Draco Galaxy: Companies
From SSDC, Inc.
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COMPANIES IN DRACO
Quadrant 1, sector 2 of the Draco galaxy is home to many small Mega-Corporations, most of which are more in the top thousand, rather than the top ten. Few of these companies rival any of the big names such as Teledyne Syndicates or SSDC, but in this galaxy their influence is strong enough to cause political and legal reinstatements and resignations. Their power, however, seldom extends to the next quadrant. Listed below are some of the most pervasive mega-corps in Quadrant 1, Sector 2 of Draco.
Applied Systematics
Producing electrical and computer goods for all over Draco, Applied Systematics (AS) is a large mega-corp that has outlets on most civilized worlds and offices on the larger ones. AS is renowned for its middle market approach and produces goods of the quality you would expect for the price. While often plain looking, AS goods are very functional and have been known to receive the odd award from consumer groups for things like ‘simplest VCR’ and ‘most boom for your buck’.
Lately, Applied Systematics has been branching out, developing interests in food production (farming), spacecraft systems, cybernetic control systems, and targeting devices for lasers. AS have also begun to hire mercenaries publicly. Mission briefs usually include things from geological survey on a frontier planet to investigation of rival company espionage techniques.
AS uniforms are either a dark gray business suit with a small embroidered logo or red and white coveralls with a small logo on the breast pocket and a large back-patch style logo on the rear. Tech-staff and mercenaries are usually supplied with the coveralls. Mercenaries wishing to sign on with AS will be trained in basic electronics to level 3, and 15 proficiency points in the categories of espionage, military, or journeyman skills. This requires a 6 month stint at AS boot camp on Daross in The 601. Minimum tour, not including training, is one year. Charisma bonus in uniform +5.
Baz Armaments
Formed in the Milky Way in early 2190, the competition from the well connected Human Archaic Systems forced the company to downsize and relocate to the frontier. Here they found clientèle willing to pay top credit or trade high quality goods and other useful commodities for their innovative weapons designs. Baz Armaments is currently employing mercs for the testing of new weapons systems. Recruitment selection is a harsh course of simulated combat and a tournament among the applicants. Baz Armaments has been verbally harangued over these recruitment tourneys by other companies. Baz Armaments sits back and reaps the free publicity. So far, of the thirty eight tourneys held, only thirteen fatalities have occurred. Many mercs show up not for the job, but to test their mettle against the rest.
Minimum signing tour is one year. Attrition rate is 15%. Pay is 125% of normal and a hostile environment allowance of 6,000cr per month is available to those assigned to worlds with toxic atmospheres, hostile alien life forms, active combat, or other such dangerous environmental possibilities. A second tour can be signed on to by those surviving the first and includes comprehensive training in weapons use and repair, armour repair, and emergency medical procedure. The training is cost free, but salary is halved for the duration. Accommodation and food is on base, but those wishing to live off base must do so on the halved salary. The end result of the training is 30 skill points to be spent on the mentioned skills and fields. Baz Armaments has recently purchased 20 of the new Oberon class dropships manufactured by Hades Shipyards.
GalCorp
This is the common name for the massive construction and trading group known as Galaxy Traders Corporation. This is the fastest growing frontier mega-corp in all the galaxies. In the last decade, GalCorp has tripled its stock value and the amount of shares sold and issued has also increased an estimated 450%. The success of the company is worrying analysts of the Top Ten mega-corps who believe at this rate, GalCorp will be the number one company in the universe within eight years.
The successful supply of police cruisers to Draco, Leo, Ursa Minor and the Larger Magellanic Clouds is GalCorps largest success to date. This contract is being filled at a record rate, and the ships are all of highest quality. Being of modular design, similar to Phentari vessels, the ships are easily converted in any refit center without specialist equipment. This allows the GalPol to easily change ships for specialist missions such as surveillance or heavy bombardment.
GalCorp completes the construction of all vessels through its wholly owned subsidiary, General Stardrive Incorporated (GSI). GSI produce the Tomahawk class police cruisers at the many orbital construction facilities throughout the galaxies. GSI is also under contract with the massive MagLH company to build its fleet of Drayman freighters in the special tanker configuration for transport of the magnetic liquid hydrogen that is the company’s lifeblood. GalCorp gains large income from other subsidiary companies such as Trigon Arms, Avtek (starship weaponry), Anserke Space Systems and Granitek (computers).
Mercenaries hired by GalCorp often come in direct conflict with mercenaries from other corporations because of the orders given by management to hamper the operations of any troops of their competitors on or in the field. It is not GalCorp’s size that threatens the mega-corps, but its potential to expand. Mercenary missions involve ARSAP, Security, Strike Teams, Infantry Support to planets in need of extra troops, survey, and espionage. The GalCorp espionage division rivals Galactic X in notoriety and efficiency. By the few reports that circulate from this field, GalCorp espionage agents have secured classified information from Balshrom Science Corporation, Teledyne, and GalPol. This knowledge has made itself apparent through the company’s stock maneuvers and frontier development projects. It is rumored that Teledyne lost the claim on a ti-tritium deposit in the Draco frontier by only fifteen minutes to a GalCorp armored survey team. This had ramifications throughout Teledyne’s administration that cost jobs and even a life.
GalCorp offers hired merc’s three different payment plans. The most popular being the productivity based plan in which the mercs of the team are given a percentage commission, which increases with the level of experience and time served with the corporation. This percentage is taken from the gross profits the company makes from that squad’s activities in the field. Of course, the kind of bookkeeping involved to implement such a system is painstakingly meticulous, and the accountant must be trustworthy. For this reason, Hemareans are aggressively hired to fill these positions and are paid extremely well for their work to discourage corporate staff poaching. The second most popular payment scheme is the Varied Bonus Scheme, which involves a list of set percentage bonuses to the standard wage that are applicable only under certain conditions. For instance: Combat situation +30%, Arachnids +90%, Motaran Rift occurrences +200%. The third method of payment is the least popular and involves the basic wage with a 15% reduction but all medical, food, training, transport and legal costs free and supplied by GalCorp with very few conditions. It should be pointed out that the other schemes do include some covering of transport costs and medical costs although the amount covered is a low percentage.
