In the Shadow of the Valley: Main Series

by Desert Ranger Caracal

The main series, here at last. For those who have wanted to see what the main series of my work involves, and how things change accordingly over time, then this is where it all begins, and by extension will end when the last chapter is finished, the main story has a pinned in place ending and there is nothing left to fix. Do enjoy, I intend to flesh this series out a good bit.

9. Chapter nine

CHAPTER NINE: INFLUENCE OF THE EVIL URGE. BY DESERT RANGER CARACAL.

LOCATION: ON THE CLIFFS NEAR A NEW LEGION ENCAMPMENT.

DATE: FEBRUARY 7TH 2282.

TIME 1:53 PM.

TEMPERATURE: 95°F OR 35°C.

The three hour trek to the newly established Legion camp had proven to be the right call, especially when what was present was seen. Seems like the Legion were interested in the act of intimidation as a truly horrible sight could be seen. Fifty crucified slaves of various species, all groaning in pain or silently crying while having to endure the agony of crucifixion. Every slave had a legionary pointing a spear at their belly as a warning, with the exception of a wolf who had a 10MM pistol pointed at his heart. Said man was none other than the ringleader of this particular stunt, a Centurion.

Whoever had picked him had chosen well, his sun scarred and war beaten body looked utterly terrifying in his armor, as if the armor was a brutalized exoskeleton of a Legion bred war machine. The Centurion had pressed the handgun right to the man's chest with his left hand, as his right hand held a pre-war megaphone. After he saw the silhouette of Joseph and his warriors up in the cliffs, he began to mock them.

"The saviors of the Mojave have come to our gorgeous sight, lead by a weak animal who views any pitiful slave in his path as worth saving. How pathetic do you have to be to follow an animal with no drive to do what must be done to stop us? If you're afraid of crushing the ants beneath your feet, you can't walk!"

Some of the warriors began to rustle about, seemingly restless at such mockery as Joseph extended his left arm, signaling them to hold position.

"You make me sick, the only reason me and my men aren't shooting, or killing these slaves on the crosses is because we want you to kill them. So go on, be a man, charge us and damn them to our spears, it's not like you can save them in the first place. In fact, if you want to save them, we have a cross made just for you, mutant. Come on down and surrender your life for theirs, if you think you matter that much."

The response from above was silence, as Joseph calculated the best plan for attack. He wasn't going to surrender his life for the slaves, that could kill the militia and was ultimately a pointless maneuver. His warriors were outnumbered too, but before long, a nagging voice in the back of his mind provided something that could work. Joseph began to scoot from the rocks, signalling his warriors to follow along as the caracal silently departed. One of the warriors was silently told to fire off a white flare of surrender as they walked away from the face of the cliff.

The legionaries began cheering and whooping out while the crucified slaves began to howl, shriek or silently sob in agony. The Free Mojave Forces had failed to save them from the fate of being crucified and killing the Legionaries who had put them there. The centurion who was in charge of things looked up to the slave woman on the cross, and laughed a little before he began to mock her.

"Awww, don't worry about it dearie, I'm sure the NCR will be here any minute now to do the exact same thing! Wouldn't that be fun?"

A decanus walked up to the pair and spoke.

"Or better yet, they might actually fall for it! They might actually think of it as a good thing, before we recapture these slaves and execute them in front of the crucified profligates!"

Several other Legionaries began laughing at the prospect while the Centurion chuckled.

"Now that does seem like something the fools would do. Regardless, I think we've had enough fun for now. Alright everyone, back to work, Vulpes's orders were to keep this place running till the slaves die or someone takes the bait, and we're gonna do just that!"

The other legionaries cheered in agreement as they resumed their work, all while they failed to hear the hushed noises of Joseph and his warriors setting up a bare bones camp and sending radio messages to a nearby Followers outpost. When a group of NCR Rangers did come the next morning, they came to a sight they likely didn't expect to see.

LOCATION: ON THE CLIFFS ACROSS A LEGION ENCAMPMENT.

DATE: FEBRUARY 8TH 2282.

TIME 5:39 AM.

TEMPERATURE: 77°F OR 25°C.

The NCR knew about it alright, and had a working solution to this problem. Instead of a large scale NCR army assault, they chose to send a pack of veteran rangers. Chief Handlon himself picked the five of them, each of them having at least twenty years of combat experience. All humans from California, completely vacant of any hate to mutants and with such loyalty to the republic that they were like propaganda lifted out of an NCR Nationalist's dreams.

