Black Diamond Industries / BDIND

Black Diamond Industries can trace its roots back to the early 21st century when the founder, George Black, was made redundant from his engineering post during a global recession. Gambling the last of his savings and a collection of jewellery from his young wife, he put a down payment on a second-hand truck and founded his new haulage company; Diamond Haulage.

Relying on his friends and former colleagues, Black acquired many contacts within the engineering sector and soon carved out a profitable business hauling supplies and resources. So much so he was able to pay off his creditors within the first year. Before the end of his second full year, Black had encouraged a few of his friends to actually join his venture and soon he presided over a huge fleet of vehicles all servicing the very same engineering community that had set him adrift such a short time before.

Before Black’s death, Diamond Haulage had grown into Diamond Industries after swallowing up many of those same engineering firms. Now a global ‘Mega Corporation’, Diamond Industries employed millions of people and had annual profits soaring into the billions. It now incorporated multiple mining concerns across both hemispheres, so many salvage services it could cover over 90% of the world’s oceans and enough haulage firms to make it the second largest transport provider on the planet. Black even bought out his former employers!

The company name ‘Black’, contrary to popular belief, is not from the original founder. Diamond Industries adopted the name soon after its venture into space and is a reference to the, now interstellar, company going ‘into the black’ of space. ‘Diamond’ was actually George’s way of showing his appreciation for his long-suffering wife, who he had often teased because of her fondness for hard, shiny pieces of polished carbon (particularly when set in 22ct gold!). However, as it was those same pieces of carbon that helped found the company, Black named his new firm after them.

Birth of a Motto Soon after Robert Space Industries launched their pioneering ‘RSI Zeus’, the then head of Black Diamond Industries, Georgina Black, the granddaughter of George, risked all in buying a fleet of the now legendary spacecraft. Though now able to deliver goods and services to any part of the planet faster than any of her competitors, Georgina’s company started to struggle. Many customers simply did not need their goods moving so fast or could afford the risk of travelling outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. Falling into the same trap as many before her, Georgina realised too late that faster wasn’t necessarily better and efficiency was always king.

It was about this time that Black Diamond’s biggest competitor within the haulage sector, Steady Hobbart Logistics, started a hostile takeover bid. Run by a self-confessed megalomaniac, Derek Start Jr., a character universally hated by his peers, Steady Hobbart Logistics narrowly failed to acquire Black Diamond by a margin so narrow even a Vanduul’s ceremonial blade wouldn’t have fit through!

Leaving the joint board meeting after his narrow defeat, CEO Start gestured to Georgina by squeezing tight his raised fist and sneered… “I will squeeze your company for all it’s worth!”. With her company in crisis and the shock of almost losing all her family’s hard work still at the forefront of her mind, Georgina smiled back and, showing all the dignity of royalty from old, purred “We are diamonds, Derek. Pressure only makes us stronger.” And so was born the company’s motto.

Day’s later plans for the first human colony on Mars were revealed. Diamond Black Industries, being one of only a few private organisations outside of the government and military able to deal with interstellar transport (and the only company within that small group with such impressive engineering and mining credentials), won the contract to supply, support and service the massive endeavour. Humanity’s drive for the stars had started and Black Diamond Industries was, once again, on top.

Twist of Fate After years of continued success, growth and prosperity, Diamond Black Industries was still the vanguard when it came to interstellar commerce, transport, mining and engineering. Operating throughout the known galaxy (and, thanks to its well-funded exploration division, the unknown galaxy too!) offering first-class service to all. From ‘stay at home mums’ and ‘adventure-seeking Xi’an’ all the way up to the mighty UEE Navy, everyone relied upon Black Diamond Industries for some part of their daily lives.

It was this reliance that cost the company so much. In the late 2940s when the Navy’s intelligence services caught wind of possible Vanduul incursions around the Vega System, the UEE turned to Black Diamond to construct a massive, secret facility on Vega 2B. 2B was a small, distant satellite orbiting Aremis, Vega’s second planet and up and coming world.

Building bases for the Navy was not new territory for Black Diamond, even installations shrouded in the secrecy such as 2B. What was new was the speed at which the Navy required it. When the Navy made it known just how quickly they needed it, even the most enthusiastic members of the Black Diamond board swallowed hard before reciting the company’s motto (most also muttered a silent prayer straight after). The building of 2B required almost every asset Black Diamond had. Many long-standing contracts were voided as the Navy pushed the company hard. Though few knew of the impending Vanduul risk, most in the company appreciated the Navy’s urgency and subsequently pushed even harder.

In order to maintain security and the illusion of normality, the Navy stayed away from 2B as much as possible so, on the day of the fateful attack, Black Diamond Industries was being protected by its own security division. Run by a cantankerous former Navy pilot and descendant of the original founder, Sheila Black was the epitome of a combat pilot. A veteran of countless wars and skirmishes, she carried the many scars on her demure 5’4 frame to prove it. Years later even her own son admitted that “…she was only ever good at two things and both of them were combat.” Unfortunately, her unit was trained and equipped to deal with pirates and though expert at protecting the company’s assets, with odds approaching 25 to 1, they were in no position to deal with a full-on Vanduul invasion.

With the resulting massacre, to all intense purposes, Black Diamond Industries ceased to exist. Only the upper echelons of the Navy brass knew the reasons for its disappearance. They were also the only ones that knew Black Diamond’s sacrifice had delayed the Vanduul attack just long enough for them to save what little they could from the now infamous Vega system. All the rest of the galaxy would ever know is that the company had cancelled its contracts and vanished.

From the Ashes Of the company’s board of directors, only three of them were still alive…

Max Ludicrous: A talented aerospace engineer who, after a bout of illness, had been convalescing on his family’s farm. Max was due to return to 2B the day before the attack but a communications SNAFU between the company insurers and his doctors delayed his return and therefore saved his life.

Jack S. Wilkinson: A former chemical engineer of renowned ability who was only recently promoted to the board. Jack, or ‘Swilky’ as he prefers to be called, had been sent personally to courier Max’s ‘return to duty’ documentation after fouling up the normal electronic transfer. So the SNAFU that saved Max’s life also saved Jacks.

Morpheus Black: A gifted pilot who had initially turned his nose up at the family business and followed his mother, Sheila Black, into the Navy. Morpheus, or MagicM0E as his comrades called him, the only surviving heir of the Black dynasty, had been with his unit in Kilian, certifying on the Navy’s new toy, the Sabre, at the time of the attack.

After being granted permanent leave from the Navy on compassionate grounds, the first instinct of Morpheus was to head to Vega and seek revenge. It took the combined persuasions of both Max and Swilky to convince him that, if his mother and almost her entire security division could not beat the Vanduul, then Morpheus, armed with little more than his burning rage, was unlikely to fare much better.

Eventually ceding to better judgement, Morpheus rounded up the last few remnants of Black Diamond Industries and, together with Max and Swilky, set off to the far side of the galaxy to start again.

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