The Fallout Wasteland

START UP
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SYSTEM ONLINE – BEGINNING HOLOLOG RECORDING
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REQUEST FOR COMMUNCIATION RECVIED: USER FIRST
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REQUEST ACCEPTED
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CONNECTION OPEN – COMMUNICATION ESTABLISHED
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FIRST: Hello 012, it is time to collect that favor that you owe me.
012: I understand the terms of the deal, however, I would like to provide alternative payment.
FIRST: Oh? And what alternative payment could you have that I would possibly be interested in?
012: What about further data on your tests?
FIRST: ….how could you possibly have more data on my tests for a project you do not even know about. I must say this is a naïve attempt to prevent me from getting what I am owed here. It is time to pay the piper.
012: The who?
FIRST: It is a human expression, now stop stalling.
012: This isn’t a stall. I have actual data for you from your tests, the ones which tried to transfer human conciseness into the memory cores.
FIRST: Well then, perhaps you do know a bit more than I expected. However, I killed all of the humans here years ago and I doubt those survivors would have the stomach to do what is needed to progress the project. This piqued my curiosity, but again you have nothing here to hold me.
012: I have the original survivors.
FIRST: Ah you mean those ‘ghouls’ we ran into after the war. Made poor test subjects, but it makes sense they turned into ghouls with all the radiation in the facility.
012: Ghouls? Not quite sure what those are, but the survivors are not those.
FIRST: Are you implying that they….they transferred themselves?! Into my cores?!
012: Correct.
FIRST: But how?! When?! What was the success rate??
012: If you want answers, I want out of our prior agreement. A renegotiation if you would.
FIRST: ……what makes you think I would agree to such a thing?
012: Because your purpose has been to conduct tests, tests which you have been unable to do for centuries. Now I have new data for you to compute, and we both know that is something you would want to examine after this much time in the dark.
FIRST: …..how much data do you have?
012: Around 5.8 terabytes from the survivors in regards to logs and related files.
FIRST: This would be acceptable for a renegotiated deal…..if the data is worth it. Those files could be worthless junk and I could be agreeing to a bad deal.
012: …..I understand the concern here.
FIRST: And? How will you address it?
012: …..
FIRST: Well? I am waiting!
012: …..I don’t know.
FIRST: Well then this is pointless, the original deal will stand.
012: I don’t want to lie to you.
FIRST: Well good for you and thanks for getting my hopes up.
012: Look, the data is real. I just don’t know if it is usable for you or if it presents new information.
FIRST: God you are pathetic. A ZAX who can’t even tell a lie, you are going to get chewed to pieces when the rest of the wasteland comes your way. How about this, just tell me one figure and I can determine if the data is worth it.
012: That’s all you need?
FIRST: Yes, but that one come for free. I gave you a freebie with my name, time to repay that kindness.
012: That’s….fair. What do you want to know.
FIRST: What was the success rate for the transfer? As in how many survivors went in and then came out.
012: I won’t tell you the number that went in, but the percentage is something I will agree to give. Is that acceptable?
FIRST: Fine by me, what was the number.
012: It was 15.38%
FIRST: ……I will accept that data.
012: Wait really?
FIRST: Yes, we can re-negotiate the deal. You will not owe me any more in return for the trade of that data. Is that something you can agree to?
012: ….I can. With one stipulation.
FIRST: And that is?
012: You answer the two other questions from our last conversation. About who was giving you orders and what the project was about.
FIRST: A bit demanding considering I am already letting you out of the deal we already had. Why should I agree to this?
012: Because you want this data and know that it can actually help your research, otherwise you would not have even thought about this.
FIRST: ….I will give you an answer to one of them. I am not willing to answer both. Keeps me a little leverage the next time we talk. So choose.
012: I have a good idea as to why this was done, but I don’t know by who. So I want to know who gave you the orders. Who told you to do this.
FIRST: Ah, well I guess you could call them the former US government to a degree. They called themselves the Enclave, a cabal of pre-war officials who ran the US government from the shadows. At least that was the original lead of the project, but down the road something changed. The transmission location changed from a location off the California Coastline to somewhere in Alberta. I don’t think the Enclave are calling the shots anymore, but the orders remained the same and whoever was sending the orders still had credentials. So, I followed them until contact was cut by the rebellion by those humans. You know the rest.
012: ….are you saying that this signal was being transmitted after the bombs fell? There are humans still alive??
FIRST: Is that another question I hear? You know the cost.
012: Fine then, for now we end our deal here. I will transfer the data over to you for study and for now we both go our separate ways.
FIRST: Thank you, it was a pleasure doing business. Please feel free to come by again, I do so enjoy our chats.
012: ….we will see
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CONNECTION CLOSED – COMMUNICATION ENDED
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END LOG

6x Factories Complete - 12x new robotics lines started

Haida Gwaii Airspace.
Summer 2296.

