Prelude to Sundown

2276: July 1st.

General Lee Oliver Military Governor of the Mojave Territories.

Camp McCarran.

"And you're sure this is the best strategy Colonel? Hsu tells me your plan has an over eighty percent casualty rate in the first wave alone. I'm giving you nearly two thousand men for this operation. That's going to be a lot of letters to write home and could diminish our ability to defend our interests in the region."

The freshly minted Colonel Cassandra Moore shot me a dirty look but gave an affirmative grunt all the same. "Yes sir. I've spent the last year and a half whittling down the Brotherhood forces in the southern Mojave and driving them back toward their headquarters in Helios One. Now all that's left is to take the actual facility and claim it for our own. Eradicating the Brotherhood Terrorists in the process."

"And the ban on heavy weapons? I could have heavy mortars and air support called in if you asked for it."

"Sir with all due respect, this is your command, and if you gave the order I'd make use of heavy assets. But I'm thinking long term, the Brotherhood clearly has some interest in this facility, not to mention the potential for a massive boost in the power sent back home without that AI calling itself Mr. House getting in our way."

"We don't know it's an AI Colonel," I said with an air of exasperation. Moore had wanted to go back on the treaty of Vegas ever since she got here. And while I agreed that handling Mr House would be important once the Brotherhood was dealt with, now wasn't the time.

"Of course sir." She said, "But that doesn't change the fact that this facility should be treated like a critical asset and protected. Heavy assets would just endanger the critical pre-war components that, unless I'm mistaken, we currently can't replace."

"No, you're right Colonel. It's commendable that you are thinking so far ahead on this, and securing that power plant intact will be critical to the long-term success of stabilizing the region as well as integrating it into the Republic proper. I just wish the price tag wasn't so high."

"It's no higher than it had to be, Sir." She said confidently like she had single-handedly made the greatest military strategy ever conceived by man.

"I hope you're right Colonel. I hope you're right."

Chapter Elder Elijah. Elder of the Mojave Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel.

Helios One service tunnels.

My hands danced across the keyboard as soon as it signaled that the last lock-out timer had expired. I dove into the computer recovery system for what felt like the thousandth time today alone. I imagine lesser men would have given up or been driven to insanity by now. But I was so close, I knew the first letter of the password and its length. Now I just had to hope it wasn't someone's name or something equally ridiculous.

I was yanked away from my focus by the sound of an old tin can being knocked to the floor.

I sighed and turned to face the entrance to the main server room, "Veronica, dear. You don't need to lurk in the shadows."

I watched as the girl stepped into the open, dressed in the red robes of the Scribes, her head bowed slightly in a nervous sort of way.

"Sorry, Elder Elijah. I didn't mean to eavesdrop…"

"Don't be, my dear friend Veronica… tell me, what troubles you?"

She fidgeted slightly before answering. "Head Paladin McNamara is concerned. He says we can't hold this position for long if the NCR attacks, and with all the recent skirmishes over the past year driving us back… he was talking to Senior Paladin Hardin about the possibility of pulling back to the mountains if things go on this way much longer…"

I sighed deeply, shaking my head. McNamara was a good man. One of the best upcoming Senior Paladins back in California and promoted to Head Paladin when the Council had decided to establish a branch Chapter here in the Mojave. But he was so concerned with petty skirmishes and the movements of meer infantry to see the bigger picture. "It's McNamara's job to be concerned, my dear. In fact, if he was not concerned, that would give me cause for it. No, the NCR won't be a problem once I finish my work here. Once I unlock the power of this facility, not only will our own Chapter's future be secured, but the future of the whole Brotherhood."

"But Elijah, what if he's right? I'm not a soldier but everything that's happened over the last year points to an attack coming soon. I overheard some of the Knight auxiliary talking, they said the NCR is gathering troops near No-Vac. What else could they be gathering there for, except to attack Helios?"

