War. War never changes. The campaign against the Commonwealth's boogeyman, the Institute, proved costly. Among the many lost included Brotherhood soldiers, fellow Minuteman, the entire Railroad, and even my only son. Still, I don't regret submitting the Institute to nuclear fire. God only knows what would have happened if they had continued to experiment with their Synths. With the Institute gone, the Commonwealth breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Minutemen returned to their original mission, while the Brotherhood prepared to withdraw back to the Capital Wasteland.
It was on March 18th, 2288 that I awoke next to my paramour, Piper Wright, in a Diamond City house appropriately called Home Plate. What woke me up was Dogmeat, my German Shepherd dog, licking me on the cheek. I smiled at that. "Good morning, boy," I whispered. He scampered off into the other room. I rose from the bed slowly, so as not to disturb Piper, who was sleeping soundly. Shaking off sleep, I pulled on my Vault 111 jumpsuit, slid on my boots, and strapped on my Pip-Boy. It was the same outfit that I had worn when first emerging from Vault 111. That day, then as now, feels like and eternity ago, although by then it had only been about five months.
The next room over, where Dogmeat was lying down, functioned as my armory. Looking around at the various weapons and armor was like walking down memory lane. There was my trusty 10mm pistol on one rack, a Nuka-Girl suit on another, a harpoon gun from Far Harbor resting in a corner, and the Silver Shoud's Submachine Gun lying on the weapon workbench. The scars and the memories lingered in my mind as I began to tinker with Righteous Authority, my personal laser rifle.
A knock at the front door interrupted me. Annoyed, I went to answer it. A young male Brotherhood Knight, fully outfitted with combat armor and laser rifle, stood outside in the early morning sunshine.
"Sentinel?" asked the Knight as he saluted me by putting his fist over his heart.
I returned the salute. "What is it, Knight?"
"I've been dispatched by Elder Maxson. He has an important mission for you. My orders are to escort you to the Prydwen immediately."
I groaned inside. What could be so important that Maxson would bother me while I was on leave? I only had another few days in the Commonwealth before the Prydwen flew back south, and wished to spend it with my friends. Especially with Piper. "Very well," I replied. Please give me a few minutes to prepare. I'll be right out." I shut the door behind me.
As I returned to the armory and began stripping off my vault suit, Piper appeared in the doorway, nude except for her newsboy cap. "Morning Blue," she said with a seductive smile. "Heading my way?"
I shook my head. "Not right now, love," I said in a flat tone.
Her smile vanished. "What's the matter?"
"The Brotherhood has come knocking. Elder Maxson apparently has a mission for me. One worth pulling me back from leave, apparently."
"Oh. Well that's a bummer."
"Agreed." Tossing my vault suit aside, I pulled on my Brotherhood uniform, then strapped on my combat armor. Piper, who by then recognized how serious I was, helped me secure the pieces. With my armor on, I loaded up my pouches with fusion cells and stuck my 10mm into its holster.
"How long will you be gone?" Piper finally asked.
"I don't know," was my honest answer. "Hopefully I'll be back soon. You know I can never stay away from you." I said that last sentence with a wink.
"Oh I know it, Vault Boy."
I held Piper in tight embrace, running my hands across her bare buttocks and breasts. We kissed passionately. When our lips finally parted, I whispered in her ear. "If I die, publish me a flattering obituary."
Piper giggled at that, for she knew I was teasing. "Go on, Blue. I'll make sure Diamond City doesn't fall to pieces while you're gone."
With that, I gave Piper one more kiss, hefted Righteous Authority, then headed for the door. Dogmeat blocked my path, whining. Immediately I submitted to his want. "Okay boy, let's go see the Elder." He then barked cheerfully and followed me outside.
