Menderes Corporation
The Menderes Corporations have a major influence on
the economy of the Protectorate through widespread commercial activity;
their social policies, while dismissed by corporate management as merely
"sound business practice", are both the model for and the foundation of
Human/Vargr relationships throughout the Protectorate.
The Menderes family has shown a high level of both business and political
acumen; the last word with respect to Menderes Corporation business activity
is always from a member of the family, and since the founding of the Julian
Protectorate by Julian Menderes, no Regent of the Protectorate has been from
outside the Menderes family, nor has there been any significant attempts at
insurgency.
Origins
About the time of the Nth Interstellar War (-2235 to -2219), a
family of Solomani traders, the Menderes, established lucrative routes
along the Mendan Main. Later, many Solomani enterpreneurs in the area
were assigned as planetary governors when Hiroshi II came to power. A
few worlds went to the Menderes family, among them Asimikigir.
The Menderes established a commercial dynasty spanning all of
Asimikigir that endured the entire Long Night (-1776 to 0). While the
Menderes Corporation never sought a monopoly, it collected so much
power that it could not be challenged in a situation that really
mattered. It maintained this as an objective even when it broke into
space again in -247. Menderes worked mightily to displace Kudukara
Lines. But once assured of dominance, Menderes relaxed its pressure on
the aging company.
Rise of the Syleans
The rise of the Sylean corporations, and their alliance with
those in the neighborhood of Vland, presented a most unwelcomed
intrusion into the Menderes economic sphere. The Pacification
Campaigns (76 to 120) were paralleled by trade wars that ultimately
forced Menderes to surrender its markets in Lishun, Antares, and Empty
Quarter Sectors. The corporation ever after jealously guarded its
remaining markets and routes among the Vargr Extents.
Success Amongst the Vargr
Menderes succeeded for having achieved an intimate understanding
of Vargr economics. The Imperials, on the other hand, could not handle
the alien system except superficially. Where it could, Menderes
promoted Vargr companies, but worked against those in the Extents run
by humans. Human companies provided inroads for Imperial corporations.
They were also too stable, undermining Menderes' principle advantage.
Without bringing resources to bear on powerful Vargr competitors,
Menderes could get nearly anything it wanted by just waiting long
enough.
Julians see the Menderes Corporation as a leader in promoting
Vargr-humans relations. Still, the corporation emphasizes it is only
a business and regularly points out it merely intends to create a more lucrative commercial environment. Yet its affect is profound. For
instance, it has supported in the public media for centuries kuspar,
floater, and saliball, which are today the most popular sports in the
Protectorate. All of these take advantage of Vargr in some team
positions, humans in others.
These sports also reflect the way Menderes functions. Vargr tend
to occupy certain positions within the company, humans in others. The
organization has tailored itself to take the most advantage from the
strengths of both species. At the same time, the system bars no one
from advancement and easily adjusts to the proportion of humans and
Vargr available.
Historical Background
To understand the Menderes Corporation philosophy you must know something of the history of Vargr/Human relationships in and around the Amdukan sector.
The Sack of Gashikan and the Vargr Race Wars
In -1658 (Imperial), a Vargr corsair attacked the garden world of Gashikan,
using nuclear weapons and pillaging the world. The human inhabitants of the
world suffered global holocaust. The resulting reaction included reprisals
against neighboring Vargr communities, and a series of bloody wars inflamed
racial hatred between Human and Vargr as far away as Antares.
In -1646, human worlds uniting against the Vargr formed the Second Empire of
Gashikan, whose founding principles focussed on the extermination of the
Vargr as a race, on the basis of a perceived threat posed by the Vargr to
the very existence of Humaniti. Early efforts to expel the Vargr from
Gashikan sector fell short of full success, and Vargr retaliations inflamed
fears of the humans in the area. Fear and hatred of the Vargr persisted and
became rooted in Gashikan society, and influenced human states to rimward.
The Second Empire of Gashikan, taking advantage of anti-Vargr xenophobia,
embarked on a campaign to bring other human planets under its domination,
in the guise of offering them protection. Many planets accepted; others
who refused were brought into the Empire by force, in a fierce war of
unification. Eventually, the Second Empire of Gashikan controlled most of
Gashikan sector, much of Trenchan and Mendan sectors, and had minor holdings
in Meshan and Gzaekfueg sectors.
Although the Gashikan Navy continued to operate vigorously against the Vargr,
the Race Wars are generally held to have ended in -1000, and the anti-Vargr
prejudice, while still dominant, now had the opportunity to die down.
