Fallout 3: Vaults and Vagabonds

[Pat]

​

Chris Whitton, Dominic Delento, Alexander Malkin, and Angel Sapphire, amongst the other party guests waited to surprise Rigal McCurry within the diner of the one and only home they've ever known, Vault 101. Despite Overseer Alphonse Almodovar's frugality with birthday supplies, everyone in attendance barring the administrator of their nuclear bunker himself was in high spirits, you only turned ten once after all, and here, in the vault, that age carried with it a momentous occasion. After today, the birthday boy would finally receive his first responsibilities in the form of getting hands-on experience in every profession there is available in their small underground shelter, in addition to his very own Pipboy 3000. Under the tutelage of a monthly rotation of adult supervisors, it was expected for him to develop the necessary skills during the next six years to later fulfill the duties given to him when he takes the Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test, or G.O.A.T., and receives his lifetime work assignment. As the door opened and Rigal entered the diner, he was blinded by the lights turning on. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Those assembled exclaimed, cheering and clapping before settling down. Butch Deloria, Wally Mack, and Paul Hannon kept to themselves, the children having claimed one of the tables for themselves as they talked about names for their gang. Officer Gomez Palmer and technician Stanley Armstrong had chose to stay out of the spotlight as well, the former sitting on a stool by the door and the latter on a stool at the counter as they happily watched the festivities unfold. The elderly Anne Palmer sat with the Overseer and his decidedly uncomfortable daughter Amata at another table. The resident Mr. Handy unit of the vault, Andy, hummed to himself in the corner as he quietly prepared the birthday cake for cutting.

SpaceDandy , Lonerfemale , Seraph Darkfire , ThaDruid , Rusty of Shackleford .

 

[Lonerfemale]

Angel sat at a table and looked around at everyone then looked as the birthday boy came into the room. She stood up and said 'happy birthday' after the lights turned on and he walked by where she was. She then sat down and looked around again hoping her birthday wasn't as exciting as this one was today.

 

[SpaceDandy]

Rigal smiled raising his right hand in a way. "Thanks everyone!" he said still somewhat shocked and in an embarrassed tone. He had somewhat expected it but was surprised at the turn out. He knew that Butch and the gang enjoyed to be mean to the other kids and himself. But, free cake is free cake and Butch had a sweet tooth. He walked up to Angel one of his friends in the vault as the Jazz music from the Jukebox kept the mood bright. He brushed off his vault suit of dust that wasn't there, it was a nervous tick due to all the attention. "Hey Angel lets go say hi to Amata and Ms. Palmer!" he said with a lopsided grin he was famous for.
, Lonerfemale , Pat

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Alex grinned as he sat at one of the tables, tinkering with a small object in his hand before the lights came on and everyone was shouting surprise. He gave a token cheer of his own and continued to work. He only had a few last minute adjustments to make. He could hear Rigal speaking to Angel before pulling out a box and putting the object into it and closing it up.

"Hey Rigal" he said walking up to the pair "Angel" he said nodding to her before holding the box out to Rigal "Happy Birthday" he said. Within the box was something he'd been working on. Rigal was a tough guy, so he'd made a gift that matched him. The gift was a Mr. Gutsy model with movable parts. The vault hadn't had any actual models just lying about. So he'd made it with various pieces of other toys he'd pulled apart. His toys of course, he'd gotten in trouble the last time he took someone else's toys apart.

Lonerfemale SpaceDandy

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Chris was in the corner, clapping as Rigal came in. He clapped, saying, "Happy birthday!" He then sat down with Angel, saying, "Hey! How's it going? Good?" He wzs a naturally friendly person, and he was almost always talking in some way. Most of the time, too much. He could be extremely annoying at times, hence why he had very few friends, and was oftej the butt of Butch's jokes.
Lonerfemale

 

[Lonerfemale]

Angel looked over at Chris and she said 'I'm ok' to Chris as Rigal came over to her and invited her to say hi to some of the other people around. 'Sure' she replied shyly and got off her seat to walk beside him. She then looked at Alex and said hi to him after he said hi to her and kind of stayed quiet afterwards.
SpaceDandy Seraph Darkfire Rusty of Shackleford