The Knight, whose name was Harron, led Dogmeat and I out of Diamond City and to a waiting Vertibird. I climbed aboard and took up position behind the Vertibird's port side minigun, which was loaded and ready to fire. Almost as soon as we took off, a bunch of hotheaded Super Mutants began firing at us from a nearby rooftop. I was quick to dispatch them with the minigun. For all their strength, a Super Mutant's muscles won't stop a bullet. The rest of the flight was uneventful. We flew by the Castle on our way towards Boston Airport. The blue flag of the Minuteman flew high over the central courtyard, and the ramparts bristled with turrets and artillery. Shortly after the destruction of the Institute, I promoted my friend Preston Garvey to Colonel, and left him in charge of the Castle.
The imposing steel airship Prydwen loomed over Boston Airport, moored to the old control tower. Immediately after our Vertibird docked with the airship, I reported to Elder Maxson's quarters. Maxson was seated at his desk. Despite the name of his rank, Elder Maxson was a young man, though his bearded face and commanding personality would suggest otherwise. Proctor Quinlan, head of the R&D division, was standing next to the desk. Maxson gestured for me to sit at the chair before his desk as I entered the room, and I did. Dogmeat laid down at my side.
"Sentinel, thank you for coming on such short notice," said Maxson.
"You're welcome, Elder," I lied. "What do you have for me?"
"It's a matter of great urgency. I will let Proctor Quinlan explain."
Quinlan cleared his throat. "Just hours ago, one of our scribe patrols reported back. They were investigating reports of unique technology in the vicinity of South Central Station. They found a train inside an old servicing facility near the station. Not just any train, for that matter, but an armored train, fully outfitted for transporting military personnel and supplies."
That news alone didn't grab my attention. The Brotherhood had happened upon similar trains elsewhere. "What makes this train so special?" was my first question.
"It's the locomotive that we are interested in." It was Maxson who spoke. "It appears to be unique. Scribe Haylen described its power system as being based on that of a steam turbine locomotive, but modified to use a fusion plant to produce heat instead of an oil-burning firebox."
I nodded. "Interesting. I heard rumors of such an engine being developed during my time in the United States Army. Supposedly it was capable of delivering troops and gear faster than any similar locomotive."
"That is exactly why we need you to secure this locomotive for the Brotherhood, Sentinel. Secure that locomotive and it's train for passage to the Capital Wasteland."
"It shall be done, Elder."
"Outstanding. Any questions for either of us?"
"Yes. Do we intend to transport the locomotive by suspending it beneath the Prydwen?"
Quinlan shook his head. "Negative, Sentinel. The Prydwen cannot support the weight of her full compliment plus that of the locomotive."
Maxson cut in. "You will need to transport the train by rail."
I believe my jaw dropped at those words. They hit me with the force of a Super Sledge. "Elder, how are we to transport an aging train, across hundreds of miles of unknown territory, on tracks that may or may not be in good repair? It sounds like a suicide mission."
"Don't be too worried, Sentinel. The Prydwen will provide support as best as possible during her voyage south. Our top engineers will get the train in proper condition for a long journey before you depart as well."
That relieved some of my anxiety about the mission, but it still seemed daunting. "I understand, Elder. If there's nothing further, I'll begin prepping a team to secure the train's location."
"Nothing further, Sentinel. Dismissed."
An hour later, I found myself in my T-60 power armor, boots on the ground in Boston, along with a squad of Brotherhood soldiers and Dogmeat. With me was Knight Rhys, also outfitted in power armor, and carrying a laser sniper rifle; Scribe Haylen, in her usual Brotherhood fatigues and armed with a laser pistol; and finally Paladin Theron, wielding a gatling laser. Theron was one of the few female Paladins in the Brotherhood, and was also a veteran of the Brotherhood's campaign against the Enclave. She had been an Initiate at the time. I had met Rhys and Haylen last year while looking for my son. It was their old squad leader, Paladin Danse, who had sponsored me as an Initiate.
Our insertion point was Atlantic Avenue, just north of South Central Station. The streets, fortunately, were empty. The station proved to be another story. As soon as we walked through the main entrance, a feral ghoul charged us. Knight Rhys delivered a single shot to the ghoul's head, which exploded in a shower of flesh. Gunfire erupted in the station's main concourse. Closer inspection revealed a horde of feral ghouls doing battle with a number of mercenaries in green uniforms.
