Sta Asteria

Asteria, the shortening of Sta Asteria Incorporated, is a Megacorporation of Earth that has grown to significant prominence in the overall industrial supply chain sector. Sta Asteria is a true conglomerate, a melding of a large number of varying sub-corporations that all report up to an overall Holding Board that manages the full company. Nominally a recognized corporation across all human factions, Asteria has enough presence and resources that it is in many ways barely a sovereign stare. It is officially incorporated within the Alliance as a Class C corporation, though recognized in other factions for official business operations. It is currently involved in the Exodus into Andromeda.

## Brief History

Sta Asteria Incorporated began as Asteria Drives, a manufacturing company focusing on the assembly and sale of specialized, high-efficiency spaceship drives. The business was founded on patent principles, that is, aggressively pursuing R&D in key areas to drive innovation.

Asterian technology was a revolution in the costly production of space-faring vessels. A consistent boom of sales coupled with Humanity's intense drive to colonize allowed for the company to grow. It first expanded into other parts of spacecraft construction, developing newer and more efficient systems technology all while improving the means by which they were assembled. This cycle of expanding a new product line and gaining more revenue alongside improving manufacturing practices contributed until the leadership of Elaine Faithè. As President of the company, Elaine oversaw a tumultuous time due to the unfettered growth of the company. there was real danger of Asteria burning itself out on its own success.

Elaine Faithè remedied this in 2721 by establishing a board that oversaw company functions and divided Asteria in a number of smaller, legally distinct entities. Each company was individually registered and had its own President, and the head of the board of holding would have the title CEO. This massive expansion of flexibility allowed the newly-named Sta Asteria Incorporated to flex its significant resources from industry to industry as necessary depending on market fluctuations.

In tandem with this, the company Sta Asteria Consulting was established. This firm focused solely on efficient operations and manufacturing systems development. The success of this division became subject of a number of magazines, papers, university studies, and more. Alumni of this company often went on to gain positions in politics or leading businesses, and the Asterian school of industrial thought became more and more prominent. In the current year, it is not uncommon for different individuals in high offices to contract adjutants from Sta Asteria Consulting to guide them in business affairs.

Sta Asteria’s crowning achievement came when it established a full division for space exploration, colonization, and development. At this point, it became clear that the company could only be referred to accurately as a Megacorporation. Fully able to house, care for, support, and grow entire communities, Sta Asteria began operations independent of outside contract. Now, in addition to taking on government contracts and general manufacture, Sta Asteria Incorporated is an active colonizer of worlds. It nominally operates under the United Systems Alliance, but it has autonomy in current law to colonize and sell colonies to other factions (although this is rare).

In the current era, Sta Asteria Incorporated contains eleven distinct companies, all working in concert to drive the Megacorporation forwards. Their presence in Andromeda was inevitable, many say, but still is a surprise. After all, the Megacorporation arrived suddenly, without fanfare, and entirely self-funded.

## Corporate Structure

Sta Asteria Inc. is a series of independent companies that all report up to a central board of holding. The corporate guidelines give the board authority over all operations and activities, but this is generally only executed in macro strategies and campaigns.

### Board Structure

#### CEO

The CEO of Sta Asteria, Mikhail "The Jackal" Nikotheos, is the chief of all operations and the final decision point for all corporate matters. Of course, for practical functionality, a massive part of this role is delegated out to lower level managers and experts. Traditionally, a CEO spends most of his or her time behind a desk, looking over proposals and meeting with various individuals at times. Mikhail breaks this mold in that he often travels to various factory floors, visiting the site of numerous operations, meeting with managers of any number of levels, and personally taking a greater role in negotiations and expansion efforts.

## Security

The handing of defense and security at Sta Asteria Inc. is an integrated but independent function. Simply put, all companies are required by Corporate Guidelines to maintain complete security forces in installations that are sovereign managed by Sta Asteria. This includes: non-faction owned planetary footholds, new Asterian colonies, Asterian space stations, standalone Asterian mining/power stations, and Asterian-managed Gates. When Asterian productions are installed in factional space and territories, the company prefers that most of the security and defense is handled by the factional police forces, reserving the key areas to only Sta Asterian Security Forces. These jurisdictional disputes have, on more than one occasion, led to arguments and legal battles in territories.

