Finding Sanctuary
The brown-haired girl dropped her wrench laughing. It hit the sidewalk with a metallic clang. The large robot beside her dutifully picked it up and handed it back to her. Taking the tool she turned back to her small blonde human companion, and loudly continued her bawdy violent anecdote. The blonde girl rolled around on the pavement hysterically. Even from this distance the pair left a bad taste in Jaks' mouth. The loud brashness, the spittle-filled explosion noises, the blood and guts stories, the fart jokes. All the things Jaks had been taught to despise, concentrated in two young girls. But that wasn't the worst thing about them – the younger one, the blonde, prided herself as a demolition expert, a bold assertion in someone so young but one she apparently lived up to. The older girl was staking an even greater claim – as a Vault Hunter. Jaks envied her and maybe even hated her. A vault hunter at 18. It was a joke. But as the brown-haired girl turned back to finish working on her monstrous robot bodyguard, Jaks knew the girl must have some talents or she wouldn't be tinkering with the metal-man like that, or be holed-up in the Crimson Raiders Headquarters with the other Vault Hunters. Maybe the worst thing about the girls was they never talked to Jaks. It was as if Jaks didn't even exist. But that was life in Sanctuary.
It hadn't always been like that. Jaks had grown up in Tartarus Station, in one of the clean-lined buildings overlooking the lower town. Her father Eli was a sales rep for Jakobs, and as a family member, made good money. That was where she first saw the Vault Hunters. Four legendary figures who had set out to find the fabled alien Vault, and in doing so clean up Pandora, ridding it of the feuding bandit gangs that plagued the planet and the despicable Atlas Corporation, or so her father said. She remembered the day they arrived, presenting themselves to the local Hyperion directive Mr Blake. The fiery-headed Siren, the upright soldier, the cool-looking hunter with that exotic bird on his shoulder, and him. The tall, muscular, cavalier figure standing behind the other three, enigmatically silent and his hands slightly bruised. In the pit of thirteen-years-old Jaks' stomach she turned into jelly-wobbles just looking at him. Of course, she knew who they all were, there were Atlas 'Wanted' posters all over town. She had stealthily taken one of Brick from the back wall of a local bar and put it up in her bedroom, but now they were here in Tartarus Station and she felt all a-flutter. The posters didn't compare to seeing the Vault Hunters in the flesh.
Her hopes of meeting Brick were dashed by her mother though, who was adamant that Jaks was to stay well away from the Vault Hunters as they were too dangerous, and kept a careful watch over Jaks and her siblings while the Vault Hunters were in town. Then Jakobs set up a new colony out in the swamp lands and offered her father a bonus if he took a set-up role out there as a family representative. The position gave Eli a chance to try some new ideas that he'd previously not had leverage for. Within a week or two of living in the Cove, Jaks' little sister Maisy started to get night terrors, claiming that dead things were trying to get into the house. Her parents struggled for weeks to calm her and curb the terrors. Then Jaks' father received a new job offer as a private liaison from a dealer out in New Haven. It was less than he was making in Jakobs Cove, but closer to the main centres on Pandora with more chance of getting help for Jaks' little sister. The move was a dangerous one. It meant cutting formal ties with Jakobs, and for family this meant no entitlement to support. But with his own family in upheaval due to Maisy's terrors, Jaks' father incurred the company's wrath and left with his wife and children.
New Haven was a dust bowl – hot, arid, and unwelcoming. But Jaks' little sister made a rapid recovery, no more night terrors, no more tales of dead things disturbing her sleep. Jaks' family seemed to adjust to New Haven life. Even the dealer, Marcus, that her father started working for seemed like a great hulking over-zealous uncle. He took delight in reminding the family of what a great opportunity New Haven was for them, and how lucky Jaks' father was to be working for the best gun dealer on Pandora. They'd been living in New Haven for three months, when her father was sent to negotiate a deal for Marcus out on the Trash Coast. According to Marcus it was a standard negotiation, but he couldn't go himself. 'Not to worry. Your father will be back in a day or two'. But two days past and her father didn't return. After a week, Jaks' older brother Troy went looking for him, and found their father's corpse within a hundred meters of the fast travel station out on the Coast. A bullet was buried in his brain and his personal shield had been fried. They never knew if the deal had gone wrong, if it he'd been randomly attacked by bandits, or if the whole thing had been a set up. Everyone had their suspicions.
