Chapter 12

"Ahh! That is so much better." Jericho smacked his lips.

"Yeah?" Jessica grinned at him from across the table. Her own plate lay before her, long since emptied.

"Mole Rat, bell pepper an' onion skewers?" the former raider patted his stomach, "Oh yeah… bin years since I ate at Gary's Galley! Forgot how damned good it was!"

The waitress nearby flashed him a smile, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Jericho grinned at her and slapped the table, "Another beer!"

"Water." Jessica corrected quickly, nodding at the four bottles the raider had already emptied during his meal.

"Water it is!"

"Fuckin' killjoy" he said, but he was grinning at her. As the water glass was placed before him he laughed, "I can't believe yeh managed ta fall in with those redshirt sons'o'bitches! God damn, boss!"

A nearby Legion guard shot him a glare.

"Life is full of little surprises." Jessica said, raising her glass.

"Here's to ya, then! Fer talkin' me outta the slammer! I thought I was done for down there. Thought that was it."

"I don't leave my people behind, Jericho."

"Yeah. Say, we gotta add a few more guys to our crew, boss! We could rule the roost."

"I'm making plans," Jessica said, "don't have anything solid yet."

"So what's top priority?"

"I need to find out what happened to the people I came in with." Jessica told him, "I know they aren't here…"

"Well if they ain't here, then-"

She waved him into silence, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickling again. She turned in her seat to see the two abominations approaching. Each was dressed in his usual pinstripe suit and fedora. Their steps were synchronized, as were their ghoulish twin smiles.

"Oh, fuck. These jokers." Jericho snarled.

"Stay calm." She instructed.

"Greetings, Immune," one of the creatures said, in his usual strange, oily cadence.

"You're without your beret today, yess." observed the other. Jessica fought to keep her face blank. Boone's beret was still in her pocket. She wondered how much Martin actually knew about her time in New Vegas.

"No Beret? Curious, Mister Martin." The first one said.

"Quite so, Mister Krupp…" said the second.

Jericho rose to his feet, "You two wanna talk with the boss, you gotta talk ta me first, got it?"

The one called Martin blinked, shocked by the man's bluster and pride. "yes, but why debase myself, Dissolute?"

"No reason at all, Mister Martin."

"None indeed Mister Krupp."

"Jericho, sit down please." Jessica asked. The raider slowly lowered back down into his seat, shooting both men death glares.

She turned to them, "If you two have nothing to report to me then kindly move along. You're putting us off our lunch…"

"Fuckin' right!" Jericho added. Jessica watched as a Legionary soldier appeared at the railing above them. He moved with purpose and appeared to be searching the marketplace. Likely for either her or the abominations.

"Take care how you speak, Immune." Krupp warned. Behind him, the Legionary spotted her, and headed down the stairs as fast as he could.

"You take care. I'm Caesar's right hand. You're just an abomination sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." Jessica shot back. She raised her hand and waved them off, "isn't there something useful you should be doing?"

The legionary arrived at their table. He held out a letter to Jessica. Krupp reached for it, but Jessica neatly intercepted it first.

My sister, I hope you are comfortably settled in! My apologies for the delay in releasing your friend. I am sure you understand.

It would please me no end to have you stand at the table with me during today's briefing. Our scouts and explorers bring news of the Wasteland. Together you and I can chart a path forward in Caesar's name!

Your loving brother, Legate Marcus Antonius Vorenus

She folded it up and slipped it into a pocket in the inside of the courier's duster.

"News?" Martin asked.

"Not for you, I'm afraid," she said shortly, rising to her feet. "Come, Jericho. We've places to be."

Jessica had Jericho wait outside the briefing for her. Vorenus was waiting alone inside, and he beamed at her as she stepped through the door.

"Sister! I'm so glad you feel up to joining us!"

"Wouldn't miss it." she flashed him a smile of her own.

"You're a little early."

"Where are the others? Septimus?"

