New Vegas, Freeside
Three months after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam
In the aftermath of the massive battle that had decided the fate of Mojave, Lucy, better known as the Courier, had expected to find chaos and anarchy take its hold across all of New Vegas. It admittedly hadn't helped that she had ordered the last of the city's Securitrons out into the desert on a far more important mission, but thankfully, it seemed that her worries were for naught. At least for the time being, the New California Republic had managed to step in and enforce law and order.
Nobody truly celebrated the intervention of the western government, but it was begrudgingly tolerated by most of the city's residents. Indeed, for the average inhabitant of New Vegas, very little truly changed, in no small part because the NCR did not have their eyes on the poorer elements of their new conquest.
The Strip itself was the recipient of that "honor," but in practice, ended up doing fairly well. With the credit check at the main gate slashed drastically, and swaths of NCR tourists from the west, the only thing really holding the Casino Families back from even more goliath profits was the new taxes levied against them by the NCR Government.
Even so, the White Gloves, now cannibal free, were free to be as elitish and snobbish as they liked. The Tops and the Chairmen were doing better than ever under the leadership of Swank, and the Garrett Twins had happily taken over ownership of the Gomorrah after Lucy and Veronica had ruthlessly massacred the Omertas.
In truth, Lucy had wanted to do that for a little while. From keeping women as sex slaves to peddling enough drugs to turn half of New Vegas into addicts, the crime family had already been very firmly on her shit list. But it was when she had learned that the Omertas were planning an attack on the Vegas Strip in conjunction with Caesar's Legion had just given her the excuse that she'd been looking for to kick in the door and kill anything with a suit and a stupid accent.
The Lucky 38 remained dormant for the moment, but whatever the NCR decided to do with it, Lucy didn't particularly care, since she'd already taken anything that she'd really wanted from it. The more advanced terminals from Mr. House's control suite had been the primary object of interest for her, since they gave her the ability to control what were now her Securitrons all the way from her home at Big Mountain. She'd also grabbed his life-extending machine, in the hopes that the scientists of the Think Tank that were under her command might be able to better understand the technology. The snow globes too, since it seemed a shame to leave them behind.
Some of the other communities of New Vegas, however, were not doing nearly as well, most notably the North Vegas Square and Westside. The Chem Fiends had been decimated, offering them some relief, but that didn't mean that things were safe for the unfortunate parts of New Vegas. The NCR's government had its eyes focused squarely only where the wealth was to be found, but their bitter and vindictive Troopers were far from done with the Fiends. A surprising amount of them were willing to spend their leave days in the outskirts of New Vegas, hunting down the last remains of the gang, seeking vengeance for fallen friends and innocents.
And then there was Freeside, the largest part of New Vegas by far, and one that was mercifully doing a bit better than it had previously. The new alliance between the Kings and the NCR remained shaky due to their long-standing rivalry, which had only recently come to an end. It was thanks to the efforts of the King and Major Kieran that the Alliance held, and for the moment, law and order seemed to have finally made its way to Freeside.
The peace was aided by the fact that the Van Graffs, who had once sponsored so much violence and crime in the region, were now gone. They had packed up their wares and headed back west about a month after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. Publically, they'd claimed that the move was made as part of a "new business model," but Lucy, of course, knew the truth. After all, it had been her that had brought it to light, along with her good friend Cass.
All-in-all, Lucy was very pleasantly surprised to see just how well things were doing for the old world city of vice and sin. Now, there was only one last place that she wanted to check on, the Old Mormon Fort. The Followers of the Apocalypse were, as a general rule, very dependable and good people. An entire organization dedicated to education, medical care, and charity was something that was a very rare find in the Wasteland, let alone one that had done so well for itself.
Perhaps it wasn't much of a surprise then that when she walked through the large wooden gates to the old world fort, things were looking quite a bit different. Gone were the temporary tents that had once made up the majority of the fort's housing, now there were purpose-built wooden cabins, either still being erected or seemingly already fully built.
