"So, how do we get down there Blanche?"

Despite the speaker in my mask, I couldn't help the fact that my voice sounded very muffled. Everyone seemed to be able to understand me well enough, so I wasn't really sure if I was just imagining things or not. Still, I couldn't bear to take this off. That smell… I think I still had some issues to work out.

"Two ways. First, we could always take the bridge. It's quick, direct…"

"And full of Red-Necks. No thank you. What's the other way?"

"You're not gonna like it. It's dark, dank, smells like the inside of…"

"Don't tell me. Please don't tell me it's another… it's a sewer, ain't it?"

"Got it in one Olivia."

FUCK! I'm starting to hate those damn things. "Is there really no other way? Sewers and I are not the best of friends."

"Well there is a third option. Didn't think you'd like it that much."

"Anything has got to be better than another sewer Blanche."

"We can swim. Through radioactive waters filled with things that I am told make a deathwing look like a month old cub." Blanche sounded a little sassy saying that.

"Sewers it is. Mark, got any waterproof suits in the APC by chance?"

"'Fraid not. I got waterproof gauss if that'll help."

"Har har Mark. Fine. I guess I'll have to deal with it. Again. I swear, one of these days I'll invent some kind of levitating waste removal system so that there'll no longer be the need for those underground cesspools ever again."

"And after the next rad-storm, it'll be raining radiation and shit. Good thinking 'livi."

I wanted to tell Holly to 'shut it', but she was right. That was not my best idea ever. Plus it wouldn't solve the issue of all the current crap traps in existence. I sighed and shook my head. "Alright Blanche, lead the way. Will Drake be able to fit?"

"We figured we'd take the long way 'round, and with that Stealth-Boar you gave him, if we get spotted, a simple flick of the switch will buy us time to take cover and meet you there."

"Sounds like a plan. As for the rest of us, Nate will stick by me. I'll need you to keep your scanners on in case I need to use this gun to bypass any security. Mark, you and Holly take the rear with Onion. He'll keep his sensors up as well, while you two keep a look out for any potential threat we can't pick up with the scanners. Once we get to that building we'll need to make sure we take it nice and slow. I want as little confrontation as possible. If we're lucky those Red-Necks will have drawn most of their forces away. Everyone got it?"

They all answered yes with an air of confidence that I didn't think they would show. Either I was a good planner, when I actually had a plan, or else they realized there was nothing else to do and were simply giving it their all. Either way I was glad to have them with me. We made sure that all of our weapons were armed and ready. Before we moved out Holly handed me three objects.

"What are these?"

"Shock grenades. I don't have too many of these, but they may come in handy. They're very short range, but can either temporally subdue most mammals smaller than a rhino, or short out electrical systems. Be careful with these though, Nate has shorted his Pip-Boar a few times being too close to one."

"It was only one time Holly! Don't listen to her. These things have a protective anti-shock casing on them. I had to field strip my Pip-Boar due to a sensor malfunction once, and she just so happened to be tossing one of them at the same time. Took days to get it working right."

I took the grenades and put them in my bag. "Thanks. These might come in handy in a pinch. I'll be sure to not toss one if you happen to be working on your Pip-Boar sweetie."

"Gee, thanks Buns."

Despite the fact that we were overlooking a chaos of fire and bullets, I couldn't help but smile at Nate, although I wasn't sure if he could see it, so I gave him a slight bump on his side with my hip and he returned it with a small flicking of his tail on my backside. I knew that the marking was important to him, but I never expected it to change him like this.

"Okay, okay. Who are you and what did you do to my brother?" Mark seemed both surprised and amused.

"Ha-ha bro. Very funny. I'm just… I'm happier than I ever thought I could be."

"We've noticed. You sure had quite the impact on him Olivia, especially in such a short period of time."

"What can I say Mark? I work fast."

"It's a good thing you two aren't the same species 'livi, otherwise we'll be hearing the pitter-patter of tiny paws before the mission is even over."

"Cottontail, did you just… why did you have to go there?" Mark had placed his head in between his paws, shaking it back and forth.

"Y-you know Holly, I guess the same could be said for you and Mark. Only difference is the way you two go at it, we should have an entire bunker full of foxes, or rabbits, or… fobbits? Roxes? What you think Buns? Olivia, you okay?" Nate had an odd smirk on his face while Holly and Mark's jaws were nearly hitting the floor.

