☄ war. war never changes. [onexone]

[vaermina]

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a fallout one x one between Spock and Kirk and i. no outside posting allowed.

[Spock and Kirk]

𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝙰𝚙𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚢𝚙𝚜𝚎
Oᴅᴅᴍᴇɴᴛ Gᴀʟᴇ Asʜᴛᴏɴ
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰☢

Fc; Chris Pratt
☢▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
Oddment
/ˈädmənt/
A remnant or part of something,
Usually from a larger set

>> Basic Information
>> Personal Log entry 1
>> SPECIAL attributes
>>CLASSIFIED

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Retrieving Basic Information File
[WARNING: file corrupt}

Pale complection ☣ Blue eyes ☣ Dirty Blonde ☣6'4" ☣ appears ill

Subject Oddment Gale Ashton has never seen a world outside of the vault.
Born and raised in the safety of the closed doors keeping the rest of the
wasteland away from his fingertips. There was once a tale of someone who
had gone outside of the vault, but since this person never returned he
assumed naturally that they had never come back. Subject appears
to show avoidance to the large doors that keep the vault secure
from the outside world. A literal comfort zone.
The Overseer is pleased with Subject Ashton's progress. She is
considering sending files to Vault-tech to-
[Error loading file: access DENIED]

Ö̶̲c̶͓͝t̴̄ͅò̵͔ḅ̶̀ȩ̷̓r̷͍̒ ̷̝̆%̶̦͛$̴͉̈#̴͕͝!̵̮̆ ̴̜̀
Subject appears to be enjoying shooting targets. He is getting
increasingly better as time wears on, simulations often feel as
though they aren't good enough for him. Subject Ashton needs
more of a challenge. PERCEPTION points have been awarded.

Male ☣ Bisexual ☣ Dirty Blonde ☣ August 6 ☣ 24 ☣ Unmarried

Patient Ashton, Oddment's symptoms
- low blood count: excused from proper tactical training
- Pale complexion
-Lethargic movements, despite acute agility
he's a lot slower than he used to be.
- Gets ill often, weak immune system
-Difficulty breathing at higher elevations
-Odd scaring on body, from cell malfunctioning

Overseer is disappointed to find Subject Ashton succumbing
to radiation sickness. She hoped that he would recover but
no such luck. She has yet to allert Vaul-tech of this new information.

+Resourceful ☣+ Intuitive ☣ -Insecure ☣ - enigmatic

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>Subject Ashton's personal log
Entry 1

I loathe my name
more so then I probably
should. Being named after
something because of how
I'm supposed to embody a
piece of it is just not my
idea of a good name. At least
I have Gale to fall back on for now.
Until of course my parents call me
out for it, they wish for me to be
called by the name I was given.
Ill have to remind everyone what
to call me and when. Which all could
have been avoided if I was "Gale"
instead of Oddment.

My birthday W̶͎̲̬̳̽̒͐͠a̸̬̞͖̬̾̽͐͊ṣ̷̻̦̘̑̓̋͌ ̷̧̘̳̫̍̀͆̊
[Error: file Corrupted]

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╔ -------------------- ╗
xxxxxxxxxx𝕊
xxxxxxxxxx★
Not the strongest person
in training,mostly because
of the deterioration that
his body has taken from the
radiation poisoning.

╚ -------------------- ╝

╔ -------------------- ╗
xxxxxxxxxx𝔼
xxxxxxxxxx★
Because of his heavily
irradiated cells, he is
not able to last for long.
ENDURANCE is very low.

╚ -------------------- ╝

╔ -------------------- ╗
xxxxxxxxxx𝕀
xxxxxxxxx★★
Modifying and playing around
with his weapons as well as
other things has been one of
this Subjects specialties.
High INTELLIGENCE.

╚ -------------------- ╝

╔ -------------------- ╗
xxxxxxxxxx𝕃
[ERROR: not enough
information to present
Ashton, Oddment's LUCK status.]

╚ -------------------- ╝

╔ -------------------- ╗
xxxxxxxxxxxℙ
xxxxxxxxx★★★
One of the best shots
in the vault. Its why
he was sent out in the
first place.

╚ -------------------- ╝

╔ -------------------- ╗
xxxxxxxxxℂ
xxxxxxxxx★
Oddment has never been
known for his charisma,
the last time they had
to log this he was very
low. He also has had
a difficult time making
friends among fellow
Vault-dwellers.

╚ -------------------- ╝

╔ -------------------- ╗
xxxxxxxxxx𝔸
xxxxxxxxx★★
Oddment was very agile, able
to clear courses setting records in
the Vault. But this has deteriorated
as he has gotten sicker.

╚ -------------------- ╝

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>Exit .... Process completed

[vaermina]

---

[vaermina]

ＣＡＥＬＡＮ ＯＬＩＶＥＲ，xxx
I.xthe raider II.x957 words II.xn/a


indentThe arid wasteland stretched like a never-ending hell before him. The sky was bleak and dreary, with the bold sun covered by a thick wisp of dark clouds. From his position on top of the eroded sandy slope, Caelan could see a good portion of the burned Commonwealth laid out before him. What perhaps must have been a bustling scene of life and activity before the Great War was now a scene of dejection; rusty cars and near-vanished roads, mutated creatures scavenging at the remains of destroyed settlements, the skeletal remains of trees and buildings, down power-lines and destroyed bridges with radiated water flowing beneath. There was not a speck of green in sight. He thought as much. He's never once spotted a fresh growing plant out here in the wastelands. Perhaps the common mutfruit and tato plant, but the surrounding quagmire was far too radiated to allow any pre-War plants to grow. The Commonwealth has never been a pretty area, after all. To Caelan, it was almost like looking at a gray water painting where the artist who painted the piece intended to represent a desolate and inhabitable landscape. Even the air had an almost acrid taste to it that parched his throat and burned his eyes. Of course, the northern area of the Commonwealth is nowhere near as bad as the communities southwest of Boston, where the notorious Glowing Sea is located. Heavily radiated due to the fact it's the exact location of a fallen nuke that had hit the United States, it's impossible for a human to walk through the area unscathed. The radiation could kill a man in less than two minutes if he lacked the proper materials to brave the wastes. Caelan and his gang were lucky that they explored a region where the only heavily radiated areas around are bodies of water and waste dumped by ignorant townspeople during the pre-War era.

