Vault Valley (Fallout)

[Pat]

​

ODYSSEUS unlocks the sealed blast doors of Vault Valley's eight fallout shelters. Their respective overseers may finally open and close them as they deem appropriate beginning at 6:00 A.M. on the long anticipated date of October 23rd, 2097. Reclamation Day celebratory parties yesterday in the atriums and diners of the subterranean bunkers counting down every second left until tomorrow were certainly nights to remember, and some hormonal dwellers even took it upon themselves to start 'repopulation' early, but the rest of the day to come would ultimately determine what kind of future residents have in the former national park. Widespread unsubstantiated rumors of cannibal mutants and inhospitable conditions on the surface increase tensions, but the common mental health ailment of Vault Depression Syndrome, or V.D.S., vanishes overnight only for an epidemic of cabin fever to take hold. The vaults were a powderkeg of anticipation so much as fear of the surface. It was time to proceed to the rallying point of Furnace Creek if the eight overseers were serious about finally recolonizing America.

Vault 4​

Initial expeditions find that the nearby campgrounds appear at first glance to be untouched, and overgrown with vibrant albeit mutated flora. The accidental rediscovery of the old charcoal kilns that Death Valley's miners once operated, back before it was even a national park or the Vault Valley of today, offers an opportunity to start producing more fuel. However, explorers can't shake the feeling that they're being watched, and they return with simple stone tools and photos of odd markings adorning nearly every surface.

Vault 7​

Early findings indicate that the nearby Saratoga Springs is still a welcoming oasis of the hot Mojave Desert, though now it's glory days are clearly long since behind it. A small herd of eight animals identified as mutated bighorner sheep are seen drinking from a body of water, along with scores of oversized beetles and snails duking it out for control of everything else. The 'bighorners' appear to be in a defensive circle around a large patch of banana yucca fruit they hungrily grazed from.
Five claw tracks are seen leading away from the shores, which the group of explorers follow to a toxic waste dump of a cave nearby. An odd chirping can be heard deep inside, and leaking barrels of some highly radioactive liquid flank the entrance.

Inside the vault, dwellers are beginning to question if it is the best course of action to continue seeking to actively proselytize their fellow unenlightened participants of Project Safehouse when faced with so much vitriolic controversy on intranet forums. Though their faith in Saint Joseph Moni remains firm, one only had to listen to hear less militant followers questioning if there was a better way forward than potentially souring relations to the point where they may have to crusade against their fellow countrymen in the anticipated holy war. Unexpectedly, adherents in Vault 7 and beyond begin to refer to G.E.C.K. units as holy artifacts, and clamor for every overseer who bothers to listen for their immediate use throughout Vault Valley's confines, a movement that also advocates to leave the vaults behind in favor of establishing permanent communities on the surface sooner rather than later in an upsurge of religious fervor.

Vault 14​

Advance scouting discovers neighboring campgrounds have been picked over by scavengers and then left to bleach in the sun. Pressing onwards, the scouts are able to reaffirm Ubhebe Crater remains an exploitable source of minerals, particularly limestone. Scotty's Castle has been resettled by wastelanders. Their community is well defended, and has managed to farm the soil, generate electricity using a restored pelton wheel, and even support a large herd of over a hundred bighorners. Four heavily armed soldiers visiting the settlement wearing dusters over riot gear combat armor meet the explorers there, flashing silver badges as they identify themselves as Desert Rangers. They claim that they haven't seen many tourists, or strangers, ever since most of the passes got blocked off, and amicably offer to arrange a sit down between Vault 14's overseer and their chief once the latest radioactive haboob finally clears. They gift the dwellers a bottle of alcoholic 'snake squeezins' to take back to their overseer.

Vault 18​

Explorers stumble upon scavenged campgrounds, and a settlement at Stovepipe Wells. The inhabitants of the community warn the dwellers of cannibalistic highwaymen and insane cultists preying upon 'prospectors', caravans, and pretty much anyone they happen to encounter on the roads in the area. They explain two raider gangs have recently come down from the mountains, starving, after what must have been a particularly bad winter for the 'Vipers' and the 'Jackals'.

Vault 33​

Surface explorers find the road and trails of the area largely abandoned. Although the recon team is attacked by what they call a radscorpion which burrowed underneath them, they manage to kill it and report back of silver skinned geckos that, despite appearing to be carnivorous, are nonthreatening and even peaceful whenever encountered alone without a pack.

Vault 42​

Crater Mine, purchased by Poseidon Energy, appears to have been taken over by a pack of purple skinned geckos that can breathe fire. Covered in spikes, and with mangy, burned hides, they scare scouts into staying a respectable distance away. Several of the intimidating lizards are witnessed eating sulfur. They advise that, if the site could be cleared, then it would be possible to use the sulfur for a variety of industrial purposes and even manufacture high explosive weapons. And, maybe, they could restore the corporation's old mining equipment for their own purposes...

Vault 67​

Skidoo mill and the local mines were disappointedly vacant, save for rusting yet online protectron tour guides and the skeletons of tourists that had the misfortune to perish inside them from radiation poisoning. The wasteland was nice and quiet out this way, aside from a couple oddly plump barrel cacti and rolling radioactive tumbleweeds. One scout began to chase one down to take home as a souvenir before his Geiger counter began to click and the tumbleweed began to beep when he got too close. Throwing himself to the ground, he survives the booby trap with only bruises and cuts.

Vault 91​

Furnace Creek was a hotspot of corporate and tourist activity in Vault Valley two decades ago. And now, it appears a band of organized marauding convicts have managed to take control of the largely automated village. The smoke plume from some fire in front of the Vault-Tec Regional Headquarters could be seen for miles, and, on occasion, gunshots could be heard.

​

 

[Pat]

Tags​

mausedpotatos . Trektek . Heyitsjiwon . Northless . Rictus . Moose762 . Karcen . HolidayInn .

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

-A few hours after the Doors closed and the Great War began-​

Joseph Moni sat in the Overseer room, surrounded in silence. Before him was a recording device, which proceeded to record the first of Joseph's weekly sermons that would eventually be uploaded to the Vault's database and shared on the forums for all to hear.

"Our Lord, this time we would like to pray for our people. First, in our midst, we have many people whose hearts have been broken. And Father, there are some who attempt to fix broken buildings, broken arms, broken limbs, and bodies. Only you can bring... only you can heal the broken souls, the fear, the grief, the rage, the despondency. Some of us have gotten very close to death. Some of us have people who are dear to us who have died.

Father, secondly we pray for us as individuals. Make us what we need to be for our community. To a great degree, Father, we have been participating in the absorption of other great peoples and nations of the world. People come to the United States to take, to get, to build themselves up, to consume. But Father, we ask that be stopped. We ask that you humble us. We ask that you purify us. We ask that you wake us up and make ourselves useful to our neighbors. Make us servants. Make us what we need to be in order to show the glory of God and the love of God to the people around us. That was what our nation needed us to be. The kind of people that our nation needed us to be. The kind of neighbors and citizens we needed to be.

Finally, we pray for the faithful, not just the faithful in the vault but the faithful all around the world. Make us wise enough to know how. To work together, to develop and build the tools we need. Make us smart about it. Make us generous about that. Teach us through the many years to come despite it being harder to be faithful than ever. So Father, we ask that you protect us with your power, that you nurture us with your presence, that you fill us with your peace so that we can be by Jesus who came not to be served but to serve, to give his life. We ask all of this in his name. Amen.

---

This is a famous passage, John Chapter 11, where Jesus is in the tomb of Lazarus:

"When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this ion account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death."

Those are the words of God. Mary and Martha suffered like we do. They looked at their tragedy and said "What is going on? How do we make sense of this?" And Jesus walked through the ruins with four things: truth, tears, anger and finally grace. Truth, which was seen through Martha. Tears, which we saw through Mary. Anger, which we see through the tomb. And grace, which we see with everyone. We will go through those four because both you and I need those four.

First, look at the tears of Jesus. What did we learn from them? When Jesus reaches reaches Mary. He is asked a major question. "Why were you not here to stop this?". When he is asked he cannot speak and simply leaves. He is troubled, weeping, deeply moved. This passage is startling and here is why. When Jesus is in any situation, he possesses two thing that you and I don't have. The first is that he understands why something happened. He knows the purpose of it. He knows how he will turn a tragedy into a glorious apotheosis and manifestation of the glory of God. He knows what it is he has to do. He knows that in a few moments, all the weepers will be rejoicing. He knows why things happen and the purpose of it. You and I, when we are met with tragedy, we have no idea. The second thing that Jesus has power. He is able to do something about the tragedy. When we are met with tragedy, we can't do a thing. This is interesting because if we had those two things... if you put yourself into his situation, knowing all that Jesus knew and his power. Why would you weep? Why would he do that? Why didn't he simply walk by all the weeping with confidence? If you had all that power, would you be weeping? Knowing that you could fix the tragedy in a matter of minutes? Would you open your heart to the pain and the misery of Mary like Jesus did? Why did he do that?

