Group: Lanternyard Inc.

Overview 

Iconography 

Profile 

Lanternyard Incorporated is a Megacorporation which is most notably known for its lobbying stunt of coercing/infiltrating the higher Government Ranks of the Unified Planets of Sol into allowing them sovereign territory in the core sectors of the galaxy. It’s socially segregated into corporate ladders, with low level workers making up around 80% of the population. For some it is a corporate hellscape while for others a bountiful utopia.

Story 

The megacorporation started as a spacecraft manufacturer on Alpha-Centauri, which brought a novel approach in the tide-turning times of discovering the Jetgate in Gaia. They developed the precursors to their modern flagship freightliners, which served the same purpose of consolidating large cargo and vessel masses rather than sending individual ships through gates. This quickly gave them a monopoly on gate-travel, which was only very much later challenged by the likes of S. Pace Logistics and the Galactic Rail Company by buying outdated and mothballed freightliner vessels from Lanternyard. Though the key in their designs was the shape, which mimics that of an arrow’s aerodynamics. It was Lanternyard, or by extension Danube Research Corp., that found this to greatly reduce hull damages during gate-travel.

Declaration of Sovereignty

Lanternyard’s power grew exponentially after a landmark deal securing sovereign rights to the Volantis system in 2243. This “deal” involved a mix of coercion, bribery, and strategically placed sympathizers within UPoS’s government. From there on, legal cases were won left and right which established surrounding systems as part of the territorial claim of the corporation.

Since then, they’ve continually pushed boundaries, claiming sovereign control over regions where their interests align with “public good,” as defined by their executives. Most of these regions were strategically picked out under the condition that local footholds of the Unified Planest were already weak, and it was argued in some cases that it was easier of them to give up the system where they cannot enforce law in either way.

However, an underground resistance network called “Sagittaria Eaterna” opposes them, exposing Lanternyard’s more insidious practices where possible.

Archeologic Significance

Internal documents suggest that Lanternyard’s early success was, in-part, due to a major pretech data artifact they recovered … somewhere. Since then, the research company Danube Research Corp. has been contracted many times by and recently permanently signed a deal with Lanternyard to continue their research in exchange for funding. Even now, wherever there is a hint of pretech, those two are close by unless they are actively kept from it through regulations … but even that rarely hinders them behind the curtains.

Philosophy 

“Challange Breeds Progress; Progress knows no Conscience”

Lanternyard operates under an unofficial mantra: “Challenge Breeds Progress; Progress knows no Conscience.” Publicly, they claim to believe that “Innovation must be nurtured and guided, even through necessary control.” This philosophy justifies their aggressive actions and territorial ambitions. Among executives, lower-level employees are referred to as “human assets,” valued only as contributors to corporate objectives. In contrast, lower ranks are fed narratives of opportunity and upward mobility to encourage loyalty, though true promotions are rare and carefully controlled.

Relationships 

Subsidiaries

Diplomacy

Organization 

Headquarters: Iridescence, Volantis

Leader(s): Brian Rhineman (CGO - Chief Governance Officer) Prominent Members: Olivia Garter (CIO - Chief Intelligence Officer)

Lanternyard’s hierarchy is rigidly enforced, with subsidiaries contributing unique expertise. The “Corporate Guard” enforces internal security, and a group known as the “Augurs” focuses on predictive analytics, identifying threats to Lanternyard’s dominance. The company’s structure allows it to operate like a government, enforcing corporate law and order within its territories.

Corporate subsidiaries are able to engage in rivalries with each other, as the higher core managers in Lanternyard believe in a Darwinist philosophy where companies can prove their strength through various actions that might appease their corporate overlords.

Resources 

Lanternyard’s most renowned product is its Freightliner series—a flagship line of massive interstellar cargo vessels designed to transport entire fleets or high-value goods efficiently through the Jetgates. Built to consolidate vast quantities of cargo and vessels in a single, controlled passage, the Freightliners remain unmatched in durability and capacity,

Exclusive neural interface technology for piloting.

They also operate the “Gray Exchange” through a network of underground quasi-criminal fronts. It is an unofficial black-market channel that provides experimental technology to select clients. Zenith Communications maintains a secure network for Lanternyard’s operations, making them indispensable to allies and clients alike.

Methods 

Lanternyard uses “Corporate Residency Contracts” to bind workers to their territories, forfeiting benefits and pensions if they attempt to leave. Surveillance VI, code named “Spectre”, monitors all communication in Lanternyard-controlled regions, enforcing compliance and security. Dissidents are “persuaded” to stay in line before leaving for nations with a better quality of life. Those persuasions can range from promises of a climb upwards the corporate ladder to the kidnapping of family members and pressuring people through other such methods.

Additional Details 

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