Revision as of 02:21, 24 November 2010

Map of Mariposa.

Background

Mariposa Military Base was a top-secret United States military facility built to house Forced Evolutionary Virus research previously conducted at West Tek, located somewhere in the area of the Mariposa unincorporated community in California. The name Mariposa means "butterfly" in Spanish.

History

Pre-war history

The construction of Mariposa started in October 2076 when large progress was made in FEV research, and the government preferred to move the project to a location under military supervision. In january 2077, all the scientists involved in the project moved there with a military squad commanded by colonel Spindal and captain Roger Maxson. The FEV project was then moved to Mariposa and tested on human subjects. The vats were giant tanks filled with liquid FEV. As part of the research project, human subjects were dipped inside them and then examined to learn how to control and harness the process. The experiments on humans were kept secret even from Spindel and his soldiers.

Wartime events

On October 10 2077, Maxson and his men were discovered that the scientists at Mariposa were using military prisoners as test subjects in their experiments with the Forced Evolutionary Virus. Spindel commited suicide five days latern and Maxson's men turned to him for leadership. Investigating the base, Maxson and his squad killed all the scientists and declared they were deserting from the army via radio, on October 20. As the army was busy then fighting the Chinese threat, no troops were sent there, and three days later, the Great War began and the bombs were launched.

The Mariposa Military Base survived, the soldiers within protected from the radiation and FEV flooding the wasteland. After burying the scientists in the wastes outside of Mariposa, the soldiers sealed the military base, then headed out into the desert, taking supplies and weapon schematics with them. Captain Maxson led his men and families to the government bunker at Lost Hills, eventually forming the Brotherhood of Steel. The base was left sealed, but over the years, it slowly fell into disrepair, and eventually various creatures made their way inside, mutating due to FEV exposure and infesting the surrounding area, attacking fledgling human settlements and caravans. The problem was becoming increasingly severe, to the point when Harold, a caravan master from the Hub, mounted an expedition in 2102 to locate and destroy the source of mutants.

Vats.

Master's Army

Dr. Richard Grey was one of the explorers who was part of the expedition, and was the only survivor with Harold. Both landed in vats, and as Harold managed to escape, Grey remained in the base, attracting wanderers around him to make the first Super Mutants. In 2155, they discovered the LA vault, and moved there to build the Cathedral. The base was entrusted to the Lieutenant, one of the greatest supermutant minds to exist. Mariposa was rebuilt and cleaned up, once again becoming the magnificent military base it was before the war. Supermutants roamed the halls, restocking the armories and medical base and soon it became the staging area for their assault on humanity, as well as the only supermutant production center. Then came the Vault Dweller in 2162. It is unknown whether or not he infiltrated the base or blasted his way in - suffice to say, once he was through, Mariposa was little more than a caved-in, smoldering ruin

Enclave's excavations

In 2236, the Enclave discovered the remnants of the Mariposa Base. Soon, assault squads combed the desert for slaves they could use to mine the military base and get to the vats. One of the squads included soldier Frank Horrigan. Enclave construction crews, as well as human and super mutant slaves began excavations. In September they uncovered FEV, and mutations began to occur in the human workers. Frank Horrigan comes into contact with the virus and is sent to the Enclave labs for study.

In 2237, having obtained the FEV data, the Enclave abandoned the site after more mutations occurred, causing 2nd Generation super mutants to arise. The Enclave left a single squad behind to wipe out the super mutants, but the mutants, using armaments they had cached in the base during excavation, won the battle. The remaining 1st and 2nd Generation super mutant slaves decided to remain in the Base, and the group formed a new community under the leadership of Melchior, whose magic talents had allowed them to hide the weapons.

Mariposa in Fonline 2238

The Military Base outside as seen in Fallout 2. The entrance is uncovered in FOnline:2238.

• The bottom level differs from Fallout 1 and 2. The Vats has been replaced by a Micro Fusion Cell Machine. To use the machine, one must first use the terminal, sucessfully using it will allow you to craft at the machine to the right of terminal.
• Player killers usually camp this area, so it is recomended to go there in groups.

See also

• The World
• The Vault's article about Mariposa Military Base.