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This page is about the package courier. For the AI overseer of the Big Empty, see ODYSSEUS. For the president of the United States, see Ulysses S. Grant. |
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Ulysses is a courier and former frumentarius of Caesar's Legion. In 2281, he was one of six couriers hired by Victor to carry strange packages to the Strip North Gate, but his delivery was left to the Courier after Ulysses' mysterious disappearance. He serves as the main antagonist of Lonesome Road.
Background
Ulysses was once a member of the Twisted Hairs, a powerful tribe in Arizona that forged an alliance with the fledgling Caesar's Legion in 2247, becoming its scouts during the conquest of Arizona. Ulysses was one of the most successful scouts in the Twisted Hairs, traveling vast distances in search of the enemies of both Caesar's Legion and the Twisted Hairs. However, once the Legion's campaign ended in Arizona, Caesar promptly rewarded their aid by breaking the alliance and betraying them: conquering and enslaving them as he had done to all the other tribes of Arizona. Their tribal identity was erased, and those who resisted were crucified along the sides of I-40.
Vulpes Inculta's pacification of Dry Wells was a particularly painful moment for Ulysses, though his dedication to Caesar and the flag of the Bull prevented his desertion.[1]Thanks to his ability and his forceful personality, he quickly became an important, indispensable frumentarius of Caesar's Legion, walking the wastes as a courier. Caesar told him to kill no other member of this profession since many couriers were, in fact, members of the Legion. In 2274, after the NCR reached Hoover Dam, Ulysses crossed the Colorado River and was the first among the Legion to see both the Dam and the NCR: a nation great enough to challenge Caesar. Returning across the Colorado River, Ulysses went back to Caesar and spoke with him about Hoover Dam and the NCR. This Old World symbol became an object of obsession for Caesar, a great symbol to focus his people on. Ulysses, however, believed Hoover Dam might be the death of the Legion, whether they won or lost.
Ulysses continued to walk the wastes, exploring the wastelands for Caesar. Between 2274 and 2277, Ulysses discovered a prosperous community: "The Divide", which was, in his own words, "a nation taking its first breath," surrounded and shaped by the symbols of the Old World. Ulysses believed this place had the potential to become a homeland for him, and a second chance, a new way of thinking outside of the rigid discipline of the Legion.[2] To Ulysses' dismay, the prosperous community was discovered and annexed by NCR, which drew the attention of Caesar, who sent in a small army to conquer it and cut the NCR's supply line to the Mojave and Hoover Dam.[3] Ulysses had tentative plans to save the community, but, before he could act, the Courier, hired by the NCR, brought a package containing a mysterious device from Navarro, before departing.[4]
Ulysses was fascinated by the package, bearing the sigil of pre-War America, but also one he had never seen before. This device turned out to be a messenger of destruction: someone activated the device, which began "speaking" and activated several of the nuclear warheads still underground in their silos since the Great War.[5]The results were immediate and devastating; deep below Hopeville and Ashton, the warheads' detonations shook the land, destroyed the settlement and killed most of the NCR and Legion soldiers.
This disaster nearly killed Ulysses, but he was saved by several medical eyebots, who had also been activated when the package was turned on; he speculated that this was because they had recognized the flag of America on his back, believing him to be a pre-war US soldier. Ulysses' life was changed that day, which showed him how a single individual could change history, or erase it. As a survivor of the Divide, he held the Courier responsible for the destruction of the place that he believed could have been his true home, "larger than the Bear, greater than the Bull."[6] At the same time, it inspired him. In 2277, he returned to Caesar, learning that the First Battle of Hoover Dam ended in the defeat of Caesar's Legion.
