In the Shadow of the Valley: Main Series

by Desert Ranger Caracal

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

6. Chapter six

CHAPTER 6: ENTERING ZION. BY DESERT RANGER CARACAL.

LOCATION: Vault 3's armory.

DATE: NOVEMBER 20TH 2281.

TIME: 1:06 PM

TEMPERATURE: 77°F OR 25°C.

The news of the gold had made Sunday quite exciting, as Joseph made promises to Zechariah to attain more Assault Rifles of various kinds to make the soldiers more capable in medium range combat. The H&K MP9 and Riot Shotgun were beginning to feel a bit too weak, so this was a welcome improvement to the armorer. Especially if he could get enough AK-112's, Assault Carbines, Type 93's, HK-33's and other assault rifles to replace most of the outclassed stock.

The caracal gun nut of an armorer was happily thinking all of this over as he listened to what Russell and Joseph were discussing. The two of them were talking about where else to put the gold's value into, and who to sell it to in the first place. While the Gun Runners would probably be happy to exchange firearms for gold, the likelihood of a trading company handling gold was much smaller due to the risks of bandits only growing.

Whatever the case, Courier Six walked into the armory to see what was going on, having recently woken up and eaten a small breakfast for lunch. The armory was notably larger, being in the maintenance wing and having a lot more to look at. There were a lot of lockers to admire, half for guns and half for armor, with mostly guns locked up as the armor had to be worn by soldiers at all times.

A pair of workbenches were in the room too, one for guns, and a smaller one for pressing ammo, something Zech did in his spare time. Above both was a surprisingly large "Build mass with sass" poster, the only one in the entire bunker. It helped keep the place considerably less boring, essential for a place that had a lot of work in it. Best to keep the cat fixing the guns from going completely nuts, even if he was a self described gun nut.

"Hey Six, good to see ya back, with the gold you've brought I can equip most of the others with the same kind of rifle you got on your back. It'll be a welcome change of repairs and maintenance for me!"

Zechariah said, still ecstatic about the newfound funds, as Joseph and Russell turned their heads to Courier Six.

"I take it you slept well, considering that this is the first time I've seen you since yesterday."

"You have no idea, let's just say that I went to one hell of a place a week ago."

The courier said, as Joseph snickered.

"I didn't think the Sierra Madre actually existed till you put that bag before me. I'd say we oughta send some troops there to clear it out, but the legends, and I bet your experience paint that as a terrible idea."

"Forget the place exists, that's my advice."

Six said, devoid of any kind of humor, replaced with a tone that was about as serious as it got. Joseph, Russell and Zechariah all nodded at the same time, agreeing to never speak of it again, even if all of them did have at least one Sierra Madre chip to their name.

"Well is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

Russell asked, as the Courier nodded.

"Yes, there's another thing on my Pip Boy that I have to handle. This one may interest one of you. A trading company known as Happy Trails is looking for some help for a run to a place called New Canaan, know anything about that?"

She asked, as Joseph nodded slowly, purring a bit as he spoke.

"Yes, yes I do. Around nine or so years ago I took a similar run as an armed guard with the same company. Never went in New Canaan proper, but I do remember what it was like during my short visit there. Thinking about making a trade agreement with another trade company?"

He asked, ears perking and pointing down at Six as she nodded.

"Even if it doesn't work out, it's been too long since I went to Utah, and if you took the job before, why come along? You're still a clean shot by any measure."

She said, as Joseph put a paw under his chin, rubbing it slowly before looking down at Russell and speaking.

"Up to keeping things in check for one or two months?"

He asked, as Russell nodded.

"Just come back in one piece, a deal with Happy Trails would be great, but it ain't worth your life."

He said, as Joseph nodded in agreement. After getting his shotgun from Zech, he and Six made their way out of the Vault and began their travels off to the Northern Passage, ironically a short walk away from the bunker he'd planted the militia in at first.

LOCATION: Northern Passage.

DATE: NOVEMBER 20TH 2281.

TIME: 4:31 PM

TEMPERATURE: 86°F OR 30°C.

The two had reached the Northern Passage easily, and only had to shoot three Fiends trying to get revenge for what Joseph had spearheaded about two weeks ago. The passage seemed like a pretty plain spot, like a cave that just happened to have a grave beside. Likely a traveler who died on the trail and got buried after the fact. Whatever the case, Courier Six and Joseph entered the passage, and approached the Happy Trails caravan before them. Five total, three guards, a guy in a vault suit, and the caravan driver.

"Howdy, I take it you two heard the radio broadcast for the job, right? You look the type, and your companion did an excellent job with guard duty for me nearly a decade ago during the Salt Lake Run."

Jeb said, as Joseph nodded.

"Nice to see you remember me Jeb, if you don't mind me saying so, Six here is easily qualified."

He said, as Six nodded gently in response.

"I haven't been to Utah in a while, how are things there now?"

