Fandom Welcome to New Vegas, 6th State of the NCR

[Sylvio]

Noon hits the mojave as another day of peace arrives, the NCR patrols the desert without fear of legion or raider ambush. Settlements thrive with trade along the I-15 and Highways 93 and 95. The Vegas area has become an area bustling in tourism, commerce, and community.

2nd Lt. Edwin "Eddie" Jackson was being reassigned from his comfy post at Camp McCarran to a combat role at the Mojave Drive-in Garrison. He felt nervous, he didn't think he would fit in cause he was always a pencil pusher during the war. He was in uniform traveling down the Highway as the sun beat down on him. He never got used to the heat after all the years he spent in the desert. Traveling alone with nothing but his carbine for company, though he thought he didn't really need it. He walked by a few wandering prospectors, settlers, and new caravans. Since the dissolution of Crimson Caravan, new caravans have been popping up in New Vegas and even some in California. Yes a new mojave forged by the courier and the NCR has brought prosperity to the waste. At least thats what Eddie thought.

He took out his map to see where he was, and the drive-in garrison in eye sight when he looked up. He didn't know the drive-in existed, but thats what happens when you spend all your days in New Vegas. He had heard rumors of a satellite that would play a reel on the screen, but that was just a rumor and it couldn't have been true, right?

The garrison was more developed then the makeshift camps that existed before the war, like Forlorn Hope and the outskirts of Camp Golf. These buildings were made of concrete and metal and was fenced off. The materials to make these new camps could be safely transported to the mojave without obstruction. As Eddie got closer the sentry had took note of him and was standing at attention. Seems he didn't have to worry about the discipline and security in this camp. Calmly Eddie approached the sentry. "Can I help you sir?" she asked. "Lt. Edwin Jackson, I'm here under reassignment to the Mojave Drive-in by Colonel Hsu."

"Do you have your transfer form?"

Eddie fished into his pocket to pull out a folded piece of paper, he gave it to the sentry who examined it closely. She then returned it to Eddie. "You're all good sir. Welcome to Mojave Drive-in. Lt. Whitton is the one you're looking for. He should be in his quarters." she said as she smiled. "Thank you private." Eddie smiled in return and entered, looking for Lt. James Whitton. ( Rusty of Shackleford )​

 

[Pat]

Gray rose from the floor immediately upon waking in the early morning. Moaning already resonated through the torn paper thin walls of the Atomic Wrangler Casino, interrupted only by the Garret Twins' and their wired chem junkie guards breaking up the intermittent bar fight or escorting patrons that had lost everything they had gambling at their establishment out, he began to dress in the freshly laundered clothes he had personally elected to simply leave on the nightstands in lieu of the stained sheets of the queen size bed his meager accommodations afforded him. Years ago, this dilapidated corner room belonged to none other than the Courier as compensation for their brief stint as a debt collector for the current proprietors. He still had his private doubts anything had really changed since then regarding the lodgings, at the very least, anything that wasn't truly for the worse.

Opening the door to the balcony, he descended the creaking wood staircase before him until he was immersed in the overwhelming smoky haze that smelled of tobacco and sex below him, one guiding hand holding on the railing as he carried the rest of his suit folded over his other arm on his passage through the seedy betting floor on the way to the restroom on time to bathe. Always, he ensured his possessions remained within easy reach and that every amenity available to him was taken full advantage of, just like any other native Freesider would behave. Redressing in front of a cracked mirror once he had acted out the rest of the odd hygienic routines expected of the twenty third century civilized man, he smiled when a not entirely intrusive thought broke over him with the force of an ocean wave. Soon, he promised himself, soon.

Taking a seat in one of the unoccupied tables towards the back, and tugging his fedora low over his eyes after unbuttoning his trenchcoat, he placed an order for a bottle of the locally brewed absinthe to maintain his cover, and to help pass the time.

Hours passed before he saw his mark, an old world flag painted on his back not much unlike another Gray had heard of, push his way past the crowd of the worst Las Vegas had left to offer to the counter of the bar. Whatever it was that is his business, or pleasure, Gray internally amended, this was the moment to contact who could very well be his next agent. Slipping a self-igniting flash paper card into the oblivious man's clothes, for him and for him alone to read upon it's discovery as he passed on his way outside into the unforgiving light of the Mojave sun that burned the eyes and skin like leaves in a forest fire, he then left to finalize the necessary arrangements for the events ahead.

