A Time for the West

By the end of February 2275, the Interfector and Aleron had made the several week's journey back to Circle Junction and it wasn't long after that time that the news of war between the Legion and Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel reached them. Preparations were already underway for this war as soon as they got news about the first failed talks with them back in late 2274. The middle eastern section of Colorado had largely been left alone by the Legion since they were home to the outskirts of the Brotherhood chapter around the Cheyenne mountains. After the fall of Denver, the rest of Colorado was under Legion control and the weeks of siege around the city allowed more time for Graham to regain his footing in the pacification of western Colorado. Caesar continued to lead the eastern front of Colorado against the Brotherhood, largely taking things into his own hands with the assistance of other legates and his secret right hand.

As for the conquest of Dog Town: It should be noted that neither Carnifex or Lord Interfector obtained the credit for Dog Town's destruction in the immediate aftermath. The recognition simply went to Caesar who was not even there for nearly the whole siege. Even though Lanius or the Monster of the East was later given formal credit, his role at the time still painted him as more of a legend than a person. As stated before, Carnifex was Caesar; when the city fell to the Monster of the East, those who were there and saw the man butchering the people of the East Tower merely knew that they were looking at the extension of Caesar with the aid of Lord Interfector.

Although Lord Interfector wouldn't get the formal recognition for Denver's destruction and despite playing a significant role in the siege and assault, Caesar authorizing him to resume his Praetorship in Circle Junction was the best reward he could have asked for.

So, as Legate Graham was largely forgotten while Caesar shifted his focus against the Brotherhood, the Legion's Legatus Imperialis spent the early days of the new campaign still seeing to the tribes of eastern Utah and pacifying his territory in western Colorado. At the same time, the Interfector of Phoenix resumed his responsibilities of fueling the war in the east and handling the troubles around his territory of northern Arizona and New Mexico. Though the change in the Legion's identity was not immediate, the tactics and resources used in the entire Meat Grinder Campaign were certainly enough to create a cascade of new issues. Issues that would be obscured by the new war with the Brotherhood.

There will be more to say about the conflict against the BOS, but Montano once again was marched to the front of the new war under the leadership of Caesar himself and the Monster of the East.

During this post-Dog Town era, Aleron continued to assist his Primus in Circle Junction while the BOS war ramped up. Circle Junction and the four corners region continuously had recent conquests from Colorado entering and exiting the camps while new facilities were erected to support the new additions to the Legion's ranks: Denver Hounds.

Caesar meticulously read the reports from Lord Interfector and Lanius throughout the siege and despite the death of their chieftains, the Hangdogs' males were welcomed into the ranks of the Legion. With the image of their monsters being burned in the fire, many Hangdog warriors were spared the worst horrors of indoctrination camp in order to preserve their abilities with the hounds of Denver that were quickly adopted into the Legion. Many former Hangdogs were happy to allow their hounds to be used by the Legion in war so long as their compliance with Caesar prevented more burnings of their dogs. Loyalty with this specific tribe came less from indoctrinated beliefs but rather the ability to use their hounds the way they'd been bred.

With little change in the early days, Montano served as one of Carnifex's spearheads in the new BOS war, and the fight around Denver recently reignited the spirit of fire in Aleron's heart, allowing him to rediscover his love of frontline servitude. Upon return to Circle Junction after a long march and siege around Denver, the Interfector returned to his personal little palace in the Interior Fortress train warehouse, relieved Centurion Cassius as acting head, and rediscovered his family.

You may remember that Lord Interfector's purchased wife named "Amethyst" gave birth while he was marching to Denver. Even though he discovered his error in the child's naming sometime after arriving at Denver, he still found himself somewhat shocked to see firsthand that his child was a boy and not the girl he was hoping for. When he finally met the boy after returning to Circle Junction in early 2275 he still decided to keep the original name he instructed the child to have. It shouldn't be too big of a surprise that the Murderer of Phoenix nearly avoided the child entirely for the early days. This was largely because neither he nor any other Legion commander enjoyed or had the ability to take care of an infant's needs. So, the majority of the child's upbringing was done by Amethyst with the eager help of women like Gabriella and the other trusted slave women of the Circle Junction Interior Fortress. Lord Interfector spent most of his days conducting the usual business and addressing the problems of his territory as they arose, barely able to notice when the gradual changes took place.