indentHis gang. He had to resist the urge to scoff. Less than thirty minutes ago he had gotten into a scuffle with the gang's leader, Jackson. Relatively older and far more experienced than the rest of the rugged raiders, Jackson was infamous for his dastardly ways, and Caelan had the unfortunate pleasure to watch the older raider slaughter a whole group of settlers when the gang took over a nearby settlement. The settlement was nothing particularly fancy - just a few poorly-structured shacks and a pen for brahmin - although every settlement that's relatively close to a highway meant that traders and other raider groups might pass by, leaving the settlement an open door for trade. It's always useful to trade for new weapons, armor, food, RadAway, packs of cigarettes and the occasional Nuka-Cola. When they overran the settlement - the settlers were common wastelanders who survived off their brahmin and trade - Jackson had herded them into a tight circle while Caelan and the rest pillaged their homes and invaded their supply line. That's when Jackson decided to slaughter them all. Caelan had to resist the urge to shudder. It's not the first time he's witnessed such violence, although for some odd reason, he had leapt at Jackson's throat for it. For some reason, Caelan had experienced remorse when he saw their corpses. When he was younger, taking someone's life meant nothing to him. Back then, Caelan had been bitter and churlish and eager to prove himself. The life of a raider had been exhilarating. It was different than what he grew up in; his father a sorrowful man and spending most of his time repairing old rifles to be resold while his mother spent her time outside tending to their brahmin. Caelan's first real taste of the wasteland was when his mother had been bit by a wild mongrel, and without the necessary supplies to treat her, she died a few days later due to a ravenous infection. Caelan's never quite thought the same way again after she died.

indentThe quarrel between Jackson and Caelan had ended with Caelan storming off into the hills in order to gather his thoughts. Even now, as he stood overlooking the abraded terrain, his immediate thoughts flashed back to the settlers. Covered in grime and clothed in rags and cheap leather, with looks of terror ingrained within their eyes. Innocent people, who lacked even a knife to defend themselves. Was this the price of living out here in the wasteland? Where not only do you have to worry about mutated creatures and radioactive storms but also the people who are struggling to survive out here, too? Caelan couldn't help but sigh as he rested one of his gloved hands upon the pistol tucked away safely in its holster on his belt. Like most of his gang, Caelan had donned road leathers. Road leathers are nowhere near as effective as leather armor, but they're comfortable and wick away any signs of unwanted sweat. He wore a leather jacket and leather pants with a ragged shirt underneath and a pair of old boots; around his waist there was a belt, with a skull as the belt's buckle. The shirt's sleeves had holes in them. Across his shoulder was his trusty rifle, a weapon he bought not too long ago that's proven quite useful against more of the tougher enemies out here in the wasteland. His outfit was nowhere near as protective as Jackson's, but then again, he was not a raider leader. He did not have the bottle caps for such luxury. And for right now, he needed some space from the gang. If he went back now and looked upon them, he would think of the murdered townspeople. For the first time in a very long time, he felt no sort of smugness or satisfaction over their 'supposed' victory.

[Spock and Kirk]

xxx𝙾𝚍𝚍𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝙰𝚜𝚑𝚝𝚘𝚗
>> ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰□▱■▱▱□■▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
𝕊: ★||ℙ:★★★ ||𝔼:★ ||ℂ:★ ||𝕀:★★ ||𝔸:★★ ||𝕃:[ERROR]
1,682 words|| Vault-Dweller || Ailments: Radiation Sickness || Mood: -

xxx My lungs convulsed. The light blinded my eyes as the platform rose into the murky sky that I had seen so many times in books. The sky that I never thought I would ever lay eyes on, the sun that I never thought I would feel the warmth of. I quickly felt my lungs burst into an angry fit of coughing as soon as the unfamiliar taste of the air lept into them at an alarming speed. I closed my eyes as I did so, the light even still managing to blind me despite the shadows created by my eyelids. Part of me wanted to collapse to the ground which I was quickly alerted to by the pip-boy on my wrist begging for my attention so that I could go over my deteriorated stats. It's been interesting watching it over the past little while, seeing truly how bad I have gotten. Its like watching myself disintegrate under a microscope, not a single ailment has been missed. Which I suppose is both a blessing and a curse. My lungs were still begging for me to call off this mission, for me to re-enter the vault and forget about why I had been sent out in the first place. I desperately wanted to oblige as well, this was by no means going to be easy. I could already feel the impurities in the air beginning to constrict my ability to breathe. I need to survive, for the sake of the others. The others that have watched their families die.

xxxMy only comfort was the modified Double barrel shotgun around my shoulder. I had argued to be permitted to bring one of the Explosive arrows and bow I had modified over the past six months. It worked like a charm, in the target area an entire section had been blackened from the power that the small amount of explosive at the end of the arrow had been able to produce. I had to fabricate more targets to make up for what I had done, but it appeared to be worth it. The weapon working out so well and all. The overseer barely wanted me building and modifying my weapons in the first place, she had my bow and small stock of explosive arrows taken and locked in one of the secure rooms. Ha. little did she know I had managed to find my way to get into such places long ago while I was seventeen and looking for a thrill. It was a challenge trying to break into different rooms in the vault, most importantly the armory that the Overseer tried to keep hidden from us but we all still knew about it. Probably no thanks to me breaking into it and retrieving weapons which were set to fire something other than blanks and paintballs for target practice to see where our stat levels were. This is not to say I felt constricted when I was only handed my modified double-barrelled shotgun. It was a jolt of excitement. It was confiscated when the Overseer found out about the few modifications that I had made to it. Crafting a digital scope that actually did its designed purpose with diligence. It was smooth and almost flawless, impressive for a seventeen year old with extraordinarily little robotics knowledge. What was the point of training the young people of the vault how to tinker with various robotics? My sarcasm with this statement made my instructor send me out of the classroom. She knew I was right, and it was driving her up the wall. The overseer invited me with a cold smile into her office more than just the few times that month. She was unimpressed with how adventurous I had become, causing me to remain in my room for a while my only comfort papers with assignments from peers who had slipped them under my door knowing that I could help them if they were to bring them to me. After this punishment I didn’t exactly learn my lesson in the way intended, if anything I got more sneaky about how I approached engineering my strange ideas. Eventually It got to a point where I had to write down my ideas on something other than paper. Anything to keep it away from the prying eyes of the overseer, which were already watching me to step out of line once again. It was comforting to run my hands over the scope again, seeing as my modified weapon had been untouched.

