Part 6: Freeside
New Vegas used to be free for anyone to enter or leave. Around it was the wreckage of some of the old
casinos, that were vandalized and no longer in use. Everyone would stay in New Vegas, but would
often cause damage and vandalize the casinos still in order. When it became
aware to Mr. House, he constructed a large wall that surrounded the high
quality part of Vegas and put his Securitron guards to protect the one
entrance. He enforced that anyone allowed on the Strip should have two thousand
bottlecaps with them, to ensure that those on the Strip would mean that it was
more exclusive, and so there would be less disruption. Life could become good
for those rich enough to pass the bottlecap check.
Everyone unable to pay was kicked out of Vegas, and left to live in the broken,
shanty and bombed remnants of the Vegas casinos. Overtime, this area became known as Freeside,
and it was filled with the poor, drunk and violent criminals that came for the Vegas
lifestyle, but could not pass the credit check. This left it as a dangerous and
uncertain location, and it is quickly moved through to avoid the muggers and
psychopaths that stay within trying to get through the gates. There are two
“main” groups, that ensure some sense of order within Freeside, the “Kings” as
they call themselves, and “The Followers of the Apocalypse”, a group of medical
students and doctors that try to care for the drunk and injured that fill the
streets.
Luckily for myself, I came armed and ready. Having a firearm visible makes many choose to keep their distance, and with my well armored appearance and utility belt, I seemed like an
organized person and could walk through Freeside with relative safety, of
course I would still keep my hand ready to draw my gun if needed. I had one
thousand, two hundred and forty credits, about a quarter short of being able to
enter Vegas. I had nothing to sell, so I would have to find some way of getting
bottlecaps. The few buildings that had some integrity left were quickly taken
and looted, so I wouldn’t be able to scavenge for supplies to sell. I could try
to bring some reform to Freeside, and it was in desperate need of someone to
step in and solve the major problems of the area. I headed into one of the few
decent places; a bar named “The Atomic Wrangler”, sat down on a stool and
ordered a drink, while I planned how to get to Vegas.
I was approached by a female bartender. She had a dark black suit and neatly combed hair. I was a little surprised to see someone well dressed in a place full of drunks and low lifes. A name tag
on her shirt gave her the name “Francine Garret”
“Traveler, Huh?” she said. “Let me give you a piece of advice. Get out of Freeside as soon as you can. There are so many looters and thugs on the streets that you’d be safer with a Deathclaw.”
“Well, I’ve been shot in the head, survived and made it this far, I’m sure I can handle myself. “ I replied.
“Ever visited Freeside before? It’s not what you would call the Mojave’s greatest tourist attraction. There’s scumbags that’ll mug you, just so they can steal your clothes to keep warm.” She told me. “Freeside has really gone to hell. And we can hardly make a profit, when all our clients have to cross the ‘Death
Valley’ to get here.”
“Ok, well do you have any work around here? I’m just short of enough caps to enter Vegas.”
“Shit, you’re almost able to get to Vegas? Godspeed. The sooner you’re out of this hell hole, the sooner you’ll be grateful, trust me.” She said “I’m just lucky I’ve got this bar. Every once in a while,
we get a client that gets through getting murdered and just barely keeps us
going. With having to hire Body guards to keep us safe, and paying for alcohol
nobody ever drinks, we are scraping to get buy. If only we could get to the
glamour behind the cold, steel gates.”
“Still haven’t answered my question.” I replied.
“Oh sorry, sure do.” She said “we have a Caps up front policy. A while ago we allowed customers tabs, and you can see where this idea turned to shit. A few clients slipped out without paying,
and we’d rather not risk searching every nook and cranny for them to pay. I’d
give you a thirty percent cut of the credits if you bring me back their tabs.”
“Sounds good.” I said “So who am I after?”
“You’ll be after three people. Grecks, Lady Jane and Santiago.” She replied. “Lady Jane thinks herself a high
roller, but she’s just another dirt NCR prospector. Santiago is a suave son of
a bitch, but a total pansy when it comes to fisticuffs. Finally, Grecks is a
bit cracked but mostly harmless, don’t mention his eye though. They’ll all be
around Freeside somewhere. If you bring them in, I’m sure you can get to Vegas
soon.”
“Great.” I replied, finished my drink and left the bar to go in search of these people.
To Be Continued....
P.S Yes I Don't Care If This Is Late, You Can't Be Bothered To Comment.
Notice: The Content in this story (Characters, Locations and Objects) are copyright of Bethsada Softworks, Obsidian Entertainment, or their respective owners. This is just a fan story, with no copyright intented. So please Bethsada, don't sue me, I love your games :D
