Night City has wide streets and dense urban skyscrapers which are home to millions of residents. It operates as a city-state, officially owning the title of Free City, with the Arasaka Corporation keeping a heavy influence over it. The metropolis is considered a thrilling and exciting location to visit, as well as an interesting and vibrant place to live for those of means, and a hellscape to the city's disenfranchised. Its world famous slogan is "The City of Dreams", originally changed from "City on the Edge of Tomorrow." In 2077, Night City was voted the "Worst place to live in America", Night City is also known as a place where anyone from the bottom can work there way up to the top to achieve there dreams but can just as easily meet there demise.

Interactive Map
https://nightcity.io/

1800's
Sasai Arasaka is born
Yui Arasaka is born
Akio Nagawa is born

1905
Sasai Arasaka gets married to Yuri

1916
The Arasaka Corporation is is founded by Sasai Arasaka

1919
Saburo Arasaka is born

1935
Antonio Luccessi is born

1939
World War II begins

1942
Saburo Arasaka is heavily wounded in combat. He is medically discharged from the Imperial Japanese Navy and returns home to Tokyo.

1945
World War 2 ends.
Saburo Arasaka attempts suicide on the day of the Japanese surrender.
Ellen Trieste is born

1948
Donald Lundee is born.

1949
Valentin Domanevka is born.

1954
Dr. Paul Robichaud is born.

1957
Margaret Ellen Goldstein is born.

1960
Sasai Arasaka dies.
Saburo Arasaka assumes control of the Arasaka Corporation and immediately creates its security division to undertake black operations.

General Lupold Korepino is born.

1961
Roland Yee is born.

1967
Douglas Llewellyn is born.

1968
Shintaro Takayama is born.

1969
Colonel Maxwell Von Bruckner is born.
Colonel Emile Lazarus is born.

1972
Anderson Bennett is born.

1973
Neonila Novikovo is born.

1974
Trenton Parker is born.
Marshall R. Shepard is born

1977
Nelson Katzadoulos is born.

1978
Elizabeth Kress is born.
Ranolph Christmas is born.

1979
Angus Youngblood is born.
Bruce Skiv is born.

1980
Kei Arasaka is born.
Peter Van Rijen is born.

1985
Lupold Korpino joins the Soviet Army.

1986
Carson Dominguez is born.

1987
Malcolm Youngblood is born.
Ramon Sagsaysay is born.

1988
The State Law and Order Restoration Council launches a coup in Burma and renames the country Myanmar.

November 16: Johnny Silverhand is born in College Station, Texas.

1989
George H.W. Bush is inaugurated as the 41st president of the United States of America.
The Gang of Four - a group made up of the CIA, NSA, FBI and DEA - forms to secretly run the United States of America behind the president's back.

Bradley David Parker Jr is born.
The Cold War ends.
The Berlin Wall falls.

1990
The First Central American Conflict begins.
The Fall of South Africa occurs. Very little information comes out of the country other than rumors of genocide.

London Riots between labor and racial extremists occur.
West and East Germany are reunified.
Warsaw Pact breaks up.
Soviet Union president Gorbachev appoints successor, Andrei Gorborev. The USSR enters into a period of reform.

Night International is formed.
Colonel Emile Lazarus graduates from West Point.
The Quiet War begins.

1991
Eurospace Agency launches the Hermes Spaceplane.
Biotechnica Develops CHOOH2.
The New Jersey Arcology is built.
Stanford Research Center develops artificial muscles.
Plans for Coronado City are drawn.

1992
The Euromarket and Eurodollar are established.
The DEA develops artificial plagues to curb the production of drugs in South America, and as a result, multiple drug wars break out.

The Governments of Chile and Ecuador collapse.
First use of high energy laser lift arrays in USSR. Massdriver established in the Canary Islands by eight member Eurospace Agency.

Arasaka, EBM and Petrochem fund the creation of Coronado City.
Brooke Bailey Atchison is born.
Hua Yuchi forms the Maoist Loyalist Cabal in the Hunan province of China.
The Aldecaldo Clan forms in East Los Angeles, CA.

1993
James Richard Allen is inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States of America.
TRC Biologic Interface chips are developed in Munich, West Germany.

The AV-4 Enters production.
A small yield nuclear device is detonated in New York City. 15000 are killed. Colombian Drug-lords are to blame.

Construction on Coronado City starts.
The First Nomad families appear on the west coast.
The Australian Government announces plans to recognize aboriginal land.
The Aldecaldo Clan is removed from Los Angeles.
The EC Ministry for Economics is formed.


1994
World Stock Market Collapse occurs.
The First Central American Conflict ends.
Nuclear meltdown occurs in Pittsburgh, PA. 257 are killed and cancer rates skyrocket. The area is known as The Pitt from then on. The Aldecaldo Clan is hired to rebuild The Pitt.

Coronado City is founded.
Edward Llewellyn is born.
The Soviet Union ends and the Union of Sovereign Soviet Republics is formed.
Pressure from the Corporations leads the Australian government to recognize corporations over the aboriginals.

Martial Law is declared in Poland.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and his first wife, Sarah Ferguson, divorce. Sarah takes their two children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to live in Texas.

1995
Construction on the Kilimanjaro Massdriver starts.
Yorinobu Arasaka is born.
Anastasia Luccessi is born.
The Grand unification of Ministries and agencies is carried out in Japan.
A Civil war breaks out in China with the Maoist Loyalist Cabal conquering large swaths of the country.

The Bloods gang controls all of Miami, Florida.
Evienne De Tours is born.

1996
The Event known as The Collapse begins.
Martial Law is established in the United States.
August 17: U.S. President James Richard Allen and Vice President Harold Harrison Hunt are killed.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Jonathan Seward claims the vacant U.S. presidency after the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate decline to accept it.

The Lawyer Purge occurs.
The first Boostergangs appear.
Nomad packs become widespread due to the high rate of homelessness.
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is scrapped by Arasaka backed politicians.
The United States Military withdraws from Japan and Korea.
Armatech-Luccessi is founded.
Anatoly Novikovo is named head of the USSR Oil subcommittee.
Lawrence Hilliard Innovation Ltd. is formed.
The Far Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere Group, FACS, is founded by varvious large and small Japanese corporations to counter Arasaka in Japan.

Portugal and Italy join the EEC.

1997
The MidEast Meltdown occurs.
Conflict in the Japanese government begins between right winged Arasaka and the bureaucratic FACS Group.

Popular Rockerboy Manson, is killed in the United Kingdom.
California's economy follows suit with the rest of the nation, and collapses.
The KGB Rebellion occurs in the USSR. The event is known as the Nights of Fire.
Anatoly Novikovo lays the groundwork for a private army using the remnants of the OMON Unit.
Tycho, the first Luna colony, is founded.
A toxic spill occurs in the Pacific Northwest, wiping out the fishing industries in the area.
The Gang of Four are formally investigated.
The United States Military reforms into Combined Operations Groups.
The Bald Hill political scandal occurs in Japan, 60% of politicians were arrested for bribery charges.
Hong Kong is returned to China from Britain.
Drug and smuggling laws are repealed in Thailand.
The Yasubisu Affair occurs. 24 French Police officers are killed by Arasaka Security when attempting to arrest a high level executive.

1998
A 10.5 Earthquake decimates Los Angeles. 35% of the city is underwater and upwards of 65000 people are killed.

A drought in the Midwest destroys a large amount of crops. Many farms go out of business.
The Luds, a Neo-Luddite group emerges in Kentucky. They begin a spree of bombings that last nearly ten years.

Rory and Lea Murchison are born.
Richard Night is killed by the mafia.
Tsunami Defense Systems is founded by Toshio Yamabatsu, Timothy Davidson, and Michelle Teguchi Langley in Osaka, Japan.

Coronado City is renamed Night City, in memory of its founder.
Howard Murchison is assassinated by Colin Powers.
Gerhard Kessler takes control of the International Electric Corporation.
The United States Military undergoes trials

1999
Martial law in the United States ends.
The United States implements the Federal Weapons Statute.
Millennium cults appear in response to the 'threat' of Y2K
Tycho colony established. A massdriver is constructed to provide raw materials for orbital platforms.

Hanako Arasaka is born.
Ellen Trieste invests in Parker Petrochemicals.
Parker Petrochemicals is granted a license by Biotechnica to grow T. Megasuavis, a component of CHOOH2.

The Public Information Office is formed in the UK.
The Second Korean War begins.
Martial Law is declared in Hong Kong after riots break out.
The Jodes, former farmers from the dust-bowl, begin salvage operations in the decimated Los Angeles.

The Bloods Gang from Florida become a Nomad group.
Night Corp is founded by wife of Richard Night.

2000
Crystal Palace Space Station begins construction.
Wasting Plague spreads across the United States and Europe.
Firestorms decimate farmland in the northwest.
The first Posergangs emerge.
Millennium Cult run amok on Jan 1st in an orgy of suicide and violence, most destroy themselves.
Donald Lundee joins Armatech-Luccessi as CEO.

The Olympic Games in Sydney Australia fail due to bankruptcy.
Orbital Air begin construction on a spaceport in Cape York Australia.
The Aldecaldo Clan begins construction on Mexico City.
The Civilian Justice code is formed in the United States.
A Millennium Cult kills upwards of 19000 in a chemical attack in Berlin.
EBM Begins to purchase Hamburg, Germany.
Alaska becomes a free state.

2001
The World Sat Network is constructed. The Framework for the Net is set up.
Armatech-Luccessi is renamed Militech Arms International.
Lawrence Hilliard Innovation Ltd is renamed The Hilliard Corporation.
The Japan Aerospace Bureau is established.
A Military coup occurs in Britain and the British Monarchy collapses.
Australia reforms as the Federal Republic of Australia. Western Australia declares independence after rejecting the new government, they are backed by Arasaka.

The Jodes finish the salvage operation in LA. They do not win any construction contracts and are left out of a job as a result.

2002
The Food Crash occurs. Crops around the world are hit by a new virus. The United States survives after developing a counter agent.

SovOil declares itself independent of the USSR government. As a result. Gorborev resigns in disgrace.

Igor Starobin is named president of the USSR.
Lupold Korepino is promoted to General of the Soviet Army.
Valentin Domanevka joins SovOil.
Copernicus, the second Luna Colony is founded.
The Santorini Volcano erupts in the Aegean sea, many Greek Islands are hit hard by Tsunamis.

2003
The Second Central American Conflict begins.
The Gang of Four begins to crumble under new reforms.
U.S. President Jonathan Seward is assassinated. General William Newell takes charge as acting president, and a second period of martial law begins.

World News Service star Tesla Johanneson exposes the NSA for orchestrating the First Central American Conflict.

Louis Parker dies, his son Trenton Parker assumes control of the company.
The Khmer Rouge is driven out of Cambodia and deposes the government of Laos.
The Jodes return to agriculture.
Directive 2002-EC-A-000306 is launched in the EC.
Sugo Manufacturing merges with Mitsubishi and is renamed Mitsubishi-Sugo.
Samurai is founded.

2004
Tesla Johanneson is assassinated in Cairo, Egypt by NSA operatives, causing the U.S. to forego a planned a return to civilian government and extend martial law another four years.

The First Corporate War begins.
Cloned tissue is developed.
Peter Kessler is born.
Lupold Korepino joins SovOil.
The CIA and Army unite to finish off the Gang of Four.
General I Ryong Yon launches a coup in South Korea and creates the United Korea junta.
Bureaucratic reformation occurs in the EEC after a major scandal.

2005
The Cybermodem is invented.
EBM Solos attack Tokyo office of Kenjiri Technologies, Killing 18.
The First Corporate War ends.
The Mob rule over Night City begins.
Peter Van Rijen joins SovOil.
Operation Big Stick begins.
The Second Korean War ends and the United Republic of Korea is created. General I Ryong Yon is elected president.

President I Ryong Yon is killed in a bombing on the presidential palace. General Park is elected President.

The Maoist Loyalist Cabal controls southern China.
Los Angeles Reconstruction project is finished and many Nomads leave California.
Directive 2003-EC-A-001348 is launched in the EC.[
EBM Declare Hamburg an independent nation.


2006
The first human clone is grown this leads to the development of artificial organs.
SovOil is granted a licence to produce CHOOH2.
Operation Big Stick ends with the United States Military destroying the Mantoga Corporation.
Cyberlimbs become commonplace among the United States Military.
Vietnam joins the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations.
The Malagay Separatist Movement is launched.
The Polish city of Gdansk is annexed by Germany and renamed Danzig.

2007
Lupold Korepino is named commander of the SovOil armed forces.
The Second Corporate War begins.

Braindance is developed.
Parker Petrochemicals is renamed Petrochemical Associates International.
The Maoist Loyalist Cabal capture Hong Kong and begin a series of pogroms.
New Zealand legalizes Marijuana for the production of Hemp.
The Greek military launch a coup and oust the government.

2008
The Orbital War begins. United States forces attack a soviet space installation, the EuroSpace Agency joins the conflict on the side of the soviets. The conflict lasts only a few weeks, and ends after intervention by the Luna Colony.

Colorado Springs is destroyed by a meteor shot by the Tycho Massdriver on Luna.
Alice Springs, in Australia's Northern territory, is also hit by the Tycho Massdriver. 25,000 people are killed.

The band Samurai splits.
November 7: The United States government undergoes a period of reform. Martial law is lifted once again, and free elections occur.

Taiwan declares independence with the assistance of the Arasaka Corporation.
General Jiang Xiax is elected head of the Chinese communist party.
The Intercontinental MagLev project in Night City is completed.
Greece attempts to annex Cyprus, they are unsuccessful.[

2009
Joint Euro-Soviet mission to Mars begins.
The Mutual Defense Treaty is signed by the United States and China.
The Mob War in Night City begins.
Anatoly Novikovo is assassinated by Petrochem.
Yarno Kurgasyn assumes control of SovOil.
The United States begins operation to take control of the Crystal Palace space station, the Tycho mass driver delivers a warning to Washington, D.C.

Indonesia invades Papua New Guinea and renames it East Irian Jaya.
The Papua New Guinea government escapes to Wellington, New Zealand.
The Association of Southeastern Asian Nations disbands.
Directive 2009-EC-A-000039 is launched in the EC.

2010
The Second Central American Conflict ends.
Network 54 now controls 62% of all media broadcasting in U.S.
Over a million Nomad contractors are abandoned in central and south America, The Long Walk home begins.

Food Riots occur in Denver, Colorado.
The Lazarus group is formed.
The Second Corporate War ends.
Construction of the O'Neill One space colony begins.
The Corporations and the Triads of Hong Kong ally themselves with against the Maoist Loyalist Cabal.

The Night City Psycho Squad is formed by the psychotic Solo Ares.
The Italian Government passes a law to allow the confiscation and resale of valuable farmland to corporations.

Earthquake decimates Romania, 267 are killed in Bucharest.

2011
Corporations "restructured" the Night City Council due to the anarchy in the last decade.
July 13: Bryan LeShawn sets record for deepest independent suit dive, utilizing the Poseidon Fluid Breathing Suit.

The Crystal Palace space station is completed by the EuroSpace Agency
Joint Euro-Soviet mission to mars is a success.
The Night City Mob War ends, with the Corporations emerging victorious.
Marshall R. Shepard joins Petrochem.
Filipino President Ramos is killed and his succeed by President Aguilar.
An experimental Nanotech device is used in Australia, but becomes dangerously out of control. It is abandoned.

An oil rig is hijacked in the Gulf of Mexico and a new Pirate haven is formed, called MetaKey.

