Here is my take on what happened to Australia after the Great war. Enjoy.

Prologue

They say that in 2077 the world burned in nuclear fire. That in just two hours every fully functioning society was wiped out and cast back to a new dark age. This, however, is not all true; on October 23, 2077, the country of Australia remained intact and free from the nuclear fire that purged the rest of the world. Although it may have survived the nuclear fire, most of Australia could not survive the repercussions of the Great War.

In the years before Anchorage, the Australian government had become as paranoid as the U.S, with the belief of invasion/nuclear attack being imminent. The government began to divert the majority of all funds towards a radical vault program, to ensure the safety of Australia’s citizens in the event of nuclear attack. The Australian public, however, did not see eye to eye with its government. With most of the nation’s fund being diverted to the vault program, other basic needs were not being met. Things such as the education system, health and even defence began to dissolve.

The country was on the verge of a break down; the government was forced to scrap the vault program with only 100 actually half built across Australia. The break down was narrowly avoided and life began to resume as normal for the countries citizens or so it seemed. Seven years later China invaded Alaska, creating huge amounts of tension throughout the pacific. The war threatened to turn nuclear, and with Australia holding the largest source of uranium the government began to fear an invasion from either side of the war. Australia would also provide a good foothold for either America or China and with America annexing Canada, it was clear neither side was to be trusted.

The government quickly took action and resurrected the vault program managing to build an astounding 150 vaults by the war’s end in 2076. The vaults themselves were not quite up to the standards of the U.S vaults. The vaults managed to hold up to 3000 people, tripling the amount of residents held in the U.S vaults, however at full capacity the vaults population could only last 50 years. Despite this flaw, the Australian vaults still had distinct advantages, each vault on the east coast was supplied with a G.E.C.K and the government did not hold any sinister undertones for these vaults, they were simply built for survival.

On the 23rd of October 2077 all hell broke loose. It was assumed that either China or the U.S launched first, either way the entire world retaliated. Every country that produced nuclear weapons unleashed their arsenal, almost destroying the entire world. After two hours the entire northern hemisphere lay in complete ruin, in the southern hemisphere Australia remained untouched. It was as if the world had forgotten about the countries existence, after all the country couldn’t launch nukes of their own as they did not possess any. So on October the 23rd, the country of Australia watched the world burned as they hid expecting the worst.

A week after the nuclear bombardment the government released a statement addressing the situation. It stated that although they hadn’t been hit directly by a nuclear bomb, the country was still not safe. The radiation from the bombs would soon sweep across the country, with devastating effects. The residents were asked to shelter in their vaults and wait out the radiation.

Chaos ensued, the population of Australia was not going to fit in these vaults and with them filled to maximum capacity; their living conditions wouldn’t last long either. Civil unrest spread like wild fire throughout the country. Protests became violent and riots quickly followed. The government was too concerned with the coming radiation to take action. After a month of complete chaos, the radiation came.

Most vaults had been sealed by this point and by the end of the year all vaults would be sealed shut, while those on the surface were left for dead. The radiation came like a storm, completely destroying the eco system. The entire island became a desert wasteland, with huge electrical storms and acid rain. Not only was the landscape scarred but the animals were also changed forever, taking on new forms and mutating.

One hundred years passed, many of the vaults had not lasted, some opening early and exposing those left to the radiation, others shut down completely, killing all inhabitants. There were a minor number that did make it, those that weren’t overcrowded when the radiation first came. The east of Australia was still somewhat intact. The mount ranges had stopped the sand from completely covering the cities on the coast. With the G.E.C.K the east coast rebuilt with the new government taking charge as it emerged from Canberra’s vault.

The government still believed in a monarchy and had crowned a King of Australia after the collapse of the commonwealth during the resource wars. The prime minister at the time had been elected King and he was put in charge of the Australian Imperial Force, the AIF. When the vault opened the AIF moved first taking Sydney then moving down the coast and next taking Melbourne. Soon they had the entire coast and were concentrating on creating a Utopia. As far as they were concerned anything west of the Great Dividing Range was a lifeless wasteland.

As for the west, that was a different story. There was life, struggling to grow but it still lived on and this is where the story begins.

Sounds interesting. As I'm an Aussie I'll follow this fan-fic. Keep going with the good work.

YAY! FO: AUSTRALIA FTW

I look forward to MOAR!

This reminds me of this board just after FO3 launched, back when it was ruled by Australians.

On topic: This looks like it has potential, though the line 'The entire island became a desert wasteland' makes me laugh. Clearly not even Nuclear fallout can make Australia harsher

I like the first chapter, please continue....

