[IC] Fallout D20: a post apocalyptic roleplaying adventure

[JesseJ]

The Overseer, a burly ginger haired man, with a few grey hairs for wisdom, walked into the command centre. He placed a box and a pre war map on the desk near his command console. The briefing would be informal so he didn't sit into the console.

"Alright you two, I want to keep this short and sweet" he declared. "I need you to leave the vault and scout around a suitable area to settle" he instructed. "We haven't had contact with other vaults, or the outside world, since before we were born, unfortunately we are at %150 capacity" he said, it sounded small, but considering that means 500 people more than the vault was designed to facilitate, it was a serious issue. "We need some eyes outside to bring in data, maybe find a new home for us all" he said quite seriously.

He turned to the box and opened it inside there were several PIP-BOY 3000. Handing them out, he said "this is a pip boy, you've seen them around no doubt, on older dwellers, before the stock ran out" referring to their current scarcity. "I'll give you a few minutes to configure the settings" he said, adding a query "any questions?"

[rocketrobie2]

Will took a Pip-boy out of the box and looked it over as if to see if there were any obvious flaw to it or disadvantage to wearing it. When his brief inspection was over he placed the device on his wrist and fastened the strap. Will was ecstatic to be sent onto the surface but he hid this fact well as he had been taught from many old westerns that he had watched within the vault. He didn't know what to expect from the devastated world above but he hoped it would be somehow similar to his aforementioned movies with outlaws all around and danger behind every cactus. He knew that the chances of this were pretty minimal and there was likely nothing but dust, ruins and a few bugs here and there but he was allowed to dream.

Following the Overseer's offer for questions, Will replied with as cool of a one liner he could think of, "just one. When do we get going?"

[Voltus_Ventus]

Agatha looked at the box and crossed her arms around her waist, her lips pursing and her forehead wrinkling as she screwed up her face in thought. The areas around her scar discolored, going Crimson as the facial expression pushed blood around under her pale skin. Her mind cast back to memories of her youth, sitting at the feet of her neighbor while she breast fed her baby, she had always told Agatha that 'Life was like a box of chocolates, it's short if you think people just hand out chocolate.'

As she thought, she tapped her foot rapidly against the concrete floor, her fingers tapping against the wrench that hung on her belt by her side. "Aye," Agatha began, moving a stray lock of hair from her face before placing her hands on the table, bolstering her weight as she leaned in, "I can understand why you picked this pikey," she said, gesturing to Will, "But why the fuck did you pick me?"

[JesseJ]

The overseer looked at the archaic wall clock before replying to Will "it's zero seven hundred now so the earlier you leave the better, make the most of the daylight, if there is any".

He then faced Agatha, replying "well I didn't select you, the TURKS did, but having said that, I think it is a good selection". His mind wandered momentarily to some of the disasters caused by inappropriate individuals being placed into roles way beyond their skill sets.

TURKS

*Task-based Universal Requirement Key System* a vault-tec script that selects people for tasks based on their skills and what makes them SPECIAL.

[rocketrobie2]

William grabbed the rim of his hat and tipped it slightly in the Overseer's direction. "Much obliged. See ya on the other side 'pardner." the wannabe Cowboy said as he left the Overseer's office and headed for the monolithic door to the outside world.

"Been a long time comin'" Will said to himself, "time ta' see what I can do."

Will stood by the door, Blue Blazer drawn as he waited for his wasteland companion to join him at the door.

[Voltus_Ventus]

Agatha looked the overseer straight in the eyes as she reached into the box and pulled out the best condition PIPboy she could find. Which still was worse for ware. "And what about equipment? I think we could do with more than just some clunky computers on our wrists." She growled slightly, glaring at the man from the other side of the table. "We don't know what's out there, we could do with extra things."

Her tone had suddenly shifted to one of vulnerability, she had been selected for a task she didn't want to do. And if she denied an order from the overseer she would probably be trailed and thrown out anyway. If she was to leave she wanted the best chance to survive.

[JesseJ]

The overseer nodded at will, then looked at Agatha. "He's keen, that's why he got the job" he stated matter of factly before addressing Agatha's concern "glad you mentioned it, just a moment".

Walking over to a locker, the overseer pulled out a backpack. He carried it over to the desk and opened it, he took out to vault-Tec water canteens, they had there own sling. Then he pulled showed the rest of the contents, three flares, a multitool, a kitchen knife, a few cans of food and a rope.

"Obviously all these things are self evident, and you know, the rope, well Charlie Bronson always has a rope, and he always ends up using it too" he said as he repacked the bag and slid it towards Agatha. "I really wish we had more weapons to give you, but until the timelock on the armoury expires, I can't leave the entire vault vulnerable by giving you Derek's weapons".

He cleared his throat and walked over to his console. "Now we better get a move on, I'll see you to door" he said as he turned the key and pressed the button to initiate the opening of the huge vault door.

[rocketrobie2]

Will stared at the crack of light that shined through the opening door. It was blinding and unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was so bright yet still somehow gentler than artificial kind that was abundant in the vault. Truth be told, Will was scared of what was beyond the door but he was determined to greet it head on. The gunslinger made no move to leave yet, opting to wait for his new traveling companion.

[JesseJ]

One badly repainted Rob-co Ms Nurse hovered out of the medbay and up to the entrance where Will was waiting. She introduced herself in a robotically feminine voice "hello" her statement was followed by a brief raspy static sound "#*^<".

