"What is it, Codsworth?" Grace asked after Codsworth sighed again for the third time in ten minutes. The pair had left Sanctuary with Dogmeat two days earlier, heading east-southeast toward Country Crossings. They had been making decent time, but Codsworth made the point to skirt around Lexington rather than march into that den of ferals and raiders. Keeping outside of Lexington added an extra half-a-day on top of their original three day schedule, and Grace was ready to call it an evening just as the sun was beginning to push into the horizon. Most days they could get by for at least another hour in the gloaming after the sun had set and they were pushing toward night, but Grace was ready to bunker down. Her injured side, while healing, was still raw enough that three days of hard hiking was going to be pushing Grace past her limits. And there was a small part of her that was getting annoyed with Codsworth's forced indifference.
"I beg pardon, Mum?"
"You're upset about something."
"I certainly am not."
"Codsworth, you keep sighing. You're a robot; they're not exactly known for inadvertently sighing while lost in thought. It has to be a conscious decision to vocalize something."
"It… Well, it does amaze me how you fight with Mister Sturges."
"Excuse me?" She stopped walking, her voice on the edge of offense. Dogmeat trotted ahead a few yards, but stopped moving when he heard Grace's intonation. He issued one singular woof back at the pair. Either to encourage them to keep walking or discourage them from arguing out in the open.
"I only mean to say, Mum, that when Master Nate was alive, the two of you rarely fought. Spats here and there, yes. What marriage doesn't have those? But it was never… There was never any anger. You both would say your piece and that was that and it was done. Time to move on and love one another again. And, I do beg your pardon if I am overstepping my bounds, but what you said to Mister Sturges… It's not the first time you have lashed out at someone in such a manner since coming back from that vault, Mum. And … Well, there's no delicate way to approach this. Depression can be -"
"Codsworth." Grace laughed dismissively and walked away from him.
"I know no one wants to be psychoanalyzed by their robot, but Mum replacing one destructive behavior with another is not an effective coping mechanism."
"Destructive behavior?"
"Miss Grace, you may have been able to fool your human compatriots, but you do not fool me. I knew you before this whole bloody mess began, and some of the things have done concern me. I truly only want what is best for you, Miss Grace. But, surely there is a better way to assess and deal with your feelings than the way you have been."
"You're right. Let me just call my therapist and book an appointment for this Thursday. Oh, wait.." Grace gestured sarcastically around her at the destroyed landscape. "I forgot, its the end of the fucking world."
"Yes, you have a point." Codsworth conceded, floating along behind Grace and Dogmeat. "But there are other ways; talking to someone, regular exercise, taking up a hobby."
"Codsworth. I have been walking for two days straight. I guarantee regular exercise doesn't help. My mood has not improved at all."
"Mum -"
"We need to find a place to bunker down for the night." Grace interrupted, turning up a street towards an old suburban development. Codsworth followed dutifully behind her, though he was upset by Grace's refusal to take his suggestion seriously. Grace remained quiet as she rummaged from dilapidated house to dilapidated house in search of a decent place to sleep. She wasn't too picky and really any of them would work, but she just wanted time to calm down before spending the evening alone, most likely in silence, with her trusty robot. She knew he meant well. He always meant well. But sometimes it was hard to listen to a truth you weren't ready to accept. And she knew he was right. She never spat venom at Nate the way she did Sturges. But it didn't matter back then. Nothing from Before mattered. Nate's service and PTSD, her hours and hours of studying and research and sinking into debt for a damn law degree that means nothing out here. The love she and Nate shared, and the home they had, it meant god damn nothing. Grace got lost in the nothingness for a year and a half. And if she could just get Shaun back, if she could just hold her son one more time, it would mean all that nothingness wasn't in vain.
Silence reigned in the house Grace finally settled on. They said nothing as Grace hunkered down, Dogmeat snuggled up against her legs. But Codsworth's thrusters continued hum was a welcomed white noise against the vast quiet. Part of the nothingness that was still comforting. Codsworth busied himself around the decaying home by cleaning what he could; tidying fraying clothes in drawers, sweeping dust from floors, anything that would make him feel normal. At some point over the last year, Sturges had outfitted Codsworth will a small radio that tuned into Radio Freedom. He quite liked having music playing quietly as he worked, just as he had done 200 years before the rust and nuclear fallout.
"I'm sorry, Codsworth." Grace quietly said once he finally settled down for the evening. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"It's alright, Mum. Just know that I said what I said because I care for you."
