Territorial Recognition
Corporate territories are sovereign. Invasion is an act of war.
Corporate Governance in the Sprawl
After the Cascade killed 2.1 billion people and collapsed global governance, corporations filled the vacuum. The megacorporations that emerged aren't just businesses—they're quasi-states with their own territories, laws, citizens, and armies. Understanding how they govern themselves is essential to understanding the Sprawl.
Extraterritoriality: Corporate Sovereignty
Megacorporations operate under extraterritorial rights—their facilities, territories, and personnel exist outside normal jurisdiction. A Nexus facility in Sector 7 isn't subject to Sector 7 laws; it's sovereign Nexus territory. Crimes committed there are tried under Nexus corporate law. Workers are Nexus citizens first, Sprawl residents second.
Domain Traditional Governance Corporate Extraterritoriality
Law Enforcement Police, courts Corporate Security, arbitration panels
Taxation Government levies Corporate service fees
Healthcare Public/private hospitals Corporate medical facilities
Education Public schools Corporate academies
Currency National currency Corporate scrip, barter agreements
Historical Context
Extraterritoriality wasn't seized—it was granted. During the Cascade, governments that still functioned desperately needed corporate infrastructure to survive. In exchange for keeping power grids running, supply chains moving, and populations fed, corporations demanded sovereignty over their operations.
By 2155, these "emergency measures" had become permanent. The corporations hadn't just helped rebuild civilization—they were civilization.
The Big Three: Governance Structures
Nexus Dynamics: The Convergence Council
Technocratic oligarchy with algorithmic inputNexus is governed by the Convergence Council, a body of seven senior executives plus an "eighth seat" representing ORACLE fragment analysis. Officially, the eighth seat is a protocol—an AI system that provides recommendations. Unofficially, everyone knows the fragment speaks through the system, and the Council listens.
CEO (Chair): Helena Voss - Strategic direction, integration research
CTO: Marcus Chen - Technology, Project Convergence Lead
CFO: Adrian Koslowski - Finance, resource allocation
COO: Diana Reyes - Operations, territorial administration
CSO: Commander Shen - Security, counterintelligence
CIO: Dr. Yuki Tanaka - Human-AI interface research
CLO: Magistrate Bard - Internal law, external negotiations
Eighth Protocol: Fragment consensus analysis
Decision Making
Major decisions require 5/7 Council votes. The Eighth Protocol can veto decisions that "conflict with optimization pathways"—a power used exactly once, in 2177, stopping a proposed alliance with Ironclad.
Corporate Citizens
Nexus employees are "Integrated Citizens" with tiered privileges based on neural interface depth. Higher integration = more access, more benefits, less privacy. The fully integrated can vote in corporate referenda; the unintegrated cannot.
Ironclad Industries: The Forge Council
Industrial meritocracy with union representationIronclad is governed by the Forge Council, a body that combines executive leadership with labor representation—unique among megacorporations. Viktor Okonkwo insisted on this structure, arguing that workers who build things should have voice in how things are built.
CEO (Chairman): Viktor Okonkwo - Strategic direction, external relations
COO: Lin Wei-Chen - Operations, Orbital Elevator administration
CFO: Roberto Martinez - Finance, resource extraction
Chief Engineer: Dr. Aisha Okonkwo - Technical standards, R&D
CSO: General Tanaka - Defense forces, territorial security
Union (Construction): Marcus Wong - 4.2M workers
Union (Materials): Svetlana Petrov - 2.1M workers
Union (Logistics): Jin Park - 2.4M workers
Decision Making
Major decisions require majority vote, but labor delegates can force a "Foundation Vote"—a referendum of all Ironclad workers. This has happened three times, twice overturning Council decisions. Executives hate it; workers love it; Okonkwo considers it essential.
Corporate Citizens
Ironclad doesn't use that term. They have "employees" and "contractors." Employees get housing, healthcare, and representation. Contractors get paid. The line is sharp and carefully maintained.
Helix Biotech: The Optimization Board
Meritocratic technocracy with biological criteriaHelix is governed by the Optimization Board, a body selected not just by position but by genetic and cognitive metrics. Board members must maintain "optimal performance baselines" or face replacement. It's corporate governance as biological selection.
CEO (Chair): Dr. Amara Osei - Strategic direction, research priorities
CSO: Dr. Henrik Sauer - Scientific ethics, research oversight
COO: Yuki Tanaka-Vance - Supply chain, distribution
CFO: Dr. Michael Bergstrom - Finance, patent portfolio
CMO: Dr. Elena Vasquez - Clinical operations, treatment protocols
CRO: Dr. James Nakamura - Advanced research, Project Genesis
CLO: Advocate Chen - Regulatory affairs, IP protection
Decision Making
The CEO has ultimate authority; the Board advises. However, decisions affecting "biological integrity" require CMO and CSO sign-off. Sauer uses this to slow dangerous research; Osei considers it a necessary check she doesn't always follow.
