Chapter 8: Mojave Outpost
Ah, Mojave Outpost, some said this was the place that used to be the frontline before the New California Republic began to annex Mojave little by little while some said that this would be the last place that they would see. For me? This was the place where I could restore the condition of my weapon back to 100 and get a cowboy lady companion.
Still, Cass wouldn't be here yet, not until 10 years from now. I loudly sighed, but hey, there were still some people that I knew. Several NCR soldiers were patrolling the area, and most of them were patrolling under the shades provided by the statues.
At the end of the road, there were several military trucks alongside one single heavy machine gun sitting on top of a sandbag right in front of a gate that would eventually lead me to the Long 15, aka the long highway that would lead to New California Republic hearts.
"Civilian, state your business of being in here," one of the soldiers asked.
"I'm just here to see Major Knight alongside with some trades with Lacey, that's all."
"Oh, I thought you were with the Legion," the soldier said.
"Do I look like a legion to you?" I asked.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, sir. Lacey is on the barrack, the first building while Major Knight is on the building behind it. Enjoy your stay, sir." The soldier continued his patrol.
What rude treatment. Still, nevertheless, they were with the military which made it kind of expected in the first place. The legion wouldn't reach this place, yet. The NCR was still establishing itself as major power while being extremely far away from its main supply lines.
Last time, when I was still playing New Vegas, NCR had mostly logistical issues alongside day-to-day problems ranging from low morale to bad combat performance. However, it seemed to be absent at the moment for some unknown reasons. I shook my head, it was not the time to think about that.
I entered the building behind the barrack. It was Mojave Outpost's main office. I opened the door, immediately, I saw a handsome-looking guy looking at the door of the outpost while looking at the clipboard.
"Pilgrim, gamblers, visitors, mercs, or…?" He greeted me first by asking me that question.
"Courier."
"Ah, I see. What can I do for you?"
"I'm looking to pick up a revolver for Chet in Goodsprings. He said the repair cost is around 500 caps," I replied.
"Hmm, the sketchy trader? Sure thing, here you go, good as new," Major Knight put the revolver on top of the desk. I gave 500 bottlecaps to him and I took the revolver into my inventory. "If you need repair, just fill the log book and have the caps ready."
"Alright, sure."
"Now if you excuse me…"
Knight continued filling his clipboard while looking at the cabinet right behind him. I only could guess what was the content of the cabinet, but well, I wouldn't be looking for trouble with the NCR, especially when rangers were a thing. They could easily kill me here. It was better not to mess with any faction at this point.
Still, if given the chance, I'd love to fuck with the Legion, knowing that they were one of the evils in the region until now. Still, the battle for Hoover Dam was still far enough, and with the sudden change of knowledge, I wasn't sure that the war would go full foot mode. NCR had vehicles, Legion would have one too, right?
I got out of the outpost after getting the revolver from Major Knight. The next stop would be Lacey, someone who was in Mojave Outpost barrack. What did she look like? I had no idea, I forgot, it's been years since I've ever played the game. Though, now, the game wasn't exactly a game and more like my whole life.
I entered the barrack and stumbled upon a bar. The bartender was a woman with dark skin and quite a slender figure. She was wearing a red shirt alongside a brown cap. I sat down in front of the bar chair and asked her.
"Do you know where can I meet Lacey?"
"Young boy, you're speaking with the woman herself," Lacey said.
"Ah, well, I have someone that wants to order hard liquors from you. Here is the list," I gave Lacey the note from Trudy and she read it.
"Damn, that's a lot of booze you got there, are you opening a store or something?" Lacey asked.
"Nah, she has a saloon in Goodsprings," I answered.
"Hmm, no wonder."
"Why are you setting up shop here? I only can see soldiers as far as I could see, not to mention that it seems that you also sell weapons on the side. Why? Aren't NCR soldiers outfitted enough to deal with the regular threats?" I asked.
"Boy, you've never been here before, aren't you?"
I shook my head.
"Lots of caravan traders from NCR territory are passing by, good for markets, not to mention some people like to stay for a while here," Lacey answered.
"Aren't the NCR too far-fetched into the Mojave?" I asked.
"Logistics are said to be terrible, but well, profit is profit, kid," Lacey answered. "Here are the stuff that whoever is asking you ordered. All will be 800 bottlecaps." She put the crate of hard booze on top of the table.
"Here you go." I took out 800 bottle caps from my inventory and gave them to Lacey. I took the crate and it was added automatically to my inventory.
"Pip-boy, huh? Neat. Many traders want that thing, you know, it's convenient," Lacey commented.
"What is so special about this thing?" I asked, since every single trader that I met in Mojave Wasteland had taken an interest in my Pip-Boy, mostly because it could store something inside of it. "You traders are very interested in this thing."
"It's because you can be a pack brahmin once you have that stuff. Imagine how many things a trader can carry at once with that thing. We either rely on military trucks or brahmin caravan to carry stuff around here, kid," Lacey said.
"Hmm, logistics?"
"Exactly."
"Well, is that so? Thanks for the supplies, anyway," I thanked Lacey as I left the barrack.
I exited Mojave Outpost with the full baggage in my storage. I really wished I could fast-travel just like in the game, but again, I wasn't exactly sure that it would work in the first place. Would it work like when I slept and I'd wake up in a different place? Nevertheless, there was no feature like that at the moment.
Just enjoy the walk.
===
"Thanks for the supply, how much are the change?" Trudy asked as I put the crate on the bar.
"Here is the change," I gave the exact same amount of change as what Trudy gave to me.
"Hmm, nice. You're a nice guy," Trudy nodded.
[Quest Completed: Oye, Bottle of Liquers]
[+300 EXP]
[LEVEL UP!]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone