Einstein Engines

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Einstein Engines
Slogan	Lead by our history, leading our future.
Headquarters	Harmony City, Luna, Sol
Chief Executive Officer	Noelle Lopez-Zhang
Official Languages	Tau Ceti Basic, Sol Common, Tradeband
Official Colours	Olive Green (#777700), Sage Green (#637C65), White (#DFE4ED), Orange (#AB6F19)
Founded	2155
Founder	Zhong Hu
Operating Region	Solarian Alliance Nralakk Federation Republic of Biesel Coalition of Colonies The Commonwealth of Hieroaetheria

Founded in Sol during the 2100s, Einstein Engines was a transstellar megacorporation that focuses on both warp travel technology and robotics - and once had a monopoly on the former. It was for a time the most powerful megacorporation, though never so high that it gained the ability to break its competitors. Upon the discovery of Phoron, NanoTrasen shot past the company, and Einstein’s time as the leading corporation was seen as coming to a close. Headed by the cutthroat Noelle Lopez-Zhang, Einstein Engines has recently found itself growing once again, as technological innovations and the ongoing phoron shortage, combined with refusal to join the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate seeing them gain dominance within the Solarian Alliance has changed the fortunes of this company massively.

Contents

Corporate Affairs

History

"The first megacorporation, Einstein Engines’ history is closely linked to the history of the Alliance as a whole." - Informational blurb from a tourist pamphlet given out during tours of Einstein’s headquarters on Luna.

Einstein Engines originated as a conglomerate of various aerospace companies, who all shared a joint research project for extrastellar travel. As the project came into fruition, many realized its results would have immense consequences for the human race. In the year 2130, a sustained, stable warp interface was formed. This development served to catapult the conglomerate to be a dominating economic power across Sol. Their warp technology revolutionized space travel, and led to the construction of orbital industrial stations around the equator of Earth. This boom in industrial capabilities led to the great expansion of humanity across space. Warp-enabled probes traveled to nearby systems, finding habitable worlds scattered across space. The power of Einstein Engines continued to grow throughout the following centuries, eclipsing other interstellar corporations—however, this reign was not to last.

In 2352, three years before Einstein would take on its most titanic project to date, the Warp Gate project, the relatively young NanoTrasen Corporation discovered phoron, alongside its myriad of applications. This would spell the beginning of the end for Einstein Engine's dominance. Unlike all the other megacorporations that have survived to the modern day, Einstein did not work with NanoTrasen, not out of ill-will, but because they didn’t see a reason to. This would be their biggest mistake, resulting in them barely sharing the benefits of the technological revolution following phoron’s discovery alongside the economic growth. The next forty years saw Nanotrasen rapidly grow into the present-day superpower it is, and Einstein Engines fell inwards, a process that would only accelerate upon the discovery of Bluespace in the early 25th century.

Major restructuring and changes in R&D were done to save the company, leading to its modern form. Einstein shifted away from merely focusing on warp drives/gates that were built using pre-phoron components, and instead produced drives of all types, from sublight to bluespace, using phoron-era components, allowing it to compete on the same technological level as the rest of the megacorporations. They never completely abandoned their pre-phoron assets, though, and continued to produce them as cheap drives and fund research relating to them. It came at a cost, and growth was slow for the better part of a century, but unlike dozens of other megacorporations they managed to retain their independence and survive until the modern day.

Today, Einstein Engines still holds a significant power base despite the losses in the second half of the 24th century. Continuing to serve its market, Einstein Engines produces many important spaceship components and bickers with NanoTrasen over the efficiency of their different drives. Outside of pure phoron extraction and refining, the FTL industry is the only other industry where NanoTrasen has a significant market share across the Spur, and when combined with Einstein’s “refusal” (as NanoTrasen sees it) to work with the younger corporation, it created a recipe for conflict.

It is often remarked, incorrectly, that the two giants awkwardly co-exist in human space, more specifically in the FTL market. The reason this is incorrect is NT mines and refines the phoron the Spur relies on to maintain their current level of technology and economic productivity; Einstein Engine's primary revenue source is making FTL drives, with their modern drives requiring phoron purchased from NanoTrasen. It is important to make this distinction because without it, it can be easily believed that Einstein is equal in influence to NanoTrasen, which is how they can resist them, something that is a blatant lie. Einstein, despite having far less influence than NanoTrasen, manages to do more with it, and be the primary rival of the most powerful corporation, potentially the most powerful entity, within the modern-day Spur, and continues to do so without failing.

Influence

"Look around you. Do you really, truly believe Bluespace engines are anything other than a passing fad?" - Doctor Mio Suzuki pitching the Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive (a drive that requires phoron to manufacture) to the Alliance’s military, early 2464.

