Chapter One: Sanctuary
It wasn't until long after they had settled in, set into Sanctuary, that Preston got to really talk to his savior. A vault dweller, like he had thought, vault 111 apparently somewhere just up the hill.
He was very tall, and at 6'2", certainly taller than most anyone he'd seen in the wider Commonwealth. He had clean white teeth, and his brown hair was thick and healthy.
He was pale, but not in an unhealthy 'lived underground in a vault my whole life' way, his skin had seen sun before. He was very built as well, the vault 111 suit not leaving much to the imagination, practically seeming like it had been painted on.
"Cryogenically frozen, for 210 years according to Cogsworth...my Mr. Handy unit." He'd said pointing at a slightly dented looking Mr. Handy. "They were doing an experiment. One we'd never signed up for, we'd been told they were decontamination pods. Somehow life support was cut to all the units but mine, so...I'm the only one left."
Preston had nodded, "So you're like a pre-war ghoul then."
The man seemed confused "A...what?"
Oh right, the man had said himself that he'd only thawed out earlier in the day. Preston explained feral and non-feral ghouls, super mutants, and synths the best he could as the vault dweller helped him gather mattresses and build beds for their makeshift settlement.
He seemed to take it all in stride, "A lot has happened in 210 years huh?" He sighed deeply, "This is going to take some serious time to sink in. I think i'm still in shock. To be honest this feels more like a nightmare than reality."
Preston laughed, "Man, I can only imagine."
"Tell me more about this whole Minutemen thing, its it like the Minutemen of America's founding? An armed civilian militia to deal with raiders and protecting settlers at a minute's notice?"
Preston sighed, and explained about the old General, how he'd kept the Minutemen organized and the in-fighting to a minimum. How he'd died and the Minutemen had fallen apart before Preston's very eyes. How he'd come to being the only active Minuteman left.
The vault dweller listened compassionately and sympathized greatly with him, Preston looked at his newly found confidant and an idea struck him, "What the Minutemen need is a new leader...and I think that could be you."
The vault dweller binked in disbelief, "Me? Why not you?" he seemed genuinely baffled, "You seem like exactly like what the Minutemen need."
Preston looked away in shame. "If I were, I would have been able to keep them together...when you stormed into that building and damn near single-handedly cleared out the raiders that had us pinned… the way you had claimed the building's fusion core before we'd even told you about it...the way you just took to that power armor like it was a second skin. Like...you were the answer to my prayers."
The man blushed, "I was in the army, before the bombs dropped. Spent quite a bit of time in power armor, that's all."
"That's hardly 'all', taking on that Mirelurk Queen, when it's becoming very clear to me that you've no idea what a Mirelurk even is."
"Some sort of freakish mutant crab by the looks of it, but I get your meaning…"
"Please… The Minutemen need to make a comeback, we're the best hope for the Commonwealth." Preston sighed, "The Brotherhood of Steel thinks that they are, but they're not here on the ground protecting people...just up in that fancy ship of theirs, clearing out feral ghouls or super mutants when it's convenient for them or they gain something. They extort their protectees and are anti-synth, anti-ghoul…"
The vault dweller nodded, "Sounds like they got a real stick up their rear-ends."
Preston chuckled humorously, "Yeah, and the Railroad is only really focused on saving synths...which it's good that somebody really cares about 'em, but…"
"What's really needed is is someone that wants to help everyone, not just the elite few?" the vault dweller interrupted, "Yeah, I get that… Alright, I'll join the Minutemen."
Preston had never felt more relieved in his life...well other than when the self-same man that stood before him had barreled in and helped them without a moment's hesitation. "Alright, welcome aboard General!"
"Uh...that's quite the promotion."
"The leader of the Minutemen is always called General, the one good thing about me being the only active Minuteman is that nobody can argue with me when I say that you're the General now."
The man took in a deep settling breath, "Okay then Preston, what do you think we need to do first?"
Preston directed him to Sturges, who was working on setting up their radio array, and told him that he could help to build almost anything, "He'd probably be able to fix up that old power armor."
Next he focused on helping set up a rudimentary defensive wall from scrap wood.
He'd then he saw a distant flair that called for aid in a far off settlement, he handed off the General's uniform to the vault dweller and he sent him off to the settlement.
It was only when the man left that it finally hit Preston, he had absolutely no idea what the man's name was.
