Kaiser Chris said:
With the creation of a proper economy soon to take place, the Sealy Repair Project is given a heavy priority in manpower and materials due to the now district's placement as a top level trade stop with routes to both Brenham and Rosenberg along with being placed directly on I-10. Holes are patched and wiring is fixed so that in the future with electrification, power can be reestablished with no issue. The major focus point is Meyer Street where most of Sealy's pre-war businesses lied, and surprisingly the Treasury Department received a score of applications of the establishment of cooperative businesses where many Texans have pledged to share ownership of Sealy's restaraunts and hotels kind of similar to Yugoslavian Socialism through what you learned. This is both to have a support network when the businesses do operate and offset the assumed costs of operation through division.
Overall Sealy is turning out great and all that is left is repairs for neighborhoods on the periphery. You also remind yourself that it should be a priority to re-establish the water supply from Bellville as well as extend the Vault's power to Sealy.
yah that was the thought into it (besides the extra Dice) but nice to see in lore and fluff how its viewed on the ground. another 60 progress and it'll be done. I am surprised with the Yugoslavia mentioned but only so much of the timeline can change before its unrecognizable and it makes sense that without the Fallout USA government around to keep the Jingoism and Extreme Hardline Anti-Communist stance around.
It mentioned as well to do the other projects, I doubt we'll be able to finish them but something to keep in mind for the future.
Kaiser Chris said:
The Brazos Country repairs finish in July with near 100 homesteads being restored to near pre-war condition for future settlement, either through adventurous Vault Dwellers or immigrating Wastelanders. The only issue is the stray crocodile, both normal and mutated but turret emplacements and sentry posts are able to keep them at bay. It is hoped that Brazos Country can be used as a post for fishing in the near future.
Nice, now we just need to do the Rad Boats research and we should get a new option to set up a fishing post and later docks for trading. Though we will need to work on defenses and such since I think we got word of some faction doing raids along the coasts and up the rivers. I don't remember which faction it was but I know it was happening.
Also DAMN I didn't think I'd see mutated crocodiles talked about like regular pests, those must be terrors to encounter. Can we fill the Bellville Castle moat with them?
Kaiser Chris said:
With Texas becoming increasingly mobile with the adoption of horses and bikes in transportation, the Country Roads project which had been started in the winter would be the first target for completion. Strips of land are surveyed with plants removed and then either kept as dirt roads, mainly for the periphery connections for walking and horse travel, or paved over with gravel and asphalt. Both are obtained from Space City for affordable trade prices as a thanks for aid in the Heist and Battle of Stafford. In August, San Felipe is now fully connected from the core to Sealy and Brazos Country through more than just a handful of roads, reducing future traffic and offering many fast routes for transit either for social and work or for defense if necessary.
Oh well that's a indication the research finished this turn as well as the Battle of Stafford. So that's good news and we go the gravel and asphalt for cheap. Roads and transportation being key thing to the nation, Just ask Rome.
Kaiser Chris said:
While the view was most certainly beautiful, the liftoff and current descent was a terrifying ordeal, to have so much go perfectly with pilots who he wanted to trust, most especially Amy but his instincts felt such wrongness and despair, as well as the awkward fact that this was technically the pilot's seventh sortie.
Oh right, I think its been around 43 years since the bombs fell. So besides the Pilots training to fly and the Veterans, I don't think anyone has flied before or experienced it. At least from our side, I don't think we've used the Vertibirds to transport the Rangers yet. Nice little touch of how flying is for the first time and how it is to put your trust into someone on their seventh flight, terrifying.
Kaiser Chris said:
After losing his air nausea, Robin couldn't help but stare at wonder at the true might of Aggieland on display which the Texans had been offered a preview of at Bellville. A couple dozen US Air Force vehicles from Vertibirds to jets were parked on the Bryan Air Force base strip, offering similar airpower to the might of Space City. Robots such as Mr. Gutsys and Sentry Bots were in patrol while a couple hundred soldiers performed their duties, the infantry equipped with gear that looked more advanced than the T-49 along with a handful of Power Armor units at station, T-45s whose powerful aura showed the potential of the current Power Rangers project.
.... Well sh*t. I do get there was a airbase here before but still. DOZENS of aircraft including damn JETs. Yah Texas is outgunned and we are not matching the others in terms of Power Armor or Aircraft. We only have those because of the Crits we rolled in the first two turns. So focus on our strengths and what we're good at. Oh and they have much more Robots and support. f*cking Sentry Bots as well. Operation Sunburst fan animation on Youtube just released the next part where the Sentry Bots rolled out, yah the fact they have those means things. Damn they're equipped well. At least we understand now.
Kaiser Chris said:
"So pre-war, College Station was a university town and it and neighboring Bryan basically had their economies catered to A&M. A major portion of this was housing where you had lots of neighborhoods catered to students who wanted to live off-campus, get a nice college experience and act like adults. It's a system that's actually coming back nowadays with the University reaching its old strength. Anyways, most students who went to A&M are middle class from across the state, but you got your fair amount of rich kids who came cause their parents were alumni, wanted to go to the best state school and couldn't bribe their way into Ivy, or for wartime weren't good enough for West Point. Come 2071, Vault-Tec waltzes into town and announces that they're going to make Vault 67, a Vault populated entirely by students. The gist is that Vault-Tec would use it as a model for other collegiate Vaults so parents could send their kids away from home to university and they wouldn't have to worry that such a choice would condemn them to nuclear death or suffering away from home."
