Chapter 45 - Shooting Studies & Showdowns


"I still can't believe they actually believed us." Jaune murmured in disbelief, fiddling with his new pistol as he followed the Courier out of the town of Novac.

"I guess the rocket launch and us showing up with that engineer guy really helped our story." Pyrrha replied absent-mindedly, as she adjusted the weight of her new Cowboy Repeater, still struggling with the emotions stirring within her.

They'd been expecting the town to be skeptical of their outlandish claims, about a barely-averted war between the ghouls and the Nightkin.

Instead, the town, who'd been in a state of panic when they'd returned, had been more than thrilled to hear that the aircraft flying overhead had just been test rockets, and that there wasn't going to be any further conflict at the REPCONN test site.

So thrilled, in fact, that they hadn't just gotten the information they'd wanted on the Khans, oh no.

They'd also given them permission to take whatever they wanted from the town's big dinosaur gift shop.

Pyrrha hadn't been sure what to expect, but she definitely hadn't been expecting them to have a room with hundreds of "Dinky the Dinosaur" toys ("If you're here for the T-rex figurines, there's still a few left!" Cliff Briscoe, the shopkeeper, had told her in the understatement of the year), nor had she expected enough weapons and ammunition to make a Boomer orgasm.

And she definitely hadn't expected the quiet town to have a pair of 5.56mm pistols.

Oh, she knew the apocryphal tale of its origins, of course (even if Jaune apparently hadn't).

Of how Old Man Irwin, a farmer from outside the Hub, had sawn down his .223 revolving rifle to the size of a large pistol, leaving the bolt handle and original trigger intact.

She didn't know how true it was, the original legend being over a century old, but she did know that gunsmiths across the NCR had been inspired by the design, and attempted to emulate it.

Even now, these pistols were highly valuable and coveted by many across the Wastelands.

And so, of course, she'd promptly grabbed the two revolvers, ignoring the green dinosaur souvenirs staring at her before Jaune could take one ("Darn it, no one ever takes the T-rexes!" Cliff had lamented), as well as a Cowboy Repeater and as much ammunition as she could carry, before giving one of the pistols to Arc.

Pyrrha let out a sigh mentally.

She really should have noticed it sooner.

Jaune Arc, while being a swordsman who could go toe-to-toe with a Nightkin, had never once performed even the most basic maintenance and servicing on his gun.

When she'd checked his 10mm pistol while they were returning from REPCONN, she'd found its condition degraded to the point of near-uselessness (which was honestly amazing, given that the N99 10mm pistol was well-known in the wasteland for it's reliability).

Quietly, she vowed to remind him about the importance of weapon maintenance.

"So, how much longer 'til Boulder City?" Jaune asked, snapping her out of her musings. "And is there anything about it I should know about beforehand? Like any more rocket test sites?"

"About a day's trek North, Arc." Pyrrha answered, fighting the urge to grin. "And no, the only thing of importance in the area is the Hoover Dam..."

"That's... what the NCR and the Legion were fighting over, right?" Jaune felt a sudden surge of concern.

"Relax, Arc. I'm pretty sure the Second Battle of Hoover Dam isn't going to fucking start tomorrow." Pyrrha rolled her eyes, before inquiring: "You know, I've been wondering this for a while, but..."

"But?"

"But..." Pyrrha found herself once again hesitating. Her curiosity was growing more and more with every passing moment, and she knew she had to get some answers out of him eventually...

And yet...

What if she said the wrong thing?

What if she was too blunt, too direct?

What if she hurt him, drove him away?

What if he started asking about her?

"But,,, why don't you ever clean your gun, Arc?" Pyrrha finally, lamely, finished, even as she cursed herself for her cowardice.

Well, it wouldn't matter. They were closing in on the Khan yahoos and the schmuck who'd stolen the Platinum Chip.

Once she'd gotten it back and delivered it to House, they'd be going their separate ways.

She could keep ask everything she wanted then.

"I... have no idea how to do it..." Jaune admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Sure, he knew that you were supposed to clean your weapons occasionally, but he'd never even handled a gun before. Compound that with the fact that the gun Ruby had given him had not been from the world he'd been born in, and he hadn't had any idea where to start (was gunpowder any safer to handle than Fire Dust?).

Pyrrha blinked, before groaning into her hand. Why didn't anything about him make sense?! "Then how the hell do you even know how to use a pistol, Arc?"

"I know where the safety is, and how to point and pull a trigger, Six." Jaune scoffed self-deprecatingly. "It's not exactly rocket science."

"... says the guy who just launched rockets into space..." Pyrrha muttered incredulously under her breath.

God, she was going to have to teach him how to do it, wasn't she? How to strip down and clean his gun once in a while? Who was the person who'd even taught him how to use guns, and why hadn't they remembered to teach him how to take care of them as well?