Caesar sent Ulysses to the Great Salt Lake as his emissary, to rally the White Legs against New Canaan and watch over them as they undertook Caesar's test: to cut off the NCR supply lines running through Utah, and to destroy New Canaan, killing the still-living Joshua Graham along with it.[7][8] He became their mentor; the White Legs called him the "Flag-Bearer" for the flag staff he carried.[9] He taught them the values of the Legion, showed them numerous supply caches and bunkers hidden across Utah (like Spanish Fork) that gave them the weapons that they became known for, all the while lying about Caesar's pride in those who used such weapons.[10] The act of deceit posed some problems in his mind; he compared himself to Vulpes Inculta, the man who had betrayed his former tribe.[11] He was an inspiring presence, but not in the way he wanted to be; the White Legs began to honor him instead of the Legion. After the plundering of New Canaan, he observed that the White Legs began to braid their hair into dreadlocks, as he did. For them, it was a sign of respect for their mentor; for Ulysses, it was a hollow mockery of the ways of his destroyed tribe, the Twisted Hairs, because the significance of the braids was completely unknown to the White Legs.[12] But even then, the braids reminded him of who he was and forced him to realize what he had become.[13]
Shortly after the destruction of New Canaan, Ulysses finished his duties to Caesar and left the White Legs to their own devices. He set out looking for ways to change history himself, and find a way to reawaken America, seeing it as having peaceful yet strong places like the Divide before its destruction, and thinking that the NCR and the Caesar's Legion had no long-term answer for the future of humanity. He retired to Wolfhorn ranch for a time, to collect his thoughts, appearing to be a successful bighorner rancher [14] and roaming, sometimes as a courier.
Sometime later, during his mission to reawaken America, he found Big MT by following the weather patterns, knowing the Divide's storms were caused by man, not nature. He tracked it like following a river current, leaving painted emblems matching the flag on his back in case he lost his way, or as a trail for any who might follow, like the Courier. Ulysses finally came to the crater, where he found the Old World facility and the X-17 meteorological station still active.
While there, he was caught up in the conflict between Knight Royce of the Circle of Steel and Father Elijah. At some point, after Elijah spoke with the Think Tank, Ulysses and Elijah made contact. He directed the rogue elder to the Sierra Madre, apparently knowing it would eventually become Elijah's grave.[15] Ulysses would then rescue Royce from the Y-17 medical facility, nursing her back to health in a nearby cave.[16] From Christine, he learned more about the Brotherhood of Steel, enough to decide the Brotherhood was not able to forge the future he wanted to live in. In payment, Christine gave him an old recorder she had managed to repair, which he used to record the logs he left scattered across the Divide.
Ulysses spoke with the Think Tank, specifically Doctor Klein, who recalls him as a melancholy fellow who asked a lot about history. Ulysses also spoke with Doctor Mobius. While at the Big Empty, he questioned the Think Tank: "Who are you, that do not know your history?" This question caused them to awaken and remember that, for a time, America, the flag of which was displayed on Ulysses' back, was not just a flag, but a place, an idea that they had cared for once before. After this awakening, the Think Tank told him what "still carries America's voice," deep in the heart of the Divide: the "Divide giants" - nuclear missile silos scattered across the ravaged landscape and the device still there to activate them.[17] Whether by their own hand or Mobius', the Think Tank's memory of Ulysses' question was later erased, to perpetuate their stay in Big MT. Ulysses departed, deciding to reshape the post-apocalyptic world single-handedly, much like the Courier reshaped the Divide.
In 2281, Ulysses was hired by Victor to carry the platinum chip to the Strip's North Gate. He came to Primm at the Mojave Express to receive the delivery order and was about to accept the job until he saw the Courier's name on the list. He decided to allow the next courier to take the job, telling Johnson Nash to "let Courier Six carry the package."
Eventually, Ulysses broadcasted a simple message intended for the Courier: the coordinates for the canyon wreckage west of Primm, and taunting graffiti meant for them.
Relationships
Ulysses' dual obsessions with the Courier and the Divide are motivated by several factors. He is the only unmutated survivor of the disaster at the Divide, and because he believed it was the Courier who caused the destruction of the community. Ulysses understands the impact a single person can have on history, even if the Courier is unaware of their involvement in the event. Chris Avellone commented to this effect before the release of Lonesome Road:
Interactions with the player character
Interactions overview
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
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This character is a temporary companion. | |
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This character starts quests. | |
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This character is involved in quests. | |
Quests
- The Job: After having completed The Silo, Ulysses will contact the Courier through ED-E and tell them to come to find him.