The reader may be wondering what specific changes took place in the post-Denver era. The answer to that again is something that was gradual.

Caesar's war against the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel was no less costly than the bulk of the Meat Grinder Campaign, and the Legion itself was still on a course of struggle to uphold the manpower problems. Though the Legion was largely successful in the fringes of BOS territory in Colorado, numerous assaults on their regional headquarters of Cheyenne were repelled. The Brotherhood that the Legion encountered in Colorado was unlike anything the few Legion officers familiar with the faction expected. Caesar, Lord Interfector, and a few others in the Legion's ranks knew about the Brotherhood and expected a costly war against the faction notorious for being limited in numbers but incredibly dangerous. Although the Brotherhood chapter was more numerous than expected, and no less difficult than expected, it wasn't due to the expectations of traditional BOS engagement. The Midwest Brotherhood acted more like the other tribes of past Legion conquest. Their forces adopted tribal customs and their ranks were filled with tribals and settlers reaching as far as places like old world "Illinois." Expecting to encounter small teams of power armored soldiers with miniguns and Gatling lasers, Caesar was surprised to lead his forces against whole BOS regiments filled with lightly armored soldiers sporting conventional prewar and tribal weapons, and occasionally even backed by super mutant allies and tamed deathclaws if the rumors are to be believed. Even though the BOS was not shy of using the advanced technology of the old world against the Legion, the unexpected and somewhat normal tactics of the Midwest BOS made them no less of a foe to be feared.

As the war against the BOS went into mid-2275, the camps that were pouring out recent conquests of the Colorado Campaign were running dry and even more reserves were pulled from the occupied territories of Arizona and New Mexico. The manpower problems in the occupied territories were becoming a worsening problem that the Interfector had little means of dealing with so long as the war against the BOS continued. Caesar himself was not blind to this issue and read the reports from Praetors like the Interfector, but Caesar continued to see how the problem played out rather than address it.

By late 2275, the manpower problem across the occupied lands of Arizona, New Mexico, and even Colorado could be denied no more. Despite several large victories against the BOS in Eastern Colorado, Caesar eventually landed another crippling blow against the Brotherhood in September of 2275 and demanded a ceasefire. The ceasefire was accepted by the BOS, especially after facing a foe unlike any other they'd experienced in years, and Caesar immediately retired to his formal capital in Flagstaff. Nobody knew what was going on in the dictator's mind after his return to Flagstaff and nobody knew what was next for the Legion.

For the first time in almost two decades, the Legion was at peace, and the forces across all it had conquered were diminished terribly. With the bulk of the Legion's forces maintaining a presence on the eastern borders of Colorado, the forces occupying the lands of former campaigns were but a fraction of what they were before the start of the Meat Grinder, and the auxiliaries across Arizona and New Mexico were doing the majority of territorial policing. After Caesar entered his palace in the ruins of Flagstaff, there were no new orders from him, and so commanders like Legate Graham, Lord Interfector, and the other praetors could do nothing other than take advantage of the brief time to catch up.

Lord Interfector used that time to rebuild Circle Junction's stockpiles of weapons that'd been used in the campaigns, and take charge of the auxilia while he addressed the continuing ranger war in northwest AZ. At night, when he wasn't conversing with Aleron about his duelist's recent battles against the rangers, he spent those evenings wondering what exactly was causing Caesar's silence. All the while, Montano sat at his place around the campfires in the Colorado wilderness along the BOS border, waiting for the next fight. By October of 2275, Montano was granted respite and returned to his land in Northern New Mexico after almost three years since his last visit, and reunited the slave sisters as he patiently waited for word from Caesar alongside the rest of the Legion.

