The Legend of the Star

 is a quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough
Collect 50 Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps and deposit them in the machine, Festus (Fallout: New Vegas), in Sunset Sarsaparilla Headquarters.


 * NOTE: Depositing 50 Star caps into Festus, which will end the Legend of the Star quest, will also shut Festus down permanently. This means you will no longer be able to play Festus' game "Lucky Horseshoes" for its occasional Caravan card prizes.

When first approached by Malcolm Holmes, the trader who informs you of the value of the Star caps and tells you about Festus, you can kill or pickpocket him to take his 6 star caps. Killing him has no loss of karma.

You may encounter a gun battle between Tomas and Jacklyn outside of the entrance to Nipton. This appears to happen at any point in the game. If Tomas survives he will tell you he was attacked by the woman he'd been traveling with, who wanted the necklace that he made from the Star caps. You can persuade him to give them to you if you pass a speech check of 50, or just kill him and take the necklace. It will net you 7 more of the Star caps. 2 more star caps can be found on Jacklyn's corpse. If Jacklyn survives the fight, she will come running and ask you if you saw a maniac running around with a gun, saying he was chasing her and mumbling something about star caps. This is a trick: she is the one who's searching for Star caps. She'll turn hostile just after talking to her. Kill her and take her caps - she should have 9 on her: her original 2, plus the 7 she took from Tomas.

At some point after collecting 50 Star caps, another collector might come to assassinate you. You can kill him and take his 8 star caps.

Detailed walkthrough
A simple way to get around the star bottle caps is (if you have the caps) simply travel to nellis hangars and buy 30 sunset sarsaparilla off the chef every 3-4 days stock up a large amount and hope luck is on your side and you get all 50 for the information

In order to complete this quest you need to find 50 Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps and return them to Festus. Festus is located inside the Sunset Sarsaparilla headquarters, which is south of The Thorn and east of Jacobstown. Upon completing or failing this quest it unlocks another quest.

Once you give Festus 50 Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps, he will tell you the story about the drink. After he is done it will say quest failed, but it gives you another quest: A Valuable Lesson.

Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap locations:


 * Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap can be obtained by drinking Sunset Sarsaparilla, on occasion a Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap will be given instead of the standard bottle cap. (5% chance.)
 * 188 Trading Post - On the wooden bar shelf, by the bottle and lantern, at the end of the blue shack bar
 * Aerotech Office Park - Aerotech Suite 300, in the far end kitchen room next to the Sarsaparilla bottle
 * Allied Technologies Offices - As you go through the entrance go through the door on the right and there on the desk in the cubical on the right
 * Bitter Springs Recreation Area - 2 inside shack, on the table behind the counter, and in the counter itself.
 * Black Mountain - Inside Tabitha's store shack, on the bottom shelf, between the two bottle crates, just behind and left of the super mutant dummy
 * Blue Paradise Vacation Rentals
 * Floating above the sideboard near the mattress, with a teddy bear, bottles and other caps. in the submerged north bungalow
 * Among the floating bottles and caps near the open fridge, in the submerged middle rental bungalow
 * Bonnie Springs - There are two in small wooden crate on earth mound, south porch of the corner of the second building away from the Campfire (the crate is not one you can look at and open)
 * Boulder City - Big Horn Saloon, on large round table near entrance
 * Bradley's Shack - Behind the sandbags, near the other caps, by the ammo box and mattress, under the wooden canopy
 * Brewer's Beer Bootlegging - Top of small bookcase, left of door to cellar
 * Brooks Tumbleweed Ranch - Inside the house on the ground floor. It's next to the fire extinguisher in the room with the stove.
 * California Sunset Drive-in
 * On the slab of concrete, by the ruined north concrete hut, right of the trash can between to bottles
 * Next to the forth bottle from left to right, on the slab of concrete, by the ruined north concrete hut, next to the trash can
 * Callville Bay - Captain Dean Boat Rentals
 * Inside the smashed counter near the register by the bottles.
 * Also another one next to the cash register, far back corner.
 * Camp Forlorn Hope - Mess hall south of stream: by the bottle on the table with the coffee pot, straight ahead of the entrance.
 * Camp Golf - House Resort, (Upper) Right Corridor Bedroom #1. There is a cap on the right dresser and two on the left one.
 * Camp McCarran - By Daniel Contreras in his supply shack near him. If it isn't next to him, he might also sell it for 1 cap when trading him.
 * Camp Searchlight - Fire Station, upper floor, on a dining table with two bottles, in the kitchen area, far end of the corridor
 * Cap Counterfeiting Shack - Table near vending machines near the caps and bottles
 * Cerulean Robotics - As you enter go through the door on the right, on the dining table close to three open fridges.
 * Cliffside Prospector Camp - On the chessboard with the bottle on it, on top of the damage crate
 * Cottonwood Cove - Inside the ladies restroom building on the lowest shelf with a bottle, right corner
 * Coyote Mines - On the middle table, lower area right of the stairs, just inside the large miners shack
 * Crimson Caravan Company - Main Office, on the corner desk on top of Ham Radio amplifier
 * The Devil's Gullet - In a wooden crate with two empty bottles
 * El Dorado Gas & Service - On the cash register counter with two other caps
 * El Dorado Substation - On the trash can next to the eat o matic 3000. left corner as you enter
 * El Rey Motel - The first door on the left on the top floor, bookshelf on the left
 * Emergency Service Railyard - On the mattress on the train platform, with the other scattered caps
 * Fields' Shack - Next to two bottles in the open fridge on the right as you walk in
 * Fisherman's Pride Shack - On table left of fridge with other caps
 * Gibson Scrapyard - Corner of the low metal shelf with the tires and vehicle rims, in the main garage
 * Goodsprings
 * Ranch House northeast of Doc Mitchell's on a table in the master bedroom
 * Ranch House east of Schoolhouse, on kitchen sideboard bar right next to an exit door
 * Grub n' Gulp Rest Stop - On picnic table by the shack, on top of a plate
 * Guardian Peak - Close to the cave mouth, on upturned crate by the radio
 * Gun Runners - Opposite the reception desk, on a small crate on the floor by the metal table
 * Gypsum Train Yard - Inside the office building, back room, corner desk with burned out terminal
 * Harper's Shack - On the small table with the fan on it, near the small crate of bottles and a pressure cooker, across from the bunk bed, left room
 * Highway 95 Viper's Encampment - Next to two other caps on one of the two makeshift bedding rolls, northeastern lean-to
 * Horowitz Farmstead - On left wooden crate near the sack and two ammo boxes inside broken barn
 * Hostetler Home - West of the Caravan, inside the house on a small table between two sofas
 * Hunter's Farm
 * Kitchen work surface in pile of other caps
 * On the edge of the pile of caps
 * Jacobstown - Northern Exterior Chalet, in a bungalow on the table where a card game has gone horribly wrong.
 * Jean Sky Diving - Inside shack, on the desk
 * Junction 15 Railway Station - On the corner of the green bench, left of the boarder up door, on the platform
