Squire Peters shivered as she trudged through the deep snow. She had dealt with winters in the Capital Wasteland before, but this was by far the harshest she had ever seen. It didn’t feel right. Normally, Peters would have bitched about it endlessly, but doing that now would probably earn her a rebuke and a lecture later on about the importance of staying vigilant and not causing distractions when in the field.

Determined to avoid that particular pain in the ass, Peters rolled her shoulders and quickly scanned her surroundings. Her, Squire Maxson, the Wonderbolts, and Star Paladin Cross were making their way slowly from Galaxy News to Rivet City, following a clear route through the ruins that Liberty Prime had smashed open weeks ago to make the trip easier between the outpost and the Citadel. All of the buildings on either side had been trashed too, to discourage ambushes. The new route had proven so useful that the Brotherhood, and the handful of scavengers who tried their luck downtown, had taken to using it exclusively instead of risking the danger-infested metro tunnels. Unfortunately, the clear route also provided absolutely no cover from the snow and the cold.

“Why is the snow so fucking bad this year?” One of the Wonderbolts muttered.

“Zip it, Hill. You’re supposed to be setting an example for the Squires,” Paladin Metzger shot.

Peters struggled to keep a smirk off her face. She had a lot of respect for Metzger and her Wonderbolts. The squad had kept her and Maxson safe at Galaxy News while all hell broke loose at the Citadel, repeatedly proving how badass they were against occasional Super Mutant raids and a feral ghoul horde that vomited forth from the subway tunnels one night. Still, Peters thought it was nice to know that they were as pissed off about the snow as she was.

“The snow is much worse than usual. The Scribes believe there’s a good chance that the spread of Equestrian magic has something to do with it,” Cross noted. “Don’t let your guard down.”

Nodding in silent agreement, Peters flashed her a subtle glance. The Star Paladin had died, had literally been impaled and shot through by a hulking magical monstrosity. Then she had been resurrected as an undead freak by an unbelievably sketchy Enclave senator during what was absolutely going to become one of the most legendary battles in the history of the Capital Wasteland, and everyone was expected to just be… okay with it. A bunch of other Brotherhood troops had been resurrected as well but, apparently, none of them had retained their intelligence like Cross had, so they had been released from the magic and buried with dignity at the Citadel Ruin.

Peters didn’t like it.

“I’ve heard that the Super Mutants have been a lot less active recently, even here in the downtown ruins,” Maxson ventured, breaking her train of thought. “Could they finally be dying out?”

Cross hummed thoughtfully as she eyed their surroundings. “It’s possible. The Rainbooms managed to damage the MetaHuman supply of FEV when they infiltrated Vault 87 with Knight-Sergeants Fawkes and Smith, but we don’t know how much they had stored, or indeed if they have a method of producing more. We can’t dismiss the Meta’s as a threat yet.”

“Even if we could, there’s still feral ghouls, Talon Company, raider crews, and all kinds of wildlife we’ve got to watch out for,” Peters added. “Keep your eyes open, twerp.”

Hill snorted loudly, making Maxson grimace with embarrassment, but any further retorts were shut down by a terse word from Metzger.

The rest of the journey went by in relative silence. The group didn’t encounter any other signs of life whatsoever, not that Peters had really expected to. She knew from experience that all but the craziest or most desperate raider crews hunkered down during heavy snow. And the lack of travelers meant that even Super Mutants didn’t usually bother hunting in severe weather, even if they were perfectly capable of it. They tended to spend winter throwing themselves at struggling settlements and encampments instead.

As the group was on the last leg of their trek, making their way up the road to the embarkment building, Peters was surprised to see a bunch of different power armored people working to clear away debris from the surrounding area and sort any useful scrap into piles. Several of them were Brotherhood of Steel, but at least as many were wearing a completely different mark to the others that lacked any of the usual Brotherhood identifiers. Twilight was working alongside them, using her magic to strip ancient vehicles down into their constituent parts. Peters couldn’t help but watch in awe as she casually dismantled an entire coach like it was a simple kid’s puzzle.

“That’s not military power armor. Are they Enclave?” Metzger asked.

Cross nodded. “They’re construction and maintenance suits. The Enclave is even offering to trade some to Rivet City itself.”

“Jesus Christ, it must be nice to have so much power armor that you can use it for goddamn maintenance,” Hill spat.

“If it makes you feel any better, the Brotherhood is trading for some of their old military suits, including T-60’s and X-01’s,” Cross told him. “As Paladins, you’ll be first in line for all the best new gear.”

