Alright, first story of this type I'll probably ever do. And to make it even better I'll apply most actual sort of beliefs when it comes to the paranormal such as personal attachments when it comes to spirits to help move the story in the direction I'd prefer it to go so one certain character (We all know who) isn't restrained to a particular area. Let's jump on in. And yes. I know. Details at the end are lacking. I didn't feel like making whole characters just for them to appear once and once only.

October 29th, 2283

Captain Ingram awoke to a knock at his door, looking around there were multiple articles of clothing including his duster, helmet, jeans, shirt and chestplate strewn across the lower half of his bed, sitting up he was quickly awoken by a raging headache of which he wondered was caused by... Only to look over to his bedside table to see a large empty bottle of whisky right next to his bed on the bedside table, looking to the window there were cracks of sunlight coming through the wooden boards, whether they were pre-war or a post-war addition he didn't know, nor did he really care, they a majority of the time kept the sunlight out of his eyes while he slept.

The room in which he awoke was one he became accustomed to, it was the Dino Bite hotel in the little town of Novac, the town itself was a rather sleepy, boring town a majority of the time... Save for the very rare occasional Ceasar's Legion attack that was stopped dead in it's tracks thanks to a pair of former NCR snipers.

Both did their job well enough, posted up in the mouth of the dinosaur of which acted both as a sniper's nest and a place where travellers could get a little trinket from, which mainly consisted of Dinky the Dinosaur toy dinosaurs, and a number of old Repconn rockets, of which were but miniature scale models when compared to the ones down the road at the old Repconn building.

Soon enough the there was another knock at the door. "Keep your pants on asshole! I'm coming!" Ingram got up and put his own pants on as well as his shirt walking to the door he was met by another NCR ranger, Ranger Andy, he was posted up at Novac some years ago to watch over the town encase if Caesar's Legion came knocking, but he's been out of action for a while, him falling down the stairs of the Dinosaur is what caused it.

"Oh hey Andy, sorry I thought you were a local trying to see if this was occupied or not... Anyway what's new?" Ingram asked shielding his eyes from the sun. "Oh nothing, I just got a message from Camp McCarran, apparently they got orders to put you on a vertibird and get you back west for something."

"Damnit... Alright, want to come in? No coffee but I got nuka in the fridge." Ingram asked taking the message from Andy of which was a piece of paper in his hands, Andy kept a radio in his bungalow to keep in contact with Ranger Station Charlie, but this also made it easier for command to get ahold of Ingram encase he was in town, which he usually was. Walking out of the doorway and back into the hotel room, Ingram started to get fully dressed grabbing his body armour, pistol belt, duster and lastly his helmet.

Meanwhile Andy took up Ingram's offer and took a Nuka cola right from his fridge. "So they tell you anything beyond the message?" Ingram asked while he grabbed his Brush Gun of which was a level action rifle and put it in a specialised holster on the back of his duster, taking his sequoia out of the dresser along with his M1911 he got from a couple traders some years back.

Afterwards he started gathering everything else he brought that he thought he might need on the trip back West which mostly consisted of a stockpile of ammunition that would make the Boomers and Gun Runners blush. "Nope, sorry Ingram, they just said get to McCarran and get back West, sorry that's all they said, but I think they did mention you'd want to check with a Colonel Taylor when you got there."

Colonel Taylor? Ingram asked himself, he met the colonel before, the colonel was a sort of amature conspiracy theorist... Which made her somehow perfect to be a head for the NCR's intel ops. "Damn, that nutcase? Wonder what the hell sort of wild brahmin chase they're sending me on now." Ingram said, clearly not entirely enthusiastic about the situation. "Alright thanks Andy, and since I have a bad feeling about this..." Ingram took out his key ring and tossed the key to his room to Andy. "Take that, I have that feeling I'll be gone for a while and I don't want any damn radroaches or large rats to get in here while I'm gone."

Andy quickly caught the key and smiled taking his Nuka cola and heading straight for the door. "Copy that, good luck wherever you end up old buddy." Ingram sighed and grabbed his duffle bag of which was filled just about as he could get with ammunition, he had two canteens on his belt and a few cans of InstaMash on him at all times. "Right, thanks."

