Montano Pt II

Mid 2280

Over a year and a half had passed since Montano's arrival on the Mojave Front and although the work of his century's terror force was slow at the start, it picked up over time. After the fall of Cottonwood Cove and the arrival of Legion forces in Nevada territory proper, it was decided by this independent force to take things slow. After all, the Legion's presence on that side of the river was its own message of terror. The forces under Montano and the other units assigned to terrorize the people in this land almost didn't have to do anything so long as the fortifications around Cottonwood Cove grew taller and stronger. The message of what was coming seeped more and more into the minds of people across the desert with each time word of their presence was passed between traders along the old roads or troopers returned to California on leave.

Many didn't know why the Legion seemed to only anchor itself in that small little town for so long and the sedentary state of the Legion gave rise to some doubt about their presence at all. Many traders and locals began to ignore the warnings, with some even setting out to see if the stories about Legion forces in the west were true. Many people of the Mojave walked the highways east of Searchlight to find themselves looking down the winding roads and cliffs leading to Cottonwood Cove and ending up speechless at the truth of those stories. The small town sat beside the river and those who stood upon those cliffs looking east would see the place sprawling with soldiers in red marching and patrolling to and fro, with a seemingly endless stream of boats and rafts packed to the brim with more barbaric servants of Caesar pouring into the Mojave. Many of those curious locals and traders never came back from those cliffs, finding themselves wondering what happened when they awake in a slave-packed cage surrounded by vicious dogs and blood red banners in every direction.

Although it appeared like the Legion was staying in place, the locals and traders who managed to walk away from those cliffs couldn't understand what the Legion was doing there until gunshots rained from the cliffs along the 164 to Nipton. All across the south from Cal-Nev-Ari to Novac to as far west as Primm, the Legion forces owned the roads of southern Nevada in everything but name. Legion raiders would hit everything from caravans to entire companies of NCR troops heading to installations across the Mojave. Every raid would leave many bodies to decay in the sun, and many were dragged back to Cottonwood Cove in chains while few were spared only to spread the word. Each time, the Legion raiders would disappear into the desert before a response force from Camp Searchlight or a nearby ranger station could arrive. But when the NCR forces inevitably arrived, they would only find the bodies, the burning wreckage, and a flag of the Bull showing who was responsible for the scene. All the while, the message spread that nobody traveling in the southern Mojave was safe, the NCR couldn't keep them safe, and the crosses surrounding that slave post at Cottonwood Cove would creep further and further west.

This is not to say that the Legion forces in the Mojave had it easy. There was in fact a reason that the boats continued to cross from Arizona into the west, and that was because the attrition rate was especially high. Even when the raids were successful, the guarded caravans of the west very often did a number on the Legion raiders, with each guard usually packing the kind of firepower that wasn't as common in the east. Despite the firepower of profligate traders, soldiers, and travelers, the Legion was no stranger to taking losses and going back for seconds, and with the campaigns in the east continuing so successfully, manpower was mostly a secondary issue on this Front. Although, the experience of those legionaries was. Understanding this, Montano and other commanders of the southern Mojave knew that most of the Legion's more experienced soldiers were still campaigning in the east, and although centurions like Montano were no strangers to the type of guerrilla warfare seen in Colorado, many of the recruits and primes under his command were. To remedy this, Montano and his fellow commanders in the terror decided it was best to split their forces in order to better deal with the kinds of threats the southern front was encountering.

With the veterans and scouts predominantly busy waging their ongoing war against NCR's rangers across the south, centurions of the terror sought to fix the experience problem by releasing their recruits into the thick of it. This meant recruits were dispatched as the bulk of the raiding force along the highways under strict but simple orders. The recruits were to assault caravans or NCR patrols as deemed acceptable by the recruit level decani, take what was valuable, and enslave who they could, or die trying. This suicidal strategy regarding the recruits achieved two victories in the minds of commanders like Montano. The first is that the surviving officers or legionaries would become battle-hardened upon their successful return to Cottonwood Cove. The other success came even with the complete annihilation of these recruit raiders. Such events were their own form of message to the west.

There had been many occasions in the terror campaign where whole groups of recruit ambushers failed in their objective of gathering slaves and plunder. However, the victory in that came from the message received by the profligate survivors. Those traders from the west who survived a brutal raid of 20 recruits swarming from the sands were always traumatized by the fact that none of their attackers surrendered. As the survivors saw to their dead or injured, they'd know for the rest of their lives that the Legion would come for them to the very last man.

As high as the attrition rate was for the terror forces, the objective was solidified more and more into the minds of the Mojave's locals and people all across California. Over time, the same message continued to be sent until word reached the terror's commanders about the new supply situation with their brothers at the Fort. By the start of 2280, the sight of independent traders from the east heading up to Fortification Hill was a regular sight, and one that sparked an idea in the minds of Montano and the other commanders across the southern Front. With approval from Lord Caesar, forces of the terror began allowing and dispatching certain approved traders from New Mexico and Arizona into the west. Many traders jumped at the idea, excited to pedal their wares in the storied civilized lands of the west. Although the idea of issuing more lethal secondary objectives to the traders had crossed the commanders' minds, they decided to hold off on that, as there was a more impactful opportunity hidden in the Legion's generous permission.

