Mariposa Military Base

"Vats of Goo" (Fallout)

"Underground Troubles" (Fallout 2)

The Mariposa Military Base was a top secret United States military facility built to house Forced Evolutionary Virus research previously conducted at West Tek, located somewhere in the area of the Mariposa unincorporated community in California.

Locations

 * In Fallout, Mariposa Military Base can be found thirteen squares west of Vault 13.
 * In Fallout 2, the base can be found ten squares east and twenty-seven squares south of Arroyo.

Background


The FEV Project
In 2076, the NBC division of West-Tek achieved breakthrough results in the Pan-Immunity Virion Project. The United States Defense Department, in fear of international espionage, moved a military team under the command of Colonel Robert Spindel and Captain Captain Roger Maxson onto the site to secure and oversee the project, now dubbed the FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus) project. On January 7, 2077, all Californian FEV research was moved to the newly constructed Mariposa Military Base from the West Tek facility to commence testing of the virus on human subjects. The security team was transferred to the newly constructed base as well, to provide protection for the research going on within the facility. They were not informed of the nature of the research.

This secrecy backfired shortly before October 10, 2077, when soldiers stationed at the base discovered the human testing that was going on at the base, made worse by the fact that the scientists were using military prisoners as test subjects. Colonel Spindel suffered a nervous breakdown, locking himself in his office, leaving Captain Maxson to handle the deteriorating situation at the base. The soldiers were screaming for blood and became increasingly aggressive. When two days later, on October 12, the captain stopped a soldier from murdering a scientist, he ordered the scientists to be interrogated.

The first scientist to be interrogated by Captain Maxson was Robert Anderson, chief researcher of the research team at Mariposa. Anderson explained that the testing at the facility was sanctioned and, in fact, ordered by the government, as he outlined the experiments to the captain. When Maxson refused to believe him, the scientist lost his nerve and started screaming how he was just following orders and that he was also a military man. In response, Captain Maxson killed him.

This established Maxson as the leader of the rebellion. His position was further reinforced on October 15, when Colonel Spindel committed suicide as his men broke into his office. Subsequent scientist interrogations invariably ended in executions. Erin Shellman held out the longest, almost convincing the captain that the experiments were really ordered by the government. On October 20, 2077, Captain Maxson declared his unit in full secession from the United States, attempting to force the government to respond to the situation at Mariposa. No response came. Two days later, he ordered the families of soldiers under his command to take shelter within the facility.

On October 23, 2077, the Great War struck. As Maxson was halfway through prying the story from Head Researcher Leon von Felden, the facility lost contact with the outside world as nuclear weapons started to drop. Spared the nuclear devastation, Mariposa protected the inhabitants from nuclear fallout flooding the wasteland. Fearing that China would soon make up for the oversight, on October 24, Maxson ordered his soldiers and their families to prepare to vacate the base the next day.

On October 25, Sergeant Platner volunteered to take atmospheric readings outside the base. Reporting no significant amounts of radiation in the atmosphere, final preparations for the exodus were undertaken. On October 26, Maxson ordered the remains of the scientists to be buried in the wastes outside the base. A day later, on October 27, former US servicemen and their families left the base under the leadership of Captain Roger Maxson, heading for the Lost Hills government bunker in the south.

The Rise of the Master
The base was left sealed, but over the years, it slowly fell into disrepair, and eventually various creatures made their way inside, mutating due to F.E.V. exposure and infesting the surrounding area, attacking fledgling human settlements and caravans. The problem was becoming increasingly severe, to the point when Harold, a caravan master from the Hub, mounted an expedition in 2102 to locate and destroy the source of mutants.

