If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
Behind him, the Republic's first open offensive was already becoming larger than anyone had expected.
Then Preston gave order, as it passed down the line almost immediately.
"Second phase!"
Preston moved forward.
The Republic soldiers followed.
They did not rush blindly toward the station. The first few minutes had already taught them what kind of enemy they were facing. The Brotherhood had absorbed the shock of the Sentinel barrage, reorganized behind the second defensive line, and now every meter toward the station was being contested.
The street between the shattered barricades and the main entrance had become a maze of ruined vehicles, broken masonry, concrete slabs, and burning debris.
Preston crouched behind the wreck of a delivery truck.
"Report."
His assault commander dropped beside him.
"First platoon is fifty meters ahead. Second platoon moving along the southern wall. Power Armor is pushing through the center."
"Engineers?"
"Clearing the remaining obstacles."
"Casualties?"
The commander hesitated.
"Some wounded. Nothing confirmed beyond that."
Preston nodded.
"Keep the medics moving behind the second line. Nobody leaves a wounded soldier without someone covering them."
"Yes, sir."
A burst of gunfire struck the truck.
Metal screamed.
Preston ducked.
"Contact!"
Republic rifles answered from three different positions.
A Brotherhood soldier disappeared behind a ruined doorway.
Another tried to cross the street.
A Republic marksman dropped him.
Preston looked toward the station.
It was closer now.
Much closer.
The main gate was visible through the smoke.
So were the Brotherhood defenders behind it.
Sandbags.
Concrete.
Heavy weapons.
Power Armor.
The entrance had become the final defensive perimeter.
Preston pressed the radio.
"Sentinel One, can you see the gate?"
A voice answered.
"Negative. Infantry blocking line of sight."
"Hold your position."
"Understood."
"Sentinel Two?"
"Ready."
"Keep your gun trained on the western defensive structure."
"Copy."
Preston looked toward the Power Armor troops.
"Tell them to suppress the upper windows."
The order traveled.
A moment later, heavy weapons thundered.
The Power Armor soldiers advanced several steps, firing controlled bursts toward the station.
Brotherhood defenders returned fire.
Rounds sparked against armor.
One Republic Power Armor soldier staggered.
"Armor hit!"
"Fall back ten meters!"
The soldier obeyed.
Another stepped into his place.
The infantry moved behind them.
It was slow.
Painfully slow.
But it was working.
They were closing.
Then Preston heard something.
At first it sounded like distant thunder.
He stopped.
The soldiers around him stopped too.
The sound grew louder.
A rhythmic chopping.
Whump.
Whump.
Whump.
Preston looked upward.
His expression hardened.
"Vertibirds."
Someone beside him swore.
The aircraft emerged between the ruined buildings.
Two Brotherhood Vertibirds.
Then another appeared behind them.
They were coming directly toward the station.
Preston understood immediately.
"They're bringing reinforcements."
His radio came alive.
"Command, this is Air Three. We have multiple Brotherhood aircraft inbound on the station."
Preston answered immediately.
"Air Three, engage."
There was a brief pause.
"Confirm?"
"Confirmed. Keep them away from the assault."
"Copy that."
The Republic Vertibirds came screaming through the darkness.
Their engines roared above the city.
The first Brotherhood aircraft began descending toward the station courtyard.
Its side door opened.
Brotherhood soldiers were already preparing to jump.
Then a burst of fire tore across its flight path.
The Vertibird lurched.
"Contact! Republic aircraft!"
A Republic gunship banked sharply around a ruined apartment block.
Its weapons flashed.
The Brotherhood pilot pulled hard.
"Break left!"
The aircraft dipped.
Another Republic Vertibird came from the opposite direction.
For several seconds, Cambridge's sky became a chaotic battlefield.
Aircraft passed between ruined buildings.
Searchlights flickered across smoke.
Weapons fire streaked through the darkness.
The sound was deafening.
On the ground, Brotherhood soldiers looked upward.
