GenTech, Gencultura, Gencultura Tech, GcT Group.

Before the global chaos of 2031 Gencultura Technologies did not exist, though several of its subsidiaries under a now dissolved umbrella company did. As the nations of the world collapsed a group of wealthy conglomerates banded together to purchase many of the assets of the world at a vastly reduced price – effectively picking apart the decaying husks of still dying nations and corporations alike before dismantling and selling much of what they took to those who would come after. With this newfound capital and a lack of regulations the conglomerates found themselves able to invest heavily in many previously denied avenues of technology, hiring in the most intelligent of the world with the promise of support and stability in exchange for unparalleled progress for all. This was achieved through a carefully maintained corporate image, modern propaganda in practise and it was very effective.

It painted a picture of a not so distant future in which a utopian society could be achieved, of course through the newly created Gencultura AgriTech Corporation. With the total collapse of both the Turkish and Cypriot governments the group was able to purchase the island of Cyprus in its entirety and within several years it was established as the first Gencultura mega-facility under Paradise Solutions and formed the Gencultura Technologies Group. Within the first twenty years Gencultura made huge advances in genetically modified agriculture, specifically the creation of several strains of extremely hardy and resistant crops alongside air, soil and crop sensors that could have revolutionised the farming industry as global levels of pollution continued to rise. They attracted much of the world's once greatest and wealthiest, those seeking a shelter from the storm that the world now was.

As a food crisis continued to grip much of Africa Gencultura expanded its holdings under the guise of humanitarian assistance, securing much of what was once North Africa causing much of the African population to migrate northwards or starve on the now even more hospitable continent. They established Paradise Solutions population centres notably in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco – at this point effectively becoming a nation in their own right. The Gencultura Group established the Bastion Group subsidiary to create and utilise weapons technologies to better control the population through both non-fatal and if necessary fatal means. Throughout this period the leadership and direction of Gencultura had been decided by the board of directors, however an internal conflict around this time resulted in their dissolution and a new corporate structure being established with a new Executive Director with ultimate control. Over the next twenty years the corporation branched into several more sectors, namely biological engineering and biometrics culminating in in-vitro farms, fisheries and vertical farming. They expanded and acquired further territories in the Mediterranean securing effective control of the entire sea’s external shipping lanes completing their monopoly of the area whilst establishing more Paradise Solution centres.

Most recently Gencultura has expanded further into Africa carving out what was once Somalia, having spent the last ten years priming an ambitious project after their expansions in the Mediterranean. Over the last thirty or so years Gencultura has changed much, both internally and externally. The once public image of technology for all has disappeared into the slightly more ominous Gencultura machine that continues to grow.

For all purposes run by an Executive Director, publically the head of the company who has the majority say in any decision, though a board of directors still exists to advise. In reality they are all public figureheads, manipulated from behind the scenes to give a semblance of transparency and accountability. The true leader of the Gencultura Technologies Group is a single dynasty, or rather a single man. One of the initial conglomerate investors who over the course of his and the companies life has taken total control through a combination of buyouts, bribery and more nefarious means. Charles Lawson, assisted closely by his family whom he has trained and prepared for his entire life are the true controllers of the Gencultura Technologies Group. He has final say in every regard, though aged 98 with the help of the most cutting modern medical science he still feels as young as he did at 60. His eldest son is his second, carrying out many of the tasks his father sets and making them a reality. He too has his own agendas and personally runs several off-shoot divisions of some of the subsidiaries so he is able to direct their research.

Gencultura Agritech (Agriculture - Origin)
Paradise Solutions (Contained Living Environments)
Gencultura Bioheal (Pharmaceutical research)
Bastion Group (Arms Manufacturing)

Publically the Gencultura Technologies Group is a very ethical and transparent company, or at least most parts of it are. The majority of the company does in fact run in a very ethical and transparent way, the majority of individuals within the company being none the wiser to anything otherwise. There are however divisions amongst practically all of the larger subsidiaries that are very guarded and closed off, of course publically these are the areas most sensitive to corporate espionage such as experimental research and development. In truth these sections are far from ethical and the workers within these branches generally have no qualms about what they are doing, after all the profits and luxuries of the Gencultura Tech Group are many.

