"In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear,
The hurry hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere."
-Henry Wadsworth


Archive Quick Reference Guide

The Doomsday Clock: A symbol which represents the likelihood of a human-caused global catastrophe.
The Clock represents the hypothetical global catastrophe as "midnight."
General Anderson: He originally led the 1st Fleet aboard the flagship MCS Redeye. After his death, there was no longer a Commander-in-Chief, Frontier Command. (CINCFRONT)
One of his three surviving sons is Major Eli Anderson.
Klick: Military slang for "kilometer."
KPS: Kilometers Per Second.
IP: Initial Point.
JP: Jump Point.
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV): Energy conversion that is a direct conversion process from heat to electricity via photons.


Danse felt the silent anger radiate from Haylen's core as she trudged next to him with her fists jammed into the pockets of her vest.

He deemed it inappropriate to address her frustration in front of Brandis, who was already having a hard-enough time coping with EV.

"Liberty Prime…A prototype?" He asked upon seeing her, followed by twitching.

Brandis twitched a lot.

"It's only by luck I didn't end up like him." Danse reminded himself, "Without Rhys and Haylen, I probably would have."

"A new Frontier…" Brandis parroted the transmission, "An entire Militia fleet…"

Haylen looked at him, "What are you going on about now?"

"Tone, Haylen." Danse warned, "Watch it."

"Yes, sir..." She answered.

The ground rumbled beneath their feet with every step EV took.

"The Militia are terrorists." Brandis whispered.

Rhys was surprised, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Danse sighed, "Now is not the time nor place, Knight."

The recording made him weary, but his team had more pressing matters to concern themselves with.

"There are two sides to every war…"

Still, a nagging doubt lingered.

"…is she serving the right one?"

And no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't go away.

"…Should'a left with you on the Odyssey. Now, all I can do is hold you to your promise."

"Run voice recognition." Liera's reddened from lack of blinking.

She was fixated on the display, waiting for the light to turn green.

"Pilot, the previous five attempts to run vocal recognition indicates that this Pilot is not in any Militia database." EV answered.

Liera grunted, "Again."

"Who is he? Who was he to MacAllan?"

"…Sir, our forces have assembled at rally point Alpha…Pilot, there's a hardpoint in that building. Get in there, and patch me in."

"Rewind that segment." Liera leaned forward.

"…rally point Alpha…hardpoint in that building." Blisk's voice rattled.

Her brows creased, "Open Pilot Log ' .08.' Keep volume in-helmet."

"[[AUDIO RETRIEVED]]

Pulling clip now:"

Cheng "Bish" Lorck, a Militia hacker, began his briefing, "Crew, this is Bish. At 0800 today, General Anderson succumbed to wounds sustained in battle. We are out of jump range from every other Fleet in the sector. In short, we are on our own. Every ship in this Fleet has less than two hours of fuel. Our options are limited. Either we get the fuel we need, or we die out here. Sarah, tactical report."

A younger Sarah Briggs addressed the briefing hold, "All viable fuel sources within range are heavily fortified and under IMC control. We've selected a remote target in the Yuma system, which gives us enough time to conduct a raid. Pilots, you are being tasked with keeping the Anti-Air-Defense Systems offline while the Fleet refuels overhead."

"Let's make this count, people." Bish encouraged, "We'll have the element of surprise, but not for long. Good luck. Signing off."

The loudspeaker clicked.

"Don't make that face, babe." Liera remembered Ryan's touch on her hand, "You watch my back, and I'll watch yours."

"Fast forward to mission drop." She mumbled in live time, her fists rubbing the dryness from her eyes.

EV did as requested.

The dropship's aviator voiced over the comms, "Jump control, this is Phantom One Dash Three, 50 klicks from IP link. KPS is 2.25, over."

"Rodger, Phantom One." A control operator answered, "Proceed to link then track One Four Niner, align to primary JP, and sound off."

"Green, good to go." He responded.

"Rodger that. All flights, initiate jump sequence." The operator confirmed.

Liera could feel Ryan nudging her arm, "Here we go!"

"You are way, way too excited about this." Her laughter rang over the ammunition clicking in her rifle.

The aviator voiced overhead, "Jumping in 3…2…1…Mark!"

"Patching through to next segment." EV said.

The dropship growled as it descended, making Bish difficult to hear over the channel, "The civilian Fleet is right behind us. Most of the ships are running on fumes right now!"

