Free Economic Zone of New Vegas

The Free Economic Zone of New Vegas is a city-state led by Robert House in New Vegas. Although it is formally founded if House or the Courier/Yes Man establishes sovereignty over the Mojave, in practice, it exists in a practical capacity throughout Mr. House's rule in New Vegas.

History
The foundation of the Free Economic Zone was laid in 2274, when after detecting NCR advance parties at Hoover Dam, House emerged from hiding. He began restoring the city in order to meet the Republic as a host and a bargaining partner. He extended an offer of employment to tribes in close proximity to the Strip. In return for his considerable resources and access to food, water, clothing, and other high-value goods, they would work for him, restoring the city, running its services, and defending it, if need be. Some tribes turned down the offer, but three (the future Chairmen, Omertas, and White Glove Society) did not.Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p. 41: "The Strip ''Before the Great War started, Mr. House used his considerable genius and wealth to ensure that no missiles would strike the city of Las Vegas. Though a few warheads did get through in the outskirts, most of the city was spared. Despite this, the Strip itself was not re-settled, and after close to two hundred years, Mr. House immediately began searching for a mysterious Platinum chip and rebuilding the glory of Las Vegas. Sending out Securitron scouts, Mr. House started negotiating with local tribes to exchange his considerable resource stockpiles for their help. Some of the tribes resisted, but three tribes eventually gained Mr. House's favor. They became the Omertas, Chairmen, and White Glove Society, running the Gomorrah, Tops, and Ultra-Luxe casinos, respectively. Because Mr. House was dedicated to restoring Las Vegas, he insisted on transforming the tribes into families with cultures that harkened back to Vegas' glory days. In the process of rebuilding the Strip, Mr. House also effectively "bought out" the residents of Vault 21. After they evacuated, he had the Vault stripped of useful technology, most of its actual volume filled with concrete, and the entrance turned into a gift shop and small hotel. While the families were rebuilding the casinos, the rest of the locals were hard at work erecting an enormous wall around the Strip. When NCR traders and explorers arrived on the scene, they were amazed at the Strip and returned back to California with tales of opulence and great wealth awaiting travelers. Eventually, the NCR military itself arrived and were surprised to find the Strip so well-protected and heavily policed. Though they struck a deal with Mr. House to establish a base in the area (along with control of Hoover Dam), the NCR has never had control of The Strip. After the Battle of Hoover Dam, the NCR negotiated an MP (military police) presence on The Strip, but their influence remains small. Though the tribes that became The Strip's families were once hatefully opposed to each other, the demands of Mr. House have forced the families to play nice. They continue to hold long-standing grudges, but do not act openly against each other for fear of angering Mr. House."'' (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles) With House's aid, these three tribes drove the others out of the Strip and into the surrounding areas. The future Kings claimed what became Freeside, establishing a semblance of social order there. The Great Khans were particularly hard-hit, forced to settle at Bitter Springs and abandon all claim to the northern Mojave.

When the Republic's military arrived, it found a considerable presence in the city of Vegas and Hoover Dam. The combined forces of Securitrons and the three Families resulted in negotiating with House, rather than occupying the city outright. The resulting New Vegas Treaty normalized relations between the Republic and the zone, securing an influx of money and tourists to the city, NCR protection, but without formal annexation. House was aware that the NCR only negotiated to avoid a protracted war for New Vegas, which would leave them vulnerable to the Caesar's Legion. He knew that President Aaron Kimball would gladly trade the blood of hundreds of Republican troops for Hoover Dam. As such, he began working towards securing the zone's independence.

The Republic was harnessed as an income source for the Free Economic Zone, allowing House to steadily expand his influence and power base. The ultimate goal was to allow the NCR to bleed while fighting the Legion in the Second Battle of Hoover Dam while setting up conditions that would ensure that House would be the sole party dictating terms once the dust cleared.

With independence, House aims to use the city as a catalyst for the restoration of civilization. It would be one of the most vital trading partners of the NCR, drawing income from exports of water and electricity to the Republic, as well as tourists and traders flowing into the city. Meanwhile, House claims he would use that wealth to restart high technology sectors within twenty years. Within fifty, he aims to restart the conquest of space, with another fifty allowing him to send colonization ships to extrasolar planets. The projected timeline is largely an estimate based on available data.

