Fallout: Equestria Girls - Devil's Dueby RuinQueenofOblivionChaptersPrologue: Vault 16Chapter 1: TragedyChapter 2: Into the WastelandPrologue: Vault 16War... war never changes... Its hard to believe that its been seven years since the Day of Burning, seven years since the nuclear bombs fell around the world... the day that we all were afraid would come... Its funny really, before the bombs fell I had it all, I was on top of the world, with connections all over. It wasn't hard to get a place in one of the Vaults, I've always been a pragmatist, I knew that in the event of a nuclear war I should be ready. I honestly hadn't spent much time thinking about it up until the Manehattan Massacre. I had been lucky enough to be out of the city when it happened, but friends of mine were lost in it. From that day forward I made sure that I used my connections throughout the world in order to make sure that the TransOceanic Defense Coalition's secrets were available for the UFE, but it was far from perfect. I set up shop outside of Las Pegasus and rebuilt the Ninth Circle club. Even after seven years I still remember that day... 00000 "I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart," a woman with black skin with wild white hair that fell down to her shoulders, dressed in an elegantly designed dress sings to herself as she runs her fingers along the keys on a keyboard. "You've still got it, Morning Star," a woman with dark brown skin and short black hair said with a smile as she finished cleaning the bar. "Is everything ready for the evening rush, Windswept?" Morning Star asked as she looked at the woman. "Everything's ready," she said with a nod. "Are we expecting another visit from our friends at National Security?" Morning Star frowned a little at that, honestly she didn't like working with the NSC but she didn't have much of a choice. She had lost a lot of friends during the Manehattan Massacre and the ongoing war with the TODC so she was willing to help her nation, but she wasn't sure about the Commissariat. "Probably," she answered with a shake of her head. "We don't have a whole lot to give them, the TODC has been too quiet lately." "If you say so, at least we've got something," Windswept said as Morning Star moved over to the bar and took a seat. "When are they going to get here?" "Sometime this evening when its busy enough to not attract any attention," Morning Star answered. "Make sure we've got everything ready by then." Windswept nodded and went to inventory the bar's stock. Morning Star sat back, checking her phone. Things had been quiet enough indeed, but she had a feeling that it wasn't going to last much longer. The war with the TODC had stretched on for awhile now, and Morning Star had a strange feeling that it was going to come to a conclusion soon enough. She turned on the bar's TV and flipped through the channels for a few minutes before suddenly it changed to a news studio with a man seated behind a desk. "We're getting reports in of multiple launches from TODC allied territories and vessels," the newsman said as Windswept came out of the store room again. "The launch vectors seem to suggest they are targeting the cities of Canterlot, Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, and others. The government of Equestria has announced their retaliation will be swift and without mercy, but it is too late to stop the launches. All citizens who are part of Project Safehouse with the Vault-Tec corporation are to report to their assigned Vaults immediately. May god have mercy on our souls." "Come on, we need to get out of here!" Morning Star said to Windswept as they grabbed their tickets that allowed them into their Vaults. "I've got Vault 16, what about you?" "Vault 24..." Windswept said, looking at it sadly. "I'm sorry Morning Star... I guess there wasn't enough room to have us both in the same." Morning Star sighed and hugged her oldest friend tightly. "Its okay Windswept, if we can get out of these Vaults soon, I'll find you, I swear." "I'll wait for you," Windswept said as the two women ran out of the club, joining the masses heading to the Vaults around the outskirts of Las Pegasus. Morning Star took one last look back at her friend as she made her way towards Vault 16 which had been built not far from the club. She was filed with the others underground, she took one last look out at the city. She had to hope that it wouldn't be the last time she'd get to see it. 00000 When I entered Vault 16 and was given the orientation, I was surprised to learn what we were intended to do there. Apparently there was something wrong with the Vault door and in order to keep it from opening someone would have to put a code into a terminal next to the door every day, or the Vault would be flooded with radiation. It was odd to be sure, but we set up a system to figure out how to make it work. Then there was the other requirement, the Vault was constructed with only half the normal population of adults, so all the women were required to have one child within the first three years. I didn't like it but I didn't have a choice, but I had become close to a man named Richter, and before the deadline I found myself pregnant. I just hoped that I was doing the right thing by listening to the Overseer with this. 00000 There was the sound of crying as the newborn child was placed in Morning Star's arms, she leaned back, looking down at her daughter's dark purple face with a smile. "Congratulations, its a girl," the Vault Doctor Honest Heart said with a smile as Morning Star smiled a little. "Do you have a name picked out?" Morning Star smiled as she looked at her husband Richter who nodded to her. "We'll name her Moonlight," Morning Star said as she leaned back, tired from the ordeal. "Welcome to Vault 16, Moonlight." She smiled down at her daughter, she could only hope that her life in the Vault would be without danger. As Moonlight was laid down, Morning Star closed her eyes. Things were starting to feel normal in the Vault, and now she felt like she could rest for real. 00000 Its hard to believe that everything felt so ordinary back then, but my life was going to change in only a matter of a few years. There really is no such thing as an ordinary life in the Vault, all we could do is survive and do our daily duties. I guess I was luckier than most because they put me in charge of keeping up morale with my music, that was something I could do. My life was going to change again though, and I'd be forced to leave the Vault with no other choice. The world outside had changed, but the time would soon come where I'd have to fight a war of my own against those that hurt me. After all, war, war never changes. Author's Note Well, its finally done, the prologue is at least, I'd like to thank ExtraDimensional Alien for creating this universe and giving me a chance to write this fic. Chapter 1: Tragedy"Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name, but what's puzzling you is just the nature of my game..." Morning Star sang to herself as she prepared breakfast in her Vault quarters. "Good morning honey," Richter said, wrapping his arms around her. "What's on the schedule for today?" "Well, I've got to get Moonlight to the Day Care," Morning Star said. "Then I've got my usual schedule until this afternoon." "Right, its your turn to input the code," Richter said with a nod. The code had always been one of the most important parts of day to day life of the Vault so every dweller over the age of 18 had been put in the rotation for entering the code. "Well, I'm sure everything will be okay, its been seven years and we haven't had any problems with it," Morning Star said as Moonlight came out of her room and Morning Star picked her up with a smile. "Is breakfast ready mommy?" The four year old asked. "Just about," she replied with a smile and set the child down at the table and goes back to cooking. She couldn't believe that things felt so, normal here even though they were underground. She still missed Windswept and her old life outside of the Vault, but at least she had made a new life for herself. Things were actually kind of normal for her in Vault 16, she was mostly in charge of entertaining the other dwellers with her piano playing. She smiled as she passed out the plates of food and the family sat down for breakfast. It was just another ordinary day in the Vault. 