"love you too, Buddy." She fell asleep quickly knowing that Codsworth would be standing guard all night should anything happen. Dreamless sleep had become her favorite as dreams tend to be reminders that this nightmare world was real and there really was no escape from it.
"Mum! You need to hear this!" Codsworth's worried voice called, waking her from the long black void of sleep. Grace opened her eyes slowly, morning sunlight streaming across the floor through broken windows.
"What?" She asked, her voice heavy and groggy with sleep.
"Listen." Codsworth said. The sounds of his radio increased as he floated closer to her. The Minuteman DJ of Radio Freedom spoke urgently at her.
"Repeat: Sanctuary is under attack. Requesting immediate aid from all available patrols in sectors 3,5,6, and 9. Assailants reported heavily armed and overtaking the settlement. All available patrols in sectors 3,5,6, and 9 head to Sanctuary."
Grace leapt from her bedroll. Too fast for her injured side and she felt a stitch or two tear, but she ignored the pain. She grabbed her pack and the rifle Danse had given her and started running towards the door. "Go." Grace ordered to both Codsworth and Dogmeat. Dogmeat yipped in response, running from their camp and out the door.
"Mum, the camp."
"Leave it. We'll come back for it."
"Miss Grace, we're two days away. It will be over by time we get there. We're closer to the National Guard post. We should keep heading that way."
"Going to the post will be meaningless if Sanctuary gets overrun, do you understand? I need it to build this stupid machine and get Shaun back. We cannot lose Sanctuary. Now move."
It was a sight to see, watching the Prydwen fly through the Commonwealth. The immense pride Danse felt as he watched the skyship soar overhead was unlike anything else. And now, flying from Cambridge to the airport where the Prydwen was docked made Danse solemnly remember why the Brotherhood was here. Countless people were down there, living in fear; fear of super mutants, raiders, synths and the Institute. The Brotherhood was here to help Grace and her Minutemen bring order to the chaos. Bring peace unlike anything to Commonwealth had seen in 200 years.
"Hello, Old Man." Arthur greeted Danse from the deck of the Prydwen as Danse came aboard.
"Good to see you." He replied, shaking Arthur's hand after saluting his Elder. The two turned, moving inside the Prydwen and made their way towards Arthur's private quarters.
"Any news since we last spoke?" Arthur asked, sitting down at the table in the center of the room.
Shutting the door behind him, Danse replied, "No. I know Grace was heading towards the Boston ruins to meet with someone to help her get into the Institute. But that was nearly a week and a half ago. She could be long gone by now."
"We should send a scouting party out there as soon as we're settled to make contact."
"I think it would be best if I went with only one or two other knights and a scribe."
"You think they'll be hostile."
"Not immediately. But we are a military force in an already occupied territory."
"Tell me about this woman. Grace."
"She's charismatic, I see the potential for her to be a great leader, but she does not see herself fit for the burden of command. As such, she's organized these Minutemen as a police force instead of a military installation. She believes in fair and open trade, and uses the Minutemen to facilitate and protect trade routes."
"Positively utopian." Arthur scoffed.
"The Commonwealth is still incredibly dangerous. Only Knight Rhys and Scribe Haylen survived from my recon squad, Sir. The Minuteman are doing what they can, but there is still much that needs to be done to ensure the peace and safety of civilians in the Commonwealth."
"Indeed. And you said she has a key to getting into the Institute?"
"I believe so, yes. She did not explicitly say what this key was, and didn't know for certain if it would work. I believe her exact words were 'might have a way in. Might be a recipe for a quiche. I don't know yet'. But her conviction tells me it will work."
"And what was this key exactly?"
"A data chip from an Institute synth hunter called a Courser. She said she had someone in Boston that could decode it."
"That seems like a long shot, but if she's still there, we need to find her."
"Agreed."
"And when you do find her, how exactly do you plan on securing her assistance?"
"A fair trade."
"Meaning?"
"Bolstered support on trade routes. Non-military aid to settlements: food, clean water, supplies to rebuild. Military support in any endeavor regarding eradicating Commonwealth pests."
"And you believe she will accept those terms?"
"I doubt there will be zero negotiation regarding them. But if the benefits outweigh her personal aversions, then yes."
"Then, I suggest we begin looking for you woman." Arthur nodded. He stood to escort Danse out of the room as a knock came to the door.
"Sir, we have a… situation?"
"Enter." Arthur commanded. A young scribe, newly initiated, entered the room. "You sound unsure if there is actually something to be concerned about."