Security is handled almost exclusively by The Bastion Group within the Gencultura Tech territories. Initially a peacekeeping force established to protect the Southern Med-Paradise centres due to the huge influx of ‘immigrants’ it soon grew into a mixture of peacekeepers and private security force and eventually included a capable special strike force. Over the years the arms produced have benefited greatly from Gencultura Bioheal research leading to a number of extremely deadly and effective weaponry. As the Gencultura group expanded and secured more natural resources the Bastion group expanded too, gaining small mining and manufacturing subsidiaries of its own supported by foreign experts as the need for arms and equipment grew. Initially a very small force attached to a primarily arms production company the Bastian Group has expanded upon its number of Special strike teams, the culmination of the best technology and training the Gentech Group can provide. Most recently the Bastion strike teams were used to outs the many rebel factions and settlements that had littered Somalia for countless years, bringing ultimate security and Genecultura oversight to the shipping lanes in that area as they forged down the red sea’s west bank through a gradual campaign of strategic strikes and superior logistical abilities. Of course the territory was seized and the lands natural resources with it, adding another planned Paradise Solutions centre to Africa, the world can celebrate another ‘victory’ as countless lives will surely be saved in this ‘humanitarian’ move as Gentech secures and redevelops the once hostile lands.

Damascus Corp., Damascus Robotics, DRRC, The Big D, Skynet, the Institute

The Damascus Robotics Research Corporation, then known as the Rocky Mountains Drone Systems, was first formed in late 2018 in Toronto, Canada, specialising in remote-controlled camera drones. It was a simple company of a dozen people and a small office. But with drones increasing in popularity, the company quickly rose in power, going international and dominating the drone market, even designing models for military use. Things were going well, with the corporation branching out into multiple subsidiary companies. It was here that the company was renamed Damascus Robotics Research Systems.

But then came the Great Collapse of 2031, and the Canadian economy collapsed on itself. Companies went bankrupt, people lost both their homes and their jobs, even the government wasn't spared as it struggled to keep the furious populace under control. While the company took a heavy hit in the first few weeks following this cataclysmic event, it managed to stay afloat, though it was forced to shut down most of its minor daughter companies. The corporation managed to keep running, though it was forced to close several international branches.

Thanks to the Damascus Corporation's advanced drone systems, it managed to keep the rioting Canadian citizens under control through non-lethal methods such as tear gas and shocks. It also used its drones to deliver aid to the affected people not just in Canada but across the globe, providing shelter in the form of massive moving refugee camps. The company quickly rose back to power, and just two years after the Collapse, controlled much of Canada, taking over government duties. The corporation ruled over the country as a benevolent dictatorship, exercising absolute power for the sake of the people. The Canadian people were at least happy with this, and the country entered a period of relative peace.

However, due to rising tensions between rival companies that had also taken over much of the still-standing governments, it was forced to arm itself, creating its military wing, Damascus Security Service (DSS), made up of former soldiers, law enforcement officers, and international mercenaries, not to mention thousands of military drones. This new military provided security for the people, and protected them from threats, both exterior and interior.

Over time, the corporation began to stray away from its peaceful ways, and began to research and manufacture advanced weapons, much to the disdain of the populace it controlled. The company reassured its citizens that it was for their protection, but they refused to hear them out and attempted a coup. Suffice to say, it failed. The insufficiently-armed ragtag group of civilians were mercilessly cut down by the DSS. Survivors were publicly executed.

Damascus' rule became much more authoritarian after that, stepping up security around the country and sending out 'hit squads' to terminate suspected rebels. Despite this, however, the corporation still continued to listen to the needs of its citizens and try to help them the best they can. This is why the company is seen by most to be the lesser of two evils, normally viewing them as the lighter shade of grey.

The Damascus Corp. runs its company just like any other before the Collapse: a large company run by a board of directors which in turn is overseen by a CEO. It is currently lead by CEO Joseph Adams, a revolutionary thinker who followed in the footsteps of Stephen Adams, his father and former CEO of the company who was in power before and after the Great Collapse. The now-deceased CEO was the main reason Damascus was now in control of Canada.

Besides this, Damascus Security Service is run by multiple generals, fitting for such a large military. They normally function as advisors for the Board of Directors.

