Chapter 29: Plan B

Republic of Dave

7:45pm

4 days later:

"Howitzers, buggies, and APCs…" Ellie muttered as she scours the settlement from a nearby hill "Where did they get all this equipment?"

Flashback

Yao Guai Tunnels

4 days ago:

"What are talking about?!" Ellie said "Marina's the spy? That's bullshit!"

"It's true" Polonsky replied "Marina's been leaking information to the NCR for quite some time now"

"No… I can't believe this. Marina… Marina won't do something like that!"

"Just like how you thought Gusurg wouldn't betray the Pride a few months ago?"

"Urk…"

"Damn it, Ellie" Dallas said with an angry tone "Accept the facts already! Marina's been fucking us over from the beginning!"

"How can you say that, Dallas? She was your teammate too!"

"Yes she was. Now she's my, and also hopefully your, enemy"

"How can you casually accept all this shit?"

"I didn't. At first, I couldn't believe it but the evidence is there!"

"Evidence?"

"Have you ever wondered how the NCR kept on finding out our plans?"

"What do you mean?"

"My suspicions started in South Carolina, when we were supposed to raid that NCR supply base. Sithis kept on saying that his spy network is topnotch and reliable. How could the NCR get their hands on one and 'convince' him to defect?"

"What are you getting at?"

"You probably don't remember but Marina was able to see the file containing the names of Sithis' spies"

"What?!"

"Yep. She saw them 'by accident' while Sithis was gathering the intel about the NCR supply base. Then a day or two later, his spy gets compromised"

"That's circumstantial!"

"Not satisfied? Alright then. Remember the day after the raid, Scattered Bones HQ was attacked by the Western Brotherhood. Isn't it odd that they managed to find a well-hidden base so easily? When we returned from the raid, we even made sure that no one followed us. You confirmed it yourself thanks to your 'eagle vision'. So how did they find the base?"

Ellie did not respond. All she could do was stare at Dallas.

"Still not convinced?" the medic said as she hands over a holotape to the mercenary "Then listen to this"

"Is the deed done?" a deep menacing voice said

"Yes" a female voice answered "The Pride's been dealt with"

"Give me a sitrep then"

"Kodiak and Vyse are dead, I made sure of the latter. Coby's seriously injured but before I could get to him, a Brotherhood patrol found him. Arthur Maxson and Elysse are unaccounted for"

"Unaccounted for? There is still a chance that they're alive?"

"Yes"

"This is not what was supposed to happen. Didn't I make it clear that the Pride should be put down?!"

"Yes sir"

"So please tell me why the fuck are Arthur and Elysse still possibly alive?!"

"I'm sorry sir"

"Sorry doesn't cut it. We need a contingency plan. For now, go through the plan as normal. Ellie will return to D.C. in a matter of days and by then, she should already be accused of espionage"

"Yes sir. It will be done"

"Don't fuck this up, Marina!"

"Yes…"

"Fuck…" Ellie muttered as she chuckles "… I can't believe it… It is her… Shit… She did fuck us over… She even… killed Vyse herself…"

"Ellie…" Dallas uttered

"Now do you believe us?" Polonsky asked

Ellie didn't respond she merely chuckled.

"Ellie?" Dallas uttered

"…Where is she?" Ellie muttered

"What?" Polonsky asked

"Where is she?!"

"Ellie!" he replied "Calm the fuck down! You're going into a blind rage again!"

Realizing her current state of mind, Ellie quickly composes herself. "Sorry… The FEV heightens aggressive impulses…"

"FEV or no" Dallas replied "You gotta keep that under control. We don't want you going berserk… again"

"Right… So what do we do now?"

"We can't undo the damage you unwittingly did" Polonsky said

"But there is a way to fix it" Jack interrupted

"Jack?" Dallas muttered

"Sorry" the mercenary leader said "I was listening to your little pep talk and I really felt out-of-place"

"So how do we fix this?" Ellie asked

"By now. The Sons of Liberty have gained enough of a foothold to attack the NCR's central command"

"Raven Rock" Ellie uttered

"That's right. Command's getting ready for a full-scale assault on the HQ but it's not gonna end well"

"What do you mean?"

