CHAPTER TWO: A MEETING OF FORCES.
By Desert Ranger Caracal.
LOCATION: Westside's West Entrance.
DATE: OCTOBER 22ND 2281.
TIME: 11:30AM.
TEMPERATURE: 93°F OR 34°C.
Westside was a fairly rough place in the Mojave wasteland. though one that fiercly held onto independence as much as it could. Even if it wasn't the best place around, it had a spirit that was nigh indomitable, something that the Free Mojave Forces respected for certain. Which was why when word of the militia's existence began spreading through Westside, some individuals were getting excited already, and contemplating joining up with this mysterious militia.
Before too long, the militia chose to act and get recruits from the freedom minded area. They sent Ruth out to get some capable recruits the day after they sent Rachel and Isaac to scout the NCRCF and surrounding areas, like Nipton. After all, she had sharp senses, knew how to talk to wastelanders, and capable of holding her own with little issue. Soon enough, she was at the West Entrance, making his way to enter before he heard one of the Westside Militia yell loudly as he began raising his shotgun. She turned, and saw 7 goddamn Fiends charging, high on a mix of Psycho and Jet.
Ruth quickly unholstered her Colt 6520, and began firing 10MM Jacketed Hollow Points quickly at the fiends, attempting to kill them as fast as she could. Her shots weren't the most accurate due to her somewhat panicked state, but when the screaming hot bullets hit and mushroomed hard in fiends, fiends slumped to the ground and gave up the ghost quickly. Amazingly this didn't deter the crazy bastards, seemingly high on not just the chems in their bloodstream, but also on some sense of divine wrath.
Whatever the case, Ruth dispatched four fiends before she had to reload, which gave the nearby members of the westside militia enough time to kill the remaining three with their single-shot shotguns and other Gun Runner bargain bin shooters. After everybody reloaded and caught enough breath to express their relief, Ruth holstered her pistol and entered Westside.
Westside wasn't the safest place, in the south were an infestation of fiends galore, who often harassed the north whenever they wanted to rob, steal or murder when they were bored. That and rumors of people disappearing in town also were common, but there was no evidence to back it up yet. As Ruth made her way with investigating the place, she could tell that a few human members of the Westside Militia were following. Taking a chance, she turned into one of the bunkers to see if they followed, and they did. When she stopped and looked at them, she chuckled softly and spoke.
"Now if you three have followed me for a reason, you better say it now or I'm gonna assume you've come to kill me, and if that's the case I can put ya'll down faster than you can blink."
She warned, to which they shook their heads as the middle one spoke.
"No ma'am, we heard rumors that you'd come here from the Free Mojave Forces, and we were looking to join up, maybe with some friends of ours too."
He said, to which Ruth nodded at, before slowly walking to the three of them before extending a hand.
"If ya'll are lying you're gonna pay, if not, then I'm more than happy to let you know you're made the right call. The name's Ruth, one of the founding members of the Free Mojave Forces."
She said, to which the three prospective recruits extended their hands, letting her shake each of them.
"Now before any of ya'll can become members, meeting with my commander and the militia's founder, Joseph is required. I'll lead you into the base and ya'll can meet him from there."
She said, walking out of the alleyway, with the three interested fighters following behind her.
After they entered the bunker, Ruth introduced them to Joseph, who made sure they were legitimate before welcoming them in, making them privates and having them sent to the armory to get some gear and begin training soon afterwards. The caracal was a bit on edge, hoping for the safety of the three who were out in the wild. Rodriguez was making his way to the 188 to recon with Rachel and Isaac the next day, who had just reached the town of Nipton.
LOCATION: THE TOWN OF NIPTON, CALIFORNIA.
DATE: OCTOBER 23RD 2281.
TIME: 1:30PM.
TEMPERATURE: 95°F OR 35°C.
The two scouting anthros stood at once was the entrance of the town, mouths slightly agape at the sight as they attempted to numb themselves to the horrors they saw. Piles of tires alight, burning constantly the day after the brutality of the nightmare the townsfolk were subjected to. Before too long, Issac and Rachel walked into the town of Nipton, horrified at how they walked into what would be considered one of Caesar's ultimate atrocities: The burning of Nipton. All they could see were raging tire fires, and other such horrors.
