After the destruction of the Enclave in Adams Air Force Base, the Capital Wasteland saw many changes throughout the following years. These are a documentary of the major ones. My character is Archie Lupus, I own him, and Fallout 3 belongs to its creators, the lucky bastards…
Following the destruction of all command, many remaining Enclave groups where cut off where they stood; Many where destroyed by the wasteland in just a few months, but some groups where lucky enough to have certain officers leading them. These officers where specially trained for cases such as this, and wasted no time in using that training. You see, there were many vaults constructed without even Vault-Tech's knowledge. These ones where made so that if an Enclave patrol was ever in a tight spot after the nuclear holocaust, which was decided by the shadowy Enclave before the war and knew that the end was coming, they could escape into something that could protect from virtually anything. However, there was a chance that an Enclave patrol would not be near one of these secure vaults. If that was the case, the same officer who knew of the Enclave vaults could effectively commandeer another vault that had not yet open. This was the case for patrol 11Kilo. They had nowhere to go, little in the way of provisions, and needed safety. The officer decided that Vault 101 would suit her needs, and ordered her patrol over to it.
The last time the Lone Wanderer visited his home vault, he came to fix a civil war that was going on. After talking down the population, he recommended that they keep the vault shut, as the war with the Enclave was still raging. They did, and the Wanderer never heard from them again.
After the war, patrol 11Kilo found the vault, cracked the password, and swarmed in. In minutes, they had the entire vault under their control and all the population herded into the main hall. The men, women, and children where all separated: men would be used as slave labor, women would be used as breeding material, and children, no matter what sex, would be indoctrinated into the Enclaves ideals. Over time, the population was settled, any young girls unable to keep with the Enclave's rigorous standards were thrown into the breeding heap, some as young as ten. Any boy who could not keep up was sent to become a slave, and an example to the others that weakness would not be tolerated. Over the years, the vault remained a dark dictatorship, all under the ruthless officer, who only let one soldier ever take her at night: a young private. He soon fathered two children, a boy and a girl, and special care was taken when they came of age to start training.
After the battle at Adams Air Force Base, the Brotherhood of Steel seemed to be at the height of its power. They had Mark 2 power armor, huge amounts of energy and projectile weapons, ammo, robots, and tech. They even managed to get five surviving Virtibirds, four of which stayed under close and constant guard in a hidden hanger at the base. The other stayed in the Citadel for a quick-reaction squad. A year passed without much in the way of battle or surprise, save for one event: the marriage between the Lone Wanderer and now-Paladin Archie Lupus and Sentinel Sarah Lyons. It was held in Rivet City's church, and, besides the entire city, dozens of wastelanders nearby came to see the couple say their vows, and present each other their rings. Archie gave Sarah a pre-war gold ring with two sapphires and diamond in the center, and Sarah gave him a red band with various carvings all around it. From the front row, Elder Lyons couldn't help but smile for the happiness that the couple was experiencing.
Seeing as though there wasn't many places to go honeymooning without being shot at, the two were deciding where they were going, when an idea came to Sarah's mind. The next morning they took the Virtibird out to the Mall, went up the elevator to the top of the Washington monument, and down together on the beds there.
Over the years, the Brotherhood found it harder and harder to protect all of its charges, and one day, abruptly shut down the water purifier, stopped the water caravans, and pulled what was left of its troops back to the Citadel. There, it was decided that while the Brotherhood would still be open to outsiders looking to join, they would revert back to finding and storing what was left of the old world tech. This all happened when Elder Lyons passed away due to his age, and Star Paladin Cross became the new Elder. Though it was controversial, not much resistance was put up. Through time, many strong wastelanders came to the Citadel and became initiates, soon bolstering the Brotherhood's numbers, and giving them power. It became a common sight to see raiders actually hold fire on Brotherhood patrols, due to the absolute power the power armored figures gave. They could travel the wasteland practically untouched, save for a critter or two; But their main problem, the super mutants, where not on that list. The Lone Wanderer had, when recovering the GECK in Vault 87, destroyed the entire presence of mutants. Due in part to their stupidity, the super mutants all over the entire wasteland flocked back to 87 to see what had all happened, only to meet Brotherhood ambushes at every turn. And, after a few years, no super mutant, save for the friendly Leo and Fawkes, whom the Brotherhood had come to trust, where ever seen again.
While the Brotherhood of Steel was gaining such trust from the people and large amount of strength, the Outcasts at Fort Independence were suffering harsh reprisals from the wasteland. Many people, whom were abused harshly by the Outcasts, eventually banded together into a collation of towns. Megaton, Big Town, and even some raider groups turned good banded together to kick the Outcasts back. Their 'attacks' mostly consisted of regular potshots to the front of the Fort, but there was an occasional war band. To further the Outcast's misery, they where unable to get much tech from the Operation Anchorage simulator armory, and many wished they had not told the Lone Wanderer to take as he please, notably the winterized T-51b power armor, which became his staple armor. Soon, failures to acquire bits of tech from the outside part of the wasteland proved futile, and the Outcasts soon had their own civil war. For three hours, it was a free-for-all battle all over the wastes between the Outcasts for power armor, weapons, and random tech. Within those three hours, many lay dead, their power armor useless, and their guns destroyed. Those who survived did so barely, and headed out into the wastes to either find a place to live out their lives, or to scavenge tech in a destroyed-minded-frenzy. The Outcasts where nothing.
After the destruction the Enclave, and the eradication of the super mutant threat, Megaton soon prospered. Traders no longer had to fear much besides the various critters and bands of raiders around, but the area around Megaton was relatively safe. Even Springville School, which housed a large raider population, was safe due to the Lone Wanderer's help in destroying the raider threat. The town soon expanded, and the Church of Atom's congregation grew as more people converted, though, despite their efforts, the bomb in the center of town would never blow, thanks to the Lone Wanderer's expertise in explosives. After a few years, Megaton became the farther out Hub for traders, and Rivet City grew jealous, though no attacks ever came. Soon, it was established between the wandering traders, Canterbury Commons, Megaton, Rivet City, and Big Town to, instead of fight over control, they would have one united caravan front: The Trader's Coalition Caravan Company. In time, the company prospered throughout the wasteland, and even out of the DC area. Other settlements and towns where found outside of the old U.S capitol, and the welcomed the caravan routs.
Four years after Archie Lupus and Sarah Lyons, now Sarah Lyons-Lupus married, anyone walking by their room could hear the sound of two small children playing. Three year old William and Natasha were both energetic children, and the scribes in charge of them when Archie and Sarah were out had a tough time keeping watch on them. Two dozen years, as the wasteland changed even more, the children, Natasha a scribe and a William a Paladin, they became great leaders just like their parents.
Twenty-seven years after the Enclave's destruction, Elder Cross died in an assassination by the remains of Talon Company. In her will, she named the Lone Wanderer as the new Elder. He took this position with huge support from the Brotherhood, and kept things relatively safe and the same. However in 2304, the Brotherhood of Steel started suffering. The entire DC area had been stripped of tech, recruits stopped coming in, and raiders were coming back in droves. Even worse, they were organized. Their attacks were whittling down the Citadel's defenses, and it was soon decided that the Brotherhood needed to leave. They had done everything they could, but DC was going back into anarchy, and the Brotherhood could not be the wastelands defense forever. So, one night, every virtibird was loaded up with equipment, weapons, armor, food, aid, and people. They left for Adams Air Force Base, but not before destroying the Citadel via self-destruct. Once landing in the Air Force Base, they gathered what they could, and headed west. They were never heard from in the Capitol Wasteland again.