Fallout: Florida , The Sunshine State's Post-Apocalyptic Wastes Options

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

Well, I never thought I'd be posting in this particular subforum before now. But with all these ideas bouncing in my head of what post-Great War Florida would look like in the Fallout universe, I have taken to jotting them down and (hopefully) making a cohesive guide to it. I don't really write fiction, so I don't think I'll be writing actual stories like you all do, but I suppose we'll see. For the time being, it's really going to be a guide of sorts, somewhat like a wiki or what textbooks would say.

This will obviously attempt to adhere to Fallout canon as much as possible. I chose Florida as the setting not only because it is my home state (though that is definitely the biggest reason) but because, from what I can tell, so little about the Southeastern United States is talked about in Fallout lore, giving me a lot more room to operate in. And, of course, it's the state I know best and would love to see the most as a setting for a Fallout game.

So here's the plan for all this:
[*] I'm going to break up each section of the guide into its own post to separate it sufficiently. This one will be the introduction to the setting.
[*] I may include some incomplete information on here for several reasons. For one, it'll be an easy repository to refer to just in case the Word doc I am using has something go screwy or that my computer messes up or whatever. Two, it can be a little taste of what's to come. Three, I just want to get down as much content as comes to me.
[*] The tentative list of sections to have here include, but are not limited to (and not necessarily in this order):

[*] General overview of the setting and how I am breaking up the parts of Florida
[*] The Bestiary
[*] The Timeline
[*] The Factions
[*] Profiles of each of the regions I am making

Some of the stuff you see will definitely be subject to change if needed to make it cohesive. I'll try to document what I change to make it clear.

And most of all, I hope you all like it and I'd like to hear whatever feedback you have. Presenting and communicating information is one of the things I enjoy most, although I'm more used to doing so for real-life content (particularly political science).

First section of the guide coming up!

The Setting - Basic Overview

While not experiencing the same level of nuclear barrage as places such as Southern California, New York, and D.C., Florida was plunged into nuclear fire just like virtually everywhere else in the world. This was especially true of the Tampa Bay Area, Orlando and its surrounding areas, and South Florida, centers of great economic and political importance in Pre-War America. Being the 3rd-most populous state in the country, the Great War extinguished far more lives than average here and left plenty more to pick up the pieces in the post-apocalyptic, anarchic wastes. The exceptional biological, geographical, and human diversity of Florida led to a far more varied impact on the former Sunshine State when the bombs fell.

Nevertheless, many settlements started to crop up in the decades just after the Great War, even in those once-densely populated cities and metropolitan areas. In time, former towns and cities were beginning to be resurrected and reclaiming their old names, and brand-new ones started to form. But post-War Florida--and the rest of what used to be the country's Gulf Commonwealth, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi--was still highly fractured. In the 22nd century, the first of many ambitious attempts was made to reunite this once-thriving landscape. While extraordinarily difficult at first, a string of successes in reunification gave birth to the Gulf Coast Union, a nation similar in concept to the future New California Republic (NCR). The so-called Great Reunification--a somewhat hyperbolic title, at least currently--started extending through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and even some of southwestern Georgia, though it has yet to reclaim the whole of any of these former states.

The process is far from completed, however, and many other factions both big and small struggle with the Gulf Coast Union for dominance in the former Southeastern United States. Many of the conflicts take place in what used to be the Sunshine State. The Gulf Coast Union was successful in claiming virtually all of Northern Florida and has made inroads into the Central Florida wastes. Major and minor powers violently feuding with each other and with the Gulf Coast Union have made the GCU's grip on these lands somewhat tenuous, preventing any attempts at expanding into South Florida.

As of this guide, it is currently the year 2130, over a half-century since the world was irrevocably changed. To most easily understand the lands that were once called Florida, it is best to divide the area into ten distinct regions--even if the divisions are a bit crude, arbitrary, or too convenient. Each have their own set of conflicts being waged, major and minor players vying for power, and civilizations trying to carve out a life in these harsh wastes. Welcome to the Sunshine State's post-apocalyptic wastes.

