"The infantry is the group in the army which gives more and gets less than anyone else."

Captain Mauldin, NCR trooper

Breach

The Hub

"Contact!" An NCR trooper shouted, just as a laser bisected his head, cutting the top of his skull off.

Corporal Reyner swore as he dived behind the stone wall, chips of stone and masonry flew through the air, flaking off his mantle armor as he met a face full of dust on the ground. PFC Wright and Morales provided covering fire from behind another wall, even as two NCR troopers were sliced to pieces by two red beams, cauterizing their bodies as they fell to the ground. The Brotherhood gauss rifles tore deep gashes into the buildings around them, shooting through barricades, walls and light armor.

The attack came almost without warning, as he and his men accompanied two companies of NCR troopers to maintain a cordon around the Brotherhood Bunker, only to have the entire Chapter come out in force in their deadly T51b armors. It didn't take long before the NCR companies were decimated, the remnants of the NCR force still fighting in the streets through sporadic rifle and machine gun fire.

Another explosion sounded on the street, throwing up another cloud of dust as more NCR troopers tried valiantly to halt the advancing Brotherhood squad. Reyner took another look at Wright, who managed to clip the shoulder of a Power Armored knight with his hunting rifle. The Brotherhood soldier fell back from the recoil of the shot, and the other members of his squad, recognizing the firepower of the NCR squad in front of them, made for cover behind the alleyways of the buildings, giving Reyner and his men the time needed to withdraw.

"First Recon! Into the buildings!" Reyner shouted, already running through the wreckage in the street, his hands gripped tightly on his .32 scoped rifle. Benson and Jenkins followed suit as well, pouring carbine fire down the street as they rounded the corner. Around him, the sounds of war were mixed with the sights and smells, dead Brahmin, burning carts, and the carpet of burnt corpses, NCR and civilian.

The door of the nearest house shattered into wooden splinters as the remaining men of First Recon went for the rooftops.

The Brotherhood had the streets, but once his men were set up, there would be hell to pay.

Paladin Commander Palermo watched with grim satisfaction as his warrior Paladins of the Hub chapter swarmed through the streets, annihilating the enemy in their path. The two companies of NCR troopers were quickly wiped out to a man, their deaths heralded by several explosions as the Brotherhood Knights cleared them out of their barricades with frag grenades.

The air turned black with smoke and soot, raining ash onto the streets as the well armed platoon of Power armored troops advanced. They were a small chapter, numbering perhaps fifty combatants, but they did their work well, working in squads of five, they were clearing the Hub of the filthy NCR street by street. Four squads were already attacking camp Zeta, more than sufficient to clear them out.

The air roared violently as an entire building nearby went up in flames from the heavy incinerator knights, followed by the screams of several trapped NCR soldiers inside.

Palermo rounded the corner, his escort of four Tesla Armored Knights watching grimly for any sign of resistance, but the attack went off without a hitch, surprise was complete. Although they may lose several Brothers this day, each would have at least taken more than twenty of those NCR heretics with them. Already on the street, several more dead Hub Policemen lay on the ground, their blue combat armor inadequate against Brotherhood Gatling lasers.

"Spear one, report." The comm. link in Palermo's helmet sounded off.

"We've achieved surprise Paladin General Sword." Paladin Commander Palermo nodded in grim satisfaction. "Give us another three hours and we can have this city for the Brotherhood."

"Excellent, proceed as planned, once the NCR camp falls, your next target is the Hub Police station."

"Acknowledged." The Paladin replied, then he turned to his reserve squad of Knights and Initiates in T45d armor, pointing his hand forward to the downtown area. "Advance Brothers! Engage the enemy as you see them, clear every building out."

The Paladin Commander then shuddered as he felt a light punch chip his shoulder, followed by several more as an NCR platoon emerged from a nearby building, showering bullets at the Brotherhood squad, but to little or no avail. The light pistols and rifles did little more than dent the Power armor.

The Tesla troopers fired next, a volley of plasma bolts cutting down the light armored NCR troops and dissolving the luckier ones into green puddles of goo. Two NCR troopers, conscripts from the look of terror on their face, dropped their rifles and fled into the nearest shack, which quickly light red from a several well placed laser rounds. No one came back out.

Palermo grunted an acknowledgment as 1st Squad of the chapter emerged from the ruins.

