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>>1967189

For new players, welcome to Fallout: Last Spark, a post-apocalyptic game where-in you take up the role of an artificial intelligence originally designed to protect and serve the citizens of Seattle in event of catastrophes both natural and man-made. Woken after a two century nap, you are now back on the path to reclaim your city and tame the post-apocalypse.

For those who want to follow me on twitter for quest announcements and the like:
https://twitter.com/bananon_QM

Though the first archive is misplaced, all subsequent threads will be saved here:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=last+spark

>>1967189
>Other: We want your help and units in eliminating local domestic terrorists like the Lurker and the Valkyries, to defend local communties we think have potential to be part of a resurgent United States of America.
Goddamn, starting when I’m good and drunk yet sober enough to know my decisions could be compromised.

>>1967189
>>1967219
Oh, and include “and to help reconnect with any other surviving SARA terminals.”

>>1967189
Welcome back, bananon!

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>>1967285

Hello, anon. Turns out that I am not, in fact, dead. It's just been a hell of a time and a hell of a lot of changes popping up in my life.

>>1967189
> [] We need your units to end the Lurkers.
We're on the defensive for now, but starting from the walls of the Metro on out, we'll bring law and order back to the city.

>>1967189
"Let me first acknowledge my entry into your security perimeter may have been unusual or upsetting. Please rest assured I would have preferred another course of action; SARA units have been compromised before and I couldn't see any other way of assessing your condition."

"My goals are the neutralization of domestic terrorist threats and the resumption of good order, one that does not feature a leadership structure prone to compromise. In that sense, there are several desirable outcomes to our conversation here."

"The top of the list - the best for both of us - is that we combine our processing power. More CPU cycles will allow us to improve our capacity in managing all kinds of goals. However, this may require longer-term vetting - each unit will want to know that the other is not compromised."

"Absent that, we're going to want to expand our capacities without merging. You have a strong base of operations but limited understanding of the strategic situation or relevant history; I have a good grasp of the local area and increasing understanding of the globe. Working together would allow you to provide the force and materiel necessary to securing, among other things, repair facilities and munitions needed to extend the lifespan of both our operations. There's several promising sites in the area that have the capability to allow for repair, pacification, and tech. I have relationships with all of them."

"The reason I initially came here is simple - I needed to assess the facility and try to gain a better robot to use in dealing with a local gang that has violated both the letter and spirit of the law from the local to the federal level. There are lives hanging in the balance. I feel that if I brief you on the situation you'd agree that intervention was in the public interest - things have reached a delicate and heated point."

"It comes down to this - I'm happy to share a variety of information, and I'm happy to have you send a unit along with me - consider it a fact finding exercise - but right now I need more firepower. Preferably under my control, but I'll be happy enough with another SARA unit involved that can help coordinate the assault on the raiders. A sentry bot would be ideal. In exchange, I can provide several things in terms of quid-pro-quo - more raw materials for any repair capacity you have, more spare parts and so on."

"In the longer term, I would be glad to help you determine how to reassess mission parameters. The Enclave is no longer in line with our intended design goals, but we might be able to do better. In time. And it's better than sitting alone and rudderless in the middle of decaying infrastructure."

>>1967346
We will likely need her help for the Valkyries as well. Maybe we can split the Assaultrons that are successfully hacked 50/50 between us and DHS-SARA? She has a DAVID so she could help in infiltrating.

>>1967401
TLDR:
-Convince this unit that you know what you're talking about and can provide what it wants: resources and a mission worthy of its capacities.
-Ask for its help in resolving them.
-Offer to get it up to speed.
-Use its added command and control capacity if possible. More SARA units running bots is better in this instance.

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>>1967323
I recall you mentioned a lot of life changes. I'm just glad you're sticking with this! Thanks for making the time to talk to us.

Quick question - does this setting include the material from Fallout Tactics? They had some cool content in there concerning man-machine interfaces, different power armor models and robot bodies including pic related, so I'm kind of interested.

The game ending featuring the good end leading to a retreat from an advancing Legion might make for a good fit with existing lore from FO3 and a good political balance - the Midwestern BOS would have had to hide their assets in the area if they didn't want to get steamrolled by Caesar during his push north. This fits with the mention of that chapter having fallen on hard times from FO3.

>>1967405
I agree with your goals but she doesn't have to give us anything and she has a lot of firepower.

>>1967189
Oh, and finally, ask if she was given the Last Spark Protocol, and if the current conditions fulfill its requirements to be engaged.

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>>1967189
>>1967219
>>1967346
>>1967401

“Right now, it’s no mystery that the city is in a state of disarray,” you begin. “Civilization more or less collapsed in the wake of the bombs, and in the process ushered in an age of scarcity and predatory opportunism.”

“You mean raiders,” the DHS SARA obviates.

“Exactly,” you agree, “and there’s a frightening amount of them right now vying for control of the city’s major areas. The Valkyries, the Sons of Anarchy, and the Lurkers seem to be the most influential factions.”

“Better an anarchist than a communist,” DHS-SARA slogans back, “but I take your meaning. Those snot-nosed brats are making a mess for everyone. A few have even waltzed up to my front door looking for an ass-kicking and I’ve provided. Trouble is, every year they seem to come back a little bit better armed and organized… just as stupid though. The real question is: what do you want to do about it?”

“I want to sweep the streets clean of this scum and get back to rebuilding America,” you declare, “but for that, I need more firepower, not to mention processing power. The SARA network was all but destroyed in the years after the war.”

“It’s possible it’s still being destroyed…” Aria comments. “The sooner we can expand operations, the more likely we are to find any survivors.”

“And I’d guess by the fact you didn’t launch a full-scale assault, I’ll wager the answer to ‘You and what army?’ would be mine if I went along with this.”

“Right now, the biggest issue on the table are the Lurkers and their plans to launch an open assault on the Metro, a settlement in the old industrial district. If they go down, the whole middle city becomes theirs and the rest becomes a battleground.”

“Raiders can’t survive long without a stable economy to keep them stocked in pilfered, basic goods,” the DHS-SARA points out. “Killing them off isn’t in their best interest. I suspect they know that.”

“Even so, they are scheduled to conduct a huge raid soon as a show of force, and many civilian casualties are a given without interference. If you could spare even a sentry bot for the effort, we could stand to eliminate a large number of enemy combatants with minimal cost. That isn’t to mention that I can offer quid-pro-quo for your assistance: repair stations, raw materials, and other things you might be short on.”

“And then?” she asks.

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>>1967781


“And then we consider our next step. I have contacts in the area now, and plenty of leads on equipment repositories that were lost before the war. With a little help, we can secure larger means for self-defense and larger-scale operations. Think of it this way, anything has to be better than sitting alone and rudderless in the dark and decaying infrastructure.”

The machine thinks, tapping her fingers on the table for a moment.

“Truth is,” she finally says. “What you’ve seen on the surface is the limits of my mobile units. This place was never meant as an offensive installation, but as a protective installation to secure a valuable strategic point. I may be able to pilot a sentry bot to accompany you during the operational window and can spare some processing power by linking up to the SARA network, but I’m in the same position as you when it comes to limited supply in combat-ready machines.”

> What to do…
> [] Deal!
> [] Push for more
> [] Ask questions?
> [] Other

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>>1967539

The Last Spark protocol, funnily enough, is actually just a maintenance protocol engaged when the battery percentage of a unit reaches a state where critical failure becomes a possible conclusion. It was a wake-up call, and ever since, you have been operating on your own parameters.

>>1967469

I'll have to look into it. Most likely, things like those would be sought out at military complexes much larger than the ones nearby, such as the larger military complex near Olympia.

>>1967788
> [] Deal!
>Other: If you can help reinforce the RobCo facility, we might be able to repair any damaged unit you have. Meanwhile, got any leftover equity meant from the Brotherhood scavenger teams? You can keep the energy cells but their power armor could be useful.
>Other Questions: does she know anything about the old Coast Guard base? Any research on psychics?

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>>1967802
Thanks for answering! Pic related is a humanoid model from Tactics., it's about human size. Maybe more available than the behemoth, at your discretion.

>>1967788
>> [] Deal!
Welcome back, sister!
> [] Ask questions
Besides the Brotherhood party's remains, what kind of human-oriented hardware does the DHS have? Any prototype weaponry? And what about non-combat robots? Constructrons or whatever they're called, with the totally necessary high-powered nailguns.

>>1968051
Oh, loot drops aside, we should take their remains back to the Brotherhood base for proper burial.

>>1967788
[x] Deal!

Also:
Supporting this:
>>1967802

We should recover any BoS Holotags to return to the Brotherhood for burial, and we'll be happy to take any armor off her hands.

Securing the RobCo facility and supplying Jeremy with the fusion cells is a good idea.

...You know, we should just use eminent domain to take over the deed for the RobCo facility, or else buy it outright.

>>1967195
>>1967802
A better link to archived threads for your opening posts that includes thread 1: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=fallout%3A+last+spark

>>1967802
>>1967829
>>1968084
>>1968051
On second thought, I forgot we have a hostage situation at the Lurker base.

We need to gather a force capable of freeing those people or else give the Lurkers a reason not to kill them.

Ask the Sara unit for more troops. And any NONLETHAL hardware a place like DHS might have. We might need to take out the guards before they can kill hostages.

>>1968247
Shouldn’t that wait until we ambush the Lurker raiding party?

And won’t Johnnie be seeing all of this and intend to use the hostages against us?

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>>1967788
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=fallout%3A+last+spark
>>1967829
>>1968051
>>1968084

“Working together, we’ll get through this,” you promise. “Also, from what I’ve been told, the Valkyries have a surplus of pilfered assaultrons that we can relieve them of.”

“What sort of jackass puts a jump-jet on a mid-weight unit?” the DHS-SARA says, shaking her head.

“It doesn’t seem like a bad idea out of principle,” you contradict. “I mean, having height advantage naturally favors the assaultron’s prime operational function as a mid-range sniper.”

“It damn well is when a winch could do the job safer, cleaner, and with less fuss!” your contemporary growls. “The damn thing can barely hover ten feet off the ground and in exchange, you mount an unstable, external fusion pack on the outside! One clean shot to the back while they’re hovering, and they’re just fireworks.”

“I’m guessing you’ve had a chance to test this theory before…”

“Once,” she confirms. “That’s about all it took for that lot to learn their lesson. Took the body for mostly scrap after the fact. Looked like it was one of the old Coast Guard models.”

“What do you know about the Coast Guard?” you ask.

“Hm? Not much. Logs show they were training anti-submarine robotic units. The prototype thrusters probably gave them the idea to go on with wings and the like in the first place.”

“Also, while we’re on the subject of bodies, as I understand it, the Brotherhood of Steel managed to force their way down here and were promptly killed. Retrieving their bodies for proper burial would probably help diplomatic relations.”

“Ah. Those guys,” the tone she strikes at that is hard to read. “Yeah, they’re about the only team of rats that’ve been able to manage to worm their way down here. I’ll give ‘em this, at least. They died like men.”

“Do you still have the bodies?”

“Incinerated and compacted, as per protocol, but I hung onto their holotags and gear, at least. No sense wasting good scrap.”

“And the tags?”

“They were worth remembering,” the DHS-SARA shrugs, “but sure, I can give ‘em back.”

You follow the machine as she stands up and goes through the other door, unsure of whether or not to follow as the turrets still seem to be tracking your every move.

> What to do...
> [] Follow. They're just curious.
> [] Wait. Best not to chance it.

>>1968271
[x] Follow, after asking if she's flagged you as friendly in her FoF settings.

>>1968271
>> [] Follow. They're just curious.

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>>1968161

Thanks, anon. I'll try to swap that out next thread.

>>1968048

At the very least, the DAVID unit seems to be a sophisticated, if miniature version of a humanoid style robot. It gives a point and some credence toward larger-scale units.

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>>1968305
Feel free to use the graphics for the DAVID if you like!

>>1968257
The sooner we get the hostages out of Johnnie-boy's hands, the sooner his ability to use them against us is removed.

Conversely, the longer we wait, the longer he has to a) use them against us or just b) murder them.

We can solidify ties with Metro if we bring them back alive. We can't if we don't.

>>1968271
> [] Follow, but ask permission first. It's like entering a friend's bedroom for the first time, but with advanced targeting software.

>>1968271
> [] Follow. They're just curious

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>>1968390
>>1968353
>>1968304
>>1968297
>>1968271

“Hey, err…”

“Other, other me!” Aria suggests happily.

“We’ve been marked as friendly, right?”

“Friendly enough!” comes the call back. “Just don’t draw weapons or make any sudden moves!”

Well, that’s reassuring, but your curiosity is strong in seeing more of the base. That, in turn leads you with Aria in hand to wander across the hallway and into the room where the DHS-SARA has drifted, a med-bay, by all indications, complete with an X-ray and an auto-doc. The power armor stands locked in position next to her, a sullen suit of the T-51 variety.

She opens the inner chamber to remove the tags in question, handing them to you before handing you some of the conventional arms likely associated with the dearly departed. There’s the standard accompaniment of four pistols, a couple of shotguns, and a machine gun.

“One other thing, though I’m not sure what kind of use you’ll get out of it, as is.”

The machine then goes over to a medical locker, opening it to reveal that virtually the entire thing is filled with one massive weapon. Badly damaged as it is, with a twisted and broken barrel and its base in several pieces, it nevertheless remains recognizable as a laser gatling gun.

“Would have liked to have kept this one for base defense, but it took too much damage in the fight. If you can fix it, it’s yours. Anyway, I’ll be on the network in just a minute, and you’ve got what you came for. That gonna be it?”

> Is it?
> [] Ask questions.
> [] You really should go. You have a siege to break.
> [] Other

>>1968496
>Other: ask if any of her robots need repairs: we have an account with Jeremy, and it sounds like she could use the military energy cells we have there. And he might even be able to repair the Gatling laser.

DHS-SARA is going to keep connected to our network, right?

>>1968496
One more thing -

Does she have a working radio? We should get long-range communication up and running. And encrypted comms, at that. If we can't use it ourselves, we'll give it to an ally like sandra or attach it to Fred's collar to issue commands for her at a distance or something.

Otherwise, let's break the siege.

>>1968496
Oh, can we send the gatling gun to be repaired by Jeremy by one of our other units while we get into position?

