“ They'd be marginally more effective. We lost most of the chapter defending glorified artillery ” Veronica

Operation: Sunburst[2] was a decisive strike on the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel by the New California Republic over the control of the pre-War, Poseidon Energy solar plant HELIOS One during the Brotherhood War in 2276.

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Background Edit

The occupation of HELIOS One was a decision made by Elder Elijah, who intended to unlock the secrets of the power plant. The Mojave chapter operated freely within the Vegas wastes for several years, carrying out many reclamation missions without serious opposition. The balance of power shifted in 2273 when a large contingent of NCR troops entered the region and occupied Hoover Dam. The conflict was inevitable.[2]

In 2274, the NCR officially set up a base at McCarran International Airport and moved into the Mojave in force.[2] The elder's obsession with HELIOS One and the need to defend against NCR forces deploying into the Mojave resulted in the Brotherhood ignoring the expansion of the Van Graff family into the area, despite them distributing pre-War energy weapons. The elder's orders were clear.[9] Two years of guerilla warfare against the NCR followed, ultimately leading to the confrontation at HELIOS One in 2276.[2]

Battle Edit

The power plant was not defensible, leaving Brotherhood forces exposed to attack from all sides, save for a small canyon leading to Hidden Valley. Despite recommendations for fighting a retreating action, Elder Elijah ordered his troops to dig in and protect the facility as he attempted to unlock the Archimedes orbital weapon system. The Brotherhood forces did so, but their positions were exposed, vulnerable, and impossible to defend properly.[10]

The elder's decision to remain at the facility doomed the chapter. NCR troopers attacked the Brotherhood from every direction in waves, allowing fresh troops to sustain the attack while those who were repulsed pulled back to rally and regroup. Outnumbered 15:1,[3][4] the Brotherhood defenders were eventually exhausted and their defensive lines began to fragment. When the collapse became imminent, Elder Elijah disappeared. Head Paladin Nolan McNamara assumed command of the Brotherhood remnants and led a counter-offensive west into the McCullough mountains. Disappearing into the mountains, he managed to save what remained of the chapter. Over a half of its number was dead or left behind.[11]

Aftermath Edit

Elder Elijah abandoned troops under his command and disappeared into the wastes. McNamara wasted no time in gathering the survivors and retreating to Hidden Valley from HELIOS One, but not until reactivating the security measures inside the solar collection tower to prevent NCR from picking up on Elijah's research.[4]

With their leader gone, McNamara assumed command in accordance with the Brotherhood's chain of command protocols. Abandoning the facility, the surviving Brotherhood members retreated into the canyons west, towards Hidden Valley. Instead of pursuing, NCR forces regrouped and secured the power plant; when they finally set out to locate and destroy remaining Brotherhood forces, they were nowhere to be found.[12]

The Brotherhood, hidden within their sole remaining stronghold in the Mojave, declared a full lockdown. Activity outside the bunker was drastically restricted: only supply runs, occasional reconnaissance missions, and night patrols were allowed to leave the underground installation and even then, they were strictly forbidden to engage NCR patrols. Though the Brotherhood's ascetic lifestyle has prepared its members for a sequestered existence better than most, the passivity of the current situation has proved highly stressful - especially as the order was extended in response to the NCR increasing its presence in the Mojave five times, while the Brotherhood failed to recover its strength.[13] The lockdown order has remained in effect for five years, until 2281 when the conflict in the Mojave forced the Brotherhood to be either destroyed or become active once again.[2]

Although the bulk of the fighting force was almost immediately redeployed to secure Hoover Dam in preparation for the coming confrontation with the Legion,[14] the NCR established a garrison in HELIOS One. Due to a stroke of bad luck, an incompetent con artist was hired to act as the facility's principal engineer. He was unable to bring the facility to even moderate operational status, leaving it stuck at 1% efficiency. Ignacio Rivas was posted by the Followers of the Apocalypse to research the facility independently and ensure that the ignoramus hired by the NCR would not figure out a way to unlock the facility's dark secrets. As he puts it, "Some things are best left buried with the old world."[15]

The Circle of Steel would also send Knight Christine Royce to track down Elder Elijah by any means necessary and execute him for the abandonment of his chapter at Operation: Sunburst.[16]

Appearances Edit

Operation: Sunburst is mentioned only in Fallout: New Vegas and its add-on Dead Money.