Chapter 53 - Separation & Summons
"Well, this is where the Happy Trails expedition left." Pyrrha murmured, looking around the northern passage. The embers of the campfires had long since gone out, but in the cave, there was little wind to disturb the tracks, the ashes, and the general trash and detritus that came with any camp.
"So, how far away is this "Zion National Park", anyway?" Jaune asked, easily carrying his backpack full of supplies, excited at the prospect of a camping trip through the unknown. Sure, there were the White Leg raiders, but could they really be any worse than Grimm?
"About a week's journey, depending on the roads." Pyrrha answered. "Could be up to ten days, if there's raiders and tribals."
"So, worst-case scenario, we have about ten days to fix things in Zion before we have to get back for President Kimball's scheduled visit to the Hoover Dam." Jaune noted, doing some quick math. "... how big is Zion, exactly?"
"Too big to defend with just the two of us." Pyrrha replied bluntly. "Our best bet's probably to find and assassinate the leader of the White Legs... unless you think you can talk him down?"
"Hmmm..." Jaune paused for a moment.
"That was a joke, Jaune." Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "We're not negotiating with the tribal raiders who want to join Caesar's fucking Legion. Trust me, they make the Nightkin look civilized."
"They're that bad?" Jaune raised an eyebrow.
"They've got a real fucking hate-boner for the New Canaanites." Pyrrha explained, shaking her head as she recalled the stories out of Utah. "Based on what I've heard, they burned the city to the ground with the women, children, and elderly still inside it, and salted the fucking earth. I don't think they're going to stop now that they've cornered the survivors just because you said "please", Jaune."
"Oum..." Jaune could only murmur, unable to comprehend what could drive people to do such a thing.
"Trust me on this one, Jaune." Pyrrha reassured him. "We'll be doing the Wasteland a fucking favor, getting rid of them. Now, you've got all the supplies?"
"Yes, yes, I've got enough chocolate and cooking supplies to last us a month." Jaune smirked, before laughing as Pyrrha punched him lightly in the shoulder. "And what about you? Think you've got enough guns on ammunition to take over a small country?"
"Not all of us can get by with just a sword and a fucking shield, Jaune." Pyrrha frowned, self-consciously looking at her duffel bag of weapons.
It wasn't even that much. Just a few dozen frag and plasma grenades, a handful of land mines, a pair of shotguns, and a couple of rifles of differing calibers, and a set of attachments for any situation she could think of.
And, of course, enough ammunition to kill off the entire Strip thrice over. Can't forget the essentials.
She was still pretty pissed off that she'd had to buy most of them from the Gun Runners.
If only that fucking schmuck hadn't taken her previous bag of toys and pawned them off, after he'd taken the Chip and shot her in the head...
"By the way... what the fuck is that fucking shield even made of?" Pyrrha asked. "That thing took a blow from a Nightkin without even fucking denting; power armor isn't nearly that strong!"
"It's a family heirloom." Jaune replied automatically, having been asked that question many times already. "Belonged to my great-great-grandfather, or something. So no, I have no idea what it's made of."
Pyrrha was about to ask why the hell he had a Pre-War shield, when her Pip-Boy (and she refused to call it a Pimp-Boy) suddenly started beeping.
The pair turned to stare at the overly-gilded portable computer.
"Is it a message from House?" Jaune asked, as Pyrrha began navigating the Pip-Boy's systems.
"I'm not sure... but it's a radio message, alright." Pyrrha answered. Turning a dial and twisting a knob (Jaune couldn't help but feel touch screens were far superior to these things, though they were admittedly a lot more durable than Scrolls), she muttered under her breath: "Stupid thing... ah, there we go..."
"Hello, Courier Six." A gravelly voice suddenly came over the radio. "It's me, Courier Five."
"Courier Five?" Jaune repeated, raising an eyebrow, before looking back at Pyrrha. "What, is he your brother or something?"
"No, Jaune. I already told you, my name wasn't actually "Courier Six"." Pyrrha rolled her eyes, before explaining: "I was never meant to deliver the Platinum Chip, originally. That was supposed to be Courier Five's job, but for some reason, he cancelled as soon as he saw that my name was next on the Courier list."
"Why would he do that?" Jaune asked.
"I've got no idea, Jaune, but-"
"Wondering why didn't I take the job?" The voice continued. "You, Courier. You were the reason."
