Tabitha, also referred to as "Best Friend Tabitha," is the leader of the State of Utobitha at Black Mountain in 2281.
Background
Tabitha is a former commander of the nightkin of the Unity. Following the fall of the Master, she and her kin wandered the wasteland for over a century. In the course of her travels, she found a Mr Handy designated Rhonda, who became her constant companion and aide. She was responsible for saving several super mutants from suffering at human hands, including Mean Sonofabitch back in New California.[2]
The mutants arrived at Black Mountain around 2275. Although her Stealth Boy-induced dissociative personality disorder was kept stable by Rhonda, the Mr Handy suffered catastrophic damage at Black Mountain and went into hibernation mode.[3] Her state deteriorated over time. Marcus attempted to distract her with a journal project, however, the plan backfired when Tabitha realized the terminal was part of the radio station at Black Mountain and would allow her to broadcast her own words on the airwaves.[4][5] Within a week of fixing the radio and entering the radio business, her personality split into Tabitha and ersatz-Rhonda, convincing the second-generation super mutants she was a prophet.[6] Gentle attempts to coax her out of the radio building failed.[7]
The situation only deteriorated from there. As the nightkin and second-generation mutants clashed with Marcus' fellow first generation super mutants, he found himself unable to broker a peace. Rather than aggravate the conflict, he chose to leave and found another community in 2279.[8][9] This left Tabitha free to implement her utopian project: The State of Utobitha, complete with its own radio station, broadcasting a rather peculiar (insane and rambling) radio message throughout the wasteland, once the radio transmitter that Marcus smashed on his way out was repaired.[10] Raul Tejada was instrumental in restoring the radio. The ghoul mechanic from Mexico was captured by the nightkin and used as a slave to repair anything and everything around the complex, under the constant threat of execution. Of course, it was always delayed by 24 hours in order to have him fix up whatever was broken at the time.[11][12][13]
With Black Mountian Radio was on the air again, Tabitha began broadcasting to the ears of anyone with a radio and would start a 24/7 broadcast of propaganda and anti-human sentiment. Unsurprisingly, this has fully worked against Tabitha's best efforts and is now common opinion among Mojave wastelanders that static would be better listening than Black Mountain's current block of programming.[14] While the Black Mountian Radio was broadcasting again, thankfully Raul's repairs couldn't fix the range the Black Mountain Radio once had and could only broadcast to the surrounding area in the Mojave Wasteland.[15]
Interactions with the player character
Interactions overview
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
  |
This character is involved in quests. | |
Quests
Crazy, Crazy, Crazy: The Courier has to deal with Tabitha and her super mutants by either killing her or persuading her to stop.
Endings
Narrated by Neil
| # | Slide | Voice-over narration | In-game condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Though some super mutants and nightkin continued to journey to the legendary Utobitha, they found little trace of its existence. Some eventually found their way to Jacobstown, but many wandered off into the wastes, confused and disheartened. |
Kill Tabitha |
| 2 |  |
Tabitha and Rhonda went east, through Caesar's land. Occasionally tales of their exploits found their way back west, though few believed them. Eventually the stories concerning the duo were collected and published, and proved to be quite popular with children. |
Repair Tabitha's robot, Rhonda. |
| 3 | |
Black Mountain Radio continued to broadcast its peculiar form of propaganda. Raul Tejada faced his execution each day, though pardoned in the end. Travelers venturing too near Black Mountain continue to be harassed by Tabitha's followers. |
Do not approach Black Mountain. |
| 4 | |
Tabitha, enraged by Raul's escape, took the remaining nightkin of Black Mountain with her and vanished without a trace. Travelers in the region soon learned to avoid the roads at night, as caravans were repeatedly attacked by unseen assailants. |
Release Raul, do not complete Crazy, Crazy, Crazy. |
Inventory
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items | On death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super sledge | Tabitha's equipment key Tabitha's room key |
Tabitha's storage room: Treasure Hunt
Tabitha has a storage room at the top of Black Mountain. Upon entering the storage room, there is a training dummy with a note attached to it (indicated by an arrow on the training dummy). The note says:
To Whom It May Concern
(You!),
We got some pretty good stuff from the last raid and unlike last time, I don't want any incidents. The only logical conclusion was to hide everything throughout this room. if you can read this, you have my permission to use any items you can find.
