Chapter 57: Chapter 55

It was moving time again. Emma enjoyed being out of the vault’s jump suit and being in actual clothes once more. It was amusing seeing the native vault dwellers’ discomfort at donning proper attire. Some women were marvelling at the joys of a skirt or a dress, even if they usually didn’t come with pockets. The children were taking the change with more excitement as children usually do.

Today would be the last day anyone would be an occupant of Vault 81. A shame for Holt, the doctors said he OD’d on his until now secret stash of chems. Jet, Psycho, Buffout, she saw their spent cases littering his room when the vault guards dragged Holt’s body out. He could’ve been a caretaker for the vault since he hated leaving it, but now it seemed that Vault 81 would be sealed up and kept in reserve for emergencies.

There was a small group consoling Alexis, though thanks to the bitter divorce they went through, the woman bit back her grief and spouted her wish that her ex would have shown his cowardly stripes far earlier to save everyone the trouble. Whether she meant those words or not, Emma couldn’t tell.

The native vault dwellers were a bit more melancholic about leaving, especially the older folk. It still was dwarfed by the sense of exciting optimism though, as the swarm of the so-called Sentinel bots carried practically anything that wasn’t bolted down over to Caladan. It would be a bigger vault, Tina had said. Grander, more spacious, and directly under Sev’s protection.

Weird to see Overs- Gwen no longer in charge, but the former overseer looked relieved to have that burden finally off her shoulders.

Taking the train ride from Station 81 to Caladan was exciting. Emma had to wait for the second round, but just standing and waiting for her turn let her bask in the palpable excitement in the air. There was already gossip going around about how Sev would allocate the rooms; someone said you’d have to blow him for getting a favorable spot, but Emma highly doubted the ruler of the Nexus would bother. He already had his own youthful harem, why bother with old and worn hags like those gossip mongers?

Besides, everyone knew it was less Sev and more his girls you had to worry about. The Wright sisters were dangerously bright for their age, especially Piper, and together with Cait they had full access to Sev’s ears. It was common knowledge that the children petitioned Sev through them, and his nights with the vault women were only done with the consent of his girls. Trying to bypass them to get to Sev seemed like a quick way to find out just how much power those teens actually wielded.

Keeping her children close, Emma got into the train when it returned, the robots hovering around maintaining an intimidating order to the embarkation. The train cars were spacious but were quickly filled with more former vault dwellers, and then they were off. It was fast, almost too fast for Emma’s stomach. Her kids giggled and exclaimed excitedly with some of the other passengers, and in what felt like no time at all, they were at their destination.

The sign greeted them as they disembarked.

‘Caladan Station’.

Somehow, there was a momentous weight when Emma read that.

“Welcome, new citizens of Caladan and the Nexus Severalty,” a few Ms Nanny bots chimed soothingly in unison. “Please form an orderly line as we guide you out of the station and guide you to your rooms. Do not worry, your belongings will be found in rooms. Requests for changing rooms can be made later, after the orientation.”

The announcement went on about reminders about the Nexus credits being the only acceptable legal tender, then basic safety and courtesy advice, and so on and so forth, before looping again.

She was as wide-eyed as Danny and Carrie as her group made it into Caladan and took in the sights for the first time.

Carrie almost shrieked in excitement. “Ma, look! They have plants down here!”

And so they had. Lots of them, too. Shrubbery dotted the corners of every other junction it seemed.

Caladan was huge! And there were how many floors above them? They were shown the parks and cafeterias and empty shop lots waiting for tenants, then there were loud gasps when everyone were directed to the many escalators and elevators scattered around.

How did Sev power all of this? Emma realised just how many lamp posts and ceiling lights dotted the ‘streets’ and ‘roads’, and she almost broke down trying to make sense of it. Then they were brought up to the next few floors which held the residential rooms, and Emma and some other adults were left in mute shock.

Where did Sev get all this? How could he afford building Caladan?

Emma barely noticed the first residents of Caladan, Sev’s charges, being highly amused at their reactions, or that some of the first group of former vault dwellers were milling about in the hallways in shock.

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There were more of them up at the seventh floor, where the vast plains and the glass ceiling were. While Danny and Carrie laughed and ran across the verdant field with the other children, Emma joined her fellow adults in gaping at just what their eyes were seeing here.

Nevermind what she had thought about Sev’s tanks and robots, Caladan showed his true power. He had forged paradise and was generously offering it to those that accepted the low price of following his rule.

When she was finally led into her room, Emma quickly rummaged through the small pile of her belongings neatly stashed in one corner. She found the little pamphlet of Sev’s laws, then grabbed her kids to sit down and read through it with her.

They would make sure to go through the Nexus’ laws thoroughly, and Emma would hammer the importance of being good citizens of this new world to her children. There was no way she or her kids were going to ignorantly get into trouble and suffer Sev’s wrath or worse, get exiled from this slice of heaven.

Sev had given them freedoms that any wastelander would envy, the freedom from rationing and ramshackle living conditions, the freedom of simply living without worrying of making it to the next day. Emma would do her damndest to hold on to this new lifestyle and put behind the horrid oppression of living in the wasteland.

*****

The moving in of the former vaulters went smoothly, and now Caladan had a population of just over three hundred and fifty souls.

And I was in charge of them. Me, the leader of the Nexus.

I might want to come up with a proper title soon.

Anyway, good thing I also now had an administrative staff. Gwen volunteered to be part of it, along with Miranda. Rylee was happy to look after R&R 81 while I gave the greenlight for Tina to undergo training to join 1st Platoon. Calvin and Scott also were part of my staff, basically keeping their old jobs as maintenance and security heads, though both roles were far less hands-on, and more keeping an eye on the monitors now. I even had the former troublemaker Arnold in to help as Gwen’s assistant.

Dr Penske enjoyed studying the orchard and crops growing on the seventh floor, while Dr Forscythe took to working at the medical room we had, doing his best to wrap his brain around the healing arches there.

With so many adults migrating over, I now had a workforce of eager cooks, farmers, artisans, and even artists. Most of them were practically inexperienced newbies, but we all had to start from somewhere, so I wasn’t going to look down on them for trying.

I also had new soldiers now. The volunteers were mostly former vault security, as well as some bright eyed young adults fresh out of vault school who were eager to defend their new home. They took up the new 2nd Platoon, and were put through the paces along with 1st Platoon, whose members would be an exception to a lot of things in the Nexus I realised.

Like them being soldiers for one. I had quickly amended that future recruits needed to be at least eighteen after this, and needed to jump through a few more hoops. If I can help it, there’ll be no more child soldiers after this.

Plus, they’d also be exempted from the monthly allowance the new citizens have. They were instead salaried for a hefty sum of credits for being my most esteemed 1st Platoon.

They were also exempt from the checkups everyone else had to do if they returned from the Commonwealth, only because I had full access to their stats as their owner and would know if they got synth-ed.

My first-gen Caladanites would also have the privilege of console tweaks, not that anyone knows it yet, but since I owned them, might as well take good care of them. Hopefully none of them would have to find out first hand, but better safe than sorry right?

For now, I’ll let 1st Platoon train up the 2nd to proper standards, then it’s raider hunting season.

Hm, better expand Station 81’s blacksite area, just in case...

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