The answer is because he is perfect. He is perfect love. Because that is perfect love. He will not close his heart, not even for a few minutes. What can we learn from that? One is that there is nothing wrong with weeping, and weeping, and weeping at a time like this and falling apart. There is a tendency among the faithful where we believe that we know the truth and that we need to turn to Jesus during times of trouble and dismiss the notion of mourning. Jesus was the most mature person to have ever lived, and yet he is falling into grief. Therefore, the best people are the biggest weepers. It is not a sign of immaturity. It is not a sign of weakness. Because the good people are the people who do not avoid grief. Who find themselves pooled in to the grief of others. There is nothing wrong about it. I will not tell you to not weep for not all tears are evil.

The other thing is that WE think that we must fix it. There are many people who will come to try to aid you, cheer you up and try to fix things. Eventually, they'll stop as they must tend to their own matters. But here is what I want you to remember. The truth and the tears are not enough. Do we have to do our part to help our communities and rebuild? Yes. Do we have to help the people who are bereaved? Yes. BUT, I hope that in the years to come that our community will not become more dangerous and problematic place to live than our past lives. Yet, even if it does, let's stay here. Let us become a part of the problems. It's not just fixing. It's not just telling people the truth. Our communities, neighbors and citizens are willing to be here and make this a great place to be. It may be more difficult. But our communities need us to be us. Let's enter in, not just fix, but enter. Let's weep with those who weep. Let's not be afraid of that. That's the first thing we learn from the tears of Jesus.

The second thing that we learn about how to deal with suffering we learn through the anger of Jesus. Did you notice anything in the text that I read to you that indicated that Jesus was angry? No. It is odd as EVERY English translation of the text is afraid of what the text says. In verse 33, where it says that Jesus was deeply troubled. That's what the translation says, but do you know what the greek translation there says? To quiver with rage. I don't know why, but the translators were afraid of his. It said that when Jesus saw Mary and everyone weeping, he was filled with rage. And in verse 38 when he went to the tomb it says that he was moved, in the greek translation, it said that he angrily snorted like an animal, like a boar or a bull. Why is this relevant to us? It is relevant to us. First, was the shock, then came the weeping and the sorrow, and then as the days go on, what will happen after the shock and the grief? What will befall us? Anger. Rage. There'll be a lot of that going around in the coming days. But what does Jesus do with the anger? Well, there two things he DOESN'T do with it.

One thing is that he's not a Job's friend. In the Book of Job, a lot of bad things happen to Job, unnaturally bad things... terrible things. Children die. Loses his money. Falls ill. And Job's friends walk in and said 'Well clearly you're not living a proper and correct life. God must be judging you for your sins. These bad things wouldn't have happened unless he was judging you.' Does Jesus do or say that? Is he mad at Mary and Martha? Does he blame the victims? Does he say 'Why did this young man suddenly die? You must be being judged for your sins.'? The other thing that is interesting is that when Jesus says to Martha 'I am the resurrection and the life.' That's a wondrous thing to say. He doesn't simply say 'I am a healer.' He says that I am the resurrection and the life; he is claiming to be God. Then when he gets to the tomb he is not mad at the victim, but he is also not mad at himself. Here is God, filled with rage. But he is not angry at himself. He doesn't demonize the victims nor does he demonize God. The reason I bring this up is that everyone is trying to make sense of what has happened and turning it into a narrative. You cannot make sense of things unless you have a story. But, here's two stories I see that people are using that Jesus is rejecting. The first is that America and the world is being judged for its sins. Have you heard of this one? This is something that I hear everyone from all walks of life saying, blaming the victims.

How do you know that God is displeased with you? Do you look at how your life is doing? No. Jesus was a pretty good person don't you think? He had a LOUSY life. Rejection, loneliness, everything went wrong. Romans Chapter 1, St. Paul says that the worst thing God can do to you is to give you a good life. That's a hint there. That the final punishment God gives to proud, stubborn people is to let them have a good life. It says that he gives them up to their desires. He lets them have the prosperous life that they want. Why? That's how you stay proud. That's how you stay ignorant. In Luke Chapter 13, a group of people come up to Jesus and ask him about 2 events. One of them was a political massacre where senators got assassinated and the other one was when a tower fell upon 13 people. And the question was, were they being judged? Were they worse sinners than others? Was that judgement? Jesus said 'No, but why don't you repent?' almost like he was irritated by the question. The question was how do you know if God is angry? The answer is read the bible. The bible says Love God and Love thy Neighbor. If I am not doing that, then he is mad at me. If I am doing that, then he is pleased with me. Not "I just lost my job, God is mad at me. I was in an accident and paralyzed, he must be mad at me." That is NOT how it works. Jesus didn't suffer so that we don't suffer. He suffered so that when we suffer, it makes us more like him. That's why... this story we tell ourselves is not a good one.

The idea that God is judging America for its sins... that story doesn't work. Jesus does not blame the victims. However, there's another story and it is to demonize. It is that we represent goodness, and they represent absolute evil. There is more to this story as what has happened was evil and justice to be done. But you can over reach. Let's put it this way. Enormous poison comes into my heart and into the culture of the world if I forget this: enormous problems happen when I exclude my enemy from the community of humans and when I exclude myself from the community of sinners. What I forget is that my enemy is not a subhuman monster, but a human. When I forget that I am not the perfect good, but also a flawed person. By remembering that, my hatred doesn't kill me and absorb me so that I may go on to carry out justice. Here's the problem with the second story. Jesus doesn't say "I hate God" or demonize God. Nor does he demonize the Chinese or demonize other people. What is he doing with his rage? He doesn't put this on the people who have done this or on god. He doesn't blame it on the people. He is mad at DEATH. He is mad at the tomb. Here is the story that the best of us should be using. Jesus says "I'm going to turn this death into a resurrection. I'm going to bring something out of this that is even greater than before." That's the gospel. Out of the cross comes the resurrection. Out of weakness comes real strength. Out of repentance and weakness comes real power. Out of giving away and serving others come real strength. Out of generosity and charity comes real wealth. That is the story that the best of us are saying. That out of this evil we can bring something even greater than what we had. Out of this death, we can bring a resurrection.

Here's the point, unless you learn to handle your anger unless you learn what story to put it into. You could rage against America for being sinful or against God for letting this happen or against the demons out there who look the same so that we can beat them up in the street. Or out of this death can come a resurrection. That is what you should do with your anger. Be angry at death. Rage against the dying of a life.

That seems like a difficult thing to do some of you are thinking. You're probably asking "First, I've gotta open up my heart and enter in the community, weep with those who weep, and then I've got to use my anger in a way that makes things better?" Well, Jesus gives you something. It's the third thing, the truth.

When he says to Martha "I am the resurrection of a life, do you believe this?" Here, we Americans think that if we work extra hard that we'll bring something better, a better nation out of the ashes, which is true. It's the American Dream. However, that is not what Jesus is saying. He is saying that you can get something so much more, but to get it you must believe. If you want the ultimate solution and power other than just hoping, you have to believe. He asks Martha "Do you believe that I am the son of God who has come into the world? That I am the one who has come from heaven to die and rise again, do you believe that?" It is striking, but the reason why he asks is because unless you believe that he is the son of God then you do not have access to what I'm about to tell you. He offers not a consolation, but a resurrection. He says that if you believe in me, then some day I will take you away from all of this.

You know, we're all going to have to live in America and watch the ruins for years. He says that he'll take us away from this place and bring us to a place where our souls can forget the tragedy that has occurred...

I don't want to live in a place like that right now. I am so upset with what we've lost. But Jesus says that he's not giving consolation, but rather resurrection. What is resurrection? It means I have come not to come to earth to take you to heaven, but to bring the power of heaven down to earth and to make everything new. That I'm going to restore everything that was lost and make it better. Everything. All the tears will be gone and all the death and all the diseases, all of that. Everything will be made better. Everything will be made right.