-chapter break-
Preston spent the next hour or so patrolling the edges of Sanctuary, warily eyeing the distant horizon, wondering when the General might make it back… if he makes it back. Preston had thrown a poor, confused, pre-war vault dweller into the deep end, and he'd not even bothered to learn his-
"Excuse me Mr. Garvey," Cogsworth, the Mr. Handy unit that had been the vault dweller's pre-war, and seemed as loyal to him now as he had been back then, timidly approached Preston, a bottle of purified water in one of his claws, "I thought you might require this."
"Oh." He took the water, only now realizing how dehydrated he'd let himself become, "Thank you Cogsworth."
"Think nothing of it sir, the master specified that I should keep an eye on you all before he left, and informed me that I was to make sure whatever water I managed to purify whilst he was away should be made available to the settlers of the former Sanctuary Hills, now deemed only 'Sanctuary'."
Preston finished off the water while Cogsworth talked, handing off the empty bottle. "How is everyone settling in?"
"They all seem still rather wary, I'm afraid Mr. Garvey, but I believe this will be properly alleviated with time."
"Time heals all wounds huh?"
"Indeed, Mr. Garvey."
Preston considered the Mr. Handy, it might be less awkward to ask him. "Say, uh Cogsworth."
"Yes, Mr. Garvey?"
"What...what uh, is your...master's name…"
The Mr. Handy unit laughed, "You didn't ask?"
Preston blushed a bit at that, "Was kind of busy, protecting everybody...and well I guess it didn't occur to me?"
All three of Cogsworths' eyes adjusted their focal shudders and he chuckled to himself, "I'm wondering if I should tell you, or if I should wait for you to ask sir." the Mr. Handy unit seemed almost amused at the prospect, "Sir might be amused that he neglected to introduce himself."
Preston reflected on their first meeting, "There wasn't exactly a lot of time… but Cogsworth, I made him the General of the Minutemen, he instructed you to take care of us, and I don't even know his name."
Cogsworth whirred, seemingly shrugging his two foremost appendages, "He surely won't hold that against-" The Mr. Handy suddenly adjusted his eyestalks to focus on something behind Preston, "oh there he is!"
Preston whirled around, and sure enough, there he was. He looked no worse for wear, with the German shepherd known as Dogmeat loyally following at his heels. He was smiling as Cogsworth offered him up a bottle of purified water, "Thanks Cogs."
"Think nothing of it sir!"
Preston coughed awkwardly, "How'd it go General?"
He got a beaming smile, "I got a lot of 'the Minutemen are back!' and 'it's the General of the Minutemen!' me and Dogmeat made short work of the raiders, didn't we boy?"
He stooped down to pet a very content and appreciative Dogmeat.
The Mr. Handy unit whirred happily, "I'm so glad to see you back in one piece sir, I've been worried sick."
The General gave a half shrug, "I'm glad to see you too Cogs, I'm going to go clean up and rustle up some grub."
The Mr. Handy unit seemed to nod, "Indeed, you need to eat. Keep up your strength! I'll get a fire going outside the old homestead, shall I?"
"Please do, thanks Cogsworth."
Preston watched the Mr. Handy unit fly away towards one of the far off homes, gathering firewood as he went. He turned to the General...man, the uniform looked...really good on him, actually.
The General turned and considered him, "You look to be deep in thought Preston, what's up?"
Preston jolted, a little guiltily, "I… realized, I never got your name?"
The man blinked, and laughed, "Oh man, I didn't...when you told me your name I should have done the same, right— there's me, forgetting my social graces again. My name is Maelstrom Germain, but I usually go by Malcolm...friends call me Mal.
"Maelstrom… that means like a big storm or something?"
"Yeah, pretty much," he said shrugging "it's a family name."
"General 'Storm' Germaine."
"Heh, has a nice ring to it I suppose."
Sturges called out from where he was stationed over by the now set up radio array, "Heya- Garvey they're talkin' 'bout the General!"
Preston walked over to Sturges, Malcolm following behind. 'The Minutemen have found a new General, personally defended a settlement all on his own.' one voice said. 'All alone?' another voice sought to clarify, 'well apparently he had a dog with him, but yeah!'
Malcolm huffed a self conscious chuckle, "I think I made a pretty good first impression.
You have no idea, Preston thought, you saved the Minutemen...you saved me. You saved all the people the old Minutemen almost failed at Quincy.
The Commonwealth had a new hope.