 

[Kenshin772]

Snake rode down the I-95 cruising at about thirty miles per hour on his trusty motorbike, he had rode through most of the night not risking another stay in White Walker territory near Zion. Snake felt his fatigue affecting him occasionally drifting off and being jostled awake by the out of control wiggle of his bike below him subsequently resulting in a panicked attempt to regain control to avoid dumping his bike on the broken asphalt. Eventually snake rolled to a stop as he came into view of the Lucky 38 in the distance some time around noon, Snake let out a whistle as he stared at the pre-war structure and pulled a can of purified water from his road rations. Being near Vegas far away from his old outfit's stomping ground and with the only engine sound for miles being his own was somehow a comfort to his ears; Snake felt relaxed which was not something he felt in a long time without the aide of chems, he thought of his past as he drained his water can into his gullet. "Well, cheers to a new life" he muttered as he marked the can tab on his water can and placed it back in his saddlebag.

Revving his engine Snake gassed off road and down a hill to the right of I-95 ramping off a natural jump and across some sheet metal shack. Once on the ground he sped off through rows of ruined and abandoned houses until he came to a long straight away leading to a gate of sorts with a few locals hanging around it. Snake observed the locals for a few moments before he grinned to himself and rode down the road slowing to a stop when the locals noticed him and his bike,

"That's a nice bike there pal, yer not from around here I take it?" called out one of the men standing near the gate

Snake stopped his engine and walked his bike to the gate "Yeah, just rode in through White Walker territory, say where can a guy get a place to stay in there?" Snake leaned his bike to one side and dropped his kickstand so he could just sit and be comfortable for his conversation.

"If ya got the caps The Atomic Wrangler could put you up for the night I think it's somethin like ten caps, careful though the NCR's Police Station is set up where the old Van Graff's had their Silver Rush BS." The King leaned back and whispered something to one of his companions who turns and runs into the entrance of Freeside.

"Alright good to know" Snake raised an eyebrow as the King member ran into Freeside but dismissed his suspicions for a second to ask another question "If a guy wanted to get some work where'd he head?"

The King and his buddy looked Snake up and down and laughed to each other "If ya lookin fer work head over to our boss's joint can't miss it, it's got the The Kings in big ol' letters head on in and tell pacer yas lookin fer work he'll fix ya up wit something, just head on through these here gates, past the followers, and through the old bus doors and you'll be in the freeside strip"

"Yeah and then the PD might have bounties if you're feeling soldier like" added in the second King

"Thanks for the tips guys I'll buy you guys a drink when I get my bearings, see you around" Snake promised as he started his engine and rolled himself forward through the Freeside Northern gate, past the Mormon fort turning heads as he went, Snake looked around at the low end slums and slowed himself near the bus gate the people around were clearly down on their luck, kids were chasing a giant rat, Beggars lined some of the ruined buildings, down the street he could hear what he could only assume was a NCR raid on the homeless for not paying their taxes, to his left some kid was yelling about some store called Mick & Ralph's down on the other end of the slum, "New life huh, wonderful" he mutters to himself as he rolled himself over to the kid who took a step back from Snake and his bike "Where's this store at kid?"

"I-it's down the road there, take a right then a left. can't miss it" the boy whimpered as he inched further away from Snake

Snake smiled and reached into his saddlebag and pulled out twenty caps and handed them to the young boy "Take it, go get yourself something to eat kid" Snake turned his bike and rolled down the indicated road the boy behind him looked at the caps and got a glow in his eyes seconds before he turned and ran into the Freeside strip to find some food. Rolling around the first corner toward the store Snake was greeted by the sight of two squads worth of NCR Troopers surrounding a kicked in door, one of the troopers eyed Snake and gave him a dry keep it moving as the biker rolled past and around the second turn where a number of kids stood watching the troopers do their work. Flashbacks of Snakes childhood where he watched his father and brother work on the 80s vehicles played in his head for a second before he rolled himself onto the curb in front of Mick & Ralph's "Ah shit, gotta pay attention these tires aren't easy to replace" he thought as he let out soft string of curses and dismounted his bike to check for damage.

(-20 Caps, new amount 90 Caps)

 

[Teh Frixz]

It wasn’t really sleep that Stryf was experiencing, not that she would know. It was highly likely that the old world sciences inflicted upon her removed that ability and instead replaced it with a chem induced coma state that left Stryf spending her nights in a senseless void of warm feelings and soft edges that was ready to be snapped out of in a second by the introduction of what passed for psycho into her bloodstream.

Needless to say, a chem sleep was no substitute for real sleep. When her internal clock finally ticked over, Stryf snapped into reality with a sharp shout of fear. Per the norm really. Artificial adrenaline ran its course and Stryf began to feel her heart rate slow to a semi normal rate.

Her room in the shack she had inherited was sparse. Something inside her just hated clutter and dust, considering the state of the world. As such, the single room was clear of debris and fairly clean except the puddle that would gather nightly beneath her bed. A couple dolls adorned the mattress and a picture of a smiling pre war family the wall. Small comforts for the giant stretching herself.