However, just because things looked like they were going well, didn't mean that they were, and so the first step towards figuring that out was to check in with a few old friends. The two people that immediately came to mind were Julie Farkas, the leader of the Followers of the Apocalypse in New Vegas and the surrounding region, and her dear friend and occasional traveling companion Arcade Gannon.
However, even after a fair bit of searching, she couldn't find either of them. Not in the cabins, not in Julie's office, not even when she looked around just outside the fort. Admittedly a bit frustrated, Lucy found somebody wearing a Followers Lab Coat who didn't look too busy, and gave them a brief tap on the shoulder. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Julie Farkas, do you know where I can find her?"
The man turned to face her and shook his head. "She's not here anymore, with things going more smoothly around here, she decided to move further east where they need more Doctors."
Well, that at least answers how things are going around here, although I still would've liked to say hello… Lucy thought, at least somewhat satisfied with his answer. "What about Arcade Gannon, where's he right now?"
The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed somewhat nervously, which immediately put her on edge even before he started speaking. "Haven't you heard? He was with the Enclave at Hoover Dam, the NCR's put a bounty out on them."
"They what?!" Lucy loudly exclaimed, attracting more than a little bit of attention from around her. Her disbelief was swiftly squashed, however, when she remembered exactly who it was that they were talking about. Siding with the NCR had been a difficult decision for her, since even with all of the good people that lived both within and out of the military, it was impossible to ignore the corruption of their leadership and worrying disregard for the wellbeing of the people of the Mojave Wasteland.
Seeing that she'd very obviously spooked the Doctor with her pronounced reaction, she made an effort to calm herself down before she asked her next question. "Son of a… does anybody have any idea where he might've gone?"
The Doctor sadly shook his head. "To be honest, I was kind of hoping that you would know, what with your, well…"
Lucy nodded in understanding. "My armor, I know."
Her Ranger Patrol Armor tended to leave people understandably assuming that she was an NCR Ranger, which by technicality, wasn't incorrect. She was an NCR Ranger, but an honorary one. She'd never gone through the training for it, nor was she ever even enlisted in the military. In truth, General Moore had probably only really given her the title because it simply no longer commanded the respect that it once did, what with Chief Hanlon's treachery and subsequent suicide.
Her look of utter dejection must've shown, because the Doctor's expression softened somewhat. "I'm sorry, I wish I had some better news for you. Was he a friend of yours too?"
Although she appreciated the Doctor's effort to comfort her, there was one minor correction she felt compelled to make. "He is a friend of mine. Arcade's a good man… he deserved better than to have us turn our backs on him."
After thanking the Doctor for his time, and technically having accomplished what she set out to do, she turned to leave, cursing herself for not being present when Arcade and the Enclave Remnants had clearly needed her. It would've been a long shot to get them all pardoned by the NCR, that much she already knew, but she could have at least offered them a relatively safe home at Big Mountain, along with Veronica, Christine, and Kyle.
Indeed, Veronica and Christine were the very reason why she'd been absent in the first place. From practically the moment that the Battle of Hoover Dam had concluded, their glaringly obvious connection had made itself known to her mind, and she'd then spent the next two entire months working with Veronica to find a way back to the Sierra Madre and reunite the two. It had taken an awful lot of effort, but she owed it to her friends to ensure they had another chance to be happy together. It had also been a good opportunity to find a use for Yes Man and her new Securitron Army, which had taken Christine's place as the guardians of the Sierra Madre.
Kyle had been a different story entirely. The only reason why the companion whom she had traveled with the most wasn't by her side now was because he was in California, sorting out some business on her behalf. The truth be told, she regretted sending away, especially given just how long he was going to be gone. Even so, it was an important mission, one that needed to be done properly, and he was the most qualified to oversee it.
Lost in thought and dejected at the terrible news, it was only an unexpected sight that snapped her out of her poor state of mind. A lone tent, standing in the corner of the Old Mormon Fort that she'd somehow managed to miss in spite of her search for her friends. It wasn't very big either, easily something that could be packed up and carried by a single person. Her natural curiosity got the better of her, and deciding that she could spare a bit of extra time, she decided to go check it out.
