[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

[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.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon flashes a gap-toothed smile at Riley but then focuses on their surroundings. He looks especially for that subtle shimmer of air, like heat off a cracked asphalt road on a hot summer's day, that means that there's a stealth boy being used.

Kellogg used one.

Coursers use them.]

[inhonorof]

[And... There's nothing. The hallway ahead is empty, silent save for the distant thrum of generators. Riley shifts, but after a moment, his hold on his musket loosens. But he doesn't move forward, stays put until orders are given.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[O'Hallan gestures for them to follow him, in the standard formation with his power armored bulk providing cover for the rest.

Alex moves to the back with Deacon, their light armor and long range rifles best to provide covering fire from behind if they get attacked. As he's walking back, Alex speaks.]

Okay, someone's gotta say it. "This is too easy..."

[inhonorof]

It's so quiet, [Riley agrees uncertainly. Didn't Deacon say there were synths all over this place? Did Shaun find out the Brotherhood was coming out here and empty the place out? Up ahead, on the left, there's a large room -- what used to be the command center -- visible through the mesh metal screen. The only lights are from the red back-ups, not helping with the eerie atmosphere.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[O'Hallan tromps towards the command center.]

Set up a perimeter here. We'll start by securing this area.

[inhonorof]

Yes, sir. [Riley starts towards the door, but stops short once he gets close enough that the darkness at the low parts of the room is easier to see past. A fight happened here. A -- nasty one. There are scores of scorch marks from energy weapons all over the consoles, the walls, the floor -- and bullet holes, too. There still aren't any signs of synths, but -- ] Sir, I think I see something. In that corner over there. A body.

[gallifreynpcs]

[O'Hallan jogs towards Riley with the speed and mass of a charging rhino.]

Human?

[inhonorof]

Yeah. A man. He... I think he got caught in some kind of explosion. Plasma, maybe? [It's... not pretty. Riley isn't sure he wants to get closer.]

[gallifreynpcs]

So that's why it smells like shit in here. [Alex says.]

Probably some scavver that stepped on a mine.