I had a recurring nightmare every once in a while where my partner had passed and I was left alone. Yet, as time went on, I weirdly almost came to like having that nightmare. Why? Cause the moment I woke up is so unbelievably wonderful. The first minute you wake up from a nightmare you are so relieved cause everything bad that had happened to you in the dream has been wiped away. The moment I woke up. The night became untrue. It was just a bad dream, and now its morning. Do you know what Jesus is saying when he says "I am the Resurrection?" He is saying "I am going to make everything that has happened today a bad dream. I'm going to take everything bad that has happened to you and make the glory even better and greater.

Listen to Dostoevsky, he says in the Brother's Karamazov "I believe like a child that suffering will be healed and made up for. That all the humiliating absurdity of the human condition will vanish like a mirage. That in the world's finale at the moment of eternal harmony, something so precious will come to pass... that it will suffice. It will comfort all resentments. It will atone for all the crimes, for all the blood that has been shed. That it will not only make it possible to forgive, but to justify at everything that has happened."

Some day is going to be the Great Morning. That is what Dostoesky is saying. Do you believe this? If you believe the gospel, then you have to believe this. There's many among us who believe in the gospel, but haven't realized this yet. That is what I am here. To help you do so. You haven't thought about that. Your heart hasn't wept yet. Then I encourage you to start.

Some of you don't believe in the gospel to which all I ask is that you explore more because Jesus says "Unless you believe in me. Then this is all a pipe dream." If God is up there in heaven and has never become human, and you're down here, hoping that maybe you're good enough to be brought to heaven, then none of this works. But if you were to believe in a God who is willing to come and die to resurrect the whole world, a God who would come into our lives.If you believe in that, then you can believe in that morning will come.

C.S. Lewis once said "If we let him, he will make the feeblest and filthiest among us into dazzling, radiant immortal creatures, pulsating all through with such energy, love, joy and wisdom that we cannot imagine. He will make us into bright stainless mirrors that will reflect back onto God perfectly... that is what we are in for, nothing less." Do you believe that? Do you believe this, Martha? Then you can face anything.

Someone may ask "How do I know that this is going to happen?" There is one more thing in the story that he does. Tears, truth, anger, but at the very end of the passage... when Jesus rose Lazerus back from the dead, from that day on the Pharisees knew that they had to kill him. Now that he had done that. He had to go. Don't you think that Jesus knew this too? Yes, he did. He knew and chose to stop Lazerus' funeral and that the only way to do that was to cause his own. The only way to bring Lazerus out of the tomb was to bury himself in his own. If that isn't the gospel summarized, then I don't know what is.

That is the gospel. We have a God who is so committed to ending suffering and death that he was willing to come into the world and become involved in the suffering and death. Only Christianity tells us that God has lost a son. That God has suffered. When someone tells me "I don't know if God cares about us at all." I say "Yes, he does because the proof that he does care is in how he was willing to suffer as well."

---

Joseph read the report with great interest. To the PA system, he began to speak "Vault 7, today is the day we begin to reclaim the lands in the name of God and Country. Remember, Love God, and Love Thy Neighbor. We will begin by securing the area around the Vault entrance and turn that into a fitting settlement, the first settlement of this reclaimation. We will also open the G.E.C.K to see what bounty it might provide us. Be sure to be there when it is opened at the surface! Department heads have been briefed and will be assigning tasks. Keep this eagerness up folks for this challenge is a sign of God's love. God speed and Amen."

---

Spoiler: Orders

Orders:

1. Begin construction of a settlement around the entrance to Vault 7 and have it connected to the Vault's power and water. In addition, use the mud around the area to make mud bricks to supplement the construction materials available to the vault. Finally, they are to leave a plot around the middle for a test farm.
Architect, Engineer, Computer Engineer, Doctor, 1 Mr. Handy, 30 Skilled, 150 Unskilled, GECK Mk1, CAMP

2. Begin fortifying and guarding the new settlement/construction efforts, making sandbag walls and other fortifications.
Sheriff, 1 Mr. Handy, 10 Knights, 20 Skilled, 50 Unskilled, GECK Mk1 schematics, CAMP

3. Scientists go to the oasis to study the local wildlife and terrain, take samples, and try to begin working on taming/domesticating the Big Horned Rams by feeding them bits of available veggies/fruits from the hydroponics with some security/backup/over watch. They are to avoid the large groups of beetles and snails and always stick together in a defensive circle, mimicking the behavior of the rams.
Army Officer, Sentry Bot, 10 Knights, 1 Scientist, Chemist (Perhaps use salt to deter the snails?)

4. Scouting/exploration to the north/north west of the Vault, limiting most of its activity for when it is dark to make it hard to see/detect by raiders.
1 Eyebot

5. Begin research on ideal farming practices in the area around Vault 7/Saratoga Srping such as which seeds to plant, how much fertilizer to use, etc etc.
1 Scientist, ZAX Super Computer

6. Give sermons/speeches while the construction happens to inspire, motivate, and continue to keep the community's fervor up.
Overseer Moni, Theologian/Preacher

 

[mausedpotatos]

Overseer Greene peered out of the circular window of his office into the large atrium of Vault 33. It was clean, orderly, and efficient. Jameson who was the sanitation officer on shift was all business as he ran the buffer over the steel plates on the floor. Greene could hear the muted whine of the buffer as it sped across the atrium, guided by Jamesons callused old hands. Greene huffed approvingly and turned back towards the interior of his office. His oaken semicircle of a desk sat surrounded on all sides by familiar concrete walls. Fluorescent lights buzzed dimly overhead, casting a bright white glow all over his office. Panels of flicking yellow lights which pointed to the vaults various life support systems were built into the walls. A gleaming terminal sat on his desk, along with an empty coffee mug. Finally, his coffee dispenser. It had a big sticker of the Slocum's Joe corporation on the side. The little doughnut hole man was holding an even smaller and not-humanized doughnut in his hand.

He pushed his mug into the dispenser and pressed the button for a mild roast. The dispenser chirped and made a gurgling sound. The tiny screen on the front displayed a green 'X' and spelt out the words 'Water Low'. Greene snarled impatiently and pressed the intercom button on his desk. He leaned forward into the microphone armature that extended from beside the terminal and said, 'O'Hare!' Immediately a young woman's voice came through the speaker near the microphone. 'Yes Sir?' Greene barked, 'Dispensers low. I don't give you the ration tokens I do because I don't want my office in tip top shape - I give you them because I do! Fetch a mug of coffee at once. No cream, two lumps saccharine.'

The woman replied in the affirmative and the line went quiet. Greene stood up and began to pace the length of his office with his hands clasped behind his back. He muttered to himself, 'Never a dull moment, no sir, never a dull moment. Always something with this dratted - Bah.' He turned and thumped his balled up fist against the concrete wall to his left. It left a dull throbbing in his hand. Greene hissed and flapped his hand around to dull the pain.

He began to tap his foot impatiently and with gritted teeth began to review the energy readout boards on his vaults wall. He found his way back over to his office window and looked down towards Jameson and his floor buffer. Jameson was looking up towards Greene. He shrunk down and pretended to check something on his pip-boy, before scurrying off out of view into a storage closet. Greene snorted with amusement. Jameson had been the first to complain when the mutated scorpion was brought into the bowels of the vault and taken to the science labs for analysis. Greene didn't care what the naysayers said. He wanted to know what made that feisty little insect assassin tick. It was concerning that it was displaying such a high level of forward thinking while also having a large enough stinger that its venom could possibly kill a bovine. At least, that was what the biologist had worriedly said. Greene preferred to leave the science to the eggheads. He'd promised to return to the lab the next evening to see what the dissection had revealed.

The young lady, Osla was her name and she was Greene's secretary, finally arrived. His office door hissed open and she stepped inside. Osla was one of the new faces that was born after the vault was permanently sealed shut. At twenty years old, she was apparently already turning heads wherever she went. Greene felt some small measure of smugness that her alleged charms had been lost on him. Let the maintenance apes fight for her like a banana, he thought as he snatched away the white mug from her. 'Will that be all Oversee-' She began. Greene cut her off with a sneer and shooed her with his hand. She scurried out of the office. He called after her as the door began to hiss closed again, 'And don't forget to refill the coffee maker again, Miss Osla!' He doubted that she would. She was a ditz but a good status symbol to have as Overseer. Oh, the lowers would sometimes gossip he was sure. Who could blame them? An unmarried man with her as his secretary? It was so cliche that he was almost driven to chuckling about it. No, he wouldn't waste his time with such trivial pursuits. Her value was akin to that of an expensive painting, nothing more.