Damascus Security Service (Private Military)
Canadian Industries (Manufacturing)
Frontier Research (Research and Development)
Rocky Mountain Drone Systems (Robotics) (Origin)

Being a company that was formed in Canada, the Damascus Corporation celebrates traditional Candian celebrations such as Canada Day, Victoria Day, and Seal Clubbing Festival. It is a company that believes strongly in good virtues, listening to the complaints and problems of citizens, and tries to help them best they can. As a corporation whose main focus is the field of robotics, they strive to create more advanced and humanlike constructs, believing that these synthetic beings would be an improvement over humanity, and most vital personnel intend to upload their brains into these machines so that they can continue to serve even after dying. It is normal for robots to malfunction and go on a rampage, but employees see it as the only way to succeed is through failure.

The Damascus Security Service (DSS) serves as the corporation's military and main security force. It is a well-armed professional fighting force equipped with only the best the company has to offer. Every soldier wears body armour and a powered exoskeleton that allows for greatly increased strength and the ability to use boosters built into the suit. Foot soldiers are supported by heavily armoured war machines that are perfectly capable of tearing through weaker armies with ease with railgun weapon systems. Besides this, organic human soldiers fight alongside robotic soldiers made for the sole purpose of combat known as Synths.

Joseph William Adams
52
Male
16th May 2047

Joseph Adams is the first and only son of Stephen and Cynthia Adams, the then-CEO and Head Researcher, respectively. He was born on a crisp spring day in 2047, more than a decade after the Great Collapse. Immediately, his parents knew that he was destined to be the next CEO and began to teach him everything they knew, from Stephen's management skills to Cynthia's brilliant scientific knowledge. Joseph began to learn far faster than everyone thought, already taking control of an entire office when he was just in his late teens. When Stephen stepped down from power in 2072 and appointed his son to be the next leader of the company, Joseph eagerly accepted and was quick to adjust, making some of the best decisions ever seen in company history. Some time after this, he adopted a young boy named Glover, eventually becoming the commander of the elite branch of the DSS known as the Damascus Overwatch.

Calm and the last one to crack under pressure, Joseph is exceedingly polite and professional to his employees and citizens. He is known for his rather supernaturally good leadership skills, which is why civilians look up to him and praise him, ever-grateful for the time of peace the country is in. The Joseph behind locked doors is a man of susceptible cunning. He will constantly send out DSS hit squads to eliminate suspected terrorists, sometimes these 'terrorists' being innocent people who just happened to have too much power. Joseph would normally reassure the public that he had taken out wanted criminals, framing the people. This is all to preserve his public image. After all, he followed in the footsteps of his father before.

Stephen Adams (father), former CEO, deceased
Cynthia Adams (mother), former researcher, deceased
Glover Adams (adopted son), Damascus Overwatch commander, alive
Baxter (dog), pet cyborg dog, alive

Originally one of many shipping concerns trading across the globe, Trifecta slowly accumulated more and more market share - and more and more influence - through the use of sophisticated shell companies and holding funds, obscuring the ultimate owners and preserving the appearance of far greater competition between firms, thus avoiding monopolies legislation and regulatory breakups. At the time of the Great Collapse, business was booming; Trifecta's ships, planes, trains and lorries moved megatons of cargo every month and its ledgers were creeping inexolerably ever higher, as the world knit itself tighter and tighter together. Peppers from Jordan, opals from Australia, white goods from Germany, automobiles from Japan...everyone wanted them, and one of the best ways to move cargo, any cargo, was with Trifecta or a Trifecta front.

The company weathered the Great Collapse better than most; indeed, in a way it thrived on it. Trifecta was family-owned, and had been careful; they had limited exposure to toxic stocks, and a healthy balance sheet buoyed by substantial physical assets, things that held their value when virtual funds vanished in a hailstorm of binary.

Trifecta was also mercenary, and its leadership had a weather eye for the main chance; when companies folded by the thousand in the wake of the stock crash, their cargoes in transit became Trifecta property by default. When contracts to supply or to receive were not honoured, Trifecta took its dues, in cash and property and assets all across the globe, swelling its portfolio and growing its influence in leaps and bounds.

There was a plan, of course. When the full effects of the Great Collapse became apparent, Trifecta capitalised on the panic and the lack of basic goods, money and services. It was all carefully orchestrated from the Trifecta Tower, their HQ in London - social order would be permitted to break down, to a point; government would grind to a halt and people would become increasingly desperate...and then Trifecta would ride to the rescue, its ships disgorging tons of expropriated food, drink, medical supplies, machinery...the list went on and on. Security, prosperity, luxury; only Trifecta could provide.

