POV Rio
I had been hiding away in the Vault, working on all sorts of things for nearly two months with practically no breaks, but that was because I was working on all the various projects that needed to be finished.
The first was an invention that I had been heavily focused on ever since I got the first bits of the research from the Spy Satellite. It was hard light technology. I decided to take it in a completely different way after the trap that killed me so many times. It was annoying, but I finally got it to work. It was a Shield Generator. It could stand up to some serious damage before overloading, but as long as you supplied power to it, it was basically impossible to breach. It also still allowed you to shoot from inside to the outside. The inverse was obviously blocked. It also solved the issue of a possible Zetan attack.
While Settlements were invulnerable, the settlers weren't. I didn't want us to focus solely on ground-based attacks when future enemies may come from the sky. Such as the Zetans, Enclave, Brotherhood, and possibly even the NCR. It would just give me more peace of mind.
The other project I had completed was the C.A.M.P. system. While I had made working models before, I had now managed to make ones usable by everyone, and they had the same benefits as the Workshop stations. I also fixed the bugs and problems with the previous models. Now, I wouldn't have to be the one to build and deconstruct everything. We could really start rebuilding. Technically, others could use the Workshop, but for the full abilities, someone had to be a summon like the Changelings or the Griffons, or a companion.
The other project I massively improved was the DeRadifier. I combined it with the Long Range Radiation Sensor. I also increased the range of the device, allowing it to collect from farther ranges. The containment units were much larger now and worked with my inventory to store a nearly endless amount of radioactivity. I vastly improved the speed at which it absorbs Radiation. And I sent my clones across the Wasteland, purifying it of radiation. So far, we haven't made insane progress, but it was something. So far, I have had my clones focusing on Massachusetts and all land to our North. All M.I.M.I.C. agents are issued a few DeRadifiers.
So far, I have cleansed Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, 80% of Maine, 20% of Connecticut, 10% of New York, and most of Quebec, Canada. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Quebec was actually quite easy, as there was very little radiation to clean. But then again, around 90% of Canada was uninhabited before the war. Mostly because Canadians were forcibly placed together so they could be more easily controlled. Others fled the country when the US annexed it, and some were moved deeper into the US.
With enough time, I would be able to clean up Earth. Assuming we didn't have to flee the planet before then. Speaking of other worlds, I had been doing extensive explorations of Hoth. The ruins I found were part of that exploration, but I had also been designing vehicles for exploring it. The temperatures were too cold during the Winter and had just recently warmed up. Which was why I had planned to go on an expedition to the ruins soon. The probe droids I sent were having strange interference when they got within a certain distance of the ruins. It prevented them from transmitting properly and even seemed to cause damage to the droids. So I decided to go in person. And for that, I would need transportation.
This led me to several enhancements I have made in that category. I had created a swoop bike, which I learned negated my weakness of only going 30mph in a ground vehicle, as it is a hovercraft, meaning it technically flies and doesn't drive. I modeled the speeder on the CK-6 Swoop Bike, also called the Freeco Bike. I chose it as it would be primarily used in cold environments and was easier to add safety features to. I didn't want people crashing these bikes into trees and dying like imbeciles or Scout Troopers.
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I had tested the bike's design extensively and found it to be quite useful for more than cold environments. Another vehicle I made was the newly created AC-130, which was built from the numerous crashed airliners. I also rebuilt 4 Stingray Deluxe Fighters. I was also nearly finished with a new Gunship that I designed based on the LAAT Gunship from Star Wars, as that ship's design is just nearly perfect. But that design would take a while longer to get working and was also meant for both air and space travel.
Speaking of the LAAT, I had finally managed to use the Memory Orb and thus found out what was inside. It was filled with a massive amount of technical schematics of starships from the Star Wars Galaxy. It included everything I could ever need to build a ship. Engines, Reactor, Hull, Computers, Navigation, Shields, and even Hyperdrives. The only slight piece missing is weapons, but that is fine. I haven't even gotten through 1% of the content of the orb, so it will take quite a while to process it all. But even with the small amount, I have learned it has increased my knowledge of repulsor lift technology.
It also meant that we had a much better chance at defending Earth from space if we could resolve the issues on the ground. But if all that failed, I had a backup project I had been messing with. I was going to make a new mirror. One that didn't connect to the same world. Of course, it was extremely slow going as I had to do all the work from scratch, but hopefully I would figure something out before it was too late.
'Or hopefully it never comes to that.'
I had a theory on what caused such a mass extinction, and it had to do with the Feral Ghouls horde near New York. It was clearly controlled by something intelligent, as it had the ferals spread out to avoid another mass destruction. But what I couldn't figure out was what they were waiting for. I was starting to think about trying to bind a demon so I could ask them about it. But that was risky, and I would rather not consort with demons.