"I want this street cleared! There shouldn't be more than five battalions of NCR in this city. I want them destroyed." Ten to one odds at least, but they posed no threat.

"Won't be a problem Paladin Commander." The Knight Captain saluted sternly, disappearing into the alleyways as the Paladin commander then led his squad into the streets, where already, several dozen civilians were fleeing.

The Knights raised their rifles as they saw the approaching Hub police in their blue combat armor vainly try to hold his force back. Palermo watched as his Tesla troops mowed them down. While he himself had his AER9 thud against his shoulder, laser beams burning through metal plates, armor and eventually, flesh.

Once the Hub policemen were down, the Brotherhood of Steel soldiers advanced, like an unstoppable wave.

More civilians poured into the streets, trying desperately to escape the armored men. "Ignore the noncombatants, they aren't our concern." Palermo had his men forcibly push their way through the panicky crowd. "We've got bigger fish to fry."

"Goddamn Brotherhood!" One of the privates, his nerves frayed, yelled in sheer panic as he unloaded his assault rifle at the attacking squads. "You'll never take us-"

A single red laser beam from the power armored knight in front of the barricade seared a hole through the NCR trooper's skull. The man gave an almost comically 'huh?' right before his body flopped backwards like a dead fish.

"Dumb fuck." Private Richard Cole spat as he and the rest of his squad returned fire, pouring a hail of bullets onto the oncoming squad of Power Armored knights, who were obscured by the smoke of the burning wreckage. The only indication of their presence were the red beams of light that shot through the smoke, occasionally taking the head off of a slow NCR trooper.

"Damn bastards just won't die." Another Private shouted in panic as she unloaded another burst of assault rifle rounds at the Brotherhood soldier, who reeled back as the bullets ricocheted off his chest armor but did not penetrate. The Knight however, fell back behind cover. Although Power Armor, with its composite metal plates, was enough to deflect bullets, over time, they could be worn down, as the NCR was about to show these cocky knights.

Suddenly, above the din of battle, a new sound emerged, the mechanical whirring of a machine.

It didn't take long for Private Cole to notice.

"Down!" Cole shouted as he dove into the dust, along with half a dozen men in his company.

A new ripple of bullets tore at the barricade, tearing up chips of wood, steel and flesh as a heavy Paladin in T51B advanced armor wielding a minigun walked calmly towards the barricade, firing a steady stream of bullets whilst being oblivious to the withering NCR return fire.

Those that were too slow or unaware had their upper torso torn to bloody ribbons as the 5mm bullets ripped apart flesh and bone.

"Get their ammo!" Someone had shouted above the heavy roar of the miniguns fire. And soon, for every NCR trooper that fell, another quickly pillaged their corpse for extra magazines and grenades.

"Sorry Bro, but I need this more than you." Cole tapped the headless corpse on its shoulder as he ejected his third empty magazine. At this rate, the entire defense line to the police station would run dry before they could push back the attackers.

The air suddenly shattered, and Cole watched in awe as the Brotherhood Paladin stumbled backwards, a gaping hole inside his power armored chest. The Steel soldier looked in almost bloodied surprise, and almost every member of the NCR defense line looked back to see where that shot came from.

Ranger Hanlon, his .50 caliber anti-material hunting rifle still smoking, gave the NCR troopers a small nod from his position on the Police rooftop, even as he fired another round. This one taking the head off of the Paladin completely.

"Lay it on them troopers!" Cole shouted, and with a 'OOH-RAH', the entire NCR line emerged from their barricades, spraying the bewildered Brotherhood squad with a flurry of 5.56mm rounds. The Knights quickly retreated, one of them tried dragging the corpse of their Paladin with them, but was quickly overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of fire.

Private Cole felt his shoulder go numb as he unloaded his clip onto the knight, along with every single member of the firing line. For a second, it almost looked like the Knight was on fire, as sparks and bullet ricochets covered his entire body, crumpling his armor and helmet inward until finally, the assault rifle rounds pierced the dented composite armor, and the Knight fell backwards, weeping blood from every single hole punched into his suit.

Private Cole took a deep breath, loading his last magazine as he popped back in the barricade, as the entire NCR line burst into a roar of cheers and shouted profanities at the Brotherhood. Loading his last magazine, he quickly emerged from cover for the next wave.

