Turn 6 December 2121-March 2122
[X] Plan Will of the People
-[X] Yes (San Felipe Expansion Act)
-[X] Yes (Business Squatting Bill)
-[X] Line item Veto: Remove the mandatory monoproperty ownership clause and make the bill simply about letting wastelanders into the vault more (Vault Residency Act)
The San Felipe Expansion Act and Business Squatting Bill both see quick ratifications from you with firm agreement. You very strongly align with Stephen's viewpoint that San Felipe needs to be a grand and worthy capitol that will last for centuries instead of being a stopgap to Austin or some other grand capitol. As such, the annexation of Sealy and Brazos Country which are both lightly inhabited already thus providing little conflict, is an easy decision. The Business Squatting bill makes sense as a natural next step to prepare for the return of a currency-driven market and to push Texans to stop surviving and start living. Thankfully, there's little direct competition for claiming business properties, with most entrepreneurial Texans who wish to start a business in the same field actually forming cooperative companies with their potential rivals, viewing joint ownership and the pooling of resources as better than being in conflict with so little. The process is made all the more harmonious by an amendment added by Vault 28 congressmen to allow for the creation of business zones either within personal residences, or in open Vault space with a permit for Vault Dwellers to sell products and services, thus making a "Vault Market" for Vault Dwellers to exchange in addition to the already provided goods and services which may likely turn into state run businesses after currency adoption.
The Vault Residency Act however would give you pause for the moral ramifications of its contents and its potential unconstitutionalism as many opponents decry. After much contemplation, you decide to go with Stephen's suggestion and have your first usage of line-item veto to strike out the monownership clause so that Vault dwellers can have properties both on the surface and in the vault. Admittedly, this is partially out of some personal stake as you and Jessie had yet to formally vacate your Vault residence out of some uncertainty for the surface, causing a number of cries of corruption from Wastelanders, though the most important provision of the bill, the opening of permanent residency to Wastelanders does go through. To settle any hard feelings, you push the Vault Residential Association to push through as many Wastelander applications as you can to fill up the vacancies and show that Texas was a practicing state which stood by egalitarianism.
Thankfully, there has been a growing number of vacancies due to Texans moving up to the surface, and with the rising quality of life with the spread of electricity and house repair keeps many Wastelanders on the surface in vacant homes, thus at the end of the day the number of Wastelanders who actually went ahead and applied for Vault homes were more than managable at 120 families, still giving the Vault open to more than 300 settlers until max capacity is reached.
"Jesus Christo Jaime, you're acting like a thirsty dog!" Complained one Anna Mirales.
Her boyfriend, Jaime Hernandez looked at his girlfriend as if she grew another head and became a Brahdos, "It's free clean water, not a single Rad. That's what we're supposed to do, we drink it."
The specific action she had been chiding him over was how he had turned on the bathroom sink in amazement and started drinking from the faucet without restraint like a canine would a garden hose.
Anna groaned in frustration, strolling to the kitchen to grab a glass cup and handing it to her boyfriend, "We also have clean cups now so use them. Don't want our new neighbors to think we're a bunch of ferals in a jumpsuit."
Jaime sported a look that was a mixture of hurt and annoyance, "Who cares what they think. We won't lose our home over manners and so long as we keep to ourselves and aren't pendejos then everything will be fine."
The cause of this recent spat was Anna and Jaime not being born of Vault 28, but being Wastelanders, born and raised in Kingsville near Corpus Christi, or "The Corpse" as it was colloquially referred to nowadays.
Neither had grown up without hurt, and they experienced nowhere close to the peace and comforts their parents and community elders spoke of, but on most days they could eat and drink, had a roof over their heads and could get by. Only when they had just barely started being teenagers, everything came crashing down when a hurricane destroyed their community, and left adrift they were easy prey for slavers, forcing the two to separate from their families and friends, who were by this point either dead, adrift or worse.
What followed was a decade long trek across the Gulf Coast, Anna and Jaime doing their best to make ends meet, roaming from town to town and doing their best to survive, always in the pursuit of that miracle of stability. Even in the communities they drifted to which weren't on the verge of collapse, outsiders were viewed with suspicion and not welcome for cohabitation, forcing them to move on and drift to the next settlement.
Then, everything changed when they heard of a tribe flying a lone star flag, claiming that they were Texans who would bring back the old world, already doing so much by culling slavers and giving pure water to all under their banner. After a rough journey, they arrived to the promised land they had long been in pursuit of but always distant from, never reaching.