There were few who understood what the Legion was facing near the end of 2275, and those few were people like the Interfector who'd been worried about it since before the fall of Denver. Though they had no way of knowing it due to the silence from Caesar, the dictator was indeed thinking about the direction his Legion was heading. The overwhelming issue at this moment in their history could only be called an "Identity Crisis."

By late 2275, the Legion's style of governance and way it waged war was showing that it was not sustainable. They'd held regions and occupied vast lands in the past, but the wars across Colorado proved that the Legion was better suited to be a roaming war force in this post-Denver era. Again, it can only be assumed that this is what was going through Caesar's mind, but the likelihood of this identity crisis was seen by the Interfector and looked something like a split:

Does the Legion want to continue its wars across the east?: The past wars across Colorado pushed the Legion further and further from their occupied and tamed lands in Arizona and New Mexico, with the conquest of Dog Town already being a stretch in what the Legion was capable of logistically.

At this point after several more months of brutal war against the BOS, the Legion was resembling more and more of a nomadic army as their territorial forces diminished in bloody battles across the east. Although the Legion was still a terrible force to be reckoned with, pushing further east was simply not sustainable logistically. Continuing to do so would only lead to a complete pack up of what was currently established in Arizona and New Mexico. Continued victory in the east was beginning to look more and more like a defeat in the west, leading many like the Interfector and likely Caesar himself to think: "What was the point of all we'd done here if there will be nothing to show for it?"

The other side of this identity issue was:

Should the Legion consolidate itself?: This idea was rather multifaceted but fell completely in line with the Interfector's personal outlook on the Legion. Unbeknownst to him, this idea was what Caesar himself was beginning to crave more and more.

Caesar spent decades conquering, killing, and taming the violent quagmires of hostile tribals across Arizona, New Mexico, and then Colorado, building a terrible name and pacifying the lands through any brutal means. The course of this conquest gradually took them east as each conquered enemy only showed three more new enemies that needed to be tamed. These decades of success and triumph were turning the dictator bitter as by this point, he was no longer a man to his soldiers and subjects, he was a god. He was the ultimate unifier of rampant tribalism throughout the post-holocaust world, and this god, who named himself after the great Julius Caesar, was no longer his own man.

Edward Sallow was Caesar.

The original Caesar conquered so much for Rome over so long, but Caesar needed to return to Rome in order for him to earn the true recognition he knew he deserved. The difference between the two Caesars was that the first one knew precisely what he was fighting for. Though the Caesar of the American Southwest originally believed he knew what he was fighting for as a unifier of tribes, eventually that goal became so vague that it needed some sort of true allegiance, especially with the crossroads he was facing after the Colorado and BOS wars. The Caesar of the wasteland had thousands upon thousands that loved and adored him even under brutal military occupation, but what he created eventually meant nothing in the eyes of its leader if he didn't have recognition from his homeland. Where Caesar of old conquered for Rome, the new Caesar was conquering without a cause anymore, and with the impending change in the fundamental structure of his creation, he would eventually come to the realization that his Legion was destined to break free from its endless tribal wars. This monolithic horde of terror in the east, led by a man of the west, was always destined to return home... But what that looked like was still something being thought about in the silence of the Flagstaff Palatii.

All Caesar knew was that his Legion was to be more than the occupiers of several former plains of tribalism, and far greater than a roving war band. Caesar needed to march his Legion across its own Rubicon and seize its own Rome before his Legion could become a true superpower in the post-nuclear wasteland.

But where was that Rome?

This Rome had to be a city, a region, abundant with resources and spared unlike the scrapped and irradiated carcass of cities already under Legion control. Destiny and the future of Caesar's Legion would play out due to several factors, but one of those factors is shown to us in the writings of Lord Interfector and the story of our two duelists.

