Portfolio: Hurston Dynamics

With a history stretching back over five hundred years, Hurston Dynamics is noteworthy for being not only one of the oldest continuously operated family businesses in the Empire, but also for owning its own planet in the Stanton system. A claim that only three other corporations can match. Tracing its lineage through 15 generations of Hurstons, the company made its fortune as an arms manufacturer, selling a wide range of weapons to the military and, more recently, to civilians. In addition, Hurston Dynamics produces many of the refined materials and components that other weapon manufacturers rely on. The saying goes that every time a shot is fired in the Empire, there is a good chance a Hurston is behind it.

Even with centuries of recorded history, current CEO “Colonel” Gavin E. Hurston likes to claim that his family can actually trace its heritage back even farther to an 11th-century weaponsmith renowned for forging swords. He even goes so far as proudly decorating his office with priceless relics from this era. However, most historians agree that the Hurston family as we know it got its start in the 25th century with company patriarch Solomon Hurston.

GOING FOR BROKER
In 2438, Humanity made contact with an alien species for the first time. While the Banu would prove ultimately to be peaceful, the discovery that there were potentially other civilizations among the stars initiated a multitude of new policies for the UNE, including a drastic increase in military spending to prepare for worst-case scenarios. Many leapt at this chance to capitalize on this sudden glut of military contracts, Solomon Hurston among them. Earning a living as a middleman, Solomon didn’t bother producing goods himself but would instead bid on government contracts and source the supplies at a lower price, earning a profit on the difference. When a contract requisitioning lasers for a series of military space-defense platforms was announced, Solomon found the perfect company to source the lasers from. Cheap and up-to-spec, the only issue was that the company was going out of business and wouldn’t be able to produce enough lasers in time. He took a risky loan and bought the company, transforming it into Hurston Dynamics and marking the Hurston family’s first foray into weapon production.

RISE OF A DYNASTY
Buoyed by the influx of government money, Solomon was able to turn a profit from the struggling weapon production facility. Over the next several years, Hurston Dynamics expanded its operations, going on to produce not only lasers but numerous specialized parts and components. Exclusively focusing on niche products that had few competitors, Solomon secured more and more contracts for his company. By 2460, Hurston Dynamics was a major military manufacturer and, to help him handle the company’s swift growth, the extended Hurston family was brought in to manage operations.

As a child, Solomon had always heard stories of how successful his mother, Janice Delong, had been. However, shortly after he had been born, she had passed away and the company she had founded continued on without her family receiving anything for her efforts. As the Hurstons struggled for years to make ends meet, Solomon had sworn that if he was ever successful, he would see that first and foremost his family was always taken care of. He was true to his word.

Hurston Dynamics would continue to expand, buying small companies, mines, and suppliers in order to meet the demands of its large portfolio of government contracts. With each acquisition, a Hurston family member would be placed at its head to run it. Importantly though, while Solomon believed firmly in family first, he also believed in having to earn your place at the table. Hurstons were expected to work hard to maintain their positions or risk being cut out of the family fortune. Solomon’s own son, Darrington Hurston, was a prime example of what could happen if someone proved unworthy of their birthright.

THE COST OF BUSINESS
The problem with relying so heavily on government contract bids is that in order to stay ahead, Hurston Dynamics had to ensure that it continued to offer the best price on bids while maximizing profits. Darrington Hurston was placed in charge of a factory that produced mag-resistors, but the cost of manufacturing them was so high that they were barely breaking even. Rather than trying to improve production methods or negotiate better material prices, Darrington decided to cut corners. This choice disastrously backfired when a railgun accident involving malfunctioning Hurston mag-resistors took the lives of multiple navy personnel.

The response was swift and Hurston Dynamics’ reputation was nearly ruined, losing several important contracts. Darrington was fired and it would take years for the company to regain the government’s trust. Solomon swore that the company would never again sacrifice quality in order to make a profit, and the company has adhered to that in the centuries since. Instead, they have earned a reputation for cutting costs everywhere else they can except for the product.

