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And even if we hold this dam, what then? Are we going to send the NCR's men and women to die here for another five years? Ten? Patrol the whole length of the Colorado for hundreds of miles? Holding this dam. It'll be the death of us.
”Chief Hanlon is the commanding officer of the New California Republic Rangers, coordinating Ranger operations throughout the Mojave. He operates out of Camp Golf and is a major character in Fallout: New Vegas.
Background[]
Hailing from California, Hanlon is the head of the NCR Rangers and is one of its longest serving members.[1] Hanlon served as a Ranger for over forty years, joining before Elise became Ranger Chief around 2241. Over nearly half a century of service, he saw the Rangers grow from a small, rag-tag group of abolitionists with a clear moral sense into a large, professional military force that had trouble telling the good guys from the bad.[2]
Many of the things he saw as a Ranger changed him and his relationship with the Republic. One of these pivotal moments came between 2256 and 2261, when he led a team of six Rangers to investigate reports of raider attacks on a small settlement called Rattletail in Baja California. It took the Rangers a week to get to Rattletail, losing one to night stalkers and another nearly dying of dehydration. What they found was a slaughter: Twenty four bodies shot dead among the dunes, all by the five NCR settlers with .308 rifles who claimed the only well in fifty miles and opened fire on anyone who tried to reach it. None of the dead were heavily armed or raiders. To prevent further loss of life, Hanlon sold them a story about an incoming raider army, one hundred strong, and losing ten Rangers already on the way in. Then he offered to escort the settlers back to the NCR. They took the offer and eventually resettled in Anza-Borrego as bighorner ranchers. He considers this his one good deed in over forty years of service.[3]
Despite his doubts, he served the Rangers and the Republic to the best of his ability. He developed a legendary reputation for his use of misdirection, traps, and ambushes, frequently executed with the use of explosives, especially mines. The Legion learned to fear his name in the wake of the First Battle of Hoover Dam,[4] when his strategy broke up the Legion's offensive by luring the bulk of their forces across the Hoover Dam and literally blowing them up together with Boulder City.[5][6] As a war hero and a veteran of countless campaigns, he is a powerful influence in military circles, and even has the President's ear, though Kimball tends to favor his own coterie of war hawks. This was evident when Hanlon's request to assign Rangers and power armor troops to the Mojave was ignored in favor of sending veterans on ghost hunts down in Baja.[7] The situation's not helped by the bitterness of General Lee Oliver at Hanlon receiving credit for winning the First Battle of Hoover Dam. Given that Oliver is a favorite of the President, Hanlon has faced an uphill struggle for the past several years.[8]
As such, Chief Hanlon took a hard look at the Mojave Campaign and came to the conclusion that holding on to the Dam and New Vegas would eventually kill the Republic. Believing the task of keeping the Colorado and the frontier safe was too much for the Army or even the Rangers to take, he decided to deliberately sabotage the war effort by manipulating intelligence reports sent in from Ranger stations across the Mojave, to convince the brass that the situation was more hopeless than it was in reality. In the end, he wished that the NCR would decide to cut its losses and abandon the frontier.[9]
The Courier can reveal his plan and then decide how to deal with the situation.[10]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
 |
This character is involved in quests. |
Quests[]
- Return to Sender: The player is asked to investigate strange reports from Ranger stations an upgrade radio codes. Eventually, Tech Sergeant Reyes discovers that Chief Hanlon is the culprit and asks the player to confront the Chief. At this point, the player can decide how to deal with the Chief, indirectly deciding the fate of the Rangers.
