Governor Evans was the governor of the Appalachian Territories[1] before the Great War.
Background
A fierce advocate of automation, Evans used his political tools to support what he believed to be the future of society and the American way of life. His support led to several landmark achievements, including the conversion of Camp McClintock to provide automated infantry training, much to the chagrin of flesh-and-blood instructors; [2] the establishment of Watoga, an automated, luxurious city for the elite bankrolled in conjunction with RobCo Industries;[3] and emergence of Hornwright Industrial as an industry leader in robotic mining.[4]
The governor was not a clean politician, but a textbook example of political corruption. He formed a close alliance with the executives of Hornwright Industrial, using his influence to ensure preferential treatment when it came to assigning public contracts and shield the company from prosecution. In return, the Hornwrights provided him with access to their wealth and political contacts. Ultimately, both threw their weight behind Evans' key ambition, the passage of the Appalachian Prosperity Act, which would mandate automation of the government by 2087 using a $2.6 billion public bond.[4]
His sympathies were not limited to the Hornwrights. Anyone essential to his political projects could count on favorable treatment; for example, when Grafton Steel began polluting northern Appalachia with industrial toxins in June 2077, devastating the environment, Evans refused to shut it down, as the company was a strategic contractor for the war effort and its continued operation provided him with political capital.[5] Conversely, if something could be a source of public embarrassment, he would not hesitate to slash budgets and discipline his underlings.[6]
As expected, his policies and pro-corporate stance came at a great cost to the people of Appalachia, with rising unemployment, poverty and social unrest becoming common. When the disenfranchised workers rose up and the automation riots erupted, the Hornwright chief of operations threatened to pull financial support,[7] leading Evans to mobilize the National Guard and orchestrate a brutal crackdown in conjunction with corporate security forces.[8] Evans had few scruples left at this point, as just a month earlier, in September, he sent National Guardsmen to evict Bog Town denizens at the request of Watoga's then-mayor.[9]
His ruthlessness with the crackdowns, combined with Evans' long-standing automation-friendly economic policies caught the eye of the Office of the President. Evans and industry leaders from Appalachia were to attend a summit organized by the White House to present their achievements, which could potentially be rolled out nationwide.[10] However, Evans' stellar prospects were cut short by simple carelessness. On October 12, 2077, the Treasury for the Appalachian Territories discovered inconsistencies between the budget allocations and expenditure reports (essentially having discovered Evans' embezzlement and political corruption).[11]
In the wake of these revelations, Governor Evans disappeared. The server stack containing his files was destroyed by hot coffee poured over the storage tapes, melting them to the point well beyond the technicians' ability to repair.[12] Records related to Evans' travel schedule,[13] campaign contributions,[14] and state budget allocations were completely wiped out.[15]
His disappearance had fatal results for the Appalachian government after the Great War, as he has not turned over executive authority to anyone. As panic spread in the streets, House Speaker Abigale Poole organized a Provisional Council with the grudging cooperation of the First Responders to contain the situation. However, without the governor, the council's position was weak, contributing to the chaos.[16] Evans' absence during the aftermath of the Great War also led to a bitter conflict over the line of succession for the governorship between Speaker Poole and Majority Whip Tanner Holbrook.[17]
Notes
- A portrait of Evans can be found at the Charleston Capitol Building, near his personal office, in a cubicle area.
- Evans' voice is heard on the holotape Graduation ceremony, as well as at the Charleston DMV during the quest Recruitment Blues.
- Evans and the governor's office are both mentioned frequently on terminals found during the quest Refuge Daily: Code Blue. Before the War, Evans' office mandated unhealthily early dismissals of patients from Watoga Emergency Services,[18] required rescans of patient records at AVR Medical Center,[19] slashed funding for school districts around Morgantown,[20][21] and, per decree from the West Virginia Board of Medicine, forced a veterinarian at Vault-Tec Agricultural Research Center to treat human medicine.[22]
Notable quotes
- "Voting is your patriotic duty, Appalachia. This November you, my friends, get to decide on the future of our way of life."
- "But Automation will lift our factories, our towns, and our very homes into The Future."
Appearances
Evans is mentioned only in Fallout 76.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Holbrook's terminal, Government of the Appalachian Territories
- ↑ Graduation ceremony
- ↑ Fallout 76 loading screens: "Watoga was built as a joint effort between the federal government, RobCo, and Atomic Mining Services to build a "city of the future.""
"All public services in the city of Watoga were designed to be completely automated, including a full staff of security robots."
"Before the Great War, Appalachian mining companies and other industrial interests pursued automation to a near unprecedented degree, leading to widespread job loss and civil unrest." - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminal entries; CEO's terminal, TO: Governor Evans
- ↑ Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Governor's terminal, Grafton Steel
- ↑ Warden: "My marshals thought you were an escaped prisoner? An underling will pay for this! Please don't tell the press. The governor would slash my budget. It may be fortunate you came here. Fortunate for me that is. This place is in such a state of disrepair that inmates are running loose in the halls. I need someone to manually authorize turret activation at each of the four security stations. Nothing says 'stay in your cell' like an active turret."
(Warden's dialogue) - ↑ Hornwright Industrial correspondence
- ↑ Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminal entries; terminal: Penelope Hornwright, Archived Message - 10.12.77
- ↑ Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Governor's terminal, Another Mayor in Watoga?
- ↑ Letter from the president
- ↑ Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Governor's terminal, Treasury called
- ↑ Server maintenance
- ↑ Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Governor's terminal, Travel Schedule
- ↑ Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Governor's terminal, Campaign Contributions
- ↑ Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Governor's terminal, State Budget Allocation
- ↑ Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Governor's terminal, Can't reach D.C.
- ↑ Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Poole's terminal, This isn't over
- ↑ Watoga Emergency Services terminal entries; patient information terminal, Sticking together
- ↑ AVR Medical Center terminal entries; AVR Medical records terminal, Change Of Procedure
- ↑ Morgantown High School terminal entries; faculty records terminal, School-wide Announcement
- ↑ Morgantown High School terminal entries; faculty records terminal, Personal Log For Alice Jennings--1
- ↑ Vault-Tec Agricultural Research Center terminal entries; veterinary records terminal, Governor Evans' Memo