March 2276

No word from Caesar had been heard since September of 2275, and the Interfector was largely caught up on his issues to deal with before the march on Denver. Although one of these issues continued to be a burden, even that one was being handled generally well by Aleron who was still experiencing that flame of desire for frontline servitude.

Since Dog Town, Aleron had been handling the guerrilla war with the Desert Rangers in northwest Arizona personally. Over many months and several short excursions, he'd beaten back countless raids on Legion outposts near Grand Canyon and led the auxiliaries to numerous victories. If the ranger problem continued to persist, the issue was at least handled in the era of Caesar's silence. Because Aleron proved to be an excellent handler of the Interfector's violent problems, it was just before spring of 2276 that he returned to the Interfector's side in triumph once again, even managing to bring a small train of captive rangers back to Circle Junction. Although rangers in the minor war were caught on several occasions throughout the years of this minor conflict, almost all of the previous captives had escaped in one way or another before even reaching Flagstaff, let alone Circle Junction. Those rangers who didn't escape usually had to be killed in their flight from Legion shackles. So, Aleron's most recent return from another fruitful campaign brought back a very welcome gift to the Lord Interfector.

The Interfector always enjoyed talking with Aleron about the most recent successes against the rangers and by this time, the Interfector's city was largely at peace as the slaves continued their work in the slave sectors, endlessly pumping out new weapons and equipment for use in coming campaigns. The morning after Aleron's recent return, Lord Interfector sat with the man in his domicile overlooking the fortress plaza, sitting at the head of the wide lavish desk he and his second used for their usual report nights in busier times. Aleron looked past the Elite out the window at the smokestack from one of the forges begin to release its smoke into the sky. Even though Aleron was hearing every word his Primus was saying, his eyes still glanced toward Gabriella sitting upright at her usual spot on the red couch beside the window with a pen and several blank sheets of paper at the ready. He knew his Primus enjoyed speaking to Aleron and Aleron enjoyed listening to the man, especially when the opportunity to give input arose, but always one to assess his position, Aleron waited for the prompt to respond while taking note of his surroundings. As the Elite went on about the recently ended BOS War, Aleron's eyes drifted to the other side of the room where Amethyst was teaching the infant addressed as "Abel" to walk beside the bed. Aleron considered smiling upon thinking about the child's impending mastery of mobility and how it would then lead to hand coordination, something that would then lead to blade mastery. Although Aleron did not smile, and the two other slave women were quiet in their admiration of the infant's progress. Looking back at the Interfector and glancing at the man beside himself, Aleron wondered if this was the time for such a meeting. However, that thought ended when Aleron heard the prompt for response given by Lord Interfector. Aleron replied;

"I would say it could be quite some time before the Brotherhood regains the ability to fight even if our forces are shifted to Utah. I would worry little about the East, even if such a front was established in the near future, My Lord."

The Interfector nodded in agreement and said, "I'm sure you're right, Aleron. You remember that batch of BOS captives, right?" Aleron nodded and the Elite went on, "How on earth did most of them not know who Roger Maxson is?..."

Aleron had no idea who that was or what that name meant at the time, but he'd learned that "Roger Maxson" was the founder of the Brotherhood of Steel back in California and agreed that it was odd how BOS soldiers operating in Colorado and the Midwest didn't know who their founder was. Aleron then thought how absurd it would be for any legionaries to not know the name "Caesar." Not knowing Caesar would practically be treason for any in Caesar's ranks, even the auxilia knew the name if not all the glory and honor that name entailed. Before Aleron could think any further, he answered the Elite, "Perhaps some of their ignorance could be due to items like that 'story book' that was brought before you?"

The Elite scoffed and let out a sort of laugh, "Don't get me started on that thing, ha!.. 'came from a military vault?' 'giant airships?' 'The Warrior destroyed The Calculator and saved the world from a robot army?' that was hilarious... I see that chapter out east moved on from technology recovery to story fabricating."