Jaks' mother didn't want to stay in New Haven, even though Marcus promised to look after her. She said she didn't want to be left "anywhere near that man". They thought of returning to the new colony out at Jakobs Cove, but learned that it had been quarantined for an undisclosed period and all transport had been cut. Tartarus Station was too expensive for the new widow, cut off as she now was from Jakobs support, and so Jaks, her mother, Troy and Maisy made their way across Pandora to the small town of Lynchwood. Lynchwood had a reputation as a lawful, peaceful town with good transport and services. Jaks' mother said it would be safe.
Jaks' family stayed in Lynchwood for almost two years. The first seven or eight months were just as her mother said they'd be. Lynchwood was safe, it was peaceful. They began to rebuild their lives, slowly freeing themselves from the pain of Eli's death. But then the town mayor was killed in a skirmish outside town. Rumours whispered through town that he'd been executed by big yellow robots, while others said no one could tell because skags had eaten his face off. Not long after, Hyperion moved in and reopened the old mine outside town, looking for eridium, and a new sheriff was appointed. When the new sheriff arrived the townsfolk were stunned to find a woman had been given the job. And not just any woman, the new Sheriff of Lynchwood was the current squeeze of the head of Hyperion. More than just a CEO, Handsome Jack was becoming an ever-present controlling force on Pandora. The Sherriff did her best to exert the same control over the citizens of Lynchwood. People were arrested for everything and anything. Small indiscretions were treated as major crimes, and the words 'punishable by death' were applied to most offences. At first the lawful applauded the heavy-handed tactics, believing they would be immune to the Sherriff's wrath, but when the small amount of outstanding crimes in town had been dealt with, the Sherriff turned on the law-abiding. When Troy spoke out against the Sherriff's behaviour, the Sherriff didn't bother to issue a warrant for his arrest – she went gunning for him herself. Fearing for his life, Jaks' brother fled. He'd always been ahead with technology, and an expert with guns thanks to their father, so he fled to the one place he thought the Sherriff wouldn't be able to get him: he took a job with Hyperion. He worked with the Hyperion Research and Development department, and sent home regular Echo recordings.
The Sherriff left the family alone once Jaks' brother was gone. But as her reign of terror in Lynchwood continued, some of the townsfolk turned to local bandits for help. Bandits started making raids on the trains passing through town, then on local industry and on the town itself. Invited in by the people to make trouble for the Sherriff, the bandits got a stronghold in the outer part of town. The Sherriff of Lynchwood made war on the bandits, and the bandits fought back, harrying the Sherriff and townsfolk alike. All the while the Echo recordings kept coming from Troy, with news of off-world developments, rebel attacks on Pandora settlements, and strange new elemental weapons.
With life in Lynchwood turned on its head by the infiltrating bandits, more and more townsfolk decided to leave. Jaks thought her mother might also move, but didn't know where they'd go. She heard about some small settlements out in the Pandora Highlands, and even of a new city being constructed by Handsome Jack. It was said to be for Hyperion workers and new Pandora settlers, with tree-lined streets and modern new high-rises. She thought perhaps her brother might be able to find them a new home there, and suspected her mother was hoping for that too. But the messages from her brother were becoming more despondent, with his focus on the Crimson Raider rebels and something he called 'slag'. He seemed preoccupied by its effects and some sort of experimental research Hyperion R&D was conducting. Jaks couldn't understand most of it, and didn't know why he found it so consuming. It was almost two months before they received the next Echo from Troy. There was no apology for the lapse. It simply said "Get out of Lynchwood now. Make for the Crimson Raider stronghold of Sanctuary. Don't tell anyone that you're leaving or where you're heading to, just go. I'll explain as soon as I can."
