Gate: Thus the Brotherhood of Steel Lyon's Pride Fought in Their Land

Chapter Seven - Sentinel Sarah Lyons

The sound of the APCs approaching was enough to bring several members of the occupying force of Alnus Hill out. Among them Sarah Lyons stood watching as the APCs approached. She'd been radioed ahead of time, informed that they had refugees that were being brought along with them. It was expected. They had extra lodging, but the idea of perhaps building a community around the base itself certainly made sense.

She watched as they approached, and one of the first things she noticed was a young girl, perhaps thirteen years old, dressed in some kind of black dress, and standing next to Adam. There were words, and she was going to have those words, but at the same time she trusted him. Adam was many things, but he wasn't someone that would do anything that could be viewed as inappropriate.

In truth, he had far more manners and was far more polite than several of the other members of the Brotherhood. She watched as the APCs themselves came to a full stop, and also looked at the various wagons that had followed them. The wagons themselves looked to be sturdily made. Unfortunately she didn't know enough about horse drawn wagons to know if they were in good repair or not. She more or less knew where the horse was supposed to be, that the wagon depended upon the horse, but that was about it.

Most of what she knew came from old western books that they had found. A small part of her had eagerly read every single word in some of those books. The stories of men and women setting across the great wilderness of the old world to find their fortune somewhere else. It wasn't unlike what many of the wastelanders did now. It gave her a chance to connect with the characters of those stories.

Of course there were fantasy stories, and she was actively having Grognak the Barbarian being researched. Especially after it was discovered that the language spoken by the beast people in Grognak and the language here was the same. Once everyone was inside of the gate she walked forward. She was in her armor, determined to show strength before the refugees. It could have been considered overkill, but the lessons from prewar America said otherwise. It wasn't uncommon for spies to be working against the interest of the country.

She wasn't sure if there were any spies among them, but it was safer to assume a position of power and allow the image of that power to remain. She moved toward the APC that Adam was on, "Paladin Jefferson, welcome back."

He moved, jumped down, and she heard the sound of the hydraulics in his power armor as they took the impact of his jump, "Sentinel Lyons, it's good to be back," he said before giving a salute, "There's a lot to report, especially about the dragon."

She nodded, "I got a radio call from Sentinel Reeder about it. So, we're talking a massive fire breathing dragon, right?"

He nodded, "It could easily devour a Deathclaw. I have no doubt about that in the slightest. It could have picked one up and ate it. Honestly, it took a missile launcher to have any effect."

She nodded, "The miniguns were ineffective?"

He nodded, "I might as well have been using a Nuka Thirst Shot for all of the good I was doing."

She shook her head, "That's certainly not great news. I take it the anti personnel canons on the front of the APCs weren't effective."

He gestured to them, "Those cannons aren't able to aim much higher in the front than where they are. We weren't able to use them, and I doubt that we would ever really be able to use them against that thing. It has air superiority on its side."

She let out a light curse, "So, having something in the air would be best. Its maneuverability, is it better or worse than a Vertibird?"

He took the helmet off, and she saw the eyes of the man she had fallen in love with. The eyes that seemed to only be for her. Part of her wanted to excuse them, go somewhere else, and enjoy some quiet time. She wouldn't though. She was a Sentinel in the Brotherhood of Steel. More importantly she was the head of this mission. It was her duty to ensure the safety of the people here. She watched as he seemed to consider it, "It can hover like a Vertibird, but it can move quite a bit faster," he said as he looked at her, "Actually, the information I saw in the tech museum about the Stingray seemed to be what could potentially be faster."

She nodded, "I see," she replied as she sat there, "We've found some, and I know that Rothchild is currently having them repaired. We may need to request some. That museum, did it have a simulation tester?"

He nodded, "I saw one," he replied as his eyes seemed to have a questioning look, "I mean I saw it there, and the Super Mutants seemed to have just left it alone."

She nodded, "Good, we can have it brought over, and we can train on using the Stingray. Once we're certain that we've been trained well enough we can assign pilots to them," she said as she stood there, "If it shows its face again we can use superior firepower to deal with it."

He smiled at her, "Sounds like a plan," he replied before he looked at the others, "So, we've picked up a bunch of refugees. Most of them are from a local village. The other villages explained that they couldn't take them with them. Apparently it would be too difficult to care for them while caring for themselves. More or less reminds me of the wasteland."

She nodded, "Pragmaticism is pretty much the same anywhere I suppose," she replied as she looked at them, "No problem. I'm going to have the Protectrons begin building more buildings. It would make sense, and they can have someplace to stay."