"Your little friend, Marina, leaked the battle plans to none other than General Alexander himself"

"Shit…"

"Shit indeed… With that intel on his hands, he'll turn the battalions of rebel soldiers into smoldering pieces of meat in less than half an hour"

"So how do we stop this?"

"The NCR still has quite an arsenal of vehicles. They're stationed at the Republic of Dave, which command suspiciously decided not to touch"

"Why?"

"Well with the enemy's most important base right in front of them, they wanted to end this war now or…"

"Or?"

"Nothing. Anyway, inside the settlement is an entire battalion of NCR troops, armed with long range weaponry from sniper rifles, rocket launchers, howitzers, buggies, and even working APCs."

"Buggies?! APCs?! How the fuck did they get a hold of those?!"

"The Western Brotherhood has gained a significant amount of tech over the years… You'd be surprised what they have right now…"

"Shit…"

"Anyway, with those motherfuckers there, that battle will end in less than half an hour with a high chance of raining guts. And with the area between the basecamp and Raven Rock being on big fucking open field, doesn't help either…"

"So all we need to do is take out those troops, right?"

"No." Polonsky interrupted "We focus on taking out Marina"

"What?! You're just gonna let those bastards bomb our men?!"

"It's a hard decision but Marina won't see it coming. While the NCR is busy bombing our men, Marina will most likely show her true colors and defect from there. That's our best timeframe to kill her"

"The fuck?!"

"This is our only chance to-"

"The fuck are you spouting, Polonsky?! That plan doesn't make fucking sense! Even if we manage to kill Marina, it won't mean shit if our men gets bombed to high hell!"

"What do you propose we do then? If we go with your plan, the NCR's gonna find out right away that their battalion got wiped out. They'll adjust their plans accordingly and, knowing Alexander, quickly!"

"Then we strike during the assault itself!"

"By then, it'll already be too late!"

"Then we fucking take down that battalion days before and replace key staff with our own!"

"Where will we get the men? We don't have enough manpower and the rebellion still doesn't trust you! We don't have the fucking time!"

"Then we make time, damn it!"

"Ellie! You have got to accept that sacrifices should be made to attain victory!"

"You may consider a pyrrhic victory a victory, but all those losses would amount to nothing! If you're not gonna help me, then I'll take that base down myself!"

"Ellie wait!" Polonsky said as Ellie runs off

As the mercenary leaves the cave, Dallas approaches Polonsky. "Tell me. You supported her idea, didn't you?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"Kind of. What were you trying to achieve?"

"I just wanted to test something"

"Something?"

"I wanted to see if she's still the same Ellie I knew all those years ago…"

"So what's your verdict?"

Polonsky smiles as he lights a cigarette. "She's still with us"

Present Day:

"There's a lot of them…" Ellie remarked "can't back out now…"

The mercenary's train-of-thought is then interrupted by a brief sound of a footstep. Pretending to not notice the sound, Ellie continues to scan the base as the lurking individual behind her gets closer.

As the individual was about to grab the mercenary, Ellie's reflexes kick in.

"Too easy!" Ellie said as she grabs the individual's arm and throws him to the ground "You think you can sneak up on me, you son of a… Dallas?!"

"Ouch… FEV or not, you're one hell of a CQC fighter…" Dallas remarked as she stands up and straightens her back "Damn that was a hard fall…"

"Dallas what are you doing here?"

"I came to help your sorry ass"

"What?"

"You heard me! I can't have you doing this alone"

"But I thought-"

"Past is the past. I got a small team ready. Let's take these bastards down!"

Ellie smiles as 19 other individuals emerge from the rocks.

"Where did you get the manpower?" Ellie asked

"Polonsky and Jack called in some favors"

"Whoah…"

"Let's not waste any more time. Let's go!"

"Right!"

The mercenary then guides the squad to the northeastern end of the settlement, all the while avoiding the rays of the settlement's searchlights.

