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October 23rd, 2281, 8:30 a.m.

The two armored Remnants stalked forward, their automatic weapons cutting through charging Legionaries. The NCR Rangers matched their ally's inexorable approach, moving from cover to cover as they backed up the hulking soldiers. Denn nodded in approval and returned his attention to his internal communication.

"Come on, Lanius," Denn said under his breath, his launcher resting easily on his shoulder as he observed the battlefield from the perspective of his eyebot. "We're just spineless men of the west – dependant on our power armor and technology. We stand no chance against your might, so punish our weakness and use our technology against us. Come on, you overconfident cun–"

A shockwave of blue energy ripped through the air and into the advancing NCR and Remnant forces. The two armored figures leading the combined assault ground to a halt as energy enveloped them, their armor locking up and freezing mid stride. Denn tracked the shockwave's origin and fired a salvo of rockets towards it. Simultaneously, a missile lanced down from ED-E in the sky and enveloped the Legion weapon in fire. Denn set his launcher to the floor beside him and dropped from the fortification, drawing his machete in the same movement and charging across the dam.

It was highly unlikely the Legion could repair the weapon he had hopefully just destroyed, but if they did so and he was caught in its blast, the battle would be over. He had baited out Lanius' hand, and his counterattack was already reverberating across the battlefield as the sounds of explosions echoed from Caesar's encampment.

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A low rumble droned through the dry earth of the Fort. Around the base of the hill that elevated Caesar's main camp from the rest of the area, nine gates began to grind their way open. Stone and earth fell away, revealing plates of tempered steel. The Legionaries nearest these growing openings readied their weapons and glanced towards each other nervously.

Finally, the gates came to a halt, each revealing a passageway twenty-six feet across and eight feet high. The depth of the tunnels was impossible to ascertain as the darkness inside defied the midday sunlight – seeming to stretch endlessly into the depths of the earth.

A Centurion barked an order and Legionaries pressed forward, hesitant to be the closest to the gaping maws of stone and metal but unwilling to disobey their superior. A low hum began to emanate from the tunnels, and the Legionaries froze in response.

A wave of missiles suddenly rushed out of the darkness. Hundreds of projectiles screamed over the stunned soldier's heads and crashed down onto the Legion's fortification in a calculated ring of devastation. As the roar of death echoed behind the terrified Legionaries, the darkness before them lit up with a sea of flickering lights.

The army of Securitrons emerged from their two-century long slumber, shrugging off the feeble Legion counterattack as they mowed through the Legionaries closest to the gates with withering laser fire. A crazed Centurion leapt towards one of the mechanical giants, his machete swinging wildly. The targeted Securitron easily caught the soldier's strike with its three-fingered hand and yanked the Centurion to the side. Bending the man's arm up to his own face, the Securitron fired the Gatling laser imbedded in its palm through the pinned Centurion's limb and into his skull. The soldier fell limp as his mind turned to ash and the Securitron tossed him callously to the side, a look of joy permanently etched on it's flickering screen.

Three waves of Securitrons cleared the opened gates before another salvo of missiles rocketed into the sky, arching lazily through the air before plummeting to the earth. These projectiles were not filled with explosives as the ones before them, but a highly flammable concoction. Fire consumed the living and the dead as the Securitrons moved with impunity through the spreading flames, executing those too frenzied by burning agony to fight back.

The Legion forces between the Fort and the dam stared at their encampment in pure terror. It seemed as if the fires of Tartarus itself were rising from the world below to consume the might of Caesar. A third salvo of missiles drifted into the air above the burning earth and the dumbfounded Legionaries slowly realized that they were the intended targets. Frozen by fear and confusion, the soldiers were incinerated where they stood by the holistic fire.

The Legion's funeral pyre began to take shape.

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The NCR Rangers were in a dire state. Forced to take up defensive positions as the Courier and Dr. Henry desperately tried to reboot the two power-armored Remnants, they were now engaged in a close combat brawl with the Legion Forces. Well versed in the art of battle, the Rangers held their own against the screaming Legionaries, but were vastly outnumbered.

