In the Shadow of the Valley: Main Series

by Desert Ranger Caracal

The main series, here at last. For those who have wanted to see what the main series of my work involves, and how things change accordingly over time, then this is where it all begins, and by extension will end when the last chapter is finished, the main story has a pinned in place ending and there is nothing left to fix. Do enjoy, I intend to flesh this series out a good bit.

10. Chapter ten

CHAPTER TEN: SHATTERING THE LINCHPIN. BY DESERT RANGER CARACAL.

LOCATION: SNIPER'S NEST NEAR COTTONWOOD COVE.

DATE: FEBRUARY 27TH 2282.

TIME: 12:43 PM.

TEMPERATURE: 90°F OR 32°C.

In the days after Six's return to the Free Mojave Forces, the militia had gotten serious in making sure that the plan to kill off Caesar actively worked out. The coffin Six had dragged to the Vault was packed with guns, but most numerously and importantly, it contained seven 5.56 LMG's with extra large belt boxes.

Most of the guns in the crate ended up being sold, but not a single LMG got in the hands of the Gun Runners. Because of the new acquisition, Joseph began intensive training for volunteers who had to learn the weapons from the inside-out. While that was happening, scouting missions were occurring around the staging ground of the mission, Cottonwood Cove. One such mission was happening at an excellent vantage point, an old Sniper's Nest that potentially predated the Great War.

A party of three had been sent over there to evaluate the best vantage points from a distance. Rachel and Isaac, along with Follows-Chalk had set up shop on the cliff-face, taking their time to really look things over. Chalk and Rachel both looked over the camp with their binoculars, looking over potential vantage points before just stopping on Cottonwood Cove itself.

It seemed to be packed to the brim with Legionaries of all kinds, from lowly recruits to Centurions, and by the looks of it some civilians. While looking the camp over, chalk stopped as something caught his attention right away. The reason of why so many Legionaries had all gathered in one place became clear as he saw a stage right in front of where slaves were kept.

A pair of Decanius stood on the sides of the stage, and a clean cut man wearing a suit and tie was in the center of it, holding a megaphone. On the top of the stage, a banner in Latin was hung up prominently. Even if Chalk, Rachel or Isaac could understand what had been written, nothing was more blatant than the man's words, and the actions of the Decani.

"CITIZENS AND LOYAL SOLDIERS OF CAESAR, I WELCOME YOU TO THE MONTHLY COTTONWOOD COVE SLAVE AUCTION!"

The crowd cheered right away as the two decani walked off the stage and over to the cage behind it.

"While the war against the Profligates of the NCR, and the beasts of the FMF have made this a more difficult endeavor, I am proud to say that the auction is not ending, and we've been able to get fresh stock from Arizona, the Mojave and even some more exotic places!"

The slaver proudly announced as the two Decani brought up someone who gave Chalk chills. The individual in chains and a slave collar was a Dead Horses tribal who had most likely been captured by White Legs and sold to the Legion for arms. Whatever the case, Chalk slowly lowered his binoculars and muttered a few words.

"Inhumanity, these foul men make the White Legs look like mere raiders."

Rachel took her eyes away from the scene, lowering her binoculars as she turned to Chalk.

"Don't reveal our position. If anything, stick to the mission so that this place can be cleaned out much faster."

Rachel advised, as Chalk nodded with a slightly reluctant look on his face as he turned to the cliffs overlooking Cottonwood Cove. His eyes sought all the good vantage points they could find, seeking every chance for a sniper to remain hidden within the rocks so the slavers would be wiped out accordingly.

He closed his ears off the moment he could think he was hearing the begging of his fellow man, keeping himself from the edge of splattering Legion brains in Cottonwood Cove prematurely. The Legion couldn't know they were here or else the plan might fail. If that happened, they lost their chance to hit two bighorners with the same bullet. This lasted for about a half hour, with the scouts marking potential sniping spots on a map of the area.

Just as they were about to leave, the scouts gave into the temptation to witness what was happening in the camp. The seller now had a pregnant woman on the stage, with the crowd excitedly bidding rapidly for her. Holding down her disgust, Rachel got up and put away her binoculars.

"We're leaving. Now. Let's not stick around and cause a premature slaughter."

The other two agreed, and the trio left without a trace. The only clue that they'd been up there was that the .308 rounds that littered the place had been taken. Otherwise, it was like they were never there. Their observations of ideal sniping spots were added to the mix, and from there the ideal sniping positions were chosen.

