Josey Wales

Josey Wales also known as The Courier, Jose, Six, or, rarely, "Blondie," is a former courier of the Mojave Express, and current leader of The Strip. A morally grey individual, Josey prefers to solve most problems with the barrel of his gun, without stopping to ask if what he's doing might cause more issues than it fixes in the long run.

Background
Where Josey is from, his own parents, and any history he has, is unclear to him. Everything before he woke up on Doctor Mitchell's surgery table with only a hat, a poncho, and a revolver among his worldly possessions, is hazy and spotted with memory gaps. Although he knows his own name, he feels a sense of detachment from his older self, and tells Doctor Mitchell to just call him 'the Courier' until he can come up with a more suiting one. What the Courier does remember, however, is being shot in the head by the leader of the Chairmen, and having his delivery stolen. During the tests Doctor Mitchell runs on the Courier, the Courier frequently expresses anger at being shot and a desire to hunt the men down who did it to him. Mitchell jokingly states he could call himself 'Josey Wales,' saying it's what Mitchell would've picked for him, after an old pre-war film with a similar premise. Mitchell ended up just calling the Courier by that name anyway, and it stuck.

Hunting Benny
Josey first spent time recovering in Goodsprings. Upon learning that the two was in danger from Powder Gangers, he immediately searched out their leader, Joe Cobb, and killed him. Josey felt protective of the town that had saved his life and wanted to repay them for taking care of him, although a citizen of the town, Sunny Smiles, challenged Josey for having blatantly murdering someone unannounced. Josey joined up with Ringo, the man the Powder Gangers were hunting, and along with Sunny Smiles the three of them killed the six assailants. Josey, although details were hazy, knew he was a quick hand with a six-shooter, and almost single-handedly dispatched the Powder Gangers. Having won the respect of Goodsprings, Josey set off after Benny, the Chairman leader, intent on getting his revenge.

He followed the trail to Primm, and learned that Deputy Beagle, a lawman in the town, knew more, but he was currently being held by escaped convicts. Having already dealt with their friends, Josey had no qualms with gunning down a few men, in order to speak with Beagle. He learned that the men he was hunting were headed for Novac, and Josey set after them. On the way, he stopped first at Mojave Outpost, where he met the Rose of Sharon Cassidy, who would later become an ally of his. Cleaning the highway of ants for the Rangers there in exact for supplies, Josey pressed on for Novac. He passed through Nipton, where he encountered Vulpes Inculta, whom he promptly murdered, disgusted by what had been done to the town. Josey was bad injured in the fight, having suffered a deep wound in his leg, and nearly died on the road to Novac, gaining many more wounds as he fight through several ambushes by the Viper gang of raiders.

Arriving in Novac, he had the good fortune to run into a traveling doctor whilst there, who cleansed and repaired Josey's wounds. In Novac, he went searching for the watchman, in order to ask them if they'd seen a man in a checkered jacket. Josey ran into Boone, who appealed to Josey to help him get revenge for his dead wife. Not wanting to deny someone their own revenge, Josey set up a murder for Boone, allowing the man to murder the owner of the motel there, after Josey discovered evidence proofing she was responsible for the death of Boone's wife. With nothing left for him in Novac, Boone joined Josey in his own quest for revenge. Josey explained to Boone his desire to kill Benny, which Boone sympathized with, and was more than willing to help. Boone led Josey to Manny, the other watchman, whom from he learned that Benny and his Great Khan hirelings had headed for Boulder City.

Boone and Josey, arriving in Boulder City, encountered a hostage situation. Josey told the Lieutenant there he'd free the hostages, and him and Boone cleared the ruins of the Great Khans, Josey with his quick hands and Boone with his percision. The pair confronted Jessup, a the Great Khan squad leader, a man who Josey recognized from his attempted murder. Upon getting the information he desired out of him, Josey killed Jessup and the remaining Great Khan, before setting out with Boone for the Strip, having learned Benny's true identity.

