Bitter-Root

Sergeant Bitter-Root is a Californian officer in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Alpha Team, stationed at Camp McCarran in Fallout: New Vegas.

Background
A surly, no-nonsense marksman, Bitter-Root is one of the youngest members of the 1st Recon Alpha Team. Despite his young age, he has seen his fair share of horrors and suffered trauma that would break lesser men. The underlying cause is that he was born among the Great Khans and survived the Bitter Springs Massacre that killed so many. He harbors no ill will towards the Republic, if anything, he has convinced himself that he hates the Khans and that the Massacre was just punishment for Khan raids on NCR holdings in the Mojave.

His hatred for the Khans is a function of his upbringing. Life among the Khans is brutal and Bitter-Root's is no exception. The marksman has convinced himself that he hates his parents and the Khans wholesale, to cope with the loss. He recalls the nasty memories with ease: His father was a brutal junkie, starting fights, taking potshots at the NCR, civilian and military alike, children included. In fact, that's how Bitter-Root was taught by his father to shoot. At the end of the day, his father would get drunk and swap stories about his victims. His mother wasn't much better, constantly hopped up on Jet and trying to score some more whenever she wasn't. She allegedly even tried to sell him once, just to get more of this drug. Considered useless, her beauty was the only thing that made Bitter-Root's father keep her.

Bitter-Root convinced himself that he hates them, down to the very core of his being. He believes (and thinks he does so honestly) that the Massacre was the best thing to happen to him. Yet his survival remains a mystery. The NCR troops found him covered in blood, but it was not his. Bitter-Root had his own scores to settle with the Khans, deeper ones than the Republic could have. When the NCR troops attacked, he settled them on his own. Not all of the Khans died from Republican hands. It's possible that Bitter-Root parents didn't either. Brought to Captain Dhatri, Bitter-Root struck the officer as very un-Khan-like. It is unknown whether it was pity, sympathy, or remorse, but Dhatri took Bitter-Root in and treated him as a son.

Bitter-Root enlisted with the Republic's Army, leaving his past behind. He only took one token, a memory of his origins, with himself: He named himself Bitter-Root, in Khan tradition. Though he was too young to receive the beatdown that initiated Khans into adulthood, he accepted the Massacre as its replacement. Eventually, he made it to 1st Recon, making Major Dhatri proud. He loves his job, as he believes (or wants himself to believe) that he is eliminating people who deserve death. It seems his PTSD psychiatric treatment by Dr Usanagi stuck, but it did not undo his single-minded focus.

Quests

 * I Don't Hurt Anymore: Bitter-Root can provide information that can help convince Betsy to seek treatment.
 * Three-Card Bounty: The entire squad will aid the player in taking down Driver Nephi.

Effects of the player's actions

 * Completing Three-Card Bounty will result in 1st Recon being redeployed to Camp Forlorn Hope.

Appearances
Bitter-Root appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.