War Never Changes

The Ranger

War. War never changes.

The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower. But war never changes.

In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth. In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise.

A few were able to reach the relative safety of the large underground Vaults. But unknown to them, most of the vaults had ulterior motives for there new occupants.

In the year 2296, walking on a sandy pathway toward two wooden shacks was a lone man. The man was wearing pre-was LAPD riot armor with a brown trench coat and gas mask which emits a red glow. In his hands, he carried a trail carbine with a scope and on his hip was his hunting revolver. This man was a ranger for the NCR.

Getting closer to the door of the main wooden shack, the ranger puts his carbine on his back as he knocks on the door. A handful of seconds later, the door slowly opens and a little girl with a black ponytail and tan skin is revealed.

"Hello. Who are you?" The girl asked the masked man.

Crouching down and getting on the same level as the girl, the man takes off his helmet revealing a young man with tan skin, brown eyes, and short, unkempt black hair.

"I'm looking for your father as he has some information about a person and where I can find them." The man said before asking a question, "Is your father home?"

"No. Pa and Tommy are out looking for stuff to make things. They should be coming home soon." The girl says while looking past the man towards the sandy dunes behind him.

"May I come in?" The man asks the girl politely as she slightly nods her head up and down, signaling that he can.

Opening the door fully, she let the man inside as she made her way towards the kitchen. The girl looks back at the man as he looks around the wooden shack.

"Would you like something to drink?"

The man looks towards the girl and shakes his head and says, "Thank you for the offer but I wouldn't want to take anything from you."

"What's your name, Mister?" The girl asked the man as he placed his helmet on a table while sitting on a chair.

"Alexander. Alexander Hampton."

"My name is Sandra. Can I call you Alex?"

"If you want."

"Nice to meet you Alex."

Ten minutes later the front door of the shack opens revealing two people, an older man with tan skin and black short hair and a young man with tan and brown wavy hair.

As they enter the house, they see a young man wearing ranger gear sitting at the table with his helmet on it.

"Sandra?" The older man asked warily.

The young girl appears next to Alex.

"Sandra. Can you wait outside while we talk."

Sandra nods her head before walking off to go outside.