Snowflake on the sand
War… war never changes
Caesar was dead.
The news had hit the Legion like a hammer as entire companies stopped their advance and the praetorians spread themselves thin to stop revolts among the Legion.
As Caesar's body was burned, letting him ascend back with his father Mars, the highest ranking Legion members stood next to one another as the question in their minds became too much to bear "Do we continue? This war led Caesar to his death, we cannot let the Legion break" Lucius said sadly as he stared at the man he had followed and believed in disappear from the earth.
"To run would be to admit defeat, to tell all those we have conquered that we are nothing without the leadership of our master. No, we fight Lucius and that is final. My frumentarii are ready, they have been ready. All we need is to fight and I am sure that your soldiers are more than capable of that"
Lucius frowned as he looked at the leader of the cowardly spies "Do not mistake my caution for cowardice Vulpes, the NCR has most of its forces on the dam and if I blindly take my men into battle we will be nothing more than target practice for them. WE need to consider every outcome, every situation and I am surprised that I have to tell you this Vulpes"
Vulpes merely scoffed "Time for us is running out, Vegas's Shadow and the Specialist have armed the Bear with not only weapon but allies. Our grip on the region is slipping away, we are being weak"
"DO NOT…"
As they descended into bickering Aurelius of Phoenix looked at the flames as he frowned "None can lead us like Caesar that much is true but my honor as Legion does not allow me to run… but I am no fool. I won't run into a meat grinder, we need a plan and we need it now my lords"
Vulpes frowned "I have a plan"
"A cowardly plan no doubt" a booming voice said as every single legionnaire tensed up, the slaves quickly adverted their gaze. From the sea of red soldiers, a monster of a man walked towards them. Easily dwarfing every single soldier in the area, his cape stained with the blood of his victims, his helm still with bone and gore from his latest victim, it was easy to know who had arrived.
His armor shone brightly with the light of the fire where Caesar's body burned, the mask showed no emotion, no soul… only cold determination. "Caesar's will is the will of the Legion and now I am the Legion"
Lucius bowed his head in respect while the rest kneeled "Legate Lanius"
Lanius glared at them "The NCR is nothing, their traps are nothing. I broke the east and now I shall break the west. Vulpes prepare your traps and tricks, as for the rest of you" he looked towards the commanders and generals. "Every single one of your troops belongs to me now"
Lucius looked at his superior "But my lord, how do you plan to get pass the NCR snipers and their wall of guns" Lanius turned towards one of the slaves and grabbed her by the neck, once he was done studying her he threw to the ground "Dress the slaves as legion send them running towards NCR, it should buy us enough time to reach their defenses and when those defenses fall there will be nothing to oppose us, we'll attack in waves and after enough waves we are going to weaken them, weaken them until they bleed out"
Vulpes frowned "But what of the ones from Vegas? Caesar wanted them out of the picture before the battle"
The Legate simply looked towards the city of lights and raised his sword "If they truly wish to challenge the Legion they're going to come find me, but no matter how much they try they cannot defeat me" Lanius walked to the fire and reached inside the blazing inferno to pull the ashes of his fallen leader. Legion watched in quiet horror as he raised his flaming fist into the air. "Light the fires, Vegas burns, the NCR burns. All those who oppose the Legion will BURN, I shall carry the flame that Caesar left behind"
Legion roared as the machine of war began to move once again. The slaves whimpered in fear as they were pushed towards their post, the soldiers sharpened their blades and loaded their guns with powder.
Smoke covered the sky, making the night even darker as even the moon hid in fear from the Bull.
"Blue moon, you saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own" the speakers on the strip played the old song, a deserted street as its only audience. "Blue moon you knew just what I was there for, you heard me saying a prayer for someone I really could care for"
The casinos where closed for the foreseeable future, the families all arming themselves incase things went south. Legion had been spotted moving into the Mojave, their armies lighting as many campfires as they could to intimidate the residents of the Mojave.
The Bull had come.
And the Two Headed Bear was not ready.
The Followers of the apocalypse had refused to offer them medical aid, they had failed to get footing in Freeside and they had emergencies all over the area. Their small victories meant nothing in the face of total war, the victory over the Malpais Legate only a memory now that the Butcher had come. But while the NCR braced itself for the sword on The Lucky thirty eight things were different, Winter had returned not long with a still recovering Six, the auto-doc on big mountain fixing him as best as he could.
Winter said nothing as they rode the elevator to speak to House, she looked to the side with worry as Six slumped against the elevator door. His eye closed and his hand shaking, the Divide had done something to him that she had not managed to pry out of him. Something was wrong with him, he could barely look at ED-E and each step he took seemed to require all of his effort. He opened his eye and gave her soft smile "It's ok, I still feel a bit roughed up is all" Winter scoffed.
"You look more than roughed up… please when are you going to tell me what happened there? Don't you love me?"
