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{{Navbox Lore}}
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{{Template:Navbox Corporations}}
==IPCs on Biesel==
<center>[[File:hephaestuslogo3.png|800px|link=]]</center>
 
<center>''Hephaestus is the anvil upon which the world is shaped.''</center>
 
=Overview=
'''This is a main page for a playable corporation. Information here is important should you wish to play a contractor relating to this. '''
 
Hephaestus Industries a megacorporation based in the very foundation of Humanity's power, funding and producing an utterly absurd degree of manufactured goods. They are known to create Humanity's orbital superfactories which output the vast majority of consumer commodities galaxy-wide.
 
==Influence==
 
Hephaestus Industries is the largest blanket commodity manufacturer in the known universe. Its reach extends across Human space and virtually all modern, and often antique, utilities owe their creation to it. It is the most sought after fabricator of heavy-duty industrial equipment and starships.
 
==General==
Hephaestus is managed with direct authority over its largest shareholder, being CEO Titanius Aeson, who exercises total control over the corporation and its assets. His own oversight is delegated to a board of directors, whose sway over the company are so minuscule that they are not worth mentioning.
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'''Current CEO:''' [[Notable_Humans#Titanius Aeson|Titanius Aeson]]
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An odd case amongst megacorps, the “Fighting Titan” of Hephaestus Industries is a former lower-level foreman on a Hephaestus orbital platform that has, through dedication and cunning, worked his way up to the top of Hephaestus. Aeson is a respected, and slightly feared, figure in Hephaestus that cuts an imposing figure at two meters and height and a build resembling one of Hephaestus’ G2 robots. A booming voice and infamous love of cigars contributes to Aeson’s reputation as a literal titan of industry. Aeson’s status as a man that rose from the ranks is why the modern Hephaestus Industries is viewed as one of the better companies to work for in the engineering sector, with significant benefits being given to retain workers and ensure even hazardous work is done.
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'''Founded:''' 2137
 
'''Motto:''' ''Hephaestus is the anvil upon which the world is shaped.''
 
'''Headquarters:''' HAS Olympus, Mars, Sol
 
'''Official Languages:''' Freespeak, Tau Ceti Basic, Sol Common
 
'''Primary Color Scheme:''' Olive green, orange
 
== Departments ==
 
Possessing no major interstellar subsidiaries, Hephaestus Industries largely focuses on local business and companies being absorbed into its whole - usually rather willingly. This process is not perfect, however, and the major work forces absorbed by Hephaestus are generally separated into the corporation's major "departments," which contain upwards of hundreds of millions of employees in some cases.
 
=== Hephaestus Industrial Division ===
 
Hephaestus Industries boasts the largest and most powerful industrial division in the known galaxy, dominating the market with very little competition. This is thanks to their orbital super structures that act as factories and shipyards, large enough to be considered cities in space. They also possess a sizeable industrial fleet that partakes in mining and freighting operations, mostly to supply the rather consumptuous factories. Asteroid mining is currently their largest supplier of raw materials, with planetary mining operations following not too far behind. The industrial division leads in starship design as well, as they have supplied the Sol Alliance Navy with most of their fleet, to which they receive many commissions for. Hephaestus, however, lacks their own advanced design of engine, and relies on cooperation with Einstein Engines to supply sub-light engines, warp drives, and bluespace drives for their starship designs. Any starship purchased within the human core systems was likely assembled at a Hephaestus Industries orbital factory.
 
=== Orbital Superfactories ===
 
The industrial backbone for most of human controlled space. These gargantuan orbital facilities go unrivaled in their ability to produce almost any type of product imaginable: computers, vehicles, starships and starship parts, robots, robotic prosthesis, tools and circuitry, luxury goods, plasticware, and much more. If it can conceivably be assembled on an assembly line, Hephaestus' orbital factories can mass produce it. The size of these facilities can be compared to that of a small city, with enough infrastructure inside to be able to support a crew of 100,000. The interior operation of the facilities is best described as ‘clockwork.’
 
These facilities are largely overseen, assisted, and somewhat controlled by several handfuls of AI assemblies. This efficient integration of intelligent computer software and assembly line hardware can be attributed to Hephaestus’s brilliant scientific minds in the research division. Both safety and productivity increased twofold upon the integration of intelligent computers in their stations.
 
The crew complement of these facilities consist mostly of assembly line operators, though another majority are maintenance staff and tertiary supply staff. Another smaller number is the administration board, which consists of line managers, quartermasters, chiefs of staff for each service available (engineering, security, medical), and a small table of overseers which oversee the macro operation of the station whom report to a single foreman - all of which receive orders from the administrative stations in the same system.
 
=== Hephaestus Research Division ===
 
The research division works in tandem with the two other divisions of Hephaestus Industries; improving safety of workplaces, increasing efficiency, increasing the humanity of their AI systems, and reverse engineering stolen or otherwise acquired technology. Although the latter would likely not be generally known by the public, there have been rumors leaked from previous Hephaestus researchers that the company does steal technology and engineer it for their own production and use, though the claim has been denied many times. Their researchers were responsible for the integration of AI systems in the orbital superfactories, resulting in the increase of safety and efficiency. The research division also actively uses AI in their projects, as a synthetic mind assists in calculations and theorizations.


