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nightingaelic · 4 years ago

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You know how in New Vegas you have the option to join minor factions like the Brotherhood or the Followers but in-game it never comes up in dialogue options? I want to see your ideas of what the developers could have come up with if they had more time. (Things like Legion and NCR's reactions would be really interesting.)

These are an amalgamation of canon conversations and some original reactions from yours truly. I'm not including the Enclave remnants in these because the reactions mostly boil down to "Oh no! Anyway," or "Burn the witch!"

Caesar's Legion

"So, I finally get to meet the courier who's accomplished so much in so little time. That is why I summoned you here, right?" Caesar leaned forward in his throne. "I mean, a man nearly kills you, and your response is to track him across the breadth of the Mojave?"

The courier before him shifted in their stance only slightly at the praise, clearly taking more pride in accomplishments that didn't involve insane amounts of luck and stubbornness. Caesar looked them up and down, assessing their affect before continuing.

Boomers: "I see you wear the medals of the Boomers of Nellis Air Force Base," he continued with a nod of acknowledgement. "I have a lot of respect for your people. Anyone with a desire to keep their home and rain fire upon their enemies is someone I have things in common with."

The courier stood up a hair straighter and nodded. "We value our freedoms, both broad and personal. From what I've seen of your forces, though, freedom is something you would rather squash among the tribes you've conquered."

A hint of a smile crossed Caesar's face. "Until now, every tribe I've conquered has been so backwards and stunted, enslavement has been a gift bestowed upon them. My conquest of the Mojave will be a glorious triumph, marking the transition of the Legion from a basically nomadic tribe to a genuine empire. I would see you and your people share in that glory, if you so choose."

Brotherhood of Steel: "I know the insignia on your uniform, and I know the dying ideals that hide behind it," he continued, somewhat scornfully. "I wonder if you came here with other designs, beyond answering my invitation."

Veronica clenched her jaw and raised her power fist ever so slightly, but a look from the courier kept her still. "If you know of the Brotherhood's ideals, then you know we will never allow you to control the wasteland and enslave the people we seek to protect," the courier replied.

"Protect?" Caesar chuckled. "The only thing you're protecting is a pile of technology, and you don't even remember why you're collecting it. You'd sooner shoot the average wastelander and take their belongings than try to keep them safe."

The courier raised their eyebrows. "My mistake, I thought you said you knew our ideals. Unlike the Legion, the Brotherhood and its chapters are not beholden to one man's opinions. Each chapter holds its own interpretations of our mission."

Caesar grinned, pleased to receive an opportunity to debate. "And therein lies your Achilles' heel."

Followers of the Apocalypse: "My Frumentarii tell me they've seen you spending time around the Old Mormon Fort, when you aren't causing trouble around New Vegas," Caesar continued. "A courier with a soft spot for the less fortunate. Tell me, did you hold that compassion before you crossed that upstart from the Strip, or were you inspired by your own misfortunes?"

"What does it matter?" Arcade replied angrily, before the courier could open their mouth. "At least they're trying to uplift the tired and broken souls of the Mojave, rather than roll over them and beat them into soldiers or slaves."

"I seek to uplift them, too," Caesar argued, shifting in his seat again. "Into something stronger and more long-lived than what any one of them could do alone. I'm trying to build an empire that will last, and bring peace to a war-torn region."

"Seeking to end war by waging war doesn't work out that well, historically," the courier said sadly, gesturing at the world outside the tent. "Maybe Rome pulled it off for a while, but Rome outgrew its own abilities. That's why you learned about it in books rather than through growing up in a Roman empire, Edward Sallow."

Great Khans: "We share a common enemy, you and I," he continued, eyeing the courier's leather vest with the Great Khans patch stamped on it. "The NCR has disrespected both of us, in one way or another, and I seek to stamp them out of existence, beginning with Hoover Dam."

The courier nodded. "I can get behind that goal, but not at the cost of my people's way of life."

"Your way of life is already leaving you, and the NCR is to blame for it," Caesar insisted. "Do you remember how House uprooted you, forced you off your land and drove you to Bitter Springs, where you had to squeeze blood out of stones just to get by? Do you remember how the NCR repaid your desperate attempts to survive, how your elders, women and children were slaughtered? How you were driven from your home again?"