First thing apart from making sure she wasn’t dead or hurt was finding the days source of food. Be it rat or roach, it was food for Stryf. It really was a crap shoot on where and how she got it, sometimes people would throw food to her or get the warm meat water from the flowers in the fort but usually it was from killing something she found.

That part of life had gotten much harder in recent times. The bear people were here and killing off the scrounging in Freeside. She had to go to the sewers or outside the city these days to scavenge. Even then there wasn’t a promise to find anything. It gave Stryf bad feelings, times when she had to eat things that talked to live.

She shook her head to clear out the sad things and instead looked herself up and down. Cuts and scars aside, she was in good shape still. The hurt inside was just a weak throb, meant good day today.

Putting on some semblance of clothing, Stryf grabbed the metal doors and forcibly wrenched them open with a loud screech. She slipped between the teeth of the door and out into the Vegas sunshine. The door snapped shut behind her with a clang and Stryf observed the state of Freeside.

People were going this way and that, giving her wide berth. It was a confusing rush that gave her a headache to match the rumbling tummy loudly reminding her to eat something soon. Walking to middle of the road, Stryf started turning this way and that, confused on what to do next. Lots of options and lots of people.

Just as tears started to form in her eyes, she heard the boy yelling about mickenralf. Mickenralf were nice sometimes, food they gave to her was free sometimes too. She wiped her tears away and with new determination started in the direction she remembered. Following the criers directions as best she could.

It didn’t take long to reach with her gait and before Stryf knew it, she was busy being enthralled by a man riding a two wheel. Lumbering over, Stryf walked up behind him, silently staring down at the bike. Slowly but surely, she leaned down, reaching to touch the engine as if drawn to the heat.


Kenshin772

 

[Kenshin772]

Snake was distracted with his tire feeling for possible air leaks when he noticed a lumbering shadow cast over him and his bike; he turned to his right to see a giantess of a woman reaching down toward the main engine block of his bike. Before he could really think about his actions Snake reached out in front of the woman's hand "Hey watch it! are you trying to burn yourself!?" he yelled still half hunched over his bike. before the Woman could reply he looked back to his tire and then stood up figuring it was just fine, Snake was surprised that this woman stood a foot taller than him but then he remembered the height of some of the guys in the 80s about how most of those guys were above 6:5 and he was always the shortest, probably why he was head mechanic in the chop shop. "Any way can I help you in a way that doesn't involve you getting burned for touching my bike's engine?"

 

[Teh Frixz]

“Burn? Burns hurt, that bike burn me?” Gears seemed to audibly turn in her head as cause and effect was slowly establishing itself.

She steps back, stretching her arm out to examine her fingers in a startlingly feminine fashion. Evidence pointed to her having learned the lesson of ‘burns hurt’ before first hand, her fingers a mess of scars, burns, and healing flesh.

“You stop me from hurt. You a good man or just tricky man? Hurt me worse later but talk sweet now?” She eyes him suspiciously, making up her mind on things. Others had been nice in the start before only to hurt her in ways that still ached. Waking in chains or in new locations with danger around her, she wasn’t about to trust new people right of the bat.

He made a good first impression though.

“We trade for good man? I am hungry”



Kenshin772

 

[Kenshin772]

Snake shuttered mentally as he heard the large girl speak "Christ, this girl sounds like she's been fucked with her whole life she's definitely seen the merry-go-round of raider camps that's for sure" He thought to him self as he let out a single sigh, "Guess it's the same shit everywhere huh" he muttered before he turned to his bike and opened his rear saddlebag and pulled out three days worth of his travel rations and three subsequent cans of Purified water.

Turning to face the tall girl once again Snake produced the rations and handed them to her "Here it's not much, three days of dried Brahmin meat and a few purified waters. Half my current supply but I can go without not like I won't be on my feet here soon enough" He paused and wondered if she would even understand that phrase but shrugged it off with an even deeper thought "This is disgusting not even Thunderhawk would do something like this to a young one even if she did look like she was part Super Mutant"

Teh Frixz

 

[Teh Frixz]

“On feet?” Stryf looked him up and down before reaching slowly and taking the supplies. She sniffed them once, a smile growing on her face. Her brilliantly white teeth flash once before tearing into the meat. She hadn’t eaten in a day and Brahmin was one of her favorites. In a few bites, nearly half of the given food is gone before she brought her attention back to Snake.

He was a good man, people who hurt her always would just promise to give things and keep taking things. He gave things and didn’t even make her do things. Good man helping like mikenralf or flowers.

Stopping only to breathe, Stryf looked the man up and down. He was hurt too, like her. A light scar over his eye and pain behind them. A good face though, not scary like the men and women who kept her in cages, scaring her while she tried to sleep. He would be a good man to know.

A few probably awkward moments pass while Stryf wipes her face off and continues to stare him up and down. Finally she speaks up.