He watched in horror as more than a dozen Brotherhood troops emerged from the smoke. Before he could react, a mass accelerator round penetrated his left eye, vaporizing the back of his skull into a spray of blood and gray matter. Without another word, Private Cole dropped dead on the barricade, his rifle still gripped tightly in his hands.

"Sir, we have to evacuate." Colonel Ellis shouted as he entered the Hub Police Station office, his face was already covered in dirt and grime from the remnants of his force escaping Camp Zeta.

Councilman Westin, who had seemed so confident and self assured just yesterday, watched the scenes unfold on the street in horror.

"How….I don't understand. How did we let this happen?" The Councilman whispered quietly.

Ellis quickly held the Councilman on the shoulder, turning the bewildered politician to him. "We don't have time sir, the Brotherhood are going to breach this station any second now, my men will hold them back as best we can, but we need to get you out of here! Our comms are jammed but from what I hear from our outposts at Shady Sands, the president is in danger. If she and the vice president falls, you're next in line to lead us."

That quickly snapped Westin out of his daze. "Of….of course. Lead the way Colonel, I'm open to any suggestions you have."

Ellis nodded, "I have a vehicle set up on the outskirts, if we leave now, we can get you out of here safely."

"And your men?"

The Colonel gave an almost pained look even as the building shuddered from the explosions outside. "I'll save what I can, but from the looks of it, we have no chance of holding the Hub."

Westin nodded solemnly, but his eyes quickly flashed with a new determination and anger. "Do what you must Colonel, but see to it that as many of your men make it out as soon as possible. There will be hell to pay for this."

"Sir. We'll make sure of it." Ellis nodded, before gathering the remnants of his battalion for their final stand.

Shady Sands

Knight Captain Aiden continued firing his tri-beam laser rifle into the smoke, even as several furious impacts from assault rifle fire battered the chest plate of his Power Armor. Through the dust cloud, several agonizing screams followed the sizzling sound of burning flesh.

The Brotherhood Platoons advanced calmly, the optical eyesights in their advanced power armored helmets sending red beams through the smoke and soot. The once pristine asphalt and whitewashed walls of the city streets were now littered with bullet holes and scorch marks. Bodies, some intact, others burning, lay on the ground. Though Aiden had no qualms fighting the enemies of the Brotherhood, the sight sickened him, as he recalled some of the NCR he had worked with in his past time on the surface. It wasn't like he was killing unarmed civilians, but the events of the morning left a rotten taste in his mouth.

His squad of five, all equipped in advanced power armor and wielding heavy plasma and laser rifles, advanced from room to room, clearing them out of resistance.

Aiden spotted movement, followed by a burst of shotgun rounds as the NCR troopers made their final stand fighting room to room in the hallway. Chips of concrete and wood lashed into the air as more bullets poured into the fray.

A single blast from Aiden's Tri-laser rifle tore away the man's arm and jawbone, leaving him weeping blood as his body collapsed onto the ground. Another NCR trooper, a blond woman, swore desperately as she fired blindly against the wall, her eyes gashed by shrapnel from a frag grenade. The Brotherhood troopers moved past her swiftly as her weapon ran empty, while one of the Paladins paused and pointed a PPK12 Gauss Pistol towards her head, intent to blow it off her shoulders. Against anything close range, it was almost overkill, as the gauss pistol used an electromagnetic field to propel rounds at tremendous speed to punch through almost any armor.

Aiden however, calmly put a hand on his comrade's gauss pistol, lowering it instead.

"We aren't Enclave, we don't execute wounded prisoners." The Knight Captain replied.

The Brotherhood Knight gazed at Aiden with his cold mechanical stare, then simply nodded, holstering the pistol.

"Frag out!" Someone had shouted down the room, and the Brotherhood Knights scrambled for cover as three more grenades rolled down the hallway, exploding in a cloud of dust and shrapnel that sent ears ringing.

Through the smoke, Aiden could see the congressional halls of the NCR, along with the famed statue of the vault dweller, his face obscured by the smoke and ash.

"We're almost to the target Brothers! Advance! For the glory of Steel!"

The Boneyard

Already a famous city before the apocalypse, the L.A. Boneyard seemed to stretch forever, the skeletons of old pre-war buildings lying under the hot sun. With the establishment of the New California Republic, reconstruction projects under Tandi had done much to reclaim the old downtown core of the city, with thousands of new immigrants moving to the apartment complexes and multi-tiered facilities.

