*Mojave Desert, two miles from the reported Prydwen wreckage.
The wind howled and the sand stormed as Alexei, Mullins and Reddington stalked the Desert sands, getting ever closer to the location at which the Prydwen had reportedly crashed. The moon was high in the sky, supplying the trio with minimal, yet useful light. The trek here was dangerous to some degree as the team was forced to fight Centaurs, Super Mutants, Radscorpions and a deathclaw. It was humid and sticky, even in the dead of night and the three were forced to stop and rehydrate. Jess lay on the hot sand, her rifle laying on the ground beside her as she stared up at the stars.
"Even when there's mutated, irradiated death all around you, it's still nice to look up at the stars.." she said. Mullins stood over her and pulled her up onto her feet.
"The heat's getting to you Jess. You're going delirious. Here, have some water.." He said, handing her an unopened can of purified water. She accepted it gratefully and downed the contents in one long glug. Mullins then proceeded to give a long sigh and turned around to face Alexei, who was going through the ammo bags, taking inventory. It was a survival tactic that Danse had taught her, all those months ago.
"Alright guys, no unnecessary combat. We're low on everything. I'm sure the deathclaw absorbed most of it, but count your shots. They're limited." She said, zipping the duffel shut. She slung it back up on her shoulder, picked up her rifle and reloaded the magazine.
"Reddington! You're on point. You'll do more damage at the front and we'll minimise friendly fire. Mullins, you're in the middle, supporting Jess, watching her flank and I'll be in the back. I do more damage from long range anyway." She ordered. Her charges moved into position, and the three of them moved through the sands as a cohesive unit. As a team.
When they could hear the obvious sounds of rushing water, they knew that they were close to the Dam. The dunes rose along the river bank, so they knew that once they reached the top, they should be able to see the Prydwen, If the reports were to be believed. As they got nearer, Alexei dropped down, and motioned for Mullins and Reddington to do the same. Checking the time on her pip-boy, Alexei could see that it was almost 4:30am. The sun would be rising soon. Cursing internally as their shroud would soon be gone, she turned to her team.
"We don't have much time. We have our mission and we will complete it. If the Prydwen has been destroyed, we can mourn when we're out of enemy territory. We board the wreckage, check for survivors, no matter how desperate it may seem. We download the archive then blank and destroy the terminal aboard the ship. It should be allocated in the Elder's quarters on the common deck. I'll get the Archive, you two can search for supplies, survivors or any salvageable tech. Ok?" She said. Both Knights looked at her and responded with a solemn nod and saluted. Alexei nodded in return and proceeded up the hill. What they saw, not one of them had prepared for.
The dam was being patrolled by securitrons and the evidence of the second battle of Hoover Dam was clearly visible. Just south of that however was the smouldering wreckage of the Prydwen, Lying in the river bed. It's body contorted and destroyed. Support beams protruded like broken bones and corpses were littered everywhere. I was almost as though, once it crashed, it was left there to warn anyone. A grizzly attempt to implement fear into Turner's enemies. Alexei could feel the bile rise in her throat, the intense anger towards the destruction of her family, plus the purely disrespectful display hurt her at her very core. Mullins had his head dropped in quiet prayer and in a show of respect to his fallen brothers and all Alexei could see in Jess' eyes were a burning, nearly all consuming rage present in her eyes. Her eyes were bared and her fists were turning white from the sheer force from which she was baring her shotgun. Alexei, swinging her rifle onto her back, lay her hands on Jess' shoulders and forced her to look at her. As she stared, she could see parts of that anger, breaking down into an intense sadness. After a quick, almost telepathic conversation between them, Jess backed away and muttered a quiet "Thank You". Alexei straightened herself as well and again, turned around to face her team.
"Alright, we've confirmed that the Prydwen, has in fact been destroyed and that it seems that all souls aboard are dead. While we all wish to mourn the loss of our brothers and sisters, we must honour them by striking back against those that have killed them. I need you to bottle your anguish temporarily, while we get what we need to strike back against these bastards. I need Icarus. I need my team." She said, as she lifted her arm and brought it to her chest in normal brotherhood fashion. "We are steel! We do not bend, we do not break. We protect and we survive. We are the Brotherhood!"
Mullins lifted his head and responded to Alexei's salute with vigor and pride, his resolve seemingly renewed. He lifted his rifle into the air and brought it back down and readied himself. Jess just reloaded and cocked her shotgun, Her rage now, a need for vengeance. Copying the salute, she simply said.
"Ad Victorium Ma'am!"
