That's pretty much why my plans started dedicating Dice to it so early.
Fallout: Lone Star (Texas Wasteland, Republic of Texas Quest)
- Thread starter Kaiser Chris
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
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- Tags
- fallout series
- Location
- Nice try
I hope in the next turn we can focus in rebuilding the settlements instead of keeping waging war left and right.
I mean the people of San Felipe, Brazos and Sealy still living in houses that are in the last legs with no reliable electricity.
I mean the people of San Felipe, Brazos and Sealy still living in houses that are in the last legs with no reliable electricity.
I agree, earlier I suggested we use most of our free Dice on construction next turn.
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
We got 4 martial dice, more than any other category, and the Wasteland ain't a peaceful place.
Noroboro
Consistency is key and I’m consistently tired :)
- Location
- Canada
I think it'd be best if we just focus on getting electricity up and getting domestic production up. We can focus on scouting with all our martial dice but work on making connections and tie to the nearby powers. We know there's a massive chuck of Hoston under raider control, albeit divided between three big groups. However, we don't know what's south and west of us and I'm hoping that Eagle Lake is a safe area, with clean water.
- Location
- Nice try
It's about message, if we keep using our martial might instead of developing our territory, people will only see us just another raider gang that has delusions of grandeur and see no benefit of joining up a republic that's more concern in dominating than ruling.
Restoring houses would allow immigration be more attractive since all that flow is going to another factions.
I imagine all of us are, it's just that our intel Dice have been occupied with scouting for threats around us.
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
Yup.
We also have development and research dice. I'm just pointing out that we've got a lot of martial strength and there's good reason to throw it around. No one's going to miss the raiders we've been killing or fault us for blowing 'em to hell.
Noroboro
Consistency is key and I’m consistently tired :)
- Location
- Canada
Well once we're done with those scouting actions, I'd love to see us cracking the proverbial vault
Turn 4 Results March-July 2121
Turn 4 March-July 2121
[X] San Felipe Deconstruction(90/100): Rolled: 89+1
Within San Felipe there are currently twenty homes which unfortunately have become too damaged over time to restore to any proper condition. As such, they are prime loot for their resources to strengthen the Republic. Work is done at a pretty productive pace with plenty of metal and wood for new buildings or restoring old ones as well as a variety of neat pre-war items for personal use. Productive and honest work.
Autocompletes next turn.
[X] Wallis Ranches (91/100) Rolled: 75+1, 3+1
You frowned as you saw on your Pipboy a collection of pictures, primarily of dead pure cows laying on the ground and rotting in a very sickly fashion that made it look like the Black plague had come to Wallis. These were delivered by Porkchop who was in your office delivering a personal report on some of the more grim recent developments in his experiments.
"Please for the love of the Lord tell me that this isn't going to mutate and wipe out the Republic." You say in exhaustion. This was not the type of news you wanted to receive when things were going so well in foreign affairs.
"So far at least, we have no indication that humans can contract this virus." Porkchop said positively, not making you any more comfortable, "It a specific immunity virus that relies on the cow's genetic structure and is fluid transmitted. So we should be fine, but just to be sure I'm quarentining the ranch and would like your approval for a temporary ban on surface beef until I can be clear we've eradicated it."
"Sure, go ahead." You say, better safe than sorry even if unfortunately you were going to have to revert to vat beef for Mexican and burger nights. "So far I'm mainly seeing these cases for the pure cows. What about the Brahdos and other mutants?" So far the Brahdos was the only specific mutant subspecies for cattle that the Republic discovered although the other cattle breeds in Texas could be seen with mutant traits that usually aided it in adapting to post-nuclear Texas.
"Only one young Brahdos was infected, but the rest seem to be holding on firm, guess genetic differences make the DNA too altered for the immunovirus to really take effect. So that's some good. I was planning on restocking our pure cattle by purchasing some from Sugar Land and Rosenberg, but they're gonna make us spend heavily just for a single cow." Porkchop informs.
You sigh heavily, "We're getting some payout from the deconstruction jobs and Brenham promises us some share of the Longhorn loot so we can afford, just don't go too crazy trying to build a mega ranch."
So overall, the Wallis Ranches were a mixed bag with the completion halted by a cattle epidemic that forced the Interior Department to take it slow. Another source of frustration was that there were few domestic pigs that could be found nearby, thus for now you had to buy pigs from Sugar Land and Rosenberg in order to get started on a pork farm. Porkchop took it as a challenge though and set about capturing some wild hogs, of which there were plenty mutant and pure, and experimenting in domestication to see if he can get some superior domestic breeds, especially with the super pigs as they were called, mutant hogs that could weigh up to half a ton and yet were very agile foragers.
At the very least, chickens were the one area of success as Vault 28 had a chicken coop where chickens were used for their eggs in a tight industrial matter and then slaughtered for meat. Porkchop had fertilized about a hundred eggs and was raising them as free range chickens, believing that the natural lifestyle and open spaces will lead to a higher quality of meat.
Autopass next turn. Resource Requirement raised to 50 Resources
[X] Scout Colorado County (59/100): Rolled: 8+5(Luck), 41+5(Luck)
About a month after the Battle of Bellville in Mid April, the Rangers began a new scouting operations in Western Colorado to determine what laid west and see if we could continue to further the path to Austin and San Antonio. Unfortunately, while there are no losses so far on the expedition, most especially thanks to our expanded fleet of vehicles, Colorado is proving to have the potential to be a major future headache.
So far we have only been able to scout the Eastern portion of the county, and it is pretty barren with a scattering of single family homesteads and two major settlements of note. Firstly, it seems that Raider troubles are to continue as the capitol and center of the county, Columbus is a Raider town much like Sealy and Bellville. They are called the "Conquistadors", a Hispanic dominant Tribe who prowl the highways of I-10 and are believed to have links with other tribes in the San Antonio and Austin wasteland. Very mobile with horses and armored motor vehicles aplenty with their MO being highway robbers and slavers with rape and pillage being the usual punishment to settlements that don't pay tribute. What's most worrying about them is that Columbus seems to have a presence of electricity, meaning they will have some local development in comparison to the more nomadic and brutish Seals and Longhorns.
In the Southeast lies Eagle Lake. The main place of interest for liberation is its small regional airfield which could serve as an excellent base for the Air Force if we don't choose to pursue the restoration of the Houston Executive Airport. Its people are vassals to the Conquistadors in a sense, farming them food so they can focus on raiding. If there is any consolation its that the discovery of the Conquistadors is balanced by Eagle Lake being a relatively clean source of water though with some minor radiation thanks to runoff from the Colorado river.
It's currently unknown if the Conquistadors are aware of us, but once they do we should prepare for a future attack as we do lie on their path to Houston and as such would be considered a prime target.
[X] Militia Reform (191/160): Rolled: 92+2+5, 40+2+5
The Bellville campaign and the losses taken so far has lit a fire in the hearts of the Militia, causing them to take on their new training with heavy fervor and some even expressing a desire to go professional to help out the Republic in future anti-Raider campaigns and to spread peace across the Wasteland. After many months of hard work, the Militia has become a fighting force that while not the most elite, can stand on its own in battle and can even perform auxiliary actions in league with Army. A collection of very promising and talented individuals has been targeted for recruitment into the other branches and you have felt bold enough to have the Rangers expand to a company of 120 individuals and 1st Battalion into a fighting force of 600, both focusing heavily on the integration of new vehicles to make them mobile forces.
Militia now have Basic Training, +5 combat bonus. Rangers and 1st Battalion expanded.
[X] Texas Air Force (130/300): Rolled: 23+2+5
The Air Force still hasn't gotten off the ground due to the difficulties of pilots in the simulators and a lack of natural talent, not to mention a few bad weeks of weather though the Air Force vets have promised they'll start doing test flights soon. Meanwhile in the Army proper, there is some disgruntlement over the "waste" of time and resources towards the Air Force with it earning the nickname of the "Molasses Force". Pablo tells you that these are somewhat natural sentiments of men and women frustrated they can't play with their pre-war toys so to speak, but it's probably the first movement of genuine discontent that you have to keep an eye on.
[X] Gun Production (91/150): Rolled: 48+2+5, 29+2+5
-[X] 50 Machine Guns: 1st Battalion. Require 15 Resources.
Vault 28 did apparently come with 20 M300 SAW machine guns which were meant for "Crowd Control" if us Texans ever got unruly. They were the cause of most deaths during the Second Texas Revolution, and since then had occupied a mainly defensive role outside of the Battle of Sealy so that invading mutant wildlife or Raiders would face a hail of bullets. With 1st Battalion in desperate need of some force multipliers and heavy weaponry, you authorize the production of 50 M300s to support 1st Battalion in Bellville and future campaigns. Currently the M300 is the highest performing weapon you can produce within Vault 28's workshop and while it will punch a hole into lead stockpiles, you don't believe it will be too much of an issue so long as your Texans are trained to use it only on large wildlife and crowds of enemies.
Currently you have enough stock to fulfill the requirements for machine gun squadrons within 1st Battalion with you taking a gamble and ordering for the defensive M300s to be transferred to the control of 1st Battalion for the moment with the remaining Machine gun production dedicated to restoring the San Felipe gun batteries. Since 1st Battalion is going to be stationary around San Felipe for the near future anyways, it's a small gamble you don't see much risk in, especially with the Mortars providing major defensive firepower.
Also, Pablo brought up an interesting idea for future consideration. Trips to Rosenberg showed that the Rosenbergers were heavily reliant on laser weaponry for the town's defenses, showing that they probably have laser weapon schematics as part of their industrial GECK that they've mentioned multiple times. Perhaps you can make a trade for laser weapons or other critical defenses.
[X] Battle of Bellville. DC 15: Rolled: 12+2+5=19
Looking at the greater picture, perhaps it was for the best that you went into the Battle of Bellville as part of an allied operation rather than going in solo. The Army had been making some improvements, but there was only so much they could do with a limited vehicle supply that lacked attached armaments, no accompanying robotics or proper battle dress, and conventional firearms. Thus, it would be for the best to fight alongside people very experienced with these Raiders and in some cases, better equipped so that Texas could take on less casualties.
The Battle of Bellville would take place on April 3rd after the necessary buildup and isolation. The Republic's role had begun properly on April 1st with a skrimish where the high school was taken as the Republic's forward operating base, along with the significant capture of a nearby clinic that had been used to treat frontline injuries with 16 Longhorns being captured, mostly the infirm wounded and their few doctors.
From there, everyone else played into their respective roles, Brenham especially showing a surprising excellence on the battlefield that came from years of rage and frustration against Raiders, and now finally having an excellent release. You had moved to the high school and helped to coordinate the battle alongside Colonel De Zavala. Fortunately, your Texans ran into mainly infantry opposition as the heavy defense works and mechanized units were directed in the North to hold out against the Aggie-Brenham onslaught, most especially the Aggies who had brought APCs into the firefight.
Texas role in the battle would be door to door combat in the southern suburbs with the Rangers scouting each block for enemy concentration, and then a platoon going "Trick or treating" as Pablo jokingly called it, surrounding a house and laying in fire or performing a breach with the limited stockpile of explosives on hand.
Your men also performed search and rescue operations for the small civilian presence within Bellville along with freeing the Longhorn's stock of slaves. Your happy to report that there were no civilian casualties in this battle, though unfortuantely it came partly at the cost of a Texan as Specialist Julius Dubois sacrificed himself by jumping on a grenade to protect a freed slave pen, with which your men delivered swift retaliation soon after.