The general structure of Sta Asteria’s Security forces is of a classic military configuration, assigning different branches for theaters of conflict. All branches have independent chains of command that all report up to the Corporate Head of Security, who in turn reports to the CEO. Ever-aware of corporate branding, the company elected to name the branches based on the concept of classical elements.

Sta Asteria Inc. does **not** manage a mercenary business. As per Corporate Guidelines, all security forces are only to be deployed in the interest of the company and are not to be contracted out to external missions, companies, or factions. However, Sta Asteria Security Forces will hire out mercenaries and other companies when able to preserve Asterian resources as dangerous tasks are considered. This is also the case with exploration and anomaly research.

The branches and their theaters of operation are outlined below:

#### Earth

Ground forces operating in terrestrial conflict zones. This branch is also able to be supplied with vehicles including heavy support and transports.

#### Air

All vehicles and units engaged in planetary air combat. Vehicles that descend into airspace from voidspace are considered part of the Void branch. In the cases of void entry aerial carriers that deploy airspace fighters, the carries are Void and the fighters are Air.

#### Water

All naval activities, including surface and submarine vehicles and operations, are contained in the Water branch.

#### Void

The largest branch, as is to be expected for a spacefaring Corporation, the Void branch handles all space-based missions and fleets.

#### Fire

This branch is specifically focused on civil, factory, and general policing activities. Considered a branch of the security forces despite their civil role, these are the most commonly-seen Security personnel across Asterian installations. They handle policing and containment missions.

## Game Information

### Perks

1. Mega Corporation: The Corporation will get to choose additional five business lines.

2. Construction Trust: The Corporation takes half the building cost.

3. Friends in High Places: The Corporation gains the ability to bribe higher officials.

4. Energetic: Energy Corporations now have doubled the output.

5. Thorough Seekers: Mines now have doubled the output.

### Production Business Lines

#### **Sta Asteria Capital Components (Capital Modules)**

At the time, the decision to de-merge Sta Asteria Components into two separate business units was quite the controversial path taken by the management. In the current year, however, all agree it was the right thing to do. Asteria's history and beginnings as component manufacturers is well-known; breaking the company into two smaller units allowed each one to specialize further, giving Sta Asteria a greater presence in the market.

Sta Asteria Capital Components was the newer of the business lines; focusing in the supply of components for massive, huge ships that are not nearly so common to see as other vessels. Sta Asteria's focus on these means that is has cornered the market when the demand comes for quality, unique Capital Ship components.

#### **Sta Asteria Cruiser Components (Cruiser Modules)**

Cruisers are commonly called Ships of the Line, and are the mainstay of many, many battle fleets. They are a balance between high-value and high-volume component modules. Not only this, but Cruisers are a size enough of a ship that specializations begin to occur in design and function; this is something Sta Asteria readily capitalizes on in business practices. Sta Asteria Cruiser Components is the oldest business unit, tracing its history back to the very beginnings of the company.

#### **Sta Asteria Logistics (Shipping)**

A premier element of Sta Asteria's independence and dominance in the market was the election to own shipping of goods as a core competency. As Sta Asteria Inc. is able to construct its own ships and components on the larger vessels, the company is well-situated to supply its own logistics fleets when necessary, or construct gates when able. Sta Asteria negotiates often with customers as to who will own the shipping for goods, able to charge quite a premium to take on the shipping costs and ensure the product arrives on time.

#### **Sta Asteria Panoplia (Armor)**

Space travel and exploration is a dangerous, risky endeavor. Sta Asteria, as part of it's diversification into a space-faring business, elected to extended its capabilities in the production and development of armor. From light scouting armor to heavy support armor and even the vaunted powered variants, Sta Asterian armor is engineered to serve in a variety of theaters. The Security forces of Sta Asteria wear exclusively armor of Asterian make; both an endorsement of the product and a showcasing of it.

#### **Sta Asteria Opla (Munitions)**

"The best defense is a good offense." Such an adage has long existed in the world of humans, and those at Sta Asteria Opla take it to heart. One a sub-set of Sta Asteria Panoplia, this division was de-merged and set on its path of specialization in munitions of all sizes and types. Ammunition, long arms, small arms, and even melee weapons are crafted and built to some of the highest degrees of engineering at Sta Asteria Opla. Much like with their armor, Sta Asteria Security forces are equipped with some of the finest weapons humanity can bring to bear.

