Chapter 60 - Overkill; The Tide Is Now A Tsunami, Send Help


"Update from the Sentinel." The Prydwen's communications station announced with a burst of static. "Confirmed report of Pendragon activity on the Dam. I repeat, we have a confirmation that the Pendragon is on Hoover Dam."

Cheers rang out across the bridge crew, as they rejoiced at the fact that their hero was well and truly back.

Lancer-Captain Arthur Maxson turned to Head Paladin Vargas.

Technically, as Lancer-Captain, he was the ultimate authority onboard the Prydwen.

However, he held much respect for the veteran, almost as much as he held for the Elder, the Lone Wanderer, and the Pendragon, and he subconsciously rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as he fought to keep the excitement out of his voice: "Head Paladin... shall we speed up our progress?"

"Good suggestion, Maxson." Vargas nodded, looking down at the projection of the Area-of-Operations. They were still 15 miles away from the Hoover Dam. "We don't want him to have all the fun, not like at Adams. I think it's time to release the package."

"He'd appreciate the exercise." Maxson nodded in satisfaction. "He hasn't had a chance to stretch his legs in 4 years."

"He hasn't had legs in 4 years, Maxson." Vargas riposted drily.

Maxson chose to respectfully ignore the jab at one of the Brotherhood's greatest heroes, as he instead turned to one of his bridge officers, and gave her a nod.

As she rushed out of the command center to relay the instructions, Maxson took a moment to look down at the projection of the AO as well.

Honestly, given what they were up against, even Vertibirds loaded with Paladins felt like overkill.

But he'd distinguished himself in the Razing of Paradise Falls, seen the aftermath of the Liberation of the Pitt, and been responsible for setting up the refugee camps for the slaves they'd liberated, as they'd stormed through Legion territory.

Moreover, the Pendragon, the man he was named after, the man he couldn't help but always compare himself to... the Brotherhood owed a debt to him, and as a Maxson, a direct descendant of the Brotherhood's First Elder, it was his duty and his privilege to pay the outsider back.

There was no sympathy or mercy in his voice, as he spoke into his microphone: "All units, be advised. The package is in play. I repeat, the package is in play. Paladin Reddin, please give the NCR a warning as well."

Hopefully, if the Vertibirds and T-60fs weren't enough, it would dissuade them from doing anything stupid.

Hopefully.

He'd seen the disposition of their forces, though, and couldn't help but think that whoever had been in charge of the defense of Hoover Dam had been pretty fucking stupid.

Below him, below the Prydwen, two dozen Vertibirds flew in formation from the East as cruising speeds, industrial steel cables hanging from their undersides attached to it, as it swayed ominously in the winds.

The Legionaries below, already demoralized from the past few days of retreat from their own lands, pointed at it fearfully, looking at each with nothing resembling comprehension.

Then, a whisper started among them.

The Beast From The East.

It had descended from the Cloud, carried by the Birds.

And as the Brotherhood forces watching cheered, the Vertibirds released their cables in unison, and the payload fell to the earth.

There was a loud thud, and the tremors from the landing could be detected by seismographs on the western end of the Hoover Dam.

And as the Legionaries watched slack-jawed, paralyzed by morbid horror and fascination, weapons hanging limply from their sides, there was a blue flash from the top of the object.

Twin energy beams suddenly raked across the front of the Legion's collapsing lines, men simply vanishing into nothingness as the blue light washed over them.

The object studied its work dispassionately.

Then it declared, as the Brotherhood forces automatically saluted: "++LIBERTY PRIME IS ONLINE. ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL. WEAPONS HOT. GLOBAL POSITIONING INITIALIZED. LOCATION: NEVADA STATE, SOUTHWESTERN COMMONWEALTH. MISSION: THE DESTRUCTION OF ANY AND ALL CHINESE COMMUNISTS++"

-LUCKY 38, MOJAVE WASTELAND-

If House had been drinking tea at that moment (or even been able to drink tea), he would have spat it out all over his pod (if he could even still spit).

He once again double-check and triple-checked the readings from his sensors at Fortification Hill, and compared it to the data he was receiving from seismographs in the Mojave Wasteland.

For the first time in over two centuries, he found himself wishing he was back at his desk, just so he could flip it over in sheer frustrated exasperation at how the day was going.

Instead, he allowed himself a moment of distraction, letting his focus to be taken away from monitoring all fronts of the larger battle to vent about how all his calculations were being defied, as he shouted: "What the hell is my robot doing here?!"

-FORTIFICATION HILL, MOJAVE WASTELAND-

Caesar watched glumly from the distance, as his carefully-laid plans lay in tattered ruins.

Sure, his forces still held more than half the Dam, but what was the point?