"Bad to put it lightly, the whole state's got a lot of hazards and troubles looking to kill you at a moment's notice. It ain't like the Mojave, NCR or even Arizona under Caesar's heel. The three biggest dangers around are some rather hardcore raiders, some less than civilized tribes who'd eat the flesh off of your bones if so inclined and regional warlords. Put simply, safe places to trade are few and far between, and New Canaan's one of the few that's reliable too."

He said, as Six got right to more specific questions.

"How dangerous are these warlords?"

"Dangerous enough for us to stay away as much as we can, I'd rather not have my head nailed to a decrepit gas station fort's walls, no thank you."

He answered plainly, as the Courier nodded and asked another question.

"What about the tribes?"

"Put simply, the people who lived in Zion before the war are downright feral for the most part. Most of them have no clue about the English language, and you'll need a New Canaanite translator to talk to them in any meaningful capacity. The ones you absolutely have to look out for are the White Legs, they come from the Great Salt Lake and will attack most of anyone who isn't with them."

He explained, as Six fired off another question quickly afterwards.

"Anything important to know about the raiders?"

"They're what you'd expect. Violent, hopped up on chems, crazy as hell and not all that bright. The worst ones of the lot are the 80's, but we're not passing through their turf so we ain't gotta worry bout them on this run."

Jed said, as Six nodded, satisfied by the questions given about the area as she moved to a different, still relevant topic.

"Tell me more about the job."

"Well the job isn't hard to explain. Help with moving this caravan into Zion and find New Canaan in the process. Pay's 25 caps a day, half for hiring and half when we return to the Mojave. There's two bonuses, one for reaching Zion and one if we reach New Canaan. Also, one more essential thing to understand. Under no conditions are you to mention the name Joshua Graham to anyone. I mean it."

He said, as Six cocked an eyebrow and dug a bit deeper.

"Why shouldn't I mention him? Who is Joshua Graham?"

"Don't. It makes New Canaanites uncomfortable as all hell, and sends Tribals into a fearful frenzy. Don't talk about the Burned Man while you're at it, it's for your own good."

He said, as Joseph added something to the pile.

"He means it, those names hold as much weight as a leather bag full of sulfur. If you know what's good for you, you won't bring it up unless you absolutely have to."

The ranger said, as Six nodded and continued things under a different vein.

"Changing the subject, tell me about Happy Trails."

"We're a smaller company based in Sac Town, up in the north of the NCR. We run a bit of business through New Reno, on the "Little loop." Had a nice run to Salt Lake City too, then we lost all contact with New Canaan and that went right to hell in a shining handbasket."

He explained, as Six continued this thread of questioning.

"What's the roadblock for Salt Lake City?"

"Well without New Canaan's Zion mission, there are only two paths to Salt Lake City, through the old I-80 and Ogden. The highway's much too risky, the NCR's Rangers have their hands full in the Mojave and can't keep the raiders off of the old interstate. Ogden's too far away, we'd lose more in travel expenses then we could ever earn."

Jed explained, as Six thought all of this over, before asking a simple observation.

"Seems like Happy Trails is not doing all too well financially."

She said, as Jed sighed in disappointment over his financial woes before confirming what she had to say.

"Sadly you ain't wrong. Losing the Salt Lake run really stung the company, and if we can't re-establish contact with New Canaan then we are in serious trouble."

He said with a voice that sounded like a man who knew that the company he had worked his ass off for could be bankrupt in a year at the least if this didn't go well. Six moved on, asking another question altogether.

"So what can you tell me about New Canaan?"

"Can't say much about the place, but I can tell you a good bit about the people. The New Canaanites were some kind of religious order from before the war. They control the old city of Ogden north of Zion, and they have a nice defensible mission in the canyon proper, or they had. They trade with the tribes in Zion, at least the ones that don't try and wipe them out, that is."

He answered, as Six nodded, and kept to the path of questioning.

"What do you know of their faith?"

"Well I ain't a faithful man, all I really care about is that they were excellent business partners. Paid well and treated us fairly, that's what matters. Don't think they're pacifists though, just because they're religious doesn't mean they don't know how to handle themselves. They're sharp eyed marksmen who take care of their own."

Jed said, as Joseph nodded and Six continued her questions.

"You have no clue what happened to their mission?"

"Not one bit, which is why this caravan exists in the first place. If we don't make contact with the New Canaanites, Happy Trails may as well dig its own grave and hop right in."

The caravan driver said, as Six nodded, and ended the questions with a single sentence.

"Alright, me and Joseph are ready to get going."

She said as the caracal chimed in.

"This pack's a reasonable seventy four pounds, before you ask."

He said, as Jed nodded at Joseph before turning to Six.

"Well if he's ready, I have to ask if you are fully ready with what you're carrying. We ain't coming back through here for a while now, and I have to ask if you know about the weight limit. I really do not want to hear any whining about "Oh shoot! I left my one of a kind Gatling Laser, I need to bring it with me!" You sure you're ready?"

