NCR - Great Khan War The NCR - Great Khan War was a conflict between the New California Republic Army and the Great Khans . While relations between the two were always tense at best , full scale conflict was avoided until the NCR began attempting to annex nearby tribals , including the Khans . The conflict culminated with the Bitter Springs Massacre in 2278 , resulting in an NCR victory and near - destruction of the Great Khans . By 2281 , the legacy of the war and the massacre were still well remembered , but open conflict between the two became almost non - existent . War . Origins . When the residents of Vault 15 left the vault , four distinct groups were founded . Of these four , the Khans and the settlers of Shady Sands became the most prominent . The Death Hand , leader and founder of the Khans , often raided the small settlement . However , the raids remained minor until Garl Death - Hand kidnapped Tandi . Aradesh then tasked the Vault Dweller to retrieve his daughter from the Khans . The resulting battle caused the deaths of all the Khans except one , named Darion . Darion became paranoid and obsessed with revenge against the Vault Dweller and Tandi , who later became the second president of the NCR . He founded the New Khans with the sole purpose of taking revenge on the NCR . His plans , however , were thwarted by the Chosen One , the grandchild of the Vault Dweller . In 2241 , an ironic twist of fate occured as the threat of the New Khans ended , as Darion , now an old man , was killed by the grandchild of the man he swore vengeance against . Rising Conflict . Unlike what occurred with the original Khans , enough members of the New Khans remained . The remnants of the New Khans reformed as the Great Khans , led by Papa Khan . He and the Great Khans left California for the Mojave Wasteland . There they became more powerful , and were known as the " Flails of God . " The Three Families and Robert House drove them out of outer Vegas , weakening their hold in the area . As supplies and fresh water began to dwindle , overcrowding was becoming more and more apparent . The New California Republic sent its elite Rangers and scouts into the Mojave Wasteland in search of fertile lands and resources to help expand their borders for their ever growing population . Push to the Mojave . After entering the Mojave , NCR president Wendell Peterson aimed to gain more land in the Mojave so as to gain a foothold over other factions , most prominently the Brotherhood of Steel . In order to fulfill this task , Aaron Kimball began a campaign to secure the Mojave and annex the local tribals , of which the Great Khans were the most prominent . Kimball ' s campaign was an utter failure , and the Great Khans began to attack the NCR settlements . The NCR retaliated by attacking the Great Khans . Skirmishes continued , despite the fact that the Great Khans were weakened both by Robert House and the NCR ' s firepower . The Great Khans also received aid from the Fiends in the conflict after they began supplying chem s to the raiders . Bitter Springs . The NCR continued to pursue its goals in the Mojave Wasteland by attempting to eradicate the Great Khans . The NCR believed to have found the main headquarters of the Great Khans at a location known as Bitter Springs . They failed to realize that Papa Khan had led the main Khan fighting force out of Bitter Springs before they had arrived . In 2278 the NCR sent the 1st Recon unit under the command of Major Gilles to Bitter Springs in the hopes of decimating the Khans fighting force . Commanded to fire until they ran out ammunition , the 1st Recon unit inadvertently slaughtered the sick , the children , and the elderly members of the Great Khans . Referred to as the Bitter Springs Massacre , the incident outraged the Great Khans and was heavily criticized by both proponents and opponents of the NCR as a major tactical mistake . Aftermath . Decimated at Bitter Springs , the remaining Great Khans and their leader , Papa Khan , moved into Red Rock Canyon where they would have a strategic advantage over the NCR . The NCR established Ranger Station Foxtrot to keep an eye on the Great Khans and occasionally send a scout , but actual conflict was rare . The Great Khans continued to be hostile to the NCR , despite a stalemate and ceasefire being reached between the two . The Great Khans strengthened their relations with the Fiends , who engaged in skirmishes with the NCR , attacking trade routes and settlements . Few Khans harbored resentment great enough to actually strike back against the NCR . One such , Oscar Velasco , began to assassinate NCR soldiers and their refugees , and stole supplies from them . Aside from Velasco however , cases were rare .