Veronica

Veronica is a Brotherhood of Steel scribe and a possible companion found at the 188 Trading Post $$

Background
Veronica is a member of the Mojave Brotherhood, sent out of the Hidden Valley Bunker to trade, scavenge, and gather supplies. The Brotherhood is an isolationist faction that lives underground in the Mojave Wasteland.

Veronica and her parents were part of a division of the Brotherhood under the leadership of Elder Elijah that traveled to the Mojave to secure the power production capacity of the Hoover Dam. On the way, the group found the HELIOS One solar power plant, and Elijah ordered the Brotherhood contingent to occupy that location instead.

Elijah was a mentor to Veronica, who described him as a "wizard with technology." She wanted to watch him at work and was interested in the new technology he sought to explore and develop. After both of her parents, a paladin and a scribe, were killed fighting the New California Republic, Elijah looked after her. Veronica was not at HELIOS One when the NCR attacked and took it from the Brotherhood. Everyone thought Elijah had died, and the remainder of the division retreated into the Hidden Valley Bunker.

Hidden Valley
Afterward, Veronica was at odds with the leadership of Elder McNamara who ordered the group into a permanent lockdown. The Brotherhood did not recruit externally, and the expectation to have children did not increase their numbers sufficiently, nor entice all members to stay when they reach adulthood. She argued with McNamara, expressing her concern that the isolationism will lead to the group fading away.

Veronica described the Brotherhood's previous mission as controlling technology so it could not destroy anything again, but has stagnated, lacking any growth or adaptation, "stuck in a hole, not carrying out our mission." She described how her former girlfriend, Christine Royce, decided to leave, defying her parents who expected her to procreate. Veronica explained that she didn't choose to join her, as she couldn't bring myself to leave everyone else behind, but simultaneously could not convince Christine to stay. She stated that she had "hoped love would be enough to influence her decision" but it wasn't, as they were both too stubborn. Although Veronica commented that she is sure Christine has already moved on, she admitted that she "still thinks about her, though. Once in a while."

Companion
When first meeting the Courier, she is evasive in her answers regarding where she is from and doing, asking the player instead what they think of the Brotherhood. Responding in a way that is neutral or positive results in Veronica continuing the conversation, asking if she can join the Courier in their travels.

She states that she doesn't want to go anywhere in particular, and wants to see the world and look for a fresh perspective. She explains that her interest involves discovering how different groups have adapted to survive in the Mojave, in order to see if there is something she can learn from. If the Courier agrees, she admits she is part of the Brotherhood and explains her evasiveness, stating that she "had to know how you'd react when I told you. We've made a lot of enemies." She thanks the Courier, telling them that she is thankful they took "a chance on a naive young girl from California with stars in her eyes and a pneumatic gauntlet on her hand."


 * If the Courier talks negatively about the Brotherhood when first conversing with Veronica, she will refuse to join up as a companion, and further attempts to talk to will be unsuccessful.
 * Becoming Vilified with the Brotherhood of Steel causes Veronica to quit as a companion.
 * Equipping NCR faction armor while Veronica is a companion leads her to issue her "last chance" warning.
 * Veronica will enable access to Hidden Valley without being stripped of gear, having an explosive collar put on, and having to get rid of Ranger Dobson from one of the bunkers.
 * Completing her companion quest in favor of the Followers of the Apocalypse causes Veronica not to enter the Brotherhood bunker anymore. As a companion, she will always wait outside the entrance.
 * As long as she's in the party, the player character can talk to her and activate a workbench interface anywhere in the world, as she can help them craft, stating she has "been taking things apart and putting them back together since before I said my first word."
 * Veronica states that she wants an Old World designer gown, as it is hard to get "a date wearing Scribe robes. Might as well be wearing sweatpants."
 * After completion of Dead Money, the Courier can retrieve Elijah's holomessage from his console in the abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker and give it to Veronica, but only after exhausting all of Veronica's dialogue options regarding Father Elijah. In the same conversation, the Courier can choose to keep the holotape's knowledge instead, gaining the Elijah's Ramblings perk. Giving Veronica the message will give her the Elijah's Last Words perk.

Interactions
Veronica has the following SPECIAL:

NPC

 * Nightkin: "Book girl has hard decision to make."
 * NCR civilians: "Your lady friend seems out of place here."
 * NCR tourist: "Your friend seems too civilized for a place like this."
 * Boomers: "I can spot a Brotherhood spy from a thousand yards. Even the cute ones."
 * Brotherhood of Steel: "If you're planning to take Veronica with you, be sure to have a good pair of earplugs with you. I'm kidding, Veronica! Put the power fist down!"; "Keep an eye on Veronica here. She's a sharp one."; "Try to keep Veronica out of trouble, would you?"
 * Powder Gangers: "Now there's a fine-looking woman. Just needs to ditch the robe."
 * Great Khans: "Your friend's cute - is she single?"
 * Followers: "I didn't know the Brotherhood had any people out here."
 * Freesiders: "Your lady friend needs to lighten up."
 * The Kings: "Your girl's kinda cute, but not my type at all. I don't go for smart chicks."
 * Omertas: "Let me know if the pretty lady with you is looking for some work."
 * Outer Vegas inhabitants: "Your friend's not from the desert, is she?"

Appearances
Veronica appears $$

Behind the scenes

 * Chris Avellone stated that fake topic lines where Veronica discusses Elijah were added as placeholders in the game files so not to spoil then-upcoming DLCs.
 * Veronica was written by Eric Fenstermaker.
 * Veronica was featured in the Meet the Companions Playstation blog, written by Jason Bergman. The transcript appears below.

Bugs

 * After giving Veronica formal wear or White Glove Society attire, she may thank you and say she'll teach you an unarmed move, and the screen will fade out and in, but the perk won't be added. According to the GECK, the object that does the timing for the fade-out/in when she teaches the player the move is shared with the nine triggers used to start I Could Make You Care. The script for giving the move doesn't fully reset the object, so if any of the nine triggers have activated, she will no longer be able to give the perk.
 * At Hidden Valley, she may glitch and stay at the intercom and the door to the bunker will become locked. In the PC version, the following commands can be used to fix this glitch: then.
 * Sometimes she will randomly stop following the player after accessing her inventory. In the PC version, the following commands can be used to fix this glitch:, , , finally followed by.
 * When paying Dawes the caps to enter the NCR Correctional Facility, she will randomly attack Dawes when you get in, but the Powder Gangers will not be hostile.
 * After destroying the Brotherhood bunker, Veronica will say how it is your last chance. After this, she will continuously engage in conversation with you and you have to dismiss her to the Lucky 38.
 * As with other non-player characters, Veronica will appear bald if wearing the atomic-valence tri-radii-oscillator or the valence radii-accentuator from Old World Blues.