Their expected reinforcements were suddenly fighting for the right to reach them.
Preston didn't let himself watch for long.
"Don't stop!"
His officers looked toward the sky.
"Sir—"
"Forget the aircraft!"
He pointed toward the gate.
"That is our job!"
The order snapped everyone back into motion.
"Forward!"
The Republic line surged.
Power Armor troops moved first.
Infantry followed.
Humvees rolled behind them, firing toward the defensive positions.
Engineers sprinted toward the remaining obstacles.
A medic dragged a wounded soldier behind a concrete barrier.
"Keep moving!" Preston shouted.
The soldier looked up.
"I can still fight."
"No."
Preston pointed toward the medic.
"You're going back."
"But—"
"That's an order."
The soldier reluctantly allowed the medic team to pull him away.
Preston turned.
"Second platoon! Twenty meters!"
The response came through the radio.
"Moving!"
While several kilometers away, Sarah Lyons watched the sky erupt.
The Vertibirds were visible even from her position.
She heard the radio traffic simultaneously.
"Air units engaging Brotherhood aircraft near Cambridge."
Sarah immediately understood what that meant.
The Brotherhood reinforcement column was no longer simply moving toward Preston.
It was fighting its way toward him.
"General!"
Her field commander approached.
"Enemy movement has increased on Route Three."
"How many?"
"More than before."
"Vehicles?"
"Several. Infantry in front. Power Armor behind them."
Sarah studied the map.
The road led directly toward one of her blocking positions.
She pointed.
"Second line moves here."
The commander nodded.
"Power Armor?"
"Send five."
"Humvees?"
"Two forward. Keep three mobile."
"Sentinels?"
"Hold them."
The commander looked at her.
"Until they break through?"
"Until they give me something worth shooting."
He understood.
The Sentinels were not simply another weapon.
They were her anchor.
If she committed them too early, the Brotherhood might overwhelm another section while the tanks were repositioning.
Sarah lifted the binoculars.
Movement.
A lot of it.
Brotherhood soldiers were advancing through the ruins.
Automatic weapons opened fire.
Her infantry answered.
The night flashed repeatedly.
"Hold your line!" Sarah shouted.
A Republic soldier fired from behind a concrete wall.
Another crouched beside him, reloading.
A Brotherhood heavy weapon opened up.
"Heavy weapon left!"
Sarah immediately reached for the radio.
"Sentinel One, target left-side heavy weapon. Grid seven-four."
The response came instantly.
"Target acquired."
The Sentinel fired.
The explosion threw debris across the street.
The heavy weapon disappeared.
Sarah didn't smile.
"Sentinel Two, shift to the advancing infantry."
"Copy."
The second tank fired.
The blast struck ahead of the Brotherhood formation, breaking their momentum and forcing several soldiers into cover.
Sarah watched carefully.
"Don't chase them."
Her officers looked over.
"Ma'am?"
"Let them retreat."
She pointed toward the defensive line.
"Our job is not to destroy every Brotherhood soldier."
She looked toward Cambridge.
"Our job is to keep them from reaching Preston."
Another radio transmission came in.
"West position taking heavy fire!"
Sarah responded immediately.
"Power Armor team to West."
"Moving."
"Humvee Three, reposition behind them."
"Copy."
"Recon Two, alternate route?"
A crackle.
"Checking."
Sarah waited.
"Recon Two, report."
"We've found movement on a secondary road."
"How much?"
"Unknown."
Her jaw tightened.
"Keep eyes on it."
"Yes, ma'am."
She lowered the binoculars.
The Brotherhood was probing.
Not simply attacking.
Testing.
Looking for weakness.
And Sarah knew exactly what would happen if they found one.
They would pour through.
⸻
At Cambridge, Preston heard another explosion overhead.
He looked up.
A Brotherhood Vertibird was trying to land.
A Republic aircraft came around behind it.
"Pull up!"
The Brotherhood pilot climbed sharply.