xxx I took a few off kilter steps off of the main platform landing with a thud and on my knees onto the unfamiliar dirt. It was not like the dirt what was kept in the labs that I was used to touching. Especially when we were tasked with raising a small seed. Mine died within a few weeks' due to neglect. My instructor looked at me with disappointment as I brought in the withering thing in. I had more important tasks to attend too besides botany. I was more entranced with blowing stuff up in clever ways rather than growing things. I forced my eyes open a little more ignoring the sound of my pip boy screaming at me to pay more attention to my vitals were leaping all over the place from the alien atmosphere. I saw the sun in the sky, it was a lot less hazy than I had thought. In the pictures that I had seen of it was a strange orange shade, it was more of a white light when I looked at it for short amounts of time. The light which was on the backs of my hands illuminated how ghastly I was. It was an obvious contrast between that and the cheerful blue decorating my sleeves from the jumpsuit. My vision finally cleared, my eyes adjusting to the light which allowed me to look out over the barren wasteland. It was not what i had expected, so much decay. So much neglect, like that little plant that died because I had forgotten about it. An interesting metaphor I must say… the world that humans abandoned, now set to be overtaken by nature once again.

xxx I needed to stand up. It was the next step in this whole endeavor and it turns out that such an easy task was one that required significant energy. The world that I had just been thrust into was one that looked different from others. I used my hand for leverage as I stood up my legs shaking and my breathing becoming a little more heavy from the desperate need to have more oxygen in my lungs. They were grasping for any and all of it that they could find. This was something that I had expected, from my body deteriorating at an accelerated rate. Not one figured the one thing that promised to keep us safe would be the one thing that completely destroyed us. I shook as I took my first steps my hand reaching for my belt. More contraband. Grenades of my own design that I had slipped onto my belt. I meant it when I said I was more concerned with making things explode. I was not sure if they even worked in the first place, but I could hope that they would. No time to test them now, besides, I doubt I could obtain the materials to craft them anyways.

xxxI hated how weak I must have appeared, walking a short way (Tuning out my screaming pip boy for me to somehow heal myself from my ailment) than pausing for a while to take in a few breaths. I had been equipped with a small pack that held some supplies but it was nothing much. Nothing that I would be able to live on. I needed to hunt, but I don’t know if I even have the strength for that… i’ll need to focus on other things for the time being. Hunting is not my primary-. I froze in place grasping at a tree for some type of stability as I saw something moving in my peripheral vision. It could be anything. An animal imbued with enough radiation to cause it to mutate into something horrifying. Or even worse. It could be another human, objectively the scariest species of them all. We were the ones that did this to ourselves in the first place. That caused us to need to hide from a weapon that we created. I took in a few deep breaths, I needed to get whomever this was away from the vault. I am sure people were still desperate to try to enter one for the safety it promised. I attempted to grab my rifle from my back but there was no point. It was too loud, and would alert others. I am sure that people didn’t travel alone out here. So I reached for the next best option, one of my tailored grenades.

xxxMy hands shook violently as I attempted to pull the pin on the explosive that I had made to no avail. Suppose the strange figure was to turn around he would know the truth almost instantly. That he was being watched, watched by someone who could be a threat. I am sure that he will be quick to eliminate me as fast as possible. I carefully treated through the underbrush. I would have to make my threat clear, this person would stay far away from the one place I have had my entire life. I felt I was a good distance I had my finger in the pin still struggling to pull it out. “What are you doing here?” My voice was cracky and was in argument with my beeping pip boy. I grasped the grenade as though it were my only lifeline. My hands still trembling violently from all that I had done all day, my weakness was clear. But I hoped that maybe coming across as a threat might increase my chances of survival. If only i could pull this damn pin.

[vaermina]

ＣＡＥＬＡＮ ＯＬＩＶＥＲ，xxx
I.xthe raider II.x1,392 words II.xn/a


indentCaelan blinked when he heard the sound of rustling. He threw a quick glance down the slope; there was nothing to be seen hidden within the dry brush. He had to resist the urge to scoff again. He often imagined sounds or shapes while out here in the wastelands. It's hard not to, but then again you always have to be on your guard. It's easy to get ambushed by man or beast if you're out here daydreaming up a storm. The common mongrel and mole rat are not very hard to take down, but they can rip a good chunk of your leg off if you're not careful, and deathclaws and yao guais' are just death wishes themselves. Caelan has never fought them before, but he once ran into a deathclaw carcass outside of Charlestown. That's how he got the claw that was currently hanging from a band wrapped around the stock of his rifle. He had not killed the beast, of course - how it died, he had not a clue - but it was good to trick others into thinking he did. To carry around such an object labelled you as a man that's not to be messed with, and he rather liked being viewed that way. Of course, it's not like he could ever take down a real deathclaw by himself. To fight a deathclaw efficiently would require armor as strong as power armor; raider power armor, which is mostly made from scrap metal and other salvageable components, doesn't count as effective. Either way, he was fine with fighting the normal predators of the Commonwealth. Obviously, Caelan and the raider gang did not live or travel to secure places like Diamond City, a fortified settlement further into the Commonwealth that even had guards protecting its doors. Unlike residents living inside Diamond City, they had to actually worry about the beasts that lurked in the wastelands, or feral ghouls that came crawling in the dead of night. But then again, he was not too sure if he wanted to live there. From what he knew of the settlement, the residents tend to be a bit suspicious of anything out of the norm, and their mayor, McDonough, even went as far as to center his election campaign on expelling all ghouls from the city. Of course, not at all ghouls are feral; some ghouls are just humans who spent far too much time being exposed to background radiation, and undergone a transformation where unlike feral ghouls, they still have their sanity left. How long that sanity lasts is the big question, but Caelan was no scientist and he had no idea how the process worked.