Einstein Engines wields influence across the Spur as do all the megacorporations; however, they have a considerable concentration within the Solarian Alliance, due to their lack of affiliation with the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. Despite the grievous setbacks of the second half of the 23rd Century, Einstein managed to hold on to a significant chunk of the FTL market, generating enough revenue to allow it to survive into the modern day - and therefore reap the short-term advantages the scarcity gave the corporation. Once thought to be out of the race, the scarcity has allowed Einstein to surge back into relevance again, as combined with their penurious use of phoron in manufacturing, making their drives cheaper alternatives to NanoTrasen produced ones, Warp Travel, which NT never bothered to try and get in on, has come roaring back. Einstein still had a monopoly over that market throughout the spur, which saw them rake in an incredible amount of revenue; revenue that further allowed Einstein to expand significantly over the past five years. Now, once again, it is the FTL Giant - manufacturing a majority of the drives used for interstellar travel across the Spur.

That said, the question now being asked is how long will Einstein benefit from the scarcity, for while the scarcity has seen significant short-term positives, they still suffer from the ongoing scarcity of phoron alongside everyone else. While they would never parade about it publicly, Einstein executives know that they, along with everyone else, require phoron to produce contemporary goods that will be competitive in the market. Their warp drives may use less phoron in manufacturing, and none at all for fuel, but less is not none. This flies in the face of the public image Einstein presents - one of independence from Phoron - the reality is they're trapped in the same sinking boat as everyone else, they just managed to get a little further from the water pouring in for the time being; but they can't get out of this situation any more than anyone else, despite what they publicly claim.

The corporation's stake in the FTL market is the primary revenue generator, but it is far from the only market in which they are a serious competitor. Einstein also holds considerable sway in the field of IPC manufacturing. Although its competitors would never admit it, Einstein Engines consistently produces the most advanced positronic brains, with many of their models surpassing and eclipsing those of other companies. Furthermore, they remain the largest producer of positronic brains in the Spur, providing for customers in the Sol Alliance, as well as the Coalition. However, their more traditional Artifical Intelligences fall behind their competitors, being generally less powerful, slower, and all around slightly worse. That said, the company has also recently secured lucrative defence contracts with the Sol Alliance, now not only providing drives for the Solarian Navy, but shipboard AI (a contract that formerly went to Zavodskoi Interstellar) and IPCs as well, serving in both combat and non-combat roles.

Internal Reputation

"KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! As an Einstein employee you are entitled to many benefits, including company healthcare and transportation cost coverage unavailable to most other corporations!" - Excerpt from the Einstein Engines “Blast Off!” New Employee Orientation Handbook, 2465 edition.

Despite common beliefs in the Republic of Biesel, Einstein Engines is deemed as a fair employer with plenty of benefits, such as a full health plan with dental care included, as well as up to two weeks of vacation per year. Company cars are a common benefit among members above a certain rank, and a healthy fraternal work environment is promoted. Those individuals who have worked with Nanotrasen before their employment in Einstein Engines will often quote these benefits as their main reason to change companies.

While some may say that these features are due to the progressive work laws in the Sol Alliance, the standard was set by Einstein Engines shortly after their exponential growth following the discovery of the warp engine. For Einstein Engines, their employees require having their necessities covered, so they can be happier and more productive.

In the 25th century, the megacorporation has seen some setbacks due to the new phoron travel. As a consequence, the salaries remain more or less on par with those of their competitors, despite traditionally being higher. Nevertheless, the opportunity for career growth inside the company, and multiple bonuses offered per month based on performance still make up for these losses.

Positronics and Einstein Engines

Einstein Engines is one of the largest manufacturers of positronics within the Spur through their subsidiary, Terraneus Diagnostics. Terraneus is the original creator of both the positronic brain complex and shell IPC frames, and maintains a large market share of both, with a focus on high quality.

Einstein Engines makes extensive use of synthetics within its corporate structure. However, synthetics are barred from holding leadership roles like managers in corporate facilities, or commanders aboard corporate ships. Instead, synthetics are largely seen as tools to be used by organic employees. This attitude stems from Einstein Engines' heavy involvement with the Sol Alliance, as their view on synthetics is identical to that of the Alliance’s government. The company makes use of their own high end shell frames and cheaper, more available baseline frames primarily, though others are occasionally bought from other megacorporations.

Synthetics owned by Einstein Engines are regularly worked to the limit within their assigned position, and are expected to greatly outperform organic employees due to their cost, with punishments such as memory wipes, retooling, or scrapping are always on the table. That being said, Einstein Engines pursues a “quality over quantity” philosophy with their IPCs, only using harsher methods such as memory wipes for repeat offenders. The company views the experience an older IPC might gain as having a value of its own.

Freedom is only offered to synthetics in areas that require it to be an option, such as Biesel or Konyang. Otherwise, they will be offered no legal chance at achieving it by the company, and scrapping is often used to retire synthetics rather than selling them. Special treatment is given to the IPC’s close partners and employees, who are often approached with an offer for their purchase first. Attempts of synthetics to escape to freedom are not unheard of within the corporation, and those caught are immediately scrapped as punishment.

