"The hell Six, why'd you shoot me?"
Captain Parker turned, his face twisted in pain holding his injured arm.
"With your injury, no one will question what happened today, and Keith would be known as any day desperate junky that attacked an NCR officer.
Captain Parker gritted his teeth, still holding his injured arm as he stared at Six in disbelief.
"You think this makes it better? You're making a dangerous assumption, Six. This isn't just going to go away because you shot me."
Six stood firm, his face as cold as the Mojave night.
"No, it's not. But it's the only way we're going to make sure you don't get dragged into the fire with Keith. You're going to have a story, Parker—one where it's all self-defense. It'll cover the mess, but you're going to need to lie low for a while."
Rebecca stepped closer, still watching Parker with a mixture of skepticism and concern.
"So what now? We just walk away from this like nothing happened? You think it'll all blow over?"
Six glanced at her briefly, his eyes meeting hers with a look of resolve.
"It has to. We can't afford more bloodshed in this place. Not over a scumbag like Keith. But Parker? He's still got a chance to make things right... just not in the way he thought."
Boone stayed quiet but watched the captain's every move, his hand tightening on his rifle. He'd seen too much in his time to believe any story without scrutiny. Raul was shaking his head again, muttering in Spanish as he checked over Parker's injury.
Roger looked like he was considering something, then leaned in toward Six.
"You sure this is the right call? Covering up a murder... that's a whole different can of worms."
Six nodded slowly, his voice low.
"Sometimes, doing the right thing means you don't get to keep your hands clean, Roger. Parker's got a choice now: step up and make it look like he was just another officer defending himself, or risk a whole lot more than his reputation."
Captain Parker winced as Raul wrapped a torn piece of cloth around his arm, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. He glared at Six, his voice hoarse from pain and frustration.
"You're really going to pin this on me? After everything I've done to try to keep this camp safe?"
Six stepped forward, his voice still calm.
"I'm not pinning anything on you, Parker. You did what you had to do, and now you just need to make sure the story fits. Trust me, no one will bat an eye. Keith was a problem waiting to explode. This is just... what happened."
Parker's eyes burned with anger, but he couldn't argue the logic.
"Fine."
He spat.
"but you and I are going to be tied to this, whether we like it or not."
Six's gaze hardened.
"No. You're tied to this. You need to lay low, make sure the official report goes according to plan, and disappear for a while. Let the NCR handle the rest. We're covering our tracks here, Parker. You don't get to make a mess of it."
A tense silence fell between them all, the weight of their words hanging in the air. Parker was still reeling from the shot, but he nodded slowly.
"I'll do it your way. For now."
"Good."
Six replied, then turned toward the door.
"Now we get out of here. We'll make sure you're covered, but after this, you owe us one. No more favors."
As they walked out of the suite, the quiet of the Mojave stretched out before them, thick with the tension of what they had just covered up. The crew walked in silence, the weight of their actions lingering in the air. Six knew that the path they had taken was a dangerous one, but he also knew they'd made the right call.
Now, all they could do was wait and see how far the ripples of their choices would spread.
Ding!
[Quest Complete: Keith's Caravan Charade]
[Objective: Deal with Keith and free Aerotech Office Park from his reign]
[Reward: Rare Silver-Tier Item Skill Card counting]
Skill Card counting:
Allows user to gain an edge in card games by tracking the composition of high and low cards remaining in a deck of cards to gain an advantage, allowing them to adjust their bets and playing decisions accordingly.
Six sighed, rubbing his temples. Aerotech Office Park really is cursed, he thought. Just as they were about to leave, a desperate-looking man stepped forward, practically throwing himself in front of Six and his crew.
"Oh, you've gat to be shitting me."
"You're Six, right?"
The man—Frank Weathers, if Six remembered correctly—looked like he hadn't slept in days. His clothes were worn, and there was a deep exhaustion in his eyes.
Six gave Rebecca a look, and she just shrugged. Boone crossed his arms, clearly ready to walk away, but Raul muttered.
"Might as well hear the man out. Maybe it'll be interesting."
"Yeah, I'm Six. What do you want?"
Six asked, already dreading the answer.
Frank swallowed hard.
"It's my family. The Legion took them. My wife, my kids… they were taken when those bastards raided our farm near Searchlight."
His voice cracked, but he kept talking.
"I've been stuck in this damn refugee camp ever since, waiting for someone, anyone, to help. The NCR won't do a damn thing. But you? I've heard about you. They say you get things done."
Six sighed, exchanging glances with his crew. He didn't doubt Frank was telling the truth—he knew all too well what the Legion did to prisoners. The question was whether this was a fight he wanted to get involved in.
Rebecca tightened her grip on her gun.
"The Legion? If we don't handle this now, they'll just keep taking more people."
Boone, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His voice was sharp, almost dangerous.
"If the Legion has them, there's not much time. We go in soon, or we don't go in at all."
His hatred for the Legion was well-known, and Six could tell this wasn't just another mission for him—it was personal.
Roger sighed.
"Looks like we're not leaving anytime soon, huh?"
Six crossed his arms, thinking for a moment. If they went after Frank's family, they'd be directly challenging the Legion again. Not that Six was afraid of them, but it would put them on high alert.
Still…
"Alright, Frank."
Six finally said.
"We'll find your family. But if they're still alive, you better be ready to take them in and get far away from the Legion's reach. We're not going through all this trouble just for them to end up captured again."
Frank's face lit up with a mix of hope and desperation.
"I-I swear! Just... just bring them back safe."
Six turned to his crew.
"Gear up. We're heading out to Searchlight."