Carmen placed a muscular arm on the counter in front of her before leaning in and squinting her eyes toward the much less imposing figure in front of her. Gloria Van Graff wasn't one to be intimidates however and merely watched Carmen lean in with the same slightly uninterested expression as she did the moment she crossed the door. "Well, do we have a deal?" She repeated to the towering woman. Carmen opened her mouth as if to respond but quickly shut it before leaning back out and clenching her teeth. Each god damn time she entered the Silver Rush she left frustrated and angry since each time, Gloria tried to push the limit of what was an acceptable deal further.
"Deal? Deal?! Perfectly maintained scoped laser rifles, I know very damn well that these would sell for five times the amount you're offering me, and that's if you don't find some sucker to overcharge. So how about you act like you actually want us to keep doing business and give me triple what you're offering?!" Fair is fair, right? Well, apparently not for Gloria who merely scoffed before crossing her arms and staring up the tower of muscles. "Pal, its the price of convenience! After all, I don't know many people who would just buy the amount of energy weapons you bring each time you come to the strip without asking question... and without answering those others might ask. But try me, maybe you have another buyer?" Of course Carmen didn't, both knew this very well. That didn't make Carmen more happy about being a sucker however and her facial traits hardened as she sucked her lips in, taking a deep breath as she glared at the owner of the Silver Rush. Gloria raised a hand to brush of one of the guards who got to attention, ready to shot Carmen if she exploded. Gloria knew Carmen had no options.
Still... Carmen did think about leaving just out of spite. It seemed Gloria had been perceptive enough to sense that however. "Here, I'll give you a cap of discount on every plasma cartridge you buy, since you get them in bulk and all." Yeah, that did little to help the 3 caps increase that had slowly creeped up since Carmen was a 'One woman scarcity provider', buying every single one they had each time she came. But still, Carmen got something and that was enough for her to think to herself 'could have been worst'. "Fine." Gloria smiled. "Glad we have an agreement! And so. You'll take the usual?" Carmen nodded distractedly as Gloria went to take a box marked 'reserved', taking out every plasma cartridges and fusion power core there was inside to place them on the counter. "I'll need capacitors again. Pulse grenades and 5mm ammo with all the caps left." Carmen added, causing Gloria to laugh. "Capacitors? Again? Just how much do you like to turn people into goo to use so many?" Tsk. Carmen wanted to answer her that capacitors were meant to be used at a capacity people in the wasteland consider 'overcharged' in the first place and be changed more often but since barely no plasma capacitors were made anymore the new normal has piss poor output to last longer. But that would reveal a bit too much about Carmen to her tastes and so, she kept silent.
Jeffrey Wagner rarely ventured into Freeside, and as he stepped across the dusty roads, he remembered why. It was all too easy to grow used to the luxury of the Strip and forget the dilapidated and filthy town beyond its gates. Thankfully, Jeffrey planned for this assignment of his to be over quickly.
Nipton has been occupied by the Legion, who seek to set a trap for a presumed NCR counterattack. Disappoint them; there are any number of expendable assets.
And Carmen Durant was exactly the type of expendable asset they needed. It did not take long at all for Jeffrey’s informants to let him know that she had arrived. The woman didn’t quite blend in, after all. He had never met her but he knew enough about her to know that she would be perfect for the task at hand. The most desperate ones always were. So Jeffrey walked through Freeside briskly, going to the Silver Rush where he knew that she would be. He made sure to keep his pistol viewable to others. His clothing made it quite clear that he came from New Vegas, and while he could easily handle the Freeside riffraff, there was no need to spill blood and draw any excess attention
When he entered, it was rather difficult to miss the hulking woman scowling at the counter. “Miss Durant, I presume?” He smiled wryly, stepping forward. “I apologize if I’m interrupting your business but I have a proposition for you.”
Carmen was just about done packing her bags with enough stuff to sway the back of a mule when Jeffrey walked up to her. She turned to face him, a frown on her face. She didn't like it when people recognized her, no matter how easy it was, and liked it even more when they knew in what business she dealt with. She took a quick look to detail the man. Stereotypical Strip goer, with the nice clothes and teenie-tweenie pistol to show he was 'not to be messed with'. Still, his kind usually had caps (or if she was lucky, pre=war money, legion coins or at the very least some large NCR dollar bills. She never understood how could caps possibly be convenient for trade).
"I don't do business with an odience." She said, not bothering to look at Gloria. With this she walked to the door, the steps echoing loudly in the building. Still however, she showed him a sign of the hand to indicate he should follow her. Before they crossed the door though, she stopped and turned toward him, leaning low to be face to face with a dead serious glare in her eyes. "And I warn you, if you're some sick fuck that happens to have a thing for women bigger and stronger than he is, I'm leaving you dead in an alley." It was almost comical. It would have been for Carmen if it hadn't ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
With this she went out in the street. Crowded enough that someone might think twice about killing someone else in the open, but not enough that they couldn't talk privately. "Speak." She simply said.