Six snorted "Of course I do, just… let me process what happened there a little longer. Ulysses… he made remember some things that I think where better left in the past… and he also almost killed me many times, well the Divide did"
Winter shuddered "The Auto-Doc said you were missing entire muscles and… bits of bone, are you sure you are ok? Don't push yourself"
He leaned on her, his body resting on her as he moved his arm around her body "Don't worry, I just need to take it easy… before Hoover Dam, Legate Lanius is here. We cant let him win, if he does he will march all the way here to Vegas and we will loose everything… even the means to get you back home. I wont stop yet and besides with this new outfit I am basically invincible" Six said gesturing to himself.
Outside the Divide winter had found a gift from one courier to another, a fully intact Riot Gear complete with its shotgun and a message. She did not listen out of courtesy, but she saw the effects it had on Six.
His expression changed from anger, to sorrow and finally to understanding. As if the last puzzle piece had fallen into place and shown him the way, so despite the insistence of the Auto-Doc and Winter's pleas Six had put on the outfit and with Old Glory on his back along with the symbol of Old America the courier asked Winter to join him to the Mojave.
"I still think you should be in bed, so please don't push yourself" Winter commented, this made him nod.
As the doors opened he made her a small promise "Don't worry, I won't" the Penthouse was colder than usual, the securitrons all parted ways as they walked inside. Mr. House's plan finally reaching its conclusion and in their cold lines of code the machines knew it. The large picture of Mr. House had not changed but Winter could feel the excitement in his voice, as well as his smugness.
"The time has come, good to see you are still among the living Mr. Six"
Six chuckled "What can I say, they didn't try hard enough. The Legate is here, the smoke from their campfires can be seen for miles. Guess we just need some finishing touches"
"That we do, it is imperative that the NCR wins this battle… but loose the war. Hoover Dam will be ours, Vegas can finally become independent and something can finally come this horrible wasteland"
Winter's eyes widened "You plan to steal the victory from the NCR?!"
"Indeed I do, it's for their own good really. I have run every calculation, ever minute detail has been accounted for and their victory would only bring more instability to the region. Their expansionism would leave the Mojave and their own region open to raiders and maybe even counter attacks by the Legion, so their best option is for me to stop them"
Six nodded as he looked outside "They need to start building more and stop taking" Winter looked at both of them as she tried to process this information, she then glared at the monitor.
"I'm not going to hurt innocent soldiers who are only doing their duty!"
Mr. House actually snorted at that "Absolutely, no need to worry about that. If possible I would like to not a single hair on NCR soldiers to be harmed, is bad for profit. The people are not the issue the NCR government is, acting like their expansion is for the good of their people when in reality all they want is more land. Is time for Kimball and Oliver to wake up and see that no matter how many soldiers they throw and how many lives they are willing to waste they are no match to a well laid plan and of course a tightly written contract"
Winter bit her lip, President Kimball had not left a good impression on her that much was true but… too see the NCR loose the Mojave. All their hard work go to waste, it made her heart break. But she could not deny that the NCR was biting more than they could chew and if they won it would only make the ones in charge vindicated of their actions. More young soldiers would be sent after the Legion as they tried to take Arizona for themselves, it would be a never ending march and if they stretched themselves thin.
"… they are going to break"
Mr. House would have nodded if he could "Indeed, I guess you see the picture now specialist. According to my calculations the NCR would reach a point where splinter factions would form if they have not formed already, the Brahmin barons, the mob and every would be dictator would rally people to their cause to… control the NCR as the new president. Kimball cant live forever and neither can his government, so when he goes so does every sense of stability"
Winter looked at Six who nodded sadly "I walked their lands, its empty. People living here and there with no protection, corruption is running rampant too just ask Cass if you don't believe. Maybe its time they looked inside rather than outside. The Two Headed Bear needs to get direction other than roaming across the wasteland"
No one said anything as Winter let the gears on her head turn, they were right in some things but she refused to believe that everything they said was completely unbiased. Six had history with them and Mr. House was a control freak who wanted things done his way… but if she was honest with herself a small voice in her head told her that the corruption in the NCR might not let them aid her when she needed them.
The needs of the many important people would outweigh her needs when the time came.
"All right… what are the last things we need"
Six smiled as Mr. House printed the plan "Your objective is this, install the override module at the El Dorado substation. Humble as it appears, the substation has immense strategic value, for it's there that you'll jumpstart the Lucky 38's dormant reactor. No one is allowed inside, not even a celebrity"
Winter rolled her eyes at that as Six hummed, his posture no longer hunched over as his body forced itself to heal. The PHOENIX Monocyte Breeder in him working along with his artificial organs to get him into top shape "Better if I handle this one then, I can go in and out without anyone noticing. I will just have to take the long route, across Black mountain… not bad for a warmup"
"Then I leave everything to you… both of you. I must say you two have become quite the useful assets and I intend to keep my end of the contract with you. I have recovered some data from an old… acquaintance, he specialized in sound waves and other such studies. I believe his work can be adapted to help you reach home Winter"
This made Six chuckle "Would his nickname be eight by any chance?"
