ANBU commander Silverwing – No, it won't, sorry. At this point of the story for the Courier, the main storyline has been beaten. I wanted to avoid complications with Mr. House and the NCR becoming involved with the Normandy crew.

Blackholelord – I have a plan for them. I won't tell you what it is yet. And yes, Tali will be a main character in this story. (I like Tali, always my romance option in the Mass Effect Series.)

Walking past Goodsprings, Mike Anastasio was deep in thought over his past choices and decisions. All that he had accomplished, he had done so for New Vegas. The city was a beacon of hope and refuge for those in need. However, there were those who had hoped to exploit the city to further their own goals. The Legion, NCR, and Mr. House aimed to become tyrannical rulers over New Vegas and the surrounding areas. That was why he had decided to go for an independent Vegas. He would make sure to maintain order and stability throughout the land and not force others to obey his rule.

As Goodsprings slowly began to fade away behind him, Mike could not help but remember when he had first woken up in that quaint little town. All that had happened, his actions and accomplishments, were possible because of Benny. If Benny had not tried to kill him, none of this would have probably been possible.

"Yo boss, are we going to be stopping soon? It's getting late and my old knees are killing me." Raul's question brought Mike to the present as he looked up at the sky. He had been so focused on the ruined road, and his own thoughts, that he had not noticed that it as night. Looking back at the old ghoul, Mike nodded, "Yeah, let's set up camp."

They had picked an area, on the side of the road, next to an old billboard sign that showed an advertisement for some merchandise. It did not matter. It was Pre-War and had little importance in today's post-apocalyptic world. Mike was setting up the campfire, trying to get the flames large enough to keep them warm, but small enough to not attract unwanted attention. Raul was working on his scoped .44 revolver, muttering to himself in Spanish. ED-E on the other hand just hovered there, silent and motionless. Mike did not know that much about the Enclave eyebot, but it followed him around and protected him, which was enough.

As if reading his mind, Raul suddenly spoke up, "Hey boss, what's with that floating robot thing? You never really explained it to me."

Mike looked at Raul, then back at ED-E, "Well, like I said before, I found it in Primm. Jonathan Nash didn't know what to do with it and said that if I could fix it up, I could have it. The only thing odd about ED-E is that it has databases on Enclave intelligence."

Raul looked over at ED-E with a bored expression and sighed, "You pick up the strangest people in the strangest places. Like that super mutant Lily or that girl from the Brotherhood of Steel, Veronica. Are you sure you're not trying to scare off Caesar's Legion or the NCR by forming a gang of freaks and rejects? Because, if so you're well on your way to it." Mike smiled at the ghoul's comment. Raul's sarcasm was always a source of amusement.

Mike looked at his Pip-Boy 3000 and tuned it to Mojave Radio. The calm, peaceful music filtered through the speakers, giving off a feeling of comfort. Several minutes passed by, during which he checked his notes. Raul had fallen asleep while ED-E just hovered there silently.

A loud explosion suddenly interrupted their peaceful night. Mike instinctively reached for his Gauss Rifle while Raul got up, shouting out loud in Spanish. Out of the corner of his eye, Mike saw something moving. Looking up at the sky, he saw a large… well he was not sure what it was, but if he had to guess, it looked like a plane. The unknown object flew past then, a few hundred feet overhead, obviously on a collision course. The thing eventually vanished behind several large hills before a barely audible explosion was heard.

"What was the boss?" asked Raul.

"I don't know," replied Mike just as confused, "but whatever it was, it crashed in Quarry Junction."

"Well then, all the better to not worry about it." Replied Raul.

Mike shook his head. "We have to check it out Raul. Something like that can't be ignored."

Raul sighed, "Oh sure boss. Let's go search for the thing that came from who know where that just happened to land in one of the most dangerous places in the Mojave. I'm sure nothing unpleasant will happen to us."

Mike gave a small smile as he put on his combat armor and gathered his supplies.