"Weird advertisem*nt considering they only made 150 Vaults. Doubt Vault-Tec made other college vaults besides maybe a couple at best." Robin said.
Joseph shook his head, "The more I think about pre-war life the less it makes sense, but maybe Vault-Tec was hoping they could make a second round of Vaults. Anyways, the University approves since it means more Aggies can live, though we already built our bunker and underground system in the 2060's, so a bit superfluous but I digress. Project's initially very popular, but there's some frustration when the pricetags come out, multi-million dollar tickets which mean only the super rich kids got salvation. The Aggs who got tickets would live in Sandy Creek apartments, thus they'd have an easy time getting to the Vault."
"Anything interesting about the Vault population? A common denominator like how 28 were Texan Nationalists?" Robin asks.
"Aside from the fact that they were all Aggies and came from well-off families, nothing. Lots of different majors, undergrads and grads. A few residents weren't able to make it when the bomb fell and life there was no different than an on-campus dorm, just more living space and luxury."
Huh, so best state school in Texas and Vault tech managed to sell the pitch like that, which of course meant it was well received and welcomed and play off the fears of the parents. we already know what the experiment here was. Hah yup, prewar Vault don't make sense and it shows the Vault Tech were building specific ones with specific people and experiments in mind. In this case with the Joseph thinking they were gonna make more but the nukes dropped before they did instead of the intent never to make more. So All students of the University and all coming from well off familes, so likely pure students who never picked up on other skills or jobs on the side.
Kaiser Chris said:
"By the way, how exactly did you guys escape a direct strike? You should have been ground zero for a cluster as a military target and USSA didn't set up anything around here."
"You know the Prairie View Wastes?" Joseph asked to which Robin nodded, pre-war A&M had a satellite campus located there. Best guess is some dumbass Chinese officer programmed their nukes to fire at Prairie View A&M thinking they were College Station. It's a trade off no one asked for, but at least it ensured most of us made it through."
Oh my god, so basically misclick and wrong target because of bad translation and not looking at a map. So that would explain the Airbase and main Campus intact and thus able to be put back to work after the rads cleared up.
Kaiser Chris said:
Robin would enter a blast shelter which was in the center of the apartment's courtyard, which then lead further through a flight of stars to the entry point of Vault 67, located in a underground foyer where an entry terminal was illuminated about twenty feet in front of the Vault door which displayed the number 67 brightly in the center.
Cautiously, Robin approached the terminal and extended his Pipboy port to connect to it. A message flashed on the Pipboy screen which stated, "Contacting Vault". According to the Vault door manuals they found in 28 which thankfully were legitimate when cross referenced with 113, this meant that the Vault was currently occupied as in the absence of human life after a period of one year, the Vault would be dormant and able to be simply opened by anyone with a Vault-tec Pipboy. Thus, it meant that all of the Aggie's previous attempts were intentionally rejected by someone.
Yah, they were kidding, as soon as the bombs dropped it was a quick run down to the vault. Oh is that lore in Fallout proper? or this quest with that if there is no life signs detected in the Vault it would have opened up for anyone with a Vault-tec Pipboy. So the vaults vaults could hear them but denied contact then. Question is why then?
Kaiser Chris said:
"Where are you from? Does this mean the surface is clean? We can head out?" The stranger asked, hope obvious in their voice.
"Eh...I wouldn't say things are perfect. There's a nearby radioactive crater and lots of parts of Houston are....messy, but from what we've experienced it seems like most of Texas is hanging on and doing their best to rebuild. I can guarantee you that you can at least travel to the immediate surface." Robin said vaguely. He wanted to go into detail, but it wouldn't do to shut the Vault away with stories of the many Raider tribes in Houston or the weird mutants that roamed the surface.
"As for us, Vault 28 is located in San Felipe, about 75 miles down south off of I-10 in Austin County. We've actually been in contact with two other Vaults, 113 in Rosenberg and 41 in West Houston. They're both doing pretty good for themselves and we've got strong friendships with them, a relationship we were hoping to extend to 67 if you'll have us."
That... okay, maybe they just didn't buy anyone trying to contact them that wasn't a Vault but you'd still think they would know about the conditions somehow. Still this should enough for them to come out since most of the other vaults in the area are up and about now, so its not going to be a 'alone in the rad wasteland' thing.
Kaiser Chris said:
"That...actually sounds pretty nice. Did A&M survive? My parents were-"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Yelled an elderly man, startling Robin and his squadmates as a third party joined their conversation."Overseer, there's a trio of travelers from Vault 28 down South. The surface is safe again, we can-"
"LIES! THEY'RE LIARS! SAVAGES TRYING TO ENTER THE VAULT!"
Says the older man, though his tone was less wrath and more fear and panic."I assure you sir, we're fellow Vault Dwellers who only wish for peaceful conta-"
"GO AWAY! YOU'RE NOT WELCOME!" The old man yells, then followed by silence.
And there is, I'm guessing the Vault Tec personnel lied to them or students made a type of internal government that wants to stay in the vault because it keeps them in control and power or were fed horrible news and lies about the surface to keep them in still.
Kaiser Chris said:
"Hello?" The intercom spoke once more, an older male voice though different from the earlier hostile one.
