# Shipwrights

### LOW-END - Miskilamo Spacefaring

Founded several decades ago by Andres Miskilamo “as a passion project from a young age” (although most theories suggest it was in reality either a front for organized crime or a money laundering scheme), Miskilamo Spacefaring has a reputation for churning out cheap, poorly-maintained vessels designed to get you where you’re going, and not much else. Most insurance agencies refuse to cover Miskilamo-manufactured crafts. The company also operates what it calls the Preservation Recycling Initiative (in marketing terms), which is essentially the refurbishing and rebranding of scrapped and destroyed vessels at low cost to both the manufacturer and the consumer.

Faction relations: Nearly every faction dislikes Miskilamo, be it for their shoddy workmanship (the Syndicate), their allegedly-criminal allegiances (SolGov) or because they’re simply too small too be worth paying attention to (Nanotrasen).

FACTION TEMPLATE:

Miskilamo Spacefaring: A storied starship manufacturer known for its cheap ships, shoddy craftsmanship and the rumors that it’s almost certainly a criminal front, a money laundering scheme or both.

General Details: Founded several decades by Andres Miskilamo as a “passion project from a young age” (according to marketing materials), it’s mostly staffed by a mix of minimum-wage factory workers, a suspiciously-robust ex-convict recruitment program and some antique cyborg models who build and refurbish vessels for sale. They’re based out of a system near Sol, just outside of core SolGov jurisdiction.

Structure: Miskilamo is structured in a similar fashion to most corporate entities - a few executive officers who answer to a board of shareholders and investors, who then relay their orders to middle management who then order around the rank-and-file workers. Pay is usually poor unless the rank of middle management is achieved, although workers have been known to receive large cash bonuses in unmarked credit-chips after being assigned a few after-work activities: deliver a package to a certain location, misplace a part in a particular vessel, and so on. Due to their chronically-low income, few questions are usually asked.

Operations: Miskilamo makes its money on low margins, cheap crafts and underhanded marketing tactics, relying on desperation or a desire to skip paperwork and vehicle registration for fear of discovery or tracking. In so doing, most commercial ventures steer clear of Miskilamo spaceships, as do most independent crews or personnel with money to spare.

Ideology: Sell ships quick, dirty and easy. Don’t ask questions, don’t get answers you don’t like. Simple as.

Culture: Workplace culture is…poor. Oftentimes employees are taken to shoddy corporate picnics and events rather than given pay raises or benefits, and what benefits there are only include discounts on purchases of Miskilamo-produced vehicles and a meager life insurance policy that is, though bizarre legal machinations and a little bit of bribery, usually funneled directly back to the company rather than family or next of kin.

Relations: No one likes Miskilamo, be it for their shoddy workmanship (the Syndicate), their allegedly-criminal allegiances (SolGov) or because they’re simply too small too be worth paying attention to (Nanotrasen).

Lore-Dev notes: This manufacturer is intended for small, underpowered vessels with an offbeat feel, such as the Wright or Libertalia. Other candidates for Miskilamo vessels include those used by pirates or fugitives.

### MID-END - Kasagi-Fischer Partnership

The brainchild of Arata Kasagi and Maximilian Fischer (Kasagi won his name being first on the title in a coin flip), the K-FP is a reliable manufacturer notable for its board of directors. The Kasagi and Maximilian family heirs (now Amaya Kasagi and Constance Fischer) each hold a seat, alongside a few major stockholders, in total comprising 50% of the board’s body. The other half consists of worker-elected officials from each section of the business, from the marketing department to materials collection workers to on-site catering staff. Though this strategy has caused friction between more-traditionally-operated companies, it has afforded the K-FP an unprecedented level of worker support, giving them a surprisingly-robust degree of consumer support. Vessels manufactured by the Kasagi-Fischer Partnership are known for being reasonably well-constructed, if not particular flashy or bursting with amenities.

Faction relations: Although their worker-oriented angle rubs Nanotrasen officials the wrong way, Kasagi-Fischer vessels are very well liked among members of the Syndicate for their balance of versatility and price, and their willingness to look the other way when it comes to knocking down Nanotrasen a peg or two. Relations with SolGov are relatively indifferent - they pay their taxes on time and don’t get into much trouble, so SolGov isn’t particularly inclined to care.