"I… I think I'm ready to get shot now." My face was burning, and I'm sure my ears were redder than all get out.

"Beating Holly at her own game and causing Olivia to get flustered? You really aren't my little brother, are you?"

"Younger by only a few minutes!" Nate made it sound like a few minutes made all the difference.

"Blanche, would you please lead the way? This conversation is making me feel a bit uncomfortable…"

"It's making me feel like I wanna puke. Yeah, let's go. Drake, that a-way!"

Blanche, still on top of Drakes head, moved slowly towards the entrance to the sewer system. While probably uncomfortable with it, Drake agreed to walk for most of it in order to keep our visibility at its lowest. That entire conversation was… I honestly don't know how I felt about it. Not the part about how Nate was inferring that Mark and Holly had sex, and quite often. No, the part that was making me feel… odd was the thought of us actually having children.

Back when I found out that there were traces of fox DNA within my own genetics, I thought nothing of it other than maybe getting some fox like abilities, such as my low light vision. Now there was the idea that, what if I still had the ability to reproduce with a fox. What if there was the possibility of Nate and I having children of our own? Would I even make a good mother? Could Nate take the responsibilities of being a father?

"You look like somethings bothering you." I felt Nate's paw take my own as his tail flicked my back.

"It's just that… I know this is probably the worst time to be thinking this, but what if we could have children? I mean, I'm technically part fox, so it's entirely possible. I just… would you even want children, with… me?"

"C-children? With… me? I… I never r-really thought about it. No one ever really took enough i-interest with me to even be a possibility, but you know what? I think… I think that with you? I'd… I'd like that. I really would. The two of us, starting our own family? It'd be nice, it'd be… real. I think I'd like that."

I took off the mask and despite the smell that it was protecting me from, I jumped up and hugged and gave Nate a big kiss. I really don't know what's coming over me right now, but while it was strange, unfamiliar, and a bit uncomfortable, I didn't hate it. I just wish I knew more about it.

"Okay you love birds, should we go and see if the Legionaries have a spare bedroom for you two?"

"Oh shut it Holly." I realized that I was not only still in Nate's arms, but he was starting to struggle keeping me up. I didn't realize I literally jumped into his arms. I set myself back on the ground and cleared my throat, as if nothing happened. "Ahem. Right. Onward to our goal. Continue Blanche."

"Fucking ass-twats." Blanche's whisper was still loud enough for my ears to pick up. I didn't say anything, feeling that we deserved that one.

My brain reminded me of the smell of burning fur and flesh as I started to feel woozy and mentally distressed, so I quickly put my mask back on. After taking a few deep breaths of filtered air to get rid of the lingering sensation, I started to feel better. I really hope that I never have to deal with that smell again after this.

We moved much quieter, especially as we got closer to the water's edge. The entrance was blocked by some rubbish, and that told us this should be a safe passage. With no sign of activity nearby, that means that the Legionaries either didn't know about this, or didn't care. Once we had it cleared off, Holly and Mark pulled back the metal plate that covered the entrance. It was large enough for us to fit comfortably, but much too small for Drake to fit. I looked back at Blanche and Drake and nodded my head, signaling it was time for them to take off and meet us on the other side.

Everyone else, minus Onion, was taken aback by some foul smell that was emanating from the hole, but thankfully this mask was blocking that out as well. While I wished that I had some kind of waterproof suit right now, this mask was making the entire situation seem less… disgusting. Unfortunately for the others, it seemed that Mark only had two more masks.

"I could have sworn I had another one in here. Let's see, how should this…" Mark was interrupted as Holly yanked one out of his paws.

"Nate's bunny gets one, so your bunny gets one too."

"But I… fine. So, Nate, you want the other one?"

"It's yours bro."

"Are you sure? I really don't…"

"Put it on, or else I will force it on you."

"Sheesh, alright Nate. You don't have to bite my ear off."

"Are you sure sweetie? You could take mine." I went to take my mask off but Nate put his paw on mine, stopping the motion.

"No. I can tell that the smell is bothering you, I don't want you to…"

"Thank you." I started to look through my bag. I thought I had… bingo. "Here…" I handed him a small piece of cloth, "it's not much, but it might help."