Robin jumped up from where he had been playing Pip-Boy chess with one of his squadmates and leapt back to the console, "Hi, this is Robin Neil from Vault 28, are you gonna let us in?"
"That depends, are you going to shoot us?"
Yah, some humor there but fair. more men with guns and in Power Armor showed up in the time between so it was to ask.
Kaiser Chris said:
Robin shot a dirty look to Kim and the T-45s flanking him who simply shrugged, "I apologize for my friends overreaction. I was ttruthful when I said that I'm from Vault 28, but we came here alongside Cadets from the University of Texas A&M."
"Texas A&M University, there's a huge f*cking difference, you Cowboy!" One of the Power Armor troops yelled at Robin with affirmations of agreement and hissing from his fellow troops, making him flinch at the deep voice.
"Sorry, Texas A&M University." Robin says, doing his best not to roll his eyes. Who just wanted to check on you and make sure you're fine." Robin affirmed.
... Wait a minute. Given this fallout and how people built identities and cultures around pre-war locations or buildings. Oh god is that whole Highschool/Colllege/University rivalries still a thing? along with correcting people as in the correct saying of your university and the mascot? it seems to fit with how the troopers hissed and how the Power Armor Trooper correct Robin.
Also extra T in truthful in this section.
Kaiser Chris said:
"Allen?" The old man whispered at Kim in shock.
Kim shook his head, "No sir, that's probably my father, Allen Kim. I'm Joseph Kim was named after his best friend Joe Fisher, who had a ticket to Vault 67."
"That's me." Joe confirmed, widening Robin's eyes. "Is Allen still alive?" He asked hopefully.
"He is, and he'd very much like to meet you again. Says you've owed him a beer for 45 years." To which the man laughed.
It was nice sometimes, being a Ranger.
Oh sh*t, didn't expect something like that. both a bit mature and a little bit of hope in the sh*tty situation this was. Glad those two will get to share a beer again after 45 years.
Kaiser Chris said:
Aside from Vault-Tec personnel doing everything in their power to prevent any opening of the Vault while the original dwellers did, including as revealed in a later investigation, outright murdering a few rather outspoken advocates for returning to the surface, with the first contact including an attempted coup by the elderly Vault-Tec personnel, the Vault seemed mostly "Normal" with an experiment that while similar in a dark nature to your own, could have been far worse.
Vault 67 was to test how young adults lacking authority figures or much experience in independence, would build a society together when cut off from parents or other adults, essentially a decapitation scenario of leadership along with testing how a group tied together through education would survive.
Oh sh*t, so that was why. I'm surprised the Vault-Tec Personnel were willing to carry out this thing for this long considering most of them must have been really old at this point, as I would assume these would be in their 30's and older. So they Vault-tec Personnel kept lying and delaying the opening of the vault. I guess it makes sense in that a decapitation strike and see how the kids would react with no adult leadership and left to lead themselves, just being through education seems weird but fits in fallout.
Kaiser Chris said:
The first decade was admittedly a bit rough for the Vault as depression was widespread, even resulting in a few suicides, and having a collection of teens and students in their early twenties not having fully developed brains and never having previously known hardship, while having to assume new responsibilities to maintain the Vault lead to many messes and stupid decisions and events. Though to their credit, by 2090 Vault 67 had stabilized socially and the first dwellers had become mature and responsible adults who then built families and did their best to make a good life for their friends and family in a healthy community.
Security and medicine was monopolized by Vault-Tec personnel, but otherwise they were hands off with the students with the Overseer focused on Vault maintenance. The Students would organize a "Vault Council" to govern daily affairs and serve as a forum, and while politics in the early years could be described as "clique-ish" between various social groups and a weighted favor to the STEM students, by modern day the divisions were mostly gone and Vault leadership was non-partisan, no different than 28 in the Vault years though obviously without the Texan Patriotism.
Overall good decent folk who made it through the post-war better than most, though cursed with an inability to ever truly return to the surface and revisit their friends and family, many of the former being alive and well in College Station, all because Vault-Tec wanted to let the experiment to play out and only let 67 play explorer when the first generation were all dead, something that would probably have happened in the mid 22nd century.
that's not a surprise with how the students took things when it happened in addition to being from well off families, so not used to hardships and doing things for themselves. makes sense to keeps security under lockdown so the students couldn't force a early opening and of course they make a student council and would be decided and influence by Cliques early on. Damn school drama.
That's horrid. those students would have been able to find and meet with their families so close by if the vaults opened already. And wow, not until the first generation died off would the vault open. So really kill off anyone with knowledge of the old world and how it was before opening the vault and then seeing how they would act and rebuild. Considering the other Vault is dead silent, I do worry about it.
Kaiser Chris said:
Thus, with all the Overseers files and confessions from Vault-Tec personnel, there at last was clear evidence of some sort of "Vault-Tec Conspiracy", that 28 wasn't a weird one and done experiment. Sure, 28 and 67 didn't get treated with the same inhumanity as literal lab rats, but it was still a degrading crime and stripping of free will that should never have taken place.
Perhaps most importantly was what the Rangers and Aggies discovered in the Overseer's office through a torn piece of wall paper, an audio bug actively transmitting that was being sent to somewhere, a bug that could be found all throughout the Vault along with active transmission of their live camera feed. Not only were these experiments being done, they were being transmitted somewhere.