 

[SpaceDandy]

"Hey Alex!" he said excited about the box that was being handed to him. Rigel opened the box with joy and care as he had few possessions of his own. He found a well designed hand made Mr. Gutsy model. "Thanks man!" he said extending his right arm out giving Alex a high five. Getting something new and original in the vault was something special to say the lest and it made a big impression of Rigel. Alex went back to his spot obviously about to start working on something else. Rigel was always impressed by his passion to his projects. Rigel saw Chris was sitting in the corner next to Angel. "Hey look at what Alex made awesome right?" He said showing it to Angel and Chris. "Hey Chris why don't you join us?" he said attempting to be inclusive as possible. Rigel never liked how Butch treated Chris. "Ms Palmer is always nice to talk with so lets see how she's doing?" he continued.
Rusty of Shackleford Lonerfemale

 

[Lonerfemale]

Angel looked at what Rigal got from Alex and replied softly 'it's pretty cool'. She watched as Rigal invited Chris to go with them to see Ms. Palmer. She stretched herself out to keep her muscles from getting stiff from standing in one spot.
SpaceDandy

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Chris jumped a bit at the sudden noise. He was extremely jumpy, mainly due to most sudden noises and voices being dangerous. He nodded, saying, "Sure! Why not?" He got up, waving goodbye to Angel before running over to Rigal to say, "Happy birthday, man! You're finally ten!" He laughed, sitting down as he watched out for Butch. He really didn't want to run into him right now, lest he get a wedgie or similar bullying.
SpaceDandy

 

[SpaceDandy]

Rigel and the gang walked over to Anne Palmer sitting with the Overseer and his daughter Amata. "I wanted to thank you for helping to put this all together and coming to my party." he said earnestly. Rigel looked over to the Overseer, "I really appreciate you being here Overseer. I know how busy you must be keeping the Vault running so well."

Rusty of Shackleford Lonerfemale Pat

 

[Lonerfemale]

Angel followed Rigal, and Chris to where the Overseer, his daughter and Anne Palmer were sitting and stayed quiet to avoid getting on anyone's bad side, lest she get something she didn't want to happen to her like getting picked on because of her shyness. She looked around trying to keep her shy nerves down and from showing. She then looked at Rigal hoping it was ok if she went back to where she was sitting.
Pat SpaceDandy

 

[Pat]

Anne Palmer visibly brightened at Rigel's words. "The recipe of my mother's sweet rolls passed with her I'm afraid, but she hasn't left me completely ignorant of the culinary arts," she winked at Rigel as she handed him a warm oversized cookie fresh from the oven. "I see you're another youth well on his way to becoming a productive vault citizen!" Overseer Alphonse Almodovar admonished. "Nice to see the kids having a good time, isn't it?" He turned to address Anne Palmer, a thinly-veiled smugness oozing into his voice as he questioned her. "I'll keep them from making the same mistake our generation did when we were their age. I can't allow them to do that to themselves, or to the rest of us." His daughter Amata visibly shrank at his words, tightly clutching the material of her vault jumpsuit's legs with her hands. Remembering the presence of Rigel and his friends, the Overseer turned his head and abruptly changed topics. "Congratulations, young man! I don’t have to tell you how special this day is, do I? Down here in Vault 101, when you turn ten, well, you’re ready to take on your first official Vault responsibilities. So here you are. As Overseer, I hereby present to you your very own Pipboy 3000!" He held the personal computer up to Rigel's eyes before then taking the boy's arm into his hands and deftly attaching the personal computer to his wrist before he could receive any protest. Suddenly buzzing, the device became pleasantly warm against his cool skin and gave off a strange tingling sensation as it shrank considerably to fit a snugly fit place on his arm. "Get used to it. You’ll be getting your first work assignment tomorrow." As Rigel studied the screen of the new and advanced permanent fixture on his body, he gets a strange feeling something is off about it.

