Freeside

"The gates to Freeside greeted us by midday. The smell of booze, women, chems, and the rotten urban concrete jungle rolled over us in waves; it was good to be home!"

- Honcho Biggs

Freeside is the main slum adjacent to New Vegas in 2281. It is loosely protected by the Kings and other crime families and gangs.

History
By 2281, Freeside became the site of complicated plots for control of the region by multiple parties. On the surface, the Kings fought to defend their turf and the locals, against the Cooking Boys, who sought to gain control over Freeside for the squatters. The Cooking Boys were supported by the NCR due to their defense of NCR immigrants and eventual hope that a friendly Freeside could be annexed. Support came in the form of weapons and supplies sent to Freeside through NCR-allied caravans such as the Crimson Caravan.

However, over time, the faction within the Cooking Boys that became in charge in receiving these supplies became the Angels, who had their own agenda. Using the Boys as a shield, the Angels hoped to restore their former glory and authority over Freeside. They were secretly allied to the Syndicate, who had been employed by the NCR to establish control over the Mojave's underworld. The NCR wanted the Syndicate to gain control over areas such as Freeside to eliminate unfriendly criminal elements and make annexation into the Republic easier; the Syndicate, however, was looking to establish so much power that they would only be a member of the NCR just in name. The Syndicate employed the Angels to make contact and establish influence with the ruling three casino families on the Strip, such as sending sex slaves to Gomorrah. And in turn, the Angels were taking a cut to rebuld their own power, using supplies from both the NCR and Syndicate to retake control of Freeside. Another party entered when the Courier, who was seeking to take the Mojave for himself, allied with the Kings. With the Courier's help, the brewing turf war between the Kings and Cooking Boys was de-escalated when overzealous King members were stopped from igniting it. The Cooking Boys themselves were eventually eliminated by the Courier, while the Angels was eliminated by local enforcer Honcho Biggs. By healing relations between the locals and squatters, the Kings eventually gained control over all of Freeside and kept the peace, foiling the plot of the NCR.