indentHe blinked again when he heard the crunch of dead underbrush. He did not even have the time to contemplate what the noise belonged to until he heard a voice behind him. What are you doing here? The voice, undoubtedly male, did not belong to Jackson or any of the other raiders. If it did, they surely wouldn't be asking him such a question. Slowly, Caelan turned around to gaze upon the unknown man.

indentTo his surprise, his eyes laid upon a man that looked around the same age as he. He had expected to see some rugged looking wastelander with a crazed look in his eyes glaring him down, but instead he was looking at someone who looked, well, clean. He wore a jumpsuit that was possibly made of one of the brightest blues he's ever laid eyes on. He was not covered in any fine layer of grime, and there appeared to be no visible tears on his jumpsuit. To Caelan, he looked to be around his age - possibly a bit older - and although he was standing a good distance away, Caelan could tell that the already enigmatic man was taller than him. Caelan's eyes widened slightly when he realized the man was holding a grenade. Caelan rarely dealt with grenades himself - it was hard enough having to avoid random mines while travelling by road - but he knew what they looked like. And he'll be nothing more but scattered limbs if the man decided to throw it. There appeared to be a problem, though. The man was shaking so much that even from here, Caelan could tell he was struggling to pull the pin out. As long as that pin is there, Caelan was safe. But Caelan could see that there was a strap going down the man's chest, which meant he had either a rifle or a shotgun across his back. If Caelan pounced on him while he was struggling with the grenade, there's a chance that Caelan could get shot and quite frankly, he did not want to die today. He sensed something was wrong with the mysterious man, too. Along with his odd choice of clothing and the fact he sounded none too confident in his weapon of choice, he looked... gaunt. Ill, almost, and even from here Caelan could sense that something was wrong. He was not close enough to identify what exactly, but why else would the man struggle with the grenade? He did not exactly strike Caelan as a killer type, though.

indentHe had to tread carefully. Caelan had no plans to shoot the man himself; already he was visioning the settlers corpses. He's seen enough killing for today. But if the man truly intended to use the grenade, Caelan might have no choice. He could not use his rifle but his pistol would be a quick and efficient shot. Slowly, the raider began to raise his arms in a surrendering motion. Despite the sticky situation laid out before him, Caelan grinned. "What am I doing here? You tell me. What exactly does a raider do out here in the wasteland?" He responded smoothly, keeping his hands up so the man did not think he was up to any funny business. Although his grin contained no amusement, there was almost a mischievous look in the raider's eyes. Did the man even know he was a raider? He was not a wastelander; that much Caelan could tell. All wastelanders knew what raiders looked like, and the man would have shot Caelan dead had he known. You can't risk it with raiders, after all. But instead, he had confronted Caelan and Caelan was quite surprised. The raider took a step forward. "I wouldn't throw that grenade if I were you. It might kill me but the noise will attract unwanted attention. Raiders, deathclaws, bloatflies, and maybe even a super mutant. Doesn't quite sound like something you'd want to deal with. Super mutants are nasty creatures." That was a big fat lie. Some of it, at least. Deathclaws are rare in these parts and super mutants even rarer. He's never seen a super mutant, but he knew that they were not located in such isolated areas. Still, it never hurt to sugar-coat things. Especially when you're being threatened with a grenade.

indent"You asked me what I'm doing here and yet I could ask the same for you. You're not from the wasteland. Are you?" It was hardly even a question. Caelan knew that the man was different. Yet Caelan was unsure if he was going to try and pull the grenade's pin or not. Was he frightened? Or was he truly ill, like Caelan suspected him to be? If so, he might throw the grenade out of flight. Caelan still had his hands up, although it was difficult to decipher what he was feeling from another's point-of-view. "I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're worried about. But there are people nearby who will hurt you if you throw that grenade. Kill you, even. So how about you put it back wherever you got it from and instead we'll talk like civilized human beings?" He tried his best to sound friendly. The man was somewhat taller than him, so he could probably defeat Caelan brawl wise if he chose to do so. Yet he appeared ill and not quite functional, and Caelan had a feeling it would be easy to attack him if he chose to do so. But after the settlement massacre, he didn't know if he could do such a thing.

[Spock and Kirk]

xxx𝙾𝚍𝚍𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝙰𝚜𝚑𝚝𝚘𝚗
>> ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰□▱■▱▱□■▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
𝕊: ★||ℙ:★★★ ||𝔼:★ ||ℂ:★ ||𝕀:★★ ||𝔸:★★ ||𝕃:[ERROR]
1,355 words|| Vault-Dweller || Ailments: Radiation Sickness || Mood: -

xxxThe sarcasm coming from the strange figure was something that I had not anticipated on. He seemed to be filled with some type of thrill knowing that he was about to be taken down by someone else. It made me narrow my eyes, upon getting a better look at the obviously war torn wastelander I could see that he meant business. I am certain that he is someone not to be trifled with, but I needed to ensure no one was going to get any closer to my home. Despite it being one of the safest places according to vault-tec I feel like it was a lie. They managed to miss a few steps to ensure it was going to be completely tight from the harsh climate of the outside world. Most notably the radiation. Besides, the vault was not supposed to be opened for another hundred years when they knew for sure that the radiation would have depleted enough so it would be safe for people to start making lives for themselves. Now that i come to think about it I have never felt more betrayed by the one place I have figured I could trust my me spending my entire life in its careful arms. All my life I have seen the images that Vault-tec had set up around the vault talking about how we were supposed to be the future for the people of earth. We were going to be the grandparents of those who were able to fix the mistakes caused by those which started the war. Internally it made me scoff, I have read most of the history books and seen how messed up people can be. It's got me thinking that even if we manage to survive this, that things aren’t going to get any better.

