ArcNet
ArcNet, the very mention of the largest Media Corp in existence sends a shiver down most people’s spines and strikes fear in the hearts of Deckers. ArcNet is, by far, the largest provider of Net systems and products as well as having control over a majority of media based systems that citizens use on a daily basis. That Digi-Phone? Made by ArcNet. News outlets? Owned by ArcNet. The very system that you home’s Net runs on? Made by and monitored by ArcNet. They are the all seeing eye of the Corps and yet one of the least socially involved of all of them. Unlike most Corps, ArcNet doesn’t peddle their products to citizens nor do they have to, they have a near total monopoly of all systems.
Rather, ArcNet’s most major involvement in the social system is through their interactions with the various other Corps. ArcNet is, by all standards, the neutral Corps and stands with no single Corps ArcNet often produces and sells Net systems and subsystems to the other Corps and is often well known for storing backup data for those willing to pay the hefty fee. It is, however, well known among Deckers that nobody has ever managed to hack into ArcNet’s system itself and, as such, rumors have appeared in various places that the Net provided to other Corps is a heavily downgraded system. There even exist such a rumor that ArcNet’s system is so well enforced because they have been doing Black Market data selling, a belief which is primarily supported by the anonymous DarkNet members who supposedly leak data from their Corp.
Lotus
Lotus, one of the greatest of the Corps to rise from the Chrome Age and one of the longest standing of all of them. Lotus is best known for their development of military Magi-Tech and rose to power over their Magi-Tech power systems. The Magi-Gen is, by far, one of the greatest inventions of the Chrome Age and Lotus’s crowning achievement, next to Lotus city of course. The Magi-Gen it is a generator powered by Ark Crystals, a pure and untainted source of magical energy which appeared after the Sundering. Ark Crystals have been shown to be able to power an average city block for a day on an ounce. On top of that, Lotus is the only company thus far which has discovered a way to recharge Ark Crystals and, as such, have made a great deal of money off the use of Magi-Gen systems and the resale of crystals.
However, their more well known creation are Magi-Tech weapons such as the Vorpal line of swords, Terra armor, and Manifest guns. The Magi-Tech of such systems allow casters of all types to influence how their weapons or armor work by the usage of their magic. The Vorpal swords are best known for the insanely sharp edge they hold but also the fact that a well enough trained caster can change the weapon’s form at will. Terra armor is near impossible to penetrate due to the magical field which dampens attacks and can totally block magical attacks with a strong enough user. Manifest guns are, by far, the greatest weapons that Lotus has ever made. Manifest guns allow summoners to quickly channel their spells place their summons greater distances away from them as well as fire rounds of pure magical energy. They are, however, the hardest weapons to control and can totally drain a user of magical energy should they lack care.
Lotus’ lesser known creations and, perhaps, the black sheep of them all were the drugs Faze, Prometheus, and Lupus. Faze is a magic based drug which results in vivid hallucinations in most users as well as replenishing magical energy. It is a favoured Black Market drug for summoners due to the large drain of their summons. Prometheus is a drug which enhances the user’s physical abilities and allows them ignore severe fatigue. In military use it was a wonder drug as it often allowed soldiers to fight hard for longer however its drawback was a near comatose state if too large of a dose is administered. Those who enter withdrawal of Prometheus tend to be extremely violent and have been known to go so far as to kill for another dose. Lupus is the most mild of Lotus’ drugs as it was primarily a drug for treating Aug and body mod rejections. For people with many Augs or a near total body mod to be something… more than natural, Lupus is their only option so as to prevent a painful death. Lupus, however, suppresses pain and quickly became a highly addictive drug for those without Augs. Some never come back from the high of Lupus, simply sitting and staring blindly in the distance.
Tokyo Robotics
Tokyo Robotics is the newest Corp on the scene and saw its rise late into the Chrome Age, though it accelerated quickly to the top with its research and development into robotic systems, automation, and security implementation. In the early years of Tokyo Robotics they were merely a company whose focus was, primarily, in the automation of systems so as to assist other Corps. As time went on, however, Tokyo Robotics quickly expanded into the creation of Robotics systems and their implementation into Corp Sec. They were the first Corp to ever introduce Security bots capable of being deployed if there's ever an intrusion into their Net, even going so far as to produce bots capable of autonomous action to prevent such issues.
As time went on, Tokyo Robotics expanded their systems to other Corps resulting in a majority of the large Corps, barring Lotus and Delta engineering, adopting the Security bots as a second line of defence against intruders. Some governments have even gone so far as to use the security bots as an expendable police force. However, Lotus City is one of the few places in the world where the Security bots are primarily held by a select few Corps and are heavily regulated. Some believe that Lotus’ position on the security bots is simply a money grabbing ploy to extract more cash from Tokyo Robotics however there are some on the DarkNet who have proposed more nefarious theories.
Some forums on the DarkNet have proposed that Tokyo Robotics is simply a puppet company for the Yakuza in Japan, their first foray into the Chrome Age tech that had originally put them in danger. This theory is heavily supported by the mysterious background of the executives of Tokyo Robotics, many of which whose histories can only be traced back a decade or so before the company’s creation. However, the Japanese government has made no formal statement on the validity of such information nor has any solid data been uncovered from decking to support such claims.
Delta Engineering
Delta Engineering, the most influential developers of the Chrome Age and one of the leading producers in Augs. In the early Chrome Age, Delta Engineering rose from the crumbling social system of America as a grand beacon, developing systems to enhance the quality of life of many in its home nation and developing massive systems for construction. It is through Delta Engineering that the construction of Lotus City was even possible, through Delta that Tokyo Robotics even had the subsystems in place to automate the development of robots. Delta eventually expanded out into the military application of mechanized body frames, allowing soldiers to lift more than normal. Eventually they created Mech Suits, though little did they know that such systems would later be applied to a internationally favoured sport.
However, the greatest achievement of Delta was their creation of Augs which, in place of prosthetics, allowed those missing limbs to easily function in society once more. Early Augs were primarily meant for everyday assistance however eventually the developments advanced to enhance the body and its functions. Decks could be installed a neural system to implement chips for enhanced senses, arms could be replaced to allow the average person to lift more, lungs replaced to easily process out smog filled air. Some, however, wanted to go even further with augs. They replaced their eyes to allow them to have facial recognition, their skin and muscles laced with nano-filaments to make them more durable.
Eventually the cost of such Augs would strike many users, many turning to Lupus to deal with the rejection of their systems. However, the dark history of Augs was primarily overlooked by Delta Engineering as they delved more into the development of social systems and enhancement of general quality of life. It is Delta Engineering who created the first Magi-Lift, though it was done so in tandem with Lotus. Their creation of Magi-Lifts was monumental as it reduced the cost, emissions, and time of travelling long distances and inside city. Their transportation tech has single-handedly reduced the smog in most cities to a more manageable amount, though places such as Beijing and Shanghai still suffer heavily from their emissions.
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