Traders from the east began to trickle across the river, marching without escort into the west. Needless to say, this was the first time rangers and NCR scouts had ever witnessed traders leaving Cottonwood Cove, and the first ones were followed of course. Many traders were watched almost in awe as they strolled out of Cottonwood Cove loaded with wares and into the streets of the NCR's nearby Camp Searchlight as if it were nothing. For obvious reasons, these caravans were halted and searched by NCR soldiers, checked for bombs, and those innocent traders were immediately jailed as possible spies until more could be learned.

Under NCR arrest, each story from every eastern trader was nearly identical to the last. "The trader lived in the Arizona or New Mexican town of What-have-you and was left alone by the Legion so long as they didn't try to sell them drugs or weapons." Why these first merchants were allowed west was unknown to both the traders themselves and NCR interrogators, but each caravan was completely bomb-free, and the strip searches at each checkpoint didn't even reveal a hidden chem stash like almost all western caravans had. Being well familiar with the NCR nation through interrogation of captured troopers, the Legion commanders of the terror knew that NCR laws would force the soldiers to release those eastern traders provided that malicious intent couldn't be proven. While the eastern traders were in holding, soldiers at places like Searchlight were only able to agree with their orders to release them after hearing from the occasional trader who detailed their hidden motive to seize the westbound opportunity.

As it was mentioned, many of the towns across New Mexico and several in Arizona fell to the Legion in the campaigns immediately post-Hoover Dam. Many of those traders were out when the Legion seized their home towns and were forced to continue their job of supplying the Legion as needed without any complaint. A trader who had his hometown burned simply wasn't allowed to be upset about the fact in presence of their Legion customers, and many of them told NCR forces story after story about how honest a customer the Legion Usually was so long as you didn't defy them in any observable way. In the end, many of those wronged traders jumped at the opportunity to leave the east with their betrayers' blessing and did so. While in NCR captivity, NCR soldiers didn't quite know what to make of the traders who apparently couldn't cross the river fast enough. Although the question was raised once more about why exactly the Legion permitted this in the first place, the answer would come not long after NCR's decision to release these honest merchants of the east. So, without the legal ability to detain wastelanders from outside NCR borders without just cause, the traders couldn't be hindered from doing business regardless of the red bulls painted on their carts or their contract bearing Caesar's sigil.

At first, these traders were allowed further west under escort by NCR soldiers, and this was when the message commanders like Montano had in mind could be announced to the Mojave:

The merchants of the east would march their wares along the old roads freshly released from NCR arrest, and excited to visit lands they'd only heard tales about. Accompanied by soldiers of the west who were far more agreeable than their eastern counterparts, these traders looked forward to visiting new lands only for their thoughts to be cut short when shots rang out on both sides of the road. The trader is stunned, he'd never been ambushed by highwaymen out east? The crosses and displays of mutilation along Legion roads said pretty clearly what happened to anyone who interfered with Legion-marked caravans? The merchant finally understands what the NCR soldiers were for, if not for supervision, but why weren't they helping? The trader watches each soldier get perforated by bullets, before a shot is fired, he hears the boom of the explosions, and a cloud of dust blankets the area. He sees a figure fly out of the dust and bring the last soldier to the hot asphalt beyond his vision. Too blinded by the dust and chaos, all he hears is that trooper's blood-curdling scream before the incoherent gurgling and choking sound of a man getting his neck opened.

Then, there's silence.

The dust begins to slowly clear away and the trader turns around to see four figures standing in the cloud... It's his caravan hands? When the trader realizes that he and his whole crew are fine, the dust has cleared just enough to show he's surrounded. It clears a little more and he finds himself surrounded by the soldiers of Caesar. "I didn't think I'd see any of them west of that Searchlight place?" the trader thinks to himself before the one with the big feather helmet approaches him. He's been around the Legion enough to know this one is called a "Decani" or something like that, and he's pretty sure this one is a "Prime" while the others appear to be of the same or lower "veterancy." Before the trader can say anything or survey the damage he was spared, the officer thunders;

"Trader! Present your contract!"

The merchant glances at all three of his living brahmin and the Bull emblem painted on each cargo box as he sees the dead California soldiers and reflexively reaches for his bag. Withdrawing the contract for the commander as he'd done a thousand other times at each Legion outpost in the east, he awaits the inevitable inspection of his wares for contraband. However, the trader is surprised when the officer instead looks up from the papers and thunders;

"Carry on! Ensure you take the dirt path on the left once you reach the ancient refueling station up the highway. Stay on that path and avoid the highway from there to Nipton, for we believe the remainder of that stretch is plagued by bandits who've yet to be taught Lord Caesar's lesson. True to Caesar!"

