Ulysses Ulysses is a courier and former frumentarius of Caesar ' s Legion . In 2281 , he was one of six couriers hired by to carry strange packages to the Strip North Gate , but his delivery was left to the Courier after Ulysses ' mysterious disappearance . Background . Ulysses was once a member of the Twisted Hairs , a powerful tribe in Arizona that forged an alliance with the fledgling Caesar ' s Legion in 2247 , becoming its scouts during the conquest of Arizona . Ulysses was one of the most successful scouts in the Twisted Hairs , traveling vast distances in search of the enemies of both Caesar ' s Legion and the Twisted Hairs . However , once the Legion ' s campaign ended in Arizona , Caesar promptly rewarded their aid by breaking the alliance and betraying them ; conquering and enslaving them as he had done to all the other tribes of Arizona . Their tribal identity was erased and those who resisted were crucified along the sides of Interstate 40 . Vulpes Inculta ' s pacification of Dry Wells was a particularly painful moment for Ulysses , though his dedication to Caesar and the flag of the Bull prevented his desertion . Thanks to his ability and his forceful personality , he quickly became an important , indispensable frumentarius of Caesar ' s Legion , walking the wastes as a courier . Caesar told him to kill no other member of this profession since many couriers were , in fact , members of the Legion . In 2274 , after the NCR reached Hoover Dam , Ulysses crossed the Colorado and was the first among the Legion to see both the Dam and the NCR - a nation great enough to challenge Caesar himself . Returning across the Colorado , Ulysses went back to Caesar and spoke with him about Hoover Dam and the NCR . This Old World symbol became an object of obsession for Caesar , a great symbol to focus his people on . Ulysses , however , believed Hoover Dam might kill Caesar , whether he won or lost . Ulysses continued to walk the wastes , exploring the wastelands for Caesar . Between 2274 and 2277 , Ulysses discovered a community called " The Divide " which was , in his own words , " a nation taking its first breath , " surrounded and shaped by the symbols of the Old World , with the potential to become a real homeland for Ulysses , beyond the lies and everything else , and a second chance , a new way of thinking outside of the rigid discipline of the Legion . To Ulysses ' dismay , the prosperous community was discovered and annexed by NCR , which in turn drew the attention of Caesar , who sent in a small army to take it over . Ulysses had tentative plans to save the community , but , before he could act , the Courier , hired by the NCR , unintentionally brought a package from Navarro containing a mysterious device before departing . Ulysses was fascinated by the package , bearing the sigil of pre - War America , but also one he had never seen before . This device turned out to be a messenger of destruction : someone activated the device , which began " speaking ; " this in turn activated several of the nuclear warheads still underground in their silos since the Great War . The results were immediate and devastating ; buried deep beneath Hopeville and Ashton , the warheads answered the call in the only way they could : by detonating . The land trembled as underground detonations split the earth , killing the settlers and burying both NCR companies holding the area and Caesar ' s Legion guerrillas dispatched to cut the supply lines running through the Divide to Hoover Dam . This disaster nearly killed Ulysses , but he was saved by several , who had also been activated by the copy of ED - E . They recognized the flag of America on his back and saved him . Ulysses ' life was changed that day , showing him how a single individual could change history , or erase it . As a survivor of the Divide , he held the Courier responsible for the destruction of the place that could have been his true home ; of something " larger than the Bear , greater than the Bull . " At the same time , it inspired him , showing just how great of an impact a single person can have on history . In 2277 , he returned to Caesar , learning that the First Battle of Hoover Dam ended in the defeat of Caesar ' s Legion . There , he was assigned a new duty . In the same year , Caesar sent Ulysses to the Great Salt Lake as his emissary and to rally the White Legs against New Canaan and watch over them as they undertook Caesar ' s test : to cut off the NCR supply lines running through Utah and to destroy New Canaan , killing the still living Joshua Graham along with it . He became their mentor , the White Legs called him the " Flag - Bearer " for the flag staff he carried . He taught them the values of the Legion , showed them numerous supply caches and bunkers hidden across Utah like Spanish Fork that gave them the weapons that they became known for , all the while lying about Caesar ' s pride in those that used such weapons . The act of deceit posed some problems in his mind , expressing himself in the same method as Vulpes Inculta , the man who had betrayed his former tribe . He was an inspiring presence , but not in the way he wanted to be . He was particularly affected when they tried to honor him instead of the Legion . After the plundering of New Canaan , he observed that the White Legs began to braid their hair into dreadlocks , just as he did . For them , it was a sign of respect for their mentor ; for Ulysses , it was a hollow mockery of the ways of his destroyed tribe , the Twisted Hairs , because the significance of the braids was completely unknown to the White Legs . Shortly after the destruction of New Canaan , Ulysses finished his duties to Caesar and left the White Legs to their own devices . He set out looking for ways to change history himself and find a way to reawaken America , seeing it as having peaceful yet strong places like the Divide before its destruction , and thinking that the NCR and the Caesar ' s Legion had no long - term answer for the future of humanity . He retired to Wolfhorn Ranch for a time , to collect his thoughts , appearing to be a successful bighorner rancher and roaming , sometimes as a courier . Some time later , during his mission to reawaken America , he found Big MT by following the weather patterns , knowing the Divide ' s storms were caused by man , not nature . He tracked it like following a river current , leaving painted emblems matching the flag on his back in case he lost his way , or as a trail for any who might follow , like the Courier . Ulysses finally came to the crater , where he found the Old World facility and the X - 17 meteorological station still active . While there , he was caught up in the conflict between Knight Royce of the Circle of Steel and Father Elijah . At some point after Elijah spoke with the Think Tank , Ulysses and Elijah made contact . He directed the rogue elder to the Sierra Madre , apparently knowing it would eventually become Elijah ' s grave . Ulysses would then rescue Royce from the Y - 17 medical facility , nursing her back to health in a nearby cave . From Christine , he learned more about the Brotherhood of Steel , enough to decide the Brotherhood was not able to forge the future he wanted to live in . Ulysses spoke with the Think Tank , specifically Doctor Klein , who recalls him as a melancholy fellow who asked a lot about history . Ulysses also spoke with Doctor Mobius . While at the Big Empty , he questioned the Think Tank : " Who are you , that do not know your history ? " This question caused them to awaken and remember that , for a time , America , the flag of which was displayed on Ulysses ' back , was not just a flag , but a place , an idea that they had cared for once before . After this awakening , the Think Tank told him what " still carries America ' s voice , " deep in the heart of the Divide : the " Divide giants " - nuclear missile silos scattered across the ravaged landscape and the device still there to activate them . Whether by their own hand or Mobius ' , the Think Tank ' s memory of Ulysses ' question was later erased to perpetuate their stay in the Big Empty . Ulysses departed , deciding to reshape the post - apocalyptic world single - handedly , much like the Courier reshaped the Divide . In 2281 , Ulysses was hired by Victor to carry the platinum chip to the Strip ' s North Gate . He came to Primm at the Mojave Express to receive the delivery order , and was about to accept the job until he saw the Courier ' s name on the list . He asked Johnson Nash if the Courier ' s name was genuine , since he thought the Courier had died at the Divide . Nash informed him the Courier was still alive . In his desire to see the Courier dead and by respect of the old order of Caesar , Ulysses said " No , let Courier Six carry the package , " expecting the Mojave Wasteland to kill the Courier without having to intervene and , after that , he returned to The Divide without another word . Eventually , Ulysses broadcasts a simple message intended for the Courier : the coordinates for the canyon wreckage west of Primm , and the words " Courier Six . - Ulysses , " wanting to destroy their new home in his reshaping process of America before their eyes , as the Courier did for him with the Divide . Relationships . Ulysses ' dual obsessions with the Courier and the Divide are motivated by several factors . He is the only unmutated survivor of the disaster at the Divide , and because it was - from Ulysses ' point of view , that is - the Courier who caused the destruction of the community , Ulysses came to believe in the impact that a single person can have on history . The Courier is not even aware of having been involved in the event , as was hinted at by Chris Avellone before the release of " Lonesome Road " . He stated , cryptically : Appearances . Ulysses was originally supposed to appear in " " , but was cut from the final version of the game . He is mentioned indirectly in " Fallout : New Vegas " , " Dead Money " and " Honest Hearts " , appears in voice in " Old World Blues " and makes a full appearance in " Lonesome Road " .