One main method used over years has been to utilize the most cost-effective production methods no matter their environmental impact. Sited frequently as one of the worst polluting companies in the UEE, Hurston Dynamics began moving its operations to locations with fewer regulations where it could legally use lower cost but environmentally unfriendly production methods. Decades of citations show that the company is even willing to skirt the law if it believes the fines will cost it less over time than upgrading its production to less-polluting methods.

The other cost-saving measure Hurston is notorious for implementing is connected to its hiring practices. In the early 26th century, under the leadership of Arial Hurston, the company’s third CEO, a new hiring contract called the Life/Labor-style employee agreement would be implemented.

Promising to offer stable employment, the potential employee would be locked into a years-long agreement at a fixed rate. While it would seem attractive at the time to have a guaranteed job for years to come, the employee would have little hope of advancement and no option to leave the company without paying an exorbitant cancellation fee. Though many critics have compared the contract to wage slavery, government authorities that continue to work with Hurston Dynamics point out that the agreements are considered to be legal under current labor laws. Despite the questionable labor and environmental records, Hurston Dynamics has had decades of growth and prosperity leading eventually to the company’s most ambitious expansion project, the purchase of Stanton I.

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME
In 2853, lead researcher Aberdeen Hurston helped the company secure an extremely lucrative contract to produce antimatter warheads after the former supplier had a containment breach at its main facility. Within a few short years, this new department would prove to be one of the company’s most profitable until it ran into a serious roadblock when a regular source of refined antimatter was unable to be secured. After being denied access to material being produced at QuarterDeck prison’s refinement facility, Hurston began the arduous process of constructing refineries itself. Because antimatter is extremely dangerous to handle there are severe restrictions on where facilities can be located and numerous laws regarding their operation that makes them costly to operate. In order to return to profitability, the company needed a better solution.

One presented itself in 2865 when the UEE announced that for the first time it was making planets available for private purchase. The four worlds of the Stanton system were to be auctioned off and Magda Hurston was convinced that Hurston Dynamics needed to own one of them. With its own planet, it would be self-governing and no longer subject to the same restrictions that had stymied it elsewhere. Additionally, it would have all the benefits that came with operating within the Empire itself. It would be a major purchase, but one that could finally allow the company to reach its full potential.

So with a vote of 5 to 3, the Hurston Dynamics board heeded Magda’s advice and purchased the rocky super-Earth, Stanton I. After minor terraforming to bring the world up to habitable standards, Hurston moved in and began working towards getting a full return on its considerable investment. Now CEO, Magda led the way on constructing massive mining operations across the planet and saw the establishment of a brand-new antimatter refinery. Facilities that would have taken years to construct under full UEE regulations could be built within months. Following the economic theory that the planet was only losing value every year thanks to inflation, Magda believed it was important that value be recuperated as quickly as possible. Any areas that were deemed to have little resource value were repurposed for factories, research centers, and weapon testing, or in the case of one particular large swath of land, made into the planet’s capital city, Lorville. The urban sprawl of the city houses almost all of the planet’s population and workforce, with the massive Hurston Dynamics Central Tower overlooking it all as a monument to the family’s legacy.

Though only there a few short decades, the company’s impact on the planet can already be seen. Environmental activists are protesting the pollution spreading across much of its surface while labor activists protest the conditions under which Hurston employees toil. Yet, at the heart of everything stands the Hurston family’s undeniable success built upon generations of hard work and amazing business acumen.

Dieser Artikel über Hurston Dynamics, einen der Waffenhersteller von Star Citizen, erschien erstmals im letzten Monat im Jump Point! Das Jump Point Magazin ist nur für Entwicklungsabonnenten erhältlich und enthält exklusive Artikel über die Entstehung von Star Citizen und das Star Citizen Universum. An diesem Freitag wird ein neuer Jump Point eröffnet, mit brandneuer Fiktion, Informationen über die Entwicklung der Wirtschaft von Star Citizen und mehr!