Days passed, weeks progressed, the warriors trained and everything became clear like distilled Mojave water. The final date of the assault was chosen, and the militia began making their way to Cottonwood Cove to write the wasteland's history.

LOCATION: COTTONWOOD COVE.

DATE: MARCH 15TH 2282.

TIME: 6:34 AM.

TEMPERATURE: 64°F OR 18°C.

The slowly rising March sun concealed the snipers who had settled in the early morning darkness. They, along with the assault troops were hiding in the perfect concealment spots. The only ones who weren't there were Ruth, alongside Rachel who had occupied the Sniper's Nest once more as an impromptu command post, volunteer doctors from the Followers of the Apocalypse who were hiding close to the airport, and Courier Six.

Six was walking down the desecrated pre-war road down to Cottonwood Cove, past the crucified victims of the Legion. Rebellious slaves, those who couldn't perform their duties quick enough, looked at a Centurion without permission and so on. Six kept herself from outright resorting to violence on the spot, the plan that Joseph had set had to be followed closely.

Her heart was still filled with disgust at what she saw, but she kept it back as she made her way down to the dock, to the raft that Vulpes had told her about. Her outfit was the same as always, except she openly displayed Caesar's mark. Just before she reached the first sign, a Legionary Explorer ran up to her and began shouting.

"HALT PROFLIGATE, WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE HERE?!"

He asked angerly as Six pulled up the mark so he could see it.

"I come to seek council with Caesar, Vulpes told me that this was where I would be taken to him."

He looked her in the eyes with bewilderment, before shaking it off and replying.

"Caesar's word comes above all other, allow me to lead you to Cursor Lucullus. He will bring you to The Fort."

Six followed him down to the dock where Lucullus had just pulled in, stopping just before getting onto the raft.

"Shall we head to the fort?"

"Yes."

Six answered, before getting on the raft with Lucullus. The trip to The Fort was silent as Lucullus pushed the raft steadily while keeping his eyes off The Courier. He cursed Caesar's choices before he made it to The Fort's dock, leading Six to the entrance. She was given a thorough pat down where everything she had on her person was inspected.

Her rifle, grenades and platinum chip were taken from her and handed to a runner who darted up the hill. The slim 10MM pistol she'd concealed remained hidden in her armor, which gave her relief as she was lead up the hill, and into Caesar's tent. Six held back all the emotion that had been brewing inside of her as she saw the various horrors that the Legion had constructed in its base of operations.

Slaves carrying loads of equipment at least twice as big as their bodies, crucified NCR soldiers and slaves, and so on. Six was able to hold herself together, especially when she stepped close to the man himself. Caesar sat on a throne made of totems from the various tribes he had conquered. Each one a dead identity underneath his heel, brutally subjugated into the hegemonous identity of his Legion. Around him were various men he trusted, each with a role he had chosen. Vulpes Inculta, Lucius, and his pratoreans. In the left side of the tent, a skinny vulpine slave worked diligently on something Six couldn't see.

Whatever the case, the courier walked to Caesar, and stopped a little over two meters away from him. He looked up to Six and leaned back into the throne, before speaking.

"So the courier who has chosen to work for the Mojave's beast has come to me. It's been a little over four months since you first got my mark from Vulpes, all I have to ask is this. Just what made you come to me now, instead of back then?"

Six decided to play into things, getting on one knee and kneeling before Caesar and even looking down from his eyes. She took a deep breath before answering.

"Great Caesar, I know this may seem unusual to you but listen to what I have to offer. I may have been working with that wretched feline for several months, even harming your efforts in Utah, but know this. I've been doing what I can to weaken them from the inside so your best troops can be armed with excellent gear. All I ask, is for a chance to prove myself."

Six bullshitted as best as she could. Caesar chuckled a bit before he replied.

"Is that what you have to say? I admit, you're bold to offer me all that as soon as you have a chance to speak. Tell you what, if you can provide an explanation for getting Joseph's trust before mine, and why I should give you a chance even after ruining my expansion up north, I will let you live, and I'll give you your chance."

Caesar proudly stated, leaning forward slowly as Six took a slow, deep breath.

"I wanted to prove my dedication by removing one of your more dedicated enemies. He may not be NCR, but he is more vicious than their troops and he works with their rangers. He's been an enemy of yours for over a decade, and he will not stop till he is dead. Even if I don't gain much from it, I want to bring him here in chains just to make you smile."