"... you sure he isn't your brother or something?" Jaune spoke up.
"I don't know who the fuck he is, but I was an only child, Jaune." Pyrrha answered, wondering what the point of the message was.
"I mean, it sounds like he knows you." Jaune pointed out.
"And hates me, too." Pyrrha had heard the venom in his tone. "Anyway, I'm not in the mood for excuses from deadbeats, so..."
Before she could turn it off, however, the voice sent a chill down her spine, with his next lines: "Come see the Divide.
"See what happened, what was done. What you've done. Your world stripped bare... all its beasts, its shadows.
"I have a message for you. Come find me; you know the way. Bring all your weapons, bring your convictions, your flag of the God of New Vegas.
"And at the Divide, you and I... we'll have an ending to things. This is your road. When you come, walk it alone."
Pyrrha could only stare in shocked silence at the radio signal, as a computerized voice then recited a string of numbers.
Coordinates.
Ones that she knew intimately.
The ones that she'd recorded first, well over four years ago.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune caught her attention. "What was all of that?"
"I..." Pyrrha choked out, trying to process what she'd heard. "I don't know."
"The Divide... that was your town, right?" Jaune pressed. "I thought you said it was destroyed..."
"It was!" Pyrrha hissed. "I watched it burn! If... if he's in the Divide... if he knows something about what happened..."
Jaune could see the determination slowly forming on her face.
"You're planning on going after him, aren't you." Jaune accused.
"I... if he has answers..." Pyrrha's voice trailed off.
"You heard him!" Jaune protested loudly. "It's almost definitely a trap!"
"Even so..."
"... what about your job, Pyrrha?" Jaune tried convincing her one last time. "What about your chance to make a new Divide?"
"Jaune..." Pyrrha pleaded, meeting his eyes.
Jaune just groaned and looked away, reminded uncomfortably of a a burning clock tower.
But this wasn't his Pyrrha, this "Courier Five" wasn't that fire witch, and this wasn't Beacon during the Vytal Festival...
"Please... I have to do this." Pyrrha continued softly. "Your words... you're the first person I've met who didn't blame me for what happened, Jaune. And now I have a chance, to prove you right... to prove to everyone that you're right. I... I need to know..."
"... if that's what you think is best..." Jaune finally relented. "We'll go tell House that we can't take his current assignment, and we'll head to this Divide."
Pyrrha shook her head. "I can't let you come with me, Jaune."
"What?!" Jaune couldn't help but shout.
"The road to the Divide... it's too dangerous." Pyrrha shook her head.
"I can handle myself!"
"And you heard him. He wants me to go alone."
"Even more reason to be suspicious!"
"I can't risk it, Jaune." Pyrrha shook her head. "Please..."
Jaune looked away and gritted his teeth.
This wasn't his partner, Pyrrha Nikos, the first-year Huntress-in-Training.
This was Courier Six, Pyrrha Nikos, the most badass mailman in the Mojave. Who'd survived two bullets to the brain and a meeting with Caesar.
But he still couldn't help the feelings of worry...
"Jaune..."
"Fine!" Jaune relented, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "I'll go and take care of the White Legs by myself, while you walk into an obvious trap! What could possibly go wrong?!"
"Thank you..." Pyrrha said softly.
Jaune just huffed, before sighing and pulling out half of the supplies from his bag.
"... good luck, Pyrrha." Jaune called out, as he turned and prepared to head into the passage.
"Wait!" Pyrrha shouted, stretching her hand out to his back.
Jaune turned back.
Emerald met sapphire.
Pyrrha bit her lip, before looking away, and finally saying, almost too softly to hear: "... I'm sorry."
Sorry for making him do this.
Sorry for making him worry.
Sorry for leaving him behind.
Sorry for needing to know the truth.
"Whatever you find..." Jaune faced forward. "I hope it's worth it."
Pyrrha watched as he walked away, before looking back, in the direction she knew the Divide lay.
She had faith that Jaune would succeed in stopping the White Legs.
She didn't have faith in herself.
Swearing to make it up to Jaune, the next time they saw each other, she began walking down the road, feeling truly alone once more.
=188 TRADING POST, MOJAVE WASTELAND-
She'd only known the Lyons' Pride for just over half a day or so, but it was official.
They were weird.
It was a good thing, though.
Compared to the stuck-up Hardin and Taggart, she found their bluntness and lack of decorum... refreshing.
