Chapter 470 - Allies And Enemies

Tamia nervously swallows and rubs her hands together, "This... Wasn't what I was expecting." she admits.

House's light laughter echoes over the intercom, "You see, that's the best part... No one expects this. Neither the NCR or Legion are aware that I currently have thousands of Securitrons hidden under the Fort, a throwing distance away from the Hoover Dam.​​

I could probably take it with only the Securitron currently active in New Vegas... But as you know, I am a cautious man. Come, meet me back in the Penthouse so we can properly discuss our future actions." House says as he cuts off the intercom, leaving Tamia sheepishly standing there.

She almost jumps out of her skin when Jane's voice asks behind her, "Are you coming, dear?"

"Y-yes. I am." she stiffly says before following.

Tamia quickly finds herself standing back before the screen depicting House, though, her attitude had had a remarkable change from usual... She'd always assumed that she, with her allies like Afton and Veronica would be able to handle anything House might try to do... But with the man's recent display of sheer power, she wasn't so confident anymore.

The only thing that put her at ease was the fact House still needed her... Though, for what she assumed she was about to find out. "So, what's the plan? I know you want New Vegas to be independent, so are you going to wipe out the other factions or...?"

House scoffs, "Not right now, no. NCR citizens provide almost all of the income New Vegas makes, if I declared war on them, that would stop immediately, afterwards they'd stop us from receiving any power from Hoover Dam, halting everything until I either managed to capture the Dam, or until my Securitrons ran out of charge.

No, this needs to be done smartly, and methodically. I haven't been planning this for centuries just to falter here... The first thing we need to do is to secure allies. You have already done a remarkable job by allying yourself with Afton Parker, though, the fact I am not entirely aware of the extent of his capabilities and influence makes me wary of relying on him."

Tamia shakes her head, "As long as you treat Afton fairly he's a reliable guy, I'm not able to tell you what I know of him as it'd be a breach of trust, but he is definitely someone you want on your side." she states, her confidence more than surprising House.

The fact she was still this confident in his capabilities after he'd displayed his new Securitrons meant that there was more to Parker than met the eye. Add that House couldn't find out how Afton and his group had escaped the Fort with Caesar in hand made him wary of deciding how to deal with him.

"We'll speak on the topic of Afton Parker at a later date, for now we should discuss other potential allies."

Tamia thinks for a moment before pulling up her Pipboy, Afton had helpfully uploaded most known locations in the Mojave to it while giving her a brief overview of the place... Though, the talk had essentially been 'That place is fucked, fucked, that place is full of Deathclaws, Ghouls, fucked, cannibals, radioactive, fucked-' etc.

Despite this, she had still learned a couple interesting facts. She looks to House, "Well, I'm not sure on what your exactly looking for, but I know there are two communities of Supermutants that may jump at the chance of legitimization." she explains.

"I am aware of the mutants atop Black mountain, they are savages that are barely being kept at bay, formerly by the NCR and now the new Brotherhood of Steel outpost. What is this other group you speak of?"

"It's called Jacobtown, I haven't personally visited it but apparently it's a peaceful town made almost entirely of Super mutants."

House goes silent momentarily in contemplation, "That is interesting, I do not hold any prejudicial views against mutants, but I must think of the consequences of bringing them into the fold... What do you think the Brotherhood of Steel's reaction would be when hearing about a 'Nation of Mutants'. I am not sure New Vegas could defend against the entire might of their forces." he explains.

Tamia nods, knowing that even the small Chapter Afton and Veronica had belonged to were incredibly effective combatants. She couldn't imagine what an entire army of them would look like. "If not Jacobstown, who do you have in mind?"

"Currently I have a number of groups listed as potential allies. Isolationist explosive experts, savage yet somewhat civil tribes, independent towns... Let's start at the top of the list first, shall we? There is a group known as the Boomers, a group of former-Vault dwellers who'd left the confines of their home and stumbled upon an airbase.

I have not managed to find a lot of information about them, but they have many powerful weapons, among them are included artillery, missile launchers, grenade launchers, and perhaps more. All the spies I sent weren't even able to get inside, as they bombard any unfortunate travel who wanders into their line of sight."

Tamia raises a brow, "Wait, they shoot at everyone they see? Isn't that a massive waste of ammunition?"

"Indeed, you would think that... But after the first couple groups found themselves decorating the landscape, no one else dared enter into the Boomer's territory. I suspect they have preserved more ammunition this way than if they'd had been forced to protect themselves from attack.

Their isolationist attitude has served them well, but such a group can not exist in the Mojave I wish to create. They will either have to become allies, or enemies."

"Why do they have to choose though? Wouldn't it be best to just leave them alone, rather than making enemies?" Tamia asks.

"Tamia, the Boomers are almost capable of bombarding the New Vegas strip from their territory... All it would take is for them to elect a more combative leader and to upgrade their weapon slightly to put everyone at risk... Even I would not be completely safe, as you well know, the Lucky 38 would make an incredibly easy target."