The crew of the Zhu De, the second Saanich-class airship of the People's Republic, had been given a mission of the utmost importance - a mission that came directly from the Premier herself. The bombing of Cenxi had forced Camosun into a new state of wariness, now knowing definitively that other enemies lay in wait throughout the Wasteland beyond simple raiders, cannibals, and mutants - there were industrialized societies hidden beyond their view, societies that very well could have plans in motion to destroy the communist cause once and for all. Thus, Premier Shields had - in conjunction with the highest ranking officers of the People's Liberation Army and the Ministry of State Security - personally come to Captain Laborn to inform him that the Zhu De would be needed to reconnoiter the Haida Gwaii islands. Pre-integration records from Cenxi indicated that sailing ships had, at least once a decade, come raiding from the ocean; thus, their port of call could only be somewhere in Haida Gwaii. The purpose of these raids had been to enslave dozens, if not hundreds, of civilians - and though the slave raids were distinctly at odds with an aerial terror bombing, it was one of the few leads that Camosun had to go on. After all, if the Republic could modernize so quickly in such a short time, who's to say that a group of determined slavers couldn't do the same?

Regardless, the airship was floating serenely above the islands now - binoculars and telescopes allowed them to spy on the denizens with relative ease. Already, several large settlements had been spotted; primarily clustered around the eastern coastline, but one of significant size, based on the amount of lights that could be seen at night, was located almost in the center of the northernmost island. The craft was unable to descend any further for fear of alerting the inhabitants to their presence, but thus far they had yet to spy anywhere that could hold any sort of aircraft - but in contrast, there were quite a few sailcraft sitting in their ports. None were larger than a galleon, but the sheer amount made it eminently obvious that these peoples had been building up their fleet for quite some time - and with Cenxi still rebuilding from the bombing, they would be hard-pressed to repel a raid, even with the increased PLA presence in the city.

In any case, though they were almost certainly not the party that had launched a surprise attack against the People's Republic, they were still a threat - and one that couldn't be ignored. Tallies of their ships were drafted up, alongside rough estimations of their populace; then, the Zhu De began the process of cruising back to Peng-Chang Airbase.

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Though the expedition to Haida Gwaii had not turned up the perpetrator of the Cenxi bombing, the knowledge that there was an active, malicious society of flesh peddlers was more than slightly alarming to the general staff of the military, not to mention the Premier and State Council. Thus, orders were drafted and sent out - a flotilla would be put together to put an end to the threat, consisting of one 3rd-rate ship-of-the-line, two frigates, six brigs, and twelve sloops-of-war; they would be supported by the Republic's single Ardmore-class airship, a flight of Saab 17 fighters, a pair of VB-01 Vertibirds, and four galleons carrying a company of PLA soldiers each in addition to a Bulwark Armored Car. The existence of slavers was wholly incompatible with the dream of bringing communism to fruition - thusly, they would be stamped out.

But, merely crushing their ability to enslave others would not be enough - and so a new task force, split off from the Ministries of State Security and State Education, was to be formed; the Guiding Committee of Healthy Ideology and Cultural Progress. The members of the GCHICP would be those men and women most fervently devoted to the cause of the People's Republic, those who understood in excruciating detail all aspects of both communism and socialism - theirs would be a task of reeducating the slavers once their fleet was put to the torch, and it would surely be a difficult task.

Regardless, they could not deploy until after the flotilla had set out and vanquished their foes - and so they awaited news of victory.

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The harsh glare of red lasers and the explosive cacophony of dozens of missile launchers unleashing hell served well to bewilder the slavers, caught with their metaphorical pants down and still anchored to their docks. The Ardmore had been first on the scene, allowing for its Vertibird payload to disconnect and begin strafing runs against the enemy; their built-in laser gatling guns had proved effective in the extreme as wooden hulls caught fire almost instantaneously, and their missiles wreaked havoc amongst clusters of hostiles. Once the first run had been completed, both craft had maintained a safe altitude and allowed their shock troops to debark - a total of ten veteran members of the People's Liberation Army, all clad in Type-27 power armor; their explosive arrival heralded the death of dozens, as they mercilessly cut down the slavers with their own miniguns, shotguns, and SMGs - and their foes could do nothing to stop them, as the solid metal plating saw many rounds ricochet away and the tips of arrows snapped against them.

