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Silus Treatment
FNV Boyd and Silus
Quest data
LocationCamp McCarran terminal building
Given ByCarrie Boyd
Reward325 XP
New California Republic fame
300 caps
Technical
Editor ID?
Base ID000e7913
 
Gametitle-FNV
Gametitle-FNV

So far this has gone exactly as expected; poorly.

Lt. Carrie Boyd

Silus Treatment[1] is an unmarked quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Synopsis[]

The Legion is notorious for its fanaticism, to the point that legionaries are prone to committing suicide if they are at risk of capture. There are exception to that rule, however, and centurion Silus is one. While all of his subordinates and officers cut open their throats when the NCR prevailed over them, Silus was taken prisoner. He represents a rare opportunity for the Army to learn about the inner workings of the Legion and its current strategic situation, but the problem is that Silus has clammed up and refuses to speak - except to insult the interrogators. Lt. Carrie Boyd, tasked with making the centurion spill the beans, is at a loss as to how to make him speak.

Walkthrough[]

  • The quest is started by talking to Carrie Boyd at the interrogation room in the Camp McCarran terminal building, up the right-hand escalators. The lieutenant will explain the situation once asked about work. The player can suggest various options for making him speak, including applying a truth serum and torture. Boyd will reject the serum out of hand, due to the risk of overdose, but will entertain the idea of beating a prisoner of war up. While the soldiers are bound by regulations implemented during President Tandi's rule, the player, as a non-military asset unknown to Silus, is free to dislocate his jaw as much as they please.
  • Once the player agrees to help, Boyd will go in and introduce them as an outside contractor, then let them take over. Silus will be flippant about the whole situation. The player will be disarmed when they enter, sans any holdout weapons, and will be free to either make Silus talk or help him flee the cell.
  • If Craig Boone is present, the player can always kill Silus to gain a history point with him.

Opening Silus[]

  • The most straightforward way is to simply punch Silus. Boyd will come in and talk to Silus after the first round, then let the player punch him again. Silus will break afterwards, realizing the pointlessness of the situation. Silus will not attack and will merely defend himself by sidestepping and blocking.
  • The subtler way involves persuading him to talk through dialogue. The Speech checks are hidden, but Speech 50 is enough to pass all of them (Speech 30 with a copy of Meeting People). The checks focus on forcing him to drop his guard by insulting his martial aptitude and achievements, to the point that he starts divulging state secrets.
  • The subtlest way is to pretend to be a Legion assassin sent to kill him. This requires Intelligence 8 and allows the player to use Latin phrases to establish their credibility. The phrases are:
    • Corruptio optimi pessima (Corruption of the best is the worst of all) is derived from Moralia on Job by Pope Gregory I the Great, referencing the risk that Silus poses as a potential informant.
    • Legum servi sumus (We are all servants of the law) comes from Cicero and references the fact that Silus is bound by Caesar's law. It is an inversion of Cicero's aphorism, as the point of being servants of the law was liberation, not enthrallment.
    • Timeo Danao et dona ferentis (I fear the Danaans [Greeks], even those bearing gifts) is a quote from Virgil's Aeneid, referencing the Trojan horse and the player's infiltration of Camp McCarran.
  • All of the options allow the player to intimidate Silus by manipulating his fear of Caesar. He will try to get help from Boyd, who will simply state that she doesn't care if Silus dies. Then, when the player threatens him again, he will start spilling secrets, completing the quest.
  • Boyd will pay out the consultant's fee, and be a bit disappointed if the player did not torture Silus, while still admiring their competence.

Helping Silus escape[]

  • If the player has a positive reputation with the Legion or was invited to the Fort, then they can inform Silus of this fact and help him escape. Silus will decide to stage a fight and tell the player to retrieve his silenced .22 pistol from the locker in the adjacent room.
  • During the second round of the interrogation, Silus will pretend to fall unconscious. Boyd will then order Corporal Walter Hornsby to clean up the mess and get Silus ready for another round of interrogation. Hornsby will enter the cell and tell Silus to get up.
  • The centurion will promptly eliminate the corporal and put on his clothes as a disguise, then sneak out of the Camp. This does not cost the player any reputation with the NCR. Obviously, Silus will ignore the player as he leaves. Caesar will mention releasing Silus, primarily because it allows legionaries to find him and punish him.

