Halford

Private Halford is a New California Republic Army military policeman stationed at Camp Guardian in 2281. The sole survivor of a lakelurk attack, he can be found injured in the Camp Guardian caves.
==Background==
Under the command of Sergeant Banner, Private Halford and eleven others were stationed at Camp Guardian. After clearing the long-neglected hiking trails to establish an NCR outpost, the camp began to suffer from supply problems. A week after their official request for a radio from Camp McCarran, they still had received nothing. Seeking to acquire a way to contact their superiors, they sent a runner to Ranger Station Bravo (an hour-long journey at full sprint) to request any kind of radio equipment they could spare, even if it was a handheld.Log page 7
The Rangers at Bravo gave the soldiers a handheld radio so they could use their equipment as a relay to Camp McCarran. Private Halford was put in charge of the handheld, as well as making their daily reports to Camp McCarran. The handheld worked well enough, though the camp's problems only got worse.Log page 14
Lakelurks attacked Camp Guardian one night, while some were sleeping in their tents. In the ensuing struggle, the camp was torn apart, and its logs scattered.The scenes of the camp: the sign, the trail of logs, a messy tent, bloody mattresses, the abandoned viewing post, etc. Private Halford was the sole survivor of the attack. As the unknown beasts dragged all his fellow servicemen away, he managed to record a distress signal over the radio while trying to reach Ranger Station Bravo.Camp Guardian Radio Before this, Private Halford believed the lakelurks were as make-believe as mermaids.The Courier: "What killed the other troopers?"Halford: " I'd heard fishermen spin old tales of 'Lakelurks' swimming in the water, but I always thought they were just bullshit mermaid stories."(Halford's dialogue)
He claims that, at the time of the attack, he was cleaning his firearm, and was knocked down and dragged down into the caves. He managed to grab his knife and throw it into the lakelurk's back. Once the mutant was on the ground with him, he beat and choked the creature to death.The Courier: "How did you kill that thing?"Halford: "With my bare hands. I would have shot it, but I was cleaning my gun when they swarmed the camp. The ugly bastard knocked me down and started dragging me down into these caves. I managed to get my knife out and get a good throw into it's back. Once he was on the ground, all it took was a bit of choking and punching to finish him off."(Halford's dialogue) In the fight, the creature inflicted some nasty lacerations and dislocated his leg joint.The Courier: ""Halford: "[SUCCEEDED] Thanks a lot, doc. I think I should be able to walk out of here, now. I don't want to risk running into a pack of those freaks alone, though. Could you escort me out of here?"(Halford's dialogue) By this point, he was in the entrance of the cavern. Unable to travel far, he pulled himself to the back of the fork in the cavern path to hide from the creatures and to await the reinforcements he hoped were coming.The Courier: "Are you okay?"Halford: "I managed to kill that thing, but not before it mangled my leg all up. No way I'm walking out of here like this. I've been keeping quiet and hoping they don't realize one of their buddies is missing. We need to get out of here before they come back."(Halford's dialogue) Unbeknownst to him, ranger station Bravo did not even get his distress call.
