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.

However, thanks to the advanced radiation, paired with the vicious nature of the Children's attack, the majority of Rhys' forces didn't make it to the outpost. With only a few dozen troops at his disposal, Rhys decided that the best course of action was merely to flee, and leave the Glowing Sea behind. While he remained behind for another day, on the 2nd of March, 2305, Rhys evacuated, leaving the remainder of his troops behind. Those that were not slaughtered by the Children of Atom were either killed by the advanced radiation, devoured by the hostile local wildlife, or captured by UCG forces while attempting to leave the area. The few who managed to escape unscathed proceeded to leave the Commonwealth, weary after having fought for two years on end, with nothing to show for it.

Rhys' Brotherhood, on the other hand, fled north, using the advanced mobility granted by their Vertibirds. With their entire army lost, their provisions running dry, and the UCG scouring the Commonwealth for any trace of their presence, the situation for Rhys and the few survivors he had at his disposal looked increasingly dire. Knowing that the UCG was unlikely to pursue them beyond the borders of the Commonwealth, however, Rhys ordered his men into Enclave territory, hoping that they would give refuge to them.

The Enclave, on the other hand, had been monitoring the situation for some time at that point. While it was debated as to what to do with the arriving members of Rhys' army, a general consensus was reached: Rhys and his men were liabilities, and were more trouble than they were worth. When they arrived at the border on the 15th of March, 2305, Enclave flak cannons destroyed the Vertibirds, shooting down as many as possible. While Rhys and 10 others survived, the majority of his troops were dead, and he was a hunted man. Desperate to salvage what he could, Rhys took his troops, along with as many supplies as he could carry, and headed for a nearby cave. Fortifying the location, Rhys sat and waited, hoping that neither the Enclave nor the UCG would come looking.

In Wyoming, the Republic had made major advances, backed by Federation troops. Moving hundreds of kilometres, and defeating the Khanic army in almost every battle fought, the end appeared to be coming for the Khanic Empire. Additionally, the Enclave stopped disguising its evacuation, withdrawing all of its troops to the border, effectively abandoning the Empire. With minimal options, and a lack of alternatives, the Khanic Empire waited for the CDB to encircle its capital, Khania, withdrawing all of the soldiers that it could muster to the city. However, once the city was surrounded on August 3rd, 2305, the Imperial Council did something that surprised even the Emperor herself.

Surrendered.

Knowing what would happen if the CDB invaded the city, and wishing to avoid further loss of life, the Imperial Council requested a ceasefire in order to negotiate the surrender terms of the Empire. Colonel Boone, wishing to avoid a repeat of the Bitter Springs incident decades prior, agreed. Republic and Federation diplomats were sent to the gates of the city, with the gate guards having been made aware of the negotiations. The negotiations for the terms of surrender took a little under a month, and an agreement was reached.

The Khanic Empire would abandon all of its claims to TwoTree, along with withdrawing from its colonies in South Dakota and Nebraska. Additionally, they would cease all support for the Enclave, along with allowing CDB troops to move through their borders to invade Enclave territory. In exchange, the NCR would officially recognize the Khanic Empire's independence, and not infringe on its remaining territory. Additionally, the CDB would withdraw all troops, save for those proceeding to Enclave territory. The accord was signed on the 2nd of September, 2305, and the Khanic Empire officially ceased hostilities with the CDB 3 months later.

With the Khanic Empire out of the way, Boone turned his attention to the north, and the Enclave. Realising the threat that the organisation posed to NCR power, Boone sent as many troops as he could muster to the border of the Enclave, and sent a request to the UCG to join the war. Having been hemmed in from both sides, it seemed that the end was nearing for the Enclave for the final time.

However, this was not the case. Having taken the time to consolidate all the pre-war technology that they could find, the Enclave repeatedly held of multiple CDB offensives. This was due to a combination of factors: The advanced technology, such as Power Armour and Combat Robots in Enclave possession, the advantageous nature of the Rocky Mountains acting as an obstacle, and the Enclave's blitzkrieg regimen. Despite the CDB making numerous attempts to break their lines, the Enclave, having entrenched itself using pre-war bunkers, managed to hold onto its territory, with the lines on both sides stagnating for months.