It was a tense transition, being seen as outsiders and completely at the whims of Vault dwellers who could have so easily become colonial masters of the wasteland instead of true equals. However, time helped to build bridges and eventually the two found their roles with Anna being a mechanic at work for the San Felipe garage and Jaime doing labor for one of the many construction crews that tore down and rebuilt Austin County. While mostly loners, the two had showed good character and actions to make them eligible for their very own vault room, ensuring that their descendants could live in salvation, the opportunity denied to their ancestors for wealth.
Anna sighed, looking downward, "It's not like I want to become some prissy prude like those Rosenberg Gringos. But we finally have a home, finally never need to want anything, and I don't want to f*ck it up."
Jaime walked forward and offered a comforting hug which Anna leaned in, "If we were gonna f*ck it up that easy then we wouldn't have gotten this place. We're good Texans, we've proven our worth. All that hell is behind us, from now on it's just smooth riding, so let's just enjoy ourselves for once and spoil ourselves in paradise." Jaime said, to which Anna nodded in slight acceptance.
The couple then jolted at the sound of the home's doorbell being used. Unsure and anxious, Anna opened the door, the two being greeted by another smiling couple, "Howdy!" They both greeted.
"Hola." Anna returned shyly. Looking at the two greeters, she couldn't help but be self-conscious of the comparisons. It was clear that the two were Vault Dwellers, by their shiny perfectly kept hair and good smell. While Anna and Jaime did their best to keep clean, it wasn't a priority and they were not the picture of hygiene, even if they were among the cleaner sorts of people in the Wasteland. Surprisingly, the Vault Dwellers did not wear their iconic jumpsuits, only wearing Pipboys though the man wore the blue and yellow jacket loosely, making Anna even more anxious as her and Jaime were dressed fully in the jumpsuit like they were Vault Boys.
"My name's Jacquie and this is my husband Blake, we heard that we were getting some new folks from the surface and just wanted to stop on by and treat you to some nice southern hospitality."
"Thanks." Jaime said, not really sure how a direction could improve hospitality.
"I know that Scarlett's been handing out gift baskets to most of y'all," Jacquie began, with Anna positioning herself so as to block the torn basket with its food contents having already been mostly scarffed down, "But I thought it would be better if y'all have some fresh baked goods, for that little home touch, peanut butter cookies specifically. Would have had more, but Blake was a worse thief than an American taxpayer."
"I only had three!" Blake protested,
"And Lord knows how many scoops of cookie dough."
Jaime quickly grabbed the bowl and scarfed down on one with bulging eyes at the flavor, then greeted with another round of annoyance by Anna, "These are really good." He said, then set the bowl off to the side and wiped his hands on the pants of his vault suit. "Me llamo Jaime by the way, and this beautiful flower is Anna." He said complimenting.
"Hello." Anna said again, not really used to friendliness much after so many years.
"You know, we're having a Bowling night tonight at Level 13 with some friends, why don't y'all join us, we can introduce you around, have a grand old time." Blake offered.
The two Tejanos stared at their neighbors in confusion, "What's bowling?" Anna asked.
-[X] San Felipe House Repair (325/300): 5 Resources Per Dice. [1 Dice] 59+1
The final house repairs are completed before the New Year, marking the transformation of San Felipe to a quiet set of ruins into a new beating heart of Texas. May this be the start of a great and glorious Second Republic.
San Felipe House Repair Complete. San Felipe in pristine condition. Overflow go to Sealy and Brazos Country Repairs.
-[X] Sealy Real Estate Repair (155/465): 10 resources per dice. +1 Development Dice. [4 Dice] 39+1, 9+1, 70+1, 33+1
The process of real estate repair for Sealy does not go as smoothly as San Felipe. The reason for this delay is due to both a poor state of the land, with a number of forming sinkholes being observed, as well as cracking foundations and decaying walls. As such, your construction crew spend the winter generally examining the state of all the properties in Sealy and which can be marked for simple repairs, extensive overhauls, or are in need of tearing down. An exhaustive process, but at least you should be good for proper restoration come Spring.
Real Estate Repair progress increase by 15. Gain 10 Resources.
-[X] Brazos Country House Repair (53/100): 5 Resources Per Dice [2 Free Dice] 41+1, 10+1
House repair for Brazos Country, or east San Felipe is a bit of a slog as while Brazos Country is was very lightly built and solely focused on dwellings, the situation is made complicated by Brazos flooding weakening the Foundation on a handful of houses along with the recent freezes and rain producing a marshy land that makes for poor construction. Still, the labor crews managed to at least get to halfway completion.
