บท 620: Ticking Time Bomb
"Hmm? So you wouldn't be willing to destroy a fledgling nation for say, the lives of your tribesman?" he asks, as if she were blatantly lying to him.
"I..." she starts, to try and deny the accusation... But when she thinks about it further, she couldn't say that she wouldn't be willing to do so... The fact that she was questioning herself when she barely even remembered her family and tribe said a lot... How must it have been when they were enslaved?
"I already know your answer, even if you don't state it... We are more alike than you think. I did not join the Legion willingly. They enslaved my tribe, the Twisted Hairs, so I fought for leniency on their behalf. Was the best scout and soldier the Legion had in the region... Yet, Caesar had them enslaved." Ulysses says while looking down solemnly at the ground.
Tamia frowns, feeling an ache in her chest for the loss they'd both suffered at the Legion's hands, "Why are you telling me this? And what are you planning to do here?"
"I am telling you this, so you can understand what you took from me. With my tribe enslaved and scattered, I ventured into the wastes... For years I struggled to find my place, my home. And finally. I found it... In the Divide." he growls, seeming on the urge of rage, but quickly calms himself.
"As I said before, I never intended to destroy it. From what you say, it seems like I loved this place as much as you did. Whatever happened was an accident, would you still blame me if a meteor fell from the sky and accidentally activated the nukes as well?"
Ulysses just shakes his head, "Quoting hypotheticals may make you feel better, but it does not change what happened. Who, happened. As for what I am planning?... The Divide giants have been awakened, and they will rain down, dealing death to your new home, as they had mine."
"You are going to nuke New Vegas!?" she exclaims in shock.
The man shakes his head again, "No. Launching missiles at Vegas would be like throwing pebbles. I have learned why the old Vegas survived, and a direct attack would do nothing... No. I intend to destroy the West. the Bear... Without supplies lines and those hapless citizens paying those families to ruin their lives, Vegas will wither and wilt, turning to sand and joining the rest of the desert."
"Weren't you just talking about how the Legion ruined your life!? Why wouldn't you attack them instead? If anyone is deserving of it then it'd be them!" she shouts, not understanding why he'd do this if revenge was what he sought.
Ulysses nods, "I wish destruction on them both, but I do not have enough armaments to secure both their ends... The destruction of the West, will lead to the death of Vegas, which, without its jewel, will become just another barren desert." the man states.
Tamia shakes her head and looks closer at the nukes, "Even with all these weapons, they won't be enough to destroy the West! Your plan is doomed to fail."
Ulysses chuckles, "No need to kill the Bear, just cut its throat. You taught me that at the Divide. Only need to cut off the supply line, the road, to watch something greater die. I'll turn the long 15 into miles of fire, cut off the Mojave. NCR will fall back, lose Hoover Dam... And leave their throats exposed to the Legion."
Tamia shakes her head, "Even if you did that, the Legion still wouldn't claim the Mojave! Actually! Even if you destroyed the supply lines, New Vegas would live. Bulwark would ensure it!" she states with conviction, knowing that supply lines would be things of the past as soon as Afton decides to integrate teleportation technology... She knew it would happen eventually, it wasn't like anyone else could use them either, due to the fact that satellites were required for their use, as well as Afton's permission to use them.
"I admit, I do not know much of this new player. But even if you manage to change my mind, the missile's targets have already been set." Ulysses explains.
She shakes her head, wondering if she could contact Afton or Glados somehow... The sandstorm was still blowing overhead, so even the large open missile door above her wouldn't allow any communication. There didn't seem to be anything she could do! She wasn't well versed with technology, engineering, or anything like that... All she was good for was surviving the waste and fighting... But... Maybe the key would be convincing Ulysses to help her somehow, while she didn't care about the NCR, innocent civilians didn't deserve to die like that... If he knew how to activate them, then he might know how to change their target?
"I understand you want revenge for what happened, but I wouldn't be able to set it right even if I killed myself here and now. I know you aren't evil, so you know that sacrificing thousands of innocent people just in an attempt to harm me is wrong... But there might be another way to end this! We don't have to destroy each other!"
Ulysses clenches his hands, but they quickly lose strength and go limp. "Death. Is not something I'm fond of. And you are right, I know there is folly in my plans... But, I do not see another way, this would be a symbol, that those gluttonous children, strong they may be, could still fall...
You were someone who believed in nothing, served nothing. For someone like you to stumble into conviction, perhaps you have the answer... Tell me. Tell me why New Vegas, the Mojave. Bulwark... Deserves the chance that the Divide didn't."
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
Niggross
Niggross Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
If you like my content or want to read ahead please go to : https://www.p.atreon.com/Nagross, I'd appreciate it.
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
ShinAmazake
Kingsprovince
Michael Jarrett
Nazlican Erdem
Justin David
Shameful69
JayJonnaJamison
บท 621: War of words.
Tamia shakes her head, "It's not about chances, it's about rising above our wants to make something greater. Before I arrived at New Vegas, it was as corrupt, as cruel, and as unforgiving as any slum... But, after working with House, speaking and... Removing some families... It's not just a place where you can piss away your caps... It has potential!" she earnestly says.