A few minutes later:

Reaching the northeastern walls, Ellie peeks through a hole on the crudely-built wall. "We're just behind a building. No guards. Alright, time to get to work"

But the mercenary did not move. She simply looked through the peephole.

"Ellie" Dallas said "What are we waiting for?"

"A loud noise" Ellie replied

"Loud noise?"

"Hey!" an NCR trooper shouted "We got more APCs incoming! Raise the gate!"

Just then, an NCR APC arrives.

"Now!" Ellie said "We tear down parts of this wall!"

Using the loud sounds made by the APC, Ellie and the others began to tear parts of the wooden wall piece-by-piece.

Just as the APC finished parking, the squad managed to tear a hole big enough to fit everyone through.

"Nice" Ellie whispered "Alright. I need 4 people to come with me to the main hall

"I'll stay behind" Dallas whispered

"Ok. Let's go!"

Sneaking past guards, Ellie and the 4 men hide behind the main hall.

"Wait for my signal" Ellie whispered as the 4 men nod in response

The mercenary then uses a stealth boy and sneaks through the front door.

Republic of Dave; Main Hall:

Inside, the mercenary finds several NCR troopers. One-by-one, she covertly eliminates each threat with non-lethal force, succeeding in taking down all of the soldiers including the commander without being detected.

She then ties all of them in the 2nd floor as she signals the 4 men through the window.

Entering the hall, the 4 men take the NCR officers' uniforms and get to their positions as Ellie leaves the building to continue the mission.

Returning to Dallas, Ellie briefs the group of their success. "The NCR won't be able to call of help now"

"Right. So do we go loud?" Dallas asked

"Yes. But watch out for troopers holding flare guns. If one manages to fire a flare, we have some serious shit in our hands"

"So we just have to make sure no one fires a flare"

"Basically, yes"

"Let's give em hell then"

"Right. I'll take out the guards by watchtowers. After you hear the shots, let loose"

"Gotcha"

"Right" Ellie replied as she sneaks towards her vantage point

"Ellie"

"Huh?"

"Godspeed"

"Dallas… Right!"

It did not take long for Ellie to take her position at the Main Hall's roof.

"Alright. Time to raise some hell" she muttered as she readies her M-14 EBR

As she was about to pull the trigger, a sudden headache strikes her. Ellie resists the urge to scream as it would compromise her and her comrades.

"Naughty. Naughty" said a familiar voice

"Gerard…" Ellie muttered with contempt

"Now why do you have to do that? Helping the rebels despite the fact that they've already turned their backs on you"

"Fuck off, Gerard. I'm busy"

"Unfortunately it doesn't work like that, my lady. I can't have you doing whatever you please"

"Really now? You think a simple headache could stop me?"

"Are you sure that this is a simple headache?" the man said with a sinister smile

Seconds later, Ellie is bombarded with a much more painful headache, causing her to lie down and endure the pain, resisting the urge to scream.

"There are still holes in your memories…" Gerard said

"Holes…?" Ellie muttered as she continues to endure the pain

"Anyway. I suggest you disengage lest you feel more pain"

As the pain intensifies, Ellie couldn't help but grin. "You know what's funny, Gerard?"

"What?"

"The human brain is easy to fool"

"What are you-?"

Without saying a word, Ellie flicks her right wrist and repeatedly stabs her right leg.

"What are you doing?!"

"Putting my theory to the test!" she muttered as she stabs her left shoulder

Meanwhile:

"Stabbing yourself to divert attention…" Gerard muttered as he stares at the computer monitors showing Ellie's vital signs "… I guess that's enough for today. Shut down the transmission"

"Yes sir" one of the men said as he tinkers with the terminal in front of him

As the transmission is shut down, Gerard couldn't help but crack a smile. "You're growing"

"Good riddance" Ellie said as Gerard disappears "Still… Never thought it would work"

Despite being heavily injured, Ellie aims her rifle at the trooper by the watchtower.