"Anyway... what's really on your mind, Six?" Jaune retorted, not having missed the moment of hesitation. "You were going to ask something else, weren't you?"

Pyrrha fought to keep her jaw from dropping.

How?!

How the fuck had he noticed that?!

"Come on, Six, I'm not going to bite..." Jaune teased, trying to lower the tension a bit.

"Fine..." Pyrrha finally sighed. "There's just... a lot about you... that doesn't add up, Arc."

Jaune fought to hide his wince.

Fortunately, Pyrrha didn't notice, as she finally had a chance to begin ranting: "For example, you're clearly an amazing fighter-"

"You think I'm amazing at fighting?" Jaune interjected, eyes sparkling with joy.

"-but you don't even know how to field-strip and clean a pistol." Pyrrha continued, not noticing his interruption. "You're clearly skilled at surviving, but you don't even know the first thing about the region, like the Hoover Dam, the NCR, or the Legion! And there's the way you're just so optimistic and idealistic..."

"That bad, huh?"

"N-no!" Pyrrha stuttered, as she realized what she was saying. "No, that's not what I meant, Arc! Being optimistic and idealistic isn't necessarily bad! It's just... you... don't seem like you belong here..."

"Yeah, I guess I don't." Jaune replied sadly, thankful that this conversation wasn't taking place on a rooftop.

"Damn it, Arc, that's not a bad thing!" Pyrrha hissed, wondering why she was so bad at having a proper talk with someone. "Most people this far East are not nice people! Honestly, compared to what I'm used to dealing with, you're a breath of fresh fucking air!"

"Uh... thanks?"

"But that just makes you all the more confusing, Arc!" Pyrrha pressed a finger gently into his chest. "How have you survived out here, this long, while still being... you know... you?"

"Well... uh... it's probably because I'm not from around here, Six..." Jaune answered.

"Oh."

She... really should have expected that.

But where was he from, then?

A Vault? But that wouldn't explain his skills.

Maybe a survivor of the Sacking of New Canaan? No, the New Canaanites knew their pistols, and they knew them very well.

A Follower of the Apocalypse, perhaps? But they were based in the NCR; there was no way he wouldn't know about them...

Jaune just sighed and shook his head, practically seeing the gears turning furiously in his not-partner's head.

It would take way too long for him to explain the truth, even if he activated his sword, and he didn't want to distract the Courier any further from her job. After all, it was his fault that she'd lost the Platinum Chip in the first place (and he still had no idea how to even begin to tell her about that...).

"I'm... from somewhere far away." Jaune threw her a bone. "I've got no idea which direction its in, how to describe it, or what you'd call it, and I definitely can't go back."

"Arc..." Pyrrha stared at him, processing the new information, the pain in his voice evident even to her.

He... was he just like her?

What had he been through?

Had he been trained and then exiled from some tribe, one that happened to have no access to guns?

Or was he like her in that he'd lost his home, like she'd lost the Divide?

Either way...

"Hey, it's not that bad out here, Six." Jaune forced a grin, trying to cheer her up. "Sure, the wildlife's a bit... messed up, and there's a war looming, but at least it's probably not the end of the world again."

She stared at him with newfound respect.

Despite whatever he'd been through...

Somehow, he was still standing strong, still optimistic and idealistic.

Despite her initial impressions of him...

He had a strength that she didn't have.

"You say it like you've lived through one, Arc." Pyrrha grinned back, before laughing and slapping him lightly on the shoulder as she watched him attempt to whistle nonchalantly, like he'd actually been through one and was just keeping it a secret. God, it would be a shame when they finally had to part...

"So... want some help with gun training, Arc?" Pyrrha offered, deciding not to push the topic any further.

He hid it well, but she could hear the tinge of wistful pain and longing in his tone.

She could always ask her questions after they split up.

Jaune looked at her, and at the hand comfortably on his shoulder.

He remembered what he'd told Ruby Ironwood.

He remembered what Ruby Rose had told him.

And most of all, what his partner had offered him, and how he'd reacted.

He smiled at her, determined not to make the same mistake again.

"I would love that, Six."

-GREAT KHANS HIDEOUT, BOULDER CITY RUINS, ONE DAY LATER-

"What the hell?!" Jessup, the leader of the Great Khan group trapped in Boulder City, couldn't help but loudly exclaim, as he saw the figure burst into the shop they were hunkered down in. His trigger finger had been tense for a while now, as he'd been expecting the NCR to come barging in at any time for the past few hours, but the shock of the piercing green eyes and fiery red hair were enough to freeze his fingers. "You're that courier Benny wasted back in Goodsprings! You're supposed to be dead!"

"I got better." Pyrrha growled curtly, hand resting deceptively easily on the butt of her pistol.

"And here I thought us Great Khans were tough to kill..." Jessup murmured, horrified.

