CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE DAM BOILS OVER. BY DESERT RANGER CARACAL.
LOCATION: THE LUCKY 38'S PENTHOUSE.
DATE: APRIL 9TH 2282.
TIME: 7:13 AM.
TEMPERATURE: 72°F OR 22°C.
After getting back to the vault and getting some sleep, Joseph and Six woke early. They had breakfast with the other members of the militia in a bit of a hurry, and then they were off to the Lucky 38. Freeside proved to be safer and cleaner thanks to the empowering of the Followers, who were still working their asses off to make things better.
Hell, Joseph and Six got interrupted by some Kings on their way to the Lucky 38 with gifts from The King himself. Nothing all that big though, Joseph got a stimpack and a potato, whereas Six got a few bottlecaps and a fresh ear of maize. After putting their gifts away and getting into the Strip, they went right into the Lucky 38. Up the elevator they went and straight into the penthouse. Back the same steps they went, to the same smiling face of Yes Man as they stood in the same spot as before.
"Thanks to you restarting the Lucky 38's reactor, Vegas is alive and nearly frantic with things to do. Speaking as such, there are reports coming from Hoover Dam about Legion forces beginning to amass at Fortification Hill for an assault! I'd suggest getting troopers there right away, but I doubt Joseph doesn't have a plan for what's coming."
Six turned her head to the towering caracal, who soon nodded and laid out his own plan.
"Let's not rush at the dam without any prep. Here's my plan, I'll begin by putting my troops through at least a week's worth of drills and overall preparations for the oncoming battle at Hoover Dam, so when it begins they can really shine. Then we'll head over to Hoover Dam, and push the Legion out of the Mojave once and for all when it's time."
"Ooooh! I like that! You have a plan and I bet it's a good one too! Well don't let me waste your time, I'll just continue to monitor the situation and let you know what's happening on at least a daily basis."
The ranger nodded slowly, stretching his legs as he questioned the console.
"Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?"
"Nope, the connection to Vault Three is intact so if anything urgent pops up you'll be on top of it. Go on, rally your troops and prepare them for this final battle with Caesar's Legion!"
The ranger nodded, turning around as he began to leave with Six following close. She began to think about how this could have been a conference call at the vault, but brushed it aside for later. After returning to Vault Three, Joseph consulted his fellow rangers and got a set of drills and things that had to be ready before they left for Hoover Dam.
The scouts weren't exempt either, as they were sent off to keep watch over the Legion's activities as close as possible. The last scout was heading off by the time the first drills were being put to work, with twenty warriors getting their abilities put to the test by Joseph and Russel. Inside the vault was a mad dash to get weapons, armor, food and the like ready for what was coming.
Zechariah was drowning in half broken guns that needed to be ready for the battle to come, and it was making him consider smoking for once. Isaac and Rodriguez were getting ration orders ready to deliver to Westside, Red Rock Canyon, and other nearby parts of the Mojave. Ruth and Rachel were busy drilling in rapid target acquisition into their snipers and wasting no time in intensifying things for them.
Deborah was swamped with information the moment the scouts came onto the scene, as it became clear that the Legion weren't wasting any time in preparations. What was worse was that the beast of the east, Legate Lanius arrived onto the scene about six days after preparations began. Still, a failed slave revolt slowed things down on the Legion's side, giving the FMF and NCR more time to get ready. One week turned into thirteen days, which was when everything was finally ready.
Every weapon was in order, from handguns to light artillery. Every piece of armor was in good enough shape at least and clean enough. All the food and water was ready and prepared. They had plenty of medicine from the newly reformed Khans, and the Followers helped by setting aside volunteers to be medics when push came to shove.
Lastly, the warriors were all drilled to near perfection due to the breakneck vicious pace that they'd been put through. Joseph, Ruth, Rachel, Isaac, Six and about one hundred eighty warriors made their advance to the dam, having made their arrival clear to the NCR. They, along with a few Securitrons right from Yes Man and the Followers medics set up camp near the dam, in an empty spot that the NCR authorized.
Funnily enough for the caracal, they arrived on the first night of Pesach. An impromptu Seder was held by the Jewish members who had come, and it was one of the last things they'd do before they woke up next to a powder keg with a lit, short fuse. The Hoover Dam was about to experience its second battle on the anniversary of the first.
