Preface

This is my first fan-fiction so don't hate too much, but please feel free to leave suggestions and a review. This is a total rewrite of any backstory that may have been lain for Paladin Danse in Fallout 4 and Cutler who I'm pretty sure never even got a first name. Danse didn't get one either though so oh well. I also am totally redoing any previous material that was written for the Midwestern chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel which itself isn't too much anyway. Basically It's my mission to fill in some holes and make this as plausible as possible.

Enjoy!

P.S. There is an index at the end of the Chapter that gives locations and names of important areas and characters with further backstory. Recommend you start there.

Blood & Steel

A Fallout Story

Year: 2274

Chapter 1

"So what the hell are we dealing with again?" Cutler asked Paladin Armstrong loudly, trying to make himself heard over the loud droning of the Vertibird engine. "Raiders" Armstrong replied in his usual gruff manner, "A small holdout in a forest in the Lowlands. Perfect for you and Danse to get some training with." "Come on!" Knight Love exclaimed jubilantly, "I didn't get to face Raiders for a solid three months when I was training, and here we are just a month after they get shipped in from Boston having to ferry these kids out for some damn target practice." This was enough to even get the usual stone faced Knight Jackson to crack a smirk. "Well remember you could barely fire a magnum without requiring stitches when you first started, Love." Armstrong quickly retorted. This managed a grin on Jackson's face. "We ought to be arriving at the LZ soon so let's focus." Armstrong stated, "Danse, Cutler you two will follow the three of us after dropping in. You guys don't have full armor and those leg guards wouldn't stop a Radroach bite much less a bullet." "Understand?" He exclaimed. "Understood." Danse and Cutler almost simultaneously respond.

The next few minutes are quiet as the squad prepares for the ensuing fight. Cutler's hands are shaking, but Danse oddly enough seems as normal as ever. He has always been a fast shot and even faster learner. He'd progressed along with his training even faster than Armstrong himself who was hailed as being one of the best soldiers in the Brotherhood. He had a new test now though, but he wasn't worried about himself. He was worried that Cutler might not be quite ready for a real live fight. Cutler had performed admirably in training, but if he screwed up here he wouldn't get a second chance. "Nervous?" Danse asked his friend and fellow Initiate. "Just a bit." Cutler responded quietly. "Are You?" He followed with. "Just a bit." Danse replied with. "Well don't be, cause no matter what goes on down there I got your back." Cutler followed up with. "Know that I have yours too." Danse added.

"Three minutes out!" The Vertibird pilot exclaimed as he began the final approach. "Well they will probably know we are here." Love pointed out. "Who was the one who suggested we assault the East side of the base we are approaching from the West?" He suggested. Armstrong retorted with, "There's a hill overlooking the base base from the East." He then added "We want to make this quick and clean for the Initiates, and there is a clearing from this side too." Love responded with, "Well the Brotherhood isn't known for sneaking up on people while wearing massive suits of armor anyway." "Ad-fucking-victoriam to that" Jackson chimed in with. The veteran soldier was always ready for a fight. "Ready to drop in 3!" The pilot exclaimed. "Love you're up!" Armstrong barks. "Aye!" Love responds with. Love dones his T-60 suit's helmet and drops out of the Vertibird. Landing with a huge thud as he impacts the Earth below. "Jackson!" Armstrong orders. Jackson does the same and follows Love down. Danse and Cutler drop in next. Their special leg guards protecting them from the fall. Before Armstrong drops in the pilot hands him two flares. "The first is for emergency the second is for exfil!" He yells. "Don't make me land if I don't have too. You never know what these bastards have." The pilot adds. Armstrong thanks the pilot and drops out.

