- You Have Selected [KNIGHT TRENTON REID]
*Some will get the reference in this entry*
[PREVIOUS ENTRY]
Member: Knight Commander Trenton Reid
Service Number: 1009828 - RD-342KC
Date of Birth: 02-17-2227
Date of Death: 08-12-2258
Place of Death: Purifier Construction Site
Chapter: West Coast – East Coast
Duty Stations: Citadel, Lost Hills, LA Watchpost 002
Noted Engagements: Defense of "Project Purity", Transcontinental Expedition, Lost Hills Siege (2253)
Tech Recovered: WV Pipboy 2000 Cache, Disabled HG Stealth Infantry Armor Suit, A311002 "Observer" Sensor Unit
Archive Submission: Journal Entry
I don't write in this often, but I felt compelled to after yesterday's experience. Little background; It's early March, 2258, and we've been here in the Capital Wasteland for at least a year now and this is the craziest assignment I've been on (and I've fought the Enclave back home). We've been busy fortifying the ruins of the old world's "Pentagon" and Head Palad- Elder Lyons renamed it "Citadel." This place will serve as our HQ, but we've been sending out recon teams around the wastes in search of anything valuable to catalogue.
This place sucks compared to California, and we're too busy holding our own most of the time while Elder Lyons was running some side missions. Not only have we been helping some of the locals protect their water project across the river, but Lyons himself read the reports a while back about a "Pittsburg" place, and led the Op himself. He got back only a few weeks ago, and we were missing one man, but his team acquired over a dozen kids?
The missing Paladin was none other than Ishmael Ashur, poor guy. I only knew him because him and I were pretty close with my old Paladin, Paladin Rae back home. Anyways, we were down a man, and we had a bunch of kids that were drafted into Squirehood. Guess who was put in charge of teaching them? Me! A guy who wasn't even a good Squire back home. It had been my job to take these orphaned kids who were pulled from that awful "Pitt" place and teach them how to be members of the Brotherhood. Not gonna lie, I was gung ho about it at first, but these kids hardly wanted anything to do with the Brotherhood, and were instead more interested in getting set loose into the ruins. Weeks passed, I made little progress in managing them, and continuously asked for assistance from Lyons. My requests fell on deaf ears each time, until two days ago. The Elder himself told me that he was going to have me replaced by a man whose name makes my blood run cold.
Star Paladin Jensen Rutherford Payne was going to be raising those kids his way. The former Senior Paladin and head of Lost Hills security, the guy who ripped a man out of his Enclave power armor, the man who beat an NCR trooper to death with the trooper's friend's head, was going to train those kids. I could go on and on about how that man was a walking nightmare, but I was just glad those orphans weren't under my command anymore. It was only yesterday that I officially relinquished my command after forming up the new Squires in the courtyard/bailey, and I'll never forget those moments.
I stood before my Squires, some of whom were squatting and playing with the weeds between the cracks when Star Paladin emerged from the barracks in full T-45. He approached me and asked through the static voice of his helmet, "Are you the Squire Instructor that's being replaced by yours truly?"
I extended my hand for a handshake, but the Star Paladin didn't move, he instead towered over, staring at me through his visor while I said, "That's correct, Star Paladin, you just got back from that western recon mission, right? How you feel about the new rank system by the way?"
He just stared at me for a long while, not saying anything. I learned he wasn't much for small talk very quickly. He finally looked at the Squires lazing about behind me, and said, "Why don't you clear on outta here, Knight Commander. I'm pretty sure there's a floor that needs mopping somewhere."
It took more than a decade to make Senior Knight, or "Knight Commander" now, but I didn't dare argue with Paladin Payne. I simply walked away after saying, "Right away, Star Paladin."
I was about to enter the doors to the lower levels, but something inside stopped me, and I waited beside a door guard to see what Paladin Payne did. I watched in awe as the decorated Paladin took over my job. At the point he took my spot before the formation, he removed his helmet, exposed his bald dark toned head and face forever emblazoned in a sneer to the world.
He commanded in an overly raspy voice that I'd never heard behind his static helmet emitter, "Squire's! Fall-in-to.. For-May-Shun!"
The Squires lazily did so, and some of the younger ones squatted on the ground and continued to pick at the weeds of the courtyard beneath them. Paladin Payne commanded again, "Get your asses up, Squires! I gave you a Die-Rect.. Or-der!"
