The Fallout Wasteland

Night moves
While the Whitesprings bunker held a vast amount of resources and security for the enclave occupants. Much of the bunker had fallen out of repair or damaged due to the past inhabitants and General disuse. And while MODUS had stayed in operation till the enclave remnants occupied it again. Much of his abilities had become hampered due to the numerous system losses. Now with the need to reistablish the presidency for bolth morale and access to the full authority over what remained over the enclave. While bolth a blessing and a curse the congressional bunker held the ability to fill the presidency for the continuation of government protocol, its access had been lost to MODUS. Meaning technicians had to file through enough data to get everything back on track. To that end Gen.Redwood orders the securing of any major enclave and government acessts in the region to help put together the missing protocol. First up was the local research site, fitted with another robotic inteligence it’s recorded as to have some of the emergency backups for MODUS.

Sitting in a beefing room within Witesprings, squad Dagger could only think of what job they were going to get today.

With Col. Baston entering the room they all silently jumped to attention, waiting till he named the podium in front of the projector” At ease” once the squad had all sat back down he continued to address them “ The General has decided that we have been down in this bunker long enough. With Whitesprings in its last repair stages it’s out job to secure government locations attached tot he needed operation of this base” with the projector lighting up with a map of Appalachia put on the wall the baston tirded with a pointer. “With the lost of MODUS memory banks form whatever action occurred to the previous occupants, command wants a research facility here, under a transmition station known as 1AT-U03. We expect little in terms of resistance but wildlife has probibly dug in like a tic. Considering this your squad wil be sent in first before technicians return to operate the facility. You leave at 2200, the night forecast is overcast so you should have no issue being unnoticed by locals. Dismissed”

Later on in the cover of night, two vertices carry the men to the small station landing

Disembarking from the vertabird, the squad quietly entered the station. Finding the elevator in the back room to be powered down an at the bottom of the shaft. They repelled and climes down into the facility proper. Entering the wide main lobby, the entire facility looked to be powered down. No light besides their own passing through empty hallways. With all the soldiers in the lobby and the technicians following down the shaft the Lt looked back at the men with his orders.“Alright, Redwood and Clark are with me. Fisher, Vic you are to clear the residential quarters. Ramires, McCormac, and Wright clear research. Kiernan and Bailey are to keep watch here. I’ll take operations, we meet here once you cleared your sections and maintain coms.” Turning away twards the operation section, the squad began clearing the rooms with the training of professionals. With the residential empty of about everything and the research wing filled with nothing but the cadavers of subjects. Operations was empty of everything besides a few remains and their tattered uniforms. With that the technicians began powering the facility. Brining the generators and power grid connectors back online the lights began flickering back on through the bunker. Stopping with the rebooting of the stations own intelegence.

With Lt Bassett in the command station and first to step forward he looked to the aware machine. “Hello, I am the Single-operation Direction and Utility System, or SODUS. I must thank you for brining me back online as I have been delayed in the completion of 56,792 tasks thanks to being offline for 1681920.7 hours. May I inquire as to how I may be of assistance to you sir?” Basset began addressing the center consul with the bouncing line “ I am Lt. Bassett of the United States Army, as the last remaining operator of this facility we require all recorded data of the area and operations.”
Turning to the technician at the nearby con soul he jestired to input the new command codes into the facility while resetting the connection back to Whitesprings. “Verry well air, though I must say I believe I will be much lore of assistance in tasks than that know-it-all over ther” “duly noted” Bassett turned away form the machine to take stock of whatever equipment could be scrounged up form this bunker.

Enclave Research Station annexed
1x Sentry Bot, 13x research documents

A new Red Sun will shine

A few days before the Great Opening

*Tap tap tap* the sound of the Minister of Youth and Education's heels was coming down the corridor of the administration. The armed policeman opened the door to what appeared to be a small office. "Liu Zhuxi, here are the annual reports of the population and Red Youth, as asked", the woman said as she handed some documents to Chairman Liu Wei, father of the black ghost Liu Shun.

The man looked at the documents carefully and after a few minutes, said, "Excellent, the party needed new workers. Do you think they will be ready for the Great Opening ?" he said in a cold tone. "They will be ready !" she said so as not to offend the Chairman's expectation.