He held the small cloth up to his face. I could tell it wasn't helping, but even not he seemed to want to put other's wellbeing before his own. That's very sweet of him, but at the same time I feared that doing so would one of these days put his own life on the line. I don't know what I would ever do if I lost him, especially now.

Like most of the sewers, this one had a river of stagnant filth sitting between two very narrow walk ways. It was dark, so Nate and I turned on our Pip-Boar's lights, but mostly for Holly's sake, since she couldn't see in the dark as easily as we could. It still felt weird comparing my fox like abilities to another rabbit. Sometimes I wonder if one of these days I will simply forget my own species.

There were no traps, guards, or other things to identify this as ever having been occupied by Legionary forces. I'll have to remember to ask Blanche about how she knew this way in to begin with. Either there was something she wasn't telling me, or if even Legionaries refused to work in such horrid conditions like this.

We finally reached the end of the tunnel and were greeted by a ladder leading up, along with a series of smaller pipes that kept going towards the Legionaries headquarters. The thought of just following them and popping up in the middle of the base occurred to me, but the thought left me just as quickly as it came when I realized that in order to do so we would have to crawl through the filth in order to do so. I'll stick with Plan A for now.

Holly went first and slid the cover aside and scouted the area quickly before signaling us to come up. Once we all were free and the cover returned to its original position, I inspected our surroundings. We had come up a few hundred feet away from the western side of the building. There was a giant chain fence that traversed all around the building. Guess I kinda over looked that before. It looked so… small from up there.

I could see fighting in the distance, and I heard the sounds of gunfire intermixed with screams. Giant pillars of flame shot out here and there. I turned to get everyone ready for the next stage of the plan but was jolted by the sound of a series of explosions. I glanced back and saw thick smoke billowing up in the distance.

"Looks like the Legionaries are bringing out the heavy artillery."

"Stop drooling Holly." Mark sounded semi-serious with that remark towards his girlfriend.

"'Bout time you showed up." Blanche startled me as her and Drake came up to where we were. Thankfully there was a large amount of debris here to cover Drake's arrival.

"You two make it alright?"

"Yeah, those ass-twats were too busy looking ahead to bother looking up. Probably good seeing as they're now packing boomers. Think I even saw a Nuke Tube among them."

"Nuke… Tube…"

"Holly! No!"

"But Marki! I always wanted one!"

"Quit the yammering you two!" Now was not the time for friendly bickering with us this close to the battlefield. I could feel my fighting instincts start to take over. "Now, what's the best way in Blanche?"

"Well, those guys have the place locked down tight. Used to be a maximum security prison. Probably could tell by the giant fence. I wouldn't go up and touching it either, they keep it electrified. Mines also dot the perimeter."

"Electric fence? Mine? Why the fuck didn't you tell us this before?"

"You didn't ask. I told you it was nearly impossible to get in."

"You little… okay, is there any weak-spot in their defenses?"

"Normally no, but with this shit-fest going on out here, it might buy us a small window. You see, there was a small flaw that those ass-twats never bothered to fix. When the gate opens, it shuts down the electrical grid powering the fences until it's closed. They usually have guards patrolling during those times, but from the looks of it, they're either busy, or dead. Still need to worry about the mines though."

"Got that covered. I've disarmed a few mines before, and now that I can enter into B.A.T.S. at will, it'll be so much easier."

"Well Drake and I will be fifty feet behind you then. I don't trust no one around explosives."

"Thanks for the reassurance Blanche. So, that plan sound good to everyone else? We clear out a small spot of mines and wait until the power goes down then we cut our way through the fence."

"If it's that or the front door, then it's as good a plan as any 'livi, but if I see a Nuke Tube lying around…"

"Not sure I'd feel very comfortable sleeping knowing there's a live nuke in the same building as me Holly." Not that I didn't trust her, but nukes haven't done this world any good.

Once we were all agreed on it, we chose an area that looked the most obscured from any onlookers. There were sniper nests on the sides and the roof of the building, but a quick look through my scope showed that they were currently unoccupied. Probably because all of the action was going on in the front. It probably never occurred to them that someone might try to take advantage of this.

