Promethean Enterprises

Overview

An United Provinces based, underground company that specializes in making designer centurions for profit. Unlike their much larger cousin company SAHBER, Promethean focuses on selling to either individuals or other companies, rather than to the government or military. Motivated primarily by continued profits, rather than accumulating power, Promethean works under a practical business model, acting far more like a standard corporation than many other similar enterprises. That said, as their main product happens to be people, what they do is still very much illegal, and does require certain extreme measures to keep running.

Contact, Public Knowledge, and Dealings

Most people living on Disparatus are at least vaguely aware of underground centurion dealerships as a concept, and may even know Promethean by name. However, most people require at least two of these knowledges to be aware of any additional details:

• Urban Cultures I or more
• United Provinces II or more
• Rumor II or more

However, anyone considered to be particularly well off (Usually in the 1% or higher), or well connected with people who are exceptionally well off, is still likely to learn how to contact the company for purchases. The company makes sure word spreads to the sorts of people who could make use of their offerings.

The United Provinces government and law enforcement are aware of Promethean and how to get in contact with them, but due to the company's considerable stash of bribe money, usefulness to those in power, and SAHBER's overshadowing criminal presence, they tend be ignored by the courts. A few minor busts related to the group have been reported, but none of them led to anything more damaging than the arrests of lower level employees, the legal release of a couple centurions, and/or easily payable fines.

That said, the company still goes considerably out of its way to avoid spilling its locations of operation, largely to avoid attention from pesky vigilantes.

If somebody wants to get in contact with an agent for a purchase, they can call them through an intentionally convoluted series of connections, and organize a meeting. Within a few of these discussions, order details are solidified, and at least one meeting with the proposed centurion is set up. Any requested alterations are made to the centurion after payment is dealt with, and the contract is usually signed within the month. Some purchases can be expedited, but this requires even more money than average, and a longer period of observation after the contract is signed.

History

Much of Promethean's history is still unknown to even some of the highest ranked employees in the business. Everything listed here is known by the majority of people who work there, but it's far from being considered comprehensive, if even reliable.

Founding

It's fairly common knowledge that the company's founder, Jorge Medina, had originally worked as the chief of one of SAHBER's human biology divisions. Tired of the company's methods, overall goals and, as he put it, ridiculous crapshoots, he resigned in 2260, taking his centurion research with him. Before SAHBER inevitably hunted him down for assassination, he, along with several of the people he worked with, disappeared from the public eye.

About six years later, he reappeared, under a new name and face, to open up a new, smaller company. Although it didn't take SAHBER long to catch on to who he really was, by the time they did, Promethean had grown enough in power and resources to be more than capable of holding its own. With the combined forces of his loyal followers, specialized centurions, and, as always, money, Jose was no longer an easy target to take out. Furthermore, the research had long since leaked to other people he trusted, making the information far too difficult to smother out anymore.

Selling to the sorts of buyers that SAHBER didn't usually bother with, and focusing more on designer centurions than super soldiers, their new business, Promethean, was able to compete with the larger company, and grow considerably in size. Although still much smaller than the company it broke off of, Promethean is still considered a highly recognizable name in criminal spheres.

Retirement

Jose retired from running the business in 2304, and passed it on to two of his most trusted proteges. Pierre Dalton, previously one of the head scientists in the medical division, earned control of the research and internal management portions. Lavanya Iyer, daughter of one of Jose's closest friends, gained control of the public management and criminal sectors. They were each given equal control over the company as a whole, and no major company changes could happen without both of their say.

As for Jose, he once again disappeared from the public, this time seemingly for good.

Centurions, Company Policies, and Contracts

Internally, Promethean is a complex business. Needing to function simultaneously as a medical facility, research center, training facility, and criminal conglomerate, the corporation requires the strictest of management to not fall apart. Being expensive to produce, slow to raise, and easy to damage, being people and all, centurions require extremely careful treatment to ensure maximum profits and customer satisfaction. As a result, the raising and treatment of centurions, while still under Promethean control, is surprisingly humane. After all, someone with low morale is unlikely to do their job very well.

Centurions

Since the company still needs to raise its centurions from birth, at the same aging speed of any other human, most centurions from Promethean come from a limited set of genetic blueprints. Each blueprint focuses on bringing out the best features for certain specializations. It isn't until someone orders more specific features that more unique aspects are added, usually either surgically, or through gene therapy style treatment. These methods are far more limited in use, and have longer recovery periods than genetic optimization at birth, so particularly popular builds and features are sometimes converted and improved as later clone blueprints.

Many features are specialization-specific, but a few things are consistent across all of Promethean's centurions:

• Infertility. No Promethean centurion, even if a customer requests otherwise, is capable of producing children.

• Dependent personalities. This isn't 100% guaranteed, as life experiences can alter just about anything in a personality, but they do go out of their way to make their centurions predisposed toward it.

• No genetic diseases or disorders. Though, if a blueprint is on the experimental end, something unexpected can sneak through.