In the meantime, black ghosts were coming and going with weapons, a little more than half of the planned stock had already been placed. But because they didn't want to be seen, it took more time than they thought. Juanxiu continued her duties at night, although security had been tightened since some of the guards had noticed that slaves were missing.
--
Inside, the Great Opening was being prepared, children without specific professions, aged in this year from 17 to 14 would become fellow workers and go out to build a new world as they were taught. However, some of the government were not happy with the Great Opening and a political opposition led by Fang Zhang, a former black ghost who was dedicated to politics, began to take shape. However, the vast majority of the inhabitants were in favour of the opening, between propaganda, genetic concern and promises that the ghosts and the police would establish order and security.

Outside the bunker, in the small village, a sudden event occurred to the eighteen inhabitants. At dawn, while the sun was still red, they were awakened by more than twenty armed men, the People's armed police, who entered the houses, rifles in hand. Two tables and chairs stood at the end of the village, on the factory side. The inhabitants were brought in and placed in a line, on one side the men, on the other the women. A young woman was taking pictures. A stocky man dressed in an almost military outfit arrived with a small box. He placed the box between the two tables, opened it to reveal a megaphone. He closed the box, while the people wondered what was going on, and stood on it to gain some height. He took a deep breath, preparing to speak in a foreign language. "We mean you no harm... Citizens," he began. The inhabitants were still wondering what was going on. "In front of you there is a table. Each in turn, present your name, surname and age. Once done, you will receive a meal ticket and will be free to go about your business", he finished.

Joseph was the first to pass. The man in front of him looked at him, preparing to take note. "Joseph... 73," Joseph said hesitantly and uncomfortably. "No name ?" asked the Chinese man. Joseph nodded his head to say no. The Chinese man looked at the old man and then at some papers, before looking at Joseph again, "You are the leader of this community, first resident according to our reports... Zhu. You are now Zhu Joseph. Is that okay with you ?". "I have no objection, sir," Joseph said, looking at the ground. "Forget about the "sir", we are all tongzhi here. Your life as a slave is behind you. You are free and we are all brothers and sisters of the Revolution" said the Chinese man before passing a ticket and writing the name on the list. Joseph didn't really understand the end, except for the reassuring effect that here he would not be mistreated.

A few men passed before Daniel and stayed nearby after taking their ticket to observe the scene. "Next," said one of the armed Chinese. Daniel stepped forward, "Daniel Owen, 21". The Chinese man took note without saying anything and handed over a ticket. Daniel took it and joined his sister.

For the women the process was quicker with only four members. Catherine Owen was waiting for her brother.

After everyone passed, the man on the box spoke into the megaphone again, "Well now that everyone is registered, here is some new information. First, we will provide you with food in exchange for the tickets. You will receive three tickets a day, for free. Secondly, a doctor will be deployed here. The medical care will be free but in exchange you will have to respect our rules. Finally, we are looking for workers and scavengers, if you work for us you will be paid". The people murmured as the stocky Chinese man put his megaphone back in the box and left alone. The armed men stayed in the village.

When they had gone, a man came out. He held his arm up to block the strong light of the rising sun. The man, about forty years old, approached the people who were confused by what had just happened. "Wuan Chengshi, Doctor, at your service," he said calmly. "Could you help me settle in?" he asked in a gentle tone. No one reacted for a few dozen seconds before Joseph spoke in a friendly tone as he always did with the other inhabitants, "Of course, everyone is welcome here." Wuan, after thanking the old man, chose a spot and Joseph convinced a few others to help them to build a makeshift house. Wuan was also helping.

But while they were in the middle of building the house, a music was heard, a trumpet from the factory side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyV1eC7l-rc&ab_channel=XaviTrumpet

Many people came out of the bunker and therefore out of the factory, mostly teenagers in blue uniform, all with red elements, like a red scarf. The inhabitants became frightened, then suddenly the doctor smiled, "We can stop, these young people will build our houses", he told the others. Daniel and others understood at that moment, especially from the look of the outfits. Communists, they were communists. The communist youth took to the land surrounding the factory. Women gave them instructions in Mandarin and plans. Their goal was to destroy some ruins and build small Siheyuans and a communal kitchen. The teenagers set to work. They looked at the place under the eyes of the inhabitants. Daniel was stunned. He had heard stories about the communists before and had always been told that the Chinese had started dropping the bombs, that they were cold-blooded killers, the enemies of America and all Americans. Suddenly, his sister, who could see how the teenagers were giving their all, approached one of them. The guards looked at her without doing anything more. Catherine rolled up her sleeves and spoke to one of the teenagers who didn't seem to understand, but another young boy next to her spoke in English with a strong accent. "He hasn't learned yet", he said. Catherine asked what she could do to help them. The boy replied and she tried to help them. The boy even passed her his red scarf so that she could tie her hair.

