"Always remember the fires that we were forged in. Those who forget are lost." - Outcast Motto

Chapter 1: The Outcasts

Protector Fitts raised his arm in front of his visor, temporarily providing his eyes some relief from the raging sun. The Capital Wasteland was especially hot today, unsurprisingly. The great war and the resulting nuclear fallout had reduced the entire lush, formerly green Potomac region of Maryland into a barren, dry irradiated desert. The lush green trees replaced by burnt out hollowed trunks. What made this inhospitable wasteland even hotter was traversing said wasteland wearing heavy full body power armor as well as carrying a full complement of heavy weaponry. The power armor was a life saver on many occasions, being made from a combination of riveted steel plating and plastic composite material that could stop almost any bullet. But out here in the summer heat, it was the equivalent of walking in a baking oven.

The remaining three members of his patrol took the brief reprieve enthusiastically, one leaning against a boulder and another checking his weapons. But none of them dared let their guard down. This was the wasteland after all, where raiders, Yao Guai, and death were a daily companion. They too, were particularly drawn to people who stood out and walking around in power armor would qualify as putting a big 'I have shit you can steal' sign on them. Many a folk would usually leave them alone, intimidated by the heavy weaponry and uninviting glares, but then again, wastelanders and raiders weren't generally known for their smarts. They too, looked different from normal paladins, unlike the normal Brotherhood soldiers, the Outcasts had painted their power armor with a combination of black and crimson.

"Should be another day, then we'll make Fairfax ruins." Fitts said to his squad mate, they had made good time from their scavenging mission at Fort Constantine, taking great care to bypass the Raider stronghold at Evergreen Mills. "Farsight, you take point, be on the lookout for any raider activity."

"Sir," Defender Farsight, the team sniper, was the only female in the group, and her filtered mechanical voice through the helmet radio was the one of two things that distinguished her from the other soldiers. The other thing that distinguished her was the modified DKS-501 Sniper rifle she carried on her back. Though soft-spoken, she was quietly respected as the best shot in the Outcasts, able to pick off the eyeball of a bloatfly from five hundred yards.

"Kesler, Colt, back Farsight up. Remember, our objective is to provide support for the upcoming fight. We should proceed cautiously, no need to get into needless battles and waste ammunition. I want us to be able to make it back to support our brothers in one piece." Fitts reminded his other two squad mates.

"Will do sir." Defender Colt, the heavy weapons specialist in his squad, armed with a rare pre-war gatling laser, smirked his acknowledgment. Kesler, the special ops of the group, nodded quietly. Both men had known him for years, having fought with him under Lyons as the Brotherhood began their journey eastwards from the core region. While Colt was perhaps a little too lax and easy going for his liking, he was up to the task when duty called. Kesler himself was always the quiet brooding type, probably came with having to do the messy tasks in Spec ops.

Together, the four person squad constituted the biggest Outcast presence west of the DC area, which in itself, spoke of the numerous manpower issues the Outcasts had. But then again, numbers in battle were never a concern for the outcasts. Though they had been cast out by their former brothers operating in D.C, they were hard as steel; each and every one of them. They were a special elite, ones who had not forgotten the true sacred quest of the Brotherhood of Steel that Elder Lyons had so foolishly forgotten. Though his Capital Wasteland Faction of the Brotherhood of Steel boasted more numbers by recruiting from the local tribals, the Outcasts were the true knights, equipped with the latest in technology and training and armed with a devotion that more than made up for their lack of numbers. Of course, that also meant that every member of the Outcasts had to pull twice their weight to make up for it.

Recently, the raiders in the old Fairfax ruins had been getting a little too active for their own good, probing the Outcast defense lines around Fort Independence, their main base of operations and headquarters. They were testing the Outcast sentries every other day or so, a few pop shots here, maybe a lone raider challenging the guards there, all to see how close they could get while the regular patrols were out scouring the wastes for lost tech. The Outcast Protector and leader, Henry Casdin, ever the pragmatist, had suspected the raiders were either too stupid to leave well enough alone or were too tempted by the technology that was hidden in Fort Independence. Either way, it was obvious that they were readying for an attack, and logically, Casdin wanted to fight back. But first, all Outcast patrols in the area, from Megaton to Fort Constantine, had to be recalled back to home base for the final preparations.

And that was what brought Fitts and his little band across miles of empty wasteland on this hot summer day, to kill some raiders and go back to patrolling.

With that happy thought in mind, Fitts nodded to his team.

"Let's go, we have plenty of ground to cover." Kesler and Colt stiffled their groans as they lifted their heavy weapons, beginning the journey once again.

