"I'm sorry, Ms. Ellsion. I didn't recognize you outside your armor. Have you been monitoring frequency AF95? We've been trying to contact you."

 

It seemed that things had gotten a bit better for Haylen since I last saw her. Back at the Cambridge Police Station, after we'd fought off that ghoul attack, she'd looked tired and haggard. Now? Well, she still looked a little worn down and she obviously needed a shower, but there was more light in her eyes and she was walking with more confidence. Though, I have to note that the amount of skin on display in our base seemed to have her a bit off guard - and I definitely caught her glancing at my chest a few times while we talked.

 

 

"I haven't," I admitted. "I've been up in Concord until quite recently, and we don't have good reception on your transmitter up there. I think there's interference in the vicinity of Lexington that's distorting the signal."

 

"I'm glad I decided to check to see if you were here, then. I'd like for you to come back to the police station with me. Paladin Danse needs to talk with you."

 

"I was just getting ready to move on to Diamond City," I admitted, "so the police station is on my route. And I'd be happy to catch up with Danse again. But I'm curious... how did you know I was here?"

 

Haylen gestured in the direction of the police station, due west of the hospital. "Some of your, um, Rangers came through, escorting the women you rescued from the hospital. That's actually part of why you need to come downtown with me, actually. We mistook them for raiders at first and we almost had a shootout. Part of why we need to meet with you is to deconflict our activities in the area."

 

I nodded as she spoke. "I agree. General Garvey's told me there were a number of encounters with your troops in the area west of here. I know everyone kept their cool, but it's a risky situation if we can't get clearer rules of engagement."

 

Haylen's head was bobbing along with my words, and when I finished she said, "you know, I'm impressed. You don't sound like the local militia types. You're not just a civilian with a gun and some power armor. Did you get real military training somewhere? A mercenary company, maybe?"

 

I shook my head at that, "no, though my husband was a soldier, so some of it might have rubbed off on me. That and lots of old war movies, computer games, things like that. Come on, I'm sure you've read about my past in the paper."

 

 

"No, we don't consider the local open sources to be reliable intelligence, so we mostly ignore them."

 

"Well, I'll tell you my story on the way to the station. If you don't mind, I'll bring my companions with me."

 

"Oh, Charley," Curie said, "I think I and Dr. Cain will stay here. You need trained medical personnel to oversee the salvage operation."

 

Cain nodded in agreement. "This is your wheelhouse, Charley. We'll stay here and keep the camp running." Looking at her face, I saw something odd in her expression. I'm pretty sure she really didn't want to come along, and I guessed that had to do with the hostility Danse had expressed relating to the Institute.

 

"OK, you two take charge here, then. I'll either return to you when I'm done with this meeting, or I'll radio you to let you know my next destination. Heather," I said, "do you want to stay behind also? I know we're not paying you for this side trip."

 

"Hell, no," Casdin said, "I've always wanted to see the Brotherhood of Steel up close. Count me in."

 

"OK, Haylen, it looks like I'll be traveling with Ms. Casdin, our local guide, and with my fiancée, Winter Ainsleigh. Any objections?"

 

I caught a flash of... something... on Haylen's face when I described Winter as my bride-to-be, but it was gone in an instant. 

 

 

"That's acceptable," she said. "If you don't object, let's head out immediately. There's a lot that we want to discuss with you."

 

It was a dreary morning on Cambridge; rain and mist obscured our view and we couldn't get too engrossed in our conversation because we had to watch the alleys and even just the road ahead for trouble. Still, while we walked I gave Haylen the short version of everything that had happened so far - my imprisonment in the vault for over two centuries, the Institute orchestrating the kidnapping of my son, my subsequent escape and the new friends I made, and then the campaigns to first eliminate the Concord raiders and then to neutralize Kellogg's mercenaries. She listened with what seemed like great interest, occasionally interjecting little questions about different details here and there.

 

It didn't feel like she was exactly pumping me for information, but she was clearly very interested in our project at Concord. She was also interested in hearing about my interactions with the Institute - a topic on which she became more animated whenever it came up.

