Zavodskoi Interstellar

Zavodskoi Interstellar
Slogan	Even one matters on the battlefield.
Headquarters	Nova Luxembourg, Moroz, Empire of Dominia
Chief Executive Officer	Lyudmila Zavodskoi
Official Languages	Tradeband, Tau Ceti Basic, Sol Common
Official Colours	Black (#363c43), red (#920a0a), brown (#7a6347)
Founded	2259 (as Necropolis Industries) 2462 (as Zavodskoi Interstellar)
Founder	Yefim Dementyev (as Necropolis Industries) Lyudmila Zavodskoi (as Zavodskoi Interstellar)
Operating Region	Sol Alliance Empire of Dominia Republic of Biesel Coalition of Colonies Republic of Elyra

Zavodskoi Interstellar, formerly Necropolis Industries, is the weapon’s development and manufacturing megacorporation of the Orion Spur. Originally founded in 2259 as a mishmash of corporations, the Zavodskoi of today is in a very different industry, instead developing, manufacturing, and then distributing all the tools of war; from light to heavy weaponry, space vessel weapons, ship-building, aircraft, ground vehicles, combat spacesuits, and even military software. While the business of war remains their main focus as a corporation, Zavodskoi also has a significant Security Solutions Branch, split further into civilian and paramilitary departments, the former known for their professionalism. Lastly, they also produce the Z.I. line of positronics, used by all branches of the corporation, but with an emphasis on use in private security and military contracting.

Since the beginning of the phoron scarcity, Zavodskoi Interstellar has seen, alongside the myriad of issues in manufacturing, research, and weapons development, the scarcity brought, a surprisingly rise in relevance and profits, as civil and international unrest continue to grow across the Orion Spur. As the scarcity continues and tensions - both those between nationstates and corporations - grow, Zavodskoi has made a fortune acting as a merchant of death for all parties; as fighting forces of all kinds continue to grow larger and larger, Zavodskoi is there selling any willing customer whatever tools of war they require. Most notably, its continued relationship with the Empire of Dominia has earned the corporation an unexpected pretty penny from defense contracts for both the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy, alongside an uncontested market within the Empire, as no other corporation has been able to establish a real foothold there.

Contents

Corporate Affairs

History

"Violence is a historical constant, stretching back to the very beginning of every species recorded history, to when they first arose out of the mud. All we do is make that inherent instinct easier to accomplish." - An Unknown Necropolis Executive giving an internal speech, ~2380.

Necropolis Industries was founded in 2259 by Yefim Dementyev, a former aerospace engineer within the Soviet Union, the final step in conglomerating the defense, heavy industry, and medical corporations within the Soviet sphere under one banner (one of the reasons for their operations on Pluto), primarily to avoid them being bought out by competitors from other regions, such as Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and Hephaestus Industries. While buyout was avoided, the newly formed Necropolis Industries was late to the party, as their competitors had been formed almost a century earlier, and established themselves within their respective markets of the wider Solarian Alliance at a level Necropolis could not compete with; until just a year later. In 2260 the Solarian economy crashed, and along with it both Zeng-Hu and Hephaestus Industries. The rival corporations to Necropolis were forced to desperately cut costs, shutter facilities, even close entire branches, as the government bailed them out to stay solvent, allowing Necropolis to move into the markets they had abandoned, and in those that the established players didn’t leave, compete with them. They moved quickly, taking much of the defense manufacturing industry from Hephaestus Industries, and a significant portion of the genetics industry from Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals. This move would be the start of a rivalry that would last centuries.

The outbreak and years of the Interstellar War saw Dementyev oversee the rapid expansion of Necropolis, opening hundreds of new facilities every year to research, develop, and manufacture the tools of war; most notably, arms of all kind (small arms to shipborne weapons), combat voidsuits, helicopters, fighters, combat vehicles, and mechs. If it was a piece of equipment used on the battlefield during the Interstellar War, it was probably manufactured by Necropolis, with limited exceptions. By the time the Treaty of Xansan was signed, Necropolis was the largest “Merchant of Death” in the known galaxy. They manufactured more than ninety percent of all weapons within the Alliance, and over half of all the equipment used by the Solarian Armed Forces.

However, as relative peace followed the largest-scale conflict in human history, the board of directors turned their gaze to a yet-untouched (by them) field; biological experimentation. Though Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals was unambiguously more adept and well-established than their competitor, Necropolis had been able to wrest away some of the market when Zeng-Hu was weak, primarily the submarkets of gene therapy, xenobiology, and biological limb replacements. Their work in these areas was of brief interest to the wider galactic community, and while official correspondence pointed to a desire to broaden their sphere of influence moving away from solely weapons manufacturing, insiders at the company would later recount that Yefim Dementyev had begun to feel the creeping fear of his own mortality. Rumours would tell that he was obsessed with preserving himself and his legacy, and would use his own resources at any cost to achieve this preservation.

Dementyev's pursuit would prove unsuccessful as he abruptly died from a septic infection in 2317. His son, Yevgeniy Dementyev, took hold of the company's reins, and would oversee a corporation that almost immediately began struggling. When first contact was made with the Skrell in 2332, and their subsequent partnership with Zeng-Hu, Necropolis’s rival corporation in the biomedical scene benefited from the advanced knowledge of the Skrell, while Necropolis didn’t. Meanwhile, the demands for Necropolis’s arms were less and less every year, cutting into their profits. However, Yevgeniy stayed at the helm and continued steering the corporation for two decades, until he steered it into one of the most important moments in galactic history..

In 2352, NanoTrasen would discover the element Phoron within the Romanavich cloud of Tau Ceti, and Necropolis had been researching energy-based weapons for a long time; this discovery would allow for more powerful, longer-lasting, and better energy-based weapons; not to mention the massive applications it had for the creation of Military AI and Systems. Necropolis ended up being one of the first corporations to enter into a research & development agreement with NanoTrasen, this time being early to the party, meaning Necropolis got a much better deal than those who would come after. Originally looking to just develop new, more advanced tools of war to sell across the spur, they ended up doing far more.

