[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]

[Riley feels something like appreciation stir under the fear and the distance. It also takes him a second to realize he's talking about Deacon, because while he can remember that "Priest" means Deacon, "Jack" he just associates with Ferran. He offers Hal and Anthony a weak attempt at a smile.] Thanks.

[gallifreynpcs]

[Hal claps Riley on the back.]

Let's get these mutants. The faster we complete the mission, the faster we get back.

[inhonorof]

[Riley nods. He really hopes they won't think less of him for curling up in Deacon's sleeping bag with him tonight when this is all done and over with. The bigger the distance in his mind grows, the more he feels assured that he can do this, but the more he knows he's going to need to shut everything out later in order to make the distance go away. He doesn't know how to explain that it isn't the fear of something happening to Deacon that's doing this to him, or even the fear of something happening to him -- Those things are definitely there, but they aren't where all this is coming from. But he's not sure how to put to words where it is coming from. But... He guesses it doesn't really matter. They just need to get the job done. That's all there is to it.] Let's go.

[gallifreynpcs]

[The journey to the trailer park is uneventful enough, but as soon as they get close, a super mutant sentry spots them. He fires a pipe rifle at them, but the distance is too great. Bullets pock the ground yards ahead of them. Another super mutant is charging towards them, however, beeping as he gets closer.]

Bring it down!

[O'Hallan shouts, firing at the mutant.]

[inhonorof]

[As they began the trek, Riley wound up his musket to make sure it has a full charge ready and waiting. He's preparing to aim at the sentry when he hears the beeping -- remembers the one that charged him and Deacon when they dropped at Fort Strong. He immediately prioritizes that super mutant over the sentry. -- There it is. He peers down his scope and tries to aim a little ahead of the super mutant, aim for where it should be once he fires, and then he pulls the trigger.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Riley's shot hits the mini nuke that the mutant is carrying...

...half a second later, the bomb explodes with a roar, kicking up dust and flames. Not much is left of the super mutant.

That threat gone, O'Hallan charges forward. Pipe rifles will barely dent power armor. With the mini nuke gone, he can ram through the mutant ranks while the rest of the squad starts picking them off.

Wynter lines up a careful shot with his laser rifle and takes out the sentry.]

[inhonorof]

[... that... that worked better than he'd anticipated. Riley shields his eyes as the mini-nuke goes off, but doesn't -- can't -- wait long. He hurriedly starts charging his musket again, squinting against the light and the heat -- even this far back, a small nuke is still a nuke. He listens to Zetta's Pip-Boy tic warningly as he approaches the spot, taking a slower pace than O'Hallan. A laser musket isn't fast, so it means that he's best following near the back, dropping problems from a longer range. His accuracy isn't on par with Deacon's, he doesn't think, but he can still provide support for the others.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Everett holds back with Riley. Anthony and Hal follow O'Hallan, using his power armor bulk as a shield.]

Hostile at two o'clock. [Everett calls out to Riley as he starts firing. The mutant is armored and tougher than the sentry. He's not going down quickly and is firing shots back at them.]

[inhonorof]

On him. [Riley puts it in his sight, doing his best to aim for gaps between the hodgepodge metal armor.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[It takes a few shots, but finally they bring the mutant down. O'Hallan and the others are in the circle of the trailers now. The air rings with the sound of a super sledge striking power armor.]

[inhonorof]

[It takes Riley a second to figure out what that sound is -- and when he does, his blood runs cold. All he can imagine right now is that horrific thing that was used against him at Fort Strong. He hurries in the direction where the others are.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Everett runs next to Riley. Another blow rings out and O'Hallan staggers even in his power armor. A piece of metal flies away from the force of the attack.]

[inhonorof]

[As Riley runs, he's winding up his laser musket again -- and just in time, too.] Holy -- [But the super mutant is too close to O'Hallan. It's too difficult to be sure they won't hit him instead of the super mutant. Riley looks around for a better vantage point... and has an idea.] Give me a boost, [he says to Everett as he jogs towards the nearest trailer.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Everett runs with him and when they get to the trailer he laces his fingers together to make a stirrup for Riley to get him up on top of the trailer.

He hopes that's what Riley meant. It'll be humiliating if it wasn't.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley doesn't blink or otherwise react as though this wasn't what he was expecting. He throws his musket's sling over his shoulder and places his foot in Everett's hands, leg braced to push off once the boost is completed. Riley scrambles up on top of the trailer, keeping to a knee to be more steady with his aim. Yeah, this is much better. He lines up a shot, waits a second to make sure he's confident in it, and fires.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[The shot hits. It isn't fatal but it staggers the mutant and pauses his assault, which is all O'Hallan needs to get his rifle up and blast the mutant in the throat at point-blank range.

Hal hollers in exuberance at the success. That one was the last major threat. The two remaining mutants go down easily, with just a few shots. And then the trailer park is quiet.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley helps finish off the last couple from his new vantage point. As the last of the gunshot echoes fade in the trees, he lets out a breath of relief. He slides off the top of the trailer, landing back on the ground with a solid whumpf he feels in his joints.] Everyone okay? [he calls over.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Anthony looks around at the others, checking on them one by one before speaking. Everyone's still standing, looks okay...]

I've got a dent in my chest plate that's going to leave a hell of a bruise, but it's better than the alternative.

[inhonorof]

We're okay, too. [Riley walks over to the piece of power armor that the super mutant knocked off and bends over to pick it up. Jesus, this is in bad shape. And to think, he took an electrified and barbed wire-wrapped blow from one of those things... He can't help the shiver down his back.]

[gallifreynpcs]

All right then, soldiers, secure the area and signal Reyes.

[O'Hallan orders. He tromps with heavy hydraulic hiss to Riley and holds out his armored hand for the piece of metal that'd be knocked loose.]

Good work with that mini nuke, Reynolds.

[inhonorof]

Thank you, sir. [Riley hands him the piece of power armor -- a shoulder piece.] One bad encounter with those is enough for a lifetime.

[gallifreynpcs]

[Hal calls out from inside one of the trailers.]

I found an Old World holotape!

[inhonorof]

[Riley turns towards the trailer Hal's voice is coming from. And then it dawns on him that with Zetta's Pip-Boy, they could play it, so he heads on over.] Any labels?

[gallifreynpcs]

It's all faded out. I can't read it.

[He wipes at the label with the edge of his sleeve, trying to dislodge some of the grime, and peers at it.]

It says..."New..." Something. "A New" something. Maybe it's instructions for a prototype?

[inhonorof]

Here. [Riley holds his hand out.] I'll put it in the Pip-Boy and we can see what it says.