The Overseer of Vault 88 and the only sane survivor of the construction catastrophe that resulted in the Vault being buried under tons of rock on October 23, 2077, Valery clung desperately to her sanity. A simple tour of her future Vault turned into two centuries of solitude, surrounded by the construction crew and visiting guests gone feral. As a ghoul, she had plenty of opportunity to think on her life and what it could have been.[2] She initially attempted to recover the Vault-Tec control board, so that she would be able to dig her way to the entrance, but there was too much rubble for her to reach it. She turned to her Vault-Tec work to distract herself and maintain sanity. For 200 years, she has labored, working to devise experiments that would maximize the potential of Vault 88's numerous prototypes.[3]
Her life and personality are defined by her mandate, given to her by Doctor Stanislaus Braun. A series of four prototypes delivered to the Vault were meant to redefine society and Valery was picked to make sure their potential was unlocked. As the R&D lead, Valery soon disposed of her conscience and set to work, despite the unfortunate events surround Vault 88.[4] She considers ethics to be an unnecessary burden and illegal medical experimentation a sign of open-mindedness.[5] Some of her more unusual opinion include treating exercise as counter-productive to the greater good ("Instead of using every hour, every minute, to further the goals of the community, a resident instead improves their body past the minimum requirements."[6]) and promoting the Power Cycle 1000 as a solution to that problem, or the rather dubious claim that longevity is a threat, rather than a boon; After all, the elderly put a strain on the resources of the Vault, without contributing an appropriate amount of work![7]
A Model Citizen: Valery will ask the player to put the remains of her construction crew to rest - and to build her a proper desk.
Explore Vault 88: While they eagerly await the first new arrival to the Vault, Valery sends the player to explore the caves that make up the Vault system.
↑Barstow: "My name is Valery Barstow and I was to be the Overseer of this Vault. But, please, follow me. I have a proposal for you. It's been a hard 200 years. I was giving a tour of what was to be my pride and joy. My Vault. Then the earthquakes. Sirens. Many died. Perhaps they were lucky... Overseer: The radiation... Somehow, I was spared. Then the earthquakes. Sirens. Many died. Perhaps they were lucky... The radiation... Somehow, I was spared."
↑Barstow: " I tried digging my way to the entrance. With that Control Board, I could've changed everything. But there was simply too much rubble for the equipment to handle. But my work, my work kept me going. Here we are. Here. Among these papers is my life's work. I'd like to share it with you"
↑Valery Barstow: " Doctor Braun tasked me with something vital. A series of prototypes and their related... well, experiments, that could redefine society. But as you can see things did not go according to plan."
↑Valery Barstow: "If you insist on hobbling the prototypes' potential, yes, you could abide by as many ethical standards you'd like. I suggest being more open-minded, but the choice will be ultimately yours."
↑Valery Barstow: "Exercise is an inherently selfish activity. Instead of using every hour, every minute, to further the goals of the community, a resident instead improves their body past the minimum requirements. Vault-Tec has devised a solution: The Power Cycle 1000. While you pedal, you provide raw power to the Vault."
↑Sole Survivor: "But doesn't society benefit from healthy citizens?" Valery Barstow: "Overall, our research indicates it does not. True, some short term medical costs are mitigated. But exercise leads to longevity. Which extends how long the elderly drain the Vault's resources. No, exercise overall is a societal ill we should and can cure." (Valery Barstow's dialogue)
