CHAPTER EIGHT: LIKE DAVID AND JONATHAN. BY DESERT RANGER CARACAL.
LOCATION: Vault 3.
DATE: DECEMBER 27TH 2281.
TIME 3:22 PM.
TEMPERATURE: 77°F OR 25°C.
In the week since their return, Joseph and Six had gotten themselves back to the Mojave situation. Follows-Chalk had joined the militia officially, and begun training as a proper scout, alongside learning how to read and write in English. Zechariah got Joseph's gift of a 1911 and the old carbine, choosing to put it in a case and display in his workshop. The carbine was labeled as "The Survivalist's Rifle" as a tribute to the man, because Zech got to read the terminal logs thanks to Six showing them to him.
The caracal also got to choose the standard issue rifles of the militia, going with a mixture of AK-112's and Assault Carbines to smooth logistics out, though a HK-33, Type 93 and even an NCR Service Rifle had come in the batch as extras from the Gun Runners. The excited armorer got right to work, as he passionately spent several days cleaning the decently stored, and newly manufactured guns, putting them back together, and issuing them out. Besides the 5.56 rifles that snuck in, which he kept locked up in storage to prevent logistical mistakes. He'd definitely try to buy them when the war was over, as unlikely as that was to happen.
Christmas had come and gone in the blink of an eye to the unawares. The ones who paid the most attention to the holiday were those raised as or converted to Christianity. Russel and Ruth, alongside several other members of the militia were given time off on the eve and day of the holiday. In the week since they had returned from Zion, Joseph and Six had been pushing themselves to plan for the war ahead. Hoover Dam was becoming more and more of a heated battleground as the various factions in the Mojave couldn't help but get prepared. Joseph's primary plans were simple. Find Legion trade routes, raid Legion caravans on those routes, liberate Legion slaves, get towns to ally with the militia, and so on.
Six was helping out of course, by putting her experience as a courier to use. Sent to various towns with the proposition of them becoming truly free from NCR expansion if they allied themselves with the Free Mojave Forces, she found that this tactic turned out to be a surprise hit. Most towns in the Mojave were interested about the idea of becoming part of a proper free Mojave, and some were downright excited to boot. Westside was already part of the alliance and was currently rebuilding after the terror inflicted by The Fiends, with volunteer help. Freeside was mulling over the idea, with The Kings seeming to have the most interest in making the alliance happen. Goodsprings was apprehensive but not rejecting the idea, Primm was intrigued and Novac seemed to have a good bit of interest too.
Martinsburg and the Blue Star were likely the most excited out of all of them, especially when the Blue Star learned that it was Joseph at the helm of operations and that he had founded the militia to boot. The Khans weren't attacking, though the Legion had been pushing closer to the Vault, likely to try and scare the militia. Things were all coming together, and it was all due to the perseverance and constant work that Joseph and Six were putting in. The year was coming to a close, and the next year was going to be much bloodier.
Joseph was in his office, typing the last page of a letter to the Blue Star on a refurbished portable typewriter. The caracal was on his last paragraph when Six walked in, with Isaac right behind her. The typing stopped briefly as the ranger looked up to see who had entered, pleased to see the pair.
"Why hey there. Any particular reason for you two to be in my office?"
He asked, as Six looked down to her Pip-Boy and quickly pulled up the map, turning it so Joseph could see what she'd come to him about.
"There's a satellite signature that's coming from a pre war location near Nipton, I want to check it out with the help of Isaac. Just in case it has anything of value."
She explained, and true to her word, that was indeed what he could see on the map. He looked back up and gave her a nod.
"I'll approve of it. Under the condition that you take two scouts with you. Safety in numbers after all."
Joseph added, as Six nodded lightly.
"Sure, maybe Follows-Chalk can come along if he wants."
She said, as the ranger shook his head.
"He hasn't gone through the full round of required training. Still, the mission is as follows. Meet with Ruth and have her get a pair of scouts to accompany you. Head to the satellite, check it out. Scavenge anything useful from it and report back with whatever you could get from it. Intel is ideal, but as long as it can be given a purpose, then I don't mind."