 

"Our last encounter with them directly," I explained, "was on the road to Cambridge, just a few days ago. They had a squad of synths lying in wait to ambush us. Fortunately, they blew their cover and we were able to turn the tables on them. Less directly, we found some signs of synth activity here at the hospital - though no active units."

 

Haylen almost hissed a bit as she listened to what I said. "If I remember right, Danse already told you we suspect they have a base somewhere in Cambridge. Your people at that salvage camp need to maintain a high level of security."

 

"I agree," I said, "we're not taking any chances this far away from our main settlements."

 

By this point, we were just rounding the fortified wall that protected the police station, and I noticed, looking up, that the radio transmitted appeared to be fully set up.

 

 

Pointing at it, I commented, "I see you put that transmitter to good use. Can you get a clear signal to Logan from here?"

 

"Yes," she said, nodding with evident pride, "we had to make some fine adjustments to deal with the pockets of radiation between here and the Prydwen, but most days we now have excellent comms."

 

"Prydwen? Is that the name of your airship?"

 

"It is," she confirmed. "It's a true treasure of the Brotherhood."

 

As she said this, we passed through the barriers into the courtyard between the fortifications and the station proper. A voice called from above, "Scribe Haylen, you're back! Head inside immediately, Paladin Danse is waiting for you." With all the mist in the air I couldn't clearly see the speaker, but I think it was the woman power armor trooper who I'd seen fighting ghouls on our previous visit.

 

"Yes ma'am," Haylen dutifully replied, gesturing for me to proceed into the station.

 

Danse was inside, dressed in his power armor, in the midst of a conversation with... Rhys, I believe his name was - the knight who'd got wounded in the ghoul fight.

 

"Are we in luck? Did we get it?"

 

"Mission accomplished," Danse said. "We got the blueprints. I need you to encode them for burst transmission to the Prydwen immediately."

 

Haylen led us forward, then, when Danse turned to observe us, snapped him a crisp salute.

 

"Paladin Danse," she said, "good to see you alive and well, sir."

 

 

"Finally," Rhys finished, "some good news for a change. Nice work, sir."

 

"Sounds like you've been keeping busy, Paladin Danse," I said. "I'm glad your fortunes have turned since the last time we spoke."

 

"I have," he agreed, "and thank you. No doubt you've seen our airship, the Prydwen, arrive in the Commonwealth? We're entering a new phase in our operations."

 

"I don't think I've seen anything like it before. And from what General Garvey tells me, your comrades have started patrols in the area."

 

"That's right," he said. "We're currently conducting a number of operations in the area. Actually, that's what I wanted to talk with you about. Our leader, Elder Maxson, is concerned about the risk of conflict between the Brotherhood and the Minutemen, as well as with your Concord Rangers. He'd like to... discuss expectations with you."

 

I raised an eyebrow at that. "That's an interesting way to put it. What exactly would be... expected of me?"

 

 

"Frankly," he said, "our preference would be for you to formally join the Brotherhood. As part of our order, your settlements would provide us with vital supplies that would support a much more vigorous operational tempo."

 

Before I could respond, he raised a hand. "I know, you want to maintain your independence. I advised the Elder as much. I don't know if you're aware, but we've had contact with your people at... a working level several times since we started our patrols out west. Other than having to get accustomed to some of the... cultural differences between your community and what we're accustomed to, your independent streak didn't go unnoticed."

 

"You drew the correct conclusion there," I agreed. "While I won't speak for General Garvey - he may be open to more formal integration - civilian control of the military is a core value for Concord and our allies, so we wouldn't be open to becoming subordinate to the Brotherhood."

 

"I expected as much," Danse said, "though I have to admit I'm disappointed. You would make an exemplary knight."

 

 

"Thank you," I said. "So what's the alternative?"

 

"I need to leave that up to my superiors," Danse conceded, "but I imagine it would involve an alliance - you assist us with supplies for our bases, we provide you with access to advanced military weapons."

