NOTE: Wow... thank you *SO* much to everyone who has left me comments so far! I didn't get to respond to everyone, but you guys have totally floored me with your praise, and it just encourages me to write new chapters that much faster. The response has really been almost overwhelming to me, because I wasn't expecting as much as I got. You guys totally rock! :-D

Nora had recently left the Elder and was heading towards the opposite end of the Prydwen, when she heard the voice of just the Paladin she was looking for.

"...There you are. How did it go with Elder Maxson?"

She turned and saw Danse walking up to greet her. She opened her mouth to respond and paused, thinking about what exactly to say.

"He... seems so young compared to everyone else here."

It was true - when Nora had initially pictured the leader of the Brotherhood of Steel, she pictured a battle-hardened, scarred, grisly... older man. True, Elder Maxson had the odd scar here or there, and he did have a burly, muscular figure, but... she wasn't expecting the... well... handsome, younger man that had scrutinized her with raised eyebrows.

"Don't let his age fool you," Danse replied. "Maxson's a brilliant tactician, a formidable warrior, and posses an idealistic vision for the future of the Brotherhood. I'd follow him anywhere without question."

Nora raised her eyebrows in surprise. When Danse talked about Maxson, she could see this was a man he deeply admired and respected.

"...Why are you so confident in his abilities?" she asked him. When he explained how Elder Maxson had brought the formerly-divided Brotherhood of the past back together under his guidance, she was almost impressed... but he also mentioned that the previous elder was 'too concerned with charity', causing her to frown slightly. Was that such a bad thing? Sure, the Brotherhood had their mission to collect and preserve technology, and their cause did seem noble... but shouldn't helping civilians be just as important too? At least some of the time?

She realized Danse was staring at her, waiting for a response. She nodded and said, "He's a very... dedicated man. It sounds like he stands behind everything he's saying."

"Of course he does." Danse said, as if it were common knowledge. "How could he afford not to? I just hope you appreciate how much of a chance I'm taking bringing you into the fold this quickly."

Nora nodded at him again. She could tell Danse was a respected officer in the Brotherhood... she could see it in the eyes of all the soldiers who interacted with him. All of the lower-ranking soldiers looked up to him, and the higher-ranking officers clearly respected him. Anything Nora did now would definitely reflect on Danse positively or negatively as well. She didn't want to let him down.

Danse went on. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you screw up... we go down together."

She blushed a little at Danse's clearly unintended innuendo, and knew he didn't realize what he'd said when his expression turned confused at her reddening face. She became desperate to change the subject to something else.. anything else.

"So... what's all this about you being my sponsor?"

"Elder Maxson is understandably particular when it comes to new recruits," he explained.

'I'll say,' Nora thought. 'You should have seen the look he gave me when he realized I was your new Initiate.'

"As your sponsor, it's my duty to travel with you throughout the Commonwealth to ensure that our ideals are being observed. That's why I'm so concerned about your performance in the field."

She smiled softly. She and Danse had worked well together so far. If anyone was going to guide her training here, she was glad it was him. She was determined to work hard and make him proud of her... and thus keep the Brotherhood proud of him.

"I won't let you down, Danse. I promise."

This seemed to satisfy Danse and he nodded, his face relaxing a bit. "Good," he said. "Well, it's been a long day... for both of us. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to the Knight's quarters, and then we can pick things up again first thing tomorrow."

Nora nodded and followed behind him, looking forward to a warm bed and a good night's sleep.

"Now, I know you're eager to hop into a suit of power armor and take the fight to The Institute, but first thing's first. In order to be an effective part of the team, you need to learn your way around this ship and get to know its crew. Since I've been officially assigned to you as your sponsor, I'd recommend taking me along with you."

