Andronicus23

War Never Changes

Lancer-Sergeant Robert Kyle, HWY 3 Bridge

"THERE IS NO SALVATION FOR ANY OF YOU! UG-QUALTOTH WILL FEAST ON YOUR SOUL, AND CHEW ON YOUR SPIRIT...S..souless Abomination..w..what is that thing...."

Robert looked astonished as he saw that the crazed cultist woman was pointing directly at him, babbling some inane words about being 'soulless.' The MWBOS soldiers around him quickly apprehended and cuffed the strange woman however after ensuring that she didn't have some sort of bomb on her.

"Her eyes," Robert remarked to Harkness as he recovered from the shock of his first real encounter with a devoted member of the cult, "She had to be utterly insane. And what was she babbling about? Abominations and Ug-Qualtoth? I mean I've seen some crazy things in my time with The Brotherhood: chemed up raiders...even the President-loving zealots in The Enclave, but that...that was something else."

SRB War Room, The Institute

"Play the footage again."

"THERE IS NO SALVATION FOR ANY OF YOU! UG-QUALTOTH WILL FEAST ON YOUR SOUL, AND CHEW ON YOUR SPIRIT...S..souless Abomination..w..what is that thing...."

Director Thomas Milburn and Dr. Alana Secord stood watching the large screen inside the secure SRB War room. Agents manning terminals analysed and replayed the footage over and over again, trying to figure out what exactly had just transpired.

"Again."

"AND CHEW ON YOUR SPIRIT...S..souless Abomination..w..what is that thing...."

"Sir, she's pointing directly at the Synth. I don't know how to explain it other than..."

"Again." Thomas cut her off abruptly.

"Yes sir."

"S..souless Abomination..w..what is that thing..."

"The easy explanation is that she just got lucky. Or, more likely, she has no idea what she just pointed at and might as well have picked any member of The Brotherhood..." One of the agents offered.

"Agreed. Its a coincidence, nothing more." Another threw in their opinion.

Thomas simply folded his arms together and lowered his head in thought,

"Its possible," He said finally, "Of course we know next to nothing about these cultists, so its also possible that they've somehow found a way to identify Gen-3's from humans. In either case, the important thing will be to observe how The Brotherhood reacts to this."

"I can have a retrieval team on standby if needed sir," Alana said.

"That won't be necessary, not yet at least. Not until we know more about what just happened. In the meantime however, closely monitor the situation. Lets find out what they do with the cultist, or if they even take her accusation seriously."

"Yes sir."

"Keep me informed of any developments. I've other things to attend to for now," Thomas said as he left the war room and then walked out the secure door leading to the SRB facility. As he crossed into the concourse, he was greeted by a welcome familiar face.

"You called darlin?"

Cait stood there armed and geared up in her red and white military jumpsuit, a modified Institute pistol was strapped to her hip along with several plasma grenades.

"That I did," Thomas said with a smile. He ran his hand along her face. He remembered when he had first met her, battered and bloodied as she was fighting daily in the Combat Zone. They'd been through much together since then. He had saved her life, and she, in turn, had saved his more times that he cared to count. He would need her help once more it seemed.

"An old 'friend' of mine seems to have arrived in The Commonwealth, and he's already searching for a way to reach me. Are you up for a hunt?"

"Always," She replied with a devilish grin.

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

I'm just waiting on a response from The Enclave right now.

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

The Institute - Day One

---

Town of Nahant, The Commonwealth

---

@Leos Klien

A lone wastelander approaches the fortifications at Nahant, wary of the hate laden eyes that were undoubtedly now fixed on her. Both from the barricades themselves, and most probably from hidden locations around the area as well. She didn't doubt that the militaristic Enclave had a overly-secured perimeter. While the wastelander might have appeared disheveled and perhaps even malnourished when given a cursory glance, she was far from the usual primitives. As an Institute infiltrator Synth, she was one of the few remaining Gen-3's still left in The Commonwealth and tasked with reporting back to the SRB on the region.

