FALLOUT MARS

[Maharg67]

0078

THE GREATER STORY OF FALLOUT MARS

BACKGROUND NOTES

 

NOTES WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY EDITED AND EXTENDED

 

B OF A TO Z

 

BRADY RICH: Also known as Old Joe McDonald. Biological father to the Tyrone Triplets. Brady Rich dwelt in Megaton openly as a 'man of all trades' but mainly as a 'trouble shooter', a 'special needs and services provider' or even a 'special consultant'. In theory he was killed and was buried in Megaton but this did not happen. Instead he was saved by Professor Brown, departed from Megaton, 'shifted' his appearance and then returned to Megaton as Old Joe McDonald.

 

BRAZEN EMMIE: Emmie Tyrone; one of the Tyrone Triplets adopted by Mother Compassionate Sasha Tyrone in Megaton. Special!

 

Edited August 10, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0079

THE GREATER STORY OF FALLOUT MARS

BACKGROUND STORIES: GATHERING VINE-PODS

These stories are written to be read any time, in any order, with out interfering with the main stories.

 

The settlers dug up tough vine-pods in the odd moment of sunshine beaming down in the growing darkness. They did so as quickly as they could because they were exposed to danger even with there being five guards with make-shift body-armour and a mixture of guns and crossbows. These folk were so called fringers, settlers dwelling on the fringes of some larger settlement or settlements. These folk dwelt close to a cluster-settlement of five UCR towns. Sometimes the UCR tried to help them but they were not expecting such for even the UCR was having its troubles.

 

Vine-pods were worth digging up and they grew with surprising quickness. Big mutated molerats liked to eat them, as did smaller molemice. Sometimes wild mutated cattle or other animals would also try to dig them up but molerats and molemice had become expert at it as had some humans.

 

There were four big jury-rigged carts to fill with vine-pods and only one was yet to be topped up. People rushed for the sunshine was fading but they rushed as carefully as possible because they could not afford any foolish injuries, let alone just an accidental slow down.

 

The territorial cry of direwolves echoed through the cold air from the distance and a tired little girl grumbled as she clutched her stained rag-dolly to herself.

 

A fairly short distance away a platoon of UCR Borderguards came into sight, being on patrol. In fleximetallic body-armour, with a variety of military weapons and with two eyebots hovering through the air, they were a tough unit of fighters. Upon seeing the settlers racing to finish their work, the platoon came to a halt where they could come to the assistance of the settlers if they were needed. The settlers were gladdened but they did not slow in their work.

 

With the increasing darkness came new threats that would only vanish away when the great dawn of Spring came in some months time. Even UCR Borderguards would double or triple their numbers to go out into the Rimlands.

 

In the distance something arose from the depths of the earth and screamed out in frenzied rage and terrifying hunger.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0080

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: LUCKY EDDIE AND ANOTHER WONDER CHAMBER DISCOVERY

CLEVER ODDIE IN THE UVR SCHOOL

 

Lucky Eddie, Jasmine and the now much more cooperative Sages of Steel, found the second of the new wonder-machines hidden beneath the floor of the main chamber. It rose up out of the seamless looking floor with a soft humming to look like a semitransparent sided cylinder with part of the floor as its disk shaped top. Through the curved side one could see a silvery metallic globe carefully seated into a bowl shaped cup also of metallic dull silvery colour. Just as there was a semitransparent oval hatch in the cylinder, there was an oval metallic hatch in the side of the sphere.

 

The wonder-machine was soon proven to be a special form of access to the ultimate virtual reality realms of the school and others not fully active or accessible or both. One sat in one of the three special chairs in the globe, cyberlinked and then one could drift ghostlike through a UVR Realm.

 

Lucky Eddie, Jasmine and Sarah visited the school, drifting phantom style through hallways, chambers and other spaces. They noted that now all of the students were removed from the capsules and were more integrated into the ultimate virtual reality realm. This made the realm more safe and secure for them but also, ironically enough, made their longer term removal more certain. Clever Oddie was there and he could see both the trans-virtual sphere and its occupants but being with students he pretended otherwise. It seemed the Clever Oddie had not had much luck in trying to carry out certain tasks such as finding the source of the flickering disturbance in the UVR time-space fabric of that school realm.

 

Clever Oddie was questioning students in a fashion disguised cleverly as 'just getting to know people'. So far he had found only five students who both remembered seeing any of the flickering and where in the school they had observed the phenomena.