-[X] Country Roads: Sealy-Brazos Country (88/200): [2 Free Dice] 49+1, 37+1
Keeping in with the overall theme of domestic development, you have authorized the construction of a new series of roads, both pedestrian and for automobiles and livestock, to connect the now expanded San Felipe across its three districts for greater ease of civilian travel as well as allowing for a faster mobilization in defense and war time. The construction project goes smoothly, though at a slower pace than what you'd like. For a few of the roads, negotiations are being done with Rosenberg and Space City for the supply of asphalt and concrete to pave over them and provide for a smoother transit.
-[X] Scout Wharton County (151/100): [2 Dice] 58+5, 83+5
Throughout a rather frosty Texan winter, the Texas Rangers performed a reconnasaince of Wharton county to secure our southern flank. The good news is that East Wharton County is raider free, a state of affairs ironically thanks to Rosenberg who launched a series of punitive campaigns in the early 2110s to set up a series of buffer towns on their frontier to prevent any raiders from threatening Rosenberg. A collection of settlements referred to as the "Wharton Alliance" exist as a sort of confederacy centered around the town of Wharton against Raiders and maintain a healthy trading relationship with Rosenberg, feeding crops for manufactured goods in exchange.
There are two notable features of Wharton. One is a small nuclear power plant which is still operational and supplies power to Wharton and the allied settlements, and could be extended to the southern half of the Second Republic with the right investment. The other notable feature is Wharton County Junior College, which has been untouched by the passage of time and still exists as a place of learning for adults, though mostly to give adult Wastelanders basic skills and knowledge instead of "high education". While no peer to the universities of old, Wharton's materials could prove invaluable to your future education programs.
The bad news is that the western half of Wharton County largely falls under the influence and rule of the Conquistadors, with the Rangers finding out most unfortunately that the Conquistadors largely rule the I-10 region between San Antonio and Houston with a rusty steel fist underneath a velveteen glove, and that you had crushed one of their buffers into expansion in Houston proper with the Seals, swell. The town of El Campo is a Conquistador encampment home to a band of more than 100 Raiders, focused on preying on I-69 travelers and to act as a rest stop for raids targeting the coastline, the only benefit to these scoundrels being that they are nominally more civilized and less prone to wanton abuse than Columbus. Also, El Campo currently has power due to a brief war launched against Wharton in 2117 which ended in a peace treaty that forced Wharton to direct power to the town. The more you learn, the more it is increasingly looking like these Conquistadors will be Texas' next opponents.
-[X] Loot Sealy Factory (111/100): [1 Dice] 26
Driving down a lonesome road in their squadron of armored trucks, Major Cooper Morgan ordered his convoy to park a couple hundred feet from the factory on Frazer Road. Getting out, Morgan barked a series of orders to his subordinates who shifted out and took their various positions in case things went south and they'd have to clear the robots out by force.
Traversing to the factory, Morgan cursed the President on a rare occasion that he couldn't have pushed the Power Ranger project earlier or wait on this until after it had been completed so worse case, they'd have some T-45s on hand who could easily clear out the Protectron and Gutsy complement like a turkey shoot. Unfortunately, the War Department as well as the general civilian populace was getting antsy, so it was now or never. At the very least, they did have the full set of manager codes, so assuming that these abandoned robots were not reprogramed by a third party since the bombs fell, they should still stick to their original directive, at least that's what their friends at Space City said.
Flanked by four Rangers, Morgan arrived at the gate of the factory where a waiting protectron approached, "Halt, you are entering restricted private property. Leave now or I will be legally authorized to use deadly force." The robot said, seemingly barely giving him time to respond as his laser barrels were starting to heat up.
"Managerial Transfer Command Mackenzie Alpha Charlie Klondike 875246." Morgan ordered, desperately hoping that this would indeed work out and he could go through this operation without a drop of blood or oil. Nearby, his fellow Rangers just ever so subtly raised their firearms while far behind them, a couple of pairs were keeping a sniper overwatch.
The Protectron suddenly froze at the command, bending over slightly as it looked to be in deep thought, then after a five second delay responded, "Command received, uplink to grid robots activated, recognizing new established manager. State designation."
"Cooper Morgan." Morgan replied.
"Welcome Manager Cooper Morgan to Sealy Mattress Factory, factory has been in shut down mode for 44 years, 41 days, 3 hours, 24 minutes, 57 seconds. To restart factory, you must enter Manager office and enter command into terminal."
Morgan nodded, breathing a great sigh of relief. Of course, he would transfer overall command to President Neil, or more specifically the office of the President later along with some sure updates to the Mr. Gutsys so that any core coding wouldn't freak out at the existence of an independent Texas, but it was nice to be in charge.
"Robot, I would like to receive a tour of the factory. Before we do so, I would like to request that my accompanying associates be recognized as non-hostile." Morgan asked.
"Are they in the Sealy employee database or employees of the federal government?" The Protectron asked.