The Boomers were shelling his Legion's positions, he'd failed to cut off the Mojave Outpost or Camp Golf, the Fiends had failed to destroy Camp McCarran, and now this?!

"++FREEDOM IS THE SOVEREIGN RIGHT OF EVERY AMERICAN! DEMOCRACY IS NON-NEGOTIABLE++"

What the fuck was this ridiculous giant robot?! Where the fuck had it and these "Knights of the Citadel" come from?! And what the fuck did they mean, with their shouts about some King?!

Were they connected to the fucking Kings somehow?! That gang of Elvis impersonators in Freeside?! Should he have spent more time trying to turn them against the NCR?

It was too late for regrets, though.

His Legion was already being broken.

Their only hopes lay in the cohort that was marching north from Camp Forlorn Hope, but even so... even if they took the Dam...

The war was over.

"Mighty Caesar!" Vulpes Inculta burst into his tent. "I bring great and terrible news!"

"What is it, Vulpes?" Caesar asked robotically, not bothering to look at the leader of his Frumentarii, fighting down his usual migraine.

"It is the Crocea Mors, Mighty Caesar!" Vulpes informed him. "He is on the Dam!"

"He is?!" Caesar spun around so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash. "Are you sure?!"

"I am, sire." Vulpes nodded. "I personally confirmed it with my own eyes, as he stabbed his blade into the floor, and a wall of ice sprang up! He is fighting his way to Legatus Lanius as we speak!"

At that news, Caesar fell into despair. If the Crocea Mors had joined the battle on the NCR's side too, then all hope was lost.

Unless...

"Attend to me, Vulpes!" Caesar sprang up, desperate and mad hope glinting in his eyes. The Crocea Mors was just misguided, that had to be it! Why else would he fight for the Profligates?! But if he could get to the Crocea Mors, to convince him of the righteousness of the Legion, to throw him at the giant death robot and these Knights of the Citadel... "We must make haste to Lanius's camp! If we can turn him, then the battle is not yet lost!"

"I've already ordered the Centurions to offer him only a token resistance, as he approached the Legate's camp." Vulpes helpfully added. "Then they were to close ranks after he passed, cutting him off from the NCR and stopping the Profligates from exploiting his advance."

"Very good, Vulpes." Caesar nodded at him, pleased by his initiative. "Come now! Hopefully the brute can stall him."

Their grimly determined march out of his tent became a hurried retreat, however, as a loud rumbling sound began shaking the Fort, and hundreds of Securitrons suddenly burst out of the old weather station, and explosions and flames broke out all across his once-glorious encampment.

-HOOVER DAM POWER PLANT, MOJAVE WASTELAND-

"There, that's the switch pulled." Pyrrha spoke into her Pip-boy, ignoring the dead Legionaries and NCR troopers around her as she did so. This part of the dam had been taken and held by the Legion, and she'd been forced to sneak her way in through one of the intake tunnels from the bottom of the Dam, before dispatching the guards. "You should be getting power to the Securitron Vault now, House."

"Excellent work, Miss Nikos. At least some things are going right today." House praised her. "When you return topside, I think you'll see that my Securitron army is a little more than the Legion was prepared to handle. Then again, a full-scale Brotherhood of Steel invasion was probably already too much for them..."

"A full-scale Brotherhood of Steel invasion?" Pyrrha echoed, feeling out-of-the-loop.

"Yes... it would seem that Mr. Arc's friends at Hidden Valley have not been so idle after all." House noted drily. "To be frank, I didn't even know the Brotherhood still had such numbers left... let alone Vertibirds or #38917..."

"Sounds like you made the right call, then, listening to Jaune." Pyrrha nodded confidently.

"How do you figure, Miss Nikos?" House would have raised an eyebrow, if he could.

"Could you imagine if you hadn't listened to him, and had wiped out the Mojave Chapter?" Pyrrha pointed out, her faith in Jaune's precognitive abilities once again affirmed.

House spent a moment to process that statement and run a simulation of the aforementioned scenario, before blanching. True, he had little faith in the ultimate goals of the Brotherhood of Steel co-existing with his, but at least in the current situation, there was still a chance he could throw Mr. Arc at them to negotiate something. And at any rate, he predicted that, as bad as their presence was for him... it was much, much, much worse for the NCR.

"Fair point." House finally conceded, smiling as he began modifying his plans. Caesar's Legion was utterly crushed, that much was certain. But with the Brotherhood's presence... well, it would be pretty simple to convince the NCR to retreat and defend their lands west of the Mojave Outpost, while he established the Strip as an independent and neutral buffer between them.

He didn't even bother considering a military alliance with the NCR against the Brotherhood. They'd had too much trouble holding off just the freaks playing colosseum in football uniforms, and seeing as how they'd been wiping out the Brotherhood for the past two decades... well, their presence would almost definitely raise tensions more than absolutely necessary (or helpful).