Republic weapons fire struck the rear of the aircraft.
The Vertibird disappeared behind smoke.
The Republic pilot immediately called over the radio.
"Air Three to ground command. One enemy aircraft forced away. Two remain near station."
Preston pressed the radio.
"Keep them busy."
"Understood."
The aircraft screamed overhead.
Preston turned toward his soldiers.
"Gate!"
The word passed down the line.
The Republic was almost there.
The main entrance was now clearly visible.
The Brotherhood had reinforced it with barricades and heavy firing positions.
Power Armor defenders stood behind the gate.
A machine gun opened fire.
Republic soldiers dropped behind cover.
"Get that gun!"
A Power Armor team advanced.
Their weapons hammered the position.
The Brotherhood defenders disappeared behind smoke.
"Move!"
Infantry crossed the final stretch.
One soldier looked toward the gate.
"We're almost there."
His squad leader grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Don't say that."
"Why?"
"Because that's when people start thinking it's over."
The soldier nodded.
"Right."
They moved again.
Preston heard his radio.
"Preston."
Sarah.
He answered.
"Go."
Her voice was strained for the first time.
"They're hitting us hard."
"How bad?"
"Bad."
Preston glanced toward the station.
"We're at the gate."
A pause.
"You're there already?"
"Almost."
Sarah breathed out.
"Then don't stop."
"We won't."
Another explosion sounded through her transmission.
Preston frowned.
"Sarah?"
"I'm fine."
"Report."
"Sentinel Two just stopped an armor push."
"Casualties?"
"Some."
"Can you hold?"
Sarah looked across the battlefield.
Her soldiers were still firing.
Her Power Armor troops were moving between positions.
The Humvees were repositioning.
The two Sentinels stood behind the defensive line like enormous steel guardians.
"Yeah," she said.
"We can hold."
Preston believed her.
"Then hold."
"Take the station."
The channel went quiet.
⸻
Sarah stepped away from the radio.
"Where are they?"
Her reconnaissance officer pointed toward the northern road.
"More movement."
Sarah raised her binoculars.
For several seconds she saw nothing.
Then headlights.
Too many.
Vehicles moving in darkness.
She counted.
Then stopped.
"That's not a patrol."
"No, ma'am."
"How far?"
"Less than five minutes."
Sarah lowered the binoculars.
"Everyone stays in position."
Her officers looked at her.
"Do not pull the blocking units toward Cambridge."
One officer nodded.
"What about the reserve?"
"Keep them behind the center."
"And the Sentinels?"
Sarah looked toward the armored machines.
"Tell the crews to prepare for another engagement."
The radio operator swallowed.
"Ma'am, they're already firing."
Sarah turned.
"Then tell them to conserve ammunition."
The first Brotherhood vehicle appeared through the ruins.
Gunfire erupted.
Sarah raised her rifle.
"Here they come."
Then the scene back to Preston as he at the station, and stood behind the remains of a concrete barrier.
The gate was less than fifty meters away.
Smoke rolled through the street.
Republic soldiers were assembling for the final push.
Power Armor troops checked their weapons.
Engineers prepared breaching equipment.
Medics waited behind the line.
Humvees were positioned to provide covering fire.
The Sentinels remained farther back, their guns trained toward the defensive structures.
Above them, the aerial battle continued.
A Republic Vertibird swept past the station.
A Brotherhood aircraft followed.
Weapons fire crossed the sky.
The station's defenders shouted to one another.
The Republic soldiers could see the entrance now.
They could almost feel the end of the battle.
But Preston knew better.
The gate was still defended.
The station was still occupied.
And Sarah's rear battle was growing.
He raised his radio.
"Sarah."
"Go."
"How long?"
She understood the question.
"How long can you hold?"
Sarah looked toward the approaching Brotherhood formation.
Then toward her two Sentinels.
Then at the soldiers crouched behind the barricades.
She answered without hesitation.
"As long as it takes."
Preston looked toward the gate.