Stuff I hid:
1 missile launcher
3 missiles
3 bricks of C4
5 frag grenades
1 super stimpak
Various ammunition
Your Benevolent Supreme Overlord, Tabitha
Item locations are described by the wall associated with each compass direction or shelf row, shelf unit and shelf tier (whereas the first row is closest to the door, and last unit is farthest to the back wall).
- South corner of the storage room on the floor.
- Missiles (4)
- Northeast wall inside the 3rd stacked cement block.
- Southeast wall on the shelf, inside a orange street cone.
- Northeast wall on the 3rd tier of the shelf behind the Damaged garden gnome.
- A fourth missile, located between the two desks that are stacked one atop the other near the shelf containing the Damaged garden gnomes.
- Southwest wall behind the broken terminal.
- Top-left of the Nuka-Cola vending machine.
- Northeast wall behind the trunk.
- Frag grenade (5)
- 2 are inside the waste basket in the 1st row, last shelf, 4th tier.
- 2 are inside the waste basket last row, 1st shelf in the front, 2nd tier.
- 1 is on the ceiling on top of the last ceiling light in the southern corner.
- Under the 3rd big pot in the 2nd row, 1st shelf, 3rd tier.
- Other things that can be found are
- Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap- on the 1st row, 3rd shelf in the back, 1st tier.
- 10mm round - inside the milk crate on the 2nd row, 2nd shelf from the front, 3rd tier.
- 9mm round - inside the pot on the 2nd row, 4th shelf in the back, 3rd tier.
- 5.56mm round - inside the waste basket last row, 4th shelf in the back, 2nd tier.
- Nuka-Cola Victory - Southeast wall on the floor next to the reloading bench.
- An assortment of ammo and basic weapons (like the 9mm pistol and varmint rifle) in the trunks (requires Tabitha's equipment key) placed around the room.
Notes
- According to references in the GECK, Tabitha may have been known as "Bridget" at some point during development.
- If Rhonda is repaired, even though Tabitha leaves, her radio program continues to play until the player character enters her room. It is only then replaced by static.
- Her terminal in the lower level of where she is found states that she hides a key under the stairs located out the back door, which can be used to unlock her door.
- Tabitha obviously has quite an obsession with keeping Raul. If the player character frees Raul and escapes Tabitha's ambush, Tabitha will endlessly pursue them. If the quest Crazy, Crazy, Crazy is still active, Tabitha and her movements will be visible on the map.
- Even before meeting Tabitha, the player character can get hints that all is not as it seems on Black Mountain through Black Mountain Radio. At one point, Raul will slip up, and almost call the "Rhonda" personality Tabitha. At another point, Tabitha will say "I still miss you Rhonda, after all these years," which is odd, as she is supposedly talking to Rhonda. An angry Rhonda also sounds exactly like Tabitha while yelling that humans should "stay the hell away." When fighting her, she may talk in her Rhonda voice.
- Tabitha lacks the 30% Damage Resistance possessed by most other nightkin enemies.
- She references Caesar's Legion as the "battle cattle" and the NCR as "two-headed bear people," because of their respective flags.
- "Battle Cattle" may also be referring to brahmin and that Tabitha is simply delusional about them being a threat, given that one of her rants refers to "Two-head bear people astride battle cattles."
- This may also mean that the NCR was chasing the Legion towards Black Mountain and was seen by the crazy nightkin as the "Bear People" riding the "Battle Cattle."
- If Rhonda is repaired, the robot and Tabitha will walk down the mountain, taking the shortcut under the broken pylon and down the man-trapped path. They will pass through the first checkpoint, guarded by a hostile super mutant and will disappear into thin air at the point where the road turns towards Neil's shack.
- Before the game's release, an article in Official Xbox Magazine suggested that Tabitha was a male pretending to be a woman out of insanity.
- Her "true eyes" and "head of true hair" cannot be looted upon her death.
Notable quotes
- "I guess it's time we talked about the dumb-dumbs."
- "Do you remember the good old days where the Master ruled over us all?"
- "This is not acceptable. No self-respecting soldier of Utobitha should ever be seen running like a scared little human."
- "That's right! I, Tabitha, will take on the burden of your obedience!"
- "You heard her, Utobitha! Beware the battle cattle, but don't *fear* the battle cattle. More after this!"
Appearances
Tabitha appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.
- ↑ Josh Sawyer: "Lily and Tabitha were human women before they were super mutants."
- ↑ The Courier: "Do you know how he got away from the NCR?"
