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Republic Background

Please note - Afterlife is not currently in active development, these pages are here for reference only. 


The Pan-Continental Republic

Prior to the Cataclysm, a resistance movement within Unity City saw through the Council’s campaign of propaganda and heavy-handed control over the masses, and sought to unpick a century of lies and reveal the truth of the UC’s tactics to a downtrodden people. The resistance faced an uphill battle to reveal the truth. Every day, security drones captured their members, and Afterlife synch-scans jeopardised their operations; and yet they survived. When the resistance operative Emir Donovan mysteriously appeared within the Sphere Nexus – the central hub of the Sphere system in Unity City – he managed to broadcast a decade’s worth of UC atrocities to a disbelieving populace. The Cataclysm, the resultant riots and mass social unrest in the wake of Donovan's broadcast, led to the Unity Council losing their vice-like grip over much of the globe.

In this state of anarchy, a number of directors and councillors saw their opportunity to take power for themselves and repair the damage done by the dysfunctional Unity Council. With the support of those mega-corps that had been marginalised into the toothless Congress for decades, dozens of  hyper-cities rejected Council control, with the renegade corporate giants forsaking their former allies and taking control of local Sphere nodes for themselves.

Named for the old Pan-Continental Union that had tried to change the course of human history at the end of the 21st century, the newly formed PCR consulate comprises members of civil organisations, industrial corporations, and several former Unity Council members. The most high-profile defector from the Council was Vargo Federici, now First Senator of the new Republic, and head of the Radoni mega-corp. He brought with him the tattered parchment upon which were written the original Articles of Unity, before the many amendments bastardised their intent beyond recognition. With his incredible financial backing and business acumen, many independent corporate fiefdoms have joined the PCR’s cause. Federici himself, formally a member of Raul's inner chamber, is something more than human, though just how far his physical form has been genetically and cybernetically enhanced is a matter of utmost secrecy.

The PCR believes itself to be the true inheritors of Earth; the stewards of the original Articles of Unity. Despite being led by ruthless corporate executives, they are idealistic and seek a return to the Utopia vision which humanity once strove for. The Republics' greatest strength is also its biggest weakness. By improving conditions for their teeming workforce and raising the standard of living within the warrens, Republic mega-corps have been able to ensure rapid expansion and an endless supply of willing manpower, but they have also placed great economic strain on their burgeoning federation that makes expansion a daily struggle. Federici mitigates the Republic’s fanaticism somewhat, but even he knows that the fight will not be over until the Unity Council is overthrown, however long that may take, and however many must suffer for the Republics' vision to become a reality.

 

As a cabal of largely industrial corporations, the Republic is rich in material resources and manpower, but lacks the sophisticated military technology deployed by the Council. They have stepped up their military operations considerably in the months since the Cataclysm, pushing new prototypes into service as quickly as possible and rapidly retro-fitting industrial equipment for battlefield use, as well as mobilising large numbers of indentured corporate infantry regiments previously contracted to the Unity Council. The Republic suffered several crushing defeats at the hands of Unity Strike Forces in the opening stages of the conflict, but is now mobilising its full industrial might to try and level the balance of power.


Major Corporations

When the Radoni Corporation seceded from the Unity Congress, they blazed a trail that was followed by more mega-corps than the Unity Council would like to admit. The new Pan-Continental Republic may be small in terms of global territory occupied, but its financial clout is not to be underestimated. The very existence of the PCR as an autonomous collective has rekindled notions of free trade that have been dead for almost a century – corporations on both sides of the political divide are forced to trade with each other or risk losing profits. It is this corporate leverage that has kept Vargo Federici’s administration above water – for now at least.


Radoni Corporation

Like Raul Tennyson, Vargo Federici is the head of a massive, multi-functioning mega-corp and leader of a political faction of considerable power. Unlike Tennyson, he is perceived by many as a liberator, a visionary, and the figurehead of a new democracy. As the third-largest mega-corps in the world, the Radoni Corporation’s split from the Unity Congress was a painful one, but proved to be the catalyst for the secession: with Radoni publicly embracing the ideals of the Republic, others were sure to follow.

Radoni is an umbrella corporation, with scores of subsidiaries operating in every conceivable sector of society, from textiles to fusion power, cybernetics to entertainment, and finance to weapons manufacture. The parent company made its name as the world’s leading experts in hypercity infrastructure, leading to a lucrative partnership with CRANE. That partnership has all but ended – at least publicly – although under-the-table agreements continue to provide basic services and support to each other even during the current crisis. Regardless of this small stumbling block, Radoni is the PCR’s leading light in construction, architecture and heavy industry, and is committed to providing better living and working conditions to the people under the protection of the newly elected senate.

