Chapter 95: Chapter 91

Thanks to the surge in manpower and shared expertise from the west, the work of months, or even years, was cut down to just a mere eight weeks. In that eight weeks, Liberty Prime was not only rebuilt, it was improved upon. Faster, stronger and mounting new weapon systems, the latest iteration of Liberty Prime would prove itself to be the bane of the enemies of the Brotherhood of Steel.

The airship was also launched and fully operational. Named the Prydwen by a Proctor who was deeply versed in pre-war mythology, the flagship of the Brotherhood’s air force would serve as a mobile command center and transport for the Brotherhood’s personnel and growing fleet of Vertibirds.

Elder Casdin shared the pride and elation his brothers and sisters felt at the monumental tasks achieved. They had the makings of a terrifying force now to rival anything the wasteland could hope to match. After dealing with the Nexus, they would retake lost strongholds in the West and reclaim all that was lost from the many enemies of humanity’s greater future.

Maybe some time would be taken to construct more Prydwens, more Liberty Primes. If anything, the Nexus would have enough metal to repurpose.

After eight weeks of waiting, plans drawn up and refined during the construction period were implemented, and the Brotherhood marched forth. Everything was airlifted out to avoid delays from facing petty fights against super mutant holdouts or drugged up raiders. Vertibirds carried Knights and Paladins along with newly fitted gatling lasers and rocket launchers, while the Prydwen lifted Liberty Prime via a web of cables along with the majority of Brotherhood personnel.

Meanwhile, a skeleton crew was garrisoned in the Citadel until this little war was over, but still more than enough to deter even the most headstrong super mutants.

Once out of the city, most of the Brotherhood forces were disembarked and a staging outpost was set up. Vertibirds scouted ahead of the Prydwen as it continued northeast, unchallenged in the sky. The brethren on the ground quickly secured a corridor in the wake of the airship to maintain the all important logistics line.

They pushed for four days, barely clearing the uncontested ruins of Baltimore when the scout crafts returned with surprising news.

The robot army of the Nexus had been sighted, just beyond the river. A quick and daring flyby found the assembled metal constructs standing still in parade formation. Only upon detection did the metal legion begin moving to cross the river, towards the Brotherhood’s position.

Henry Casdin smirked. Nothing but robots? The Nexus was either trying to buy time, or they were foolish enough to think that mere robots would stop the wrath of the Brotherhood. Battle formations were called, and his brothers and sisters fell easily into their places.

The Prydwen hovered lazily above them, serving as an untouchable staging point for the Vertibirds. The Vertibirds themselves maintained a holding pattern, ready to dive down on the enemy at a moment’s notice. For now, they acted as a reserve and a display of air power, surely untouchable in the air from even the most advanced tools Sev could muster. At most they would have to weave around rockets and the occasional anti-materiel rounds, but otherwise, the Brotherhood’s air superiority would be unstoppable.

Liberty Prime strode mightily at the head of the assembled Brotherhood, ready to face down the worse the enemy could offer while the brothers and sisters hastily fortified their positions. The Nexus had decided to play the attacker, and the Brotherhood would not be found wanting.

As they entrenched themselves on the ground, observers from the Prydwen relayed the enemy advance. After a whole day of preparation, the robot army had stopped just outside of a mile from the Brotherhood’s position. Were they waiting for something, or did Sev finally have some reason and was having second thoughts?

The anticipation gnawed at Elder Casdin as they waited for the enemy to make their move. Attacking into superior numbers, even as strong as the Brotherhood were, was not a wise move after all.

An urgent call from the Prydwen caught Henry’s attention.

“There’s something in the clouds! Twelve o’clock high!” the comms scribe relayed anxiously. The elder snapped his head up to the sky and strained his eyes and the optics of his helmet. Nothing seemed out of pla-

There. A dark, unnatural shape moving within, no, above a cumulus cloud formation, at a much higher altitude than the Brotherhood’s airship. The object broke through the clouds, its silhouette at such a height meant that the thing was likely as large as the Prydwen. Henry blinked in stunned silence.

The Nexus had its own airship?

Suddenly, the communication was hacked and the unmistakable voice of Sev was heard in the general broadcast.

“This is Sev of the Nexus Severalty. To the enemies of the Nexus, this is your last chance to call off your regretful action and open peace talks.”