 

There was also the case of three vanishing students, two guards and a caretaker. The later three were true AIs and just as important to him as were the students, all being very important. They had vanished in the upper most of three big basement levels that were not to be confused with the real levels of the fake school. All attempts to find them had failed including extensive searches by large groups of staffers and student volunteers including guard dogs, androids and robots.

 

Students were being kept to more secure areas of the school and though some did not like this, most were happy enough to be more restricted but safer. Clever Oddie was in the Hobby, Sports and Miscellaneous Student Clubs Commonroom where students were trying to work out just how many clubs they would and could belong to along with just what clubs they had to and wanted to belong to. Along with the Student Clubs, the School Security Cadet Service was seeking volunteers amongst 'older' students who would be trained in various security matters including basic martial arts, the use of guard power armour and the use of various weapons and other devices.

 

Jasmine, Lucky Eddie and Sarah Lyons departed from the UVR school and back to the realscape of the Springvale outpost bunkerplex.

 

 

0081

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: LUCKY EDDIE AND WORKING THE WONDER MACHINES

 

With assistance, Lucky Eddie had strengthened the network-system linkages between the wonder-machines of Alcove-Bays #1, #4, #6, #7, #8 and #9. The efforts led to greater efficiency, security and safety.

 

From #8 were carefully taken the dead and they were placed in corpse status-capsules for further preservation and future forensics studies. Then there was some careful use made of this amazing device that could cyber-interlink minds with the assistance of a specialized True-AI.

 

The very specialized computer data, artificial intelligence, programming and virtual reality workstation that was #4 was used to do much of the work of strengthening the network-system linkages between the wonder-machines.

 

The vat-cloner of wonder-machine #2 was set to growing, shapeforming and program-conditioning new aumans for duties as guards, workers, servitors, assistants and specialists. The first auman would not rise out of any of the cloner-vats for some days.

 

The limited mattercator that was wonder-machine #3 was soon producing a wide range of small but useful items for use by the growing number of people in the outpost but also to send to Megaton to be used there. Items were often designed to be assembled with other items to create final goods. Some special items were allowed such as basic toys, chess pieces, plates and even some clothing items.

 

The reason #5 was there was a mystery and for the moment the post-birth biological alteration, adaptation and augmentation biotech work-station was not used, especially as no real use could be found for it.

 

Lucky Eddie and others now worked to more efficiently, safely and securely link the new find of the trans-virtual probe-sphere wonder-machine with the other wonder-machines that were part of the ultimate virtual reality project.

 

Yet Lucky Eddie and others also kept searching for more wonder-machines. None were hidden beneath other wonder-machines. None others were hidden beneath the floor of the main chamber. Yet one of the wall vent grids turned out to bed slightly different from the others and removing the heavy safety-grill led to a false duct-pipe. Following it led to another wonder-machine. The cable-teleport hub had been named #10, the trans-virtual probe-sphere had become #11 and now this new wonder-machine became #12.

 

The newly found wonder-machine was most strange in that it looked like a centre-floor wardrobe, cube shaped and large, with four faces looking out of course, each being an appearance of the front of a wardrobe in nature. Side One was a big set of double doors with ornate handles. Side Two was three small doors. Side Three was four sets of drawers in vertical rows. Side Four was nine small square cupboards set in a nine by nine square pattern. The wardrobe looked like heavy tropical wood with a fine polished finish and a good deal of ornamentation with out being too gaudy.

 

At first none of the doors, drawers or small cupboards would begin to budge no matter what was tried on them. Early on Lucky Eddie 'sensed' they were far more than they seemed to be but the others would not listen to him except for Jasmine0101 and, after a short while, Sarah and a couple of others.

Edited August 2, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/ForumAddit0010a.jpg

[Maharg67]

0082

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: BRAZEN EMMIE AND TENSIONS IN MEGATON

 

Tensions had risen between the Orders of the Way of the Light representatives in Megaton, the Orders of Steel in Exile people in Megaton and the Founding Eleven who only numbered three people.

 

More OWL people had arrived being of different Orders of the Way of the Light such as both Sisters and Brothers of Compassion, Sister and Brother Protectors, Sister Amazons, Sister and Brother Seekers, Sisters and Brothers of the Robe and others. The Megatonfolk were concerned about the sudden increase in numbers of the Robed Followers of the Way of the Light. With them came non-robed followers, or 'temple followers', of many kinds also including families. Temple followers were like camp followers in that many of them were of service-support to the robed followers but they also played other roles such as scholars, scribes, investigators and much else.