Inside of the tent, she found a woman who immediately stood out as being somewhat out-of-place amongst the Followers of the Apocalypse. Rather than wearing a labcoat, she was dressed more in line with typical western clothes. A large duster covering some more simple brown trousers and a black tee-shirt. A wide-brimmed hat sat atop her long blonde hair, offering shade over her brown eyes.
Indeed, were it not for the metal pin on her hat, depicting the emblem of the Followers of the Apocalypse, Lucy would have assumed she was a mercenary or otherwise hired help. Perhaps the strangest thing about her, however, was her weapon. Most followers typically did carry firearms or melee weapons, but it was usually something compact or even concealable.
The stranger's M1 Garand Battle Rifle was a far cry from both, laid out on a table beside her chair in utterly immaculate condition for what was no-doubt a very old weapon. An ancient M1911A1 handgun rested beside it in a partially disassembled state, once again in very-well kept condition. However, the stranger paid her weapons no mind, as she was far too busy reading through a rather well-worn book.
As soon as the woman heard Lucy enter the tent, she looked up at her and there was a visible look of annoyance on her face as she sighed. "Don't tell me, you're here with the Crimson Caravan, right?"
Lucy, admittedly caught a bit off-guard, was quick to reply. "No, I'm not affiliated with them."
The woman narrowed her eyes in a slight sense of suspicion, as though trying to sum up exactly how truthful Lucy was being.
Sensing that she wasn't going to say anything, Lucy decided to speak up, doing her best to come across as a bit more neutral. "Were you expecting somebody else?"
The woman's suspicious gaze faltered, and she nodded. "I was… am, I suppose. They've asked for a few things from me that I've openly refused, and I figured that they'd sent somebody in uniform to come and intimidate me."
That particular comment set off a sharper bit of irritation in Lucy's mind, it was one thing to have somebody make an incorrect and insulting assumption about her. In truth, she was fairly used to it, but it was entirely another to have everybody in the NCR's military put under one umbrella. "Contrary to what some might say, we're not all crooks. There are plenty of good people who are the reason why you and I aren't pinned up on crosses right now."
To her surprise, the stranger actually seemed a little bit… What was that look on her face, shame? It was such a rare sight in Lucy's life that it genuinely took her a moment to figure out what it was. "I… you're right. I shouldn't be making assumptions about people that I've just met, I apologize."
Lucy, naturally, wasn't in any hurry to hold a grudge. "Don't worry about it. From the sounds of it, you've got some people gunning for you, some caution is justified. Are you one of the Doctors here?"
The woman nodded, before extending a hand. "I appreciate the understanding, I'm Savannah. I'm a Missionary from New Canaan. We travel across the Wasteland, spreading the Lord's word and helping out whenever we can."
Lucy took her hand and shook it, briefly thinking back to the last time she'd met a Missionary, which had been Daniel back up in Zion National Park, although she was fairly certain that he'd given up traveling. "Lucy, nice to meet you. If you don't mind me asking, what have the Crimson Caravan been doing that they're giving you trouble?"
Savannah hesitated for a moment, but swiftly resolved herself to answer. "They've been trying to convince me that my home would benefit from an "expansion" of their business. Putting aside that I don't have that kind of authority in the first place, I'm more than familiar with their type. They're snakes, strangling good people for all that they're worth and pocketing the caps, wicked souls."
"That's about as apt a summary of them as I've ever heard." Lucy remarked. "I did some work for them a while ago, but got out of that job once I picked up on exactly what they were willing to do in the name of profit. Long story short, they hurt one of my friends, and wanted me to do some terrible things. If I ever see their manager again, it'll be too soon."
Savannah nodded sorrowfully. "And that is precisely why we prefer to do our trading with the Happy Trails Company instead. They may be merchants, and greed consumes us all to one degree or another, but they respect our beliefs and are willing to deal with us on our terms."