The decanus stares at the trader through his completely covered face and abruptly raises a hand pointed west, a sign that he is to immediately depart their presence. With a departing, "Thank you, s-? Sir?... Hail Caesar" the trader and his crew immediately set out, occasionally glancing back at the legionaries looting the killed NCR troopers. He turns around for the last time when he sees a pair of the legionaries drag one of the California soldiers to his feet. Eyes facing west, he and his crew hear the distant commander bark;

"Do you understand why those merchants were spared, Profligate!?..."

The trader didn't hear the rest, but that was alright because he knew why he was spared, why his caravan was spared. The decanus explained to the surviving soldier that although the trader may not have ever physically bowed to Caesar, he did when he was given the Legion trade contract. He did when the red Bulls were painted on each of his caravan's storage crates. The soldier saw his friends die on a stretch of road he thought was under NCR control. He watched them die and got to watch the people he thought he was protecting walk away. The soldier learned just how futile his whole service had been, how incompetent he really was, and how the Legion could promise things that he and his killed friends couldn't. The soldier was released, allowed to return to Camp Searchlight and relay the message of what happened while the Legion raiders disappeared into the desert and the trader continued west to fulfill the message that Montano and the other commanders of Legion Terror intended.

That trader, and countless others like him would experience similar situations on their journeys through the southern Mojave. Those traders would eventually see the lands of NCR, stop in every city and NCR checkpoint from Shady Sands to Dayglow to Redding. Every time, they'd hear the complaints from western traders about NCR tolls and bandits running rampant throughout the lands under California's banner. Then they'd remember days like that, and have plenty to say about who could protect them if NCR couldn't. Although it was clear to those eastern traders that speaking highly of Caesar's lands in this California place was expressly forbidden, a lot could still be said through a passing comparison of experience. Over time, traders like them would put the idea of moving east into the minds of western caravanners even if most of them would never admit it openly. Still, the question remained an interesting one to ponder, and many caravanners from the west found themselves inquiring about the price for that kind of protection from the barbarians of the east. The bow to Caesar was too steep a price for many, but many others still heard that and began thinking how they'd always wanted to at least see what Arizona had to offer.

As time went on and word spread, the safety promised by Legion-marked traders caused many caravans traveling through the southern Mojave to begin marking their own caravans with the Bull whether or not they were actually contracted with the Legion. After enough word went around, this idea appeared great for steering off the Mojave raiders and bandits, but doing that also taught the people of California exactly how highly the Legion valued things like honor, loyalty, and honesty. Many falsely Legion-affiliated caravans felt they were pretty crafty when legionaries appeared on the sand dunes of southern Nevada, feeling as though the Bulls they painted said all they needed to. It wasn't until the decanus demands to read the contract those liars didn't have that they learned the price for feigning loyalty to Caesar. There simply wasn't much left to find after such people were discovered. The charred skeletons, and tattered Legion banner, said a lot to the discovering patrols from Searchlight, but the note explaining the scene usually found stuffed in the mouth of a severed head rapidly spread word that you had to honestly and legitimately be true to Caesar to reap the Legion's perks.

After enough of this message seeped into the west, there was a brief period of time where a number of traders from the west openly flocked towards the crosses around Cottonwood Cove waving white flags and begging permission to speak to Caesar's local commanders. In what can only be considered a giant middle finger to the NCR scouts, rangers, and forces around Searchlight, the Legion at Cottonwood Cove gleefully allowed these traders to accept Legion contracts. If the western traders knew that signing on with the Legion bound them to a minimum of two years of exclusively eastern-based trade operations as a form of vetting, as well as a series of brutal interrogations to prevent infiltrators, many would have abandoned the idea. However, it was usually too late to turn back on the Legion's proposition when these California caravanners found themselves surrounded by crosses and terrible reminders of what defying these eastern occupiers achieved.

And so, word would continue to spread about NCR incompetence amongst western trade circles, and Cottonwood Cove had plenty of new traders sign the contracts that permitted them into the east, but NCR wised up quickly. The new objective of the NCR forces at Camp Searchlight came to eventually include the prevention of traders heading any further east.

And so, the Legion terror continued in a number of ways. Whether it was through raids on California loyal caravans, savage assaults on McCarran bound platoons, ranger skirmishes in the cliffs across southern Nevada, and even minor actions involving the abduction of locals, the forces under Legion Terror were more than busy in the south.

When word finally reached commanders of the Terror about Caesar's approach at the start of 2280, business continued as usual. Although there was little immediate change in the objectives of this southern force, mid-2280 eventually arrived and they had finally learned that Lord Caesar was to arrive at Fortification Hill in only another few short weeks. Upon hearing this, the commanders of the Terror were content with their work for the Emperor thus far, save for Montano, who felt like there was at least one more great victory he could achieve before Lord Caesar's arrival.

