By the time Alessa returned to the Outpost, it was after dark. On her way in, she had been stopped by Sergeant Kilborn, who noted that she looked as though she'd seen a ghost. She told him what had happened, and it deeply troubled him. She checked in with Jackson and Ghost afterwards, rewarded by Jackson with a Service Rifle, 100 bottle caps, two lunchboxes full of food, a weapon repair kit and 72 armor piercing 5.56 rounds for the Rifle. She decided to leave ED-E with Knight overnight, and headed to the Barracks to rest. She took a seat at the bar, still white as a sheet.
"New face at the Outpost." The bartender, who Alessa assumed was Lacey, leaned on the bar in front of Alessa. "What'll you have?"
"A drink would be nice." Alessa murmured. "Do you have any Scotch?"
"Sure do. Last bottle, too." Lacey opened the bottle and poured the scotch into a glass, setting it down in front of Alessa. In return, Alessa traded the ant meat and nectar she'd gathered during her "hunting." She sighed as she downed the Scotch, glancing around the room. She noticed a young woman sitting at the bar, a half-empty bottle of Whiskey beside her, and two more empty bottles littered in front of her. She downed a shot of the Whiskey, and poured herself another soon after. The redheaded woman noticed Alessa looking, and scowled.
"Looking for trouble?" She asked bitterly, a fist clenching.
"Only looking around." Alessa answered, still a bit jumpy from all that she'd seen, a hand resting on her plasma pistol just in case. The woman shrugged.
"Well, keep them eyes up and turnin', or I'll send 'em spinnin'." She downed another shot of Whiskey, then continued. "Got no time for gawkers, or anyone lookin' for shit I ain't sellin'." Alessa could hear the bitterness in the woman's voice.
"Are you all right?" She asked.
"All right?" The woman scowled further. "No, I'm not alright. Drinking to forget, and it's only getting me madder." She sighed heavily. "Whiskey always gets my temper up...Now more than ever." She filled her glass again. "Used to get me into all sorts of trouble back West. Before I punched enough people, that is, and they learned to lay low when the Whiskey hit."
"Mind if I ask what you're trying to forget?" Alessa asked, the woman shaking her head in response.
"Lost my caravan heading north. Driver was burned to ash...And they didn't even take the cargo. They just burned that, too." Alessa looked surprised.
"Why would anybody do that?" She asked, and the woman merely shrugged.
"My guess is Legion. Trying to cut NCR's supply line...And the Mojave Outpost is proof." She downed the glass she'd just filled. "Got us locked up tighter than a New Vegas virgin. No caravans in or out, and just try arguing with Jackson about it. "Roads aren't safe," he says." She clenched her fists, her voice raising a bit. "No shit, you washed-out old fuck-up! I didn't need a Brotherhood scribe to tell me that." Alessa giggled a bit.
"I've met him. Nice impersonation." The woman smiled faintly, but it disappeared quickly.
"Yeah. He's been with NCR so long, all he can see is the worst outcome of everything...So, he doesn't do anything." She rolled her eyes. "Jackson won't let me head north, 'cause it's "not safe." And even though my caravan's gone, my caravan papers are still keeping me here." She shook her head, holding it, a headache coming on. "You come here lookin' for work, take my advice. Go find the Crimson Caravan up in New Vegas. They might be able to help you out." Alessa shrugged.
"Thanks for the advice...I already cleared the roads for Jackson, so I don't see why he wouldn't let you go now." The woman's eyes widened, impressed.
"No shit? Well, drinks on me, then. Nah, I'm not going anywhere. Caravan title's still keeping me here, even though it's dead and gone."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Alessa looked down at her now-empty glass of Scotch, tempted to order another.
"Name's Rose of Sharon Cassidy. Call me Cass." The woman spoke up, and Alessa looked back to her.
"That's a really nice name. I'm Alessa Grant, a Courier." Cass held out a hand, and Alessa shook it.
"Dad got it out of some old book. Liked the name, so he gave it to me." Cass closed her eyes, her headache worsening. "Ugh...Guess I better hit the hay." She mumbled, standing. Alessa nodded, rising as well.
"It was good meeting you." Alessa said softly.
