Front for Canadian Freedom

Canadian pre-war 'Maple Leaf' emblem

> "*Most people don't remember the war. Guess you just gotta look out West to see the Canadians got the worst of it.*"
> - [NAME]
>
>

The Front for Canadian Freedom was an organisation founded in 2103 in the ruins of Southwestern Ronto, Canada. Spurred on by the belief that the Great War was caused by the United States, and a worship for pre-war Canadian separatism and terrorism, it became rose to dominate the region in the mid 23rd century before being reduced to a depleted remnant group stationed in Saint's in 2287.

## **History**

### **Founding**

Priot to the Great War, the original Front for Canadian Freedom was active. It was based out of Southern Ontario and conducted carbombings and paramilitary low-level campaigns against the US Military in rural areas, much like similar groups. On the day the Great War, October 23rd 2077, the FCF had been in the midst of a widespread propaganda war on the streets of Toronto against the United States Government. Much of the graffiti, posters and other propaganda materials remained long after the war, which served to help indoctrinate the first class of the post-war FCF. In addition, looped radio broadcasts continued to play for well over a century after the war until being finally shut down by the Brotherhood of Steel in the mid 23rd century.

The situation on the streets of Toronto in 2103 was dire. People were looking for someone to blame, and for a symbol of hope to rally behind. The city answered, and the vast swaths of still-intact FCF-and-related-groups propaganda plastered on buildings, billboards and sidewalks gave a name to the many bands of roaming vigilantes amongst the ruins of the city. These groups came to be collectively known as "The Canadians", and eventually, "The Front for Canadian Freedom", a self-declared continuation of the titular movement.

### **Rise to Power**

It took several decades for the movement to truly come into it's own. For most of the 22nd century it remained a vigilante-esque anti-raider group that protected settlements and traders in the Toronto region. Under the leadership of several extremely-skilled commanders, the FCF turned from a regional protection unit to an organised military that quickly became the dominant force in Toronto, now known as Ronto. It established the Provisional Canadian Government, and vowed to continue the pre-war fight against America.

Ronto enjoyed some of it's most prosperous years while under the rulership of the FCF, but at a heavy cost. The FCF would become increasingly radical as the years went by, and their grip on power grew tighter, personal freedoms were stripped away one-by-one.

### **Niagara War**

In 2230, the time had finally come for the war to be taken to the US. For Canada to have it's revenge. The FCF mobilised, and marched South, and then East - across the Niagara, and into Buffalo. The local militias were wiped out in hours, and the majority of the population enslaved. Those who resisted were rounded up and publicly tortured.

Unbeknownst to the Front for Canadian Freedom, a younger, yet far more dangerous threat lay beyond. The Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel. As soon as the Brotherhood learned of the invasion, and the intentions of those who conducted it, they mobilised to deal with the threat. After an initial victory against a Brotherhood forward recon force, the FCF's leadership was overconfident, and sallied out of Buffalo to directly engage the Brotherhood on open ground. This proved to be their greatest mistake. The mechanised, power-armoured forces of the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel decisively routed the FCF's main army and pursued them into the ruins of Buffalo, defeating them a second time and liberating the city's enslaved inhabitants. The FCF tried to establish defenses on the western banks of the Niagara, but were too late - the Brotherhood was hot on their heels, and defeated them a third time at The Falls, then at Saint's, and then pursued them deep into Canada, with a final victory at Hamilton where the last of the FCF's organised resistance dissolved.

The Brotherhood conducted a scorched-earth operation, irreparably damaging all land east of Hamilton and west of Saint's. As a final barrier to an FCF resurgence, the Brotherhood converted the region into an inhospitable hellscape using the malfunctioning G.E.C.K from Vault 67, causing the emergence of unimaginable horrors that dwelled within the ashlands.

### **Darkest Hour**

With their military completely ruined, the FCF dissolved almost overnight. Ronto's people overthrew the borderline-tyrannical FCF-led government and established their own, and surviving FCF forces either fled northwest into the wilds, re-integrated into Ronto society or transitioned into raider gangs.

An exception, however, was the forward expeditionary force headed by Captain Joseph Sim. Having originally been sent to secure the inactive nuclear reactor in the ruins of Batavia on the eve of the Niagara War, they were not involved in the heavy fighting in Buffalo, nor were they part of the forces pursued back into Canada by the Brotherhood. In the mass confusion and logistical chaos of the Niagara War, the FCF was unable to secure a stable line of communication with Joseph Sim's expeditionary force, and therefore no orders came through. By the time Sim's forces were informed of the war, the FCF had already been driven across the Niagara. Opting to remain in hiding rather than intervene, they bided their time, hoping for an FCF breakthrough.

But it never came. The FCF collapsed, and almost a decade later Sim's forces left Batavia's power district, heading west in hopes of returning to Canada. They had not anticipated a roadblock, much less one as severe as the Ashlands, which made passage between Buffalo and Ronto impossible unless by water. The FCF's remnants were unable to secure transport before they were informed of the overthrow of the Front in Ronto. Joseph Sim made the decision to have his forces remain in Saint's indefinitely, a decision that allowed them to survive while their brothers did not.

By 2287, the last vestige of the Front for Canadian Freedom remains in the ruins of Saint's. They are not particularly numerous, but are heavily armed and highly experienced. Very few of the original FCF soldiers who survived still live, but their descendants carry their ideals into a new era. Despite the Enclave's dominance in the Buffalo Wasteland, they have the potential to become a major regional player - though their isolation and general xenophobia would stunt their growth.