He said, as Six and Isaac nodded, walking out of the office as Joseph returned to his letter. As instructed, Isaac and Six got a pair of human scouts for their little expedition from Ruth. They left the bunker and began their journey as the caracal finished up his letter. When done, he put it into an envelope for a Mojave Express courier to handle with care, sealing it tight. Joseph left his office to deposit his letter, and to later converse with Rachel and Zechariah in the mess hall about a sample purchase of DKS-501's with carbon fiber furniture.
About three days later, the sample purchase of ten rifles had been brought to a recently made firing range designated for regular and scout snipers. Joseph, Rachel, Ruth, and ten scouts had all come to evaluate the rifles and see if the massive weight loss would be an overall detriment in combat or not. As the scouts were loading the rifles with the standard .308 ammo, Isaac and the two scouts suddenly came in view, running straight at them while disregarding the firing line.
"UNLOAD RIFLES! We've got scouts coming in!"
Ruth shouted, as Joseph and Rachel watched the three come in fast, heading right to Joseph. The scouts turned their heads to Isaac and their fellow scouts after unloading their rifles and clearing the chambers, watching what happened next.
"Look, this may seem drastic, but we need to talk this out in private."
The wolf said, as the caracal turned to the trainers and spoke.
"Resume your evaluation, I trust your expertise."
He said, as the two women nodded and looked down at the scouts.
"Reload your rifles and get ready to fire."
Ruth ordered, as Joseph and the returning expedition party walked to a private spot. The ranger chose one of the empty trailers in the former dog kennels where Violet had been shacked up, due to the spot now serving as an observation post. Currently there was a cheetah stuck in the main post with a pair of binoculars and a 10MM SMG just in case. The ranger made sure everyone was in, and waited for the report of .308 rifles firing before the questioning began.
"First things first, I noticed that Six isn't with you. Why's that?"
"About that. We were going to tell you that Six is missing."
One of the human scouts said, as the other human, and Isaac nodded.
"That's correct, it has to do with the satellite, and even if my story sounds bizarre, it is the truth."
The wolf said, as the caracal looked at him in the eyes before speaking.
"Well don't say it's a strange tale, just tell me."
He ordered flatly, as the wolf cleared his throat, and got to his story.
"We reached the satellite at around midnight yesterday, Six went to inspect it proper while we held positions around it to keep the place secure. Before we knew it, the satellite started glowing blinding white, and when the light stopped, Six had vanished."
The wolf explained, as Joseph looked more confused than ever.
"I'm sorry, but how am I supposed to believe any word of what you've said?"
The ranger asked, as the human scouts spoke up.
"He's not lying, that's exactly what happened!"
"Yeah, some freaky pre-war science shit happened with the satellite, something beyond our understanding and frankly, it's best left alone."
The scouts said, as Joseph listened to all that they said.
"Did any of you take a closer look at the satellite before running back here?"
The ranger asked, as one of the human scouts nodded.
"Well yes, I did. It had crashed into the ground decently hard but was still running, as the arms or something were moving pretty consistently. That, and it was displaying this odd image of an eye moving about. I can't explain why but, it seems like that wasn't a coincidence."
The scout said, as Joseph nodded.
"Alright, I'll lead an expedition to the location where this took place. The three of you are going to have to file proper reports regardless of how weird the events were regarding this. If I or someone else find Six's corpse out in the desert, then you will have a lot to answer for. Understood?"
He asked, as the three of them nodded, Isaac in particular as the wolf took the ranger's words extremely seriously. The four of them left the outpost, with Isaac and the scouts heading off to the Vault to get to work on their reports. Joseph returned to the firing line, as the scouts finished their testing and were voicing their opinions about the new rifles.
"They've got way more recoil than before, but it's still manageable."
"I can barely feel any weight from this rifle, it's as if the damn thing's been hollowed out."
"This is perfect for carrying around. I can barely feel it in my hands!"
The scouts were in a flurry of conversation about the carbon fiber upgrade when Joseph approached Ruth and Rachel, as the snipers looked up to Joseph, their eyes betraying their curiosity before their mouths confirmed it.
"What was that about?"
Ruth asked Joseph, as the ranger spoke.
"Sensitive manners that require a follow up soon. How do the scouts like their rifles?"
"I think we can get used to the recoil!"