Six continued to look away from Caesar, as he chuckled a bit and looked around to his men.

"Enough of that. Now look up at me and hear my verdict."

She obeyed promptly, nearly looking him straight in the eyes as she did.

"I'll give you your chance. Even if you are still one of his warriors you've never outright attacked us. You'll have to do a lot to make up for working with him, don't forget that when you leave Fortification Hill."

Six nodded firmly before replying.

"I understand, now what shall I do for you, Lord Caesar?"

"There's an old building that's been part of this hill ever since we first took it in 2277, inside of it is a console and a hatch. That hatch bears the sigil of the Lucky 38. By coincidence, or design, Platinum Chip bears the same sigil. Coincidence? Perhaps not, but it's important enough for me to be holding onto it right now. Anyways, I want you to take the Platinum Chip, use it to open the hatch, and destroy whatever you find inside of there. If you do this for me, then I'll begin using your knowledge of the Free Mojave Forces to destroy them, and crucify their leaders properly."

Six nodded and slowly began to stand.

"I will, thank you for your chance."

"You'll be getting your gear back too, just don't expect to keep it after the mission."

Six nodded, giving Caesar a gentle bow before receiving the Platinum Chip from him and making her way to the weather station. While all that was happening, a Legion slave ship made its way over to the pen, docking near the dry ground. Legionaries began gathering around the ship for a shipment to Arizona, all while the penned slaves shivered in fear.

Canyon Runner was approaching the pen when suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and began gurgling. His fellow Legionaries looked at him with confusion, which turned to shock as he collapsed and hit the ground. Blood ran from his neck as the Legionaries on the ship began falling dead too, dying from the same cause. Counrless .308 FMJBT bullets screamed at the panicking Legionaries, as Aurelius of Phoenix walked out of his office to the silent onslaught of FMF snipers. He rushed behind the building and pressed himself against the concrete.

"TAKE COVER NOW!"

Those who weren't dead or running around obeyed without thinking, some of them even hiding close to the Slaves who had similarly gotten to the ground out of fear. Legionaries who didn't obey rapidly perished, especially those who tried shooting at the snipers to no avail. When it stopped not a minute later, the Centurion got out from cover and got to work. He kicked the living to their feet all while shouting passionately at them.

"Caesar's men do not falter in the face of Profligates, destroy all of them, make them suffer for inconveniencing our unstoppable victory!"

He yelled out, managing to make the remaining Legionaries unleash their own battle cries. They loaded their weapons, prepared their machetes, and began snarling for blood. Not long afterwards, they got a shock as twenty FMF warriors charged from the entrance of Cottonwood Cove. Fifteen of them wielded AK-112's and the other five proudly held their newest super-weapon, 5.56 LMG's.

Bullets began raining down on the surviving Legionaries without mercy, as Aurelius barely escaped being hit as he rushed behind the command center. While they tried shooting back and did manage to make two kills in the process, all the Legionaries who had gathered up were brutally shot to death. Only Aurelius had survived, and as he considered how to fight back, he felt a rush of agony in his heart.

His vision blurred, though he could tell who had stabbed him with ease. Joseph stood in front of him with a scowl sewn on his face, holding the knife deep in the Legionary while he watched Aurelius die slowly. The Centurion perished not long after, passing out just before Joseph pulled his blade out, dying as the ranger approached his troops, their cheers being the last thing he heard.

"Cottonwood Cove's not shipping slaves anymore!"

He shouted, as the warriors cheered out in excitement. The ranger smiled eagerly as he wiped his blade clean, sheathing the blade before speaking.

"Alright, everyone else is going to be gathering in for the main mission soon. You four, search the buildings for any hiding Legionaries. You four, look for those who died in the crossfire. The rest of y'all are gonna keep the newly liberated safe before the Followers come in to check on them."

His orders rang clearly as the men split accordingly. The four building inspectors found only a few hiding Legionaries, who were quickly shot after failing to attack the FMF warriors. Cottonwood Cove soon was completely empty of any Legionaries, all of them having been killed in combat. The two FMF warriors who had died were quickly put aside and covered up, their rifles being put aside for later use along with their armor.