Dr. Richard Grey was one of the explorers who was part of the expedition. Harold led the men into Mariposa, but failed to account for the automated defenses, which were still online, and promptly attacked the explorers. Taking heavy casualties, they made their way to the deepest, fourth level, the F.E.V vats, where a crane smashed into the two surviving explorers, Harold and Richard Grey. The former was knocked out, the latter landed in one of the virus vats, succumbing to a severe overdose. The Vault Dweller: "{128}{}{Where were the mutants coming from?}" Harold: "{133}{HROLD10}{Everywhere! Hell, seemed like you couldn't fart without hitting one. But mostly in the northwest.}" The Vault Dweller: "{134}{}{Did you explore that area?}" Harold: "{138}{HROLD11}{We mounted an expedition. God, Richard. Richard Grey. Led a small group of us up there.}" The Vault Dweller: "{139}{}{Richard Grey?}" Harold: "{146}{HROLD14}{Richard Grey was a doctor. Little older than me, and friend was he smart. He found the source.}" The Vault Dweller: "{147}{}{And what was that?}" Harold: "{160}{HROLD18}{Some sort of old military base. We lost a lotta folks getting in there.}" The Vault Dweller: "{161}{}{How did you know this base was the cause?}" Harold: "{165}{HROLD20}{Because it was like someone went bargain shopping at mutantland! Geez! Cheaper by the dozens! Can't figure any other reason except that being the factory.}" The Vault Dweller: "{166}{}{Did you examine the base closely?}" Harold: "{167}{HROLD21}{We got pretty far inside. Wasn't a lot of us left by then. Grey, me and couple of others.}" The Vault Dweller: "{168}{}{And then?}" Harold: "{169}{HROLD22}{One of them robots got Francine. Mark was wounded, sent him back to the surface. Then it was just me and Grey.}" The Vault Dweller: "{170}{}{What ever happened to Mark?}" Harold: "{172}{HROLD23}{To this day, I don't know. He never made it back here, and...well I...couldn't face the wasteland again, so I...I never looked.}" The Vault Dweller: "{173}{}{What about you and Grey?}" Harold: "{174}{HROLD24}{We made it to some sort of central core, like a plant of some sort. That's when it happened.}" The Vault Dweller: "{175}{}{What?}" Harold: "{176}{HROLD25}{A robot crane crashed into us. Last I saw of Grey, he was flying through the air in-into some sort of acid bath. I was in bad shape and...well I passed out.}" The Vault Dweller: "{177}{}{How did you survive?}" Harold: "{181}{HROLD26}{Well, I have no idea. Woke up in the wasteland, barely hanging on. Got lucky and some traders I knew found me days later. Good thing, since I was already changing. They brought me here, and here I've been since.}" The Vault Dweller: "{182}{}{How did you mutate?}" Harold: "{190}{HROLD28}{All's I know, is it was something inside that base.}" The Vault Dweller: "{191}{}{Do you think it could have been radiation?}" Harold: "{193}{HROLD29}{How the hell should I know? Grey would've known if anybody could. [sigh] Anyway, that's how the deal went down.}" (HAROLD.MSG)

In pain, horribly mutated, he crawled into the control room, as his intellect grew. In a few days, he was neurolinked to the base computer, drawing upon its sizable data banks. As he created the idea of the Unity, wanderers began to enter the facility, and Grey patiently captured and dipped them, in order to create beings as perfect as him. When the first true super mutants were created, he set out to create a true mutant army, at the same time deciding to look for a permanent base of operations. In 2155, one of his patrols located a group of vault dwellers from the Los Angeles Vault, and he made the decision to transfer himself there, occupying the vault.

The base was entrusted to the Lieutenant, one of the greatest super mutant minds to exist. Mariposa was rebuilt and cleaned up, once again becoming the magnificent military base it was before the War. Super mutants roamed the halls, restocking the armories and medical bays and soon it became the staging area for their assault on humanity, as well as the only super mutant production center.

Then came the Vault Dweller in 2162. It is unknown whether or not he infiltrated the base or blasted his way in; suffice to say, once he was through, Mariposa was little more than a caved-in, smoldering ruin.

