and before too long, they were at the town in question, and Deborah got to looking around for interested parties in the tavern. Most of the people here were just looking to keep their whistles wet, though one who was drinking rather heavily caught her attention. A wolf, a big one too looking as if he was bored as fuck being here. She approached him, and spoke.
"So, you tired of being here and doing jack shit? You a merc?"
She asked, watching the wolf's response.
"I sure am. Though I can't find much here in terms of work. Hell, I bet this place just wants me to keep dumping my caps in the tavern so I can keep my love of vodka and other hard shit in check."
He said, before drinking the last of the whiskey in his glass.
"Well what if I gave you the chance for a more stable means of employment? Wanna be part of a militia?"
She asked, as he quickly looked up at her.
"I swear if you want to bring me back into the NCR I will kill you on the spot." He snarled, hating the very idea of someone offering his return.
"I felt the same to anyone else who gave that suggestion to me. I'm also Ex-NCR. Four years of service for me. 2262 to 2266. Radio Operator. That was... not a good time for me."
She said, to which the wolf chuckled.
"So you're an older servicewoman than me and you hate the NCR's approach too. I like you already, what's your offer?"
He asked, looking to her more eagerly.
"All I can tell you is we aren't fighting for the NCR or the Legion, and we've got no intention of gunning for the NCR besides tactical alliances with them against the Legion, as unlikely as that is to happen. Beyond that, I can't really say much."
She said in a somewhat hushed voice as the wolf listened carefully, listening to every word of hers before nodding.
"Alright, I'll come with you. Your head ain't up your ass, and I can tell you're sincere about being a vet. Lead the way."
He said, standing up slowly before following her out of the bar. Rejoining with the others, they made their journey back to the meeting point, arriving about six hours after getting Issac. Rodriguez was there by the door to Northside, waiting for the others before happily welcoming the others and introducing himself to the wolf.
"My name's Rodriguez, what's yours?"
He asked, pleased to meet the wolf.
"Issac. Good to meet you as well."
The wolf said, shaking the man's hand firmly.
"Nice to meet you Issac. Now the base of operations we've chosen isn't too far. Follow me."
He said, leading them up north to the intended location. It was near the Northern Overpass, though secluded enough to remain fairly hidden. The entrance was a fairly tarnished metal door, inconspicuous enough and seemingly looted already. Rodriguez came to the door before knocking on it and letting it open as Russell came out. The cheetah looked around to see that Rodriguez, Ruth and Deborah had returned, with the new blood he hoped for.
"I see recruitment bore fruit. Good work for you both."
He said, looking to Ruth and Deborah before turning to the three recruits.
"I'm Russell. A more formal introduction will happen when you come inside, after all, you need to meet the leader."
He said, ushering the others inside. What had been discovered was a fairly intact military bunker. Not as important as some of the others around here. It was pretty damn empty too, seemingly having remained unfinished besides the base construction and a few crates of supplies. A crate of Combat Armor MK II was being opened up by Joseph using a crowbar when he heard the others come into the main room of the bunker. He turned around to see the others and smiled at them, pleased that there was some luck in recruitment.
"I see you've brought some capable recruits. And I remember them too."
He said, pointing to the caracal first.
"You I remember in particular. You helped out with the Guard when we didn't have supplies, and were essential in getting the guns checked and running too."
He said to the caracal, who nodded.
"That's what happens when you give someone who can be too curious for his own good the ability to learn about guns head on. Plus, they were dead simple to get ready, the G3 and RPD, not complex to get running. Oh, and before you ask, my name's Zechariah, but just call me Zech, or Zach, I don't care much."
He said, as Joseph turned to Rachel.
"You I don't remember as well, but I do know you were one of the marksmen who really picked up to using the supplied rifles, hell, I think you may have shot better than most of the others there."
He said, to which she shrugged.
"I was just keeping the town safe by applying zipping hot lead to legionary skulls, nothing special about that besides how good I was at it. Hell, I've gotten better too. Maybe I could begin teaching it alongside Ruth here."
She boasted while nudging Ruth gently, to which the cheetah grinned.
"Maybe we oughta have a little competition then on those lines."
She suggested before Joseph cleared his throat.