He asked, as Six let out a little chortle before speaking.

"This pack's sixty six pounds in weight, it's got all I need, plus it's lighter than what Joseph has."

She said as Jed smiled gently and nodded.

"Well in that case, welcome aboard. Now we better get moving. There's a long road ahead of us."

Jed said, as the caravan began to move to Zion, a place that only Joseph and Courier Six would return from when the job was done.

LOCATION: Zion Valley.

DATE: DECEMBER 4TH 2281.

TIME: 12:21 PM

TEMPERATURE: 86°F OR 30°C.

Zion Valley was absolutely stunning, a place that most would likely never expect to see in the wasteland, even if the dangers it had were still as real as what the Mojave had up its sleeve. Regardless, it was one of the few shining spots after about 15 days of nothing but walking through the wilderness, and as the sun shone, Joseph appreciated the beauty of it all while Jed gave a speech to the others.

"Here we are people, Zion! I know it's been a long couple of weeks, I know your feet hurt like nothing else, I know you're in dire need of a nap, but I need all our minds focused on the trail ahead."

Jed said, as the head guard quickly chimed in.

"It ain't the trail ahead that's bothering me, the descents we made through that slot canyon ain't possible for us to use again. How are we going to get back out the same way we came in?"

She asked, as Jed let out a sigh before answering.

"I heard you the first time Stella, and the twentieth too. The New Canaanites will know a way, and if they don't, the maps on our friend's pip boy will prove to be what we need. Enough standing around, get moving and keep an eye for tribals!"

He ordered, as the caravan began to move once again while Stella continued what she had to say.

"Terribly sorry to bother you with reality old Jed, but what happens if we can't go back the way we came through? That's not going to be a problem at all!"

Stella said, as Jed ignored her, more focused on the immediate issue of reaching New Canaan in one piece if they could. While walking as the guards held the front, Jed suddenly stopped and took out his pistol.

"Quiet, I could swear I heard something."

He said, as everyone stood still as can be. Joseph scanned the place with his ears, and before too long he'd unslung his City Killer and got behind a rock as he yelled out a warning.

"AMBUSH, TAKE COVER!"

He yelled out, as one of the guards found out too late that Joseph was not bluffing, his head opening up like a melon as a spear split it open, making him fall to the ground as the others began shouting and screaming in fear, with Six taking another rock as she unslung her rifle and began watching for nearby threats.

The other surviving guard began using their grenade launcher to try and kill some of the attackers as the caracal used his eyes to try and determine where the White Legs were coming from. He was unfortunately seeing nothing even if the sun was determined to keep things good and clear.

Ricky screamed loudly about how he didn't deserve it, how his Pip Boy didn't even work and before too long the Jet addict was shot dead by a White Legs warrior up on a cliff. Jed shot him, all while Stella wildly shot at rocks obscuring other White Legs with her laser rifle.

"We're sitting ducks here, we need to move hard and fast if we're going to survive this! Fuck it, I was a sheriff once, here I come!"

She yelled out, before being shot by a white leg obscured in the rocks much to Jed's horror.

"Damnit! Stella don't you die on me, you hear?!" He frantically shouted while turned to her, before being shot in the throat by another hidden White Leg, seemingly ending the attack as soon as it began.

Joseph remained still as Six slowly pulled herself out of cover, the caracal focused on the nearby cliff as he watched some White Legs walk out, thinking they could get the treasures they wanted from their killing.

A four round burst of buckshot to their loosely clothed bodies proved them wrong as Joseph killed them quickly, the caracal getting up as he turned to the Courier.

"We need to get right the fuck out, now."

He said, as the Courier quickly agreed, the two of them steadily making their way to the nearby rope bridge as a pair of White Legs guarded the way there. A few rounds of Buckshot and 5MM took care of them as the two survivors finished off their assailants, their bodies falling onto the ground.

The travelers quickly ran over the bridge, hitting the ground before another White Leg began to attack them. As they rose their weapons to fire, someone came up from behind and fired two shots to the back of his head, killing him near instantly. Joseph and Six lowered their weapons as they saw just who did it. They were a tribal, a friendly one who quickly looked over at them and gave a shout.

"Hoi! White Legs don't have survivors most of the time, let me tell you. You're lucky one way or another. You two came from the outside? From the civilized lands of the Mojave? Joshua Graham will want to hear this, and see you too."

He said, as Joseph perked his ears up, surprised by what he was hearing.

"Wait, who exactly is this Joshua?" He asked, as the new guy explained quickly.

"Joshua Graham, he is our tribe's leader. With his help the Dead Horses are strong and safe from our enemies. He wants to talk from anyone who comes from the south-ways, guess that's just you two now. Come, I can take you two to him."

He said, as Joseph turned to Six, who looked back at the caracal before turning to the new guy.

"Sure, lead the way."

She said, as the two of them began to approach the new guy.

"Goot sists. We're heading East then, Joshua is in the Dead Horse's camp, in the Eastern Virgin."

