coatls | [closed] the only constant is change

Entry tags:

[closed] the only constant is change

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Those of us who were Secret Service are used to working under tactics like this. They can be devastating enough when implemented well.

[Nathan looks to the three infantry soldiers to explain.]

Just think of how much trouble one nineteen-year-old vault child caused us in D.C. Just because we can't meet the Brotherhood head on doesn't mean we can't defeat them.

[Zetta relaxes somewhat as Nathan joins in, adding more backbone to the point they're trying to get across. She still feels bad for effectively stealing his show, but... shit.]

It doesn't mean your skillsets wouldn't come in handy. It's not like we'd be getting out of this without combat. You'd be perfect to help train and lead Minutemen fighters.

[Regan scoffs.] Those weaklings...

[John replies to Regan's scorn.]

They're not weak, they're untrained. Once they're trained, they can be a fierce as a yao guai. Like you, Regan. And they care very much about protecting their home. Remember, these people aren't required to serve, they chose it.

[He remembers training Regan--eighteen years old, tall and willowy and determined to prove herself.]

What he said. The wastelanders are untrained and uneducated, not weak and stupid. Jesus christ. It's not like there are fucking boot camp drill instructors and colleges out there for them. They haven't had the same goddamn opportunities as we have, that doesn't mean they lack the capabilities.

If you don't believe her, I'll show you my patrol unit any time. They're as fucking capable as any Enclave unit I've trained.

And, I mean, fuck. We [she gestures to herself and Ferran] were barely versed in firearms when we got out of the vault, and, again, we've taken down coursers.

And if you truly can't stand the thought of training Minutemen, you can always ambush Brotherhood patrols. Even if that wouldn't be the most efficient use of your command skills.

[Man, this keeps swinging back and forth between Bellamy not being able to tell if this is gonna work or not. The woman is ready to throw down and fight at a moment's notice, but then she turns around and gets Singh and Nathan backing her up while espousing actual sense.

But, he supposes, if they put it to a vote, even if Regan and Torvald are against it, they're in the minority.]

Are there any other questions? On either side? Bellamy, you're being unusually quiet. It's unnerving and makes me wonder if you're up to something.

[The reality is, Bellamy is smart enough to know that all he has to do sometimes is stay quiet and watch everyone else generate information for him -- and that sometimes, the information he wants isn't the kind he can get by asking questions.

But he's definitely not gonna admit that and ignore that kind of opening.]

If you're trying to get me to tell you what it is, man, are you mistaken. Why would I ruin the surprise?

[Nathan's mouth twists in dismay. He should have guessed that Bellamy would reveal nothing of what he's thinking.]

I loathe surprises.

Perhaps you'll at least answer this: do you think we should offer our services to the Old Worlders?

[Bellamy wobbles his head back and forth slightly, then shrugs one shoulder.]

Leaning towards it. So far, sounding better than throwing our weight behind any one group. It'd sure be great if there was, you know, less yelling.

[Zetta snorts, but Bellamy raises his eyebrows.]

I'm serious. I'm not gonna pretend some of us aren't assholes, but they're part of this team just as much as the rest of us.

I'm not going to shut up and let anyone talk shit about the people I care about.

Yeah, and I'm not saying you should. The rest of us give them shit, too. But we aren't threatening them and starting fights when we do it. We've all survived this long because we've worked together. Ostracizing members of our tiny li'l band isn't gonna help us any.

I recall that there were sometimes a few threats.

[Carrington is practically compelled to disagree. No matter what Bellamy says, Carrington often finds some way to disagree, even when he largely agrees.]

But, yes, if we're going to work together as a team, we need to be a team.

C'mon, nobody actually means it when they threaten to make me shut up, [Bellamy says, grinning slightly, though he knows that's not what Singh means.

Zetta sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.] Alright. Alright. I get the point.

Sergeant, you have already made it very clear where you and your daughter stand.

Dr. Singh, your vote?

[Nathan is starting with those that he's sure will agree, build up momentum. Get enough of the group agreeing on something and Regan might even come around to support it. And if Louis and Regan agree, he thinks that Torvald will, too.]

Better them than the other options. I vote yes.

[... jesus, that's four of them right there. This can't actually be happening.

Zetta glances at Deacon, Riley, and Ferran, disbelief visible in her eyes despite her attempts to keep her expression neutral.]

[They have a majority. Now time to move in for the kill.]

Louis?

We don't have a lot of other choices. I vote yes. But I'm not going to fight to the death. If things start looking hopeless, I think we should abandon the Commonwealth.

[Regan adds:]

I'll make the Minutemen into a proper fighting force if those are your orders, Captain. But I might need to kill the Gunners first.

[Because the Gunners aren't going to accept that kind of competition, and there's no way they'd be convinced to come on board with this without a significant profit. Still, there are a fuck ton of them, and they're all very well-armed. Killing them or chasing them out of the Commonwealth would be a big enough undertaking that it might not be worth it.]

Do you think there'd any chance they'd be willing to participate in fighting the Brotherhood? We'd have to turn around and deal with them once that was taken care of, because I doubt they'd be willing to stop causing trouble for settlements and caravans, but then we don't have to deal with that resource pull at the same time.

They despise the Brotherhood. They know that if the Brotherhood of Steel takes over the Commonwealth, the Gunners will be run out or destroyed. It would be simple to convince them to attack vulnerable Brotherhood positions.

We should take advantage of that. It won't be ideal, [she glances at Riley and Deacon; she knows it would be putting them in more danger while they're off running around for the Brotherhood,] but it'd make our lives easier instead of harder at the moment.

The Gunners are a problem, no offense, [full offense, actually, because fuck the Gunners,] but if we can make them a problem for another day, we should.

The Gunners are proud to be a problem. They get paid a lot of money to be a problem for certain unlucky people.

[And Regan is proud of them for that. But she has no loyalty to them.]

Yeah, like caravans who happen to be passing by. Or people otherwise new to the area. [Like Zetta once was.] Or nearby settlements who they decide have food they want.

Not to mention all the fucked up shit I've heard they've done. [Fuck the Gunners.]

Moving right along....

[He's so close... Please don't start another fight.]

Torvald? Are you going to join us in getting revenge on the Brotherhood or stay with your raider gang and take out your anger on everything but the Brotherhood instead.

I think you're idiots for thinking that taking orders from these outsiders is a good idea...but if I get to kill Brotherhood soldiers, I'll play nice.

[Zetta clenches her jaw to keep from retaliating. Outsiders -- They're not Enclave, but they're more American than any of them.

But it's a damn miracle he's agreeing with it at all. Here, and she was expecting for him to be outvoted.]

Excellent. Then we're agreed. You shall receive your orders directly from me. I'll coordinate our strategy with the Reynolds. For now we'll continue to use our prior communication protocols but once we've begun to engage the enemy, we'll rotate codes and frequencies.

[Best to end the meeting now and get some of the more fractious members of the team away before another fight breaks out and they start having second thoughts.]

(no subject)

capcious - 2018-05-02 03:55 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

timesbureaucrat - 2018-05-02 04:01 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only