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Chapter Text

The sun slowly rose over the Citadel as Elder Arthur Maxson watched proudly as he watched over the Bailey. The new batch of Initiates was starting target practice as knights patrolled the surrounding area. He continued to stroll around the Citadel. 

   "Hail, Elder!" 

   "Morning, Elder Maxson!" 

  Anytime the young man passed someone, they would give him a prompt salute before he raised his hand to dismiss them. After a few minutes of striding outside, Arthur finally walked inside to the cafeteria. As he walked inside, he could hear knights and initiates gossiping to each other. He tuned it out. There was no need to listen. He knew almost everything that went on. The cafeteria was especially loud as his brothers and sisters went to get breakfast. As Arthur approached the room, he could hear everyone's voices and laughter echo throughout the tiny halls. 

  When he arrived outside the cafeteria, he took a deep breath before walking inside. Unsurprisingly, the moment he walked in, everyone's laughter was shushed before being replaced with: "Morning, Elder Maxson!" 

 Curse number one. 

 After Arthur dismissed them, the room returned to its former state, although this time much quieter. He looked around and felt a slight frown on his face as he saw the closed door across from him. The quarters for the Lyon's Pride, never to be slept in again. 

 Curse number two. 

 The elder fixed his plate as soon as possible and grabbed a glass of water. Quickly, he left and made his way to his room. As he hurried to his quarters, he passed by a small bedroom. He didn't dare look at it. There was nothing left for him there. As soon as Arthur reached his room, he shut the door and took another deep breath. This was the only room he had to confront. Elder Lyons' room. His room. Arthur sat down at his desk and began to eat his food. After a while of eating, he finally drank from the glass of clean water and was reminded of her.

Curse number three.

 Arthur sighed and slowly lifted up a small necklace he wore around his neck. A small silver ring hung off the string and the young Elder held the ring firmly in his hands. He turned to a small mirror in his room. 

 He was met with a familiar face. A scarred face. His deathclaw scar etched into his skin as he began to notice the darkness under his eyes. He wondered if they'd even recognize him after all these years. He squeezed onto the ring tighter as he remembered the vault dweller from his youth, a lifetime ago. "Until then, Arthur!"

 Arthur's hand began to move towards a drawer and without thinking, he pulled out a bottle of vodka. He quickly popped off the cap and chugged the whole thing down. His neck burned but his heart still felt empty. He drank another bottle. He almost drank another bottle but a fleeting thought snapped him out of his delusion. He has another meeting in an hour. Sighing, he just leaned back in his seat and to pass the time, he opened up recent reports from Paladin Danse. He briefly scanned them, nothing really standing out. Most of his team died. They held a police station. They recruited a wastelander. Secured the Deep Range Transmitter. Nothing really special. After going through report after report, the hour slowly passed and the Elder made his way to the Great Hall. 

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 Lights blinded him as he entered the room. Everyone was already gathered at their seats. Lancer-Captain Kells, Scribe Rothchild and Scribe Neriah, Archivist Knox, Proctor Ingram and Proctor Quinlan, and Knight-Captain Cade. Even his highest paladins waited for him. All eyes were on him as he stood up straight and approached his chair. As soon as Proctor Quinlan hit record on the holotape recorder, the meeting began. 

 "I gathered everyone here today because something serious has come to my attention," Maxson began. He looked at everyone's faces one by one. "Paladin Danse's recon team in the Commonwealth has made an unnerving discovery. Archivist Knox? Would you care to explain?" 

 Archivist Knox stood up from his seat. "Yes, Elder. Paladin Danse's team picked up on unusual energy readings that were running on an extreme high-band frequency. He says that these readings are 'sporadic' and appear at very specific locations. After analyzing these readings, I found that these readings were not pre-war or natural, but artificial. Something is out there creating these readings and whatever it is, it is using extremely advanced technology to produce them..." 

 "According to Paladin Danse," Elder Maxson continued. "There is a boogeyman in the Commonwealth known as the Institute. They have created a machine known as the synth which clones humans, kills their human counterpart, and blends in with their family to spy on the Institute. If we let these abominations of nature run amok the Commonwealth, it could prove disastrous. To protect the people of the Commonwealth, we need to head there as soon as possible. I'm not going to stand idly by while the people of the Commonwealth live in fear." He turned to Kells and Ingram. 

  "I need you two to prepare the Prydwen to get there as fast as we can. Understood?" 

"Yes, sir!" 

 He turned to Proctor Quinlan. 

 "And I need you to look through any documents that could provide useful to us in the Commonwealth. Understood, Proctor?" 

"Yes, sir!" 

 He turned to Scribe Rothchild and Archivist Knox. 

"You two will have to stay here at the Citadel for now. I need you to make sure the Capital Wasteland is safe and investigate if anything unusual happens and if it does, make sure you notify us immediately. Understood? And Cade, make sure the men are in top condition. Anyone that can't make the journey must remain here." 

"Yes, sir!" 

He finally turned to the head paladins in the room. 

"Most of you will come with us to the Commonwealth. I need you to prepare your men as best as you can. However, none of you, and I mean none of you in this room, must mention where we are going yet. I will reveal that to the crew once we arrive. Is that understood?" 

"Yes, sir!" 

"Dismissed." 

 And with that everyone disbanded, once again leaving Arthur Maxson alone with his thoughts as he played around with the ring around his neck. 

"God, I wish you were here..."

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

    Arthur looked out into the sea as the sun slowly began to rise. Down below, he could see Fort Strong as it stood silently in the waters below. Knight Cross was supposed to arrive any moment now. He had instructed Paladin Danse to make sure she would arrive on time for her new mission. Thoughts flooded his mind as he watched the fort in the distance. In that fort sat hundreds of fat man shells. Super mutants were scattered throughout the fort. He had read Kells' report.

"I'm certain I don't have to remind you that the Super Mutants are smart enough to utilize the weapons and that the Prydwen is well within a Fat Man launcher's range. I urge you to send someone down there immediately to deal with this threat before we end up as targets for their nuclear arsenal."

