Chapter Text
“Alright ED-E we’re gonna run through this one more time okay?”
“What? No! We’re not going to do that!”
“Yes I’m sure! Sheesh you got some issues, kinks, or both that I must’ve overlooked in the repairs. Well that’s what I get for fixing you up with scraps and whatever lady luck provided.”
This robot man. Sure he’s been an amazing companion in the little time that I’ve had him and I’m glad I could understand him, at least I hope I think I’m understanding him. I’m not too sure if I’m actually speaking to him or if I’ve been slowly going insane from the bullets in my head. Anyways I’m getting sidetracked, got to stay focused for once.
Especially because the main oddity that I’ve encountered so far in the Wasteland of the Mojave seemed to be this oddly dressed woman that's currently laying in the cleanest bed that I was able to find in the motel. She’s dressed unlike anyone he’s ever met other than the rich and powerful Brahmin Barons, yet clearly she radiated something more. I didn’t know what exactly it was that made me think, other than my instincts and a gut feeling.
“For the last time ED-E we’re not doing any harm unless we have to protect ourselves from whatever she did to those poor bastards in the hall. I’ll do the talking and you just guard the door in case she makes another beeline attempt out of here alright?”
“Okay great! That only took you like three hours to agree to a plan that didn’t involve vaporizing, shooting, stunning, or any other gruesome murder plan.” I checked my Pip-boy and groaned. God he hadn’t even exaggerated the time it took to get him to comply. In between their first meeting and now I haven’t even gotten a proper rest.
Well to be fair that was entirely on me. I maybe still had some pent up aggression from the night before and decided to take it out on the poor schmucks in charge of the NCR correctional facility. The Powder Gangers tried calling a truce between their top brass and I, but I was still very ticked off from the convicts in the Bison Hotel so I butchered everybody in the prison.
Well that's what I thought because one prisoner, who I found out his name was Meyers, ended up getting past me by doing the smartest thing that I’ve seen anyone do in the god forsaken wasteland we call the Mojave. He played smart, hid when the bullets and lasers started flying, and didn’t try to shoot or bludgeon me to death. Add the fact this was the guy Beagle recommended me to nab for the vacant Sheriff position in Primm was just a coincidence.
The one issue being he didn’t want to leave the prison and be hunted down by any folks of the NCR. So me being the type of guy that dislikes leaving unfinished business, I had to travel to the nearest outpost to ask for his pardon from Major Knight. It took my very charming charisma, and well two hundred caps, and Meyers was eligible to become the new sheriff.
When I checked on my mystery guest and noticed she wouldn’t be getting up for some time I decided to mingle around the town. The first order of business was to finally shake the information out of Deputy Beagle about my next would be victims. He gave the names of the tribe that had accompanied the well dressed man, The Great Khans and their next destination in Novac. Satisfied with the information I let him go….after I roughed him up for leaving me high and dry against the convicts.
Well after that I really didn’t have any plans in mind. I did sell a bunch of loot towards Kevin Nash at his store. I think the town would appreciate the extra weapons, ammo, explosives, and various other necessities that I “acquired” from the Powder Gangers. And that ladies and gentlemen is where my story ends as I’m still waiting on this lady.
AND SHE STILL ISN’T AWAKE AFTER I WENT THROUGH MEMORY LANE FOR LIKE TEN MINUTES!
Like c'mon lady, some of us have some important business to attend to. Some are a bit more urgent than others. Like placing a couple of bullets in between the eyes of somebody that tried to kill you not even a week ago. Oh when I catch you, you fancy bastard, when I catch you.
“mhm”
“Yeah, yeah I know she’s waking up. I have perfectly functioning eyes and ears for your information. Well as perfect as it gets in the wasteland anyways.” I grumbled after ED-E gave me a look. Stupid eye bot and his better visions.
Maybe for once my luck is turning around. From the sound of it she’s finally regaining consciousness. I signaled ED-E to step outside to block the door and in case of another escape attempt he’s free to go ahead and taze her. Meanwhile I pulled one of the few non broken chairs and sat down. Fuck, taking a break and actually sitting down feels so god damn good. I need more breaks on my journey. I don’t wanna die in a lame way like exhausting myself out in the wastes.
Maybe I should die in a blaze of glory? Nah. I’m already sick and tired of explosives for one and a second lifetime. A final stand against either of the large forces or even siding with one in their attempt to take over the Mojave? Tempting, but I think I can do better and aim higher. Oooh how about- wait a minute I got sidetracked. I don’t have the time for my mental detour. I need to get this interrogation over with in order for me to go kill that son of a bitch.
It took a few minutes until she finally felt like getting up from her nap. Stumbled towards first base, so let's see what happens after.
“Oi lady! If you don’t mind, mind answering some questions. I’ve got quite a few for somebody like you.”
What Happened?
Where am I?
How was this even possible?
Why, why me?
These four questions plagued me in my deep slumber. Looking at the landscape and up towards the night sky I knew. I knew that I wasn’t in the same place I’ve known my entire life. There was one unfortunate thing I did know about the situation that I’m in right now. One that I wished were hallucinations planted to me by the Gods of Light and Darkness as my punishment for abandoning my children while continuously drowning my sorrows in bottles
This foreign land wasn’t my home. I am all alone.
For as much as I repeated in my mind that all wasn’t real. That these are the most vivid dreams created from my shattered psyche. That no matter what I’ve woken up to, that I’d awaken once again in my bed at that freezing mansion.
But the truth of the matter is, life isn’t such a simple fairy tale.
I knew it once when I woke up the first time. It wasn’t just seeing both the strange eye robot, the pajama wearing ruffian, or seeing the run down buildings. Those would be plentiful in the poorest areas of the kingdom, as far as I heard from others. No, the absolute truth I knew that I wasn’t home? That I know I somehow ended up in such an alternate world?
The moon wasn’t shattered.
It was a fact that the moon has always been shattered. If the early tales of Remnant were true then the moon was supposedly destroyed by The Brothers. Any books afterwards always referenced the shattered moon in some shape or form. Not to mention the barren wasteland just outside. Just as or even more deserted then the Kingdoms of Vacuo.
Besides that wasn’t the other oddity in all of this. It also happened to be the only breathing human and his robotic companion I briefly saw when I tried escaping. Clothes that were foreign in design. Weapons that looked poorly maintained then the standard military and huntsman weapons that I’ve witnessed. That’s not even mentioning the floating robot that has no similar design relations to the current various Atlesian made robots. It even had enough sentience to engage and apparently argue, something far more advanced than what our scientists have been capable of producing. Well there was the rumor about Doctor Polendina and his project-
Pain.
Too many thoughts swirling inside me to count. The stress of thinking about the family that I may have lost forever. The stress that I may be on an entirely alien planet altogether. Add in the hangover I never quite had the chance to get rid of would leave me to let out a pain groan as my body signals that I’m about to wake up.
“Yeah, yeah I know she’s waking up. I have perfectly functioning eyes and ears for your information. Well as perfect as it gets in the wasteland anyways.”
They definitely knew that I was awake now. I can hear what I presume to be the man pulling himself a chair as he scrapes it against the wooden tiles. I didn’t want to wake up. I didn’t want to accept this as reality.
The reality that I may have lost everything.
I layed there for an uncomfortable amount of time. The man didn’t say anything. I felt his thousand yard stare on my back, waiting for me to get up. Steeling myself and tired with the uncomfortable silence in the room I finally decided to sit up from my bed to finally meet the man face to face properly.
“Oi lady! If you don’t mind, mind answering some questions. I’ve got quite a few for somebody like you.”