Ulysses

Ulysses is a mysterious courier roaming the Divide in 2281.

Ulysses was one of seven couriers hired by Victor to carry strange packages to the Strip North Gate, but his delivery, the Platinum chip, was left to the Courier after Ulysses' mysterious disappearance.

Background
Ulysses was once a member of the Twisted Hairs, one of the tribes that worked with, and was later destroyed and absorbed by the Legion. He would later become one of the Frumentarii; specifically, the one who found and told Caesar of the Hoover Dam and the NCR. Sometime after the First Battle of Hoover Dam, Caesar sent Ulysses to rally the White Legs against New Canaan, to cut off the NCR supply lines running through Utah and to destroy New Canaan, killing the still living Joshua Graham along with it. After the sacking of New Canaan, they began to call Ulysses "The Flag-Bearer" and tried to replicate his braided hair out of respect, unknowingly insulting the memory of his old tribe instead.

Sometime later, while tracking couriers for Caesar, Ulysses would discover a community called The Divide which was, in his own words, "a nation taking its first breath", surrounded and shaped by the symbols of the Old World, "larger than the Bear, greater than the Bull", and with the potential to become a homeland for Ulysses. To Ulysses' dismay, the prosperous community was discovered and annexed by NCR, which in turn drew the attention of Caesar, who sent in a small army to take it over. Ulysses had tentative plans to save the community, but before he could act a simple Courier unintentionally brought a device that activated several of the nuclear warheads that were still underground in their silos since the war. The results were immediate and devastating: the settlement was destroyed, the Old World ruins demolished, and the settlers killed. Those of the NCR and Legion who survived, however, received a fate worse than death.

This would have also killed Ulysses, had it not been for several small robots, who had been activated by the device as well, recognizing the flag of the Old World on his back, and saving him. Ulysses' life was changed that day, showing him how a single individual could change history. Enraged at the Courier for his role in the destruction, he would leave the Legion in his desire to see the Courier dead. Leaving the area now known as the Divide, set out looking for ways to change history as well.

During the four intervening years, he roamed the wastes as a courier, finding the Sierra Madre at some point. While following the strange weather patterns of the Divide, they eventually lead him to the Big Empty and specifically the X-17 meteorological station. While there he was caught up in the conflict between Knight Royce of the Circle of Steel and Father Elijah. Ulysses would rescue Royce from the Y-17 medical facility, nursing her back to health in a nearby cave. At some point after Elijah spoke with the Think Tank (whom Ulysses regarded as the "Gods" of the locale), Ulysses and Elijah made contact, at which point Ulysses directed him to the Sierra Madre - and his subsequent death. Ulysses, too, spoke with the Think Tank, specifically Doctor Klein, who recalls him as a melancholy fellow who asked a lot about history. The conversation was interrupted twice - once by Elijah's escape attempt, and then again in an event that seems to have been erased from Klein's databanks. Ulysses also spoke with Doctor Mobius. While at the Big Empty, the courier questioned the Think Tank: "Who are you, that do not know your history?" This question caused them to awake, remembering for a time America, the flag on Ulysses' back — not just a flag, but a place, an idea they had cared for once before. After this awakening, the Think Tank told him what "still carries America's voice," deep in the heart of the Divide.

At some point before the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, Ulysses contacts the Courier via a single message: the coordinates for the Canyon wreckage west of Primm, and the words "Courier Six. -Ulysses". Depending on how Dead Money ended, the ending slides say that word would eventually reach both Christine and Dog of some sort of a battle said to take place at the Divide, "beneath the torn skies and the old world flag", between the two couriers, "each carrying a message for the other".

Relationships
Just prior to the Courier's ambush outside Goodsprings, Ulysses was at the Mojave Express in Primm to receive a delivery order, a job he was about to accept until he saw the Courier's name down next on the list. He asked if the Courier's name was for real, as if he'd expected the Courier to be dead. Nash informed him that the Courier was still alive, and Ulysses only said, "No, let 'Courier Six' carry the package", as if he expected the Mojave Wasteland to finish the Courier off, and then left without another word.