Enclave's excavations
The existence of the Mariposa Military Base was listed in Enclave records, which enabled the Enclave to find the base and begin their excavations. On July 20th, 2236, Enclave scouts (re)discovered the ruins of the Mariposa Military Base. The Chemical Corps and other scientists began to scour the base, while assault squads began gathering slaves to use for excavating the base. In the process, they capture Melchior from the town of Redding. Excavations began in September. The slaves and construction crews dug into the collapsed base, removing tons of rock. Unprotected wastelanders were exposed to low levels of FEV in the ruins, released after the base self destructed and mutations began to occur. At the same time, Frank Horrigan is exposed to the virus and sent to Control station Enclave for study. By October, Melchior (now mutating) realized that the Enclave would execute him and the others as soon as they recover the FEV and virus data. He began secretly stashing away weapons for the mutants in anticipation of the confrontation. The excavations are complete in January 2237. Shortly after Enclave scientists manage to obtain a pure sample of FEV and leave the base, the mutants rose up against their Enclave overseers. After suffering heavy casualties, the Enclave forces fell back and sealed the mutants in. The remaining first and second generation super mutant slaves remained in the base, and the group formed a new community under the leadership of Melchior, whose magic talents had allowed them to hide the weapons.

Surface

 * Square footage: 30,000 ft

Mariposa was a reinforced military base, constructed in the middle of nowhere, in the side of a mountain. The exterior had a characteristic white lining and a massive air conditioning vent, which provided fresh air for the complex. Inside, it consisted of four levels, stretching across a mile of depth.

Stronghold Level 1

 * Square footage: 40,000 ft

The first level of Mariposa housed the gear needed for any excursions, as well as a staging area for patrols. The main control computers for the base's force fields and robotic guardians were located here, allowing any infiltrator to considerably sabotage the base, just by altering the pest control setting for the robobrains, in addition to altering the force field status remotely. Apart from that, guard barracks were located on this level, for off-duty surface security teams.

Stronghold Level 2

 * Square footage: 60,000 ft

The primary soldier living quarters, medbay and armory were located on this level. The quarters were spacious, although spartan in design, with a large stockpile of weapons just around the corner and a well equipped sickbay, stocked chock full of medical chems, surgical equipment and medical beds with integrated life support systems.

Stronghold Level 3

 * Square footage: 80,000 ft

The third level was divided in two, one was the general access area, where the assembly room and elevator to the commander's office were located, the second a military prison with an elevator going directly to the vats. When Mariposa was operating under government jurisdiction, experimenting with FEV, only scientists and their security staff were allowed into the prison area and the vats; soldiers under Colonel Spindel and Roger Maxson were barred from entry.

Vats

 * Square footage: 60,000 ft

Divided in two as well, the deepest level housed the massive FEV vats, together with their control room, scientist living quarters as well as the base commander's office. As with the third level, access to the FEV research area was strictly limited, with only scientists being allowed to enter. A special containment squad, the super mutant Vat Team 9, was stationed in the room near the cell block access elevator, to deal with any potential disturbances. It was composed of three soldiers.

The vats control room was where the base's mainframe was also located, holding personnel logs (Boyarsky, Roger Maxson, Richard Grey etc.) as well as the self-destruction initiation subsystem. Encrypted behind a firewall, these were nonetheless accessible for a skilled hacker. Alternatively, just blowing the console up would trigger the self-destruct sequence, but the base would be set to alert status, powering up the force fields.

Surface
The layout of the base is pretty much similar to that in Fallout, although there are some tents (in one of them is the Military base holodisk 5) outside the base, wolf packs and the entrance to the base is blocked by rubble. To get in the base the player character will need to find the metal pole and put it on the rail cart ("Use on"). Next, they need to put some dynamite (can be found in the little shack right from the entrance to the base) on the rail cart (one need to right click and hold on the cart, and then choose the "bag" option; after that, simply click on the dynamite from the menu) and push it down. Doing this will net the player character 5,000 XP.

Stronghold Level 1
When the player character arrives to the first level of the base, first thing they would notice are the Enclave soldiers and mutant bodies lying around. The player character can loot these for holodisks and a plasma pistol.

