Become an initiate

Become an initiate is a side quest in Fallout.

Quick walkthrough

 * 1) Ask Cabbot about joining the Brotherhood of Steel, and accept the quest to find the "ancient item."
 * 2) Acquire a rope and several anti-radiation chems.
 * 3) Travel to the Glow, taking Rad-X upon arrival.
 * 4) Use the rope to descend into the crater.
 * 5) Find the dead Brotherhood paladin wearing power armor and search his corpse for a holodisk.
 * 6) Return the holodisk to Cabbot.

Detailed walkthrough
When first approaching the entrance to the Brotherhood of Steel bunker at Lost Hills, Cabbot will greet the Vault Dweller in an unusual manner. If asked about joining the Brotherhood, he explains that anyone who wants to join the Brotherhood must first complete a quest, apparently on orders from the High Elder. The quest involves retrieving a holodisk from the 'ancient order'.
 * If the Vault Dweller's Intelligence is 3 or less, they cannot complete this quest, as they can't ask Cabbot about joining. Darrel, the Paladin standing to his left, will laugh at the Vault Dweller, stating that the Elders instated a minimum I.Q. requirement for new initiates. He will, however, point the Vault Dweller to the Glow, telling them to search the facility to obtain better arms. He will also gift them some Rad-X, warning about the high radiation levels present there.
 * Even if the holodisk is retrieved, the player will not have the option to give it to Cabbot.

The surface and the underground facility at the Glow are both highly irradiated, so anti-radiation chems are a necessity.
 * Rad-X can be bought from Vance, or from Mitch in the All-In-One store in the Hub. Alternatively, 6 of them can be found in an ice chest in the Followers' library.
 * RadAway can also be bought from Vance. It's useful, as the player might accumulate some radiation before you get the chance to use Rad-X. Use caution, as it is possible to become addicted.

Rope is also necessary to get inside.
 * There are two in Shady Sands:
 * Seth possesses a rope that can be bartered for or stolen.
 * One can be found in the eastern portion of the town in the house next to the crops.
 * Mitch has 5 ropes to trade for.

Once the player has all the supplies, travel to the Glow. The player needs to take 2 Rad-X as soon as they arrive to reach 100% resistance to radiation (each yielding 50% resistance). Without these, it is very easy to die from radiation poisoning. They then need to use the rope on the metal beam protruding into the crater to descend down into the facility.

The holodisk is located on a corpse wearing power armor. The player needs to circle the level to get it. Once it is in the player's possession, delivering it to Cabbot will complete the quest.

Rewards

 * 2000 XP
 * Becoming an initiate of the Brotherhood of Steel and gaining access to Lost Hills