Welcome to a new story by the almighty god of wolves, this story has been in production for a long time and relates heavily to another story but that's another story for now, let's see how this mess starts shall we?
GOW
No one in the Enclave knew what to expect when they arrived, but the sheer amount of destruction and turmoil in the region was staggering. This was the capital of Pre-War America, and yet the mutant humans that survived were too stupid to reorganize into actual governments, unlike the Enclave's dreaded enemies in the Far West. Not that they were complaining, but it made dealing with them far easier.
The raiders, in an ironic twist, were by far more organized than everyone else. A budding Warlord named Crotch-Rocket, who, somehow, not only got his hands on Power Armor but actually modded it to have a functioning rocket attached to his crotch, controlled much of the D.C ruins with thousands of raiders under his command.
It has been two years since they arrived. The Capital Wasteland looked just as terrible as it did two years ago. No significant changes or shifts of power save for movements of roaming packs of mutant fauna, Super Mutants, Ghouls, etc. Abandoning and then occupying different locations of the wasteland. Warlord Crotch-Rocket still controlled the D.C. ruins with an iron grip, forcing the small, weaker mutant towns to pay tribute.
However, the Enclave aimed to change that.
Before the Enclave entered into this small war, High Command chose to collect as many resources in the area. Vaults and pre-war bases have been scavenged, the Pentagon has been cleared of every piece of information and tech, and towns have been searched out, cleared out, and cleaned out of everything and anything threatening and of use. The last remains of them being sorted and dealt with by High Command.
While most of the High Command organized supplies and coordinated battle strategies in their War Room and Conference Room, a singular General, who preferred the more hands approach, dealt with this problem himself.
That man was General Dylan Colwell, leader of the Devil Dogs Squadron, and one of the six people who served as the Enclave's High Command. The youngest Brigadier General in American history, both post and pre-war, signaled through his armor radio to the gate guards protecting the entrance of Raven Rock.
Raven Rock's main gate shook open, allowing him and his returning soldiers from their assignments. Striding in the bunker wearing his modified Advanced Power Armor, giving off a purple glow instead of the standard green.
"Welcome back, sir." One of the gate guards said with a salute. In return, the guard got a friendly bark from Colwell's personal cyber dog, a handsome Goldendoodle named Sandy.
"Armor trolly transport ready, sir." A different guard motioned his hand to a large, study-looking trolley waiting to the side.
"Good," Colwell responded, stepping onto the trolley before a hiss and clank made the soldiers jump into full attention as the power armor opened and General Colwell stepped out. The gate guards, numbering in the dozens, stood and saluted him as he exited his armor.
The man had light brown hair that reached down to his shoulder. His beard, which went along his jaw, was unkempt, as well as his mustache. Both were notable against regulation. His skin was a flawless pale white without a single blemish or scar upon his face. His eyes were brown. The warmth of the color didn't stop the coldness of his eyes.
Once out, he returned a quick salute back before one of the guards neared him.
"Sir, a message was sent by High Command. It reads, "Send General Colwell to the Central Office once he returns." The soldier informed him.
"Looks like the meetings are finished. Back to your post, soldier." The soldier saluted before returning to his post while Colwell walked and looked towards the men under his direct command.
"Ghost, Tempest, get some grub and return here. We're heading back out and clearing that Deathclaw nest near Mount Mabel Campground. Oh, and grab a few of these guys for the trip. They look bored." General Colwell ordered with an evil grin, ending with a thumb towards the gate guards and startling the guards around him.
"No problem, boss," Tempest responded, her voice altered by her power armor.
Colwell smiled at the two before walking deeper into the base. Giving Sandy some scratches as he roughly planned their plan of attack.
They had dealt massive damage to the Deathclaws there already. They killed close to two dozen of them that roamed the region before they finally discovered their nest. Typically, he and whoever was with him would just charge in, but their power cores were low, and they had already used their backups. Stopping at Raven Rock was needed at that point.
Plus, it gave time for repairs. Argos, their squadron armorer, should be receiving my order from Tempest soon enough for short-term repairs on their gear.
"A few mini-nukes should do the trick and burn the big fuckers out." Colwell thought with a chuckle.