"And speaking of Jaune..." Pyrrha couldn't help her curiosity. She knew he was fine; that was a given. But still, she wanted to get back to her rightful place by her Arc-Angel's side. "Where is he, anyway? How is he doing?"

"Oh, Mr. Arc? He's been doing an excellent job in preventing the collapse of the NCR's lines. Hell, he's even been able to make an advance of his own, and he's about to reach the Legate's camp." House helpfully informed her. Then his eyes narrowed, and he asked: "By the way... did you know about Mr. Arc's... anomalous abilities?"

"Anomalous abilities?" Pyrrha repeated, confused.

"Yes, anomalous abilities." House repeated, accusingly. "Like making walls of ice with his sword?"

"Oh... those..." Pyrrha hadn't realized House had also borne witness to his divinity. "Honestly, I only found out about those myself, a few days ago..."

"I see..." House's voice was dry, but he gave Miss Nikos the benefit of the doubt. Even if she hadn't shown herself to be an exemplary and capable lieutenant, making accusations now would only be counter-productive at best. "Well, in any case, between his... anomalous abilities, and the fire support the Boomers are providing him, I doubt the Legion will pose much trouble to Mr. Arc. Perhaps Caesar's insistence that Mr. Arc was some sort of ultimate weapon held some truth... though I do hope he appreciates the irony of his ultimate weapon being turned on his Legion..."

"Jaune isn't a weapon." Pyrrha stated firmly, almost protectively, as she remembered how desperate Caesar had been, to get his hands on Jaune. At that time, she'd mocked the slaver, and it chafed at her, that he'd seen something about her Arc-Angel that she'd missed. Irregardless, she would not let him use the Arc-Angel for his own goals, to use Jaune's blatant divinity to legitimize his pathetic and delusional cult.

"I never said he was, Miss Nikos." House had more than enough experience with women to know a land mine when he'd spotted one, and he danced around it gracefully: "In any case... do you still have that print-out from the override console?"

"I do, though you still haven't told me what they're for..."

"Those papers set the terms for the NCR's unconditional surrender." House explained with a smile. "I thought you might enjoy the honor of presenting them to the NCR's commanding officer, once the Legion has been defeated. Now, go and link up with my Securitrons and Mr. Arc. Cheers!"

-ROAD TO HOOVER DAM, MOJAVE WASTELAND, TEN MINUTES LATER-

"Well, I guess that accounts for the force that took Camp Forlorn Hope..." Colonel James Hsu murmured, as the Super Mutants and the Kings mopped up the broken survivors, after the Brotherhood Vertibird had taught them the importance of air superiority.

"Indeed, Colonel." A voice came over his radio. "All that should be left of the Legion are the forces on the Dam. The bulk of our forces are hitting them from the East, but even with the package, it'll still take some time. In the meantime, please inform the General that we wish to meet with him."

"Not like I've got a choice..." Hsu muttered under his breath, as he once again eyed Pride One hovering just above his truck. Even if the Brotherhood of Steel hadn't saved his hide, he'd still have warned Hoover Dam in advance, if only so General Lee Oliver could find something else for Colonel Moore to do, and warn the troopers before they reflexively fired on the guys in power armor who had a fleet of Vertibirds, an army of Paladins and Super Mutants, and a giant death robot just a stone's throw away from their command center.

Picking up his radio, he quickly switched it to the command frequency, and began: "Hoover Dam Control, this is Colonel James Hsu, over."

"Colonel Hsu." Colonel Moore answered, much to Hsu's dismay. "We heard that Camp McCarran finally managed to drive off the Fiends."

"We did, Moore." Hsu confirmed coolly, ignoring the jab. If she thought she could do better after having half her soldiers relocated to the Dam, by all means, she could try next time. "I'm leading half a dozen trucks with reinforcements to the Hoover Dam as we speak, though there has been a slight delay..."

"Please, do explain, James." God, Hsu could just hear the smirk on the former ranger's voice, as he reined his temper in. Unlike her, he refused to play politics (especially not now!) or kiss ass, which was why he'd remained in Camp McCarran... but he was still a soldier. A professional.

"We ran into the forces that took Camp Forlorn Hope." Hsu explained. "We've just finished cleaning them up."

"Impossible." Moore snapped. "Intelligence pegged their strength as at least half a cohort. No way you could have wiped them out so fast."

"We had help." Hsu elaborated. "The same force that helped us defend McCarran joined us to reinforce the Dam."

"Do you really expect me to believe the fucking Kings and half a dozen trucks wiped out a quarter of a thousand Legionaries in five minutes?" Moore pointed out skeptically.

"We had... additional help." Hsu took a moment to imagine the look that was about to be on the Colonel's face. "Super Mutants from Jacobstown, and a squad of Brotherhood in a Vertibird."