Seeing this scene, Daniel calmed down a bit. He saw in his sister and these young people working together, hand in hand. Maybe they weren't as bad as he was told, or maybe all of this was a trap ?. Joseph approached him, "Shouldn't we help them? Daniel hesitated, took a deep breath, and turned to Joseph, "Yes, we should". He was willing to give them a chance, for now.
Ling who was still there took pictures of the few Americans helping and eating with her people, during a break. It was a moment where some of both sides spoke and learned a bit about each other. It would take time, for sure, but like the buildings, trust won't be built in one day.

"A new red sun will shine tomorrow," thought proudly Ling, at the end of the day.

For Chairman Liu, after hearing the reports, the first day of the Great Opening was a success.

---
Metadata
Nothing major, two pops working respectively in builder and building materials.
The 18 inhabitants are officially under Chinese control.

Patch 'Em Up
"Hold still, Nikolai!" Pavlov said as he climbed the rigging. Their sails have been tattered to the point of replacement for some time now, but the necessary fabric wasn't available. Now that supplies are present, they've got to make the best of it before another shortage. Nikolai is down on the deck holding the ropes still so he could traverse. Pavlov makes it to the top bar, and pulls out a knife. He begins slicing the connections, making the sail drape cut after cut. Eventually he makes it to the final node, and the entire thing falls to the floor. Its clearly seen better days, not only are there massive gaps in the cloth, but about a third is missing.

Footsteps ring out from the cabin. Their captain Leonid is coming out. Nikolai rises at attention, keeping his left hand firmly griped to the rope. "I got a deal with the workshop. A new sail will be delivered tomorrow" the captain said. He nods in agreement. Their ship, the Modernity, in a bit of an ironic situation, has been undergoing renovations for the past few days. Something big is coming, the Council said, and the Fleet needs to be in top notch. They've been making additional allocations of funds and supplies to repair the half-broken vessels, and they've been strengthening discipline against unprofessional action recently. "Is this for a fleet review?" he asked. "Yes. The ice is getting thicker, so we have a reason to stay in port instead of being out there... making the money".

"Well, one thing I hope is paid sick days. If I get the flu or sh!t myself too much because of the 'food' we eat, at least don't make my wife and child suffer as well." He replied, part sarcastically. He doesn't really expect much, because if the Council actually cared about them they would've did something long ago. "I can't guarantee anything, but I'll put it in our recommendation letter that's gonna be sent soon." Leonid replied with a small grin.

"NIKOLAI YOU BASTARD! Get down here and help me clean the sh!t in the cargo hold!" Fyodor yelled out from below. Nikolai, perplexed for a split second, regains his thoughts and excuses himself. "It seems our catch of pigs and chickens last week had caused a bit of a mess." Leonid said jokingly as Nikolai waves at him. "I should go back to my duties now. See you again, captain". And before the sentence even ended he was gone.

"See you again, comrade Nikolai."

Concord, Boston
Nora walked through the bustling concord street, coming down from Sanctuary. It was the first town market, the street was bustling with people buying and selling, playing games and for the first time in a while enjoying themselves. As she looked up, she noticed the two minutemen in the church, keeping watch, she noticed the 4 minutemen patrolling the street, nodding and ensuring everyone was okay. She looked on as she saw the museum had it’s two guards posted outside, with people going in and out with supplies and other major goods that were being stored by the minutemen. In the week after they had taken the concord area, securing routes through and the ability to ensure safety, prosperity had bloomed. The local settlements had seen an increase in caps being brought in, goods being traded and the health and wellbeing of their residents. She turned to Preston, who had been walking beside her, “You know, if this is what we can achieve in a week, imagine what we can achieve with the entirety of the commonwealth.”