FACTION TEMPLATE:

Kasagi-Fischer Partnership: A mid-range spaceship developer and manufacturer founded by financial partners Arata Kasagi and Maximilian Fischer, known for their reliable designs and robust worker protections and integrations into company authority.

General Details: Founded as a joint venture a few decades before the Corporate Wars, the Kasagi-Fischer Partnership manufactures versatile, if not particularly flashy spacecraft frequently used by independent vessels of all stripes. They’re based out of Sol.

Structure: The K-FP runs on an unconventional variant of the traditional board of directors model. The board of directors is comprised of the two heirs to the Kasagi and Fischer families (now Amaya Kasagi and Constance Fischer), alongside a few major shareholders, in total making up fifty percent of the board’s body. The remaining portion is made up of worker-elected officials from each section of the business, from the marketing department to materials collection workers to on-site catering staff.

Operations: K-FP manufacturing plants run on a mix of automated labor and hand-tooled parts, with an emphasis on specialists skilled in fields such as atmospherics and programming, cultivating a reputation for reliability and function over form or amenities. K-FP vessels are best characterized as vessels that will get the job done without much fuss or flair, which has earned them a healthy respect among scrappers, salvagers and space explorers with a little more money to spare.

Ideology: The worker is just as important as the consumer, because if they’re happy, they’re more productive, and if they’re more productive, we make better products. Petty squabbles for cut corners help no one.

Culture: The Kasagi-Fischer Partnership makes a deliberate effort to eschew the hardline corporate politics that permeate most of their ilk. Workers are paid regularly and have access to health insurance as well as standard worker protections, including a well-enforced work safety policy. Compared to other companies, most people consider themselves very lucky to have a position at a K-FP plant or corporate office. Workers elected to the board are given a pay increase and a few benefits such as access to a company vehicle, although their role in the board is more ancillary to their normal occupation (i.e. an assembly line worker elected to the board still works as an assembly line worker when not in meetings or some such thing).

Relations: Nanotrasen officially dislikes the Kasagi-Fischer Partnership. It is generally noted that the former popularity of revolutions onboard Nanotrasen stations sharply increased once the K-FP became a prominent business, and what remains of Nanotrasen assets usually refuse to purchase or (in extreme cases) interact with owners of K-FP vessels. However, the Syndicate is generally considered an ally of K-FP, owing to their good price-to-utility ratio, and their willingness to look the other way when it comes to taking Nanotrasen down a peg or two. For their part, SolGov is just happy they don’t have to worry about their taxes getting in on time.

Lore-Dev Notes: This manufacturer is intended for mid-tier vessels designed to be useful for a variety of crews in a variety of situations, such as the Riggs and Scrapper, without too much in the way of fancy amenities like fully-stocked bars or robust botany set-ups.

### HIGH-END - ISF Spacecraft

No one knows who runs the ISF. Every department head is hired by another department head. Every memo comes from another department. Every attempt at an interview is met with layers of receptionists and secretaries that refer each and every call to different lines, until the search is given up. When asked who they report to, every single department head responded with the same phrase. “No one knows who runs the ISF.”

And they make damn good starships. ISF vessels are made to exacting specifications, featuring high-end equipment, quality materials and very high compatibility with aftermarket parts. When you get good enough, people stop asking questions.

Faction relations: “No one knows who runs the ISF.” Ergo, no one really knows what to think of the company. Nanotrasen wishes they would pick up their calls for a merger, the Syndicate finds them oblique even by their standards, and SolGov is starting to wonder why every auditor they send comes back needing therapy.

FACTION TEMPLATE

ISF Spacecraft: A secretive manufacturer known for their quality of construction, ease of modification, and totally-impenetrable corporate operations.

General Details: Founded exactly a year and a day before the official beginning of the Corporate Wars, ISF generally avoids discrimination in its hiring practices, although there is a disproportionately large base of Elzuoza and Rachnid employees. It is based in the Verithar system - allegedly.

Structure: ISF Spacecraft functions on innumerable departments, sub-departments and such deliberately-designed bureaucracy that very few if any employees know who they report to, directly. As to whether the company is led by a shadowy board of directors, some anonymous CEO, or any number of pet theories - the most popular of which include a council of Sarathi nobility, a hyper-advanced rogue AI or that the actual CEO has been dead for years and the company is being led almost automatically from their posthumous instructions.

