"Robots dispatched! By the way, my sensors indicate that the monorail just left McCarran Airfield. It should reach the Las Vegas station in a few minutes. Maybe it has something to do with you speaking your mind to General Oliver! That was such an honest and brave thing to do!"

"Yeah well, It is what it is. Would you prefer I handed New Vegas over to the NCR? Something you were rather negative about the prospect of, in your own sarcastic way. It should be fine, things will hold until we get to the embassy."

Stompy stomp goes the power armored pals on the way to the Strip's gate.

Ambassador Dennis Crocker is standing on the steps to the Lucky 38. He's clearly a little nervous to see three power-armoured figures stomp into the strip, but he looks Six in the armoured eyeslits.

"Well, Mister House, I believe you've been saying you are? I suppose I'm not officially supposed to be calling you that yet, but it's only a matter of time. There's something I need to tell you."

He takes off his helmet to talk to Crocker. "I've taken over from Mr House since his unfortunate passing after a labor related dispute." Six's smile at that is all teeth. 

"Not sure about me taking his name though... I've said I was the new House because I control the robots the same way he did, that would make me in control of the Strip. I didn't actually mean to imply it was my name. But If the Strip needs to be controlled by someone called House..." He shrugs.

"I was actually about to visit the embassy just after I got all this armor off. But if you want to save me the trip... Come in, have something to drink. You'll be one of the few to see the inside." He waves the ambassador inside.

Six does in fact like Crocker well enough, for a politician type. Crocker was always polite to him even when Six was just a well equipped merc with only a few NCR jobs under his belt.

"Thank you." Crocker takes a 9mm pistol from under his suitjacket and hands it to a Securitron that seems to be on guard before walking inside. He allows himself to be sat down before beginning to speak.

"About half an hour ago, the MPs on the Strip were ordered to place you under arrest as soon as you arrived. Charges of treason, rebellion, and incitement to same." He shakes his head.

"The MPs said no. They said that without an arrest warrant, the most they could do is request that you surrender yourself. I've been led to understand that they got some very colourful and threatening orders, but they held their ground." There seems to be a note of admiration in the ambassador's voice.

"So now, Oliv-uh, the one who gave those orders, has sent some troops he personally considers reliable over here by monorail. I don't know what their orders are, but I can guess." Crocker has been an ambassador to the Strip for almost eight years. He would be very unlikely indeed to unintentionally reveal a name he wanted to keep secret.

"I don't know exactly what happened, but I know it would be impossible for you to commit treason: you're not a citizen of the NCR. I also know you enough to know that if some soldiers try to arrest you here, and they don't back down, there will be blood in the streets."

"And you know me. You know me well enough to know that violence here is the last thing I want. Will you let me help you prevent it?"

“How about you tell me what Olivers side of the story is first. I did have an argument with the man after the battle. But you know I’ve been a longtime ally of the NCR. I just helped you win the war after all. If I have to, I can hide out in the Lucky 38 until saner heads are giving the orders.” Six is stepping out of the power armor and divesting himself of the heavier gear. He would have liked to get into some regular clothes instead of being stuck in the power armor undersuit, but the NCR decided to visit instead of waiting for him to talk to them. Making them wait while he takes the elevator up to his penthouse to change clothes would be rude.

Crocker raises his hands. "I don't know Oliver's side of the story. All I know is what he told the MPs, which is that you're a traitor to the Republic and must be arrested immediately. I don't think that's likely, and for the MPs to arrest someone on the Strip, they'd need a warrant -- which he didn't give them."

"You could hide in here for a good long while, and the next commander might be a little less combative. I am worried about those troops, though. Do you have a message, for them or for my superiors?"

“Well, the treaty of Vegas still stands, correct? I’d hope that the NCR wouldn’t just throw it out because House died. They can’t come onto the strip armed. As much as I like the NCR I think the rules as they are, are there for a reason. I won’t make the Securitrons stand down if they try to forcefully break into the Strip while illegally armed.”

He gestures to a Securitron. “Have the gate security remind any NCR soldiers, that try to enter while armed, about the treaty.”

He turns back to Crocker. “That is more warning than anyone else gets.” He is real out of patience with General Oliver and anyone stupid enough to follow him. And if he is running an independent Vegas he can’t be a pushover or nobody will take him seriously. “If they want to camp outside the Lucky 38 with nothing but security batons, they can be my guest. But they don’t get to bring guns just because someone is throwing a tantrum at not getting their way.”

“Would you like to see what happened? My Securitrons can replay what their cameras picked up. I may have lost my temper, said things more agressively than I should have. But I stand by my decisions. You could maaaaaybe at a stretch charge me for threatening someone. If you really really want you can fine me for that. But other than that I’ve done nothing you can charge me for.”