"Then we're going in."
Sarah smiled faintly despite herself.
"That's what I wanted to hear."
The radio went silent.
Preston raised his rifle.
"Listen up!"
The nearest soldiers turned toward him.
"We've reached the gate."
Nobody cheered.
They were too tired.
Too frightened.
Too aware of what remained ahead.
Preston continued.
"The Brotherhood is still inside."
A Power Armor soldier checked his weapon.
An engineer tightened his grip around his equipment.
A medic looked toward the wounded behind them.
Preston pointed at the station.
"We take the entrance."
He paused.
"And we keep our people together."
The soldiers nodded.
"Ready!"
Preston stepped forward.
The first Republic soldiers moved toward the gate.
Then Preston raised his rifle.
"Move!"
The order went down the line.
The final push began.
Three hundred Republic soldiers surged toward the gate, but they did not break formation. The men and women at the front moved in short, controlled bounds while the second line covered them. The thirty Power Armor troops advanced among them, weapons raised, their armored frames absorbing fire that would have driven ordinary infantry into the pavement.
Eight Humvees crawled forward behind the assault elements.
Their gunners swept the upper windows and firing positions, forcing Brotherhood defenders to keep their heads down.
"Suppress the right side!" Preston shouted.
A Humvee gunner answered immediately.
"Right side!"
The weapon hammered the building.
Concrete chipped away around a Brotherhood firing slit.
"Engineers!"
"Coming up!"
Two engineering teams rushed forward beneath covering fire.
The gate itself had become a tangled mass of metal, concrete barriers, sandbags, and wrecked vehicles. The Brotherhood had clearly expected someone to reach this point.
Preston crouched behind a damaged wall.
"How long?"
The lead engineer looked over his shoulder.
"Give me a minute!"
"You've got thirty seconds."
The engineer stared at him.
"Then I'll make the minute fit."
Preston almost smiled.
"Do it."
A Brotherhood heavy weapon opened fire.
Rounds tore across the street.
A Republic soldier dropped behind a Humvee.
"Medic!"
Two medics immediately moved.
"Keep moving!" Preston shouted to the rest. "Don't bunch up!"
The Power Armor troops stepped forward.
One of them planted himself directly between the infantry and the firing position.
"Suppressing!"
His weapon roared.
Another armored soldier fired beside him.
The Brotherhood gun fell silent.
"Now!"
The engineers worked.
Metal shrieked.
A charge detonated against the remaining obstruction.
The gate shook.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the damaged section collapsed inward.
"Breach!"
Preston raised his rifle.
"Go!"
The first Republic soldiers rushed through.
The courtyard beyond erupted with gunfire.
The Brotherhood had prepared for this.
They had fallen back from the outer perimeter deliberately, drawing the Republic assault into a confined space where their remaining defenders could fire from several directions.
"Contact front!"
"Upper floor!"
"Right side!"
The courtyard became chaos.
Rounds snapped through the air.
Muzzle flashes flickered from windows.
A Brotherhood soldier fired from behind a concrete barrier and immediately disappeared as Republic rifles answered.
A Power Armor defender stepped into view.
"Armor!"
A Republic Power Armor soldier moved toward him.
"On me!"
The two armored figures exchanged fire across the courtyard.
The sound of their weapons echoed between the walls.
Preston moved through the entrance.
"First platoon, take the western side!"
"Moving!"
"Second platoon, stay with me!"
"Copy!"
"Third platoon, secure the courtyard entrance!"
The replies came almost simultaneously.
The Republic force began dividing with purpose rather than panic.
That distinction mattered.
The Brotherhood was still dangerous.
But the Republic was no longer fighting merely to reach Cambridge.
They were fighting to own it.
A Humvee entered the courtyard and stopped behind a concrete barrier.
Its gunner immediately engaged an elevated firing position.
The Brotherhood position went silent.
"Engineers!"
Preston pointed toward a barricade blocking the northern side.
"Clear it!"
