John took a break from the overseeing of the rebuilding of the infrastructure of New Vegas to meet the heads of the Strip Families. After quickly laying down the law with them, making sure they reconized that his Legion was in control and had to allow Legionaire guards in addition to their own, with a set tax of 25% on all sales within the casino. In exchange, he agreed to help further rebuild their casinos and allow alcohol to be sold inside. After this meeting, there was now nothing besides Aaron in the way of his control of New Vegas.
After what seemed like an eternity, the two warriors were finally starting to reach their breaking points. The Vivorums standing nearby, watching seemingly awestruck at the two Winter's final battle and what the they could both accomplish. After their hand to hand fight, Damien ordered one of the Vivorums to hand over his sword, a gladius. Damien knew that his father was about to reach his limit, and had only ONE chance to finish him off. The Vivorum ran over and handed him the weapon. Aaron, improvising by pulling out another collapsible sword seemingly hidden from view. Both of them were shirtless, Father and Son having their upper armor being destroyed during the fight. Both of them were very close to the exposed windows that shown the rest of the Strip. "It's over Damien.." Aaron said, absolutely exhausted. Damien then looked at his father with the weapon in his hand with anger, but could not help feeling remorse and regret about what is about to happen. He had no choice but to kill his father. He collapsed onto his knees, reaching out for the weapon. "Don't do Father..." Damien replied quietly. Aaron then rushed forwards to combat his son once more for a final downward strike. But as he was doing so, something incredible happened. While he was sending the final blow over his son, Damien responded by blocking the attack. However, what amazed both of them was that Damien's weapon caused the entire bottom half of his father's weapon shatter due to the incredible force of the attack. Realizing what had happened in shock, Damien took his chance and finished his father off as he buried the weapon into the middle of his father's ribcage. Aaron made no noise as he felt the overwhelming pain, but smiled as he collapsed onto his knees, inches from the Window facing Gomorrah at the Lucky 38. Aaron was smiling at the ground, his son had accomplished something that nobody had ever done. Kill him. He looked at his son one last time as he watched Damien stand up. "I'm....sorry." Aaron replied softly. Damien started to cry at the sight, but remained strong. "I know you are." Damien responded. "It is never meaningless to apologize." Aaron then felt the lights turn off in his head as he smiled at his son, seeing him one last time. "I love you son...." Aaron's eyes turned lifeless as Damien watched the color drain from his skin, then he fell backwards out of the window towards the hard ground of the Strip. Damien watched him fall, seeing the smile still evident on his fathers face as he fell. Once he hit the ground, his body attracted an enormous amount of attention. Damien just stood there at the window, the Mojave wind pushing against his hair. He could not bring himself to head downwards towards the street. He just watched as the soldiers and civilians gather around the body of Aaron Winters, the Legendary "The Chosen One". Damien just stood there, wanting the soldiers to give him a proper burial. He did not say a word, as he stood there watching the smile on his father's face as the sun went down.
Forge had his equipment packed, ready for the cold night to take over. It was 5:37, "Where are they, they were suppose to be here at-" he was cut from a knock on the door. Forge went to go see who it was. As he climbed up the ladder, he noticed something was off. The Brotherhood would come, but he also knew they never went out into the night. It was too dangerous. As he neared the door, Forge pulled out his Super Sledge, ready to fight anyone who would dare raid his home, "Who is it?" "Contractor, we are south platoon of the Brotherhood of Steel. We were ordered to come here." A voice said on the other side of the door. "Whats the passcode?" Forge asked. "w9uh48qe." Forge opened the door only to see a squad of seven BHoS troops in full armor that looked damaged, "Where's the rest?" "We were ambushed by two different gangs, this is it." Forge sighed, "Alright, I have five crates and hover panels. We have two men on the panels controlling them, then we have two others scout ahead and they will keep in contact with us over the radio. The rest, you will be guarding the crates with me." The troops nodded as Forge went back down the ladder and started handing the Brotherhood troops small crates packed with weapons. As they finished, Forge closed the latch and moved two boxes out of the way revealing two deep navy blue panels. After at least two minutes, the panels were activated and the crates were loaded onto them, "Alright, that should be the las-" Before Forge could finish, he heard a loud gun shot and saw two of the troops fall to the ground, "AMBUSH!!!"
(Hm...how about a few weeks or a month or two? That's long enough for the Legion to be cemented, but not quite long enough for everything to have been pacified?)
