Arthur Maxson

> ***Note: This character has had one or more non-canon edits in order to work better with this fanseries. Any edits done are considered non-canon, and only apply to the Fallout: Ragnarok series.***
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Arthur Maxson is the current Elder and Supreme Commander of the East-Coast Brotherhood of Steel, taking over after the death of his former Elders and mentors. The product of a heavily divided Brotherhood spanning across the wastelands of the United States, Maxson grew up and dedicated himself towards the Brotherhoods mission to establish a new system of control over humanity, preventing deadly technology and weapons from falling into the hands of those deemed too dangerous to properly control them. The presence of the Institute and it's synths brings Maxson to the Boston Commonwealth, boarded on the Brotherhood airship, the Prydwyn. Maxson is hellbent on ridding the Commonwealth of all Institute technology, mainly the Synths, and is willing to execute anyone standing in the way, such as ordering Kairune to execute a surrendered teen originating from the Institute due to the risk of her potentially being a synth. This particular order serves as the breaking point between the two's already fractured relationship, and forces Kairune to flee the Brotherhood, angering Maxson.

## History (Fallout: Ragnarok Book One)

### The Arrival

Maxson traveled with the majority of the Brotherhood of Steels military, including the massive airship, The Prydwyn, in order to begin putting ranks and outposts throughout the Boston area. As the area was already 'covered' by a military and law enforcement style group, the Minutemen, tensions were high when the steel airship roared into the Commonwealth's airspace, with only a repeating message over the PA system to reassure the citizens of the various holds. As such, Kairune, then a Sentinel, was charged with reaching out to the Minutemen, a task Maxson had shoved onto her to keep her busy, not thinking she would accomplish it. Utilizing her skills at peaceful negotiations, Kairune was able to contact the General of the Minutemen through Colonel Preston Garvey, brokering a cease fire while the Brotherhood set up at the Boston Airport. Maxson was annoyed, but impressed when Kairune presented him the Minutemen's 'blessing' to begin their operations in the area, restricting them from laying claims over the major settlements in the area, such as Diamond City.

### Planting the Roots

Immediately after the arrival of the Prydwyn, Maxson launched a number of campaigns against the feral ghoul and Super Mutant threat in the Commonwealth area, a task he delegated to the various Knight squadrons. It being a new and relatively untamed area, many squadrons suffered from a high turnout rate, with soldiers either fleeing and going AWOL, or falling in the line of duty. Kairune was passed around several Brotherhood squads, operating on standard area patrols in an attempt to suppress mutant operations. It was then that the Brotherhood identified and began operations against the various Institute sightings within the Boston area, deeming the synths to be a true abomination and threat to humanity across the country. The General of the Minutemen issued Maxson a warning about provoking a fight with the Institute, stating that there were details that weren't known that affected both her armies and the Institute, and that they were in the works of establishing a peacetime relation as well. Maxson refused to acknowledge the message, deeming that it was his sole duty and purpose to extinguish the presence of the Institute and it's wayward technology through brute force, ordering his units to begin conscripting local farms and settlements in order to source raw materials to grow and maintain the Brotherhood's operations.

### Broken-Chain Incident

It was only a matter of time before Maxson and Kairune locked heads once more, and the boiling point came after a routine patrol from Kairune's squadron. While airborne, Kairune observed two civilians under attack by a sufficient number of synths, and an Institute Courser. As a Courser was a top level target for the Brotherhood, the unit immediately intervened and eliminated the attacking synths. However, they were shocked to discover that one of the individuals rescued was a 17 year old student, who'd lived in the Institute her entire life, and aimed to use her teachings and technology to start helping those above surface. Fearing her to be a synth, Maxson hastily ordered that she be executed immediately, an order that Kairune refused to follow, as there was no way to identify whether or not a person was a synth at the time. This caused a fracture between Kairune and Maxson, one deep enough for Maxson to use to call for Kairune's demotion to Knight and order her to stand trial for refusing his orders. He also called into question her loyalty to the Brotherhood, mocking her for following the ideology of the late Sarah Lyons and cursing her to a similar fate. This comment caused Kairune to snap, and she challenged him to an honor dual, referring to the old code implemented by Arthur's direct ancestors during the formation of the Brotherhood. Maxson refused, stating that the code only applied to loyal Brotherhood members, and drew a knife, scratching out the Sentinel rank insignia from Kairune's power armor. In response, Kairune deployed a improvised diversion device in his face to stun him long enough for her to make her escape. She recovered the captured girl, and the two fled the Prydwyn aboard a stolen vertibird.

