Standard disclaimer: The following is a piece of written entertainment created by the author known as fijkus, aka Solvable Sphinx, to an audience consisting of the fan community of the Fallout series of video-games and any other interested party. This story originates from and is updated at the Fallout:Texas thread in the Space Battle's Creative Writing forum. This story is hosted on this site as an 'archival version', so that new readers will not have to shift through the initial write-up of this story or the conversation between snippets.
Fallout: Texas is not associated with Bethesda Softworks, Obsidian Entertainment, any other past or current intellectual property holder, or any other fan work which uses the title Fallout: Texas or takes place in Texas. Use of the Fallout name, setting, characters and concepts associated with the Fallout brand are used in accordance with the currently understood accepted fair use guidelines of the IP holders in mind. The author retains claim over his own original ideas, concepts, characters, and so forth.
This work is not created to incite political action or to criticize or endorse any government, political party, religion, creed, etc.. It is written within the context of a fictional alternate history influenced by American popular culture during the Cold War, both for good and ill. This work is, first, foremost and always, as a piece of entertainment set within an alternate timeline.
Please contact the author if you wish to use his concepts or ideas in associated fan work, such as videogame mods, artwork, stories, etc.
Prologue
War… war never changes.
At the root of all war is conflict. Ever since man formed into primitive bands, he has been in conflict with his fellow man. The reason for this conflict varied, from such basic necessities as food and water, to control over a piece of land and its inhabitants, to ideology and even simple pride. Sometimes man could halt conflict, by negotiating treaties, enacting laws, banding together with tolerable groups, or by simply running away to a piece of land too far and too remote to be worth the bother. No matter the measure, conflict eventually ensues.
Seeking to prevent conflict from within, the member states of the old United States formed a new kind of union: the Commonwealths. It was believed that by voluntarily dividing the continent spanning nation into smaller confederacies based on geography and culture that each one could better serve the needs of its member states without interfering in the affairs of other regions of the nation.
Yet in preventing conflict the Commonwealths proved disastrous. Each one fought for its interests at the expense of the other on the political battlefield. And as resources became used up, they were unable to put together a united front against those who would send civilization into oblivion. As nuclear fire swept across the old world, its conflicts were put to rest while new, more basic conflicts rose up in their place.
Because war… war never changes.
You are an explorer, sent from the eastern chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel to discover what lies in the now mythical land of Texas. Out of your initial party, only four have survived the dangerous trek through the South. Yet you were separated from half of your remaining party by radioactive tornados and the treacherous waters of the Green River.
Now, with only your companion and what supplies you could scavenge, you set out to explore a strange new land.
…Loading Screen Slide…
The Austin-Texian Statesman
May 4, 2058
Martial Law Declared In Texas
(NP) Austin, Texas, Texas Commonwealth- Riots resulting from the shooting deaths of a dozen University of Texas students at the hands of US National Guardsmen has prompted the President Ferguson of the Texas Commonwealth to declare martial law, over the objection of Gov. Oran Ellsworth of Texas.
"While it is unfortunate that the Austin school shooting occurred, we cannot use it as an excuse to commit other crimes. Especially while we are attempting a police action with our unstable neighbor to the south," Pres. Ferguson stated at a press conference.
Even though Gov. Ellsworth has come under increasing suspicion from the federal government for his opposition to the war with Mexico, as well as his father's status as a Mexican immigrant and membership to the anti-war Mormon church, he remains popular with the Texas people. In a true tragedy, his son Joseph Ellsworth was in the protest while another of his sons, SPC-5 Brigham Ellsworth, was a member of the 413th Military Police company which fired into the crowd.
"I am proud that my son Joseph was peacefully engaging in the political process, as well as Brigham's service to our nation. Neither of those are in doubt," Gov. Ellsworth said. "But the National Guard should never have been used as a riot squad against students."
See Martial Law on page 5A
…Game hint…
The Barony of New Braunfield is a small German speaking nation to the south of the Commonwealth. Although their cavalry is disciplined and highly mobile, they lack the technological superiority of their northern neighbors.