-NCR, Shady Sands-
"Brasco, sit down!"
Kimball exhaled a puff of smoke, pointing to the chair he was sitting in at the table.
Brasco hesitated, his hands balled into fists, his face red with rage and desperation.
"Why?"
He snapped, stepping forward and slamming his palms onto the polished oak table. The sound echoed through the dimly lit office. His eyes burned with frustration as he leaned in, glaring at President Aaron Kimball.
Kimball, unfazed, took another slow drag of his cigarette before letting out a long exhale of smoke.
"Because Brasco...You're in no position to be standing over me right now."
He said, voice calm but heavy with authority.
"You played a dangerous game… and you lost."
General Lee Oliver, standing to Kimball's right, crossed his arms, and narrowed his gaze with thinly veiled disgust.
"You screwed up. Badly."
Brasco gritted his teeth.
"I was trying to protect the NCR!"
"By stealing from the VI Family like they were some helpless settlers?"
Oliver scoffed.
"By trying to strong-arm a man who's single-handedly keeping half the Mojave and the NCR supplied? By ordering soldiers to seize his tech, assaulting his wife, and nearly causing a war in the process? You didn't just piss off a powerful man—you nearly got us all killed."
Brasco opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
"But—!"
He tried to protest, but Kimball slammed his hand on the table, cutting him off.
"No. Enough."
His voice was icy, carrying the weight of finality.
"You've been trying to paint Six as a threat when, in reality, he's the only reason the NCR hasn't completely collapsed after the nuclear winter. You wanted power, Brasco. You wanted control."
Kimball tapped the ash off his cigarette, his expression growing colder.
"You let your ambition blind you, Brasco. You thought you could control Six VI, bend him to your will. But you failed to realize something very, very important."
He leaned forward, his piercing gaze locking onto Brasco.
"You don't control Six VI. No one does. We tried for years."
A heavy silence filled the room. The weight of those words hung over Brasco like a noose tightening around his neck.
"Look at where we are now."
Kimball continued.
"That nutcase Shido's nuclear stunt threw most of the world into a frozen hell, and the only thing keeping our NCR territories from starving or freezing to death is Six's family supply chain. We can't afford to piss him off. And thanks to your little power play, he's demanding everyone responsible be turned over to him."
Brasco's stomach sank.
"You… You can't be serious."
He stammered.
Oliver's expression remained stone-cold.
"Oh, we're dead serious."
Kimball sighed, rubbing his temple.
"We had one chance to keep things stable, and you threw a Molotov into it. Now we have two options: hand you over… or deal with a VI Family trade embargo. And believe me, we cannot afford the latter."
Brasco's mind raced.
"But—But you need me! The NCR needs strong leadership right now!"
Kimball smirked, but there was no humor in it.
"That's exactly what we're doing. By cutting out the rot before it spreads."
The words drained the color from Brasco's face. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
"Effective immediately."
Oliver said, voice flat and merciless.
"You're being stripped of your position. You'll be detained pending trial, along with every officer who carried out your orders."
Brasco sank into his chair, shaking.
"You can't do this… I was only trying to—!"
At that moment, the doors swung open, and a squad of Military Police stepped in, their faces emotionless, their hands resting on their holstered sidearms.
"Congressman Frank J. Brasco."
One of them announced.
"You are under arrest for abuse of power and actions jeopardizing national security. Stand down and come quietly."
Brasco's chest tightened, panic creeping into his voice he jerked back, eyes darting around the room, searching for some kind of escape—for support.
There was none.
"No—Wait—You can't do this! I was trying to save the NCR!"
Oliver took a step closer, his towering presence looming over Brasco.
"No, Brasco. You were trying to enrich yourself. And now?"
He gestured toward the MPs.
"You're done."
The MPs grabbed him by the arms, dragging him back as he thrashed and shouted.
"This is a mistake!"
Brasco roared, thrashed, panic taking over, desperation breaking through his voice.
"This is insane! You're all blind! The VI Family is a threat—you think you can trust some wasteland warlord over the NCR!? You'll regret this! The NCR needs me—!"
Kimball leaned back, completely unmoved, took one last drag of his cigarette, and then crushed it into the ashtray.
"Six VI is a businessman. He's ruthless, yes. But unlike you, Brasco… he delivers results."
As Brasco was dragged away, screaming about how they were making a mistake, Kimball looked back at Oliver.
"Send word to Goodsprings."
He ordered, stubbing out his cigarette.
"Tell Six we're handing over everyone responsible."
Oliver nodded.
"And if that's not enough?"
Kimball sighed.
"Then pray he's feeling merciful."
"Now, what's the next incident report about Oliver?"
"..."
General Lee Oliver just kept staring at the report.
"Oliver are you all right man, or are you having a stroke?"
"Sorry Sir... It's just that the report says that most of the Mohave has been having incidents from animal attacks, involving Cocaine Bears."
Kimball blinked.
"Cocaine Bears?"
Oliver nodded, looking just as bewildered as he felt.
"Yes, sir. Reports say these bears are highly aggressive, unnaturally fast, and tearing through caravans like a Deathclaw on jet. Witnesses claim they're foaming at the mouth and shrugging off bullets like it's nothing."
Kimball sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Goddamn it, Oliver. First Brasco screws us, now we've got hopped-up murder bears? Where the hell are they coming from?"
Oliver hesitated before flipping through the report.
"Well… uh… some of the rangers tracked the source to an old pre-war smuggling route. They found a wrecked cabin deep in the mountains near Jacobstown. It was full of pre-war narcotics, including a massive supply of cocaine. And, well, the local wildlife got into it."
Kimball just stared at him.
"So, you're telling me... we have cocaine-addicted bears running wild in the Mojave?"
Oliver slowly nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Kimball pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling deeply.
"And let me guess… the VI Family is the only group equipped to deal with this mess?"
Oliver flipped to the next page, grimacing.
"Actually, sir… it looks like Six has already deployed his Battle Droids to 'handle the situation.'"
Kimball narrowed his eyes.
"Handle how?"
Oliver coughed.
"According to the latest transmission… the droids have been rounding them up and, uh, rehabilitating them."
Kimball paused.
"Rehabilitating?"
Oliver nodded.
"Yes, sir. Six apparently ordered his robots to capture the bears, detox them in containment cells, and then—get this—train them for combat."
Kimball felt a headache coming on.
"So now… we have cocaine war bears under Six VI's command?"
Oliver set the report down and nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Kimball just leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"...I need another cigarette."