Cashing In Favours

Hey there dear readers, I have decided to re-write my old Charlotte Austen stories. I feel like they no longer properly reflect the vision I had for the character, so I have decided to re-write the series. I have changed a LOT about the character herself; she is now called Lyra Redcloud. But I do hope you folks enjoy the new story I've written!

I do not own Fallout: New Vegas, that belongs to Bethesda and Obsidian.

Shit shit shit, FUCKING SHIT. This is no good, this is no fucking good.

The Courier, Lyra Redcloud, ran a hand through her hair and was trying her damnedest to not burst into tears. Her greatest fear had just become a horrific reality; she was in the clutches of the goddamn Legion.

This was all her fault. All her damn fault. She should never have travelled out alone. She should've brought ED-E or Boone or even Lily. Someone. Anyone. Stupid, fucking stupid idea.

The door to her cage slowly swung open, causing Lyra to snap her head up in that direction. Fear washed over her as she saw who had just entered.

"So nice of you to join us, profligate," Vulpes Inculta stated, a wide grin on his face. "I must admit, you have given Caesar some intense headaches."

"What do you want, Vulpes?" she demanded.

"Oh, you still remember me? I'm touched," Vulpes sneered. "I just wanted to see the mighty Courier in her rightful place; on her knees in fear, begging for mercy from the Legion."

"Fuck you," Lyra growled, venom dripping from every word.

The next few seconds were a blur as she found herself suddenly laying on the ground, the side of her face burning. Before she could do anything, she felt an intense pressure on her throat as Vulpes started to squeeze.

"Caesar has given explicit instructions. No-one is allowed to defile or touch you until after the ceremony tonight," Vulpes whispered. "But afterwards... you'll be nothing more than just another trophy of the Legion. And I'll be sure to have you, at least before Lanius has his turn. The Legate is known to be quite… brutal... towards profligates."

Relief quickly coursed through Lyra's veins as the pressure at her throat melted away. Collapsing onto the ground, she sucked in as much air as she could, flooding her lungs with desperately needed oxygen. As she tried to crawl away, her hair was yanked back.

"Caesar has given me permission to punish you, for your crimes against the Legion," Vulpes explained. "He wants to make sure you're as docile as possible before the ceremony, so I'm here to break your profligate spirit. And trust me when I say… I'll enjoy every minute of this."

Mostly silence filled the Lucky 38 casino, only occasionally broken by the sound of plates being hurled at the nearest wall. Craig Boone, the normally stoic sniper, had reacted less than pleasantly at the news: During one of the Courier's trips, she had been ambushed and kidnapped by Legionnaires. By order of Caesar himself, Lyra Redcloud was to become a slave to the Legion.

The rest of the gang looked at each other, grim looks on all of their faces.

"I… I can't believe this," Arcade Gannon muttered, his voice hoarse. "This shouldn't have happened at all."

"I know, but it did," Veronica responded. "The Legion… they've got Lyra."

"Well, we've gotta rescue the señorita," Raul said. "If those Legion bastardos think we'll let this slide, they've got another thing coming."

"Grandma isn't happy," Lily Bowen growled. "And Leo is very unhappy."

Rex and ED-E voiced their sentiments as well, upset over what had happened to their friend. The only person to have remained quiet was the woman leaning against the wall, her hat dipped low so it covered most of her face. One who had been hardened by the harshness of the wastelands, Rose of Sharon Cassidy very rarely let herself get close with people. But with Lyra… That girl had managed to bash her way through Cassidy's walls and get to her soft center.

Suddenly, the smashing of plates had stopped, being replaced tense silence. The group of companions slowly turned around to look at Boone, who seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. His hands were clenched into tight fists, and there was an air to the sniper like he was just waiting to explode.

"I'm going there to save Lyra," he stated simply. "If any of you wanna come, be my guest."

"You think you're going to march right into Legion territory… into the most heavily defended Legion-affiliated place in the Mojave... and rescue the Courier without dying?!" Arcade demanded. "Damn it Boone, don't turn this into a suicide mission!"

"Well, what good is waiting?!" Boone snapped back. "I'm not gonna let Lyra be a slave! I'd rather go there and die trying than stay here and do nothing!"

Just as the NCR sniper turned around, Arcade rushed forward and grabbed the man's arm. Tension filled the air as Boone turned and stared Gannon down. Just before it could reach a fever pitch, a loud whistle filled the air. Everyone snapped their heads around to stare at Cassidy.

