[b][i]The Wider Wasteland[/i][/b]

There is a spike in the number of Feral Ghouls, and various figures have offered a reward for their heads, or in one case, a 'live sample'.

Joshua Graham, who in this universe, had remained the Malpais Legate, was offering good caps and purified water for each Ghoul head, as well as the good graces of the Legion. Surprsingly even for this relatively less sexist alternate Legion, female adventurers were offered the job as well.

NCR Commander Boone, whose wife and child were still alive in this universe, had issued a similar offer, basically Ghoul heads for caps, purified water, and of course, a favor from the NCR in the future.

And finally, Jason Bright of the Bright Brotherhood had sent a message to the effect that those who captured a live ghoul for him would receive...his or her weight in Energy Cells! This would be useful for those who used Energy Weapons and them alone, though...

[b][i]Paradise 'Par' Rapids[/i][/b]

Paradise 'Par' Rapids was looking for a thief. Not because anything of his' was stolen or because he felt the need to punish someone for something, but because he needed a thief's services. Why? Because he'd been chasing rumors of his company, the Crimson Caravan, doing unsavory stuff that might get the head brought down by the NCR higher-ups should word get back to them. Said rumors, if true, might bring him up the ranks again, which in turn, would help him steer the Crimsons down the 'right' path once more.

So, he had used his contacts among the Kings to search for someone who might help him, someone who knew how to be discreet, not excessively bloody, and finally, knew the meaning of consistency; not [i]loyalty[/i], but consistency.

And so he would wait, wait for anyone who wanted to take up his offer...

[b][i]Nipton[/i][/b]

In Nipton, the local mayor had handed over several NCR Soldiers and Powder Gangers who had been 'amusing' themselves there to the Legion, who, although incensed at this 'dirty treachery', would actually keep up their end of the bargain, and pay off the mayor for his services. Now, the Powder Gangers would be crucified to sate the Legion 'Frumentarii's' leader, one Vulpes Inculta, while the NCR soldiers would be held for ransom, to be executed, enslaved, or turned to [i]coloni[/i] only if the NCR commanders refused to pay good purified water. 

As rumors of this dirty deal spread, a trio of NCR and Pro-NCR adventurers (Obadiah, Tatsuya, and Jake) would wake up in a small room at the bottom of an abandoned shed in the NCR Sharecropper Farms, with their weapons and equipment in neatly organized rows before them. From a corner, a holotape would play, showing a tall, thin, somewhat pale man who wore a formal suit and shades that hid his eyes.

"Greetings," spoke the hologram, "my name is Caleb, and I have a job for you from the higher levels of the NCR." A pause. "As you have heard rumors about, the town of Nipton has handed over several NCR soldiers to Cesar's Legion, and gained a rich reward from the local legion commander. This act of rank treachery cannot stand." The hologram would turn around to another corner, where a large box of caps and purified water lay.

"Therefore, we are giving a blanket mission; [i]take revenge[/i]. You are given complete freedom to define revenge or justice the way you see fit; we aren't weaklings like Chief Hanlon. Just make sure that someone pays for the lives of the NCR soldiers who have been lost today."

An irony that, in this other universe, Nipton still stands, and it is the NCR that has become its enemy...

[@Pirouette][@DepressedSoviet][@Grec][@dereken][@BladeSS4][@Lauder][@NecroKnight]