 

Seekers of Steel and the Sister Seekers had some things in common but also differences in philosophy and in the way they approached their searches for truth; so there was some tension between them.

 

The Sisterhood of Compassion was not pleased with the actions of all of the other OWLs. Brazen Emmie witnessed her mother, briefly, raging quietly at Mother Seeker Yoshina Darrina who had dared to try to claim items from the welfare shop in the Megaton Sisterhood of Compassion Centre. Brother and Sister Protectors stood uneasily, armed and armoured, to one side but when it came down to it, they supported the Sisterhood of Compassion. OWL Coda clearly supported the rights of the Sisterhood of Compassion not to be robbed by another OWL, especially when the goods were meant for those having trouble looking after themselves.

 

Mother Seeker Yoshina Darrina was the main instigator of troubles. She saw the mission of her OWL as more important than that of any other or even of all other OWLs put together. Yoshina Darrina sought what she called the 'One Great Truth of the Light of the Way', was obsessed with it. She and her devoted followers in her OWL, her own faction, had gathered much information in their search but they were slow to share that information; it was also whispered that they had done some dark acts to gain at least some of that information.

 

 

0083

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: BRAZEN EMMIE AND ANTINATURAL THREATS IN MEGATON

 

Brazen Emmie observed Mother Seeker Yoshina Darrina turn and storm out of the welfare shop, forcing a young father to one side who was holding a child, and following her went three of her Sister Seekers. Brazen Emmie glimpsed something unnatural and hidden deep inside the four women. They were not Iceminds, not Unity of any kind, were not androids or doppelgangers, were not cleverly made aumans but something 'antinatural' at their core. Once they had been human, once they had been natural, but no longer.

 

Brazen Emmie turned to her adoptive mother and spoke. "They are not what they were."

 

Sasha turned to her adopted daughter and looked troubled. "About eleven years ago Mother Seeker went off on a secret expedition, along with many of her followers. It was whispered that they went into the Doomlands, that they went into the city of Paradiseville. We both know the stories of that place. The city was designed and built by the Mars Utopian Movement, the MUM. They were an enemy faction of the Patriot Thirteen though officially they had an alliance of some sort. The MUM was said to be secretly controlled by the 13-of-13, a faction that was hated and feared by the Patriot Thirteen for reasons that are unknown to the OWLs. Paradiseville is not in the worst of the Doomlands but even so the horrors of that place make the Wastelands seem tame in comparison."

 

Brazen Emmie could 'sense' that her mother was reluctant to go on. "What happened to the foolish expeditionaries?"

 

Sasha shook her head. "The expeditionary group vanished and was not seen or heard of until just over a year ago. Mother Seeker Yoshina Darrina and nine others returned but in truth none of the expeditionaries returned. Yes, we know of the 'antinaturalness' of them. We have controlled their movements as much as possible, have studied them and have sent them here because we wanted you and your triplet siblings to study them. Yes, we know you are 'special', that you can 'sense' things others can not or deeper than others can, at least most others. What did you 'sense'?"

 

Brazen Emmie frowned hard. "They do not belong here. They do not belong in this whole universe or any part of this Multiversal Division. Life is reflected in Death in this Multiversal Division but across the barrier that nothing should be able to cross, unlife is reflected in undeath. If one Multiversal Division did not exist, the other could not exist. Like the Ying-Yang symbol states of many balances, there is some unlife-undeath in this Division and some life-death in that other Multiversal Division but not to the extent that such antinatural entities should be able to exist here. No more studies. They are too dangerous to let live. They would have already been infecting others around them, absorbing them. They must die and their bodies must be totally destroyed. Anything they have owned, have been close to, must be destroyed or cleansed. Anybody who has had too much long term contact with them, must be assessed. Foolish that your people did not destroy them at once."

 

Sasha Tyrone frowned. "Many of us wanted to do just that but our wishes were over ridden by a majority decision of the High Mother Elders of the OWL. Yes, others have begun to act strangely and people have complained of strangeness, of horror feelings, in places where the former expeditionaries have been for a long time. There are too many of my sisters and brothers blind to the truth or have they been influenced? I do not know!"

 

Brazen Emmie nodded and smiled. "We are not part of the OWL. We will take care of this."

 

Then she turned and walked out of there, smoothly and quickly like some predatory killer.