Eventually, he lost hope of ever seeing another human face;Halford: ""(Halford's dialogue) these fears are tempered should the Courier arrive, although he will have reservations with how small the rescue party is.The Courier: "I heard your radio broadcast. I'm here to help."Halford: "Thank God. I hoped someone would come eventually, but where are the rest of your men?"(Halford's dialogue)The Courier: "What are you talking about?"Halford: " Thank God. I hoped someone would come eventually, but where are the rest of your men?"(Halford's dialogue)The Courier: "This is it, buddy."Halford: " "(Halford's dialogue) Should the Courier intervene, they can treat his injuries and convince him to help clear out the lakelurk nest.The Courier: "We need to clear the caves first."Halford: "Are you crazy? No way in hell am I going deeper into these caves. You haven't seen what they did to the other troopers, and I'd rather not find out why they took all of the bodies."(Halford's dialogue)The Courier: ""Halford: "[SUCCEEDED] All right, you have a point. They were good men and deserved better. I can't guarantee I'll be much help against their numbers, but I'll do what I can. Chances are we won't get out of here alive anyway."(Halford's dialogue) Whether he is convinced to help clear out the caves or not, when Halford leaves, he will go AWOL to travel back to New California. He does not wish to die and is just plain sick of NCR incompetence. He will be satisfied once the creatures are dealt with, and will ask the Courier to return their dogtags to the NCR. He hopes that his squadmates will not have died in vain, and that his superiors will actually listen to what happened there so the men could be properly avenged.The Courier: "You're free to leave. The way up is clear."Halford: "Great, I'll start heading back to California now. I'm not about to let myself get killed by future NCR incompetence. If you find my friends, please return their dogtags to the NCR. People need to know what happened here. If they won't listen, do what you can to make them listen. The dead need to be avenged."(Halford's dialogue)Halford: " There have been way too many catastrophic NCR foul-ups around here for me to risk my life by sticking around."(Halford's dialogue)
==Interactions with the player character==
===Interactions overview===
===Quests===
* Help for Halford: Halford is the only remaining soldier in the platoon that used to be stationed at Camp Guardian and is now a broken man in the Guardian caves. With a doctor's bag or Medicine skill 50+, one can heal his leg.
===Effects of player's actions===
* Once healed, he wishes to get out of the cave. With a Speech skill of 50 he can be convinced to join the player character as a temporary companion while inside the Camp Guardian caves to assist in clearing out the cave's population of lakelurks. If the Courier goes near an exit Halford will leave, even if the player character has convinced him to help clear out the cave.
* Once Halford leaves the caves, he will travel across the map to the Mojave Outpost, where he disappears from the game. Unlike most non-player characters, Halford does not fast-travel when the player character is not present in the same map cell, and will not reach his destination unless followed by the Courier.
* If rescued by the Courier, he can serve as a temporary companion after a successful Speech check. Private Halford has somewhat more hit points and significantly better combat skills than a standard NCR trooper, and serves as a serviceable ally for purposes of clearing out the hostile cave creatures, although he will be overwhelmed and killed if left alone in combat. He will leave, when talking to him, after leaving the cave. The player can use quick travel to get to the Mojave Outpost before talking to him.
===Other interactions===
* Halford will drop Halford's note if he dies, or once all the lakelurks in the cave have been cleared. It contains a crafting recipe for the dog tag fist. If the player character has convinced Halford to help them clear the cave, he will also give them the note upon reaching an exit.
==Inventory==
==Notes==
* After rescuing him, Halford will attempt to run to the Mojave Outpost HQ (halfway across the map). He will run through the cazador swarms west of Callville Bay, through the deathclaw nest near Sloan, as well as through two Powder Gang camps. If one accompanies and protects him until he reaches inside the building but goes in first, one will be treated to the sight of Halford running into an office desk inside the building and disappearing.
* Killing Halford gives 50 XP, but no negative Karma or NCR Infamy. If Craig Boone is with the player character, he does not seem to care.
* Halford will not turn hostile or refuse the player character's help even if they are dressed in NCR-hostile faction armor, such as Legion armor or Great Khan armor.
** Likewise, if one is vilified by the NCR he will not be hostile.
* Halford will not enter sneak mode while accompanying the player character, and he uses a service rifle, making a stealth approach to clearing out the caves difficult.
* With Raul as a companion, upon finishing talking with Private Halford, Raul will say "He's young, boss. He'll bounce back, unlike some of us."
==Notable quotes==
==Appearances==
Private Halford appears only .
==Bugs==
==References==
Category:Fallout: New Vegas human characters
Category:Fallout: New Vegas NCR characters
Category:New California Republic Army characters
Category:Camp Guardian characters
de:Halford
es:Soldado Halford
ru:Рядовой Хелфорд
uk:Рядовий Хелфорд