SESSION 42: LEAVING ON A JET PACK
General Summary
Previous Session: SESSION 41: TRAIN TO MEMPHIS
Next Session: SESSION 43: ENDURING DIVISION
Players: Current Adventuring Party, Arminius, Lex Garridan, Linda *August 25, 2317*
(Adventure Day 123)
The party left their meeting with Betsy the Triumphant. As they went, the Enclave mercenary who greeted them offered them a ride back to the Midwest. Unfortunately, the roads in Dixie were too poor for their trucks, so they were going to drive into The Capitol all the way to Nashville and then would cut northward, returning to the Midwest at Torn Hope. The party thanked them for the offer, but declined. They had business at Kentucky Dam.
The party visited the Graceland Museum in Memphis. There they found members of The Kings gang, a group they had met while travelling, had taken over the building. They were bickering over leadership. When the party intervened, the Kings’ twin leaders, Aaron and Jessie, explained that they could solidify their leadership if they possessed the holy blue suede shoes of the original King. There was a pair back in New Vegas, but they had been destroyed when that city disappeared. So, they had made a pilgrimage here to Memphis to find a new pair. Here at the museum, there was a pedestal for the holy items, but it was empty. And now the group had begun to squabble and fracture.
The party asked around town about the shoes, and heard that they would probably be down in Vault 54, as those vault dwellers had been salvaging in the city for over a hundred years. They had all the best artifacts.
The group next visited the Memphis Reformatory. They discovered that it was a progressive retraining facility where prisoners took skills classes alongside ordinary citizens. Arminius was disgusted by the mercy shown to the prisoners. A teacher told them that the reformatory needed their generator fixed and some sick prisoners attended to. They had valuable instruction manuals to give as rewards for these tasks.
So, Lex fixed their generator, requiring Linda to help lift the heavy parts into place. Arminius examined the sick prisoners, and discovered that their red blood cells had been chemically damaged. Further investigation revealed that all of the affected patients were from the Northern Mississippi region and were habitual chem users. One of the prisoners claimed to have bought his chems here in Memphis from a man named Vick. Another bought chems from Deputy Prem in Greenwood. The same corrupt deputy they had bumped into before.
The party wanted to sell some loot at the market anyway, so after that was done, they went looking for Vick. It turned out that Vick had a reputation as a scummy chem dealer, but he had gone missing recently.
The party visited Memphis's Sheriff Marko to report that they believed there were tainted drugs in the city. They ask to talk to Prem, who was now in custody. Marko informed them that Prem had rights and they could not interrogate him, but Marko would investigate for himself. They asked about Vick, and Marko reported that many chems are legal in Dixie, and while Vick was suspicious, they never had any solid charges to lay. Marko complained about The Kings and the trouble they were causing. The gang had spent years travelling through Caesar’s Legion and they had become violent and lawless. He offered the party a reward for pacifying them, and Lex told him that they were already working on it.
The party headed into Vault 54. They were greeted by happy vault security officer at the enormous vault door. Inside, they found a friendly vault community led by Overseer Kovalev and his Mister Handy, Stridwick. Lex asked what the Vault-Tec social experiment was in this vault, and she was told not to worry about it. That wasn’t acceptable to Arminius, so he charmed Kovalev into revealing the secret.
The Overseer admitted that their central computer demanded they put on random performances. When they did, the computer would release extremely nutritious food supplements that the vault relied on. But the performances weren’t likely to happen in the next few weeks. The party were creeped about and asked about the blue suede shoes. Stridwick remarked that he thought they had something like that down int storage. Both Kovalev and Stridwick were very friendly and helpful until a buzzer sounded and the vault lights went red.
The Vault 54 computer demanded a trial, or food rations would never be released again. In a panic, Overseer Kovalev accused Arminius of double murder. Arminius wanted to leave, but the computer had locked down all the vault doors. The Overseer reassured everyone that this was all a performance and that everyone should just play along. Both Kovalev and Stridwick through accusations at Arminius, amusing the computer with their claims that he had killed two people.