"They are.....recent hires to Sealy but haven't been able to be input into the system, delays caused by the war effort I'm sure you understand." Morgan bluffed.
Thankfully, it worked, "Have all associate employees lacking authorization to approach for scanning to be input into the database, Manager Cooper Morgan must be advised to input their credentials in the system as soon as possible."
"Will do, and also be sure to transfer all weapons functions to non-lethal unless ordered to."
"Roger, roger."
After a period of scanning for all present Rangers so that no friendly fire incidents would arise, Morgan and his complement of Rangers would enter the factory grounds, being given a tour by one of the stationed Mr. Handy models, Gutsys and Protectons taking absolutely no mind of the Rangers or questioning the current state of affairs, the same robots that would have fried them a week before now seeing them as valued protected workers.
Fortunately, the tour of the factory would confirm all the intelligence that the Rangers had gathered leading to this day and more. While Protectrons were a common sight for pre-war corporate facilities, the location of federal-issue Mr. Gutsys were a curious sight that warranted investigation. At the home of the Sealy Factory's former manager, who from the logs on his terminal was likely stuck in Houston when the bombs fell, the reason for this heavy security was uncovered, for Sealy like many companies had been drafted to produce goods for the military in the name of the war effort.
Sealy throughout the war had mostly focused on providing a stable supply of sleepware, mattresses, sleeping bags, tents and pillows to give the troops a good nights rest in the field and sleep soundly through Chinese gunfire. By the company's records from what Morgan found scrolling through the terminals, they were pretty decent at it by all things considered. They still had thousands of such mattresses and pillows in stock, enough for every Texan to have the best night's sleep, though they already did since the Vault was already supplied with Sealy mattresses.
The real prize though, and the reason for this present robotic surge is that the company had been enlisted to create Combat Armor for the Army, most specifically holographic fatigues that displayed far superior camoflague than the current Texan uniforms along with anti-ballistic armor that while only providing modest defense against energy weapons, was highly effective against all non-armor piercing ballistics.
Apparently as Vault 28's veterans had explained beforehand, after the start of the Resource Wars, the military began the Trooper program to make dedicated infantry protective gear, which included the three Power Armor models. Part of the program was a division of infantry issued gear between anti-ballistic and anti-energy. Anti-energy Combat Armor were those seen in the propaganda reels and documentaries of US soldiers equipped with bulky alloy plating that gave your average trooper the highest defense in the field outside of Power Armor itself, but was generally more expensive and slowed then down. While Anti-Energy Armor was still mass produced, to alleviate the burden, non-essential, auxilary and domestic personnel were equipped with the old anti-ballistic armor. The model that Sealy had been making specifically was the T-49 Combat Armor which had been deployed in 2074 to aid in the Canadian occupation and act in support for operations in Alaska.
Sealy had been contracted for a bulk order shortly after the Liberation of Anchorage, most likely to deal with the spread of Chinese guerillas in Alaska. The factory had 20,000 T-49 units in storage or in the last stages of production, more than enough to equip every Texan as well as providing some for your allies if you wish. While a clean laser hit would burn, it would at least not be instantly fatal and pipe weaponry would barely be able to blunt the Combat Armor.
Hypothetically, with the Sealy factory and its accompanying schematics, you had the potential to make as many T-49s as you wished, though the issue with that desire was that you had no domestic supply of cotton or nylon, meaning you would have to import from Sugar Land and Space City respectively, and the latter would be an extremely expensive good. At the very least, you could hypothetically make pillows and beds with ease, and this could prove a valuable trade good with the rest of the Wasteland.
Still, this was undoubtadly a good find, the fact that Texas now had access to a mechanical platoon of Protectons and Mr. Gutsys was just the icing on top of the cake.
Sealy Factory Secured. T-49 Combat Armor issued to all professional Texan forces. New Actions unlocked.
20 Protectrons, 12 Mr. Gutsys and 30 Mr. Handys now owned by Texan federal government.
On Mr. Gutsys, would you prefer for them to be assigned in defensive roles alongside Protectrons, or deployed in the field with Rangers?
[ ] Defense. Should the worst happen and Texas be attacked, we need the Gutsys to defend our citizens.
[ ] Offense. They will be valuable tools for the Rangers, if nothing else than to be disposable troops for high risk operations.