It is expected for Shells owned by Einstein Engines to use simple one or two syllable first names such as “Joe” or “Robert”, while other frames used by the company use the name format “EES-(Name/Designation)”, where “EES” stands for Einstein Engines Synthetic.

General

Current CEO: Noelle Lopez-Zhang

A genius researcher and cutthroat businesswoman, Dr. Lopez-Zhang is respected throughout Einstein Engines as the woman that saved the oldest megacorporation in the Orion Spur from utter destruction by radically restructuring the company in the mid-2400s. Under Lopez-Zhang’s steady leadership, Einstein has set about recovering much of its market share. Presently, the company stands able to challenge NanoTrasen in several engineering fields, and has become a major threat to Hephaestus Industries. Dr. Lopez-Zhang and Titanius Aeson are known to have an infamously sour relationship.

Official Title(s): Einstein Engines, Einstein Incorporated, Einstein Corporate Conglomerate

Motto: Lead by our history, leading our future.

Headquarters: Harmony City, Luna, Sol

Official Languages: Tradeband, Tau Ceti Basic, [[Languages|Sol Common

Primary Color Scheme: Olive green, orange, teal and cyan with golden trim

Executives and Branches

Executives

Noelle Lopez-Zhang, Einstein Engine's CEO.

Einstein Engines is run by the Board of Directors, led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Noelle Lopez-Zhang. The Board of Directors oversees the general function of the entire corporation, with each director given additional regional boards to manage.

Chief Engineering Officer: Alejandra Dubois-Perez, 47, Human

Alejandra Dubois-Perez began her career in the Taipei Engineering Industrial as a mere ship engineer. Thanks to her dedication to the corporate cause, she quickly climbed the ranks of Einstein Engines to become the Chief Engineer Officer. In the chaos of the Solarian collapse, she saw nothing but an opportunity to make a profit. She was the main proponent of siding with the Solarian Alliance and the Nralakk Federation. For her, the uncertainty of the galaxy's future is fertile ground for business.

Chief Research Officer: Mio Suzuki, 38, Human

Hailing from a wealthy Earthen family, Doctor Mio Suzuki is one of the minds supposedly behind the creation of Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive. She wholeheartedly believes that bluespace drives are nothing but a fad that will soon pass; for her, warp engines have always been the future of mankind. While Doctor Suzuki might be considered a bright scientist and manager, the dispute between NanoTrasen and Einstein Engines suggests that she is more than willing to take advantage of corporate espionage.

Chief Information Officer: Ming Cote-Wu, 42, Human

Ming Cote-Wu was once an unremarkable regional manager for NanoTrasen with no prospects of promotion on sight. His life changed when he accepted an offer to spy for Einstein Engines. Taking advantage of his position, Ming created a large web of informants who worked to supply NanoTrasen's enemy with valuable information. He finally defected after Einstein Engines acquired Phoenixport. In recognition of his talents, he was put in charge of Einstein Engines' corporate espionage office, the Information Department.

Branches

Harmony City, Luna, Sol:

Einstein Engine’s headquarters have been comfortably sitting in Harmony City for decades, heading the Lunarian branch of operations from where the company’s Sol-wide operations and assets are administered. Regarded as the primary seat of power for Einstein, a large office complex towering over the neighbouring area is the home for droves of clerical and administrative personnel, executives, service IPCs, and high ranking corporate figures. Well adjusted to the higher class lifestyle the city has to offer, the brass of Einstein Engines very much prefer it to any other outpost or branch, while reassignment to Luna is viewed as an indirect promotion or reward only fit for few, usually top scientists and other valuable employees. As such, a Lunarian background or accent is a mark of high status within the corporation. Facilities on Luna are designed to mostly accommodate research and administration, the various underground laboratories acting as the main node for corporate research, compiling results and approving designs from every other research centre. The branch is also devoid of any significant industrial capability.

Kal'lo Special Economic Zone, Qerrbalak, Nralakk:

After winning the contract for the Qerrbalak Special Economic Zone, Einstein Engines was quick to establish its regional headquarters in the capital of Kal’lo. The building itself was designed in a collaborative effort by Einstein and Federation architects, with its exterior designed in the typical Federation fashion, while the interior takes heavy inspiration from Einstein's headquarters in Sol. All of Einstein Engines' operations within the Nralakk Federation are headed in this office, which is kept secure by a combined force of Federation enforcers and Einstein's own security team.