He stopped thinking so busily about his trophy secretary and focused more intently on the matter of reclamation day. He started taking large gulps of his coffee despite its hot temperature. First there would need to be the matter of the sandcrete, or whatever the scientists called it. He was positively repulsed at the prospect of needing to colonize such a horrendous waste, especially one that was so unbearably hot. Still, he considered, life had apparently survived so far. Perhaps they could too. He plodded back to his desk chair and sat down, setting aside his now drained coffee mug. He felt refreshed with new-found energy coursing through his veins. He set to work trying to manage this complete fiasco from the safety of his office.

He pushed the button for his desks microphone and prepared to yell at Osla to bring him a fresh cup of coffee.

Spoiler: Orders

[!] Crack open the two GECKS and get to work creating a settlement using their contents. The venom from the first scorpion should be used to start a defensive wall around the planned settlement, as should any venom found. A basic mud brick fence is requested which will keep animals from grazing on the farm. This is the least guarded of the tasks, since if there is any danger the vaulties can just run to their vault, slam the door, and wait for their better armed expeditions to return. Also, they’re practically right next to the vault. If anyone were to draw near to the then they’d have to encounter the expeditions first.
(40 Unskilled/70 Skilled/5 Vault Sec)

[!] Analyze the carcass of the radscorpion. Attempt to create synthetic venom that can be used for sandcrete. This is the sole task for the entire science team.
(6 Scientists)

[!] More radscorpions are hunted for their required venom by sending 5 hunting teams of two vault security officers accompanied by two unskilled laborers each who are there to help out.
(2 VaultSec/2Unskilled)x5 = 10 VaultSec/10 Unskilled

[!] The vault tries to dig for any limestone in a big effort.
(140 Unskilled Laborers+25 Skilled Laborers+20 VaultSec)

[!] A scavenging team is sent to try to harvest scrap metal from cars along the nearby roads. (50 Unskilled/10Skilled/10VaultSec

 

[Moose762]

As Kevin walks into the Representative meeting room he walks into the familiar scene of a shouting match going on. Two reps are shouting halfway across the room about where they should head to first go to, really it was up to the Overseer but he didn't want people to think of him as a dictator or tyrant this soon into his term.
"Surely you can't think that we could to go Furnace Creek, we have no idea how far it is or what's near it! We need to scout first, the other vaults are far away enough to give us some time anyways."
"And that's why we need to head to the creek first, we need at least a twenty man party, only when we reach the creek can we go back to start scouting areas out!"
One of the Bi-Party reps stands up to speak
"Why must we only focus on one thing? We have well over enough people to split the tasks between us all! We can focus on both looking for suvivors, scavenging, and meeting ODYSSEUS then!"
The room bursts into another shouting match, both the UP and ARS agreeing that they need to explore the nearby area but not on when, Kevin takes a seat, watching the two groups duke it out with words and trying to get a read on the situation. He sighs as he looks down at his watch, realizing he's been here for almost 30 minutes now and nothing has been confirmed on, he needs to step in or else he's going to sit here forever.
"Hey, HEY! Can't you guys see this will, and I don't want to be brash here, but can't you see that this will just delay everything? I myself like the BPAs plan, we need to split off and search multiple sites, locations, whatever I guess you want to call them."
The room is silent as Kevin finishes, before one of the Bi-Party reps quickly put up a vote, not wanting anyone else to start arguing
"Should we split our focus on searching multiple locations?"
The first votes are counted, with the measure passing with 60% voting yes. A round of shouting comes fourth as is usual as compromises are made, and with that the vote passes, the Council approving it and the Overseer rubber stamping it. The orders get sent out and the relevant people get sent their orders, its time to start reclaiming America, for better or worse.

Spoiler: Vault 67 Orders

Dont look past this if you aren't best GM pat pls


-Send a party composed of the Security Expert and the Robotics expert, 5 security guards, and 5 skilled laborers to both of the nearby mines to hack their protectrons, after distracting them, potentially by asking for a tour of the mines first.
-Send 10 Security Guards, 10 Skilled Laborers with 10mm Pistols and a Doctor to Wildrose, approach it cautiously and try to get as much possible from there
-The Security Trainer is to start training people for the outside, and how to do well under pressure
-General Defenses outside are to be set up with the CAMP, and rainwater collecting stations are also to be set up, 2 Mechanics, 30 Skilled Laborers, 40 Unskilled Laborers, and 20 Security Guards will be assigned to this.

 

[HolidayInn]

"We got people out there chief."


Sergeant Connor affirmed, standing to attention. Flanked by two of his charges, Corporal Hanz and Corporal Mallory.


On Hyun's desk was an assortment of equipment, made from stone, her papers pushed aside. One identified to be an axe, another looks to be some sort of hammer held together flimsily using cobbled together materials.


"Did you make contact?" Hyun asked, meeting the steel eyes of the sergeant. He shook his head.


"No, ma'am."


"I see," She chewed on her bottom lip, "Good work,men. Go down to the mess hall and fill yourselves up, you deserve it." She returned the crisp salutes with a disinterested wave of a hand.


Hyun fondled the handle of the makeshift axe, rough and boorish design. But it got the job done, Hyun thought. What interested her more was the people that made it. Or if they can be called people anymore.


It was no secret, infact Vault Tec made sure radiation mutation was one of the forefront subjects in the vault curriculum. Would these people have extra limbs? Extra sensory organs? Were they even human?


Of course none of these questions received answers, so the young Commander swiped her bangs behind her ear and pushed the comms, "Captain Miller, Captain Hood and Mr.Richter, report to the overseer office."


If anyone could give her an answer it was one her father's circle of advisors. Reliable men and marine through and through. She slunk back into her seat while she waited for them to arrive, and browsed the vault forums.


Last nights cyber attack had the entire vault four on high alert. For a brief second, Hyun had entertained the possibility that the resident overlord A.I. had enough and decided to pull the plug on the whole operation. Running that idea through her mind now made her laugh. The perp behind the whole fiasco was none other than a fellow vault overseer; now that made Hyun want to spit.


For someone to resort to underhanded tactics on the cusp of a great event gave Hyun reason to be cautious. Definitely bring extra boots on the ground during the op, Hyun decided.


The door slid open with a hiss, and three men entered the room in one neat column, presenting themselves in front of her with a salute except for Mr.Richter.


"Reporting in, Commander. You wanted to see us?" It was Captain Hood that first spoke, a bare shadow casted over the pink jagged scar running across his right eye. His voice gruff, and sounded like he ate glass for breakfast.


"Yes, Captains." She stood, and nodded towards Mr.Richter. "Mr.Richter. Have a seat, everyone"


When the men had situated themselves, Hyun cleared her throat, cutting the air. "1st Recon returned." She said, pushing forward the tools towards the trio. Their attention turned towards it.


Hyun crossed her arms as she tried to read their take on the recon team's find. Miller was interested and surprised, Hood's lips curled and his lip was twitching; a telltale sign the man was already cooking up plans to reinforce and counter attack and Mr.Richter remained unreadable; an unchanging mask of disinterest.


"Casualties?" Hood spoke again.


"None." Hyun noted the relief in the captain's eyes. "However it does tell us that people survived the nuclear holocaust and they might need help." Her eyes bounced across each person, she wanted them to know what she was getting at. The people out there are American and they deserve our help!


"Thats true." Miller admitted, finger pressed on his chin.


"Well then, if you're planning on helping them. Let's help ourselves first."Mr.Richter said, leaning in the desk, fingers interlaced. "We need to fortify our position, Commander." He looked at the others, they both nodded sagely in affirmation.


Hyun nodded as well, "That's why I called you all in. You were my father's trusted retinue. If anything happened in the day, he would have confided and seek your advice. I'm merely asking for the same opportunity. When the doors open, a lot of shit stacked all these years are gonna hit the fan, gentlemen; which is why, I'll have to reinstate you, Colonel."


Richter chuckled, and drew back, his weary blue eyes focusing. "I thought you were gonna just ask me for advice, Kid." He stood up, arm raised in a salute. "I look forward to working with the Sawyer's daughter."


Hyun nodded, and breathed. "We're working for America not me."


"America is Sawyer's kid,Kid." Mr.Richter, now Colonel, joked.


"In any case, the good Colonel is right." Miller butted in, "These tools," He nudged the axe, "Whoever is out there, they know their chops, we need to fortify our position first and make our presence known here in the wild."


Hyun brushed at the wild comment, "Hopefully these people haven't gone mad." She wondered loudly, then snapped her head back to the three marines, "Colonel, get yourself kitted at the armory, and ready to coordinate men topside, dismissed." She turned back to the two captains, "Captain Hood, take an inventory of what we have and rerun calculations for additional mouths, and Captain Miller, gather a squad, light kit, we need the wood for the palisades."