The chosen rangers couldn't complain too much about arms, being armed with Assault Carbines, freshly made 5MM rounds and lethal intent. Due to logistical issues though, they only had a pair of NCR issue Night Vision Binoculars, which thankfully did work quite well.

Unfortunately for them, they had to creep through the night with only the light of the moon and the stars guiding their path. As such, they barely arrived at the scene before the sun began peeking over the horizon, gently pushing themselves into the rocks as the leader grabbed the goggles.

"With any luck we'll be able to report that the Legionaries were dead when we arrived. Though the idea of storming into that camp and laying waste to it is a thrilling one."

A burly ranger sighed out as he got close to the cliff's edge, clutching his assault carbine at low ready while the leader looked beside him and chided the bloodthirsty man.

"It's also a fucking stupid idea, you've got an assault carbine and five magazines, what are you going to do with that? Just hold position and with any luck they'll still be sound asleep."

The more rash ranger scoffed silently at the leader as he clutched his rifle, looking down into the camp with little clue of what he was seeing.

"Well if I was allowed to take my LMG I could do just that."

"Like hell you could, you're nowhere near fast enough to pull that off even if you can lay down hell with a belt fed."

Another ranger interjected as she checked her revolver, closing the loading gate and holstering it while the last two rangers stifled their chortling.

"Yeah yeah, laugh all you want, I'm still the one with the highest kill count here."

The rash ranger mumbled out, as he turned to the leader, who had lowered the binoculars while the little spat had occurred.

"That, that's not a camp full of crucified slaves."

He swore in a low voice, passing he handed the binoculars off to whoever else would take him. One of the chortling rangers took the binoculars quickly as the rash ranger got right to questioning.

"What do you mean by that? I mean we got crosses, we got bodies on those crosses, there's no way it ain't that simple."

"I fucking mean it, those bodies on the crosses ain't slaves. Those bodies are fr-"

"SIR! THE SUN'S COMING UP!"

The ranger who had taken the binoculars turned them off as tne sun began to rise, while the radio was quickly set up by a lone ranger. The other four rangers couldn't find their voices as they were witness to a truly nightmarish scene set in front of the morning sun, one they didn't fully realize up until the leader of the group was passed the radio's mic.

"Headquarters wants to know what you see right now."

The ranger interjected as the leader took the mic, he cleared his throat and began his report.

"HQ, this is Charlie team. We've reached the Legion camp, but this isn't quite what we were expecting to see."

"What do you mean? Are the Legionaries dead, have the slaves escaped or what?"

Choking in a breath, the ranger forced out the answer he wasn't quite prepared to give.

"The slaves ain't on the crosses, we've got a camp full of crucified Legionaries."

The morning sun set the scene for those very words, as rows upon rows of squirming, painfully groaning Legionaries woke up to the fact that the nightmare hadn't ended.

The scene looked like it had come out of a pre-war film depicting hell, as Legionaries writhed and struggled on the crosses, some even shrieking as they attempted to get off. Above all of them was the Centurion, set upon the highest cross as he was forced to watch the other Legionaries suffer in the morning light.

Within a few hours, an ATV full of NCR troopers, a beaten up old sedan with some NCR Intelligence officers, and an improvised ambulance had arrived at the scene to investigate the scene. They descended into the former Legion camp to do what was needed, investigating the scene and taking the Legionaries off the crosses.

Most of the legionaries had died before they got there, with only ten of them surviving the situation, including the one who headed the operation, the Centurion. The dead were tossed into a quick and dirty crematorium made out of the crosses and dead bodies.

The surviving legionaries were put into handcuffs, set on stretchers and put into the ambulance. The ATV and Ambulance both drove off while the intelligence guys investigated the scene, as NCR troops set up camp in preparation for a full investigation. About an hour later, the wounded Legionaries had arrived at Camp Mccarran, where they were brought in for treatment and questioning.

LOCATION: CAMP MCCARRAN'S HOSPITAL.

DATE: FEBRUARY 8TH 2282.

TIME 11:25 AM.

TEMPERATURE: 86°F OR 30°C.

Most of the legionaries that were brought to the hospital had to be fully restrained due to them desperately trying to kill themselves, and couldn't be milked for information. The only two who even showed an inch of willing to talk were a decanus, and the Centurion. They were brought to a nearby interrogation room with MP troopers escorting them all the way.