The shining moment for the Republic was its capture of the Austin County water plant, the most defended section in your operational territory and the source of half the Republic's casualties. The Longhorns had stocked it up well with turrets and anti-personnel mines along with barricaded corridors, but the Troopers along with the Rangers took things nice and slow with pulse grenades making quick work of the electronic defenses while Rangers, including your son Robin, acted as insertion teams with Trooper machine guns making quick mop up of heavy concentrations.
Similar stories of valiance and success were repeated across Bellville, even those bizarre knights had a few badass moments on their cavalry, and while taking the brunt of the casualties, were actually decently defended by their armor. Meanwhile for the Longhorns, they were truly in the midst of a cattle slaughterhouse. Surrounded on all sides by hated foes who all had some lost blood to pay back, they never stood a chance and any semblance of cohesion was broken by midday as they desperately tried to perform a breakout but their retreat convoy was destroyed by Aggie heavy weaponry. This lead to a desperate retreat by half a dozen Longhorns just to surrender to you so they would be spared "Aggie rage".
Thus, the Battle of Belville was a total success and for the moment, Austin County was cleared of all organized Raider presence. A job well done, and while victory will be celebrated with fanfare in San Felipe, there is the issue of the design of the peace, and how the Second Republic has to adjust to being one fish in a crowded pond.
You walked down the quiet streets of Bellville, flanked by a squad of Texas Rangers for protection and heading to Main Street where the von Newmans were going to host an intimate after battle celebration in their reclaimed bakery.
You could have taken a car, but you wished to go on foot to survey the aftermath of the battle personally and get a feel for the town. It also provided you an opportunity to speak with your youngest who performed excellently in the battle.
"I'm proud of you son, you did right by your fellow Rangers and did good, just as you always have." You complimented.
"Thank you sir." Robin says respectfully.
You chuckle at the formality, "Robin, how many times have I had to tell you, when we're not engaged in state business it's just Dad."
"Whatever you say, Sir Dad." Robin jokes, making you shake your head. The mentioning of Sirs also brings into mind a somewhat contentious topic within the Republic, the Kingdom of Bellville.
The goal shortly after leaving the Vault was to build the foundations of the Republic by liberating all of Austin County as the heart of the Second Republic's core territory. The Kingdom of Bellville changed this paradigm as they were a monarchy, which certainly did not fit within a Republic, had decent relations with Brenham and Aggieland (the latter of which having displayed so far clear military supremacy), and had natural sovereignty over Bellville with a three decade reign.
It was one thing to coexist with neighboring states like Rosenberg and Sugar Land, it was another to have a nation antithetical to the Republic's government as its northern neighbor occupying the capitol of Austin county.
"Son, you've spent time with those renaissance folks, you think we can get them to join the fold?" You ask Robin, who developed a somewhat distant look at your question along with a few moments of silence.
"They're good people and King Michael is amenable to sharing the water and power distribution, so I don't think we should be all fussy over annexing them right now. For now, they're too focused on rebuilding and don't have any desires to leave their neighborhood. Time is on our side, especially with the Constitution soon to pass. Even if it doesn't happen in your term, I think eventually they'll come around." Robin surmised, showing decent political potential that was more subtle in comparison to his elder brother who you hoped would run for a seat in the Texan Congress once established.
"Even if we don't plant the Lone Star flag today, I think we did good. More innocents won't have to suffer from Raiders, that's a win in my book." Robin surmised.
You nodded along, "So you say."
Your group took a right turn onto main street when out of an alley emerged a violent and blood soaked man who from his face and bulging veins looked to be high on Jet or some other chem. "DIE YOU FUCKING COWBOY CUNTS!" The lunatic screamed, rushing forward with a machete.
Your Rangers, Robin included quickly took position to fire and your hand swiped down to your holster, but before any of you could react, a Maroon blur rushed by inhumanly fast and tackled the suicidal Longhorn. The titanic figure then reached for the legs of the Longhorn, and squeezed them with an accompanying audible crunch, then raised the Longhorn by the full body and smashed it, head splattering on the asphalt road with brain and bone scattering, then doing a 180 thrust with the Longhorn's corpse smacking on the opposite end of the pavement, repeating the same action like a baby would play messily with their stuffed doll, only for this Longhorn to be turned into a gory paste that could barely be recognized as human.
After a ten second rampage, the figure stopped, and you and your Rangers standing frozen in terror and awe, finally got a good look. It was a behemoth of metal though with Maroon and White painted over it, the A&M insignia displayed on the pauldrons. It was most definitely power armor, sharing a strong resemblance to the T-45 sets you currently had in storage in the Vault, but far sleaker than the 45 or 51 with metal components that looked added onto the frame separately rather than welded singularly like the 45 and 51.
"Dad, is that a 51?" Robin asked in concern.
"Actually it's a T-60. You Vaulters probably might not remember because it was deployed right after Anchorage. Superior to the 45 but actually inferior to the 51 despite later development. Focused on modularity and customization." Informed a quiet but proud voice that merely made you jump in surprise.
Waltzing from behind was Captain Joseph Kim, commanding officer of the Aggie contingent. You had only spoken with the Asian Aggie on radio before, making this your first meeting with him. While you towered over him by half a foot, the man oozed confidence, charisma and a silent aura of power that few Texans could match.
"We weren't aware that A&M was deploying power armor to the front." You grumbled, such information would have certainly altered your tactics and powered assistance would be welcome, though complaints would perhaps not be wise for how the 45s have been collecting dust for a year.
"I asked for deployment throughout the planning and until recently Bellville was viewed as lacking in threat, but recent developments in the East demanded Staff Sergeant Powell's presence just in case." Kim informed.
"In case of what?" You demanded.
Kim judged you with a careful eye before he spoke, "The power dynamics in East Texas are ever evolving. We wanted to be sure if the Bellville Longhorns weren't truly isolated we would have an ace to counter."
"Like the Spartans?" You question.
"Among others." Kim said cryptically, then called out to the still T-60, "Kaylee, quite a rather brutish display wouldn't you say?" He says playfully.
"I didn't wish to waste ammo on this scum sir." A deep and muffled female voice replies, "We lost two good Aggs today, two too many. Have to vent."
"Didn't say you were wrong Cadet, but let's keep things civilized among friends." Kim suggests with the tone of an order, to which the Power Armor bows slightly.
"Walk with me to the Bakery and keep overwatch in case any lingering roaches try to imitate pasty over here."
"Yes sir." Kaylee said, with Kim walking forward and his power armored companion then falling in line behind him in a protective manner.
With the shock of the engagement shaking off, you strutted forward, taking care to go around the mess and walked in line with Kim, the Rangers spreading out in a semi-circle and keeping an awed eye on the T-60.
"You know, there was always speculation that we'd run into a Republic of Texas out here in the Wastes, just thought it'd be from San Antonio or Austin, not from San Felipe." Kim comments, making you intrigued.
"Has A&M traveled to either city?" You ask in wonder and concern. There had always been intense debate within Vault 28 on what they would do if they ran into either a functioning state government, or worse a rival Republic of Texas. If Governor survived the war and reformed the Republic, then all of the Wasteland would grant them legitimacy versus cowboys from a Vault.
"We've launched a few expeditions since the turn of the century. San Antonio is surprisingly in great shape, only a single bomb hit the northern outskirts and a municipal government is doing its best to unite the area. Likely would have been the heart of a new Texas if the roads weren't so littered with Raider trash. Austin's been hit as hard as Houston in number of nukes, though they definitely have it worse due to extreme radiation concentration, very high ghoul population. State and Commonwealth government is mostly dead from what we can tell, but who knows, they might have their own Vault." Kim informed, making you relax with a great sigh of relief.
"Not interested in having any rivals Mr. President?" Kim notes with a chuckle.
"As a good Christian I don't wish them dead, but it does make our nation's sovereignty simpler." You admit.
Kim then spots your Pipboy and eyes it with interest, "You people survived the war in a Vault-Tec vault correct?"
"That's true, yes."
"If you ever have the opportunity, send some people with Pipboys our way. We have a Vault in Bryan, Vault 67, though ever since the bombs dropped we've been unable to make contact or open it. Our engineers think a Pipboy is the only way to initiate contact, and it would be good to know if some Aggs made it out of the war alright."
"If the opportunity comes up we'll try to work with y'all. What about the Raiders? It's a hell of a trip and from our neighbors, just a stroll in Houston can be dangerous." You say.
"As we speak, the Corps is launching a pacification campaign down FM 105 and Highway 50 to secure long-term trade routes with Brenham. From there we can reach you and South Houston. Should take a couple years at most if we encounter heavy resistance, but I have no doubt we'll emerge victorious." Kim says confidently.
Before you could discuss the state of the wasteland further with Kim, the two of you arrived at Newman's Bakery. Despite the short time since the battle ended, the Bakery appeared to be restored to a functioning state with Belville peasants setting the work for a feast.
"Ah, my good Lords, welcome to our humble business and many thanks for your valiance and excellence in exterminating that most foul plague which brought sorrow to our fair lands. Sit and make yourselves merry, we have a hearty feast with many baked goods, meats and cheeses for thy pleasure, tis but only a taste of our future wealth, and thoust may partake in celebrations at our Oktoberfest come autumn." Greeted happily in a very unnecessarily high verbose manner, Prince William von Newman.
The Prince then took note of Robin's presence, his face going through a flurry of conflicting emotions in a second, "Sir Robin, I see thou has claimed victory and is in good health, this is of joyful news to the court. By knightly obligation, I grant you a favor of my sister, the fair Princess Daphne."
William retreats to the back and then returns with a genuine authentic wicker basket adorned with pink and purple ribbons and bows that makes the present non-familiar Rangers snicker at your son's blushing expense.
Upon closer inspection, it has a variety of baked goods that while not fresh, do look delicious and even better than the Sugar Land sweets. On top of the deserts is a violet envelope with a very strong aroma of perfume laced with it. Robin seemed very protective of the letter, and all you could gleam from it was a cursive heading phrased, "My dearest shining Knight,"
Just what the hell did that boy get up to in that castle?
Battle of Bellville won in major victory. Diplomatic contact opened with Brenham, Kingdom of Bellville, Aggieland. Bellville under administration of Kingdom of Bellville, area of 10 square miles annexed. Second Republic of Texas annexes rest of Austin County. Laser pistols and rifles recovered from dead Longhorns. New Actions unlocked.
[X] Brookshire Diplomacy (211/150): Rolled: 73+5
When the President had unveiled his initiative to create contact with Brookshire and engage in diplomacy, Scarlett and many others had been skeptical while a few, wastelander and vault dweller, had been outright hostile to the idea of making peace with any flavor of Raider. The President had argued that while not as pleasing as a total victory, that such a path forward was best in order to preserve the lives of as many Texans as possible and to eventually gain new willing citizens instead of just slaughtering the Bandits wholesale and call it a day. Thus, Brookshire was a test run for if at all they could civilize the Raiders and other unruly peoples of the Wasteland. It was a mission that many were hoping that Scarlett would fail one way or another.
At the end of the day though, diplomacy was a two way street and so far at least, the Bandits were playing their role in a rather cool fashion. When Scarlett had first begun the talks, they watched her with suspicion, scorn and disdain, always on the edge and waiting for a hidden knife, kept only at bay by her escort's armament of pre-war rifles. If Scarlett had just shown up with nothing to offer but words instead of her regular gifts of food and water, then it was likely that they would break off or attack her, two generations of isolation and hardship making them into a very weary people.
The sweet promise of clean cold water and fresh produce kept them coming back however, and judging by how some of the Bandits who were present at the talks overtime went from skin and bones to something resembling a normal weight, just these small gifts alone had lifted the lifestyle of Brookshire tremendously, and from there the talks could truly advance.
