Courier

The Courier is the player character in Fallout: New Vegas.

Background
Before the Courier delivered the Platinum chip, the New California Republic sacked Navarro and recovered tech they didn't fully understand, but recognized several symbols (such as the Old World flag). They linked these symbols to similar markings they saw in the Divide. It was then they sent the Courier to deliver a package to the Divide. This package turned out to be a detonator that contained missile launch codes. According to Ulysses, the package "woke up" and sent the detonation signal to missiles locked in the silos, resulting in massive earthquakes and powerful storms. History soon would repeat itself.

One of six couriers hired by the Mojave Express to deliver strange packages to the New Vegas Strip, the Courier was carrying the parcel containing The Platinum Chip from Primm. However, the courier was intercepted by Benny, who then shot the Courier in the head twice and left them for dead; buried alive in a shallow grave in the Goodsprings cemetery. The Courier was dug out by Victor, a friendly Securitron under Mr. House's control. The player was then nursed back to health by Doc Mitchell, the resident doctor of Goodsprings.

Not much is known about the Courier's background, though they have a relationship with Ulysses, the original "Courier Six". Ulysses pulled out of the delivery job when he learned that the Courier's name was next on the list because of the Courier's role in the destruction of the Divide, seemingly convinced that the job would kill the Courier - and his assumption was almost right. Notably, Ulysses expressed shock when he learned that the Courier was still alive.

When Ulysses rescued Christine Royce from the Big Empty, he encouraged her to continue her pursuit of Elijah, stating that he knew what it was like to search for someone who had such an impact on his past life.

In Lonesome Road, it is revealed that the Courier (intentionally or not) caused the earthquakes in the Divide, after delivering a package containing a mysterious device, which set off many of the Nuclear Warheads, still contained in their subterranean missile silos.

Other background information
The player can make several suggestions about his or her past through in-game dialogue options. Since these are, as the name suggests, optional, it can be assumed that these are down to player choice and as such, do not form part of the player's background until they have been selected.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of elements of the character's past which can be explicitly expressed by players during gameplay:
 * During a conversation with Bruce Isaac in Novac, the Courier can state that he/she has been to New Reno before.
 * It can be suggested during dialogue with Veronica Santangelo that the Courier does not know where he/she was born.
 * The Courier can tell Cass that he/she does not know what a fish is. Or, on the contrary: an intelligent Courier may test her knowledge about fish, clearly aware of their nature although they are practically non-existent in California or the Mojave Wasteland and may only be found in Lake Mead or Zion Canyon.
 * Before setting off to New Canaan, the Courier can tell Jed Masterson that he/she has not been to Utah in some time, suggesting that they have been there before.
 * Dialogue choices throughout Honest Hearts heavily imply that the Courier has never heard of Christianity.
 * One of the epilogues of Old World Blues states that the Courier knows very little about communism or high schools, though this is an infrerence from the X-13 computer system.
 * According to Ulysses the Courier has been to Circle Junction, New Reno, Vault City, Fort Abandon, and on brahmin drives at the Big Circle.
 * When the ED-E from the Divide plays the log from when a child found it, asking it where that occurred will have ED-E respond with Illinois. The Courier knows about Illinois, but doesn't know about Chicago, responding with "What's a Chicago?"
 * During dialogue with Ulysses, it is implied that the courier used to live in Ashton.

Appearances
The Courier appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.