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Assault on Adams Air Force Base
Brokensteelscreen 03B
Enclave soldiers fending off the invasion
Overview
LocationAdams Air Force Base, Maryland, Columbia Commonwealth
Date2278
ResultBrotherhood strategic victory
Destruction of the Mobile base crawler
Involved parties
Lyon's Brotherhood of SteelBoS flag Lyons' Brotherhood of SteelFo3 Enclave State Flag Enclave
Leader
Elder Owyn Lyons
Senior Scribe Reginald Rothchild
Sentinel Sarah Lyons
Paladin Tristan
Lone Wanderer
Enclave High Command
Enclave Squad Sigma
Forces
Lone Wanderer
Lyons' Pride
Brotherhood of Steel supporting Knights and Paladins
Enclave Squad Sigma
Enclave soldiers
Enclave Hellfire troopers
Vertibird support
Casualties
Unknown/large[1]
Paladin Krieg[1]
Significant losses in manpower and materiel
Destruction of the mobile base crawler
Over thirty Vertibirds destroyed
Connected events
Part of:
The Purifier Conflict
Previous:
Battle of Rockland
Next:
-
Concurrent:
Schism
 
Gametitle-FO3 BSGametitle-FNVGametitle-FNV LRGametitle-FO4
Gametitle-FO3 BSGametitle-FNVGametitle-FNV LRGametitle-FO4

The Assault on Adams Air Force Base was the ultimate confrontation between the Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave at Adams Air Force Base in 2278.

Prelude[]

Following the Lone Wanderer's success in recovering the Tesla coil, Head Scribe Rothchild and his team began assembling Tesla cannons. As the Lone Wanderer became Lyons' most capable field operative, they were tasked with an assignment of adequate importance: Based on data recovered during the ill fated attack on the relay station (battle of Rockland), the Brotherhood identified a second base of operations used by the Enclave, set up in the ruins of the Adams Air Force Base. The Wanderer was given orders to infiltrate the base, alone, and destroy the headquarters of the Enclave.[2][3]

As the Enclave fortified the base, the Lone Wanderer had to bypass the fortifications somehow. The method was provided by the ancient presidential metro, a pre-War governmental rapid transit line connecting the most important locations in the capital and its nearby environs. After negotiating the winding tunnels filled with still functioning security robots and aggressive ghouls, the Lone Wanderer managed to board a functioning tram and reach Adams Air Force Base.[3]

Battle[]

The Enclave only set up a small security post at the old metro station, to deal with any feral ghouls that might wander into the area. The guards never expected someone as dangerous as the Lone Wanderer. Emerging from the metro, the Lone Wanderer recovered a tactical aid package dropped by a Brotherhood Vertibird near the entrance to the base. This triggered a beacon that signaled Brotherhood forces lying in wait outside the Enclave's detection range to begin their diversionary attack, to draw Enclave forces away from the base and give the Lone Wanderer a fighting chance.[2][4][3]

The Brotherhood attack successfully diverted the Enclave's attention, whose troops were rapidly mobilized and deployed to counter the Brotherhood incursion. Meanwhile, the Lone Wanderer made their way through the base, negotiating the old reinforced buildings and decaying hangars adapted by the Enclave for use in their activities throughout the wasteland.[3]

As a Brotherhood raiding party entered the Adams runway, distracting the Enclave troops stationed around the crawler, the Lone Wanderer was able to reach the air control tower and deploy the access ramp into the mobile base crawler. Within it, they successfully navigated the long, winding passages and negotiated the high number of Enclave personnel still stationed on board (with superior firepower).[3]

Eventually, the Lone Wanderer reached the satellite control tower on top of the crawler and gained access to the Bradley-Hercules weapons platform. Upon selection of a target, they were retrieved by Sentinel Sarah Lyons and taken to the Citadel, after witnessing the destruction of the crawler at the hands of a Bradley-Hercules payload.[3]

Aftermath[]

Following the second rout of the Enclave at Adams, the Brotherhood enjoys a stable, but hardly unrivaled position. Suffering from severely depleted stockpiles and shortage of manpower at the beginning of the conflict,[5][6][7] casualties taken during the fight with the Enclave and the loss of their most important military asset, Liberty Prime, make the future uncertain.