“Pretty two wheels.” She crouches down, squatting to look closely at the tank of the motorcycle. Her eyes positively glued to the decals, she speaks again. “I am Stryf.”

Kenshin772

 

[screaming armadillo]

Early Morning​

A pack of dogs had become a nuisance to a small settlement that had put roots along Highway 95 inside the mountains just North of the 188 trading post. The hounds had arrived suddenly and the inhabitants who were too busy eking out a living off the land made the mistake of not ridding themselves of the pest before they claimed the territory. It ended up only costing a Brahmin calf rather than a child or even an unaware man. Fear had been laced into the hearts of the hapless townsfolk whose only rifle would be better suited as a club. So when Joseph wandered in like a vulture to see the carcass being prodded for anything to salvage he quickly offered his services before the NCR could step in.

The pack, which Joseph learned was only a pair, had dug a den in one of the ravines that scarred the hills about a mile North-West. Finding it was rather simple as the entrance was not as hidden compared to others and a number of various bones littered the immediate area. Joseph had suspected that the pack were not true wild hounds, they displayed little of the awareness or cunning of creatures that spent a lifetime living amongst man. Probably fighting dogs that escaped their master.

Joseph figured that the hounds were still inside the burrow escaping the approaching midday heat while sleeping off their kill. Having slipped off the mask as to not lessen his range of vision and removing his bag Joseph crawled upwind of the burrow before making a methodically slow approach down the slope. Each step placed to avoid loose rocks that would certainly stir the sleeping hounds and ruin his chance to bag the entire group. When he neared thirty-five feet the must of wild beast and the faint carrion odor wafted toward his nostrils. This was close enough.

On as even ground as Joseph would risk taking he lightly leaned his rifle against his leg while taking a crouch, an act that brought on a grimace. The 10mm would be his backup, already he knew it was ready to go. Rifle was aimed toward the opening, the scope at its lowest power was still a tad much but manageable. Joseph expected at best two shots. He gave himself a moment to steady his heartbeat before giving a quick shout that was quickly answered with muffled howls. The first was a large male who tore out the den with full intent of defending his home but was quickly met with a .308 that stopped him instantly. His body had just hit the ground when the second, a smaller female whose swollen stomach probably carried more than Brahmin flesh. She had been stopped by the boom of the rifle shot and perhaps seeing her mate flop dead in front, it gave Joseph the time to reload and fire as she tried to process her actions. Like her mate she dropped.

Present​

The price for culling the dogs was a measly twenty-seven caps. Two bullets and three hours of time that only managed to give a pair of pelts and the caps to cover one maybe both bullets. Joseph grumbled about it all the way to a side stop along 95, Grab N’ Gulp, he decided to take a break to rest his knee as he watched the comings and going. The looming New Vegas whose lights were a beacon loomed in the distance. Perhaps he would make a stop there just to see what all the fuss was about.

 

[Kenshin772]

Snake watched in silence as the girl ate the rations he gave her. He knew he could barely afford his altruism, but he couldn't help himself his soft side breaking free after his years of being a pure unadulterated bastard of a man. Snake looked around and some of the other inhabitants of Freeside where keeping there distance from Snake and the Giantess a strange thing considering she was one of them.

"Pretty Two Wheels, I am Stryf" spoke the girl bringing Snake's attention to her squatting figure with her eyes running up and down his bike's painted fuel tank.

"Stryf, like strife quite the ironic name" Snake thought to himself before speaking up "Thank you, I spent a lot of time painting that" Snake paused for a moment placing his hand on the painted skull feeling the burn of the hot metal on his finger tips "It's not something I get to do often but I'm proud of it. My name is Nathaniel, but others call me 'Snake' for whatever reason" he paused again taking his hand off the tank and pulling out his key "Nate or Snake work just fine"

 

[Teh Frixz]

“Snakeys bite too much. Nate is good name, normal name. Better than Stryf!” She stood up quickly, stretching out and enjoying having edible food in her stomach for the first time in a week. “Head bones not so pretty normally. You paint other things?”

At full height now, Stryf runs her hands through her hair while speaking. Her worn hands acting as rudimentary combs as she yanked out a knot without flinching. “I not painting anymore. Lost paints when I was this high” She held her hand out to his waist before pulling back and realizing she didn’t have anything else to do today now.

Nate had given her food for the day so really not dying was the only thing left to accomplish. She didn’t have to go to mikenralf anymore and most places didn’t let her in so it was either go home or find something to do.