Now, the city formerly known as Los Angeles was burning. Columns of smoke lifted to the sky, followed by walls of flames as the entire downtown area erupted. Aside from the tens of thousands of citizens that lived within the city, NCR also boasted a large military presence in the region as well, including several full sized infantry divisions and the Republic reserve. This made it a prime target for the Brotherhood Chapter, which had taken residence in the old downtown core of the Boneyard.

The journey for Colonel Lee Oliver had been a sobering experience, from his headquarters at New Adytum. From the southern shores, the northern spires of the Boneyard seemed like a towering inferno. Even from the distance he felt the subtle thump of artillery and explosions, while the distant rattling of gunfire echoed through the sky. He'd imagine battles against raiders on the border outposts, but here in his own home city?

A torrent of refugees, retreating soldiers and wounded fled southwards, clutching belongings, carts, and their children, hoping to find some refuge by the sea. Several buildings burned around him, and glass and wooden slivers crunched under his feet as he and his column of heavy troopers made their way northwards. Each man was silent, professional. Armed in pre-war composite combat armor, they were the equivalent of any pre-war US infantryman. Not like the undisciplined rangers or the rag-tag conscripts that manned the border forts.

He had originally planned on bringing in the northern garrisons to his defense line by the old Cathedral section of downtown, but he decided it was best that they were drawing Brotherhood assets northward, spreading them thin and diverting their attention away from the last bastion of NCR power in the city.

Each man in his battalion was armed with assault rifles, combat shotguns and a generous supply of grenades. A few even sported flamers and incinerators, but to a man they knew they were outclassed in terms of weapons and equipment by the Brotherhood, and it was evident in the nervous glances of his troops.

Yet the arithmetic was simple in Lee Oliver's head. There was no retreat. The Brotherhood of Steel was trying to push them into the sea. But the chapter in the Boneyard must have numbered no more than a hundred combatants, two hundred was pushing it. While there were perhaps three thousand NCR troops stationed in the city. The NCR could afford to trade numbers ten to one and still have enough men to secure the town. He had hoped to one day command that many men but they were just as valuable to him by distracting the Brotherhood while his heavy troopers finished the job. They would crush the Brotherhood beneath the boot of the bear, and he and his men would be credited for this victory.

More explosions resounded from the north, followed by a frenzy of orders over the radio as the various colonels of the garrison attempted to coordinate an effective defense. The Brotherhood were somehow jamming their frequencies.

He had reached the governor's estate in the south, which was heavily ringed with NCR troopers. Oliver paused to see his own staff waiting nervously at the doorway, as though they were expecting a sniper attack any minute.

Lee Oliver saluted towards his staff officers.

"Lieutenant Moore, glad to see you're in one piece."

"Likewise sir, but the Governor and the General says that you're twenty minutes late."

Oliver simply grinned.
"Pass the word to the company captains, I want squads to secure a cordon around the governor's house. Sharpshooters posted to rooftops and the rest of the regiment ready to assault the Brotherhood forces in the Boneyard. I'll be damned if anyone but the 1st California Regiment takes the honor of leading the assault. This won't take long."

"Sir," Lieutenant Cassandra Moore saluted, moving with the rest of Lee Oliver's staff to organize the troops.

Two NCR troopers saluted the Colonel as he entered, opening the doorway to reveal two men standing over a table of reports and maps. One of them, dressed in a fine civilian suit, was Governor Wendell Peterson, who was in charge of running one of the five states of the NCR. The person next to him, dressed in full military uniform and sporting an army issue cut, was General Aaron Kimball.

Lee approached both men, smiling as he extended his hand.

"Mister Governor. Sir." He gave Peterson a political handshake, while he offered General Kimball a formal military salute.

The colonel smiled as he watched Governor Peterson sit down, his girth occupying the majority of the cushioned chair as he wiped the sweat off his brow. He was clearly nervous. This whole meeting having been agreed to beforehand by the General and Oliver for their benefit.

"Got anything to report Colonel?" Kimball asked.

Oliver stood ramrod straight. "I've mobilized my regiment and we're ready to go, all five hundred of us."

"Any word on the mayor?" the Governor asked,

"Hell if I know." Kimball simply answered, "The whole thing's a mess. One minute we're all friends sitting by the fire sharing Kumbayahs….next they're shootin' at us. My guess is he's holed up in the town hall, by the Gun Runner's factory."