xxxThe man threw his hands up in surrender. I knew it would have been just as easy for him to pull out his pistol and end this quickly leaving the rest of the vault killed awaiting my return. I don’t think that anyone else will be willing to brave the wasteland, if I had been killed and I had one of the highest perception scores in the vault how would anyone else begin to think about surviving out here? Having the proper skills to obtain the parts to try to help patch up the vault so that maybe a few people could make it through this chaos alive. But the longer I took the more of a chance there was that those in the vault were going to die of their ailments. I tried to shake the thought, but it was a dark cloud looming over me which did not want to leave me until my mission was completed. At least it was one big motivator. Despite how terrible this world might look.

xxxHis answer to my question only left me more confused. What did he mean? I knew that people out here were as dangerous as anything else, this I remember from all the lessons that my various instructors gave. Why we needed to stay away from the wasteland, but what was he talking about? Maybe a subsection of people which were more dangerous than the others for some reason that I have yet to figure out. “Raider.” I chewed on the word as it came out of my mouth. Confusion still clouding up in my eyes. My hands were still grasped around the grenade, my own safety blanket that has too many holes to count. I was irritated to see the playful expression on the other’s face. As though he felt my threats were hollow, that I would not act on them. It was as though all this were some sort of game to him. “I have no idea what you are talking about” My voice was low, I was on the verge of hissing. It was like I was trying to be as polar opposite to the smug raider as he calls himself. I did listen to the remainder of his comment and I had a choice to make. Would I allow my hand to drop and become more vulnerable, or would I throw the grenade and endanger my mission?

xxxAs soon as I allowed my hand to drop I remembered the safety that I had engineered so that the Grenade could not be triggered by anyone else. Eliminating any chances of someone blowing up anything in the vault without knowing what they were doing. Either that or assuming that like all the other weapons there was no chance it was live, that it was just for seeing what perception scores would be. Everyone was trying to bump up perks for the sake of bragging rights. It was honestly more annoying than helpful, knowing what each other's strengths and weaknesses are. It would be a lot nicer to discover them for ourselves getting to know people. I clipped the grenade back to my belt without saying another word. I felt as If I did my throat would tear my vocal cords to shreds, My pip boy was still grasping for my attention with the ongoing beeping sound that I usually kept turned off. The Overseer insisted that I turned it on while I was not in the vault, so that I could get a better idea of how I was doing. Despite this I had a pretty good idea that I was only going to get worse. Especially in a heavily irradiated world. I wanted to respond to his comment about being civilized but figured a roll of my eyes would be enough.

xxx I looked back up at him for a second pausing. Should I tell him the truth?. I looked right into the strangers eyes and contemplated what it would mean. Did he know what a vault was? Would he bring the others that he spoke of to the vault and try to take it over? It would only lead to a nasty surprise… An easy take over. A fire lit in my stomach, I was not letting anyone come near my crippled home. I still cared about some people that I was stuck in a concrete fortress with. Despite how much they seemed to not care about me. I am positive that when the Overseer announced it was me leaving to brave the wasteland to look for some way to fix this leak a few people cheered. They were safer without me to some extent, at least they knew that no one was going to be testing weapons and trying to make the vault blow straight out of the ground. Maybe even adding to the problem. I decided that he seemed to not want to draw attention to me, why he discouraged my use of the weapon in the first place. “Honestly, I am not even certain it works. I haven’t had time to test them” I shrugged a little bit as I lifted up my right arm to cough into violently. The fit took over my entire body and I leaned up against a tree for support as I gasped for breath to re-enter my lungs. I am sure that if he didn’t already, there was no way the other human in front of me saw me as a threat. I am barely able to stand up.” I am from Vault 113” It was extremely strained, as though words were as difficult as breathing. I suppose in some senses they were, so this conversation was going to have to be cut short. I wanted to spill the entire story to someone, it might discourage him from entering. “It’s no paradise-” I began before taking another deep breath. ”Its saturated with radiation from a leak. The inhabitants are dying” and so am I I wanted to add. The saturation was also an overstatement, but no matter. Contemplating my own mortality in this moment was not going to be helpful. I was going to have to survive long enough to get the leak fixed, then I would be free to think about things like my own imminent demise.

[vaermina]

ＣＡＥＬＡＮ ＯＬＩＶＥＲ，xxx
I.xthe raider II.x1,537 words II.xi suck at writing today oof


indentCaelan could tell that the man was just as confused as him, and that was enough to tell Caelan that the man was obviously different than most. His jumpsuit caused him to stick out like a sore tooth. He could tell that his answer confused the poor man even more, and despite the sticky situation, Caelan had to resist the urge to widen his grin. He knew that the man could easily decide to blow him up with the grenade and that would be the end of the raider's smugness, but Caelan found his threats to be empty. He doubted the man was even going to be able to pull the grenade's pin; he was shaky, and something was obviously wrong with him. Caelan could not tell what exactly, but something definitely strange was going on here. If Caelan was a settler and came across an oblivious raider, he would try and take out the dastardly bandit. Out here, nobody liked raiders. Raiders meant bad business. If a raider doesn't rob you, berate you or beat you, there's a good chance they'll do all three before shooting you dead. Raiders are simply cruel people, and most settlers would jump at the chance to exterminate one. One less raider in the world meant one extra chance for someone not to end up dead. The fact this man was confused about his appearance and did not seem to actually comprehend Caelan's words both intrigued and unnerved him. Caelan kept his hands up as the man repeated what Caelan said. Raider. Caelan nodded. It was best not to elaborate on it, but then again the word raider is obviously not a good word in itself. At his next comment, Caelan couldn't help but cock his head. "Of course you don't. I don't expect you've ever seen one of those creatures before." It was not a comment of aggression or smugness, but rather one of simplicity. Caelan knew that the man was different, and he was not from around here. If he was from the wasteland - or at-least the Commonwealth - he would have had some knowledge about the local radiated wildlife. But he didn't, and that was enough to send the alarms in Caelan's brain ringing. He could tell that his comment irritated the other man, hence why he rolled his eyes at him. Not that Caelan blamed him. How civilized can you be out here?