Thanks for the comments guys, here is the first chapter.

Chapter 1: The Great Hunt

The wind began to pick up as the group of huntsman trudged across the dunes of the vast wasteland. As far as the eye could see, it stretched from horizon to horizon, the never changing sands of the desert. The sun beat down on the already harsh landscape creating an environment in which creatures barely survived the day. Yet there they were, burning away in the heat but this was for an important mission. It was the yearly Great Hunt and the two princes of the Western tribes had been sent along. Michael, the older brother, had been on the hunt 3 times already and enjoyed the thrill. His younger brother on the other hand was not too fond of the experience.

The sweltering heat was beginning to get to Daniel, the youngest brother. The leather that protected the teenager was having the reverse effect by slowly roasting him. As he adjusted the metal plate covering his shoulder in an attempt at some sort of comfort, he loosened the straps that latched it down. Michael, noticing his brother discomfort, spoke out. “I know it’s hot but you’re going to need that on. We are approaching the den of the beast and when you see it, you’ll want every piece of armour you can find,” Daniel whined, “I’m pretty sure I can smell myself slowly cooking. Soon enough we won’t have to look for the beast, the smell of cooked food will attract it.”

“Come now the home of the serpent is close, look,” Michael said as he pulled his brother close, “See off in the distance, those white stakes poking out of the ground?” As Daniel squinted off into the distance, he could see, just a couple of dunes away, some of what looked like stakes or branches sticking out of the ground. “They’re bones.”

Daniel took a deep breath in and gulped. He was attempting to hide his fear but he wasn’t doing well. The heat had made him sweat but the idea of taking on the serpent had turned the small stream of sweat, into a raging waterfall. Tightening the strap of his metal shoulder pad, he trudged on with the group, looking up to his brother. It was really only Michael that stopped Daniel turning his tail and running off home. His brother was the beacon of light that kept him safe. Daniel saw him as the ultimate warrior, strong, fast, and fearless. He was an even greater leader, almost as great as their father.

Suddenly, Michael shot his hand up; it was a sign not only to stop but to prepare for the coming battle. Raising his assault rifle, Michael flicked the safety off and resting his index finger on the warm trigger. Concentrating, he soaked in his surroundings. He listened as the wind kicked up sand and softly whispered to him. As he breathed in, he could feel the dryness of the desert sink in, his cracked lips slightly softened as he licked them. Finally he could feel the warm rumble of the sand beneath his boots. The beast approached.

Opening his eyes, he could see the sand shift as the beast slithered towards the group. “Everyone get to your position and wait for my move,” Michael said counting down the meters as the beast approached. With about 5 meters left between the two hunters, Michael opened fire. The shape under the sand that was twisting its way towards him deviated to the right. The group had taken on a triangular formation, just as they had trained. Michael stood at the front of the triangle, pushing the beast to one side. Behind him on either side, the men stood, armed with guns and bows. The last man standing at the end corner of the triangles were armed with long and sturdy spears.

As the snake moved to the right, the men opened fire and although their gunshots and arrows did not pierce the beast deep enough to kill it, it did the job. With a deafening hiss, the serpent revealed its head as it attempted to attack the men firing at it. By this time, it had moved towards the end of the group where the man with a spear stood. As the beast attacked, it opened its jaw to reveal its mighty fangs. The huntsmen with the spear seized his opportunity and drove the spear deep into its mouth. With a loud crunch the spear was driven through the roof of the snake’s mouth. As it attempted to shake free, the huntsman with the spear held his ground as the rest of the men encircled. Drawing their swords, they attacked.

Daniel had been on the left side of their formation and had thanked God that it hadn’t come his way. When he saw the beast reveal itself, he froze with fear. It was bigger than he had expected, from what he could see it stretched to about 10 meters in length and the fangs stood at over a meter. They were enough to kill anything not properly trained. Luckily for him, the hunters were very experienced and wasted no time. Within seconds they had made the beast attack just as they wished, speared it and they now hacked away with their swords at its head. Daniel went from fear to awe as the beast was slowly subdued.

Michael on the other hand had dropped his gun as soon as the serpent had revealed its head, drawing his sword from his sheathe within moments. As the spearman did his job, Michael drove his sword into its eye. He could feel the crunching of bone and he smelt the snake’s blood as everyone else took their sword to different vitals of its head. Michael simply held his sword in place, gripping it firmly as the beast slowly grew weaker and weaker. Finally it slumped to the ground, with the hissing slowly fading to nothing. The snake was all but dead; all that was needed was the final blow.