The pair arrived at the Strip flush in caps, having sold various valuables and weapons they'd acquired along the way, and made it easily past the Credit Check and inside the gate. They were greeted by a Securitron named Victor, who claimed to have been the one to save Josey, and implored Josey enter the Lucky 38 and meet with Mr. House. Wales, however, had only revenge on his mind, blew off Mr. House, the apparent overlord of the Strip, and headed for the Tops Casino.

Inside, the desk clerk immediately demanded their weapons. Josey, actually laying eyes on Benny as he stepped inside the doors, feared a trap, and refused to allow his chance at revenge to elude him. A shootout commenced when Josey refused to surrender his and Boone's fire arms. In the resulting gun battle, Josey and Boone's combined skilled and training proved much too great for the former tribals, and the body count in the Tops rose as they mowed through the Chairmen. Benny attempted to make an escape when it was clear the battle wasn't turning in his favor, and Josey chases the Chairman leader to his suite, where a short confrontation ended in Benny's death. Josey recovered the platinum chip, and Benny's pistol, whilst simultaneously discovering Yes-Man. The modified Securitron explained Benny's plan to take over the strip, and eventually all of New Vegas. The result of Josey learning this led to many things occurring, and could be considered the starting point of what brought Josey to where he presently is.

Rise to Fame
Josey did visit the Lucky 38, only to kill Mr. House before he could upgrade his Securitrons. He uploaded Yes-Man into the Lucky 38 mainframe, and the used the Platinum Chip to upgrade the Securitrons so he'd have his own army. He allows the Followers of Apocaylpse to bug the Lucky 38 mainframe, and gains their trust.

Josey returned to Mojave Outpost and recruited Sharon Cassidy. After investigating who had wiped out Cassidy's caravans, the culprits being the Van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan company, Josey and Cass killed Alice McLaffery, the branch manager of Crimson Caravan Company, and executed all the Van Graffs in the Silver Rush.

Josey and Boone returned to Bitter Springs, to reflect on Boones' troubled past, and fought off a Legion assault.

Josey recruited Veronica from Trading Post I-88 when he passed through there next, on his way to Cottonwood Cove to meet Caesar. The son of Mars knew all about Josey's exploits, especially those that involved fending off his assault on Bitter Springs and killing Vulpes Inculta. Caesar joked about having Josey killed, and agreed to Caesar's task of destroying the bunker that lay below the fort. Josey instead activated the Securitrons that sat within the bunker-- Caesar did not know the difference.

Josey worked briefly for the NCR under Ambassador Crocker. He allied himself with the Boomers, although the tribals gave him their support, instead of the NCR, but bungled the assassination of Pacer. Josey couldn't do subtle, and ended up murdering Pacer too loudly, resulting in him having to kill quite a few Kings, and the Kings himself, to escape. Crocker told Josey that he was being sent to the Hoover Dam to work for Colonel Moore. Not eager to fix the NCR's problems and disliking the Republic, he did not work for the Californians again.

Josey and Boone encountered a Ranger by the name of Milo at an NCR checkpoint near Nelson. After an unpleasant conversation, where Milo threatened their lives and insulted their competence, Josey and Boone descended on Nelson to kill all the Legionnaires present. The pair killed ruthlessly and effectively, wiping out the Legionnaires there. Upon returning to Milo, apparently some conflict came up, as Milo was killed soon afterward. This resulting in him becoming an outlaw among the Legion.

Josey, at the behest of Yes-Man, set off to deal with the Super Mutants on Black Mountain. Unable to see how he could reason with them, Josey, Cassidy, and Boone began a bloody onslaught of the mutants, and barely walked away in one piece. They recruited Raul Tejada during it.

Later, Josey went to deal with the Brotherhood of Steel, bringing Veronica along to expedite the process. Yes-Man had explained to him that he needed all the factions under his control or destroyed by the time of the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. The Brotherhood were just another tick on the list, after Black Mountain and the Boomers. Although he initially wanted to reason with them, Josey became convinced this was impossible and destroyed the Brotherhood by initiating their bunker's self-destruct sequence. Around the same time, Veronica died of mysterious circumstances.

