Chapter 4: The Mojave Outpost and The Whiskey Rose

I woke up with a groan. Damn was I sore. I slowly sat up, taking in my surroundings. Oh… right. The events of the previous days flashed back. Goodsprings, Primm, everything. I got of the bed slowly. Damn, I feel like I slept for a month. Guess I should get my bearings straight, considering I just collapsed into a random house.

I looked around at the room I was in. Hm... looks like it hasn't been used in a while. But not too long thankfully, because nothing was covered in dust. Let's see here... I saw a sink, the slightly bloody bed I was sleeping in, a fridge, and a cabinet. I moved over to the tap, twisting it. Out flowed... semi clean water, by the looks of it.

Might as well wash up while I'm here. I splashed some water on my face. Ah... much better. I turned off the tap, looking back over my shoulder. Opening the fridge revealed a few Sunset Sarsaparillas, which I...moved to my Pip-Boy. Gonna need to get used to that. I moved over to the cabinet, opening it up.

"Oh ho, what have we here?" I asked myself. Inside the cabinet was a lever action shotgun with a side holster, along with a bandolier full of slugs. They looked like they were in decent condition, so I put the bandolier on and grabbed the shotgun, strapping it to my side.

I guess it's time to head out. I checked my guns, making sure that they were all loaded before stepping out the door, where I came face to face with...

"BEEP!" Gah! I stumbled back, falling on my ass. Ah... right. Forgot about you. ED-E stared down at my, with what I guess was amusement. I sat up slowly, hearing him beep rapidly.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up you bucket of bolts." I muttered, dusting myself off. Smooth Strife. Real smooth. I looked up at ED-D.

"Thanks for keeping an eye out. See anything?" I asked. ED-E bobbed from left to right. I'm going to assume that's a no. I shrugged. I'll figure it out sometime. I checked my guns once more, before walking past ED-E.

"Come on, let's head out." I said, walking out the door. I hissed as the morning sun hit my eyes. Damn that's bright. Ah well, I have a job to do. Mojave Outpost here I come. ED-E floated on behind me, beeping all the way. Thankfully the sun wasn't too bright today so I just walked on, following the road.

Eventually I saw an old building a couple hundred yards away, along with... ah shit! I ducked behind a few boulders, waving at ED-E to follow me.

I pulled out my hunting rifle, looking through the scope. I saw three raiders, each with a snake tattoo running down their necks. One, female, was leading the two males. Vipers. I've had run-ins with these guys before. I grimaced as I remembered how painful those poison weapons of theirs are. I have to take care of this before it becomes a problem.

I breathed in and out. No wind right now, so that's fine. Just have to account for distance. I aimed for the leader first, popping off a shot. She was sent flying back, the contents of her head flying everywhere. As the other two searched for me, I aimed again. That's when VATS kicked in. I aimed for one and fired. Instead of hitting his head, the bullet struck a grenade he was carrying. He disappeared in a ball of fire, and the other guy was sent flying away.

...Oops. I stood up, dumbfounded. Damn, did not expect that. Well... I guess the only thing left to do is to see if any loot survived the blast. I walked over, slowly checking my surroundings, ED-E beeping softly behind me. I walked over to the guy sent flying and... shit. He was still alive. Only problem was that his guts were currently hanging out, and he was trying to put them back in.

Fuck, can't leave him like this. I pulled out Blackout, making sure to have it at burst fire. I quickly shot him in the head, the three bullets impacting. He fell back, glossy eyed. Sorry pal, better you than me. I holstered Blackout before quickly searching him, finding some 9 mil ammo along with a few doses of Med-X. I put those in my satchel, moving over to the leader, who was surprisingly still intact. I stepped through the gore pile that was a Viper earlier, looting the leader. She on the other hand had a couple of grenades, some .357 ammo, as well as a couple dozen caps.

I was about to walk into the building when I heard a thump behind me. I turned around and pulled out my shotgun, bringing it up. Beneath me was a body. Another Viper, with a gaping hole in his head. The fuck? I turned to ED-E.

"You couldn't have told me anything?" I asked. He began to beep rapidly. That's when I realized I didn't hear any kind of weapon firing. I groaned.

"That wasn't you was it?" I asked. ED-E bobbed left and right. Well shit. I looked around, not seeing anything. Well... if whoever shot that Viper wanted me dead, I'd be dead I guess. Well, no use wasting favors. I gave a thumbs up, hopping my mysterious savior saw that. With that out of the way, I entered the building.


Well... not a bad haul there. Granted there were a few Vipers inside, but my shotgun took care of them. Turns out that this place was a base for them. Not complaining really. I managed to get a duffel bag full of loot. Caps, chems, guns and bullets. Like I said, not a bad haul.