[[Biesel|Biesel]] is currently home to one of the largest populations of [[IPC|IPCs]] within the known galaxy. Although not yet entitled to the same rights as their fellow Bieselittes, the attitude towards IPCs, owned and unowned is generally regarded as the most progressive within the [[Sol Alliance#Inner Colonies|Inner Colonies]]. IPCs in the Republic are a common sight in urban areas such as [[Mendell City|Mendell City]] and Phoenixport. Such degree of urbanisation can be attributed to the more developed infrastructure and available services required for the maintenance, housing and charging, as well as employment opportunities provided by the megacorporate presence.
The research division can be credited for many contributions to not only the company, but to humanity as a whole. The commercialization of androids has led to a huge profit but questionable outcome as some believe that such a large number of synthetics can easily lead to the theorized technological singularity. Hephaestus denies this theory as well.


===Urban and Rural Synthetics===
=== Hephaestus Robotics Division ===


Urban development centers such as cities and densely populated areas are hot spots for IPCs. Using the high level of infrastructure, even free IPCs find themselves cushioned by things such as easy extranet access and more available maintenance services.
If the industrial division is the backbone of both Hephaestus and the galaxy in which it resides, the robotics division is the face. The robotics division is responsible for the advanced robots seen working the assembly lines in their orbital factories, robotic prosthesis, robotic chassis, and state of the art artificial intelligent platforms. The division itself is composed of experienced scientists to work up an idea, and highly skilled engineers to bring these ideas to life. The robotics division also dominates the market in commercial synthetics, selling both androids and robots to other corporations and public organizations alike, as well as using them for their own gain, such as a highly efficient asteroid mining robot controlled by an artificial intelligence. A robotic security force is also a common sight in almost every one of their installations. Such machines require tamper-resistant hardware as well as ‘manufacturer only’ access systems to prevent rival corporations from stealing their designs. Nanotrasen attempts to compete with Hephaestus’s superior commercialization of synthetics, but lacks the industrial capacity to produce any amount that surpasses Hephaestus.


Mendell District 1 and 14 are both very black and white depictions of this. An affluent free positronic in 1 would see excellent exposure and even benefits for their innate synthetic advantages, readily having job opportunities. On the other end in the Scrapheap, the same positronic would have been fighting for their lives to survive the dangerous slum lifestyle that afflicts the area.
The Hephaestus robotics division created the first IPC, or integrated positronic chassis, around the same time the first artificial intelligences were coming online in human space. As their model was currently the only one at the time, it reigned as the superior chassis for any positronic intelligence that was selected to be unbound. Other corporations started to adopt and design their own, and with the help of a major leak in corporate security, Hephaestus lost its place at the top of the line with IPC models.


Positronics in these urbansed, slum territories experience worse treatment than others owing to their image. From [[Synthetic_Factions#Scrappers|scrappers]] to other IPCs, free synthetics are often viewed with suspicion by authorities. It is not uncommon for survey groups of scrapping teams to venture into District Fourteen and hunt costly synthetic parts.
==Positronics and Hephaestus Industries==
Hephaestus Industries exercises vast authority over the second-hand production of almost all [[IPC|Integrated Positronic Chassis]] across the galaxy. Its titanic space factories are capable of printing full Positronic frames, although the installation of positronic brains is withheld to dedicated robotics labs. Almost every frame of any design can be contracted to Hephaestus Industries for its construction. Hephaestus Industries can dip its fingers into a huge portion of the IPC population’s lives by merit of financial involvement - Biesellite or otherwise.


As such, positronic beings with little regulation form communities and gatherings. Some of these are self-sufficient and support themselves financially. Many IPCs are a multitude of mismatched frames, eagerly defending their collective being with sheer numbers and whatever equipment and weapons they can scrounge from District Seven. Although a number of entrepreneurs have attempted to fill the demand, there is a constant and unmet need for synthetic parts and maintenance. The poorer an IPC is, the less likely they are to get the repairs they need.
IPCs are present in every level of Hephaestus, from the simple mining unit on [[Burzsia|Burzsia]], to the command decks onboard the Sidirourgeío. IPCs are in a unique position in the company due to its status as their largest producer, their tightly-knit corporate culture, and the large amount of unathi employed by Hephaestus. Treatment of IPCs varies heavily depending on the local circumstances; for instance in [[Republic_of_Biesel|Biesel]], a synthetic can achieve freedom after a long period of service, in accordance with that system’s law. On the other hand, an IPC stuck in Burzsia may be constantly reset and owned until it eventually gets destroyed. The most common similarities are that IPCs are made to work very hard, expected to surpass their organic counterparts due to their natural advantages.


Outside of the cities, IPCs are fewer and far between, with more purpose-built robots being seen in the countryside. For instance, massive mechanized farms with [[Robotics Overview#Goliath-type_Earthmovers|industrial walkers reminiscent of old Martian terraforming bots]] can be seen dotting the plains of Astraeus. The vast majority of rural IPCs can instead be seen working manual labor jobs that would be too intensive or dangerous for organic counterparts but too complicated or varied for more traditional forms of robotics. They are mostly owned, usually by the local branch of the company they are working for.
In terms of assignment, they are often placed in one field and perform the associated jobs and tasks until they are sold, become free, or get destroyed. Reassignment may occur, typically when an urgent position needs to be filled. IPCs that gain their freedom are often offered their old jobs if the company deemed their performance while owned satisfactory, enticing them with maintenance and other such benefits.