Mr. House paused "Yes, he did go by that if I am not wrong"
"We… met him" Winter said as she approached the subject carefully "Along with the other members of his team… Doctor Zero still hates you by the way"
Mr. House seemed to be shocked only for his shock to turn into anger "Of course he would survive, he stole securitrons, he stole ideas and now he even… for the love of… tell me he at least is not…"
Six laughed "No need to worry boss, he's insane. All of them are, but they are still brilliant so we managed to make them work for us, we have everything we need to build the machine to send Winter back home all we need is power"
The CEO of Robco was quiet for a moment but then he actually laughed "Then the plan is almost done, with power from Hoover Dam we will send the specialist home, maybe even open a permanent portal between worlds but that is something we need to discuss later on. For now we focus on the now, go to El Dorado substation and then return here"
"…LEGION SPOTTED!" a scream echoed across the dam as everything descended into chaos. The NCR in the dam grabbed its weapons, ready to meet the attack of the Legion head on.
Soldiers aimed as dust from the marching troops was spotted "Steady!" their fingers shook as they tried to get a clear picture. Sniper shots from rangers above made them flinch as the enemy approached "Open fire!"
A deafening cacophony of destruction followed as the NCR opened fire against the Legion shredding them to bloody pieces, none reached them except for a lone solider who desperately limped towards them. As he fell dead and his mask rolled off, one of the soldiers screamed as he saw what they were shooting at "Oh my god, it's a woman! Those bastards are sending their slaves!"
"SHIT! We cannot risk it keep firing!" one of the soldiers yelled while another soldier looked at him like he insane "Who is to say they are all slaves! Keep shooting!"
The soldiers hesitated and as another wave of legion arrived, the crying made them not fire. "This monsters!" one of the soldiers said as the slaves kept running past them. A small beeping sound reached their ears as the slaves ran past them, the sound of a bomb. The C-4 exploded with enough strength to kill most of the surrounding soldiers and those that survived watched in horror as Legion swarmed them from all sides, stabbing and shooting everything in sight.
"FALL BACK! DON'T LET THEM INTO THE…" the orders where silenced as a prime legionnaire smashed his super sledge into the throat of the officer. Coughing up blood the soldier fell to the ground and tried to reach his weapon, the legionnaire simply smashed his weapon against the skull of the NCR soldier splattering his brains and bits of his skull all over the dam.
Screams echoed as NCR was forced towards the middle of the dam, Legion assaulting them from all sides. The dry aqueducts of the dam long forgotten by the world served the Legion to strike at the heart of the NCR.
The battle for hoover dam seemed to be lost on the first wave of the Legion. "They reached the visitors center!" a desperate man cried to his comrades as Ranger did their best to take out as many legionaries as they could but the number of assailants proved to be too many for even the legendary rangers.
The soldier fell as he tried to avoid being stabbed by the legion "Die profligate!" the man raised his sword to deal the killing blow, the soldier closed his eyes as blood splashed all over his face. Hearing the machete fall to the ground he opened his eyes to be greeted by the legionnaire dead, a hole the size of a gold ball on his head.
Hearing the sound of rifle being recharged he turned around.
"Get up soldier and cover me" Winter commented as she prepared her LAER riffle once more and took aim at the Legion. Her shots burned away at their flesh as the laser easily pierced their armor, Legion quickly took notice of that and began to advance towards.
The soldier looked at her in fear "We should run"
Winter merely frowned as she watched the slave army send their best against her, then she relaxed. Rocket fire from behind her stopped the advance of the Legion as machines beyond their comprehension wheeled themselves next to her. The Securitrons now fully upgraded and capable of long distance travel flanked Winter as they fired against the legion sending them back to the center of the dam.
"Status report!" Winter barked at the soldier as he managed to stand up "They have taken over the dam! They are in the fucking wall sand we don't know how! We might be the only ones still standing!"
Winter closed her eyes "So everyone on the surface of the dam is legion?"
"Mostly mam but why does that…" Winter held her hand up to silence him as she typed away in her PipBoy.
–Time to fly-
A short message that she was sure that Pearl would understand. Winter ran to the aid of a ranger as she covered the retreating forces of the NCR, one of the rangers nodded at her "Thanks…" then he turned to the other rangers and yelled "we need to regroup, they have more coming this way!"
"You might want to that, but we are advancing!" Six yelled as he loaded his riot-shotgun. The bodies of fiends littered the area around him as the securitrons finished sweeping the area, a large explosion shook the structure as the soldiers paled "They must have breached this side of the dam!"