Notable Subsidiaries: Apex McIntyre (pharmaceuticals and nanotechnology); Valencort Positronics (computer systems, cybernetics and advanced AI research); Unicom Logistics (specialists in overland and trans-tube supply chains).

 


Xian Industries

A major defector from the Unity Council stronghold of Shangzhou province, Xian Industries had long been a bitter rival of CRANE in the robotics and military hardware sectors. Using their sprawling network of contacts, Xian were notorious for undercutting CRANE contracts wherever possible, and rarely hesitated to stoop to industrial espionage. It is no coincidence that many contract hire operatives are kitted out with the best Xian hardware, while the Unity Council’s official peacekeeping forces rely on CRANE innovations. When CRANE vouched for the UC and for Tennyson, Xian Industries at once signed up to the Republic, sensing an opportunity to become the primary weapons supplier to Radoni Corporation.

A labyrinthine organisation, beholden to generations of traditions and family ties, Xian is nonetheless a workhorse in the field. Although its hardware is perhaps not as robust as CRANEs, Xian Industries has a lightning-fast production line capable of adapting its designs much more fluidly than its rivals. Their one major innovation in modern military design, however, is the pulse-mech neural net and associated long-range mech control system, dubbed Protos. While not yet fully tested in the fires of war, Exo-Mechs fitted with this technology carry with them the hopes of the Republic.


Nakatawa Aerospace

Probably the smallest of the mega-corps – if indeed the world ‘small’ could ever apply to a global industry controlling over a hundred multi-billion-credit holdings – Nakatawa built its reputation at the dawn of the Unity Congress. Along with CRANE, they were responsible for the design and construction of the Severus early warning satellite defence platforms that orbit Earth, as well as the sub-orbital craft that put the system into space. Nakatawa’s defection to the PCR came as a massive blow to the Unity Council, and may ultimately have tipped the balance of power towards Federici’s Republic. With their intimate knowledge of the Severus system, and their ongoing research into advanced aeronautic engines, they have secretly developed the SHARDs – rapid strike craft capable of avoiding satellite detection and delivering a significant troop presence to almost any dropzone on the Earth’s surface – Unity City included.

Nakatawa is one of the most secretive – and in turn discreet – corporations in the world. Its CEO, Hikaru Minamoto, is descended from one of the oldest families of Yokohama, and is an elderly recluse, having not been seen in public for over 40 years.


Frost Networks and Innovation

FNI are a global communications company, responsible for personal and corporate comms networks, military-grade psi-comms, satellite construction and maintenance, and holo-net service provision. Almost half of the world’s media outlets, online consumer hosts and secure transmissions use Frost services, either virtual or physical. As such, Frost has one of the best security records of any mega-corp, hiring a veritable army of coders, hackers and even heavily armed security forces to uphold its impeccable record of discretion. Of course, preventing their astonishing archive of data, communications and secrets from falling into the wrong hands is one thing – deeming it fit to use that information for themselves (or to launder black-market information to one of their subsidiaries) is quite another.

 

 


Minor corporations

As with the Unity Congress, the mega-corps are not alone in their importance to the republic. Several smaller corporations play pivotal roles in the smooth running and logistical supply of the PCR’s fledgling business network. Key among them are the following:


Ellison MediTech

A fringe company operating a lucrative network of genetic labs, clone research facilities and Afterlife virtual clinics, Ellison fill a niche in the Republic’s hyper-cities that was vacated by none other than Krono-Tech itself. As such, the post-Cataclysm divide has proved exceptionally good for business!


Aeon Augmetics

Another company that struggled to stand out from the crowd pre-Cataclysm, but has found itself a major player in the new Republic, Aeon Augmetics is a cybernetic enhancement and body-modification specialist. While catering to the strange demands and whims of the up-tier elite, Aeon also provides contract services to the PCR’s armed forces, ensuring even the most badly injured soldier isn’t out of the fight for long.


Ramirez-Fischer

A recent merger between Ramirez Security and Fischer Paragon has seen this corporation become a heavyweight in the fields of private security and contracted law enforcement. Using state-of-the-art hardware, surveillance techniques and rapid-response armour, Ramirez Fischer protects and serves the citizens of the Republic across three continents.