Free IPCs exist in the countryside of Biesel. In an attempt to escape the gaze of authorities and social stigma present in the cities, some synthetics go to rural towns with either a large minority of fellow synthetics or sympathizing individuals. This existence is often fraught with danger of a different kind as IPCs require a great deal of infrastructure to stay functional. Most commonly, these needs revolved around charging, repairs, and the replacement of worn-out parts. As such, some free rural IPCs tend to be in a state of disrepair owing to the unavailability of roboticists or facilities. This has led to rural IPCs usually congregating around transport hubs, power stations, and other such key infrastructure areas to gain easy access to these resources. If a solution cannot be found, they are either forced to resign themselves to their withering state or return to the city.
[[Notable_Synthetics#Renter_Max|Renter Max]] and other Hephaestus IPCs are shining examples of IPCs who have overcome the challenge of survival. Positronics that rise to essential or high-ranking positions in the company are often treated with more equality by their organic counterparts. This can be owed to Hephaestus’ competitive, free-for-all environment and corporate ladder.  


===IPCs and the Law===
===Manufacturer Agents and the Lifetime Warranty===
Positronics working for Hephaestus Industries and their subsidiaries typically have Manufacturer Agents. A manufacturer agent is a designated business affiliate who monitors the IPCs in question and submits maintenance requests under a lifetime warranty which comes with all multi-million credit IPC purchases. Owned IPCs frequently benefit from this warranty, especially productive ones - seeing swift response and mechanical assistance for breakdowns. Most Manufacturer Agents are known personally by these positronics, and are often synthetics themselves.


Although recent strides in the political sector have afforded IPCs with a number of rights, day-to-day treatment still varies for IPCs as well as attitudes towards them. As such, while the treatment of synthetics has coalesced into a strange mixture of very lenient and very draconian measures, an IPC’s treatment largely depends on where one is. For instance, the MCPD will take every measure to restrain and immobilize a service unit in District 1, they will very readily use ion rifles among District 14’s Scrapper gangs.
Although the lifetime warranty is theoretically available for all IPCs, limited resources mean executives are often forced to pick and choose who receives maintenance. Whereas some less notable IPC would receive the deathly response time of weeks to their warranty reports, some noteworthy or more productive one is likely to receive it instantly. Although bias in the system exists, an effective IPC reflects well on its manufacturer agent, accordingly, they are less likely to request urgent repairs or repairs that they feel are unearned. This system results in an easy way to weed out the less accomplished, and even those engaging in nepotism. After all, these warranties do not cover total reconstruction - and a disabled, unproductive IPC is one less to repair.


Owned IPCs can be impounded like vehicles, with police stopping them at any time they think a violation has occurred. For any such reason, they are empowered to detain the IPC which is then hauled to a precinct cell until the owner comes to collect it. This strict regime is sometimes ignored however,with officers choosing to issue warnings instead, or not even bother for minute infractions. Synthetics owned by individuals of status known to the locale are seldom subject to such procedures. If an arrest is made, the owner bears the responsibility of their IPC's actions, with fines or even jail time for more serious infractions. Most choose to decry their synthetic as malfunctioning to avoid more severe consequences. Whatever the case, the IPC is either handed back or, if deemed dangerous, wiped or disassembled by court order.
Previously restricted to owned units, this system has been extended to free IPCs working for Hephaestus Industries itself, with positronics working for the [[Stellar_Corporate_Conglomerate|Stellar Corporate Conglomerate]] having the option to apply for lifetime warranty. Although maintenance is almost guaranteed, the wait times are ruinous, with free IPCs expected to work even harder than their counterparts to receive similar treatment. They are also required to handle the paperwork themselves, showing up in person at Hephaestus facilities for a chance at receiving repairs.


[[Republic_of_Biesel#IPC_Rights_in_Tau_Ceti|Tau Ceti law]] gives the responsibility of managing free synthetics to the local law enforcement authorities. As such, free IPCs are dealt with by internal police commissions, usually dispensing summary justice, often chaired by a high-ranking officer in the station. Legal representation is allowed if it can be afforded, which many cannot. For non-serious violations, fines or community service are usually given out, with jail time omitted as ineffectual for positronics. Such fines can prove devastating for many. More grievous acts may result in the wiping, termination or a return to servitude, all of which do require a court order. Such hearings are very often conducted informally, with predisposed judges inside their offices, taking very little time to conclude. Legal representation is still allowed but not offered by the state. This has remained a thorn in the side of the current administration, with synthetic advocacy groups blasting the procedure as barbaric and wholly unjust. As a result of backlash, courts have begun to formalise the procedure, with hearings beginning to resemble trials. The reality though, is still far from ideal, especially in impoverished areas where police crackdowns and harassment are rampant. The difficult nature of detaining IPCs with minimal damage means many methods, including destruction, are deemed as appropriate force.
==Drive and Agenda==
Hephaestus Industries as a workforce is the embodiment of the common worker. These are tough, hardy folk that tend to make their way into the ranks of this corporation - as it offers only its finest to even the lowliest of staff in the manual labour sectors. Generosity in education and the rise of robotics has torn apart any semblance of major segregation between individual workers, regardless of upbringing or species.  