Nora had instituted many different laws and regulations to help the minutemen- by declaring that for a period of time, the minutemen would operate as the peacekeepers, answerable to herself and Preston alone, she was able to ensure that crime rates stayed low as she passed laws, covering all areas of crime and punishment, tax rates established on bringing in money to help pay for improvements to lives in the area- such as roads, schools and even a small hospital was planning on opening, paid for by the taxes collected by the minutemen, available to everyone. The taxes collected by the minutemen were done by simply having the businesses collect how much money they made in a week, and 5% would be collected by the government. The settlements ran as independently as they could, with the Minutemen taxes being used to purchase supplies, equipment and other necessities required by a blooming nation to thrive and survive. The taxes paid by everyone in the society, benefited everyone in the system. Workers earned a wage, with their goods produced being available to the minutemen, farms produced food that other settlements would need, while they collected the scrap that went into other settlements that built weapons and other such things. All of these things led to an exchange of goods that allowed a mutual wealth to emerge. This collectivised system, while communism in all but name seemed brutal and uncalled for- the ability to give to people that needed it and spread the benefits of the entire system were good. This stumped Nora, who had wanted to introduce a thriving working democracy. However, the benefits of her having power and providing the goods required for survival through the power of the minutemen was far greater. Her idea of democracy had shifted, leading her to believe that instead a council would be formed of Settlements, each nominating one person, who would point out where they needed support in their local areas, such as if they had a shortage of food, workers or protection. These would be sorted out by Nora and Preston, which allowed the system to work far better as they power to shift the resources all over the place to better protect the commonwealth. This ability to create a government, ruled through primarily the military, but with a democratic touch pleased Nora. It allowed her to have control, but not let it go to her head- she even insisted that the settlements have the power to remove her as the General, through a vote not only by the council heads, but every settlement that was deemed under the protection of the minutemen. She liked this idea of government, and while support was high for her, she moved quickly to spread the word on this idea, in all the settlements and if they wanted to hold their first elections, they were welcome to- including the newly formed settlement of Concord- where, the recently rebuilt freedom of museum had been reformed into a town hall, perfect to run these new council meetings from. The future looked bright for once.

The council is formed
Nora stood in front of the collected members from the settlements, she looked them all, one at a time. “Please take a seat, thank you for coming. While I am eager to hear of any lingering concerns, I want you to first understand how this will work- you have been appointed the heads of your settlements, that means you report in to me at these meetings, which will be held every week, with at least a days warning. Due to my shifting schedule, I cannot yet hold down a firm date for this every week. Now, I wanted to let you know I intend to move on Lexington- the Corvega factory is of too valuable assistance to be left in the hands in raiders when we can repair it and use it in our production of weapons. Now, I am happy to hear of your concerns surrounding anything else, please fire away.”

As the meeting progressed, the general theme was the idea of the recent founding of a raider nation to the north, under the name ‘Rust Devils’ which Nora vowed to in fact tend to herself, by going as an envoy to understand more about the faction, while Preston would lead the attack on Lexington.

Future weapons today!

With the recent losses of manpower and equipment to the brotherhood in the capital wasteland. The need for a higher quality of weapons were wanted by the officer core from the research division. While plasma weaponry were effective, the early models of power armor utilized by the Paladins of the East Coast chapter were still resistant enough to cause some issues during the firefights between enclave forces . The fact much of the produced pasma weapons were made from earlier experimental models have left some issues that have never been resolved. Service length , maintenance issues, and ergonomics were just a few constantly brough up by frontline soldiers since it’s issuing to the army. With new order given out for the R&D branch the scientists began working on some more advanced energy weapons from the existing models.

Energy 10 under research

Rebellion at the Mall

Juanxiu was anxious, the atmosphere in the hideout where she was was tense. Along with other ghosts, she had to return north and prepare for a large infiltration into the Mall, "to cut off the turtle's head." Their mission was to storm the Mall and its inner communication system, so as to cut off enemy communications and establish their own communication. In the meantime, they were waiting for the signal.

After a few days of waiting, a black dragon came back shouting "It's started ! It's started !" Under the aegis of their elected captain, they set out on their way. As they approached the wall of debris, they could hear the sound of gunshots and screams. It seemed, to them, to be carnage auditorily speaking.

They began by squatting down in order to activate the mechanism of their stealth suit and went through a camouflaged hole that some had been digging for some time already. Inside, the group of ghosts split in two, one of the groups had to make a diversion while the other tried to enter. Juanxiu was one of those who had to enter. Her group approached the door but not too close because of the many guards guarding the building. Suddenly after a few tens of minutes after the departure of the other group, an explosion was heard near the inner wall that separated slaves and citizens. In one fell swoop many guards left to help defend. Easier to access, Juanxiu's group began to advance and enter after killing the few remaining guards in a coordinated manner. Juanxiu did not kill any. She and her group entered the building, almost empty at first glance, but as they entered, they saw a few families gathering, crying, or preparing for the worst. Juanxiu thought, "They may be slavers but they seem so... humans", knowing that they will be punished severely.

