Re-Takes

caveat emptor should be pronounced like caviar, so caa-vee-ut emptor, unless there’s some Roman pronunciation I’m not aware of like with Caesar.

Caveat Emptor.

Idles

Set VNiptonCodeBox.iOliverRuns to 3 

The lottery has a purpose. It’s not to set a man free. It’s to spread the word.

vfreeformthefort.bmetvulpes == 1, vulpes not dead

(pronounced Wulpes) Vulpes Inculta. The cruel fox. A man with his reputation normally sticks to the shadows, but he is as capable a warrior as any in Caesar’s flock.

vfreeformthefort.bmetvulpes == 1,  vulpes not dead

Killing Vulpes will send a clear message to Caesar. The only question is how he will respond.

Nipton

The carnage here may shock you. But rest assured, these men were wicked, and the Legion’s justice will ensure that people will know the consequences of their actions.

 

vMojaveGhost stage 100

It’s as your ranger friend says. The NCR knew Nipton was corrupt. But they did nothing.

Matthews Animal Husbandry Farm

We should slaughter these Brahmin and take whatever meat we can. They will starve and rot otherwise.

vms43 stage 10 done

The NCR is quick to place meaning in pointless trinkets. Risking your life to fetch dog tags is the epitome of foolishness.

VMS44 stage 10

If memory serves me right, there should be a second lottery winner. One whose life was spared but suffered another form of punishment. We should ask him about the suits.

VMS44 stage 15/20

The Legion are the ones who unleashed the radiation on Camp Searchlight. If there were anything of value, it would have been removed prior.
Perhaps what Logan seeks are things only the immoral desire.

elseif LoganREF.GetDead == 1 && GetStage VMS44 == 50

So Logan betrayed you. Loyalty seems to be a rare currency among profilgates. Perhaps I fit in better than I expected.

SLGoldMine02Int

It makes sense that the NCR would value gold over iron and steel. Gold is soft. Weak. And a symbol of opulence.

SLGoldMine01Int

Some say the Viper gangs fight with honor. But they’re nothing more than scavengers. If they had access to machines and weapons, they’d use them. They fight hand to hand not out of honor, but poverty.

Clark Field

The tale of Prometheus is everywhere, and this power plant is no exception. Man’s failure to harness the atom is not the fault of his ambition, but his hubris.

vms03 helios

Much like Hoover Dam, this plant is a pivot. Whoever controls this area can exert more influence over the region than an army of a thousand men.

OLD LINES

note: the Legion troops use the latin pronounciation of words like Caesar, so it’s Kai-zar, not See-zer.

You seem unsure of how to proceed. Be wary. Hesitation brings consequences.

If I was going to kill you, I wouldn’t hesitate. But I’m not sure that’s how this ends.
Then you show more wisdom than your friends. They should’ve left well enough alone. Now both their lives hang in the balance.

Fools often mistake caution for hesitance.
And they also mistake advice for empty threats.
I have no use for posturing. If I wanted you dead, I’d make it so.

I’m not unsure. I just want to talk.
Then talk. Make your case to spare my captor’s lives. But mercy is not an acceptable argument.

When you’re as strong as I am, you have a margin for error.
Then you’re no different than the profilgates who took me prisoner.
Their guns make them feel safe. But in the end, I’m the one who will decide their fate.

Are you saying you’re going to kill those two settlers?
Their lives are already forfeit. Whether it’s me that kills them or the desert is irrelevant.
But I will say this. If I’m their executioner, I can promise you it won’t be painless.

Not if I kill you first.
You can try.

Then let the desert take them. No need to dirty your hands.
True. There’s no point making an example of them when Caesar himself would deny my existence.

Sure, kill them. I have no problem with it.
Then it shall be done.

The profilgates were careless. And now they’re dead.

I really don’t care either way.
Then as I said, the decision is mine.

(kills captors)

Who are you?
I’m an assassin. One of Caesar’s best. But I’m not here on Legion business.
In fact, I’m no longer part of their tribe.

Why did you leave the Legion?
It was over a…disagreement with my superiors. The Decanus saw me without my armor and mistook me for something I’m not.
The argument ended with his death.

How did you join the Legion?
My tribe was defeated by the vanguard of Caesar’s army. The captured were then given a choice. Slavery, fealty or death.
I chose to kneel. So they gave me a weapon.

You don’t hold any animosity toward the Legion?
In this world, we’re born into lies told by an indifferent creator.
My tribe wasn’t my family. They were weak. Pitifiul. When I watched them die, I felt only contempt.
When I joined the Legion, I was finally among my peers.

Where were you headed when these men found you?
Does it matter? The Legion will overrun this entire land. All that’s left to do is wander, and wait for Caesar’s verdict.