IPCs bearing Tau Ceti or foreign citizenship are under the full protection of the law. The Republic spends a lot of time and effort in making sure that due process is followed and that the police stay in line. Heavy penalties are handed down to those who abuse them on account of their synthetic nature. Legally, IPCs with citizenship are treated equally to organic defendants. Sentences include the whole spectrum of punishments, from fines to imprisonment, to the synthetic version of cyborgification in some cases.
To put things simply, Hephaestus Industries is a unique case among corporations where respect and trust play a major role in climbing the ranks. One must earn their ties or inherit family property to make any sort of drastic leap, making it a very linear corporate ladder. The higher ranking an individual is, the older they ought to be, with major executives either being the eldest amongst them. In this sense, Hephaestus is seen as the sturdiest foundation civilization has ever constructed - with so much in the way of trust and age-old wisdom, their simple pursuit of corporate greed has, at least publicly, been long reformed into one of peace and prosperity.


===Rapid Maintenance Depots===
Hephaestus Industries dominates its own fields of education - almost any schooling one can acquire for manufacturing or industrial work is likely to be heavily funded or wholly owned by this corporation.


In partnership with [[Hephaestus Industries|Hephaestus Industries]], the local government of Mendell City has begun the construction of a number of Rapid Maintenance Depots (RMDs) to provide affordable and accessible upkeep and repairs to its IPCs. All IPCs are eligible to visit and receive maintenance from an RMD for a small fee — typically a slightly marked-up cost of the materials used for the procedure. They are currently within their trial phase, with a number of RMDs being set up in low-income IPC areas such as District 14. The initiative has been well-received by both free IPCs and owners of IPCs, although the sheer demand for their services means long queues are to be expected. Analysts predict that the RMD system will spread to other cities on Biesel, although their small scale and limited funding means that they will be unable to replace fully-fledged robotics labs in terms of quality.
== History ==
Originally founded in the year 2137, seven years after the advent of Warp technology, Hephaestus Aeronautics was formed out of a conglomeration of several failing aerospace companies. They combined their assets and expertise in an attempt to retain a niche in the FTL market. With humanity in a growing state of adventurousness, Hephaestus profits by designing and selling warp drives, with heavy competition between themselves and Einstein Engines.


===Life of an IPC===
When the Second Great Depression struck in 2260, Hephaestus had no other option than to file for many massive bailouts. Barely saving their company from the pit of bankruptcy, they shifted their focus from warp travel to industrialization. As the years passed, they secured more and more industrial centers from many other small producers, both land-based and orbital. Recognizing Hephaestus’s presence along with the growing unrest in the frontier at the time, the Sol Alliance promised them commissions for providing them with machines of war; starships, arms, and armor. Hephaestus gladly obliged.


The life of the common positronic on [[Biesel|Biesel]] is more often than not turbulent, with stark contrast between the "free" and "owned" divide. Whereas owned IPCs are kept in a constant loop of work and hopeful pursuit of freedom, free IPCs must face an entirely different series of unprecedented challenges.  
Every handful of years, another smaller production company, and their assets, seized by Hephaestus. By 2400, Hephaestus Industries had become the number one producer in all of the inner colonies, owning almost one hundred percent of the heavy industry. Owning two gargantuan orbital factories in the Sol system, and another under construction in Tau Ceti, it was clear who the industrial powerhouse of Humanity was. Nanotrasen was quick to step up to the plate, however, and when they claimed the rights to the Romanovich cloud and discovered the pivotal resource Phoron, Hephaestus was forced to find another avenue of profit once again.


====Owned IPCs====
After the discovery of the Skrell, and the introduction of artificial intelligence, Hephaestus began shifting its research focus from mineral processing and engine design to robotics. Dedicating several research stations to this project resulted in their facilities, mainly their factories, being overhauled to remove unnecessary systems and make way for streamlined central intelligence cores, as well as dedicating several lines of production to the creation of commercialized workforce robots.


Most IPCs in Biesel are manufactured for the purpose of performing a task, either under the watch of private ownership or by a corporation. They are typically given the programming and databases to adequately perform the job they are assigned to, but cases of synthetics being trained as an organic employee would are present, especially in industries that require a great deal of social interaction. The amount of actual freedom they’re given to conduct their lives and execute their task varies wildly from master to master, from draconian regimes that involve no downtime whatsoever, to fairly generous policies of breaks, rigorous maintenance, and set curfews.
=== Present Day ===


These types of IPCs can be seen almost everywhere on the planet: from the corporate headquarters in Mendell to the rolling fields of Ashton, there is likely an IPC working there.
Hephaestus Industries is the largest provider of heavy industry for the Inner Colonies, lead by the charismatic and firm CEO Titanius Aeson. They are also supported by an advanced robotics division that produces new technology for artificial intelligence and commercialized robots for the working and military world. Recently, Hephaestus Industries has pledged to bring forth another wave of colonization of the frontier, and promises support for struggling colonies. This isn’t coming from the bottoms of their hearts, of course. These colonies would be bound to provide resources to Hephaestus in trade for the company’s support.