"I'm looking for somebody capable to perform a job for me," Jeffrey stated simply. "More specifically, somebody who has the combat prowess to attack the town of Nipton, which is currently being held by Legion forces. I doubt it would be too difficult for someone with your abilities."
"Of course, a reward would be offered should you choose to accept this offer of mine. One I think you'll find rather satisfying." Jeffrey adjusted his tie and looked into the tall woman's eyes. "I happen to be aware, Miss Durant, that you are a member of Group Epsilon. I'm also under the impression that your group has not been doing all that well as of late, would that be correct?" He smiled, not waiting for an answer - knowing the truth already. "I have a number of resources at my disposal. And if you do this for me, it would be my pleasure to provide Group Epsilon with the assistance it needs. It would be an awful shame if you were to die out, after all. What say you, Miss Durant?"
Well. That might not be him asking her to whore herself out but it was close enough Carmen did consider leaving him dead in an alley. She was all for killing Legionaires, but... the man knew of her, of her men, and above all anything that was against the legion in this leg of the world screamed NCR to her. Bizarrely she never considered the thought she might just be set up for failure, truely believing that if the NCR wanted her dead they'd just kill her here and now. Surely this man knew of the Enclave's reputation and expected her to be completely able to liberate the town without a problem! There was hesitation, but finally Carmen answered. "...Maybe, but I have my conditions."
_____________________________________________
Years after the bomb fell, the US army still provided treasure troves to those that knew how to breech their bunkers, something that certainly was made much easier when you had a map of their location and series of access codes. The underground fortification that hosted the Epsilon group near Nipton had unfortunately been cleared out long ago but still made the perfect base camp for their little mission. It didn't sit quite right with the group of 12 to do what they perceived as charity to the NCR but the argument of sticking it to the Legion had ultimately won them over... plus, what choice did they have? In the last year they had cracked open numerous pre-war bunkers to pillage their arsenals and likewise had numerous encounters with the Brotherhood that left them each time victorious but less numerous. It was time to use all that firepower they had gained to try and change things.
"Alright, quiet everybody." After cleaning out the molerats and skelletons the office they were using seemed quite comfortable to be honest, though in many ways entertaining the group was like trying to be a teacher in a turbulent class. Carmen of course maintained control because others knew they should listen to her or else. The contrary to poor McMullen at her side who was actually much smarter than she was despite his young-ish appearance but who never was able to impose his leadership. To the team's credit though, most of them were taking notes with interest and care, showing they at least didn't want to die. And they'd have to follow this plan carefully if they didn't want to.
"Alright, thanks to our reconnaissance, we managed to map out the area pretty well and come up with a plan. At first look its pretty much what we'd expect, the enemy is numerous, but lacks in terms of heavy equipment even though the town is significantly better fortified than what we'd be used to see. They have made bunker houses from the local material BUT, they aren't reinforced, which means larger caliber weapons should punch through the old trailers with ease and the enemy would find it awkward to fire while hiding behind awkwardly shaped boulders. We however will aim to not have to use these details." The people were now listening intensely. "Reports indicate we are at least outnumbered 10 to 1 and while we have significant amounts of ammunitions, there are limits to what can be practically carried in a battle. Should we use a direct attack tactic, we will be outgunned and withered down. We can't win this by trying to play the attrition game."
Carmen traced arrows on the wall from 3 different directions going into Nipton. "The main road is obviously the most closely watched so its out. We also spotted a ridge that could provide decent cover as we advance but considering patrols and guard locations, I've determined that it was most likely a stop to prime an ambush so we'll skip over it. As you might notice, these lines to exactly through the mine field and the traps and are completely in the open. Which is why we will go there in 2 days time as it is a moonless night. Under the cover of total darkness we will, very slowly, creep up on Nipton and fully use our night vision advantage. This is where we begin phase 2."
"We will start the engagement with the fatman since we're all tired of lugging it around and I see no better place to use it and rush in these entry points here, here and here using smoke grenades for cover. Once we are in, we will unload everything we have. I expect no conservation of ammo and we'll be going full heavy guns. Shock and Awe. By numbers alone victory is unachievable but the enemy doesn't know that. By attacking from multiple directions and with such force and violence we will be able to confuse and route the enemy."
Well... considering what manpower they had it was an 'ok' plan. It could work. There was however a hand that rose in the back rows. "Ma'am. What about the civilians?" Carmen shrugged. "What about them?"
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