An image flashed in his head. Bloody blonde hair. Dead blue eyes. A pool of blood staining the ground. He felt a surge of anger spill over him.  He thought about the hundreds of ghouls that had occupied the Boston Airport. All the ghouls and super mutants that littered the Commonwealth, terrorizing farmers, traders, and innocent people trying to get through the day. Meanwhile, the Institute was still out there, kidnapping helpless settlers and replacing them with robotic copies of fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, possibly even children. He could see the Prydwen bursting into flames, slowly crashing into the ground as countless soldiers were murdered. He was trying to save as many of them as possible, calling out to them to retreat, but as chaos engulfed him, he could see a familiar woman staring at him through the smoke. He could see her smiling.

"Excuse me, Elder Maxson?"

  Arthur's eyes shot open as he looked around at his surroundings. The sun started was bearing down on him from above. He was still on the flight deck, holding tightly onto the railing. He could hear soldiers behind him going throughout their daily routine. Nothing was on fire. No one was being killed. He took a deep breath. Everyone was okay. He was okay. He stood up and turned around. Knight Cross stood across from him, the sun beaming off of her vault 111 suit. Behind her was Paladin Danse, in his power armor like always.

 "Ah, Knight Cross. Please, Forgive me. I have a lot on my mind. Now, I hope you're ready for your next assignment?" Elder Maxson began. 

"Yes, Elder. Just point me to the action!" The Elder tried his best not to smile.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, knight. Let's get right to it then, shall we? Take a look over there. That's Fort Strong, and it's infested with Super Mutants. Having those aberrations of nature close enough to smell is making me sick to my stomach. To make matters worse, they're sitting on top of a massive stockpile of Fat Man shells we could use in our campaign. I want you to head over there, wipe out everything that moves, and secure that stockpile. Understood?"

"Super mutants? I thought the enemy was the Institute." Maxson shook his head. 

"Super Mutants are no better than synths. Whether it's using biochemistry to manipulate genes or trying to create life from a bunch of circuits, it's the wrong path for science. As members of the Brotherhood, it's our sworn duty to exterminate these abominations in every form. So, can I count on you to get the job done?"

Knight Cross let out a dazzling smile. "Consider it done."

"Look, I realize you're eager to take the fight to the Institute, but it will have to wait. The Brotherhood cannot allow those abominations to have a nuclear arsenal at their fingertips."

"It'll be a pleasure to exterminate that mutant filth," Danse commented.

"Now... we have a vertibird on standby, fully armed and ready to depart. Use it to carry our message to Fort Strong and wipe those dirty mutants from the face of the earth. Dismissed."

Knight Cross and Paladin Danse nodded and began to make their way to a nearby vertibird. Arthur watched as the two headed out and as Knight Cross began to talk excitedly to Danse. He felt himself smile slightly before an image flashed in his mind. It was of a familiar little boy talking excitingly to a young vault dweller. He quickly shook the image out of his head and watched as the duo boarded a vertibird before they disappeared into the Commonwealth below.

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  Elder Maxson paced back and forth as he listened to Kells give his report. His scribes had searched every nook and cranny of the CIT Ruins, but no sign of the Institute. More readings were appearing outside of Diamond City, however, when a team was sent to investigate, they found nothing but rude and paranoid civilians. To make matters worse, while at Diamond City, rumors of an organization called "The Railroad" began to spring up. A group dedicated to saving synths and stopping the Institute. Numerous settlements seemed opposed to Brotherhood help. Negotiations were in place, however. 

 "On the bright side," Kells continued. "We already have several bases established throughout the Commonwealth. The Cambridge Police Station, Waypoint Echo...We also have a few patrols around Diamond City and where we think the Railroad is hiding." 

"Perfect. What about the troops? How are they adjusting?" 

"Quite well, actually. Some continue to act out of line, but they are being dealt with as we speak. We've already gotten a few wastelanders to join our ranks. They are currently training at the airport and making outstanding progress." Elder Maxson paused. 

"Knight Cross. What are your thoughts on her?" 

"Well, she certainly doesn't look the part, but from what I've heard from Paladin Danse, she'll make a fine addition to our ranks." Maxson nodded. 

"Alright...Have you heard anything back from Fort Strong?" 

"Not yet, sir." He sighed.

"Knight Cross should have been back hours ago. I'll need you to send a group over to the Fort soon if we don't hear anything soon..." The door to the flight deck opened and Captain Kells turned around to see who it was. Maxson soon followed and felt his heart sink when his eyes immediately landed on familiar blue fabric. Knight Cross smiled when she saw the two of them and made her way towards the men. Arthur noticed her vault suit was caked with blood, the gold foil still shining as bright as ever. The vault dweller smiled at Arthur before turning towards Kells. An image flashed in his head. 

 A young woman under the grey sky. She's kneeling down in front of a young boy, smiling, as she hands him a notebook. Arthur felt a pang of pain in his heart. He took a deep breath and looked back at the vault dweller in front of him. She was moving her mouth now, as Kells nodded. 

"...Paladin Danse is at the Fort now, securing the fat man shells. I double checked the entire building for super mutants before leaving." Kells nodded again. 

"Thank you, Knight. Elder, do you have anything you'd like to add?" 

Maxson internally cursed himself before looking back at the two. Hesitantly, he shook his head. "No. I think that's enough for now. Knight, your orders are to remain on the Prydwen and await further instructions. Understood?" Knight Cross smiled and nodded. Arthur started to feel throbbing in his head.

"Yes, sir." 

"You're dismissed, Knight," Kells told her. "Elder Maxson and I have some business to attend to." Arthur shook his head. 

"That, that'll be all for now, Kells. I... have some things I need to attend to." Kells frowned. 

"Oh. Yes, of course, Elder. "

Arthur watched as the two turned to walk away. Arthur noticed more blood on Knight Cross's back, covering the 111 on her suit almost completely. His headache worsened. He waited for the young woman to disappear up the ladder to the Command Deck before making his way up. As he climbed up the ladder, he felt relief as he saw the two Brotherhood flags outside of his bedroom door. The young man hurried and opened the door to his room, grabbing a bottle of vodka on his table, before chugging it all down. The pain didn't go away. So, he drank another bottle and another bottle and continued to until he felt dizzy. He took a step towards his bed, but nearly collapsed as he staggered towards it. After what felt like forever, Arthur finally collapsed onto his bed. The Elder felt himself going in and out of consciousness. Good, he thought. I need a break. As the world turned dark around him, Arthur could hear a laugh outside of his door, followed by a familiar voice. Knight Cross's voice. 