“Daniel,” Michael called, snapping his brother out of his trance, “Draw your sword, since this is your first hunt, you get the honour of the kill,” Daniels heart leapt into his mouth. Slowly he approached, drawing his sword. He attempted to assess whether it was alive or not. Daniel stood over the beast for a moment. Blood poured from its many wounds and it was already struggling to breathe. Raising the sword above his head, Daniel gripped it with two hands and brought it crashing down, hitting the snake right between the eyes. It now ceased to move or breathe.

Re-sheathing their swords and gathering their other weapons, the men let out a mighty cheer. The great hunt was over and they had successfully claimed their prize. Michael nodded to one of the men, who revealed a flare gun from his waist. Raising it into the air he fired, straight up into the sky, signaling their lift home. Michael moved over to his brother and placed his hand on his shoulder. Daniel, who was still in utter shock as to what had just happened, tensed quickly and snapped back to reality.

“You did well today brother, I will be sure to tell father about your part in all this, the final blow,” Michael said, proud of his youngest sibling. Daniel had always been considered somewhat scrawny, especially for a boy of the royal family. Both Michael and their father were quite tall and incredibly muscular, where as Daniel was shorter and a bit on the skinny side. Although an achievement like this would quell any doubts of the young man and Michael was more than happy to let his brother have this one.

“You know lucky I was here, standing back from you all, or that beast would have killed you without my expert swordsmanship,” Daniel joked.

“Always the joker, aren’t you? Well the bats will be here soon and I bet I can beat you back to the palace, and then we’ll see who the real joke is,” Michael retorted.

With smiles the pair waited for their ride. On the horizon, one of the men led several wombats towards the group’s position. Wombats had become the main source of transport; they had been a somewhat placid beast (unless you got too close to their burrows) before the war. Now with the effects of the radiation, they had mutated into bear like creatures, incredibly strong and quick. Over time the western tribes had tamed the creatures and they now served as horses of the desert.

Climbing onto the wombats, or bats as the people referred to them as, Michael grabbed the reigns and coaxed the beast into heading home. One of the other huntsmen leaned across and said, “Looks like we are once again lucky sire,” Michael nodded and continued on.

Daniel however was curious, “Lucky? Does he mean lucky we didn’t lose anyone?”

“No,” replied his brother, “I can’t tell you why we were lucky.”

Disappointed, Daniel sulked, “What do you mean you can’t tell me? If you say it’s because I’m too young or I’ll get scared, I swear I will take a swing at you.”

Michael sighed, “Fine, I will tell you the tale of the great hunt. There was a time, long, long ago before the civilization itself; it was called ‘The Dreaming’. The legend of the dreamtime began with a snake, named the rainbow serpent. This serpent was believed to have created this land and with it all of the people who lived here. But as time went on, this turned into legend, then myth and finally it was nothing but a tale. This all changed after the Great War.”

Daniel listened intently as his brother continued, “The mighty brown snake was one of the deadliest creatures in the entire world. It’s said that if you were bitten, you would die in a matter of mere seconds. After the Great War, the radiation affected this particular species of snake so much, that it increased in size tenfold. They say it’s now the serpent who is taking back the land after the mistreatment by its people, by us.”

Daniel grew confused, “What does this have to do with us being lucky?”

Michael chuckled, “I’m getting to that,” taking a deep breath, he told his brother the true nature of the great hunt, “The serpent we killed today, although it is a brown snake, was nothing but a baby. We are lucky that we did not find the mother as only one person has seen the beast and lived. That person was our first king, our grandfather. It’s said that once he had united all the tribes of the western coast, he travelled deep into the desert, in search of a holy rock that once stood at the centre of this land. Once there, he found the mother and barely survived the encounter. It destroyed his entire army within minutes and no-one has travelled there since.”

Michael looked over at his brother whose jaw had dropped, in complete disbelief of what he had just been told. “This is why once a year we go and hunt the child of the beast, while one day the serpent may take back the land, it will be over our dead bodies.”

With that the group of hunters began to laugh and Daniel’s face turned slightly pale, for the first time in quite a while, Daniel was speechless. Slowly the group made their way home, all the while dragging their bagged serpent behind them. Home for them was what was left of the furthest western city. Perth.

Wow...just wow...

Oh, and I could not find any errors. Okay, honestly, I was too interested in what I was reading, to look very hard for them. :drool:

Wow. That is some genuinely good story telling. I love the background story, the tribal stories and the giant beast. Your diction matches your characters very well. I noticed one or two minor grammtical erros but not anything that makes the story difficult to read.

