Chapter 14: We Are Legion

Months had passed since my encounter with Seven. I had all of my forces on high alert for anything resembling the Enclave's insignias as well as Seven himself. I can molded stone images of his face all over the Commonwealth with plaques that offered a significant bounty if anyone brought him in dead or alive. I knew he wouldn't be stupid enough to show his face in any territory I controlled, but it was a preventative measure all the same. A few more Enclave labs had been discovered and the self-destruct systems were the first things to go. Their research was ours to claim as our own.

The Ala Miraculorum made great strides in practical development. In only a few months they had replicated, and begun mass production of, nuclear power vehicle engines. There was now a growing fleet of street worthy vehicles being tested and prepared for transporting goods and materials throughout the Commonwealth. Once word got out that we were establishing reliable transportation, we had hundreds of new volunteers willing to learn how to operate the vehicles, or be a part of the process. This meant that we would have laborers to gather, pack, load, and unload any goods that were transported.

Vehicles were useless without well maintained roads, so I got to work repairing the roads myself. This process would have only taken me a few moments at my full power, but with my current limitation, it took me a few weeks. We took one of the first vehicles and drove it around the Commonwealth. During the drive I would sense out each roadway and restore it to its original form. This process was made a bit more difficult because I also had to look out for mines, possible sinkholes, molerat tunnels, etc. The process wasn't difficult, just time consuming and detail oriented. I got rid of the overpasses, as they were not needed and impeded work. They were also dangerous as they were crumbling and threatening to come down over time. There wouldn't be traffic to warrant such structures for decades at least, so leaving them intact wasn't necessary.

Another project the Ala Miraculorum was given was to begin researching and creating new forms of power armor. I had the Impius Mille go out to find every suit of power armor in the Commonwealth and bring them back for study. With the Ala Miraculorum's advanced technology, they were not only able to replicate the engineering, but also began to condense the technology to make the armor more compact. It took some time, but the first suits of power armor went into testing soon after. I asked the to add a few tweaks to the armor using a rare material they'd never seen before, and instructed them on the particulars of activating it. The material was lyrium, and I taught them how to utilize it to create the lyrium well defense system that Bhelen and Dagna had created back in Orzammar.

One piece of good news was that not long after the attack on Sanctuary, Preston was found with Codsworth as they were trying to get to Diamond City. Apparently they had been exploring the surrounding area outside of the walls with some of the Abernathy family when the attack had occurred. The Abernathy's had bought them time to escape, but had died in the process. Codsworth didn't know where Diamond City was and had taken a few days to find the place. By then, Preston was beginning to suffer from malnutrition and dehydration. A few days of care had gotten him healthy again.

Everything was going smoothly until we received a report over the radio about a large force marching toward the Commonwealth from the south. The Impius Mille was mobilized within short order. Their training had paid off and by the time I arrived at the command post near the southern border of the Commonwealth alongside T'Preea, Adam, and Meirune, there were barriers set up, mounted gun defenses, command tents and barracks erected, and soldiers ready for combat. I stepped out of the truck that had brought us here and was greeted by a small squad of Impius Mille.

"High Priestess," one of the men addressed me with a crisp salute, "we didn't think you would come here as well."

I returned the salute and smiled, "If my men are going into a situation where there might be combat, I want to be available to assist."

"Very considerate of you, ma'am," he replied. "Would you like us to bring you to the command tent?"

I shook my head, "No. Do we have eyes on the approaching force yet?"

He nodded and motioned me to follow him, "Yes, ma'am. They're still a few miles out, but they're on foot. I'll take you to one of the lookout towers so you can get a good look."

Before we could make it to the tower, one of the guards from the front line defenses stopped us, "High Priestess! It's a good thing you're already here. I was on my way to the command tent to let the captains know that a scout from the other force was sent ahead. He claims to have a message for you."

"For me?" I asked curiously. "How does he know who I am?"

"No idea, Ma'am," the soldier replied. "Best guess is he heard about you over the radio?"

I took a few moments to consider what to do before replying, "Fetch the captains. I want them all with me when I meet with the scout."
"Yes, Ma'am!" the soldier saluted then sprinted off to the command tent.

I looked at the others, "Adam, have the men help Meirune with his armor. T'Preea, I'd appreciate some help with my armor if you don't mind."

Adam bowed and went back to the truck with Meirune. Getting the deathclaw into his armor was an ordeal, not just because of the intricacies of his form, but also because of his size. Meirune had surpassed the nine foot mark that typical deathclaws would stop at and was nearly thirteen feet tall at this point. The truck we had come in was specially designed to house him, his armor, and a series of ladders and scaffolding that a crew of men would use to equip him. The process had been practiced over and over again, and had been shaved down to a respectable three minutes. It was as intricate and precise of a team working together as any Nascar pit crew could hope to achieve.

T'Preea wasn't actually needed to help me into my armor, since it was a specially made suit of power armor made for me by the Ala Miraculorum. She was, however, needed to put the Church of Atom adornments on it after I was inside it. There was a shawl, cape, and battle skirt, as well as several small censers which emitted a soft green smoke thanks to a special incense the Ala Miraculorum came up with.