 "Until then, Arthur!"  

Then everything went dark. 

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  When Arthur woke up, Knight-Captain Cade was sitting by his bed with medical equipment all around him. Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out were unintelligible moans. Cade sighed. 

 "Good. You're awake." Arthur sat upon his bed, his head still throbbing. 

"What happened?" 

"You blacked out. Kells found you in here a few hours ago. It appears you had a little -" Cade looked back at the several empty bottles on his table - "just a little too much to drink. Now, how are you feeling? What do you remember before blacking out?" 

"Like shit, Cade. Look, Cade, I'll be fine. I just got a bit too careless." Cade frowned. 

"Elder, if I may. I may have been lenient in the past of your alcohol usage, but this is not acceptable. Blackouts like these can lead to serious consequences, Elder Maxson. You can experience severe memory loss. Not to mention the liver damage, cardiovascular disease or even risk of cancer you could get if you continue with this." 

"I said I'll be fine, Cade. I just drank a little too much. It won't happen again." Cade's eyes narrowed. 

"I sure hope it doesn't, Elder. For your sake." Cade took out an addictol and handed it to the elder. "I'd recommend taking this before you go about your day."  The doctor stood up and after putting away his equipment, headed for the door. As he reached the door, he sighed and turned back to Arthur one last time. "And please, find some way to lighten up on the alcohol. I hope I won't have to come back here again." Arthur sighed and nodded. 

"Of course, Cade. I'll try." And with that, the doctor left.

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 Evening on the Prydwen. The time when most of the soldiers began to settle down after a long day. Elder Maxson headed up the stairs as he watched the soldiers chatting in the distance. He tried his best to ignore everyone as they stared at him. A few gave him salutes. No one ignored his presence, though. Normally, Arthur would never go near the soldiers' quarters. However, Senior Scribe Neriah had made a discovery concerning gen 1 synths and Proctor Quinlan required him immediately. As Elder Maxson made his way to Scribe Neriah's lab, he could hear a woman laugh from the Power Armor stations. Arthur glanced down at the stations below and saw Knight Cross. Knight Cross was standing by one of the Power Armor stations, her vault suit glaring at him from under all the lights. She had a broad, radiating smile as Paladin Danse stood next to her, repairing his power armor. Suddenly, the two burst out in laughter. Arthur felt a faint smile on his face, but immediately felt his head began to throb. The thought of fleeing to his room crossed Arthur's mind, but he quickly shook the thought out his head and began to walk faster towards Neriah's lab. 

  "Find some way to lighten up on the alcohol," Cade had told him. The thought of Cross flashed through his head as he saw Neriah and Quinlan in the distance. He thought of Jo, standing in front of him with her vault suit on. Arthur took a deep breath and continued forward. Perhaps there was an easy way to fix this.

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 The next morning, Arthur was looking out at the Commonwealth when he could see Knight Cross approaching him on the Command Deck. He felt sweat rolling down his forehead as the vault dweller approached him. The woman stopped a few feet away from the young elder and quickly made a salute. "Reporting as ordered, Elder." Arthur took a deep breath and turned to face the knight. 

 "Knight Cross, I would like to discuss something with you." 

"Yes, Elder? Is it about the Institute, sir?" 

"No, knight. It's about your...attire." 

"Pardon?" 

"I have received numerous complaints from your peers," he told her. "As you know, the Brotherhood has certain standards it needs to uphold. We have especially high standards regarding uniforms. I admit I've been a bit lenient in the past by letting you wear your...vault suit. From now on, I would like you to wear the appropriate uniform. You can get one from Proctor Teagan. Do you have any questions, Knight?" Knight Cross was speechless. After a moment, she shook her head. 

"No, Elder." 

"Look, by now, I'm sure you've deduced that our arrival in the Commonwealth wasn't coincidental. We're here because of a unique energy reading recorded by Paladin Danse's recon team. According to our scribes, the reading indicated a level of technology that only the Institute could achieve. The moment this information came to light, our mission became clear. The Institute and everyone responsible for the creation of the synths must be eliminated, at all costs. To accomplish this goal, we need to locate the Institute's headquarters. I've had our scribes meticulously searching the Commonwealth but they've come up empty-handed. The only logical explanation is that they've gone underground. That's where we need your help." Knight Cross's eyes brightened. 

"Anything you need, Elder. Just say the word." 

"The Institute has managed to keep itself hidden for a number of years, but it's only a matter of time before we find them.  I want you to get out there and become our eyes and ears on the ground. You seemed to have a vested interest in locating the Institute before we met, so I'm confident you'll travel in the right circles. If you discover a way in, I need you to report it to me immediately. Any questions, Knight?" 

"Not right now, Elder." 

"Very well then. Dismissed, Knight." Knight Cross slipped out a smile and soon disappeared down below. Arthur let out a sigh of relief. It was finally over. 

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Chapter Text

   The Lyon's Pride was marching towards the entrance of the Citadel with guns in hand when Squire Maxson ran after them, calling out to Sentinel Lyons. The blonde haired lady turned to the young boy and sighed. Knight-Captain Dusk let out a chuckle from behind her.

  "You think he's gonna finally confess his love to you, Sentinel?"

  "Knock it off, Dusk," Sarah shot back. Arthur finally caught up to the group and took out his pistol.

  "Sentinel! You're going off to Vault 87, right? Let me come with you!" Sarah sighed and knelt down to the young boy's level.

  "Arthur, you know I can't let you..."

  "Why not? I've been training hard for the past month. I can handle it." Sarah shook her head.