Just as Blanche said, there were at least six or seven mines between me and the fence. I entered into B.A.T.S. and began the process of disabling them. With how long it took, I was only able to get two disarmed before the chemicals wore off. I was very patient right now, and felt it was best to let B.A.T.S. cool down between disarm attempts. I placed the two mine in my bag, thinking they may come in handy if we get ambushed.

Suddenly my ears started to twitch. I heard… something. Something very familiar. It was a voice, a female voice and she was… screaming. She was screaming for help! Fuck! Was there an innocent civilian caught in the cross fire? She sounded young. Not a child, but probably closer to my age if not younger. I pulled my scope out and surveyed the area. I didn't see anyone who looked like they needed help.

"'Livi? What's wrong?"

"You hear that Holly?"

"Hear what? All I hear is gunfire."

"I heard someone… there it is again!"

I moved my scope around, but I still couldn't… there! I saw three large male giraffe surrounding someone. Their large bodies made it hard to see who it was, but it looked like they were tearing something off… another scream confirmed that the voice was coming from inside the encircled giraffe. Fuck! We were so close, but… I can't ignore a cry for help. They were on the outskirts of the battle, maybe if I was quick.

"Olivia! The power is down!"

Mark's voice echoed in my head, but I couldn't get the screaming out of my head. The cry of a woman, the sight of three males around her brought back… memories. Feelings of anger, of hate. In my head those three giraffe suddenly took the visage of that fucking boar, Eugene Baird. No! I couldn't let another girl get treated that way! I will not stand for it!

"Olivia! Where the hell is she going?!"

I caught the trail end of Holly's voice as I realized I was running. Running at break-neck speeds towards the cries for help. In my head all I could picture was me laying there naked, defenseless. Helpless, as that fucking boar had his way with me. I could still feel him. His breath burning my skin. Him… forcing his way into me. I… I will never let him, or anyone like him ever do that again, even if I had to hunt down every last rapist in the wasteland.

My gun found its way into my paws as I got close enough to finally make out who was crying out for help. It was… a Red-Neck. One of the giraffe surrounding her tossed a large canister to the side as they closed the circle around her. Why the fuck were they doing this to one of their own?! That made me even angrier, and I didn't think that was possible.

"Hey fuckers! Leave her alone!" I didn't even give them time to react. "Pip-Boar, kill."

I planted one bullet into the head of the closest to me. He dropped like a stone before he could even respond to my threat. The second one started to crane his neck towards me but I landed a bullet between the eyes, dropping him to. The third one, however, managed to start a plume of fire that was heading right towards me. I dodged it, feeling the heat as the fire billowed past me. I let out two rounds. One in his neck which caused him to reel back in pain, and one right through the bottom of the head. From the way he suddenly stopped, I imagined it exited through the top.

I went over to the woman on the ground to see if she was okay when I heard gun fire coming this way. I turned and saw that the Legionaries that were nearby had spotted us. I heard one of them shout my name. I didn't fucking have time for this shit. I grabbed a shock grenade and chucked it among them. It went off, causing all but two to drop to the ground, convulsing. I pulled out one of the mines and tossed it towards them. For a large heavy disk, it sure flew very far. I aimed my gun and fired, detonating it and causing the two standing to fall down, screaming in pain.

"Olivia! What the hell did you… that's… that's a Red-Neck!" Mark, Holly, and Nate approached me as I was standing over the very scared giraffe laying on the ground. She was in tears and shaking like crazy.

"Yeah, she is. Help me get her up."

"Are you CRAZY? IT'S A RED-NECK!"

"So fucking what Holly?! She's in trouble. Her own kind just tried to hurt her and do who knows what to her! I don't fucking care who she is, she's in trouble and we need to get her the fuck out of here! The missions over. Now give me a fucking paw!"

I shouldn't be yelling at them like that, I really shouldn't, but I could care less who this giraffe laying on the ground is. She was in trouble, and that's all I needed to know. We'll sort things out later. She was six times the size of me, so there would be no way I could lift her on my own.

"Hey. It's okay. I'm a friend."

"P-please, d-don't h-h-hurt m-m-e." Her voice sounded much younger than I think she was.

"We're not going to hurt you. I promise. We need to get you out of here. Can you stand?"

"I-I… t-they w-will… I-if I-I l-leave t-they w-will k-kill m-me."

"It didn't look like they were holding back any a moment ago. Please, let us help you."