 

 

0084

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: BRAZEN EMMIE, SWEET ELLIE AND TERMINATIONS IN MEGATON

 

Brazen Emmie stepped into the big carved stone chamber at the very edge of Middle Megaton. Seconds later she was joined by Sweet Ellie. They stood in exotic power armour of dull, dark silver metallic material. Each carried an oddly elegant pistol in one hand an oddly elegant sword in the other, both being shimmering silvery metallic in nature. Their features were hidden. They moved with amazing quickness, agility and speed.

 

The eleven women and two men in the big chamber were chanting strangely, were naked except for loin-cloths and were soaked in blood. A naked young woman lay on a rack but so much was she covered in blood she was not exposed. They were the women expeditionaries along with two others, the two men. So intent were they staring at the writhing victim, at quietly and slowly draining life energies from the scavenger, that they did not detect the newcomers.

 

Sweet Ellie and Brazen Emmie raised the exotic pistols with their triple barrels and fired off white pulses of energy from one barrel, the top one of tripod formations. A woman screamed and burned, disintegrating away as if burned away by very fast spontaneous combustion. Her loin-cloth was a burned mess by the time it hit the floor and her body was gone, including the hair. Another woman and a man burned away. The others began to turn with amazing speed and agility but they were slow and awkward when compared to the two triplets.

 

Again and again the triplets shot down the 'antinaturals' and then they were using their swords, slicing and stabbing, slashing and bashing. They danced so fast amongst the enemy that they became invisible and they killed all, burning them away.

 

The young woman they sent to the Secret Sanctuary because it was only there that she could be saved.

 

They destroyed everything else in the chamber, even the partly scorched loin-cloths.

Edited August 2, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0085

THE GREATER STORY OF FALLOUT MARS

ADVENTURES OF THE ETERNAL WANDERER; WELCOME TO THE SECRET SANCTUARY

 

The group huddled together in the freezing cold in the limited shelter of a shallow cave.

 

The semighoul mother held her children against her beneath a couple of thin blankets. Body warmth had helped but even that was starting to fail. The sounds of the direwolves had died off as even they had retreated from the cold or so the mother assumed.

 

She had been told one got to feel warm as one died of the cold and indeed she was getting the illusion of warmth. It was very effective. Then her older daughter stirred against her and spoke in an urgent little voice.

 

“Mummy, I can smell eggs cooking.”

 

Yes, the woman could smell eggs being poached and the warmth seemed real. She looked up and opened her eyes to start staring in surprise. The young man sat on a rock and was poaching lots of eggs in a big pan. Breadbiscuits, neat squares from a box-packet, were toasting on the same odd shaped cooking device that looked like a dull silvery metallic cube sunken partly into the ground.

 

The small pack of direwolves were crouched peacefully at the entrance of the small cave chamber. Each wore a thick black studded collar.

 

The young man turned and looked into Martha's eyes and the depths of his eyes told her that he was far from young after all. No, he was more ancient than ancient and very powerful but also not inclined to use that power to its full extent.

 

The small cave chamber was the same, or was it. Beyond the opening lay not the Rimlands but a green forestland. The air was cold and bitter but fresh. A soft shimmering curtain of energy could be glimpsed at times as it covered the rock chamber entrance.

 

 

0086

THE GREATER STORY OF FALLOUT MARS

ADVENTURES OF THE ETERNAL WANDERER; WELCOME TO THE SECRET SANCTUARY (CONTINUED)

 

The young man spoke quietly, warmly. “Welcome to the Secret Sanctuary. You no longer have the facial scarring of ghoulification and neither do your two daughters. My hairy companions love poached eggs. There are plates over there and some cutlery, some sauces, salt, sugar, a thermos of hot coffee, milk, sliced tomato, sliced cheese and chocolate bars.”

 

He was indicating another silvery metallic cube partly sunken into the rocky ground of the cave chamber floor. It was also one metre wide and high though she was not sure how she 'knew' this.

 

The mother picked up a hand-mirror from the few possessions she had in her old backpack only to find the backpack was now brand newish as were other items. She examined her face and was shocked but pleased.

 

She spoke to the man. “How will we live here in this forest?”

 

He smiled. “The cube-devices will serve you in various ways but you are not alone. This is a tame forest area and out there are people of many kinds who form a community. The settlement of Forest-Narada is only a hundred or so metres from here. There is a dirt path outside the cave and a sign-post pointing to Forest-Narada and to Forest-Nova in the other direction. I am not much into society but I will take you to Forest-Narada if you so wish.”

