Dr. Janet Thompson hushed her husband as she tuned the radio. Her twins were already on the couch in their suite listening with rapt attention.
"This is Radio Freedom. All's quiet, and that's how we like it."
"And this is Travis "Lonely" Miles, here to guarantee that tonight isn't quiet at all. This is the first simulcast event in the history of the Commonwealth, from both Radio Freedom and Diamond City Radio. And I'm told that it's repeating on Classical Radio without representation.
"And a night of history it is. We've got dignitaries of every community in the 'Wealth, from the Atom Cats to the big bad Institute itself, here for the opening ceremonies. Everyone's trying to get in a good mood for what comes tomorrow - hammering out the details for a coalition government.
"Radio Freedom, this rests on the backs of the Minutemen protecting the Commonwealth. How have the troopers handled it so far?"
"Minutemen stand by the General."
"And rightly so! Sources tell that everyone's favorite vault dweller has been working overtime to making Minutemen might moreso. On top of restoring artillery capacity long lost to the Minutemen, there has been a real push to reclaim tech from across the Wasteland. Why, just now, we witnessed Colonel..."
"Brandis."
"Colonel Brandis descend from a vertibird. With the army vehicles now patrolling the roads and the naval efforts of our friendly, neighborhood, Chinese submariner the Minutemen are now a force to be reckoned with on land, sea and air.
"And that isn't the only reason for the upcoming Commonwealth government. It's official folks and not just rumors and repeats from strangely friendly synths. The Institute has officially surrendered to the Minutemen. They've agreed to be a community on par with any other. Radio Freedom, how was that accomplished?"
"The General may cover that in her speech tonight. I'm not exactly privy to the details."
"Come on, man. Give the audience something!"
"Hm. Colonel Preston has stated that a lot of what the General has been doing was in search of her lost son. I do know that the Institute was involved in that."
"Everyone that reads Publick Occurences knows that much. You...
"Alright, this is it everyone. Dignitaries and Minutemen alike are in rapt attention. And I'm sure you folks out there in the post-apocalypse are too. Entering now is the General of the Minutemen, 'Juris Doctor', and our favorite vault dweller, Mrs./"
*applause drowns out Travis*
"Please. Please.
"Citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachussets, those of you representing your communities here, and the folks listening on the radio they could find after another hard day's work surviving. I want to personally thank you for the opportunity you've given me. As General of the Minutemen, I've had the ability to see exactly how grand a people we are. Every farmer pulling food out of a harsh ground. Every shopkeeper struggling to keep a trade, an art alive. Every Minuteman - and woman - sacrificing to keep a line between the everyday citizen and the dangers that surround them.
"For all the...the legends...surrounding the time I left, I still would like to thank each and every one of you for the opportunity to have helped in your struggle. Thanks to your help, I've managed to coordinate over a full score of settlements across the Commonwealth. I've managed to open new trade paths, or so the Slog based TARBERRY jam that I've seen people experimenting with tells me.
*a few laughs*
"And there have been harder won victories. The Brotherhood of Steel is no longer stripping farms and traders bare.
*a smattering of half-felt applause*
"The Institute is becoming an open member of the greater Commonwealth community, just as responsible to her as any other.
*better felt applause*
"And I have the privilege of announcing tonight: The criminal gang, once known as the Rust Devils has been destroyed. Their previous base of operations, under Fort Hagen Satellite Array, has been fully pacified. Another threat to our great Commonwealth has been extinguished.
*an actual full round of applause*
"And that is why I have faith. I have faith that just as the scavver and the trader work together, we all can. And that when we say Vault 81 and the Atom Cats are in the Commonwealth, that means something."
"Woo! Atom Cats! Me-OW!"
"And thanks for that Roxxy."
"Travis Miles here, that was Roxxy - representative from the Atom Cats."
"But seriously. I could tell you that we have a challenge. And everyone that was ever in the 'Wealth that backed down from a challenge is already dead. But I'm not. I'm here to tell you that we have a real opportunity here. We have a chance. I came from a world where all of this was connected. The highways that dot the landscape brought us together. We had way more communication that just the few radio stations. We were a society. And we can be again.
"All we have to do is choose it. Want it. A world where ships travel the rivers instead of simply being sunk in them. A world where there's people to call upon.
"And to that end, I am doing my best to establish Minutemen offices in every community. No longer will it be just a question of luck if the Minutemen are there to help. If the mayors of the Commonwealth can help me achieve it, the Minutemen will be more responsive than ever. More responsible to you than ever. And finally live up to the minute time readiness of the Minutemen of yore."
*a cheer so voiced that it would be nearly impossible to tell that it wasn't joined in by the representatives of Bunker Hill and Diamond City*
"And we have a chance for Goodneighbor to live up to the name, by being the neighbor that the Commonwealth deserves. We have an opportunity for comradarie and fairness to shine from the emerald of the wastes, Diamond City. We have an opportunity for all the reclusive communities to see that we have more to benefit from by standing together rather than hiding from each other.
"To this end, I am proud to host the negotiations that will create a common government for all of the Commonwealth. Some of you already know that I was a lawyer, an expert in the government of the world that was, back before. I am happy that even the Institute has seen the value in my lending my skills in ensuring that there is a system in place for the Minutemen to ensure everyone's rights across the land. From the most humble doctor in any settlement, knee deep in the suffering of others, to the loftiest upper stands resident: everyone in the Commonwealth will be ensured the aid of the Minutemen."
*another round of applause*
"So again, I thank you for the opportunity to help in ensuring the future of mankind."
*a snap of the fingers, as if a person had nearly forgotten something"
"One last thing. Minutemen, please take that man right there into custody."
*a few warning shot laser blasts and the sound of a scuffle before Travis comes back on the radio*
"Travis 'Lonely' Miles here. A Minuteman has just been...been...arrested, for lack of a better word - by the Minutemen! And on order of the General. It's not even chaos or pandemonium. It's like the entirety of the force was ready for this order that caught us, or at least me, by total and complete surprise. Radio Freedom - how could even the legendary Minutemen be ready to move with such speed and...and precision?"
"Well, the General has been hinting that she might be the subject of an assassination attempt. While she's right that the Institute must be brought into the greater community, she had warned that there were some who may want to stop her from bringing them into the light and want nothing of the future besides revenge. And considering that even I had never seen that bald man and the fact that the General's got most of us wearing goggles of one form or another instead of sunglasses, I guess a lot of the Minutemen were on edge and ready to pounce.
"But that could also be said of the mayors and those that came with them. This opening ceremony was intended to put them at ease."
"At ease is the last thing that I would describe them with now. Granted, it could have been a lot worse. All the visitors are still in their chairs. Colonel Preston Garvey seems to be answering their questions face to face, assuring them that everything is alright. The General herself has gone off with the man and the guards that have taken him into custody. Piper Wright is being directed back to the main stage.
"And despite the surprise, it does seem that things are back to how they should be. Everyone's back in their seats in the audience. All four Colonels of the Minutemen are back on stage. And it looks like we might be ready for the next speaker."
Julia turned to her parents. "Did someone really try to kill Mother?"
Enrico ruffled his daughter's head. "Something tells me that the Director has it well in hand. Even if someone actually did."