Her group climbed the steps of the mall where they left their stealth to storm the few guards. Juanxiu also charged and entered the announcement office where a man was communicating to the slaves to surrender. Worried the man stopped when he saw the door open and looked for his gun before pointing at it. Juanxiu saw the man wanting to point the gun at her and with her blade disarmed him. The man became frightened and suddenly hid under his desk, crying and screaming, "Pity, I surrender, don't hurt me, pity". Other black ghosts entered in turn, putting the man on the ground and threatening him with their blade to block him. The captain of the ghost group began to touch the microphone. "Attention, attention, I repeat attention, attention, to the enemies of the revolution and the people, surrender now ! Lower your weapons, I repeat, lower your weapons. To the comrades who have freed themselves from the shackles of tyranny, your bravery is great. We are your allies, I repeat, we are your allies. Continue to press the attack", said the man in a neutral, emotionless tone.

Juanxiu looked at the scene. "Are we doing the right thing in the right way ?" she thought, looking at the man who had wanted to shoot her a few minutes before. Suddenly a few gunshots were heard in the Mall. Some civilians and guards were trying to attack the Chinese. And if the Chinese had any casualties, they massacred the shooters.

Sometime after peace seemed to have returned. In the courtyard of the Mall, the last defenders and families were reunited, disarmed. Juanxiu, on guard, looked at them. "What are we going to do with them ?" she asked to herself. The slave leaders were talking to an official of the bunker, who had brought reinforcements from the Armed Police. After some discussion and agreement, a good part of the former slaves would leave to reform communities, while part of the slave coalition would join the northern colony.

While everything was going quite well, a strange noise was heard above the camp. A plane, a biplane, flew over the Mall, where smoke and corpses were visible, and left as fast as it had come, towards the north.

Eventually, some prisoners were executed on the spot, officers, and civilians who seemed to be of importance mainly. Juanxiu preferred to see if people needed har help rather than to look at the executions. They slaughter enough people to break up families and facilitate future displacement. The rest was moved at the same time as the new settlers, who joined the Chinese.

--

In the Chinese community, life was coming lively. First, with the siheyuans, then two weeks later, Chinese people went out and began their lives with the Americans, establishing new public buildings. For some it was difficult because the Chinese were very close socially, sometimes seemed lost in this exterior where they only knew it by what was written in old reports and documents, and the very small houses destabilized the Americans. In a single siheyuan, up to eight families could reside. Daniel and his sister resided together. He worked as a prospector, his sister kept the house.

They saw more and more activity coming from the factory. Until one day, it was the armed police who came out in mass. Catherine thought it was because of the sounds of distant shots. But when they returned with so many people and prisoners, she and Daniel were worried. They didn't know what had happened. But they could see women and children crying between policemen.

"What's going on ?", Daniel asked a guard. The guard replied, "Do you see the people in the back? They were slaves, those in the front, slavers." "Has the Mall fallen ?", thought Daniel, not knowing if it was a good or bad thing coming from the communists. Some Chinese watched also the parade without showing their joy. The arrival of new people and enemies in the village was not really what they expected.

Joseph was invited by guards to welcome the new inhabitants. Joseph, since the new facilities, had a pretty easy life, he worked in a committee where he represented the Americans. He was also lucky, the young, elected members of the settlement wanted to work with him, and did not force him to learn Mandarin, as he was aged, and they wanted to learn. Joseph in return did the best he could to help. He was relatively tranquil because the Chinese took care of almost everything.

Juanxiu and the other ghosts returned home after months of operation. She resumed her little habits. She spent more time with her grandfather and family, and occasionally Ling, profiting from each moment, until her next assignment.

Meanwhile, the prisoners were brought to the east, in old ruins. They should work for the community for free, under the supervision of guards, in order to be "reeducated". The Chinese were going to establish the first reeducation camp.

During all this time, MacArthur City had initiated its first official flight and discovered the Mall massacre on the way. MacArthur, listening to the reports, believed that the ungrateful workers had turned against their employers and risked becoming communists if left alone. He had to prepare. So, he established a state of emergency. Unknowingly, a war was unleashed.

----
Metadata
-3 Chinese and many slaves died.
+485 (82 prisoners) people joined, by will or by force.