Savannah's continued references to New Canaan made Lucy's heart pang with sympathy. The people of New Canaan, what few were left, were good and honest people, far from deserving of the fate that the White Legs had given them. Despite a heroic effort, their settlement was blown apart and burned to the ground, the bulk of its people tortured and massacred, and the soil salted so that nothing would grow upon it again.
But the people of New Canaan had been avenged. In the canyons of Zion Valley, she, Joshua Graham, and the tribals of the Sorrows and the Dead Horses had massacred the White Legs. The Three Marys had run red with rivers of their blood, and no mercy had been spared for the butchers. Lucy herself had been the one to end the life of their leader, Salt-Upon-Wounds, in the final battle of the night.
Deciding that no-doubt painful memories were a very bad thing to mention to somebody whom Lucy had only just met, she instead decided to focus on a happier memory. Even so, it was difficult to mention her time with Happy Trails without mentioning how it had gone. "I did some work for them before, helping to chart a path through Zion. It… didn't go well, but you're right, they are good people."
To her surprise, Savannah didn't seem upset at all by Lucy's thinly-veiled reference to what had happened to New Canaan. "I'm sorry to hear your efforts weren't successful, but I'm glad to hear that you're of the same mind as we are, and that I was wrong about you. You're right, there are good people in the NCR, but they can also be… difficult."
Lucy nodded, for as much as she genuinely believed in a lot of the people within the NCR, it was very far from a faultless nation. Corruption and narcissism dominated the government, and the economy was largely under the control of Brahmin Barons and monopolies like the Crimson Caravan and the Gun Runners. "I won't deny it, hell, I agree with you."
Savannah raised an eyebrow at her words, but certainly not one of suspicion, this was something different, curiosity. "You certainly don't act much like any Ranger that I've ever spoken with. As you said, some are good people, but all of them have displayed nothing less than staunch nationalism. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"
Lucy awkwardly scratched the back of her head, it was a question that she'd only really gotten once before, and that time she'd been in such a mood that she had answered "From the grave." Somehow, she figured Savannah wasn't the type for such humor, and so decided to answer in a slightly less crass manner. "I'm not sure, I was shot in the head almost a year ago, and I don't remember much from before that. I guess you could say-"
She paused, recognizing that she was about to say something that she very much shouldn't have. Big Mountain was not something she mentioned to just anybody, it was only something that she could entrust to those who were closest to her, and who could bear respect to its powerful secrets.
Ever the excellent liar, she mimicked a nervous gulp and continued on with her new answer. "-Goodsprings. A good friend of mine, Doc Mitchell, managed to patch me up."
Savannah took it all in stride, before a look of realization set in on her face. "Wait… you're The Courier, aren't you?"
A familiar sense of annoyance took hold in Lucy's mind. That, fucking, title. She had no problem with being well-known for her deeds, even if fame wasn't something she'd ever really craved. No, it was the fact that she had to be known as "The Courier." A mailwoman, that was her legacy, not as an honorary Ranger, not as a Paladin in the Brotherhood of Steel, not as the woman who had killed pretty much everybody in the Legion's upper echelons of command. No, she was a mailwoman.
"That's… ugh, yes, I'm The Courier." Lucy remarked, unable to get the words through her mouth without at least a little disdain. Seeing the confusion on Savannah's face, she took the time to briefly reiterate her feelings on the title, and Savannah's expression shifted from one of confusion to one of bemusement.
"Well now that you point it out, it is a bit ridiculous, isn't it?" Savannah said. "Still, it's good that the fame hasn't gotten to your head. For what it's worth, I'm sorry to hear about your memories, I hope that one day they can recover somehow, or failing that, you can at least make some new, better ones."
"I appreciate the sympathy." Lucy replied. Privately, however, she found herself eager to distance herself from the uncomfortable topic. It wasn't something that she liked talking about with just about anybody, even her closest friends. "What about you? Why did you decide to become a Missionary?"
