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The Commonwealth, Part 14

   "I guess this house is our nerve center," said Preston. "Most of our brainstorming's been done right here.
We've got an actual command center in the east bastion for running operations, but everybody prefers this
place over the D&D. You know, dank dungeons."
   Nora nodded. "Makes sense. Does it still smell there?"
   "No... Not that much, anyway. We used all the Abraxo we could find when we scrubbed all those tunnels
and rooms, but those damn mirelurks did a real number on this place. Still, for all its flaws, this has been
our home for over a year. Most of us really like it here."
   "Does that mean you've abandoned Operation Cupboard?"
   "Oh no, The Switchboard is actually close to being finished," said Preston. "The place was in such a good
shape that we didn't even have to rewire most of the power, data, and communications lines down there.
Took more of an effort to secure the Lexington area of all the ghouls and raiders, and connect Switchboard's
comms to the radio towers."
   "How long until it's fully operational?"
   "Two weeks, tops. The last batch of communications personnel needs to finish their training. After that,
The Switchboard should be ready to roll, and we'll move all our vital functions there."
   "Good," said Nora, and smiled. "That's one more item you can strike off your list."
   Preston laughed. "You gave us a pretty intimidating list of homework before you left on your sabbatical,
but I'm happy to say we've accomplished everything. Mind you, some of those plans of yours were pretty
damn impossible to pull off, but with the help we got from The Institute we got the job done."
   Nora had felt an intense stare directed at her for a while now, and turned to face Ronnie Shaw.
   "Good to see you finally, general," said Ronnie.
   "Likewise. I hear you take good care of our greenhorns."
   "Someone's got to make sure they don't soil their pants out there."
   "Got that right. Say, is that a laser musket on your back?"
   "Oh, I've got a pea shooter just like everybody else here, but I carry this musket with me for its symbolic
value when I'm in this place, to remind everyone — especially the greenhorns — where the Minutemen came
from. I built this musket myself decades ago, general. It's followed me to hell and back. Now, its job is to
remind folks that there was a time when we were just a bunch of scruffy Wastelanders trying to protect
their families."