[closed] the only constant is change

[capcious]

Who: the Fallout AU crew
Setting: the Commonwealth
Summary: BoS things, institute things
Warnings: Fallout warnings, smut
Other: [original notes] [first post] [second post] [third post] [fourth post] [fifth post] [sixth post] [seventh post] [eighth post]

- minor timeskip to when the BoS has its feet under it again, shaun asks riley to go up and keep an eye on them and deacon goes with
- they get assigned to a BoS squad composed of AU versions of chancellery guards (paladin archimedes o'hallan, knight-captain anthony norris, lancer-sargeant alex reyes, knight riley reynolds, knight everett wynter, knight henry "hal" saller, aspirant 'jack' "deacon" 'priest')
- maybe some minor quests involving getting to know them, gotta get some solid Bonding going
- sarrith (sarah, secret enclave remnant) and sal's romeo and juliet romance
- that one quest where you get the nukes from the glowing sea for the BoS
- wynter's mistake and gradual ghoulification and the position it puts the squad in
- blind betrayal

- shaun announces ferran officially as his successor
- ferran dealing with the short institute quests that result from that
- shaun discovering ferran's a slut and trying to talk to him about it
- zetta freaking out bc they're spending all this time waiting for her to recover and dealing with the BoS, and not having the time to try to figure out a way to save shaun
- zetta, in general, driving shaun slowly up the wall because she's cooped up and needs to be kept occupied or else Bad Things Start Happening, why is this shaun's life, this was not what he was expecting at all
- ferran going on missions with x6-88 / house divided, warwick
- nathan and zay's one night stand with ferran becoming not a one night stand any more
- at some point we need to have nathan call deacon a mongrel to his face so zetta can go positively nuclear
- zay finding out nathan is taking buffout

- build towards the railroad and institute being on better terms (not *stable*, but they need to be in a position where they're willing to make an alliance at the battle for bunker hill and afterwards to take the BoS down)
- probably need to do a meeting with dez and carrington, bc jfc (and ferran being the next director makes it easier to make negotiations on the institute's behalf though shaun probably doesnt fully trust him with that wrt the railroad yet, shaun needs to see ferran make decisions that benefit the institute OVER the railroad for that)

- mass fusion happens before battle for bunker hill, lighting a fire under the brotherhood's ass (still use it as the faction cut-off point?)
- at the battle, brotherhood wins -- keeping them a legitimate threat and serving as the push for the institute and railroad to work together against them

[image] [lyrics]

well, oh, it seems you're a lot like me
you dug yourself into places you never thought you would be
but don't you fret, and don't you mind
the only constant is change,
and you never know what you'll find

yeah, tomorrow i might wake up nice and clean
and i might believe the things i said i didn't mean
and this might turn and wind up just the way we'd dreamed
and i might become the things i swore i'd always be

Comments

[inhonorof]

[They've caught up now, so Riley can't reply. He has to let go of Deacon's hand to haul himself up into it, but then he's turning to offer Deacon both of his hands to help him in. They're going to have to be less... obvious, he guesses. He doesn't want Deacon to feel embarrassed about being scared on top of everything else. But it isn't as though Riley isn't going to try comforting him all the same.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon feels like he's about to embark upon his greatest lie yet. This deception is more monumental than pretending to be a ghoul, or a woman, or a protectron. For the next hour or so, he needs to pretend to be a person who's totally okay with being thousands of feet in the air with only a little bit of thin metal working with 200 year old tech to keep it aloft.

Let's do this thing.

He takes Riley's hands and pulls himself into the vertibird.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley probably shouldn't do the belt for him this time. When it's just them and the pilot, it's one thing. He probably shouldn't hold Deacon the entire ride, either. The most they can get away with is hands, he thinks. At least it's better than when he was in power armor and couldn't do anything at all.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[The pilot glances back to make sure everyone's on board, but his eyes harder as he sees Deacon.]

That Enclave shithead better have his ass on a pike for grounding us or I'm gonna make it turbulence all the way. Fucker stole my favorite 'bird.

[inhonorof]

[Riley knows that voice -- oh. This is the pilot who took them out to Fort Strong. He goes ahead and takes Deacon's hand, threading fingers.] He didn't willingly help, [he says quietly.]

[gallifreynpcs]

Yeah, but he was the one who brought in the asshole who fucked us royally up the ass. I sure as hell hope you at least got something good out of it.

[He hates Ferran, but he he'd hit that if Ferran weren't an Enclave-Institute spy. What a goddamn waste.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley frowns deeply. He can't tell if it's out of reflexive protectiveness over Ferran, or Deacon -- because their cover story is a lie, but the pilot is still being vindictive despite knowing it, and being furious at someone for being manipulated -- even though it's not real, he... ... he needs to let Deacon handle this, because he doesn't know what to do. He squeezes Deacon's hand tight.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon assesses the pilot, decides on an approach.]

I only wish I were that lucky. I got screwed and not in the fun way. Being a prisoner of the Institute is seriously not a good time.

[inhonorof]

[This isn't how Riley hoped they'd make a first impression with the new squad, but this is where they are now. They're just going to have to do what they can with it. Riley kisses Deacon's temple, closing his eyes. This should help the story, but Riley also just wants to do this.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Norris leans forward to speak up to the pilot.]