After clearing them out then they should have enough space for Observation Posts and Forward Outposts surrounding the D.C. ruins. Having plenty of staging ground for retaking D.C. and claiming their capital once more.'
"Of course, more importantly, it'll be the perfect staging point to launch a surprise assault against missle dick's supply hub, fucker won't know what hit him," Colwell mused with a smile.
With this thought in mind, he walked towards a stairwell, avoiding the elevator, as with it being midday, it's usually packed with people coming and going, and he didn't want to deal with that mess. He marched up the steps two flights before pushing open a metal door into Floor 2, High Command.
He didn't even walk fifteen feet before he was stopped.
"General Colwell!" Autumn's voice rang through the hall. Colwell turned and saw the General of the Army exiting his office, a stack of papers in hand, wearing his battle-scarred and repaired officer uniform, approaching him, followed by a short, albino woman, her white hair cut short and her red eyes piercing, wearing a salvaged wither white suit, her skirt a deep black.
"Autumn, Cerberus, how was the meeting?" Colwell asked with a small smile.
"You'd know if you bothered to show up, Colwell. You can't keep sending Leal in your stead for all our meetings. You're one of the few Generals that exist in this military, which means your seal is also required for us to go ahead with any plans."Autumn said, the man's hand motioning towards the woman behind him before giving Colwell an accusatory finger.
"You know Lucy represents me. If she says Yes, I say yes, simple as that, sir." Colwell said Sandy, the demanding dog that he is, walked over to Lucy Leal for scratches.
"It's not just about your approval, you're not only one of the most important figures in the entire Enclave but also a role model to every member of our government, military or otherwise. Your actions set examples that many would follow, and running off and avoiding your responsibilities is the worst example you can give to anyone! Your consistent refusal to appear at meetings shows a lack of care, focus, and, more importantly, respect to not only your office but the Enclave!" Autumn yelled, word after word, firing upon him, attempting to pierce Colwell's convictions. All the while, Lucy was giving Sandy scratches with a heartwarming smile.
"My job is killing the enemies of the Enclave. My job is to get supplies for the Enclave. My job is securing our fallen nation. I was out there wiping Ghouls, Super Mutants, and Deathclaws. I cleared out and called for retrieval of three locations filled with food. I even found an old ambulance filled with medical crap, and I killed one hundred and fifty-two mutants in the span of three hours. I did more for our nations in those three hours than what you and the other did the entire morning! Hell, I can prove it! Lucy! What happened at the meeting?" Colwell fired back, his frustration at Autumn's discrediting of Colwell actions infuriating him.
"Yes, sir! Most of our steel supplies will be going towards refitting the barracks and reinforcing our defense. Miscellaneous material will be put into production of everyday items, clothing, hygiene products, utensils, etc. Fusion Core and Cell production will be halved in favor of putting labor into agriculture and devoting a large chunk of our scientists to agriculture advancements. Armor and weapons production will be cut in half in favor of part production for vehicles, from vertibirds to our few APCs. Freshly minted troops will be put on scout teams to look for freshwater sources, weapon caches, food, and any tech. Lastly, all Squadrons will be put on clearing duty in any surrounding concentration of Super Mutants." The lady explained at attention, her arms behind her back.
"Thank you, Lucy. Autumn, What the fuck! You're nurturing us! Why the hell are you halfing most of our weapons production!" Colwell yelled out. He could not believe he and the other Generals would agree to this!
"Our stockpiles for ammunition exceed capacity by 42%. Our weapons stockpiles exceed capacity by 34%. Our armor stockpile capacity exceeds it by 29%. We are running out of space to put them and are forced to remove space for ourselves." Autumn monotonously explained, his hands gripping his arms as they were crossed over his chest.
"So what! That just means we have to fight more to use it all up again! I'm glad you're, at least, putting more guys out there, but why the fuck are we putting labor into clothes of all things!" Colwell waved his hands in the air, angry and confused.
"If you had bothered to come or even listen to Colonel Leal's reports, you would have known that each stockpile is projected to last seven months in a war against the NCR! We have too many of them and insufficient utilities for our civilians and core population. General Bruja's and General Razz's inquiries into the general population have shown that many have begun to see Raven Rock as their permanent home. They have begun to relax and spend more time in recreation than in overtime, making tools of war. The demand for all these items and more will grow soon, and to keep our morale high, the population happy and producing, we need to start it now." Autumn explained, looking through his piles of papers and pulling out a report before shoving it towards Colwell.