Necropolis prospered alongside NanoTrasen and the rest of the spur, and while it was always the smallest and least profitable of the original seven megacorporations, it still became extravagantly wealthy as the technological revolution which followed phorons discovery in the decades after - known as the phoronic revolution - saw constant technological advancements that Necropolis could employ in defense manufacturing. From communication devices to tanks, and from voidsuits to small arms; for militaries, militias, private security contractors, and asset protection forces, Necropolis was the only corporation offering cutting edge equipment that might make the difference between living and dying in a firefight. It even branched out into cutting edge military specific AI applications. However all of the above required phoron to manufacture. It is during this time, Necropolis would bear witness to the contact with the Empire of Dominia by the Alliance. The corporation quickly took advantage of the nascent Empire's newness to the galactic stage, and established relations with the Great Houses and Emperor Godwin Keeser himself. From then on, Necropolis and the Empire's intimate ties meant that Necropolis boosted the efforts of not just Dominia's conquest, but the efforts of its genetic modification.

Yet there is one discovery that neither NanoTrasen nor Necropolis speak much about, even today, and that is the discovery of the potential within Diphoron and Phoron Oxides, both colloquially referred to as “Weapons Grade Phoron.” What mudders the waters further is a lack of clarity as to when it's far scarier applications were discovered - those applications being the creation of Phoron Warheads and Phoron WMDs. Contemporarily, these weapons are known to exist and may be the end of the Spur as we know it.

In 2409, Yevgeniy Dementyev passed down the mantle of chief executive officer to his son, Kasimir Boytsov. While Boytsov was not just a dabbler in genetics and had a keen mind like his father and grandfather, he was reputed for his impulsiveness and stubbornness, refusing to admit when the tides were turning against him. By 2450 Necropolis had become the neglected runner-up of the megacorporations, though it was always the smallest of them all, the valuation of the other major corporate entities was so far above their own, Necropolis was close to not even being compared. It was during this time that an information security operative at the company, Tikhon Zavodskoi, quietly recommended his cousin Lyudmila for a position as a weapons researcher. "The woman from Pluto", as she would soon be called, quickly worked her way up the ranks of the company to become the assistant to the chief security officer, bringing in her own cohorts of associates from Dominia and Sol alike.

2462 was when change would overwhelm Necropolis, when Boytsov would collapse at a press conference, and fall into a coma. The company was sent into turmoil; Boytsov had never named a proper successor, despite his rapidly advancing age. Lyudmila Zavodskoi had become a surprise contender, and her new group of executives, including her cousin Tikhon and the Imperial countess Kamilla Strelitz pushed out the old heads and helped turn Necropolis into rebranded, rebuilt Zavodskoi Interstellar.

In light of the company's turbulent history, Zavodskoi Interstellar opted to pursue what it knew how to do better than any other megacorporation in the Orion Spur: military equipment. Lymudmilla oversaw a total restructuring of the company, cutting the fat, unprofitable departments and branches, turning inwards to focus on the solid core industries of the corporation, of which there are three. The largest is its classical military-industrial complex, with a massive amount of Spur's military equipment, ranging from infantry small arms to combat hardsuits to vehicles to military AI and much more being produced by Zavodskoi or one of its subsidiaries. Its second is a result of Ingkom, its robust engineering wing; Zavodskoi engineering staff are a common sight throughout the Orion Spur, though their usage within the Solarian Alliance has faltered following the Solarian Collapse of late 2462. The smallest but most public-facing industry is its private security force. Known for their professionalism, Zavodskoi's security wing is one of the most competitive in the Orion Spur. This restructuring would see Zavodskoi’s year over year profits skyrocket, once more being a competitor amongst their megacorporate peers, and continues to be how the company is currently operated.

Influence and Reputation

"For all your Security Solutions!" - A common Z.I ad line.

As a hiring practice, Zavodski Interstellar finds itself poaching highly skilled workers from other megacorporations. Workers with Zavodskoi usually flocked to the company to exploit its high pay - the restructuring that took place in 2462 means the company can offer far higher pay with far more benefits than their competitors, attracting industry experts from across the spur. Although perfecting and producing weapons of war is a task that will never truly be finished, the company is recognized as the uncontested leader in their development. As such, it holds a great deal of sway in almost every corner of the Spur that is only growing as the scarcity continues to worsen.

In this day and age, Zavodskoi has become the military industrial complex of the entire spur - the merchants of death who sell to both sides of a conflict, and care not for the suffering their creations cause. To have an armed fighting force within the Orion Spur means - with one exception - to rely on Zavodskoi to arm them. The only real exception is the Serene Republic of Elyra, whose military stands alone in not relying on the megacorporation. They pioneer where others do not by developing and manufacturing the highest-quality firearms, or just the biggest and baddest weapons they can muster. The extent of this research dominates every echelon of the corporation, leading to the unified pursuit of maximizing the efficiency of its stock, rather than trying to cover the widest range possible. This business has resulted in an almost freakish obsession by Zavodskoi with maintaining a good reputation, and every employee, down to the lowest, is expected to act extremely professionally.

However, like the rest of the spur, Zavodskoi’s manufacturing it reliant on phoron. Its energy weapons and other electronic equipment of any kind uses it extensively, and even its standard ballistic firearms need phoron, not directly but through the facilities and machines that produce them. Without phoron, Zavodskoi can’t produce any weapons, weapons systems, or equipment it developed after 2352.

The only thing that dominates the corporation on every level more than weapons development is a hatred of Hephaestus Industries. The two corporations have a rivalry going back centuries, and it continues in the modern day. While under the umbrella of the SCC, they are forced to work alongside each other, their hatred of each other runs deep, down to the common worker. It is not uncommon for Hephaestus employees to be unjustly harassed by Zavodskoi Security Contractors, nor is it uncommon for Zavodskoi factories to experience “technical difficulties” receiving power from Hephaestus run power grids, and such behavior is tacitly encouraged and rewarded by both corporations as a sign of loyalty; a practice that has seen this hatred only escalate, and some disputes end with severe injuries or even the death of someone involved.

