Vulpes Inculta was alone as he entered the command tent formally reserved for Caesar for the occasions when he left Fort McCarran. After the battle for Nellis, he had left his tent pitched on a hilltop as a visible reminder of the Legion's victory over the Boomers. It was also left there for practical reasons since the Legion was still finding unexploded traps the Boomers had hidden throughout the base.
Caesar had watched from the hilltop as the first wave of recruits charged the perimeter fence. It was a standard Legion tactic to hurl a wave of inexperienced and poorly armed recruits at an enemy to sap their strength in preparation for the assault by veteran forces. The assault had consisted of the tribes recently assimilated by the Legion whose loyalties were still in doubt. Former Great Khans, Vipers, Scorpions, and even some of the drug addled Fiends ran headlong into the artillery of the Boomers. The carnage was ghastly, but since cowardice was punished by death, the Legion continued to advance.
The Boomer's artillery was devastating, but the sheer number of attackers made it inevitable that some would reach the fence. Now the Boomers had the grim choice of continuing the barrage and destroying their own barricades, or switching to smaller, less effective arms. That moment of indecision was all the time the Legion needed to breach the fence at widely dispersed points. The next wave of Veterans roared onto the pitted tarmac of the ancient airfield and into the teeth of a lethal barrage of rockets and grenades. The Boomers fought with suicidal fury, sometimes firing explosives at point-blank range, killing themselves as well as their attackers. Vulpes had entered the base with the third wave, as Legion commanders had to lead from the front. He had seen a little girl run up to a Centurion and embrace the soldier from behind just before the grenades she was carrying detonated.
Despite their firepower and ferocity, the Boomers were finally overwhelmed and the Legion went berserk, killing every living thing found. Vulpes had neither the ability nor the desire to halt the slaughter, instead devoting his efforts to saving high value targets from looting. The madness didn't stop until one of the Boomer's supply dumps went up in a mushroom cloud vaporizing dozens of Legion soldiers. That was when the Legion withdrew and Vulpes reported the fall of Nellis to Caesar. His master had taken the news with a fierce grin and a strange light in his eyes. Vulpes knew better than to dwell on the horrific cost, as such matters meant nothing to Caesar as long as they resulted in victory.
Vulpes had known of Caesar's illness for some time. Part of his responsibilities as a Frumentarus was finding those spreading rumors of Caesar's weakness and executing them. He knew it was only a matter of time before Caesar either succumbed, or became too debilitated to lead. Vulpes knew that only Caesar's cult of personality was keeping the Legion together, and even that was becoming strained as the Colorado essentially split the empire in two. He decided several months earlier that Caesar had to be eliminated or the Legion was lost. When Vulpes learned of the Thorn, and saw how easily it could be turned into a death trap, he began to lay his plans. Caesar had to die in a way that didn't implicate the Legion itself, and when the miserable creature called "Sunflower" was captured, he knew what to do.
But than Caesar complicated matters by taking his suggestion about attending the spectacle of the Thorn, and using it as inspiration for his assault on Nellis. Caesar had become more and more impulsive as the illness ravaged his mind, and Vulpes realized that he had run out of time. The trap was sprung in the Thorn, and it worked almost exactly as planned except for several troubling exceptions. The bodies of Red Lucy and the mutant gladiator were not accounted for, and he had to assume they had escaped. Also there was the matter of the squad of Legion soldiers that were gunned down in the tunnels. There was no evidence of House's involvement, but Vulpes had seen Securitrons in action as they defended the gates to the strip and knew they carried the firepower to slaughter seven men in less than a second. Furthering his suspicions was the discovery of an underground bunker in Nellis. A flight of stairs led to a simple control panel next to a massive steel door, which so far had proved impervious to every means the Legion had brought to bear to open it. In the middle of the panel was a slot the size of a large coin with the symbol of the Lucky 38 embossed above it. The few Boomers that had been captured were ignorant of what the bunker contained, insisting upon that ignorance even under torture.
