Panam Palmer

Panam Palmer is introduced as a former member of the Aldecaldos nomad clan, who, after a family dispute, decided to live a more independent life as a mercenary. She is also a possible romance option for V with a masculine body in.

Biography
Panam Palmer was part of the Aldecaldos nomad tribe. Her best friend was captured by the Raffen Shiv, a rivaling Nomad group, when they were a child, only to be saved by fellow-Aldecaldos Cassidy Righter - an incident that deeply affected Panam into her adulthood, to the point of never telling anyone what happened in order to forget about it. In her clan, Panam also befriended several other members, including Mitch Anderson.

At some time, Panam and Mitch were hauling cargo from San Francisco to Kansas for the owner of a syn-meat farm. The stench at the farm got Panam so sick that she puked on the owner's boots to which he simply replied "No need to bow, I'll just take a handshake." Another "long story with many twists and turns" involved a guy from Kaukaz riding in Panam's trunk.

At some point, Panam's clan set up camp in the Badlands outside Night City. She didn't see eye to eye with the clan's leader, Saul Bright, who was trying to strike a deal with Biotechnica in his attempt to keep the clan alive with consistent work. Panam disapproved, believing the clan should remain independent from corporations. This came to a head when, due to her rebellious attitude, she eventually left the clan and moved to Night City. Working as a mercenary under the fixer Rogue, Panam was often paired with nomad Nash Bane on a few gigs, though she was unaware he was Raffen Shiv. Despite moving away, Panam maintained communication with members of the Aldecados, including her close friends Mitch Anderson and Driss "Scorpion" Meriana.

2077
During an assignment to deliver "merchandise", Panam was betrayed by Nash, who stole both their cargo and her Thorton Mackinaw "Warhorse". Having messed up, she angrily confronted Rogue at the Afterlife, leaving without compensation or help to recover the stolen items. Some time later, Panam was contacted by local merc V, who had been directed to her by Rogue to help capture Anders Hellman. After V helps Panam recover her merchandise by ambushing the Raffen Shiv in Rocky Ridge, and optionally also to get back her car by attacking and killing Nash in his hideout, she agreed to help them capture Hellman from Kang Tao forces, whose AV was predicted to pass across the Badlands.

Planning to ground the airborne convoy, Panam and V stormed the Solar Power Station on Jackson Plains and modified the systems into an EMP. When it failed to stop them, she used a rocket launcher to ground the vehicle. However, Panam's friends Mitch and Scorpion underestimated the surviving Kang Tao guards at the crashed convoy and rushed in alone, which got Scorpion killed and left Panam devastated. After clearing the convoy and recovering Hellman, Panam left with the Aldecados, parting ways with V for the time being.

Some time later, Saul Bright disappeared with a small convoy of Aldecados. Learning of the attack, Panam returned to the Aldecados to help investigate. Eventually, they discovered the convoy had been ambushed by Wraiths, a Raffen Shiv gang, and Saul had been captured. To help rescue him, a visibly distraught Panam contacted V and asked for their assistance. As V agrees to help, Panam remarks "Do you know how good it is to hear that?" and asks to meet at the Aldecaldos camp, where the two along with Mitch go over some drone intel on the Wraith camp Saul is being kept at. As the plan is covert infiltration, only V and Panam set out, with the latter remaining at distance to provide the former with sniper cover fire if needed.


 * Starting the job to rescue Saul but then leaving the area for too long will result in Panam sending a message saying that Saul is dead, and the job will be failed, precluding all follow-up missions involving Panam.


 * After V rescued Saul, Panam drove the group away, escaping from pursuing Wraiths and using a sand storm to cover their tracks. Seeking shelter in an abandoned farmhouse, the group spent the night. A grateful Saul invites Panam to rejoin the Aldecaldos, but insists she will follow orders in the future. She responds by strongly objecting to Saul's planned cooperation with Biotechnica. As Saul turns in early, Panam sarcastically asks whether he needs "help"... to which Saul just responds "Fuck off" and remarks that sandstorms are called "haboobs" in Africa - a word he is very fond of. As fellow Aldecaldos Cassidy Righter picks Saul up the next morning, V convinces Panam to rejoin the clan. Before Panam leaves she gives V her rifle Overwatch in return for their help.

Following Saul's rescue, Panam is at odds with him again. After she identified a lightly guarded Militech train convoy that is slated to transport a Basilisk tank through the Badlands, her and Mitch want to make use of the opportunity and raid it. Deeming it to be too dangerous, Saul forbids Panam to pursue the matter. Behind Saul's back, she is determined to proceed anyways together with V as well as some like-minded fellow Aldecaldos including Mitch and Carol Emeka.


 * If V tells Saul about Panam's plan, the mission is aborted. A few hours later, a furious Panam contacts V, saying that her, Mitch, and Carol are now being treated like lepers by the others. She ends their friendship and severs all ties with V, precluding all follow-up missions involving Panam. Saul will subsequently contact V, saying that both he and Panam are grateful, although Panam might not realize it yet, and gifts V a unique car. The Aldecaldos then break camp and no further contact with any of them will be possible.



