It was cramped inside Piper Wright's ramshackle office Publick Occurrences, wedged between the market stalls and permeated with the scent of ink, dust, and brahmin sweat. Headlines curled along the walls like ivy: handwritten scoops, yellowed clippings, scribbled reminders. A battered typewriter sat between her and the man crouched to fit beneath her sagging ceiling.
"You don't talk to reporters much, do you?" she asked, flipping on her recorder.
Nate gave a tired half-smile. "Not since the world ended."
Piper smirked. "Well, lucky for you, the news didn't."
[Piper's Interview Transcript]
Piper: Let's start simple. The people are calling you The New General. Who are you, really?
Nate: I was a soldier. A husband. A father. I woke up to a world I didn't recognize, and all I saw was what we'd lost. The only way forward was to rebuild something better. The Minutemen gave me a reason to try.
Piper: People still remember the last time the Minutemen collapsed—infighting, ambition, betrayal. What makes your command any different?
Nate: I'm not here for titles. Or politics. I'm here because people are scared, scattered, and preyed on. That ends now.
Piper: You helped liberate Lexington. Restarted the water plant at Weston. Held the line at Hangman's Alley. Some say you even pulled a Brotherhood squad out of a bad fight near Cambridge. But what turns heads most... is your backing. The Division. High-grade gear. T-Dolls. Black-ops tactics. So I'll ask straight: who's really giving the orders?
Nate: The Division's presence in the Commonwealth is real—but they're not in charge. We have... an our understanding. As long as our goals align, we share resources. That's will be all.
Piper: So they don't dictate the Minutemen's agenda?
Nate(sharply): No. The only people who decide what we fight for are the ones we protect.
[Piper's Perspective]
She shut off the recorder and leaned back, watching Nate's posture—still, measured. Guarded, but not rehearsed.
"You know," she said, "that's the first time I've seen someone walk into this city without trying to squeeze it for caps or politics."
"I already have what I need," Nate replied. "A foothold. A direction. And a reason."
Piper tapped her pen. "You mentioned your son. Shaun, right?"
Nate's jaw tightened. "Taken. From a cryopod. I don't know who has him... but I will find my son."
She scribbled the name, then hesitated.
"A man out of time. A general without a throne. You're going to rattle some cages, General. McDonough's already sweating through his cravat. And if you keep gaining ground... the people pulling the real strings won't take kindly."
Nate gave a dry chuckle.
"Good. Let them come."
[Publick Occurrences Headline – Following Day]
THE GENERAL SPEAKS
Minutemen Return to the Commonwealth — Led by a Soldier with a Mission By Piper Wright
"We're not here to rule. We're here to rebuild."That's the message from General Nate, the quiet force behind the liberation of Lexington, the restoration of Weston, and the battle that reclaimed Hangman's Alley.Now, as Diamond City Security struggles to hold its walls and the Mayor dodges questions on missing residents, many ask:
Has the Commonwealth finally found its shield?