The next half hour was quite lively as the FMF warriors, Followers doctors and even the former slaves got to work with preparing the boat and establishing a base camp. Five human volunteers, all men, were put into the clothes of the dead Legionaries and provided their equipment. A short script was provided for them to follow, and they steeled themselves for what was to come. Meanwhile, thirty five warriors were gathered by the boat, as Joseph stood in front of them and began the briefing.

"The thirty six of us are going to gather in the storage compartment of the boat, while the five warriors who are posing as Legionaries are going to get us into Fortification Hill. When the storage door opens, y'all are going to pour out of the boat rapidly and begin shooting every Legionary you see. Do not shoot any slaves or captives of the Legion, you will bring them back to the boat for us to bring to the Followers. When you're done with that, surround Caesar's tent, keep him from escaping so me and Six can deal with him. Besides Caesar's assassination, the goal is to leave Fortification Hill completely empty of life. Understood?"

The warriors shouted in agreement, as the ranger nodded and lead them to the boat. Every single one of them filed in as some of the former slaves began shivering in admiration, excitedly watching the boat leave with the hope that their savior would follow through on his bold words.

By the time the boat began making its way to the Fort, Six had placed the chip into the Weather Station's console and opened the hatch. Making her way inside, she soon experienced the dangers to come. Clicking began coming from the Pip Boy on her arm as Six quickly reached into her bag. A precious pill of Rad-X and a sip of clean water later, and she unslung her rifle.

Walking cautiously down the steps of the underground bunker, it wasn't long before she found opposition. A protectron began firing lasers at her while repeating its usual chant.

"Please step into the open and identify yourself. Law abiding citizens have nothing to fear."

Not taking any chances, Six grabbed the lone frag grenade she'd been carrying with her and pulled the pin. Chucking it down the hallway, she ducked away from the entrance and listened to the explosive kill the protectron with ease. She rushed down to the closest room, looking right at three terminals that were right there. Each of them had a nameplate on them designating their purpose.

"PROTECTRON CONTROL." "TURRET CONTROL." "SENTRY-BOT CONTROL." The last one had a discolored screen and a keyboard hanging by one of its hinges, rendering it unusable. Sighing as she took her backpack off, she began looking for any programming books and magazines that she might have. Pulling out a copy of Programmer's Digest, she began refreshing her skills with an article on basic encryption cracking techniques.

Meanwhile, the boat made its way to Fortification Hill at a steady pace, the infiltrators doing what they could to keep the facade up. Inside the cargo hold, the packed crew of warriors nestled shoulder to shoulder with each other as quietly as they could. Joseph was especially cramped in there, the tufts of the Caracal's ears brushed against the cold steel of the cargo hold's roof, all while being slightly compressed by his own warriors.

What his mind highlighted wasn't just how tight the boat's cargo hold was, but how many slaves they'd liberated from Cottonwood Cove. Seventy total, no doubt all intended to be trafficked in the same hold they were packed into. Such horrors made his anger flare up, and there was no doubt that other warriors had the same thoughts come to their minds. Regardless, they couldn't rush out till the Legion had put their foot into the snare. Otherwise, the entire assault could be compromised and the Legion might be able to push them out.

A few minutes after Six had gotten to actually working on the terminals, the boat stopped as it reached the Fort's entrance. The FMF warrior posing as the Legion captain stood on the boat patiently, watching a Centurion approach and begin to speak.

"Ave, is there any particular reason you've come here? We haven't ordered any shipments of slaves recently."

"We're just coming back from Cottonwood Cove, and we wanted to have an inspection here before we returned to Arizona with our labor shipment for the mines. The slaves didn't fight back when we got them sorted and secured, but we wanted to make sure they were ready for the long trip back."

The infiltrator calmly said, lying through his teeth as best as he could. The centurion slowly nodded, as if he could sense something was off about what had been said.

"I see. I'll check it myself, I know how slaves should be stacked in their compartments."

He coldly stated as he made his way to the door leading to the storage hold. The centurion opened it with ease, before his eyes caught the sight of yellow eyes peering at him. Right after the door of the slave ship had been opened up, Six reached the control room of the underground bunker, promptly putting the platinum chip into the console and reprogramming the securitrons to the MKII OS.

As the hill began shaking, the Centurion got a full magazine of 5MM FMJ bullets forced into his chest by one particularly eager cheetah warrior. Before he could fall to the side, his body was pushed aside by FMF warriors who piled right out of the boat and began shooting any Legionary they could see. The Centurion who had shot to hell was kicked into the water by the disguised FMF warriors, drowning him in the Colorado river as the assault began properly. Joseph came out of the boat last, holding his City Killer close as he began shouting.

