| “ | From the moment the Board of Directors at Minamar Specialized Industries first delivered our civilization to the stars, we have understood that the galaxy was too beautiful not to be shared. Since then, we have worked tirelessly to help less developed civilizations achieve FTL travel.
Enlightenment may not be free. But at MSI, it is always worth the cost. |
„ |
| ~ Your Ladder to the Stars, MSI's origin. |
Minamar Specialized Industries, otherwise known as MSI, are minor antagonists in the 4X strategy game Stellaris, serving as the main antagonists of the "Payback" and "Broken Shackles" origin stories introduced in the First Contact DLC.
They are an interstellar corporate empire that was founded by the Olinbar species native to the Relic World known as Minamar. MSI's name comes from the fact that they are specialized in the uplifting of primitive species found around the galaxy, only to then enslave them under the pretense of "settling debts for their services".
Unlike other preset or randomly created empires, MSI will only appear if the player or another AI empire has either the "Payback or "Broken Shackles" origins, a species background before they became a star empire. Both empires and MSI will be permanently hostile to each other and cannot pick a proactive (friendly) greeting towards them upon discovery, only having the choice to be either cold or outright hostile.
Biography[]
| “ | Styling themselves a benevolent corporation, Minamar Specialized Industries offers technological advancement to underdeveloped civilizations. Thanks to the company's aggressive usury and a galaxy-spanning pool of indentured labor, shareholders are guaranteed a handsome return on investment. | „ |
| ~ Benevolent Corporation description |
While their origins prior to becoming an interstellar empire are unclear, Minamar Specialized Industries originated on the titular planet of Minamar in the Paraga star system. Some time prior to the start of the game, the Olinbar managed to unify under a oligarchic, corporate government before discovering Faster Than Light (FTL) technology via the hyperlane and hyperdrives. As they expanded their borders and claimed more star systems, they came to the revelation that the galaxy was too beautiful to experience alone and shifted their business strategy to that of finding primitive civilizations and offering them societal and technological enlightenment in the form of curing diseases and illnesses that was once thought uncurable and reorganizing their society into one that's more appropriate for an interstellar civilization.
However, there is always a catch. In return for being enlightened with advanced technology and societal improvements, the target civilization must repay MSI in installments in the form of "indentured workers" (slaves.) If the civilization refuses, MSI often responds with military action and subjugates the entire civilization and often destroys the very technology that they provided. This has been MSI's Motis Operandi; greet, enlighten, extort, subjugate, and how they get most of their slave labor that they use on their capital and colonies.
Although for every instance where it works, there are always instances where it doesn't.
Payback[]
| “ | We had a deal. When the visitors from the stars revealed themselves, they offered us a fair contract: technological enlightment, to be repaid in installments. Within a generation, our planet was transformed into a so-called 'advanced civilization.' Then we read the fine print: to repay our 'debt', they insisted we work for them, on an indefinite term. When our leaders protested, the outsiders turned violent. We fought back. We won, though barely, and only after suffering sizeable losses. Now, our scientists have finally reverse-engineered the secrets of FTL travel from the ships we destroyed. It's a big galaxy out there, but sooner or later we're sure to meet our 'benefactors' again. In fact, we're looking forward to it. It's time to get some payback. | „ |
| ~ Payback introduction |
This civilization (the Roccan Resistance as a default) was visited by MSI and were given enlightenment, only to read the fine print that stated that a percentage of their population would be taken by the corporation as indentured workers as a means to repay their debts. When their government refused, MSI launched a military campaign involving ground and space assets to forcibly reclaim their debts owed to them. Against all odds, the civilization won against their former benefactors, destroying a large amount of their spaceborne assets including a Flagship-class ship and filling their planet's orbit with debris that rain down, impeding reconstruction efforts.
After clearing their orbit of debris and repurposing the Flagship into a warship or a habitat, the empire encounters a fleet of ships belonging to debt collectors, aliens technically enslaved to MSI but are allowed more autonomy in return for their service to extort civilizations that fought off MSI in order to repay their debts on top of the assets that the civilization captured/destroyed/killed. The collectors offer the player three choices for repayment; a large amount of their population (including, ironically, any slaves,) a large amount with Energy Credits, or a large amount of alloys. While one will most likely won't be able to pay via Credits or alloys as their infrastructure is unlikely to be well-developed, the player can sacrifice some of their population but will receive a debuff. If the player refuses to pay, then the debt collectors will turn hostile and force the player to fight them. If they lose, the debt collectors will kidnap some population from your planet. If the player wins, then the debt collectors will retreat although if you destroy the collectors three times, MSI will declare war on you.
The player then has a choice; either defeat MSI on the battlefield by destroying their empire and liberating their enslaved population, or by defeating them in the galactic community by both outlawing slavery and the exploitation of pre-FTL civilizations, forcing MSI to rebrand their business model, thereby eliminating the practice in the megacorp.
Broken Shackles[]
| “ | Free at last! Some were born into bondage. Others, crippled by debt, found themselves sold as indentured labor. But the technology of our former masters was not enough to save them. In secret, we planned our mutiny. During the brief, bloody struggle, our captors were killed, and their slave ship critically damaged. An emergency landing left us stranded on the surface of (planet name). Though we are made up of species from many different worlds, under your leadership we have found common cause. In time, the damaged systems of the slaver vessel will be repaired, and its bounty of secrets - including the location of our former home worlds - will be revealed. Our shackles are broken. Now the work begins. | „ |
| ~ Broken Shackles introduction. |
| “ | Free* at last! Some were born into bondage. Others, crippled by debt, found themselves sold as indentured labor. All of us dreamed of something more, a life of ease and abundance. In secret, we planned our mutiny. During the brief, bloody struggle, our captors were killed, and their slave ship critically damaged. An emergency landing left us stranded on the surface of (planet name). Though we are made up of species from many different worlds, under your directorship we have found common cause. Our former masters may have been cruel, but they understood the business of life. Like them, we must be steadfast in our pursuit of profit. In time, the damaged systems of the slaver vessel will be repaired, and its bounty of secrets - including the location of our former home worlds - will be revealed. Our shackles are broken. Now is the time to incorporate.
|
„ |
| ~ Broken Shackles megacorp introduction. |
This empire (the Free Peoples of the Fall as default) was once the cargo of an MSI slave ship who were kidnapped from their respective planets after their governments either gave them up or refused to pay their installments to the megacorporation. While on their way to be processed, they staged a mutiny, killing all of their captors but critically damaging the ship in the process and forcing them to crash-land on the planet that is now their capitol.
Trivia[]
- The player cannot cheat in order to pay the debt collectors, as they will not accept the cheated amount of resources.
- The Olinbar's model in-game is the Humanoid #3 portrait with added clothes and a fancy helmet-visor combo.
- Despite being technically their victims, MSI act surprisingly cordial towards empires with the Payback origin, going so far as to congratulating and awarding them when crossing certain milestones such as enlightening another civilization or killing any leviathan and help getting them out of the red when any resource is in deficit.
- Although their practice of slavery is seen as the ultimate evil to both Broken Shackles and Payback empires, MSI is actually pretty bog-standard when it comes to megacorporation empires, especially compared to other megacorporations like the Chinorr Combine, a ruthlessly exploitive megacorp or the Hazbuzan Syndicate, a literal criminal organization.
- The player can be much, much, MUCH, worse than MSI with their slavery policies as they can either use them as force labor, livestock, or just outright genocide them.
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 Villains
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End-Game Crises Other Crises Spaceborne Aliens Alien Races | ||