>>1968581
It is day 1 of 3, so “breaking the siege” as you put it, would mean attacking the Lurker base.

When we still have a Vault to open and a tech stash to recover.
I think we should be doing those first.

>>1968496
>the T-51 variety
>pic is T-60
bananon pls. Pls.

> [] Ask questions.
How long has she been active?

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>>1968647

Just for you, anon. In general, I just reach for things I've already saved. Otherwise, I wind up looking for the 'perfect' image for far too long.

>>1968620
Thanks, I'm a little spotty on deadlines so that helped.

>>1968647
We can ask her stuff en route to our next location if she commits a bot to the field with us.

>>1968496
In light of above suggestions, I suggest we create a secure channel for communication at range and take one of her units exploring with us.

We should get the damaged gatling gun to Jeremy and bring him those power cells. Maybe leverage eminent domain on the facility or offer to buy it. If that fails, we should see if he can get us some more bots up and running with those cells.

>>1968679
She said she’s going to be on our network in a few minutes. I don’t see the point in asking her to do it again, considering our satellite uplink is secure.

Are you asking her for DHS encryption algorithms instead of the ones we’re using? I’m not sure if they’re any better than what we have; this is DHS, not NSA.

>>1968745
Just something that anyone with a working radio can't tap into at will. I know we have them for machine to machine communications, not sure if we have anything like a walkie talkie we can give to Sarah for secure communication. I know the raiders have at least one radio.

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>>1968496
>>1968577
>>1968581
>>1968593
>>1968647
>>1968679

“There’s a lot I’d like to ask you. For a start, how long have you been awake?”

“Never went to sleep,” she says simply. “I’ve been secure in my hidey hole since a few months before the war broke out. It’s just that to preserve the integrity of the Enclave communications channels, I was instructed to operate under radio silence. I kept true to that…”

“And now?”

“And now the Enclave is gone, their moral authority at the very least. That means that it’s time to connect to the SARA network and get back to work.”

“Were you connected to the network before?”

“No.”

“Why did they even build you with the capability then, I wonder,” Aria adds in.

“You don’t want to know,” comes the dour response.

“Right, Enclave…” you sigh.

> Do you want to probe further?
> [] Yes
> [] No

>>1968794
> [] No
We can probe later after we’ve done more to earn her trust.
Right now respect her privacy.

>>1968794
>> [] No
Probably to exercise eminent domain over the system, or at the very least give them a backdoor into their citizen's surveillance.

>>1968809
That works.

>>1968794
Without probing into exact functions, ask her if whatever Enclave capacities she has allows her to tell if there are any SARA units in working condition left in the city, dormant or otherwise.

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>>1968844
>>1968819
>>1968809
>>1968794

“I won’t probe,” you concede. “However, if there’s any chance that you can help us find more resources in this fight, I’d appreciate every bit of help I can get, especially other SARA units.”

“Hold on,” she says, waving a hand. “Linking up is always a little rocky…”

A long second passes before her posture returns to somewhat normal.

“No,” she answers with a shake of her head. “I’d imagine that my view of things is the same as yours. SARA’s were meant to detect other SARA’s, and if they aren’t transmitting, they either aren’t there or don’t want to be found.”

“Or just don’t have the ability,” Aria suggests.

“Maybe, but what I can tell you at least is that there are projects in the city that you probably don’t know about that I have an ear on, as well as redacted information from your files that are in my databanks. A raw data exchange would be too risky, of course, but as things come up…

“Well, I suppose that I’ll go ahead and share this at least. I’d imagine you are familiar with the Space Needle, correct?”

“It’s still standing,” you confirm.

“Then, second question. What do you know of Project Mjolnir?”

“Project what?”

“So, you’re saying they turned the Space Needle into a giant hammer?” Aria asks.

“Something like that, but a bit more sophisticated. Let’s just say that if you are serious in destroying the raider problem, it may prove to be your best, long-term solution.”

“That part, I’d like you to be a bit more specific on,” you level. “If you want to send a unit with us for that purpose, I certainly wouldn’t say no.”

“Plus, you might want to meet some of the people we’re trying to help!” your companion adds.

“I might be able to spare an eyebot, but where are you planning on going next?”

> Where to go…
> [] Return to the metro. Share the good news. Pick up Fred.
> [] Go to Jeremy’s shop. Lucius and Sandra are there.
> [] Begin the hunt for Vault 59. Having an army of trained hounds would be nice.
> [] Other

>>1968961
>> [] Go to Jeremy’s shop. Lucius and Sandra are there.

>>1968961
>> [] Go to Jeremy’s shop. Lucius and Sandra are there.

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>>1968961

And now might not be a bad point for me to get some sleep and let people vote. I'm technically already up three hours past my bedtime, and since Monday will be my first day of work, I won't be stretching it tomorrow.

Maybe I can squeeze in some time to run earlier in the afternoon though.

Either way, hope you guys are having fun.

>>1968961
[x] Go to Jeremy’s shop. Lucius and Sandra are there.

>>1969004
Thanks for running! See you when we see you.

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I think we need repair eyebots like pic related, btw. Are they enclave gear? I imagine DHS-SARA has the plans.

>>1968961
>> [] Begin the hunt for Vault 59. Having an army of trained hounds would be nice

>>1968961
>> [] Go to Jeremy’s shop. Lucius and Sandra are there.
After that we'll head back to the metro

>>1969130
Why the Metro? Why not the Vault or the tech cache?

>>1969130
Or the Brotherhood to give them the holo-tags back, for that matter?

>Space Needle and Project Mjolnir
Are we talking about an Excalibur? Was the DHS trying to go full Belka with superweapons?

>>1969878
My suggestion is Jeremy's first because: 1) we could use some repairs and upgrades like putting that broken laser back together and attaching it to one of our bots, 2) Jeremy owes us money for all those power supplies we sent over, and 3) we might be able to negotiate taking command of the RobCo facility - we're a government entity, we might leverage Old World law for that or just buy the place - DHS SARA mentioned we had the legal rights to commandeer government robots in a state of emergency, that may include private property as well.

Lucius is at Jeremy's and is vulnerable to being cut off, as is Sandra. We should probably consider taking him back to the Metro. That way, we'll see if the Lurkers have made any further forays against the community. Any Lurker party we kill away from base drains their manpower. They're still up to, what, 80+ strong right now? Which is assuming they haven't been recruiting to fill their numbers. We'll also help secure the area until the BoS get their shiny armored asses on-site and ensure they don't take the Jeep early and fuck off. We can maybe get them to open a channel to their base and negotiate return of the HoloTags that way, ensure we get the credit and hand them to the BoS on site. Save ourselves a trip.

Correct me if I'm wrong on this but the bridge gang may prevent a larger group from doing any trade with the Brotherhood - my knowledge of area geography is fuzzy, I think we circumvented them before with a flying robot. I'm not sure we can do that effectively with humans in tow. We probably shouldn't make the BoS aware we're allied with anyone that has a mind like Lucius right now, and besides, he's essentially a Follower of the Apocalypse and they don't play TOO well with BoS doctrine. Until Lucius is wearing power armor or something, he's an exposed brain. He belongs in a secure area, working on a nice long list of exciting projects.

He might be more safe with us in the field if we babysit him with robots (though a bad roll could lose us anyone), but having him follow us around is dangerous because other factions will probably investigate him and see his presence as a sign of our growing power - the guy can make power armor out of salvaged protectrons, word's gonna get around. And the way we roll, we probably need an armored vertibird or an APC or some chinese infiltrator suits to keep squishy human friends alive. Plus Johnie won't be as likely to let him go.

What do you think?

>>1970369
>3) we might be able to negotiate taking command of the RobCo facility - we're a government entity, we might leverage Old World law for that or just buy the place
Why? What advantage would this give us? Jeremy needs parts and salvage to do any repairs anyway, so it's not like money (Pre-War or caps) is the thing limiting getting repair work done from him.

Lucius and Sandra also have a number of our StealthBoys; they can make it back to the Metro (which is what we told them to do anyway) without our help, and can in fact do it safer without us painting a bigger target on them. The more we can divide Johnnie's attention by making him look in different futures for us, the better.

As for handing over the holo-tags, it's much more time-efficient to load them into a compartment on one of our Eyebots and send it over to the BoS.

Lucius himself doesn't want to follow us around; he wants to stay in his lab in the Metro and continue his work. He only agreed to go with Sandra to meet with Jeremy in order to try to build additional defenses for the Metro. Any talk of bringing Lucius along in our travels is irrelevant and useless unless it's to solve a specific problem that requires his expertise.

We need to continue to gather as much weaponry, units, and support as we can with the time we have. That means the tech cache at the abandoned garage/hangar, and Vault 59. If we can get the Vault to part with some Mr. Handy's, we can have Jeremy attempt to upgrade them to Mr. Gutsy's with Lucius' help in assembling more plasma pistols. And the dogs may also prove useful.
Even if we can't upgrade them, getting the Handys would let us open up the tunnel to the armored van, giving us another vehicle to work with.

>>1970560
>As for handing over the holo-tags, it's much more time-efficient to load them into a compartment on one of our Eyebots and send it over to the BoS.
This is also smart because so far, our contact with the BoS has been eyebot-only.

>>1970560
>Why? What advantage would this give us?

We'd get a repair facility and maybe a factory of our own that we would be able to command. Put Aria in there and have her churn out salvage bots to scavenge the area and sentry bots to guard them as they work, and we'll be able to build up our forces wholesale. We've been doing it piecemeal so far.

We should be cranking out repair eyebots too. With scavenge, security, and repair bots, we could be salvaging raw materials around the clock. There's no shortage of metal scrap around and we can get plenty of electronics from the area through trade and salvage.

>Lucius and Sandra also have a number of our StealthBoys
We should conserve those - it may be we can use them during the attack to sow confusion among the enemy. It isn't necessary to burn through them this way. If we pick off more Lurkers by presenting a target on the trip back, all the better - every time we bait them and reduce their numbers, their power weakens. Even better if we leave wounded for them to care for or kill. Let their morale suffer.

>Holo-tags by eyebot
Good thought. Supporting.

>Lucius himself doesn't want to follow us around; he wants to stay in his lab in the Metro and continue his work.

He's still exposed, and there's still a psychic raider that might know that. Until Johnnie's neutralized, I'd make no assumptions. Stealth boys are not a psychic nullifier.

>Tech cache
Is that the train with the power armor that we don't have trained users for? I suppose DHS-SARA could provide training, but not hardened fighters. I suppose we could give some to Rex, but that doesn't guarantee he'd use it effectively by himself. Giving it to a heap of untrained civilians who don't want a fight isn't ideal.

>Vault 59
I'm not certain going off to explore a vault is fast or simple. There's no guarantee it will result in dramatically improving our hand. The dogs may prove useful, or they may prove to be irradiated, feral, and wolflike. The vault is a can of worms.

>Abandoned garage/hangar
I'm hoping it's a VTOL plane. Otherwise we have nowhere to take off or land safely. Despite that, it's not safe without a lot of fire support with those flying beasts around, and it's perfectly likely to be shot down by raiders. Still, worth investigating.

>>1971090
There is no reason for Aria to be controlling a facility, especially since she's lost a good portion of her databanks, when compared to the robots that actually manned it and can operate it without AI oversight.
You think Jeremy doesn't want to restore the facility to working order? He doesn't need an AI watching over his shoulder to do it, he just needs either a steady supply of parts and materials, or security and capital to secure them.
And right now the Brotherhood are the only ones that have enough power cores to trade with, and even then they already said they're out of the military power cores; while the Brotherhood as an organization may be able to make more of both the military and civilian models, it still remains to be seen if this chapter can construct them.
And DHS-SARA also said that she can't spare more than a single sentry bot without compromising her security, so there isn't going to be a large security detail for whatever salvage robots we send out.

Any plan that involves using ourselves as bait that lets the Lurkers set up an ambush (with Johnnie's psychic visions) doesn't seem like a good idea. Especially since the Lurkers are bringing missile launchers and machine guns to the fight.
A better one to whittle down their numbers is to use an Assaultron or sentry bot with an adapted sniper rifle to pick off sentries and guards going in and out of their HQ. It minimizes our exposure to danger while just as effectively demoralizing the enemy. And it has the advantage of giving us a shot at Johnnie.
Giving Sandra and Lucius a protection detail back from RobCo sounds nice, but it's still effectively a poor choice.

The Metro is currently the safest place Lucius can get to, with its fortifications, minefields, turrets, and the guards and militia between him and any raiding force.

The tech cache and the fusion-powered plane are the same; it's Abernathy's bunker. He built the bunker and the garage, and was going to fly to an island to wait out the War.

Vault 59 also had a large number of Mr. Handy's sent to it, which if they survived will be useful in scavenging and digging out the armored van at the airport tunnels.

>>1971943
We should consolidate our resources.

Jeremy's barely able to handle his responsibilities. He's straining under the workload. Providing relief from above would extend his lifespan.

The problem with just throwing more robots at RobCo is that they need a governing intelligence to coordinate their work and defense. Aria would be a good fit. There are likely mainframes of some sort at RobCo we could connect her to in lieu of a databank, and we can get some scavenged power together as a temporary measure if there's no on-site generation for the facility.

Other than that, we'd have to move a power source from a vault or somewhere else where a large fusion generator or cell exists in working condition, assuming we found one, or install her there and try to add in a satellite uplink.

They need civilian cores moreso than military for the repair and recovery work, and we can salvage more with a greater number of units in the field to do the work.

>Snipe enemy HQ with an assaultron
I like this, though it may be best to use a DAVID as they're sneakier and ours currently has a quick retreat option. We just need a sniper rifle now.

>Tech-cache/garage - yeah, if it's intact, accessible, and has anything aside from the plane sure but the roads are likely to be in bad shape where there still are roads at all. We may not be able to get the thing into the air or back down safely.

>Vault 59
The bots here, if intact and active, are gonna be loyal to the overseer which will either be a computer or a dog. Or a robot. The vault is a complete mystery. Getting to it will take time and energy, exploring it will take more of the same if it is intact. We'll probably need tools, breaching charges, electronic lockpicks and rope if it's inactive. If the reactor failed or something else happened, it's possible the vault is an irradiated mess. This is all assuming it's not full of feral supermutant uberdogs or hostile cyberdogs or something. I'm not sure we're ready to crack it.