"SPARE NONE OF CAESAR'S MEN! TODAY WE SET THE LEGION'S DEATH IN STONE, PERMANENTALLY!"

The other warriors cheered in agreement as fighting broke out around the hill's parameter. Quick bursts of fire put down Legion recruits with ease, while veterans and Decani proved more difficult to kill. The ranger made a beeline to the top of the hill, shooting the Legionaries who were there. The veteran died first as he got a stomach full of lead, keeling over as the instructor chucked a spear at Joseph, barely missing the ranger.

"COME AT ME YOU PROFLIGATE BEAST!"

He shouted angerly as he grabbed the two boys he'd been training and forced them right in front of them. The kids shivered in fear as they looked at the ranger, eyes full of the stuff too. Taking no shit, the ranger shouldered his shotgun and blew the trainer's head to pieces, splattering his hostages with gore and causing his body to fall down the cliff not long after.

Running to the top of the hill afterwards, the ranger watched his fellow warriors return to the base of the hill. A quick headcount revealed none of them had died, even if a few were wounded. The children were gently pushed aside for the moment as another warrior grabbed them, and brought them to the slaves who had ran to the boat in the commotion. While all this happened Joseph got to speaking proudly.

"Y'all did wonderfully! Now, everyone with an LMG, reload and gather at the base of the hill."

He ordered, as all six of the LMG equipped warriors ran up the hill. Reloading as they approached their spots, they hit the dirt and shouldered their weapons easily. When in position, Joseph walked to the gate and gave their next order.

"When the gate opens, spit lead at EVERY Legionary you see. Empty those belts!"

He ordered, before grabbing his knife and cutting the gate open. The Legionaries who had gathered as soon as the shooting began at the dock were subject to an onslaught of 5.56 smacking the life out of them. The sheer volume of suppressing fire shocked those who were witness to it, the half dozen machine guns claimed at least thirty Legion lives.

Right as the LMG's ran out, the warriors ran in and continued the slaughtering, with Joseph at the head of it all. Legionaries continued dying by the dozen as the warriors poured through the encampment and unloaded lead on any Legionary they could find. Even those who were surrendering got shot dead, with slaves being quickly escorted out of the combat zone in spite of the risks the warriors took.

Caesar's tent was surrounded in the chaos of everything, with FMF troopers pointing their muzzles right at the entrance to deter escape. This nearly backfired after the slaves that were in the tent rushed out, nearly being shot in the process. A quick scolding later and the three of them were escorted out hastily by a volunteer squad, alongside some child slaves who had rushed out of the sleeping/training area. While warriors covered the area with lead, a loud explosion and a vibrant green glow flashed from the Weather station. Seconds later, Six ran out of there and began firing into the Legionaries who were nearby, much to the cheering of her fellow warriors.

It wasn't long after she'd revealed herself that the shooting stopped, with the last one who had been shot being a Praetorian guard who had tried to exit the tent to confirm if the rifles were a bluff. As Six approached the entrance of the tent, Joseph ran up to her with a bloodthirsty smile plastered on his face.

"You and I are gonna take care of this problem once and for all. Here's what's gonna happen, you'll clear the entrance of the tent, then we'll charge right in and kill everyone inside of it. When Caesar is dead, we'll scour the tent for any valuable information we can find, then leave the tent victoriously."

The ranger laid out without a care, all while unholstering his revolver. Six nodded, grabbing a Plasma grenade from her pack as the warriors surrounding the entrance took a good few steps back. Pulling the pin, she threw it in and stepped away. Two seconds later and a vibrantly green explosion roared out of the tent, along with the scattered remains of the Pratorian guard and Legion hounds inside the entrance.

Five seconds later, Joseph and Six ran right in. Vulpes Inculta got shot right away as Six emptied her magazine in his general direction, as Joseph began rapidly firing .44 MAG rounds into the barely ready Praetorian guard, along with Lucius.

"Kemo she'elohim rotzeh, ani asim ketz le'avdut kan ve'achshav, lo meshanneh kammah dam zeh lokeach!"