Operations: ISF ship-bays are overwhelmingly-automated, using bleeding-edge silicon labor and industrial-lathe technology. The exception is luxury vessels designed for high-end clientele, which are usually constructed by hand at speeds unheard of with other manufacturers. While independent tests of ISF employees have found no trace of traditional stimulants or training nanites, suggestions have been made that their speed is owed either to an incredibly rigorous training program or to advanced hypnosis techniques, which would explain their incredible rate of employee retention.

Ideology: “No one knows who runs the ISF.”

Culture: The ISF does little to trouble itself with standard company cultural fronting - no company picnics or custom coffee mugs for years of service. However, ISF employees report a high rate of satisfaction, citing the “importance of their work” and the “rigorous work structure” as benefits. Employees are offered significant paid time off and benefits, though most employees seem loathe to take time off from work.

Relations: Because of their excellent reputation and their low ‘rebelliousness’ (in the words of a prominent Nanotrasen executive) within their employee base, Nanotrasen has been attempting to incorporate the ISF into their corporate umbrella - to little success, given the seeming impossibility to get into contact with company leadership. The Syndicate, however, find their total impenetrability troubling, even by their own clandestine standards. Meanwhile, SolGov officials have began increasingly rigorous probes into ISF corporate factories and offices, with most auditors and inspectors coming back loathe to speak of their experience and in dire need of therapy.

Lore-Dev Notes: The ISF is a manufacturer intended for high-end vessels such as the High-class, with both abundant amenities and robust facilities and features. While the company itself may be sinister, the ships themselves are not - usually.

### CIVVIE - Ihejirika Civilian Manufacturing, PLC

Created to meet increasing demands for independent vessels after the Inter-Corporation Conflict, Ihejirika was founded by an early salvage baron, Adaeze Ihejirika, who made their fortune trawling the wrecks of Syndicate battle cruisers in the midst of the conflict. Despite their pseudo-military origins, most of their ships are designed for civilian use, sporting little onboard weaponry and usually coming equipped with a focus on material comfort, medical care and exploration. ICM is categorized by their decent value for the price tag and the usually-low amount of paperwork required to get a vessel signed over to an independent owner rather than a company or coalition.

Faction relations: Given their focus on civilian markets rather than commercial, Syndicate and Nanotrasen elements pay little mind to the ICM. SolGov has a small contract for small-scale craft with Ihejirika, and the company has quite a few ties in SolGov regulatory spaces which keep it relevant against larger companies.

FACTION TEMPLATE

Ihejirika Civilian Manufacturing, PLC: Founded just after the end of the Corporate Wars, the ICM is a ship manufacturer that prides itself on robust amenities and a good price tag.

General Details: The ICM was originally founded by an early salvage baron, Adaeze Ihejirika, who made their fortune trawling the wrecks of Syndicate battle cruisers in the midst of the conflict. Ihejirika still runs the company to this day, selling ships to small civilian operations and individual owners, as well as medical rescue crews.

Structure: Ihejirika is a fairly standard shipwright - despite having adventurous origins in the exploratory and scrappy world of military salvage, the company is fairly sedate in terms of its day to day operations. Led by a CEO, a CFO and COO, employees go to work, perform their duties, and go home, with little intrigue or mystique.

Operations: Like most modern shipwrights, the ICM utilizes mostly automated shipyards for the production of their vehicles, using standard RCD technology to fabricate ships rapidly and with rigorous precision. The primary focus of ICM vehicles is on material comforts, with a side-business in medical support craft. In fact, many designs made by the ICM have been appropriated by other, larger companies - the original Spitfire-class prototype was designed by Ihejirika before it went mysteriously missing and Syndicate vessels began bearing a suspicious similarity to the remaining blueprints, for example.

Ideology: “We’re the ICM. We make ships here. What ship can we get you today?”

Culture: One notable detail about Ihejirika corporate culture is that despite their target market, the ICM has a great deal of military motifs, both formal and informal. Group projects are referred to as “Operations”, the CEO is referred to as “General Adaeze” in passing, and the corporate dress code contains an unusually-high number of provisions for berets, peaked caps and aviator sunglasses. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the standard meal rations served at the cafeteria look and taste like decades-old military surplus.

