Community:Fanfiction/Haddon War

Haddon War is a large conflict taking place across the former United States of America from the years 2301 to 2308.

Background
Belligerents in the Conflict included the New California Republic, Khanic Empire, Enclave, United Commonwealth Government, New Haven Federation, and Appalachia Coalition. Canada entered the war in 2307, and their contribution was responsible for a large portion of late-war gains. The war caused a vast amount of upheaval societally, politically, and economically, and, thanks to its devastation, was responsible for a period of peace shortly afterwards.

History
While the war itself only began in 2301, the circumstances and tensions behind it had existed for centuries. The beginning of the war, however, was spurred on by a diplomatic misunderstanding, and could potentially have been avoided.

In 2300, at the dawn of the 24th century, the New California Republic expanded yet again, eager for more land, resources, and influence. Spurred on by their recent successes in the Mojave, the NCR moved northeast, to Wyoming. There, however, Republic troops encountered what could be considered the greatest threat to their regional supremacy since the Legion: The Khanic Empire. The end product of the Khan's lineage, the Khanic Empire had carved out a vast swath of the midwest, establishing dominion over thousands of individuals. Thanks to the Khan's previous experiences with the NCR, having feuded with them since the Republic was merely a tiny farming community, first contact was tense, and the Californian troops were forced to leave. Tensions continued to rise, however, when the NCR discovered that a small border settlement, by the name of TwoTree, was sitting on a large gold stockpile. The Republic began positioning troops around the border, agitating the Khanic Army. Both sides began to move troops into entrenched locations, with increasing numbers being called up from the militaries of the opposing nations.

However, the true spark that ignited the powder keg that the situation had become was a single misunderstanding. The NCR President, hoping to distinguish themself from previous administrations, requested to send a diplomatic party to TwoTree to resolve the situation. The Khanic government was made aware and allowed this. For a time, it seemed as though both sides were willing to come to a peaceful resolution to the situation. However, none of the plans of the upcoming diplomatic summit were told to the head of TwoTree's militia, one Joseph Haddon. When the NCR diplomatic party of 20 arrived at TwoTree's gates, Haddon viewed it as an invasion force and opened fire.

Out of the diplomatic party, only 3 people survived. In retaliation, NCR Rangers attacked a Khanic border station 3 days later. Following this event, all negotiations were called off. Less than 24 hours later, the NCR declared war on the Khanic Empire. The New Haven Federation, having been wary of the Khanic Empire for some time now, and viewing the massacre of the NCR diplomatic party as an unprovoked act of aggression, declared war shortly after.

On the 23rd of January, 2301, NCR troops invaded TwoTree, taking control of the town and killing any who resisted. The invasion that Haddon had assumed the diplomatic party to be had arrived, and rapidly secured the town's borders. Khanic warriors attempted to retake the town repeatedly, but the entrenched position of the NCRA made such an act impossible. Under the command of General Lee Oliver, the NCR used TwoTree as a staging ground, rapidly transporting troops to the surrounding areas. With Khanic troops being repeatedly routed, the empire could provide little organised defense of major areas. Pushing towards Chay-yen, the Republic seemed unstoppable.

However, another party had been watching the situation with more than a veiled interest. The Enclave, having reestablished itself in the north, feared as to what would happen should the NCR conquer the Khanic Empire, due to the Republic's prior war with the organization. Knowing that the Republic could not be defeated by the Khans alone, the Enclave declared war on the NCR, entering the conflict on the side of the Khanic Empire.

Enclave troops proved to be a boon to the embattled Khans, rapidly arriving and helping to stabilise the situation. This, paired with the Khan's usage of irradiated metal in bullets and their cavalry divisions, swiftly turned the previous power dynamic on its head. The NCR and NHF were forced back to numerous strongholds, their positions rapidly overrun by Enclave soldiers equipped with Power Armour. The New Haven Federation itself had particular strain placed on it, with its supply lines being used by the NCR to supply its army. That, paired with an increasing subsidization of the NHF's military by the NCRA, led to certain questions as to whether the Republic respected the Federation's territorial integrity. Ultimately, the alliance between the two nations held, and the combined armies of both sides held the line, with the front lines becoming stagnant and unmoving for multiple months on end.

Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, a similar conflict had been ongoing for the past decade. The Brotherhood of Steel detachment on the East Coast had existed in an uneasy peace with the United Commonwealth Government for a few years following the destruction of the Institute, and despite there being occasional tense periods, the peace had held for as long as Arthur Maxson lived. But due to the peace only existing on a single condition, it fell apart rapidly after the Elder's death.

A team of Institute remnant synths had assaulted the Prydwen in 2290, succeeding in killing the Elder along with Lancer Captain Kells. With the Brotherhood lacking leadership, Knight Rhys seized power, and ordered the Commonwealth to be brought to heel. While some within the Brotherhood's ranks had protested, most had stayed silent, with the few who disagreed with Rhys' new campaign of aggression choosing to form a new order led by the exiled Paladin Danse. However, Rhys' campaign of extermination was met with one factor that he hadn't accounted for: the UCG.

The war between the two factions began when Rhys', flush with his victories in exterminating mutants and ghouls in the region, decided to remove the UCG from its position in Nordhagen Beach, sending Brotherhood troops to take control of the location. When the family occupying the farm fought back, the Brotherhood soldiers, on Rhys' orders, gunned them down. Only the young boy survived, and this incident caused a wave of defections within the Brotherhood. Rhys, however, viewed the destruction of Nordhagen Beach as a victory for the Brotherhood.

It wasn't.

On February 28th, 2291, UCG troops assaulted the Cambridge police station, massacring the BOS troops stationed there and seizing their Power Armour for themselves. Scribe Haylen, thanks to both her prior connection with Danse and Recon Squad Gladius, and her constant objections to Rhys' doctrine, was spared and put to work developing new technologies for the UCG. Thanks to both a combination of her work, the UCG's elite troops, and overall resentment for the Brotherhood, Rhys was forced to withdraw to the southernmost regions of the Commonwealth, where the UCG's presence was weakest. The Brotherhood who did not withdraw were wiped out when UCG artillery at Fort Independence destroyed the Prydwen and Liberty Prime, leaving Rhys' options minimal. By 2302, he had almost completely exhausted his supplies and soldiers, and was having trouble repelling even minor UCG incursions.

Rhy's salvation, however, came in the form of an unexpected alliance. Due to the Brotherhood's proximity to the embattled Gunners, another target of the UCG, the two groups entered an uneasy alliance, with Rhys effectively hiring the Gunners as privateers, giving them leave to raid settlements under UCG control, in exchange for their support of the Brotherhood. Despite this, Rhys manipulated the Gunners, treating them more as servants than allies, and eventually had the Gunner leaders covertly assassinated, effectively subsidizing them into the Brotherhood. Simultaneously, contact was made with a scouting party from the other BOS division on the East Coast: The Appalachian chapter. Convincing them that he had suffered a mutiny, Rhys convinced the Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel to come to his aid, which in turn convinced the loose alliance of merchants and settlers that governed the region to march on the Commonwealth. In a few weeks, Rhys had gone from losing a war, to leading one of the greatest threats to the stability of the Commonwealth since the Institute.

The Appalachian Army, led by the Brotherhood of Steel, marched through the Capital Wasteland, causing some amount of panic among its citizens. The coalition formed by Megaton, Rivet City, Big Town, Lincoln, Underworld, and other, smaller settlements decided not to intervene, fearing the Appalachian's firepower. However, the government of the New Republic of Dave, knowing what allying with the army could bring them, welcomed the coalition, supplying them with provisions and ammunition. In exchange, the Appalachians granted them a coalition detachment, along with a supply of advanced weapons and armour, allowing the New Republic of Dave to further secure and expand their borders. The Appalachian Army arrived in UCG territory on the 3rd of March, 2303, signaling the beginning of a new chapter in the Commonwealth war.

In Wyoming, the situation had gone from bad to worse for the Common Defense bloc. Enclave troops, backed by Khanic cavalry units, had arrived in larger numbers, driving the NCR and NHF from their fortified positions. The twin armies were pushed back to TwoTree, with almost none of their number existing outside the town. Promoting the now Captain Craig Boone to Colonel, General Lee Oliver proceeded to order an evacuation, before destroying his office and himself with planted explosive charges to avoid being captured by the Enclave. Reluctantly, the Common Defense bloc left TwoTree.