By the time we were ready, the captains were waiting for us. We moved in procession with the captains up front, Meirune coming next, then myself flanked by Adam and T'Preea. The group moved past the front defensive lines to meet the scout who was waiting for us nearly fifty yards out. The captains parted and meirune stepped aside so that I could finally see the scout. He was dressed like a Roman exploratores. He stood proudly, holding a staff with a white flag attached to it.

I smiled wide. It seemed my plan had worked. I looked up at the man, "I am High Priestess Merida Orodum. Have you brought word from my grandfather?"

The scout bowed his head, "Yes, Caesaris! Your grandfather sends his regards, and his delight that you have sent word to him. He mourns the loss of your parents, especially his son, but is happy you have survived."

I considered the man for several moments, nodding to indicate I accepted his condolences. He called me 'Caesaris', which was a title the Romans used to use for the daughters and granddaughters of their emperors to indicate their noble lineage. It seemed Jeff had been successful in his mission and brought my letter to Caesar.

"Did it take so many men to deliver this message?" I asked.

The scout shook his head, "No, Caesaris. The Emperor has sent you a legion of his men to command. He has taken your suggestion to heart and is pushing east instead of west. He has sent the legion to help with your push west so that both forces may meet in the middle over time."

I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. I had sent Jeff out over a year ago after the death of my parents. He'd gone with a letter and instructions to find the warlord Caesar in Nevada. The letter was meant for Caesar alone. In it, I explained everything I knew about Caesar, his life, his plans, and his burgeoning empire. I gave him instructions on how to better run the empire and requested he send men to help me build that empire. I also instructed him to say that the letter was from his granddaughter, and that my father was his son. This way, the men would be just as loyal to me as they were to him. I also let him know that by the time his men arrived, I would have a sizable fighting force of my own, and scientists working on advanced technology to use in our efforts to conquer the Wasteland. Clearly, the letter was enough to convince him to work with me and push the Narrative I'd been working on.

I nodded in approval, "Excellent. And what of my man, Jeff? Is he with you?"

"He is," the man confirmed. "He's looking forward to returning to you."

"Good," I smiled. "I've missed him. Have the legion come here. We'll clear out some space as best we can before you get here. I want Jeff, the Legate, and the Tribune to report to the command tent as soon as the legion arrives."

"It will be done, Caesaris," the soldier thumped a fist to his chest. He turned and begin to sprint away.

"Oh! And, soldier?" I called after him.

He stopped and turned to look at me, "Yes, Caesaris?"

"No one is to bother the deathclaw," I added. "His name is Meirune and he is my friend, and ally. Do you understand?"

"I will make sure they know not to bother him," he said, then sprinted off.

We returned to the camp and made our way to the command tent. The captains began giving orders to clear space further out for the legion soldiers that would be arriving soon. It wasn't going to be ready by the time they got to the camp, but the work would at least have been started. The legion could finish the job.

The legion had stopped a few miles out while waiting for the messenger to return. It took them only about half an hour to close that distance and arrive at the camp. The Legate had ordered them to move at a fast pace so that they could begin setting up their camp. The legion quickly joined the other men in clearing out space and setting up their tent. The Legate and Tribune joined us inside the command tent.

As soon as I set eyes on Jeff I smiled and waved, "Jeff! I'm so glad you're safe!"

Jeff smiled and knelt before me, patting my head, "Look at you, Merida! You've grown! And you too, T'Preea! Looks like you're going to outpace Merida."

T'Preea and I both laughed.

"That'll be the only thing I outpace her on if things go as they have been," T'Preea giggled.

"I'm just happy you were able to get everything done safely," I replied.

Jeff shrugged, "There were a few touch and go moments, but I got there in the end. I see you got things rolling on this end, huh kid?"

"That's 'High Priestess' to you," Adam corrected Jeff.

"Huh?" Jeff asked and stood to look at Adam. "Who're you?"

"That's Adam Whately," I said to introduce him. "He's my Grand Zealot in charge of the Church's zealots. Adam, this is Jeff. He's a very dear friend and doesn't need to worry about addressing me with any title."

To my surprise, this didn't just ruffle Adam's feathers; but it also seemed to irritate the Legate, his Tribune, and my Captains.

Adam seemed to catch the same feelings I was getting and just smiled, "No, no. He's right. You've clearly earned your title, so I'll address you properly from now on."

I sighed and nodded, motioning to the chairs around a large impromptu table that had been set up, "Shall we sit and speak?"

The gathering of men agreed and each took their seats, with me at the head of the table, the Legate to my right, and T'Preea to my left. Meirune sat behind me on his haunches, making for a rather intimidating wingman.

I looked around the table, "First, I believe introductions are in order. Those of you who don't know me, I am Merida Orodum, High Priestess of the Church of Atom, Great Granddaughter of Mars, Granddaughter of Caesar, and ruler of the Commonwealth. To my left is my friend and High Confessor T'Preea Garvey. Seated here are the Captains of my Impius Mille; Fitzgerald, Stefford, Litts, and Johnson. Behind me is my good friend Meirune. Do not be fooled by his cute appearance and calm demeanor; he's highly intelligent and has a short temper."