Most of the Rangers fought with a combat knife in one hand and their signature Ranger Sequoia in the other – using the blade to keep their opponent at bay before finishing them off with a well-aimed shot. Like running water they slipped over and around each other, fighting in groups of three in a well-practiced and lethal dance.

Cass and Veronica stood at the center of the dam's walkway – a foundation for the Ranger's to fight around. A constant stream of shells and profanities streamed from the fiery redhead as she strafed from side to side, protecting the whirling Veronica's flanks as the former Brotherhood Scribe met the Legion's charge head on.

There was no beauty in Veronica's movements – this was no dance of elegance or grace. Brutally and efficiently she dispatched the Legion that charged at her, her face blank as she beat the life from opponent after opponent. Steam rushed from her power fist, its pneumatics damaged as she had used it to block more than one machete blow, yet still she fought.

As she threw one Legionary to the side, a Centurion dove at her with his super sledge held high above his head, determined to destroy this impudent woman who dared to stand against him. Veronica easily caught the sledge as it screamed towards her and used the Centurion's momentum to relieve him of his weapon and fling the man over her shoulder. Cass kept the man from rising with a shotgun round to the neck.

Veronica turned the Centurion's weapon against the Legion – the ramblings of her former mentor a distant echo in her mind. She slammed the sledge straight out into one charging Legionary's chest, instantly halting his momentum and causing him to fall against the soldier behind him. Spinning once, she brought her weapon up in a vicious strike that caught another Legionary by surprise and took his life, and his head, from his body. His corpse fell forward at Veronica's feet and forced her to step back to maintain her mobility, further pushing the NCR Ranger's back as they stayed even with her. Corpse by corpse, the Legion pressed their advantage.

Suddenly, a wave of heavily armored Legionaries burst through the charging mob. Wearing handcrafted steel armor, these were not the soldier fodder of the main Legion forces. Each wore a pair of dark sunglasses and carried no visible weapons aside from a vicious ballistic fist strapped to their left arm.

"Praetorians!" a Ranger yelled, desperately backpedalling away from the rushing advance. One of the charging soldiers singled him out and sprinted forward. The Ranger swung his knife to keep the Praetorian at bay, but the well-trained Legion soldier easily swatted away the defense and brought his left arm up in a swift uppercut to the Ranger's chin. The ballistic fist went off and the Ranger fell to the ground like a stone, the top of his helmet destroyed by the shotgun round that had exploded its way out of his skull.

A Praetorian dove towards Veronica, seizing her super sledge with both hands and trying to wrest it from her grasp. The former scribe dove backwards and planted her foot on the soldier's chest, pushing him up and over her. The Praetorian rolled with the momentum and rose, ready to strike, until Cass's combat knife embedded itself into his left shoulder. Twisting the blade viciously, Cass used the Praetorian's other shoulder as a brace as she fired round after round into the approaching soldiers. Finally, the Praetorian steeled himself against the pain and weakly raised his ballistic fist to strike out at Cass. The redhead rewarded his tenacity with a shotgun slug to the forehead and ripped her knife from his body, sheathing the blade and yelling for Veronica to get out of there.

Veronica couldn't hear her. Two Praetorian's had disarmed her and were pressing her to the side of the dam – systematically attacking from every angle. Desperately, she avoided the Praetorian's blows, her body in constant motion. The Legion elite attacked in unison, and she knew she was running out of time as the Rangers were pushed farther and farther away from her.

Veronica deflected one Praetorian's strike and instantly brought her left arm out in a brutal backhand against the soldier's temple, causing him to fall limply to the ground. The maneuver left her open to the other Praetorian, however, and she felt a wave of agony crash into her shoulder as the roar of the soldier's ballistic fist echoed through her body.

Veronica fell to the ground against the edge of the dam, her right arm hanging limply as she clutched her injured side with her left hand. The Praetorian stood above her, panting heavily as he fought to catch his breath. Veronica stared up at him, unable to find the strength to stand and fight.

The Praetorian smiled sadistically and pulled a curved knife from his belt. Moving forward, he pinned Veronica's left arm against her chest with his knee and reached out towards the woman's ear. Veronica thrashed her head desperately, but the Praetorian only cooed disapprovingly and slammed her skull against the dam, causing her world to momentarily spin.

