Something I came up with while doing a kind of self-imposed challenge in Fallout New Vegas. Hope you all enjoy!
Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!
Veronica knocked on the door of her best friend's room in the Lucky 38. "Sixer?" she called.
"Come in Vee." came the soft reply. The Scribe came in and took in the appearance of her best friend, Courier Six, or "Sixer" as she preferred to be called. "Is it almost time?" she asked, pulling a duster jacket with an old world flag off the end of her bed.
"Yeah. Cass and Arcade are waiting for us downstairs with ED-E and Rex." was the reply.
Sixer nodded as she made sure her usual Tribal armor was in place before putting the jacket on, grabbing the rebreather from the Boomers off the nightstand and slipping it on before going to grab her Sherrif hat and weapons. She noticed a curious look on Vee's face and chuckled. "Something on your mind?"
"Just something I'm curious about. I've been trying not to ask since I know it's probably personal but..."
"Just ask Vee." Sixer sighed.
"What's with the tribal armor? Ever since I've known you, you only take it off here on the Strip. And it's not like you don't have better armors. I could even teach you how to use the Power Armor." Vee offered, thinking of the stealth suit Sixer had given Arcade that auto-injected Stimpacks. Or the armor from the Sion Valley she had given Cass that had kept the caravanner safe more than once.
"I appreciate the offer...but this is my mother's armor." Sixer explained.
"Your mom?" Veronica asked in shock.
"Yeah. Back when I was a kid, we lived in the Texas Wasteland. My tribe, the Grand Fishers, were one of the more peaceful tribes and actually got along with some of the more "civilized" areas." Sixer explained, putting on her hat and placing her Weathered 10mm into her left leg holster and Maria in the right before strapping the Holorifle she kept from her time at the Siera Madre across her back. "Of course, it didn't matter much when the slavers came."
"Oh my god." Veronica gasped, already guessing where this was going.
"They wiped us out. I was seven when I first felt a slave collar around my neck. Most of us were killed or sold across the States. I managed to escape during an auction at 15, the bastards had actually put me and my Mom on the block, her in her old armor since she was...beautiful in it." she chuckled, strapping her She's Embrace onto her left arm. "After a while in, this pregnant lady was brought up, and everyone started dying. A sniper I think, since I never heard the shots. Mom and I grabbed a knife off the two Legion fucks nearest us, managed to get the collars off, and ran for it. Took all of two hours for them to find us and a spear came through Mom's stomach."
"Did she...?" Veronica asked, already knowing the answer.
"We made it to Hopeville before the townsfolk chased them off. Five Legion Scouts vs a whole lot of angry gunners made for a fairly obvious fight. The doc did what he could...but Mom passed the next day from her injuries." Sixer replied. "I kept her armor, hoping I would grow into it. As you can see, I still have to tighten the straps to the breastplate." Both girls shared a small giggle. "But even if I was at home in that town... I'm still a Grand Fisher at heart. So I started wandering beyond the Divide...and after a while, the elderly man who was taking care of me explained his old profession."
"He was a Courier?" Veronica guessed.
"Exactly." Sixer nodded, getting all the ammo she would need, and a few explosives just in case. "So I started doing the same. Then...well. I already told you what happened with Ulysses at the Divide. My biggest regret."
Veronica nodded, remembering when the girl had returned moments before the Divide was sealed forever behind a nuclear barrage. And the tale she had to tell. "Thanks... for telling me."
"It's not like I was hiding it. It's just that no one ever asked." Sixer giggled before passing the Power Fist she had taken from Salt-Upon-Wounds during her trip to Sion and passing it to Veronica while grabbing a shotgun of her own. "But yeah. That's the story of the Tribal girl who became Courier Six, and is about to secure Independence for the Mojave."
"Well then, shall we get going, Ms Grand Fisher Courier?" Veronica asked with a smile.
"Absolutely." Sixer replied, activating the elevator as she checked the Terrible Shotgun and made sure her other weapons were secured and ready. Soon, the Mojave would be hers to control. And she was sure she could lead it into the future, rather than have it stuck in the past.
And done! Hope you all enjoyed this little scrap of boredom I whipped up. Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see you all next time!