Positronics and Zavodskoi Interstellar

In the aftermath of Necropolis Industries' rebranding into Zavodskoi Interstellar, Synthetics and Positronics have become more of a common sight in company facilities outside of the Empire of Dominia. These Zavodskoi IPCs are however banned from command and leadership positions within Zavodskoi Interstellar due to the corporation's internal policy, which views positronics as a workforce rather than a management force. This ban includes Zavodskoi Interstellar corporate liaisons.

Newly implemented and with some in the company opposed to their presence, Zavodskoi positronics face systemic fragility within the company. In an effort to employ and contract out the best representation for the company, Zavodskoi will routinely memory wipe, retool, or outright scrap and sell their IPCs for workplace accidents, failure to execute an order, or underperformance. This process has been largely seen as a lighter version of the Burzian Method. This authority does not extend to Zavodskoi Interstellar corporate liaisons although they are encouraged to check in with their positronic contractor personnel from time to time. Therefore, Zavodskoi positronic contractors are often those struggling to maintain a positive evaluation or saved from the scrapyard all together.

In an effort to bolster company morale, organic personnel are able to lease out Zavodskoi asset IPCs, should they so choose. This allows personnel to ‘own’ a positronic for the home without the burden of maintenance fees. For the IPCs affected, this can work to their benefit or their demise. As more lax personnel may feel less inclined to report aberrancy, whereas other synthetics would find themselves under greater scrutiny.

Z.I. units are most commonly Shell frames and baseline units. Hephaestus Industrial and Xion Frames are almost never seen, due to the rivalry between Zavodskoi and Hephaestus.

It is expected for Zavodskoi Interstellar IPCs to adopt the prefix Z.I. followed by their designation. An example of this formatting is Z.I. Name.

Vaurcae

In late 2463, the Zo’ra Hive announced publicly a partnership with Zavodskoi Interstellar after selling the rights to the production of the hydrogen rifle, a complex Zo’rane design that is cheap in ammunition. Shortly after, a meeting in New Sedantis was held with Zavodskoi executives and Hive officials to allow Vaurcae enter their workforce, akin to the synthetic introduction following the Necropolis rebranding. Besides Nanotrasen, Zavodskoi is the other megacorporation that is comfortable in employing Bound assets, particularly in engineering, though they have no issue with Unbound as they are considered similar to the Z.I. synthetics, despite their many differences.

Before striking a deal with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, the C’thur Hive considered a deal with Necropolis Industries as an alternative. However, the proposition never followed through and the conversation between the two parties did not resurface until 2463. It is rumored that the Zo’ra deal with Zavodskoi was made only after C’thur began to sell their workforce mainly to Ingkom. Whatever the case may be, both Hives are now on equal terms with Zavodskoi Interstellar, which has no trouble dealing with them despite their differences.

Executives and Branches

Executives

Lyudmila Zavodskoi, CEO of Zavodskoi Interstellar.

Chief Security Officer: Kamilla Strelitz, b. 2430

A close advisor of Lyudmila Zavodskoi, Countess Dame-Companion Kamilla Strelitz was promoted to chief security officer after the takeover and rebranding of Necropolis Industries. A tough-as-nails former lieutenant in His Majesty's Imperial Fleet, Kamilla goes against the grain of House Strelitz's conservative ideology by readily encouraging the company's influence in the Empire of Dominia. She has shown her aptitude for her position through the continued success of campaigns initiated by Zavodskoi Interstellar, all while commanding the company’s largest sector of personnel. She is known to brook little room for failure, and despite her affable, ever-polite demeanor, the punishments for evoking her wrath are the stuff of whispered legend among her direct subordinates.

Chief Research Officer: Jaco Du Plessis, b. 2413

The Europan Jaco Du Plessis was poached by Zavodskoi Interstellar from Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals shortly after the rebranding of Necropolis. A chemical biologist with a specialty in weapons and toxins, he is vocal regarding his stunted growth with his prior employer, claiming the echelons of Zeng-Hu are largely filled by nepotism and cronyism. Du Plessis regularly advocates for those with ambitions to instead fill the ranks of Zavodskoi Interstellar, promising fulfillment, advancement, and better pay. Because of this regular advertising and his willingness to do interviews, some consider him the “face” of the corporation; this perception is usually encouraged by his presence at conferences when new company projects are unveiled. Similarly to Kamilla Strelitz, he holds his personnel to a high standard, expecting them to either “be all in, or find employment elsewhere”.

Chief Risk Officer: Tikhon Zavodskoi, b. 2398

Lyudmila Zavodskoi's paternal cousin, Tikhon Zavodskoi is one of the few remnants of Kasimir Boytsov's reign and has managed to remain in his position as Chief Risk Officer for almost a decade. He was the one to originally recommend Lyudmila for a position at Necropolis. His background as an officer of SPOK, Pluto's governing body, is thought to have shaped his sharp instincts and keen sense of planning, and prior to the company's rebranding is credited with having fended the wolves from Necropolis for years prior. Detractors consider his continued presence merely due to his familial relationship with Lyudmila Zavodskoi, which she has roundly dismissed as baseless rumours originating from lingering nostalgia. He lives on Moroz along with his immediate family and his cousin.

Branches

Nova Luxembourg, Moroz, Mira Sancta: The Dominian branch can be found near the city centre, prominently overlooking the Court of Chalser. Residing in what was once a bank, the recently constructed grandiose exterior - that despite appearances can shrug off almost any punishment - encloses the administrative heart of the corporation, and throughout the building, security is known to be incredibly tight. Once just focused on Dominian operations, it has since rapidly expanded, becoming Zavodskoi Interstellar's main headquarters, tripling in size. The move brought with it a large amount of manufacturing plants, located across the Empire of Dominia - revitalizing the megacorporation's interest in the region.