GalCorp staff are expected to wear their crisp black uniforms at all times while on duty and a neat appearance is stressed repeatedly. In the field, staff are supplied varying amounts of equipment based on which payment plan they chose and can expect to receive high quality gear that the company manufactures itself whenever possible. Charisma Bonus in uniform: +10.
Ghanifrede Mining Consortium
Closed in 2243 after a series of court actions for corruption bankrupted this formerly prosperous company, Ghanifrede Mining has left behind many puzzles as to its true nature. Investigative teams have been pursuing the feint trail that the officials left behind and uncovered what seems to have been a large corporation that was a front for a Governmental branch of Galactic X known only as Project Taurus. This project is apparently still in operation under a new title, and its goal seems to be the research of Coreszian High Masters’ ruins and technological systems such as those on Xapariat. Further information about Project Taurus indicates that there may be some Mutzachan involvement in the program. but these indications are based on conjecture.
Hades Shipyards
If it weren’t for the huge governmental contracts that Teledyne and Averon Motors seem to always secure, Hades Shipyards would be, by rights, the number one producer of spacecraft in the galaxies. Although they are based in the Milky Way, Hades, have a very large construction facility in Q1 S1, of Draco. It is for this reason many local governmental contracts are filled by the mega-corp for planetary defense and system patrol. Even with these contracts, Hades cannot compete with General Stardrive Incorporated for the main market share and is seemingly being slowly contracted out of the spacecraft production market. Hades hasn’t hired mercs in over a year, but it is rumored they are secretly looking for top espionage agents familiar with Galaxy Traders Corporation operational procedure. More ex-GalCorp staff are hired by Hades than any other mega-corp.
Khaine’s Enterprises
Khaine’s Enterprises is a shipping based company that mainly deals in the fast, efficient transport of needed goods around Draco. The bulk of operations take place in quadrant 1, with limited operations in the bordering sectors of quadrant 2 and 3. Khaine’s Enterprises does not operate in any other quadrants due to a deal signed with shipping companies not to carry goods past pre-defined border areas. In regard to Quadrant 4, none at all.
Staff working for Khaine tend to be trained in deep space operations and vehicle fields. Most personnel work on board starships and thus see a great deal of the quadrant. Khaine has a waiting list several months long of personnel applications, and because of this, only the best applicants are hired. Upon signing with Khaine’s Enterprises, one receives a 10,000cr signing bonus and immediately begins training at a Starbase. At the end of four months, the signee receives 3 levels in EVM, EDC, and Computer Operation. Contracts last a minimum of 4 years, and renewal of a contract receives a 20,000cr bonus. Personnel receive health benefits (50% off hospital fees and cybernetics), a 15,000cr a year combat bonus, and 20% discount on any goods carried by the corporation. Khaine is not a believer in uniforms and only asks that his personnel wear colour schemes involving blue, green, and grey. ID cards are issued and must be worn at all times while on duty. Rumor has it that Khaine’s veteran ARSAP teams are regularly sent on missions involving shade worlds and Motaran Rift activity. Charisma bonus in uniform +0.
LMX Conglomerates
This is the name for a group of companies that have joined forces to become one of the most powerful mega-corps in Draco. LMX Conglomerates is renown throughout the Alliance for its production of cost-effective spacecraft. LMX is often in the Tri-V news, involved in stories like, LMX mercenaries save children from terrorist attack, LMX accused of negligence, LMX opens starport hospital facility: Local contractor furious. LMX has earned a reputation as unpredictable and effective. Mercenaries on contract with LMX often receive excellent money and minimal support. Company officials tend to keep themselves at a distance from the mercenary staff, and rumors circulate about mercs left in bad situations because of LMX keeping a safe distance. As if to counter these hazards, LMX employees can look forward to a compulsory 6 month interval hyper-training, free emergency surgery (including parts), discount on LMX goods and spacecraft passage, a 20,000cr signing bonus, and a further 20,000cr a year combat support fund. Of course, non-combat personnel only receive the hyper training and company discount. Minimum contract time is 3 years. LMX Conglomerates maintain a typical stance on personnel uniforms. Currently the LMX company uniform is a gray, black, and red affair and is in different styles to match current employment position. For instance, a technical officer would most likely be wearing coveralls and a jacket, a corporate executive would wear a business suit, and a merc would have formal military dress or armor. The logo of LMX is a stylized symbol comprising the letters LMX. Charisma bonus in uniform +10.
Sackville-Thorpe Mining
A mining consortium that has built itself into a small mega-corp. It has a reputation for shadowy activities, reinforced by some of the former Ghanifrede Mining directors being on the executive board. Sackville-Thorpe strip mine distant planets usually of little agricultural. Workers for the corporation complain of poor equipment and little headquarters assistance. Sackville-Thorpe is notorious for over-extending themselves. A prime example is the system of Dusan in The 601. Currently the mega-corp is hiring limited amounts of mercenaries for covert operations that curiously parallel government interest in The Cauldron. Worlds such as Assen and Whaifitz are the typical mission destinations. If it weren’t for the sheer volume of mining that Sackville-Thorpe undertakes, it would be just another company. Payment plans are variable and often involve hidden clauses similar to SSDC and Erectus. Employees wear gray and dull purple uniforms that have a poor reputation in the community due to past experiences with incompetence. Charisma bonus in uniform -5.
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