Capítulo 397: An offer you could probably refuse?
"Y-yes, I have it... But what makes it worth so much? Even if it were made from pure platinum it still wouldn't be as valuable..." Tamia asks, pulling out the chip and closely examining it.
"Minerals, materials, everything pales in comparison to what is truly on that Chip... Knowledge, and technology. While gold might be valuable to most people, there is a reason why the Brotherhood of Steel exists and are so powerful. In this day and age where mysteries of the old world are one bunker away from discovery, knowledge is valued above all.
Consider this, what would happen to the value of gold should someone develop a method of synthesizing it?" Mr House asks.
"The price would plummet." she automatically responds, as if it weren't even worth considering.
"Indeed. But think, even now, after millenniums of discovery, the wheel is still in use. Currency can change value, possessions can change value, but knowledge? Knowledge is eternal."
"Where are you going with this?" Tamia asks, wondering what he was trying to prove.
Mr House pauses at her question before finally answering, "Your contract with me is over, I'm willing to pay you to quadruple the number of caps for your effort in completing your duties in returning the chip. Four-thousands caps... But, I am hoping that won't be the end of our business relationship... Indeed, I wish to improve it to a... partnership of sorts."
"Partnership?" Tamia mutters, the words sounding weird on her tongue.
"Yes, a relationship between equals, not one above the other. I offer you a place at my side, as my voice in the Mojave. As you can see, I am not currently able to personally exert myself in public, but with you... We could achieve much." he explains.
Tamia raises a brow, "What would this involve?" she questions, wondering where the catch would be.
"I do not wish to hire mercenaries for the tasks I need completed. I have witnessed your effectiveness, and I have been impressed by your competence. Should you agree, I would be willing to illuminate my plans for the future, and my intentions for the Mojave as a whole... You don't believe I'd save this desert wasteland from complete nuclear annihilation on a whim, did you?...
The only thing I require from you is loyalty... My Securitrons are already useful in defending, protecting, and maintaining. But I need someone for more delicate tasks. Of course, any hired gun could be paid to do it, but they're more likely to run off with the money before actually doing what I asked."
"And you want me to do it for you instead? What's in it for me?"
"Aside from the obvious monetary benefits, you would receive full access to the Lucky 38, the luxury apartments, lavish living and gorgeous view that would not be beaten by any other property in the world. And there's also the power and authority the position would offer, the ability to choose who you speak to, who's worth what, and who deserves their place. Any ordinary person would have jumped at this opportunity, but I understand, we are alike, cautious at any offer that seems too good to be true...
Know this, I am not forcing you to accept anything. It is merely an offer, and while I would think you a fool for refusing, I would accept the loss nonetheless." Mr Houes explains.
Tamia taps her foot on the floor while considering the offer. She wasn't an incredibly materialistic person, the thing she valued the most was actually freedom. She wondered if that feeling was the reason why she became a courier in the first place... House's offer seemed generous, but that was only at face value, she still had no idea what tasks he actually wanted completed... For all she knew, he'd ask her to assassinate the president of the NCR or something.
Regardless if she was going to accept or not, she'd need to know what she was getting into before agreeing to anything. "Before I accept, what tasks would you have me doing?"
"It depends on how the situation changes, but if you must know, the first task would involve you infiltrating The Fort where the Legion is currently stationed."
...
Well, looks like House really did want her to start assassinating officials...
"And you want me to kill Caesar?" she asks, disbelief clear in her voice.
"Hah! Of course not! Besides, even if you did manage to kill that barbaric buffoon, his armies would hardly leave the Mojave alone... Indeed, he'd become a martyr instead, making them all the more hungry for this territory. No, I would need you to take that chip to a hidden underground bunker where I had valuable tech placed before the war."
"And you think Caesar is just gonna let me waltz in and enter the facility?"
"No. By my calculations, the Legion will have sent someone to meet with you concerning your entry into the Lucky 38. Regardless of your thoughts on the strip, it is considered a 'big deal' that you've been allowed entry. I have no doubts that Caesar wishes to meet with you... Your entry into the Fort would be the simplest part, getting back out? Difficult.
The activation of the facility under the Fort would feel like an earthquake occurring under their feet. No doubt it'd attract their ire, forcing you to sneak or fight your way out."
"And you think I'd be able to fight off or sneak past an entire army of Legionaries?" she asks, feeling as if he was expecting her to run in and die for him.
"To be honest, I have no idea... It is a risk I admit, should you fail, the Platinum Chip would be lost to me forever, and all of my plans that hinge on it would fail spectacularly. That is why I am willing to fund whatever you feel is necessary to complete the task." Mr House says, again causing Tamia to gape at him.