The soldier leaned his head down to meet Veronica's eyes over the top of his glasses. Veronica glared back at him coldly, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing the fear he so clearly wanted. The soldier's smile only grew more manic and he slowly began to saw his blade against the bottom of Veronica's ear.

A sudden scream echoed from behind the Praetorian and was just as suddenly silenced. The man turned and his eyes bulged in terror as an armored fist enveloped his face. Veronica stared at the now airborne Legion soldier as his metallic opponent seemed to flex and the Praetorian's head exploded into a shower of blood and gore. The armored soldier opened his hand, letting the remains of the man's skull drip from the heavy steel. He turned towards Veronica, and for an instant the former Brotherhood scribe thought that she was next, but the behemoth only nodded and charged off towards the Legion forces, followed by the second armored soldier and the battered NCR Rangers. In the distance, she could here an odd drone overshadowed by the sound of laser fire.

She moved to rise but her body suddenly felt cold and distant, and she fell back to the ground. She didn't know how long she sat there before Cass appeared in her narrowing field of view, drying blood covering the woman's faded freckles. She had such beautiful eyes – pools of shining azure – it was a shame they looked so concerned. Another form appeared beside Cass', and a piercing light momentarily blinded her. She wished it wasn't so bright – it made it hard to see Cass's eyes. Muffled voices bounced around Veronica's head, not finding any context on which to latch onto. The more recent arrival pulled out a large syringe and jammed it into Veronica's chest.

Blood suddenly rushed through Veronica's veins, setting every nerve in her body alight. A loud "Fuck!" ripped its way out of her throat. She pulled the syringe from her chest and leapt to her feet, pacing back and forth and following the earlier profanity with a stream of similar sentiments. She turned towards the Courier and Cass, her eyes wide and feral. "The fuck was that!?" she exclaimed loudly.

"Super Stimpack," Denn replied, pulling a small cylinder from his coat and moving towards Veronica. "Now hold still; I need to bandage your shoulder."

Veronica shook her head, not understanding the Courier's request until she looked at her shoulder. Blood seeped from a vicious wound and it looked like two rounds of buckshot had been shot into her body. That was exactly what had happened, Veronica realized. "That looks like it hurts," she said quickly, turning to let the Courier get to work. "Why doesn't it hurt?"

"It will," Denn said, holding the cylinder up and spraying heavy foam into the wound. "The Super Stimpack keeps you functioning, deadens the pain, prevents infection, and gives you a nice shot of adrenaline, but doesn't actually heal anything. You should be fine, as long as you don't move your arm too much and we get you to an auto-doc. You two go back to Dr. Henry to get a sling and then head to the Legion side of the dam – there's someone I want you to meet."

Denn finished his work and bowed slightly to his two companions before trotting east over the pile of Legionary bodies. Veronica raised her eyebrows at Cass, but the redhead only shrugged. "You know how he is," Cass stated, moving forward and pulling her friend into a tight hug, being careful to not disturb Veronica's injured shoulder. "Remind me never to piss you off," Cass continued quietly. "I've never seen you fight like that before."

"Don't worry," Veronica replied, enjoying her friend's embrace. "I could never hit a woman – I'm much too old fashioned for that kind of thing."

Cass chuckled and turned to let Veronica lean on her as they walked back to where Dr. Henry was tending the few wounded Rangers. Sixteen of the veteran soldiers had died during the assault, most to the lethal Praetorians, but there were only two wounded. Cass realized that Ranger Walters was one of them as Dr. Henry kneeled over the leader of the Rangers; obscuring the side of the soldier he was working on.

Walters smiled as he saw Veronica and Cass approaching. "Nice battle-scar!" he said, gesturing with his left arm towards Veronica. He was clearly under the effects of some painkiller as his words were heavily slurred and his eyes had a distant expression. "Think I got you beat though!" he continued proudly.