2012
A Bioplague is unleashed on Chicago, IL. 1700 are killed.
Gerhard Kessler is assassinated.
Yarno Kurgasyn retires from SovOil.
Arkady Cherminino assumes control of SovOil.
Nanotechnology breakthrough is achieved.
Filipino President Aguilar is killed for cheating in the election, his successor President Lopez is killed on the way to his inauguration.

The Nomad Long Walk ends with only 10% returning home.
Drought decimates Spain and a small Corporate war breaks out over water rights. The EC intervenes to stop the conflict.

MetaCorp is founded.

2013
The events of Cyberpunk 2013 take place.
Netwatch established by joint U.S./Eurotheatre Treaty.
The first Artificial Intelligence is developed by Microtech.
The Central African conflict begins.
The Neo-Catholic Church begins reformation.
Emperor Showa-Tenno dies and Emperor Shinka-Tenno ascends the throne in Japan.
Maoist Loyalist Cabal leader Hua Yuchi is assassinated.
Filipino President Tiapan is elected.
Alt Cunningham captured by Arasaka. Johnny Silverhand concert riot in Night City kills 18, wounds 51. Old Arasaka Tower gutted. Alt Cunningham dies

Johnny Silverhand goes into hiding with the help of the The Aldecaldo Clan.
The Mexico City rebuilding project is completed.
Eugene Hobson forms StreeTemps.

2014
Turf wars begin in Night City, they are known as The Metal Wars.
I-G Transform Redesign the Net.
Emperor Shinka-Tenno is removed from power in Japan.
The Peoples Liberation Party regain control of large areas of southern China.
Hong Kong is liberated.
The Association of Southeastern Asian Nations is reformed.
The Amnesty International office in London is bombed. They set up a new HQ in New Zealand.
The Cape York spaceport completes construction.
The Church of Poland is formed, splitting from the Vatican.
Kizamasu Inc. own major portion of Houston to build corporate city.

2015
Latvia attempts to invade Lithuania. Cyber-Mercenaries repel the invasion.
Douglas Llewellyn joins the Lazarus Group.
Nanotechnology becomes commercially available.[
Japan is removed from the EEC.
Japan establishes the New Yen currency.
The Yen War begins in Europe, with Germany aiming to limit international corporations in Europe.[
MetaCorp is founded.

Eugene Hobson dies.

2016
The Third Corporate War begins.
Angus Youngblood and Ellen Trieste Marry via the Net.
The O'Neill One space colony completes construction.
Bioware becomes commercially available.
The Scottish uprising begins.
Water riots begin in Australia. Arasaka funds construction of a desalination plant.
Bermeo Incident occurs. 127 protesters are killed by corporate security teams.

2017
Blair is inaugurated as President of the United States of America. His vice president is Elizabeth Kress.

The first self-aware human clone is created.
The O'Neill Two Space colony is completed and named Galileo Cylinder.
NASA launches a mission to mars.
Imperial Metropolitan Agriculture forces capture Bristol, dealing a blow to the Martial Law Authority and strengthening the Restoration movement.

London is flooded as the Thames flood barriers are bombed.
The Martial Law Authority is disbanded and the monarchy is restored in the United Kingdom.

Princess Beatrice is crowned Queen Victoria II in Westminster Abbey a week later. A new period of martial law is declared to maintain order while the UK's districts and reorganized and the Democratic Government Committee debates how to set up the new Parliament. The DGC has yet to issue a final report as of 2020.

Arasaka discovers precious natural deposits under a facility in Africa. Militech supports the native population in removing Arasaka, they fail and Arasaka buy the rights to the land.

The Seven Nomad Nations are formed.
A Neurotoxin spill occurs in the Latvian town of Jelgava. Lithuania is to blame.

2018
EuroSpace Agency launch a mission to Jupiter.
The European Brushfire War begins.
The O'Neill Three space colony is completes and named Paradise Station.
The EuroSpace Agency send another joint mission to mars with SovOil.
Human cloning laws are passed in Europe.
The Pirate Haven of MetaKey is moved to Tampa Florida to begin the salvage operation of the city.
Poland is attacked by Czechoslovakia but are repelled.

Romania invades Bulgaria.
Rolf Schneider is elected president of the European Council.
Evienne De Tours is elected to join the European Council.
Interpol launches their organized crime division.
Directive 2017-EC-A-001021 is launched in the EC.
Greece annexes Macedonia with the aid of Albania. In retaliation Serbia invades Albania.
Pritap Suwarti is assassinated.
Amelia Young dies.
U.S. President Blair falls ill and is incapacitated. His vice president, Elizabeth Kress, becomes acting president.

2019
President Blair dies. Elizabeth Kress is sworn in as the next President of the United States of America, and holds office until at least 2045, winning re-election at least four times.

L-5 Space colonies revolt and declare independence.
L-4 Space colonies placed under martial law.
Orbital colony revolt at L-3.
NASA Mars mission is successful.
Emperor Jinkyoku-Tenno ascends the throne in Japan.
Opium production begins anew in the golden triangle of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
Storm Technology begins operations in Chicago, Illinois.
Albania is annexed by Yugoslavia.


The events of Cyberpunk 2020 take place.
The Second Joint SovOil ESA Mars mission is successful.
Storm Technology contracts the Jodes and The Aldecaldo Clan to begin the Chicago salvage and reconstruction project.

Several Nomad nations are contracted to build an extension of the Intercontinental MagLev in Boston, MA.

Carbon Plague ravages Night City for two weeks, then mysteriously stops.
Chicago Rebuilding Project begins.
NASA's crewed Pathfinder mission to Jupiter launches in the summer of 2020. It is expected to reach Jupiter in 2025.

2020
The events of Cyberpunk 2020 take place.
The Second Joint SovOil ESA Mars mission is successful.
Storm Technology contracts the Jodes and The Aldecaldo Clan to begin the Chicago salvage and reconstruction project.

Several Nomad nations are contracted to build an extension of the Intercontinental MagLev in Boston, MA.

Carbon Plague ravages Night City for two weeks, then mysteriously stops.
Chicago Rebuilding Project begins.
NASA's crewed Pathfinder mission to Jupiter launches in the summer of 2020. It is expected to reach Jupiter in 2025.

2021
NASA builds a base on Mars, it is called Chryse Base.
StreeTemps open regional offices in San Francisco and Seattle.
Euro Aquacorp CINO atte

2022
The events of Cyberpunk: The Arasaka's Plot take place.
Rache Bartmoss is killed in a Corporate raid, dead man switch unleashes DataKrash virus two weeks later.

The Fourth Corporate War begins.
The Chicago Rebuilding Project collapses when Arasaka factions detonate virus bomb to deny the city to Militech.

DataKrash virus infests 78.2% of the NET.
Industrial factories appear in orbit around Mars.
The Seven Hour War begins when O'Neill Two, Galileo Cylinder, declares independence.
The ESA and SovOil build a base on Mars, called Isidis Base, and creates a colonial government.
The Civic Order bill is passed in the United Kingdom.

2023
International trade breaks down.
Gargoyles Nomad tribe plans New York City Maglev extension preliminary work to begin.
NASA begins offering commercial flights to Mars.
Contact is lost with the Pathfinder mission to Jupiter after Cape Canaveral and NASA's mission control center are destroyed during the Fourth Corporate War.

Events of the first half of Cyberpunk 2077: Your Voice take place.
The Night City Holocaust. Nuclear device detonated in the Arasaka Towers, much of central Night City destroyed. Over a half million people are killed. Another quarter million die in the resulting aftermath.

Events of the second half of Cyberpunk 2077: Your Voice take place.
Time of the Red begins. Atmospheric particles from widespread devastation stains sky red for two years.

Kei Arasaka is talked into committing seppuku by Spider Murphy.
Events of the epilogue of Cyberpunk 2077: Your Voice take place.
Events of Cyberpunk 2077: Where's Johnny? take place.
Militech nationalized by President Elizabeth Kress.
Arasaka forces expelled from continental US.
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Northern California, and British Colombia unify into the Pacifica Confederation.

The Net is shut down by Rache Bartmoss.
The Japanese government nearly collapses, but saves itself by forcing Arasaka to take the full blame for the destruction of the Fourth Corporate War. Arasaka is forced to confine its operations to Japan for the next several years as it rebuilds its reputation

2025
The Fourth Corporate War officially ends.
Arasaka is exiled back to Japan.
NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Bureau launch a joint mission to Saturn.
Alt Cunningham establishes Ghost World in the ruins of Hong Kong.

2026-2029
The opposing sides in the Fourth Corporate War sign a belated formal truce. Militech then tries and fails to reestablish contact with NASA's lost Pathfinder mission

The Diaspora begins. Groups displaced from ruined cities set out to reclaim locations abandoned since the Collapse.

Widespread looting of old tech and abandoned storehouses.
Limited VPNs within corporate parks.
United States is a functional dictatorship under President Elizabeth Kress's State of Emergency

2030-2035
Ziggurat founded.
Ziggurat develops first CitiNet and Data Pool in Night City.
Rocklin Prosthetics rebrands to Rocklin Augmentics.
Jefferson Peralez is born
Resettlement of Suburban Night City.
Reestablishing of Nomad High Roads.
Start of CitiNets, local VPNs established in some Reclaimed Cities.
Rumors of Johnny Silverhand's body being found in cold storage in the wreckage of Old Night City arise.

Start of Night City Reconstruction

2035-2049
First Wave Cities start Reclamation.
Rebuilding of old factories and old tech begins to be replaced, new corps begin to rise.
Sightings of Morgan Blackhand in various First Wave cities arise.
Netwatch attempts to clear out the R.A.B.I.D.S. fail, so it shut downs all major nodes into the old NET.

Most cities in the New United States, Pacifica Confed, Free States, and Canada have Citinets and Data Pools courtesy of Ziggurat.
Thorton starts production of the Colby C125.
Song So Mi is born
Colonel Shiming Xu is appointed the new head of Kang Tao by the government of China.
Jackie Welles is born.
First Megabuildings constructed to handle population growth.
Events of the Black Dog story take place.
Events of Cyberpunk RED take place.

2050
Shiming Xu's defense company, now debt-free under his leadership, is rebranded Kang Tao. It officially debuted on the weapons market with the A-22B Chao smart-pistol, making a bold play for a niche dominated by Arasaka.

2051
A major outbreak of "bird flu" occurs in Night City, killing 7,000 people.

2052
Rebuilding of Night City's Corporate Plaza begins

2053
V is born

2055
Quadra starts production of the Turbo-R 740.

2058
Quadra starts production of the Turbo-R V-Tech.
David Martinez is born

2059
Quadra starts production of the Turbo-R V-Tech.

2060
Lucius Rhyne elected to the Night City Council as a member of the Devolutionist Party.
Thorton Colby C125 ends production.
Lagaretta predicts that the pace of technological development of the time would lead to the confirmation of the existence of white holes and the discovery of a theory for quantum gravity within fifteen years

2061
A third major bird flu outbreak called the Great Bird Flu occurs in Night City, killing 12,000 people.

2062
Haiti is officially abandoned after a series of vicious storms. A large portion of its population resettles in Night City's Pacifica District.

Quadra Turbo-R 740 ends production.
The private security company Secure Services Inc. (SSI) is founded.
NC Dam Ltd. begins construction of a dam and reservoir outside Night City. Residents of the town of Laguna Bend, set be flooded by the reservoir, attempt to disrupt construction, but are forcibly evacuated.

2063
Night City adopts the Avian Extermination Act to quell outbreaks of avian-borne diseases, which claimed tens of thousands of lives in the city across multiple epidemics over the past decade

2064
2064 Night City Marathon takes place.
March 2: Premiere of Bushidō X: Fade to Black.

2065
Rosalind Myers, previously the CEO of Militech, becomes President of the New United States of America, succeeding Elizabeth Kress.

2067
An Arasaka bodyguard intercepts an assassin's bullet, saving the life of the Emperor of Japan.
The Moxes are formed after the death of Elizabeth Borden.
The first permanent human settlement is constructed in Antarctica.
The last wild shark dies.

2068
A major bushfire in Australia kills the entire wild koala population with the exception of one survivor, named "Omega", who becomes the last of her species. A citizen protest prevents authorities from euthanizing Omega.

Hunter Hyland is involved in war crimes committed by Kendachi in South America. Officially called a "humanitarian expedition" to Colombia, Hunter recalled that they "drowned those villages in napalm. And we made sure everyone was home first".

2069
The Unification War starts. At the direction of President Myers, the New United States of America instigates a campaign to re-annex the Free States.

Higurashi 20-13 Mantis Blades line is discontinued because of a flaw: they interfaced poorly with neural processors and a certain section of the prefrontal cortex.

2070
During the Unification War, the NUSA carpet bombs Sacramento. Night City, under siege from NUSA forces, receives "humanitarian aid" from the Soviet Union that independent observers claim consists of truckloads of weapons. The Republic of Texas also officially closes its borders to refugees from Night City.

The Unification War ends after Arasaka arrives to break the siege of Night City at the request of Councilman Lucius Rhyne. Unwilling to draw Arasaka into the war, President Rosalind Myers reluctantly signs the Treaty of Unification with the Free States to end hostilities. Night City becomes an independent city-state and Lucius Rhyne is elected mayor. For its help, Rhyne welcomes Arasaka back to the city, giving it a seat on the Night City Council and allowing it to rebuild its American headquarters in the new Corpo Plaza.

Events of Cyberpunk 2077: Ten of Swords take place.
Kang Tao rapidly expanded the "smart guns" market, leaving behind its past competition Nokota and Tekhtronika. Now Kang Tao is competing with the major players like Arasaka and Tsunami Defense Systems.

2071
Arasaka security forces prevent mass riots in San Francisco.
Night City criminalizes the sale of domesticated fowl such as chickens on the grounds that they have become carriers of a plague.

Events of 2AM - She Calls take place

2072
An outbreak of zoonotic disease called the Rat Fever of 2072 occurs in Night City.
Declan "Brick" Griffin becomes the leader of the Maelstrom gang

2074
In Italy, an earthquake kills an estimated 98 people. In Night City, President Rosalind Myers' offer to provide Militech forces for the city's security is sharply criticized by the NCPD Commissioner.

An Arasaka investigation destroys a terrorist cell in Rio de Janeiro, killing all those responsible for a series of attacks.

2075
The supposed remains of Rache Bartmoss are dumped at the Municipal Landfill on the 10th of April.
Sasquatch becomes the leader of the Animals gang.

Lucyna Kushinada meets Kiwi for the first time, who brings her into Maine's crew.
The Night City Journal names Somalia the #1 tourism destination of 2075.

2076
NASA's crewed Pathfinder mission to Jupiter remains missing after fifty years of searching for its signal.

Events of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners take place.
Cyberpunk 2077 Prologue takes place.V and Jackie Welles team up as mercenaries to become legends of Night City.

2077
Arasaka announces the development of the Relic, a unique biochip which users can imprint their personalities on for their descendants to communicate with after they die.

Switzerland's publishing house since ♥♥♥♥ prints its final book and goes bankrupt.
China and India hold an economic summit and sign a trade agreement. China lifts its ban on the export of certain rare earth metals to India, and both countries agree to open their shared border to allow organic persons and biopodders to cross.

Biotechnica geneticists announce they can now revive three extinct species, the North American beaver, swift fox, and eastern cottontail, on-demand for wealthy clients.

Worsening atmospheric conditions reduce the common gull population to critically endangered levels.