- The Courier: Ulysses is finally confronted by the Courier inside Ulysses' Temple, beneath the flag of the Old World, as he is about to trigger a second nuclear apocalypse. Ulysses can either be fought by the Courier or convinced to stand down and fight by the Courier's side against the marked men invading the temple.
Effects of player's actions
- If Ulysses is killed by the Courier, the Courier tears down his Old World flag and uses it as a shroud.
- If Ulysses is convinced not to fight the Courier, by means of two Speech checks of 90 and 100 or by talking to him about his logs, or by obtaining all ED-E upgrades in the Divide and talking to him about ED-E's logs, he can be found sitting vigil above the Hopeville ruins, just at the entrance to the Divide.
Other interactions
- If Ulysses lives, after the quest The End or The Apocalypse, he can be found near the entrance to the canyon wreckage, where he will help the Courier make campfire recipes. Ulysses will also present new dialogue options, such as giving hints at how to deal with Legate Lanius and commenting on possible previous in-game actions in the Mojave (e.g. killing Mr. House).
- Ulysses will also supply the Courier with miscellaneous items he found in Hopeville (The Courier's Mile), including rockets, Rad-X, RadAway, MREs, and pre-War books.
- If he is alive at the conclusion of Lonesome Road, he will offer both the history and recipe of the bitter drink.
Inventory
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Ulysses' duster Ulysses' mask |
Old Glory 12.7mm submachine gun Anti-materiel rifle Frag grenade x6 Flash bang |
Stimpak x6 Stealth Boy x2 Med-X x3 |
Notes
- Even though Ulysses is no longer a member of Caesar's Legion, and thinks the Legion has taken the wrong path, he still considers Legion members to be "brothers," and says "Caesar" in the classical Latin pronunciation favored by the Legion, unlike Joshua Graham, who uses the Anglican pronunciation.
- Ulysses' red, white and blue spray-painted flags can be found in many locations in Big MT and the Divide and were left by Ulysses. Within the Divide, the red color indicates hostile areas, white marks the proper pathways, and blue denotes hidden caches.
- Ulysses created holotape logs and left them along the road to the Divide. These can be found by the Courier and were apparently a gift from Christine Royce for saving her.
- His face is a unique model linked to his unique breathing mask and differing greatly from other human character models (i.e. he doesn't blink, he has a unique hairstyle, and his texture is more detailed).
- After taking the duster and mask from his corpse, his dead body will still be wearing them.
- Since his face is fully textured beneath his breathing mask, it can only be viewed in-game via external manipulation. His lips don't move when he speaks, and no part of his face is animated.
- Ulysses is one of only three characters in the game to have 10 points in all the SPECIAL stats (the other two are Colonel Royez and Gaius Magnus). The only other non-player character in the Fallout series known to have no less than ten points in all SPECIAL attributes is Frank Horrigan in Fallout 2.
- Like Colonel Royez and Gaius Magnus, Ulysses is impervious to knockdown attacks, such as the Ranger Takedown move or the special attack of the bumper sword. Because he cannot be knocked down, he simply freezes in place when he suffers a critical hit from the Compliance Regulator.
- Ulysses is 15% faster than a normal human character and the game's only human character with more than 1000 health points.
- Ulysses can be seen in various places in Lonesome Road, briefly watching the Courier and then walking away. This can be seen on the top floor of the still-standing base of The Crow's Nest and in the building south of the Sunstone Tower roof.
- The Ulysses that stalks the Courier has a separate ref ID and cannot take damage or be killed via console commands.[20]
- Ulysses is one of the very few non-hostile NPCs in the Divide. The others being ED-E and the medical eyebots.
- After Ulysses sides with the Courier, he becomes invincible while in the missile silo; when reduced to 0 hit points he will instantly regain full health instead of dying or falling unconscious.
- Ulysses has a positive view on Joshua Graham, commenting that "Graham earned his life" and that no real good would come of killing him.
- Ulysses has a negative opinion of Mr. House, commenting that he is "best left buried with the Old World."
- He is one of the very few characters that cannot be pickpocketed. Attempting to do when he is at the pass to canyon wreckage will simply initiate conversation instead.