A cheetah scout chirped up, excited at the prospect of less weight to carry about. The other scouts nodded in agreement, as Ruth spoke.
"The recoil that I saw was definitely harsher, but I believe that with further training it won't be an issue."
She said, as Rachel nodded in agreement.
"Excellent, that'll be the end of the range testing for now. I'll need some scouts for an upcoming mission, which will be the perfect time for a field test."
Joseph said, as the scouts began to get up, ready for a little R&R before bed. The ranger looked the scouts over, before he spoke.
"Now four of you are gonna head out with me tomorrow, to check a spot out. Step forward if you want to participate. You might even get to kill some Legionaries if you're lucky."
The caracal said, as the scouts stayed still, thinking things over before four of them stepped forward. A cheetah, a fox, a black man, and a caracal.
"You four are going to get your gear issued after breakfast tomorrow, meet me in the entrance of the vault. We leave at 07:00 hours at the latest, understood?"
The volunteers didn't hesitate as they looked up at Joseph.
"Understood!"
The ranger nodded at the scouts, as they all began to walk back to the vault. The next day's scouting mission was uneventful, as Joseph couldn't find a trace of Six at the satellite. Though they did notice that there was no Legion presence at Nipton anymore, and the tire fires had since died out.
When they returned to the vault, Joseph had no major clues about what had happened to Six, the scouts who had gone with him found their new stocks for their rifles to be more enjoyable than expected, and the option of taking Nipton as the militia's territory became viable. The militia grew in strength and number, and became increasingly bolder as a result.
LOCATION: EL DORADO GAS AND SERVICE.
DATE: JANUARY 9TH 2282.
TIME 1:45 PM.
TEMPERATURE: 86°F OR 30°C.
Legion caravans weren't too common, as the Legion tended to favor raiding whenever possible to sustain itself. Regardless of that, there were times when they did have caravans running through the Mojave, though caravans were much more common in territory they conquered already. They knew of the risks, as NCR and FMF raids proved to be devastators whenever the Legion tried running caravans in daylight, even in the nighttime. Regardless, the caravans still occasionally ran whenever orders came through.
The caravan in question was guarded by six decani, armed with 10MM SMG's. The cargo wasn't anything too special, water, some food, and two branded human slaves, a mother and child who were on one of the two brahmin. The caravan was on its way to Nelson, where the water and food would be put to use. The slaves would be trafficked to Cottonwood Cove, as they were considered property of Aurelius of Phoenix.
In the lakebed, a pair of FMF scout snipers watched the caravan from their scopes, while Joseph waited behind the sign with three warriors. Joseph held his City-Killer, as the troops he commanded held their Assault Carbines, waiting for the Legionaries to be right in front of them. Holding his breath, Joseph watched the caravan walk through, shouldering his shotgun as he aimed at the closest Legionary.
The little slave child watched the ranger blow the decanus's head out all over the second brahmin as the assault began. The two Decani in the front got his brains blown out by .308 Match rounds, as the remaining three sharply turned to their attackers. The slaves pressed themselves to the brahmin's back as the Decani fired back, one burst hitting a human soldier as he screamed out in agony. The others missed or came close, as Joseph and the two soldiers shot back, killing the remaining decani with surprising ease.
The caracal panted gently, slinging his shotgun as he ran over to the caravan. The brahmin with food and water had been shot in the leg, and was laying on the ground. The other one was running away, while the slaves bounced on it. Amazingly, Joseph was able to catch up to the runaway brahmin with surprising ease, grabbing it by the reins and pulling it back to the other one in spite of its protests. When the ranger got back, the injured warrior was being tended to by the medic, who had hung back with the scouts.
"How's Reggie doing, Jack?"
"He's stable, the armor kept him from getting anything lethal though he's definitely got some internal bleeding. He'll recover."
The human medic said, as the man below him looked up with a little laugh, before forcing out a sentence.
"Feels like the fucker hit me in the liver, good thing I'm still alive so I can piss on him when I get up."
He said, as the other soldiers laughed.
"You ain't pissing without help for a hot minute, for all we know, you got a broken rib or something like that."
One of the soldiers said, as Joseph looked over to the brahmin.