Arminius was unimpressed, but used his powers of rhetoric to defend himself. Lex wasn’t good at talking, but used her Pip-Boy computer to give evidence that Arminius couldn’t possibly have committed the crime Linda was even worse at talking, but she new when something was not good when she saw it. Kovalev and Stridwick were acting bad, and she yelled at them in the name of Atom. The two were intimidated and stumbled on their prosecution.
The computer eventually ruled that Arminius was not guilty, which meant that Kovalev was guilty of false accusations. The Overseer was left with a terrible choice. He could either punish himself or cut of the vault from its precious food supply forever. Loyal to his way of life, he put a gun to his head and killed himself on the spot. The computer gave a friendly noise and released another batch of nutritious food.
The party were absolutely horrified by the degenerate way of life which had developed in Vault 54. They gathered up the blue suede shoes and marched out, condemning and challenging every vault-dweller they passed by. The vaulties were more confused than insulted. This was their way of life and it had worked for over two hundred years. Lex was enraged, declaring 54 the worst vault ever.
The party returned to the Graceland Museum with the holy blue suede shoes of the original King. Once they saw the shoes, Aaron and Jessie started bickering over which of them would take leadership. Lex was still annoyed from the vault, and she put the blue suede shoes on herself. The Kings started to wonder allowed if a woman, a “Priscilla,” could even be a King, but saw Lex, Linda and Arminius well-armed and in a rage. Lex threatened to burn the holy museum to the ground, and so they submitted to her authority. She declared that The Kings would give up their violent and lawless habits, treat their Priscillas with dignity and equality and become productive members of Dixie society. She didn’t hand over the shoes until every member of the gang agreed. When she handed the holy artifacts over, she used her Pip-Boy to play an ancient recording of Elvis Pressley singing Blue Suede Shoes. The Kings were so impressed and grateful that they blessed the party with a holy rendition of Heartbreak Hotel.
The party left the Graceland Museum, headed back to Sheriff Marko to collect their reward for pacifying The Kings, when they heard a jet engine overhead. A primitive Generation 2 Synth flew into the street in jetpack-propelled power armor. This Synth carried two more Gen 2’s one under each arm. The robot in power armor looked aged and aware, but the two others were blank and brand new. These Synths reminded Lex and Linda of the assailants who had tried to kill Knight-Corporal Sadowsky in Gamma Town. Sadowski was set to testify against them in John Giscala’s trial, but they had fought them off.
The power armored Synth approached them, shouting that he was, “Taking Alexandra Garridan for testing.” When they spoke back, the lead Synth spoke into an audio recorder. He made special note that the party were saying unexpected things. When Lex refused to be taken, the Synth ordered them to surrender, saying that they were only taking the Vault 40 one. They could find her body at Kentucky Dam after they dumped it.
Combat ensued. Linda entered her Atomic Storm, a state of religious frenzy. She smashed at two of the Synths with her new rocket-powered Super Sledge, replacing the one she had lost in the Jax Volcano. The Synths were hurt, but not disabled. Lex fired a rifle shot which smashed the armor off of the main Synth's leg. The Synths were fast and accurate shooters. Both Arminius and Lex were shot in the head with laser muskets, blinding and stunning them. Linda continued to fight while Arminius and Lex scrambled to heal themselves. Even with her religious berserker resistance, Linda was reduced to zero Hit Points and collapsed to the ground. She had to roll Survival Tests every round to avoid permanent death. Lex surrendered, begging that her friends be spared. Arminius wanted to keep fighting, but reluctantly admitted they were outmatched. Lex and Arminius dropped their guns.
The main Synth grabbed Lex and flew away on his jetpack. The two other Synths treated Linda with a Stimpak which saved her life. Then, they simply collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Arminius scooped up his laser musket and attempted to shoot down the flying Synth’s jetpack, but couldn’t make the shot. He looked into the sky, trying to determine the flight path of the kidnapper, and he could see that they were travelling almost due east.
Linda and Arminius were lying in the street in Memphis. There were two strange, dead Synths lying beside them. Synths that shouldn’t exist. Lex had been taken, the only evidence of her captor a piece of broken power armor on the ground.