At first it was just blank affirmations of peace, that Texas would stay on their side of the Brazos and the Bandits stay on there. Then after a few meetings had proved that this effort wasn't just charades or of ill intent, the discussions moved to the possibility of trading and a few Brahdos caravans from Brookshire would make their way to San Felipe with pre-war loot and return with necessities. It was after February that talks had really begun to accelerate, most likely caused by the combination of shit weather which had put pressure on the Bandits and spreading word of the Bellville campaign and how Texas was able to crush the Raider tribe with the aid of Northern allies, giving Scarlett greater weight to her words and promises of power fist underneath her velvet glove.
Victory at Bellville pushed the talks to a conclusion, and thus on April 9th, a "Treaty of Brookshire" was being drafted and signed at the Whataburger which would cement peace between their two peoples, and hopefully with the Bandits pushed away from raiding, they could become properly civilized and annexed into the Republic by decade's end once they witness the benefits of civilized life.
Such fine details were being discussed at the moment, "We understand that Brookshire must engage in self-defense against hostile powers and scavenging is a necessary if not noble occupation, but the theft of property and the infliction of violence on innocent peoples for no other reason than profit will be seen as a crime under our laws." Scarlett emphasized.
Across from her sat the large, gruff and quiet leader of the Bandits, Barry Brooks. From their conversations, Scarlett could sense that Barry did have the genuine best interest of his people at heart, although it was tough to push Barry to her side as the man was as stubborn as an ox and negotiating with him felt like pushing one a hundred yards. Likely due to an attitude Barry developed from being roughly the same age of the President and roughing the wastes from the first drop of the bombs.
"What if we lose critical relics we have no possibility of producing on our own and the only method of procuring is theft?" Barry probed, keeping a hard poker face all the while.
Scarlett stood her ground, "Then you trade. We are giving you the tools for self-sufficiency and if you do not have any goods that can be bartered for a replacement, then come to us and we will help you procure it with our resources."
Barry's eyes narrowed, "Doubt it will be of free neighborly charity."
Scarlett shrugged her shoulders, "If we are talking about something with high rarity then most likely it could be in the form of a loan that will be paid back over time, but we will be transparent about any such terms. We are in talks with the powers of South Houston to form a local currency, and once that is adopted you can store money for rainy days, engage in legitimate business."
Such a statement was more of a bold stretching of the truth considering they still needed to meet with Space City for integration and there was still intense debate among the Big Three over just what the hell they would consider to be money, but Scarlett found it was well to employ bluffs from time to time, such as her unseen ace of Power Armor she kept on hyping should the worst happen even though the program was still on the drawing board.
"What if our targets were Raiders, the Bandidos for example, or the nasties like the cannibal bands?" Barry tested.
Scarlett bit her lip, the Bandits directed their energies and labor against other Raiders would be welcome, but allowing exceptions would be a slippery slope of exceptions, "If war is conducted against enemies of the Republic and decency, then it would be a just conflict. What is most important is that no more suffer and fear travel on I-10 just because they do not belong to your people and lack the means for defense."
Barry nodded silently and ruminated, staring at the distance for a minute before he spoke once more, "Keep my people fed with no more knowing hunger or thirst, if such shall be true with no obligations, then we shall try our hand at peace."
Scarlett found herself unconsciously relaxing as the biggest hurdle seemed to be leaped. It was one thing to form relations with friendly and benevolent powers like Rosenberg or Sugar Land, but to create genuine peace in the Wasteland left her very fulfilled.
Peace with Brookshire achieved. Brookshire Bandits will refrain from raiding, and in return Texas must supply 5 Food and 5 Water every month. New Actions Unlocked.
[X] Astroworld Diplomacy (204/200): Rolled: 97!+5, 97!+5
If the warm welcome by Sugar Land was surprising, then the ecstatic and jubilant red carpet that Astroworld practically threw at you was incredibly shocking, a greeting so friendly and enthusiastic that it made Sugar Land look outright cold and hostile. It was apparently an attitude derived from the extreme anti-Raider culture that the Astros had adopted. They treated Raiders as the absolute scum of the Earth, and your Republic having made its debut crushing two notorious Raider tribes made your Texas very heroic in the eyes of Astroworld.
It was a strong blessing that the Astros looked upon your Texans with awe and worship as it allowed the Second Republic to stand at a nominal equal when Astroworld was clearly superior. While Rosenberg had the best quality of New World life and Sugar Land inherited many riches from the old world, Astroworld had perhaps the best claim to true legacy of Houston. Stretching from West Parkway to 288, Astroworld was a genuine bustling nation that forged a bright new path forward from the war that agruably made it the heart of the Wasteland.
Having a population well over 80,000, Astroworld was a city that truly felt alive when a Texan would traverse through the streets. Active neighborhoods, busy markets where merchants sold their goods and services and travelers across the Wasteland would congregate to search for fortune, a developing domestic industry where post-war manufacturing produced both leisure consumer items and survival goods at a healthy pace from recycled materials. Astroworld in many ways represented some of the best parts of old Houston and was an enduring sign of the human spirit in the face of adversity, even in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse.
It was also something of a culture shock for your visiting Texans to experience in just how truly diverse Astroworld seemed to be. Not only were there thousands of Ghouls who built homes in the many communities spread across the city-state, but there was a plethora of peoples who didn't belong to the traditional Texan ethnic identities. West Orient, the recently annexed district west of I-69 compsoed of Houston's Korean, Vietnamese and Philipino communities. The Muslim communities descending from Persian and Arab origins who fled after the wells of the Middle East dried. Indians, of whom many formed the backbone of Astroworld's medical hospital system, and Mexicans descended from migrants after the annexation who largely kept their native culture in comparison to your more mixed Tejano citizens. Very friendly and welcoming of Texan tourist and traders, although disturbingly there was a high hatred and loathing of the Chinese who were treated in essence like boogeymen with parents keeping their children in line with scary stories of the Chinese coming to kidnap them in the night with stealth suits.
Astroworld was truly a beautiful sight among the Wasteland and an example for the Second Republic to follow. Perhaps they could have united Houston by now were it not for the cancerous abundance of Raiders in the Wasteland, the lack of good soil and irradiated local waters, and a brain drain from the losses of Rice and UH, being the cause for the Houston triangle with Sugar Land providing agricultural goods and Space City being a center of innovation and access to old technology, creating a symbiotic triangle.
The fact that such a vibrant community could bound together and forge new lives in the direct aftermath of the apocalypse gave you hope for Texas, that your experiment would truly lead to greatness with the Lone Star flying from Sabine to Rio Grande. However, for such a dream to come true, it will require strong friendships and partnerships with the surface born. They may see you as fellow allies today, but how could you get them to become true citizens?
"Never thought I'd get to return here, the eighth wonder of the world." You say in heavy awe and wonder as you peer out over the stands on the club level, gazing out into the beautiful empty stadium that had been the sight of some of your happiest childhood memories with your Pa.
Growing up, you were both heavy baseball fanatics and devoted followers of the Houston Astros. Sports in general was often regarded as the secular religion of Texas, and when the oil dried out which lead to the state's economic doldrums and the war with China was in full force, Houstonians in general sought escapism through the seasons of their hometown heroes, the Astros, Oilers and Rockets.
Back in the 2074 season, your Dad had been fortunate enough in a game of poker to win a pair of playoff tickets for a game against the Red Sox that turned into a 13 inning battle of attrition won just barely by an Astros home run, allowing them to go all the way to the World Series and claim victory against the Dodgers. It was a beautiful time, and probably the last set of pure and innocent memories before the last pre-war years where you developed some maturity and perception, realizing for the first time just how bleak the world was getting beyond your hometown and that the twilight of the United States was in full force.
Sam Hofheinz, the Mayor of Astroworld chuckled beside you, "You wouldn't say such a thing at the turn of the century. Up until 15 years ago, the dome along with Valiant and the Center were tent cities. Thanks to our reclamation campaigns, we just now begun rennovations and hopefully by the end of the decade we can return this old beauty to its original purpose for sports and entertainment, already have had a few concerts recently, good country stuff."
Much like Brenham, Astroworld was in a way a corporate city with the Hofheinz dynasty, already a major political force in local and statewide politics before the war, being the dominant institution from which Astroworld's politics and economy were guided. Though to be fair, the Hofheinz's did have some credence to being entrusted as democratic monarchs of a sort since it was the safety of the Astrodome district with its intact buildings and tunnel system that thousands survived the radiation and famine and would go out and create a new world.
"Just how did the Dome survive? We all just kind of assumed for forty years that it was nuked to high hell." You questioned.
Sam took a deep swig of a pre-war beer, one of the many luxuries his family had access to, "Well, we are the pride and joy of Houston but there's no great strategic or tactical benefit from dropping a bomb on us and the only real heavyweight target in the South was Hobby. We also got lucky, if you can call such devil's fortune that, in that the Chinese locally only managed to drop a 15 kiloton on the Medical district, a precision strike so we just had to bear the end of the shockwaves. Fucking Commie cunts, executing the ill and depriving of us of medicine." Sam says with heavy vitriol, a kind that made Aggie attitudes towards Raiders seem calm.
"Right when the Euros and Arabs started killing each other, my grandfather, Robert Hofheinz was scared out of his mind that we'd be next against the Ruskies or Chinos, and he would be right prophetically. Spent most of our family fortune in the 50's reinforcing the architecture of our real estate, buying out the nearby apartments and making them blast resistant, and digging tunnels. People called him a wasteful madman and he nearly got his franchises revoked, but Papa certainly had the last laugh as the world was ending." Sam said with a melancholic sigh.
"Of course, our space neighbors certainly pulled their weight with their defense system." Sam said in a offhand comment, one that practically made your eyes bulge.
"Defense system, what does that mean?" You questioned. If USSA had something cooked up their sleeves, then why the hell didn't they use it to form an umbrella over Texas, or the rest of America for that matter.
Sam looked to you in surprise, "You never heard of it? Huh, I guess we treat it too much as common knowledge for the rest of the Wasteland to know. According to the space folks, they were working on a nuclear defense umbrella system with RobCo right before the war hit. Most of the trials were passed and a prototype system was being constructed in Houston. It never got finished fast enough or spread throughout the city to protect us completely, you know with the usual feds being fucking cheapskate scum, but the space boys got enough to save South Houston from direct hits save for the Medical Center, Hobby, the Universities and the port districts. Lord knows how fucked up the Bay would be if the Commies managed to strike the Dikes or sink Galveston."
Well that was certainly an incredible piece of information, and definitely provided context from all the gossip and rumors about how Space City was so clean and rad free despite USSA likely being a priority strategic target. Still, it made you wonder if RobCo had access to a nuclear umbrella, what became of them?
"Speaking of Space City, that reminds me of why I wanted to bring you here." Sam mentions, then moves over to a pre-war map of Houston from before the war, "Last year when we began talks of a common currency with our allies, it was agreed that in order to do so that we had to have contiguous borders with one another and secure trade routes or else all of our goods and people are just gonna get looted and killed. We've been mobilizing to take action, but our Army's been stalling because we're still carrying the burden of annexing the Orient and there's been a Raider surge south of Hunter's Creek, not to mention those Spartan freaks are buildup up for something in the East." Sam speaks, using a stick to draw out his talk with visual aids.
"However, your Republic's success and expansion has given my people a burst of optimism and jingo spirit, and since you just opened up the road to Brenham and got contacts with College Station, this may be our first genuine chance at taking back East Texas from the hordes. Next year, though sooner should the field look favorable, we were going to launch a new campaign to free Stafford. It's got a hell of a lot of Raiders praying on our trade with Sugar Land, and the Bandidos got an outpost with some heavy firepower. We're going to attack in league with Sugar Land and partition, we get Stafford while they get everything south of Alt 90. Any aid from your Republic would be very appreciated, and from there we can take back the Southeast, provide secure roads to Space City and Galveston. And once we get the currency up and running, one large common economy from Galveston to College Station." Sam says.
