“ Probably die of natural causes eventually anyway. ”

Journeyman Scribe Veronica Renata Santangelo (born 2254)[1] is a Brotherhood of Steel scribe found at the 188 trading post in 2281 and a possible companion to the Courier.

Being a journeyman scribe, Veronica is responsible for acquiring supplies for the Hidden Valley bunker along with the other duties of a scribe, but relishes her time above ground and to explore life outside of the bunker (as everyone is glad to have her out of the bunker). However, Veronica has become increasingly irritated by what she sees in the Brotherhood of Steel's strict adherence to the Codex[2] and its unrealistic and uninformed views of themselves and the world. Veronica is a perpetual outsider caught between her loyalty to the Brotherhood and troubling doubts about the validity of their current course.

Contents show]

Background

“ Play sound

NVForcasterOnVeronica.ogg With regret comes a girl... smiling sad, brown robe, name Veronica, half here. Wraps her and her heart up like a pack, in the pack, a key, some say. Forecast: Cloudy, with a chance of friendship. ” The Forecaster

Early life

Veronica was born into the Brotherhood, like virtually every member of the organization in the 23rd century. Her father was a paladin and her mother a scribe. Both were killed in the same battle with the New California Republic while she was still a child, and she was brought up by the whole Brotherhood as a result. Father Elijah took a keen interest in her education, becoming her tutor and eventually a parental figure (or the next best thing; Veronica never had a grandfather and Elijah was what she imagined one would be like).[3]

From a very young age (before she was even able to speak, according to her), she demonstrated an aptitude for engineering, taking things apart and putting them back together. This drive and natural curiosity led her to choose the career of a scribe within the Brotherhood, turning her from a tinkerer into an engineering prodigy, in no small part thanks to Elijah's guidance.[4] His technological genius rubbed off on her in many ways,[5] but perhaps the most important thing he taught her was irreverence for dogma and authority. His years-long bickering with the elder council taught her to question the Brotherhood's direction.[6]

As an adolescent, Veronica fell in love with Christine Royce,[7] another scribe.[8] However, their budding relationship was frowned upon by some members Brotherhood, who believed that the limited numbers of the order mean that everyone is obligated to procreate. Eventually, Christine's parents prevailed and she left the Brotherhood to put distance between her and her parents. Veronica was unable to convince her to stay and could not bring herself to abandon the order.[9][10][11][12] She never realized the truth: It was Elijah who was responsible for the breakup, using his status to break them apart. She never learned that Christine didn't actually leave the Brotherhood either; instead finding new purpose as a member of the Circle of Steel.[13]

Journey to the East

Unwilling to leave the Brotherhood behind, when it was Veronica's turn to make the decision, she chose to remain. She believed in what the Brotherhood stood for, or at least the values at the heart of their beliefs.[14] Elijah's influence also played a role. When the Council decided to deal with him by promoting him out of the way, assigning him to investigate Hoover Dam in Nevada,[15] he asked her to join him in founding a new chapter. He tricked the elders into approving the assignment, concealing the fact from Veronica.[16]

At first, Veronica was elated to join her foster parent on such an important expedition. However, when Elijah sidetracked the chapter at HELIOS One, she started having doubts.[6] Although she was his confidante, trusted with recovery runs and intel he wouldn't share with anyone else,[17] she started seeing his nasty character flaws, beginning with obfuscation: He never told her the reason why he had her looking for various pieces of technology.[18] The biggest change came in 2274, when news of the NCR's deployment to Hoover Dam reached the chapter at HELIOS. The elder flew into a rage, calling the NCR children playing with a bomb. It was then that Veronica realized he wasn't mad because of what he could do with the dam, but rather, being denied its power.[6]

Despite her relationship with Elijah, she was still a 20 year old scribe with no ability to influence the direction of the Brotherhood. She watched powerlessly as the chapter waged a guerilla war against the NCR over the next two years. Then came Operation: Sunburst, which broke something inside Veronica. Whether it was the loss of half the chapter, desertion of Elder Elijah, or the grueling combat experience, something broke inside the scribe. She survived HELIOS. Her belief in the Brotherhood's cause did not.[19]