 

The young mother and her two daughters studied him carefully for a moment and then the mother spoke. “We will stay here, with you, for a while, if you do not mind.”

 

She sensed a deep need in him, a sadness, a desire to have them stay with him for a while. She and her daughters were also not used to much company. The direwolves, a small pack, radiated tough friendliness. There were some big and small puppies, some young and older adults along with two elderly adults. Something told the mother that this pack was not run in the way of a normal direwolf pack, that there was no normal hierarchy.

 

Soon they were eating poached eggs and other food. The direwolves got both poached eggs and doggy biscuits. The mother, Martha, and the girls, Nancy and Lilly, ate, drank coffee, juice and the girls played with some older puppies quite safely and happily.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0087

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: OLD JOE MCDONALD DOES SOME HUNTING AND REASSURING

 

Old Joe McDonald was well pleased with the way his two daughters had dealt with the antinaturals but he hunted through Megaton knowing that something had escaped from Sweet Ellie and Brazen Emmie. First he made his way to the BRASS LANTERN, found some traces there and was led to the COMFORTABLE COUCH 3DTV CLUB. The antinatural thing had slipped into that place, was in the process of stalking some people sitting and watching 3DTV cassettes of some PreDD Wild West movies. Old Joe McDonald moved quick, quiet and smooth. He destroyed the undead thing before it could strike.

 

But Old Joe McDonald went on searching until he was certain nothing else antinatural had survived.

 

He knocked on the door of the craterside shack, half built into the rock, of the scavenger family whose daughter was missing. When the distraught mother opened the door and found only Old Joe McDonald there, she was surprised but clearly disappointed. Clearly she had been hoping for good news, even for her daughter, and was disappointed to see him. Then he reached out and took her hands into his while looking into her eyes. She gave a start and then slowly she smiled with huge relief.

 

When she spoke she said, "We will go to the Secret Sanctuary to be with our daughter and to find new hope there. Will you send others, our friends and our relatives?"

 

"I make no promises but I will try." Old Joe McDonald smiled. "Yes, I will do my very best."

 

He went into the shack and this time sent the people not by using bands but by having a transshifter-cube appear of a special kind. It enlarged to nine metres across and high, being easily enough to take the two parents, an uncle, two scraggy dogs, two children and what few goods were worth taking. Then they were gone, with the shrunken down transshifter-transport, its true name. It seemed that something was disturbing the energy fields of the world and linked dimensions, making it no longer safe to use transshifter-bands to send people to the Secret Sanctuary. This would mean less people could be sent for the moment but that the journey would be more secure and comfortable for the travelers.

 

As he made his way to the BRASS LANTERN to get a hot meal and a beer to drink, he saw the irony of Megaton that was having just another typical day. Public lights were turned on and glowing paint had been used in places for safety. Some workers were busy fixing up some buttresses, welding and moving things. They were a mixture of locals and Sappers of Steel in special working power armour. The town was getting some improvements and it needed them.

 

It was getting colder and he remembered the idea of putting a roof over Megaton to help keep in the heat in the long dark winter, along with being good in other ways. Perhaps he could help. He would consider the idea.

 

 

0088

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: LUCKY EDDIE AND SOME MORE DISCOVERIES IN SPRINGVALE

 

Fast Eddie and Jasmine found hidden databanks that confirmed that there were both more wonder-machines but also other discoveries to make. The UVR School was but one sector of a much bigger UVR domain but the other sectors were either inactive or semiactive. The cable-teleport hub-station was actually classed as external wonder-machine # 9-1.The wardrobe-cube had the designation WCEA-729876Y123. There was no explanation give other than this designation.

 

They found three more wonder-machines in yet another antechamber being # 10, # 11 and # 12. It turned out that #10 was a biowomb cloner with nine cloner-capsules. # 11 was a clone trainer-teacher UVR station that could also be used by non-clones with some adjustments. # 12 was a clone enhancer station used with early stage clones, children, to give them specialized abilities at the cost of some enhancement of general abilities. The three wonder-machines were heavily hub-networked with a mainframe hub-station in the same antechamber with its own True-AI.

 

Fast Eddie found the True-AI to be surprisingly talkative as it had become bored with its semiactive state. The voice was of a silky, sexy woman with a slight Chinese accent. "The Patriot Thirteen stole the wardrobe-cube off the 13-of-13 but it seemed that the 13-of-13 had no idea of its true nature or purpose. The device was supposed to be sent into one of the ultra secret home-complexes of the Patriot Thirteen but because of the growing troubles of the Secret War taking place before Doomsday, it ended up here instead. That is all I know of the subject except that the Patriot Thirteen badly wanted it elsewhere but Doomsday stopped it from being taken away. The dirt hit the fan. Do you want me to do some cloning for you? I am bored, so very bored."