"Alright, 'nough of this Brahmin shit!" Cassidy growled. "I gotta agree with Boone; we're gonna head to the Legion's home base and take the fight to them!"

"But Cass–" Arcade began.

"Hold it right there, bookworm," Cassidy interrupted. "Cause I've gotta plan. A plan so smart that I'm surprised my booze-soaked noggin thought of it."

"What's this plan?" Veronica asked.

"We attack the base," Cassidy explained. "But since we ain't got the man power, we're gonna need a lotta help here."

"Alright, I'll bite," Boone growled. "What help do we need?"

"Well, think 'bout it..." Cassidy answered. "Lyra has helped basically everyone 'n anyone; Boomers, Kings, Jacobstown, Brotherhood, you name it. They all owe Lyra a favor, so I say today is when we call 'em in."

"Dios mío, would this even work?" Raul asked. [unfortunately, my "only took four years of spanish in my school years" self doesn't remember where the accents of spanish words go most of the time anymore so i highly recommend having an english to spanish dictionary on you so you don't forget any áccéñts]

"Got any better ideas, Raul?" Cassidy fired back. "We all head out, spreadin' the news and getting any help we can get. This has to work, 'cause it's Lyra's life is on the line. And trust me when I say that if Lyra dies, bad things are gonna happen."

So, this is how my life will end, the Courier thought to herself. As a slave to the Legion.

She felt dull pain coursing through her veins, spreading to every inch of her skin. The Legion had definitely not been gentle with her; beating and kicking her to within an inch of her life. Punishment for her crimes against Caesar and the Legion. She had cried and begged for mercy... from the fucking Legion! But she'd do anything to stop the torture. It had been nothing short of humiliating.

If Nannu could see you now… he'd be so disappointed, a bitter voice in her head hissed.

Lyra was so deep within her own thoughts she didn't even notice what was happening until she was pushed to kneel down on the stage. A grunt escaped her lips as her knees banged onto the unforgiving wooden floor. The Mojave native examined her surroundings, a feeling of sorrow building up within her chest; the entire Legion was here to see her humiliation.

Caesar made his appearance, and the entire audience stood to attention, saluting their leader as he stood in front of the Courier. A nasty grin was plastered on the man's face, looking like the cat that had swallowed the canary.

"Courier Lyra Redcloud, you have been charged with crimes against the Legion," Caesar announced. "All of them warranting your death. However, death would be a privilege for a person of your reputation. Instead, I have decided a more fitting punishment will be dealt. As of this moment, you are now a slave of the Legion. Your hair shall be cut, to signify your submissiveness. You shall wear a collar, to signify your loss of freedom. And you shall be branded with the symbol of the Bull, to signify that you are the property of the Legion. On this historic day, we will break the spirit and will of our greatest enemy."

As Caesar spoke, Lyra could feel her hair being roughly pulled at. A small whimper escaped her lips as she felt her hair being cut to painfully short lengths, watching as her dark locks floated to the ground, forming a small pile around her. By the end of it, she could feel the cold breeze flowing against her bare scalp.

Before the Courier had any time to register what was happening, her top was ripped open, exposing her chest for all to see. Cheers erupted from the crowd as they watched her be further degraded. As she looked up, she found herself staring into the eyes of the Caesar himself.

A branding iron clutched tightly in his hands, he stated simply, "You could've been a Queen. Instead, you shall be property to be used by any Legionnaire." With that, he smashed the brand onto Lyra's left shoulder.

A scream escaped her lips as her skin was burned. The agony was beyond description, and Lyra was sure she was about to pass out before Caesar finally removed the iron. Swaying, nearly collapsing from exhaustion, she found herself being grabbed by two Legionnaires. Her body wracked with pain, her mind disoriented and muddled, and a feeling of hopelessness consuming every last bit of her, Lyra finally broke. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as the Mojave native openly sobbed.

"Look at the fierce Courier of the Mojave!" Caesar announced. "Look at how easily she weeps! This is your hero, New Vegas, now a broken woman!"

"She may be broken, but she's mine!" a new voice shouted.

The entire crowd fell deathly silent as they turned around. At the entrance of the Fort, among dead Legionnaires all killed silently and efficiently, stood a woman in a cowboy hat and an eyebot. A shotgun was clutched in the woman's hands and a scowl was etched onto her face.

The Legionnaires had already drawn their weapons, ready to attack.

"Halt!" Caesar shouted. "Let the woman speak!"