"You sure about tha–" Cass began to reply but her voice died out as Dr. Henry rose, revealing that the Ranger leader had lost the entirety of his right arm. Cass's mouth snapped shut and she grimaced at the wounded soldier.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Walters said, noticing the redhead's response. "You only need one hand to shoot a pistol, and now I'll get all the discount meals I can eat back in the NCR!" His tone was lighthearted, but Cass could see in his eyes that he didn't really believe his own words. He could fire a pistol, sure, but reloading would be almost impossible. Walters was done as a Ranger.

"Get her a sling," Cass said quietly to Henry, releasing her companion to the Doctor's care and moving over to kneel down besides the wounded Ranger. "I bet you'll have quite the yarn to spin when you get back home," Cass continued, placing her hand reassuringly on the man's uninjured shoulder. "Women do love tales of war heroics."

"Gonna' be a good one, that's for certain. Lost it when I was saving Jameson over there," Walters replied, smiling widely and gesturing with his chin to the other wounded Ranger. "The cunt was kind enough to take it in a single swing and stupid enough to take my blade arm. Holed him straight through the forehead. What a sight. Would've preferred he wasn't wearing a face wrap though – then I could've seen the ugly fucker's face when I did it. Brought my count up to twenty-nine. Where's that leave me in the standings?" he asked hopefully.

"You sure do know how to show a lady a good time," Cass replied admiringly, one eyebrow raised. "That puts you one head over my count. You've just earned you and your men a round of drinks!"

Walters smiled widely and settled back. "We only drink the finest whiskey," he said quietly, the doctor's medicine slowly pulling him down to sleep. "Hope that's alright."

"That'll be fine," Cass said, smiling as the Ranger slipped into unconsciousness. Her eyes grew tired and she rose and turned towards Veronica. Her friend had her right arm bent against her chest with a white sling keeping the limb stationary. The former scribe's head was also wrapped with a bandage covering the wound the Praetorian had given her when he slammed her head against the dam. The rest of her body was covered in blood, both Legion and her own.

"Stay right there," Cass said teasingly. "I'll get E-DE to come down and take a picture – should be a great hit when you get yourself hitched one day."

Veronica frowned at Cass for a moment and then smiled, looking down at her battered form. "I guess I am kind of a mess, huh?" she said lightheartedly.

"Kind of?" Cass replied, walking forward to wrap her arm around the raven-haired woman as they began to walk towards the Legion side of the dam. "Haggard is the word I would use to describe you right now."

Veronica glared at Cass angrily. "I am not 'haggard!" she said vehemently.

"Alright, you're not haggard," Cass relented, giving her friend another squeeze. "How about rugged?"

Veronica shook her head and looked out to lake Mead, the still water mirroring the morning sky in every detail. "How many did you actually kill?" Veronica asked suddenly.

Cass frowned and looked back to the two wounded Rangers and the sixteen corpses. "Thirty-six," she answered quietly, turning forward and casting her gaze to the concrete walkway. "But… he needs the drink more than I do." Veronica nodded, remaining silent, and Cass took the opportunity to turn the conversation to the strange creatures called "fish" that she swore occupied the man-made reservoir to their left. She and Veronica passed by a group of Rangers clearing a path through the Legion corpses who shook their heads disbelievingly at the woman's story. Cass' voice died out slowly as Denn's two companions saw the strength of the Courier's army for the first time.

Four rows of Securitrons stood in staggered skirmish lines directly across from the entrance to the Legate's camp. Laser fire occasionally lanced out from the robots, ending any Legionary bold enough to show himself above the camp's fortifications. More Securitrons continued to stream down the road leading from the Legion's main encampment, rolling over charred corpses while still maintaining their uncanny balance. As they reached the dam proper, they lined up in perfectly symmetrical formations and remained motionless.

Denn stood behind the front ranks of Securitrons with his back to Cass and Veronica, the three remaining Remnants standing beside him on his left. Across from him stood a single Securitron with what could only be described as an expression of excitement and joy plastered on its flickering view-screen. Veronica glanced at the other Securitrons and noticed that their images had changed from the customary police officers as well, now showing the façade of a grimy looking soldier. She turned back to the lone Securitron and noticed a long gash down the screen across the emoticon's left eye, creating a line of dead pixels and giving its face a scarred appearance. Veronica raised her eyebrows curiously at the unique Securitron.