The ranger's Hebrew shouting was the last thing that the Legionaries would hear besides the constant spew of gunfire, claiming all of their lives with one exception. After the bodies collapsed and the gunfire stopped, there were only three individuals in the tent. Joseph, Six, and the one man they had to kill. Caesar sat back down in his chair as he scowled at the pair, leaning in his seat as he began to speak.

"I should have never trusted that wicked bitch of yours, her sweet words of submission were smooth enough to gloss over whatever intent she really had, but that doesn't matter anymore, now does it?"

Joseph looked down at Caesar, piercing straight into the man's eyes furiously as he spoke.

"While both of you are vile men who should pay for their actions, your previous second in command was more generous. Yet he was the man who was set ablaze."

Caesar glared back up at the caracal before replying furiously.

"I AM NOT THE FAILURE THAT THE BURNED MAN WAS, I AM KING SHIT ON THIS HILL OF FUCK AND YOU EXPECT ME TO GROVEL AT YOUR FEET LIKE HE DID? NO FUCKING WAY."

He shouted as Joseph popped open the loading gate and began to reload.

"Your men have been felled, your slaves have been liberated, and you still consider yourself supreme? The Legion truly is lead by a charismatic fool if you speak so openly like that to a man who's ensured your downfall, and has wanted it for over fifteen years."

Seething as he replied, Caesar slowly began to stand up while pushing himself upwards.

"Say you kill me, what happens then? What's your vision for shifting this wasteland from a barren desert full of savages into a more civilized land? You might despise me, but I have been nothing but the best goddamn thing the Mojave has seen in years! If you were any smarter, you'd have come to me, and you'd have helped me conquer this land."

Joseph looked Caesar right in the eyes with disdain incarnate, snarling a bit as he replied.

"You think too highly of yourself, your legion is no better than the raiders I helped repell in my Ranger days. If you had started in the Mojave I would have shot you with my old squad. Any last words?"

The caracal dropped the last cartridge into his revolver, closing the loading gate and pointing it at Caesar's chest.

"FUCK YOU, FUCK THE NCR, YOU GODDAMN MUTANTS WERE PUT IN THEIR PLACE BY ME, AND GGGGGHHH-"

Caesar placed his hands on his head, groaning in pain as he bent over. Standing back up, he looked up at Joseph with a face wracked with pain, nearly charging at the ranger before the last bullet of the battle was fired. He fell onto the ground after a bullet ripped his head open and caused it to begin bleeding all over the ground. The ranger looked at the corpse in surprise, turning to Six. She held the slim smuggled pistol in one hand, looking over at the caracal before speaking.

"It's over, Caesar's Legion is finished."

The ranger slowly holstered his blackhawk, nodding in agreement before speaking.

"Thank you for what you've done. You've taken the thorn out of my heart, and I hope that this action ensures the Mojave's survival even if we lose to the NCR."

Six put the 10MM pistol in her bag as she looked up at Joseph, a little confused.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, well let's just scour the tent for Legion secrets, announce our victory and leave."

The courier nodded at the ranger, walking to Caesar's sleeping quarters while Joseph approached the left side of the tent. Ten minutes of solid searching yielded two results, Caesar's diary in his bedroom, and a Legion slave ledger which detailed how tribes who fell under the Legion's banner were forcibly incorporated. Joseph handed the ledger to Six and made sure she had put it away before walking out of the tent's entrance.

Right outside were most of the warriors who had heard the commotion in the tent, along with the last of the Legion's slaves who hadn't been brought back to the boat. Joseph took a step behind Six, before he began to give his speech.

"Warriors of the Free Mojave Forces, you have given Caesar's Legion a complete shock to the system and wiped out all of their forces on Fortification Hill, along with liberating their slaves and bringing them back to the Mojave's society. But all of that pales in importance to what happened in there. Most of the Legion's important members are in a pair of corpse piles, killed by me and Six when we rushed inside. But that pales in comparison to a simple fact. Caesar is dead, and he died at the hands, of Courier Six! Please, give her the praise she deserves for blowing his head wide open!"

The crowd exceeded his request and began to cheer in a rambunctious manner, with the former slaves hugging each other and sobbing in delight as they finally got to not just taste freedom, but keep it.

"Now, we still have one more objective before we can leave. Legion forces should be allowed to recapture the hill, but we will do two things to prepare for their arrival."

He stated, as the former slaves began to be escorted back down the hill and to their new lives.