Historie
Hurston Dynamics ist der führende Produzent und Vertreiber von Quantenkaskadenlasern und einer Vielzahl von Elektronenkanonen im Vereinigten Reich der Erde. Sie sind auch der größte externe Produzent von Standard-Munitionsgefechtsköpfen für militärische Aufträge und der drittgrößte Veredler von Antimaterievorläufern in der heutigen Wirtschaft. Obwohl nur wenige Fertigprodukte den Namen Hurston tragen, finden sich ihre Rohstoffe und hergestellten Komponenten heute in fast jedem Stück der Raumfahrttechnik im Flug.

Kopien von Hurston-Werkzeugen werden in Produktionsstätten in der ganzen Galaxie verwendet, wobei illegale Kopien sogar die Grenze für den Einsatz in Xi'An-Produktionszentren überschreiten.

Die Hurston-Familie hilft den Menschen seit Generationen, Krieg gegeneinander zu führen. Sie können den Namen fünfhundert Jahre zurückverfolgen, bis hin zur Entwicklung der ersten Leistungslaser für weltraumgestützte Plattformen. Phantasievollere Familiengeschichten verbinden die heutigen Hurstons mit dem dunklen Zeitalter der Erde und geben der Familie alles, von Breitäxten und Armbrüsten über Starrflügelflugzeuge bis hin zu Atomwaffen. Der derzeitige Patriarch, "Colonel" Gavin E. Hurston, nimmt diese Hintergrundgeschichte von ganzem Herzen an, schmückt sein Büro mit Jahrtausenden von Tötungswerkzeugen und versorgt die Werbe- und Unternehmenskultur des Unternehmens nach Möglichkeit mit mittelalterlichen Waffen.

Was auch immer die wahre Geschichte ist, das alte Sprichwort hat sich mit der heutigen Generation als richtig erwiesen: Krieg ist gut für das Geschäft. Hurston Dynamics ist eines der seltenen Mega-Unternehmen, das sich rühmen kann, seinen eigenen Planeten zu besitzen, nachdem es Stanton I von der UEE-Regierung in einem Geld- und Aktienhandel im Wert von schätzungsweise fünfzig Billionen Credits gesichert hat. Vor der Übernahme von Stanton I war Hurston auf der Erde ansässig, wobei Bergbauanlagen und Waffenprüfstände über die ganze Galaxie verstreut waren. In den letzten fünfzig Jahren wurden diese in den Anlagen auf Stanton stark konsolidiert, so dass es der richtige Ort für die Hurston-Technologie ist.

Ein glitzernder Showroom und eine unbequeme Pilotenbar, Viola's, glauben an die Gesamtsituation auf dem Planeten. Im Gegensatz zu den anderen Bewohnern des Stanton "Office Park" hat Hurston den Planeten bewusst in den Boden gestürzt: Jeder Zentimeter der Welt, der nicht den Betriebsstätten zugeordnet ist, wird nach Antimaterievorläufern abgebaut oder in Forschungs- und Entwicklungstests auseinandergesprengt. Ruß und Smog verschmutzen die Atmosphäre so weit, dass den Bewohnern bei Arbeiten außerhalb ihrer Harnröhren Atempausen gegeben werden müssen. Die Zufriedenheit der Arbeiter auf Hurston liegt bei erstaunlichen 0,5 (von 10), und nur sehr wenige Bergleute halten mehr als eine einzige Wehrpflichttour durch. Das Unternehmen ist immer bestrebt, gering qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte zu importieren, und Gerüchte gehen weiter, dass es auf ihrem Planeten einen Markt für menschliche Sklaven gibt.

Was auch immer die Wahrheit ist, Freibeuter werden feststellen, dass Hurston gut an diejenigen bezahlt, die ihnen unfreiwillige Arbeitskräfte zur Verfügung stellen und eine ausgezeichnete Quelle für preiswerte Munition und Metalle ist.