"Yeah. You, too." Cass nodded. "You take care, now." Her voice seemed to have softened. Alessa smiled, and headed towards the barracks, hoping to find an empty bed.
* . * . * . * . * . *
After a good night's sleep, Alessa picked up ED-E from Knight, and headed back to Primm. She'd done some exploring in the hills near the Mojave Outpost and the old Police Station she passed on her way to the Outpost, fending off Ghouls and Radscorpions. She did find some bounty in an abandoned campsite. A large, white book with a skull on it, titled "The Wasteland Survival Guide" lay beside a cot in one tent, and in the second tent, she found a Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Cap. On her way to Primm, she happened by an old drive-in theater, and found another Star cap near a car there. By the time she arrived in Primm, it was mid-afternoon. The reinforcements had already arrived, and Hayes seemed pleased.
"Well, a deal's a deal." Hayes said after congratulating Alessa. "Sergeant McGee will take over as Sheriff here in Primm. The rangers standing by will be his deputies. This town will be NCR territory. The citizens will have to become registered NCR citizens and also pay the appropriate taxes. Think they'll stand for it?" Alessa nodded.
"Without a doubt. As long as law and order is brought to Primm, I don't see any reason why anyone would object." Hayes nodded.
"Alright, then. I'll radio them over now."
"Thank you, sir." Alessa shook his hand. "It means a lot."
* . * . * . * . * . *
"Well, we really owe you one." Deputy Beagle congratulated Alessa with a bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla, the two sharing a drink and a conversation before she readied herself to leave. "Somethin' seems different about you. Y'don't look well." Alessa looked away, sighing heavily.
"Let's just say I've seen some things I never want to see again." Beagle nodded, leaving it at that.
"I can tell you don't wanna talk about it. Must've been pretty bad." He took a sip of his Sarsaparilla.
"How far is Primm Pass from here?" Alessa asked, and Beagle gulped.
"Few miles. Follow the railroad tracks by the NCRCF, and they'll take you there." He gave her a wary look. "It'd be a lot safer going through Nipton..."
"I'm notgoing back to Nipton." She spoke with a coldness and fear in her voice that Beagle hadn't heard since he'd met her. He got quiet, nodding.
"Just be careful. People who go through Primm Pass, well...They don't always come back out."
"I'll be alright. I've got ED-E." Beagle chuckled.
"No offense, but I don't think that little 'bot can stand up to what's guarding the Pass." Alessa merely shrugged.
"Well, we have to try." Beagle nodded.
"Yes, I suppose you do." In the background, Mr. New Vegas was starting his news program over the radio, and an interesting story caught the attention of everyone inside the Vikki and Vance Casino.
"A package courier found shot in the head near Goodsprings has reportedly regained consciousness, and made a full recovery. Now that's a delivery service you can count on!"
"Well, now." Beagle chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I'd think they were talkin' about you." He teased, and Alessa's cheeks flushed.
"Sh-Shut up. That's...I'm not really that uncommon, am I?"
"Well, you're somethin'." Beagle smiled at her, and she found herself blushing a bit more. "Somethin' special. Shame there ain't more people like you in the world. Maybe it wouldn't be such an awful place."
* . * . * . * . * . *
After donating some supplies to the people of Primm, and stocking up on food, drink and Stims, Alessa left Primm with pride swelling her heart. She felt very good about herself for helping the people there. She stopped at an abandoned Powder Gang camp near the NCRCF to rest, and to look at her Pip-Boy map.
"Let's see," She murmured to herself. "Just follow the tracks south until I get to the Emergency Service Railyard, then climb up the hills, and there's Primm Pass." She nodded to herself, standing again. "Well...Let's get going, ED-E." The little robot beeped and began to follow Alessa as she walked along the tracks. After about 20 minutes of walking, she found the abandoned Emergency Service Railyard, and looked up at the hills nearby. She took a deep breath, and began to scale the hills, ED-E floating along behind her. Once they got up the hills, Alessa was greeted by an opening to a small canyon. This, she reasoned, must be Primm Pass. She could hear the wind whistling through the Pass, and she swore she heard a roar somewhere deep inside. She gulped, readying her new Service Rifle, loading it with Armor Piercing rounds.