Tolyatti, Soviet Union, Earth, Sol: The previous headquarters of Zavodskoi Interstellar can be found in Tolyatti. The skyscraper complex consisted of three Zavodskoi buildings, a Kumar Arms building, and a ConTec building. The complex was especially austere and compact, mostly as a result of socialist influences during its construction. Today, the Tolyatti Headquarters are abandoned, thanks to the collapse of the Solarian Alliance and Zavodskoi Interstellar's move to Mira Sancta. The Solarian Department of Defense has, according to rumors, floated the idea of repurposing the former headquarters as a command centre for the Solarian Army.

Cape Town, Union of South Africa, Earth, Sol: The Cape Town branch sits on the edge of a small cliff, overlooking the ocean. Home to the headquarters of Ingkom, the Cape Town building is a sleek, modernist building with distinctive arched rooves. It is surrounded by several shuttle pads and hangars, some which provide direct transport to the Gagaringrad branch on Luna. The Cape Town branch continues to operate, despite Zavodskoi Interstellar's move to Mira Sancta, mostly due to the building being rented from the Solarian Alliance, instead of owned by the megacorporation.

Gagaringrad, Luna, Sol: Gagaringrad's Zavodskoi headquarters is the corporations center of operations for the Alliance, and consists of a black obelisk building on the outskirts of the city's dome, and looks more a fortified bunker than an office building, a fact that is not helped by the installed defensive armaments and high security presence. It is set behind winding alleyways and few good parking spaces, and possesses many subterranean basement levels leftover from its time as a Necropolis building. Much of these levels are locked by clearance level, with speculation and conspiracy surrounding what may await inside them.

Mendell City, Biesel, Tau Ceti: The Mendell City branch situated within District 10 was renovated in 2462, shortly before the unveiling of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. It is constructed in the style of Soviet Classicism, said to be designed to Lyudmila Zavodskoi's personal tastes. With its Corinthian pillars, primarily stone and concrete materials, and tall, spindly central tower, the building is remarkably distinct from other buildings in Mendell's skyline.

Divisions

Security

While officially one division, and the smallest one at that, Zavodskoi’s Security Division is composed of two separate wings that rarely overlap or exchange employees; the civilian/corporate security wing and the paramilitary wing.

Civilian Wing

Zavodskoi's civilian/corporate security wing is among the most well known in the spur, and has a reputation for professionalism that delivers results. Many of the new recruits originate from the Empire of Dominia, whether they be Imperial frontiersmen looking to pay off their blood debt or young nobles looking for career experience before they take on the duties expected of their station. Being directly employed with Zavodskoi security involves escorting logistics vessels (usually hired by Orion Express or nation-states with fledgling militaries), stationing around research facilities, guarding other corporate facilities, event security, reinforcing local police forces, and, in some cases, acting as cybersecurity and forensics experts. It is the face of the corporation, and what it is most well known for. As a result, the corporation has an almost fanatical obsession with maintaining an extremely high standard of professionalism within this wing, for the greater good of the company. Employees who don’t meet this standard may find themselves transferred to less prestigious posts, or otherwise hidden away, if not outright fired.

This wing has found a significant amount of work with the MCPD and other police departments around the spur since the onset of the scarcity as crime continues to rise along with civil unrest, stretching the capacities of local police forces to their limits. In Mendell City especially, it has become just as common to see a Zavodskoi Officer patrolling down a street as it is a state police officer. Those assigned to reinforce the MCPD are fully deputized to act as Law Enforcement Officers of the Republic, and are granted sweeping authority over Mendell City Residents; a level of authority that officers are expected to remain professional with. Officers who make mistakes or overstep their boundaries are made examples of, usually being fired if not arrested for abuse of their position. However, more and more brutal methods of maintaining order are being authorized with every passing day - the scarcity shows no sign of stopping and quality of life continues to drop - as crime spikes and civil unrest flares up consistently. Given their obsession with maintaining a spotless, professional image, Zavodskoi Officers assigned to Mendell City are now often issued separate uniforms lacking any emblems besides the logo of the MCPD and told not to wear clothing with Zavodskoi's emblem on it. After all - it's hard to maintain that image if there's media of your officers with your logo coming out to break kneecaps whenever violence spills into one of the nicer districts.

Paramilitary Wing

In contrast to the growing civilian/corporate security wing, much of Zavodskoi's paramilitary wing, and the large-scale operations they conducted, has begun to be folded into Falerio Security Services, with new recruits largely being Jadraners and Morozian secondaries. That said, Zavodskoi’s paramilitary wing is still active, having the second highest operation count of all the SCCs corporations, and focuses on small, elite teams of operatives - each team varying in size from five members to fifteen. Commonly referred to as “Kill Teams” by the public - due to their reputation for targeted assisination operations on Mictlan during the Peacekeeper Mandate (these teams were also accused of murdering former prime minister Frost) - the actuality of the matter is they are Zavodskoi’s go to problem solvers for any situation if other options fail, and have an intense amount of training to match. Sometimes teams will operate together, sometimes they’ll act alone, just as sometimes they’ll act with the permission of the local government, and sometimes they won’t. If Zavodskoi needs a problem solved anywhere, these teams are who they call, and given Zavodskoi’s obsession with their image (alongside the fact that these teams often do VERY illegal things) discretion is valued over professionalism; members of this wing expected to take what they see and do on the job to the grave, having NDAs to match. As a result of their confidentiality, mission profile, and intense training, it is unheard of for employees of this wing to transfer to the civilian/corporate wing. On the flipside, it is only exceedingly rare for an employee of the civilian/corporate wing to transfer to the paramilitary wing - a security officer who displays the right aptitude and impresses the right people has a shot at it.

