-A few days ago-

"Colonel Cypress. Colonel Cypress!"

The man, towering in his power armor frame, sighed. "Give us the room people."

Much higher ranking Gunners grumbled as they shuffled off to other parts of Gunners' Plaza. Tessa was serving on...well, in the Quincy front or East Highway Line or whatever its survivors were calling it nowadays. And it had been getting more hectic over there since the Minutemen had allegedly fielded a rogue commando unit some where behind the lines.

"Alright.", Cypress gestured to the empty office. "What's gotten you so riled up?"

"There are traitors, sir. They're forming under Captain Bridget in order to desert en masse. We gotta stop them!"

"We got to?", Cypress asked. "And why is that?

"More specifically, what justifies using loyal soldiers and taking them off the lines from the war with the Minutemen to chase down people who won't help with the war effort and will use up resources in their containment that could also be used in the war effort?"

Tessa stammered.

"Have a seat. Let me explain why I think we should do nothing. Except continue calling these units here so they can coalesce."

-Right Now-

Minutemen spotters raced into Egret Tours Marina proper. "Yes? Which direction please?", Sheriff Curie.

Behind her, her ham radio operator was already calling in for APC reinforcement.

"It's not like usual.", the Minuteman stated. "There's way more of them. And they're not headed here. They're headed north, on the railroad. And there's a lot more of them. A lot more.

-A few days ago-

Cypress explained. "You see, Captain Bridget knows that there's only three ways to go from what Red Eye has been advertising as Gunnertopia. That's through the Quincy situation, which we've been trying to break by combat since this started. The other is through a whole town of supermutants: Fallon's Department Store, the hospital and all that. Doesn't sound like the path deserters are going to take, now does it.

"The remaining is what we'd like to think of as the west river. However, we as Gunners trying to win this war think of it as territory that needs to be taken. So we've been held back as the Minutemen are able to reinforce any part of the river with their new navy and APC delivery. Captain Bridget is going to see it as a road and not have her people try to hold any of it, just speed through.

"Which in turn will cause the General to panic."

-Right Now-

"So what's this big project that you're up in arms about?", the General asked. She managed to track down the Colonel in the hangar of Fort Hagen.

Colonel Brandis shot back. "You through being run through the ringer by the Institute?"

His commanding officer rolled her eyes. "It's politics. And the Institute did build them. They do have a vested interest in Acadia. And Acadia was never exactly covered in their surrender.

"They're working their own deal now. Everyone is still under the constitution. No different between them and something like Bunker Hill sending caravans to Diamond City and we don't look over their shoulders. Plus, the Institute doesn't do things themselves - they use synths. And I don't think they want too many synths around a city of free synths that can offer asylum anyway."

The old man nodded. "Well, at least they aren't camping out at ArcJet anymore. And with our ability to dictate what's safe to check out and not, my project/"

"You've been grabbing from ArcJet?"

"Well, actually/"

"General!", a woman called out as she ran up. "Egret Tours is on the horn. It's a real disaster."

Brandis proved that he was fairly fast for his age as they all ran back to the ham radio room. The Minuteman on the device was calling for calm. "It's the sentient synth."

The General pushed him aside. "Curie! What is it? You need another APC?"

"Madame.", Curie replied. "No, it iz nothing of ze sort. Zere is a large force of Gunners on ze move."

"We went through siege procedures. We'll/"

"No madame. Zey are not en route to Egret Tours Marina. Zey are headed directly north. I repeat, madame. Zey are headed due north."

The General turned to Brandis. "Directly over land to Oberland Station. By way of Vault 81.

"We need to get a force together to stop them. All the force.

"Brandis: get everyone here at Fort Hagen. Laser muskets, mark 2s, power armors - mix and match if you have to. I have to call everyone."

"Everyone?", Brandis and the Minuteman asked.

"Everyone!", the General commanded. "Sanctuary Hills, Abernathy Farm, every crew from here to the northern border needs to converge. If they break another community while East Highway line is turning from blood bath to rivers run red..."

-A few days ago-

"So what?", Tessa asked. "There's just a fire fight so the Minutemen do your dirty work for you?

"That's actually pretty good. Bridget's traitors might even take out a few of the 'colonials'."

Cypress finally, and for the first time, smiled. "Oh, if only it was that simple.

"Look to my tools of war.", he said gesturing to his wall. A large map of the pre-war Commonwealth hung. Figurines of colonials marked known Minutemen settlements, Vault-Tec bobble heads for the communities in the Minutemen's government, and green army guys being the most accurate as they represented Gunner forces. Only now did Tessa note that some of the green had a piece of floss around their necks - and they were on spots where she knew Bridget had been making moves ever since she had to give up her command at Hub City Auto Wreckers.

"What does the terrain tell you?", Cypress asked. "Where do Bridget and the General meet?"