BEGINNING NOTE:
This is my first ever fanfic, let alone 'Fallout 4' fanfic. ...Very nervous about it, lol. I might not be ANY good at it, and my writing may not be great, and God help me if I don't do some of my favorite characters justice.
For now, any story tags may change in the future... I will keep things as correct and up-to-date as I can. Also, the name of this fic comes from 'Shadow of Steel', the quest that is started at the Cambridge Police Station (in which you're to report to Paladin Danse once you're ready to board the Prydwen for the 1st time). Since the fic starts shortly after this, I thought it would be appropriate. :) I DO (initially) use a lot of the same dialogue from the game, but after a time things will shift and you'll start to see the fic take an AU-ish turn.
I really hope people like it!
Ad Victoriam!
PS - If anyone is following this story on AO3, I also have this fic there with me under the name 'Kat123'.
"She shows a lot of promise... and with the proper guidance, I think she has the potential of becoming one of the best."
"So you decided to stay, huh? I expected you to take your payment and run. ... Got enough trouble stomping muties & ferals... I don't need something else to worry about."
"I only ask for two things from anyone under my command: honesty and respect. ... I'm going to recommend you be awarded the rank of Knight. Now nothing's official until you speak to Elder Maxson, but I wanted you to be the first to know."
"Ad victoriam, Knight." "She doesn't even know what that means, Haylen."
"I've never seen anything so impressive." "Takes your breath away, doesn't it? ... If she's here, Elder Maxson's here. And that means we're going to war."
"The Commonwealth looks different from up here, doesn't it? ... I wish everyone believed in our cause... but they've been blinded by rumors and misinformation. ... All right, soldier... this is the moment when everything changes. I hope you're ready."
"So, you're the one Paladin Danse has taken under his wing. Hmph. You don't look much like a solider to me. ... A soldier is supposed to be an efficient killing machine, not a relic from the past playing catch-up with the rest of the world. If Danse hadn't stepped in and vouched for you, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Accepting outsiders like yourself has proven disastrous in the past. ... I won't allow anyone to jeopardize our mission no matter how valuable they think they are."
Nora Delaney - no... she supposed she was just Nora Taylor now - closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, playing the events from the long day over again in her head. She had made her decision and met up with Paladin Danse at the Cambridge Police Station, who seemed only too happy to accept her as an Initiate into the Brotherhood of Steel. Not only that, but he was going to recommend her to be promoted to the rank of Knight. She wasn't 100% sure of how many or what the Brotherhood's ranks even were, but she had a feeling that Danse's recommendation was no small thing. Scribe Haylen seemed accepting and Knight Rhys... well.. he seemed somewhat cold and hesitant - as did Knight Captain Kells once she was aboard the Prydwen - but she couldn't really blame them. Nora certainly didn't think of herself when she tried to picture a typical soldier in her mind, she pictured more Nate as...
'No...' she thought as she shook her head slightly, as if that would shake the thought from her head, '...I don't have time to think of that now. For now, I have to do everything possible to get Shaun back.' The Minutemen had good intentions in their hearts, but the Brotherhood had seemed like her best bet to try and find Shaun ASAP and destroy the Institute, so they couldn't hurt anyone else like they had they had hurt her. She tried to focus from the back of the room in the Prydwen as Elder Maxson started to address the other soldiers in front of her. They all stood stick straight, at full attention, in awe of the man in front of them.
"Brothers and Sisters... the road behind has been long & fraught with difficulty."
Nora couldn't help feeling a little in awe of Elder Maxson herself. His was a presence that seemed to command attention, as if it was so effortless to him. She used her talents as a pre-war lawyer to take in his every detail, trying to glean as much information from him as she could. Her eyes searched him over from head to toe.
His hands held behind his back, feet shoulder-width apart, he took a moment every so often during his speech to pace back and forth in front of the soldiers. He wore an interesting looking battle coat that none of the other soldiers seemed to possess, covering a tight black Brotherhood uniform that seemed to just be worn by the higher-ranking officers, while the lower-ranking officers usually seemed to wear orange (the ones not walking around in Power Armor, that is). His figure was broad and muscular, and he had a handsome face that she was sure had seen many battles and hardships. She took notice of the long scar on the right side of his face, wondering what kind of fight had caused such a wound. His eyes, a steel blue, seemed to pierce into the face of every person there. When they made contact with her green eyes, he stopped pacing and paused in his speech, as if noticing her for the first time.
She forced herself to hold his gaze and not look away (another important skill she had learned over the years), not wanting to seem uncertain or afraid - despite knowing that she probably lacked the skill the other Brotherhood members had. Paladin Danse seemed to believe in her enough, but the others... well... they seemed to just see her as the housewife/vault dweller in armor she was sure she appeared to be. Even she wasn't sure she was entirely up to the challenge a soldier would have to face... but she had come this far, and if she wanted to ever see Shaun again, she would do anything it took to fulfill her promise to Nate, to avenge him and get their son back.
