POV Elder Maxson
"I want to thank everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to be here. I apologize for the late hour of the meeting, but this was the best time we could hold it," I say while looking around the table.
"It is our duty, Arthur," Proctor Quinlan replied.
The others agree, and we get into the meeting.
"I brought you all here to discuss our future operations. I have received recent intelligence from the Citadel. After the original ghoul horde was wiped out by the rogue Nuclear weapon, a new horde has taken its place. The size is estimated to be comparable. We also got confirmed reports of a Super Mutant Army appearing in the Western part of New York," I say with disgust clear in my tone.
"Are we being ordered to abandon our expedition?" Lancer Captain Kells asks.
"No, some have requested we leave the Commonwealth and return, but I have refused. Beneath the Commonwealth, there is a cancer... known as the Institute, a malignant growth that needs to be cut before it infects the surface. 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 nature of the atom bomb. We cannot allow such abominations to continue existing. The other threats are only temporary; they are brainless, violent creatures. But the Institute is different, they as no less dangerous than the Enclave we fought a few years ago," I say with conviction.
I see their eyes shine with the same conviction when we started this journey, and I couldn't be prouder. I turn my eyes to Proctor Ingram.
"Which is why I must push you to complete your project. If we get Liberty Prime operational again, there will be nothing left to stand in our way," I say with certainty.
"Sigh. As I have reported before, my team and I are doing the best we can, but we haven't had any progress. Simply put, we don't have the needed expertise to fix Prime. I have my teams working around the clock, but without the right skills and knowledge, we are fumbling in the dark. We are stretched thin as it is, and we are running out of supplies to continue our work," Ingram says.
"I have to add on to what Ingram has said, we are running low on supplies. And getting more has been very... complicated," Proctor Teagan adds on.
"Why are we not getting enough supplies?" asks Senior Scribe Neriah.
"I have been sending out troops to collect donations, but there are just too few settlements that aren't with the Minutemen. We even started collecting donations from caravans, but it is not enough to keep us supplied. At the current rate, we have maybe another 6 months before we run out. We've even started collecting the free water the Minutemen have been giving out," Teagan says.
"There have also been some supplies going missing that I have sent men to investigate, but so far we haven't found anything," Lancer Captain Kells comments.
"Does anyone have suggestions on how to resolve this?" I ask.
"We could simply demand the Minutemen hand over supplies," Sentinel Johnson offers.
"That would be a most unwise course of action. While the Minutemen are just civilians, they hold a very dangerous power in the form of artillery. From our estimates, we are more than within range of their cannons, and we are not nearly maneuverable enough to avoid a target bombardment," Quinlan retorts.
"Why shouldn't we deal with the Minutemen? Their leader is that abomination! As long as it breathes, it is an insult to the Brotherhood!" Kells says with disgust.
"I want that thing dead as much as any of us, but we don't need to fight two wars at the same time while also having to worry about our home defenses. Once Liberty Prime is operational, we can deal with the Institute and Minutemen. While taking their weapons and technology," I reply.
They applauded, and generally everyone is in agreement. Though we also agree that if an opportunity appears, we would use it to kill Rio.
"I have a suggestion, but it's a bit... out of usual operating procedures than I would prefer," Teagan offers.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I have made contact with several caravans and even some powerful people from the largest settlement in Boston, Diamond City. They are in a position where they need a... counterbalance to the Minutemen. They are offering we make a trade. They give us the supplies we need, and in exchange, we send some Knights and Paladins to protect their caravans. We would have to make some shows that we support them, but that would be after they test the waters," Teagan says.
"You would have us serve as guns for hire? Do you have no honor?" Quinlan says with an angered tone.
"Can you eat honor?" Teagan snaps back.
"Enough. Unless anyone else has a suggestion... No? Then we will go with Teagan's suggestion. Now back to Liberty Prime," I reply.
"I am doing everything I can. But without an expert in this field, we are not able to go much further. I am already swamped trying to keep the Prydwen in the air, Power Armor working, and Vertibirds flying," Ingram says.
"I understand where you are coming from, I do. And I am working on getting a subject matter expert, but it will take time. Any work you can do will be worth it. In the meantime, continue your work. Lancer Captain Kells, what is our capability to defend the Prydwen against enemy attack? Specifically missiles?" I ask.
"If you are referring to the Nuclear Missile, then there's little we can do to survive such a hit, but I assume you refer to where that missile came from. I have read the records we have on the average non-nuclear missiles the Chinese navy used in their submarines. From my estimates, we should be able to survive a single missile as long as it doesn't hit vital architecture. Two would likely lead to our destruction. As for interception abilities, we might be able to destroy one of the missiles before it hits us, but we will need to be aware of it as early as we can. The earlier the better," Kells responds.
"I want our people on constant vigil for any attacks like that. We can't rule out the possibility that either Raiders or another remnant of China is operating and waiting to strike at us. Sentinel Johnson, are you ready for the operation at the Fish Packing Plant?" I ask.
"Yes, sir! All three Vertibirds are fueled, and my men are ready to destroy some Institute abominations," Johnson responds.
