Forged from Steel: Chapter 1

  • The classroom was incredibly silent, every student, squires and initiates alike, await the day's lesson.  Unfortunately, the teacher for today, Scribe Clarke was late... again. While Scribe Clarke was an impressive genius, she had a habit of getting... distracted, with her experiments. Be it a way to cleanse radiation without causing the subject's immune system becoming weaker for a time as the result of radaway, or a new type of pain reliever... she would keep herself trapped in her lab for hours at a time. The desks in the room were ordered in rows of four by four. The newest recruits sat in front while the eldest sat at the back. A few of the desks weren't currently seating anyone, at least not in the way they were intended. Many of the newer members sat in their chairs patiently while the more experienced were more relaxed, sitting on top of the tables and talking to each other to pass the time. 15 minutes go by until she arrives, finally. Her standard issue scribe robes had soot marks at the edge of the hem, her eyeglasses sit on top of her head as she unfastens her goggles. Once off, she drops the goggles lazily onto the desk in the front of the classroom. "Sorry young ones..." She starts while undoing her messy bun, soft brunette locks with a streak of grey cascade down, hiding some of her sharp features. Her thin lips show a smile. "I was trying to test some mixtures and the results were rather... explosive." She gives a giggle, but then coughs as no one laughs. "Anyways, today we will focus on history, namely, our history here in the Commonwealth. With the amount of misinformation spreading across the wasteland it is best to properly inform new members." Some of the teens and young adults started to groan, their hopes for an easy day with no classes have ended. "Question 1... why did we come to the Commonwealth? Why not stay in the Capital Wasteland?" As she speaks, she writes out the first question on the black chalkboard. A few hands were raised to answer, some more timid than others. As Scribe Clarke surveyed the room, she suited on one of the squires from the front row of the class. "You, Squire Kinley." As he was picked out, he shakily lowers his left arm. "Umm... t-the Brotherhood was l-looking for tech... ma'am..." Scribe Clarke smiled. "Yes, but there was another reason as well. Do you know what it is?" "Umm... unusual readings?" "Very good. We had been receiving strange energy readings from the Commonwealth and we wished to find it. The idea of someone finding technology so powerful that could be detected from the Capital Wasteland was a scary thought... question 2... what was that energy signature?" A few more hands raised. "You, Initiate Jackson." She points towards the rather muscular initiate. Small scars covered his face, as his cocky smile raised. "The Institute. They had a hidden base under the old CIT building." "Correct, there, they were "perfecting" their so called synths. Horrifying creatures made artificially, believing themselves to be human, able to fake emotion and pose as anyone. With the help of Sentinel Cruz, we were able to create our trump card, our secret weapon that would crush the Institute... Liberty Prime. Once we learned how to enter their base, we arrived and quickly dispatched them and their projects. At this, the room filled with fake enthusiasm. While one soldier may enjoy hearing about a war story... being taught it and having the same story repeated multiple times made it lose its mystique. "Now, question 3... what happened to our old base, the Prydwen?" The class was silent. No one's arm was raised. Mumbling could be heard from a few classmates. After a few moments, one arm did raise. "Yes, you Sarah." Sarah lowered her hand. "There was an accident with the nuclear core powering the ship. It started to leak radiation and drain faster than it should have. They lowered the ship to the airport landing strip and made the airport the new base of operations, at least until a new nuclear core can be found to power the ship again." At this, the teacher nodded. "Correct, very good Sarah. For now, this airport will serve as an adequate replacement. Moving on, let us turn to even further back-" As Scribe Clarke says this, the door to the classroom opens with a creak. A man in standard Brotherhood fatigues enters the classroom, standing at attention. Despite the wrinkles on his face, and the gray in his mustache and stubble, his build and stature mimic that of someone in their prime. "Excuse me Scribe Clarke." As her eyes fall to the man, her usual easygoing demeanor sobers. She brings her right hand to her chest and stands