indentThe raider visibly relaxed when the other man finally lowered the grenade. Caelan allowed his hands to fall back to his sides. The palms of his hands were covered in some nasty scars from when he tried to climb barb wire when he was younger. His father had surrounded their little homestead with it so it would keep curious creatures from wandering too close to their house. Caelan's playful gaze became almost observant as he watched the enigmatic stranger. For a moment, their gazes met and Caelan felt the urge to look away. Something about him felt... unfamiliar. As if the place he had come from was something beyond Caelan's comprehension. He felt like he was looking at something alien and foreign; something that doesn't belong out here in the wasteland. And with the man's lack of armor and inability to pull the grenade's pin for some odd reason, Caelan did not think he was going to last very long out here. But he was no doubt a curiosity, and Caelan almost wanted to press him further for more information.

indentThe raider resisted the urge to wince when the stranger began to cough. It was more like a fit of hacking, to be exact, and it did not sound like a common cold. He leaned against a lamented tree. Caelan quirked a brow in concern. Something was definitely wrong. "That is... quite concerning." He responded to the stranger's claim about the grenade. Well, it appeared like a grenade wouldn't help him with anything then if he wasn't sure whether or not it detonated. He looked weak, as if you could touch him and he would fall over on the ground; that in itself was concerning enough. He was taller than Caelan and could probably overpower him strength-wise since he appeared to have more muscle on his bones than the raider, but he looked so fragile that Caelan doubted he could even get himself off the ground if he happened to fall over. His next statements caused Caelan's head to spin.

indentA vault? Saturated with radiation from a leak? Inhabitants are dying? A vault? Caelan has heard tales of vaults before. His mother used to talk about them. She had said that they were underground sanctuaries where people took refuge in after the nukes hit, and the government had been the ones who built them. As someone who was born in an already radiated world herself, she had not known much about them and Caelan has never met someone from a vault, so he was always skeptical if they really existed or not. But now he knew. If the man was truly from a vault, it would explain his choice of clothing. If you're in a vault that's underground, why would you worry about protection? Caelan watched him carefully. Of course, it could explain the lack of knowledge the man possessed, too. The radiation mention threw him off guard, too. Radiation? Radiation is never good. Especially if you're exposed to it for a long time. You either get sick and die, or you transform into a haggard mess of a ghoul. Neither option sounded very appealing. Slowly, Caelan took a few more steps towards the vault-dweller. "A vault? I didn't even know there was any vaults around here." He kept a good distance still, but now he was close enough to see him better. By the haggard aura that came off the man and the fact his lungs seemed to be struggling to keep his body in check, Caelan could tell that he was suffering from radiation poisoning. Once the radiation kicks in, your entire body struggles to keep your organs in check. That means your lungs over-work themselves and your heart pounds more rapidly, while your immune system gets weaker and weaker. Your muscles begin to give out and while suffering from sweats and vomiting, you can even begin to lose your hair, have vision problems and even develop diseases in such a short time period. He's suffered minor radiation damage before when he was younger, but nothing like the man's case. Caelan sighed. "You look like you're about to drop dead at any moment. You have radiation poisoning; a bad case, I'm assuming. I've had it before and I've seen others with similar symptoms." He paused for a moment. "So whoever runs the vault sent you alone out here? You're not going to get very far while so sick."

indentHe fell silent again as he watched the vault-dweller. He felt almost sympathetic towards the man. He did not know much about vaults to get a good understanding for them, but he knew that the man must be carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders. To find a way to stop radiation from leaking into his vault with possibly other people relying heavily on his success? It must be hard; especially since he looked like he was going to fall over any second now. Caelan racked his brain for thoughts as he watched the vault-dweller for a moment, obviously lost in his own thoughts. He felt a breeze against the back of his neck, although it was not a pleasant one. Every breeze out here felt hot and acidic. After a moment of thought, Caelan spoke again, although he sounded hesitant and unsure. "Uh, look, even though I'm supposed to be a bad guy here, I know what it's like to lose somebody due to radiation." He thought of his mother, who although died from an infected wound had also got symptoms of radiation poisoning due to that that mongrels are radiated hounds. "I don't know what to say about the leakage, but I do know that you won't get very far in your current state so you're no use to the people down there in that vault if you're dead. I know of a place that's not too far away from here where I camped out before that has some RadAway bags. The RadAway will help begin to flush out the radiation from your body, although it requires an IV to enter the bloodstream, so I don't have it on me this very moment. But I can take you there and get you set up on it so that in a few hours or possibly even a day, you'll begin to feel much better than you currently are. Or, if you don't trust me, which I wouldn't exactly blame you for, we can go our separate ways and I can point you out to the nearest city and hope that you'll survive long enough to see a doctor there." Caelan shrugged. In a way, the raider seemed almost nonchalant about the situation. But perhaps it was good of him to offer something helpful to someone after acting so terrible for a majority of his life. He knew it was risky to bring the vault-dweller to the place he had in mind, but what other choice did he have?