Despite Montano's urgency to hand over another great victory, the idea was put on something of a hold for a couple more months. Caesar had been "On his way" to the Mojave Front for almost a year since word was first received by the commanders at Fortification Hill, and the Emperor still had yet to arrive. There was still no word about Lord Caesar's arrival at Fortification Hill, even by September of 2280, and the forces under the Terror were continually pulled this way and that regarding raids and ranger skirmishes. Being something of a side project, Montano still intended to secure some great victory in the south, but he was struggling a lot with exactly what that would be. Knowing Caesar would arrive on the front at any day, by the last week of September 2280, Montano figured that his next victory might have to happen after Caesar arrived. Even though he was still working out some of the details, Montano desired to at least have a plan in place that would garner Lord Caesar's approval if the new victory couldn't be immediately acted upon.

Late 2280

Montano sat staring into the community fire pit on his century's end of Cottonwood Cove. The sun had just disappeared and he felt the winds on his face while he thought beside that fire. Montano heard the sentries marching around the outpost lighting the torches, the footsteps of patrols going about their routes, and the distant weeping of several captures in the primary slave pen. Montano heard all these soft sounds as he had so many other nights, but his mind was elsewhere at the moment. Montano found himself briefly thinking about his slave women back at his lands in New Mexico and wondered if they were fine. He hoped his recent letter to Clara was clear enough about how he wanted that armory issue fixed, but that was neither here nor there. Montano could only await the next letter that should be arriving within the next week.

Montano shook himself to think about more pressing matters. He'd already run down the casualty and captures numbers with his century's officers an hour earlier, so that was done. Montano was exceptionally pleased with his forces, and felt satisfied enough with the performance of his recruit decani on their last raids to offer prime status to all who survived the recent raid series. The man then wondered if his favored staff officer was having some trouble with his most current directive, as it had been a little longer than usual since he'd departed. Montano decided to allow the extended allotment of time granted to Decanus Falco, taking the delay as another opportunity to think and plan.

Montano was very pleased with all of his officers and thought about the one he sent Falco to fetch. If Montano's current ideas could be given the stamp of approval in tonight's meeting, the possibility of that final great victory in the south could be a reality. But, there was still some time to kill while Falco was collecting the man of Montano's request.

The duelist stared into that fire, thinking about all he'd gone through in this terror campaign and about all he'd done since arriving on the west banks of the Colorado. Montano thought back to all those raids he'd been on with his recruits and veterans, against caravans, NCR platoons, NCR rangers, etc. He tried to shrug out the most recent fight he was in with the rangers, recalling how he was so close to capturing two of them before it was made known to him that their interrogation was only prevented by a "mercy killing" as the profligates say.

As much as Montano hated the abilities of those rangers, he also grew to respect them more and more with each time he fought them. Montano had a lot to say about the cowardice and laughable abilities of NCR infantry in combat, but those rangers were something else. How the NCR could generate the kind of soldiers who barely know how to operate their service rifles as well as the rangers who've taken down whole patrols of his Primes was a mystery to almost every Legion commander on the Mojave Front. Montano considered this enemy again, thinking about the ways he'd won against them, and even the ways he had to manually pry a victory from a lost engagement with them. As strong as Montano knew the rangers were, he knew from many instances that even battlefield defeat against them can expose victories by alternate means. As Montano thought about this, his mind drifted to times in the early days of the Terror when he and his veterans had been forced into corners by those rangers. He thought of the one occasion very early on where he and his veterans had been beaten back to that run-down house. If Montano and his legionaries hadn't discovered that local kid and left a live grenade in his hand for those pursuing rangers, he would have felt severely humiliated at ordering a retreat out the back. Montano felt that same sense of honor wash over him at memory of that Legion conscripted child's sacrifice, and went on to recall moments across the campaign where he'd completed the Terror's objectives even when battlefield defeat was certain.

Montano was pleased with those countless minor victories, but the recollection reminded him of his current ambitions and made him think back to the original target of his final victory in the campaign. Camp Searchlight had been a thorn in the side of the Legion at Cottonwood Cove since the start, so it was obviously the first option for any possible towns or camps to raze. Between the NCR forces at Searchlight and the rangers deep in the mountains northwest of Cottonwood Cove, those two places accounted for nearly 90% of the action the terror forces encountered. The ranger station was a prime target for such a victory, but the cliffs leading to the outpost were far too treacherous and had too broad of an overview of the land to be taken in a surprise assault. Although the treacherous terrain leading to the outpost allowed for plenty of time to escape ranger response teams, that post was more of a nuisance for Legion forces than anything. As Montano considered this, he thought again about how Searchlight had come to the same tactical conclusion.

Camp Searchlight held the largest concentration of NCR forces in the south since the campaign began. Although it was mentioned that the forces there were usually too late to respond to Legion raiders operating along the roads, the place was again considered more of an annoyance than anything else. Still, the largest encampment of NCR in the region was just sitting there largely unmolested for so long that Montano decided to start investigating its strength as the weeks passed in waiting for Caesar's arrival. Before Montano went on to ponder the true target he selected for this last victory, he thought back to the probing assault he launched on Searchlight around two weeks prior. This was merely a feigned assault on Camp Searchlight's perimeter.