The fact that his eyes were on her, that he wasn't looking at anyone else, that told Sarah exactly what she had hoped. Of course though she wasn't foolish enough to not stake her claim. A warrior worth her salt took the high ground and held it. She couldn't do it here, but she was going to establish her claim, take the high ground, and ensure that those that traveled with them understood that Adam was spoken for.

It wasn't exactly the kind of thing that a soldier or warrior would do, but it was something she felt that she should do as a woman. She trusted Adam, but that didn't mean that she trusted everyone that traveled with him. That included the youngish looking girl dressed in black and red. There was something in her eyes, something that spoke of wisdom well beyond her years, and she could already see an interest forming. Still, she wanted to address the refugees here. She looked at one of the passing initiates, "Initiate, bring me the megaphone."

The initiate nodded, ran off toward the storage building, and a few moments later he brought her the old prewar megaphone that had been liberated from one of the high schools. She looked at those that were studying her, "Refugees, I am Sentinel Sarah Lyons," she said, her eyes moving from person to person as she spoke, "I am currently in charge of the Brotherhood of Steel's occupation here. As such I want to extend a welcome to all of you. We are establishing a safe place here, and as such we want to give everyone a chance to live in this safe area. Our duty has always been for the protection of the people. That will not change."

There were several surprised looks among the people gathered there, "You will be assigned lodging, and you are welcome to help build lodging if you have the knowledge and understanding to do so. In addition we are going to be making attempts to set up trade with various villages and towns throughout the area. If you have a skill, are an artisan, or have knowledge that you believe will help establish income for yourself do not be afraid to speak up. We will assist in helping to establish your trade."

There were multiple surprised sounding gasps, and she gave a nod, "We are not your enemy, and we are not here to endanger any of you. We are here to help, we are here to protect, and we are here to ensure a safe and prosperous future for all peoples."

She studied their reactions, felt that they at least were more at ease, and breathed out. It wasn't that much different from protecting Galaxy News Radio, but then again there were going to be a few major differences. For one, protecting Galaxy News Radio really just came down to keeping the Super Mutants from storming the place. Three Dog didn't have to have them establish trade routes for them.

Here they would need to establish safe trade routes, help house and secure the refugees, and ensure that everyone that knew a skill could support themselves. They were going to protect, but she knew that her father ultimately wanted to leave the people to govern themselves. It was even his policy in the Capital Wasteland. His entire intention there was to let the wastelanders govern themselves, support by dealing with the Super Mutant threat, and of course ensure that ferals were dealt with as well. At least that was one thing they didn't have to worry about here.

There weren't any feral ghouls that threatened to overrun the budding settlement. The dealings that Adam had with Underworld had certainly opened her eyes to the fact that normal ghouls weren't overly dangerous. Oh, that wasn't to say that they couldn't turn. It didn't make her fear them, but instead her heart actually hurt for them. To know that their minds were normal, but slowly slipping into insanity.

In a way it was the Wasteland taking more from them. She turned her attention to Adam, "Paladin Jefferson, go ahead and escort our new residents to the mess. I'm sure that most of them could deal with some food in their stomachs," she said with a slight smile, "Afterward come find me and we'll discuss the logistics of how to prepare for the fire dragon."

He nodded, and she hoped that he understood exactly what it was that she was indicating. Oh, she had absolutely no doubt that when it came to logistics he would be gifted at it. He was intelligent, and she'd seen him develop a plan and run with it. That was simply the kind of person that he was. She watched as he turned toward the group, and she listened as he spoke their language.

She'd been studying, and she had gotten to where she was able to communicate fairly well in their native language. Thankfully the protectron that was sent over had done a decent job of transcribing working dictionaries. It certainly made speaking to the locals easier. She moved toward the building that was used as her residence while here on this side of the gate. She stepped inside, exited her power armor, and let the feeling of the natural air surround her.

She felt the sweat of the day already covering her. The temperature here reflected the seasons of prewar America. From what she could see it was currently the summer months. The desire to strip off, step into the showers, and enjoy a long hot shower was tempting. She could almost feel the spraying water as it cascaded down her body. The feel of the beads of water as they bounced along her exposed skin, and of course to feel herself getting clean.

She moved toward the shared room and opened the dresser that was built by the protectrons. Inside was a collection of prewar clothes, and even a collection of military uniforms from before the war. Most off duty members of the brotherhood had taken to wearing Army Green. It made it almost look like old photos from the Vietnam War that had been recovered from the Library of Congress.

