Colonel Royez had been a rising star in the NCR military for years, distinguishing himself in the Brotherhood War, and in the siege of Helios One during the conquest of the Mojave. Helios One was the first smear on his perfect record as the Brotherhood called down an orbital strike, destroying both the plant and themselves rather than allowing the NCR to take it. Although technically not a defeat, it was enough for the Colonel's more politically adept rivals to have him stationed on the California border watching traffic in and out of the Mojave along the Long 15.
The posting was a humiliating pause in his career, but Royez performed his tedious duties the best he could until the reversal at Hoover Dam ended the NCR's occupation of the Mojave. Suddenly the fact he had been sidelined proved fortuitous as the public outcry drove a purge of the military brass. Royez was one of the few officers untouched by the humiliating defeat and his fortunes reversed almost overnight. President Kendall survived an impeachment attempt, but failed re-election and the new administration promised to defend the NCR with a more agile rapid response force. Royez knew that meant more was going to be expected of fewer soldiers as the isolationist factions in the legislature cut military funding.
He had been correct, but the fear of the NCR citizens of a Legion invasion had unexpected benefits. For the first time in years, the wealth of the Brahmin Barons couldn't buy the protection of the best units of the NCR at the expense of the rest of the army. Now the power armor equipped units were issued refurbished Vertibirds captured from the Enclave and moved to reinforce the borders of the NCR. Royez was assigned to the remote base at Amargosa to watch the Northern border of the Mojave. Although important and a significant improvement over his previous assignment, the Colonel found it frustrating. Royez hated watching the Legion consolidate their hold on the Mojave, and firmly believed that despite the reversal at the dam the NCR could still drive them back over the Colorado. However there was no will in the Legislature for cross-border actions and Royez knew that it would be detrimental to his career to go public with his views.
That was when the Supermutant raids began. Most of the attacks were on communities within the Brahmin Baron's holdings, and Royez had no love for the Ranchers who he felt contributed to the NCR's defeat with their shortsighted greed. He did however use his detachment of Rangers to confirm the raiders were coming from somewhere in Death Valley. What interested the Colonel far more were reports of massive troop movements across the Colorado River. At first he assumed the Legion was massing forces for the long anticipated assault on the NCR, but received more intelligence of fires and distant gunfire. Now he believed the rumors of a coup against Caesar were true and a civil war had begun between the Legion's factions.
Royez was waiting for a response to his formal request to launch a punitive strike when Alpha Team arrived to report that the garrison at Indian Springs had been wiped out. Attacks on the Brahmin Barons were one thing, but attacks on the NCR military were another matter entirely. Sergeant Bitter-Root conveyed his suspicions that it was a Legion raid, but then Royez received new orders that made the matter moot. He was to secure the border with whatever means necessary, but under no circumstances was he to cross it. Colonel Royez was furious at losing what he saw as a golden opportunity to avenge the NCR's defeat, but he had his orders. Instead he mobilized his units and began the nearly hopeless task of patrolling hundreds of miles of desert. It was while he was carrying out the operation that he received word that the outpost at Furnace Creek had gone silent. Seething with anger and frustration, Royez decided that he would attend to this matter personally. He arrived to find the garrison gone, what appeared to be a missile in the middle of the camp, and a motley assortment of mutant scavengers that were now kneeling before him as his armored soldiers stood by with their weapons ready.
Royez crossed his arms with a faint hum from the servos in his armor and scowled at his prisoners. The two women, although he used the term loosely with the large mutant, glared silently back while the scarred Nightkin glowered with what appeared to be a permanent sneer twisting its lips. The ghoul seemed completely at ease and returned Royez's glare with a knowing smirk. For some reason, the ghoul's apparent disregard for his situation irritated the Colonel more than the other's sullen silence.
"What are you doing here?" Royez growled as he swept the small group with his gaze.
"The same as you Colonel." The ghoul replied with a smile. "Trying to find clues about what happened."
"Don't get coy with me ghoul!" Royez snapped. "Identify yourselves before I have you all shot!"
"Dean Domino, at your service." The ghoul replied with a smile and a nod. "My companions are Veronica and her large bodyguard Valeria. We only recently made the acquaintance of the Nightkin, a former prisoner I believe."
"This district is under martial law." Royez replied with a glare at Dean. "No travel is permitted without official authorization."
"I seem to have misplaced my documents." Dean replied sarcastically. "We intend to enter Death Valley, and I think it is in your best interest to let us go."
"Why?" Royez asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"That device your men are poking at." Dean indicated the rocket with a nod. "Was fired from the Sierra Madre. Probably at the behest of an individual our blue associate here calls 'The Master'."
The Nightkin tensed and growled, but several raised rifles made him sit back with a glare.
"Impossible." Royez declared. "That place is a toxic ruin."
"On the contrary." Dean said with a smirk. "There is tech there that could lay waste to the NCR if it were to fall into the wrong hands." Dean glanced around the outpost with a smirk and added. "Which it apparently has."
"Colonel!" One of his men shouted from the crater. "We found something?"
"I suggest you not disturb something beyond your understanding." Dean said smugly.
"If they move, shoot them." Royez ordered the guards as he spun on his heel and strode to the edge of the crater.