The Second Schism. Original Sin

Yew

The leaves crunched under hoof as the group walked through the woods. Unlike other the Outlands, the trees here were not gnarled and tainted by radiation, but tall pine trees that reached into the sky.
“You should see this place in the spring,” Dawn remarked as Silverhawk and Isaac looked up at the trees.
“I did,” Isaac responded. “My dad and I stayed here back when we first fled the Scorch. I had something of a bond with his daughter.”
“OHhhhhhh..” Sliverhawk leaned over towards Isaac. “Did you now?” Isaac scowled and shoved Silverhawk back, nearly off his horse.
“We were friends, nothing more.” A shadow passed overhead, so fast they would have missed it if it wasn’t for the sheer force of the wind that shook the trees and nearly knocked them off their horses. Dawn looked up.
“They know we’re here.”
“How would they…” Silverhawk stopped as he and the others looked up, mouth agape at the sight before them. A massive bird, dark brown with razor sharp talons the size of swords and clad in armor, a golden sigil emblazoned on it’s chestplate of a cross whose sides turned into horns.
“Halt,” a voice said as the bird lowered onto the path, bowing it’s head forward to reveal a knight in black armor with a green cloak holding a set of reins. “You have entered the diocese of Yew. Identify yourselves.”
“I am Lady Dawn, Archbishop of Western Oregon. I am here to speak with the Bishop Rose.” The knight paused, then nodded.
“Very well. Continue on, she will be waiting for your arrival once you arrive.” The knight snapped the reins and with a flap of it’s massive wings, the bird took to the skies again.
“That….” Silverhawk gaped, “was impressive. Can’t believe I forgot about those things.” The group rode onward towards the settlement, finally exiting the dense forest and seeing it. Trees towered over decrepit and ancient buildings, and at the center of it all stood a great tree across a river. Above it all were dozens of the massive birds, some sitting in the branches of the tree, others flying around in groups. The group rode onward towards the tree itself, and the cluster of ancient buildings around it. As they rode, they passed trees and houses, actual houses built after the war from scavenged concrete and wood. They crossed the river, passing a pair of knights on either side. They reached a wall around the tree, a pair of wooden doors opened to let them enter. They dismounted, and carried on into the compound that surrounded the tree, ancient brick buildings and massive birds seeming to be guests in the area rather then the central focus. A knight came forward, bowing his head and directing them to follow him. They walked, passing flower beds and trees that had yet to bloom, people tending to them until they came upon a woman with short red hair in a green cape emblazoned with the same cross and horns pattern they had seen on the bird’s armor.
“Bishop Rose,” Dawn began, “I…”
“The knight you met on the trail informed me of your arrival.” Rose said, her voice cold and distant. She turned around, revealing smooth features and green eyes.
“Rose,” Isaac said, his voice trembling, “it….it’s good to see you again.” Rose looked over to Isaac, giving off a small smile as she did.
“Isaac. It’s been a while.” Silverhawk nodded his head and rubbed his chin in thought, drawing Rose’s attention.
“And who might you be?” Silverhawk stood at attention.
“Silverhawk. My name is Silverhawk. I’m from the White City.” Rose raised an eyebrow.
“I remember you now. Your name used to be Micheal,”
“Yeah…long story. Short version is their under a lot of pressure and about to fall.”
“And Cain is dead,” Dawn added. “His son has taken over and is determined to wipe us out.” Rose looked out at the flower beds.
“Isaac,” she said, “walk with me.” The group looked at Isaac, an expression of shock on his face.
“O….ok.” Isaac shrugged and followed her, quickly catching up before the two carried on at a steady pace.
“You remember my father?” Isaac nodded. “He taught me to be restrained, to never let anyone know how you feel. You know what my petitioners call me? The Thorn Knight. At least my father’s training paid off.” She sighed, letting her emotionless mask slip. “More then that he explained to me why he wanted me to continue Yew’s policy of neutrality. I’m sorry Isaac, but I doubt Dawn and Silverhawk will be able to shake me from that.”
“So….” Isaac was slightly confused, “why did your father want you to maintain Yew’s neutrality, even at the risk of falling to Cain?” Rose sighed
“Because of the great tree,” she raised her hand towards it, it’s bare branches blotting out the sun in places. “The tree is the heart of Yew, and a symbol of life. During the war Cain marched on the city, determined to burn the tree.”
“I remember.”
“Then you’ll remember after the Schism ended, my father dedicated himself to protecting life, taking in refugees from the south. He swore off violence of any kind and made me do the same.”
“Why me?” Rose turned.
“What?”
“Why did you ask me to come with you?”
“Because you know what it’s like to want to fulfill your father’s wishes but also feel trapped by it.” Rose sighed. “My father did not want Yew to become the heart of a new conflict. I have an obligation to honor that wish, but I cannot stand by and risk the South undoing all his work. I don’t know what to do.” She lowered her head, and Isaac stepped in front of her, taking her hands in his.
“I struggled with my father’s legacy for a long time. I wanted to honor his wishes, and still do, but I also know now that I can’t let that dictate my life. I have to live on my own terms instead of his. How’s that for what to do?” Dawn looked into Isaac’s eyes.
“That…. That helped more then you could ever know Isaac. Thank you.” She leaned in, embracing Isaac in a surprise hug. After a moment of indecision, he returned it. After a minute, they parted and walked back to the rest of the group.
“Well,” Dawn asked, “have you made your decision?”
“Yes. Archbishop Dawn, Yew shall stand by your side.” Dawn sighed with relief and shook Rose’s hand.
‘Thank you. I promise you will not regret this decision. You should know there is to be a war council in Salem in two days. I hope you’ll be there.”
“I look forward to it.” Dawn turned to leave, Sarah following her and Isaac moving to catch up, but Rose caught his arm.
“Before you go, I want you to have this.” She put a small rectangular object in his hand.
“It’s a flip lighter. I know it’s not much but I thought it would remind you of home.” Isaac held the lighter for a moment before putting it into a pouch.
“Thank you Rose. This…means a lot.” She turned away, and Isaac did the same after a moment, moving to catch up with the rest of the group.
“Sooooo,” Silverhawk said, “how did it go?”
“Shut up,” Isaac glared. Silverhawk raised his hands.
“Yeesh. Alright, keep your secrets.” As the walked out of the city, Isaac couldn’t help but look back, turning the lighter over in his hands.