Klamath Bob: "Turned out some of them "Night Kids" - whatever you call those sneaky Super Mutant types - got in and busted him out. I guess somebody named "Tabitha" led the bunch that freed him. Don't know much more than that."
(Klamath Bob's dialogue) - ↑ Rhonda: "Thank you very much. My internal clock says it's been 6 years, 52 days, 40 minutes, and 13 seconds since I last spoke to her."
- ↑ Black Mountain terminals; Terminal, Marcus made me type this!: "The leader of this community, Marcus, said I should start keeping a journal to get my mind off of Rhonda. He also said I might find something interesting inside this stupid old building. What could possibly be interesting here? The only think that works in here is this junky old terminal."
- ↑ Black Mountain terminals; Terminal, It's a radio station!: "It's amazing! This place is a radio station! If we can get it repaired, we can broadcast music across the wastes, just like Rhonda and I used to listen to. Ah Rhonda, how I wish you hadn't gone away. I asked all of the mutants here for help, but none of them could do anything for you. Which makes me doubt they can fix this place..."
- ↑ Courier: "How did Tabitha end up in control?"
Neil: "For years, Black Mountain was a peaceful community. Its leader, Marcus, broadcast an invitation to Mutants throughout the wasteland. That's how I found Black Mountain. So did others, most of them second generation Mutants. Marcus welcomed everyone - that was his mistake. The community ended up being mostly second gen - not very bright, but easy to influence. Fine, until the Nightkin came along, led by Tabitha... In a week she had most of the second-gens thinking she was some kind of prophet - and that she should be broadcasting her "truth," not Marcus. Marcus saw what was coming and decided to leave before things got out of hand. He smashed the radio and left to found Jacobstown." - ↑ Black Mountain terminals; Terminal, One the air!: "The radio station is fixed, and we've begun sending our message out into the desert. Marcus thinks I spend too much time in here, but what does a first gen know? Rhonda says they're just one step up from dumb dumbs, and I agree."
- ↑ Black Mountain terminals; Terminal, The elite!: "There was a fight in the yard today between some of us and the first gens. Marcus made a speech about how we need to work together, but why should we? We were the master's favorites! We don't need their help. Rhonda says we'd be better off without them."
- ↑ The Courier: "What makes this a "dangerous place?""
Neil: "You must've heard her radio broadcasts? Though why a human would follow her invitation here is beyond me... unless you didn't listen very closely. The voice on the radio belongs to Tabitha, the "supreme commander" of Black Mountain - or, as she calls it, the "State of Utobitha." She took control of this place almost two years ago. The Super Mutants here do whatever she says - and she says humans are to be killed on sight."
(Neil's dialogue) - ↑ Black Mountain terminals; Terminal, Alone at last!: "Marcus and the others left today. Finally, we have the whole place to ourselves! No more listening to lectures about what we can and can't say on the air. The airwaves will be free!
Now Rhonda and I can host our own radio show like we've been planning. I don't know why Marcus always refused to let us do it before. He always started getting real nervous when I told him what Rhonda thought about things. Rhonda says he was afraid she was too smart to control.
Anyway, this is the start of a new era! The only downside is most of the dumb dumbs chose to stay." - ↑ Black Mountain terminals; Terminal, Safe!: "I finally got Raul to finish installing the security measures on my door. Now I can have all the privacy I want.
Just in case I have a dumb dumb moment, I've placed the spare key under the stairs behind my building. No one ever goes back there, so it should be safe from discovery." - ↑ Black Mountain terminals; Terminal, Lucky!: "Great news! A ghoul entered our camp today who has experience fixing machines! He seems to really like it here, so I hope he can stay long enough to fix Rhonda.
Weird, Rhonda just asked me why she would need fixing. She has a point. What was I thinking?" - ↑ The Courier: "You say Marcus smashed the radio. Not very well, apparently?"
Neil: "Heh. There's a sad story behind that. Marcus smashed it just fine, but while we were gone some Ghoul named Raul came along. Tabitha turned him into her personal mechanic. A slave, really. See, if I'd been standing down here, I could've warned him before it was too late."
(Neil's dialogue) - ↑ Mr. New Vegas: "Listeners have been unable to pick up radio broadcasts from Black Mountain recently. Most are calling the static, quote, a welcome improvement."
(Mr. New Vegas' dialogue) - ↑ In-Game radio reach
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