  "This isn't anything like your training, Arthur. This is much more dangerous." Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but Sarah immediately put her finger over his mouth. "No. You are not going. That's an order, Squire." Arthur frowned. Sarah sighed. "How about this? I know I've been away for a while now. How about when I get back, we can chat for a bit. Maybe you can show me another story, just like the old times." Arthur let out a faint smile.

  "Y-yes, Sentinel. G-good luck on your mission, Sentinel. Wipe those mutants off the face of this Earth for me, alright?" The Sentinel stood up and smiled at the boy.

  "Of course, Squire."

  "Hey, Lyons! You lovebirds done yet?"

  "Cut it out, Knight! I'm coming!"

  Sarah gave Arthur a small wave before walking into the Wasteland, leaving Arthur standing alone with his pistol in hand. He looked back at a small grave in the corner of the Citadel. He noticed that the cross was a little weathered, and a small withered flower layed on top of the dirt. Around him, Arthur sighed and put his pistol away before walking back into the old fortress.

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   Arthur sighed as he stood on the flight deck, looking out into the Commonwealth. He had stepped out for a moment for some fresh air. The sun shone brightly on his face as he looked out at the sea of ruins, which stood on top of what was once Boston. Below him, Arthur could see soldiers scurrying around the Boston Airport, either prepping for a new mission or relaxing on the irradiated shore. The young man wondered how long it had been since he had been on a ground mission or even on a relaxing break. In the distance, Fort Independence stood proudly away from the ruins. When the Brotherhood first arrived at the Commonwealth, Kells had spoken to him about sending a team to claim the fort; however, they began to receive a new radio frequency from the tower over the past few weeks. Radio Freedom, they called it. Voice of the Minutemen. Arthur tried setting up communications with their general, but according to their colonel, she was never around. He'd have to get in contact with her soon to establish relations with the group.

   And then there was Knight Cross. He hadn't seen much of the vault dweller since their last meeting. Usually, he'd only catch a glimpse of her in her uniform while walking to the mess hall before she disappeared. His headaches had seemed to disappear as well. 

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   Arthur began to make his way back to his quarters. As he passed through the Living Quarters, he noticed a group of kids laughing and joking as they played a board game. Arthur shook his head and smiled to himself. How much had the Brotherhood grown this past decade? He could still remember when squire (now Knight) Branch arrived with his father. He had been so excited to finally be able to train with someone his age. Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur noticed a young squire sitting in front of her bed, playing with a small teddy bear. The young girl was whispering to herself and constantly stole glances at the group playing across from her. Arthur was tempted to walk over to the young girl and talk with her but stopped himself. He had places he needed to be. Arthur turned away but found himself looking at the poor girl again. She was looking over at the group.  

  "Blast radius!" One of the squires shouted. The group suddenly erupted into shrieks and laughs. The girl quickly put her head down and continued to play with her doll. Perhaps he could spare just a few minutes... Arthur began to take a step towards the girl but soon found a knight walking over to her and sitting next to her. It was Knight Cross. The Elder began to feel his heart race as she smiled at the girl. 

   "Hey, sweetie. What's your name?" 

   "Uh, I'm Squire Connerth, ma'am."

   "Nice to meet you, Squire. I'm Knight Cross. And what's this little guy's name, huh?" 

   "Oh! Uh, this-this is Miss Jamie. I, um, I think she likes you." Knight Cross smiled. 

   "Awe, that's so sweet. I couldn't help but notice you two were here all alone? You didn't want to play with the others?" The squire shook her head. 

  "N-no, it's not that. They're just a bit mean sometimes. D-don't tell Kells I said that, though. I don't want them to get into trouble because of me. I-I'm fine playing alone though." A frown crossed the knight's face for a second before Cross put her hand in one of her pockets. 

  "Well, I have a few minutes before I have to go," the knight began. Arthur watched as she took out a wooden toy soldier from her pocket. "Do you wanna play for a little bit?" The little girl smiled and quickly nodded her head. 

  A lone memory crept up in his head. 

  Sentinel Sarah Lyons, sitting by a terminal, his terminal. Arthur is sitting excitingly on his bed as Sarah would read what was on the screen. Most of the time, she would smile. Or whatever was closest to a smile. 

 Screams. A young Arthur lies in a small pool of blood as the world is hazy above him. He can hear gunshots. He looks up to see a green figure standing over him, holding something over him. The boy is too tired to call out. Suddenly, the figure runs away, and the sound of shouting and gunfire becomes more clear. Suddenly, the figure runs away. Arthur tries to watch it run away, but his gaze soon falls onto something else. A body.  

  Arthur felt his head begin to throb. He began to curse under his breath. What was so wrong with him lately? He never had a problem with these before. The Elder looked up to see Knight Cross and Squire Connerth still playing by the bed. He shook his head and turned away from them. What was he doing? He didn't have the time for this. Elder Maxson began to walk away, looking around, trying his best to keep his eyes forward, back straight, and chin up. He had barely made it to the stairs when he heard a voice call out to him from behind. The Elder turned around to see Knight Cross approaching him. He felt his headache worsen almost instantaneously. 

   "Excuse me, Elder? I hope I'm not disturbing you." 

   "Oh, no, no. You're not. What do you need, knight?" 

   "I couldn't help but notice you were, um, watching Squire Connerth and me earlier. You didn't say anything, but I just wanted to make sure that nothing was wrong, was it? I don't want Squire Connerth to be in trouble if there was..." 

   "What? Oh, no, of course not. Nothing's wrong. I just...I just thought it was sweet of you to play with her." He could feel his face starting to flush. "Excuse me, knight. I really must be going." 

  "Of course, Elder. Ad Victoriam!" Arthur sped down the stairs and made his way to the medical bay. Inside, Cade was handing a scribe RadAway before noticing the Elder at the doorway.

  "Scribe, if you feel the effects again I need you to report back to me ASAP. Hopefully, that won't be a problem, though. Now go report to Proctor Ingram." The scribe nodded and rushed out of the room, leaving Maxson and Cade alone. 

  "Cade, I've got a headache." 

  "Alright, Elder. Please take a seat." The doctor began to rummage through a first aid kit as the young elder sat down. "On a scale of one through ten, with ten being crushed by a Behemoth and one being a tiny prick, how would you rate your headache?" 