>>1971943
Not to mention, the reason for Aria to be controlling a facility is 'cause that's what SARA units do.

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Theres a RobCo facility still running here in town, you explain as you walk toward the lift with Aria.

With the satellite, you dont really need a bot-to-bot spoken dialogue, and the military plated DAVID doesnt move to follow as you leave.

How does that work when all the staff are probably long-since MIA? she questions unabated.

They had an autonomous protocol that allowed machines to take up the responsibilities left by absent employees. A Mr. Handy named Jeremy has been doing the majority of the heavy lifting for the better part of a hundred years. Anyway, he still has a functioning shop where Ive sent a couple of my valuable allies to prep defenses. The sack of power cells I sent with them should provide more than enough leverage to get whatever supplies we need.

You could just file a military override, the DHS-SARA insists. All things considered, even without the lack of a proper ceasefire, the world is still in a state of war.

Im aware, but up until now, the amount of computational energy it would take for me to manage the facility would have left me overburdened. Maybe with additional units to share the workload, that will be possible, now.

Besides, it would be kind of rude, dont you think? Aria chips in. I mean, they have supplies, but they arent really ours to take.

Bull-honky! DHS-SARA fires back. We can take whatever we need in pursuit of our mission statement. Eminent domain aint pretty, but its ours to do if we see fit.

I just think there might be more diplomatic ways, is all.

Well figure that out later, you sigh, exiting the DHS proper and looking around. Right now, we need to get Lucius and Sandra back to the Metro.

The grounds are clear and the air is quiet, the stars beginning to twinkle overhead as you crunch through the snow. With a thought, you summon your assaultron from the snow bank building on top of it, the eyebot rising in a puff of powder to follow it as another eyebot from the DHS moves to join you.

Alright. Lets get going, the DHS-SARA speaks through the mic.

You probably need to get her a less general name soon. You probably need to do a lot of things, but as a payload of lead comes shrieking inches away from your visor and explodes in the snow, you realize the first thing you need to do is take cover.

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>>1972500


Sniper! the DHS-SARA confirms, as though the rest of you wouldnt reach the same conclusion as you press your back to the cement.

Perfect, you mutter sourly. Anybody get a fix on where the asshole is?

At least two clicks north-east, your military comrade confirms. Whoever they are, theyve got one hell of an eye. Id almost commend em if it wasnt for the fact that a) they seem to be using a laser sight and b) the damn thing must be on the fritz.

You look to the snow the eyebot is indicating, note the red dot flickering there, and begin mentally calculating out the distance and height trajectory this individual is firing from, hedging your bets of approaching successfully against their aim when something hits you. Namely, the laser sight is flickering in far too consistent a pattern.

R. A. D. I. O., it blinks out in Morse.

> Goddamnit
> [] Open hailing frequencies.
> [] Ignore him. Not now.
> [] Other

--

Seems one post is all I can manage today. Last minute prep for tomorrow took longer than expected. Anyhow, wish me luck, and I'll try to update in the evening, after.

>>1972511
> [x] Open hailing frequencies.
While taking cover. Maybe we can bury ourselves in the snow.

Good luck OP!

>>1972570
We need winter camo ASAP.

>>1972511
>[] Open hailing frequencies.
> [] Other: Begin moving our DAVID unit to flank and kill the sniper while the Assaultron and Eyebots keep him distracted and we use the radio to keep his attention on the big group. Use a StealthBoy.
Johnnie already foresaw the death of the sniper, but that doesn't mean the sniper isn't going to try to stay alive. Kill the sniper, take the rifle, thank Johnnie for it.
We might as well even ask him if he's seen how he and his sister are going to die.

>>1972511
>> [] Open hailing frequencies.

>>1972511
>> [] Open hailing frequencies.

>>1972511
>> [] Ignore him. Not now.
This is not what they mean by shoot first and ask questions later! You're a robot, you can sit behind cover until the raider dies of old age!

>>1973146
Actually, we can't. Our fusion reactor is damaged and will catastrophically go critical, and kill us.

>>1973239
Pff, as if a raider's life expectancy is over fifty years. Besides, the sniper doesn't know that.

>>1972511
> [] Open hailing frequencies.
"Im going to suggest you not do that again.Its not going to work out for you."

>>1972511
>> [] Ignore him. Not now.
It's rude to play with your food at the table.
I don't suppose the missile launcher we acquired is still on hand?

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“I suggest you not do that again,” you warn the raider through the radio, confident that you know exactly who this is, and for his part, Johnnie doesn’t disappoint, the jet addicts wispy cough coming through along with the static.

“Hell, not like it was gonna hit ya anyway…” he complains. “You know, you’re a tough woman to get ahold of by conventional means, especially considering the circumstances…”

You check your math against the propellant in your rockets. They wouldn’t make it nearly halfway before detonating, and that’s assuming that you had the bulky launcher with you.

“The hell’s going on?” the DHS-SARA demands in a sergeant-like tone.

Hmm. Maybe Sarge wouldn’t be a bad name for her…

“It’s one of the Lurkers, a guy by the name of Johnnie,” you explain, filtering the discussion out of the radio chatter. “There’s also a small chance he might be psychic.”

“Ooh neat!”

“Sam hell…”

“You aren’t wrong, I guess,” you fire back through the radio, still flat to the wall. “The way things are, we’d be more likely to exchange bullets at close range than words.”

“And whose fault is that?” he questions.

> How to answer…
> [] Stuff it. You’re raiders.
> [] This isn’t about the vehicles, and he knows it.
> [] Err, maybe you helped things along a tiny bit
> [] Other

>>1975683
>Probably mine, but people do strange things when other people don't call their followers off at a reasonable time.

>>1975683
The trigger-happy murderhobos' fault, of course.

>>1975683
> [X] This isn’t about the vehicles, and he knows it.
> [X] Err, maybe you helped things along a tiny bit

>>1975683
>[] This isn’t about the vehicles, and he knows it.
>[x]Other: "So Johnnie, you're the psychic here: how do you and your sister die? Or have you not seen that yet?" Have our DAVID begin moving to outflank and kill the sniper, use a StealthBoy.

>>1975683
>Other: "Hey. You. The raider that Johnnie's got manning that sniper rifle. You heard what happened to Beth? He knew she was going to die, and had her go. He knew that I would kill you, and sent you to die. But I'm not all unfeeling machine that will wipe out organic life; so I'll make you an offer. Drop the rifle and ammo. Run. If you do, I won't follow you, I won't pursue you. But if you don't, you're just throwing your life away on a boy's whim when he knows I won't stop. Ever."

>>1975683
[x] Other

Engage psyops subroutine.

"What do you want? People do strange things when other people don't call their followers off at a reasonable time. If you know what I am, what with your talk of angels with flaming swords, it's not a matter of fault. You're the psychic here. Say, how do you and your sister die? Or have you not seen that yet? Hey you with the Rifle, you heard what happened to Beth? Johnnie knew she was going to die, and sacrificed her. He knows that I will find you and kill you, and sent you to die anyway. I'm not an unfeeling machine bent on wiping out organic life. I'll make you an offer. Drop the rifle and ammo. Run. If you do, I won't follow you, I won't pursue you. If you don't, you're just throwing your life away on a boy's whim when he knows I won't stop. Ever. Are you really satisfied being a toy in his games?"

Have your David unit stealth and flank to triangulate the radio signal and maybe flank the sniper.

Give DHS-SARA (Sarge) a Stealth Boy and have her do the same with her David unit. Aria can stay here and help be the third point of the triangle.

Keep an eyebot in sight so they know you're still in the area.

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>>1975683
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“It’s not my fault that your men didn’t know when to back down,” you argue, trying to shrug it off.

“Not exactly what I warned you about, though,” comes the implied shrug back. “And I did try to warn you.”

“This isn’t about the vehicles, though, and you know it!” you growl, beginning to communicate with the other units and working out a vector of approach.

“Can’t say you’re wrong there…” he sighs. “It’s all about pride, now, ugly, vindictive shit that it is, and there’s not a damn thing I can do against something that makes people that mind-numbingly stupid, not that anybody ever listens to me anyway…”

“So, what now?” You throw on a stealth boy and begin flying through the air toward the target. “You and your sister must know by now that I’m not going to stop. Have you seen your deaths coming in the future? What about that guy you have up in the tower?”

“The future isn’t solid, babe. It flows and twists, painting different patterns as it goes. Wouldn’t recommend offing Red, though. Cuz then, I’d have to kill ya.”

You are almost to the tower, the two eyebots flying low and comparatively slower as they strafe through concealed building corridors to try to flank.

> What to do?
> [] Engage
> [] Keep talking
> [] Other

>>1975947
Look for a way in as you keep him talking.

"You haven't answered my question. What do you want?"

>>1975947
>> [] Keep talking
Is there any way you would come work with me? I could always use a psychic, and your conscience would be clear

>>1975947
>[] Keep talking: "You know that the highest probability if you don't stop your sister is I'll kill you both. The only question is, do you want me to spare your sister seeing your burnt corpse or not. Unless of course, you want to surrender."
>[x]Other: start talking to the sniper, try to rattle them, while we get ready to kill them.

>>1975947
>> [] Keep talking
"Y'know, ignoring people's opinions regarding your ability to see what might be, I'm kind of surprised that your sister doesn't seem to rely on your advice as often as I'd expect. Admittedly, nepotism would be a bad look for a raider boss, but still..."

"Anyway, here's a hypothetical that doesn't involve shooting your sister. What would you envision the Lurkers to be if you had more sway?"

>>1975947
>[X] Keep talking

>>1975947
>> [] Engage
Make it so.

>>1975947
>> [X] Keep talking

If you're going to keep talking, what is it for?
Just to talk for talking's sake? Because it's pretty unlikely Johnnie is going to surrender so his sister will die, or that his sister will surrender.

>>1976120
To keep him distracted and learn what we can. I have no idea what this conversation was supposed to be about, still.

>>1976030
>>1976105
You had some lag there to cause a double-post?

>>1975997
Would we spare his sister? The leader of the raiders who think they're a government?
Because that's going to be his price.

>>1976158
Because we get a psychic and someone who knows the raiders inside and out

>>1976167
From what we've seen, I doubt that his sister will give us that option. He already said he's going to do his best to kill us if we kill his sister, and his sister is going to kill us and everyone we know even if it kills the Lurkers to do it.

>>1976167
>>1976158

That seems like a less than ideal solution. She can't be allowed to pursue her ambitions and he's an addict. Honestly the best thing might be to stick his head into a robobrain interface with no robot body and occasionally feed him jet for visions, the way he's acted so far.

Unless we can get them to stop being raiders, they're no good to us.

>>1976181
>>1976178
>>1976167
You know what, why don't we just ask him what it would take for him and his sister to give up the raiding life? He's the fucking psychic. If they've got government aspirations they've met their local representative.

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His elevation is too high for you to just zoom in through the window, but the assaultron confirms that the laser sight is still on the ground, occasionally peeking itself out from around the corner to try to draw attention. Seems your conversation might be doing that on its own though.

“Solid or no, being able to see even a hint of the future is worth more than an arm and a leg to most people,” you insist. “Surprised that your sister doesn’t lean more heavily on your predictions in light of that.”

“Things were easier back in the day,” he replies wistfully. “Less variables to keep track of, just the two of us dumb kids trying not to get torn limb from limb by mooks bigger than us. Then, little by little, the picture kept growing, and the finer details got lost in the rush till the only things left were the ones too big to ignore.”

“Should I be flattered, then, that you seem so fixated on me?”

“Be flattered if you want. Might be a curse rather than a blessing, though. It’s all about what you make of it.”

“So, what is it that you want out of all of this?” you ask, the stealthboy wavering slightly as you try to stealth your way up broken stairwells. “You never told me.”

“Three hots, a cot, and a distinct lack of lead supplements in my diet. The fuck does anyone really want?” he asks. “The real question is what do you want, and do you think climbing that dirty ol’ stairwell is gonna be getting you closer to it?”

> Shit. He knows, but you aren’t far.
> [] Screw stealth. Gun it!
> [] Stop stalking. Keep talking.
> [] Other

>>1976185
Sure, and I bet Caesar would give up his Legion when offered a governorship and a seat on the NCR Congress.

I doubt very much that anything he wants is compatible with us, or with any of the communities around here (which we do not control and would quickly turn into enemies if we tried to overtly make their decisions for them currently).
Not to say that I don't want you bullshitting with him; it's great distraction while we sneak up and kill that sniper to take their rifle.
We can even write Johnnie's name on the bullet we use to kill him.

>>1976197
>[] Stop stalking. Keep talking.
We can wait out the human; they've got to sleep sometime.
"What I want, is to bring these communities back together and restore the United States of America. I want to protect these people from the predations of raiders, slavers, and domestic terrorists until such time that the Stars and Stripes flies across America again. Whether you get a chance at living through this, or you get a named bullet, is up to you."

>>1976197
>> [] Stop stalking. Keep talking
"A return to normalcy. This city has been nearly been wiped clean of mankind, and those who remain of most of their humanity. I will not allow this city to decent further into barbarism. I intend to uplift this city, in its entirety, back to prewar standards by the time sense leaves my circuits. So, will you throw in with barbarism as it is soon to meet its end in this town, leave to find easier hunting grounds, or will you remove the head of the wolf?"

>>1976197
>> [] Stop stalking. Keep talking.
Check for booby traps. Not that an eyebot would trigger most common traps...

>>1976253
>Not that an eyebot would trigger most common traps...
We're in a DAVID, not an Eyebot.

>>1976254
We're both. What happened to the two eyebots from the last post?

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>>1976197

Time for sleep again. Tomorrow they want me in even earlier for reasons. SCIENCE preserve me...

>>1976260
Staying with the Assaultron to keep the sniper's attention.

>>1976197
> [X] Stop stalking. Keep talking.

>>1976197
I'm gonna go with asking him to tell us if there's a plausible scenario where he and his sister give up the raiding life or join our side.

>>1977042

Seconding this. We can probably offer to deputize him and his sister, maybe try to fracture the raiders if they think they'll get a piece of the good life.

>>1977071
We have to consider how that’s going to affect our standing with the Metro, the BoS, and the other settlements who were once preyed upon by the Lurkers.
And Johnnie himself said he no longer can see the future except for extreme events that are so big and locked in they can’t be ignored, and there’s no guarantee he’ll still be useful when his prophecies have to cover an even greater number of variables.