Shipbuilding/Engineering

Competing with Hephaestus Industries in the field with considerable malice, and for centuries, Zavodskoi's subsidiary Ingkom is their most recent attempt to force the Industrial Titan to give up more of the shipbuilding market share, specifically in the vein of military shipbuilding. A recent acquisition, one made after Lyudmilla’s ascension to CEO, this gambit has only really seen success in the Empire of Dominia, where Ingkom supplies a majority of the vessels used by the Imperial Navy, and nowhere else. The rest of the spur would still prefer to get Hephaestus to build the warships and then put Zavodskoi guns on them - much to the frustration of both corporations who would like to hurt the other's bottom line. However, until then, especially in the midst of the scarcity, the corporations are forced to live with this state of affairs - for if Hephaestus makes its ships incompatible with Zavodskoi arms, or the other way around - both would lose the defense contracts they value so highly, and no-one would buy from either corporation.

Military Manufacturing

Zavodskoi is the premier manufacturer of military equipment in the Orion Spur, considered even more prolific in the field than Necropolis Industries was previously, and have a stranglehold on the market. Any entity, from nations to other megacorporations, will often find themselves purchasing military equipment from Zavodskoi, or one its subsidiaries, such as Kumar Arms. Zavodskoi does this at a level and scale no other can match - in terms of total output, Zavodskoi produces more than ninety percent of all military goods in the known galaxy - the big exception being the Serene Republic of Elyra, who only has about thirty percent of their military equipment from the corporation. Though their mass manufacturing might give the idea of cheaply made, low quality weapons, Zavodskoi armaments are known to be extremely reliable, easy to use, and generally better overall than their competitors, no matter the scale. While Hephaestus Industries has attempted to compete with Zavodskoi in the ship weapons manufacturing department, their lack of establishment in the field means Zavodskoi continues to outstrip their sales.

Military Robotics and AI

A specialized wing under their military manufacturing division, Zavodskoi is the leading developer of military AI and military robots. Whether it’s the basic machine learning algorithm used in most scanning systems to filter out white noise and highlight faint signals, or the massively powerful, fully sentient AI found on warships, if it’s used for a military application, it’s probably made by Zavodskoi. This wing has been hit harder than any other division or wing by the ongoing phoron scarcity, as due to the sheer level of data transfers, phoron is a prerequisite material for this. As a result of these inherent expenses, even prior to the scarcity, the integration of Zavodskoi military AI and systems was always an expensive one, so regular soldiers only ever saw basic systems and AI - basic for the contemporary spur but still leagues beyond what they had prior to phoron - and the more advanced intelligences of the contemporary spur were reserved for bigger things, such as ships. In the midsts of the scarcity - it’s become even more expensive, but still a necessity if one wishes to retain a competitive edge.

Kumar Arms, on the other hand, is one of the leading producers in combat mechsuits and hardsuits. It supplies the Solarian, Dominian, and Biesellite militaries, and makes a tidy profit off private military contractors in the PMCG and beyond. Common features include personal shielding, advanced inbuilt intelligences (or in the case of Dominia, systems) hardpoint-mounted lasers and ballistic cannons, and reinforced plating.

Genetics

A now defunct department, Necropolis began branching into the field of biological experimentation in the 2200s, after the Interstellar War. Massively outstripped by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in age, expertise, and size, the biosciences division of the company was an awkward tacked-on branch that mainly fuelled bioweapon, toxin, and combat stimulant research, with a small contingent of genetic enhancement experiments being performed under top-secret regulation. When the company became Zavodskoi, the cloistered gene enhancement branch was opened mostly to House Volvalaad researchers from the Empire of Dominia, assisting the House in their attempts to perfect their geneboosting technique. A small group of pre-Zavodskoi biologists also remain with the company, though their postings are seen as considerably less prestigious than the aforementioned bioweapons and gene enhancement researchers.

Subsidiaries

Kumar Arms

"The best defense is a Kumar offense."

Chief Executive Officer: Freia Salsnivna, b. 2438

Kumar Arms is considered the backbone of Zavodskoi Interstellar, founded in the Soviet Union by Ilya Kumarov, a former Sukhoi engineer, in 2114. Primarily an arms manufacturing company, they saw a quick burst of growth during the interstellar war - one which was overshadowed by the massive growth of Necropolis. After this burst of growth, however, a series of poor financial decisions led the company to be acquired by Necropolis Industries in 2295, one of the last eastern arms manufacturing companies to be consolidated. The brand remained purchased, but Kumar Arms as a business gradually stagnated and became a shell company for Necropolis to use for shipping purposes. Once Necropolis became Zavodskoi Interstellar, however, Kumar Arms was revived and refurbished, becoming a massive arms manufacturer throughout the Spur, only beaten by Zavodskoi themselves. Currently, it is headquartered in St. Petersburg on Earth, though there are whispers of plans to move the primary headquarters and manufacturing centre to Alterim Obirava.