You could follow me. I can give you direction and purpose.
Interesting. I’m not sure if you’re a friend to Caesar or an enemy. In that regard, we’re part of the same tribe.
Very well. I’ll join your pack. Time will tell if you’re worthy of leading it.

What skills do you have?
Legionaries specialize in melee combat. Guns are slow and prone to failure.
Whatever advantage they provide is made up for with cunning, speed, and most of all, courage.

You said you were an assassin. What targets have you killed?
Mostly tribal chiefs. As a former savage, I know their weaknesses, and how best to exploit them.

Do assassins work alone?
No, we work in groups of four. The skill of the assassins depends on the target we hunt. But all are veteran legionaries.

How are jobs assigned in the Legion?
We are given the job we deserve. Caesar cares not for rank or experience. He only asks for results.
It makes no difference whether you are the captured or bear the standard of the Legion itself.
All men serve under Caesar, and no man is given margin for failure.

That’s all the questions I have.
I follow and I serve.

We need to talk about your outfit.
I see no reason to change it. But if you fear Caesar’s enemies, then it can’t be helped.
However, before I change, there are some things you should know. On second thought, perhaps it’s best if I show you.

I don’t get it.
Given my features, some might mistake me for a woman.
Perhaps your eyes see what the Legion couldn’t.

Wait, now I’m confused. Are you a man or a woman?
I was a born a man, and I will die a man.
If the Legion claims I betrayed them, it’s only because their eyes betrayed them first.

Ah, it all makes sense now. The Legion mistook you for a woman.
Yet I was born a man, and I will die as one.

If you want to prove your humanity, you’ll have to do more than show me your face.
I have nothing to prove. I know what I believe, and I believe what I know.
The Legion will tell you the best fighters are men. What my brothers fail to see is that I’m the proof they seek.

How did the Legion not know about your past?
I’ve always been honest about who I am. The confusion is theirs.
When I fought the Legion forces to a standstill, they saw who I was.
When I pledged my blade to Caesar, it was plain as day that I was no woman.
Only now do they deny the truth.

What about bathing? You were never nude before them?
The honorable don’t ogle the bodies of their comrades.
The brothers I killed acted with dishonor. But so did I when I betrayed them.
Either way, I don’t want to dwell on the particulars. The only reason we’re even discussing this is so there’s no confusion between us.

Good. I prefer the company of men anyway.
Then we have an understanding. Good.  Showing you now was just to make sure there’s no confusion between us.

The Legion’s response was predictable. It was foolish to think otherwise.
Perhaps. I only know the word of Caesar. He called on the men of his tribe to serve, and so I did.
In any case, I don’t wish to dwell on this. Showing you now is just so there’s no confusion between us.

And if I disagree with your version of truth?
I don’t care. If you tell me the sky is green, I’ll simply think you mad. It has no bearing on how you fight.
You calling me a woman is no different.

What about the armor though? Not many places in the Mojave are friendly to the Legion.
The armor I’d like to keep, but the shirt and the Legion colors, that I can change.
After all, I’ve lost the right to wear them.

If you have a moment, I’d like to discuss something personal.
As you wish.

What are your views on art?
For a Legionary, life is short. And the less you train, the shorter it will be. So we don’t have time for much else.
But yes, there are things I like more than others, art included. I just don’t have a good grasp on what they are.

We could try the radio, see if there’s a song you like.
We had music in the tribes. Drums and rhythms mostly, but it was the one thing I missed when I joined the Legion.
Perhaps the radio will play something similar.

If we look around the wastes we could probably find some Pre-War paintings.
It depends what you mean by Pre-War. I’ve seen pictures in books from eras gone by, paintings that would steal your breath away.
But you won’t find them on any billboard.

What about humor?
If you want to see an example of what the Legion finds humorous, then you only need look at the profilgates who oppose them.
Their entire army is a joke.

Has there been anything on your travels that you liked?
Again, nothing I can quantify. Art of a style I can’t describe. Music with textures that have no words.
I guess the best answer I can give you is, I’ll know it when I feel it.

What about food? You certainly must have eaten a variety of things.
As a matter of fact, I do have a favorite.
One of the traders brought over a casserole once. It was filled with the poison gland of a radscorpion.
I liked the idea that something could get its revenge long after its death.

Given I’ve been shot in the head and left for dead, I suppose I can relate.
We both share a similar tale of death and survival. But I have no ill will toward Caesar. If I am dead to him, all the better.

Are you talking about the radscorpion, or yourself?
Perhaps both. Although I have no ill will toward Caesar, if he comes after me, then I’ll have no choice but to fight back.

Here’s a radscorpion casserole.
Huh, so you remembered. I feel like I should say the Latin word for thanks, but I don’t know it. There was never a need.
In fact, showing gratitude of any kind feels strange on the tongue, but thank you nonetheless.

If the Legion values loyalty, how do they reconcile conscripting those who fought against them?
A conquered tribe becomes part of the Legion. Those who refuse Caesar’s rule are the ones who are disloyal.

