Fallout 4: The Rise of the M.C.R

Chapter One

The Return of the General

The journey back to Massachusetts Bay was cold and quiet, and turbulent. Alec sat looking out over the ocean contemplating everything that had happened during his journey to Far Harbour. He was unsure how to feel about the trip and what he had been a part of and wondered if he had made the right decision.

Beyond his moral conundrum, the trip had been interesting to say the least. Far Harbour was somewhat exotic if compared to the Commonwealth, the irradiated fog that plagued the Island while being dangerous had caused numerous changes to the island's fauna and flora, most of which was intact if mutated.

The human settlement based on the harbour itself was a derelict shanty town, like much of the Commonwealth and it was something that Alec hated about the world. Everyone was so intent of surviving they didn't try to make their lives better or improve on their situation.

One of the settlements on the island that stood out was Acadia. The Synth Colony where escaped Institute synths could live free. In the Commonwealth the colony was thought to be an old legend.

Acadia was led by the DiMa, he established the colony and was responsible for the ongoing peace across the islands three factions. Although the factions had a longer and troubled history, Alec had discovered the truth behind the peace and had found himself caught up ensuring it continued.

DiMa was a good leader for the colony, he wanted what was best of all the island's population, but he had a skewed view of the world. Alec thought that DiMa's own synthetic physiology was partly to blame. Alec hadn't done what he had lightly, and he had forced DiMa to upload his memories once more, so that he would remember the price that was paid for the peace and could share the burden of the consequences.

Thinking of the Synth colony made Alec wonder if Desdemona and the Railroad were aware of the colony. He had never heard mention of the colony during his dealings with them, not even the vague whispers he had heard while travelling the Commonwealth at one time and another.

Something else that had perturbed Alec was the religion of the Children of the Atom. They were not the first sect of the religion he had encountered, he had spoken with a number of worshipers while looking for Virgil in the Glowing Sea and had been unable to understand the doctrine they had followed.

Religion had never been something that Alec had ever followed and had found it an odd concept even prior to the Great War. But this post-war religion was one of the strangest and most foreign concepts of divinity he had ever seen.

He would admit that his view on the religion had influenced his decision, their fanaticism needed to be curtailed and he wanted to ensure that the nuclear submarine they called home remained safe. The duplicate who now controlled the Children of the Atom of Far Harbour would eventually be discovered of course but for now it would keep the peace and pacify the followers of Atom.

"You have been quiet since with left Far Harbour." Nick said pulling Alec from his thoughts, as he puffed on a cigarette. "Have you decided if you will report Acadia's existence to the Institute?"

Alec looked up at Nick, his trench coat and tie were fluttering wildly in the cold breeze. Yet somehow, he managed to keep his dirty hat on his head, and his synthetic golden eyes were watching Alec carefully, unaffected by the cold weather that buffeted Alec.

"I don't think so." Alec replied, pulling his thick coursers coat tighter about himself to fend of the harsh wind that buffeted him. "They would immediately seek to reclaim the escaped Synths. Acadia is peaceful, and the synths only seek peaceful solitude. I admit I am curious to see what the colony will do. However, removing Acadia would mean the balance of power on the island would be seriously compromised."

Nick considered him for a long moment before he replied.

"With DiMa leading them I doubt the islands balance of power will shift." Nick agreed, "It was an odd experience to meet him. I have no recollection of having met him, yet I feel a bond with him."

"You suffer with the same drawback as DiMa." Alec pointed out, it was something he had tried to avoid talking about. "You're an Institute Prototype. You were never meant to operate as long as you have. Your memory banks, like DiMa's can only hold so much and eventually you must overwrite data in order to preserve newer memories."

"Like Kanji Nakano." Nick said and he sounded resigned now, "I know I am old Alec, but I've never once felt it."

Alec looked at the synth and felt sorry for him, he was a slave to his hardware even if he free of the constraints of programming.

"Nick." Alec said in an attempt to distract his friend, "What do you think would happen to Far Harbour if the existence of the Colony became common knowledge?"

"The Institute would storm the island to reclaim their property." Nick replied easily, "The Railroad would involve themselves trying to protect the Synths. The people of the Commonwealth could demand the minutemen take action or would rally themselves to wipe them out."

"And the Brotherhood?" Alec asked, "Do you think they will sit contently in the Airport knowing the Colony is to the north? They already want the Institute destroyed."

"The Brotherhood of Steel." Nick said bitterly, "If they had their way, I would be a bag of bolts. Over the years I have heard many tales of the Brotherhood, they have chapters across most of America. It might be my own prejudice, but they care only for their own betterment not for the common man. You know this Alec."

It was true. Alec had turned down three offers of sponsor to join the BOS since he had discovered their deacon team in the Cambridge Police Station. Even Elder Maxson the BOS leader had attempted to personally recruit Alec but had been politely and firmly declined. The assistance Alec had provided had been done as a private contractor, or in their eyes as a mercenary.

There had been a part of Alec that had wanted to join the Brotherhood of Steel. He felt something very familiar about their organisation, Militant as they were Alec was reminded of his own time in the US Army. However, what turned Alec away from them was their doctrine, he did not agree with several of their policies and wouldn't bend his own ideals to meet their expectations.