-[X] Mighty Gunslingin Power Rangers (117/250): +1 to Martial rolls [3 Dice] 78+2+5, 12+2+5, 6+2+5
Your announcement at the Texas Air Force commissioning that the creation of the "Power Rangers" Platoon would soon commence and that any Texan serving within the armed forces was eligible to enroll was met with heavy jubilee and exhiliration, a couple of soldiers even shooting their guns into the air recklessly like mad cowboys of old. Texas may have very mixed feelings of the Sino-American War, but few children of Vault 28 who grew up watching the holotapes from the front lines and listening to the war stories of veterans past couldn't help but develop an intense fascination and awe with the concept of Power Armor. The ultimate man operated weapons that turned any soldier into a demigod on the battlefield. Hell, a fair amount of your own childhood games involved roleplaying adventures in a plethora of genre where the heroes would wear Power Armor, both T-45 and T-51 and fantastical creations.
As such, you shouldn't have been surprised when the training for the Power Rangers lead to a whopping 604 recruits. However, these poor sons of guns would learn the hard way that in order to become a true Power Armor user according to the standards of old America was to go to hell and back in a style of training that made Ranger boot camp look close to tame. It's a harsh and unforgiving regimen focused on the cultivation of peak strength and endurance, as while hypothetically any man or woman can use Power Armor with no training, to truly master the Power Armor requires a user to be at peak condition and to become one with their armor, not to mention containing all the other qualities of being an excellent soldier such as marksmanship and tactical accumen, and a basic mechanical knowledge for maintenance and repair in the field.
Within days, the numbers are whittled down quickly as the wheat are separated from the chaffe with 604 climbing down to 137 dedicated trainees, and such a number likely to whittle down even further. At the very least, this should hopefully mean you will come out with the best of the best pilots.
-[X] Machine Guns (145/150) Autocompletes this Turn
The last of the ordered Machine Guns are completed and installed back into the defensive emplacements which were given to the Army. Thus our defensive capabilities are preserved and 1st Battalion has some more firepower.
-[X] Bell-Texan Joint Warfare (145/150): [2 Dice] 86+2+5, 55+2+5
While your....in-laws may live life like in an aesthetic like it's 1421, at the very least they have the basic intelligence and awareness to know that they're living in a post-nuclear age and there are some aspects of modern warfare that can't be abandoned for a neo-Renaissance lifestyle. Since they do lack the industry you possess as well as luck with finding post-war relics, Bellville's methods of warfare are focused on both mobility and range, learning well from the Longhorns that if they are locked down and to close then the battle will be a lost cause.
The Bellville forces are split into two components, the Cavalry and the Men-At-Arms as components of the military. The Cavalry was made up mostly of Knights and their Squires, around 40 men and women who acted as scouts and vanguards for attacks, carrying with them pistols for normal ranged combat. For close quarters, they usually have some sort of customized saber to allow them to chop down passing enemies or should they need to dismount, to participate in close combat. There are also some short lances, mostly meant for combat with feral ghouls as some tend to wander in from Prarie View occasionally. Admittedly, their mastery of horsemanship is rather top notch and they've offered to aid you in your quest to domesticate horses for the Republic, something you've been holding off for a while thanks to the expanded stock of available cars.
The Men-At-Arms are mostly "Peasant" squads lead by Paladins. When deployed on duty, these troops are typically equipped with some form of leather armor and genuine chainmail, though in a more refined fashion than the Raiders. Knights and Paladins are extremely impressive as they wear genuine suits of armor made from scavenged steel in a copy of sorts of Power Armor. In fact, save for the lack of its iconic helmet and a differently shaped chestplate, you'd almost say you would be looking at skinny forms of T-45 Power Armor. Nowhere near close to proper power armor to be sure, and the wearer needs to be a physical beast to carry the burden of a 100 pound suit, but it does provide genuine protection to firearms and even some limited energy protection if the Knights are to be believed. These Knights deploy on the Katydales and can actually be effective cavalrymen.
Lastly of note is that Bellville seem to have a fondness or speciality in close quarters. Many of your Rangers thought this was a joke, but when Robin lead a contingent of Rangers to enter into the Oktoberfest tourney, many were instantly beaten in the melee where their fast and dagger-reliant styles, even with the Bowie Knife, were little match for the raw power and endurance of a Bellville knight. Not to mention they have some rather admittedly badass weapons which are effective in close quarters and against ferals and wildlife like maces, axes, maul, swords and more.
Admittedly when all comes down to it, Bellville is a capable force but they do lack two basic fundamentals to become a truly formidable force in the open Wasteland, numbers and lack of pre-war technology. At least for the former, it is being made up with King Michaels "Call for Return" where a number of Bellville residents who had lived before scattering to the winds after the Longhorns, are now meeting the call and migrating home now that their lands are a safe enclave of Texas.
Well, for now the War Department is running war plans with the court and there will be a wargame proper in spring to try and actually simulate how we'll work together in the case of invasion. Hopefully you can both learn something useful and push each other to improve.
