A Collaboration with [@crimson paladin] [color=ed1c24][u][b] Major Addams - NCRCF - Midnight, November 18th [/b][/u][/color] Addams woke with startle as the alarm pierced the still night air, muffled though it was by the thick walls of the administration center. He was dressed in his night clothes, his boots hastily tied and his service pistol in hand when he made it into the central admin office. The building had no true windows but the second story held a number of slotted viewports.The metal shutters had been open to let in the night air and through these openings Addams could hear the crackle of gunfire and the snap of energy weapons. They were under attack, that much was clear. But who their assaulters were and their purpose was unknown. There was a call on the radio, Addams picked up the receiver as several other officers entered the office. “This is West Tower One. The perimeter fence has been breached, I repeat, the camp has been breached. Over” “This is Major Addams. Can you ID the attackers? Over.” “No sir. But they’re heavily armed and armored. Over” “Understood, provide overwatch and keep us updated. Over and out.” Addams turned towards his command staff. They’re faces were white and their eyes wide with fright. A few of them were veterans of the Legion war but most had been recruited in peace time. Few had seen a battle in person and none had believed the prison would be attacked. They had been trained to suppress riots and catch escapees not withstand a siege. Addams knew that their resolve hinged upon his own. He swallowed the fear that grew within him and set about his duties. “We need three signal flares fired. That’ll draw up reinforcements from Sloan and Primm if any patrols are in the area. We’ll call up Fort Gulf and update the colonel on the situation as well. However, we won’t be seeing any backup tonight. Our forces are too few and too far to support us immediately. That means we must hold. We don’t know who we’re dealing with but that doesn’t matter. We’re third infantry. That means we don’t back down and we don’t give them an inch. Hooah!” “Hooah!” came the response and the soldiers jumped into position. Addams pointed to a lean officer with short cropped hair near the doorway. “Lt. Newman. Gather the suppression team and raid the armory. I want machine guns on both western towers and every trooper armed to the tooth.” The young man hesitated and looked at Addams, his wide white eyes and thin nose giving him the appearance of a confused owl. “Shouldn’t we recall the men? Hold here for reinforcements.?” “You’d have me start this defense with a call to retreat?” Addam’s sneered and Newman avoided his gaze. The lieutenant nodded, grabbed a few others and set off for the armory. Addams joined another officer at the viewport and was handed a pair of binoculars. He peered down into the mayhem that consumed the work camp. The fence had been blown in and despite every spotlight from the prison being centered on the camp the dark black smoke from burning tents and shelters obscured the battle. Bodies ran everywhere, in ragged lines and tightly packed squads. Some were isolated and fought from the cover of makeshift shelters, others ran headlong out the breached fence into the night. Some lay sprawled in contorted and uncomfortable positions in the dirty alleyways and streets. An arching snap of light flashed across Addam’s face and smoldered into the concrete wall surrounding the viewport. He ducked instinctively then popped up and continued his observation. The attackers were wielding energy weapons, their forms bulky and they advanced through the camp using balanced infantry tactics. A sickening revelation dawned on Addams and he had to place his hand on the wall to keep his knees from buckling. A call came from the communications officer they’d made contact with Fort Gulf. Addams pushed off the wall and grabbed hold of the radio’s microphone. “This is Major Addams. The prison is under attack. Seeking immediate reinforcements. Over” “This is Colonel Abernathy. We are mustering a relief party now. Can you identify the hostiles? Over.” Addams held the microphone for a second unsure of what to say. He looked at the communications officer. A young woman with a look of genuine fright chiseled upon her face. “It is the Brotherhood of Steel. Over.” There was a pause and the other officers in the room looked at Addams, he avoided their eyes. And kept focused on the microphone. He only heard static and wondered if his message had been received or if the Brotherhood had jammed their communications. “Understood Major. Hold them. Over and out.” Was all the colonel said and Addams knew what it meant. The administration office was quiet when Addams put the microphone down. He could see in their movements and eyes that the soldiers were terrified. None other than himself had faced the Brotherhood in battle before. They had thought them all dead and gone if they were even real to begin with. Now they were faced with the terrible reality of pre-war firepower in the hands of fanatics. Addams knew that with a concentrated effort the Brotherhood would blow their way into the office and kill them all. There would be no prisoners taken, no quarter given. He expected the same treatment Denver and himself had given them at Helios One. With few options left and his desperation growing, Addams made a bold choice. There was only way they could receive reinforcements within the hour. He looked at the communications officer, she was sweating. “Call up the Van-Graff headquarters.” ----------------------------------------------------- “Save your ammo for the 3rd, and make every shot count!" Hardin commanded his troops as they advanced into the work camp, cutting down any barricades in their way. The Sentinel's plan for attacking NCRCF called for ignoring any NCRCF employee that didn't shoot back. Irving's rationale was no doubt because he was soft, while Hardin's was simply because without the support of the