Vorenus' mirthful expression soured a little. He cleared his throat. "Did you enjoy your evening, then?"

"It was quite nice, thank you."

"I hope your head is not too sore from the drink."

Jessica shrugged easily. "I only had a few…"

"As did my prize Centurion…" he observed testily.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. He had a nuka-cola."

Vorenus sighed, "I know you've spent much time amongst the dissolutes, degenerates, and profligates of the world, but I would appreciate it if you would refrain from corrupting my officers."

"Corrupting?" Jessica protested, "Oh please! We drank a few drinks. We talked for an hour. I went to bed. That's it!"

Vorenus watched her for a moment more. He said, "Whatever you're planning, sister, promise me you'll keep me informed."

"I'm not planning anything."

"I hope not." Vorenus clicked his tongue and gazed at the map, "I would hate to hear that my sister was… despoiled by a mere Centurion."

"Despoiled?" Jessica snapped, genuinely stung, "My life is not your damned business, thank you very much!"

"Keeping my men's mind on our mission is!"

"I'm not interested in your men!" She hissed, "The first thing you do when you enter new territory is make some friends in high places. Know who the players are. Understand the game. I want people on my side."

"I am on your side, sister!" Vorenus snapped back.

"Yeah well… Krupp and Martin aren't."

Vorenus eyes flashed with anger, "Why? What have they said? What have they done?" He gripped the hilt of his machete as if about to draw it.

"Nothing! Nothing yet…" Jessica said soothingly, "but I don't like them. I don't trust them, and it feels good to have genuine Legionaries at my back."

The Legate's grip loosened and his shoulders relaxed. He let his hand drop back to his side. "That I can understand," he muttered. "You will not find a better man than Septimus Servius."

Jessica had a sudden, wicked thought. It occurred to her that she might be pushing things too far, but like a hot hand on the Vegas Strip, she felt the hunger to play her cards and toss a little chaos out into the world. She shot her brother a sly, mischievous smirk and said, "Besides, Septimus is a smart man. He won't be a mere Centurion forever."

Vorenus groaned and, with the air of a man defeated, lowered his forehead slowly into his palm, "you were always trouble, sister. Perhaps that is why Caesar sent you so far away – so you could make trouble for our enemies instead of us."

"Speaking of – are you going to catch me up?"

He nodded and gestured at the nearby desk, where a pile of maps and paperwork waited for him. "I apologize for not speaking with you sooner, but I've been very busy. We shall have to steal a moment soon. I'm excited to reintroduce you to the Legion. Have you selected a new set of personal guards?"

Jessica's eyebrows shot up. She said, "I get those?"

"You are Caesar's immune. You hand-selected a dozen fighting men to accompany you from place to place. Handpicked companions to go under cover with you. I shall have a list put together of the best Legionaries in the Wasteland so that you can choose a new guard."

"Thank you," Jessica said, "I may take you up on that." Not that she wanted bodyguards; the constant presence of legionaries would make escape even more difficult and dangerous.

She stepped up to the enormous wasteland map which had been laid out across the central table.

It looked so… empty.

Jessica had not realized just how densely settled an area the Mojave actually was. One couldn't walk ten feet without running into a settlement of some sort. Yet this Wasteland map was miles and miles of nothing at all. There were a few flags planted across it, but most were clustered around the southeast corner. It did not take Jessica long to find Rivet City down there. Megaton was south central, and there was another important-looking marker in the northwest. Beyond that? Empty wilderness.

She said, "tell me about the Capital Wasteland…"

"This is a chaotic place," Vorenus admitted, "I lose more men to radscorpions and yao guai than I do to enemy action. We cleared out a sewer of mirelurks one week. And the next a patrol in it is swarmed by ghouls. There are Deathclaws here. I don't know where they come from. They seem to just… appear. The Wasteland is chaos. It is never still, and civilizing it requires my constant care and attention. It's been around a long time. Mostly unsettled." Vorenus took position across the map from her. His voice took on an officious tone. "Truth be told, sister, if things had gone according to plan, we wouldn't be here at all."