“Do you read?” She asked out of the blue. “Flowers read me sometimes. At fort. Old stories. Can you read me? I pay back”

Kenshin772

 

[Kenshin772]

Snake let out a small chuckle when Stryf asked if he could read and if he could read to her. "Yes, I can read but, perhaps another time, I'm afraid I have work to do or at least find work to do" Snake looked to the door of the store he was going to check out wavering for a second on a thought of checking for drugs to help him stay awake a little longer but he dismisses the thought. "No, I just need rations I can't afford Chems" Snake Drilled into his thoughts as he turned to the store front and started walking "Keep an eye out for me, I'll be around for a while" he called out to Stryf as he opened the door to Mick and Ralphs's store.

Once inside Snake looked between the two men inside when one of them greets him "Hey you're a new face, welcome to Mick and Ralph's what can I do you for?"

Snake stopped short and produced eighty of his last ninety caps and asked "I need four bottles of purified water if you got it, if not double the amount in dirty water"

Mick rubbed his hands together and turned his back to grab four bottles off his shelf "Customer coming in and getting straight to the point I like it" he muses out loud before and produces the water bottles in a small bag which Snake grabs in one hand as he placed his caps on a counter top before turning and leaving the building and mounting back onto his bike looking around to see if Stryf was still nearby or if she moved on.

Teh Frixz

 

[Karcen]

Outside the cities in the still mostly wild wastes Alice walked down the cracked and destroyed roads, the NCR might start fixing them one day or might leave them alone it didn't really matter to Alice who was in the end just a wander. She didn't plan on paying taxes or getting a home or doing anything really she was unsure what she wanted and was just delivering packages till she figured things out. Her black and blue outfit stood out in the mostly tan dessert and while most would think it would get hot whatever the techies in the institute had made it from kept her from really feeling to hot, or perhaps that was just part of courser biology. Years ago a small war had raged in this area and yet even with order restored chaos was still all about the NCR could not police all of its territory completely and thus raiders were still common, not to mention legion hold outs. Humans really were foolish in their beliefs clinging to the old and ancient yet always perverting them till the same mistakes were made, perhaps her makers would find they repeated a mistake as well. Today she was delivering a brown paper wrapped box to someone in freeside, Alice didn't know or care what was in it she wasn't paid to ask questions just get the package from A to B nice and simple like the old days.

As some people came out from their hiding places behind broken cars and large rocks Alice was sure this was like the old days. The men were dressed in an almost tribal manner, though they had what looked like old pre war sports equipment as armor except for the leader they seemed to have stepped out from an history book in their plate armor. Legion hold outs broken and tiny tribes of raiders with a dislike for tech and more organization than most gangs. It seemed to them the war had not ended and would never end till they were all dead. Groups like this were somewhat uncommon, but by no means rare and normally they they would take a caravan killing men taking goods and any women they found. These groups while not having number were dangerous but for Alice this was an mild speed bump with the 14 of them.

" Hmm 14 on 1 well that isn't fair" Alice said getting a chuckle from the leader who was about to say something, but Alice acted first tossing her package up and in a blink drawing her plasma defenders " You need more guys" She said before firing and hitting 2 of the legion hold outs right in their faces with hot burning plasma. The men barely had time to scream before the super heated gasses melted their faces and boiled their brains killing them in an instant.

The hold outs were stunned for a second but they regained their composure and lacking anything but throwing spears they threw. Alice could tell how each spear would fall and moved her hands with expert precision to knock each spear out of the way from hitting her. While she returned fire each shot hitting a weak and vital point melting and burning through armor killing with almost every short though simple trauma. leaving just Alice and the leader in mere moments. Still her guns were out and she put them back giving the leader an opening which he took charging. Alice however had pulled out her machete and met the leaders blade. The two would soon start to fight as if they were in a midevil struggle their blade meeting over and over till at last the leader made a slip and Alice brought her blade down cutting his hand off before stabbing it into his chest killing him.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Oh so gently grabbing the rear tire and lifting up to her waist, Stryf held up a large thoroughly mangled rat by the tail. It swung back and forth with the motion of her arm, her smile back again.

“Nate, food for reading or do other jobs!” The excitement in her voice tempered by the fear of losing out on a chance to be read to again. Her skin glistened, not from sweat but from a sticky substance oozing out of the dozen or so large pores across her upper torso. Chemically almost identical to buffout, a couple globs drop to the ground, leaving dark stains on the dry earth.

A few small groups of junkies start gathering a safe distance away, like a dinner bell going off more seemed to be flowing in. If Stryf was getting fired up, there could be enough of the chem to filter out of the sand and dirt for them. There had been a few fights over her ‘excess’ but nothing too large in scale...yet.

She looks down at Nate, biceps bulging slightly as the drug starts coursing through her systems.