entire chapter, they couldn't afford to waste any time or ammo blasting fodder. The NCR soldiers in their way would receive no such mercy, however. Long had Hardin and the Mojave chapter been denied vengeance for the disaster at HELIOS One, and they would forestall it no longer. The Head Paladin had little concern for what would happen to the prisoners that managed to escape. With any luck, the NCR would be thrust into a dilemma of whether to commit to fighting the Brotherhood or commit to scooping up the prisoners before they can start to inflict damage to their presence. NCRCF held a mix of political prisoners and hardened raiders, and both shades of escapees could potentially cause real harm to the NCR in the Mojave. The work camp was only the first step, however- ahead lay the fenced prison complex. As foreboding as it may be for lesser men and women, it was meant to keep unarmed prisoners in, not keep power armored soldiers out. ------------------------------------------------------- [u][b][color=ed1c24]Hidden Valley Bunker - Midnight, November 18th[/color][/b][/u] "Sentinel! Sentinel! Wake up, something serious has happened!" Irving was stirred from his sleep by a frantic scribe. "Report, Scribe. What is the emergency?" he asked, still a bit drowsy but almost fully awake. "It's Hardin, sir. He's gone forward with the attack on NCRCF!" "What?" the Sentinel jolted from his bed. "How? Did the Elder approve of this?" This was serious. The attack was meant to be a last resort if the NCR further interfered with the Brotherhood's operations. Now that it had been carried out, now that the Brotherhood had escalated, there would be no going back. "No, but Hardin claims that both you and McNamara are guilty of violating the Codex, and has rallied almost half the chapter to his side. He doesn't yet have enough support to have you two removed, but he believes he has enough support to go ahead with our plans to liberate NCRCF." In the time it took for the scribe to explain that, the Sentinel was already halfway dressed. "Fire up our radio transmitters!" Irving commanded. "If Hardin has followed the plans to the letter, the NCR needs to be warned about the mines before they try to send reinforcements!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Major Addams crouched low under the viewport and was just able to make out the advance of several squads of brotherhood soldiers from the work camp. They moved carefully, two at a time advanced to the prison walls while the others provided suppressive fire. More than once he saw one of the attackers drop to a knee before crashing to the ground in a hail of gunfire. Lt. Newman had been able to get heavy weapons to the guard towers but Addams knew they wouldn’t be able to hold them back much longer. The attack had gone on for nearly a quarter of an hour and he knew that soon the NCR soldiers would run out of ammo. The prison armories had never been stocked for prolonged engagements and without reinforcements Addams feared his troops would surrender. He couldn’t allow that. The Van-Graffs had confirmed they were sending several dozen CSF agents via the railway but Addams hadn’t heard from them since the initial call. He wondered if the Van-Graffs had even told him the truth. They might not be keen to send their private army to a prison break when they were responsible for the imprisonment of half the people there. Addams moved to the Northern viewport. From there he could watch west tower one provide overwatch fire on the advancing brotherhood forces. There was a break in the automatic fire and Addams watched two young soldiers hastily reload the light machine gun they were using. Just as they closed the action and racked the first round into the chamber, the entire top of the tower was consumed in a painfully bright flash of sickly green light. Addams dropped below the viewport and rubbed at his eyes. They stung and he saw spots when he opened them. He risked another glance at the tower and through the hazy floaters in his eye he saw the top half of the guardhouse was gone. The rest smoldered and smoked. A figure lay stretched out on the top flight of stairs. His back was burned horribly and skin peeled off like discarded clothing. Addams shuddered at the image and dropped back down. He thought he saw the man moving but he convinced himself it was a trick of the light. There was another explosion and the viewport was clogged with smoke and debris. Addams moved away towards the radio. “They’ve breached the wall.” The comms officer looked up at Addams. Her eyes were wide and red and she held the emergency radio out for him to take. “What’s your order?” “Fallback.” Was all he could utter. “Fallback.” he repeated as he moved to another viewport. He wiped his binoculars against his undershirt, his hands were shaking from the adrenaline and fear. “Fallback to the admin center.” Came the comms officer’s voice over the radio. “I repeat, fallback to the admin center. All soldiers unable to access the admin center should report to the gatehouse. I repeat, all soldiers unable to access the admin center report to the gatehouse.” Addams didn’t watch her give the command but he heard it echoed outside on the loudspeakers. He peaked up over the lip of the viewport and watched as the Brotherhood forces forced their way into the prison and advanced towards the administration center. A squad of NCR soldiers retreated from west tower two but were caught by the Brotherhood forces and immediately gunned down. Addams had to look away and he buried his face in his hands. He was going to die, they were all going to die. Panic and desperation threatened to overtake him and he got up and walked quickly to the door. He was stopped by the grim-faced Lt. Newman, behind him were several NCR soldiers, scorched and bloody from the battle outside. “We’ve evacuated the eastern towers but couldn’t reach the rest. We brought those we could to the clinic. Major, we cannot hold out. Where are our