Background Events to Fallout: Houston

This Prologue explains the events occurring the Gulf Coast Wasteland in the years leading up to the campaign. It is intended to be read by the Gamemaster, and is not necessary for players to read. It provides additional context for the story.

Discovery of the Spaceport Survivors

For the last two centuries, the Spaceport Survivors have been living in a Vault-Tec Vault 117 built underneath the ruins of the Johnson Space Center. As part of their operations to maintain the satellite infrastructure and research established before the Great War, the Spaceport Survivors have been routinely (2-3/year) launching rockets from a hidden, underground launch pad. These launches are unmanned, and are used to deploy or repair satellites or perform research.

On 6 June 2288, T+2:11 minutes after lift-off of a Phoenix VII from the Vault 117 Launch silo, the Galveston Pirates noticed what they assumed to be a missile, fired artillery and destroyed the rocket. The Spaceport Survivors, who had been monitoring the launch from the Vault 117 control room, were shocked and horrified. They had no idea who had fired on them, and they had no idea why. They had been launching rockets for over 200 years, and no one had ever fired on them before.

Suspicious of the launch, the Galveston Pirates sent a small team to investigate both the launch site and the debris. They found the remains of the rocket, and they found the remains of the payload, which was a communications satellite rigged as a relay. They were able to recover enough of the satellite to turn it on, and it began receiving and re-broadcasting a signal from the Spaceport's network. The Pirates were able to trace the signal back to a surface antenna, near which they found a maintenance hatch leading into Vault 117.

On 14 June 2288, when the Spaceport Survivors detected the intrusion and knowing that they had no way to defend themselves, they sent a wide-frequency broadcast to the entire Gulf Coast Wasteland, asking for help. The Lone Star Republic, the Oil Barons, and the Bayou Brotherhood all heard the broadcast, and they all sent teams to investigate. The Galveston Pirates, who had already discovered the Vault, also sent a team to investigate. Ultimately, the Lone Star Republic was the first to arrive, and they were able to establish contact with the Spaceport Survivors and fended off the Pirate intruders. For the first time since shortly after the Bombs fell, Vault 117 opened its vault door, and the Spaceport Survivors emerged into the Gulf Coast Wasteland, meeting the Lone Star Republic for the first time.

Establishing Diplomatic Relations with the Lone Star Republic

The Lone Star Republic was the first to arrive at Vault 117, and they were able to establish contact with the Spaceport Survivors. The Lone Star Republic was able to convince the Spaceport Survivors that they were not hostile, and they were able to establish a trade agreement. The Lone Star Republic would provide the Spaceport Survivors with food, water, and other supplies (particularly for building and launching rockets), and the Spaceport Survivors would provide the Lone Star Republic with advanced technology and access to the communications satellites in orbit.

The Lone Star Republic also provided the Spaceport Survivors with a security force, which was used to defend the Spaceport Survivors from the Galveston Pirates. After several months, under dubious circumstances, the Lone Star Congress and Senate controversially voted to admit the Vault 117 as a member settlement of the Republic, giving them voting rights in the legislature.

Sinking of the Costa Concordia

On 12 November 2288, the Galveston Pirates, under the command of Captain Blackbeard, attacked and sank the Costa Concordia, a passenger ship that was traveling from Florida to the Gulf Coast Wasteland. The ship was carrying a large number of passengers, including several high-ranking members of the Lone Star Republic. The ship was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, and presumably all passengers and crew were killed. The Texas Ranger Coast Guard came to the scene quickly, but too late to save the ship or its passengers. They apprehended the Pirates, who were all later imprisoned in the Scholar's Summit Prison.

Spoilers for the Plot of Fallout: Houston

The Costa Concordia was en route to the Gulf Coast Wasteland after the Lone Star Republic had arranged a covert operation by the Texas Rangers to extract important experimental, pre-war rocket components from the ruins of the Kennedy Space Center. Additionally, the excavating team had recovered strange artifacts labeled as recovered from the Moon. Further details are revealed during appropriate points in the campaign. None of the other passengers or crew knew about the operation, and only the highest-ranking members of the Lone Star Republic and Spaceport Survivors knew about it.

The player characters were passengers on this ship, and wake up at the beginning of Main Quest: Lost in the Bayou after being rescued while adrift in the Gulf by Bayou Brotherhood members. They have at best a vague memory of the sinking, and they have no idea who was responsible.