 

"I'd be willing to entertain those discussions," I said, "but the devil's in the details, of course."

 

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Haylen's body language had shifted a bit. She looked... uncomfortable. I'd later discover that the Brotherhood didn't normally go in for alliances - but at the moment, I was unaware of this.

 

If Haylen's body language conveyed discomfort, Rhys just said it out loud. "So you decided to play ball?" he asked. "I expected you to just take your payment and leave."

 

"I know you're accustomed to having everyone out here either being raiders, mercenaries, or podunk militia," I said, "but that's not how I run things in my community. I want us to have stability and endurance, and that means behaving like a real government. Diplomacy is part of that, especially when a small army shows up in my back yard."

 

 

"Knight Rhys," said Danse, "that's uncalled for. Ms. Ellison already proved her good intentions when she helped us recover the transmitter."

 

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" he asked.

 

Danse frowned a little, but replied, "granted - within reason."

 

"I've got enough trouble stompin' muties and ferals. I don't need something else to worry about - and that includes a self-proclaimed government in our back yard."

 

 

"I'd feel the same way," I acknowledged. "That's the whole reason for us to talk this out, isn't it?"

 

"Like it or not," Danse added, "our two sides have to learn to work together. We're not soldiers of fortune; we've dedicated our whole lives to upholding a strict code of ethics. We obey our tenets without question."

 

Turning to me he added, "That's as much for you as it is for Rhys. If this is going to work, you need to understand us."

 

 

My feelings about what I was hearing were... complex. On one hand, this speech about obeying without question and dedicating entire lives to the cause was ringing all my alarm bells about authoritarianism. It was extremely clear to me that no matter how well-intentioned these people were, they were dangerous. On the other hand, I recognized that negotiating a settlement where we could live with one another was the best way to manage that risk. In spite of all the work we'd been doing to build up the Minutemen and the Rangers, they were no match for an army of power-armored soldiers. 

 

And so I responded, "I agree. If anything, I think the lack of understanding is the number one threat to our relationship. So let's fix that."

 

"If you were paying attention in ArcJet, you should have learned some of what we believe in already," he answered. I detected a little tension in his voice there. I don't think Danse was accustomed to explaining his beliefs to outsiders. And yes, I had definitely been paying attention in ArcJet, and I had indeed learned some of what the Brotherhood believed in.

 

"But the rest of it," he continued, "will become apparent as you meet our soldiers and our leaders. I'm not as eloquent as my superiors, so I'll let them do the speech-making. For me? All I ask for is honesty and respect - going both ways. But since you're so eager to get started, I'll get right to the point. Nothing between us is official until you speak with Elder Maxson, but I've recommended he work with you on frankly unprecedented terms. I envision a future where your civil government and our military will purge the Commonwealth of its many threats and rekindle the light of humanity."

 

"Ad Victoriam," Haylen intoned, clearly impressed.

 

Rhys was less so, muttering, "she doesn't even know what that means, Scribe."

 

As a point of order, I'm a lawyer and I know my fair share of latin. I definitely did know what ad victoriam meant: the Brotherhood translate the phrase as 'to victory,' though I think 'toward victory' or 'forward to victory' is more accurate. But maybe 'to victory,' with its ambiguous double meaning in English was more fitting for the Brotherhood. I knew enough 20th century history to recognize the parallels with another similar slogan, albeit in a different language.

 

If I was a more impulse person, I might have been tempted to sarcastically respond with a sieg heil. Fortunately, I am not that impulsive, and as such I was only very mildly tempted; a temptation I easily resisted. I don't think any of the people in that room would have appreciated the comparison.

 

"Ad Victoriam," Danse explained unnecessarily, "means 'to victory.' In our eyes, defeat is unacceptable because we're fighting for the future of mankind. Our rallying cry is more powerful than any weapon you could ever carry."

 

 

"Now, as I said, only Elder Maxson can formalize an alliance with you, so we should report to the Prydwen. Let me know when you're ready to mount up."

