Corporate
Novas
Novas are certainly in demand, and there is no shortage
of employers, sponsors and other backers all too willing to have a nova sign on
the dotted line. In the
Novas who work for a government or corporation by and large
adopt their backers' views on global issues. Most novas view Utopia with equal
parts fascination and suspicion. While many novas utilized Utopia's Rashoud
facilities upon first erupting, many corporations hate Utopia's UN-granted
authority to regulate potentially dangerous technology, viewing it as too
powerful for its own good. Most government and corporate novas know little of
the Teragen beyond gossip among novas and what they view in the media; only a
few have even heard of the Aberrants, and none of them knows about Project
Proteus. Novas working for a government or criminal cartel have likely heard of
the Directive, but they know only spotty information about it; corporate novas
may or may not know about the Directive.
Leader(s): Anna DeVries
The DeVries Agency is the largest single corporate
employer of novas in the world and has the second largest contingent of novas
behind Project Utopia. While DeVries’ flagship division is its National
Tactical Solutions group, DeVries supplies novas for every purpose to every
sort of employer around the globe. DeVries is akin to the sports agencies of
the late 20th century and novas are its clientele. DeVries finds them work
specific to their particular talents and training and in exchange receives a
certain percentage of the contract.
As stated before DeVries’ foremost agency is its National
Tactical Solutions company, which hires out mercenaries, the Elites, to nations
around the world. When a nova signs a contract with either the DeVries Agency
or DVNTS, DeVries becomes responsible for their payment, legal protection,
training, health and benefits.
DeVries has numerous governments, corporations, even some
private individuals wealthy enough to afford its services. Aside from highly publicized,
trained, and paid mercenary Elites, DeVries contracts out novas to serve as
asset and personal protection, research and development, public relations, and
espionage. DeVries currently has offices in
With DeVries, there are no useless novas, but some are
more valuable than others.
Leader(s): John Argyle
“They are there before you need them.” That’s the motto
of the agency founded by Scottish nova John Argyle. Using his precognitive
abilities, Argyle is able to move his people into the right place, at the right
time, to get work almost as soon as it becomes available. Argus as snatched
several high-paying contracts right out from under DeVries’ nose, much to the
chagrin of Anna DeVries. On the flip side of the coin, some people consider the
appearance of Argus Agency novas a dire omen. But when Argus shows up, they
almost invariably bring the media with them as well.
Argus deals mostly with “emergency management”, ranging
from theft to disaster relief and attempted assassinations. Argus also does
some bodyguard and security work. Unlike DeVries, Argus does not employ novas
currently in trouble with some legal authority or another, but is perfectly
willing to hire novas with sketchy backgrounds, including Teragen sympathizers.
Leader(s): Rashid al-Nasir
A nova agency founded by the wealthy Saudi Rashid
al-Nasir. Rashid is a Sunni and subscribes to the belief that novas are divine
beings empowered by Allah. Al-Nasir began his career as a fascination with
novas, then paying novas to accompany him to meetings and to be seen with on
the social scene. Later, he began introducing baselines interested in
compensating novas for their unique abilities. DeVries even attempted to hire
him as a recruiter and contact in the
Rashid started his own agency, the Janissaries, expanding
it scope of operations from the Middle East, Asia Minor, Eastern Europe and
then to the rest of the world. The Janissaries are a counterbalance to DVNTS,
specializing in security, paramilitary, and covert operations. The Janissaries
also have a less savory reputation as being the people to contact when
“forcible extractions” and wetwork are necessary.
Leader(s):
Samantha Vreeland
While
the public at large believe novas are employed for their martial capabilities,
NovaCom hires novas who talents are better suited to gathering information. The
company was founded by the brother-sister team of Darren and Samantha Vreeland.
When Darren died in an explosion, Samantha used his life insurance to
restructure their company into an information and research servies shark and
set about hiring novas who could assist her. NovaCom has one of the best talent
pools of nova hackers and investigators. NovaCom has continued to grow and
thrive, despite offers to buy the company out from ViaSoft and DeVries.
Most
importantly, NovaCom offers complete client confidentiality. Although the
company has received numerous offers to buy its client database (and they have
been very, very generous offers), Samantha Vreeland knows that NovaCom’s
reputation is built on discretion and impartiality. NovaCom also boasts some of
the most secure archives and computers in the world, designed from the ground
up by its own programmers and closely monitored by nova and baseline analysts.
So far, no one has managed to penetrate its defenses.
Leader(s): Madeline Dreyfuss
The Peacekeepers are relative newcomers on the elite
scene. The company started in 2005 during the Macedonian crisis with the
dictator Yaroslave Radocani. Some people realized the power novas could wield
to affect security and military operations. The Peacekeepers is primarily a
security organization, ranging from bodyguard and asset protection to security
systems. The Peacekeepers made a huge media splash when their spokesman,
Georges “Aegis” Kapetelis, saved the president-elect of
One of the most important aspects of the Peacekeepers is
that unlike other Elite agencies, they do not engage in offensive action. More
importantly, they operate within the limits of the local law as often possible.