“Awww, yeah,” one of the other Wonderbolts said appreciatively.

The Wonderbolts became more talkative now that they were in the shadow of Rivet City, but Peters noticed that none of them let their guard down until they had crossed the bridge and were all safely aboard. As soon as the door closed Cross turned back to the others. “Good job, people. Wonderbolts, report to Chief Harkness in the tower, then you’re free to take some time to rest. Maxson, Peters, come with me.”

Peters barely heard her. She retained just enough awareness to follow along with Maxson, but her attention was well and truly stolen by her fantastical surroundings. The Knights had swapped stories about how the Rainbooms’ magic had changed Rivet City, and Three Dog never missed an opportunity to read out reports and messages from people about how spectacular the city had become, but even the most exaggerated tale just didn’t do it justice.

“Did the Rainbooms really do all of this?” Maxson asked, awestruck.

“Not directly,” Cross replied as she hunched to fit her power-armored bulk through a door. “The same wave of magic that hit the Citadel hit here, too, but the radioactive water, a bunch of reckless experiments and a little guidance from the Rainbooms afterwards helped encourage the growth you see before you.” She paused and looked at the walls with a wry smile. “I have to admit though, things have progressed a lot since I was last here. It’s incredible just how quickly this magic is growing and spreading.”

Peters raised a hand to her throat and stroked the little crystal that had been affixed to her holotags. So far, all she had been able to do with it was give herself a tiny set of useless wings, but she couldn’t help but wonder if her magic would grow just like Rivet City’s had. Even if it didn’t, she couldn’t help but feel excited about being connected to something so awesome.

The magic wasn’t the only thing that caught Peters’ eye. Between her time as a raider and her new life with the Brotherhood of Steel, Peters couldn’t remember what it was like to just be a normal civilian, living in an ordinary settlement. Safe. Secure. Not having to fight, swindle, or fuck just to get a decent fucking meal.

A faint sense of resentment set in as Peters walked through the city. The residents were wandering around without a care in the world, not having to worry about getting mauled by wild animals, or constantly looking over their shoulder in case one of the stoned psychos they hung out with decided to stab them on a whim. Half of them would probably be dead in a day if they got kicked out of their pretty little city. Peters knew that she wasn’t really being fair, but she couldn’t help it. Lady Luck could be an absolute bitch sometimes.

“I don’t know what crawled up your ass and died in the last five minutes, but check your expression, we’re about to see the Elder,” Maxson said under his breath.

Peters bit her tongue before she could spit out a vile retort. She sighed heavily, then straightened up, composed herself, and gave Maxson a curt nod in thanks. “How much further?”

“We’re here,” Cross replied as she came to a sudden halt outside a door.

Peters frowned, wondering why the hell there weren’t any guards posted outside, but she kept her mouth shut. Her unspoken question was answered when they entered. The room was surprisingly spacious, or it would be if it didn’t have half a dozen Knights in it, twice as many Scribes, and a handful of bulky computers resembling those that used to be kept in the Citadel’s archives.

“Cross, over here.” Peters looked around to see Elder Lyons sitting at one of the terminals with Sunset Shimmer, waving the three over. “I’m glad to see you made it. Did you have any trouble on the journey?”

“None whatsoever,” Cross replied.

“Good. I don’t think things are going to stay peaceful for long, but I’ll take whatever grace we can get for the moment.” The Elder nodded respectfully to Cross. “I’ll take this from here, go get some rest.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Cross snapped a crisp salute and left immediately.

Peters felt a little apprehensive standing before two of the most powerful women in the Capital Wasteland, especially after all of the bullshit the two had been through recently. That sort of stuff was more than enough to put someone in a bad mood, and powerful people had a tendency to take out their frustrations on those who didn’t have power, whether they deserved it or not. Neither Sunset or Sarah carried themselves like that sort of bitch, but it was hard to shake off lessons learned from years of experience.

As if to confirm her fears, Elder Lyons placed her elbow on the table and clasped her hands before fixing Peters with an uncomfortably serious look. “I’ve got some questions about your background, if you don’t mind answering.”

For one gut-wrenching moment, Peters was certain that she was about to be kicked out of the Brotherhood on account of her past as a raider. “What do you want to know?” She asked, drying to ignore how dry her mouth suddenly felt.

“You’ve been in combat before, right?” The Elder asked. “I don’t mean a punch-up over some random thing, but a real, honest to god gunfight as part of a team against another armed group.”