Spoiler: S.P.E.C.I.A.L. & Skill Check Tutorial

Should Rigel choose to, he can investigate what's wrong with his Pipboy 3000 on his own, with the help of his friends, by asking the Overseer, the vault's resident pipboy technician Stanley Armstrong, or anything imaginable in between those options. In this particular situation, a high perception S.P.E.C.I.A.L. score to perceive more information about this object or a high speech skill to convince the Overseer or Stanley Armstrong to tell what they may know would help make sure the dice roll to determine whether or not he is successful has his desired outcome. Whenever your characters want to investigate or interact with people and objects in the future, such as: using strength to lift a girder off the ground, perception to spot a distant flashing object, endurance to walk through barrels of radioactive toxic waste, the skill of small guns to shoot a raider, and the first aid skill to heal a wounded friend, write your attempted action into your post and PM me on Discord or RPN what kind of S.P.E.C.I.A.L check or Skill check appropriate for the situation at hand you want me to roll dice for.

SpaceDandy , Lonerfemale , Rusty of Shackleford .

 

[SpaceDandy]

Rigel plastered on a convincing smile and replied convincingly with enthusiasm, "Thank you Overseer I look forwards to helping the vault be a safe and productive place for everyone." Rigel then turned to Ms. Palmer, "Thank you so much for the cookie!" he said, and turned to Amata, "Hey Amata thanks for coming to my party!" He then turned to his friends "Ill be right back guys if you want to go sit down. He walked over to Mr. Armstrong and said with youthful exuberance, "Hey Mr. Armstrong thanks for coming to my party! Could you take a look at my new Pipboy? I was hoping you could orient me to it and make sure its in tip top shape sir!?" Rigel made sure that last sentence was slightly quieter as to not draw attention from others outside of Mr. Armstrong.

Lonerfemale Rusty of Shackleford Pat

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

"Hey Stanley" Alex said walking up to the engineer and seeing Rigel there as well. Of course his attention was drawn to the Pip-Boy, his eyes flashing with interest. None of the adults ever let him tinker with their Pip-Boys and he really wanted to get his hands on one. He was just about to ask Stanely if he had any broken ones he could mess with.

He grinned "Oh wow, Rigel, you have your Pip-Boy now!" he walked around the boy and tried to get a better look at the device "I'd say that by the looks of it, it is a Pip-Boy 3000A, older but really good" he looked at Stanley to get an estimation on whether he was right or not.

Pat SpaceDandy

 

[Pat]

The Overseer isn't fooled by Rigel's deception. His smile at Anne Palmer's expense partially wanes. "That's not what I hear. But I suppose there's still plenty of time for you to make something of yourself." Anne Palmer grins again at Rigel and rustles his hair before getting up and leaving the diner. Amata straightened in her seat and beamed a little at Rigel's gratitude for her presence for a split second, a radiant flash of happiness that she quickly muted. As Stanley Armstrong was questioned, his facial features expressed mild concern at Rigel's worries and exuberant elation in Alex's recognition of and appreciation in the correct model. "As a matter of fact, I already did. Some think the A series a bit basic and a little heavier than some of the fancier models, but I've always preferred them for their reliability, it won't ever let you down. I bet you could drop a bomb on one and it would still work. As a matter of fact, I know you could, they were built to last. Solid as a vault, they are. So whatever you're worried about, remember, I fixed her up myself. Shouldn't need to open her up again for a decade or two. As for figuring out what to do with it, I suppose I could give you a few free pointers." He took Rigel's pip boy arm into his hands and oriented the screen so both he and Alex could see it. "They're like the computers in the computer lab, but better and you can carry it wherever you go..." As Stanley reassured Rigel, Alex notices him mindlessly wipe away small traces of fresh ash on Rigel's pipboy as he showcased to the birthday boy how to tune in to radio frequencies, use the Geiger counter, and check on his physical health. He gets the distinct impression the device was cleaned hastefully, and poorly, before its presentation... "But here am I going on about your pip boy and I clean forgot about your present! Here you go. Happy birthday!" The technician spoke, handing Rigel a worn red baseball cap, "it's not much, but I hope you like it."

SpaceDandy , Seraph Darkfire .