Major Products

• M8 Service Pistol: Potentially the most-produced handgun in the modern Spur, the M8 is the standard service pistol of the Solarian Armed Forces, most Solarian police forces, and most mercenary detachments based in the Alliance. The M8 is a versatile design with dozens of variations, ranging from the Konyanger K8 to an alleged suppressed and caseless variant used by the Solarian Interstellar Intelligence Bureau.
• M469 Assault Rifle: The iconic standard-issue rifle of the Solarian Armed Forces since the replacement of the earlier M376, the M469 is a durable and reliable weapon with countless variations. it is the most-produced assault rifle in the modern Orion Spur, and will likely remain that way for decades to come. Previously produced by Zavodskoi, the Alliance has since bought out the patent and licensed it to a variety of domestic producers such as the San Colette Interstellar Armaments Company, or CAISC.
• 2557 super-heavy pistol: The Kumar Arms 2557 is a newly designed type of "super-heavy" pistol. It features a light-weight polymer pistol grip, a bulky plasteel frame and an extra long barrel. It is chambered in the newly developed .599 Kumar Super rifle cartridge. Despite designed for rifle use, the newly developed propellants allows this cartridge for use in the Kumar Arms 2557, upping the stopping power significantly.
• 40mm rotary cannon "Francisca": Developed in 2461, the Francisca or "Frankie" rotary cannon is a ship battery designed for small to medium-sized ships. It can be loaded with full metal jacket, fragmentation, and armour-piercing ammunition, and is deadly to unarmoured small-craft.
• 90mm flak cannon "Grauwolf": For medium to large-sized vessels, the Grauwolf is a flak cannon capable of battering even cruiser-class vessels with a wide spread of salvo. Some larger courier vessels have equipped a Grauwolf to batter flocks of space carp, small meteor belts, and dust storms that threaten the integrity of their cargo. The Grauwolf's design has been spoofed many times, and has a cousin in the Xion Industrial 90mm cannon called the "Alberich."
• 180mm rotary cannon "Boudica": A medium-sized laser rotary cannon designed with similar function to the Francisca, notable for managing to do what the Francisca cannot and severely weaken the hull of unarmoured ships.
• ZA-98/5 200mm naval gun "Lammergeier": A relatively old, and recently modernized, cannon designed for corvette-class vessels at the smallest, the Lammergeier is mounted on small Imperial Fleet vessels as a main battery and larger vessels as a secondary battery. Smaller than its 406mm cousin, the Longbow, and the Imperial Fleet's 608mm ZA-32/2, the Thunderer, the Lammergeier is a useful and adaptable weapon.
• 406mm high-velocity cannon "Longbow": An upgraded version of its "Ballista" predecessor, the Longbow is one of the largest cannons in Zavodskoi's arsenal, designed for frigate-class vessels and larger. With easier maintenance, a larger payload, and a more streamlined loading process, it has become the weapon of choice for several militaries across the Orion Spur.

Confiance Technologies

“Have confidence in Confiance.”

Chief Executive Officer: Ilya Moules-Polorov, b. 2422

Founded in Harmony City, Luna in 2427, Confiance Technologies (or ConTec) remain a successful company focusing on AI and synthetic component manufacturing. Acquired by Zavodskoi shortly after the company's renaming, ConTec was divided into two branches; a military wing and a commercial wing with the military wing being folded into Zavodskoi proper shortly after, leaving only the commercial wing remaining. ConTec's commercial wing, now its only wing, produces non-military equipment, including laptops, prothesis, watches, and PDAs, and operates across the Spur.

Major Brands

• Centurion Prosthetics and Augmentations: Zavodskoi's iconic prosthetics line, usually offered to Zavodskoi employees at a discount in lieu of purchasing prosthetics from NanoTrasen, Zeng-Hu, or Hephaestus. The most recognizable look of Centurion prosthetics are their smooth, matte grey and red limb prosthetics, though the company also sells "realistic" prosthetics to Imperial Zavodskoi employees who prefer to keep the nature of their disabilities less obvious. Centurion synthskin, in reality, is simply soft rubber; it is not as reputable as the realistic prosthetics produced by Jeonshi Biotechnics, though it can be mistaken for a real limb from a distance.
• Midnight Business Technology: Produced by the commercial wing of ConTec, the Midnight line of watches advertises itself as stylish yet cheap and functional workwear, mostly for Secondaries and Ma'zals in the Empire of Dominia.
• Legate Laptops: A series of laptops produced by commercial ConTec, known for being very heavy and very robust both on the software and hardware end. Prior to 2462, Legate was the official producer of laptops for the Solarian Armed Forces.

Ingkom

"Pride and prosperity to all."

Chief Executive Officer: Hanru De Beers, b. 2403

Ingkom, or Bedryfsingenieurswese Kommissie, is a primarily engineering-focused subsidiary of Zavodskoi Interstellar, founded in South Africa, Earth in 2099. It has a long intertwined history with South Africa and its aggressive expansion into Sub-Saharan Africa. Initially, a state-owned enterprise tasked with rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini after several successful military campaigns had rendered them territories. Early successes experienced by Ingkom resulted in its quick rise to importance within the South African economy, mostly due to reconstructions that allowed resource extraction operations to resume. The majority of the developed regions of these newly acquired territories were a direct result of Ingkom, and after sanctions had been lifted, allowed them to prosper and expand into the international market - mostly through Zavodskoi’s acquisition of the corporation as a subsidiary in 2463.

Major Products

• Uriel-class Destroyer: Uriel-class destroyers are corporate ships usually used for the transport of fighting forces, weapons, or other Zavodskoi products that require rapid deployment. During the Peacekeeper Mandate on Mictlan, several Uriel-classes made rapid stops between Tau Ceti and Mictlan to deploy Tau Ceti Armed Forces and corporate auxiliary personnel to the planet. It comes fitted with a warp drive, almost never hosting a bluespace drive due to the expense involved, and as such Ingkom employs the finest pilots for these vessels. Losses of these vessels are considered quite serious and potentially crippling to Zavodskoi's supply line. Despite being classed as a destroyer, an Uriel-class is more akin to a frigate in its displacement.
• Jinxiang-class Destroyer: Produced in collaboration with the Zhurong Imperial Naval Arsenal, the Jinxiang-class are a major component of the Imperial Fleet's screening forces. Featuring a surprisingly comfortable (if not quite spacious) area for living quarters, a compact life support system, and room for several point-defense gunneries, it continues to be a relevant design. Like most Imperial Fleet vessels, it is heavier and slower than comparative vessels of the same class -- an issue when dealing with more agile targets.
• Mumbai-class Fast Battleship: Originally pioneered by Necropolis and built for the Solarian Armed Forces, the Mumbai-class was envisioned as a patrol leader that would be able to respond to all incursions with relatively swift speed for a flagship. While it did not have the armor or weaponry of a conventional battleship, it was a potent threat to any non-capital craft. Deemed a failure due to an ineffective cost-to-kill ratio against smaller, more agile pirate fleets, most Mumbai-class vessels were assigned to forces in the Middle and Outer Ring. Many of these, such as the SAFV Toronto and the SAFV Chicago, were appropriated by the rogue fleets of the Solarian Navy during the Collapse of 2463. Of note, the Toronto has been seized from the League of Independent Corporate-Free Systems mostly-intact after the siege of San Colette in 2465, and was refitted and rechristened as the SAFV Iqaluit by Ingkom and the Solarian Navy -- a rare example of a member of the class still in active service.