He said, as Joseph and Six began to follow him there. It took them about a half hour to reach the Zion Valley welcome booth, while on their journey the two travelers learned from the tribal what his name was, Follows-Chalk. He learned their names in kind, alongside just what Joseph was in the first place. After reaching the booth, Joseph and Six both poked their heads in for a bit.

"Those hand prints are how the Dead Horses and Sorrows mark forbidden places. Places from back when. Good news for you is don't buy into that stuff."

Follows-Chalk said, as Joseph and Six nodded, before beginning to walk down the path to the Eastern Virgin. They descended slowly, as Follows-Chalk watched them. As they neared the water, Joseph's eyes looked up to see paintings of figures in the stone canyon that would lead them to the Dead Horses.

"These paintings show all of the Dead Horses victories against other tribes. Lots more have been earned since Joshua Graham has been leading us."

He said, as the ranger and courier stepped into the water slowly.

"I was never too fond about being knee deep in water when I was a ranger, let's get through this quickly."

Joseph said, as he and Six did what they could to keep dry, as futile as it was. As they walked through the ankle deep water slowly. Follows-Chalk kept a good pace with ease, used to this.

"Nearly there now, keep your eyes open for traps in the water. We gotta keep the White Legs out somehow, neh?"

Chalk said, as Joseph and Six both did what they could to follow the path while avoiding the deepest waters. The caracal handled it better if only due to his skill of jumping about, and avoiding the deepest waters as much as he could. After a few minutes of this, they reached the entrance of the Dead Horses camp, as Chalk spoke.

"Here we are, my home. Joshua's in the angel cave just ahead."

He said, as the two wastelanders made their way onto dry land. Joseph took a minute to sit down and empty his boots of the water that had gotten in, quickly changing his socks too before putting the boots back on, much to the curiosity of other Dead Horses tribals watching him.

Six did the same thing, also wanting to avoid a nasty case of trenchfoot. After putting their wet socks out to dry in the open air, they entered the Angel Cave, where a Dead Horses woman approached them and spoke.

"Hoi! Owslandr zookah Joshua Graham?"

"We're here to see Joshua Graham, if that's what you're asking. Where is he?"

The Courier asked, as she got a quick reply soon after.

"You know our tongue, a smart Owslandr for once. Joshua is in the highest peak of cave. Show respect, utman, he is our mightiest warrior, he will shove you into the earth's bosom if you show him no respect!"

She warned sternly, as Six nodded.

"We will be on our best behavior."

She said, as Joseph nodded particularly hard.

"You wise for owslandrs."

She said, as Six and Joseph followed the path up, to where Joshua was. The torches that lit the cave did it well, keeping the way illuminated for the two of them. It wasn't a half-minute later before they stood before Joshua Graham, above a pile of 1911's that he was maintaining when the two of them came.

"We should have given you a proper welcome to Zion for your first visit, but from what I hear, the White Legs showed up first. White Legs seem to be our only visitors these days, and I never expected to see anyone from the Mojave looking for us, especially not with an old enemy of mine."

Joshua said, after setting down a freshly checked 1911 onto the table as Joseph shook his head.

"Even if you need to repay for what you have done, you don't need to pay with your blood or life. I'm not your enemy anymore. Caesar severed your ties with the Legion, and tried to kill you for your failure, you just so happened to be too stubborn to let the fire take care of you."

Joseph said, as Joshua nodded back.

"I hope you understand at the end of it all that I have changed for the better, enemies we may have been."

He said, before turning to Six and speaking.

"As for you, you're a courier, not the one I was expecting, but I doubt he would have come with a caravan. I don't know if or how close you were to the other members of your group, but you have my sympathies all the same. I pray for the safety of all the good people who come to Zion, even gentiles and other nonbelievers, but we can't expect god to do all the work."

He said, as Six listened to everything that had been released. Joseph continued to hold a stiff, unyielding look on his face as he stared directly at Caesar's former second in command. Six didn't look at him so hard, and before too long she asked a question.

"How exactly do you know so much about me, and Joseph for that manner?"

"The dead horses are especially capable scouts, nothing passes in or out of Zion without me learning about it. As for your companion? He's a former Desert Ranger who butchered all the Legionaries he could during my time as Legate, and after my time. His legend still holds weight in the wastes, especially when slavers or Legionaries cross his path. Caesar still fears him, there's no way he can't. He's a direct ideological opponent of Caesar, and the fact that he didn't kill me on sight speaks leagues to his mercy."

He said, as Six spoke shortly after.

"We came here with the Happy Trails caravan company in an attempt to make contact with New Canaan."

"Happy Trails, yes. I do remember how they were good friends to us. I have terrible news for your employers, New Canaan has been wiped off of the map, its citizens scattered to the wind. All because of the White Legs, and Caesar's help of course. The White Legs want to join the Legion's ranks, Caesar's rite of passage is the destruction of the New Canaanites, assuredly because of me. The good news is that we can help you find your way back to the Mojave. Daniel, one of the other New Canaanites has made many maps of the region. However, we cannot help at the moment. Not when everything is coming close to boiling over and flashing into white flames."