Ingram said bringing his bag up over his shoulders and heading for the exit himself, making sure to shut and lock the door before heading down the stairs and out to the main road off the highway. Passing No-bark Noonan yelling about communists on the moon and how they were painting it red or some other nonsense. "That's a new one... Communists on the moon." Ingram shook his head while he smiled under his helmet walking down the road he left the town past the old junk yard and Helios One before being stopped by a small patrol of three troopers of whom stopped him just a mile away from the solar power station.

"Troopers? What's going on here?" Ingram asked keeping his guard up, in recent months it was a sort of practice for Legion spies to take the uniforms of NCR troops and dress up as them, causing some problems for the NCR. "Sorry sir but Legion spies might be around, we're ordered to escort you to Camp McCarran." Ingram sighed, he had his suspicions... He just hoped he was right.

Quickly pulling his Sequoia from the holster he shot the three troopers in the leg and in the right shoulder hearing them scream out he put his Sequoia back in the holster quickly knocking two out with a hard kick in the face before going over to the third. "Alright no brahmin shit, what are you little knock off Roman sons of bitches doing?"

Ingram asked before taking his Sequoia back from his holster before pulling the hammer back on it. "You have five seconds to explain or I'll put a bullet in your head." The next words he heard wouldn't be exactly... Pleasing to him. "Fuck yourself profligate scum! You'll pay for your crimes against Caesar!" Ingram rolled his eyes though it wouldn't really matter.

"Uh huh, right. Say hello to Caesar in hell for me. Tell him I'll be down there to kick his ass again." Ingram then pulled the trigger shooting the Legionary in his head before disarming the last two and tying them up, leaving a note attached to their helmets. Before leaving with the ammunition taken from the three.

"Fucking dumbasses..." Ingram said before looking at his pipboy, it was a rare device that he found in an old Vault a few years back before the second battle of Hoover Dam. "Alright, still got a ways to go... Probably going to stop at the 188..."

Three and a half hours later...

"Goddamn fiends!" Ingram yelled standing behind the cover of a building's corner reloading his brush gun dropping a couple rounds while doing it quickly picking them up and loading them into his rifle. "Why don't you cocksuckers get off the Psycho! You're just too damned overzealous!" Quickly popping out of cover he shot one of the charging fiends in the chest, and another in the throat before dipping back behind cover, he was quick with working the lever of his rifle about to peak out he was just barely grazed by laser fire from a fiend with a laser rifle.

"Damnit all! Where the hell are these junkies getting their weapons from!" Quickly rolling out of cover Ingram fired two rounds, one hit the fiend with the laser rifle in the leg and the last round hit him in the chest effectively knocking him down. "Son of a bitch." Ingram said to his self getting up and dusting his coat off noticing a new hole on the bottom right back of it. "Son of a... Lovely." Ingram sighed and reloaded his rifle walking to the fiends' corpses looting them of their caps, stimpacks and ammunition.

"Thank god junkies are idiots otherwise they would've had a better plan than just charging dick first into a fight with a ranger." Ingram muttered looting the last corpse of his ammunition before continuing on his way, the small skirmish took place just yards away from the entrance to the NCR's main camp and headquarters in the Mojave, upon approaching he noticed a group of troopers getting ready to go out on patrol. "Hey kiddos keep your eyes peeled, just ran into a small group of those junkie pricks a few yards away. And don't get caught by Violet!"

Ingram started to laugh walking by the troopers into the camp, first thing that caught his attention were two NCR troopers decked out in captured brotherhood of steel T-45d power armour, except it was missing a few components standing right next to a captured Enclave vertibird. "Damn, boys. Didn't think you'd be here already. Well lets get going." The two troopers saluted Ingram while he boarded the vertibird, the two troopers followed suit boarding it themselves, the last one shut the door behind him and the twin rotor helicopter rose up into the sky heading on it's way back to Shady Sands, the capital of the New California Republic.

Four hours later in Shady Sands, The New California Republic...

Ingram sat in his seat asleep snoring under his helmet, catching up on sleep was important, he of course knew that whatever the assignment was, it wouldn't be something completed in a day or two, the the very least it might take two or three weeks, maybe more. After all, if it required the higher ups to recall him back to Shady Sands to have him assigned to the worst nutcase in the NCR it was likely something big, but something bigger than Caesar's Legion? Had to be the Enclave or the Brotherhood. Only two factions in the entire wasteland that could possibly threaten the NCR, but little would he knew he missed the mark entirely, his journey would take him much, much farther than he could imagine.