"... Colonel Hsu, are you telling me there is a fucking Vertibird full of Brotherhood soldiers currently following you to Hoover Dam?" Moore's voice was dangerously quiet.

"Their leader wishes to meet the General." Colonel Hsu stated bluntly.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND, JAMES?!" Hsu held the radio away from his ear, wincing at the volume, hoping that the Brotherhood hadn't heard that.

Still worth it, though.

He waited with secret amusement as a string of curses and vulgarities flew out of the radio, before finally a gruff voice cut in, dismissing the furious former ranger.

"Colonel, this is General Lee Oliver." The gruff voice informed him. "You do remember that the Brotherhood and the NCR have been at war for over two decades?"

"Yes, sir, I am." Hsu fought down the annoyance in his voice. "But I'm also aware of how dire the situation is. Also... these aren't the Brotherhood we've been fighting, sir."

"What do you mean, colonel?" Oliver asked.

"I don't know all the details, sir, but apparently they left for the East before the war started." Hsu explained. "Sir, if I may... their assistance was vital in defending Camp McCarran, and apparently they have additional forces hitting the Legion in the rear. We should at least hear them out."

"The Vertibirds..." General Oliver murmured thoughtfully. He didn't know who the Brotherhood thought they were fooling, with the "Knights of the Citadel" shtick, and while he hadn't known the Brotherhood to have Vertibirds... well, no point in worrying. "Very well. Direct them to land outside the visitor center. I'll meet whoever is in charge. Colonel Moore, stay here and take command of the battle."

"Copy that, sir." Colonel Hsu said, before letting loose a sigh of relief at the fact that Colonel Moore would not be involved in the coming talks. Then he switched frequencies, and relayed the instructions to Pride One as his convoy rounded a hill, and Hoover Dam finally came into view.

His jaw dropped.

Walls of ice, almost as tall as the towers lining the dam, dotted its length, and even from this distance he could see the bodies, the smoke, the damage.

His jaw remained loose even as they reached the Dam, and the Vertibird landed in front of a crowd of shocked MPs and a stoic General Lee Oliver.

Then the Vertibird's doors slid open, and two power armored figures stepped out, removing their helmets.

The jaws of most of the MPs joined his men's on the floor.

"Greetings, General." The blonde began. "I am Elder Sarah Lyons, and this is Sentinel Ruby Ironwood, and we are from the Brotherhood of Steel, East Coast Chapter."

"General Lee Oliver, of the NCR Military." Oliver gruffly replied, ushering them into the visitor center's saferoom, while Hsu brought up the rear.

Once all four were inside, a heavy trooper and a veteran ranger closed the doors, and stood guard outside along with Paladin Reddin, and General Lee Oliver dropped formalities: "Let's cut the crap. Why are you helping us?"

"Your candor is certainly refreshing, general." Sarah replied drily.

"We are at war, you know." Oliver retorted. "And don't give me that crap about you being on the other side of the continent; that just makes this more suspicious."

"General!" Hsu hissed.

"Oh, don't get me wrong; we appreciate the help." Oliver clarified. "We're so desperate for help I'd probably accept a talking Deathclaw. But why are you here, now?"

There was a moment of silence.

Sarah finally spoke: "I'll be frank, general. I don't actually give a damn about your war. Our intervention in it is little more than a by-product of our true goals."

"And those are?" Oliver pushed.

"We're here to recover one of our top operatives, a hero of our war against the Enclave." Sarah explained, hoping that Ruby could continue to restrain herself. "He was believed killed in action, but we received word that he was in the Mojave a few weeks ago."

"So you're looking for a deserter?" Oliver raised an eyebrow.

Ruby bristled, but managed to control her snarl, as Sarah quickly corrected him: "Nothing of the sort. It seems that he was in a coma, until recently."

"And what does that have to do with this battle?" Hsu interjected. "If you're looking for him, why stop the Legion from kicking our ass?"

"Because he's a magnet for trouble." Sarah answered bluntly, giving the Sentinel a look from the corner of her eye, daring her to deny it. "If he was in the Mojave, it was a guarantee he'd end up getting involved in the battle, one way or another."

"... and you were so sure he'd get involved in a stranger's war, that you mobilized your chapter and flew to the other end of the continent to get him back?" Hsu and Oliver exchanged looks.

"We already know he's on Hoover Dam." Ruby said happily, almost smugly.

"How?" Hsu raised an eyebrow.

"The walls of ice." Sarah pointed out. "It's something he can do."

"... you're looking for the Lone Wanderer?!" Oliver exclaimed in surprise.

"No, no. Sentinel Ironwood here is the Lone Wanderer." Sarah explained casually. "Jaune Arc, the man who probably charged the Legion by himself, is her partner."