Before the assault, Montano figured that intelligence about the place's approximately 200+ garrison was accurate, but that was only solidified when he took charge of the mock assault. This battle was initiated only to test the responsiveness of Camp Searchlight, and the defenses around the place appeared to be more than the terror force could deal with. It was almost certain that the four centuries of the terror force could overwhelm and take the NCR camp if executed properly, but the significant losses in doing so were also a certainty. Montano concluded that he could lead the camp's destruction, but keeping their grip on the highways and continuing the terror afterward would not be possible. Destroying the current grip of the terror force for one town they'd scarcely be able to defend was the kind of strategic error that led to the deaths of plenty prior Legion commanders, whether that was by their inability to hold the new ground after the enemy rallied or by the Legion's Elite commanders for such a waste of resources depended on the circumstance.

Either way, the probing assault on Searchlight revealed all that Montano needed to know. That being: The destruction of the camp would at least have to wait until more reinforcements could arrive. Because Montano wasn't quite content with Searchlight's continued existence, he did reach out to the frumantarii of the region, asking them to relay its defensive abilities to Fortification Hill, and how the use of the Frumantarii was likely needed in order for that target to cease operations with the Legion's current strength in the south. Despite this outreach, Montano knew that frumantarii operations at Searchlight had to await approval from the organization's head as well as Lord Caesar himself. So Montano shifted his attention towards other matters while he awaited the outcome of that western hindrance.

After the probing assault on Searchlight, Montano focused his ambitions of one last victory to the region's other settlements. Most of the traffic and supplies going to Searchlight came through a town in the west called Nipton. Though the place was lightly defended, supposedly run by a degenerate local, and was in a fairly decent position to launch more raids, it was too far west. With Searchlight sitting right between Cottonwood Cove and a potential Legion outpost at Nipton, the prospect would be a logistical nightmare just waiting to fall to profligate forces across the region.

Montano considered the town with the lizard monument called "Novac" as a possible target, but getting around the northwestern ranger station with a large enough force before NCR response only meant an inevitable cut-off. Not to mention that the town would be under assault by nearby ranger stations, soldiers traveling up and down the highway, and a fortified NCR power station within a stone's throw of the settlement. No, an assault on Novac was also a poor idea.

A week after the feigned assault on Searchlight, Montano had figured out his true target in the region. The town of Nelson sat north of Cottonwood Cove. This town was largely ignored by recon and raid groups mostly because the cliffs and terrain north of Cottonwood Cove were too difficult to cross by land. Seated in something of a secluded little nook several miles north of Cottonwood Cove, the town of Nelson was largely spared from any trouble caused by the Legion's terror forces. It was because of that, the few scouts who made it to the place described a calm and independent town. The strategic value in this town largely came from the limited routes into the town limit, the natural fortifications coming from the town's surrounding cliffs, as well as an almost completely clear access point to Hoover Dam. Save for a few dumpy little NCR ranger stations and observation posts in the region north of town, Nelson offered an excellent location to serve as a staging area for expanding the reach of raiding operations as well a means of offering a possible two pronged assault on the Dam when it finally happened. With all this said, Montano had a winner.

After Montano chose this town as his target, he sent more recon groups up there under cover who reported the town's independence from NCR. Montano was hesitant to strike at a Mojave town that seemed disinterested in the NCR, but that changed when he learned the town was undergoing talks about joining NCR. Apparently, the Legion's work in the south was pushing the town of Nelson more and more into the NCR's grip as worry across the region continued to spread and sink into the minds of the southern Mojave locals. If only the people of Nelson knew the consequences of asking NCR for help, they might have been spared what Montano intended for them. Montano still intended to have the town taken regardless of their affiliation with NCR, but formally allying with NCR meant that an extra brutal method would have to be used on its populous in order to teach the lesson of what defiance brings.

Montano was still working out the final details of his plan to take Nelson, but by this point, he had enough of a plan to approach his colleagues in the terror about it. When he mentioned to Aurelius and the others about the benefit of that town's potential access to Hoover Dam, he removed the map from his bag just to double-check. This was perfect, provided the NCR didn't establish a new fortified frontline with the fall of Nelson, the possibilities that came with an outpost at Nelson guaranteed approval. Montano would see that the town was conquered, and Legion territory on the west side of the river would be that much closer to Hoover Dam. This "Tightening of the noose" around NCR's neck was the perfect means of handing Caesar one last victory before his arrival.

The Centurion just finished rounding out some of those last details when Falco had finally stepped up to the fire with the man he'd been tasked to fetch. Falco said to his Primus,

"Centurion Montano, I have brought Prime Decanus 'Dead Sea' before you."

The Prime officer next to Falco said, "Ave, My Centurion, True to Caesar."

Montano stood from his seat, gave his hail, and asked Decanus Dead Sea, "Do you know why I ordered you before me?"

The decani both saluted Montano's rise and Dead Sea said, "My Centurion's cause for my summons is unknown,"

Montano looked to Falco and then back at Dead Sea before saying, "I've had my eye on you for a while, Decanus. Ever since you were assigned to my century... Do you remember why I gifted you that blade?"

The decanus stood himself even more upright as he answered, "I have served Caesar with my all my breaths since he pulled me from the wilderness of Utah. My centurion has since deemed me worthy of such an honorable blade due to my servitude during the fall of the Sun Dogs..."