  "A seven." 

 "And how would you describe the pain?" Cade pulled out some Med-X and began walking towards Arthur. 

  "The pain is like a dull throbbing. It hurts all over my head and seems to last forever." 

  The Knight-Captain asked Arthur to take off his coat and to roll up his sleeve. As he cleaned the Elder's arm, Cade asked him, "Can you tell me what you were doing when it started?" 

  "I was heading back to my room from the forecastle when it started." Cade nodded and injected the Med-X.  

  "And is there anything that makes the pain better? Worse?" 

Arthur paused. Makes it worse? There was only one thing he could think of, but... 

 "Knight Cross."

  "I'm sorry?" 

  Arthur immediately turned his head away from Cade and looked to the ground. "K-Knight Cross. I noticed that when she's around it, uh, seems to be worse. Of course it could just be a coincidence," he spluttered and bit his lip. He internally cursed himself for sounding like a fool. 

  Cade threw the empty syringe in the trash then looked back at Elder Maxson. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at him. "Yes, of course. But just in case, Knight Cross hasn't been giving you any food or drinks lately, has she? Or hasn't given you anymore alcohol?"

  Maxson shook his head. "No, nothing like that. She's not poisoning me, Cade, she's just present, is all. Forget I said anything at all." 

  The Knight-Captain chuckled and grabbed his clipboard from the top of his desk. "Maybe you just have a crush on her. The Elders in the West Coast were wondering when you'd take a wife." 

  "That's not it at all," Maxson shot back. "Besides, I don't have time to worry about silly things like that while the Institute is on the prowl." 

  "Dutiful as always, Elder Maxson," Cade replied. "I was just joking." The medical officer continued to ask Arthur questions while scribbling notes onto his clipboard. He asked him about his alcohol usage and if he had taken any type of chems for it,  both of which Arthur answered promptly. He then asked him if there were any other symptoms along with the headache. 

  "Other symptoms?" Arthur looked down at his hands and noticed they were trembling. His thoughts raced to the images that had plagued his mind. The blonde Sentinel reading his stories. The former Sentinel dead in a pool of her own blood. The smiling vault dweller handing him a notebook. The decayed vault dweller covered in a dirty sheet. Arthur put his hands together and took a deep breath. He looked up to Cade and shook his head. "No. There's nothing else."  

  Eventually, Cade handed him a note as he wrapped the visit up. "I don't believe the headache is from alcohol withdrawal, considering the amount of time since your last drink and the addictol I gave you. And since you don't have any other symptoms outside of the headache I don't believe it's any illnesses. It could be stress related to the Institute...I could give you some medication to lessen the pain. If these headaches continue, I'd recommend documenting them and anything else you might experience. You might be able to find a pattern behind them." 

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  Elder Maxson thanked the medical officer and walked out of the medical bay. As soon as he stepped outside, he was greeted with the usual "hail"s and "Ad Victoriam"'s. He began to make his way back to the Command Deck. The chatter and buzzing of the Prydwen disappeared as he pondered over Cade's words. A pattern, he had said. It made sense that there might be a pattern behind these headaches and images. Arthur lifted up his necklace and grasped the ring on it. But what could this pattern possibly be? The only connection he could make with the pain was...

  He reached the Observation Deck, collapsed onto the couch, and grabbed the nearest bottle of Vodka. Knight Cross. The only connection he could make was her. She was there each time he had these flashes. It's the only explanation he had that made some shred of sense. Was it because she reminded him of Jo? He had already asked her to refrain from wearing the vault suit. He opened the bottle and started to drink it. He needed to figure this out before it got too out of hand.

Chapter Text

  Initiate Arthur Maxson held onto his training knife as he looked at his opponent: Paladin Danse. Danse was starting to get in position for the training exercise as the instructor, Paladin Smith, watched from the sideline. Both opponents locked eyes with each other as Maxson got into a fighting position. "Initiate," Paladin Smith began, "your goal is to disarm and incapacitate Paladin Danse. If you can do this, then we can move on to the next level. Do you understand?" 

  An image flashed through Arthur's head. A giant green hand grabbing him by his neck. His knife falling out of his grip as he struggled to breathe. 

  Maxson gripped his knife tighter and nodded. "Yes, Paladin Smith." Paladin Smith looked back at Danse and gave him a nod. Almost immediately, Danse charged towards the young boy with his training knife in hand. He slashed at Maxson, who quickly dodged all of his strikes. Suddenly, the boy grabbed Danse's arm as tightly as he could with both of his arms. The paladin tried to get his arm free from the initiate but, to his surprise, couldn't. Maxson continued to put pressure on his arm until the paladin finally let the knife slip from his grip. The moment the knife escaped his grasp and dropped to the ground, the thirteen-year-old kicked the weapon away and let go of Danse's arm. He then took his knife and slipped behind the young man. Finally, he kicked the back of the paladin's legs in, causing him to collapse, before holding his training knife against Danse's neck. Once he had the knife against Danse's neck, Initiate Maxson looked up at Paladin Smith. Smith gave him a nod, and the initiate put the knife away. 

  "Good job, Initiate Maxson. You've improved greatly since your last test. I think it's safe to say you can move on to working with energy weapons. What say you, Paladin?" 

  Danse let out of cough as he got up from the ground. "I agree. It's been a while since I've seen someone with your skill, Initiate. At this rate you might be able to do missions in the Wasteland in no time." Maxson beamed when he heard their words. 

  "Thank you, sirs." Paladin Smith put his hand on Maxson's shoulder and smiled at him. 

  "I have high expectations for you, Maxson. Keep making us proud." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Elder Maxson stood in the middle of the Observation Deck as his officers filed inside. Lancer-Captain Kells, Proctor Ingram, Proctor Teagan, Senior Scribe Neriah, Knight-Captain Cade, Paladin Danse, and a few other paladins walked in one by one. They stood in front of the red couches in the room while Proctor Quinlan stood to the side, setting up the holotape recorder. Once everyone was in, and the area was clear, Proctor Quinlan hit record on the recorder. Everyone sat down, and the meeting began. 

