Chapter 71: Long Lost

The legionaries stared down the collection of marshals facing them. As NCR troopers began spilling through the encampment, under the orders of a particularly vicious-sounding ghoul officer, the senior centurion stood with his helmet under his arm as the woman spoke with her deputies. "…and keep everything on the down-low, let me do all the talking, and keep your eyes peeled. Go." With that said, the dark-skinned woman turned towards the legionaries.

Before she started to talk, she took a moment to look at the gladius Falco was carrying. Immediately she knew it was the wrong size, the wounds had been more comparable to that of a bowie knife. Not that she could rule out the Legion as suspects, but with frustratingly few leads to go on, Natalie found herself grasping at whatever straws she could find. Satisfied that she could rule out the older man up front as a suspect, at least, she proceeded to begin diplomatically.

"…My name is Commissioner Natalie Boone, commander of the Judicial Marshals."

"…Centurion Falco, commander of the personal guard of Legatus Bara-" he paused as he turned to look at one of his men who was wearing a ten-gallon cowboy hat. Said man looked away, bracing himself for another session of berating. "…commander of the personal guard of Caesar Barabbas," he corrected himself as he turned towards the woman.

The woman stared at him blankly before blinking. "…I beg your pardon?"

"I'm afraid we've just received word from Dallas about the death of the previous Caesar. Through treachery, Lanius was slain and his throne taken by an usurper. By next morning's light, we are to head out an reclaim his rightful throne. We shall not remain here, long," Falco said as he crossed his chest with his arm, bowing slightly.

"…You're joking," Natalie got out. "Lanius is dead? We… we came out all this way on his behalf! We lost people getting to Dallas, we… how?!"

"Whatever obligation you had with Caesar Lanius, I fear, have been rescinded," Falco continued. "With all due respect, what we're looking at is a bit of an internal matter."

"No, no, no, we didn't come this far to turn away this soon!" Natalie shook her head. "I need to talk to Caesar. The new one. Where is he?"

"…Barabbas is… a little indisposed of at this particular moment," Falco tried to explain.

"I don't care, this is vital," Natalie growled. "We need a secured alliance yesterday!"

"Frankly, Commissioner," Falco countered apologetically. "Any alliance between us will do little good with Dallas unsecured. And Barabbas is rather… temperamental as of late."

"I can deal with temperamental," Natalie hissed. "Where is he?"

"…I'm afraid I cannot let you see him," Falco replied firmly. "He is currently preoccupied with other matters that require his attention."

Pariah let out another stream of vomit as Barabbas gently rubbed her back. "There, there, better the sick goes out than stays in. You have nothing to be embarrassed over. That's it," he comforted as Pariah came to a stop, wiping her nose and mouth. Nausea was a common side effect of her overextending herself, but this latest bout straight up kicked her in the rear. Falling on her butt, Pariah held her head as she mumbled something only Barabbas seemed to understand.

"Old man," Barabbas ordered, "hand me the wineskin."

"This one?" Dinero offered. Barabbas wordlessly snatched it out of his hands as he offered it to Pariah. Pariah grimaced as the odor wafted into her nose.

Bitter drink, brother? Do you want me to get sick again?

Stop whining. I don't trust any water from these people.

Who needs water when we have plenty of milk on tap?

Milk? What are you talking about?

Kyra put down some straw over the waste, padding it as she went to look for a rake. Pariah, meanwhile, struggled against her older brother as he tried to force the nozzle near her mouth. This struggle went on for a bit until Dinero intervened. "Marcy, you've lost a lot of, uh, guts and your brother here really thinks this soup stuff will help. You really don't want to get dehydrated out here, remember how much that sucked?"

Marcy glowered at the old man for a moment before taking the wineskin and gulping down as much as she could stand.

"There you go. You got plenty of color back! Remember when we were back at the Rez? You looked like a pruned tomato, kid, it was not a pretty sight!" Dinero laughed, to which Marcy stuck her tongue out at him.

Big talk for someone who looked like a raisin before he was out in the sun, you big old poopie-head!

Poopie-head? He's already corrupted you, now you're talking like him, too!

Why don't you just relax, Barabbas, and enjoy the show?

Again, what are you talking about?

Kyra returned with a rake, gathering up the sick and straw as she worked up a sweat that dripped down her skin. Having clumped everything together, she then left to find a shovel. Dinero, meanwhile, took a whiff of the wineskin, grimacing as he gently sealed it and tossed it aside. Marcy let out a giggle.

He can be such a pussy.

So why are you still around him?

