Prologue
Part One
It was an average day in the Mojave, the Fiends were shooting up caravans and the raiders were mutilating the corpses of their unfortunate victims, and a low humming sound could be heard in the area around Hoover Dam. In the Lucky 38 penthouse suite the Courier was was singing along to The Stranger With A Big Iron On His Hip whilst overseeing the regular patrols of the Securitron Mk.2s around The Strip. When a hologram suddenly appeared in front of him.
-----(Somewhere else)-----
Meanwhile Super Mutants were once again trying to attack the Purifier with the aide of some Nightkin who had wondered away from Nevada and stumbled across the Capital Wasteland and some of their Super Mutant brethren. Paladin Lancer was having a field day shooting mutants in the head with his Plasma Caster (which the Brotherhood had imported from New Vegas to help protect the citizens of the wastes from the Super Mutant threat that just wouldn't go away, no matter how many Mini Nukes they threw at it).
"They just never give up do they?" he asked the initiate next to him who was wielding a plasma rifle(not being given access to the level of armaments the paladin had due to his relatively low level of energy weapons skill).
"Well if they did then it would make our jobs just that bit less interesting wouldn't it, sir?" replied the initiate.
"You know the way to this mans heart don't you, initiate. But enough chit-chat we've got us some muties to kill".
"Sir yes, Sir" the initiate said as she liquified a super mutant charging the Paladins blind side.
"Close one, eh?"
"Close Enough for you to get some special treatment tonight." Replied the Capital Wastelands resident badass: The Lone Wanderer. The most beloved and feared person in the entirety of D.C. "Oh look, They brought out the Behemoths" she remarked as she readied Vengeance.
Suddenly the Super Mutant Behemoths were struck by several shells fired from the ruins behind them."THE TANKS HAVE ARRIVED MOTHA FUCKAS!" was blared out from loudspeakers as six tanks flanked by the strangest robots the initiate had ever seen emerged from the ruins behind the Super Mutant horde.
"Who the fuck are you?!" Yelled The Wanderer.
"Tank Commander Lucifer, Captain of Tank Battalion Seven. At your service!" he replied with a mock salute.
"Where are you from and how you do have tanks?" The Wanderer questioned as everyone else stared in awe at the technological marvels in front of them.
"Midwest chapter of the Brotherhood Of Steel. We were sent here under direction of The Warrior to track down The Lone Wanderer." he replied with a level of confidence that one can only have when commanding six tanks and twenty Gauss Mini gun wielding robots. "You seen her?"
"I am her."
"Oh good then that means we just have to mop up these mutants and get you on board theVertibird to New Vegas so we can meet up with the bulk of the force."
"What about the tanks?"
"Those are to be left here to provide reinforcements to the D.C chapter and as a show of good faith between us." he replied. she suddenly spoke into his radio and 10 APCs emerged from behind his force and deposited a mix of Deathclaws, robots and power armored Super mutants. "Here are some troops to help you bolster your numbers as well."
"W-WHY ARE THOSE SUPER MUTANTS WEARING POWER ARMOR?!?!" shouted The Wanderer as she and the rest of the defenders readied their weapons.
"Because they are part of the populace we protect and provide for." replied the Captain with a sigh. "Some people never see past their own goddamn bigotry" he added grumbling under his breath.
"Anyway could you please hop in my tank and we'll be off."
"Okay, but if those Mutants try anything I'm skinning you alive then feeding you into a wood chipper."
"Sure whatever you say."
-----(Somewhere else)-----
"So what you're proposing is that I allow you access to Big Mt so you can have a new place to research your technologies and have access to the brightest minds from before the Great War?" asked the Courier as the hologram in front of him nodded.
"Yes that is exactly what I am asking. The technologies we have been able to create in the sub-par facilities at Vault 0 have enabled us to spread out beyond the American wasteland without fear of losing the exploration party or inviting an unstoppable force to our homes." replied the hologram in a stating-the-obvious tone of voice.
"And just what would I get out of this deal?"
"Access to our advanced weaponry and technologically superior defenses to those you currently have. Among other items of interest"
"Okay then I'm game. Whats the catch? There's always a catch."
"You have to head up an expedition to the continent of Africa to search for other signs of civilization."
"Using experimental teleportation technology." The Courier said simultaneously with the hologram.
"Yes that's exactly what we are going to use. How did you know?
"Hologram in my house asking for access to Big Mt, proposes deal with the catch being travel to another continent, I'm assuming you don't have any air vehicles capable of traversing such great distances without regular fuel stops. So that just leaves teleportation."
"I have the feeling you are not amused."
"Those are some accurate feelings you've got there"
"So is that a yes to my deal?"
"I guess so."
"Excellent! I shall send for a Vertibird to pick up the other squad members immediately." and with that the hologram winked out of existence."
The Courier Groaned "What have I gotten myself into?"
-----(Somewhere else)-----
"General, Sir, we are ready to begin reclamation of the surrounding continents and possibly make new allies to increase our chances of bringing back order to the world." Lieutenant Chaser reported.