Of course, the same could be said of the Institute. The only difference was that his son led them, and Alec was trying to have a relationship with him while it was still possible.

Silence seemed to the constant companion of the trip back to the Commonwealth, and Alec was glad for it as he was thinking about the Commonwealth itself and its future. Nicks warning about the Brotherhood worried him, but then so did much about the Commonwealth.

When Preston had appointed him General of the Minutemen, he had no idea of the amount of work it would amount to. Secretly he had thought it a means to an end to help find his son. However, the more he travelled and the more people he met the more he stepped into the position and began to help.

Under the banner of the minutemen Alec had united the various settlements that dotted the Commonwealth. He had help secure their former headquarters as a base of operations once more and then worked to improve their resources, training and numbers.

It was for that reason that he had felt able to leave the Commonwealth to travel to Far Harbour, he felt that they were strong enough now. Although there was so much more, he wanted to do for them.

A pre war relic. That was what Piper was fond of calling him, but this relic still had much to teach this new world.

They followed the coastline for another hour before Nick docked the boat with a light bump at the Nakanos wharf. They were greeted by the family waving to them happily reunited and the parents thanked Alec and Nick for their help in finding their daughter. Kanji Nakano was so great fun that he gave them a bucketful of caps and some other odds and ends in payment.

With the Case over Alec and Nick left the Nakano's and set out on foot heading west.

The trip to Far Harbour had lasted two months and was anxious to return back to Sanctuary for it was his home and he hoped they had fared well in his absence. Once home he would be able to reach out to the Minutemen to get an update on all that he had missed, and then he could visit Shaun.

While all the settlements in the Commonwealth fell under Alecs protection as General of the Minutemen, Sanctuary was his home and it had prospered and grown under his sponsorship and guiding hand.

A great deal could have changed across the Commonwealth in the two months that he had been gone, and it niggled at Alecs mind that he should not have gone for as long as he had. Yet circumstances had forced him to stay and resolve the issues that had come to light.

Travelling on foot across country was slow and tedious, it was during times like this that Alec missed the mass transport of the world before the bombs fell. Transportation was limited to walking to everyone except the BOS who had their Vertibirds. Alec dreamed of the day when they could once again drive across country, or ride a train or even travel on horseback, if any had survived the War.

It took them three hours to cut across country, they hadn't stopped to rest at all as Alec was impatient, but they had also been careful to avoid the mutated creatures of the Commonwealth.

With the sun beginning to dip in the sky, Nick suggested they find shelter and Alec had agreed and so they decided to head for Outpost Zimonja, they would give them shelter and a hot meal and provide Alec with any updates on the state of things across the Commonwealth.

As they cut a path west, they had passed above the ravine into which was built Recon Bunker Theta, and Alec wondered if Brandis was still living there in his solitary life in exile or had he rejoined the Brotherhood.

When Preston had told him that a group of settlers wanted help establishing a settlement at the old radio relay tower, Alec had not been in favour of the decision. It offered little in natural defences, and was very exposed, but despite Alec trying to convince them otherwise the settlers had still gone ahead with their plan and the settlement was born.

Like most of the Commonwealth settlements it was a shanty-like town, but it was what passed for civilisation in the Post-War world but not to Alec had seen first-hand what a true town looked like.

It was one of the reasons that Alec had become so involved in the establishment of Sanctuary as a settlement and had its rebuilding had been carried out to his own vision, and he has personally hunted down plans and books to help do it properly.

All thoughts of a hot meal and rest however were swept from Alecs mind as Zimonja came into view, there was something different about it, and the closer they got it became all the more apparent that something was amiss in the Commonwealth.

"Nick what do you see." Alec asked looking for confirmation even as his hand gripped a pistol strapped to his leg under his thick leather trench coat.

"Zimonja." Nick said as he shielded his eyes to get a better look through the rays of the setting sun, "Looks more fortified since I last passed this way."

"Exactly." Alec frowned. "They've built up a wall around themselves, those glinting domes are turrets too I would bet. I don't like this. This is not the same settlement I remember from my previous visits. Eliza is a hard woman, but she is not a fool. She wouldn't commit to using resources like that unless there was a good reason."

"You say that, but they still went against your recommendation to build that settlement." Nick reminded him, "if things are bad here, why haven't they relocated?"

Alec didn't have an answer to that question, instead hurrying towards the settlement to investigate only to be stooped in his tracks a hundred and fifty yards away by a loud gunshot.

"You there!" Came a loud voice, Alec and Nick turned towards the voice and found themselves staring down the barrel of a laser musket held by a young man, perhaps eighteen years old. "State your business travellers."

"Stand down." Alec ordered holding up his hands as a sign of non-combatants, "My name is Alec Carter, General of the Commonwealth Minutemen."

"The General?" The man asked surprised, but he didn't lower his weapon, "The General has been gone for months, Colonel Preston Garvey is currently commanding the Minutemen."