"It would appear so, My Primus" said Aleron plainly.

The Interfector was silent in thought for a moment before saying, "Strange times we're in, Aleron..." He paused again before looking to the man at Aleron's side, "... Speaking of strange times, I guess that brings us to this gentleman you brought before me."

Aleron looked to the bound and gagged ranger captive chained to the chair beside him who was still looking around the lavish quarters, possibly searching for some means of escape while occasionally looking puzzledly at the infant and slave women softly cheering the boy's progress.

After another silent moment, Aleron asked, "Shall we begin, Lord Interfector?"

The Elite nodded and stood from his chair. Gabriella on the couch sat up further and readied her pen once more as the Elite turned to his child and slaves by the bed, "Amethyst..." Her head looked up from the boy and the two other slaves beside her lowered theirs, "... Take the boy out of here if you'd be so kind. You may use Aleron's private quarter till we're done."

Amethyst replied appropriately and took the young Abel in her arms as the other women filed out of the domicile. When the door shut, a pair of veterans by the door locked it behind them and Gabriella put the pen to paper as the Elite sat back down and Aleron removed the gag from the bloodied ranger. The ranger spat on his lap and kept his focus there, remaining silent until the Interfector began;

"It isn't often that I get to talk to Desert Rangers. You'd think after fighting you all for what? 7 years now? That I'd get to interview at least a few of you..." The ranger remained silent still, but lightly tested the restraints once more as the Elite went on, "... Congratulations on being the first... well... at least you and the other five my faithful Aleron managed to capture."

The Ranger struggled with his restraints once more and Gabriella watched him, ready to record everything he said. The Elite and Aleron remained quiet while the Elite studied him expectingly, awaiting some kind of response. The only response that the Ranger gave was another spit onto his own lap, seeming to still be recovering from being gagged for so long. The Elite continued;

"I gotta say that you all were rather annoying before the start of the Colorado Campaign, but nowadays, you all are really really starting to be a real pain... Why is that exactly?... And why are you wearing an NCR flag on your uniform?"

The Ranger finally said, "P. Danielson, Ranger Senior, 2nd Ranger Battalion, Alpha Company, 99-823564."

The Elite and Aleron were again quiet for a long moment before the Elite said dryly, "I know your name, and your unit, and your number. It was the first and only thing Aleron was able to report about you and your friends... You didn't answer my question though. I asked why you're bothering me, or Caesar more importantly. But I'll be honest when I say that I'm personally more curious about why you and half of your pals are wearing NCR insignias."

Ranger "P. Danielson" refused to answer and more silence ensued. Finally, the silence was a bit too frustrating for the Elite and though he was not inclined to torture so early in an interview, he tried once more to better understand the captive from a relatable point. The Elite said;

"I'm only curious about your NCR markings, mostly. Are you and your Desert Ranger pals from there or something?"

It is unknown what was going through the Ranger's mind, but perhaps sitting before the Elite and his rather calm demeanor was getting the better of his interest in cooperation. Immediately after capture, the rangers underwent numerous bouts of interrogation and torture on the road to Circle Junction, and nothing about caches or safehouse in northern AZ had been spilled by any of them. Only able to extract the name and unit from each man, Aleron found himself slightly surprised to finally see the Ranger nod his head to answer the Elite's question. Taking the nod for what it was, the Elite said semi-enthusiastically;

"No kidding? You're from California too? It may surprise you to know that I am as well..." The Ranger glanced up from his lap with a puzzled face as he looked at the armored man behind the desk. The Elite then asked, "... What made a strong California boy join the Desert Rangers?"

Yet another long silence ensued as the Ranger looked at the Centurion in this far away land who claimed to be from California as well. If the centurion from California was truly from there, surely he knew about the ranger unification. This strange politeness from the Centurion supposedly from California as well made the Ranger not believe the claim was true, but it was still enough to garner a response from the captive.

The Ranger averted his eyes and said skeptically, "We're the same."