The decanus barely spoke, only giving a few sentences about the mission and three words for how they ended up on the crosses.

"Night obscures all."

The decanus couldn't be convinced to say anything else and was escorted to a cell near the interrogation room, while the Centurion was seated and Lieutenant Carrie Boyd sat in front of him. She wore the same issued uniform as the other MP's and held two things, a notebook and a pre-war pencil. She cleared her throat gently before getting to the questions.

"Alright, we're going to ask you the same questions that I asked your underling. First off, what was your mission in the first place?"

The centurion could only laugh a little, choking it down before he looked Boyd in the eyes.

"You think you're going to get me to talk that easily? You NCR wimps humiliated me by taking me off of the cross when I would have rather died there, and now you want to know why we were even there? Fuck off."

The Centurion spat out, before leaning back in the chair and looking up at the light, giggling a little as Carrie shook her head.

"You realize we're not exactly going to be letting you go, you know that?"

"Like I give a shit, you don't know why we were there and I aim to make sure you never will."

Carrie turned a few pages of her issued notebook and shook her head. "I'm afraid that the decanus we brought in earlier said that Vulpes Inculta himself ordered the mission to take place. He even told us how so many slaves ended up in your camp."

The Centurion pulled his head down fast enough to nearly give him whiplash as he heard what she had to say, gawking a bit at what she was telling him.

"You mean to tell me that slimy little bastard couldn't keep his fucking mouth shut?"

He yelled out, as Carrie nodded with a smirk stapled to her face.

"He told us what we needed. Things like the slaves coming from a failed rebellion in Arizona who were trafficked specifically to cause outrage for the NCR or Free Mojave Forces."

The Centurion slammed his mouth shut and nearly sewed his lips together while she went over what the decanus had to say.

"The last thing he said about the mission was that the crosses were built on site by the slaves to make it easier for all of you. Is that correct?"

The Centurion was boiling and seething in rage at what she was saying. That little decanus had to open his mouth and spill just enough for the NCR to understand the operation as a whole.

"I'll take your silence as a resounding yes. There was one last thing he said before falling totally silent, and that was, and I quote: "Night obscures all." Does that mean anything to you?"

Carrie had no idea that she'd accidentally hit the right button to get everything out all at once.

"I SAW HIM LEAVE, THAT BEAST HAD TO HAVE KNOWN THAT ATTACKING US WAS A FOOLISH ENDEAVOR. BUT NOOOOOO, HE CAME TO US AFTER THE SUN SET AND CAPTURED US BEFORE WE COULD BLINK!"

The Centurion yelled, getting out of his chair and walking to the corner of the room as he continued his rant.

"HE LEAD HIS MEN DOWN TO OUR CAMP, THEY BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF US RIGHT WHILE WE SLEPT, AND THEN HE HAD US KNEEL BEFORE THE SLAVES. HE HAD FOLLOWERS OF THE APOCALYPSE AND HIS MEN HELP THEM OFF OF THE CROSSES, AND CALLED US TERRIBLE PEOPLE FOR FOLLOWING GLORIOUS CAESAR'S WILL! I SPAT ON HIS BOOTS AND CALLED HIM A RUG IN THE MAKING, AND BECAUSE I TOLD THE TRUTH HE CONDEMNED ME AND MY MEN TO THE CROSS!"

Carrie Boyd was furiously writing all of this down, all while the Centurion couldn't hear any of the pencil jotting in between his ranting and heaving. He turned to her mere seconds before she was done with his last sentence, making the Centurion's face droop and skin turn clammy.

"Oh fuck me, you didn't just-"

"Your blabbing's filled in a good few gaps, now just tell me who you're talking about and I'll let the intelligence boys handle you."

Carrie interrupted, a satisfied grin resting comfortably on her face as she watched the Centurion take a seat once more, defeated.

"Fuck it, Caesar will have me killed for my failure, even if Vulpes would want me to survive. Yes, that stupid underling of mine is correct about the details of the mission."

The centurion slowly inhaled a deep breath, holding it in him like he was going in for a deep dive in Lake mead. He exhaled a good few seconds after, having relaxed much more since the initial rant.