Not long after, she fires two shots, neutralizing the two guards and prompting the rest of the men to attack.

While the rest attack the NCR troopers, Ellie checks on her wounds which quickly healed, almost as if there was never any wound to begin with…

"Looks like the serum's wearing off…" she uttered as she stares at her left arm "Back to work then"

The base quickly fell in a matter of minutes. Not a single NCR trooper managed to escape.

Republic of Dave; Main Hall

10:03pm:

"Base is secured" Dallas said "We also managed to capture the enemy ordinance in this place"

"How many did we capture?" Ellie asked

"4 Howitzers, 6 Buggies, and 3 APCs"

"Wow… That's a lot"

"We also got some pre-War mortars. Looks like the NCR was really planning on bombing our men to hell"

"Nice one. So when's the attack?"

"Tomorrow. 7am"

"Early in the morning eh… So these guys are staying here to man the base?"

"Yep. I'll contact Jack. I think these vehicles would significantly increase our firepower in the final battle"

"Good idea. I'll be resting in the soldier quarters then"

"Alright. I'll swing by at around 5am"

"Right. See you later"

Mason Dixon Salvage; Sons of Liberty Forward Operating Base

The next day (6:25am):

"Well. Well." Ellie muttered as she scours the base with her binoculars "Command really wants to end this huh…"

"Yup" Dallas replied "Most of the regiments are already positioned in the areas around Raven Rock"

"What's their plan?"

"Honestly. I don't think there is a plan. For some god-forsaken reason, the commanders all decided a frontal charge from here, Fort Contantine, and Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel would be enough to take that fort"

"What?"

"I also had the same reaction when I got the intel"

"What the fuck is going on with high command?"

"Dunno. They must really want this war to end"

"You think something may be at work here?"

Dallas ponders to herself for a moment.

"Dallas?"

"It's nothing. I don't think anything's happening in high command yet. What matters now is the mission at hand. We can't waste anymore time. The attack's gonna begin soon!"

"Right. So what's the gameplan?"

"Alright. We sneak through an opening in the southeastern section of the base. Marina should be in that barracks"

"Where?"

"The…uh… building made from salvaged material. Northwestern side of the camp. On another note, I find it weird that the base has a lot of security gaps, even in the area where Marina is supposed to be"

Ellie then points towards the coordinates, to which Dallas nods. "Well good for us, I guess. Let's get going!"

Everything went smoothly up until the confrontation at the barracks…

Makeshift Barracks;

7 minutes to final assault:

Managing to sneak past the guards, Ellie and Dallas prepare to break open the door to the Barracks.

"Ready?" Dallas asked as she leans on one side of the door

Ellie nods as she cocks her pistol

Dallas then kicks open the door as both soldiers enter the room and point their weapons at the lone individual in the room.

"Marina!" Ellie uttered as the sniper turns around

"Ellie? Dallas?" the sniper replied with a confused face "What's going on here?"

"Marina…"

"Ellie? Why are you two pointing your guns at me?"

"Drop the act, Marina!" Dallas retorted "We know who you truly are!"

"Who I truly am? What are you talking about?"

"You can feign ignorance all you want but there's no denying on all the shit that you did!"

"Shit that I did? What are you talking about?"

"Marina…" Ellie said "…The targets you had me kill… Every single one of them didn't fit the description you gave… Is it true? Did you give me false information?"

"Ellie, I-"

"Did you give me FALSE information?!"

Marina let out a disappointed sigh. "I guess my cover is blown…"

"So the people I killed…"

"That's right. I had you kill certain 'obstacles' that were in my way"

"Obstacles?"

"Hmmm… Dallas. You haven't told her yet haven't you?"

"Told me what?"

Marina grins as she lights up a cigarette with a flip lighter. "The true nature of this conflict"

"True nature?"

"But I think it's not my place to tell you" Marina replied as she opens the opposite end of her flip lighter "For now, let's have some fun!"

Before the duo could fire their weapons, two explosions erupted on Ellie's right and Dallas' left, disorienting the two.