Jaks recognised the same strain in her brother's voice that had been there when he told the family of her father's fate. She didn't know what made her brother send such an alarming message, but thought it must be serious. Jaks' mother, however, didn't believe anything was amiss, after all, Troy had said he'd send another Echo explaining his demand. So she waited. Jaks' family stayed in Lynchwood another two months waiting to hear from her brother, but no more messages came. They saw the last of the townsfolk packing their belongings before her mother finally realised that no more Echoes would reach her in Lynchwood. The family quickly packed their things and joined the last caravan, leaving Lynchwood to descend into bandit hell.
Old neighbours were spreading out across Pandora and travelling with them, at least for a while, offered Jaks' family some small protection against predators of all kinds. Some were making for the sandports of Oasis and the Junction, others were heading to a new town out on the Frozen Wastes called Liarsberg, some were even heading back to the desolate town of Fyrestone. It was a rabble bunch of a few families, a newly-wed couple, an elderly couple, a pregnant woman, and a handful of men who had been holding out against the bandits of Lynchwood, trying to protect ancestral properties. They crossed the arid mesa terrain beyond Lynchwood, and journeyed up into the Highlands. The leaders of the group Jaks' family travelled with recommended they stop in at Overlook, a small town in the Highlands. Some Lynchwood folks had relatives there, and everyone agreed it would be a good place to pick up supplies. Overlook was small and welcoming, but within a day of being there it was apparent the town had problems of its own. Overlook was itself overlooked by a Hyperion fort-station, and for the first time Jaks saw the truth behind the long rumours of Hyperion domination and control on Pandora. Overlook citizens were constantly issued with threats by Hyperion, and Hyperion military robots roamed its outskirts. Even more alarming, the townspeople were succumbing to a brain disease they called 'the shivers', a deadly by-product of their eridium refining. And with this came a slag infection, causing the afflicted to vomit toxic bile as their insides liquefied. It was a painful death, and some were saying it had been purposely created and released by Hyperion. Jaks wasn't sure if this was true, but it was obvious Hyperion was withholding medicine and supplies from the town.
Unsure how contagious the sickness was, and unable to restock supplies, the Lynchwood caravan moved on, leaving behind those who stayed to look after sick relatives. In just a few short hours of being on the road, the first case of slag infection struck. The elderly man came down with it, and without medicine it wasn't long before he was dead. His wife, who'd been nursing him, was next along with the pregnant woman who'd been sharing their vehicle. The contagion spread, attacking the weakest among them, but with no medical supplies and no towns to take refuge in, they carried on in the hope of finding some small outpost with a vending outlet. Jaks' mother said it was unlikely one of Doctor Zed's health potions would cure the disease but that it might at least buy some time for the infected until they could find a real doctor. The enfeebled caravan slowly crossed the Highlands, coming down into the Frozen Wastes. At a dilapidated motel called The Happy Pig, the group found vending machines still working, but barely stocked. They stayed the night in the ill-kept rooms. But for Jaks it was too late. Although her mother had kept the family away from the sick, Jaks' little sister Maisy started to show the first signs of infection. The group had already lost almost half its number on the road, and now that drugs had been found most were eager to get back on the road and find a doctor for proper treatment. The thought of waiting for more cases to break out amongst them while a child was tended to didn't strike a chord.
One of the burly men broached the situation with Jaks' mother. "You've seen how this thing spreads. If we all stay here, others will get it, and if she comes with us out on the road then we'll be infected miles from help again. Perhaps it would be best if you stayed here. We can always send help back for you… when we find some." Jaks' mother nodded her head silently, tears welling in her eyes as she nursed her sick daughter. "Your other daughter can come with us, if you want," he added, trying to offer some consolation, and casting a long sideways glance at Jaks.