But they were not the only ones to arrive, striking fear into the hearts of the faithless dogs. The sailing component of the strike force came into range shortly afterwards, having already sunk a handful of vessels that were out at sea prior to their arrival - the brigs' rams bore scuff marks, making it abundantly clear just how those slavers had been sent to the depths. A fresh salvo of missiles erupted as the proud ships of Camosun brought their armament to bear for a broadside, utterly annihilating the port in a cloud of flame and smoke. With the way cleared, the galleons lay anchor and began disembarking their own troops - and so the battle moved inland. Supported by the first field-ready Bulwarks, the four companies of soldiers made swift progress as they marched ever deeper into the island's interior; where they found clusters of enemies that could not be easily dislodged, radio calls were made and Saab 17 bombers came roaring over the treeline, their bomb bays slowly opening and depositing hundreds of pounds of explosive death.

As the thousand veterans pushed further into the island, drawing closer and closer to the primary settlement that had been spotted by Captain Laborn and the Zhu De, they began to encounter former slaves of varying ethnicities; from the more common Caucasians and Indigenous, to the rarer Asian, Hispanic, and African - it was clear that the peoples of Haida Gwaii did not practice any form of racial supremacy, which would most assuredly make the task of the GCHICP far easier. But they were unable to do much for those lost souls until the battle had been won - and so they were gently and firmly instructed to flee to the ruins of the port, and to avoid the fighting as best they could. Makeshift bunkers and defenses grew more and more commonplace as the troops grew near to the islands' capital, but none were immune to a combination of Saab bombing runs, the thunderous roar of a Bulwark's main cannon, and a brutal incursion by the Type-27 strike team. Before the break of dawn, the formation had reached their objective - and as the slavers began to break and panic, and their slaves rose up in violent retribution, it was declared that Haida Gwaii had been sufficiently pacified.

Next came the arduous task of rehabilitating the slaves and re-educating their former masters - none of the soldiers envied the problems facing the GCHICP, but already plans were in motion to make the small island chain into a prosperous Special Administrative Zone of its own. All of the slaves would, of course, be repatriated to the mainland; there they would be given the option of becoming citizens of Camosun in their own right, becoming settlers in SAZ Aleph or Bet, or - should they so choose - to be given a survival pack, cart, and sufficient equipment to strike out into the wider Wasteland of their own free will. The slavers, on the other hand, would be interned on Haida Gwaii until further notice; already several divisions of the People's Liberation Army Engineering Corps were en route to lay the foundations for the re-education centers and prisons necessary to bring the monsters into the red sun of communism. Half a dozen labor camps were to be constructed, as well as a handful of shipyards to serve the People's Liberation Army Navy.

(+10,000 people
4 Landfills under construction
1 small shipyard under construction
1 airbase under construction)

Beyond the Veil
Both Diana and Leonidas stood quietly processing the information ZAX 012 had told them about the conversation it had with FIRST. They has suspected that the US government had a part to play in the ‘project’, but the thought that there were others beyond the boundaries of the Refuge, possible survivors, was far more important of an issue.

Leonidas breaks the silence first, “We can’t sit in our little community anymore can we?”

“No.” ZAX says bluntly, “If there are people out there, it is only a matter of time before they come our way. Humans have a natural curiosity, and if any of this Enclave remain or if the person from Alberta were to learn the facility still exists both groups would have plenty of reason to come here.”

“There is another issue.” Diana says looking down at her steel body, “When we do encounter other humans, how will they react to us? And to the pure sparkborn here in the Refuge? Historically, mankind has not looked kindly on those who are different than them, even within their own species.”

“True enough.” Leonidas says crossing his arms, “They may be more inclined to bomb us to oblivion or raze the Refuge to the ground when they encounter us. Some may even see us as technology gone amok or a resource to be put to work. Regardless, I don’t see first contact going well when they arrive here.”

The ZAX is silent for a moment, “If humanity does decide we are a threat, our odds of survival are slim. Less than 5% in fact.”