"Ranger, hey. Ranger!" Ingram was shook awoke by one of the troopers in the salvaged T-45d power armour which earned him a revolver barrel being held up to his helmet. "Oh shit, sorry, don't scare me like that kid." Ingram sighed and took his revolver from the trooper's head and placed it back in his holster. "Ugh..." Ingram shook his head and took off his helmet quickly slapping himself awake. "Alright, we here or you dipshits just wake me up for a potty break." Ingram said taking the seat straps off himself.

"We're here sir, last stop, end of the line." The trooper responded walking to the hatch opening it up for the ranger. "Good, thanks for the ride kiddos, be good for the next person you bring along." Ingram got up from his chair and picked his duffel bag up throwing it out the hatch before jumping out himself and picking it up, slinging it over his shoulder. "Never thought I'd get out of that damned metal tin can, death trap alive." Ingram started to stretch before continuing on to the NCR army's headquarters, the NCR itself was about as good of a government as this wasteland had, better than the actual supposed continuation of which was called "The Enclave", they proved to be worse than radroaches, years after the NCR and Brotherhood of Steel kicked them out of California they managed to sprout up out east where they again got seven shades of shit knocked out of them by the Brotherhood of Steel, of course other than the Enclave there were others..

Tribal elders, mayors of small villages/towns, and of course others of whom banded together just to survive, the latter were raider gangs of which the NCR were all too familiar with, Caesar's Legion at first seemed to be much the same, only more abnormally organised than the others, with uniforms and a rank system, legionaries, centurions, praetorians, legates, and lastly Caesar himself. But he had been taken out by the courier, the declared "saviour of the NCR".

Ingram left the area passing by a few tents humming Uranium Fervour, dodging and weaving between troopers carrying materials and equipment between areas, he made it inside of the base's headquarters building stopping a trooper on the way out. "Hey kid, where's Colonel Taylor?" Captain Ingram asked taking his helmet off holding it under his right arm. "Colonel Taylor? I don't know, sir. Try the second floor I'd guess, sir."

The trooper continued on his way while Taylor sighed and rolled his eyes continuing on his search for the Colonel, thinking to himself he thought and it suddenly came to him... The more he thought on it he realised, he was just 19. And him calling others of whom just probably one year younger than him did seem a bit strange. "Damn... Well... I should probably stop that."

He then shrugged it off and continued his search for Colonel Taylor finally coming to a interrogation room to see a somewhat older woman standing on one side of a one sided window, on the other side was a great khan. He recognised the get up from his past experiences fighting them himself. "Damn, a Khan huh? Haven't seen one of those in a while." Ingram said stepping up beside the officer. "Who the hell...? What are you doing here?" Ingram turned and quickly stood to attention saluting the officer. "Captain Ingram, Desert Rangers ma'am, I'm looking for Colonel Taylor." The officer turned and crossed her arms. "Well you found her, damn glad you found me."

"Yes, ma'am. ...I'm here, ready for my orders." Captain Ingram remained at attention waiting for Colonel Taylor. "Well come with me, in my office. Don't want anyone to hear." Colonel Taylor motioned for Captain Ingram to follow her of which he did, following her to his office Colonel Taylor sat at her desk while Captain Ingram stood on the other side of it waiting for his orders. "Alright Captain, your mission is a top secret one, no one is to know about it or your involvement." ...No one was to know about his mission? Was it really that secret? What the hell is going on?

"Alright Colonel, what ring of hell am I going to now?" Ingram asked looking down to the Colonel. "We have been receiving a strange, repeating transmission it's not in english so we assume it's possibly coming from somewhere in Asia. You'll be going to Asia to find the origin of the transmission, we've also outfitted a pip-boy for use of finding the transmission's point of origin." A transmission? From across the ocean? Did it really worry the higher ups enough to where they'd send a ranger to figure out what was going on? "Alright Ma'am, will I be going by boat or will we relying on a miracle to get me over there?"

"Don't be an idiot Ingram, you'll be walking... A majority of the way anyway, some time a few years ago we sent an expeditionary force up north to old Alaska, they've been working on a boat up there, so we plan on having you go up north and rendezvous with them, if they have the boat working then you'll use it to cross the sear up north over to the old USSR, then begin searching in Korea, China, or if and I hope it doesn't come to it because we won't have anyway of getting you there, Japan." Ingram didn't like the sound of any of this... Of course due in part to no mention of any support. "Uh, ma'am? You haven't mentioned anything about support... Well nothing beyond what the whole expeditionary force up in Alaska."