"Jackson, when you're done with Reggie, I need you to check on the two slaves on the still living brahmin. The rest of you, loot the dead and take all the food and water you can."
The ranger ordered, as the soldiers nodded, walking to the still hot scene of the assault as they got to picking the guns off of the recently killed Legionaries. Joseph approached the slaves, who were still pressed against the back of the brahmin as the mother quietly begged.
"Please, take me, but don't take my son. He doesn't deserve this. I deserve to be a slave, he should be free."
The ranger calmly lifted her head, looking down at her as he picked the lock on her collar.
"I'm not here to keep you, or your son as a slave. I'm here to break you two out of slavery."
He explained calmly, as the lock opened up, and the circuitry in the collar got fried. She began to cry as she grabbed the collar off of her neck and threw it to the ground, reaching up to hug the ranger tightly as she spoke.
"Thank you, thank you so very much." She cried out, as the caracal let her express herself, all while he pulled her son out to do the same for him. The boy shivered nervously as Joseph worked his tools on his collar, taking a little less time to do the same for him. The boy's collar fell off of his neck soon afterwards, while he rubbed where the collar once clamped on and dictated his life.
A half hour later, the group was heading out, with the soldiers talking amongst each other, the former slaves silently appreciating their freedom and Reggie participating in shit talking the dead Legionaries when he could. All the while, Joseph thought of exactly where the newly liberated woman and her child would be sent for their new lives.
LOCATION: NEAR THE CRASHED VERTIBIRD.
DATE: JANUARY 17TH 2282.
TIME 3:45 PM.
TEMPERATURE: 90°F OR 32°C.
Follows-Chalk had been a quick learner in the Free Mojave Force's scout school. His days as a Dead Horses scout made him quick to learn the ways of the Desert Rangers, as his reverence for Joshua Graham slowly dwindled over time. During a scouting mission, he had spotted something of note. His description wasn't the clearest, but the term "Shiny metal creatures guarding a rusting, buried object" drew interest to say the least.
The Enclave did have valuable tech that could be of use, and if that was an Enclave Vertibird that had crashed, then the militia could easily get some high-tech stuff. Such materials were enticing, not due to caps alone but also due to the fact that they could make the militia even more devastating in battle. As such, Joseph and Rodriguez got a team together and headed down to the place in question, along with a brahmin and cart to make sure they could take all they could.
It consisted of the two rangers, a pair of scout snipers, a medic and two squads of warriors with EMP grenades in their arsenal, along with a slight change of weaponry. Due to the robots in question, Zechariah hadn't issued the warriors their usual assault rifles, and had instead given each of them a Wattz 2000 Laser Rifle, with a good few microfusion cells to boot.
The Fiends previous weapons made for a fun restoration project, and resulted in about twenty-five fully functional energy weapons in the arsenal. The odd change in weaponry didn't deter the warriors from following along, and it wasn't too long before they had reached a safe distance from the scene, at about 200 meters away. The brahmin was put in place, with a tent spike tied to the cart to ensure the brahmin couldn't leave. The medic stayed behind to ensure the brahmin remained comfortable like this, along with water to keep it hydrated.
The scouts took position about one fifty meters away, supervising things with their scopes as Rodriguez did the same with a pair of binoculars. Zooming in as tight as he could, the ranger looked things over slowly, pulling the binoculars down after about thirty seconds to speak to Joseph.
"Chalk wasn't lying, that really is a crashed vertibird. There looks to be about five to six robots guarding it. By the looks of things, there's four or so crates in there, with what looks to be an experimental energy weapon. Looks like this is going to be a worthy venture."
Rodriguez said, grinning up at the other ranger as they both nodded.
"I think it's time for us to check out just what they were carrying. Scouts, hold position and be ready to fire at the robots when things heat up. Warriors, follow me and Rodriguez, we're going to take care of those robots accordingly."
Joseph said, as the others followed behind him and Rodriguez. They moved quickly, keeping out of the line of sight of the bots by keeping out of sight. About one hundred meters away, the two rangers spit the warriors, taking half each while going to both sides of the crash site. They inched closer and closer to the crash site, taking special caution after identifying the specific robots.