Lay off, Reyes. We all fucked up. The scribes should have had better encryption on the terminals, the knights should have been watching the cell better and the lancers should have been watching the vertibirds better.

[inhonorof]

[Riley feels an almost overwhelming surge of gratitude. With this one move, he already feels like they can trust Anthony. He breathes out a soft sigh.]

[gallifreynpcs]

He's just pissy because he had to go a whole week without flying.

[Hal adds.]

If Elder Maxson says you're good, you're good.

[inhonorof]

[... well, that punctures it a little.] That's still... ["A bit much for just not being able to fly," Riley almost says, but decides against it. And Maxson isn't exactly a measuring stick he wants to use to judge people by. He decides to go on a different track.] I'm just glad I was able to get you out of there. [He kisses Deacon's temple again.]

[ersatzeverything]

Me too. I wasn't looking forward to Institute hospitality.

[Where Riley sees the reference to Maxson discouraging, Deacon sees it as an opportunity to pry.]

So, tell us about Elder Maxson? Like, we've met him, of course, but how'd he get to be Elder? Being...uh...not very elderly.

[O'Hallan speaks up first.]

He was appointed Elder after Elder Owen Lyons and then his successor Elder Sarah Lyons died. The title is an honorific acknowledging the person's wisdom and stature, not literal age.

[inhonorof]

[... this... makes Riley realize something. He doesn't know what Maxson's age actually is.] How old is he?

[gallifreynpcs]

Twenty. But he was sixteen when he was appointed Elder. [There's a hint of envy in Everett's voice.]

[inhonorof]

Sixteen? [Riley can't help but think of himself and Zetta at that age. Sixteen. Sixteen years old and appointed to lead an army.] Why? I mean... How does a sixteen-year-old get appointed to Elder?

[gallifreynpcs]

Not easily. Elder Maxson was the younger person ever to be made an Elder of the Brotherhood. But after Lyons and his daughter died, Brotherhood leadership was in chaos. We were weakened after our war with the Enclave, a schism was tearing the Brotherhood apart, and the super mutants in the Capitol had acquired a leader that was starting to successfully pull them together into an army.

Arthur Maxson is a very skilled warrior, and the Maxson line has special significance to the Brotherhood. Elder Maxson is the direct descendant of Roger Maxson, who was the founder of our order.

[Anthony takes a more jaundiced view, unlike Hal's hero-worship.]

[inhonorof]

[There's a sinking feeling in Riley's gut as he realizes that Maxson probably didn't have much choice in it. He was a symbol from the day he was born. Is this something he actually wanted? Or did he feel like he couldn't let everyone down, that he had a duty, despite how young he was? And now Riley can't help but think about Shaun, too. What was his childhood like? He was captured as part of a science experiment. He loves the Institute, believes strongly in them, in what they can do. He seems happy with his job; Riley is pretty sure it's something he wanted. The Institute gave Shaun a freedom that Maxson didn't. "A very skilled warrior," Anthony says, but all Riley wants to reply is, "he was just a kid."] That's a lot of weight to carry, [he says quietly.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[O'Hallan breaks in.]

Elder Maxson bears the weight of authority with dignity and pride. If it weren't for his leadership we'd still be in the Capitol quarreling with our Outcast brothers.

[inhonorof]

Outcasts? [Riley wonders if he's going to be looked down on for not knowing anything about Brotherhood history, but... well. He has a pretty good excuse, even if the lie about being found in a cryopod in an Enclave vault isn't true.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[It's Hal who answers.]

Over a decade ago there was a schism. Elder Lyons thought that the Brotherhood should work with the local people of the Capitol, help them. The Outcasts thought that this was a violation of the codex and refused to obey. Then it got messy. Outcasts and non-Outcasts were killing each other over it.

My dad was killed in one of the skirmishes.

So Elder Maxson ending that civil war...it was a big deal.

[inhonorof]

[Riley's expression starts out incredulous, but now it's just heartbroken for him. There was a war about whether or not it was okay to... help people... With his free hand, he rubs his forehead.] I guess I'm too new to all this. But I don't know why... [He shakes his head. He probably shouldn't say this. There are circumstances where he can understand being reluctant to help people. And he shouldn't ask, since Hal's father lost his life for it.] I'm glad it's over.

[gallifreynpcs]

[Anthony reads between the lines enough to see at least the general shape of the unasked question.]

The codex contains the laws of the Brotherhood. Before Elder Lyons, Elders interpreted the laws to state that the Brotherhood's mission was to gather technology to keep it from those who might use it unwisely. And that was the only mission. Helping those outside the Brotherhood would be an unacceptable distraction. Elder Lyons disagreed with that interpretation of the codex, but the Outcasts were determined to keep to the old ways.

[inhonorof]

[Riley loses some of his tension. He can understand this now. People never like change, especially when it leads away from a feeling of superiority, of power, of safety. ... but. That information leads to an important question.] What interpretation does Elder Maxson take? He talks about helping the Commonwealth, but... [... he probably can't finish that sentence, either. But he thinks it's vague enough that it could be interpreted in more than one way.]