Savannah briefly paused, probably having noticed her attempt to shift the topic, but thankfully didn't mention it. "Most people from New Canaan work as Missionaries at some point in their life. Exceptions are made, of course, since some of our people cannot handle the rigors of Wasteland travel for one reason or another. For those of us who can, it is our duty to spread the word of the Lord to as many gentiles as we can, and hopefully set them on the road to salvation."
Lucy nodded, this was all things that she'd known, but there was something very strange about the way that Savannah said it. There was no sadness as she said the name of her old home, indeed, she sounded excited and happy. She didn't even refer to it in the past-tense. Finally, the realization clicked in Lucy's mind like a knife to the gut.
Savannah didn't know about the fall of New Canaan.
Her face must have betrayed her feelings, because Savannah's look of excitement shifted to one of concern. "Is something wrong?"
I have to tell her. Lucy swiftly resolved. For as hard as the truth was going to be, she would tell it, although she would do it as gently as was possible. "I… was just thinking about the last time that I met New Canaanites, up in Zion. You might know them, Daniel and Joshua Graham?"
There was a faint look of something unpleasant in Savannah's eye at the mention of Joshua, but she was very quick, and very good, at hiding it. There was no mystery as to why, as Joshua Graham had, in spite of his redemption, done utterly terrible things as Caesar's Legate. "I know them, quite well, in fact. If I may ask, what were they doing in Zion?"
Lucy's mind worked frantically to find a way to convey the bad news as gently as possible, but eventually recognized that there really wasn't such a way, not with a truth so brutal.
"They were protecting the tribals there from the White Legs after… after they destroyed New Canaan." Lucy said, momentarily fumbling her words in spite of her best efforts.
There was a noticeable delay in Savannah's reaction as her words no-doubt set in as best as they could. Her eyes widened and her posture slouched as a single, quiet word slipped past her lips. "…What?"
Lucy only nodded in affirmation. "I'm sorry, Savannah. I wish it wasn't true any more than you do."
Savannah's calm demeanor was gone, replaced by the obviously frantic nature of her mind. "That's… that's not possible! We have strong defenses, and a capable militia! We-"
Cold as it might have been, Lucy interrupted her, figuring that the Missionary would only struggle more if she continued to deny it. "Savannah."
"It can't be, it just can't!" She insisted, a tear falling from her face. In spite of her words, she knew that Lucy spoke the truth, but just couldn't bear to hear it.
Savannah tried to speak once more, opening her mouth to say something, but closed it before a single word could emerge. Finally, she wrapped her arms around herself, briefly trembled, and then another tear fell, and then another, followed by many more.
Lucy made her way to Savannah's side as she broke down in earnest, wrapping her arms around the grieving survivor and at least allowing her to have some company in her suffering. It was far from the first time that Lucy had comforted the grieving, and in all likelihood, it would be far from the last.
More than once, the commotion attracted the attention of the Doctors and guards from the Followers outside. Lucy sent most of them back with a stern glare and a gesture to give Savannah some space, but one was kind enough to bring along a box of tissues. Sandy and dusty as they were, Savannah blew through every last one.
After what felt like hours, the tears stopped falling and Savannah caught her breath, sitting in awkward silence before her strength to speak returned. Her voice was hoarse and hollow, no doubt mostly due to the way that she'd just been crying, but there was undeniably a hint of despair in her tone as well. "…Was it just them? Did anybody else make it?"
Finally, Lucy had something to say that could genuinely help. She pulled back and gave Savannah some space, but stayed by her side just in case she was needed. "There were other survivors. I'm not sure how many people made it, since they weren't in Zion during the war with the White Legs."
Savannah looked up to her, and even through her red face and puffy eyes, there was a visible sense of surprise. "The fighting… it's over?"
Lucy nodded with a grim satisfaction. "The White Legs paid dearly for what they did, I saw to it personally."
There was another period of awkward silence as Savannah visibly thought, a strong sense of conflict on her face. It was nigh-impossible to gauge what was running through her mind up until she spoke. "I need to go ho-"
She choked on her words, having realized what she was about to say. Lucy gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, inspiring her to keep speaking.