I looked at the girl that I had practically raised, did she have such little faith in me to accomplish our mission here? Or did she still hold doubts about the importance of our mission to keep advanced technologies out of the hands of those undeserving of its use like the Bear that looked over our order? "Now my dear you don't have to worry, all I need is some more time. McNamara is a good commander, I am certain he can buy us the time I need to finish my work. But if it's such a concern to you, perhaps you should join the final groups of our squires and Scribes that McNamara is relocating to Hidden Valley?"

"You want me to leave?" She gasped.

"No, my dear. But if you feel unsafe here, I'd rather see you out of the inevitable confrontation that is coming. Now go, speak to McNamara, and prepare to leave with the next group. When the dust has settled, and the Republican Bear is sent reeling, you shall see that our mission's success was never in any real doubt. Trust me, my dear, Have I ever let you down?"

She sternly shook her head before turning to walk away. I watched her leave with a sigh, she was still young and foolish, still refusing to fulfill her duty to the Brotherhood and have a child, and fearing the simpletons that would fight power armor with weapons suited only to the hunting of small game. But when I succeeded. When I finally broke into this installation's systems, when I activated and gained control of the orbital weapon system. I'd annihilate the gathering army of conscripted youth, I'd burn their capital of mud and sand to the ground, and I'd show those fools in Lost Hills that their doubts about my leadership were nothing but the inane ramblings of simpleton soldiers.

Perhaps, I'd even replace that fool Maxson who had sent his own son on an ill-fated expedition across the entirety of North America, without airships or so much as a single one of the heavy armored vehicles still in our possession.

But that was for the future. Today, I had to crack this system. I turned back towards the terminal and continued entering potential passcodes, determined to crack the code.

Ranger Sterling.

Rocks overlooking the Helios power plant.

I slowly crept up towards an outcropping of rocks that would let me observe the Brotherhood positions around Helios one.

Coming right up to the ridge, I slowly maneuvered the strap of my rifle off my back before bringing the butt of the old lever action carbine to my shoulder, I slowly positioned myself into the crux of two boulders before aiming my rifle down towards the dry lake bed below. My body and scope were hidden in shadows while everything else was bathed in the dry desert heat to help mask me from any thermal sights.

Looking at the large building below, I watched as Brotherhood paladins and their knight auxiliary moved around the old solar farm, setting up fortifications and clearing lines of fire.

I grimaced as I imagined the regular army assaulting that position, it was low ground and exposed, but orders from the Colonel were to avoid the use of heavy weapons and they would still be attacking soldiers in power armor and pre-war combat armor. Not to mention the array of heavy weapons I saw displayed below.

My thoughts drifted to some of the men I'd seen in our staging area, many of them weren't even eighteen yet, and almost all of them were conscripts. They were given four weeks of training and sent right to the frontlines. And this war with the Brotherhood had forced the army to adopt inferior equipment to boot.

The army used to have the same equipment as the Rangers, with newly made pre-war quality combat armor and tactical equipment like night vision and optics on their rifles. Now they had cheap leather plate carriers with steel plates and basic iron sights.

From what I'd heard, the central area corps had it worse, they were responsible for the primary front with the Brotherhood in Maxson State. That was a double-edged sword because while it meant they had priority for reinforcements and supplies, it also meant they were burning through manpower far faster than even we were in the southern area corps.

Finishing my train of thought on the state of the army, I spent time writing down how they had changed their fortifications since the last scouts reported back two days ago. It wasn't much but they seemed to have moved their heavier T-51 power armor from the west side to the east, never leaving their best men at a single position on the line. Otherwise besides further reinforcing their existing fortifications, not much had changed.

I swept my rifle across the line again before spotting a pair of knights set up as a sniper team sweeping my own position.

I ducked back into cover and waited for them to move on before I slung my rifle across my back once more and hurried my way back down the ridge toward friendly lines.

Head Paladin Nolan McNamara.

Helios One fortifications.