Still, that didn't mean that she was used to travelling to the surface with other Brotherhood members...
"So... that's Vegas?" Paladin Reddin inquired, looking in the direction of the Strip. "Man, I wish we could drop by there..."
"You'd need to either clear a credit check or have a passport to get in, though." Veronica cautioned, before frowning. "And don't change the subject, Paladin. What the fuck happened back there?"
"Sentinel Ironwood and Elder Lyons learned about the fucking Pendragon's existence, that's what." Reddin snorted.
"The Pendragon?" Veronica echoed, feeling more lost than ever.
"Don't encourage her..." Knight-Captain Colvin warned with a long-suffering sigh. "I pray that I go deaf soon, because she's going to be insufferable for a while."
"Hey!" Reddin protested. "Is that any way to talk to your acting commander?"
"Don't let it get to your head, Reddin." Knight-Captain Dusk smacked the back of her skull harshly. "You're still the second-youngest member of the Lyons' Pride here. Only reason McNamara put you in charge 'til the Sentinel or the Elder come back is because he didn't know any better."
"Dusk!" Reddin wailed, as Initiate Sydney snickered in the back.
"Anyway, any luck contacting the Elder or the Sentinel yet?" Dusk asked.
"Nope." Reddin shook her head. "Still no response."
"And this is where you last saw Jaune Arc?" Dusk turned to Veronica, who gulped and nodded.
When Ruby Ironwood ran for the Strip, and Sarah Lyons ran to stop her, McNamara took charge (after shaking the shock off) and all but ordered the Pride to get their two wayward members back, since everyone in the Mojave was technically at war with the Brotherhood.
And Veronica, by sheer virtue (read: bad luck) of being there, had been assigned to be their guide.
"Colvin, ask around, see if anyone's seen Jaune or his new partner recently." Dusk barked, knowing that Colvin was one of the more... personable members of the Lyons' Pride.
Also, she felt the need to give him some reprieve from Reddin, who was indeed acting insufferable.
Case in point...
"Lighten up, Dusk!" Reddin whined. "We should be fucking celebrating! The Pendragon's back! I was fucking right!"
"Yes, yes, Jaune Arc can apparently withstand thirty-six nukes and show up on the other end of the continent four years later." Dusk rolled her eyes. "That doesn't make him King fucking Arthur of all things!"
"I'm sorry, what?" Veronica choked, wondering what the fuck she was hearing.
"To be fair..." Sydney spoke up, the Lyons' Pride ignoring Veronica. "Can you think of any other explanation for how he survived?"
"I don't know, aliens?" Dusk shrugged, studiously refusing to acknowledge Reddin's shit-eating grin. "I mean, since he's here, we can just ask him..."
"Yeah, and we can ask him if he got the sword from a stone, too!" Reddin cheerfully pointed out.
Dusk just groaned into her palm.
"Wait, wait, wait." Veronica interjected, finally getting their attention. "You guys think that Jaune Arc... is the King Arthur Pendragon?"
"She does." Dusk defended. "I've got no idea what to think... but I'll say this. The Sentinel probably knew him best, and she never once thought of him as King Arthur."
"It's Sentinel Ironwood." Reddin rolled her eyes. "With all due respect, she's hardly the most observant of people."
"She's not that bad..." Sydney frowned, feeling obliged to defend her hero. "And speaking of the Lone Wanderer... I've never seen her lose it like that before..."
"So... what exactly is her relationship with Jaune Arc?" Veronica asked once again, trying to get her questions answered. "And... were all those videos and pictures real?"
"Those files don't do him justice, kid." Dusk corrected her misconception, remembering the utter defiance of reason and common sense that was Jaune Arc's existence. "And he was the Lone Wanderer's teacher, her mentor, and probably her best friend."
"Was that really all that was between them?" Veronica pressed, remembering the hungry look in Ruby's eyes.
"What do you mean, Santangelo?" Reddin scratched her head.
"You know..." Sydney helped the scribe elaborate. "Any... special relationship between them?"
Dusk and Reddin looked at each other, before bursting out with laughter.
"You think the Sentinel even knows how to fuck?" Reddin pointed out.
"Trust us, kids." Dusk shook her head. "The one who was into Jaune Arc was Sarah, not Ironwood."
Sydney and Veronica exchanged looks.
Had... had the older members of the Pride really not noticed?
Were they that blind?