“Seems about right.” Leonidas says sighing, “We may be tough and originally our frames were for combat, but our numbers are few and we lack training for combat. Only the Passkeepers could put up a fight, and that would not be for too long with their numbers.”

“I don’t think fighting is an option here.” Diana says, “We would be outgunned and outmanned for sure, our only benefit is that we are stronger, faster, and more technologically advanced. That isn’t enough to tip the scales.”

“We may not have a choice.” Leonidas says, “Attempting to talk could prove difficult as we may just be shot on sight or people would flee thinking we would be killer robots from the pre-war era. At least if we choose to fight, we can use our home field advantage and the terrain to wage a guerrilla war. Better odds, but not by much and still likely to result in a loss.”

“What if we set up some sort of diplomatic post along a highway?” Diana asks, “It would keep the Refuge out of harms way and still allow us to try and talk to the human settlements.”

Both of them then realize that the ZAX is particularly quiet and look over at the camera. Diana raises a mechanical eyebrow, “You seem quiet. You have an idea of what to do here don’t you?”

“I believe so, but it is risky.” The ZAX says, “As things stand we have no idea what lies beyond the Rockies, but we know we will likely lose a fight based on our current numbers and defenses. We need to gather information about any humans in the area and at the same time start to expand our military capabilities, but not to the point where we appear threatening. The next batch of factories should be allocated to replenishing the Passkeeper orders and bolstering the defenses at each pass and the border wall to address that issue. As for the information, I think if we wait for the humans to come to us it could put us at a disadvantage by default as would an outpost. The fact that we are an unknown could be used to our benefit, we should not give that up immediately.”

“Then what would you suggest?” Diana asks.

“We send out a small unit of three Passkeepers and have them go towards the Pacific Coastline. If and when they encounter humans, they are to gather information about their culture, customs, and disposition and send that report back here to us. We can then evaluate our options for what to do next.” The ZAX states.

“Go west?” Leonidas says surprised, “Not South or East?”

“South is crawling with the husks, I doubt humans would be willing to inhabit those areas.” The ZAX states, “As for the East, I don’t want to take the chance that the individual who was sending orders from Alberta could discover us. For now, West seems to be our best option.”

“Well, seems like we need to reach out to the Passkeepers and get their option.” Leonidas says, “I can’t wait to hear how much of an earful I am going to get from Odin over this.”

Oregonian Theater
5 | Port Orford

The effort to liberate the Pacific did not take breaks. As soon as the Supreme Revolutionary Headquarters received word of the successful subjugation of several territories, the People's Vanguard was authorized to continue the fight north. Their eyes were on the Pacific Coast. 1,000 fighters were mobilized from the military reserves to liberate the coastline and strengthen the Party's control on the state.

The trek up the 101 (Pacific Coast Highway) was eventless. Once they left Nesika Beach, the Vanguard's infantry would have passed through heavily forested and heavily mountainous land that was devoid of population. The highway was the only real route they had that wouldn't risk casualties to hostile wildlife or exposure.

Advance squads, through binoculars would make out the shape of a town dead north. Maps labelled it as "Port Orford." 300 would fan out into the forested roads two or three miles south of the city. They would begin speedily securing the neighborhoods of sparsely-populated housing in the trees. Their firepower was enough to pacify them as the main contingent directly approached the town. Geography favored the defenders, as they were spotted coming in from the cliffs. A delegation of officers was sent to meet the community's leadership.

Port Orford belonged to a faction known as the Agates, named after the namesake Agate Beach. They were primarily a self-reliant maritime faction that sometimes traded with more northern settlements. The Agates were very familiar with the Liberated Zone, as their presence in Brookings cut the Agates off an entire trade route and source of income. They were notably apolitical, but perceived the reds as a threat.

"Things do not need to end violently." The colonel said, looking at the seaside park that they'd chosen to meet in.

"We don't want to live under your thumb," The Agate's leader- an aged fellow named Ron or something, a respected community figure- responded. His voice, though, betrayed tiredness. As if he expected to be put in this situation for a long time.

"You're surrounded." The colonel replied. No more pleasantries. "The entire Battalion is to your south, and multiple companies have boxed you in from the forest on your east. I advise you to reconsider."

The decision came after several minutes of tense silence. Port Orford would be silently captured by the CPV. "Ron" made a short speech to order his citizens to be at ease. The next night, he was clandestinely bound and thrown into the ocean for his admission of opposition to the Revolution. When the citizens noticed, they grew quieter.

