So one of the locals in Novac told me to write a journal so I'd have a record of what I've been doing since I was buried half-dead. I figured it would be a good idea, so I grabbed an empty Pre-War Journal and sat down on I-15 between Novac and the REPPCON rocket facility, where I'm headed off to bring the last remaining component some ghouls need for a spiritual journey in some rockets. I suppose I should start with the delivery.
Ok, so it's a routine job. Take a casino chip to New Vegas, go back to Primm, boom, instant caps. I've hauled heavier halfway across this godforsaken desert, what's a chip just up the road to me? Apparently, a lot more than I realized because halfway to my destination, I get ambushed by some thugs and this dude in a checkered fancypants shirt, who tie me up and grab the chip. Then they drag me to this hill overlooking New Vegas where the thugs start digging a grave. Obviously I couldn't punch their faces in, so I pretty much just glared at the fancypants shirt guy who said that I wasn't having a stroke of bad luck, it's just that the game was rigged from the start. "What-?!" I started, but couldn't finish asking him what the hell did that mean because then BOOM! and unconciousness due to having a bullet in my head.
Next thing I know, I wake up in a house, who calls himself Doc Mitchell. Somehow I had survived getting a bullet to the brain, and someone named Victor had dug me up and took me to the doc to get patched up. He did a couple tests, nothing out of the norm, then sent me on my way with some Vault gear and a Pip-Boy. I looked at the Pip-Boy, intrigued. I heard that those puppies could help out a guy immensely, what with their vitals checking, inventory organization, note-taker, maps, to-do list, and even a radio! He told me that he was from a Vault, which is why he had the gear. I wouldn't want to live in a Vault. Sure, living underground would be cool for a few days, but never being able to go outside would eventually make it start to suck. Eh, at least it was preferable to getting blown up with the rest of the world a couple hundred years ago.
So, I take a look around the town of Goodsprings, and come across a Sunset Sarsaparilla machine. I had never tried that drink, as I usually preferred Nuka-Cola, but when I popped upon the cap and took a swig, it was actually some pretty damn good orange soda. I cleaned out the machine and headed for the saloon, where I met a girl named Sunny and her dog Cheyenne. After dodging a dog-sized bullet, Sunny took me out back to help me work on my aim with a gun. Once I got the hang of that, we went down and cleared off the geckos from the wells. I have no clue what a gecko looked like before the war, but these things were about as tall as Cheyenne. Once the geckos were gone, I was sent to get some flowers for a powder at a campfire. You know that old saying that one would "never hurt a fly"? Whoever would never do that has obviously never met a Bloatfly. It doesn't matter whether or not you would hurt them, they will gladly hurt you. So, after I shot a few out of my hair, I picked up one of the ingrediants for the flower, and came across an open grave, which I assumed was supposed to be mine.
On the way to get the next ingredient, I saw a robot that acted like a cowboy, who was the Victor that dug me out of my premature grave. We talked a bit, and he told me that he had kept his distance while the thugs were burying me half-dead, and when they were gone, he dug me up to see if I was still somewhat living. Needless to say, I was, and I still am, not happy with those asshats that not only ruined my perfect delivery record, but actually tried to kill me over a fucking chip! The delivery record I could blow off like no problem, the Mojave Express guys are usually understanding when a delivery fails due to gangs and thugs, but I just couldn't shake the fact that I was SHOT. IN THE HEAD. OVER A FUCKING CASINO CHIP. I want those guys dead, and I will track them down and make sure that fancypants shirt wearing fuck rots in the grave he tried to make me rot in.
After I made the powder, I went to the saloon to chat up the locals, when I came across the bartender Trudy, arguing with a guy named Joe Cobb about some dude named Ringo. When I asked what was up, Trudy said that Ringo was being hunted down by Joe Cobb cause he owed him money or something. Typical. She told me he was up in the gas station, so I thanked her for the info, gulped down a Sunset Sarsaparilla, and headed for the gas station. I offered to help Ringo deal with Joe Cobb and his friends, but with just the two of us, we'd be mopped the floor with. Sunny was instantly eager to help, but the rest of the town, I needed a little convincing. I took a few lessons in Speech, Bartering, and Explosives, and managed to get the town to help fend off the Powder Gangers, leaving me liked by the town, but not exactly putting me on good terms with the Powder Gangers.
In fact, no sooner did I leave the town and come up to a camp, surprise, surprise, it was the Powder Gangers. I shot them down, and stole their stuff before moving on to Primm, only to be told it's off-limits due to some escaped convicts. I was like "Fuck that," and went into town anyway, shooting up any convicts that tried to ambush me. Once inside, I met with one of the Mojave Express guys, who told me that the last guy who was supposed to deliver the thing before me bolted when he saw my name next in line on the list. Ok...that's pretty suspicious. He then told me that the sheriff was...shot or something? I can't remember, and told me that the Deputy's being hold up in the Bison Steve hotel. I immediately go over there, shoot up the place to get to the deputy, and how does he thank me? By bolting for the door like a yellow-bellied coward as soon as I freed him. Our law-enforcement, ladies and gentlemen.