Antonio Luccessi, founder of Militech, dies.
Cyberpunk 2077 Acts 1 to 3 take place half a year after the Prologue.
V and Jackie are hired by fixer Dexter DeShawn to carry out a heist to steal a special chip prototype known as the Relic from Yorinobu Arasaka's suite in Konpeki Plaza.
The Kujira arrives in Night City, aboard are Saburo Arasaka, Hanako Arasaka and Goro Takemura.
The heist occurs not long after the Kujira's arrival. During the heist, Saburo Arasaka is murdered by his son, Yorinobu. V and Jackie escape Konpeki Plaza with the Relic, but Jackie dies shortly after.

V is killed by Dexter to cover his tracks, but is revived by the Relic and rescued by Goro Takemura.
Blackout takes place around the time of Saburo Arasaka's murder.
Yorinobu becomes Arasaka's next CEO, and blames his father's death on Militech, exacerbating tensions between the two corporations. Yorinobu also begins subtly dismantling Arasaka, framing his changes as necessary reforms and financial streamlining.

Mayor Lucius Rhyne of Night City dies. Deputy Mayor Weldon Holt becomes Acting Mayor until a new election is held. Holt, City Councilman Jefferson Peralez, and a slate of less significant individuals announce their candidacy for the election. Peralez eventually wins the election and becomes Night City's next mayor.

"Omega", the last living wild koala, dies outside Sydney, Australia.
NUSA President Rosalind Myers announces she will seek another term in office.
Militech announces plans to construct a new colony on Mars, and begins selling residential modules.

V, with the help of Panam Palmer, assault a power plant to create an EMP which takes down a Kang Tao AV carrying the Relic designer Anders Hellman. The incident results in a significant power outage for Night City that causes over €$120 million in damage.

Hanako Arasaka is kidnapped by V and Goro Takemura during the Aratama Matsuri festival in Night City. She is later rescued by a strike force led by Adam Smasher.

V manages to contact with Alt Cunningham to find information about Soulkiller.
Mid-Late June: Events of Phantom Liberty take place.

V confronts their imminent death due to the Relic and chooses their fate. V's decision has potential ramifications for the future of Arasaka and the world.

Events of Cyberpunk 2077: You Have My Word take place some time after Cyberpunk 2077: Blackout.

Events of Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams take place some time after Cyberpunk 2077: You Have My Word.

Cyberpunk 2077 epilogue takes place. A few months after the assault on Arasaka Tower, V is either at the Arasaka Orbital Station where their Relic chip has been extracted; if they returned from Mikoshi they are on their way to the Crystal Palace or leaving Night City for good; if Johnny was the one to return he leaves the city as well.

2078
Night Corp expects to finalize construction of a maglev network connecting Night City to other NUSA cities.

Lizzy Wizzy is scheduled to play concerts at the Crystal Palace as part of her Cosmic Tour.
Winter: The first connections of Night Corp's intercontinental maglev network are planned to become operational.

Moore Technologies plans to release the Artifex, an advanced 3D printer that scans the user's brain to create objects that the user imagines.

2079
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty epilogue takes place. V recovers from their surgery and wakes up from a two-year coma.

2080
Premiere of Bushidō 13: Solitude.
Night Corp's 3-hour maglev connection to Chicago is expected to become operational.
Leading AI analytics predicts, with 74% confidence, that a second hot war between the New United States and the Free States will occur by this year

2095
Orbital Air launched a space probe equipped with an AI that is expected to reach the extrasolar planet of Proxima Centauri b in 2095

Sasai Arasaka
Sasai Arasaka was born in 1859 in Tokyo, Japan and later joined the Imperial Japanase Army where he became a captain. some time later he retired from the army and joined the business ındustry where he started to work at different companies to eventually become a businessman. Sasai was known for being a shrewd businessman in the Tokyo prefecture and gained experience in Industrial companies.

During the early 1900s he met his soon to be wife Yui and married her in 1905. His ambitions and beliefs led him to forming the industrial company of Arasaka which he built up to become one of the more successful wartime manufacturing companies in Imperial Japan. During war, Sasai took full advantage supplying the military with top of the line equipment. He foresaw the defeat of Japan and during this time, he gained considerable wealth and was smart enough to diversify his holdings around the world maintaining his wealth in the years following World War II.In 1919 Sasai and Yui Arasaka had their first and only child Saburo.

Sasai lived a long life where he saw much success. The Arasaka corporation grew and became one of Japan's biggest industrial manufactures and he managed to raise a stable family where his son could take over his legacy once he passed. After 41 years of being CEO of a major corporation, Sasai passed away at the age of 101 in 1960 and the reigns of his corporation were given to his son, Saburo, as well as the Arasaka family wealth. His wife Yui was left in the care of Saburo after his death, however three years later she also passed away at the age of 96 in 1963.

Yuri Arasaka
Yui Arasaka was born in 1867 in Tokyo, Japan and married her husband Sasai Arasaka in 1905, only a few years before he had founded the Arasaka Corporation. Yui lived with her husband in the Arasaka Family Compound and in 1919 gave birth to their only child Saburo who would eventually enlist into the Imperial Army.

Akio Nagawa
Trading partner and friend to Sasai Arasaka, Akio Nagawa was born in Chiba, Japan. It was through him that the Nagawa family became loyal friends to the Arasaka family. This led to his grandson Kiichi to became the most trusted friend of Kei Arasaka and director of Arasaka IAD. Akio died in 1947 from a heart attack.

Antonio Lucessi
Antonio was born in Italy in 1935, little is known about his upbringing but by the mid 1950s, he was working as an armorer for NATO and later the firearms manufacturer, Beretta. In 1992, he emigrated to the United States and worked for Colt Firearms until 1996, when he founded Armatech-Luccessi.

By 1998 the company had entered the US Military firearm trials, in which it would ultimately lose out to the FN system due to bureaucracy. However the company gained a powerful new ally in retired Marine Corps General Donald Lundee. In 2000, Luccessi stepped down as CEO of Armatech-Luccessi after offering the position to Lundee, and soon after the company was renamed to Militech International Armaments.

Luccessi's executive VP role is largely symbolic as he prefers the hands on work to running the company, however due to his status and the risks associated, he resides in the Militech HQ in Washington D.C, occasionally taking trips in the manufacturing plants in New Hampshire.

At the age of 85 he is still widely respected for his continued ingenuity, with his cybernetic eyes and hands only improving his work over the years. Antonio has several children who still reside in Italy, as well as his granddaughter Anastasia, who holds a high ranking position in the Militech Special Operations division

Ellen Trieste
Ellen Trieste is the major power at Petrochem. She has the most shareholder votes, is chairman of the board, and wields the most influence over the other board members. On issues where she and Trenton Parker disagree, she and her supporters usually edge him in the vote by just a few percent age points. Ellen is not happy with this, and she is looking to expand her control over the corporation. She would be quite happy to see Trent Parker pushed out of the company completely, and she is working toward this goal. Ellen was born in France in 1945, the daughter of a former resistance soldier and an American nurse. She dreamed of being an actress, and had a moderately successful film career as a sex diva in the mid and late 1960s. She never made it big in America, however, and she retired from acting in the mid 1970s. She had made a fair amount of money before the cameras, and decided to invest it. Her skills in money management far exceeded her skills as an actress, and within a few years she was sitting on top of a considerable fortune. In 1999 she made a sizable investment in the fortunes of the struggling Parker Petrochemicals. She has devoted herself to that project ever since, and now sits firmly at the helm of Petrochem. She has personal fortune valued at over eight billion Eurodollars.

Trieste has become more eccentric with age. As her health deteriorated, she became convinced that Earth's increasing pollution and population was to blame. She removed herself to the confines of space, setting up shop in a villa in the ESA Crystal Tower orbital, a project which she helped to bankroll. She lives in a sterile apartment,and exposes herself to other human beings only in emergencies. She interacts entirely through telecommunications or virtual reality.

As Trieste becomes older she spends more and more time in her custom virtual reality, a high definition, world-scale reproduction of an idealized post-war France. In her computer it is always just after VE day, and she is always the shining star returning to her homeland after a wartime exile in America. She is bathed perpetually in the computer-generated romance of movie stars and dashing young soldiers. Only business and necessary bodily functions interfere with her ongoing fantasy. Trieste is genuinely infatuated with Angus Youngblood. When the two rendezvous, he appears in the VR as her absentee love who has been valiantly fighting the Nazis and is now stationed in Germany.

At 75, Trieste is still mobile and relatively energetic, but she has a several chronic ailments and is definitely deteriorating. Her decay is accelerated by all the time her body spends immobile while her brain interacts with her VR via braindance. Within a couple of years she will require assistance to move or feed herself. When this happens, she plans to commit her brain entirely to the VR and conduct all her business from there. Her body will be entrusted to the care of robots and medical personnel.

Donald Lundee
He allied himself with Antonio Luccessi, and was apointed the CEO of the Armatech-Luccessi company. Lundee successfully reconstructed the company into Militech and returned to the Pentagon in 2004 - not as a general, but as a salesman. The US was finally scrapping the FN-SAF, and they chose Militech's Ronin as its replacement. This boosted Militech to megacorporation status, and Lundee had successfully continued as the CEO.

Unfortunately, Lundee, had been subtly warped by the tremendous power he had acquired. He originally joined Armatech-Luccessi with the highest of ideals. He wanted to produce superior military products at reasonable prices so that the U.S. and other countries wouldn't be left facing the consequences of inferior weapon workmanship. The expansion of Armatech into Militech was a logical step toward making that philosophy apply at all levels of weapons crafting, and not just to small arms. While Militech continued to maintain high quality standards and reasonable prices, there were no longer any idealistic explanations for it. It was strictly business; another way for Militech to expand its market share and consolidate power. Lundee espoused noble corporate goals for public relations reasons, but beneath it all was his desire to see Militech become the most potent force on the planet.

However, Lundee still faced problems. While no one within the corporation denied Lundee's leadership or executive abilities, not everyone on the board of directors viewed him favorably. This worried Lundee, as although he was CEO, held a large share of Militech stock, and sat on the board of directors, he was not chairman; neither was the chairman a pawn of his. This meant that he could lose his position should the board of directors find fault with him. Lundee had been waging a subtle financial war, trying to consolidate as much of the voting power as possible in his hands and those board members loyal to him. This caused tension with the directors and led to several assassinations and resignations. The power struggle between Lundee and those board members who would replace him continued, resulting in a great deal of intra-corporate turmoil. Lundee was not yet in imminent danger of being forced out, but his impulsive and heavy tempered personality made it increasingly difficult for him.

During the Fourth Corporate War, Donald Lundee worked with his corporation against the increasingly powerful Arasaka Corporation. Over the years he had set himself and Militech up against Arasaka so often and for so long that he became personally involved with the conflict, and Arasaka didn't ignore it. To Lundee, it would be a source of pride to defeat the Japanese. His goal remained unchanged, to secure dominance as the largest military force on the planet. However, in his way was Saburo Arasaka, a man with over a million employees loyal to him. Lundee detested Saburo, viewing him as a threat to his ambitions. The Japanese CEO had everything he was lacking and because of this, the war became personal. Control of Militech was eventually taken away from him by the president of the corporation and later president of the United States, Elizabeth Kress. After President Kress nationalized Militech, Lundee was no longer able to see the war to its end.

In the 2040s, Donald Lundee remained as the CEO of the Militech Corporation. Even twenty years after the war, he still was angered by the decision of the president not allowing him to continue his fight. His paranoia, arrogance, and temper were unchanged which led to much inner conflict within Militech. The board members still fought against him from obtaining more power. During this time he had his son named Donald "Dixie" Lundee Jr, who later became a member of the board.

At some point after 2045, Donald Lundee passed away and was succeeded by Rosalind Myers. His legacy and direction continued with the new leaders of the Militech Corporation often sharing his ambitions

Valentin Domanevka
Valentin Domanevka is the director of SovOil's dreaded Secret Police. The Secret Police are a special department of SovOil that handles certain duties considered too sensitive for the regular Security Forces. SP assignments include all diplomatic espionage and information gathering operations, diplomatic black ops such as bribery, intimidation and assassination, internal affairs and Security Forces investigations, and body-guarding high company officials. The Secret Police do not handle military information gathering or military black operations such as corporate sabotage and extraction. They are completely independent of the Security Forces, and the relationship between the two departments sometimes becomes frigid when they investigate each other or share information. Valentin Domanevka and Lupold Korepino have always been suspicious of each other.
Domanevka was a former Deputy Director of the once-legendary KGB. When the KGB was made a tool of the new Union's Central Committee, it became a policing body for the intelligence units of the fourteen republics. Dissatisfied with the historic agency's new role, Domanevka made the jump into the private sector. He has been with SovOil for eighteen years, and was largely responsible for the design and implementation of the corporation's Secret Police. At his urging, the Secret Police were set apart from the Security Forces, and the Secret Police Directorship was made a Board Advisory Committee position. He is one of the longest-tenured executives at SovOil.

At 71, Domanevka is one of the oldest members of the SovOil nucleus. He abandoned his hard-line politics for New Reformism only when it became obvious that the old Soviet Union was doomed. Domanevka is a tall, thin, bald man. He refuses to use cyberware, and he peers out from behind old-fashioned, round spectacles. He is renowned for an uncanny knack of knowing when people are lying or concealing something. One of the most powerful and deeply feared people at SovOil; rumors abound that he was responsible for the imprisonment, torture, and execution of hundreds when he worked for the government in the tumultuous 1980s and '90s.

Margaret Goldstein
Margaret Ellen Goldstein was another one of the investors in the original Armatech buyout. She has been active in the directorship of the Militech corporation ever since. A wealthy heiress, she has increased her already sizable fortune through the success of Washing-ton-based public relations and lobbying firm Goldstein, Harper, Shotwell and Associates. Goldstein knows General Lundee from his days in the military, when they traveled in the same Washington social circles. Lundee and Goldstein even had a brief relationship, shortly before Lundee resigned from the Marine Corps. Gold-stein has remained a firm supporter of Lundee ever since Militech was formed, and continues to back him on the Board of directors. With one of the largest voting shares on the board, her power has proved invaluable to Lundee on several occasions. Goldstein and Anderson Bennett have a long history of disagreement and there is no love lost between the two. It is quite likely that they would be the major contenders for the chairmanship position if something were to happen to Roland Yee.

Margaret Ellen Goldstein is now sixty-three years old.She has had extensive (and incredibly expensive) cosmetic reconstruction and body-sculpting, and still looks like she is in her late thirties or early forties. Her boyfriend is an East Coast socialite twenty years her junior. The P.R.firm, which continues under the directorship of Gold-stein's son Mark, remains successful, but is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Militech. They handle all spokes manship duties for the corporation.

Roland Yee
Roland Yee is the current chairman of the board and one of the original investors into Armatech. Yee has continued to invest in Militech, and is currently the chairman of the board. Yee is a headstrong man who refuses to buck to either side in the internal power structure at Militech. Fortunately for Militech, Yee is also enough of a leader to keep things running smoothly while tensions continue among the board members. Yee would prefer to see Donald Lundee remain CEO for the time being, due to the General's experience and leadership, but he has no personal love for the man.
He is known for joviality and generosity among his friends, ruthlessness toward his enemies, and a business acumen that has become somewhat legendary in Militech and around the world. He has been on the board of directors since the inception of the corporation, but he has only been chairman for four years. He spends most of his time in the Militech Hong Kong Office

Douglas Llewellyn
Colonel Douglas Llewellyn, formerly Brigadier General Douglas Llewellyn of the Royal Marines, is an old acquaintance of Lazarus', and is the Groups' second highest ranking military officer/executive. If anything should happen to Lazarus, Llewellyn is first in line to succeed him for the Groups' top military job.Llewellyn served in the British Royal Marines for several years, leaving at Lazarus' and Katzadoulos' request to accept a commission in the Lazarus Group.Llewellyn had participated in several combat engagements for the crown, including Northern Ireland and the 1999 Hong Kong riots, and had credentials almost as good as Colonel Lazarus. He had refused in 2005 to resign his commission in the Royal Marines in order to Join EBM's corporate army, and had successfully thwarted two EBM extractions before Joining the Lazarus Group in 2015.