"I-I…"

"What the fuck are you ass-twats doing?! Is that… it's the fucking enemy! Why the hell are you standing around her like some kind of worried parent?!"

"She's in trouble Blanche! The other Red-Necks were trying to hurt her!"

"Who fucking cares? One less Red-Neck the better!"

"I FUCKING CARE!"

"I… fine. I ain't saving you when she turns on us. Drake let's go and… Drake? What the hell are you doing?"

"Olivia. Need. Help. Drake. Help."

"Why are you always taking her side?"

"Wings. Bad. Drake. Good. Olivia. Save. Drake. Help. Save. Long. Neck."

"You are all fucking crazy! Now if you…"

Before Blanche could even try to move off of Drake's head, he jumped into the air and grabbed the giraffe by the shoulders. She started to shake, either out of fear or trying to get free of this sudden 'monster' that appeared before her. I had to calm her down before she got them both hurt.

"He's a friend. We're all friends, please, stop struggling and let him help."

"I-I d-don't… I-I n-n-need…"

She was still trying to struggle, so panicked that her words were not making any sense, but then she seemed to calm down as I saw Mark had jabbed a couple needles in her arm.

"Tranquilizers. She'll be fine. Now let's get her out of here before any of us regret this."

"Thank you Mark. Drake, take her to the APC, we'll be right behind you!"

"Drake. Fly."

"Olivia… what about the Legionaries?"

Nate hadn't said anything up until now. I felt his paw on my shoulder as he spoke. "I… I can't help it. Somehow I knew she needed help. I can't explain it, and for some reason I really don't think she'll bring any harm to us. I just couldn't leave someone crying for help. It's just…"

"It's not in your nature. I… I understand."

"Thank you Nate. Now, let's get the hell out of here before I start to regret my decision."

There was no way we could sneak back out through the sewers. Once we made ourselves known, many of the Legionaries seemed to be ignoring the onslaught of Red-Necks and were heading straight towards us. Apparently I was worth enough money for them to ignore the fact that their entire army is being burned alive. The bridge was our only hope.

Drake had taken to the sky and Blanche must have activated the Stealth-Boar, because Drake, and part of the giraffe suddenly vanished. Unfortunately she was so large, even compared to Drake, that the field did not completely surround her, leaving everything from the chest down visible. If this was any other situation, we would have all found it funny, but now, I just wanted us all to survive this. Even her.

"The bridge, it's blocked by Red-Necks!"

Shit. Holly was right. There were at least seven giraffes guarding the entrance to the bridge. They were probably there in order to prevent any Legionaries from escaping. I may not have wanted harm to come to her, but these fuckers aren't helpless, but once I'm done with them, they'll wish they were.

I came to a stop. "Guard my back, I need a moment!"

"What are you…"

"Just do it!"

They all surrounded me, firing their weapons at the oncoming Legionaries. The Red-Necks at the bridge weren't doing anything, probably hoping that these other guys would finish us off. Flames might be a deadly weapon, but they don't have the range that a bullet has. I took out the other two shock grenades, along with my smaller screwdriver and took off both of their housings. I grabbed two remote bullets and took the electronics out of the shells. I may not know much about how certain guns worked, but electronics I knew. I also knew how to overcharge something too.

It only took me five minutes to do what I needed, and after I synced my Pip-Boar to the remotes, I was ready. I told them to move between me and any Legionary left as I faced the Red-Necks at the bridge. I gave them a very large smile that seemed to unnerve them a bit. I started to charge them, feeling as if I was running faster than a cheetah. I had a grenade in each paw and waited until I was just close enough to them before tossing the grenades. Two of them had let out a fire plume, but it died down when they realized that the grenades didn't explode. They looked very confused until I pushed a button on my Pip-Boar.

The largest light show I had ever seen erupted from both apple sized objects. It was as if a thunderstorm appeared from beneath the ground. All seven of them dropped, convulsing so violently that I heard, saw, and smelt them evacuate every orifice at once. I was glad I still had my mask on, because from the look of the smoke, I'm sure that the electricity was now cooking them alive.

"Olivia, what did you do?" Nate sounded utterly surprised by what occurred.

"I overrode the safety buffer that controls the electrical discharge and rewired it so that it would amplify the discharge, rather than subdue it. I had to sync it with two of those remotes and detonate them through my Pip-Boar, otherwise they would have went off the moment I activated them."

