The sunlight was bright, and nearly blinded poor Alessa as she stepped out of Doc Mitchell's home, throwing an arm over her eyes to shield them. She squinted, looking around, taking in the sights as her vision slowly cleared. It was a small town, with wooden buildings that looked to be more than two hundred years old. Probably around from before the Great War, she figured. She was amazed that she could remember why the Wastes became the Wastes, but was lucky to remember her own name. She shook her head, and once her eyes adjusted to the light, began to head down the hill from Mitchell's home, smiling faintly as her feet touched the worn pavement of two-hundred year old streets, and turned to get a better look at the rest of the town.

"Howdy, Pardner!" She nearly jumped six feet in the air as she heard a loud, robotic-sounding, albeit friendly voice from behind her. She turned, coming face to face with a massive, blocky robot. It had a sort of television screen on its chest, a cartoony man with a cowboy hat smiling at her from the screen. Its long tube arms nearly touched the ground, and it moved on a single wheel that looked as if it could turn in all directions.

"Might I say you're lookin' fit as a fiddle!" Alessa stared at him, amazed at the sight.

"I've never seen a robot like you before." She commented. The robot chuckled.

"I'm a Securitron. RobCo Model 2060-B. Most've my brothers are in New Vegas. If you ever see 'em, tell 'em Victor says howdy." She could swear the cowboy face winked. At the mention of his name, her eyes widened.

"Oh...Oh! You're the one who saved me?" She realized, and Victor nodded.

"I was takin' a stroll that night, when I heard a commotion up at the ol' Bone Orchard. Saw what looked like some bad eggs, so I laid low. Once they'd run off, I dug you up to see if you were still kickin'. Turns out you were, so I hauled you off to the ol' Doc right quick. Dunno what you did to annoy those rustlers, but they sure didn't do a good job finishin' you off." Alessa smiled faintly.

"I suppose I'm lucky. Do you happen to know who those men were? Where they went?" She sounded excited, hopeful, but Victor's cowboy-face frowned.

"'Fraid not, but I'm sure somebody in town might be able to tell ya a bit more. Oughta talk to somebody at the Saloon. Think they went in there before they went up to meet ya." Alessa nodded.

"I was actually headed to the Saloon right now. Well..." She trailed off, looking down at the ground shyly. "Um...Thank you for saving me, Victor. If you hadn't come along..."

"Aw, shucks, don't mention it, Little Lady. I always do my best to help those in need." He smiled, and began to roll off. "Happy trails!" He called as he moved away from her. She smiled, then made her way to the Prospector Saloon.

"Cheyenne, stay!" A stern, but young sounding woman's voice rang out as the door to the Saloon opened. Cheyenne the dog, who had been growling at the potential intruder, instantly quieted at the command of a young woman. She couldn't have been much older than twenty, with reddish-brown hair pulled into a messy bun, tanned skin, and bright blue eyes. The "intruder," in Cheyenne's eyes, was none other than Alessa the courier, who seemed a bit nervous as she closed the door behind her.

"Don't worry," the woman said. "Cheyenne won't bite 'less I tell her to. I'm Sunny Smiles, and if I'm not mistaken, you're the Courier that ol' Victor found in the cemetery, right?"

"Um, yes." Alessa nodded, adjusting her glasses nervously. "Er...Doc Mitchell said you could teach me to survive in the Wasteland." Sunny nodded, checking her rifle briefly before smiling at Alessa.

"Sure, there's a few things I could teach ya. Sounds like you need all the help you can get after what those pigs done to ya..." She trailed off, and Alessa nervously rubbed the bandaged area where her bullet wounds were. Sunny shook her head. "Anyway, why don't you meet me out behind the Saloon? Got a little makeshift firin' range set up there."

"Okay." Alessa nodded, and followed Sunny and Cheyenne out the back door. The "makeshift firin' range" was simply empty Sunset Sarsaparilla bottles set up on fenceposts. It was as makeshift as makeshift could possibly get. Sunny handed her rifle to Alessa, who clumsily fumbled with it.

"See those bottles over there? Take this and try to hit a couple." Sunny explained as Alessa messily tried to aim the gun, firing a shot. She missed the first bottle by about a foot. Sunny shook her head. "Hmm...Try crouchin' down. Might help your aim." Alessa nodded, taking her advice, and shot again. She missed by a mere inch or so that time. She sighed.

