Cross Entertainment and Media
 | |
| Connection | 3 |
|---|---|
| Type | A Megacorporation |
| Player May Join | Yes |
| Health | Maintaining |
| Area of Operation | Montreal, Quebec |
Faction Information
Summary
CATCo is the largest taxpayer in Quebec and controls the state in a way similar to that of Aztechnology and Aztlan, though to a lesser extent. CATCo conducts all of its business in French, and language classes and chipjacks/linguasofts are offered free to all CATCo employees worldwide.
History
Before there was Cross Applied Technologies (CATCo) there was Cross Matrix Technologies. This company was founded in Montreal in 2034 by Dr. Lucien Cross. Cross had previously been employed by a Quebec-based Aztechnology subsidiary named Acquisition Technologies as an "investigative researcher", which really means corporate spy. While this is a quite lucrative field to be in, it doesn't rack in the kind of cash that allows on to become CEO of a multinational conglomerate. So how exactly did Dr. Cross pull off this amazing feat? Technically, no one knows the exact details. There is, however, a tin-foil hat conspiracy, and this time, it's one that everyone believes.
Did Acquisition Technologies sound like a familiar name? It should. Because it also employed one David Gavilan. Gavilan left Acquisition Technologies briefly to head the Echo Mirage team that destroyed the Crash Virus. But for two years afterwards, he returned to his old desk at Acquisition Technologies. A desk which was (metaphorically) right next to Dr. Lucien Cross.
The two had worked together on various projects both before and after Gavilan's Echo Mirage days. They had a sense of mutual respect for each other's programming abilities. So much so that when Gavilan began work on the Nanosecond Buyout, Cross was one of the few people he turned to for help.
Cross approved of the Ares buyout in theory. But in practice, he preferred to be paid in large amounts of cash instead of stock. Not trusting Gavilan, Cross compiled a dossier on Gavilan including; Gavilan's personnel files from Acquisition Technologies, the original code for the Buyout, and it's rumoured, evidence to link Gavilan to the creation of the Crash Virus.
A desk which he disappeared from in 2032. And just two weeks later, Damien Knight appeared on the scene with the Nanosecond Buyout. Knight made several people extremely rich in the process, including Dr. Lucien Cross. Cross kept quiet about Knight's "mysterious past", but held on to his "insurance policy" for a rainy day.
Cross Matrix Technologies had three things help it's rise to power. The first, and perhaps most important, was nearly unlimited funding from an unknown benefactor. Following the Damien Knight theory, it would only make sense that this funding came from the Big D himself. But we sadly don't have any proof of that.
The second thing the young company had in it's corner was the Republic of Quebec's draconian trade regulations. At the time, the Republic's government imposed staggering tariffs on software, hardware, and other "technological trade goods" entering into region. This was meant to allow the burgeoning techno-industry in the Republic to compete effectively against those more powerful, such as Fuchi or MCT.
Finally, Dr. Cross sought out and hired some of the best of the best in corporate espionage. His time as an investigative researcher had taught him the power that could come with such a department. They were banded together and named the Seraphim. For decades the Seraphim were one of the, if not the, best intelligence services in the world. Their only true rival was the Shiawase Market Information & Forecasting Department.
Those three things combined with Dr. Cross's shrewd business savvy led to several years worth of hostile takeovers, peaceful acquisitions, mergers, et. al. This allowed the company to branch out into other (non-Matrix) related fields including biotechnology, entertainment, and consumer electronics over the next decade. The most notable acquisition during this time was Ares Macrotech-owned, Bioleve, one of the first producers of bioware.
in 2044, Cross Matrix Technologies rebranded itself as Cross Applied Technologies (CATCo.). Cross, and by extension CATCo., kept on the offensive for almost another decade. However, it wasn't until 2053 when CATCo. applied for extraterritoriality.
To say that this wasn't well received would be an understatement. Within days of the application, an attempt was made on Dr. Cross's life. The would-be assassin instead killed Cross' bodyguard, and over the next year, Cross had four more assassins sent after him.
It is a widely held belief that the hitmen were sent by Damien Knight in retaliation for the Bioleve takeover.
After the assassination attempt, Knight was warned by Cross about the insurance policy he had accumulated over a decade ago, and Knight was even graced by the presence of the Great Dragon Dunkelzahn over the matter. The Big D said, in no uncertain terms, that Cross was off limits. Knight, not wanting to make an enemy of the dragon, calmed down and switched tactics.
The assassination attempt on Cross's life was the opening shot of the covert/overt war between CATCo. and Ares Macrotechnology. With the help of the Seraphim and Montreal's draconian trade laws, the much smaller CATCo would have been easy pickings for the much larger, much more aggressive, Ares Macrotechnology.
This war went on for almost a decade as a stalemate. Ares couldn't horn in on CATCo in Montreal, and CATCo couldn't actually hurt Ares's bottom line.