Lazarus and Colonel Llewellyn met in 2007, when Lazarus was serving as a mercenary in Zimbabwe and Llewellyn was assigned as an adviser by the British government. They found that they had similar tactical style sand experience. Much of their off-duty time was spent getting drunk together and rambling through the brothels of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. Both left Zimbabwe later that same year, but remained in touch ever after.

Llewellyn is 53 years old. He and his family live on an estate in Scotland. As with Lazarus, Llewellyn spends much of his time in Washington and touring the Group's facilities. Llewellyn is a striking man, tall and thin, with no visible cyberware other than sockets and plugs. He has a reputation as a hard and unforgiving leader, demanding top performance from his troops atall times. Llewellyn is not without dark secrets: he has become cynical and power hungry over the years.Although Lazarus is yet unaware, Llewellyn covets the top Group military job, and is privately scheming to have Lazarus removed, discredited or killed. Llewellyn's plot is in its early stages now, and Lazarus has no idea of his friend's duplicity.

Shintaro Takayama
Born in Chiba, Japan in 1968, Shintaro Takayama was reputed to be descended from ninja lines. A Solo in the employ of Arasaka Corporation, he owed his life to Saburo Arasaka. As a long-time vassal, his loyalty was beyond question, and he was trusted with many of the corporation's secrets.As a traditionalist, he rejected any and all cybernetics; yet his military training and skill in the martial arts made him one of the most dangerous men of his time.

As the director of security of Arasaka Family Compound near Tōkyō, he acted as personal martial arts trainer for the Arasaka family, but also was responsible for developing the personal combat section of the Arasaka troop training regimen.

In 2020, at the age of 52, Takayama-san lived at the Arasaka compound. He was responsible for the personal security of Saburo and his daughter Hanako. Whenever either of them would leave the compound, which happened only rarely in Hanako's case, he would accompany them; if they traveled separately at the same time, he would remain with the CEO and entrust her safety to weapons specialist Katsuo Iwashima. It is unclear whether he knew that the young man was in love with Hanako.

When the cargo submarine Eel carrying "Project Five" under Captain Hyung Mitsumoto sunk in the North Pacific later in the same year, Shintaro Takayama informed Saburo in person. After establishing the lack of Arasaka units in the area, Saburo ordered the acquisition of the company owning the closest vessel. IRA, a small, pseudo-military organziation hiring protection services to governments and major corporations, was then put under the Sato Commercial Shipping subsidiary.

As Hanako's most trusted friend aside from her brother Yorinobu, he would treat her like his own daughter and often spin tales of ancient Japan for her

Emile Lazarus
Emile Lazarus is the grizzled old soldier who oversaw the assembly of the corporation's military resources. Although Katzadoulos' financial clout and position as chairman of the board gives him the ultimate say over the Lazarus Group, Lazarus himself remains the corporation's president and leader in the most basic sense. He is charismatic, and boasts a long and distinguished military record. Soldiers around the world tell awestruck tales of his military adventures in Central and South America and around the world. Few other people could hold the necessary thrall over such a huge, diverse group of soldiers and keep them together as a viable fighting organization. Katzadoulos knows that Lazarus is essential to the success of the corporation, and the two of them have been close friends ever since the inception of the Group.

Lazarus is now 51 years old. He lives at an estate in Bethesda, Maryland, but divides most of his time between his Washington, D.C. apartment and touring Lazarus military facilities and troop concentrations around the world. He lacks any immediate family. He has an atypical reputation for a high executive: he likes to keep in touch with his workers. Lazarus uses the bond between soldiers to maintain high morale among his troops and agents, breaking executive norms considered inviolable in other corporations. His competence, experience, and gruff leadership has made him an idol among many Lazarus Group troops, including some of the most jaded. Even soldiers who joined the Lazarus group after resigning ranks of Lt. general or general in national armies defer to his leadership.

Lazarus maintains himself in top physical condition, and considers himself fit for active duty at all times. He has several cybernetic replacements due to wounds suffered in many combat engagements. He has been known to "drop in" and participate, unannounced, in Group military training exercises. Currently, Katzadoulos has drawn the line at allowing Lazarus to participate directly in combat, not wanting to sacrifice either his leadership or his friendship. This restriction chafes Lazarus, but he understands the wisdom of it.

Anderson Bennett
Anderson Bennett is another member of the board of directors. He has the third largest portfolio of Militech stock, and has been a member of the board of directors for six years. He also covets Yee's chairmanship, and is secretly trying to amass a controlling interest and sway the voting of the other board members to increase his power. Bennett is one of Donald Lundee's enemies, and would like to see the General replaced with an individual of his choosing. Anderson has ordered two bungled assassination attempts on Lundee. So far no one has traced them back to him. Bennett is extremely good at hiding his personal ambitions under a cloak of apparently good corporate intentions.

Anderson Bennett is forty-eight years old, and comes from an old-money Texas family. He maintains a corporate cowboy image, and is known for being an attention-hog and media baby. He has some other allies on the board, but so far not enough to be a serious threat to Roland Yee. Yee has his suspicions of Bennett's disruptive activities, but has been wary of having Bennett forcibly removed (i.e., assassinated), since, due to Bennett's high profile, the death would almost certainly turn into a media circus. That wouldn't bother Yee, but he doesn't want any more outward indication of the board schism than necessary, as it would project weakness

Neonila Novikovo
Neonila Novikovo is Anatoly Novikovo's daughter, and Yevgeny's older sister. When Anatoly died, she inherited ownership and control of his holding company, SovOil Investments. The firm owns 8% of SovOil's World Stock Exchange shares. SovOil Investments is not a SovOil subsidiary, it is a separate corporate entity under which a variety of worldwide portfolios and investments are managed. The SovOil stock represents SOI's largest and most valuable single investment, however, and much of the company's activity is directed towards the management of that stock and the critical Board seat that it represents. Neonila's ownership and management of the investment company puts her squarely in charge of the largest single portfolio of SovOil stock. As major shareholder, Neonila is an influential Board member, and her votes have been instrumental in determining the course of the company's leadership over the past several years. Neonila is squarely behind Arkady Cherminino, and she continues to back his leadership of the corporation.
Neonila and Yevgeny have a tumultuous relationship. Yevgeny doesn't get along with her any better than he does with the corporation's other leaders. They are allies in the preservation of the family fortune and name, however, and they work together to accomplish their common goals. Neonila and Yevgeny have other, younger siblings with careers outside of the corporation.

Neonila is a former gymnast, she is considered quite beautiful, and is proud of her looks. She has never had cosmetic surgery or body-sculpting, and scorns those who have. She does use cyberware. Some people consider her arrogant, but no one doubts her executive prowess. Neonila is unmarried, and her affairs and dalliances are a favorite topic of the Euro gossip- rags and network 'infotainment' shows.

Trenton Parker
Trenton Parker holds the second largest amount of Petrochem Stock and is the current Chief Executive Officer of the corporation. Trenton inherited control of the company in 2003, when his father, Louis, died. Unlike his father, Trenton does not have absolute control over the corporation. He shares power with Ellen Trieste, and in fact, has fewer shareholder votes than she does. His decisions as CEO are subject to her scrutiny, approval and modification.
Trenton is understandably paranoid about his position with in the corporation. His position as CEO is due only to Ellen Trieste's deference to the company's tradition of family leadership. She gave him die position as a gesture of appeasement after persuading die board to remove Trenton's family name from that of the corporation. It is well known that Trieste would prefer to have a non-share holding CEO that she can manipulate, but she has not acted on this yet because such a move would be unpopular with die other directors, many of whom are still loyal to Trenton. Trenton is doing his best to consolidate support before Trieste changes her mind. That day is coming, and it will mark the start of a major power war within the corporation. When the dust settles, either Ellen Trieste or Trenton Parker will be gone. Trent has given up his tactic of waiting for die aged Trieste to die. Not only has she persisted despite failing health, but her "husband," Angus Youngblood, stands to benefit from her schemes, and he will no doubt perpetuate them after her death. Trent is now planning on a full-scale power struggle involving most of the members of the board of directors.

Trenton Parker is a handsome, tall man of forty-six. He is fit and strong, and follows in his family's tradition of sportsmanship. He is an accomplished rider and mountaineer, and spends much of his leisure time enjoying what's left of the wilderness. Unfortunately, his position requires that he be tailed by a discreet security force at all times. Trent takes good care of his body, exercising regularly and adhering to a strict diet. His job has forced him to have a chipware socket and interface plugs implanted, but he refuses to use any other cyberware. He is a vociferous and opinionated man, making friends and enemies with equal facility as he speaks his mind freely

Marshall Shepard
Colonel Marshall Rock Shepard commands Petrochem's mighty military forces. He is a skilled and experienced military leader,with battle credentials ranging from Eastern Europe to South America to Central and Western Africa. Shepard was wooed to Petrochem in 2011, after the corporation's defeat in die South China Sea. The company felt it was time for new military leader-ship, and Shepard was tapped to replace Adm. Casey Sawyer, who had resigned in die aftermath of die SovOil debacle.The board decided to bring in an outsider rather than promoting someone from inside the corporation because it was felt that a whole new perspective was necessary to revitalize Petrochem's worn-out military forces.

Shepard is a native of Liberia, and he cut his military teeth in one of that country's innumerable civil wars. Growing disenchanted with the petty differences of Liberia's warring factions, he went abroad to seek more diverse experience. As a roving mercenary, he served in an enlisted position in the Congo, Egypt, and Zimbabwe. The British intervention force in Zimbabwe recognized his leadership talent and sent him back to England for officer training, but he soon abandoned Britain to seek independent work again. As an officer, he lead forces for Brazil and Yugoslavia, and briefly, for Orbital Air. Orbital Air sent Shepard to the elite Lazarus Military Institute where he learned advanced leadership and strategy techniques. Petrochem made him an offer he couldn't refuse shortly after graduation, and he has been there ever since. His stay at Petrochem marks his longest tenure with any one employer.

Shepard is forty-six years old. He has been a soldier since he was sixteen. All of his non-military education has come in fits and starts between military employments. Shepard is a rather stout black man with short, graying hair and a neatly trimmed beard. A physical powerhouse, he is soft spoken and intelligent. Popular with his troops, he has never been able to overcome his discomfort at dealing with executives and boardrooms. Shepard is trying to remain impartial in the face of the boardroom power struggle, but his command of the army is a desirable asset, and he expects to bed ragged into the conflict eventually.

Nelson Katzadoulos
Nelson Katzadoulos is the wealthy financier who bankrolled the development of the Lazarus Group and reaps the lion's share of the profits. Katzadoulos is the scion of a patrician east coast family, and has a personal worth of close to three billion eurodollars. Although Emile Lazarus engineered the actual design and development of the Lazarus Group, it was the funds provided, and the other investors recruited by Katzadoulos that made the formation of the corporation possible.

Katzadoulos lives on his family estate in an upper-class, northern suburb of New York, but he spends much of his time in penthouses in New York City, Miami, Tokyo, and in Washington D.C., where the Lazarus Group is headquartered. He alternates between managing the financial affairs of the Group, dealing with his responsibilities as chairman of the board, and running his various other investments around the world.

Katzadoulos is 43, single, and rated by 'C' Magazine as among the corporate world's most eligible bachelors. He maintains a string of high-profile female friends and has a reputation for loyalty, extravagance and congeniality among acquaintances. He also has a reputation for shrewd financial management, dealing severely with those who would interfere with, or upset the stability of his investments. He has a younger brother, Roy, who is a search doctor for a La Jolla cybertech firm, and a younger sister, Sarah, who is married to a Los Angeles braindance star. The family keeps close ties to each other.

Elizabeth Kress
Elizabeth was born in a small USA Air Force hospital on Okinawa, Japan in 1978. Her father was a Major in the United States Armed Forces, a distinguished officer with twenty years of experience. At the age of twenty-two, Elizabeth graduated from the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, with a promising career awaiting her in the military. After only eight years she had risen to the rank of Colonel, commanding a unit in NORAD.

During the First Orbit War in 2008, the ESA's Tycho colony on the Moon dropped a two-ton rock on Colorado Springs. At that time, Kress was returning home from vacation, recalled due to the rising tensions between the U.S. and the EEC. When the rock hit, she was driving her Jeep only three miles away of the city. The mountains saved her life from the explosion, though the blast blew her car off the road and burst her eardrums, rendering her deaf. After the event, she found herself the highest ranking officer in NORAD. After recovering and having an audio cyberware installed, Kress stayed there to oversee the long rebuilding of the higher military command. When finished, she decided to retire from the military.

Elizabeth Kress would go on to serve as the president of Militech for the greater part of a decade.

Her popularity as the "Lady from NORAD" lead Kress straight into politics. After one term as Senator from her adopted home state of Colorado, Kress was asked to accept the nomination for Vice President. Her acceptance speech at the convention, entitled "Rebuilding the Dream," was a huge success. When former President Blair was struck ill, Elizabeth was there to assume command, becoming Acting President in 2018. Blair passed away six months later. After the elections, Elizabeth sworn in as President in 2021. Her casual manner and precise way of speaking made her a popular president

During the Fourth Corporate War, President Kress nationalized Militech in order to save face. After the terrorist bombing of the Arasaka Towers, Kress blamed Arasaka for the bombing, despite the fault lying with Militech. The president used this to demonize Arasaka for her own interests. Arasaka's charters to operate in the United States were immediately revoked, its members and board declared terrorists, and its assets either seized or driven off-shore. Elizabeth turned the United Sates into a functional dictatorship, and with the help of Militech she made it her goal to unify the country under her new ideals.

Elizabeth remained the President of her new United States of America for many decades after the war, stating there wouldn't be any new national elections until a treaty was signed with the Free States.

By 2045, Kress was known for her honesty, fairness, and tough nature, serving to face any threat to U.S. sovereignty. She had been "re-elected" four times, holding the New United States together in spite of the wars and collapse it had sustained. However, many still questioned the fact that her actions would often benefit the Militech Corporation, her former employer. Elizabeth knew of the Militech mini-nuke that was used on Arasaka, but refused to ever address the issue publicly.

Kress held the US presidency until 2053, when the new constitution was ratified. As such, she left her post to an interim government in preparation for the new elections.[4] Kress was reelected a total of nine times during her long career, becoming the first President of the New United States prior to finally leaving the post to her successor

Angus Youngblood
Always suave, witty and stylish, Youngblood is a handsome and healthy man of forty-one. He exerts an air of competence and control, and is known for his wit and casual bonhomie. It's a front that has disarmed many of his enemies. He's shrewd, ruthless, and has no qualms when it comes to mercilessly disposing of his enemies.[1]

He became a major shareholder in Petrochem in 2013, when the company bought CHOOH2 growing land from his family's huge agricultural holdings in New South Wales. Angus is the third most powerful member of the Petrochem board of directors, sub-ordinate only to Ellen Trieste and Trenton Parker. He is firmly in Trieste's camp, however, and always uses his votes to support her.