"Good, ready my Ultrahawk" commanded General Adam-Lieu.
"Sir, I already took the liberty of prepping your Ultrahawk for travel, Sir." replied Lieutenant Chaser.
"And that's the reason it only took you three years to reach Lieutenant First Class. If only there were less people like you, this job would be just that much more bearable." he responded, adding the last part under his breath. "Very well let us head off for the UAS Obadiah."
"Sir yes, Sir!" the Lieutenant replied whilst heading towards the airfield.
The Airfield was a massive complex of buildings and runways bustling with constant activity whilst the UAS Obadiah hovered overhead giving off an air of dominance over the surrounding cityscape. The majority of the hangars housed Ultrahawk Personal Assault Dropships(or U.P.A.Ds as they are more commonly referred to by the civilian populace of the cities spotting the continent), the rest housed either RD-20P Tactical Fighter/Bombers or A7-J9 Cargo Haulers. The outer wall was dotted with guard towers and turret emplacements and was made of an incredibly strong alloy discovered by the pre-war countries of the South Pacific Coalition.
The General breathed deeply savoring the smell of the fresh air as he made his way to his personal U.P.A.D, which was 4 times as large as a normal U.P.A.D and had enough armor to withstand a direct strike from a nuclear warhead and keep the radiation out for 1000 years, as well as having two twin-linked railguns, three ballistic missile emplacements and a Mk.3 Thermic Siege Laser (it also had about 20 auto turrets, 6 different communications arrays and enough space to hold a 20 man squad of Behemoths and still be able fit enough ammo and supplies to take down the entire American Wasteland, but who really wants to know about those trivial things?).
"Ah, the perks of being a high ranking officer. So Lieutenant where do you think we should travel to first?" the General asked completely not expecting an answer.
"I recommend we travel to the continent of America so we can gain access to their technologies in order to further our own goals of world order and unification under one flag." the Lieutenant replied without missing a beat.
"Uuuuuh... How did you come up with that?"
"I was reading up on Pre-war history and found out that The United States Of America was a major contributor to the technologies used in the war."
"Very well we shall set course for America. I wonder if the locals will be friendly."
-----(Somewhere else)-----
In the American Wasteland every single raider, bandit, insane tribal and mutated monster suddenly had a shiver of dread travel down their spines (and other assorted body parts).
-----(Somewhere else)-----
Before the general could even make it halfway a soldier ran up to him panting for breath. "S-sir. City seven is under attack from alliance forces. The High Council has ordered you to oversee the counterstrike assault against them."
"Well you heard him Lieutenant. Pilot replot the course for City seven instead of the UAS Obadiah."
"Sir yes, Sir"
-----(Six hours later)-----
"Entering City seven airspace now general, it looks like the Alliance has rolled out their new experimentals." the pilot said whilst evading anti-air rail fire. "What do you want me to do?"
"Fire the siege laser at them."
"If you say so, Sir." the pilot replied whilst designating the targets for the siege laser. "Sir firing coordinates locked in, firing in three. Two. One." as the pilot said the last word a powerful beam of light lanced forward from the underside of the U.P.A.D decimating anything it touched.
"I used to think the Thermic Siege Laser was the most powerful weapon we possessed but then i saw the test fire for the Sentinel Siege Satellite, I've gotta tell you, that think is redundantly over powered. I mean seriously, a 6 part explosion and a cluster effect, on top of that it shreds everything with shrapnel." the general reminisced.
"Shouldn't we be focusing on stopping the Alliance assault, Sir?" the Lieutenant asked.
"I guess we should. I was just remembering before we came into contact with the Alliance and they decided that we were inferior to them." the general sighed. "But anyway, bring me my Holopad." the general waited whilst his holopad materialized in front of him.
The general started directing the surviving forces in the area to begin evacuations of the surviving citizens who hadn't already fled in terror and then plotted firing routines for the artillery installations overlooking the city. "I don't see why the council doesn't just launch a full scale war on the Alliance, we have the resources and man power, not to mention our incredibly advanced technologies."
"Because General, that's not how a responsible government handles its enemies." the general was shocked when a hologram of High Councilor Thanos appeared in the middle of the Forward Command Center in his U.P.A.D.
"High Councilor what brings you to grace my presence?" the general replied nervously, nothing good ever comes from a direct audience with a High Councilor.
"You have been selected by the Council to head up an exploration team to the continent of America to search for signs of civilization and, if any are found, to help them prosper and thrive in the desolate wastes that the once great continent has been reduced to."
"That's actually what I was planning to do before City Seven came under attack from Alliance forces."
"Do not worry about City Seven, we have tasked Generals Riechter and Lovelace to take over defense of the city, meanwhile you shall be taking the new experimental airship the UAS Ernest Rutherford. Dismissed" and with that the hologram flickered out of existence.
"Well at least I'm gonna get to test out some new technology for this mission, eh Lieutenant?"
"Permission to speak freely, Sir?"