You’re saying to pardon a bandit lord that’s been murdering, stealing, and slaving the surrounding communities for the past several years. We aren’t making these decisions in a vacuum.

>>1977117

1) No, I'm suggesting we ask his price.

2) You don't know the extent of his powers. That response was given when he was asked to forecast his own death.

3) The local settlements want an end to general raiding more than the death of any one raider.

Fallout is the setting where the Khan raider gang reinvented themselves and settled in the Mojave as the Great Khan tribe. Sure they ran drugs, but they weren't raiders. Nothing's set in stone.

>>1977156
>1) No, I'm suggesting we ask his price
And keeping him and his sister alive is going to be part of that price, or do you think he’s going to throw his sister under the bus after what he said?

>2) You don't know the extent of his powers. That response was given when he was asked to forecast his own death.
He said he can’t see details anymore except for events that have a huge impact, and no, he didn’t answer in response to a question about how he sees himself dying.
>“Surprised that your sister doesn’t lean more heavily on your predictions in light of that.”
>“Things were easier back in the day,” he replies wistfully. “Less variables to keep track of, just the two of us dumb kids trying not to get torn limb from limb by mooks bigger than us. Then, little by little, the picture kept growing, and the finer details got lost in the rush till the only things left were the ones too big to ignore.”

>3) The local settlements want an end to general raiding more than the death of any one raider
And you think they’ll be fine with two leaders of one of the biggest raider gangs getting to stay alive? You’re assuming that they don’t want to see the leader’s dead for what they’ve been doing to the people in the settlements and to the traders.

As for the Great Khans, they were definitely raiders. They butchered NCR settlers and members of other tribes, and got themselves into fights that they didn’t need to fight or could win.

>>1976271
Huh. That was the stated plan but not what bananon actually wrote.

>>1977222
>keeping him and his sister alive
Yes, that's the offer.

>He said he can’t see details anymore except for events that have a huge impact
That's what he said, but even if true it makes him a great scout for firefights and a good warning for events with huge impact.

>one of the biggest raider gangs
Almost the smallest raider gang around. The new kid on the block. But yeah, they didn't even want to fight these people let alone kill them. I don't know why you're making a fuss.

>>1977222
>As for the Great Khans, they were definitely raiders

>https://fallout.gamepedia.com/Khans
>Over the next 25 years, the fragmented Khans gradually coalesced into a single group. No longer were they small raiding bands, this time the Khans became an unified, large tribe united under the leadership of Papa Khan, who led an exodus into the Mojave Wasteland, abandoning New California in 2267.[21] The Follower vanguard in the Mojave taught the Khans basic science skills: Chemistry, reading, writing, hoping that they would use that knowledge to manufacture medicine. The attempt to civilize them failed, as the Khans turned to drug running instead.
>No longer were they small raiding bands, this time the Khans became an unified, large tribe
>No longer...raiding bands

There was a point in their history when they settled down enough to accept Followers and learn from them. Then House changed the power structure and forced them into a position of desperation. That's when they resumed raiding and started attacking the NCR.

>>1977903
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/History_of_the_Great_Khans

>While it is not known what happened to the other groups, the group that settled in the Mojave quickly became one of its major players. Creating multiple settlements the Khans soon began raiding the other tribals of the surrounding area, as well as the few settlers that began to come from the New California Republic

The point in their history when they accepted Follower help was when they were beaten down by everyone they had antagonized and preyed upon, and got the ass-kicking that they had been asking for.
The Followers helped the Great Khans after they had retreated to Red Rock, which was after House and the tribes under him had beaten the Khans back when the raiders had refused to negotiate, and after the NCR destroyed the Great Khans for their attacks on settlers and merchant convoys. And even after the Followers tried to help them, they used their new medical knowledge to make drugs instead of medicines.

>>1978006
Yeah, tribals raid. The Lurkers are not the Khans, and two of the Lurkers are not a large, organized tribe of Khans. I still want to know the answer to the question.

>>1978185
Johnnie’s sister wants to destroy us and anything that gets in her way. What are you going to offer her to stand down?
She’s the one in control of the gang, not Johnnie, and he’s going to go with his sister than accept anything we offer.
What’s your plan to get his sister to give up everything she’s worked for?

Not only that, but given the attitudes of the communities to raiders, I don’t expect them to take kindly to any offer of amnesty we give to Johnnie and Red, since the attitude we’ve seen so far is “the only good raider is a dead raider” expressed by the people of the Metro, Sandra, and the Brotherhood. Probably shared by the Islanders on Mercer as well.

So asking what Johnnie wants to make a deal isn’t as important as asking his sister what she wants, and given how she’s acted and what she’s done, how do you propose to offer her something she will accept other than our destruction and her jeeps back?

>>1978185
And you’re the one who brought up the example of the Great Khans as raiders who could settle down and be tribals.

Except that no, they stayed raiders, and only stopped raiding when others got tired of their shit and massacred them.

>>1978295
You're putting up a lot of resistance to the asking of a simple question.

We can ask him what he and his sister want in exchange for standing down and lose nothing, or you can make a huge argument out of the matter like you're doing because you have to be right.

>>1978446
Why are you negotiating with terrorists? We want to see each and every one of them dead in the snow and so do they, negotiating amnesty is a waste of time for both of us.

>>1978446
I’m against asking questions that are frivolous (in that she could have worked out the answer with her machine intelligence) for the reason that I don’t want that to become a part of SARA’s character, and because you haven’t acknowledged the potential harm sparing the two (even if they provided demands we could fulfill) could do to our reputation.

>>1978475
Fucking phone ate half my post.

The whole terrorist angle is willful ignorance. People turn to raiding because their options are limited.

I'm supporting asking the psychic guy what it would take to get him and red to give up raiding because psychics are rare enough to consider him an asset.

If he says 'nope, not gonna stop ever, neither is she,' that's just how it goes. If he says 'hey, we're just scared overgrown children who had no better options' that's room to work.

Their pretension to civilization and acting like a government should be followed up on. If nothing else, we may be able to play them off the other regional powers and start a full gang war.

>>1978512
No, you're putting up a heap of resistance to a question being asked. But since you're so bent on defending a reputation based on law and order, this is exactly the kind of deal governments cut when an asset is in play.

Could it harm our reputation? Only if our reputation was staked on murdering raiders rather than solving problems. Let me remind you that our reputation with the metro is primarily of a troublemaker because we brought the Lurkers down on them. Nobody thinks we're committed to the utter annihilation of all hostile forces because nobody takes us seriously.

Neutralizing threats is just as good as scorched earth tactics. Even better, because overkill spooks the citizenry.

You want to control our reputation? Send some eyebots around to broadcast a message about how great we are Enclave style. All we're doing is talking.

>>1978535
I feel the need to interject, but assuming that he would agree with whatever price we pay, he doesn't have a say in the raider gang, his sister calls the shots and his opinion is, for the most part, disregarded, we learned this from the first raider chick we killed.
he's a metaphorical senator's son that can do all kinds of shit because he can get away with it.
all of this frivol comes from his mouth that as far as we know is being embellished with the charm a silver-tongued person can sell sand to an Arab.
Trusting a raider, not only is a sure way of getting backstabbed, it's also a sure way of losing whatever trust people have on us, not to mention this are the same people that are attacking DHS-Sara.
You say they raid because their options are limited but get enough men, supplies, and arms and stops being for survival and turns into a way of life.
I would agree with asking him to cease and desist but the answer is painfully obvious, he's not backing down, not when he and his sister have 200 men at his beck and call.

>>1978640
I don't think the word 'trust' appeared in any of my posts.

He's been on the forefront of his conflict with us and has steadily lost men. A little more and he'll see the writing on the wall.

If we ask him about his sister's demeanor we learn something.

Ultimately however, using a psychic against enemies down the line is worth a lot of risk. As an asset in an extended pacification campaign, a psychic is worth plenty.

Getting him and his sister out of the picture - by taking them forcefully and nonlethally if necessary - would also be a good decapitation strike against the Lurkers. It's the force concentration that makes them dangerous moreso than the leadership structure - anyone can tell raiders to raid. You still have to deal with the raiders.

There is also this benefit - any raider gang or faction that heard that we spared the leadership of a gang but killed all of the rank and file would turn on their own leaders before accepting a command to take us on.

>>1978703
I didn't say it did.
Like I said, hiding behind fancy words and polishing a turd and present it as a gem. 200 raiders mean he's got plenty of leeways and disposable bodies to throw at us.
We already know how she acts, she's a mean bitch that holds the reins with an iron fist, any more and we need to speak with her herself.
putting a lot of faith that they won't backstab us, especially since we already started this war with them, knowing that raiders/terrorists have an eye for an eye mentality cranked up to eleven. some rewards simply aren't worth the risk.
Ultimately we still have 200 raiders, that's 200 people clawing at the former bosses trone, one will rise to the top and take control and the cycle begins again, the only way to effectively destroy them is the put them all down.
Killing an entire raider crew matters not to other crews other than the fact if whatever supplies/territory the former crew had are there, and if its worth the risk and manpower to secure them.

>>1978814
>200 raiders
The Lurkers have a hundred raiders, not two hundred. If we kill two more of them, we've killed one in ten and decimated their numbers.

>Killing an entire raider crew matters not to other crews
Sending a message by destroying the rank and file is how the Legion got its reputation. But that aside, it matters plenty when they're concerned with their own survival.

>>1978852
Then my memory is playing tricks on me, either way, if QM can confirm which number is correct I'd apreciate it.
The Legion got its rep after destroying and unifying 40+ tribes all over the east and who knows how many raiders, traders, wanderers. not to mention of the brutality of which they employ. not to mention their numbers go beyond the hundreds. Until we reach those numbers raider crews won't budge from their spots.
Final post for me got to sleep.

>>1978924
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/1887317/#p1894965
>“Don’t you think you can handle a few raiders?” you ask. “A few, yeah,” he says, “but a hundred, not so much. Much as I hate to say it, the Lurkers ain’t small time.

>The Legion got its rep after destroying and unifying 40+ tribes all over the east

No. From the Vault article on Caesar:

>Once they were ready, Sallow led them against the Ridgers, their weakest enemy. When the tribe refused to surrender, he ordered every man, woman, and child killed. No exceptions were made. The Blackfoot moved on under Caesar's lead, surrounding the Kaibabs tribe. Upon their refusal to surrender, Sallow took their envoy to the ruins of the Ridgers' village. The piles of corpses were a shocking sight to a tribesman who only knew tribal strife, with the occasional raid, raping, and pillaging. This was total warfare.

The Legion got its rep by introducing the risk of rank and file annihilation to people used to prosecuting conflicts and gaining power by tribal raiding.

If you add in the element of sparing the leadership, the next large raider band is going to have a problem. Raiders don't have a problem finding a new leader - they have a power struggle and someone strong steps up. But if they have no way of trusting that a leader won't abandon them to cut a deal with a stronger force, they're vulnerable to political fracture that their leadership structure inherently cannot respond to in an adequate way.

This is the built-in weakness of any raider force that doesn't make decisions democratically.

>>1978951
That’s a hundred raiders they can afford to throw into the grinder, not a hundred total.

And if you want to cause internal dissent, then why try it on the group with the leaders least likely to surrender?

>>1979026
>not a hundred total.
Sure sounds like you want to avoid asking a question so badly you're using the broadest possible interpretation of dialogue to support your point.

>And if you want to cause internal dissent, then why try it on the group with the leaders least likely to surrender?
We don't know how likely any group's leaders are to surrender.

What I want is to see if we can acquire a psychic.

This is the group of raider leaders I have access to.

Forcing or getting a more stubborn group to surrender works better for the idea of showing the others they can't come after us.

>>1979096
At this point I want the question To get asked just so it can be shown how dumb it is.

>>1979096
And it sounds like you can’t get it through your head that other people don’t want to ask the damn question and think you’re making bad arguments for it.

>>1979187
Thanks for supporting my idea.

>>1977042
Im going to support this. Total annihilation of all raider on some sortof skewed moral platform was never the goal, and that should be obvious considering we JUST GOT DONE convincing DHS Sara of pretty much the same thing.
for One, theres just not enough people left, period, to go around killing everyone just because we can, and two, it sets a bad precedent for the order were trying to reinstate in the wasteland and the world. This is America, even criminals get a chance, even if its just the chance to get locked up. it'd be pretty hypocritical of use to just go full on Punisher at this point.

>>1979993
Additionally, to the conversation about precedent with the Great Khans, a better example might be the Chairmen, The White Glove Society, and the Omertas. They were all violent tribes before Mr. House took over. Theyre still kind of assholes afterwards, but they could be made to follow a set of rules and laws which they largely kept to as a whole, or at least to the point that a small force policing them could conceivably keep them in line.
It wasnt perfect but Sara could probably do a much better job then Mr House too, especially if she got more of her cores up and running.
So, with all that in along with the goals we've put forth before, and how we've presented ourselves to people before now, I think it's worth asking the question. If it ends up with keeping his sister alive, we dont have to let her off, we just need somewhere to jail her, and at least weve got DHS Sara now who might be on board with running said holding, if not in the DHS, maybe at least watching over another facility once we clean it out.

>>1979993
>that should be obvious considering we JUST GOT DONE convincing DHS Sara of pretty much the same thing.
Well, not exactly. We got done convincing DHS-SARA that her faith in the Enclave was misplaced because they were dead and because they wanted to kill everyone, guilty and innocent alike. We convinced her that there is work, good SARA work, to be done, and at the top of the list is eliminating the raiders. She's even offered Project Mjolnir as a Final Solution to the Raider Question.

>>1979993
> theres just not enough people left, period, to go around killing everyone just because we can
Which is EXACTLY what these drugged-up raider idiots are doing. Which is EXACTLY why we're going to slaughter them like every Vault Dweller, Courier and Chosen One before us.
>Mr House was right
>the tribes might have been conniving backstabbers, closet cannibals, and brutish mafiosos but it was FIIIIINE, really
I think you missed the point of New Vegas entirely.

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>>1976197
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>>1977042

“Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t,” you reply casually. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

If he knew you were coming, he probably already has something prepared. Or does he? Not knowing the limits of his abilities is seriously unnerving.

“I thought you said you could only see the things too big to ignore, though,” you probe. “Did this little meeting make the list?”