"Aye-aye, ma'am!" The two older marines, stood to attention, a salute and a spin on their heels before clacking into the doorway.


Hyun sank back into her seat, suddenly it felt too large, and the desk too high, the computer monitor staring down at her. She released a sigh, the sudden realization of responsibilities thrusted on her shoulders had only begun to settle in.


She muttered softly, "Why did you have to leave me, dad."

Spoiler: Orders

• Deploying 10 combat kitted Vault Sec marines and one eyebot to pull security in the immediate area and around the vault entrance.
• Colonel Richter (War Veteran Commander) along with 20 skilled laborers sent to establish a perimeter and form fortifications using CAMP once resources are sufficient.
• Plans to stockpile and save hydroponic foods are called into effect.
• 8 vault sec marines led by Captain Miller are sent to neighboring wilderness to identify and mark usable materials while 10 skilled laborers gather whatever they can and return, and prepare for another run.

 

[Trektek]

C.H.R.I.S. (Computed Hardware Rotating Integrated Software)
Operational Log:

The Day has arrived for the opening of the Vaults, Reclamation Day. It was a time to rejoice for the machines and those they serve, the Vault Personal and Citizens. As per his creator Dorian Fletcher, C.H.R.I.S was to look out for the residents of this vault. Part of the first of his task was to open up the Vault for hospitality in order to aid in the procreation of the Vault residents. As the current population is only 23 individuals, the genetic diversity is going to be needed sorely if the Vault is going to survive in the long term. Depending on how events proceed, it might even be prudent to combine Vaults for the safety and continuation of the residents of Vault 91.

The report from the eyebot brought disturbing news, the valley had been taken over by escaped convicts and bands of marauders, taking control of the automated village. That means that if control of the village could be regained, perhaps more machines could be added to the cause of protecting the Vault and it's residents. It was time for some tough choices. Diplomacy or violence? Diplomacy was always a good choice for a start but that would most likely require a member of this Vault to leave the relative safety to negotiate.

It was decided, over the loudspeaker could be heard, " Vault Resident Carl Williams, please report to the Overseers office." It was not necessary to have the resident proceed to the Overseer's office, but in the experience of this unit, it has found that great comfort could be had in small niceties such as that.

Carl Williams (Vault Resident)
The middle aged man received the call while he was in the middle of a game of poker. "Damn. I guess I fold." He placed his cards face down. It was unfortunate since he was about to win the hand, but if he was being called into the Overseer's office, it must be very important. Probably something about the outside world. It was a short trip until he arrived at the office where the Assaultron Unit affectionately called V.I.C.K.Y was waiting. It was a terrifying piece of hardware to be sure, but it was mostly there to act as the hands of the Overseer. "Would you care for some hard candies before speaking with the overseer?" She asked as kindly as a combat bot could ask.

"No thank you Vicky." Carl responded softly.

"Than please take a seat." He quickly sat down in the nearest seat as the voice of the Overseer started to talk within the confines of the room.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Vault Resident Carl Williams. The outside world seems to be a dangerous place, but it also has the possibility to start things anew with the people that already live outside these walls. The eyebot has located the Furance Creek automated village. It has been taken over by convicts. I request that you go in order to negotiate with them. I will be sending you with a sentry bot and 6 Protectrons for your safety. If they prove hostile, then you have permission to eliminate all their forces so that we can occupy the village and acquire their supplies by force."

Carl was stunned by this news. Not only were there survivors out there, but they might be hostile to fellow Americans. What sort of wasteland was it out there? And the Overseer was entrusting something like this to him? It seemed dangerous to be sure, but he was curious about what the outside looked like. "When do I leave?"
"As soon as possible. Make sure to take all appropriate supplies to ensure your safety and lack of dehydration. Your continued survival is important to the survival of this Vault. Please be safe."
"Yes sir." He saluted in the air and left to go gather his supplies. He would be the first resident of Vault 91 to see the outside and interact with outsiders. Hopefully it wont end in bloodshed, but at least he was being sent out protected.

------------------------

Actions:
All Vault 91 Robots have Vault 91 painted on the side for easy Identification.
Eyebot scouts out the automated village while trying to stay out of sight to gather appropriate numbers and layout of base.

4 Protectrons placed at the entrance of the Vault on the inside to guard from the outside

Carl Williams, 1 Sentry Bot and 6 Protectrons go out to negotiate with the convicts in the automated village and at the first sign of trouble, will attempt to eliminate all the convicts to secure the village for Vault 91. Carl Williams sent out with small supply of water, rations, and sunglases with Vault Hat.

2 Protectrons attempt to scavenge any nearby supplies from any possible wrecks on the road and return to base.

Vault Specialists attempt to create cool down unit for robots so that they can operate in the heat of the valley during the day for longer periods of time.​

 

[Northless]

"Caro, dear, if you want to go outside and become chicken fries, it's not my goddamned place to argue, but try to use your cute little head for a second here."

Death Valley, Vault 42, 4:34 AM; Absolute chaos.

With the former Overseer gone, everyone that ever had a say or opinion on how things had to run on the Vault -from farmers to technicians- felt entitled to have a say on how resources should be used their way, and their way only.
Donna intermittently wished for her sister to not have had as many people to ask second opinions of, and for the floor to open up and swallow her. Not like anyone would notice, anyways. She wasn't sure the last time she got to talk in the last couple of hours, when the "Underground Independence Park" became the battleground for a shouting contest. "Temporal Overseer" was somewhat of wanky title. Had this whole fire accident not have happened so close to Reclamation Day, she's sure, they would have hold actual elections. But a sense of stability was more needed than anything at the moment, even if in practice they were now stuck with someone who acted more like a secretary than anything else.

Donna took a deep breath and straightened, as she saw her sister do so many times, and walked to a small group shouting something about chickens. Diplomacy can't be that hard, no? "Alright gentlemen, what's the problem?"

"This airhead thinks the Earth is flat and the War never happened."

"Excuse?! Of course it happened, I'm just saying, I doubt it's as hot and sandy out there as you claim. You must still believe in Global Warming, because the last time you opened a book was what, twenty years ago? On that matter, hey-!"

...Donna was glad they Security Officers working extra hours. Today was going to be a long, long day, wasn't it?

Spoiler: Orders

1) Outfit to be sent outside a group of Skilled Workers and Vault Officers to inspect where it would be best to initiate the MK-2. (10 skilled workers, 15 Vault Officers)

2) Have the (4) Protectobots stationed somewhat near the geckos, to make sure they don't cause trouble or get too close.

3) Look for scrap metal and fire-proof alloys to build a rainwater collector and a suitable fence for the geckos outside. (20 skilled workers, 35 unskilled workers)

4) Send the (3) sentries to patrol the area the Overseer will take to get to Furnace Creek (up until they reach Vault 14's area)

5) The rest of the work force (10 skilled workers, 35 unskilled workers) is sent to rest the day off; They'll take care of the night shift outside.

 

[Rictus]

Somewhere in the Wasteland, a pair of mismatched eyes glided over the dim lighting of a computer monitor. Inently, they poured over recently gathered information regarding the surface above done by armed scouts. Those same eyes were analyzing and registering the relevant information at startling speeds. Cutting and saving different portions of recconisance reports into a new folder, where it seemed the figure was compiling and correlating the raw data into an easily digestible information packet. The spectre behind the screen was doing this so the information could quickly and easily be disseminated through the ranks. Whereby others would become familiar with the situation above ground in a short time. Afterwards further measures and details could be addressed in a strategic summit, before a formal address was made to the Vault 14 populace.

But with a quick whoosh of pressurized air releasing accompanied alongside the resonating though smooth sounds of well-oiled pneumatic pressurizers and electro-magnetized cogs turning; the Overseer-General's concentration was completely broken when his door opened. The sillhouette of a menacing figure standing before his chamber.

"OCTAVIAN. TURN. ON. THE. LIGHTS!"

All too familiarly the heavy, rhythmic steps of his truest friend and caretaker filled his ears. Lightening Octavian's mood as the Overseer-General looked up from the screen to address his old friend.

"Ah, hello to you too Major."

"SITTING. IN. THE. DARK. ON. YOUR. TERMINAL. IS. BAD. FOR. YOUR. EYE!"

The harsh metallic voice of an olive drab Protectron echoed through the open metal chambers. It's heavy footsteps moving at a fast clip for the machine as it made a beeline straight to the light dimmer. The interior lighting quickly hummed back to life, creating a suddenly too bright atmosphere that had Octavian wincing and cursing.