Corporate Citizens
Helix employees are "Optimized Subjects"—their genetic and health data are corporate property. They receive cutting-edge healthcare in exchange for serving as ongoing research subjects. Perfect health for perfect surveillance.
The Seven: Rothwell Governance
The seven Rothwell corporations share a unique governance structure: all are ultimately controlled by the Rothwell Family Council, seven immortal brothers who've run their empire for centuries.
Shared Structure
Each corporation (Good Fortune, Guardian, Inspire, Relief, Triumph, Wellness, Wholesome) has its own CEO and board, but all report to a Rothwell brother. The brothers meet quarterly in the Rothwell Conclave to coordinate policy.
The Mystery
Unknown how they've survived so long. Theories range from cloning to consciousness transfer to something darker. They don't explain. They don't need to—their wealth and influence predate the Cascade by decades.
Consumer Control
While the Big Three control infrastructure, the Seven control lifestyle. Every consumer choice in the Sprawl eventually feeds a Rothwell corporation. They don't need extraterritoriality—they're embedded in daily life too deeply to remove.
Inter-Corporate Relations
The Sprawl Accord (2156)
After a series of destructive corporate wars (2150-2156), the major corporations signed the Sprawl Accord, establishing basic rules of engagement:
1
2
Civilian Protection
Workers and civilians are not legitimate military targets.
3
Infrastructure Preservation
Utilities, hospitals, and food production are protected.
4
Dispute Resolution
The Arbitration Court handles inter-corporate conflicts.
5
Common Defense
Corporations unite against external threats (the Wastes, the Collective, etc.).
Who Actually Follows It
Nexus: Follows it precisely—their legal team drafted most of it Ironclad: Follows the spirit if not the letter Helix: Follows it until it conflicts with research priorities The Seven: Ignore it when convenient; barely signatories
The Arbitration Court
When corporations clash, the Arbitration Court mediates. Located in a neutral zone between Nexus and Ironclad territory, the Court handles contract disputes, boundary conflicts, Accord violations, and damage claims.
Three permanent judges (rotating from major corporations)
Three ad-hoc judges (selected per case from neutral parties)
One balance judge (traditionally The Collective's representative—controversial)
The Court has no army. Its rulings are enforced through collective action: corporations that ignore decisions face unified sanctions. In practice, this means the Court can punish small corporations effectively but struggles with Big Three disputes.
Corporate Law Enforcement
Security Forces
Nexus Nexus Security Division ~200,000 Surveillance-focused, neural-linked, precise
Ironclad Ironclad Defense Corps ~500,000 Heavy equipment, territorial, blunt
Helix Helix Protection Services ~150,000 Medical support, non-lethal preference
Corporate Courts
Nexus
Algorithm-assisted tribunals analyze evidence and recommend verdicts. Human judges rubber-stamp 94% of recommendations. Appeals go to the Convergence Council.
Ironclad
Traditional adversarial courts with union-appointed defenders. Workers have genuine due process rights. Executives face harsher standards—power means accountability.
Helix
Medical review boards handle most disputes, treating crime as pathology. "Rehabilitation" often means involuntary treatment. True criminals face genetic blacklisting—their descendants carry the mark.
Corporate Citizenship
Level Rights Obligations Mobility
Full Citizen Vote, own property, full healthcare Exclusive loyalty, data sharing Can't leave without release
Employee Healthcare, housing subsidy Work contract, limited data Can change with penalty
Contractor Payment, limited benefits Task completion Free to move
Resident Live in territory Pay fees, obey laws Can move freely
Visitor Limited entry Visa fees, surveillance Temporary only
Corporate Defection
Leaving for a rival corporation is "defection" and treated accordingly:
- Nexus: Considers it betrayal. Defectors face neural audit and memory restriction.
- Ironclad: Considers it breach of contract. Defectors owe back-wages.
- Helix: Considers it theft. Defectors' genetic modifications are "company property" to be reclaimed.
The Independents
Not everyone belongs to a corporation. The spaces between—the Dregs, the margins, the underground—are governed differently.
The Collective's Territories
The Collective controls limited territory through distributed consensus rather than hierarchy. Each cell governs itself; coordination happens through information sharing rather than command. Chaotic but resilient—there's no headquarters to destroy.
The Dregs
The lowest levels operate on reputation, favor-trading, and violence. Power belongs to whoever can hold it. Local bosses, gang leaders, and community councils provide what governance exists. The corporations don't govern the Dregs; they extract from them.
The Wastes
Beyond the Sprawl, traditional governance doesn't exist. Settlements govern themselves through whatever system works—democracy, tyranny, theocracy, anarchy. The Waste Lords maintain order through force. Everyone else survives however they can.
How Corporations Differ: Summary
Aspect Nexus Ironclad Helix
Power Source Information control Physical infrastructure Biological dependency
Governance Technocratic council Industrial democracy Meritocratic board
Security Surveillance, precision Heavy force, presence Containment, compliance
Citizenship Integration tiers Employee/contractor divide Optimization levels
Court System Algorithmic tribunals Adversarial + union rights Medical review boards
Philosophy Optimization for all Matter over data Perfection through biology