Chapter 26: The Siege
The Lone Wanderer glanced at his Pip-boy taking in the time. It would be another hour before the sun would grace the Mojave with its presence. As the trio made their way towards Freeside's East gate the sounds of a gunfight started to grow louder.
"Sounds like trouble up ahead." Amata pointed out.
"Well it sure as hell isn't a good time." The Courier retorted as he was about to round a corner. A bullet impacted the wall next to him causing him to instinctively duck back. He looked over at Amata and the Lone Wanderer.
"I hope you know how to use that thing." The Courier warned eyeing Amata's newly acquired Laser rifle.
"Of course I know how, the better question is who's shooting at us?" she asked slightly irked.
"It's the Legion, and it was more of a stray shot then actual aim. But that's beside the point." He answered.
"I thought you said we had time before the siege set in." The Lone Wanderer pointed out.
"And we do, right now the NCR is engaged with a scouting group, though it's a bit bigger than normal." He mused to himself.
"What is a scouting group doing engaging the NCR?" The Lone Wanderer asked.
"Making sure we don't leave." The Courier answered irritated.
Amata glanced around the corner and her heart nearly sank as thirty or more Legion soldiers engaged a small 5-man NCR squad who had taking up cover behind a broken wall. It was clearly obvious the battle was one-sided.
"How the hell are we're supposed to get past that!" she fumed turning to the Courier.
"Well through the quickest of means." He said readying his Ranger Sequoia and with that he charged out from their cover.
"He's insane!" Amata exclaimed as she watched him gunned down four Legionnaires before diving into cover near the NCR soldiers.
"Everyone in this wasteland is to some degree." The Lone Wanderer said as he followed the Courier's lead. He popped from the corner firing on the Legion soldiers catching them off guard. Five more fell as he took up a position across from the Courier thus forcing the Legion to split their suppression fire.
'I wonder if that includes me?' she wondered. She quickly shook the notion from her head as she aimed around the corner she picked her target and pulled the trigger… but nothing happened.
'Oh come on!' She mentally bemoaned as she quickly ducked back looking over her Laser rifle. She checked the Microfusion cell holding chamber and tested the trigger again, still nothing.
"You gave me a broken Laser rifle!" she yelled at the Lone Wanderer.
The Lone Wanderer's cover took a few hits before he returned fire. "It's not broken, I checked it myself." He yelled back over the gunfire.
"Well it's not working NOW!" she snapped at him.
"Did you check the MF holding chamber?" The Lone Wanderer asked as he dropped two more Legion recruits.
"Of course I did!" she answered a bit on edge.
"How about the energy capacitor regulator?" he asked as more gunfire hit his cover.
"The WHAT!?" She yelled over the gunfire.
"The damn safety!" the Courier yelled. As he shot two legionnaires trying to brake from cover.
"Where's that?" she asked, quickly giving the rifle a look over.
"It's the tiny switch near the back of the rifle." The Lone Wanderer answered as he reloaded his rifle.
Amata quickly located the switch and noticed it was in the 'Off' position, she flicked it into the 'On' position and pulled the trigger. A flash of red impacted the ground next to her startling her.
"I got it." She informed him.
"If I remember correctly you said you knew how to use one of those." The Courier taunted as he flicked open his sequoia's wheel and emptied the chambers before loading new rounds.
"Shut up! It's been a while!" she angrily retorted as she aimed and squeezed off several rounds gunning down 6 would be flankers.
"As nice as it is hearing you three banter do you think you can focus on the fight?" a familiar voice asked the Courier, he looked at one of the NCR soldier's face and noticed it was Major Kieran.
"Well isn't this a coincidence." The Courier mused.
"As much as I hate to admit it, it a fortunate one." She muttered.
"Care to tell me what the hell happened?" the Courier asked as he fired from his cover. He could hear one of the Legion's recruits scream in pain as a result telling him he hit something vital.
'Music to my ears.' He thought.
"Shortly after our talk I sent soldiers out the South gate to warn the Crimson Caravan of the Legion threat and to try to convince the Gun runners it's in their best interest to move into Freeside. It went well, for a while. Both the Crimson Caravan and the Gun runners were on their way to the South gate when the Legion sprang their trap, there was too many of them so we had to shut the gates before anyone could get in." she informed the Courier.
"So why are there Legion at the East gate?" he asked checking to see if he had anymore cigarettes.
"East gate is their fallback point if they weren't able to make it to the South gate in time. Looks like the Legion sent some to this gate too as a precaution." She answered handing him a cigarette to which he quickly accepted and lit it.
"Well we need to get through these gates and I'm in a bit of a hurry." He told her as he exhaled a bit of smoke.
"Oh sure let me just asked them to let you pass." She sarcastically offered.
Amata noticed one of the Legionnaires was wearing a large feathered helmet holding what looked like a large mechanical lance. He was quickly directing the fighters to focus on the Courier's position.
'Heavily armored + Big extravagant helmet = In charge' Amata reasoned as she went into V.A.T.S taking aim. She made him her sole target and fired three rounds. As the rounds travel through the air she written him off as another tally on her kill count but to her surprise he pulled a lowly recruit in front of him to use as a shield. The third round had incinerated the unlucky recruit in the Legionnaire's hands but before the recruit's spear could fall to the ground the legionnaire grabbed it and launched it at Amata. She barely duck back behind the wall in time as the spear impaled the ground where she once was. She had barely let out a sigh of relief when the Courier yelled for her to get down. Amata ducked just as part the wall she was hiding behind exploded into outward. When the dust cleared she look wide eyed at the mechanical lance that was next to her.
"You alright?" the Lone Wanderer asked returning fire sending the Legionnaire into cover.
