Only a short jaunt along the road my travelling companions and I come across some of those chaps I'd met in Nipton, Ceasars Legionaries, and apparently legionaries don't like trader caravans. This means one of two things,

1. Some people are about to get shot.

2. It's not going to be me.

I watch from an arguably safe distance as the caravan mercenary guards rip into the apparently outclassed legionaries. As the dust settles I see the caravan masters trotting off into the valley ahead their pack brahmin intact. It seems a shame to waste all this 'stuff' that's now just strewn around... armour, guns, meds... 

So I take everything!

Happily weighed down with goodies I pootle along the road unhindered, for my troubles I punch a Mole Rat pup and gut it for it's juicy meat.

I spotted in the distance the somewhat reassuring sight of one of the many Ranger stations that dot the wasteland and happily begin trotting in a direct line toward it. Oblivious that I was walking all too closely to a Jackal Gang camp-site. Too late I notice my pip-boy ping the red indicators of trouble, and the bullets start flying at me... and lots of them too.

I gauge that there must be at least two automatic weapons, and possibly a half dozen guys. I'm not proud of what happened next, but in the interest of self preservation. I ran.

Toward the Ranger station, Rangers are supposed to protect people right? I'm a people... they'll protect me. These are the thoughts that are jogging through my brain as I realise that the gangers are actually catching up with me, which is mildly concerning as the Ranger station is still a little way off.

At this exact moment in time, my brain says, 'Oh well, I guess I'm done for' in preparation for my
imminent and possibly rather messy demise.

This coincides perfectly, almost to the nano-second with what must be a pure chance occurrence, but one I'm grateful for. Bullets start to ring out, and not the 'incoming' kind, no... this was other bullets, ones headed in the direction of the Jackal gangers,

I know this as having turned about to face my doom, instead of multiple face-bullet combinations i was expecting there is a lone Jackal ganger running at me with a club, and some way behind him, all of his pals are now doing their best impressions of something akin to a fairground target game, one by one being plinked to the ground by a tirade of gunfire from a cliff I was passing under.

Mr bat-man and I have a short tussle, he's surprising adept at blocking my attacks but none the less I eventually put him down. I walk back to the other gangers now all very dead and look up the cliff to see some more Legionaries, one of them appearing wounded, but both wandering off back over the cliff ridge line.

Once more I'm surrounded by a sea of lootable things, and it's only fair I take all their stuff... they were about to kill me.

Shhh

What was supposed to be a walk along a road, turned into multiple blood baths, but now, finally as I pass the Ranger station it all calms down. I make it to Novac and undertake the required storyline stuff which opens the new story arc regarding Repconn, I rally round selling all my hard won looted items and end the session bemused but unscathed from my travels.