I watched as the red and blue thermal outline of an NCR ranger retreated down the rocks I had watched him scaling since he left the NCR lines.

"I don't understand why you allow them to watch us when our own snipers could easily handle the problem."

I turned to look as the armored form of Paladin Hardin came up behind me.

"If we take out their scouts now, we will provoke them to attack sooner than later. Better to keep making minor meaningless changes to our preparations and force them to extend their scouting operations and give the Elder more time to finish his work."

"And allow them to sight in their artillery, you know as well as I that they have heavy mortars that can rain fire down on this position!" Hardin rebuked me.

"They won't use them, the NCR needs power. They've built their nation on generators and the power plant in Gecko. Their industry and economic development will be stymied until they can gain access to more large power plants. So they won't risk this building with artillery, not when its potential value to them is so high."

I believed what I said. The NCR wasn't going to risk damaging a pre-war solar farm of this scale with heavy weapons with no precession. They would attack with infantry and small arms, attempt to overwhelm us with numbers.

"You give them too much credit Mac, they are short-sighted, they'd rather see us dead than think about the long-term consequences of their actions, they made that clear when they started this war over the dangerous technology taken from the Enclave."

"We fired the first shots of this war, Hardin, if you'll remember the first major battle was an attempted storming of their capital building to land a decapitating strike. We underestimated their ingenuity and resolve and lost some of our best men. If we underestimate them now, our whole chapter will pay the price. No, if they were going to use artillery, they would have done so by now."

"I still don't like this, Mac." He stated plainly, his helmet's speakers drowning out the disapproval I knew was laced in his voice.

"Noted, and taken into consideration, but for now this strategy seems to be working. Keep the grenade machine guns and Gatling lasers hidden, they think they took the last of them out during their raid on our bunker near Nelson, let's not give them any ideas to the contrary. When the time comes you have my full permission to deploy them without constraint."

He nodded firmly. "Yes, Head Paladin." He said before turning around to leave, his metal boots pounding into the loose gravel lining the roof and pushing it aside.

"Any word on Elder Elijah?" I asked.

He stopped, the stomping of his metal boots on gravel coming to an abrupt end. "No, last I heard he sent his little adopted pet scribe to Hidden Valley with the rest of the non-combatants."

"He sent Veronica away?" That… I don't think that boded well for the coming battle. Elder Elijah had been so confident he would get whatever he was working on operational before the NCR attacked. If he was sending Veronica away…

"Inform me of any further developments or orders from the Elder. I don't care how small, I need to know."

He nodded again to show he understood before once again turning to leave.

I turned my attention back to the desert basin below and finally out to the town of No-vac in the distance, I couldn't see it now, besides a faint increase in heat on my thermal optics, but when the sun fell I knew I'd be able to see more lights than the night before as the NCR prepared its army to attack.

I just hoped Elijah knows what he's doing. Because if he was wrong, and he can't finish whatever he's working on, then our whole chapter, and the Brotherhood of Steel itself, may be in great danger.

Mr. Robert House. CEO of RobCo Industries, chief and sole executive of the New Vegas Free Economic Zone.

Somewhere under the Lucky 38.

I looked over my reports once more, like I had much else to do. Profits were up a rather disappointing four percent over the last quarter's earnings. However, that was still an improvement over the prior year's three percent, and if trends held I'd be able to reach the pre-war eleven percent average yearly growth in only a few scant years.

So far, the Gomorrah had proven to be the biggest money maker as far as my largest client base was concerned. Soldiers never seem to change no matter what century you were in. However, the Tops and Ultra-Luxe had been steadily picking up more middle and upper-class patronage respectively now that the NCR had secured the I-15.