The four man squad moved swiftly through the rocks and cliffs past Evergreen mills, an old pre-war steel mill and train yard that was now converted into a Raider strong hold. Fitts watched with as he saw the raiders, sporting their tattered armor and scrap weapons herding a bunch of wastelanders into cages. Others were being shot out of either cruelty or sport while several undistinguishable screams erupted from the run down shacks.

Fitts grunted his disgust. Unable to do anything, but at the same time, it was none of their business. So long as they left the Outcasts alone, they could care less about how these locals tore themselves apart.

Besides, it wasn't like he could call for back up. Lack of good radio equipment and long range communications usually meant that outcasts patrols would operate without contact from Fort Independence for days, perhaps weeks on end while they traveled the Capital Wasteland in search of technologies. The only means of long distance communication the Outcasts had was the broadcast a message on the emergency radio frequency, but the only equipment to transmit messages was at Fort Independence and the Outpost, their own short range radios could receive the message but they would never be able to get the message back to HQ or to other squads.

Fitts checked his gear again, replaying the message as it looped over and over.

"This is protector Casdin calling all Outcasts. We are expecting heavy raider activity very soon. Rendezvous at Fort Independence within the week, then we will strike. This message repeats."

"Sir. I got something." Farsight raised her arm, signaling the rest of the column to halt behind a sprawl of boulders. Fitt's went ahead to Farsight quietly, crouching down and scanning the horizon with his pre-war binoculars.

"We got ourselves a Super Mutant patrol." Defender Farsight remarked. "Perhaps five hundred yards off. They haven't spotted us yet, but they are heading towards us."

Fitts nodded as he appraised Farsight's report. Ahead of him, he saw clearly through the tinted binoculars. A patrol of five super mutants and a centaur. Each Mutant was hideously green-skinned, at least ten feet tall and bulked with muscle. He saw their makeshift armor as well, which looked like a combination of scrap metal and used car parts. Each mutant was armed with a .32 caliber hunting rifle. The centaur was even more disgusting. Some sort of Chimera-like creature, basically what you would get if you threw a human, mole rat, dog and any other messed up animal into a blender. They served as a kind of guard dog for the muties.

"Looks like they got some locals in tow as well." Defender Colt said as he pulled up next to Fitts.

Fitts scanned the super mutant patrol again, noticing two terrified wastelanders being pulled along. Each of them having their wrists tied together by rope. One man and one woman. Fitts suspected that there were initially more, but the mutants got hungry on the way.

"Should we assist?" Defender Kesler said calmly through his radio, in a tone that implied he did not care either way.

Fitts nodded, bringing up his plasma rifle and giving the microfusion power cell a check. "Fastest way back to Independence is through them, and it ain't worth it circling around them. Will cost us hours." He turned back towards his squad. "Any objections?"

"Hell sir, i'm just glad to be shooting at something." Defender Colt smirked, lifting up his Gatling laser cannon.

"We'll do this quickly. Efficiently." Fitts replied. "Farsight, I want you to set up a position by those bushes, take out the mutants with the Melee weapons. Colt and I will set up a field of fire from the South. Kesler, you're spotting Farsight."

"Sir." Kesler said flatly as he pulled out his laser rifle.

Fitts and Colt nodded at each other, then ran pell mell through the boulder fields near the mutant patrol. Sweat glistened in their helmets as they covered the distance in their heavy gear, but experience and training had taught them to ignore the discomforts long ago.

"I have them in range." Farsight said as she communicated through their short distance radios built into the power armor helmets.

Fitts took one last look at Colt as he checked his weapons. Re-adjusting the fusion battery so that it would not jam, or worse, explode during the fight. He nodded back towards the Protector.

"Take the shot."

The Super Mutant squad rambled clumsily through the wasteland, carrying their assortment of antique hunting rifles and sledgehammers. Resembling a rustic orc raiding party.

"So. You bored?" One of the super mutants grunted towards the leader, a tall brute in heavier scrap armor, most likely stripped from a car, and a crested helmet.

"What you up to?" The Mutant grunted to the Brute, who snarled in irritation.

"Something fun? Something to eat? ME BORED!" The super mutant groaned as he towed the two terrified humans along.

It did not take long for the Brute to run out of patience. "Why you care? You human or something?" The super mutant gave a dumbfounded 'HUH' in response.

The Brute sighed. "Never mind! You too dumb to talk to! If you're bored. Eat the humans."

A small rumble in the distance caused the brute to look forward, which barely gave him enough time to see the armor piercing round going straight through his skull, splattering his skull into a cloud of blood and flesh. Just as the Brute's body went limp and fell, another shot fired, this one ripping off the arm of the joking Super-Mutant.