Organization
House's Free Economic Zone is an autocracy, with all power centralized in the hands of the chief executive, Robert House. House states that he has no interest in abusing power, controlling the private affairs of people living in the area, or installing himself as a machine god messiah, with his judgment and utmost rationality being a guarantee of fairness as autocrat of the zone.

In practice, House adheres strictly to the letter of all contracts he signs and expects others to do the same. Violation of contractual obligations earns his scorn, at best, and violent retaliation, at worst. The latter is usually reserved for particularly severe violations, for example, if the White Glove Society returned to its noxious habit of eating people. Examples of his adherence include limiting the jurisdiction of Securitrons to the Strip, with casinos being off-limits except under extraordinary circumstances and withholding the original tribal name of the White Gloves, even in a situation where no adverse effect could be produced.

A direct result of House's disinterest in legislating people's behavior is the absence of any checks and balances on himself or anyone else. Although he would have the Free Economic Zone become an independent, dynamic, high-technology enterprise zone, he claims he would not intervene in the affairs of the people as long as his basic rules were followed. The New Vegas libertopia would be a place where the strong prey on the weak, ruling without limits as long as their strength lasts, and the weak are continuously trampled, lulled by the dream of becoming strong themselves one day.

Military
The Free Economic Zone relies primarily on its robotic Securitron force as a deterrent for threats. Along with the combined manpower of the Three Families (though their loyalty is dubious at best). Under the New Vegas Treaty, the burden of securing the Mojave rests squarely on the shoulders of the NCR Army, with Securitron jurisdiction limited to policing the Strip alongside NCR military policemen. However, should House achieve victory after the Battle, Securitron MkII robots become the primary enforcer of law and security throughout the Mojave, in the absence of NCR military units.

Economy
Like Las Vegas' pre-War casinos, the Free Economic Zone's economy is based almost entirely on tourism and gambling. Nearly all profit is gained from NCR citizens and soldiers vacationing on the Strip and by frequenting its various casinos. To ensure profit from every entrant into the Strip, everyone must pass a credit check of 2000 caps or more at the gate. This is to prevent squatters and persons without means from detracting from valuable foot traffic. To supplement the income gained from tourists, Mr. House offers franchisee agreements to vendors who wish to sell foodstuffs, non-alcoholic beverages (alcohol being sold exclusively at casinos), and other items on the Strip. The individuals that work under the franchisee agreement must forfeit 50% of their profits to Mr. House at the end of each working day, while the franchisee keeps the rest.

While almost entirely a tourist economy, Mr. House is making strides to expand his economic prospects by acquiring control of Hoover Dam. Should Mr. House acquire the dam, he could subsequently export both water and power to the NCR, should they comply with the terms of withdrawal. Exporting power and water at the rates he sets would serve as a significant step in bringing the zone into a more traditional export led growth model, bolstering the coffers immensely.

Technology
The Free Economic Zone is one of the more technologically advanced factions in post-War America, with access to an army of Securitrons and the Lucky 38's reactor, which allows for self-sufficiency energy-wise and incredibly advanced life-prolongation technologies.

Foreign relations
Mr. House is a rather solitary and reclusive individual with no immediate interest in the outskirts of Vegas or the Mojave as a whole. His main wish is to continue his venture of recreating civilization under his watchful eye within the controlled and orderly confines of the Strip with the Lucky 38 casino acting as his personal fortress and general base of operations.

Three Families
His direct relations with the Three Families that operate on the Strip is that of a business contract for mutual gain, rather than any kind of ideological endeavor.

Recruitment attempts towards various nomadic tribes as part of a larger scheme by Mr. House which, along with his small force of Securitron police units, to act as a buffer army to force the approaching NCR to the negotiation table. This ultimatum was only accepted by three tribes; the Slither Kin, the Boot Riders and the tribe that would become known only as the White Glove Society.

