[center][h3][color=662d91]The Free Economic Zone of the Mojave[/color][/h3][/center]
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[color=662d91][b]The King – Lucky 38 Casino & Resort, New Vegas[/b][/color]

The King plopped a cigarette into his mouth, lit the end, and stirred the ice in his half-empty glass of whiskey. Robert House’s hulking monitor stood before him, but no face emanated from within; only static. It was more than likely that he was occupied with another transmission.  The King shrugged and sank into the plush checkered couch facing the screen. Time had elapsed since the New Vegas Convention. The King hadn’t been in this business long enough to know if it had been a roaring success or total failure. He had a feeling that the answer resided somewhere in the middle, but if nothing else, it was a complete disaster for him. It was his audition, and he had failed. But, still, here he was. 

By the time Mr. House’s debonair avatar graced the screen, The King was staring at the bottom of his empty glass.

“I’m sorry I’m late, your kingship,” said Mr. House snidely. “My conference with General Owen lasted longer than was expected.”

The King shrugged and gave a half-smile. “You’re the boss.”

Mr. House quickly dismantled the small-talk and dived straight into more pressing concerns. “Your place is, as it seems, is not at the diplomatic table. But I still have use for you, as long as that faulty heart of yours will allow.” He paused for a moment, then continued. “Now for a matter of housekeeping—no pun intended—much is in motion, none of which will be slowing anytime soon. You still have a role to play in this.”

“Alright.”

“First, there is the matter of The Tops.”

“Dean Domino. What an interesting story,” muttered The King.

“Yes, indeed. He’s a clever rat; I had half a mind to send in my securitrons after his little coup d’etat, but as it turns out, the chairmen are now behind him. I guess I should not be at all surprised. The man is much more resourceful and cunning than Swank, who I suspect has either flown far away or is floating in the Colorado River. Either way, he is out of the running.”

“Strange, really.”

“Not exactly. He accomplished more than his predecessors combined with only a pistol and a can of gasoline. That man oozes the aura of the chairmen. Now there is only a question of keeping him in line, which has been surprisingly easy thus far. Perhaps too easy. I want you to keep an eye on him. Our concerns have ballooned to the national landscape, but our capital must proceed in an orderly fashion.”

“I’ll see what I can do, boss,” said The King as he bowed his head.

“You two were made for each other. I see no reason to worry. Now, the most pressing matter is that of the Brotherhood of Steel. And you do have a role to play in that as well.”

“So…I’m not done with the diplomacy table?”

“It’s different. There are many dimensions to our alliance, a bond that is crucial to our future. They desire an audience with the Boomers. I don’t want that to happen without supervision. The Brotherhood will be sending in a representative or two to New Vegas. Give them the presidential suite in the Tops and then escort them to Nellis. I will assign two securitrons to your detail.”

The King nodded. “Right. And if Mr. Domino tries anything off-camber while your brotherhood envoys are here?”

“Hmm. Then he will be dead.”

“Ah.”

“We are very close to becoming a crucial cog in this current climate. The Brotherhood has already shapeshifted our mass of deserters and civilians into a well-trained fight force. There is much work to be done—much doctrine to instill—but I think the Brotherhood realizes that their handiwork in The Divide will yield direct returns. I have no doubt that Barnaky will soon call for my aid against the Cult to the East, and I will have to answer. But before that happens, we must rig the odds in our favor. And for that, I will need privacy. You have work to do.”

The King slowly rose to his feet, picking up his glass and brushing dust off the lapel of his suit jacket. “Right. Okay, then.” At that, The King departed the Lucky 38, trudging over to the Monorail Station to inquire about the potential of the incoming Brotherhood envoys.

Mr. House then switched gears. He ordered a securitron to plug in a dusty holotape—the gift from Thomas Milburn—which sat on the adjacent desk, who then brutishly shoved the apparatus into a nearby computer terminal. Robert spun the data until he could articulate a clear signal. He embedded the invitation with an encoded message.

[color=39b54a]ROUND TWO?_ROBERT HOUSE_LUCKY 38 HOTEL & CASINO RESORT_[/color]

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[color=662d91][b]Lieutenant Grace Boucher & General Ivor Owen – Hopeville, The Divide[/b][/color]

“I need updates for Mr. House, Lieutenant. The census was distributed as planned, yes?”

“Yessir.” The rather short uniformed woman, sporting a beret and a ponytail of wavy brown hair, held up a clipboard as she walked along the concourse of the missile silo with the General. 

“Well? Spit it out.” General Owen’s sleep deprivation had bled seamlessly into his mood. The entirety of the Divide had been overworked for more than a month.

“The headcount we have received is 7,500. The amount that are currently fit for service is closer to 5,000. The cleaning sweep is finishing its final stages, removing rubble from the canyon and beginning to piece together apartments for officers on the far reaches of the valley. The Ashton Recovery Project is proceeding as planned, but they predict that it will be three more months before we see any considerable results.”

“Damn. Mr. House was hoping to start rebuilding by the end of the first month. But he will have to understand that he has stretched us very thin, Lieutenant.”

“Right. Equipment is proceeding as planned. U.S. Army Combat Armor is in surplus, which will allow for standard issue, while we are currently repairing the suits of Riot Gear and Power Armor we have managed to scavenge. Training is humming along as planned, but it will be some time before the Brotherhood are finished.”

“We won’t have time. Mr. House has just ordered me to have a bulk of our force at the ready, primed for cross-country travel. He is waiting for word from the Brotherhood. Hopefully that is motivating the Brotherhood to work as quickly as possible.”

“It seems that way. They have accelerated their process, but I doubt they will be nearly ready by the time Mr. House calls for them.”

“We will have to make do.”