Prologue

Walking Disaster: June 2, 2283

(Shorter than actual chapters, because it's a prologue. A bit later, I will post a spoiler tag containing the entire Mr. House ending that my courier encountered, just to clear up about all the factions)

Connor awoke early that morning. He always slept well in the Lucky 38, so he didn't have to sleep in until the late hours of the morning. Perhaps it was the air conditioning. Oh, god, he loved the air conditioning. Traveling the Mojave, well, it almost made him wish for a nuclear winter. Even though Sally insisted that she slept on the bed and Connor slept on the couch while they stayed in the Presidential Suite, it was still a comforting feel that he couldn't find anywhere else in the Mojave. He went to his dresser and quietly picked out a blue collared shirt with a pair of slacks. He left the bedroom and entered the door to his right. He went inside one of the bath stalls, pulled the curtain shut, and enjoyed a nice bath.

***

When Connor finished, he walked over to the dining room located on the other side of the long hall that was the presidential suite. He poured himself a box of dry sugar bombs and grabbed a spoon before leaving the dining room. He figured that he would eat it on his way up to Mr. House's penthouse. However, Connor decided that he would stop by the Cocktail Lounge. He remembered the previous night that he had left the lights on, but he knew how it was. If you climb into bed and realize you forgot something, [censored] it. That was Connor's dilemma on it the previous night. He entered the Lucky 38 elevator, and headed up to the Cocktail Lounge. He met a pleasant surprise! Ulysses was sitting on the bar in front of where Connor had entered the circular lounge.

"Good morning, Ulysses," said Connor. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I wanted to talk to you. I'm an early riser, anyway. It helps you walk longer distances when you wake up early. Gives you more time. Even though my courier days are over, I still stick to the habit," replied Ulysses. Connor nodded at the gesture, and sat on the bar stool next to Ulysses. He began to munch on his sugar bombs. He wondered for a second if his munching noise would annoy Ulysses, but a man who has endured a life like Ulysses' wouldn't care about something as simple as sugar bombs. It didn't matter. Ulysses, after months of sitting in the Divide, finally agreed to stay in Vegas for at least the time being, and

"Kaisar's Legion has been scouting across the river from Dry Wells. He's not coming to take Vegas. He's coming for blood, courier," said Ulysses.

"It was only a matter of time, Ulysses. Caesar couldn't win against House even when House didn't have a securitron army under his fingertips. The Mojave is under Mr. House's control now. What makes you think Caesar can win this fight?" asked Connor.

"Kaisar isn't coming for victory, courier. Believe it or not, under his stubborn pride for the dying bull, he knows himself that his Legion is falling apart. He's afraid that he will get deified by his own Legion. Rightly so, as well," said Ulysses.

"Go on," replied Connor.

"Again, the reason he believed that he might be deified is because the Legion might notice that he isn't their god. Perhaps even to the extent that he is not worthy of being their leader. Even Lanius said it himself. Kaisar drew too much blood for the west, and the dam, and it's costing him greatly," said Ulysses. "The Legion has existed to fight. Not to make diplomacy or establish trade relations. The Legion charges into battle believing in Kaisar's will. The Legion charges knowing that because they fight for a god, that they will win. Well, courier, you just challenged that way of thinking. The Legion has lost. Take a step backward. However brainwashed his Legion is, they can now challenge that fact that they live under the laws of only a self-proclaimed god. Not the conquering "son of mars" that Kaisar has pushed onto the Legion life. If he isn't murdered by one of his top lieutenants, you'll be sure that there will be rebellion in the Legion. Kaisar is taking a desperate tactic. However it's quite smart, considering the position that he is in."

"How so?" asked Connor. He was becoming very interested in Ulysses' subject and put down his half-empty bowl of sugar bombs.

"He's going to sic' the Legion on the Mojave. He doesn't care if he wins. While the Legion is still, at least slightly, in his grasp, he can control them and give them one last fight. He's sending his Legion to its end. This is the only thing Kaisar can pull off. Why, you might ask? Well, it works out both ways for him," said Ulysses. "On one end, there's always the slight chance that in a straightforward slugging match, he could win the Mojave. This would secure his claim to his own throne. On the other end, if the Legion has no chance of defeating Mr. House, then the Legion will die with Kaisar. He can't stand that there is a chance that he might have to live as Edward Sallow again. He would destroy his entire Legion before falling back down to earth and being addressed as his real name. You can be sure that if the Legion goes down, it will go down in flames. They're going to bring hell to the Mojave before they watch their flag die."

"Perhaps we should enlist the aid of the NCR to at least kill the management of the Legion. Massacring the entire Legion would be unethical. Perhaps I can gain the favor of rebelling tribes and help them find new lives instead of watching them die with their Legion. Jobs, homes, et cetera," said Connor.

"The part about the individual tribes is a great idea coming from you. You know more than anyone that one person can make or break a nation. You don't want to destroy the entire stretch of the bull. Just cut its throat, and try to save as much of the pieces as possible before it dies. The part about the NCR, well, that will not happen. The NCR has too much to worry about with their government issues due to loss at Hoover Dam than come to the aid of a man who has challenged their flag," said Ulysses.



"It's you, House, and Kaisar," said Ulysses.


"I can't afford to think that the game will be played that way," replied Connor.