Having spent some time building a facility to sell his VI Family merchant products in Boulder City, Six and his crew were about until they were stopped by Private Kowalski.
Private Kowalski jogged up to Six, slightly out of breath.
"Sir, Lieutenant Monroe sent me to find you. We've got a situation with the Great Khans in the ruins. He thought you might be able to help."
Six raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Rebecca, who gave him an amused smirk knowingly.
"Another problem for us to fix?"
She quipped, resting a hand on her hip.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair before nodding at Private Kowalski.
"Seems like it."
Six muttered before turning back to Kowalski.
"Alright, lead the way."
Rebecca rolled her eyes but followed, her hand resting on the grip of her gun.
"Should've known we wouldn't get to just relax."
As they followed the soldier toward the NCR barricade at the edge of the Boulder City ruins, Kowalski filled them in.
"Two of our guys—Privates Gilbert and Ackerman, got taken hostage by a group of Great Khans holed up inside the ruins. They're demanding safe passage out of here, but the brass won't let them just walk away after what happened at Hoover Dam. Tensions are high, and we're running out of options."
Six nodded as they approached Lieutenant Monroe, who stood near a makeshift command post. The NCR officer straightened up and looked relieved when he spotted Six.
"Good, you're here. We need someone who can negotiate—or do what needs to be done if things go south."
Monroe sighed, rubbing his temples.
"The last thing we need is a massacre, but we also can't just let them go free without consequences."
Six folded his arms.
"So you need me to either talk them down or take them out."
Monroe nodded grimly.
"Exactly."
"If we go in shooting, we risk losing my men. But if you can get in there, negotiate or—"
He glanced at Rebecca
"—do what you do best, maybe we can avoid a bloodbath."
Rebecca nudged Six playfully.
"So you want us to go in and make them change their minds? Well big guy, you do have a way with words... and bullets."
Monroe hesitated but nodded.
"Like I said, we can't afford to let this turn into another massacre."
Six exchanged a look with Rebecca, then cracked his neck.
"Let's see if they're in a talking mood first."
With that, he and his crew made their way toward the location, where the Great Khans were waiting.
The ruins of Boulder City were eerily silent, the crumbled buildings standing like broken teeth against the sky. Six could see the Great Khans holed up in what remained of a collapsed structure, their red war paint marking them as battle-hardened survivors.
One of them, a tall, scarred man with a mohawk, stepped forward, his grip tight on his rifle.
"That's far enough."
He called out.
"What do you want?"
Six raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture.
"I'm here to talk. Lieutenant Monroe wants those two NCR troopers back. Maybe we can work something out."
The Khan warrior sneered.
"Talk? NCR sure as hell wasn't talking when they ambushed us. Our people are dead because of them!"
Rebecca whispered under her breath.
"Yeah, this is gonna be a fun one."
Six kept his expression neutral.
"I get it. You lost people, but the longer this standoff lasts, the worse it gets for you. The NCR isn't gonna let you walk out of here. You're boxed in, and you know it."
The Khan hesitated, his fingers flexing around his weapon. Behind him, the other Khans shifted uncomfortably. They were tough, but they weren't stupid. They knew their chances weren't great.
Another voice cut through the tension.
"Wait."
From the back, a man stepped forward—taller, more composed. This had to be their leader.
"I'm Jessup."
He said, eyeing Six carefully.
"And you… you're Six, ain't you? The one that's been causing a ruckus in the Mohave wasteland?"
Six's expression darkened slightly.
"Yeah, I remember doing some stuff. And I'm as tough as the stories say."
Jessup huffed a laugh.
"Damn. Guess you're harder to kill than I heard."
Six took a step closer.
"Look, Jessup. You and your people are in a bad spot. You hand over the hostages, and I can talk to the NCR. Make sure you walk away from this."
Jessup studied him for a moment before glancing at his men. They looked uneasy, waiting for his decision.
"You really think you can convince them to let us go?"
He asked, skeptical.
Six nodded.
"You give up the troopers, no bloodshed, and I make sure the NCR lets you leave. It's the best deal you're gonna get."
Jessup cursed under his breath, then turned to his men.
"Bring them out."
A few moments later, Privates Gilbert and Ackerman were shoved forward, bruised but alive.
"Take 'em."
Jessup said, then locked eyes with Six.
"But if the NCR backstabs us, we'll remember this."
Six smirked.
"I'd expect nothing less."
With that, he turned, leading the two shaken NCR troopers back toward Monroe's command post, the tension in the air finally starting to ease.
Monroe exhaled sharply when he saw the two NCR troopers walking back toward the barricade, bruised but alive. He nodded at Six, a look of genuine relief on his face.
"Guess you pulled it off."
Monroe said.
"Didn't think they'd let them go that easy."
Six shrugged.
"They knew they didn't have a way out. This was the best deal they were going to get."
Rebecca crossed her arms.
"Now, the question is… are you going to hold up your end of it?"
Monroe frowned.
"Orders are orders. Command doesn't want them walking away after what happened at the Dam."
Six's expression hardened.
"That wasn't the deal I made."
Monroe hesitated, glancing at his men. Some of them looked just as uncomfortable with the situation. After a long moment, he sighed.
"Damn it. Fine. We'll let them go. But you better hope this doesn't come back to bite us."
Six smirked.
"Don't worry, Lieutenant. You just avoided a whole lot of unnecessary bloodshed."
Monroe waved for his troops to stand down as the Great Khans began to cautiously move out of the ruins. Jessup passed Six one last time, giving him a measuring look.
"Maybe you're not just another wasteland legend after all."
He muttered before disappearing into the snow-covered wasteland with his people.
Rebecca nudged Six with a grin.
"Look at you, playing diplomat. Almost like you're civilized or something."
Six chuckled.
"Almost."
With the situation resolved, he and Rebecca made their way back toward their facility, hoping they could finally get back to business—at least until the next problem inevitably found them.
Ding!
[Quest Complete: Boulder City Showdown]
[Objective: Free Hostages via Negotiation by talking with Jessup]
[Reward: Rare Silver-Tier Item Electro-whip]
Electro-whip:
An electrified whip that was the preferred method of domination for the subjugation of slaves taken by the Zygerrian Slave Empire. It consisted of a metal grip and an electrified, retractable wire that glowed when powered up, and automatically retracted into the grip when the weapon was powered off. The whips were designed to stun, and although they were painful, they were not typically physically damaging, as Zygerrian enslavers preferred not to irreparably damage their merchandise. Electro-whips could withstand the blade of a lightsaber while powered up.
Ding!
[Level Up!]