Can't wait for the next chapter.

Seems interesting, my only critique is that it lacks it's own uniqueness. To me, it seems like the American Wasteland, except it's in Australia. The only differences I can think of would be a mutant kangaroo, or something. I believe that fan fictions should each sport their own uniqueness. The American Wasteland has gotten bland, it's time to create new locations, new stories. That's why I created the Sunders. I proposed the idea long before, but it was sadly dismissed. Now I've turned it into a Fan Fiction, and I love writing it. :3

But this is only the first chapter. I am looking forward to more. Just add more uniqueness to make people feel like "Wow, the next game should take place there!".

Thanks for the feedback guys. The next chapter will make a change from the typical wasteland and I had planned on doing this. It's also hard not to create a wasteland vibe as most of the continent right now is desert but I get what your saying. Either way enjoy my next chapter guys.

Chapter 2: The Opposite end of the Spectrum

As usual Thomas was rudely awakened by the sunlight peering through the cracks of his blinds. For a moment as his eyes opened, the sun burned his retinas, causing him to snap awake. Taking a deep breath in, he sat up in his king sized bed and stretched awake. Removing the covers, Thomas shuffled his way over to the blinds, pulling the cord to open them. The sun quickly lit up his bedroom and Tom admired his view. He was situated on the top floor of the palace and could see across the expanse of the city for miles on end. For a moment he svcked it all in and admired the many buildings and icons that stood. He watched as the monorail spread through the city like a graqe vine, he watched as it moved at a moderate pace, all of the citizen’s busy working towards the future of their Utopia. Next he turned to the Harbour Bridge, it always had been the iconic Symbol of the land and it now had become the iconic symbol for their future. It had stood the test of time and it resembled the people of Australia as they also strived to accomplish the same feat. And although it had been partially collapsed when the first people emerged from the vault all those years ago, the Opera house had been rebuilt and continued to remain the cultural hub of the New World.

Disturbing his peaceful gaze was a knock on the bedroom door.

“Sire, your subjects await you, today is the big day and your father is not one for patience.”

Sighing, the prince moved over to the door, “Fine, tell father that I will be half an hour as I’m getting dressed now.”

“Very well,” and with that, Thomas listened as the footsteps of the servant took off down the hallway. Tom proceeded to get ready, changing into his daily attire which consisted of blue pants that were covered by his knee high brown boots and his shirt which was long sleeved and the body of it stretched past his waist. The shirt was gold and to tie it off in the middle a red linen cloth acted as a belt. He then proceeded to put his robe (which was also gold, lined with red) over his clothing. Lastly, he placed his thin metallic crown on top of his head and although he was a tad warm in all of the clothing, he moved off to address his public.

Making his way out of his room, he moved off to the elevator that would take him to the top of the tower. Behind him, body guards followed closely behind; there were only two of them (one on either side) as they were only in the palace but the King still insisted that this was a necessary precaution. Thomas had grown all but used to the escort and mildly enjoyed the attention it would create. Finally he reached the elevator that would take him to the top of the tower. As he entered Tom once again gave a moment to admire the palace, or as it was once known, Center Point Tower. Then he proceeded to press the button marked “Skywalk”. The elevator hummed as it began the smooth rise to the top.

As the doors opened they revealed a small room of the most powerful people throughout the coast. All greeting him with soft clapping and respectful bowing. With his head held high, the prince moved down the center of the crowd and outside to where his father and younger sister stood. Outside the view was spectacular, he could see for miles, not to mention straight down as the floor was made of glass. Back in its day the ‘Skywalk’ was a popular tourist attraction, now it served as a balcony for the palace. Another family also stood outside it was the newly appointed Lord of Queensland and his beautiful Daughter, Alexia.

“Ah, looked who has graced us with his presence, a good sleep son?” King George the seventh said as his son stepped onto the skywalk. Embarrassed, the prince walked over and stood facing to the ground next to the king.

“Well now that everyone is here, let’s begin,” A servant quickly appeared with a microphone and placed it before King George, cameras that were hooked up to hovering robots began to film as he addressed not only the most powerful people in the room but the entire east coast.

“Today is a day that will be remembered for all time, for my son, Prince Thomas, will now be married to the beautiful Alexis, daughter of Lord Cross, the newest Lord of Queensland. Not only is this a great day for both of our families but this is a great day for our nation. Today’s marks the true end to the conflict between our two mighty nations as this marriage ensures the uniting of both Queensland and New South Wales. It has brought us one step closer to our dream, our nation’s goal, our Utopia!”