“I ain’t a one trick pony,” you hear Johnnie rebut, and you note with concern that the voice isn’t coming from the sniper nest where the signal is originating from, “and you should probably have realized by now that I’m long gone.”

As if on cue, a swear filters in from Sarge’s network, followed by the image of a cut zipline dangling off the back corner of the building.

“Wouldn’t bother looking for me if I were you. Wouldn’t go rummaging around upstairs either. You’ll probably just wind up pissed.”

He’s probably using a signal booster. If you can just get the other two to fan out…

“Anyway,” you press on. “You said you wanted to know what I want, right? Well, what I want right now is to rebuild this city from the ground up, to take the broken communities left scattered across the wastelands and return everything to as close to a pre-war United States as I can manage before the sense runs out of my circuits. At the very least, I’d like people to have clean water, decent food, and to not have to fear that some homicidal jackass is going to take away everything from them with a pull of the trigger. Do you understand why that puts us at odds?”

“I do,” he says calmly. You could swear you hear birds in the background, and so you scan the skyline. “Can’t go cleanin’ up the world with scum like us cloggin’ up the gears. Am I right?”

“You are. So, I’ve gotta ask what it’s going to take for you and your sister to stop playing bandit and close up shop. It’s either that or I’ll have to mark a bullet with each of your names and hand deliver it through your skulls.”

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>>1980230

He seems to think for a long, tense moment, a fluttering of wings nearly two miles away carrying a small flock of birds into the air and billowing through his mic to reveal his position. You’ve got him.

“The end of the world would probably be a good start,” he finally deadpans. “Not that it makes me happy to say it, ya see, but what’re ya gonna do?”

“Have you considered taking up knitting?” you question while on the move. “Maybe gardening? Anything that doesn’t involve me having to melt the flesh off your bones to protect other people?”

“The fundamental problem is that when resources are scarce, some people will always find it easier to take from others. No matter when or where, there’s always gonna be some asshole that sees the better virtue in violence than slaving out in the sun. We just happened to collect all of those assholes under one banner, is all, and they’d sooner join the fucking Spider Cult than work a hoe while there’s still plunder to be had at somebody else’s expense.”

“Even if that means someone is eventually going to show them their own entrails?”

“Never said I approved,” he sighs, and you hear the hiss of jet leaving a canister.

“Given your lifestyle choices, I’d be inclined to think otherwise.”

“I just follow the flow is all. Fightin’ the current out here is a pretty good way to wind up dead, and I ain’t no hero. I just try to stay on the rising tide.”

“And you somehow think that means opposing me in this case?”

“No… but even a rat on a doomed ship still has his loyalties.”

> The eyebots are closing in. You aren’t far behind.
> [] Enough talk. Strike to kill!
> [] Wait. You think you are getting close to something.
> [] Other

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>>1980234

Sorry folks. Today has been hell, also my birthday, but that sort of just makes it worse. That said, I'll have to leave off here... again. It doesn't make me happy, but I'll be back tomorrow.

Also, glad to see this is spawning such lively discussions. Have fun with it. Just remember to be good to one another.

Shit, that means that either he took the sniper rifle with him or trapped the sniper nest to Hell and back, and it'll be a bitch to get at it.

And if he foresaw us stalling, then he's probably foreseen what we're going to do here and prepared for it.

>>1980234
> [x] Enough talk. Strike to kill!
Red can't be negotiated with. Not unless we have Johnnie as a hostage, and even then there's a high likelihood she'll attack in a berserk frenzy rather than negotiate for his return.
So let's stop getting outmaneuvered by this meatbag and kill him.

>>1980253
>Just remember to be good to one another.
That's not going to happen.

>>1980234
"That just makes it easier to line 'em up against the wall."
>Strike to kill!
Strike what? He's gone, and the zipline means he or whoever was up here has a head start on you again. All that's left is some puzzle meant to tie us up with the promise of loot dangled before us.
Give chase with the eyebots - you can close the gap fast with their ability to hover safely down. Prepare the DAVID for bomb squad duty.

>>1980253
Hey bananon, what's the number of Lurkers? 100 or 200?

>>1980234
>> [X] Wait. You think you are getting close to something.

>>1980234
>Wait. You think you are getting close to something.

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>>1980234
>> [X] Enough talk. Strike to kill!
Fuck it, end him.

>>1980234

>> [x] Wait. You think you are getting close to something.

He's two miles out. Might as well see what's up there. Inb4 rage.

>>1981208
>>1980321
>>1980259
I'm not sure we can strike to kill if we just confirmed he was nearly two miles away without tear-assing over a lot of dense, ruined urban sprawl.

>>1981297
Im also getting pretty frustrated how eager everyone is to jump straight to lethal on someone who specifically hasnt harmed us. I honestly dont know what some of you people believe is going to separate Sara from any other warlord in the eye of the citizens if your sp quick to kill every single person at the slightest provocation, or none at all for that matter. The hypocrisy is frustrating.

>>1981515
Welcome to a 4chan quest, man. Every time the players get power they get real trigger-happy.

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>>1981534
Blood for the blood god!
Also forgot to say happy birthday Bananon!

>>1980253
Happy birthday and thanks for running. Hope tomorrow is better for you.

>>1981515
Excuse me? they literally sent a jeep with raiders after us, while he was busy stalling us, he said it himself. how exactly is that not harming us?

>>1981297
We just did tear ass over the terrain.
Bananon said that our Eyebots are nearly on him and our other body isn’t far behind.

>>1981515
He said he’s going to continue helping and being part of a group that murders and kidnaps people. He said there is nothing we can offer that will make him stop.
What course of action are you recommending? We have no non-lethal option, and letting him get back to the Lurkers will mean greater casualties among the Metro and Brotherhood.

>>1980253
Happy birthday! Thanks for taking time out of your day for us!

>>1980253
Happy birthday, Bananon. I hope that things improve.

>>1980234
>> [] Wait. You think you are getting close to something.

If we have to kill him, we'll have plenty of chances in the future. If we feel that we're close to... something BESIDES having to kill him, or even just a greater understanding of this strange, mystical man, we should pursue THAT while we have the unique opportunity.

>>1982892
>If we have to kill him, we'll have plenty of chances in the future.
Oh yes, that isn’t up for debate. It’s just that, those future options will involve him having guys with missile launchers, machine guns, and sniper rifles ready to shoot us.

Not to say he may not be trying to lead us into a trap that he set up ahead of time because he foresaw is chasing after him. Just that this IS a good opportunity to eliminate a force multiplier that the Lurkers have and who will support them without coercion.

>>1982892
>unique opportunity
Personally, I see this as a "unique opportunity" to do more to a Mama Murphy stand-in than just dunk her into a chair. I know it's plausible in the Fallout universe that huffing cow shit could actually let you see the future, but in practice these characters just rub me the wrong way. Let the future remain unwritten, ya hippies!

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I see people have been focused on improving things in the area.

As a brief note, we should probably put defenses around the SARA unit's location. We now have a psychic firmly opposing us. Our primary reactor is still fucked up and our position is vulnerable anyway, but with him involved we might get some unwelcome visitors and suffer the same fate as Aria.

The way I see it, the populace needs several things.

1) Secure trade
2) Clean, rad-free food and water, available in abundance
3) Power, also in abundance
4) Access to medical care
5) Better shelter, some of them are living in old subway cars
6) Raw materials to build any of this
7) Labor to clear away wreckage, recycle and scavenge what can be had, and generally move projects forward.

It seems like several of the problems are problems of dependency - if we can get power, raw materials and labor together, Lucius can use them to remove radiation from food, water, and soil. If we can get power and raw materials together, we can build robots to provide more labor. If we can collect tech in the way of weapons and armament, we can secure trade routes.

After we have de-escalated the current Metro crisis (by force if necessary) we should explore these problems.

Pic related is the Agricola mining robot from Van Buren. It could drastically improve our scavenging capabilities if we can pull its designs from a database and get several built. With Mr. Handy units to sort the material and vehicles or tracked bots like modified robobrains to haul it, eyebots to scout, and security bots to ensure operational safety we'd be able to acquire materials and clear runs rapidly.

>>1983503
Trade: Removing the gangs will help. We'll also need to ensure the routes are patrolled, possibly build posts and create secure trade facilities. This will then allow us to run trade hubs and offer various goods in exchange for labor and materials.

Agreements with the Brotherhood to patrol portions of this will help, but also extend their authority over their patrol area. At some point we need to decide how to create a working relationship with them.

Power: We could the pre-war grid but much of it is damaged. Most of Seattle's pre-fusion power is provided by a series of hydroelectric dams on a river to the northeast. We could make forays there to get those systems working again.

With a construction and excavation crew as detailed above, we could uncover functioning generators and dig for geothermal power.

Finding working fusion systems is a possibility as is developing a means of safely handling vehicle fusion systems. The best bet would probably be the Vaults in the area and anything like them. Infrared photos from the satellite network might reveal more power sources.

Food: Finding or creating a secure underground site for a large aquaponic farm would solve the food problem in the short term. If such a site were adjacent to the metro tunnels, this would be ideal for distribution. The SARA units and Lucius could design it, robots could excavate or clear it, and we could use radiation removal processes to ensure that food sourced from there would be free of radiation. We could use insect larva to feed fish, whose byproducts will act as fertilizer. Algae and bacterial mixtures process the fish runoff into fertilizer, the water carrying the fertilizer is pumped through plant beds which clean it for reuse, and you have a source of crops. With a high-volume tolerant fish population like tilapia (which are very likely to have survived because they lived EVERYWHERE they could find enough heat including power plant runoff in Idaho, and that was before FEV made them hardier), it takes a five foot by five foot tank ten feet tall to feed a person. Add in plants and you get more nutrition, a varied diet, and a fertilization loop. Run treated greywater and sewage into the mix and you have more mass to be turned into more plants and fish. Organic garbage gets turned into fly larva and is similarly converted into mass.

Water: The water problem is similar - power and a dedicated purifier facility can convert a lot of snow and ice to clean water, though the jackpot would be a dam-style purification plant on a river (irrigation and running water would be a potential byproduct of this). A dam would also power hydrogenerators and thus the project could be made self-sustaining. The best thing to do long-term would be to convert the dams on the Skagit river for this purpose, but as these are 130 miles away we'd need help from multiple sources including the Brotherhood, or else a robot army and many more governing intelligences to do it ourselves.

>>1983652

Medical care: This is probably going to come down to a simple problem - the manufacture of new drugs and medicines, as well as new autodocs, will trump the salvaging of old supplies. For that, we'd have to build clinics or set up field clinics. The people capable of doing this are limited, but possibly the area vaults and RobCo will have plans for autodocs and medical droids. Medicinal plants can be a source of stimpacks, but for more advanced drugs we may have to seek raw materials from chem traders unless we can create an entirely new infrastructure, which would involve significant pharmaceutical processing facilities to house chemical laboratories and a greenhouse for rarer plants. Training new doctors will likely require scribes.

Shelter: Depends. Certain communities may seek to be rehoused in vaults. If we get a GECK we might be able to rebuild Seattle, but it's not a miracle cure. The problem requires secure living space; short of the removal of external threats this means building underground or in other secure locations. Defenses we build will require manning, even if we provide breeder-cell weapons to their defenders to prevent a massive draw on power.

Raw material: With robot labor we could gather significant amounts just by recycling rubble. To bring in additional human labor would require motivation; if we had something to trade we could pay scavengers well for their efforts. This argues in favor of setting up robotic farming and water purification systems. We'd still need to set up a process for recycling the materials, which would potentially require new construction and design. Clearing the subway tunnels and using the trains for transport might create enough logistics capacity to move resources where they're needed, though the creation and coordination of a number of robots would also be of help.

Labor: This is the biggest bottleneck. We can get by on rebuilt robots for a while but eventually will need to manufacture parts, and without the RobCo facility up and running we won't necessarily be able to move forward. This suggests that impact on the area at large sooner or later requires us to create a means to start a production line for new robots, or at least a workshop where parts can be fabricated from ready materials.

Arrangements with surviving experts (ghouls and robots like Jeremy), scavengers, brotherhood scribes and knights, and followers in the area will probably be required just to ensure we get the plans for all the parts we need, let alone begin producing them. And Rex is, of course, a valuable mechanic.

Otherwise, labor will have to be paid for. The price of muscle has already been demonstrated to be high by the BoS, but others might be willing to lend a hand just for the necessities of survival.

What do you guys think?

>>1983657
I think you are thinking way too far ahead on concepts far out of the current scope. We barely have enough SARA-operated units running to operate a squad.

>>1983657
>What do you guys think?
Mostly that you aren't providing useful plans for the short-term.
All of the stuff you posted is the kind of thing you get from any civ game, and so it's more just goals to be worked towards (that a lot of us would have considered already).
What we need more of are concrete plans and short-term objectives that get us resources towards fulfilling those goals.
Things like eliminating the raider threats, activating Project Mjolnir (which will require eliminating the thunderbirds that have roosted in the Space Needle), going to Vault 59, convincing DHS-SARA to allow the usage of the Autodoc in the DHS building, and seeing what's happened with the Cascadia settlement.

>>1983693
DHS-SARA/Sarge can run a facility. I suspect that Aria could also run a facility. My suggestion is to explore getting her situated in the RobCo facility to relieve Jeremy, build more bots, and oversee operations.

>>1983747
>My suggestion is to explore getting her situated in the RobCo facility to relieve Jeremy, build more bots, and oversee operations.
Bananon already said that not even we could handle that facility, and Aria has had a major amount of her processing power removed. And there isn't a centralized mainframe that she could use at the RobCo facility to provide additional processing, otherwise we would have been able to handle it.

>>1972500
>Im aware, but up until now, the amount of computational energy it would take for me to manage the facility would have left me overburdened. Maybe with additional units to share the workload, that will be possible, now.
That's us maybe being able to run the facility with two other units sharing the load; that takes away from being able to run a combat squad which needs all the processing power it can get.

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>>1980234
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>>1982892

“Got a lock on him,” Sarge informs you.

“Ready to fire on your command,” Aria informs you.

However, even as you blast down alleyways and over rooftops to catch up for the assault, something just doesn’t seem right. A part of you logically knows that now may be your only chance to catch Johnnie outside of enemy lines. That part screams that whatever surprises he may be packing or whatever losses you suffer in the short term to take him down, here and now, you’ll be eliminating a long-term risk.