I walked down the road for a good few minutes, when I heard something scuttling to the left of me. Scuttling... shit. I looked at the source. Yep, radscorpions. Three of them. I brought my shotgun, aiming for the nearest one and firing. ED-E beeped next to me, blaring some music before firing off his laser. My aim was thankfully on point, because the thing was sent flying. Oh, right. Forgot about the slugs. The one ED-E shot was disintegrated. The last one charged at us, pincers clicking. That would have been intimidating had the radscorpion not been smaller than the others.

I simply shot it, blowing it away. Well now that that's over, I guess it's time to move on. Wait a minute... yep. Looks like an old gas station. The courier in me wanted to just go on to the Outpost, but the scavenger in me wanted to check this place out. Scavenger won because I walked into the gas station. It was surprisingly clean, with supplies scattered across the building. I moved over to where a small note was laying on the counter. The hell?

It was titled 'Guess Whose Luck Keeps Rolling? Only problem was that the rest of it was covered in water, the ink staining. Huh, somebody must have gotten lucky in Vegas and decided to head back to the NCR. Ah well, looks like they left a few parting gifts. I moved around, eating some of the food and water they left behind. Hell, even found a locked gun cabinet, which I managed to unlock. Inside was a lot of 5.56 ammo. I mean there was at least twenty boxes full of this stuff! Huh. I checked my satchel, noticing that it was starting to get full. Man, I think I'm going to have to leave this stuff behind.

That's when I remembered the oh so helpful Pip Boy I was wearing. Let's see what I can do here. I grabbed about six boxes of ammo, stuffing them into my bag. I checked the Pip Boy and lo and behold, it showed I had six cases of ammo. I clicked on them, feeling my bag getting lighter. Oh this is going to be fun.

I repeated the process with the rest of the ammo. I even made a little room in my bad for some other stuff. Once that was done and I had taken everything I wanted to, I left the store. I could see the statues in the distance, signifying the Outpost. Heh, finally I could get a decent meal. Say what you will about the NCR, but they knew how to cook.

I began the slow but steady climb up the hill. Eventually I saw sweet relief. The barracks, and more importantly the bar, were in sight. I greeted a man in front of the statues, a Sergeant Kilborn, who was kind enough to direct me to Major Knight. Food or not, I am a courier til the end. After telling ED-E to wait outside, I entered the barracks, noticing a man wearing a brown beret behind the counter. I walked up to him.

"Caravan, citizen, pilgrim, or...?" He let the words hang. Oh right, that's my cue.

"Courier." I said. The man shrugged.

"Just need something for the log book, keeping tabs on traffic through the Outpost... although mostly just in, not out these days." He muttered the last part, thinking I didn't hear it. I choose to ignore it as he continued. "If you're looking for the commanding officer, he's in the back. Although... he's got a lot on his plate, so if you speak with him... keep it short. Also, you need any gear checked, we can get you up and running again... once you fill out the work orders, and sign for the parts, of course." He said.

Well damn, that's good to know. But onto business. "You must be Major Knight." I said. He raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

"That's right... why? What business do you have?" Knight asked me.

I pulled out the note Hayes had given me. "Like I said, I'm a courier. Lieutenant Hayes from Primm told me to give this to you." I said, passing him the note. Knight took it.

He read it over, before sighing. "I figured it was this bad. I'd like to help, really...but we can't spare any more units. We have to maintain a minimum headcount at the Outpost, orders from the West." Knight said the last part bitterly. Ah well, can't win them all. I nodded.

"Fair enough, I was just tasked with delivering the note." I said. Knight reached for something behind the counter.

"Considering you came all this way to inform me, it's best to compensate you. For your services." He said, dropping a bag of caps. "100 caps. It's yours." He said. I pocketed them, tipping my hat to Knight.

"Much obliged Major. Say, do you know where a guy can get a drink?" I asked. Knight smirked, pointing me in the direction of the opposite building. Sweet. I thanked him, taking off. Time for a drink.

A minute later I was about to walk into the bar when I heard a sharp whistle. I looked up, where I saw a woman wearing a cowboy hat standing on top of the building, beckoning me to come up. I thought about just going to the bar, but decided against it, much to the annoyance of my stomach. I walked up the ramp leading to the roof, where the woman was waiting for me.

I could tell right off the bat that she wasn't your average NCR trooper. No, this woman was an honest to god Ranger. She smirked when she saw me. "Hey there. You're that courier, right? The one that walked from Primm?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yep. Is there something you needed?" I asked politely. The Ranger chuckled.

"I have a job, if you're up to it." She said.

"What's the pay?" I asked. Granted, I should be leaving as soon as possible. Only problem was that Suit looked like he was a high roller, so that meant I needed cash for Vegas. In other words, I needed the every job I could find.

