Xtra Orbital Prospects, Inc. / XORP

2011

A group of interational investors founds the „Offshore Prospects Trust” to support global deep sea mining projects.

2014

Maintaining two operational deep sea oil mining sites, Offshore Prospects decides to expand into logistics and a broader range of offshore construction projects. The company reconstitutes itself as “Offshore Prospects, Inc.”

2022

Offshore Prospects, Inc. has become world leader in constructing and running a large variety of offshore constructions, including deep sea mining, wind energy plants, tidal power plants and research labs. However, despite its unthinkable value of 6 trillion dollars, the company remains unknown to the broader public.

2025

In the course of a transatlantic business conference, Offshore Prospects’ CEO Andrea Verrata announces the “Atlantis Project”, aiming to host a World Expo on the first offshore city within 10 years. While Verrata first was publicly ridiculed for being overambitious, Offshore Prospects surprised the public by starting construction in the same year.

2035

The “Transatlantic Expo” was held on Atlantis, a floating platform with the size of Manhattan located in the Atlantic halfway between Europe and America. In her most famous opening speech, CEO Andrea Verrata not only claimed the platform to be the “real” Atlantis that Plato has foreseen but also announced the renaming of the company to “Orbital Prospects, Inc.” and the plan to construct a space lift and colonize the Moon by using Atlantis as ground station. In the same speech, Verrata also announces her resignation, handing over to Paul van Dyk, her former Executive on Research&Development.

2040

The space lift “Skyrunner” between the Atlantis-platform and “Prosperity”, the first orbital factory of mankind, commence operation as the first step to colonize the moon. However, numerous scientists doubt Atlantis to be a feasible ground station due to its instability.

2041

“Atlantis” sinks after the complete collapse of the Skyrunner construction in an atlantic hurricane, causing 5000 casualties. While van Dyk and his Board are immediately resigned from their duties facing investigations by numerous authorities, the company announces to temporarily step down from its moon-project, focusing on further research for orbital transport.

2050

The first “Anti-grav”-drive is introduced by Orbital Prospects, Inc., allowing for a re-initiation of the moon-project without the risks of the original Skyrunner-technology. The prototype vessel “Hope” sets out to establish the first automated moon outpost.

2060

The Orbital Prospects, Inc. Headquarters is transferred to the Moon to closer monitor the vast mining sites and refineries. At this point, 60% of Orbital Prospects’ revenue is generated “off-earth”. Most of the moon’s inhabitants are working for Orbital Prospects at this point. Rumors have it, that even though the Moon constituted its own government in 2055, the “ORP Board Meeting” is the real government of the Moon.
When interviewed about his future plans, CEO Aiko Takanoshi states that establishing fully automated mining sites on Mars will be the next step, as mankind lacks the technology for high-scale colonization at this point.

2075, May 3

Dr. Scott Childress and his team at RSI have completed the first self-sustaining quantum drive engine, capable of achieving 1/100th the speed of light. Orbital Prospects announces overhaul of logistics fleet to improve solar system expansion.

2165

Making use of the quantum drive engine, the once more renamed company “Xtra Orbital Prospects, Inc.” has expanded its operation across the solar system. However, the company still relies exclusively on fully automated mining and factory sites, making it fall behind competition on the terraformed Mars and Venus. The company makes up for it by being most effective with its sites in the Asteroid Belt, Jupiter and Saturn. In addition, its newest Outpost “Pluto 1” is well positioned to kick-off deep space exploration.

2271

After almost ten years of study, Nick Croshaw goes to investigate the Bermuda Triangle-esque Space Anomaly and discovers the first jump point, becoming the first human to travel to another system and the godfather of the modern Navjumpers.

2271 – 2438

Xtra Orbital Prospects, Inc. is pushing out once more, investing heavily into the colonization of the Croshaw-system, intergalactic logistics and exploration. In order to cope with the large distances and differing goals of the numerous locations, the company structure is changed, featuring a group of independent divisional headquarters instead of one central HQ on earth’s moon.

2438

First Contact. It is considerably less cinematic or romantic than many had dreamed of. An explorer encounters a Banu in Davien. He is just as surprised as we are. The Banu are also just beginning to expand into the universe. General Neal Socolovich delegates and negotiates the first intergalactic peace and trade treaty.

2442

The company structure further differentiates. While the Terran-Division concentrates on overseeing the local facilities and intergalactic logistics for the whole corporation, the Croshaw-Division fully dedicates to mining and refinery operations. Davien however, begins to specialize in trading and diplomacy, establishing strong relations with the newly discovered Banu-worlds.
While the business flourishes with the various trade and colonization-opportunities, the Divisions get more and more independent. In a famous article published in the “Mount Olympus Financial News” in October 2442, Economist Misha Gendler claims XORP-CEO James Davenport to have lost control of everything but the Terran-Division and predicts Xtra Orbital Prospect to fall apart within 20 years’ time.

2606

While Xtra Orbital Prospects has survived as a casual network of more or less independent companies, the unrest during the Messer-Era and the Tevarin-crisis proves to be the breaking point. Fearing the Xi’an and the return of the Tevarin to their homeworlds, the branches in the outer rim and the Elysium-system support the emperor’s militaristic policy while others openly support activist groups that oppose the UEE. With tensions rising and facing the risk of an internal military conflict, CEO Indaar Reekaavan hosts a company-wide meeting on Davien III to lay aside the differences and agree a common position for all divisions. However, his vessel disappeared on its way to Davien III and its fate has never been clarified. The most popular myth relates the para-military “Elysian Defense Force” with the incident, a group that was founded by the local division of XORP to perform patrol-runs against the Tevarin.

2619

Having literally seized to exist as one corporation with the disappearance of Indaar Reekaavan, Xtra Orbital Prospects, Inc. officially filed its disbandment in 2619.

Today

A group of ambitious Explorers sets out to re-establish one of mankinds oldest corporations.