POV Rio
Once I was done exploring the area, I took the codes I had and went North to talk to an old Paladin of the Brotherhood of Steel. I wanted to do this for a few reasons. One was to give him closure. Another to complete the quest. A third was to test if those considered either dead or no longer members would have the same hostile status as the rest of the faction. And lastly, it was to see if Brandis had any interesting tech or knowledge.
I arrived at Recon Bunker Theta. I used the password, and the door opened. Once inside, I was met with a scared old man pointing a laser pistol at me.
"Freeze! One more step and I'll... I'll blow your damn head off! Who are you? Who sent you? How'd you get in here?" Brandis yelled with fear evident in his voice.
"Are you... Brandis? Paladin Brandis?" I ask to make sure.
"What? Who are you? Where did you hear that name?" Branids says with a surprised tone.
"I followed the distress beacons left by your team. Their holotapes led me here," I say.
"The others! What... what happened to them?" Brandis asks with some hope.
"They're dead, Paladin. I recovered their tags," I say while holding out their dog tags.
"You... you did? Thank you. This... this really means a lot to me. I... I tried to go back for them, you know. There was nothing I could do, not alone. But... I had hoped... Sigh. You've been through a lot to find me. I should... I should give you something. I've collected a lot over the years. Technology. Odds and ends. If you see anything you want, take it, take it," Brandis says while carefully taking the dog tags as if scared they would break if he didn't.
He puts his gun away and goes to take a seat. I look around the bunker and see if anything catches my eye. Most of it was not that useful or stuff I already knew. Locations of some prewar military facilities. A few pieces of tech, like a laser gun or some Stealth Boys. But the one thing I did find that was interesting was a blueprint for a facility I had been investigating.
The facility was the one taking all that power from the Mass Fusion Containment Shed. KLEO only had partial schematics, but this blueprint was the complete set. It showed all the parts of the facility, including where some turrets are and some traps. However, what really caught my eye was the mention of a lower section. The map had nothing else, just a mention of it.
'Interesting, this is clearly the final map, and yet they didn't include what this lower section was or where it was, just that it exists.'
I asked Brandis about where he found it, and he said that it was found here at the bunker when he arrived. I took almost everything he had at the bunker, but I left him with plenty of food and water. Even if he may have been an enemy at one point, all I see now is a broken and depressed man trying to live the rest of his life in solitude.
After we were done, nearly a week had passed, and it was time to head back to Goodneighbor. But I at least made a quick stop at Bunker Hill to let Deb know that the National Guard Training Yard was cleared out. That led to us getting another quest to clear out Zeller's Army based in the Old East Boston Preparatory School. Their leader, Judge Zeller, was extorting Bunker Hill for Caps and then still attacking their caravans. I wanted to do it right away, but I really couldn't afford to wait any longer before returning to Goodneighbor.
POV Marowski
"I'm sorry, but can you repeat that?" I say to the Courser.
"The plan will be delayed for a time," the Courser responds.
"May I ask why?" I ask.
"Yes, our informants indicate that Hancock has been in contact with the Minutemen. Thus, to ensure they do not get involved, we have set up another plan that will distract them. But further, we will need to ensure that their leader, Rio, is not present in Goodnighbor," the Courser replies.
"I can understand that, but why is it so important that Rio isn't present? Don't get me wrong, I want him dead just as much as the next guy, but he isn't that big of a threat. Sure, he's a mutant, but he can't defeat an army, and I don't think we will struggle to deal with him," I say with some confidence.
"It is not up for debate. Rio must not be in Goodneighbor when the plan starts," the Courser says with finality.
"Okay, okay, fine. But how am I supposed to ensure he isn't in Goodneighbor? I can't control his movements. At least not without just attacking him," I ask.
"You do not need to worry, the Institute will handle it. You just need to execute the operation when I tell you to," the Courser says.
I just sigh and agree. I was already this deep; there was no point fussing over the details. I did have an idea what the distraction was. It was hard to miss the movements in the West.
POV Kellogg
I had been assigned a new mission to cause issues for the Minutemen. The mission itself wasn't the problem; it was getting the distraction put together. For example, I was currently sitting in another meeting between a lot of Raiders, Gunners, Caravans, and basically anyone who had a grudge with the Minutemen or, more specifically, their leader, Rio.
"It is simple, the Minutemen have a means of mass destruction, we do NOT!" yelled Red Tourette.
"We've only now managed to gather our forces," said William Black.
"Gather our forces? Savoy's already attacked one of their caravans!" screamed Jared.
