The Battle of the Mall(Note) was a protracted battle fought primarily between the super mutants, the Brotherhood of Steel, and Talon Company for control over the Mall in the core of Washington, D.C. They were later joined by the Enclave following their re-emergence in late 2277, while other factions also maintained a neutral presence in the area.
Background[]
After arriving in the Capital Wasteland during 2255, the Brotherhood of Steel would join the conflict between the region's human groups and super mutants. Led by Elder Owyn Lyons, they eventually launched a long and arduous war of annihilation against the mutants that saw their areas of control reduced to the D.C. ruins and some areas to the West over a 20-year period, which has been complicated over time by the arrival of other hostile groups and especially the emergence of the Enclave in 2277.[1]
Events[]
Prelude[]
Sometime prior to 2277, the Brotherhood was approached by Three Dog, the host of Galaxy News Radio, with an offer: in exchange for protection from the various hazards of the Capital Wasteland, he would allow the Brotherhood of Steel to establish an outpost at the GNR building plaza and his relay station.[2] This was seen as beneficial to the Brotherhood, as not only did they gain a strategic location to use as bases, but their new ally operated one of the only working radio stations in the region.[3] They dispatched a unit commanded by Knight Sergeant Wilks to defend GNR Plaza. Another garrison, including the 2nd Monument Defense Detachment led by Paladin Berrings,[4] was sent to occupy the Washington Monument on the Mall, as the monument's spire contained broadcasting equipment used to relay the GNR signal.[5][6]
The overall situation on the National Mall itself as of this time is unclear. Apart from the Brotherhood's presence at the Washington Monument, the Museum of History had long since been occupied by the ghoul residents of Underworld, but little else is known, including the extent to which super mutants or other hostiles were present at the time.
Attrition (2277)[]
By August 2277, while the western half of the Mall was relatively pristine, the eastern half of the Mall had become a labyrinthine network of trenches, sandbag barricades, bunkers and fortified positions, in which the super mutants were entrenched. At this point, the super mutants' territory was limited to the eastern half of the Mall, from the trenches past the Washington Monument all the way to the Capitol Building. Most of the buildings in this half were also mutant-controlled, including the Museum of Technology and the National Archives. The Brotherhood evidently once controlled a bunker complex underneath these trenches, but by late 2277 this position had also fallen to the super mutants.[7]
The super mutants' position was also under siege from multiple fronts. The Brotherhood continued to counter the super mutants in the west, from their outpost at the Washington Monument, and their units had also traversed the super mutant territory at least once, evidenced by the testimony of one unit who noticed the Virgo II dish in the Museum of Technology (per Three Dog).[8] In the east, Talon Company also began to enter the Mall from Seward Square, with their forces breaking through into the Capitol Building and installing laser turrets. However, their situation in both the Capitol Building and Seward Square remained under contest from the super mutants, in a prolonged battle. In the Capitol Building, the Talon Company mercs faced opposition from a super mutant behemoth, while their position outside the Capitol in Seward Square had artillery support.[9] The Brotherhood was also tracking their conflict, and Sentinel Sarah Lyons believed that the super mutant assault force which caused the Battle of GNR Plaza was actually a reinforcement squad passing through Chevy Chase to join the battle against Talon Company on the Mall.[10]
When the Enclave revealed itself in late 2277, they also complicated the situation further, with their vertibirds bombing Talon Company and mutant positions in Seward Square and dropping off soldiers to assault from both sides of the Capitol Building.[11] Talon Company continued to hold their position well after the Enclave's defeat in their war against the Brotherhood, and they appeared content to fortify their existing positions rather than expanding further.[12]
At some point, a super mutant was able to shoot and damage the Galaxy News Radio relay on the Washington Monument. Three Dog heard about a potential replacement dish in the Museum of Technology from a Brotherhood member passing through, and he sought the help of the Lone Wanderer in retrieving the dish and repairing the relay; however, it is unknown whether the Lone Wanderer followed through with this.[5][13]
Neutral forces[]
Outside of the Brotherhood's presence at the Washington Monument, the western half of the Mall was neutral, although outside of the city it was also rumored to be super mutant territory.[14] The ghouls of Underworld, in the Museum of History, were a neutral party to the overall conflict, as they distrusted most humans equally and the super mutants generally left them alone (they surmise it is because "whatever they do" cannot turn ghouls into super mutants). D.C.'s human factions actually posed more of a threat to them: in addition to Talon Company's general "psycho" behavior,[15] the Brotherhood would even shoot at the ghouls whenever they saw them above ground, though they missed most of the time.[16] This, along with their role in turning the Mall into a warzone, bred resentment against the Brotherhood in Underworld, but not to the point of outright hostility.[17][18]