Graham said, as what had been said hit the two of them firmly. The reason for them to come here was no longer there, and they weren't going to be leaving too quickly. Six made her choice, and spoke after a few seconds of silence.

"We're not going to leave without offering help, what can we do?"

She said, offering Graham what she needed like a good Samaritan.

"You're a good neighbor, for we all go through periods of darkness. In times like these, turning to the lord is always an option, but to have friends is a blessing as well. Daniel and I need pre-war tools to help with navigating beyond Zion. Should we have to evacuate, these tools will become essential. Normally we would have volunteers from the Dead Horses or Sorrows go looking, but most of the pre-war buildings in the valley are forbidden. They won't go inside."

He explained, as Six nodded and replied.

"We'll do it."

"Thank you, Follows-Chalk can help lead you on the best path to the Sorrows. He lacks experience, but he knows enough of our ways and language to ignore the taboo around pre-war buildings."

Joshua said. As Six began to leave, Joseph suddenly spoke.

"Wait for me, I want to talk to Graham."

He said, as the caracal surprised the others. Six looked back at him in surprise, before saying what she had to say.

"I'll be waiting by the cave's entrance."

She said, before she and Follows-Chalk left the room, leaving Joseph and Joshua alone to talk. The ranger approached the burned man slowly, stopping a few meters away before speaking.

"Joshua Graham, if I had met you merely four years earlier, I would have shot you right on the spot."

"I cannot blame you, had we met before the day Caesar sent me hurtling down the Grand Canyon I would have attempted to have you crucified for what you did to the Legion. My fanaticism for Caesar and his ways perished that day, but my will to live only flourished."

Graham said, as Joseph nodded gently, adding more to the mix.

"You're not what I expected. I didn't expect the Malpais Legate to be this calm, even after you were nearly killed. But that doesn't mean you're done, now does it?"

He asked, as Graham looked Joseph right in the eyes with a piercing gaze and spoke sharply.

"What exactly do you mean by that, cat?"

"Caesar nearly killed you, sent assassins to try and wipe you out discreetly, and now he's entrusted the White Legs to try and finish the job in his stead. I doubt you don't feel hate for what he's done, and I want to know if you've truly changed, and are ready to face your mistakes head on."

Joseph said, as Joshua simmered down, returning to his weapons maintenance while answering.

"I cannot say for certain. I know what you mean, Joseph. But neither of us are innocent here. I know my mistakes well, and I bet you do as well. Tell me, what do you want to accomplish before your death?"

"I want to wipe the slate clean of humanity's past mistakes. I want to forge things forward, I want to eliminate slavery from the Mojave, I want to do so much, and most of all I want to kill Caesar, or witness his death."

The caracal said, all without hesitation, his voice only growing in intensity as the ranger's mind began thinking of his ultimate goal. The burned man nodded as he replied.

"You and I are similar, though far from the same. We both want Caesar and his ilk gone, though you've wanted it gone for longer. Tell me, why didn't you just shoot me now if you hated me so much back then?"

He challenged, with the ranger giving his answer mere seconds later.

"Because I don't want Caesar dead for the sake of revenge. I want Caesar dead to kill off the Legion for good. What about you? Do you even want Caesar dead?"

Joseph asked, as Joshua looked back at him, slightly stunned before giving him his answer.

"I think we should break this off, you and I are getting nowhere. I have to continue preparing for war against the White Legs. Would you like to buy something before you go? I have a decent few things for trade, all in good shape."

He offered, pointing at the checked 1911's. Joseph nodded, picking one up with astonishingly pristine bluing and giving it a quick look-over. Colt manufactured, made in 1997, about a decade before the decline of the 1911 and initial design work on what would become the 6520.

"How much?"

He asked, as Graham replied.

"For you? 900 caps, under the condition that you tell me what you intend to do with it."

"It's a gift for a friend of mine, he'd enjoy this relic." Joseph answered, before paying for the pistol. Away in his pack it went, as the ranger turned and began to leave.

"God be with you."

"Elohim yigrom lecha lig'ol et atzmecha."

They exchanged, as Joseph left the cave and exited to see Six and Follows Chalk sitting by a campfire. The ranger grabbed the drying socks, walking to the two others and handing Six her socks as he put his on his backpack to dry.

"I've talked with him, let's get what Daniel wants before the day is up."

He said as Six and Chalk got up.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you want to talk to Joshua?"

Chalk asked, as Joseph turned to him and spoke bluntly.

"Personal matters, that's all you need to understand."

He said, as Six looked at her Pip-Boy and began plotting a course to the nearby crashed bus.

"Let's not dwell on this, we gotta get moving."