"Granted."
"THIS FUCKING ROCKS! The UAS Ernest Rutherford has access to the most advanced technology we have, even that Ion Cannon the Technological Institute of City One have been going on about, So all in all, Dis Gon B Gud."
"Lieutenant."
"Yes Sir?" the Lieutenant asked with a quiver in his voice.
"You just rose six levels on my list of people I fuckin' love."
"Sir, What do you mean?"
"I mean I thought you were just some by-the-book Lieutenant hoping to get in my good books by being all business like, I never knew you were into Pre-war memes."
"Well it's what kept me sane during basic training."
"Bahahaha, basic training was a bitch wasn't it?"
"Hehe, yes it was. Pilot set a course for the main harbour of City Two."
"I already set it, we'll be there in twenty minutes. I'd recommend you start picking your Strike Team."
"Good thinking Pilot, uuh what's your name and rank?"
"Lieutenant Major John Strongback."
"Oh a Strongback. I thought your line died out during the original battle with the Alliance."
"That's what most believed but we just ran back to Aquos to lick our wounds and recoup our loses."
"Aquos still under martial law?"
"No it was lifted six months ago, the residents have begun to resume regular resource shipments to the cities."
"Ah, I see. How long till we arrive?"
"Ten seconds ago sir."
"We been talking that long?"
"Yeah, I tend to make things go faster when I have a conversation with people whilst flying."
"Well it's time to disembark, I should probably head to Central Command to assume control of the UAS Ernest Rutherford."
"We'll meet you on board, Sir." and with that the Lieutenant and Pilot walked off towards The Drunken Pole, one of the more well known bars amongst Defense Force officers.
"Don't get too drunk! I still need you to fly the damn thing!" yelled the general after them in a light hearted chuckle. "I sure could use a drink right about now."
"That you could General, that's why i always have alcohol at my mission briefings."
"High Councilor Thanos! I didn't expect you to be here." the general exclaimed.
"Of course you didn't, who do you think was going to being giving the mission briefing?"
"I thought it was going to be Councilor Archon, he generally handles exploration mission briefings."
"Yes he normally does, but he's off sick with a cold, I'll still never understand how with all our advanced medical technologies we haven't been able to cure a simple disease."
"Okay, so you're going to be giving the mission briefing?"
"Yes I shall be giving the briefing, so lets go to the briefing chamber together."
"Sure, I guess."
-----(One hour later)-----
"So you want ME to head up a six man squad to explore the Wastes whilst the UAS Ernest Rutherford sets up a forward operating encampment so we can have a foothold there to enable us to better help them?"
"Yes that's essentially it, although you forgot the part where you will be outfitted with the latest and greatest in weapons, armor and survival gear."
"What about supplies?"
"There's a device in the survival gear that will take care of that for you, now I just need you to select the other five members of your team and we can get this mission underway." the High Councilor held out a Holopad for the general to take.
The general took the Holopad scanning through the one hundred individuals listed reading up on all their files. "Why is there a scientist on here with no combat skill?" asked the general.
"Because he is quite capable of adapting to most any situation and is by far the smartest individual who doesn't have neural implants, furthermore he also has private technologies that could be invaluable to your mission."
"I guess that makes sense." the genera continued reading the files on the holopad for a few more hours before making his decision. "I have chosen the five I would like to make up my squad."
-----(Somewhere else)-----
"New Vegas is under attack! All residents get to shelter whilst the Securitrons secure the area!" was blared out over the loud speakers on the strip whilst everyone was running around in panic and the Securitrons were mobilizing to combat the threat and secure the city.
Part of the wall protecting the Strip exploded in a massive green fireball. The Courier emerged from the Lucky 38 clad in full Saturnite Power Armor and wielding an Anti-Material Rifle and Tesla Beaton Prototype. "Alright all non-combatants get into the Lucky 38 now! The Securitrons and NCR Troopers here on leave will protect you whilst I go and tackle the threat head on!"
Outside the walls around New Vegas Legate Versius readies his troops to charge when a blinding flash takes out most of his legion and fades away to reveal 3 mammoth sized robots with four legs and enough firepower to capture Hoover Dam. "W-w-what are those things" shouted one of his legionnaires.
"I don't know but they shall feel the wrath of Caesars Legion! CHARGE!" ordered the Legate as the four legged robots leveled their guns on the charging force and opened fire with a solid wall of heat and light, tearing apart the Legionnaires and leaving only bloody hunks of gore and intestines to signify there was even an opposing force.
At that same moment The Courier and fifty Securitrons charged out of the hole in the wall to see the massive machines rip the attackers apart with minimalistic effort. "Retreat and call in an artillery strike on those things!" yelled The Courier as he and the Securitrons retreated into New Vegas as the summoned artillery strike started impacting the machines of death that had just ripped apart a legion as if it were nothing.
After the artillery finished striking a hatch on one of the machines opened up and a Power Armor clad figure hopped off the machine and strode towards the hole in the defensive wall around The Strip.