00000 Morning Star ran her fingers across the keys on the piano that had been set up in the Vault's Diner after she moved in. She took a deep breath, enjoying the sounds and scents of the Diner, it wasn't quite the same as the Ninth Circle, but she at least enjoyed the opportunity to play music again. "Hey Morning," the Diner's head cook Chocolate Chip said as he waved to the woman. "We've got a birthday party coming in here in about 15 minutes, are you up for it?" "Of course," she said with a smile, she had come to enjoy playing at birthday parties. "Who's party is it?" "Windy Day's 10th, so she'll be getting a Pip-Boy," Chocolate Chip said with a nod. "I'll get everything set up, will you be ready?" "Yeah, I'll be ready,"Morning Star said with a nod as I turned back to flip through the sheet music. "I just have to find her favorite song." Chocolate Chip nodded as he got back to work, leaving the woman to her work as she started playing the song to practice. She took a deep breath, enjoying the feel of the keys, it wasn't as fancy as the one she had back at her club but it was still good to be able to play and sing after the bombs had fallen. After a little bit after everything was set up the doors to the Diner opened up and the children started to file in. She smiled and ran her fingers along the keys as she started to play the song, looking at Windy Day for a moment. After awhile she took a seat at the counter and took a deep breath as a woman with light blue skin and dark hair moved up next to her. "Mrs. Star, I just wanted to say thanks for playing today," Windy Day's mother Cloud Dancer said with a smile. "Windy is a big fan of your music and it really made her day." "I'm glad to do it," Morning Star said with a smile as she took a bite of cake. "I've been playing at a lot of birthday parties since the Vault door closed, and I'm always happy to help." "Well I know the kids love it," Cloud Dancer said with a nod. "How long have you been playing the piano?" "Oh, I'm classically trained," Morning Star said. "I was born in Manehattan and went to the music school there." "Oh, I'm sorry," Cloud Dancer said with a sympathetic nod. "Did you play in Las Pegasus?" "Kind of, honestly I ran a bar before the bombs fell," Morning Star replied with a shrug. "The Ninth Circle outside of the city." "Ah, I remember hearing about that but I never went," Cloud Dancer said. They talked for a few more minutes before Cloud Dancer went to mingle with the other adults. Morning Star leaned back and watched the party for awhile longer before an alert went off on her Pip-Boy, when she checked it, it was telling her that it was time to input the code. She got to her feet, said a final happy birthday to Windy Day and made her way out of the Diner and towards the Vault Door. 00000 As she approached the Vault Door she went past the two members of Vault Security who always kept guard who gave her a nod as she walked past them. "Morning Star," one of them said. "Steel Wing," Morning Star said with a nod, he had often come to my shows when he wasn't on duty. "Its good to see you again." "You too," he said with a smile as she approached the terminal sitting next to the large gear shaped door of the Vault. Sometimes Morning Star had to wonder why the Overseer had bothered to set up security to guard the door, it wasn't like anyone had ever tried to escape or enter the Vault, if there was even anyone alive outside. She connected her Pip-Boy to the terminal and started to put in the code one number at a time. 4, 8, 1, 5, 1, 6... That's when she heard it, there was a sudden screeching sound that made her cover her ears. It took her a minute to realize that it was coming from the Vault Door, it was opening! "What the hell, why is it opening?" Morning Star asked as she backed up behind the two guards who were setting up a defensive line as Steel Wing called to get more security here. "I don't know, you still have about 10 minutes to go," the other security guard said. "I think someone is opening it on the other side." "How are they opening it?" Steel Wing asked. "That shouldn't even be possible, should it?" Morning Star just shrugged as the door opened fully, the two security guards kept their pistols trained on the door as they kept their eye for anything that would come in. "Was it just a glitch in the computer system?" Morning Star asked as she glanced at her Pip-Boy, strangely there wasn't the jump in radiation that they had expected. "Strange, I thought the radiation would've flooded in if the door opened..." "We'll worry about that later," Steel Wing said. There was a long tense moment before suddenly grenades were thrown into the room, letting out smoke. Then there was the sound of gunfire as dark shapes swarmed into the Vault, opening fire on the security guards. Morning Star tried to get out of the way, but felt a sharp sting and she fell to the ground. As her world went black she looked up to see a gruff looking man dressed in a black leather jacket standing over her before her whole world turned black. 00000 When her eyes opened again, Morning Star wasn't sure what she was seeing, she looked up at the ceiling of the Vault through blurry eyes. When her vision cleared she struggled to get to her feet and looked around and frowned, Steel Wing and the other guard were lying dead where the intruders had shot them. She looked at the Vault door, it was still wide open, the thugs hadn't even bothered to close it, or maybe when the code wasn't entered it didn't close back up. She then realized that there were intruders in the Vault, and her daughter was in danger. She checked over the guards and found a 10mm pistol and ammunition and picked it up, she hadn't used a gun in years but she knew what she was doing. She started back into the Vault, she needed to make sure Moonlight and Richter were okay, and if she had to, get the intruders out of her home. When she reached the daycare area, she froze up, there were the signs of a struggle and more spent rounds. She hadn't seen any sign of the intruders, just some blood here and there. But more importantly, there were no children in the daycare. "Morning... Star?" A weak voice called out and she turned to see Nurture, the woman in charge of the area, she was bleeding from a bullet wound in her chest but she was still alive, barely. "Is that you?" "Its me Nurture," Morning Star said as she tried to apply pressure to the woman's wound. "What happened in here?" "They... took the children... all the children..." Nurture said weakly. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop them..." Morning Star clinched her fist, that meant whoever had come into the Vault had her daughter and all the other children. Why had they done that? "Did you get a name from them?" She asked. "The Sons... of... Tartarus..." Nurture said through the pain. "I didn't get... their names... I'm sorry..." "Its okay Nurture, you'll be fine," Morning Star said, she hated having to lie to her, she had seen enough gunshot wounds to know she wasn't going to make it. "Did they say anything else?" "They said... something about... a Coalition..." Nurture said as her eyes closed, with that she was gone. "I'm sorry Nurture," Morning Star said, and she meant it as she laid Nurture back. There wasn't anything she could do anymore. She just had to hope that she'd be able to find the children. 00000 Morning Star searched the entirety of Vault 16, all she found was the dead bodies of her friends. Not even Richter had been spared, he was lying dead in the Vault's reactor room. All the children had been taken from the Vault too, at least the ones under the age of 10, the rest had suffered the same fate as their parents. When she reached the Overseer's office, she found him slumped over her the console. She sighed and checked him out, there was a key and a piece of paper with a password scrawled on it. "Lets see if we can get some answers on here," Morning Star commented as she carefully moved the Overseer over and entered the password into the terminal, the screen switched on to show several options. VAULT-TEC INSTRUCTIONS. ALL CLEAR SIGNAL. OVERSEER LOGS. OPEN OVERSEER TUNNEL. She clicked on the first selection out of curiosity, she wasn't sure what to expect, but she intended to get information. Something about all of this seemed weird, maybe whatever Vault-Tec had left for the Overseer would give her some sort of insight. "Welcome to Vault 16 Overseer, if you are reading this then you have been selected to be the Overseer of this state of the art Vault-tec Facility. Your Vault has not been selected for a Garden of Eden Creation Kit, but you will be given the following instructions for running the Vault. Vault 16's primary purpose is to serve as a population control experiment, a portion of the inhabitants will enter with children. The remaining adult population will be required to have children within the first three years. The population of the Vault is to be maintained until at which point the All Clear Signal is given or the Vault Door is opened by an authorized Vault-Tec representative. In addition the Vault's door is programmed to open automatically unless a code is put into a terminal every day. This is to test the willingness of the population to follow instructions under unusual circumstances. If the door is opened nothing will happen and the inhabitants may leave if they so desire. Good luck, you are the future of Humanity." Morning Star blinked at that, experiments? What exactly did that mean? Was the Vault meant for experimenting on people? Why would they do that? She kept searching around for more answers, but all she found was more ammunition here and