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Unity Council Background

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


The Unity Council

The Unity Council, the elite governing chamber of Tennyson’s Unity Congress, had stewarded the entire planet, with a mission to adhere to the directives in the Articles of Unity, guiding humanity toward a peaceful and prosperous future, free of war, suffering and need.

Through the greed and fallibility of the Council's ruling corporate elite, that dream is now shattered and war rages across Earth after the Cataclysm destroyed the illusions holding Unity society together.  The ruling elite still clings firmly to power and within their shrinking domain the rule of the Council goes unquestioned. Their prized asset, the supposedly un-breachable Unity City, is a labyrinth of paranoia and fear for the citizens living in the shadows of the tall spires.

In the aftermath of the Cataclysm the Unity Council had all the excuses they needed to create an even more pervasive and controlling police-state. Their response to the outbreak of war was to issue the Edicts of Unity, a document replacing the original Articles, revoking almost all remaining civil liberties and abolishing even the trapping of a former democratic government. The Unity Council regards all breakaway states and mega-corps as illegitimate usurpers and has mobilised its vast military resources to restore control, resulting in a rapid escalation of the war.

Raul Tennyson, the grandson of the famous Armand Tennyson, now leads the Unity Council with an iron fist. The billions of people living under Unity control are constantly bombarded with propaganda reinforcing the Council's message, that only they can provide security, peace and prosperity. Many accept this message unquestionably, believing the Council to still be their benevolent protectors and the rumours of oppression and violence to be lies spread by the terrorist resistance movements. Others are aware of the Council's insanity, and secretly cry out for a new leader the likes of Raul’s late, sainted grandfather, Armand. Some believe that Armand never died, that he rebelled and now fights for the resistance. Others speculate that his mind was wave-synched into the Afterlife mainframe, or that he lives on with another identity, still guiding Krono-Tech from the shadows. None, of course, would dare speculate publicly.

The Up-Tier elites which control the Unity Council and its network of subsidiary mega-corps will never let go of their wealth and privileged position in society. They have no regard for the lives of the less fortunate and see the war as a minor inconvenience which will soon be over, leaving loyal and well-trained UC military commanders to deal with the horror of the situation on the ground. Through the might of arms and control of the Sphere, the Council strives to crush all opposition to their regime, whatever the cost. With the significant power of Unity military forces, and myriad privately funded enforcement agencies at their disposal, the Unity Congress enjoys battlefield superiority across most theatres despite being beset on all sides by the PCR and numerous smaller power blocs.

 

Most of the Unity Councils' military strength is drawn from private armies trained and equipped by corporations with contracts to supply defence personnel and equipment. The most experienced and elite fighters from these units are drafted into a centralised standing army, the Unity Marine Corp. Professional and well-equipped soldiers, many with direct combat experience from the Terra Nulia containment wars, The UMC commands significant manpower to garrison critical infrastructure and lead the Council's war against the separatists.

The original Articles of Unity placed a ban on the creation of any new military equipment, but in the decades leading up to the Cataclysm, ruthless and forward-thinking Councillors authorised the development of a new army. In total secrecy, CRANE corporation and its subsidiaries were given a free reign to repurpose a century's worth of peaceful technological development to create the most lethal soldiers and weaponry possible. In the wake of the Cataclysm, the Council has unleashed its new model army and for now, enjoys a significant technological advantage over its rivals.


Major Corporate Stakeholders

The majority of the world’s corporate power still lies within the control of the Unity Congress, the leaders of these mega-corps often taking up key positions on the governing Unity Council. Even the directors of the small subsidiary corporations enjoy their continued status as up-tier elite in the largest hyper-cities. The lure of such power and authority proved too great for many corporations to resist, and although they would have had greater trade freedoms in the Republic’s organisation – and arguably just as much wealth – they opted to stick with the devil they knew, whatever the price…


Krono-Tech

The first of the mega-corps to become a major player on the global political stage, Krono-Tech’s history is steeped in legend, thanks to its illustrious founder, Armand Tennyson, who founded the Articles of Unity and was instrumental in rebuilding the world after the rad-war. Now, Krono-Tech is the most prominent and powerful corporation on the planet, rivalled perhaps only by the Rand and Radoni Corporations. Known primarily for its medical research arm, Krono-Tech also holds major interests in bio-engineering, nuclear fuels, mining technology, and agriculture. As the originator and patent-holder of most Afterlife innovations, not to mention countless life-enhancing biotech products ever since, Krono-Tech’s massive turnover shows no signs of slowing. Afterlife procedures are an integral part of daily life for the up-tier elite. Everything from nano-surgery, cellular regeneration treatments and bionic augmentation can be purchased from an Afterlife virtual clinic – for a price. Many of the procedures are strictly regulated, and some can be attempted days or even weeks after death; for the rich, death is a treatable condition.