 

I shrugged, "now's as good a time as any. I'm eager to meet Elder Maxson and to open negotiations."

 

"Then follow me up to the roof. We're going for a little ride."

 

The Brotherhood had lot of cleanup work in the police station, and unlike last time I didn't find myself stepping over trash and debris. Soon we were up the stairwell and stepping out onto the roof, where a vertibird sat waiting, engines already spooled up.

 

"Wow," said Casdin, "that is the most impressive thing I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of things."

 

"Just wait until you reach the Prydwen," Danse said, "she's carrying enough troops and equipment to mount a major offensive. And with her and Elder Maxson here... it means we're going to war."

 

"Who with?" I asked.

 

"That's above my pay grade right now," he said as we piled into the aircraft, "but if I had to guess, I'd say the Institute."

 

"Fuck, finally. They've had it coming for a long time," said Casdin.

 

A few moments later, the aircraft started to lift up off the pad, and Danse waved to one of the door guns. "That minigun is fully loaded. If you see anything hostile, I recommend you put it to good use."

 

Taking the cue, I got out of my seat and settled into a braced position on the gun. It gave me a fantastic view of Cambridge passing underneath as we made the flight towards Logan Airport. For her part, Casdin decided to stay seated, though I could hear her musing, "fan-fucking-tastic, we get to spend some time with the Brotherhood."

 

 

 

Once I was in position, Danse continued, "make sure you identify your targets before shooting. We don't want to have any mishaps where we end up firing on the locals."

 

As we passed over the old CIT campus, Casdin opined, "everything looks so small from up here. Really puts things in perspective, you know?"

 

Danse nodded in agreement, "you can only really appreciate the battlefield when you see it from above."

 

A few minutes later, we were following the Charles River east towards Logan, and we started taking some fire from a raider camp. I flipped off the safeties on the minigun and returned fire, feeling a satisfying vibration in my hands as the gun sent bullets screaming down towards the enemy. After a few sweeps of the tracer stream over their watchtowers, the ground fire stopped.

 

 

"You can see why our air superiority is so critical here," Danse said. "Sending ground patrols through this part of the city would entail unacceptable losses - we'd have to clear a corridor block by block and during that time the Institute would be free to act."

 

Casdin replied, a little flippant, "it's not so bad out here on the fringes. But fuck me, there's nothing but muties, raiders, and Gunners further in."

 

"Ah, I see you're familiar with the Gunners as well," Danse said.

 

"Who isn't?" I asked, "they've been a non stop thorn in our side ever since we first encountered them."

 

"They won't be one forever," Danse promised. "Once the Institute is eliminated, smaller threats like them will be next."

 

"You're serious about this fight, aren't you?"

 

"As long as the Institute exists, every man, woman, and child down there is in danger. Cleansing the Commonwealth is my duty, and I will gladly spill my own blood if it guarantees that victory."

 

A few minutes later, we reached the confluence of the Charles and Mystic rivers, and Danse added, "we're on final approach to the Prydwen now. Lancer-Captain Kells will meet us on the flight deck."

 

 

As promised, Kells was waiting for us just off the boarding ramp. Danse greeted him with the classic "permission to come aboard, sir?" and Kells nodded in acknowledgement.

 

"Welcome back, Paladin. I heard things got a little tense in Cambridge."

 

"Nothing we couldn't handle in the end, sir. But it's good to be back on the Prydwen. I've been away for too long."

 

Looking to me, he asked - apparently still speaking to Danse, "I take it this is the Vault Dweller? Ellison?"

 

"Yes, sir," Danse confirmed.

 

 

The two of them exchanged some more pleasantries, under at length, Kells dismissed Danse with instructions to stand by for further orders. After he'd left, Kells turned back to me.

 

"So, you're the one Paladin Danse has taken under his wing. You don't look like much of a soldier to me."

 

"I'm only a soldier by necessity," I admitted. "My first priority is rebuilding the civil infrastructure on the far side of the Charles River. But, as you've obviously observed, there are too many threats to not take a strong defensive posture."