For the time being, the Brotherhood is occupied by its research into the Enclave technology. It has recovered a great amount of gear and weapons, and while it has already begun reverse-engineering it during the conflict, the process will take years to complete.[8][9] The water caravan program also continues to develop, while Elder Lyons switched focus back to the Brotherhood's old enemies: The Vault 87 super mutants and Lyons' lofty goal of bringing peace to the Capital Wasteland.[10]

The Enclave was largely destroyed as an effective fighting force, though it remains to be seen if this state of affairs will last. Their resources and mobility may lead to another resurgence in the future.[11]

However, if the Lone Wanderer nuked the Citadel in the crawler, the situation would be dramatically different. While the Enclave would remain defeated, the loss of the Brotherhood's entire upper command echelon, headquarters, research laboratory, weapon stockpile, and the bulk of their manpower would irreversibly cripple the entire organization.[3]

Appearances[]

The Assault on Adams Air Force Base appears only in the Fallout 3 add-on Broken Steel. It is mentioned in Fallout: New Vegas, its add-on Lonesome Road and Fallout 4.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Sole Survivor: "What happened at Adams Air Force Base?"
    Danse: "Back in the Capital Wasteland, The Brotherhood was at war with a traitorous group of rebels who called themselves "The Enclave." They maintained a mobile command post at the remains of Adams Air Force Base, just outside of Washington D.C. The Brotherhood spearheaded an assault on the command post which was ultimately successful but costly. Quite a few soldiers died in that battle, and Paladin Krieg was among them. He made his mark on history, and whether you chose to believe it or not, you have the potential to do the same."
    (Danse's dialogue)
  2. 2.0 2.1 The Lone Wanderer: "I'm good to go. What's next?"
    Tristan: "Based on the data you brought us from the relay station, we've identified where the Enclave is basing their operation. It seems they have a second base of operations at Adams Air Force base, outside of DC. The only safe way to get there is through the Presidential Metro used by the government before the war. You're going to be on your own again for now; the rest of the Brotherhood will be providing a distraction so you can slip in undetected. Once you breach the Presidential Metro and get to Adams Air Force Base, look for the Resupply Crate. Inside, you'll find your new orders and hopefully we can put a working Tesla Cannon into your hands."
    (Tristan's dialogue)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Who Dares Wins
  4. Orders: "This is Paladin Tristan.
    If you're listening to this, then you've made it through the Presidential Metro and Adams Air Force Base is all that stands in your way. Our scouts report that the fire controls for the orbital missile satellite are located in the main tower of the Enclave Mobile Platform. The only way into the platform is by way of a ramp that lowers from a watch post the Enclave set up in the old air traffic control tower. When you opened the crate it triggered a beacon. We'll pick up the signal and start the assault to cover your entry. Good luck, and Godspeed."
  5. The Lone Wanderer: "Anything you can tell me about the Super Mutants?"
    Owyn Lyons: "Would you believe... "no"? It's pathetic, really, considering we've been fighting those abominations for nearly twenty years. In all that time, all we've managed to do is contain the threat. Hold them back, so they don't overrun every blasted settlement out here. But we don't really "know" anything. Where they're from, why they've infested the D.C. ruins. And now here we are, holed up in our Citadel. Low on resources, low on troops. It's enough to make an old man so very... tired."
    (Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
  6. The Lone Wanderer: "Those sound like pretty good changes to me."
    Reginald Rothchild: "You're an outsider. I don't expect you to understand. We live and die by our dedication to the Brotherhood. To go against orders... It's not something that's done. I appreciate that Lyons believes he is doing what is right, but he should never have disobeyed orders. And now look where it's gotten us. Forces dwindled, Super Mutants on one side, Enclave on the other. We can barely take care of ourselves."
    (Reginald Rothchild's dialogue)
  7. The Lone Wanderer: "You must see a lot of things. What's been going on?"
    Artemis: "What's been going on? Well, let's see. For years, we've been draining our resources defending the ungrateful residents of this no man's land. Most of my best friends have either been ripped apart by Super Mutants or left to join the Outcasts. And now an enemy we faced more than thirty years ago has resurfaced, and their tech is still better than ours. What's been going on with you?"
    (Artemis' dialogue)
  8. The Lone Wanderer: "So, what happens to the Brotherhood now?"
    Reginald Rothchild: "I've been amazingly busy ever since we began clashing with the Enclave. All their technology is amazing. It's going to take me years to sift through the wreckage of their mobile platform alone. I suppose we have you to thank for that."
    (Reginald Rothchild's dialogue)
  9. The Lone Wanderer: "So, what happens to the Brotherhood now?"
    Vallincourt: "Now? Now the real work begins. I've got just piles and piles of Enclave technology to take apart and put back together. Who do you think got our captured Vertibird flying? Now let me get back to work before Rothchild assigns me trash detail."
    (Vallincourt's dialogue)
  10. The Lone Wanderer: "So, what happens to the Brotherhood now?"
    Owyn Lyons: "Although we've all but eradicated the Enclave, many difficult paths still stretch out before us. The Wasteland is still rife with peril, and I intend to dedicate the Brotherhood to maintaining it in a peaceful state. I hold out high hopes for you; that you'll still wish to be a part of our future and help us in our struggles."
    (Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
  11. The Lone Wanderer: "So, have we totally wiped out the Enclave?"
    Owyn Lyons: "It would be naive of me to assume the Enclave threat is completely eradicated from our future. With their resources and advanced mobility, I wouldn't be surprised if we see them return to the Capital Wasteland one day."
    (Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
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