"When do things ever go according to plan?"

"Hah. True." He leaned over the map and said, "Caesar and the Good Doctor had made a deal with A first generation Supermutant named Brutus."

"You made a deal with an Abomination?"

"Apparently. Understand, Jessica, that I was sent in to clean up a mess here. We gave Brutus an extra-potent variant of the FEV supermutant virus, and promised him the Capital Wasteland as his kingdom."

Jessica cupped her elbow in her palm and stared down at the map, silently daring it to give up its story to her. She said, "We wouldn't have made a trade like that unless he offered something valuable."

"Which I assume he did." Vorenus shrugged, "I do not know. But we kept our side of the bargain. We paid a small mercenary band called the Talon Company to keep things… dynamic, and weaken the population for Brutus."

"I wouldn't want a nation of Supermutants on my flank," Jessica said.

"I believe the plan was to double-cross them. Wait until they had destroyed everything else in the Wasteland and then inject the FEV cure into the water supply."

"Leaving nothing but empty space behind…" she mused.

Vorenus grinned, "devious, no? And it was working, too. For a time."

"What happened?"

He smiled sardonically, "everything, Jessica. The Brotherhood arrived and allied with the Wastelanders. The Talon Company was forced to back off. Brutus became more forceful and began kidnapping and killing everyone in the Wasteland. Then the Enclave arrived and began to do the same…"

"Hold on…" Jessica said, recall the final flight of Arcade's old friends, "I thought the Enclave had been destroyed."

"On the west coast, yes. But not here. They are here even now, licking their wounds on an airfield not far away."

"You don't attack?"

"I don't have the men. Yet." He said shortly.

"And what of the Talon Company? I met a few of their Mercs when I first arrived here."

"Oh, they're still present." Vorenus said bitterly, "but they no longer work for us. Caps go a long way here, and the Mercenaries grew in power. Began to recruit from the local population. About a year ago they turned rogue and killed our Frumentarii. In in the middle of that, Brutus decided to make his move. A local named James Howett built a large water purifier and the Enclave stole it."

"James?" Jessica asked sharply, "the Father of the Lone Wanderer?"

Here Vorenus paused. His eyes grew dark and troubled as he gazed down at the map. "You've heard of him, then…"

"A few times now, yeah. The Wanderer has a …reputation… around here."

The Legate let out a heavy sigh. He said, "I would rather not speak of him, to be honest."

"Septimus hates him." Jessica said.

"Our standing orders are to capture the Lone Wanderer."

"Septimus wants him dead."

"Centurion Servius came here with two full Centuria and orders to pacify the region." Vorenus said slowly. He bit his lip and said, "Then came the Wanderer. Now he commands only one, and is tied to the southeast corner of the Wasteland."

Jessica stared. "An entire Centuria…"

Vorenus nodded, a tired, deadened look in his eyes.

"How? That's one hundred fighting men!" Jessica exclaimed.

"I understand that Vorenus caught wind of a belligerent settlement to the north of here. He sent one of his two Centuria to pacify it, which they did. They crucified the rebels and enslaved the rest, but the locals managed to get a radio signal out. A call for help… The Wanderer found Septimus' men on their way back to camp. Only a few survived."

"…how?" It was hard to imagine one man destroying that many legionaries. With all of their snipers, gun, bombs and reinforcements, the NCR had only just managed to survive full battles with the Western Legion. How could one man wipe out so many of them?

"We know that he deliberately left some men alive to tell their comrades what happened."

"That's a Legion tactic." Jessica said, thinking of Vulpes Inculta's strange request of her in Nipton.

Vorenus nodded, "it is undeniably effective. They came back telling stories of the Ghost Soldier who could vanish at will and never missed a shot. He pursued our soldiers through the heart of the downtown ruins, just to the north of us."