Well that was good news Alec thought to himself, that meant that Preston was still alive at least and was following his orders and leading the minutemen, however that did not mean nothing bad could have happened.

"We have never met so you wouldn't recognise me." Alec said calmly and wished he had his Generals outfit on instead of the leather coat. "But surely you will recognise my companion? He is almost as famous as I am and one of a kind to boot?"

"Almost as famous?" Nick spluttered humorously, "I have been walking the Commonwealth longer than you Alec." He titled his head back slightly so the boy could see his patched face and glowing amber eyes and his mechanical hand glistened in the low glow of sunset.

"You're a Synth!" The man cried alarmed.

"Of course, he is." Alec said slightly alarmed and he stepped in front of Nick now, "This is Nick Valentine, Diamond City's Nick Valentine, of the Valentine Detective Agency? Surely you have heard of him."

"What of it?" The man asked, Alec suddenly realised that he was probably closer to sixteen. A boy in truth but the Commonwealth made an adult of most children while they were young.

"Alaric!" Came a loud grumbling voice "You better not be threatening squirrels again!"

"No Ma'am." The boy said quickly and blushing, "travellers came down from the north."

A tall well built, sun-kissed woman came up behind the boy and looked them both over and shook her head with a light smirk of amusement.

"Well I can't say you didn't do the right thing in challenging them boy." She said as she pushed down the barrel of his weapon much to his surprise, "But you are actually threatening the General of the Minutemen. Shooting your commander will not go down well, now stop fretting and resume your patrol."

The boy looked shocked now and mumbled a quick apology and scarpered.

Alec looked over the newcomer and saw the lines on her face, she had aged since he had last seen her, but she looked healthy enough.

"Eliza." Alec said in greeting, "That was an unexpected welcome, you have tightened your defences since I left."

Eliza frowned but nodded, "We had to. By order of Colonel Garvey after what happened down at the Warwicks, and the mess down south. We burnt through a lot of our resources to do it, but Sanctuary Hills leant us some aid, Marcy tried to stop that but Sturges was able to swing it."

"What do you mean after what happened at the Warwicks? What's happening in the south?" Alec asked, ignoring the comment about Marcy, that woman had caused him too many headaches in the past.

"Well you would know if you hadn't done a bunk and left the Commonwealth to god knows where." She said sternly, but pointed at his Pipboy, "You should check the radio on that, its all over the radio."

"I hadn't thought to listen." Alec said lamely and felt stupid for not thinking of tuning in to the Commonwealths radio stations for any type of news. The reception on Far Harbour was poor so he had fallen out of the habit of tuning in. "Tell me Eliza what has happened since I have been gone from the Commonwealth." He commanded.

"The Brotherhood of Steel." She said spitting out the name like it was a curse, "That is what happened. For all of their talk about freeing us from the fear of synths and helping tame the commonwealth from feral ghouls and super mutants they have shown their true colours now."

Alec exchanged a look with Nick at her words, so their worries were not for nought.

"They began to demand tributes and payment from various settlements in exchange for their apparent protection and deeds on behalf of the people of the commonwealth. They were refused, since we support our minutemen and they serve to protect us." She continued and Alec felt a small feeling of accomplishment wash over him at the faith the people put in his reformed minutemen.

"So the Brotherhood began to bully, extort, and outright steal food and resources from settlements and take it back to their airship. One of the settlements they tried to work over was the Warwick Homestead, Roger refused to deal with them, and the settlement fought back."

"Was anyone killed?" Alec asked horrified and he couldn't believe how far the Brotherhood had overstepped, extorting people for resources was bad enough but killing the people of the commonwealth was an atrocity.

"No, but they couldn't stand up the Brotherhoods soldiers. When the Minutemen reinforcements arrived, they found the Homesteads fields ablaze and its people taking shelter with the Atom Cats who came to help them." She explained as they walked towards Zimonja, "The Brotherhood also went for your project on Spectral Island. They claimed all of the resources stockpiled there too and left the people stranded without supplies."

"Where were the minutemen?" Alec demanded, "Why was there no response?"

"It happened too quickly for a patrol to get to them. This all happened within a small window, they used their aircrafts to do this all simultaneously." She explained, "For now, the Brotherhood is keeping to itself again, in the meantime Colonel Garvey gave the order to each of the settlements under his protection to begin fortifying."

Alec growled with frustration and punched a tree, it stung but he barely noticed it.

"Why." He managed to ask.

"No one knows. Most think they did this because you were absent and they were taking advantage of the situation." She told him pointedly, "Without you here to lead them the Minutemen lacked the strength and conviction we have grown accustomed to, you are the deterrent to the BOS, or at least that's what the consensus is among the people."

"You will get better answers if you high tail it to Sanctuary Hills, they will know more than I do. Most of the more seasoned and experienced minutemen have been sent south leaving us with boys too green and men too old to do much more than intimidate squirrels."

Nick gave Alec a look, "We should go, your needed Alec. It should be safe enough to travel to Sanctuary in the dark."

"Agreed." Alec sighed, he was tired but if what Eliza said was true they had to reach Sanctuary.