"No, we stay together, as a family" her mother insisted.
The man, who called himself Brem, nodded, "You know best. Where you heading to anyway?"
Jaks' mother bit her lip, and with slight hesitation she said, "Sanctuary".
"Sanctuary?" he asked in a hushed tone. Looking over his shoulder to check if anyone was close enough to hear, he knelt down beside Jaks' mother. "Did you say Sanctuary?" Jaks' mother nodded, looking confused, unsure what the secret was. "Not many are looking to head that a-ways. Are you looking to join the resistance?" he asked doubtfully.
"Resistance? No. I had an Echo message from my son, telling us to leave Lynchwood and go to Sanctuary. I shouldn't have left it for so long, I should have gone when he said to. He's going to contact us there."
The man looked at the pitiful despair in Jaks' mother's eyes. "Look, there's a couple of us headed that way too. The Crimson Raiders have their resistance base there, and we're looking to join. Can't promise nothing, but I'll do what I can." He walked away and re-joined the others.
There was a brief discussing with two of the other men, followed by a more animated discussion with the rest of the group. Finally, people started re-packing vehicles, preparing to leave. As Brem approached Jaks' mother, Jaks could see the two men he'd talked with hoisting sniper rifles and shotguns from their own vehicle and checking their ammo stocks. "Well, most people weren't too happy about sticking around. We've told 'em to make a start. But me and the boys there will stick around an extra night. We'd all be separating soon anyhow. That ought to give you some time. If she's strong enough in the morning then we make for Sanctuary. If she's not… well we've all seen what happens."
"Thank you" was all Jaks' mother could say.
The night was chill on the Frozen Wastes, and the room heaters had long-since stopped working in The Happy Pig. Jaks' little sister died in the night, her body given over to the aggressive illness. Jaks and her mother had made use of as many health shots as they could get throughout the night, and by morning neither showed signs of the dreaded disease. Mother and daughter were almost numb with both cold and grief, when the men finished burying their youngest family member. Brem guided them to their vehicle, got in and started it up. Jaks' mother sat in the front passenger seat, sobbing, while Jaks sat in the back staring into nothingness. The convoy pulled out of The Happy Pig, cautiously crossing Three Horns Valley, into the Divide, with all eyes looking out for the wasteland terrors of rakk, skag and bullymong. In the Divide they checked the vending machines, restocking on health shots as a precaution. Finally, the gates of Sanctuary loomed before them and before long they had taken refuge in the city. That was three years ago.
Jaks and her mother had found living quarters not far from a mechanic's garage, and her mother earned some small money keeping the books for a local shop-keeper named Earl. People called him Crazy Earl, and Jaks could understand why. His constant screeching, the dribbling from his slack lips, the profanities, and the obsession with pet food didn't exactly point to a model of sanity. But he was ready to pay her mother decently for the work she did. She sometimes saw the burly man around town who'd been their saviour back in the Frozen Wastes. Brem had joined the Crimson Raiders, just as he wanted to, and would check on Jaks and her mother when he was stationed in town.
Three years in Sanctuary had seen a lot of changes. Hyperion dominion over Pandora had become increasingly apparent for all to see, and Handsome Jack's influence and atrocities also became more blatant. Meanwhile the Crimson Raiders-lead rebel resistance also grew in force and popularity, as did the size of Sanctuary as more and more people took harbour from Hyperion. And then the Vault Hunters arrived. Not those heroic figures of legend that Jaks remembered from her childhood, all those years ago in Tartarus Station, but a new brethren who dared to take on Hyperion and bring down Handsome Jack, including that whelp laughing raucously across the town square. With rumours of new vaults being uncovered and the remains of the Hyperion mess to clean up, they had joined up with what was left of that first legendary team, including her childhood hero Brick. The harsh realities of the last few years had dulled her crush, but she still blushed every time he walked past, and still couldn't bring herself to say hello. And her mother still cautioned her about going near the Vault Hunters.