The Ten Regions and Their Counties

County Map
Here's how some coasts in Florida got their nicknames, though not all are explicitly mentioned here

Though these broken-up zones are somewhat crude and arbitrary, it'll be easiest to understand post-apocalyptic Florida this way. However, major conflicts in one region can definitely spill over into another.

1) Panhandle (13): Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, Franklin, Gadsden
2) Big Bend (8): Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Lafayette, Dixie, Levy
3) North Central Florida (8): Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Gilchrist
4) The First Coast (6): Nassau, Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler
5) The Space and Treasure Coasts (7): Volusia, Seminole, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee
6) Central Florida (8): Marion, Sumter, Lake, Orange, Polk, Osceola, Hardee, Highlands
7) The Tampa Bay Area (6): Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee
8) The Gold Coast (3): Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade
9) Southwest Florida (7.5): Sarasota, De Soto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, Collier, Monroe (mainland only)
10) The Keys (0.5): Monroe (Keys only)


Just a quick side-note: The Panhandle West/East dichotomy is one I totally made up for my own purposes. They are, as far as I know, not referred to as such in real life. It is just the Panhandle, and the real-world Panhandle doesn't necessarily include all of the counties in Big Bend.

This post has been edited by RaderOfTheLostArk: Jun 9 2020, 01:30 AM

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

@SubRosa - I see what you mean. I'll go that route whenever it is appropriate and I can reasonably work it in.

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And finally, we are on to Chapter 6.

Chapter 6: The Plot Thickens

It did not take long for Mariah to dispatch the raiders. They were caught off-guard by her energy weapon. Their attempts to flee at the sight of lasers was in vain as each of them fell. A couple of them even burned up into piles of ash. The merchants came out of hiding upon seeing that the raiders were slain. All of them and their Brahmin survived. When they came to meet Mariah, one of them practically prostrated at her feet out of a mix of exhaustion and praise.

“Whew, I thought we were goners. Thank you, ma’am,” one of the merchants hugged Mariah.

“I hate raiders. I kill them every chance I get.” Mariah said matter-of-factly.

“I’m glad you’re on our side,” the same merchant responded. “Anyway, we appreciate the help. What brings you to our town of Niceville?”

Mariah could not think of where to begin and she didn’t want to spill too much info. “A bunch of reasons, but mostly I’ve been looking for some sort of real civilization for the past day or so. I need to find GCU personnel in town. Do you know where I can find some? It’s very important.”

“For you, sure! You saved our lives after all. Follow us into town and we can give you a basic lay of the land.”

//////////

While Niceville was an important part of the trade routes in the Panhandle, the town itself was somewhat small. Although Pensacola was not a huge Pre-War city, it was considerably bigger than Niceville. And despite the decades that had passed, you could still feel a little bit of the small-town vibe Niceville emanated from the Old World. It was still early in the afternoon, but the town seemed to be rather sleepy.

The merchants directed Mariah to the town’s GCU station. She walked to the front desk of the building in a hurry and spoke in an urgent tone to the officer sitting there. The officer could not even get a greeting in before Mariah started talking quickly. “Please, I need to see whoever is in charge here. Who runs the show here? I need to know now.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, miss.” The officer put his hands up as if to stop her. “You look tired and distraught, but I need you to stay calm. Commander Darius is in charge in these parts, but I cannot just get him out here because one citizen says they need to see him. What’s the problem?”

“You don’t understand! It’s about the Dissidents and the Brotherhood! It’s urgent and I need to make contact with the GCU back in Pensacola. I came from that direction and…”

“Ma’am, please slow down.” The officer tried to speak in a reassuring but firm tone. “Why don’t you get some water and sit down? Now, I need you to . . .”

“There is no time, officer!” Mariah slammed her hands down on the desk. “Please!”

The officer was unsure of what to do next. “Ma’am, you need to stay calm. I, look, we can’t have you making a scene here, but there is protocol to follow and . . .”