Relations: Aside from routine corporate espionage, Nanotrasen and the Syndicate pay little attention to the ICM, given its focus on civilian markets over commercial ones. SolGov has a small contract for small-scale craft with Ihejirika, and the company has quite a few ties in SolGov regulatory spaces which keep it relevant against larger companies. Without them, it is likely that the ICM would have been absorbed into one megacorp or another over the ten years since its founding.

Lore-Dev Notes: The ICM manufactures civilian-model ships focused on material comforts, medical care and exploration, with such vehicles as the original Boyardee-class and the Shephard-Class under its belt.

### INDUSTRIAL - Hardline Salvage and Mining

Founded by Industrial-Processing-Unit-Delta-Alpha (or IPUDA, as they usually introduce themselves), a Syndicate-affiliated IPC originally associated with the Gorlex Marauders, IPUDA went independent just before the Corporate Wars ended, sensing it was time to get out before everything broke down. IPUDA now runs Hardline Salvage and Mining, an industrial powerhouse churning out hardy spacecraft designed to run for long periods of time in dangerous environments, be they mineral-rich asteroid belts or desolate battlegrounds littered with salvage and unexploded ordnance. They’ve found themselves particularly popular with mid-sized independent contractors and the occasional pirate crew looking for a large tanker vessel with as few questions asked as possible. You won’t find plush carpets or stocked bars on Hardline vessels, but they’ll get the job done better than anyone else.

Faction relations: In HSM, Nanotrasen finds a supplier to rival plasma miners and to independents looking to loot destroyed Nanotrasen research outposts and ships. However, Hardline also enjoys a great deal of protection from its former Syndicate ties, alongside its decidedly utilitarian ideology. SolGov has very little qualms with the organization.

FACTION TEMPLATE

Hardline Salvage and Mining: A workhorse manufacturer, founded by a former member of the Syndicate to provide ships capable of high-quality industrial work.

General Details: Founded just before the end of the Corporate Wars by an IPC designated Industrial-Processing-Unit-Delta-Alpha (who formerly led the arms manufacturing branch of the Gorlex Marauders), Hardline Salvage and Mining is known for its primary employees being ex-cons and former Nanotrasen political prisoners.

Structure: Due to the wide umbrella of ships manufactured by Hardline, company leadership consists of several heads devoted to specific types of vessel, be they mining craft, salvage cutters, specialty engineering vessels and more. Beyond that, individual shipyards operate semi-autonomously, only receiving occasional guidance from higher-ups.

Operations: Shipyards are generally run by small crews, trained with a wide variety of construction techniques. Workers are expected to be able to perform all aspects of ship craft, from wiring airlocks to configuring targeting computers. Should they leave their position, most former HSM employees are quickly snatched up by companies in need of generalist workers capable of imparting their knowledge to more specialized crew. Blueprints are usually utilitarian in nature, with an emphasis on high-quality equipment and robust fueling or power. This has given Hardline vessels a reputation for being uncomfortable to live on for long periods of time; however, few contest their efficacy.

Ideology: “Everyone deserves a second chance, and the chance to do it right this time.”

Culture: Because of the disparate nature of Hardline shipyards and the low degree of cooperation between specializations, there is little in the way of a unified corporate culture among them. However, most workers report a significant degree of satisfaction in their work, and wages are generally considered to be fair given the difficulty of their occupation. Notably, some Hardline members adapt pseudo-Russian culture and iconography – though it remains unclear whether it is in homage, parody or out of GEC alliegence.

Relations: As one may expect from a company founded by a former Syndicate leader, relations with Nanotrasen are chilly – especially given that Hardline supplies robust vessels to rival plasma miners and independent salvage crews looking to loot former Nanotrasen holdings. As one may also expect, however, Hardline also enjoys a great deal of protection from its former Syndicate ties, alongside its decidedly utilitarian ideology. SolGov has very little qualms with Hardline, so long as their leader doesn’t reveal it to be a front for an arms manufacturing business.

Lore-Dev Notes: Hardline Salvage and Mining is responsible for the creation of the more utilitarian and industrial vessels, such as the Riggs-class or the Scrapper-class. Hardline vessels have great machinery and power, but little in the way of quality food or medicine.

###### tags: `Lore`