[Spock and Kirk]

xxx𝙾𝚍𝚍𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝙰𝚜𝚑𝚝𝚘𝚗
>> ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰□▱■▱▱□■▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
𝕊: ★||ℙ:★★★ ||𝔼:★ ||ℂ:★ ||𝕀:★★ ||𝔸:★★ ||𝕃:[ERROR]
1,510 words|| Vault-Dweller: 113 || Ailment(s): Radiation Sickness ||

xxxI could swear I could feel my eye twitch when I saw the look in the other man's eyes, that he was going to allow his mischievous grin on his lips to grow. The one thing that in this interaction I didn't wish to have continued. It was irritating me how relaxed he came across as, despite looking death right in the face he allowed a grin that looked almost fake to be plastered across his face. I was again picking up hints of sarcasm, but i was never one for reading people. He was right about one thing however, That I had never seen any of those creatures. I had heard about things with genetic mutations as well as humans with the same thing turning into creatures that lost their sanity as well as their form. I am curious as to what these mutated creatures look like but am in no rush to find out for myself.

xxxI allowed a small smile to crack along my features as I heard his words of concern about the grenade that I was not sure if it worked. It was a lot like my explosive arrows in the way that they functioned, so I didn’t doubt that they worked. They were just untested, however this was something that I wished to change in the near future. They might come in handy for something other than fear tactics later on. “Its difficult to test them in a vault with people not wanting you to manufacture weapons” I responded clearing my throat a few times to ensure my voice was not cracking and popping every time that a word escaped my lips.

xxx A breath of relief flooded inside of me. He didn’t even suspect a vault, which means the others he spoke of didn’t either. Good. It was still safe, to an extent anyways. The overseer often talked to groups of us in classrooms about how people tried to break into vaults, a few of them having been taken after the bombs dropped. Controlled by people who had lost their minds from the radiation as well as groups that had formed with the one common goal of survival. I remember having nightmares about the Vault being attacked by someone, a hoard of people standing in front of the gear shaped door demanding entrance or drilling in through the sides. Just because they can keep radiation out (which turned out to be a lie) doesn't mean that they can keep people out as well. I sometimes wonder if this was part of my motivation for learning my way around weapons so well, if there was an attack on the vault I could push back.

xxxNow that I think about it during my youth I used to be plagued with nightmares about the wasteland. All of them centered with some type of mutated creature and me being defenceless to stop them from whatever their quest was, killing me, taking over the vault, destroying all that I have ever known. It must have been part of my motivation for being one of the first to volunteer for this mission-. My thoughts were cut off by my pip boy again warning me through an incessant beeping noise that there were things wrong with me. I gritted my teeth and raised my arm trying to limit my chances of taking my eyes off of the other man was in front of me. I looked at the device strapped to my wrist and shut it off, just the vitals monitoring portion anyways. The one part that the Overseer had insisted I kept on but it was probably for the best if I left it off. The next thing that came up were my SPECIAL stats, they were always there and it was comforting in a sense to see something that had become so familiar since I turned eighteen and was given a pip-boy. The vault-dwellers had voted on what age they should be given when they first entered the vault. It was a coming of age thing, i am sure that my perks would look different if I had it on through grade school. I allowed my arm to drop looking back at the stranger, however I am sure that I came across as someone who was so fragile that listening to the beeping of the thing telling me to try to seek help was worsening my condition

xxxI finally nodded. “It's what the 113 on my back means. Please don’t look for it, if-” I just stopped. I was in no position to threaten this stranger. I blinked a few times quickly seeing that he had gotten closer to me. I must have not noticed. The Doctor had told me that I was having issues with my vision, that once it started to deteriorate it would only get worse. I shook the thought from my mind, i was not going to get any worse. There was no time for me to get any worse, i cannot imagine what would happen to the vault. I took in a deep breath wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead, one that I hadn't noticed was there in the first place. He was correct about me as well being lumped into the group of people from the vault who were dying. “It's what my doctor and most recently my pip boy have been telling me.” I felt as though I had shared something that made me instantly more vulnerable. He knew that I was weak, he was the one with vision which was obviously clear. I had missed the few steps that he had gotten closer to me. Shockingly enough. Some might have taken my comment as a pathetic attempt at humor. I would not be surprised. I got that one a lot as well too, that people mistook comments I made for humor. I was never one that got the whole idea of a joke, when I decided to play one I got into trouble for being ‘insensitive’. Probably another reason no one in the vault actually cares for me.

xxxThe Overseer was the one who sent me out here alone. No one else was going to go, I was the best trained with weapons that we had, I had modifications, finally no one would be too upset if I was never to return. I am sure the cheers of people in the atrium could be found in some tape somewhere in the vault. I was known for not being known, when I was known I was in trouble for being mischievous. I nodded a little bit but appeared shocked when he emphasized alone. I was used to being alone, people liked it when i was alone because of how little I fit in with everyone else. It's never bothered me. “I have low Charisma, besides, I'm sure people cheered when they found out I was going.” I muttered bitterly. I am sure that the longer this raider remains in contact with me the more he is going to know about how truly unlikable I am. Besides, it’s not like I can trust him. That mischievous grin that he gave me reminded me of someone i know quite well. My seventeen year old self, the grin I gave the others when i was about to do something that everyone would not approve of. Something that would warrant me to be dragged into the Overseer’s office for the millionth time. For another punishment that would only leave me with more ideas for when i was allowed out of containment.


xxxMy thoughts began to race. This person, this Raider, was trying to help me. Why? There could be a hundred reasons, maybe he was a philanthropist that chose a bad vocation. That was ridiculous, someone with any conscious would not be able to lay a finger on a human life. He could be one of those people that haunted my nightmares, healing me so that the second I could walk, see and think straight would enable him to put the pistol up against my temple and ask me to take him to the vault. I will not let him and the others take over the one place where I have spent most of my life preparing to protect, even if it was subconsciously. “How do I know the second I can walk you will not try to get me to lead you to my vault?” I asked despite my warning about the radiation leak. He could always assume I was lying and I got poisoned through some other way. RadAway sounded fake for some reason as well, however the way that he had explained it seemed much too specific for someone who was making something up on the spot. This could mean that he has used it before, I would rather die from my radiation poisoning instead of trusting someone who was clearly shifty. That is however when another one of my coughing fits broke out, this time it was a lot stronger than the previous. It felt as though my body was trying to cough my lungs up. The beads of sweat that I had pushed away beginning to get more and more prominent along my forehead. I was on the verge of collapsing, there was no way that I was going to get to a doctor out there in time.