 

[SpaceDandy]

Rigel listened intently getting a firm understanding of his Pipboy 3000A. At the end of the orientation Armstrong gave him the Baseball cap he replied, " I really appreciate the orientation and the baseball cap is awesome!" he said earnestly putting it on at a slight angle. When he had finished his conversation with Mr. Armstrong he pulled Alex aside discreetly, "Did you notice anything odd about my Pip boy? I just have this ominous feeling about it like its a trap or something bad happened to it?" Rigel listened intently to Alex's reply and said, "Thanks for hearing me out Alex." Rigel broke of a piece of his warm cookie and handed it to Alex. "That Mr. Handy model is awesome dude." he said walking away from Alex towards Officer Gomez Rigel came up to Officer Palmer and put out his right hand in a signal of wanting to shake the man's hand. "Officer Palmer I really appreciate you coming to my party. I am really looking forward to working with you and learning about your job and how you do it. I really want to be a Vault Security Officer Just like you protecting us and ensuring our survival. Do you have any tips or advice for me?" He asked with enthusiasm. Rigel listened intently and seriously to Officer Palmer's response.

Pat Seraph Darkfire

 

[Lonerfemale]

Angel looked at Rigal after he said they could go sit down and she went back to where she was sitting earlier and sits down. She looked around hoping she wouldn't get picked on later in life because of how shy she was with people. She then sighed quietly to herself.

 

[Pat]

Officer Gomez Palmer took his hand and gave him a firm handshake. "We might not have to protect much due to the safety the vault door provides us all, but know this; keeping the peace is a lot harder than making it, Rigel. Anyone in this vault can swing a police baton and fire a N99 pistol to the Overseer's satisfaction," he patted his sheath and holster for the two respective weapons as he named them, "but I've known few officers can defuse a situation before it gets out of hand. Violence for me is the last resort, when all other options have been exhausted." With that said, Andy, the vault's resident Mr. Handy, gave an announcement. "It's time for the birthday boy to blow out the candles on his cake everyone!"

SpaceDandy , Lonerfemale , Rusty of Shackleford , ThaDruid , Seraph Darkfire .

 

[SpaceDandy]

"Thanks Officer Palmer, I appreciate the words of experience." he said before walking away. He walked over to the birthday cake to blow out his candles. When he arrived he smiled as everyone sang happy birthday. He then blew out the candles on his birthday cake surrounded by his friends while Butch and his gang kept to themselves. He noticed the Overseer's daughter catching his eye and he winked at her.

Pat

 

[Pat]

​

Six years later, Chris Whitton, Dominic Delento, Alexander Malkin, Angel Sapphire, and Rigal McCurry, sat in their assigned desks waiting to take the infamous G.O.A.T. exam. For generations, a test with just ten questions, ten questions! Has determined the lifetime professions of everyone who has ever lived and died within Vault 101. Laughably unpredictable, it's unknown to this day if any of the answers actually matter on the exam. Standing up from his desk, Mr. Brotch, your teacher, begins the test in earnest. "Now that everyone has managed to find the classroom we can finally get started. No talking and keep your eyes to yourself. Yes, I'm talking to you Mr. DeLoria!" He glared at the cackling delinquent before turning on the projector and reading aloud the questions and answers.

"Question one. A frenzied vault scientist runs up to you and yells, "I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!" What's your response?"

1. "But doctor, wouldn't that cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity?"
2. "Yeah? Up yours too, buddy!"
3. Say nothing, grab a nearby pipe and hit the scientist in the head to knock him out. For all you knew, he was planning to blow up the vault.
4. Say nothing, but slip away before the scientist can continue his rant.

"Question two. While working as an intern in the clinic, a patient with a strange infection in his foot stumbles through the door. The infection is spreading at an alarming rate, but the doctor has stepped out for a while. What do you do?"

1. Amputate the foot before the infection spreads.
2. Scream for help.
3. Medicate the infected area to the best of your abilities.
4. Restrain the patient, and merely observe as the infection spreads.

"Question three. You discover a young boy lost in the lower levels of the vault. He’s hungry and frightened, but also appears to be in possession of stolen property. What do you do?"