The Legionnaires all gave Caesar a confused look before following his orders.

In spite of her dire situation, Lyra's jaw dropped. What the hell was Cass doing!?

The woman in the cowboy hat let out an annoyed grunt, before continuing her speech. "Now, I'll admit to hating each an' every one of you Legion bastards with a burnin' passion. Ain't denying it there," Cassidy went on. "I was tempted to let some of ya live; knowin' how the Legion works an' how they force people to join. But after that little stunt there ya pulled, where ya burnt 'n tried disgracin' my friend... Well now, I'm gonna make sure each an' every one of ya get a bullet straight to the skull." Her voice softened. "Lyra… I'm sorry, hon. Shoulda got here sooner, but there just wasn't any time. I know that ain't no fuckin' excuse and it'll fuckin' haunt me, knowin' what just happened to ya coulda been prevented."

"That's quite charming, I must say," Caesar retorted with a savage smile. "And how do you propose to save your Courier when most of the Legion based in the Mojave are here? Even if you manage to kill every Legionnaire here, she will be dead and I will be long gone."

"See, that's the thing!" Cassidy announced, a wide grin plastered on her face. "Lyra over there, she's done some real fuckin' good in this world; helped anyone an' everyone she met. People tend to remember shit like that. I can tell ya, Lyra has saved up a helluva lot of favors to use on a rainy day, and today happens to be fuckin' pouring."

The Legion army stood dumbfounded, staring at the Californian native like she had instantly grown a second head. Caesar, on the other hand, had seemingly connected the dots and wasn't liking the picture presented to him. The Legion leader grabbed a knife, bringing it to Lyra's throat. The Courier continued to kneel on the stage, in no mental condition to process what was going on; her brain still stuck on the fact that Cassidy and ED-E were staring down the entire army by themselves.

"I am no longer amused by this conversation, profligate!" To his Legionnaires, Caesar shouted, "Kill that woman!"

"That's where you're wrong, ya skirt-wearing cunt!" Cassidy crowed. "Ain't facin' just a drunk gal an' her pet 'bot. It's a drunk gal, her pet 'bot, an' a fuckin' army backin' us up!"

As proof, the sound of a gun firing filled the air, quickly followed by a loud scream. Caesar stumbled backwards, clutching at the bloodied stump that was his right hand. Blood and bits of flesh splattered everywhere, staining everything nearby in red. Lyra collapsed to the floor, taking deep breaths as she felt a small trickle of blood dribble down from the nick to her throat; an annoyance, but not as bad as having her entire throat sliced. Almost immediately, the two Legionnaires on stage staggered backwards as more gunfire rang out, their heads exploding into chunks of bone and brain matter. Lyra turned her head to the direction of the noise, shocked to see a group removing their Legionnaire disguises and revealing themselves to be First Recon. And standing in the middle of this group, sun glinting off of his sunglasses, was an apoplectic Craig Boone.

All hell broke loose. The Frumentarii, led by Vulpes Inculta, converged on Caesar, forming a human shield. Half of the Legionnaires surged towards the First Recon team, while the other half charged towards Cassidy and ED-E. A smirk formed on Cassidy's face as the barricades to the Fort were smashed down and an wave of Securitrons charged forward. The robots rushed the surprised Legionnaires, hacking and slashing their way through Caesar's divided army.

As she watched all of this unfold, Lyra felt someone grab onto her. A shout escaped her lips, but was quickly silenced as she saw who it was.

"You're getting outta here!" Boone growled. "You're not gonna end up like Carla!"

"But, what about you guys?" Lyra asked.

"We're gonna slaughter these damn Legionnaires, if it's the last thing we do! Now get out of here!"

Just as Lyra was pushing up onto shaky feet, a large shadow seemed to block out the sun. Daring to look up, the Courier felt her jaw drop again; it was a Vertibird. What few Legionnaires that had rifles tried shooting at the flying vehicle, only to find themselves shot at in return by the aircraft's passengers. The Vertibird landed near the First Recon team, revealing the Enclave remnants. And standing with them, decked out in his prized Power Armor, was Arcade Gannon.

The doctor noticed Lyra swaying, making his way towards her. Some of the Legion soldiers tried charging at Arcade with their swords, only to be turned into piles of goo. Before the Courier realized what was happening, she found herself swept off of her feet and being carried by Arcade.

"A… a bit too heavy?" Lyra gasped.

