It was raining in the wasteland. The light drizzle had turned to a downpour only an hour ago and wasn't letting up, providing a strange ambiance. General Stonewall of the Congressional Army was smoking a cigar under the cover of a more or less intact parking garage. After the fall of the Institute, he had taken the time to reorganize the Minutemen into an actual fighting force. The Minutemen still existed, but they were the elites. The survivors of the Institute Campaign. Before that war, he had about two hundred people ready to die for the cause. The attacks on the Castle, Sanctuary, Wharton Outpost, and County Crossing had been devastating and the Siege of the Institute had been even bloodier. Now only fifty of the old guard remained, but they were the best of the best. Having stared down death and making it blink they knew no fear. They received one on one training with Stonewall, harnessing their lack of fear. They became skilled killing machines.
Despite how skilled they were only fifty soldiers was not enough to defend the Commonwealth. Fortunately, they wouldn't need to. After the Institute's fall people flocked to the Minutemen banner. Three months after the Siege of the Institute the Minutemen numbered nearly fifteen hundred active personnel with more on the way. Soon after that Stonewall announced that the term Minutemen will refer to the surviving fifty of the Old Guard, who would receive near-total power within the Commonwealth. Stonewall's army being renamed to the Congressional Army after the First Congressional Summit was held, establishing a new government in the Commonwealth.
"You good boss?" Captain Brian Richter of the Congressional Marines asked. A member of the Nucleus Conclave of the Children of Atom, and before that a member of the Enclave, he was the first man of the people of Far Harbor to join the Congressional Army. His skills, and that of the other denizens of the island, showed an aptitude for a different kind of combat. Amphibious assault. Setting Richter to work with the likes of Old Long Fellow and Macready a group of forty Children of Atom and Harborman was trained to be some of the best soldiers in the wasteland, second only to the Minutemen. Negotiating peace between the Harbor and Nucleus was almost impossible but the joint assault of Acadia had created some level of understanding. A receding of the fog removed the fears of the Harborman as well, allowing greater talks to occur. Now the Island was rebuilding, and it was also providing some of the most efficient and hardy soldiers Stonewall had under his command.
An armswoman came running from the entrance of the garage, "They've arrived," she told the general. Almost as if on cue, a squad of soldiers wearing t-60 power armor marched into the garage, supported by about a dozen wearing combat armor. Behind them marched Elder Maxon, the self-proclaimed savior of the Commonwealth. Stonewall marched out to meet him, his assault marine armor clanking as he moved. The heavy plate was only bested by power armor in defensive capability, but he preferred it heavily. It made him less of a target and was easier to maintain. Plus, he didn't feel the need to compensate like the Brotherhood did.
"Civilian," Maxon said, referring to the Brotherhood's unwillingness to recognize the Congressional army as a legitimate force.
"Elder," Stonewall responded, ignoring the insult, "Glad you came to this meeting," The Elder of the Brotherhood scoffed at that statement. "I came hoping to convince you away from your current path of incompetence. We know you've been amassing an army, and you are going to stop,"
"Why?" Stonewall asked the man, a little venom on his lips.
"You don't need an army, we're here to protect you," Maxon told him.
"No, what's going to happen is you are going to get back on your airship and leave. If you don't it will get ugly," Stonewall retorted, to which the Elder laughed. "What are you and your farmers going to do?" he asked smugly.
"If you don't leave you will find out," There was no way that Stonewall could give the message clearer. Maxon had to leave or it would end badly for all. Maxon stepped closer to the General, causing the Congressional Armsmen and Marines to raise their weapons, the Brotherhood doing the same. "You might've brainwashed these wastelanders to look at you as a messiah, but I know the truth. You are a damaged relic from a long-dead age who would be better dead." With those words Elder Maxon turned to leave, "We are done here,"
"Yes, we are," Stonewall said. He lifted his pip-boy and engaged its radio, making contact with Fort Independence. "Greenlight for Operation Steel Rain, give'em hell,"
"Affirmative general," the man on the other side of the channel responded. "Maxson!" he shouted, causing the Elder to turn. "Take a look at your oversized balloon," Confusion seemed to cover the man's face until he left the garage. Then it was anger.