 

"Then it's true that you're a... what? A governor? If so, you should be doubly honored to be here. It's been a long time since the Brotherhood has even entertained the possibility of allying with an outside power."

 

"I'm sorry to disappoint," I said, trying to avoid getting snarky.

 

"I've read Paladin Danse's reports," Kells explained, "he thinks you'd make a fine addition to the Brotherhood. If there's anything I'm disappointed about, it's your unwillingness to join us." He stopped me from responding with a raised hand, "no need to defend yourself. I'm sure you have your reasons. Let me make one thing clear: the Brotherhood of Steel has travelled to the Commonwealth with a specific goal in mind. As long as you don't interfere with that mission - and as long as you don't present a threat to this vessel - consider yourself our guest."

 

"That's a fair position," I agreed, "and I have no intention to doing either."

 

 

"Then unless you have any further questions, I recommend you proceed to the command deck. Elder Maxson will be addressing the troops, after which time he would like to speak with you personally."

 

I didn't have any questions for Kells - or rather, I didn't have any questions that I could safely ask without stirring up unwanted questions. I would have loved to drill into him more about the Brotherhood's intentions for the Commonwealth. It didn't take much reading between the lines to conclude that once the Institute was gone, the Brotherhood wouldn't just be backing their bags and going home. And yet, they weren't announcing this publicly, not yet. I realized that I would need to be cautious treating with them - it was very possible that a seemingly innocent agreement might be the start of an unwanted and uncomfortable entanglement.

 

For now, however, I headed into the hull of the airship, searching out Elder Maxson so I could observe his speech.

 

It didn't take me long to find Maxson - his voice carried well inside the hull and I only had to follow my ears.

 

"Brothers and sisters," he was saying, "the road behind us has been long and fraught with difficulty."

 

Maxson was addressing the inhabitants of a small briefing room. Judging by the outfits, I guessed the men and women here were representatives from each department on the ship. Additionally, an older woman stood beside Maxson. The first thing I noticed about her was her vibrant pink hair - the same color as my own. The second thing I noticed were the prosthetic hands emerging from the sleeves of her coat. Not just hands, I realized, either. The woman also had prosthetic legs. Clearly, she'd had a difficult life.

 

 

Maxson cut a more traditionally handsome figure. I realized on second glance that he was younger than I'd initially assumed - his uniform, his bearing, his beard - they all seemed calculated to create a sense of strength and gravitas. Evidently I was not the only person in the Commonwealth receiving some stage managing.

 

"Each and every one of you has surpassed my expectations by rapidly facilitating our arrival in the Commonwealth," he continued. "You accomplished this feat without a hint of purpose or direction. And most impressively, without question." 

 

Yup, there's some more of that totalitarianism. Clearly it permeated the Brotherhood from top to bottom.

 

 

"Now that the ship is in position, it is time to reveal our purpose and mission. Beneath the Commonwealth, there is a cancer. A cancer known as the Institute. A malignant growth that needs to be cut before it infects the surface."

 

This was pretty by-the-book fascism 101 territory: dehumanize your enemy, compare them to vermin or to a disease, use health allegories to justify genocide. I didn't really like what I was hearing here. And I didn't like the looks on the faces of Maxson and his female companion. There was something very dark lurking behind those eyes.

 

"They are experimenting with dangerous technologies that could prove to be the world's undoing for the second time in recent history. The Institute scientists have created a weapon that transcends the destructive power of the atomic bomb. They call this weapon... the Synth. A robotic abomination of technology that is free-thinking and masquerades as a human being. This... 'notion' that a machine could be granted free will is not only offensive, it is horribly dangerous. And like the atom, if it isn't harnessed and controlled, it has the potential to bring extinction to us as a species."

 

 

"I am not prepared to allow the Institute to continue this line of experimentation. Therefore, the Institute and their Synths are considered enemies of the Brotherhood of Steel. We will deal with them swiftly and mercilessly. This campaign will be costly, and many lives will be lost. But in the end, we will be saving mankind from its worst enemy... itself. Ad Victoriam!"