The Elite's eyes grew wide and the Ranger saw this, making the man believe his captor was indeed from California, but there was still something that the Ranger couldn't figure as the Elite asked, "What do you mean 'we're the same?' Desert Rangers and NCR rangers? When did that happen?"

The Ranger wasn't sure if his answers were simply satisfying a man's curiosity or leaking sensitive military information. Either way, the genuine nature of the Elite's response prompted the Ranger to ask his own question, "You didn't know this?"

The Interfector shook his head slightly, "No I did not..." and then he remained silent for a long while. Meanwhile, the anticipation was eating the ranger as he still didn't know whether his answers or not were dangerous in some form. The more the Interfector seemed to mentally calculate, the more the Ranger felt like his answer was just satisfying the man's curiosity. Finally, the Elite gave another set of words that the Ranger again couldn't make heads or tails of, "... Huh? Coulda swore we'd been fighting the remains of Sheriff Clarkson's boys..."

"Sheriff Clarkson?" thought the Ranger. That man had only retired a few years ago. That man was the head of the Arizona branch of the Desert Rangers and was one of the prime instigators of the Ranger Unification Treaty with NCR. He and his group had been battling the Legion in Arizona since some place called "Phoenix" fell many years back. Either way, the Ranger considered that even if this centurion was lying about his California affiliation, he was at least well familiar with the Desert Rangers. Suddenly feeling like he actually did release some classified information to an enemy commander, the Ranger was about to say something else when he was again caught off guard by the Interfector's words;

"Anyway... Why did you join the Rangers?"

Since the Ranger was expecting that realization to prompt questions about the Rangers' presence in AZ and the NCR Army around Nevada, he wasn't expecting another strange personal question. Still, he felt safe with the personal nature of the question and felt that one from this supposed California Centurion was innocent enough.

Ranger Danielson answered with a new burst of defiance, ready to draw attention further away from lines of questions about NCR and Ranger positions. The Ranger answered, "I joined the Rangers to fight slaving scum like you."

Lord Interfector squinted and stayed quiet for a moment, seeing the diversion in full clarity, "That makes sense I suppose. Sheriff Clarkson's Desert Rangers scarcely ever showed up on reports before say?... I don't know? 2270 or about 71ish?... That sound about right, Aleron?"

"I would say that is about correct, Lord Interfector. Since then, our ranger problem has only been getting worse... At least until recently" said Aleron with a tinge of pride in his role.

The Ranger was lost, but the Interfector turned back to him and asked, "So this 'Ranger Unification' took place in around 2271ish, right?..."

The Ranger went completely silent, still trying to determine the importance of what he released. Finally, he concluded that the unification fact could be denied no more and so he addressed this, but with the added effort of diverting the attention away from specific military concerns;

"Yeah. The Desert Rangers asked to be absorbed into the NCR rangers in 71 to better kill the raiders and slavers around the southwest, fucks like you."

The Interfector telepathically ordered Aleron what to do. Aleron smacked the Ranger across the jaw and the man recovered while the Interfector spoke his thoughts aloud for clarity, "So that's why you joined the Rangers I suppose. It's certainly in character for California to involve themselves in others' concerns where they have no interest."

Upon recovering from the blow, the Ranger heard those words and considered that perhaps this Legion officer was from California. This wasn't due to the Elite's opinions about California, since those opinions were not shared by the Ranger, but more due to the way he spoke about California. After this realization, the Ranger still hoped to steer clear of more questions about his nation's army in Nevada, and did so by addressing the Elite's opinion;

"The Rangers and NCR stand for the same. It's only an honor to act on NCR's behalf in this land. Your psychopaths, rapists, and murderers, are spared from the might of the NCR, but we rangers have no jurisdiction. We are proud to kill any of your 'Caesar's' soldiers. Us Rangers in Arizona act on our own in these lands against all who stand against Republic values..."