LOCATION: HOOVER DAM.
DATE: APRIL 25TH 2282.
TIME: 7:08 AM.
TEMPERATURE: 75°F OR 24°C.
The base camp woke up at five in the morning and had a quick breakfast. The meal was simple, a hearty brahmin stew with vegetables plus hardtack and potatoes to thicken the broth. After breakfast the snipers went off to take the best positions they could under the cover of darkness, as the regular warriors began to group up accordingly. About ten groups of eighteen readied themselves in their own manner, some choosing to get close to the road so they could rush in and get to fighting.
The silence they experienced for a little over an hour and a half was painful, as it throbbed in every single mind that had come here. As the sun rose, every one of them became acutely aware of how this might be a day filled with nothing but waiting for something that wasn't coming. Joseph, Six, a pair of securitrons, two medics and thirteen warriors were as close to the entrance of Hoover Dam as possible, and as time came on the wait only got more agonizing.
The warriors began to lose their initial edge and intent to fight, and began to talk among each other. One group on the road began settling down for a game of caravan, when all of a sudden a burst of gunfire could be heard off in the distance. Everyone got up, or had their attention piqued at it, and got their guns ready.
Six tuned the radio to a new signal, the NCR Emergency radio. At first it was silent, but as the snipers on the towers began firing it lit up. In response, Joseph unslung his City Killer and turned behind him with a bloodthirsty grin.
"ARE YOU READY TO KICK THE LEGION OUT OF THE MOJAVE?!"
A frenzied battery of excited yelling came out, as Joseph and his men began to charge into Hoover Dam. Just as they began to enter the Dam proper, the massive pre-war artilery piece blew to smithereens. Chunks of hot metal, concrete and shrapnel flew everywhere as those in the front got hit first. Joseph was lucky as he got two chunks of concrete and a bit of shrapnel to hit his armor, making him grunt in pain.
Two warriors in the front got some shrapnel to the face which caused them to stumble, and one warrior got a solid piece of concrete right in the face, causing him to fall down on the spot as he howled in pain. While a medic pulled him to the side, the charge continued onward as the first Legionaries came into sight. Veterans wearing the usual crimson bearing actual firearms were on the scene, with Centurions bearing similar weaponry who didn't waste time.
Taking cover behind hastily set up concrete barriers, they began firing at the warriors right away. The FMF soldiers split right away, darting in squads to prevent a massacre on the spot, with the exception of Joseph, Six and the two securitrons. Joseph dove in fast, getting behind a nearby concrete barrier, readying himself to attack when the Securitrons began to lay down grenade fire.
Concrete blew into chunks, as Legionaries exploded into a bloody mess. Two Legionaries were smart enough to duck behind cover, the first one to put his head up realized his mistake as the last thing he saw was the muzzle end of the City Killer, and Joseph's scowl. After his head was converted into gore, the ranger got from behind cover and continued leading the charge.
Behind the last of the concrete barriers put up was the Centurion, clutching onto his Marksman Carbine for dear life while choking in breaths. The ranger's boot stomped onto his face and ended his life quickly, crushing his skull and brain in an instant. Moving onward, the securitrons weaved around the concrete while Six hopped the barriers, following the ranger as they lead the charge.
Two FMF squads got behind the chipped and broken concrete and began to lay down their own fire as support for the assault. The others followed behind the ranger, courier and Securitron killsquad while they laid waste to all the Legionaries who tried to make the dam theirs. Veterans they may have been, but they were not prepared for the onslaught that the FMF was capable of providing.
Grenades and gatling lasers from the securitrons, buckshot from Joseph, 5MM jacketed soft points from Six and 5MM FMJ and 5.56 FMJ from the warriors behind them. They produced what very well could be considered a train of death, as they moved across the dam effectively and without much effort.
Still, the medics within proved to be valuable when Legionaries made hits on FMF warriors, who were given immediate medical attention by FMF and Followers medics, typically being carried off as a result. When they were about fifty or so meters away from an NCR structure on the dam, the Securitrons sped up ahead and blocked their way.
"PLEASE STAY STILL, YOUR LIVES ARE IN DANGER IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY."