Six frowned as he looked at Winter "Then we are running out of time, just you and me for now. Boys… assist the NCR"
The robots all turned around as they formed a line of defense around the soldiers as more and more of the NCR fled to that side of the bridge. Missiles and laser tore through the legion as they were forced to stand behind cover, the tide f battle slowly turning from complete destruction to a worn out battle. In the confusion of the arrival of the new faction the Vegas duo managed to slip inside the dam proper the echo of gunfire inside the dimly lit halls. Winter's boots stained with blood from the corpses of both Legion and NCR that filled the halls of the facility, from the shadows Winter could feel eyes on them. A loud blast echoed as her aura flared, she recognized the sound.
A trail carbine if she was not mistaken, Winter twirled around and landed a kick on the legionnaire that attacked her, with enough strength to knock the wind out oh him while Six brought down old glory on his head killing him quickly "They are in the walls the fuckers, we need to get to the control room" Six said as he wiped the floor off his weapon.
"I agree, but to get to the control room we are going to have to cut through where the main attack is taking place" Winter commented as they began to run towards their destination, Six cursed as they arrived at the generators. The NCR barely pushing back against the horde of legion warriors. The courier loaded his shotgun and turned to Winter "I will cause a distraction, install the override on the control room!"
He then jumped into the battle, blasting legionnaires apart with his weapon "Hey fuckface meet a dragon's breath round!" Six yelled. Winter nodded as she ran across the chaos helping out whenever she could to keep the soldiers alive. Legion barely paid mind to her, more interested in the massacre that the courier was causing as he unleashed grenades, bullets and brutal blows form Old Glory. The perfect distraction for Winter.
"DIE PRO…" Winter shot the man in the head before he got closer to the NCR, the control room was just around the corner. Most soldiers did not blink at her presence, more preoccupied with the threat from the Legion than one of their allies. A part of her was sad that she had to this, she believed in the NCR, she knew that there where good people in the army… but she could not deny that this was not their war to win. They needed to rest, to build, to organize themselves or they would become nothing more than another failed country.
"Sorry mam no one is allowed inside but General Oliver!" a heavy trooper of the NCR said as she reached the are. With a sad sigh she gave a nod "I know… forgive me" Winter blasted them with her semblance freezing everyone in the room. The soldiers gasped as they realized that they could not move "Someone stop her! She's going into the control room! Don't do this!"
Their pleas fell on deaf ears as Winter entered the restricted area and used the Platinum Chip, repurposed to be the final piece in the puzzle "Here we go" Winter muttered as the screens stopped displaying data and numbers and a familiar image flickered on screen.
"I knew you would make it, resourceful as always both of you. The override module is functioning properly. I'm rerouting power to the securitron vault at the Fort as we speak. I just need you to head over to the east power plant and manually activate the switch. When you return topside I think you'll see that my securitron army is more than the legion was prepared to handle… oh and before you go, grab that print out spooling from the console here- those papers set the terms for the NCR's unconditional surrender, cheers" Mr. House said as is face began to appear on every console.
The soldiers jumped in fright as the leader of new vegas made his presence know in the dam. Winter eyed the pamphlet and her eyes widened "5 caps per gallon… holy shit that is criminal"
"What's criminal? Nice work with the frozen soldiers by the way. One of them managed to flip the finger so I think is safe to say they live" Six said as he entered the room. Winter handed him the negotiation letter.
The courier laughed "Oliver wont like this"
"We can think about that later, how's the fight inside the dam?" Winter asked as they ran out of the control room. Six reloaded his weapon "Better than before, legion has withdrawn for the time. But we need to find the head of the snake and cut it off, this was only the first wave of legionnaires and more have been spotted moving here from all over the region, the Legate has to die"
Winter nodded "Then that's our enxt destination I just need to… aha!" Winter flipped a switch as the dam began to reroute its power "Now they are going to fighting a war on two fronts, let's get out of here and find the Legate I doubt a symbol of war would be far from the battlefield"
Six nodded as they began to walk towards the camp, the confused NCR soldiers didn't notice them as they made their exit to the outside once again. Behind them loud explosions detonated in the valley as the boomers rained fire down on the savages like they always dreamed of.
"Hey there!" a familiar voice called out to them as Six shuddered and looked away. From a vertibird Arcade and the Enclave remnants dropped to action as their plasma weapons tore through the remaining legion soldiers. The green projectiles cutting everyone around them. Moreno grabbed an NCR soldier by the collar and made him watch "You see, this real American power! HAHAAH" the old man resumed firing as he let go of the poor man.
"Arcade, glad you made it. Did you see anything of note from the sky?" Winter said making the doctor nod and point with his finger towards a large track of land.
The doctor let out a sigh "The bastards are all over that place, they looked like ants on Sugar Bombs. Far too many to count, I assume that you have a reason for asking me this?" Winter nodded as she reloaded her weapon.
"We have to take out their leader, Legate Lanius. The NCR might be able to hold on for some time but the Legion has thousands of soldiers they can throw at us. Best if we finish this on the first hours of the battle, send them back to regroup and then pursue them out of the region" Winter flinched as the boomer exploded another area near her.