"You didn't just kill them, you cooked them alive!" Mark was the one who chimed in this time.

"They would have done the same to us. Now quick, back the APC before more of these fuckers get to us."

There were no Red-Necks or Legionaries between us and our ride, so we all ran as fast as our legs could travel. Onion kept to the back, keeping an eye on anyone who may catch up with us, but there was no need. Once we crossed the bridge, I heard a massively loud sound as I turned back to see a mushroom shaped cloud over the battle field.

"Those fuckers actually used one. Good thing they are miniature nukes, otherwise we'd be dead as well."

"Watch your language Holly."

"I think I deserve that Mark, after today. You really think this was the right thing to do 'livi?"

"I know I'll come to regret abandoning the mission later, but yes. I… I thought they were going to rape her. I just kept seeing that… boar. I couldn't let them do that to her. Not even a Red-Neck deserves that."

"But you cooked seven of them alive, with a grenade designed to STUN!"

"It was a feeling, okay! Those fuckers didn't… I just knew she wasn't like them. Don't ask me to explain. I. Just. Knew."

My heart was still pounding and bad images were still passing through my head as if a video playing on a loop. I had to get my mind off of this, so I went to see how the giraffe was doing. Drake had set her down next to the APC, and he had moved away from her, while Blanche was yelling at him. I thanked Drake for his help as I leaned over her. Either the tranqs that Mark gave her were wearing off, or else they never took hold fully in the first place because her eyes were open and it looked like she was trying to move her neck.

"Don't move. You're full of tranquilizers, so just rest. You're safe now. My name is Olivia Springs, and you are?"

"J-Jasmine… R-Rothschild."

"Well, Jasmine Rothschild, you just get some rest. I promise you that nothing bad will happen to you again."

I knew that wasn't a promise that I should be giving, especially in the wasteland, but I had to give her hope. Hope to some was just as important as money, more important than even their food, water, or shelter. Hope was what drives mammals to do better, to be better. Not just for ourselves but for those around us. Most importantly, hope gives us a reason to live, and I wanted to pass that along.

I just hope I made the right decision.

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian wasteland! We are coming to you live from what used to be the Palm Hotel and Casino, located in the middle of Sahara Square! Unfortunately it's gambling and entertainment days are long gone, replaced instead by fire and despair. Today the Palm Hotel is known as the Charred Spire, home to one of the most dangerous and feared raider groups in the wasteland, the Red-Necks!

"Today I will be sharing with you a little more about these raiders. While they have been mentioned before, not a whole lot of details have been given about them, they were one of the more favorites to create in the development process. Whoops, seems like there are still a few bricks missing in that wall I shattered the other day… hey Max! Got a job for you."

[Max]

"…Stripes…? Normally I'd tell you to shove it up your own ass but since you decided to blindfold me and drag me out to this 'great surprise' of yours I've been desperately attempting not to one, shoot you dead. And two, praying to every deity I know to let me get out of here with my tail preferably intact and my fur unsinged. Just remember Celeste is a better shot than I am and if anything happens to me? Oooh you're gonna rue that day. So get this over with before I leave you for torch fuel!"

[Stripes]

"Don't worry, we will be fine. I think. It is a little hot in here… anyways. Now some of this will be covered during future events, but I would like to just dump it all on you at once. Let us open the history books and go back some twenty years or so after the first nuke went off. Sahara Square was relatively untouched during the war, though I have a feeling the real reason was due to that angel with horns, Gazelle, often stayed and performed within the Palm Hotel, and I don't care how evil you are, everyone loves her.

"Many mammals tried to take shelter in the sand and rock that made up the vast majority of that district, but not everyone was able to survive the high temperatures. Some mammals even tried to sabotage the heating units that bordered Savanna Central, but thankfully the Steel Guardians stopped most of it, but with the Tundratown coolers destroyed by the massive flooding, it still had its toll, which is why two hundred years later, the sands have slowly been receding.

"What does this have to do with the Red-Necks you say? Well, the heat can drive some mammals mad, and such is the case with one family of giraffes that fled from their homes in Savanna Central. The very first Red-Neck was named Derek Cauhill, later known as Chieftain Cauh, probably because the former name sounds more like a lawyer than a raider leader, though to some there isn't much of a difference, but I digress.