Shouts of confusion and anger began roaring out, until they began to quiet down as a new sight and sound came on the scene. The Boomers were here with their bomber, and it was clear they'd put a lot of work into getting it running again. The old B-49 had even gotten fresh coat of brand new paint. As Legionaries began to run out of the building, their lives were cut short by the Boomers letting out a few bombs onto the building and completely wrecking it.
The Legionaries outside were hit with the worst of it, though FMF warriors did get hit by a bit of shrapnel. As the smoke began clearing, the securitrons stopped their barricade and moved over to the nearby tower.
"JOSEPH, SIX, COME WITH US."
The caracal nodded, reloading his shotgun as he laid out an order.
"ALRIGHT! I need four volunteers with LMG's and the desire to go into Hoover Dam proper. Step forward if you want in."
Before he was done speaking, five warriors stepped forward, all of them holding 5.56 LMG's and each bearing a grin that inspired confidence in the ranger.
"Alright, fine. You five will go in after me, Six and these securitrons. Everyone else, half of you are gonna hold this territory and the other half will be going across the rubble when we get out of the dam. Understood?"
Shouts of understanding and the desire to keep fighting rose up, as Six pressed the elevator button. Before too long, the ranger, courier and securitrons were heading into the dam in the slightly cramped elevator. The ride down, while short, still wasn't too pleasant with the metal claws and frames of two Securitrons jamming against their bodies. When the doors opened Joseph and Six exited fast, taking a few breaths of relief before looking around.
The formerly bland walls were now covered in blood and bullet holes, as corpses lay nearby to make it clear just how bad things were on the inside. As Joseph sent the elevator back up, Six didn't waste time as she looked right at her pip-boy's map and began to look it over. When she was done, she began to lead the way, the ranger and securitrons keeping close.
The walk to the dam's control room didn't take long, amazingly enough as it became clear just where it was. Two NCR heavy troopers wearing NCR issue T-45 power armor stood by the doorway, and at least ten Legion corpses lay at the door, bearing machetes and other such simple weaponry. As Six ran to the doorway, they turned right at Six without hesitation.
"HALT! Nobody's allowed in here without authorization."
"Colonel Moore's got a Centurion trying to barge into her office and she needs immediate help!"
She lied boldly, to which the troopers shook their heads in some confusion before just running away from their guard post to help Cassandra. Six didn't waste time as she and Joseph ran into the control room. She quickly stopped at the console, opening up one of her pockets and taking out another override chip. Placing it into the console, she looked at one of the screens and watched it work. Yes Man's smiling face once again appeared as he looked back at the Ranger and Courier.
"Hi there! It's good to see you two again! So, I can do one of two things here under your command. We could let out the full might of the Securitron army you activated during your assault on Fortification Hill, or, we could destroy Hoover Dam's generators and leave it as a pile of rubble. It's your choice, really!"
Joseph slowly blinked at the second option, his ears flopping about gently in confusion.
"Now what advantage would destroying Hoover Dam offer? We're trying to empower the Mojave, not ruin it further."
"Well there's one upside, it would mean the NCR would have zero reason to be here. I mean, if you want to lose a clear chance of advancing the Mojave into a better society and don't mind the loss of electricity, a clear sign of pride and more. It's your choice, go on and make it!"
Joseph didn't get to say anything else before Six made her call.
"We should activate the securitron army, we need them as soon as possible."
Joseph nodded quickly as Yes Man began hooting and hollering in excitement and agreement.
"Great choice! It looks like you two are gonna make things easier for all of us! Now then, you'll have to go to the southeast generator room and activate the generators. After that, I'll take it from there and you two can tackle Lanius without worry."
Nodding in response, Six turned to the door and began to head to the switch. Joseph followed behind, and as the two left the control room so did the Securitrons. As the courier turned to her left and began walking to the generator room, it became clear that the four of them were in for a hectic time.
A pair of legionaries ran out all of a sudden from a doorway and got hit by a grenade from one of the securitrons, killing both of them but accidentally splattering the others in shrapnel and spall. Joseph turned around to the securitrons and barked an order.
"No explosives indoors, got it?"
"AFFIRMATIVE."
With the ranger's order, the two bots switched to their secondaries, the 9MM and the gatling laser. As the four rushed through the halls of the Dam, the din of war grew with every footstep. Fallen bodies of both the NCR and Caesar's Legion littered the path, with Legionary stragglers proving to be easy prey for the securitrons. In the final pathway, Six turned to her right and saw the door she was looking for, and Joseph turned left to see if anyone was there.