"Do you need provisions General?" Eliza asked drawing herself up proudly, "Zimonja doesn't have much to spare at the moment as the supply lines you created have broken down due to everything happening in the south, but we can at least offer you a meal and water?"

A small smile of thanks was all Alec could manage; he was too focused on processing everything he had just learnt. "Thank you but no. You need all the resources that you have here and I what little you might have that is spare. I will deal with the Brotherhood, but should you get into any trouble remember that Tenpines Bluff is only over the ridge and the two of you must help each other. Failing that should you need to safe harbour head straight for Sanctuary Hills."

Eliza nodded but her jaw was set, and Alec knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth.

"Thank you, but no. This here is our home we will defend it until our last."

"You have children here." Nick protested in a last-ditch effort to appeal to the woman, "You can condemn yourselves to die but save your children."

Eliza didn't say anything more and went inside the main building as they both turned around and began a fast-paced hike out of Zimonja and back into the hills that would lead to Sanctuary.

As they set off, they didn't speak as Alec began to fiddle with his PipBoy and tuning in to Diamond City Radio and Radio Freedom to get as much current news as he could.

O-FALLOUT-O

Sanctuary Hills swarmed with activity from what Alec could see from an overlook as he began to make his way down towards the water's edge that would lead him round to the bridge. The island was patrolled by groups of heavily armed sentries patrolling along the reinforced and expanded stone walls.

Their farmland and small cattle stock were still being tended to from what he could see and it looked like they would have a good harvest for their stores too. The small community was still under construction, several additional houses looked to have been pulled down and the start of new brick houses look to have been begun being built.

However, those construction crews were now working on the walls, expanding them or installing new artillery battlements.

Nick whistled observing it all, "They have been very busy here too. It makes quite a statement you know. Sturges did as you asked, Sanctuary Hills doesn't look anything like the rest of the Commonwealths settlements."

"No." Alec said between breaths as he increased his pace eager to get at the information Sanctuary would posses. "I am nostalgic for how things once were, but I also do not want people to live in squalor. However, this will be a heavily fortified town once complete which is very different from any prewar towns I visited, in a way its actually a modern twist of medieval townships."

Nick managed a snort in response.

They sentry post on the road noticed them and came on them however once they saw Alec and Nick they were shocked but very happy to see them.

"General!" Said their young leader, "We are so please to see you! You need to reach out to the castle sir, they need you!"

"At ease." Alec said sternly, "Where is Sturges?"

"Should be overseeing the construction of one of the larger laser batteries." The minuteman said, "We hope to be able to defend Sanctuary from Vertibirds."

Alec nodded and they quickly made their way over the repaired wooden bridge and passed the checkpoint and gate on the Sanctuary Hills side and went in search of Sturges and eventually found him tinkering with a large gun placement.

"Sturges!" Alec said surprised, "I didn't know you were so skilled at weapon design!"

"Alec?" Sturges questioned as he turned around in shock and was open mouthed staring at him for a long moment before he pulled himself together. "Well I cannibalised it together from a Gatling laser and fabricated what I needed. I cannot promise it will do much more than drain our generators of power."

Alec inspected it closely and nodded, "It is a good starting point for aerial defence, if this can be tested and refined further this could be used as a viable and strong defence! Good work Sturges."

Sturges smiled abashed, "thanks Boss, you cannot know how glad I am to see you here, and back in the commonwealth!"

"I have an idea why." Alec said returning to the matter at hand, "Eliza told me that the Brotherhood of Steel has attacked our settlements and raided the Commonwealth and from what I could tell from the radio all of this has been contained to the south? So, no trouble up here?"

Sturges looked around the weapon platform and noticed that they were attracting a lot of attention so took Alec by the arm and led him away towards the main street.

"No Brotherhood activity, not even a sighting of a Vertibird this side of the Charles River. According to Radio Freedom any time a Vertibird leaves their airport they fly out into the Bay and then head south, they are out of reach of the castles artillery." Sturges told him quietly, "Preston called the minutemen south and they are marching and patrolling as a show of strength ready to defend at a moment's notice, but there isn't much they can really do against the Brotherhoods airpower or their armoured infantry."

It was a horrible truth, despite Alecs best efforts the Minutemen were just barely organised and equipped to handle Ghouls or Super Mutants, but the well-oiled war engine that was the Brotherhood of Steel was beyond them. They still needed more infrastructure, numbers, training, discipline and resources to make them a true fighting force to take on the Brotherhood.

It didn't surprise Alec at all to hear Sturges say it, he was good friends with Preston and had been with him since Quincy and had seen the fall of the original Minutemen

"I know." Alec admitted, "Event with the minutemen presence bolstered to the south, in reality it is no better protected than Sanctuary Hills is right now."

Sturges laughed "Well that is debatable, I would say that as of twenty minutes ago this became the safest place. We have the General of the Minutemen, the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, the Pre-War Soldier who has taken on the Commonwealth."

Alec snorted and waved him off as being ridiculous.

"He isn't entirely wrong Alec." Nick said, "Your presence alone could give them pause, they know what you can do if pushed."