Peters was caught flat-footed by the question, but answered honestly, “Uh, yeah, I’ve been in a few, but most of the time I was just stuck at the back to provide cover fire or sent around the flanks.” It would have been easy for Peters to lie and say that she had been right at the forefront of every raid, exaggerating how badass she was, but there didn’t seem to be much point here. There weren’t any assholes that needed impressing or warning off.

Despite her lack of exaggeration, Elder Lyons nodded with satisfaction. “Good. Hand me your holo-tags.” The request threw Peters off even more, but, reluctantly, she pulled her holo-tags over her head and placed them in the Elder’s outstretched hand, the attached gemstone rattling with every movement. Lyons stuck the tags in a port in the terminal, typed in some sort of command, then pulled them back out and handed them back. “There, I’ve officially promoted you to Initiate. We’ll hold a proper ceremony in a day or two, but your new rank applies as of this moment.”

Peters stared down at the holo-tags in her hand in blank shock. “Uh… what?”

“You’re an Initiate,” Elder Lyons repeated. “Paladin Shimmer will be your Proctor as part of the Order of the Staff. However, since she and the Rainbooms will be spending a lot of time on operations out in the wastes, most of the time you’ll answer directly to me. We’re still working out the details of trade with the Enclave but, depending on how things go, we should be able to issue and train you with a suit of power armor within a week or so.”

“Power armor?” Peters felt a rush of excitement at those words. She had been longing for the day that she could swagger around in a T-45 suit like a walking tank, but she never dreamed that it would be happening so soon.

Maxson stepped forward and reached for his holo-tags as well, only to be forestalled as Elder Lyons held up a hand. “Sorry, Maxson, but not today. I’m uncomfortable enough sending a fifteen year old into combat, there’s no way I’m sending in a ten year old. Keep training, prove yourself over the next few years, master your training, show me that you can follow orders, and you’ll rise through the ranks before you know it.”

Maxson deflated, clearly disappointed, but nevertheless gave a resigned nod. “Yes, Elder.”

“Congrats on the promotion, but now comes the shit part, Initiate,” Sunset cut in, shattering Peters’ daydreams. “Do you remember a guy by the name of Devan?”

The mere mention of that name felt to Peters like a bucket of icy water thrown in her face. She put her hands behind her back to hide the fact that she was clenching them so tightly it was painful. “Yeah, I do. How do you know him?” Peters asked, struggling to keep her tone as respectful as she could.

“After we discovered that you’re a counterpart of a friend of ours back home, Rainbow realized that we had a lead on some other possible counterparts, so I did a little digging,” Sunset replied. “Devan’s name came up in my search. From what I’ve heard, he hasn’t shown his face around here in years, but he does have a few old acquaintances still living here. Some of them knew your parents.” Sunset crossed her arms and watched Peters carefully. “Before he disappeared, he told some of them that he had found you and your parents all dead, and that he was the one who buried your bodies.”

“That fucking lying cunt!” Peters exclaimed viciously. She opened her mouth to tell them exactly what that lying filth had really done, but she froze when she noticed that the whole room had suddenly gone very quiet. It took a second further for her to realize that she was leaning over the table aggressively, her fists shaking at her sides, and that she had just spewed some fairly vile language in front of the Brotherhood’s Elder. She blushed and forced herself to straighten up. “Uh, sorr-”

“I don’t give a damn about your language right now. Just tell us what you know of him,” Elder Lyons said flatly.

Peters nodded gratefully and made an effort to keep her tone more polite, “Devan wasn’t there when my parents died. Deathclaws got ‘em, those fuckers don’t usually leave enough behind to bury. The only reason I survived was because I was filming the whole fucking scenario from a nearby hideaway.”

Sunset and the Elder both winced in sympathy. Awful memories stirred in the back of Peters’ mind, but she shoved them back and stubbornly continued, “Anyway, I tried to get back home to Megaton afterwards, and ran into Devan on the way. He had always been a friend of the family, so I told him what had happened. I knew I had other relatives out there somewhere, so I asked if he could help me find them, but when I asked he shook his head and said…” Peters cleared her throat and lowered her gaze to the floor. “He said that they had expected something like this to happen eventually, that they didn’t want to deal with my parents’ dumb mistakes. They paid him to take me to Paradise Falls if my parents ended up dying and making their brat someone else’s problem. That son of a bitch would have made me a slave if I hadn’t put a bullet in his leg and ran like fuck.”

The two women listening both sighed heavily. “Paradise Falls.” Elder Lyons huffed and turned to Sunset. “Looks like Sister was telling the truth, Devan was a slaver.”

