Quoted By:
“Gather all of the wasps that you find,” you say to the Voss. “Make a fire and see to it that they are all burned before the sickness that they carry spreads. Not just the ones that came inside – any that you find in the forest outside as well. There will be no rest until there is nothing left of them but ash.”
Some of the tribesmen seem uncertain. They're famished, sleepless and covered in wasp stings. Under normal circumstances, they would be in no condition to do anything other than rest. However, the situation is urgent, your tone makes that obvious. So at your behest, they all get to work.
The bunker is emptied of the vermin soon enough, but picking them out of the surrounding woodland is much more arduous. Hours are spent searching the undergrowth for carcasses covered with fuzzy white growth, all of which are thrown a fire pit with all haste. Yet some of the tribesmen are no condition to be toiling for hours. Three of those who suffered the most stings ended up passing out, likely due to the wasp venom still coursing through their veins. One young woman even ends up dying, her poisoning exacerbated by starvation and exhaustion. Her name was Nowme and you see to it that her body is burned as well.
After that, finding food is your priority. Almost none of the tribesmen brought anything with them in their rush to flee from the swarm so you are forced to hunt on their behalf. Those who are able are sent out to forage, while the worst off are left to recuperate. Though it takes you an hour, you're able to track down and fell a doe with your submachine gun – that's another three rounds expended. It's not enough to keep nineteen people well-fed but it's a start.
Once the foragers have returned and the beast has been cooked, the Voss gather in one of the abandoned halls of the outer reaches to eat. Morale is low, especially after the death of Nowme. Just one look at the firelit faces of the Voss makes that painfully apparent. This situation is untenable – you will need to figure out a solution and soon.
>A culling is needed. Those who are feeble, talentless or soft-hearted must be cast out, leaving you with only those who have the strength, will and skill to survive.
>Someone will need to visit Mulhouse. You need proper tools if you want to do more than eke out a living like some sort of savage, so you'll trade for them.
>You will have to pay a visit to the village of the Voss. If you can bring some of their equipment back to the bunker, that will make life a whole lot easier.
>Break open some more lockers and teach the best shots how to use a gun. So long as you have ammunition, they will be able to hunt for all the food they need.
>Push your memes to the next level. Whenever possible, you must be bending one of the Voss to your will with memetic protocols and instilling loyalty in them. It's unethical but necessary.