Turrets fired in the background as Captain Dunnam's distress signal interrupted him, "This is the Redeye! We're taking a lot of flak! We need those turrets offline now!"

Sarah's footsteps clanked against the metal aisle, "Alright, Pilots! We need this fuel, or none of us are going to make it!"

Liera's harness buzzed as it retracted into the seat.

Briggs opened the deployment hatch, "The Fleet's counting on you! Go! Go! Go!"

Liera's jump kit broke her fall as her boots hit the ground. Her father and his Titan, BT-7274, waited for the rest of the Pilots to follow before barking orders, "McCord, take your team up this road! The rest of you move through this building behind me and secure the area!"

Bish called out through the Militia comms, "LastiRoyal, get to a hardpoint and patch me in so I can deal with the turrets!"

"There," Liera said, pausing the recording, "Fast forward to hardpoint encounter."

The cursor zoomed forward on the playback bar.

"This is the Redeye!" Dunnam panicked, "We're at 50% hull integrity and dropping fast!"

"Pilot Royal responding! The IMC has this place on lock-" A bullet whizzed past Ryan's head, "We're pinned down!"

"You guys gotta get me patched into another hardpoint!" Bish shouted, "Marking your HUD!"

"Ryan, come on!" Liera fired at the IMC troop that came through the door as they retreated.

"Bish, our tactics are a mess." Briggs said.

"Sarah, neither of us have any experience leading a force of this size. Without General Anderson-" Bish argued.

"Some constructive feedback, then," Tai interrupted, BT's guns firing in the background, "Keep this channel clear…Soldiers, we've got a good lead! Keep it up!"

The recording froze, then started up on its own again, "Well, the Fleets got enough fuel to get through another month." Bish said.

Liera paused it, "Wait, where's the entry from the second hardpoint?"

"Searching Archive…Audio/Video file stored in ' . .'"

"What? Why?"

"Recon authorization code 3422, overriding blacklist for mission-critical information." She said, "Commence video playback."

EV projected the video across her visor:

Liera's trembling fingers fiddled with the control panel. Her data knife's handle projected a circular display that scrolled through number combinations. Ryan hovered overhead, his rifle pointed at the door in front of them.

"Almost there..." Liera watched the last number lock in place, "Bish, you're good to go!"

"Enemy at two o'clock!" Ryan fired.

A jump kit flared.

Liera paused the video, "Rewind to hostile Pilot."

EV rewound the recording, the Pilot's back facing the camera.

"Freeze image." She said.

Her tech glove gripped the holograph like a spider who'd caught a fly. She extended her pointer finger and thumb, zooming in on the stilled frame.

The Pilot was male, and had a flag patched on his arm. The upper left hand corner was blue with white stars, and the rest was filled in with red and white stripes.

"Is this you, Mystery Pilot?"She glared at him, cursing his IMC markings.

Liera continued to pine over her newest obsession.

The mist that rolled through the Revere Satellite Array stank of rot more pungent than the Ghouls at the police station. Unlike the dead Ghouls, however, the corpses that littered these grounds were green, 8 feet long, 3 feet wide, and etched with muscles the size of Danse's Power Armor limbs.

"Super Mutant scum…" Rhys growled.

"Farris, he…He stayed behind, despite my orders to retreat...I…I can't go back in there." Brandis was lost in his own nightmare, "I can't…"

"It's okay, Paladin." Danse consoled, "We'll take it from here. Rhys, Haylen, stay with him. Lastimosa, on me."

"Yes, sir!" Rhys answered.

Haylen shot Brandis a venomous look, but remained silent.

Liera disembarked, "EV, wait here and keep the channel open." She paused, "And, uh, run a power supply inquiry for me quick."

EV processed the request.

"Battery 1: 98%
Battery 2: 72%
Battery 3: 10%
Battery 4: 65%
Battery 5: 99%
Battery 6: 84%
ASRG and Cores 1-7 at 100% capacity."

Liera sighed, "Let's get a charge on 3 and get medical back online. Redistribute power from 1 to 4 in the event it drops lower than 50%."

"Battery 4 powers basic motor functions..." Liera shuddered at the prospect of being stuck in the Commonwealth without EV by her side.

"Powering down all nonessential functions and activating thermophotovoltaic power cells. Battery recharge rate: Above average." EV confirmed.

Liera trotted over to Danse.

