This has been a chapter that I don't think anyone was looking forward to. This is it. The last chapter. Thank you everyone for your support and the reviews. I am so grateful for readers such as yourselves. Here it is.

Chapter 21

I opened the tent flap and slipped out into the cool night. I ducked down and kept to the conveniently placed rocks and grass. Securitrons wheeled by towards the arena. I kept my head low and made my way towards my tent.

Once it was in sight, I was out of cover. It was a straight shot to the tent but there were securitrons filing out of the weather station neatly. I searched around for any ways out of this mess. My eyes landed on something amazingly destructive.

I made my way back around Caesar's tent and stood at the other end of the tent. I eyed the distance between the tent and the outer wall of the Fort. I glanced over to see if securitrons were in sight. When I was sure the coast was clear, I flung my arms out and and rolled through the path quickly. My hands hit the wall and I stopped.

I grabbed the wall and moved closer towards the howitzer. I groped around in the dark until there was no wall left. I looked down a foot in front of to see a sudden drop into the river. I swallowed the feeling of dread and crawled away. My back hit the cold metal of the howitzer.

Jackpot.

I gripped the handles and shifted it slightly. It screeched loudly from little use in the last five years. Securitrons beeped around the Fort. They were on alert. I picked up a decent sized rock and chucked it over towards the center of the training area. I hid behind the grass near the howitzer as several securitrons passed by quickly. They searched around the area for me. I swung the howitzer around as fast as possible. They turned towards me with missiles rising out of their shoulders I squeezed the large trigger.

BOOM.

Securitons littered the ground. The recoil knocked me to the ground I scrambled to my feet. I pulled the trigger again.

BOOM. BOOM.

I hit the ground again. My chest hurt from the recoil. I struggled to look up. Robotic parts were scattered around the courtyard. I rested my head on the ground for a moment to catch my breath. At this point, my only driving point was Sennia.

I rolled onto my stomach with a groan. I crawled to my feet slowly and limped down the hill. I grabbed a tent pole for support. I kept my hand on the tents as I made my way to the back area. I reached our tent after several minutes of stumbling through the dark.

I pushed into the tent and it was empty. I took a hold on the oil lamp in the corner. I flicked it on and searched the tent. The cot was a mess and on the pillow lay a note with scribbles on it. I picked it up and read it carefully.

" Vulpes,

I know you're on a mission. I don't know when you'll be back. Hell, I don't even know where you are. I haven't seen you in a week. I don't even know if you'll come back, let alone read this.

Lucius said something seems very off lately. He said he heard word of the Courier not doing what she was supposed to in the bunker. He said the war could happen any minute. It's finally happening though.

I think I just heard something. The ground is shaking. Shit. Lucius is bringing me to Cotto"

The writing was shaky in the last part. She may be alive and that's good enough for me. The battle has started.

On one hand, I can find the Courier within the next half hour and kill her. We would win the battle and the dam. On the other hand, I can be in Cottonwood Cove by morning and we can run away. If that were my choice, we may lose the battle and I would be a war criminal.

I made my way back to the weather station. I poked my head in and was met with an empty room. I grabbed the microphone for the radio. I turned it on. Static filled the room.

"Boomers, can you hear me?" I spoke into the mic.

Static.

"Boomers, I repeat, do you hear me? This is Fox from the Legion. Do you hear me?"

The radio crackled to life. "We hear you."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. "The Legion requires your services at this very moment. The battle at Hoover Dam is upon us. I repeat the battle is upon us. Do you know any way you could lend a hand?"

Silence. Static. Beep. "Affirmative. Just say the word and we'll send enough firepower, they'll think the world is ending again."

"I need you to man the howitzer and missile launchers. Fire at the dam. I repeat fire at the dam."

Commands were barked around and people were all talking at once. It seemed as if they all knew what to do at every possible moment. "Alright. We got it under control. Good luck out there and don't get blown up again. Boomers out!"

My mind was made up and I walked out of the station with a purpose. I trudged up the hill and past Caesar's tent. I opened the gate and walked down the steps towards the other gate. I scaled the wall and threw a leg over the edge.

As I sat on the wall, I heard the tell tale music of a missile ripping through the air. I looked towards the dam in time to see it hit. A loud boom was followed with three more whistles in the air. Explosions and clouds of smoke surrounded the dam. Fires lit up the night skies. It was breathtaking.

I hit the ground quietly and slid behind the training tents. Securitrons were no where in sight. Legate Lanius stood in the center of the courtyard. His arms were crossed over his chest and his mask shined with the fires.

"Ave."

He grunted in response. He stood silently, awaiting the Courier's arrival.

"I have dreadful news. Our Lord Caesar has passed."

"It does not affect me." He muttered.

"It would appear that you are now the new Caesar. That means that I am now Legate. Who do you plan on appointing as Head of Frumentarii?"

"This is no time to discuss such affairs."

"We are not doing anything at the moment, and the NCR seems to be busy for the time being with our explosive allies." I grinned.

Lanius turned his head towards me. The mask covered his eyes with black cloth. "This is no such time... to discuss that arrangement."

I threw my hands up in defeat. "Whatever you say, Caesar."

"Are you really fit for Legate, Vulpes? Last I checked, you were very fickle to Caesar."

"And last I checked, Caesar didn't see you fit for Legate at the time and I recall you also being questioned for where your loyalties lie."

He turned his head towards the gate as it opened with a screech. I stepped back behind a tent.

The Courier stumbled down the hill towards Lanius with uncertainty. Her appearance had changed since I last saw her. She had red hair now and several new scars.

"Lanius, fall back and the Legion can go their own way. Hoover belongs to Vegas now." She spoke with a shaky voice. Pathetic.