The history of the Brotherhood was as much myth as it was recorded. There was knowledge that originally it began before the great war. She'd heard the story from the scribes, reviewed some of the records that had been collected and passed down, but ultimately she understood that Robert Maxson had ended up breaking away from the United States Army. More specifically he'd done so to force them to acknowledge something terrible they'd done. Like many that served under her she knew some of what was discovered, either from Robert Maxson's own writings, the records kept by the scribes of the past, or of course of the few holotapes that remained from that time.

Looking at the Army Green Uniforms she wondered if it would be appropriate for them to wear them. She shook her head, and took a set out and laid them on the bed. They seemed to be close to her size, and if for no other reason they would work. She preferred the armored jumpsuit, but her jumpsuit did need to be cleaned. The decision made she heard the door open. She looked behind her to see Adam. She smiled slightly as he moved toward her.

"So," he said as he neared her, "What's going on?"

She looked at the prewar military uniform, "I'm taking a shower, and then I'm going to go to the mess. After that, I know that there's a lot of information that I need to relay to my father."

She looked at him again for a moment, "So, who is that girl that was on the top of the APC with you?"

She could see the confusion in his eyes, and then there was a slight hint of understanding, "Her name is Rory Mercury," he replied as he stretched, "Apparently she's an apostle of Emory. More to the point she said that Grognak was real here."

She studied him, trying to see if he was joking, "Wait, are you serious?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm serious," he replied, "He was real here, and she said that he was an idiot. I didn't get much about it from her, because honestly I didn't feel like attempting to offend her by sounding like I was interrogating her. Still, if he was real that actually explains why so much of the Grognak comics line up with this place."

She began to pace a little, "How does it line up?"

She looked at him, hoping that he would further explain, "Think about it, Grognak was real here, so either he came from our world, went back, and wrote about his adventures, or someone on the our side had some kind of psychic link with him or with this world in general."

She really couldn't argue with the logic. She knew that there had been creatures with psychic links before. Records talked about the Master. She understood that it had been something of a leader of super mutants, and more specifically it apparently was able to connect psychically with them. Of course that was something connected to the super mutants, but if the master existed then there was certainly a chance that someone could have connected to this world through a psychic link.

She began to pace. It meant that sending someone out to investigate the publishers of Grognak, Hubris Comics, was a necessity now. Granted, they had the comics themselves, but if there was a record about who the writer was for it, there might be more material that didn't make it into the comics themselves. Maybe journal entries, or a hundred other small things that might have been seen as part of it. If it would give them more of an insight that could only help them.

"I'm going to suggest that having an investigation made on Hubris Comics is a necessity," she said after a moment, "I know that we've already talked about it, but if we can get more information about this world, then that's only going to help us. Contracting mercenaries might be the best way to go. I understand that we talked about that too."

He touched her shoulder and she looked at him, "Riley's Rangers," he said, his smile seemed sincere, "They're good at what they do, and I know that they wouldn't mind the job. Plus they hold to the contract."

She gave a nod, "I'll tell dad."

She looked into her eyes, and she was tired of fighting what she needed. She leaned forward and kissed him. The kiss was deep, full of promise, something she desperately wanted and needed, and she enjoyed every single moment of it. It broke after a moment, and she leaned back. There was a soft smile on her face, "I know what I've said before, and it still stands, but for right now, this moment, I really just need us to be us."

There was no hesitation in his eyes, no sign of regret or simple resignation. Instead he seemed to be completely fine with it. He kissed her again. She needed this, and despite the fact that she was drenched with sweat she wanted it. Her clothes found their way to the floor, his vault suit joined them, and together they moved to the bed. Sarah Lyons was multiple things. She was the commanding officer in the Lyons' Pride. She was a seasoned soldier and warrior, and she was next in line to take over as Elder when her father took the final steps into eternity.

But at this moment she was a woman in love. A woman desperate to be made love to. She was someone that wanted more than anything to be held, to made to feel beautiful, to be desired. Adam did all of that for her and more. He didn't shy away from her scars and wounds. He didn't consider the trophies left behind by fights with Raiders and Super Mutants ugly marks on her skin. Instead he treated all of her with the same reverence that bordered on being practically religious.

If she was a church he was worshipping at it. A soft moan escaped her lips as he entered her. The moan turned to soft cries, gentle sounds, and none of them were the sounds that others would have ever expected Sentinel Sarah Lyons to make. They were the sounds of a young woman enjoying time with her lover.