A patch of Legionary veterans covered in blood wielding machetes were there, panting gently from a bit of exhaustion gained from butchering from NCR recruits who tried to flee. As Joseph shouldered his shotgun, the Legionaries began to scream out for blood before being quieted by several bursts of LMG fire. As their bodies fell it became clear just who had slain them, none other than the FMF warriors who had been sent down.
Joseph unshouldered the shotgun and gave them a thumbs up, which was returned in kind by the warriors who quickly left. After the last of the FMF warriors was out of sight, Joseph turned to Six and nodded. She opened the door and rushed right in, as the ranger and securitrons followed close behind. In the commotion she nearly lost sight of the switch, and cursed her eyesight before going to the switch and pulling it. An alarm rang out as the generators began to spin up, steadily gaining speed as they began pumping out juice.
Yes Man was no doubt sending a jolt or three to Fortification Hill to bolster the Securitron Army already present. It wasn't long before the four of them got to a nearby elevator and clambered right in, heading right up to the battle on the surface.
As Joseph and Six rushed out, they saw FMF warriors clamber over the smoldering rubble, cheering in excitement over Joseph's successful return. The celebration was short lived, as one of the warriors howled in agony as a .50 BMG round hit his side. As the wolf fell onto the still smoldering remains, he flipped off the man who shot him and groaned out in suffering.
Legionaries began to pour out of the Intake towers nearby, lead by Centurions wearing heavy armor and wielding Anti-Material Rifles. Joseph was fast to help his fellow warriors by switching the City Killer to full auto, and beginning to lay down some suppressive fire. He managed to hit the scope of the Centurion's rifle, rendering it useless. Six helped out too, managing to kill two Legionaries in the process. As the Legionaries ducked behind cover, the securitrons decided to stop playing and launched some grenades into the hiding warriors.
By chance only a pair of Legionaries were killed in the process due to duds, but it did a hell of a job at flushing the rest out. They soon ended up riddled to the brim with bullets as the FMF warriors retaliated for their fallen comrades. The Centurion got the worst of it, as his body became near unrecognizable due to getting a missile square in the stomach.
As the messiness began to settle down, Joseph realized he had one magazine left, and slapped it into his shotgun with haste. Setting it to semi-auto, the ranger continued to lead the charge. This time, to the camp of Legate Lanius himself. As warriors began to take and hold positions, some of them could notice what looked to be a sudden lightshow with fireworks coming right from Fortification Hill.
It caught Joseph and Six's attention for a bit, before they returned to the matter at hand. All that it meant was that their Securitron Army had now gotten new recruits and they were getting a test of their abilities. Turning back to the Legate's camp, Joseph hissed out of impulse as he was once again reminded of the atrocities the Legate held to his name.
Restraining himself, he continued to follow the path to the last of the Legion's main positions on the dam. As he lead the path, a pair of securitrons came out of the Colorado river, dented and stained with Legion blood from their emergence from the fort. They rolled up beside the ranger, getting beside the other two securitrons while his eyes stared at the nearby gate.
Two Centurions stood by it before leaving their posts to run right at Joseph with nearly frothing mouths and rage filled eyes. He took down the first one with three shots, the other one proved to be more difficult. He took three rounds easily, then six, before dropping dead three meters away from Joseph after taking nine total rounds of buckshot. Quietly cursing his luck, Joseph slung his shotgun and unholstered his blackhawk. He walked right up to the gate, turning to the securitrons as he gave an order.
"Two of you are gonna stay by the gate and keep the Legion inside, the other two are gonna rejoin the battle and keep the Legion off of the dam. Understood?"
"Affirmative."
The securitrons said in perfect unison, with two of them rolling to the gate right away, as the other two rolled off to rejoin the other securitrons. Steeling himself for what was about to come, the ranger walked to the towering gate and put his boot on one half of it. Six did the same on the other, and together they broke it wide open. Joseph barely held his balance afterwards, nearly teetering over onto his side while Six had to stomp into the ground to not fall down on her ass.
