Clayton was born in New Reno, the city of sin, and witnessed the fall of the Mordinos to the Wrights. The constant bickering and fighting between the families only got worse when the Van Graffs expanded into New Reno, seeking to develop their mercantile empire. Rather than wait to become just another casualty in the struggle for power, he left the town and migrated East, to the Mojave wasteland.[1]
He eventually wound up in Westside. Together with Tom Anderson, from the Followers of the Apocalypse, he kickstarted the community's agriculture, aiming for a decentralized, distributed farming model. The efforts were a success, establishing its self-reliance in terms of food supply. After a few years, the output grew to the point that it created a stable trade surplus. Both helped keep the community independent from the NCR,[2] save for one thing: Water supply. Due to the absence of clean water in western Vegas, Anderson rigged the Republic's pump station to divert a portion of the water to the north cistern, where Hector, the local delivery boy, could collect and distribute it. As the scheme keeps the cooperative afloat and Westside is thriving, he doesn't consider it a problem.[3]
↑The Courier: "What's your story?" Clayton Ettienne: "Well, I've lived in Nevada all my life. Started out in New Reno, but headed down here as soon as I got the chance. If you can believe it, things are even worse back home. The whole city's still run by crime families. Used to be the Mordinos and Wrights. Now it's the Wrights and Van Graffs. Seems like things never get better. Anyway, that's all behind me now." (Clayton Ettienne's dialogue)
↑Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.42: "Westside Cooperative The residents of the fortified Westside Zone have a small, but tight-knit community based around growing crops for themselves, and to sell to travelers and larger Factions. Currently embroiled in tense negotiations with the NCR regarding the siphoning of their water supplies, the Westside Co-op features a motley band of folk, including an escapee from New Reno named Clayton Etienne, and a Follower of the Apocalypse called Tom Anderson, who is single-minded in his defense of this operation." (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles)
↑The Courier: "Whose idea was it to use the kid?" Clayton Ettienne: "It was Hector's idea, if you can believe it. He overheard me talking to Anderson about his idea to divert the water over here. We needed someone to be able to go into the cisterns and get the water out, but any of us would be suspicious. Hector volunteered. He said that no one pays attention to him, even with his brahmin. Anderson and I argued, but eventually we decided to let him go ahead with it. Look, this affects all of us, even Hector. What were we supposed to do, let all of our gardens die? Watch Westside fall apart?" (Clayton Ettienne's dialogue)
