Silath's Journal: Day 30 - November 17, 2281

We rose and got ready at 4 AM. I didn't sleep great, but I'm starting to think perhaps it's just a natural adaptation. Only fools sleep well in the Mojave, everyone else keeps one eye open. I'll just have to make up for it when I have the chance to sleep somewhere safe.

We headed the last few miles north to Nellis, and sure enough found the last squad by a blase crater. Now that I had all three holotapes, I decided to give them a listen, but it was basically just MacNamara telling them to look 'for the components we need', very little to go one.
Then we trurned around and headed back to the bunker. The trip was uneventful and we made good time. I informed MacNamara that all three squads had been found dead, and handed over the holotapes.
Now MacNamara wants me to go find three of his scouts and get reports from them, because they've been ordered to maintain radio silence. Do you know who I am, you motherfucker? I am so fucking sick of running over the goddamned mojave every five minutes to drop of somebodies fucking laundry or being asked to risk my goddamn life, killing hordes of mutants, because they're too fucking afraid.
Of course... of course I didn't say that. I gritted my teeth. If MacNamara wants me to run goddamned errands, then I'll run his goddamn errands. Why? Because I need their support, that's why.

I suppose I could just help Hardin take charge, but he gives me the creeps. Like a bad politician (there's good ones?). I just don't like the guy, not that MacNamara is exactly great either, but I don't get that same 'Backstabbing bastard' vibe off of him.
Blech. At least one of the scouts was close by to the south, watching over the NCRCF. Apparently he had witnessed the prisoner takeover and was wondering why the NCR hadn't come to take back the prison.
When MacNamara had told me the passphrase to get the scouts to talk to me was 'Is the bear still hunting?' it wasn't hard to figure out what that meant. The other scout was just a few miles to the east, so we headed to them next.

Veronica either doesn't mind the fact we wander the wasteland doing petty tasks for people all day, or she just hasn't been with me long enough to get angry about it yet. I think she could tell I was mad about something, though, but didn't ask what.
Found scout number 2 watching over Nipton, he had witnessed the legion massacre there. He was astounded the legion had infiltrated so far west, and that the NCR had done nothing in reply.
The final scout was a decent ways to the northeast, along the Colorado and south of the Dam. Along the way we were attacked by another group of legion assasins. Hum-de-dum. That's another thing I'm realllllly getting sick of. GIVE IT UP CEASER. I've killed a dozen of these fucking assasin groups. You're not going to get me you fucking twat.

I was feeling very tired by then, but it was only 4 PM. This day had just been really irritating and exhausting. Found the third scout overlooking the NCR Camp searchlight. He said he was surprised the NCR hadn't crushed the legion forces there, given the NCR's technological edge. Apparently these scouts have never had to fight legion troops before.
Speaking of the scouts, I forgot to mention but they all talk like a bunch of stuck-up cunts. It was extremely irritating, I wanted to kick them in the face for it. Arrogant assholes. Why don't you go down and try to fight off some legion fuckheads with nothing but a service rifle, outnumbering you and your men by 3 to 1?

Anyway... it was getting dark by then so I headed into Camp Searchlight, intending to get some food and rest. By the graveyard, some troops were on a cliff shining one of the spotlights down at something.
When I spoke with them, they offered me a bet: There was a cave at water level, on the other side of the canyon. If I dove in, got inside, and came back they would give me 500 caps.
I didn't really need the money, but the day had left me feeling angry and frustrated, and I was in the mood to do something stupid and crazy... so I took the bet. Told Veronica to wait at the camp for me, if I wasn't back in 24 hours I was dead. I took off my combat armor, stripping down to just the protective under suit.
Then I jumped. The vertigo as I watched the cliffs race past me was overwhelming, making myself as slender as possible, my body shooting through the water. I think I even felt my toes touch the bottom, then I was shooting back up and gasping for air.

The water hadn't looked like it was moving fast, but it was surprisingly swift. I had to swim hard and latch on the the rusted steel grating over the tunnel. Then I opened the gate and was safely inside.
Safe being a relative term... all I had brought with my was my perferator and a belt laden down with ammunition and a few stimpacks. Fortunately the tunnel only had about a half-dozen lakelurks in it, which was a mercy.
At the end of the tunnels I found a small but well preserved bunker. A terminal with random chunks of diary provided some details on who had lived here; ghouls, it seems, a man and his wife. They had travelled all the way from DC, and arrived here several years ago.
Then they had begun work on some sort of technology, an assisted targeting module. I wondered if that was like the combat module Doc Mitchell had given me. There was talk about a nightvision visor, which a gecko had somehow made off with. And a suit of armor, a complete set of which he had buried with his wife.

I found the armor in another room, some kind of workshop. It's... awesome. The best way I can describe it is as a lightweight suit of power armor, geared more towards stealth and agility than protection. I have no idea how they got it to be so lightweight, maybe the same sort of technology as that device I keep on my backpack?
Whats really cool is that the armor is modular. There's multiple pieces you can add or take off as you please. Veronica is going to be impressed when I get back to her with this! Then I remembered she was probably wondering if I was even alive... so I left the armor in the room and headed out to the entrance of the tunnel.
Leaning outside the grating, I flashed my pipboy light twice, slowly, up at the cliff. The searchlight was sweeping the canyon and river south of me. I hoped Veronica was still up there and would see my light.
A minute later I flashed again, and this time got a response; three short flashes from her helmet-mounted light. I gave a single, long flash in return, and it was replieed by Veronica in kind. I think she was yelling down something at me, but I couldn't understand.
A moment later the searchlight found me again, and I waved my arm up at them. I couldn't see them, not with the light shining right down into my face, but I hoped they got the message.

I was far too exhausted to climb back up the cliff, especially at night. I went back to the bunker to sleep and record this. I locked the entrance up tight, stripped out of my soaking wet clothes, and then lay down in the musty smelling bed. I realized a ghoul had slept here. Hopefully there isn't too much dead skin... ick.