"Richter, sound the withdrawal, get everyone out," he told the Marine. Richter nodded and waved for everyone to run. There were others in the garage, in hiding. Waiting for fit to hit the shan. Now, they needed to run.
"STONEWALL!" Maxon shouted, his face covered in rage. The garage filled with blasts of energy and high caliber bullets. Many of Stonewall's soldiers were felled, and seemingly none of the Brotherhood were harmed. He slid into the stairwell and ran up the stairs. Reaching the second level he arrived at the fortified position that had been preestablished for this very occurrence. Normally fighting the Brotherhood was a horrible proposition due to their vertibirds, but being in a more clustered portion of Boston proper minimized the threat of aerial strikes.
Macready stepped out from behind the barricade, "Negotiations didn't do too well?" he asked, tossing Stonewall his Radium Rifle. "Shut it, Macready, watch the door," As soon as he said that a suit of power armor blew the door open and ran through, spraying shots from its Gatling laser. Macready fired off a salvo of .50 caliber rounds into the man's helmet. Not enough to kill, but it disoriented him. Enough to redirect his fire away from the barricades.
An armsman with a missile launcher stepped out and fired at the suit. The impact sent metal and gore flying. What was left of the corpse collapsed in front of the stairwell entrance. More BoS soldiers streamed out the door, the power armored infantry unable to fit through the door thanks to the corpse of their fallen comrade. Through the din of the rain, the sound of battle began. Las muskets, laser rifles, miniguns, radian rifles, lever-action rifles, snipers, assault rifles, and more added their own tune to the music of death. Men and women fell on both sides. Three magazines of his rifle spent, Stonewall set the weapon down behind the barricade and pulled Bloodletter from its loop on his hip. He also pulled a syringe of buffjet and slammed the needle into his neck.
Time slowed around him and he felt his muscles tense, the buffout doing its work. He leaped over the barricade, putting his helmet on, and ran at the Brotherhood of Steel. They were surprised and turned their weapons on him. Just what he wanted. He crashed into the first man, slamming Bloodletter into his exposed face. He twisted the spear so that the blades could tear at his flesh. The man died screaming. He settled his right hand in the middle of the weapon and drew his revolver in his left, popping off a pair of rounds at more Brotherhood.
He was on the move again, his armor taking the brunt of the damage inflicted on him. Laser shots washed over the armor; their energy being dispersed over its surface. The 5.56 caliber rounds bit into the metal plate, but couldn't punch through.
He slammed his weapon into the neck of another who tried to attack him with a combat knife after her weapon had emptied. A third came from behind sticking a blade into a weak point of the armor. A shot from Macready's rifle blew away his head and that soldier paid for his action. "STONEWALL!" Maxon shouted from the stairwell. He stepped out, brandishing a pair of rippers, "Let's end this!"
"Forget your laser pointer on your blimp?" Stonewall mocked, sending Maxon into a rage.
"Wastelander scum!" he shouted, charging the General. Stonewall through the revolver away, wanting this to be a fair fight. "Let's play bitch," he said, in a calm even tone. He took Bloodletter into a two-handed grip and swung at Maxon's left arm. The Elder moved to evade and swung with his right. Stonewall responded by slamming his body into Maxon's. The Elder was knocked back and in his stunned state Stonewall slammed Bloodletter, in an overhead strike, into the other man's head, spraying blood everywhere. The Brotherhood broke. They ran. They're Elder was dead and they're comrades were dying around them. The Prydwin was gone, they had no reason to die anymore.
The forces of the Congressional Army were about to pursue when Stonewall raised his hand, "Stand down, let them run. We have won let's enjoy that," Cheers went up and over Radio Freedom announcements that the Brotherhood was defeated were blaring. Another enemy of the Commonwealth was gone. But only one of many.
Authors Note
For those of you only now finding this, the following statement will not make much sense. For those who read it before the change, this is for you. Yes...I'm a liar. I've already washed out my mouth with soap don't worry. I originally intended this to be a one-off but between me not being able to get this storyline out of my head and being burned out of Monsters (for the time being) I've decided to start work on this. It will be posted on a weekly basis on Fridays, though bonus stories that show off different people living under Stonewall's protection will occasionally occur. Anyway, enough of this. Hope you all enjoyed and stay safe.