Marina then lunges at Dallas who attempts to retaliate but the sniper manages to grip the former medic's neck and begins to choke the life out of her.

"Dallas!" Ellie shouted as she recovers from her daze

Marina quickly lets go of Dallas and jumps back as she engages Ellie in close combat.

"Why Marina?!" Ellie shouted as she attempts several kicks and punches

"Why?" the sniper replied as she parries every attack "Believe it or not, I'm actually doing it for you"

"For me?! What the fuck are you talking about?!" Ellie shouted as she attempts to punch the sniper's face

"Yes" Marina replied as she grabs Ellie's fist and twists her arm, effectively placing her on a disadvantage "Everything I do is for you and 'them'"

"Them?!" Ellie uttered as she struggles to break free "You, Dallas, everyone! You all keep on mentioning 'them'! Who are 'they'?!"

Marina grins as she forces Ellie to her knees while maintaining her hold on her arm. "Pity. Looks like that old bastard back in the vault in Carolina didn't actually unlock all of your memories!"

"What?"

"I guess that adds one more target in our list"

"Over my dead body!" Dallas shouted as she attacks the sniper, who promptly parries all of her attacks with her right hand.

Using the momentary distraction, Ellie spins her arms and body around, eventually enabling her to free herself from Marina's grip.

Ellie flicks her wrist and attempts to stab Marina but the sniper manages to redirect the mercenary and medic's right arm, forming a cross. Marina then punches Dallas' face, disorienting her. Marina then draws her .45 pistol and shoots the medic in the chest.

"Marina!" Ellie shouts as lunges towards the sniper "Goddamn it! Why?! Why are you doing this?!"

"All will be explained in due time, my dear"

It did not take long for the sniper to get the upper hand as she manages to throw the mercenary to the ground.

"Damn it…" she muttered as she attempts to stand up

"Sad… Looks like your precious FEV isn't all that" the sniper uttered as she steps on Ellie's back "I wonder… Will killing you be actually beneficial to our plans?"

"What?"

"Or maybe, I should round up the rest and make you watch them die. Slowly and painfully…"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Would I?"

"Marina! How can you say all this shit?! Did all those times we fought together in the battlefield mean anything to you?!"

Marina gives a blank expression as she stares at a distressed Ellie. "No"

Ellie is the overcome by anger as she attempts to stand up but the sniper continues to hinder her.

"Stay down already" the sniper said "You can't win this"

"You… You're gonna pay for this…"

"Oooh… Big words… But can you back it up with some backbone?"

"Try me!"

Ellie quickly gets back on her feet and resumes her assault on the sniper. Once again, the sniper has no difficulty in parrying every attack the mercenary attempts to land.

"Give it up already…" she said "… I know how you fight, Ellie. You're kind of an open book"

"Really now?" the mercenary replied "You think you know every trick I'll try on you?"

As the duo continue their fight, Marina notices Ellie's attacks growing fiercer and faster.

"What?!" she uttered as she notices the mercenary's eyes turning yellow "It can't be!"

Marina quickly forms a cross with her arms, blocking Ellie's right blade but struggles to push it away.

"Where did your strength come from?!" she uttered

"You think you understand how my FEV works? You don't know shit!"

Ellie then adds more force as her blade nears Marina's throat, who struggles to keep the blade at a distance.

"Rest in peace you son of a bitch!" Ellie uttered as she flicks her left arm and stabs Marina on her right. As the sniper collapses from the pain, Ellie runs her blade through the sniper's throat. "Game over"

"G-Game O-over…?" Marina uttered as she coughs out some blood "M-Maybe you're right…"

"Marina…"

"Tell me something… Despite our fight being obviously loud, why didn't a single rebel soldier come to investigate?"

"What?"

As Ellie ponders on the meaning behind Marina's words, the base's alarm echoes throughout the base.

"Game over indeed…" Marina uttered as she gives a confident smile before coughing more blood

"Marina! What the hell is going on?!"

