The Megacorps
There are 23 corporations that are traditionally called "the megacorps": most of them have been around since before the sundering and have the most say, the most resources, and the most power in the Gemini. However, since the sundering numerous corporations have cropped up that come close to this lofty status, so that there are another 50 corps or so that have their own spacecraft, their own black ops teams, etc. Of these, perhaps 20 are pawns of the 23 heavy hitters, so that there are perhaps a total of 50 independent corporate entities vying with each other for power, prestige, and money. This list will include some of the more noteworthy:
Yggdrasil: a lumber giant, this corporation plants, harvests, and processes the huge amount of lumber used for construction, fermentation into chemicals (such as oils for plastic), and paper production throughout the Gemini. Unlike many of its megacorp brethren, Yggdrasil often has a significant presence on many frontier worlds, where lumber supplies are still plentiful (read: less need for resource management = higher profit). Yggdrasil also has a rare and precious contract with the Lycurgans, allowing them to harvest limited amounts of the excellent lumber of priam. Yggdrasil keeps a very low profile on the corp planets, but its name imbues a mixture of fear and awe in frontier inhabitants: Yggdrasil provides much of the resources that keep frontier communities alive, while their exploitative and ruthless tactics simultaneously rob the people of many of their freedoms. Yggdrasil largely controls Lithotech, another powerful corporation that capitalizes on a technology allowing them to rapidly accelerate the production of long chain carbon compounds from organic matter. Lithotech has, in recent years, lost significant market share to R^3, one of the few frontier world based corps. Situated on Nestor 5, R^3 has recycling factories that are able to produce raw materials for plastics and oil production from recycled industrial and personal waste.
Southern-Pacific: SP manufactures the most well known railguns, both for personal and ship and vehicle applications. They also have started a division producing personal ramjet weapons, which have met with a very favorable reception, since their manufacturing precision is considered the highest in the industry. Because of their fairly narrow focus, Southern-Pacific is actually smaller than many non-megacorps, but they continue to be regarded highly.
Cerberus: Originally just an internet security company, the sundering left them the most knowledgeable and capable people for maintaining the web in the Gemini. They aggressively seized this opportunity, to the point where they have essentially a monopoly. They also have the best hackers: it is widely believed that Cerberus finances a large underground business based around selling top secret manufacturing/R&D tech between competing companies. Cerberus also manufactures some computers, although their hardware is too modular, too complicated, and too expensive for most. Hackers largely avoid their products because of the belief that every piece of Cerberus-ware is ingrained with spyware of all kinds.
AI: Asimov Industries produces high end computers. They are a very old corporation, even by megacorp standards, and therefore garner a lot of respect. As such, most powerful AI computer systems in use on the Corp planets (other than Diomedes) are made by Asimov. Although they were approached by the Aeneans to help "jump-start" their own AI company, AI flatly and quite publicly declined: as such, there is significant bad blood between this corp and the Aeneans.
IBM: Industrial Business Machines is a manufacturer of Heavy Machinery of all kinds. They produce bulldozers, cranes, mining machines, etc. Because of the challenge in moving such heavy equipment, they have significant competition from "local" producers on planets that don't have enough industry to support one of their mega-factories. IBM also has a military division that manufactures tanks, APCs, and naval vessels.
Ballistic Dynamics: The largest manufacturer of personal ranged weapons, largely conventional and ramjet weapons. They also manufacture a small number of railguns and plasma weapons, although theirs are not considered "top end". BD has spun off another fairly large corporation, Caliber, A manufacturer of ship and vehicle weapons. This company makes many conventional and ramjet weapons, but also makes a significant number of the missiles and ship plasma weapons deployed in the Gemini.
Stahlingrad: deliberately spelled with the extra "h". Another important weapon manufacturer, specializing in self targeting weapons: ie missiles. They also make a lot of personal heavy weapons and other vehicle weapons. They actually also have vehicles and starship divisions, although their contracts are almost exclusively with entities that can afford their rather pricey military spec craft. Following the lead of AI, they have refused to cooperate with the Aeneans, although bad blood with Stahlingrad is difficult to maintain: they are not known for their diplomatic solutions. As such, the Aenean military is actually quite limited in terms of the missile technology it deploys.
GenTech: Interestingly, although no major manufacturers of cybernetics are represented among the 23 megacorps, GenTech, the biggest producer of genetic modifications and vat grown "meat" parts is, despite the fact that such modifications are typically more expensive and less popular than metal parts. Interestingly, Gentech was only a small startup at the time of the sundering, but their aggressive pursuit of precursor tech, excellent R&D, and extensive use of inter-corporate spying and data mining meant that they could provide products so far ahead of any competitors that their value skyrocketed. Unlike most of the other megacorps, GenTech remains an almost exclusively "high-end" company, catering only to those that are willing to buy "best" quality items or above exclusively. The flip side is that GenTech products universally live up to their name, to the point that tattoos resembling the small "GenTech" logos emblazoned on their parts have become very vogue. There is also a disturbing rumor that GenTech creates genetic "full conversions" out of slaves, particularly for the purposes of staffing their black ops division and for the creation of "escorts". Also a very large manufacturer of drugs.
Core: An important mining company. Most notable for their development of "sub-mantle mining", in which molten planetary contents are extracted for their ore content. Core, for the same reasons as IBM, has significant competition: their continued superiority has been guaranteed largely by their dealings with the Aeneans: After the conquest of Troy, the Aeneans revitalized the mining of the planet, which had fallen into disrepair due to low yields: in order to do this, they needed to utilize the sub-mantle mining technology of Core. Now, Troy once again represents the largest exporter of ore. By the terms of their agreement, Core is only permitted to sell 10% of this ore, however, to non-Aeneans. What the Aeneans might be doing with all that ore is something which worries more than a few Geminites.
NetTech: another producer of computers, although generally lower end than AI. Most personal computers, complete with Hardware and Software is manufactured by NetTech. Because of the ubiquitousness of their product, they are among the richest of the megacorps, although they also have the stiffest competition from startups. As such, they are notorious for ruthless business practices.
Tuber: The production of hydroponic food culture is crucial to the survival of nearly half of the inhabited planets and moons of the Twins. Anywhere where farming is impossible, huge fermenters are used to grow nutrient fixing cultures of symbiotic bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. This complex mixture is developed, maintained, and cultured largely by Tuber, the largest producer of sterile, unlimited shelf life, 100% of everything you need, food. Although it is a less known division, Tuber also has a huge pharmaceutical division (on a scale to rival that of GenTech): although their R&D is supposedly smaller, their ability to produce drugs on a huge and efficient scale allows them to offer products at the lowest rate of anyone in the Gemini. Most "generics" are produced by Tuber under a number of subsidiary designations.