The squad moves slowly towards the Raider base laser rifles drawn. "It's too damn quiet." Love remarks, "They had to know we were coming." Suddenly a shot rings out. The sniper shot connects with Jackson's left knee. He crumples down on his knee as Armstrong yells, "Ambush!" Danse and Cutler take cover behind a tree as shots begin ringing out from the front of the group. Armstrong and Love immediately return fire and cut down several Raiders flooding down the hill. Jackson is able to stand back up and return fire, but his leg continues to malfunction. The sniper's shot rings out again as he tries to take down Armstrong, but his chest armor holds true. Danse listening for the identifiable shot immediately begins scaling the dead tree. "Are you mad!?" Cutler yells, but Danse is almost in another world. He looks South West towards the base and scans the trees. Another shot rings out but misses Armstrong this time. Danse sees him about fifty yards out. He unloads five or six shots from his laser rifle and connects with almost all of them. The sniper screams and falls to the ground flat on his back. He doesn't get up. "Sniper is down!" Danse exclaims. Love and Armstrong begin pushing up through the trees towards the hill, killing a dozen Raiders in progress. The longtime squadmates seem to almost know what the other is thinking.

A few moments later Love yells, "Clear!" The two retreat back to Jackson and the Initiates. "Are you hurt Knight?" Armstrong asks. Jackson responds, "No, the bastard just got a lucky shot and busted a joint in the armor I think." He adds, "I feel fine but moving isn't going to be fun." "We already have two armorless men I don't want to risk another." Love remarks. "Agreed." Armstrong replies. "You can be on air support." He throws a flare down and almost immediately the Vertibird flies towards the clearing. A few long and slow minutes later Jackson gets into position on the Vertibird's minigun. "Use the next one if you need air support." The pilot tells Armstrong as he hands him another flare. "Just remember to mark your target, and not yourselves." He adds before lifting off. "That guy is a real condescending ass." Love remarks. Cutler and Danse grin in agreement. The remaining four begin moving back towards the hill overlooking the base.

The four take up positions on the hill. The base is no ordinary Raider base. "What the hell?" Love exclaims. "I thought this was just a small camp." He adds. Danse and Cutler can't believe it. The place is almost a glorified fortress. "That bunker." Armstrong points to a bunker leading underground on the North side of the base, "We need to secure that bunker and make sure the place is cleared out." Armstrong throws the next flare and it lands right in the middle of the base. "Hold here and light them up!" Armstrong yells. The vertibird flies in and Jackson unleashes hell. Raiders flood out of some larger buildings that appear to be barracks on the Western side of the base. They never stood a chance. One Raider tries to fire a missile launcher at the Bird but is quickly gunned down by Cutler. Danse and the rest of the ground squad pick off those that aren't immediately killed by Jackson in the air. A few do manage to get into the bunker though and Jackson shifts his focus to it. "No!" Armstrong screams "Don't shoot the bunker!" Love looks over in shock at Armstrong who takes his helmet off and continues screaming. A muffled explosion can be heard. Then another. Jackson unable to hear with his helmet on and over the gun continues firing. Suddenly it happens.

A massive explosion tears through the Earth where the bunker is. The shockwave knocking the bird out of the sky. "Run!" Love shrieks. The four run down the hill as quickly as possible. The bird impacts where they were just moments before. The hull breaks apart and bounces down the hill. Another explosion from the Bird knocks the squad apart.

Cutler wakes up. He has no idea how much time has passed. His left arm stinging from an unbearable pain. He gets up looking for signs of life from the others. He finds Armstrong first, trying to unjam the emergency release on his armor. He is on his back though. "Paladin!" He yells, "What the hell happened?" He asks. "Mini nukes." Armstrong responds, "They had mini nukes." He continues trying to unjam the emergency release on his armor. "Here I'll help." Cutler says. He tries and tries the release but it won't budge. "Find Love." Armstrong exclaims, "He had stimpacks in his leg compartment, and find Danse as well." "But you.." he begins but Armstrong cuts him off, "Find Love, there is nothing you can do for me now." Cutler slowly backs away, and tries to find the Knight. After a minute of searching he finds him. A massive piece of the Vertibird hull landed on Love as he tried to dive. Cutler slowly approaches the carnage, and is able to get the stimpacks from the Knight's leg. He hears a beeping sound coming from Love's body, and quickly injects a stimpack in his arm. Almost immediately a warmth spreads over his arm as he regains use of it. He races to try and find Danse. Cutler returns to where he woke up at and finds Danse slowly moving. "Andrew!" He yells as he races to the groggy Initiate. "I told you not to call me that Matt." He counters with, "Shit, my leg!" He exclaims. His leg is bending in ways that it shouldn't be. Cutler quickly injects a stimpack into it, and just like before the effects are immediate. Danse's leg almost magically returns to normal. "I don't know what they put in these things, but damn they're amazing." Danse states. Cutler helps him up and brings him to Armstrong who is beeping as well.