"You? A desert ranger? Needing support? That's laughable... But I suppose you're right to be concerned, it is I suppose one could say, hostile territory." Colonel Taylor said while she began to explain the route Ingram would have to follow northwards towards Alaska. "As I said beforehand you've got a boat waiting for you, all you have to do is get there and it'll be ready for you. Dismissed." Colonel Taylor saluted Captain Ingram of whom returned the salute before leaving the room and heading to the base's armoury to get geared up for the journey ahead. Picking up the pipboy, extra ammunition, a large pack, some tools and materials to "reload" his ammunition as well as canteens filled with purified water, Ingram started on his journey northwards to Alaska.

Halfway through the journey northwards Ingram noted there was a device that would help him to trace the signal, depending on him going eastwards resulted in the signal getting weaker, the opposite resulted in it getting stronger. Perhaps it was something from old Asia, something of great importance, a reason for the brass to worry. Especially with the signal getting as he went on.

Seven Months Later...

Captain Ingram finally reached a point where he got to a peak where the signal he was tracing was at the strongest he could register on his Pipboy. But there was one issue. ...He walked all the way from Cape Dezhnev, Naukan, at the furthest eastern most point of the old USSR... To Busan in old South Korea. All the while dodging mutants he'd never seen before, ghoulified commies, a continuing war between the apparent ghoulified remnants of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and US forces... Just to be stopped by a body of water... This was unacceptable. He was a ranger and he'd see his mission through to the end even if he had to swim the whole way... Though thankfully that wouldn't be the case. After much debate he finally gave in and went back north to the US remnant forces to explain the situation. America was dust and ash, the New California Republic was the next best thing to a government...

He'd willingly leave out mention of both the Enclave and the Brotherhood. Thankfully though they were ghouls, they still had their senses about them and would help Ingram on his way, out of all the old equipment still laying around, just by chance there was still one vertibird operation along with a flatbed truck, though most of the roads and highway systems were destroyed in Korea, the roads themselves were still somewhat usable to a degree. All he had to do was get it there... Through mutants, some bandits and remnants of the KPA still fighting a guerrilla war all for a long dead supreme leader.

Four Weeks Later..

After the route had been secured and the truck came through with the vertibird, Captain Ingram said his goodbyes and directed the men back to the north and westwards, if they wanted to get back home and be apart of something greater than the war they were stuck fighting for 200+ years.. Then they'd take the chance. Of course whether they did or not, he'd not know. His mission still presently clear in his mind. Get to Japan. Figure out the source of the transmission being broadcast... Ingram turned on his Pipboy, the signal was... Surprisingly clear. It had gotten clearer and clearer the closer he got to Japan but he was just at Busan some weeks ago and yet there was still static, however now... It was clear... He could accurately make it out. It was signing. It didn't sound joyous. It sounded sad, as if a woman suffering for the longest time was letting whatever sorrow she held in her leak out for all those listening to hear.

Captain Ingram listened to it for a moment as the men of whom helped him along the final stretch of his journey left... The vertibird was already prepped and ready for take off. But none knew how to fly it. Ingram had a slight idea but he couldn't be certain. His mind drifted from the task at hand and to the song... He didn't know Japanese but the song still sounded heart retching to him. Never before had he heard anything remotely like this. ...However he knew what needed to be done. He couldn't let this song distract him. He had to find the source of the transmission and shut it down, once an for all. After loading up supplies he was given by the US military remnants he had come into contact with, he boarded the vertibird doing whatever checks he could, everything to his knowledge was green across the board.

Slowly but steadily the aircraft long lain dormant had came to life, the blades spinning, after a moment of waiting he put some energy into the throttle and the vertibird rose off the ground, pressing a button clearly labelled landing gear he listened while the landing gear of the helicopter came up into position. Hitting a button clearly labelled "Switch flight mode" He put throttle into the helicopter's engines while the wings turned from vertical take off mode to horizontal flight. Onwards the Captain went, flying over the sea of Japan before finally reaching the Japanese Home Islands themselves, the signal was now at the strongest it could possibly be. Landing at an old port, Captain Ingram offloaded his supplies, as expected the port was dead silent. No one around. Perhaps the bombs got things worse here than anywhere else.. Regardless, Captain Ingram gathered his pack, his Brush Gun and whatever else he could carry, continuing his march, going north East.