The betrayal enraged Maxson, who had always had a rough opinion of Kairune due to her allegiance and service in the Lyon's Pride. This, coupled with his acquisiting of the near impossible task of cleansing the Boston Commonwealth drove him over the edge. He immediately ordered that Kairune and Rayne be hunted down and killed for their actions, labelling Kairune as an Institute sympathizer. This order, coupled with the rumors of him rejecting an honor dual splintered the Brotherhood. Many sided with their Elder, blacklisting Kairune from their lives. However, many, including Captain Kells himself, began to question the Elder's intentions and believe that his personal feelings towards Kairune made him the true Chain Breaker. Although Kairune was hunted relentlessly for weeks, she was eventually saved when the Minutemen intervened, stating that their man-hunt was harming their relations with the settlements of the Commonwealth, and that they needed to shut it down, or lose all Minutemen support, which included ammunition trade routes and access to certain regions. Unwilling to bring about a famine through the ranks, Maxson reluctantly agreed to stop hunting Kairune, although he vowed that he would see to her death as soon as he was able to.

## Relationships

### Ragnarok Mercenary Company

See: Ragnarok Mercenary Company

Maxson reportedly had much to say when he discovered that Kairune had taken refuge operating as a for-hire mercenary. He saw her as someone who operates for money only, having no moral or civil duty in her. He also publically vilified the group for their actions. He harbors a hatred for Kairune, Crow, and Rayne specifically, the latter two for their relation to the Institute (Crow being a courser, and Ranye being a former Bioscience prodigy). Despite all this, pressure from the Minutemen have urged him to ensure that a ceasefire is in place between his personnel and the RMC crew, although they've taken their share of fire from Brotherhood rifles during rescue operations, often times explained as 'accidents'.

### Lancer Captain Kells

See: Captain Kells

Captain Kells is a trusted advisor and senior officer aboard the Prydwyn. As her commander, Kells is tasked with determining her next course of action. Kells and Maxson work well together, with Maxson trusting Kell's input, and Kells seeing him as a visionary for the Brotherhood. His youthful arrogance, and personal vendetta against Kairune causes Kells to slowly question the Elder. He personally overheard Maxson refuse to acknowledge the honor duel Maxson was challenged to, which normally would have resulted in Maxson immediately being stripped of his rank and title, labelling as a Bond Breaker, and ended with his exile from the Brotherhood of Steel. Kells remained quiet, not wanting to damage the already fragile infrastructure of the Brotherhood. However, shortly after Kairune's departure, Wells began speaking to other loyalist members, finding that a large number of the Brotherhood's upper echelon stood with Kairune. Although he never said it directly to the Elder, Wells often refers to him as the real Chain-Breaker.

### The Institute

Maxson harbors a significant hatred for the Institute, deeming their synths as a spit in the face of humanity, and views them all as sub-human machines that must be eliminated at all costs. Although he is unaware of the Institute's true strength and numbers, he does identify them as a significant military threat, and uses careful tactics and precision strikes to attempt to find out as much as he can about the organization. Maxson is also unaware of the leadership of the Institute, knowing only that they have made contact with the Minutemen's General.

### The Commonwealth Minutemen

The journey from the Capital Wasteland left the Brotherhood of Steel hurting for resources. In order to ensure a successful transition into the Commonwealth, Maxson appointed one of his soldiers, Kairune, to make contact with and broker a peace between them and the Minutemen, who serve as the Commonwealth's national guard and law enforcement organization. Kairune was successful in working with the General's executive officer, Preston Garvey, in ensuring that the Brotherhoods operations would be left alone, provided they agree to certain terms. For example: No military presence in Diamond City, Goodneighbor, Vault 81, and Bunker Hill, unless it was scribes performing research or members restocking. Brotherhood Knights in Power Armor were requested to leave their armor prior to entering the city area. The Brotherhood was also barred from establishing any settlements within the boundaries of these territories. Although Maxson doesn't particularly enjoy the terms, he does honor them, knowing that the Minutemen could potentially place a significant hinder on incoming supplies and resources via blockades. The presence of the Minutemen base, the Castle, in close proximity to the Boston Airport allows him to gather intelligence, but makes him wary thanks to their heavy artillery installments.