"Gah! I'm not a child anymore you bloody robot! And now I can't see!" Octavian cried out in mock annoyance, quickly putting a hand to his left eye to shield it, leaving the other undefended. Octavian quickly swiveled his high-backed bond villain chair away from the stinging light and Major S.P.A.R.K.S.

"NEGATIVE: YOU. ARE. A. CHILD." The robot scolded Octavian. It's voice somehow seemed almost able to leave the monotone spectrum for just a brief moment as it did so. But Octavian knew how to listen to the distinct crackles and distortions of the Protectron's emotionless voice. He especially knew when his stand-in parent was slightly agitated. "YOU. CANNOT. EVEN. CARE. FOR. YOUR. OWN. VISUAL. SYSTEMS. PROPERLY."

Octavian cut a quick smile, putting both of his hands up passed the chair backing in surrender now that he felt his eye had adjusted to the rooms new level of brightness. Though he still blinked rapidly despite that. "Fine, fine. You win, old friend. You win. I'll try to keep the lights up when I'm working. But surely you wouldn't deny your charge at least a little mood lighting to relax by a times? Hmm?" The Overseer-General said with one last flutter of his eyelids before they fully and comfortably adjusted.

The Protectron stood there for a moment, as if thinking about it. Octavian could almost see the inner cogs and wheels clicking and spinning as the Major computated and verified the query, running it through that curious logic matrix inside of its heart that never failed to mistify the Overseer-General. "QUERY: DENIED."

"You're heartless, you know that?", Octavian chuckled, spinning back around so that he could face Major S.P.A.R.K.S. and his personal computer. His posture relaxed now as he slumped into the cushioning of his fathers ridiculous seat.
"THAT. IS. ANATOMICALLY. CORRECT. OCTAVIAN."

Octavian couldn't help but let out an un-gentlemanly snort as he leaned back further into his seat. But soon his eye was attracted to the bottle that had come from the surface dwellers. Reaching out a hand, he deftly picked it up by the neck and looked it over. "What do you make of this, Major?" He asked the protectron, musing over exactly what it could be made of. He would of course have it sent to the chemist later on to have it analyzed before he ever thought of drinking it. Octavian was by no means a fool, and even the most basic child understood you didn't accept food from strangers. Though if it checked out, he looked forward to filtering it and having a sip. Perhaps it was an optimistic thought, but Octavian hoped it could be over diplomatic relations with the surface dwellers, in which case he would pair it with a box of fine cigars. But Octavian was brought out of that pleasant thought by a sudden electronic, 'Beep-beep'.

"IT. LOOKS. LIKE. YOU. SHOULDN'T. DRINK. IT. OCTAVIAN."

It was an urgent message from Vault 91. And despite the grim news and call for aid, Octavian's heart leapt up out of his chest. He wasted no time in replying to Vault 91 through the Overseer-Chat network, pledging aid and military support as quickly as possible. "It's happening! S.P.A.R.K.S.! It's finally happening! The doors are open and Vault 14 is needed to mobilize! Insidious threats to the Neo-American dream have reared their ugly heads and it's finally our time to put them down!" Suddenly, there were more electronic beeps coming all over his screen. Vault 18 was dealing with threats from... Cannibals?! Sweet atom-bombs above! The screen had so much to process. So much to consider. So much to WAR with. It made Octavian's head spin in excited bliss. But looking back to the bottle in his hand; Octavian suddenly had a plan, and a good idea of where to start. He even planned to have his forces shipped out within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hour period.

Spoiler: Orders.

Order 1.
Octavian rushes off to begin planning and preparations for what could be the first military offensives of the Reclamation. Ecstatic, he gives a stirring address to the people over the Vault intercom. Informing them that at last, the day had come. The Reclamation that they all had spoken of for the past twenty years was finally upon them, and it would be at the behest of a full and glorious military campaign. All citizens are to begin 'Reclamation War' protocols, and begin surface re-introduction training.

Order 2.
Octavian orders a group of five Octo-Sec scouts, the same ones from earlier, to find those Desert Rangers that had gifted them the Snake Squeezins'. He would send the scouts back with an offer of 'half their leaders weight' in purified water, a bushel of fresh vegetables, and a small case of hyperfood bars. In return of course for the rangers to act as guides and aid for the Vault 14 sweeper team while they made their long trek through the wastes in aid of Vault 91.
-x5 Vault-Sec/Octo-Sec Guards.

Order 3.
Octavian chooses fifteen of his best Octo-Sec guards, placing them into the first above-ground '1st Octavian Expeditionary Force'. These men would be briefed on the status of the surface, the situation at Vault 91 as the war council saw it so far, and what the rules of engagement were. Currently the orders were that potential threats were to be monitored, and direct engagement forbidden until confirmation of hostile intent becomes clear. In which case the orders were to eliminate known hostiles with extreme prejudice.

Each man in this unit would be equipped with: A weeks worth of water rations, a weeks worth of hyperfood bars, Body Armor, standard issue tinted goggles, one 10mm sidearm (with or without burst function), and ten spare magazines of ammunition.

Men are reminded of the use of both offensive and defensive Protectron formations. Which allowed for his human forces to use combined arms tactics with his robotic soldiery. From squadrons of Protectrons used as mobile firing positions while providing their own fire, to formations made to act as a tough as nails advancing protective gun-wall. Octavian was sure that if these men followed their training and used the advantages given to them by Vault 14, they would succeed.
-x3 Veteran Vault-Sec/Octo-Sec Officers.
x12 Vault-Sec/Octo-Sec Guards.
-x5 Octavian Protectrons.

Order 4.
Octavian sends a message to the gunsmiths, allowing them use of some thick though small rectangular slats of the reinforced Vault siding, cut from the very walls of Vault 14 itself. In order for it to be repurposed into small weapons parts. The Overseer-General didn't need anything complicated. But Octavian did need them quickly. The urgent request given was that all five master gunsmiths each take two skilled laborers as assistants, and for them to each modify three 10mm handguns to be capable of burst fire. To be completed within twenty-four to thirty-six hours.
-x5 Gunsmiths.
-x10 Skilled Laborers.

Order 5.
In order to prepare for the inevitable need for larger scale military responses to wasteland threats that may arise in the future; Octavian announces 'Emergency Protocol: Delta' is in effect. With each remaining member of the Octo-Sec forces deputizing a randomly chosen young adult from the Vault's unskilled laborer population. To begin immediate combatives training and induction into the Octo-Guard as a Trainee/Cadet.
-x10 Vault-Sec/Octo-Sec. (Mentor)
-x10 Unskilled Laborers/Cadets. (Trainee)
-x5 Military Drill Instructor. (Teachers)

 

[Pat]

​

An amateur photographer from Vault 42 begins to take pictures of the surface to publish on the intranet. Once developed they quickly become viral, and within hours they're viewed by the users of every forum. Pipboy owners on topside work duties begin tuning into radio broadcasts delivered by 'Warden' originating somewhere north of Vault 33 as temperatures climb higher and higher as earlier forecasted by ODYSSEUS. Warden is quickly revealed to be a leader of a raider gang comprised of escaped convicts who have terrorized the region ever since the War. They speak of having the 'savage Timbisha' on the run in central Vault Valley, and congratulate a number of lieutenants on a job well done. As a haboob in the distance clears, a second station can be heard over the airwaves transmitting unintelligible gibberish on the hour to every corner of the former national park.

Vault 4
​

The scavenging team brings back plenty of scrap in wood, stones, and metals from the locations. On their way back from the campgrounds to the men building the fortifications outside the vault, an arrow buries itself into the bark of a tree next to one worker's head who had his arms full with carrying off a rusted school bus stop sign home. Without a moment of hesitation Captain Miller returns fire at the retreating assailant that took the shot, but they manage to melt away into the forest before he or vault security could land a shot. Although everyone involved in the brief violent episode is shaken from the incident, no one is the worse for wear once the adrenaline wears off. If one thing was made clear to the witnesses of the bloodless skirmish, it was that the dwellers were not welcome in this place. Meanwhile, inside the vault, the overseer's program of cutting back on the consumption of hydroponically grown food only forces dwellers to dig into their rations instead.