The Vargr Enslavements
After the end of the Vargr Race Wars in -1000, tolerance for Vargr grew in
areas outside the Second Empire of Gashikan. Vargr settlements on planets
that humans considered undesirable were accepted, provided that the Vargr
posed no threat. Even where a threat was perceived, humans intervening
preferred to enslave the Vargr rather than exterminate them. Inside the
Empire of Gashikan, the situation was quite different. Vargr caught within
the Empire were invariably killed immediately. Outside the Empire, Vargr
slavery grew to enormous proportions, and became a dominant industry in the
area, reaching a peak around -300. Continued Vargr immigration and the
occasional emancipation, coupled with increasingly tolerant relations between
human and Vargr, resulted around this time in a larger number of free Vargr
than those still enslaved. Although it would remain a major industry for
quite some time, Vargr slavery began a long, slow, decline.
The Menderes Emancipation
On Asimikigir, the Menderes Corporation was becoming a major corporation.
Its power was due primarily to the large number of Vargr slaves it owned,
which comprised most of it labor force. Unlike other slave-owning
corporations, however, the Menderes Corporation made a strong effort to
ensure that its Vargr slaves were happy and well-treated, and felt that
they were leading rewarding lives.
In -321, the Menderes family head, Karik Menderes, took the forward-looking
step of emancipating all of the Menderes Vargr, making them employees rather
than property. Although done for economic reasons, the emancipation sparked
a Vargr Emancipation movement on Asimikigir that eventually resulted (in
-302) in the complete outlawing of slavery on Asimikigir. The trend spread
quickly to other worlds, aided in part by the Menderes corporate attitude
that racism and business didn't mix. Although the Menderes Corporation did
not actively advocate this point of view, and in fact would set aside these
attitudes where necessary to do business, the example that they set by merely
existing turned into a powerful force for change. This resulted in increased
opportunity for lucrative dealings between Vargr and human.
The Menderes Corporation again took a forward-looking step in -275, when
Tran Menderes broke the effective monopoly that Kudukara Lines, a human-owned
and -operated company from Gashikan, had on interstellar transport in the
area. At the time, there were few worlds outside Gashikan that could build
starships - but in Meshan sector, there were Vargr that could and did build
them, and made an offer to carry Menderes goods off Asimikigir to other
worlds.
The Trade Wars
When Tran Menderes accepted a Vargr offer to transport Menderes goods, he
started a trend. Other Vargr traders approached Menderes, where they were
met with a positive reception. The resulting trade association was both
controversial and widely criticized, as was the Menderes Corporation, but
Tran Menderes stayed his course, and eventually, with Vargr technical
assistance and a mixed Human-Vargr labor force, the Menderes Corporation was
able to launch its first starship in -247. Under the successors to Tran
Menderes, the Menderes Corporation launched and generally won half a dozen
trade wars against Kudukara Lines, and grew to connect the Vargr Extents
with the Vargr Enclaves, profiting enormously from the Vargr trade.
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Navigation
The Julian Protectorate
Alien Races
Campaign Setting
Chronology
Julian War
Member States
Menderes Corporation
Star Legion
Menderes Divisions
The operations of the Menderes Corporation are divided into
divisions as outlined below:
Transportation and Communication Division: Operates the
corporation's interstellar fleet of cargo ships and provides courier
service to subscriber worlds as far as Windhorn Sector.
Space Systems Division: Responsible for the construction of all
space related products, from warships to automated stations to
vaccsuit components. In the Vargr Extents, it sells more subsystems
and replacement parts than complete ships.
Intelligence Division: Excellent intelligence is crucial to
operate in Vargr space without relying on serendipity. This division
also keeps an eye on competitors, particularly when Imperial, and
engages in covert operations and industrial espionage as necessary.
Weapon Systems Division: Produces everything from handguns to
advanced planetary defense systems. These products compete well on
the Vargr market. Its gauss weapons and mass drivers are superior.
Heavy Equipment Division: This division manufactures such items
as earth movers, fusion tunnelers, large power plants, and city mass
transit systems.
Electronics Division: Markets all manner of products related to
electronics and computers. More than any other, this division
carefully investigates the multitude of Vargr innovations and
incorporates the best.
Resource Development Division: Most Menderes subsidiaries are
attached to this division. Over the centuries, it had invested in
agricultural colonies, mining settlements, and production centers that
have matured. Its newest efforts lie in Arzul Sector.
Imperial Division: The newest division, it was created in 1085
to administer operations extending into the Imperium. In that year,
Menderes Corporation negotiated an agreement with the Archduke Ngaez
for operating rights within the Domain of Antares.
Miscellaneous Facts
Some little known facts about the Menderes Corporation.
Vilani Units
Menderes has taken the step of promoting the use of Vilani measurements in the Julian protectorate in order to reduce compatibility with Imperial parts and equipment.
1 Ugdada (ug) =
3.4mm
1 Isha (is) = 39.304g
The Origin of Menderes
"Menderes" is a Solomani name from a place called Turkey on ancient Terra. The Galanglic word "meander" is thought to have its roots in this name, which was first used for a slow, winding river in Terra's Turkey.
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