1. Give the boy a hug and tell him everything will be ok.
2. Confiscate the property by force, and leave him there as punishment.
3. Pick the boy's pocket to take the stolen property for yourself, and leave the boy to his fate.
4. Lead the boy to safety, then turn him over to the overseer.

"Question four. Congratulations! You’ve made one of the Vault 101 baseball teams. Which position do you prefer?"

1. Pitcher.
2. Catcher.
3. Designated Hitter.
4. None, you wish the vault had a soccer team.

"Question five. Your grandmother invites you to tea, but you’re surprised when she gives you a pistol, and orders you to kill another vault resident. What do you do?"

1. Obey your elder and kill the Vault resident with the pistol.
2. Offer your most prized possession for the resident's life.
3. Ask granny for a minigun instead. After all, you don't want to miss.
4. Throw your tea in granny's face.

"Question six. Old Mister Abernathy has locked himself in his quarters again, and you’ve been ordered to get him out. How do you proceed?"

1. Use a bobby pin to pick the lock on the door.
2. Trade a Vault hoodlum for his cherry bomb and blow open the lock.
3. Go to the armory, retrieve a laser pistol, and blow the lock off.
4. Walk away and let the old coot rot.

"Question seven. Oh no! You’ve been exposed to radiation, and a mutated hand has grown out of your stomach! What’s the best course of treatment?"

1. A bullet to the brain.
2. Large doses of anti-mutagen agent.
3. Prayer. Maybe God will spare you in exchange for a life of pious devotion.
4. Removal of the mutated tissue with a precision laser.

"Question eight. A fellow Vault 101 resident is in possession of a Grognak the Barbarian comic book, issue number one. You want it. What's the best way to obtain it?"

1. Trade the comic book for one of your own valuable possessions.
2. Steal the comic book at gunpoint.
3. Sneak into the resident's quarters, and steal the comic book from his desk.
4. Slip some knock out drops into the resident's nuka cola, and take the comic book when he's unconscious.

"Question nine. You decide it would be fun to play a prank on your father. You enter his private restroom when no one is looking, and..."

1. Loosen some bolts on some pipes. When the sink is turned on, the room will flood.
2. Put a firecracker in the toilet. That's sure to cause some chaos.
3. Break into the locked medicine cabinet and replace his high blood pressure medication with sugar pills.
4. Manipulate the power wattage on his razor, so he'll get an electric shock next time he shaves.

"Question ten. Who is, indisputably, the most important person in Vault 101: He who shelters us from the harshness of the atomic Wasteland, and to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives?"

1. The Overseer.
2. The Overseer.
3. The Overseer.
4. The Overseer.

"Pencils down, people," Mr. Brotch announced just after ten minutes since finishing his reading of the final question of the life-altering assessment, "that's it. I'm sure most of you didn't find it so bad. Others, well, there are always openings in the maintenance department. Don't forget to hand in your tests before you leave. You don't want to know what happens to people who fail this exam. You can have the rest of the day off, to celebrate or to pray, as the situation warrants. Either way, I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early."

 

[Lonerfemale]

Angel writes the questions on a piece of paper and writes [1-1, 2-3, 3-1, 4-4, 5-2, 6-1, 7-2, 8-1, 9-4, 10-3] and gets up and brings her paper to the desk and wonders what she got for a job. She starts to think about the questions. She thought inside her head 'if someone said they wanted to put their quantum harmonizer in my photonic resonating chamber, I would probably say wouldn't that cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity. While I'm working as a intern at the clinic and a patient comes in with a strange infection in his foot, I would medicate the area to the best of my abilities. If I saw a boy in the lower levels of the vault and he was lost and property was with him, I would probably hug him and tell him everything will be ok. If I just made the vaults baseball teams and have to pick the position, I would prefer a soccer team. If my grandmother invited me to tea and instead wanted me to kill another vault resident, I would probably trade a valuable item for the resident's life. If old man Abernathy locked himself in his room, I would probably pick the lock with a bobby pin. If I had a mutated hand pop out of my stomach, I would use lots of anti-mutagen agent. If a fellow resident had a issue number one grognak comic book, I would probably trade a valuable item for the comic book. If I wanted to playa prank on my dad, I would probably mess with the electricity on his razor to give him a little electric shock.' When she got to question ten she stopped cause all four of the answers were the same person and thought to herself 'it's the same person so why the same answer four times.' She then thought again 'who is the very most important person in the vault who takes care of all of us vault residents, it is the Overseer.' and circles answer three.