A more authoritative voice spoke up from behind. “It’s alright, son. I’ll take it from here.” The voice said son not in a familial way but more like a mentor. Out walked a well-built, six-and-a-half-foot or so man, bigger than even Jacob or Bertrand were. Mariah was taken aback initially at how imposing his figure was. The man patted the officer on the shoulder and turned his attention to Mariah. “Hello, young lady. I’m Commander Darius. I head this area’s GCU outfit. I heard you mention the Dissidents and the Brotherhood. What’s going on?”

Mariah was looking for the next words to say. “. . . I’m Mariah. Is there someplace private we can talk about this? I’ll explain later.”

Darius raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “I suppose so. Follow me.”

They walked into a room where it was just the two of them and another GCU officer. Darius introduced this other man to Mariah as Jordan, his second-in-command. The three of them sat down at a metal table in a room away from eavesdropping ears. Darius spoke first. “Now, Mariah, normally I would not just bring in any wastelander or civilian or anyone that is non-GCU. Anyone can claim they have something that we need to check into. But it’s not everyday that someone barges in and says they have information on our two biggest enemies in the Panhandle, and something about you tells me you’re serious. Well, let’s hear it.”

Mariah recounted everything relevant since she tailed the GCU to the ostensibly deserted town of Holt: All the things that Russell told her, about the F.A.C.T., the Brotherhood breaking into the Dissidents’ stronghold, and so on. Darius soaked in all she had to say. After a long moment of silence, he spoke again. “So, you were the civilian who tailed our forces. I heard about you.” Mariah nodded, her face slightly reddening from embarrassment. “And you know about the technology, then. Yes, it’s true that we sought out the F.A.C.T. But we honestly don’t have it, and you say the Dissidents think we have it and that the Brotherhood thinks that the Dissidents have it. Something doesn’t add up . . .”

“What’s that?” Mariah asked with a puzzled look on her face.

“If we don’t have it, the Dissidents don’t have it, and the Brotherhood doesn’t have it, then who the hell does? As far as I know, we are the only three organizations that are actively seeking it. If another group has it, you’d think they would have used it by now and we would know.”

“Couldn’t it have been destroyed in Birmingham?”

Darius shook his head. “We found no trace of it after we pushed out the Dissidents and Brotherhood. Someone must have snuck in and took it, but I have no damn clue who it could be. The F.A.C.T. needs a powerful supercomputer and power source to operate, which I seriously doubt anyone else is going to find a way to access. Maybe that’s why we haven’t found any trace of it—whoever has it has not had the opportunity to put it to use.”

“What about raiders?” Mariah asked.

“I don’t think so. They’re generally too stupid to know what this kind of technology is or how to get a hold of it, and none were in the Birmingham area at the time. Hmm . . .”

As Darius sat there pondering, Mariah steered the subject in a slightly different direction. “Can you tell me what exactly happened in Birmingham? I’ve heard several different answers and I honestly am not sure what to make of all of it.”

Darius had already been looking down at the table, but it seemed that a hint of perhaps guilt could be seen in his face. About ten seconds had passed before he answered. “I was there. It . . . wasn’t the GCU’s finest hour. A lot of innocents were caught in the crossfire. But we did NOT murder anyone,” Darius said and pointed his index finger out with emphasis. “I wouldn’t put it past the Dissidents to use their own people as human shields, and the Brotherhood doesn’t seem to care about ‘collateral damage’ as long as they get their hands on whatever technology they can hoard. We had it on good authority that the Dissidents would’ve used whatever they could to invade southern Alabama—where GCU territory is not in dispute. We had to stop them. We had to get the F.A.C.T.” Darius sat silently for a moment before forcefully pounding the table. “Those b------- can’t get over the fact that their own country wanted to join forces with other states for unity, trade, and protection. They’re still hung up on Pre-War bitterness when it’s long been over.”

“You mean the whole thing about Florida’s government wanting to go its own way and Mississippi’s and Louisiana’s following suit?” Mariah finally spoke up again.