Notable quotes
- "They only take what parts they find in the Divide, never roam beyond it - can't even leave the silos without a human to shadow, like hounds. Maybe they saw the flag on my jacket, thought I was of America. If so, history saved me. A sign. "- Monologue about medical eyebots.
- "You came all this way for answers. Only currency I have."
- "You got lives in you, hard to kill. Storm, bullets, sand and wind, yet still you walk. For now."
- "Missile silos exploded from beneath the ground, cracked the landscape. Sand, ash... the dead... the Divide skies became a graveyard."
- "No need to destroy the bear. Just cut its throat."
- "America sleeps ahead of you, its nightmares filled with quakes, storms. You'll need to find your own path."
- "Who are you, that do not know your history?"
- "To the Divide they came... in the Divide, they rest."
- "Burn away the flags. Begin again."
- "No need for bombs, when hate will do."
- "My history isn't revenge, or hate. The road that brought us both here - isn't about that."
- "The Divide... this place is a slice of it. Old military. Can still smell the pride. And the fear. Hope of the old world, wrapped in fencing, covered in storm."
- "Road gets rougher from here, Courier. Left marks for you - colors'll tell the way - if you're smart. They'll lead you to your home one more time, lead to the ending of it - maybe remind you why you wander."
- "Home isn't where you're born into this world."
- "Don't need Old World medicine to kill you."
- "You have forgotten all you were, traded glory for savagery. Fitting."
- "If war doesn't change, men must change, and so must their symbols. Even if it is nothing at all, know what you follow, Courier..."
- "If you feel its loss... remember you could have turned away at any time. Gone back home, and none of this would have happened. But you had to make one last delivery, and that's why I knew you'd come, Courier. Couldn't stay away, it's who you are."- Monologue about ED-E
- "The day I set my flag down, it'll be over my body or over a nation I believe in."
- "There is a shadow of a nation behind you, the hope of a people... yet it may not matter. The Divide still stands against us. [...] Our enemies gather outside... shadows of the Bear and Bull... they will have found their way in, just as you did. It was always my intention - in case I could not kill you, the Marked Men would flood this place, cut off your escape. If we cannot prevent what comes, then let us make our stand here. Two Couriers, together, at the Divide."
- "Before you... this is the edge of the Divide. Ahead lies your work, the history you burned in the earth. What you brought to the people here."
- "You gave it a name. What was it to you? Companion? Slave... weapon? All of that, nothing compared to its primary function. It's a messenger. Like us... and it shares our history."
- "My family? My tribe lives... its history? Died long ago, fell under the shadow of the Bull... consumed by another symbol. No, this isn't about family - or any common blood. It's blood shared by acts, not by chance."
- "There's a lesson here, in the Divide. Old World history about paving and intentions could teach the Republic a thing or two - if they listened. They have an idea of trying to do what's right, never quite getting there. [...] They're stretched thin, can't protect their frontlines, their towns. Think paper's power, radio means control. All of it? Useless."
- "Not if you believe in what you follow. Kill no Courier, Caesar's words. I honored them. Other Couriers could have been Legion - like me. The truth is, you serve nothing, believe nothing. Killing you... meaningless."
- "All these roads, you walked. These packages you carried. Think it wasn't your choice? Of course it was your choice. You could have stayed in the Mojave. But you chose to come, couldn't let be - not in you to let go. Came for no other reason than you were curious, restless - always have been. Had to know the why of it - now, I'll show you."
- "You don't see, listen - even when it's all around you, no matter if I nailed it into your head like a gift from Caesar."
Appearances
Ulysses was originally supposed to appear in Fallout: New Vegas, but was cut from the final version of the game. He is mentioned indirectly in Fallout: New Vegas, Dead Money and Honest Hearts, appears in voice in Old World Blues and makes a full appearance in Lonesome Road.