The engineers moved.
A soldier beside Preston looked toward the building.
"There's movement inside."
"Don't enter yet."
Preston raised his radio.
"Power Armor team, suppress the main entrance."
"Understood."
The armored troops advanced.
Heavy weapons thundered.
Brotherhood defenders fired back.
One Republic soldier fell.
Another dragged him behind cover.
"Medic!"
A medic crouched beside the wounded man.
"Stay with me."
"I'm all right."
"You're bleeding."
"I said I'm—"
"Save your breath."
The medic began treating him.
Preston saw it but forced himself to look away.
There were too many things happening at once.
A Brotherhood soldier attempted to rush from the eastern side.
Three Republic rifles stopped him.
Another group tried to move between two vehicles.
A Power Armor soldier intercepted them.
"Back!"
The Brotherhood troops retreated.
Preston pointed.
"Don't chase them!"
The nearest platoon commander heard him.
"Hold!"
The Republic soldiers stayed where they were.
The Brotherhood defenders were being pushed backward, but they were still organized enough to punish anyone who became careless.
Then Preston's radio crackled.
"Preston."
Sarah.
He pressed the receiver.
"Go."
Her voice was controlled.
"We're still holding."
"What's their strength?"
"Less than before."
"That doesn't answer me."
Sarah paused.
"Enough to keep fighting."
Preston glanced toward the courtyard.
"So are we."
"They've made several attempts to break the western position."
"Casualties?"
"Some."
"Can you hold?"
"We're holding."
Preston nodded.
"Keep them away from us."
"That remains the plan."
The radio went quiet.
Another burst of gunfire erupted from the station windows.
Preston ducked.
"Second platoon, move!"
The Republic infantry advanced along the wall.
They used ruined vehicles as cover, moving from one position to another.
Power Armor troops provided the weight needed to break the strongest resistance.
A Brotherhood defender fired from a doorway.
A Republic soldier answered.
The doorway went silent.
"Clear!"
"Next position!"
The courtyard slowly changed.
What had been a Brotherhood-controlled defensive area became a Republic battlefield.
The Sentinels remained outside.
Their crews could see the station, but Preston had already given the order.
No firing into the courtyard.
There were too many friendly soldiers inside.
"Sentinel One," Preston called.
"Go ahead."
"Hold."
"Understood."
"Do not engage unless I specifically call it."
"Copy."
Preston looked toward the remaining defenders.
"Keep pushing."
The Brotherhood resisted for another twenty minutes.
Then another ten.
Then another.
There was no single moment when their defense collapsed.
It happened gradually.
A heavy weapon fell silent.
One firing position emptied.
A group of Brotherhood soldiers withdrew deeper into the station.
Another attempted counterattack failed when Republic Power Armor caught them in the open.
The Republic paid for every meter.
But the Brotherhood was running out of places to stand.
Preston received another report.
"Western courtyard secured."
"Eastern side?"
"Still contested."
"Send second platoon."
"Already moving."
Preston nodded.
"Good."
He looked toward the station building.
"Get the engineers ready."
His assault commander understood.
"We're going inside."
"Yes."
The commander glanced at the wounded.
"Medical teams are getting busy."
"I know."
"We'll need another evacuation route."
"Open one through the courtyard."
"Yes, sir."
The engineers arrived at the main entrance.
The Brotherhood had reinforced it from the inside.
Metal plating covered portions of the doorway.
Furniture and debris had been piled behind it.
Preston approached.
"Can we open it?"
The engineer looked at the obstruction.
"Eventually."
Preston raised an eyebrow.
The engineer sighed.
"Give us a few minutes."
"Make them count."
Power Armor moved into position.
Infantry formed behind them.
"Everybody listen," Preston said.
The courtyard gradually quieted around him.
Not silent.
Never silent.
But quieter.
"We're going inside."
He pointed toward the doorway.
"Stay together. Watch your corners. Identify your targets."
A soldier nodded.