Bugs[]

  • PCIcon pc PlayStation 3Icon ps3 Xbox 360Icon xbox360 The player can earn infinite experience points by selecting the first Speech check, then the Intelligence check, and looping the first Speech option afterwards.
  • PCIcon pc If Silus escapes, Boyd's scripts might break. This can be reset with the console command set "00E7913".bSilusUnconscious to 0.
  • PCIcon pc PlayStation 3Icon ps3 Xbox 360Icon xbox360 Loading the autosave made on transitioning into the save can break scripts or respawn weapons in inventory. It's also possible for Boyd to disappear. A manual save before tackling Silus is recommended.

References

Main quests
Act 1Ain't That a Kick in the Head · Back in the Saddle · By a Campfire on the Trail · They Went That-a-Way · Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
Act 2Wild Card (Wild Card: Ace in the Hole, Change in Management, You and What Army?, Side Bets, Finishing Touches) · The House Always Wins (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII) · Render Unto Caesar · Et Tumor, Brute? · Things That Go Boom · Kings' Gambit · For the Republic, Part 2 · You'll Know It When It Happens/Arizona Killer
Act 3No Gods, No Masters · All or Nothing · Veni, Vidi, Vici · Eureka!
Side quests
New California RepublicAnywhere I Wander · Back in Your Own Backyard · Bitter Springs Infirmary Blues · Boulder City Showdown · Can You Find It in Your Heart? · Climb Ev'ry Mountain · Don't Tread on the Bear! · Emergency Radio · Eye for an Eye · Flags of Our Foul-Ups · Hard Luck Blues · I Don't Hurt Anymore · I Put a Spell on You · Keep Your Eyes on the Prize · Medical Mystery · No, Not Much · Pressing Matters · Restoring Hope · Return to Sender · That Lucky Old Sun · The White Wash · There Stands the Grass · Three-Card Bounty · We Will All Go Together · You Can Depend on Me
Caesar's LegionBeware the Wrath of Caesar! · Caesar's Favor · Caesar's Foe · Caesar's Hire · Cold, Cold Heart · I Hear You Knocking · The Finger of Suspicion · We Are Legion
The StripBeyond the Beef · Bye Bye Love · Classic Inspiration · How Little We Know · Pheeble Will · Talent Pool · The House Has Gone Bust! · The Moon Comes Over the Tower
Freeside & Outer VegasBirds of a Feather · Bleed Me Dry · Debt Collector · G.I. Blues · High Times · Someone To Watch Over Me · The Coyotes · Wang Dang Atomic Tango
BoomersAnt Misbehavin' · Sunshine Boogie · Volare! · Young Hearts
Great KhansAba Daba Honeymoon · Cry Me a River · Don't Make a Beggar of Me · Oh My Papa
Powder GangBooted · I Fought the Law · Run Goodsprings Run · Why Can't We Be Friends?
Brotherhood of SteelEyesight to the Blind · Still in the Dark · Tend to Your Business
OtherCome Fly With Me · Crazy, Crazy, Crazy · Ghost Town Gunfight · Guess Who I Saw Today · Left My Heart · My Kind of Town · The Legend of the Star and A Valuable Lesson · Unfriendly Persuasion · Wheel of Fortune
Companion questsED-E My Love · For Auld Lang Syne · Heartache by the Number · I Could Make You Care · I Forgot to Remember to Forget · Nothin' But a Hound Dog · One For My Baby