"Um...I don't think rifles really care too much for me, Miss Smiles." She said sheepishly. Sunny nodded, taking the rifle back.

"Got anything else you could use?" Alessa nodded, pulling out her 10mm pistol, and her Laser Pistol. She had more ammo for the 10mm, so she decided to use it. She aimed it easily, and the pistol grip fit so well in her hand. She must've had it for a long time, she reasoned, and muscle memory was beginning to take over. She fired, and easily hit the bottle. She smiled at her success, and stood, aiming again. Another hit. Again, and again, and again she fired, until all the bottles had been shot down. Sunny grinned.

"Well now. Looks like pistols are your thing. That was some good shootin'." Alessa smiled at the compliment, reloading her pistol before placing it back in her holster. "Now that we've got that out of the way, why don't you come down to the Source with me? Got some Geckos to clear out, and your assistance would be worth some caps to me." Alessa nodded.

"Alright. I don't really have anything else to do, and I could use all the practice I can get." Sunny smiled.

"Great! Alright, before we head out, we'd better pay Chet a visit. Gotta get you some supplies, and maybe we can reinforce this ol' Vault uniform of yours." Alessa raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Reinforce?" She asked.

"Add some armor to it." Sunny answered. "With the way it is right now, you won't get a whole lot of protection, and believe me when I say Gecko bites hurt like a bitch." The two women (tailed by Cheyenne) made their way to Chet's store. Once inside, Alessa inhaled the musty scent of the old General Store. She actually quite liked the smell. A man peered out from the back room, and sighed in relief when he saw the two women, stepping out to the counter as they stepped forward.

"Oh, you're lucky I saw it was just you, Sunny. I was about to grab my shotgun, in case those bandits down the road tried to come in here again." The man had short, clean-cut brown hair and a slightly scruffy beard. His eyes were small and beady, his brows angled sharply downwards, so he always looked somewhat angry. Alessa assumed this man must be Chet. Sunny frowned at Chet's explanation to his almost hostile behavior.

"You mean Joe Cobb and his boys? They still harassin' you, Chet?" She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Somethin' tells me there's gonna be a fight brewin' soon..." Alessa looked up at Sunny, confused.

"Who's Joe Cobb?" She asked. Sunny forced a grin.

"Oh, don't you worry about him right now. I'm sure you'll meet him eventually." Her tone changed from forced cheer to irritation and disgust. Alessa could tell from the woman's tone that this Joe Cobb wasn't someone Alessa wanted to associate herself with.

"Who's your friend?" Chet asked with an almost flirty tone as he leaned over the counter, eyes wandering up and down Alessa's form, causing the pale girl to blush. Sunny smirked.

"My girlfriend." She said teasingly, and laughed at Chet's wide-eyed, shocked expression. "Calm down, I'm only jokin'. This here is Alessa. She's that Courier Victor found last week." Chet nodded, regaining his composure.

"Way I heard it, it didn't sound like you'd be walkin' out of that office. But Mitch has proven himself to work miracles. Well, welcome to my humble abode." Chet raised his arms, gesturing to the entire store. "Whatever you need, you can find here. Weapons, ammo, I got it all. And if you're hurtin' for caps, I've got some surplus ammo here, too. 'Course, the surplus ammo isn't very desirable. If you can afford it, better to get the good stuff."

"We'll need about 60 or so 5.56 rounds, however many 10mm rounds you have, and do you have any leather armor you're not using?" Sunny asked. Chet nodded, fetching 120 5.56 rounds, ten 10mm rounds, and some beat up leather armor.

"You'll need more than 60 if you're huntin' Geckos, Sunny. I hear they're pretty ornery lately. Besides, your friend looks like she could use some extra ammo, herself." Sunny frowned.

"That's what the 10's are for, but alright, if you insist. Also, I notice you have some scrap metal." Chet nodded. "I'll take that, too." Chet raised an eyebrow, but fetched three pieces of scrap metal for Sunny.

"I dunno what you're up to with all this, but just don't get your pretty friend hurt too bad, okay?" Alessa blushed again as she was called pretty, and averted her gaze quickly. Chet smiled. "Don't talk much, do you? Alright, then. I'll give you a quarter discount, Sunny. You've been doing good work keeping those Geckos out of town." Sunny smirked.