“Yes, exactly. Many in the old Gulf Commonwealth thought that they were going to stick together and stand up against the federal government. Make their own nation. But much of Florida’s delegation surprised everyone by wanting to be completely independent of everyone else. The Dissidents think that the GCU is basically a redux of the old commonwealth, where we, Florida, will abandon everyone else when it suits us. They see Mississippi and Louisiana in much the same way. I’m sure Alabama’s government would’ve or did do the same, but the Dissidents wouldn’t ever admit anything was wrong with them. But that is long in the past. The GCU is not the Gulf Commonwealth.”

Learning more and more about Florida—at least the Panhandle—its major players, and conflicts helped to make Mariah feel like much less of a stranger in the Sunshine Wasteland. It was a big step she took to even come to these parts that were completely foreign to her, but it certainly wasn’t the first time in her life that she had gone somewhere totally new. Something about Florida, however, made her feel like she could actually stick around for a long time, unlike her previous stops. Perhaps it was that purpose that the New Lifer, Jonah, had talked about, or maybe it was her emotional investment in the Panhandle after the Dissidents attacked her caravan. Possibly both.

“So, what about the Brotherhood?” Mariah asked. “What do they want the F.A.C.T. for? I heard they came out from further west. How would they even know about this technology?”

“Well,” Darius said with a heavy sigh, “They’re a very secretive organization, but we do know a few things about them. They’ve been around for a while, though we don’t know how long. And from other people’s few interactions with them—along with my own—their main mission is to round up Pre-War technology to keep it out of the hands of ‘outsiders.’ To what end, I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s not good for the GCU.”

While the situation was dire, Mariah couldn’t help but be somewhat fascinated not only with what she was learning but with how on top of things Darius was. Even though it was part of his job to be in the know, he seemed to be particularly adept at accumulating intel. “Something tells me you know a lot of this from your own personal interactions instead of just from other sources.”

Darius nodded. “Besides the Birmingham incident, yes, I’ve had to deal with the Brotherhood and the Dissidents on multiple occasions. And regardless of how that battle at the Fusion! plant went, we’ll most certainly be hearing from both groups again. No way did either of them have their full forces there. Those two names you mentioned—Russell and Obadiah—I know them. Quite well, in fact.”

“Really? What else can you tell me about them?”

Darius scoffed just thinking about them. “Both of them were in Birmingham but we’ve known about both of them for even longer. Russell has been a troublemaker for a very long time. Like he told you, he was born before the War. He’s been one of the loudest opposition voices ever since the Alabama Compact joined to form the GCU. Any violence related to that he has probably had at least some involvement in, even if indirectly. Given his experience and dedication to the Dissidents’ cause, it makes sense that he is leading their charge in Florida. Make no mistake: He’s a crazy son of a b---- but he is an excellent combatant, even as an old fart.”

“And this Obadiah? I haven’t even interacted with him.”

“We don’t know what particularly drives him beyond his loyalty to the Brotherhood. I personally think Obadiah has more to his agenda than that. But what we do know is he is far from the first leader of the Brotherhood. Maybe this is how the Brotherhood has always been or maybe just under him. I can’t say. Like I said, the Brotherhood hasn’t made it easy to get info on them.”

Mariah’s mind went back to her friends in Pensacola. “So, if you’re GCU, are you able to make contact with personnel in Pensacola? I need to tell them what I learned. Let them know I’m alright. You must know Commander Bertrand, right? Do you also know Jacob and Valentina? Did Bertrand and Jacob make it out of Holt?”

Darius nodded. “I know Bertrand and Jacob quite well. They are the counterparts to Jordan and I. This Valentina doesn’t sound familiar though. And yes, Bertrand and Jacob are okay. But since you have been in captivity and have been trying to find civilization, you probably didn’t hear.”

“Hear what?”

“Bertrand has been suspended indefinitely from his duties for the botched attack on the Dissidents. Higher-ups made the decision. Bertrand and I lead our respective areas for the most part, but there are higher-ranking officials that oversee the whole Panhandle, the whole of Florida, and the whole of the GCU. The Panhandle overseers heard word about the incident quickly, so they are putting Bertrand on leave while they investigate.”