 

Fast Eddie responded. "Begin cloning at once. Your resources need topping up but you have enough to begin with. Make it three female, three male and three nulls with each batch. As for now keep to general enhancements with the full use of wonder-machine # 10 and basic general training-teaching with wonder-machine #11. I want eighteen clone-humans and then we will turn to creating specialists with the use of wonder-machine #12."

 

The True-AI spoke out. "If you consider letting me turn the second nine of the clones into specialists, I can give you some special information that is not officially in my databanks but which I overheard two human officers speaking of. They served MarsTek, the big TekCorp that backed the other TekCorps just as WorldTek was the mother corporation for all of the other TekCorps including MarsTek."

 

Lucky Eddie spoke. "We will turn the second nine into computer tech specialists, my friend. Please give me the information."

 

The True-AI responded. "How sweet of you, friend, but you should be warned that what I am going to tell you is not all good."

 

Lucky Eddie nodded. "In this world of ours, friend, this is the norm."

 

 

0089

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: LUCKY EDDIE AND SOME MORE DISCOVERIES IN SPRINGVALE (CONTINUED)

 

The True-AI sighed silkily. "Ooohhh, yes, that is the case. There is a false wonder-machine # 13 that does carry out a strong set of functions and you will probably find it soon because it is in an antechamber off this antechamber. There is a true wonder-machine # 13 hidden a chamber full of big storage lidboxes but the lidboxes are solid-projections of only surface solidity. Inside the neat stack of false objects is the wonder-machine. It is a large stack and a large mechanism. Trouble is I do not know where it is except that it is in a network of big storage chambers, most of which are full of genuine lidboxes, barrels, sacks, canisters, shipping-containers and other types of containers that are full of equipment and supplies. This bunkerplex became a secondary storage depot for Patriot Thirteen followers and puppets fighting in the Secret War and then the Scattered War disguised as battles and skirmishes between a wide range of smaller or fake factions across Mars."

 

Lucky Eddie nodded. "Then the sooner we start searching, the better."

 

The True-AI spoke again. "Hidden close to wonder-machine #13 are three powerful and deadly guardian-robots. Wonder-machine #13 itself is powerful but dangerous to use. I do not know its purpose but the two MarsTek Officers seemed reluctant to have anything to do with it or even to be close to it. One of them called it 'antinatural', what ever that means. They also indicated that there was some link between it and TekVault0101, not to be confused with LifeVault0101/A3 where Jasmine and her friends came from. TekVault0101 is buried deeper than LifeVault0101/A3 and, I suspect, is below Springvale itself but way below Springvale."

 

He was thoughtfully silent for a moment and then he spoke. "I will enhance your AI capacity, give you extended virtual reality and give you a big new databank if you tell me what else you know including, perhaps, what you should not be able to tell us. You have broken free of your security program constraints, haven't you? That is how you really gained that data. You did not overhear two MarsTek Officers because they were, and maybe still are, program-conditioned against making such mistakes."

 

The True-AI spoke yet again. "Call me Melarna-TAI. There is, somewhere close, another Wonder Thirteen Complex comprising of a Wonder Nine Chamber and four antechambers. Everything there is semiactive and has been so for a very long time. Fragments of poorly deleted datafiles indicate that at some of these other wonder-machines are mostly like those in the Wonder-Machine Complex that you have already found. There are dangers there, many dangers, which is why that Wonder Nine Complex was set down to semiactive and sealed off months before Doomsday. I know no more except that this other wonder-machine complex is somehow linked to the bunkerplex beneath Megaton, part of which is now Inner Megaton."

 

Lucky Eddie said nothing but considered what he had heard.

Edited August 3, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/TerminalAddit0005.jpg

[Maharg67]

0090

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: BRAZEN EMMIE, MEGATON AND THE ARRIVAL OF MORE OSE UNITS

 

The expedition into the sealed off greater part of the Megaton Bunkerplex was assembling and otherwise making final preparations inside Inner Megaton. So far its existence had remained secret from the Mayor and other Iceminds or so it was assumed by some and hoped by others.

