By Fallout: New Vegas, the New California Republic (NCR) is known as one of the largest factions in the Wasteland. They hold territories in Oregon, Nevada, and California, often providing protection to its citizens and governing trade. Their laws, ideals, and structure are based on old-world values such as democracy.
Before the NCR became as big as it is in Fallout: New Vegas, though, it had very humble beginnings. The faction would not have existed were it not for the existence of Vault 15 and the circumstances that happened there. It all began there, with a man named Aradesh.
The History Of Vault 15
Vault 15 is a location that players could visit in the original Fallout and its sequel. Like all other Vaults, it was created with a social experiment in mind, and the experiment of Vault 15 was to gather radically diverse people in terms of culture and ideologies. The idea was to record their interactions.
Predictably, the vault dwellers were quite divided, which made most of the vault dwellers leave. They split and created different communities. One settlement, Shady Sands, was created with the vault's GECK. Many others did not quite make settlements, but became raiders with the Vipers, Khans, and Jackals. Some remained in the Vault itself, but that did not last long since the vault would eventually be attacked by raiders. The third level of the Vault caved in during a raider invasion, and those that remained inside either had to leave or perished. As Vault 15 fell to raiders, Shady Sands began to quickly develop. As it began to form, the leader of Shady Sands, who came out of Vault 15, would begin the creation of the NCR.
The Rise Of The NCR
Shady Sands's leader Aradesh founded the settlement with the GECK in 2142. The small town became self-sufficient but slowly opened itself up to trade. Aradesh would eventually disappear and be presumed dead, but not before he founded the NCR. He did not live to see the faction grow into a big power in the Wasteland, though it did grow under the presidency of his daughter, Tandi.
Shady Sands became the capital of the NCR, and one of its biggest cities. By 2241, the city had over three thousand citizens, becoming the headquarters for the NCR's Hall of Congress and the president's office. Its agriculture that originally spawned from the GECK made Shady Sands grow from a humble farm settlement to the largest populated city in New California.
The NCR did not forget about Vault 15, however. The abandoned Vault remained close to Shady Sands, and they wished to excavate what was once the home of their founder. However, excavation proved dangerous, as scavengers and raiders also wanted excavation rights.
The Conclusion Of Vault 15
The NCR abandoned their excavation mission for a time, and when they returned, their old base was claimed by squatters. These wastelanders acted on behalf of the New Khans, who lied to them, saying that the vault was being repaired. In truth, the raiders just wanted to mess with the NCR, to not let them excavate the Vault. The New Khans were big enemies of the NCR, and even had a spy planted in the NCR congress at the time.
Tandi, the president of the NCR while this occurred, wanted to specifically retrieve computer parts from Vault 15 for the NCR. In the events of Fallout 2, with the help of the Chosen One, the NCR would broker a deal with the squatting wastelanders. The NCR would then successfully excavate Vault 15, which concluded the story of Vault 15 and its relation to the NCR. Over the course of its existence, it was home to many factions, including the Khans, Jackals, Vipers, wasteland squatters, and the NCR.
Fallout: New Vegas is available now for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