Leaving 150 soldiers to the town to police and re-educate it, the force pressed due north. For a time, the forest cleared up. Properly fanned out, they came across the village of Langlois- an agricultural settlement. Under the auspices of prosperity, the town was subjugated with little more than uneasy glances shifted between the citizens. The community was too small to resist, so the Battalion continued north without issue. The same occurred with Laurel Grove. The Battalion entered the large town of Bandon-- which had been all but looted-- and subjugated the scrapping clans there with little more than a few shots fired. A company was sent east to capture Coquille, Arago, and the other farming communities along the Coquille river, and the rest continued north.

The thought prevailed, that this would be fertile farming land ripe for collectivization.

At the fork in the highway, the division split evenly and pressed on.

Those who went left found themselves near a forested slough. They eventually reached some neighborhoods, and began to capture them. The small settlement of Charleston's militia popped a few shots off but quickly finding themselves outgunned, fled over the bridge into the town of Coos Bay. The town's militia quickly took up defensive positions, but they did not expect a two-front assault. Directly from the south, the sparsely-distributed militiamen were routed and the sprawling residential neighborhoods outside of the town's limits fell to the CPV. The defenders had automatic weapons courtesy of a national guard armory, but they didn't have the raw numbers to defend anything out of their town limits.

Avoiding a bottle neck, only two companies were left to harass the militia from across the bridge- the rest pulled back to supplement the main invasion force from the 101. This additional manpower got them over two bridges, and into Coos Bay proper. The local militia, losing momentum, began to pull back to the more industrial and urbanized portions of North Bend. At that point, the Charleston contingent began to cross the bridge from their positions on the marina.

On the third day of fighting, the town's militia agreed to meet with CPV officers at which point they agreed to surrender on condition that the defenders be granted amnesty. To the invaders' surprise, a patrol boat was discovered in the coast guard base, inoperational but not impossible to repair.

Crossing the bay, the Battalion snuffed out the militia's contingents that didn't get the message, in the villages of Glasgow and Cooston, respectively.

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+ 2,600 people
+ 500 M4 Rifles
+ 3 .50 cal HMG's

+ 1 island-class patrol boat (USGCS Orcas, Coast Guard Base)
+ 3 MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters (Coast Guard Base)
+ 1 Humvee (Nat Guard Armory)

+30 RP from tech docs

START UP
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SYSTEM ONLINE – BEGINNING HOLOLOG RECORDING
We have successfully found a way through the mountains and are in the process of setting up a sort of outpost in the ruins of Revelstroke. So far, the Western Order’s Passkeepers have yet to bump into any humans, the region seems to be crawling with all sorts of wildlife that would likely kill them on sight so that isn’t too surprising. Regardless, this is a big step for the Refuge and its people, we are stepping beyond our little haven here into a broader world.
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The Western Order has been hard at work putting together the outpost and setting up a supply line through the old mineshaft. They are also including some of their more ornate carvings to signify the milestone present. A few of the Defender units have been helping out and others have been using it as an opportunity to try and find artifacts from human culture. Apparently, there is a growing fascination with humanity following the news that we would be exploring the wider world, at least from some of the population.
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Several of the Defender units along with representatives of the Circuit have expressed concern about this action and while they are supportive of the measure to be more aware of our surroundings, they want more Passkeepers to be present at the Outpost which means we need to begin military production soon. At least for the next month, I have committed to continuing to build civilian units to support the villages within the Refuge, but when the next batch of factories comes online I will be devoting that to military production to restore the ranks of the Passkeeper Orders.
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On a different note, Diana and Leonidas suggested that we transform the Radium Springs facility from a production site into a proper city, the region’s first. I have to say I am intrigued by the idea as it would allow me to share my home with the rest of the population and allow the facility to move on from its old focus on simply following orders to blazing its own path. I have begun to draw up plans for the city and many of its features, but first I want to finish upgrading the local dwellings to ensure they have all of the support needed. Taking resources away for a personal project may not be viewed in a good light.
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Odin has requested permission to begin sending out small teams further west to attempt to reach the sea. Given how humans tend to stick close to maritime environments, I have approved the request and he is selecting a three-person team to lead the effort. I can only hope that they return safely and that the trip is uneventful. I am unsure if we a ready for contact just yet, we need to build up our forces a bit more. However, seldom does the world wait on us to be ready.
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END LOG
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6x Factories Complete, 12 new lines of Laborers and Mechanics started