Cross is most definitely not your mother. Her appearance is the same regardless of your appearance. If Bethesda wanted her to be your mother, they would have made it so that her race and appearance changes. It does not. I've cross-checked the GECK.

The idea about James and Dr.Li being deserters from the Enclave seems quite plausible, where else would they receive such knowledge in their field in the wasteland? It also explains just why there is a picture of Madison that can be put on your pip-boy.

The appearance of Catherine is also always the same (although she's not supposed to actually be seen during the birth sequence).

This would make sense even if only from the perspective of James and Madison's training. *Where* did they school to become doctors and scientists? Or are there institutions near the East Coast that survived and are operating that we're not aware of?

My 2 caps
Eileen

Well, there's also the Institute.

In the Commonwealth?

When Zimmer is in the lab none of the scientists really seem to know anything about it. If they did and had been there/received their training there, they wouldn't be scoffing at his android problem, would they? They would have believed him because they would have seen the tech first hand.

No?

Eileen

Then again, we're talking about Madison and James having left the Commonwealth at least twenty years ago. Also, they might have been in very different research groups so they may have very little knowledge of what developments were being made/have been made in the past two decades.

by using the doorbell ... serious sorry lame joke

Oy. Ignore this. I missed some posts.

So, it's possible then that James, Madison and Catherine came from the Commonwealth.

Now, I can't help but wonder why the heck the Enclave is bothering with the East Coast when it would seem to me that "conquering" the Commonwealth would be more beneficial to them. That doesn't mean to say that they're not, I'm just hypothesizing.

Eileen

Oh yes, and his brotherhood friend is, as someone asked, Star Paladin Cross, who escorted him for a while.

Well... a ZAX computer can't really move. It was just happenchance that the purity project was going on around Raven Rock. The Commonwealth, as I am to understand, would certainly be grateful to any power that would move in and bring order around the Institute, because apparently raiders infest most of the Commonwealth as a whole and the Institute is the only place where there is any kind of civilization up there.

I always wondered how Dr. Li got the title of Doctor.
=P
Star Paladin Cross couldn't be your mother. Her voice is so much more...different. Catherine was also a scientist, where Cross was an elite soldier. There's also the fact that at the end of the birth sequence, she's dying. Then, in Vault 101, you can find a holotape behind the "Home Sweet Home" picture where James laments Catherine's death.
=S
I wish James would have lived, when you're a good guy, he's really fun to hang with.

Has anyone found the tape where Dad is advancing on Mom? You probably were concieved right after that tape was recorded :wub:

I'd say it is more then an assumption. I seem to remember her specifically saying that the least she could do when your mother died was accompany you and your father across the wasteland.

lyons ....the old guy

I think James your mom and Dr. Li being ex-Enclave makes a lot of sense, however I think they would have to have been ex-West Coast Enclave as wouldn't Eden/Autumn have reconized them and made a comment. The one man in the Fire Ant infested town, I forget the name off the top of my head, was a deserter from the West.

It would actually clear up my main beef on why your dad would kill himself when the enclave arrived if he didnt know their intention, hopefully Broken Steel will clear this up.

It seems to be this is a good thread to post my quetion.

I'm wondering why James able to define Enclave when they first shows up on Jefferson memorial.
For a fallout series player may know these high-tech, vertibard for exmaple, is something like "OMG here they are! It's an Enclave!" thing.
But assuming it wasn't kind of direction to let's player know who they are, how James knew that?
Their defeats in Fallout 2 revealed their entire tech to other side of coast?

Since I do not played previous fallout games yet, I'm curious about this.
Even I'm thinking it was just directional event of "Let's player know" thing.

A very good question indeed.
James might be an Enclave deserter for all we know. It's known that at least one deserter from Navarro made it.
Then again, the BoS has been probably talking about the Enclave all the time whilst assisting on Purity, and also the radio yapping of Eden... and the instant James saw them, he knew who they were.

Now, how did he know they were still evil is beyond me.

As for the tech?
Vertibirds... In FO2 they were so "WTF OMG XD PWN" sort to speak, three fractions wanted their blueprints in San Fran, and most sightings were pretty much described as UFOs - strange noises and lights and so forth.
Power Armor - "Hello? Anybody in there?" "Lost your heart, tin man?" is the FO2's normal nonnamed NPCs response to you wearing it.

IIRC, in FO3 - the Enclave is a reasonably new development. Elder Lyons speaks of being surprised by the re-emergence of an old enemy - so I suspect that the BoS wasn't talking about it back in 2257. I'm guessing that James had access to the Enclave Radio signal somehow - and that's how he figured it out. Or maybe Three Dog gave him the 411.

Paladin Cross

Did you sleep in the bed inside that room before listening to that tape? Awkward.... :blink:

i believe the word was scientist not dentist.

I heard deadbeat.

I think their previous medic was Jonas AND your father, but Jonas was killed and your father left so they gave the job to Andy, who, if you do a little extra exploring in Trouble on the Homefront, isn't that good of a medic. Who is their new medic, I wonder?