###### tags: `Lore`
# Nanotrasen Rewrite 2024

Obviously WIP until further notice.

Goals: Break up Nanotrasen to be a little more flavorful and a little less of a bland monolith. I'll try not to get too far into history and especially precise dates here because NT's existing history is a whole can of worms I'm not prepared to open yet.

The "Nanotrasen" faction actually consists of three allied companies:
* Nanotrasen, Inc
* N+S Logistics
* Vigilitas Interstellar

**N+S and Vigilitas are not subsidiaries,** but their personnel, when seen in game, are always working under contract for Nanotrasen. They might ultimately answer to higher-ups in their company, but Nanotrasen is footing the bill and the Nanotrasen captains they are assigned to are the final word in all matters short of contact from Corporate.
## Nanotrasen, Inc

*(put a Nanotrasen logo here at some point)*

A colossal technology & manufacturing conglomerate. Nanotrasen and its subsidiaries research and manufacture everything from pharmaceuticals to weapons to space ships to power tools to telecomms equipment. NT is a dominant force in many of these industries, but its diversity is its biggest strength. NT products, while often somewhat cheaply-made, are omnipresent and very affordable without being so cheap as to break down immediately.

NT's holdings on the Frontier previously consisted of large, well-stocked research stations specializing in xenobiological and materials research, nearly all of which were abandoned after the ICW and many of which were destroyed outright by the Gorlex Marauders. At present, Nanotrasen's Frontier presence mostly consists of factories on the CLIP worlds and a number of space ships focused on surveying and resource reclamation.

Nanotrasen currently has a public relations problem thanks primarily to the efforts of the ACLF, and while its businesses remain largely profitable NT is seeking to recoup its losses by expanding into the relatively untapped markets of the CLIP planets.

For gameplay purposes, every player on Nanotrasen ships that doesn't belong to N+S or Vigilitas is a direct Nanotrasen employee. Primarily, this means command, research, medical, engineering, and service.
## N+S Logistics

A mining, processing, and shipping company. N+S was formed by the merger of an Antechannel League shipping company with a mineral extraction conglomerate from the PGF; The resulting ability to control the entire source-to-consumer pipeline for raw and refined minerals has made N+S the galaxy's undisputed master of both industries. N+S has had a deeply profitable relationship with Nanotrasen for a significant portion of both companies' existence, providing NT with raw materials and shipping services while NT supplies equipment at below-market rates.

The ICW hit N+S hard, as N+S operated many of the mining outposts that were abandoned during and after the ICW due to hostile activity and/or budget cuts; this shrink has left the Frontier in particular severely underserved, and a wide variety of smaller shipping and mining companies have sprouted up to fill the gap.

To the wider public, N+S is almost a non-entity, seen only as an unassuming orange logo on shipping materials and warehouses. To workers, N+S has a reputation for especially crushing work conditions and corner-cutting. N+S cargo workers work long hours with little rest to meet nearly-impossible quotas, while N+S miners work in conditions nearly as dangerous and grueling as the Frontier's ramshackle independent mining operations.

Because of this, former N+S miners and cargo workers made up a significant recruiting pool for Syndicate factions such as the ACLF. Most noteworthy among these were the colonists of Gorlex VII, which N+S had abandoned as a cost-cutting measure--a decision that ultimately led to the formation of the Gorlex Marauders.

For gameplay purposes, N+S personnel make up the cargo & mining jobs on Nanotrasen ships.
## Vigilitas Interstellar

A very old private security company originally from the Antechannel League. Vigilitas provides corporate security for a wide variety of clients, but Nanotrasen is their largest and most consistent; Vigilitas has held effectively an indefinite contract with Nanotrasen for over a century. Nanotrasen also provides Vigilitas with Sharplite equipment at significantly reduced rates, and Vigilitas has been a significant factor in marketing Sharplite products.

Vigilitas personnel made up the peacekeeping forces on Nanotrasen stations, while Vigilitas's military division provided NT with well-armed and well-trained personnel for suppressing violent worker agitation and, eventually, armed conflict with the Syndicate. As such, the ICW was especially disastrous for Vigilitas personnel, and a significant number of Vigilitas assets were lost due to hostile activity, had their contracts terminated due to post-war budget cuts, or simply went missing in the aftermath of the war.

Vigilitas has two divisions relevant to gameplay: Security and Intervention. Security covers most basic security personnel, be they literal mall cops, standard security guards, bodyguards, drivers, armored transport crews, or anything else. These are the most commonly seen members of Vigilitas for members of the public.
Intervention personnel replace the Nanotrasen ERTs and military personnel of older lore: They are specialists equipped with high-end, military grade gear. Notably, **all members of an ERT are Vigilitas employees,** including medical and engineering specialists. The Intervention branch also includes the crews and ships of Nanotrasen's corporate military during the ICW, and the losses sustained by this branch are a large reason for any enduring tension between NT and Vigilitas. Neither company, however, can afford to lose what the other has to offer at this point, and so their mutual cooperation continues. Not seen in the game, but still of potential relevance are the non-combat divisions of the corporation like Finance, Marketing, Executive and so on.

Vigilitas tends to have excellent PR, and Vigilitas security guards are generally regarded as a routine, benign sight in the core worlds--one step up from mall cops, effectively. Their military division is not particularly well-known to the public, but corporate circles regard them as quite efficient and effective for their price--and willing to apply however much force a client asks of them. While the ICW injured their public image thanks to widespread imagery of Vigilitas guards crushing worker riots, Vigilitas has recovered from it somewhat faster than NT itself has- after all, they were also protecting innocent workers from nuclear annihilation.

## Structure of a Full Nanotrasen Crew

Because of their mixed corporate structure, Nanotrasen crews tend to be divided by corporation.

* Nanotrasen, Inc.: Command, Service, Medical, Research, Engineering
* N+S Logistics: Supply, including Mining
* Vigilitas Interstellar: Security and all ERT crew
* Assistants belong to whichever corporation actually runs the ship.

All three corporations operate ships of their own, and may contract crew from the other two corporations. As such, the Quartermaster and Head of Security jobs may be seen acting as captains of ships operated by N+S and Vigilitas, respectively. In ships with mixed crews, captains do not generally give direct orders to crew belonging to another corporation out of courtesy; Their manager aboard the ship is expected to delegate, and while those managers answer to the Captain on matters relevant to the ship's operation, they ultimately answer to middle managers within their home corporation.