Life after HELIOS

As the Brotherhood under the newly appointed elder, Nolan McNamara, entered a protracted lockdown to protect themselves from the NCR's Army and Rangers and rebuild its strength, Veronica became an outspoken critic of the Brotherhood's policies. Her difficult questions combined with her status as a veteran of HELIOS One made the leadership uncomfortable. To keep her away from the elder and the bunker Heads, she was designated a procurement specialist and permitted outside the bunker to make regular supply runs and obtain provisions and other necessities for her peers.[18][20] She was keenly aware of the reasons behind her new assignment, made even more frustrating by the fact that she got along with other members well as long as Brotherhood politics weren't involved.[21]

Some exceptions include Head Scribe Lars Taggart, who tutored her and grew to dislike her attitude,[22][23] Head Paladin Edgar Hardin, a hardliner, and Senior Initiate Melissa Watkins, likely for the same reasons Senior Scribe Linda Schuler dislikes the initiate.[24] On the other hand, she gets on particularly well with Senior Paladin Ramos, who has a soft spot for Veronica's antics,[25] Scribe Ibsen, Knight Torres[26][27] and the aforementioned Scribe Schuler.[28]

While her absence from the bunker did keep her out of command's hair, her exposure to the outside world only made her more aware of the Brotherhood's failure. Watching the influx of NCR troops, merchants, and citizens to the Mojave made her realize how it failed to adapt. The Brotherhood wanted to seize military technology, to control it so that it couldn't destroy humanity again. The single-minded pursuit of this goal resulted in stagnation, a failure to adapt to the shifting landscape of the wastes. The NCR had an army, a nation, and controlled the dam. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood was stuck in a glorified hole in the ground, unable to carry out its mission.[29] Yet it still refused to change, to start helping people and serve humanity, rather than itself.[30]

She didn't need to be a scribe to realize that the Brotherhood was doomed in the long run.[31] Even with laser rifles and power armor, the Brotherhood was fast running out of people to bear these arms into combat,[32] and as their power waned, their competitors' waxed. Without a radical course correction, she was staring at a lifetime of scavenging and watching her friends die pointlessly in lost battles.[33]

Changes

By 2281, five years after the fall of HELIOS One, Veronica is at her wits' end. Increasingly torn between loyalty to her friends and unwillingness to join them on the funeral pyre of the order, she seeks to learn from the thriving cultures of the wasteland as she collects supplies for the bunker. She hopes to find some sort of solution that could help save the Brotherhood, but her irreverent attitude puts her dangerously close to outright banishment.[34] Even Elder McNamara, the most progressive member of the chapter after Veronica, is unwilling to bend on what he considers the Brotherhood's core beliefs.[35]

The fact that she received a curious note from Father Elijah doesn't help.[36] The letter from this ghost of her past indicated a delusional, unstable personality, claiming to have the salvation the doomed Brotherhood needed. The familiar signature made it plain that it came from Elijah and only strengthened her resolve to try a solution that didn't involve wiping the slate clean.[37]

Although she focuses on finding something to force the Brotherhood to change, she also has personal goals to keep her sane. Chief among these is finding a proper dress for herself, something that would allow her to feel like a woman once in a while. She hopes to find a designer gown one day, but until then, she keeps looking.[38]

Interactions with the player character

Interactions overview

Quests

Effects of player's actions

If the Courier talks negatively about the Brotherhood when first conversing with Veronica, she will refuse to join up as a companion, and further attempts to talk to her will yield only one dialogue option: "Goodbye."

If the player character has destroyed the Brotherhood Bunker in Hidden Valley before recruiting Veronica, she will ask what they know about the Brotherhood when they meet at the 188 trading post. Telling her about destroying the Brotherhood will cause her to express shock and lead her to say, "Well in that case: This is for them," and attack.