"First off, the explosive experts are going to use their C4 to obliterate this artillery piece. Then the entrance of the fort is going to be covered in a mixture of fragmentary, and plasma mines by them while we head back to Cottonwood Cove. They'll get a boat ride back, but we shouldn't get in their way."

Most of the crowd nodded, with some of them already beginning to head down the path back to the boat.

"Alright, the explosive nuts are gonna get to work, the rest of y'all are going back to the boat with me and Six. You know what to do, so move out!"

Joseph's order was quickly followed upon, as a trio were the only ones to stay behind. Two humans and a wolf were the only ones to stay behind and they got right to work, blowing the Howitzer to pieces after the boat began its return to Cottonwood Cove. Most of those who had been liberated were on the top of the boat, terrified of going down into where they had been trafficked previously. The warriors, with the exception of Joseph and Six, were in there along with some slaves who preferred to not risk falling overboard.

Those who had disguised themselves as Legionaries were back in their old uniforms, lest they risk being shot dead by mistake. The ride back was slow and cautious, while everyone had time to think and come to understand exactly how their actions had impacted the wasteland.

Caesar was dead, that was for certain, but what came next? How would the Free Mojave Forces continue to improve the wasteland and forge a properly free land for all to live in? Joseph thought especially hard on this, all while the sight of Cottonwood Cove came to him and everyone else. It was far more lively now, bearing the militia's flag and full of FMF warriors, Followers doctors, former slaves coming to terms with their new lives, and what looked to be an NCR flag in all of that.

The ranger shook his head a bit as he thought of who was there, but shrugged it off as the boat docked. The ramp was quickly set up and everyone began to get off of the boat, with the slaves being let off first as the Followers who were there began to help them with their new lives. Then the warriors, who merged back into the camp and got to relaxing, and lastly, Joseph and Six. The ranger lead the courier up the steps of the former command building, standing on its roof before waving his arms about.

The camp grew silent, as everyone's eyes gravitated to Joseph and Six, wanting to hear the ranger speak. He cleared his throat, looking the crowd over as he gathered his thoughts. Warriors, ex slaves, Followers Doctors, and what looked to be a little NCR news crew were all waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Warriors of the Free Mojave Forces, former slaves of the Legion, Doctors of the Followers of the Apocalypse, and all others who have gathered here today, I know you crave the facts about what happened at Fortification Hill not a half hour or so ago. Our forces wiped Caesar's men out and liberated at least twenty slaves from their clutches, though that isn't the news you crave the most. So, allow me to present to you a good friend of mine, a woman who calls herself Courier Six, who will tell you about what she did."

Stepping back, Joseph nodded his head over to the Courier, who reached into her pack and pulled out the slim 10MM pistol. After making sure it was unloaded, she took it into her right hand, raising it into the air before shouting eagerly.

"I KILLED CAESAR!"

The entire crowd cheered violently, as warriors, slaves and others who didn't know beforehand celebrated loudly. Hugging, hand shaking, and even a few bits of horseplay happened all while most of everyone there cheered excitedly. A few of those who had smuggled drinks in popped their lids, and downed entire beer bottles in excitement. This went on for at least thirty seconds, before Joseph once again waved his arms and got them to quiet down.

"Now don't think we're done yet, the Mojave hasn't been fully cleaned of the Legion's presence. This action may have killed the Legion, but we are not done with fighting our enemies in the Mojave. Before we get back to our duties, I want ya'll to give Six another round of applause. Give it up for her!"

The crowd obliged and cheered once again, before some of the warriors and former slaves began to chant in sync.

"Six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six!"

This went on for a good few seconds, as the entire crowd got in on it before Joseph once again waved for them to stop.

"Alright y'all, that's enough, let's get back to work with fully taking Cottonwood Cove for ourselves."

The ranger said, before beginning to walk back down the stairs with Six right behind him. The crowd agreed as they returned to their previous duties without any issue at all. The next day proved decently fruitful, as a quick and brutal assault on Nelson took it out of Legion hands and into the NCR's, while the Techatticup Mine was a bit harder to clear out and loot. It was also when Joseph got to experience another benefit to his actions.

LOCATION: VAULT 3.

DATE: MARCH 16TH 2282.

TIME: 5:46 PM.

TEMPERATURE: 86°F OR 30°C.

The ranger was in his office while typing a letter to his family to tell them about what had happened, and how he felt. While he worked the old typewriter, the radio stopped playing Peggy Lee's laments for a cowboy who wouldn't stay with her, and the voice of Mr New Vegas came on.

