Chapter 3-Knocking on Heavens Door
2 weeks later
It had been a long two weeks for the caravan to get where they were at now. Since the rescue at the clinic, Paxton had agreed to stay close to the caravan and help scout out dangers until they reached Cascadia to which he would be paid for his service. It felt good to be among friendly people again. Since leaving the frontier it had been a lonely three months on the road. Between hostile humans and aggressive wildlife, he didn't talk much except only to himself to break the silence. He often thought that he would lose his mind before reaching his destination.
But traveling with other people wasn't without its challenges either. Harold the representative for Happy trails died two days after leaving the clinic from a raider ambush so that job now fell to Bill. He also learned that this specific caravan was coming up from the Boneyard back in California to be a gesture of good faith to Cascadia so that the NCR would gain favor with them. What shocked Paxton the most was the fact that the NCR were still in New Vegas according to Bill, but they hadn't made any real progress as far as annexing the region. Paxton was not surprised at this news, especially considering how he had fought the Brotherhood of Steel under General Blackthorne, proving the overall theory that the NCR was starting to get greedy as far as expanding.
Another issue was the two guards of the caravan. As Bill had said Carl was an excellent guard, he never slept while on watch duty and was always vigilant even sometimes more than Paxton was, his biggest problem was that he tried too much such as when he pointed his gun at Paxton even though he had saved them. He treated everyone around him as a potential threat even insisting on searching Sophie randomly for chems she got out of that medical clinic even though she was a trained doctor and attempted to strip search her, to which Sophie promptly slapped the dog shit out of him for trying.
As for Max's case, he was more of a mercenary. Paxton found out that he was hired on for one thousand caps up front which was a lot of money in this world. He used to be a freelancer until a knee injury meant that he couldn't go as hard as he could, so he settled for being a caravan guard. Greed was this guy's driving force. For him it was all about how to make the next big payout. He had already demanded a raise from Bill a week ago to which he got a stark no from the caravan leader.
"Hey Paxton" Bill asked aloud. "How about going ahead a little way to make sure were not about to be ambushed."
"On it." Paxton replied as he began to sprint ahead of the caravan down the dirt path. The air was surprisingly crisp since it was the end of April. The weather hadn't really changed all that much in the Olympic Wasteland even with seasons. One thing about this state was that it was always shitty weather most days.
The cold air began to burn Paxton's lungs as he kept jogging down the path. He stopped to catch his breath and removed the map from his front pocket and unfolded it. The map had several scribbles and notes jotted down on it during the past two weeks. Detailing everything from how many miles they had traveled to potential sites of interest for scavenging if he was able to when he got settled in Cascadia. He could see from where he was at that the dirt path they were on was the final leg of the journey according to the directions the scavver had gave him. On the map it showed that the path probably trailed along the river all the way to Cascadia, Paxton's mind began to wander as a breeze began to slightly blow around him. He was almost to his goal now and could finally be able to achieve peace after so many mishaps in his life.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he jumped when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He quickly jerked his .45 Auto Pistol out of its holster and spun around to shoot the threat only to realize that it was Sophie.
"Easy there hotshot, its me." She explained while holding her hands up. She was dressed in wasteland doctor fatigues but had a leather jacket on with fur lining over it to try and keep warm.
"Sophie, you scared the shit out of me!" Paxton exclaimed as he holstered his pistol. He had talked with Sophie for only a couple of times during the beginning of his mutual partnership with the caravan. She kept tabs on his arm especially to make sure that it healed properly.
"Sorry Paxton, I guess I'm good at staying quiet for the most part." She chuckled.
Paxton slightly smirked at the comment. It felt good whenever there was time to laugh and joke for a little bit. Snow began to fall lightly around them as the breeze grew slightly in strength.
"Why aren't you back with the others, did Carl try and feel you up again?" He asked.
"No, this time he tried to tell me to stay in front so he could keep an eye on me. I swear that man can't learn to relax for anything, not to mention that I know that's not why he asked me to be up front. I asked Bill to join you, and he agreed."
