Due to terminal limitations on text content and images attached, this story runs from Tuesday through Thursday. Thankfully, the proprietor of this dynasty has truncated the contents into two entries (split into Parts 1 and 3 together and then Part 2 in the next entry) with the maximum of five images allowed per entry still intact. The proprietor also asks that you forgive the text wall below but hope it gives you some insight into one of the factions and what it was doing in 2287-2288 when the "reign of Nate Howard" began. If there is interest, perhaps some more of the Fallout lore can come to light in the future.
Today in the CBO
The View from the BMU
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
30 August 2298 – C.I.T. Ruins
On certain Tuesdays for the 2297 and 2298 seasons, we will feature one of the settlements where teams in the Boston Minor Union play.
In our twenty-fourth and final trip around the BMU, we are going to an emblem of Cambridge and the Boston area, the famed university, the Commonwealth Institute of Technology (C.I.T. or CIT).
2. What Lies Beneath
The rest of my research brought me deep underground to the location of the Institute. Founded officially after the bombs destroyed the world, the Institute is a technological wonder. According to Institute terminals, "The Institute formed out of the ashes of what was once known as the Commonwealth Institute of Technology (CIT). While the college itself was completely destroyed in the flames of the Great War in 2077, the science staff took refuge in the underground of the Institute and carved out subterranean habitat for themselves. The Institute was formally founded in 2110, as the children of the original survivors dug into the earth and built increasingly sophisticated habitats and laboratories, starting an ongoing process of expanding the Institute's facilities and infrastructure.
Institute Relay - Until the CIT Ruins are restored and elevators to the topside can be built, everyone who enters and exits the Institute teleports here.
"Isolated from the outside world, the scientists continued their work, disregarding the mayhem and destruction occurring outside of its grounds. As they worked on creating synths, they attempted to work peacefully with the people of the Commonwealth using first generation synths as well as help create a new stabilized government, but mutual mistrust and infighting ended that relationship quickly and they returned to isolation. Eventually, the scientists have utterly put ubiquitous pre-War technology to shame, to the point where they believed that wastelanders would be unlikely to understand the sheer scope of the Institute's achievement, such as the creation of the molecular relay (teleporter) in the 2180s, which resulted in the Institute sealing itself off from the surface permanently, and the development of synths. For decades, the first and second generation synths were the most visible part of the Institute's operations, scavenging for materials and performing experiments on the wasteland. The scientists, sealed away in their utopian society, did not concern themselves with the plight of the surface or the effect their actions had on the surface.
Institute Atrium - The beauty and peace of mind are addictive
"However, the Institute eventually reached the limits of the synth technology that underpinned their society. Although powerful, the second generation synth was an inherently limited, mechanical platform. To overcome the limitations of metal synthetic materials, the Institute endeavored to create synthetic flesh, with the first research initiative beginning in 2178. Under the auspices of Doctor Frederick, FEV samples served as the starting point for the new, organic synthetic program despite the objections of some members of BioScience. Both women and men were abducted from the Commonwealth and submerged in the Institute's modified FEV, their mutations carefully tracked and extensively investigated. Successful mutations would be monitored to ensure survivability, then tagged and discarded. Research ground to a halt in March 2224, as the research team concluded that the organic synth project could not proceed despite perfecting two FEV strains for the project. Radiation-induced hereditary damage proved too much of an obstacle.
Institute Living Quarters - Scientists of the Institute live in luxury with a balcony to read, listen to music, and drink the night away.
"The solution came in 2227, with to the acquisition of Shaun Howard by Kellogg and his undamaged pre-War genetic code. The organic synth project was spun off from the FEV research initiative, and his DNA became the basis of the third generation synths. The infant Shaun became Father to a whole family of engineered synthetic beings. In 2229, a defective synth caused the Broken Mask Incident, vilifying the Institute in the eyes of the Commonwealth, and causing no small amount of internal problems for the Institute, as he was sent out without proper testing or approval.
Institute BioScience - While some of the experiments are a secret, we were allowed to take a photo of the gorilla exhibit. These are real, synthetic gorillas. Cats and dogs are also bred here with the thought that the Commonwealth will be made up of naturally reproduced domestic animals in the future. Nate Howard's former dog companion, Dogmeat (RIP), was cloned here.
"The FEV research effort continued for several more decades, despite producing no useful data; except for manufacturing more super mutants for the surface to contend with. When Brian Virgil succeeded Dr. Syverson as head of the project in April 2286, it became evident that FEV experimentation ran its course and served no useful purpose, not with the availability of third generation synths. The Institute's experiments with the Forced Evolutionary Virus, or FEV, ended when Doctor Virgil went rogue and fled into the Commonwealth.
"But even with the organic synth project complete, the Institute did not rest on its laurels. Work continues in other fields, its sophistication increasing with every day. Of course, with this increase comes an increased appetite for energy; the Institute is constantly facing shortages in its power budget, in no small part due to the fact that the molecular de-materializer (the only way in and out of the facility) requires immense amounts of power for each use. Moreover, despite the luster of the Institute's facilities, a lot of the crucial facilities (particularly the reactor) are pre-War technology and despite continued maintenance requires increasing amounts of resources to keep running after two centuries of expansion. The technology still holds up, as it was built to last."