"Remember to collect anything you can from that facility. The Institute has been even more reclusive than usual, and this is the last lead we have," Quinlan reminds.
"Don't worry, sir. I will have your team with me, and we will ensure they come back in one piece with all the info we can get. Should I try and capture one of them alive?" Johnson asks.
I look at the other people here to see if they would have an answer. Senior Scribe Neriah is the one to speak up.
"You can try, but I am uncertain if we can get anything of value from them. I have had my team try and crack their software, but very little to nothing was obtained from their databases. The Institute seems to have wiped all memory, but it's possible that an intact one wouldn't have its memory wiped. So I would suggest only trying if you think it is completely safe. Otherwise, don't bother," Senior Scribe Neriah says.
"Yes, ma'am," Johnson replies.
"Speaking of that, have we truly not been able to find any other leads?" Teagan asks.
"Nothing. The Institute seems to have gone completely silent not long before we arrived. We have sent out numerous teams to sights that were said to be home to Synths, but we have only found signs of a battle and nothing more. Even one of the Institute's main enemies, the Railroad, has gone silent. Wherever they have gone, they have been very quiet," Quinlan responded.
"If I may," Knight-Captain Cade speaks up.
"Go ahead," I reply.
"I have a more pressing matter that I believe is urgent to the safety of our men. The Mutants at Fort Strong are numerous and within shooting distance of us. Not to mention the Mini-Nuke stockpile they are sitting on makes them a larger danger. I have also been treating more feral bites and scratches recently," Cade says.
"We have a plan to deal with the Mutants. It will happen after we deal with the Synths at Mahkra. We will use our aerial superiority to clean out the Mutants. Then teams will slowly clear out the fort of resistance," I reply.
"I see, and what about the ferals?" Cade asks.
"They are only a minor nuisance; we have cleared out a vast majority of the ferals in this area," Kells responds.
"But surely it wouldn't to much to ask that we do some further culling? The uptick in attacks is not a good sign. It could mean they are gathering again," Cade responds.
Both sides make their case for a few minutes before I step in and end the argument.
"I understand your fears and agree they are valid. I will authorize a few operations to clear out the region to further fortify our position. But it will need to wait until at least the Mahkra teams return. And Captain Kells, I assure you that the troops will conserve our resources as much as we can. You can give the order to start rationing supplies until we sort out the issues with supplying the troops," I reply.
"Thank you, Elder," both reply.
"Does anyone else have any suggestions?" I ask.
"I have a minor request," Teagan asks.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I thought of a few other ways to collect some supplies. The first would be to use the Vertibirds to collect taxes from any ships passing near the airport. The other is an offer I received a while back, but didn't consider it worth it, as it was far outside of what we usually do. The Gunners offered to collect supplies for us in exchange for a cut of the profits, a non-aggression agreement, and our technical data on sieges and how to repair their equipment," Teagan says.
"That's... surprisingly cheap for what they are offering. What's the catch?" Ingram asks.
"They would collect the supplies via Raiding and murder. And technically, we would have to ignore anything they do as long as it's not in direct conflict with us. They also want 40% of the cut," Teagan says.
"Those scumbags, I should have known that those wannabe Raiders would be like that," Ingram responds.
"And to think those Savages not only want our knowledge but want 40% of the supplies. I guess we shouldn't be too surprised that such savages ask for so much," Quinlan says.
Many of the members of conference all seem to dislike the offer.
"I don't think we can accept such a proposal. Not unless they lower their demands greatly. But for now, we can shelve the idea. Let them weaken themselves against the Enclave at Fort Drum. Once they are desperate, I am sure they will come back with a better offer," I say.
After the suggestion was denied, we ended the meeting and went to rest for the night. What I didn't know was that I would deeply regret some of those decisions later.
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Author's Note:
It seems like we get the first chapter with the Brotherhood of Steel as the focus. Some of their fans might not like to see the next chapter, but then again, it was clear that there could be no peace in the Commonwealth until the Brotherhood leaves the Commonwealth.
Now, as for the supply shortages, I think that the Brotherhood wouldn't take too many supplies with them as they likely assume they could get some from the locals following their usual operation procedure, which, in case some of you don't know it, means they go to farms and demand tribute or face violence. Now technically, they don't say you have to be violent, but they also tell you not to pay them, and threatening the setters is fine. And with their distrust of outsiders and Xenophobic beliefs, it isn't a stretch to say that many people would get violent if they felt like it.
As for Liberty Prime, Proctor Ingram has said many times in the game that she was struggling to fix Prime. Even if they got the general pieces put in the right place, which is something they could manage on their own, they couldn't fix his power issues. Thus, they need the expertise of a robotics expert.
The Brotherhood didn't go out of its way to attack Rio because even though they are sworn enemies, it doesn't mean they are mindless. Attacking Rio means war with the Minutemen, which means Artillery strikes. And when they are already technically at war with the Institute, which, as far as they know, is as strong or even stronger than the Enclave, they are being extra cautious. They also have ample evidence to suggest that fighting a two-front war is suicidal. It basically never ends well. Until next time, Ciao.