However, for the people of the UCG, there was a minor consolation for their suffering. While the UCGM was pressing into Enclave territory, the wreckage of Rhys' convoy were found. Danse's Brotherhood, having been rebuilding throughout the war, requested permission from UCG High Command to track down and capture Rhys. While High Command felt that Rhys had to pay for his crimes, they nonetheless agreed, on the condition that he be brought back to the Commonwealth for trial. Danse agreed, and a small group of Brotherhood followed the trail, tracking Rhys to his fortified cave. While Rhys attempted to put up a fight, his men were swiftly overpowered, and he was captured by the Brotherhood. Following this, he was transported back to the Commonwealth via Vertibird, and made to stand trial at Sanctuary Hills. Within minutes, Rhys was declared guilty, and was imprisoned for life in the Murkwater Prison. With their objective out of the way, the now reunified Brotherhood of Steel pledged their support to the UCG in eliminating the Enclave.

The situation with the Enclave for the CDB had degenerated rapidly, with hundreds of Enclave troops swarming NCR positions, while vertibirds assaulted UCG and Brotherhood of Steel forces in the east. The strain was particularly felt by the NHF, who, due to inferior equipment, were being rapidly overwhelmed in most engagements. The UCG and Brotherhood were unable to gain any major ground, and even reinforcements deployed from The Island were incapable of doing much to relieve this predicament. With the Enclave gaining ground by the day, and the CDB only growing weaker, it seemed as though the war was unwinnable.

However, on the 12th of October, 2306, a fateful event happened, one that would change the course of the war. Enclave troops stationed in their northern territories noticed a stray vertibird. Thinking that it was an NCR scouting vessel, and not stopping to check if it held the symbol of the Republic, the Enclave soldiers shot it down. However, the vertibird belonged to an uninvolved party, and one that the Enclave would later deeply regret angering.

Canada, having rebuilt its government due to largely not being considered a nuclear target, had been uninvolved in the war, seeing it as an affair between countries in the former USA, and nothing more. However, the moment that word reached the Canadian government as to the vertibird being shot down, they quickly declared war, mobilising the entire military. Canada arrived in Enclave territory on the 18th of Febuary, 2307, and after that moment, the war began to end.

Less than a month later, on March 9th, 2307, Canadian soldiers overwhelmed the Enclave position in northern Minnesota, driving them from their garrisons in that region and seizing the area for themselves. The Canadians didn't stop there, however, continuing to drive the Enclave south. Enclave forces retreated to their command centre in the region, a former Vault, and fortified it, hoping that the Canadians would not be able to breach it.

However, this hope proved false when, on May 29th, the Canadian army located the Vault and breached it, killing the personnel who got resisted. The Vault was seized by the Canadians, and the members of the Enclave command there were captured. With the centre of Enclave power having fallen, the two branches of the Enclave Army split, being unable to communicate with each other. However, while retreating from the Canadians, the two Enclaves encountered a roadblock: the CDB.

While the Enclave briefly attempted to resist CDB advances, they were again forced to retreat. UCG forces pursued them though, as the NCR continued to push into Enclave territory on the west. Ultimately, the retreating armies eventually encountered each other, effectively colliding on the 12th of August, 2307, being pursued by the CDB on both sides. While the Enclave attempted to fortify its position, Canada arrived from the north, pressing down into the Enclaves lines. Surrounded on all sides, with the exception of the south, the Enclave shattered, with desertions ranging from individuals to entire units. The minimal Enclave who remained were rapidly overpowered by CDB troops, and the Enclave as a whole ceased to exist.

