In the post-apocalyptic universe of Fallout, hope is a hard thing to come by. And it is an even harder thing to maintain, one might even say it is a dangerous thing to believe in within this spectrum.
In our own world, to whom do we appoint to hopefully make it all better for us? Who do we hope pulls us from the fire, preside over society, and provide us relief in times of great strife and/or turmoil? The answer of course, is government. I myself do not trust any government and prefer handling matters personally with the latter being the final trump card for assistance. We cannot deny however, that without government, society would not be the society we recognize today.
For all the annoyances, for all the exasperation, we cannot in good conscience deny the overall service government itself provides, or at least -tries- to provide.
I advocate for the last legitimate government in this blog post of two parts.
Fallout 2 introduces the Enclave, the remnant of the United States of America's pre-War federal government. They hold the last remaining resources on the entire planet in the locations they call their own, most notably the Oil Rig. This Poseidon Oil Rig is the spoil of the Resource War that inevitably led to the Great War.
Presumably because of these last remaining fuel reserves as well as minor refueling stations spread throughout post-war America, the Enclave is the only faction within the entire Fallout universe capable of manufacturing vehicles.
Not just any vehicle either, but the advanced VTOL craft, the Vertibird. As it was still in development before and after the Great War, it is arguably the most advanced vehicle ever created in the Fallout universe.
All of this being said, and bearing in mind the close relationship with Vault-Tec and the Enclave for the admittedly sinister Vault Experiment, is it so farfetched to believe or suggest they ultimately hold the key for true and swift progress?
Think about it, all of these resources, all of this influence... all of the possible good to be done with it all...
Garden of Eden Creation Kits, G.E.C.K's, contain the means to truly rebuild the world. One is found on the Enclave's Oil Rig, and one is found in Vault 13, which at the time of it's finding the Enclave were arguably still in control of this Vault.
I do not believe this G.E.C.K was actually issued to Vault 13 by Vault-Tec, because each vault issued a G.E.C.K excluding Vault 87 was given instructions to re-colonize after a period of time. Vault 8, which became the prosperous Vault City is the prime example in this case.
If Vault 13 was indeed issued this G.E.C.K that is found, then why for all that is good and holy did they not use it as they were no doubt instructed too? The answer in my opinion, is really quite simple. The G.E.C.K was not theirs to begin with, and the Vault dwellers were perhaps oblivious to it's existence entirely.
This brings about the question 'well why did the Enclave just bring a G.E.C.K to place it in storage?'. This answer is also simple, the Enclave was not finished with Vault 13 at the time of the Chosen One's interloping. Placing a G.E.C.K in storage while other events play out... the why becomes abundantly clear.
Further reasoning on the Enclave's behalf makes a lot of sense in comparison to reasoning on Vault 13's behalf if they were indeed originally issued the G.E.C.K in question. They did not use it, and they clearly had no want or reason to use it. Further speculation seems pointless, the Vault had no further course of action, whilst we all know the Enclave never acts without a plan.
Vault 13's population, the majority of it, was acquired because they were pure humans. The Enclave didn't want to experiment on their own people, so for the Chemical Corps' 'Project' Vault dwellers were the only remaining option for pure subjects, while Arroyo's tribals fit the bill for impure subjects.
Vault 13's existence is far better served for the greater good than their inhabitants withering away in an underground Vault for the rest of their natural lives. The same goes for Arroyo. Better they serve as the means to an end, the end of course being healing the world, instead of... starving and dying of disease and famine.
Ultimately, if a faction holds the final means for manufacturing both varying models of advanced power armor and Vertibirds... possessing the remaining G.E.C.K's throughout post-apocalyptic America, and thus the quickest and most efficient future, not so unrealistic at all...
Humanity's wild card.
The Enemy
Part II delayed.--Eden2012 (talk) 02:30, August 30, 2012 (UTC)