The Elite's face never changed from a stern contemplative state, and Aleron waited eagerly to be granted permission to conduct another blow after hearing the Ranger's slew of words. Finally, after a full silent minute, Aleron noticed Gabriella still scribbling the Ranger's words before the Elite let loose an enormous laugh that he quickly caught before it went on too long, "Hahaha! NCR standing for righteousness? Alright. Whatever you say..."

The Ranger grew angry, but before he could respond, and defend his nation despite fear of another blow, the Elite asked another question, "... You're still skeptical about my California origin, aren't you?"

Whether or not the Elite's prior words and stance on California were proof of affiliation or not was irrelevant, the question did in fact remain in the Ranger's mind. The Interfector needed no response, he added a new question, "Where you from, Ranger Danielson? What part of NCR?"

"Capital." Said the Ranger softly.

"Shady Sands? No kidding? I figured as much..." Those doubts about the Elite's origin were rapidly vanishing from the Ranger's mind. 99% of the people he'd met in Nevada before crossing over into Arizona had no idea what "Shady Sands" was, so hearing the name of his nation's capital from a man in the northeasternmost part of Arizona was especially shocking. The Elite continued, "... I'm from The Hub myself... Well, sort of. A bit northeast actually. Lived on a ranch with my family during the NCR's expansion north back before you were born. It's a long story, but I learned exactly how 'righteous' the NCR was when they burnt my home to the ground, killed my parents, my brother, and even my little baby si-" He paused and looked towards the door. "Of course, it wasn't NCR, you'll say. No, they just hired mercs to do it. All for Councilman Westin of the Westin Ranching Company."

The Elite remained silent after going off and Aleron looked to his Primus eyes slightly wider, having never truly heard that story from the man, even after all those years. Once the Elite calmed down, he was no longer expecting an answer or any input from his captive, and was about to move on when the Ranger stared him in the eyes with the words;

"And now you burn others' homes to the ground and kill others."

For several long seconds, an inferno shot from the eyes of the Elite until more and more seconds passed and the flames subsided. After nearly another full minute of silence, the Elite replied calmly. "At least I don't pretend to be something I'm not. I know what I am. I don't try to hide what I am behind laws or a false sense of righteousness like you and your nation..."

The Ranger kept his lock on the Elite's eyes, and the Elite continued, "... Next you'll try to justify yourself by notions of how 'I'm more evil than you are' and that's fine, you're entitled to that. You probably feel justified in killing my 'slaving' and 'murdering' soldiers, but I'll tell you something even you may not have thought of. All those men you kill are slaves too. They're slaves, servants, of the Legion. They know of no other life or way to act and you kill them indiscriminately because it's 'right'. You're no more of an erradicator than I am. If you really wanted to be the righteous hero, the 'savior of slaves' you claim you are, you'd understand that all of Caesar's 'murderers' and 'psychopaths' as you say are just victims of the world we're in... Make no mistake, I am not proposing any alternatives to you, I'm just enlightening you to one simple difference between you and me: I understand that being 'Free' is not something that truly exists. You're only ever as 'Free' as your circumstance dictates. I don't know if you were born to a poor family or something but even when you're born, you're not free to do anything, you're bound to your mother, your situation, this world at birth. From the moment you're born, you're bound to something, whether it's money, survival, family, responsibilities, etc. In the end, your anti-slavery crusade boils down to an argument of "Want" and "Wants" are not something that is universal. The slave 'wants' to be free, therefore you feel superior and 'want' to kill me and my men. That's fine, so long as you understand that I 'want' you fuckers to mind your own business. The only thing that's real in this world is power. I have it, you don't. I don't see what I do as a problem, you do, and what you believe is irrelevant when I'm in a position to enforce it."