  "I gathered everyone here today because I want everyone on the same page when it comes to our battle in the Commonwealth," Maxson began. "Captain Kells, could you give us a quick briefing on how things are doing on your end?" 

  The meeting proceeded to go smoothly. Kells updated everyone about the Brotherhood posts across the wasteland and the location of the fat man shells from Fort Strong. Proctor Ingram talked about how her men had finished unpacking all of Liberty Prime's parts down at the Boston Airport while Scribe Neriah updated the officers on her latest findings with the super mutants and Gen 1 synths. Neriah also enthusiastically talked about how with the help of Knight Cross, she developed an improved radiation chem that she called X-111. Meanwhile, Proctor Quinlan went on a long ramble about all the technical documents his men had found on the CIT, causing everyone to lose interest. And despite all of the technical documents they found, Quinlan's team still couldn't deduce where the Institute was located, making his speech for naught. Lastly, it was time for Proctor Teagan to give an update.

  "Well, Elder Maxson, right before you called this meeting I finally got a response from the Minutemen General," he reported. Everyone's attention immediately perked up, except for Danse, who remained stone-faced at the news. "The General apologized for the delayed response and was hoping to set up a meeting with you at Fort Independence at your earliest convenience. She said preferably tomorrow or the day after." Maxson turned around and began to stroke his beard. He looked out the tinted window at the Commonwealth and could barely make out the Fort from where he stood. 

 "Tell her I can come tomorrow at noon." Maxson turned back to face his paladins and Captain Kells. "Kells, make sure we have a vertibird prepared for tomorrow if she agrees. I'll verify the time with you tonight. Paladins, I need a couple of you to accompany me on the trip to Fort Independence. Let me know ASAP which one of you could come. Understood?" 

 "Yes, sir!" 

  "Now, is there anything else anyone needs to bring to my attention?" Maxson looked around at the room, and everyone shook their head. "Then if that's the case... meeting's dismissed." 

  And with that, everyone began to leave the room, leaving Elder Maxson alone with his thoughts. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Maxson looked out towards the Commonwealth from the confines of the Observation Deck, with the only barrier between them being a pane of glass. The Brotherhood flags stood proudly behind him, and the familiar sound of footsteps and chatter returned. Maxson looked over to Fort Independence as he contemplated the upcoming meeting. The Minutemen had become quite a substantial force in the Commonwealth over the past few weeks. Multiple settlements now stood under their protection, and several more were about to follow. It was crucial to build a good relationship with the local militia. While the food shortage was becoming more of a concern, another problem needed to be addressed: the Brotherhood's safety. According to recent intelligence, the Minutemen possessed multiple artillery weapons in their settlements. Several settlements surrounded the Prydwen, and the airship was well within firing range for all of them. But even the intelligence team has been having trouble finding out who the General is. Previous interactions often went through Senior Officer Garvey while the General was supposedly absent. He wondered who the General was but eventually let it go. He'd find out soon enough. 

  "Excuse me, Elder Maxson?" The voice snapped Maxson out of his thoughts, and he began to turn towards the source of the voice. He nearly froze when he saw who it was. Knight Cross stood in front of him, dressed in her vault 111 jumpsuit. Paladin Danse stood at the doorway with a stern expression on his face. Arthur could feel a headache start to come on as he looked at the vault suit, but he tried his best to ignore it. 

 "Yes, Knight? Is something wrong?" 

 "I just wanted to let you know that I'm want to leave the Brotherhood of Steel." 

  The words hit him like a rock. Arthur's eyes widened, and he glanced over to Danse, who was now looking away from the two. Arthur opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the right words to say. The only word he could find himself to say was the word "pardon?" 

 "I'm want to leave the Brotherhood of Steel," Knight Cross repeated. 

  "I'm surprised," he was finally able to say. "From what I heard from your peers you seemed very passionate about your work in the Brotherhood and about your efforts to track down the Institute. Might I ask why you want to leave?" 

  "I am very passionate about both of those things. However..." Knight Cross paused. "However, I have other commitments I need to focus on and it wouldn't be realistic for me to commit to both right now. I hope you understand." 

  "Other commitments?" Maxson narrowed his eyes as he looked at Cross. "Would you care to enlighten me on these 'commitments'? It's not with an enemy of the Brotherhood, is it?"

 The vault dweller put her hands up and shook her head violently. "Oh no, Elder! Nothing like that. But I don't think I can tell you what these commitments are." She looked to the side and frowned. "At least, not yet," she muttered under her breath. 

 Arthur frowned. Her departure might solve the physical problems he'd been having recently; however, what she said concerned him. He turned to look at Danse. "Paladin, what do you make of this?" 

  Danse sighed and shook his head. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she insists that she leaves. I already looked into these commitments and they aren't a threat to the Brotherhood. However, out of respect for Cross, it isn't my place to say what these are." 

  Arthur sighed and turned back to the vault dweller. His headache worsened when he looked at her in her vault suit again, but he just shook it off. "I won't pretend to understand your reasoning, Cross. But I'm willing to accept your request. From this moment on, I'm relieving you of your duty, Knight Cross. I'll need you to return all of your issued Brotherhood equipment to Paladin Danse and leave the premises as soon as possible. Talk with Captain Kells and he'll have a vertibird drop you off wherever you want. Any questions?" 

  Rebecca shook her head and smiled. "Thank you, Elder Maxson. I'll get right to it." She turned to leave. The number 111 on her vault suit dimmed in the light as she walked away, seemingly gone forever. But as she reached Danse, the vault dweller looked back at Arthur and smiled at him. "Don't worry. I'm confident we'll see each other again soon." And with that, she was gone, leaving Arthur alone in confusion. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The next morning, Elder Maxson prepared for his visit with the Minutemen General. He chose his cleanest uniform to wear and donned his leather jacket. He then spent the rest of his morning at his desk combing through countless documents and reports, looking for anything that could be useful in his endeavors. As noon approached, Maxson read a report on the latest settlements claimed by the Minutemen. One of the settlements, known as The Slog, was said to be a settlement made up of ghouls. Maxson reached for his pencil to underline that settlement for further investigation later. However, he knocked down the stack of reports instead. Maxson muttered a curse under his breath and began to pick up the stack of papers. As he felt under his desk for the documents, he felt something different and picked it up. It was a photograph. 