"... you really were the Lone Wanderer?" Hsu asked Ruby, unable to believe the King had been right.

"... the Lone Wanderer is Brotherhood?" Oliver muttered to himself incredulously, trying to reconcile the legends of the Lone Wanderer with the xenophobic and paranoid Brotherhood of Steel that he'd known and fought.

"I am." Ruby confirmed easily, fighting the urge to jump out of her seat and just charge across the Dam herself. "Now, general... where is my partner?"

-LEGATE'S CAMP, MOJAVE WASTELAND-

Jaune stood at the bottom of a small hill, surrounded by armed Legionaries, and looked up at the armored giant of a man glaring down at him from the top of the hill (at least, he thought he was being glared at... it was hard to tell through the mask), a massive weird sword (like the kind from the Divide) attached to his back, as he wondered where on the scale of bad plans his current actions ranked.

Probably not as high as the Divide of the Throat of the World, at least. Closer to the level of faking educational transcripts and going to Beacon without Aura, training, skill, or basic knowledge.

"An envoy of Vegas, yet you carry yourself for battle." The armored giant finally boomed in a deep baritone, nodding respectfully to Jaune. "And you dared to come here and face me, when even all of NCR would not. You cannot truly be of that city of cowards... Crocea Mors. We both know that. And yet, you still stand amongst those with whom you will never belong?"

Jaune's breathing hitched, but he forced himself to school his features, finding the words cutting deeper than he'd have expected. He still had no idea what the hell a Crocea Mors was... but what the Legate had said was true, even if he didn't know just how true it was.

He didn't belong to the world he was in, wasn't from it.

Seeing the resolution in Jaune's eyes flicker momentarily, Lanius pressed: "Why do you not join us, Crocea Mors? Us, who know your true worth? Us, who can unlock your fullest potential?"

Jaune spent a moment processing the Legate's words, before snorting involuntarily, much to Lanius's surprise.

Sure, he wasn't of Vegas, or even of this dimension, and Oum only knew how ridiculous he could find this reality at times...

But even so...

There's some comfort to be had there...

He remembered simply chilling in Vault 21 with a bottle of soda and a comic, finally having a moment to relax and enjoy life, without any pressing matters to worry about.

I believe in Pyrrha.

Vegas wasn't home... but it could be.

At the very least, he intended to see what kind of society Pyrrha and House built, and temper House's... cold logic, if necessary.

And most all...

"I'm pretty sure I'm more likely to achieve my goals with House and Pyrrha, than with a Legion of brutal slavers." Jaune spat, remembering Nipton.

"What can they teach you, Crocea Mors?" Caesar challenged, as he entered the Legate's camp, surrounded by his Praetorians and Vulpes Inculta, to the surprise of everyone in the Legate's camp. "How to run a business? Scam some hopeful suckers out of their life's savings? Rig a slot machine to never let you win? No, Crocea Mors... they squander your true potential!"

"Mighty Caesar..." Legate Lanius breathed, reflexively extending his arm forward, a salute echoed by all the Legion in the camp.

"Legatus Lanius, I applaud you for your actions in holding the Crocea Mors." Caesar nodded to his favored Legate, before turning his attention back to Jaune. "Crocea Mors... I can teach you everything about history, about warfare, about how to truly brutalize and break your foes! Join me, become my weapon, and together, we can bring the torch of civilization to the Wasteland, to transform it into a new Pax Romana!"

"No thanks." Jaune didn't even bother thinking about it. He may have had his reservations about House, but he had less than zero interest in... breaking or brutalizing his foes, or bringing Legion civilization to the Wasteland.

He still remembered the rows of crucified and helpless people, left to die, in Nipton and on the Dam.

Presumably, the "torch" would be a pile of burning tires and bodies.

"And I'm not a weapon, either." Jaune added as an afterthought. "You've got the wrong guy."

"The Enclave would beg to differ, Crocea Mors." Caesar answered bluntly.

"The Enclave were trying to take over the Capital Wasteland." Jaune defended. "It was war, kill or be killed."

"And that is where your star shines the brightest, Crocea Mors!" Caesar refused to relent. "Your legend is forged in the crucible of war! Why do you deny your right, your strength?!"

"Because that isn't my strength." Jaune replied, shaking his head self-deprecatingly. He'd never been the best at combat... and as the Courier had told him...

"Fighting wouldn't have saved both the skull-worshipping Nightkin and the Bright Brotherhood." Jaune recalled, smiling softly. "Fighting wouldn't have saved the NCR hostages or the Great Khans at Boulder City. Fighting wouldn't have helped me with House, or Ulysses, or Daniel and Joshua."

"You dare mention his name?!" Caesar snarled, flying into a rage at the mention of the Malpais Legate, who he had personally declared damnatio memoriae. On pain of death.