Pushing the moderately embarrassing moment aside, Joseph and Six ran into the Legate's camp as Praetorian Guards began to rush at them. Joseph fanned all six rounds into several guards, taking down all but one. The ranger dodged ballistic fist punches consistently while reloading hastily, trying to keep his cool while staring the well seasoned legionary in the eyes. Six rapidly and frantically dumped magazine after magazine into the guards, who were thankfully dying quickly in the process.
Their perils came to an end as Joseph finally fully reloaded his blackhawk, but didn't fire any more rounds. Rather, he holstered it quickly before dodging yet another punch, grabbing the guard by the arm and throwing him to the ground. He lifted up his leg quickly before stomping into the Legionary's head viciously, cracking his skull open with a sickening crunch. Another stomp was enough to reduce the praetorian guard into a twitching, dying mess without any problems.
As Joseph turned to Six though, he suddenly lost his breath as a praetorian guard hit him square in the stomach. The ranger's body flooded with agony as he realized he'd gotten a few ribs cracked, and the ceramic plates in his armor were completely shattered. Yowling in hatred and agony, Joseph unsheathed his knife and slashed the guard's neck, nearly decapitating him in one strike and sending him tumbling down like the others.
His wheezes gurgled in a vile manner as the ranger slowly dropped his combat knife, reaching into his backpack to pull out a stimpak. As the caracal took in sharp, pained breaths, he softly chuckled at Six as he got to work. Pulling up the armor slowly, the ranger exposed some of his belly and took no time in plunging the stimpak in. Hissing in pain, he felt the stimpak inject every bit of its contents.
Yanking it back out and throwing it onto the ground, Joseph felt his torso numb while the stimpak's contents repaired his battered body. The cracked ribs and strained muscles took merely a few minutes to repair before Joseph unholstered his blackhawk and gave Six a nod.
"I'm alright, let's confront Lanus."
Six, who had been keeping watch over Joseph while he healed up nodded gently.
"Don't strain yourself, you're already risking it by continuing the fight this early."
The two didn't have to look for long before they saw where Lanius could be, the crimson tent on the peak of the camp was the one place that could hide the giant. As they walked to, and up the hill, their minds raced with ideas of what he would look and act like. A super mutant perhaps? Not likely considering the Legion's position on mutants in general. A reprogrammed military bot dedicated to Caesar's will? Even less likely, it wasn't likely that the Legion had anyone that smart. A squad or so of troopers who all acted as one?
Whatever they thought of didn't compare to the real deal, which became apparent when they saw him. Towering on the path ahead of them was the Legate, and it was clear the legends had meat to them. At least Joseph's height, if not more, dressed in shining gold armor with crimson tassels and cloth. His shoulder plates had horns in the same shining gold. On his back was a bumper sword, more commonly used by super mutants with strength aplenty rather than human men.
His helmet was the crowning piece of terror, with a crimson plume and steel blade on top. The sides of his helmet had curved horns, the left one being half broken from some battle in years past. The face on it was a stiff, unyielding poker face with a full beard made out of steel with steel plumes on the side to enhance it. By his side were a pair of praetorian guards, wielding spiked ballistic fists who looked even more desperate for combat. Before either of them could address the legend, the legate spoke.
"This is the Mojave's best? I would laugh at the idea of a slave-beast and a bitch being the victors, but you two seem stronger than that."
The legate's voice was deep and surprisingly relaxed for a feared opponent, as if the pair were mere nuisances that could be brushed aside whenever he pleased. Still in pain, Joseph turned to Six and whispered.
"Hey, how about you use that silver tongue to keep him from turning us into shit on a shingle?"
Six sharply nodded before turning to the legate, clearing her throat before speaking.
"Leave the Mojave. Caesar is dead, the Dam is falling under the militia's control and in general the Legion has no chance to win. Leave while you have a chance to lead with a scrap of dignity."
"Caesar's will and vision still leads the Legion. The west will understand the east's might and crumble when we conquer their lands, I will see to it."
Holding her stare, Six began to reformulate her plan to make the Legate reconsider his plans and before long, she had what she needed.
"Conquer how? The Legion's spent years attempting to seize Hoover Dam alone."
"That was with a mere fraction of the Legion's power, not the full power of the East. The NCR has only faced legates such as Graham... and he deserved the flame Caesar anointed him with. Now I stand here, ready to mark where the Legion has marched with the bodies of your people while the Legion advances to the west."
Six's face stiffened into a picture perfect poker face as she began to push her trump card into the ring.