Vault 67 unlocked. Purpose of Vault discovered, social experiment to see how a population of young adults lacking authority figures or leadership experience build a new society. Vault 67 has two GECKs although with moderately less luxuries and technology than 113. Vault 67 annexed into Aggieland, relations improved.
Ah, so we do have some evidence now we can use. Really would need to open up the other Vault to really hammer it home but should be enough for now. And a bug that was transmitting still. I bet the Enclave and Vault-Tec are NOT happy that lab rats are learning and revolting against them. At least the Texans know whoever is in charge of these operations are still alive and kicking.
HOLY f*ck another Two GECK's? okay this is getting unfair. Come On QM. I'm guessing the Aggies are gonna be plotting those down soon? how's that going to affect things? because it seems Aggieland is better able to defend itself and handle the target that those GECKs would paint on them but still might get Raiders coming in from all over or out of state. I mean we got two vaults that got two GECK's? that's a juicy target.
Oh right, also might want to update the maps sometime as I think we're moving past some of the edges of the map and some of it is outdated.
Kaiser Chris said:
Once business with Vault 67 was concluded, the Robin would lead the Rangers to scouting Washington County. Thankfully, it was perhaps the most peaceful operation the Rangers did since all of the county was either under the direct rule or influence of Brenham and while there were a few migrating raider bands near Burton but the Rangers along with local Brenham forces flushed them out. Outside of Brenham, Washington County is a very quiet place that after Brenham's alliance with Aggieland, has seen little direct conflict and most of the land is dedicated to farms or dairy ranching.
There are four areas of note for the county. One is the Brenham Municipal Airpot, which they primarily use as a trade stop for a number of states and communities which have access to air power. Second is Lake Somerville, a beautiful lake which has been untouched by radiation thanks to being right outside the edge of the Austin fallout zone, thus being a popular spot for development. West of the lake extending into Lee and Burleson County is a Titanium mine which is actually owned by the Aggies and defended by a large company, apparently mined for modifications to Power Armor and vehicles.
Fair enough and this is mostly just to get an idea of the state of things and what's in here. Well hot damn and Airport still there, one that's used as a trade stop for other places that still have air power... Oh sh*t, that's where we can meet or know of other factions out of state that still have airpower and are trading long distances. That's interesting and think that's worthy of a project. Also another place to sell our AC/Heater units, nice. I will say to anyone, is there any big places in the nearby states we should peg as a places likely to have something important and not nuked at all? like other Titanium mines or gold mines or just reserves?
Also Nice is the PURE water in the lake that was spared the radiation. so that's a big thing there. and a f*cking Titanium mind there. So that's another thing in Aggieland's favor and a trade good there if we want to do the some for our power armor. Damn Aggieland is a powerhouse.
Kaiser Chris said:
Lastly, and most importantly to Texas, is the location of Washington-on-the-Brazos, a ghost town which is of major historical significance due to it being the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution for the First Republic of Texas. Miracously, it's been left pretty untouched besides some environmental damage and decay, and with Navasota being under firm Aggie control, it shall likely be safe for the near future. After it was rediscovered, many Texans have made "pilgrimages" to the site on their new horses or cars, a phenomena which baffles Brenham and Aggies even though it makes totally perfect sense to you. As a consequence though, there is a push among Vault Dwellers to annex Washington on the Brazos, if nothing else than to preserve such sacred Texan land which rightfully belongs to Texas. Brenham currently doesn't administer it, but it is under their sphere of influence, nevermind how A&M may perceive the advance.
Ah, more important to us because of Texas History. and makes sense as it was a minor town and held no importance for the Chinese to bomb. LOL gotta keep that fallout weirdness, no we are not normal either and make pilgrimages to that ghost town.
SO where is that on a map the because it would be an exclave of territory between Aggieland and Brenham. I guess that will be a project and need some talking with both factions.
Kaiser Chris said:
You were on the verge of perfection with the heist, you were THIS close. Then THEY showed up.
HAH the meme. Also considering things I'm guessing this is either a new factions, the Conquistadors messing things up, or our first look at the Spartans.
Kaiser Chris said:
You deeply wish you could have had the Power Rangers available for either the Heist or the Battle of Stafford, but the trainers assured you that such was not possible due to their lack of training that would have just have them be a hindrance on the battlefield due to clunky performance. At the very least, you are close and should definitely get something by the end of the year. Surprisingly, most of the recruits are weathering firm and you have 73 left in the running. The Rangers are hoping to whittle it down and have become more flexible, hoping to create a Ranger company around the Power Rangers that act as infantry support and logistics alongside with alternate pilots to act as seconds. There's also an idea for any willing soldier to at least become familiar with Power Armor operations in downtime, not only for further candidates should we stumble across another cache, but to provide for quick replacements in case the worst should happen.
Yah, I'm sure those would have helped but given the progress left on here, they should be up and running by next turn. Also good in lore reason in that without the training and knowing what they are doing and capable of, they would be more of a hindrance then anything. A good amount of them are still in it, good to see we have a lot of replacement troopers for the Power Armor if need be. hmmm, makes sense I guess, support squad and alternate pilots if need be, the care and maintenance for that Armor is... a lot.