[vaermina]

ＣＡＥＬＡＮ ＯＬＩＶＥＲ，xxx
I.xthe raider II.x1,437 words II.x---


indentOf course, it's never a good idea to act amused in front of someone who's threatening your life but Caelan has never been the one to react to situations in a decent way. His humor comes and goes, although for some odd reason he seemed to find this whole situation amusing. Perhaps it was because he knew the man, regardless of what he said, was not going to hurt him. Or maybe it's because humor is the only way he knew how to adapt to a situation. For once in his life, he's met a relatively harmless human being. But then again, being so ill and probably disorientated is distracting enough. How are you going to aim a gun when you can hardly see what's in front of you already? It seemed like his comment did cause somewhat of a small smile to crack along the stranger's lips, though. Caelan shrugged at his response. "Well, if they're not the type of people who like surprises than I suppose that makes sense." He tried to imagine the supposed vault. Was it huge, with a lot of chambers for those inside to move around in? Or was it small, and everyone's forced to live in a compacted environment? Caelan would rather die from radiation than live somewhere where you're constricted to one area and one area only. But then again, he supposed that a lot of the vault-dwellers don't prefer a live in the outside world because they've probably never experienced it. It seemed rather strange that they decided to stay in the vault after the nukes hit than come out after several years. How many supplies do they have? Would overpopulation be an issue in an area where you don't have to freedom to go where you please? Caelan was rather curious of vaults, and he was teeming to ask the stranger more about them, but now wasn't the time. If he showed an abundance of interest than he would probably think that Caelan has wrong intentions. Already Caelan was sensing that the man was protective over the vault. Yeah, no thanks, I don't want to get radiation, Caelan thought to himself.

indentThe raider watched as the stranger raised his arm to look at his wrist. Caelan hadn't noticed before, but he was wearing a Pip-Boy. He's heard of Pip-Boys before. Apparently, they were in a great abundance before the war, although once the nukes hit they sort of fell off the face of the Earth, and only a few have found legit ones from skeletons or long abandoned government buildings. He's even seen wastelanders wearing ones that are home-made, although obviously they don't have the basic technology than original Pip-Boys do. From what he knew of them, Pip-Boys monitor your health, provides you a map and a radio, and it even gives you special access to something called SPECIAL stats. He had no idea what the last thing means, but then again he's never owned a Pip-Boy. The fact that the vault-dweller had a Pip-Boy made sense, although it appeared that it was trying to desperately tell him his health was flailing. Caelan was sure that he knew, and he did not need some robotic wrist-watch to tell him. It would be rather cool to have one of those things. If you're lucky, you can find the occasional radio that connects to a station but it would be easier to have one on the go.

indentCaelan was quiet as he listened to the stranger begin to speak before cutting himself off. He seemed quite passionate on keeping the vault's location secure. As if Caelan was stupid enough to go walking through radiation just to find a vault where the people inside could already be dead. That doesn't mean Jackson wouldn't be interested, though. If the vault had supplies - and items of value inside - the leader of the raider gang wouldn't mind taking some radiation damage just to access the vault. If the vault had a leak like the stranger said, that means there must be more than one way to get inside. And he knew Jackson well enough to know that if the people inside put up a fight, he wouldn't hesitate to walk in there with his guns ablaze. The thought disturbed him. He stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again. "It seems that if a wrist-watch can tell you you're sick, than you definitely have a problem going on." He joked lightly. The vault-dweller seemed confused that Caelan had stepped closer, and Caelan hoped that he wasn't becoming disorientated. If he happened to fall unconscious than Caelan would have to drag him down the slope and towards the direction of the abandoned house, and that would be an interesting adventure. For the first time, Caelan frowned at his response. "Well. That's not very good sportsmanship on their part. I would just let them die if I were you. But then again, that's just me. I have a feeling you're not a cold-hearted person." He did not think that the vault-dweller was someone particularly selfish. Of course, he was the type of person to still try and help people who sounded like they did not care much for him.

indentHe blinked when the stranger began to cough again, although this time the cough was much more prominent. He almost had to resist the urge to wince again. It sounded like a painful cough, like an animal trying to regurgitate something. In other words, it did not sound pretty. Caelan blinked again when the stranger questioned his intentions. Of course, he did not trust Caelan. He did not blame him. Caelan wouldn't trust a random stranger, either. Although in this case, what other choice did the stranger have? Die out in the middle of nowhere and leave the vault members to perish as well or take his chances at an opportunity to get healed from the radiation that was in his system? Caelan crossed his arms over his chest. "I know you're not stupid, so use your brain for this. If I truly wanted to get inside that vault, I would have shot you dead as soon as you mentioned it and gone looking for it myself. You're ill, and you've obviously been ill for quite a while, so I know you haven't walked very far from the vault. Not in your current condition, anyway. I could use the map on your Pip-Boy; if it was given to you by those who run the vault, I'm sure they've put the location of the vault on that map. With the right tools, I could find it and bring my boys and kill those inside or wait for the radiation to kill them, depending on how bad the leakage is. If healing you just to get you to show me the vault was my plan, I'd just be better with going with the former since you'd obviously put up a fight if you were strong and healthy again." He took a step back again and let his arms hang down his sides. He wasn't stupid, even if perhaps he acted like it sometimes. Another notorious grin slithered back onto his lips and he shrugged. "If you chose to go your own way, that's fine. But about a yard or two away there's a settlement where other raiders are staying. If the leader finds you, he'll use you - whether you're about dead or not - to find the vault and he'll take whatever is inside and kill those who try and resist. There's other people out there, too, who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage over an ill vault-dweller. Fortunately, I know those raiders who are currently in that settlement. If you decide to go on your way, I won't tell them about the vault, for I have no interest in seeing them taking radiation damage over something stupid, but there's no guarantee that someone else - or something else - would take advantage over you. If you agreed to get some RadAway in your system, it would take no more than a day for you to be properly healed. I can assure you that I have no interest in whatever is in that vault. I have good intentions." He tried to make the last sentence as sincere as possible. He was being sincere. For once in his life, he was offering to help a better cause; not cause something to crash and burn. He thought he was giving out a pretty good proposition, but he had no idea what the vault-dweller was thinking. Hopefully, he did not view Caelan as a threat.