In a cold fury, he condemned Jaune: "You have been tainted by the weakness of the NCR, Crocea Mors. Lanius! Break him!"

"It will be done, Mighty Caesar." Lanius intoned, leaping down from the hill. As he drew the Blade of the East and approached Jaune, he declared, in full view of the Legion: "I shall make a cape of your skin. And your skull - it shall sit by my side, mute, watching as my armies march West. And all shall know that I am the true Monster of the East, not a weapon that refuses to be one, as you fall to me, and me alone."

Jaune just rolled his eyes, not even bothering to respond.

Oum, the new Legate could have really stood to take a few lessons from Yang (both of them).

Or a dragon.

Or a Nightkin.

Or Liberty Prime.

Lanius roared, and leapt at Jaune, as fast as a Veteran Ranger, swinging his blade at Jaune's side, intending to wound him, to make him bleed.

In a split second, Jaune's scabbard was attached to his arm, already transforming into a shield as it was raised up, intercepting the blade.

Not nearly as strong as a behemoth.

Lanius didn't waste a moment; as his blade bounced off, he turned it with it, before spinning around, and driving it down at the boy's head.

Jaune raised his own sword, and swatted the massive blade to the side, before smashing his shield into the Legate's chest as he unwittingly buried the Blade of the East into the ground.

Lanius released his blade and forcefully gripped at the edges of Jaune's shield, as he planted his feet and attempted to send the boy flying.

Jaune simply transformed his shield back into a scabbard, and as the Legate suddenly and unexpectedly slammed his fists together around it, his grip loosened, and Jaune took the opportunity to duck to the side, before driving his dragonbone blade through his back.

And as the Legate fell to his knees weakly, Jaune channeled his Aura into his blade, mentally focusing on lightning, making sure to give the man as swift of an end as he could.

Arcs of electricity danced around the Legate's metal armor, and he twitched and writhed, before finally toppling over lifelessly, in full view of the Legion.

"KILL HIM!" Caesar finally roared furiously, and the Legionaries around him spurred into action.

Jaune quickly flicked his scabbard back into a shield as he spun around, blocking bullets and thrown spears, before channeling his Aura into his sword once more, and plunging it into the ground.

A wave of ice suddenly sprang forth, freezing the Legionaries around him in place temporarily.

He wasted no time, as he immediately lashed out at anyone around him with his sword and shield, while rushing towards the exit of the camp, towards Caesar.

A line of centurions stood in his way, thermic lances pointed forwards like a row of medieval pikemen.

Jaune simply batted the first aside, before exploiting the gap to quickly step right in front of them, right in their formation, too close for them to properly bring their cumbersome long weapons to bear.

A super sledge slammed into his shield, before it and it's owner were simply sent flying away from a now glowing Jaune, in a flash of white light.

Praetorians moved to intercept him, while Vulpes attempted to flank him, and ballistic fists flew at him while the Frumentarius attempted to drive a ripper into his back.

The teeth of the ripper skittered against Jaune's sword, as he instinctively parried the blow, before one of the teeth finally caught against his blade. There was a whine as the chainknife's motor tried and failed to cut through the unworldly material, before the teeth simply began snapping off against the blade, much to Vulpes's surprise.

Then his eyes widened even further, as Jaune blocked a ballistic fist, barely moving even as the impact triggered the built-in shotgun, and a shell ricocheted off of his shield and tore through the Praetorian's arm.

The second Praetorian's ballistic fist sailed past Jaune's side as he dodged it, before gripping the man's arm as it flew past him and slammed it in Vulpes's chest, and decapitating the Praetorian with a backswing of his blade.

Caesar and his two remaining Praetorians raised their own arms, but before Jaune could engage them, the massive metal doors to the Legate's camp blew right off their hinges.

Caesar fell to the ground, as the heavy metal barely missed him and squashed one of his men, before ominous red glows could be seen through the smoke, and heavy footfalls thundered.

And with a loud cry of "TO THE KING", the Knights of the Citadel burst into the camp, gatling lasers and laser rifles unleashing death across the Legion.

-EASTERN END OF HOOVER DAM, MOJAVE WASTELAND-

From her position at the front of the Securitron army, Pyrrha cautiously eyed the approaching NCR to her left, and the Brotherhood army storming the Legate's camp to her right, even as she gritted her teeth behind her elite riot helmet in impatience and frustration.

Quietly, she prayed for the Arc-Angel for patience, understanding, and forgiveness, that her return to his side had been delayed by... circumstances outside of her control.

She had wanted to rush to Jaune's side, as soon as she'd had the army! She truly had!

And she knew Jaune would know it to, able to read the thoughts in her heart!

But she really couldn't!