"Chieftain Cauh's parents were archaeologists who were working within the Sahara Square district. Ancient artifacts in the middle of a major city you may ask, but truth is, all these different ecologies were mostly mammal made, built on top of lands that were once home to our ancestors. Seems you don't have to do a whole lot of prep-work to simply dump a few billion pounds of sand on the ground. Despite the effects of the war still settling, his parents were too engrossed in their work to stop.

"Now, they did find something, remnants of an old civilization, one that predated even modern knowledge of the Savage Ages. It seems that this culture worshiped the elements, but fire was one of the big ones. Sure, many might think fire worshipers are demonic, or enjoy to watch the world burn, and with the Red-Necks, this isn't far from the truth, but many ancient cultures worshiped fire as not a bringer of death, but as the flames of life.

"Now Cauh wasn't as used to the extreme heats of the area as his parents were, and the heat slowly drove him mad. At the age of nineteen, he started to hear voices coming from the artifacts that his parents found, voices that told him that in order for the world to be renewed, it must first turn to ash. So what did he do? He set the entire site on fire, not only causing him major burns to his entire body, but killing his parents and siblings in the process.

"If you think the heat can drive you mad, imagine the sudden realization that you just killed your own parents? Your brothers and sisters? If he was borderline crazy before that, now he's drowning in it. It was the voices in his head that 'crowned' him Chieftain, and it was those voices that told him to build an army of followers, so he did.

"Now, today the Red-Necks are solely comprised of giraffes, but that wasn't the case back then. Chieftain Cauh tried to recruit any species that would follow his lead. Tigers, lions, and bears oh my… sorry, I had to… anyways, no species was excluded from his rule, so why the sudden xenophobia today? It was quite simple really. It all started with his son, Jaru.

"It seems that not only does insanity pass down through the generations, but it grows worse as it does. Jaru was only ten or so when his father was killed by a disease that was eventually traced to a sickly trader, who happened to be a wolf. When Jaru was made Chieftain, his first order was to not only kill the wolf and his family, but he suddenly feared that another wolf would take away his mom, or infect himself, so he had every single wolf within the clan killed. When his mother died two years later from an infection after getting cut by some rusted metal? He blamed the bears who brought in the metal and had them all killed. Soon, he started to distrust any species other than his own. Because of this, most of the other species fled for their own safety. He became so xenophobic that he refused to even talk to another species, and had them killed for even trying to spread their 'poison' to his kind.

"Unfortunately, by the time he died, there was so few giraffes that it was feared that the clan would die out, but his only two children, Felicity and Samuel, whom had inherited his xenophobic nature, did not want that. They took up the mantle of Chieftain together, and forbade any giraffe from leaving the clan under the penalty of death. They went so far as to even form the earliest versions of what are now called the Reclaimers. These teams were tasked with a single job, to go out and find other giraffes to integrate into the clan. They were given complete freedom. Kidnapping, slave purchases, many often found families with newborns and if the parents refused to join, they would kill them and bring back the infants. For decades this made the Red-Necks population boom.

"Now, you might be asking, where is all the fire and brimstone? Well early Red-Necks did use fire weapons, but they were simple ones. Hoof-held flamers, incendiary grenades, whatever they could find, but they still used other weapons as well. It wasn't until Chieftain Obadiah that the modern use of flamers were utilized.

"It seems that before the war, many giraffes volunteered within the fire departments, which made sense since their necks could reach places that only ladders could. One of Chieftain Obadiah's scavenged teams came back with a bunch of modified fire hoses that were designed for giraffes to use and had them modified to be adapted by flamer technology. The first ones were simply head mounted designs, but often many of Red-Necks complained that the fire's bright lights so close to their eyes would cause blindness, and that often the flames dropped down and burned their faces. So, the Chieftain had his engineers come up with something better.

"That's when the Red-Necks current form of fire-power was created. A jaw mounted system that allowed them not only improved accuracy, but also gave them the horrifying visage of some fire breathing demon. Unfortunately, simply mounting it under the jaw wasn't good either. Between heating up the mouths, straps melting and causing the devices to fall, and other issues made them decide to make a Red-Neck's weapon be a ceremonial gift, rather than a simple weapon.