"The pay? The pay is a good goddamn thanks from the heart of the Republic!" She said with what was definitely forced enthusiasm. She could tell I knew because the next second the two of us were cracking up. Once we finished she sighed and looked at me.

"Just shitting you with the NCR line, done wonders for morale around here. President Kimball keeps saying getting shot at is its own damn reward." She said, scoffing. "Do this job for me, though, I'll do what I can. People know I hate most everyone, so if I put in a word for you... that's gold." She continued. The word of a Ranger to back me up? Hell, down the line this could be useful.

I raised an eyebrow. "In all honesty? I prefer caps. But I'll here you out. What should I call you?" I asked.

"Ghost. That's my callsign. That's all you need to know about me anyways." She said. I raised my hands in surrender.

"Yeah yeah, don't worry about. I know how rangers operate. I was raised by one." I shot back. Mom was a hell of a taskmaster, but she did show me a bit of what a Ranger could do. Ghost raised an eyebrow.

"No shit? What was their callsign?" She asked. Damn it. I could just wave it off, but unfortunately I had already spoken up.

I sighed. "Wolf." I said simply. Here we go. Ghost was in the middle of taking a sip of water when I said that. She promptly spit it out, not onto me thankfully.

"Wolf?! As in the same Wolf that won Navarro? Shit, looks like I made the right call then." She chuckled. I sighed.

"Look, can you just tell me what you need?" I asked, trying not to snap at her. Ghost blinked behind her sunglasses, noticing my annoyance. She nodded.

"Right... sorry. I think there's trouble in Nipton - no traffic from there on the roads, and while I can explain that away, the smoke from the town I can't." She said. She saw my confusion, passing me some binoculars. "Look that way, due east about 12 miles." She told me.

I did as she instructed...well shit. She's right. Smoke was billowing like crazy. Not a good sign. I looked at her, and she continued.

"I'm sure it's been hit - what I need to know is if they survived it. Might be Powder Gangers with all that smoke in the air. Look, if there's anybody left, they'd be in the Nipton Town Hall. Go there, check it out, let me know what you find." She said. I merely grunted in response, no longer in a mood to talk. I was about to walk away when I heard Ghost call out.

"Wait a minute!" She said. I turned to look at her. She had taken off her hat and sunglasses, looking at me sheepishly. I raised an eyebrow, not bothering to open my mouth. "Look... I'm sorry if I pushed the wrong buttons there. How about I make it up to you?" She asked. I thought about it before grunting again. I guess she took that as a yes. She stuck out her hand.

"How about when you get back, I get you a drink? Sound good?" She asked. Huh... did not expect that. Why not? I'll just go downstairs for a meal, then take off to Nipton. I shook her hand.

"Sure. Sounds good." I finally said. With that I walked down the ramp and into the bar. Before I entered, someone walked past me. I noticed they were clad in leather armor, with the logo of the Crimson Caravan stamped on their shoulder. A broad grin was on their face, as if they just finished a great deal. Shaking my head, I entered the bar. The scent of stale beer and cigarette smoke hit me as I walked in. I saw a rather bored looking bartender manning the place, and a girl in a cowboy hat sitting at the corner of the bar, nursing a bottle of whiskey. I sat a few stools away from the girl in the cowboy hat, ordering a caravan lunch.

For some reason, the girl caught my attention. The hat she was wearing looked weathered, and had obviously been patched up. It had a black band, and I could see her brown hair pulled into a ponytail. She had a shotgun slung across her back, a brown suede leather jacket, a pink and white plaid shirt with black buttons, black gloves, torn jeans and a pair of old cowboy boots. The main thing that stood out was this weird looking pendent on her neck.

I guess I was staring, because she looked up at me, blue piercing eyes glaring at me. "Looking for trouble?" She asked.

I looked away, figured I'd be polite. I focused on the caravan lunch that had just arrived. "Nope... just looking around." I shot back.

She snorted. "Well, keep those eyes up and turning - or I'll set 'em spinning." She warned, taking another downing a drink she had just poured. "Got no time for gawkers... or anyone looking for something I ain't selling."

Damn, where the hell is she keeping all this stuff? Of course I had to speak up. "Surprised you can still see straight, what with you being so far down that bottle." I said, chuckling. In my defense, she was nearly done with the whiskey she had on her, and I spotted about three empty bottles next to her. The girl smirked.

"This? This ain't nothing. I've been trying to drink to forget, but it's only getting me mad instead. Whiskey always gets my temper up - now more than ever." She said the last part somberly. Ah shit. Really shouldn't have opened my mouth.

"What are you trying to forget?" I asked, mentally cursing myself. Why won't I shut up? I had more control than this dammit! Fuck, I think those bullets did more damage than I thought. The girl scoffed.