Endings[]
| # | Slide | Voice-over narration | In-game condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
After the death of Chief Hanlon, the power of NCR's Rangers was broken for years. Their organization, so reliant on the wisdom and guidance of its elder members, became a shadow of what it once was to people across the wasteland. | Chief Hanlon is killed. |
| 2 |
|
Defying Chief Hanlon's worst fears, NCR's rangers persevered and distinguished themselves during the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. The rangers, along with NCR's many troopers, shared the glory of victory. Hanlon wisely stayed out of the spotlight, crediting General Oliver's leadership for NCR's success. After a brief fanfare, Hanlon stepped down as chief and returned to the peace and quiet of his ranch outside of Redding. | Don't expose the Chief, complete the endgame quest Eureka! for the NCR. |
| 3 |
|
During the attack on Hoover Dam, Chief Hanlon and his rangers threw themselves into the path of the Legion assault, dying to the last man and woman. In the aftermath that followed in the NCR, bitter citizens and opportunistic senators were quick to denounce President Kimball and General Oliver. Hanlon and his fallen rangers were revered for their bravery and sacrifice. | Don't expose the Chief, complete the endgame Veni, Vidi, Vici for Caesar's Legion. |
| 4 |
|
Despite distinguishing themselves during the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the rangers' victory was short-lived due to the Courier's interference. Chief Hanlon personally directed the evacuation of the rangers to Mojave Outpost as they fell back into NCR territory. Bitter over the waste of life in the Mojave, Hanlon stepped down from his post. After a campaign in which he denounced Oliver's and Kimball's hawkish, imperialist ways, Hanlon was elected as the senator of Redding. | Don't expose the Chief, complete No Gods, No Masters or All or Nothing. |
| 5 |
|
Although they performed admirably during NCR's defense of Hoover Dam, the rangers fell into decline soon after. With Hanlon's plot against the occupation exposed and Oliver hailed as NCR's new war hero, many rangers were greeted coldly on their return home. Few openly blamed the rangers for Hanlon's treachery, but public and political support for the organization quickly dwindled. | Hanlon commits suicide, complete the endgame quest Eureka! for the NCR. |
| 6 |
|
With Caesar's victory came a small measure of vindication for the rangers' late Chief Hanlon. Upon the military's return, debate raged within NCR's senate about who was to blame for the loss of Hoover Dam offices. Though some in NCR regarded Hanlon as a traitor, many believed he was the only military commander who saw the futility in defending New Vegas. | Hanlon commits suicide, complete the endgame Veni, Vidi, Vici for Caesar's Legion. |
| 7 |
|
Although they performed admirably during NCR's defense of Hoover Dam, the rangers fell into decline soon after. With Hanlon's plot against the occupation exposed and Oliver denounced for losing Hoover Dam, many rangers were greeted coldly on their return home. Few openly blamed the rangers for Hanlon's treachery, but public and political support for the military as a whole quickly dwindled. | Hanlon commits suicide, complete No Gods, No Masters or All or Nothing. |
| 8 |
|
Due to the Courier's intervention, Chief Hanlon abandoned his plan to sabotage the defense of Hoover Dam. The rangers assisted the troopers admirably during the Legion's ill-fated attack. Though General Oliver and Chief Hanlon were both praised for their leadership, the chief quietly stepped out of the spotlight. After a brief fanfare for a life full of accomplishments, Chief Hanlon retired and returned to the peace and quiet of his ranch in Redding. | Convince the chief to stop falsifying records, complete the endgame quest Eureka! for the NCR. |
| 9 |
|
Due to the Courier's intervention, Chief Hanlon abandoned his plan to sabotage the defense of Hoover Dam. The rangers heroically assisted NCR's troopers in their ill-fated defense against the overwhelming power of Caesar's Legion. Though many NCR military officers fled the territory soon after the dam was lost, Chief Hanlon remained at Camp Golf to surrender to the Legion. Out of respect for Hanlon's composure and worth as an adversary, Caesar had him beheaded. | Convince the chief to stop falsifying records, complete Veni, Vidi, Vici, do not allow Caesar to die in Et Tumor, Brute?. |
| 10 |
|
Due to the Courier's intervention, Chief Hanlon abandoned his plan to sabotage the defense of Hoover Dam. The rangers heroically assisted NCR's troopers in their ill-fated defense against the overwhelming power of Caesar's Legion. Though many NCR military officers fled the territory soon after the dam was lost, Chief Hanlon remained at Camp Golf to surrender to the Legion. Despite the late Caesar's respect for Chief Hanlon as an adversary, Legate Lanius had Hanlon crucified along with all of the other rangers. | Convince the chief to stop falsifying records, complete Veni, Vidi, Vici and allow Caesar to die in Et Tumor, Brute?. |
| 11 |
|
Due to the Courier's intervention, Chief Hanlon abandoned his plan to sabotage the defense of Hoover Dam. The rangers assisted the troopers admirably during the Legion's ill-fated attack. Though the Courier snatched victory from NCR, only General Oliver was blamed for the loss of Hoover Dam. Hanlon, exhausted after a lifetime of service to the NCR, stepped down from his position in the rangers and retired to his ranch in Redding. | Convince the chief to stop falsifying records, complete No Gods, No Masters or All or Nothing. |
Inventory[]
 |
 |
Ranger vest outfit |
|---|---|---|
 |
Ranger Sequoia, Combat knife | |
 |
- | |
 |
empty |
Notable quotes[]
Bugs[]
Hanlon's behavior during the speech at the end of the quest - should the player decide to turn him in - can bug out, either not playing completely, failing to trigger the scripts for Rangers to investigate, and so on and so forth.