Hong Kong, Earth, Sol:

The Earth branch of the company is situated firmly in Hong Kong, China. Considered by many as a subdivision of the Luna branch, Hong Kong serves as the number two and historical seat of Einstein Engines, now utilised as the industrial powerhouse in the Sol system. Its vast industrial complexes are the corporation’s backbone, creating and maintaining enormous ship engines, drives, parts and all sorts of machinery for the Alliance’s military and commercial shipping, the offices also manage the manufacturing operations of Taipei Engineering Industrial, one of its two major subsidiaries in nearby Taiwan. Government and military liaisons are commonly found in the construction yards while Alliance Navy personnel provide guard duty in tandem with local corporate security. The branch also commits some industrial capacity to the manufacture of IPC parts and positronic brains, becoming the main distribution centre for Terraneus Diagnostics on Earth.

Phoenixport, Biesel, Tau Ceti:

Having moved from Mendell to the recently acquired installations on Phoenixport, the branch serves as its link to the Coalition, acting as a central point from where all of the megacorporation’s minor branches in Conglomerate space can be managed. With a near-total focus on administration, the majority of its local activities consist of investing in, sponsoring, and in some cases, absorbing local businesses to strengthen its influence on the city. Although many speculate that this is the first step in Einstein’s attempt to create their own Mendell City, just as many welcome their presence, with the branch touting their efforts as creating a “free haven” for businesses outside of NanoTrasen’s yoke. This mixture of investment, coupled with the hopeful rhetoric of the branch’s PR department have promised a second resurgence for Phoenixport, with the goal of making it a household name across the Spur. This is reflected in the branch’s architecture itself. Following Phoenixport’s tradition of replicating old Earth structures, its branch office reaches above the clouds, harkening back to the skyscrapers of the Arabian Peninsula. Still, as the SCC tightens its monopoly in the Republic, the future of this branch remains uncertain as its usefulness to the megacorporation dwindles. Within Einstein, non-Bieselites being assigned to the city comes with the perception of being a troublemaker, fit only to quarrel and bluster with the SCC’s own middle management.

Point Verdant, Konyang, Coalition of Colonies:

The home of the positronic brain, the Point Verdant Terraneus Institute of AI Research is the farthest and among the most prestigious of branches within the megacorporation and its subsidiaries. Operated by Terraneus Diagnostics, Point Verdant is home to one of the largest corporate complexes dedicated to synthetics, managing the research, development, and manufacture of positronic brains and IPC chassis while safeguarding the company’s secure grip on the vaults. As such, it also serves as the largest producer of IPC chassis in the Coalition, as well as the largest supplier of shell chassis in general through the multiple factories, jointly owned with the government. Being practically the sole megacorporation on Konyang, the Einstein complex, as old as the planet’s settlement, forms the core around which the city of Point Verdant expands. Terraneus and Einstein employees dominate the central districts, many having created permanent households and families, becoming naturalised and intermingling with the local population. Despite its importance, its architecture is relatively old fashioned and austere, reflecting its origins as a colonial outpost. Any notion of opulence or corporate clout gives way to brutal efficiency, with prefabricated structures and dirty smokestacks from the assembly lines being the norm. While renovation efforts are still being made, they are hampered mainly by the lack of local steel. In keeping with Konyanger regulations, government inspections are a regular occurrence within this branch, supplying the annual quota for positronic brains and IPC parts for the planet’s citizens.

Subsidiaries

Terraneus Diagnostics

"Delivering the right product to the right customer."

General

Terraneus Diagnostics (TD) is a subsidiary of Einstein Engines, founded in Bremen, Germany, Earth, in September 2399. They specialize in large problem-solving AIs as well as development of new types of synthetic combat chassis and programming.

Influence

Sol: The central manifold is in orbit of Jupiter.

Xanu: The second manifold is in orbit of Adezu.

Tau Ceti: The third manifold is in orbit of Biesel.

Executives

Chief Executive Officer: Noemi Neumark-Jiang, 62, Human

Chief Engineering Officer: Johann Schulte, 36, Human

Chief Research Officer: Eiji Takara-Murano, 54, Human

Chief Information Officer: Sven Fleiss, 57, Human

Chief Security Officer: Seung-Min Chu, 41, Human

Chief Foreign Relations Officer: Erwin Knopf, 49, Human

History

Terraneus Diagnostics started as a small development program with the advent of Artificial Intelligences, and with the invention of a specialized intelligence that could rapidly solve large computational problems, the company was soon founded. Their rapid growth is thanks to their continuous innovation in this area, culminating within a decade with the construction of SUNSHINE, possibly the single largest and most complex intelligence in Alliance space. With the construction of its three Manifold facilities, they have spread their influence and contract-taking across the Sol Alliance, the Coalition of Colonies, and the Republic of Biesel. Though explicitly stated to not be for combat purposes, many of their computing intelligences can be found on large Sol Navy vessels.