"But what happens to the east?"
"Don't talk in empty circles bitch, what do you even mean by the east? I am the east, it will be known on this day."
"Yes, but if you have to use the whole might of the east to crush the west..."
"The legion's victory will be within the hour. Our forces will seize the dam, secure it, and begin to build the path to the west on the broken bodies of the NCR and all else who oppose us. The east will stand without failure, once across the Colorado nothing like the dam remains."
"It isn't the west's strength that will be your downfall, but their greatest weakness."
The legate's metal mask hid his face, and yet his need to stifle a laugh at what Six said was still apparent. He recovered quickly though, and stared right down at her as he retorted.
"Your weakness? Is this your mighty plan, to try and tell me you're too weak to conquer?"
"The NCR's biggest problem is its sheer size. To take and hold the entire west you need the full might of the Legion, nothing less."
"You think that means we wouldn't succeed?"
"You would, but you would also be opening up the east to being conquered by enemy forces. You cannot hold the west without abandoning the east."
Six's last point caused the legate to pause, remaining silent for what felt like an hour before speaking again.
"Conquering the east was long and hard for us. Caesar however took too many warriors we needed there for this... slab of concrete. Hoover Dam is a place, and I will not have it be the Legion's gravestone. Whether it crushes my warriors, or it starves them."
Six couldn't help but relax as the realization of what was said rushed over her, Joseph felt the same, though he held his tongue for now. After taking in a deep breath, Six spoke again.
"Wisdom is the path to victory, Legate."
"You are not wrong, for there is wisdom in your words, woman of the west, though know this. I will return east, but I will not be there forever. When I return, the strength of the bear, and perhaps the strength of the Mojave itself will be tested. If the west is filled with warriors worthy and wise like you, then it will be a grand day for the Legion, regardless of who wins."
"Perhaps you will think differently in time if war matters so much to you."
Six's snappy retort got a little snort out of the Legate, who began to turn to the path he'd come from.
"Hnh. The Legion carving its way through the west would have saved you, set your people free in ways they are blind to. War would have thrown them under the hammer, broken the weak with its might, forged the strong into warriors and let them take control. Violence gifted you that same strength, woke up your true self. Your face bears it, the marks of two bullets that would have killed a lesser being. It's most fortunate Vulpes wasn't here to hear your words, something tells me you would have been much stronger than he ever was."
The legate turned his head to Six and Joseph, looking both of them in the eyes before giving them his final words.
"Until the day our armies meet again, courier and beast. I will meet you on the battlefield, and I will not hold back."
"If that happens, you'll know what it feels like to be thrown off of the Hoover Dam."
Joseph quickly stated. The Legate scowled at the ranger, before running off with his guards following suite. It took the two a few minutes to relax, as Joseph turned to Six and spoke only after he'd calmed down enough.
"Hot fucking damn! You actually got him to run off with mere words! I'm impressed, if you were a man I'd call you the finest speaking mensch I've ever met!"
"Thanks, but what about the NCR?"
"I'll handle them. I've been wanting to tell the NCR to leave for a long time, now's the chance. If you need to interject, go ahead and help me out."
Joseph began making his way to the entrance not long afterwards, with Six following close behind as the ranger's eyes darted around for signs of danger. A few meters away from the gate, a sudden explosion rang out as the gate blew wide open. Joseph and Six both quickly drew their weapons as they stared right at whoever was coming in.
Quickly though, Joseph holstered his Blackhawk and Six slung her rifle just before four NCR rangers rushed in, followed up by General Lee Oliver himself walking up to them. Dressed in a full Khakhi uniform with an olive green tie, brown boots, a brown belt and a general's cap, he looked surprisingly relaxed. As Oliver forced a smile onto his face, he stopped about a meter away from the pair. He brushed off his uniform with his right hand as he began to speak.
"Caesar on the cross, it's been far too long since I've seen the kind of work you two helped lay out. And the shrieking of the Legion as they dart back to their homes in the east... that's better than any music I know of. Speaking of, what the fuck happened at the fort? I saw a complete shitshow of lights over there and I ain't got a clue over what happened. Whatever the hell happened, I bet it was amazing. About two or three hundred of you all over the east would give those red fucks the what for."
The ranger and courier stood still, before the courier began to speak.