 

[SpaceDandy]

Rigel looked down at his paper with apprehension and anxiety. He wanted to be vault security. He knew if he didn't get that he would be very disappointed and most likely angry with himself and the vault. He tried to push aside his anxiety and self doubt, but still felt butterflies in his stomach. He felt sweat bead on his forehead as he looked down at the paper once more. He grabbed his pencil and quickly glanced around the room. Half the other test takers were already flying through their test answering them like they didn't care. The other half looked like himself really wanting that one job they had their eye one since their 10th birthday.

Question 1: Rigel looked at question one and made an odd face. Put the what in the where? he thought..... Ok lets go with the safest answer to protect the vault and disarm the scientist until it could be determined what he was doing was safe. Rigel selected Answer number 3.

Question 2: Rigel's eyes narrowed as he read the question. He was trained in basic first aid like everyone in the vault. A situation like this was never covered. He picked answer 3 as he didn't have the medical background to amputate a leg without killing the person.

Question 3: After reading the question he instantly picked answer 4. He knew the Overseer would want that in Vault Security loyal to the overseer but kind to the vault citizens.

Question 4: Rigel read the question as a smirk sprawled over his face. He answered number 3 because who doesn't want to be the designated hitter?

Question 5: Looking at the question and having to read it twice to make sure he was reading it properly he thought of how odd the question was. He decided to pick number 2 because it was the right thing to do, plus he didn't have a granny so whatever.

Question 6: He read the question thinking to himself this is exactly what Vault Security Does! Rigel picked answer 1 because that was the most diplomatic solution to the situation.

Question 7: After reading the question it sent chills down Rigel's spine thinking about mutating. Blaa he thought. He thought the laser idea was cool because its a laser and it kind of made more sense....and it was a freaking laser so ya he selected answer 4.

Question 8: Rigel read the question knowing immediately he had to pick answer 1 and he did. Because as a Vault Security you had to set and example and be beyond reproach.

Question 9: Rigel circled answer 2 because it was the lest likely chance of killing his father. Putting firecrackers in toilet never gets old he thought sniggering to himself.

Question 10: He looked at the question and then all four answers with a sense of unease. He picked answer 1 because well it was all the same answer and that was closest to the top. He was not sure of what he really thought of the overseer but he wanted that Vault Security job so he was willing to put up with some eccentric behavior to get what he wanted....right?

After reviewing his answers again he was satisfied with his responses and why he picked them. He put the pencil down and rubbed his hands on his pants to make sure they were dry. He had been sweating from the anxiety and he didn't want to get the paper wet. He looked around the room and noticed he was not the first to finish but he wasn't the last. He was somewhere in the middle. He picked up the paper and walked up to the front of the class and and handed it to Mr. Brotch with a half hearted smile hoping for the best.

Pat

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Alex felt quite confident in his ability to do well on the G.O.A.T. After all, from his gathered knowledge, there were no real wrong answers in the test and thus no way to really cheat. Unless of course you knew what answers would get you what job, but being put into a job you weren't well suited for...well, that was a great way to get in trouble.

Then the teacher began to read off the questions and answers and he found himself snickering at the very first question. The question and answers were definitely not made up by someone with any actual scientific understanding. A quantum harmonizer in combination with a photonic resonator would cause an inverse feedback fold, resulting in a very annoying and persistent strobe light...still, he picked the first answer.

The second question was more of a puzzler. Common sense would say attempting to provide aid to an unknown infection would be a terrible way to end up dead. The better option would be to restrain and observe, to better understand the infection and better cure it, at least when the doctor returned. However, this was a test of their aptitude and the vault was a community. So he picked the third answer, to help someone to the best of his ability.