One of the younger orphans moaned, "Do we have to? We were standing forever."
An older Squire, my least favored one who was around 13 or so, said, "This is stupid. Why do we gotta be out here?"
Other children started whining, "Yeah. It's hot out here" or other nonsense before the silence was interrupted suddenly.
Paladin Payne had pulled a 10mm submachinegun out of nowhere, and emptied the weapon into the air. All the children stood petrified until the last casing was ejected and the gun made an echoing *Clack*. It was then that the Paladin spoke in his high pitched and raspy voice, "Listen here, Squires! My name is Star Paladin Jensen Rutherford Payne! I am not here to play mommy to a bunch of poor little orphans missing their mama's milk!..."
Some of the children must have remembered their mutated and awful parents because the mention made some of them tear up. Paladin Payne noticed one child in particular start welling up, approached, and squatted down to his level. The acoustics in the courtyard were strangely suited for where I was standing because I heard every sarcastic and non-sympathetic word that came out of the Paladin's mouth even from a ways off.
Paladin Payne said straight to the face of the near crying child, "I'm sorry, Sunshine… Did I give you a 'word kick' in your 'Feelbads'?"
The child wiped his eye and nodded his head silently. Paladin Payne took the moment to pounce, "How much is the hospital bill gonna be? Want me to write you a prescription for some 'Cry-buprofen'? Need some glasses to correct your 'Cry-balls'? Want me to get you a 'Wah-mburger' with some 'French-cries-"
The crying child appeared more confused by the puns and rhyming than anything, but another kid (I think the kid named "Greg" who I gave a new last name) shouted down the line, "Leave him alone!"
The Paladin immediately stood up from his squat, and whipped his head in the direction of the voice. Paladin Payne cocked his head back and sniffed the air (How he was able to track who said words by his sense of smell, I don't know) and he found the culprit. Squatting again, Paladin got right in the boy's face and said, "Wanna say something to me, Boyo!?"
The kid was motionless as a statue at the sight of the Paladin, but sputtered out, "N- N- No, Sir! Paladin Sir."
"What's your name, Boy!?" Shot Paladin Payne instantly.
The kid no more than 8 or so said, "Greg, Sir."
"Greg what!?" Ordered the Paladin.
"Greg B-B-Jones, S-Sir!" said the scared boy.
The Paladin mocked the scared nature of the kid, "What's your real name, 'Greg B-B-B-B-Jones'!?"
The kid answered, "Greg Bear, sir."
I saw the Paladin's brow furrow even from where I was as he asked, "How the Hell you get 'Jones' from 'Bear'? You forget your Got-Damned name!?"
The kid told the truth, "No, sir. Most of us didn't have names, so the Knight Commander gave us ones. B-But, I already had a name, and he gave me a new one anyway because he didn't like my name."
Paladin shouted, "I agree! 'Bear' is the dumbest Got-Damned name I ever heard!"
The kid looked down in shame and the Paladin went on, "'Bear' huh!? What!? Yo Mama get fucked by a Yao Guai or something!? She head out to the woods on a date with a 'Pic-in-ic basket!?'..."
Paladin continued to roast the kid while the child's face said he hated just about everything about being alive. However, I noticed the roast was pretty funny to some of the children. Before the Paladin noticed the other faces contorted by held back laughter, I heard, "... She had to do that to make an ugly-ass kid like you. So, I'm callin you 'Kodiak' from now on!... Since you like standing up for garbage, go do squats with that trash bin out front until I get tired. Don't forget to count off with what you stand up for!"
Kodiak scampered away and picked up a nearby light waste bin. The kid held it out in front of himself, doing squats, and every time he stood up, he'd shout "Garbage!" from the distance. That's what you get for interrupting an officer's roast session. "If you stand up for garbage, you'll find yourself standing up for garbage." After Kodiak was on number four or five, Paladin Payne saw the other faces trying a little harder to keep it together after each "Garbage!" they heard.
Paladin Payne saw the most hittable face in the formation, that 13 year old trouble maker I named, Joe Smith. I figured a super generic name for this brat would make his future fate something to be skipped over in the archive. Paladin Payne squatted in front of the kid who instantly ended his smirk.
The Paladin said, "I heard your old commander's reports about you. Brotherhood make you an orphan? Now you think you can do anything you want around here?"