Mr. House recruited the Omertas from a particularly vicious tribe that prided itself on deception, infamous for luring unsuspecting travelers into their camps before drugging them, then either murdering or enslaving them. They would sometimes construct strongholds for the purpose of putting these slaves to work and gathering more people to enslave or kill, sometimes living a nomadic lifestyle to organize the next big score.
 * The Omertas

This lifestyle appealed to Mr. House, reminding him of a particular criminal element that once dominated Las Vegas prior to the Great War. As part of his efforts to rebuild the New Vegas Strip, he renovated the casino that would become famously known as Gomorrah and allowed them to use it as their place of business as part of their contract, in exchange for simply abiding by the rules set out by him. Largely unknown to Mr. House, the current leadership (a duo known as Nero and Big Sal) have adapted to the mobster lifestyle more quickly and enthusiastically than otherwise contractually obliged and have tired of Mr. Houses' rules, wanting to return to more direct ways of conducting business by taking over the Strip and forcing the other tribes out of business, with plans to challenge his rule. Intending to ally with Caesar's Legion and launch violent attacks on Securitrons as well as the NCR Embassy, in exchange for complete dominance over New Vegas at the behest of Caesar.

The Courier can either aid, thwart or massacre the Omertas while they plan their operations; leading to Mr. House to either consider the threat neutralized, remain largely ignorant or station his Securitrons in front of Gomorrah in preparation for their next encounter when the Second Battle of Hoover Dam breaks out.

Mr. House recruited the Chairmen from a warrior tribe, known for its traditions based around a positive notion of interaction between members and how they interact with their leaders, creating a sort of "tribal affinity."
 * The Chairmen

Mr. House envisioned that they would be an embodiment of the "cool" aesthetic that dominated the pre-War Strip and renovated the Tops casino particularly for this effort, giving it to them as part of their business contract. Nevertheless, some of the Chairmen, such as their leader Bingo, took exception to their new lifestyle and wanted to remain nomadic. Bingo's leadership was challenged by Benny, an ambitious tribesman who saw the potential of integrating with the Strip. Bingo was killed by Benny in a knife fight and Benny subsequently accepted Mr. Houses' offer, swiftly purging any who defied him; even an old friend with a Psycho overdose.

Although successfully integrated, Benny, who had not yet lost his specialty for deception and betrayal, set out secret plans to overthrow Mr. House and exert himself as the new overlord of the New Vegas Strip and, by extension, the entirety of New Vegas itself. With the help of a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse, Benny was able to pacify and capture a Securitron and have it reprogrammed into what would become Yes Man, without Mr. House being alerted. By extension, he was able to gain access to databanks previously only for the eyes of Mr. House and learned of the existence of a Platinum chip and the person in responsible for delivering it. After enlisting members of the Great Khans for this mission, he ambushed the Courier and shot them before burying them in an unmarked grave, setting off a cascade of events that would change the Mojave Wasteland forever.

Mr. House quickly becomes aware of Benny's betrayal after the Securitron Victor digs up the Courier to be revived. Once the Courier is awakened, they can set out on their mission to find Benny, even being enlisted personally by Mr. House himself to finally retrieve the Platinum chip and enact vengeance on Benny if they choose to do so.

Mr. House recruited the White Glove Society from a mysterious tribe known only for their former practice of cannibalism. He renovated the Ultra-Luxe casino and gave it to them as their place of business and dining. Under their current leadership, the White Glove Society has gone to great lengths to conceal their past, transforming itself into the high society bastion of fine dining found throughout the Mojave Wasteland.
 * White Glove Society

Even though the tribe has flourished and became associated with the delicious food found at the Gourmand, members such as Mortimer wish to return the tribe to cannibalism and began abducting wastelanders he considered forgettable, and secretly keeping them hostage with the help of the head chef Philippe, who cooks them to be served. One such abduction has incurred the wrath of Heck Gunderson, who intends to find the ones responsible: the Courier can offer Heck their services to begin an investigation where they can eventually discover Mortimer's efforts to return the Society to cannibalism and silence those who dissent.

The Courier can aid, thwart or massacre the White Glove Society with the last two option being open if Mr. House is notified of Mortimer's treachery.

Freeside
Mr. House takes no immediate interest in the area surrounding the New Vegas Strip, instead stationing Securitrons at The Strip North Gate that are programmed to check for passports and issue newcomers a "credit check" of 2,000 caps, with orders to open fire on trespassers.