  In the photograph was a young Arthur Maxson. Next to him were Sentinel Lyons and Elder Lyons. Behind the three, a giant Brotherhood of Steel flag hung on the walls of the Citadel. Arthur smiled as he looked at the image. The young man looked up at the Brotherhood of Steel flag draped on his wall above his desk and wondered what his mentors would think of him now. Would they be proud of the leader he became? Of the man he became? As Maxson finished picking up the documents, there was a knock on his door. 

   "Come in." The door opened to reveal Paladin Danse in his power armor. 

   "Elder, the vertibird is ready to depart and the paladin escorts are waiting outside." Maxson placed the papers on his desk and nodded. 

   "Thank you, Paladin. I'm ready." And with that, the two headed outside to the Main Deck. 

  Outside, multiple Brotherhood soldiers lined the pathway to the docked vertibird. As Elder Maxson passed them, they each gave him a salute. Eyes forward. Back straight. Chin up. Maxson continued forward to the aircraft. Three paladins decked in power armor stood inside the aircraft with their guns drawn. Maxson stepped inside the craft and sat down. After the Elder stepped in, Danse followed him in. The vertibird began to lower from the deck of the Prydwen and soon found itself on its way to Fort Independence. As Arthur looked out at the Commonwealth from the air, he could feel stress grow in him. What if he failed to secure the Minutemen as his ally? What if he failed to destroy the Institute? What if he failed the Brotherhood?

   The helicopter quickly arrived at the Fort and slowly descended outside of its walls. The road outside of the Fort was lined with Minutemen waiting in formation. He could make out three people standing at the door of the base. The vertibird landed, and all of the paladins exited the helicopter. Maxson could hear an older lady calling the Minutemen to attention as he stepped out of the helicopter, and the militia quickly followed her order. He then made his way to the entrance of the Minutemen headquarters. As he got closer, he began to make out the figures more clearly. To the right was an older lady dressed in green army fatigues with a military cap on. Next to her was Senior Officer Preston Garvey. And to the left stood who he presumed was the General. The General was a woman wearing a dark blue overcoat over a white shirt and a tricorn hat. Patrolman sunglasses hid the General's eyes. However, as Maxson got closer to the door, the General took off her sunglasses, revealing her true identity. Arthur's eyes widened when he realized who she was.

  "Welcome to The Castle, Elder Maxson," General Rebecca Cross greeted. "It is a great pleasure to have you here."  

Chapter Text

  Arthur was livid. What was the meaning of this? He shot Danse a glare before the paladin retreated to the back of the formation. He would have a talk with him later. His attention diverted back to General Cross as she stepped up to greet the Elder. She put her hand out and smiled. Maxson struggling to hold back a scowl, took it, and the two shook hands. The young woman stepped back and looked back at Garvey and the older woman. 

  "Elder, this is Preston Garvey. He's the one that's been handling communications between us." 

  "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Elder," Preston said in a monotone voice. 

  "And this..." General Cross began, gesturing towards the lady next to Garvey, "....is Ronnie Shaw. She's in charge of munitions trading and training the new recruits." Shaw simply nodded at the Elder. The irritated Elder looked back at Cross, who was seemingly oblivious to the situation. He opened his mouth to speak, but the vault dweller's attention went to the Brotherhood escort behind him. Her smile widened when she noticed a certain paladin in the back. "And I see you've brought quite the team with you. I'm honored." 

  Maxson's eyes narrowed at the General. "If it's all the same to you, General Cross, I would like to go ahead and start this meeting," he scowled. "We have a lot to discuss." For a split second, Arthur could have sworn he saw the General glaring at him, but whatever semblance of anger she had was quickly replaced by a smile.

   "Of course, Elder Maxson. We do, don't we?" She glanced at two nearby Minutemen, who rushed to open the doors behind her. The wooden doors creaked loudly as they opened, and Maxson quickly noticed the busyness on the other side. General Cross turned around before looking back at the Brotherhood group. "Please, follow me," she said before entering the Fort. The soldiers followed behind. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Maxson looked out at the courtyard in amazement as the group walked into the fort. Across from him stood several rows of crops as farmers tended to them. Mutfruit, razorgrain, tomatoes, anything you could think of seemed to be planted there. Next to the farm was a bustling minimarket place. Multiple caravan traders traded their goods with the shop owners while their brahmin ate nearby at the feeding trough. A giant radio tower stood in the center of it all, broadcasting violin music. 

 Along the run-down walls of the Castle stood several turrets, all of which were accompanied by a Minuteman. It wasn't as nearly as impressive as the defense at the Citadel, but for what it was certainly more impressive than he expected. Maxson noticed the artillery units on the corners of the walls as they guarded the area, also accompanied by multiple minutemen. He frowned when he saw one of them pointed towards the Prydwen, which flew proudly in the distance. Everyone in the base was busy with their daily tasks, but all eyes seemed to be on the young elder as the group walked in. Arthur took a deep breath. Eyes forward. Back straight. Chin up. 

 Finally, the group reached the corridors of the Castle. After passing several beds and a science lab, they finally stopped outside a set of wooden double doors with the Minutemen and American flag standing in front. Cross grabbed ahold of the door handles, looked back at Elder Maxson, and smiled before opening the doors. She stepped to the side and motioned for him to enter. Maxson told his paladin escort to standby outside and then entered the room. As he entered, he heard Cross telling Garvey to wait outside for a moment while the two talked. 