"I'll tell you profligates everything, and that includes who attacked our camp. The leader of the Free Mojave Forces did that, and I bet he'll happily admit it too. That beast is the entire reason we've had to quell several mutant slave rebellions in Arizona alone. The gall of these slave creatures, to think that they can be more than just labor and relief."

Carrie wrote it all down before getting up and walking out of the interrogation room. Inside were a pair of MP's who worked with her, and a pair of NCR Intelligence officers, wearing pre-war suits with NCR military caps firmly on their heads.

One of them held a suitcase with a holotape recorder and two microphones, and the other had nothing in his hands. One man, one woman, both seasoned in attaining a war's ultimate currency. Looking over to the intelligence officers, she quickly extended the notebook and explained what had happened.

"The Centurion in there is willing to talk because I lit a short fuse of his. He didn't say much of anything beyond confirming that the decanus's details were correct, and the individual who put the Legionaries under his command on those crosses."

The younger officer took the notebook to look through it, while the older one gave an immediate question.

"Who gave that order?"

"According to him, it was the leader of the Free Mojave Forces."

Carrie answered on the spot, as the other officer sighed gently.

"Shit, this is gonna put the Rangers into a frenzy."

The older officer looked down at the other officer as she shook her head.

"We'll make sure to package the news as best as we can, lest someone leaks the story early and ruins everything. Carrie Boyd, thank your for your hard work, we'll take it from here."

Carrie gave the pair a salute as she nodded firmly.

"It was an honor." The two intelligence officers walked into the interrogation room to take down everything that the Centurion had to say, while Carrie stayed in the room with the other MP's. Right outside, a curious NCR Ranger had listened in to everything that had been said, and the man knew what had to be done.

Before anyone could stop him, he'd begun heading back to Camp Golf to let the Rangers know, this was something they were involved with from the start, this was too important for them to be told half the story of!

LOCATION: A CLEARING NEAR RANGER STATION FOXTROT.

DATE: FEBURARY 9TH 2282.

TIME 7:18 PM.

TEMPERATURE: 82°F OR 28°C.

The Rangers found out alright, and they weren't too happy to hear about what the hell had been done. The outrage was present in all waves of rangers, but the former Desert Rangers hated this the most. He was one of their own, and he had crucified those Legionaries in the same way that Caesar's men did!

While the Intelligence offices had to quell and calm the Rangers about what Joseph had done, five former Desert Rangers chose to confront their former brother in arms. Pablo headed the little expedition, with another vulpine ranger, a caracal ranger, and two humans, all former Desert Rangers. Traveling to the meetup point didn't take tong with an NCR issue jeep, and after that, it took a few minutes to get talking to Deborah via the radio.

An hour later and Joseph was on his way to the meeting point on foot. The rangers waited anxiously, with the humans and other vulpine smoking a cigarette once every hour to keep themselves somewhat relaxed. Four of them were sitting and leaning on the rocks, discussing things with each other. The fifth one, the second, vulpine was taking the last draws of his cigarette in. The silver fox considered it the only way he could relax on the job.

His eyes scanned the land in front of him, looking for their desired guest when he saw a familiar silhouette in the distance. A black cowboy hat, a sandy light olive trenchcoat, desert camo armor, black tufted ears and a short tail. The fox threw the butt onto the ground in front of him and ran back down to his fellow rangers.

"He's here, get ready!"

He yelled out, as the other NCR rangers prepared themselves to talk to the ex-Desert Ranger. They got into a horseshoe shape while readying themselves for the inevitable. It wasn't too long before Joseph came to them, walking over to them with a light bit of disappointment on his face.

He stopped about three meters away from the closest ranger, and sighed out.

"I sure fucked up, didn't I?"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?"

Yelled out the shorter caracal ranger, who began approaching Joseph aggressively with hatred dripping from his pores. Of of the human rangers tried to diffuse the situation by walking in front of the smaller ranger. He was a white guy of average height, with what seemed to be eternal five o clock stubble on his jawline and upper lip. He also had spread his body out to try and keep the peace.

"Joel please do-"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY GEORGE, I GOTTA TALK WITH JOSEPH FACE TO FACE."

"He's right. He told me that if I ever stooped down to the Legion's level that he had to try and bring me back to earth."

The human ranger's shocked expression said all as he turned to the taller caracal, before stepping aside as the shorter caracal got in Joseph's face.

"What in the ever-loving fuck got in your head when you made that call? I know you hate those bastards fiercely like the rest of us, but there's a point where you need to step back and slap yourself in the face for considering an option like crucifying Legionaries."