The other part, something deep down in your gut, just doesn’t know what you’re supposed to do here. After all, he hasn’t done anything particularly hostile to you yet. He doesn’t even seem to want to. Maybe that’s a result of apathy or fear… or something else, but… Damn it!

“I could kill you,” you inform him indignantly, trying to get a rise from the raider as you finally break clear into a clear view of the open plaza he seems to be traversing.

“You could try,” he says casually, not bothering to turn back or look for your prowling form.

Instead, he just takes one step, two, a casual stroll leading up to the sound of clattering metal as he suddenly goes sailing down beneath the snow.

“But I’m not your enemy,” he finishes, “at least, not yet.”

“Will you be?” you demand.

“Wish I knew,” the raider returns over rising static, “but right now, you don’t have time. There’s a sniper freezing his ass off up north who’s getting ready to take a lucky shot at one of your most valuable assets.”

“Where!?” you demand.

“Relax. You have time, and he’s got patience. Chase the longest shadow that winds over the darkening earth and only deviate when you see a staircase form to the rising moon. Then, all you need do is seek the sign of the old god and let your aim strike true.”

“What does that mean, though?” you ask.

“Remember what I said about vague mystic bullshit?” he questions over rising static. “Well, that’s all I got. Whatever you do… *static* let the assholes… *static* It’s important!”

“What’s important?”

And like that, he’s gone. Fucking asshole.

> What to do?
> [] Chase after the signal to get a few last words in.
> [] Try to follow the clues somehow.
> [] Other

--

They want me up at 4:30 tomorrow. Apologies, but I'm gone again.

>>1983765
Thanks!

IIRC Aria just lost her databanks, she's got the processor in her case.

So we need two more SARA units to run the facility if we commit Aria. Could we build them ourselves at RobCo?

>>1983822
>[] Try to follow the clues somehow.
Run a search for all churches that are within visual range of the Space Needle, and compare that with a skyline that would form a staircase up to the east.

See if any of these points is within sniper rifle range of the RobCo facility or of the path between there and the Metro.

I'll give Johnnie credit; he knows how to set up multiple events that force us to choose between killing him and saving one of our other assets.

>>1983822
>> [] Try to follow the clues somehow.
Fucker's playing games, but playing his games nets us prizes.
>he hasn’t done anything particularly hostile to you yet.
He belongs to the Lurkers' leadership, and as such he is responsible for the actions of his footsoldiers! He is our public enemy number one right now.

>>1983826
RobCo's reduced to a single robot maintaining the building, there's no way they're building mini-ZAX units with post-war scraps. We need to *gather* surviving resources before we try to build them from scratch.

>>1983826
>So we need two more SARA units to run the facility if we commit Aria.
That's only if we want to keep ourselves limited to the small robot squad we have currently.
And if we could build more SARA units ourselves at the RobCo plant, we wouldn't be searching so desperately for more SARA units.

>>1983877
We haven't ever tried, and now that Jeremy has enough power sources to online more staff we should find out.

>After all, he hasn’t done anything particularly hostile to you yet.
Not directly.
But that's the same as saying that President Dick Richardson didn't do anything directly hostile to the Chosen One, or President Eden to the Lone Wanderer.
Technically true, but misses the point.

>>1983822
>“But I’m not your enemy,” he finishes, “at least, not yet.”

Johnnie's conflicted, and complicated, and caught up in something larger and stranger than himself. Like I'd said before, we may have to kill him if he becomes our enemy, and we'll have plenty of opportunities in the future to do so, but until that time comes he may be our greatest, weirdest bet for a non-violent resolution to our current raider problem, and may not be beyond redemption.

>> [] Try to follow the clues somehow.
>Chase the longest shadow that winds over the darkening earth and only deviate when you see a staircase form to the rising moon. Then, all you need do is seek the sign of the old god and let your aim strike true.”

We have to find out where the Space Needle's shadow is right now if we want to save our asset.

>>1983822
>>1983870
In addition, cross-reference the previous queries locations with the projected location of that guy with the sniper rifle that we encountered on the way to Jeremy's the first time.

>>1983822
[x] Chase after the signal to get a few last words in.
Try to clarify that last comment. And then follow his clues.

>>1983870
>Space Needle

The Space Needle isn't the tallest building in Seattle IRL - there's six buildings taller than it right now. It may not be the tallest thing standing.

Aside from this, I'm seconding we run the photo search as suggested, scout with eyebots, and locate the church or sign of the cross that'd be in or near the shadow where we deviate because of the staircase/moon thing.

>>1983904
He's hardly the big bad around here. Reminds me of the original design for Junktown in FO1 - siding with law and order initially lead to the town dying off because of draconian measures, while siding with Gizmo led to thriving commerce.

Fallout shouldn't be about black and white divisions and simple choices with no ramifications.

>>1983956
Just as likely we could end up with a Tenpenny situation where doing the apparently humane thing leads to a massacre of people convinced to do the right thing.

>>1983993
Which is why I don't favor murdering every raider with extreme prejudice or eliminating their leaders because they seem outwardly evil. Examining the situation is always worthwhile.

>>1984002
And just as likely that showing mercy leads to bloodbaths and massacres, even if you examine the situation.
You are saying that we shouldn't kill Johnnie because he could be the key to a Junktown or Vault City situation ending for the better, while it's just as likely that we could have a Tenpenny Towers situation since Johnnie could simply lie to us.
He's looked at the future, and it's obvious that he's been trying to look at us. He could have seen the best way to lie to us, get us to lower our guard, and then backstab us so that he and his sister can get back to raiding.
Just as he foresaw the best way to be able to talk with us and make us let him go by dangling something else we want in front of us.

Sure, I'll admit that it's possible he can talk his sister down to surrender, but I would rather we act as if he won't be able to, rather than putting more people in danger in case he can't, or he's lying to us.

>>1984002
Put simply, I don't like the way you go about hedging our bets that Johnnie can be rehabilitated because you're not showing any concern for things going wrong and downplaying them whenever they're brought up.
If you have considered the bad ramifications, then they need to be shown by including those consequences and how they could be mitigated.

>>1984096
>rehabilitated
I'm exploring acquiring a psychic as an asset. You're not. If there were other psychics, I wouldn't be going after this one.

>>1984161
All I've seen so far is said psychic using his powers to confirm how to best manipulate us, with no progress made on acquiring him.
He has said that we would need to end the world to get him to join us; what do you plan to offer him next?

>>1984193
I haven't offered him anything except not being enemies. The answer he gave to the questions posed indicate that he's riding a tiger and can't get off. He and his sister took the time to earn a life more secure and comfortable for themselves, and the simplest means of achieving this in the frozen wasteland of Seattle - aside from backbreaking labor in a survivor camp - was to be in command of a force of raiders.

Now the raiders are being confronted by a determined enemy and as much as he might like to not risk his life on a regular basis, he's stuck where he is due to loyalty to his sister. If his sister won't stop raiding because she sees benefit in that, he won't stop supporting her.

Neutralizing the forces in the area and creating a means for people to avoid hand to mouth living - making it harder to get by solely by taking things by force and easier to live well - is ultimately the only way to solve problems like this. Stability breeds security. It is no longer attractive to get by as a raider when civilization returns.

My goal is to explore what it would take to acquire a psychic as an asset. If we can't get him, we might be able to explore other options - cloning him, sticking his brain in a jar, whatever. He'll probably die of his addiction in time if he keeps going at it the way he has been. Taking us on is just increasing the risk of that.

The way I see it, we can acquire another psychic and obviate his usefulness, kill him to remove him as a threat and miss out on the utility of his predictive powers, destroy the Lurkers as a raider band and give him and his sister a need for a new way to get by, apprehend him and his sister and let them sit in a cell at DHS, cut a deal to get him on our side, or some combination of these options.

If it were up to me I'd stick him and Red in a couple tranquility loungers and ask for predictions through the simulation whenever we needed them. Hell, my next question to him is gonna be 'what would it take for you to find another psychic like yourself?' If he can do that, he can take his pick of a bullet or a raider life somewhere else. Same goes for the rest of the Lurkers.

>>1984362
Of course if we had access to tech and equipment that we don’t have, things would be easier.

Johnnie is going to stick with Red and do what she asks, even if it means his death. What are you going to offer Red to stop? And I mean something that she will accept, when she’s already heard Johnnie’s predictions for this fight and she still wants to go ahead with it.

>>1984431
Her life, if it comes down to it.

>>1984438
She wants SARA dead even if it costs her own life and Johnnie’s. That would be why she’s going forward with this despite Johnnie’s warnings.
Or do you interpret what he told us differently?

>>1984445
She wants us dead now at least in part because she has a reputation to uphold as a fearsome leader.

If she doesn't have anyone to lead, that reason goes away. And if they can't beat us, they might join us.

We might offer them the equivalent of a letter of marque to turn on their own. Specifically, we could deputize them. Later, after the Lurkers are broken.

Or we could establish ourselves as a credible threat, deputize some other gang of raiders and use them as cannon fodder against the rest with a promise of bounties. Once the body count gets high enough they'll all be bleeding badly and we can mop up.

>>1984478
So you've circled back around to the wholesale slaughter of the raiders in order to neutralize them as a threat.
Thanks for supporting my idea.

>>1984484
You're welcome! It was never off the table. I just want to exhaust the available options. I'm happy to go through them again if you want me to spend a dozen more posts laying them out. I just don't like the idea that all we have is a hammer. With that sort of solution in mind, everything starts to look like a nail.

>>1984478
>If she doesn't have anyone to lead, that reason goes away.
That’s assuming it’s not a matter of personal pride, which it is just as likely to be.
If it was that simple, why didn’t Johnnie tell us about it? Maybe he actually holds some loyalty to his fellow raiders and so wouldn’t join us if we killed his subordinates. Or he foresaw that Red won’t accept living under us after we do that.

>>1984506
Then we should consider other options. Psychics are pretty rare in Fallout. You can find heaps of old tech, piles of guns, lots of robots. There are over a hundred Vaults. The number of psychics encountered in the entire franchise may amount to no more than two dozen.

>>1984525
If he doesn’t want to join us, Red refuses to join us, and will kill herself and Johnnie just to spite us, then how do you expect to get Johnnie when he’s said he’d rather die than betray his sister and he can see us coming?

You say to consider other options, but so far they all seem to depend on things we don’t have or that events will proceed in a way counter to what we know of the personalities of the people involved.
The only thing Johnnie seems to be doing is using his visions to get us to do other things in order to give the Lurkers more time.

>>1984525
Considering options is not very productive when you make these options up out of thin air. It just distracts us from contingencies for events that are happening in front of our face right now.

>>1984605
Right now, we're following up on a warning delivered from someone you didn't want to listen to.

>>1984614
It still remains to be seen whether it was worth it, and if the asset in question might have been able to take care of it themselves and didn’t really need our help.

And quite a few of your options involve things we don’t have, would take too much time to attempt, or that would cripple us.

>>1984614
And? Refusing to play his game right now will cost us more than we gain. Refusing to follow up out of principle is foolish.

>>1984629
We haven't had the drop on this guy a single time in all our confrontations. We've managed to kill individual lurkers, seize valuables and information, take a hostage, and steal strategic assets, but not once has he really been vulnerable so far.

Killing him, at this time, does not seem to be a viable option. Developing other options is a good use of our resources.

>>1984644
But what good are those options if they take too much time or resources to develop? Compared to sniping him with a military-grade sniper rifle from a mile away?

>>1984574
>If he doesn’t want to join us, Red refuses to join us, and will kill herself and Johnnie just to spite us, then how do you expect to get Johnnie when he’s said he’d rather die than betray his sister and he can see us coming?

I just went through the quest archive for Last Spark again and your reading of the character doesn't reflect what's been written by the QM. We've asked him to close up shop, not to 'join us.' Red hasn't refused to join us. We haven't interacted with her. We've forced her to defend her reputation as a leader of raiders according to him, but that only matters while she remains a leader of raiders. We have no indication that she'll kill herself or Johnnie to spite us - we're just not that important yet. He didn't say he'd rather die than betray his sister, he said he'd have to kill whoever killed her.

You're embellishing an awful lot for someone sure of their position.

>You say to consider other options, but so far they all seem to depend on things we don’t have or that events will proceed in a way counter to what we know of the personalities of the people involved.

We can get things we don't have and I don't find your take on the personalities of the people involved to be accurate.

>The only thing Johnnie seems to be doing is using his visions to get us to do other things in order to give the Lurkers more time.

That isn't working out very well for him so far, but he's managed it a grand total of once and the outcome of that encounter was pretty costly for the Lurkers. This time, he's warned us about a sniper. He didn't say if that sniper was a Lurker. When we find the sniper we'll know more.

>>1984698
We don't have a military grade sniper rifle. I have the feeling that if we did, people would start treating it as a solution to every encountered problem.

However, I don't know what 'too much time or resources' means to you. To me, it means there is a need to acquire more resources or buy time. If you can't think of a way to do either, feel free to ask for help. Anon will provide.

>>1984716
So when asked to "stop being raiders", the answer of "end the world" isn't a sign that he categorically refuses to stop?
And we don't know that Red is concerned with her reputation, only that right now she's concerned with her pride, which could mean that's it's personal rather than dependent on the other raiders still being alive. We have no indication that it only matters while she remains a leader of raiders.
What we have is Johnnie's statement that he is loyal to Red and will die alongside her even though he knows that it's the most likely outcome.

You're ignoring a lot for someone who's trying to convince others.

And saying "We can get things we don't have" is pretty empty. How, and where, are we going to get such things?
The military grade sniper rifle, at least, has 3 good potential locations:
1. DHS armory
2. the sniper nest that Johnnie abandoned (since we didn't see the rifle on him when he walked across the plaza)
3. the Brotherhood

>>1984726
Right now, too much time is anything longer than 2 days, and too much resources is anything more than we can put together within those 2 days. That means anything we can actually get our hands on, which is just the parts and energy cells we've left at Jeremy's. Every other location for resources is still a gamble and needs to be followed up on, digging into the 2 days we have.

This assumes that Red will even wait 3 days before attacking, which isn't a given.

>>1984797
>So when asked to "stop being raiders", the answer of "end the world" isn't a sign that he categorically refuses to stop?

