Chain That Binds

The Chain That Binds is a doctrine held by the Brotherhood of Steel dictating the organizational hierarchy and succession of leaders through which command is exercised and executed.Hidden Valley bunker terminal entries; terminal (restored), Chain That Binds
==Background==
The Chain that Binds is a strict line of authority along which orders are passed and one that requires all members of the Brotherhood, from the lowest initiate all the way up to an elder, to obey the orders given by a superior ranking authority and maintain a chain of command when issuing them. The order is described as being held together by links, each one supporting the next link.Knight Shin: "Our order is held together by the Chain That Binds. Each link steadfastly supporting the next. It's not something that a lawless worm like you would understand."(Daniel Shin's dialogue) In short, any ranking authority member may strictly give orders only to those directly below them in the hierarchy and inversely, only receive orders from those directly above them.Vault Dweller: "Is there another member of the Brotherhood I could speak to?"Knight Shin: " The Chain That Binds dictates a strict hierarchy of command, and as the only Knight present, the Initiates are directly under me. Unless I say so, your contact with the Brotherhood stops here."(Daniel Shin's dialogue) 
Within the Brotherhood, subverting the Chain That Binds can result in the offender being demoted or stripped of their title, such as in the case of a former elder, Kenneth Jones,Hidden Valley bunker terminal entries; terminal (restored), Incident #2 and potentially becomes the case with Head Paladin Edgar Hardin who uses Elder Nolan McNamara's past transgressions of the Chain to usurp him.Hidden Valley bunker terminal entries; terminal (restored), Incident #4 However, there have been cases where the Chain has been directly subverted seemingly without repercussions as shown with High Elder John Maxson and his descendent Elder Arthur Maxson both issuing orders to the Vault Dweller and the Sole Survivor respectively despite them not being their direct subordinate at the time.
The policy itself has existed since at least 2103, as it is mentioned as being one of the first things drilled by the Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force into hopefuls and initiates recruited to bolster its ranks in Appalachia.Knight Shin: "I am a link in the Chain That Binds, and that is what keeps this order together."(Daniel Shin's dialogue)Brotherhood Initiate: ""(Brotherhood initiates' dialogue) It was also the reason behind Knight Daniel Shin's conflict with Paladin Leila Rahmani during their trek to the East Coast, as he believed she violated the Chain by moving away from the common doctrine of the Brotherhood of Steel.Knight Shin: "What have you done, Paladin?"Paladin Rahmani: "The Elders have no hold on us anymore. Stand with me, Shin. Play a part in forging a better future."Knight Shin: "I have every intention of forging a better future, but this is not the way. You've broken your Oath, Paladin. No... That title no longer belongs to you. With your link removed from the Chain, I am the highest ranking officer present. All members of the Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel now answer to me."(Daniel Shin and Leila Rahmani's dialogue)Paladin Rahmani: "I destroyed the transmitter. The Elders are blind to the good we can do. We need to break free from their influence."Knight Shin: "You only did this to escape responsibility for that incident. You can't bear to face the judgment of the Elders."Paladin Rahmani: "The Elders would have us stand trial for crimes we didn't commit. Your own sense of guilt is blinding you to that."(Daniel Shin and Leila Rahmani's dialogue)Fort Atlas terminal entries; Paladin Rahmani's terminal, Our Future in Appalachia
==Transcript==
==Appearances==
The Chain That Binds is mentioned and the update Steel Dawn. The Chain that Binds is also mentioned as the unique trait for the Brotherhood Initiate origin .
==Behind the scenes==
The concept of the Chain That Binds mirrors the standard chain of command in real-world military forces.
==References==
Category:Brotherhood of Steel
ru:Связующие Устои
zh:束缚之链