Colwell snatched the report and read the headline. Bruja's and Razz's names typed across the front page, and it was forty fucking pages long.
"I'm not reading this!" Colwell made a face at the length of the paper before holding it out to Lucy, who immediately grabbed it.
"You have to! It's a part of your job!" Autumn yelled back, now angry instead of frustrated.
"Grr. Lucy! What happened with Liberty Prime!" Colwell demanded Lucy, he needed some type of good news with all this bullshit.
"It was outvoted, sir," Lucy responded meekly, staring at Colwell with red cheeks, absentmindedly fiddling with the report.
"At least I'll get some stress relief after this." Colwell thought, noticing Lucy's 'dominate me' eyes, before turning back to Autumn in a more concentrated, frustrated rage.
"Why the fuck not, sir! If you're going to half our weapon production, you might as well put the other half into giving us a weapon to replace what we lose out on!" Colwell argued, not understanding the lack of focus on weapon development and border establishment.
Before Autumn could get a word in, the speakers scattered across the hallway began to play "Hail to the Chief," the President of the United States personal anthem.
"Good Afternoon, gentleman, and may God Bless this day for the Enclave. Now, I appreciate General Autumn's efforts in informing our wayward General Colwell of the day's itinerary, but this discussion is best said within the offices of your station. Not in the halls of our illustrious home." President John Henry Eden, de-facto leader and head of the Enclave government, spoke through the hallway speakers. The camera's red light gleamed, glaring at them.
The three officers stared at one another, Lucy in embarrassment, Colwell in annoyance, and Autumn in fatigue.
"Let's continue this in my office, Colwell. Colonel Leal, return to your command." Autumn ordered a quick salute from her.
However, before she walked away, Colwell sent her a suggestive wink, causing Lucy to blush and nod before briskly walking out of High Command.
"Don't expect to leave anytime soon. We have far too much to discuss." Autumn told Colwell, seemingly having noticed the wink sent to Lucy.
Colwell simply sighed in disappointment.
GOW
It has been hours since Colwell sat in the office. Listening, arguing, and debaitng with Autumn on everything from standard officer duties to the importance of making toilet paper.
However, President Eden decided to chip in on both sides in this argument. Sometimes, he would side with Colwell and agree on the importance of defense, weapons, and expansion. Other times, he would side with Autumn and the importance of commerce production, agriculture, and the military-civilian relationship.
It was in the early hours of the evening when Autumn returned to the topic of Colwell actions or lack thereof.
"You know, and I know you do, that every action has consequences. You've missed almost every meeting for the past year, having attended two, and that's because we could grab you before you left on whatever half-assed mission you decided to come up with for that day. I've had two officers begin to copy your habits and have begun taking their squadron without sending in a mission plan or, at the very least, reporting to Command." Autumn explained catching Colwell's attention.
"Which two?" He asked.
"Colonel Rico of the Roughnecks and Colonel Breaux of the Hickory's," Autumn responded instantly.
"Good men." Colwell knew them personally, having served with them under the same unit.
"They are and soon won't be if they continue to follow your example," Autumn emphasized the final word, his eyes looking directly into Colwell's.
The man accused merely sighed.
"Alright, alright. I see your point. I'll make sure they'll report in next time." Colwell raised his hands in mock surrender.
"That's not what this is about." The annoyance returned to Autumn's voice.
"I'm making it about that. I'm not going to stop them from doing their jobs. This whole mission plan thing is unnecessary. We never needed it in the Walk East." Colwell was at his wit's end with all this bureaucracy. The amount of paperwork, work orders, missions filing, and after-action report he forced his underlings to do is really slowing down their field work.
"The reason for that, General Colwell, is due to you having been in the Canine Brigade at the time. Due to the crisis the Enclave faced, it allowed many liberties for a semi-independent military force separate from the rest of the Enclave chain of command, from which all of your military experience has derived from. The crisis, though not totally averted, has severely lessened over the years. The need for maverick officers such as yourself and that of Colonel Rico and Colonel Breaux are no longer necessary. The return to the chain of command, especially in these formative years, is crucial." President Eden interrupted.
