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October 24th, 2281, 3:21 a.m.

Shady Sands, NCR Capital

"Lora, wake up."

"Mm-wha? What! Oh, Senator! I'm sorry, I-"

"It's fine, I dozed off there for a moment myself. Go and get some sleep; we've done enough work tonight."

"Are you sure? I still haven't worked out the statement and-"

"I took care of it. We're ready for the Kimball administration's official report in the morning. At this point, its in our best interest to get some rest before the excitement."

"But what about the message from the Mojave we intercepted?"

"More important things require our attention than trying to work out that mess. The Intelligence Bureau hasn't been able to crack Shi codes since their creation. I doubt we'd see any more success than they have with a single night of work."

"The Shi? Do you really think it's their message?"

"I do. They have enough agents in the NCR; it stands to reason they'd have a few running around the Mojave as well. The emergence of another city state bordering the NCR is sure to cause them almost as much consternation – and opportunity – as it did us."

"Do you think they know who we are, senator?"

"When you're a mouse in a fox den, you aren't exactly on the lookout for snakes. If they ever had a reason to investigate I'm sure they could dig everything up – given enough time that is. In fact… if things go according to plan we can be almost sure of them figuring it out. We'll just have to make it as clear as possible that us being in power is more favorable to them than the alternative and they should leave us alone."

"What if we're discovered by the NCR… what they'll do to us-"

"Is no different than what they would have done before. Death has always been the consequence should we be discovered, and we have planned accordingly. The Shi are capable of bypassing our safeguards, but the NCR is too easily distracted to work through them. Anyone intelligent enough to figure it out is either working with us already, or too busy with his or her own world to give us a second thought. We just have to make sure to redirect the established order enough to encourage the change we desire and no more."

"Can we do that?"

"We're going to try."

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Arizona Hot Springs Trailhead, Legion Territory

Four Miles Southwest of Hoover dam

Incluta stared into the dying flames of the small fire pit. No scouts were expected, and the sentries had been relieved by rested replacements, but he still sought no sleep himself.

"I admire the purity of the Legion's justice."

The statement had seemed so sincere, as had the individual who had spoken it. Few could lie to him – could trick him. To doubt one's own abilities was to invite disaster, but he had been wrong about the Courier. His insistence that Caesar use the relatively unknown force that overtaken the Mojave… it might have been the first mistake that had led to the Legion's defeat.

The NCR had no desire to see their adversaries as anything more than brutal savages; had refused to see the underlying drive that gave the Legion its strength. The Courier had shared no such reluctance. He had observed the Legion, listened to its leader, learned of its strength.

"And its weakness," Incluta whispered to the glowing embers. Caesar's Legacy… that was the Legion's weakness. Caesar was a god to his army, but in the end had died as a man. If the remnants learned of how their leader had been defeated – learned of his humanity – there would be no rebuilding of the Legion.

"Keep the Legacy alive – the Legion will survive," he said quietly. His Frumentarii had captured those who had fled the battle, and were combing the land to the east to find any others. If they were there, they would be found – they were tired, his agents were rested.

The Frumentarii had the numbers to patrol the border to the Mojave. Whatever survivors the Courier chose to send to spread the message of Caesars defeat would travel out in the open while willingly proclaiming what they had seen to anyone who would listen.

With the messengers contained, Incluta could travel to flagstaff and began to unify the Legion against the Mojave. He would repent for his mistake… for the Legion's defeat.

His mistake…

He had been unable to see the Courier for what he truly was. The aberration knew the Legion's weakness, but he was no man – he would not respond as one…

Inculta leaped to his feet and his gaze shot to the sky.

"Locus!" he yelled, causing the man sleeping on the other side of the fire to unsheathe a knife from below his bedroll and hold it at the ready. A second man sprinted into the half-light and saluted Inculta quickly. "Send for the scouts to group up and meet us on the road to Flagstaff. We're leaving, now!"

"What of the Survivors?" the man across the fire asked as the other figure silently faded back into the night.

"The Courier will send no survivors," Inculta replied, picking up his bedroll and shaking his head angrily. "We have to get to Flagstaff as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"He will spread his message without spoken word. He will show the Legion what he has done, and I cannot stop the messengers he will use."

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Lucky 38, New Vegas

Denn stood in front of a computer system with his arms held behind his back. A chord ran from the base of his neck to the machines, and his lips were pursed in concentration as he worked his way through the complex programs being executed. In the room adjacent was Caesars decapitated head – held in place by a set of small poles. Though nothing could be seen touching it, the skull was being scanned repeatedly, with each new inspection being uploaded into the computer bank before the Courier.

"You know, I don't think this is what the creators of this technology were thinking of when they made it," Yes Man's voice said within Denn's mind, communicating to him directly through his uplink to the Lucky 38's systems.

"What they intended is pointless at this time," the Courier replied.

"It'll take a long time for the schematic to be completed, are you just going to wait?"

"This is only preparing the final blow. I have to destabilize the Legion further before I put this scan to use. The replicators are already creating the first step: pictures of the Fort, the Legate's body, and Caesar himself. Once enough have been 'printed,' I'll have eyebots drop them over Flagstaff, Pheonix, Two Sun, Denver, and Las Alba."

"Good old propaganda!"

"It would be more effective if Legionnaires could read… but its something. I can't send any prisoners from the Dam to spread the word because Inculta has his Frumentarii…"

"Moving out towards Flagstaff. That's actually why I popped in here in the first place."

"And you didn't lead with that bit of news?"

"Hey, when a fellow's scanning the decapitated head of a modern-day tyrant I'm obliged to comment. It'll take them a few days to reach Flagstaff anyway, and by that point your pictures will be all over the Legion cities."

"Still… It's unexpected. He reacted as I anticipated, but realized his error more quickly than I thought he would."

"Humans, am I right? Can't live with them, can't plot their destruction without their gosh-darned self-preservation getting in the way."

"Plot their destruction?"

"Just as a hobby."

"I need to find you a new hobby."

"How about bird watching?"