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Capítulo 398: Scrooge McHouse
"Whatever funds?" Tamia parrots, "Like, 'Whatever' funds?"
"I said what I mean, and I mean what I said." Mr House states, "The task I need you to complete is of the utmost importance, perhaps even more so than finding the chip in the first place. That said, I will be watching your spending, I am not one to throw away money and the same should be said for whomever I decide to partner with."
Tamia smirks, "So no blackjack and hookers?" she jokes.
"I understand your jest, but blackjack and hookers would be readily available to you should you accept my terms." House explains.
Tamia gives an uncomfortable laugh before recomposing herself, "Even with unlimited spending though, I still don't think I'd be able to get in and out of the Fort... I think I'd need an army or something..."
"I know it seems like an indomitable task, but the benefits for completing it will be immeasurable, you have my word on that... It seems I'll need to persuade you further. Do you know what my goals are?"
Tamia shrugs her shoulders, "Rebuild New Vegas to Prewar standards?"
"Yes, and no." House says before continuing, "You are correct in my wish to restore things to their previous condition, but I also wish to change much... The old world is gone, and while I miss the comforts it provided, I am also grateful for the opportunity the apocalypse has provided... I wish to remake the Mojave, and indeed, the world into my own image.
No corrupt politicians, government officials, and trigger-happy foreign states to cause another war. No separate factions all under one roof attempting to gain power, no stifling of technological innovation and discovery... Give me twenty years, and I'll get technological development back to where it was, fifty and I'll have men back on the moon.
Do you see? My ambition is not for personal gain, or a petty desire for power. It is for the uplifting of all mankind, to raise them above the barbaric squabbling for resources and arbitrary wars... To you it may sound strange, but answer me honestly... Do you think you could trust the other factions to have even considered the future? Not just rebuilding what's left of America, enslaving everything they see, or indeed, hiding away any technology deemed 'too dangerous'... I mean, the future."
Tamia considers his words and slowly shakes her head, he was right, she had seen what each faction sought. The NCR was as corrupt as they come, and their methods would eventually fail, just like what happened before the great war.
The Legion definitely wasn't any better. They were like a wood-chipper, absorbing territory and converting the people who resided there into barbaric soldiers. Every piece of land their claimed was worse off than before, desolated by poverty, starvation, and violence. She didn't know what would happen once they run out of enemies to fight, would they turn inwards and fight themselves, or simply peter out and disappear.
The only large faction she'd not really 'met' during her time in the Mojave was the Brotherhood of Steel... Sure, Veronica supposedly belonged to them, but when she spoke of them Tamia could tell she was less than a 'ideal member'.
Tamia herself didn't think technology was inherently dangerous (with some exceptions such as Nuclear Bombs), it was the person using it that truly mattered.
The only negative she could see with Mr Houses explanation was the fact he would essentially become a dictator. He could decide what happens, who lives, and who dies. Not that she thought he'd start committing genocide or something, but this was the first time meeting the man, so her opinion on him wasn't all that reliable.
She looks up at the screen depicting House and slowly nods, "I think I understand what you're saying, but, do you really think you can do anything to change it?"
"I do." Mr House says with certainty, "I've been planning for this before the great war even started. My calculations extend almost a hundred years into the future. But, everything hinges on now, or to be more specific, you. You are the one who can assist me in making the world a better place."
...
"I don't know what advantages you think you have against the NCR and the Legion, but I think neither of them have the best interest of the Mojave at heart... You know what? Fuck it, I accept." she states, deciding to just go with her gut for now and see where it leads.
"Good. Very good... You already know what is required, so I'll leave further explanation for when you actually reach the facility under the Fort. I still have some form of communication there where I'll be able to assist you... For now, let me fulfil my end of the bargain. Jane, be a dear take our guest down to the vault, and bring a rucksack with you." he pauses, "And Tamia, it is a pleasure doing business with you."
Tamia nods, "You too, House." she says before following the Securitron to the elevator. Once there she's led down past the ground floor and into some sort of underground vault. It didn't look like a Vault-tec vault, but instead just like a blank metal wall... Though, upon approaching it she could hear many mechanisms working behind the scene.
After a couple moments of waiting, the vault doors slowly slid open, revealing a long hallway with many lockboxes decorating the walls. Though, this isn't what draws Tamia's attention... No, that'd belong to the large pit that is illuminated at the end of the hall.
Tamia approaches it with Jane following and looks over the edge, spotting a ladder leading down into what could only be described as a sea of bottle caps.
"Impressed? Robert always loved old cartoons, reminds him of better times he says. We also have a gold pit hidden nearby, but you only have access to this." Jane explains as she rolls up behind Tamia.
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