Joseph sighed gently and nodded.

"Yes, I know I should never have done that. But what I saw made me think of how I should make them suffer, rather than how I should have helped the slaves."

Taking a step back, the taller caracal began clearing his throat while the shorter caracal stiffly forced out a statement, holding his anger back.

"You better be ready to explain what the fuck was going through your head at the time, now."

"Joel, that's enough."

Pablo said as he walked over and placed a hand on the smaller feline's shoulder.

"Everyone else, shut your mouths and keep those ears open."

The other rangers nodded, including Joel, who walked off to the side with a scowl on his face.

"Joseph, you better explain yourself right now, you've got an audience who's willing to listen and a chance for you to be understood."

"Ya'll better listen then, I'm only saying this once."

Joseph said, as Pablo stepped away from the caracal. With the other rangers giving him space, Joseph began to explain himself.

"While I was looking over the cliff into the clearing that those Legion bastards set up, crosses and all, an idea creeped into my head. Why not get back at them, give them a taste of their own medicine?"

He asked, grabbing his canteen, taking it out of a pouch, opening it up as he continued.

"Normally I would merely brush such a concept to the side, spit in its face and tell it to leave. But the sight of those crucified slaves, groaning, looking at me with terrified eyes that begged for whatever help I could give, it allowed this idea to be considered reasonable."

Taking a quick swig of water to keep his throat wet, the ranger continued his explanation.

"So instead of just attacking and killing the Legionaries while they slept, I did something different. I had my men go in with lead pipes and rope, I made them tie the unconscious Legionaries up and lined them up. Then we took the crosses down, removed the slaves with the help of some Followers, and when the Legionaries woke up, I began to taunt them."

Joseph sighed, when one of the human Rangers interjected.

"And just what did you taunt them with?" "The usual things you'd say to a bunch of tied up slavers. "How the mighty have fallen." "Time for you to feel like your captives." "Ya'll are the most vile sacks of shit in the Mojave." Yknow, the usual mockery for bastards like him. The Centurion there wasn't having any of it. He insulted back, called me multiple nasty things, which I can't be too surprised by. He was able to see the last slaves being carried out by Followers, which lead him to insult them in many colorful ways for daring to help those who were in need." Joseph said, all while the others paid attention.

"After the Followers had left, I issued the order much to the sheer shock and terror of not just the Legionaries, but my own men. They obeyed, but only because they felt that what they were doing was justified enough."

Joseph took another, longer swig of water before adding the ending cap to his explanation.

"Did it work? I bet any Legion spies who have knowledge of this action are much more terrified of what I'm capable of. I wouldn't be surprised if Caesar's Legion truly considers me an unrelenting monster. Of course, I know that for a fact that absolutely none of that was worth it. Those who obeyed me fear me like nothing else. The reputation of the Free Mojave Forces will likely be stained by my decision to stoop to the Legion's filthy level. And worst of all, I fear those I love will push me away if they hear of it."

Joseph's explanation ended, as the caracal looked to the other rangers before he spoke.

"Now then. What do ya'll have to say?"

The rangers looked between each other for a brief few seconds, before the smaller caracal spoke.

"I'll admit, hearing that's convinced me that the good hasn't died in you yet. But you can't just talk a big game, you better be ready to change yourself for the better."

"Believe me, I am. I'm not stopping my war against Caesar till he's dead and buried."

The caracal boldly stated, briefly pulling out his trusty ole combat knife before sheathing it once more.

"Even if it means you end up in a shallow grave out in some random patch of Arizona? You need to cool the fuck down."

George said, as the other human added on.

"Yeah, you need to prevent yourself from stooping that low ever again above all else. If anything, that means you gotta go for the source."

The human who'd pitched in was a slightly taller Asian man, with a scar that told of a nearly lost right eye. He was also well tanned, like most experienced rangers. Joseph chuckled a little as he looked over at the man.

"Randall, you realize that I've been wanting to do that for years?"

"It's been the Desert Ranger's constant desire since Caesar's men began strutting in like they owned the place, of course I know. But you've got the power, the men, and the talent to pull it off. It's not like you can just swim to the fort with a knife between your teeth, assassinate Caesar yourself and survive."

Joseph laughed a little at the ending comment of Randall's words.

"Guess you're right. Well, I hope that this is good enough for all of us."