The corporation was hailed - in the countries it provided relief to - as saviour and guardian, keeping the people fed and society functioning, even if it was a very different society to the one that had gone before. In the UK, the grand old lady of democracy was swept aside, the Palace of Westminster becoming the new corporate HQ, company directors and Board Members moving into the palatial site en-masse, solidifying control and legitimacy from the ancient political heart of the country.

In India, meanwhile, Trifecta conquered from the sea, as its British predecessors had done centuries earlier. It already had interests in ports up and down the coast, and still more in the form of shipbreaker's yards on the beaches of the Bay of Bengal, sites that desperate Indians flocked to when word began to spread of Trifecta's bounty. Quietly, much as it had done in Britain when the social fabric began to unravel, corporate largesse and humanitarian gestures turned into quid-pro-quo arrangements with local villages, then towns, then cities, the corporation rebuilding an interconnected - and totally Trifecta-dependent - network of production and consumption, aggressively expanding and taking advantage of the chaos of the Collapse to enforce its own version of the British Raj. Even more than in the UK, the corporation rules.

The corporate strongholds, the great cities of Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, they are neon beacons of wealth and prosperity, staggering amounts of money washing through them, heady and alluring. In these monuments to money, corporates are king and their every whim serviced eagerly.

Concorrant is, for all its size, still a family-owned concern and has resisted numerous calls for IPOs and stock market flotation throughout its history, often emerging bloodied but unbowed from each corporate clash and – in the fullness of time – growing larger and ever more completely under the control of the Paradis family. There are eleven members of the Executive Board; the Chairwoman and CEO at the helm, then two members of the senior management team of each of the subsidiary corporations, representing their interests and concerns at the very highest level, the Director-General of Security and finally the Executive Director of Acquisitions, a position whose brief is to augment the corporation’s forward planning and to pinpoint business interests which might be susceptible to one of the many, many means of takeover at Concorrant’s disposal.

The Chairwoman and CEO is currently Aurelie Paradis, the fourth generation of her family to occupy the lonely corporate throne.

Luminary Systems – Dreaming the Future – (Spaceflight) – a relatively new venture, Luminary Systems is expanding rapidly as demand for its services skyrockets. One of the few companies capable of regular, reliable, efficient surface-to-space launches, Luminary Systems holds a commanding position. It designs, builds and launches satellites, probes and other key orbital infrastructure, both for itself and for other clients, civilian and military.

Trifecta Corporation – (Shipping) – Original Industry. The Trifecta – air, land and sea – was one of the few organizations to come through the Great Collapse, and indeed was the springboard for much of Concorrant’s later successes. Trifecta’s vast number of hulls keep the arteries of commerce open and moving smoothly; many products complete at least part of their journey in a Trifecta-owned vehicle of some kind, and in the chaotic days after the Great Collapse, it was Trifecta that kept the goods coming in despite the turmoil.

Horizon Energy – Lighting the World - (Energy) – Headquartered in Mumbai, Horizon Energy is a vast organization devoted to keeping the lights on and the air conditioning running. Everything from coal-fired power plants to fusion reactors fall within its ambit, all to keep the neon excesses of the new post-nationhood corporatocracy glowing brightly. It is aggressively expanding, bringing the light of civilisation wherever it goes – at a reasonable price.

Heterodyne Synthetics (Robotics) – Focusing on ubiquity, Heterodyne Synthetics pioneers development and deployment of fully artificial intelligent platforms integrated into every aspect of modern living. Everything from smart windows showing your view-of-choice through to menial drones and hazardous-environment platforms, Heterodyne Synthetics can deliver.

At the highest levels of Concorrant, in the words of Aurelie Paradis herself: “Ethics are useful, applied intelligently.” Intelligent application of ethics, of course, being when it is beneficial for Concorrant and its interests, either from a PR or profit basis, and preferably from both. Concorrant likes to project an image of a forward-looking, progressive corporation, a benevolent capitalist hegemon striving for a better world for our children, and our children’s children, and the corporation as a result invests heavily in its employees and those regions under its control.

