By making sure all bases are covered, Vault Tec relies on every outcome to make profit.
It doesn't matter who wins, only Vault Tec comes out above all other contestants.
At any cost.
And the Angels Sounded
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth.
And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.
And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened.
A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth.
And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.
And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened.
A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
— Revelations
It’s all over and I’m standing pretty, in the dust that was a city.
- Nena, 99 Luftballoons
Welcome to Pre-War Fallout!
Now, to the factual background.
In late 2053, the United States closed its borders when a new super plague was discovered to be running rampant through its population, and a terrorist nuclear weapon destroyed the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. In early 2054, the U.S. responded to the increasing likelihood of a nuclear war by initiating Project Safehouse. This project, financed by the sale of nearly worthless Treasury bonds from an increasingly destitute American government (inflation had become rampant as the economy worsened), was responsible for creating large underground survival shelters designed to withstand nuclear fallout or a viral pandemic, commonly known as the Vaults.
In 2060, the Middle Eastern oil fields finally ran dry, ending the European war. The European Commonwealth soon dissolved back into quarreling, bickering nation-states that resembled Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, all of which were bent on controlling the last remaining fossil-fuel resources on Earth. In the winter of 2066, China invaded Alaska over what were most likely the last drops of oil on the planet. The U.S. responded with force, but it would be ten years before the conflict would finally end. In a desperate maneuver, both superpowers invaded neighboring countries in an effort to bolster their dwindling resources. The United States' annexation of Canada was concluded by late 2074. Canadian timber and petroleum provided the raw materials to support the needs of the American military.