That changed in 2059 in a big way. Leonard Aurelius (son of the founder of Ares Macrotechnology) was tired of trying to oust Knight as the CEO of the company and decided on a novel course of action. He sold off his shares in Ares Macrotechnology to Arthur Vogel. Then he, several high level managers, and several subsidiaries under his control jumped ship and joined up with CATCo.
With Aurelius' inside knowledge and economic clout and the Seraphim on hand, CATCo was able to join the Corporate Court a little over a year later in 2060. Thus they became the eighth AAA company to join their ranks.
At the time of CATCo.'s ascension, nearly half of all Seraphim operations throughout the world were aimed at Ares Macrotech or any of its subsidiaries.
Four years later, the Crash 2.0 happened. One of the numerous casualties in this tragedy was Dr. Lucian Cross. Dr. Cross died in a plane crash brought on by Matrix problems with ground control at the Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport brought on by the Crash.
Immediately, Knight sprung into action, declaring war against CATCo. and her subsidiaries.
The death of Cross was the beginning of the end of Cross Applied Technologies. Cross's son, Jean-Marie Cross was named CEO of the corporation and did his best. But ultimately, he was no match for Knight's ruthlessness and experience. Within weeks of Cross's death, Ares was able to snap up CATCo. owned Fleche Armaments and Bioleve in less than a day.
It wasn't only Jean-Marie's fault that things went to pots. It's quite possible that he was set up. For the first time since their inception, the Seraphim had begun to turn in mediocre to dreadful results for their operations around the world.
Bernard Cross, Lucien's nephew, was also partly to blame for the hemorrhaging of CATCo. assets there at the end as well.
The Matrix was a mess at the time thanks to the crash, and Knight's operations were hitting home, which caused Cross Matrix Technologies to drop deep into the red. This caused Bernard to panic, and rather than fess up to his cousin and the Board, he attempted to handle the situation himself. He took out short-term loans from several small banks to shore up Cross Matrix Technologies until the crisis was over and they could start building steam again.
Poor Bernard was unaware that this would be his downfall. Ares bought most of the debt from the small banks and consolidated them into large loans from its Bank of America subsidiary. Knight then took it a step further and called in favors from friends in the Frankfurt Banking Association, and before long, Cross Matrix Technologies had its assets frozen awaiting court proceedings. Judgement was made in favor of Ares, which immediately called in the loan, forcing Cross Matrix Technologies to default and fold.
Ares wasn't the only one to feed on the corpse of CATCo though. Yamatetsu was able to eventually buy out the Cross Biomedical Division, and Horizon Multimedia was able to buy up Cross Entertainment and Cross Multimedia too.
Less than a year later, in 2065, CATCo. lost its Corporate Court seat and was re-rated as an A corporation. CATCo was a bright and rising star in the corporate world, and it lasted slightly longer than three decades. It still exists today, but is merely a shadow of what it once was.
Timeline
- 2033 - The Nanosecond Buyout. Cross invests in the project, helping Damien Knight with capital and time on computer mainframes. The return on his investment is enormous, and allows him to buy several corps outright.
- 2034 - Lucien Cross merges several high tech companies to form Cross Matrix Technologies.
- 2044 - Cross Matrix Technologies is reincorporated as Cross Applied Technologies.
- 2053 - Cross applies for extraterritorial status.
- 2060 - Cross' candidate is elected to the Corporate Court.
- 2064 - Lucien Cross dies in a plane crash. Damien Knight and Ares Macrotechnology start buying out Cross subsidiaries, including Fleche Armaments and Bioleve.
- 2065 - Cross Applied Technologies loses its Corporate Court seat and is re-rated as an A Corp.[2]
Corporate Hierarchy of CATCo
Major Divisions
- Cross Advanced Electronics (HQ: Seattle, Division Head: Nicholas Aurelius)
- Cross Biomedical (HQ: Boston, Division Head: Sandra Wright)
- Cross Entertainment and Multimedia (HQ: Atlanta, Division Head: Alexandria Hunter)
- Cross Global Development (HQ: Detroit, Division Head: Leonard Aurelius)
- Cross Matrix Technologies (HQ: Montreal, Division Head: Bernard Cross)
Subsidiaries
- Artemis Industries
- Beaux Retail Consortium
- Bicson Biomedical
- Bioleve (Bought by Ares)
- Down Development
- Fleche Armaments (Bought By Ares)
- Virtual Air Inc.
- Xerxes Positive Research Tank
Members
Contacts
| Name | Connection | Archetype | Profession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cecelia Cross | 5 | Networking | CATco Employee |
| Jane Doe | 6 | Fixer | Middle management business woman |
| Tatiana Devereux | 4 | Fixer(N,K,G,A) | CATCo Asset Manager |
PCs
Narrative Significant Runs
| Name | GM | Metaplot | Date of Run |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Littlest Black Mage | OrionsRequiem | 14 September 2082 | |
| Snake! Kernel! Panic! | OrionsRequiem | 11 May 2082 | |
| Sins of the Father | OrionsRequiem | Cross Flight Love Fight | 5 February 2082 |