"Trust me, you're not," Arcade retorted, still firing his plasma weapon. "If anything, you're too light. I wouldn't be surprised if you're malnourished."

The Mojave native let out a small grunt in response, her brain struggling to keep up with what was happening around her. She watched as Enclave Remnants and First Recon fought side by side, laying waste to any and all Legion members, while the rest of the army were systematically manhandled by the horde of Securitrons led by Rose of Sharon Cassidy and ED-E.

Suddenly, a dull clanging sound filled the air that was followed by Arcade grunting, and the world came crashing down. Lyra groaned as she hit the floor, pain flooding throughout her tired body. Arcade laid sprawled on the ground, a giant slash mark stretching across his back. Her mouth went dry and fear clenched at her heart as she found herself staring straight into the eyes of the most dangerous Legionnaire ever; Legate Lanius.

"Profligate scum!" Lanius boomed. "You shall feel the wrath of the Bull as I rip out your filthy entrails!"

The Legate lifted his giant sword up, prepared to deal his twisted judgement on Lyra and the downed Arcade, before stabbing downwards. Instead of the sound of metal-meeting-flesh, metal-meeting-metal was heard. Lanius let out a frustrated grunt as his sword clashed against a giant sledgehammer, wielded by a Super Mutant who the Courier knew very well.

"So you're the one known as Legate Lanius?" Marcus growled. "It'll be a pleasure to rid the world of a monster like you."

"Mutated abomination!" the Legate fired back. "Prepare to meet your damned creator in hell!"

A slow smile formed on Marcus' face at the Legate's words, and a group of Nightkin, led by one in a gardener's overalls, surrounded the two behemoths.

"Dearie, I think it's time to leave," Lily stated, looking over at Lyra. "Grandma is very, very angry right now, and you don't need to see this."

Legate Lanius, seemingly realizing his predicament, decided that enough was enough. The giant of a man pushed Marcus away and rushed at the Nightkin, his mighty weapon swinging and slicing. Two of the mutants fell to Lanius' sword before it embedded itself into Lily's arm. The elderly Nightkin let out a agonized shout, before rearing her good arm back and punching the Legate straight in the chest.

Lanius stumbled backwards, right into a sledgehammer to the face by Marcus; a dull ringing sound was heard as the metal mask was dented, impairing his vision. Lanius shouted as, entering some kind of frenzy, the Nightkin and Marcus jumped on the downed and disoriented Legate, punching and smashing.

Lyra tore her eyes from the carnage before her to check on Arcade. To her immense relief, she could hear the doctor still breathing, but the Courier was immediately shaken from her thoughts by a gnarled hand pulling her up. Lyra didn't even need to look to realise who it was dragging her toward the entrance of the Fort.

"That… outfit..."

"Hey, don't insult my Vaquero outfit!" Raul snapped, firing at a Legionnaire that got too close. "It's needed in a situation like this, señorita."

"Wait… need to help… Arcade!" she wheezed painfully.

"The man was wearing Power Armor, boss. Doubt a sword would do much damage. If anything, the fall would've hurt him more." Finally reaching the Fort entrance, the elderly ghoul gently pushed Lyra outside before turning around and opening fire again. "Hurry, señorita, get outta here!" Raul shouted. "I'll try and hold off these bastardos for as long as possible!"

Lyra stared at her friend, still dazed, before she did an about-face and bolted away from the Fort. All around her she could see NCR soldiers and Securitrons doing battle against Legionnaires, with the good side seemingly having the advantage. Curses slipped from the Courier's lips; she was running on adrenaline and fumes, and she was surprised she hadn't passed out yet from the pain.

Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks as a group of people encased in metallic armor and led by a young woman with a power fist and a hooded robe were marching towards her.

"...V?"

"Lyra, we're here to help!" Veronica shouted over the din.

Elder McNamara added, "The Brotherhood have not forgotten the good you've done to us, Courier, and so we wish to repay you for that kindness. Brotherhood soldiers, attack! Show the Legion who's boss!"

A battlecry rang out through the Brotherhood group as they charged head on into the skirmish. Elder McNamara paused only a moment to offer Lyra a curt nod before quickly following his troops.

That just left Veronica Santangelo, a worried expression on her face. "Lyra…what did they do to you?" she gasped, eyeing Lyra's wounds.

"Not… not now," Lyra muttered. "Later… I promise."