there. She did a quick look over the Overseer's logs, but there wasn't anything of real interest, just some basic data on the day to day life in the Vault. She sighed and closed the terminal. She had nothing left here, so she started gathering up all the supplies she could carry from the Vault's stores and went down to the Reactor one more time. She knelt by the corpse of her dead husband and sighed. "I'm sorry Richter... I promise I'll find the people who did this and make them pay," she said in a pained voice. "I'll make sure our daughter is safe..." She carefully took off his wedding ring and placed it in the pocket of her Vault Jumpsuit. She wished that she could bury at least him, but for now she had no choice but to try and catch up to the Sons of Tartarus. She made her way back to the Vault door and takes one look back before heading out the door, and out of the Vault. Character Creation Complete. Morning Star's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Strength: 4 Perception: 6 Endurance: 5 Charisma: 8 Intellect: 6 Agility: 5 Luck: 7 Unique Trait (Morning Star) Sympathy for the Devil: You have a bit of a reputation from before the war that some find unsettling. However recent events have lead to some sympathy for your plight. You gain extra positive reputation with friendly settlements and factions, but killing allies doubles negative karma and decreases reputation quicker. Author's Note I know its pretty short, but I just wanted to stop after leaving the Vault. Also there are a few easter eggs in this chapter, can you recognize them? Chapter 2: Into the WastelandMorning Star walked forward out of the Vault, she was still underground, it was hard to believe that it had been seven years since she had last come through this tunnel. She pushed the door to the outside open and covered her eyes as she saw the sun for the first time in seven years. She looked around, honestly she wasn't quite sure what to do now, she was back out in the outskirts of Las Pegasus sure, but it was different than she remembered. Maybe she should take it slowly, at least until she made contact with someone that wasn't going to just outright kill her. She had always kind of assumed she'd die in the Vault, so the fact that she was out here again was strange to her. But now she was a woman on a mission, she needed to find her daughter and make sure the scum that had taken her paid for their crimes. That's when she heard the sound of gunfire coming from one street over. She drew her pistol and moved towards it, if she was going to live on the surface then she'd need to make friends and allies. She just hoped that she wouldn't be shot on sight. She moved around the corner and found herself looking at a firefight between a group of people dressed in leather outfits that were firing at another group that were behind cover. She frowned a little and drew her pistol, while the people dressed in the leather didn't look like the people that attacked her Vault, they had a feeling about them that didn't exactly make her trust them. She raised her pistol and pointed it at the nearest person, their attention wasn't on her so she had the advantage. She caught the eye of one of the people behind cover as they fired at the attackers. Morning Star fired at the closest enemy, catching them off guard as a bullet entered the head of the person. The attackers didn't last much longer as the bullets flew from both sides, leaving them lying on the ground. "Is everyone okay?" One of them said as she got to her feet and they looked at Morning Star, some of them looked nervous but the woman didn't seem to mind. "Thanks for your help miss..." "Karma, that's Morning Star, you know, the lady in league with the Mafia back in the day," one of the woman's companions said. "Can we trust her?" "Hey, she saved our asses from the Serpents back there, she could be the Devil herself for all I care," one of the others said. "Calm down both of you," Karma said as she gave Morning Star a smile. "That doesn't matter anymore after the Day of Burning. As far as I'm concerned she's just a good Samaritan that helped us out." "I'm glad to help," Morning Star said, though she had to admit that he wasn't entirely wrong, she had a lot of underworld contacts before the bombs fell, and that made some people uncomfortable. "Listen, I come from Vault 16, we were attacked by a group calling themselves the Sons of Tartarus, can you help me out?" The three wastelanders exchanged glances and talked amongst themselves for a moment before looking at the white haired woman. "Honestly we don't know a lot about the Sons other than that they're a Raider group that moved into this territory about a year ago," Karma said. "If you want to know more about them, you might want to check with the settlers at Last Chance, its our next stop so we can escort you there if you want." "Thanks," Morning Star said and they started walking again. 00000 "So why's it called Last Chance?" Morning Star asked after awhile. "That's kind of a dismal name for a town isn't it?" "Its the last settlement in the Pegasus Coalition before the Wildlands," Karma answered. "So its basically your last chance to pick up supplies before crossing the roughest part of the wasteland around here." "What's the Pegasus Coalition?" Morning Star asked curiously, she had heard the term before the attack but had no idea what it really meant. "After the day of burning, survivors started to band together into settlements," one of the others said. "Eventually trade started between some of the settlements like Last Chance, Gallant, and Nightingale. Then when the raiders started to become a problem, they joined in mutual defense pacts. The Pegasus Coalition is really just a loose alliance of settlements, but its the closest thing we have to a proper government." Morning Star had to admit that she was impressed, most people in Vault 16 believed that everyone outside was dead or had descended into chaos. Instead they had managed to start to rebuild, even if they were having to deal with groups like the Sons of Tartarus, they were surviving. "Though, I don't know why the Sons of Tartarus would attack your Vault," Karma said. "They're Raiders, they don't need a reason," one of the others said. "They probably just found an old Vault-Tec access code and decided to see what they could get out of it." "Yeah, but why take the children?" I asked, this got a shrug from them. "Who knows, indoctrination maybe?" Karma suggested. "They're not slavers by trade so, its kind of hard to tell." "Well at least they're not going to be sold into slavery, but I still have to wonder what their game is," Morning Star said. "I just have to hope that my daughter is okay..." Karma nodded as they kept walking in silence. Morning Star checked her Pip-Boy and went through the map and data. She checked the radio option and was surprised to find a radio station labeled Coalition Radio. "There's still radio?" She asked as she looked over at Karma. "Yeah, Shock Jocky took over an old radio station to the East a couple of years ago, and he's been spreading the news and music since then," Karma said. "Its a pretty good way to get in the know about what's going on around the Wasteland." Morning Star had to admit she was curious, actually the name Shock Jocky sounded kind of familiar to her. Now that she thought about it, there was a DJ that she had once hired for the Ninth Circle by that name. She puts in the earbud from her Pip-Boy and put it in to listen, she was soon greeted by the familiar sound of music that she hadn't heard in seven years. After a few minutes the music ended and a male voice came on. "This is Shock Jocky, electrifying the airwaves of the Pegasus Coalition," the smooth voice of the DJ said. "Looks like its time to put on my news cap again, because I've got some new reports in from around the Wasteland. It seems that the infamous gang the Sons of Tartarus has been spotted in the outskirts of Las Pegasus entering the underground. Their exact motives are unknown at this time, but when the Sons are involved we all know that's not going to be good news." Morning Star paused a little at that, she guessed that it would be too much to ask for any information. Maybe if she could find the person who had spotted them entering the tunnels, or talk to Shock Jocky and maybe she'd be able to learn more. "In other news, Sheriff Jewel of Nightingale has reported an increase in Raider activity around the settlement. The Raiders seem to vanish into the Wildlands before they can be tracked down however, so the Sheriff has offered a substantial cap reward to anyone who can deal with the Raiders. Now back to the music..." "Anything interesting?" Karma asked. "Might have something to look into at some point at least," Morning star said and shrugged as she put her earbud away again. "It looks like someone saw the Sons of Tartarus, that might be a lead at least." "Well, we're almost to Last Chance anyway," Karma said with a nod. Morning Star looked on the horizon and spotted what looked like a Settlement that was fast approaching. 