When they walked to the main street and saw the barely alive, crucified men, Rachel nearly vomited on the spot. Isaac quickly unholstered his H&K MP9 and looked around. Other than the crucified men, there were no signs of life as far as they could tell. The place was a true necropolis, with the crucified men being the last signs of life the town seemed to have. Isaac looked to the general store, seeing that it looked intact as Rachel did the same. They silently agreed to enter it, walking in as quickly as they could, even slamming the door behind them after both of them entered.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? CAN'T I OVERDOSE ON MED-X IN PEACE HERE WITHOUT SOMEONE INTERRUPTING MY ASS?"
Let out a beyond pissed man, sitting in a chair with a few doses of Med-X in his hands. He was crippled as hell, legs broken to bits with sledgehammers by the legion, and he clearly wasn't in the mood to talk much based on how desperate and agonized he looked.
"What in the everloving fuck happened here?"
Asked Isaac, holstering his SMG before he got an answer.
"The Legion happened, what did you think? The whole town going out for a picnic while setting up Legion flags and tire fires to deter thieves? Me and my friends had ourselves a deal with the fuckwit of a mayor, we were gonna ransom off some NCR boys for a good price, and keep the money and guns we got off them. Then before we know it, the whole town is out and in town square, when an asshole with a dog on his head begins calling us bad people, and how we needed to be punished."
He said, before Rachel cut him off.
"We don't need to be told all the details, we know what the Legion can do. Did anyone come through before us?"
"Yeah, some bitch who previously stopped some friends of mine from taking over Goodsprings popped by yesterday just after the shitfest happened. Still, she had the decency to gave me these chems that I was going to overdose on before you rudely interrupted me. Now if you excuse me, I'd like to fucking take the Med-X now."
He said, before Rachel and Isaac nodded, leaving the General Store, and Boxcars, who shortly afterwards injected three doses of Med-X right into the jugular, all at once, killing himself in seconds.
The fox and wolf didn't stay much longer, leaving as quickly as they could in an attempt to take the shortest path they could to Novac, and later on, the 188. They'd rather not stay in a place like this, and they didn't have the ammunition to provide mercy killings for the crucified. It took them a good few hours to reach Novac, the giant dinosaur being a massive beacon for the two scouts as they easily came to the town, having a surprisingly clear path.
Seems like someone who was acting fast was on the same path, most likely the person who Boxcars was talking about. They noted how usual paths that would have raiders attempting to steal their shit were, emptier than expected, and on further investigation proved that said raiders had been killed and looted of anything useful.
It was a good sight, albeit a little unnerving at the same time. Someone was quick on the same trail for certain, and it felt like Rachel and Isaac were far behind. They didn't waste much time and when they reached Novac, they'd arrived in the final minutes of light. As such, they began making a bee line to the hotel as soon as they could. They quickly noticed that something was, amiss when the gates weren't just open, but also that a body was out on the rocks in front of the dinosaur.
Rachel made her way to it, finding it to be the recently deceased Jeannie May Crawford. Evaluating her corpse told little, not like it seemed to matter much, as the man in the dino's mouth didn't think much of the two. Having been in Novac before, Rachel knew that there was basically no way for them to get a room easily. So she pulled Isaac away and lead him upstairs to the Dino Bite gift shop, and made her way right to Cliff Briscow.
"Welcome back to the Dino Bite gift shop, it's been a while since you last came into town."
He said, leaning against the wall as he looked at Rachel and Isaac come in.
"We saw Jeannie May outside, dead on the ground. We need to know what happened and if we can get a room for the night."
Rachel explained, as Cliff nodded.
"According to Boone, she was killed by a raider who was trying to come into town, who he shot soon afterwards. He doesn't know why she was in front of Dinky, but it's not like we can ask her now."
Cliff explained, telling a story he assumed was the truth due to what little he knew. The two of them nodded, and Rachel soon replied.
"That is a shame, she was a good woman from my experiences with her. Now if there's no way for us to get a room at the hotel, we'll buy some things and go."
Rachel said, walking to the counter, as either way, she did need to get some more ammo.
"Well you are paying customers, and there is at least one spare room in the hotel. Tell you what, if you pay 50 caps and both of you buy one of the T-Rexes, I'll give you the key for the night."
Rachel let out a light giggle before replying.
"Still trying to get rid of those toys? Sure, we'll pay."
She said, as Isaac came to the counter and opened up his pockets. They paid up, splitting the cost of the room, and purchasing ammo for themselves. Isaac simply put the dino toy in a pouch and Rachel did the same, before Cliff passed Rachel the key.
"Come back with the key tomorrow morning, I hope the room is up to your standards."