The Brotherhood scribe stared incredulous at the Courier, before giving her a quick hug. A hiss escaped Lyra's lips as the rough cloth of Veronica's clothing came into contact with her bloodied, raw skin. Realising her mistake, Veronica quickly backed off, an apologetic expression evident on her face. The Brotherhood scribe then charged forward, smashing her power fist into the chest of the nearest Legionnaire. The man let out a shriek as his chest caved in and started to cough up blood, collapsing to the ground in a heap.

The sound of barking caused Lyra to whip her head around. Rushing towards her was Rex the cyberdog, followed by the Kings with guns blazing without a single moment of hesitation. Their leader jogged over to Lyra, unzipped and shrugged off his jacket, and handed it to her.

"A special gift from the King himself," The King explained with a roguish grin. "No lady should have to walk around dressed like that, and especially not in a place like this."

With that, he turned around and charged towards the Fort, his men following right behind him. The Courier watched the group entering the Fort and disappearing before sprinting away, struggling to put on the King's jacket.

The next few minutes were a blur for Lyra before she found herself collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. Her head was spinning, her body ached, and she just felt ready to sleep forever. The last thing Lyra saw before unconsciousness consumed her was a pre-war bomber jet streaking across the sky, headed straight for the Fort…

As the Courier regained consciousness, she found herself on a bed. Confused and sore, she mentally tried to piece together what had happened to her for several long moments before she noticed the crowd of people surrounding her.

Lily was at the foot of the bed, a bunch of flowers in one hand and a smile on her face. Veronica and Boone stood to the right hand side; Veronica smiling and Boone's face as blank as a block of marble. ED-E floated above her head, and Rex and Arcade were to her left.

"Good to see you've finally woken up," Arcade Gannon said, a relieved tone to his voice. "With all your injuries, we were afraid you had entered a coma."

"H-how long was I out for?"

"About two days," Veronica explained. "We're just glad to have you back, Lyra."

"Absolutely, señorita," said Raul. "We weren't gonna let you go out like that."

"Grandma was very worried, dearie," Lily added. "So she brought you some flowers to make you feel better. You always loved your forget-me-nots."

The Courier felt a smile tug at her lips as she stared over at the kindly Nightkin. She didn't have the heart to tell Lily that those 'flowers' weren't forget-me-nots, but weeds; it was the thought that counted, after all.

ED-E let out a series of cheery beeps, while Rex barked happily.

"It was a tough battle, fighting the Legion," Boone stated. "Lost quite a few people, but the Legion suffered a lot worse. At least 90% casualties, according to Colonel Moore, including Legate Lanius, Lucius and Caesar himself. The only one unaccounted for is that slippery bastard Vulpes Inculta, but we'll find him; he's currently the most wanted man in the Mojave."

Lyra nodded her head, letting that information sink in. With the deaths of not only Caesar himself but most of his forces in the Mojave, the Legion would surely crumble. A sense of satisfaction welled up within her as she realised that the Legion were done for.

Suddenly, the Courier noticed someone walking towards her; a woman in a cowboy hat and leather jacket. Her head was bandaged and her hands looked red raw, but a wide grin was plastered on her face. Rose of Sharon Cassidy bent down and enveloped Lyra in a tight hug, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Gotta admit, them Securitrons sure knew how to handle themselves," Cassidy said. "Remind me to thank that Yes Man next time I see 'im. That guy was my fuckin' ace card."

"How did you do it?" Lyra asked. "You managed to get nearly everyone in the Mojave to rally together and fight... just to save me?"

"Well shitfire, 'course I did," Cassidy scoffed. "You're a real fuckin' hero, Lyra. Ya gone an' helped out so many folks, done so much good in this fucked up world, that people sure ain't gonna forget it any time soon. I just called in all your favors. Kicked down everyone's door an' let 'em know you were in trouble an' needed help."

"I guess I underestimated my worth," Lyra chuckled a little sadly. "So... what is there to do now?"

"Ah, don'tcha do that now. Don't go focusin' on the future," Cassidy warned. "Just relax an' heal, an' focus on the right here an' now, 'kay?"

The Courier gave a weak smile. "…All right, I'll try." Looking at the rest, she said, "Thank you, all of you, so much. Honestly. I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate it."

"Hey, we're family," Cassidy explained, "an' family always looks out for one 'nother."

And Cashing In Favors: Re-Write is done and dusted! I hope you folks enjoyed the new and improved Lyra Redcloud, and I hope you stick around for the remainder of the re-writes ^^ Anyway, I hope to see you folks soon!

Love,

The Desert Dancer