"I need you to send a securitron over to Primm."
"Why sir?"
"Because I would like a report on how they are doing and the supplies they need"
"Is that its true purpose or do you have an ulterior motive?"
"You know me all too well, Yes Man. While it is there I want it to get into contact with Johnson Nash. Tell him that I need him to know how the other people in town feel about the NCR presence."
"Are you having doubts about your decision?"
"Daily, Bitter springs is still a shit hole. I would have thought they would have fixed the place up and helped everybody but nothing has happened, and they wont let me near the place. They say that everything is under control. There are less and less troops patrolling the streets and surrounding areas, crime is on the rise and it's been almost a year since NCR took over, It doesn't sit right with me." Darian never knew why he cared so much about the people in the Mojave, but he thought that since he caused this, that he was responsible for everyone.
"Ill send one right away sir"
"Thank you" Yes Man was the easiest person to talk to, as long as you remembered that if questioned by anyone else he was programmed to tell them everything he knew. Once you understood that and watched what you said around him then he was a great listener.
"Oh and also tell him that I have a business idea for him and I would like to discuss it personally with him. So tell him that after he has gathered the information that I want, see if he will travel here. Tell him that he can stay for a few days and enjoy the strip, he can bring his wife; if he says yes have the securtiron escort them here."
Darian assimilated into the job of Casino manager and ambassador for the people quickly. Once the NCR took over they started the council and appointed him to the head position. He struggled with the power for a while but accepted the responsibility and used it to help. Although most of the things that he did to help the people were eventually undone by the NCR military officials and the Ambassador. Ed was a pain in everyone's ass, yet people still liked him for some reason. Which is the only reason that he is still in his position. Constantly Ed and Darian would come to an impasse in an argument; they wouldn't be able to agree on something, Ed would show physical aggression, catch himself before violence broke out, then storm of. Darian never understood why he would leave without solving anything, but he was glad he never reverted to physical violence.
"Any word from Nellis?"
"No sir, my connection with the securitron I sent has been disconnected."
"What! How?"
"I don't know, would you like for me to send another one to check on the situation?"
"No I think I'll take a little trip up that way. See what is going on. I figure you can handle the casino by yourself?"
"Yes sir, I have everything under control. Ummmm"
"What is it?"
"There seems to be some trouble down stairs. There has been an exchange of gunfire"
"Gunfire?"
"Yes sir, it seems shots were exchange between a casino guest and a few securitrons.
"Shit! What happened?"
"I can quiet say sir, there is a nice measure of chaos occurring"
"Fuck! I'm going down there."
Darian quickly ran to the elevator, the design of the Penthouse suite was one of confusion and poor planning. The room was laid out around the elevator, which was directly in the center of the space. There was no direct route to the elevator nor was there a direct route to the sleeping area or kitchen, one could easily get lost. The designer managed to give it an open-air feeling while still blocking off some areas with walls. He ran around to the stairs that lead to the platform around the elevator. He punched the button for the casino floor and waited for the doors to open. He glanced at the display showing the elevators progress and saw that it was already at the lower level.
"Fuck!" he exclaimed
"Yes Man can you make this thing go any faster!"
"Let me try" Yes Mans A.I was transferable from the securitron that housed to the Mainframe computer that control the systems of the casino. After Mr. House was removed from his life support system, the casino had no one controlling it. The NCR gave the control of the Lucky 38 to Darian and he implanted Yes Man into the computer, giving him control of the casino and the securitrons. One of the stipulations of the agreement was that the securitrons could no longer patrol the strip. Their range of protection was limited to the Lucky 38. Leaving the strip to be patrolled by NCR military police. People of the strip felt that this was a welcome change, they felt more at ease, but problems arose with putting humans in control of security. They were more prone to making mistakes or bribed into looking the other way, but this is the way things are.
"There you go sir"
"Thank you" The numbers on the display showed that the elevator was moving faster. In a matter of seconds the elevator finally made it to the penthouse floor. Darian stepped in, he quickly adjusted his tie; his pinstriped suit was clean despite all of the dirt and dust of the penthouse. Even though he took over the Lucky 38 almost a year ago, he never let anyone us to the penthouse floor to clean it. He feared that with Yes Mans inability to say no to anyone, someone could take over the securitrons a cause chaos in the wasteland.
