Titan Union / TITANUNION

Mentor is the more tranquil of the two university planets in the Rhetor system. It is there that the beginnings of the ideas behind Titan Inc. grew inside the mind of Bennett Steele. The study of Economics came as naturally to him as breathing; it was no big surprise he was already dreaming of setting up his own enterprise. He was not alone in this; Peter Chapman was an old friend of Steele, they had known each other growing up on Terra. So when the time came to study abroad, Chapman followed Steele in his studies.

However, whilst Chapman and Steele formed the basis for Titan Inc., they could not turn their dreams into a reality alone; others they met on Mentor would become integral to the development of the company. The first of these was Amelia Turner. Though not a student on Mentor, she encountered the pair whilst enjoying leave on the planet when she was stationed in Persei with UEE forces.
The fourth and final participant in the foundation of Titan Inc. was Mark Harolds. He was also enrolled on Mentor, however the precise nature of his studies remains unknown. It is thought that his academic failure was so great that he was thus forced to become involved in the more clandestine practices of corporate business.

It was after their graduation that Steele and Chapman truly began to formalise their idea. The plans started to take a more coherent form and, through rallying investors and acquiring assets, they founded Titan Incorporated. Initially only a cargo hauling and trading company, Titan Inc. experienced fierce competition from other, more established companies. Despite this, clever advertising and bold economic predictions saw the profit margin rise, making expansion a real possibility.

Trade lanes grew, partners increased and shareholders profited. Success, however, is fated to walk hand-in-hand with risk. Longer routes meant greater profits, but also a greater possibility that the cargo would be intercepted by any privateer with the gall and ambition to plunder the trade lanes. At first, the pirate threat was manageable, kept at bay through hiring mercenaries and specialised security forces to protect the cargo vessels. This worked, for a time. The protection this security provided was erratic at best.
Deeming the dependence on outside contractors to be too unreliable, the decision was made to form a security branch within Titan Inc.

There could be no better candidate for such a task than Amelia Turner. Having fulfilled her obligations to the military, and hearing of the difficulties experienced by the fledgling Titan Inc., she felt the time was right to transition into a more lucrative profession. Her offered services were gladly accepted; joined by fellow ex-UEE servicemen and women, Turner formed the core of the new Titan Inc. Security Department, with an aim to providing a more robust protection to the vulnerable cargo ships.

The improved security of the trading convoys saw revenue rise to new heights. Titan Inc.’s motto became: “When good quality needs great security”, referring to both the transport services and the protection that accompanied them.

Growing ever larger and expanding outward into new systems, Titan Incorporated found itself unable to remain under the radar. Other, more established companies began to take an interest in their new-found rivals; they would not tolerate an upstart usurping any of their hard-earned capital. Resistance was severe, both in legal and illegal actions.

This was a danger Titan Inc. hadn’t encountered before; shipments went missing while in storage, pilots suddenly resigned and resurfaced days later working for the company’s competitors. They were dire times. And dire times necessitate extreme measures.
Chapman in particular appreciated the need for urgent action. Recalling Mark Harolds’ affinity for illicit activities, Chapman resolved to locate him and enlist his help in countering the threat posed by the rival corporations.
Harolds had, unfortunately, found himself to be in heavy debt with an underground triad on Terra, the Blackwings. Chapman, upon learning of Harolds’ predicament, and in spite of his misgivings as to his trustworthiness, left for Terra accompanied by Turner, in the hope of locating Harolds before any real harm could come to him.

They found Harolds soon enough, beset by Blackwing thugs. With the aid of a little forceful persuasion on Turner’s behalf, Harolds was successfully extracted from the planet to the safety of his saviours’ vessel. Harolds, grateful yet wary of the unexpected help, listened to their request and deemed it better for his own health to lay low for a while. Joining a corporation would serve as ideal cover, as well as protection from the violent tendencies of the Triads.

Thus the Syndicate branch was founded, with the aim of exposing any attempts made by Titan Inc.’s rivals to undermine the stability of the company. Buoyed by his recent successes, Harolds deemed it prudent to expand into more offensive actions himself, sabotaging the company’s competitors whilst securing a steady income for his branch. Naturally, the upper management of Titan Incorporated were unaware of this unplanned expansion; the less they knew, the less they’d need to conceal from the authorities.

The respective branches of Titan Inc. all operated at peak efficiency, for a time at least. But having all these branches together inevitably caused a conflict of interest: Security needed more men for protective duties; Trade complained about lack of funds for new merchant vessels and the way in which their profits were allocated to the other branches. The Syndicate made few complaints, instead invoking ill-feeling from other branches due to their brazen methods in dealing with both pirates and corporations.

Events came to a head when a large merchant vessel was lost to a raid by pirates, retaliating against action taken by the Syndicate Branch. The resulting inquiry served only to antagonise relations between the branches. Was The Syndicate responsible for provoking the pirates? Security, due to their inability to protect the vessel? Or the Trading branch for taking greater risks in order to reduce travel time and expense? The endless finger-pointing put the company on the verge of total collapse.

Realising the disparity between the aims and objectives of each branch, the decision was made by Steele to separate the different branches into their own, self-contained administration. The leader of each branch would become a member of the Titan Board where mutual cooperation and goals could be discussed and assets distributed.
Each branch could not achieve their goals alone and would require the assistance of the other branches in their completion.
Heading this new Titan Union would be the President, a role created in order to provide stability and maintain the unity of the company. Steele took on this role himself. The now separate Trading branch was to be lead by Chapman. Turner and Harolds retained their respective positions as leaders of the Security and Syndicate branches.

The Titan Union, due to its separate yet cooperative nature, enjoyed a new era of prosperity. The safety provided by the Security and Syndicate ensured that trade, our trade, grew faster and further than ever before, acting as a catalyst for the expansion and development of the Union.
Exploration, scientific research, nurturing contact with alien races; the Titan Union grew to become a multifaceted force.

In the present day, the founding fathers are no more. Leaders have come and gone, yet still the Union thrives, unsullied by the passing of time. Yet more challenges still await, as the universe is vast indeed and its inhabitants many.