00000 Last Chance was built out of an old neighborhood on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. It was in relatively decent shape, even though many of the buildings were in a state of disrepair, with people that were walking around. Morning Star got a few looks of course, but most people just ignored her. "Well, that's about it for us, we're heading to the market, it was nice meeting you Morning Star," Karma said and shook hands with the former club owner. "I hope we cross paths again." "Me too Karma," Morning Star said with a smile. "Any suggestions on where I should go?" "You might try the Paradise Inn, its just over there," Karma suggested. "The bartender there can usually point you in the right direction." "Thank you," Morning Star said with a nod as she headed over to the inn, which was built out of a large building in the town. Inside the inn there were several people working or relaxing at the bar. She took a seat and looked around, it was weird to her, it was different from the world she was familiar with, but somehow it was still similar. "Can I help you miss?" A male voice asked and she turned to see an older looking man with grey skin and a shock of white hair that was dressed in a faded brown shirt and pants standing behind the bar. "Nuka Cider, and some information," Morning Star said as she looked him over as he put the requested drink on the bar. "I'm looking for the Sons of Tartarus." "Quite the request," the bartender said as Morning Star set out the caps from a stock that she had been given as a thank you by Karma. "Do you have some sort of personal reason to go after the Sons?" "They kidnapped my daughter," Morning Star said with spite in her voice. "And the other children in my Vault." "I see, well, that's quite the reason," the bartender said with a sigh. "Well, I can't tell you where they are now, but I can tell you what I know about them. They came from further west, apparently they've been plaguing settlements and tribes across the Wasteland since not long after the Day of Burning. When they first arrived in Las Pegasus, the settlement at Beckett refused to pay them protection money, they were all massacred. Since then, even the more dangerous raider gangs have been paying them protection." A chill ran down Morning Star's spine, all they had done was refuse to pay and these Sons of Tartarus had wiped them out? That was insane, what possible purpose would they have to do such a thing? "Though, I have to wonder why they kidnapped children," the bartender continued as Morning Star took a drink. "Though, there might be someone who can help you out." "Oh, who's that?" Morning Star asked. "He goes by the name of Lucky Strike, he's what we call a Marshall,"the bartender said. "They travel through the Coalition, traveling from settlement to settlement helping wherever they can. Apparently he's one of the few that survived a run in with the Sons of Tartarus in the Wildlands, he might be able to help you out." "Sure, where can I find him?" Morning Star asked, the bartender just kind of shrugged a little at that. "He's heading into town now, so he should be here tonight," the bartender said. "Hey, our usual entertainment is sick tonight, do you know anyone who might be able to help out?" "Oh, I'm sure I can think of something," Morning Star said with a smile. "Do you happen to have a piano?" 00000 "Never forget my dear child, The city's lights hide its scars. The nights are always wild, As we reach up to the stars." Morning Star finished playing on the piano that the bartender had brought in after a bit of convincing. She sighed, the song had been one that she had written in the Vault, and it reminded her of home. The bar patrons applauded as she got up and headed over towards the bar for another drink. "You're pretty good," a male voice said from next to her and she looked over to see a gruff looking man with grey skin and short red hair dressed in a buttoned up shirt and faded pants with a cowboy hat and a pistol holstered. "So, Gin over there tells me that you're looking for me." "Oh, you must be Lucky Strike then," Morning Star said and offered a hand to the man. "I'm Morning Star, I'm looking for someone who can tell me about the Sons of Tartarus, he said you survived a run in with them?" "That's right, it was about a month ago when I chased some Slavers into the Wildlands after they had kidnapped a kid," Lucky Strike said as he took a drink. "Strangest thing really, when I caught up to the Slavers they were under attack by the Sons of Tartarus." Morning Star blinked a little at that, the Sons of Tartarus had been attacking a group of Slavers? That seemed a bit strange from what she had learned about them so far, why would they want to take out Slavers? "It was brutal, the Sons basically wiped them out to a man, but they pressed the slaves into service with their gang," Lucky Strike continued. "Even the kids, I managed to save the kid I was sent after but... it was bad. The Sons are brutal, but for some reason they don't seem to like Slavers very much. So what's your beef with them?" "They kidnapped the children living in my Vault," Morning Star said with a sigh. "I've been trying to find any information on them, and well, that is some help. Do you have any ideas on where I should look?" "You might try their competition," Lucky Strike suggested, Morning Star looked at him strangely. "There's a tribe called the Wildmen, they're nomads who call the Wildlands their home. They've had some run-ins with both the Coalition and the Sons, and they're considered a threat by both." "Can you tell me where to find them?" Morning Star asked. "I'll do you one better, I'll lead you to them," Lucky Strike said with a smile. "I wouldn't be much of a Marshall if I didn't otherwise, would I?" Morning Star paused a little at that before nodding, while she didn't want to put anyone else at risk, he knew the area better than her anyway. She just had to hope that he'd be able to help her out. "Alright Lucky, that would help a lot," she said with a nod. "We'll leave in the morning, I still owe Gin a few more songs." Lucky nodded and Morning Star walked back over to the piano and started playing an old favorite once more. "Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a man of wealth and taste I've been around for a long, long year Stole many a man's soul to waste." 00000 Morning Star sighed as she sat down on her bed in the room at the inn that she had rented for the night. It had only been seven years since she first entered Vault 16, but the world around Las Pegasus and the rest of the UFE had changed radically. The Pegasus Coalition seemed to be the best chance at a future for anyone, but with Raiders like the Sons of Tartarus attacking them, then there was a chance that they wouldn't survive much longer. Maybe she should help the Coalition, if she was taking on the Raider gangs anyway, then maybe she should help them out. She sighed and turned the radio on her Pip-Boy on again and the sound of music filled her ears again before Shock Jocky's voice came on again. "This is Shock Jocky, the Prince and Power of the Airwaves coming at you with your evening news," the voice said over the radio. "Caravans from the east have come with tales of what has been dubbed the Daring Duo and their exploits. It seems this pair of ladies have been laying the hurt on the Raiders out in the Canterlot Wastelands to the far east. My hats off to the both of you ladies, if you ever come out this way, don't forget to pay old Shock Jocky a visit. "In Local news, a refugee train making their way through the Wildlands has reported that the tribes in the region have been growing more aggressive. The Wildmen have stepped up their campaign of conquest targeting the other tribes in the area. It is recommended that anyone entering the Wildlands should stay away from their territory unless its absolutely necessary. "Now that's all the news for tonight, I'll see you tomorrow with more news. Now please enjoy some old favorites from your friend Shock Jocky." Morning Star laid back on the bed and sighed, that was just great, she was going to have to go into a warzone the next day. Things were not looking good, at this point all she could really do was hope that she'd be able to figure something out, and make sure that the Sons of Tartarus would pay for what they did to her Vault. Though, what would she do after that? She didn't have anything to go back to back in Vault 16, would she and Moonlight spend the rest of their lives out in the Wasteland then? Maybe if they found somewhere to live, but for now she just had to focus on finding the children. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Level Up! New Perk (Morning Star): Silver Tongue: You've begun to cement your position and gain allies around the Wasteland, gaining some support from certain settlements. You gain an increased chance of persuading allies from friendly settlements, however unfriendly settlements and factions take a decreased persuasion check.