The sniper slowly closed her eyes as she slowly succumbed to her wounds. "Plan B…"

"Marina! Goddamn it!"

"Dallas!" the mercenary uttered as she checks on the medic "You ok?"

"I'm fine. That bullet missed my vital organs but I'm still in pretty bad shape…"

"Hold on. Let me give you a stimpak"

"So the works done?"

"Yeah but we have another problem"

As Ellie finishes patching Dallas up, the earth shakes around them.

"What the hell was that?!" Dallas said as Ellie helps her up

As they exit the barracks, Ellie notices a distinct color falling from the sky.

"Oh shit…" she uttered "Artillery!"

As if on que, the artillery shells lands a direct hit on a group of rebel soldiers, scrambling to defend the base.

"Dallas. You stay in the barracks and-"

"I can still fight!"

"You sure?"

"Yeah! Don't go chalking me out of this yet!"

"Alright!"

Ellie then activates her eagle vision and scours the base.

"How the fuck did the NCR manage to reach this far in without anyone noticing?!" Ellie uttered as she and Dallas head towards the ensuing battle

"Hold your ground men!" Paladin Vasquez shouts as he throws several EMP grenades

"Stealth suits!" Ellie remarked

"There's your answer. They must've snuck in around the time were infiltrating or fighting Marina! So what's the plan?"

"I provide overwatch! You get down there and support Vasquez!"

"Right!"

As Dallas runs towards Vasquez's position, Ellie, with her M-14 EBR, snipes several enemy soldiers with deadly accuracy.

She then hears a familiar sound in the distance. "Like a firecracker about to explode…" she remarked as she realizes what she had heard.

A mortar shell detonates near her, sending her flying straight into a makeshift wall.

"Damn… That took me by surprise…" she said as she checks on her wounds, that immediately heal

Ellie smiles and grips her fist as she says "Hell yeah!"

Meanwhile:

In the metal corridors of the Citadel, the rebel leaders meet up to talk about the recent set of events.

"What the fuck happened?!" Laren said as he slams his fist on the table

"All three camps were suddenly attacked by NCR troops wearing stealth suits. Supported by enemy artillery" Senora replied

"Damage report" Elder Lyons said

"Based on the information Paladin Vasquez sent us" Red answered "We've lost hundreds of men and now, there's about two companies of NCR troops preparing to attack our central basecamp at Mason Dixon Salvage"

"Why only there?"

"My guess is" Johannes replied "They plan to cut off the other two camps from our supply lines"

"What is the status of the central camp?"

"They managed to repel the initial assault" Red answered "Thanks to the help of former Pride members, Dallas… and Ellie"

Hearing her name, many of the leaders spouted "Ellie?!" at the same time

"The spy?!" Senora remarked

"I still don't think she's a spy" Red replied

"But the evidence does show otherwise…" Johannes answered

"No" Jack interrupted

"What?"

"You're wrong Johannes. Ellie is not the spy"

"What do you mean?"

Jack then smiles as he puts a holotape on the table

Mason Dixon Salvage

3 hours later:

The camp was in shambles as bodies of both rebel and NCR troops littered the base and the smell of gunpowder and burnt corpses flowed throughout.

Paladin Vasquez approaches Ellie with a squad of rebel soldiers behind him.

"Gonna arrest me?" Ellie uttered

"No. I'd like to thank you for helping us and I also want to extend to you my apologies for ever believing those lies… I never thought Marina would be the true spy…"

"Well… I never thought she'd be the spy either…"

"True but…"

"It's ok, Paladin. Besides, I think we should be more worried about what to do with the NCR battalion that's gonna attack in a few minutes…"

"You're right… They asked for our surrender… It already been half an hour since then… They'll most likely be needing an answer soon…"

"So what is your answer?"

"Honestly, I want to keep fighting but the devastation is just too much and morale is dangerously low…"

"Low?"

"Yes… Up until that attack, many of the soldiers openly believed that they now have a fighting chance against the NCR but now, they're seeing the failure at the purifier once again…"

"The purifier…"

"Gather all your men, Paladin"

"What do you plan to do?"