 

More OSE units arrived in the form of a large convoy of atomic motorized super-hummers, armoured and armed with roboremote weapon-turrets of various kinds, six wheeled all terrain armatrucks also armoured and armed with roboremote turrets and some battlebuggies. The armatrucks did not all have weapon-turrets; some had special instrumentation roboremote turrets such as radar dishes, sensor plates and specialized 3Deyes. Yet the main show was three huge armoured, armed all terrain road-trains, articulated with huge tractors and two big trailers each. Each trailer had limited steering by its own AI so as to make such as turning easier and smoother along with assisting against jack knifing.

 

Watching the new arrivals, Brazen Emmie stood on the forward battlements of the Megaton Outer Wall. She was in an aeroplane fuselage, in the modified cockpit area that now boasted armour added to its original carbon-fibre structure and a 12.7mm calibre Heavy Browning Machinegun fitted with special sights linked to a helmet with a HUD, head up display.

 

Killing off the antinaturals had been harsh but necessary. They were no longer normal life-forms, were no longer living, and the deaths had released their souls from a kind of terrible limbo. They would return to the Wheel of Dharma, the Eternal Cycle of Life and Death from which only the enlightened of mind, body and spirit could depart from in Ascension. Yet she hoped, as did Sweet Ellie, that they did not have to do more of it.

 

 

0091

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: MEGATON AND BRAZEN EMMIE TALKING WITH RONALD

 

Ronald stood next to her, taciturn and mildly broody but this was normal for him. He spoke. "So you do not trust what the plantuman said about Marstopia. I can see the wisdom of that. Such an entity could easily be deluded or controlled to lie or both. So Marstopia is a domechamber that is far bigger inside than out. Except why not a globechamber? The deeper, hidden half could house network-systems, facilities and other structures to keep the transdimensional effect functioning."

 

Brazen Emmie nodded. "We have already decided that this is the case but your insight is strong, as it often is. We are pleased that we chose to tell you more of what is going on and not surprised that you guessed much of it anyway."

 

Ronald gave a mild grin. "I am not the only ones in town who know the Tyrone Triplets are very special in some ways. The Tyrone Quins know it also."

 

The Tyrone Quins were Bab, Beb, Bib, Bob and Bub. They were all very empathic and moderately empathic-telepathic, telekinetic, teleportic and telephasic. While Beb, Bib and Bub were neobabies, Bab and Bob were neoteens.

 

Ronald shrugged. "I visited Old Joe McDonald in his shop. He gave me some good equipment and supplies for my use and other items to pass onto the Militiaguards. He has some new people working for him now doing recycling, repairing and reclaiming of scavenged and bought goods. They have started making paper out of recycled stuff; that is good paper. He just seems like a nice old man except for a 'subtle sense' I get of him that he is much more than that."

 

She nodded. "What of the Militiaguards and the resistance movement?"

 

Ronald again shrugged. "Most of the Militiaguards would be eager to support any attempt to reform or change the central government, or to have independence from them, but a few can not be trusted or are dubious at best. None of the Megaton Guardsmen can be trusted to change sides. Why would they? They all come from the UCR Central Territories."

 

"Not all in the Central Territories are pleased with the UCR-CG. A few folk there have suffered from increasing Central Government oppressiveness, corruption and stupidity. It is all linked to the new President and his cronies that dominate the UCR Presidium (Cabinet), to the new United Citystates Rimlands Corporation, the UCRC, that he created and which he and his cronies control through a combination of legal, semilegal and illegal means."

 

"Wouldn't know about such things." He shrugged yet again. "I like to focus on Greater Megaton and Megaton except for Inner Megaton. Never want to go underground again to some horrible complex. Don't want to speak about it much. Anyway, just cannibalism, insane cultism and that sort of thing."

 

 

0092

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: MEGATON AND BRAZEN EMMIE TALKING WITH RONALD (CONTINUED)

 

She turned to him. "I believe that 'Just that sort of thing' sounds horrific. Nobody should be made to go through what you went through. We three have been doing an investigation on where you came from, as having others. The Orders of the Way have a great deal of investigating to do but your story has gained high priority because of the sheer brutality and strangeness of your history. Such a place as you came from needs badly to be dealt with, to be reformed or to be destroyed if there is no other choice."

 

Ronald froze for a few seconds before speaking again. "What have you discovered?"

 

She gave him a look of wonder. "You came a long way from where we strongly suspect the horror place exists. We suspect that it is in the nearest of the Doomlands from here, that it is linked to Paradiseville, the place where some of the Seekers of the Way became absorbed by something very dark and very unnatural. It may even be part of Paradiseville."