"Real smooth Carl." Paxton thought to himself as they kept walking down the dirt path. He knew that Carl was serious, but it seemed that he was a real pervert too. He didn't blame Carl for thinking about Sophie in that manner, after all even he had thought the same thing a couple of times. But in Carl's case he was just being a pig. He hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with him for too much longer once they reached Cascadia.
"So how did you end up with this caravan anyway?" He inquired as they were still walking down the dirt path, occasionally hearing the river in the gorge below. "I mean I know that you're a member of the Followers, but I didn't think that they were this far north."
"They're not actually." Sophie replied. "This is one of the Follower's first attempts to establish a permanent presence this far north in the former U.S., I was stationed at the Old Mormon Fort in New Vegas, but me and their chapter leader had a bit of a disagreement, so she recommended me for this assignment instead. I was supposed to have been there two weeks ago but because of the fighting with Caesars Legion I had to wait till I found Bill and decided to travel with them to Cascadia."
Paxton thought about what she said. He should have realized that he wasn't the only one with the hope of starting over. It seemed that Cascadia had gained a reputation for being on par with a hidden paradise. Even the scavver back in the frontier said that it was different from other settlements. He also understood that sometimes people made things seem fantastical to give themselves false hope to keep going till the end. But if a group as renowned as the Followers of the Apocalypse were sending someone to this supposed great city, then there had to have been some merit to the whole thing.
As they were walking, Paxton noticed that the path they were on was beginning to look well worn. He could faintly make out footprints in the slightly muddy dirt and even thought snow was still falling lightly he could still see that this path was being heavily used. Sometimes he could even see hoof prints, probably from Brahmin or maybe even Bighorners.
"Sophie does some of these tracks seem fresh to you?" Paxton asked her.
"Yes, they do." She answered, "In fact some of these tracks seem to be tire tracks, maybe from other carts traveling to the same area."
"That's true." Paxton replied as he looked ahead. He could see the Wenatchee range in the distance and judging from the landscape, the path they were on cut straight through a forest that funneled into an elevated saddle at the bottom of the Mountains. He checked his map once more and soon discovered that they were indeed on the right track, he looked over to the Columbia River at the bottom of the gorge that snaked its way left towards the mountains and as he was reading his map, he heard Sophie calling his name.
"Paxton, over here!" She shouted as he could see her waving him over to what looked to be the mouth of the forest.
"What's up Sophie?" He answered back. He jogged over to where she was at and as he approached, he could see what she was calling him for.
Right at the mouth of the forest there stood a pre-war road sign that was sticking out of the ground halfway. It was nothing unusual to look at as he had used road signs extensively in his travels to get to this point. Until he noticed that a marking was there that wasn't normally supposed to be there. At the top of the sign displayed what appeared to be an emblem of some kind. It seemed to depict two lions surrounding a shield with both red and blue colors on the shield and a slogan at the bottom that said "Lux coeli diriget viam nostram."
"Is that Latin?" Paxton asked Sophie as if she was some guru on old history.
"Yes, it is. It says Heaven's light will guide our way."
"It may be a sign that we're getting close. I'll contact Bill and let him know." Paxton pulled a radio from his belt that Bill had given him to communicate with.
"Bill. Do you copy" Paxton called.
"Go ahead Paxton."
"Bring the cart up the road, there's something you have to see."
"Copy that we're on our way."
Paxton and Sophie waited for ten minutes until the caravan came into view. As they approached Paxton noticed that Sophie was tense around Carl but fortunately, he was at the back of the cart pulling rear security, his R91 Assault Rifle raised at the ready in the case of a possible ambush.
"What up guys, any closer?" Max asked.
"Take a look at this." Sophie replied. Bill jumped down from the driver's side of the cart, landing on the ground with a thud from his boots and stretching before going to where the emblem on the road sign was.
"Now that's interesting. In fact, I recognize this emblem."
Everyone in the group looked at Bill with stunned eyes.
"Bill, how do you know what this emblem is? You've never seen this kind of thing before." Carl stated as he came to the front of the cart, casting a glance at Sophie.
"I sure have young man." Bill said as a matter of fact. "It's known as a coat of arms. It was a common practice back in medieval Europe, used to represent a certain family or country. This one represents the O'Carroll Family."