"Why the hell are they crucial?! Sure, we got bases in Chicago, New Orleans, and South Dakota, but I don't think we're big enough to need all this paperwork. Hell, ain't paper a crucial resource? Why should we use so much of it when we can't make the stuff yet."
"Dylan," Autumn sighed, his tiredness emphasized by using his first name.
The room's atmosphere shifted with Autumn's use of his first name. The professional mood shattered and was left forgotten as the General of the army stress took its toll.
"What?" Colwell asked, confused.
"We've been able to produce paper since the year started. They found a miniature paper-making assembly line in one of the Central Hub storage rooms. Why do you think we've listed wooden furniture as must-takes when teams are out on the field?" Autumn rubbed his forehead in tiredness. Colwell, in this case, actually looked embarrassed.
"Oh…I didn't know that! No one told me!" Colwell tried to defend himself.
"You would have known if you went to the meetings!" Autumn argued, "hell if you just read the papers we send you you'd know."
"I don't have time to read those papers, do you know how close I've come to getting my hands on crotch rocket this year." Colwell argued.
Autumn let out a sound full of anguish, anger, and exacerbation.
"General Colwell, General Autumn and I have made it abundantly clear to every soldier that Crotch Rocket and his band of raiders were to be left alone until we had established a stable presence in this wasteland. Are you admitting to defying a direct order from the President of the United States and the General of the Army?" Eden said.
Well shit.
"OK, fine. I'll try to come to more meetings but I can leave whenever I want." Colwell offered, dragging them into a new topic.
"This isn't a negotiation." Autumn countered.
"It feels like it is." Colwell's smile made Autumn's groan in frustration.
"Oh Dear Lord." Autumn bemoaned, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.
"Gentleman, as amusing your interactions have become, I must interrupt as this meeting has gone on for far too long and leading to nowhere. I appointed both of you to your positions, for I saw both of you as vital to the future of the Enclave, to the future of America. You are and will be indispensable in our re-establishment of American influence across the continent, serving separate purposes but reaching towards the same goal. Therefore, though I prefer to debate and discussion to solve our problems like our Founding Fathers preferred, I must enact an executive decision, hereby ordering General Colwell to attend every meeting from today onward, no longer allowed to send in a surrogate unless for a legitimate purpose. He shall also attend to and participate in any other duties those of his rank and station is expected in. However, General Colwell, due to his role and station, has garnered the privilege to come and go as he pleases to complete whatever objective he so wishes, as long as General Colwell notifies Command when he leaves and provides an after action report then he shall not be disturbed."
The two generals begrudgingly replied in the affirmative towards President Eden's order.
"Good. With that finished, I must inform you that a Class-1 Acid Storm is heading towards our direction. Topographic imaging is showing the acid melting down stone when enough is pooled together. We must respond to this accordingly or our bunker will be compromised."
"Yes sir!" The two Generals stood up from their chairs, their stress and fatigue over hours of debate gone, gaining a second wind from the new immediate threat they faced.
"Any soldiers outside working on an assignment for you?" Autumn asked as he pressed the button for his office door to open.
"None, and I didn't leave anyone outside either. Took everyone back with me after our cores got low." Colwell informed him briskly, walking alongside him towards the Command Center on Floor 3.
"Good, then we are cleared. No patrol or wasteland assignments were issued this morning or the days before due to our meetings. The only personnel outside are the people in the courtyard building more defenses." Autumn breathed a sigh of relief as the Officer Elevator doors closed, the elevator only reaching Floor 1 to Floor 4.
"Good, now we just need to figure out how the hell to keep us alive in this rock," Colwell remarked, leaning on the elevator side impatiently, his foot tapping the floor.
The rest of the ride was silent as the two Generals arrived at the Command Center. The chamber was large, filled with boards, chairs, and Communication equipment. Holographic command boards and maps are scattered across the chamber. Dozens of Enclave personnel scurried around the room in a craze, likely due to the coming storm. Enclave Comm. Officers and Logistic Officers giving orders to the room or radioing them through intercoms.
With a light jog both Generals arrived at the central command board, ten feet in diameter, holographic display, and filled with Enclave geographic, military, and logical documents.