Ownership of Krono-Tech has been passed down from father to son for three generations, and the controlling stake is now owned by Raul Tennyson, himself First Councillor of the Unity Congress. Raul takes no direct interest in the company’s day-to-day running, although his position alone makes him the wealthiest and most powerful individual on the planet.

Krono-Tech ostensibly has no military ambitions of its own, although as First Councillor, Raul wields almost all the Council's military might. Additionally, countless Afterlife procedures have been weaponised by Krono-Tech subsidiaries, and rumours persist of fabled subterranean ‘Black Labs’ that lie far beneath the Unity City headquarters of the corporation – labs in which dark tech and fringe science is explored for unknown ends.

Notable Subsidiaries: Cellular Dynamic (biomechanical and genetic innovation); PrimaTech (renewable energy solutions); Frontier Integrated (undersea mining and sustainable fuel production).


CRANE

An industrial conglomerate responsible for the construction and maintenance of two-thirds of the global fusion grid, CRANE were already a mammoth corporation before they bought out most of the heavy plant construction companies on the eastern seaboard. Now they are the world’s number one manufacturer of construction and military vehicles, mag-rail cars, automated factory systems and even designer autocars. CRANE has dabbled in military-grade tech for many years, although its military research wings were a closely guarded secret prior to the cataclysm. Since then, however, production has ramped up exponentially by order of the Council, and most of the UC’s heavy armour is provided by CRANE and its subsidiaries.

CRANE’s most notable subsidiary company is Black Sun Inc., weapons developers responsible primarily for the development of Exo-Mech armour and their integrated weapon systems. Their Ajax Exo-Mech has become the gold standard for advanced battle technology, and the pride of the Unity Councils Marine Corps.


Rand Corporation

Though rarely mentioned in the corridors of power, Rand is one of the oldest and most profitable mega-corps in the world and a key player in the global economy. Their primary purpose is to maintain the Sphere, which they designed and implemented many years ago. The entire industry and its subsidiaries are bent towards digital and financial services, and Rand systems and hardware facilitate almost every networked and monetary transaction in the world. The mega-corp has amassed obscene amounts of money by helping others make money, and continues to turn over huge profits through the click of a button. The amount of influence wielded by Rand is extraordinary, and extends to both sides of the post-Cataclysm power struggle – without Rand, there would arguably be no Sphere. And without the Sphere, the world would be plunged into chaos.


Minor Corporate Stakeholders

 

Several other corporations vie for prominence and political power in the vacuum left by the PCR secession. Though not quite on a par with the most established mega-corps, these corporations are highly valued in their fields, and stand on the cusp of true corporate power. Indeed, several have been identified as key acquisition targets by the Radoni Corporation, who hope a merger or hostile takeover of these smaller outfits will increase the PCR’s own power, and dent the Unity Congress’ ambitions.


Khumalo Foundation

Primary technical liaisons to the UC’s peacekeeping forces and specialists in militarised Afterlife procedures, Khumalo lead the way in transforming the modern soldier from fragile human grunt to lethal fighting machine. Every recent battlefield innovation, from nanite ‘restitchers’ to cognitive and reflex enhancement implants, has come from Khumalo labs. Some of Khumalo’s procedures blur the line between military innovation and dark tech, but with the full backing of Krono-Tech they have proved instrumental in overhauling the UC military forces.


Omni-Mishima

If Krono-Tech and its subsidiaries lead the way in energy production facilities, then it is Omni-Mishima who pave the way for the future. Using experimental fusion and dark matter accelerator technology, this innovative corporation looks for the answer to the world’s dwindling resources, by creating unlimited energy from unstable matter. With Raul Tennyson as a major shareholder, many of its early successes have already found their way into the Unity Congress armed forces, although Omni-Mishima dream of bringing hope – not war – to the world.


Greystone Inc.

The single largest manufacturer and distributor of consumer products, the Greystone logo can be found on everything from convenience food packaging to cutting-edge hololithic entertainment systems. With literally hundreds of Greystone products and services in every home – rich or poor – this seemingly innocuous company has manoeuvred its way into the big leagues in a relatively short space of time.