Kenshin772

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

The sun bored down on the back of Lucy's neck, sweat pooling in the collar of her shirt as she slowly peeked out from her hiding spot behind a large rock. The brahmin carcass was still untouched, the buzzards still circling over it waiting for her to clear out. Sighing, she ducked back behind the boulder and rested her rifle against it. An hour out in the sun and still no sign of whatever killed the stray brahmin. Shrugging off her pack, she rummaged around and pulled out one of her bottles of water. It would have been easy to greedily guzzle it all down to help alleviate how hot she was, but she decided against it. Even though the NCR did make access to clean water easier, it still costed a pretty cap for anyone who couldn't get near the strip. Drinking only half of the bottle Lucy wiped off the small amount that spilled from her cheek and put it back into her pack.

The sound of movement made her jump, hand shooting out to her rifle as she pressed herself against the rock. She waited for a few seconds, holding her breath as she peaked around the side of the rock. To her relief, it was just a family of molerats that were sizing up the brahmin carcass and not something more dangerous. "Dad and mom probably killed it, then went and got the pups." Lucy said to herself, shifting so that she could shoulder her rifle. There were three fully grown ones, probably the parents and oldest pup, and two smaller ones. They began to pick at the carcass, unaware of her position as she thought about her options. "Smaller one's shouldn't be too much of a problem, could probably use my pistol to get them if they don't scatter. Bigger ones are the real threat, have to get at least two of them before they can reach me or else I'll be in trouble." Taking a breath, she disengaged the safety on her rifle and took aim at the big one closest to her rock.

The rifle kicked against her shoulder as she fired a shot, the bullet ripping right through the rat's side with an agonized squeal. The larger rats reacted immediately, turning towards her position and letting out a squeal before charging towards the rock, the smaller ones scattering in different directions. Cycling in a new round, Lucy stood up and aimed at the rat on the left before pulling the trigger, the bullet hitting it in the leg sending the limb flying off as the rat tumbled to the ground. The other rat was getting close, only a few more seconds before it would be on top of her. "Shit." Dropping the rifle, she hurriedly freed her pistol from her side and aimed at the charging rat. Three rounds barked out at the rat, the first going high over it's head but the second and third hit their marks in the beasts skull. It's body went limp as it fell to the ground, sliding a bit before finally stopping. She kept her gun on the rat for a few more seconds to make sure it was dead before she walked over to the one who's leg she shot off. It was writhing on the ground in pain as it still tried to move towards her. With a grimace on her face she aimed and fired again, ending it's suffering.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lucy walked back to the rock and retrieved her rifle. Six shots, two from her rifle and four from her pistol, and three dead mole rats. Hopefully the caps she earned from this job and the rats would be enough to put her in the green after she resupplied. Dragging the mole rats next to each other, she unhooked her hatchet and got to work.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Thank's for the company Sal, hope everything goes well with the caravan." Lucy waved goodbye to the man as he lead his pack brahmin away from the entrance to Freeside. The errand that she had run for Cliff had netted her a decent amount of caps, 50 in all after she restocked on her used ammo. Even though the NCR was doing a good job at keeping most routes safer, they could only do so much against nature and it's creatures. Most of the times it was a stray brahmin getting killed by dogs, or a road being taken over by a pack of cazadoers. While the NCR would eventually get some people out there to clear them it was sometimes easier and cheaper to hire people like her to do the job instead.

"Alright, a quick stop in Mick&Ralph's to check if they have any work, stop in by the followers to do the same and hopefully be back in Goodsprings by night." Oliver would probably start worrying if she wasn't back tonight, he always got concerned whenever she left to look for work. Sure he always put on a brave face whenever she left and came back, but Trudy would always tell her of how he cried whenever she would be gone for more than a week. Taking a brisk walking pace, she rounded the corner to Mick&Ralph's and came upon a curious sight. Some of the local vagrants were all huddled together, muttering to themselves as they stared at a woman standing outside of the store. Even from where she was, Lucy could tell that this girl had been through some hell. It disgusted her to think of what these junkies were thinking of doing to her. A man existed from the store, mounting what looked like one of those wrecked bikes she had seen before. Except this one was in good shape, and able to actually run from the looks of it. She briefly wondered what it would be like to ride it, but shook that thought away as she approached the duo.

Being direct was probably the best way of going about this, or at least the easiest in Lucy's eyes. Stopping a short distance away from the girl Lucy cleared her throat and said "Excuse me, not sure if you noticed but those junkies over there are eying you up. If you want I can try and scare em off for ya."

Kenshin772
Teh Frixz

 

[Kenshin772]

Snake panicked a little when his rear end started lifting off the ground then he noticed the familiar shadow of Stryf on the ground next to him and he spun his head around and he got a face full of rat corpse. Frozen with surprise Nate blinked a couple of time "I'm slowly losing control of my life again" he thought as he looked up to Stryf hearing the excitement in her voice with her request again "Calm down Nathaniel she's just a kid, a very large and strong kid" Snake started to open his mouth again when he noticed the large amount of sweat being produced all over her body that smelled faintly of buffout he reached out and ran his finger along Stryf's arm "Sorry give me a second" he asked as he held his fingers to his nose in confusion.

