If there's a more beautiful sight than this ED-NA, I can hardly imagine it
*beep*
Yes, Vault City is beautiful too.
Point is, there’s no other group of people in the wasteland that can fly on this scale.
Even the mighty New California Republic only has a modest amount of gunships taken from
the Enclave at Navarro – and they certainly aren't using them for combat operations like
Maxson is.
The Prydwen is a modern day marvel; one of a kind really.
She was built over the course of several years.
Half of that time was spent figuring how to build the damn thing without pre-War industry
backing you up.
After that they spent another 2 years assembling the parts and making it float.
This is a rigid-frame airship, with lighter-than-air gas safely hidden inside lightweight armor
plating.
This isn’t just a simple air balloon though ED-NA.
Look over here.
On the flight deck there are four of these hefty pylons that support Jet engines which
help regulate the Prydwen’s altitude.
Few know this, but the Prydwen is actually capable of landing on the ground in emergency
situations.
Yup, she’s quite a beauty, and in old-world fashion, she requires a lot of power to operate.
Originally she drew on energy from an old fusion plant, but more recently was refitted
with new parts pulled from Rivet City's aircraft carrier.
For the Commonwealth campaign she’s now capable of crossing the vast divide between
the ruins of D.C. and Boston in no time at all.
Come on, let’s head inside.
It’s always a surprise seeing this many Brothers and Sisters in one place.
To think that just ten years ago, this chapter was completely moribund.
Twenty years under, old Lyons filed it down to a stump, a group of stragglers camping
out in the Citadel, chasing mutants across the Capital Wasteland and playing at being
knights of old...
Hell is paved with good intentions.
Lyons alienated the Elders of the West, denying him reinforcements, alienated his own people
by betraying the Brotherhood's mission, and then had the remainder throw away their lives,
chasing his white whales or doing charity for a people who couldn't care less.
I can respect Lyons for his convictions EDNA, but as a commander and leader?
It’s tough after seeing what Maxson has done with the chapter.
In no time at all he forged it into what we see here.
A powerful force, capable of reaching out and striking enemies four hundred miles away
from the Citadel.
It took only ten years.
Four of them under Maxson's direct leadership.
And the Brotherhood became mighty.
Lyons did a lot of harm to the Brotherhood, true, but he also introduced reforms and changes
that were a huge step in the right direction.
The Brotherhood used to be very reclusive, as you well know, to the point of sending
aspirants to die in radioactive hellholes.
Lyons realized this was an unsustainable stance – perhaps when it became apparent that 2500
miles away from home you can't expect speedy reinforcements.
He instituted a recruitment program among the locals.
If you caught the eye of a Brotherhood member, they could sponsor you as Initiate.
I know Elder Maxson's right hand, Paladin Danse, started his career that way, under
the late Paladin Krieg.
Then there are the ranks.
Beyond the extremes – Initiates and Elders - The Brotherhood out West still divides its
ranks in threes: Scribes, Knights, and Paladins.
The first study, the second labor, the third fight.
Lyons changed all that, folding Knights and Paladins into a single combat caste, while
Scribes became responsible for manufacturing and research.
The Brotherhood is a military organization through and through, so Scribes are the closest
they have to civilians.
Maxson kept both of these changes, so I suspect history won’t soon forget Lyons and his
wise reforms.
It’s true, Maxson’s reign as Elder only spanned the last four years, and the groundwork
for his rule was laid by the previous string of Elders, elected since Lyons died and Sarah
literally bit the bullet.
However, it was he who brokered the deal that brought Outcasts into the fold, reinvented
the Brotherhood's strategy around the Prydwen, and returned the organization to its roots.
Many believe that the Brotherhood are all about technology; raiders obsessing over old
robots and rayguns, hoarding them simply for the sake of having sweet tech.
It wasn't the Brotherhood’s original mission.
They aren't some sort of Guardians of the Old Order, insanely clinging to the past.
They were once a force for good, preserving knowledge and technology for the future, not
merely military technology, but also physics.
Chemistry.
Medicine.
I’m sad to say that many have forgotten that over the years.
You could easily argue that the Followers of the Apocalypse have done more to forward
that goal in recent decades.
That was until the next great Maxson reminded his people of who they were and what they
can be.
Technology is merely the means to an end.
The laser rifles, power armor, Vertibirds, even the mighty Prydwen herself, are all tools
in the quest to save humanity from its worst impulses.
To paraphrase Head Scribe Vree, the Brotherhood is once more the salvation for this tortured
planet and its people.
And while humanity won't perish without them, it will certainly thrive with them present
and helping.
Who would have thought a decade ago that the Brotherhood would have an entire separate
caste just for their air fleet?
The Lancers.
This airship is just as impressive on the inside as she is on the outside, wouldn’t
you say?
The main deck here is the beating heart of the Prydwen, and we’re standing where most
of the crew sleeps.
This deck is located under those giant gas containers I mentioned earlier.
Did you know that Hydrogen is the lightest element on earth?
It helps keep the airship afloat, but it’s also highly flammable.
If one of these containers ever ignited, well, this is the last place I’d want to be.
The Prydwen is mighty, and built to withstand a lot of punishment, but she doesn't carry
weapons.
She relies on her crew to defend her, and gunships to get that army where it can do
the most damage.
The enemy doesn’t know what hit ‘em.
And knowing Maxson, it's pretty obvious who that enemy is.
Yes EDNA.
The Institute, as well as any other group that gets in their way.
Like the swarms of feral ghouls below at the airport.
Or the supermutants that roam the Commonwealth.
Or, especially, raiders.
The Brotherhood is once again at war.
I figure Teagan's already planning on how to source the resources locally.
He'll probably leave it to the brothers to decide on how to get food from local farmers.
Hopefully he'll pick the right people for the job.
People who aren't monsters that rob others at gunpoint.
The Brotherhood, even on a war footing, has standards – and if they are to win the hearts
and minds of the local population, they need more than just Vertibirds zooming above, exterminating
threats to the people's life and property, ensuring they can live their lives safely,
without fear of being eaten by a grue.
Kells' Lancers will have their hands full, as will Ingram's Scribes in ensuring everyone
has enough gear to fight.
But I wager the most important part will be done by Quinlan and Ingram.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
But that- is a story for another day...