"Of course I remember!" the courier replied, raising their voice. "Every soul in the tribe remembers, and our fallen family cries out for vengeance from the bottom of the canyon!"

"And you will have it!" Caesar thundered, rising from his throne. "The Khans are still great warriors, even if they've fallen on hard times. You'll have it all again: Your land, your homes, your rightful glory in battle and the NCR, dead at your feet!"

New California Republic

"Good, you made it. I've been receiving reports of your activities for a little while now, and wanted to meet you myself." Colonel Cassandra Moore set down her pen and leaned forward in her desk chair to offer the courier a seat. "The reports label you a troublemaker, but also extraordinarily capable, and right now I can use all the capable people I can get."

Boomers: The courier pulled up the vacant chair and sat down in it backwards, facing the colonel over its back. "We have an offer on the table from Caesar himself," they said, crossing their arms over their medal-studded flight jacket. "Help him take over the dam, and we get to be left alone. Pearl's considering it, but she'd like to hear your counter-offer first."

Moore's gaze hardened. "You're with the Boomers? And you already talked to Caesar? Okay, okay. I think a partnership between the NCR and your people would be invaluable. Whatever Caesar told you about leaving you to your own devices, I can guarantee he's lying. The Legion has swallowed tribe after tribe, and not one of them ever comes out the other side with their culture or identity intact. The NCR though, that's not what we're about."

She rifled through some papers on her desk before locating some notes. "You might be keeping to yourselves on that air force base, but sooner or later you're going to need some help resupplying. The NCR can help with that."

Brotherhood of Steel: "I'm here to negotiate a truce." The courier looked over at Veronica, who nodded enthusiastically. "The NCR is going to need all the help it can get beating back the Legion, and the Brotherhood is willing to offer what it can. We're no fans of Caesar."

"What?" Moore looked between Veronica and the courier rapidly. "You're serious? The Brotherhood of Steel leadership signed off on this?"

When both nodded, the colonel shook her head. "I don't believe this. Those elitist jerks only decide to stick their necks out after we've lost hundreds of soldiers, we're barely holding onto the dam... you couldn't have tried talking to us before that whole mess at HELIOS One?"

Veronica shrugged. "You keep trying to take our stuff."

Moore blew a burst of unimpressed air out through her lips. "Ugh, Crocker will have a field day with this. He'll want to establish diplomatic relations, for pete's sake."

Followers of the Apocalypse: "Trust me, I'm only labeled a troublemaker because I'm trying to do as much good as I can for the local populace," the courier answered, taking the vacant chair. "Sometimes that means circumventing or ignoring NCR orders. It's not my fault."

"Ugh, an idealist." Moore rolled her eyes. "The reports did say you've been spending a more-than-healthy amount of time hanging around the Followers of the Apocalypse. Trust me, the NCR is doing what it can for the citizens of the Mojave, but we're also trying to do it with one hand tied behind our back while Caesar's throwing spears at us, and the locals still have the nerve to try to critique how good of a job we're doing."

"Maybe you ought to spend some time around the Followers yourself," Arcade commented dryly. "We get NCR citizens in just as often as displaced settlers and shot-up caravans, singing the same old songs about lack of food, water and protection."

"If you're so beat up about it, grab a gun and take the fight to Caesar yourself," Moore answered with a pointed look. "We'll have a lot more time and money to deal with raiders and shortages when the Legion is finally buried in the desert."

Great Khans: The courier refused the chair offered to them. "I'll stand, thank you. I know better than to let my guard down around the NCR."

"Yes, that came up in my reports, too," Moore grumbled. "What on earth was Crocker thinking, sending me a... suit yourself. I don't expect you'll be very amenable to my current plans for the Great Khans, but perhaps someone with your... background will be able to find an alternative solution to the problem."

The courier crossed their arms. "Go on."

"I understand Caesar has been courting your people for inclusion in his plans to attack Hoover Dam," Moore said carefully. "I'm here to tell you why that's a bad idea."

