"Now that that excitement is over wi...delayed.", the General continued.
"Faraday is representing Acadia. Besides fulfilling the war funding this council passed without its vote, Acadia also gave us the only other candidate to successfully pass the Turing tests administered by the Institute. I have been informed that the only other synth known to be sentient met their demise. I sincerely hope, as General and personally, that is not the case."
The synth in the lab coat stared at the woman as if trying to read her mind. While her BLACK RIMMED EYEGLASSES certainly didn't obfuscate nearly as much as her goggles, it still seemed quite the trick. Faraday moved his gaze around the room as if to gauge the reactions of the other council members. He really checked the reaction of the remaining civilian standing in the room.
The old man nodded slightly.
Fahranheit could not fathom what Faraday's 'curioser and curioser' expression meant. Old Man Stockton on the other hand, wanted to know why the only person in the room older than he (well, besides the General herself) meant. He hadn't seen the nod but considering Faraday's reaction to it, the other man must have communicated something. Stockton's involvement in the Railroad had taught him how to read synth's expressions better than most.
Which put him in a very precarious position. He had to present offense at being deceived. It was obvious that Kessler was the least supportive mayor of the Commonwealth, or at least until the Triggermen tried something. But the General knew, or at least had to suspect, that he was working for her as a member of the Railroad still. Desdemona herself had told him that she was the Colonel of Intelligence and that the Railroad was actually working with the General to move the Institute into not being a threat to synth kind. So it looked like the General was standing by that by the Institute's surprise about Acadia's existence. On the other hand, even the Railroad...or at least he did not know about Acadia either. If the General did not maintain her position or the Institute lost faith...or whatever passed for it, in her as General then everyone at this Acadia would be at risk. Even the hostilities between the Institute and the Railroad would resume. The mad scientists might even take their anger out on the representative and recycle her. How could be put up enough of a fuss to maintain believablility while not actually undermining the General?
The General moved on. "And this is Avery. She's...what we would call Mayor but on the island is Captain of Far Harbor. It's the largest community on the island."
"Thank you Captain.", she replied.
"You're getting puzzled looks because it's 'general' here.", the General informed. "I can keep what people call me straight because I have to understand the difference between 'general', 'overboss', 'captain' and what have you. But my position in the Minutemen and the Commonwealth is formally General. It would probably be best for everyone if you use that term in the Castle if not just in the mainland as you can. Particularly since every Minutemen 'captain' is serving under Admiral Zoa."
"Huh. Weird.", Avery acknowledged.
"And the man standing against the wall is Longfellow, a Sheriff from the island. If anyone wants to ask him about the island in General, he's graciously offered his time to answer. While he may not be able to speak for my other Sheriffs, he can give you a sense of how the island differs from the mainland Commonwealth."
"So the island smacks Commonwealth?", Roxxy asked.
Avery took the question. "Look, just because we don't need your help like you seem to need ours doesn't mean we don't fly the Captain's...sorry, the General's flag any lower. We're just as much communities as you're trying to be."
"I'm sorry?", Trish grizzled out.
The General sighed. "Look. Islanders...are made of sterner stuff. They kind of have to be: the monsters are weirder, the raiders are cannibalistic and not just for display, and there's a radioactive fog that stings like unfiltered water nearly everywhere. While settlements here asked for my help in getting them established, island settlers came with me to settle their own problems.
"But I don't want anyone to mistake the island's...independent spirit with a lack of patriotism. The entire island, and all the troubles that may entail, is indeed Commonwealth territory. That includes the two communities that have voted along the council on every issue that has been before it. Including the constitution. There is no discrepancy between Goodneighbor, Far Harbor, Diamond City, Acadia, or either of the Vaults. And every settlement not represented at this table has a Sheriff that reports to me."
Longfellow chortled. "Including 118?"
"Yes.", the General replied. "Including 118 as well as 88. Where did you think those new episodes for the Silver Shroud were being written?"
"So everything is above board.", Stockton started. "Except Bunker Hill, let alone less traveled communities, didn't know about this."
He knew the General was trying to read him. She had to determine how hard he was going to press her. And there was a large margin between Kessler's second and Desdemona's.