Falerio Security Services

Chief Executive Officer: Filomena di Falerio, b. 2398

Falerio Security Services was founded by Novi Jadranic Duchess Filomena di Falerio to continue the work of the Eridanian PMCs she had once hired to secure her holdings, using the (comparatively cheaper) local populace. Since its dealings with and acquisition by Zavodskoi Interstellar, it has grown into a capable contractor that works in the interests of both Duchess di Falerio and the corporation. Falerio Security Services found itself made up almost exclusively of Ma’zals (non-Morozian citizens of the Empire) for a time, most of which had prior service in the Imperial Army. Their primary duties were, outside of security of Falerio family assets, and the protection of Zavodskoi assets, within the Empire, though efforts were made to branch out in service of the Great Houses (particularly Caladius) and outside of the Empire. More recently however, Zavodskoi has begun using Falerio in a different way, as a paramilitary subsidiary; cutting most of their own security division’s paramilitary wing and transferring them to Falerio, the corporation that was once made up on exclusively Ma’zals is now made up of peoples and species from across the spur, not including positronics. As a result, Falerio has reorganized, creating a paramilitary wing, which contains all manner of species and people, and a civilin/corporate security wing, which is still primarily Ma’zals and continues the original work of the corporation. However, the paramilitary wing is significantly larger than the corporate security one, and is getting more attention as time goes on - leading to a fear that the corporate wing will be completely cut eventually. Until then however, as Falerio grows through word of mouth, many Army officers and old-blood nobility of the Houses Strelitz and Zhao are concerned that di Falerio's interests may jeopardise the military loyalty of Jadranics, and some have even started whispering that the large paramilitary force under her control is a threat to the empire. Corporate Security members employed by Falerio can be recognized by their distinctive uniforms and headgear bearing "IK" -- the initials for "Emperor Keeser" in Jadranic Common.

History

Perhaps due to the prior presence of Xanu Defense Services and Jackal Incorporated, PMCs originating in the nations of their political rivals, the Empire has always been reluctant to branch into the Private Military Contracting Group. Duchess Filomena held no such reservations; when large copper and gold veins were discovered by villages in her holdings, she hired Ringspire and Eagle Corp to secure her holdings and push out the villagers who had lived a relatively unmolested life far away from her manse. When the dust had settled, Filomena quickly realised that Ringspire in particular was becoming very expensive and too aggressive for her tastes; evidence had come to light that the contractors may have been stealing ore for their own profit, and the casualties they left in their wake was becoming too much for even the Department of Colonial Affairs to ignore.

Filomena decided to take a cue from the Eridanian Golden Fist and create her own private contracting group. Falerio Security Services targeted Ma'zals both young and old, those who had yet to pay off their Mo'ri'zal ("blood debt", the Empire's form of taxation) and who could be relied upon for loyalty to a cause. This caught the attention of Kamilla Strelitz, who offered to acquire the company in exchange for profit and reach that Duchess Filomena might not have had otherwise. Falerio Security Services was purchased by and became an official subsidiary of Zavodskoi, being able to take full advantage of its weaponry and resources that the Imperial Army often did not receive in full. That a relatively minor noble was able to secure such a key position in Dominia's closest megacorporation, as well as drawing away what were seen as once-loyal potential recruits to the Army, is a source of discontent among officers of the military and Novi Jadran's Imperial Mandate alike.

Corporate Relations

Stellar Corporate Conglomerate

The newly founded Conglomerate’s ties with Zavodskoi are blatant, with a newly founded Corporate Asset Protection Fleet bearing weapons, munitions and equipment of Zavodskoi make across the board. Often remarked as having soft power and not hard power, the SCC, under the direction of Miranda Trasen, is moving to change this. While the Corporate Asset Protection Fleet is not much in terms of hard power - being significantly bigger than previous asset protection fleets, but still not a fully fledged military force - the solution to hard power can be found in the newly formed Tau Ceti Armed Forces, which have been rapidly expanding and militarizing since their inception. At the forefront of this is Zavodskoi, from high-end starship pieces to antique small arms, Zavodskoi provides it all, making them a key player in the Conglomerate’s military forces, both private and state controlled. This newfound niche alongside rising civil unrest and international tension has led to a resurgence of its presence galaxy-wide, and cooperation with the other megacorporations has proven very profitable.

Einstein Engines

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 and positronic brains 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.

Hephaestus Industries

Hephaestus and Zavodskoi famously have the worst relationship between any two corporations within the Orion Spur, with roots of their rivalry going back as far as prior to the discovery of the warp. It is also the most publicly known, as the two corporations have famously been embroiled in dozens of public scandals with each other. As time went on the animosity between the two megacorporations only grew, as they competed extensively in industry, manufacturing, robotics and engineering fields for decades, boarding on centuries. All types of sabotage and espionage are common between Hephaestus and Zavodskoi, with both corporations having extensively bankrolled privateers, saboteurs and other plausibly deniable agents to attack their rivals. As Zavodskoi has expanded into the Empire of Dominia and Hephaestus into the Izweski Hegemony, the Sparring Sea and Badlands have become the two most recent, and largest, battlegrounds for the megacorporations, with corporate-funded pirates commonly targeting one another's vessels. In the present day, beyond the use of privateers, Zavodskoi has often been accused of funding radical anti-Hephaestus groups within the Izweski Hegemony, most notably the Champions of Moghes - a terrorist organization which has remained suspiciously well-equipped and well-informed of Hephaestus operations. Hephaestus, meanwhile, has often been suspected of bankrolling various Dominian rebel groups in recent years, in the hopes of weakening Zavodskoi's large investment in the Empire's development. Shared membership in the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate has done nothing to quell the two giants' bitter feud,, which has become a source of constant headaches for Miranda and the SCC, who have had to threaten to economically break both companies multiple times just so they keep their conflict out of the public perception and grudgingly cooperate with SCC business.

