Chapter 129: The Final Negotiation
Chapter 129: The Final Negotiation
It turned out that Knight had found his son, now the High Father of the house. However, unlike in the game, when he called Nora to the house, their son Sean was already on the brink of death from a terminal illness. Sean eventually passed away in their arms. But this was still a fortunate turn of events compared to the game, as they were able to reunite as a family after 60 years.
Before he died, High Father Sean passed his position to Knight. Through a series of negotiations and battles, Knight suppressed the opposition within the house. In exchange for the Railway's reconciliation, he promised to halt all hostile actions on the surface, stop using Synths to replace Wasteland residents, release all Synths who wished for freedom, and pause the creation of self-aware adult Synths.
The Railway also acknowledged that erasing Synths' memories and implanting fabricated ones, along with cosmetic alterations, were emergency measures taken in the difficult environment. Moving forward, they would only reprogram the memories of Synths who voluntarily chose to do so.
Now, Knight hoped that Liam, the Militia General, would cooperate with him to unite the Railway, the house, and the Militia to restore order in the land.
"What about the Brotherhood of Steel?" Liam asked.
"I hope to gather our forces to bring the Brotherhood to the negotiating table. After all, too much blood has already been shed on this land."
"Alright, let me know when the negotiations are, and I'll join you", Liam agreed to Knight's request.
Finally, Liam asked Knight a question that had puzzled him in the game: "Why did the house create the third-generation Synths? The first generation could handle the tasks, so why did the house insist on creating self-aware Synths, causing so much trouble?"
"I think it's because the people in the house, after being isolated for so long, saw the backwardness and ignorance on the surface and began to consider themselves gods", Knight said with a tone of resignation.
"So they aimed to create a new form of life to replace existing humans and rule as supreme deities."
"Indeed, as the great man said, when the path is wrong, the more knowledge one has, the more counterproductive it becomes", Liam remarked. "If the house's technology had been used to improve the Commonwealth Wasteland instead of these twisted purposes, the Federation might have become a much better place for human survival."
"You're right. That's why I chose to accept the leadership of the house. Although I still hate them for taking my child and despise their past actions, I know that the technology within the house could change the world. Therefore, I hope to reform the house and set it back on the right path, atoning for their past deeds. I believe this would be far better for the entire Federation and the world than destroying it in a moment of vengeance", Knight said, his voice tinged with pain but resolute.
"You're right", Liam patted Knight's shoulder. "I hope that, no matter what, we can unite the creatures of this Wasteland and mobilize all our forces to change this world. Even though I'm just a traveler passing through, I still hope this world has a future. After all, as a Planar Merchant, the more prosperous each world becomes, the more benefits I can gain."
Knight recovered from his pain, "Thank you, Liam. At least with your help, the outposts and farms have come to life again. The number of attacks I encountered on my way here was much fewer than when I left."
That day, Knight stayed at Sanctuary Hills. The Militia's headquarters had been relocated to Sanctuary Hills due to its greater potential for expansion. The original castle now served as an important Militia Fortress and a new recruit training center on the eastern coast.
Sanctuary Hills had undergone significant development. The Militia mobilized a large workforce and robots to build a new Fortress complex on the hill around Vault-111, complete with a hospital wing, warehouse, and school. Sanctuary Hills itself was developed as a city attached to the Fortress, providing a place for people to live and farm.
Since the soil in Sanctuary Hills has been thoroughly purified, a large number of greenhouses have been constructed. Using the repaired computers and robots, these greenhouses have been transformed into smart, automated farms.
Thanks to the existence of these greenhouses, plants can grow healthily, avoiding the radiation storms and radiation rain. Now, the agricultural products from Sanctuary Hills, which have largely eliminated radiation and virus contamination, have become a new favorite among the residents of the Wasteland. The food vouchers issued by the Militia are also becoming the new hard currency in the Wasteland.
Two days later, the Steel Brotherhood sent a messenger with a letter agreeing to the negotiations. They set the meeting for the next day at noon in Diamond City, with each side allowed only one leader, one deputy, and ten guards. Liam found the Brotherhood to be much more agreeable than in the game, so he made some preparations, as it's always wise to be cautious.
Early the next morning, Liam put on his new general's uniform (the old one was too big) and set out with Preston and ten members of the Rapid Response Militia, each riding a robot, heading for Diamond City.
The Rapid Response Militia is a team Liam had formed just a week ago. Given that some enemies were beyond the capabilities of semi-professional Militia, Liam organized some Militia members with rich combat experience to form a mobile force as the elite unit directly under his command.
Each member wore a uniform combining bulletproof cloth and bulletproof armor, carried sufficient weapons and ammunition, and had a rune stone. Most importantly, each had an armed robot as their vehicle and combat partner. This negotiation would be their first appearance after a brief training period.
Upon arriving at the gates of Diamond City, Liam found that the Railway people were already waiting for them. Leading them was a middle-aged woman with blonde hair, likely the Railway leader Desdemona.
Seeing Liam and his group, Desdemona was initially surprised by the Militia General's age, then came forward to shake hands and said, "Thank you very much for your support of our just cause, and for treating Synths equally."
"Our Militia is dedicated to restoring order in this Wasteland and eradicating evil. Therefore, we will treat all beings who share our ideals equally, whether they are Synths, Intelligent Ghouls, or even Mutants who are willing to live in peace with everyone."
Liam paused for a moment, then looked up at Desdemona seriously and said, "However, I still hope you will stop secretly deploying Synths to various outposts. The sudden appearance of these Synths really makes us nervous."
"Apologies, it won't happen again. Now that the Institute is willing to change its attitude towards Synths, there's no need for them to infiltrate outposts under false names. Honestly, if the Institute truly changes its ways, I think Railway might one day truly disappear, but we are all very happy about that future", Desdemona said with a light tone.
As Liam and Desdemona were discussing the Institute, a blue light flashed. Knight arrived with Virgil and the Hunters at the gates of Diamond City.
Although the Railway members still looked unfavorably at the Institute side, the leaders of both sides shook hands to signify reconciliation.
After standing and waiting for a while, the sound of engines came from the sky. It seemed the final party, the Steel Brotherhood, had finally arrived.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