Peters snapped her head back up. “Wait a minute, who’s Sister? And what do you mean about Devan being a slaver?”

“Sister is one of Devan’s old aquaintances,” Sunset replied. “I’ve suspected that Devan was a slaver for a while, but I only managed to confirm it when I spoke to Sister earlier today, and you right now. I wanted to bring all of this up with you before, but with all of the shit that’s been going on with the Enclave and Unity I haven’t had a chance.”

The revelation that her old betrayer might actually have been a slaver the whole time made Peters’ head spin. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to get her thoughts in order and piece everything together in her head. “If he was a slaver, then he was just doing his job, right? So why would he bother telling people that I was dead?”

“Because he lied to you,” Sunset said grimly. “Devan was never paid to get rid of you. My best guess is that he stumbled across you in the wastes, assumed you’d be an easy mark when he heard that your parents were dead, and took the opportunity to make some quick caps. He must have spread the lie that you were dead to cover his ass after you slipped through his fingers.”

Peters slowly lowered her hand and stared at Sunset as a terrible realization dawned. “So… my relatives…?”

“Two aunts, both living together alive and well here in Rivet City, and both believed that you had died all those years ago until I spoke to them,” Sunset explained. Peters was lost for words. She felt like the floor was falling away beneath her feet, and the sting of Devan’s betrayal burned as freshly as it had back when her parents had died. Seeing her expression, Sunset gently said, “They would love to meet you, but they wanted that to be up to you. What do you think? Do you want to meet them?”

Peters didn’t have a clue. She had spent years thinking about what she would do if she ever found her relatives, but it had always been through the lens of revenge. The prospect of meeting them in a peaceful setting was almost entirely alien to her. If she was honest with herself, Peters had, on her darkest days, occasionally imagined what it might be like to have a real family again, but she had never even dreamed that it might actually come true.

“For fuck’s sake, Scoots, are you seriously going to say no?” Maxson asked incredulously.

“Call me Scoots again and I’ll rip your dick off,” Peters hissed. She shook her head and drew in a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “You’re right, though. I… I do want to meet them.”

Sunset nodded and stood up. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Wait, now?!” Peters yelped.

“If Elder Lyons will allow it,” Sunset replied with a glance at the Elder, who just nodded back. “Perfect. Would you rather I come with you, or should I just tell you where they live so you can go at your own pace?”

Peters shook her head vigorously. “No, let’s get this over and done with.”

Sunset nodded again and headed towards the door. Peters followed in her wake, her mind reeling as she tried to come to terms with what had just happened. One simple conversation had almost entirely shattered everything that she thought was the truth.

“Where exactly do they live?” Peters asked, in an attempt to distract herself from her own feelings with a normal question.

“They’ve got a room in the Weatherly Hotel, halfway across this deck,” Sunset told her. “Hopefully they’re in. If not, we’ll just have to-” She was cut off as she opened the door and stumbled across two middle-aged women grilling a Scribe who must have been returning from an errand.

“I’ve already told you, I have no idea who your niece is,” the Scribe said in a long-suffering voice. “I’m happy to ask the Elder about her on your behalf, but I cannot let you in there without authorization.”

One of the women puffed herself up and planted her fists on her hips, as if she was about to give the poor Scribe the scolding of a lifetime, only to suddenly switch tack when she spotted Sunset. “Oh, Lady Shimmer! We’re trying to find out if Maddie is safe after what happened at the Citadel, but we can’t get anything out of these Brotherhood mooks.” She punctuated her last word with a glare at the Scribe.

“Uh, about that…” Sunset stepped aside and glanced awkwardly at Peters. “Initiate Peters, these two are Jackie and Holly. They’re, uh, they’re your aunts.”

Stunned silence reigned for several seconds. Peters and the two women stared at each other in shock, neither making a move, until finally one of the women cautiously half-raised her arms. It was clear that she was hoping for a hug, but Peters couldn’t get her legs or mouth to work one way or the other. She was rooted to the spot.

Seeing the hesitation from the three of them, Sunset rolled her eyes, snatched the front of Peters’ uniform faster before she could even blink, and practically threw her at the two women. One of them let out a loud ‘oof’ as they collided, but Peters still felt two pairs of arms crush her tightly, as if they never intended to let her go. She tensed up, everything moving too fast for her to keep up, but the sensation of being held, by someone who wasn’t trying to force themselves on her, slowly softened her up. Hesitantly, Peters reached out to hug her aunts back.

Next Chapter: Chapter 160 - Improvements Estimated time remaining: 9 Hours, 44 Minutes