Because he's nothing like Mom.

The two siblings were silent. Pariah looked away as she felt her brother trying to hold himself together. The dirt was still on his hands, and his cape had gone with into the wasteland as a shroud, along with the shattered remains of his helmet that would mark her resting place. Barabbas was shattered by the loss. Pariah, as much as it pained her to admit, was not.

Did she have a good burial?

I doubt everything was up to her standards, but there was only so much I could do.

…I tried to protect her, Barabbas, I really did. I know how much she meant to you, and I tried to make it work, but…

You don't owe me an explanation, sister. I'm sorry I wasn't there. It was my responsibility to ensure you were safe, from everything. Including her. I promise I will be a far better guardian than I was before.

Brother, you have more than enough to worry about! Father's gone too! You have to take back Dallas!

My primary concern now is you. Just focus on getting better, please. It's the least you can do for me.

Kyra shoveled the waste outside the barn. Wiping her sweat, she propped up the shovel as she knelt by the stall. She hadn't slept since yesterday morning, and now that the excitement was ending, she wanted to just lay down and get a little rest. Pariah stared at the woman as she slowly began to doze off.

…This is weird, I can't read her mind.

I think I might have broken something when she resisted my Command.

You think she might have had the gene within her?

Now you sound like Mother. Possibly, Mother did personally select her. Perhaps she saw something important within her.

And you?

Barabbas looked down at his little sister, furrowing his brow. Elsewhere, Dinero was gingerly approaching the slumbering Belua, gradually maneuvering his way to her saddlebag where he had seen Barabbas storing some of his rations. Pariah looked up to her brother, blinking.

…You know, you're usually better at keeping stuff hidden from me.

Stop it.

I mean, I think I've seen her naked in your mind far more than the rest of your harem put together.

Shut up.

Honestly, you want my advice? If you don't get with her, I'm just going to keep seeing her in your head. Does she give good hugs? They look so soft.

"DINERO!" Barabbas snapped. Dinero stood with his hands held aloft, while Kyra suddenly jolted herself awake. "…My sister hasn't eaten. Go take her to Falco and have the men prepare a healthy breakfast for her. Can I entrust you with this task?"

"Ehm, of course!" Dinero nearly saluted. "Come along, Marcy!"

Pariah pouted at her brother as Dinero took her by the hand and led her from the barn. Kyra began to stretch and was about to leave when Barabbas blocked her path with his arm. "…You look exhausted," Barabbas said.

"I'll be fine," Kyra smiled. "I just need to find someplace to get a little rest and I'll be fine."

Barabbas strolled over to Belua and took off his bedroll. Unfurling it, he laid it flat on the ground. Rolling up a blanket and placing it at the head, he motioned to it. "It's all yours."

"Barabbas, I… appreciate the offer, but…" Kyra started.

"It's a reward… and an apology," Barabbas tried to explain. "For your time, service, and the liberty with them that I abused. You have nothing to fear from me, Kyra."

Kyra smiled. "…I stopped being scared of you a long time ago." She approached the bedroll and sat down on it. "…Damn, I've slept in beds that weren't as soft as this."

"It was made out of the finest Yao guai cub skin in all of Dallas," Barabbas explained. The sight of Kyra's horrified expression made him crack a grin. "Just joking. It's actually giant swamp rat."

"Funny," Kyra muttered as she lay her head down. "…Where are you going to sleep?"

Barabbas pointed over to Belua. "…Emergency mattress."

Kyra let out a quiet giggle. "Just ask and I can make room."

"You don't owe me anything," Barabbas smiled. "…When you wake, I want to ask about you."

"I'm fine, Barabbas, you don't have to ask," Kyra yawned.

"No, I mean… I never got around to asking about you during all our time together. I want to ask about where you came from. What your family was like. I want to know how you grew up and where you learned the things you know. I want to know the things you like and don't like and can't stand and will give a chance to. I want to know how deeply I wronged you and if there is any way I can make it up to you. And I want to know if…" Barabbas stopped when Kyra began to snore.

"…Cheeky little…" Barabbas almost laughed, sadly. He stood up, pulling the edge of the cover over Kyra's shoulder. As Kyra further snuggled into the roll, Barabbas strolled over to the slumbering Belua. Laying down beside her stomach, Barabbas rested his face into his arms as he himself collapsed from exhaustion.