But oh wait, there IS no law enforcement anymore, thanks to the tiny fact that there's no sheriff! The deputy suggests I either go up to the NCR prison and bust someone out of there to serve as the sheriff (Like hell was I doing that. That place was packed with Powder Gangers, and I'd be swiss cheese upon taking one step in the place) or have the NCR take over. Only problem was, the NCR unit posted there was too short on troops to even do what they were supposed to be there to do, let alone take on the responsibility of protecting Primm. So they send me to an outpost further up the road, but then THAT's short-staffed too! I managed to convince them to send some extras down into Primm, however, and they were able to take Primm under their wing after a few legal matters.
So, with that out of the way, I start heading to Novac, only to be stopped by some guy who's been stalking me, and apparently those starred bottle caps I've been picking up are the key to some sort of treasure, and that there are people out there that are going to try and kill me for the caps. I listened to what he had to say and he ran off, but I grabbed my guns. Like hell was I gonna be ambushed this time...
On the way to Novac, I pass Nipton, where I start hearing gunfire and waste a guy who was firing at me. Then this chick comes up to me and thanks me for saving her from some guy who was firing at her for her starred bottle caps, but oh guess what? She's after the starred bottle caps too, and starts firing at me! I put her down and grab her caps, because really, if you're willing to kill for a bunch of bottle caps that may or may not lead to treasure, you really don't need them.
Of course, I've left out all the details, such as trying to find a place to crash for the night, and it was starting to get dark when I arrived at Novac, so I went into the motel, and met a kind lady who allowed me to stay in a room for however long I want until the busy season rolls around for only 100 caps. I agree, hand her the caps, she hands me the key, and I take a snooze.
The next day, I come across a guy named Manny Vargas who's having a falling out with his best friend 'cause the friend's wife's missing and Manny and the wife never saw eye-to-eye. I ask him if there's anything I can do to help out the town, and he says that some ghouls have been making it impossible to scavenge in the nearby REPPCON rocket lab, and scavenging for random crap there is pretty much how Novac makes its living through trading.
I decide to go do something about the intruders, but when I walk in, a ghoul talks over the intercom and tells me to get my ass up to the top floor. Of course, it's not easy what with all the feral ghouls attacking me - Damn, those suckers are fast - and I saw some weird mutants lying dead on my way up there along with some dead ghouls. What, where the ghouls fighting some mutants? So I go up to the top floor, the ghoul lets me in, and - Wait, what?! That's not a ghoul! That's a human who sounds like a ghoul! And apparently he thinks he's a ghoul because he's all like "Ha ha, very funny smoothskin -_-". So I don't press the issue, and go up to Jason, who appears to be a non-feral Glowing One. He tells me about some demons interrupting their plans for a journey, which I assumed by demons he meant those mutants I saw on my way up there, and how the Followers of the Apocalypse were forced to the top floor to survive. I agree to clean out the basement of the mutants, as they're stopping the group from finishing up their preparations for the journey, but it wasn't easy. Have you ever faced a guy who likes to use Stealth Boys and knows how to use them? Yeah, that's pretty much these guys. I had to be on my toes and eventually became trigger-happy, to the point where I'd fire on any mutant-looking enemy I laid eyes on. I think one had something to say, but that went flying out the window when I sent a bullet his way. I also came across what looked like a dead ghoul prisoner, which I later learned was the girlfriend of a ghoul who was hiding in some rafters. I swear, when you become a ghoul, no-one can tell if you're a man or a woman anymore.
Anyways, once I cleared the basement out, Jason and his group went down to their place they were going to start the journey at, and I got a quick hour's nap. Turns out they're planning on going to a piping-hot radioactive place called the Far Beyond on rockets, and seeing as Chris, the human who thinks he's a ghoul, is human, he can't come along. I end up letting this slip to Chris, and he loses it, wanting to sabotage the launch because he thinks he's been used. I managed to talk my way out of the trouble I let my big mouth get me into, and then we got to work on finishing up the rockets. He only needed two things: One, a couple liters of some highly radioactive substance that needs to be kept sealed, and some rocket parts. I managed to get him the substance, and I'm on my way to getting him the parts. When I picked up the substance, I picked it up off some cocky dead guy who called himself Mr. RADical or whatever, who thought with his rad suit he was invincible. Sorry buddy, doesn't work like that. The rocket parts I got off some other kind old lady up the street for 500 caps. Now, we're caught up, so I'd better finish this up before any feral ghouls come out of nowhere.
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