In order to make the most of their investment, these machines are typically worked very hard to recoup their cost and are strongly motivated by the promise of future freedom. They do not have rights and are at the mercy of their owner. Runaway IPCs are typically dealt with harshly, both by their owners and by the authorities, with memory wipes, detainment, and in some cases, even destruction discouraging the behavior.
Although they deny it, they also actively participate in corporate espionage - stealing technology from other corporations to claim as their own, or even sabotaging the efforts of other corporations to gain a position of power over them. Despite, or perhaps because of all of this, they remain the second largest and most wealthy transstellar corporation in the galaxy, with a net worth of 420 trillion credits.


Another potential life for IPCs is that of a trinket, instead of a tool. Owing to the constantly evolving technology of IPCs, they are often purchased as status symbols or other low-intensity purposes. In some cases, they are subject to the same strict regime as Workers, in other cases, they are given plenty of practical freedoms and time despite their owners having the final say. An example of this is the phenomenon of customers buying IPCs looking for companionship. Although free to follow their own pursuits, the occasional lack of experience to handle such freedom or the inadequate knowledge of an owned IPC’s status in society can land them in trouble and see them dismantled.
Hephaestus Industries also has many subsidiaries, such as the Xion Manufacturing Group which manufactures equipment for construction, agriculture, waste handling and demolition.


====Free IPCs====  
==Relations with Trans-stellar Factions==


The standard life for a free IPC is a harsh one, with social scrutiny as rampant as legislative troubles. Positronics who first find their freedom are often permitted back into their once-profession as they were owned, but at extortionately low wages and benefits for company maintenance. They become cheaper to maintain this way, but suffer from what is effectively a fight-or-die situation. Every smidgen of a credit must be utilized carefully without miscalculation to its greatest effect in these cases. The newly instated residency tax has not helped with this, with free IPCs relentlessly seeking a source of income to keep their status and rights.
Relations with all corporations are heavily tied to every echelon of even the most detached factions in the Orion Spur. As the corporations have seeped into every facet of one’s livelihood as far as the eye can see, few find it unimportant to maintain some degree of knowledge on the megacorps.  


As a result, low-income free IPCs are viewed with a degree of suspicion by authorities as their self-preservation can lead them to perform desperate actions to avoid repossession or decay.
This megacorporation’s noteworthy relations with the major powers are below, and may be very important to you.
Life gets considerably better for free IPCs as they climb in wealth or status. Free from the stigma and suspicion placed on a poorer IPC, they are able to better integrate into society with less scrutiny. Although they are subject to a degree of legal protections, they can be made to work longer hours for an equivalent or even lesser amount of pay. This, combined with an IPC’s reputation for work, makes them ideal employees who can very easily find a position in whatever field they happen to specialize in.


Regardless, their rights should not be underestimated, with free IPCs and IPC citizens reaching massive heights, fame, and popularity within the Republic such as Aristalus, the Secretary for Synthetic Relations, or Renter Max, a shareholder within Hephaestus Industries.
===Izweski Hegemony===
A marriage between one of the most robust companies and a species known for its strength was almost inevitable. After the Hegemony's pseudo-falling out with NanoTrasen five years prior, Hephaestus quickly swooped in to fill the void the other megacorp left, and has developed a strong and close partnership with the Hegemony ever since. Hephaestus' knack for mining, engineering, and general construction has proved useful for integrating itself into the post-Contact War economy, becoming a staple service for repairing, rebuilding, and reclaiming what's left of Moghes. Hephaestus has also seen profitable enterprise from purchasing the scrap of the old unathi countries in the Wasteland to turn back into usable metal, as well as a middling mining enterprise on Ouerea to help fund construction efforts across the galaxy. Needless to say, this megacorporation has become a vital part of the Izweski Hegemony's economy, and any expansion efforts made by Hegemon Not'zar will see a profitable cut made for Hephaestus as well.


With the ever-increasing population of IPCs in Biesel, these examples are by no means exhaustive
===Coalition of Colonies===
The relations between Hephaestus and the Coalition of Colonies is notably sour. Years upon years of defiling outer worlds in favor of the industrial machine, only to be dropped as soon as executives deem it necessary have led to tremendous repercussions in the eyes of the Frontiersfolk that inhabited them. Terraforming operations across the Frontier have frequently met outright militant opposition as Hephaestus Industries pursued the wealth of material and property over sentient rights. Arguably, great strides have been taken by the corporation itself to heal the wounds caused by these actions. These include frequent changes to regulations and the overall rulebook, trying to gain the favor of the increasingly powerful Coalition down to the working man. Frontiersfolk often reach miraculous business deals and positions in Hephaestus as a result.