#### **Sta Asteria Research Solutions (Reverse Engineering)**

Shortly into the history of Sta Asteria, the corporate culture manifested around the development of new components as well as streamlining production of existing ones. Over time, this eventually led to the materialization of a business unit specifically dedicated to research, development, and reverse-engineering. Sta Asteria Inc.'s corporate guidelines require strict adherence and respect for patents of all factions it works in, so this company's focus is learning how a system works, then devising a way to accomplish the same results with different enough means. Many think of it as reverse engineering and innovation combined.

#### **Sta Asteria Anchorpoint (Space Stations)**

Sta Asteria Inc.'s expansion into space faring and colonization was a unique venture for a corporation to undertake. However it led to the company's growth into a Megacorp. Entire colonization efforts are undertaken by the company, along with setting up supply chains and command modules throughout the channels of space travel. Asteria's investment into this entire realm was substantial, and the dividends have realidy paid off. At this point, more than half of Sta Asteria's business is obtained from space-based ventures, giving the company a proper namesake indeed!

#### **Sta Asteria Spacefaring Solutions (Ships)**

It was not long into Asteria's production of ship modules that it eventually evolved into the design and manufacture of full ships. The most unique and premier ships that Sta Asteria manufactures are Cruisers and Capital Ships, as the company can internally produce all the modules that might go onto these vessels. These are some of the most impressive ships that can be fielded by a faction or company, to be sure! Smaller vessels are easily outfitted with modules made from other companys or from reverse-engineered and innovated designs.

#### **Sta Asteria Horizons (Warp Gates)**

The pinnacle of Sta Asteria Inc.'s business is the recently-formed "Horizons" company. Warp Gates are immense, expensive, and incredible structures, feats of engineering in the modern age! Sta Asteria holds a large number of patents on these constructions and is constantly investing in their innovation and development. This is a market that they have quite a control over. Not only do they design and build Gates, but Sta Asteria Horizons will also maintain them, negotiating deals to maintain autonomy over the gate in a sector. That is to say, the Gates are sovereign space owned by the Megacorp, but allow such a freedom of travel that many factions readily accept the costs.

#### **Sta Asteria Homefront (Habitat)**

Both planetside and space-side colonization is a risky, expensive, and rewarding venture. Sta Asteria has a significant presence in the construction on habitats both in the void and on the surface of less-than-hospitable worlds. This is used not only by customers, but by Sta Asteria itself in expanding into worlds for resource acquisition and security.

### Additional Business Units

#### **Sta Asteria Holdings**

**(Primary board of holding. CEO Mikhail "The Jackal" Nikotheos oversees)**

With the de-merging of business units, there became an immediate need to keep the entire Megacorp on the same page, more or less. The establishment of the separate entity called Sta Asteria Holdings serves this purpose. Each of the production businesses, as well as the consulting firm, all report up to this structure. In function, this means each of the presidents sits on the holding table, having at least a tangential involvement in the affairs of other businesses. Also seated at the table are the Global Heads: the individuals who are chief responsible for cohesion in the different aspects of business.

All seventeen who sit at the Holding Board report directly to the CEO. There are levels of deferments to specializations among the members of the board (for example, the President of Homefront might defer in general cases to the Global Head of Finance when it comes to large accounting directions, however the President maintains the autonomy to make the decisions best for business, barring the CEO’s intervention). Corporate guidelines and culture govern the proceedings at this table, and it often looks and sounds more like a United Nations than a business board. In all, everyone who sits under the CEO on the board is of equal level in the company.

#### **Sta Asteria Consulting**

**(Friends in High Places perk)**

Sta Asteria Consulting is the most unique of the companies in the Megacorp. Their specialization is business, venture, and manufacturing consulting. Many young people entering the professional workforce attempt to join this group, as having it on one‘s résumé or CV is an accolade that all but guarantees future success.

Internally, Sta Asteria Consulting is responsible for supporting and streamlining all manufacturing and business lines. Specializing in lean, process improvement, and Six Sigma, the company both responds to requests for support and performs inquiries and audits into different businesses.

Externally, Sta Asteria Consulting‘s specialists can be assigned to or contracted to other businesses and political entities as “adjutants.” It is not uncommon for high-level magnates or planetary governors to have a Sta Asteria Consulting Adjutant on staff merely as a kind of badge of honor. The business is well-recognized, and these adjutants are status symbols as well as advisers. Witnesses say it is a delight to watch two competing heads in a meeting as the Asterian adjutants advise and spar with one another.