MACROCOSM
CORPORATION
(date given according to New Tricks camaign)
(Usually
just Macrocosm, but also Macro Corp, the Corporation, the Corp, etc.)
This government is very restrictive indeed. It is a government
governed, or should I say, managed, by one big company.
About 120 years ago, Sol-tek, a merchant and tech goods company,
started colonizing far away planets, separated by an empty void, from the
Federation and the fairly new Empire. When these colonies grew fairly large,
or large enough for interstellar trade, they charged the peoples (especially
the citizens of the colonies) for use of their cargo ships for the transfer of
cargo to between the planets, or different societies. They received a part of
the profits (10%), which was their intention from the beginning.
Sol-tek started ‘discouraging’ their own colonies from owning their
own cargo-ships, etc., by making sure the Corps method of transportation was
much more "cost effective." They did this by taxing the goods needed
for constructing star-ships. This was done until it was outlawed by the
federation.
But then (70 years ago,) a second war broke out between the Feds and
the Empire. During this time, the present owner of Sol-tek, William Shnitzler,
had a "brilliant plan". He secretly constructed military class
ships, importing the goods to do so with his merchant ships. There was no FTL
(Faster than Light) communication then, and few federal ships were ever able
to check up on the colonies, due to the Empire War. If a few federal scout
ships were “missing", the federation weren’t really in the position
to notice it.
But when the war was ending (60 years ago), and the Empire was still a
society (but diminished), the Federation sent a delegation to check on the
colonies. To their surprise, the expedition did not return. Finally, the
second expedition
returned, crippled, and another war was fought between the Feds and the Corp.
It was a lengthy battle, but without the help of Sol-tek and the Empire to win
the war, they lost, and Sol-tek was the new leader of a new government.(54 years ago) The Feds were forced to sell a part of
their previously recaptured territory to the Empire due to war debts,
including some key planets.
Later William changed the company name to Macrocosm Corporation, and their economy (the government’s) flourished.
Brief culture and economics of Macrocosm
A person's life in Macrocosm is almost always based on business.
Children are taught more business than Math or History in their schools.
Adults spend more time making money than in other culture in the world.
Although people on the average make much less money than in other nations,
there is an almost non-existent unemployment rate that is forced on all “good
citizens”.
There is only one way to become a citizen of Macrocosm. You have to own
stock in the company. All non-citizens are considered slaves. These slaves
must work (in mines, farms, ect,) until the can save enough money to buy a
stock from the Corporation. The wage of a slave, although, is fairly low. This
wage changes, of course, to the needs of the government: if they need more
business workers, then the wage of slaves increases, causing them to get an
education (hopefully) and go out in the business world. If there is too many
in the “white-coller” world, the cut the slave wage. Non-citizens who
refuse to slave become transported to a 'suicide colony', or sometimes even
worse: they’re fired.
Becoming Fired
When one is fired, they lose all
there present business, (and cash) and they become exiled from the Corp, which
of course they cannot leave (see 'Restrictions of Macrocosm). They can never
hold an occupation again. Never (There are very few cases of people being
'hired' again). Anyone housing a fired man in arrested, and sometimes even
fired as well.
The fired become beggars or dead people in the street. Some become
rebels, but most become bodies.
Social Life
Families in the Corp are relatively
large. The Corp, due to its new, small size, encourages large families. The
larger the family you have, the more benefits you get. That simple. (Health
insurances, cargo fee reduction, chain fee reduction, etc.) The children are
practically taken care of. Families who cannot afford to buy stock for the
children, are forced to send them into slavery at age 15 until they can pay
off their citizen debt. Young children are usually taken better care of
however.
There are 7 basic ways to make money in the Corp.
You can be a slave, you can own a farm, own or work a retail
(Macrocosm) store, join the military, become a (idle) merchant, become a
government employee, or become a scientist or specialty worker.
All farmers are to pay Macrocosm for supplies, then Macrocosm gets 10%
of the "average" income that would of been made on those crops and
then the farmers pay another 10% of the suggested selling price, to distribute
it. Farmers can only distribute their foodstuffs on the planet on their own,
unless they can afford to have crops transported.
Retail stores sell whatever Macrocosm has to sell on the
market, (at a service fee, of course.) Idle merchants pay a cargo ship fee, to
ship their cargo on a planetary level, military soldiers are paid a very
healthy sum. Government workers get paid a very large sum.