Nora bit back a yawn and nodded at Paladin Danse. She had a feeling that he could sleep for only an hour standing up in his power armor in the middle of the pouring rain, and still wake up 100% refreshed and ready to go, his brain 24/7 on the 'Brotherhood of Steel is LIFE channel' (somewhat like Knight Rhys, except at least Danse seemed less grumpy about it... so far). She hadn't gotten as much sleep as she had hoped - Danse had come around bright and early in the morning to get her up and about - but this was the future's military (or... the present military, that is). She supposed it shouldn't have come as a surprise, and that this was just something she'd just have to get used to from now on.

"Sounds good, let's go," she agreed.

"Outstanding."

They met Proctor Teagan first. Nora was a bit surprised when she discovered that she'd need to buy Brotherhood supplies - she'd assumed that the soldiers would've been able to help themselves to whatever they needed.

"Since when does the military sell equipment to its own soldiers?" she asked.

Teagan looked slightly annoyed at her confusion.

"Since someone dropped a whole bunch of bombs and blew up every single factory that manufactured weapons and ammunition," he drawled, making her feel a little like a child getting lectured by a parent.

She shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. She was trying to adjust to this world as best she could, but still sometimes forgot that things were so different from the life she used to know.

Next up was Proctor Ingram. They found her in the armor bay with several sets of suits of power armor, all docked at their own individual stations. She was wearing a suit herself, although it looked like she was only wearing the power armor frame with no pieces on top of it.

"So, you're the new recruit I heard about," she said after looking Nora up and down. "Hmph. Not what I was expecting."

Nora held back a sigh. One would think she'd be getting used to this reaction from people by now, but it could still get a little tiring. Just how many wastelanders and 'outsiders' had the Brotherhood had trouble with?

Ingram made her introduction to Nora - basically, she was the one who kept the Prydwen running & the power armor working. She led Nora over to Bay 3 and explained that this would be her set of power armor.

Nora looked away from Ingram to stare at the T-60 suit in front of her in awe. The military had had power armor in her time, but it didn't seem quite like this. Even the suit she had worn briefly back in Concord when she first met Preston (a T-45, she believed) wasn't as nice as this one was. It was one thing to see someone walking around in a suit of power armor... Danse wore his all the time. It was quite another to stand in front of one and know that it was yours.

Without thinking, she reached her hand out and touched the chest plate with her fingertips. She ran her hand over the cool metal and smiled softly. She jerked back a little when she heard a soft chuckle and looked back to see Ingram and Danse both watching her with amused expressions. Wait... Danse was actually smiling - had she even seen him smile before?

"Just wait until you put it on," he said, "it'll feel like you can take on the world."

"The left leg actuator's a bit sticky," Ingram explained, "but it'll keep the creeps off of you. I'm stuck in this rig, so I'm not as spry as I used to be... the work tends to pile up for me sometimes."

It took Nora a moment to realize what Ingram was referring to. She almost did a double-take as her eyes drifted downwards and realized that under Ingram's power armor frame, she had no legs beneath the knee joint. Her eyes immediately moved back up to Ingram's face, not wanting to stare. She was usually so observant, but she'd been so distracted with taking the Prydwen in that she hadn't even noticed.

Ingram had noticed Nora's expression change and went on to recount the accident that would have claimed her life, had she not been wearing her power armor. As a result, the suit she'd been wearing at the time had been trashed, and she lost both of her legs. After telling Nora to help herself to the workshops if she ever needed to modify her armor or weapons, Ingram excused herself to get back to work and left Nora with Danse once more.

Knight-Captain Cade was the next crew member to get acquainted with. He seemed surprised - but very pleased - when he checked his notes on Nora's recent history, claiming that she was "probably healthier than anyone else aboard." The questions he asked seemed fairly standard - contact with any radiation, disease... it was when Cade asked her about any 'sexual relations with non-human species' that Nora gaped at him for a moment.

Her face reddened as she realized Danse was still standing behind her.

Cade sensed her discomfort and cleared his throat as he gazed over at the Paladin.

After what felt like a long moment, Danse finally took the hint and excused himself, informing Nora that he'd be just outside the medical quarters when she was ready. ...He hoped that neither of them had noticed the slight flushing of his own face as well.