Crocker nods. "Feel free to show me. Although I'm not a judge or a police officer. Can't arrest you if you're guilty, can't dismiss the charges if you aren't." He pauses. "It is theoretically within my purview to issue pardons, but only towards those under the jurisdiction of the NCR. If I pardonned you for any crimes you may have committed recently, and you accepted the pardon, you'd also be accepting that you are subject to the laws of the Republic."

A voice over the Lucky 38's public address system. "Hey! I feel really rude interrupting your conversation, but the monorail is pulling into the station. I thought you might want to know!"

“Make sure they know not to enter the strip armed. Warn them about the treaty. Tell them ‘do you really want to break it? Does your boss have the authority to do that?’. If they insist, well, you know the rules.” He tells Yes Man.

Six slaps the chassis of one of the escort bots. “Show the Ambassador the confrontation on the bridge.” What happened doesn’t paint him in the best light. But it shows just how far the General fucked up. Crocker seemed relatively honest a guy, and outside of Oliver Six has always had good relations with the NCR. He does have to think about politics but honesty feels like a good option here. 

The Securitron drives in front of the two, and its face blinks out, replaced with the recording. The video quality isn't that great, but it's easy enough to see what's happening.

The Ambassador begins watching with a neutral, interested expression, which becomes steadily more pinched as the recording plays. When Oliver starts making threats, he holds the bridge of his nose. By the time Oliver is describing the people of Nevada as "jacked-up yokels", all Crocker can do is sigh. Finally, the recording ends with Oliver being led away by Securitrons.

"Jesus." Crocker says nothing for several long seconds.

"Alright, I have to ask. If Oliver gets fired in disgrace, and you get an official apology from President Kimball for the way his officer treated you, would you consider allowing the city of New Vegas to be integrated into the NCR? It would be its own state, representation in the Senate. And all existing property rights would be respected."

“Nope” Six pops the p when he says that.

”Look I might have changed my mind right there in the middle of the argument, but the realization I had didn’t just go away when I calmed down. Vegas doesn’t actually need the NCR anymore to be safe. It has the power to protect itself now, to be its own independent polity. That was the way it essentially had been treated under House, but I expect I’ll be doing more than just recreate the old world in the strip like he did.”

”The NCR and Vegas can still be closely tied. I personally like a lot of the NCR folk here and you make great customers for the Strip. But you don’t get to own us. And I’m going to want to renegotiate the treaty slightly in light of what happened with the General and the fact that Robert House is dead and I took over.” Like the airport, he still does want the airport.

Crocker nods. "I figured as much. It was my job to ask, though." He stands up.

"If independence it is, then, you and I will probably be seeing each other a lot more." He holds out his hand for a handshake. "At least it's independent under you. Renegotiating the treaty with, say, Benny, would have been a nightmare."

He shakes the ambassadors hand “I should start charging the NCR for all its problems that I end up killing. Benny, Vulpes, Ceaser, Lanius, the Fiend leaders I did actually get payed for at least.” He grins. “Kidding! And I doubt any bounties involved would affect me much. Going to need to get used to being this rich.”

"You know what, you have a point." Ambassador Crocker gives a droll smile. "What about a military pension?"

After the two say their goodbyes, Crocker walks out of the Lucky 38. As he walks into the NCR embassy, when he's pretty sure no-one is watching him, his amiable mask cracks.

"Fuck!" he mutters, slamming a fist into his thigh. "Seven damned years here trying to integrate this fucking city, and then General Brahmin-Shit Oliver has to throw it all away in seven fucking minutes! Fuck!"

Six heads up to the presidential suite so he can finally get into some normal clothes. That power armor undersuit gets so sweaty. “Yes Man, did the troops sent by Oliver try to get into the strip while still armed?”

Yes Man speaks from a Securitron inside the deep red of the high-roller suite. "They did! They said that they needed their guns to perform an arrest. The guard didn't make an exception, so now they're just staring at each other. I've directed four more Securitrons to the monorail station. If they try to go through, do you want them scared off, or detained?"

Boone finally gets out of his power armour. He sits in a wondrously plush armchair and begins disassembling and cleaning his anti-materiel rifle.

“Try scaring them off first, if they try to bullrush past the securitrons, treat them like any other person trying to break into the strip. They made their choices.” 

Six looks over at Boone. He’s spent the last year helping the NCR with Boone and now he has to play politics and hardball with the NCR. The guy doesn’t talk much but surely this has to affect him. “Boone, you okay? If I’ve massively fucked up somehow you’d tell me, right?” 

Boone looks up as his hands continue loosening screws. "I don't know." Holding the bolt in his hands, Boone begins running it over with a cloth. The clean bolt lands on the table and he continues stripping the rifle.

"NCR has its problems. Don't even know if it's the best choice for Vegas. But I fought alongside those men." He starts laying out springs on the table, lining them up carefully, and there's a long pause. "I'll be damned if I have to fight against them."