Although there are a large number of individual blueprints, these are some of the most commonly produced types:

• Companions: AKA, glorified trophy wives/husbands, sex slaves, and prostitutes. One of the easiest types of centurions to sell, and probably the most frequent money maker. Genetically built to be attractive, healthy, charming, and filled with stamina. Usually trained in charm, entertainment, housekeeping, and, of course, sex. Because of company policy, no companion can be sold under the age of 18, and cannot be trained in sexual acts until they're at least 16. Many people consider these rules a bit strange from a company that sells sex slaves in the first place, but the rules are held on tightly by the higher ups.

• Bodyguards: The second most popular purchase, bodyguards are made to protect their contractor at virtually all costs. They're built strong and fast, with sharp eyes, quick reflexes, and an intimidating appearance. Regardless of gender, bodyguards are built buff, and intentionally just scary enough to ward someone off, without looking like an unpleasant accessory at formal events. They're trained extensively in combat, especially hand to hand, and are even more notoriously loyal than most centurions the company makes.

• Assassins: If someone has a cause they desperately want to make happen, or has more enemies than even an expert bodyguard can handle, they sometimes need a really good assassin. This type is bought considerably less often than some of the other major ones, but tends to be the one that undergoes the most experimental changes. Typically built to be athletic, light on their feet, and superhuman at sharpshooting. Since their job is so violent, and absolutely requires the ending of lives, assassins are often desensitized, and trained in smaller groups. Although made to see the lives of targets as trivial in value, Promethean assassins are usually not quite sociopaths. If they were, it would be considerably more difficult to keep them under control, and would potentially loosen their attachment to their contractor.

• Soldiers/Special OPs: Similar to bodyguards and assassins in training and focus, soldier centurions stand out as being specialized to work better with groups than individuals. Soldiers are team players by nature, and are usually better socialized than their sister blueprints. Since Promethean doesn't usually sell to the military, centurions of this type are often trained for a specific set of jobs, such as infiltration, specialty weapons management and, strangely often, double agents.

• Mech Pilots: Because of the increased popularity of mecha as weapons of war, and the difficulty/nuances of piloting them, specialized experts have become massively requested across most Disparatus countries. Since the technology popped somewhat out of nowhere in the last 20 years or so, however, there are few people properly trained enough to do the job as well as desired. So the job of making better ones fell onto centurion agencies, making pilot production such an in demand thing that even more legitimate governments found themselves turning to illegal dealers. Made to synch well with mecha systems, handle high altitude/outer space environments well, and to manage themselves well in a body outside of their own, these pilots are specialized in the sorts of things that are unusual, even by the company's usual standards. Something something aether attunement.

(Might add more in the morning)

Living Facilities

All centurions are raised in comfortable, but heavily locked-down facilities, where they're given strict, thorough training and schooling in their specialized fields. Much like everything else, the locations of these facilities are kept quiet from everyone who doesn't work there. Even customers are never allowed to enter these buildings, except under the most extreme surveillance.

The few people who have managed to spill information on these places usually describe them as barely distinguishable from boarding schools or boot camps, but with strange, almost hospital-like undertones, and subtle prison-like security. The average day of a centurion is meticulously scheduled, but ripe with opportunities to stay engaged. Much like regular children, Promethean centurions get chances for recess and "extra-curricular" activities. Though, past the surface, they get little choice in what they do during them.

Although good behavior is rewarded, and bad punished, said rewards and punishments are usually administered to entire groups, rather than individuals.

All living facilities have large medical wings, both for general health management, and for any post-birth gene therapy, surgical alterations or pharmaceutic services.

Important People from Promethean

Staff, Ex-Staff

Jorge Medina: Founder of the company. Current state unknown.

Pierre Dalton: One of the company's two current owners. In charge of internal management and research.

Lavanya Iyer: One of the company's two current owners. In charge of public management and criminal matters.

Noelle Vaughn: Doctor working for the research division, and ex-supervisor of Enos.

Jeremy Lacroux: Late ex-supervisor of Kastos. Was killed by Enos while escaping.

Su-Hyun Nae: Kastos' current supervisor, and bad movie critic.

Centurions

Enos: Built as an assassin, in a group of three clones, but became the company's official human lab rat. Now on the run from the company, and wanted dead for the crime of killing Doctor Lacroux.

Kastos: One of the three clones built with an experimental assassin blueprints, alongside Enos and Leros. Still works for Promethean, and has not been contracted.

Leros: One of the three clones built with an experimental assassin blueprints, alongside Enos and Kastos. Escaped a living facility before being sold, along with Dia, another centurion. Considers himself contracted to Luci.

Dia: Missing centurion suspected to have been kidnapped by Leros.

Pseira Vonbrandt: Rogue centurion currently living in Alibaas. Was considerably injured at some point, and now works as a Gunsmith.

Nikolaos: Centurion with an unknown purpose. Met with Luci.

Sophia: Centurion with an unknown purpose. Acted as bodyguard to Nikolaos when he met with Luci.

Narla Zedirov: Mech pilot centurion. Has the same blueprint as Kat Farec. Is currently in space.

Byariel Laroux: Mech pilot centurion. Unrelated to Jeremy Lacroux.

Kat Farec: Mech pilot centurion. Has the same blueprint as Narla Zedirov.

(Still working on this article)