Youngblood is looking out for himself only. He is out to take control of Petrochem for his own family, and is using Ellen Trieste as a tool toward that end. Her infatuation with him is a blessing in disguise, for it has allowed him to combine his stock with hers and form a large controlling interest. He views his marriage to her as a joke, and like Trent Parker, is waiting for her to die. Youngblood stands to inherit her fortune and her interests in Petrochem. When that happens, he will become the single greatest power within the corporation. Youngblood considers Trieste a hopeless braindance lunatic with a staggering amount of power. He finds his time in her VR trying, and their sexual liaisons in the Net interesting but mildly disgusting. No matter how nubile she appears, he is always able to recall how old she really is. Youngblood plans to submit to Trieste's will only as long as she continues to make good business decisions. If she ever becomes irrational, he will take legal steps to have her declared incompetent so he can seize control of the corporation. Currently, Youngblood is lobbying to have Parker ousted from the CEO position, and his own brother, Malcolm, installed.

By 2045, Youngblood used Trieste's infatuation with him to talk her into a marriage of convenience, combining his stock with hers to form a large controlling interest and became Petrochem's Chief Officer. Now that Ellen is dead, he no longer must cater to her romantic fantasies, as unwanted as he once found them. He has also formed a rivalry with Olivia Forsythe of Continental Brands, for her role in stealing billions of dollars of intellectual and physical property from Petrochem under his watch

Bruce Skiv
Bruce Skiv was the head of the resurgent Night City mob in the year 2020. A fixer turned Mob boss, Skiv made a name for himself along the West Coast. He was headquartered out of the Little Italy district of Night City and could be found at Balboas, the Chrome Ring or Beppo's, and his morning routine consisted of a daily shave at Guido's. He also had a niece named Lynn Skiv who was extremely troublesome in terms of his day to day affairs.[2]

In 2028, Bruce died and a memorial was built

Kei Arasaka
Kei Arasaka was the eldest son of Saburo Arasaka, born in 1980 Tokyo, Japan, who would eventually become CEO of the Arasaka Corporation. He was his Saburo's most trusted child, and the only who believed in his fathers goals, enough so to that he continued his father's work after becoming CEO of the corporation. Kei was challenged in rigorous schools and from a early age, he was groomed to inherit the corporation after his father's retirement. His experience in business, finance, and investing is only second to Saburo.

Kei considered himself of a man of action; in 1999, he amused himself by training at the Hokkaido facility, but when he took this training more seriously than his schooling, Saburo put a stop to it immediately. He still kept fit and occasionally practiced marksmanship and martial arts even after leaving the training camp.

Kei took control of the corporation in the 2000s, in his 20s he was the CEO of the Arasaka corporation, and he had many years of executive experience, despite his age. Although it was said that Saburo still made the most critical decisions. Kei had always been fully aware of his father's methods and the true scope of Arasaka's power. He shared the same ideals of his father, in his nationalistic dreams and had every intention of following through even after his father passed away. Unlike Saburo, who almost never leaves home, Kei traveled around the world and into LEO on business. In fact, he was abroad just as often as he was in Tokyo or at the family compound.

At some point in the 2000s Kei married his fiancé, an American woman of pure Japanese decent. Kei and his wife then had Michiko, the first grandchild of Saburo. Kei was afraid of the trouble his family could get into if rivals knew of their ties to the Arasaka Corporation, he also kept it secret from his family in Japan because of the effects it would have on his father. Kei knew his father would disapprove of a half American granddaughter, despite being pure Japanese. Kei protected his family by keeping them a secret as he carried out his duties around the world.

While Saburo's spirits would rise and fall with the fortunes of his brainchild, Kei maintained a detachment he considered imperative to objective decision-making. Very rarely did Kei actually show emotion, and when he did it was only with trusted friends and family.

At the time of the Fourth Corporate War in 2023, Kei was responsible for a great deal of the daily operations during the IHAG fracas. He viewed the fight like any other business operation. However, in the Arasaka tradition, Kei would stop at nothing to make sure his side was victorious, and he would never step down from a direct offense to Arasaka.

He was now fully behind his father's war. However he knew the conflict war wasn't going to end well. Kei saw the war as just another part of the game for power, and considered everyone in it to be chess pieces of different levels rather than people. It was also now that he was working directly with General Ubo Tanaka. He was ready to sacrifice major assets in order to win. The only thing left was his contingency plans that he hoped would save the zaibatsu if the worst occurs and Arasaka lost.

After his compound was rushed and all his guards killed, Kei had then lost everything. Kei was visited by Spider Murphy wearing a kimono, alone with Rogue and Shaitan, on his ship the Sea Viper. They shared sake together, as she explained his failure to the corporation, his family, and himself. His own nation had turned on him and Murphy took advantage of it. She appealed to Kei's samurai roots and convinced him "seppuku" was the only way to restore honor to his family and everything they built. Kei reluctantly agreed by uploading his consciousness into a digital prison, using the Soulkiller device she had mentioned. Kei died, ending the war and restoring his honor

Peter Rijen
Peter Van Rijen is the Director of SovOil's Industrial Troubleshooting division. A native of Holland, Van Rijen cut his teeth as an oil well firefighter for Royal Dutch Shell Oil. After leaving Shell he spent many years as freelance oil-business troubleshooter in the North Sea fields and in the United States. Van Rijen had established a name for himself as a top troubleshooter when oil was still a worldwide commodity. When Petrochem and SovOil became the only two companies producing significant quantities of oil in the early 21st century, Van Rijen became the object of a bidding war. SovOil ended up the winner, and Van Rijen has been with the corporation since 2005.
Van Rijen is the best in the business. He is experienced in offshore and dry field well fires, refinery fires, and tanker and pipeline dis- asters. He is an accomplished engineer, diver, navigator, and pilot, and he has pioneered many new techniques for petroleum industry safety and firefighting. The only area he defers to other experts in is mining operations. SovOil has a disaster specialist with more experience in that area than Van Rijen.

Van Rijen is a strapping Dutchman of forty years. He keeps in top physical condition in order to withstand the rigors of his job. Despite his age, he continues to take a hands-on approach to dis- aster management, and he has the scars and cybernetics to prove it. Van Rijen is an easygoing fellow, and is widely liked by his staff, teams, and the SovOil management. He tends to stay out of the political intrigues that dominate the upper echelons of the corporation. Van Rijen lives in Amsterdam, but he spends a great deal of his time at the SovOil headquarters in Moscow, at his Soviet home in the Crimea, and on-site for the corporation

Carson Dominguez
Carson Dominguez has been a junior member of the Militech board of directors for four years. He represents a group investment that has purchased a large portion of Militech stock for its portfolio. In this respect, he is typical of several junior board members, and would be completely not noteworthy except for one thing...he is on the Arasaka payroll. Arasaka has had Dominguez, and most of the directorship of the group that employs him, in its pocket for several years. They were more than delighted when someone under their influence ended up on the Militech board, even in a junior position. Dominguez although junior, has access to a tremendous amount of information concerning Militech's products, plans and goals.
Dominguez owes no particular allegiance to either Arasaka or Militech. He simply likes getting two large paychecks. He works hard to conceal his duplicity, however, since he knows that his life wouldn't be worth spit if he was caught. Militech would kill him for being a spy and Arasaka would kill him just to tie up loose ends. He has considered attempting to get even more money out of the situation by revealing the truth to Militech and becoming a double agent, but the possibility of him surviving for long are small, so he has ignored that option for the time being.

Dominguez is about thirty-four years old, swarthy, hand-some and dark. He is a clever executive, and has been a valuable member of the board for Militech. That is part of the reason why he can get away with spying for Arasaka for as long as he has. Dominguez has designs on Anastasia Luccessi, but also knows that, were he discovered,she is, in all likelihood, the person who would be sent to kill him. This has put a bit of crimp in his romantic plans

Malcom Youngblood
Malcolm Youngblood is Angus's younger brother. He lacks his elder brother's refinement and panache, but he is every bit as devious and power hungry. Malcolm has been in Australia, managing the Youngblood family holdings in his brother's absence, but he is targeted for bigger things. Angus is pushing Ellen Trieste to fire Trenton Parker and replace him with Malcolm. Angus claims that Malcolm will support Ellen's policies completely, but his real motivation is that his brother will be a bulwark of support for his own ambitions.
Malcolm is not without his own plan. He sees his possible appointment at Petrochem as a major opportunity for himself. He would like to rise to a position on the board and divide power evenly with his brother, or even seize control for himself. A rivalry may develop between the two somewhere down the line, especially if Malcolm feels he is being shortchanged and goes behind his brothers back, or if Angus realizes the extent of Malcolm's ambitions.

Malcolms advancement faces two obstacles. First, Ellen Trieste is not quite ready to force Trenton completely out of power. She still fears the reaction of the rest of die board. Also, at thirty-three, Malcolm is much younger than his brother. Both Ellen and Angus worry that people will complain about Malcolm's youth if he is made CEO. Angus intends to let Malcolm season for a couple more years, maybe by appointing him to a lesser position first. Malcolm doesn't want to wait, and his impatience may be his undoing

Bradley Parker Jr.
Bradley Parker Jr. inherited his position as a junior member of the board when his father, Wall Street financier Bradley Parker Sr. was assassinated in the wake of a corporate takeover gone bad. Parker Sr. had not been among the original Armatech buyout investors, but had moved into Militech stock only a couple of years after the buy-out, when the still struggling company was attempting to fend off takeover bids from competitors that it has since destroyed. Parker Sr. left his entire portfolio and fortune to his son, Parker Jr. Unfortunately, Parker Jr.has not proved to be gifted soul that his father was. Most of the fortune went down the tubes, and only quick action by Donald Lundee preserved Bradleys Militech interests. Bradley Jr. has been indebted to Lundee ever since, and remains the General's staunch supporter. Lundee has taken a liking to the young man, and has taken him under his wing until he learns the ropes. Park-er manages the General's day to day affairs, serves as his executive assistant, and uses his board voting power to support Lundee. He is oblivious to his reputation as Lundee's toady.

Parker is a tall, thin man with blond hair. He is deathly afraid of surgery, and wears glasses rather than submit to cyberoptic implantation. This has made him the butt of some jokes around the company. He is about thirty-one years old, quick tempered and abrasive to every one except Lundee

Brooke Atchison
Brooke Bailey Atchison is the 28 year old corporate executive in charge of procurement for the Lazarus Group. She works out of the Washington D.C. office, and is constantly juggling multi-million eurodollar equipment contracts and purchase orders with military manufacturers around the world. The efficient operation of Ms. Atchison's department is essential to the smooth functioning of the Lazarus group. Troops and agents around the world must be kept constantly supplied with items ranging from toothpaste to turbofan engines and TOW II missiles.

Ms. Atchison surprised everyone in the corporate office by rocketing through the white collar ranks to become one of the youngest non-combat department heads in the Lazarus Group. She is supremely confident, intelligent and a ruthless executive. Many a competitor has been diverted by her sweet good looks and then destroyed. Atchison keeps her high position within the company by maintaining a web of loyal contacts in, and out, of her department. Also, she continues to be the best procurement chief the Lazarus Group has had, or is likely to find.

Ms. Atchison has been the object of several assassination and extraction attempts. Assassination attempts have come from people inside the corporation who covet her high position or resent her power, and from organizations out side the corporation who know that disrupting her department could cause problems with the supply of Lazarus' troops. She is now under 24 hour monitor and guard

Edward Llewellyn
Edward Llewellyn is Douglas Llewellyn's handsome 26 year old son, a graduate of Cambridge University and the British SAS commando school. He is now a special operations agent and cadre trainer for the Lazarus group. Edward is a fine young man, raised in the best spirit of the military tradition. He and Colonel Emile Lazarus have been friends ever since Lazarus became acquainted with his father, and he thinks of Lazarus as an uncle. Lazarus loves the boy, and treats him like the son he never had.

Captain Llewellyn is not in on his father's plan to oust Lazarus. He is, however, beginning to suspect the former Brigadiers ambitions. If he becomes more certain, he will attempt to warn Lazarus of the imminent betrayal. The elder Llewellyn encourages his son's friendship with Lazarus, believing that his son lacks knowledge of his plans, and that the relationship will make Lazarus more trusting, and therefore vulnerable

Anastasia Luccessi
Anastasia Luccessi is Antonio Luccessi's twenty-five year old granddaughter, child of Antonio's youngest son. Attracted by the idea of working for the company her grandfather helped to found, Anastasia fled her agrarian family at the age of seventeen to come work in the United States, leaving her distraught parents and siblings behind. Upon arrival, Antonio secured for her a space in the Militech special operations training school, wishing for her to become an executive, but believing that the combat training would help her protect herself in the dangerous corporate world. But Anastasia took to the combat training, and to her grandfather's consternation, decided to make a career out of special operations.

Anastasia was a special operations natural, and has become one of Militech's most dangerous agents. She is darkly and seductively beautiful, merciless, and adept at several forms of combat. She has run infiltration, extraction, espionage and assassination missions for the corporation. Her loyalty to Militech is above question, and she is a common sight around the Rosslyn office, the New Hampshire design facilities, the Special Ops School, and the Special Projects facilities where she has clearance as a security expert. She is known among the board by the codename Sphinx and among the lower executives and troops by the nickname "The ♥♥♥♥♥"

Rory Murchison
Rory Murchison is a fidgety and energetic young man, tall and thin with long polychromatic hair. He's a guitarist and singer by trade and also handles much of the song writing duty for Vengeance Word. Rory is congenial and personable most of the time but he has a tendency to get moody and sullen, especially when asked about his family. He is a fiery performer, renowned for his energy and stage antics. He has also been known to flip out and start destroying objects on the stage completely at random—a tendency which keeps his bandmates on their toes at all times. For this reason, stage crashing at a Vengeance Word concert is considered a poor proposition. More than one unlucky soul who tried this has been batted into instant unconsciousness with one smack from Rory's guitar.
Rory Murchison shared his uncle's predilection for music. A guitarist of no small talent by his sixteenth year, he vowed to use his music as a weapon against International Electric. Now, in 2020, Rory is only twenty-two years old, but he is already one of the most successful rockerboys in the world. Rory has assembled a band whose members all have some gripe against major commercial corporations. Rory's band has toured several countries under the name Vengeance Word, attracting huge crowds in the combat zones of cities in the U.S.,Japan and Europe, and splitting the bill with famous rockerboy bands like Blood and Ice and Pervert Cupid. The music has a strong anti-corporate bent, specifically targeting IE, Arasaka and NET 54, each of which has wronged some member of the band. The band also uses the touring as a cover for launching sabotage missions against agents and facilities belonging to these corporations. Not being solos, however, the effects of these endeavors have been more cosmetic than anything else. The band has weathered several assassination attempts and all of its gigs are carried out under the constant threat of disruption and attack. Of course, that's exactly the kind of thing that attracts a combat zone audience.

Lea Murchison
Lea Murchison is a deliberate and intelligent young lady, even tempered and cool under fire. She is not given to wild swings of emotion, and she is known to consider even the most troubling of situations dispassionately. She can be aloof to the point of coldness, an attitude which has earned her the street nickname Ice Princess. Always the one to take things in stride, Lea wears the nickname like a badge of honor. Her trademark outfit is white leather. Lea is also extremely beautiful, with the same soft features, naturally dark hair and slim build as her brother. Unlike him, Lea keeps her hair short and has not altered its natural color. Many a street romeo has been attracted to Lea only to find himself nursing a black eye, busted head or broken limb after pushing the issue a little too hard. Lea has some friends, but they are a select and very small circle of people.

When Lea learned the truth about the fate of her family she resolved to take the fight to the enemy. She immediately sought training in combat and infiltration, studying under private instructors and spending a three year stint in a Lazarus Group special operations cadre. After honing her skills as a solo, Lea began to wage a private war against IEC. Some sleuthing allowed her to discover the identity of her father's assassin and the assassin's employer. She has since revealed to her brother the parts played by Colin Powers and the Kesslers in their fathers death.