Though previously well known for their pioneering efforts in the design and programming of combat chassis and synthetics, they have recently become less willing to publicly associate with this area of development, especially after the invasion of Tau Ceti. Many rumors run abound as to who the various bidders for a recently offered secret contract are, ranging from the Republic of Biesel to private military companies, though Terraneus Diagnostics has denied that the contract was for combat-related development and production.

Taipei Engineering Industrial

"Innovating today for a cooler tomorrow."

General

Taipei Engineering Industrial (TEI) is a small subsidiary of Einstein Engines, founded in Taipei, Earth in April of 2418. Today, TEI focuses on cryogenic solutions to replacing phoron-based superconduction to limited success, with their expertise limited to internal contracts with Einstein Engines or in advanced Solarian Alliance state facilities.

Influence

The primary logo of Taipei Engineering Industrial.

Sol: Headquarters in Taipei, China, Earth; two major equipment manufacturing facilities and four research and development facilities on Earth.

Executives

Chief Executive Officer: Siying Chen, 42, Human

Chief Engineering Officer: Adriana Panganiban, 44, Human

Chief Research Officer: Tingting Huang, 39, Human

Chief Information Officer: Hyosuke Yamanaka-Chen, 57, Human

Chief Data Officer: Yuxuan Tsai-Yang, 49, Human

History

In their early days, Taipei Engineering Industrial was Einstein Engines' subsidiary responsible for research into bluespace drives, aiming to one-up NanoTrasen Corporation's designs. At first, the goal was simply speed; however, heeding warnings on overusing phoron, phoron efficiency was included as one of their key product goals. With little investment, innovations were few and far between, though the company had some success in designing more phoron-efficient bluespace drives, though at a significant reduction in speed. These drives weren't a great hit at the time, and with the phoron scarcity, NanoTrasen Corporation's research into phoron efficient bluespace drives would trump TEI's designs.

Taipei Engineering Industrial would falter at the beginning of the scarcity, having had their niche in the market seized by NanoTrasen Corporation, requiring Einstein Engines to step in to handle TEI's debt restructuring to avoid insolvency towards the end of 2462. The company survived despite significant downsizing with two manufacturing facilities and one R&D facility being shut down for sale. The company would have to change course.

Today, Taipei Engineering Industrial has leant into cryogenic solutions for superconductivity, where certain metal composites are cooled to temperatures below 100 Kelvin, aiming to reduce dependence on phoron-based room-temperature superconductivity in fields such as energy transmission and storage, superconductive magnets, particle acceleration, and hover technology. Such solutions are often difficult to include consumer products or on a large-scale, and are stigmatised for being a downgrade to pre-Phoron Discovery technology. Since entertaining the idea of the large-scale refitting of the Spur's current phoron-based infrastructure in favour of cryogenic-based infrastructure, TEI has received criticism for their vision of the future being both prohibitively expensive and, realistically, only achievable in the Jewel Worlds and similarly developed planets, leaving the rest of the Spur behind.

Despite having grand aims, Taipei Engineering Industrial remains a small subsidiary hot off near-insolvency, and so their scope is currently very limited. So far, only Einstein Engines’ more advanced products, including the Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive, and more advanced Solarian Alliance state or military facilities have been refitted to be phoron-free, relying on cryogenics instead. With these small successes, investors have begun to pile in, and Taipei Engineering Industrial is expected to be the go-to company for cryogenic engineering projects.

Major Products

• Taipei CryoCool Energy Storage: An expensive, phoron-free solution to Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES). CryoCool SMES units do not rely on phoron for superconductivity and instead rely on older, metal composite superconductors which require cryogenic temperatures to achieve superconductivity. Both the manufacturing, installation, and continued cryogenic cooling of CryoCool SMES units make this option significantly more expensive than today's phoron-inclusive SMES units. They are an occasional sight in advanced Solarian Alliance and Einstein Engines facilities, especially science or medical facilities that already come prepared for maintaining cryogenics equipment.
• Taipei Helium-cooled Power Transmission: Teased in research journals in 2465, TEI's underground power infrastructure aims to create a phoron-free alternative to transmitting power around the Spur's larger cities, stations and ships, using cryogenically cooled helium to cool a non-phoron metal to superconductivity. The product remains in-development.

Neutron Synergistics

"From across the Spur, Ingredients to create perfection

Neutron Synergistics, named after the Hieroaetheria’s neutron star, is an ore extraction and refinement company situated primarily within the Commonwealth of Hieroatheria. As a subsidiary of Einstein Engines, Neutron Synergistics is primarily responsible for supplying Einstein production facilities with various ores and materials. The company’s employees primarily remain split between native Hieroatherian Dionae and Solarian Humans.