You can't help but whistle deeply at the boldness, not even your most patriotic and jingoistic generals had dreamed this big for the short-term, "It's a grand plan and does good for Houston, but it's a bit too tall of an order, as much as I would love to help ya. We just finished clearing out our home county and need to consolidate and focus domestically for the short term, make sure us Texans are living instead of surviving. Not to mention we're just five thousand cowboys with lots of old and children." You speak plainly.
"True, but every gun counts against the Raiders, especially since we still need lots of bodies to guard the borders and keep watch for what comes out of the North. Be rest assured though that your Republic won't solely get vague market benefits from aiding us. If you scratch our back we'll scratch yours and help you move east into Katy and West Houston. You might not know, but you're on the periphery of Colt and Bandido territory. The latter got their eyes set on I-10 and it's only a matter of time before they drive west bound San Antonio."
Before you can discuss further, a knock then interrupts your meeting, "Who is it?" Sam hollered.
"Major Hernandez from the Scouts sir, I need to speak with you on some recent findings." Says a raspy voice.
Sam gives a look to you then shrugs to himself, "Come in Major."
As you suspected, the new visitor was a Ghoul, one dressed in a uniform that looked to be looted from the Houston Police Department with riot gear. The Major salutes Sam and then gives you a weary look, "Sir, it would be best if we discuss this information in private."
"That's quite alright Juan, the President here is an ally of the Astroworld, so unless it's anything classified, you can say to him anything you wish to say to me."
"Howdy." You greet plainly. While touched by the gesture, you were unsure if you would ever give the same liberty to any visiting head of state, especially so short into the diplomatic relationship.
The Ghoul judges you with a hard stare and then sighs, "Well, I guess there's no harm in giving your people a head's up. Sirs, currently I'm stationed with the Downtown battalion, mostly Ghouls so we can trek through the radiation." Juan informs, likely for your benefit, "Last night I was patrolling with one of my squads when we observed a feral swarm on the attack near the old corporate skyscrapers."
"So?" Sam questions, as if this were a regular thing.
"Well sir, they weren't facing off Chinamen, Raiders or Mutant beasts. It was a squadron of people with robots, all equipped with military-grade radiation suits and laser weapons on every person, pistol and rifle." Juan informs, the last statement of which certainly grabs your attention.
"Space Force?" Sam questions with concern.
"They didn't wear any of the insignia or models USSA has and they would have informed us of any patrol routes. At the same time I don't think they're ex-military or descended like the Ellington boys."
"How can you be so sure?" You question.
Juan pauses in thought for a moment, "It's hard to describe, they're not pathetic and got some discipline, but they don't act with the precision and tactics of soldiers, more people trying to emulate soldiers if that makes sense."
"Any Power Armor?" You prod further.
Juan shakes his head, "No, just the rad suits."
"What did they want?" Sam asks.
"They were going into a few of the Corporate buildings, maybe looting, it's hard to tell what. I was going to make contact but when a vagabound passed by they just executed the poor bastard for no reason. We returned when it was daybreak and we'll try and be on the lookout again."
"Be sure to bring some bots and we'll keep mechanized on standby. For now just keep an eye out and don't engage unless they advance to our territory." Sam commanded with Juan saluting.
"Ever run into this kind of trouble before?" You ask trepidly.
"In the early days there were all kinds of ex-government types skulking in the waste. Most of the local state and federal figures flocked to Space City, so either these people have just come out of a bunker nearby or they're foreigners." Sam says.
"Non-Americans?"
"Outside the Houston Wasteland."
Diplomatic Relations with Astroworld Established. Astroworld has VERY HIGH opinion of the Second Republic of Texas, heavily open towards alliance and cooperation. Progress requirement for USSA Diplomacy greatly reduced. Boost towards future actions involving or friendly with Astroworld.
[X] Auto Restoration (111/75): Rolled: 22, 89
When we returned to the surface, inventory was taken of how many automobiles were in the town. There were more than a 1000 when we went underground, and of those 898 were left, presumably more than a hundred were stolen by Texans in need during the early days of the apocalypse. 237 were in hypothetical working condition, but of those only a measly 32 cars were working nuclear cars and the rest were gas or electric cars. The electric cars could hypothetically be fixed with a charging station, but you lacked electricity for the town due to many other pressing needs, and while you had access to Sugar Land's ethanol, it was very expensive in resources and most were dedicated for domestic use or their allies.
So not the prettiest picture, but on the bright side you had access to a nearby abandoned dealership and a Toyota parts distribution center in Southwestern San Felipe which should provide parts for some of your cars, or at the very least material for steel conversion or workshops into necessary car parts for other brands.
Since the start of the year, many of the elderly men from Vault 28 got to work on restoring any cars they could, the activity one of nostalgia and purpose to give back to the Republic while so many of the youth were fighting against Raiders. You got a further 26 nuclear automobiles to be working again and 20 electric cars which are powered through a rather convoluted process which involves taking the electric cells back to the Vault for charging and then putting them back into the car. You traded with Sugar Land for a couple gallons of their ethanol to test out if it could work on a gas car, and it purred like a kitten so if you're able to expand ethanol production to a large scale level, any gas automobile you find can be working again.
Overall you got not including any gas cars, 78 working cars and 111 cars restored to potential working condition which makes the amount of cars you have on hand for restoration exactly 270. Sadly there's around 400 cars which have eroded beyond any working condition, but at least you can scrap them for more resources. Of the 78, half have drafted into the military while the other half are mostly state, but a few private usage in trade and transit. And for the military all it's good for is transporting squadrons to the front and behind the lines along with a few vans and pickups converted into makeshift ambulances for stabilization while wounded soldiers are transported to the Vault for surgery.
Overall, you're not going to be as mobile as Americans of your youth for a good long while, but at least you have some basic mobility to keep up with the other major powers of the wasteland as high ownership and usage of automobiles is considered to be a sign of wealth and strength. If you want to continually increase mobility, you'll either have to increase electrical production, stock up on Ethanol, or domesticate horses.
New Actions unlocked. Spillover progress pushed into other actions.
[X] Pipe Weaponry (105/100): Rolled: 22, 83 (Decided to lower requirement to 100 after thinking about it and coming to belief that Pipe Weaponry research wouldn't take that long)
You remember once reading in a magazine somewhere that Texas had the most guns in the Union with ten million guns, ownership enhanced further by Commonwealth laws that let Texans purchase old military-grade firearms to support the war effort. Still, in spite of such high ownership it seems that many Texans were lacking, and to close the gap in the wasteland pipe weaponry has become a mainstream weapon.
Usually using plumbing pipes, but really any kind of metal cylinder can apply, a pipe gun is crude weapon held together by shoddy welding, duct tape, glue and prayers. The firing mechanism relies on pulling a nail to activate the round and send it forward, but due to the shoddy and uneven composition of the barrel, pipe weapons tend to be inaccurate, single shot and depending upon the design, prone to damaging the barrel or the greater gun. Becausae of the lack of standardization, revolver and bolt-action tend to be the preferred choice, although some craftsmen in the Astros and Colts are said to have the ability to create automatic or semi-automatic pipe guns. Some inventive wastelanders are even able to make airguns that can fire bullets, though these are generally weaker than true firearms.
While it's unlikely that we'll have to resort to the equipment of pipe guns to our military, the Rangers, troopers and militia are all given basic courses for how to identify and use pipe weapons on a general basis in case they need to be forced to use one should circumstances arise, like being behind enemy lines.
Pipe Weapons now available to construct.
[X] Republic of Texas Constitution (511/500): Rolled: 56, 28, 53
At long last, the Constitutional Convention for the first Constitution of the Second Republic of Texas is here.
Continued in: 2121 Constitutional Convention
[X] San Felipe Fire Department (127/100): Rolled: 98
You thought the SFFD was just going to be a neat little part time department that would mobilize if a house fire or lightning strike got too out of control. However, the San Felipe firemen really exceeded your expectations with a showing of discipline and effectiveness in their drills that rival the Rangers. So far in the few fires that have broken out, they have been very swift in their response, contaminating the fires before any major damage was done. San Felipe Firemen have also taken the initiative to train themselves in medicine and become paramedics like how the urban and suburban fire departments were before the war. Lastly, in league with the auto restoration efforts, the Fire Department actually managed to restore an abandoned Sealy firetruck with a nuclear engine, giving them heavy capabilities to combat large-scale fires. Unfortunately, the truck has to remain full with water at all times due to a lack of fire hydrants and town water system to draw upon, but with Bellville liberated, we should be able to hopefully get a proper water system up and running soon.
San Felipe Fire Department created. Future disaster response actions receive boost. +1 bonus to Administration rolls.
[X] San Felipe Deconstruction(90/100): Rolled: 89+1
Within San Felipe there are currently twenty homes which unfortunately have become too damaged over time to restore to any proper condition. As such, they are prime loot for their resources to strengthen the Republic. Work is done at a pretty productive pace with plenty of metal and wood for new buildings or restoring old ones as well as a variety of neat pre-war items for personal use. Productive and honest work.
Autocompletes next turn.
[X] Wallis Ranches (91/100) Rolled: 75+1, 3+1
You frowned as you saw on your Pipboy a collection of pictures, primarily of dead pure cows laying on the ground and rotting in a very sickly fashion that made it look like the Black plague had come to Wallis. These were delivered by Porkchop who was in your office delivering a personal report on some of the more grim recent developments in his experiments.
"Please for the love of the Lord tell me that this isn't going to mutate and wipe out the Republic." You say in exhaustion. This was not the type of news you wanted to receive when things were going so well in foreign affairs.
"So far at least, we have no indication that humans can contract this virus." Porkchop said positively, not making you any more comfortable, "It a specific immunity virus that relies on the cow's genetic structure and is fluid transmitted. So we should be fine, but just to be sure I'm quarentining the ranch and would like your approval for a temporary ban on surface beef until I can be clear we've eradicated it."
"Sure, go ahead." You say, better safe than sorry even if unfortunately you were going to have to revert to vat beef for Mexican and burger nights. "So far I'm mainly seeing these cases for the pure cows. What about the Brahdos and other mutants?" So far the Brahdos was the only specific mutant subspecies for cattle that the Republic discovered although the other cattle breeds in Texas could be seen with mutant traits that usually aided it in adapting to post-nuclear Texas.
"Only one young Brahdos was infected, but the rest seem to be holding on firm, guess genetic differences make the DNA too altered for the immunovirus to really take effect. So that's some good. I was planning on restocking our pure cattle by purchasing some from Sugar Land and Rosenberg, but they're gonna make us spend heavily just for a single cow." Porkchop informs.
You sigh heavily, "We're getting some payout from the deconstruction jobs and Brenham promises us some share of the Longhorn loot so we can afford, just don't go too crazy trying to build a mega ranch."
So overall, the Wallis Ranches were a mixed bag with the completion halted by a cattle epidemic that forced the Interior Department to take it slow. Another source of frustration was that there were few domestic pigs that could be found nearby, thus for now you had to buy pigs from Sugar Land and Rosenberg in order to get started on a pork farm. Porkchop took it as a challenge though and set about capturing some wild hogs, of which there were plenty mutant and pure, and experimenting in domestication to see if he can get some superior domestic breeds, especially with the super pigs as they were called, mutant hogs that could weigh up to half a ton and yet were very agile foragers.