As she approached Nahant, the Synth gave a subtle signal to her observers. A simple gesture that had been agreed upon as a way to communicate between the two groups that would let The Enclave know that the individual in question was an asset of their erstwhile rivals turned friends.

Once she was allowed close, the Synth quickly gave the shorthand version of her intended message,

"I need to speak to the Lt. Colonel," She said, "The SRB has received some....disturbing intelligence reports from here in The Commonwealth. Director Harland sends his regards."

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

Hmm. I might say this would leave your factions too powerful.

@NecroKnight

I guarantee it won't be as buddy-buddy as that. They certainly have common ground and reason to pursue some sort of alignment with each other(I mean, they're pretty much the only the people they can really talk to right now where they don't have to worry about getting put in front of a firing squad for crimes against humanity), but The Institute is under no illusion about who these people are and what would likely be happening if they'd met under different circumstances.

I'm imaging for instance what might have happened if The Enclave in Fallout 3 had sent the same ultimatum they gave Vault 101 to The Institute. My guess is that The Directorate's response would have been something along the lines of "Fuck off" and then prepped the Coursers.

Edit: Updated by sheet as well to match @Leos Klien

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

The Institute - Day One

---

Vault 118 - Bar Harbor, Maine

"A better future underground"

Director Victor Harland sat staring at the pre-war Vault-Tec poster on the wall of the Vault 118 overseer's office which proudly proclaimed one of the company's many overly optimistic mottos. The naive propaganda of the pre-war America was one of the most annoying things about picking through the bones of the old world.

"A better future underground..." He scoffed, "The only future underground, would have perhaps been more apropos."

Victor stood up and walked over to the large round glass window which was set against the side wall of the Overseer's office, and looked out into the Vault's great atrium. Down below, he could see Synths, reprogrammed robots, and Vault Institute personnel alike, scurrying about like worker bees, doing their upmost to improve the Vault and make it as homely as possible for The Institute personnel and their families which had been forced to use it for refugee. They had been hard at work renovating the Vault ever since they'd arrived. The Facilities Division had become more important than ever in this effort, and all personnel on non-essential projects had effectively been drafted by Facilities to assist with the "CIT Relocation Initiative": the flowery name that the Directorate had chosen to give their forced flight from The Commonwealth and their establishment in Bar Harbor.

Already much had been done. The Vault's reactor had been repaired and its efficiency boosted by nearly double. The reactor was nothing like they'd had back home, but it was adequate to power what they needed for the time being. Likewise, the Vault's water purifier was found to be in a state of neglect, but was still functioning. Strangely enough, while the robotic former residents had very little if any need of water, they'd used quite a bit of it over the years. From what Victor understood, this had apparently been due to the Robobrain's tendency to "relieve their glory days" and so things like re-filling the water of the indoor Vault beach had been made a priority.

The fact that such a thing as an 'indoor beach' had existed here alone was ridiculous enough, and the more he had come to know this Vault, the more Victor had come to despise it. Here was a testament to the folly of the pre-war generation. The excessive luxury, the horrendous wasteful use of resources for the over-indulgence for sport and pleasure, and the gaudy trappings of a society that was quite obviously full of itself.

That would change now. Down would come the ridiculous red-velvet curtains and the chandeliers. The 'indoor beach' had already been drained and plans to turn it into a possible hydroponics greenhouse were already underway by Bioscience, who were planning ahead for when their stock of nutritional supplements ran out. Things would become more sensible now: more utilitarian and orderly. The Institute wasn't opposed to enjoying a few well earned comforts in life of course...but this....this nonsense from a bygone age would stop.

Victor thought back to what he'd believe The Institute had been striving for. Back before The Brotherhood's arrival. A new world. A world that would be led by the guiding principles of scientific advancement and dedicated to the progression of the human condition. "Mankind Redefined", that had been their motto. To redefine the very definition of what it meant to be human: to change the nature of the human experience itself.