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Nobody had the presence of mind to even formulate a response to that, nor did they have enough time. Barely three seconds later Sev’s voice returned.

“Unfortunate. Let it be known that only those who have dropped to their knees with their hands behind their heads will be registered as surrendered prisoners of war, and be treated in kind.”

With the Brotherhood’s stunned eyes still drawn up to the sky, they watched as a series of flashes strobed from the blimp-shaped thing. Henry’s mind was still struggling to process the sight when blinding bolts of lightning struck the Prydwen. The projectiles slammed through the airship’s bow and exited out the stern as if the armored hull meant nothing. The Prydwen’s reactors didn’t even have time to go critical, simply disintegrating from the intense heat.

Mouth agape, Henry Casdin stared dumbly as he watched the flagship of the Brotherhood be shredded by the lightning-fast salvo. He absently registered the dull explosions behind him as the supercharged plasma bolts slammed into the ruins of Baltimore.

Even as the flagship was disintegrating, a storm of missiles, actual guided missiles, roared into view and tore apart the Vertibird fleet milling aimlessly in the air. The air fleet was utterly helpless against the onslaught, not even reacting in time to the incoming barrage. Nobody on the ground or in the air appreciated the fact that each Vertibird was prey to four highly maneuverable, thoroughly guided missiles.

The heavens were lit aflame and the staccato of explosions thundered for a brief moment. Then the ruins of the entirety of the Brotherhood’s air force rained down upon them. The Brotherhood was snapped out of their stunned state as the barrage of shrapnel and drops of molten metal began to land among them. Broken metal pinged and dented power armor, or buried itself into hapless scribes, brothers screamed as still-liquid steel melted through their suits.

Chaos drowned the confident defenses of the Brotherhood of Steel as they sought cover. Minutes later, with the storm of fire abating, the Brotherhood left the safety of cover to assess the damage. The skies were devoid of any of their aircraft, only smoke lingered where the mighty fleet used to be. Every pilot, every crew member in the air was dead.

On the ground, miraculously light casualties were sustained from the falling debris, though two elders met their unfortunate ends to chunks of metal tearing through their armor.

Henry quickly recovered his wits and began rallying his brothers and sisters. Orders were barked out to reform the line, the wounded were quickly carried away. As they recovered some semblance of cohesion, a sudden booming horn shook the earth and threatened to break it all down again.

“What in the hell is that?”

A vast silhouette appeared among the enemy lines a mile away, obscured by the fresh haze from the air fleet’s destruction. It was huge, bulky and vaguely humanoid in shape. Even through the haze and distance he could make out purples and blacks and golds glinting from the thing. Henry could make out bulky legs and shoulders…

Oh shit.

Liberty Prime, wounded by the debris but ultimately still fully functional, was actively scanning the new threat that was too far for it to engage. “Tactical assessment: Error. Unknown weaponry. Be warned, perfidious Communist attack imminent.”

A strong sense of deja vu struck Elder Casdin as the mountainous silhouette flared out twice from where short hands might be. This time, the Brotherhood dove for cover, though most caught the moment where two massive lances of white laser beams engulfed Liberty Prime. Once more, Henry heard the ruined city of Baltimore rumble from the collateral damage.

Nothing remained of Liberty Prime beyond its feet and shins, save for a pool of cooling metal around its feet. The once mighty robot did not have the time to react, not even a death cry. The tactical nukes it was meant to throw didn’t have time to react and detonate as they were instantly flash-disintegrated. A few mounds of ash and molten metal marked the deaths of some brothers and sisters who were too close to the robot as it was erased, likely blasted into shadows before they knew it.

Henry struggled to his feet this time, unable to form words as struggled to take in the casual obliteration of the Brotherhood’s advanced work. The horn blared out once more, rocking everyone out of their stupor and allowing for panic to finally creep in. The Knights and Paladins and Scribes and Elders milled around with fearful realization that they might be facing something beyond their abilities, that they have bitten off more than they could chew.

The ground trembled once, and then again, and then again, each time increasing noticeably in intensity. A small, conscious part of Henry was aware of the massive silhouette lifting its hulking legs and moving. It was walking towards them.

And then the shoulders of the behemoth strobed in succession, and the world around Henry Casdin, elder of the Brotherhood of Steel’s East Coast Chapter was swallowed by the blinding light.

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