up straight, the brotherhood salute. "Good morning Captain Kells. What do you require?" "Elder Maxson requires the presence of his daughter." "Yes sir." turning to the class, "Sarah, you have your orders, Captain Kells will see you out." At that she nods and exits her seat, walking to Kells. As she neared him, Kells turned around and exited the class, she followed in close pursuit, closing the door just as Ms. Clarke continued her lesson. As she walked besides him, she couldn't help but feel intimidated by Captain Kells. His reputation as a relentless drill teacher and a war machine in a combat zone. His cold and serious expression almost never faltered in front of others. After a few seconds of stealing glances at him, he turned to look at her. "Something wrong Initiate?" Sarah opened her eyes widely, "Umm... sorry sir. I just was wondering if I'd be briefed on what my dad wanted." He shook his head. "Not for me to know or say. My orders were simply to retrieve you." The way to the Elder's office was not far from the class, down two halls and to the right, the first door. These were recently renovated, thanks to more automatrons  our scribes created. Each one was either an Assaultron or Protectron retrofitted to work as a labor force. The paladins that no longer needed to lift every beam or pound in each bolt certainly appreciated  the new help. "Hello ma'am, have a nice day!"  One Protectron exclaims as they pass by. Captain Kells activated the door opener for the Elder's office. As the crimson sliding office doors flew open, Sara was greeted to the sight of her dad, Elder Arthur Maxson. His eyes not leaving the scuffed desk before him, multiple reports and stacks of papers lay spread across. Kells motioned his arm towards the door, signalling for her to enter. With a nod of her head, Sarah enters the Elder's office. As she passes Kells, the door closes behind her. The room was rather bare compared to other offices or barracks. Few decorations littered around, leaving the room with an almost empty feeling. With constant renovations, it was made clear to only keep essentials in rooms. A sigh escaped her father's lips, his eyes close as his hands cover his face. "Excuse me, Father? You wished to see me?" Sarah interrupts as she stands up straight, arms behind her back. "Hmm? Ah, Sarah, yes." He lowers his hands, helping him stand. "I hope I'm not intruding." A chuckle escapes, his voice making it sound more gruff than intended. "To be honest, you're giving me a moment of peace with this. Do you know what day it is?" Sarah raises a brow at this, "October 7th... why?" "You do know what happens in a few days correct?" Sarah's eyes dart around the room, trying to think of what could be happening... an exam? An escort mission? A meeting? "I can't believe you've forgotten your own birthday." At that, Sarah's eyes widen, the past few weeks have been spent on focusing on her lessons and training drills. "And here I was planning on giving you your birthday gift early. Oh well, I guess it can wait..." "No!" At her own outburst, Sarah coughs in embarrassment. "I mean... why so early?" "Your Mother and I planned to give you your gift on your birthday, when she returned from her scouting mission in the south. But she sent a transmission that she'd be a bit late. A radstorm came in and slowed her down a little. She's fine, just forced to take shelter longer than expected." As he explained, he walked to his cabinet. Sarah tries to stand on the tips of her toes to get a better look at what her dad grabbed. When he walks back to Sarah, she notices what he's holding. The metal shine, the capacitor powered by a Microfusion cell... "Is that an AER9 laser rifle?!" She manages to stutter out. Arthur smiles and nods. "But... only Knights are issued a laser rifle dad." "You are correct Initiate Sar- I'm sorry, Knight Sarah." Her heart starts beating at a mile a minute, she pulls her dad in for a tight hug, unable to get rid of the giant grin on her face. As they part, Arthur hands her the rifle. "Think we can go to the target practice range? I want to test this." "You go ahead, I still have these reports from the West chapters to read over. But have fun honey. Happy early birthday." She salutes her father and rushes out of the office, eager to test her skill with the weapon.

Comments

2 Comments
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  April 22, 2016
    Great to see this up Bryn.
  • ProbsCoolerThanYou
    ProbsCoolerThanYou   ·  April 22, 2016
    Great intro and a creative way to get exposition across. One thing, there are a couple times where you briefly change tenses. You should try to keep it all one.