(Okays, I guess we should just start then!) John strolled through the streets of Nova Roma, it had been five weeks since Hoover Dam, and even the presence of the Legion failed to deter NCR and other Wasteland residents for long from coming to the city were, even under the Legion's yoke thanks to the policies of John and his attempt at giving the Legion a new face, from its new name; Nova Roma, to its brightly lit, well rebuilt, and peaceful streets. By now, every settlement in the Wasteland had been rebuilt, and new water lines brought much needed water from Lake Mead to even more. This same thing was happening across Nova Roma lands, quelling opposition as the rebuilding brought prosperity, even as slaves were released, forced to be better treated, and soldiers allowed into civilian life. John had made it clear; Nova Roma would conquer not with force, as the last Caesar, but by overwhelming economic strength reinforced by a military that remained extremely powerful. The list of factions remaining in the Mojave was tiny, only the Brotherhood remained as an organized force thanks to a peace deal that allowed them control of Helios One after the weapon there was disarmed and protection from NCR, and in return, had to have the plant running at max efficiency and help patrol the highways. John looked around Freeside, life starting to reform as the residents grew used to the watchful eye of crimson soldiers, lead by the man in the billowing red cowboy duster at the head of many Praetorians and black armored Umbras.
(Uh, I can't make two cents of that #.# was he like hallucinating or something? And how did Vipers get into New Vegas? )
(Well, I guess you can say they snuck in. It doesn't make sense, but honestly I had nothing else on my mind.)
A brand new Damien was alone, looking over the grave of his father just outside of Vegas. The signature black armour that Damien once worn was repainted and dyed to the signature Legion Crimson. The old world symbol on his back replaced with the bull. He wondered if he had made the right choice about the Legion, and in the end, he came up with a conclusion believing that he did. The Praefectus looked at the grave in silence, paying his respects. Damien was a changed man, now rechristened to Nova Roma as "Nero Octavius". He was the third most powerful man in the empire, and had turned the Legion's military from just another powerful force when it was under the rule of Edward to a seemingly unstoppable force after introducing new equipment and also enforcing a basic version of the training he had undergone as a child. The 3% of the military who even passed in an admirable fashion either had the chance to join John's Elite Shadows, or be taught under Damien far more extensively to serve Nova Roma as Damien's personal squad. So far, out of the 1,000 that even had a chance to join Damien, only 25 of some of Nova Roma's made it, almost all of them who qualified unable to take the near superhuman training and discipline Damien then walked away from the grave and headed back towards Vegas. He was the NCR's perfect mistake, and the former Legion's nightmare. With knowledge about his wife's whereabouts, he was tempted to leave the Mojave to search for her. But not knowing if she was still alive, he believed that she would make it back someday.
John soon found himself looking over a map of his nation, put together by his Fumentarii, a solid line going up from the Colorado all the way up before going directly north, splitting what was Nevada in two, the two halves his final treaty with the NCR agreed upon. East of that line would be Nova Roma, west, NCR. Surrounding the red colored area filled with towns and such that was his lands was lands marked for different tribes with various symbols marking what the Fumentarii was the best course of action. One drew a red line from Nova Roma to Zion Valley, marking it as a needed conquest. There where a few more such lines, but the general marks of "suggested expansion and/or alliance" tended to point east, as the mountainous north would be hard to fully control without the larger population of the eastern plains, the "Great Plains". John hmm'ed then looked up to Vulpes who was opposite of him, "Inculta, I want a legio of troops to head to Zion with the orders to do what they do best under Legate Catos. Then, I want a rebalancing of troops, have a holding force deployed along the border with the NCR large enough to withstand an attack of 60,000 soldiers, which is more than they could muster, according to reports I've been recieving, and I want all troops besides garrisons to be refocused eastward. Our new objective; the Great Plains and this "Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel". We take them, we'll be able to take the Northern region. From there, we'll see. Go get Praefectus Nero and inform him of this." "As you wish." Vulpes replied before doing a salute and bowing out.
Damien, otherwise known as Nero, passed through the large steel gate that led into Freeside. The rebuilding of Freeside by Nova Roma had brought new character, charisma and opportunity to the former Vegas slum that used to house gamblers and former NCR troopers that had received a well deserved break heading towards the Cazador nest of The Strip under the rule of House. Freeside had been transformed from abandoned damaged buildings and the poverty stricken and often violent area of Vegas to seemingly a brand new work of art under Nova Roma. It's buildings had been rebuilt to something resembling renaissance era homes while still remaining modern in its architecture. Even the larger abandoned buildings had been rebuilt and appeared much like roman villas. On the inside was a standard home with some of the support structures of the building being reinforced. They were not only beautiful, but also incredibly (By post-war standards) strong. Children were playing on the street under the watchful eye of their parents and the crimson soldiers on patrol to ensure their safety. Other’s continuing with their daily lives, going backwards and forwards in their daily cycle. Inculta, surrounded by a small group of guards encountered Damien as he just passed Old Mormon Fort. Vulpes knew that he was on Damien’s list during his days of killing those in the former regime. Now, that hate had turned into something of a partnership. Both of them respected each other for what they could do by themselves, and what they could do to others. Vulpes preferred words then weapons, while Damien was well known across the Legion for apparently being impossible to kill and his combat skills. Vulpes escorted Damien to the Lucky 38, only saying that John had summoned him. Vulpes could not help but smirk that he was now a partner to the Legion’s formerly most wanted.