He said, before the fox and wolf left and made their way to their hotel room for the night. The room wasn't very big, but it was capable of letting them rest for the moment. Rachel kicked things off by grabbing a table and pulling it to a nearby chair, before beginning to strip her DKS 501 and clean it, not having gotten the chance during the scouting mission, where she put a few rounds downrange with little issue.
Isaac began to wait so he could do the same for his SMG, as it had gotten a bit of carbon in the internals due to a scuffle with some powder gangers. Neither of them were keen to talk about what happened in Nipton, not till they could talk to Rodriguez or Joseph about what they had seen.
Rachel soon was finished with her work, and after letting the bolt chamber a new round and putting the rifle on safe, she got up and let Isaac do the same for his SMG. Rachel spent a good amount of time in observing how the wolf cleaned the gun, able to tell that the vet knew his way around maintenance, especially when it came to cleaning the bolt and its rollers. Isaac soon heard her voice after he chambered a round in the SMG.
"Has Zechariah been teaching you how to maintain that thing? I don't think anyone besides you and him clean guns so diligently."
Isaac lifted his head, and saw Rachel sitting on the bed. He chuckled a little bit, and stood up before speaking.
"Actually no, the NCR drills to clean these things really drilled it in, though our tuft-eared armorer does love to watch me hand in a clean gun, if only because it means he doesn't have to work so hard with me. I think he's chewed Joseph out for not cleaning his guns while out in the field before, but that's something only those two know about."
Isaac said as Rachel let out a little bit of laughter.
"Now that sounds like a show I wanna see, the big guy himself getting chewed out by one of his own for not keeping his guns tidy. Still, I think he'd be more appreciative for someone who knows his shit telling him that rather than some high and mighty books smart NCR armorer who's never had to deal with inexperienced individuals fucking up guns in bizarre ways."
Isaac groaned a little bit, his mind flushing in memories of when he was a grunt.
"Oh god, that reminds me of the time when I watched my armorer verbally skin a lieutenant alive for jamming his rifle so badly that it was literally unfixable. You haven't lived till you've seen a decently sized cheetah make a notably larger man back away in genuine fear after fucking up that badly."
Isaac said, laughing a good bit afterwards. He didn't mention just how pale the lieutenant had gotten during the verbal assault, pale enough that he looked more like a molerat than an NCR lieutenant. Regardless, Rachel was laughing about it quite a bit.
"I don't think I could keep myself from laughing in that situation! Holy fuck, I bet he must have been horrified at that!"
"You have no idea! That wasn't the last time either, I think about a year later, he threw a broken pistol at a Sergeant after said Sergeant used it as a door-stopper."
He said as Rachel let out another set of laughs.
"I mean he never gave me shit, if only because I actually tried to keep my guns in check, and I actually learned things from him. I think he's out of the NCR military and in civilian life, I would hope at least."
Isaac said, finishing off what he had to say before Rachel piped in.
"I never saw Zech get that angry, or close to that kind of angry. I think it's because he made sure to teach the new recruits just how to keep their guns in check. Plus HK-91's and RPD's are hard to break, so that made his job easier."
Rachel said before getting up and walking to the window, opening the curtain slowly before speaking.
"Night's beginning to fall, how's this whole sleeping thing gonna go?"
She asked as Isaac got up and began approaching her.
"Simple, we're gonna play some rock paper scissors, best out of three sound good?"
Isaac nodded, and extended his paws to begin a game. When morning came after their night of rest, Isaac got off of the floor with a groan, somewhat used to sleeping on uncomfortable surfaces due to his NCR service, and Rachel woke up with much more pep in her step. The two visited Cliff and returned the key before heading on the path to the 188, they didn't know that something monumental would happen there, nobody would until at least a few months afterwards.
LOCATION: BOULDER CITY.
DATE: OCTOBER 24TH 2281.
TIME: 1:30PM.
TEMPERATURE: 90°F OR 32°C.
It had been over four years since August of 2277, when Caesar's Legion attempted to take Hoover Dam from the NCR and failed immensely. Hanlon and Oliver had Boulder City blown to bits to ensure they didn't lose the dam, and their explosive gamble paid off. The Legion lost the battle, and the Malpais Legate had burned for his mistake before being thrown down the grand canyon.
Boulder City was the most immediate reminder of the NCR's desperation to keep the Legion from spreading, due to the fact that the only real change since the destruction was a monument containing the names of all who sacrificed themselves to halt the Legionaries in their tracks.