Prologue: Vault 16War... war never changes... Its hard to believe that its been seven years since the Day of Burning, seven years since the nuclear bombs fell around the world... the day that we all were afraid would come... Its funny really, before the bombs fell I had it all, I was on top of the world, with connections all over. It wasn't hard to get a place in one of the Vaults, I've always been a pragmatist, I knew that in the event of a nuclear war I should be ready. I honestly hadn't spent much time thinking about it up until the Manehattan Massacre. I had been lucky enough to be out of the city when it happened, but friends of mine were lost in it. From that day forward I made sure that I used my connections throughout the world in order to make sure that the TransOceanic Defense Coalition's secrets were available for the UFE, but it was far from perfect. I set up shop outside of Las Pegasus and rebuilt the Ninth Circle club. Even after seven years I still remember that day... 00000 "I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart," a woman with black skin with wild white hair that fell down to her shoulders, dressed in an elegantly designed dress sings to herself as she runs her fingers along the keys on a keyboard. "You've still got it, Morning Star," a woman with dark brown skin and short black hair said with a smile as she finished cleaning the bar. "Is everything ready for the evening rush, Windswept?" Morning Star asked as she looked at the woman. "Everything's ready," she said with a nod. "Are we expecting another visit from our friends at National Security?" Morning Star frowned a little at that, honestly she didn't like working with the NSC but she didn't have much of a choice. She had lost a lot of friends during the Manehattan Massacre and the ongoing war with the TODC so she was willing to help her nation, but she wasn't sure about the Commissariat. "Probably," she answered with a shake of her head. "We don't have a whole lot to give them, the TODC has been too quiet lately." "If you say so, at least we've got something," Windswept said as Morning Star moved over to the bar and took a seat. "When are they going to get here?" "Sometime this evening when its busy enough to not attract any attention," Morning Star answered. "Make sure we've got everything ready by then." Windswept nodded and went to inventory the bar's stock. Morning Star sat back, checking her phone. Things had been quiet enough indeed, but she had a feeling that it wasn't going to last much longer. The war with the TODC had stretched on for awhile now, and Morning Star had a strange feeling that it was going to come to a conclusion soon enough. She turned on the bar's TV and flipped through the channels for a few minutes before suddenly it changed to a news studio with a man seated behind a desk. "We're getting reports in of multiple launches from TODC allied territories and vessels," the newsman said as Windswept came out of the store room again. "The launch vectors seem to suggest they are targeting the cities of Canterlot, Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, and others. The government of Equestria has announced their retaliation will be swift and without mercy, but it is too late to stop the launches. All citizens who are part of Project Safehouse with the Vault-Tec corporation are to report to their assigned Vaults immediately. May god have mercy on our souls." "Come on, we need to get out of here!" Morning Star said to Windswept as they grabbed their tickets that allowed them into their Vaults. "I've got Vault 16, what about you?" "Vault 24..." Windswept said, looking at it sadly. "I'm sorry Morning Star... I guess there wasn't enough room to have us both in the same." Morning Star sighed and hugged her oldest friend tightly. "Its okay Windswept, if we can get out of these Vaults soon, I'll find you, I swear." "I'll wait for you," Windswept said as the two women ran out of the club, joining the masses heading to the Vaults around the outskirts of Las Pegasus. Morning Star took one last look back at her friend as she made her way towards Vault 16 which had been built not far from the club. She was filed with the others underground, she took one last look out at the city. She had to hope that it wouldn't be the last time she'd get to see it. 00000 When I entered Vault 16 and was given the orientation, I was surprised to learn what we were intended to do there. Apparently there was something wrong with the Vault door and in order to keep it from opening someone would have to put a code into a terminal next to the door every day, or the Vault would be flooded with radiation. It was odd to be sure, but we set up a system to figure out how to make it work. Then there was the other requirement, the Vault was constructed with only half the normal population of adults, so all the women were required to have one child within the first three years. I didn't like it but I didn't have a choice, but I had become close to a man named Richter, and before the deadline I found myself pregnant. I just hoped that I was doing the right thing by listening to the Overseer with this. 00000 There was the sound of crying as the newborn child was placed in Morning Star's arms, she leaned back, looking down at her daughter's dark purple face with a smile. "Congratulations, its a girl," the Vault Doctor Honest Heart said with a smile as Morning Star smiled a little. "Do you have a name picked out?" Morning Star smiled as she looked at her husband Richter who nodded to her. "We'll name her Moonlight," Morning Star said as she leaned back, tired from the ordeal. "Welcome to Vault 16, Moonlight." She smiled down at her daughter, she could only hope that her life in the Vault would be without danger. As Moonlight was laid down, Morning Star closed her eyes. Things were starting to feel normal in the Vault, and now she felt like she could rest for real. 00000 Its hard to believe that everything felt so ordinary back then, but my life was going to change in only a matter of a few years. There really is no such thing as an ordinary life in the Vault, all we could do is survive and do our daily duties. I guess I was luckier than most because they put me in charge of keeping up morale with my music, that was something I could do. My life was going to change again though, and I'd be forced to leave the Vault with no other choice. The world outside had changed, but the time would soon come where I'd have to fight a war of my own against those that hurt me. After all, war, war never changes. Author's Note Well, its finally done, the prologue is at least, I'd like to thank ExtraDimensional Alien for creating this universe and giving me a chance to write this fic.
Chapter 1: Tragedy"Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name, but what's puzzling you is just the nature of my game..." Morning Star sang to herself as she prepared breakfast in her Vault quarters. "Good morning honey," Richter said, wrapping his arms around her. "What's on the schedule for today?" "Well, I've got to get Moonlight to the Day Care," Morning Star said. "Then I've got my usual schedule until this afternoon." "Right, its your turn to input the code," Richter said with a nod. The code had always been one of the most important parts of day to day life of the Vault so every dweller over the age of 18 had been put in the rotation for entering the code. "Well, I'm sure everything will be okay, its been seven years and we haven't had any problems with it," Morning Star said as Moonlight came out of her room and Morning Star picked her up with a smile. "Is breakfast ready mommy?" The four year old asked. "Just about," she replied with a smile and set the child down at the table and goes back to cooking. She couldn't believe that things felt so, normal here even though they were underground. She still missed Windswept and her old life outside of the Vault, but at least she had made a new life for herself. Things were actually kind of normal for her in Vault 16, she was mostly in charge of entertaining the other dwellers with her piano playing. She smiled as she passed out the plates of food and the family sat down for breakfast. It was just another ordinary day in the Vault. 