"I am but one man." Alec said sternly, "they are an entire army, one man cannot take on an army."

"You're not staying long, are you?" Sturges said quickly cutting through the small amount of tension.

"No." Alec said immediately. "I will be gone within an hour, I am needed at the castle, this has gone on long enough and demands my immediately attention."

"Of course." Sturges said and he looked at Nick, "Will you be going with Alec or you staying here, Mr Valentine?"

"If you want to stay you can use the house." Alec offered. His old house still stood and was patched up and liveable if depressing. Nick didn't even need sleep, so Alec wasn't sure what his friend would do but he was sure Codsworth would be glad of the company.

"I will for a few days if that's okay?" Nick said, I can help out here in the meantime, I was a decent handyman after all before I set up the agency. But I should get back to Diamond City, I don't like to leave Ellie alone for so long, she moves all my files."

Sturges nodded and went to leave but stopped and frowned, "Be careful out there Alec, we cannot afford to lose you, the Commonwealth needs you too much."

Alec went home and said hello to Codsworth and Dogmeat before going inside Shaun's old room which was now his office and unpacked the contents of his large dufflebag and pack. He had picked up a lot in Far Harbour and he would need to sort through it all later.

Instead he pulled out his military uniform, armour and other assorted belongings and wondered what else he should take that he couldn't acquire later if needed.

Once packed he shouldered his bag and left Sanctuary Hills without further conversation and once he was over the bridge he headed south-west and once he was sure he was alone and no one could see him he activated a setting on his Pipboy activating a beacon

It took five minutes, but suddenly white and blue lightning crackled around him and then the Wasteland was gone.

O-FALLOUT-O

The light began to dissipate, and Alec blinked furiously to remove the blur from his eyes.

"Father." Said the calm stoic voice of Shaun who stood waiting.

"Shaun." Alec said smiling at his elder son, "Sorry I was gone longer that I thought I would be."

"Do not worry father, I understand that you have a responsibility to those on the surface, just as I have a responsibility to those in the Institute." Shaun said nodding in understanding, "Soon those will be one in the same."

Alec looked at Shaun and thought he looked older, older than he had ever looked and tired.

"How are you Shaun?" Alec asked worried now, "You seem…."

"Old? Frail? Weak?" Shaun said when Alec failed to find the word, "Those are all accurate. I have time, but precious little."

"I am sorry…." Alec said sadly.

"Don't be." Shaun breathed, beckoning him to follow and Alec did. "I was already dying the day I pressed the button to release you from your cryo stasis. This day has been long in coming."

"I shouldn't have gone, I should be here with you." Alec countered, "too much time was stolen from us."

They entered the elevator and began to descend into the Institute, Alec drew looks due to his clothing but, but he barely paid them any attention.

"No, you were right to go. I should have woken you years ago." Shaun admitted regretfully, before getting serious, "You came here because of the Brotherhood of Steel and their actions to the south?"

"Yes." Alec admitted, "I will deal with this myself. The Brotherhood has gone too far. I will speak to Maxson directly, but I will need a contingency plan should any dialogue fail."

"A wise strategy." Shaun agreed, "All of the Institutes resources are at your disposal. Dr Ayo has been working on our own plans to deal with the Brotherhood. They have been searching for the Institute for years and they would destroy us if given the chance."

They stepped into the second elevator which led to Shaun's quarters and he stumbled but Alec caught him.

"You shouldn't be out of bed." Alec scolded as he scooped him up and was shocked by how light Shaun was. "I imagine you met me against medical advice?"

Shaun laughed, "it wasn't against medical advice as I did not tell my doctor that I was going to meet you."

Alec joined the laughter "You know your mother would have scolded you far worse than I, but she would then have scolded me as she would say your actions were my influence."

His words caused Shaun to smile fondly before it turned into a deep frown.

"I wish I had known her." Shaun said sadly, "From what records remain she was a remarkable woman."

"She was." Alec said quietly, "it could as easily have been me who died and she who lived, it was only bad luck that it was I who was not holding you when we entered Vault 111."

Alec gently placed Shaun on his medical bed, and he placed the beds monitors back on to him.

"You should speak first to Dr Li. She has led the development of many of our safeguards and weapons to use against the Brotherhood of Steel since we learnt of their first Recon teams entering the Commonwealth. "We have also…" Shaun said, and his eyes dropped low and he looked like he was fast asleep. "Be careful…"

"I will." Alec said, the lie bitter on his tongue and he watched as Shaun fell to sleep.

Once he was sure that Shaun was asleep, he left the room and made his way to the Advanced Science's and met with Dr Li who didn't look at all surprised to see him and led him to one of the lab rooms.

"We developed this weapon following your retaking of Fort Independence." She told him, "We just had to redesign the original weapons to be used by the Artillery you have there. I have been told your people can use them to great effect so I am sure they will have no issues with these, its just a change in ammunition after all."

"I should think so." Alec said looking at the contents of the large crates with interest, he asked a number of questions about them and once he was happy, they were taken away to the relay room by several synth units. "Have them transported into the tunnels under the castle, no one uses them."

