A Solution for the Master's Problem

[Abyss]

Super Mutants are sterile but humans are not. The Master intended to sterilize the last humans and let them die off, but this line of thought is fallacious and avoids a potential solution.

To put simply, the humans could be kept in a Vault so they could breed for creating more super mutants who are long lived though not immortal to my knowledge. A few generations of breeding humans would produce enough super mutants to keep up population growth. Only enough humans to continue repopulating without too many problems regarding potential incest are to be kept and prospective ascendants are taken away after developing into adults.

Eventually a final solution for sterility may be found and this measure won't be needed but could be kept up if the problem is perpetual.

 

[Hassknecht]

Well, yeah, pretty much. Keep a few vaults with humans in them, letting them reproduce, and kick the adults over, dunno, 40 or so, out of the vaults (after dipping them). That way you have a controlled stock of non-irradiated people and a growing populace of mutants for the Unity. Basically, treat the first 40 years of life as some sort of extended, sheltered infancy and childhood. It's not even all that evil, because parents can raise their own children until adulthood, and then live a long and maybe someday prosperous life outside rebuilding the world.

 

[valcik]

30 years limit would be a great reference to Logan's Run movie from 1976, except that people would get dipped in Vats instead of riding the Carrousel.

 

[Walpknut]

I think the sole idea of turning humans into immortal juggernauts is a bad idea all on it's own, keeping humans around to breed more and more mutants would just add the the problem. What problem? Extinction? No, lack of resources and overpopulation. Death is a natural balancing act, without death it just gets crowded and I am guessing the increased mass and strength of a Super Mutant means they have to eat much more than a regular human and with the world as it is after the war a food shortage would be more than inevitable if they have to supply for the increasing number of immortal hulks constantly. There would need to be some rather extensive population control that would selectively and routinely sacrifice Supermutants. And while most of them lose enough mental capabilities to control them into participating without much thought, a Marcus, a Keeney or a Tabitha would invariably turn up and lead their fellow Mutants and probably some humans too against said system, probably resulting in more war, maybe even the annihilation of the remaining humans as a means to stop the whole system on it's tracks.

 

[mef]

I always felt like Master wasn't really aware what is really going on with his mutants. How could he not know that mutants are sterile, if most mutants did? How could he not know that most mutants are really dumb? He probably spent most time with important ones, like Lieutenant and thought that every mutant is like them. I know dumb people are easier to control and that would work in Master's favor, but mutants couldn't thrive in the wasteland on their own. Not as civilized people.

 

[Hassknecht]

30 years limit would be a great reference to Logan's Run movie from 1976, except that people would get dipped in Vats instead of riding the Carrousel.

Indeed, and it would be a lot nicer because instead of dying you'll be more or less reborn as a superhuman badass.

I think the sole idea of turning humans into immortal juggernauts is a bad idea all on it's own, keeping humans around to breed more and more mutants would just add the the problem. What problem? Extinction? No, lack of resources and overpopulation. Death is a natural balancing act, without death it just gets crowded and I am guessing the increased mass and strength of a Super Mutant means they have to eat much more than a regular human and with the world as it is after the war a food shortage would be more than inevitable if they have to supply for the increasing number of immortal hulks constantly. There would need to be some rather extensive population control that would selectively and routinely sacrifice Supermutants. And while most of them lose enough mental capabilities to control them into participating without much thought, a Marcus, a Keeney or a Tabitha would invariably turn up and lead their fellow Mutants and probably some humans too against said system, probably resulting in more war, maybe even the annihilation of the remaining humans as a means to stop the whole system on it's tracks.

Population control would be pretty easy if you keep the humans under control, wouldn't it? Just dip only as many as you can support. The mutants can't reproduce on their own, and the humans in the vaults can also easily be controlled by adding contraceptives to the food or other methods. Not every human needs to be dipped, anyway. Those not needed for dipping, well, dispose of them or just let them die of old age in a reservation just like the Master planned.
And I think suicide would at some point be really common, if they get to live a very long time without any purpose after restoring the wasteland.
Well, I guess the mutants, who should be pretty damn smart if they come from uncontaminated humans, would come up with proper solutions.

 

[Walpknut]

But the Master's plan was to replace humans with Super Mutants. So the issue of immortality disrupting the balance and the increased needs of every individual Supermutant would still be igniters for conflict so the Master would just change the shaved monkeys for the Hulks, only making food shortages worse.

 

[Hassknecht]

But the Master's plan was to replace humans with Super Mutants. So the issue of immortality disrupting the balance and the increased needs of every individual Supermutant would still be igniters for conflict so the Master would just change the shaved monkeys for the Hulks, only making food shortages worse.

Indeed, and the Master's plan was stupid in that regard. Well, the general populace wouldn't be too large because, well, there aren't many people around to begin with, and the Master needs uncontaminated humans for proper mutants.
But the point is that the Master was a bit of a moron to just give up upon learning that his mutants are sterile. The possible solutions are obvious and rather safe, although it could be argued that having a stock of baseline humans around would go against his ideas of the Unity.

 

[naossano]

Not to mention that if the super-mutant population grows too large, they will ultimately end up being noticed (even with prime mutants & nightkins), unlike in Fo1, in which they kept low profile. If they get too much noticed and be seen as a treat, it would lead the most organized groups, like the BOS or the Enclave to stand up agains't them and start a war. Even if the super-mutants are stronge, wise and numerous, they will suffer heavy casualties before conquering the west coast.
Before even considering long term reproduction issues, they first have to be able to have an high (prime if possible) super-mutants production rate, to sustain their casualties. Then, once, they won, they could considering reducing the production rate.