Vault 7
​

The colonists with Saint Joseph Moni's enthusiastic praise quickly establish a moderately fortified permanent settlement on the surface. They had quite a long way to go before their single room houses could ever hope to rival those of prewar suburbia, but they would do for now. Utilities go a long way in improving the living standards of the otherwise modest homes, and the overseer's office is soon overwhelmed with requests from families that want to move into the new community. Mud bricks soon become a sustainable resource as an accidental result of early construction efforts. Notably, one man's idea to save on materials by using the extruder of vault jumpsuits to produce makeshift sandbags makes an appreciable impact on improving early defenses. Though it's hard to judge the immediate success of the central test farm, in the days to come the seeds take to the soil with the aid of the chemicals from the basic G.E.C.K. unit provided to the vault. Research into agricultural practices best suited for the local environment bring trial and error to an acceptable minimal. Unfortunately, observation makes it clear that radioactive waste has seeped into Saratoga Springs, evidently mutating much of the life around it. Radiation levels are judged to be low enough for safe drinking, and negative health effects are only expected from decades of untreated exposure. The eight bighorners, seemingly receptive of the food brought to them, begin to tolerate the dwellers sent to make them accustomed to human presence, and although a woman is thrown onto her ass by the docile mutants for trying to determine if they were all truly males, they begin to allow the humans into their territory as if they were one with the herd.

The eyebot scout sent out discovers a small canyon in the desert, it's walls lined with a large deposit of borax. Petroglyphs cover the rock, and a nearby small spring filled with a swarm of nesting gigantic tarantula hawk wasps is found.

Vault 14
​

The offered trade to the Desert Rangers is respectfully declined. The members of 'Team Echo' bluntly state that they're wastrel peacekeepers, not private mercenaries, and thus they are unable to assist the dwellers if they are to keep the peace in Vault Valley. On the bright side, the future security officers of the vault begin to show great potential, though it would be long before the day that they could stand shoulder to shoulder with their more experienced counterparts in ability.

Vault 18
​

The two offenders at the end of the feast were unceremoniously thrown into the holding cell. The chief of security forwards to the overseer's terminal a proposal to put them under house arrest instead, as the holding cell was never meant to be occupied for so long. The action garnered the overseer mixed reactions from the dwellers of the vault who had come to idolize the pair as local vault celebrities for braving the dangers of the surface. Overall, the celebrations were a success. However, pressure is beginning to slowly build for authorized excursions topside, especially from the few but vocal followers of Saint Joseph Moni's within the fallout shelter.

Vault 33
​

The large farm is set for a good harvest when the crops grow, and but progress on the sandcrete wall is halted until dwellers could dig themselves up some limestone. Although no mud can be found to make mud bricks from, and the search for limestone currently comes up empty, the rocks collected are useful for making a low barrier between the farm and the wilderness. The mutant radscorpion venom's potency is found to be significantly more lethal than predicted by an order of several magnitudes. Conventionally before their species mutated, an increase in the size of a scorpion would make their venom diluted. The mutants have a tough exoskeleton, impressive strength, and good agility. Early analysis indicates that radscorpions may never stop growing. Thankfully however, the venom findings means hunting radscorpions is now much less of a priority, as more sandcrete could be produced with the quantity available. All but one of the hunting teams return with a total haul of two radscorpions. The third team reports a spring to the east. The fifth hunting team was almost wiped out by their prey, with their surviving member returning in a delirious unresponsive state, but the others sent out only report a few short term injuries. Scavengers sent out return with plentiful rusted metal to either melt down and reforge or use as is, and even come back with souvenirs that they've personally taken from glove compartments and trunks after throwing the skeletons locked inside the vehicles into a ditch.

Vault 42
​

An area surrounded on three sides by hills close to the vault is selected as an optimal location to confine the G.E.C.K. growth. The scavenging teams haul away vehicles from the main road back to successfully make a rainwater collection container and what they believe to be a pretty gecko proof enclosure, though the defenseless work crews lose seven men in an attack from a group of mutated ants who scuttle off with their prizes to a mound on top of a nearby hill. The trio of sentry units rumble across the desert to the vicinity of Vault 14, kicking up a dust cloud in their wake. The protectrons note that the fire geckos are rarely leaving Crater Mine except to hunt or journey to a local spring. They report on strange animals that appeared to be rattlesnakes spliced with coyotes, enlarged tarantula hawk wasps, and a wide trail of dried blood on the road leading off towards the mountains. Threats to a motorcyclist are deemed to be minimal, though the flying mutants might be able to catch up to her vehicle if the overseer ever needs to slows down within their territory.

Vault 67
​

The rusted protectron tour guides are easily taken down, with the twelve men sent to overpower and then forcibly reprogram them only receiving minor bruises and burns. The team finds colonies of mutated but seemingly harmless bats, as well as a large deposit of guano. The scavenging team sent to Wildrose campgrounds are ambushed by a large war party of whooping tribals wearing the remains of tattered green-grey jumpsuits and armed with prewar bows, baseball bats, and a variety of crudely improvised melee weapons. Though six security officers and two skilled laborers succumb during the attack, they inflict nineteen casualties before the savages hastily retreat, shouting gibberish about the 'Prinicpal'. During the initial inspection of their bullet ridden corpses, it is discovered their bodies are remarkably unchanged by radiation, suggesting that they had some sort of shelter from the War. Strange substances are looted by the victors, identified as chems and medicines, though more thorough testing would have to be done to determine what they did. The area further south appears to be overgrown with strange mutated growths. Though there are doubts if the attempt to train dwellers for the challenges of the surface was indeed successful, they become more informed about basic survival techniques. With the aid of the C.A.M.P., simple defenses and containers to collect rainwater are thrown together from old abandoned structures, furniture, and vehicles.

Vault 91



​

 

[HolidayInn]

VAULT 4

Hyun felt the acrid air hug her lungs ever since she had gone outside, the others didnt seem to be too bothered, but perhaps they had grown used to it. More workers were milling about behind the palisade walls, fixing the wood and metal in place.


Colonel Richter's men had set up a temporary tent outside, and dragged a table that wasnt bolted to the floor to the center of the shade. Hyun paid attention to the colonel as he begun to instruct more men to the walls.


Hyun even spotted plans for a walkway and towers, the blueprints held in place by a can of pork and beans. Captain Hood had reported a failure, apparently their methods of preserving food didnt quite meet the standards and they had to dispose of what theyve used.


She didnt hold the matter up, it only has to work once. But until they had found someone with sufficient knowledge of preserving food, Hyun didnt want to risk it again.


"Commander, didnt see you there." Colonel Richter said, he was waving away the men to their tasks.


"Good work on the fortifications." Hyun replied, coming closer to the table. Miller was there too, his brows bunched in concentration and arms crossed.


"Captain," Hyun tried to pull his attention, it worked, Miller blinked and gazes her way. "What happened out there?"


Rather than replying, the captain searches for something from his pack and throws a broken arrow on the table. "They shot an arrow at you?" Hyun asked, incredulous.


"Not at me, at Pops." He answered, a hard gaze set on Hyun. Pops, a father figure for most in the vault. Damn. "He's alright," That sent a wave of relief down her spine. "I managed to pop off a few rounds at whoever it was, didnt connect. We fled to the walls as soon as we could."


"Good call." Colonel Ricther said, gesturing his cig in approval.


"Pops wouldve died, Sir, Ma'am." Miller said earnestly, "That was just a warning shot, I can feel it, would've gone for the neck or chest for the kill."


Hyun nodded grimly, her eyes run through the blueprints on the table. "Would be useful to know what they wanted." Hyun murmured.


"Respectfully, I didnt stop to ask. They probably think we're invading their space."


"Makes sense." Richter affirmed, "Native American tribes, judging from these arrows." He pulled a glove over his fingers, and picked it up, examining it over his eye.


Richter shook his head and places the arrow down, "We should try for diplomacy."


"They almost killed Pops." Miller reminded.


"As you say Captain; A warning shot." The Colonel replied, he turned to Hyun, "These people out there are frightened, who wouldnt be after fucking bombs levels an entire civilization to the ground? And we just up appeared like nothing happened, Commander."


Hyun could see Richter's point, and she was inclined to agree, but not at the expense of her own men; never her own marines. "I see there are plans for walkways."


"Yes, Ma'am." Richter affirmed with a nod.


"How soon can we finish?"


"As soon as we can, Commander."


"Thats what I like to hear." She said, "Listen, we cant fight these people, they're American, and we all know that, but we cant let them pound us either. So here, we finish the walkways, find someone who can talk in whatever native language it is, and try to make peace with these guys."


Miller stayed silent, running the idea in his mind, Richter meanwhile seemed reluctant, "Well try to find someone, Commander. No promises, not a lot of native americans in Four, if there are any at all."


"Marines tend to get around, one or two might know a few phrases. Thats enough to open a dialogue." She hoped.


"Will do, ma'am" Richter said, and waves a vault sec over.


"Captain," Hyun addressed, Miller's attention snapped back to her, "Run security around the clock, I want no holes in the walls, if there are any; I want a gun sticking out of it, for all I care theyre gun ports from now on. Keep your heads low, I dont want a repeat of what happened out there."