00000 Morning Star ran her fingers across the keys on the piano that had been set up in the Vault's Diner after she moved in. She took a deep breath, enjoying the sounds and scents of the Diner, it wasn't quite the same as the Ninth Circle, but she at least enjoyed the opportunity to play music again. "Hey Morning," the Diner's head cook Chocolate Chip said as he waved to the woman. "We've got a birthday party coming in here in about 15 minutes, are you up for it?" "Of course," she said with a smile, she had come to enjoy playing at birthday parties. "Who's party is it?" "Windy Day's 10th, so she'll be getting a Pip-Boy," Chocolate Chip said with a nod. "I'll get everything set up, will you be ready?" "Yeah, I'll be ready,"Morning Star said with a nod as I turned back to flip through the sheet music. "I just have to find her favorite song." Chocolate Chip nodded as he got back to work, leaving the woman to her work as she started playing the song to practice. She took a deep breath, enjoying the feel of the keys, it wasn't as fancy as the one she had back at her club but it was still good to be able to play and sing after the bombs had fallen. After a little bit after everything was set up the doors to the Diner opened up and the children started to file in. She smiled and ran her fingers along the keys as she started to play the song, looking at Windy Day for a moment. After awhile she took a seat at the counter and took a deep breath as a woman with light blue skin and dark hair moved up next to her. "Mrs. Star, I just wanted to say thanks for playing today," Windy Day's mother Cloud Dancer said with a smile. "Windy is a big fan of your music and it really made her day." "I'm glad to do it," Morning Star said with a smile as she took a bite of cake. "I've been playing at a lot of birthday parties since the Vault door closed, and I'm always happy to help." "Well I know the kids love it," Cloud Dancer said with a nod. "How long have you been playing the piano?" "Oh, I'm classically trained," Morning Star said. "I was born in Manehattan and went to the music school there." "Oh, I'm sorry," Cloud Dancer said with a sympathetic nod. "Did you play in Las Pegasus?" "Kind of, honestly I ran a bar before the bombs fell," Morning Star replied with a shrug. "The Ninth Circle outside of the city." "Ah, I remember hearing about that but I never went," Cloud Dancer said. They talked for a few more minutes before Cloud Dancer went to mingle with the other adults. Morning Star leaned back and watched the party for awhile longer before an alert went off on her Pip-Boy, when she checked it, it was telling her that it was time to input the code. She got to her feet, said a final happy birthday to Windy Day and made her way out of the Diner and towards the Vault Door. 00000 As she approached the Vault Door she went past the two members of Vault Security who always kept guard who gave her a nod as she walked past them. "Morning Star," one of them said. "Steel Wing," Morning Star said with a nod, he had often come to my shows when he wasn't on duty. "Its good to see you again." "You too," he said with a smile as she approached the terminal sitting next to the large gear shaped door of the Vault. Sometimes Morning Star had to wonder why the Overseer had bothered to set up security to guard the door, it wasn't like anyone had ever tried to escape or enter the Vault, if there was even anyone alive outside. She connected her Pip-Boy to the terminal and started to put in the code one number at a time. 4, 8, 1, 5, 1, 6... That's when she heard it, there was a sudden screeching sound that made her cover her ears. It took her a minute to realize that it was coming from the Vault Door, it was opening! "What the hell, why is it opening?" Morning Star asked as she backed up behind the two guards who were setting up a defensive line as Steel Wing called to get more security here. "I don't know, you still have about 10 minutes to go," the other security guard said. "I think someone is opening it on the other side." "How are they opening it?" Steel Wing asked. "That shouldn't even be possible, should it?" Morning Star just shrugged as the door opened fully, the two security guards kept their pistols trained on the door as they kept their eye for anything that would come in. "Was it just a glitch in the computer system?" Morning Star asked as she glanced at her Pip-Boy, strangely there wasn't the jump in radiation that they had expected. "Strange, I thought the radiation would've flooded in if the door opened..." "We'll worry about that later," Steel Wing said. There was a long tense moment before suddenly grenades were thrown into the room, letting out smoke. Then there was the sound of gunfire as dark shapes swarmed into the Vault, opening fire on the security guards. Morning Star tried to get out of the way, but felt a sharp sting and she fell to the ground. As her world went black she looked up to see a gruff looking man dressed in a black leather jacket standing over her before her whole world turned black. 00000 When her eyes opened again, Morning Star wasn't sure what she was seeing, she looked up at the ceiling of the Vault through blurry eyes. When her vision cleared she struggled to get to her feet and looked around and frowned, Steel Wing and the other guard were lying dead where the intruders had shot them. She looked at the Vault door, it was still wide open, the thugs hadn't even bothered to close it, or maybe when the code wasn't entered it didn't close back up. She then realized that there were intruders in the Vault, and her daughter was in danger. She checked over the guards and found a 10mm pistol and ammunition and picked it up, she hadn't used a gun in years but she knew what she was doing. She started back into the Vault, she needed to make sure Moonlight and Richter were okay, and if she had to, get the intruders out of her home. When she reached the daycare area, she froze up, there were the signs of a struggle and more spent rounds. She hadn't seen any sign of the intruders, just some blood here and there. But more importantly, there were no children in the daycare. "Morning... Star?" A weak voice called out and she turned to see Nurture, the woman in charge of the area, she was bleeding from a bullet wound in her chest but she was still alive, barely. "Is that you?" "Its me Nurture," Morning Star said as she tried to apply pressure to the woman's wound. "What happened in here?" "They... took the children... all the children..." Nurture said weakly. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop them..." Morning Star clinched her fist, that meant whoever had come into the Vault had her daughter and all the other children. Why had they done that? "Did you get a name from them?" She asked. "The Sons... of... Tartarus..." Nurture said through the pain. "I didn't get... their names... I'm sorry..." "Its okay Nurture, you'll be fine," Morning Star said, she hated having to lie to her, she had seen enough gunshot wounds to know she wasn't going to make it. "Did they say anything else?" "They said... something about... a Coalition..." Nurture said as her eyes closed, with that she was gone. "I'm sorry Nurture," Morning Star said, and she meant it as she laid Nurture back. There wasn't anything she could do anymore. She just had to hope that she'd be able to find the children. 00000 Morning Star searched the entirety of Vault 16, all she found was the dead bodies of her friends. Not even Richter had been spared, he was lying dead in the Vault's reactor room. All the children had been taken from the Vault too, at least the ones under the age of 10, the rest had suffered the same fate as their parents. When she reached the Overseer's office, she found him slumped over her the console. She sighed and checked him out, there was a key and a piece of paper with a password scrawled on it. "Lets see if we can get some answers on here," Morning Star commented as she carefully moved the Overseer over and entered the password into the terminal, the screen switched on to show several options. VAULT-TEC INSTRUCTIONS. ALL CLEAR SIGNAL. OVERSEER LOGS. OPEN OVERSEER TUNNEL. She clicked on the first selection out of curiosity, she wasn't sure what to expect, but she intended to get information. Something about all of this seemed weird, maybe whatever Vault-Tec had left for the Overseer would give her some sort of insight. "Welcome to Vault 16 Overseer, if you are reading this then you have been selected to be the Overseer of this state of the art Vault-tec Facility. Your Vault has not been selected for a Garden of Eden Creation Kit, but you will be given the following instructions for running the Vault. Vault 16's primary purpose is to serve as a population control experiment, a portion of the inhabitants will enter with children. The remaining adult population will be required to have children within the first three years. The population of the Vault is to be maintained until at which point the All Clear Signal is given or the Vault Door is opened by an authorized Vault-Tec representative. In addition the Vault's door is programmed to open automatically unless a code is put into a terminal every day. This is to test the willingness of the population to follow instructions under unusual circumstances. If the door is opened nothing will happen and the inhabitants may leave if they so desire. Good luck, you are the future of Humanity." Morning Star blinked at that, experiments? What exactly did that mean? Was the Vault meant for experimenting on people? Why would they do that? She kept searching around for more answers, but all she found was more ammunition here and there. She did a quick look over the Overseer's logs, but there wasn't