Or was it them who were wrong?
Before they could argue back, however, a Securitron with a cowboy face on it's screen suddenly rolled up to them, and said: "Howdy, miss! Might I be having the pleasure of speaking to one Veronica Santangelo?"
Veronica blinked, before feeling a cold sweat break out beneath her scribe robes.
She knew all Securitrons reported to House.
Had her cover been blown? Was this how it ended?
Seeing her reaction, Sydney stepped forward, and spoke up: "What do you want with her, robot?"
"Well, howdy there, little missy." The robot greeted her politely. "Name's Victor, and I'm just here to talk, on behalf of Mr. House."
The Mojave was a scorching desert, but for some reason, Veronica felt frozen.
How strange.
"What could Mr. House want with someone like me-" Veronica began.
"Now, Miss Santangelo, don't sell yourself short." Victor chuckled. "I happen to know for a fact that you're with them Brotherhood of Steel folks, who don't approve of robots like me."
Veronica gulped, as Sydney stepped between them, and Dusk just rolled her eyes.
Ladies and gentlemen, behold.
Blind adherence to the fucking Codex.
"Don't worry now, I'm just here to deliver a message." Victor reassured her, before adding. "An actual message, with words."
"Gee, how reassuring..."
"Now, it's no secret that Mr. House doesn't approve of your little band of varmints, but fortunately for you, his latest employees spoke up in your defense!"
"His latest employees?" Veronica repeated.
"Someone actually spoke up for you guys?" Reddin raised an eyebrow.
"That's right!" Victor nodded. "Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos spoke up on behalf of your less-than-fine organizations, and so he came to a compromise!"
""Arc?!""
"Of course." Dusk groaned in exasperation. "Why am I even surprised?"
"It's Jaune." Reddin grinned, remembering their little in-joke.
"Oh, are you two ladies acquainted with that fine young boy?" Victor turned to them.
"Oh, uh... yeah. We worked together, back in the Capital Wasteland." Dusk replied, giving a technical truth.
Victor hummed for a moment, transmitting the information back to the Lucky 38 (and adding to the growing case file House was building on Jaune), before turning back to Veronica. "Anyway, Mr. House would like to offer your compatriots a ceasefire, at least until the Second Battle for Hoover Dam.
"He's also willing to throw in a little bit of aid, in the form of essential supplies, and discuss expanding the deal upon the resolution of the battle... but if you break the agreement, well, he's known about Hidden Valley Bunker for a long time already."
"He... he has?" Veronica choked out. God, she had to get all this information back as soon as possible...
"Wait, where's Jaune Arc, anyway?" Dusk interjected, knowing that the Sentinel and the Elder were really interested in the information.
"Huh?" Reddin got the hint when Dusk elbowed her in the side. "Oh, right, yeah... we haven't seen him since '77, and his, uh... girlfriend's been really worried..."
Sydney just groaned into her palm and massaged her temples.
"Well, don't you worry about a thing, then!" Victor replied. "Mr. Arc's just on a business trip with Miss Nikos to Utah for a month, making preparations before the coming battle."
""Utah?""
"That's right." Victor confirmed. "I'm not privy to them confidential meetings, but House takes great pride in ensuring the safety of his employees! I'm sure they'll be fine. Oh, and Miss Santangelo?"
"Yes?!" Veronica yelped.
"Mr. Arc asked me to give you a present." Victor pulled out a box. "Said that you reminded him of his sisters, and that his sisters loved clothes shopping..."
Veronica's hands trembled, as she cautiously received the parcel.
Felt too light to be a bomb...
She opened it, and her eyes widened.
A dress?!
A formal dress?!
For a moment, she almost forgot that she was a Brotherhood Scribe being threatened by a 260+ year old man and his army of killer robots, as she felt the urge to squeal in delight.
Almost.
She held it in, though, as Victor made a gesture of tipping a hat, before rolling back towards the Strip.
Oh, she was so going to try it out as soon as she could!
"So... who wants to tell the Sentinel and the Elder that Jaune Arc's in Utah?" Dusk finally asked, looking around.
"... we're going to be dragged to Great Salt Lake, aren't we..." Reddin groaned, even as she quickly sent an encrypted broadcast to Ruby's Pip-Boy, saying: "Got information on Jaune Arc."
A second later, the radio squawked to life: "You know where Jaune is?!"
