"Kid take my advice, keep your head down, cash your paychecks and don't ask questions, this company hasn't lasted eight centuries by playing nice"
Headquarters:
Tellus
Sothal Station
Moebius
Founded by: Vladimir Kennex
Current CEO: Marius Kennex-Dylatlov
Years Active: 2200-Present
Ethnicity: Primarily Human
Major Activities: R&D
Defence
Colonisation
Terraforming
Pharmaceuticals
Procurement and Experimentation of Leviathan Samples
Entertainment
Rivals:
Sayali Dynamics
Spire Biotechnica
One of the largest corporations in the Inaius cluster, Kennex Aerospace has stood at the forefront of human civilization for generations, pioneers of cutting edge technologies and innovative business strategies the company is now a ubiquitous player in human affairs in the sector. While the corporation has undoubtedly greatly benefitted human efforts to colonize the sector their public face as an altruistic entity conceals a dark history of amoral decision making and ruthless political manoeuvring.
History
Founded during the early 2200s by self-made billionaire and inventor Vladimir Kennex, the company was responsible for numerous innovations that helped the Tellusian republic and later other human nations to rapidly colonize the Inaius sector. Notable contributions included improved FTL engines which halved space travel times, sophisticated cryosleep tech which allowed large numbers of colonists to safely travel to new homes and complex atmospheric alteration devices which were able to terraform the often hostile environments of the Inaius cluster.
In 2294 Vladimir Kennex died following a prolonged battle with Corinthian's disease, his immediate successor, Lyudmilla Kennex continued to push the envelope of human expansion all while navigating the increasingly unstable politics of the Tellusian republic. During the years of unrest that preceded the exile of the telepaths, there were rumours that Kennex facilities were deliberately experimenting on human test subjects in an effort to study and weaponize psychic abilities. The rumour was promptly dismissed as conspiratorial ramblings, a fact aided by the Kennex corporations ties to the Tellusian senate and extensive lobbying, when the telepaths fled Tellus in 2998 for what would later become Moebius, the rumours vanished with them.
By the 2310s Lyudmilla had seen fit to develop several branches outside of republic territory, notably, the Sothal station and Leningrad colony became major sites for Kennex aerospace in the frontier. Lydumilla would go on to unveil a mass communication relay in 2312 that enabled communications between systems across the Inaius cluster, the Kurakin relay station was famously christened as the first such facility in the frontier, enabling close communication for regional colonies with Tellus for the first time.
During the Sekari wars, the company greatly expanded its defence portfolio by supplying the republic military with advanced weaponry and powerful new vessels, rumours that they may have potentially engaged in double-dealing were never substantiated. A scandal in the early 2400s was leaked to the Tellusian media, information suggesting that convicts, transients and prisoners of war were being used as test subjects for chemical weapons supplied to the republic shocked many in the general public. Unsurprisingly given the corruption in the republic senate and the immense pressure that the corporation could exert, the footage was dismissed as falsified propaganda and the journalists who leaked the footage were handed lengthy jail sentences.
In 2580 Kennex Aerospace was granted a license to operate within Moebian space, while unable to act with impunity as they did in Tellusian space, the corporation promptly took advantage of the United Republic liberal pharmaceutical laws. Kennex Pharma became one of several major subsidiaries that the corporation operated outside of Tellusian territory, the recreational drug "Bliss" was trademarked by KP in 2585, the drug produced feelings of euphoria and connection between both telepaths and non-telepaths. What was not mentioned was the extensive testing done on convicted felons at corporate black sites in the frontier, the seemingly innocent drug originally designed to turn human beings into obedient slaves, whilst Bliss was realised to the public "Thrall" was secretly sold to private militaries, criminal syndicates and even the republic military. Thrall proved invaluable as a tool for interrogation, acting as a potent truth serum, however, it also caused psychosis and brain damage when ingested, typically killing or crippling its victims.