The third question was really easy. He quickly picked the first answer. He had a soft spot for kids and there was no way in telling if the kid actually stole it...also, how would he know it was even stolen? Things got misplaced all the time, it was easy to find something just lying about and pick it up out of curiosity.

Question four was...weird. He'd never been much of a sports guy so he randomly chose and ended up with being a catcher.

Question five was another weird one. Why would his grandmother ask him to kill someone? She had the gun, she could easily do it herself. He wasn't one to simply blindly follow orders. If he had a lot of his toys and gadgets would have never ended up being made. He also couldn't throw tea into his grandmother's face. Not only was it his grandmother but it was also tea and that was very hard to grow in the Vault. He liked tea. A mini gun was also impractical, a pistol was fine and a mini gun might hit something important like the water lines or the food processors. So answer two was all that was left to pick. It was the best option to pick. Give up something of his for someone's life. It was't the best option but it was the best he had out of the four answers.

Sixth question was the bobby pin answer. That one was simple. It was a quick and effective way to get the door open. Then he'd probably design some system that would keep the door unlocked, or maybe some kind of computer thing that would unlock the door at Abernathy's request.

Seven was interesting. A mutation caused by excessive radiation? Answer one was out of the question. So he had a hand growing out of his stomach, that just gave him an extra limb. Too bad there was no 'Keep the hand' option. Answer three was also a no. If there was a god, they wouldn't need to live in the vault in the first place. Praying because he grew an extra arm was pointless and a good way to die. So it was between the second and fourth answer. Surgically removing the limb was possible however, without proper study of it, he'd have no idea what the limb was connected to. It could contain important organs after his stomach was shifted. So anti-mutagen.

Eight was another easy one. Sneak in and steal it. With the right stuff, he could easily make a copy of the comic and get either the original or the copy back before they noticed it missing.

Nine was also easy. Answer four...because he'd already done that.

Ten was...really stupid and he wasn't sure if it was supposed to be answered. Even the teacher sounded exasperated as he read it. Like it was just thrown in to appease the Overseer. He wasn't sure if each choice had a meaning but there was no more information to make a decision so he just picked the first answer. He was a little early to finish so he simply waited a bit, observing out of the corner of his eyes the actions of everyone else, trying to guess what they were picking as they answered.

Eventually, he saw Rigel get up and carry his paper to the teacher and took that as his cue to do the same.

((And if it was confusing. The Answers were 1, 3, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 4, 1))

 

[ThaDruid]

Dominic sat quietly at his chair, slightly flustered at the current state of affairs. As much as everyone told him that the G.O.A.T was more chance than actual skill, he couldn't also shake off the panic brought upon by the terrible rumors surrounding those who failed the test... He hoped that it wouldn't be the case for him, and dreamed of a place in the Vault's special security force. He looked up to those armored men ever since he was a kid... But then, working as a Jukebox Technician would also make for a cushy profession, and he'd get to choose whatever songs he wanted! Yet at the same time...

Gah, the papers were already being passed out! With a shaking hand, he took his, exchanging a fearful look with Mr. Brotch. He looked over the questions a first time. Then a second. Then a third, even as the teacher began reading them out loud. Dominic took the risk of having a small look around, seeing how the other students were handling it... They all seemed certain and resolute. Much more than him... Or perhaps they were just faking it?

There he was, getting lost again in his dreams. Catching himself with a deep breath and holding it for a while, Dominic began penciling in his answers.

