Hubologists

The Hubologists are a group that follow the doctrines of Hubology, a cult headquartered in the former city of San Francisco.

Background
Hubology originated as a cult founded before the Great War by science-fiction author Dick Hubbell (dubbed "The Hub" by Hubologists). It holds that existence is based on the Great Wheel, with the Hub at the center, Hubologists as the spokes and non-believes as the rim. Eventually, all Hubologists will be called to the heavens to live the "Star Father" on the planet Quetzel; they plan to get their through use of the thusly name ESS Quetzel.

Hubology belief holds that by purifying the 'neurodynes' in one's body, a person can ascend to greater levels of spiritual power and eventually transcend the material world. In order to get help purifying these neurodynes, Hubologists will use scientific spirituality methods in exchange for a fee. Their standard approach is to ask a new recruit to donate all his or her worldly possessions to the Church as a sign of good faith and apparently stash the possessions somewhere in the desert. Donating lots of money to the Church of Hubology can also help one raise their AHS levels.

In 2241, the Hubologists only had some influence in San Francisco where their headquarters was situated. In addition to their main base, they also had an outpost in New California Republic. As of 2287 however, a small group of Hubology missionaries were lead by a direct descendant of Dick Hubbell, Dara to Nuka-World, with the goal of controlling a UFO (in actuality, an decommissioned amusement ride) to escape Earth and live on Quetzel.

Beliefs
In short, Hubologists explain their existence with the metaphor of the Great Wheel of Life: Dick Hubbell is the center of the wheel, his Hubologist followers are the spokes and nonbelievers as the wheel's rim. Existence is held down by negative neurodynes and only be purifying these can one ascend beyond a material existence. Zeta scans are used to purify these neurodynes, allowing one to enter the Church of Hubology and continue to pursue enlightenment.

Organization
The Hubologists are headquartered in San Francisco in the ruins of the Golden Gate Bridge in 2241 and Hubologist camp in 2287. The cult has a strict hierarchy based off the degree to which a member has devoted their time and efforts to Hubology; the longer or more active a role, the higher the numerical rank granted. While he never physically manifests himself, Dick Hubbell is the leader of the Hubologists and his writings are law. They are led by the "Great and Terrible" AHS-9 who is the most enlightened of Hubologists, and below him is AHS-7. All other members of the church of Hubology have a AHS level of at least 1.

In addition to providing a simple explanation of existence that a common man can understand, the Hubologists use celebrity endorsements to draw people into their cult. Being Hubologists themselves, the New Reno porn stars Juan Cruz and Vikki Goldman speak highly of the cult and use their renown to convince others to join the Church of Hubology. They urge people to make the "right" choice to do all you can do to cleanse their neurodynes of the filth of the world. Joining the Church of Hubology is a very simple process. Prospective followers are given an informational holodisc and then go talk to AHS-7 about joinging.

Relations with the outside
Hubology does not hold much influence outside of San Francisco. A Hubology missionary known as the Enlightened One can be found in a Hubologist outpost in New California Republic, and there could be other missionaries out in the wasteland. Though they are not well known outside of San Francisco, they are notorious within this city. Anyone who questions their beliefs are liable to be threatened or attacked. Most people in San Francisco know that they're crazy and shouldn't be trusted, "unless you're mentally feeble or like being screwed over." They're interested only in your money and your soul, and there's a good chance they'll destroy the one to get at the other.

Being based on pseudo-sciences, the technological research intensive Shi despise the Hubologists and are very open about wanting to decimate them and their deceitful methods. The vast majority of San Francisco's population is the Shi so there is little support for the Hubologists here. Shi townspeople often remark that the Hubologists give them the creeps and the Shi Emperor's head advisor Ken Lee accuses them of abducting and brainwashing the Shi, leading to more tensions between them. The Hubologists hold the same disdain for the Shi, saying that the Shi are oppressives and by contesting the Hubologist's power, they wreak havoc among our brethren with their neurodyne-influencing ways.

Technology
According to Hubologists, "'real' science is all a pack of lies," and people should not listen to what "scientists" say; only the Hub and AHS-9 have the answer. Despite these sentiments, the Hubologists have Dr. Crockett at their disposal who used his natural affinity for technology to install a nuclear reactor on board the ESS Quetzel as well as develop techniques to harden power armor. They have a computer network known as HubLink, which is used to document AHS-9's goals for the cult, the cult's outrageous finances, and scientific calculations to get them closer to their Star Father.

Interactions with the player character
The Chosen One can visit either Hubologist outpost (in San Francisco or NCR) and receive alignment for a possible luck bonus (joining the Hubologists afterward is not a requirement). Despite the Hubologists' fervent beliefs, the player can find evidence that the cult was first started as a hoax to get money. In San Francisco, the player has the option of aiding the Hubologists in their mad schemes, or eliminating them as part of a Shi mission.

Appearances
The Hubologists appear in Fallout 2 and the Fallout 4 add-on Nuka-World.