The level is mostly filled with mutated rats (which can poison the player character if they bite), which can be easily dispatched. However, in one of the halls, there is a super mutant, Grundel, who will attack the player character if they try to talk to him. He is wearing spiked knuckles.

In the southwest corner (in the hall leading to the elevator), there is a broken power generator, which can be repaired for 1,500 XP (this can be easily done if one has Vic in your party). Doing this will also turn on the lights in the base.

Stronghold Level 2
The second level of the base is filled with super mutants, about 15 of them, but for an experienced player character, they shouldn't pose a large threat. Mutants are usually wielding power fists and flamers, although few of them use laser rifles and plasma rifles. In most of the lockers, the player character can find money, stimpaks, some ammunition and in the east corner of the map, a suit of T-51b power armor.

Stronghold Level 3
Like on the second level of the base, the third level is also inhabited by super mutants which use laser rifles, plasma rifles and flamers. Also, there are some mutated beasts (pig rats) which are weak, but the player character can get poisoned if they bite them. There are super duper mutants on this level, which have greater HP than "normal" mutants. As comes to the loot, the player character should pay attention to the first room after exiting the elevator. In the room is the locker, in which the player character can find a green memory module, which can be used to expand ACE's medical library, thus allowing the player character to increase their Perception by 1. Finally, in the southeastern corner of the map, there is an elevator which takes the player character to the final level of the base, the vats.

Vats
The deepest level of the base houses one of the tougher enemies in Fallout 2, Melchior. He is standing in the northwestern corner of the map, surrounded by goo which has remained there since the Vault Dweller destroyed the FEV vats.

Melchior himself is not that tough, but his abilities are unique. From the vats (or more precisely, the goo), he can and will summon deathclaws, fire geckos, floaters and mutated mole rats. They are summoned in that descending order, and if the player character is strong enough to survive several waves of them, they are rewarded with some funny lines. He can have 4 summoned allies at a time, which can be bothersome, so it is best to dispatch him first, and then his "pets." This is quite challenging, even for experienced player character's with a good party, so they should be very cautious, and prepared to leave the scene of battle with 1-2 less companions. Melchior also guards a locker containing a PPK12 Gauss pistol.

Appearances
The Mariposa Military Base appears in Fallout and Fallout 2. It is mentioned in Fallout 3 by Harold in Oasis. The base is also mentioned in a terminal located in Vault 87. It is also mentioned in the personal journals of Maxson I, which are stored in the Citadel archives. It is mentioned on a Fallout: New Vegas loading screen saying that the super mutants in the Mojave are the remnants of Mariposa, and in its add-on Dead Money by Dog in his idle dialogue.

Behind the scenes

 * According to Chris Taylor, Mariposa Military Base is based on Fort Ord, an old military base that has been shut down near Monterey Bay. It was called Base Omega in early design documents.
 * The base is rather far away from the real-life Mariposa County, which is on the other side of the California Valley, close to the in-game location of Vault 13. It's also much further north than Fort Ord. The closest real-life locations are the San Luis Reservoir and the city of Los Banos, CA.
 * The name of the base, Mariposa, in Spanish means butterfly. This connects to the metamorphosis that occurs in a caterpillar turning it into a "better" creature, in this case a butterfly. When pure humans are dipped into the FEV vats they transform into a "better" creature, in this case, a smarter/faster/stronger super mutant.

Bugs

 * In a few cases the yellow force fields' device cannot be deactivated by the use of a tool. If that happens it's only necessary to simply use the Repair skill directly into the force field device.
 * In Fallout, in Mariposa level 2, there are some super mutants locked in a room. Loading a previous save will make them all dead, or make them disappear entirely.

Fallout

 * FEV experiment disk
 * FEV research
 * West Tek records

Fallout 2

 * Military base holodisk 5
 * Military base level 1
 * Military base level 2
 * Military base level 3
 * Military base level 4