Trouble on the Homefront

 is a Fallout 3 quest. It is also an Xbox 360 and PC achievement.

Objectives and walkthrough
This quest will be activated after the second quest at the Jefferson Memorial. You will pick up the Vault 101 distress signal on your radio the next time you wander near the Vault (Megaton is close enough). It is a message from Amata asking you to return to Vault 101 to help stop her father, the Overseer. If you killed the original Overseer while escaping from Vault 101, Allen Mack will be the new Overseer and you can still do this quest.

Since you and your father's escape from Vault 101, the Vault has been fractured into two major factions. The faction led by Amata, holed up in your father's Clinic, wants to open the Vault and interact with the outside world. The other faction is led by the Overseer and he wants to keep the vault closed permanently, in accordance with its mission.

You have a few options to finish this quest:

1) Kill the Overseer.

2) Kill all of the rebels.

3) Leave without doing anything (this decision, if you make it, is permanent).

4) Persuade the Overseer to open the vault with your Speech skill.


 * Note: Interestingly enough, if you end the situation amicably, Amata's speech to the PC regarding the "tough decision" of asking them to leave the vault is strikingly similar to the speech given to the PC of Fallout 1 at the end of that game, including the line "I'm sorry. You're a hero...and you have to leave."

5) Persuade Amata to stay in the vault with your Speech skill.

6) Go to the jail and use the computer there to find out about Security's plans to raid and kill the rebels.  The computer is locked; you can hack it with sufficient science skill, or you might be able to find the password simply by searching the lockers in the room, or else you can find it on the hostile Officer Wilkins.  Then, talk to the Overseer and tell him about Security's plans.  This will have the same effect as if you persuaded him with your speech skill. This only works on Amata's Father, not if Mack is the overseer.

7) Hack the computer in the sub-basement (75% Science) or steal the Pass Card from Stanley, the maintenance man, who can be found wandering around the cafeteria/dorm level. Go into manual override mode and perform a flush. This will flush the water chip. Lie to Amata that it was the Overseer's plan. Everyone is forced to evacuate the vault and you will see them spread out in the Wasteland (you lose Karma for this). If you complete part of the quest (kill Amata/Overseer or peace either way) you can no longer flush the water chip.

8) Hack the Overseer's computer and discover the attempts by the Enclave to gain entry into Vault 101, and the Overseer's refusal to admit them. Speak to Amata and tell her this and it will convince her to stay in the vault.

9) Overhear a Vault 101 resident mention the faulty air filtration system, find the system, sabotage it to kill everyone.  **This option needs further research/clarification as I never did it.**
 * Note: Butch mentions the faulty air filtration system in one of his dialogue options.