As they approached, one of the armored Remnant's voice became discernable over the sounds of laser fire and moving Securitrons. " – so it's not a true AI but is still capable of independent thought and action? How, may I ask, did you – "

"Cass, Veronica," Denn interrupted him, turning to greet his two companions. "I'd like you to meet a close friend of mine." The Courier gestured towards the lone Securitron who waved awkwardly to the new arrivals. "He has been instrumental in my control of the strip. Cass and Veronica, Yes Man. Yes Man, Cass and Veronica."

The Securitron rose on its single wheel and seemed to lean forward eagerly, its speakers crackling to life. "Hi there!" Yes Man said enthusiastically. "It's great to finally meet the two of you face to face!"

"Face to face?" Veronica asked uneasily, "How have you met us before?"

"Oh, I watch you all the time! I've been hooked up into the Lucky 38 since Denn took over, and originally I kept tabs on the lot of you to make sure you didn't accidently trip any of the nasty traps House activated before Denn disconnected him."

"So, all this time you've been watching as we go about our daily lives? This sounds like a bad prewar movie… Is this the part where the robot uprising begins and the comic relief dies first?" Veronica deadpanned, looking around as if expecting the Securitron army to turn on her.

"I wish!" Yes Man replied eagerly, bobbing back and forth for a moment. "Your snoring at night is actually loud enough to trigger pressure sensors all over your room! It's quite distracting! You should really try sleeping on your side."

Veronica stared at the bubbly Securitron with her mouth agape, two streaks of color quickly brightening her face. She heard a choked laugh from beside her and turned towards her redheaded companion. Cass's hand covered her mouth and she did her best to return Veronica's gaze as innocently as possible. Veronica's stunned expression tore down the last of the crimson-haired woman's resolve and she snorted once more into her hand, turning away from the now crimson-cheeked woman beside her.

Veronica looked back at the smiling robot, her mind for once drawing a complete blank on an appropriate retort. The Securitron seemed to lean from side to side, as if taunting the flabbergasted human. "Tin Man, I think you and I are going to have problems," Veronica finally stated, putting her left hand on her hip and glaring at Yes Man.

"Oh I hope not…" Yes Man replied, his voice dropping in pitch for a moment before returning to its customary glee. "I'm literally incapable of intentionally causing you harm! Isn't that great?! You could attack me right now and all I could do is ask you to stop."

"Don't tempt me, robot," Veronica said quietly.

"It's so nice to get the family together," Denn said under his breath, his helmet resting in his palm.

"What?" Veronica snapped, turning her glare towards the Courier.

"He said – " Yes Man began to answer gaily before Denn raised his hand, cutting the Securitron off.

Denn turned to greet a squad of NCR troopers that were quickly jogging towards the group. They halted a few feet from the Courier and stood at attention. One of the troopers stepped forward and stared at Denn proudly. "General Oliver would like to thank you for your assistance in reclaiming the dam, and orders you to fall back and let the main NCR forces take the Legate's camp. He also thanks the Enclave forces for their assistance in the battle, but adhering to NCR law, he must request that they forfeit their equipment and allow themselves to be taken in for questioning."

"Like hell," one of the armored Remnants declared in a deep, rumbling bass. Crossing his arms, the soldier let his hands clench and unclench against his armored biceps, filling the air with the sound of metal grinding against metal. The troopers shifted uncomfortably and their leader visibly gulped.

"I would be more than happy to follow the General's orders," Denn replied, hands clasped behind his back, "but, as you can see, there is nowhere for me to fall back to." The Courier gestured to the Securitron formation behind him. The entire visible length of the highway connecting Caesar's Fort with the Hoover Dam was filled with a frozen sea of Securitrons. The NCR troopers' eyes widened as they realized the extent of the Courier's gathered strength.

"Furthermore," Denn continued, drawing the soldiers' attention back to himself and gesturing towards the Remnants, "these individuals are private military contractors and have no connection to the faction known as the 'Enclave.' General Oliver is free to vocalize any complaints he has towards this asset at the debriefing following the battle, but since he saw fit to not include me in the planning of the dam's defense, I was unable to obtain his permission beforehand, and so proceeded as I saw best. Now, if there is nothing else gentlemen, I believe this campaign is about to come to an end."