He'd seen the courier take two bullets to the head, for Pete's sake! And then they'd buried the still-tied up body, just so she couldn't claw her way out of the grave!

He knew he should have pushed for cutting the body up and burning it as well!

"Now, where's my fucking Platinum Chip?" Pyrrha ignored him, instead glaring around the room, confirming the information the NCR had given her.

Four Khans including Jessup, and two captured NCR soldiers.

Damn Arc for being a bad influence on her...

If she'd never met him, she'd have just shot her way into the hideout, gotten her revenge, and let God sort out the fate of the hostages.

But after seeing him talk down the Nightkin and ghouls, she couldn't help but think he'd be disappointed if she didn't let him at least try to talk down the Khans.

Ordinarily, she'd have said talking to a Khan was like talking to a rock, except the rock probably wouldn't hit you for talking... but it was Arc...

"Don't have it." Jessup grunted bitterly. "Benny stole it, right before he stabbed us in the back. He's probably back at the Strip by now, laughing at me."

Pyrrha gave the Khan a long hard look, before raising an eyebrow.

"You think I'd make up a story that embarrassing?!" Jessup shouted heatedly.

Pyrrha finally sighed, shaking her head.

God, these were the Great Khans that had ambushed her and tied her up?

She must have been really distracted by that sudden flash of light in the sky.

"So why the fuck are you still here, then?" Pyrrha sneered. "Your guns don't work either?"

"I'm not afraid of a gunfight." Jessup defended, crossing his arms. "But I'd rather get back to Red Rock without a few extra holes in me if I can help it."

"How'd you even get stuck here, anyway?" Jaune asked, popping up from behind Pyrrha.

Jessup raised an eyebrow at him, before looking back at the Courier with a questioning gaze.

Pyrrha just glared back, daring him to say a word.

Jessup let loose a low whistle, but decided that antagonizing the back-from-the-dead Courier about her new squeeze, while possibly entertaining, probably wasn't the best course of action he could take, especially since the pair were the only ones who could go out and talk to the NCR for them without getting shot, and he'd been partially-responsible for the Courier getting shot in the head in the first place.

"Benny." Jessup finally answered, as if the name was enough of an answer. "The damn snake owed us the rest of the pay for the job, so when we ran into an NCR patrol and got stuck here, he stole the chip and snuck away. We'd try to bribe our way out, but seeing as how Benny didn't pay us yet, that's not going to happen."

"So, Arc, I'm guessing you're thinking of something?" Pyrrha whispered, seeing him looking around.

"I've... got something..." Jaune admitted. "But it's going to sound crazy..."

"Don't worry, Arc." Pyrrha reassured him. "You always sound crazy."

Jaune just gave Pyrrha his most put-upon and wounded look, which made Pyrrha just think of a puppy that had been denied a treat, before he turned to the Great Khans and began: "The NCR are willing to negotiate-"

"What's to negotiate?" Jessup interrupted. "The NCR backs off, we walk out of here, nobody gets hurt."

"Yeah, I figured as much..." Jaune murmured, not even bothering to ask them to surrender. "Look, if you want me to get the NCR to back off, you need to give me something to work with."

"Like what?" Jessup challenged.

"Free the hostages, and I'll help make sure you get out of here." Jaune promised.

Jessup stared at Jaune, before looking at Pyrrha, asking if he was serious.

Pyrrha sighed but nodded, knowing that he was.

"Right, and they'd probably give us all medals, too." Jessup rolled his eyes, sarcastically, though he still took a moment to think it over. The Courier's new boy toy... had a point... and they could probably give him some incentive to make sure he settled things for them.

"... I can't believe I'm doing this, but all right, the hostages can go." Jessup finally relented, motioning to his men to free the prisoners. "But the courier stays here, while you negotiate. Show of good faith, and all."

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a look, but before Jaune could say anything, Pyrrha spoke up: "Alright."

Jaune had put his trust in her, back at REPCONN.

And she knew what he was capable of.

And even if things didn't work out, she was well-rested and fully armed, while the Great Khans had been travelling for days before this, and had just engaged in a small skirmish with the NCR.

Seeing as how they'd been swindled by that schmuck with the horrible suit (who she figured was Benny), she figured she could have easily taken them even without all those handicaps.

Jaune just nodded at her, trusting her to take care of herself, as he escorted the two NCR soldiers back to their lines.

"So..." Jessup tried to clear the awkward silence. "Where'd you pick that one up?"

"He saved my life." Pyrrha responded curtly. "Pulled me out of a shallow grave after someone shot me in the head."

"Look..." Jessup winced, hearing the barely-concealed venom in her voice. "It was nothing personal, just business-"

"Shut the fuck up." Pyrrha snarled. "If not for him, I'd have just shown all of you what it's like to get shot in the head."

"Christ, we get it." Jessup raised his hands, dropping the subject.

