Initiate (Fallout 3)

Initiate is one of the lowest ranks in the Brotherhood of Steel's rank system. The precise definition of the rank appears to vary between the regional chapters.

In the West Coast division, Initiate is the base rank of one who has only just been accepted into the Brotherhood as a trainee. After completing initial training, Initiates are slated to become either Scribes or Knights, and are promoted to Apprentice in the appropriate branch.

In the Midwestern division, Initiates are members who have completed initial training (and are thus one step above recruits), and the lowest rank that can be assigned to combat duty. Initiates may advance to the rank of Squire.

As in the Midwestern division, Initiates of the East Coast division have completed their initial training and can be assigned to combat duty. Unlike in the other divisions, Initiates may even be issued power armor if their assignment merits it (as in the case of the ill-fated Initiate Reddin of the Lyons' Pride).

Both the West Coast and Midwestern divisions divide the rank into "buck" Initiate and Senior Initiate. It is not known whether the East Coast division follows this practice.

There is an obvious discrepancy between the West Coast division's use of the term, and that of the other divisions, in that the West Coast division uses the term to indicate a mere trainee as having been initiated into the Brotherhood, whereas the other two reserve that title until the recruit has completed initial training. The most plausible explanation lies in the fact that the West Coast division is significantly more insular than the others; the bulk of its new recruits are the offspring of existing members, and only rarely are outsiders accepted into the organization. By contrast, circumstances have forced the other two divisions to actively recruit from among the local population.