However, the Coalition’s vast nature has offered variety to the situation; areas such as Burzsia remain utterly loyal to Hephaestus, contrary to the complete hostility by Himeo. Both are members of the growing Coalition.
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category: Corporations]]
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Версия от 14:12, 4 сентября 2021

Hephaestus is the anvil upon which the world is shaped.

Overview

This is a main page for a playable corporation. Information here is important should you wish to play a contractor relating to this.

Hephaestus Industries a megacorporation based in the very foundation of Humanity's power, funding and producing an utterly absurd degree of manufactured goods. They are known to create Humanity's orbital superfactories which output the vast majority of consumer commodities galaxy-wide.

Influence

Hephaestus Industries is the largest blanket commodity manufacturer in the known universe. Its reach extends across Human space and virtually all modern, and often antique, utilities owe their creation to it. It is the most sought after fabricator of heavy-duty industrial equipment and starships.

General

Hephaestus is managed with direct authority over its largest shareholder, being CEO Titanius Aeson, who exercises total control over the corporation and its assets. His own oversight is delegated to a board of directors, whose sway over the company are so minuscule that they are not worth mentioning.

Current CEO: Titanius Aeson

An odd case amongst megacorps, the “Fighting Titan” of Hephaestus Industries is a former lower-level foreman on a Hephaestus orbital platform that has, through dedication and cunning, worked his way up to the top of Hephaestus. Aeson is a respected, and slightly feared, figure in Hephaestus that cuts an imposing figure at two meters and height and a build resembling one of Hephaestus’ G2 robots. A booming voice and infamous love of cigars contributes to Aeson’s reputation as a literal titan of industry. Aeson’s status as a man that rose from the ranks is why the modern Hephaestus Industries is viewed as one of the better companies to work for in the engineering sector, with significant benefits being given to retain workers and ensure even hazardous work is done.

Founded: 2137

Motto: Hephaestus is the anvil upon which the world is shaped.

Headquarters: HAS Olympus, Mars, Sol

Official Languages: Freespeak, Tau Ceti Basic, Sol Common

Primary Color Scheme: Olive green, orange

Departments

Possessing no major interstellar subsidiaries, Hephaestus Industries largely focuses on local business and companies being absorbed into its whole - usually rather willingly. This process is not perfect, however, and the major work forces absorbed by Hephaestus are generally separated into the corporation's major "departments," which contain upwards of hundreds of millions of employees in some cases.

Hephaestus Industrial Division

Hephaestus Industries boasts the largest and most powerful industrial division in the known galaxy, dominating the market with very little competition. This is thanks to their orbital super structures that act as factories and shipyards, large enough to be considered cities in space. They also possess a sizeable industrial fleet that partakes in mining and freighting operations, mostly to supply the rather consumptuous factories. Asteroid mining is currently their largest supplier of raw materials, with planetary mining operations following not too far behind. The industrial division leads in starship design as well, as they have supplied the Sol Alliance Navy with most of their fleet, to which they receive many commissions for. Hephaestus, however, lacks their own advanced design of engine, and relies on cooperation with Einstein Engines to supply sub-light engines, warp drives, and bluespace drives for their starship designs. Any starship purchased within the human core systems was likely assembled at a Hephaestus Industries orbital factory.

Orbital Superfactories

The industrial backbone for most of human controlled space. These gargantuan orbital facilities go unrivaled in their ability to produce almost any type of product imaginable: computers, vehicles, starships and starship parts, robots, robotic prosthesis, tools and circuitry, luxury goods, plasticware, and much more. If it can conceivably be assembled on an assembly line, Hephaestus' orbital factories can mass produce it. The size of these facilities can be compared to that of a small city, with enough infrastructure inside to be able to support a crew of 100,000. The interior operation of the facilities is best described as ‘clockwork.’

These facilities are largely overseen, assisted, and somewhat controlled by several handfuls of AI assemblies. This efficient integration of intelligent computer software and assembly line hardware can be attributed to Hephaestus’s brilliant scientific minds in the research division. Both safety and productivity increased twofold upon the integration of intelligent computers in their stations.

The crew complement of these facilities consist mostly of assembly line operators, though another majority are maintenance staff and tertiary supply staff. Another smaller number is the administration board, which consists of line managers, quartermasters, chiefs of staff for each service available (engineering, security, medical), and a small table of overseers which oversee the macro operation of the station whom report to a single foreman - all of which receive orders from the administrative stations in the same system.

Hephaestus Research Division

The research division works in tandem with the two other divisions of Hephaestus Industries; improving safety of workplaces, increasing efficiency, increasing the humanity of their AI systems, and reverse engineering stolen or otherwise acquired technology. Although the latter would likely not be generally known by the public, there have been rumors leaked from previous Hephaestus researchers that the company does steal technology and engineer it for their own production and use, though the claim has been denied many times. Their researchers were responsible for the integration of AI systems in the orbital superfactories, resulting in the increase of safety and efficiency. The research division also actively uses AI in their projects, as a synthetic mind assists in calculations and theorizations.

The research division can be credited for many contributions to not only the company, but to humanity as a whole. The commercialization of androids has led to a huge profit but questionable outcome as some believe that such a large number of synthetics can easily lead to the theorized technological singularity. Hephaestus denies this theory as well.