Behind the scenes
- During the first dialogue with the ED-E clone, it is told that Ulysses was given his name later in life. It was meant to refer to Ulysses S. Grant, a Union general during the U.S. Civil War who Ulysses says "fought to unite two tribes under one flag." The Courier can even comment that Ulysses' namesake was the historical general as opposed to the figure of Greek mythology.[21]
- If siding with NCR (or killing Caesar and haven't failed Don't Tread on the Bear!), when talking to Ulysses through ED-E the first time, he'll refer to the two-headed bear not being the first historic American symbol. He explains that the "Old World" symbol had one head. This is a reference to the current real-world flag of California, from the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, which is the same as the NCR flag but the bear has one head and the inscription is "CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC" instead of "NEW CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC."
- Ulysses was originally supposed to be a companion in Fallout: New Vegas,[22] but was cut from the final version of the game and now appears only in the add-on Lonesome Road and playing cards that came with the Collector's Edition. According to Chris Avellone, "he [...] was a complicated character in terms of some of the hooks into the storyline."
- In the original version of Fallout: New Vegas, Ulysses-as-companion was designed with a number of goals in mind:[23]
- He had to reinforce the faction reputation mechanic, which Avellone thought was one of the key mechanics in the game.
- He had to react strongly to NCR/Legion conflict and the Courier's role in it, acting as a sounding board when possible.
- He had to be a Legion sympathetic character and explain Legion back story elements since there wasn't much Legion support in the companions.
- He had to continually remind the player of Hoover Dam as the focus, and his backstory incorporated that (he was the frumentarius who discovered the Dam and NCR long ago).
- Showcase myth elements. Ulysses was big about symbols, and his take on the NCR flag, the Legion flag was also reflected in their champions (he viewed Legate Lanius as an Eastern myth in the making, and he felt the Courier could achieve that same mythological status for the West or for the Mojave).
- He was to complement the cool visual design changes that Joshua Sawyer had included for other companions (similar to Raul Tejada and Arcade Gannon, Ulysses would have the vest/flag changes, except it would depend on Courier's end faction allegiance when they completed Ulysses' vision quest).
Gallery
References
- ↑ The Courier: "Dry Wells is destroyed - that was your birthplace?"
Ulysses: "No, opposite of that. It's where my tribe was taken. Where another history was put to the blade, lesson taught. It is where we realized Vulpes did not approach us as equals. Where we realized the wolf had come, and we watched our history die. Now it belongs to Legion... and all the death there now belongs to them as well. Not revenge... just the way of things when you own them."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Whatever you believe happened, you have it wrong."
Ulysses: "{Raises an eyebrow, contempt} Wrong? {Beat} No, I know the truth of it. It was you walking that road that kept the Divide alive. It grew from what you did. Settlers... camps... filling that Old World city. {To himself} Chance for a new nation, new beginning. New way of thinking. Could've breathed new life into the Mojave, bridging East, West. Like Hoover Dam... but not Old World, something you made. Road was a supply line."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Maybe you should tell me what happened."
Ulysses: "NCR saw the worth in that road you made. Staked a claim, whether it was wanted there or not - true elsewhere in the Mojave. And where the Bear tries to cling to life, the Legion comes... bearing messages. Some brought by blade. Others... by Couriers."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "So what happened?"
Ulysses: "Bear made its shadow felt here, more than I could handle. Heavy guard, watchful. I watched, waited. And as I watched, studied the people. The flag, markings. Thought perhaps... if I got rid of the Bear... what you had given life to might come again. Waited too long. Hesitated. A Courier isn't meant to stay in one place for long. And then you came, with the package. History."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "You said I brought it from the West?"
Ulysses: "It was a device, a detonator. One I'd never seen before - or heard before. You carried that thing to the Divide. I know because I followed you as you walked the road, watched you do it. You brought it here, to the community you built. And you are responsible for what happened after - when the device opened, started to speak. When it did, the Divide answered back. Those missiles you've seen, buried in their silos. They exploded beneath the ground, cracked the landscape. Sand, ash... the dead... the Divide skies became a graveyard."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "I'm not to blame for Ashton, the Chip, or the Divide."
Ulysses: "All these roads, you walked. These packages you carried. Think it wasn't your choice? Of course it was your choice. You could have stayed in the Mojave. But you chose to come, couldn't let be - not in you to let go. Came for no other reason than you were curious, restless - always have been. Had to know the why of it - now, I'll show you."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "On the High Road, you mentioned NCR and Legion fought here... before and after the Divide?"
