Capt. Ronald Curtis

Captain Ronald Curtis (aka Frumentarius Picus) is a Frumentarius spy for Caesar's Legion stationed in Camp McCarran in 2281.

Background
Sent to New Vegas four years before the start of the NCR-Legion War, Curtis joined the New California Republic Army and rose to the rank of captain in three and a half years. He mentions that the process normally takes four years, though he sped it along by arranging an "accident" for an existing captain, creating an "early vacancy" that Curtis proceeded to fill. A member of Colonel James Hsu's staff at Camp McCarran in 2281, Curtis serves Caesar's Legion as one of its most valuable spies in the Mojave. Given considerable trust by the NCR, Curtis has used his post to sabotage NCR operations and increase NCR casualties by reporting plans and troop movements to the Legion over radio.

Quests
I Put a Spell on You: It is revealed that Curtis is a Legion spy and is planning to sabotage the New California Republic monorail to the Strip from Camp McCarran.

Effects of player's actions

 * If the player character sides with Caesar's Legion, Vulpes Inculta sends the Courier to Camp McCarran incognito, where they assist Curtis in destroying the McCarran-Vegas monorail and help him avoid detection by killing Private Davey Crenshaw and planting incriminating evidence in his footlocker. Instead of disappearing from the NCR Army after the bombing like he had originally planned, Curtis decides to stay and develop his role into "something grander," enabling him to greatly benefit the Legion for a long time to come.
 * Alternately, if the Courier has killed Private Davey Crenshaw prior to working with Curtis to bomb the monorail, Curtis is unable to find a proper scapegoat once the bombing happens. Curtis recognizes that without someone else to blame, the NCR will sooner or later figure out it was him. He makes plans to disappear from Camp McCarran and tells the Courier that they cannot be seen together again, and will thereafter not engage in dialogue.
 * If the player character sides with the NCR, Curtis is found out as a spy and when confronted forces the Courier to kill him rather than be taken alive. Colonel James Hsu and through him the NCR are fully alerted to the extent and details of Curtis' treachery. His death is a disaster for Caesar's Legion, ruining Caesar's years-long effort to plant a spy at Camp McCarran.
 * If the player character kills Colonel James Hsu while working for Caesar's Legion, a dismayed and furious Curtis says that the Courier has set him back years in his work as a spy. Curtis spent years earning Hsu's trust, and when the NCR replaces him "within a week" Curtis will have to start all over again. He angrily banishes the player character from his sight and will not speak to them again.

Appearances
Captain Ronald Curtis appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * "You're getting too close, Shamus." is a reference to the television series Carmen Sandiego. Shamus is a slang word for a private investigator.
 * During his radio transmission to Caesar's Legion, he calls somebody with the callsign "Lupa," identifying himself as "Picus." This refers to the she-wolf, Lupa, who nursed the infants Romulus and Remus, and Picus, the woodpecker who fed them.

Bugs

 * He may be the only hostile person in Camp McCarran if there is an abrupt drop in reputation with the Legion, or perhaps an abrupt increase in reputation with the NCR. - Happened after a disguise glitch.
 * If Colonel Hsu is killed and one talks to Curtis, he will express his anger with the Courier for setting him back years in his mission even if the player has never spoken to Caesar about Curtis being a spy.

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