Arcade hummed "I will stay here then, help the NCR with keeping the dam while you go and… well try to get close"
Six frowned as he looked at the number of legionnaires dwindle "They are up to something, if anyone wants to tag along they better do now. Come on!" the courier ran ahead as he used himself as a decoy so that Winter and the rest of the remnants could get a better shot at their attackers. The bullets bounced off the riot gear, Six laughing as he watched the laser fire from Winter's LAER tear the legion. Winter on the other hand was not having fun, the deeper they got into the road the more she realized they had walked into the lion's den.
Legionaries tried to stop them but thanks to the Enclave's weaponry they did not impede their advance too much. "Just like the good ol'times" Moreno muttered loud enough for his friends to hear as his Gatling plasma weapon opened the way for them, the old heavy trooper content in doing this one last time.
The group reached the heart of the camp, eerily deserted. Only mongrels barking at them as Winter felt herself tense. They walked in silence as they tried to see any sign of danger "Something is wrong… I can feel it" she heard cannibal Johnson mutter as they spotted in the distance a large tent, the Legates tent. "NOW!" a scream echoed in the valley, from all sides legionaires flanked. Centurions, Decanus and a few praetorians descended upon them with all their might.
Six grunted when he was hit by a fire axe "Shit, this is bad!" Winter summoned her glyphs to buy them some time, the constructs lasted some time but not enough to let the whole group escape. "You two run! We'll hold them off for now!" the remnants yelled as Six and Winter escaped.
"Fuck! Hold on, I'll go back to…" two shots silenced the Courier as they pierced his head, blood dripped down his head as he fell to the ground "SIX!" Winter yelled as she tried to reach him, a sword cut through the air as the massive Blade of the east cut through her aura and deep into her arms, her LAER falling away from her reach. Witner gritted her teeth and pushed the legate off him she stared at him in hate, she did not need to say a thing to this man.
Summoning a blade of ice she struck at the legate who with grace a man of his size should not have avoided it in the nick of time. Winter struck at him with everything she had, but all her blows where either parried or tanked by the larger man. Vulpes shot at her as her aura shone brightly, freaking out some of the soldiers.
Lanius did not seem to care, he moved fast and using his shoulder as ram he pinned winter against the wall and then slammed his sword against her gut. Her aura finally shattered as Winter fell to the ground, the Legate raising his sword up high to sever her head.
Old Glory intercepted the strike, the legion shot at him in horror as Six managed to give Winter a weak smile "Told ya that it was a good idea to remove my brain" Winter coughed up blood as a response. Vulpes shot at her making her scream Six cursed as eh pushed the Legate towards the leader of the frumentarii. Lanius hummed as he raised his hand.
"An envoy of Vegas, yet you carry yourself for battle. If so, you cannot truly be from that city of cowards" the legate said as Vulpes walked next to him "To speak to them is to waste time Lanius, we need to…" a fist connected with the jaw of Vulpes the jar letting out a loud noise as it shattered.
Six looked at Winter and then back to the enemy.
The Legate was savoring his victory, he had them surrounded. Even if Mr. House's robots arrived on time the Legate would kill them, removing his brain and having implants could only do so much against a monster. Stopping that blow from him had taken all of his strength and both his arms, the legate barely looked like he was trying and he had only used one arm.
The pinnacle of pure humanity in the wasteland.
"What can I say, looks can be deceiving. Took me a heck of a long time to find you, I came here to see if you can listen to reason" so instead he gambled, one more time. Trying to cheat death once more like he had done in Goodsprings.
The legionaries roared with laughter at the ridiculous comment, Lanius glaring at him through the mask "I see you fight with words, like all beneath the flag of the bear. Let us hope your strength with weapons proves greater. Do not waste our time, the west shall fall as the East fell and all the tribes that to the setting sun shall beat the mark of the Legion"
"That wont happen, this battle is decided. That's why I am here"
Lanius scoffed "You walked into my trap, in our first advance we butchered the NCR. My legion stands at the ready to fight, to kill as many of you as possible. The robots? Nothing but time, so you seek what? Quarter? Terms of surrender? Our roads into NCR are hung with the bodies of those who attempted to negotiate with us" Lanius looked at his soldier and the at the dam.
He could smell victory, feel it. Lanius tightened his fist "Save your speeches, we will take Hoover Dam and move forward until our feet crush the setting sun beneath them"
Six stealthily reached for his pockets as he prepared a modified grenade, Winter's eyes widened as Six shortened the distance between them. Ready to blow himself up if it meant killing the Legate. "Move forward? The Legion spent years trying to take hoover dam" an insult, to them as warriors and that made the Legate irate enough to approach Six.
