NanoTrasen
---The Uplink Network Library Service wishes to remind you that the following article is an opinion piece.---
"When man first looked up to the stars, he saw god. When man looked up to the stars again, he saw greatness. When man looked up to the stars a third time, he saw truth. When man rose to meet those stars, he found emptiness. No gods, no greatness, no truth, nothing. The universe turned out to be devoid of the meaning man had desperately sought. Breakthroughs in FTL travel decades ago allowed mankind to branch out to the stars, colonising as many planets, moons, and asteroids we could find. Advances in engineering have granted the ability to inhabit anything from lush, earth-like worlds to the cold clutches of space itself. Though first united under the idealistic Union of Humanity, dissent grew and the union fractured into numerous groups: The Federation of Sirius, New Terra, and a number of independent systems. Perhaps more powerful than these new governments, the great trans-stellar corporations arose - NanoTrasen, Ward-Takahashi, Aether Atmospherics, and the like. Multibillion thaler corporations quickly wrested their way onto the interstellar stage; even inter-system law couldn't fully control them. Today, it doesn't matter where you're from, but who you work for: your employer is your king and you are but another pawn in the noble quest for profit.
While barren, our universe had some surprise in store - wondrous events were realised, great discoveries were made, and humanity's repository of knowledge grew. By far the greatest discovery, however, was made in the hitherto unexplored (and mostly unheard-of) system called Gliese 229. Gliese 229B, a class 'T' brown dwarf star (since reclassified as a 'phoron giant'), was discovered to contain a significant amount of a unique and unstable compound – dubbed "phoron" by the crew of the MITSV Venchenlitte-1, a survey vessel sent out by the Martian Science Institute in 2492 - which granted humanity into new realms of power generation. Corporations everywhere sought to secure the dwarf and unlock its secrets; the conflict over this unknown compound became a new kind of hell. One such trans-stellar made a name for itself overnight - NanoTrasen Incorporated, formerly a medical conglomerate - as the most ruthless to get involved in the bloody conflict, outright assaulting assets of the competition. Since Sol Central stepped in and ended the conflict, NanoTrasen has retained the reputation of being the fiercest trans-stellar in the phoron industry, performing a majority of their extraction operations from the atmosphere of Erebus proper. While other corporations and trans-stellars mine the ring systems - due to a marked abundance of semi-stable phoron compounds - several perform extraction from the phoron giant in direct competition with the mad dog, NanoTrasen. Cutting corners and competitors, the NanoTrasen name echoes through the vastness of space as the very manifest of mankind's worst sins - Avarice, Gluttony, Wrath, Pride."
--- This has been an except from 'NanoTrasen: The 26th Century Giant' by Gerald Wohlwend, 2551 ---
"NanoTrasen is the leading space corporation in the research and practical uses of phoron! Across the galaxy we provide the finest phoron-combustion generators among other quality products, as well as significant advances in other major fields ranging from the hydroponics to fully blown genetic research. As a proud employee of our corporation we encourage you to take active part in the advances of our scientific knowledge for the good of the human race, and your pay check."
NanoTrasen Systems Inc. is the corporation the player works for, an ostensible biotech research company gone super-corp after the advent of phoron.
About
Corporation History
NanoTrasen Systems Incorporated started out as a small company, whose research was mostly based around gene-therapy in the heart of human space, Mars. This was shortly prior to the series of scandals over cloning being reserved to the rich rather than being provided to industrialist fodder in the most prosperous part of Sol - NanoTrasen was effective at patenting methods that lead to more cost effective coverage plans for business use, primarily through aggressive business tactics than personal research brilliance- Many minor bio/med research facilities ended up on the unpleasant end of Xavier Trasen's desire to make a name for himself and sharklike approach, and were bought out and taken apart for his company's capitalization. By the end of the decade, NanoTrasen became a trans-stellar entity.
At the turning point of the 26th Century, Phoron was discovered. NanoTrasen and its competitors were, naturally, the foremost corporations in attempting to exploit this valuable new resource, and they all set up numerous stations and factories around the phoron giants in order to exploit the resource. This only jump-started the economy, and the so-called Orange Rush began, with all of the corporations attempting to find as many uses of the valuable phoron as possible in order to profit the most from the human governments. Research facilities, stations, ships and other installations were being manufactured faster than ever. NanoTrasen was one of the more bloodthirsty corporations, and managed to bankrupt and absorb many other companies on a larger scale that ever before. Many feel NanoTrasen's only defining ability is in capitalizing upon other's hard work- And not an entirely untrue assumption. Nonetheless, this only further increased NanoTrasen's power and scope, ratcheting it up to the status of a true super-corporation, one of the top 10 most expansive business empires in the galaxy.
Modern Day
NanoTrasen is one of the big super-corporations in the modern day. It deals in research of the most advanced sciences, such as genetics, bluespace, and - recently - the uses of phoron. They also have a sizeable asset protection and security branch with which they secure both investments and occasionally new acquisitions - a distressing rival to some minor star systems, and a powerful administrative branch sitting atop it all, directing their company's actions. NanoTrasen is characterized by its aggression and questionable ethics, which, combined with the high emphasis they put on new, untested and dangerous technology, means their installations are often considered unsafe and hazardous.