"O'Carroll Family?" Max asked.
"Yeah, I remember reading about them in pre-war newspapers in the archives back in the Boneyard." Sophie chimed in, wrapping herself up in her leather jacket. "They were a wealthy Irish family that immigrated to America in the early 2040's. They built their fortune here by Logging, Shipping and Stone Quarrying. There were very prominent In Washington State and by the time of the Great War they were the richest family on the western seaboard, topping out at 2 billion dollars."
"Damn, that's enough money to start a country." Max exclaimed. "Imagine having that many bottlecaps, you'd be set for life a thousand times over."
"Max, you wouldn't know what to do with yourself if you had that much money." Bill stated, obviously amused by Max's obsession with wealth.
"Oh, I can think of some things I would do with it." Max chuckled.
Suddenly as they were bickering, Paxton faintly heard a sound he never heard before.
"Hey guys, quiet for a minute, quiet." He ordered at everyone. The whole group grew silent as they listened. Only the faint whispering of the wind was heard as the snow began to lighten to the point of flurries. They stood there with mixed expressions of both slight fear and confusion.
As Bill was getting ready to say something, they heard it; A faint song like tune played in the far-off distance, it would die down for a second or two and then repeat itself.
"You know, why does that noise sound so familiar?" Paxton thought aloud.
The noise continued eleven more times before finally being quiet again. Suddenly Sophie made a claim that floored everyone.
"Guys, call me crazy or what not but that sounded an awful lot like a church bell, and a large one at that."
"Because it was a church bell!" Paxton exclaimed excitedly. "The guy I met in Utah that told me about Cascadia, he said that there was a large chapel in the middle of the city that had its own bell tower. I'll bet every single cap that I have that's what we just heard was the Chapel's bell." Paxton said confidently, keeping with his cover story he first told the caravan two weeks ago.
"So, this place really does exist." Carl said. "If that was a church bell, then we must be getting pretty close."
"Paxton, didn't you say that this dirt trail is supposed to get us there?" Max inquired; curiosity now peaked since hearing the sound of supposed chapel's bell.
"That would be my bet. The emblem that's here on the road sign plus the bell we just heard would seem to indicate that Cascadia is indeed close, plus it sounded like it came from that direction." He pointed to the nearby saddle in the towering Wenatchee Mountains. "This trail probably goes through that saddle into these woods, if we leave now and not run into any trouble, we should get there by..."
Paxton checked his watch, its blue colored square brass frame felt cold against his wrist and its leather band had faded from its dark color to its current light brown color. He remembered when he first got it from his father as an eighteenth birthday present. Its digital display showed him that it was currently eleven o' clock in the morning in big green numbers along with the date Tuesday, April 30th, 2281, in smaller letters in the corner of the watch.
"…. Twelve noon." Paxton finished his sentence as he pulled his sleeve back over his watch.
"Let's not waste time then everyone, it's been a long road, and I know that you all are tired, but were almost at the end." Bill said hoping to inspire energy in the rest of the group. "Paxton, go on ahead a little ways and scout for any threats, and if you should lay eyes on Cascadia, let me know immediately. Everyone else stay close to the wagon and keep your eyes open while in this forest."
Paxton grabbed his duffle bag and unzipped it, retrieving the sniper rifle he scavenged back at the clinic and slung it over his shoulder before zipping the duffle bag back up. He then started jogging up the trail while the rest of the caravan stayed behind and checked their supplies and gear.
Paxton's senses were working overtime now. He maintained a light jog to stay ahead of the caravan and had his service rifle ready for any threats that may present themselves, a scope wouldn't benefit him in this thick forest and after the incident with the deathclaw he was hyperalert for the slightest movement or noise.
He began to think about the bell they just heard minutes ago. It was one thing to be able to confirm the location of Cascadia on a map and travel to it but even then, it was no guarantee. There was always the possibility of the whole thing being some kind of hoax, a wise tale of some grand utopia that only the worthy was supposed to find, or the even worst-case scenario of it existing at one point and then being destroyed, after all it's not like messages could be sent instantly like before the war. Sometimes it could take messages anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months to travel between destinations. But to actually hear audible evidence of something that was described by a supposed witness sent chills down his spine.