"Sir, there's some locals down at the airport. They're asking to speak with Danse."
"Who are they?" Arthur asked.
"They didn't say. But its a black guy in a funny hat with some other guys in funny hats and a cow…"
"Minutemen." Danse answered.
"How neighborly of them to introduce themselves. We should return the favor." Arthur said, the sarcasm not lost to either Danse or the scribe. They followed the Elder out of his quarters, and snaked their way through the airport base to where a group of Minutemen were being held back at the perimeter.
"Listen, we're not here to make trouble." The presumed leader of the group was saying to one of the knights. "We're just here to ask your intentions in the Commonwealth."
"Our intentions are to help bring stability to the area." Arthur said. The two knights turned out of the way to let Arthur and Danse through. Preston was standing at the head of the Minutemen, his musket at his side. "And we intend to do so peacefully." Arthur added as Preston's finger twitched around the gun.
"An invading military force offer stability rarely intends to do so peacefully." Preston countered.
"You sound an awfully lot like her." Danse added, trying to make a joke and cut through the tension.
"You… Danse, right?" Preston asked, immediately recognizing the heavily armored paladin.
"Preston." Danse nodded. "This is Elder Maxson, leader of the East Coast order of the Brotherhood of Steel."
"Pleasure." Preston nodded to Arthur.
"Elder Maxson, this is Preston, member of the Minuteman and Grace's second in command."
"Then you would know where she is?" Arthur asked, suddenly intrigued by the ragtag group standing in front of him.
"What do you want with the General?" Preston cautiously probed, suspiciously eyeing Danse as he tried to suss out just what the paladin had told this Elder Maxson about Grace.
"We would like to offer our assistance in keeping peace here." Arthur replied. "Of you could help us locate her so we could officially enter into an agreement -"
"I can get a message to her." Preston interrupted. "She's busy with Minutemen affairs."
"Then maybe we should meet at your headquarters to enter negotiations."
"The Castle." Preston pointed northeast. Just barely visible was the old civil war fortress that house the main forces of the Minutemen. "But, as I said, Grace is busy with Minutemen affairs. She's not there."
"We could postpone this for a later date when she will be there."
"I'm sure Danse here could tell you, but Grace tends to keep herself busy in the Commonwealth. She's not the easiest to track down when she doesn't want to be found."
"Why wouldn't she want to be found?" Arthur asked suspiciously.
"Restoring order brings a lot of allies. But it also makes a lot of enemies of people who would rather have chaos."
"I see."
"Uuhh, Sir, we have a problem." One of the Minutemen that stayed back by the brahmin interrupted.
"What is it?" Preston turned around as the other Minuteman turned up the volume on the radio tied to the brahmin's cargo.
A man's voice was urgently calling out across the airwaves, "Repeat: Sanctuary is under attack. Requesting immediate aid from all available patrols in sectors 3,5,6, and 9. Assailants reported heavily armed and overtaking the settlement. All available patrols in sectors 3,5,6, and 9 head to Sanctuary."
"Shit." Preston cursed, spinning around on his heel. "Aiden, get back to the Castle, and organize anyone not on duty. Monique and Thomas, with me. We need to get to Sanctuary."
"Sir, it's a four day journey. We'll never make it in time."
"We're not losing Sanctuary." Preston barked, jogging away from the Brotherhood compound.
"We can get you there in 30 minutes." Danse stated, stopping Preston in his tracks.
"What?" Preston and Arthur asked in unison.
"A few knights and I can take these Minutemen in a vertibird." Danse answered.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Paladin." Arthur said.
"Sir, I owe Grace a favor. I know how important Sanctuary is to her and the rest of the Minutemen." Danse pulled Arthur aside, and began whispering "helping secure Sanctuary for them could put us in her good graces. This will be good for us."
Sighing, Arthur nodded his head. "Alright. Take a team of 4 knights, plus these 3 Minutemen here. Have Lancer Donnell take you in his vertibird."
"thank you, sir." Danse stated, pulling away from the Elder and making his way into the compound. "Minutemen, follow me."
Preston and his two Minutemen followed cautiously behind as Danse rounded up his squad and made their way to the vertibird landing pad.
"Hope you're not afraid of heights." One of the knights joked as the bird took off.
"Where is it that we're going?" Lancer Donnell asked. "I need a heading, Sir."
"Where is Sanctuary?" Danse asked Preston, who was clinging to a cargo strap with a white knuckle grip.
"North-west. North of Concord."
"Got it." The lancer replied, turning the bird out of the morning sun.