[MC's pov]

By the time six hours had passed, I was beginning to worry about the Elf.

Had he betrayed me and run away? Had he died? Was he kidnapped? Enslaved?

Although it wouldn't do me much harm if he died, if he was captured or enslaved, he could eventually be broken and reveal my location. If such a thing happened, my Vault Colony would be doomed, Luckily, I refrained from giving him much information, he would have no idea that this wasn't my only colony, my most populated colony, but certainly not the only one.

And while his death would be regrettable, it would set me back for a while, making it harder to complete any of my plans.

For example, once I knew the date I could set up a 'Guideline' or plan.

Not to mention I doubt I would gain a humanoid operative any time soon to do my overt work.

Luckily, it seemed that for now, my fears were unwarranted as I saw him walking toward the vault in the distance.

If I were lucky, I'd be getting good news, however, It's best to hope for the best yet prepare for the worst.

Once he reached the vault, I led him down to the Cavern where I felt safest.

"What did you learn?" I asked, asking the most important question of all.

"The date? A woman by the name of Julie Farkas told me it was December 8th, 2275, as for the trade deal you had me approach the Followers of the Apocalypse with, I am afraid it will have to wait until tomorrow since they wanted to examine and test the Fungi to see accurately how effective the fungi would be in medicine. As for what else I learned, this world you summoned me to is in dire need of order. Just from what I saw in this 'Westside' and in my travels has me concerned with the state of this world."

2275? That's later than I hoped by earlier than I expected...

What it means is the first battle over the Hoover Dam is coming close, it also means I have a little over a year before the events of Fallout 3 take place, and about five years before New Vegas's events start...

Frankly, It was more than I expected, and with the time I had left, I would be able to become at the very least a minor faction in the Mojave Wasteland, maybe even a major power if I were to obtain the Big MT tech.

It would also mean I'd have to find the Courier and get them on my side, and if plot armor somehow exists and they end up going the Evil Karma route, I'd have to find some way to stop them or kill them.

I don't want the Courier rising to power if they are only going to be helping Caesar's Legion and end up wanting to enslave or slaughter everyone in the Mojave Wasteland, cause such a person would also try to destroy or enslave me, and I for one, wouldn't let that slide, especially if I could stomp the threat out early.

Who knows what would happen if the Courier went all 'Dark' and ended up amassing a bunch of power, he'd be a threat, one too big to ignore, so, I would need to talk with them, watch them, study them.

And I wouldn't be able to do that until they get shot in the head and wake in Goodsprings, even then, if I met them before they reached there, there was no telling if they'd lose all of their memories or have their entire personality flipped on its head.

So, now that I had time, though clearly not as much as I would like, it seemed it was time to get to work.

I asked the Myconoids to begin focusing on growing as many Fungi as they could, ranging from not only Medicinal but also Food and Water, if I could become a good supplier of food and water to New Vegas, that would be one easy way I could gain power.

I also had a few options when it came to allies.

Jacobstown at the top of the very mountain the vault was constructed in, a pre-war Ski Resort housing Supermutants, tall green humanoids that were far stronger, tougher, and meaner than a regular human, and the Nightkin, a variant of supermutants with darker skin and the tendency to use Stealth Boys.

I could find some way to trade with them, maybe even start expanding my colony up the mountain, but first, I would need to see how they'd react to my presence.

Of course, another option was the Boomers of Nellis AFB who were isolationist Vault Dwellers who believed all outsiders are 'Savages' and would blow up any that approached the base, and they were also highly trained with explosives and other firearms, meaning they would be formidable warriors if they were trained for such a thing.

Other than them, there existed a few small factions that I could also sway to my side, such as the Remnants, and the Kings, hell, if I could, I'd also see if I could get House on my side, though it would be harder to convince him than the others.

Either way, even if I couldn't get those factions on my side, I should still be able to gain strength, and if I become wealthy enough, I'll be able to buy the loyalty of any wastelander I need or want, with very few that I doubt id be able to buy.

After all, if I could guarantee good pay, housing, employee and health benefits, as well as a guarantee of three meals a day? I bet I'd get swarmed by people wanting a steady source of food and water, let alone all the other added benefits.

But first, I would have to establish myself and get the Myconoids to produce a Fungi farm that will produce much more Fungi, more than enough for any future purposes.

So, I asked them to expand their Fungi production to cover the entire cavern, and while they're at it, I would begin excavating with Spore Carriers to increase the amount of space they would have for the farms.

Meanwhile, I asked the Elf, Ailwin to continue being my operative, and...if possible, see if Julie would be willing to meet me discreetly.

It was risky, but that's why I wouldn't meet her here at the vault, instead, she would meet my Spore Carrier far away from the vault, I was thinking somewhere north of the city.

With the energy I had to spare, I would continue expanding in Big MT, while I would also keep trying to befriend the tribes of Zion.

If I do enough work, I should be ready by the events of Fallout 3, and perhaps I will be able to influence them and perhaps get the Lone Wanderer on my side as well.

I won't lie, I felt a bit relieved now that I knew the date.

For all I knew, it could have been years after the events of the games, meaning my cannon knowledge would have been useless.

Not to mention, my life would have been a lot harder if New Vegas had fallen to one of the major factions of the Mojave Wasteland already, such as the NCR, the Legion, House, or even the Courier.

My plan right now was mostly to expand and establish myself as a faction in the Mojave Wasteland, once I did that, I would be able to expand quickly, perhaps even expanding my 'Growth' outside the vault and into the Wasteland, terraforming it for the better.

Perhaps if I had enough time, I could heal the world, clean the water, remove the radiation, and make it far safer for the average wastelander.

It would take a lot of work, and probably decades, but it may very well be possible.

However, that was the future, now, I had to focus on the present.

I looked over to the Elf and internally sighed.

I still didn't know if they were loyal, and the only way I would know was with time, but I had within my arsenal, three statues that could very well slaughter most of the Factions of the Mojave Wasteland, the Weeping Angels.

Though I did notice the 'Lesser' tag in the name, what was lesser about them?

Were they weaker? Killable? Small? I could only guess until I eventually summoned them.

However, once I did, and IF they were loyal, they would be great tools for solving all sorts of problems.

From what little I remembered about them, they were 'Immortal,' ageless, near-perfect hunters/predators, intelligent, and almost unstoppable...

They were killing machines, that were in the form of statues, unmoving until you looked away, and by the time you looked back, you were either dead, or their statue forms would be breathing down your neck and staring into your soul.

Sighing, I figured It was time to learn more about the Elf, its experiences, and its magic.