Becoming Vilified with the Brotherhood of Steel causes Veronica to quit as a companion. However, it seems that even with a reputation as low as Merciful Thug, she will happily continue as a companion. She will remain a companion upon the destruction of the Hidden Valley bunker, although she warns that it is the Courier's last chance, similar to what happens with Craig Boone after working too closely with the Legion, or Rose of Sharon Cassidy after gaining negative Karma with her as a companion. Destroying the Brotherhood of Steel by activating the bunker's self-destruction option will drop the reputation to Vilified, making Veronica leave the party even if she chose to leave the Brotherhood in her companion quest. Killing all the Brotherhood members without activating the self-destruction option is much less likely to make this happen, as it results in little to no loss of reputation. It is also possible for her to stay as a companion should the Courier complete all Brotherhood of Steel faction quests in their favor, make her leave the Brotherhood, and destroy them without killing any members.

Veronica will enable access to Hidden Valley on much friendlier terms without being stripped of gear, having an Explosive collar put on, and having to get rid of Ranger Dobson from one of the bunkers.

Completing her companion quest in favor of the Followers of the Apocalypse causes Veronica not to enter the Brotherhood bunker anymore. As a companion, she will always wait outside the entrance.

Equipping NCR faction armor while Veronica is a companion may lead her to issue her "last chance" warning.

Other interactions

Giving Veronica the following dress-type items:

may complete the quest You Make Me Feel Like a Woman (See the quest for full details and bugs) and will make her say one of the following lines randomly:

"Aw, you shouldn't have. It's just my taste. Thank you."

"Hey, a dress! Thank you! I'm totally trying this on later."

"<Gasps!> For me? Do you mean it? No, no it's too much. Well Okay. But it's too much. It's perfect. Thank you. Thank you."

"I wish I had something I could give you. I-Wait! What about punching? That's the gift that keeps on giving."

Companion

Veronica can be recruited at the 188 trading post by simply talking to her. As long as the player character does not make themselves out to be an enemy of the Brotherhood, she will ask if she can join their party and reveal her association with the order once she is accepted. If the player character destroys Hidden Valley before recruiting her, the player character will be able to reveal that they are responsible for the chapter's destruction. Veronica will immediately attack, to avenge her lost family.

She is a follower focused on unarmed combat and benefits greatly from heavy armor and high end unarmed gear. However, this also puts her at risk when confronting deathclaws and the like. In her ranged mode, Veronica is a capable user of Energy Weapons. As with other companions, Veronica will pick weapons according to their damage per second (i.e. the best weapons in inventory). For unarmed weapons, this will generally mean Fist of Rawr and Saturnite fist super-heated, followed by Pushy, Love and Hate, Embrace of the Mantis King! (GRA) and Displacer glove (depending on their condition). Veronica will not equip an industrial hand since it's marked as a player-only weapon.

Veronica will wear Brotherhood power armor, such as the one found on dead paladins at Black Mountain, REPCONN or near Nellis.

As with other companions, she offers a special perk: As long as she's in the party, the player character can talk to her and activate a workbench interface anywhere in the world, as she can help them craft with her own tools and expertise. This advantage is nullified by the additional options provided by ED-E after playing through Lonesome Road and unlocking its workbench and reloading tools.

Veronica will leave the player character's party if their reputation with the Brotherhood drops to Vilified at any point. She will stay on board with it as low as Merciful Thug, however, but will warn that it is the player character's last chance. She will leave if the reputation drops further. Alternatively, completing the quests Pistol Packing , Still in the Dark (favoring McNamara), and Eyesight to the Blind for the Brotherhood will earn enough positive favor with them that activating the bunker self-destruct will only drop reputation to Soft-Hearted Devil, after which Veronica will stay. If she quits as a companion, she will not return any gear she is carrying or using.