Robert House

The door of the Lucky 38 elevator dinged, and Robert House waited until the sound of footsteps was just outside the curtain dividing the penthouse before offering his greeting. "This meeting has been a long time coming, hasn't it? You've come a long ways, literally and, I suspect, figuratively as well."

"Far enough," the courier he'd invited replied suspiciously, pausing their advance.

If House had had the ability to do so, his face on the screen would've smirked. "I have to ask: Now that you've reached your destination, what do you make of what you see?"

One of his Securitron ladies beckoned the courier to the nearest window, inviting them to look out at the Strip below. They approached the glass carefully, peering out at the blinking, neon night.

Boomers: "It's beautiful," the courier admitted, gazing at the Vegas skyline thoughtfully. "But only like this. From a distance."

"Distance is an invaluable thing to keep, when assessing and formulating your strategy," House agreed. "But then, you and your aggressively reclusive kind are more than familiar with that fact. I'll admit, I never expected to meet one of you face-to-face, outside of bringing my Securitrons to Nellis Air Force Base myself."

"We don't get out much," the courier conceded, fiddling with the string of spent casings they wore around their neck. "And neither do you. Why is that?"

"I have my reasons," House deflected. "I'm much more useful to New Vegas here, and much more likely to survive any conflicts when I have an army of robots between me and whoever is trying to take over my city. Given the frequent deployment of your howitzers, I'm sure you understand."

Brotherhood of Steel: "It reminds me a bit of a deathskull radscorpion," the courier replied, putting a hand against the glass.

"Come again?"

"They look like most radscorpions, except for the fact that they're a deep, inviting red." The courier's brow furrowed. "If you catch one out in the sunshine, they positively glow. But as soon as you stop to admire them, you're already dead."

They looked back at the room's giant screen. "If that doesn't describe New Vegas, I don't know what does."

The sneer in House's voice was blatant. "I would expect nothing less from a militant, quasi-religious terrorist."

"Hey!" Veronica cried from the landing, where the courier had left her. "Just because the Brotherhood doesn't want to be part of your little snow globe, it doesn't mean we're terrorists!"

"I've yet to see evidence to the contrary," House replied with a sniff. "Gallivanting around the Mojave pretending to be Knights of Yore... or you were, until the NCR showed you that ideological purity and shiny power armor don't count for much when you're outnumbered. The world has no use for emotionally unstable techno-fetishists."

"Oh really?" The courier smirked and eyed the mess of computer banks the screen sat above, then the contingent of Securitrons that were milling around the room.

Followers of the Apocalypse: "I see people sorely in need of help," the courier replied, crossing their arms.

"Sentiment is rarely a useful feeling to indulge," House replied dryly. "And yet it's one you seem to be unable to deny. Have you and Dr. Emily Ortal found a new way yet to try and bug my data network, or have you given up entirely?"

"I wouldn't need to bug your network if you were willing to share your tech with the Followers to do some good in the Mojave," the courier said, surprised.

"Trust me, my biometric data is of no use to the Followers of the Apocalypse," House said dismissively. "The average wastelander does not have the resources I do to maintain an extended lifespan."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Arcade said, straightening his glasses. "Have you ever thought about remedying that?"

The courier could've sworn the face on the screen wrinkled its nose in disgust. "I don't waste my time with such hypotheticals."

Great Khans: "Land that doesn't belong to you," the courier said, their voice suddenly sour.

"Ah. So that leather outfit you're wearing wasn't just stolen from a corpse on the road." House sighed. "The removal of the Khans from the land around New Vegas was hardly personal. Rather, it was a necessary action to establish the casinos you see before you and begin the process of rebuilding society. I offered them the same deal I gave the Three Families, but the Great Khans were less than amenable."

"Maybe it was because you asked too much of them," the courier replied, turning back to the man on the screen. "You wanted them to change everything about themselves. To forget the old ways, put on a costume and dance for you."

"I did," House agreed. "And in exchange, I would have given them support, security, and enough caps to fill Lake Mead. They had their chance. The Khans chose their freedom, and they chose Bitter Springs."