John looked up to see Damien walk into his room, "Ah, hello." He said plainly before motioning to the map before him, "Put together from a mix of Old-World maps, Fumentarii scouting and their suggested stradegies for dealing with various tribes." He sighed and looked up at Damien, "I know I promised no more wars until I had fully reformed this country, but my military commanders are baying for a war, and I'm in no mood to fight a civil war, that would put my schedule far behind...." He mutter then pointed at Zion Valley, "Here's our first target. We capture it, we have access to a great natural fort that we can use as a forward base for later caimpaigns to the North. However.,." John moved his finger over to the Great Plains, "These areas are fertile farmland according to my Fumentarii, and we both know if this nation keeps growing, we're going to need it. I want to launch an offensive in this area, push ourselves through what was Texas all the way to the Big River(Mississippi), then swing northward. There, we will encounter the Midwestern Brotherhood, and my commanders will have the war they wish. Nero....I need to stay in the Mojave, it still needs cleaning up, but, I think it's time to prove yourself. Take whatever troops you wish from here and along the way, just make sure the remaining force is powerful enough to quell any dissent and the like. Can you do that? If so; you have freedom of choice of when and where you wish to attack, can be Zion, can be the Plains. Just remember, I don't trust that the NCR will leave us quite alone yet, so remember any force left here must be big enough to resist a large invasion. That is all."
"Absolutely." Damien replied. "I'm going to need about 5,000 to eliminate any problems that remain in the Mojave other then the possibility of an attack by the NCR. With the Great Khans gone (Either going with the possibility that they fled to Wyoming or were assimilated into the Legion) and the any other force that could deal serious damage dealt with, the only major problem we have to deal with are the Fiends and Boomers. I can easily convince to Boomers to become one with Nova Roma, but the Fiends would be impossible to negotiate with. If they managed to take control of Westside, it would be disastrous." Damien then pointed at Vault 3 and the remaining Fiend territory. "I'll move 2,000 with me westward to deal with them immediately. The remainder will be under the command of several Praetorian's to their designated assignments such as wiping out the Power Ganger's. If all goes well, there should be no problems by tomorrow morning and the entire Mojave should be secure. If the NCR does attack, we have 55,000 on immediate standby in the Mojave alone."
John nodded, "Okay. Rid us of the Fiends and get the Boomers to join, then we can march on Zion and the Great Plains." He said, "And Nero, kill every last one. They're too dangerous to let live, even one,"
Damien nodded as he bowed down out of respect before leaving the Lucky 38. ------------------------------------- Two Hours Later Just outside of what used to be the NCR occupied Camp Mccarran, roughly 2,000 remained at former airport preparing for the attack against the Fiends. All of the Legion soldiers, thanks to the new regime, lethality and equipment that Nova Roma now had, even 100 Legionaries would have been enough to wipe out the raiders that numbered in their thousands. The entire south western part of Vegas was still unoccupied, the Fiend's preventing Nova Roma from entirely taking full control of the city. At the front of the army of red soldiers was the Praefectus, standing alongside the army as the came across the bridge that formerly connected the former NCR base to the rest of Vegas and Fiend territory, over what used to be a highway. According to the scouts, The Fiends had build sandbags across the bridge to get what they believed was an advantage. The fiends began to notice what was about to happen and the raiders began to mobilize themselves to make their stand. Despite using energy weapons, their only advantage was their numerical value. All of the Fiends leaders have attended with the exception of Motor Runner whom was in Vault 3. Nephi, Violet and Cook-Cook were sighted by scouts, alongside what appeared to be nearly a force nearly three times the size of Legionaries. However, Damien knew that the Legion will win this battle, at least half of the raiders barely knew how to operate their weaponry, yet alone walk from the unknown amount of drugs they take daily. Positioned masterfully at McCarren were huge artillery guns that was going to be used to annihilate the front lines and those in buildings, while having the range to do so and having the protection from the huge concrete walls. "This is going to be a massacre." Damien remarked in an almost inaudible voice. Nero turned around to his men, weapons many of whom were speaking once they were prepared or were gathering their weapons in their tents their and spoke to them, yelling loudly so that they could all listen as they suddenly jolted into action "Each of you shall place your best marksmen under Centurion Aelius who will be providing cover fire from the nearby buildings. The advance will begin at Noon. Until then, I want each Vexillarius to sound their trumpets loud and long to wear down the mental status of the enemy before we finish them. Do not take the lives of any they have taken captive." Nero spoke. "We will be moving onto Vault 3 as soon as we take the surrounding area. The marksman shall be getting into position while we prepare for battle." "Kill all of them." Damien replied as the Legion army behind of them roared. The trumpets of war echoing throughout the entire south-west of Vegas, sounding the near death of the Fiends.