When the Interfector was done venting, the Ranger was still internally considering ways to counter his interrogator's arguments. Suddenly it occurred to him that he failed to find any purpose in this discussion. This meeting he was brought to was unlike any of the interrogations on the road to Circle Junction and that speech did little to change his convictions about the nobility of his mission for the Rangers in Arizona. When enough time had passed, the Ranger asked the exact question the Interfector was expecting;

"Are you finally going to interrogate me about where our supply and weapons caches in Arizona are? I'd rather give you that information than hear anymore shit about your sad upbringing or fucked up worldview. You and your servants are still human garbage-"

Before the Ranger could speak anymore against the Elite, Aleron was given the cue, and from there, Aleron proceeded to slam the Ranger's head into the edge of the desk and mercilessly pummel the man. Just before the Ranger crossed over the edge into unconsciousness and after several teeth were thrown from his mouth, the man was propped back up holding back sobs at the tremendous pain done to himself without warning. As Aleron sat the Ranger back up, he pulled out his handkerchief and began cleaning the blood spattered edge of the desk as his Primus said;

"I am not interested in the Rangers' supply and weapons caches, I heard all I needed to at the start of our talk, and your pathetic justification for bothering Lord Caesar was explained in your hostility..."

The Ranger felt the blood pouring out of his mouth and a few of those tears broke free at the horrendous pain. Still, the Ranger sat up firm, trying desperately to keep his composure while breathing in large breaths, occasionally choking on the blood as the Elite continued;

"You Desert-er 'NCR' Rangers have decided to involve yourselves in business that is not yours under the guise of righteousness in lands that you have no jurisdiction. The increase in aggression on your part since your little 'Unification' may have aided in giving you some sense of noble purpose, but..."

The Elite moved around the desk and knelt down right in front of the man still groaning in agony, "... Your little crusade to do what's right just sealed the deaths of a lot of people... And you claim I am the bad guy? Ha!..."

Lord Interfector stood and looked back down at the man as the Ranger spat up more blood from his crippled mouth. "... Those little caches and safehouses in northwest Arizona won't matter before too long. Although their existence this side of the Colorado leads me to believe there's something of a crossing point in the Rangers' little 'carve out' in the north..."

He looked up from the Ranger to Aleron and said, "Aleron. Are there any frumantarii or veteran explorers in the Interior Fortress on standby?"

Over another loud series of choking coughs from the crippled Ranger, Aleron replied, "Your favorite 'Twisted Hairs' frumantarius just got back from a mission at Denver, Lord Interfector."

The Elite said, "Perfect. Grab one of our scouting op orders and send him west to report whatever means of crossing the rangers are using in northern Arizona to Caesar directly..." Looking back down at the Ranger, the Interfector added, "... I'm sure whatever he finds will give Caesar reason to finally leave the palace."

"Right away, Lord Interfector," said Aleron before grabbing one of the scouting orders from the desk that was unspeckled in blood and running out the door.

After Aleron left to find the frumantarius, the Ranger was still in terrible pain, but had just heard what was going to happen in the near future. He didn't know what would come of it when the Legion finally diverted their full attention to the west, or if they even would, but the idea of men like the Elite marching on Nevada frightened him to his core. Still with that Ranger's defiance, even in the face of uncertainty or certain doom, the Ranger managed to sputter his last thoughts to his captor. Despite the words being nearly unintelligible through the broken jaw and missing teeth, the Ranger shouted;

"Thinking about marching on NCR now? Go ahead. You can find the dam, ain't too hard if you find our routes through the cliffs. Give it a try. NCR's been hearing about you all for years and they're ready for you. Slaving scum like you can do whatever you want out here but don't think for one second that you'll make home anywhere near NCR."

This is what was pieced together from the Ranger's broken speech. Gabriella was still frantically writing the words above, trying to decipher them through the man's bloody pouring mouth and pained breaths. Her pen continued to move across the page eloquently and her handwriting was only slightly shaken when the Interfector's gun forever silenced the young Ranger.

A/N: Not gonna lie, I didn't have a lot of time to edit grammar and punctuation, so please forgive any fibs you may have come across... Things are going to get interesting ;)