imma put sample in separate post for nao
"Sir..." Xander rose and trailed after his commander.
Vulpes stopped, but did not look back at the other. "Was there something else?"
Xander steadied himself; asking questions of his commanders was highly out of character for him, but he just had to know. He took a deep breath and held out the object he'd found. A grimy, half burnt pre-war book on the history of Rome. "I found this book, Sir."
Vulpes took the book, looking down at it briefly. He frowned when he spied the title and looked back to his minion. His gaze was hard and calculating...a book like this was a dangerous thing.
Xander swallowed again and fidgeted slightly, doing his best to remain still and appear stoic. This question had weighed on his mind since he'd discovered the book, reading over what was still legible and his limited literacy would allow many times before he was to return to camp. It told of a society much like his own, worshiping the same Gods (...he was a bit confused about this 'Jupiter' and why he was mentioned more than Mars, though). Xander couldn't quite tell when it had been, other than long before the war, but the book spoke of it in admiring tones. There had been one other he found that had been overly critical, but Xander had dismissed that as written by poor losers. He'd burned that book one night to cook his dinner, therefor putting it to much better use than it ever had been as a text.
There were even great emperors named Caesar in it! Previous incarnations of his own master? Xander wasn't sure, but they were surely guided by the same forces that guided the Legion.
"Why isn't it distributed?"
"Excuse me?"
"If the others knew Caesar was resurrecting a great society from long before the war, wouldn't they fight harder to bring it about? N-not that what we have isn't glorious! Caesar is clearly more noble than the men in there, Mars--" He stopped, halted by a raised hand of the older man.
"Its unimportant, and would only confuse them. They need not concern themselves with the past, only the future."
...Of course. How stupid of him. The slaves certainly wouldn't understand, the legionaries had more important things to worry about and the damned profligates would try to find some reason to discredit the Legion because of it. He craved the information in these books, but if Vulpes said it was unimportant...perhaps it was best if he hadn't found it. Or read it...but the centurion on the cover was too tempting; he was afraid it was some sort of listing of information for the dissolute.
Xander hung his head, "I apologize. I should have known better."
The seconds of silence before Vulpes responded were horrifying. Was the next statement an announcement of his punishment? Though moments ago Xander had felt eager to know the truth, his commanders words and shifted his emotions. He was a fool to try and ask; Caesar clearly knew what was best.
Instead of a reprimand or order, Xander found the book thrust back into his hands. "Tell no one of this. Destroy that book and see that no one sees it."
Xander snapped his head back up, regarding his commander with a mix of gratitude for being allowed to continue on and fevernt desire to serve. "Yes sir, Vulpes sir!"
Vulpes nodded, and Xander swallowed again. In the past, asking if he was allowed to take actions to further the Legion had been allowed (frumentarii were hand-picked by Caesar, so allowed more free will than the rank and file, after all)...but he might be pushing it now. The book had already been a lot...
"Should I destroy others I come across?" Not that there were many. In his many years, this was the first he'd come across.
Vulpes considered for a moment, then nodded. "Make sure they do not fall into the wrong hands."
He turned again and began to walk away, but as Xander shifted to exit as well the other man stopped. "Domitius. Do not think this is without consequence. I will speak to Caesar about this."
Xander's heart dropped, but of course that was what was to be expected. It was secret for a reason, and he had unknowingly crossed that line. "Yes, sir. I will await His judgment."
"Good. Remain in camp until I call for you."
With that, Vulpes was gone, and Xander turned to return to the barracks. There was nothing to do but wait and follow through with the orders he had been given.
---
The 188. Xander sighed as he neared it, but straightened up and put on a small smile. The trading post was run by the NCR, and for some reason the profligates always kept troops there. Worse yet, it was near Boulder City, where the Legion had faced a costly defeat that forced them to fall back. Xander had missed that battle, but he'd heard as much about it as he was allowed. It made him uneasy to be near it, and he'd purposefully taken a path away from the ruined city.
The 188 Trading Post was easy enough to get through, however. It saw a lot of traffic, so as long as he didn't idle there too long or ask the wrong questions he was in no danger there despite the constant trooper presence. And this time he had a reason to be there, a package that needed delivery to the shop owner. Working as a courier was certainly useful for letting him map out the wasteland.
Xander paused as he got closer to the trading post, looking down to the package then back to the stall. There was a girl behind the booth, but the package was clearly marked for a man's name. A servant, probably...no, that wasn't right. Even after all these years he was still taken aback by how women were treated in the dissolute's lands. But he wasn't charged to preach, so he simply approached the stall and widened his smile. No hints of the disgust he felt for her or this place leaked into his face or voice.
"This is the 188, right? I'm looking for Samuel."
The girl--she couldn't be more than 18--looked up from arranging bottles behind the booth, turning her attention to Xander. "This is the 188, alright, but Samuel's not available. Can I get you anything?"
Xander blinked and placed the box on the counter. "I've got a delivery and I need him to sign for it."
Strictly speaking, signing wasn't always required for his jobs, but Xander preferred to say it was. Samples of signatures might just be useful somewhere, though he was far from the best forger. Even random, useless dissolutes or profligates could be made useful as a scape goat if needed.
"Oh, you're the courier, then? We didn't expect you so soon." The girl put her bottle down and moved over to Xander, looking at the box. "I can sign for him."
Yeah, right. Xander wouldn't take a woman's word for something...she could be skimming off the top. If the delivery didn't arrive intact, it would harm his reputation as a courier. He shook his head, doing his best to look apologetic. "I'm afraid not, miss. The orders require his signature. You know how business goes."
She met his gaze with a smile, chuckling a bit. "Dad knows more about that than me. Can you wait a few hours? He runs the place at night, so he's sleeping."
Ah, his daughter. No wonder he had her working without supervision. No, no, Xander corrected himself again. She was probably helping out of some bullshit familial ties or something. Or perhaps being paid, though what one could spend money on here seemed rather limited. Guns and alcohol, neither things a female should be dealing with. He doubted he'd ever truly get used to this backwards wasteland.
"I guess I can," he said, taking a seat and returning her smile in kind. "I'm not due back for a few days, so a small rest wouldn't hurt."
She watched him as he took the box back and placed it on his lap. For a moment, Xander wondered if she found this suspicious, but he quickly noticed she was looking him over. It was unlikely she suspected he was anything but another harmless drifter, but she was clearly paying attention. She was young, almost a woman, so that probably meant...
Filth. Like Xander would allow her to approach him anyway. Things just didn't work that way.
He chuckled a bit, drawing a slight blush to his cheeks.
She grinned and grabbed a glass from under the counter. "Can I get you anything while you wait?"
Xander shook his head, looking slightly sad. "I'm afraid I'm short on caps. Just water...dirty is fine. I don't think I can afford anything purified, anyway."
"Beer's cheaper, if you're low on caps."
Ugh. Xander hated alcohol. The wasteland seemed determined to drug itself into a stupor with it. He shook his head. "It doesn't wash the dust out of my throat quite as well, though."
"Good point." She set a bottle down for him and took his caps. "I'm Michelle, by the way. What brings you through here? Aside from the job."
"Xander." He opened the bottle, quickly taking a drink. "And its just the job. I'd consider heading up to New Vegas, but I don't have nearly enough caps for a fancy place like that. This is the most civilization I've seen in days, and it almost seems alien to me."
She laughed. Good, it seemed he'd succeeded in getting her completely off guard. Xander wondered if he could get any information on the NCR's recent activity out of her.