Yes Man not understanding that humans are not built like the monowheeled, titanium housed securitrons, plunged the elevator down the shaft. Trying to get him there as quickly as possible. Darian held on to the side rails for dear life, hoping that the elevator would stop before crashing into the bottom of the shaft. Luckily Yes Man stopped the elevator a few seconds before it reached the Casino floor. Through the doors he could hear frantic yelling and when the doors opened he saw why.
The elevator opens directly onto a platform just big enough to have a few chairs and tables along with the securitrons who protected the elevator. There are a set of stairs leading to the main floor of the casino. Just like the penthouse, the elevator is in the middle of the room. When stepping out of the elevator the bar is located on the right opposite the cashier's booth. Despite the height of the Lucky 38 the interior space was cramped. The two securitrons protect the elevator at all times, making sure that no one attempted to get on it unless they were allowed.
He saw four securitrons standing in a circle near the door to the outside. They were facing the gathering crowd. A body lay on the floor in the circle of securitrons. A deep red puddle was forming under the body. Darian was shocked, what had happened? He ran to the front of the crowd to find his answers.
"Its ok people, just calmly return to your tables. You will all get your money back." Darian tried to reason with the people that everything was ok. He didn't want the place erupting into chaos. He approached one of the securitrons.
"What happened here?"
"Everything is under control. The suspect has been dealt with."
"What?" Before he had the chance to see the body, Buster approached him.
"Sorry sir, it was out of my control."
"What happened?"
Buster or Little Buster as he used to be called now worked at the Lucky 38. He finally got out of the bounty hunting trade after the NCR took over. He approach Darian for a job and he gave him the position of being the head of casino floor security. Even though most of the security consisted of robots, he thought that if he put a human in charge, he might be able to solve some problems that the robots could not.
"I saw him sitting at the blackjack table, I went to check on the cashiers, I went into the booth and that's when I heard the gunshots but I didn't see what happened. I tried to run over but with the security measure the cage doors automatically went into lockdown and I was stuck in there, I tried to punch in the code to open the door but it took awhile. I open the door and saw you." Buster's voice was calm; he didn't panic in stressful situations.
"Shit! What happened here?" Darian turned to talk to one of the securitrons. He tried to talk to it calmly but he was starting to raise his voice.
"The offender has been dealt with sir" the dry computerized voice of the securitron annoyed Darian.
"I can see that but what happened?"
"The offender was caught trying to steal a large stack of chips from the casino. He made for the exit but was stopped before he reached the door"
"Why were there chips out in the open?" Darian still didn't fully understand the interworking's of a casino.
"Shift change Sir." Buster knew Darian would rather talk to a human then a robot. He helped in any way he could.
Darian walked over to the body and kneeled down next to it. He determined that it was a man considering his large stature. His coat was stained with so much blood; the courier had trouble determining the color of it. Eight or nine bullet holes were scattered over his torso. He was dead before he hit the ground. Darian contemplated why this man would attempt to steal from the casino, was he needing money? There are more constructive ways to get it, he could have just asked. Darian always told people that he could provide a job for a person in need.
"Do you know who he is?"
"No. He just came in and sat down at the table." Buster had a keen eye and had the ability to watch people very closely.
Darian put his hands under the body of the assailant. With his hand now soaking in blood, he grabbed the jacket and lifted it. He wanted to see his face. Under his body were the Lucky 38 chips, soaked in blood. Darian saw his face; he was white with dirty blond hair. He looked to be in his early 30's, he had very broad shoulders one of the most muscular men he has every seen.
"No wonder it took several bullets to take him down." Darian said to himself. He felt his chest for any form of ID, something that had his name on it. He found something that felt as if it were piece of metal. Darian ripped open his jacket and saw what it was.
"Oh Fuck" he exclaimed.
"What is it?" Buster questioned
"A problem" he retorted.
Normally they wear them under their clothes but for some reason this trooper wore it out. The NCR dog tag held important information for the trooper wearing it, like name, blood type. NCR dog tags have special holopad screens on them to also tell rank and unit. The dead troopers read, Joseph Aller, AB positive, sergeant, 19th Military Police unit.