"How nice of you, Chet...And unusual. Are you sure the discount isn't a way to try and flatter my friend some more?" Alessa's cheeks were as red as apples now, and Chet laughed.

"You know me too well, Sunny."

"Pretty women have always been your vice." Sunny replied, and laid the caps on Chet's counter, and the man put them into the ancient cash register beside him. "Thanks for the service." Sunny would soon escort Alessa outside, the Courier still blushing madly.

"W-W-Was he just fl-flirting with me?" She stammered, and Sunny laughed.

"Don't mind him. Not a lot of eligible single women around here, so he often lets his hormones get the better of him. He won't do you no harm, if that's what you're thinking." Alessa quickly shook her head.

"O-Oh, no, I didn't want to imply that." Sunny chuckled, leading her to the alley between the General Store and the Prospector Saloon, where two workbenches sat. One looked like it was meant primarily for ammo, and the other looked like it was meant for anything else.

"These should do us some good. Now, you're gonna hate me for sayin' this, but you're gonna have to take off that Vault suit so I can spruce it up for ya." Alessa's cheeks reddened again, and she nodded, waiting patiently as Sunny removed bits of armor from the Leather Armor, leaving a simple brown leather bodysuit. "This'll cover you up until we get this job done." Alessa nodded, and retreated behind one of the buildings to change. She returned after a moment or so, blushing madly. The leather bodysuit couldn't zip all the way up her bosom, revealing even more cleavage than the Vault suit had. Sunny giggled.

"Well, you're...Gifted, I'll say that."

"Sh-Shut up." Alessa muttered, handing over the Vault suit, crossing her arms over her exposed chest. Sunny soon got to work, hammering the Scrap Metal into a single shoulder pad, and sewing bits of Leather Armor onto the suit. It took about an hour, but when Sunny had finished it, Alessa was amazed.

"Wow...It looks really sturdy." Sunny nodded.

"I think this is my best work yet. Wanna try it on?" Alessa nodded quickly, eager to get out of the leather suit that was a bit too "open" for her tastes. She retreated behind a building once again, and returned after a few moments, wearing her Armored Vault Jumpsuit.

"Wow, it still feels so light, even with the armor." She sounded impressed. Sunny grinned.

"Glad you like it. Alright, then, let's get going. If we don't hurry, those Geckos will wreck our water supply." Alessa nodded, and the women set off.

"Help! Someone help! There's too many of them!" Alessa heard a faint, feminine cry as she and Sunny cleared the second well of Geckos. Sunny frowned.

"That sounds like..." She trailed off, and soon ran in the direction of the voice. Alessa went as well, but instead of taking the safe route, she carefully made her way down a small rock face to find a young blonde woman surrounded by Geckos. Alessa quickly set to work, aiming her pistol at the head of one Gecko, and shooting. Its head exploded in a mess of blood and brain matter. The other two were distracted long enough for the blonde to get to a safe hiding spot, and as the last two Geckos charged at Alessa, she took them down with ease. She reloaded her pistol as they fell, and made her way towards where the woman hid.

"Are you alright, ma'am? They didn't hurt you, did they?" She asked, looking the woman over. She had a few bite wounds, but nothing too serious. She was panting, scared, but looked grateful.

"Holy moley, if you hadn't come here like you'd done, I'd be a goner for sure." Alessa merely smiled.

"Sunny and I heard you screaming. Come on, I can help you back to town, if you want." The woman shook her head.

"I'll be okay. Just gotta see the Doc when I get back." The two women made their way back to the dirt road and met with Sunny, who looked a bit cross.

"Cindy, how many times do I have to tell you that it's dangerous to come here alone?" She asked sternly. The young woman looked away.

"I know, I know, but with Chet always up at the store thanks to those bandits, who else is supposed to get water?" She reached into a leather pack slung around her shoulders, and removed three bottles of clear water, handing them to Alessa. "You know what? You should have what I got...You look pretty thirsty." Alessa's eyes widened.

"M-Me? But...You went through so much trouble..." Cindy smiled.

"It's okay. Now that those Geckos are gone, I can come back and get some more once Doc Mitchell patches me up. Now, go on. Take 'em." Alessa nodded, taking the bottles, and placed them in her own pack. Cindy soon headed back to town, and Sunny sighed.

"That's Cindy. She's Chet's little sister. She does make a point, though...Those damn Powder Gangers are making things harder on everyone." Alessa raised an eyebrow.