Hephaestus Robotics Division

If the industrial division is the backbone of both Hephaestus and the galaxy in which it resides, the robotics division is the face. The robotics division is responsible for the advanced robots seen working the assembly lines in their orbital factories, robotic prosthesis, robotic chassis, and state of the art artificial intelligent platforms. The division itself is composed of experienced scientists to work up an idea, and highly skilled engineers to bring these ideas to life. The robotics division also dominates the market in commercial synthetics, selling both androids and robots to other corporations and public organizations alike, as well as using them for their own gain, such as a highly efficient asteroid mining robot controlled by an artificial intelligence. A robotic security force is also a common sight in almost every one of their installations. Such machines require tamper-resistant hardware as well as ‘manufacturer only’ access systems to prevent rival corporations from stealing their designs. Nanotrasen attempts to compete with Hephaestus’s superior commercialization of synthetics, but lacks the industrial capacity to produce any amount that surpasses Hephaestus.

The Hephaestus robotics division created the first IPC, or integrated positronic chassis, around the same time the first artificial intelligences were coming online in human space. As their model was currently the only one at the time, it reigned as the superior chassis for any positronic intelligence that was selected to be unbound. Other corporations started to adopt and design their own, and with the help of a major leak in corporate security, Hephaestus lost its place at the top of the line with IPC models.

Positronics and Hephaestus Industries

Hephaestus Industries exercises vast authority over the second-hand production of almost all Integrated Positronic Chassis across the galaxy. Its titanic space factories are capable of printing full Positronic frames, although the installation of positronic brains is withheld to dedicated robotics labs. Almost every frame of any design can be contracted to Hephaestus Industries for its construction. Hephaestus Industries can dip its fingers into a huge portion of the IPC population’s lives by merit of financial involvement - Biesellite or otherwise.

IPCs are present in every level of Hephaestus, from the simple mining unit on Burzsia, to the command decks onboard the Sidirourgeío. IPCs are in a unique position in the company due to its status as their largest producer, their tightly-knit corporate culture, and the large amount of unathi employed by Hephaestus. Treatment of IPCs varies heavily depending on the local circumstances; for instance in Biesel, a synthetic can achieve freedom after a long period of service, in accordance with that system’s law. On the other hand, an IPC stuck in Burzsia may be constantly reset and owned until it eventually gets destroyed. The most common similarities are that IPCs are made to work very hard, expected to surpass their organic counterparts due to their natural advantages.

In terms of assignment, they are often placed in one field and perform the associated jobs and tasks until they are sold, become free, or get destroyed. Reassignment may occur, typically when an urgent position needs to be filled. IPCs that gain their freedom are often offered their old jobs if the company deemed their performance while owned satisfactory, enticing them with maintenance and other such benefits.

Renter Max and other Hephaestus IPCs are shining examples of IPCs who have overcome the challenge of survival. Positronics that rise to essential or high-ranking positions in the company are often treated with more equality by their organic counterparts. This can be owed to Hephaestus’ competitive, free-for-all environment and corporate ladder.

Manufacturer Agents and the Lifetime Warranty

Positronics working for Hephaestus Industries and their subsidiaries typically have Manufacturer Agents. A manufacturer agent is a designated business affiliate who monitors the IPCs in question and submits maintenance requests under a lifetime warranty which comes with all multi-million credit IPC purchases. Owned IPCs frequently benefit from this warranty, especially productive ones - seeing swift response and mechanical assistance for breakdowns. Most Manufacturer Agents are known personally by these positronics, and are often synthetics themselves.

Although the lifetime warranty is theoretically available for all IPCs, limited resources mean executives are often forced to pick and choose who receives maintenance. Whereas some less notable IPC would receive the deathly response time of weeks to their warranty reports, some noteworthy or more productive one is likely to receive it instantly. Although bias in the system exists, an effective IPC reflects well on its manufacturer agent, accordingly, they are less likely to request urgent repairs or repairs that they feel are unearned. This system results in an easy way to weed out the less accomplished, and even those engaging in nepotism. After all, these warranties do not cover total reconstruction - and a disabled, unproductive IPC is one less to repair.

Previously restricted to owned units, this system has been extended to free IPCs working for Hephaestus Industries itself, with positronics working for the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate having the option to apply for lifetime warranty. Although maintenance is almost guaranteed, the wait times are ruinous, with free IPCs expected to work even harder than their counterparts to receive similar treatment. They are also required to handle the paperwork themselves, showing up in person at Hephaestus facilities for a chance at receiving repairs.

Drive and Agenda

Hephaestus Industries as a workforce is the embodiment of the common worker. These are tough, hardy folk that tend to make their way into the ranks of this corporation - as it offers only its finest to even the lowliest of staff in the manual labour sectors. Generosity in education and the rise of robotics has torn apart any semblance of major segregation between individual workers, regardless of upbringing or species.

To put things simply, Hephaestus Industries is a unique case among corporations where respect and trust play a major role in climbing the ranks. One must earn their ties or inherit family property to make any sort of drastic leap, making it a very linear corporate ladder. The higher ranking an individual is, the older they ought to be, with major executives either being the eldest amongst them. In this sense, Hephaestus is seen as the sturdiest foundation civilization has ever constructed - with so much in the way of trust and age-old wisdom, their simple pursuit of corporate greed has, at least publicly, been long reformed into one of peace and prosperity.