Unlike other companions, Veronica will not object to being sent to Lucky 38. However, as with other non-player characters, she will collect and consume any food and drink left in the suite, including in containers. The scripts tied to special Nuka-Colas and the like will apply visual effects to the player should she consume them.

Like ED-E, Veronica will not die, regardless of any difficulty, unless the Brotherhood of Steel quests have started.

Nightkin: "Book girl has hard decision to make."

NCR civilians: "Your lady friend seems out of place here."

NCR tourist: "Your friend seems too civilized for a place like this."

Boomers: "I can spot a Brotherhood spy from a thousand yards. Even the cute ones."

Brotherhood of Steel: "If you're planning to take Veronica with you, be sure to have a good pair of earplugs with you. I'm kidding, Veronica! Put the power fist down! "; "Keep an eye on Veronica here. She's a sharp one." ; "Try to keep Veronica out of trouble, would you? "

"; ; " Powder Gangers: "Now there's a fine-looking woman. Just needs to ditch the robe."

Great Khans: "Your friend's cute - is she single? "

" Followers: "I didn't know the Brotherhood had any people out here."

Freesiders: "Your lady friend needs to lighten up."

The Kings: "Your girl's kinda cute, but not my type at all. I don't go for smart chicks."

Omertas: "Let me know if the pretty lady with you is looking for some work."

Outer Vegas denizens: "Your friend's not from the desert, is she?"

Endings

Dead Money

After completion of Dead Money, the Courier can retrieve Elijah's holomessage from his console in the abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker and give it to Veronica, but only after exhausting all of Veronica's dialogue options regarding Father Elijah. In the same conversation, the Courier can choose to keep the holotape's knowledge instead, gaining the Elijah's Ramblings perk. Giving Veronica the message will give her the Elijah's Last Words perk.

Inventory

Notes

Notable quotes

" Well, thanks for taking a chance on a naive young girl from California with stars in her eyes and a pneumatic gauntlet on her hand. " Play sound

FNV Veronica ThanksTakingAChance…

" " Great. Thanks. Thank you. I'll encourage people to name their non-ugly children after you. Seriously. " Play sound

FNV Veronica WillEncouragePeople…

" " Sorry about that. Just because I love them doesn't mean some of them aren't assholes. " Play sound

FNV Veronica BecauseILoveThem.ogg

" " Ooo. Got something good for me? Is it a dress? " Play sound

FNV Veronica GotSomethingGood.ogg

" " You're making me carry the heavy stuff, aren't you? " Play sound

FNV Veronica CarryHeavyStuff.ogg

" "Does jumping at them with my fists count as ranged? <Sighs> Fine." Play sound

FNV Veronica DoesJumpingCount.ogg " Yes! Finally. Everything's coming up Veronica. " Play sound

FNV Veronica ComingUpVeronica.ogg

" " Probably die of natural causes eventually anyway. " Play sound

NVVeronicaDieOfNaturalCauses.ogg

" " Holy hell, that's a lot of energy weapons. Guess we dropped the ball on that one. " Play sound

NVVeronicaLotOfEnergyWeapons.ogg

" " Hey, you try getting a date wearing Scribe robes. Might as well be wearing sweatpants. " Play sound

FNV Veronica TryGettingADate.ogg

" " You know, I've been thinking. The real problem with the Brotherhood is that we isolate ourselves. Our training is top-notch, our technology gives us an advantage, but when it all comes down to it, we're losing because we shun the outside world. We always make enemies, never allies. We refuse to recruit outsiders, or see the value in their simpler technologies. "

" " But... you don't have a "this is good news" expression on your face. " Play sound

NVVeronicaNotGoodNews.ogg

" " He was dead when I got there. " Play sound

NVVeronicaDeadWhenIGotHere.ogg

" " Look at the Followers of the Apocalypse. They use their expertise to improve people's lives. They train them to be self-sufficient. That expertise cultivates respect and gratitude. Spreads their ideals. Draws talent to their cause. They make friends like we make enemies. But they don't know a fraction of what we know. If we took on their role, we could stand up to anyone. We wouldn't have to hide. "

