Water Distribution Network

The Water Distribution Network is the system established by Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel to deliver Aqua Pura throughout the Capital Wasteland in the Fallout 3 add-on Broken Steel.

Background[]

Startup[]

Formed in the wake of the Battle of Project Purity in 2277/2278, the operational agreement between Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel and Rivet City started before a single caravan was sent from Project Purity. The Brotherhood's representative during its consultation with Rivet City was Scribe Bigsley. He successfully negotiated the deal between the Brotherhood and Rivet City that the Rivet City Security Force would take over the system once the Brotherhood worked out the initial foundation.^[1] After a week of deliberation, Officer Lepelletier was chosen to lead their effort.^[2] The payment of the service would be both in money and kind (caps and technology).^{[Non-game 1]} The goal of the network would be the distribution of water to every larger settlement in the region, with the cost for the settlements to be nothing.^{[Non-game 2]} This operational deficit may have been a propaganda tool, but its consequences would prove counter-productive.^[3] Meanwhile, at Project Purity itself, the last founder of the project, Dr. Madison Li, would leave for the Commonwealth. The scientists of Rivet City took up where she left off and even improving on her work.^[4][5]

Initially believing that it would take no more than two weeks to set up, he was quickly proven wrong.^[1] Starting with a lackluster support staff. Whether it was due to the Brotherhood needing its more competent staff elsewhere due to its war with the Enclave, or internal politics, scribes sent to the project were not trained in logistics. Some having apparently failed their cartography training.^[6][7][8][9] With the war in full swing, the problems became exacerbated, with Scribe Reginald Rothchild essentially abandoning the network to its own devices, while the servicemen assigned to escort duties becoming ever more resentful of their unsupported posting.^[10]

Operations[]

As the caravans started to travel, they began to almost immediately be targeted by raiders and bandits.^[11] With the vast majority of the guards being untrained Rivet City security staff and inexperienced Brotherhood initiates, casualties, both deaths and those missing in action, quickly skyrocketed.^[12][13] Eventually, over a quarter of the caravans out on delivery would not return.^{[14][15][16][17]} With caravans being a week late being the only clue as to something being amiss, Bigsley would have to take the most pragmatic options. Assuming that they are dead and just did not run off with the water, and since they did not have the staff or materiel to go looking for them, they hope Lyons' would divert resources to do so when he sees fit.^[18] One of the few caravans that did return was run by mercenaries, who demanded greater compensation, (after seeing an initiate carrying a crate of plasma weapons into the armory, which was to be payment to Rivet City) for their losses on the trip. Scribe Bigsley would believe they were extorting them, but had no choice but to pay them. A rifle and a couple of grenades if they left for a delivery to Big Town immediately.^[19]

Pragmatism[]

The high attrition rate for caravans, and lack of payment for said water delivery service would have crippled the network, were it not for the desperate measures taken by both Officer Lepelletier and Scribe Bigsley. While the officer would essentially finance investigatory mercenary work by pawning off payment to the Brotherhood, Scribe Bigsley would find a better solution.^[3][14][20] Almost out of the blue, a ghoul named Griffon offered to pay for shipments of water in caps and technology. This deal would prove just barely lucrative enough to support the current operation of the system.^{[21][22][Non-game 3]} It would not be enough to finance cost-cutting infrastructure improvements, such as a pipeline to Rivet City, to cut down on shipping,^[23][24] or water bottling equipment. Which was done, barrel and bottle, completely by hand.^[25] Within the second week, Scribe Bigsley was forced to pay the mercenaries with the facility's non-emergency medical supplies, having run out of cigarettes and alcohol in the first week. This temporary solution caused a fuss when one of the scientists fell from a scaffolding that did not have railing and broke their arm.^[26] A further delay to production would be as they brought new security systems online.^[27]

Griffon's scheme was far more lucrative and intricate. After the delivery is made, secretly, to the Museum Authority Building in the Mall and payment exchanged,^[28] he and his men would put treated irradiated water in the rebranded Aqua Pura bottles,^[29] and sell that to the ghouls in Underworld as "Aqua Cura."^[30] The remaining Aqua Pura would be sold to whoever Lyons' Brotherhood is not giving it away to for free (id est raiders, slavers, Brotherhood Outcasts, et cetera).^{[Non-game 3][31][32][33][34]}

Reality[]

This would not be the only major complication the network faced. Its arguably most visible failure was what happened to the last Megaton shipment. On their way to make the delivery, four members of Lyons' Brotherhood found a woman meditating in Springvale. After they found her there, she told them where she was from, and they told her to share the water with her people. That woman was Mother Curie III, a devout member of the Children of Atom.^[35] In her religious stupor, she took this to be a vision from Atom himself. That four armored angels of war appeared, to give her the barrels of Aqua Pura and "bless" them with radiation to spread the cult's message of "enlightenment" to everyone.^{[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]} This developed into her starting her own, arguably heretical, branch of her cult. She and Brother Gerard would found a monastery in Springvale and work to spread their "enlightenment" by giving passersby "holy water," irradiated Aqua Pura, and brainwashing.^[44] As Megaton was deprived of their shipment of water, they would file a complaint to the Brotherhood. While Scribe Bigsley would have no reason to doubt the report,^[45] it was by this time that Bigsley's superiors were getting curious at why so many deliveries were simply disappearing and how come there was so much delay in the processing and deliveries made.^[46] Eventually, the missing shipments would gain the attention of Elder Owyn Lyons.^[47] The scribes that would visit the Citadel from the project would continually reassure their elder that everything was being taken care of and not to worry.^[46] Although the scribes did not like their posting, they saw first hand that Scribe Bisley was not the problem and supported him the best they could.^[18]

It is at this point that the Lone Wanderer awakens from their two week coma.^[48] Now able to help the Brotherhood, Elder Lyons advises the Lone Wanderer to seek Scribe Bigsley and help their efforts at the purifier.^[49] Once there, the Lone Wanderer can help solve their two biggest tactical issues. One of them is the aforementioned scheme that Griffon is operating.^[50] The other is the aforementioned organized bandit problem.^[51] Neither of which would solve the network's strategic issues.

Meanwhile, the head of the Brotherhood's effort, Scribe Bigsley, is ever nearing a complete mental breakdown. Overworked, underpaid, understaffed, and receiving outright hostility for his work,^{[Non-game 2]} Bigsley has done everything in his power, and outside his powers, to get the network operational. He has not slept well since starting at the position,^[52] and it has broken him.^[53] He has become overly sensitive to his surroundings,^[54] come to resent his staff,^[55] which he has started to snap at,^[56] and lost all respect for his superiors. His staff meanwhile have been understanding of the situation, even covering for their boss' more lies.^[46][18] When the caravans return as scheduled, the scribes ready them for their next trips, trying to process them and the paperwork without disturbing him too much, hoping to not disappoint him.^[57][58][59] The scribes themselves have become wistful of their former positions, believing that they should be doing something "more important," they miss the Citadel and believe the worst thing that could happen to them failing is reassignment.^[60]

Appearances[]

The Water Distribution Network appears only in the Fallout 3 add-on Broken Steel.

Gallery[]

References[]

Non-game