Location from Fallout by Interplay / Bethesda
A pre-War solar power plant hiding an orbital death ray, where the NCR won their bloodiest victory over the Brotherhood — and never realized the real weapon was pointing at the sky, not the enemy.
The desert heat is amplified by thousands of reflective panels creating a shimmering heat distortion visible for miles. The hum of solar collectors and the clank of machinery from the processing plant mix with NCR soldiers complaining about the heat and their assignment. The facility smells of heated metal and ozone. Most soldiers here consider it a boring post — they have no idea about the Archimedes system hidden in the control tower's terminal. The ground between the panels is scorched from the Brotherhood's last stand, where power-armored knights fell to NCR's overwhelming numbers. At sunset, the entire array blazes gold before going dark, and the night shift begins their watch over a weapon they don't know exists.
A vast array of solar mirrors and collector panels spread across the desert floor, focused on a central tower that gleams in the Mojave sun. Many panels are cracked or misaligned, reducing output to a fraction of capacity. The central processing facility is a blocky industrial building with NCR flags draped over Brotherhood scorch marks. Guard towers and sandbag positions ring the perimeter. Inside, the control room features a terminal with access to the Archimedes II orbital weapon system — a fact the NCR soldiers manning the plant are entirely unaware of. Spent shell casings from the battle still litter the ground between panels.
Also known as: HELIOS One, Helios One, The Solar Plant, HELIOS