Mariah shot up out of her chair. “But it’s not the Commander’s fault! The Dissidents knew they were coming! Something tipped them off!”

Darius just shrugged. “Look, it’s not my decision. But I know Bertrand well. He would not have rushed soldiers into combat like that if he had any sense that something was glaringly wrong with the operation. But how did the Dissidents know? In any case, let’s contact our mutual friends in Pensacola.” Darius took a radio in the room and started tuning it into the necessary frequency. GCU had had to make repairs to communication lines that were destroyed in the wake of the Great War. He got Jacob and Valentina on the other end, the latter at Mariah’s request. Jacob apparently was placed in charge in the interim while Bertrand was suspended. “Jacob, it’s Commander Darius. I got some news from a friend of yours. She’ll explain.”

Without even letting a pause enter the conversation, Mariah spoke. “Jacob, Val, it’s Mariah. I know what the Dissidents and the Brotherhood are . . .”

“Mariah?” Jacob said, shocked. “Holy s---, you’re alive! We couldn’t find you after what happened in Holt. I’m happy to hear from you, but what the hell were you thinking coming there?”

“We thought you were dead, Mariah! You could’ve easily gotten yourself killed!” Valentina exclaimed. She was hurt that Mariah would leave without telling her what she had planned.

Mariah felt some guilt at leaving Valentina in the dark. “I’m sorry, Val. Jacob. But can we talk about this later? I know what our enemies are up to. The Dissidents captured me and I was told by their Captain what they were planning.” Mariah recounted all that had transpired for her to Jacob and Valentina, as well as what she and Darius discussed.

After a long pause, Jacob breathed a heavy sigh. There seemed to be a lot of sighs from everyone lately. “Damn it. Of course that’s what they are here for. We thought one of them might have the F.A.C.T. for some time, but it became clear after dealing with them for long after Birmingham that neither of them had it. Russell and Obadiah—damn the fact that they are still around—would’ve found a way to use it if either of them had it, I think. Or maybe they had been having trouble finding a sufficient power source like you said, Commander Darius. Did Russell tell you anything else, Mariah?”

Sifting through her memories, Mariah thought about one thing she had left out. “When I asked him how he knew the GCU was coming, he said something about how he had eyes and ears everywhere and in unexpected places. . .” She trailed off. That’s when it clicked for her. “Jacob, I think there is a mole in your department.”

After muttering several more expletives under his breath, Jacob said, “You’re right. That’s the only way they could’ve known. But how? We vet our officers thoroughly. Any sympathy for the Dissidents should’ve been rooted out. And Gerald has no means of contacting them in his cell—yes, we still have him cooped up in there. I don’t know how I am going to go about figuring out who is a traitor, but I’ll come up with something. Going to also petition the powers-that-be to reinstate Commander Bertrand now that we have all this new information. We need his leadership.” He stopped for a moment, then added, “Thank you for all the help, Mariah. But please, do not put yourself in that position again. We were really worried about you.”

“Yeah,” was all that Valentina could add.

“I . . . I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better. For both of you.” Mariah said, dejected.

Darius ended the communication. He threw his hands up in the air. “Well, now we’ve got to figure out where we go from here. But that’s not your job, Mariah. Go get some rest. See what Niceville has to offer. And thank you again, we’ll keep in touch.”

“Thank you,” Mariah said.

“Wait,” Darius said right when Mariah was about to exit the room. She turned around to hear what he had to say. “Make sure you think about what Jacob said at the end there. It’s clear just from that call that he and Val care a lot about you. From what I understand, you seem to be someone who rushes into danger, often recklessly. It’s all well and good to be brave and standing up for others, but you need to think more carefully. It doesn’t just affect you. It affects your loved ones and it can have unintended negative consequences for them if you unthinkingly rush into the face of peril. That doesn’t mean always playing it safe, but it does mean you make better calculations about danger. Do you understand?”

Mariah knew he was right. She just couldn’t find the words to say in response. Instead, she simply nodded and closed the door behind her.