At the very least, chickens were the one area of success as Vault 28 had a chicken coop where chickens were used for their eggs in a tight industrial matter and then slaughtered for meat. Porkchop had fertilized about a hundred eggs and was raising them as free range chickens, believing that the natural lifestyle and open spaces will lead to a higher quality of meat.
Autopass next turn. Resource Requirement raised to 50 Resources
[X] Scout Colorado County (59/100): Rolled: 8+5(Luck), 41+5(Luck)
About a month after the Battle of Bellville in Mid April, the Rangers began a new scouting operations in Western Colorado to determine what laid west and see if we could continue to further the path to Austin and San Antonio. Unfortunately, while there are no losses so far on the expedition, most especially thanks to our expanded fleet of vehicles, Colorado is proving to have the potential to be a major future headache.
So far we have only been able to scout the Eastern portion of the county, and it is pretty barren with a scattering of single family homesteads and two major settlements of note. Firstly, it seems that Raider troubles are to continue as the capitol and center of the county, Columbus is a Raider town much like Sealy and Bellville. They are called the "Conquistadors", a Hispanic dominant Tribe who prowl the highways of I-10 and are believed to have links with other tribes in the San Antonio and Austin wasteland. Very mobile with horses and armored motor vehicles aplenty with their MO being highway robbers and slavers with rape and pillage being the usual punishment to settlements that don't pay tribute. What's most worrying about them is that Columbus seems to have a presence of electricity, meaning they will have some local development in comparison to the more nomadic and brutish Seals and Longhorns.
In the Southeast lies Eagle Lake. The main place of interest for liberation is its small regional airfield which could serve as an excellent base for the Air Force if we don't choose to pursue the restoration of the Houston Executive Airport. Its people are vassals to the Conquistadors in a sense, farming them food so they can focus on raiding. If there is any consolation its that the discovery of the Conquistadors is balanced by Eagle Lake being a relatively clean source of water though with some minor radiation thanks to runoff from the Colorado river.
It's currently unknown if the Conquistadors are aware of us, but once they do we should prepare for a future attack as we do lie on their path to Houston and as such would be considered a prime target.
[X] Militia Reform (191/160): Rolled: 92+2+5, 40+2+5
The Bellville campaign and the losses taken so far has lit a fire in the hearts of the Militia, causing them to take on their new training with heavy fervor and some even expressing a desire to go professional to help out the Republic in future anti-Raider campaigns and to spread peace across the Wasteland. After many months of hard work, the Militia has become a fighting force that while not the most elite, can stand on its own in battle and can even perform auxiliary actions in league with Army. A collection of very promising and talented individuals has been targeted for recruitment into the other branches and you have felt bold enough to have the Rangers expand to a company of 120 individuals and 1st Battalion into a fighting force of 600, both focusing heavily on the integration of new vehicles to make them mobile forces.
Militia now have Basic Training, +5 combat bonus. Rangers and 1st Battalion expanded.
[X] Texas Air Force (130/300): Rolled: 23+2+5
The Air Force still hasn't gotten off the ground due to the difficulties of pilots in the simulators and a lack of natural talent, not to mention a few bad weeks of weather though the Air Force vets have promised they'll start doing test flights soon. Meanwhile in the Army proper, there is some disgruntlement over the "waste" of time and resources towards the Air Force with it earning the nickname of the "Molasses Force". Pablo tells you that these are somewhat natural sentiments of men and women frustrated they can't play with their pre-war toys so to speak, but it's probably the first movement of genuine discontent that you have to keep an eye on.
[X] Gun Production (91/150): Rolled: 48+2+5, 29+2+5
-[X] 50 Machine Guns: 1st Battalion. Require 15 Resources.
Vault 28 did apparently come with 20 M300 SAW machine guns which were meant for "Crowd Control" if us Texans ever got unruly. They were the cause of most deaths during the Second Texas Revolution, and since then had occupied a mainly defensive role outside of the Battle of Sealy so that invading mutant wildlife or Raiders would face a hail of bullets. With 1st Battalion in desperate need of some force multipliers and heavy weaponry, you authorize the production of 50 M300s to support 1st Battalion in Bellville and future campaigns. Currently the M300 is the highest performing weapon you can produce within Vault 28's workshop and while it will punch a hole into lead stockpiles, you don't believe it will be too much of an issue so long as your Texans are trained to use it only on large wildlife and crowds of enemies.
Currently you have enough stock to fulfill the requirements for machine gun squadrons within 1st Battalion with you taking a gamble and ordering for the defensive M300s to be transferred to the control of 1st Battalion for the moment with the remaining Machine gun production dedicated to restoring the San Felipe gun batteries. Since 1st Battalion is going to be stationary around San Felipe for the near future anyways, it's a small gamble you don't see much risk in, especially with the Mortars providing major defensive firepower.
Also, Pablo brought up an interesting idea for future consideration. Trips to Rosenberg showed that the Rosenbergers were heavily reliant on laser weaponry for the town's defenses, showing that they probably have laser weapon schematics as part of their industrial GECK that they've mentioned multiple times. Perhaps you can make a trade for laser weapons or other critical defenses.
[X] Battle of Bellville. DC 15: Rolled: 12+2+5=19
Looking at the greater picture, perhaps it was for the best that you went into the Battle of Bellville as part of an allied operation rather than going in solo. The Army had been making some improvements, but there was only so much they could do with a limited vehicle supply that lacked attached armaments, no accompanying robotics or proper battle dress, and conventional firearms. Thus, it would be for the best to fight alongside people very experienced with these Raiders and in some cases, better equipped so that Texas could take on less casualties.
Republic of Texas 34+41+10=85
Brenham 100+40=140
Aggies 44+75=119
Bellville 59+20=89
Longhorns 29+15=44
Casualties
Republic of Texas 2 Dead 8 Wounded
Brenham 1 Wounded
Aggies 2 Dead 2 Wounded
Bellville 4 Dead 10 Wounded
Longhorns 228 Dead 26 Captured
Longhorn Loot 64
Brenham 100+40=140
Aggies 44+75=119
Bellville 59+20=89
Longhorns 29+15=44
Casualties
Republic of Texas 2 Dead 8 Wounded
Brenham 1 Wounded
Aggies 2 Dead 2 Wounded
Bellville 4 Dead 10 Wounded
Longhorns 228 Dead 26 Captured
Longhorn Loot 64
The Battle of Bellville would take place on April 3rd after the necessary buildup and isolation. The Republic's role had begun properly on April 1st with a skrimish where the high school was taken as the Republic's forward operating base, along with the significant capture of a nearby clinic that had been used to treat frontline injuries with 16 Longhorns being captured, mostly the infirm wounded and their few doctors.
From there, everyone else played into their respective roles, Brenham especially showing a surprising excellence on the battlefield that came from years of rage and frustration against Raiders, and now finally having an excellent release. You had moved to the high school and helped to coordinate the battle alongside Colonel De Zavala. Fortunately, your Texans ran into mainly infantry opposition as the heavy defense works and mechanized units were directed in the North to hold out against the Aggie-Brenham onslaught, most especially the Aggies who had brought APCs into the firefight.
Texas role in the battle would be door to door combat in the southern suburbs with the Rangers scouting each block for enemy concentration, and then a platoon going "Trick or treating" as Pablo jokingly called it, surrounding a house and laying in fire or performing a breach with the limited stockpile of explosives on hand.
Your men also performed search and rescue operations for the small civilian presence within Bellville along with freeing the Longhorn's stock of slaves. Your happy to report that there were no civilian casualties in this battle, though unfortuantely it came partly at the cost of a Texan as Specialist Julius Dubois sacrificed himself by jumping on a grenade to protect a freed slave pen, with which your men delivered swift retaliation soon after.
The shining moment for the Republic was its capture of the Austin County water plant, the most defended section in your operational territory and the source of half the Republic's casualties. The Longhorns had stocked it up well with turrets and anti-personnel mines along with barricaded corridors, but the Troopers along with the Rangers took things nice and slow with pulse grenades making quick work of the electronic defenses while Rangers, including your son Robin, acted as insertion teams with Trooper machine guns making quick mop up of heavy concentrations.
Similar stories of valiance and success were repeated across Bellville, even those bizarre knights had a few badass moments on their cavalry, and while taking the brunt of the casualties, were actually decently defended by their armor. Meanwhile for the Longhorns, they were truly in the midst of a cattle slaughterhouse. Surrounded on all sides by hated foes who all had some lost blood to pay back, they never stood a chance and any semblance of cohesion was broken by midday as they desperately tried to perform a breakout but their retreat convoy was destroyed by Aggie heavy weaponry. This lead to a desperate retreat by half a dozen Longhorns just to surrender to you so they would be spared "Aggie rage".
Thus, the Battle of Belville was a total success and for the moment, Austin County was cleared of all organized Raider presence. A job well done, and while victory will be celebrated with fanfare in San Felipe, there is the issue of the design of the peace, and how the Second Republic has to adjust to being one fish in a crowded pond.
You walked down the quiet streets of Bellville, flanked by a squad of Texas Rangers for protection and heading to Main Street where the von Newmans were going to host an intimate after battle celebration in their reclaimed bakery.
You could have taken a car, but you wished to go on foot to survey the aftermath of the battle personally and get a feel for the town. It also provided you an opportunity to speak with your youngest who performed excellently in the battle.
"I'm proud of you son, you did right by your fellow Rangers and did good, just as you always have." You complimented.
"Thank you sir." Robin says respectfully.
You chuckle at the formality, "Robin, how many times have I had to tell you, when we're not engaged in state business it's just Dad."
"Whatever you say, Sir Dad." Robin jokes, making you shake your head. The mentioning of Sirs also brings into mind a somewhat contentious topic within the Republic, the Kingdom of Bellville.
The goal shortly after leaving the Vault was to build the foundations of the Republic by liberating all of Austin County as the heart of the Second Republic's core territory. The Kingdom of Bellville changed this paradigm as they were a monarchy, which certainly did not fit within a Republic, had decent relations with Brenham and Aggieland (the latter of which having displayed so far clear military supremacy), and had natural sovereignty over Bellville with a three decade reign.
It was one thing to coexist with neighboring states like Rosenberg and Sugar Land, it was another to have a nation antithetical to the Republic's government as its northern neighbor occupying the capitol of Austin county.
"Son, you've spent time with those renaissance folks, you think we can get them to join the fold?" You ask Robin, who developed a somewhat distant look at your question along with a few moments of silence.
"They're good people and King Michael is amenable to sharing the water and power distribution, so I don't think we should be all fussy over annexing them right now. For now, they're too focused on rebuilding and don't have any desires to leave their neighborhood. Time is on our side, especially with the Constitution soon to pass. Even if it doesn't happen in your term, I think eventually they'll come around." Robin surmised, showing decent political potential that was more subtle in comparison to his elder brother who you hoped would run for a seat in the Texan Congress once established.
"Even if we don't plant the Lone Star flag today, I think we did good. More innocents won't have to suffer from Raiders, that's a win in my book." Robin surmised.
You nodded along, "So you say."
Your group took a right turn onto main street when out of an alley emerged a violent and blood soaked man who from his face and bulging veins looked to be high on Jet or some other chem. "DIE YOU FUCKING COWBOY CUNTS!" The lunatic screamed, rushing forward with a machete.
Your Rangers, Robin included quickly took position to fire and your hand swiped down to your holster, but before any of you could react, a Maroon blur rushed by inhumanly fast and tackled the suicidal Longhorn. The titanic figure then reached for the legs of the Longhorn, and squeezed them with an accompanying audible crunch, then raised the Longhorn by the full body and smashed it, head splattering on the asphalt road with brain and bone scattering, then doing a 180 thrust with the Longhorn's corpse smacking on the opposite end of the pavement, repeating the same action like a baby would play messily with their stuffed doll, only for this Longhorn to be turned into a gory paste that could barely be recognized as human.