"Well," She spoke nervously to ED-E. "Now or never...Right?" She looked around the Pass, wondering if maybe she could scale the rock walls, and perhaps avoid whatever creature was inside the Pass. She began to climb up the rocks, and she did fairly well until she came to a large gap between the rock she was on, and another, more flat rock. She could see the creature in the distance. The Deathclaw had long arms and legs, and looked to be almost reptilian. Alessa gulped, looking down at the flat rock, wondering if she could make the jump without hurting herself. She took a deep breath, and jumped. Unfortunately, she missed the rock, and was sent to the ground, landing hard on her left leg. She cried out in pain, despite herself. ED-E's horn blared the music it normally played when a threat was approaching, and Alessa looked up in horror as the Deathclaw raced towards them.
She got to her feet, her leg aching badly, but not broken. She began firing off rounds as ED-E fired off lasers, narrowly dodging angry slashes from the Deathclaw. The rounds didn't seem to be doing much damage to the angry beast, and Alessa found herself reloading quicker than she'd wanted to. As she began to reload, the Deathclaw smacked her, sending her flying. At that point, she knew she couldn't hold off the beast, getting up, and began to run. She ran, and thought she might escape the beast, when she suddenly came to a small cliff. She had been running too fast to stop herself, and she tumbled down the rock face, landing hard on her leg. This had been the final straw, the limb broken. She cried out in pain, holding her leg. She heard a roar behind her, realizing the Deathclaw was still pursuing her. She looked around, seeing an old shack nearby, and attempted to crawl towards it. Meanwhile, ED-E continued to fire its lasers at the Deathclaw, keeping it at bay long enough for Alessa to crawl inside the shack. Once ED-E floated in, she shut the door, praying the Deathclaw wouldn't find them.
She panted heavily, laying on the wood floor, her leg screaming with pain, her heart hammering inside her chest. She hadn't even felt so afraid when she was in Nipton. She sat up, looking down at her leg. It was bent at an odd angle, and she knew she'd have to do something to straighten it out. She dug through her pack, finding a medical brace, sighing. It would have to do, for now. She fastened the brace around her knee, gritting her teeth as she tightened the leather belts. Her bones straightened out, but it hurt like Hell, and Alessa tried to stifle a cry of pain. Once she'd fastened the brace, she dug through her bag, finding a single shot of Med-X. She injected herself, and after a moment or so, the pain faded. She laid back down on the floor after that, and within minutes, she had passed out.
* . * . * . * . * . *
"Maw! Maw, she's wakin' up!" Alessa was awoken by the sound of a young boy's excited voice, groaning as her eyes slowly opened. An older woman and a young boy stood nearby.
"Ugh..." She groaned, trying to sit up, but the woman laid her back down.
"Easy, hon, easy." She was dark-skinned, with tired brown eyes and frazzled black hair. Her son had lighter skin, but had the same eyes and buzzed black hair. The woman was clad in rags, as was the boy. "You realize you're the first person to get through that Pass, and live to tell the tale?" The boy was grinning.
"Didja see it? Didja? Was the monster big? Did it have eight eyes? I hear Deathclaws have eight eyes!" Alessa smiled weakly at the boy's enthusiasm.
"No, it didn't have eight eyes...But it was big. Very big." The older woman sighed.
"Don't I know it? Lucky that thing ain't tried to break down our door and eat us. Its brothers won't be too happy it's gone." Alessa's eyes widened.
"Gone? It's dead...? And what do you mean by 'its brothers?'"
"Whole pack of Deathclaws livin' up in them hills. Takin' shelter in a cave not too far from this ol' shack. You lucky they didn't come runnin' when their brother started cryin'." Alessa gulped, not realizing until now just how lucky she'd been. "I reckon that little robot is what saved you, Darlin'. Must fire lasers or somethin', 'cause it turned that ol' Deathclaw into a pile of ashes." ED-E, on cue, floated into the room, beeping and scanning the surroundings. Alessa stared at ED-E in amazement.
"I am so glad I fixed you up." She murmured. She slowly sat up, holding her head.
"You on your way to Novac, I take it?" The woman asked. Alessa blinked at her.
"How did you know?" The woman smiled.
