Chance

Chance was a Great Khans tribesman in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281. He was part of the group hired by Benny to ambush the Courier, but died before the group reached Goodsprings.

Background[]

Chance was present for the Bitter Springs Massacre of 2278, in which women, children, and elders from the Great Khans tribe were fired on by New California Republic snipers from the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion.^{[Non-game 1]} The resulting slaughter deeply traumatized Chance: he began suffering flashbacks at the sight of fire,^{[Non-game 1]} stopped speaking,^{[Non-game 2]} and eventually fell into chem abuse.^{[Non-game 3]} Despite these psychological issues, he remained a highly capable fighter, being particularly proficient in melee combat, and was a valued member of the tribe.^{[Non-game 3]}

In October of 2281, Chance was part of a group of Khans hired by Benny to ambush a courier traveling up the Long 15 to New Vegas.^{[Non-game 4]} Shortly before their employer arrived at Red Rock Canyon, Chance was awoken from a bender by Jessup and interrupted a meeting between McMurphy and the rest of the group, who were going over the plan and the route they would be taking. When McMurphy questioned his competence, he responded by drawing his knife and carving a detailed map of the Mojave Wasteland in the dirt.

That night, while Jessup and McMurphy discussed the terms of the job with Benny, Chance suffered a brief flashback from the sight of Benny’s lighter. Picking up on this, Benny questioned the group about his competence and made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate delays to accommodate Chance’s issues, but Jessup reassured him that “Khans carry their own.”^{[Non-game 5]}

Some time later, while traveling to the ambush spot, the group found a camp that had been razed to the ground by the Fiends. Stopping for the evening, the group discussed how to proceed, debating whether to circle around the rampaging raiders or attempt to slip past.^{[Non-game 6]} At some point during this discussion, Chance slipped away from the group, tracking the Fiends to a tribal village that they were in the process of attacking. Enraged at the sight, Chance charged into the fray armed only with his knife, forcing the rest of the group to follow and protect him.^{[Non-game 7]}

In the ensuing battle, Chance killed multiple Fiends, including one armed with a flamethrower, but was badly wounded as a result. Benny, furious at the delay and the danger they had been forced into, demanded that the Khans “put him down,” but backed down when they drew their guns in response.^{[Non-game 8]}

That night, while the others slept, Chance was awoken from a dream of Bitter Springs by Benny, who offered him a cigarette and told him the story of a singer from the Chairmen who couldn’t let go of the past and died from chem abuse as a result.^{[Non-game 9]} As he finished the story, Benny took a moment to tell Chance about his ambitions to rule Vegas, then placed a vial of psycho at his side, offering him a choice: shape up and soldier on, or take the dose and keep living in the past.^{[Non-game 9]}

Ultimately, Chance drank the vial’s contents, and was dead by the time the others woke up. Stricken with grief at the loss of their friend, Jessup and McMurphy buried Chance with his knife before catching up with Benny at Goodsprings Cemetery.

Notes[]

• In All Roads, when Benny refers to Chance as the Khans' friend, Jessup ambiguously corrects him by saying that Chance is family, though it is unclear if his assertion is meant to be taken literally.
• The Courier can find Chance's grave as well as the tribal village (Fiend camp) north of Goodsprings.
  • Inside the grave is the unique combat knife, Chance's knife as seen in the graphic novel (with bloodstains on the blade) and Great Khan simple armor also worn by Chance in the graphic novel. A shovel is needed to dig up the grave.
• The Courier can find Chance's map (carved with his knife), north of Bonnie Springs along the western side of Nevada State Route 160.

Appearances[]

Chance appears in the graphic novel All Roads and is mentioned in Fallout: New Vegas.

Gallery[]

References[]

Non-game