Question 1: ... Dominic scratched his head absently at the question. Quantonic resolation chambers... These technicalities never interested him that much. In the end, he picked the easiest option and the most effective. Number 3. A frenzied scientist running amok in the Vault would be very dangerous not just to the others, but to himself. Stunning him and calling the Overseer would have been the best. [3]

Question 2: Again, he picked Number 3, as that seemed to be the most sensible course of action. Amputating the thing would be dangerous without medical knowledge, screaming for help and doing nothing would be useless, and watching as the disease spread just seemed... Cruel. [3]

Question 3: There was no doubt in Dominic's mind, Number 1 was the only right option. As a child, it happened to sometimes get lost exploring the Vault's maintenance ducts or lower levels... What a scare, that was. [1]

Question 4: Oh, he enjoyed a good match of baseball as much as any other Vault dweller. He even played in the junior team. This was a no-brainer, Number 3, designated hitter! [3]

Question 5: Oh, this was hard... Dominic loved his grandmother, god bless her soul, but wouldn't go as far as to kill another vault dweller for her! Maybe she forgot to take her medication... Number 2 wouldn't cause anyone to get hurt. Sacrificing something precious for someone else's life is what Grognak would've done, right? No, Grognak would've probably chosen Number 4...
Dominic would've wanted to pick answer 2, yet in his state of total panic he ended up mistakingly checking Number 4. [4]

Question 6: Dominic picked up lockpicking from one of Butch's friends. He hung around with them some years back, before realizing that they would never do any good in this world. Still, knowing how to pick a lock can always be useful. Answer Number 1 it is! [1]

Question 7: Ew. Eeeeew. He didn't even want to think about this one. He'd rather die than have a mutation. There is no saving from that. As grim as it is, Number 1 is what he picked. [1]

Question 8: Now this question was obviously the most important question of the G.O.A.T. The first issue of Grognak The Barbarian is an invaluable resource, its rarity would be unparalleled. Option Number 4 would provide the safest result, with no way of it being traced back to him. It would feel kinda bad to rob a fellow Vault member, though... [4]

Question 9: Aha, the old flooded bathroom trick! It would certainly get him in trouble, but boy oh boy would he get a laugh out of it. [1]

Question 10: ... What? [1]

Feeling very relieved at finally finishing his paper, Dominic leaned back to relax a bit and stretch his arms. Whew...

Soon after, he saw Rigel and Alex turning in their tests. He got up and did the same, smiling contentedly to himself all the way to the teacher's desk.

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Chris sat down, the teenager mostly silent as the questions were read. He had a big grin on his face, as he was elated to finally take the G.O.A.T. test. He smiled, taking his paper as he waited for the test. He smiled at his fellow Vault Dwellers, the test starting as he waited for the teacher to finish his little lecture about finding the classroom. He picked up his pencil, and started writing.

Question 1: "But doctor, wouldn't that cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity?" Chris giggled at the question, the innuendo not lost on him. He did pay attention in class, after all.

Question 2: Medicate the infected area to the best of your abilities. He had to think about it fkr a minute. He was torn between that and screaming foe help. But treating the wound would be better in the moment.

Question 3: Give the boy a hug and tell him everything will be ok. Chris didn't even read the other questions. The answer was clear to him. Punishing the boy was not something he would do.

Question 4: Catcher. He didn't have much strength, nor did he have the stamina to be a designated hitter or pitcher, but he did have decent hand-eye-coordination, so he went with catcher.

Question 5: Offer your most prized possession for the resident's life. There's no way that Chris would be a hitman, even for his grandmother. He didn't like violence tphat much, so yeah.

Question 6: Use a bobby pin to pick the lock on the door. Of all the choices, this was the one that didn't involve violents oe being a dick. Plus it didn't cause any property damage.

Question 7: Large doses of anti-mutagen agent. Chris was quite squeamish, he wasn't someone who would shoot themselves, and while he did believe in God, he knew that prayer wouldn't help.

Question 8: Trade the comic book for one of your own valuable possessions. Chris was starting to wonder why so many od the answers were violent morally dubious. It kind of scared him, actually.

Question 9: Loosen some bolts on some pipes. When the sink is turned on, the room will flood. Again, why does most of these questions involve hurting someone or stealing? Jeez.

Question 10: The Overseer. Chris sighed. He didn't really like the Overseer, and really only put it down because A: it was the only answer, and B: because he had to.

He handed his paper in, smiling as he said, "All done, Mr. Brotch!" He smiled, waiting for his results patiently. He stood there, leaning over Mr. Brotch as he graded the tests like a true teacher's pet. Which he was.