anything of real interest, just some basic data on the day to day life in the Vault. She sighed and closed the terminal. She had nothing left here, so she started gathering up all the supplies she could carry from the Vault's stores and went down to the Reactor one more time. She knelt by the corpse of her dead husband and sighed. "I'm sorry Richter... I promise I'll find the people who did this and make them pay," she said in a pained voice. "I'll make sure our daughter is safe..." She carefully took off his wedding ring and placed it in the pocket of her Vault Jumpsuit. She wished that she could bury at least him, but for now she had no choice but to try and catch up to the Sons of Tartarus. She made her way back to the Vault door and takes one look back before heading out the door, and out of the Vault. Character Creation Complete. Morning Star's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Strength: 4 Perception: 6 Endurance: 5 Charisma: 8 Intellect: 6 Agility: 5 Luck: 7 Unique Trait (Morning Star) Sympathy for the Devil: You have a bit of a reputation from before the war that some find unsettling. However recent events have lead to some sympathy for your plight. You gain extra positive reputation with friendly settlements and factions, but killing allies doubles negative karma and decreases reputation quicker. Author's Note I know its pretty short, but I just wanted to stop after leaving the Vault. Also there are a few easter eggs in this chapter, can you recognize them?
Chapter 2: Into the WastelandMorning Star walked forward out of the Vault, she was still underground, it was hard to believe that it had been seven years since she had last come through this tunnel. She pushed the door to the outside open and covered her eyes as she saw the sun for the first time in seven years. She looked around, honestly she wasn't quite sure what to do now, she was back out in the outskirts of Las Pegasus sure, but it was different than she remembered. Maybe she should take it slowly, at least until she made contact with someone that wasn't going to just outright kill her. She had always kind of assumed she'd die in the Vault, so the fact that she was out here again was strange to her. But now she was a woman on a mission, she needed to find her daughter and make sure the scum that had taken her paid for their crimes. That's when she heard the sound of gunfire coming from one street over. She drew her pistol and moved towards it, if she was going to live on the surface then she'd need to make friends and allies. She just hoped that she wouldn't be shot on sight. She moved around the corner and found herself looking at a firefight between a group of people dressed in leather outfits that were firing at another group that were behind cover. She frowned a little and drew her pistol, while the people dressed in the leather didn't look like the people that attacked her Vault, they had a feeling about them that didn't exactly make her trust them. She raised her pistol and pointed it at the nearest person, their attention wasn't on her so she had the advantage. She caught the eye of one of the people behind cover as they fired at the attackers. Morning Star fired at the closest enemy, catching them off guard as a bullet entered the head of the person. The attackers didn't last much longer as the bullets flew from both sides, leaving them lying on the ground. "Is everyone okay?" One of them said as she got to her feet and they looked at Morning Star, some of them looked nervous but the woman didn't seem to mind. "Thanks for your help miss..." "Karma, that's Morning Star, you know, the lady in league with the Mafia back in the day," one of the woman's companions said. "Can we trust her?" "Hey, she saved our asses from the Serpents back there, she could be the Devil herself for all I care," one of the others said. "Calm down both of you," Karma said as she gave Morning Star a smile. "That doesn't matter anymore after the Day of Burning. As far as I'm concerned she's just a good Samaritan that helped us out." "I'm glad to help," Morning Star said, though she had to admit that he wasn't entirely wrong, she had a lot of underworld contacts before the bombs fell, and that made some people uncomfortable. "Listen, I come from Vault 16, we were attacked by a group calling themselves the Sons of Tartarus, can you help me out?" The three wastelanders exchanged glances and talked amongst themselves for a moment before looking at the white haired woman. "Honestly we don't know a lot about the Sons other than that they're a Raider group that moved into this territory about a year ago," Karma said. "If you want to know more about them, you might want to check with the settlers at Last Chance, its our next stop so we can escort you there if you want." "Thanks," Morning Star said and they started walking again. 00000 "So why's it called Last Chance?" Morning Star asked after awhile. "That's kind of a dismal name for a town isn't it?" "Its the last settlement in the Pegasus Coalition before the Wildlands," Karma answered. "So its basically your last chance to pick up supplies before crossing the roughest part of the wasteland around here." "What's the Pegasus Coalition?" Morning Star asked curiously, she had heard the term before the attack but had no idea what it really meant. "After the day of burning, survivors started to band together into settlements," one of the others said. "Eventually trade started between some of the settlements like Last Chance, Gallant, and Nightingale. Then when the raiders started to become a problem, they joined in mutual defense pacts. The Pegasus Coalition is really just a loose alliance of settlements, but its the closest thing we have to a proper government." Morning Star had to admit that she was impressed, most people in Vault 16 believed that everyone outside was dead or had descended into chaos. Instead they had managed to start to rebuild, even if they were having to deal with groups like the Sons of Tartarus, they were surviving. "Though, I don't know why the Sons of Tartarus would attack your Vault," Karma said. "They're Raiders, they don't need a reason," one of the others said. "They probably just found an old Vault-Tec access code and decided to see what they could get out of it." "Yeah, but why take the children?" I asked, this got a shrug from them. "Who knows, indoctrination maybe?" Karma suggested. "They're not slavers by trade so, its kind of hard to tell." "Well at least they're not going to be sold into slavery, but I still have to wonder what their game is," Morning Star said. "I just have to hope that my daughter is okay..." Karma nodded as they kept walking in silence. Morning Star checked her Pip-Boy and went through the map and data. She checked the radio option and was surprised to find a radio station labeled Coalition Radio. "There's still radio?" She asked as she looked over at Karma. "Yeah, Shock Jocky took over an old radio station to the East a couple of years ago, and he's been spreading the news and music since then," Karma said. "Its a pretty good way to get in the know about what's going on around the Wasteland." Morning Star had to admit she was curious, actually the name Shock Jocky sounded kind of familiar to her. Now that she thought about it, there was a DJ that she had once hired for the Ninth Circle by that name. She puts in the earbud from her Pip-Boy and put it in to listen, she was soon greeted by the familiar sound of music that she hadn't heard in seven years. After a few minutes the music ended and a male voice came on. "This is Shock Jocky, electrifying the airwaves of the Pegasus Coalition," the smooth voice of the DJ said. "Looks like its time to put on my news cap again, because I've got some new reports in from around the Wasteland. It seems that the infamous gang the Sons of Tartarus has been spotted in the outskirts of Las Pegasus entering the underground. Their exact motives are unknown at this time, but when the Sons are involved we all know that's not going to be good news." Morning Star paused a little at that, she guessed that it would be too much to ask for any information. Maybe if she could find the person who had spotted them entering the tunnels, or talk to Shock Jocky and maybe she'd be able to learn more. "In other news, Sheriff Jewel of Nightingale has reported an increase in Raider activity around the settlement. The Raiders seem to vanish into the Wildlands before they can be tracked down however, so the Sheriff has offered a substantial cap reward to anyone who can deal with the Raiders. Now back to the music..." "Anything interesting?" Karma asked. "Might have something to look into at some point at least," Morning star said and shrugged as she put her earbud away again. "It looks like someone saw the Sons of Tartarus, that might be a lead at least." "Well, we're almost to Last Chance anyway," Karma said with a nod. Morning Star looked on the horizon and spotted what looked like a Settlement that was fast approaching. 