"Howling at the moon in harm-harm-harmony, it's Three Dog.

"Now look, here. Me and our brothers in power armor don't disagree on much. But one thing that's always stood between us was the ghoulies. I've broadcast that if they haven't gone feral, there's no peril. The Brotherhood of Steel has treated them like ticking time bombs and even tried to 'disarm' them if you take my meaning.

"So no wonder word out of what's become of Tenpenny Tower is what it is. If reports are true, and rumors always have a bad way of becoming facts, the rough skins have found a Minuteman flag and started flying it over one of the tallest buildings left standing in the Capital Wastes. No telling if they've actually made contact with the so-called Minutemen of the General or not.

"But the confirmed phalanx is exactly that, kiddies. Confirmed. A spike from the Republic of Rosie down through Canterbury Commons and possibly the mysterious Underworld has been stabbed into the Capital Wastes by the Minutemen. With the Minutemen having none of the aversion to ghouls as the Brotherhood of Steel, some of this is self-fulfilling prophecy. But that Canterbury Commons is fallen as well? You thought the loss of Aqua Fortis from Rivet City Security set you back? Wait until the traders pull out a Commonwealth license request on you.

Will our brothers and sisters in shining steel be able to hold the tide? They always have before - and that was against the Enclave, not some upstart local warlord. So ghoul cities and Nuka-Cola costing twice what it's supposed to, ol' Three Dog's keeping the faith."

The Lone Wanderer changed the channel on her PIP-BOY's radio.

"Where to now, boss?", Butch asked Reilly.

Reilly nodded to the Lone Wanderer. "We're still on the Brotherhood of Steel's dime until we report back."

Reilly's Rangers had made their way back to the Capital Wastes by the tunnels leading to the Pitt. The Lone Wanderer was confident that the General's use of vertibirds if not just boats got her back faster. Reporting back to the Brotherhood may be a gesture of futility: reporting information that's days old and already known.

"Canterbury Commons.", she announced. "The General's doing her level best to try to cut off the Capital Wastes, in order to make everyone dependent on her. If the same licenses we saw in Point Lookout are popping up where the trader settlement is, then that makes it our next objective. And if I have any pull, anywhere, it's going to be in the town where I stopped the Ant-agonizer from battling the Mechanist in the middle of the street."

"And do what there?", Fawkes asked. Everyone turned to the supermutant. He adjusted his glasses and began anew. "Every where we have gotten by walking the wastes has had the General beat us there. She's then bribed or forced her empire upon the locals. So let's say we get to Canterbury Commons. Everyone loves you as much as you say. Machiavelli pointed out that it was better to be feared that respected: how are any back favors owed to you going to trump control of their supply, control of their customers, and military oversight? By adding in the promise of immediate war when the Brotherhood of Steel reclaims the territory?"

"What do you want me to do, Fawkes?", the Lone Wanderer countered. "Just give up? Our home. Our world. Turn the entire Capital Wastes in a never ending series of regime changes while we all pretend that the Enclave and the Brotherhood and the Minutemen and whoever's next are the same? And that popular wisdom becomes that the next big war isn't a catastrophe, it's just the weather in these parts."

Even Charon twitched when the green giant moved on her. "No. I want you to think. Every step of the way you've been just expecting things to work out. You want to go to Canterbury Commons? You're representing the client. We go to Canterbury Commons. You expect the person in charge not to be working for the General by the time we get there? You bet you can just demand the locals to accept the Brotherhood of Steel as their saviors?"

The Lone Wanderer glared back at him...until she lowered her head.

"Well...", Fawkes began. "It's this way."

Reilly's Rangers slowly set off in the way he led. The Lone Wanderer was the slowest of all.