Boone's methodology differed from that of previous leaders, especially in regards to Power Armour. While other organizations and leaders had used Power Armour as an infantry support platform, this strategy was flawed. As Power Armour units were often spread thin, this resulted in the Power Armoured individual eventually being overwhelmed, as even with Power Armour a single individual could only contribute so much. However, Boone developed a new troop formation that was rapidly copied by most organizations with access to the technology: The Power Armour Division.

By placing all of his remaining heavy troopers in a single location, along with those who had the skills to maintain or use power armour, Boone created a bulwark, a way to break enemy formations, thus allowing for troops without Power Armour to safely advance and eliminate the stragglers. With this plan in mind, Boone proceeded to wait, requisitioning tanks, artillery, vertibirds, and Power Armour from the NCR. Working in cooperation with the NHF, Boone created a new, unified front across the entirety of the shared border, completing this restructuring by September 7th, 2303.

With the restructuring completed, the first Power Armour Division, backed by paratroopers and veteran rangers, reentered Wyoming on the 1st of October, 2303. Rapidly shattering Enclave and Khanic defense lines, the NCRA swiftly recaptured TwoTree and the surrounding area. Boone proceeded to order bombing runs on the retreating Enclave forces, reinforced by artillery. Captured Enclave soldiers were stripped of their Power Armour and advanced weaponry, which were sent back to the NHF to be reverse engineered. With the NCRA advancing rapidly, the Khanic Empire's commanding officers were at a loss, unable to find a way to counter the Republic's assault.

Eventually, a plan was formulated. There was no way for the Empire to repulse the NCR from the entirety of it's territory. The situation was too far gone. Instead, the Khanic officers created an alternative: Withdraw to their cities and fortified enclaves, evacuating the surrounding countryside. The herds of Radbuffalo inhabiting the plains were almost entirely killed off, with only a few small populations being taken behind the fortified lines. Similar fates met the Brahmin and Bighorner herds, and the supplies of crops were either taken back to the cities or burned. Following these actions, the Khanic army littered the plains with mines, both military issue and improvised.

Supply lines between isolated communities were kept open via way of Pre-War infrastructure such as underground railroads and hidden, mine-free trails. Additionally, these routes were used to deliver troops to harrass the NCR forces, which were assisted by Enclave vertibirds. Ultimately, the Khanic Empire secured their remaining territory, and the minefields, paired with the Khans knowledge of the plains and trails, created a thorn in the Republic's side that bogged down their advance, until it eventually ground to a halt.

In the Commonwealth, Appalachian forces were wreaking havoc, backed by Rhys' Brotherhood. The sheer size of the Appalachian army, paired with its access to technology that wasn't widely available elsewhere, had been the cause of numerous defeats for the UCG, which had been forced to retreat from almost all of its southern positions. With troops from Diamond City being frequently called to the front, and the city's effective conversion into a UCG military base, resentment began to grow among the residents of the Upper Stands. While Sanctuary Hills, the UCG Capital, along with the majority of it's military installations in the north were safe, the residents of Diamond City, Bunker Hill and Goodneighbour were effectively on the front lines of the war, putting the most populous areas at risk. This resentment eventually burst with the Diamond City Revolution.

Diamond City had been annexed by the UCG years prior, putting an end to the city's ruling council's interference in UCG affairs. Still, many of the city's residents still held a belief in their supremacy over other citizens of the Commonwealth. This belief was compounded by the fact that many Diamond City citizens were of the opinion that the Commonwealth War was caused by the UCG, and that they had nothing to do with it. While some UCG loyalties were held by field residents, the Upper Stands loathed the government, with this loathing leading to them attempting to revolt.

On the 27th of August, 2303, several prominent Upper Stands residents, backed by a group of disgruntled ex-security, expelled the UCG-appointed government, forcing their soldiers to leave the city. The flag of the UCG was torn down, with the sign of the Green Jewel taking its place. The reformed ruling council decreed that Diamond City was an independent settlement, and that it would heretofore after be neutral. Any attempt at diplomacy within this time period was met with hostility, with UCG envoys being shot before they could even reach the city gates. However, despite their pride at what they had done, the ruling council's Independent State of Diamond City would not last long.