While mop-up operations would persist for the next several months, the war officially came to an end on the 20th of February, 2308. The CDB convened at Ottawa, Canada, in order to negotiate the conditions placed upon the victors, along with land gains. While debates were ongoing for around a week, eventually a conclusion was come to:
 * Canada would annex the former northern states of the USA, previously Enclave controlled territory.
 * The New California Republic would halt its northern advance, and respect the territorial integrity of other nations and organisations in that area.
 * The United Commonwealth Government would be entitled to some amount of land from former Enclave territories, and would have to help in resettling Appalachian refugees.
 * The New Haven Federation would take control of former Khanic Imperial colonies, and was to receive an aid package from the NCR for the next five years in order to help it rebuild and restructure its military and economy.
 * The East coast branch of the Brotherhood of Steel under Danse was officially recognised as an independent organisation by the UCG, and a new treaty guaranteeing cooperation was signed.

With these terms, the CDB officially brought the war to an end, signalling the close of 7 years of destructive conflict. While the treaty signed was seen by some within the more militaristic part of the NCR as unfair, the vast majority were merely relieved that the war was over.

Aftermath
In the aftermath of the war, its repercussions were widely felt across the entirety of the North American wasteland. The most major consequences were as follows.

The New California Republic, frequently cited as one of the dominant powers on the West coast, was weakened, for a time. Having been at war for the better part of a decade, its citizenry was weary and did not wish to continue expanding, fearing the conflict that it may bring. While Republic leadership considered continued border expansion, after both the Mojave Campaign and the Haddon War, the administration decided to reduce funding to the military and begin a relief effort to the most impacted by the war. A planned incursion into Texas was delayed, and the Republic settled, focused on taking care of the citizens and territory that it already possessed.

The New Haven Federation, having exhausted its military, began to suffer in the years following the war. As fewer soldiers could be called upon to defend the caravans that the NHF's economy relied on, attacks by gangs and raiders became more frequent. While the situation was eventually stabilised by Khanic aid, the NHF was, for a time, a dim shadow of its former self.

Canada continued to expand, swallowing the former Enclave territory, and expanding into its remaining wilderness. Eventually, Canadian scouts happened upon Alaska, still under the control of groups descended from the US military. With Canada's reappropriated Enclave technology, the Army, as it was simply known, was quickly overwhelmed and forced to surrender. Considering the situation ironic to the point of humorous, Canadian officials signed the Alaska Annexation Accord, incorporating the former US state into its territory.

In the years following the end of the war, the citizens of the Khanic Empire, along with its military officials, experienced a form of mass depression, having suffered through so much for effectively nothing. However, this situation was abruptly changed when the New Haven Federation, having been floundering for months, reached out and requested support, in exchange for a trade and economic alliance. While initially the Emperor was skeptical, she nonetheless sent both medical and military aid to the NHF. In exchange, the NHF opened a new trade route to Khanic territory, revitalising the Imperial economy. This eventually blossomed into an alliance and defensive pact between the two nations, creating opportunity and cooperation where there once had only been fear and enmity.

The United Commonwealth Government's upper echelons, knowing what had been done in order to win the war, felt intensely guilty due to the destruction of Appalachia. This guilt, however, led to the UCG ordering a resettlement and a pardon to any former Appalachian soldiers in their territory, and sending aid packages to displaced citizens of the region. Eventually, Appalachian refugees began to move to the UCG above any other location, and settlements such as New Charleston were constructed, creating a distinct identity within the UCG's borders. With the influx of new residents, the UCG began to expand its borders, constructing colonies in former Enclave territory, and building a vast sphere of influence, in no small part thanks to its former enemies.

The Enclave, having been scattered to the wind yet again, were fragmented for the last time. While the detachment in Texas remained intact, the majority of former Enclave members tried to either integrate into one of the nations of the CDB, or simply go into hiding. A large group, however, departed with the warships of the former US Navy, setting sail to what was left of the European Commonwealth, or other continents such as Africa, Southern America, or Oceania. Most of these colonies failed, but the few that survived persisted, eventually creating a unique national identity in their new homes.

Always a ticking time bomb, Appalachia had finally come to an end during the war. The simultaneous detonation of every active nuclear weapon left almost no survivors, and the few people who lived departed, heading to the Capital Wasteland or further south. Appalachia was eventually referred to entirely as the Savage Divide, the old name for a nuclear ravaged region within the territory applying to it as a whole. It is said, that in the aftermath, one being strides through the wastes, searching for something. A man with no name..... and a flag on his back.