Korolev

The Korolev is a faction in The Cycle.

Game
Korolev Heavy Industries operates practically everywhere there are humans, building large scale and cheap structures along with the machines needed to build them and the myriad of tools required for life outside of the core systems.

With known ties to powerful political factions and dominance in multiple markets, Korolev has found itself with more money and power than it knows what to do with, or is allowed to by the ever-watchful Federation.

Korolev is biased towards heavy weapons and armor, at the expense of speed and adaptability.

Lore
Korolev Heavy Industries operates practically everywhere you find humans, building large scale, cheap structures including stations, ships, and habitats, along with the machinery needed for their construction, a myriad of industrial tools, and of course, weapons.

A prime example of a 24th century megacorporation, Korolev wishes to be so vast and all-encompassing that it could be entirely self-sustaining, having its own stations and planetary cities, with their own schools, hospitals, and local industries manufacturing everything they need internally. For the majority of the population living in federal space, however, Korolev is simply a name they might remember having seen at a construction site, on the side of a ship, or mentioned in an economic newscast, as they’re rarely involved in consumer products or invest in PR. Many may see Korolev as the poster child for an “evil megacorp”, but one could argue that they are successful player in a cruel system: a corporation operating under near non-existent regulations with extremely beneficial personal ties to major political powers. Their only real desire is to maximize profitability in whatever way possible. Internally Korolev is organized by strict company rules and regulations, with little room for personalities outside of the highest echelons. Heavy factionalization, competition between departments and regional offices over influence and budgets means there’s hardly any cohesive direction, other than constant expansion.

Korolev sent a fleet out to Fortuna III soon after the news of its existence hit Earth. However, they arrived after the start and stabilization of the Cycle, along with a mass of colonists and smaller corporations. At this point Prospect Station was already acting as a permanent habitat for the former settlers, and the ICA was well established as the local authority.

In the face of the stream of additional colonists stranded in orbit, the Intersystem Federal Authority (IFA), offering generous compensations, instructed Korolev to “improve” Prospect Station with their industrial and organizational know-how, leading them to attach their larger freighters to the station. While most of the Korolev fleet would leave for another system, enough personnel remained to manage the corporation’s interests on the planet, with the eventual goal of ensuring that if/once the Cycle ended, Korolev would be in the best position to enforce their claims and exploit the planet.

Korolev’s interests in Fortuna III are fairly basic:


 * 1) Claim major areas for mass exploitation of Veltecite and other natural resources.
 * 2) Build infrastructure for other corporations, military, and civilians.
 * 3) Become an integral part of the planetary economy and corporate power structure.

None of this is entirely achievable while the Cycle remains active. Thus, Korolev’s presence on Prospect Station is mainly focused on ensuring its political presence among other factions and preparing for a swift response in the event that the Cycle is stopped or tamed. To achieve these goals, they invest in acquiring resources from the planet to construct their various wares, support research into possible ways to overcome the Cycle, and keep other factions in check. Since much of the current station was built by Korolev personnel, their expertise and machinery continues to be essential for its maintenance and expansion.

The corporation’s great successes and dominance in the construction and mining industries have made other factions resent them, but their connections with political factions and lack of scruples in the use of criminal elements make them a difficult target to undermine, and they’re too massive to simply attack outright. Taking advantage of criminal elements to sabotage Korolev’s interests however, now that is a whole different story…

Leadership
On Prospect station, Korolev is represented by Vadim Tanayev, the first cousin once removed of the megacorp’s CEO, but he’s better known as the socialite responsible for quite a few fantastically expensive and embarrassing corporate missteps. A cynical observer might argue that he was promoted way past his expertise and remains a perfect example of the dangers of nepotism. They wouldn’t be wrong.

As it stands, he did face some consequences. As punishment for his failures and eccentricities he was sent to oversee the corporation’s interests at the edge of civilization. Ever the opportunist, he’s made the best of his new “disgraced” position by letting the inertia of his company’s clout handle itself; after all, everyone needs Korolev, from the station engineers and competing factions, to the lowly Prospectors going about their business on the planet. Meanwhile Tanayev is still living a life of hedonistic leisure as one of the station’s elites.

Korolev usually holds contacts with Prospectors through dry and direct contract statements, but Mr. Tanayev finds the toiling of Prospectors on the planet fascinating enough to communicate with them directly for important, or amusing, matters; if he must live in a circus, why not enjoy the full spectacle?

KOR-47
The KOR Bullpup automatic Rifle 2247, more commonly known as the KOR-47 is the signature weapon of Korolev Heavy Industries and a mainstay of many national and private armed forces.

Heavy and made to last, the KOR-47 has a lower firing rate than most competing weapons in its class, but its devastating 9.80mm JSP rounds messily make up the difference.

KARLA
The Korolev Anti-material Repeating Light Artillery, or KARLA, was originally intended as a vehicle-mounted weapon, but advanced recoil management allowed Korolev to produce a portable version for use without a warsuit.

The KARLA howitzer is fairly unwiedly and suffers from a low rate of fire, but it’s able to neutralize even heavily armored targets with ease.

KARMA-1
The Korolev Advanced Recursive Magnetic Artillery, first prototype, is a miniaturization of the sort of weaponry more commonly found on warships, offered exclusively to the Prospectors for early testing. While no longer powerful enough to take down a spacecraft, it’s more than enough to handle the threats of Fortuna III.

While heavy and requiring a charge-up to fire, a direct hit from the KARMA-1 will cripple if not outright kill anything in its path and the raw kinetic power of its projectiles will damage anything unfortunate enough to be near the impact area.

PKR Maelstrom
Korolev’s first attempt at building a phase weapon, the ammo pack of the Phase-Kinetic Reactive “Maelstrom” carries more than enough energy to fulminate whatever gets in its way in a matter of seconds, provided it’s close enough.

Though unconventional, the crystal fragments fired by this weapon carry enough kinetic and thermal energy to defeat light armor and inflict terrible wounds.

russian, faction, korolev, damage faction, explosive faction