Suddenly, Paxton noticed a flash of yellow against the many shades of green foliage of the forest. He shook himself out of his daydreaming and focused on the bright yellow flash that he just noticed.
He drew his rifle up and spotted what it was. A large bee-like creature the size of a Motorcycle covered in black and yellow stripes was flying towards him. Its erratic movement startling Paxton as he fired his rifle. The rounds struck the insect in the abdomen, causing it to fall to the ground squirming, its wings buzzing angrily as it attempted to start flying again but Paxton was quicker and fired a round into its head killing it.
He then heard more buzzing behind him and quickly grabbed the butt of his rifle and swung it around to stare directly into the eyes of another one as the rifle butt hit the insect on the side of its face. This one looked different in the fact that it resembled a radscorpion with its tail in the air, its black hexagonal eyes looking at him as it stood back up. It raised its tail and attempted to sting him, but Paxton managed to grab its tail with the two-foot-long stinger extending, preventing the insect from nailing him.
He struggled with the insect as it flapped its wings trying desperately to break free from his grip. Paxton held the mutant with all his might but knew he couldn't hold it for long. He fell on the insect with his full weight pinning it to the ground. He then unsheathed his combat knife and jammed the blade into its abdomen multiple times before it died.
Breathing heavily, Paxton pulled the knife put of the insect. He wiped the blade off with his sleeve and put it back in its sheath. He was so dazed by the scuffle that he just began hearing the radio going off.
"Paxton come in, we heard shots, what's going on!?" Bill started yelling through the radio.
"I'm ok Bill. I had a run in with some mutated insects, but I took care of it. I'm going to keep going down the path, ill keep you posted, Paxton out."
Holstering the radio, Paxton started to leave but then realized that something from these bees could be valuable. He cut off the poison glands and chitin from the insects and continued down the path.
After thirty more minutes of walking with no further incidents, Paxton finally spotted the end of the path. The opening was sizeable and came out at the top of a hill. He started to quicken his pace as he got closer, he could see mountains on either side of him and knew that he was almost at the end of the mountain saddle. He crossed the threshold of the tree line into the open and the sight that greeted him was one that he would remember for the rest of his life.
After almost four months of traveling on the road from the frontier, after having to scrounge and forage for food and avoiding dangers both from humans and animals alike, surviving the war with the Brotherhood of Steel back in the Mojave, after the doubting and wondering when this journey would ever end. He could finally say that he had pulled off the impossible and defied all odds. He could see it in the distance even without binoculars or a rifle scope.
Cascadia.
It was just as the scavver back in the frontier had described. Looking through his binoculars he could see in greater detail how sophisticated this place really was. The most obvious Landmark was the huge castle on the North side of the gorge perched on the slope of the Wenatchee mountains overlooking the whole city like a silent guardian keeping vigil over its many denizens that lived within its reach. The city itself was split right down the middle by the huge Gorge with two large stone bridges spanning the expanse connecting the two parts of the city, both of which were surrounded by high stone walls with battlements on towers at each gate entrance
From the side he was on he could see vast open fields that were likely used as farmland outside the city walls, but no crops were shown since it was still winter. Many small and large farmhouses dotted the countryside and inside the walls it gave way to more suburban type areas like Shady Sands with houses next to each other on stone roads that looked like they were made, smoke coming from the chimneys of the houses and people walking down the streets along with…
"No way, they've got fucking horses!?" Paxton asked aloud as he spotted through his binoculars what appeared to be wooden carriages pulled by what looked to be horses or the Olympic Wasteland's equivalent of a horse.
He turned his gaze to the other side of the gorge where it appeared to be more urbanized and upper class, made sense since it was closer to the actual castle. He then spotted the source of the earlier bell chime; a clock tower that looked like a mix between Victorian era and Gothic style whose hands showed 11:30, and not far from it was the Cathedral, even from this distance it seemed like one of the biggest structures in the city. Paxton concluded that since were both so close together in one spot it must be some kind of city square. In the middle of the two he saw an obelisk like tower similar to the Washington monument he saw in history books when he was still in school. And on top of the obelisk was the statue of a winged angel carrying a pole with a white flag on its end with the same coat of arms he and the others found on the road sign from earlier but now embroidered with vibrant colors and regalness.