The sounds of a struggle were heard, before the radio went silent for a moment.
Then, Sarah spoke over the radio: "Good job, Paladin. Your message helped distract Sentinel Ironwood before she could get too close to Camp McCarran. No, stop, we're still in power armor, Ruby!"
Veronica and the Lyons' Pride shared a look.
"Ma'am... that wasn't a distraction." Dusk said slowly. "We just met a cowboy robot who delivered a message for House. Apparently, Jaune's working for him right now, and he talked him out of wiping out the Mojave chapter."
"... did you just say a cowboy robot?" A bemused Sarah finally replied.
"It's Jaune." Ruby sighed, before focusing on the important part of the message. "Anyway, so Jaune's in the Strip, then? Since he's working for Mr. House?"
Reddin and Dusk exchanged a look.
"Good luck... acting commander." Dusk gave Reddin a pat on the back. "I'm going to go get Colvin back."
"Get your ass back here, Dusk! That's an order!" Reddin shouted, as Dusk fled. "Fuck! Coward!"
"... what happened this time, Paladin Reddin?" Sarah sighed.
"Uh... Jaune's not on the Strip, Elder Lyons..." Sydney answered for her, as Reddin handed her the radio. "Apparently, he's on a... business trip right now. To Utah. For a month."
The radio was silent.
"... no, Ruby, we are not going to Utah!" Sarah firmly stated, as the link re-established itself. "We don't even know where in Utah he is! A Vertibird would be too conspicuous! And it's Jaune; you know he'll be fine! He'll be back in a month..."
"Fine..." Ruby's disappointed sighing could be heard.
Reddin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now, Paladin, did he say what Jaune was doing in Utah?" Sarah asked. "And what's that about wiping out the Mojave chapter?"
"Uh... he said something about preparations for a coming battle, ma'am..." Reddin recalled. "And I guess House really doesn't like the local Brotherhood."
"Nobody does." Veronica added with a shrug, not taking offense. "And the coming battle... he's probably referring to the upcoming Second Battle of Hoover Dam, between the NCR and the Legion..."
"Tell us more, Scribe." It wasn't a suggestion.
"Well, everyone's expecting the next big battle for Hoover Dam to be the deciding battle, where whoever wins gets to keep the Mojave." Veronica briefed the Elder. "And, based on what the cowboy robot said, as well as the fact that all of the Securitrons just got upgraded recently... I'm guessing House is intending to be a wild card."
"... he's going to throw Jaune at the Legion and the NCR." It wasn't a question.
"... that does seem likely..." Veronica murmured, as the pieces fell into place. God, was that why House wanted a ceasefire until the end of the Second Battle? And was that why he'd begun considering removing the Brotherhood of Steel from the Mojave? Removing potential enemies in preparation for screwing over the two major powers?
Elder McNamara definitely needed to know about this... needed to do what they could to get the support of the Capital Wasteland's Brotherhood, and Jaune Arc, if they wanted to weather the coming storm...
"Reddin."
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Send word back to the Citadel." Sarah ordered. "Mobilize an expeditionary force. We're not letting Jaune fight this battle alone."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The link went dead.
As Reddin began fiddling with her radio set, preparing to bounce a signal off of Pride One's communications equipment back to the Citadel, Sydney wondered out loud: "I thought Jaune Arc was supposed to be a monster in battle... does he really need our help against the Legion and the NCR?"
Veronica could agree with the sentiment, having seen the files as well.
"Probably not." Reddin admitted, as Dusk returned with Colvin in tow. "Doesn't matter. Jaune saved our lives, kids. And the Pride doesn't leave it's own."
Author's Note: One last short chapter... which consists of even more dialogue. Don't worry, by my estimates we're only 3 to 4 chapters away from the action!
And, as it turns out, the answer was yes and no! Yes, we're doing Honest Hearts, and no, we're doing Lonesome Road. Together. At the same time.
And I couldn't find any actually transcripts for Ulysses' radio signal, so I'm using lines from the Lonesome Road trailer.
But yeah... Jaune really doesn't have a reason to stop Pyrrha. This isn't Remnant, and she's not going to face a monster of a witch who just killed the Headmaster. Of course, it helps that he doesn't know what's in the Divide, and he doesn't know that Ulysses might probably be able to give Pyrrha a run for her money...
And sorry, the reunion isn't happening yet. Instead, the Capital Wasteland is mobilizing.