  A table with chairs along the front and a single chair on the other side stood in the middle of the room. Maxson took a seat and began to look around the room. The first thing he noticed was the double bed behind the table. Above it was a Minutemen flag that took up the entire wall. To the right of the bed stood a set of power armor that had the Minutemen logo painted on its chest. Beside the armor was a small desk with a terminal on it. A small stack of paper piled on the desk, and a single holotape sat on the edge. To the left of the bed was a weathered bureau with several framed photographs inside its shelves. There were a lot of unfamiliar people in the pictures. There was a man with a pompadour and sunglasses, a man with a green hat, a lady with a red trench coat, a lady with red hair, and a lady with short black hair and a flannel on. There was even a photo of a dog and a Mr.Handy unit. Arthur also noted a photo of Preston Garvey and, more curiously, a photo of Paladin Danse hidden in the corner. Among these photos were also a handful of frames that were facedown on the shelves. Next to the bureau was a dresser with a camera and a tri-fold flag on top of it.

  Cross closed the door to the room and sat down across from the elder. Her smile disappeared as she sat across from him. "Okay. Let's talk." 

  "Knight, you damn well better have a good explanation for this," Maxson demanded. Rebecca shifted uncomfortably in her seat and took a deep breath. 

  "I guess I do, huh? There's no point in hiding it anymore. For the past month I've been the Minutemen General while also operating as a knight in the Brotherhood." The General sighed. "If I'm being honest, I didn't intend for it to turn out this way. When Danse asked me to join the Brotherhood, the Minutemen didn't even have more than 5 members…6 counting me. I figured I could do both, especially since you and the Brotherhood hadn't arrived yet. I didn't think that in a month I'd be leading over 15 settlements." Arthur noticed her fidgeting with something in her hand but couldn't get a good view of what it was. "I knew I'd have to decide between the two eventually. So I chose the Minutemen. I'm sorry for deceiving you. I wanted to tell you sooner, but there were some things I needed to do first. I hope you can forgive me." 

  Arthur sat in silence for a few moments as he processed what she said. Rebecca continued to fidget with her hand as she looked at him, anxiously waiting for a response. He glanced at the photo of Danse on her bureau and frowned. "How long has Paladin Danse been aware of this?" 

  "...since I became General..." Maxson slammed his fist on the table and began to stand up. 

  "And why did he not think to inform me of this? Danse of all people should know that-" 

  "Maxson!" Rebecca quickly put her hands on Arthur's fist, which stopped him in his tracks. Her hands were warm, and he noticed the small golden ring on her ring finger. She looked at him with pleading eyes and held onto his fist firmly. But once she realized what she had done, she quickly took her hands off of him and looked away from him. "W-what I meant to say, Elder, was that it isn't Danse's fault. Believe me when I say he was against the idea in the first place. I asked him to keep quiet so I could finish my mission and told him that I would reach out to you about it." Rebecca looked Arthur directly in the eye. "So please forgive him. He had nothing to do with it. It was my mistake alone and I'll gladly take all the responsibility for it."

  The look in her eyes reminded him of Sarah when she stood up for him after the two had snuck out for a training mission. There was a fire in her eyes. Maxson sighed, sat back down, and nodded. "Fine. I'll overlook it. But next time, I ask that you don't have my soldiers keep secrets from me. Especially when it's important information for the Brotherhood." Rebecca smiled and thanked him. "But you keep mentioning having something you needed to do. What exactly was that?" 

  "Actually, that's part of what we need to talk about..." General Cross called out for Preston, who soon entered the room. Garvey grabbed one of the chairs and sat at the end of the table. Cross sat up straight in her seat, stopped her fidgeting, and let her General persona enter the fray. "Once I became General, I realized that I was in a unique position," she explained. "I had my foot in the door with both the Minutemen and Brotherhood. And as I worked to rebuild the Minutemen, I realized that there were some things that I would need the Brotherhood's help with. And as I worked with the Brotherhood, it became apparent that the Brotherhood needed the Minutemen's help, as well. Wouldn't you agree?" Maxson hesitantly nodded. "Of course, when I first became General I still wasn't too familiar with how the Brotherhood operated. You guys had only been in the Commonwealth for a week or two and I didn't have too much experience with how you operated. And I figured that if I came to you as the Minutemen General you might present a false image of your group in order to get us to work together. So, while in hindsight it wasn't the smartest thing I could have done, I continued to work under the Brotherhood to get to know what I would be working with. After all, I have settlers I need to protect." 

  "I...guess that makes sense," Maxson muttered. "Well, General, since you seem to know so much about our situation, then I'll cut to the chase." He looked the young woman straight in the eye as he talked. The two discussed the Brotherhood's food shortage. Maxson proposed the settlements share a percentage of crops with the Brotherhood in exchange for scientific research and a personal vertibird transport for a special squad of Minutemen. After coming to an agreement, the two leaders negotiated more minor details before leading to a new topic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   "Elder Maxson, what progress have you made in tracking down the Institute?" Cross asked an hour into the meeting.

    "Not much," he admitted. "Proctor Quinlan's team was unable to locate them at the CIT ruins and there hasn't been any significant leads in the meantime. Why do you ask?" 

   Cross smiled and motioned towards her desk. Preston sat up from his chair and walked over to where she was pointing. He opened a drawer, pulled out a piece of paper, then placed it on the table in front of the two leaders. Maxson's eyes widened when he saw the contents of the paper. The paper was titled "Molecular Relay" and contained schematics for a giant machine with scribbled notes throughout the design.  

   "What is this?" Maxson asked. 

   "Our ticket into the Institute," Cross smiled. "I recently got ahold of this from a former Institute scientist. No one's been able to find the entrance to the Institute because there is no entrance. They use teleportation to get in and out." Suddenly, she rolled up the schematics. "Of course, I'm not going to just give you this information for free. This is the  people's  battle. The Commonwealth's battle. For years they've suffered because of the Institute. And I'm not going to let the Brotherhood take this fight from them." The fire in her eyes began to burn brighter. 

   "You wouldn't be telling me all of this if you intended to keep the Brotherhood out of this," Elder Maxson pointed out. "What are you planning, General?" 

   General Cross stood up and leaned on the table, looking straight into the young man's eyes across from her. "We have the same enemy, Elder. The question is, will you fight with us?" She extended her hand. 

   Maxson stood up in his seat and, with no hesitation, took her hand and smiled. 

   "It would be an honor, General." 

   And with that, the Brotherhood-Minutemen Alliance was formed.