"Well, that little computer on your arm got it marked on a map." Alessa looked down to her Pip-Boy. When did she mark Novac on the map? She couldn't remember. "Well, if you headin' to Novac, might wanna wait 'til mornin'. Deathclaws sleep durin' the day around here, and you might be less likely to run into bandits in the mornin'."
"You can sleep on my bed!" The boy said excitedly. "I gotta make some more ammo for us anyways. Used it all up huntin'."
"Make ammo?" Alessa asked, raising an eyebrow. The woman smiled.
"My boy takes after his Daddy. Learned to make junk rounds from that good man, God rest his soul." She sighed. "Can't believe it been three years already."
"I'm sorry for your loss." Alessa felt genuinely sorry for the woman and the boy, but the woman shook her head.
"Don't be, darlin'. We both knew the risks when we came here. He got drunk one night and thought he could take on a pack of Nightstalkers. Poor fool." She shook her head. "Anyways, you oughta get some rest. You had a rough day." Alessa nodded, laying her head back down on the pillow, and sleep soon took over once more.
* . * . * . * . * . *
The next morning, after a Deathclaw egg and Mole Rat Meat breakfast cooked by the kind woman, who Alessa found out was named Eleanor Harper, Alessa left the shack and continued on her way to Novac. Harper's son, Dorien gave her a couple of Sunset Sarsaparilla caps as a parting gift, calling them his lucky charms. Alessa smiled sadly as she left the cabin behind, grateful for their hospitality. She limped down the hillside, seeing a camp of sleeping bandits not too far from where she was. She easily avoided them, and kept going until she reached the main road.
After about an hour of walking, she finally arrived in the town of Novac. She was relieved to find a doctor, who patched her leg up nicely, and traded some medical supplies for some food and chems Alessa had picked up and couldn't sell in Primm. Alessa wandered over to what looked like a large dinosaur statue, wanting to get a good look, when she was greeted by a familiar face.
"Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!" A familiar robotic voice called. "If it ain't my ol' friend from Goodsprings!"
"Victor?" Alessa blinked, soon smiling as she approached the robot. "Victor! It's good to see a friendly face out here."
"Likewise, friend!" Victor greeted, his cowboy-face monitor smiling at her.
"What brings you all the way out here?" She asked, curious to know why Victor was here, when he should've been back in Goodsprings.
"Well, I don't rightly know. Just got a notion to stop in here on my way to New Vegas." The robot looked her over, whistling. "You look like death warmed over, Little Lady." Alessa chuckled.
"I'm a lot better than I was, thanks to Doctor Strauss over there. I could use a bed and some supplies, though."
"Well, this ain't New Vegas, but I reckon you can find what you're lookin' for." Victor turned in the direction of the hotel. "Why not try that office out front, there? I'm sure Miss Jeannie May can help you out."
"Thanks, Victor. Say, do you know anything about this town?" The cowboy face looked puzzled for a moment.
"Novac? Oh, nice enough place I suppose." His voice lowered a bit. "But between you and me, when I rolled into town, my skin started to itch. Watch yourself." Alessa chuckled.
"Funny, you don't have skin. But I think I know what you mean." Alessa looked around the town for a moment, observing the people. "I might stay here for a while, I think. I definitely need a break."
"Well, good luck to ya. Say, you find those troublemakers you were lookin' for yet?" Alessa shook her head.
"Not yet, but I heard they came through here. Hopefully I'll find another clue while I'm here. I'll talk to you later, Victor."
"Happy trails!" The robot waved to her, and she smiled, waving back. She then turned towards the hotel, and entered the main office.
* . * . * . * . * . *
Author's Note: Yes, three normal Deathclaws and occasionally a couple of Young Deathclaws can sneak up on you when you get through Primm Pass. The entrance to Dead Wind Cavern is near Harper's Shack, and that's where the Deathclaws come from. I do NOT recommend taking on the Deathclaw family unless you're at a reasonable level. (Or if you have really high endurance and good armor.) Sure you'll get a level-up and a Deathclaw Egg or two out of it, but at a low level it's practically suicide. And for the love of Victor, don't go into Dead Wind Cavern at a low level. It's pretty much certain death.
Anyway! I'm writing this on Thursday, and tomorrow I'll have internet access again, so as a treat I'll have uploaded two (or more, if I decide to keep writing tonight) chapters. Yay!