Much like most of Freeside, Mr. House has largely ignored the existence of the Kings. His reaction to them is mostly resultant of the path they take following the Courier's actions in either pacifying their relations with the NCR soldiers and tourists inhabiting Freeside or letting it escalate into an all-out war.
 * The Kings

If the former is achieved, then if Mr. House retains power, he will accuse the Kings of lying with a foreign invader and demand they leave, slaughtering those who defy him. If the latter is achieved, Mr. House will be impressed by their apparent display of loyalty and decide to leave them independent.

Mr. House has little interest in the activities of the Followers of the Apocalypse, despite one of their members, Emily Ortal, attempting to recruit the Courier for a secret mission to bug Mr. Houses' mainframe. If notified, Mr. House will simply comment that he noticed and removed the bug in 39.735 seconds.
 * Followers of the Apocalypse

New California Republic
The Free Economic Zone is a major partner for the New California Republic, which is New Vegas' largest and most powerful customer. The fact that the NCR aims to annex the Mojave and New Vegas proves the zone's influence but is problematic for relations between the two, and many NCR citizens believe Mr House is the only person preventing Vegas becoming the sixth state of the NCR. Regardless of what the NCR wants, Mr. House plans to make all NCR military personnel withdraw from the immediate New Vegas area and to charge exuberant fees to the NCR on power and water from Hoover Dam once the current conflict over it ends to further tighten his grip on the NCR.

The zone's relations are purely a pragmatic strategy to harness their economic capacity through tourism as he plans his own strategy for the incoming conflict at Hoover Dam. Recognizing NCR tourists as an economic factor in the Strip's continuing success and stability, while seeing the soldiers as cannon fodder to both distract NCR military power away from the Strip and a suitable layer of defense against the approaching forces of the Legion while he prepares his own army of Securitrons, enlisting the help of the Courier to retrieve the Platinum chip which would prove crucial in preserving order in the event of the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. His strategy would be to use the upgraded Securitron MK II army to launch a coup against the war exhausted NCR once the Legion has been driven out of the Mojave and secure the Dam, thus depriving the NCR of a major moral point and intending Aaron Kimball to be the scapegoat for this loss, avoiding the breakout of a full-scale war between New Vegas and the NCR; even in the event of Kimball being assassinated, House calculates that the chances of a full-scale war against the NCR are minimal, and that his Securitron army could easily repel an invasion in such an event.

The Courier mentions the Free Economic Zone of New Vegas when presenting General Oliver with terms of surrender at Hoover Dam.

Caesar's Legion
Mr. House's relations with Caesar's Legion is that of defensive hostility; while no open conflict has yet been fought between Caesar's Legion or that of either House or the Three Families, House recognizes the peril Caesar presents to both his own regime and the general wellbeing of all of humanity, even aiding the NCR through his upgraded Securitron army before turning on them in the event of a Legion defeat. Despite this, House is against the Courier killing Caesar, viewing him as a useful distraction for the NCR from House's own activities.

Brotherhood of Steel
Mr. House displays open contempt for the Brotherhood of Steel, viewing them as nothing more than a militant cell of fanatical terrorists who loot and plunder the technology of the wasteland, while murdering those that resist in an attempt to increase their offensive capabilities. He makes no hesitation in marking them for destruction should the Courier offer their services, and refuses to consider a peaceful alternative for dealing with them.

The Boomers
Mr. House displays no real concern for the Boomers as a tribe, seeing them as an isolationist and reclusive people that only attack those who venture too far towards their base. His only concern is that the Boomers represent an unknown quantity and fears that they may sign a treaty with either the NCR or Caesar's Legion and use their formidable artillery in the aid of either of these two should the Second Battle of Hoover Dam break out. He decides to send the Courier to enlist their support or to preserve their neutrality, choosing to leave them alone should either of these efforts succeed.

Great Khans
Despite some members of the Great Khans playing a role in Benny's plan to ambush and kill the Courier, Mr. House takes no interest in their activities or even their existence. Any threat they may have posed to him seems to have disintegrated the moment Benny betrayed them.

Interactions with the player character
The player character can help establish the Free Economic Zone as an independent, sovereign state by aiding Robert House, first as a contractor, and then as his protege. This is done through the quest The House Always Wins. Alternatively, the Courier has the option of using the reprogrammed Securitron, Yes Man, to usurp House and take control of the FEZ-NV for themself. This is achievable through the Wild Card quests.

Appearances
The Free Economic Zone of New Vegas appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.