"You'll have to explain the science behind her, sometime." He said, looking at EV.

"Curious?" She grinned.

"A little." He admitted.

She followed him through the remnants of a gate, entering the compound. One of the towers had fallen, leaving an overturned dish outside of the control room.

Four enormous satellite dishes yet remained on top of rusted steel bars. The majority of their panels had gaping holes, or were missing entirely. Their antennas were mantled with moss and neglect.

"Might not be the best quality signal, but they should get the job done."

A red bobble swayed from a railing near the top of a tower.

"What are those for?" She pointed.

Danse grunted, "Meat sacks. Flesh and bone strung up by Mutants to strike fear in those who'd oppose them. Repulsive."

Liera took a sharp breath, keeping her gaze fixated on the door to the control room.

A Mutant body blocked their path, a gaping hole in its skull. She knelt to observe the kill shot.

".50 caliber, velocity impact from .97 kilometers." EV wrote across her HUD.

She looked around to find similar wounds donned on the others.

"Whoever cleared this place out knew what they were doing." She whispered.

"Shot them all from a klick out…They could still be out there, watching."

The sense of danger raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

"You coming?" Danse stood next to the door of the command station.

Liera turned to him, "Yeah, sorry."

A bustling from within gave him pause. Danse pulled his weapon from his holster.

She gripped her rifle and leaned on the opposite side of the door, giving him a thumbs up.

Danse nodded, clicking door's handle and pushing it open.

Liera crouched, turning the corner and aiming her weapon at all angles inside the room.

The flashlight on her gun fell upon two dome-shaped eyes before Danse gripped her harness, pulling her backwards.

A two-foot long insect attached itself to her, and a sharp pain made her right arm tingle. The flurry of its wings knocked the smaller flies to the ground.

A silver arm swiped it away, red lights flaring overhead. Danse had knocked the thing off of her, firing at it with is laser rile as it flew away.

Danse's visor was also red, something she hadn't seen before. It gave his black suit of Armor a sinister look, like a demon one would encounter in the wasteland.

Liera jumped to her feet, wiping the dirt from her suit.

"Thanks." She grunted, her glove playing with the tattered fabric of her sleeve.

"A hole? Seriously?"

"Are you hurt?" He asked, his visor turning white again, "I would have opened fire immediately, but I didn't want to risk damaging the equipment."

"It's fine, I'm…I'm alright. Why did your visor turn red?" She asked.

"Infrared targeting system." He answered, "Are you sure? Bloodbug bites are extremely painful."

She shifted nervously, "My right arm is…particularly armored."

A new foul smell wafted across her helmet's air intake.

"Oh, God," Liera waved her hand in front of her face, coughing, "What is that?"

A decayed body slumped in a computer chair, wearing armor similar to Haylen's. A distress pulser sat next to an aged computer on the desk behind the gruesome scene.

"Scribe Farris…" Haylen choked.

Liera jumped at the sound of her voice. She turned around to find Haylen cupping her mouth.

"Haylen, I gave you a direct order to stay with Paladin Brandis." Danse scorned.

"I'm sorry, I saw the gunfire and…" She swallowed, "Requesting to retrieve his holotags, sir."

He sighed, "Proceed. Then return to your post, immediately."

Haylen's lip quivered as she wrapped a surgical mask over her face, lowering her goggles from the brim of her hat. Her hands traced the lining of Farris's jacket and searched his pockets, grimacing as the oily flesh underneath seeped through the cloth at her touch.

Liera's insides churned, "Haylen must have a lead fucking stomach."

"They're gone." Haylen whispered, clicking a button on the pulser next to him.

A small tape ejected, and she placed it in her pouch, "This'll have to do." She turned away, all but running out of the room, "I'll mark the site for burial."

Danse's helmet remained fixated on her as she walked across the blood-crusted grass. Liera wheeled the body out of the way, her abdominal muscles clenching as she tried not to throw up.

"What do you think about Scribe Haylen?" Danse asked.

She was surprised by the question, "I don't really know her well enough to give her a military evaluation."

"She's a model soldier." He looked at Liera, "But I wasn't looking for an evaluation of her performance as a Scribe. I wanted to know what you thought of Haylen…as a person."

"Well," Liera crouched, looking underneath the computer desk, "She's definitely a team player. She's been a little off since Brandis joined our company, but that was to be expected. Why, what's up?"