UCG artillery in Hangman's Alley was fired on August 29th, 2303, severely damaging the Upper Stands. Following this, UCG troops from surrounding settlements marched into Diamond City, and demanded the surrender of the ruling council. When they refused, the UCG stormed the old mayor's office, quickly dispatching the inferiorly equipped security. Despite the ruling council's attempt to surrender following this, the UCG executed the entire council, along with any Upper Stands residents who resisted. The city flag was burned, with the entire Diamond City security force being imprisoned, and a strict curfew was enacted. Additionally, the UCG leveled harsh taxes on the entire city, and confiscated any weapons more lethal than a pipe gun possessed by the populace. In attempting to secure their city's independence, the ruling council had made the entire population much worse off than they were initially.

The Diamond City Revolution was a boon for Rhys, as the chaos that it caused amidst the UCG ranks led to them abandoning several crucial positions, allowing the Brotherhood to seize control. Additionally, the view of the UCG among Commonwealth citizens plummeted following this event, allowing for Rhys to frame himself as the Commonwealth's saviour. However, the majority of his campaign's successes were the result of his Appalachian troops. And shortly after the Diamond City Revolution, they would have far bigger concerns than fighting a war.

The UCG still maintained a silent outpost within the territory that Rhys had conquered: Vault 88. The moment that the Appalachian Coalition arrived in the Commonwealth, the UCG military command ordered Vault 88 to seal its door, and not open them until an all-clear signal was sent via radio. There, in the undisturbed darkness, the Vault Dwellers were given an important project: the end of the Appalachian Coalition's war effort. While researching, however, the inhabitants of Vault 88 discovered something that could not only destroy Appalachia's war effort, but Appalachia itself.

Via data recovered from a Vault-Tec terminal link, the Vault 88 inhabitants discovered that Appalachia still had several intact nuclear weapons at its disposal, some of a Vault-Tec design, others of a military one. Via this same data link, the 88ers recovered nuclear codes for the Vault-Tec warheads. However, the nuclear weapons of Vault-Tec design were deduced by the resident UCG Robobrain as not being sufficient. To truly bring an end to the Appalachian's invasion, all of the warheads were required to be detonated. For the 6 months following the Diamond City Revolution, the Vault 88 residents worked, trying to break into the mainframe of the Pentagon in the Capital Wasteland.

On the 3rd of March, 2304, 1 full year after the Appalachians had invaded, an uplink was established and the nuclear codes retrieved. Some debate as to the morality of the project had been ongoing the entire time, but this now erupted into full-blown argument. However, before the quarrel grew violent, news was received over the radio as to recent Appalachian advancements. The Diamond City line had broken, with the UCG having been driven to the northernmost reaches of the Commonwealth. Any debate was promptly ended. Unanimously, the decision was made to activate the nukes.

On that same day, the war for the UCG began to turn around. Having made contact with the NCR, and explaining their situation, the UCG decided to offer a deal. If the NCR sent medical and materiel aid, the UCG would assist the Republic in its war with the Enclave. An agreement was reached, and the NCR sent relief shipments, consisting of hundreds of tons of ammunition, weaponry, and medical aid. Delivered via vertibird and the restored cargo planes that the Republic had salvaged from Camp McCarran, the shipments arrived within a day, and gave the UCG a serious advantage. The UCGM began to push back, taking the Appalachians by surprise, and driving their invasion force out of the north.

Simultaneously, the Vault 88 residents uploaded the nuclear codes to every active silo in Appalachia, triggering the warheads. Every settlement was wiped off the map, radiation blanketing the entire area. Appalachia's forests burned, the halls of government set ablaze. Briefly, Appalachia was drowned under an ocean of nuclear fire, the destruction that the Great War failed to inflict centuries prior being exacted in a single moment. Within a second, Appalachia died, and the mountains of West Virginia became silent, devoid of life once again.

In Wyoming, the NCR advance was still halted, with the Republic's military being constantly bogged down by minefields and Khanic ambushes. Knowing that the war effort would only end up as a massive drain on resources if the current conditions continued, Boone ordered the establishment of Common Defense Bloc air superiority, and the destruction of the Enclave's oversight. Mass mobilising every vertibird, fighter plane, and helicopter that he had at his disposal, the NCR looked to be preparing a massive wave attack on the Enclave air force, and all outside of the upper echelons of command were told of this as well.