"Don't fire through doors unless you know what's behind them."
Another nodded.
Preston's expression hardened.
"And remember there may still be civilians or noncombatants inside."
The men and women around him understood.
"We're taking a station," Preston said. "We're not tearing down a city."
The engineer shouted.
"Ready!"
Preston stepped back.
"Breach."
The charge detonated.
The doorway burst inward.
Power Armor entered first.
The interior swallowed them.
Gunfire immediately erupted.
"Contact!"
The armored soldiers returned fire.
Republic infantry followed.
The station's corridors were narrow and dark.
Muzzle flashes briefly illuminated walls.
Every doorway was a potential firing position.
"Left!"
"Clear!"
"Right!"
"Movement!"
A Brotherhood soldier fired from the corner.
A Republic Power Armor soldier slammed against the wall, then returned fire.
The Brotherhood defender fell.
"Advance!"
Preston entered behind the second group.
"Stairs!"
"Securing!"
The station had become a maze.
Offices.
Storage rooms.
Hallways.
Stairwells.
Every space had to be checked.
Every corner mattered.
A Brotherhood defender fired from an office.
Republic soldiers took cover.
"Don't rush!"
Preston shouted.
"Two on the door!"
Two soldiers moved into position.
"Breach!"
They entered.
"Clear!"
"Next!"
A wounded Republic soldier was carried back down the corridor.
"Medic!"
"I've got him."
"Keep moving!"
The battle continued upward.
Then a different sound began appearing between the gunshots.
Voices.
Shouting.
Not commands.
Confusion.
The Brotherhood was losing cohesion.
Their outer perimeter was gone.
The courtyard was gone.
Their communications were damaged.
Their reinforcement force had failed to reach them.
And now Republic soldiers were inside the building.
A Brotherhood soldier appeared at the end of a hallway.
His rifle was lowered.
"Don't shoot!"
Republic soldiers immediately raised their weapons.
"Hands!"
The Brotherhood soldier raised them.
"I'm surrendering!"
Preston stepped forward.
"Put the weapon down."
The man carefully placed his rifle on the floor.
Then kicked it away.
"Back away from it."
The Brotherhood soldier obeyed.
Preston looked toward his officers.
"Search him."
The soldier was searched.
No hidden weapon.
No immediate threat.
"Take him downstairs."
The surrender did not trigger a collapse.
Not immediately.
Some Brotherhood soldiers continued fighting.
Others disappeared into rooms.
The Republic continued clearing.
Then another man emerged.
Hands raised.
Then two more.
Then three.
One Brotherhood soldier simply sat against a wall, helmet beside him.
"I'm done."
A Republic soldier kept his rifle trained on him.
"Hands where I can see them."
"They are."
"Good."
Preston watched from the corridor.
He understood what was happening.
The station had reached the point where resistance no longer had a purpose.
The Brotherhood soldiers who surrendered looked exhausted.
Some were wounded.
Some looked angry.
Others looked frightened.
But one by one, weapons began appearing on the floor.
Rifles.
Pistols.
Ammunition pouches.
Heavy weapons.
Power Armor troops were disarmed and separated under guard.
Republic officers began organizing prisoners.
"Keep them together."
"Check for injuries."
"Search every room."
"Don't let anyone wander."
While in the rear, Sarah's battle was changing.
She stood behind a concrete barricade, binoculars pressed against her eyes.
The Brotherhood assault had slowed.
Their attacks were no longer coordinated.
Several vehicles had been abandoned.
Power Armor units that had advanced earlier were withdrawing.
Her communications officer approached.
"General."
Sarah lowered the binoculars.
"Report."
"Enemy movement is pulling back."
"How far?"
"Several hundred meters."
Sarah looked again.
She could see them.
Brotherhood soldiers moving through the ruins.
Some covered the retreat.
Others dragged wounded.
A heavy weapon fired from behind a wrecked vehicle.
Sarah immediately raised her radio.
"Sentinel One, hold fire."