"Exactly..." said Montano flatly before catching the young officer's eyes, "... The Sun Dogs were a useful auxilia throughout Southern Arizona and New Mexico, but such names should be forgotten..."

Dead Sea was about to apologize for mentioning the name of a tribe his centurion didn't deem worthy of remembrance. However, Montano added, "... As exceptional as your actions were in that short campaign, you've continued to impress me in your raids and reconnaissance all across this current campaign. So many triumphs should not go unrewarded..."

"True to Caesar, My Centurion," said Dead Sea as Falco glanced at his commander's face feeling only slightly envious of Dead Sea's praise.

Montano went on, "... With experience being such a detrimental issue since the assimilation campaign, as well as this terror campaign, I want you to be one of my veterans..."

He paused, allowing Dead Sea to say, "My Centurion does me a great honor."

The younger officer immediately dropped to his knee beside the fire, and Montano accepted the glory before wordlessly ordering the officer to meet his gaze. Dead Sea looked up into the eyes of Montano before the centurion said, "... It's time you earned a means of new glory. But before I grant you veterancy, I am tasking you with one last assignment..." the officer remained in waiting only for Montano to add, "... Come, rise and follow me."

Dead Sea rose at the gesture of Montano and the centurion motioned for Falco to follow as well. The three proceeded away from the fire and towards the outpost's main structure, the domicile of Aurelius of Phoenix. Along the dirt paths they went following the torches. As they approached the stairs on the other side of the building, Montano noticed something unusual happening in the shadow of the building, but Montano was on a mission so he subtly ordered Falco to investigate while he continued on with Dead Sea.

Falco only briefly thought that his centurion was trying to dismiss him for private counsel with the Veteran Decanus to-be, but hadn't been given the order to dismiss himself afterward. So, Falco went to investigate the abnormal situation happening in the shadow of the outpost's main structure while Montano and Dead Sea went up the stairs.

Atop the balcony overlooking the west, Montano ordered Dead Sea into the domicile of Aurelius of Phoenix while Montano waited. The second he heard Falco engage the situation below, he had all the confidence in the world in the right hand of his staff and proceeded inside.

Decanus Dead Sea stood in the middle of the room with two other centurions of the terror surrounding the desk of Centurion Aurelius. When Montano entered, he took his place beside the prime decanus as Aurelius asked cordially;

"Centurion Montano, I must inquire about this prime commander you've sent me."

After Montano, Dead Sea, and all the other centurions in the room gave their hails to Caesar, Montano made himself more comfortable in the room while Dead Sea remained in place.

"This is the officer of mine who will be launching the assault on Nelson" said Montano as he pulled a chair up to the desk.

The other centurions remained standing around the seated Aurelius and his cluttered desk as though they were interrupted by Montano. However, being the most senior centurion in the room, they allowed Montano's interruption without protest and the statement itself made Aurelius take another look at the prime before he asked Montano;

"Any particular reason you're trusting a Prime Decanus with something like that, Centurion Montano?"

"Experience," was Montano's only answer before adding, "I will be taking secondary command of the assault myself, but I would like to take this time to receive your input about the plan."

"Qualifications?" asked Aurelius as he and the other centurions looked over the young decanus.

Immediately, Montano said, "This officer was pulled from the Great Salt Lake by Caesar's explorer teams in 2273, he served adequately as a recruit in the Brotherhood Campaign until being granted a Decanus title in 2276 as well as reassignment to my century at the start of the Auxilia Campaigns that same year. The Decanus showed remarkable skill and brutality leading soldiers of my recruit ranks to victory on the... What were they?... the 'Sun Dogs' Campaign?..."

Dead Sea didn't physically nod but Montano felt the telepathic nod of affirmation and went on, "His actions were remarkable enough for me to bestow a gifted blade upon him. Presently, his leadership of my Prime forces throughout the terror have been exceptional enough for me to pend his further veterancy on final remarkable victory.. A victory at Nelson..."

The centurions all looked Dead Sea over until they had their fill. Aurelius finally said to the lower officer, "Decanus, remove your blade."

In an instant, Dead Sea had removed his gifted blade and extended it with both hands for Centurion Aurelius to observe. After several moments of study, Aurelius looked to Montano, "... I was under the impression he'd received a more extravagant or custom blade for his renown you describe."

Montano glanced at the dull and rusty, blood-coated blade that looked almost identical to every other machete to come from the Circle Junction forges. Montano had forgotten that, and caught the eyes of the centurions as he said, "Supplies were somewhat scarce on that campaign if I recall correctly..." A grin grew on the faces of all the centurions until Montano looked to Dead Sea and said, "Explain."

Dead Sea had no idea what exactly he was supposed to explain, but he began speaking regardless in traditional Legion fashion, "This gifted blade from my centurion has split the heads and opened the throats of countless savages in battles under my Centurion. Since Centurion Montano brought his forces into the west on Caesar's demand, this blade has already required an enumerable number of hours on the grindstone after dulling with each dead profligate soldier..."

