Jove Empire

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The Jove Empire is isolated from the rest of the world to all but a selected few. The Jovians are a mystery to the other empires, fueled not only by their elusiveness, but also their highly advanced technology, eons ahead of the other races. The Jovians have been civilized longer than any other race in the world of New Eden and have gone through several golden ages, now long-since shrouded in the past. The current Jovian Empire is only a pale shadow of its former self, mainly because of the Jovian Disease - a psychological disorder that is always fatal.

The Jove Empire

The Jove Empire has always been a mystery to the other nations of New Eden, particularly as every new insight into its inscrutable people tends to do little but raise more questions. First encounters with the Jove are inevitably conditioned by the unsettling appearance of members of their race. The Jove have practiced genetic manipulation of their population for millennia and, while still human, can seem quite alien to others, due to their distinctive skin texture, disturbingly symmetrical facial features, and lustrous black eyes. Those who spend much time with Jovian individuals speak of them as almost inhuman in their lack of emotion, yet clearly driven by powerful impulses kept under careful control.

Enigmatic as they are, the Jove are impossible to dismiss. One reason is their technological superiority. Jovian technology has arguably had a bigger hand in shaping the New Eden of today than any other force in the last century. Perhaps the most far-reaching example of this was the Jovian introduction of capsule technology to the Caldari, which paved the way for the capsuleer of today.

Despite the best efforts of innumerable researchers, very little is clearly known about the history of the Jove Empire. Even in the early days when contacts were being forged with the other empires, and the Jove took an active role in shaping interstellar society and the CONCORD Assembly, very few of their number were actually encountered in the core empires of New Eden.

The territory claimed by the Jove Empire itself is spread across two regions on the edges of the New Eden cluster. The low numbers of Jove traveling into the core regions were initially attributed to the distances involved, as well as an aloof attitude in general. Over time, however, it came to be realized that the Jove had a relatively small population compared to the other interstellar powers, and it was learned that a deadly genetic malady, the Jovian disease, afflicted their race. Even so, it was still obvious that Jovian technology outmatched everything available to the core empires by orders of magnitude. The starkest reminder of the Jove Empire’s technological lead over the other empires was provided at the Battle of Vak’Atioth, where an entire Amarrian invasion force was laid to waste by a Jovian mother ship.

In recent times the Jove have withdrawn, ever more reluctant to intervene in the affairs of other empires. It has been several years since a Jovian delegation to CONCORD has appeared, and their section of the CONCORD Assembly station has been left vacant for even longer than that. Jovian commercial interests in New Eden remain in the form of their corporations, such as Genolution and Impro, but these are staffed by employees drawn from the other races. Some whisper that the Jove are gone for good—even dead, finally wiped out by the Jovian disease or some other catastrophe. Others point out that activity can still be detected in the Jove Empire, and that someone, or something, continues to defend their territory from unwelcome visitors.

Corporations

Jovian Directorate

The Jovian directorate is believed to be the highest governmental authority in the Jove Empire, though this has never been confirmed or denied by the Jovians. The inner workings of the directorate are also uncertain.

Jove Navy

No one knows how big the Jove Navy is, though judging by the number of Jovians it can't be all that big. Yet it is universally revered and feared, considered the most powerful of all the empire's fleets. Its reputation dates from the Amarr-Jove War when it decimated a whole Amarrian armada in a single battle.

Academy for Aggressive Behaviour

Most Jovians have had their aggressive instincts curbed or even removed through genetic engineering. The Academy for Aggressive Behaviour, responsible for training space cadets, uses the latest in gene therapies to re-introduce the base instincts to their students to ensure the animalistic nature of humans, so important for fighting, is alive and fresh in them.

Material Institute

The Jovians, with all their power and resources, are not always very pragmatic. The Material Institute was founded precisely to combat this. Most Jovians are already well schooled in the technical aspects, but they need some tutoring on the practical application for use in industry and manufacturing.

Prosper

Prosper is a financial corporation that has in recent years invested in several hi-tech companies around the world. It has never sought a majority ownership in any company and has a policy of non-interference. Nevertheless, most companies welcome their capital with open arms, simply for the prestige that having a Jovian investor gives.

Shapeset

Shapeset is the main manufacturer of Jovian ships and ship modules. It operates solely within Jovian space and has refused all approaches from abroad to sell the products to non-Jovians.

Former Jove Corporations

In YC118, the Genolution, Impro, and X-Sense corporations were transferred to the ownership of the Society of Conscious Thought.