The tank crew answered.
"Copy."
"Sentinel Two, same."
"Understood."
Sarah watched the retreat.
"Don't pursue."
Her field commander looked surprised.
"We could hit them while they're withdrawing."
"No."
"Ma'am—"
"Our mission was to keep them away from Cambridge."
She pointed toward the roads.
"Not chase them into territory we haven't secured."
The officer nodded.
Sarah continued.
"If they turn around, we shoot. If they stop and threaten the line, we shoot."
She looked toward the Sentinels.
"Otherwise, conserve ammunition."
The tank crews acknowledged.
Sarah lowered her binoculars.
The Brotherhood had lost momentum.
That was enough.
A radio operator suddenly called out.
"General Lyons!"
Sarah turned.
"Preston's force reports the station is being secured."
For the first time that night, Sarah allowed herself a small breath of relief.
"Tell him we're holding."
The operator nodded.
Sarah looked across the battlefield.
Her soldiers were exhausted.
Some were wounded.
The Brotherhood had paid heavily.
So had they.
But the road to Cambridge was still blocked.
That was the mission.
And they had accomplished it.
Back inside the station, Preston stepped into the courtyard.
He stopped.
For the first time since entering Cambridge, he allowed himself to look around.
The courtyard was destroyed.
Smoke drifted through the open gate.
Republic soldiers sat against walls while medics treated them.
Engineers examined damaged structures.
Power Armor troops stood guard.
Humvees occupied firing positions.
Prisoners were being gathered under supervision.
The station belonged to the Republic.
But it had cost them.
Preston's radio crackled.
"Preston."
He answered.
"Sarah."
"Rear is secure."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"And the Brotherhood?"
"Withdrawn."
"Pursuing?"
"No."
Preston nodded.
"Good."
Sarah paused.
"They're not finished."
"I know."
"They'll come back."
"I know that too."
Preston looked toward the damaged entrance.
"Thank you."
Sarah smiled faintly on the other end.
"Don't thank me yet."
"What?"
"You still have to hold the place."
Preston laughed quietly.
"Fair point."
The call ended.
An officer approached him.
"Sir."
Preston turned.
"We've secured the remaining rooms."
"Prisoners?"
"Still counting."
"Wounded?"
"More than we'd like."
Preston's expression tightened.
"Make sure every one of them gets treated."
"Yes, sir."
"And the Brotherhood wounded?"
The officer hesitated.
"We're treating them too."
"Good."
He looked toward the courtyard.
"Set up the command post."
"Here?"
"Here."
The officer nodded.
Preston turned toward the main entrance.
Outside, the Republic insignia was being prepared.
There was no grand ceremony.
No speech.
No cheering.
Just a soldier fastening the Republic emblem to the damaged exterior while others watched.
Preston stared at it.
The first major Brotherhood stronghold captured after the declaration of war.
Cambridge Police Station.
The Republic had taken it.
But victory felt different from what he had imagined.
It wasn't clean.
It wasn't glorious.
It was wounded soldiers sitting in the dirt.
Spent ammunition.
Damaged vehicles.
Exhausted faces.
Prisoners being counted.
Engineers already discussing repairs.
Medics working beneath harsh lights.
And somewhere beyond Cambridge, the Brotherhood was already reorganizing.
Preston looked toward the dark sky.
A Republic Vertibird passed overhead, its lights briefly illuminating the smoke.
He heard Sarah's voice again through the radio.
"Rear remains secure."
Preston picked up the handset.
"Understood."
He looked across the courtyard.
"Good work, Sarah."
A pause.
"Good work, Preston."
Neither said anything else.
They didn't need to.
They both understood what Cambridge meant as the Republic had won its first major offensive, but the war had only just begun.
______________________________________________
• Name: Sico
• Stats :
S: 8,44
P: 7,44
E: 8,44
C: 8,44
I: 9,44
A: 7,45
L: 7
• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills
• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.
• Active Quest:-