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.

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