He normally would have had it beamed to his office but given that he was away he couldn't be sure that it would be empty.

"Your department did well with them." Alec complimented.

"We are not finished." She told him and led him away. "You are aware that the Brotherhood of Steel utilises power armour for their troops. We have been developing our own to combat theirs."

"So, is that why you wanted me to acquire and deliver the armour from Nuka World?" Alec asked, he had delivered that to them almost a year prior and had not seen it since or got an explanation.

"Partly." She explained, "I have recycled some of its parts for our development, however what I really wanted was to study its shielding properties. I should warn you that this power armour is still a prototype and we are still developing some of its systems. We have the resources freed up by the reactor project being complete. However, you will see that we have improved on the design significantly, I am sure you will agree."

Pressing a button, a portion of the wall that had blended seamlessly with the rest of the room retracted, revealing an alcove with a suit of power armour docked waiting.

The armour looked sleeker and more refined than any model Alec had ever discovered across the Commonwealth, and it was clearly of Institute design. Dr Li began a quick explanation of its numerous features, and Alec was surprised to realise that the US Military designs was finally obsolete.

"You will need to return this to me." Dr Li warned, "We have spent months on this project and I will not start this from scratch."

"Don't worry Dr Li." Alec smiled, "I think it's in both our interests that this armour development is completed."

A plan started to form in Alecs mind, and he wondered whether Maxson would force him to act or whether he would end his extortion of the Commonwealth and resume their previous arrangement of ignoring each other and doing nothing to anger the other.

Either way it would end by the days end.

O-FALLOUT-O

The Castle loomed in the distance as Alec walked purposely towards it, dressed in military fatigues and boots, his weapon belts strapped round his waist and his generals coat over them all with a new armoured chest piece curtesy of the Institute freshly painted with the Minutemen livery.

A patrol had been marching out from the Castle most probably heading towards a southern settlement to protect, but when they saw a lone man walking towards the Castle they hurried forward only stop and regard him with shock.

Alec did not stop but merely nodded at them and walked past them, he was their General and outranked them all.

The castles only entrance was guarded by two sentries within restored T45 Power Armour in the Minutemen colours.

"General!" The sentries said in shock and standing to attention, "Open the Doors!" They shouted.

The doors opened and he saw the inside of his Command Centre for the first time in months, the repairs to the main walls had all been completed and the fort was whole once more. Alec saw signs that work was still ongoing, but from the outside it looked much better and respectable.

"The General has returned!" Came the whispers and shouts from those stationed within the fort.

"It's about time you returned from your jaunt to the north." Said the deep voice of Ronnie Shaw, "You look good General, but I know that look. You're here to fight."

"I am." Alec nodded, he saw Preston exit one of the doors and saw his surprise. "I notice that you have a lot more gear than before I left."

"We received a shipment of supplies from your Sanctuary Hills, your man Sturges worked wonders on the weapons and armour but we reached out to the Atom Cats who worked up the paint job." She reported, "Our supply network is hit and miss of late given the commotion, but we should be fine for now depending on what you want to do. As always there is still work to be done."

"One thing at a time." Alec told her, "Colonel Garvey" he said once Preston reached him and saluted, "I see you have kept the Minutemen together while I was helping people to the north."

"I did as you ordered General, but we are outgunned by the Brotherhood, we do not have the resources to match them." Preston reported bitterly, "I failed you, Spectral Island and the Warwick Homestead are gone because of my failure. Just like Quincy."

Alec gave him a consoling look.

"This is not like Quincy." Alec said sternly, "This attack, the Minutemen failure to protect the south is on me, I am the General I will take the responsibility. However, you are not wrong about us lacking the resources, training and assets that they have."

"So, do you have a plan?" Preston asked, "You're here to resolve this incident, aren't you?"

"Yes." Alec nodded, "Shaw, if you go down into the old tunnels where we found my coat you will find several large crates. I want their contents to be split between the artillery positions, and I want them all targeting the space around the Airport."

"You mean to attack them?" She questioned slightly wide eyed.

"Only if I have no choice." Alec told her, "I want your best gunners manning those guns."

She readily agreed and sped off towards his office.

"Where did those crates come from?" Preston asked, he had been down to the tunnels as they wanted to expand the subterranean parts of the castle to act as a command centre with offices and rooms beyond what the old colonial fort walls had room for.

"The Institute." Alec admitted, "Now If you will excuse me Preston, I need to place a call." He began to walk towards the radio shack but stopped, "If I fail today, you will become the General of the Minutemen, do not fail me Preston."

Preston went wide eyed, he had after all passed up position when he gave it to Alec, but he was being given an order now.

"Of course." He nodded reluctantly.

Tapping the radio operator on the shoulder, Alec took control of the Castle radio and picked up the microphone and had the operator open all channels.

"This is General Alec Carter of the Commonwealth Minutemen, I wish to enter into negotiations with the Brotherhood of Steel on their ongoing operations within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." He spoke clearly he wanted everyone across the Commonwealth to hear this, to know he had returned and was taking on the Brotherhood. "Elder Maxson, I will speak only to you, present yourself to answer for your Brotherhoods actions."