Jessica glanced down at the tightly-packed map. It was a dense area, probably packed with rubble and alleyways and blind spots.

He said, "The inner city is a maze and our soldiers quickly lost their way. Every turn they took to find a way out only took them further in. The Wanderer harried them day and night. They were split into small groups which he hunted and slaughtered without mercy, disappearing before the scattered reinforcements could arrive to do any good. Even now our patrols are still finding new battle sites. The Wanderer crucified most of them. Hung them from walls with railway spikes. He is a Savage."

"I'm sorry…" Jessica said, and felt shocked; true sympathy for Legion troops? But it was a cruel fate for anyone…

"After that the entire Wasteland rose up against Septimus with the Wanderer at the helm. They are a tough people, Jessica. Tougher than any tribe I have ever faced. They drove us out in two days. Septimus returned to us in shame."

"I'm not sure he deserved that…"

"Caesar was furious, but Septimus is a great soldier." Vorenus said, "I argued for his life."

"You must have put up a good argument."

"It was the Good Doctor who saved him. Victor Presper believes the Wanderer has… gifts. He convinced Caesar that there was no way Septimus would have won. Presper wants us to capture him alive if at all possible. For his experiments."

"And Caesar agrees?"

Vorenus raised his arms and waved at the room around him, "here we are: back again with twice as many Legionaries and more on the way."

"Septimus said you did manage to stop the Wanderer eventually."

"Yes. I'm rather proud of this one. It was my idea, you see, but I got it from you." Vorenus grinned at her, "You're an inspiration, sister. I've watched how you manipulate people and play factions off against each other. The Wanderer defended the dissolutes and profligates from us. So I tore up their alliance. I brought Krupp and Martin with me. They took control of the radio station and forced the DJ to broadcast our propaganda. There's an old building full of printing presses, so we published newspapers with an …alternative… version of Wasteland history: Vox Populi."

"The Voice of the People."

"Yes." The Legate said smugly, "there are many means of making war on an enemy. It worked. His own people betrayed him. He has gone to ground and we have not heard from him since. One problem gone, and we can concentrate on the others: the Enclave, Brotherhood, and Talon Company. I was hoping you might be able to help us with that-"

The door opened, and Septimus Servius himself stepped through. His armour had been polished, and gleamed radiantly. A folder of reports was tucked neatly under one arm. He saw Jessica immediately and smiled, "Morning Jessica."

"Immune…" Vorenus corrected.

"Morning Septimus!" Jessica flashed the Centurion a smile, "How are you doing?" The man looked cheerful enough, but underneath she was trying to imagine what it would feel like to lose one hundred trusting men. Jessica recalled the pain and guilt of stepping into Usanagi's clinic, of seeing Boone's body lying limp on the cot. The feeling of failure was something she knew would never leave her. While Septimus was likely never as close to his men as Boone was, she still couldn't imagine having to bear that kind of loss on her conscience. The madness which had overtaken Septimus' eyes when he had spoken of the Wanderer the previous night began to make more sense.

Composed and formal, Septimus said, "I'm keeping well thanks. I very much enjoyed the evening."

"Me too." She smirked, "we'll have to grab dinner soon."

The Centurion opened his mouth to respond, but Vorenus cut him off. "Report. Centurion."

Septimus cleared his throat and brought himself to attention, "A bit of an incident with the prisoners this morning, I'm afraid, sir."

"Oh?" Jessica asked carefully.

He nodded, "one of the ghouls somehow got his hands on a bobby pin. He freed himself of his shackles and attacked our men. Put a Legionary in hospital."

"And the abomination?" Vorenus asked.

"he's dead now. And his friends. Their bodies have been burned. All of them." Septimus reported. "I've ordered the prime decanus to assign the men on duty some lashes as punishment."

"As it should be," Vorenus said, "Do we know how he got the pin? The last thing we need is a prison riot."