As she'd left Hoover Dam and linked up with the Securitrons from the Fort, the Legion had suddenly launched one last, desperate push, and even though she'd easily wiped them out, it had still taken time.

When she'd finally reached the Legate's camp, the Brotherhood army had gotten there first.

The situation was too precarious and unstable, with too many unknown variables (like whether the Brotherhood were hostile) for her to simply walk in, even with the army behind her!

She just hoped Jaune was okay...

Not that she had any doubts, of course.

Even as she watched cautiously, impatiently, looking out for any sign of her angel, General Lee Oliver approached her (the NCR having used her actions to finally advance across the Dam), looking around with approval at the dead Legionaries all over the place as he commended her: "You're that Courier I've been hearing so much about. Been a long time since I've seen the kind of work you've laid down today... a damn long time.

"Speaking of - that crazy lightshow over the Fort, what the fuck was that, some kind of thumb from God you called down? Amazing, fucking amazing."

Reluctantly, she turned from the camp to face him, ready to hand him House's new treaty, before her eyes widened, as she spotted the power armored figures walking next to him.

Since when were the NCR and the Brotherhood working together?!

Before she could ask any questions, a commotion from the camp caught her attention, and everyone turned to it.

Jaune Arc walked out of the camp, sword sheathed by his side, rubbing his head sheepishly as he talked with Head Paladin Vargas: "Look, Vargas, I'm glad to see you're all doing okay... but what are you doing here? I thought the Capital Wasteland was on the other end of the continent!"

Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that he was physically unharmed, and seemed to simply be having a friendly talk with the unexpected Brotherhood forces.

Then again, as expected of the Arc-Angel. His words and nature could truly win anyone over. And even if the Brotherhood had wanted to hurt him... well, she'd just pity the Brotherhood, before she burned them all.

"Jaun-" Pyrrha tried calling out.

Unfortunately, she was drowned out by a much louder: "JAUNE!"

Jaune's eyes widened, as a figure in power armor with a sword strapped to its back began sprinting right at him, foot-falls thundering as she ripped her helmet off.

More importantly, that voice... that face...

"Ruby!?" Jaune yelped, as the figure was suddenly in front of him, and he found himself more grateful than ever for his Aura, as he was almost knocked off his feet by the force of her diving at him, enveloping him in a tight bear hug, mouth rapidly chattering: "JauneI'msogladtoseeyouhowdidyousurvivehowdidyougetherewhere-"

"Let him breathe, Ruby." Sarah said in amusement, as she fondly watched the pair's usual antics. Then she smiled at him, and sternly, jokingly, said: "Welcome back, Jaune. You've been KIA and AWOL for 4 years."

"I-uh-but..." Jaune stuttered, trying to process what in Oum's name was going on.

"Nice to see you're the one having your mind blown, for once." Sarah snickered, before stepping back, and taking in a large breath.

Before she could give the Brotherhood the order to salute, Vargas pre-empted her: "KNIGHTS OF THE CITADEL! SALUTE THE PENDRAGON!"

The ground shook, as hundreds of power-armored boots stomped the ground in unison as their wearers snapped to attention.

Jaune's jaw dropped, unable to figure out what KIA or AWOL meant, or what Oum's name a Pendragon was, but as Ruby looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, and called out his name softly, asking if it really was him, he did the only thing that came to mind.

He gently brushed the hair out of her eyes, before soothingly rubbing the back of her head.

Pyrrha watched the proceedings with increasing frustration.

Yes, it was good to see the Arc-Angel getting the recognition he deserved... but their lack of formality was vexing.

More importantly, that girl was still laying her hands on the Arc-Angel!

Then Jaune patted her on the head, and something inside Pyrrha snapped as the raven-haired harlot buried her face into Jaune's chest, snuggling against him with a smile.

"House has something for you." Pyrrha forced out, off-handedly shoving the piece of paper into Oliver's chest.

There. Job done.

She then stormed her way to Jaune's side, and grunted as she forcefully pushed the two away, growling: "Get your hands off him!"

"Hey!" Ruby protested at the rough treatment, as the Knights of the Citadel bristled. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" Pyrrha threw back the question with a snarl. "Just who do you think you are, to lay your hands on Jaune like that?!"

"I'm Ruby Ironwood, his partner and student!" Ruby huffed indignantly, as Sarah just buried her head in her hands, and the Brotherhood cheered.

"Well, I'm Pyrrha Nikos, his current partner." Pyrrha shot back hotly, trying to pull Jaune behind her.

"We haven't seen Jaune in over 4 years, Miss... Nikos." Sarah cut in harshly, as Ruby refused to relinquish her grip, and the present members of the Lyons' Pride exchanged knowing looks. "I'm sure Jaune would rather enjoy our reunion without your... interruption."