While they were a major chaotic threat elsewhere in the Capital Wasteland and the D.C. ruins, raiders mostly stayed away from the Mall, while slavers tended to stay away from the city in general, with the few who did come being quickly dispatched by the other factions.[16][18] A group of slavers led by Leroy Walker did take over the Lincoln Memorial on the western end of the Mall, possibly having taken it over from any super mutants who were rumored to hold the area.[14] The slavers mostly stayed on the defensive, as they were more interested in hunting runaway slaves and removing a potential abolitionist symbol than anything else.[19][20] The Lone Wanderer may have helped the slavers, or they may helped the slaves at the Temple of the Union in wiping out the slavers and claiming the memorial for themselves.[21]
Aftermath[]
The specific outcomes of the battle are unclear. However, with the Brotherhood's rise to supremacy in the Capital Wasteland after 2277, it is likely that neither the super mutants nor Talon Company hold positions in or near the Mall like they did in 2277: the Brotherhood is known to have continued combat against super mutants in the region up through the early 2280s,[22][23] and the Brotherhood is known to have been unfriendly to mercenaries,[24] especially given their own conflicts with Talon Company elsewhere circa 2277.[25]
Notes[]
- ^ (Note) This is an unofficial, editor-made title used to distinguish the event.
- The player character can be involved in this battle depending on whether or not they kill the super mutants, Talon Company mercs, slavers, or other characters in the area. Many of the super mutants in the Mall do not respawn, so it is possible to make the area relatively clear of enemies after clearing the area for the first time.
Appearances[]
This battle occurs before and during the events of Fallout 3.
References[]
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "How long have you been here?"
Owyn Lyons: "It's been over twenty years since we arrived. And we've been struggling to contain and eradicate the Super Mutants for nearly as long. With the arrival of the Enclave, I have a terrible feeling the Super Mutants are the least of our worries."
(Owyn Lyons' dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "I'm amazed you're still alive."
Three Dog: "Oh I have plenty of enemies that would love nothing more than to put a bullet between my eyes. The only thing keeping that from happening is Sarah Lyons and the Brotherhood of Steel. We've brokered a sweet deal. They keep me from taking a dirt nap, and I keep a strong roof over their head."
(Three Dog's dialogue) - ↑ Sarah Lyons: "The Brotherhood does its best, but sometime's it takes a little something... special. That's where the Lyons' Pride comes in."
The Lone Wanderer: "You mentioned something about Galaxy News Radio?"
Sarah Lyons: "There aren't a lot of safe places in the ruins right now, but the Galaxy News Radio building is sort of our port in the storm. Unfortunately, the building's been hit pretty hard lately. We're their backup. So if there are no more questions, we really need to move out."
The Lone Wanderer: "Anything else you can tell me about GNR?"
Sarah Lyons: "Well, the Brotherhood needed a secure outpost, and the guy who runs the radio station needed to not get his head ripped off by Super Mutants. It's a mutually beneficial relationship."
(Sentinel Lyons' dialogue) - ↑ Washington Monument access
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Lone Wanderer: "Again with the damn stories. Just get to the point."
Three Dog: "Fine, fine... Since you're too impatient to listen to the details, I'll get to the point. The broadcast relay on the Washington Monument needs to be replaced and there's only one replacement for it. It's the dish off of the old Virgo II Lunar Lander in the Museum of Technology."
(Three Dog's dialogue) - ↑ Washington Monument terminal entries
- ↑ The super mutant bunker includes radio equipment and several Brotherhood corpses.
- ↑ Three Dog: "One of the Brotherhood guys that passed through here mentioned seeing a dish in one of D.C.'s old museums. It's the dish off of the old Virgo II Lunar Lander in the Museum of Technology. I want you to get it and bring it to the Washington Monument to replace the bad one. That's it."
(Three Dog's dialogue) - ↑ Seward Square artillery
- ↑ Citadel terminal entries; Citadel lab terminal, G.N.R. Battle After-Action Report
- ↑ Fallout 3 Enclave outposts and camps; scripted events, The Capitol Building and Seward Square
- ↑ Talon Company merc log
- ↑ Galaxy News Radio can be skipped if the player discovers James' location somewhere else.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Lone Wanderer: "Sounds dangerous. Where is this place?"
Hannibal Hamlin: "I want to move all my people to the Memorial site for the great Abraham Lincoln, but I need to know if it's safe. I've heard rumors of Super Mutants infesting that area though. We need to send someone to check that out first."