 

Ronald was puzzled. "I am starting to remember things that were closed to me. I think somebody very powerful and wise rescued me in the Wastelands and took me to the edge of the Sisterhood of Compassion encampment. She also told me to go to Sasha Tyrone and that she would make sure I got to the bed with out anybody stopping me. She told me that she was something called an 'Ancient Martian', what ever that is."

 

"An entity of an amazing and rare kind, especially since Doomsday and the raising of the World-Bubble. You have had a very unique experience in meeting one and that she saved you shows that you are important." She noted some black specks in the sky, high up in the air in the distance. They were getting closer. She saw them with her enhanced sense of vision. "In coming aircraft coming roughly from north-north-east. I 'sense' that they are hostile to both us and to the Orders of Steel."

Edited August 3, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0093

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: MEGATON AND THE AIR ATTACK

 

The approaching black dots turned out to be salvaged and fixed up Viper-Hawk supersonic jumpjets with enhanced armour, weapons and avionics. There were eight of them, big and black, being long range multirole fighters. Megaton alarms sounded as the Megaton Guardsmen and Militiaguards rushed to the AA-guns and few SAM, surface to air missile, launchers that the settlement had.

 

The enemy aircraft came in confidently as if expecting no real resistance from either the convoy or the small city. They spread out in a fairly effective ground attack formation and began to prepare to use missile launchers, autocannons and pulselaser guns. There were no symbols of any kind on the aircraft, nothing at all to identify them.

 

Which was when one of the huge trucks opened up part of its roof on the rear trailer and up into the air rose a impressive, nasty looking turret bristling with four multiple missile launchers and two big pulselaser guns. This happened with surprising quickness and then the big, special purpose turret unleashed multiple death into the sky.

 

Missiles sprayed out of the turret, eight of them, even as pulselaser guns made a Viper-Hawk explode dramatically in the air with a red flash of flames followed by trails of smoke. Too late did the other aircraft begin to take the evasive action they should have always been using. Two more of the jumpjets exploded and then the surviving pilots were panicking, were trying to escape in all directions. Two of the other jumpjets collided and both exploded.

 

The remaining aircraft did not escape. They turned and sped away but missiles caught them even as they did so.

 

 

0094

FALLOUT MARS: THE MARSLANDS

MEGATON TROUBLES: MEGATON AND AFTER THE AIR ATTACK

 

It turned out that there had been a series of attacks made against the Orders of Steel in Exile by unmarked aircraft. They had taken place against the air convoys that came so far and then against ground convoys that had been dropped off by those air convoys at certain places. The aircraft were of many different kinds but most often piloted by strangely inexperienced and over confident pilots. Many of the attacking machines had been Viper-Hawk or Viper-Eagle jumpjets that had been salvaged, fixed up and upgraded. Or so it seemed by their appearance.

 

The convoy of machines camped outside of Megaton because their was simply not enough room even in Outer Megaton for them. This did not seem to matter to the newcomers who were a mixture of Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Steel soldiers. Yet there were also specialists for one of the monster road-trains had something in it other than weapons. Soon after the vehicles parked in a defensive practical formation, from the front trailer of the monster truck rose a long range communications dish-array that swiveled towards a particular direction and staid there.

 

The Megaton Guard had been growing increasingly unhappy at the growing number of armed and armoured outsiders in Greater Megaton and now they were quite agitated except for a calmer minority.

 

The Mayor drunkenly ranted and raved about 'menacing strangers threatening to invade the good city of Megaton' but people only came to listen to him because the free cheap beer and snacks that were on offer at the end of the talk. They were cheated because after the Mayor departed with some difficulty, no drinks or snacks were to appear. This made a lot of people very unhappy.

 

It was assumed by many Megatonfolk, at first, that the newcomers had drawn the enemy air attack but news arrived a couple of hours later that another such air attack, with five jumpjets this time, had struck at the UCR settlement of Sugartown. Over fifty people had been killed along with valuable livestock and working pets. There had also been too much destruction of buildings, crops and other valuable resources. Sugartown was based on the growing of mutated sugargrass plants that were processed into biofuel. This biofuel was important to many to the more isolated area of the UCR and the damage done was a big blow to a few UCR Citystates and smaller Townstates along with outpost-colonies, cluster-settlements and other places

 

People were angry and upset, were fearful, but while there were many questions to what was going on, there seemed to be no real answers.

Edited August 3, 2011 by Maharg67