Josey and Raul headed to Jacobstown, where they won the Super Mutants there to their side, even calming the rogue element of the Nightkin while they were there. Josey recruits the Nightkin Lily Bowden to his crew.

Josey won Gomorrah over to his side by siding with Cachio and killing the other Omerta leadership. He attempted to do the same with the White Glove Society, but upon learning that they where formerly cannibals, he had them destroyed.

Josey assembles his whole crew: Cassidy, Raul, Boone, Lily, and Arcade, and the six of them descend on the Great Khans, killing them all.

Finally, Josey attaches an override chip to the El Dorado Substation, in order to grant Yes-Man to the NCR's power supply. The troopers guarding the place turn on Josey, and he is forced to kill the lot of them. The NCR orders his assassination shortly after this. Josey also gives medical supplies to the followers and solves their issue with James Garrett, garnering their support. He recruits Arcade Gannon at this point.

Josey would continue on an complete various other objectives, such as a helping the ghouls at the REPCONN test site, collecting Vault suits for Vault 21, collectiing the bounties on Motor Runner and the other leaders of the fiends, learning what happened to the missing people at the Aerotech office space, gathering eggs for the Thorn, or freeing slaves from Cottonwood Cove, all at different times among his rise to fame (or infamy) in New Vegas.

He would journey with the Happy Trails Caravan to Zion, and help Joshua Graham, the Sorrows, and the Dead Horses hold their ground against the White Legs

He would kill the entire Think Tank at Big MT, including Dr. Mobius.

He would go to Sierra Madra, kill Elijah, and spare all companions.

The Last Road
Josey received the radio broadcast from Ulysses soon after his return from Sierra Madra, and as he anticipated the Second Battle for Hoover Dam. Intrigued by the idea of confronting a man from his past, and the challenge of crossing the Divide to face Ulysses, Josey choose to make one last journey before the Battle was upon him.

But as he prepares for the Lonesome Road, Josey's past mistakes and overwhelming amount of enemies have come back to haunt him. The Legion and NCR send assassination teams, intent on ending his life, the Nightkin Tabitha hunts him unerringly, and he cannot enter half the Mojave without having to hide his face. Josey's closest allies, his friends, have begun to question him and his motives. Now faced with insurmountable odds as his enemies close in, Josey watches as his world slowly collapses around him. Already troubled by self doubt, and confronted by the consequences of the crimes he has committed, it's beginning to look like his trek into the Divide will be his last, unless he can turn around the mess he's made.

Personality
Josey Wales is very much an outcast, someone who would be fit well in the rough and tumble old American West. And although the Mojave seems to be the next best thing, civilization is catching up with Josey. Any decision he makes seems to come back to haunt him, and at times he seems to be unable to escape a past that's not even his own anymore. A man of few words, Josey is much more suited to tracking down bounties or escaped criminals, than making moral decisions or attempting to assist in the common good. Before, any problem that couldn't be solved with his pistol wasn't a problem worth solving, but since he got tangled up in the scheme to takeover Vegas, Josey's life has gotten a lot more complicated. His skill with a six-shooter has garnered him a lot more power than he thought it would very quickly, and it's becoming too much to juggle for him. His bad decisions or increasing poor moral choices are a result of him trying to figure out how to best manage this new situation he's gotten himself in, and survive at any cost. Although he's doesn't wish harm on the average wastelander, Josey has killed a good many people who likely didn't deserve it, as he has been too caught up in his desire for ultimate revenge. That is what has been driving Josey all along, his anger at Benny, and without that motivation, he's begun to flag, and lose direction. Ulysses is a new challenger to him, who can set Josey back on the right track, and hopefully be how he learns to manage this new world he's built for himself, largely on accident.

Trivia

 * Josey Wales is named for a character of the same name in the film The Outlaw Josey Wales. The original Josey Wales goes on a revenge spree that destroys his life and everything he was before in the process, since he believed he had nothing else to live for, similar to the Courier here.
 * The nickname "Blondie" is a reference to another character played by Clint Eastwood, "The Man with No Name," from The Dollars Trilogy. As the Courier inherently has no name, neither does the main character in those films.