"How long do we have before the storm is here?" Autumn called out to the room, due to the craze and noise it took a moment for someone to respond.
"Minutes at most, sir!" A logistical officer called out.
'I've already sent the call for all personnel outside to return, all gates should be closed before the minute is up." A Comm. Officer followed soon after, removing his headset for a moment.
"I have taken the liberty of directing the remaining Generals into the Control Room, General Autumn." President Eden's voice pierced through the craze like a freshly sharpened sword. The command board lit up, showing a map of Raven Rock with three dots colored in deep emeralds moving toward the command center from different directions.
"I'm counting only three. Where is the fourth?" Autumn asked, gorging concerned.
"General Navarro is currently outside the base, in the courtyard." President Eden responded, shifting the Raven Rock bunker map to that of the exterior mountain, an emerald dot standing in the courtyard.
"How the fuck is he out there? " Colwell asked, confused. He didn't see him on the way in.
"He left shortly after you arrived, General Colwell. Citing his free time providing him an opportunity to observe and advise the defense that will be placed around Raven Rock." Eden continued, causing Colwell to scoff.
It was here that the elevator shook open, revealing the first General to arrive. Her name was General Amani Cornagi, a tall woman with caramel skin, blond hair, and brown eyes. She was wearing her Aviator uniform, the muscle of her build noticeable, and her cap under her arm as she briskly ran towards the others.
"We have a problem. Before I left, one of my radio officers informed me that one of the hanger doors was jammed." Her voice was stern, and her face glossy with sweat from her run.
"What? How?" Colwell demanded. This just keeps on getting better!
"No clue, and neither did they. We'll need someone to close from the outside." General Cornagi suggested.
"Lieutenant Forin, get Navarro on comms!" Autumn ordered, pointing at the man he ordered. The lieutenant quickly nodded and began to take over one of his subordinates' controls to follow the command.
The stairwell door slammed open, catching the General's attention and some of the comms. workers, as the second General arrived. Her preferred name was General Bruja. Her pitch black hair was wrapped into a tight bun, the hair behind her head sticking to her neck with sweat, her skin deathly pale, and her black eyes wells of black in a background of white. She wore her Enclave fatigues, a worn-out dull gray uniform with her rank sewn into her upper arm that hid her figure. Her face was covered in sweat, and was breathing heavily.
"I've called the Inquisitor's to head down into the Civilian Quarters to calm them." She yelled out as she jogged towards the command board, words spoken between breaths.
"When they think of comfort, I don't think they have your Inquisitor's in mind," Colwell remarked with a smirk, trying to bring some levity to the situation.
"Then fucking send Navarro's Knight's then. They'll calm them down for sure." Bruja responded in exasperation before taking a deep breath.
"Sir, Navarro on the line. Emergency Frequency four!" The Lieutenant called out.
"Let's ask him," Autumn remarked as he messed with one of the board nobs before stopping and pressing a button.
"Navarro, do you read?"
"Copy," The voice of General Jose Navarro responded. His voice was rough, though not as deep as you'd imagine. Colwell could just imagine that scarred face of his, with his black, surprisingly intact hair, with a stern look as he spoke, his brown eyes focused.
"Good, we are in lockdown. Everyone and anyone has to go back in. That said, grab whomever is wearing an APA and send them up the mountain towards the Hangar Bay. One of the doors won't shut. Inform them to huddle from the inside. Oh, and we're asking permission to send the Knights down to calm the civilians down." Autumn informed him. Navarro hummed in thought.
"Granted, get my Knight's down there, but about that door. I'm the last one outside with an APA. I'll have to shut it myself." Navarro informed before he grunted, the topographic map of the mountain showing Navarro moving up the mountain with great speed and practiced ease.
The elevator shook open once more, revealing the final General. His name was General Stephen Razz. He wore a freshly dry-cleaned officer uniform neatly decorated with his ribbons and his ranking emblems, his cap firmly placed on his head. He was lanky yet not tall, average in height, and not muscular or toned like the rest of the General's were.
"Sorry, I'm late. The elevator was packed down in the lower levels." Razz breathed out, out of breath.