In 2630 an outbreak of the Wailing sickness was successfully cured using medicines distributed by Kennex Pharma to several frontier colonies, Kennex scientists made sure to keep samples of the illness for future use. Kennex continued to exert heavy influence over medicine and technology within the Frontier, several colonies becoming so dependent upon shipments from the corporation that they effectively became unofficial subsidiaries of the company. Competition in the ship components market became notably fierce in the 2700s with the independent colony of Vega forming an alliance with rival corp Sayali dynamics, for the next three centuries both companies would wage a hidden and overt conflict over the frontier worlds.
A slump in demand for ship components caused the company to enter a period of diminished earnings and influence in 2740, during this time the company survived by refitting several of its carrier fleets and frontier outposts to serve as penal colonies. Deals struck with several major governments in Inaius, both human and alien, saw the corporation transport millions of unfortunate souls to barren prison worlds across the frontier. The prisons provided a constant stream of revenue and a vast indentured workforce that could be exploited with no repercussions.
in 2840 numerous riots on penal colonies operated by Kennex in the frontier alarmed the companies board of directors. The company responded by creating its own private military forces, doing away with its previous policy of recruiting mercenaries as external contractors. Kennex Securities became one of the most well trained and ruthless private military companies in the sector, operating on a policy of service to any client willing to pay, the PMC quickly became a premium option for both human and alien governments that could afford it. Rumours of black operations units operating with impunity across Inaius soon spread like wildfire, unbeknownst to the wider public, several Tellusian senators would make use of the PMC's ops units to eliminate dissent and rivals, thus further cementing the companies already pervasive influence within the republic.
in the 2900s several extrasolar colonies were set up in the deep frontier, their purpose to study newly discovered alien ruins found there, Avalon, Tardor III and KE-47, initial theories posited by Kennex researchers suggested that the deep frontier had once been populated by a multitude of thriving alien societies, all mysteriously collapsing in a short space of time. in the late 2490's the discovery of strange alien lifeforms on the planet Avalon was to have terrible repercussions for the frontier and the wider universe.
Using Kennex Aerospace in Inaius RP's
Kennex Aerospace ranks as one of the most amoral and machiavellian organisations ever to stalk the stars of Inaius, nothing is sacred for this organisation and no methods are too brutal or unsavoury. Upper management will happily justify these unethical tendencies as necessary both for the survival of humanity and the advancement of human interests in the cluster. The fact that they regularly trade with aliens as well and the disturbing tendencies of the corporation to engage in human exploitation and experimentation are typically swept under the rug or obscured behind arguments of the greater good. It is of course true that the company has helped humanity to thrive in Inaius, their innovations brought mankind to countless worlds and helped them hold on to them after settlement, but these advances seldom came without harm.
There are clear cut hierarchies within the corporation, often reflecting the stagnant situation in wider Tellusian society, executives and upper echelons are almost always cherry-picked from ancient and obscenely wealthy families. Middle management is typically an ad-hoc mixture of new money and upstart business clans from the old republic, these lesser players are obsessed with advancement and will engage in ruthless tactics to do so, the company encourages and rewards unquestioning obedience to directives and profit above all else. Everyone else is drawn to the corporation via a mix of opportunism and desperation, scientists and engineers flock to the corporation hoping to make it big, menial labourers and the rank and file are often just looking for a steady paycheck and an escape from the mega slums.
Kennex can represent a villain seeking to capitalize upon the many dangers within the Inaius universe, they are nothing if not prolific, they might also serve as a means to flesh out human life in the 2900's thanks to their extensive product lines and wide reach. In terms of Leviathan based stories the company is an insidious player in the chaos that the virus spreads, they will do anything to weaponize and monetize the virus and care little who they step on to do so. Kennex aerospace is active in the frontier( what will later become the dead zone) and its agents are spread across the region as they try to advance the companies goals, often triggering outbreaks or worsening existing situations as they do so. Feel free to use Kennex as you see fit, just remember to keep the companies bottom line.