Atomic Mining Services (AMS), sometimes erroneously referred to as Automated Mining Services, was a pre-War mining company that mainly operated in the Appalachia region. and would later partner with both Hornwright Industrial and Garrahan Mining Company. AMS would also develop the Auto-Miners and participate in the construction of Watoga with RobCo Industries.[2]
Background[]
At first, the communities in the Appalachian region embraced AMS with open arms, excited to be the beneficiary of their new techniques in acquiring additional resourced from old mines. Atomic Mining Services skyrocketed to fame with the use of atomic charges to mine ore, which was a risk that did not sway the mining communities already familiar with hazardous techniques.
AMS research and development initially reported enthusiastic reports on the effort, stating that, "energy production from Ultracite continues to exceed expectations,"[3] and noting that they sought to further understand how ultracite was created, in hopes of taking their production of such "to the national level."[3]
While further attempting to perfect its ultra-deep mining methods, the company experienced numerous failures with the underground detonations in Welch - and severe environmental damage around Mount Blair. As a result, AMS pulled out of the area, citing "technical failures," pushing the coal towns further into economic free fall.[4][5]
However, the company's interest in the town was reignited when veins of raw ultracite were discovered there after the fact, many simply bursting through the floors and walls of homes in Welch. The company quickly descended upon the town, attempted to forcibly evict townspeople from their homes in order to extract the valuable ore, claiming that "they had resource rights to the land."[6][3][7] This caused a significant backlash among residents, resulting in violence and the summoning of the National Guard down to quell the unrest.[8][9]
Corporate projects[]
In addition, AMS cooperated closely with both RobCo Industries and Hornwright Industrial. The partnership with RobCo was invaluable when dealing with politicians and helped them deflect attention away from other operations, and focused on the town of Watoga, where the two corporations attempted to create an elite town of the future. The Hornwrights, leading the automation revolution in Appalachia, provided AMS with a never-ending stream of auto-miners.
Although AMS board members expressed reservations about the lack of investment in a proprietary device, the CEO convinced them by pointing out that Hornwright's experience with drilling applications proved to be the key lynchpin. They were just cheaper and faster to make than AMS could be capable of doing on its own. Another advantage was the history between Penelope Hornwright, Daniel Hornwright's daughter and company's COO, and AMS, having been an intern in the past, as it was her insistence that made the deal possible in the first place.[10]
Projects[]
- Ultracite: A mysterious, radioactive glass-like ore that had the potential to become a significant fuel source in the United States.
- Excavator power armor: AMS sold ultracite reactors to Garrahan Mining Company in exchange for a ten year commitment to AMS tech.
- Watoga: A fully-automated city of the future, developed thanks to a lucrative partnership with RobCo.
Retroencabulator system - An obscure, technically proficient project using generators. Would have been involved in the cut event Technobabble Trouble.
Locations[]
- AMS testing site
- Mine Shaft No. 9[11]
- Drop Site C2
- Drop Site D4[12]
- Drop Site G3
- Drop Site V9
- Glassed cavern
- Kerwood Mine
- Mine shaft D[12]
- Old Mold Quarry
- Quarry X3
- Watoga
Employees[]
- Billy Braxton - Glassed cavern miner
- Dalton Yaborough - Corporate Agent
- E. Uttley - AMS corporate headquarters supervisor
- Grayson - Glassed cavern supervisor
- Harvey Brock - Research & development fellow
- Judy - AMS testing site employee
- K. Nakamura - AMS corporate headquarters employee
- Kilson - CEO
- Michael - AMS corporate headquarters financier
- N. Loper - AMS corporate headquarters scientist
- Riley Mustafa - AMS corporate headquarters employee
- Roy Kerwood - Kerwood Mine fire boss
- Sally - Glassed cavern scientist
- Sam Bailey - Kerwood Mine foreman
Appearances[]
Atomic Mining Services appears only in Fallout 76.
Behind the scenes[]
- The automated voice in the lobby of the AMS corporate headquarters erroneously refers to the company as "Automated Mining Services."
- The AMS testing site page in the Fallout 76 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide refers to AMS as "Automated Mining Systems."
- The use of nuclear warheads to access underground resources was attempted by the Atomic Energy Commission with Project Plowshare from the 1960s to the 70s. The purpose was to loosen earth to gain access to resources deep underground, particularly natural gas. The project was a failure and saw strong public blowback.
- An AMS project known as a retroencabulator system would have been involved in the cut event Technobabble Trouble.
Gallery[]