"You could have run like Bruja did." Colwell pointed his thumb at the sweat-covered women. Razz glanced at the General in question.
"I…don't think I would have made it if I did," Razz admitted with some shame.
"Do more field work, skinny," Colwell grunted in disappointment, which was pretty standard when it came to Razz.
"Well, do more paperwork, you…uhh."
"Not now! Focus, both of you!" Autumn ordered.
"Yes, sir!" The two responded but still gave each other a quick glare.
"Is General Navarro still on the line?" President Eden asked.
"I'm here," Navarro responded.
"Good. In the time everyone took to arrive, I have gone through all the files I have on the capabilities that Raven Rock carries. It took some time, but I may have found something. The file seems incomplete, but the mention of it seems promising. It's labeled as SHIELD, sending documents to you and the appropriate control specialists." All the General's save for Colwell loaded up copies of it for them to view.
"Some sort of energy shield?" Razz remarks, opening the file.
"I think the name makes it kind of obvious, Razz," Colwell commented on getting a look from Razz. Colwell didn't even bother with looking, five other people were doing it for him.
"One that, for some reason, requires all blast doors to be closed. Good thing Navarro is closing the last one." Cornagi informed them, skimming through the files.
"Good, as soon as that's done. Fire it up." Colwell arms were crossed as he stared at the emerald dot climb higher and higher up the mountain.
"Almost there, two minutes," Navarro grunted out through the radio.
"Distance of the storm?" Bruja called out, looking into the field of computers.
"Five minutes, ma'am!"An officer called back.
"Make it one, Navarro!" Autumn ordered.
"Copy," The emerald dot that represented Navarro began to slide upward instead of its jagged climb.
"I could have closed it by now, Navarro! You're getting slow!" Colwell called out with a chuckle.
"Says the man who can't run five miles without a break." Navarro insulted in return.
"It was an off-day, that's all!"
"You keep telling yoursel-Shit! Guys, what happened to my five minutes?!" Navarro yelled out, surprising everyone.
"What's wrong!" Bruja called out to Navarro, worry in her voice.
"M-ma'am, the storm has moved up several miles. It's right on top of us!" The same officer as before announced, shocking those around.
"Explain!" Autumn demanded.
"And be quick!" Colwell growled out, no way was he gonna let Navarro get turned into a meat soup.
"The winds suddenly shifted in its direction, causing the storm to move faster than expected, sir!" The officer visibly gulped under Colwell's stare.
"Arrived at the door. Damage minimal." Navarro grunted through the radio.
"Activate it as soon as it's closed!" Razz called out.
"The program is interconnected to the Enclave Military-Industrial system of which seems to have registered the current High Command. Therefore, a majority vote is required for the program to commence. Routing voice recognition to the program and the command board. Speak, would you please." Eden finished with a flurry of changing colored lights on the board, and microphones extending out from open slots in the wood.
"Aye!" Navarro screamed through the radio air, to make sure his voice was heard.
"Aye," Autumn spoke.
"Aye," Colwell followed.
"Aye," Bruja was next.
"Aye," Then Cornagi.
"Aye," lastly was Razz.
"Unanimous decision, SHIELD protocol pending activation, blast door closing required. Acid accumulating, Critical build-up within thirty seconds." Eden recited.
"Close the damn door, Navarro!" Colwell yelled.
"Already…On it." Navarro's grunt interrupted his words as the harsh screeching of the blast door closing echoed through the radio, causing some to wince.
"Door closed. Activating SHIELD."
"Finally!" Colwell announced.
Soon after Eden's words the mountain shook violently, akin to a magnitude eight earthquake.
"What the fu-" Colwell began before his gaze was filled with white.
GOW
Welcome to the Enclave soldiers, there's obviously a lot of things that happened with these people prior which will be explored later, for now I hope you enjoyed meeting most of the central command and get ready, because next chapter we'll enter remnant.
If you like the story or just wanna chat you can always leave a comment and join my discord! That's right I got one of those.
Edit: well, this isn't the first chapter I posted. My beta/co author decided to redo chapter 1, then he kept going… so uh some re-uploads. If you want to see the original version of this story it's going to be linked in the discord. Since this is FFN just make sure to remove the spaces discord . gg/ 5B4kC2qSG3