Cade returned his gaze back to Nora. She blinked and recovered from her shock a bit.

"...That happens often enough for you to have a question about it?" she asked in surprise.

He rolled his eyes slightly and nodded. "You'd be surprised how many wastelanders answer 'yes' to that question."

She felt disgusted. No wonder why a few of the other soldiers seemed to whisper around her when she'd walked by them... it was bad enough that they probably all knew she was 'pre-war', some kind of novelty or relic to be gawked at, but if they thought she was capable of something like that...

Cade went on. "Fortunately, the Brotherhood finds that type of behavior absolutely distasteful. Since you haven't spend too much time in the wasteland, I'll assume your answer is 'no'. " She nodded as he proceeded to his last question.

"Would you have any problems pulling the trigger on an enemy of the Brotherhood whether they're human, formerly human, or machine?"

...This was a medical question? It seemed like more of a morals question. When she asked him about it, he nodded enthusiastically - stating that the mental state of the crew was just as important as the physical.

"Anyone that hesitates firing in combat due to misguided moral standards certainly isn't Brotherhood material."

She guessed she could understand that to a point, but... this had to have been the strangest medical exam she'd ever had in her life. Let's see... human, formerly human, or machine... well she'd already fought raiders, feral ghouls, and super mutants so far, and she'd fought against synths with Danse at ArcJet. But...

She thought of the synth detective in Diamond City - Nick Valentine - that had been there for her as well. Sure, she had been shocked (to say the least) at his appearance when she'd first met him with Piper - but without him, she never would have made it as far as she had... tracking and finding Kellogg, finally putting an end to the man that had killed Nate and kidnapped Shaun. Nick was kind, helpful, and not someone she wanted to destroy just because the Brotherhood believed that all synths were evil...

When she realized Cade was still waiting patiently for her answer, she considered her words carefully.

"...Only to defend myself. I suppose... it would have to depend on the situation." She kept her mouth closed but gritted her teeth a little, hoping her answer wouldn't get her into any trouble. Luckily, this seemed enough to satisfy him. He nodded & dismissed her, telling her to let him know if she ever needed any medical assistance.

"Is there anyone else left to meet?" She asked Danse when she exited the medical quarters.

"There's just Proctor Quinlan left," he confirmed. "After that-"

Before he could continue, one of the Brotherhood squires ran up to them and saluted. "Paladin Danse! Elder Maxson is requiring the presence of both you and Knight Taylor on the Flight Deck."

Danse frowned down at the squire, and Nora felt a little bad for him - the poor kid looked like he wanted to sink through the floor.

"...Can it wait a bit?" she asked politely. "We just have one more Proctor to speak with..."

"My apologies, ma'am," the squire said uncomfortably, "but the Elder wants to see you both immediately."

Danse nodded. "Very well. We'll head there now. Dismissed, squire."

The boy looked relieved to be excused as he hurried off, and Danse sighed as he looked back at Nora. "Well... I guess we'll have to introduce you to Proctor Quinlan after Elder Maxson is finished with us. Let's go, Knight."

END NOTE:
...I was a little torn between Danse exiting the quarters *before* Nora's medical exam, & remaining standing behind her - on one hand, obviously medical info is usually private... but on the other, our Danse is obviously a weird combo of G.I. Joe & Buzz Lightyear (lol), and would obviously know the 'exam' is just Cade asking questions, and I thought maybe as her sponsor/C.O. he'd almost insist on being by her side the whole time throughout crew introductions, so... ? Hopefully I handled that okay. :-)

Also, I know things in the fic seem to be moving slowly (at least to me, anyways, lol), but I *swear* they will pick up very soon. I *do* want to follow the main plot of FO4 for a bit, but it WILL start getting a bit AU the more time that goes on. And while I'm aware that Danse didn't get a lot of POV in this chapter, he will get more soon too. Thank you for your patience - things will get more interesting VERY soon, I promise! :-D