He stopped and all the centurions nodded wordlessly, admiring the servile tone of the young officer, but still unnerved by the overall "plainness" of the blade. Montano too felt the blade was inadequate for such a remarkable soldier with such a short record, but remembered how literally anything given to a recruit decanus by their centurion was its own supreme honor. Montano knew that if he presented the man with one of his spare bootlaces as a reward accompanying the raise to prime, that bootlace would have strangled the life out of countless profligates in the hands of this young commander. All the centurions knew this as well, but before moving on with Montano's plan and ordering the decanus to sheath his plain blade, Aurelius asked Dead Sea;

"At least tell me you named Centurion Montano's gifted blade?"

Without any hesitation, Dead Sea answered, "I have named this blade 'Liberator' for it was Lord Caesar who liberated me from my prior pathetic existence on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, and it is with this blade that I seek to continue liberating profligates from their wretched existences."

All the centurions nodded approvingly at the decanus' answer and Aurelius said, "Very well..." Montano motioned for Dead Sea to sheath his blade, and he did just that as Aurelius said to Montano, "... So, you have a plan for dealing with Nelson? Please elaborate and we shall be honored to offer our input on the matter..."

Before going on, Aurelius took one last notice of the Decanus before asking offhandedly, "... Before you proceed, I'm curious as to why you're having Dead Sea in particular lead the operation as a means of experience when your Decanus Falco is of a more proper veterancy for such a task..."

Montano had thought about that for a long time, and though he would have preferred to answer that question when Falco was in the room to hear it, he knew that didn't matter. So, Montano replied simply, "I prefer Veteran Decanus Falco in his current position. He has been the right hand of my staff almost since he was a boy fresh from the Circle Junction camps. The Decanus Falco has fought remarkably for me all throughout the entire Meat Grinder Campaign and in enumerable ways up to the present day where he currently shows unparalleled competence amongst all my contubernium decani and staff officers. He remains my most trusted officer, and he's already under the eye of the frumantarii for a possible raise to Centurion. His becoming a centurion would put him out of my command, which is something I cannot permit at the moment. If he were to lead the victory at Nelson, that would assuredly send him to Fortification Hill for promotion and a new charge..."

Aurelius said, "Unless the victory at Nelson is enough to raise you to Elite Centurion? Then you would be allowed to have centurions of your choice in your personal staff."

Montano thought about this idea, remembering that one Elite Centurion he personally met on several occasions. Then he remembered the particular centurion that Elite trusted so dearly, and shook the memory of That guy out of his mind. No, Montano would not be making Elite Centurion any time soon, not only were there no new openings that he knew about, but Montano knew that That guy would likely achieve the title of Elite sooner... Regardless of Montano's lengthier combat record when compared to That guy's... Yes, Montano had heard rumor that Aleron was in charge of operations at Fortification Hill, and although Aleron's work on the Mojave Front he heard about had been admirable in Montano's eyes, Montano was content with where he was: Quietly serving Caesar as best he could in the south. So, Falco leaving Montano's command was too impossible an idea to imagine, and Montano elaborated all he cared to for his audience when he said;

"My decision stands. Dead Sea is to take charge of the operation at Nelson..."

At that, the centurions around the table acknowledged and before Montano could proceed with his plan to take back Nelson, the door opened. Dead Sea stood in place but the centurions' attention was turned to see Falco entering. After Montano's head of staff greeted and hailed the room, Falco took his place beside Dead Sea and was asked by Montano;

"Did you settle the disturbance in the darkness of this building's exterior?"

"Yes, My Centurion..." said Falco militarily before elaborating, "It was only another capture who abused his work detail privileges to vandalize this building-"

Aurelius interrupted, "Again!?..."

Falco met the eyes of Centurion Aurelius then went on for his commander, "The capture is currently in chains, isolated from the others, and I have dispatched a team to flog the guilty man with 60 lashes in the morning under my Centurion's supervision..."

Montano took this in and then asked his second, "Was it at least spelled right this time?"

"Negative," said Falco before squashing the worries of all the centurions present, "... I have instructed the perpetrator on the correct grammar for his dissolute words and the creature is currently under the standing protocol: The capture was given the proper allotment of paper as well as ink, and has from now until sunrise to transcribe the correct verbiage 'Romani ite domum' 400 times. Should the vandal succeed, he will have saved himself from crucifixion and only suffer at the whipping post before being left with the standard order to not do it again."

"Excellent..." said Montano, the whole situation making him scoff to himself, ".. 'Eunt domus?'.. we should 'Go to the house?'" A brief silence ensued while Aurelius and the other centurions also swore under their breath about the ignorance of dissolutes who didn't know proper Latin. With the issue outside dealt with, Falco stood by but was eventually authorized by Montano to get a little more comfortable while Dead Sea remained in his place.