Honestly its good we're keeping them available and around instead of being like the Japanese in World War Two with their Naval Pilots. That sh*t was insanely wasteful. I think it was 1,500 applicants applied, 70 made it into training where they could fly and were actual pilots, and out of that only 25 graduated to join the Carrier air wing. I'm not sure if the remaining 45 pilots were turned back over to the army as pilots or infantry but still that was the YEARLY growth of their air wing. Add to that some pilots were dropped over non performance infractions and yah. So as long as we keep them in the army and close at hand it should be fine.
Kaiser Chris said:
In addition to increasingly high quality of the recruits, weapons research has taken some initiatives and created a small collection of Power Armor weaponry for the PRs to wear instead of awkwardly using normal firearms. Copying pre-war designs at least in appearence is the "Machine Rifle", technically an assault rifle which fires NATO 5.56 rounds in a large drum magazine, greater range to a normal AR but with reduced accuracy. A 12 inch Bowie Knife was made for every Power Armor user in close quarters, and in addition, Bellville has pledged to create personalized "Paladin Blades" for the final Power Ranger pilots, with a great variety of deadly choices from a bastard longsword, a warhammer, mace or war axe to make our Rangers the deadliest in close combat, something likely necessary for North Houston expeditions. Lastly is the Bowie Revolver, following the spirit of the Bowie Knife that looks like an upscaled Magnum revolver, but fires 50 caliber rounds for a personal and precise punch.
Also a welcome surprise around Labor Day was the discovery of a sixth suit of T-45 armor which was located right under our noses all along. In a locked basem*nt of one of the rennovated Sealy homes, lied a suit of T-45 Power Armor, which holotapes revealed belonged to one of the soldiers who kept watch over Vault 28 during the evacuation process. According to the accompanying holotapes near a lying skeleton, the stationed soldier and his partner were just left to dry by Vault-Tec and the US Army, so they wandered around to Houston as scavengers, had a pretty decent run until a hurricane killed the partner and weakened the others suit, exposing them to lethal radiation which produced terminal cancer, thus the man would return to Sealy, and lay to rest in the basem*nt, not wanting any savage wastelander to take his suit and hoping it would go into decent hands. May it be so in the days to come.
Oh I didn't realize we giving the Power Troopers normal weapons to wield. Got proper weapons for them now. And honestly I'd say just get a BAR and fire off that 30.06, its just an auto M1Grand. A foot long Bowie knife is a given, but the specialized melee weapons is a welcome. Nice, as it will help with close quarters of the City in the North and in houses. holy sh*t that revolvers more then a magum 44. though wearing Power Armor that should be fine, still gonna die from that if hit though.
Oh sh*t, nice find. So we have about Six Power Armors now. I kinda want to know the Brass decided to chose the sixth Power Ranger at that point since it sounds like Omake material right there. Good lore and it really fits for a Fallout title, in that exploring some random house basem*nt and getting a story attached to the reward you find down there that build up how the world was days, months, years, or decades ago.
Kaiser Chris said:
"Overall I'd say that our combined forces do not need to worry for allied defense and joint expeditions, they communicate well and there's a strong level of camraderie, main issue is tactical decision making to appropriately apply our strengths and make up for weaknesses." Spoke Texas War Secretary George Greene.
By far the oldest blood of your relatively youthful cabinet at age 82, George was formerly a US Marine veteran and former war hero for his many valiant years of service in the Resource Wars. While not typical material for a Texan Separatist, George became disillusioned with America after his last tour in mainland China in '76, leading to him using his connections for an honorable discharge and then settling down with family in San Felipe.
As a former Colonel, George had the best amount of military experience within Texas, a valuable pool of knowledge that may be lost sometime in the near future. As such, you recruited him to become your Secretary of War to help organize a proper post-nuclear military that could mirror the might of old America as much as possible, working until your re-election in '26.
So overall good and everyone knows their strengths and where to use them, just up to leaders making the right calls at the right times. And damn, that's a good way to explain the military experience and to pass it down, Disillusioned with America and joins us later on. I do think we should do the Officer School next after the power armor, as this does show where most of our experience is in our Veterans and they are getting up there. Even if we don't need to worry about THAT I think we will need to get a good officer corp going anyways so we have NCO's and Junior Officers if we expand the army.
Kaiser Chris said:
"We shall be safe from the wretched and foul plague of a Longhorn return, correct?" Michael asked nervously.
"Of similar quality and organization sure, though against a more proper professional force we'd be at our match or at a disadvantage." George informed plainly.
"How do we fill in the gaps?" You asked.
"We need more bases throughout Austin County, spread our forces more so they don't get taken out in one strike if God forbid the enemy has mini-nukes or some such weapons. They don't have to be a new Fort Hood, but small camps for units would also cover more ground to close any blind spots in land, patrol the praire and keep everyone alert.
Mobility is an absolute must, and until we create some war horse units or Upgrade our auto stock into true military vehicles then we're going to have to rely on Bellville to apply pressure and pincer enemy forces. Think of it like cattle herding, just keep them compact and tight, then allow the Rangers and 1st Battalion to unleash hell. Rangers and Knights would also be the best preferred scouts before we pull the hammer."
So mostly light Raiders with numbers and armored up cars and trucks but not anything heavier than that? fair enough, just need more weapons and numbers with some researched weapons. Oh is that how it is? nice to see the curtain pulled and see how things happen and are organized in the quest on the ground view with that. So outposts and camps meant to quickly report and respond to raids.