 

The assembled soldiers echoed Maxson's slogan before applauding their leader. I was... deeply concerned. The rhetoric I'd just listened to was a call to genocide, and everything I'd seen so far told me that when Maxson unleashed his army, no one would question his orders. We might have shared a mutual enemy in the Institute, but in no way was the Brotherhood of Steel my natural ally. 

 

After a bit more applause, the other soldiers filed out, leaving just me, Maxson, and his female companion. I approached them, but before I could offer a proper greeting he turned and spoke to me.

 

"I care about them, you know. The people of the Commonwealth."

 

 

I was a little too spun of from his speech, and some of my concern slipped out into words. "Care about them?" I asked, "I thought you were preparing for war."

 

"The Brotherhood is here to prevent a war by starting a war of our own," he explained. "The difference is, our war won't reduce civilization to ashes."

 

"And where do I fit into this? What do you want from me?"

 

 

"When we came here, I believed that we would be on our own. Without support. Forced to forage off the land and always watching our back. But Paladin Danse found a most remarkable thing: a former Vault Dweller, who had in a relatively short span of time built up a little pocket of civilization in the west. A civilization that, on one hand, was not so strong as to be a threat to us, but that was too strong for us to efficiently subjugate. And, I later learned, a civilization with just as much reason as us to hate the Institute."

 

"You know about my son, then?"

 

"That, and more," the woman said. "We know about what happened in Vault 111. I'm... mystified as to why you chose to to appropriate their identity, but I suppose there's a certain mystique that goes with being a Vault Dweller, isn't there?"

 

 

"I don't think we've been introduced," I said. 

 

"Oh, we've been introduced," she countered. "But it was a long, long time ago. How old do you think I am?"

 

It was hard to say - her stooped posture and worn face suggested age, but underneath those scars her skin still seemed free of wrinkles.

 

"I've always heard that it's rude to guess at a woman's age," I dissembled.

 

"I'm 84 years old this month, actually. At least, 84 lived years. And yes, I know I don't look it. Call it a... gift, from my mother. Sixty-one years ago, the Institute left me to die along with my sister and a few dozen others. They only chose you to live." As she said this, she brushed back her hair to reveal the Vault 111 tattoo on her brow.

 

"Alexia Gray," I mouthed. "How the hell are you still alive?" 

 

"My sister Anna. She was smart - always smarter than me - and she was always a quick thinker. After the Institute's people left, she managed to short-circuit her cryo pod and open the door. And like a good sister, she freed me too. Carried my ruined body up to the surface."

 

"This is a charming reunion," Maxson interjected, "but you asked if we knew about your son. We do, and we want you to help us be the instrument of your revenge against the Institute. We need food, water, raw materials. We want you to help us - first with building our base in Cambridge, and then to work with us to take control of Lexington. With those two cities in our hands, the Brotherhood will have dramatically more freedom to operate."

 

"If you were one of us," Maxson continued, "I'd grant you the rank of knight. But since you opted to reject our offer of membership, let me instead give you a gift. A full suit of power armor, a sign of our strength and largesse, and of our hopes for a lasting alliance."

 

 

"I appreciate the gesture," I said. "Though I think we should discuss the specifics of our cooperation. I'm eager to open trade with you and, in that framework, to supply your forces. But the details are important. If you'll permit a frank opinion, it's not my intention to become a vassal-state to the Brotherhood, or to enter into a one-sided exchange."

 

"I expected nothing less. And when you are speaking privately with myself and the Handmaiden, please always feel free to speak frankly. An honest outside voice can be priceless. For now though, I have to insist we delay the negotiations."

 

"Oh?" I asked, hoping that I hadn't soured our relationship already.

 

"I've always believed that the only way you can trust a man - or a woman - is if you forge a bond of brotherhood in combat. The Handmaiden fought beside my father for many years before coming east with me, and until you have fought at my side I don't believe we can negotiate as equals. So report to the flight deck, an operation is about to launch and I insist you be part of it."