"Welcome back to the Mojave's personal jukebox, Radio New Vegas, I'm Mr New Vegas, and I'm here for all of you. It's time for a little break from the music, because we've got some news for you. Recently a local militia completely shocked the entire Mojave by doing something the NCR has wanted to do since beginning the war with Caesar's Legion. The Free Mojave Forces completely took over Cottonwood cove early yesterday morning, and have continued to occupy it since. After capturing the staging point and a Legion slave ship, they used it to head over to The Fort and completely wiped out the Legion presence there. This included the assassination of Caesar himself, who was killed by a woman going by the alias of Courier Six. Rumor has it that she is the same package courier who made a full recovery in Goodsprings after being shot in the head, and that she has been a frequent source of help for the Free Mojave Forces. Regardless of the connection, the leader of the militia, a former Desert Ranger named Joseph, was able to confirm that this was indeed the case. This is a truly shocking turn of events for the entire war, Caesar is indeed dead, and all we can do now is watch what happens next. Anyways, this is Mr New Vegas signing off! I'm just kidding, I'd never do that to you. In honor of the individual who claimed the life of Caesar, I would like to dedicate this song to them. I think they'll find it mighty fitting."

Right after, the opening notes of Marty Robbin's Big Iron began to play, before suddenly the radio was turned off. Joseph quickly looked up at who was there, before chuckling a bit.

"Gabriel, you do know that it's impolite to turn people's radios off when they're busy typing?"

"Well I just wanted to check in on you. You feeling better since you claimed Caesar's life?"

The cheetah asked, leaning gently against the table as he looked down at the caracal. He was dressed in his paint stained work clothes, having just finished the first coat of paint on one of the more complete buildings. The caracal looked back up, before sighing gently and speaking.

"I'm still processing all that has happened. I've broken the Legion's linchpin, it can't survive for long. All I need to do now is, well, use my influence for more peaceful things."

The ranger chuckled a bit as he slowly stood up.

"That's going to be a hard sell for some, but I can make it work."

The cheetah nodded slowly, before circling around the desk to Joseph's side.

"Well I hope you feel better, you looked and sounded like hell after you crucified those Legionaries. Just promise me you'll never do anything like that again."

The cheetah calmly said, looking up to the caracal with gentle eyes of hope. The ranger nodded, sitting down slowly as he spoke.

"I will do what I can to keep the Yetzer Hara from causing me to give into anger and despair. With Caesar dead, it will have little to pull on."

Joseph calmly stated, turning to the cheetah before getting a surprise. Gabriel gave Joseph a kiss on the lips, causing him to go completely stiff in surprise. The cheetah's lips were soft and gentle, pressing up easily against the rougher, more chapped lips of the caracal. Joseph let Gabriel pull away from him, the cheetah giggling a bit before speaking.

"Was that your first kiss, or has it been a while?"

"The last kiss I got was in the Desert Rangers with a fox girl I was unofficially dating. You're the first guy I've kissed since before the Desert Rangers."

Joseph answered, as Gabriel whistled a bit.

"Well it seems like you have a decent bit of experience, even if it's been over a decade since your last good kiss."

The ranger laughed a bit in response, nodding as he leaned back in his chair.

"You're right, but you're lucky to have just caught me off guard."

Gabriel nodded a bit, before standing back up straight and tilting his head a bit.

"So, uh, what does that make us, if anything?"

"I say we're possibly a couple, but we should really talk this over after dinner, okay?"

The ranger's words got a nod from the cheetah, who began to walk back to the door before looking at the radio.

"Should I turn the radio back on?"

"Go ahead, honey."

The caracal cheekily added, to which the cheetah giggled a bit before replying. "Okay, see you later sweetheart."

Gabriel lightheartedly said to Joseph before turning the radio back on, leaving Joseph's office and letting him get back to the letter. About ten minutes later, Joseph was done with his letter. Stretching his body as he stood, he turned the radio off and checked the time on the wall clock he had. Seeing it was dinner time, he left his office, making his way to the cafeteria for a nice bit of dinner with everyone else. After dinner, he retired to the recreation room to learn how to play Caravan from Russell and Rodriguez for an hour or so, spending the rest of his night talking with Gabriel in his bedroom. Joseph finally felt at peace after seeing Caesar die, as if it had to be this way.