"-back to my people." Savannah said, before giving her an inquisitive look. "They were… rebuilding, right?"
Lucy nodded. "The plan was to live among the tribals in Zion, at least, it was when I left. That was about seven months ago."
Savannah's expression still betrayed her grief, but among it now was something else, drive, and more than that, a purpose. "I have never been to Zion, but I will make it there."
That's going to be a long trip, and a dangerous one, through enemy territory… Lucy thought. She knew that the White Legs and the Legion had taken terrible losses, but as far as she was concerned, it wasn't nearly enough. More pressingly, there was also the risk that Savannah might come across a large group of them, whereupon she would certainly be killed, or worse.
But like with any problem, there was a solution.
"Without a Pip-Boy to navigate with, that's a three-month trip, at least." Lucy pointed out, before raising her right arm with a faint smile. "But I've got one."
Savannah fixed her with an indiscernible look, before nodding. "Whatever you want for it, I am willing to pay."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I was going to offer to come with you. I've made the trip before, it would be safer to have us watching each other's backs as well."
Savannah's expression softened into one of surprise, and she answered quietly. "You are kind to offer, but you do not have to. Surely you have other commitments?"
Lucy gave it a bit more thought, but she wouldn't have made the offer to Savannah without good reason. For one, her duties at Big Mountain could probably be handled by Veronica and Christine with little difficulty. Indeed, they weren't expecting her back for another month, since Lucy had expected things in the Mojave to be a lot more rough than they actually were, and had set aside time to deal with those apparently non-existent issues.
The second was admittedly a bit more… personal. Her earlier thoughts about the Legion and White Legs potentially laying ambushes between the Mojave and Zion had inspired newfound concern within her. That, coupled with being reminded firsthand at the suffering they wrought through seeing Savannah's reaction to the destruction of her, codified her resolve. If there were any enterprising bastards along the route north, she'd simply kill them herself, and solidify her advantage over Boone in their longstanding competition to kill the most Legionaries.
"That may be true, but I want to." Lucy said, before a memory of a different time made its way to her mind, and from it, she found the perfect thing to say. "It's just like a friend of mine once said; 'In such times we can turn to the Lord, but it's good to have friends.'"
A small smile made its way onto Savannah's face as recognition flickered in her eyes. "That it is. Thank you, Lucy. How long do you believe that the trip will take?"
"Well…" Lucy said, briefly sizing Savannah up. She was undeniably in good shape, even if she was visibly much older than herself, Savannah would likely have no trouble with long marches. "Assuming we keep a good pace, two weeks."
Savannah nodded. "I need to let the Doctors know that I'll be leaving and stock up on supplies, but once that's done, I will be ready to leave."
"Take your time, there's no sense in rushing out there without everything we'll need." Lucy said. In truth, she was also a little bit worried that in the emotional state that Savannah was obviously in, she wouldn't be in the best state to travel, but she also recognized that she probably wouldn't be stopped by something like that.
They spent around an hour, with Savannah saying her goodbyes to the Followers while Lucy took a brief trip down to Mick and Ralphs. She was happy to see that they were doing well, and left with enough food and water for at least a month's travel, most of which was for Savannah, since her own cybernetics left her with the ability to eat and drink things that would kill an ordinary Human. They were also the reason why she was able to carry everything in an oversized rucksack, rather than needing to buy a brahmin for the sake of carrying the load.
She recognized that it was going to be practically impossible to hide her cybernetics from Savannah, given that they'd be traveling together for a little while. So much of her original body was gone, her spine, her kidneys, heart, stomach, liver, even a good chunk of her skin was artificial, even if it looked normal from an outside glance. But that was just it, a glance, Lucy would be traveling with Savannah for weeks, sooner or later she was bound to notice something odd.
A problem for another time. Lucy thought, shuffling the problem far down her list of priorities, and making one inspection that they had everything that they needed. It was only once she was certain did she and Savannah depart from Freeside's North Gate, bound for Zion.