To a degree few of its competitors could achieve, NanoTrasen owes its success to diversity and quick reactions to unfolding events aboard its starships. Worth a distinct laugh to employees who are told of this, NanoTrasen's fluidity and aggression tactics are still considered the core of its success. While most facilities get their personnel already prepared for specific roles, among the stars situation often changes quickly and drastically - far faster than a flight of a shuttle from the nearest NanoTrasen's station takes - and so the choice of assignments is up to the commanding officers (especially - Head of Personnel) depending on the most urgent needs at the moment. NanoTrasen hires almost anyone possessing a skill in areas such as science, medicine or space-engineering and every contracted worker after passing a couple of basic tests can hope for a good pay in space, especially if sent to an important installation.
NanoTrasen hiring process is often flimsy in sorting out industrial spies, as a result of this simple hiring process, often instead keeping orders on high to make the best of having even rival talent or tattlers on payroll - a reality in the modern day - using the best of loopholes to ensure from an entry level position, it would be impossible, although sorely testing, to find the launch for a lawsuit or get away with real assets. Often experts skilled in almost any area areas such as detective work, cooking or sanitation also find their place on NanoTrasen's payroll and onboard corporation's ships for support.
NanoTrasen's history and policies give a paradoxical reputation as both a life ruiner and one of the best second chances many people will get.
Holdings
Classifications
NanoTrasen ships vary from research vessels to military-grade patrol ships. Stations vary from industrial complexes to weapons platforms.
- NS* = NanoTrasen Science. The bread and butter of NanoTrasen's industry, this classification, while second in number to the sheet swarm of transports, is primary what the company is about, furthering their everyday profit margins.
- NT* = NanoTrasen Transport. Cargo, holding, supply, passenger ships- All are filed under transport, and do the grunt work in swarms for the company
- ND* = NanoTrasen Defense. A class licensed for varying levels of hard weaponry- Considered primarily for asset protection.
- NR* = NanoTrasen Response. These can vary from communications to medical care, acting as support to other parts of the corporation, that other ships don't quite fall under... Or occasionally do, under a different guise.
- NA* = NanoTrasen Administration. These tend to be central bases, and are almost never ships with notable exceptions being semi-personal vessels of the CEO, Board of Directors, and similar entities.
- NB* = NanoTrasen Business. Sales, marketing, product delivery, and other commercial services. These tend to be almost exclusively bases or, more rarely, stations. They handle the actual movement of money, PR, and other such fun affects of the company.
- NI* = NanoTrasen Industrial. These are almost never mobile ships, as they are heavy duty production hubs that deal in the obtaining and production of goods for sale, such as refined phoron gas, electronics, weapons, toothpaste, or other goods.
- N*S = Station. The fun things floating in space that don't tend to go places.
- N*V = Vessel. Spaceships and similarly travelling crafts.
- N*B = Base. These tend to refer to grounded installations of all varieties, including planetside colonies, moon bases, and asteroid outposts.
Example/Known Ships
- NAV Cresent; an administrative shuttle that ferries VIPs to and from Central Command.
- NDV Brutus; a unique battle cruiser equipped with an experimental Bluespace cannon.
- NDV Daedalus; a light cruiser equipped with drones that used to safeguard the NSS Adephagia.
- NDV Hydra; a former USDF corvette that has been modified to also serve as a snub fighter carrier. It is often used for bounty hunting.
- NDV Icarus; a military frigate that formerly watched over the NSS Adephagia, but was destroyed in November of 2558 by hostile elements.
- NDV Phantom; a boarding shuttle tasked with sending the Emergency Response Team and Asset Protection to the station during a crisis.
- NDV Steppe; a littoral patrol vessel that monitors shipping lanes for pirates and smugglers.
- NRV Savior; a hospital ship.
- NRV Sierra Otago; a repair and rescue vessel.
- NSV Luna; an experimental research space ship.
- NSV Preserver; a cryogenics research ship.
- NSV Pytheas; a small long distance exploration ship used to chart unknown systems.
- NTV Duke; a mining barge.
- NTV Hydrate; a fresh water supertanker based out of Alpha Centauri.
- NTV Millennium; a hazardous materials transport.
Example/Known Stations
Note: Faxes just go to Central Command, which is attached to the colony accessible by the tram at end of shift. So just, fax that shit to CC, and you're good. Don't worry about picking a random ass ship name from any of these lists.
- NAS Zeus; The almost unused moniker for the local NT station orbiting Virgo-Prime.
- NSS Exodus; one of NanoTrasen's many research stations based in the Nyx system, which the original V.O.R.E. was modeled after.
- NSS Virgo Gamma; a space station colloquially known as V.G. station.
- NSS Antiqua; a space station still in construction near Nyx which will probably never be finished.
- NRS Hermes; a long range communications array, keeping NanoTrasen's Virgo branch in touch with distant star systems.
- NSS Vector; a vat/clone harvest complex.