Satisfied, they reached the wreckage and climbed aboard the twisted hulk of Steel. Splitting up, Alexei went to find Maxson's quarters, while Mullins and Jess searched for survivors. The once proud symbol of strength and power for the Brotherhood, had become a mass grave for the Order. Alexei found Knights, huddled over smaller figures, probably pages, in a futile effort to protect them, while Jess and Mullins had found a stash of holotapes, a last ditch effort for the dying members to send their goodbyes home. Jess had grabbed each one, vowing among the corpses to have the messages delivered.
Alexei had finally found the command deck. The terminals all sparked and fizzled as the monitors flashed with broken images and half present figures. Climbing up, she got to the level on which Arthur would have stood in his canopy, hoping to still find the ladder leading to the Common deck. What she did find were more corpses, including that of Lancer-Captain Kells, lying motionless on the ground, with a steel beam having impaled him in the chest. His face contorted in an expression of shock and pain. Alexei, shutting his eyelids with her fingers, proceeded to grasp and pull off his holotag, hoping to have it sent to his wife in D.C as a memento, from which to remember him. Remembering the pain of seeing Nate, she knew that his wife would appreciate the closure. Placing the tags in her pack, she climbed higher and eventually reached the common deck. As she finished climbing, she looked around. More corpses strewn throughout the hallways and she then turned and forced open the door into her quarters, remembering something important.
In the corner was her bunk, lying twisted and charred against the wall. To it's left, she found her lockers and she hoped that her treasure was still safely locked inside. The door was held closed by a particularly stubborn steel padlock and unable to find its key, Alexei was forced to shoot the lock off. While suppressed, the ship was quiet enough that the gun shot rang through the hallowed hallways. Alexei could then hear the frantic thump of a pair of combat boots. The muzzle of a shotgun was first to enter the doorframe, it's wielder following shortly after. Upon deciding that there was no apparent threat, the shotgun was lowered.
"I thought I heard a gunshot Ma'am. I feared for your safety, so I came running." Jess said, scanning the room.
She watched as Alexei pulled a black lockbox out of the relatively empty locker space. Speechless, Alexei pulled out the key that hung on a chain around her neck and opened the lockbox. A sign of relief spread across her face as she saw that the contents remained untarnished. Alexei, pocketing the contents, picked up her rifle again and headed for the door, Jess stood to one side to allow her to pass through the fragile doorway. Alexei then stood in front of the door that days before, had her and Arthur share a drink and a chat, all but forgetting the stress that hung on their collective shoulders. She tried to put her weight against the door, but she felt weak, both emotionally and physically. Looking to her side, she saw Jess standing, for once she was stoic and respectful. She could see that Alexei was hurting over the probable loss of a dear friend and that she feared the worst by entering his quarters. Standing alongside her, she supported her mentor and helped her open the warped steel door. Inside, their collective fears were confirmed. On the floor, alongside his private terminal, lay Arthur. His face broken and bruised and the obvious signs of a broken nose, now covered in dried blood. His face was calm, and peaceful, his scowl vanished. Alexei and Jess shared a silent minute in respect for their leader and and their friend. Then upon hearing the sound of another pair of boots, Alexei had deduced that Mullins had finally arrived.
Deciding to bring his holotags back home to his grandfather, Alexei bent down and slowly dragged her hand across his neck, looking for the familiar feeling of a chain. She was confused when she couldn't find it. Looking around, she asked for Mullins and Reddington to help her find them. Finally, Jess noticed them, stitched onto the shoulder pads of his beloved Battlecoat. As a team, they carefully lifted him up and take off his battlecoat and lay his corpse on his bed. While Mullins and Jess toke one last patrol of the ship, Alexei logged onto Arthur's terminal, Which was also the only source to the Codex on board the ship. After she wiped the terminal, severing its connection, She walked over to Arthur and bringing her arm up across her chest, she whispered
"Ad Victorium Arthur. May Steel preserve you."
Waiting underneath a sheared sheet of metal, Alexei watched the sun coming up over the horizon. The heat now starting to steadily increase again, Alexei wiped the tears from her eyes as she finally took a minute to mourn the loss of her Family. As she heard sounds coming from behind her, she wiped away the tears again and composed herself, running her hand through her long raven locks in a futile attempt to knock out the gathering sand. Turning around, she wasn't' surprised to find two equally pained faces. Jess just seemed to collapse in the sand, while Mullins leaned against the steel. He jumped at the shock of the heated Steel.
"Everyone Ok? Any injuries?" Alexei asked. The howl of the mind the only reply. After a while, Jess mumbled a response.
"Except a broken heart, I'm fine."
Feeling a little tired herself, Alexei slumped down onto the sand alongside Jess. Taking a can of purified water out of her pack, she cracked it open and passed it around.
"Right! Everyone take a breather. Eat up and drink up. We leave in 30 minutes."