Intarem Report

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Purpose: To assess the capabilities, relations, and history of the Intarem mega-conglomerate, and to recommend actions going forward.
Author(s): Ranger Ezekiel McNamara, Ranger Juan Guerra, Dr. Abdu Abara
Commissioned By: GD-XENO, GD-BONDS.
To: GD-XENO, GD-BONDS, GD-WILD, Galactic Treaty Council.
Date: 12/03/2009


Prelude - A Short History:

Intarem is a multi-industry, interstellar mega-conglomerate based in Consortium space,1 which has existed to maintain the "Illusion of Normalcy" for most of its history. Their publicly displayed history remains accurate only for the past 400 years, after which much has been purposefully obfuscated and buried as per the desires of both Intarem higher-ups and Consortium governing bodies.

Intarem was initially founded as an anomaly cleanup and containment organization ~4500 years ago when several previous front corporations for their predecessor, the East Ocean Contracting Company, consolidated and merged. Publicly, this move was done to ensure continued economic stability for the companies involved, citing issues of market volatility brought about by the lightening laws against monopolies and the initiation of the interstellar age. Privately, this was due to the EOCC's weakening control over the Zidophant anomalous sphere.

Overtime, the company would be further forced to lessen anomaly adjacent operations as their services were less and less needed. The first of these operations to be discontinued being the "Collective Conservation Programs"2 some time between ~3950-3800 years ago. This decision was controversial within the company, since it had previously been vital to the justification of their organization's existence. However, it was also the most costly of their operations and with its ceasing symbolized the beginning of a "disillusioned" zido race. Knowledge of the anomalous was allowed to slowly spread throughout the public unabated. The era of the Illusion of Normalcy had formally ended.

In place of anomaly containment and concealment services, Intarem switched to focus on shipping, manufacturing, and resource extraction operations. Having maintained for the last ~2000 years a network of shipping lanes, processing centers, factories, and spaceports across Consortium territory which specializes in moving, distributing, and producing mass amounts of generic household goods along with cheap industrial materials. Additionally, they in the past devoted significant resources to establishing dominance in the methane harvesting industry. Giving the company significant insurance against market competitors; however, this control has been waning in recent years as will be expanded upon later.

In the past 1000 years they have been making frequent deals with Consortium governmental bodies which often give them major control over the aforementioned industries within agreed borders. The most major of these having been the Ti'Likom Agreement, which granted Intarem a complete monopoly over the aforementioned industries in 113 of Zidophant core-systems.


Current State of Intarem:

Intarem is currently estimated to be the 15th most powerful brand in Consortium economics and stands as the primary manufacturer of consumer and industrial mass-produced goods for the Consortium public and its fellow corporations. Present in the majority of Consortium controlled systems, they possess an employee count in the trillions and varying levels of control over hundreds of worlds.

Despite this incredible reach and influence, Intarem has not seen a net-increase in annual profits for the last 500 years. The company has been reducing operations and selling assets across the board in order to maintain an unstable lead on its market competitors. The colonies which it controls have fallen into disorganization and disarray as the corporation neglects to properly support them. Incidents of local populations attempting to resist the company have been documented, but they were often quietly and quickly resolved by deployment of mercenary forces. Further, unacknowledged incidents are suspected, but difficult to prove.

The main cause for this decline is a lack of innovation in their product lines. Intarem is constantly being outdone by emergent competitors with better connections to and investments in research operations/organizations. Some examples of this shortcoming in effect include:

  • NewBreath Incorporated: Created several highly advanced methane harvesting apparatuses. Acquired as a subsidiary of Standard Gyro-Met3 157 years ago following declaration of bankruptcy. Estimated to have costed Intarem an average of 29% of their annual profits in the methane industry from 1802 to today.
  • Polyosis: Greatly improved upon Intarem designs for home furniture and continues to produce innovative interior decorations. Founded in collaboration between former Intarem engineers and low-ranking Standard Gyro-Met executives. Estimated to cost Intarem an average of 13% of their annual profits in the home decoration industry from 1990 to today.