"Investigations are ongoing." Septimus said dryly. "I do not believe it was any of our men…"

"See that you find out." Vorenus ordered.

Septimus nodded. "It shall be done."

"What else?"

The Centurion smiled and laid his first report on the table. "The Project is complete. Reinforcements have arrived."

The two men exchanged knowing grins.

"That is glorious news!" said Vorenus.

Septimus nodded, "it's about time."

"Sorry," said Jessica, glancing from one to the other, "but…what project?"

"The Good Doctor got a train running for us." Vorenus explained, "We can pull troops from as far West as Indianapolis. I can have ten Centuria here in a week if I need them"

"And we can transport supplies from pacified areas across the empire closer to the front with little trouble." Septimus added, "it's great news for the whole Legion."

"How much did Caesar send us?" Vorenus asked.

"Two more Centuria have already arrived."

The Legate's smile widened, "news just gets better and better… their commanders?"

Septimus passed a report across to him, "Centurions Antonius Aquila and Scapha Vespasianus. Even now they are preparing for the march across the Wasteland to Rivet City. They'll be here in two days."

"Aquila is a career soldier. A little dull, but practical." Vorenus told Jessica, "Scapha is a butcher."

"If Caesar sent Scapha it means he wants this to end." Septimus sounded unhappy.

"…Fort Bannister…" Vorenus sucked air between his teeth, as they both stared down at the large marker in the northwest area of the Capital Wasteland.

Septimus addressed Jessica, "every rebel Wastelander who refused to live under the Pax Americana – Ceasar's rule, has gathered there. They have fortified it. Multiple layers of walls and battlements. An entire farm inside, along with a water purification system and Brahmin herds, pens of domesticated mole rats."

Vorenus said, "They are commanded by a Profligate named Jackrum. He is my counterpart, and the last free leader in the Wasteland."

"And you haven't attacked it before now?" Jessica asked them.

Septimus shook his head, "The fort is very well defended. They have miniguns, rocket launchers, and sniper rifles, with enough ammunition stockpiled to fight for years. They have mininuke mortars sighted in every inch of the open desert plain which surrounds them. And empty desert surrounds them. They will see us coming from any direction, and destroy our forces with explosives and machinegun fire before we even reach the wall."

"If we wipe it out… the Wasteland is ours, but the cost of attacking it until now would have been too high." Vorenus finished.

"But now with reinforcements…" Septimus mused.

"There will still be high casualties, my friend." Vorenus warned.

Septimus sighed heavily, but said nothing.

"Anything more to report?"

The Centurion produced yet another slip of paper. "Decanus Sextus Aventius of the Seventh Contubernium found a settlement up in the northeast."

"His assessment?"

Septimus pass the report across the table to Vorenus, who peered down at it. "Population of a dozen. Vulnerable. Disrespectful. Insolent. They turned down an offering of surrender." He glanced up at Septimus, "the Decanus recommends decimation – we can use the atrocity to bend the will of larger settlements we find."

"How often does this happen?" Jessica asked as he handed the paper over to her. She scanned down the report – sparse as it was. The bullet points were simple sentences. The decanus had drawn a rough sketch of a compound, noting weak points in the defences. Below that was an educated guess at the compound's arms and firepower. "I can't imagine there are all that many settlements in the… wasteland…" Jessica's voice trailed off as she zeroed in on a small note at the bottom of the second page:

Dissolute Settlement Leader Identifying Markings & Behavior:

Caucasian

Tall

Blond hair

Blue eyes

Beard

Heavily armed – Chinese assault rifle / combat knife / unknown

Insolent attitude

Recommendation: Crucifixion

She swallowed, a vague suspicion taking shape.

Captain Cosmos…

It would make sense, of course – where better for the Wanderer to hide than in plain sight? God… was the Decanus even aware of what he had stumbled upon? How close he had come? Assuming her hunch was true – that the Lone Wanderer was there, what could be done about it?