The awkward silence came back.

"So... do you really think he can pull it off?"

"Are you always this fucking chatty? You seemed pretty quiet when you were digging my grave."

"To be fair, we'd spent a few days travelling with Benny by then." Jessup admitted. "You know those shitty gambling metaphors? He speaks like that all the damn time."

Pyrrha merely snorted, but still didn't relax her guard. Finally, though, she decided to throw him a bone: "You'd be surprised by what Arc can pull off. The kid's got some serious skill."

The Great Khans around Jessup snickered and waggled their eyebrows, causing Pyrrha to just raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Sounds like you're speaking from personal experience." One of them called out.

"I've seen him beat a Nightkin without a gun." Pyrrha answered proudly, missing the innuendo. "And I've seen him talk a Nightkin down."

"Bullshi-"

"I'm back!" Jaune announced cheerfully, as he walked back into the building. "Good news! The NCR were so impressed by your gesture of good faith, they didn't just agree to let you go, they even offered to escort you out of Boulder City!"

The Great Khans and Pyrrha wordlessly stared at Jaune, mouths hanging open.

"You... you really mean it?" Jessup asked.

"Yup."

"We're free to go?"

"Yup."

"Just like that?"

"Will you just get your asses back to Red Rock already?!" Pyrrha snapped.

A Great Khan took a chance and peeked his head outside the store.

The NCR soldiers had lowered their rifles, and weren't shooting at them.

"It's clear!" He reported, unable to keep the joy out of his voice.

The Great Khans whooped and hollered gleefully, and began filing out of the store, happy to finally be able to get back to Red Rock.

Before he left, though, Jessup turned back, and fished something out of his pocket, before tossing it at Pyrrha.

"Here - a souvenir for you." Jessup said, as he walked away. "It's Benny's lighter. Shove it up his ass when you catch up with him."

The pair watched as the Great Khans walked with the the NCR soldiers, and waited for a while.

No gunshots or screaming and shouting.

Good, both sides were playing it straight.

"I'm impressed, Arc." Pyrrha conceded, lightly clapping him on the shoulder.

"It wasn't easy." Jaune admitted. "When I got there with the hostages, the lieutenant in charge just got orders to take out the Great Khans, hostages or not."

Pyrrha spun around and stared at Arc.

"... how'd you talk them out of it?"

"I appealed to his morals and integrity, as both a man and a leader." Jaune shrugged.

"That worked?" Pyrrha's eyebrow shot up. She didn't think morals and integrity would be able to convince anyone in the Wasteland to go against orders.

"Yup."

Well, besides Arc, of course.

"... and you also had a plan for if it didn't work out, right?" Pyrrha checked.

"Point out that, if word got out that the Khans had cut a deal, and the NCR turned around and shot them in the back, nobody would ever trust the NCR, and it would have been all his fault." Jaune shrugged.

Pyrrha let loose a whistle, proud and impressed.

He was truly learning so fast.


Author's Note: Just a short chapter this time, where Pyrrha slowly and unwittingly (gasps) bonds with someone, and gets one step closer to finding her package and saying goodbye to Arc. Sorry this chapter took so long... work's been exhausting...

And this is why I haven't given Jaune energy pistols. He knows how to use a pistol, in that he knows how to brace himself, point, and pull the trigger, but weapon maintenance is a whole other story. And pistols and conventional firearms are pretty easy to field-strip and clean! Imagine trying to polish the focusing lenses of a laser weapon, or clearing the intakes of a plasma weapon without getting burned by it...

And no, I don't actually hate the NCR. Hell, I don't even dislike them. With that said, though, that doesn't mean I'm going to give them a free pass and gloss over some of the stuff they do in New Vegas that is very much a dick move. Like Primm; the NCR put those convicts in the Mojave, and gave them explosives, and when they escaped, killed the sheriff of Primm in his sleep and took over the town, they refused to send men to actually take care of the situation. Sure, they have justifications for that, like how they're focusing on the Dam, and they don't have the manpower to spare... but it doesn't change the fact that they still screwed over an independent town and left it to rot on the vine. And yes, if you talk the Khans into releasing the hostages, the brass really does tell the NCR soldiers to just shoot the Khans. And there's General Lee Oliver... the less said, the better, I suppose.

I may like the NCR, but that doesn't equate to blind support, especially when the out-of-touch brass acts like they've never placed a sodding boot of their own on the ground before, and couldn't find their way out of their own asses with a compass and a map.

As for Nipton and Vulpes... in this story, they get there hours after Nipton was hit. I doubt Vulpes and his raiding party were going to stick around so close to the Mojave Outpost for that long, not after they'd accomplished what they wanted. So no, Vulpes left by the time Jaune and Pyrrha got to Nipton, and they never met.

Probably for the best, because I don't see any way Vulpes would have walked out of that one alive.