Ulysses' dual obsessions with the Courier and the Divide are motivated partly by his being one of the very few survivors of the disasters that happened there, and partly by the fact that Ulysses believes the Courier triggered the disaster at the Divide by delivering a mysterious package containing a device that caused many of the nuclear devices that had remained there since the war to detonate in their silos, devastating the surroundings. The possibility that the Courier may not even be aware of his or her own involvement in the event is also something hinted at by Chris Avellone, who stated cryptically, "I also have a lot of love for Ulysses in Fallout, only because I like the idea of someone hunting my player for reasons of his own, and then hearing the reasons why… and realizing how important even the smallest of my actions are for the people of the wasteland – living or dead".

Quests

 * The Courier: Ulysses is finally confronted by the Courier inside Ulysses' Temple, beneath the flag of the Old World, as he is about to trigger a second nuclear apocalypse. Ulysses can either be fought by the Courier, or convinced to stand down and fight by the Courier's side against the marked men invading the temple.

Effects of player actions

 * If Ulysses is killed by the Courier, the Courier tears down his Old World flag and uses it as his shroud, although whether or of respect or anger is an interpretation "best left to history".
 * If Ulysses is convinced not to fight the Courier, he can be found standing vigil above the Hopeville ruins, just past the Canyon wreckage.

Other interactions

 * If the player chooses to spare him, after the quest The End Ulysses will hang around near the entrance to the Canyon wreckage, where Ulysses will help the Courier make camp fire recipes. Ulysses will also present new dialogue options, e.g. giving hints at how to deal with Legate Lanius and commenting on possible previous player actions in the Mojave (such as e.g. killing House).
 * Ulysses will also supply the Courier with miscellaneous items he found in Hopeville (The Courier's Mile), including rockets, Rad-X, RadAway, MRE, and pre-War books.

Appearances
Ulysses was originally supposed to appear in Fallout: New Vegas, but was cut from the final version of the game. He is mentioned indirectly in Dead Money and Honest Hearts, appears in voice in Old World Blues, and makes a full appearance in Lonesome Road.

Behind the scenes

 * It can be concluded the name Ulysses is in reference to U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant during the first dialog through the ED-E clone, and that this was not a name he picked, but rather given to him later in life. His dialogue comparing the current wasteland to the divided America during the Civil War and how a general named Ulysses fought to unite the two flags into one, provides information toward this.
 * His name can be said to have a dual meaning in the mythical Ulysses of Roman lore, often known better by his Greek name, 'Odysseus' - a cunning warrior who wandered for ten years in search of his home, encountering many strange beings and going on a number of adventures. This could be seen as a parallel to Ulysses, who wandered the land searching for answers about the Divide and found himself drawn into the conflict between Brotherhood Father Elijah and Circle of Steel Knight Christine Royce.
 * Ulysses was originally supposed to be a companion in Fallout: New Vegas, but was cut from the final version of the game and now only appears in the add-on Lonesome Road and playing cards that came with the Collector's Edition. According to Chris Avellone, "he [...] was a complicated character in terms of some of the hooks into the storyline".
 * In the original version of Fallout: New Vegas, Ulysses-as-companion was designed with a number of goals in mind:
 * He had to reinforce the faction reputation mechanic, which Avellone thought was one of the key mechanics in the game.
 * He had to react strongly to NCR/Legion conflict and the player's role in it, acting as a sounding board when possible.
 * He had to be a Legion sympathetic character and explain Legion backstory elements, since there wasn't much Legion support in the companions.
 * He had to continually remind the player of Hoover Dam as the focus, and his backstory incorporated that (he was the frumentarius who discovered the Dam and NCR long ago).
 * Showcase myth elements. Ulysses was big about symbols, and his take on the NCR flag, the Legion flag was also reflected in their champions (he viewed Legate Lanius as an Eastern myth in the making, and he felt the player could achieve that same mythological status for the West or for the Mojave).
 * He was to complement the cool visual design changes that Josh had included for other companions (similar to Raul and Arcade, Ulysses would have the vest/flag changes, except it would depend on player's end faction allegiance when they completed Ulysses' vision quest).