"PAAAAIN...HUURRT!" The monster roared, taking out it's sledgehammer and scanning the horizon for enemies.

"GRRR. Come out humans!" The three other super mutants took out their rifles, angered at being ambushed by such weak creatures. Who dared attack them? They grunted as they shot wildly in the direction of Farsight. The Sledgehammer wielding mutant managed a few more steps towards the Outcast sniper position before having his head blown off.

"You're clear to go." Farsight echoed through he radio.

A wall of laser fire erupted to the Mutant's left, severing the legs of another super mutant, who fell forward in a roaring incoherent scream. The remaining mutants swung southward towards their new foes. Two Outcast defenders, one armed with a Gatling laser and another with a laser rifle.

"Enough games!" One of the mutants roared, another Brute, this one armed with an antiquated minigun, old and probably rusty, it still had the power to shower the Outcasts with an unhealthy dose of 5mm rounds. Colt saw the threat, instantly shifting his gatling laser towards the new foe.

Fitts however, pulled Colt down behind the rock, and a split second later, slabs of stone were shot off as two rifle shots found their mark at the spot Colt had previously occupied.

"Be careful out there Defender." Fitts said, before snapping up his plasma rifle and letting loose three well placed plasma bolts at the nearest Super Mutant. The gigantic opponent seemed to recoil back at each blast, plasma bolts easily melting through the scrap metal armor the mutants wore and burning their thick green flesh. The monster roared in pain, but Fitts put him out of his misery, sending another shot straight into his head which quickly engulfed his body, turning it into a glowy green color before completely dissolving into a puddle of green gunk.

The last standing Brute immediately lit up the boulder that Fitts and Colt took cover behind, but by then Kesler had enough time to flank the Mutants from behind. He cocked his combat shotgun, blowing the brains out of the monstrous centaur as it lashed out its tongue at him. Before the Centaur even fell to the ground, Kesler was on the Mutant, digging his combat knife into the Brute which caused the monster to roar in pain, dropping its minigun and trying desperately to get the Outcast off his neck. Kesler twisted the knife, feeling his whole body being lifted into the air. But with his free hand, he brought the combat shotgun to bear on the Mutant's kneecaps, blasting them off and forcing the monster to the ground. Another quick twist of the knife brought a sickening crack in the Mutant's spine, and the monster's body soon went limp.

"Subject down." Kesler said through his mechanical filtered helmet.

Fitts, nodded, and soon, the remaining three outcasts rejoining the position where four fresh Mutant corpses now lay.

"Kesler, Colt, strip these muties of their ammo, and any useful weapons." The Protector then nodded to Farsight. "See to the prisoners."

The two Defenders then began the not-so-fun task of stripping the Super muties of anything useful. But not before they double tapped the ones with intact heads, just to be safe. The Brute that Kesler took down was still gurgling on his own blood until the Outcasts put it out of its misery.

Farsight, taking Kesler's combat knife, had already slit the bonds off the two wastelanders.

The two dishevelled wastelanders blinked at their saviours, as if they couldnt' believe their eyes. Just five minutes ago, they were pretty sure they were going to die horrifically, either by being eaten alive or turned into one of the super mutants.

"We owe you a lot stranger, I can't thank you enough." One of the wastelanders said to Fitts.

The Outcast gave the Wastelander a cold glare which quickly shut them up nervously.

"Don't thank me local. You just happened to be along our way. Now get moving." Fitts motioned his head towards the general direction of Megaton, at least a days walk away.

"But to where sir? We won't last five minutes out there without weapons." The woman protested.

"Not my business." Fitts said coldly. "We'll leave you with whatever gear we don't need from the Muties, may be some rifles and irradiated water. But you're on your own. Megaton is at least ten clicks that east of here. You can manage. Now scram."

The wastelander nodded slightly in thanks. By wasteland standards, at least what they were doing kinda qualified as kindness. For one thing, they didn't get shot.

Protector Henry Casdin watched with some satisfaction as more of his black armored Outcasts made their way into Fort Independence. By now, the signal had been broadcasting for five days, he expected the rest of the Outcasts patrols to make their way back to the fort within the next day. That would give him one day to train them for the upcoming battle, and enough time to brief all of his men. This would have been the first time since the schism when they all stood together as one. Quiet pride flowed through him as he saw the veterans of Protector McGraw's Outpost unit march into camp, six members in total. While Defender Rococo Rockfowl began training the men and women, putting them back to shape for their next offensive.