After a ten second rampage, the figure stopped, and you and your Rangers standing frozen in terror and awe, finally got a good look. It was a behemoth of metal though with Maroon and White painted over it, the A&M insignia displayed on the pauldrons. It was most definitely power armor, sharing a strong resemblance to the T-45 sets you currently had in storage in the Vault, but far sleaker than the 45 or 51 with metal components that looked added onto the frame separately rather than welded singularly like the 45 and 51.
"Dad, is that a 51?" Robin asked in concern.
"Actually it's a T-60. You Vaulters probably might not remember because it was deployed right after Anchorage. Superior to the 45 but actually inferior to the 51 despite later development. Focused on modularity and customization." Informed a quiet but proud voice that merely made you jump in surprise.
Waltzing from behind was Captain Joseph Kim, commanding officer of the Aggie contingent. You had only spoken with the Asian Aggie on radio before, making this your first meeting with him. While you towered over him by half a foot, the man oozed confidence, charisma and a silent aura of power that few Texans could match.
"We weren't aware that A&M was deploying power armor to the front." You grumbled, such information would have certainly altered your tactics and powered assistance would be welcome, though complaints would perhaps not be wise for how the 45s have been collecting dust for a year.
"I asked for deployment throughout the planning and until recently Bellville was viewed as lacking in threat, but recent developments in the East demanded Staff Sergeant Powell's presence just in case." Kim informed.
"In case of what?" You demanded.
Kim judged you with a careful eye before he spoke, "The power dynamics in East Texas are ever evolving. We wanted to be sure if the Bellville Longhorns weren't truly isolated we would have an ace to counter."
"Like the Spartans?" You question.
"Among others." Kim said cryptically, then called out to the still T-60, "Kaylee, quite a rather brutish display wouldn't you say?" He says playfully.
"I didn't wish to waste ammo on this scum sir." A deep and muffled female voice replies, "We lost two good Aggs today, two too many. Have to vent."
"Didn't say you were wrong Cadet, but let's keep things civilized among friends." Kim suggests with the tone of an order, to which the Power Armor bows slightly.
"Walk with me to the Bakery and keep overwatch in case any lingering roaches try to imitate pasty over here."
"Yes sir." Kaylee said, with Kim walking forward and his power armored companion then falling in line behind him in a protective manner.
With the shock of the engagement shaking off, you strutted forward, taking care to go around the mess and walked in line with Kim, the Rangers spreading out in a semi-circle and keeping an awed eye on the T-60.
"You know, there was always speculation that we'd run into a Republic of Texas out here in the Wastes, just thought it'd be from San Antonio or Austin, not from San Felipe." Kim comments, making you intrigued.
"Has A&M traveled to either city?" You ask in wonder and concern. There had always been intense debate within Vault 28 on what they would do if they ran into either a functioning state government, or worse a rival Republic of Texas. If Governor survived the war and reformed the Republic, then all of the Wasteland would grant them legitimacy versus cowboys from a Vault.
"We've launched a few expeditions since the turn of the century. San Antonio is surprisingly in great shape, only a single bomb hit the northern outskirts and a municipal government is doing its best to unite the area. Likely would have been the heart of a new Texas if the roads weren't so littered with Raider trash. Austin's been hit as hard as Houston in number of nukes, though they definitely have it worse due to extreme radiation concentration, very high ghoul population. State and Commonwealth government is mostly dead from what we can tell, but who knows, they might have their own Vault." Kim informed, making you relax with a great sigh of relief.
"Not interested in having any rivals Mr. President?" Kim notes with a chuckle.
"As a good Christian I don't wish them dead, but it does make our nation's sovereignty simpler." You admit.
Kim then spots your Pipboy and eyes it with interest, "You people survived the war in a Vault-Tec vault correct?"
"That's true, yes."
"If you ever have the opportunity, send some people with Pipboys our way. We have a Vault in Bryan, Vault 67, though ever since the bombs dropped we've been unable to make contact or open it. Our engineers think a Pipboy is the only way to initiate contact, and it would be good to know if some Aggs made it out of the war alright."
"If the opportunity comes up we'll try to work with y'all. What about the Raiders? It's a hell of a trip and from our neighbors, just a stroll in Houston can be dangerous." You say.
"As we speak, the Corps is launching a pacification campaign down FM 105 and Highway 50 to secure long-term trade routes with Brenham. From there we can reach you and South Houston. Should take a couple years at most if we encounter heavy resistance, but I have no doubt we'll emerge victorious." Kim says confidently.
Before you could discuss the state of the wasteland further with Kim, the two of you arrived at Newman's Bakery. Despite the short time since the battle ended, the Bakery appeared to be restored to a functioning state with Belville peasants setting the work for a feast.
"Ah, my good Lords, welcome to our humble business and many thanks for your valiance and excellence in exterminating that most foul plague which brought sorrow to our fair lands. Sit and make yourselves merry, we have a hearty feast with many baked goods, meats and cheeses for thy pleasure, tis but only a taste of our future wealth, and thoust may partake in celebrations at our Oktoberfest come autumn." Greeted happily in a very unnecessarily high verbose manner, Prince William von Newman.
The Prince then took note of Robin's presence, his face going through a flurry of conflicting emotions in a second, "Sir Robin, I see thou has claimed victory and is in good health, this is of joyful news to the court. By knightly obligation, I grant you a favor of my sister, the fair Princess Daphne."
William retreats to the back and then returns with a genuine authentic wicker basket adorned with pink and purple ribbons and bows that makes the present non-familiar Rangers snicker at your son's blushing expense.
Upon closer inspection, it has a variety of baked goods that while not fresh, do look delicious and even better than the Sugar Land sweets. On top of the deserts is a violet envelope with a very strong aroma of perfume laced with it. Robin seemed very protective of the letter, and all you could gleam from it was a cursive heading phrased, "My dearest shining Knight,"
Just what the hell did that boy get up to in that castle?
Battle of Bellville won in major victory. Diplomatic contact opened with Brenham, Kingdom of Bellville, Aggieland. Bellville under administration of Kingdom of Bellville, area of 10 square miles annexed. Second Republic of Texas annexes rest of Austin County. Laser pistols and rifles recovered from dead Longhorns. New Actions unlocked.
[X] Brookshire Diplomacy (211/150): Rolled: 73+5
When the President had unveiled his initiative to create contact with Brookshire and engage in diplomacy, Scarlett and many others had been skeptical while a few, wastelander and vault dweller, had been outright hostile to the idea of making peace with any flavor of Raider. The President had argued that while not as pleasing as a total victory, that such a path forward was best in order to preserve the lives of as many Texans as possible and to eventually gain new willing citizens instead of just slaughtering the Bandits wholesale and call it a day. Thus, Brookshire was a test run for if at all they could civilize the Raiders and other unruly peoples of the Wasteland. It was a mission that many were hoping that Scarlett would fail one way or another.
At the end of the day though, diplomacy was a two way street and so far at least, the Bandits were playing their role in a rather cool fashion. When Scarlett had first begun the talks, they watched her with suspicion, scorn and disdain, always on the edge and waiting for a hidden knife, kept only at bay by her escort's armament of pre-war rifles. If Scarlett had just shown up with nothing to offer but words instead of her regular gifts of food and water, then it was likely that they would break off or attack her, two generations of isolation and hardship making them into a very weary people.
The sweet promise of clean cold water and fresh produce kept them coming back however, and judging by how some of the Bandits who were present at the talks overtime went from skin and bones to something resembling a normal weight, just these small gifts alone had lifted the lifestyle of Brookshire tremendously, and from there the talks could truly advance.
At first it was just blank affirmations of peace, that Texas would stay on their side of the Brazos and the Bandits stay on there. Then after a few meetings had proved that this effort wasn't just charades or of ill intent, the discussions moved to the possibility of trading and a few Brahdos caravans from Brookshire would make their way to San Felipe with pre-war loot and return with necessities. It was after February that talks had really begun to accelerate, most likely caused by the combination of shit weather which had put pressure on the Bandits and spreading word of the Bellville campaign and how Texas was able to crush the Raider tribe with the aid of Northern allies, giving Scarlett greater weight to her words and promises of power fist underneath her velvet glove.
Victory at Bellville pushed the talks to a conclusion, and thus on April 9th, a "Treaty of Brookshire" was being drafted and signed at the Whataburger which would cement peace between their two peoples, and hopefully with the Bandits pushed away from raiding, they could become properly civilized and annexed into the Republic by decade's end once they witness the benefits of civilized life.
Such fine details were being discussed at the moment, "We understand that Brookshire must engage in self-defense against hostile powers and scavenging is a necessary if not noble occupation, but the theft of property and the infliction of violence on innocent peoples for no other reason than profit will be seen as a crime under our laws." Scarlett emphasized.
Across from her sat the large, gruff and quiet leader of the Bandits, Barry Brooks. From their conversations, Scarlett could sense that Barry did have the genuine best interest of his people at heart, although it was tough to push Barry to her side as the man was as stubborn as an ox and negotiating with him felt like pushing one a hundred yards. Likely due to an attitude Barry developed from being roughly the same age of the President and roughing the wastes from the first drop of the bombs.
"What if we lose critical relics we have no possibility of producing on our own and the only method of procuring is theft?" Barry probed, keeping a hard poker face all the while.
Scarlett stood her ground, "Then you trade. We are giving you the tools for self-sufficiency and if you do not have any goods that can be bartered for a replacement, then come to us and we will help you procure it with our resources."
Barry's eyes narrowed, "Doubt it will be of free neighborly charity."
Scarlett shrugged her shoulders, "If we are talking about something with high rarity then most likely it could be in the form of a loan that will be paid back over time, but we will be transparent about any such terms. We are in talks with the powers of South Houston to form a local currency, and once that is adopted you can store money for rainy days, engage in legitimate business."
Such a statement was more of a bold stretching of the truth considering they still needed to meet with Space City for integration and there was still intense debate among the Big Three over just what the hell they would consider to be money, but Scarlett found it was well to employ bluffs from time to time, such as her unseen ace of Power Armor she kept on hyping should the worst happen even though the program was still on the drawing board.
"What if our targets were Raiders, the Bandidos for example, or the nasties like the cannibal bands?" Barry tested.
Scarlett bit her lip, the Bandits directed their energies and labor against other Raiders would be welcome, but allowing exceptions would be a slippery slope of exceptions, "If war is conducted against enemies of the Republic and decency, then it would be a just conflict. What is most important is that no more suffer and fear travel on I-10 just because they do not belong to your people and lack the means for defense."
Barry nodded silently and ruminated, staring at the distance for a minute before he spoke once more, "Keep my people fed with no more knowing hunger or thirst, if such shall be true with no obligations, then we shall try our hand at peace."
Scarlett found herself unconsciously relaxing as the biggest hurdle seemed to be leaped. It was one thing to form relations with friendly and benevolent powers like Rosenberg or Sugar Land, but to create genuine peace in the Wasteland left her very fulfilled.
Peace with Brookshire achieved. Brookshire Bandits will refrain from raiding, and in return Texas must supply 5 Food and 5 Water every month. New Actions Unlocked.
[X] Astroworld Diplomacy (204/200): Rolled: 97!+5, 97!+5
If the warm welcome by Sugar Land was surprising, then the ecstatic and jubilant red carpet that Astroworld practically threw at you was incredibly shocking, a greeting so friendly and enthusiastic that it made Sugar Land look outright cold and hostile. It was apparently an attitude derived from the extreme anti-Raider culture that the Astros had adopted. They treated Raiders as the absolute scum of the Earth, and your Republic having made its debut crushing two notorious Raider tribes made your Texas very heroic in the eyes of Astroworld.