Two securitrons, three Mr Gutsies, all hardened for battle by the Enclave. About fifteen meters away, Joseph signaled his warriors to prepare their first EMP grenade, unholstering his blackhawk and cocking the hammer nice and slowly. The warriors stayed still, as Joseph and Rodriguez stayed nice and still for what felt like a full minute, before the caracal gave the signal.
All of the EMP grenades went in at once, disabling the two sentry bots on the spot and causing the Mr Gutsies to begin spouting nonsense while firing plasma at each other. After one of the Mr Gutsies was destroyed in the chaos, the scouts began shooting at the robots, the heavy FMJ rounds causing the softened armor to crack and break open after three or four successful hits.
Taking his chances, one of the warriors rushed in and began firing at the hostile robots with his laser rifle, taking out one of the robots with surprising ease by hitting the exposed circuitry. The other bot replied back by shooting the man right in the chest with plasma, making him fall on his back with a scream of absolute suffering. He hit the ground fast, nearly being shot again before Joseph shot the Mr Gutsy in one of the eyes, making the bot turn to the ranger who shot him.
His other eyes were blown apart by the shots of the scouts, and Rodriguez finished the robot off with several Pulse Slugs from his 1887. Joseph turned to the securitrons, making sure his hammer was cocked before approaching them, and prodding them slowly. Luckily for them, the securitrons had been disabled in the process and weren't going to do anything. Acting quickly, Joseph opened the front panel of both securitrons and turned them off to keep them from causing more problems.
The medic soon arrived at the scene, panting from the exertion of a 200-meter run. He got right to pulling off the fallen warrior's armor to examine the damage to his body, while the others began to investigate the crash site's loot. While the warriors pulled crates of loot out of the earth, Joseph and Rodriguez walked over to the Medic and fallen warrior to see precisely what had happened.
"Is he alright?"
The human ranger asked, all while the caracal ranger stood by.
"I'm sorry to report, he's dead. He was likely killed before he hit the ground. I can't say precisely how the plasma killed him, but it is a good thing you took care of that Mr Gutsy before it could do more damage."
The medic said, looking up at Rodriguez with a pained expression on his face over not being able to save the fallen man. Rodriguez nodded slowly, sighing in disappointment over how things had turned out before speaking.
"Alright, we'll bring his body back for a proper burial with everything else. Jackson, you know what to do."
He said, walking off as the medic began to remove the warrior's armor in preparation for the way back home. Back at the crashed vertibird, the caracal saw the last of the loot be pulled out of the vertibird, while the fallen/disabled bots remained at the crash site. Before long, the crates were being opened up and the contents within exposed to the sun after years of being beneath the earth.
Enclave recon armor, several laser RCW's, plasma rifles, and laser rifles in good shape, microfusion cells, electron charge packs, and most interesting of all, what looked to be a prototype energy cannon of some kind. All of it was repackaged and locked back up, totaling to four crates worth of loot for their efforts. The two rangers looked back at the securitrons, before Joseph spoke.
"Those could be great for security if we could get them back to the vault."
"Absolutely, but we can't do that so easily. Plus, we don't have anyone to prevent them from attacking, so they're more of a liability right now. I say we hide them here till we can make use of them."
Rodriguez said, as the caracal looked around the current expanse of land for any good places to hide them before turning to his fellow ranger.
"We'll bury them in the defeated robots and come back for them when we can use them."
Joseph said, turning to the warriors as they began to carry the crates off to the brahmin and cart. The medic brought the fallen warrior's body over to the cart, wrapping his corpse in cloth to keep it covered up. The only thing that Joseph, Rodriguez, and his warriors left behind were the buried securitrons, though the militia did begin looking for robot experts for assistance with the endeavor of getting fully functional securitrons as guards.
When they returned, they had a nice load of valuable loot, especially the recon armor. After the markings had been changed, the scouts had a new set of armor for the militia and had lost yet more weight, making scouting easier. It would aid the scouts in becoming known as the militia's eyes and ears.
LOCATION: MARTINSBURG GENERAL STORE.
DATE: JANUARY 26TH 2282.
TIME 1:40 PM.
TEMPERATURE: 86°F OR 30°C.