WHERE?! IS?! YOUR?! CAESAR!" Natalie shrieked into Falco's face. And as this was how the conversation had been unfolding for the last hour, the increasingly listless legionaries and marshals milled about absentmindedly as their commanders continued their verbal tango, such as it was. Frankly, it was a bit of a minor mercy that Tobey had managed to find his sister before approaching his mother, lest Mojave/Legion relations continued to be set back to Hoover Dam levels.

"MOM!" Tobey and Carla exclaimed as they ran towards their mother. Natalie turned to see her children running towards her. Her prior demeanor dropped as she let out a relieved smile, holding open her arms as Tobey and Carla ran into her. "Kids," she let out as she embraced both of them.

Falco watched the scene before him. The two young marshals looked familiar, the boy especially. Suddenly he realized that these two had been the children of the Judicial Commissioner, evidently one of the leaders of the Mojave's armed forces. The other thing that stood out to him, having learned her name from Kyra, was that she was the wife of the legendary Mors Oculus, an object of Legion folklore for his actions against their patrols with a reputation that almost rivaled that of the Burned Man, someone that he had personal experience with. Falco suddenly realized that Barabbas had almost beaten that man's children to death, the son nearly twice over. Suddenly he was relieved he was just dealing with the angry woman.

"…Kids…kids," Natalie broke her embrace with her children as she pulled back from the hug to look at them. She placed her arms on the shoulders of Tobey and Carla, slowly moving up their necks. With the warm look still in her eyes, her fingers grabbed both of her children by the earlobes, dragging them down as her face warped into a mask of rage and fury.

"YOU, GIRL, DISOBEYED A DIRECT ORDER I GAVE YOU!" she shrieked.

"Mom, I swear I can explain, OW!" Carla got out.

"AND YOU HELPED HER, DIDN'T YOU?!" Natalie accused her son.

"Ehh, when we met back up it was really too late to do any-ACK!" Tobey winced.

Falco watched the scene with as much impassivity as he could muster. He figured the woman was usually high-strung, which was fair enough play to her, considering the inevitable stresses of her position. But something about her behavior didn't match up quite so neatly with everything, somehow. There was something she wasn't telling him.

"…You seem preoccupied at the moment," Falco interrupted. "I do not wish to intrude. I shall take my leave of you. Give my regards to the Colonel."

Natalie turned to look at Falco. "…Colonel? How do you know about the Colonel?"

Falco smiled. "We have our ways, Commissioner. Good day." Falco walked away with his men, content that the meeting had gone as well as it could have, whereas Natalie found herself wondering just how the Legion acquired information about the AEG. Were they somehow involved with the murder of Gorobets? Then why would they ask her to send their regards to him if they knew he was dead? Regardless, this Falco was a prime person of interest from this point forward.

"Hey, Carla, Jimmy just wanted me to tell you that she saw Kim and Rosa heading down towards-" Larain came to a screeching halt when he was suddenly confronted by a woman who when last they had met was holding a gun to his head for what was effectively the crime of treason. Natalie immediately let go of Tobey and began reaching for her revolver. Tobey immediately got between her mother and Larain while Carla managed to get free from her mother's grip. "Mom, he's cool! He's cool!" Tobey tried to interject.

"We can explain everything, I swear! Just give us a chance!" Carla pleaded.

"…You have sixty seconds," Natalie growled.

In a broad sense, the three of them explained the catastrophe that was the expedition to find Rosa. Whereas most of their accounts varied, each of them did not hesitate to put Cade under every possible bus for the difficulties they had to endure. Larain, on his behalf, was sure to paint Dalton in as positive a light as he could possibly manage while leaving out any mention of the black deathclaw. In the end, they were able to harmonize their stories, able to stall Natalie enough so they could explain that Larain was going to be integral to permanently pacifying the Liberty Clans. Considering the unfriendly looks and hostile statements Natalie and the marshals saw and overheard coming in, she was willing to put aside her personal disdain regarding the man who, despite his best efforts, was hardly innocent of Carla's wounding and would suspend her judgment for the moment.

"…So, after you use your hero status to get crowned or whatever, what happens after that?" Natalie asked.

"I'm putting a stop to the war," Larain said. "That much I have to do. I will sign whatever treaty I have to so we can end this fight forever. No reprisals, no revenge, just some fucking peace. Killing Vulpes would be a bonus, though."

"Right, because you are all just so innocent," Natalie rolled her eyes.

"I'm cutting a deal with you to save as many folks as I can," Larain shot back. "You're damn right I'm not innocent, but I will happily sell out Vulpes, Nemesio, and anyone else dumb enough to keep fighting after everything!"