The caracal said, looking to the other former desert rangers as they gave their own silent feelings.

"Yeah, consider this a stern warning for the future. Remember that we can, and will get less than pleasant if you try pulling anything else like this. It could even result in us becoming hostile. Don't you dare stoop this low again, especially against the NCR."

Pablo said, before beginning to walk over to the entrance that Joseph had come from.

"Joel, George, Randall, Alex, come with me. Joseph, you're walking back on your own."

The five NCR Rangers headed to their Jeep and began driving back to Camp Golf. Joseph returned by foot to his bed, and slept well in spite of the nightmares.

LOCATION: A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED SOUTH VEGAS CAFETERIA.

DATE: FEBRUARY 10TH 2282.

TIME: 7:00 PM.

TEMPERATURE: 82°F OR 28°C.

What used to be the South Vegas ruins were now completely changed, as the whole area had been rebuilt thoroughly. From rubble and strung up corpses, to apartments, gardens and workshops being made for the growing community. One of the newly constructed buildings was a simple cafeteria set up for two purposes. To feed the workers who had come to build, and to host Shabbat dinners.

There weren't that many Jews in the South Vegas Zone, but it seemed like just about every Jew relatively close to the area came to the cafeteria for Shabbat. Even a member of the Kings had come, with an impromptu Kippah to boot. Joseph was one of the first to come, along with some of the other Jewish members of the FMF. They'd taken their seats at a table near the kitchen, along with a friend of Joseph's.

Gabriel sat comfortably next to the caracal ranger, wearing the best looking change of clothes he had, a pre-war outfit that was washed just before he moved into the South Vegas Zone. The cheetah conversed lightly with one of the warriors, a silver fox who wore a similar outfit and had a bullet wound in each of his ears. The vulpine was sitting between the other two warriors, a thoroughly tanned white woman covered in scars on her left side and a Latino man with a cut up right ear.

"You sure ask a lot of questions about our faith, though I have to ask, why didn't you move to the Blue Star instead?"

"Well, I want to help however I can, so when I heard there was construction happening here I took my chance and, well I've definitely been helping how I can."

Gabriel answered, as the fox nodded while Joseph looked to the cafeteria's kitchen.

"So what was that mission that happened on Wednesday? I've heard rumors about it, and if I remember right, you were involved in it."

Gabriel asked, as the fox quickly shut his mouth, looking over to the man beside him for a bit, before looking to Gabriel once more.

"Ask Joseph after dinner, he'll tell you."

The other two nodded, and before long the dinner began properly. While discussion filled the cafeteria in general, the table Joseph sat at, and especially Joseph himself remained silent through the whole meal beyond the prayers. After the nice, filling dinner, Joseph was returning to the vault as Gabriel ran up behind him.

"Joseph! We need to talk, you haven't been the same since that Wednesday mission and I need to hear what you have to say about it."

The ranger sighed softly, turning his head and nodding.

"Follow me, we'll talk privately."

Joseph lead Gabriel to his office in the vault, locking the door behind him and taking a seat afterwards.

"Get comfortable, what I have to say will likely shock you to the core."

He warned, watching the cheetah take a seat before he began his fully detailed explanation of what happened during the mission. When he was done, Gabriel's face was completely mortified, if he were human, his face would resemble pure chalk. The cheetah gulped, before beginning to stutter out a response.

"You, you did not, I know the Legion are vile but, that's not what y-"

"I already know I shouldn't have done it, but I saw no other option. I had one singular answer pushed in my face by the Yetzer Hara."

Joseph interrupted, standing up slowly as Gabriel looked up at Joseph with a lightly confused expression on his face.

"The, what?"

"Oh, right, let me explain. The Yetzer Hara, in essence it is an element of evil that exists within all sentient beings and is an active influence on all of us. I accepted the Yetzer Hara's influence, and because of it I crucified Legionaries out of anger."

Joseph explained, a bitter pang resonating on those last words as the ranger looked over to the bookshelf.

"I've just, always had a brutally clear focus on how Caesar's men have given the Mojave suffering throughout the years, and I've never taken the time to ask myself, when is enough, enough?"

Joseph sighed out, looking at the ceiling, before looking back to the bookcase. Gabriel got up slowly, walking in front of Joseph and grabbing his hand before speaking.

"I don't know if this will help, but if you can, ask yourself why you've viewed Caesar's Legion this way. That, and what could, make you not want to commit such an atrocity again."