Aufgrund ihrer Missachtung der Ökologie von Stanton I findet sich Hurston häufig im Fokus von Umweltschutzgruppen, darunter die Citizen's Clean World Alliance (CCWA) und das Wildlife Conservation Project (WCP). Der Colonel tut nichts, um seinen Ekel vor solchen Bewegungen zu verbergen, prahlt häufig mit der Anzahl der einheimischen Arten, die sein Unternehmen ausgerottet hat (montierte ososianische Köpfe und flache Sensornoppen schmücken sein Wohnzimmer) und schürt weiteren Hass von Organisationen, die wahrscheinlich überhaupt keine radioaktive Munition kaufen. Als Reaktion darauf sind sogar militantere Umweltgruppen bekannt, die auf Hurston-Weltraumkonvois zielen. Illegale Bounties auf Hurston Firmenraumschiffe sind reichlich vorhanden, obwohl das Unternehmen besser für den erforderlichen Pilotenmuskel bezahlt.

Waffensysteme
Obwohl ihre Waffentechnologie im gesamten Reich und darüber hinaus zu finden ist, stellt Hurston derzeit "nur" zwei Linien von Markenschiffswaffen her: Quantenkaskadenlaser und Elektronenkanonen. Beide Linien sind in verschiedenen Größen, Konfigurationen und Anwendungen erhältlich. Die Waffengrößen reichen von winzigen "Nadelkanonen" bis hin zu den massiven Großbatterien auf UEE-Kriegsschiffen. Hurstons umfangreiche Werkzeug- und Formenerfahrung ermöglicht es, dass beide Waffentypen sowohl in Gatling-Repeater- als auch in strikter Kanonenkonfiguration verkauft werden können. Die Varianten der Pistolen (in verschiedenen Qualitäten) sind für verschiedene Märkte ausgelegt: Billig für den Export, Standard to Quality für den lizenzierten zivilen Einsatz und Excellent für das UEE Militär.

Hurstons "Spectrum"-Linie von Quantenkaskadenlasern mit externem Resonator wird seit fast einem Jahrhundert von einer Vielzahl von Anwendern effektiv eingesetzt. Quantenkaskadenlaser feuern elektromagnetische Bolzen ab, die jedes Material, das mit ihnen in Berührung kommt, in Plasma umwandeln und ihm einen vernünftigen "Biss" geben, der in den meisten Weltraumkämpfen nützlich ist. Ein Hurston Dynamics Spectrum 7 QCL wird von der Bounty Hunter's Guild als Goldstandard für "Starter"-Laserkanonen empfohlen, während die Spectrum 9 Gatling-Variante von der UEE für ihre zerstörerbasierten CIWS-Systeme, die sich derzeit in Weltraumversuchen befinden, übernommen wurde. Während viele Unternehmen billigere Quantenkaskadenlaser produzieren, die hauptsächlich auf Hurstons Technologien basieren, vermittelt der Name Hurston weiterhin ein starkes Gütesiegel.

Die weniger gefeierte Linie "Magnitude" von Elektronenkanonen gilt allgemein als Spezialwaffe. Standard UEE-Einheiten verwenden keine Größen, obwohl sie auf speziellen Operationen und Advocacy-Raumschiffvarianten montiert sind. Die Kanonen entfernen Elektronen von Wasserstoffatomen und beschleunigen sie dann mit hohen Geschwindigkeiten, die in einem Magnetbolzen schweben, der durch eine mehrstufige Einzellinse fokussiert ist. Ein Pilot, der in der Anwendung seines speziellen Modells der Elektronenkanone ausgebildet ist, wird es als unglaublich präzise und leistungsstarke Waffe empfinden.... ein "Neuling", der eine solche Kanone zum ersten Mal aktiviert, wird sie weitgehend nutzlos finden.