It was a strong blessing that the Astros looked upon your Texans with awe and worship as it allowed the Second Republic to stand at a nominal equal when Astroworld was clearly superior. While Rosenberg had the best quality of New World life and Sugar Land inherited many riches from the old world, Astroworld had perhaps the best claim to true legacy of Houston. Stretching from West Parkway to 288, Astroworld was a genuine bustling nation that forged a bright new path forward from the war that agruably made it the heart of the Wasteland.
Having a population well over 80,000, Astroworld was a city that truly felt alive when a Texan would traverse through the streets. Active neighborhoods, busy markets where merchants sold their goods and services and travelers across the Wasteland would congregate to search for fortune, a developing domestic industry where post-war manufacturing produced both leisure consumer items and survival goods at a healthy pace from recycled materials. Astroworld in many ways represented some of the best parts of old Houston and was an enduring sign of the human spirit in the face of adversity, even in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse.
It was also something of a culture shock for your visiting Texans to experience in just how truly diverse Astroworld seemed to be. Not only were there thousands of Ghouls who built homes in the many communities spread across the city-state, but there was a plethora of peoples who didn't belong to the traditional Texan ethnic identities. West Orient, the recently annexed district west of I-69 compsoed of Houston's Korean, Vietnamese and Philipino communities. The Muslim communities descending from Persian and Arab origins who fled after the wells of the Middle East dried. Indians, of whom many formed the backbone of Astroworld's medical hospital system, and Mexicans descended from migrants after the annexation who largely kept their native culture in comparison to your more mixed Tejano citizens. Very friendly and welcoming of Texan tourist and traders, although disturbingly there was a high hatred and loathing of the Chinese who were treated in essence like boogeymen with parents keeping their children in line with scary stories of the Chinese coming to kidnap them in the night with stealth suits.
Astroworld was truly a beautiful sight among the Wasteland and an example for the Second Republic to follow. Perhaps they could have united Houston by now were it not for the cancerous abundance of Raiders in the Wasteland, the lack of good soil and irradiated local waters, and a brain drain from the losses of Rice and UH, being the cause for the Houston triangle with Sugar Land providing agricultural goods and Space City being a center of innovation and access to old technology, creating a symbiotic triangle.
The fact that such a vibrant community could bound together and forge new lives in the direct aftermath of the apocalypse gave you hope for Texas, that your experiment would truly lead to greatness with the Lone Star flying from Sabine to Rio Grande. However, for such a dream to come true, it will require strong friendships and partnerships with the surface born. They may see you as fellow allies today, but how could you get them to become true citizens?
"Never thought I'd get to return here, the eighth wonder of the world." You say in heavy awe and wonder as you peer out over the stands on the club level, gazing out into the beautiful empty stadium that had been the sight of some of your happiest childhood memories with your Pa.
Growing up, you were both heavy baseball fanatics and devoted followers of the Houston Astros. Sports in general was often regarded as the secular religion of Texas, and when the oil dried out which lead to the state's economic doldrums and the war with China was in full force, Houstonians in general sought escapism through the seasons of their hometown heroes, the Astros, Oilers and Rockets.
Back in the 2074 season, your Dad had been fortunate enough in a game of poker to win a pair of playoff tickets for a game against the Red Sox that turned into a 13 inning battle of attrition won just barely by an Astros home run, allowing them to go all the way to the World Series and claim victory against the Dodgers. It was a beautiful time, and probably the last set of pure and innocent memories before the last pre-war years where you developed some maturity and perception, realizing for the first time just how bleak the world was getting beyond your hometown and that the twilight of the United States was in full force.
Sam Hofheinz, the Mayor of Astroworld chuckled beside you, "You wouldn't say such a thing at the turn of the century. Up until 15 years ago, the dome along with Valiant and the Center were tent cities. Thanks to our reclamation campaigns, we just now begun rennovations and hopefully by the end of the decade we can return this old beauty to its original purpose for sports and entertainment, already have had a few concerts recently, good country stuff."
Much like Brenham, Astroworld was in a way a corporate city with the Hofheinz dynasty, already a major political force in local and statewide politics before the war, being the dominant institution from which Astroworld's politics and economy were guided. Though to be fair, the Hofheinz's did have some credence to being entrusted as democratic monarchs of a sort since it was the safety of the Astrodome district with its intact buildings and tunnel system that thousands survived the radiation and famine and would go out and create a new world.
"Just how did the Dome survive? We all just kind of assumed for forty years that it was nuked to high hell." You questioned.
Sam took a deep swig of a pre-war beer, one of the many luxuries his family had access to, "Well, we are the pride and joy of Houston but there's no great strategic or tactical benefit from dropping a bomb on us and the only real heavyweight target in the South was Hobby. We also got lucky, if you can call such devil's fortune that, in that the Chinese locally only managed to drop a 15 kiloton on the Medical district, a precision strike so we just had to bear the end of the shockwaves. Fucking Commie cunts, executing the ill and depriving of us of medicine." Sam says with heavy vitriol, a kind that made Aggie attitudes towards Raiders seem calm.
"Right when the Euros and Arabs started killing each other, my grandfather, Robert Hofheinz was scared out of his mind that we'd be next against the Ruskies or Chinos, and he would be right prophetically. Spent most of our family fortune in the 50's reinforcing the architecture of our real estate, buying out the nearby apartments and making them blast resistant, and digging tunnels. People called him a wasteful madman and he nearly got his franchises revoked, but Papa certainly had the last laugh as the world was ending." Sam said with a melancholic sigh.
"Of course, our space neighbors certainly pulled their weight with their defense system." Sam said in a offhand comment, one that practically made your eyes bulge.
"Defense system, what does that mean?" You questioned. If USSA had something cooked up their sleeves, then why the hell didn't they use it to form an umbrella over Texas, or the rest of America for that matter.
Sam looked to you in surprise, "You never heard of it? Huh, I guess we treat it too much as common knowledge for the rest of the Wasteland to know. According to the space folks, they were working on a nuclear defense umbrella system with RobCo right before the war hit. Most of the trials were passed and a prototype system was being constructed in Houston. It never got finished fast enough or spread throughout the city to protect us completely, you know with the usual feds being fucking cheapskate scum, but the space boys got enough to save South Houston from direct hits save for the Medical Center, Hobby, the Universities and the port districts. Lord knows how fucked up the Bay would be if the Commies managed to strike the Dikes or sink Galveston."
Well that was certainly an incredible piece of information, and definitely provided context from all the gossip and rumors about how Space City was so clean and rad free despite USSA likely being a priority strategic target. Still, it made you wonder if RobCo had access to a nuclear umbrella, what became of them?
"Speaking of Space City, that reminds me of why I wanted to bring you here." Sam mentions, then moves over to a pre-war map of Houston from before the war, "Last year when we began talks of a common currency with our allies, it was agreed that in order to do so that we had to have contiguous borders with one another and secure trade routes or else all of our goods and people are just gonna get looted and killed. We've been mobilizing to take action, but our Army's been stalling because we're still carrying the burden of annexing the Orient and there's been a Raider surge south of Hunter's Creek, not to mention those Spartan freaks are buildup up for something in the East." Sam speaks, using a stick to draw out his talk with visual aids.
"However, your Republic's success and expansion has given my people a burst of optimism and jingo spirit, and since you just opened up the road to Brenham and got contacts with College Station, this may be our first genuine chance at taking back East Texas from the hordes. Next year, though sooner should the field look favorable, we were going to launch a new campaign to free Stafford. It's got a hell of a lot of Raiders praying on our trade with Sugar Land, and the Bandidos got an outpost with some heavy firepower. We're going to attack in league with Sugar Land and partition, we get Stafford while they get everything south of Alt 90. Any aid from your Republic would be very appreciated, and from there we can take back the Southeast, provide secure roads to Space City and Galveston. And once we get the currency up and running, one large common economy from Galveston to College Station." Sam says.
You can't help but whistle deeply at the boldness, not even your most patriotic and jingoistic generals had dreamed this big for the short-term, "It's a grand plan and does good for Houston, but it's a bit too tall of an order, as much as I would love to help ya. We just finished clearing out our home county and need to consolidate and focus domestically for the short term, make sure us Texans are living instead of surviving. Not to mention we're just five thousand cowboys with lots of old and children." You speak plainly.
"True, but every gun counts against the Raiders, especially since we still need lots of bodies to guard the borders and keep watch for what comes out of the North. Be rest assured though that your Republic won't solely get vague market benefits from aiding us. If you scratch our back we'll scratch yours and help you move east into Katy and West Houston. You might not know, but you're on the periphery of Colt and Bandido territory. The latter got their eyes set on I-10 and it's only a matter of time before they drive west bound San Antonio."
Before you can discuss further, a knock then interrupts your meeting, "Who is it?" Sam hollered.
"Major Hernandez from the Scouts sir, I need to speak with you on some recent findings." Says a raspy voice.
Sam gives a look to you then shrugs to himself, "Come in Major."
As you suspected, the new visitor was a Ghoul, one dressed in a uniform that looked to be looted from the Houston Police Department with riot gear. The Major salutes Sam and then gives you a weary look, "Sir, it would be best if we discuss this information in private."
"That's quite alright Juan, the President here is an ally of the Astroworld, so unless it's anything classified, you can say to him anything you wish to say to me."
"Howdy." You greet plainly. While touched by the gesture, you were unsure if you would ever give the same liberty to any visiting head of state, especially so short into the diplomatic relationship.
The Ghoul judges you with a hard stare and then sighs, "Well, I guess there's no harm in giving your people a head's up. Sirs, currently I'm stationed with the Downtown battalion, mostly Ghouls so we can trek through the radiation." Juan informs, likely for your benefit, "Last night I was patrolling with one of my squads when we observed a feral swarm on the attack near the old corporate skyscrapers."
"So?" Sam questions, as if this were a regular thing.
"Well sir, they weren't facing off Chinamen, Raiders or Mutant beasts. It was a squadron of people with robots, all equipped with military-grade radiation suits and laser weapons on every person, pistol and rifle." Juan informs, the last statement of which certainly grabs your attention.
"Space Force?" Sam questions with concern.
"They didn't wear any of the insignia or models USSA has and they would have informed us of any patrol routes. At the same time I don't think they're ex-military or descended like the Ellington boys."
"How can you be so sure?" You question.
Juan pauses in thought for a moment, "It's hard to describe, they're not pathetic and got some discipline, but they don't act with the precision and tactics of soldiers, more people trying to emulate soldiers if that makes sense."
"Any Power Armor?" You prod further.
Juan shakes his head, "No, just the rad suits."
"What did they want?" Sam asks.
"They were going into a few of the Corporate buildings, maybe looting, it's hard to tell what. I was going to make contact but when a vagabound passed by they just executed the poor bastard for no reason. We returned when it was daybreak and we'll try and be on the lookout again."
"Be sure to bring some bots and we'll keep mechanized on standby. For now just keep an eye out and don't engage unless they advance to our territory." Sam commanded with Juan saluting.
"Ever run into this kind of trouble before?" You ask trepidly.
"In the early days there were all kinds of ex-government types skulking in the waste. Most of the local state and federal figures flocked to Space City, so either these people have just come out of a bunker nearby or they're foreigners." Sam says.
"Non-Americans?"
"Outside the Houston Wasteland."
Diplomatic Relations with Astroworld Established. Astroworld has VERY HIGH opinion of the Second Republic of Texas, heavily open towards alliance and cooperation. Progress requirement for USSA Diplomacy greatly reduced. Boost towards future actions involving or friendly with Astroworld.