"Hoover dam has never seen the massed strength of the East. Only Legates such as Graham… who deserved the fire Caesar blessed him with. But now I am here and make markers of your people as the Legion carves itself West"
Ulysses' words ranged on his ears, the future he saw. Six put the grenade back in his pocket as he put everything on what he believed, the flag he followed and those that walked with him. The main flaw in both factions was plain for him to see now
"And then what of the East?"
A tense silence fell on the legion as they tried to comprehend what the courier just said, was it a threat they did not see? Lanius growled as he raised his sword to the throat of the man before him "You speak in circles. What of the east? I AM the East and I will prove it this day"
Six looked at the horde of warriors and then back to Lanius "If you need all the East to crush the West…"
"Enough, the victory here shall be swift. Our forces shall take the dam, secure it. No robot army or NCR hero can stop us. Then we'll build a road West on the bodies of the NCR and the city of Vegas the East will hold once across the Colorado, nothing to rival Hoover Dam remains"
Six grinned at the opportunity before him "Except Vegas"
Lanius did not seem faced by this "Vegas will fall"
"Really because I hope you're not counting on the Omertas to help you" Six said as Lanius removed the sword from his throat "I count on no one" The courier nodded at him "Good, because the Omertas' plan was stopped and Vegas is stronger than ever. With more guards than ever"
Lanius simply shook his head and looked towards the leader of the frumentarii, Vulpes glared at the courier as he held his blody mouth. The legate hummed "A plan by Vulpes… treachery is a weapon that one should never rely on. I can only hope that the Omertas died when their treachery was exposed, to have the plan succeed would have only sullied the Legion. All of this does not matter, victory shall be ours, it shall be swift and it will be honest, purchased with blood"
Six nodded "I respect that, I would even go as far to say that I admire what I see in you. So I will do you a favor, not out of desperation but because the flag you wave deserves to be testes, not burned away. It is not the strength of the West that will break you but rather, its weakness"
Winter stood up with difficulty as she watched this in confusion. "What?" he was just letting the enemy know that the NCR was weak, that it was not this powerful monster that the Legion thought it was. They would advance all the way to California!
The legate and the legion all seemed to be thinking the same thing, they lowered their weapons as they stared at their legate for direction. Said man stared in confusion at the bizarre man before him "Your weakness? You seek to… thwart me by claiming the Legion is too strong for you?"
"NCR's weakness is its size, the two headed bear roams with no direction. Constantly on the verge of tearing itself in two, the legion will be no different. Youll fracture and the dream of Caesar will never be completed, only petty tribes fighting over petty territory that once belonged to a great empire"
Lanius crossed his arms, he looked down at his hands, the hands he cast into the fire not so long ago, the ones stained by the fire of Caesar ambitions. If he won, would that serve Caesar?
"That does not mean that we would not succeed"
Six nodded "Eventually sure, but moving your whole army West means loosing the East. You can't hold both, you command the army but what of those that do not want you as their leader" Lanius briefly glanced at Vulpes.
Lanius looked around as eh realized that every single one of his senior officers was here, he barely ahd left anything in the East. He had fought a long and hard battle back in the East, faced unspeakable horrors for his master and yet… would it matter in the end? Would it remain there? Caesar had changed since the discovery of the old world wall. Lanius for the first time in years questioned his master, the ashes on his hands feeling colder than ever.
Whispers of an army of robots approaching sparked amongst the legionnaires, reaching the ears of the Legate. Their moment of triumph turned into one of fear, they still had the numbers but it meant nothing against an army of steel.
"The East was a hard-fought campaign. Even now, Caesar drew too much of the Legion's blood needed there for…" Lanius gestured towards the wall and the lands beyond. Lanius served Caesar, but now that he was gone Lanius had no master. Nothing to follow but the memory of the man that had granted him a second chance and so he would preserve that memory. Keep the Legion whole and strong.
"… this. Hoover dam is but a place. I will not have it be the gravestone of the Legion whether quickly, or as you describe, slowly… by attrition"
Winter's wyes widened as she looked at Six who extended his hand towards the Legate "There is victory in wisdom, Legate Lanius" the monster of a man shook the smaller hand of the Courier, the Legion lowering their weapons as they processed what had happened.
"As for wisdom… there is wisdom in your words, man of the West. Know that I shall return East. I shall not remain there forever. On that day, the strength of Vegas and the Bear shall be tested. If the west is one day filled with ones such as you it shall be a worthy fight indeed"
Six shook his head at him "If you feel that war matters that much, perhaps you will see different in time"
"My coming would have saved you, set your people free in ways they cannot see. War would have tested them. Broken the weak with its violence, yet allowing the strong to arise. Violence gave you that strength, awakened you I can see it upon your face where two bullets left their mark" Lanius said as he looked at the wounds from Maria. Six opened his mouth as he tried to say something but he could only chuckle and nod his head.