Umfangreiche Waffenlabore wurden auf Stanton I eingerichtet, und Gerüchte über eine dritte Waffenlinie gehen unvermindert weiter. Diese Gerüchte gewannen ernste Zugkraft letztes Jahr, als die Korporation eine Aufzeichnung herausgab - hohe 10 Million Gutschriftprämie glaubte, für einen Söldner zu sein, der ein Testartefakt von der Korporation stahl. Es ist nicht bekannt, ob das Bounty beansprucht wurde oder nicht oder ob das Artefakt gefunden wurde. Beobachter halten es für höchst ungewöhnlich, dass Hurston konventionelle und antimaterielle Sprengköpfe ohne eigenes Liefersystem herstellt. Viele glauben, dass es nur eine Frage der Zeit ist, bis das Unternehmen einen völlig neuen, aus Antimaterie gewonnenen Schusswaffentyp auf den Markt bringt. Wenn - oder wenn - es passiert, wird es wahrscheinlich das Machtgleichgewicht zwischen zivilen Piloten weit öffnen.... und möglicherweise den Verlauf des Krieges gegen die Vanduul beeinflussen.

With a history stretching back over five hundred years, Hurston Dynamics is noteworthy for being not only one of the oldest continuously operated family businesses in the Empire, but also for owning its own planet in the Stanton system. A claim that only three other corporations can match. Tracing its lineage through 15 generations of Hurstons, the company made its fortune as an arms manufacturer, selling a wide range of weapons to the military and, more recently, to civilians. In addition, Hurston Dynamics produces many of the refined materials and components that other weapon manufacturers rely on. The saying goes that every time a shot is fired in the Empire, there is a good chance a Hurston is behind it.

Even with centuries of recorded history, current CEO “Colonel” Gavin E. Hurston likes to claim that his family can actually trace its heritage back even farther to an 11th-century weaponsmith renowned for forging swords. He even goes so far as proudly decorating his office with priceless relics from this era. However, most historians agree that the Hurston family as we know it got its start in the 25th century with company patriarch Solomon Hurston.

GOING FOR BROKER
In 2438, Humanity made contact with an alien species for the first time. While the Banu would prove ultimately to be peaceful, the discovery that there were potentially other civilizations among the stars initiated a multitude of new policies for the UNE, including a drastic increase in military spending to prepare for worst-case scenarios. Many leapt at this chance to capitalize on this sudden glut of military contracts, Solomon Hurston among them. Earning a living as a middleman, Solomon didn’t bother producing goods himself but would instead bid on government contracts and source the supplies at a lower price, earning a profit on the difference. When a contract requisitioning lasers for a series of military space-defense platforms was announced, Solomon found the perfect company to source the lasers from. Cheap and up-to-spec, the only issue was that the company was going out of business and wouldn’t be able to produce enough lasers in time. He took a risky loan and bought the company, transforming it into Hurston Dynamics and marking the Hurston family’s first foray into weapon production.

RISE OF A DYNASTY
Buoyed by the influx of government money, Solomon was able to turn a profit from the struggling weapon production facility. Over the next several years, Hurston Dynamics expanded its operations, going on to produce not only lasers but numerous specialized parts and components. Exclusively focusing on niche products that had few competitors, Solomon secured more and more contracts for his company. By 2460, Hurston Dynamics was a major military manufacturer and, to help him handle the company’s swift growth, the extended Hurston family was brought in to manage operations.

As a child, Solomon had always heard stories of how successful his mother, Janice Delong, had been. However, shortly after he had been born, she had passed away and the company she had founded continued on without her family receiving anything for her efforts. As the Hurstons struggled for years to make ends meet, Solomon had sworn that if he was ever successful, he would see that first and foremost his family was always taken care of. He was true to his word.

Hurston Dynamics would continue to expand, buying small companies, mines, and suppliers in order to meet the demands of its large portfolio of government contracts. With each acquisition, a Hurston family member would be placed at its head to run it. Importantly though, while Solomon believed firmly in family first, he also believed in having to earn your place at the table. Hurstons were expected to work hard to maintain their positions or risk being cut out of the family fortune. Solomon’s own son, Darrington Hurston, was a prime example of what could happen if someone proved unworthy of their birthright.

THE COST OF BUSINESS
The problem with relying so heavily on government contract bids is that in order to stay ahead, Hurston Dynamics had to ensure that it continued to offer the best price on bids while maximizing profits. Darrington Hurston was placed in charge of a factory that produced mag-resistors, but the cost of manufacturing them was so high that they were barely breaking even. Rather than trying to improve production methods or negotiate better material prices, Darrington decided to cut corners. This choice disastrously backfired when a railgun accident involving malfunctioning Hurston mag-resistors took the lives of multiple navy personnel.