Thomas turned slightly as he swore he could hear roars from the crowds that gathered below them. Looking to his father, he was filled with a sense of awe. Tom was always amazed with the way the King inspired those around him, his deep but powerful voice boomed across the land and almost created a warm courageous feeling as people listened. King George’s speech carried on for about 10 minutes or so before the Prince and his new fiancé were dismissed to travel the streets of Sydney in a royal carriage. The King, Queen and Princess would follow in a procession behind their carriage and then Lord Cross and his family behind them.

Once again Thomas moved off towards the elevator and awaited its arrival. Although he was bursting with pride, the prince couldn’t help but notice as one of his father’s royal guards moved quickly towards the King, whispering something into his ear. Tom then noticed his father’s concern as the messenger pulled away from the King’s ear. King George then approached his son, placed his arm over the prince’s shoulder and drew him away from Alexis just for a moment.

“I’m sorry Thomas but I will not be able to join you today, something important has come up and it requires my immediate attention. I can’t ask you to understand right now but if you trust me, I will in turn entrust you with my secret upon your return.”

Tom was always loyal and very understanding of his father’s role as King, so he simply nodded. The King smiled and moved quickly with 3 of his personal guards to one of the fire escapes at the back of the crowd. Although Thomas was a little disappointed, he refused to let this show and continued off down the elevator, proceeding with the procession.

A few hours later Prince Thomas returned home, he hadn’t much of a chance to speak with Alexis due to all the commotion during the day but now that he was home, he found himself uninterested leaving her to rest while he sought after his father. He quickly found the King’s personal servant, James. James explained that his father was deep below the palace in vault 5, which was directly built under the centre point tower. As Thomas quickly moved down stairs, his mind raced, he just couldn’t understand what had been so important and why it had taken his father down to the depths of vault 5. The place resembled a prison, with its sealable chambers, grey hopeless interior and cold, cruel vibe.

As the prince entered the vault, the Kings personal guards stood at the entrance to the reactor room. As he approached one of the guards stood in the doorway, “Stop, the king has specifically stated no-one enters.”

Thomas became angry, “What? I am the prince! How dare you speak to me like I am a commoner!”

Just as he was just about to tear the guards head off when the King spoke, “It’s alright, let him through.”

With that the guard stood aside and Tom entered the room. What he saw next was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life. There stood his father along with a few of his men. The king was holding a dagger, slightly bloodied and next to him was a bench. More specifically a man tied to the bench, completely restrained. As Thomas approached he began to realize there was something different about this man. It looked like he had been terribly burned, with a lot of skin missing and also some facial features.

“What have you done to him?” Tom managed to utter,

“Not much, these creatures exist, looking like this. His wounds on the stomach may be my doing but otherwise he was born this way,” the King replied.

“I have already told you, I wasn’t born this way!” the man shouted, his voice sounded terrible, as if it had been badly burnt as well.

The King ignored the man, “You see son, when your grandfather first left the safety of the vault, and these creatures inhabited the city, some with the ability to talk, others who were just savages. It was your grandfather who drove them from our home into the desert and now, they have sent this spy to reclaim what was once theirs.”

Once again the man yelled, “You’ve got it all wrong! I used to be human just like you! But I never grew up here, none of my people did, we came from our own vault back in Adelaide. Our vault had too many people in it to support life for a long period of time, so we had to open it or die! When we opened it we were exposed to high doses of radiation and most of us turned into this! Since then we have lived in the ruined city.”

The King finally acknowledged the man as he turned and roared, “Lies! Admit that you are a spy or I will have you killed!”

Thomas had taken a step back; it was all a bit much for him. He had seen his father go from awe inspiring to almost tyrannical. Finally the prince plucked up some courage, “So if you are from Adelaide, what are you doing here!” he yelled, trying not to let his voice quiver.

“I was sent here, our water supplies are running low and we needed to find another source, so scouts were sent, one headed west, the other east. I’m that scout! I swear it!”

The King pondered a moment and came to a solution, turning to his guards he advised them on their next steps, “Guards, kill this spy, he and his people are a threat to our Utopia and just as my father defeated their people and sent them west, we will do the same. Prepare the helicopters and take a small force to the city of Adelaide. If what this beast says is true, leave no survivors.”

He then turned to his son, “Thomas, it’s time I showed you how to be a king.”

With that they turned and left the room, behind them, Thomas heard the final sound of the metal piercing the skin and the final cries of the strange man.

This fan-fic is great! Looking forward to the next one. :celebration:

I hope you will continue to post more chapters. Your story is quite enjoyable.