"Gunners!" I barked. "Get ready for a fight." The Gunners were, and still are, high-end mercenaries active in the Commonwealth. They regularly engaged Brotherhood patrols, for some strange reason. A death wish, perhaps? I leveled Righteous Authority at the nearest ghoul and opened fire. Three shots and the ghoul collapsed. Theron's gatling laser began tearing into the ghouls, ripping them apart. Rhys and Haylen turned their weapons on the Gunners, who were quick to turn their attention away from the ghouls and towards us. One aimed a sniper rifle in my direction, but before he could get off a shot, Dogmeat sprinted up and grabbed him by the arm! Smiling behind my helmet, I put three shots into the gunner, whose body ignited and burned to a pile of ash. Another merc opened up on Theron with a laser pistol. Haylen shot the foolish man dead before he could even dent Theron's armor. The last remaining Gunner - a heavily armored brute who must have been their squad leader, opened fire on Rhys with an automatic plasma rifle. The Knight's armor sizzled with the impacts. Rhys returned the favor by lobbing a plasma grenade in the Gunner's direction. He tried to dodge, but too late. The blast reduced the Gunner Commander to a pile of green goo. With him down, the station appeared secure, until a glowing one charged out of the women's bathroom. Growling, the ghoul made a beeline for Theron, who was too late bringing her gatling laser to bear on the foul creature. The ghoul struck with enough force to stagger her. Rhys and I shot it in the chest several times, but the ghoul didn't even slow down. Dogmeat grabbed the ghoul's right leg, which distracted the ghoul just long enough for Haylen to shoot the creature in the left foot, which amazingly blew clean off. The ghoul fell onto its back, just in time to see Theron's armored boot come down on its head.
Haylen led us through the trainyard to the servicing facility inside which she and her patrol had found the armored train with its unique locomotive. Having likely been built to military standards, the servicing facility had withstood the tests of time and radiation better than most of the surrounding structures. The building was long, wide, and made mostly of concrete. Two sidings led into the facility, both of which were occupied by armored railroad cars, all painted in olive drab green. Some of the cars were outfitted with gunports, while others were little more than armored boxcars. A pair of massive steel doors stood at one end, ready to admit more cars or locomotives inside. The facility did not have power, making it nearly pitch dark inside. I instructed my squad to stay close as we made our way through the building, just in case something was lurking in the darkness.
At one point, a sentry bot rolled up to us. "Threat analysis: yellow," the bot said in an electronic voice. "Please present identification, or state passphrase."
Lacking identification, I opted for the passphrase. "All aboard," I said sarcastically.
"Passphrase accepted. Welcome, employee. How may I assist you?"
"Turn on the lights." More sarcasm on my part.
The sentry bot rolled off. Less than a minute later, the building was flooded with light. Our power armor headlamps went off immediately.
The light also revealed our objective at the facility's south end: the prototype locomotive. She was a steam engine alright, painted olive drab green, with a 6-8-6 wheel arrangement, a streamlined body, and a large tender suited for long-distance travel. The number 3162 was painted on the sides of the cab, and U.S. Army on the tender. It was immediately apparent why the Prydwen couldn't lift her - the locomotive was enormous, easily one hundred and twenty feet long (not including the tender), and no doubt weighing hundreds of tons. A quick glance at her boiler and running gear revealed that she was intact. Indeed, she looked ready to hit the rails right away.
"Sure is something, isn't it?" Haylen said to no one in particular.
"It sure is, Haylen." I replied. I then turned to my squad. "Alright. Spread out and secure the building. Once that's done, we'll get a radio link to the Prydwen, have Ingram and her grease monkeys give her a once-over. After that we'll fire her up, couple up the cars and then do what no Brotherhood squad has done before."
"What would that be, sir?" Theron asked.
I spotted a conductor's hat on a table near me. I picked it up and put it on top of my helmet. "Go for a train ride!"