This lack of research interest is partly due to a complacent leadership who believes Intarem possesses the resources to maintain market dominance through attrition. While this has been true thus far, with most market competitors having gone into bankruptcy within decades of forming, brands such as Standard Gyro-Met and En'ith's Paragons4 have expressed interest in deposing Intarem from its current position in favor of a more controllable replacement.

Based on current data, Intarem is predicted to enter into bankruptcy within the next 150 to 200 years should it continue with its current strategy. It is unknown at this time whether Intarem is aware of these estimates.

Since 13/07/1928, Intarem, along with numerous other Consortium-based groups, has also been contributing notable resources to sabotaging member states of the Interstellar Cooperative. The exact extent of these operations remains unclear as the bulk of them consist of espionage enacted indirectly through independent and mercenary forces. Conversely, a number of operations against Intarem have been tied to Cooperative affiliated groups and individuals.


GT involvement:

For the bulk of Intarem's history with the Galactic Treaty it has been neutral, if standoffish. More concerned with keeping its assets secured than attempting to acquire new ones. The few direct actions it did make against the GT, such as the Merchia IV Incident5 and the Voyson Altercation,6 ended in intervention from both the Psy and Pro Corps, along with, failed, attempts to fine the company. Because of this, Intarem has been outright prohibited from operating in many GT systems by local governing bodies who fear they will again attempt to subvert local interests.

In recent years, Intarem has been expanding into FSM space in collaboration with human-led organizations. While they claim this is simply being done out of interest in expanding into the opening markets brought about by Consortium-FSM agreements, intelligence points to this being an effort to turn humanity into a client species under Intarem. Likely hoping that monopolizing human labor would give them an easy advantage in the market over their competitors. GT aligned organizations are currently attempting to subvert these plans, but are having their efforts hampered by actions on part of FSM leadership.


Protection Corps Actions:

Despite the overall relationship between the GT and Intarem, the GRPC continues to maintain an ongoing, working relationship with the company. With Intarem's permission, Rangers have been allowed to assist in escorting or rescuing Intarem assets present in Wild Space. Rewarded in return by samples of whatever cargo is recovered and payment from rescued employees.

Additionally, the GRPC has been brought in to assist in the ongoing containment of 17 anomalous phenomena still under Intarem's purview. While they have not been given significant control over these operations, nor financial compensation for assistance, they are nonetheless allowed operational information otherwise kept classified from all but Intarem higher ups and containment staff. In return for this trust, the GRPC keeps this information secured and supplies whatever resources, within reason, which are necessary to maintain containment.

The GRPC has also been called upon to assist in an ongoing conflict between Intarem’s Wild Space personnel and Kymen Old Path cells. The conflict was instigated when Old Path cells began raiding Intarem facilities and then refused to surrender stolen cargo. It should be noted that 7 diplomats from the company were also murdered, but their contribution to the initiation of conflict is debated. GRPC-Intarem joint operations have included, but are not limited to:

  • Assassinations of Old Path commanders and influential supporters
  • Invasions of orbital stations and terrestrial encampments
  • Disruption of supply and communication lines
  • Multiple (failed) attempts at capturing Path Cell leader, Ohtli ███ Yaotl Xiuhcoatl █████ ████ ████████

Recommendations:

In regards to the above-mentioned report, we recommend:

  1. GT aligned corporations, organizations, and governing bodies continue to impede Intarem expansion into FSM space.
  2. GRPC continues to assist Intarem when requested to.
  3. GRPC gathers more information on the anomalies which were/are in Intarem's possession.
  4. GRPC continues to monitor Intarem's and its competitors' commercial actions.
  5. GT diplomats continue to assist the FSM in ensuring they aren't harmed by deals with Intarem.
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