"I'm worried about her." Danse lowered his voice.

She studied the tower the computer was plugged in to, her fingers searching for a power button, "Sounds like something you should be discussing with her."

"If you'd allow me to explain, I think you'd understand precisely why that wouldn't be appropriate." He said.

Liera pressed a button, surprised to see it power on, "I'm listening."

Danse took a deep breath, "A few months before you found us, one of my men was shot multiple times by Raiders. Haylen stayed by that Knight's side for two days straight without sleep fighting to keep him alive...but he was on a slow decline. He was paralyzed and internally bleeding...and out here, that's as good as a death sentence."

"My legs," Liera cried, "Jack, I can't feel my-"

She shuddered as she tried to mute the memories of Demeter.

Danse continued, "I decided that his suffering needed to end and ordered Haylen to administer an overdose of painkillers so he could die with dignity. Even though I'm certain she wanted to continue fighting for that Knight's life, she injected him without question."

"You'll be okay." Jack stabbed her arm with a needle, "I'll be with you every step of the way."

She choked the flashback down, standing up.

He continued his story, "Later that night, Haylen approached me while I was on watch. She didn't say a word, but I could tell something was wrong. After what felt like an eternity, she collapsed into my arms, crying. I...I didn't know what to do, so I just held her for a while."

"No!" Liera screamed, trying to escape the stretcher's bindings, "Why didn't he listen…Why didn't he-"

Jack squeezed her hand, "I'm sorry."

Her mind refused to release her.

"Right then it hit me..." Danse went on, "Maybe I pushed her too hard. I ordered her to ignore her instincts. To do something her medical training told her was wrong."

"We don't leave Militants behind!" Liera yelled as the ship stabilized from jumping, "We don't fucking leave each other!"

"That's why I'm worried about her...and for that matter, everyone under my command." He admitted, "Finding Paladin Brandis unstable, seeing Scribe Farris rotted, hearing about Knight Astlin...that could have been us. That could have been Haylen, or Rhys…"

Liera remembered her surgery and how quickly Sarah visited her afterwards. Briggs and Graves had made the decision to leave Demeter with Militia forces on the ground. Guilt had enveloped the young Commander. But it was necessary, as are such things during times of war.

"This isn't really about Haylen, is it?" Liera whispered, her helmet meeting his.

"No, I guess not." He shifted, "Look, four soldiers... over half of my team, are gone. Each one of them died because of decisions that I made." Danse turned to the distress pulser still sitting on the desk, "I understand the risks that come with the job, we all do. But how can anyone have confidence in me anymore?" He shook his head, "Hell, how can I have confidence in myself?"

She retracted her visor so that he could see her face, "Hey," she snapped her fingers in front of his face, "Snap out of it."

Liera put her hands on her hips, "My father once told me, 'War tempers the strong and breaks the weak.'" She smiled, "If it makes you feel any better, I don't peg you as the latter."

Danse paused for a moment. Liera was worried she'd offended him.

"More than you realize. Those are sound words, soldier." He said, "I'm only sorry you had to see me at my worst instead of at my best."

"Happens to the best of us." She grinned, pointing to the computer behind her, "Now, help me get this thing up and running."

"All that technology, and you don't know how to use a terminal?" He joked.

"Honestly, I've never seen a computer this old in person." Liera crossed her arms, "If anything, I'm overqualified."

He leaned over the desk, hitting a button on the boxed screen.

"You didn't turn the monitor on." Danse chuckled.

"Oh." She watched the screen of the computer buzz to life as blocky green letters loaded on the screen, reading, "Property of the United States Armed Forces."
"The Brotherhood rose from the ashes of the U.S. military, you know." Danse explained.

"What's that?" She asked.

"The United States of America, the country we're in." He put his hands on his hips, "Us Americans are Patriots, through thick and thin. No bombs will ever change that."

A picture of a flagpole popped up over a loading bar.

It secured the same flag from the Mystery Pilot's patch.

"Is that your country's flag?" Liera asked.

"It is." He answered.

"The Mystery Pilot was American."

A chirp came from the computer.

"The terminal seems to be in functioning order. How, is beyond me." Danse shook his head, "It must be bypassed in to Diamond City's grid, but…"

The terminal asked for a password.

"Damn it." He growled.

"This, I know how to do." She pulled her data knife from her vest, "Is there a…I don't know, a slot where you'd load something…?"