 * Lake Mead - On the bottom of the lake there is a truck with dozens of empty sasparilla bottles spilled and three of the bottle caps among them. Truck is located west of the Scavenger Platform
 * Lone Wolf Radio - With the other scattered caps, near the footlocker and mattress, in the trailer
 * Matthews Animal Husbandry Farm - On a wooden crate with two bottles and a cap, on the top balcony, in the western of the two ruined barns
 * Mesquite Mountains Campsite - On top of the metal box, inside the northeast tent near the sleeping mattress
 * Mesquite Mountains Crater - On the formica table next to the bottle, in the kitchen inside Hells Motel
 * Mesquite Mountains Lean-to - Inside the tipped wooden sunset crate, between the mattress and half buried metal box
 * Mojave Outpost - Barracks: on the long section of the bar counter as you walk in, by a bottle
 * Mountain Shadows Campground - Main Camp next to campfire on red picnic table
 * NCR Correctional Facility - Next to the bottle on the curved desk, in the visitor center
 * NCR Sharecropper Farms - Northeast Barracks by silos on table across from the bunk beds
 * Nellis Hangars - Mess Hall Hangar, on the closest table to the kitchen, a cap by each bottle, surrounded by other caps.
 * Nevada Highway Patrol Station - By the body near the green cot in the cell room with the mantis nymphs
 * New Vegas Steel - On desk across the Vending Machine in the office overlooking the smelting chamber
 * Nipton - Ranch house opposite (south) of the Trading Post general store: on top the ruined book case near the chessboard and a bottle, in the master bedroom
 * Nipton Road Reststop - On the cash register counter, with three other caps
 * Novac
 * On the small round table in the corner of the galley kitchen, in the ranch house, one building south of the No Bark Noonans Shack, northwest part of town
 * Daisy Whitmans Dino Dee Lite rental room (the last room on the 2nd floor to the North-East) top floor above the far steps. On the table with the noodles and broken tv (taking this cap will be stealing, and will cause a karma loss).
 * Old Nuclear Test Site - Inside the shack on the table with the science experiment and two bottles on it
 * Primm
 * Southeast ranch house on the street south of Mojave express. On top of the bookcase with the radio on it, in the living room of the shack (beware; entering the house will be trespassing, and so taking the cap will be stealing. The residents inside the house will turn hostile as soon as you take the cap).
 * Bison Steve hotel: on the side table with the bottle by the sofa, in the large lobby room with the rug
 * Raided Farmstead - In the open fridge with the caps and bottles, near the ammo box, inside the long trailer
 * REPCONN Headquarters
 * Ground Floor, in the gift shop on the long cash register counter
 * Ground Floor, Robot Recharge and Security Office on the desk with terminal by the filing cabinets between the Sarsaparilla bottles
 * Repconn 2nd Floor Office, East Office, across from the desk with the Red Key Card
 * Repconn Office Top Floor, Piers Isley's Office on the scattered caps pile
 * Repconn Office Top Floor, Leonard Steeple's Office, on large executive desk near terminal
 * Scavenger Platform - Northeast floating shack, on meal shelf adjacent to the ammo box
 * Searchlight North Gold Mine - On the wooden crate by the metal shelving, across from the mine cart, in the rock alcove, halfway down the right tunnel.
 * Silver Peak Mine - Inside mine shack, on the table in front of/right of the entrance
 * Smith Mesa Prospector Camp - On the concrete block, at the back of the rock alcove, behind the lean-to
 * Sniper's nest - On the long plank of wood next to the mattress, next to the .308 ammo box, inside the lean-to
 * Snyder Prospector Camp - On the top of the two ruined books, next to the bedding and sandbags under the lean-to
 * Sloan - Jas Wilkin's Mess Hall, on round table with lanterns and bottles
 * Southern Nevada Wind Farm - On the metal work table with other caps, near the copy of Dean's Electronics
 * Sunken Sarsaparilla Supplies - Across Lake Mead on the southwest side, underwater on the back end of the container
 * Sunset Sarsaparilla Headquarters - In an Average locked wall safe on the upper level of the entrance
 * The Devil's Gullet - Bottom of the Gullet, in the small wooden crate next to rusty ammo box
 * The Gray - Upper Floor, 9 o'clock room on small table with bottle on it
 * The Prospector's Den - In the den building, first room to the right, on the chessboard, resting on the sideboard bar with the radio on it, near the bed
 * Vault 3 - Living Quarters, in the South Dorm #2 at the back of the vault on the table with 3 Sarsaparilla bottles
 * Vault 19 - Living Quarters, Blue Sector, inside second dorm on the desk.
 * Viper Gang Ambush - On the half buried crate spilling out of the back corner of the container, east of Nipton
 * Wrecked Highwayman - Among the debris and footlocker, in the open trunk of the crashed car

Behind the Scenes
According to JE Sawyer, the quest was inspired by his experiences collecting Tootsie Roll Pop wrappers as a boy due to an untrue rumor that sending 100 special wrappers which had illustrations of a boy dressed as an Native American shooting an arrow at a star would yield a special prize. The story Festus tells upon completion of the quest is based upon a story that was sent out to children who sent in wrappers and shares many common elements.