"What is it sergeant?" Royez snapped as the approached the edge of the crater. Three of his heavy infantry were standing above the crater while his combat engineer, sergeant Cantelli carefully investigated the wreck.
"This thing wasn't rigged to explode Colonel." The Cantelli replied, as she looked up, her head uncovered. "It looks like it was meant to crack open on impact."
"What was in it?" Royez snapped impatiently.
"Looks like an empty gas canister, and a projector of some kind." The Sergeant replied.
"A projector?" Royez asked with a puzzled frown.
Cantelli indicated a boxlike object with wires trailing from it to the rocket. One side was covered with a blue lens that stared up at Royez like a sightless eye.
"It looks like some of the connections came loose on impact." The sergeant added as she knelt to look at the box more closely.
"Does it still work?" Royez asked, curious in spite of himself. Cantelli was good at her job, and he was confident she would know a booby trap when she saw one.
"Possibly Sir." Cantelli replied as she looked at the wires caked with what appeared to be rust. "But I have no idea why a camera was put in here."
"The rocket was probably meant for reconnaissance." The Colonel suggested brusquely. "If there's no sign of explosives, it might give us Intel on where it was fired from."
"I haven't found any explosives sir." Cantelli said looking up at Royez. "And that gas canister looks like it was just stuck in the hull."
"Then lets see if the projector works." Royez said as he put his armored fists on his hips.
"Yes sir." Cantelli replied as she looked along the wires, than reached inside the shattered hull.
Suddenly the lens flickered to life and a blue light glowed in the haze. Cantelli jerked her arm back and backed away from the rocket as the flickering blue image of a man in pre-war security armor appeared overhead. It stood motionless for a moment then turned a flashing yellow as it raised its hands to its helmet.
"Down!" Dean shouted as he dropped prone, heedless of the rifles pointed at him. Valeria also dropped, pulling Veronica down with a sweep of her arm. Colonel Royez heard the shout and stepped back as the image began to pulse red. Suddenly with an electric hiss a beam of red energy fired from the hologram's helmet and speared Cantelli through the chest. The sergeant screamed and fell as two more pulses of light killed her.
Royez's men opened fire on the apparition, their bullets having no effect on the hologram as it turned and more blasts of crimson light blazed from it. Another soldier fell with smoke pouring from holes blasted in his armor as Royez reeled back from the unexpected attack.
"Fire in the hole!" Royez roared as he yanked the pin out of a grenade and flung it into the crater. Another of his soldiers cried out and fell before the grenade exploded in a smoky cloud and the hologram winked out of existence.
Royez whirled and strode with his servos whining in protest to where the prisoners were climbing to their feet. He seized Dean's collar in his armored fist and jerked the ghoul into the air.
"You knew what that thing was, didn't you?" The Colonel snarled, his eyes blazing with rage.
"I had my suspicions." Dean replied calmly as he gripped the Colonel's forearm. "Now that you've had a taste of what's in the Sierra Madre, I have a proposal for you."
Startled by the ghoul's audacity, Royez froze as conflicting emotions writhed across his face.
"Clarify!" He finally snarled.
"Clearly you are a man of action." Dean replied still smiling although his voice was strained as he fought to breathe. "The NCR is under attack from this 'Master', and you represent the only force in a position to deal with it."
"Continue." Royez growled as he dropped Dean and planted his fists on his hips..
"I propose we join forces." Dean said pleasantly as he straightened his collar. "You have the transports and the firepower. My companions and I have knowledge and expertise. It is fifty miles to the Sierra Madre. A torturous trek on foot, but an afternoon jaunt for your aircraft."
"Even if I agreed, why would I bring you?" Royez snarled.
"Because my dear Colonel, you're flying blind into hostile territory." Dean replied with a smirk. "You really have nothing to lose. By bringing us along you also have no need to incarcerate us, which would cost valuable time. If we arrive at the Sierra Madre and there is nothing, you lose nothing." Dean's smile widened as he continued. "However, if there is something there and through your swift action the threat is eliminated, I imagine it would be a significant boost to your career. Wouldn't you agree?"
Royez glared silently at the ghoul for a minute as he considered what Dean had said. His smug assurance infuriated Royez, but the Colonel had to admit the ghoul had a point. What Dean told him fit with the few facts he knew, and the NCR clearly faced a new and dire threat.
"Sergeant!" Royez snapped. "What are our casualties?"
"Three dead Colonel." One of the troopers replied with a salute.
"Take their ammunition and weapons to the Vertibirds and put the bodies in the infirmary." Royez ordered. "Secure the prisoners in the Vertibirds!"
"What are you trying to do?" Veronica hissed at Dean as the soldiers pushed them to their feet.
"Isn't it obvious?" The ghoul replied. "I'm trying to turn this misfortune to our advantage."
"How many holograms are guarding the Sierra Madre?" Valeria asked as she was shoved forward.
"A few." Dean replied vaguely. "But as you saw they are not an insurmountable obstacle if you know what to do."
"The Sierra Madre will consume you." Magog growled. "As it consumes all who challenge it."
"Maybe it will." Dean replied cheerfully as they approached one of the waiting Vertibirds.
"Maybe it will."