"Right here." His fingers flicked a rectangular door on the base of the terminal, "This is normally where you'd load a holotape."

"'Normal,' doesn't really apply to anything lately, does it?" She smirked.

"No, I suppose it doesn't." Danse said.

Liera stuck the bladed sensor in the slot, "EV, I'm patching you through for password decryption."

"Standing by." EV answered.

Letters began to scroll on the monitor.

"You seem to use that quite often. How does the 'data knife' work, exactly?" He watched her.

"It's a super-powered diagnostics tool, military variant." Liera grinned, "The blade is a sensor that scans information bays and can remotely access any display. If it gives me an error code, EV figures out what's wrong. There's other things it can do for more…complicated, procedures."

"'Complicated,' as in?" Danse asked.

"Hacking a Spectre, opening an enemy Titan's battery well-"

"You attack other Titans on foot?" He unfolded his arms.

"Of course. EV may be a Vanguard class Titan, but even she needs help sometimes." Liera paused, "The Militia has anti-Titan weapons for ground personnel, you know. It's not like we run around shooting at them with peashooters."

She stood up, stretching her back, "Besides, you'd never let anything bad happen to me, right EV?"

"Correct. Failure to do so would be a direct violation of protocol three." EV said.

Liera laughed, "Oh, is that the only reason?"

"The Commonwealth lacks viable candidates for Pilot training." EV admitted.

"Wise-ass." She growled.

"Defining-"

"No, not again…Forget I said anything." Liera sighed.

"Request confirmed. Deleting Pilot Log."

She turned to EV, "What?! No! It was a joke!"

"I too, was making a joke."

"Ugh." Liera facepalmed.

"Password override: SUCCESSFUL. Initializing satellite array." EV said, "Triangulating Frontier Interstellar Communications Network…[[TARGET ACQUIRED]] Adjusting your position."

"That's our cue," Liera put her knife back in her vest, "Let's meet up with them."

"She'll stay connected without your tool?" Danse asked.

"Once she's been wired in somewhere, the gateways are saved to her memory." She explained as they left the building and began to walk back to the rest of the squad.

They watched as the satellites slowly rotated sideways, then upwards, seeking out Harmony. It made Liera's heart warm when the dishes stopped moving, like they were showing her the way home.

"It's amazing they still work." Danse said through his helmet.

"Yeah…" Liera took a deep breath.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"Just mentally preparing myself." Her fingers unlatched her helmet from her collar.

"Functional channels established." EV announced through her loudspeaker as they approached the group.

Liera removed her helmet and turned to them, "Alright, guys. These channels are secure, but not impermeable. Keep any sensitive information to yourself…Uh," She cleared her throat, "Please."

"Understood." Danse responded.

"Could you…" She ran her fingers through her hair, "Maybe…Get out of that Power Armor?"

"Why?" He asked, offended.

She rubbed the back of her neck, "It looks a little threatening, is all."

Danse sighed, "Fine."

Rhys laughed, "Is the Militia that sensitive?"

"Our hands on the panic button get a little restless." She smiled, "And I don't wanna find out how restless they are today."

EV stood, stepping back a few feet before kneeling and projecting a holographic display from her ocular hub. A spinning Militia symbol appeared.

"[[CONTACTING MILITIA COMMAND]]

Waiting for answer…

Answer received…

Encrypting channel…

ENCRYPTED CONNETION ESTABLISHED"

Liera corrected her posture and folded her hands behind her back. Her shoulders were straightened, and her chin was parallel to the ground.

Bish answered, "This is Frontier Militia Command- respond with call sign and input, over."

"This is Maverick and Warden, input Foxtrot, Alfa, Lima, Lima, Oscar, Uniform, Tango, over."

"Rodger that, input accepted." He smiled as the video went live, "Well, if it isn't the devil herself."

"It is, indeed." Liera waved, smiling, "Glad to see you're still in one piece. Think that big brain of yours can forward me to M-COR?"

"I can do that." He grinned, "Patching you through. We Remember, Pilot."

"We Remember." Liera saluted.

The video feed switched to a spinning SRS icon, the words, "United, We Stand. Divided, We Ambush," scrolling underneath.

Liera peaked behind her. The Brotherhood seemed almost as nervous as she was.

"This is call sign Marauder. Establishing video connection." Sarah answered.

"Evening, Commander." Liera watched her pace back and forth, her thumbs looped through her belt around her hips.