After a short time the both of them laid in the bed. Sarah felt satisfied, and more to the point she felt as if she had established her claim. It wasn't that she thought that any of the others would be interested in attempting to claim Adam, but she wanted him to know that she considered him hers. Maybe that was too direct, but then again that was the kind of world she lived in.

One couldn't allow others to get ahead, and certainly one couldn't allow others to take what was considered their own. She was a soldier, a sentinel, and that meant that her place was in command. Still, in moments like this she could almost pretend to be something else. She could pretend to be just someone trying to get by with the person they loved. Maybe it was delusional to act like that, but she didn't think so.

If she was to be completely honest with herself there were more than a few times that the command of the Lyons' Pride took its toll on her. Having Adam beside her had helped more than she could honestly say. It had given her the chance to relax, to find some semblance of peace in the hours when they weren't facing Super Mutants, feral ghouls, or a hundred other deadly beings across the wasteland.

She could turn things off for a few minutes, and she could turn the reigns over to someone else for a little bit. That giving up of control was freeing in a way. She did that with Adam because she trusted him. She trusted that he would be the kind of person she truly hoped that he would be. She also trusted that he wouldn't betray her trust in him. So far he'd proven himself to be someone that had a real sense of integrity.

In addition there was no denying that he was Brotherhood of Steel material through and through. He stood with his brothers, and he fought for the people of the Capital Wasteland. At no time did he cut and run. If there was a retreat it was because it was ordered. She'd seen him sneak past tons of ferals, get to a terminal that was controlling the turrets, and then program them to attack the ferals.

He'd saved dozens of people from being overrun by using the security measures that had been in place inside of an old subway station. He didn't always attack directly, but instead he would see the best possible way of going at it, and then he would attack. She felt him, his body pressed against hers, his arms around her, and she leaned against him, "So, thoughts?"

She smiled, "Just considering that I needed a shower before, and I really need one now."

He gave a little laugh, "Oh, well we can certainly take care of that," he said, his arms pulling her closer, "I believe that it's something we could do in a few moments, if you want."

She smiled, enjoying the closeness, but ultimately she knew that they had to get up. She had to go outside of this small room and be Sentinel Sarah Lyons. She would need to ensure that the Brotherhood's presence here was shown in the light that her father desired for them to show it. They were to be a benevolent force that sought to protect the locals from the dangers that shot up around them. This fire dragon was such an example.

"Let's do it," she said, her voice sounding a little disappointed. She knew that he could hear it in her voice, "And then let's get to work."

She started to move, but she found that his arms weren't releasing her, "Adam?"

He was quiet for a moment, "I know what happens outside of that door," he said, seemingly to finally find his voice, "And I know that the moment you walk out there then this side of you is put away. I just hate to lose her until we're alone again."

She couldn't help the blush that covered her cheeks, "Ummm, yes," she said, and for a moment, "You don't lose her, you never will."

She finally turned around, and he could see the expression in her face. It was one of determination, "Adam, this is part of me that most don't get to see. Not even my father has seen it," she said, before she touched his cheek, "You're the only one, and likely you will be the only one. I can't allow others to see me like this. I can't allow them to know that I have other thoughts and desires outside of the Brotherhood of Steel. But I can promise you that I will never lock this part of myself away from you. Even when I'm being an insufferable hardass, and I know that I can be one, you know that this side of me is kicking myself for doing it."

He smiled, and she felt his lips on her own, "I suppose that I'm more of an open book, huh?"

She grinned at his question, "Open, with pictures, yes, that's exactly what you are."

She laughed softly, "Come on, we've got a lot of work to do today."

She slowly got up, grabbed her bodysuit, and heard him do the same. The both of them grabbed some clean clothes, and they walked to the showers. She stepped into the co-op showers to see nearly every single shower head taken. Men and women stood under the streams of hot water, and all of them were making the sounds of relief and enjoyment as the hot water hit them. She should have known that the refugees would take advantage of the hot water.

She couldn't blame them, and she didn't. Instead she looked, saw a single shower head, and led him to it. On the way they grabbed two clean towels, a single wash cloth, and a bar of simple soap. It was fresh, or as fresh as a wrapped bar of two hundred year old soap could be. The scent of peppermint softly drifted off of it as she unwrapped it. She took off of her bodysuit, watched as he did the same, and then they stepped under the hot water together.

"There's much to do Paladin," she said as she began to work on his back, "And we've got a full load of duties, but what I said before stands. Never forget it."