He was barely able to contain his excitement as he fumbled around on his belt with the radio, not wanting to take his eyes from what was in front of him.
"Paxton to Bill, come in." He called out.
"Bill here, what's up Paxton?" Bill answered back.
"Come on up to where I'm at and in a hurry, you're going to want to see this."
"Is everything ok son? Did you find Cascadia?" Bill asked excitedly.
Paxton couldn't turn his gaze away as he responded back to Bill.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you Bill."
"Alright, stay put were coming to you."
Paxton stood where he was at for the next thirty minutes gazing at the city below him. He would occasionally look through his binoculars trying to see anything new that he hadn't noticed before. To think that after all this time he was so close to his goal was both exciting and fulfilling all at once.
He was looking at the river below him when he heard the caravan pull up behind him. Bill took off his hat as his mouth opened slightly, clearly in awe of the sight that beheld them. The others in the group could only marvel in silence as they gazed upon what they surely thought was heaven on earth.
"My God, its beautiful." Sophie finally uttered.
"Talk about going back in time. It feels like the war never even happened here." Max said. "There's bound to be plenty of opportunities for caps here."
As they were complementing the sight, a familiar sound echoed through the landscape; The bell from earlier began to ring again. They all looked toward the source which was the clock tower in the distance showing 12pm. The tower chimed twelve more times before falling silent once more.
"Alright people enough gawking, lets get down there, we have a schedule to keep." Bill ordered as he motioned the Brahmin to keep going forward.
The caravan continued down the dirt road towards the city, the group was filled with renewed energy as they got closer. Soon the dirt road gave way to stone roads that were covered in muddy prints from animals and wheel tracks.
"Tell me Paxton, was it what you were hoping for?" Sophie asked Paxton who was still reeling from the whole sight of the city.
"And then some. To be honest I didn't think something like this ever existed, its as if it came straight out of one of those story books my mother used to read to me when I was little. Only its not guarded by a monster or some fire breathing dragon, nor is there a princess at the end to rescued."
Sophie chuckled at the statement. "True it may not be some fantasy, but it sure is magical to say the least. I've never seen anything like this."
As the group got closer to the city, they began passing by the many farms that surrounded the city outskirts. The farmhouses that they saw earlier appeared to be made with quality materials which consisted of cut logs and stone bricks. Several houses they passed were anywhere from single story homes to three story houses, some were also brahmin farms and a few even had windmills for grain and flour production.
Suddenly at an intersection they were forced to stop as a horse drawn carriage crossed from their left. Paxton was in awe as to how close he was to this animal. It was a big animal with what appeared to be pronghorns growing out if its head, it had both molar and canine teeth and even had two-and-a-half-foot long spurs on its lower back legs.
"Woah!" the driver of the carriage said as he pulled the reins of the horse slowing it to a stop, causing the animal to neigh a little.
"How are y'all today?" The driver said who upon closer inspection had a wife and two small children with him in the carriage.
"We're doing fine sir." Bill replied to the man. "Um excuse me, could you point us to the main entrance to town please if its not too much trouble? We just got here and are trying to get checked in and all that."
"Sure thing friend, keep following the road until you come to another intersection then take a left, then it's a straight shot to the main gate."
"Thanks a lot sir, we appreciate it." Bill politely said.
"No problem, and since your new, welcome to Cascadia." The man said as he whipped the reins prompting the horse to keep going down its designated path until they were out of earshot.
"Somehow I don't think we will keep having experiences that pleasant here." Carl deadpanned as he was biting into a fresh apple he pulled off the cart.
"Oh, shut up Carl." Sophie retorted. "At least someone was kind enough to give us directions."
The caravan continued down the road until they came to another intersection, then took a left according to the directions they received and soon found themselves in front of what was probably the main entrance into the city.