The Courier turned away from the stunned NCR soldiers and faced Yes Man. "How many square meters is the Legate's camp?" Denn asked the Securitron loudly, making sure the NCR troopers could hear him.

"Twelve-thousand, one-hundred and forty square meters!" Yes Man replied happily.

"Do we have the ordinance remaining to cover that much area?"

"Absolutely! Nine times over, actually!"

"Well then, I suppose two times will be sufficient. Equal parts explosives and firebombs?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Very well. Gentlemen, if you would please step back," the Courier said, turning to the stunned NCR soldiers and ushering them and his colleges away from the Securitron formation. Yes Man followed, zigzagging along happily.

All at once the entire Securitron formation burst into movement. The Securitrons closest the dam filed into the area the Courier had just emptied and those on the road spread out, using the space the previous Securitrons had vacated to stand shoulder-to-shoulder facing the Legate's camp. In perfect harmony, they rose and placed their arms behind their backs at attention, eerily similar to the Courier's customary stance. With a reverberating hiss, the hatches on their shoulder plates opened, revealing the missile launchers contained within.

A nearby Ranger whistled appreciatively. Veronica turned and saw the survivors of the veteran NCR group gathered at the edge of the dam, weapons held loosely in their hands. The relatively green NCR troopers were visibly shaken by the Courier's display, and stared at the Securitron army with eyes the size of dinner plates.

Silence spread across the battlefield, and it took a few seconds for the lead NCR trooper to realize the Courier was looking directly at him. "Would you like to give the order?" Denn asked simply, gesturing towards the waiting Yes Man.

The soldier's eyes widened even further and he glanced towards his fellow troopers, unsure how to respond. Finding no answers from the blank stares of his comrades, he coughed once and replied weakly, "W-would I what?"

"Would you like to give the order?" Denn repeated, nodding as the soldier pointed disbelievingly at himself.

The soldier did his best to gather his wits and stood a little taller, puffing his chest out and squinting his eyes at the Legate's camp. "Open fire," he said, his lips locking in an imperial sneer.

Silence greeted his command. The trooper frowned and glanced over to the grinning Securitron. To his horror, he found that the robot had noiselessly wheeled itself right beside him, its grinning countenance now looming inches away from him.

"I'm sorry," Yes Man said cheerfully, his voice just loud enough to be called a whisper. "I didn't hear you, can please you speak up?" The Securitron leaned even farther forward, its chestplate brushing the terrified soldier's shoulder.

"Fire?" the trooper whimpered, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from the leering robot as possible but unwilling to make any sudden movements.

Yes Man continued to lean, pressing down on the NCR trooper. The robot's screen was now scarcely an inch from the man's face. "Boo!" Yes Man exclaimed suddenly, standing straight and wheeling backwards as the trooper nearly jumped out of his skin.

The soldier stared, terrified at the Securitron before turning his attention to the Courier. Denn again had his head resting in the palm of his hand, his fingers massaging the visor of his helmet as if it were the skin of his forehead. "I guess that's the effect I asked for," he admitted quietly, shaking his head.

Turning towards Yes Man and clasping his hands behind his back, Denn cleared his throat. "Weapons live," he stated, and a loud hum filled the air.

"Fire."

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Next chapter I'll start to get into the meat of the canonical differences between this story and the official canon, so I feel it needs a little more pretext.

There's a reason this fanfic "starts" around the First Battle of Hoover Dam and not in October 2281 like it does in the game. This is the story of an independent New Vegas, but more than that it's a story of what it would take to make such an idea really work right after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. I don't believe it is possible for a Courier to unite the Mojave in 2-3 months (the Second Battle of Hoover Dam happens in 2281) and have it be stable. By the game, an independent ending is chaos, but if the Courier has had more time to become known by the communities of the Mojave, I believe stability could be achieved.

In order for that to happen, two characters from the game will be subjected to much more stress than they would have experienced normally, and have changed – one for the better, one for the worse.

Chapter 8 will see the story return to the battle.