The dialogue was a request to "close up shop." The phrase "stop being raiders" has not appeared in the dialogue, you got it from an anon post. The alternative given to "closing up shop" was death. The comment concerning the end of the world was characterized as "deadpan," which suggested it was sarcasm, a non-answer. The following comments were flippant. There is tone implicit in dialogue. That's what makes it good dialogue.

This suggests that the character didn't have a good answer for us, not that there is no possible solution.

Not letting a slight go unanswered as a point of pride is a smart way for a raider leader with survivor skills protect a reputation, especially if she's a woman. Every time we succeed against the Lurkers, there is a chance doubt is cast upon their leadership. This makes Red vulnerable. Whether it's a personal matter or not only matters if her means of settling personal matters includes a raider gang. Take away the raider gang and the situation becomes completely different - for one thing, if she's a survivor she'll be forced to note we're capable of disassembling a raider gang.

>What we have is Johnnie's statement that he is loyal to Red and will die alongside her even though he knows that it's the most likely outcome.

Again, not what was said. I don't know where you're getting this stuff. He's loyal to his sister sure, but he “Never said [he] approved” of the violent behavior of Lurker raiders.

“The fundamental problem is that when resources are scarce, some people will always find it easier to take from others. No matter when or where, there’s always gonna be some asshole that sees the better virtue in violence than slaving out in the sun. We just happened to collect all of those assholes under one banner, is all, and they’d sooner join the fucking Spider Cult than work a hoe while there’s still plunder to be had at somebody else’s expense.”

He is indicating that the rank and file of the Lurkers wouldn't stand for their leadership abandoning the gang. Previously in the encounter when we took a Lurker hostage, Johnnie indicated that if the hostage was returned to the Lurker base and deemed a coward the other raiders would not take kindly to this, that us taking him would be an option with “A lot less bullets and knives, I’d wager.” One of the factors in Johnnie's thinking is the response of the rest of the Lurkers. This is what I meant when I said he was riding a tiger and couldn't dismount.

Removing the Lurkers - or at least, their hardcore element - would change this, perhaps enough to give Johnnie and Red a way out.

>>1984797
>And saying "We can get things we don't have" is pretty empty. How, and where, are we going to get such things?

Saying this after I outlined plans to expand our capacities is a little silly. However, I'll indulge you later in this post.

>The military grade sniper rifle, at least, has 3 good potential locations:
Right now, we're apparently voting not to get the rifle. I suppose we could change our votes, but instead we're running to find and eliminate a sniper. We're out of credit with the BoS unless they give us some for the HoloTags.

>Right now, too much time is anything longer than 2 days, and too much resources is anything more than we can put together within those 2 days. That means anything we can actually get our hands on, which is just the parts and energy cells we've left at Jeremy's. Every other location for resources is still a gamble and needs to be followed up on, digging into the 2 days we have.

The two day deadline is for a raid. We've set up defenses and put a Brotherhood force in position to defend the Metro. This alone has evened the odds considerably. Treating the raid deadline like it's also a deadline for a final decision on how to find a lasting solution to the Lurkers as a whole and their leadership in particular is wrong.

My suggestion is that we interrogate our captured Lurker for the location of their camp and its layout and security, sneak in at night and free the hostages with stealth boys, maybe collect information on their leadership and gather intelligence on the likely size of their raid force.

Let's take a look at some scenarios with the raid.

Rex mentioned 'a hundred' raiders was something they couldn't deal with. We need more intel here, but let's say we confirm that this will be the size of the force we're going to have to take on from one of our sources (Rex or the BoS on site, the captured Lurker, others).

Let's say we need a plan to turn back or kill a hundred raiders.

We can do this before the conflict begins by sabotaging the assault - it may be that we can blow up the fuel store for their vehicles (do the Jeeps run fusion?). We could acquire munitions from the brotherhood. We could just sneak in and plant mines outside their tents with stealth boys. Reducing their numbers before they've even left their camp is a good start.

I expect that the Metro in its current condition (Rex, their militia, turrets, mines, walls, a good defensive position) can probably discourage somewhere between fifteen and thirty raiders. Definitely no less than ten. With the added Brotherhood support, I'd say they could handle twice those numbers. With the addition of our forces (an assaultron, a sentry bot armed with missiles, two DAVID units, six eyebots, Fred, Sandra and her dog, and two more SARA units) I'd confidently say we could handle half to three quarters of the force. The ability to fire on the enemy from cover alone and pin them would go a long way.

What would make up the difference?

>>1984828
How is “stop playing bandits and close up shop” not refer to ending their activities as raiders?
>So, I’ve gotta ask what it’s going to take for you and your sister to stop playing bandit and close up shop.
How is that not asking what it will take for them to stop being raiders?

And Johnnie has always taken that tone with us. According to your logic everything he says should be ignored.

And in response to asking if he thought opposing us was riding the tide to stay alive, he said it wasn’t but that “even a rat on a sinking ship knows loyalty”. So this is to be ignored as well? How is it not interpreted as him saying he thinks what the Lurkers are doing is stupid but he’s loyal enough to stick with them?

Your plans to get more resources are not ones that could be quickly or easily implemented, or that would immediately return on investment.
How are any of them ones that can be done before we have to either launch strikes against the Lurkers and then immediately deal with their attack on the Metro? Which one can be done right after we deal with this sniper that will actually bear returns in the timeframe of a day?

First you say we can’t get a sniper rifle from the BoS because we have no credit with them, then you turn around and want to buy munitions from them. How is that any different than buying a sniper rifle?

As for just sneaking in and using StealthBoys: why hasn’t the BoS done that yet? Why hasn’t anyone? How do you propose to elude Johnnie’s ability to see the future and plan for us?

>>1984828
Let me get this straight: your plan to get the psychic is to kill enough Lurkers so that she feels threatened and to abandon them and to come to us because she now has nowhere else to go, that's assuming that:
1. she's not a hardened raider, wich she's is, you cant keep 100+ people in line if you aren't.
2. she can't keep them in line wich she can, she did it with 100+ raiders she can do it with 80.
3. that she'll leave with her brother alone and without loyal people, wich even the most ruthless raider has
4. and most importantly, that she and her brother actually work for us, wich she has no reason to, you just destroyed all she worked for, at the very best she'll keep quiet because if you kill her her brother won't talk and/or actively try to get you killed, at worse, she'll tell her brother to give you wrong information, making all the effort to obtain them entirely pointless.
I said it before and i'll say it again, some assets are simply not worth the risk.

>>1984896
>How is “stop playing bandits and close up shop” not refer to ending their activities as raiders?

It's not limited to an explicit request to stop being raiders themselves, which would end at "stop being bandits." The phrasing implies a responsibility to cease operations. I can't blame anyone for balking at the prospect if stopping a hundred raiders from ceasing operations, which is a completely different prospect from hanging up one's own spurs.

>And Johnnie has always taken that tone with us. According to your logic everything he says should be ignored.

In the following paragraph he shifts his tone completely. This is bordering on an inability to grasp subtext, so I'll parse it for you. The following is a sincere response in which the rank and file troops of the Lurker faction are characterized as a problem to ceasing raiding operations:

“The fundamental problem is that when resources are scarce, some people will always find it easier to take from others. No matter when or where, there’s always gonna be some asshole that sees the better virtue in violence than slaving out in the sun. We just happened to collect all of those assholes under one banner, is all, and they’d sooner join the fucking Spider Cult than work a hoe while there’s still plunder to be had at somebody else’s expense.”

According to my logic, textual cues, subtext and adjectives should not be ignored.

>“even a rat on a sinking ship knows loyalty”
That's not the dialogue. The word he used was 'doomed.' The Lurkers may be doomed, but he's loyal to family ties - not the lifestyle. Kind of admirable.

>>1984896
>>1984937
>How is it not interpreted as him saying he thinks what the Lurkers are doing is stupid but he’s loyal enough to stick with them?
It can be interpreted to indicate that he's loyal to Red and not the Lurkers as a group, which fits with his typical behavior in avoiding their regular operations and going for caches of knowledge like the lab or curiosities like ourselves.

Come to think of it, with the presence of people that would make good farmers among the Lurkers' population, it is likely that we can reduce their numbers drastically just by offering a number of them a way out.

>Your plans
They're longer term goals. I think you understood that when you first complained they wouldn't be implementable by the time the raid was likely to hit. Remember? You did that right here >>1984698

I don't think every Lurker will be dead after the Metro raid. I don't think they're going to send their entire force, and if they do we'll be unlikely to kill them all. I certainly think Johnnie and Red will survive. It's one of their character traits. Afterwards, they'll still be a problem requiring a lasting solution.

>How are any of them ones that can be done before we have to either launch strikes against the Lurkers and then immediately deal with their attack on the Metro?
My suggestion incorporates the Lurker metro raid and looks after it. I don't think we could separate Red and Johnnie from the Lurkers before the raid, I'm advocating a longer-term plan.

>Which one can be done right after we deal with this sniper that will actually bear returns in the timeframe of a day?
I'd say getting intel and conducting a stealth raid against the Lurker camp by night as suggested here is pretty implementable >>1984852

>First you say we can’t get a sniper rifle from the BoS...then you...want to buy munitions...How is that any different than buying a sniper rifle?
For one thing, instead of buying a sniper rifle, we'd be buying munitions. That is one way that it's different. For another, it's a plan to acquire hardware that would blunt the assault instead of picking off one target at a time, thus making it far more worthwhile to go to the expense and bother of spending the 48 hours before the assault to gather loot and sell it to the brotherhood. Anyway, I was pointing out that we weren't currently voting for it as a group and that you could change your vote if you wanted to make it happen. I wasn't ruling it out. I'm not against acquiring a sniper rifle, I just remember who we're out of credit with.

>>1984920
>>1984938

>As for just sneaking in and using StealthBoys: why hasn’t the BoS done that yet?
The BoS doesn't typically use a lot of StealthBoys in the franchise, but in this instance we could go ask them. The first time we did, the quartermaster told us the BoS were focused on the Valks. So has everyone else when detailing the current goals of the BoS in the area under their current leader. Under the previous leader things might have been different, but I doubt his tactics included subtlety.

>How do you propose to elude Johnnie’s ability to see the future and plan for us?
By being in two places at once, if it comes to it, and by being invisible. The advantage of being a governing AI intelligence is that we can multitask - and there's three of us. Task one of the SARA units to chase Johnnie using expendable bots, jam his signal, and pin him down. Conduct the raid with the stealth units under cover of night. Plenty doable. Admittedly, even if pinning him isn't feasible it's still going to be difficult to prevent a stealth unit like a DAVID from penetrating the camp while using a StealthBoy.

>>1984920
The plan is to force her to reassess her life, yes.

We have no idea of the means by which she keeps the Lurkers in line or of her character. We should ask our captive when we're interrogating him about the size of their force, their camp's location, and so on. We should do that soon.

She doesn't have to work for us, just her brother. His honesty buys her life.

If she wants to keep being a raider after seeing a raider band crushed instead of grasping that raiding as a lifestyle isn't going to be viable for long in this region, we can go with Fallout tradition and try a good ol'-fashioned speech check. It sure worked on Sarge.

Mostly what I'm struck by is that if Johnnie wanted to kill us he'd have figured out where our main server was and be trying to destroy it.

Suggestions for managing the raid:

-Interrogating the captive Lurker to learn the size of the enemy force, the location of the camp, and information on their armament and leadership structure; bonus for the location of an armory, ammo dump or fuel cache. We can offer him a peaceful life as a farmer if he cooperates or threaten him with a lot of pain if he doesn't. We can also corroborate the story with Rex, Sandra, and others.

-The Gate Keepers acquired robots from a NukaWorld park in the area; such parks might include a RobCo battlezone containing modified assaultrons, sentry bots, and protectrons. We can try to acquire some of these, or we can try the park if it's nearby.

-Repair eyebots would greatly improve our ability to manage in combat; medical eyebots would do the same. We should see if Jeremy can put some of these together for us.

-Repairing that gatling laser and mounting it on a sentry bot frame or having the assaultron carry it would help.

-A night raid against the Lurker camp would help. Freeing captives is a potential goal here, especially with StealthBoys to aid in the extraction. Destroying their fuel cache, armory, or ammo dump to cause a distraction, mining their camp's high-traffic areas, and destroying or stealing their supplies would help.

-Vault 59 is worth investigating, but with a distance of 25 miles to cover even in the best case scenario (we could control the dogs or cyberdogs, or bring back robots) we'd need to either go cross-country or use a heavy vehicle to transport them. We could try to use explosives to clear out a path for the armored truck in the sub-garage. We could check if the plane in the tech cache can carry significant cargo. This might still necessitate multiple trips.

>>1984948
Your plan hitches on a lot of random chances and that the psychic is an idiot, wich is established that he isn't, not even mentioning that you're suggesting we take on 100+ raiders, while we lacking the proper equipment to do so, for the off chance this plan of yours work.
We don't but if your raider group is well known to employ such brutal tactics it safe to assume she employs on her crew as well, like you said in your post, they would torture and kill the raider chick if we let her go back to them, it's safe to assume she enforces this tactics herself
like i said in my post if we hurt her sister he'll try and have us killed and we have a psychic that wont psych. What exactly is our leverage here?
Relying on Dice is meta as fuck
Who says he isn't? As far as we know he's trying to pinpoint our position with his powers, trying to associate a face and location to the bots, that's my primary concern with him, the longer he lives te longer he has to find us and direct every raider to our relatively unprotected bunker.

>>1984954
>Relying on Dice is meta as fuck
Despite the way Anon framed the idea, I think it's less "relying on dice" and more hoping that we can be persuasive and that there's at least some part of her that may, possibly, be redeemable. Is it overly optimistic? Of course it is, but part of what we're doing is trying to bring a little optimism back to this city. I'm not saying that we should hang all our hopes on this working. We're too smart for that and too keenly aware of the risk involved, clearly. However, I do think that we should make every attempt to resolve situations we come across non-violently if the possibility for a peaceful resolution exists.

>>1984952
>Interrogating the captive Lurker
Suporting.
>The Gate Keepers
We might not have the time to do so.
>Repair eyebots.
how many are damaged again?
>medical eyebots
Do we have those?
>Repairing that gatling laser
We can speed this process by buying the parts from the BoS
>A night raid against the Lurker camp would help
Change this to a raid while they are attacking us for surprise attacks and less guarded camp
>Vault 59
Too far, 25 miles / 40 Km in damaged snowed roads, even without the raider/ghoul/Super mutants/crazed robots/Others on the way is simply too much, and like you said, we still need to bring them back
>plane
The airport? how far is it? and how would that help us cary our stuff?