"That's right!" Ruby crowed. "Tell her, Invincible Boy!"

"Well, you're getting in the way of what Jaune and I planned to do after the battle!" Pyrrha argued. "Tell them, Jaune!"

"Jaune!"

"Jaune!"

"Jaune!"

Meanwhile, General Oliver scanned through the piece of paper the Courier had given him, murmuring: "What is this... the Free Economic Zone of New Vegas... what the hell does that mean?! Oh, wait, here we go. Demands NCR's immediate withdrawal... withdrawal? Like fucking hell we're withdrawing! What the fuck is this?!"

Jaune simply looked around, from Sarah, Ruby, and the Brotherhood to one side, to the Courier and the Securitron army to another, and an increasingly-irate General Lee Oliver and NCR army to a third, before finally sighing, completely and utterly lost on what was going on, and what he was supposed to do.


Author's Note: And here we go, with the grand climactic finale to both the Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas arcs, as I throw everything into the Second Battle of Hoover Dam except for the Sink. What's "restraint"? Why are you looking for the non-existent brakes on this train?

As for why I basically threw absolutely everything into the Second Battle... well, originally, like in Two Worlds; One Arc, my "plans" (for lack of a better word) were that this would be the climactic finale to the major Arc-ventures. After this, it'd just be tying up loose ends and getting him back to Remnant... but seeing just how much I've already deviated from anything resembling the previous story... well, if I were about to continue, I probably just blew my load pre-maturely, for lack of a better word, didn't I?

No matter.

If I decide to continue on, even if the stakes will never be this high... all I have to do is top myself, right? No big deal.

Well, that's a big "if".

And no, I doubt that 24 Vertibirds could actually lift LIBERTY PRIME in reality. However, in Fallout 3 he was lifted over the walls by a single industrial crane, and since these are supposed to be a tad more advanced than Ospreys, I figured it'd be fine to let him arrive Pacific Rim style. Maybe it's just one of those little quirks of the alternate reality that is the Fallout universe.

Also, just a reminder about the way the Fallout universe went... in 1969, the United States consolidated the 50 States into 13 Commonwealths, which is why the Old World Flag is not 50 stars and 13 stripes, but 12 smaller stars circling 1 bigger star, and 13 stripes. And that is why Liberty Prime suffixed the State of Nevada with the Southwestern Commonwealth.

Also, another reminder; Jaune Arc isn't the Saint of the Great Journey. That's Chris Haversam. Jaune and Pyrrha are one step below, as Friends of the Bright Brotherhood. Also, as for how Antlerites and Bright Brotherhood know that people need help... well, the Bright Brotherhood somehow figured it out in canon, and there is a psychic in the game. Who knows? Maybe there is something to Davison's Antler and Bright's Creator after all...

As for why the Prydwen and Liberty Prime aren't at the Legate Camp... Vargas ordered them to head south, to continue clearing out the Legion. After all, the Brotherhood has already made their point to the NCR and the Legion, shown just how much power they commanded, and how much they were willing to throw around for the sake of one man. Keeping the Prydwen and Liberty Prime around would have only served to inflame tensions, and make the NCR more paranoid. Sometimes, a subtle threat hanging over your head is better than a Fat Man being constantly waved in your face.

Just to add some clarification, regarding what I mentioned in the last chapter about oil... once again, the Fallout universe is a different world from ours, not just a different timeline. In the Fallout world, the US military invades Mexico to ensure continued oil exports from them in 2051. In 2052, according to the Fallout Bible, "a television documentary into the withered husk of the Texas oil fields brings the oil shortage into the American households, and reveals how deep the energy crisis runs". Meanwhile, over the pond, the Resource Wars officially begin, with the European Commonwealth and the Middle East going to war due to the Middle East raising prices on fossil fuels, which only ends in 2060, as even the oil wells of the Middle East run dry, the European Commonwealth descending into civil war, and traffic across the globe grinds to a halt as fuel is too precious to be wasted on automobiles. By 2066. the US manages to create the world's first crude power cell, but of course still refuses to export any fossil fuels. In response, a China suffering from an energy crisis invades Anchorage, causing the Sino-American War (which would later become known as the Great War). And, by 2073, the US has tapped the world's final known oil reserve, deep under the Pacific Ocean (which would later become the Enclave Oil Rig).

And so, when I said in the last chapter that the only oil on US soil would be in Anchorage... I should have said, it might be in Anchorage. The status of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is honestly unclear, but seeing as how the US was willing to shoot protestors for attempting to sabotage it even in 2076 (a year before the Great War ended), I'm assuming that there was some oil still left in the well. And no, I'm not counting the oil in the Pacific; it's unreachable as of 2281, and in any case the Pacific is not US soil (especially not after the Enclave Oil Rig was blown up).