Thankfully we already did the Horses and Bikes this turn so we have Cavalry of our own and if needed, the bicycle troops. but yah, I do think we should start on the Garages and cars soon. At least we have mobile options right now.
Kaiser Chris said:
"Well at least with USSA's aid we can actually use the Vertibirds for more than just overwatch and I doubt there would be much Raiders who can equal that or bring the birds down. Even if we're dry on cars for the near future, artillery and mortar should be adequate force multipliers and keep us at range and make up for any number parity." You ruminate out loud.
"For now we shall focus on industry and research on our end, especially for laser weapons and mortars. If you don't mind, I'd like for some of the units to have some boot camp in Bellville, learn heavy close quarters combat so we can deal with Spartans and all the bayou monsters in Houston. We'd also be happy to lease some of our T-49 stock for your men at arms and even your knights, plus some purchase of your finest steel blades." You entice.
"A most splendid offer Lord Neil."
So we got paid for helped and got our Veritbirds modded into Gunships, so that is good and once we research how to make the ammo ourselves it will be a good support. Still need to research the motors and artillery to make it last but overall we can handle a larger enemy if its a short fight, any thing longer that drains our current munitions and we'll be in trouble. Oh, okay we got some pointers from the QM for what to research, I would say research Motors first before going for Laser Weapons.
Back up right there, Bayou Monsters? I get the Spartans via their namesake and descriptions of how they fight but still.
Kaiser Chris said:
You were already seen highly in the eyes of A&M for your cooperation in defeating the Bellville Longhorns, and rescuing near a thousand Aggies from the clutches of Vault-Tec placed your Texans on a higher pedestal of excellence, making you all honorary Aggies in their eyes. Following Robin's expedition, Scarlett is dispatched to start diplomatic relations as well as to have her team and Robin's conduct a little bit of "sighteseeing" to gain an understand of what Aggieland is like. What they discovered was quite intimidating.
While Bryan was hit with a nuke, it only burnt away the residential districts of a town that mainly existed as administrative support to College Station. Thus, the core campus was physically untouched and while many students and professors died, what remained was a strong and whole institution that left A&M perhaps the greatest concentration of knowledge in Texas if UT and Texas Tech were also atomized. Bryan radiation kept the Aggie population underground and while there were some losses due to radiation, famine and a general exodus of many students towards their homes in an attempt to save something, many would survive and A&M would have access to their pre-war armory and a talented corps of cadets who were meant to become the leaders of the American armed forces.
In the 2090's, A&M returned to the surface and began a reclamation of Brazos County, and following that in the 22nd century committed to numerous expeditions to either form trade with other independent settlements or reclaim military technology to expand their power. While they've had a share of conflicts, notably a brief aerial war with San Antonio, the Longhorn Campaigns and a battle with the Spartans where the Aggies kept them east of I-45, they've managed to endure.
right, before the Vault we also had help from them to push out the Longhorns. So that's good at least, more favorable reputation an before this helps us.
Oh so the bloated overpaid administration area was nuked? oh no! oh terrible but in all honestly they got off light, with the Core Campus there still intact with all of its learning material still there I can see how they managed to build back up, still were all universities like this in Fallout because of the war or why were they targeted specifically then? Along with the fact this place was already training cadets, so they had a core of officers ready to take charge. Right they did get into a fight with the General when he sent forces over here and Aggieland and Space City sent them packing and then the national guard camp. Not surprising they were in a position to expand when they resurfaced and seemed to have pushed hard in expanding their borders.
Kaiser Chris said:
Socially, Aggieland is....strange. All of the reports and testimonies make the nation seem to be a cult, but from the response of Alumni this is just normal school spirit? It's safe to say that by this point local culture and school spirit have fused to become one with every resident of College Station now being a literal Aggie as part of Aggieland. Traditions that were once formerly reserved for students are now practiced by all ages and citizens, and campus events are community pillars. If one lives in Aggieland then being an Alumni is inevitable as university education has become free and to be a college student is seen as a rite of passage of adulthood, if nothing else than to expand their Corps of Cadets.
Ahh, I was right. the typical school spirit you find in college and highschools but shifted to a faction/nation scale. everyone in Aggieland is bacially still in school with all the school spirit applied to everyday life. Once again in Fallout, people build a identity/culture around whatever is nearby that is intact or something important they latch onto. Oh sh*t, really? Free College education in Aggieland and being a College Student is a rite of passage? okay so more focused on the Military but good science behind them with STEM students still being taught and a pipeline of officers.
Kaiser Chris said:
Domestically, Aggieland exhudes similar strength to Space City as bringers of normalcy and innovation. With a large pool of talented students and an on-campus nuclear reactor, much pre-war research has carried on and pre-war facets of life like energy weaponry, robotics and computers are considered normal everyday things. With a very productive agricultural base and a strong social stability, Aggieland is probably as good as post-war life can get outside of say a Vault society like Rosenberg. You would have had them pinned as a prime candidate for unification, but the ambitions of Aggies were hindered by their lack of industry outside of the university grounds and a lack of plentiful raw materials with a limited supply chain from outside.