Lea has sworn revenge against Powers and Erich Kessler. She also realizes that she will be awhile in fulfilling that vow as both of these men are well nigh unassailable targets. In the meantime she has obtained private funding from various other enemies of IEC, and hires her services out to individuals and corporations who wish to run operations against IE. She also does straight up solo work to keep the bills paid. At twenty-two, Lea is young for an established solo, but her competence and reputation have earned her a reputation on the street.

Peter Kessler
Peter Kessler is Erich Kessler's sixteen year old son, and the heir apparent to the IEC empire. Currently Peter is studying at an exclusive prep-school near Friedrichshafen in the German Alps, being prepared for the tough German college entrance exams. The tests are probably somewhat extraneous for Peter as, even if he were to fail, his father could, through influence, gain him acceptance to any of several prestigious institutions around the world. This guarantee is probably for the best as Peter is something of a renegade, chafing under the oppressive hand of preparatory education. He is also extremely spoiled and rather selfish. Erich is worried by his son's demeanor and is considering sending the youth into the Euro Defense Forces for a couple of years and having some discipline hammered into him if necessary.

The young Kessler is always under strict (but discreet) protection as he is considered a prime target for extortion or terrorism. Peter makes a game out of ditching his guards, and being assigned to him is secretly considered punishment duty among IEC solos. So far no one has ever attempted anything against the boy.

Jefferson Peralez
Jefferson Peralez grew up in poverty, but his life turned around when he was given a full ride scholarship to Asukaga-Berkeley University, valued at €$2,700,000, by Night Corp to study law. It was there that he met his future wife, Elizabeth, who was also studying law thanks to the same Night Corp scholarship. The two married, and returned to Night City where Jefferson worked his way up to the city's district attorney before making a successful run for a seat on the Night City Council. The Peralezes raised one daughter, Xochi

By 2077, Councilman Peralez positioned himself as a populist and vocal critic of corporate influence. In the case of the "City of Opportunity" bill that exempted 32 of the largest corporations in the city with valuations in the trillions from taxes via a loophole, it was approved by the council 99-1, with Peralez the lone holdout. After the unexpected death of Mayor Lucius Rhyne, Councilman Peralez reaffirmed he would be running in the upcoming election for the mayor's office. Deputy Mayor Weldon Holt replaced Rhyne as Peralez' opponent.[5] Peralez was embraced by the city's worker unions, some of which had close associations with the 6th Street gang, and there were cases of 6th Street using bribes and intimidation tactics to force citizens to vote for him.[6]

In the weeks after Rhyne's passing, Peralez became convinced that the incident was suspicious. Against the advice of his SSI security detail, he had Elizabeth seek out an independent investigator. Elizabeth first asked Judy Álvarez, who the Peralezes were acquainted with from a prior occasion, but she declined and recommended V in her place. With the help of Detective River Ward, V learned that Rhyne was killed by a virus-spiked Braindance at the Red Queen's Race club, and that Weldon Holt apparently arranged to cover up the incident. V could choose to reinforce Jefferson's hunch that Holt had Rhyne assassinated, or be non-committal.

V was later contacted by Elizabeth, who explained that she and Jefferson had been experiencing inexplicable changes in behavior and memory. Upon searching the Peralez apartment, V found a secret room containing advanced equipment that was being used by SSI to brainwash the Peralezes, and traced it to a shadowy organization associated with a mysterious man. Apparently, this group had been manipulating Jefferson's beliefs and mannerisms, and were grooming him to become their ideal candidate for mayor. It was even possible that Holt's cover-up of Rhyne's murder may had been staged by the group to frame Holt as a murderer and damage his election bid, giving Jefferson an easy path to victory.

Elizabeth Peralez
Elizabeth Peralez is first encountered through a brief and rather reserved holo call to V, offering a job upon meeting with her and her husband Jefferson. Namely, they wish for the death of former mayor of Night City, Lucius Rhyne to be more thoroughly investigated, as they feel that his passing wasn't as clean and comfortable as the media portrayed it.

Upon meeting the couple in Heywood District, V is given a braindance of one of the deceased mayor's last days, in which a cyberpsycho attempts an attack but is swiftly dealt with by NCPD detective River Ward. The Peralez couple explains they find the law enforcement likely to have meddled with these events and allow V to take further steps in scrutinizing their activities.

Upon returning to conclude your findings, several choices will be present. Should V not jump into conclusions, Elizabeth will support their reservation and calm her husband by explaining how their suspicions have been confirmed, therefore proceeding in a much more careful manner with his continued campaign. However, it does seem that they both anticipate Weldon Holt to be behind any potential coverups.

Further down the line of events, Elizabeth will contact V once more, as a reliable individual the couple has had good experience with. The job will, yet again, be of investigative nature, but this time, within their own penthouse in Charter Hill, Westbrook. Once her worries that the security firm they've hired - the SSI - might be doing something behind their backs were proven true, she will admit having more issues than just a breach of safety.

Once V collects more detail on the security company behind the unsettling occurrences troubling the Peralezes, they will get a call from Elizabeth to meet incognito, in an unsuspecting location. This is where she explains that she had always had a suspicion that someone was directing their lives from behind the curtains, intending to place Jefferson in the mayoral seat. However, due to fear for her family she refused to speak up. She will also request that V not reveal their findings to Jefferson, as she fears he may take a more direct approach in dealing with the situation which might put him at risk. Her intention was to inform her husband that SSI was doing nothing more than spying for Holt, as it would be an easy and believable way to maintain the status quo and continue living in safety.

Regardless of V's actions, both Elizabeth and Jefferson cut holo ties with them, as to keep up the pristine face of campaign and to avoid raising suspicion from whoever is pulling the strings.

Jackie Wells
Jackie was raised by both of his parents, though his father was an alcoholic and an abuser, often getting drunk and beating his wife and Jackie mercilessly with his belt. When Jackie became old enough and strong enough, he finally returned the favor, hospitalizing his father and threatening to kill the old man if he ever returned home. Raúl left and was never seen again, but Jackie kept his father's belt, planning to use it on the man if he ever returned.

Jackie grew up in the same neighborhood as Misty Olszewski. The two saw a lot of each other, though they never got together in their younger years.

At the age of 15, Jackie got on his first bike, and from then on, he tinkered with any bikes he could get his hands on. Early on, he joined the Valentinos alongside Gustavo Orta and the two became fast friends. However, after sustaining a near-fatal gunshot wound at 19 in a gang war firefight with the Maelstrom, Jackie decided to leave the Valentinos for the sake of his mother, though he remained on good terms with the gang and with Padre

In 2076, Jackie began dating Misty. His mother disapproved of Misty, preferring his ex-girlfriend, Camilla, but Jackie was unphased, even attempting to understand and reciprocate her spiritualism by making a mandala in his garage.

Later that same year, Jackie met V, the circumstances of their meeting being determined by the lifepath the player chooses. Based on this choice, Jackie and V will have had a different introduction, each one seeing Jackie as either being or becoming a friend to V during the prologue

By late April 2077, six months after the events of the prologue, Jackie and V had established themselves as reliable mercs. At some point they partnered with netrunner T-Bug, who guides them in the latest of many jobs; rescuing Sandra Dorsett from Scavs. At the suggestion of T-Bug, Jackie and V were recruited by Dexter DeShawn (at the behest of Evelyn Parker) to steal a prototype Relic from Yorinobu Arasaka containing an engram of Johnny Silverhand.

During The Pickup, Jackie accompanied V to the Maelstrom stronghold, the All Foods Factory, to acquire a Militech Flathead, which was essential for the seemingly impossible heist. After everything was set in place for the heist, Jackie and V were finally admitted into the famed Afterlife, where Jackie intimated to the club's bartender, Claire Russell, that he wanted a cocktail named after him if he ever managed to become a Night City legend. The drink would contain "A shot of vodka, lime juice, ginger beer and, most importantly... a splash of love."

That night, Jackie and V held their briefing with T-Bug and Dex on how to steal the Relic from Konpeki Plaza. Although the mercs successfully infiltrated Yorinobu's room and retrieved the Relic, The Heist took a drastic turn when Yorinobu killed his father during a surprise visit by the elder Arasaka. Jackie and V managed to escape the hotel, but Jackie is severely injured and bleeds to death in the Delamain Cab before they could arrive at the No-Tell Motel to meet with Dex; just before dying, he gives the Relic chip to V, entrusting them complete the delivery in his stead.

1919-1945
Saburo Arasaka was born to Sasai and Yui Arasaka in Tokyo, Japan in 1919 - a family that could trace their lineage back to the noble samurai of old. His parents were rich and his father was a shrewd businessman and was the founder of the Arasaka company in 1915. He grew up in the Arasaka family estate located just outside of Tokyo and from a young age was involved in the family business. In the 1930s, as a young adult he displayed a good work ethic and natural talent needed to be an exceptional manager. This was before his career was interrupted by World War II.

During this, Saburo enlisted as a pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy, or Nihon Kaigun . He quickly rose through the ranks and by the age of 23 he had already attained the rank of Lieutenant. As a skilled flying ace he had over 20 confirmed kills and was said to have a fierce pride towards his country and undying loyalty to his Emperor.

In 1942, Saburo was among the Zero pilots escorting a flight of Japanese G4M "Betty" bombers out of Rabaul island on a routine bombing run over Gualdcanal. When they were engaged by a number American Grumman F4F, the Zero fighters broke formation to engage them. In the subsequent pitched air battle, Saburo passed through an enemy's line of fire while weaving in pursuit of his second kill for the day. He wasn't vulnerable long enough to be shot down, but several bullets smashed through the canopy, shattering his left arm and driving splinters of perspex and metal into his left eye and skull. Barely conscious, he let his fighter plummet towards the ground fifteen thousand feet below. Precious seconds later Saburo struggled back to awareness only to see the ground rushing towards him. Despite the punishing pain and the loss of the use of one arm he pulled back on his stick, leveled his plane and regained control with only a scant 2000 feet to spare. Then, patching himself up as best he could, he began the long haul back to Rabaul, fully believing that he would die somewhere over the 560 miles of ocean he had to cross.

Despite his injuries, Saburo managed to land his plane and reported to his commander. After delivering his report he passed out and was transported back to Tokyo before he regained consciousness, where he discovered that due to his injuries he would never be able to fly again and he was also due to be medically discharged. His injuries were so severe that he was permanently blind in his left eye and that his left arm, although not amputated, was damaged beyond use. Saburo lamented over his injuries and wished he had died a dignified death over the skies of Guadalcanal, rather than face the humiliation of a cripple. He was summarily discharged from service and returned to the Arasaka family compound, where he spent his days brooding over his loss. Saburo saw how the Empire he defended suffered more and more defeats over the next few years.

On August 15th 1945, the day of the Japanese surrender, as the Emperor addressed the people and made note of their surrender, Saburo was thunderstruck. He was on the verge of seppuku in the compound's cherry tree grove. Before the blade was able to puncture his stomach he had a moment of epiphany, and with it came a vision. Right at that moment, Saburo saw the wisdom of his father's actions. Sasai had foreseen Japan's loss in the war. He originally capitalized on wartime industry, but against Saburo's impassioned urging, he had made sure that the bulk of the Arasaka fortune was covertly protected in concealed overseas assets and accounts. As family scion, Saburo saw that the fortune would soon be his to control. He envisioned a Japan rising above the humiliation of losing the war, and becoming an economic powerhouse. A nation in a position of power from which it could dominate the world politically and economically. Saburo drew the half inch of dagger that had penetrated his abdominal muscles before the vision had stayed his hand and returned to the household.

From the day Saburo nearly took his own life, he refused to speak of his wartime experience. Saburo devoted his complete attention to his work. He began intense studies into the fields of politics, economics and history to become a worthy successor to his father and to ensure that Arasaka would one day dominate the political and economic climate.

1960's-1990's
In 1960, Sasai Arasaka passed away and Saburo took his father's place as the new CEO of Arasaka at the age of 41. He branched out from the simple manufacturing company that it started as and started the Arasaka Bank division. In 1970, he then created the Arasaka Security division of the the family business. Saburo also began shaping the development of the Arasaka Corporation to his own ideals. He was not content with the power that came from purely financial and commercial strength. If his vision of Japan as the world economic superpower was to be realized he would have to exert unseen political control in Japan and across the world. Despite it being a long, arduous task, he believed he was the man to do it. Banking and Security along with Manufacturing were now the three pillars of the Arasaka Corporation.

Being such a dedicated worker, Saburo was late in actually marrying or having children that could continue his legacy after he passed. In 1980, Saburo and his then wife had their first child Kei, a boy he groomed to eventually take over the corporation. Saburo's first wife had passed away at some point and he later remarried.

In 1990, because of his direction the Arasaka Corporation emerged on the global 500 list. During the 1990s, Saburo kept busy as he was able to foresee the world market Crash of '94 and the subsequent US collapse of 1996, using these events to his advantage. This made the Arasaka Corporation one of the few that benefited from the crash, gaining the number two spot on the global 500. He also became more involved in politics, backing politicians in the Japanese Government to further benefit his interests. However, many other Japanese corporations did not agree with Saburo and his ideals, and soon after a group was formed to oppose Arasaka. Even with taking a loss against FACS, Saburo still continued to lead a thriving corporation whose influence was immense.

Saburo even elevated the Defense Agency of Japan into the Ministry of defense under his influence, which in turn benefited his corporation. During this he also attempted to reduce the power of the civilian police, which were controlled by other competitors of Arasaka. This reduction of police power became a very lucrative opportunity for Arasaka Police to grow, which became one of the services offered by Arasaka Security. Major cities in Japan became under the protection of the Arasaka policing services, except for Tokyo.

Saburo became a man of the people, known for being a huge contributor to the development of country. He was also well-known overseas providing thousands of Americans with reliable work, often visiting the people in factories or the streets. He manage to secure much wealth with the Arasaka European Group, when its headquarters were constructed in Paris, France.

Saburo also remarried in the early 1990s, to his third wife Michiko Arasaka, while together they had two children, Yorinobu and Hanako. Michiko passed away shortly after having Hanako due to complications during birth, leaving Saburo to raise them. Hanako became the "apple of his eye" and he wished to protect her from the dangers of the outside world. Yorinobu was put through to the best schools in Tokyo, while Hanako was home-schooled by people Saburo trusted.

2000's
During the time after he sustained injuries, Saburo had undergone numerous surgeries to implant various cybernetics as well as a new eye and right arm for the ones he lost in World War 2. However, by 2020, at 101 years of age, he handed the reins of the company to his eldest son Kei. He remained an influential figure in the corporation and would still attend board meetings.

During Yorinobu's graduation from Todai, Saburo brought his son to his office during the ceremony and told him everything about the family corporation, explaining it's success and their long term goals. Yorinobu, however, did not share his father's ideals and left that same night. Months later he discovered Yorinobu had started a bosozoku gang to rebel and fight against his corporation. This deeply saddened Saburo - as a result, Hanako was never told this truth and instead was kept inside the family compound. Kei was upset at his brother's betrayal and told his father that he needed to be destroyed as he was a risk to their operations. Saburo reluctantly agreed knowing that Kei was right.

Saburo still participated in Japanese politics and would soon found a foothold, allowing him to achieve some political influence. Despite Kei becoming the CEO, Saburo still ran the company from behind the scenes, having the final say over project they needed done.

In 2013, as the Arasaka Corporation was building their new headquarters in Night City. Saburo discovered a netrunner named Alt Cunningham who had been working for ITS. He found out about a program called Soulkiller that she had designed for ITS, believing this was a valuable resource for Arasaka he ordered Toshiro, the American division CEO, to find Alt and have her recreate the Soulkiller for them. As a result the Arasaka American branch suffered from an assault which resulted in the death of Toshiro. Saburo had Kei fill in his position as the new CEO of the Arasaka American branch as Saburo ran things from Tokyo. Now in posession of the Soulkiller program, Saburo began funding projects for new versions of it.