Scientists and teachers are also paid very healthily. The only way to
compete with the other societies, is to have very good scientists and a
excellent education program.
The government decides who becomes teachers, scientists, and government
workers. Becuase of the less profitability of the other professions, many
would flock to these better careers if they were free and open for all. The
government chooses the best out of the volunteers to join the military's fight
against the 'evil unionists'. What the government does with other specialized
jobs depends on what it is. Many other professions also require a large fee.
But even with this oppressive economic system, it seems to be working,
at least for the lucky. Most people are poor, but then again, most people eat
something.
Military
Being a very strict government, they have to have a very
large military to enforce all these rules and more to keep the Feds at bay.
They have a humongous number of marines on each planet, but due to their
restrictions, they have a small number of naval power in space, except near
the Fed and emperial borders, where they have a huge number. It is said they
are now have more military power than the Empire, but they still have a way to
go to catch up to the Federation.
The chances of seeing a Naval ship away from the borders are slim. The
only reason you should see one is if their hunting rebels who escaped the
planetary bounds, or if their excorting important cargo. They do make
irregular patrols, however.
Restrictions of Macrocosm.
Macrocosm restricts all the people of the Corp to no space travel. All
cargo that might be transported is done by the government ('workers').
Although restrictive, this makes space very safe, being nearly no pirates or
other of the type traveling space (although there are some pirates posing as
visitors, ransacking the cargo ships).
Citizens from other countries are aloud to travel through space,
however, if they have the papers, the money, no criminal record (usually), and
also the right contacts. These people are registered tourists, who are watched
very closely on other planets. (There supposed to wear a green tag on their
shirts at all times, and their ship is to be registered.) Macrocosm is not a
very popular place for true tourism, however. Mainly the main reason why
Macrocosm allows anyone outside in is the political.
The safety of space travel and low crime rates is one of the reasons
many Macrocosm citizens support the government.
Macrocosm does not allow any of its citizens to have or carry weapons.
Weapons are considered contraband, and or 'black-market items'. You even need
a permit to carry a knife. The Corp does not allow mystics in their country,
and all mystic practicing citizens are killed – if they have no license. Any
one born with mystic powers and has the ability to use them, obviously
allegedly trained in the use of them, so says the Corp. All mystics in the
government are chosen early on in their life for this task.
Thus leaving the citizens weaponless, the Corp can enforce any law with
no real resistance, according to theory. This is, for the most part, rather
effective. The rebels on any planet have no means to match the marines, unless
they get weapons illegally imported or from the black-market.
Police
The marines act as a police. Most are armed with heavy duty weapons
that could vaporize a normal human in one blast, should they resist.
Crime and Law
The crime rate of nearly every planet in Macrocosm is way low, due to
the oppressive marines.
Most petty crimes are dealt with by a small jail time and a fee (a
large one). Any robbery is dealt with in a away that 10 times of what is
stolen must be paid to the victim, and a tenth more to the Corp. Robbing
someone of their money is a serious crime in the Corp. If you injure someone,
you must take to you the damage done to them, unless in the case of self
defense. If you shoot someone, you get shot. If you punch someone, the marines
get a swing at you, if you shoot a Marine, you get shot five times. This
applies only to physical damage.
Starting a
new business is a capital crime. These people are immediately fired, and
brutalized by the local vid-screen networks. Stealing stock is also a very
serious time and you lose citizenship forever with this crime.
Anyone who publicly, in an organized group or session, puts down the
Corp, are either issued a giant fine, jailed for a long time, or even fired.
Anyone caught with a weapon is fired. Anyone caught in space is
obliterated, or fired if he lands again.
There are trials, but they are sometimes easily led by favoritism or
bribery.
Rebels in Macrocosm.
Rebels are considered by the government and loyal populace to be some of the most evil people in the universe. They are called "Extreme Capitalists", and choice four-lettered words. It is not a very safe profession. Most rebels are disgruntled fired people or college students and any others who have "seen the light”. There are very few successful rebellion institutions, but the most successful is rebels are located in the Rex, Villare, and Sporin systems. They are not yet a huge threat to the empire. Rebels and most enthusiasts never, never refer to themselves or to other rebels and unionists. They find some other term. Most people often mistake the rebels to be juvenile delinquents, or just uneducated morons, but most are just as smart and educated as the common man. Many of them or more intelligent, in fact. (Educated types are more likely to rebel than less-educated types.)