reinforcements?” The young officer’s breathing was rapid and shallow. “No one will be here tonight. We’re all alone.” Addam’s shook his head. “Pull yourself together lieutenant.” The sounds of battle from outside began to dim. The smoke from burning shelters and towers obstructed most of the view but Addams was able to see the Brotherhood forces breaking into the central prison quarters. Some of the prisoners were killed, others ran off into the night. One squad of Brotherhood warriors congregated around the gatehouse, trading fire with what NCR troops were trapped inside. Then came a noise below. A great pounding that caught the attention of everyone in the administration office. The Brotherhood were beating the armored doors down. Around him his staff began to arm themselves, they looked to Addams for a command. They would have to sell their lives dearly. That much was obvious to Addams. As long as they held the Brotherhood here in combat they would give Denver a chance to assist them. Or in the very least avenge them. Just as the Brotherhood surrounded and struck at the prison so too would they be penned in the gulch and slaughtered. If only Addams could buy Denver enough time. Lt. Newman spoke, “We should consider negotiations.” “Negotiations?” Addam’s eyes narrowed, “Are you stupid? There is no negotiating with fanatics.” The prison had been breached, most of his soldiers had been slaughtered and now the survivors faced a certain death and this office wished to hasten the inevitable? The cowardice was revolting and Addams fought the urge to physically reprimand the lieutenant. “Remember your place Lt. Newman.” Had he failed them? Addams felt a terrible desperation well up within him. Fear had worn on his nerves and his thoughts and words were bitter. He stepped past the young officer and into the hallway. There were a few troopers squatting, wounded and scared. He avoided eye contact with them and made his way to the first floor. There a gaggle of soldiers were spread out in doorways and around corners, furniture had been hastily piled behind the front door. They shuddered with every strike on the door. Addams wished to share a quick word of encouragement with them. Tell them that help would be there soon, that they only needed to hold just a few minutes more. Instead he told them to fight for their lives, because the enemy would not spare them. He returned to the administration office and found Lt. Newman standing with the comms officer. Addams moved to speak but the lieutenant cut him off. “Is it my place to die sir?” Lt. Newman’s face was contorted, his sharp nose scrunched up as if he smelled something foul. Addams paused but for a moment and with a rapid twist of his body Newman brought the butt of his rifle into Addams’ face. He felt his nose crack and his vision went black. When he woke he was lying on the floor, his hands bound behind his back. A vicious pain throbbed in his face and his left eye was swollen shut. Below he could hear the terrible rhythm of the pounding on the front doors. Lt. Newman argued with the comms officer before he pushed her aside and grabbed the microphone. “This is Lt. Newman of the 3rd infantry battalion.” The voice boomed on the loudspeakers around the prison. “I wish to negotiate a surrender.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hardin signaled his men to stop, and took a moment to adjust the speaker on his helmet. "This is Head Paladin Hardin of the Brotherhood of Steel, a veteran of the Battle of HELIOS One. We have no need to indulge your pleas for negotiation- just as the 3rd showed us no quarter at HELIOS, so too will they receive none." "Head Paladin, what is the meaning of this?" a familiar voice crackled from Hardin's radio. It appeared that the Sentinel had caught wind of what they were doing and had fired up the comm relay. "Are you mad, acting without approval from your leaders?" "We had no choice, "Sentinel", your actions were in violation of the Codex," he answered. "I was forced to take action to set the Brotherhood on the correct path. The question is, will you lead us astray again, or will it fall to me to keep us on the path?" For ten seconds, there was no response. "Yes...I see," Irving responded, with a hint of concession in his voice. "Very well, give me a report, Head Paladin. How much of the prison has been taken?" "The outer camp has been liberated, and we are in the process of breaching the prison complex. The mines have been placed, in case the NCR attempts to bring in reinforcements. The NCR was attempting to surrender," he explained, a bit frustrated that the Sentinel was still demanding lenience, but pleased with how resigned he sounded. "Excellent work, Head Paladin, but this is just the beginning of the strike. Don't waste precious time cracking the NCR's inner defenses, I'm sending a relief force to deal with them and secure the prison. I need you to leave a skeleton crew behind to keep the NCR pinned down until we get here, and take the rest of your men north to strike the next target while the NCR is still flat-footed. I trust you can handle that?" "The Van Graffs won't know what hit them," Hardin replied, pleased at having forced the Sentinel's hand. "I'll be maintaining radio silence for the time being. Ad Victoriam." "For HELIOS One!" "Consider yourself lucky, Lieutenant," he shouted to the NCR officer. "My higher-up will be taking over here, and he's a far more forgiving man than I. I suggest you not try anything that will spoil his goodwill." He then picked up his radio. "All warriors begin to withdraw. The Sentinel has conceded and will be providing support. We are to head north to attack the second target immediately. Move out!" It was frustrating to miss the chance to take vengeance upon one of the perpetrators of the disaster of HELIOS One, but the Sentinel had a point- they needed to move and attack their next target, and time was of the essence. What mattered was that he had made Irving see the light.