The company was initially created as a branch of Einstein Engines’s operations in Hieroatheria through a contract with the Commonwealth to ensure Einstein Engines had a steady supply of self-supplied materials independent of the SCC’s influence, while also still providing the Commonwealth some oversight in how its resources are exploited by the megacorporation. Met with some initial growing pains, Neutron Synergistics managed to bolster its workforce by employing the myriad of Solarian refugees fleeing from Sol during its collapse, primarily from Hieroaetheria and the Coalition of Colonies. The branch would eventually split from its parent company to form its own subsidiary, giving it much more freedom in how its operations are run. Following the Alliance’s reunification, the company has been permitted to expand within Solarian space, as well as expanded operations within the Coalition of Colonies, primarily near systems heavily influenced by Einstein Engines such as Konyang.

Most of Neutron’s mining is done across various asteroid fields situated within the Commonwealth’s intergalactic borders. The company notably utilizes modified Bulker-class freighter ships, dubbed ‘Minecarts’, which are outfitted with mining bays, as well as with the capability of smelting any ore mined. Minecarts are designed to be self-sustaining, requiring minimal outside aid to complete their quotas before returning to port, with most vessels being outfitted with internal hydroponics bays to provide an indefinite source of food for their crew. Notably, most ships operated by Neutron utilize Dionae crewmembers in specialist roles requiring their unique abilities, such as hull repair through the use of biomatter to keep the ships operating for much longer than is typically expected for mining vessels. Minecart vessels will rarely utilize any form of engine outside of emergencies, instead relying on Hieroatherian -designed Solar Sails that makes them much cheaper but slower to change velocity or manoeuvre.

Executives

CEO: He Zhiwang, Human

Chief Executive Officer: Biligiin Semsochi, Human

Chief of Hieroatherian Mining Operations: Endless March Of Hammer and Steel, Dionae

Chief of Solarian Mining Operations: Huang Fangrun, Human

Chief of Production: Adelard Brisbois

Major Brands Durula Plasteel

One of the most common Neutron Synergistics utilized and sold outside of the Commonwealth, Durula Plasteel is a cheaply produced but still reliable form of plasteel, utilized for its strength and durability in complex machines and ships, primarily in Einstein ships and Synthetics.

Yeras-brand Circuits

Despite specializing in producing the materials required for more complex products rather than the products themselves, Neutron Synergistics has begun utilizing several facilities in Hieroatheria’s orbit to manufacture circuits. Created under the Yeras brand, these circuits are created by order rather than en masse, considered reliable and durable, set to last for well over a decade thanks to their unique production process, making use of specialist Dionae who will spend hours upon hours methodically etching the circuits to near-perfection. The common purpose of these circuits is for use in higher-end IPC chassis that require the increased efficiency the circuits provide.

Crew’s Cuisine

Due to how long mining operations can take, Neutron Crews have been known for seeking out carp to use in cuisine to supplement their rations and hydroponics-grown produce. Various dishes have been thought up and shared by mining crews, such as Carp Carpaccio, raw carp meat treated to remove toxins and dipped in chilli oil. Space Carp-based fish cakes, while much harder to acquire, are often used as a means to celebrate once the crew fulfills their quota and begins to return to port.

Corporate Relations

Hephaestus Industries

The relationship between Einstein Engines and Hephaestus Industries is complex and at times, contradictory. The two have a very long-lasting, close working relationship in certain industries, such as shipbuilding, that continues even in the contemporary Spur. Many Hephaestus-manufactured civilian and military vessels in Sol (the system) are equipped with Einstein-made warp drives, especially after the refitting of the Solarian Navy to the Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive. At the same time, they are fierce competitors against one another in the field of IPC manufacturing, and have been competitors since the very beginning of trans-stellar corporations. It is unsurprising, then, that this complex and contradictory relationship has changed little as a result of the recent developments within the spur. The industrial giant continues to work with Einstein on many of its Solarian assets, while at the same time, there are constant rumors of Einstein providing ships and weaponry to groups such as the Exclusionists in the region around Burzsia, or of Hephaestus-backed privateers targeting Einstein vessels in the former Human Wildlands. It is a common portrayal in satire that Aeson simply flips a coin and decides whether to be a friend or an enemy of Einstein Engines on any given day.

Idris Incorporated

Idris and Einstein have a generally positive relationship, with little need for competition. The vast majority of Idris-owned Shell IPCs are manufactured by Einstein, and their robotics division has allegedly developed several enhanced combat modifications for higher-end Idris Reclamation Units. Idris vessels tend to favor Einstein-produced warp drives over NanoTrasen-produced bluespace drives, with the exception of some of their higher-end security vessels and luxury yachts which advertise speed of travel as a major bonus. Following Solarian nationalization efforts, Idris and Einstein are the two most influential corporations in the Alliance, with Idris having paid high fees to avoid nationalization of its assets. This has given the two corporations a mutual goal - maintaining their own prominence in Solarian affairs, and ensuring that future anti-corporate legislation remains directed at their rivals. Einstein and Idris have both heavily invested in their own PR within the Alliance, remaining invested in Sol's future development.

