Boomers

The Boomers are a tribe in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.

Background
As part of the Vault experiment, Vault 34's armory was overstocked with weapons and ammunition. It was also equipped with a great number of recreational facilities, including a full-sized swimming pool, at the cost of living space.

According to various sources inside the vault, the vault became overpopulated. Foreseeing problems the Overseer had a remote link to the armory lock installed on his terminal, denying access. A group of residents demanded access to the armory, stating the right to defend themselves, which the Overseer denied. Rioting broke out soon after, and the group who had demanded access to the armory stormed the exit and left the vault. As they wandered the Mojave Wasteland they fought many tribals with their weapons, easily outclassing the comparatively-primitive wastelanders. However, for "every 43.6 savages" they killed, one of their own died. Thus, they found Nellis Air Force Base, long since left empty because of the residual radiation, which the Vault dwellers easily circumvented with the use of Geiger counters.

In 2231, the group of dissidents from Vault 34 struck out on their own and began using Nellis as a temporary base. Over time, they eventually decided to call Nellis their home. They learned a great deal of information from the Air Force's records and used that information to open the weapons storehouses at Area 2 and the Hawthorne Army Depot, neither of which are present in Fallout: New Vegas. The result of their efforts was an enormous stockpile of heavy ordnance, artillery, and a small number of nuclear weapons.

Due to the tribe's paranoia, hostility, and excessive reverence for explosives, the New Vegas locals started calling them "Boomers". The Boomers didn't mind their name as long as it meant people kept their distance. No matter who approached them (Mr. House, the Vegas families, NCR, or Caesar), the Boomers had the same response: artillery. While the Boomers' attitude has kept away trouble, all of the major players in the Mojave Wasteland want to get on the tribe's good side. People simply have no idea how to accomplish that. Intelligence indicates that the Boomers have a clean water supply from Lake Mead, power from solar panels inside the base, and thriving farms that they've learned to develop "the hard way" over the decades they've been in the base. Once, the NCR attempted to shut off the Boomers' water supply. The Boomers' response was to shell sections of the NCR's water pipeline in eastern New Vegas. The NCR promptly restored the flow.

In the months that followed that experiment, no one has tried to approach the Boomers, which is just how they like it.


 * Boomer Museum Mural

Society
Having left Vault 34 and finding the Nellis Air Force Base, the Boomers had to find new clothes that reflected their independence. They found old military jackets in the base and used them over their vault jumpsuits. Each jacket sports several military medals for decoration, and embroidered on the back is the number "34", as to never forget where they came from.

They are a self-educated society, produce their own food and weapons, live in self-sufficiency, and have no relations with the outside world.

The Boomers believe that self-armament is the key to a peaceful society, meaning that each Boomer carries a weapon and will not hesitate to use it when the time calls for it.

Boomers are attached to their history, whether past or present. A large fresco in their museum tells of their great epic, out of Vault 34 to the future acquisition of the Boeing B-29-100-BW Superfortress at the bottom of Lake Mead.

Structure
Their structure is very basic; there is a doctor, a leader, mechanical technicians, and guards to protect their base. Only the leader can give orders to the others and has absolute power over everything.

Military
The Boomers have an extremely basic military hierarchy, consisting of basic guards, mortar teams, the acting Master of Arms, and the Elder. A combination of guards armed with man-portable explosive launchers and howitzer teams will bomb the area south of Nellis when somebody enters targeting range, with the exception of the intruder making it close enough to the fence, where they will either detain the intruder or kill them. The commanding officer, called the Master of Arms, coordinates the guards in both defensive and offensive (mainly diversionary) operations, and the Elder of the Boomers has the ability to issue new orders and alter or override existing orders with all forms of military and security procedures without contest.

Relations with the outside
They are hostile towards anyone who tries to approach their base and refuse to trade with anyone. However, due to the powerful weapons that the Boomers have in their control, they have attracted the interest of the main factions in the area. The NCR hopes to establish diplomatic and trade relations with the Boomers, while Caesar's Legion seeks to absorb them into the Legion. Mr. House wants their weapons aimed at his enemies.

Technology
Coming from one of the most heavily-armed Vaults in existence, Boomers are extremely well-equipped. They each have a PIP-Boy 3000 and are well versed in the use of explosives. They have missile launchers, grenade launchers, fat men, and many old military howitzers that they use to repel anyone trying to make their way to the base. Many Mister Gutsy robots have been reprogrammed by the Boomers to protect them, these robots can also break down and transport large objects quickly and efficiently, as stated by Loyal when returning to him after raising the bomber.

Within the hangar are flight simulators that can teach any Boomer to fly, these pods resemble the pods in Hidden Valley bunker. They have no working planes, but this doesn't keep them from flying, at least virtually. These simulators need access codes to function (which can be obtained from Loyal by passing a Speech check), but no matter what your reputation with the Boomers the option to open them will be red and cannot be opened.

The base produces its energy through solar panels, cultivates its own crops inside the base and has a unlimited supply of water due to their proximity to Lake Mead. During Missing a Few Missiles, Raquel will state the Boomers supply of the ordnance is getting low, her idea of low however is a five year supply. Similarly Jack will want scrap metal during Iron and Stealing, though they don't need it right then, they may need it in the future. This demonstrates a mastery over logistics and stockpiling which many factions in the Mojave simply lack.

Development
The Boomers were created by John Gonzalez.

Behind the scenes
The Boomers are a reference to the tribals that appear in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The Boomers and the general history of Vault 34 might also be a subtle critique over the long-debated issue of the constitutional "Right to Bear Arms", with the Boomers being a symbol for allegedly anti-governments militias that claim to protect said rights from the American government, especially when it involves posting limitations/restrictions on gun selling/possession.

Appearances
The Boomers appear only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Boomersi Бомбисты