"Powder Gangers?"

"Some bandits that showed up a few days ago. Believe me, you'll see what I mean soon." She shook her head, and removed a handful of caps from a satchel, handing them to Alessa. "Here. You did your part, and a little more, by staying out here with me and savin' Cindy. Now, if you want, I can show you some stuff you can whip up at a campfire, but first we need some ingredients. We need a Broc Flower, which I think is growin' by the cemetery, and some Xander Root, which should be over by the old schoolhouse. Think you're up for it?" Alessa nodded.

"Sure. I'll be right back." And off she went to go track down the required ingredients.

Alessa opened the door to the Prospector Saloon, having been asked to introduce herself to the bartender and "Town Mom," Trudy, by Sunny after finishing the last task given to her. As she made her way to the bar, she stopped, seeing a gruff-looking, dark skinned man wearing what looked to be a prison guard's uniform threatening an older woman wearing simple clothes. The woman must have been Trudy, Alessa reasoned.

"I'm done bein' nice. If you clowns don't hand Ringo over soon, I'ma get my friends, and we're gonna burn this town to the ground! Got it?" His voice raised, and Alessa felt terror fill her at the tone of his voice. Trudy didn't look fazed, and instead shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time. I'll keep it in mind." She glared daggers at the man, and Alessa was amazed at how courageous she was to stand up to such a terror. "Now then, if you ain't buyin' anything, get the hell out of my bar." The man turned and began to abruptly walk away, shoving Alessa aside in the process. He smirked as she glared at him.

"The hell's your problem? Get the fuck outta my way, bitch." He soon left the bar, and Alessa shook her head. That, she figured, must have been the famous Joe Cobb she was hearing about.

"Well, you've been causing quite a stir." Trudy spoke up, catching Alessa's attention. The girl turned to face the older woman, who had a wry smile on her face. "Glad I finally got to meet you. Welcome to the Prospector Saloon. My name's Trudy." She held out a hand, which Alessa accepted, shaking it.

"Glad to meet you, as well, ma'am. I'm Alessa. Alessa Grant."

"That's a nice name. Unusual, but nice. Anyway, how about a drink?" She offered, but Alessa politely refused.

"No thank you, ma'am. Um...I overheard your argument. What was that all about?" Trudy frowned, glancing to the door.

"Looks like our little town got itself dragged into somethin' we don't want anything to do with." She shook her head. "Few days ago, this trader...I think his name's Ringo. Anyway, he came into town lookin' for a place to lie low. Said people were after him. So, we gave him a place to hide, and not a day or two later, Joe Cobb and his buddies show up demanding we turn Ringo over. Didn't really expect anybody to come after the guy. We just thought he was in shock. Look how wrong we were." Trudy shook her head. Alessa frowned.

"So that's Joe Cobb...It's a little odd that he hasn't found Ringo yet. The town isn't very big." Trudy smiled.

"Cobb hasn't exactly been lookin' too hard for Ringo. Probably afraid Ringo would ambush him, and the concern is probably well placed."

"So, where is this Ringo now?" Alessa asked.

"Well, he's hidin' at the old gas station up on the hill. I'd be careful, though. With the Powder Gangers around, he's likely to shoot first and ask questions later." Alessa nodded, filing that note in her head.

"Um...What exactly -is- a Powder Ganger?" She asked.

"Chain gangs, really. There's a Correctional Facility not far from here. NCR brought the convicts in to build the rail lines. But, apparently, giving a bunch of convicts some blasting sticks isn't a good idea. I dunno who messed up, but there was a big break-out not long ago. Some of the prisoners stuck together to make trouble for the rest of the Wastes, and that's what we're dealing with now." Trudy explained. Alessa nodded.

"Sounds like a lot of trouble. So...What will you do, then?" Trudy shrugged.

"Well, if Ringo asks for help, which he hasn't yet, we might consider helpin' him out. But, personally, I just hope he sneaks out of town one night and takes the Powder Gangers with him."

"Maybe I should talk to Ringo." Alessa said. "See what he plans to do." Trudy nodded.

"That'd probably be a good idea. Just remember, be careful." Alessa nodded, and smiled as she made her way to the door.

"Will do. See you later, Trudy." With that, she exited the saloon, wondering just what kind of trouble she was getting herself into.