Gabriel advised. Joseph nodded briefly, before pulling his hand away from Gabriel's.

"Thanks, I think that's all the help I need for now. You can go now."

The cheetah nodded, but didn't budge quite yet.

"Before you do, I, I need to say something. Since we first met, I've viewed you in a different light than most other men would. Like a lover, if you understand what I mean."

"I do. And before you ask, I've considered you cute since the moment we began talking."

Gabriel's expression changed in a femtosecond to gentle surprise, before it altered once more into a smile.

"Well, that's nice. Although, you really, really need to pull that thorn out of your heart, before we can be more than friends. I hope you understand."

Joseph nodded down at Gabriel gently, before replying.

"I do, now go on back home, you've been in here long enough."

The ranger walked over to the door, opening it and letting Gabriel leave. The cheetah gave the caracal a wave goodbye, and after the door was locked, Joseph began creating a rough draft for a plan that should have been done months, if not years ago.

LOCATION: THE ENTRANCE OF VAULT 3.

DATE: FEBRUARY 19TH 2282.

TIME: 2:00 PM.

TEMPERATURE: 95°F OR 35°C.

In the days after Joseph's decision to crucify members of Caesar's Legion, the NCR intelligence offices had managed to keep enough of the story from most of the other Rangers, though just about every ex-Desert Ranger heard the complete thing from Pablo and his pals. Whatever the case, things had simmered down enough for the NCR Rangers to get back to their usual duties without that much of an issue. However, something unusual and rather unexpected had occurred.

Minor reports of a black woman with combat armor and an assault rifle flew under the radar, even the reports that caught onto the fact that she was dragging a coffin behind her. Of course, when she came to the South Vegas Zone, she immediately was noticed, and celebrated.

Courier Six released the rope on the coffin after she'd stepped into the vault's entrance, all while FMF warriors cheered for her return. Issac came over to the cheering with a confused look on his face, before suddenly howling in sheer excitement.

"HOLY FUCK SIX! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

The wolf ran up to her and gave her a surprise hug, crying a little as Six calmly pushed him off of her soon after.

"It's good to see you're also still alive, but I need to get this to Zechariah, and I need to talk to Joseph."

She said, picking the rope up as the wolf shook his head.

"Oh don't worry about that! I'll tell Zech you brought it with you as a gift when I bring it to him. Joseph's in the planning room, he'll let you in right away."

Six shrugged a bit before letting go of the rope once more.

"Alright, just don't think you can carry this by yourself. I packed it to the gills."

She warned, before departing for the conference room. Isaac and another rather strong militiaman carefully picked up the coffin and slowly brought it down to Zechariah. In the conference room, Joseph was standing by a map of the Mojave with Rachel, pointing out several locations. Russel was looking over decoded Legion transmissions with Rodriguez and Deborah. Other than that, the room was empty when the door was knocked on.

"Who is it?"

Rodriguez asked with a shout, eyes seemingly stapled to a message that had his attention like no other.

"It's me, Six, I need to talk with Joseph!"

Six said, as Joseph turned from the map over to the door.

"What the hell? Come in, come in!"

He shouted out, just before Six walked in. The rangers in the room were shocked to see that it was indeed her, and she hadn't changed that much beyond a few scars on her head, and a much shorter haircut.

"Holy shit, where the hell have you been?"

Russel asked with a voice drenched in sudden confusion, as Six quickly replied.

"It's a long story, what you need to know is I recently came back from an area called The Divide and stopped a desperate man from nuking the NCR and Legion."

If the other rangers weren't looking at Six already, they were now.

"Wait, seriously?"

Deborah asked, as Six nodded in turn.

"I'm serious, and I can't begin to explain the full story quite yet. I need some rest, but before I get it, I wanna know just what ya'll are up to."

Six said, before turning over to the map that Joseph was previously pointing all over.

"This may sound completely insane, but it's the Ernest truth."

Rachel prefaced, before Joseph stepped back, and turned to the map.

"See this? This map and everything else in the room is here for a special mission. We're going to raid The Fort, and kill Caesar. With him out of the picture, the Legion is dead, and we'll not have to worry about them any longer."

Joseph's explanation surprised Six, but it wasn't long before she grabbed her backpack and rummaged through it for a bit. She pulled out the mark of Caesar, and grinned.

"Count me in."