Rodriguez had come to spend a bit of time at the bar to refill on some whiskey, as Michelle wasn't selling booze, but he did get some 12 gauge shells from her so it wasn't a loss. Before he could walk to the Big Horn Saloon, he heard and saw a commotion coming from the nearby Ruins, and began to approach.
"Thank you for getting the privates freed, but I have a new problem on my hands. I got an order over the radio to take out the Khans, with or without hostages."
A voice said, as Rodriguez got closer he could see two individuals negotiating, one being a Lieutenant and the other being a wastelander. The wastelander wore reinforced leather armor, had a battered cowboy repeater on her back and seemed to have a Pip Boy on her arm. Her dark skin bore various scars from years of hard work, including one on her head that seemed to tell of a more recent trauma.
"The Khans let the hostages go so they could leave without a scratch."
She reminded the Lieutenant, watching the man carefully as she stood still.
"Look, my hands are tied here. I can't go against orders, right?"
He asked, before she quickly replied.
"If you still have your integrity, you'll honor the deal."
She said, before the Lieutenant nodded and spoke.
"Alright, you speak true. I'll let my men know to let the Khans go free."
He said, to which he walked into the ruins as she began to walk off. Rodriguez was impressed at her negotiating ability, not many people could get a member of the NCR's military to let Khans go. She had potential for being a great member of the militia. As she began to walk off, beginning to resume her path to Vegas, Rodriguez followed, before speaking up.
"Hey miss, care to talk for a bit?"
He asked, to which the wastelander stopped, turning around and letting out a little grin.
"Shoot."
She said, ready to listen.
"I saw what you did over there, convincing an NCR man to let Khans go? That's no easy feat. The name's Rodriguez, what's yours?"
He asked, extending his hand to her. She extended hers, firmly grabbed his hand and shook it firmly.
"I prefer to not say my real name, just call me Courier Six."
She answered, pulling her hand away as Rodriguez spoke.
"That's not what I was expecting to hear, but I do like that. Courier Six, it's got a nice ring to it."
He said, letting a light chuckle out before continuing.
"Still, that ain't the point. I'm part of a militia you likely haven't heard of, and I'm looking for recruits. You look like a capable fighter, and you sure as hell are someone with good judgement."
He said, to which the Courier spoke.
"Well what the hell is the goal of this militia you're recruiting for?"
She asked, a little impatient, but not against the idea so far.
"Our goal is simple, we want to see the Mojave back in the hands of those who live in it. We want the NCR out as a military power, and we want Caesar's Legion out of the Mojave, wiped clean off the map if possible. We intend to make the Mojave truly free, and clean of those who would subjugate its people to NCR bureaucracy, Caesar's brutality, or any other form of slavery. Hell, we intend to destroy the Mojave slave trade in general, alongside the remaining gangs and such."
He explained as the courier listened, thinking slowly before asking another question.
"Why do you think your militia can do this better than the NCR has?"
"Because I and the other founders are former desert rangers, and the head honcho of our organization has spent ten years fighting in the wastes against the Legion, slavers and other such scum. That and we did this already with a different town's militia."
He answered.
"A different militia? Why aren't you working with them right now?"
She asked.
"Because that's small scale and I doubt they'd be interested, not unless we gave them a great reason. So this is what we're doing."
He said. The courier thought about it for a little longer before nodding and speaking.
"Alright, I'll join. Lead the way."
She said, to which Rodriguez smiled and spoke.
"Excellent. Now I do need to wait at the 188 before I can take you to the base, so come with me and we can discuss things there while we wait."
He said, before beginning to walk there. Before either of them could walk too far, a TV on wheels with a cowboy face on the monitor rolled up to the Courier and spoke.
"Well I'll be, didn't expect to see you here. Looks like you've dealt with those ruffians rather effectively."
It said, speaking like an old timey cowboy.
"Yes I did, now I'll be going on my way if you don't mind."
She said, before the machine replied.
"When you get to New Vegas, the first drinks are on me."
It said, before rolling off to the shining jewel of the Mojave. Rodriguez didn't say anything about it, thinking it would be best to not mention that strange incident right now. The two of them were waiting at the 188's bar a half hour later, when Isaac and Rachel had reached the 188.
"Rodriguez, who's this with you?" Isaac asked as the older ranger got up and laughed a bit.
"She's a potential recruit, she's got good judgement and seems to hold our goals in mind."
He answered, to which Rachel walked over to the Courier and smiled.
"The name's Rachel, the inquiring wolf behind me is named Isaac."