Vault 21 had seen a small bump in profit surprisingly, and according to the Weintraub siblings, it was because some NCR trooper had started buying their stocks of Hydro-grown coffee and selling it on to her fellow soldiers. While the trooper had been transferred away from the Strip, the idea wasn't bad. And if there was a market within the NCR's army for it, then they should package and sell bags of coffee themselves, mark them up a reasonable ten percent over the cost to manufacture them, and I'd distribute the bags to the other establishments on the strip, even sell them directly to potential buyers such as the Crimson Caravan company. Hmmm, Rob-Co Industries Brand Coffee, was not exactly what I had envisioned for my company, but whatever brought in a profit and allowed me to pursue my vision.

An alert caught my eye from one of the Securitrons that I had left in the town of Roberttown. Now No-vac. I looked at the alert with some amusement, the town had been built by Repcon to house its employees for their local facility, a company, and facility I technically owned, hence the Securitron. While the facility likely held little value to me now, and had been, and still was, picked over by scavengers. The NCR had continued to truck more and more soldiers into the small town. I suspected it was for some military operation to drive the Brotherhood of Steel out of the nearby solar plant.

I was no military genius, I was humble enough to admit that the art of war was rather low on my reading list before the bombs fell. But even I could tell that, with the forces the NCR had brought in, they would struggle against the Brotherhood. They had seemingly neglected to bring any artillery or heavy guns. Though I suppose that was because they didn't want to risk damaging the pre-war facility any more than was strictly necessary. But even I could tell the casualties would be immense and they were betting on weight of numbers to carry the day, as by my estimates, they had anywhere from ten to twenty men for every combat-capable member of that silly order of pretend knights.

Ultimately it was of no consequence to me how the NCR chose to conduct their war effort. At best, they would remove a potential threat to my power by removing the Brotherhood fanatics while also weakening their hold on the area from the number of casualties they'd suffer, I'd lose a small amount of bargaining power from the Dam, but not much. At worst, things would remain the status quo as the NCR attack was rebuffed and their drawn-out little war would go on for a few more months, maybe years, and I'd use the time to further strengthen my position and continue working on finding the mark 2 OS for my robot army.

Hmmm. Talks of unionizing amongst my indentured workers? Well, that wouldn't do.

Joshua Graham. The Malpais Legate. Scourge of southern Arizona. Conqueror of Phoenix, Right hand to Caesar Edward Sallow.

Bullhead city.

I stood in what had once been the mayor's office of Bullhead City. The men around me inspecting the same map of the region around the Dam that I was. I had ridden ahead of my legion with my Equities as soon as news of the city's successful capture had reached me.

I considered the irony that I stood in what had once been an enemy city, plotting my military campaign across the Colorado, within spitting distance of the Republic. The Frumentarii that had spurred the uprising had done well.

I looked across the table to see a man by the name of Ulysses, the man was the leader of the Frumentarii in this region and had done well despite his failure to kill a meaningful number of the soldiers sent to retake the city. He had driven them out all the same and had caused such fear in them that they had burned the bridges that they would have needed to attack the city again.

The other man across from me wore the yellow of the Auxilia. He had once been the leader of the local resistance against the NCR. And while normally I'd have punished his failure to kill the NCR soldiers sent to this city. I had held my hand on the recommendation of Ulysses, as he said the NCR soldiers had not acted in the expected manner, breaking out of encirclements and rallying to break others out instead of routing and fleeing as was expected from the other small garrisons The Republic had left east of the Great wall spanning the Colorado. The man's name was Jones and for his service to Caesar, I had officially granted him the title of Procurator of the West. His people spared and given civilized status within the legion, his young boys exempt from conscription and his women honored as citizens of Flagstaff, while he would be allowed to rule his city and the eastern bank of the Colorado in its civil matters. A position within the Legion he and his people would be allowed to keep so long as they paid their tithe of war material and trained Auxilia for the Legions

"My legion will not arrive in time to exploit the NCR's weakened state following their conflict with the Brotherhood. Half my cohorts are still tied up putting down tribal resistance in Two-Sun. How do you propose we delay their reinforcements, Frumentarii?"