At some point in 2020 the Eel, an Arasaka Cargo Submarine, and its crew including Captain Hyung Mitsumoto sunk in the North Pacific. Shintaro Takayama informed Saburo of the loss, and that the sub was carrying "Project Five." Because of the lack of units in the area, Saburo ordered the acquisition of IDA (International Defense Alliance), an independent organization that was then put under the Arasaka subsidiary, Sato Commercial Shipping. A covert IDA team was dispatched to the Bonin trench to bring the sub to the surface, which allowed a few dozen Arasaka warships enough time to reach the sub before any other entity could reach it. The operation was a success, and allowed Saburo to protect his corporate assets.

2022-2023
During the Fourth Corporate War, the Arasaka Corporation faced off against Militech, a corporation Saburo grew to hate due to its CEO Donald Lundee reminding him of the American pilot who shot his plane down in the war. Lundee had put himself and Militech up against Arasaka for years, as Saburo grew tired of him. However, Saburo gave full control over to his son Kei, as he ran the war effort from Night City. Yorinobu, unbeknownst to his father, worked with the Japanese Government to nationalize Arasaka, which soon cut off Saburo from Kei, costing them the war.

In the immediate aftermath of the nuclear bomb detonation in Arasaka Night City Towers, Saburo seemingly met with the terrorist behind the bombing: Johnny Silverhand, based on the recollection of an engram. Silverhand had been apparently captured by Adam Smasher during his escape from the Tower, and was evacuated before the nuke went off. In an attempt for interrogation Saburo had Silverhand's mind copied with Soulkiller, seemingly killing him--in reality Silverhand was killed by Smasher on the spot, and his engram was soulkilled by the netrunner Spider Murphy. For reasons unknown, the engram wound up in Mikoshi and the true identities of the perpetrators of the bombing were left unknown for decades.

Saburo later attended a funeral for his son Kei, while mourning his loss he was reunited with Yorinobu. With the aid of Hanako, Saburo and Yorinobu reconciled and the family was brought together again.

2030-2060's
After the death of his son, Kei, the Arasaka Corporation became under the nominal control of Saburo once again, although he kept the face of corporation under his eldest daughter Hanako Arasaka. As of the 2040s, there were three major factions struggling to achieve control of the company, hoping that the aging Saburo, at 126, would eventually hand the crown over to them. The factions at hand were: The Kiji faction led by Hanako (though controlled by Saburo), The Taka faction led by Yorinobu, and finally the Hato faction centered on Michiko (Kei's daughter and Saburo's granddaughter). Despite speculation over who would reign as the next leader of Arasaka, Saburo was hellbent on remaining in control.

During this time, Saburo spent much of his time in med tanks designed to regenerate organic tissue. He also invested heavily into bioengineering and mind preserving technology. This would be his answer to eternal life. The Relic project began with the director of the project Anders Hellman being it's lead designer. Saburo got to know Anders well during this and even began a personal project of the Relic that would house the engram of a person and be able to transfer it into a new body.

2077
In 2077, Saburo at the age of 158, remained in firm control of Arasaka as its CEO. He had been working on a Relic prototype as he took much interest in the project. His son, Yorinobu, stole the Relic from one of his laboratories because of his long-term rebellion against him. Saburo was later notified by Anders Hellman of his son's betrayal. He then set sail with his daughter Hanako on the Kujira for Night City to confront Yorinobu. Hanako was the only one who knew of his reasons for leaving Tokyo. During the trip Hanako tried convincing Saburo that she should be the one to speak to her brother or at least accompany him. After declining her she asked what he intended to do, a question Saburo himself did not have an answer to.

Saburo finally arrived at Yorinobu's suite in Konpeki Plaza on the same night that the mercenaries V and Jackie Welles infiltrated the hotel to steal the Relic for Evelyn Parker. With the two thieves looking on in secret from a concealed location, Saburo spoke with his son, but Yorinobu snapped and strangled him to death. In a few short moments, the long life of the man renowned and feared around the world as "the Emperor" ended

Yorinobu moved quickly to consolidate control of Arasaka, and blamed Saburo's murder on Takemura, Saburo's bodyguard. Word of Saburo's death reached the public within minutes; officially, Arasaka claimed his unexpected demise was attributed to natural causes.

Saburo Arasaka after his death his engram was activated and he met with Hanako at some point after her kidnapping. Hanako had told him of V, a mercenary that might be willing to help them expose Yorinobu of his crimes. Saburo informed his daughter that they should offer V help in exchange for them helping them. He also wished to meet with V before they began their plans.

1988-2000's
Robert John Linder was born in College Station, Texas, on November 16th, 1988. Growing up, he became a massive fan of Wendy O. Williams and came to consider her the toughest rockergirl ever.

John enlisted in the military as a teenager after lying about his real age, and it didn't take long for him to see action. He was sent to Nicaragua to participate in the Second Central American War of 2003. While in in the war, John's life was purportedly saved by a friend who died protecting him.

Perpetrated by a corrupt and manipulative US Government, the conflict was devastating. When the government's secrets were exposed, many of the American soldiers dropped their banners and fought back by deserting the military. In response, however, the government used its influence to launch a powerful propaganda campaign against these former soldiers and convinced the American public to despise them as deserters.

John was one of the soldiers who decided he would no longer fight in the corrupt war that ultimately led to him losing his arm and his friend. He left for Night City, staying at the Hotel Pistis Sophia for a whole month after his arrival. The military and the war had changed his life forever.

John changed his name to Johnny Silverhand, with his new surname referencing the bionic arm he had implanted to replace his left arm. Johnny thus began his mission of rebellion and exposing corruption by starting a rock band that would eventually be known as Samurai. He started this band with his friend, Kerry Eurodyne, originally only playing in backstreet clubs.

Johnny's and Kerry's first ever gig was in the Red Dirt, a small bar in Night City. At some point in 2003, while they were playing in a bar called Rainbow Cadenza, a producer named Jack Masters discovered them and signed them to Universal Recording. Samurai was comprised of the co-founders, Johnny and Kerry, as well as Denny, Nancy Hartley, and Henry.

Johnny's music became revolutionary, kickstarting the rockerboy movement and becoming an overnight sensation. He, along with Samurai itself, rose to the top of the US music charts in record time. Despite their success, however, Samurai struggled to maintain as personal issues rose to the surface.

During this time, Samurai's keyboard player, Nancy, was in an abusive relationship. She reached a point in the relationship where she could no longer stand the abuse, and she pushed her boyfriend out of a window. After the NCPD discovered the body, Nancy was arrested and taken to prison.

Without Nancy, Samurai struggled to stay together and finally split up in 2008.[5] Johnny was still one of the most popular musicians at the time, however, and he planned to use his star power to launch a solo career in which to continue pushing his anti-corporation and anti-government message. By then, DBS Music wanted to sign Johnny so desperately that they blackmailed him, threatening to reveal his true identity as a deserter of the Second Central American Conflict.

In defiance of DBS Music's attempts to blackmail him, Johnny instead signed once again with Universal Music. He then released a complete album entitled "SINS of Your Brothers," in which he admitted to being a deserter and revealed all the terrible actions the government had ordered its military to carry out. The album was wildly successful and changed public perception on what it meant to be a deserter.

2010's
Johnny continued his rebellious campaign into the 2010s. During this time, he performed his famous free benefit concert in Japantown to call attention to the brutal methods the NCPD used to quell the Homeless Riots. Johnny's relationship with Rogue Amendiares also ended at some point in 2011 after she discovered that he had cheated on her.

After giving a concert at The Hammer on August 4th in 2013, Johnny re-connected with his former girlfriend, Alt Cunningham. When the two went for a walk together that night, they were ambushed by a group of thugs hired by Arasaka. The thugs injured Johnny severely and kidnapped Alt as a helpless Johnny watched them take off in a van.

On the 5th of August, 2013, Johnny gathered a strike team consisting of his ex-girlfriend and solo, Rogue, media reporter Lyle Thompson, and the nomad leader of the Aldecaldos, Santiago, in order to infiltrate Arasaka Tower in Night City to save Alt. As a diversion, he called in a favor from all the members of his old band. Samurai gathered together to perform an entirely free show directly in front of the complex.

Samurai's performance led to a riot aimed at the tower as troops were called in to control the situation. Unbeknownst to Johnny at this time, Arasaka had kidnapped Alt specifically to force her to develop a new version of the Soulkiller software she had written for ITS. In a panic reaction to the assault, Toshiro Harada used Soulkiller on Alt while the assault took place, trapping her inside the Arasaka mainframe.[citation needed]

As Johnny and his team infiltrated the tower, Alt attempted to find a way to escape the Arasaka mainframe and return to her body. The team reached the room where Toshiro and Akira were keeping Alt, and as a rage-fueled Johnny came upon Toshiro standing over Alt, he shot Toshiro dead. Johnny then disconnected Alt from the netrunning chair she was plugged into, assuming she had died as he gathered her still warm body in his arms.

Behind the wall of monitors, a disembodied Alt screamed out to Johnny, but he could not hear her.

After the assault on the tower, Johnny and Santiago left Night City and went into hiding with the Aldecaldos nomad family. In 2015, the two finally returned to the USA from Mexico City. Little is known of what Johnny did during this time, but it was around 2015 that a firefighter by the name of Samantha Stevens saved him from a fire in one of his studios

2020
Around 2020, Johnny gave an interview in which he reminisced about a girl he had fallen for. She had told him she was born in Miami around 2004, as she could still remember the destruction of Tampa. Johnny mentioned that she had a biosculpt smile and blue Teknics 2350 eyes, though he did not care how much of her was "real."

On August 20th, 2023, Johnny and Morgan Blackhand, alongside Rogue, Shaitan, Thompson, and Spider Murphy, led a Militech assault team on the Arasaka Towers in Night City, with the intention of destroying the towers with a mini nuke and ultimately ending the Fourth Corporate War.[21] Johnny had another reason for going back to the towers, however: he wanted to find Alt Cunningham. There were more than a few obstacles in the way of this personal objective.

After successfully liberating Alt, Johnny's team was pinned down in the Soulkiller labs by Arasaka forces and Adam Smasher. Johnny, who had barely managed to find cover, was conflicted on what to do next. He felt that during his first attack on the towers, he had failed Alt, and he was determined this time not to fail her again.

With a Militech SMG in one hand and his Malorian Arms in the other, Johnny resolved to leave cover, shouting at and provoking Smasher while emptying his ammo into the borg. Smasher, surprised at Silverhand's audacity, whipped around and fired his auto-shotgun at Silverhand, ripping the rockerboy in half. This allowed Shaitan to immobilize the Arasaka borg, granting the rest of the team the chance to escape.

Spider Murphy tried to reach Johnny, but she was stopped by Rogue, who told her he was gone. Spider instead reached inside her jacket to pull out a data slug Alt had given to her long ago, and as she whispered to Johnny that she was sorry, she inserted the chip into the back of the dying rockerboy's skull. She then reached for her data suitcase, quickly realizing it had been destroyed in the crossfire, and then escaped with Rogue knowing that both Johnny and Rache Bartmoss would one day be avenged.

Johnny's engram as coded on the Relic in 2077 holds a different tale of the events. In Johnny's version of the story, he escaped the initial fight with Smasher and attempted to reach the helicopter where Rogue was waiting, but was again cut off by Smasher. Johnny was then presumed gunned down by the borg and dead, but was instead recovered and detained by Arasaka.

According to the engram, while in the custody of Arasaka, Johnny was interrogated first by the corp's security and then later by Saburo Arasaka himself with the assistance of a techie. He was subjected to the Soulkiller program, in which his consciousness was scanned and stored on an engram as his physical body died. He was then allegedly buried under concrete in the derelict oil fields just outside of Night City.

Despite there being no body to intern, a niche was dedicated to Johnny's memory at the North Oak Columbarium. His epitaph, which uses his real name, reads: "Robert John Linder: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ who never gave up. A legend among legends."

Black Dogs
Not long after the 2023 Night City Holocaust, firefighter and Johnny Silverhand fan, Samantha Stevens, accessed the Hot Zone after receiving a request from Angel. There, Samantha recovered a non-detonated mini-nuke from a wrecked bunker of the destroyed towers, later tossing its contents into Del Coronado Bay. After finding Johnny's body among the ruins, she placed it into the nuke crate to preserve it.

At some point, Samantha also recovered several of Johnny's possessions, including one of his Malorian Arms and his Porsche. Along with the bomb case, she hid these items in her garage somewhere in Night City, where she protected and took care of them for years.

During the Time of the Red, after encountering a group of edgerunners who were trying to find an unreleased song by Silverhand, Samantha tasked the group with transport the crate containing Johnny's body to Los Alamos Labs in New Mexico. Before they left, Samantha took one of them, a mercenary known as Zara, aside and gifted her the Malorian. She intimated to Zara that the owner was never going to use it again, adding that Zara seemed the right person to carry it for him.

The group of edgerunners managed to deliver the crate to Angel in New Mexico. After opening the crate, she whispered "Hello, my love."

2077
At some point prior to 2077, Johnny Silverhand's engram was copied onto a prototype version of the Relic know as Relic 2.0. This device was stolen by Yorinobu Arasaka and stored within a secure vault in Konpeki Plaza in an attempt by Yorinobu to bait his father, Saburo Arasaka, out into public. The engram and its location were uncovered by the Voodoo Boys, who then planned to steal it and use it establish contact with Alt and pass through the Blackwall.

The Voodoo Boys hired Evelyn Parker to record a braindance of the room and determine its security measures as well as the location of the Relic. Parker instead decided to betray the Voodoo Boys and steal the device for herself to sell to NetWatch. Using fixer Dexter DeShawn, she hired mercenaries V and Jackie Welles to steal the Relic from Yorinobu's room.

The two mercenaries were nearly successful stealing the Relic without getting caught, but their heist instead quickly fell apart after the unexpected murder of Saburo by his son. During the mercenaries' improvised escape, the Relic's storage case was damaged. To ensure the Relic's preservation, a wounded Jackie Welles inserted it into his shard slot, then later placed it into V's hands as he lie dying of his wounds in the Delamain Cab.

Immediately after Jackie's death outside the No-Tell Motel, V inserted the Relic into their own shard slot. Because of this, the Relic activated upon V's murder at the hands of DeShawn, preserving V's life and finally awaking Johnny's engram. It then began transferring the engram to V's brain, overwriting the mercenary's consciousness with Johnny's digital personality, just as it was programmed to do.

Initially attacking V in a bid to take over V's mind and body, Johnny eventually decided to cooperate with V to ensure his own survival or at least ensure the Relic's retrieval from V's head. Johnny appeared to V on numerous occasions, often either to provide advice to V or to offer his thoughts on their respective situations. Johnny also attempted to take control of V's body on a handful of occasions, and the Relic itself placed V into glimpses of Johnny's memories, including his attempt to save Alt in 2013 and his final attack on the Arasaka Towers in 2023.

1995-2020
Yorinobu was born in September 8, 1995 to Saburo and Michiko Arasaka in Tokyo, Japan. From a young age he was given the riches and benefits of any Arasaka family member would get, including the best education in the country. Growing up alongside his sister Hanako they were happy being within the Arasaka family compound. Yorinobu was raised with a blissful ignorance towards his fathers corporation. Something Saburo thought was important to keep secret until he was ready.