Autocompletes next turn
-[X] Houston League (165/100):
You've met all three powers of the Houston triangle and now they wish to include you into something greater, a League for Houston to cooperate, achieve mutual defense, and create a common economy for the good of the Houston Wasteland so that civilization may once more return. It's a big commitment, but it can also be the first step of something greater. +1 to Diplomatic rolls. [2 Dice] 71+5, 84+5Shortly after Independence Day on March 9th, you would make a return to the Astrodome for the formation of the Houston League, no longer a mere triangle but a mighty Houston Hexagon meataphorically speaking. A great alliance of nation-states that would help each other survive the Houston Wasteland through common defense, partnership and brotherhood in development, and a united diplomatic front and common market so we could rebuild and achieve normalcy.
It is somewhat odd for Texas to be engaging in an alliance with...well Texan states, but it was always going to be a hard sell to convince communities to just give up their independence completely for Texas just because maps and history make their land yours. Besides, they were genuinely decent neighbors and good people who did God's work by bringing civilization and shelter to the Wasteland while you and your people were bunkering underground. With their unique resources and trades, you can all push each other to be greater than alone, and perhaps one day this experiment will lead to true unification, ironically following the American fashion.
In addition to your presence, the leaders of Galveston and Hunter's Creek had attended to involve themselves in the alliance, Galveston to serve as Houston's gateway to the Gulf Coast and the rest of the world, and Hunter's Creek admittedly being more self-serving and deeply reliant on the existing alliance for protection, hoping to formalize things even further and hopefully stand as an equal.
The leader of Galveston was Mayor Henry Auclair, a rather flamboyant and charismatic gentleman who carried the dignified air of an aristocrat, yet spoke with the vulgarity and plainess of a sailor and acting with the wit and shrewdness of an experienced merchant. Your fellow Vault Dweller for the meeting was Marth Foley, a petite young blood that seemed like the opposite of Rosenberg's Luke McClellan. Whereas Luke was a confident showman who had an energetic and eager pace of leadership, Martha was more reserved with a seeming lack of enthusiasm and uncertainty of her position and actions. Decent company but not a skilled stateswoman. You couldn't help but get the impression that Vault 41 were not a group of happy campers and didn't have the same pioneering spirit to reclaim the Wasteland.
Speaking of, the League had been not so subtle in their desire to have you act as an intermediary to recruit Rosenberg, with Texas having the best relations with them. There was plenty of skilled talent and labor which could be of great benefit to a Houston economy, nevermind their advanced robotics and Vault-Tec gifts that made them a close peer to Space City, though not near enough to the latter's sheer scale of industry.
The second item of importance that the League was interested in directly from Texas was your participation alongside Sugar Land and Astroworld in their joint campaign against the Raiders occupying Stafford and Missouri City. If successful, there could be one contiguous trade route from College Station to Houston finally and Sugar Land could transport its agricultural good to Astroworld easier and substantially mitigate any possibility of shortages or famine. Perhaps with the Air Force functional and the Power Rangers picking pace you can participate in the Spring or Summer, but you did your best not to firmly committ, saying you'd need to consult with your cabinet and Congress and there was the present threat of the Conquistadors to consider.
Thankfully, little else was strictly demanded of you and it was a merry mix of social interactions and light politicking. You couldn't be too relaxed and consume heavy servings of Karbach however, as there was far more to do than sign the dotted line, most importantly with your first act as a member of the League was to plan and discuss the common market, and the creation of a common currency.
"Up until now, we've done good on the barter system and have come up with our own unique currencies, but our economies are developing to the point where it is simply unfeasible and unsustainable to commit to barter for large scale exchange, especially with our economic diversification and need for large-scale international trade. As such, it is time we move forward for a common currency in the name of market stability and a healthy return to Capitalism, though not necessarily to the depravity of the pre-war of course." Maria Reynolds said.
Before today, each nation used their own unique form of currency. Sugar Land used company issued script from Imperial Sugar and had their currency backed by sugar and water. Astroworld did business in baseball cards which was a somewhat convoluted mess based on players as denominations and then some cards rarity served as higher denomination, all of which backed by rare materials in an "Astro Vault". Space City still used American dollars and for the longest time practiced fiat currency before needing a transition to water-backed dollars as part of expanding trade with the rest of the Wasteland.
As for yourself, admittedly in your first two years you've still held true to bartering as the Vault's welfare system was still in full force, so everyoe got their basic needs and there was no great personal accumulation of wealth so to say. That was changing by the day though as people started to learn new crafts and trades, and seeing the wealth of their eastern neighbors, wanted more.