They could hear Dixie citizens rushing to the scene, looking to help. They needed it…
Next Session: SESSION 43: ENDURING DIVISION
Next Session: SESSION 43: ENDURING DIVISION
Players: Current Adventuring Party, Arminius, Lex Garridan, Linda *August 25, 2317*
(Adventure Day 123)
The party left their meeting with Betsy the Triumphant. As they went, the Enclave mercenary who greeted them offered them a ride back to the Midwest. Unfortunately, the roads in Dixie were too poor for their trucks, so they were going to drive into The Capitol all the way to Nashville and then would cut northward, returning to the Midwest at Torn Hope. The party thanked them for the offer, but declined. They had business at Kentucky Dam.
The party visited the Graceland Museum in Memphis. There they found members of The Kings gang, a group they had met while travelling, had taken over the building. They were bickering over leadership. When the party intervened, the Kings’ twin leaders, Aaron and Jessie, explained that they could solidify their leadership if they possessed the holy blue suede shoes of the original King. There was a pair back in New Vegas, but they had been destroyed when that city disappeared. So, they had made a pilgrimage here to Memphis to find a new pair. Here at the museum, there was a pedestal for the holy items, but it was empty. And now the group had begun to squabble and fracture.
The party asked around town about the shoes, and heard that they would probably be down in Vault 54, as those vault dwellers had been salvaging in the city for over a hundred years. They had all the best artifacts.
The group next visited the Memphis Reformatory. They discovered that it was a progressive retraining facility where prisoners took skills classes alongside ordinary citizens. Arminius was disgusted by the mercy shown to the prisoners. A teacher told them that the reformatory needed their generator fixed and some sick prisoners attended to. They had valuable instruction manuals to give as rewards for these tasks.
So, Lex fixed their generator, requiring Linda to help lift the heavy parts into place. Arminius examined the sick prisoners, and discovered that their red blood cells had been chemically damaged. Further investigation revealed that all of the affected patients were from the Northern Mississippi region and were habitual chem users. One of the prisoners claimed to have bought his chems here in Memphis from a man named Vick. Another bought chems from Deputy Prem in Greenwood. The same corrupt deputy they had bumped into before.
The party wanted to sell some loot at the market anyway, so after that was done, they went looking for Vick. It turned out that Vick had a reputation as a scummy chem dealer, but he had gone missing recently.
The party visited Memphis's Sheriff Marko to report that they believed there were tainted drugs in the city. They ask to talk to Prem, who was now in custody. Marko informed them that Prem had rights and they could not interrogate him, but Marko would investigate for himself. They asked about Vick, and Marko reported that many chems are legal in Dixie, and while Vick was suspicious, they never had any solid charges to lay. Marko complained about The Kings and the trouble they were causing. The gang had spent years travelling through Caesar’s Legion and they had become violent and lawless. He offered the party a reward for pacifying them, and Lex told him that they were already working on it.
The party headed into Vault 54. They were greeted by happy vault security officer at the enormous vault door. Inside, they found a friendly vault community led by Overseer Kovalev and his Mister Handy, Stridwick. Lex asked what the Vault-Tec social experiment was in this vault, and she was told not to worry about it. That wasn’t acceptable to Arminius, so he charmed Kovalev into revealing the secret.
The Overseer admitted that their central computer demanded they put on random performances. When they did, the computer would release extremely nutritious food supplements that the vault relied on. But the performances weren’t likely to happen in the next few weeks. The party were creeped about and asked about the blue suede shoes. Stridwick remarked that he thought they had something like that down int storage. Both Kovalev and Stridwick were very friendly and helpful until a buzzer sounded and the vault lights went red.
The Vault 54 computer demanded a trial, or food rations would never be released again. In a panic, Overseer Kovalev accused Arminius of double murder. Arminius wanted to leave, but the computer had locked down all the vault doors. The Overseer reassured everyone that this was all a performance and that everyone should just play along. Both Kovalev and Stridwick through accusations at Arminius, amusing the computer with their claims that he had killed two people.
Arminius was unimpressed, but used his powers of rhetoric to defend himself. Lex wasn’t good at talking, but used her Pip-Boy computer to give evidence that Arminius couldn’t possibly have committed the crime Linda was even worse at talking, but she new when something was not good when she saw it. Kovalev and Stridwick were acting bad, and she yelled at them in the name of Atom. The two were intimidated and stumbled on their prosecution.