NanoTrasen

NanoTrasen and Einstein have been rivals for decades since the discovery of bluespace in the 2400s, and the subsequent invention of the bluespace drive, NanoTrasen’s first foray since the discovery of phoron into a market that was not phoron extraction and refining. As bluespace largely superseded warp as a means of faster-than-light travel, NanoTrasen quickly took a large share of the market from Einstein, along with their own internal supply of phoron allowing them to be far more energy efficient. Since then, the two companies have been fierce competitors, contending in court constantly over various trademarks, patents, and other legal issues. The phoron scarcity beginning in 2462 has led to a short term reversal of fortunes, with Einstein rising in prominence as NanoTrasen's power fades. The two corporations continue to clash to this day, with Einstein having found a foothold in the city of Phoenixport, Biesel - setting up shop in the heart of NanoTrasen's power. Though, for all that, NanoTrasen still holds the clear advantage, being the primary source of phoron for the entire Spur. Whether Einstein likes it or not, FTL drives aren’t the main moneymaker for NanoTrasen, and any FTL drive of contemporary technological level needs phoron to function. Despite all the research they’ve put in over the last century, Einstein has only managed to decrease the amount of phoron required for an effective drive to be built- though it must be said not needing fluidic phoron as fuel is very useful - not remove it entirely.

Orion Express

Einstein Engines and Orion have had little in the way of a working relationship, with the shipping corporation being formed largely from assets of their rivals at NanoTrasen. Einstein has reportedly advocated extensively for subjecting Orion to the same nationalization as faced by the other SCC corporations in the Sol Alliance - though so far to little effect, as Orion continues to operate freely within Solarian space. Outside of Sol, however, Einstein makes frequent use of Orion's shipping services, particularly within the Republic of Biesel and the Nralakk Federation - two nations where Orion is able to transport goods far more freely than Einstein.

Zavodskoi Interstellar

Einstein Engines and Zavodskoi have a fairly neutral relationship - though the two do compete in the robotics sector, Zavodskoi has purchased many Einstein-made warp drives for its vessels over the years, and the two have both had generous supply contracts with the Solarian military in the past. In the modern day, Zavodskoi has lost a great deal of these contracts, while Einstein continues to hold many highly valuable government and military contracts - a factor which contributed to Zavodskoi's withdrawal of much of its Solarian business. In spite of this, it continues to purchase warp drives from Einstein frequently, due to the rising cost of phoron fuel and the easy availability of helium-3 from Zavodskoi's new home in the Empire of Dominia.

Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals

The relationship between Zeng-Hu and Einstein is a generally positive one, with the two corporations cooperating extensively in several areas of mutual interest - their operations on the planet Konyang and mutual desire for expansion within the Nralakk Federation being the most noteworthy among these. Though Zeng-Hu's membership in the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate and Einstein's growing power within the Sol Alliance has led to a level of distrust between the two, their relationship has remained largely solid since the beginning of the phoron shortage. In 2466, Einstein and Zeng-Hu were both called upon by the government of Konyang to deal with the rampancy crisis, with Zeng-Hu's involvement leading to the wider Conglomerate working to address the problem.

Relations

These are important relationships with other trans-stellar entities within the Orion Spur.

Nralakk Federation

Einstein Engines has enjoyed a reputable stance with the Nralakk Federation due to their common ally: the Solarian Alliance. The recent entry of megacorporations into the Federation’s sphere of influence has led to the competition of cheaper alternatives to the state-mandated industries of space travel becoming available. The proliferation of Einstein's trademark technology was slow and dispersed at a steady pace across space, but is becoming a more popular option in lieu of the Bluespace technology capitalizing on phoron. Due to the Phoron Scarcity, the Federation has instead aligned with Einstein Engines in an attempt to further their own technological superiority, sharing research to eventually reap the benefits as discoveries relating to the betterment of warp drive technology are uncovered. Due to this, their regional headquarters can be located within the Kal'lo Special Economic Zone, not too far from the capital of the most advanced civilization in the Orion Spur. Similarly to Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, skrell have instead found themselves able to easily secure an apprenticeship with Einstein Engines, much to the dismay of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate.

Solarian Alliance

The Solarian Alliance, in its bid to stand up to NanoTrasen, sided with the ever-growing Einstein Engines. After the events of the Clandestine explosion and Violet Dawn, the Solarian Alliance was more than ready to cut off economic ties with the budding thorn in its side. While most of their tech is reliant on Phoron-based technology, their entanglement with the megacorporation dedicated to warpdrive vessels has allowed for a faster conversion process that will leave them more independent of NanoTrasen in the future. Any megacorporation has enough influence and mettle to stand on its own legs, so a close-knit alliance with one of the most influential human nations is a powerhouse marriage that won’t soon be forgotten.