[X] Auto Restoration (111/75): Rolled: 22, 89
When we returned to the surface, inventory was taken of how many automobiles were in the town. There were more than a 1000 when we went underground, and of those 898 were left, presumably more than a hundred were stolen by Texans in need during the early days of the apocalypse. 237 were in hypothetical working condition, but of those only a measly 32 cars were working nuclear cars and the rest were gas or electric cars. The electric cars could hypothetically be fixed with a charging station, but you lacked electricity for the town due to many other pressing needs, and while you had access to Sugar Land's ethanol, it was very expensive in resources and most were dedicated for domestic use or their allies.
So not the prettiest picture, but on the bright side you had access to a nearby abandoned dealership and a Toyota parts distribution center in Southwestern San Felipe which should provide parts for some of your cars, or at the very least material for steel conversion or workshops into necessary car parts for other brands.
Since the start of the year, many of the elderly men from Vault 28 got to work on restoring any cars they could, the activity one of nostalgia and purpose to give back to the Republic while so many of the youth were fighting against Raiders. You got a further 26 nuclear automobiles to be working again and 20 electric cars which are powered through a rather convoluted process which involves taking the electric cells back to the Vault for charging and then putting them back into the car. You traded with Sugar Land for a couple gallons of their ethanol to test out if it could work on a gas car, and it purred like a kitten so if you're able to expand ethanol production to a large scale level, any gas automobile you find can be working again.
Overall you got not including any gas cars, 78 working cars and 111 cars restored to potential working condition which makes the amount of cars you have on hand for restoration exactly 270. Sadly there's around 400 cars which have eroded beyond any working condition, but at least you can scrap them for more resources. Of the 78, half have drafted into the military while the other half are mostly state, but a few private usage in trade and transit. And for the military all it's good for is transporting squadrons to the front and behind the lines along with a few vans and pickups converted into makeshift ambulances for stabilization while wounded soldiers are transported to the Vault for surgery.
Overall, you're not going to be as mobile as Americans of your youth for a good long while, but at least you have some basic mobility to keep up with the other major powers of the wasteland as high ownership and usage of automobiles is considered to be a sign of wealth and strength. If you want to continually increase mobility, you'll either have to increase electrical production, stock up on Ethanol, or domesticate horses.
New Actions unlocked. Spillover progress pushed into other actions.
[X] Pipe Weaponry (105/100): Rolled: 22, 83 (Decided to lower requirement to 100 after thinking about it and coming to belief that Pipe Weaponry research wouldn't take that long)
You remember once reading in a magazine somewhere that Texas had the most guns in the Union with ten million guns, ownership enhanced further by Commonwealth laws that let Texans purchase old military-grade firearms to support the war effort. Still, in spite of such high ownership it seems that many Texans were lacking, and to close the gap in the wasteland pipe weaponry has become a mainstream weapon.
Usually using plumbing pipes, but really any kind of metal cylinder can apply, a pipe gun is crude weapon held together by shoddy welding, duct tape, glue and prayers. The firing mechanism relies on pulling a nail to activate the round and send it forward, but due to the shoddy and uneven composition of the barrel, pipe weapons tend to be inaccurate, single shot and depending upon the design, prone to damaging the barrel or the greater gun. Becausae of the lack of standardization, revolver and bolt-action tend to be the preferred choice, although some craftsmen in the Astros and Colts are said to have the ability to create automatic or semi-automatic pipe guns. Some inventive wastelanders are even able to make airguns that can fire bullets, though these are generally weaker than true firearms.
While it's unlikely that we'll have to resort to the equipment of pipe guns to our military, the Rangers, troopers and militia are all given basic courses for how to identify and use pipe weapons on a general basis in case they need to be forced to use one should circumstances arise, like being behind enemy lines.
Pipe Weapons now available to construct.
[X] Republic of Texas Constitution (511/500): Rolled: 56, 28, 53
At long last, the Constitutional Convention for the first Constitution of the Second Republic of Texas is here.
Continued in: 2121 Constitutional Convention
[X] San Felipe Fire Department (127/100): Rolled: 98
You thought the SFFD was just going to be a neat little part time department that would mobilize if a house fire or lightning strike got too out of control. However, the San Felipe firemen really exceeded your expectations with a showing of discipline and effectiveness in their drills that rival the Rangers. So far in the few fires that have broken out, they have been very swift in their response, contaminating the fires before any major damage was done. San Felipe Firemen have also taken the initiative to train themselves in medicine and become paramedics like how the urban and suburban fire departments were before the war. Lastly, in league with the auto restoration efforts, the Fire Department actually managed to restore an abandoned Sealy firetruck with a nuclear engine, giving them heavy capabilities to combat large-scale fires. Unfortunately, the truck has to remain full with water at all times due to a lack of fire hydrants and town water system to draw upon, but with Bellville liberated, we should be able to hopefully get a proper water system up and running soon.
San Felipe Fire Department created. Future disaster response actions receive boost. +1 bonus to Administration rolls.
Duke William of
I really need to finish my quests. :V
- Pronouns
- He/Him
That was a very 50/50 update. Many rolls were sucky, many were amazing, but overall, it was a good turn.
- Location
- Nice try
Also new dices will be avaliable
Oooh I guess Robin's Texasian charm charmed the lady.
It's the fucking Brotherhood!
It's the fucking Brotherhood!
overmind
Ruler of the Swarm
So many more dice!!! Very happy!
- Location
- California,USA
We should invest into Morters just in case.You don't say...
Maybe get the "Twin Sisters" Artillery system set up.
Seems our militia project got some sort of hidden boost. Regardless, I think we should spend the next turn or two actually building up existing territory.
Is this going to be a reference to that one Fallout game?You don't say...
There isn't a town called Carbon anywhere in the vicinity is there?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Agreed. We have stuff like Deconstruction and House Repairs, Power San Felipe, and other stuff to handle. Also it sounds like we may want to focus on the Texas Air Force - people are getting testy - let's not slow roll it anymore.
If it is the brotherhood then we should crack open that factory in Sealy before they come knocking.
Requisition of Funds: Twin Sisters Program
- Location
- California,USA
Requisition of Funds: Twin Sisters Program
Mr. President,
It has come to the attention of the Republic of Texas Army that the infantry arms and armor provided by both Vault-Tec's supplies and whatever ordinance we can scavenge from the old San Felipe Area.
What we are facing is cancer that is both well-armed and well-provisioned for the so-called "Raider Problem".
And we can ill afford to allow our enemies the chance to use their experience and skill in the Wasteland to overwhelm us with tactics that may in fact overwhelm us. An unlikely scenario, but one that should always be considered in this uncertain time.
Therefore we should consider the suitable action to organize a Texas Artillery Unit to be a force multiplier to the Texas Rangers and the Army.
With Regards.
Minister of War.
-------------------------------------
(Kit POV)
"So they want artillery?" You said looking at the report. "I don't even know where to start on this one?"
"Well, it is a reliable force multiplier. With the Air Force taking so long to get off the ground as it is, It would be wise to at least diversify other options." Porkchop said taking a moment to say his peace.
"And with power armor out there, we may need something bigger than hand grenades and mines." He continued.
You nodded. "It is something to consider, at least I've seen what the hell is out there, and how vile and despicable those ingrates can be. They looked coked up and they bunched up a few times."
"Hunter any suggestions?" You asked.
"Sir I'm not a military man?"
"But you are an engineer, what is the most cost-effective form of artillery we can make?" You asked.
"I mean we could make rifled cannons, they are what won San Jacinto. Twin Sisters" He said trying to sound more able than he was at the question.
Hmm, muzzleloaders were the most practical and cheapest manner, to load, not only that the black powder would be easy to sort. The problem was, that they were muzzleloaders, and required more people to load, maintain and supply.
Breechloaders were more efficient but harder to make with their limited industrial capability and supply.
Each one had merit.
"If we are to commit to artillery in any regard, what would you suggest?" You asked.
"If we're going muzzleloader, we'd likely need a variation of the M1841 6-pounder field gun, its reliable and easy to carry generally…and well-throwing canister and grapeshot would be an intriguing anachronism to piss them off." He said.
"But if we're going breechloader, we use the M1897 Feild gun. It worked in the last of the frontier wars and Spanish American War and others, but it's simple, easy to maintain, and the only problem is ammunition supply, they will be an annoyance to make." He continued.
"Well, that or make a Hotchkiss Gun and pray for the best we figure it out." He then finished.
"Very well, we'll inform the Armerment Commission to design and think up a probable plan to consider artillery in the near future. For now we will keep it in the maybe pile." You said. "Though one thing does keep me up at night."
"What does sir?" He said.
"What the hell will 19th-century artillery do to 21st-century Power Armor?" You finished.
AN: This Omake on Artillery is sponsored by the Minutemen whose use of Howitzers could hypothetically destroy the Brotherhood of Steel.
As you can tell I love Artillery!
Mr. President,
It has come to the attention of the Republic of Texas Army that the infantry arms and armor provided by both Vault-Tec's supplies and whatever ordinance we can scavenge from the old San Felipe Area.
What we are facing is cancer that is both well-armed and well-provisioned for the so-called "Raider Problem".
And we can ill afford to allow our enemies the chance to use their experience and skill in the Wasteland to overwhelm us with tactics that may in fact overwhelm us. An unlikely scenario, but one that should always be considered in this uncertain time.
Therefore we should consider the suitable action to organize a Texas Artillery Unit to be a force multiplier to the Texas Rangers and the Army.
With Regards.
Minister of War.
-------------------------------------
(Kit POV)
"So they want artillery?" You said looking at the report. "I don't even know where to start on this one?"
"Well, it is a reliable force multiplier. With the Air Force taking so long to get off the ground as it is, It would be wise to at least diversify other options." Porkchop said taking a moment to say his peace.
"And with power armor out there, we may need something bigger than hand grenades and mines." He continued.
You nodded. "It is something to consider, at least I've seen what the hell is out there, and how vile and despicable those ingrates can be. They looked coked up and they bunched up a few times."
"Hunter any suggestions?" You asked.
"Sir I'm not a military man?"
"But you are an engineer, what is the most cost-effective form of artillery we can make?" You asked.
"I mean we could make rifled cannons, they are what won San Jacinto. Twin Sisters" He said trying to sound more able than he was at the question.
Hmm, muzzleloaders were the most practical and cheapest manner, to load, not only that the black powder would be easy to sort. The problem was, that they were muzzleloaders, and required more people to load, maintain and supply.
Breechloaders were more efficient but harder to make with their limited industrial capability and supply.
Each one had merit.
"If we are to commit to artillery in any regard, what would you suggest?" You asked.
"If we're going muzzleloader, we'd likely need a variation of the M1841 6-pounder field gun, its reliable and easy to carry generally…and well-throwing canister and grapeshot would be an intriguing anachronism to piss them off." He said.
"But if we're going breechloader, we use the M1897 Feild gun. It worked in the last of the frontier wars and Spanish American War and others, but it's simple, easy to maintain, and the only problem is ammunition supply, they will be an annoyance to make." He continued.
"Well, that or make a Hotchkiss Gun and pray for the best we figure it out." He then finished.
"Very well, we'll inform the Armerment Commission to design and think up a probable plan to consider artillery in the near future. For now we will keep it in the maybe pile." You said. "Though one thing does keep me up at night."
"What does sir?" He said.
"What the hell will 19th-century artillery do to 21st-century Power Armor?" You finished.
AN: This Omake on Artillery is sponsored by the Minutemen whose use of Howitzers could hypothetically destroy the Brotherhood of Steel.
As you can tell I love Artillery!
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
I remain a firm believer in air power supremacy and am happy to see that there is indeed shipping to be had with our monarchist neighbors =3