Chapter Fourteen: Begin Again
After two weeks of preparations, Veronica spent one Mojave morning directing Julie Farkas, The King, and numerous other newly elected officials into the Lucky 38.
Damn, this is exhilarating, but also exhausting, she thought as she stood in front of the double doors.
After Ruby left, Cass and Boone left to rejoin the Happy Trails Caravan while Raul helped with the arrangements. However, even he had left last week. Which left Veronica to oversee the first meeting by herself.
I wish the others were still here to help with this kind of thing, especially Ruby, thought Veronica as she entered the hotel-slash-casino.
She'd pushed many of the roulette and blackjack tables on the left side of the room against the wall and arranged as many chairs as she could find into a circle. All of the chairs were already filled, and she took her spot leaning against the wall behind where Julie Farkas sat.
I'm just here as an outside observer, nothing more, Veronica thought.
As the others finished settling into their seats, Julie Farkas spoke.
"Okay, everyone let's get this show on the road. Let's start with a round of introductions." Julie stood up and placed a hand on her chest. "My name is Dr. Julie Farkas, and I am the leader of the Mojave Division of the Followers of the Apocalypse.
She then sat down before looking over at Dr. Arcade Gannon.
I know he was elected, but I'm actually surprised he accepted this position, thought Veronica. Then again, he's always supported an independent New Vegas.
Arcade sighed and pushed his glasses further up his nose, before standing up.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Arcade Gannon and I'm also a member of the Followers," he said, before quickly sitting down.
Veronica watched as the others, including The King and Pacer from The King's, Judah Kreger and Klamath Bob from Westside, Cliff Briscoe and Alice McBride from Novac, Johnson Nash from Primm, and Trudy from Goodsprings among many others.
And the only reason the Crimson Caravan and Van Graffs aren't represented here is because they're both in legal trouble over shit they did to Cass's caravan all those months ago, Veronica thought. And likely won't be returning to the Mojave, but I've been wrong before.
"All right, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's get down to business. While those in New Vegas may be familiar with what I'm about to say next, I'm going to say this anyway for those who aren't," Julie Farkas began.
"Hold on, who made her the leader?" Pacer asked.
"Pace, buddy, she's the most qualified out of all of us," The King responded. He gestured for his childhood friend to sit down, and Pacer did so. The King then shifted his attention back to Dr. Farkas. "Go ahead, Julie."
"Thank you," Julie said with a nod. "As I was saying, ever since the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the presence of the Brotherhood of Steel has gotten much worse. So much in fact, that New Vegas has lost out on valuable trading and money."
I noticed she didn't immediately mention Ruby, Veronica thought as she watched the other New Vegas members of the MPG nod in agreement.
"Which is why I've requested the attendance of a former member of the Brotherhood," Julie said, before shifting her gaze to Veronica. "Veronica, would you be willing to give us your perspective?"
The other Mojave Representatives turned to look at Veronica, whose heart was racing in her chest as if she'd just run from a Deathclaw. She looked at Julie Farkas, who nodded once. Veronica pushed herself off the wall and moved closer to Julie.
"Uh, hello. As Doctor Julie Farkas said, my name is Veronica Santangelo and I'm a former member of the Brotherhood of Steel," she said, holding each person's gaze as it traveled across the room. "Doctor Farkas is correct that unless pressed, the Brotherhood won't stop harassing travelers. Just the other day, I had to defend a caravan against some Brotherhood Knights."
And now at least they're beginning to understand the gravity of the situation, Veronica thought as the representative's expressions sobered and a murmur swept through the council.
Once the buzz had died down, The King turned to look at Veronica.
"So, givin' that you're an expert on these Brotherhood folks and all, what would you suggest?" The King asked.
"Well, I think we need to be smart when interacting with the Brotherhood," Veronica answered. "Given the current leadership, I might suggest sending an envoy to speak with Elder McNamara, first. If that doesn't work, then I might resort to additional measures."
"Who would you recommend to talk to the Brotherhood?" Cliff Briscoe asked.
Shit, I didn't actually think that far ahead, thought Veronica. But then again, I didn't actually think Dr. Farkas would ask me to come to this.
"Well, it should be someone who knows how to negotiate and someone familiar with the Brotherhood leadership," she answered.
"So, you?" Trudy inquired, leaning forward now.
Again, Veronica's heart threatened to burst from her chest as everyone turned to look at her.
"You should only do it if you're comfortable, Veronica," Julie Farkas added gently. "Although I would prefer to avoid any conflict if at all possible."
What did Ruby always used to say? I backed myself into a corner, Veronica thought.
"Yes, I'll do it," she replied.
Hours later, the sun had already sunk below the horizon along what was known as the Extra Highway. Elise lay in her sleeping bag facing Ruby while Ruby sat on top of hers. The dying embers of the fire rose into the star-filled sky above.
"Do you mind if we listen to the radio?" Ruby asked.
Even though I left, I still wonder how the elections turned out, she thought.
"You want to find out how the MPG is doing," Elise said without looking at Ruby.
Damn, we haven't even been traveling together long and she already sees right through me, thought Ruby.
"Shit, am I that transparent?" she asked as she turned on her radio.
"Just a little," Elise said with a small smile. "Go ahead, I don't mind. I'm curious as well."
Ruby searched for and luckily found the station she was looking for. Given how random Mr. New Vegas's broadcasts could be, she wasn't sure if she would hear anything. However, she wanted to try.
"It's me again, Mr. New Vegas, and I'm here with an update on the situation regarding the Mojave Provisional Government. Today, the Mojave Provisional Government, MPG for short, met for the first time in the Lucky 38. The first session was peaceful and discussion topics included addressing the Brotherhood of Steel's harassment of caravans, the lack of medical supplies in Freeside, and a possible post-war relationship with the NCR, to name a few. A spokesperson for the MPG said quote: While The Courier may no longer be with us, we will ensure this portion of her legacy remains intact and everyone in the Mojave has a voice moving forward end quote. Well, I don't know about you, but that sounds reassuring! In honor of the first meeting of the Mojave Provisional Government, I'd like to play a special song. It's about endings and new beginnings. Take it away, Miss Keys."
Shit, I haven't heard this song in a good long while, Ruby thought as the opening notes of "Begin Again" started playing.
"Pretty song," said Elise. "I hope when we reach our destination, that you're able to take the moral of this song to heart."
She then rolled over and a smile slowly appeared on Ruby's face.
"Me too," she murmured.
Hello Again, Loyal Readers! I promised I would edit promptly and do my best to provide a satisfactory ending and here it is!
Initially, I really struggled with how I wanted to end this story. In my outline, I originally had the NCR return to the Mojave and look into sending troops over again. However, while writing this story, I realized that I didn't want to do that for two reasons. The first is because I don't really know how interested the NCR would be in the Mojave after they've wasted so much time and resources. The second is because I wanted to end this in a way that gives the greatest amount of people the greatest amount of freedom. While I know a great number of readers, and players, prefer the Independent/Yes Man ending, I do truly feel like it's lacking this component.
In addition, for those interested, Ruby and Elise's story isn't finished. There will be a sequel focusing on how both have processed and moved on after their time in the Mojave, which will be set in the Northwest Commonwealth. The outline of this story was something I was working on while writing this piece, so stay tuned!
Moreover, I would like to profusely thank my friend The Solar Surfer, for helping me work out how I wanted this story to go and answering my endless questions. You're the best!
Finally, if you enjoyed this story, please feel free to give it a like or a comment and I'll see you all next time!