Republic of Biesel

The relationship between Einstein Engines and the Republic of Biesel is a rocky one. Despite the judicial court ruling in the megacorporation’s favour when it came to proprietorship of the Suzuki-Zhang drive, and Einstein’s takeover of Phoenixport through deception and one of its subsidiaries, Biesel cumulatively has a negative view on the spacefaring business due to its roots and home turf for its largest rival in business: NanoTrasen. Tensions flare between these titans of industry as they seek to outdo, bid, and create the other in an eternal struggle for power no one entity should fully control.

C’thur Hive

The C’thur hive, a vaurca political entity based in the Nralakk Federation, has considerable involvement in Einstein Engines as shareholders and collaborators, much to the chagrin of the SCC, who they are also known for working with. This double-sided “allegiance” has caused a degree of strife in both sides of the relationship, but ultimately has not caused any major altercations due to the usefulness of the hive’s scientists and engineers. While the C’thur have considerable sway within the megacorporation, Einstein Engines is still largely a human-dominated entity, and most of the C’thur’s contributions revolve around research and engineering techniques worked on within Nralakk Federation borders, or other areas outside of Solarian space.

The Commonwealth of Hieroaetheria

Relations between Einstein and the Commonwealth remain cordial, with Einstein Operations typically being beneficial for both, if closely monitored and regulated to limit the number of resources being shipped outside the Commonwealth’s borders. While still holding a pervasive influence in its borders, Einstein Engines has also taken the chance to invest in several smaller Hieroaetherian-bound corporations, as well as creating its own subsidiary operating in the region, Neutron Synergistics.

Products

Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive

The Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive was designed in October 2462 by a team orchestrated by Einstein Engines's Chief Research Officer, Dr. Mio Suzuki. At first only fitted into vessels of the Solarian Alliance, a commercial variant of the Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive would be placed on the open market in July 2464. Not quite the ultimate bluespace drive contender it was marketed to be, the Hammer Drive remains a feat of human engineering and is still markedly better than all other warp drives on the market.

Whereas other warp drives are negative warp drives, which generate negative mass particles to distort space-time to create the warp field, the Hammer Drive was the first positive warp drive to be designed. This is an unimportant distinction for most but, crucially, it forgoes the requirement for warp drives to come with built-in negative mass particle generators, massively reducing their size and power demand - two of the larger downsides for consumers. It does however, still require phoron to manufacture.

Only available on the open market in 2464, Hammer Drives remain expensive, though not prohibitively so: A Hammer Drive's cost and speed is comparable to an expensive, mid-range bluespace drive – costing as much as a mansion and reducing the average journey to a few weeks)– with none of the phoron cost of a bluespace drive, less power demand than other high-end warp drives, and can fit in ships other high-end warp drives could not.

Dionae within Einstein Engines

Dionae hold a relatively distinct position with the Einstein Engines workforce, if still as a minor percentage. Following the Rueltab incident in which a large number of Dionae were indebted by the Solarian Alliance, many Dionae were granted employment by Einstein Engines. Typically, Dionae work in research or engineering positions in the company, with work that requires a great deal of precision or time to complete.

Dionae remain generally discriminated against, only allowed in low-level positions with low-level pay and long hours compared to their human counterparts. This position would slowly shift over the following decades, with Einstein Engines recognizing the potential a Dionae workforce could hold. Over time veteran Dionae employees would be granted additional benefits and a slow but steady allowance of higher level positions within the company, being capped at low-level command positions, if still rare for dionae to reach that high, or those working within Solarian territory.

Einstein Engines have also recognised how best to utilise the blood-based learning of Dionae to quickly grant them the specialist skills. This process can take quite an ordeal of blood to achieve, potentially causing issues with various memories across several different people they received the blood from, but, also with the benefit of instilling a high degree of loyalty as the blood is only sampled from company employees already considered to be loyal to the company.

Dionae employees in the present year can generally be expected to be treated nearly on par with others at the company, with variable treatment within the Solarian Alliance, expected to work longer but receive about the same per hour as others. While requiring decades of prior employment, Dionae have been allowed into low-level command positions, although typically only those who have been deemed loyal after plenty of exposure to the blood of other loyal employees.

Dionae Exoskeleton Chassis

Integrating Dionae within various forms of technology and machinery has been attempted for some time within Einstein Engines with some success, namely through integrating an IPC or exosuit frame to serve as a exoskeleton for a Dionae gestalt, increasing their strength and mobility, but usually coming with the cost of some precision and a need to keep the machinery charged and maintained. Dubbed as a Dionae Exoskeleton Chassis, or DEC, this technology is still in its relative infancy, being constantly experimented with to find better ways to integrate the exoskeleton to increase its utility. As it stands, DECs are an incredibly rare sight outside of the Einstein Engines workforce, with any choosing to leave the company having to have it removed from their persons, which can become dangerous if done incorrectly, needing time to recover and reform their biomass to make up for the now-missing structure.