John and his Umbras had sneaked out of Nova Roma. In the time that had past since his victory at Hoover Dam, the number of Umbras had gone all the way to a full centura in strength, his rapid, intense training allowing him to quickly build up a new force to be reckoned with, combined with the Praetorians, they were nearly unstoppable against anything short of extreme overwhelming odds. They took up positions up in the mountains west of Westside and Fiend Territory. Trumpets could be heard blaring in the distance as the night approached, and John and his Umbras understood it was Damien trying to wear down the Fiends before attack, who seemed to have the good sense of staying behind their sandbag cover, however, they failed to take into account of Legion snipers from the rear. Taking positions about 5 yards apart and pulling out both silenced Sniper and Anti-Material Rifles and laying prone on the ground. John took the best covered position that was the highest up, before taking aim at the head of a Fiend and firing. The Umbras followed suit, shooting a random Fiend, usually targeting those peeking around cover to keep them fooled that it was coming from the front, while also remaining too sporadic to enrage an attack beyond a few overzealous, angry Fiends, all of whom would be instantly targeted and shot to pieces. The Umbras and John would keep this up all night, shooting any who managed to doze off due to the trumpets, their bullets being the last thing they never heard.
As the morning came, the Fiend's found themselves facing their extinction. With the assistance of the Umbra's and Legion snipers from the main force, 20% of the Fiends main force was found dead as the sunrise came over the horizon. The Fiend's that did manage to keep themselves awake were dangerously on the brink of collapse, the cocktail of narcotics rapidly speeding up their sleep deprivation. Many did not have the strength to run yet alone walk, roughly a dozen Fiend's could not even lift up their own weapons. The bodies of those who were killed during the night were just left to rot. Those inside Vault 3 did however have a nice rest, but only 100 of them were at peak condition. The Fiends were nearly defeated before the battle had even started. At ten to noon, a loud and deep horn was sounded across McCarran as the army instantly sprung into life as they formed into their formations. Once noon came around, the final horn was blown as it echoed across all of South Vegas as the Legion left the base and began to advance. Damien ordered half a century of Veteran Legionaries and Centurions to attack from the east, heading downwards before rejoining the main force at the South. Once the Praefectus and his force were just in the line of the exhausted Fiend's, those with Rifle's took out any Snipers with absolute ease and any that tried to rush at them . Once Damien gave the order, he raised his hand to order the artillery to start raining death upon the heaviest fortifications with the densest Fiend population to the Southwest towards Vault 3. Damien himself alongside the remainder of all the forces to start the attack. The Praefectus ran towards one sandbag where he seen an exhausted Fiend, his eyes nearly bloodshot like a demon. The Fiend tried to aim his Laser Rifle at Damien until the former NCR ranger jumped over the Sandbag as he flew into the air until he was vertically upside down the Fiend. Nero grabbed the head of the Fiend he was under, as the Fiend looked at the figure of his death. As he came downwards before landing on the ground, he used all of his strength while coming downwards to snap the neck of the raider as it instantly killed him, and nearly ripped the head itself from the Fiend's body. While shocking the Fiends, Damien rolled towards the next sandbag and appeared just behind the next sandbag before appearing once more above the sandbag with his blade in his hand as he decapitated the two fiends behind it before switching to his Hunting Rifle and raining fire upon the rest of his enemy. This terrified the Fiends but the display of unfathomable skill by Damien was awe inspiring to the regular force, urging them to fight harder. What had taken the Fiend's possibly decades to conquer was lost with five minutes. With the regular force under Damien steam rolling through the Fiend's to the east, the Centurion surprise attack coming from the north and John and his Umbra's to the west. It would be a matter of time before they would reach Vault 3, the leadership of Motor Runner and his other three colleges cowering in fear from the Legion.