"We'll never stop striving for that," Victor muttered under his breath, "Now that I'm Director, I'll continue to uphold your legacy...Father."

The sound of the Overseer's office door sliding open caused Victor to break out of his meandering thoughts and turn to see who it was. Into the room stepped over his SRB Coursers, a stern looking woman which short shaved hair and dressed in the usual armored uniform. With the death of Justin Ayo and Alana Secord, and as a leading member of the SRB, Victor had been the next-in-line, as it were, to succeed to the Directorship of the Bureau. And with the Bureau's function as an intelligence agency essential to the CIT Relocation Initiative, it had been natural for him to be a prime candidate to succeed Father as Director as well. As such, he was now both Director of the SRB, as well as Acting Director of The Institute.

"Director Harland," The female Courser greeted him, "Request permission to give my report, sir."

"Yes, go ahead Z9."

"Thank you sir...Courser Units Z3-66, X2-53, and Y4-99 all returned successfully. SRB Agents debriefed them immediately upon returning, as per protocol. Attempts to penetrate further into the Fog has proved difficult, and the units report that the toxicity levels appears to increase substantially further into the island's interior. Some of the larger and more aggressive creatures have also been spotted deeper inland as well, and from our Synths currently investigating the town of 'Far Harbor', we've learned that the locals know these creatures as 'Fog Crawlers'. They appear to be an heavily mutated form of the pre-war Stomatopoda. Unit Y4 was also able to confirm the location of 'The Nucleus' but did not approach as per orders."

"Hmm. Cease further expeditions inland for the time being. We've learned enough I believe to understand that this island is an extremely hostile landscape. The best I can compare it to is perhaps the 'Glowing Sea' impact zone in The Commonwealth. Hardly an ideal relocation zone, but as we've detected no immediate contamination problems in the Vault...I suppose it doesn't matter. It may even help to shield us from aggression should we ever be discovered. Is there any word from The Commonwealth?"

Z9 nodded, "We haven't heard anything more from Nahant as of yet, but the informants we still have in The Commonwealth have been picking up on a number of interesting rumors. Specifically these are in regards a possible Beryllium Agitator, which according to our sources, may have been acquired by a group of unknown scavengers. I was not privy to the full details, but as I understand it, this is the device which the Mass Fusion operation had intended to acquire?"

"The very same," Victor nodded, "It was corner-cutting solution to the issue of time when it came to implementing Phase 3. I can't say how valuable it could be to us now, but if it could be acquired, then recreating Phase 3 might very well be possible."

"I understand that further investigation is warranted then?"

"I'll speak with the Directorate. But yes, it very well might be. I don't want to play our hand too strongly however, especially not for something that, while valuable, is not necessary at this stage. The security of this Vault takes priority over any other concern."

"Understood sir. To that end as well, I've begun implementing the security sweep protocol that you've asked be put in place. SRB has taken over internal security from Facilities Division entirely now."

"Hmm good. That should allow them to focus solely on the Vault's required maintenance then...." Victor knew that SRB might very well be seen as overstepping its bounds by overriding another Division's authority, but he believed it was a necessary step. He wanted to consolidate any and all security concerns directly under his own division. If that meant a few stepped on toes and bruised egos, then he was more than willing to trade that for having full control over something that he believed to be far to vital to allow for mistakes or delays.

"Anything else Z9?"

"No sir. That's all for now."

"Good you may return to your duties then."

Z9 gave a quick nod and bowed out of the office. Victor, in the meantime considered his next move. He was unsure of just how much he wanted to involve The Institute in the affairs of The Commonwealth, especially at this vulnerable junction. There was, of course, the matter of The Enclave to still be resolved. The Institute had known about The Enclave for some time, ever since they'd made their presence known in D.C. region but it was a surprise to find remnants of their government active in The Commonwealth. He wasn't sure he could trust them yet, or even that he wanted to, but the fact that they appeared to be interested in enacting their own revenge against The Brotherhood was enough reason to at least attempt cooperation. Trading information and non-classified technology was about as far as he was willing to go for now however.