"We needed to do something! All we have been doing is sitting around and yapping our @sses off!" Savoy retorted.
"If that's how it's going, why have an alliance at all?" responded William Black.
"I say we fight!" yelled the representative of the Pack Radiers Buffalo.
"We must scatter our troops; if we charge right at Sanctuary, we will be obliterated," said Red Tourette.
"It's better than doing nothing!" yells another Raider boss.
"Why don't we all calm down. We are all here for the same purpose. We want to bring down the Minutemen and Rio," says Nexia, the leader of a caravan company.
"He's right, you know. If you wait too long, Rio will find out about this, and they will be ready," I speak up.
"And isn't that what your employers are making sure he doesn't do?" says Buffalo.
"Yes, but I think many of you want to fight sooner rather than later," I reply.
"Indeed, we have the supplies and the manpower. Every day, this prolongs the more Caps we are losing," speaks up another caravan company leader.
"But who will be the leader?" Savoy asks the biggest question.
"That won't be a problem, I will handle it," says a newcomer from a group I wasn't clear on.
"And who are you? And why would we let you lead?" asks Jared.
"Who I am is irrelevant. All that matters is that I am a neutral third party who has experience leading troops. If you want the best odds of victory, then letting me lead would be the best choice... But I won't lead alone. Instead, each of the various leaders will be given a voice in the war room," comments the mysterious man.
"Hmm, I think that would be best," comments William Black.
"I think he would be the best choice as well," says Nexia.
"I think a third party is the only way any of us would accept. We have no beef with you, so you have my vote," says Red Tourette.
"Sigh. Fine, not like I want to do all that boring stuff anyway," says Savoy.
After Savoy, everyone else agrees some more reluctantly than others. I was relieved to see them actually making progress for once. We had already gathered a large army, but a few gangs refused to join for one reason or another. That was unlikely to be much of an issue, given our numbers should be more than enough to take over most of the Minutemen's northern settlements. But that wasn't my only mission. No, the Institute wanted me to get into Vault 111 and figure out what Rio had been doing down there.
'Let's hope this mysterious leader can keep these scum together long enough to complete my missions.'
POV ???
I hear the door open and see Colonel Winter with the report I was expecting.
"Timely as always, Colonel," I say calmly.
"Thank you, ma'am," Winter responds.
I open the report and find some interesting information.
"Is there something else, Colonel?" I say while reading the report.
"Yes, ma'am, Alpha Squad is requesting further support to execute their mission," Winter states.
I look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"They have analysed the target and believe that they would need additional resources to complete the mission. They have specifically asked for Bravo Squad and the deployment of Agent 111," Winter says.
"Bravo Squad is granted, but I am curious why they think Agent 111 should be sent out," I inquire.
"Page 7, ma'am. They have estimated the targets abilities and think that this could be a good opportunity to give Agent 111 some live combat experience. While the simulations are fine and the in-field operation has shown promise, they believe that dealing with Raiders, Mutants, and the occasional creature is not as effective as dealing with such a high-level threat," Winter says.
I read page 7 and see why they think this could be a good opportunity.
"I can see their viewpoint. But what are your thoughts, Colonel?" I ask.
"I think it holds promise, ma'am. All the recent test results show that Agent 111 is ready for field deployment, but they have limited experience with dangerous targets. The closest to a threat they have dealt with was a simulation of a Deathclaw. Rio shows that he could be a useful test subject for Agent 111's capabilities when dealing with magic. And it would vastly improve the odds of the operation succeeding," Winter states.
"Then Agent 111 can be deployed. How goes the preparation for the operation?" I ask.
"It is proceeding smoothly. The trap is set; now we just need to add the bait. And if by some miracle they survive the first trap, then plans B through G will be employed. Our best estimates put the chance of failure at below a single percent," Winter reports.
"Good, but be prepared for... surprises. I find that these kinds of... individuals often manage to survive even against impossible odds. And Rio has magic and has shown to have various unique and strange powers," I caution.
"Yes, ma'am," Winter says.
Once Winter leaves, I find myself thinking of other strategies that we may need to use. I can recognize the soundness of the plan presented to me, but I can also see that our target is too mysterious. We are lacking information.
'And they seem to be growing.'
The report gave estimations of Rio's abilities. And I was certain that they were changing. Evolving. Then there were the strange activities in the Northern Commonwealth. A possible shadowy group working for Rio. We don't know who or what they are, just that they are doing things that are helping the Minutemen.
'Time will reveal all.'