Ulysses: "The two-headed Bear made its claim, dug its claws into the trail you made. For once, it seemed like it might succeed - cut a route to the Mojave. Couldn't let NCR stay in the Divide. Trade route, road the military could use... can't have two roads into the Mojave. Not after the work we'd done to cut off New Canaan, other routes, killing caravans... all we'd done to make the West bleed."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ "I... asked the White Legs to destroy a people with ancestry, going back thousands of years - another death of history, lost to time. The New Canaanites... they supplied medicine. Food, traded with others. Civilization, a hand from the past, not history... but maybe a past deeper, farther than that to a place where this... God really exists. If so, his handiwork and people belong elsewhere, not in this place. Another symbol, like Bear and Bull, with no meaning in the present."
(Ulysses' holotape (White Legs 2)) - ↑ "Me... they called me the Flag-Bearer. Glory in my hand, in my staff that still bore the weight of the Old World just as the symbol on my back did."
(Ulysses' holotape (White Legs 1)) - ↑ "Helped them dig out Canaan supply caches, and other secrets the sands hid - bunkers, filled with powered weapons even the Brotherhood might desire. They called these new weapons "storm drums" in the firing of shells. Taught them the power in the casings... to channel the spirits in their guns."
(Ulysses' holotape (White Legs 1)) - ↑ "If New Canaan burns, Caesar might see them. 'Might.' Even the chance was a lie. To honor Caesar - destroy the history of New Canaan, and the way they carry it - in their generations and family. Caesar respects such strength, I told them. That - that was truth, even if 'strength' wasn't the word. Obedience. You must be willing to kill anyone, children, mothers, the weak, elders... if these New Canaanites value the generations, that is what you must kill. It was like Vulpes was speaking through me. Use the night, silence, and fire to change their words to pleas, to screams. No need for bombs when hate will do."
(Ulysses' holotape (White Legs 2)) - ↑ "They... had taken my braids, the way of the Twisted Hairs, as if it showed they were like me, of me... ...while every knot in their braids spoke of raping, violence - and ignorance of what the knots meant. They thought to show respect... defiled it. Lost myself in trying to read the braids they wove, when I remembered they had put no meaning in it. They had no history of what it meant. They didn't even know the insult in the twists, knots... and Dry Wells came rushing back, the White Legs circled like that..."
(Ulysses' holotape (White Legs 3)) - ↑ "It was like my entire dead tribe in the firelight, teeth grinning red in the dark - eager corpses, blood-covered ghosts. It was like looking at the dead of my tribe, reborn as ghosts - hateful, hungry, bowing to Caesar. Another history... gone, carried by me alone."
(Ulysses' holotape (White Legs 3)) - ↑ Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide
- ↑ Torn journal page
- ↑ Patient log: Y-17
- ↑ The Courier: "The logs of the Big Empty mentioned you'd spoken to history."
Ulysses: "I had, did. It was madness... asked them a question in anger. Got an answer, more than I expected. Answer told me what happened here at the Divide, the how of it, and that was enough. The tape has the telling of it, don't need me adding to the questions already there."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ Will Ooi » Blog Archive » Unmasking the Gamers: Chris Avellone – game designer, writer, and former ‘unlucky schlep’ – Part 1
- ↑ Unique face information
- ↑ Console commands
- ↑ The Courier: "Ulysses. Not the myth. You're honoring history, not stories."
Ulysses: "History. Yes. Ulysses walked a hard road. A general, like Caesar and Oliver. He was Brahmin-stubborn, gave him strength on the battlefield. He led his side to victory, turned two flags into one. {Frowns} That's when {emph} he lost - when the fighting was done, the sickness took hold. Lesson there, if history's to be believed. One you should heed."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ Feature Interview: Chris Avellone, Game Designer, Fallout: New Vegas by Matt London | Lightspeed Magazine
- ↑ Gamasutra: Will Ooi's Blog - An Interview with Chris Avellone - game designer, writer, and former 'unlucky schlep' - Part 3
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