" " What'd you think of Mr. House? I was surprised he only had the two robot sex slaves. "

" " Wow. I've got to admit, you have completely defied my first impression of you. Eye lasers. I'll be sure and look out for that next time. "

" " A lifetime supply of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes, revenge against my enemies, and world peace. In that order. "

" " Do me a favor. Make sure they bury me in a nice dress. "

" " This better not be about the meaning of life. " Play sound

NVVeronicaMeaningOfLife.ogg

" " Ooo, do I get a prize if I answer right? " Play sound

NVVeronicaDoIGetAPrize.ogg

" " It doesn't matter. He died when we all retreated to Hidden Valley. I didn't expect to see him again, no one did. " Play sound

NVVeronicaElijahDead.ogg

" "That was... that was hard to watch. The parts I understood? Didn't matter. Past all the garbage, all it amounted to was goodbye." Play sound

NVVeronicaElijahMessage.ogg

Appearances

Veronica Santangelo appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

If asked about her personal life, she might mention "I was young and needed the money." This quote is similar to when the Chosen One (as a Porn Star) says to Ethyl Wright: "Look, I was young and needed the money."

Developer quotes

“ Hi Josh! My question is about F:NV and the DLC Dead Money (my favorite~ ha) I have to admit, after meeting Christine and running as fast as I could to Veronica to explain my experience in that world, I was disheartened to only give her a holotape from her previous Elder and not get a reaction from her about, who I assumed to be, her previous lover. Was there ever going to be a dialogue option about them? I guess I'm asking for closure :') I cannot speak for Chris Avellone (who wrote and directed Dead Money), but I believe we were limited by time/scheduling. Veronica was written and recorded for the base New Vegas game with (IIRC) only a few hooks for Dead Money. I think reactions to Dead Money content itself would have required a more comprehensive level of (way) advanced planning, i.e., we would have needed to know exactly what Veronica was reacting to in Dead Money at the time that we recorded her for New Vegas. Either that or we would have needed to book Felicia Day for more studio time during the development of Dead Money. That can also be difficult and expensive, especially since voice actors and studio time are generally booked in multiple hour blocks. It’s difficult to justify if the character is only saying two or three new lines. It also gets a little messy when trying to decide where to draw the line. I think a lot of people would love to see some resolution between Christine and Veronica, but what about Caesar responding to the events of Honest Hearts? I wrote Joshua Graham and directed Honest Hearts, so I can speak more definitively to that. The limited reactivity Caesar could have about JG/HH wouldn’t really justify the expense of bringing John Doman back into the studio. And of course the new dialogue (minor as it might be) would still need to be tested. Caesar had one of the most complex dialogues in New Vegas, so it’s something we really tried to avoid messing with once the game shipped. I know that might seem a little silly, but because recording expenses can be high and recording sessions typically happen late in development, it’s often safer to err on the side of caution. I know that might seem a little silly, but because recording expenses can be high and recording sessions typically happen late in development, it’s often safer to err on the side of caution. ” J.E. Sawyer on technical limitations behind the decision to not provide definite resolution for Christina and Veronica

“ There are technical reasons (that I’ve gone over before) for why DLC characters can’t come back into the main game/reference each other. That’s separate from any narrative reasons why Christine and Veronica couldn’t interact, though I should also say that I conceived Veronica’s F:NV plot arc before/separately from what Chris Avellone developed for Dead Money.

I think Veronica is relatively happy (an important qualifier in setting where most things are miserable) and any tragedy in her ending slides has more to do with the state of the BoS than her personal relationships. Most other companions don’t speak of their romantic relationships. Arcade and Cassidy mention some in passing, but nothing in particular. Boone's wife is the source of a lot of personal anguish. You could make an argument that Boone’s or Veronica’s relationships are more tragic than the other, but both of them qualify as not good. ” [11] — Joshua Sawyer on Tumblr

Bugs