Menelaus
Menelaus
History: Menelaus, Odysseus, and Diomedes were the major centers of the twin systems prior to the sundering. They are the best suited planets for human habitation, having a slightly cooler climate than Aeneas (prior to Aeneas' large scale atmospheric depletion), abundant natural resources, and gravity almost identical to earth. Of course, their heavy development meant that chaos here was particularly bad during the collapse. However, possibly due to the lack of significant military, possibly due to the overpowering influence of the corporations, factions on these planets essentially failed to develop. Rather, the corporations rapidly extended and consolidated their influence, put down what militias and rebels there were, and attempted to "restructure" themselves out of the ruins of their economic collapse. Thus, although the "corpwars" that followed, and the upheaval of the sundering itself did lead to significant bloodshed, it was paltry compared to that on Aeneas. Now, the feel of the worlds is like that of Cyberpunk (or, for those of you unfamiliar with this game, think Blade runner, Snow Crash, etc): the corporations run everything, the divide between rich and poor is huge, and anything and everything can be bought and sold.
Politics: unlike Aeneas, there is no real central government (there is, but it is less than a puppet): this also makes corruption difficult, since there aren't any laws governing this. Rather, The megacorp planets can be seen as vast networks of "patronage": What rules one must follow, who one must kowtow to and who one can disrespect, all of one's taboos and rights, etc, are determined by who one works for, and where in their ladder one is. Above all, on the megacorp planets one must remember: you can do anything, but there will be inescapable consequences.
Although the megacorps do not maintain a military or present a unified front, they are nevertheless the unquestionably mightiest powers in the Gemini. Aeneas has organization, but the megacorps have money, money, money (and technology, and manpower). Although none of them maintain a standing "army", they have at their disposal vast arrays of mercenaries, as well as highly trained and superbly equipped units of "black ops" operatives. Corpwars have erupted occassionally and made it clear that what they lack in quantity, they make up for in quality and utter ruthlessness and cunning. Particularly as long as the Lycurgans exist, the megacorps are still at the top of the totem pole.
Technology: The megacorps are unquestionably the most technologically advanced faction in the Gemini. Every megacorp has extensive R&D working constantly to unravel the technologies lost in the sundering, with many breakthroughs made every year. The major hurdles appear with technologies based upon precursor discoveries: these must often wait for the recovery of precursor artifacts. These, of course, are all bought by the corporations (at least those of technological value): making treasure hunters' fortunes overnight at the cost of pocket change for the corporations. Genetic modification, cybernetics, advanced computing, starship design and construction: the hubs for all of these things is on the megacorp planets, and it can all be had for a price...
Military: As mentioned above, the megacorps do not maintain armies. Rather, they employ mercenaries, notably the lycurgans, for significant threats, and black ops teams against one another. Although many corporate interests have been noted to be underprotected, much safety derives simply from the fear of the notoriously bottomless grudges borne by the corps.