Lanius turned around as he began to move back towards the East "I shall await for you in the battlefield" Six nodded dumbly as the words spoken by the Legate stayed with him, the form of his enemy becoming smaller in the horizon.
Winter stood up as she injected a stimpak on her side and put her hands on Six's shoulder "You all right?"
"I should be the one asking you that" Six said as he moved his arms to pull her into a small hug. Winter buried her head on his shoulder for a brief second and then looked at the retreating Legion. A part of her wanted to open fire, to disregard the protocol to end their evil but… "Why? Why did you seem to care? Their flag?"
Six looked at Old Glory "I don't want to kill another nation, no one should have that power. Not you, not me and not the NCR, if the Legion truly deserves to live then they need to become something greater. Something better, Ulysses did not believe that the Bull could change… but I want to believe that they can, that the NCR can. And if they don't, let them fade into memory like Old World history"
The specialist gave a small nod and gave him a quick peck on the cheek as she left towards hoover dam, Six stayed behind to stare at the horizon and at the lands beyond.
Winter reunited with the remnants as they sat down to catch a breath "I don't know how you pulled it off but the whole army just turned around and left!" Cannibal Johnson said as Moreno let out a snort. "I still had more ammo, could have taken out another two hundred of them. But it felt good to make the NCR piss their pants and show them how it is done"
The specialist smiled as she shook her head "It was… sure something. It would be best if you began to leave though" Moreno looked at her in curiosity "Oh, how so?"
Winter motioned towards Hoover Dam "The NCR does not realize they lost the dam all they see is that the Legion is retreating. If I were an opportunist I would use this very moment to take control and credit for this victory and I have a feeling more than one of the high ranking NCR military personel is like that"
Judah laughed as he stood up "Like you wouldn't believe, she's right boys. Let's light up the signal and ask Daisy to pick our sorry asses out of here" Winter waved at them as they left to a more secure area. It was funny how at peace she felt, it did not matter how many bodies littered the ground, how foul the smell of gunpoweder and plasma was in the air. It had ended, the big sword across the neck of the Mojave had fallen to the side barely missing the neck of the region.
It seemed like it was an eternity ago when she fell into Goodsprings and now all that stopped her from going home was the men and women she had helped. The doors to the legion camp where exploded open as tired rangers helped protect a high priority target. Winter had heard much about General Oliver, Boone said that he was only general because he knew Kimball.
Corruption.
Others said that Oliver was more of a reactionary, waiting to see what happened to then respond. This had costed the lives of the soldiers under his command good men and women who only wanted the best for their country and the people in it.
Carelessness.
And now that she watched stroll inside the camp, his head high in the air as if he had single handedly won the war when the ground was soaked witht eh blood of NCR soldiers who died and surrounded by men and women who had barely pushed off a savage attack. Winter had a clear idea of what a good general was in her head, one she had chosen to follow because she believed in him. Oliver was no Ironwood and if the ones in charge hurt those bellow them then it was time to push them out of power.
"Caesar on the cross, been a long time since I've see the kind of work you've laid down today a DAMN long time. And the screams of those Legion bastards as they kicked dirt running east like a choir of angels to my ears, speaking of that crazy lightsohow over the Fort? What the fuck was that, some kind of thumb from God you called down? Amazing, fucking amazing"
Winter nodded at the praise "Just did what was best for the NCR sir" Oliver nodded, satisfied with the response.
"I could use a hundred of you, just scatter you over the East like jacks, give those plumed fucks the what-for. I think you might deserve to longer just be a civilian you know, be part of something bigger and brighter"
Winter let out a sigh as she looked at the soldiers and then at oliver "As much as I apreacite the idea, I have to decline. I did not take the dam for you, I took it for Vegas"
Oliver raised an eyebrow at her "Vegas? What the families? Or… House... you're talking about House!" as if summoned the area was surrounded by an army of Securitrons all of them with their weapon pointing at the General, the soldiers looked in fear at Winter as her betrayal hit like a hammer. She was hero and even she had abandoned them.
"What is this Brahmin shit? I'm not getting the feeling that we're all about to sing koombahyah here" Oliver demanded to know as he walked up to her and glared. Winter grabbed the small piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to the General.
Winter gestured towards the dam "I have the terms of surrender right here. I suggest you give them a read"
Oliver almost growled as he read the paper "What the hell are you talking about? What is this?! Free economic Zone of New Vegas what the fuck… oh no wait here we go. Demands NCR's immediate withdrawal…. WITHDRAWAL?! Like fuckin hell we're withdrawing we just held the dam, we didn't do it to let it go!"