- NRB Anansi; a medical facility that rents NanoTrasen patented technologies to nearby colonies for a price.
- NSS Redemption; a research station studying Redspace.
Example/Known Bases
- NAB Smythside Central Headquarters - The Lunar headquarters of the company, where orders from the top come from.
- NAB North Cimmeria Central Offices - The Martian central command of the company; Most NanoTrasen branches outside of Sol, but still within SolGov, officially coordinate reports here.
- NIB Prometheus - A phoron refinery that creates fuel for hyperspace drives, located on Tal in the Vilous System.
- NIB Posideon - A massive water purification plant in Alpha Centauri that produces and ships fresh water on a super-industrial level to colonies that lack fresh water sources.
- NTB An-Nur - The Virgo-Prime planetside central command hub and spaceport of the Virgo-Erigone system, which resides in the city of An-Nur
- NSB Adephagia; the official, seldom-used moniker of the V.O.R.E. tether on Virgo-3B.
Rankings
For the most part, down from the executive portion of the company, determining one's superiors is relatively straightforward.
- An administrative station/base is assigned to a system/region under a Chief Administration Officer by the company's Chief Operations Officer.
- The CAO appoints several Chiefs of Staff, which are then followed by specific agents under those departments, along with day to day operations staff as per a normal location.
- A Director of Operations such as a Captain or Colony Director is assigned to the location by the Administrative Human Resources Director, and an advisory internal affairs agent is assigned by the Chief of Social Resources.
- Heads of Staff are assigned for the distinct departments and/or administrative duties by HR under the Captain/DoO.
- Individual departments occasionally have delegations of command, such as Quartermasters and Wardens regarding specific departmental instances.
- Department staff manage their specialties.
- Interns such as Assistants are assigned to stations for learning opportunities.
For a more in-depth guide to the command structure of NanoTrasen, read the Chain of Command.
Central Specific Departments
Post shift, some workers have contracts which allow them stay at the NAB Zeus, providing them with lodgings and civilian center level comforts on auxiliary parts of the station exclusive to company employees. Some choose to take bluespace transport shuttles to nearby systems or back to Sol on an express link line. Nonetheless, most paper pushers and all Heads of Staff spend at least some ostensible 'off shift' hours enjoying the hospitality of CentCom as they work out their station's issues and report success to their superiors. The following are administrative departments found there.
Social Resources
Formerly known as Human Resources: These guys who decide if you get a paycheck, and they also read most of the faxes directed to CentCom. After each shift, most administrative staff of the NSB Adephagia check in and out with the Social Resources department. Social Resources coordinates heavily with Accounting and Internal Affairs in order to ensure their people are generating a profit and aren't causing a loss. Social Resources has two primary agents: Investigators, and Auditors.
Investigators are bad news to have show up, usually called in by Internal Affairs when a grievous error is made by ranking staff. They ensure productivity isn't impaired by rampant stupidity. A legal Human Resources Investigator must have a permit of operations signed by the Social Resources Department, and valid for the ship/station/base they are investigating, and a valid and up to date identification card from their administrative station/base. They have the authority to strip any crew of rank for the duration of a shift, and hold it suspended until audit.
Auditors carry the dread their name implies. When a complaint is filed against a crew member, auditors are the individuals who carry out the interrogations(audits) of the employee in person if IA cannot, submitting their personal suggestion to the Social Resources Department regarding an employee's continued paycheck gathering after reviewing the math from Accounting and a fully compiled case from Internal Affairs. These individuals also conduct annual audits for general purposes as well. They are effectively secretaries for the Social Resources Department, but highly respected ones.
Internal Affairs
Internal Affairs is the legal crew employed by NanoTrasen. Generally appointed for their discretionary ability, discreet management of lawsuits and various miscellany falls under. Suits and snitches, what the region's Head of Internal Affairs does with its cases to make ends meet is the business of the Chief Administration Officer, the Corporate Executives, and occasionally Sol. Internal Affairs rarely takes direct involvement or authority over situations and cases, preferring to hand off official decision making and judgement to its fellows. Its agents are the same, acting in an 'advisory' fashion on their assignments. Given that their work affects one's record and ability to obtain legal assistance from the company, it is best to stay on their good side.
Accounting
Accounting is the mathematical, cold, unfeeling, paycheck-making part of the company that keeps any big mega-corporation moving; with money. Accounting sets the bars and lays out what goals need met and where the company stands. Suffice to say, most other parts of the company are forced to take Accounting seriously, or be at risk in their own jobs. Social Resources and Accounting tend to be joined at the hip in most systems and sectors, as their work often impacts the choices of the other, and accounting ordinarily chokes Asset Protection's chain when they start chomping at the bit.
Asset Protection
Also known as the NanoTrasen Defense Force, Asset Protection is the administrative answer to security. This department is responsible to protect all holdings in the Chief Administration Officer's region from any crisis or emergency. The NDF commands all ND* assets, manages response teams, and keeps records clean so that other military groups (like the USDF) don't have to come pick up the slack that basic Security Officers can't handle.