Weirdly enough, the most common method of non-barter currency in the greater Wasteland of Texas was motherf*cking Nuka-Cola Caps. Sure you remember some kids before the bombs fell trading and collecting Caps as encouraged by Nuka-Cola, but to outright use them as a universal means of common trade, to the point where one could use caps as far west as San Antonio and El Paso. How the f*ck did that came to be? What kind of cultural osmosis took place that it spread to the many corners of the state.
Thankfully, it looked like Houston at least was gonna move beyond such nonsense, "As we agreed upon previously in discussions, we shall be creating a "Houston Dollar" for a common exchange. There are printing presses here in Astroworld and in my Space City, but we will be willing to help build presses in your respective nations if you do not feel comfortable with others controlling the printing of our currency. This new dollar shall be backed by both pure water, which we shall all hopefully keep in reserve for exchange, as well as gold, thus making it a dual currrency."
"Won't we need gold for electronics and robotics? We've already had to sacrifice so much of our personal wealth for maintenance and your supply of new products." Martha questioned.
"True, gold is both an organ and a vein for high performing electronics, pre and post war. Such is why we have pure water as a form of specie with gallons replacing bullion, as in light of our lack of nearby plentiful fields or mines, this can be an equalizer. And of course, to make up for the inequality of production of purified water-" At that, various glances were exchanged across the room at each other. Texas, Space City and Galveston had an abundance of clean water through purifiers, but Astroworld and Hunter's Creek had no ready domestic sources while Sugar Land's production and aquafiers was modest in comparison to yours.
"Which is why to level the playing field, we shall of course perform the heist of the century." Sam Hofheinz announced. Then the lights dimmed and a projector showed on the wall a rather hideous brick building that looked like a child's bad drawing rather than true architecture.
"This is the Houston branch of the Dallas Federal Reserve. A recent investigation into the City Archives has uncovered that in the months leading to Armageddon, the old Treasury Department prepared for nuclear war by splitting the gold reserves to every corner of the country to help establish an economy after the nuclear fire. It's been 44 years and no one has come to claim it, thus by Salvage rights, it belongs to the city of Houston."
"Here, here." You say enthusiastically, glad to be stealing from America so to speak.
"So far from what we can gather, there's 100 tons of gold in the Vaults of that reserve. Even if we are being very generous with the division of spoils, that's more than enough to back up our currency without water as a secondary specie, and to fulfill our industrial needs. Hell, we can even restart the jewelry sector if we want to. Our plan is simple, go in, purge any squattors, extract the gold and divide it for the common market." Sam stated.
"Participation from members is most certainly not mandatory." Maria emphasized, "But it is very welcome with Astroworld and us dedicating substantial elite units to the operation. Whoever does join us will be guaranteed a generous allotment of the divided gold."
"But I'm guessing it aint gonna be that simple, hence why we can walk out." Jack Candy said, to which Maria nodded.
"Irregardless of the potential dangers, most likely feral ghouls, rogue robotics and mutated mega fauna, there are our enemies who will most likely take notice of such a high scale operation, nevermind the extended length of the extraction. Spartans, Bandidos, Colts, Gulf...the Chinese-Americans." Maria said, the last group with more hesitation along with a glare to Sam who simply rolled his eyes. "There is a decent chance someone will strike on the passage. We will do everything we can on our end, but there's no guarantee of clean and easy."
Will you partake in the Federal Reserve Heist? If so, participation will be mandatory next turn.
[] Yes
[] No
-[X] Brenham Diplomacy (145/75): [2 Dice] 73+5, 62+5
The State Department has scored another win with the opening of full time diplomatic relations with Brenham. Considering we now ensure that their southern border is one with a peaceful and utilitarian neighbor, it was only a matter of if, not when we would develop relations with Brenham. Embassies are opened up in San Felipe and Brenham and both of you have signed a defensive pact should the Longhorns come a knocking for revenge.
While Brenham lacks the enthusiasm and awe as your Houston friends, they are pretty decent neighbors with State Highway 36 seeing frequent daily traffic of a couple dozen horses and cars go from Sealy and San Felipe to Brenham. Brenham is quickly becoming a favorite importer to Texas for its diverse and flavorful lineup of dairy products, most especially the precious Blue Bell ice cream with the Vault no longer being in fear of running out of stock. In return, you export a fair number of manufactured and crafted goods, with demand being high for Hunter AC units, and pure agricultural goods.
With the roads now free and safe, you've taken a few trips to Brenham and overall it's a nice if not quiet agricultural town that managed to get by gracefully with no bombs and minimal radiation. Downtown Brenham is also a very diverse and busy place in a similar manner to Astroworld with traders, pioneers and wanderers from all corners of Texas, and even a few distant states like Arkansas and Louisiana making their way to exchange goods and services or stop before taking the next stage of their life's journey. Thanks to this, there's a fairly developed service industry with hotels and motels popping up and
providing travelers with high quality hospitality. Such a place may serve as an excellent source of information on the greater state of Texas, such as how you're now aware of a weird German-Czech confederacy called Adelsverein and how Waco is now dominated by some crazed cult who are referred to as the "Cyrus Branch".