What about your family? Did they survive the war?
Even in my old tribe, I was an outcast. I despised them for it, when I should’ve been thanking them.
A wolf has no place among sheep.

Tell me about the training. How does one become a full-fledged Legion warrior?
From the moment we pledge our lives to Caesar, we are thrown into fire.
The training is strict. Not everyone survives. Those who do become Legionaries.

What if you show aptitude in other areas besides fighting?
Then they are given tasks that suit their skills. Some train the hounds, others repair weapons.
It’s the instructor’s job to mold each initiate into the proper tool.

You saw what happened to Nipton. What are your thoughts when you see people put on the cross?
My thoughts…are that I belong there with them.

When the Burned Man failed at Hoover Dam, the thought of running never occurred to him. He returned and accepted his fate.
I, on the other hand, am a coward for evading Caesar’s judgment, and every time I kill one of my brothers, I only further my cowardice.

Well, at least you finally admitted it.
I have never shied away from who I am. I am a traitor and a coward, and I will be punished as one.

You want to be put on the cross?
What I want and what I deserve are two separate things.

The way you fight, I’d hardly call you a coward.
There are different kinds of cowardice.
Sometimes it’s easier to fight an army of strangers than to disappoint the one person they respect.

Then I need you to be the most cowardly man in the world, because we have Legionnaires to kill.
Very well. When my brothers betrayed me, I paid them in kind.
So long as you remain loyal, I will serve your needs. I will fight my brothers until the bitter end, no matter the cost.

Are you afraid to die?
I don’t fear death. I don’t even fear Caesar’s retribution. What I fear is his disapproval.

Do you think Caesar knows what you did?
I don’t know. It’s not unusual for an assassin to die, but four in one night is another story. Time will tell.

What are your thoughts on women? Do you agree with the Legion’s stances?
Every member of the Legion is there to serve Caesar, and each role is given for a reason.
I won’t pretend to speak for him, but I will say this. Women have the power to give birth, and wars are won with numbers.

What about the Legion’s views on slavery?
The word slavery is only a negative when spoken by profilgates and dissolutes. We are all servants of Caesar, and we each have a role to play.
Honestas, Industria, Prudentia. Honesty, Industry, and Prudence. These are the virtues that motivate servants of the Legion, and not the whip at our back.

What can you tell me about the language the Legion speaks?
Latin. Those who are willing to learn are given the opportunity.
Usually it’s tribal initiates like myself who are the most eager to rid ourselves of the savage tongue.

What are the advantages Legion rule?
Order. Discipline. And honor. Things the NCR’s so-called military fail to provide in their own house.
They pollute their bodies with chems and poison their minds with lust.
They abide by no moral code. They are unfit to rule even their own bodies. Instead, their bodies rule them.

Yet the Legion’s code won’t allow you to be yourself.
It’s not the code that’s the problem. In my case, it was the men who failed to uphold it.
My brothers failed to accept me as a warrior. I failed to serve.

I agree. A land led by profilgates will only dive further into chaos.
I’m glad to see you’re on the side of reason.
They may not accept me as one of their own, but the fault is mine. Legion rule will bring about a golden age.

What about freedom?
Is the trader who gets ransacked by raiders free? Is the farmer whose crops dry up free to starve?
The Legion protects its people from the outside world, and frees them from their own incompetence.

The NCR isn’t perfect, but they don’t mistreat women, and they don’t have slaves.
I once had the freedom to choose my own path, and I became a savage.
It was Caesar who taught me to be a warrior and a man. The NCR does nothing to save you from yourself.

Caesar is dead.
It’s strange. I expected to feel regret. I was afraid I’d feel joy. But all I feel is…relief.

It’s because it’s finally over.
The Legion is not so weak that it won’t survive the loss of its Caesar.
But the one who knew about my past is dead. And with it, any connection I have to his legacy.

Relief is a good feeling to have.
Perhaps. It’s not something I’ve ever felt before, but it feels like something I can get used to.

At least you feel something. All I feel is apathy.
For a long time I felt that as well. Then I joined the Legion, and that apathy turned to focus.
Now, I feel neither. But at the same time, it’s a feeling I can get used to.

You can’t relax just yet. Another Caesar will take the mantle.
True. But it was this Caesar who brought me into his tribe. And with his death, any connection to his legacy.

I’ve joined the Legion.
It’s not surprising. Caesar recognizes deeds, and loyalty. In my time with you, you’ve shown both.

It’s too bad you can never be one of us again.
Perhaps not in name, but I will fight for your cause. In a strange way, it almost feels like a pardon.
Imagine that. Caesar, the man who burned his right hand and left him to die, showing a traitor mercy. And I have you to thank.