"Thank you, but we couldn't have done it alone. Not without our militia, or our robotic friends. Speaking of which, I think you should meet them."
General Oliver turned around, his eyes suddenly turning wide as he realized what she meant.
"They're with.. with you right? Well... hello there uh.. smiley."
Six securitrons rolled right in, soldier faces on their screens, lead by a securitron with Yes Man's face right on it. Enhancing this were eight FMF warriors wielding their AK-112's, blood splattered and snarling at least a little. Human or mutant, it didn't matter, they were here to make sure what happened next went in their favor. Oliver turned back to the pair, his relaxed look having changed to a massive loss of confidence.
"Guess there's no real question in how you stomped the Legion into pulp."
As he began reaching into his coat, the FMF warriors began to snarl a bit, fingers itching to move into the trigger guards. Oliver turned back around to see this, looking right at Joseph.
"Could you ask them to put their rifles away? I just wanna give both of you a cigar."
Joseph shook his head gently, before beginning to speak.
"Six and I don't smoke, and even if we did, this isn't your day. General, the dam belongs to the Free Mojave Forces, and so does the rest of the Mojave Wasteland. The New California Republic has long overstayed its welcome, leave."
"I would rather spit on my dead mother's grave than let some mangy furry bastard from a fuckoff Mojave town talk to me like that. Who do you think you are? Do you want to cash your chips for NCR bullets? I'll oblige easily."
The general spat out in the ranger's face, to which he received a stiff poker face from the massive feline.
"Is that a wise thing to put on the table?"
"Look, I don't care what you think. What you're saying isn't pissing me off, it's pissing off the bear. I bet you've been far enough west to know just how far the bear's claws stretch. You wanna know what happens when you piss off the bear?"
"Bold words from a man leading an army that can barely hold the Mojave as is."
The General's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he heard the ranger's reply, keeping himself together while his mind was fuming with rage.
"If you so much as speak again, I will turn you into a fur coat for my expeditions into the frigid remains of Canada. You wanna risk it you overgrown pussycat?"
"Then how come all you've done is talk big? If you think you can win, go ahead, the Free Mojave Forces will retaliate accordingly."
Six suddenly shouted, providing a bold and shameless bluff that caught the general off guard. He sighed gently as he looked down at Six.
"Yes... I was expecting an end to the fighting when we came in here. But now that I'm here, I don't like how things are turning."
"Then leave. The Mojave is ours, and we'll be doing a better job than you in a decade or so."
Six stated plainly, grabbing her sling calmly as she continued to watch.
"Fine. But know that the NCR isn't going to leave y'all alone so eagerly. We'll be back for what is ours, and you'll regret pissing off the bear in due time. Even if you win, do you have what it takes to hold the Mojave down? Building towns, protecting roads, training troops, running supplies and more ain't easy."
"It's not like you could have fucked it up worse here. It'll be easy to do better."
Oliver scoffed a bit, before sighing gently and muttering under his breath.
"Fuck me, we should have been watching this supposedly rag-tag militia more thoroughly than Caesar's best."
"So you could learn how to actually fight the Legion instead of wandering the Mojave uselessly? You should have just asked us for lessons."
Six teased, as Oliver shook his head.
"I knew you were trouble the moment you began recruiting NCR prisoners and the Khans. Just remember that when we return, you'll be seen as enemies of the NCR. If the position were reversed, you both would be hung."
"No. Keep that in mind while you seethe back home in the republic. Our conversation is over, we both have much to do."
Joseph stated plainly, tapping his right boot gently as he stared down at the general. General Oliver nearly opened his mouth again before deciding against it, turning around and beginning to walk back over to his men, flipping the two of them off from behind his back as he barked out an order.
"We're moving out now."
Oliver and his rangers left the camp quickly, desperate to prepare for the trip back home. Just before Joseph and Six could leave the camp to see how the militia were handling things, Yes Man rolled right up to the pair and began to praise them.
"You two did a super job getting things settled, I'm not saying it because of my programming either! You've secured the dam and told the NCR they can't stay here any longer! Brilliant work, just absolutely brilliant!"
The securitron tried to clap with his claws, but failed to make it work. The ranger and courier nodded gently, with Joseph even giving a little bow as Six spoke.
"It couldn't have been done without you."
"I know, I know! But about that. I hate making a big deal out of things like this, but..."