After a second Snake looked back up to Stryf and looked her in the eyes "Stryf, are you sweating Buffout?" he asked bluntly knowing that it was defiantly not a side effect of Buffout. his attention was dragged away from Stryf when he heard another voice come from behind Stryf. Another woman had approached, this one so tomboyish he could only tell that she was a woman by her voice. Looking behind her he could see the group that was previously children now replaced with a group of rather hungry looking Junkies. It didn't take him long to put two and two together that the Junkies were eyeing Stryf becuase if he could smell the Buffout he knew the Junkie's drug sniffing noses could as well.

Teh Frixz
Shotgunpenguin

 

[Teh Frixz]

“I unnu?” She shrugs and drags her tongue along her bicep, swallowing a copious amount. “Happens when I pickup thing” realizing she was still holding the bike, she gently sets it down. Hopefully Nate wouldn’t just put petal to metal and jet out of here.

A clearing of the throat alerted Stryf to the newcomer approaching.

“Excuse me, not sure if you noticed but those junkies over there are eying you up. If you want I can try and scare em off for ya."

Instantly stepping back and becoming cautious, not unlike a semi feral dog, she shook her head. “They follow sometimes, make scary faces. They stay back if I do this”

Quickly she runs her hands up and down her arms, gathering up as much of the mucus like chem, wincing as she prodded around in the pores on her chest before launching a couple handfuls over to the group of junkies.

She laughs as the group descends upon on themselves, fighting over the fluid that rapidly began to enter their systems. The small crowd becoming larger and more unruly by the second as buffout began living up to its moniker.

Kenshin772
Shotgunpenguin

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Nick trudged into the disgusting hovel that constituted for a casino. Suppressing a shudder of revulsion, the grizzled man made his way to the counter, his Pre-war American Combat Armour looking cleaner then the place, despite the grime and dirt in the creases. He had barely registered the well dressed man pass him when the disguised Enclave Remnant slapped down what looked to be a dozen human scalps onto the bar counter. "I've upheld my end of the bargain Mr. Garret. Still breathing, but they'll know to pay on time." Nick said, gesturing to the still bloody scalps, now marring the bar.
"Holy shit man! I just asked you to rough them up, not maim them!" The owner exclaimed with a slight look of fear in his eye. "But I can't argue with the results... The parts you asked for are in the back. They weren't easy to get." James Garret added jerking a thumb behind him.
As Nick made to stand, he looked the owner of the establishment in the eye. "A pleasure doing business with you. I suggest you get rid of the evidence. Wouldn't want the authorities to shut down your business." Standing straight, he noticed what looked to be a note fall from his armour. Curious, the captain looked over the piece of paper.

"North of Horowitz Farmstead, 0000 hours."

Interesting... Guess i know where to head to after i drop off the parts. He thought making his way to the back where his payment was waiting. Just as he was about tuck the note away, said object incinerated itself. "Very interesting..."

After ten minutes, he had a working coolant pump, seven pitch change links, and four pitch horns for a rotor system. All he needed was a powerplant, and some hoses. He had heard there was a crashed vertibird south east of Nipton. Or what remained of the town. Exiting the establishment, the Mojave sun reflected off his aviators as he lit up a rolled cigarette and made his way north west out of the slum that was freeside and towards the farmstead the mysterious note said to go to. He would not show up at the requested time though. Oh no, the Captain had plans to scout the area first then make camp there.

Pat

 

[Pat]

Gray spent a few minutes ascertaining from the cliff edge overlooking the mercenary's position and later campsite if he had been covertly tailed or if he had decided to invite any unwanted guests as company. It had amused him that one of the two provided directions were beyond the capabilities of the man, especially with what was already known of his prior background and present occupation, respectively.

Drawing back from the precipice, he uncloaked away from view and began to slowly feminize his projected appearance, altering her speech and mannerisms as she deftly slipped on business attire appropriate for the gender she now must mimick.

Recloaking before descending, she waited for the agreed upon time to approach before then materializing at the start of a new day, just out of the current field of vision of the mercenary. "It's been awhile since I've had the opportunity to watch an American. I know who you are, and have found a use for a man such as yourself. So, with that said, what payment would you want to negotiate in return for the services that you provide? Let me just inform that the two separate jobs that I have in mind are high profile, but of low risk." Crossing her arms, she idly shifted much of her weight to her right foot while casually winding up the untarnished silver watch comfortably resting on her left wrist.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Nicholas turned towards the sound of the woman's voice, his highly modified Glock 82 in hand but not pointed at the her. Giving a quick look over, he imperceptibly relaxed listening to what she had to say. Mulling over her offer, he gave a shake of his head. "Even if what you claim is true, I'm gonna need more information on what you are offering. Especially if you know who I am" He replied, the slight hint of a northern accent peaking through his speach. "Furthermore, since you claim to know m being an American, an empty claim at that since, anyone born on this continent is technically one, you'll need to tell me more than that. If you're going by the flag painted on my attire, then you made a poor choice." He added, trying to probe her for more information. If she did truly know who or at least what faction he belonged to, then he might be able to work with her. If she posed no threat to his people. "And I highly doubt you could give me what i need, Miss..."

