The Hub
This page is part of the world information.
The Hub, built on the ruins of the town of Barstow, is the nodal point and the commerce center of the New California Republic.
| Population: | 239.412 (Census of 2240). |
| Popoulation density: | High. |
| Terrain: | Lying in a mountain valley. |
| Governmental system: | Parliamentary, federal republic, part of the New California Republic. |
| Who currently reigns: | President Tandi Aradesh (NCR) Mayor Joy Greene. |
| Military: | The New California Rangers (NCRR in short) |
| Police: | The Hub Police Department. |
| Electrical power supply: | Nuclear reactor. |
| Vehicle provision: | The Hub can offer natural gas and diesel, but wood is a bit costlier than average. |
| Livestock provision: | Due to the many caravans that operate from the Hub, livestock is always well taken care of. |
| Average education: | Medium to high. |
| What the law says about: Theft -> Murder -> Assault -> Drugs -> Gambling -> Cheating at gambling -> Prostitution -> Alcohol -> |
-> Fine and six months of jail -> Death penalty for willful intent, otherwise jail -> Fine or jail -> Illegal. Possession, use or selling: 5 years of jail -> Illegal. Getting caught gambling for money means a fine (700 $) or one year of prison -> See gambling above -> Illegal. Both client as well as service provider get one year of jail. -> Legal. |
| Average prices for: Iguana-on-a-stick: -> NukaCola -> A good, stomach filling lunch -> A liter of clear, filtered water -> A Jet Canister -> A good room for the night -> A bath -> |
About 10 $ About 7 $ (store price) About 45 $ About 1 $ About 300 $ About 75 $ About 25 $ |
| This city in three words: | Gigantic, narrow, trade-oriented |
History:
The Hub was founded in 2093 by a man named Angus, that settled down at a dirty oasis near to a town that had survived the Great War mostly undamaged. He began to trade with other settlements that were near to his and more and more traders came to the Hub – and many stayed.
In 2120 Angus managed to become elected as the Governor of the Hub, a post that he could fortify among other successes by turning the attack of the raider gang “Vipers” on the Hub into a bloody defeat for the outlaws.
Hub based caravans kept disappearing, attacked by the slowly gathering Army of the Master, but the great caravan companies blamed the disappearances on monsters like deathclaws. The mystery of the disappearing caravans remained unsolved until the Vault Dweller turned up in 2241 and people in the Hub soon had other problem.
In the winter of the year 2125, just a few months after the battle, Angus was found dead. The murderer was never caught. Soon afterwards, a harsh war started, the so called Great Merchant Wars, when a group of merchants seized the great water tanks of the city and started giving out water only for payment. The war lasted two years. In the end, a man called Roy Greene managed to hammer out a peace agreement.
It created a new ‘government’ in the Hub, the central council, composed of two representatives of the great caravan companies, i.e. the Far Go Traders, the Crimson Caravans and the Water Merchannts.
In 2241, as the Vault Dweller first set foot in to the Hub, all powers within the city had effecitvely put each other into check, including the city’s police force and the criminal underground. No party could change anything without the consent of the other parties and with such a divided and quarreling lot this was simply impossible.
The Vault Dweller changed this situation. Together with the police force, he ended the criminal underground and solved and ended the disappearing caravan problem.
The Hub then entered an era of until now nearly unknown peace and joined the New California Republic in 2211.
Overview of the districts:
Market place: The market place is an always shifting and moving tent city with few regular inhabitants, apart from iguana on a stick stands. Here, the caravans gather and offer their trade goods from everywhere.
Downtown: Downtown, on it’s own, probably has the highest population density of any region in California, but is not only composed of living space, but especially of stores with apartments above. The greater part of the stores lies in the open, big streets, but bargain hunters do well to check the side streets and alleys to find the more hidden stores.
The Heights: The heights are an upscale residential area, starting at the upper middle class and reaching to the super rich.
Old town: The old town has it’s very own history. In the beginning it was some kind of slum and the harshest part of town, the old town was thoroughly transformed since the Hub joined the NCR. Today it contains the governmental quarter, the university, the republican museum and even two theaters (among other things).
Republican Industrial Park: The industrial park contains the true heart of the Hub, it’s water purification facility and the hydroponic gardens. The area is well patrolled, both by the police as well as by the republican Rangers.
Important persons:
Mayor Joy Greene was born and raised in the Hub and knows the city's history inside and out. She is the daughter of traveling merchants and politically supports the everyday traders as best she can. She is in her early 40s.
John Oldman, the CEO of the Crimson Caravans, is a graying, somewhat aging businessman. Nevertheless, he is a shrewd master of trade and political lobbying, which ensures that the Crimson Caravans continues to thrive.
Miles Edwards, the Chief Financial Officer of the Crimson Caravans, is someone who knows exactly how to generate just enough friction when ripping off his employees and customers that they mistake it for warmth and comfort.
Sandy Harris, the managing director of Far Go Traders, is, like her mother before her, a clever trader with a strong grasp of bookkeeping. Above all, she is always ready to back up the Far Go Traders — especially her brothers —whenever needed. Under her leadership, the Far Go Traders have drawn significantly closer to the Republic.
Butch Harris Junior, the Chief Technical Officer, is the go-to person at the Far Go Traders if you want their help building a new workshop or even a factory. Butch is the tinkerer of the family and can bring an idea to life—whether it's his own or someone else's.
Sundance Harris, the Chief of Corporate Security at Far Go Traders, is technically responsible for caravan guards, night watchmen, and the like. In reality, he also runs the less-than-legal dealings of the Far Go Traders with the Mordinos in New Reno, supplying them with raw materials for Jet production. Allegedly, he also has a hand in industrial espionage.
Francine Miller, the city architect, is primarily responsible for the Republican Industrial Park. Without her constant efforts, both the hydroponic gardens and the city's water purification systems would be at risk.
Henry Munroe, the chief of the Hub Police, has been a cop longer than the Hub has existed. His career began decades earlier with the LAPD in the 2060s, where he was promoted to detective after a short time in service. However, when the bombs fell in 2077, he was promoted to ghoul. After some wandering, he ended up in the Hub. When the city joined the New California Republic, he joined the newly formed police force of the Hub and eventually became its chief.