Gallery[]
Collector's Edition playing card.
Appearances[]
Hanlon appears in Fallout: New Vegas, and is mentioned by Ulysses in Lonesome Road.[4]
References
- ↑ Fallout New Vegas loading screen hints
- ↑ The Courier: "How long have you been in the rangers?"
Hanlon: "Oh, well. I guess it must be coming up on... forty years or so. Back before Elise was chief, anyway. It was a heck of a lot harder then. Weren't as many of us to go around. But I think it was a lot easier to tell the good guys from the bad."
(Hanlon's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "There must be something good the rangers have done that you're proud of."
Hanlon: "[SUCCEEDED] It's kind of a long one, but all right. About twenty, twenty-five years ago, a group of NCR settlers pushed way south into Baja. I guess it doesn't seem so far now if you look at a map, but back then, they were out a ways. They built this little shanty town around a well in the middle of nowhere. Called it Rattletail."
The Courier: "[Continue]"
Hanlon: "Word got back to one of our stations that raiders had been attacking the place. I went out with six rangers. We must have been on the trail for a week before we got to Rattletail. We lost one woman to Night Stalkers and another almost died of dehydration. When we reach the place, it's six shacks set up around an old well."
The Courier: "[Continue]"
Hanlon: "There's over two dozen bodies lying in the dunes way outside of town and five men with .308 rifles crouched behind sand bags. And these bodies, these people out in the sand, they aren't raiders. Aren't even heavily armed. They're just people who were trying to get to the only well in fifty miles. I didn't have to talk to the men to see that they did not care one bit."
The Courier: "[Continue]"
Hanlon: "They had planted an NCR flag over the well and they would not budge until every last one of them was laid out, dead and cold. So I walked up and told them there was a group of raiders coming, one hundred strong. I made up some cockamamie name for them and everything. The men looked at each other, looked at us, and asked me what we were going to do about it."
The Courier: "[Continue]"
Hanlon: "I told him we would take them back into NCR territory because we had already lost ten rangers on the way out. Ten rangers, five men with .308 rifles. Well, that was enough for them. They packed up what they could and we took them back north. Last I heard, they settled somewhere in Anza-Borrego. Raised Bighorners. Had some tough times, but it worked out okay for them. So there you go. That's my one bit of good."
(Hanlon's dialogue) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ulysses: "A tactic of the Bear."
Ulysses: "Worthy of Hanlon."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "You said you made a promise not to kill me. Why?"
Ulysses: "Caesar's orders. Some time before I realized the why of it. Wasn't just you. All couriers. No telling how many were Legion. Maybe all of them. Wasn't sure about you. Until the Divide... all the NCR burning... that much death, it bears the mark of a Legion hand. But you killed like NCR. Like Hanlon, with mines, bombs... missiles. Killed Legion along with the Bear. Like a coward, kills from a distance. If you were Legion, then NCR beat you, the West changed you."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "[Legion] The dead? You mean your brothers in the Legion - our brothers."
Ulysses: "The Legion who died here... they didn't deserve to die, like those that died in the fires of Boulder City... bombs, Hanlon's gifts. Their deaths were mercy compared to those who still walk. Any who die beneath the flag of the Bull... their death should be in battle. But no... the dead number more than my brothers."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ Courier: "What's going on in Baja?"
Chief Hanlon: "It's complicated. Goes way back. I told President Kimball that we need more rangers here. He accepted that, but took the most experienced ones and sent them south. Patrol rangers are good men and women, but we're about to fight a war." - ↑ Courier: "Tell me about General Oliver."
Hanlon: "Oh, well... now, you'll have to excuse me. The general and I don't always see eye to eye on things. Maybe it's best that I just say that he is a trooper, through and through. The man will not give up an inch for anything, least of all to the Legion." - ↑ The Courier: "How does spreading false intel help anything?"
Hanlon: "People back home don't listen. They don't care. Senators, Brahmin barons, folks who are just trying to make it from day to day. It's been so many years that people forget about it. Conscription brings in fresh troops to die here every month. Like it's routine. And even if we hold this dam, what then? Are we going to send the NCR's men and women to die here for another five years? Ten? Patrol the whole length of the Colorado for hundreds of miles? Holding this dam. It'll be the death of us."
(Hanlon's dialogue) - ↑ Return to Sender
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