Ulysses slowly nods, "Your actions have carried conviction, as well as the strength to enforce them. But you are mistaken if you think the Families will continue their ways. You were forced to use violence to prevent the White Gloves from engaging in cannibalism again... Who knows when they will step back on that road... You also helped destroy the Chairman in the Tops for revenge. Hypocritical, considering the Chairman were among the most civilized family in the strip." he states.
Tamia sighs, knowing that she was indeed being hypocritical to argue this front... Ulysses wants revenge for almost killing him, and she wanted revenge against Benny for almost killing her... Sure, both were caught between something bigger, but either way, the result remains the same. "I'm not saying I'm perfect, I'm human, just like you, ruled by my emotions... Benny didn't just kill me, he stole my history from me. He robbed me of every memory of my family, who I was, my goals, my dreams... He didn't just murder me, he erased who I was from existence... Tell me, Ulysses, are our situations really comparable?" she asks, trying to tug on his obsession for history.
Ulysses looks at the ground in contemplation before shaking his head, "No... You may have robbed me of my future. The future of the Divide. But I kept my history, at least. Enough to learn from." he states. "But. My point still stands. The Tops is in a state of disrepair, the Omertas will not last past the war. And the Ultralux will be tempted to continue the old ways again.
You reject the ways of the Legion on moral grounds, rejecting slavery for its inherent evil... But nothing would change, aside from the collars which men will wear. From chains around their necks. To chains around their wallets. Vegas is bound to fail, especially if the NCR is forced out of the Mojave."
"Bulwark can help pick up the slack after the war... We have the technology to achieve anything and the skills to protect it! And it isn't like New Vegas will remain as it is either! We will change it for the better, force it to stop being reliant on income from the families!"
"I know where your technology comes from. And I know that any deal you made with those... Creatures, will not last." the man gravely says.
"W-wait what? How do you know that?" she asks in confusion.
Ulysses points a finger, "The symbol on your chest, you might have altered it, but it still resembles them. Those monsters of the past..."
Tamia shakes her head, "You mean the Think Tank? Those egg heads?"
Ulysses nods, "Your manner of addressing them belies what they truly are. Out of all the creatures I have met during my travels, it is they who deserve extermination the most... Quickly followed by Tunnelers. Their threat to humanity even escapes me, which... Frightens me."
"You don't need to worry about them! Afton has them under lock and key... They work for him under constant supervision, and aren't able to even think without someone knowing about it." she says with max confidence.
Ulysses breathes a sigh, "You claim to have tamed those monsters? Foolish. It was only their ignorance of the world outside their facility that prevented them from starting another apocalypse..." he states.
Tamia shakes her head, "Trust me, they aren't going anywhere... I could even show you, if you helped stop the Nukes." she offers.
Ulysses slumps his shoulders, "I am not convinced. Vegas is a failed project, it will be like the old world, with Kings sitting at the top surrounded by squalor and waste. How would it be any different to the Bear?"
Tamia bites her lip, her eyes flitting between the nukes... She knew time was getting shorter and shorter... Urgh! She shakes her head and locks eyes with Ulysses, "Didn't you say that I breathed life into the Divide? Well, I can do it again with New Vegas! And you can be a part of it too! We're both Couriers, we both contributed to the Divide!... So let's do the same with New Vegas!" she almost shouts, desperation and conviction appearing on her face.
...
Ulysses nods, "History has proven this. Our history. And you think you have this strength? Enough to hold up the NCR, long enough so that Vegas can live again? Even if you speak for Vegas and its ghosts, convincing me achieves nothing. The Missiles will continue their journey."
Tamia shakes her head, "You've already shown me that one person can make, or break a nation. So why not be that person? If you believe me incapable of building something as potentially great as the Divide, come, observe, and assist. We don't need to fight, we both lost something when the Divide was destroyed, even if I don't remember it..."
...
"Perhaps... There is much destruction written in the earth here... But maybe you are right... Maybe it is time to rebuild... Would you be capable of breathing life into Vegas, like you had the Divide? I do not know. But... I think I will watch, learn. I wish to see a nation born from the Divides ashes... Can you do that?"
"I don't know. But I'll give it my damn best shot, I swear it!" she exclaims, hitting her armoured chest with her fist as a sign of determination.
Ulysses nods, "You have spoken truly... There is a shadow of a nation behind you, the hope of a people... Yet, it may matter not."
*Baang!*
"The Divide is still against us." he states as the doors behind Tamia explode, revealing many flayed men all wielding weaponry.
"What!?" she exclaims, rushing towards Ulysses and taking cover beside him as the flayed men prepare their attack.
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง
Niggross
Niggross
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
ShinAmazake
Kingsprovince
Michael Jarrett
Nazlican Erdem
Justin David
Shameful69
JayJonnaJamison
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
200+ การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
3 หินพลัง 
ความคิดเห็นย่อย