The atmosphere back in Novac had taken a substantially different tone... Most of the people there had thought the only threat was from the Legion, but when they'd picked up the NCR already coordinating themselves to attack the town, passively training the militia had become actively training an army.

A few people blamed their current situation on their saviour for formerly being affiliated with the Brotherhood of Steel and as a result, antagonising the NCR, but most already hated them enough to not mind... ​​

It wasn't like the NCR gave a shit about them before, but now since they had someone who 'grew up in the wrong place' they were all now a target. Still, it wasn't as if they were helpless. As soon as the mercenary group returned from wherever they had went, they came back with lots and lots of supplies.

Fruits and vegetables that'd only been recorded before the Great war, crates of purified water, reliable weaponry only the Legion and NCR seemed to be able to get... Their saviours were more prepared then they'd expected.

Right now the town was bustling with movement, a large group of people were training in combat in a clearing as the rest carried boxes of supplies here and there, however, the biggest man-power sink had to be the rather large scrap metal wall that was being erected around the town. The previous wall used to fend off the Legion simply wasn't enough anymore, so it was being improved.

It didn't look all that visually appealing, being made from a pile of scrap metal, but with some makeshift wielding and metal plating, it looked the part... The wall was around 8ft tall and surrounded the town, blocking off the road and forcing people to go around it should the town refuse access through.

It was made high enough to prevent people from climbing over, the most likely candidate for this would be the Legion, but it would also help against NCR spies who might try to sneak inside... Usually building a wall like this would be a death sentence as it'd block off supplies, but seeing as Afton's mercenary group was able to seemingly pull supplies outta their asses, it wasn't that big a problem.

The townsfolk numbered around 400 people, with around 250 able combatants. That might not seem like much, but in a defensive position with thick walls placed between them and the enemy, it would likely be enough.

Daisy, the new mayor, was being overworked. But with a few people's help she was barely holding onto the situation... Manny had taken up the position of training the townsfolk as there were enough people to watch the town while he was elsewhere now. Plus, he was still somewhat injured from the Legion attack.

He was a bit wary of fighting against the country he used to serve, but if the NCR attacked Novac for simply having a criminal in their midst, that was their prerogative. He intended to protect the town from any threat, even former friends. It was really all he had left...

Currently Karl, Boone, Anja, Josie, Tamia, and Veronica were sat at a table with two other men... Jonas and Hestus, the former Legion spies tasked with assassinating Afton, something that'd failed spectacularly...

They were 'asked' for information about the Legion, and whether or not they actually intended to be loyal and not betray the town later on. Fortunately, with the amount of information the duo had given, their loyalties don't seem to be misplaced.

Apparently the Legion intended to invade Novac after dealing with the Brotherhood of Steel, using the forces that survive destroying the bunker to create a two-pronged attack. This obviously didn't happen as even if Afton hadn't gone to help, the Brotherhood would have been killed regardless.

Even Vulpes Inculta seemed to think the attack was fool-proof. Unfortunately for him, he'd severely underestimated the Brotherhood's military prowess, especially inside such confined spaces.

Still, the Legion didn't seem to be swayed by their many failures... Recently they'd heard over the radio that Camp Searchlight, and the town itself had been taken over by the Legion... Astor had been crucified for any passerbys to see, and the Legion raid camp further west had become significantly more aggressive.

The NCR couldn't even do anything about it since the Legion kept increasing the pressure on the east of Hoover Dam... Still, the NCR had made some gains. They'd recaptured Nelson, invaded Red Rock Canyon and killed whatever Great Khans were left after they attacked the Brotherhood, and finally got the Long 15 trade route properly protected and running.

The recent events were bad news for Novac however, since Camp Searchlight and Cottonwood Cove were the only remaining Legion outposts west of the Colorado, Novac was smack-dab in the middle of the conflict.

If either side captured Novac they'd have a distinct advantage over the other, especially with how Novac had recently been converted into a fortress city...

"So we're fucked?" Josie states more than asks.

Karl shrugs, "Preeetty much."

"Oh, cheer up guys. I'm feeling pretty good about situation." Veronica says from the side.

"Pretty good?" Karl asks with a snort, "We got hostile NCR positions North, East, and West of our position and Legion outposts straight South... In what world is this 'Pretty good?'"

"Er... My world?" Veronica mutters, feeling as if she'd been scolding for saying something stupid.

...

Tamia sighs and slumps in her seat, "Guys, we are still planning on infiltrating the Fort right?" she asks, drawing everyone's attention.

"No way." "Yes." Josie and Karl look at each other after hearing the other's words.

"We're pretty fucked as it is, we can't just march into the Legion's base and expect to come out alive." Josie states.

Karl shakes his head, "We'll do what we said we would. You don't need to come with if you're scared, but we're doing this." he growls back before getting up and leaving, presumably to grab a strong drink.

Boone looks to Josie and shakes his head, "If you aren't ready for the Fort just say so, you won't be forced to participate. From most points of view it seems like a suicide mission." he says as he gets up and follows Karl.