At that, Montano began to relay his plans for the fall of Nelson, turning to Dead Sea when necessary about the particular details the veteran to be should bear in mind. There was a lot to the plan, but the plan basically had Dead Sea carrying out the plan itself while Montano remained in the rear to observe and take charge of any unexpected issues to arise. With the cliffs north to Nelson being essentially impassible, Montano spoke about carrying out the plan in the late evening via amphibious means. Montano's force would move up the river in boats, and the extra time allotment allowed for the battling of the current. Pulling his map out of his satchel, Montano showed the other centurions the site where he and his century would disembark. From there, the force would move under the cover of night, silencing any hostile wildlife without the use of firearms until each section reached its position on the south end of town. From there, a three-pronged attack would be launched with each group driving any of the town's militia defenders towards the cliffs down to the Colorado. If Mars favored the night, and if the attack was savage enough in its rapid execution, Montano explained he may not need to butcher the whole town. The Legion would occupy the defensible town and teach the people of Nelson what attempts to ally with NCR will achieve.

He elaborated that the situation might change if there were any delays in the plan. The sparing of the town predominantly depended on whether or not there were NCR troops stationed there, but that didn't seem likely since the town was still in talks with NCR according to the most recent intel. The plan was a perfect one, its quality being announced by the centurions of the room who didn't have a lot to add other than contemplative faces and regular nods of affirmation as Montano spoke.

"Excellent," Montano thought as he finished relaying the plan. "... The fall of Nelson could come in a matter of days if we organize quickly, and a fortified position at Nelson could make for another means of advance on Hoover Dam our Emperor can utilize upon his arrival-"

Just then, the door to the room opened once more and in came an explorer who immediately greeted and hailed the room. The explorer wasn't one of Montano's, but the scout identified himself as one of Aurelius when Centurion Aurelius ordered the new arrival,

"What is it Flavius?"

The explorer called Flavius placed a fist over his heart and answered, "My Primus, I have just received word that Lord Caesar has arrived at Fortification Hill earlier this afternoon."

As glad as Montano was at hearing the news that Lord Caesar had finally arrived on the Mojave Front, he knew that his plans for a great victory to hand over were instantly squashed. Even though the assault would now be delayed until getting the Emperor's stamp of approval, Montano knew this was probably for the best since getting Lord Caesar's personal go ahead on this idea would come with its own recognition and additional honor. Needless to say, Montano was not surprised and was already compiling the papers he removed from his satchel when Aurelius turned to him and said;

"Centurion Montano, this plan will have to wait. Hand over your plans to me and I'll have them dispatched to the Fort immediately with the first boat out in the morning.

Without a word, Montano handed over his detailed plans to Aurelius who then ordered his explorer to take them east across the river as soon as the sun rose. The explorer left the room, and although Montano was still glad his Emperor had arrived, he remained dismayed by the fact that he would have to wait. Montano hoped that the wait for approval would be a short one, and would not allow the time for the NCR to fortify the independent town with an official garrison. Either way, Montano knew that regardless the circumstance, he would continue the terror in the south as well as possible, but for now, Montano could only wait.

Montano sat in on the rest of the meeting between Centurion Aurelius and the others but eventually dismissed Dead Sea as he'd been standing there long enough without use. Montano took note of some of the details in the centurion meeting that pertained to him but it was mostly outlining new objectives and slave counts from the other terror centurions. Eventually, Montano dismissed himself and motioned for Falco to come along. Montano stepped outside with his favored staff officer and stood atop the platform looking into the west with the moon high above. Eventually, Montano felt it was time to retire for the evening and came to this realization when Decanus Falco asked Montano;

"Is there anything else my Centurion requires of me this evening?"

A slight grin appeared and disappeared on Montano's face at the question. He wondered to himself why Falco was the only soldier under his command that he permitted to ask questions until his mind flooded with memories of the brutal combat he'd seen over the decades at recollection of the news about his Emperor's current proximity. This made him grin more as he looked into the west before he unconsciously found his attention turning north. Nelson would fall with the blessing of Lord Caesar, and the Legion would encircle Hoover Dam while Caesar leads them to victory. As Montano thought about the bright future and how that brightness stemmed from the burning of profligate towns, Montano finally replied to Decanus Falco with a mind captured by all those instances of pathetic defiance he'd seen on this Campaign of Terror;

"... I only have one last order for you, Decanus Falco..."

Falco waited, and Montano shifted his focus from the north down to his feet. Still thinking about the pathetic resistance the Mojave offered to the forces of the terror, he said to Falco, "Come, lead me to the site of the most recent vandalism incident."

Falco said stern and militarily, "Right away, My Centurion..." The two proceeded down the steps to mock the improper Latin phrase essentially telling the Legion or "People called Romans" to "Go to the house."

A crew of slaves would paint over the vandal's work in the morning, but Montano, Falco, and every other legionary or officer under the Terror knew that another defiant phrase would replace it at some point. Words were all that the people of the southern Mojave had to offer, and although the NCR forces of the region had been their own hindrance, he knew that pleads for mercy, and simple words were all they had now to defy the Legion as Caesar's victory crept closer by the second. Caesar had finally arrived on the Front and the message of the Terror would only spread further with Caesar at the helm.