She said, as Joseph nodded in agreement, and the three of them began to take the path to the Sorrows with Follows-Chalk helping along the way.

It took a surprisingly short amount of time for them to make the journey, a mere five hours later they were at the Sorrows camp, with the equipment that they were told to retrieve for Daniel, a New Canaanite with a different plan.

LOCATION: The entrance of The Narrows.

DATE: DECEMBER 4TH 2281.

TIME: 6:12 PM

TEMPERATURE: 77°F OR 25°C.

The narrows was indeed as narrow as the name implied. The rock canyon that contained the namesake river was tall, and held the other tribe that wasn't going to kill Six and Joseph on the spot for loot. While they walked in, Chalk spoke about them briefly.

"Here we are, the Narrows is up ahead, they're plenty peaceful, just don't anger them."

He warned, as the ranger and courier nodded in agreement. They'd killed enough White Legs today, why anger another tribe? As they entered the narrows and began to approach the camp, looking over a little wood cabin of some sort. Before long, they were approached by one of the women of the Sorrows tribe. She walked to Six, and began to talk to her.

"You are the ones who Joshua Graham sent to us. Blessings of the holy father in the cave upon you both. Daniel is just ahead and waiting for you, keep following the river."

She said, as Six nodded, before Joseph asked a simple question.

"What do you mean by Father in the Cave?"

"Are you not familiar with the god of the New Canaanites? He is our guardian and our judge. He lead the way for our ancestors to settle Zion. He gave us many gifts, however we are not to seek him out. His caves are strictly forbidden for us, and those who enter them are taken from us for good."

She said, as Joseph and Six turned their heads gently in confusion, as Six spoke up.

"That sounds nothing like what I've heard of the New Canaanites."

"Maybe you don't understand the New Canaanites and their ways. I have seen the father's images. His holy bride and holy son were given unto the world to save it from total destruction. They dwelt in the many caverns of the mountains, caverns that are still present to this day. Those who sinned against him were punished with the End That Came In Fire, and the loss of the holy tongue. The only ones spared from this fate were the New Canaanites."

She explained, as Joseph nodded slowly, and Six responded soon after.

"I see, that's rather fascinating."

She said, slightly amazed with what she had heard from this woman.

"I know Daniel can tell you much more, his knowledge of the Father easily surpasses my own."

She said, as Six fired off another question.

"Would you like to tell me about yourself?"

"Waking Cloud is my name, I am the midwife for the Sorrows. "Midwife to Sorrows." Ominous isn't it?"

She said, as Six nodded and offered another question.

"You're a midwife? I haven't seen any children around here."

"The children and the elderly have already been evacuated. They are safe enough, unless the White Legs come for us in force."

She answered, as Joseph asked a simple question.

"What do you do when you're not busy delivering babies?"

"I tend to the other ailments and sicknesses of the tribe. I also scout the valley for herbs to use in my medicines."

She answered, to which the ranger and Courier nodded in understanding.

"Tell me about this Daniel, who is he?"

She asked, as Waking Cloud soon perked up a little and began speaking with a bit of a brighter voice.

"Daniel is a wise man, and one of the Sorrow's best friends. He taught me to speak New Canaan's sacred tongue, the English from the holy books."

She said, as Joseph perked up his ears and pressed on what she had said.

"Holy books?"

He asked, seeming to perk up an eyebrow as he looked down at her.

"Yes, the language of the New Canaanites is the holy tongue. It is the very tongue that their sacred books are written. The father in the cave brought them to the New Canaanites after the Judgement of man, however the ancestors of the Sorrows had sinned against him. For this, they were denied the holy tongue."

She said, as Joseph rolled his eyes mentally, while Six asked her another question.

"It sounds like you've known him for a while, is this true?"

"Six years. He attended the birth of my third child, a hard birth without question. If he hadn't attended, the river would have carried my water from the tribe, and my child's with it. Daniel knew the ways of New Canaan's medicine, so he stepped in and saved both of our lives. A few days after the birth, I asked Daniel if he could teach me what he knew of Childbirth. He agreed, and I've been the midwife since."

She answered, as Joseph and Six nodded before the ranger spoke.

"We'd better get to delivering these items to Daniel before he runs out of patience with us."

He said, as Six added another sentence to the mix.

"We'll talk again, Waking Cloud."

"Then I will look forward to whenever we speak again."

She said, before the ranger, the courier, and the guide walked away, heading off to Daniel with a steady pace. Through the river they walked, trying to avoid the deepest water as Joseph jumped as much as he had to, keeping his distance from the waterfalls. The ranger's compromise with them was letting the mist grace him, if only so he didn't get drenched.

When the three reached the bank, they saw Daniel heading to the tents and began to slowly approach. They walked to him gracefully, and before any of them could talk, Daniel spoke.

"The dead horses told me about the attack on your caravan. For whatever a stranger's sympathy means for you, I'm sorry. The Sorrows will mourn those who were killed in the attack. They mourn the loss of all lives, even the lives of the White Legs. If innocence exists, the Sorrows possess it in abundance. In spite of everything that has happened, I hope that me and Joshua can help you two out of here. But, that comes with a problem. We need your help too."