The gate was imposing to say the least. Two battlements were on either side of the gate itself which was double reinforced with heavy wooden doors with iron bolts along with a heavy iron gate in front of them. A checkpoint was just outside with several guards wearing modified vault security armor along with watchdogs and armed with smg's and several assault rifles including Chinese assault rifles and assault carbines.
"That's close enough!" A guard shouted at the group as he pointed his assault rifle at them. As the group raised their arms showing they weren't causing trouble. Paxton noticed two protectrons exiting charging pods inside the checkpoint's booth and step outside with lasers armed.
"Who are you and what is your business here!?" The same guard asked, lowering the barrel of his rifle a little but keeping it ready.
"My name is Bill Farley sir, I'm a representative for the Happy Trails Caravan Company arriving today as per agreement with Cascadia. The original representative, Harold, died two weeks ago on the way here. I'm also with a doctor from the Followers of the Apocalypse and two guards. The other one joined the Caravan for safe passage here."
Paxton tensed up at the mention of him. He didn't know what to expect with these people. They were clearly not rookies at their job and given their gear and weapons they were probably not too keen on strangers showing up on their front door either. He didn't know if they would allow him in or if they would turn him away, thought was troublesome to say the least.
The guard with the rifle spoke to another one on the top floor of the booth though it was unclear what he was saying. The other one began typing on a terminal. No one in the caravan dared to move for fear of getting shot this close to the wall.
After fifteen minutes which felt like an eternity, The guard on top held out a thumbs up for the one on the bottom.
"Ok your good to pass. The caravan can proceed through the gate where they will be escorted to their destination, while the one that was not part of the caravan will proceed inside the gate but will stop at the customs office for processing and registration. Failure to comply with these instructions will result in termination. Understood?"
"Understood sir." Bill promptly replied.
The guard whistled to the one in the booth, who then pushed a button on the side of his station which turned on a green flashing light on top of the booth.
A few seconds later a flash of light lit up in a narrow slit on top of the gate and the heavy metal gate slowly started rising with the sound of metal gears working to raise it, followed by the two heavy wooden doors sliding open to reveal the city inside.
As the gates were opening, Paxton turned to shake Bill's hand along with the rest of the caravan. "Paxton thank you again for saving us back at the clinic, if it wasn't for you, I don't think we would have ever made it here."
"No problem, glad I was just able to help you guys out." Paxton replied as he pulled his duffle bag out of the cart, feeling a sense of pride that he managed to help people out before reaching this point. He was always taught that helping people out always comes back to aid you in the long run, so it felt great to spread some goodness in the world.
"Yes, thank you." Sophie also chimed in, smiling as big as she did when she was saved those two weeks ago.
"Also, before I forget about it..." Bill said as he pulled out a small pouch from the cart and handed it to Paxton. He could feel the jingle inside and knew that it was his payment.
"That's three thousand caps plus a bonus for helping us get to our destination. You deserve it."
"Thanks guys, good luck setting the branch up, maybe I'll see you all around."
"Good luck to you as well Paxton." Sophie replied as she waved him goodbye. He stayed with them all the way up to the gate until he came up to the customs office in the middle of the archway where he saw them start to be escorted by guards on horseback into the city to wherever it was they were going until they turned a street corner out of sight.
He was directed by a guard into the customs office where he was greeted by an officer with a navy-blue beret at a desk typing away at a terminal with a weird machine sitting on the left side of him. In the right corner was another guard with a dog sitting in the corner looking at him intently while two more were standing behind him.
"Leave your belongings over there on the table including weapons." The guard at the desk ordered. Paxton did as he was told and put his stud down on the table. After emptying his pockets, he sat down at the desk as the officer looked at him as he could hear the other officers looking through his belongings.
"Welcome, I hope the journey here wasn't too awful." The officer said not raising his eyes from the terminal
"Not really, it was worth it to get here, this place is really beautiful." Paxton complimented hoping it would tip things in its favor.
"Thanks, we take pride in our city and to ensure it remains a haven for all who enter. Which brings me to my first question. State your name and what is your reason for being here?"
"My name is Paxton John Clarke; I'm here hoping to become a citizen of Cascadia."