"To make that possible, once a Red-Neck reached a certain age, they had their entire lower jaw removed and replaced by one made of metal. It was done so delicately and so methodical that once it healed, other than the increased weight, it felt natural. Even their long tongue wasn't impeded by it. To get your new jaw turned into a ceremony akin to becoming an adult. Once it was healed, the flamer weapon was fused to the jaw.

"Now, despite the barbaric ways of the Red-Necks at times, they're not dumb. Besides having the medical and technical expertise to replace an entire jaw, they were also able to use some salvaged tech to allow the fire control system to be controlled by mental implants. This technology was originally designed for the Steel Guardians, to allow more precise use of the Exo-Armor by their operators, but was abandoned due to it causing severe mental issues, issues that the Red-Necks ignored.

"Now that their history is over, let's get down to the nitty-gritty about the modern Red-Necks and their culture. Every Chieftain introduced new rules that they thought would better their clan, and while some were abandoned by future leaders, most of them made it intact.

"Chieftains are always born of the current ones. To not bare an heir is to fail as a leader. Red-Necks still maintain their xenophobic ways, but they no longer simply kill anyone who isn't a giraffe, unless they're given reason to. They don't like dealing with outsiders, but often it's necessary for supplies and services. They do, however utilize other species in… different ways."

"A long time ago, one of the Chieftains made a pact with the first Slave Prince, and ever since the Red-Necks have bought slaves from the current Slave Princes. Giraffe slaves were forced to integrate into the Red-Neck culture, or else they were killed. Non-giraffes were tortured to the brink of death, starved, tormented, and otherwise treated as if they were nothing more than property. This demoralized them so much that once they were begging to die, they were turned into living napalm bombs, and used to infiltrate and destroy towns and armies from the inside. They are so mentally broken that it is very hard to not have them press the detonator when the time comes. They simply want to be released from their horrible life.

"Red-Necks are not above torturing their own kind however. Killing a giraffe is not taken lightly, and they are often punished prior to that decision being made. From whipping to ritualistic burning, any giraffe that strays from their faith will be punished. The Reclaimers are tasked with tracking down any that do escape, and are brought before the Chieftain to either be punished through flame, or burned alive if they are found to be unable to abide by their rules.

"Despite all of this, the Red-Necks are a very close and tightly bound group. They take family and traditions very seriously and any that mock it will face their flames of wrath. Due to the high respect for their own kind, many giraffe slaves are often happy to be bought by the Red-Necks. Slave giraffes, as long as they abide by the rules, are cut from their bindings, free to live life as an equal to the rest of them. Many wastelanders find refuge within the Red-Necks due to that as well. If you are a giraffe, you will find safety within the Red-Necks, and being one of the most feared raider groups helps to keep them even safer. Not even the Steel Guardians want to go hoof to hoof with them unless forced to.

"Because of this, giraffes are also shunned in many areas. Sure they might not have the metal jaw that makes the Red-Necks stand out from other giraffes, but many people believe that if the Red-Necks were to attack their towns and villages, that any giraffe residents would rather join the enemy and live, than to stay and fight for their town. To be honest, giraffes are regarded almost as untrustworthy as foxes are to many mammals. Yes, there are exceptions, and not everyone feels that way, but it's almost as hard to make an honest living as a giraffe as it is for a fox, sad to say.

"I, for one, have no bias over them at all. As long as you show trust and kindness in me, I will return that, regardless of your species. Plus, I have a thing for long, plush legs, and they have legs for miles… ahem, anyways, I think that's all I the time I have for today's show. It ran a little longer than I expected, but history has the tendency to do that you know. Tune in next time when I finally meet up with one Holly Kerrigan! I just hope she doesn't try to shoot me this time… until then folks, take care of yourselves!"

[Max]

"You done? Great! Let's get the hell out of here before we're spotted and kil-ooh… Ooh great… Hiiii… Hi there… Um… Don't suppose you've heard of the Savannah Caller Radio show? Um… This is Stripes! You know famous host of Stripes in the morning! I'm sure he'll be glad to tell you ALL about us…! Now if you'll just excuse me for a moment."

[Stripes]

"What are you… oh, hi. Um, if you excuse me I will be… actually… excuse me miss, you single by chance? I have a soft spot in my heart for giraffes, so… hot! Hot! Hot! I take that as a no! MAX! Wait for me!"