Eugene annexed
3,000 people gained
500 Thunderbirds (giant birds that can be ridden) gained
1,000 suits of metal armor gained
1,000 1903 Springfield snipers gained

Ghost Ship, pt. 3
Goodneighbor. If there was a more wretched hive of scum and villainy anywhere on the earth, Night Glider did not know of it. Diamond City's slum, where all the riff-raff unfortunate enough not to afford a place inside the stadium and/or the ghouls were condemned to live. The place where farmers went to become mobsters, because many a farmer looking for a way out of the back-breaking labor of scratching a living out of the fields ultimately ended up in Scollay Square, on the streets, or in the warehouses as part of a crew.

That being said, if you wanted something that couldn't be easily found... you went to Goodneighbor. Quasi-criminal activity and lowbrow scavenging meant that Goodneighbor was a hub for rare parts and esoteric artifacts. If they didn't have it, well, chances were that they knew where to get it.

So it was, that Night Glider found herself descending into the bowels of the Rexford Hotel, to find the one man who knew where absolutely everything in the Commonwealth was - Cogline. Quite possibly the oldest man in the Commonwealth, Cogline was the savant of parts and buried treasures. Over the decades of his life, he'd amassed a huge collection of technical manuals, shipping manifests, parts lists, things that most other people would consider junk. They lined the walls of his den, stacked alphabetically, arranged in a manner only he understood. Not that he went digging through them often - he'd committed most of them to memory. The only time he'd mess with his piles was to cross out or throw away entire books - buildings long crumbled too far for the parts to be salvageable, or perhaps the part in question had come through his shop.

Cogline looked up as Night Glider approached, sharp nose complementing large bifocals for a perpetually ornery look. "You're supposed to be dead," he remarked, before the former Templar had even begun to unwind the scarf she used to conceal herself.

"So should you," Night Glider retorted. "Aren't you like, a hundred and ten by now?"

"One hundred and three, thank you very much," the old man replied, scowling. "You don't ever come by for chit-chat. Whaddya want?"

Night Glider took a rolled-up piece of paper from beneath her overcoat and unrolled it on the table. Cogline almost immediately raised his eyebrows. "Now... now that's a rare piece..." he muttered. "Russian make, obsolete in the forties, continued production in China under license, never did get around to improving on it." He glanced up at her. "That's a might specific part to come looking for," he said. "You ain't working for the Rust Devils, is ya?"

"Heavens no," Night Glider responded indignantly. "They're the reason I'm coming to you. I know they have these at Saugus - but they've got that place locked up tighter than the grave."

