Mercenary (Fallout: New Vegas)

A mercenary is a gun-for-hire operating in the Mojave Wasteland in the year 2281. Mercenaries are usually seen in the employ of a traveling merchant, escorting the merchant and his/her pack brahmin as they travel across the Wasteland, while defending them from threats such as raiders or hostile Wasteland creatures.

Background
Mercenaries are moderately equipped, wielding 10mm pistols, laser pistols, or 9mm submachine guns. They typically wear either a merc outfit, leather armor, or a suit of metal armor. Mercenaries are neutral towards the player, Mojave civilians, and NCR patrols. On the other hand, they will actively fight against all raiders, hostile Wasteland creatures, and Caesar's Legion patrols.

Locations
Mercenaries can be found all over the wasteland:
 * They can most commonly be seen escorting traveling merchants.
 * A pair of mercenaries serve as bodyguards of Ada Straus, the questionably competent town doctor of Novac.
 * Four mercenaries equipped with metal armor and plasma/sniper rifles led by Norton can be found harassing the super mutant community of Jacobstown in the quest, Unfriendly Persuasion.
 * They can rarely be seen traveling on the roads between Novac and New Vegas.
 * Four 'normal' mercenaries, led by one wearing reinforced combat armor and wielding a YCS/186 Gauss rifle, can be found in the mercenary camp if the player doesn't have the Wild Wasteland trait. All are hostile toward the player.

Appearances
Mercenaries appear only in Fallout: New Vegas.