Fallout 4: AR

38. Elder Maxson

We had only just entered the foredeck chamber of the Prydwen when Paladin Danse gestured for us to be quiet and follow him. He led us to a meeting room of some sort, filled with Brotherhood soldiers standing in formation, being given a rousing speech. We quietly stood back from the doorway as the leader of the group, Elder Maxson I presumed, addressed them, pacing dramatically back and forth, his powerful voice filled with conviction and fervor.

"Beneath the Commonwealth there is a cancer... known as the Institute, a malignant growth that needs to be cut before it infects the surface. They are experimenting with dangerous technologies that could prove to be the world's undoing."

I blinked in surprise. Didn't these guys just get here? How do they already know so much about the Institute? Maxson's disdain for the organization went far beyond any of the other opinions I had heard thus far as he warmed into his tirade.

"The Institute Scientists have created a weapon that infiltrates our very existence. They call their creation the "Synth," a robotic abomination of technology that is free-thinking and masquerades as a human being. The notion that a machine could be granted free will is not only offensive, but horribly dangerous. And if it isn't harnessed properly, it has the potential of rendering us extinct as a species."

Huh, that's not how the Railroad described them. According to Desdemona, the Synths are more like sentient slaves, just wanting to live free. It doesn't square up. I stole a glance around. The Brotherhood soldiers standing in formation were facing away from me, so all I could see was the proud set of their shoulders and the lifted chins as they responded to the impassioned speech of their leader. Paladin Danse was drinking in every word of the speech, standing at attention. MacCready had a very contemptuous look on his face, not bothering to hide his disgust at the rhetoric. I think I'm with RJ on this one, I thought. Now I know where Rhys got his belligerent attitude. There's some serious prejudice going on here.

Maxson was wrapping up his speech. "I am not prepared to allow the Institute to continue this line of experimentation. Therefore, the Institute and their "Synths" are considered enemies of the Brotherhood of Steel, and should be dealt with swiftly and mercilessly. This campaign will be costly and many lives will be lost. But in the end, we will be saving humankind from its worst enemy... itself. Ad Victoriam!"

In unison, the other soldiers including Danse saluted by bringing their right arms across their chest in a ritual movement. "Ad Victoriam!" they thundered, before being dismissed to their previous duties. In the press of their departure, I squeezed myself against the bulkhead next to MacCready to stay out of their way. I doubt any of them even noticed our presence.

Danse beckoned us inside the meeting room as soon as the way was clear. Now that I was able to see Elder Maxson a little better, he made a vivid impression. Dressed in a fleece-lined leather coat that only emphasized his impressive muscular physique, he towered over my completely average height. Black hair and beard were immaculately groomed, and a long pink scar raked down his right cheek to his jawline. His light blue eyes looked both too old and too young in an odd dichotomy, shadowed by thick bushy eyebrows, darting around to scan his surroundings in a manner that spoke of a less confident man than his previous speech indicated. I guessed he was about the same age as MacCready, and probably had been forced to grow up just as fast. Hmm, if he's young, he may be able to be reasoned with.

Danse saluted his commanding officer, introducing us. Elder Arthur Maxson indicated we should take a seat on one of the small couches in the corner of the room. I took a seat, but both MacCready and Danse remained standing; MacCready taking up a guard position behind me, and Danse wisely not trusting the couches to the weight of his power armor. Settling himself on the couch opposite mine, he began without preamble.