The response was swift and Hurston Dynamics’ reputation was nearly ruined, losing several important contracts. Darrington was fired and it would take years for the company to regain the government’s trust. Solomon swore that the company would never again sacrifice quality in order to make a profit, and the company has adhered to that in the centuries since. Instead, they have earned a reputation for cutting costs everywhere else they can except for the product.

One main method used over years has been to utilize the most cost-effective production methods no matter their environmental impact. Sited frequently as one of the worst polluting companies in the UEE, Hurston Dynamics began moving its operations to locations with fewer regulations where it could legally use lower cost but environmentally unfriendly production methods. Decades of citations show that the company is even willing to skirt the law if it believes the fines will cost it less over time than upgrading its production to less-polluting methods.

The other cost-saving measure Hurston is notorious for implementing is connected to its hiring practices. In the early 26th century, under the leadership of Arial Hurston, the company’s third CEO, a new hiring contract called the Life/Labor-style employee agreement would be implemented.

Promising to offer stable employment, the potential employee would be locked into a years-long agreement at a fixed rate. While it would seem attractive at the time to have a guaranteed job for years to come, the employee would have little hope of advancement and no option to leave the company without paying an exorbitant cancellation fee. Though many critics have compared the contract to wage slavery, government authorities that continue to work with Hurston Dynamics point out that the agreements are considered to be legal under current labor laws. Despite the questionable labor and environmental records, Hurston Dynamics has had decades of growth and prosperity leading eventually to the company’s most ambitious expansion project, the purchase of Stanton I.

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME
In 2853, lead researcher Aberdeen Hurston helped the company secure an extremely lucrative contract to produce antimatter warheads after the former supplier had a containment breach at its main facility. Within a few short years, this new department would prove to be one of the company’s most profitable until it ran into a serious roadblock when a regular source of refined antimatter was unable to be secured. After being denied access to material being produced at QuarterDeck prison’s refinement facility, Hurston began the arduous process of constructing refineries itself. Because antimatter is extremely dangerous to handle there are severe restrictions on where facilities can be located and numerous laws regarding their operation that makes them costly to operate. In order to return to profitability, the company needed a better solution.

One presented itself in 2865 when the UEE announced that for the first time it was making planets available for private purchase. The four worlds of the Stanton system were to be auctioned off and Magda Hurston was convinced that Hurston Dynamics needed to own one of them. With its own planet, it would be self-governing and no longer subject to the same restrictions that had stymied it elsewhere. Additionally, it would have all the benefits that came with operating within the Empire itself. It would be a major purchase, but one that could finally allow the company to reach its full potential.

So with a vote of 5 to 3, the Hurston Dynamics board heeded Magda’s advice and purchased the rocky super-Earth, Stanton I. After minor terraforming to bring the world up to habitable standards, Hurston moved in and began working towards getting a full return on its considerable investment. Now CEO, Magda led the way on constructing massive mining operations across the planet and saw the establishment of a brand-new antimatter refinery. Facilities that would have taken years to construct under full UEE regulations could be built within months. Following the economic theory that the planet was only losing value every year thanks to inflation, Magda believed it was important that value be recuperated as quickly as possible. Any areas that were deemed to have little resource value were repurposed for factories, research centers, and weapon testing, or in the case of one particular large swath of land, made into the planet’s capital city, Lorville. The urban sprawl of the city houses almost all of the planet’s population and workforce, with the massive Hurston Dynamics Central Tower overlooking it all as a monument to the family’s legacy.

Though only there a few short decades, the company’s impact on the planet can already be seen. Environmental activists are protesting the pollution spreading across much of its surface while labor activists protest the conditions under which Hurston employees toil. Yet, at the heart of everything stands the Hurston family’s undeniable success built upon generations of hard work and amazing business acumen.