Vulpes approached Caesar's throne and looked down on the cloth-covered chair. The ashes of Caesar's pyre were still cooling, but soon he would stage an event to formally take the throne and don the mantle of Caesar. Image was everything, and at this critical stage he needed the Legion's confidence that he was the rightful successor. Part of the image he needed to create was that it wasn't Caesar he had cremated on the tarmac of Nellis. Although identifiable by his insignia, Caesar had been horribly mangled by the chisel like teeth of the mole rats. Vulpes had a much more decorous corpse declared as their fallen master. It wouldn't do to show the son of Mars as a mortal that could be devoured by beasts.
Vulpes resisted the urge to remove the unfamiliar weight of his Centurion helmet as he crossed his arms and waited before the throne. He had donned the heavier armor of the Legion's élite soldiers to enhance his appearance as a warrior worthy of Caesar's legacy. He knew war and had seen many battles, but Caesar had recognized early on that Vulpe's true strength lay in espionage and guerrilla warfare. Now he had to cultivate a more martial reputation as he wrestled with the troubling developments that dogged him.
Before the attack on Nellis, Caesar had ordered an expedition to the radiated heights of Black Mountain to settle rumors that Nightkin and Supermutants were lurking there. Although they found signs of habitation under the decaying radio dishes of the ancient installation, it proved to be abandoned. The only inhabitant they found was a Ghoul named Raoul who was locked in one of the storage sheds. The Ghoul claimed he was kept as a repairman for the mutants by their deranged leader, Tabitha. A few weeks earlier, a Nightkin arrived at Black Mountain, who Raoul called "Magog". Magog told Tabitha and the other mutants there was a place they could "begin again" with a new master. Raoul suspected that Magog convinced them to follow him because one day they were all gone, leaving the ghoul locked in his cell.
Vulpes ordered Raoul to the Searchlight mines. The mines were radioactive and unstable, and ghouls made excellent workers in the hellish conditions. He then reported his findings to Caesar, who dismissed the story as fabrication and focused his energies on what his planned assault on Nellis. Vulpes was not so quick to dismiss the ghoul's story, and disliked the implication that there was an army of deranged mutants roaming about at the behest of some unnamed "master".
Of more immediate concern were the reports he had received that Legate Lanius was moving forces to his base at Flagstaff in what was once Arizona. The Monster of the East often moved his armies about to keep them from becoming staid or comfortable enough for their officers to plot against him. Concentrating forces at his camp in Flagstaff could only mean one thing. Some of his spies that Vulpes hadn't uncovered had sent him word of Caesar's death, and he was preparing to stake his claim on leadership of the Legion. Vulpes cursed the overconfidence that made him think he would have more time to move forces to the Mojave to strengthen his position at Lanius' expense. The giant Legate had a reputation as a brutal killer, but Vulpes knew that he was far more cunning than he appeared. So far the only force he had brought to Vegas was the legion commanded by Gaius Magnus. Gaius had already been deployed far afield to carry out Caesar's orders to hunt down the White Legs. Vulpes knew that bringing him across the Colorado would bolster his forces without tipping off Lanius. Once again Vulpes cursed Caesar and the mad ambition that placed the Legion in such a vulnerable position.
"Ave Frumentarus!" One of the tent guards announced as he held the tent flap open. "The prisoner is here!"
"Send him in…alone." Vulpes ordered without turning from the chair.
"Ave Frumentarus." The guard said after hesitating. Vulpes waited until he heard a cultured voice speak from behind him.
"I'm sure you have a good reason for dragging me from the Ultra-Luxe." Dean Domino said pleasantly.
"You are guilty of dealing with profligates from the NCR." Vulpes announced as he turned to face the ghoul. Dean was still wearing his customary dark glasses and tuxedo, although his clothes showed damage from rough treatment.
