BioTech is a very curious corporation. Research into biomechanical implements and nano-augmentations for disabled citizens is an admirable aim. However, BioTech doesn‘t stop there. BioTech‘s two-word goal is ‘Custom Evolution’. Some would say that the potential abuse of such a goal is a reality, simply through BioTech‘s existence but CEO Seymour Jordan denies these accusations whenever they are brought up.

BioTech‘s implants are sold to whoever can afford them. BioTech‘s ‘wetware’ is used by able-bodied citizens for reasons ranging from curiosity (e.g. “I want to jump 10 meters high”) to a perceived necessity (e.g. “I need sub sub-dermal armor to survive”). The existence of BioTech implants has created a new class of experts, specialized in performing implantations and de-implantations on their fellow citizens. These street-meditechs make more in a month than most in a year.

Even the CityAdmin‘s Law Enforcer implant is the result of cooperation with BioTech and a tight bond exists that both parties have no interest in breaking.

People who dislike the idea of ‘Custom Evolution’ can do little more than shudder and feel uncomfortable, at least for the time being.

Headquarters

BioTech‘s main offi ce is located in the Vauxhall Memorial in Via Rosso, Sector One. Here you will fi nd most of the administration running BioTech. Their main labs are also located here. However, it is widely suspected that BioTech has other satellite labs located elsewhere in the city.

Players who choose BioTech as their Runner‘s faction will start out in an apartment in Via Rosso.

Key figures

Both BioTech Industries and Tangent Technologies Inc. belong to Robert Jordan. In the year 2748, at the age of 90, he handed over the management of BioTech to his younger son Seymour and installed his elder son Damion Jordan as CEO of Tangent Inc. His explained plan is to hand over complete control of both companies to the better executive.

Seymour does not plan to loose this competition and is willing to use exceptional measures against his elder brother Damion.

BioTech’s SysAdmin, Joanna Hawkes, is extremely competent and, being only sixteen, is considered somewhat of a wunderkind. She learned her trade from legendary Chester Cohor (Tangent’s SysAdmin) and keeps her thin personal fi le safely locked. Joana has a mysterious aura about her and usually tends to turn out on top of things.

History

BioTech was founded in 2638. Its main goal was biomechanical research and development. Over the years, BioTech invested into a spectrum of different projects, such as new drugs or the fi rst interstellar vehicle, the Avenger.

After the Avenger’s successful launch BioTech changed course and room was made for a new division called Tangent. Although production of implants was still BioTech’s main branch Tangent was meant to satisfy the ever-growing demand of high-tech weapon systems.

As Lioon Reza started the Revolution of 2722-2742, the new Tangent-Division turned out to be a goldmine. Ever since BioTech began to support Reza’s rise to power the company’s relationship to Neocron’s CityAdmin has been very close.

When Tangent started to split off from its mother company, BioTech was making so much money with its interstellar vehicles that it didn’t make a big difference.

Today the space boom is over and BioTech once again is concentrating on the production of biomechanical implants. The once perfect relations to the CityAdmin have suffered a few dents and scratches after the Dome of York sent some extremely dangerous soldiers against Neocron and BioTech designed chips where found implanted in their brains. As nobody wanted to believe in a conspiracy or betrayal of BioTech, the company’s protests where widely accepted and BioTech was only reprimanded and reminded to guard its secret developments more closely.

Rumors

Collaboration between BioTech and ProtoPharm seem to have increased recently and are rated more than pure business and more than just a combined effort to create the newest generation of biomechanical implants. The liaison between the two companies is supposedly backed by a personal relationship between BioTech’s Seymour Jordan and ProtoPharm’s CEO Sandra Frasier. There remains little doubt that Seymour will try to exploit this situation as far as possible in order to gain the lead over his brother Damion.

Harder to believe are rumors of a collaboration between BioTech and the Tsunami Syndicate. One should assume that dealing with the Syndicate is considered to dangerous as it could seriously ruin BioTech’s reputation.

Of course, conspiracy theories abound concerning BioTech implants. The focus of these rumors is the implementation of spy ware into popular implants collecting data from brainwaves, movement, and hormones etc., which are then transmitted to BioTech databases in order to be sold to third parties.

Another source of rumors is the attack by the Dome of York’s Kamikaze-Soldiers and their brain-chips that originally where developed by BioTech. As this attack took place very recently concrete facts have yet to crystallize.

Friend and foe

As already remarked, BioTech and ProtoPharm closely cooperate in developing the newest generation of biomechanical implants. The suspected connections to the Tsunami Syndicate really seem highly unlikely if the close relationship to the CityAdmin is taken into account. After all BioTech CPU’s drive the CopBots that patrol the town. It may also be of interest that BioTech has signed a contract with the CityMercs concerning general security issues.

BioTech‘s biggest rival of course is Tangent Technologies Inc. The two brothers are caught up in a merciless fi ght for domination and power. The second Dome-of-York War has united the city and for the time being, the hostilities between both companies are merely economical.

Another problem for BioTech is product piracy by the Black Dragon. These counterfeit products are in turn used to supply the Anarchy Breed or Twilight Guardians and Neocron’s CityAdmin isn’t happy at all about this procedure. As BioTech is very close to the CityAdmin this is a situation to be carefully observed.