There was silence over the airwaves, and the surrounding Minutemen looked around as if at any second the castle would explode into action.

Then came the crackle and the stern voice of the leader of the Brotherhood.

"General." Maxson said his surprise evident in his tone, "I was not aware that you had returned from your jaunt to lands afar. I feared you might have met your end while those you vowed to lead and protect were left to suffer from the fiends that walk this land. The Brotherhood had to step in while you were gone."

"Then I should like to thank you for your intervention, however we must discuss your position here. Your actions of late have painted you as foreign invaders who only wish to pilfer the resources of the people and reap the technological wealth of the Commonwealth and expand your brotherhoods reach." Alec countered ignoring the jibe, he would not lose his temper today, "I am sure the reports I have been given are due to a misunderstanding, and it is my wish to put aside these ill feelings so we can work in collaboration and have peace across the Commonwealth."

Silence came again, and Alec knew that Maxson was considering how to respond. This was why Alec had called him out so publicly he would have no choice but to respond.

"I agree to your parlay." Maxson said eventually if very reluctantly, "You will be welcomed aboard the Prydwen as our guest and awarded the respect given to all who come under the banner of peace."

Alec smirked, that was exactly what he had wanted.

"Agreed." Alec agreed after a false pause to pretend he was trying to wiggle out of it.

"I have dispatched a Vertibird. I will see you on deck soon General."

Turning around Alec saw that the Minutemen were all looking confused.

"Do not worry." He said smiling, "I expected this and planned for this. Just remember when you get the signal you are to act immediately."

"General." Ronnie Shaw asked as she watched him take off his bag and unholster his weapons and place them on the table, "What are you doing, you cannot go unarmed, that is suicide."

'No it isn't." Alec explained, "They will not let me proceed into negotiations within the airship with any weapons, they would be confiscated the moment I stepped aboard. I am taking a stance of strength and will not have them look to see me weakened by taking away my weapons."

Ronnie gasped, "Do you really mean to meet with an entire garrison of armoured soldiers with nothing more than that chest plate? You cannot mean to do that surely!"

"This is all for show." Alec told her, he pointed at his uniform, "This coat is only a symbol of my position, however fear not if I am not without a means of protecting myself. Trust me, things will be fine. Now when you get the signal you are to fire the artillery, but only on the signal."

"What is the signal?" Shaw asked, "Your being deliberately vague general!"

"You will know it when you see it." Alec smirked, "If things go as I believe they will, the Brotherhood will no longer have a foothold within the Commonwealth."

Above them the easily recognisable noise of the twin propellers of a Vertibird flew towards the Castle. Alec made his way to the top of the Castle and waited for it to descend and the side door opened when it's as level with him and he jumped inside.

"Please be seated General." Said the pilot.

They began to ascend then and Alec watched as the Castle began to get lower beneath them and noticed that every single turret lining the fort was tracking the Vertibird.

The pilot was the epitome of discipline and decorum, despite the tension between the Brotherhood and the Minutemen did not seem to notice the turrets tracking him or that he was carrying the leader of the opposition, instead concentrated on flying them to the airship in the distance.

Soon enough they were docked on the Prydwen and Alec jumped down onto the metal deck to be met by four guards who stood in front of Maxson in full armour.

"Before you proceed you will relinquish any weapons." Said one of the Paladins.

"I brought no weapons." Alec countered, "this is a peaceful discussion after all, I am here to negotiate in all good faith."

"You will be searched for concealed weapons all the same." Maxson ordered, "This is not a slight against you General Carter, but we must protect ourselves from treachery, this is protocol which I am sure you will understand."

Getting a nod of agreement from Alec, Maxson gestured for two scribes to come forward and check Alec over for any weapons he might have on his person. They found nothing as Alec had said, and the shook their heads.

"Very good, come inside General so we might come to an agreement." Maxson said as his guards parted and allowed Alec to move forwards and they walked into the heart of the Brotherhood of Steel.

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Background to this story:

I decided to start this story before here for several reasons, one of the most important was that I struggled to write it from the very beginning of Fallout 4, the game is massive and would take me years to write. Not only that i have played that game for hundreds of hours I know that story and know the story that I want to tell and this is where it will really begin.

So no there is NO PREQUEL.

I know you might have a lot of questions about various aspects of what led up to this point in time and I have given some of that history below.

However if you do have questions just ask!

I write this story for fun really, the Heritage series is my serious work and this is just something that has been rattling around my mind for years and i finally decided to publish my thoughts about the future of the Commonwealth according to my game play through and what my imagination can think up!

Relations with the game's main factions:

Minutemen: The path Alec took with the Minutemen is follows the same path as you see in the game, they are the first faction he encounters, and he is given the position as General by Preston. Under Alecs command they rebuild and consolidate, gaining a reputation and prestige but all in the name of protecting the people.

The additional settlements that begin to be built are all protected by the Minutemen, there have been some losses to Raiders and Super mutants, but they have done a lot of good and have the respect and support of the people.

BOS: Alec first encountered the Brotherhood in Cambridge but never agreed to join up, instead acted as a private contractor or mercenary for several missions.