Joseph's letter to his hometown of Gan Shalom had been essential in attaining the Blue Star's support. To celebrate and make things official, he had gone to the town of Ha Bakar to make the alliance known to all, and to celebrate the holiday of Tu Bishvat at the same time. The ranger planted three saplings with the help of Rodriguez and a pair of scouts who had come with him as assistance. The trees in question were Joshua Trees, or as the people of the Blue Star called them, Moses Trees, named after the Rephidim story in the book of Exodus.
The next day, Joseph and his men left after lunch and began the journey back to the vault. While on the way back, they realized that they were missing a few supplies and took a slight detour to the nearby town of Martinsburg. The town had also accepted the Free Mojave Force's alliance and had no issue with Joseph and his men coming in to trade. The group approached the general store as Joseph spoke.
"Alright, now you two are gonna have to stay outside while me and Rodriguez go indoors to buy what we need. Understood?"
"Understood, we'll keep guard outside."
One of the scouts said, as the other nodded and took his canteen off of his belt. The scouts stood by the door of the store as the rangers walked inside, with Rodriguez looking to Joseph just after they stepped in.
"Lunch ain't agreeing with me, you go ahead and shop without me."
"Don't take too long."
They exchanged, as the Rodriguez ran off to the general store's bathroom, leaving Joseph to shop for what they needed. The caracal got right to looking, keeping his eyes peeled for the essentials while he walked through the store. As he picked up a box of homemade pemmican, he heard a voice right off to the side.
"Excuse me but, are you from the Blue Star?"
Joseph turned his head and looked down, seeing a cheetah standing beside him. He had a set of plain clothes, nothing all that special beyond what looked to be a name on the right breast pocket. "Gabriel Eder." He was around five foot eight, had a book in his left paw, and what looked to be a twinkle of curiosity in his eyes too.
"I am, any particular reason why you're asking?"
"Well, I've always had an interest in your faith but never really had any chance to ask about it. I've asked the priest a fair bit, but he's been brushing me off lately, and I've always wanted to ask a Jew about Judaism."
The cheetah answered, loosening up a little as he spoke while the caracal nodded along.
"Alright, go on and ask your most burning questions right here and now. Don't hold back, I'll be sure to answer whatever you offer up."
At the mention of that, the smaller man's eyes really began to glow with excitement, as he let out a few less than dignified sounds of excitement before clearing his throat.
"Okay, so do you really have sections of the bible you can't read in Synagogue because they connect to Jesus?"
He asked, to which the caracal's face almost froze in sheer confusion. Joseph had to go digging in his brain for what the cheetah was mentioning before he remembered what the curious man was asking about.
"You mean the fourth Servant Song, Isaiah 53? That isn't forbidden discussion, we just don't isolate it from its context."
The ranger elaborated, as the cheetah nodded and continued the questions.
"Well didn't Jesus come and do what he should do as the Messiah?"
"No. He didn't do anything that the Masaiach was prophesied to complete. That and he contradicted what the Masaiach's prophecies were laid out to be."
He said, as the cheetah nodded, looking a little flustered as he asked another question.
"Alright, last question. Do you really think of yourselves as, superior?"
Joseph took a slow, deep breath as he collected his thoughts, thinking of the best way to answer the uninformed cheetah. Before long, he provided his answer.
"No. I think I should preface what I have to say with a simple fact. I'm not a faithful observer of the Tanakh, but I understand its sheer importance to the culture that I come from. With that explained, what has been taught consistently amongst my people is that we were not chosen because we were strong. Many years after Noah ensured humanity's survival, we came into existance. We were weak, a people who could barely survive before G-d uplifted us to prove himself to the world. What greater way for him to prove to the world that he was real, than to make a little group into a mighty nation? That's what I was taught anyways. The point is, we view ourselves as equals in the wasteland. We've helped the sick and needy, escaped slaves, and those just in need of a better life. We were a contributing factor to the Followers entering the Mojave, along with your people too. So no, we don't think of ourselves as superior, we just have the ability to help others because we know how to keep ourselves fed in the wasteland. The same goes for Martinsburg."
Joseph said, to a surprised cheetah, who inched up closer to the ranger and spoke.