The kid said, "Nah. Wild Men killed my dad, but ma's got protection from a gang. Soon as she learns where I am, she'll get me away from you Brotherhood of Assholes."
Paladin Payne intentionally thought for a second in an obvious and sarcastic way before asking, "You aint an orphan? I thought Lyons only picked up orphans?"
Squire Smith said, "Nah. Mom just thought I could use a vacation from the Pitt. Say, Chief? Where's Squire Sarah? I got a date, so let's wrap this up."
I almost wanted to strangle the kid to death for talking to the Paladin that way, and even mentioning the Elder's young daughter. Paladin Payne handled the brat excellently yet graphically by saying, "I don't know? She did say that she was trying to keep away from a scrawny, ugly, gap toothed little shit stain… I'm assuming that's you?"
The kid sneered, but didn't say anything as the Paladin continued horrifically, "You sure you aint an orphan?"
The kid gritted his teeth, "Yes."
What the Paladin said is something you should never tell an orphaned kid, no matter how shitty he is. I know what he said wasn't serious, and he was just trying to press Smith's buttons, but Paladin Payne said, "I think you're right. When I was up north a couple weeks ago, I met a jet head, two-cap whore who said she'd blow me for free since we took her pig faced, ugly troglodyte of a son off her hands! And hey, I aint one to pass up on a deal, don't matter what I catch!"
The child did what Paladin Payne wanted him to do, swing. One hand up, and the Paladin caught the fist before it could land. The kid was still an angry mess who couldn't find it in himself to come to terms with his parent's removal. Didn't matter if the kid's parents were alive or dead at this point; I heard about what happened at the Pitt, and the place itself was far away. It didn't matter if these kids were true blue "orphans", they were in the Brotherhood now.
Squire Kodiak had stopped doing his squats as the Paladin stared into the eyes of the defiant child. Before saying anything to Squire Smith, who's hand was at the verge of breaking in Paladin Payne's grip, Payne shouted "I don't hear any 'Garbage' Kodiak!" without breaking eye contact with Smith.
Payne stared into the eyes of Smith in such a way that he couldn't think of anything other than if Payne was in the middle of capturing his soul. Paladin Payne finally addressed the boy calmly yet murderously, "I aint here to play mommy for you, kid. I'm here to play daddy. The harsh, brutal, and strict daddy you never wanted but oh so desperately needed."
The kid remained motionless as Kodiak continued to squat and shout "Garbage!" Paladin Payne asked Smith, "You still think your mama's out there?"
Smith's angry face probably wanted to give in to tears after fighting against it for so long. The kid nodded, and Paladin Payne said, "Okay. We only take in orphan's here. You know? The Scribes just set up a great Comms system. I mean, we don't your mama's frequency, but you wanna call home?"
I think the defiant child caved, or believed the false hope because Squire Smith nodded yes. Just then, Paladin finally released the fist aimed for his head, but swiped the leg out from under Smith. Payne pulled a set of restraints out of nowhere, and walked the defeated kid over to an antenna array nearby. Payne strapped the kid to the poles and told him to "Call Home."
The angry but defeated kid learned what to do, and the entire bailey echoed with two children on opposite ends shouting the words "Home" and "Garbage" incessantly. By then, Paladin Payne's message was received by the other kids, and he carried on with his introduction.
I couldn't do it, but Paladin Payne set the bar for Squire training in this place. I probably could've taught Squires back home; children raised by my brothers and sisters had more discipline in the crib than adult wastelanders anywhere. This was the first time we took in wasteland children, but we're so far from home that we have to. At least we have someone like Paladin Payne. If the Brotherhood is going to make it on this coast, we may have to take in some of the "garbage" out here and give it a new "home" with a goal worth following. Elders out west won't like it, but we're on our own out here.
Legacy: Knight Commander Trenton Reid was killed in action on 08-12-2258 shortly after his reassignment to assist a local Capital Wasteland water project. Though the West Coast has come to terms with the recruitment policy set by the former Elder Lyons, this entry, and Knight Commander Reid's end shows the first moments where Elder Lyons first started to lead our East Coast brothers astray.
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*Yes, this was a parody of the comedy movie "Major Payne". I watched it again recently, and felt inspired, but added a bit of my own sadistic element*