Armstrong is trying to roll himself onto his back, but is having no luck. "Grab his legs I'll grab his shoulders!" Danse tells Cutler. "Push!" He yells. The two push with all their might, but can't budge the Paladin. "The core is damaged and will explode!" Armstrong tells them, "With no power these things weigh a ton." He calmly adds, "You can't save me." "No!" Cutler yells, "We can! We have too!" He tells Danse, "Grab him again we just have to roll him!" Cutler desperately grabs his legs and pushes with all his might, but can't move him. "Fuck!" He screams. He tries fighting back tears. Danse pulls him up, trying to hold tears back himself. "Don't cry for me soldier." He sternly tells Cutler. "See if you can find anything of Jackson." He adds. Danse begins going with Cutler but Armstrong motions for him to remain. "I have to tell you this." Armstrong tells Danse. The beeping from Love's suit is speeding up by now. "This mission wasn't what you thought it was." Armstrong states, "This came down straight from the Commander to me and only me." He continues, "This base had been heavily scouted for some time, and we marked it to secure the mini nuke and Fat Man stocks the Raiders had." In obvious pain he continues. "I chose you and Cutler for this mission over other Knights for several reasons. You two are some of the best Initiates we have ever seen. You two have to get back to Cincinnati, and let Command know what happened here. We needed these stocks not for Raiders, but for an even bigger threat." Danse responds, "Why can't we wait here?" He continues, "Won't there be a search and rescue team?" Armstrong responds, "Normally yes, but there is a large detachment fighting up North. They were set to go out when we did." He adds, "There is only a small force defending the base right now in addition to the Commanders." The beeping from Love's suit is almost a solid tone. "Take this." Armstrong motions to the 10MM pistol on his leg. "It doesn't have much ammo so use it well." The Paladin adds, "Get out of here and head West, and don't go through the Raider base." Danse responds, "OK, we will." He solemnly adds, "It's been an honor to serve with you Paladin." And salutes. "It's been an honor to teach and serve with you too." Armstrong replies. Danse grabs Cutler and the two head West around the base.

Armstrong waits until the two are out of sight.

The tone from Love's suit is deafening now.

He furiously begins to fight with the release again. Using all of his strength to try and unlock it.

The tone grows louder.

And louder.

The release clicks.

The tone goes solid.

"AD VICTORIUM!"

Index

Locations:

Cincinnati - Home of the Brotherhood of Steel's Mid Western headquarters. Has been purged of all ghouls and other abominations.

Lowlands - Area East of Cincinnati before reaching the foothills of the Eastern Range.

Characters:

Initiate Andrew Danse - 19 yrs old. Joined the Brotherhood 5 months ago at The Citadel, but was shipped out to Cincinnati the Mid Western chapter to finish his training and to support the smaller chapter. Is very headstrong and confident while also being a good soldier.

Initiate Matt Cutler - 18 yrs old. Joined the Brotherhood with Danse and has been at his side since meeting him a year ago. Is extremely loyal and a good squadmate who puts the mission ahead of himself.

Paladin Armstrong - 35 yrs old. One of the best soldiers the Brotherhood has ever had. Is a master tactician and a fantastic leader. Took Danse and Cutler under his wing after they were transferred to Cincinnati and trained them himself. Has a fantastic combat record and has never failed a mission. If he was any better he would be would be a Sentinel.

Knight Love - 28 yrs old. A long time squad mate of Paladin Armstrong. Is known for being sarcastic and questioning authority. Is a very good soldier though, but probably won't make it to Paladin rank unless his attitude changes.

Knight Jackson - 37 yrs old. A newer addition to Armstrong's squad. He was transferred into the squad after his was wiped out in a previous mission, and only he survived. Has a very stone-like demeanor and rarely shows much emotion. Many believe it's because of his past experience with his squad and because he feels guilty for it.