[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

[bostoncrossing]

I don't eat preservative-filled Old World food either.

[Sara pipes up.]

I'll take the beer and the Fancy Lads.

[crowspy]

[Bellamy looks to Sara and points at her instead.] This is why you're my favorite. You appreciate me.

[falloutpslnpcs]

[Sara smiles sweetly.]

Thank you, Uncle Bellamy.

[From down the hall a door opens. And the stomp of power armor approaches.]

I think that's Aunt Regan coming. Guess we should tell her that she'd better start having babies and mothering. For the preservation of humanity and all. You want to do it, Uncle Torvald?

[crowspy]

[When she actually calls him "Uncle Bellamy," it's a sign to him that she knew that wasn't just him being cheeky at Singh. His grin this time is lopsided, with just one corner of his mouth twitching up.

And then she goes and makes him proud, and his other hand comes out from under his layers so he can thread his fingers under his chin and look expectantly at Torvald.] Oh, please do it. Look at that, I'm even asking nice.

[falloutpslnpcs]

[Torvald scowls at them both and says nothing as Regan enters. Her power armor is better maintained than Torvald's, painted black with the white skull of the Gunners on its chest. Her husband Louis follows behind her, dressed in the well-do-to suit of a successful merchant. Regan makes sure that the Gunners and raiders leave Louis' caravans alone.

She sets her Tesla cannon by the other weapons and pulls off her helmet.]

Where's the Captain? He called us here. He should be punctual. I have troops of my own to oversee now and I loathe wasting time.

[crowspy]

[Bellamy's forefingers dart out and he wiggles them from side to side as he says, in a sing-song voice,] Cap'n has a boy-friend.

[falloutpslnpcs]

I don't care if he has a harem. He summoned us and I came--grudgingly--but if he's not here in ten minutes I'm leaving.

[crowspy]

See, [Bellamy promptly says to Torvald,] Regan doesn't care. Pretty sure that puts you down as the only one, buddy.

[falloutpslnpcs]

[Louis breaks in.]

Wait, you're serious? The Captain actually has a boyfriend?

[crowspy]

Totally serious. Doc saw them together last night. Poor bastard. And there's been no sign of 'em all morning.

[timesbureaucrat]

No sign of whom?

[Nathan says as he strides in wearing an Enclave officer uniform and cap, plasma pistol holstered on his hip. He scans the room.]

Everyone's here as far as I can see.

[crowspy]

[It's about time. Bellamy casually turns in his direction, more so he can try to get a glimpse of his paramour than anything else. Equally casually, and with an innocent expression, he answers,] You, Cap'n. Most of us've been here for ages. We just thought it was weird you hadn't turned up yet. [Note him not mentioning at all the boyfriend thing. (And there's no sign of him, either. Zay is lingering back on the other side of the doorway, observing, but not entering yet.)]

[timesbureaucrat]

There was little point in my being here before everyone had arrived. I set up an alert system to let me know each time the access password was entered.

[And counted each soft ping from his terminal while Zay was doing things that made him hope that at least some members of the squad would be late arriving.]

[crowspy]

[Bellamy's casual attitude continues as he says,] So what were you doing while you were waiting to squeak in under the wire? [A beat.] Enjoying breakfast? [Another beat.] A nice sausage, maybe? [B e l l a m y.]

[timesbureaucrat]

[Nathan doesn't blink as he watches Bellamy. His eyes narrow and his jaw is tight.]

As a matter of fact I did. A sausage and a pair of eggs. Do you have a problem with that?

[crowspy]

[Nathan rolling with the metaphor is making it very difficult for Bellamy not to absolutely lose it. But keeping a straight face used to be a requirement for his job, and has since become a requirement for survival, and he makes damn good use of it in this moment.] Why would I? [A hand appears so he can jerk a thumb towards Torvald.] I mean, he thinks you should be spilling your milk elsewhere, but then we made fun of him until he shut up. [Thanks, Bellamy, you're a real pal.]

[timesbureaucrat]

Enough about my breakfast choices, we have real business to discuss.

[Nathan nods at Sergeant Granite, who, at that signal, snaps into a straighter stance.]

Atteeeen-TION!

[John, Regan, and Torvald jump into perfect salutes. Sara as well. Her father taught her well. Louis follows only slightly behind.

Doctor Singh doesn't salute and Nathan turns to him, staring, waiting.]

[crowspy]

[Bellamy doesn't jump to attention, either -- The effect of not being infantry, and not being trained by Granite. But after seeing the look Nathan is giving Singh, Bellamy rolls his eyes and raises a two-fingered salute from his slack-spined lean against the desk.]

[timesbureaucrat]

[Nathan continues to wait for a proper salute out of Bellamy and any salute at all out of Singh. Knowing these two, he might be waiting a long time. He sighs.]

I'm not doing this on a whim. We've led very separate lives these last ten years and if we're to come together we need to remember what unites us.

[crowspy]

[Dammit, Bellamy hates it when Nathan actually gets all earnest at them. There probably isn't anyone better to hold this ragtag group together. Hell, Nathan is the reason why they all got out together in the first place. And when he puts it like that... Alright, fine. Bellamy stops leaning on the desk and straightens into a proper salute, but not without a put-upon sigh.]

[bostoncrossing]

[Carrington likewise straightens and salutes.]

Just don't lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. [He grumbles under his breath.]

At ease. [Nathan says once the whole group has held the salute for five seconds.]

[crowspy]

[Bellamy returns to his desk-assisted slouch. He wants to ask when they're meeting his breakfast, but figures he needs to behave and let Nathan be in charge first. This isn't a wasteland get-together. If he tries to buck the intended order of things here too hard, he'll get nowhere fast. His curiousity can wait. ... his curiousity on that manner, anyway. It should be about time for them to find out what the hell Nathan wanted to pull them together for, for the first time in ten years.]

[timesbureaucrat]

[Nathan clasps his hands behind his back.]

The most pressing matter first:

I'm sure you're all well aware of the arrival of the Brotherhood of Steel. You'd have to be blind and deaf to have missed it. What you don't know is that they have personnel files from Adams. They knew who I was. They recognized me from their files. You should all operate under the assumption that they may have a file on you as well. Your covers may be worthless if a Brotherhood patrol gets a look at your face. The lives you've built here may be taken away from you.

[crowspy]

[Physically, Bellamy goes very still. But he doesn't miss even half a beat.] They found you, then. [Mentally, he's already filtered through the information, organized and reorganized his files, and zeroed in on the glaring holes. And the first step is they knew who I was. Which doesn't say anything good, but nothing conclusive.]

[timesbureaucrat]

[Nathan nods once, slowly.]

They found me. They captured me. Interrogated me.

Some of my associates came and broke me out of the Brotherhood cell, which is the only reason I'm still alive. They were planning for a trial and an execution.

So you need to be on high alert until the Brotherhood are taken care of.