Grease and Guile - Chapter 3: Home

• Posted by Mottyskills December 28, 2016 - Filed in TSC: Fallout - #TSC: Fallout  - 1,310 views

  

   

  The sun was still low in the east as I approached my home.
  
  After waking from one nightmare in Vault 111 only to find another above ground, I quickly realized I needed new digs. Fresh with knowledge of what was deep underneath those derelict houses, Sanctuary felt too much like a cemetery. The former Red Rocket filling station quickly became an easy choice to setup shop. I suppose there was still part of me wanted to be close enough to keep an eye on the old neighborhood.
  
  The garage's previous occupant had left just about everything I needed to put my talents to use and have an all-in-one home, workshop and scrapyard. There was a workbench, weapons and armor bench, chemistry and cook stations as well as a place to tinker with Power Armor. It even came with a guard, my new and only wasteland friend, Dogmeat.
  
  Presently, I hauled my latest collection through a makeshift gate. A few weeks ago, when I decided to clean up the place I realized defense was going to be a priority. I was on my own and planning to outfit it with all manner of creations. So I started with simple turrets set high on the 4 corners of the roof and put up some scrap walls. This required supplies hauled from Sanctuary. Even with Dogmeat’s help and the extra might afforded by my freshly scavanged T-45 Power Armor, the fence construction still turned into a weeklong project. 
  
  What was I building this place up for anyway? Out of habit? Are we just programmed to try to survive, in spite of all evidence pointing toward futility? Was it my military training taking over? Maslow’s hierarchy of needs kicking in? 
  
  Regardless, over the course of a month or so I had chiseled out a fairly secure setup. With a fence, the turrets, and guard dog in place I had one more idea to top off my defense. Which brings me back to why I was holding my breath on a billboard watching Rust Devils roll by last night. 
  
  The run out to Sunshine Tidings Co-Op was uneventful. The few ghouls and rad roaches inhabiting the camp posed little resistance. Unfortunately, that was about all I found. My plan to beef up security back home was to upgrade Codsworth’s servos into something with a little more kick. All I found in the abandoned campground was a Mr. Handy. And this one had a major glitch in his sub-routines. He was totally useless. 
  
  Back at the Red Rocket I quickly got to work on another side project – lunch! One of the few useful things I did find at the campground was an interesting little magazine. It was sort of hand drawn instruction booklet on how to get more meat from felled animals. I put it to use almost immediately on my return trip. The mongrel dogs that had tracked me a few clicks back were now roasting on my spit. 
  
  Nothing says home like a warm meal.