Natalie looked at her kids. Tobey nodded in agreement while Carla kept her remaining eye on Larain. She remembered seeing how her daughter grew closer and closer to this stranger during the time he spent at camp. They seemed to be a good sniper team and they had gotten along well enough that she figured they were good friends, culminating in the double date night within the Res-by-the-Res where neither had been accounted for during the late hours… oh no, Natalie thought to herself. With so much going on, only now did these particular pieces fit together. Carla and Larain…

"…I'll kill you," Natalie whispered.

"What?" Larain asked, having been distracted by Carla asking about Kim and Rosa.

"Nothing," Natalie hurriedly corrected. "Anyways, Tobey, you mentioned something about Rosa? She's here?"

Tobey nodded. "Yeah, I, uh, I reconnected with her a while ago."

"Are you blushing?" Larain asked.

"No," Tobey lied.

"Well, I've got a few weeks of screaming to unload onto that girl. Where is she?" Natalie asked.

"Down camp with her Dad," Tobey explained.

This response earned him a simultaneous and equally perplexed "WHAT?!" from everyone involved.

"…and from there we just kept hitting them, springing some slave here, burning down a debtor office there, just keeping things as much under the radar as we could," Cass explained. "I really thought the system we developed would be enough, then they sent the Liquidators after us."

"Liquidators?" Lars asked.

"Bounty hunters, more or less, good enough to be hired on a permanent basis. Well, I figured between the three of us we could make any attempt to stop us hurt like hell. And then Joshua took a bullet. It's… almost kind of funny in a sick kind of way. All those years of legends and his reputation and all that talk of being blessed by a higher power, and all it took to bring him down was this one asshole waiting for a perfect shot. I got hit pretty bad, too, and Raul dragged me away as we fought all the while. Then it was a few weeks of hiding out and running when we figured things were clear. We whittled away at their guys all the while, and for a moment it looked like we could drive them away, and then…"

Cass had to stop as she wiped the tear away. It happened so fast Raul had no idea, all Cass could see was the open wound in the back of his skull as the sunlight peeked through his flesh and grey matter.

"…I fucking lost it. I didn't care whether I lived or died. I was going to go down fighting. I brought down the rest of the squad until finally, it was just me… and him," she spat, venomously. "That snot-nosed fucking kid, the guy I know took those shots. I closed the fucking distance and I fucking beat him and beat him and beat him and fucking beat him and-" A hand rested on hers. She looked into his eyes and found her calm center, whatever was left of it, and brought herself to continue. "…I held it right up to his head, my shotgun. That kid just stared at me and he… he fucking smiled, Lars. He fucking smiled at me. I can still see the blood seeping down his lips and into his teeth and I… I lost it. I pulled the trigger and…"

Cass stared ahead. "…I forgot I ran out of shells three days ago. Bastard then threw dirt into my face and ran, basically threw himself off the pass. I wasn't able to find the body, but I know he lived."

"So, that's what you've been doing?" Lars asked. "Trying to find him?"

"…The kid was just a tool. A tool for the people who hired him. And even they are just cogs in a much greater machine. Lars, this isn't another Crimson Caravan thing, there's no authority in the Rockies that they answer to. I've spent the last two decades of my life trying to find the top of the RMX, so I can hit it so hard it won't recover."

"…And how close have you gotten?" Lars asked.

"…Until recently, I was just picking off slavers, almost as fast as they could replace them. And then, I finally got a break. And wouldn't you know, I have your daughter to thank for it," Cass smiled.

"What the fuck did I do?" Rosa asked.

"Oh, you were half passed out. I used that Pip-boy on your arm to decode some information. I finally know where the RMX Central Market is. And I'm going to go and end things on my terms."

"Cass, this sounds like a suicide mission," Lars growled. "Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?"

"I've done nothing but suffer these past few years!" Cass shot back. "Constantly trying and failing and hitting walls and dealing with something I could barely do on my own!"

"You didn't have to be alone!" Lars yelled. "I could have helped you!"

"I know!" Cass screamed. "You would have! And I couldn't ask you to do that! I know that if I asked you, you would have come running, and I couldn't make you do that," she said as she turned to Rosa. "I couldn't ask you to abandon the life you had to help me with the one I chose."

"…I thought you were dead," Lars growled.

"…Maybe it was easier that you thought I was," Cass retorted. "For everyone."

Lars shook his head. "This is bullshit, Cassidy. You didn't have to get into this fight alone, I could have helped you."

"I didn't need your help!" Cass snarled.