However, that situation may change in the near future. It seems that Director Reynolds' omen of this being the start of an age of expansion for Texas is true as recent victories against the Longhorns and the rise of new threats in the "Wild East" (All of Texas east of I-45) has set Aggieland on a course for expansionary campaigns in the Brazos Valley counties, a war which Texas partially inspired with the coalition's victory in Bellville proving that reclamation was possible.
In this endeavor, Aggieland finds Texas as sort of an ideological brother in spirit of sorts, even if we are attempt to unify all of Texas under our banner. As such, Aggieland wishes to not only enter into an alliance and trade partnership with you, but also is interested in pursuing such through the Houston League. Seems like your club just got bigger.
Yah, that's on point. as stated, education center intact with learning material that also trains cadets and an intact armory oh and nuclear reaction because why not? but yah, Aggieland is like Rosenberg but... f*ck the two GECK's from Vault 67. At this point Aggieland will just be a better Rosenberg soon enough. Anyways, close as you can get to Pre-war life and has a good base for it with research and know how for it. Looks like they need a lot of material though and didn't mange to get any industrial base. I think we have the Sealy Factory so far but yah. I think that with the joining of them into the Houston Legue, they might be able to start building up the industry and get that material. I think we'll find out if we do more scouting around their county and if we find any factories Aggieland is going to focus there.
I will say that I guess do to our previous projects with them and helping them out we manged to get this bonus with them wanting to personally ally with us and joining the League. And I guess this is what was meant but us giving a spark and kick to the butt. Vault 28 came out of nowhere and is pushing and carrying this expansion again. now a lot of open land/raider infested territory is being rolled back until borders of the factions meet.
Kaiser Chris said:
It was of little surprise to the State Department that you were able to get Bellville on board with entry into the Houston League considering close personal and political ties that were established lately. You actually performed the "Diplomacy" over a family visit where the Von Newmans travelled to Vault 28 to check up on their princess, with a comical situation where both sets of parents accidentally walked in on the newlyweds making out with signs that things were about to go farther. Well, at least you'll probably get some new grandkids soon.
Fair enough since they're tied to us and would be able to get a lot. Hah, parents walking in on the couple about to go farther. I can just imagine the ribbing and teasing after.
Kaiser Chris said:
Still, after that the family dinner was nice, and Bellville showed heavy interest in opening trade with the states of South Houston as they had never been able to access the market prior thanks to Sealy and other nearby Raider tribes polluting I-10 and blocking access to Fort Bend, thus prior to Texas emerging Bellville even in their heyday was limited to trade with Brenham and Aggieland at best. However, fully joining the Houston League was off the table for the moment as King Michael wanted to wait until after you had established your Treasury and Capitalist economy to make sure that Bellville wouldn't get sucked up in a broken market. Understandable concerns to be fair, and a delayed yes is better than a no. You hope to get Bellville into the League by Christmas, although in doing so Daphne advised that it would be best to perhaps transfer some gold or pure water stock to Bellville's ownership as otherwise they would have no hard reserves for state spending and emergencies.
Oh right, with the limited trade because of the Longhorns right on the border. And that is completely understandable, too much risk at the beginning for a small faction like Bellville. Giving some stock to them will be enough.
Kaiser Chris said:
Somehow as if God was blessing you for the initiative, around the same time in the summer there was a major migration of horse herds towards Austin County, giving you more mustangs to tame and new breeds to choose from.
In addition to a plethora of pure horse breeds, there were a couple of mutated horses which were different from the already divergent Katydale and Dasher. The most bizarre was the Mortmare, a horse that seemed to have suffered ghoulification like humans with rough and patchy skin along with exposed bone sections and a hideous face. They are hypothesized to be from near Fort Hood which was hit the hardest in Texas While irritable and dangerous if aggrieved, they could be docile around humans and seemed to have no trouble eating irradiated plants or traversing radiation zones, with a large herd camping around the Praire View craters. The other most majorly mutant in appearence breed was a "Radhorse". Kind of uninspired name to be sure, but fitting considering it has two heads an an extra pair of legs towards the front. Apparently they are said to have a heavy endurance and according to Wastelanders, are usually found in central Texas where they can easily traverse the hill country like mountain goats.
Oh I guess with the ranches and farms abandoned a lot of horses got out too and with not many humans to interfere made herds once more. The Mortmare are creepy but good mounts if you are going to go into the irradiated areas and they are docile... maybe a project or something to get the ghouls from that town if they want a few of these?
As for the Radhorse, its basically a brahmin and can handle a longer/tougher country. So great for hilly and maybe mountainous terrain and for long distance traveling, might also apply to hauling cargo a long distance. Always a good one to have.
Kaiser Chris said:
Other distinct mutated breeds are humpack horses who have developed a biology similar to camels to survive for long periods of intense heat and food and water scarcity, painter horses who somehow through radiation developed a camoflague ability to blend into their environment to escape long distance predators. And most shockingly of all despite being the most tame, genuine motherf*cking unicorns. While their horns may not have been perfect swirls and their coats a mix of white and dark colors instead of pretty pink and purple, unicorns now roamed the Texan praire and any cowgirl could go and claim one as their riding buddy.