Lanius pulled out his machete with lightening speed and charged her. She matched his speed with her shotgun. She fired and his neck exploded in a shroud of blood. He swung his machete into the side of her stomach. She screamed, pulled back and fired again. The other half of his neck was now gone. His vocal cords were exposed to the cold air.

He grasped his neck and coughed. Blood poured from under his mask. He swung again and hit her thigh. She reared back and slammed the butt of her shotgun into his gaping throat. He stumbled back and she thrust the but up under his chin. His head knocked back with a crack as she shoved her knee into his chest. He fell back on the ground with a loud thud.

I stood up from behind the tent with my hands up near my head. She wheeled around with her barrel aimed at my chest.

"Easy, Courier. I will not hurt you unless you make sudden moves. Believe me, I happen to be even faster than that brute."

"Why are you here?" She didn't lower her gun.

"Do you really want to deal with the stress of running Vegas?"

She faltered and lowered the gun an inch. "I will manage."

"Are you willing to give your entire life for a city full of people that wouldn't give you a second glance?"

"I know what the fuck you're doing. Stop it right now!" She raised the gun to my head.

"Do you want to jump the Salt Lake for people who wouldn't jump a puddle for their own children?"

"I said stop!"

"A city of vice. People who have no integrity. No honor. A city of ungrateful degenerates that would sell their own families to the Legion for more gambling money. Trust me, I've seen it happen first hand."

"What are you going to gain from this?" Her brow furrowed.

"I just want to make it home to see my fiancee. She is a slave and I promised her that I would bring her to Flagstaff so she could be free and we could have the family she deserves."

"You wouldn't be telling me all this if you just wanted to get home."

"I propose a deal: you won't be able to handle the stress of running Sin City. I am now the new Caesar since you just killed him." I motioned to Lanius's body. "He would never be able to hold our army. I have big plans the Mojave."

"So you want me to surrender so you can kill all those innocent lives?"

"I never said I would kill them. And they can hardly be considered 'innocent.'"

"Then what are your plans?"

"My first order of business would be abolishing slavery. I've seen how my love has suffered from it and I do believe that paid workers would suffice. Slaves have no work ethic and they are sloppy. Slavery is a sin in itself. If people were paid, they would do better work and when money is offered, people flock to work. Women shall be allowed into the army upon their own freewill."

She bit her lip. "What else?"

"Towns built across the wasteland. Functioning clinics. No one shall go to bed hungry, thirsty, or without proper health care. I wish to make a world where people are self sufficient and don't rely on pre-war junk."

"What do you plan on doing for drug addicts and other people that used to be punished. Also, what are your ideas of punishment for crimes?"

"Proper trial and jury. Minor offenses such as theft or fighting would be subject to jail time. Time served would depend on exactly what they stole or how badly they injured someone. Prostitution and drug use would be subject to rehabilitation."

"And what is your idea of rehabilitation?"

"Either seclusion for a set amount of time with monitored visiting hours with family or, depending on their own actions, community service."

"What about ghouls and mutants?"

"I don't see an issue with them as long as they follow the laws humans do. I heard that Jacobstown is working on a cure for schizophrenia. I believe that that could also benefit humans. I enjoy science. We could work on a cure for radiation damage and reverse ghoulification. I do believe that it would be in everyone's best interests to kill off centaurs for the safety of our people. They are no longer salvageable and it would be a mercy for them."

"And what about religion and sexuality?"

"Do you take me for some tyrant? We shall build places of worship for other religions than Roman Mythology. As for sexuality, I have no prejudices against who they romantically prefer. Anyone who has an issue with it will just have to deal with it. They will not be denied any right that heterosexuals are given."

"What about hate crimes?"

"Public crucifixion. That goes for every race, religion, and sexuality."

"You really thought this through, huh? Is everything you just said true?"

"Every. Single. Word."

She lowered her gun at last. "Where do I go from here?"

"I am afraid the Legion would not take kindly to you sticking around after the war. I suggest leaving for your own safety. Even if I say that you are not to be harmed, some may not listen. I only have judicial authority. I can't control my men and their actions. Only their consequences."

"Where will I go?"

"I suggest Utah."

"How will I know that you will keep true to your word?"

"I am a man of honor. We shall draw up a treaty."

"I think I have some paper and a pen in my bag." She dropped her bag and riffled through the pockets producing a notepad and pen.

We walked into a tent with a table and set the paper down. I got to writing out carefully the plans of the Legion. After several minutes of writing, I signed the corner and passed it to her. She signed her name under mine.

"Treaty of Hoover Dam

I, Caesar Vulpes Inculta, promise to go through with the following:

-Abolish slavery

-Grant rights to all people of every race, gender, sexuality, religion, and abnormality

-Rid the wasteland of harmful animals and plants that do not serve a purpose in the circle of life such as experiments of Vault 22, cazadors, nightstalkers, and plant spores

-Trial by jury and rehabilitation

-Have clinics built

-Provide food, water, and healthcare freely or at low cost

-Make it possible that every religion has a place of worship within twenty miles

-Women shall be treated fairly and justly in every way (excluded are times of menstruation, maternity rights, health issues that come with those assigned female at birth)

Signed: Vulpes Inculta

Addie Maye"

I stuck my hand out to her. She took it and shook my hand. I saluted her and she smiled sadly.

"What is wrong?"

"I still have some connections to the Mojave. I don't want to leave them all behind."

"I will not keep you from family and friends. I will advise my men no harm come to you if are ever seen. That is all I can do for now. The Mojave is in good hands."

"I know. Thank you. Really."

She saluted from the entry in the tent and turned back towards the gate to Hoover Dam.

"Ave, Addie."

"Ave, Caesar Vulpes."

It's not completely over, my dear readers. Look forward to a sequal!