[ EU ] The Lone Wanderer does not leave Vault 101 when ( s ) he is 19 , but instead escapes it after taking the GOAT when ( s ) he his 16 . Seven years later , in 2281 , ( s ) he is in New Vegas , and meets the Courier .

They did n't talk when they saw each other. There was no need. When one has seen the things that they had, comitted the heroic and terrible acts that a great warrior does, it was easy to notice the burden on their shoulders. 
 
 The Lone Wanderer stood alone in the crowd, a stranger here in this land of money and lust except for his dog. He wore ancient power armor not seen since The Brotherhood of Steel ruled. His rifle was older than the armor and was rumored to be a weapon given to a ruler of this land in a time long forgotten. But his Pip-Boy was new and marked him as different. 
 
 It went the same way with The Courier. His suit was of exotic make, kevlar and leather. His weapon was as long as The Courier was tall, capable of killing a deathclaw in one shot from a mile away. He had a scar in his head where the bullet had scrambled his brains once before. Some said he worked for the Legion, others said the Republic, still others claimed he worked for control of New Vegas himself. It did n't matter. He was a power to be reckoned with. They were both a one man army capable of destroying or saving entire cities on a whim. 
 
 They did n't talk when they saw each other. Instead they turned to walk down the Strip, to find some new quest that would only be remembered vaguely but talked of forever.
