Fictional AltHistory Scenario #3: Fallout, Part Three

Fallout 4 is finally here! Hence why there wasn't a post on Tuesday. And... it is awesome. Sorry, I meant, it's....

Only the unicorn is actually a Deathclaw, and the rainbows is really irradiated goop.

Base building, loads of crafting options, new and revamped enemies, a massive world to explore and so much more... Fallout 4 has a little bit of everything for everyone.

Anyway, to continue with the series I started a few weeks ago in the lead up to Fallout 4, lets look at another alternate scenario within the franchise, this time in Bethesda's first foray into the series, Fallout 3.

Point of Divergence

I'll be honest: Fallout 3 had the weakest story of the entire franchise, and I've been thinking about what exactly I can take from it and twist around, as I am wont to do. I don't want to talk about "What if the Enclave succeeds in occupying Project Purity," because, well, I already did and Enclave thing. And if you need a refresher there, check out that article. Basically the same thing happens, just a bit more confined to Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas.

And that means the internet. ALL OF IT!

So, instead let's look at the other big faction in the game, the Brotherhood of Steel. The power armored troops you see at the Citadel/Pentagon is just a group from the Brotherhood that was originally established on the West Coast, sent to the old American capital to find technology. However, their leader, Elder Lyons, decided to do his best to help the people of the Wasteland, leading to several people defecting to the Outcasts and the West Coast chapter disavowing those in Washington. So, what if Elder Lyons croaks before he arrives in the Capital Wasteland (say when the Brotherhood wipes out the mutants and raiders out of The Pitt), and the Brotherhood soldiers there full fill their primary goal: recover any advanced technology to preserve it for future generations.

Consequences

The BoS expedition to the Capital Wasteland was, for the most part, a success. A massive robot was found underneath the Pentagon, Liberty Prime. Although it was still in a non-working state, it was carefully removed from it's location under the Pentagon and sent back west on a massive airship. Other technologies, such as power armor, energy weapons, documents from various Vault-Tec Vaults throughout the Capital Wasteland, and anything else considered of value, while also tracking down the source of a different bread of Super Mutants like they fought on the West Coast when the Master tried to take over the world. After months of searching, the did find the source of the Super Mutants, Vault 87, and did their best to block off the entrance to prevent any more from coming out.

But almost as soon as these well armed, steel clad soldiers showed up in the Wasteland, they disappeared. Eventually it would be assumed it was just a myth they were ever there, and life proceeds back to normal. Three Dog tries to get Galaxy News Radio working again, but that lasts only as long before the first supermutant attacks and destroys the building, killing Three Dog in the process. Project Purity also never really gets off the ground without help from the angry, cannibalistic green monsters with Chinese Assault Rifles, miniguns and fire-hydrant battering rams.

Just fought a pack of deathclaws, a horde of feral ghoul reavers, a literal army of  raiders... and then you see this.
Might as well just restart the game.

At least, until the Enclave, recently defeated out west, suddenly pops up in Washington, D.C. But with heavily armed soldiers, a folksy President on the radio, and lots of resources and technology that is much more advanced than pre-Great War stuff. With a good PR campaign, and the grudging acceptance of the Capital Wasteland's inhabitants, the Encalve begins to rebuild their power. When the Enclave got word of the aborted Project Purity, President Eden asks to meet with the project's leaders, Dr. Li and James. When the President offered his support (on the condition of using the modified FEV to kill the "mutants" of the Wasteland,) they instead are able to work with Colonel Autumn, not infect Project Purity, and effectively reduce the ZAX supercomputer to irrelevance. The Enclave begins to rebuild, but after several years of ruling the Capital Wasteland, their ideology begins to soften (they still believe they are pure, superior humans, but they eventually give up on killing all the "mutants," just the ghouls and Super Mutants) and they begin to seek to expand peacefully.

On the West Coast, the Brotherhood is revitalized with the arrival of the Capital Expedition, and they are particularly pleased with the arrival of Liberty Prime. After years of work, and when Scribes Rothchild and Elijah manage to finally sort out the power issues, Liberty Prime is ready. With the relations between the NCR and Brotherhood at a low time low after a previous war that nearly destabilized the NCR but virtually destroyed the Brotherhood and forced them into hiding in the Mojave, the Brotherhood took a gamble, and started the war again when the NCR tried to expand east.

This... just going east this time.

Liberty Prime proved to be the major decider in the war, destroying any attempts by the NCR to invade and occupy the Mojave, and quickly making huge strides deep into NCR territory, overwhelming the NCR and forcing the President to surrender. The Brotherhood quickly turned themselves into the most powerful faction in the west, easily crushing the Legion's armies of slaves with the power of Liberty Prime and the highly trained, well armed soldiers of the Brotherhood.

The BoS quickly became a fundamentalist, techno-theocracy, expanding over the Wasteland with Liberty Prime leading the charge, suppressing all technology that wasn't "safe." However it lead to problems, namely in the lack of reinforcements due to their closed, "pure" bloodlines and the massive stretches of territory they controlled with too few troops, and the lack of irrigation to increase the amount of food produced and the ability to produce medical supplies, due to the BoS's goal of preserving military technology over everything else. But it would only be when Liberty Prime was destroyed in an attack by rebels would the Brotherhood's "nation" fall apart. The NCR and the Legion would eventually reform themselves, but it would be decades before anything resembling the stability of the old NCR and even the dictatorship of the Brotherhood would be recreated.

Because it sure is easy to terrify everyone if you are totally incased in steel and sound like a pillow is over your face.

Conclusion

So, I always felt the Brotherhood of Steel was a rather morally grey organization, devoted to technology above anything else. And when the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood faction tried to just help out the people, it saw members mutinying and them being kicked out all together. Even then, it seems like no one trusted them. Then again, they didn't trust anyone either.

Anyway, sorry this is... like a week late. All well, will try to get back on schedule right away!


But what do you think? What would the Brotherhood have been like if they went a bit power hungry? Or if you have a topic or idea you would like me to talk about, please leave comments below, email me at tbguy1992@gmail.com, or tell me on Twitter @tbguy1992.