"I NEEDED YOU!" Lars screamed in her face. They stared at one another in silence. "…I needed you, Cass. I've been listless these last few years. I needed something, anything. A goal, a dream, something tangible to work towards. I'm barely a governor, I can't fight worth a damn anymore, and I'm a shit father. Tell her, Rosa."

Rosa didn't say anything. There was something in the old man that she hadn't seen in all her years of seeing him with other women. There was a spark that she hadn't really seen. Cass wasn't just another groupie, she was very much the old man's other half, that much was obvious. Perhaps too obvious, as when they were together, they displayed a level of passion that bordered on volatile. But they were meant to be together, that much she knew.

"…Please stop fighting," Rosa quietly asked.

Lars and Cass both turned to look at Rosa. Both kicking themselves for making her this uncomfortable, they calmed themselves down. "…So, my job here is done, anyway," Cass said. "I'm heading up north."

"Not alone," Lars shook his head.

"I just said…" Cass tried to interrupt.

"Not. Alone. When you go north, I'm coming with you. I've got my own beef with these RMX guys. This is my problem too, Cassidy, so for once let someone else help you carry that world you got on your shoulders. I'm helping whether you want me to or not."

Cass stared at him. "…You are still such an asshole."

"And you're still a bitch," Lars replied. And so, the two proceeded to make out once again, in full view of Rosa. Already feeling awkward, Rosa quietly exited the tent, where Kim stood outside waiting for her.

"Well?" the blonde woman asked.

"…I've never seen the old man that pissed off and that horny at the same time," Rosa assessed.

"Sounds like Cassidy," Kim agreed, nodding. "I hear those two were infamous back in the day."

"He just seems so… happy," Rosa said. "Like he can scream at Cassidy all he wants, but at the end of the day he just really digs that woman. Small wonder he and my… Ariel fell apart," Rosa said, blankly.

Kim looked down at the girl who caused her no small amount of aggravation these past few days. "…Whatever happened between your father and Ariel wasn't your fault, Rosa."

"I know that, Kimberly," Rosa scoffed.

"I'm not sure about that," Kim replied. "The less time you spend trying to compete with other women for his attention, the better your mental health will be."

"Shut up or I'll slug you in the mouth," Rosa growled.

"How many times do I have to put you in your place, little girl?" Kim grinned.

"How about I poke my head in there while he's busy and tell him that there's a literal dick-rider waiting for him out here?" Rosa suggested.

"I am not a-" Kim sealed her mouth shut. "…I admire your father, Rosa, and when I was younger, I may have had a poster on my wall and had some interviews recorded, and I may have thought he had this kind of "bad boy" appeal like a lot of girls did at the time, and…"

"Did you have Kimball's book?" Rosa asked.

"…The… president's one?" Kim asked.

"No… his daughter's?" Rosa asked, grinning.

Kim stared straight ahead, not looking Rosa in the eye. "You know, the one that was supposed to be an expose on the despotism of the Mojave, but spent an awful lot of time in the casinos, and the hotel rooms, and the bathhouse, and the elevator, and…"

"Fine!" Kim snapped. "I had the book and fantasized I was Ms. Kimball when I was younger! Happy?!"

"…So, when we go back to camp and if I rooted through your stuff, I won't find a copy?" Rosa asked.

"…I hate you, you know that?" Kim asked, petulantly.

"Daddy's got a fangirl, Daddy's got a fangirl!" Rosa sang and taunted.

"Ack, why don't you just go and bug Joseph?" Kim snarled.

Something about the name Joseph managed to clear a weird mental block within Rosa's psyche. Suddenly, the realization that Joseph hadn't been accounted for all night suddenly washed over her. Where was Joseph? Where was Melody, for that matter?

"…Where is he?" Rosa asked, her panic slowly but steadily rising.

"…I think I saw his wife at the northern end of the camp, near the edge of the valley," Kim exclaimed. Rosa immediately took off, leaving a bewildered Kim behind.

Elsewhere, Dinero and Marcy were pointed in the direction of the other Legion riders by a friendly man wearing a black hat while the redheaded burn victim sized both of them up, deciding they had nothing worth pickpocketing. A short distance away, a member of the Hooper Clan regaled some of the arriving California troopers with tales of his heroic deeds during the fight, single-handedly sniping three hundred of the Pelt-Brutes during the engagement, as the ghoul officer listened on in mild amusement, only stopping to hack up a little blood before resuming his patrol. While this was going on, Gael and Jimmy had received word about Joseph's condition and both headed to the medical pavilion, leaving Dalton to continue his rant to Frost unabated, informing the documentarian about the full history of the fall of a once mighty city.