"There we go." Sarah leaned in, "Hey there, Pilot. I see you've made some new friends." Briggs gave an enthusiastic wave, "Well, greetings from the Frontier! I hope our soldiers haven't caused too much trouble."

Liera turned to Danse, beckoning him forward with a nod. He took his hood off and fixed his hair as he walked over, "This is Paladin Danse of the Brotherhood of Steel. My recon squad encountered your agents during an encounter gone awry. They've been quite helpful."

"As they should be. We've put a lot of work into those two." Briggs smiled, "Warden, send me what you've got."

"Copy that. Transmitting report." EV said.

"Got it. There's a lot of information here- great work, team. I expect another report in seven days, so stay alive, and stay active." Sarah pinched her temple, "Now, I'm transferring you to the MacAllan before I have your father discharged. Briggs, out."

"Great…Can't wait for this to go horribly wrong."

"Encrypted feed is being redirected." EV announced.

The SRS icon returned briefly before Tai's face was transmitted in front of them. His silver, short hair made his tan skin seem darker. He had sunken eyes, and they were bloodshot as if he hadn't slept in days. The burn scar on the right side of his face folded as he yawned.

Tai was sitting down in front of his computer in the Command Deck. Various soldiers walked behind him, and the orange lights of the MacAllan bounced off the metal walls.

Jack sat on a table behind him, holding a white fuzzball in his hands.

"What the hell?"

"This is Captain Lastimosa aboard the MCS James MacAllan. Waiting for video feed." He kept typing.

His brown eyes flitted around the screen as he spoke. He was clearly not interested in talking.

Liera took a deep breath, "Hey, dad."

His face lit up as he recognized the voice.

"Is that Liera?" Jack looked up.

"Fucking Christ…"

Jack put the cat down, leaping from the table and coming over.

"Ah, there's the video." Tai said.

"Who is she with?" Jack asked.

"How the hell should I know?"

The cat walked across the screen, "Move! Damn cat." Tai picked it up, giving it back to Jack.

"Don't you swear at my cat." Liera squinted.

"Forget Dusty, you've been deployed for 52 hours without a single word. I trained you better than that." Her father scolded.

"Rifleman Cooper, what are you…Why is there a fucking cat in here?" A voice came from the background, "This is restricted-"

"He's with me, Major Anderson." Tai looked to somewhere off-screen.

"Cooper or the cat?" Anderson asked.

"...Both. Something about the barrack's gravity needing recalibrated. They should be done soon." He grinned, nodding to the screen, "Come here for a sec."

"No, no, no."

Anderson walked over, leaning in on the other side of Tai.

"Please don't say it."

"Hey there, Little Lastimosa. Still in one piece, I see."

"He said it."

"Major…" She saluted, her face turning bright red, "Guess the mission isn't so…classified, anymore?"

"SRS lifted the ban on your docket to Broadsword Command. Cole and I got to see the field copy, and Cooper…Well, he's just an overly-informed pain in my ass as usual."

Jack frowned.

"Briggs just sent us a transcript of your report. We'll start going through it as soon as possible." Anderson finished.

"Who's this guy?" Tai nodded to Danse.

Danse looked down to Liera.

"Go ahead." She whispered.

He cleared his throat, "This is Paladin Danse of the Brotherhood of Steel. Behind me are Scribe Haylen, Knight Rhys, and Paladin Brandis. We are also a recon team. Your agents have been imperative to our operation."

"Interesting." Tai rubbed his chin, "By choice?"

The question caught Danse off-guard, "Pardon?"

"Did they choose to help you or are you making them help you?" Tai's face was reminiscent of a Prowler, ready to bare its fangs and jump through the screen.

"We were outnumbered by an overwhelming force. They responded to our distress beacon, and have been traveling with us since. My commanding officer is currently inbound-"

"That doesn't answer my question." Tai interrupted him.

"Dad, we're not POWs. We're helping them out, and learning about everything that happened here and what's happening now." Liera held her hands up, "Chill out."

Major Anderson laughed, "Leave it to your daughter to make first contact with the native military."

Liera shrugged, "Trouble is a talent. I swear."

"All personnel, be advised: Operation Broadsword is a go. Diagnostics test 2.1: All Mark VIII lifeboats are in the green." Bish announced over the loudspeaker.
"Confirmed. 3rd Militia Grenadiers, prep Dropship MacAllan 17." Cole's voice echoed throughout the ship, "This is Captain Cole to communications. Major Anderson, please report to briefing." The speaker clicked.