After all this was the same group which, not too long ago, had apparently attempted to purge the world of all mutants. Which, by their definition, undoubtedly included members of The Institute. Victor wasn't overly fond of the Yankee-Doodle-blaring aggressive patriotism either. He had no intention of pledging The Institute's allegiance to a defunct, and rightly so, American state. Their backwards facing vision to try and recreate what had-been was...frankly...adorably naive. Had they met under different circumstances, he imagined that they would not nearly be as cordial to one another. Especially if their government had attempted 'annexation' of CIT.

"But least they have as much reason to hate The Brotherhood as we do," Victor muttered aloud, "We can work from there."

Vengeance...that was a strong unifying emotion indeed...

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

AKA: CIT Relocation Initiative

---

History:

---

History: During the attack on CIT by The Brotherhood of Steel, scientists, personnel, and Synths inside The Institute began a coordinated evacuation protocol. In order to buy time for the escape, a number of Synths were left behind to stall The Brotherhood’s forces, but many other first, second, and third generation synths retreated alongside their human masters.

With their hidden underground paradise breached and destroyed, members of The Institute had only one choice: retreat to the hated surface. Their first objective was to rally their surviving forces and take an inventory of their supplies and resources: their second objective was to get as far away from The Brotherhood of Steel as possible.

With Father gone, leadership fell to the remaining leaders of The DIrectorate who took charge of the remnants and set out to relocate The Institute’s denizens to a safer region. It seemed logical to attempt to locate and seize a working Vault which, barring official government bunkers, was likely the closest thing to their home that they would be able to find. To that end, Synth scouts were sent to Vaults in the northeast United States whose locations had been known on CIT databanks. Of the units that successfully returned, the most promising location appeared to be a Vault in what used to be Bar Harbor, Maine. The Synth that scouted this Vault had apparently been invited inside after he was mistaken by the residents as being a pre-war detective. The Synth reported back that the Vault was in excellent condition and that it appeared to be inhabited almost entirely by robots.

Wasting no time, The Directorate ordered The Institute personnel to the island. To accomplish this, they began searching for a means to travel there by sea safety. This led them to the town of Nahant, where they stumbled upon another group which was in exile due to The Brotherhood: The Enclave. A tense meeting between leaders of The Institute and The Nahant Enclave followed shortly afterwards, and after some initial hesitation, an agreement was struck. In exchange for their assistance in equipping and outfitting a vessel capable of sea travel, information about the surface, and a promise to be able to use Nahant as a 'port in the storm' in The Commonwealth, The Institute provided The Enclave with samples of some of their highly advanced technology. After the deal was made, The Institute set out for their new home.

They landed in Bar Harbor, Maine (now known as ‘Far Harbor’) after a few days of sea travel. Stealth Courser units were deployed onto the island, and with Gen-2 and Gen-1 Synth units in support, they launched an attack on Vault 118. The robots of the Vault were easily overwhelmed and seized, and it proved trivial for Robotics Division scientists to reprogram the robobrain residents and their Mr. Handy and Protectron attendants to serve The Institute’s interests.

Since taking control of the Vault and meeting the immediate needs of food, water, and power. The Institute has been keeping their heads down and observing the island as well as their old home in The Commonwealth. Working under the guise of newly emerged (and quite secretive) Vault Dwellers, they established limited contact with the residents of Far Harbor, trading some goods between them. When they send agents out beyond their new Vault home, a strict protocol of secrecy is maintained. Using Institute weaponry, armor, or equipment beyond the Vault is strictly forbidden and great care is taken to ensure that nothing could be traced back to them.

---

Notable People: Members of the previous Directorate (Clayton Holdren, Allie Filmore), Dr. Victor Harland (OC), Z9-23 (OC) and other members of The Institute.