He said, the two travelers nodding before Joseph spoke up.

"Why are you so antsy to leave Zion? You don't strike me as a pacifist."

"There's an old saying that holds weight here. "If you want peace, prepare for war." You've got me figured halfway. I'll shoot any White Leg who tries sneaking in here, if only to protect the Sorrows. The lord helps those who help themselves, but the Sorrows just simply don't know how to do so. Since I got them into this mess in the first place, I have to help them out."

He explained, as the courier asked a simple question.

"If you want to, and are willing to protect the Sorrows, why not pursue the White Legs?"

She asked, as Joseph nodded in agreement, much to Daniel's disappointment.

"There is an essential, important difference between killing in defense and waging war. Even a gentile like you should understand that truth."

"Joshua is a New Canaanite, and he wants to pursue the White Legs."

She pressed, as Joseph seemed to cringe a tiny bit while Daniel replied back hastily.

"Joshua is the living bible of mankind's miseries of warfare! All the debt he attained from his actions he pays for with every breath he takes! He is a monument to God's unending forgiveness and humanity's incomprehensible capacity for cruelty. Every inch of his body is written with that constant fact. When you look at him, do you just see a man of God? Beneath the mountain of bandages he is burnt flesh. As he burns, he consumes everyone around him in the same anger that set him ablaze. Joshua wants to wage this war because the White Legs have thrown new fuel on the naked flame inside of him. You, you see the flame, but you don't yet feel the heat. I can pray all I want that you never will, but it isn't up to me, nor god, it's up to Joshua."

He said, as the mood dimmed and the tone of things changed quite a bit. The ranger provided his perspective, if only due to his opinionated nature.

"I know how you feel, but you and I are different in perspective. Some groups you cannot let live, Six here can attest to that. The White Legs from what we have seen, are nothing but trouble. Every encounter with them has been purely hostile. I helped curb their influence as a Desert Ranger, I know they've been raiders since I first met them. If Joshua is right about their alliance with the Legion, and because they were raiders before they met Caesar, they cannot be left alone. Everything Caesar touches suffers. People, land, resources, nothing near him is left without any corruption brought by his influence. Joshua knows, even if he had to burn to understand how corrupt Caesar was. The less he takes, the better, even if it means wiping the White Legs out. I destroyed the Fiends, I will do the same here if I must. Caesar cannot be left unchecked. And before you call me a gentile, my people came first, goyim."

He asserted, and before an argument between the Mormon and Jew could erupt, Six shouted out what Daniel had wanted to hear for some time.

"Before this erupts into a small scale war, Joshua told me you needed some things. I'm certain this is everything."

She said, before handing a bag containing all of the gathered things to Daniel. A quick look later, Daniel spoke.

"Well I'll be, I was beginning to lose hope that we could get any of this, much less everything at once. Tribals are rather smart but... they're ignorant. For them, letting go of taboos is difficult, so it was going to be me or Joshua to work on it. Turns out all it needed was a gentile and a Jew, no offense."

"None taken."

The ranger interjected, as the Courier nodded in agreement.

Daniel took a quick breath of light relief before continuing.

"These supplies are a godsend, but before we can evacuate Zion without drawing more of the White Leg's attention, we need you to return to the valley. Specifically, I need you to scout two areas for White Legs, and try to recover a map of a wilderness area to the east, called Grand Staircase. There's also the matter of the roads. We're going to be evacuating by the east side of the park, but I can't say if the path is clear."

He explained, as Joseph and Six nodded.

"We'll help you out, anything to help those in need."

"But only to help the Sorrows."

The courier, and ranger said, as Daniel sighed in relief.

"The enthusiasm is much appreciated. There aren't enough people in the wastes with kindness to spare for those who aren't kin. Since you're poking around the valley, you'll probably see more activity from the White Legs. One of the Sorrows hunters, Waking Cloud, has offered to be your guide through the valley. She's remarkably capable at staying out of sight. After all this, it's just a matter of making a clean evacuation. Hopefully, it also means you can escape to the Mojave without much if any trouble."

He said, passing Six a set of mining explosives, along with a list of things to do, and locations to head to. Before the courier and ranger could say anything, Follows-Chalk spoke up.

"Well here we part ways. I must return to the Dead Horses camp, maybe I'll see you two there sometime."

"Give our regards to Joshua then."

"I will. Goot gonen, ahk iss."

He said, before running off and out of the camp, making his way back to Dead Horse point. Joseph turned to Daniel and spoke.

"Tomorrow we will get to work on your tasks, but before then, there's something you should know. Waking Cloud talked to us before we came to you, and something came up. What is the Father of the caves?"

