Mothership Worldbuilding #2 The Founding of the Core Worlds
In the far-flung future, Earth is but a distant memory. Humanity is now the foremost parasite in space.
2126
Earth is threatened by an Extinction Entity.
Corporate conglomerates bid to see who can create (and sell) a solution.
Three major groups rose to the occasion/capitalized on it.
The Unified Pacific Technologies provides a solution in the form of interstellar travel with a Jump Drive. The Jump Drive was theoretical. The first tests were horrifying. The data indicated anomalous results but also seemed to succeed…
Quicksilver Solutions provided the cryotechnology necessary for the journey. A zealous, almost religious group investing in immortality on Earth.
Realizing they need to monitor the great colony ships, they contract another corporation, Nadeshiko Cybernetics to accelerate development on the first androids. These early androids were uncanny but proved pivotal to the success of the colony mission.
However, only the most rich and influential people could afford passage. But there needed to be manpower on the other side of the jump. These were the original Teamsters in space, who established a union before departure by threatening to abort the mission and let everyone die.
2582
Nadeshiko Cybernetics is accused of stealing advanced weapon technology from the UPT in Core Space thus violating an agreement and they attempt to assassinate the head of Unified Pacific Technologies in retaliation. UPT escalates by assaulting the Nadeshiko capital. Quicksilver Solutions remains neutral until several dignitaries are killed by UPT marines during a clandestine meeting with high ranking Nadeshiko executives. So they combine forces and resort to a scorched earth policy against UPT, resulting in a very bloody war until UPT is forced to concede and sell their company for 1cr or be completely eradicated.
This results in the Big Three coalescing into The Big One: The Cosmic Corporate Coalition or C3, aka The Company. Some subsidiaries bristled at the idea and bought the shares owned by their parent companies to splinter off from the Core Worlds, choosing instead to operate from Rim Space.
2626
The Core Worlds established by these corporate colonists are a cesspool of surveillance and oversight. Unable to produce their own food and having already having extracted all the natural resources, they maintain their own massive needs by depending on resources and labour in Rimspace. The unending, covetous hunger of man reaches ever outward, taking more and more.