The Hub

''The Hub was a larger city than both Junktown and Shady Sands combined. You could drop the Vault in there, and you probably would not notice. But the people of the Hub had no life, and it was a desolate place just the same.'' - Vault Dweller's memoirs

The Hub is a major trading city in Fallout. It is a large community of traders, barterers, gamblers, and other interesting scum. The Hub is a stopoff point for caravans north to Shady Sands and Junktown and south to the Boneyard. The wide variety of people passing through ensures that there is always something interesting going on.

History
The Hub was founded in 2093 by a man named Angus, who set up camp around a filthy oasis in the desert, and proceeded to begin trading with other settlements.

In 2096, a man called Harold rose to the level of a caravan boss in the Hub. His caravans suffered occasional attacks in the wastes, but Harold's caravan outfit survived and prospered... until the mutant attacks begin to pick up a few years later. Increasing mutant attacks on Harold's caravans so infuriated Harold that, in 2102, he financed an adventuring party to try and find out where these dagnab mutants were coming from. Consulting with a scientist and doctor at the Hub, a man by the name of Grey, the two of them decide to join forces. A few months later, Harold was found by traders and taken back to the Hub. But he wasn't human anymore - he was mutating into a ghoul-like mutant. His former caravan partners and employees, horrified by his condition, abandoned him left him without even two bottle caps to rub together. However, he soon became the leader of the Hub's small ghoul population.

In 2120 Angus established himself as the governor of the growing Hub. Five years later he managed to stop the Vipers' attempt to raid the Hub. In the winter of the same year, however, he was murdered, which threw the Hub into chaos.

In 2125 the Great Merchant Wars started when a band of merchants seized the water tower in the Hub. They demanded anyone wanting water must pay a toll. The war lasted for 2 years. The Water Merchants sealed up the town, but were outnumbered. A man named Roy Greene (Justin Greene's grandfather) made the peace and negotiated a settlement. The Hub's Central Council was formed, composed of two representatives from each of the Hub caravan companies. A long period of indecisiveness and meetings maintain the status quo in the Hub.

In 2131, the Master began ordering his super mutants to gather human stock from caravans. For many years, the caravan disappearances were blamed on monsters in the desert, and even when the abductions begin to occur on Hub caravans, the deathclaws were blamed.

The Hub Underground was formed by a man called Decker in 2140, who quickly started pulling the strings in the town.

Entrance
Fundamentally, the entrance of the Hub serves as both a landing and a jumping-off point for the countless caravans that crisscross the wastes. At any time, several caravans will be onloading or offloading goods, typically accompanied by a retinue of heavily-armed mercenary guards. Apart from the staging areas for the caravans, much of this outskirts area is given over to agriculture.

Downtown
The busiest section of the Hub, Downtown is second only to the entrance in terms of foot traffic, the entrance only busier due to caravans. Downtown is host to most of the city services, including the Hub Police station and library, as well as a number of commercial interests: both the Far Go Traders and Crimson Caravan hold offices in Downtown, as does the Friendly Lending Company, as well as a few arms merchants. One colorful character in Downtown is Iguana Bob, proprietor of a lucrative Iguana-on-a-stick stand. The Maltese Falcon, a drinking establishment, rounds out the area. The occasional homeless or drifter, such as Irwin, can also often be found here.

Old Town
The enigmatic section of town, Old Town is a combination residential and commercial district. Several colorful characters, including Harold and Loxley can be found in Old Town, along with a handful of arms merchants and miscellaneous Hub residents. Despite its unassuming appearance, however, a great deal of danger can be found in Old Town by the adventurous or unwary, and several miscellaneous quests have their roots here.

Water Merchants
One of the most vital sections of the Hub, yet home to one of the most unscrupulous commercial entities in the California Wasteland, the Water Merchants section of town is home to the titular Water Merchants, a trading group specializing in the sale of potable water to various settlements in the wasteland. As clean water is a precious commodity, the Water Merchants section of town is the site of great wealth, both in coin and in water, and is therefore well-guarded. Any person wishing to do business with the Water Merchants must come to this section of the Hub.

The Heights
The Heights is the upper-class residential area of the Hub, and is home to Daren Hightower, a local, and very wealthy, merchant.

That Hightower keeps considerable valuables in his mansion is an open secret; any merchant as rich as Hightower certainly has items of value worth taking. Hightower, however, has not made his money through foolish risk-taking, so the Heights are often patrolled by paid mercenary guards. Any visitors without a good reason -- or at least a good story -- for being in the area are promptly ushered out, usually at gunpoint.

Factions
Several factions constantly vie for control of The Hub:
 * The Hub Police attempt to maintain law and order in town, however, their attempts are coming under increasing pressure from both the merchants and the Hub Underground.


 * The Merchants, principally the Crimson Caravan, Far Go Traders, and the Water Merchants all seek to maximize profits, which sometimes runs at odds with the law. Additionally, the merchants constantly find themselves the target of raids or extortion attempts.


 * The Hub Underground, a criminal element headed by Decker, seeks to control the Hub and its massive trading profits.


 * The Thieves' Guild, run by Loxley, does not necessarily want to control the Hub as such, but nevertheless is at odds with all three of the other factions by the simple virtue of endeavoring to steal what they have.

As of the arrival of the Vault Dweller, each of these factions, for one reason or another, had essentially been worn into stalemate against the others, although both the Merchants and the Underground were setting up decisive power plays.

=Fate= The Hub was overrun by fleeing mutants after the Vault Dweller destroyed the Master and the vats. Though much of the city was razed it managed to survive and joined the NCR. Representatives in the NCR congress from the Hub call themselves "Governors."

Real world
The Hub's approximate location corresponds to Barstow City, CA. Incidently, Barstow City is also a major regional transportation center. Several highways, including Interstate 15 and Interstate 40, converge on the city, and it is the site of two large rail classification yards, belonging to the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads.

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