For now, Brenham is content to be a trading hub with little appetite for expansion aside from maybe gaining more farmland in Washington county. For the near future, it looks like you two will be natural allies.
-[X] Air Conditioners (200/75): 30 Dice, +1 to Development rolls [3 Dice] 69+2, 25+2, 100!+2
You don't know how the hell Adrian did it, but he managed to make the perfect AC system that comes just shy of the engineering art that was a Vault-Tec ventilation system. So far, even with the restored power to San Felipe and the creation of homestead wind turbines, the surface can only be tolerable to so many with the extreme Texan heat. Even you have to admit you've been tempted to move back into the Vault full time just for the eternal 70s. The restoration of electricity has alleviated this issue somewhat, but some homes still go without any form of AC. Not to mention that this past winter saw a number of below freezing days and many weeks where the temperature was in the 30s and 40s.
To address this crisis, Adrian really poured his all into the workshop, being so dedicated that you would say he neglected his position as Vice President heavily were it not for the fact that his inventions would serve as greater contributions than anything he could have done in office for the past three months, hell depending upon his career, none of his political service may matter in comparison to this. A perfect AC system, reliable cooling with perfect temperature control, made from scavenged parts with little consumption of space and easily adapt for customization, and a heater function that completely eliminated all signs of cold and left one nice and roasted as if they were sleeping next to a fireplace. They say that the Sun Belt was conquered with Air Conditioning, perhaps something similar may happen with the Second Republic.
Hunter AC/Heater system invented. Incredibly high performance at far lower energy requirements in comparison to pre-war units. Luxury good for trade produced. Immigration to Texas will spike in coming years.
-[X] San Felipe Independent School District (150/300):
One of the benefits of life in a Vault is that you have easy access to decent education with a plethora of materials and subjects that you would have found in a pre-war school. Unfortunately, education has become a luxury within the Wasteland with survivors only knowing what their parents or guardians know and whatever skills are passed down. Few know how to perform tech and complicated labor, and illiteracy is a rising epidemic. Try to plan out a new school system not only for children of the Wasteland, but so adults who had no easy access to an education can be integrated and stand as equals to their peers. +1 research Dice. +1 to research rolls. 5 resources per dice. [2 Dice. 1 Free Dice] 45+2, 79+2, 20+2The construction of San Felipe early ISD is underway, and fortunately you have three very intact and well stocked schools that the Seals never tried to loot or make much use of, not that a school would be handy for illiterate and violent raiders. Crews are sent in to clean the place and determine what's good and can be used for future classes. While Sealy Elementary, Middle and High School were definitely not among the top performing or best funded of the state, there's enough materials to get a basic education for wastelanders and more books and materials could be bought from Space City who tend to collect and print educational materials and literature like crazy. Also, Fort Bend County should have a collection of very well stocked libraries which have been untouched until this point.
So far the plan is for the Vault school to continue operations alongside the Sealy schools which for the moment will focus mainly on the education of teenage and adult wastelanders who were unable to receive a standard education, thus filling in the gaps. Wastelander children will be eligible for the Vault 28 school, of which your daughter Jane has been a teacher for near a decade. Over family dinners, Jane has shared that there has been something of a rough period in including wasteland children into the Vault, as Vault dwellers and wastelanders naturally formed cliques and there are many spiraling arguments between the two groups from personalities, vocabulary, way of life and more. At the very least, there are some friendships blossoming and over time, Jane believes these growing pains can end and the Wastelander students will be just as smart and capable as the Vault born.
You're unsure at this point if your schools will have much potential on churning out constant geniuses or really anyone close to Adrian's level, but at least everyone will be competently intelligent and capable.
-[X] Federal Surveys (15/50): [1 Dice] 9+1+5(Luck)
You meant to organize Federal surveys, but forgot to start due to being overwhelmed with the laws and foreign affairs.
-[X] Storm Drills (79/150): [2 Dice] 19+1, 58+1
The Departments of Interior and War spent winter and early spring with joint planning strategies for how to react in storm drills and provide aid in the aftermath, with so far the leading plan being an evacuation of Texas into Vault 28 for temporary shelter along with a lockdown of all surface facilities, then followed by search and rescue efforts later on. Porkchop has also developed plans to counter freezes with him working with the farmers to protect their plants during the few days of freeze this winter. County wide drills shall likely take into effect in the spring.