(Hannibal Hamlin's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Other assholes?"
Willow: "Yeah, you know. Those humans, like you. Well, maybe not like you, I dunno, but humans all the same. The Brotherhood of Steel guys with their testosterone and Power Armor... Those psycho Talon Company mercs..."
(Willow's dialogue) - ↑ 16.0 16.1 The Lone Wanderer: "Isn't it dangerous being this deep into the city?"
Tulip: "Not really. The Super Mutants leave us alone. I guess whatever they do that turns people like them doesn't work on us. The Brotherhood of Steel will fire on us if we're out in the open, but they don't bother us down here. We've had some Raiders and Slavers poke their heads in, but we've got Charon and Cerberus and everyone else to take care of them. I guess when it comes down to it, being this far out of everyone's way is a good deal for us."
(Tulip's dialogue) - ↑ Fallout 3 loading screen: "The Ghouls of Underworld generally aren't bothered by D.C.'s Super Mutants, but resent the Brotherhood of Steel for turning their back yard into a warzone."
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 The Lone Wanderer: "Where am I?"
Winthrop: "You're in Underworld, smoothskin. It's the only safe place for we Ghouls in D.C. We're here, out of sight and out of mind. The mutants leave us alone and the Slavers usually don't come this far into the city, so it's not bad. Really, the Brotherhood of Steel is the only thing we have to worry about... so long as we don't leave Underworld, that is."
The Lone Wanderer: "The Brotherhood of Steel? What's your beef with them?"
Winthrop: "Bastards. They don't seem to be able to tell us apart from the Super Mutants. Or, maybe they just don't care. They see us and shoot on sight. And least they have the common courtesy to miss most of the time. Still... bigots."
(Winthrop's dialogue) - ↑ Leroy Walker: "I'm Leroy Walker, and you're probably wondering about what we're doing here."
The Lone Wanderer: "Looks to me like you're getting ready for war. What are you really doing here?"
Leroy Walker: "You're a sharp one. We're from Paradise Falls. We're hunting runaway slaves. Have you seen any?"
(Leroy Walker's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Why are you so interested in Lincoln artifacts?"
Leroy Walker: "Slaves all over the Wasteland have started talking about Lincoln and his great war to free the slaves. Slaves all over the Wasteland have started talking about Lincoln and his great war to free the slaves. So I'm burning everything I can find related to this Abe Lincoln."
(Leroy Walker's dialogue) - ↑ Events of Head of State
- ↑ Proctor Ingram: "I was fighting with the Brotherhood in the Capital Wasteland. Worked at a staging area for the Power Armor troops. Our position was along a ridgeline overlooking the battlefield. I'd say it was a hundred foot drop, give or take."
The Sole Survivor: "Who were you fighting?"
Proctor Ingram: "Super Mutants. The damn things had wrangled a couple of behemoths and were marching on our main base of operations. To make a long story short, the ridge I was standing on took a hit from a nuke. Sheered most of the cliff right off and caused the platform I was standing on to tumble over the side. If I hadn't have been test-piloting one of the Power Armor suits at the time, I would have died."'
(Nate's/Nora's and Proctor Ingram's dialogue) Note: Ingram does not give a date, but her mention of the Prydwen suggests it was already completed at the time, which postdates the events of Fallout 3. - ↑ The Prydwen terminal entries; Proctor Quinlan's terminal, The Rise of Elder Maxson
- ↑ The Sole Survivor: "Pretty brave, a bunch of kids living alone like that."
Robert MacCready: "I don't know. Looking back on the whole thing, I think we were just lucky. Anyway, when I hit sixteen, I ended up wandering the Capital Wasteland for a while. I took the odd job here and there, but things were pretty hot with the Brotherhood of Steel running the show. So I hitched a ride with a caravan and made my way north until I ended up here. Made a pretty decent name for myself before I heard that the Gunners needed some sharpshooters. Biggest mistake of my life. They were animals. Killed anything that moved if it got in their way. I went with it for a while, because the caps were good. But, I dunno, I guess it started to catch up with me... so I quit. Which pretty much brings us to now. So there you have it, my whole life in a nutshell."
(Robert MacCready's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "What are you doing here?"
Paladin Jensen: "The Brotherhood is getting ready for a little payback. We're tired of Talon Company ambushing our water caravans. I was scouting their base when I was captured -- all part of my plan of course. Now that I've memorized all their guard positions and patrol routes, I just need to get out of here and report back to the rest of my squad. Come on, help me escape!"
(Jensen's dialogue)