Romance
If V has a masculine body (regardless of voice type and genitalia), they can pursue a romantic relationship with Panam. As such, Panam is unique as she is the only potential romantic partner for V, who can also be called for help during Nocturne Op55N1 towards the end of the game.

Optional Prelude
V can begin to flirt with Panam in the Sunset Motel bar at the end of Ghost Town, suggesting that they only get one room together. Although it will upset her initially, completing the optional objectives earlier to assist Panam against the Raffen Shiv and Nash is not necessary for this. Panam agrees to sharing a room as that would save them money, pointing out that there are twin beds in every room. If V pursues the matter further, Panam first plays naive and then makes clear that they can "celebrate"... but not today. In their joint room, Panam will just immediately go to sleep in full clothes.

V can resume flirting in the abandoned farmhouse at the end of Riders on the Storm, after Saul went to bed. Although Panam will reject V touching her thigh, they can offer to fulfill her any wish, after which she replies "Careful, you can't know what I'd wish for..." and puts her legs on V's lap. Both fall asleep and Johnny Silverhand chimes in, wishing them sweet dreams. As Panam is about to depart the next morning, V has the option to ask her about last night, to which Panam replies that she is not that kind of girl. After V asks just what kind of girl she is, she responds "That kind." and kisses them goodbye. Johnny then appears again, saying V should ride right after her if circumstances were different, but then and there they can just look. Johnny moves on saying "Damn hard to catch a girl like that. Only hope you've got is they feel a pang and stop to wait."

During With a Little Help from My Friends, V finds some time with Panam alone in the control tower and can choose to tell her that he missed her pretty bad. Panam immediately gets uncomfortable, as she is not used to talking about feelings. If V presses the issue, Panam admits that she also wants to talk about "it", but moves on by saying "My plan was to tiptoe around, test the waters, then retreat back into my shell." She adds that her hesitance is motivated by a fear to cock things up due to her volatile behavior and that, with V, she does not want to act on impulses but prefers to play it safe because - this time - she really cares. Later at the campfire with the other Nomads, V can scooch closer to Panam and put his arm around her while looking at the stars together.

Not initiating any of the advances described above has no effect on the following romance option with Panam.

Endings
If V has romanced Panam, he can choose to call her to say goodbye at the end of the mission Nocturne Op55N1, which will unlock different endings with her. Before calling, V sighs that he only wants to hear Panam's voice but Johnny is wary that V might solicit the Aldecaldos' help against his advice and says "Sure as hell hope it's that and only that." During the call, a sleepy Panam offers her help and, sensing V's serious distress, tells him to call back after taking a few deep breaths and rethinking everything. She then reminds V that she is there for him and hangs up. Following this, only one choice allows you to maintain the relationship, while the others remain ambiguous as to its fate:




 * Opting for "The Sun" ending (choosing (Don't Fear) The Reaper or asking Rogue for help, which requires completing Blistering Love), will result in V waking up in bed in the penthouse at the beginning of Path of Glory, a few months after Nocturne Op55N1. In the shower, he will find Panam, who did not want to wake him. Panam is upset, knowing that V's time is running out, and confesses that she does not understand why V is not leaving the city after all that happened. She adds that her and the Aldecaldos are leaving tomorrow and just wants to run away with him, so that V can at least spend his last months among friends. V responds that he has to stay, to finish one last job - probably the most important one of his life - to show that, after all Night City took from him, it was for a reason. Panam thinks she understands, and with the Nomad lifepath, V can remark that there are no goodbyes, but simply roads that fork and re-converge. Moreover, V points out that Panam still owes him that story about the guy from Kaukaz, who rode in her trunk... V can then choose to hug her goodbye with the words "'til next time" to which Panam responds: "I will remember, V, always..." During the end credits, a video message from Panam plays, in which she reports that her and the Aldecaldos keep busy and all that she wishes for is a good night's sleep but that you cannot have it all... she then looks at the camera adding "you know what I mean." She moves on offering to take V for a "nice, looooong ride" if he should ever get bored of the city...


 * Opting for "The Devil" ending (accepting Hanako Arasaka's offer to have the relic surgically removed), V can call Panam from the Arasaka Orbital Station during Where is My Mind?. Viktor Vektor told Panam what happened and she is furious that V did not ask her for help instead. She demands V to come home immediately before Arasaka hurts him. Her video message played during the end credits is identical to the one for "The Sun" ending (see above). This seems to imply that, even if V rejects Arasaka's offer and opts to return to Earth instead, he does not or cannot rejoin Panam immediately.

Main Quests

 * Ghost Town
 * Lightning Breaks
 * Life During Wartime
 * Nocturne Op55N1 (dependent)
 * We Gotta Live Together
 * Forward to Death
 * Belly of the Beast
 * All Along the Watchtower
 * Path of Glory (dependent)
 * Where is My Mind? (dependent)

Side Quests

 * Riders on the Storm
 * With a Little Help from My Friends
 * Queen of the Highway