Idris Incorporated

Zavodskoi and Idris have been frequent competitors in the fields of security and IPC manufacturing, leading to a long-running mutual rivalry between the two corporation. Lyudmila Zavodskoi is known to have a personal distaste for Alex Mason, and Zavodskoi has frequently undercut Idris security operations in the Sol Alliance and Republic of Biesel. Zavodskoi employees are strongly discouraged from using Idris financial services, which NanoTrasen has done its best to encourage as many Zavodskoi employees in Biesel opt to make use of NanoTrasen banks instead. Idris has marketed its security division extensively as a high-class security option, with unstated implications of the marketing casting other corporations' security as little better than thuggish mercenaries, which Zavodskoi unsuccessfully attempted to sue Idris over. Though their rivalry is not as intense as that of Zavodskoi and Hephaestus, the two corporations remain on far from friendly terms.

NanoTrasen

Zavodskoi and NanoTrasen maintain a decent relationship, with little open conflict between the two corporations. Since the beginning of the phoron scarcity, however, Zavodskoi has taken full advantage of NanoTrasen's waning power in the Republic of Biesel, expanding its arms industry into the Republic. Since the formation of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces and the negotiation of several new supply contracts with Biesel's government, Zavodskoi has managed to take a great deal of business from NanoTrasen - seizing NT's position as the Republic's main weapons supplier. Though NanoTrasen still holds onto their original contract for the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, the Minutemen and Republican Fleet are both almost entirely outfitted with Zavodskoi-made weapons, armor, and voidsuits. NanoTrasen has attempted to counteract this influence through the recent appointment of Nathan Trasen as Secretary of Defense - but even with a Trasen in such a prestigious position, Zavodskoi has still managed to secure a solid grasp on the Republic's military industry. NanoTrasen has increased funding to Nexus Corporate Security several times in an effort to use their newly-formed PMC to undermine Zavodskoi's security business in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, with some measure of success.

Orion Express

Zavodskoi contributed large portions of its logistics division to Orion Express, and has maintained a decent relationship with the logistics corporation. Though their Solarian business has been scaled back substantially, Zavodskoi still relies on Orion vessels for transport of its goods in the Alliance, and Orion has been known to favor Zavodskoi security when outside force is required for particularly troublesome work. Orion's ties to Hephaestus are the largest source of tension between the two corporations, and Zavodskoi is rumored to have attempted to seed several of its own agents within Orion-Hephaestus joint operations in order to gather intelligence on their rival.

Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals

When Zavodskoi Interstellar was still known as Necropolis Industries, it was Zeng-Hu's major rival in the genetics sector, leading to fierce competition between the two corporations. Rumors of sabotage and corporate espionage were commonplace, and the theft of company secrets was commonplace on both sides. Following the rebrand to Zavodskoi Interstellar, however, the corporation has significantly cut back on its genetics division, leaving Zeng-Hu as a mostly unchallenged monopoly in the field. With the two megacorporations no longer in direct competition, the relationship between them has warmed significantly, with Zavodskoi choosing instead to redouble its efforts against its main rival, Hephaestus Industries. Though the two do still compete in the robotics sector, so far this has been far less of a source of tension between them.

Other Relations

Synthetics

While Necropolis Industries has always had synthetics, the rebranding to Zavodskoi Interstellar brought with it the very marketable Z.I. line, and saw the increase in production and distribution of synthetic workers. Zavodskoi employs their Z.I.s as precise, dextrous labour in machining, manufacturing and blanket industrial work. Many stubborn advocates of hand-crafting and several subsidiaries oriented around quality have made large steps towards vilifying these robotic mechanics, claiming that the “organic touch” is the key to quality. Some Zavodskoi employees have expressed similar sentiment, seeing the proliferation of synthetics as threatening their position and livelihood; official statements from Jaco Du Plessis have countered with Zavodskoi employees only needing to worry for their position if they do work of subpar quality.

Meanwhile, the company has refused all suggestions from the Empire of Dominia to cut down on its synthetic workforce, only refraining from its usage to comply with laws in the Empire itself. To Imperial citizens going abroad, Zavodskoi offers in-depth synthetic sensitivity courses, designed to acclimate Tribunalists to working with IPCs.

Empire of Dominia

While Necropolis Industries made limited attempts to branch further into Imperial territories, the ascension of Countess Kamilla Strelitz to Chief Security Officer has brought with it a new entanglement with the fledgling Empire. Dominia's own state corporations and Great Houses have all, in some way, made deals with Zavodskoi, and Ingkom's collaborations with Zhurong Naval Armaments have brought a massive increase in productivity to the Imperial war machine. The company plays a strong role in acclimating Imperial citizens to non-Imperial culture and sending them abroad, serving as Dominia's strongest connection to the rest of the Orion Spur. Meanwhile, Lyudmila Zavodskoi and her family remain close with the Royal Family, and she enjoys a seemingly close relationship with Crown Princess Priscilla.

Sol Alliance

Prior to the Solarian Corporate Authority's establishment and the mass nationalisation of corporate assets, Necropolis Industries was one of the primary weapon suppliers to the Solarian Armed Forces, and Zavodskoi Interstellar continues that tradition. Despite the chaos ensuing form the nationalization of corporate assets, including the accusation by Solarian Intelligence Agencies that it was Zavodskoi who murdered former Prime Minister Frost, when the dust settled Zavodskoi was still there, with a majority of its manufacturing facilities, patents, and experience in manufacturing the tools of war still belonging to it. Being realistic, if a state wants arms for its army, it needs Zavodskoi Interstellar. So despite some small withdrawals, Zavodskoi remains basically just doing what Necropolis did before it, selling arms to the Alliance - as well as everyone else, of course.