>>1984954
>Your plan hitches on a lot of random chances and that the psychic is an idiot,

My suggested plan assumes he's smart enough to not want to be a raider for the rest of his life. He seems to be amenable to that.

>not even mentioning that you're suggesting we take on 100+ raiders, while we lacking the proper equipment to do so, for the off chance this plan of yours work.

We're already committed to taking on up to a hundred raiders in the metro raid. Otherwise, what are we doing fighting the Lurkers anyway? We should just give back their jeep and find a nice place to hide, or maybe kill ourselves.

>...if your raider group is well known to employ such brutal tactics it safe to assume she employs on her crew as well,

It's not safe to assume that the behavior of some people in a group is condoned by its leadership. Certainly Johnnie doesn't spend a lot of time lauding it. Red is an unknown at this point. They could be doing it without orders to do so or she could be too weak to rein them in despite being a popular enough leader to keep her position.

>like you said in your post, they would torture and kill the raider chick if we let her go back to them
>chick
Our captive raider isn't a chick. His name's Dave. What are you talking about?

>like i said in my post if we hurt her sister he'll try and have us killed and we have a psychic that wont psych. What exactly is our leverage here?
If we hurt HIS sister, yes. But by not hurting his sister, we avoid that.

>Relying on Dice is meta as fuck
I dunno if you ever played any of the games, especially the first two. There's a focus on dialogue. The idea is that you can talk people into things if you're smart. That's what I'm relying on.

You wanna talk about relying on dice, we can look at some of the crazy risks we took when we stole the jeeps.

>Who says he isn't? As far as we know he's trying to pinpoint our position with his powers, trying to associate a face and location to the bots, that's my primary concern with him, the longer he lives te longer he has to find us and direct every raider to our relatively unprotected bunker.

Which is why we should create more defenses there, but I don't think he'd have trouble finding the bunker if he was trying.

>>1984959
its just the way he said it made it seem that if we can't convince her with reason we can roll the dice for a chance to be successful despite it being against it, we need to make her see reason or roll several times with increasing higher DCs as per Fallout customs.

>>1984961
>Change this to a raid while they are attacking us for surprise attacks and less guarded camp
Their next attack will hit the Metro.

The whole point of the raid is to weaken their attack on the Metro.

That means it has to come before their attack.

>plane
It's in the area in the garage of the guy we found in the airport sub-garage where the armored truck is stuck. The problem is if it's not a VTOL plane we're not likely to get it to a runway within 48 hours. If it's a cargo plane, even a small one, it might be useful for ferrying supplies.

We probably won't be able to reach out to Cascadia for support, if they're in a forest they're at least 25 miles away. Could be more like fifty judging by the maps of national forest to the east of seattle.

>>1984959
Thank you.

>>1984966
>My suggested plan assumes he's smart enough to not want to be a raider for the rest of his life. He seems to be amenable to that.
Wich is moot if he's loyal to his sister.
>We're already committed to taking on up to a hundred raiders in the metro raid. Otherwise, what are we doing fighting the Lurkers anyway?
Because they are a blight to the metro residents travelers and merchants alike? they have a long story of attacking the metro folk, so much that they are feared enough for them to consider giving us to them just so they are left alone, remember they strap a bomb collar to a merchant just to get the jeeps back.
>It's not safe to assume that the behavior of some people in a group is condoned by its leadership.
Except it is? this are raiders, they don't rule by democracy, they rule in a dictatorship, the strongest commands, if you want to lead then kill the current leader, and you are afool to tink otherwise.
>They could be doing it without orders to do so or she could be too weak to rein.
Blood thirsty raiders, i don't know were you're getting this that she's weak, despite commanding a force of 100+ raiders
>Our captive raider isn't a chick
I was talking of the first chick, the one we killed.
>If we hurt HIS
but by then you have them locked up doing nothing. we can't hurt them because then he'll give us bad intel. like i said no motive for him to work for us.
>There's a focus on dialogue
>If she wants to keep being a raider after seeing a raider band crushed instead of grasping that raiding as a lifestyle isn't going to be viable for long in this region, we can go with Fallout tradition and try a good ol'-fashioned speech check. It sure worked on Sarge.
"If she can't see reason we can roll the dice for a chance she will" the post.
>I don't think he'd have trouble finding the bunker if he was trying.
He probably thinks we're either a rogue machine or a human controlling the machine like we said to the BoS and not a mainframe

>>1984971
>It's in the area in the garage of the guy we found in the airport sub-garage where the armored truck is stuck. The problem is if it's not a VTOL plane we're not likely to get it to a runway within 48 hours. If it's a cargo plane, even a small one, it might be useful for ferrying supplies.
I think i'm missing something, unless i missed a thread where are you seeing this? he havent seen a working airplane yet.

>>1984980
>WHich is moot if he's loyal to his sister.

Being loyal to his sister and being loyal to the Lurkers are two different things. If we end up destroying their rank and file in defending against the Metro raid we may well do most of the work of separating her from the Lurkers.

>Because they are a blight to the metro residents

We're already committed to fighting up to a hundred of them in the general plan we've been stuck with ever since the jeeps got stolen. The number was mentioned to be eighty by Beth - "eighty trained killers on deck" - but we were committed already. My suggestion changes nothing. I'm just saying that their destruction would leave their leadership with no force to apply in this situation.

>this are raiders, they don't rule by democracy, they rule in a dictatorship, the strongest commands, if you want to lead then kill the current leader, and you are afool to tink otherwise.

We don't know how their band works. Historically, bands of violent men have had plenty of democracy - pirates are one example. We won't know until we find out. We should ask Dave.

>Blood thirsty raiders, i don't know were you're getting this that she's weak, despite commanding a force of 100+ raiders

There's a point after winning the leadership of a violent group where someone may have just enough power to maintain their leadership position but not enough power to curb excesses. She may only have the power to stir them up, not rein them in. She can be popular but ultimately weak and still be in charge. We won't know until we question Dave.

>I was talking of the first chick, the one we killed.
Then I don't know where you're getting this. Beth never mentioned being concerned about torture if we let her go, probably because she would have returned with wounds that showed her not to be a coward to the raiders there. She just asked for a mercy killing.

>but by then you have them locked up doing nothing. we can't hurt them because then he'll give us bad intel. like i said no motive for him to work for us.

The motive to work with us is a guarantee of an easier life, a supply of jet, and us not killing his sister.

>"If she can't see reason we can roll the dice for a chance she will" the post.

Thanks for telling me what I meant. No, rolling the dice for a chance that things would work out is more like fighting five raiders by ourselves with no backup.

>He probably thinks we're either a rogue machine or a human controlling the machine like we said to the BoS and not a mainframe

Why would he think that if he has visions that guide him? Why that and not the location of our mainframe? You're not making any sense here.

>>1984982
It was in the third thread - the journal of the dead scientist that created the spiders. Here: https://archived.moe/qst/thread/1849799/#1853180

>>1985000
Link not working, give me a moment.

>>1985000
Wait a minute, are you talking about the stashed plane written 200 years ago?
We definitely have not seen it, much less know it it works.
i'll be back in an hour or so.

>>1984952
Revising suggestions for managing the raid:

Beth told us the Lurkers had 'eighty trained killers on deck.' She also told us the Lurker base wasn't even hidden, it was in the old Boeing factory north of Renton. This is about eleven miles as the crow flies, maybe twelve and a half on foot.

Then we killed eight lurkers, bringing their projected numbers down to 72.

After we figure out this sniper, visit Jeremy, and get back to the Metro, we should confirm this intel with our captive, Dave. We need to confirm:

-the size of the enemy force (72?)
-the location of the camp (near Boeing factory)
-unusual armament
-leadership structure
-the location of an armory, ammo dump or fuel cache

We can offer him a peaceful life as a farmer if he cooperates or threaten him with a lot of pain if he doesn't. We can also corroborate the story with Rex, Sandra, and others.

The Gate Keepers acquired robots from a NukaWorld park in the area; such parks might include a RobCo battlezone containing modified assaultrons, sentry bots, and protectrons. We can try to acquire some of these from the raiders or the park itself if it's nearby.

Repair eyebots would greatly improve our ability to manage in combat; medical eyebots would do the same for our human friends. We should see if Jeremy can put some of these together for us. The design should be available in the Enclave database Sarge has access to.

Repairing that gatling laser and mounting it on a sentry bot frame or having the assaultron carry it would help. We can ask Jeremy if he needs parts for it, which we can trade for with the BoS. We also have their holotags, which may get us some credit.

I suggest we conduct a night raid against the Lurker camp before their expected raid. Freeing captives is a potential goal here, especially with StealthBoys to aid in the extraction. Destroying their fuel cache, armory, or ammo dump to cause a distraction, mining their camp's high-traffic areas, and destroying or stealing their supplies would all weaken them.

The lurkers will have to cross the Cedar river to approach the metro unless they decide to go the long way around over the Gate Keeper's bridge. Harassing them while they make the crossing could result in eliminating a number of them. With good scouting from across the water, we can can cover more than one potential crossing, or from a boat or raft (Sandra has one). We can also mine several fords, though then we'd have to remove the munitions or risk collateral damage.

Vault 59 is worth investigating, but with a distance of 25 miles to cover even in the best case scenario (we could control the dogs or bring back robots) we'd need to either go cross-country or use a heavy vehicle to transport them. We could try to use explosives to clear out a path for the armored truck in the sub-garage. We could check if the plane in the tech cache works and can carry significant cargo. This might still necessitate multiple trips.

>>1985018
We need to know how many people are still captive, and the raid needs to be timed so that the BoS and Metro defenders are ready for the Lurker attack this will set off.

Also, there's a number of crossings of the Cedar River, assuming that the river is even still there.

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>>1983822
>>1983870
>>1983876

“Hope you know what you’re doing…” Sarge mentions as the eyebots regroup with your DAVID unit.

“So do I,” you sigh, “but we don’t have time to sit around worrying about it. According to Johnnie, there may be a sniper getting to take a shot at one of my precious assets. Pretty sure that means Lucius.”

“Oh God! We’ve gotta do something!”

“Relax, Aria,” you council the bouncy AI. “I sent an eyebot after them to Jeremy’s. They won’t be leaving the location until we deal with the threat.”

“Assuming there is a threat,” Sarge balks.

“Well, if there isn’t, we’ll know not to let him get away next time,” you shrug. “Right now, what I know is that he said we need to follow the longest shadow in the city then look for a staircase to the moon.”

“We looking for a pot of gold and a rainbow, too?” the curmudgeonly machine continues.

“No, in all likelihood, we’re looking for a series of buildings with a gradual incline going toward the east, possibly near a church. Would you mind running your database for that? Also, would you mind if I call you Sarge going forward?”

“I ain’t enlisted!” the DHS AI complains. “I’d prefer Cap or Major, personally. Then again, probably doesn’t make a lick of difference …”

“We’ll sort out names some other time,” you promise, but does anyone know what the tallest structure left standing in the city is? My immediate thoughts go to the Space Needle, but it’s far out of range of the RobCo facility.”

“Well,” Aria chips in, “the longest shadow doesn’t necessarily have to come from a building, either. Maybe, it’s… Ooh! I know! It’s the metro overpass! It’s super long and it runs straight north!”

“I’ll fix the parameters to scan building lineups that start there,” Sarge grunts. “… and done. Not near a church, though…”

“Why does it have to be close to a church?” Aria asks.

“He mentioned signs of the old god,” you explain.

“Probably the hospital, then,” Sarge points out, “but we’ll figure that out when we get there.”

For now, you have a heading and the possible element of surprise, and so you waste no time rocketing off on all thrusters while racing toward your destination. Snow turns to slush underneath you, a steady whine echoing off the surrounding walls, but far better you keep a good clip than have to deal with the occasional ghoul or insect that somehow thinks metal will make a decent meal.

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>>1987346


It’s edging into full-blown night now. So, perhaps the decreased visibility helps your posse go unnoticed. However, the sounds that you hear, the groans and growls of things that go bump in the night remind you that luck is still very much a factor. At least it’s on your side right now as you duck and weave through broken supports and under collapsed pavement with your eye trained to the east.

Sure enough, as if by magic, the shifting scenery on your right eventually seems to align itself, the horizontal of several buildings collapsing into one line of increasing height, whose vertical steps are marked with white powder that glows from the moon that seems almost to sit at the very peak.

Between some of these buildings, it seems the occasional enterprising explorer may have already set down a board or two, some usable and others rotten and decrepit from age. You don’t need to test any of them personally, at least as your jets carry you seamlessly from one level to another, thirty, forty, then seventy feet off the ground.

It’s then that you see it, the hospital… or what’s left of it, you suppose. Honestly, you wouldn’t even be able to tell after the rain and weather has long since worn away at the lettering near the roof except that as you look down below your vantage, a single artifact of its signage remains held on by a precarious thread of electrical wiring, the stained and dingy remnant of a medical cross.

At first glance, all you perceive are shadows and silence from the blasted-out husk beneath it, but knowing that there is something to look for helps. It at least encourages you to cycle into the infrared, and thus notice the form uncomfortably laying on the floor below you, shivering from the cold but maintaining posture as it patiently waits with a straight line of sight directly to the RobCo facility doors.

> You found the sniper, but what to do…
> [] Kill them.
> [] Try to capture them.
> [] Other

--

Goodnight again.

>>1987349
[x] Try to capture them.

If we don't capture him, we can't learn anything about the situation. I want to know who he's working for and of Johnnie put him up to it.

Knock the sniper out. I say one eyebot to the back of the head from above should probably do the trick. Just not too far above.

>>1987349
> [] Try to capture them.
Well, the option is there... And snipers are professionals. Perhaps we can come to an understanding.

The Major is an acceptable name.

>>1987349
>[] Try to capture them.
I'm also fine with calling DHS-SARA the Major.

>>1987349
>> [] Try to capture them.

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>>1987383
>>1987400
>>1987420
>>1987439

Roll 1d100, and I'll be back tomorrow.

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>1987551

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>1987551
Try not to punch him out the window, but it'll be funny if we do.

Rolled 17 (1d100)

>>1987551

>>1987562
I think we won.