Unmarked questsA Bit of Slap and Tickle · Access Powers · All Fired Up! · Andy and Charlie · Arachnophobia · Arizona Scavenger · Barton the Fink · Bear Necessities · Big Winner (Atomic Wrangler, The Gomorrah, The Tops, Ultra-Luxe, Vikki & Vance) · Bounty Killer (I, II) · Brotherhood Bond (I, II) · Caching in at the Cove · Cajoling a Cudgel · Claws Mended · Claws Out · Dealing with Contreras · Defacing the Humble Stone · Democracy Inaction · Don't Poke at the Bear · Eddie's Emissary · Exhumin' Nature · Flogging a Dead Corpse · Friend of the Followers · Getting a Leg Up from Andy · Gland for Some Home Cooking · Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger · Hat's Entertainment · Help for Halford · Hidden Valley computer virus · Highway to the Danger Zone (I, II) · Honorary Rocketeer · I Love Bananas · Iron and Stealing · Keith's Caravan Charade · Laurifer Gladiator · Lenk's Bad Debts · Lily and Leo · Long-Term Care · Malleable Mini Boomer Minds · Maud's Muggers · Meeting an Equal · Missing a Few Missiles · Not Worth a Hill of Corn and Beans · Of Boomers and Education · Old School Ghoul · A Pair of Dead Desperados (I, II) · Papers, Please · Pistol Packing · Playing on the Old Joana · Poor Meat Never Makes Good Soup · Powder to the People · Power to the People · Proper Burial · Razzle Dazzle! · Reach for the Sky, Mister! · Rest and Resupply · Ringo's Caravan Rules · Rotface's Loose Lips · The Screams of Brahmin · Silus Treatment · Short-Term Treatment · Smooth-Talking Criminal · Strategic Nuclear Moose · Straus Calls · Strip Search · Saving (or Savaging) Sergeant Teddy · Stocking Up · Suits You, Sarah · A Team of Moronic Mercenaries · Team Spirit · The Thorn Mayhem · Thought for the Day · Tourist Traipse · Trudy's Radio Repair · A Trusted Aide · Useless Baubles or Fancy Trinkets? · We Must Stop Beating Like This · We Must Stop Meeting Like This (I, II, III, IV) · Wind-Brahmin Wrangler · You Gotta Break Out a Few Eggs · You Make Me Feel Like a Woman
Cut contentIcon cut Cut questsAuto-Inject Quest · Bright and Shiny · Chip Provenance · Debug Topics · Jailhouse Rock · Meat of Champions (quest) · TempMan · The Thorn Mayhem · Underpass Water Purifier · Viva Las Vegas! · Welcome to Fabulous New Vegas
Add-on quests
Dead MoneySierra Madre Grand Opening! · Find Collars (8: "Dog", 12: Christine, 14: Dean Domino) · Fires in the Sky · Strike Up the Band · Mixed Signals · Trigger the Gala Event · Put the Beast Down · Last Luxuries · Curtain Call at the Tampico · Heist of the Centuries · Big Winner, Sierra Madre
Honest HeartsA Family Affair · Arrival at Zion · Bighorners of the Eastern Virgin · Chaos in Zion · Civilized Man's Burden · Crush the White Legs · Deliverer of Sorrows  · Departing Paradise · Flight from Zion · Gathering Storms · Gone Fishin' · Happy Trails Expedition · Prisoners of War · Retake the Bridge · River Monsters · Rite of Passage · Roadside Attraction · Sanctity of the Dead · The Advance Scouts  · The Treacherous Road · The Grand Staircase · Tourist Trap
Old World BluesAll My Friends Have Off Switches · A Brain's Best Friend · Coming Out of Her Shell · Field Research · He Came... And Went · Influencing people · Midnight Science Fiction Feature! · Old World Blues · On The Same Wavelength · Picking Your Brains · Project X-13 · Sonic Emitter Upgrade · Welcome to the Big Empty · What's In A Name? · When Visitors Attack · X-2: Strange Transmissions! · X-8 Data Retrieval Test · X-8: High School Horror! · X-13: Attack of the Infiltrator!
Lonesome RoadThe Reunion · The Silo · The Job · The Launch · The Tunnelers · The Divide · The Courier · The End · The Apocalypse
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