How to play the cards? Even the assumption was a gamble, given the meager description

If she told the Vorenus and Septimus, they would no doubt send all they had after him, leaving them weaker. It would make an escape attempt easier, but where could she even escape to? The Legion covered territory all the way to Indianapolis at least. Besides, Septimus would probably insist on leading the assault himself - she would be left without a powerful ally in Rivet City. Not an ideal position with Krupp and Martin hanging around and two new Centurions on their way.

Maybe there was a way she could spin this in her favour afterall...

Jessica must have let something slip in her expression, because Vorenus was giving her a curious look. "Sister?"

Jessica blinked and looked up at him.

"Is anything the matter?" he asked firmly.

She said, "I just wonder… why would a settlement as small as this dare to be so blatantly, openly hostile to the Legion?" They must have extra firepower…

"That is suspicious," Septimus agreed, "perhaps a few extra Contubernia should be brought to bear."

Jessica smiled at him and said, "I was thinking of Krupp and Martin." If you're going to set an example, then bring in the best...

Vorenus chuckled, "I know you do not get along with them, Jessica, but they are a significant resource…"

"Don't insult me!" Jessica said indignantly, "This is nothing personal. If they're such great resources then we ought to put them to use in the field."

With any luck the Wanderer would finish them off for her.

Vorenus sighed, and looked back at Septimus, raising his eyebrows.

The Centurion shrugged in response. He said, "We can't let a direct challenge go unanswered, sir."

"Alright… Forty men and the abominations." The Legate said, "That should be enough."

"A settlement that size? More than enough." Septimus agreed.

Jessica smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Is there anything else, Septimus?" Vorenus prompted, "You still have a report under your arm…"

Septimus blinked and looked down at the folder under his arm, "Ah, Yes – a group of raiders have taken up residence in Our Lady of Hope Hospital. They're performing hit and run attacks on travelers and caravans."

"So?" Vorenus shrugged, "send a detachment and destroy them…"

"If you would allow it, I would like to lead the attack myself," Septimus said, his hand had settled easily on the hilt of his machete. The way he spoke, he reminded Jessica of a caged animal yearning for freedom. She found herself sympathizing.

Vorenus chuckled, "Of course. Happy hunting, my friend!"

"I'd like to come along." Jessica said.

Both men shot her looks of surprise.

"Why?" Vorenus asked carefully.

She shrugged, "Just to get some fresh air."

"It's still dangerous out there, Sister." The Legate warned.

She shrugged, "How am I going to learn about the Legion if I never participate in any of your operations?"

Vorenus had called the city a maze. A good place to get lost, or perhaps to lose others. It was an opportunity for escape, and she wanted to take it. She smiled and touched Septimus' forearm, "Besides, I'm with your best centurion, Brother. I don't expect any problems."

Vorenus glared at her, his lips pressed tightly shut to contain his worry.

Septimus cleared his throat, "Legate Vorenus, if you wish your sister to remain here, then I will assign some men to guard her, and-"

"My sister is free to do as she pleases, as she outranks both of us." Vorenus said testily.

"Oh really?" Jessica grinned mischievously, but Vorenus' attention was focused solely on his centurion. He shot the man a death glare and said, "You, however, do not. Do I make myself clear…Centurion?"

Septimus drew himself to attention, his expression focused and resolute. "Yessir."

"If anything happens to the Immune, you answer not only to myself but to Caesar himself. Understand?"

Septimus gave him a short nod. "I will ensure nothing happens to her."

"Nothing?" Jessica asked slyly, shooting him a sideways look. A slight blush entered the Centurion's cheeks, but he remained otherwise unmoved. He didn't even glance at her.

Vorenus, on the other hand, turned bright red, glaring furiously at both of them. "Get out!"

And we're finally past setup. Jesus this took a while. I apologize. I know this chapter was entirely dialogue driven, but the Courier is a Speech and Charisma character.

Next chapter there will be action! I'm looking forward to it!