Speaking of magic, Cait had started her magic training. I wanted to wait until she was clean before attempting, as you need a clear mind to cast magic properly. She had been performing excellently. It turned out that Cait has a really high talent for learning magic. She had already mastered many of the basic magic training. Within the year, she would be a full-blown apprentice-level caster.
I also expanded the team I use for research. My team consisted of me, myself, I, and us. Jokes aside, the team was actually split into a few groups. Curie, Jack Cabot, and Doctor Duff are in charge of medical and chemistry research. Professor Scara, Mel, Dr. Madison Li, and Sturges run the robotics research. Dr. Li joined us from the Institute after it practically fell apart, and seeing that we actually use our knowledge and skills to help the people of the Commonwealth. Not to mention, we exposed all the secrets and crimes of the Institute, and Dr. Li was appalled and not unhappy that we wiped them out. Professor Scara and Dr. Duff joined when I offered them a chance to do meaningful work. Jack joined after I created a replacement serum for him and his family.
The serum was actually an interesting project. I had managed to make an artificial version of Lorenzo's blood. It wasn't nearly as useful as the previous model, but that was okay. All they needed was to avoid the rapid aging withdrawal effect. It also didn't have much effect on people who weren't exposed to the original serum. But it would at least slow aging for everyone else. Not halt it, but at least slow it. It also had no dangerous side effects, and it isn't addictive.
With all these people helping, we were making great progress in many fields. I was also always looking for additional scientists and experts to join us, but that would be a slow process. The biggest project they had completed recently was the mass production of farmer robots. They could farm and harvest everything we need, allowing everyone else to focus on other things.
'Hmm, maybe I should make a trip to the Big MT sooner than originally planned.'
Another thing that I had been working on during this time was fixing a lot of boats. With some help from others, we fixed a total of 100 boats of various kinds and sizes. The most common was fishing boats. We didn't bother making anything larger than the USS Constitution, as it was unnecessary. It was just far too large for the minimal trading we do. 60 of the ships were kept by the Minutemen to make a Coast Guard. 20 were used to make a caravan/trading company. 15 More were sold to various caravans and trading companies that could afford them. And the last 5 were still not sold. Mostly because they were old sail ships.
The boats we sold outside our faction were of the simpler variety. Basically, we strapped old car fusion engines to the boats, and that would power the rotors. Any future maintenance would have to be done by us, as we were the only major group that knew how to fix and repair such old vehicles, besides maybe the Brotherhood, but those xenophobic idiots would sooner take the boat than repair it, as it might be considered dangerous technology. To facilitate any future repairs, we had set up 5 different ports someone could use.
The first one was the North dock of Spectacle Island. The second was a new dock built on the Southern part of Spectacle Island. One was built for the Castle. Another was built near the Harbormaster Hotel. The next was in Nahant Wharf. All of these ports were either prewar repair docks or new additions using Workshops/C.A.M.P.s. They were well defended and had all the needed tools to service boats.
Speaking of Spectacle Island. It had been fortified heavily. A 20-meter tall wall surrounds the Island, preventing most enemies from getting in and further protecting against severe waves. Several dozen Artillery pieces have been set up all over the island, and additionally, some AA Guns have also been added. The docks have several sections that keep each area separated, allowing for easier defense. Many turrets have also been added. A small market has been built next to the docks, and the inner island is kept separate. The island has actually been filled to the brim with crops as far as the eye can see. I turned the island into our proverbial bread basket and bastion. If an attack happens and we are losing, we can retreat to the island.
Trade was somewhat booming. All trade via land is practically impossible at this time. A good portion of New York is covered in Ferals. Then, if you want to go around, you would have to pass Syracuse, which is under Gunner control and is widely known to enslave anyone who appears to be thrown against the Enclave. If you try to bypass Syracuse, then you are likely to run near Ithaca, which is home to a very large Super Mutant Army if traders are to be believed. And with all that risk, you also have to keep in mind that this trip is much longer, which increases the cost, which lowers profits, which then requires increasing prices, but that leads to fewer sales.
With all those issues, very few people even attempt the trip, and even fewer make it back. As for trading elsewhere, there isn't much to be said. South of Massachusetts is Connecticut and Rhode Island, but neither has many people living in them, and arguably, you are more likely to get robbed by Raiders than find decent people to trade with. The largest settlement in both states is a place called New Kowloon, which is a hive of scum and villainy. It's basically a massive Raider city run on theft and murder. It's built on the ruins of Danbury, Connecticut.
During my travels in those states, I found very few settlements or people. Part of it was the mutated creatures, part was because the population before the war wasn't massive, and part of it was the rampant Raider issues. The only peaceful settlement I found was New Shoreham, which is an island, and even though it had only about 300 people, mostly fishermen. We didn't plan on heading South anytime soon. There were too many issues. Gunners, Ferals, Super Mutants, the Brotherhood, that mysterious organization, and the things Mama Murphy predicted. We had more than enough land for our population size, so we could wait. And if we needed more land, the North would be easier to deal with. Fewer guns and fewer people.