"Well, you heard the man. Gotta run. Keep your head down out there." Anderson gave her a thumbs up.

"You as well, Major Anderson." She smiled nervously.

Anderson turned to Cooper, "You get out of here as soon as that transmission is over. You hear me?"

"Yes, Major." Jack saluted him, cat in hand.

Anderson scoured, leaving the Deck.

Tai rested his elbow on the desk as he twirled a pen in his fingers. He looked behind him, grinning.

"Thanks for having my back." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Hey, he's my boss too." Tai chuckled.

"Operation Broadsword? The operation that's supposed to be a month out?" Liera interrupted.

Tai put his pen down, "Son, why don't you go see if they're done with the quarters?"

Jack crinkled his nose, "Yeah, yeah. I know what that means." He looked back to the screen, "Watch your ass out there. Love ya sis."

"Love you, too…" She blushed again.

"God, this is embarrassing."

Jack raised the cat's paw, making him wave goodbye as they walked away.

Liera heard Danse cough as he held back a laugh.

"End me."

Tai turned in his chair, shaking his head as Jack left the Deck, "Sorry about that."

"As you were saying?" She mumbled.

"Grenier and his team found something much bigger than we expected. We hadn't heard from you, and we couldn't wait, so…" He clasped his hands, resting his chin on his knuckles.

"What is it?" She asked, "What did they find?"

"Not over the channel, sweetheart."

Liera didn't care if anyone was watching anymore. She hardly cared about the Commonwealth, at this point, "There's got to be a way to send an evac carrier."

Tai shook his head, "Too far. Believe me, I ran all the tests myself."

"The Militia needs us, why can't-"

"Those people down there need you, too." Tai's brow creased, "Do you understand?"

The loudspeaker clicked, "This is Bish to communications. Captain Lastimosa, please report to Titan Bay for pre-deployment diagnostics test."

"Diagnostics?" Liera took a sharp breath, "That means there's less than a day-"

"I'm sorry." Tai picked his helmet up from his desk, "We're out of time. You there, Paladin Danse. Keep her out of trouble. She's a magnet for it."

"We…We'll do our best." Danse smiled awkwardly.

"Love ya, kid." Tai sighed, looking at Liera and reaching for the keyboard.

"Dad, wait!" She lifted her hand to the holograph as if she could touch him.

Tai paused, "What is it?"

It felt just like before- a a thousand words reeling through her mind, and a pair of lungs that just didn't know how to say them.

"I…" Her hand fell, "I love you too."

"'I'll be fine. You'll be fine. We'll all be fine.' Just like you said, remember?" He smiled.

"…Right." She choked.

"Lastimosa, out."

He tapped a button on the dashboard, and the feed went dark.

"Communications: OFFLINE." EV said.

She stared at the blank space where his hologram once stood, and time seemed to slow to a halt.

A firm hand on her shoulder snapped her back to reality, "You okay?"

Danse cocked his head, leaning slightly to meet her eyes.

"As okay as I can be, I guess…" She said.

His hand dropped from her shoulder, "You seem to have a nice family."

"Yeah…They're…pretty great." Her eyes flickered to Danse's concerned stare, then back to the ground, "I'm sorry if that seemed…Crass. The Militia isn't very formal."

"An apology isn't necessary. Every branch operates differently." He answered, "Your commanding officers seem respectable."

"They are." She looked up to him, "I'd spill my own blood for any of them."

"Your level of dedication is admirable. I hope the Brotherhood will earn the same from you during your stay with us." He said.

"Eh…You're growing on me." She joked.

His eyebrows raised, as if surprised.

Liera's face reddened, "The Brotherhood, I mean. Not saying you aren't-"

"Pilot, we are two hours off schedule. It is recommended that we proceed with the mission." EV interrupted.

Liera took the opportunity to shove her helmet over her embarrassed face.

She gave a Brotherhood salute to Danse, "On your mark, sir."

He snapped himself out of whatever was going through his head, "EV's right, team. Get ready to move out." He walked over to his Power Armor, ignoring the intent stares from the rest of them.

"We're not going to talk about the fact that…that the Militia is a…a real thing?" Rhys stuttered.

"No time," Danse spoke through his helmet as the chamber behind him closed, "We've got work to do."