It's kind of strange how horses have survived and thrived in their own ways to adapt to the Wasteland, but it's a nice sight to see such a species which has been a mainstay of Texas history endure in these trying times with their own unique quirks. After the mega herd moved in and with military operations on pause, you dedicated summer and early fall to domesticating horses. It was a great challenge with probably more effort than your ancestors would have, but with Porkchop's innate animal geniuses and the help of the experienced Bellville knights who had their own share of pure and mutant stock, you were able to corral hundreds of horses and set up state ranches in the central county where they could have plenty of food and support, and available to connect to any willing human daring to tame these mustangs. A process that put you to hell and back to be sure, but eventually you mastered the ropes.
so we have camel horses, those will be for dry areas or around the deserts, another good breed for trade and traveling. there are f*cking Camoflague horses? really? that is some horsesh*t and we want them. Unicorns? really? eh whatever let them have it.
If I recall right the Katydale is similar what the warhorses would be like. Those are the horses are big, tall, with muscles and can charge through the enemy, and the Dasher is a speed horse meant for that.
Haha Porkchop coming in with the animal touch once again and help with Bellville knights. Damn hundreds of horses in the state ranches now? It will take some years but I think we're set now them enough horses for the homesteads and to form some Cavalry units, along with some for the logistics and then traveling.
Kaiser Chris said:
The end result through Caroline's passion and the craftsmanship of Bellville's future created a class of aerodynamic, high speed and sturdy bicycles that go up to a top speed of 100 miles per hour and had limited offroad capabilities. Funnily, while plumbing pipes were a preferred stock for post-war firearms, they actually worked beautifully as the base of a bicycle and the chain, hub and spoke could all be made through scavenged steel. Really the only hard part was obtaining rubber, which could be done through repurposing old tires, and if you wanted a real expensive bike, purchasing from Rosenberg who had rubber plants in their vault along with other cash crops like coffee, tea and cocoa.
Oh so the President's sister did that. Nice to see this brought back and had people biking again..... hold up top speed of 100 miles per hour? hat the hell is the in food or water here?! Still glad it was a great bike that can even go offroad somewhat.
.... f*cking Rosenberg. I'm stating to wonder if the experiment there was 'give this vault everything it needs and give them a superiority complex and see how they do in the wasteland' like to just see what happens in a world where they act as big target. and of course they would have Cash Crops like Rubber Trees, Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa being grown there and having the seeds for them.
Kaiser Chris said:
Once the bikes were made, Caroline with little care for profit in the upcoming economy (Though she did make sure to patent) started a Cyclists club and since she was the president's sister-in-law, lots of Texans thought this was some sort of national sport and there were a couple hundred who signed up, also placing them in reservation for a bike. By Halloween, bikes were becoming an increasingly common sight in San Felipe and the kids like to organize races while some of the more adventurous cyclists are doing full trips from Bellville to Wallis. With horses being a labor in time and care and cars being vehicles of the state, it seems that most Texans have a bicycle on their Christmas wishlist so they can go wherever they want faster.
Still glad this started as it helps get people fit from the Biking but another way of getting around that isn't just walking and more common then the cars. Also Horses since I feel like that's for outskirts or homesteads and inbetween settlements, would be hard to take care of horses in the city.
Now we just need to make Dirtbikes or motorcycles now and we'll be set.
Kaiser Chris said:
While some may think it's wasteful, you think polling is a very necessary tool for not only your administration, but future presidencies so a President can be in touch with the issues and know how to best serve their people. A team of pollsters was hired and trained over the summer with your administration due to receive bi-weekly polls in the fall.
Survey results shown next turn and all turns after.
Oh sweet, we'll see the survey and what the citizens think and have to say now. I do think this will influence the projects we do as on the ground, the citizens will want to focus on the areas that affect them and that they can see. Also give us reasons to do certain projects we might otherwise skip.
Kaiser Chris said:
After Stafford and the Heist, the military's direction was focused on Storm Drills to prepare the Republic for hurricane season and other natural disasters, or really in case of an invasion that couldn't be beat as no hostile force could penetrate a vault. Once the planning was done, several town halls were done to instruct people about the drills along with notices being sent to the homes of those didn't attend. Then finally in early August, a couple of Storm Drills were enacted where Texans were to quickly head to a filled and swollen Vault 28 where once everyone was organized and "Rations" distributed, they would then be released to head to their homes.
Overall the Storm Drills went off without a hitch, only a few minor issues popping up thanks to a handful of unruly children here and there, a few Texans with lousy personalities, and trying to get the timing of it all right. Most Texans appreciated the sentiment and the foresight for protection against natural disasters, Wastelanders especially that even if they were still on the surface, they would be welcomed into the Vault for emergencies. Plus, it served as a nice unofficial social gathering that connected a lot of people together.
Outside of the drills, there was literature sent to Texans along with Pip-Boy files of what they needed to do in case of a natural disaster and they couldn't access the Vault or had to be stationary which will most certainly help Texans in rural Austin County and in the reborn settlements along the roads. Thankfully you knew just what to do thanks to reference materials from the Sealy Library. With the Storm Drills being such a major success, War Department has pushed you for invasion drills in case we enter into war.
Storm Drills successful, Texans prepared for emergencies. New Action unlocked.
Well thats good to get out of the way and prepare for. show Wastelanders they are welcomed in the fact for those emergencies and won't be left out to dry when sh*t hits the fan. That's always a relief and shows them we mean what we say. Just thought of this as well but most likely most Wastelanders don't have any drills like this anyways, unless its a big town, you're on your own and just to hunker down till it passes and you just learn to live through it.
Wooo now I'll do the battles tomorrow.