"Thank you for answering my questions, I've always had curiosities about your faith and, well I'll just be honest. I've been starving for answers about Judaism for years. You see, I've had this curiosity about Jews and their faith since I was a young child, and initially read about them in an older book about world religions. I met a boy who was from a California town populated by Jews when I was about ten, and my curiosity grew fast. He didn't say much, but I never let that curiosity die on me. Then about six years ago when the Legion attacked Gan Shalom, I met some of the inhabitants of the Blue Star when they came to the store for supplies. They weren't able to tell me much, but what they told me kept my interest alive. So since then, I've been asking as many questions as I could and learning what was within reach. Though a lot of it... clearly wasn't written by Jews. That's why it's so refreshing to hear what you have to say."
The cheetah vented out, as the ranger nodded and replied.
"I see, now would you be so kind as to answer some questions of mine?"
"U-uh, sure! Go ahead, a-ask away!"
The cheetah stuttered out, a little surprised but eager to give the man what he ultimately wanted.
"Is your name Gabriel Eder, or did you just put his shirt on?"
"Yes, that is indeed my name. Before you ask, this isn't my store, it's my dad's. I'm just running the place while he's visiting Utah for a potential trade deal, and alone because my sister's busy with her substitute teacher job."
Gabriel explained, as Joseph nodded and replied.
"The name's Joseph. Joseph Chaim, you might have heard of me but even if you haven't, you've been good company. But I think my friend's just about to finish his business so how about we conclude this conversation for now?"
The ranger said, as the cheetah nodded up at him and chirped up.
"S-sure! I'm glad to have not been an annoyance for you, buy what you need as you please!"
The shopkeep said, running back to the counter as Joseph resumed his shopping. True to Joseph's word, Rodriguez came back out of the bathroom when he'd finished up, laughing a bit to his fellow ranger.
"Goddamn, I didn't expect that to happen after trying, what do you call it, Gefilte Fish?"
"Guess you don't have the stomach for our food. I've got what we need for the trip back, grab what you want and we'll pay."
Joseph said as Rodriguez nodded and walked to another side of the store. When the two had gotten what they needed, they walked to the counter and put everything down, as Gabriel tallied up the cost of the items and eventually came up with a price.
"That will be one hundred and eight caps."
He said as the caracal got out his sack, paying in full as he spoke.
"And thank you. I hope we will meet again."
The ranger said, as he put everything into a simple bag, walking out with Rodriguez by his side as the pair began talking about what Rodriguez's experiences were with the Blue Star. After they'd left, it wasn't long before they began walking back to the Vault to resume their plans.
All the while, both Joseph and Gabriel began to think of each other, as if those questions Gabriel had been seeking invited something more intimate into them. Likewise, Joseph's mind had a creeping thought about how the cheetah seemed a little sad to see him go, and that he was a rather cute guy too.
LOCATION: SOUTH VEGAS AUTONOMOUS ZONE.
DATE: FEBRUARY 7TH 2282.
TIME 10:40 AM.
TEMPERATURE: 81°F OR 27°C.
Joseph stood outside of the vault as a mixture of scouts and soldiers quietly exited the vault, fully equipped for the mission ahead of them. While they all got in order, Joseph walked over to the construction that was just finishing up on the new apartments. Amongst the workers there was a familiar face helping with the finishing touches, wearing a set of more durable construction clothes that had paint splatters on it. The cheetah looked to Joseph with surprise as he set the paint bucket in his paws down, and approached the caracal coming his way.
"Gabriel, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Martinsburg?"
"I would, but I decided to stretch my legs and try my hand with construction work here. It's nice to see you again."
Gabriel said, his eyes seemingly filled with a new twinkle in them as he saw Joseph once more. The ranger nodded and replied.
"It is nice to see you again, but I have to be going soon, a mission awaits in the desert and it demands my attention."
The cheetah nodded as he began to walk back to the construction site.
"I wish you the best of luck!"
He shouted, as the caracal waved back, walking to his soldiers to check if everyone was ready before initiating a roll call and leaving. Their next mission was a few miles north of Brook's Tumbleweed Ranch, where a Legion encampment had recently been spotted.
There was something off about it, but it couldn't be ignored. The Free Mojave Forces were getting more and more aggressive against Caesar's Legion, and this encampment would prove to be quite the turning point when it came to the militia's reputation for brutality.