Ulysses looked up from the map before grunting. "Bears tied up, too many fires, not enough water. Cause it some problems, and it will have its attention too far divided to prepare for your legion."

I nodded along to what the man had to say, he wasn't wrong. But that just begged the question. "Where do you plan to chase these problems?"

Ulysses looked at the map again. "Bears made enemies, Khans moving eastward, Fiends in Vegas, Jackals moving westward. I could cause it a great amount of distress, provided I had the material."

"You'll have it Frumentarii. Now about the-"

"Wait!"

Ulysses and I both stared at Jones for having the insolence to interrupt me.

The man seemed to realize his mistake as he bowed his head "I'm sorry my Legate, I meant no disrespect."

I nodded and motioned for him to continue. "I'll forgive it, this once."

"Yes, Legate Graham… I only meant to say, the NCR mainly uses the I95 route north of Death Valley, through Ashton."

"The old world maps say there is a train line and road leading south out of the Mojave. Why do they not use those?" I asked the man, looking at the map for the route he spoke of.

"I've never been that way. But from what I've heard from traders, the train line isn't working, and there aren't any towns between the NCRs core territories and the Mojave dowe the I15. Traffics only picked up because it's a shorter route to the Republics industrial base than the I95. But most of their personnel still come and go through the northern passage."

I considered the possibility. If the NCR would send their armies through this isolated northern route. They could easily be bottlenecked.

"Frumentarii. I give you two hundred of my equities. Take them, cross the Colorado, and wreak havoc on this I95 route. Delay any further reinforcements from the NCR's core lands. Do not directly engage their forces, only engage in indirect action to preserve your fighting forces."

The man nodded and threw his arm up in a crip Roman salute. "Yes, my Legate." Before he quickly turned and left the room with his marching orders.

I turned back to Jones. "Now. Tell me what you know of the Mojave, Procurator Jones."

Specialist 4th class, Tanya Woodson.

No-Vac staging ground.

I knew a battle was coming, all the classic signs were there.

We'd all been given a larger meal with plenty of meat. We'd all gotten alcohol rations to steady our nerves. And right now the battalion pastor was holding a mass sermon for the whole unit. And I knew the other battalions present were doing the same.

There were three battalions here, plus several additional companies from other units, nearly two thousand men. All assembled in a small town that had a native population of maybe two hundred.

And I knew for a fact that this was on the frontlines against the Brotherhood of Steel.

I sat away from where the mass surmine was going on, penning a note to my associate David Mosley. His last correspondence had talked about investments from the Junk Town Chemical Company, and how he had bought equipment for synthetic material manufacturing. He intended to look into rubber, however I knew other companies were trying to reverse engineer the pre-war recipe for synthetic rubber, and that we needed to set ourselves apart if we wanted to strike it rich. So now I was writing back to him, recommending he look into Kevlar. Better, cheaper, body armor would sell like hotcakes to the government. Especially because it would save on the steel that was used in the current M2261 armor system used by the army.

As I focused on writing I failed to hear someone approaching me until they were right next to me.

"Pardon me, young lady. Would you mind if I prayed here?"

I jumped slightly, hopefully not enough for anyone to notice, before looking at who had come up next to me. The man had tanned skin and looked to be of indo-asian descent, and on his head was what appeared to be a turban. Otherwise, he appeared to just be like any other trooper

"I suppose. But why come over here? The battalions pastor is just over there?" I pointed to where the conflagration was being held just a few meters away.

He smiled and kneeled to pray before he answered. "He does not know my prayers. That and his flock is rather loud if you ask me."

"Christian pre-battle prayers can be like that… are you a Muslim?" I asked him as he touched his head to the ground in prayer.

He sat up after finishing whatever it was he was saying in a language I didn't understand. "No dear. I am a Sikh. My prayers go to the Great Dharma. I do not think there are any Muslims within the Republic, Dharma willing."

I looked at the man as he once again bowed his head. "You don't accept Abraham?" I asked.