The computer eventually ruled that Arminius was not guilty, which meant that Kovalev was guilty of false accusations. The Overseer was left with a terrible choice. He could either punish himself or cut of the vault from its precious food supply forever. Loyal to his way of life, he put a gun to his head and killed himself on the spot. The computer gave a friendly noise and released another batch of nutritious food.
The party were absolutely horrified by the degenerate way of life which had developed in Vault 54. They gathered up the blue suede shoes and marched out, condemning and challenging every vault-dweller they passed by. The vaulties were more confused than insulted. This was their way of life and it had worked for over two hundred years. Lex was enraged, declaring 54 the worst vault ever.
The party returned to the Graceland Museum with the holy blue suede shoes of the original King. Once they saw the shoes, Aaron and Jessie started bickering over which of them would take leadership. Lex was still annoyed from the vault, and she put the blue suede shoes on herself. The Kings started to wonder allowed if a woman, a “Priscilla,” could even be a King, but saw Lex, Linda and Arminius well-armed and in a rage. Lex threatened to burn the holy museum to the ground, and so they submitted to her authority. She declared that The Kings would give up their violent and lawless habits, treat their Priscillas with dignity and equality and become productive members of Dixie society. She didn’t hand over the shoes until every member of the gang agreed. When she handed the holy artifacts over, she used her Pip-Boy to play an ancient recording of Elvis Pressley singing Blue Suede Shoes. The Kings were so impressed and grateful that they blessed the party with a holy rendition of Heartbreak Hotel.
The party left the Graceland Museum, headed back to Sheriff Marko to collect their reward for pacifying The Kings, when they heard a jet engine overhead. A primitive Generation 2 Synth flew into the street in jetpack-propelled power armor. This Synth carried two more Gen 2’s one under each arm. The robot in power armor looked aged and aware, but the two others were blank and brand new. These Synths reminded Lex and Linda of the assailants who had tried to kill Knight-Corporal Sadowsky in Gamma Town. Sadowski was set to testify against them in John Giscala’s trial, but they had fought them off.
The power armored Synth approached them, shouting that he was, “Taking Alexandra Garridan for testing.” When they spoke back, the lead Synth spoke into an audio recorder. He made special note that the party were saying unexpected things. When Lex refused to be taken, the Synth ordered them to surrender, saying that they were only taking the Vault 40 one. They could find her body at Kentucky Dam after they dumped it.
Combat ensued. Linda entered her Atomic Storm, a state of religious frenzy. She smashed at two of the Synths with her new rocket-powered Super Sledge, replacing the one she had lost in the Jax Volcano. The Synths were hurt, but not disabled. Lex fired a rifle shot which smashed the armor off of the main Synth's leg. The Synths were fast and accurate shooters. Both Arminius and Lex were shot in the head with laser muskets, blinding and stunning them. Linda continued to fight while Arminius and Lex scrambled to heal themselves. Even with her religious berserker resistance, Linda was reduced to zero Hit Points and collapsed to the ground. She had to roll Survival Tests every round to avoid permanent death. Lex surrendered, begging that her friends be spared. Arminius wanted to keep fighting, but reluctantly admitted they were outmatched. Lex and Arminius dropped their guns.
The main Synth grabbed Lex and flew away on his jetpack. The two other Synths treated Linda with a Stimpak which saved her life. Then, they simply collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Arminius scooped up his laser musket and attempted to shoot down the flying Synth’s jetpack, but couldn’t make the shot. He looked into the sky, trying to determine the flight path of the kidnapper, and he could see that they were travelling almost due east.
Linda and Arminius were lying in the street in Memphis. There were two strange, dead Synths lying beside them. Synths that shouldn’t exist. Lex had been taken, the only evidence of her captor a piece of broken power armor on the ground.
They could hear Dixie citizens rushing to the scene, looking to help. They needed it…
Next Session: SESSION 43: ENDURING DIVISION
Character(s) interacted with
Report Date
25 Jun 2022
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