Joseph's ears perked as his right hand moved near his holster, as Six remained still.
"A few days ago I found some bits and pieces of code in Mr House's database that'll, mmm, reprogram my personality!"
Six and Joseph relaxed a little, though the ranger's stance remained the same. Six looked more intently at the securitron as she questioned him.
"What does that mean?"
"Well it means I'll be more assertive, if you try to give me a less than reasonable order I can resist it, and even give you reasons of why I'm not going to follow it, and why you should reconsider it."
Six sighed gently in relief as Joseph relaxed further, moving his hand away from his trusty blackhawk.
"That's what I'm going to be up to, and it is going to take a while. I can't even try to tell you how long! However, that's not going to be a problem. The securitron's targeting parameters and patrol patterns have been updated accordingly. Vegas will be protected, and the Mojave will be when I return online! So that's where I'm going to be... I guess this is goodbye for a while."
Joseph took a few more steps to Yes Man, lifting a hand up and placing it gently on the metal chassis.
"Good luck. But remember this while you're busy. If you so much as try to take Vegas under your control I'll be happy to put you in the same grave House has been rotting in since we placed you there. The Mojave is for the Mojave to control, no dictators, no gods, no masters can rule it."
Six nodded quickly in agreement before Yes Man began to laugh gently.
"Of course, of course! You two have taught me much about how a dream can be given life, and prove to be far more viable than expected! I wouldn't dare take over Vegas, and if I try, it'll be my grave!"
Joseph smiled gently up at the purely saccharine, artificial face of Yes Man, taking his hand off of the securitron and stepping back.
"Goodbye for now, see you in a few months, maybe a year."
"Goodbye, hope you get some real balls soon!"
Joseph and Six said respectively, just before Joseph gently elbowed Six for her comment.
"It's been great fun, take care!"
With those last words, the securitron's face returned to the same soldier face as before, rolling off seconds later to secure the legion camp. As Joseph and Six walked out, they could see a somewhat peculiar, and ultimately unique sight. NCR soldiers and even a few NCR rangers were deserting and gathering at the dam in decent numbers as they threw away their uniforms and began to mingle with the FMF soldiers, some even keeping their guns too.
Most of them were mutants, though some humans did exist in their ranks. A good amount of them were also spitting fiercely on their old uniforms, and even flipping them off before going off to celebrate. Regardless, it didn't matter too much, they were going to be rather valuable soon enough. As they abandoned their ties to California, most of them began getting rather chummy with the FMF warriors.
Drinking beer, smoking while looking off in the distance, having conversations and more. However, a most unusual sight began as Joseph looked over at the middle of the dam's pathway and saw several FMF warriors conversing with former NCR soldiers. All humans, scarred by the battle in varying manners with one exception. Rachel was there, laughing in relief over how things had gone. As he began to approach them curiously, he heard them speaking Hebrew.
Before he could get close and ask what was going on, they joined hands and began singing loudly. Joseph knew what it was immediately, and was taken aback by hearing the Song of the Sea. Shirat Hayam wasn't something he expected, much less them beginning to spin around in a circle as they sung freely and excitedly.
As they did so, more jewish women began to join in regardless of species, whether in their own circles or by themselves. Spinning around, running in circles and outright jumping all over the place was present. It was off tempo, off key and without any semblance of cohesion but to Joseph it was more beautiful than anything choreographed performance that could happen here. As he looked over at Six, he smiled as a little tear beaded in his left eye.
"Are you okay?"
Six asked as she walked over to Joseph.
"Oh yes, I'm just crying because these women are telling me that the Mojave can, and will recover in no time. We've got much ahead of us, but with their numbers and their spirit to improve things we'll persevere."
Joseph stated calmly, looking over the dam's horizon as he approached the concrete barrier. Six did the same, as the ranger began to think over what steps to take next. This new Mojave was for everyone who lived in it to shape as they desired. He'd be sure to help keep it safe as best he could.
The NCR, the Legion, anyone else who wanted to try and determine the Mojave's fate wasn't going to do well. As Joseph sighed and let the tear roll down his face, he began to think of home. He'd have to move back eventually, especially when Gabriel had finished his conversion to Judaism. At least he had something to fight for beyond his own rage and the desire to spill the blood of all who sought to exploit the weak.