"Any word of support from them? Or the regulators?"

"Both are sittin' this one out, either too scared to commit to one side in case the winners decided to be not so merciful. Can't blame em, but can't say we'll forget this either." General Kimball said darkly.

Lee Oliver cleared his throat. "Sorry sirs, but what is the situation here so far?"

The Governor sighed. "We've lost control of the Boneyard, the Brotherhood scattered our men before we could mount an effective defense. Now they're bombing the civilian apartments to flush out any last bits of resistance. Except for the places where we managed to get some men into organized formations, city hall, the financial district, the Brahmin ranches, and where we posted the reserve in the wealthy neighbourhoods, the city's in anarchy."

"Any word from the President Tibbett? Vice President Carlson?" Lee's next question was just as important, as all orders were expected to come from the executive council.

General Kimball shook his head. "We've lost contact with Shady Sands an hour ago, just as the attack commenced. We're not sure if the President or Vice President are still alive. Radio communications are jammed and we're flying blind."

"Then it's up to us to ensure that our republic survives in this city. Until we restablish contact." Colonel Oliver offered. "For that, I'll need every available force in the area, including our mechanized reserves."

Governor Peterson seemed astounded at this. "The mechanized reserves are at the command of the President, I can't order them without her authorization."

General Kimball however, pressed forward with the suggestion. "Colonel Oliver is right Governor. We can't hold this city with just one heavy infantry regiment and a mass of conscripts. We'll need everything we can get to throw the Brotherhood back. It may be that our outer forts and cities have fallen to the Brotherhood forces. If that is the case, we must focus our efforts on the republic's largest city, and mount an effective defense. And to save the lives of the women and children under your watch."

Peterson sweated nervously, obviously not used to such momentous do-or-die decisions.

Oliver slapped his thigh in exclamation. "We can win this, governor. But we need strength, we need the troops and the armies."

"But Shady Sands-"

"If we save the Boneyard, rally what's left of our armies and set the stage for the President if she does escape, we'll be damned heroes sir."

Kimball nodded. "You'll take the credit of course, the responsibility, lies with us."

Governor Peterson paled, but ultimately summoned some last measure of resolve as he quietly nodded. "Very well, I'll have the order signed."

Colonel Oliver nodded, putting on his officer's cap as he stood up. "Then it's done sir, my men will hold them back as long as we can, but when the mechanized forces get here, the good General and I can focus on mop up operations."

"Where will you start?" The Governor asked.

"I'll start with a sweep from the south, moving east, then northwards. Gathering any remaining forces I can around my battalion and pushing the Brotherhood out of the city."

"Why start in the south? The worst fighting is in the North."

Oliver simply smiled at this. "I need to gain momentum sir, strike the Brotherhood where they aren't looking, once our men have sufficient strength, I'll proceed to attack their stronghold directly. After that, we can properly support our comrades in the North."

The other reason, Oliver thought, was because the south and the east was where the money's at. The Brahmin barons and the financial districts. Save their backsides, and their patronage could prove valuable to him and Kimball in the future, especially when the president is seen as being captured or fleeing from the capital in a national emergency. It also helped that several of Kimball's political opponents were congressmen currently trapped at Shady Sands. The next election would be something to look forward to.

"Now if you'll excuse me gentlemen," Lee Oliver smirked, with a quick nod to Kimball. "I have a city to save."

And yes, everyone's favourite political generals makes their entrance to this story :) This chapter ultimately is average length due to time constraints, but i've a lot more ground to cover so the next one hopefully is bigger.

Leoryan - wow that's ironic, since im usually pro-Brotherhood so its interesting that i ended up with a slightly pro-NCR take. Hopefully this chapter changes some of that. I agree, NCR ain't all friendly either and the bureaucracy as you can see is having some issues with coordinating NCR defense.

Agent 94 - hope my PM answered all those comments to your liking :)

Lord Coake - Thanks! I've always been fascinated with the Brotherhood in that they have the potential to be such a good force for the Wasteland (i.e, Fallout 3) or a force of evil (tactics). We all know the ending of this war, it's the journey that counts ;) hope you enjoy!

Endless Walker: Thanks!

Feneris: Your comment is very appreciated :) i try to balance detail with brevity, so i'm glad to see that it's working out!