"As I stated, the island has a fiercely independent spirit.", the General began. "While everything ratified by this council has been signed by them, and you can check that filing cabinet right there if you would like, no one on the island felt a need to truly communicate with the mainland.
"And I'm not running a dictatorship.
"If it's hard to wrap your heads around, take Diamond City during its recent siege. They cut themselves off from the rest of us. It's well within their right to do so. Geneva: do you believe that Diamond City forfeited it's place in the Commonwealth?"
The woman glanced around the room erratically. "er, No?"
"Exactly. If Vault 81 were to slam the door in the event of a really fierce radiation storm, they wouldn't be severing the union. I would think it unfair to place unique demands of less independence and choice on island communities merely because they are farther away.", the General finished.
Trish nodded. "Sure, we all get to do what we want if we play be the rules. But then why come down now? It's not like they wanted to be all neighborly before."
"Because I asked them to.", the General stated.
"The war has forced two things and I am not as pleased with either.
"The first is the real reason for this meeting. Last night under direct orders from me, Major MacCready (promoted after his successful evacuation of Murkwater and Sommerville refugees to Vault 88) took command of a commando force of Minutemen from the island and led them on an operation of his own design. Under my approval, clearance and fore knowledge - of course. This unit is outfitted with their own personally requested weaponry and MARINE ARMOR. Major MacCready is a Gunner veteran from before the Commonwealth's unification. His men are handpicked, hardasses from the island that are well versed in marsh environments. Its mission was to destabilize the Gunner held position in Quincy so that we could press the front away from the Atom Cats Garage and Warwick Homestead.
"They were successful. By about ten to twenty meters."
There was some murmering about the table. "What's the groceries? I don't have x-ray eyes on your rap.", Roxxy asked.
Trish glared at her before she started rasping. "And you usually do? And I thought I was mutated."
The General held her hand up. "What this means, Roxxy, is that the wrecked highways do not seem to be usable as high ground for either side. Something caused the Gunners pull back far enough that Minutemen were able to shell the top level and cut off the bottom one. Pressing any farther proved impossible. I haven't been given a complete listing of casualties from the assaults. I do expect that to mount as there aren't spotters for fire anymore, and both we and the Gunners start blind firing into areas within reach."
"And the unit?", Avery asked.
"I don't know.", the General informed. "MacCready had told me of his intention to make life as hard and rare as possible for the Gunners when he went on this mission. And that if his unit was not able to make it back to the ship that dropped them off south of Quincy, that it would continue to be his intention. The C.M.S. John Endecott was sunk by Gunner tank fire according to the survivor pulled out of the water. MacCready has no additional instruction or means of communication. Nor does his unit have any information of tactical value."
Stockton folded his arms. "So your hand was forced in calling this meeting. You have a rogue squad of wetworkers somewhere in Gunner territory who may already be dead. But if they aren't, they could randomly show up on any of our doorsteps claiming to be Minutemen while standing in armor none of us have seen before.
"Could be worse."
"MacCready has a commission letter from me. Every community has security to hold any of the units survivors until they can be confirmed. If they don't have the good sense to accept containment until confirmation...I won't accept that lack of discipline from my men nor would the Major.", the General informed.
Geneva worried. "You said that there was a second reason."
"There is.", she agreed.
"Many of you were unaware of the island's memberships in the Commonwealth. Just like I doubt Avery or Faraday truly understand what we mean by Nuka-World. The island is extremely partial to VIM after all.
"I've managed to continually pull something out of my back pocket this whole time. Whether it was recruiting Colonel Brandis and Admiral Zoa or managing to have secured a Vault 88 to house refugees in the southern Commonwealth.
"But I'm out. I have no more hidden aces up my sleeve to deal. Every resource there is to put toward this war effort is out in the open.
"I'm confident that we'll win. We have a tremendously larger economy as a functioning society than a gaggle of mercenaries with no clients. Our population trumps the Gunners. They have no farmers, no infrastructure at all.
"But the Commonwealth is facing an entrenched mercenary force and there are no more gimmicks to unveil. This will take a long, long time to burn this cancer out of our country."