"Not a bad idea honestly, but put simply I'd rather not have it now. We need more recruits to even entertain the concept. Besides, we've got a base to set up and so much more."
He reminded, before Rachel nodded at Joseph.
"I'll take that as a promise that it will be considered in time. That is all."
She said, Joseph replied with a nod before turning to Issac.
"And you. You're not someone I recognize. Just who are you?"
He asked, before Issac spoke.
"Recently left the NCR after four years of service, I joined just before the first battle of Hoover Dam, and I saw the aftermath of the battle when I was shipped in. It was horrible to put it simply."
He said, briefly having flashbacks to his service as he remembered what things looked like only a few days after the battle. Issac shook his head to clear his mind before looking back at Joseph.
"I'm not telling you about that time besides how I'm not going to work with the NCR unless absolutely needed, and if you even think of letting the NCR get one more inch of the Mojave I will beat you silly."
He said, to which Joseph chuckled.
"That's not the intent whatsoever. I aim to see the entire Mojave out of Legion and NCR hands, not another inch for either, not without a fight at the least."
The caracal said, before stretching and looking around.
"If there's no objections to joining my cause, we oughta get to work in getting this base, and militia running. We can't just idle around like this."
Joseph said. The three recruits soon stepped forward, and Joseph approached with an extended paw, shaking their paws firmly.
"Welcome aboard to the Free Mojave Forces, let's get to work in getting our base of operations ready."
He said, before walking back to the crates, grabbing the crowbar and resuming opening them up as the others got to work. Russell lead Zechariah to the room meant to be the armory as everyone else got to sorting the gear that was in the base to where it belonged. Nobody could idle about, there was much to do. The next three or so months was mostly spent on setting the militia's structure up, preparing equipment and observing the condition of the Mojave.
During the last week of September, the NCRCF blew apart when the convicts orchestrated a prison break of massive proportions. Shortly after the prison break, Primm got overrun, with several forced to flee the town. Samuel and Michelle Kerr were two merchants who fled Primm, and with the assistance of the Gun Runners and other merchants, created the 188 Trading Post near Boulder City to ensure they could continue their trade. This was an event that the new militia became aware of, especially when Ruth tracked Cooke's Powder Gangers to Vault 19 and reported them taking Residence there.
When Rodriguez was out on Reconnaissance because of it, he witnessed the assault of one of Crimson Caravan Company's Caravans near Goodsprings, with the lone survivor fleeing to the town after shooting two Powder Gangers dead. However, even if they were busy, it didn't mean that the rangers couldn't spend a little time relaxing.
LOCATION: The Goodsprings Saloon.
DATE: October 11TH 2281.
TIME: 8:42PM.
TEMPERATURE: 64°F OR 18°C.
All five of the rangers were at the saloon, acting like the other patrons there as they conversed amongst themselves. They sat at the only booth that could accommodate five, and each of them had a nice drink. Russell was drinking a recently brewed beer, Rodriguez was having an aged Whiskey, Ruth had a Nuka Cola to enjoy, Deborah was drinking some Scotch, and Joseph had the usual Sunset Sarsaparilla.
The night was filled with light conversation amongst the group, it didn't matter much to the rangers as they wanted a bit of time to decompress and have a good time in a place that they wouldn't be caught so easily in. Soon they heard something that cut the night's celebrations off as a gunshot rang out from the north. Shortly afterwards came a second one, and Joseph looked to the others as he drank the last of the bottle.
"We're gonna get going now. That's not something worth staying for."
He said, standing up as the others nodded, and finished their drinks up. Before too long they exited the saloon as a group of four men approached the saloon from behind. Three Great Khans, one man in a checkered suit with a slick haircut. Both parties clearly saw each other, with Joseph and the man in the checkered suit looking each other in the eyes for a brief moment.
Shortly after, Joseph and the others left, while the man in the checkered suit and his hired Khans went into the Saloon to drink. The Khans were convinced they had a big pile of caps ready to enjoy at the end of this gig, the man in the suit knew otherwise. Little did any of them know, a robot was pulling their intended victim out of their shallow grave, and rushing them to Doc Mitchell. The Mojave would never be the same afterwards.