"Y-Yeah, I'm alright." She answered a bit shaken.
"Ah hell, looks like we have a Centurion on our hands." The Courier sighed.
"Explains why they're so organized." Kieran muttered.
The group had managed to whittle down the Legions numbers enough to make their move.
"Move In!" Kieran ordered.
The 5-man squad broke cover and began moving in on the Legion's position, it was then the Lone Wanderer spotted the lit Molotov in the Centurion's hands. Clearly knowing his intentions he tried to warn them but the Molotov was well on its way. Time slowed to a crawl as he entered V.A.T.S the Pip-Boy informed him he had a 20% chance of hitting the target and with only three shots the odds weren't in his favor.
'I have to try anyway.' He thought as he confirmed his target. The first shot clearly went wild as did the second one. The third shot skimmed the side of the bottle but ultimately missed. Thinking that he failed them the Molotov suddenly exploded in midair in a fiery blazed. The Lone Wanderer knew he wasn't the one who fired that shot which only left the Courier. He turned to look over at the Courier who had broken from cover to get a clearer shot.
"Don't you know how to shoot?" he asked nonchalantly but it was short lived as the Lone Wanderer saw a bullet hit the Courier in the shoulder knocking him to the ground, he quickly pull the Courier behind his cover and gave him a look over.
"You really are insane." He told him.
"63rd person to say that, Amata's the 62nd." He grimaced, as he looked at his shoulder, his armor had stopped the penetration but it was going to leave a mark.
"Is he alright?" Amata asked.
"I'll live." The Courier answered.
"Damn." She retorted.
Kieran's squad moved into position keeping the remaining legionnaires behind cover.
"We're almost there." She told them, it was then she noticed the gates starting to open.
"I really hope that our men." One of the NCR soldiers said.
"We all do." Kieran agreed as they waited to see who would come through, surprisingly it was a two headed Brahmin carrying supplies on its back along with a couple of guards and traders from the Crimson Caravan. There was a pause in slight disbelief between the groups as no one was expecting their sudden appearance.
"Kill the profligates and take the Caravan." The Centurion quickly ordered.
"Cover that Caravan!" Kieran quickly ordered her men to counter.
Not wanting to die at the hands of Legionnaires the Crimson Caravan guards opened fired immediately.
"Great, now I have to check my aim." The Courier mumbled as he readied his sequoia. He popped out from his cover and fired taking down three more men leaving the Centurion and seven other's left.
"Order your men to stand down, there's nowhere to go." Kieran demanded.
"As if I would listen to a profligate worm! A woman no less!" the Centurion spat.
"Courier, kindly do me a favor and kill that bastard!" Kieran yelled outraged.
"In due time, in due time." The Courier retorted.
Seeing as the situation was a lost caused the Centurion gave the order to charge the gates.
Amata could see legionnaires being gunned down as they made a mad charge for the gates and the Caravan that blocked their way. Of the remaining seven only one legionnaire manage to make it past and out the gates the Centurion however wasn't as fortunate and was lying in a pull of his own blood but still breathing.
"Why would he even give that order?" Amata asked Kieran as they regrouped.
"Most likely to informed the Legate of what has happened." Kieran answered solemnly.
The Courier walked over to where the Centurion laid and kneelt down.
"Well hey there bullet sponge, couldn't help but notice you're kind of dying. Sucks doesn't it?" the Courier gloated.
"The Legate… will have your head." The Centurion coughed out.
"Yeah I doubt it, but hey since you're going to hell before him, how about you tell Caesar I said hi." The Courier remarked. The Centurion mouthed something in audible.
"I'm sorry couldn't quite hear that with all that blood filling your lungs. Care to repeat that?" the Courier asked leaning a little closer. The Centurion smiled before spitting blood onto the Courier's face.
"Glory… to…. the Legion." He hissed as the rest of his life left him. The Courier stood up and wiped the blood from his cheek before emptying his Sequoia into the dead Centurion's face completely decimating it.
"I know it's a waste, but I really hope he felt that." He muttered to himself.
"Well that was… excessive, nevertheless thanks for the assist." Major Kieran said as her men went to check on the Caravan.
"We were just passing through, speaking of which we should get a move on. The suns going to be coming up soon and the last thing we need are pursuers so the sooner we leave the better." The Courier said stifling a yawn.
"Well good luck and God speed." Kieran told them as the trio set out.
As the sun began to rise once again blessing the Mojave wasteland with its sunlight the three had managed to put a considerable amount of distance between themselves and the town of Freeside. Amata always appreciated the sunrise, it meant that today was a new day and with it hope for a better tomorrow. She wondered how Cass and Veronica were doing and hoped to see them again soon.
"Don't worry about them, I'm sure there fine." The Lone Wanderer said trying to ease her mind.
"I give them three… four days tops." The Courier noted to Amata's chagrin.
"You know it wouldn't kill you to be just a bit optimistic." She scorned.
"It wouldn't but it's kind of hard to be when you see what's behind you." He retorted as he turned and pointed back towards Freeside.
Amata and the Lone Wanderer turned to see the grim sight the Courier saw. As the sun began to cast its rays of light revealing that which had lurked in the shadows of night the Legion Army had managed to surround the city of New Vegas like a swarm of bugs on a carcass, their numbers impossible to count. The smoke from the bombing still hung in the air from the day before casting a gray over cast over Freeside.
The siege had begun.
The sight made Amata's heart sink but it made their mission all the more important. She turned away holding back the tears in her eyes.
"I'll come back for them." She promised herself.
"We will." The Lone Wanderer agreed.
"Then let's get a move on." The Courier said leading the way.
AN: Thanks for reading and for all the support!