Ellie simply gives the Paladin a confident smile.

A few minutes later:

Every rebel soldier in the base gathers around Ellie, their faces filled with despair…

"Damn…" Dallas remarked "… You can see the hopelessness from a mile away…"

"I know…" Ellie replied as she looked at the distraught faces of the rebels "But we can't let it get the better of us"

Ellie then stand at the top of a derelict pre-war truck as she begins her speech

Everyone! The NCR has dealt a very painful blow to us today!

But are you gonna let that get the better of us?!

Are you just gonna roll over and surrender?!

Are you all that weak?!

Do you have the guts to call yourselves Sons of Liberty or freedom fighters if you go through with this?!

NO! I, for one, don't believe that this is a hopeless situation! I say we stand our ground!

Will we let this end like with the purifier?! Will we lose to the NCR again?!

Besides, there are two other camps that are trapped like us! If we run, they die, will any of you be able to live with that?!

I refuse to lose to them like this! I refuse to turn around and run, sacrificing the lives of countless people! If I am to die, then there's no better way to die than fighting for what you believe in!

Although, I can't force all of you to stay!

Now, I ask you this question. Are you as ferocious as a Yao Guai or as timid as a Brahmin?!

Because I am undoubtedly as ferocious as a Yao Guai! What about the rest of you?

As Ellie finishes her speech, the rebel soldier look at one another as they ponder on their choices.

"What do you think the outcome will be?" Paladin Vasquez asked

"I'm not so sure…" Dallas answered "… That speech wasn't really that convincing…"

"She's not that charismatic" Vasquez replied "But the words she used may just be enough to inspire at least a few people"

"I hope so…"

"Alright" Ellie said "To those who say they're like Yao Guai, step forward! The rest of you, get out while you still can…"

A few minutes pass and the rebels still have yet to make a decision.

Then, a lone rebel cocks his rifle and steps forward.

"What's your name?" Ellie asked

"Christian! The rebel said as he gives the mercenary a salute "I decided to stay and fight!"

"Why?"

"B-Because the NCR has done enough damage to the Capital Wasteland! If we continue to be afraid of them, they'll just keep on stomping us! It's time that we show them that we are not weak!"

"Good answer. Anyone else?"

As if following the rebel's example, the rest of the soldiers stepped forward.

Seeing the unanimous support she has garnered, Ellie couldn't help but smile and raise her rifle in the air. "Let's show those NCR bastards what the Sons of Liberty can do!"

"URA!" everyone shouted

"Well I'll be…" Paladin Vasquez remarked "She actually managed to get everyone's support"

Dallas didn't utter a word but she did give a smile.

With Ellie's speech over, Paladin Vasquez steps on top of the truck. "It has been an honor serving with all of you! You are all brave men and women of not only the Sons of Liberty but also the Brotherhood of Steel! Now then, let's get those defenses ready! We don't want to keep our guests waiting!"

"Yeah!" the rebels shouted as they scrambled to prepared the camp's defenses

"Quite impressive" Dallas said as she approaches Ellie "Never thought you had it in you"

"Well I just said what was in my head, actually" the mercenary replied

"Still, it gave us results…"

"Yeah…"

"But do you think a force of 103 rebels could stop two battalions of highly armed and highly trained NCR troops?"

"I believe so…"

"You're optimistic"

"Dallas. Have you ever heard of the Vietnam War?

"Vietnam War?"

"It was a war America participated in a few hundred years back. Back then, America was the technologically superior army. They fought against an enemy that didn't have much tech or maybe even numbers. But America lost that war…"

"How?"

"Tactics…"

"Tactics?"

"These rebels may be regular foot soldiers but with the right tactician, right discipline, and proper execution, can attain victory against even the toughest armies"

"Do you have plan?"

"I have some brewing in my head…"

"Well then, let's hope execution goes smoothly then"

Ellie turns to Dallas, giving her a confident smile, as she cocks her M-14. "I won't hope that it goes smoothly. I know it will!"