The general spat in the face of Winter as she barely blinked "This paper of yours? Isn't fit to wipe my ass. If you think that after all that's happened I'm going to grab my ankles and take it like the Legion…"
Winter raised her hand "Stop, don't embarrass yourself further for the sake of your soldiers. I took the dam General Oliver, with Mr. House's backing along with Courier Six" Oliver simply scoffed at her "I wont surrender the dam, and certainly not to the ghost man of Vegas and his new right hand of the week. From what I heard you're a soldier look at it from my perspective"
This time Winter was the one that glared "You will, you don't have another alternative. I do see it from your point of view, a coward that does not want to fail in front of them men he has failed"
Oliver gritted his teeth "We held this place for years, kicked one Legate out of here so hard Caesar burned him to a crisp. Its OUR post, we've fought for it and I'll fight for it again today. If you're looking to convince me otherwise, then you better have a lot more reasons than you just telling me to go"
Winter snapped as she pointed at the soldiers "THEY have fought for it. Every single one of them has bled and cried to defend this place while you disappeared and waited. Where were you when I entered the control room? Not in the fucking dam that's for sure! Your soldiers died by the hundreds everywhere in the Mojave while the NCR does nothing to help them and if they dessert they are hunted down like animals! How can you expect the soldier to fight when the leader does not set the example… but fine. You want reason to turn a leave I will give them to you"
The specialist adopted a more business like appearance as she looked down at her PipBoy "You're speaking with me here, so that says a lot about how willing you are to fight. Second of you are surrounded by armed robots, robots that just mowed down legion forces that forced your own soldiers into guerilla positions… and right now you have nowhere to hide. So what do you have to say?"
Oliver chuckled "Look... Winter was it? House, that boy toy of your and Vegas they got you blinded a little. The NCR has way more perks than them, think about that before you sign on with that city and if you say no to us… when we're riled, watch out"
"Threats and bribes, charming. The point has not changed, the NCR can't hold the Mojave already and now you're threatening me? Just to make a point? Not just yours but the lives of people that don't deserve to die"
Oliver watched his soldiers as they all glared at him, their trust in him long gone. He was screwed so he let out a sigh and tried to save face "I'm not going to throw away the lives of my men just to make a point. And there'll be other days…" the general tried to sound threatening but Winter could see that he had failed to convince even his own troopers. They left without waiting for him, the NCR had also failed that day.
The Securitrons turned to Winter as she let out a sigh at the result, seems like Mr. house was going to have a rough day on the negotiation table in the near future, a lone securitron approached her, holding a transmission coming all the way from the Lucky thirty eight "You know I've had thousands of employees in my time. Few met my expectations, fewer still surpassed them. The performance both of you has been nothing short of spectacular, if I ever have the need for a specialist of your stripe again, I'll know where to turn"
Mr. House said as he surveyed the retreating general "Back to Vegas shall we? I really should do something about that monorail with all the new resources at hand. I can make sure it not only runs but runs on time. Always bothered me the imprecision"
Winter snorted, always planning something more. As Six slowly approached them, he looked at the general and then at Winter "What did you say to him? He looked pissed"
"Let's just say that the general will not stay in California for long"
House scoffed "No need to worry about the General by the way. He'll be held responsible, publicly disgraced… thirty six point five percent probability of suicide by my estimate. Kimball won't be able to save him from his actions, he'll be too busy getting thrown out of office. But less than a three percent chance of suicide mind you"
Six and Winter stood side by side as they turned their gaze to Vegas "Won't this fiasco… you know affect Vegas boss?" House ran some calculations.
"Vegas might see a dip in revenue for a few months, half a year at most. But soon enough the tourist and their money will be pouring in to finance the new projects we can build. The city of Vegas will be a shining jewel in the middle of the dessert an oasis of light, a beacon to sow mankind the way… to new worlds. This is just the start you see, this is where it all begins!"
And so the courier who had cheated death in the cemetery outside Goodsprings cheated death once again. With the aid of the cold lady by his side the Mojave wasteland was forever changed. Mr. House's securitron army took control of hoover dam and the strip, pushing both the legion and the exhausted NCR out of New Vegas. Mr. House continued to run New Vegas his way, a despotic vison of Pre-War glory. The streets were orderly, efficient, cold. New Vegas continued to be the sole place in the wasteland where fortunes were won and lost in the blink of an eye.
Winter fair and kindhearted to those in the wasteland ensured that Mr. House and Courier Six would keep New Vegas stable and secure for future generations. Mr. House in turn afforded both of his employees every luxury at his disposal in the Lucky thirty eight, out of gratitude and a quiet sense of pride for his choice in lieutenants.
And so the Courier's road came to an end… for now. In the new world of the Mojave Wasteland, fighting continued, blood was spilled and many lived and died- just like they had in the Old World.
Because war… war never changes.
"Power optimal"
Electricity danced around the area, as the machine came to life. A blue portal slowly began to form.
"Portal stable"
Winter walked towards the light as she held the hand of Six. The courier nodded at Sarah behind him as she waved at them goodbye, behind the girl Mr. House and the rest of the companions watched as the portal widened.
Six looked down at his PipBoy and watched as a new entry appeared on the screen, he smiled softly as he began to walk into the portal.
The End.