[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]

It is, [Riley provides, though his voice is still quiet. It feels wrong to disturb the atmosphere here too much.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Anthony looks at Riley curiously.]

You know this place?

[inhonorof]

[He takes a deep breath through his nose.] Yeah. I reported here when I signed on with the army, and after I got back from tour.

[gallifreynpcs]

Elder Maxson told me as much. It was why he wanted you on this mission. He thought your knowledge of the building would be useful. I agreed.

[O'Hallan says.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley's brow furrows. Maxson didn't tell them that when he gave them the assignment. Why...? And -- ] How did he know?

[gallifreynpcs]

[O'Hallan shrugs.]

I didn't interrogate him to find out. I assume he asked the scribes if they had any information on you in their Old World records and they found data related to your military service.

[inhonorof]

[... well. That's... uncomfortable. Riley knows Deacon would have done the same thing, but the difference is that he trusts Deacon. He... doesn't trust Maxson. And he doesn't like this invasion of privacy. He has to resist the urge to shift -- and the urge to look back at Deacon. But he still holds his musket a little tighter.] Makes sense, [is what he manages to say.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon frowns at O'Hallan's answer. If Riley's Old World military records are anything like what the Enclave kept on Captain Lone, then that's a shitload of personal information in there.

And, sure, he read Lone's file, but that doesn't mean he's happy about anyone reading Riley's.]

[inhonorof]

[They'll have to deal with this later, figure out where exactly Maxson got his information, and what information he has. But -- For now...] The only way into the deeper part of the base is through an elevator. Hopefully, it still works.

[gallifreynpcs]

Lead us to the elevator, Reynolds. I'll go down first, then send it back up for the rest of you.

[Power armor plus the whole squad and their gear might be too much weight for the aged system. And if the elevator fails as soon as they try to use it, O'Hallan, with his power armor, has the best chance of surviving a crash.]

[inhonorof]

Alright. [The first route Riley tries to take doesn't work. The building is in a poor state, and it makes getting around difficult. Getting to the elevator ends up requiring a convoluted path, but Riley's familiarity with the place and knowledge of where the elevator is keeps them pointed in the right direction until they make it there.]

[gallifreynpcs]

This place is some creepy shit. [Alex whispers. Then immediately adds:]

Sorry, Riley.

[Riley must remember Fort Hagen as being like how Adams Air Force Base is to him. Bustling, lively, filled with people of common purpose. And now it's a tomb.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley shakes his head.] No, it's okay. [A beat.] I mean, you're right. [It's so... empty, and quiet.]

[gallifreynpcs]

Yeah, but I'm told that tact is not saying everything you're right about.

[There's not even the skitter of mole rats or rad roaches. And that's just weird. No abandoned structure should be this empty unless there's something very wrong with it.]

[inhonorof]

[At that, Riley's expression softens at the edges.] It's okay, [he repeats quietly.]

[ersatzeverything]

[The elevator returns back to their floor. None of the Brotherhood soldiers are quick to step inside. After a few seconds, Deacon strolls into the elevator.]

Beats getting on a vertibird.

[inhonorof]

[Riley laughs a little and follows him. To the others, he says,] If it took the Paladin down okay, we should be fine.

[ersatzeverything]

[Hal is the next to board the elevator, then Anthony and Everett and Alex last of all.]

Going down...

[Deacon pushes the button for the lower floor.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley lowers the end of his musket to make sure there's room for everyone. ... and settles close to Deacon, since, well. There's no reason not to.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Alex grins evilly at Deacon's words, gives it a second, then lets loose.]

If you want, sure, but I wouldn't want Riley to get jealous.

[Anthony rolls his eyes and Everett groans.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley blinks a few times, then starts giggling.] I don't get jealous easy.

[ersatzeverything]

Hey now, aren't you supposed to defend my virtue or something?

[inhonorof]

I mean, I could if you want me to. But I also know you could defend it better than I could.

[gallifreynpcs]

[Alex is laughing at them as the elevator doors open. O'Hallan turns his helmeted head as if to look, but the bulky power armor doesn't allow him to twist far enough.]

Comedy show is over, soldier.

[inhonorof]

[Riley's grin is a relieved one as Alex laughs, and something in his shoulders untense. Alex isn't -- There isn't... anything lingering. They're going to be okay. Even as O'Hallan tries to bring them back down, Riley keeps grinning, something wide and relaxed. He lets his shoulder brush against Deacon, a grounding touch for himself.]