Henry had always prided himself as a no-nonsense soldier, a pragmatist. One who could be counted on to make maximum possible use of the limited resources he had on hand. That was perhaps what made him most qualified to lead the outcasts, since the entire organization lived around the concept of scarcity. Scarcity of resources, of manpower, of technology. The Brotherhood already had enough manpower problems when they marched east from the Core region, but whatever manpower problems Lyons had was nothing compared to what Casdin faced. For one thing, he didn't allow every rock-throwing neanderthal that wanted to wear power armor into his ranks, the Outcasts did not recruit, except from former Brotherhood soldiers who had seen the error of Lyon's ways. While that was fine and dandy, and kept the whole group focused and pure. It also meant they were a lot smaller, as well as a lot shorter on equipment and ammunition. That was why it was important to him to safeguard his assets, keep them close, and to make best possible use of his soldiers.

He still remembered the disagreements with his former comrade, now Elder Lyons. He was a fighter once, just as pragmatic and loyal to the cause as he was, but something changed along the way. Maybe it was all those refugees they picked up in the Pitt after they had scourged it of raiders, but the old man went soft. He turned his back on the entire mission of the Brotherhood, instead wasting his time protecting the savages and locals of the wastes. Casdin did not agree with that, did not like it when good, well-trained Brotherhood soldiers died protecting useless towns and locals. Lyons believed that he was seeing the bigger picture, but what bigger picture is there than the preservation and salvaging of technology that would lift all of the human race up?

For that belief, he and his men were branded outcasts. That didn't bother Henry though, the status as an outcast was a mark of pride. It meant that they disavowed the blasphemous ways of the 'new' Brotherhood. He kept the name Outcasts to remind everyone of this division and the fact that they were working to finish the mission Lyons had originally been trusted with. So that when they return to the West, he can show their Elders Lyons' betrayal and have his and his follower's place reinstated to the glorious ranks of the Brotherhood, and have Lyons punished for his actions.

"Protector Casdin." Henry turned to his left and saw a woman in Brotherhood scribes robes walk up to him. She was middle aged, with light blonde hair done in a very conservative cut.

"Specialist Olin, I am glad that you have joined us. Tell me, how goes the salvaging operation?"

Olin was perhaps one of the few scribes to desert the Brotherhood, and for that act of courage, Henry made sure everyone had shown her the utmost respect.

"We've managed to set up operations within the facility," Olin rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. "but at the moment, McGraw's men are unable to break through the reinforced doors. It seems that it won't unlock until we can complete the anchorage simulation, but we do not have the materials necessary to even attempt that."

Henry Casdin took a second to contemplate this, and nodded. Considering that they've spent months trying to dig into the old bunker, Casdin consider this some progress. "Keep up the good work Olin, if there is one thing we have here, it is time. I will send you Morrill's squad as well. Perhaps the extra manpower can help you scour the ruins for more tech that may help us. We'll have to tread carefully."

Elin nodded uneasily, this meant too, that there was a chance they would bump into their old former comrades of the Brotherhood of Steel. There was an unspoken agreement that the DC urban area was their territory, and Casdin reluctantly had to agree that the Outcasts had neither the manpower or resources to challenge them for the downtown core just yet.

"But for now, we have more pressing concerns." Casdin turned to his second in command at Fort Independence, Defender Anne Marie Morgan, who saluted as she walked up to the two.

"Sir, the last squads are reporting in. I have Morril and Sibley's men in line, all that we're missing is Fitts."

Casdin nodded. "Fitts was sent to Fort Constantine some time ago to retrieve some technology, he is the furthest from us. But I expect we'll see him at first light. Until then, keep the men training. I want to be ready to move into Fairfax within two days."

"At once Protector." Anne Marie saluted, then went back to training the men.

I think I fell in love with Fallout. I honestly have not heard of Fallout or the series until a year ago, when my friend gave me a copy of Fallout 3. It is one of the most in depth game universes i've ever seen, and the perfect one to write a fanfic in :) This is my first time in awhile writing a fanfic like this, so please forgive any mistakes I do make in regards to grammar, or just general fallout lore (Self proclaimed Fallout Noob! =)) but i really enjoyed the universe so much i figure i'll write this in my spare time.

As for a favourite faction. Can you guess? :) At first, i loved the Brotherhood, but then I explored some more and found the awesome outcasts. Something about their lone wolf, go **** yourself attitude just appeals to me. Of course, that and their badass black and red power armor XD I'd hang out around their outpost more if Casdin didn't threaten to strip me of my well earned Outcast armor everytime i talked to him lol.

There won't be a consistent update time, since it will depend on how much free time i have as well as the amount of will and patience I happen to have when I write. But this is free, and fun :) so enjoy the ride! I've never written any fics that involve squad based combat, or even combat involving guns in general, so this will be great practice as well!