Caesar doesn’t seem to mind that you’re with me.
Maybe he’s forgotten. I certainly don’t recognize myself some days.
Either way, if it’s not an approval, at the very least it feels like a pardon.

I’ve shown neither. I’m just a damn good liar.
If so, you’ve fooled Caesar himself, and that is no small feat.
It appears you’ve even managed to grant me some sort of pardon. And for that I thank you.

When you were in the Legion, did you ever feel any pressure to hide your identity?
Well…that’s a good question. To be honest, I don’t know.
I never lied about who I am, but I never made it a point to show it either.
Heh. Maybe they knew all along. Maybe in the end, it was my cowardice that offended them.
I guess we’ll never know.

Let’s discuss your tactics.
Very well.

I want you to use melee combat.
You’ve chosen wisely.

I want you to use a ranged weapon.
As you wish.

Keep your distance when you follow.
As you command.

Stay as close to me as possible.
Understood.

Let’s trade.
Take what you must.

Be aggressive.
Agreed. Aggression wins the fight.

Be passive.
If that is your wish.

It’s time for us to part ways. Meet me at the Lucky 38.
Then I’ll wait for you there.

As you wish. If you seek my services again, I’ll be near the Legion safehouse where you found me.

Come with me, I need your help.
Caveat emptor.

Our enemies await.

Following.

Hellos/Goodbyes

What troubles you, profilgate?

Vivo ut serviam, I live so that I may serve.

Ave pronounced Ah-way

Ave.

Vale pronounced wah-lay

Vale. Until we meet again.

Let all be vanquished under our might.

Then let us proceed.

In hoc signo taurus vinces.

Divide et impera.

Combat

Die, profilgate!

Death to our enemies!

For honor!

You won’t escape!

Ungh!

Argh!

Hyagh!

Gah!

Hngh!

Novac Special Dialogue

If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a question about that…thing outside. The dinosaur.

You mean Dinky?
So it has a name. And when people come to see it, do they come to gawk or admire?

I’m not buying you one of those stupid toys, if that’s what you’re asking.
My interest isn’t in the toys so much as the reason for them. Do people…respect this dinosaur? Or do they fear him?

What’s this about?
It just occurred to me that people accuse the Legion of being dinosaurs.
I wonder if they view me the same way. A fossil unfit for the earth.
Or if it’s possible they see me like they see this “Dinky.” A curiosity. A marvel. Maybe even a friend.

Well, if it means anything, that’s the way I see you.
But that would imply we’re equals. Or perhaps you’re saying friendship can’t be explained by a simple hierarchy.
Either way, it’s good to know that I still have a place in this world. Just as this dinosaur has his.

I just think it’s funny you’re choosing a forty foot plastic dinosaur as your role model.
It was likely as fearsome a predator as any. Now it’s…something else.
And it makes me wonder if he feels out of place.

You’re over-thinking this. It’s just a tourist attraction.
Perhaps. But it’s hard not to see the parallels.
I wonder if I will find my place in this world, the way this dinosaur found his. And I wonder if it will be just as strange.

Dinky is a much better friend than you’ll ever be.
I have no doubt he’s a better listener, but that’s beside the point.
If this monster can earn your trust, then perhaps there will come a time when I do the same.

Bar Special Scene

A man hits on Velius as if he’s a woman

Hey, you’re kind of cute. Let’s say you and me head on to Casa Madrid and make some babies.

You must have me mistaken for someone else, profilgate. Someone who’d hesitate to kill you.

Ooh, so you like it rough, girl? I’ll give it to you rough.

You have three seconds to remove yourself from my company.

So you want it fast too? Shit, I’ll give you the best damn three seconds of your life!

Bar patron attacks, Velius slugs him.

Don’t worry. He’ll live.

Why didn’t you kill him?
I’m not sure. He certainly deserves to die for debasing his body with chems.
But my loyalty to you comes first. I wasn’t sure if that’s what you wanted.

Does this kind of thing happen often?
In the Legion, never? But out here, people lack discipline.

Is it strange to be treated like a woman?
That’s a good question. Ever since I left, things have been…different. I didn’t expect it to be so difficult.
I suppose I’ve learned a bit of what the fairer sex has to deal with. I’m not saying I disagree with the Legion, I just…I don’t know if they’re right.

Idles

Towns like these are like rabbits in a world full of foxes. The more it grows, the more filling the meal.

This motel is typical of NCR rule. It sits right outside their camp, and they don’t even bother to find out what goes on inside

So with Legion forces fast approaching, troopers come to this bar and impair their judgment…on purpose?
The more I learn about the NCR, the more confused I get.

Strange that a town this small and this open is able to defend its perimeter. Either the guards are strong or their hunters are bored.

Monuments like these puzzle me. These men made no great sacrifice. Fighting to the death is one’s duty as a soldier.

When you show mercy, this is the result.
A punishment should be an example…a message to all that sin will not be tolerated.