 

[Pat]

Gray approached him with the confidence of a woman who no longer feared death, her hands swaying by her sides until she suddenly came to an abrupt stop only a few feet away. Already, he had begun to disappoint her. He just wasn't cut out for this line of work. She writes him a blank check in his name to fill in however he pleases, and what does he decide to do despite what the situation he was in now called for? He obfuscates and questions her!

Digging into her pockets for a cigarette and her lighter, she leans down to ignite the end with a click; using her body to block the wind from extinguishing the flame after expertly lodging it between her red lips. She would have to reapply her lipstick soon to keep up appearances if this conversation ever got off the ground again. "I suggest you forget about compensation in the form of answers. Rest assured, my research on you is thorough, and if I envisioned this little chat of our's to be anything other than pleasant, my opening move would have been to try to kill you. Suffice to say, there's nothing more I despise from my agents at this liminal stage of our relationship than an unearned sense of curiosity. I'll again reiterate my generous offer just this once, but please do not choose to disrespect me a third time. I am prepared to make you a very happy man, and all you have to do is tell me what is it that you want in exchange for assuming the responsibility of running some very simple errands in my stead."

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Nick looked at the woman closely, trying to figure out her angle. She didn't answer his question, but she seemed competent. Reaching into a belt pouch, he pulled out one of his own cancer sticks and lit it up with little issue, exhaling a cloud of carcinogenic smoke. Looking thoughtful for a moment he finally nodded. "I admit, I am intrigued. So i'll make you a deal. I'll work With you, and you can pay me per job. And the payment should reflect the job. Caps are of little interest to me." He replied, before taking another drag. "Is this satisfactory?" He asked holding out his right hand after holstering his plasma defender.

 

[Pat]

Gray let her cigarette drift to the ground where she smothered it against the sand grains with the bottom of her right heel. She decides to slip him another card during the brief handshake. "There are three locations of interest to me. The twin pump stations of Outer New Vegas, and the El Dorado Substation. Regarding the two pump stations, your primary objective there is to replace the filters for the water purification systems in each installation with imitations that I will provide you with, and then to dispose of the originals so that no evidence is left behind to trace. They both have minimal security, and should easily be infilitrated. I expect you to not only be undetected, but to take no lives. Please handle the filters with care, as their contents are not only fragile, but lethal as well. Concerning the El Dorado Substation, your primary objective is to destroy the transformers with explosive charges you will also receive from me, in addition to shooting up the controls inside of the main building, and killing the eight N.C.R.A. soldiers garrisoned there. They patrol the outside in rotating shifts, and rest indoors whenever it isn't their watch. The perimeter is secured by a chain link fence, which shouldn't be a problem for you in bypassing. You may now ask of me any questions you may have that are necessary to complete what I need done to a sufficiently satisfactory degree before I give you the aforementioned equipment. Your payment can be negotiated as of this moment or during our next meeting, which will be at the time and place on the card that I have given you."

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Nick listened carefully to her instructions, quickly formulating a plan for both, and what supplies he would need to accomplish this. The El Dorado substation wouldn't be too much of an issue if I hit them hard while wearing my tesla armour. But The Twin Pump station may prove more difficult. Wish I had a few Stealth boys or one of those stealth suits the chinese loved... he thought, before asking his first and possibly most important question. "Any gear that could help in infiltrating the twin pump station?" He asked while also pondering what was in the fake filters. Probably some sort of toxin. While I don't like the idea of civilian deaths, it may be a boon for us. Distabilize the region and create civil unrest...

 

[Pat]

"Stations." Gray patiently reiterated, stressing the fact of their plurality to clarify the apparent small miscommunication. "One on the western side of outer new vegas, and one on the eastern side of outer new vegas. Due to their national constant shortages of qualified personnel to run such facilities, they are not always staffed, and are only visited by maintenance workers barring major issues that require a more professional touch. Predominantly everyday operations at the two buildings consist of checking water pressure and regulating flow, to ensure that the water pipes aren't suffering from too much leakage. You have several hours before the time the morning shift there usually begins. If it reassures you, it can be arranged for a package of two stealth boys to be left in one of the dumpsters of the El Rey Motel. Anything else you must ask before we proceed?"