"Thank you, Mr. Clarke." The guard replied as he continued typing while casting glances at Paxton.
"Now to get stared, since you're applying for citizenship ill need to ask you as series of questions for eligibility."
"Great, ask away." Paxton said
"First question, Date of birth and birthplace please."
Paxton tensed up but calmed down soon afterwards. He already came up with a cover story to say if people got curious as to where he was from, He dared not tell this guy who he was or where he came from for fear that he be denied entry.
"I'm from New Cannan, Utah. I was born on March 13th, 2260."
The officer continued typing, the tension within Paxton was so great that he thought he was about to pass out from holding his breath for so long which he realized he was doing and slowly exhaled.
"Ok next question, what are some skills that you have that would benefit our community?"
"Well I'm quite adept at fixing and repairing things, I've worked on all kinds of stuff from robot's to terminals to electrical appliances such as windmills, generators, etc."
The officer nodded his head in what seemed to be approval as he continued typing.
"Ok and last question; Do you have any previous affiliation with any faction, other nation etc.?"
"No I do not." Paxton said, knowing full well that he was lying about being a former NCR 1st recon sniper. He made sure to take the badge off of his red beret and hide it in his underpants before arriving at the gate. He may have no longer been a 1st recon sniper but he still took pride in his service.
The officer continued to type on his terminal for another ten minutes before finally turning to the machine on his desk. He promptly pressed a button and a screen lit up on his side of the machine.
"All right Mr. Clark if you will step over here and look towards the camera, no smiling please."
Paxton did as he was told and a white flash enveloped him. After blinking his eyes and shaking his head a little, the machine spit out a small card and the officer retrieved it and handed it to Paxton. The white laminated card has his picture and his personal information according to what he gave the officer.
"This is your personal passport/citizen ID card. Without this you can't sell, buy, or do anything in Cascadia without it so keep it on you at all times. We will also keep another copy in the town hall in Celestial Square for you should you need another copy if you lose yours though it will cost you fifty caps for a replacement. Weapons are allowed as long as they are properly registered to you and only in your possession and should you decide to sell them, do so at any of the registered stores or weapons shops in the city. Also owning and selling chems is illegal unless you are prescribed them by a medical professional, the ones you had in your bag had to be confiscated so we compensated in caps for you. As of today, you are on a one year probationary period, if you behave and don't have any street charges when that year is up you will then become a full citizen along with the perks it comes with. Now do you have anything to ask me before we set you lose?"
"No sir." Paxton answered.
The officer walked over to him and shook Paxton's hand.
"Alright you're good to go Mr. Clarke. Good luck to you, also before you go, since you're good with repairing machines and stuff, I suggest getting yourself acquainted with Mr. Chin at Fixin Things just two blocks down. He's been looking for an assistant and I think you'll fill that role nicely, also your newly assigned apartment is close to his shop as well. Have a good rest of your day and Welcome to Cascadia."
Thank you sir." Paxton said before leaving the through the sliding door. As he exited he retrieved his journal out from his pocket and wrote down an entry while waiting for the inner gate to open into the city proper.
"April 30th, 2281"
"It's hard to describe my feelings at this moment. Exhausted yes, but joyful. I have finally made it to Cascadia. And it's even more beautiful in person than words can describe. The scavver wasn't wrong when he told me that I haven't seen civilization until I saw this place."
"As soon as I got here with the caravan I rescued I felt I was knocking on Heavens door, a decrepit soul begging for entry into paradise. It's like Max said as we all gazed upon this city first hand, it's as if we went back in time to another era and the Great War never even happened."
"I can now start again and earn myself a place here, start fresh from the hardships of the Frontier and find that small measure of peace that we all seek, and few of us ever find."
"Paxton Clark signing off."
As he put his journal back in his pocket. The secondary gate opened up and he was finally allowed entry. He stepped out of the archway onto the stone streets and was awestruck as multitudes of citizens both humans and ghouls alike walked them and people on horseback and carriages traveled up and down the road. Paxton let a small smirk cross his face as he adjusted his duffle bag on his back.
"Time to get to work."