"I see." Dean replied casually. "You've been speaking to Marjorie. An excellent manager, but never terribly happy having one of my kind running the White Glove society."
"Your lack of denial confirms your guilt." Vulpes snapped.
"I don't see much use in denying it." Dean said with a shrug. "Clearly you're looking for a scapegoat for the unfortunate affair in the Thorn. I've had dealings with mercenaries in the NCR, I'm the head of a Casino which sends the message that nobody is safe from you, and I'm a ghoul so nobody will put up much of a fuss." A smile twisted Domino's scarred lips as he added. "So what do you want?"
"Why would I want anything from a profligate?" Vulpes asked evenly.
"Let's not dance around it, shall we?" Dean sneered. "I'm standing in your presence without guards, so clearly you think I can do something for you and would rather not have your men overhear and get the wrong idea."
"You will be crucified upside down for conspiring to kill Mighty Caesar." Vulpes snapped. "The only thing that might spare you is what you can tell me about House, and what it is you've been defying the laws of the Legion to look for."
"You found something in Nellis, didn't you?" Dean asked his eyes narrowing behind his dark glasses. "Something belonging to House?"
"What of it?" Vulpes replied, his voice low and dangerous.
"Perhaps we can help each other." Dean replied, ignoring the warning in Vulpes' tone. "House has an army of Securitrons stashed somewhere in the Mojave. Whoever controls that army will rule the Mojave."
"The Legion does not fight with robots." Vulpes sneered.
"Perhaps not." Dean replied with a shrug. "But Caesar's last martial venture cost you dearly, didn't it? Judging from your apparel and use of Caesar's tent I assume you plan to assume his mantle. From what I understand, there are others out there who share your ambition, such as the Monster of the East."
Vulpes kept his face impassive as Dean continued. "It follows that House's army was kept at Nellis. It's an easy ride from Vegas, and protected first by the U.S. Military, and more recently by the Boomers. All it takes to activate it is a device which looks like a platinum chip."
Vulpes remembered the slot on the control panel but said nothing.
"I propose a…partnership." Dean announced with a smile. "I help you get House's army, and you let me live."
"Even if I thought your plan had merit profligate." Vulpes hissed. "Why shouldn't I just torture you for everything you know?"
"Because my dear sir." Dean replied, his voice low and menacing. "I was surviving in a radiated hell while your great-grandfather was sucking on his mamma's tit. The only way you get at what's up here." Dean said tapping his temple. "Is what I give you willingly."
"Besides." Dean added with a sneer. "You don't have time to fuck around, and you know it."
"What are you proposing?" Vulpes finally asked, his eyes cold.
"An expedition to Death Valley." Dean replied, his pleasant demeanor returning. "It would head through NCR territory so the men you send must wear disguises. Unless you would like trouble with the NCR at this delicate time."
"Continue." Vulpes snapped.
"I suggest traveling as a large caravan." Dean said, his smile unchanged. "The most direct route would be through Pahrump, but as you know that area took several hits during the war and is impassable. The only other route is along Highway 95 through the Amargosa Valley. If we don't dally and set a brisk pace, we will probably return with our prize before you have your pissing match with Lanius."
"And what assurance would I have that you would keep your part of the bargain?" Vulpes asked, his face still impassive.
"Your army is camped on my guarantee." Domino replied casually. "I want to bring House down, and his army represents the only way to do it. After that I want a position of some importance on the Strip. Neither of us gets what we want without the other, so I think we have common ground, don't you?"
Vulpes stared for several minutes at Dean who waited with his small smile unshaken.
"Very well profligate. You will be in the custody of Centurion Gaius Magnus. His orders will be to aid you in recovering this chip, and to kill you at the first hint of treachery."
"Fair enough." Dean replied with a nod. "I'd offer to shake on the deal, but I suspect you Legion types don't go for that sort of thing. I suggest we leave as soon as possible, for as I'm sure you're aware." Dean added with a wide smile.
"The clock is ticking."