TriOptimum Corporation / TRIOPT

Once news of how humanity was very nearly destroyed by SHODAN, TriOptimum’s stock plummeted, smaller corporations that had contracts with it withdrew, employees resigned in enmass, workers whistleblew, reporting massive labor and ethic violation, and the public was outraged.

Lawsuits flew in every directions from families who lost loved ones on the station and from work violations. At first TriOptimum would pay the lawsuits directly out of pocket, but soon the money began drying up. With no investors wanting to put money into the company and no new business contracts, TriOptimum became a shadow of its former glory. The creation of the UNN was the final nail on the coffin; as TriOptimum could not function other than paying lawsuit settlements.

But TriOp had thousands patents, trademarks and copyrights and hundreds of consumer brand names which were still held in good esteem, even 30 years later, when the SHODAN incident begun to be forgotten. It was not until the arrivial of the shrewd Russian ex-gangster Anatoly Korenchkin, who bought 51% of the Corporation with his millions of black market gains. Korenchkin rebuilt the company by exploiting the brands, and brought TriOptimum back to its feet.

Although the United Nations Nominate is the official government body, Korenchkin also leaned on his UNN contacts to relax technology restrictions even further. The newly relicensed TriOptimum restablished itself, as the company became the sole supplier from military hardware to consumer goods. Soon, the company’s hold on the UNN was well known, as neither could live without each other.

Korenchkin’s major asset was the employment of Marie Delacroix who worked on the first FTL starship prototype. Korenchkin saw in interstellar travel a new market that would consolidate TriOp’s monopoly.