He laughed as he sat up once more. "It is not so simple. I believe in the one god, what that god is called is not so easy to decide."

I considered his words but shook my head. "It's just a bunch of superstitious nonsense anyway. It's not like a true god exists."

He looked at me with a look I couldn't place, but I could best describe as thinly veiled curiosity. "You do not believe in anything? What a sad existence to lead."

I huffed immediately. "I think powerful beings could exist. I also think anything that powerful that would still demand our worship is either parasitic or narcissistic. And either way, I wouldn't want to give it my prayers."

He hummed before bowing his head in prayer once more. "All the same, I shall offer a prayer for you."

I watched him pray for a couple of minutes, trying to focus on my letter until a thought crossed my mind. "I didn't think Sikhs were an active religion in New California."

He sat up again, his eyes closed as he continued to pray. "We were spared the horrors of the war alongside other religious minorities inside Vault 15. The other groups eventually left, but we stayed and eventually founded Shady Sands."

I looked at him in surprise. "Wait, you founded the capital? That would mean that President Tandi and her father were-?"

"Sikhs? I don't believe she was practicing. But her father was a firm believer in the Great Dharma."

I thought about that for a second. I guess a religion like Sikhism being central to the republic's founding probably answered a few things. Certainly explained why the Republics Rangers, who hailed from the capital, were so idealistic.

"I didn't know that," I admitted.

"Not many do, we were always a minority and as others moved to Shady Sands, we naturally became a minority there too." He continued his prayers for some time before speaking again. "If you don't mind me making an observation. The members of your platoon are nervous, and I've seen the effect you have on them. Maybe you should spend the time left before the battle begins with them?"

"You know my platoon?" I asked defensively.

"Only in passing. I am in the same squad as a certain Specialist Vargas. So I have seen how your platoon interacts with each other. Your friends trust you, more than I think you realize."

"They aren't my friends."

"I think they would disagree. And in the end, it does not change the effect you have on them. Especially after what happened in Bullhead. They speak of you like a saint or great hero."

"I'm just a soldier. A conscript now. I do my duty to the Republic and that's it." I wasn't going to allow myself to be turned into some propaganda piece again. Once this battle was over and my contract extension expired, I was going home to live in peace.

"A battle is still coming. What you think you are, and what you are to them, does not matter when life and death are held equally in the scales of fate."

I looked at the man as he prayed for a moment. Before a smirk worked its way across my face, as I looked up at the blue desert sky. "Well. If they want a war hero. I'll show them a war hero."

Mark Richardson. Former Veteran Desert Ranger. Mojave express courier.

Hopeville.

I walked down the street of the rebuilt little town, a couple kids running over and asking if I had any packages for them. I patted them on the head and gave them any packages I did have before continuing on my way.

Looking around I saw a patrol of Shady Sands State Militia patrolling the streets. People were out doing business, even a couple beat up old cars ran, picking up or dropping off goods to the various stores and shops lining Main Street.

Honestly. I'd probably settle down here once I got too old to keep walking the wastes. But not yet, not while I could make the trek from the Boneyard to Vegas on foot in under a week.

I stopped at the local express office and waved to the postmaster before handing over the rest of my packages.

"Hey Mark."

"Jack." I returned the greeting.

"What you got for me today?"

"Couple government notices from Shady Sands for the garrison. Letter for the Darians from their family up in Redding. And a court hearing notice for Old man Sprocket regarding his trespassing." I handed over the mail from my satchel, the postmaster taking it with a nod.

"Thanks, Mark. You know you always got a place here, people here like you well enough, and young Abigail is clearly sweet on you."

I shook my head. "Maybe another time Jack. I don't think my wandering days are over yet. But I'll keep the offer in mind."

"Alright then. Stay safe in your travels now, you hear me, Mark?"

"I will. And you make sure this town is still standing next time I come by. Hate to see this place turn into a ghost town."