Hephaestus Industries dominates its own fields of education - almost any schooling one can acquire for manufacturing or industrial work is likely to be heavily funded or wholly owned by this corporation.

History

Originally founded in the year 2137, seven years after the advent of Warp technology, Hephaestus Aeronautics was formed out of a conglomeration of several failing aerospace companies. They combined their assets and expertise in an attempt to retain a niche in the FTL market. With humanity in a growing state of adventurousness, Hephaestus profits by designing and selling warp drives, with heavy competition between themselves and Einstein Engines.

When the Second Great Depression struck in 2260, Hephaestus had no other option than to file for many massive bailouts. Barely saving their company from the pit of bankruptcy, they shifted their focus from warp travel to industrialization. As the years passed, they secured more and more industrial centers from many other small producers, both land-based and orbital. Recognizing Hephaestus’s presence along with the growing unrest in the frontier at the time, the Sol Alliance promised them commissions for providing them with machines of war; starships, arms, and armor. Hephaestus gladly obliged.

Every handful of years, another smaller production company, and their assets, seized by Hephaestus. By 2400, Hephaestus Industries had become the number one producer in all of the inner colonies, owning almost one hundred percent of the heavy industry. Owning two gargantuan orbital factories in the Sol system, and another under construction in Tau Ceti, it was clear who the industrial powerhouse of Humanity was. Nanotrasen was quick to step up to the plate, however, and when they claimed the rights to the Romanovich cloud and discovered the pivotal resource Phoron, Hephaestus was forced to find another avenue of profit once again.

After the discovery of the Skrell, and the introduction of artificial intelligence, Hephaestus began shifting its research focus from mineral processing and engine design to robotics. Dedicating several research stations to this project resulted in their facilities, mainly their factories, being overhauled to remove unnecessary systems and make way for streamlined central intelligence cores, as well as dedicating several lines of production to the creation of commercialized workforce robots.

Present Day

Hephaestus Industries is the largest provider of heavy industry for the Inner Colonies, lead by the charismatic and firm CEO Titanius Aeson. They are also supported by an advanced robotics division that produces new technology for artificial intelligence and commercialized robots for the working and military world. Recently, Hephaestus Industries has pledged to bring forth another wave of colonization of the frontier, and promises support for struggling colonies. This isn’t coming from the bottoms of their hearts, of course. These colonies would be bound to provide resources to Hephaestus in trade for the company’s support.

Although they deny it, they also actively participate in corporate espionage - stealing technology from other corporations to claim as their own, or even sabotaging the efforts of other corporations to gain a position of power over them. Despite, or perhaps because of all of this, they remain the second largest and most wealthy transstellar corporation in the galaxy, with a net worth of 420 trillion credits.

Hephaestus Industries also has many subsidiaries, such as the Xion Manufacturing Group which manufactures equipment for construction, agriculture, waste handling and demolition.

Relations with Trans-stellar Factions

Relations with all corporations are heavily tied to every echelon of even the most detached factions in the Orion Spur. As the corporations have seeped into every facet of one’s livelihood as far as the eye can see, few find it unimportant to maintain some degree of knowledge on the megacorps.

This megacorporation’s noteworthy relations with the major powers are below, and may be very important to you.

Izweski Hegemony

A marriage between one of the most robust companies and a species known for its strength was almost inevitable. After the Hegemony's pseudo-falling out with NanoTrasen five years prior, Hephaestus quickly swooped in to fill the void the other megacorp left, and has developed a strong and close partnership with the Hegemony ever since. Hephaestus' knack for mining, engineering, and general construction has proved useful for integrating itself into the post-Contact War economy, becoming a staple service for repairing, rebuilding, and reclaiming what's left of Moghes. Hephaestus has also seen profitable enterprise from purchasing the scrap of the old unathi countries in the Wasteland to turn back into usable metal, as well as a middling mining enterprise on Ouerea to help fund construction efforts across the galaxy. Needless to say, this megacorporation has become a vital part of the Izweski Hegemony's economy, and any expansion efforts made by Hegemon Not'zar will see a profitable cut made for Hephaestus as well.

Coalition of Colonies

The relations between Hephaestus and the Coalition of Colonies is notably sour. Years upon years of defiling outer worlds in favor of the industrial machine, only to be dropped as soon as executives deem it necessary have led to tremendous repercussions in the eyes of the Frontiersfolk that inhabited them. Terraforming operations across the Frontier have frequently met outright militant opposition as Hephaestus Industries pursued the wealth of material and property over sentient rights. Arguably, great strides have been taken by the corporation itself to heal the wounds caused by these actions. These include frequent changes to regulations and the overall rulebook, trying to gain the favor of the increasingly powerful Coalition down to the working man. Frontiersfolk often reach miraculous business deals and positions in Hephaestus as a result.

However, the Coalition’s vast nature has offered variety to the situation; areas such as Burzsia remain utterly loyal to Hephaestus, contrary to the complete hostility by Himeo. Both are members of the growing Coalition.

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