This was, however, a distraction. Boone had kept a single flight of transport vertibirds out of the attack, keeping them in reserve. When the Enclave forces moved to attack the position that Boone's aerial divisions were massing, the transport vertibirds delivered dozens of paratroopers over Cats-Purr, securing the city for the CDB. With this, the NCR had access to the underground railways that were crucial to Khanic logistics, and could begin using them to their advantage.

NCR troops rapidly began deploying to Cats-Purr, utilising the underground railroads. Simultaneously, minesweeper and explosive teams began sweeping the plains, carefully disarming any explosives that they found. While Khanic troops attempted to sabotage railways, this only hurt their own logistics, and resulted in supply shortages in most major settlements. NCR Ranger units began to scout out safe trails as well, effectively circumventing the Khan's minefields. With their only major defense having been thwarted and having no access to air transport, the Khanic Empire's lines began to fall. By January 5th, 2305, the NCR had captured more than half of Khanic Imperial territory, worrying many members of the high council.

The rapid CDB advance worried the Enclave as well, with their original objective in intervening in the war, keeping the Republic away from their borders, had failed, and the NCR had set its sights on the Enclave's considerable holdings in the north as well. Knowing that the Common Defense Bloc would eventually overtake the Khanic Empire, the Enclave began to subtly withdraw troops, reinforcing their own positions. All prewar and postwar technology that they could muster, meanwhile, was taken to the border, hoping it would be enough to keep the Republic at bay. In the meantime, the Enclave continued to send military units to aid the Khanic Empire, while simultaneously preparing to evacuate once the Empire's lines fell.

In the Commonwealth, the UCG enacted a massive push, retaking almost all of its territory. The demoralisation of the Appalachians, paired with continual UCG attacks, had effectively whittled down their war effort until Rhys' army had been driven from the majority of their captured territory. With nowhere left to go, Rhys and his soldiers retreated south continually, eventually reaching the Glowing Sea. With the UCG forces not slowing down, the army retreated further, entering the heavily irradiated area.

With minimal protective equipment, dangerous wildlife, and a lack of anti-radiation drugs, the decision was a poor one. Rhys, along with members of the Brotherhood, were protected by their power armour, but others were not so lucky. Within days, half the army fell to hostile wildlife and radiation sickness, with some rapidly ghoulifying. This weakened Rhys' forces further, as his summary execution of any mutated personnel led to the overall size of his army being reduced to a dim shadow of its former self. Eventually reaching the remains of Sentinel Site Prescott, the Appalachian army fortified the site, radiation-proofing it as well as they could. The UCG was hesitant to send soldiers into the Glowing Sea, instead choosing to cordon the area, forming a large blockade while sending radiation-suit equipped troops into the sea, though only on minimal scouting expeditions.

While on one of these scouting expeditions, a UCG party stumbled across members of the Church of the Children of Atom at their place of worship, recognizing the heavily irradiated crater as the impact site of a nuclear bomb. Information on the Children was transmitted back to the UCGM high command, who realised that the Children's religious beliefs could be manipulated to their advantage. Having dubbed the Children as a terrorist organisation due to their actions in Far Harbour, the UCG realised that using the Children's fanatacism could effectively eliminate two major threats with one action. Having come across a member of Rhys' army and interrogated them to discover their current location, the UCG sent a diplomatic party made up of Synths, knowing their immunity to radiation could effectively fool the Children into obeying them. Once the diplomats had made their way to the Crater of Atom, they declared themselves emissaries of Atom, and demanded that the "Heretics" inhabiting Sentinel Site Prescott be eliminated.

The Children of Atom, manipulated by the UCG into a religious fervor, agreed to attack Sentinel Site Prescott. Having been supplied with new weapons by the UCG, the Church assaulted the Sentinel Site, catching Rhys' Brotherhood off guard. With Rhys having minimal ways out of the military installation, he, along with multiple higher-ranking members of his organisation, fought through waves of the Children, entering the Glowing Sea. Shielded by their Powered Armour, the upper echelons of Rhys' military command made their way to a former Brotherhood of Steel outpost, knowing that it would possess numerous Vertibirds. Having made it to the evacuation point, Rhys ordered any soldier who could walk to proceed to that point as well.