She said, before Rodriguez got up.
"Now care to tell me what was going on over at Nipton or would you prefer to wait till we got back to base?"
He asked, before Isaac spoke.
"Long story short, Nipton's fucked and we need to get back to base."
He said, to which the Courier stood up and spoke.
"He's right, let's get going now."
The other members quietly agreed before resuming their trek, with their new recruit in tow. After a good while, they reached the bunker and went inside.
LOCATION: FREE MOJAVE FORCES HEADQUARTERS.
DATE: OCTOBER 24TH 2281.
TIME: 10:23PM.
TEMPERATURE: 50°F OR 10°C.
It was late at night as the travelers entered the bunker, the four of them taking their time to walk in and see what was going on. Joseph stood up slowly, and began to approach the four of them as he spoke.
"So I take it the recon mission was a success, and you got a new recruit in the process. Rachel, Isaac, tell me what you saw before you met back up with Rodriguez."
Joseph said, before Rachel cleared her throat and spoke.
"Guess we're doing things chronologically then. First things first, Goodsprings successfully resisted an incursion from the Powder Gangers. Afterwards, watched someone clear out Primm of outlaws and make Primm Slimm the sheriff."
She said, before taking a deep breath, bracing herself for her next words.
"Then... we saw Nipton burnt to the ground. Most of those still there were crucified with the exception of a crippled man who killed himself right after we talked to him. It was horrific enough that we had to make a bee line right to Novac afterwards. Make no mistake, the Legion are going to ramp this up till they're defeated, or they take over."
Rachel warned as Joseph's fur bristled underneath his armor, reminding him of the horrors he'd seen perpetrated by Caesar's Legion.
"Is that all?"
He asked, flicking his ears about before Rachel nodded a little.
"One last thing of note. In Novac we saw that the owner of the motel was dead. According to Cliff she was killed by a raider, but we do have our doubts."
She said, before Joseph nodded and turned to the Courier.
"Now then, just like any other recruit I'd like to know why you are interested in joining with my here militia."
He said, perking his ears up as he listened to her.
"Simple, I want to see a free Mojave wasteland just like you."
She said, not speaking much.
"Well if that's the case then you're absolutely in the right place. Care to tell me your name?"
"Just call me Courier Six, I don't give my real name out often."
She said, with Rodriguez speaking soon afterwards.
"She may not seem like much, but she's got a good head on her shoulders. I offered her the choice to join after she convinced an NCR soldier to let some Great Khans go."
He said, to which Joseph really perked his ears up at.
"Really now? You've brought me someone who can convince the NCR to let Khans go?"
Joseph asked, as Rodriguez nodded to confirm. The caracal chuckled a bit, turning his head to the Courier.
"I'm mighty impressed in that case, I've seen Khans and NCR commit to battle in various ways, a peaceful solution between them both is not an easy thing to do. Anything else you'd like to mention before becoming an official member of the militia?"
Courier Six let out a little chuckle before speaking.
"Actually, yes. Not to brag but I was the one who mobilized the defense of Goodsprings, I brought the law back to Primm, and I helped get Jeannie May get killed for selling a woman off to Caesar's Legion."
The room stood still as everyone processed just what she said, and Joseph let out a whistle, impressed.
"Seems like my scouts were following your work if that's the case. I gotta congratulate you on that. Without further ado, welcome to the Free Mojave Forces, Courier Six."
Joseph said, walking over to the courier as he extended a hand, shaking hers firmly before speaking.
"You will be issued gear tomorrow and begin participating in drills with the other recruits. Rachel will show you to the barracks. Dismissed."
He said, pulling his hand away before walking off to check in with Deborah. Rachel didn't waste much time as she lead the Courier to the barracks, where other recruits like her were getting ready for bed. There wasn't much of an introduction given as the Courier hit the sack with the others. And seemingly as soon as they went to bed, Russell was sounding the bell for everyone to wake up.
LOCATION: FREE MOJAVE FORCES HEADQUARTERS.
DATE: OCTOBER 25TH 2281.
TIME: 6:53AM.
TEMPERATURE: 79°F OR 24°C.
After a meager breakfast of MRE's passed out by Isaac, the Courier was sent to the Armory to get the standard issue recruit gear. The taste of the barely survived meat lingering on her tongue as she walked into the armory, where she could see Zechariah cleaning the internals of a City-Killer shotgun, the radio tuned to the soothing voice of Mr New Vegas as he spoke the news.