The Legate bowed his head, "Caesaris, I am Legate Malpais. It is an honor to serve Caeser's granddaughter. With me are my Tribunes; Lanius, Gaius Magnus, and Septimus Varillus."

Each man bowed their head as they were introduced.

"Great Caesar insisted that you would have things well in hand in the Commonwealth by the time we arrived so that we could begin pushing south and west in order to link up with the rest of the Legion's forces."

I smiled and nodded, "My grandfather is correct. We have complete control of the Commonwealth. It's been many months now, but commerce and travel have been freed up, trade is steadily growing, and security is better than it's ever been. I've already instituted most of the Legion's laws into the system of governance here, though I trust that my grandfather has considered my suggestions on alternative laws to help keep the Legion's reputation favorable within his territories?"

Lanius leaned forward, "He has, Caesaris. Slavery is outlawed, but contracted servitude is allowed. Military conscription is still required, but terms of service have been shortened, while lifetime compensation has been improved to encourage long-term service as you suggested."

"And what about women serving in the Legion?" I asked.

"Your grandfather has not allowed such in his territories," Malpais responded, holding up a hand quickly as I began to question why. "However, he wishes you to prove the merit of this suggestion. If your forces are successful with women in the ranks, he will concede the point and change his decree."

I nodded, accepting the challenge for what it was. I understood that men had evolved over time for combat. Most of human existence contributed to males adapting denser bones, faster reflexes, deeper reserves of stamina, and the ability to block out physical trauma for a time. There were a blessed century or two when melee combat wasn't the order of the day and firearms reigned supreme… but the Wasteland was not in that time period, and bigger was better with a melee weapon in hand.

"We already have some women in our forces," I explained. "I do not believe ignoring half our resources is a wise strategy. So with your help, we will show my grandfather how capable the people under our rule are when given the chance to excel."

"We are yours to command, Caesari," Malpais said. "Simply tell us how you wish to incorporate the women and it will be done. The ideas you shared with him in your letter seemed… interesting. That is why we volunteered to assist you."

I motioned to the opposite side of the table, "My Captains will be happy to tell you how we've done that already. I will also leave it up to them to inform you of our current ranks structure. To form a cohesive unit, we will convert the rank structure of the Legion. However, since we begin with small five man squads and build from there, the Legion will incorporate this part of our ranks into itself up to a Centuria, then the Legions structures will take over. I don't think they'll be much different after that, though, so it should be relatively simple."

"May I ask why such small groups?" Gaius asked.

Fitzgerald, a sunkissed man with leather skin and a battle-worn face spoke up, "The High Priestess has shown us the advantages of smaller groups within larger units. It allows us to break up into small groups, each with their own leader, so that we can respond faster to different situations. Each level of command reports to the level above it. There's never a question of who is in charge; the leader of each independent unit is responsible for itself within the combat zone."

"Allowing the unit to naturally adapt on the fly without having to worry about command squabbles or inefficient use of manpower," Septimus mused as he considered the explanation. "So simple, but brilliant all the same."

"Smaller teams can also move faster and have less chance of being found out than larger groups," Adam contributed. "We have used these tactics successfully while taking control of the Commonwealth."

"And how many deathclaws have you employed in your efforts to gain control?" Malpais asked as he turned his attention to Meirune.

I smiled back at Meirune and he grinned at me, "Meirune is our alpha. He commands the rest of the deathclaws. We have about fifty deathclaws, but they're not Meirune. Meirune is special."

"He commands them?" Malpais asked.

I nodded, "Deathclaws acknowledge alphas. He's bigger, stronger, and more dangerous than all of the others. He's proven it to them. So he directs them to attack what I need him to attack."

"And how do you communicate with him to let him know what you want him to do?" Malpais asked.

Meirune grunted and shifted his weight forward, putting his snout a hair's breath from the Legates face, "She. Tells. Me."

"Holy shit! He can talk now!?" Jeff shouted.

The Legate and Tribunes each sat back aghast at the revelation.

I tittered with amusement and reached up to pat Meirune's cheek, "It's a new development, but he speaks when he needs to. He's still getting the hang of it."

"As far as the rest of the creatures, I control them myself," I told Malpais.

He looked down at me, confusion written all over his face, "What do you mean you control them?"

I grinned, "I think I should prove to you how many gifts my family line has been blessed with."

The rest of the day was taken up by demonstrations of my abilities, the captains showing examples of how smaller squads worked in mock battles, and the construction of a temporary camp. Over the next few days we worked over the many nuances of integrating Legion law into the law of the Commonwealth. The new few months were spent training my current forces with the Legion, getting them used to integrating new combat maneuvers and systems of command. By the time all of this was done, the Commonwealth was arguably the safest place in the entire Wasteland. However, the rest of the Wasteland was waiting for us and soon it would be time to go.

Plans for a regional governor had to be put in place, and a system by which taxes and goods could be sent to and from the Legion needed to be figured out. The Legion didn't yet have a centralized location, so a small fleet of vehicles needed to be created to run goods and materials back and from not only from our marching force, but also to conquered territories. It was time we were on the move.