Derek, the vault security officer arrived also, in order to see the party off, and take a peek out the door. "Damn I wish that siren would shut up" he declared, it made the whole door opening experience unnerving. He approached Will, saying "hey Will, this is K4TY" he said gesturing toward the mr gutsy like robot, manufactured for medical assistance. He leaned in and said softly "though 'she' does prefer to be called 'Nurse Katie', and I'd stay in her good side because she has had some, programming tweaks".

[rocketrobie2]

Will wasn't the biggest fan of robots. He didn't have a deep seated hate for them or anything and would gladly put up with them but he still had a fair amount of distrust of them. They could be reprogrammed, manipulated and one could never get a read on them as the whole heartily believed their programming with no room for creativity or the like. Still, Will trusted Derek and in turn he decided to give the robot a go.

"Good 'ta meet you Nurse Kaite" Will said with a tip of his hat as he rested his hand on his suit's belt casually.

"We'll be headin' out as soon as Ms.Agatha joins us 'ah reckon."

[Voltus_Ventus]

She took the bag without a word and just looked at the overseer, a wounded look, almost disgusted. Here she was, being removed from her home on the whim of a computer algorithm. "I hope you never get selected to die by a computer." Agatha grumbled as she walked through the short Overseer's tunnel towards the large, gear shaped door. Standing beside the hovering robot, who Agatha gave a brief once over, and her cowboy companion. She stood wordlessly as the door opened, only reacting when the light hit her eyes and forced her to shield them with her hands.

[JesseJ]

The Overseer shielded his eyes as the light poured into the vault. "Remember your primary task is to find a new home for a lot of people, it should be defensible and have resources, or at least an area around it to deploy the GECK" he said, "also, if you can find more weapons for us, and the settlement, that would be good too".

Walking the party to the door, the overseer looked out but didn't pass the threshold.

[rocketrobie2]

Will tipped his hat down to block out the sun's blinding rays and he began to walk out of the vault. He was ready to take this brave new world on with his Blue Blazer on his hip and a dedicated demeanour. As Will walked out of the safety of his home, he looked around at his surroundings, trying to decide which direction to walk in first.

[JesseJ]

The vault door faced east, it was tucked into a rocky outcrop on te side of a mountain. The road leading down to the valley is in disrepair, weeds grow in the cracks. Aside from rocks, there is a great deal of regrowth forest trees and a few abandoned and trashed construction machines, possibly from when the vault was built.

K4TY hovered out and it's scanners slowly rotated. The morning sun was low over the horizon. K4TY randomly said "it's a wonderful day" in a positive feminine tone, albeit robotic and ending with a raspy "scchh".

[rocketrobie2]

As Will left the vault he chuckled a bit at his robotic companion's comment. At first he thought it was sarcasm but he began to consider that the machine might actually think it was a wonderful day out. The thought of this made Will shudder a little as he began to imagine all of the other things that the robot may see as 'wonderful'.

"Ah' say we get followin' this trail. Get ourselves goin' somewhere other than here." Will suggested as he began walking down the road.

[Voltus_Ventus]

Agatha stepped out into the daylight. 'Daylight.' What was hitting her was not simulated light coming from buzzing, fluorescent tube lights in the ceilings. Taking a deep breath she quickly caught up with the Katy and Will. Bringing the PIPboy up, she checked the map with a frown. The only marker on the large map was the vault.

"That's not very specific." She said with a worried tone, lilting in a thick Irish accent. "I think once we get out of the Vault area I'll hook the PIPboy up to Katy's sensors."

[rocketrobie2]

"Sure. That sounds like it could be useful 'ta our sit'uation." William responded in his faked western drawl. Truth be told the reality of the situation was beginning to dawn on him. He was going to be traveling with a woman he barely knew and a robot for the foreseeable future in an attempt to find a new home for everyone that he's ever known. It was a scary situation but also an exhilarating one as it was likely the closest he'd get to emulating his heroes from the old westerns that he used to watch in the vault.

[JesseJ]

The track zig zagged down the hill. K4TY swirled slowly as it beelined toward the main road. The dense thickets of shrubs made it almost impossible to see beyond the road, K4TY scanned nonetheless.

Upon reaching the main road that passed through the grassy valley, K4TY raspily declared "to the south east is Lawton, a military town most likely struck during the Great War *#<¥". Implying that it may be a source of weapons, though may also be irradiated. "To the north west is the whichita wilderness and wildlife refuge" it said, implying there may be a suitable area for GECK deployment and settlement.

[rocketrobie2]

William walked up beside the Ms.Nurse robot and dropped into a squat. He looked in both of the suggested direction given by Katie while picking up some of the earth from the ground and tumbling it around in his hand. It served no purpose to help with his decision but William had seen it in a tons of films and figured it might give him good luck at the very least.

"Munitions would be ah fine thing ta' have in this here wasteland buh't ah reckon we start wit' famili-er-izing ourselves with some of tha landscapes where we could settle tha other Vaulters." William said, giving his two cents on the situation as he returned to a standing position.

"Don't s'uppose ya have any opinions 'urself Nurse?" William asked his mechanical companion.

[JesseJ]

"#<!* According the the professor..." K4TY was referring to the vaults very reclusive and possibly mad scientist. "...less than five percent of humans survived the Great War, of those, half will be horribly mutated, the other half will be reduced to savages scavenging in the irradiated wasteland like animals".

K4TY paused its macabre answer with a rasp, or rather the professors statement somehow etched into data. Her front sensors seemingly stared at William. "*#< My assignment is to monitor and to assist, I don't have an opinion ¥{#".