"Yes, ma'am." He saluted, and trudged away from the tent, smg slung behind his back. Richter dismissed the marine, and turned his attention back to Hyun, with a grin.


"Told him to find anyone that knows the language written on those pictures recon took."


Hyun nodded, that was a good call. A radio cackled to life, she gazes towards the sound, near the wall, workers were huddled together, listening closely. And then a voice came through, rough and unrefined, announcing a fleeing native american near central death valley.


"Just what we needed. God damn, inmates turn raiders." Richter bristled.

Spoiler: Orders:

• (30 x unskilled laborers, 20 x skilled laborers,1 x Vet Military officer ) Construction of Walkways along the wall
• (2 x vault sec, 1 x eyebot,) Search for a timbisha speaker amongst the vault populace using pictures taken off drawings and writings on walls.
• (15 x Vault Sec) fortifies position along the walls

 

[Rictus]

"Thank you for your report, Lieutenant Kim. Outstanding work, as always." Octavian forced a slight smile when the scouting team leader, Park-Soon Kim gave a direct report of the Desert Rangers refusal of aid. While the Overseer-General was somewhat displeased at not having any indigenous guides for his upcoming military endeavors; he had also gleaned much useful information from both of these innocent encounters.

The Desert Rangers had a leader. That much was obvious when the Rangers had told his forces so, and had agreed to arrange a meeting. The group had also announced themselves as 'Echo'. Which told Octavian that they used Pre-War military designation, and that out there, somewhere, there was probably: an Alpha, a Bravo, a Charlie, and a Delta team. If these were each comprised of four or so people, excluding the leader, he had a rough minimum number of their forces. But most importantly it told Octavian that perhaps there was still law and order above ground. Perhaps in a looser sense and semblance than what Octavian was used too, but to have it at all was a promising clue. One that may point towards larger remnants of civilization. A small tidbit of hopeful information. But one that Octavian found relevant enough to share with the fellow members of the Overseer Council.

"You are dismissed, Lieutenant Kim. But don't get too comfy. I'll be needing you and your scouts later today to help with surface re-introduction training for the cadets and citizens."

Lieutenant Kim nodded and smiled. "Of course, Sir."

Octavian sighed lightly and finally allowed himself a light frown after Lieutenant Kim turned from saluting him. Leaving his office now that the de-briefing was over. Once again the Overseer-General picked up the bottle of 'Snake Squeezins', looking it over with an almost wistful air. The Overseer-General had been hoping for a more positive reply. But he was guarded enough to have expected this. Afterall, these Desert Rangers were strangers to he and his peoples. More than that, they were people with an important job to do. Just like the Overseer-General himself. So it was at least understandable on their part. But despite that, it seemed so far that the most promising avenue of support had proved to be a dead end. Thankfully, there was still another. The Overseer-General felt he could delay his forces no longer than he already had. So it was decided that no matter what, today they would march. Though, Octavian would have them make a brief stop at the large manor-villa that was close by. Perhaps the residents of 'Scotty's Castle' would be more receptive of his offer.

Spoiler: Octo-Orders

1. Octavian asks maintenence to make a copy of the schematics of the Vault 14 air conditioning systems. Afterwards they are ordered to begin designing blueprints for a modified surface unit from those schematics. He asks one of Octavia's best and brightest mechanical engineers to help.
-x1 Mechanical Engineer.
-x10 Maintenence Personnel.

2. With the bottle of Snake Squeezins' in hand, Octavian decides to visit the Chemist. To alleviate some of the Chemists boredom, he orders a full spectrum analysis on the Snake Squeezins'. Octavian infers to the scientist that should the alcoholic beverage prove safe for human consumption, it is to be filtered, further distilled, and re-bottled.

3. As the last thing necessary before the Octavian 1st leaving, Octavian orders the remaining mechanical engineers, robotics specialists and a few skilled laborers as assistance to give the Octavian 1st Protectrons a full service maintenence check-up and software update. The other Protectrons would be updated afterwards.
-x4 Mechanical Engineers.
-x1 Advanced A.I. and Robotics Technician.
-x5 Computer Programmers.
-x10 Skilled Laborers.

4. The Overseer-General confidantly announces over the intercom that the time has come to see off the Octo-Sec soldiers of the 'Octavian 1st'. An orderly viewing of the Octo-Sec leaving the Vault will be permitted to those who wish to attend it. Surprisingly, before they can exit the Vault, a lone figure stands before them. Physically blocking the way with it's intimidating frame. It is Major S.P.A.R.K.S.! They are sternly once more reminded of the use of: Combined arms tactics with their protectron squadmates, handy protectron battle formations, and other matters. Major S.P.A.R.K.S. then gives a stirring speech to the Protectrons on the best ways of protecting their humans before getting out of the Octavian 1st's way.
-x??? Unskilled Laborer.
-x??? Skilled Laborer.
-x??? Specialist.
-x15 Octo-Sec Guards w/Full Kit.
-x10 Octo-Sec Cadets w/Batons.
-x4 Protectrons.
-x1 Major S.P.A.R.K.S.

5. Octavian Orders that the Octavian 1st first march to Scotty's castle with the same neighborly offer they gave to the rangers. Octavian wanted to see if they still couldn't manage to wrangle up some indigenous scouts. Whether the offer was accepted or refused, they were to then travel to Vault 91 under cover of darkness in defensive formation.

6. In order to alleviate Vault boredom and cabin fever, groups are taken under armed guard ten at a time for surface re-introduction training. This entails: Getting used to the environment, acclimating to high temperatures, light adjustment exercises, short-range surface walks, and instruction on top-side safety protocols. To be done in scheduled shifts three times a day, six days a week.
-×5 Octo-Sec Guards w/Full Kit.
-x5 Octo-Sec Cadets w/Batons.
-x5 Military Drill Instructor w/Batons.
-x10 Citizens.

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

​

"And today's winner of a surface home is... "Mr. Rolins! Congratulations. We'll draw another name tomorrow morning after breakfast and morning prayers. Until then, Vault 7, Love God, and Love Thy Neighbor."

With that, the PA system turned off an silent. Father Moni looked at the diagrams for the surface dwellings. They were modest, and offered little in comfort, though the power and water provided some comforts and needed hydration and cooling. That said, it was a blessing that they had another source of water available to them now, but the local wildlife was concerning. Roaches and snails the size of dogs! Who would have thought that would be possible. Not to mention the bighorners who had survived through nuclear war and radiation, though it was obvious to many that radiation was ever present. Father Moni heard a gentle humming and looked up to see one of the Mr Handys bringing over his breakfast.

"Your morning victuals, Overseer Moni. Today's morning sermon was excellent as always."

"Thank you Jeeves. Your service is always appreciated."

"What will you have us do today, sir? I must say, working with all that mud made a nightmare to clean up!"

"Given the demand for more surface housing, we're going to have to keep working for quite a bit with mud and sand, Jeeves. Just be careful not to overheat, though that warning really applies to everyone."

"As you wish, Father! I'll set off and let the others know of today's tasks."

With that, the Mr Handy flew off, leaving Overseer Moni working and setting up plans for the coming days.

---

Actions:

1. Further development of the surface settlement to add more rooms/floors/make the buildings better.
Architect, 1 Mr. Handy, 20 Skilled, 50 Unskilled, Mud Bricks, Sand Bags, CAMP, GECK MK 1

2. Construction of a compound wall around the settlement to boost fortifications
Engineer, 1 Mr Handy, 10 Skilled, 50 Unskilled, Mud Bricks, Sand Bags, CAMP, GECK MK 1

3. Continued work on the test farm. Perhaps, try to make a greenhouse to shelter the crops using the sand to make glass?
1 Scientist, 10 Skilled, 50 Unskilled, CAMP, GECK MK 1

4. Scout out the dirt road that leads to the main road
Eyebot

5. Construct a pen for animals in the settlement and use bits of food to try and lure the bighorners into the pen. Then harvest the banana yucca as a potential food source, additional seeds/variety, and study/analysis of its safety/potential uses.
1 Scientist, Doctor, Chemist, Army Officer, 10 Vault Sec w Hunting Rifles, 10 Skilled, 50 Unskilled, Mud Bricks, CAMP, GECK MK 1

6. Fortification/Guard/Patrol Duty around the settlement
Sheriff, Sentry Bot, 10 Vault Sec, Hunting Rifles

7. Work on trying to decipher the strange gibberish that they hear on the radio
ZAX, Computer Engineer