In return, the corporation expects – and gets – loyalty and hard work. The bottom line is comfortable, but only that; Concorrant dangles greater luxuries before its legion of employees as one of its many incentives to strive harder, rise higher. In the upper echelons, money and power flow like water and corporate executives live as aristocrats could only dream of. Rich rewards, yes, but only if you’re of value to the company; the corporation giveth, and the corporation taketh away.

Above all, Concorrant is pragmatic. Reactor explodes thanks to shoddy maintenance work, causing millions of pounds’ worth of damage and a clean-up bill extending for decades? Inefficient, avoidable, and costly – the three most toxic words in Concorrant; one of the Board’s ‘never events’.

Morally-bankrupt brilliant scientist with new ideas and a lucrative new approach, but several little peccadilloes that would once have been highly illegal? Give them what they want - it’s only wrong if you’re caught on camera, after all.

Name: Aurelie Clarisse Eleanore Paradis
Age: 36
Sex: Female
Birthdate: 8th July 2063

Aurelie was born in Tyauhaar Tekadee - Festival Hill, the pleasure playground of the Paradis family carved out of central Mumbai. A place the maharajas of old would have envied, it was – and is – a monument to corporate success and the power which the megacorporations now wield.

The party capital of Concorrant and some way beyond, heady, sweaty, sexy, neon-drenched Mumbai was Aurelie’s cradle and she revelled in its unabashed richness and vigour. The world was her oyster, the rules that lesser mortals lived by bent and broke before her will; she was de facto queen of all she surveyed.

Britain, then, when the young Paradis heiress arrived to pursue her education, was something of a shock. The fizzing, crackling energy of the Indian subcontinent was almost completely absent on the rainy little northern European country that had birthed Concorrant and, even now, was the cradle for several of its most important divisions, and it took her a long time to realise that, where Mumbai roared and stamped in colour-drenched glory, London purred, all power and silk, shadow and mirrors.

She read physics at Magdalen College, Oxford, earning a first, and almost as soon as university was done she plunged into the corporate ocean of Concorrant, first on rotation through each of the four key subsidiary corporations – venerable Trifecta, dynamic Horizon, cutting-edge Luminary and expanding Heterodyne – and then on up into the corporate superstructure which tied them together under the Concorrant banner, learning the intricacies of each and the dynamic power-play between them and the myriad of lesser industries which supported the giant conglomerate. Whilst these four titans were its lynchpin, hundreds of other companies sheltered beneath the Concorrant banner, a complex interlocking meshwork of supply, demand and, above all, profit.

All of it was key training for the moment when, ten years ago, her mother passed away, leaving the corporate throne vacant and ready for the next Paradis – her. Since that moment, Aurelie has worked to consolidate and expand, capitalising on India’s natural resources and plentiful labour pool as well as the UK’s financial expertise and skilled workforce.

Polite and controlled, Aurelie learned from a very young age the power of words and deeds and the insidious control that the social arena could exert. She is not a woman to yell, bluster, berate or bellow; it implies a loss of control and an inflexible approach to changeable circumstances. Instead, Aurelie makes use of subtler methods of expressing displeasure, all the while maintaining the image of a smiling, kind superior doing her best in trying circumstances. She also believes in rich rewards for those who serve her and the company well, fostering loyalty through largesse and, importantly, consistency; do well and be rewarded. Fail and be punished.

Brought up in the indulgent excesses of the corporate hegemony, Aurelie is very fond of the finer things in life; the best food, the finest wine, the most lavish entertainment, and so on. She is patron of many museums and artists, furthering her image as a sophisticated, cultured businesswoman, but not all of her appetites are so savoury, nor so widely-known, kept carefully within the confines of Festival Hill and other Concorrant strongholds – more out of concern for international PR than any domestic response.

Aurelie Paradis knows well the value of family, and the Paradis clan as a whole can generally be depended upon to close ranks around one of their own. Her younger sister Marisa is a director of Horizon Energy, and widely tipped to be that company’s next head, reflecting her business skill as well as her current role as heiress presumptive – a role which carries more weight and permanence than ever before, given Aurelie’s own unabashed preferences. Various other cousins of differing degree are scattered throughout Concorrant’s constellation of companies, backups in case the unthinkable happens, and also furthering the influence of the clan through their own work.