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

@Andronicus23I noticed that you mentioned the Nahant docks in your CS, if you wanted we could do a bit a collab in our CS's about both factions meeting each other during this time?

@Leos Klien

Sure, that sounds good to me. Perhaps The Institute traded information about their fight with The Brotherhood in exchange for The Nahant Enclave's assistant in acquiring and outfitting the vessel or something?

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

AKA: CIT Relocation Initiative

---

History:

---

History: During the attack on CIT by The Brotherhood of Steel, scientists, personnel, and Synths inside The Institute began a coordinated evacuation protocol. In order to buy time for the escape, a number of Synths were left behind to stall The Brotherhood’s forces, but many other first, second, and third generation synths retreated alongside their human masters.

With their hidden underground paradise breached and destroyed, members of The Institute had only one choice: retreat to the hated surface. Their first objective was to rally their surviving forces and take an inventory of their supplies and resources: their second objective was to get as far away from The Brotherhood of Steel as possible.

With Father gone, leadership fell to the remaining leaders of The DIrectorate who took charge of the remnants and set out to relocate The Institute’s denizens to a safer region. It seemed logical to attempt to locate and seize a working Vault which, barring official government bunkers, was likely the closest thing to their home that they would be able to find. To that end, Synth scouts were sent to Vaults in the northeast United States whose locations had been known on CIT databanks. Of the units that successfully returned, the most promising location appeared to be a Vault in what used to be Bar Harbor, Maine. The Synth that scouted this Vault had apparently been invited inside after he was mistaken by the residents as being a pre-war detective. The Synth reported back that the Vault was in excellent condition and that it appeared to be inhabited almost entirely by robots.

Wasting no time, The Directorate ordered The Institute personnel to the island by seizing a large oceanic research vessel from the Nahant docks, and landing in Bar Harbor (now known as ‘Far Harbor’) after a few days of sea travel. Stealth Courser units were deployed onto the island, and with Gen-2 and Gen-1 Synth units in support, they launched an attack on Vault 118. The robots of the Vault were easily overwhelmed and seized, and it proved trivial for Robotics Division scientists to reprogram the robobrain residents and their Mr. Handy and Protectron attendants to serve The Institute’s interests.

Since taking control of the Vault and meeting the immediate needs of food, water, and power. The Institute has been keeping their heads down and observing the island as well as their old home in The Commonwealth. Working under the guise of newly emerged (and quite secretive) Vault Dwellers, they established limited contact with the residents of Far Harbor, trading some goods between them. When they send agents out beyond their new Vault home, a strict protocol of secrecy is maintained. Using Institute weaponry, armor, or equipment beyond the Vault is strictly forbidden and great care is taken to ensure that nothing could be traced back to them.

---

Notable People: Members of the previous Directorate (Clayton Holdren, Allie Filmore), Dr. Victor Harland (OC), Z9-23 (OC) and other members of The Institute.

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

@Andronicus23I agree, you could be connected to Far Harbour, you could a settlement they've established on the mainland for better trade, which would be a better idea on implementation.

@Leos Klien

Well my idea would be that their essentially masquerading as Vault Dwellers. And trading with the people of Far Harbor (and in turn The Commonwealth) for goods that they still need.

If putting The Institute in Far Harbor is too disconnected though, I'll try for a different location. It was just my first choice.

To be honest, I wasn't sure on how to include Far Harbor in this.

So you'd be eager on having Far Harbor be turned into a four-way situation? The Harborists, the Children of Atom and those in Arcadia?

@NecroKnight

I'd be fine with that. That way if anyone wanted to take up any of those factions, they'd be free too. The Institute would be keeping their heads down initially and essentially just pretending to be newly emerged Vault Dwellers, but they'd be keen on scouting out the island and figuring out how best to position themselves there.

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

On the other hand, it does seem like a shame to exclude Far Harbor entirely from this. Since its such a great location. But I agree the logistics might make it a little hard.