Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon is the Hub Downtown's local bar and flophouse. It is run by Decker, the head of a criminal organization named the Underground and after his death, by the Hub police.
==Background==
Prior to the takeover by the current mangement, The business was operated by a friend of Beth; Beth claims Decker approached the friend with a deal but he refused to sell, two days later the friend was found shot dead, twice in the back of the head.Beth: "{151}{}{Sorry, it just reminds me of a friend that used to own it before him. Decker wanted it really bad, but my friend wouldn't sell. Two days later they found him dead in a back alley of Old Town.}"The Vault Dweller: "{152}{}{Why do you think Decker's responsible?}"Beth: "{155}{}{My friend was a clean freak. He wouldn't come within a hundred yards of Old Town. He was shot with a Magnum; no one in Old Town could afford one of those. Plus, he was shot once in the head and twice in the back. Does that sound like a robbery? My friend was just trying to get his life back.}"(HBETH.MSG). Now the bar is a cover for his operations in the area.
Should Decker be removed, the Hub police will take over operations of the bar.
==Layout==
The two main doors open into the entryway. On the left is the bar where drinks are served, with a number of armchairs next to it. The bar serves:
* Water (unexportable and drink in the bar) for 2 caps
* Beer for 5 caps
* Booze for 10 caps
On the right is the casino area, where anyone can play gambling games. On the bottom right, there are six brothel rooms and two prostitutes, but the Vault Dweller cannot have relationships with them or sleep in the rooms.
On the wall behind the bar on the right, Kane guards a door that leads to the Underground's hideout in the basement. If Decker is dead, the basement is still open, but there is nothing interesting inside.
==Gambling==
The gambling area is similar to a casino but uses caps as currency.
The Maltese Falcon offers roulette and slots (See the Gambling page for more general information on gambling).
==Notes==
* In the Maltese Falcon, the Vault Dweller has several choices. They can do favors for Decker or they can gather evidence for the police. Decker's quests are both assassination missions in the Hub. Helping the cops leads to a large gunfight in his hideout under the bar. This is another instance, like Junktown, where one can be a cold-blooded killer or a goodie.
* The most profitable way to exploit this situation by not fearing a decrease in reputation is to play both sides against the middle. Begin by doing Decker's two assassinations which are quite simple with a companion and a half-decent weapon, then turn Decker into the police (must have sufficient Charisma) and wipe out his gang. 
* Fighting Decker is much harder because his right-hand man, Kane, uses brass knuckles with deadly efficiency and has a high number of Action Points. The bonus afterward is several thousand caps and a large amount of XP.
==Appearances==
The Maltese Falcon itself appears only in the first Fallout, although it also appears in Fallout 2 as the Café of Broken Dreams special encounter. It is also mentioned in the Fallout Bible.
==Behind the scenes==
* The name references the 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
* In the very last text on the Fallout 2 credits, it is marked "May you find the Maltese Falcon," as a wink on the Maltese Falcon.
==Gallery==
FO1 Maltese Falcon basement.png|The Basement
==References==
Category:The Hub
Category:Bars
Category:Casinos
Category:Post-War businesses
Category:Fallout Bible locations
Category:Fallout shops
es:Halcón Maltés
pl:Sokół Maltański
ru:Мальтийский сокол
uk:Мальтійський сокіл
zh:马耳他之鹰