"Hmm... well I suppose it's none of my business," Cogline remarked after a moment of musing. "There's only one other place you might find one - in a container on the wreck of the Northern Star. Spare parts for Saugus. Was supposed to be on that ship, delivered day after the bombs. Obviously, didn't happen, but... with the condition the ship's in, no guarantee that the part is there."

"Where on the ship would it be?" Night Glider queried.

"Don't know," Cogline replied, causing Night Glider to raise her eyebrows in some shock. "Look, the ship is guarded - ghouls, former crew, don't like visitors, never could get my hands on the ship's manifest. In fact, tell you what - betcha you don't have the caps for this information. Bring me back the ship's manifest - I'll consider your debt squared."

"You got a deal," Night Glider responded. "I'll be back in a jiffy. Don't die on me now."

Cogline snorted. "As if the gods would let me," he retorted. His expression suddenly changed, and he fixed his eyes on her. "Hey, uh, look... I heard about the massacre. Ain't worth much, maybe, but, uh, I'm sorry for your loss."

Night Glider's expression softened. "Thanks, Cogline. That means more to me than you know."

Neighbours

*knock knock*, Catherine opened the door. "Good morning", her neighbour said briskly, "my husband has had a bit too much food, and I was wondering if you wanted to eat with us". She knew that Daniel was not often at home, and it was a good opportunity to get to know each other. Unlike Daniel, Catherine seemed more open. "Sure", Catherine said half awake.

A few dozen minutes later, Catherine arrived at her neighbours' table. Their door was open as usual. The food was laid out on a small table where everyone could help themselves, in oriental style. Catherine looked at the small family who were finishing preparing tea. "Hello tongzhi Owen", said her neighbour's husband, "Sit wherever you like". Catherine wasn't sure where to sit and finally sat down at the table at random. "Do you drink tea ?" asked the female neighbour. "Tea ?" replied Catherine who had only drunk water or nuka cola so far. "Yes, here, have a taste", said the neighbour as she served and handed over a cup. Catherine tasted and then grimaced a little, "bitter". The couple laughed, "Some people add something sweet to reduce the bitterness", said the smiling female neighbour, "Unfortunately, I don't have anything on hand to do that", she finished a little disappointed.

Once everyone was at the table, they started to eat. This was very different from Catherine's usual routine, where it was more individual. Here people shared, the dishes were in the centre, accessible, so that everyone could help themselves throughout the meal. They talked for a long time about everything and anything, like about their youth and language, before the husband left, and then they continued to get along well... until distant gunfire and explosions were heard. They parted, both worried, especially as a contingent of policemen arrived in the village some times later. Catherine hoped that her brother came home.

--

Daniel spent most of his days and sometimes nights outside the village, which was still growing. Currently, he was traveling alone to the northwest, and was prospecting.
Juanxiu was facing a big problem for her, that of marriage meetings. It was customary for parents to be involved in their child's love life. If not, the party would be involved, because of its family planning policies, and it was the last thing that people wanted.

On its side, MacArthur City launched a massive assault on the Mall to restore order, and also launched raids to weaken the surrounding "red" settlements. They were using an aircraft in combat for the first time.
The Chinese sent in ghost scouts after the report of a heavy conflict, more intensive than the Mall fight that was previously heard in the village. They prepared the armed police and mobilised some builders to establish temporary defences, not knowing yet what was happening but preparing for the worst while waiting for the report of the scouts.

Construction Update

The Regenesis Discipleship- as the new religious group had come to name themselves- had set about recreating society in their own image. The Holy Master, the ascended guru- lovingly sits atop his throne, showing his people the ways of meditation, yoga, prayer, and asceticism. The practitioners feel his presence constantly, and are reminded of the doctrine he teaches. In order to establish the longevity of the group for a new world- the people have consulted the Holy Master, and he has resolutely decided that certain infrastructure must be built up to ensure the proper framework for society has begun.

And so, the people are mobilized.

Six more irrigated farms are to be constructed in Green Bay.

A railroad is to be constructed in Green Bay so the transportation network of the order is reinforced. Of course, a new problem lies in obtaining a locomotive and a source of fuel- but that can always be worried about later. What matters is that the members prepare for the future now.

This leaves 2,000 more soldiers for military availability, to be freed up by a considerable margin once the railroad is completed. It is hypothesized that this massive upturn in construction is done in order to prepare for a new wave of converts into the church.