"Lost my caravan heading north, the driver burned to ash - and they didn't even take the cargo, they just burned that, too." She muttered, taking another drink. Ah... that fucking sucks. The girl looked up at me with a curious expression. "Ya know, you're the first person that actually gave a shit." She told me. Well... thanks... I guess?

My mind went back to what she said. Burned to ash... a fire was possible, but at the same time... it could mean energy weapons.

"That doesn't sound like raiders. It sounds more planned... more thought out." I muttered, munching on my meal. I guess the girl heard me, because she perked up.

"My guess is Legion, they're trying to cut NCR's supply line... and the Mojave Outpost is proof." She said, opening another bottle. Damn. Oh boy, methinks she's going on a rant now. "Got us locked up tighter than a New Vegas virgin. No caravans in, out, and just try arguing with Jackson about it. "Roads aren't safe," he says. No shit, you washed-out old fuckup, I didn't need a Brotherhood Scribe to tell me that!" She growled out.

"Who's Jackson?" I asked. I heard the name around here, but it wasn't ringing any bells.

"NCR officer, trooper, whatever - runs the place. It's like a Brahmin drive gone wrong - supposed to be a gate north, but you come here, you get caught in the pen. Better to head back home. If you don't have a gun and a will, don't matter much what you do when you reach here, except stare at that fucking monument outside." She ranted. Oh boy. I was tempted to try and take the bottle of whiskey away from the increasingly volatile girl, but I like having all my body parts attached thank you very much. Something she said caught my attention however.

"That fucking monument outside?" I asked, slightly grinning. The girl glared at me.

"Don't even tell me you missed it coming in. It's like NCR showing its dick to all the East. If the Republic put as much effort into protecting the East as they put into those two asinine giants outside, then they'd be worth that monument. Statues of two men shaking hands covered in blood don't seem to be nothing to brag about." She muttered, pouring another glass of whiskey. I think I'm starting to like her.

"I saw a lot of stuff on that statue, but not any blood." I shot back. It's amazing what kind of conversations you can get into at a bar, really. The girl scoffed.

"I'm speaking figurative, isn't any blood on their damn hands. Course, when Caesar comes walking through here, there'll be blood for real. And after the blood dries in the sun, he'll melt that piece of Jet-induced sculpture down, and reshape it into a bull. Which by my reckoning is making up for a deficiency of his. But no matter what the state of his pecker, he's sure giving the West a good fucking." She said. Well she ain't wrong.

"Compensating maniacs aside, why are you still here?" I asked. The girl chuckled and shrugged.

"Whiskey and me are old friends, keeps me going when times get rough. Like now. Got me into the caravan business, you know - had to start transporting water instead of liquor, I hadn't switched over, I'd end my trip with nothing but glass bottles rattling on the back of the Brahmin." She down another glass for emphasis. I blinked. In this entire conversation, she's already gone through one and a half bottles. If that isn't tolerance, man I don't know what is. But she avoided the question.

"No, I mean why are you still here at the outpost? You said it before, only the people without a gun and a will stay here. From what I've seen, you've got both." I said, turning fully to face her. She stopped herself short from drinking the whiskey in her hand. She turned to look at me, and I saw the look in her eyes. She was completely and utterly done with the world by the looks of it. She went back to staring at her glass.

"I... I don't know anymore. I already sold my caravan. Some runner from the Crimson Caravan stopped by, with an offer from Alice McLafferty. I told em to fuck off, but... that offer had a lot of zeros. I... needed the money." She whispered the last part out. Then she snarled.

"I traded my name for a fuckin piece of paper. It... doesn't seem right. Bet my dad'll be spinning in his grave if he learned I sold our name." She said. She looked at me again. "So... I guess I don't have anything keeping me here. I... I just don't know what to do." She said.

We just sat there for a bit after that. I finally broke the silence. "You could always visit your caravan... pay your respects." I said. The girl looked at me.

"I could... but it's miles from here. How the hell am I going to get there?" She asked. I thought about it.

"How about you travel with me? It'll be better than being stuck here all day." I told her. I saw she was considering it, she really was. I hope she joined up. I could use the company, mainly due to the fact that if I went anywhere with just ED-E, I'd probably lose what little sanity I had left from just talking to myself. Finally she shrugged.

"Fuck it, why not?" She asked, pouring two glasses and giving me one. "You only live once you know. Cheers." She said, raising her glass.

I raised mine in response. "Cheers." I downed the whiskey. Damn, this was some good stuff. Wait a minute, forgot to introduce myself. I offered my hand.

"Name's Michael Strife" I said. The girl shook it.

"The name's Cass. Rose of Sharon Cassidy." She said. I smirked.

"It's a pleasure Cass." I said. This ought to be fun.

AN: Hello again folks! Apologies for the wait, but to repay you extremely patient people I wrote a chapter with over four thousand words! Not bad if I do say so myself. Hope you guys are enjoying the story. Until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!