"Father in the? Oh, I know what you're talking about. He's a spirit that the Sorrows used to believe in, supposedly kept watch over them from the caves in the valley. They marked some of the caves around here because they think they'll be punished for going in. I think that as they learn the teachings and ways of the New Canaanites, they'll lose their old superstitions."

Daniel answered, as Joseph and Six both let out light chortling before the ranger replied.

"About that. Waking Cloud, and most likely other members of the tribe seem to think that your Lord, and their Father are the same deity."

He replied, as Daniel suddenly seemed to change moods on a dime, as if he had this realization defrosting in his own mind.

"Oh, I should have seen this coming. How stupid of me, really. They probably also believe that Mary is the mother, and Jesus is the child. It's no wonder they picked up on things so easily. I guess this is a lesson on just how difficult communicating ideas can really be."

He said, as Joseph nodded, turning around to look around the valley before setting his eyes on a cave.

"I don't trust sleeping out in the open, me and Six will be sleeping in that there cave. In the morning we'll do what we promised."

He said, pointing at a cave that the Sorrows would dare not enter. A place known as Stone Bones cave. Before Daniel could offer protest, he and Six were making their way up to the cave.

LOCATION: The entrance of the Stone Bones cave.

DATE: DECEMBER 4TH 2281.

TIME: 6:49 PM

TEMPERATURE: 68°F OR 20°C.

It wasn't long before the two travelers realized this may have been a mistake. Several human skeletons littered the cave floor, and when they turned to the path ahead of them, Joseph froze.

"DON'T MOVE. TWO BEAR TRAPS AND A TRIPWIRE AHEAD."

He shouted, as Six did so, looking to the ground and seeing precisely what Joseph was talking about. She took a set of wire-cutters out of her bag, and cut the wire to keep whatever it held from killing them. Soon afterwards, she threw a pair of nearby rocks at the bear traps and activated them, disabling the hazards.

"Good work, but I doubt that's everything."

Joseph said, as he saw a grenade bouquet above their heads. He reached up and grabbed it, putting the contents away for later. The cave proved to be full of all these hazards, and after taking a left turn after disabling a plasma mine, they'd entered the main room. This part of the cave seemed to be housing, it was a well set up room too, made with purpose and intent. The ranger seemed to brighten up at this sight, as if what he was seeing was something he'd make if he was stuck at a cave, maybe with less traps.

The cave wasn't all too bright, but the caracal could see the glow of a terminal, one that clearly still worked just fine. He approached it steadily, before stopping dead in his tracks. A set of neatly folded armor with a helmet next to it surprised him. Six looked at it as well, before Joseph spoke up.

"This, this is Desert Ranger Combat Armor. USMC surplus armor at the very least, it had to have been left here in some kind of hurry."

He said, before climbing up and taking a seat at the terminal. While Six looked over the cave, Joseph read every log the terminal had, and looked into the mind of a man much like him. Every word written resonated with the caracal, as if he was talking to the writer himself, even if the logs predated his existence by hundreds of years. When he was done, he turned to Six and spoke.

"You should read this when you get the chance. If these logs are any indication, the owner of this armor was a good man at the least."

An hour later, Six had read through the logs, and after dusting off several things that the cave had, were fixing some potato and beef stew for dinner. The caracal stirred the pot, as the courier looked through the maps on her pip-boy to plot out the optimal path for going through with the errands. As she looked through, she took a break to look at Joseph, choosing to ask the ranger a question while he tended to the stew as it came to a boil.

"Why did you ask to talk to Joshua all alone like that? Wouldn't he be one of your most hated enemies for helping the Legion grow as big as it has?"

She asked, as the ranger stopped stirring. The metal spoon was pulled out, and Joseph turned to the courier before answering.

"Joshua has changed, and is definitely trying to be a better man after what he did. Make no mistake, he's still violent, he's still not someone to put much of your trust in and by no means should he be given free reign. What do I think of him in more detail? Well, he descends from corrupted teachings of my people, betwixt the worst of America's founding principles and influenced heavily by the lust for power that he gained with Caesar. He only left the Legion because he was forced out for his failings. He seems to have changed for the better, but he's on a metaphorical fence. I know he wants to grow beyond such a bloody past, but he cannot do it easily. Thing is, I can't help but say he's ultimately right about the White Legs, you know about how we massacred the Fiends and helped the Mojave at large. Whatever the case, if he ever tries to push back to his Legate mindset, I'm going to prevent him from going back there even if it means he has to die."

The ranger said boldly, much to Six's surprise. Deciding to not press further, she nodded in agreement, and Joseph went back to tending to the stew. The rest of the night was filled with minor discussion over what they had read in the old logs, and when it came time to sleep, Six took the bedroll and Joseph slept by the campfire. As uncomfortable as it was, the pillow did work to keep him asleep.

When morning came, the rest of the stew was eaten, and they left the cave slowly. The ranger and courier were aiming to follow up on Daniel's tasks, knowing things could only get more violent from here. Regardless, Zion awaited, ready to lay its problems bare to them both.