The Elder paused for a moment (though it felt much longer to Nora) as his eyes met hers and - narrowing them slightly at her - moved them down her body and then back up again, as if trying to size her up the way she was to him.
She shifted her stance slightly in her form-fitting blue vault dweller jumpsuit, sure that she stood out from the other, less civilian-appearing soldiers there.
He blinked and looked away for a moment, then continued to speak, explaining that the Brotherhood would do whatever it took to eradicate the Institute, the Synths, and whatever technology they possessed that posed a threat to mankind.
"...In the end, we will be saving humankind from its worst enemy... itself."
This was met with a rallying cry of "Ad Victoriam!" between him and the other soldiers as they all saluted each other. Nora made a feeble attempt to do the same, still not used to not using the traditional forehead salute she knew in her time. She had tried that when she first met Paladin Danse, and he had looked at her like she had three heads.
As the other soldiers filed out, she stood a little awkwardly at the back, wondering if she should follow them or move closer to speak with the Elder. When everyone exited the room and only Elder Maxson and herself were left, she slowly walked forward to stand in front of him.
He regarded her carefully for a moment, his eyes moving down and up again, and her face flushed slightly at the scrutiny.
'Oh stop it, Nora... you're not a teenager, for God's sake...'
She cleared her throat as she continued to maintain her eye contact and nodded respectfully at him. "Elder..."
He met her eyes again & paused before speaking. "...I care about them, you know. The people of the Commonwealth."
Nora frowned slightly. Not that she didn't believe him, but it seemed a bit... contradictory after his speech about the Institute and 'eradication' of the threat to mankind. "It... seems more like you're preparing for war. ...Sir," she added at the last moment, not wanting to make a bad impression for both her and Paladin Danse to the leader of the whole damn East Coast Brotherhood.
Elder Maxson's facial expression seemed to twitch the tiniest bit as he explained that the Brotherhood would need to start a war in order to prevent one - only the Brotherhood wouldn't nearly obliterate mankind doing so.
She nodded and paused in thought for a moment, wondering how she quite fit into these plans. "...What is it you want from me?"
He seemed to straighten his posture up a little more (something Nora wouldn't have thought possible) and continued.
"I want you to start taking responsibility for this planet. To start making a difference. And from what I've read in Paladin Danse's reports, you've already begun that journey. Seeing as he's one of my most respected field officers, you couldn't get a better recommendation. With that, I'm granting you the rank of Knight."
Nora smiled slightly, feeling like this news would please Paladin Danse, then frowned again as she realized she really knew next to nothing about the Brotherhood of Steel's history, ranking system, or even how they typically operated. "...Knight?" she asked tentatively, and then without thinking tried to lighten the mood with a little humor. "...Not a Paladin, like Danse?" Her smile faded again as Elder Maxson slightly raised one eyebrow and stared at her a moment. She mentally kicked herself and hoped her cheek wouldn't reflect badly on Paladin Danse.
"...The Brotherhood maintains a strict hierarchy organized by rank," he finally stated. "Paladin is several ranks above Knight, and it took Danse many years to achieve that goal. With your continued loyalty to the Brotherhood, I'm certain you can attain the same. In any event... it's getting late. I recommend you finish becoming familiar with the Prydwen - I'm sure Paladin Danse can show you to the sleeping quarters. In the morning he can help you get you acquainted with my staff, and then you both are to report to the Flight Deck for your new orders. Welcome aboard the Prydwen, soldier. Make us proud."
He then gave her the Brotherhood chest salute again, which she imitated (poorly, she imagined, by the way both of Elder Maxson's eyebrows raised slightly this time). "Ad Victoriam, Knight..." he trailed off, and it took Nora a moment to realize he was waiting for her to address herself.
"Oh!" she blinked and shook her head. "Del- ...umm... Taylor, sir. Nora Taylor," she quickly corrected.
He paused for a moment, searching her with steel blue eyes that seemed to bore into her, and she wondered if he had noticed her stumble on her words when he nodded. "...Knight Taylor. Sleep well, Knight."
She nodded back at him before she headed out of the room to find Paladin Danse, not noticing that he watched her every move as she left.
END NOTE:
- FUN FACT: I got Nora/Nate's last names from Courtenay Taylor (voice actress, F!SS) and Brian T. Delaney (M!SS). Thought it would be a nice little tribute. :-)
- 'ScorpioSkies' = Thank you again for your review on AO3 & the PM! (And the 'power noodles', LOL) I hope people really enjoy reading my fic & reviews are definitely appreciated.