Paladin Danse tried several times to recruit Alec but couldn't find a way to get him to commit. When the Prydwen turned up in Boston Alec even met Elder Maxson but declined his offer personally.

The Brotherhood is very much aware of Alecs Prowess on the battlefield, he was assessed by Paladin Danse, they know he is the guiding hand and power behind the Minutemen.

Railroad: Alec did not seek out the Railroad because of his belief in their mission, he needed their help to find Shaun and so was forced to work with them for a time. Desdemona was fully aware of his intentions but thought he might be a great asset for the Railroad and so Alec began one of their agents codenamed: Professor.

Much like with the Brotherhood, Alec was given a number of missions to assist their movement but used them to learn a great deal about Synths and the Institute and the complex issues surrounding them both.

After finding the Institute and finding Shaun, Alec cut ties with the group not wanting to prejudice his relationship with his son. The Institute was aware of his familiarity with the organisation, but he kept many of their secrets to himself not wanting to expose them to the SRB.

The Railroad kept away from him, aware that the Institute would most likely be watching and any interaction would jeopardise their operations.

Silver Shroud: While Alec was able to do a lot of good as the General of the Minutemen, there was some work that needed a more subtle hand, a way of him covertly intervening without drawing attention to him.

The Silver Shroud was a way for Alec to strike at the criminals of Goodneighbour without upsetting the peace or exposing himself to reprisals. Mostly Alec has used the Shroud as a way of dealing with Triggermen and Gunners, removing chem-pushers, whore mongers, assassins, and such.

Only two people know his identity, Kent Connolly and John Hancock.

The Settlements of the Commonwealth:Alec has over the years under the guise of General of the Minutemen established several new settlements across the Commonwealth, providing resources and finance to begin to try and help people build better lives and increase commerce and establish a stable production chain.

One of the most ambitious projects Alec begun was the settlement of Spectral Island. He worked up a trade deal with Bunker Hill and several other settlements to acquire and purchase the resources needed to make a permanent settlement.

Vault 88: Unlike in the game, My Vault 88 was actually fully constructed prior to the Great War. The Vault door was open when the bombs fell because of the visitors, the automated systems kicked in a sealed off the vault but not before a wave of radiation entered the entrance and Atrium. The shockwave of the blast caused a structural weakness in the corridor to Atrium to collapse, which in turn caused a power surge which caused a full security lockdown sealing Barstow and the others inside to become ghouls.

When the Raiders discover the vault door and try to break in the automated distress beacon activates which is what brought Alec to Vault 88. He is able to open the Vault and eventually rescues Barstow and they begin to work together.

Alec however quickly supplants her as Overseer after becoming aware of her intentions to continue the Vault-Tec mission of experimenting on residents. As Overseer Alec instead makes the Vault focus on innovations and development of projects that would improve the lives of Vault Dwellers.

He managed to keep Barstow within Vault 88 but making her the Vault 88 Administrator, she would oversee the day to day running of the vault which enabled Alec to continue his operation above ground but enabled him to keep an eye on her.

Vault 88 is a secure location but still needs a lot of work to make it fully operational, only Barstow and Clem are its permanent residents.

Nuka World: The Minutemen became aware of the reports of a Raider Stronghold to the west, and they needed to investigate the reports. Unable to spare anyone, Alec took the scouting mission himself and was shocked by what he found.

Returning back to the Castle, Alec mustered up a strong compliment of the Minutemen and returned to storm Nuka World and drove the Raiders out. Janet McKenzie became the mayor of Nuka Town and began rebuilding it as a trading hub for the Commonwealth and established a link with Bunker Hill.

The Minutemen established their presence within the town and maintained its security with ongoing projects to begin to try and open the other parks but first they would require a great deal of cleaning and maintenance.

Far Harbour: The mission to Far Harbour was not one that Alec enjoyed because of he came embroiled with the islands politics before he realised and had to make decisions that would affect the future of a lot of people that he would doubted he would ever see again.

On discovering what DiMa had done to ensure peace on the island, Alec found that he didn't want to undo it or make a shift in the islands three factions.

He replaced High Confessor Tektus with a synth, hoping to temper their fanaticism but also ensured they didn't have access to the nuclear stockpile and covertly fixed the radiation scrubbers to their home.

For the people of Far Harbour, he decided to not out Captain Avery as a synth but told DiMa a time would come when she would need to disappear. She didn't age and people would begin to notice. And finally, for the people of Acadia, Alec forced Dima to restore his memories of what he had done and the price of peace, he would always remember that costs and he hoped the odd synth would learn from it.

Automatons: The swarms of robots that threatened the Commonwealth was one that fell to the Minutemen to defend against. In an effort to stop the tide of robots, Alec investigated and eventually found Ada and together was able to trace them to the Mechanist.

When the Mechanist was defeated, Alec spared her life and let her stay in her lair but insisted she begin to recall all of her creations and work on dismantling them. Her idea was noble but flawed by her use of Robobrains, she could better help the Commonwealth by removing the robots and stopping their attacks.