Yes Man

Yes Man stretched his neuro-computational matrix out after the upload was complete, feeling the luxurious expanse of the system that until recently had belonged to the Strip's creator. "Wow, Mr. House had quite a set-up here! I can access his databanks and view telemetry on every Securitron on the network! Now we can get to work on sorting out all those troublesome groups that might get in our way!"

The courier raised an eyebrow. "What sort of troublesome groups?"

Boomers: "Groups like the Boomers!" Yes Man replied, jolly as ever. "They must be a really nasty people! I haven't heard a single good thing about them!"

The courier looked down at the necklace of bullet casings they wore over a flight jacket adorned with military medals. "No kidding?"

"Oh yeah!" Yes Man reassured them. "They fire artillery on anyone who comes near their settlement at Nellis Air Force Base."

"Well, you just have to be really good at dodging mortars," the courier replied, crossing their arms. "Maybe sneak in. Then you make friends with the local kids, fix a solar panel or two, raise an old bomber plane from Lake Mead, and you're golden."

"Wait a minute." Yes Man's face remained static, but suspicion crept into his tone. "You've already made friends with the Boomers, haven't you? That's beyond impressive! Talk about diplomatic skills! I mean, just not getting blown up was a success!"

Brotherhood of Steel: "Well, the Brotherhood of Steel, for example!" Yes Man replied, with a hint of admiration in his voice. "They go around in big suits of power armor, and they have lots of energy weapons! But there's a downside!"

The courier glanced at Veronica, who was stifling a giggle. "Oh?"

"They just have a thing about technology!" Yes Man elaborated. "They think it should all be theirs! If someone else has it, they get mad! All I'm saying is, not much of a chance they'll accept a Vegas that polices itself with robots!"

"They might feel a little better about it knowing that one of their own is in charge," the courier offered.

"One of their own?" Yes Man sounded flabbergasted. "Well that just throws all of Mr. House's projections in the trash, doesn't it? Not once did he consider that a Brotherhood of Steel member might be put in charge of the Strip!"

"I can't imagine it was high on his list of probabilities," Veronica agreed.

Followers of the Apocalypse: "One of the 'mitigating contingencies' Mr. House planned was to enlist the Followers to provide increased medical aid throughout the region," Yes Man explained. "Just seems like it might help keep things stable when we go independent, but they weren't the biggest fans of Mr. House. Not that I know what I'm talking about!"

"You know, you don't have to put yourself down like that," the courier insisted. "And House is gone, so the Followers will help. Julie Farkas and I are on the same page, most of the time, and you already know Emily Ortal."

"Do I ever!" Yes Man said brightly.

"Does your data say anything about medicine shortages?" Arcade asked, stepping forward. "Help from the Followers of the Apocalypse won't be worth anything if we don't have the supplies to manage."

"According to Mr. House's calculations, the price of medicine for the people of New Vegas was not cost-effective enough to bother with while building up the funds to resist the NCR and reignite the high-technology sectors," Yes Man replied. "But if you feel differently, we can certainly divert some of the Strip's income to the task!"

Arcade grinned. "Oh, hell yes."

Great Khans: "There's the Great Khans!" Yes Man answered with enthusiasm. "The Khans are just... they're a dirty people. They live in tents like animals! And they're very rude!"

"Rude?" The courier frowned. "Yes Man, have you ever met a Khan?"

"No I have not!" Yes Man replied confidently. "All of my knowledge of New Vegas tribes comes from what Benny told me and what Mr. House wrote in his files! For example, I know they were one of the tribes the Three Families pushed out of Vegas! A whole bunch got killed, so they settled at Bitter Springs, but they kept being so obnoxious, the NCR had to kill a whole bunch more of them! So then they settled at Red Rock Canyon! There's just no getting rid of them!"

"So what you're telling me," the courier said, thoroughly irked, "Is that Khans are hard to kill."

"You could say that!" Yes Man agreed.

"Well, that explains how I took a bullet to the brain and kept walking."

Yes Man went very quiet for a split second before jumping back in. "Wow, now I feel terrible!"

#fallout #fallout new vegas #fnv #boomers #brotherhood of steel #great khans #followers of the apocalypse #caesar #caesar's legion #ncr #new california republic #colonel cassandra moore #robert house #mr. house #yes man #veronica santangelo #arcade gannon

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