"Excuse me, I'm here for my equipment."
She said, before Zech looked up and spoke.
"Ah, so you're the newest recruit. I hope you know more about handling firearms than the three guys Rodriguez brought from Westside. I know they're interested in the cause, but at the same time they barely knew how to handle guns to begin with."
He said, letting out a sigh before speaking again.
"Sorry bout that, as long as you know how to keep your guns in good working order and know how to handle them, we should get along just fine. You'll be issued the same body armor as everyone else, it's beaten up but the plates are intact. Now what gun would you like issued? I can give you a 10MM SMG, a semi auto shotgun or an assault rifle. That last one however, you gotta be able to prove to me you're disciplined enough for it. The less ammo you waste, the better."
He said, leaning back as he watched the courier think it over.
"How can I prove that I can use an Assault Rifle carefully?"
She asked, to which Zechariah quickly replied.
"That's simple. Describe how one should handle an assault rifle, do well and you'll get it. If you can't, then yer stuck with the other two options."
He said, to which the courier soon answered.
"Semi automatic unless in emergencies or trying to hold heads down, then full auto is best."
She said, to which Zechariah got up and nodded, flicking his ears a bit as he spoke.
"Alright, you've got yourself an assault rifle and some ammo with it. Gimmie a second here."
He said, walking off to a further end of the armory before grabbing the rifle in question. The caracal walked back over to her as he handed her a set of combat armor alongside an AK-112 assault rifle, and seven magazines of 5MM FMJ ammo to boot.
"Here you go, your armor and your rifle. Also, Joseph wants to talk after you get your gear ready."
He said, resuming work on the shotgun as the Courier went to a nearby empty room to change. The Combat Armor MK II didn't fit perfectly, but it was her size, and the plates would keep her from suffering fatal wounds for long enough. Before too long she had walked back into the main room where she could see Joseph reading through Rachel and Isaac's full report, which he finished reading as he looked up and spoke.
"Nice to see you in your armor soldier. Now here's something you may be surprised by. Your first mission of note is to go and negotiate a deal with the head of the Westside militia."
He said, as the courier looked down at him in surprise.
"Why me? Why not entrust one of your Ranger buddies?"
"Because they're busy keeping this place running, and you've proven you can negotiate a deal with two parties that hate each other. The Free Mojave Forces and the Westside Militia don't hate each other, so this should be a lot easier."
He said, as the courier nodded.
"Then what will I be negotiating exactly?"
She asked, to which Joseph opened the desk drawer, pulling out a sheet of paper that he handed to her.
"The terms of the agreement in here. Long story short, it's that in case of combat happening with Caesar's Legion, Fiends or any other kind of raiders, that I am to run the show combat wise."
He explained. True to his word, that was indeed what the document's contents were, when boiled down to the essentials. Courier Six nodded, before speaking soon after.
"This is all well and good, but there is something you ought to know. My nickname of choice is because I'm a Mojave Express Courier, and I need some help in taking care of my delivery. If you help out, I can promise you some of the money I get, if you work by my side."
She said. Joseph thought about it for a moment, and replied after an answer came.
"You will have my assistance, but only after you help participate in wiping out the fiends. If you're hurting for caps, I'll let you take turn in some bounties on fiends when we wipe them out. Camp McCarran is where bounties are flourishing, my advice is to ask about which bounties are being offered and go after them during the battle. You can keep the caps for your work too, I won't mind. As long as you help during the battle I won't complain if you turn bounties into the NCR. Our goals are mutual in those respects."
Joseph answered, to which the courier nodded and turned to the door.
"I'll be back then, I can be certain of that." She said, smiling as she began walking out.
"Safe travels!"
Joseph said, watching her leave as the caracal opened the drawer back up, grabbing a map of the Mojave region that had been made by the most reliable map makers in the NCR. He began looking it over slowly, as a plan to take control back began to formulate more clearly. Removing the Fiends would be a notable boost of relevancy in terms of what the militia could do, and the caracal wanted to make sure he didn't fuck it up, or any subsequent actions afterwards.
Careful planning went through his mind while everyone else in the bunker worked on something. Zechariah was busy drilling the recruits in firearms matinence while Russell was getting ready for drilling recruits in how to use firearms, Ruth and Rachel were getting ready to begin a sharpshooters lesson for the marksmen, and Deborah was listening to the radio transmissions she could pick up. They were gearing up for a conflict that would shift the balance of power, and they had a mailman to help them out, one who would make them what they would become.