00000 Last Chance was built out of an old neighborhood on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. It was in relatively decent shape, even though many of the buildings were in a state of disrepair, with people that were walking around. Morning Star got a few looks of course, but most people just ignored her. "Well, that's about it for us, we're heading to the market, it was nice meeting you Morning Star," Karma said and shook hands with the former club owner. "I hope we cross paths again." "Me too Karma," Morning Star said with a smile. "Any suggestions on where I should go?" "You might try the Paradise Inn, its just over there," Karma suggested. "The bartender there can usually point you in the right direction." "Thank you," Morning Star said with a nod as she headed over to the inn, which was built out of a large building in the town. Inside the inn there were several people working or relaxing at the bar. She took a seat and looked around, it was weird to her, it was different from the world she was familiar with, but somehow it was still similar. "Can I help you miss?" A male voice asked and she turned to see an older looking man with grey skin and a shock of white hair that was dressed in a faded brown shirt and pants standing behind the bar. "Nuka Cider, and some information," Morning Star said as she looked him over as he put the requested drink on the bar. "I'm looking for the Sons of Tartarus." "Quite the request," the bartender said as Morning Star set out the caps from a stock that she had been given as a thank you by Karma. "Do you have some sort of personal reason to go after the Sons?" "They kidnapped my daughter," Morning Star said with spite in her voice. "And the other children in my Vault." "I see, well, that's quite the reason," the bartender said with a sigh. "Well, I can't tell you where they are now, but I can tell you what I know about them. They came from further west, apparently they've been plaguing settlements and tribes across the Wasteland since not long after the Day of Burning. When they first arrived in Las Pegasus, the settlement at Beckett refused to pay them protection money, they were all massacred. Since then, even the more dangerous raider gangs have been paying them protection." A chill ran down Morning Star's spine, all they had done was refuse to pay and these Sons of Tartarus had wiped them out? That was insane, what possible purpose would they have to do such a thing? "Though, I have to wonder why they kidnapped children," the bartender continued as Morning Star took a drink. "Though, there might be someone who can help you out." "Oh, who's that?" Morning Star asked. "He goes by the name of Lucky Strike, he's what we call a Marshall,"the bartender said. "They travel through the Coalition, traveling from settlement to settlement helping wherever they can. Apparently he's one of the few that survived a run in with the Sons of Tartarus in the Wildlands, he might be able to help you out." "Sure, where can I find him?" Morning Star asked, the bartender just kind of shrugged a little at that. "He's heading into town now, so he should be here tonight," the bartender said. "Hey, our usual entertainment is sick tonight, do you know anyone who might be able to help out?" "Oh, I'm sure I can think of something," Morning Star said with a smile. "Do you happen to have a piano?" 00000 "Never forget my dear child, The city's lights hide its scars. The nights are always wild, As we reach up to the stars." Morning Star finished playing on the piano that the bartender had brought in after a bit of convincing. She sighed, the song had been one that she had written in the Vault, and it reminded her of home. The bar patrons applauded as she got up and headed over towards the bar for another drink. "You're pretty good," a male voice said from next to her and she looked over to see a gruff looking man with grey skin and short red hair dressed in a buttoned up shirt and faded pants with a cowboy hat and a pistol holstered. "So, Gin over there tells me that you're looking for me." "Oh, you must be Lucky Strike then," Morning Star said and offered a hand to the man. "I'm Morning Star, I'm looking for someone who can tell me about the Sons of Tartarus, he said you survived a run in with them?" "That's right, it was about a month ago when I chased some Slavers into the Wildlands after they had kidnapped a kid," Lucky Strike said as he took a drink. "Strangest thing really, when I caught up to the Slavers they were under attack by the Sons of Tartarus." Morning Star blinked a little at that, the Sons of Tartarus had been attacking a group of Slavers? That seemed a bit strange from what she had learned about them so far, why would they want to take out Slavers? "It was brutal, the Sons basically wiped them out to a man, but they pressed the slaves into service with their gang," Lucky Strike continued. "Even the kids, I managed to save the kid I was sent after but... it was bad. The Sons are brutal, but for some reason they don't seem to like Slavers very much. So what's your beef with them?" "They kidnapped the children living in my Vault," Morning Star said with a sigh. "I've been trying to find any information on them, and well, that is some help. Do you have any ideas on where I should look?" "You might try their competition," Lucky Strike suggested, Morning Star looked at him strangely. "There's a tribe called the Wildmen, they're nomads who call the Wildlands their home. They've had some run-ins with both the Coalition and the Sons, and they're considered a threat by both." "Can you tell me where to find them?" Morning Star asked. "I'll do you one better, I'll lead you to them," Lucky Strike said with a smile. "I wouldn't be much of a Marshall if I didn't otherwise, would I?" Morning Star paused a little at that before nodding, while she didn't want to put anyone else at risk, he knew the area better than her anyway. She just had to hope that he'd be able to help her out. "Alright Lucky, that would help a lot," she said with a nod. "We'll leave in the morning, I still owe Gin a few more songs." Lucky nodded and Morning Star walked back over to the piano and started playing an old favorite once more. "Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a man of wealth and taste I've been around for a long, long year Stole many a man's soul to waste." 00000 Morning Star sighed as she sat down on her bed in the room at the inn that she had rented for the night. It had only been seven years since she first entered Vault 16, but the world around Las Pegasus and the rest of the UFE had changed radically. The Pegasus Coalition seemed to be the best chance at a future for anyone, but with Raiders like the Sons of Tartarus attacking them, then there was a chance that they wouldn't survive much longer. Maybe she should help the Coalition, if she was taking on the Raider gangs anyway, then maybe she should help them out. She sighed and turned the radio on her Pip-Boy on again and the sound of music filled her ears again before Shock Jocky's voice came on again. "This is Shock Jocky, the Prince and Power of the Airwaves coming at you with your evening news," the voice said over the radio. "Caravans from the east have come with tales of what has been dubbed the Daring Duo and their exploits. It seems this pair of ladies have been laying the hurt on the Raiders out in the Canterlot Wastelands to the far east. My hats off to the both of you ladies, if you ever come out this way, don't forget to pay old Shock Jocky a visit. "In Local news, a refugee train making their way through the Wildlands has reported that the tribes in the region have been growing more aggressive. The Wildmen have stepped up their campaign of conquest targeting the other tribes in the area. It is recommended that anyone entering the Wildlands should stay away from their territory unless its absolutely necessary. "Now that's all the news for tonight, I'll see you tomorrow with more news. Now please enjoy some old favorites from your friend Shock Jocky." Morning Star laid back on the bed and sighed, that was just great, she was going to have to go into a warzone the next day. Things were not looking good, at this point all she could really do was hope that she'd be able to figure something out, and make sure that the Sons of Tartarus would pay for what they did to her Vault. Though, what would she do after that? She didn't have anything to go back to back in Vault 16, would she and Moonlight spend the rest of their lives out in the Wasteland then? Maybe if they found somewhere to live, but for now she just had to focus on finding the children. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Level Up! New Perk (Morning Star): Silver Tongue: You've begun to cement your position and gain allies around the Wasteland, gaining some support from certain settlements. You gain an increased chance of persuading allies from friendly settlements, however unfriendly settlements and factions take a decreased persuasion check.
