Elder Maxson heard about her before he saw her. Paladin Danse had come in no more than a week ago to talk about the recruit that saved them at the Cambridge Police Station. Danse looked impressed as he told him about how she appeared out of nowhere, guns blazing, her 10mm pistol shooting the limbs off the abominations in her way. She obliterated the feral ghouls, and after the battle she agreed immediately to go with him to ArcJet Systems to get the transmitter that helped bring the Prydwen to the Commonwealth. He described her as fearless, brave, and always on target. She was a steadfast soldier, more than happy to help the Brotherhood clear out feral ghouls, and hostile Super Mutants. She was a woman frozen out of time. Nora lived through the old days, but never complained about her current situation. She was a woman on a mission, and the Institute was going to pay for taking her son. They had a common enemy and she was more than willing to assist the Brotherhood with taking them down. She sounded like the perfect soldier. Elder Maxson would always be in need of new soldiers.
But when he saw her...
Everything had changed.
He was just about to make his speech to the new recruits of the Brotherhood of Steel when a vision walked through the door.
She was dirty, and dishevelled, like a true woman of the Commonwealth would be. But there was something underneath her. The blue jumpsuit she wore, he could tell hid full breasts that strained against the zipper of the suit. Her shoulder length hair swayed in ringlets across her shoulders, and her face was flushed, with pouted and full lips. She was panting slightly, like she had just run up the deck of the Prydwen, but when she took one look at him, she swallowed hard, and moved to the back of the deck, standing beside the other recruits. Elder Maxson lost himself for a moment as his pants got tighter, hidden beneath the long coat. That can't be her, he thought to himself. She's... Paladin Danse didn't say anything about... This is unacceptable.
She looked around the room at the others, and he followed her gaze. Elder Maxson's eyes caught those of a male recruit looking somewhat uncomfortable. He realised that the rest of the group was shifting uncomfortably as well, waiting on him to start speaking. Arthur coughed, and stepped forward. Elder Maxson took one last look at her. Unable to comprehend what he saw, he regained his composure and moved to speak to the group. He had a purpose, and he was not going to let this woman distract him. The expectant faces of the new members of the Brotherhood snapped him back to reality. He cleared his throat, and spoke.
"Brothers and Sisters, the road behind us has been long and fraught with difficulty. Each and every one of you has surpassed my expectations by rapidly facilitating our arrival in the Commonwealth. You have accomplished this amazing feat without a hint of purpose or direction, and most impressively, without question. Now that the ship is in position, it is the time to reveal our purpose and our mission. 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 for the second time in recent history. The Institute Scientists have created a weapon that transcends the destructive nature of the atom bomb. They call their creation the "synth", a robotic abomination of technology that is free-thinking and masquerades as a human being. This notion that a machine can be granted free will is not only offensive, but horribly dangerous. And like the atom, if it isn't harnessed properly, it has the potential of rendering us extinct as a species. 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!"
As Elder Maxson finished his statement, he noticed the dark haired woman still standing in the back of the room, her hands crossed over the front of her chest, with an expression on her face that he couldn't quite read. Nora uncrossed her arms and walked towards the front deck of the Prydwen to stand in front of Elder Maxson. Her head tilted to the side and he watched as her curls trickled down her shoulders.
"Some speech." She said, as Paladin Danse entered the room to stand behind her. He took a look at the Paladin, silently signalling to him that they were going to have a discussion about their new recruit.
"I care about them, you know. The people of the commonwealth." said Elder Maxson, as the last squire left the room. He turned to Nora with his hands still clasped behind his back. He was more nervous than he looked, but Nora didn't pick up on that.
'If you say so.' she said with a scoff.
"I can understand your indecisiveness." Elder Maxson said, turning to face the window. He sighed and paused for a moment as he looked out into the Commonwealth. "Turning your weapons on the very same people that you're trying to save can be a bitter pill to swallow."
'What do you want from me?' asked Nora. Her brows furrowed and she crossed her arms.
"I want you to start taking responsibility for this planet. To start making a difference. And from what I've read in Paladin Danse's reports, you've already begun that journey. Seeing as he's one of my most respected field officers, you couldn't get a better recommendation. Therefore, from this moment forward, I'm granting you the rank of Knight. And, befitting your title, we're granting you a suit of Power Armour to protect you on the field of battle. Wear it with pride."
Nora's face relaxed as she regarded Elder Maxson once more, he could see her swallow hard before she answered him. Something in the way she was reacting to him changed, and made him nervous.