The day after 21 year old Yorinobu graduated from Todai, Saburo brought him to his private chambers at the compound. His father, proud of his accomplishment, explained to him the true nature of the Arasaka Corporation. Rather than agreeing with his father's vision, as his elder half-brother Kei had, Yorinobu was secretly appalled and chose to stay silent as his father kept speaking. That night, after a celebratory dinner given in his honor, Yorinobu slipped out of the compound and vanished into the Tokyo night.[3] Knowing what went on within the corporation, he hated what his father was trying to accomplish and vowed to stop him, while also wanting to save his sister from being involved.

Four years later, 25 year old Yorinobu had gathered about him a cadre of tough Tokyo nomads (Bosozoku): 'Kotetsu no Ryu', or Steel Dragons. The bosozuku had sworn to expose Arasaka and fought for its demise. At night they would prowl the canyons of the city, harassing Arasaka employees and unearthing information on Arasaka black operations. Yorinobu's knowledge of Arasaka facilities and corporate procedures gave the Steel Dragons some advantages, but they still lacked the power or information to make serious headway against the corporation. Yorinobu was, however, able to tread the world of the street and the corporate tower with equal facility. When he wasn't riding with his men, he was travelling the world; meeting with other enemies of Arasaka and looking for funds and equipment. Slowly but surely his operation was growing.

Saburo loved his son, and was greatly saddened by his disloyalty, but acknowledged that Yorinobu needed be dealt with as he threatened the corporation. Kei, who hated Yorinobu for his defection, had sworn to kill his half-brother. Hanako, on the other hand, still loved her brother. She and Yorinobu had always felt a special bond with each other. Although she was unaware of it at the time, he had sworn to free her from their father's clutches. Once a month Yorinobu and Hanako secretly communicated through the net, reaffirming their fraternal love for one another.

Yorinobu would visit Night City to gather information from his contacts. During one of Arasaka's sweeps on the city, some of Yorinobu's local contacts were taken prisoner, interrogated, and eventually executed. One of these contacts was Hiraga, who knew the identities of many high ranking officials and suppliers to the Steel Dragons. The information obtained about the Steel Dragons was stored at the Arasaka Towers in Night City. Before it could be sent to Kei at the Tokyo Headquarters, Yorinobu had a contact intercept the data. With the data was an order for the assassination of high ranking Steel Dragon officials. His contact's activity was traced down and they had to commit seppuku after destroying the data to avoid capture. Unfortunately, the regional security director of Arasaka, Iwasao Koremichi, supposedly had a hard copy with the data.

2021-2023
During the Fourth Corporate War, Yorinobu took further action to disrupt Arasaka's operations. Despite attempts from Militech to lure him to their side, Yorinobu refused to join them. Instead he played a role in supplying info to the government of Japan that helped their nationalization of Arasaka's assets. However, even after the damage from the war and the terrorist attack on Arasaka Tower in Night City, he saw it still wasn't enough to destroy the corporation. Yorinobu learned that it if Arasaka was be destroyed, it must be from within.

After the war ended, Yorinobu attended his brother Kei's funeral. It was here he reconciled with his father. With the help of his sister Hanako, Yorinobu would slowly be welcomed into the family again.

2045
n 2045, Yorinobu led the Taka Faction of the Arasaka Corporation. He made sure that during the War he was impossible to find and tried to reconcile with his father after. He still played the renegade game and opposed the other factions. As long as his father stayed in control under the Kiji Faction, Yorinobu would still be out there trying to bring about its downfall. Though he this time he had planned to be more subtle then his pervious schemes.

2077
Yorinobu was the original heir to the Arasaka Empire, before he rebelled and cut ties with his father. For many years he led the Steel Dragons and sought destruction, but soon realized that the corporate giant's power was impossible to defeat. At least from the outside.[4] With the aid of Hanako, Yorinobu was welcomed back to the Arasaka family. He still rebelled against his father, but had not spoken with him in decades. In 2077, Yorinobu was in contact with Ronald Cheever, a NetWatch Operations Manager, the two discussed a cooperation that involved obtaining a sample the Relic biochip with a valid engram. Yorinobu saw an opportunity and stole a Relic prototype from one of his father's laboratories in Tokyo.[8] He then made sure the engram on the biochip was of Johnny Silverhand. After retreating to Night City, he was warned by Anders Hellman that the biochip was a prototype and was not ready for use in its current state. Yorinobu eventually spoke with Anders over the phone, this is when Anders warned him to speak with his father before anything as he was personally involved with the project.

Saburo Arasaka arrived in Night City shortly after to retrieve what was stolen and confront Yorinobu alone. In a fit of rage, Yorinobu murdered his father and later covered it up by claiming an assassin had his father poisoned. Yorinobu took full control of the Arasaka Corporation and began to make changes from within. His decisions started to take effect when he started removing facilities in Fukuoka and Kitakyushu in Japan. His plan to sabotage the corporation from within and undo much of what his father built had began.

Yorinobu participated in the Parade to honor his father with the approval of Hanako and their niece, Michiko Arasaka. During this Hanako was kidnapped and he worked quickly to rescue her with his chief of security Adam Smasher. After successfully rescuing his sister, Yorinobu made a public statement that anyone who would harm a member of the Arasaka family would be punished.

He decided to order his faction to keep an eye on Hanako and keep her safe in the Arasaka estate, North Oak. Yorinobu later called an emergency meeting of the Arasaka supervisor board in Night City. Top executives from Tokyo, as well as branch directors from Paris, Shanghai, and Kinshasa all to meet in the Arasaka Tower of the American Division headquarters. Yorinobu had a plan for a military coup that would give him and those loyal to his faction complete control of Arasaka Corporation for his plan of sabotage. Part of his plan was also involved his factions in Night City, Kyoto, Dubai, and Paris. The troops loyal to Yorinobu were ordered to destroy all other factions within the corporation as well as to remove the board of directors to gain complete control.

David Martinez was born to Gloria Martinez, who raised him by herself. His father is not mentioned in the series. David grew up on the streets of Santo Domingo, living out of an apartment of Megabuilding H4 in Arroyo. Due to his mother putting great effort into her job as an EMT for Night City health services, David was eligible for enrollment into the Arasaka Academy, which is located in Corpo Plaza. After joining the academy, David began selling XBDs to classmates that he obtained from a ripperdoc and friend of his nicknamed Doc.

A Day In The Life
One night, David watched a new illegal braindance that Doc obtained from editor Jimmy Kurosaki. The braindance contained the death of the former New United States Armed Forces Lt. Col. James Norris, who went cyberpsycho a couple hours prior.[1]

The following day, after finding his mother sleeping on the couch, the two talked about money problems regarding his school expenses and watched the news of Norris' death, which included David's mother carrying the body. He caught a glimpse of a young woman on his way to school, who disappeared when he attempted to approach her. During that day's class, his outdated braindance wreath spiked his classmates wreaths due to David having Doc install a faulty software update to save money. This caused an outrage among the students, Katsuo Tanaka in particular, the son of Tanaka, a high Arasaka executive. After the incident, David and his mother met with the academy's principal, whom suggested that David could benefit from a change of environment, as he does not fit in with his wealthier classmates. Gloria agreed to pay any monetary damages created.

While driving home, the two of them became bystanders in an Animals assault on an Arasaka corporate vehicle, crashing into the vehicle after it was blown up by a rocket. David saw his mother lying motionless on the road after regaining consciousness. Trauma Team arrived shortly after, but ignored them for not being insured, and only took the corporate client with them. David managed to bring his mother to a back-alley clinic, where she became stabilized. He arrived back at their apartment with his mother's belongings and discovered that she had procured a military grade Sandevistan neuralware implant from the cyberpsycho. David informed Doc about the implant and was told that it was worth around 10,000 eurodollars on the black market.

The next morning, on his way to Corpo Plaza, David saw that Tanaka and his friends were waiting for him while he was looking for the mysterious woman. They took him to a back-alley, where Tanaka beat him using a martial arts chip. Shortly after the fight, David received a call from the clinic that his mother had passed away and had to arrange a funeral for her. David, not being able to afford the other options, chose to cremate her remains at an automated service that would dispense the ashes in a metal canister. Once home, while struggling with the loss of his mother, David received a call from Katsuo mocking him and his mother's death, which pushed him over the edge. David eventually leaves his apartment to visit Doc, where he demands him to have the Sandevistan implanted into his body. Doc initially dismisses David's request on grounds that David doesn't have the money nor the battle-hardened body to handle such military grade hardware. However, shortly after, Doc changes his mind and decides he will do it, but not before telling David if he'd come back to Doc crying to have it removed again because it will likely drive David crazy, Doc would get the Sandevistan from him for free

Becoming An Edgerunner
After being chipped in, David — while still expelled — returned the following day to the academy, in search of a rematch with Katsuo. Utilizing his Sandevistan implant, David, with ease, floored Katsuo with a single blow to the head and broke his nose. Once David returned home, he stared at the urn holding his mother's ashes, when he received a call from the academy's principal. The principal told David that his expulsion had been formally processed, but before the principal could end his sentence, David ended the conversation.

The next morning, making his way to the academy, David noticed that the mysterious girl was aboard the NCART train, stealing shards from unsuspecting corporate employees on their way to City Center. The woman — named Lucy — also attempted to take David's shards but was quickly intercepted by David utilizing his implant. David grasped Lucy's arm, which she shrugged off and instead took him with her to the end of the cart, interrogating David on why he was messing with her "job". After a short discussion, the two came to an agreement to work together, resulting Lucy taking on David as her trainee, splitting their earnings seventy-to-thirty.

After a short confrontation with an ambulance worker who wanted to steal David's Sandevistan to sell on the black market, David stays the night at Lucy's apartment, where she tells him about her dream of leaving Night City to live on the moon, sharing a braindance with him. The two bond during this experience, but while David is asleep, Lucy calls her team of mercenaries to her apartment. Maine, Dorio, and Pilar arrive and confront David about the stolen Sandevistan, which Gloria had originally planned to sell to Maine. David, revealing that Gloria had died and demonstrating an extreme tolerance for cyberware, is given a chance to join their group, on the condition that he proves himself in a small-scale data heist.

Although David's initiation heist goes south, Maine welcomes him to the crew. David also makes the acquaintance of a fixer named Faraday. Eventually, the team encounters a cyberpsycho after a job, with Pilar taunting the cyberpsycho, resulting in the cyberpsycho killing him and David and the others step into action to eliminate the threat.

The crew is back on track with Faraday's job and is looking for ways to get to their target, Tanaka. David, who sold XBDs at school, can give the right hint on how Tanaka, whose great fetish are raw BDs from Jimmy Kurosaki, could be lured into a trap.

David and the rest of the crew try to kidnap Kurosaki to win him for their cause. Kurosaki defends himself and kidnaps David in the process. He then tortures David with the number 32 of the Edgerunners BD series, which features Norris, editing David into the role of him. David receives help from Dorio and Lucy. Kurosaki gets into a short fight and, after losing, does what they ask of him. Before Tanaka arrives, David has a quiet moment with Kurosaki, who warns him about installing too much chrome into his body, but David argues with his special tolerance and ignores it. David is then a witness to both Tanaka's fight with Maine and Kurosaki's death, the latter caused by Tanaka's self-defense.

Falco joined up with Maine's crew during this time.

Maine & Dorio's Deaths
After Tanaka's abduction, Maine would begin to experience mental issues due to his overreliance on cyberware. Dorio would implore Maine to downgrade in order to improve his condition, but Maine was in denial of the situation and refused to consider it. Maine's personality would degrade and would experience his first episode of cyberpsychosis, during which he would attack Kiwi, removing her cyberware jaw before becoming lucid again.

Dorio summoned Lucy and David to discuss Maine's deteriorating condition and his risk of cyberpsychosis. David then spoke with Maine privately, resulting in Maine being hostile.

David would return to Lucy's side to guard her during her deep dive into Tanaka's brain. She would uncover her usually carefully hidden deep dive port. David would inquire about it, but quickly drop the subject as he took Lucy's silence for discomfort.

After being injected with several drugs, Maine would become Lucid again. Dorio and Maine returned to David and Lucy's side, just in time to witness Tanaka flatlining. The jammer for Maine's crew was also fried at the same time, forcing Maine's crew to react as Trauma Team was incoming. Dorio would sever Lucy's connection to the deep dive. David would pull Lucy's unconscious body from her deep dive ice bath and flee with Lucy's unconscious body to a downstairs car while Maine took Tanaka's resurrected body for use as a meat shield during the incoming confrontation. Dorio would remain at Maine's side.

Maine and Dorio would stand back to back and confront a combination of the NCPD and Trauma Team. However, as the fighting continued, Maine would finally break down into full cyberpsychosis, losing full touch with reality and turning on Dorio, killing her with a gun during a full blown episode.

Lucy would quickly regain consciousness and beg David to flee with her, but David chose to return to Maine in an attempt to save him.

Maine entered another period of lucidity and understood he was at fault for Dorio's death, but proceeded to kill more NCPD and Trauma Team members. David returned to Maine's side after securing Lucy, but Maine sent David away despite his protests. Maine constructed a pyre of sorts for Dorio out of explosive canisters. Maine was finally killed along with several MaxTac officers after he detonated the canisters. David used the Sandevistan to escape the blast at Maine's final request.

David returned to Lucy's car with one of Maine's arms, offering him something to bury, as well as the opportunity to inherit Maine's cyberware within his arms.

Despite Maine's descent into cyberpsychosis, he would be the inspiration behind how David would live out the rest of his life. David would then go on to try and embody both Maine's cyberware physique as well as all of his values

David's Rise
Several months after the death of Maine, David has taken over leadership of Maine's crew. His new cyberware-enhanced body was enlarged and had added many implants similar to Maine's, including the Gorilla Arms and the Projectile Launch System. His demeanor had also grown noticeably calmer compared to when he first joined the crew.

David's crew took a job from fixer Wakako Okada, having the crew rescue hostages from the Maelstrom gang. At Wakako's request, David brought along a new recruit named Julio. David would provide the new recruit with a superior weapon to the one he had. David also counseled the new recruit not to rush, and to remain behind him at all times. Despite being a fan, Julio ignored David's advice, resulting in Julio getting himself killed by running into an explosive trap. However, the operation was ultimately complete, with all hostages being rescued.[2]

David would call Wakako to apologize about the death of Julio, but she chose not to charge anything, citing Julio's lack of experience.

Lucy would not be present for this job, having withdrawn from David's crew, despite taking up residence with David.

During a visit to Doc's, he noted David's unique biology, comparing his extensively modified body to that of infamous figure and Arasaka associate Adam Smasher. As David never heard of him, Doc offered him Smasher's backstory, warning David that he could become "Adam Smasher 2.0," which David disagreed with.

Kiwi got in touch with David to set up an appointment with Faraday at the Afterlife club.[2]

At Lucy's request, David goes on a trip with her just outside of Night City. It's at this point Lucy would finally divulge her past.

Tragedy and Concerns from David's Crew
During a job, David would kill a secretary, one who reminded him of Gloria, leaving him regretful and beginning David's loss of self.

David froze up during his next job, still reliving the death of the civilian. Rebecca intervened to keep him alive. Rebecca expressed concern for David, including a suggestion that he goes light on the chrome for a while after being concerned about his mental health.

Later at David's apartment, he would collapse and be taken to Doc's clinic. Doc would suggest a downgrade, causing rage in the chromed-out and emotionally destabilized David. Frustrated with both his personal circumstances and Doc's long history of financial abuse, David lashed out at him. David then collected himself and apologized. Doc resentfully offered David the drugs he was seeking instead, explaining to David that he was now on a guaranteed path to cyberpsychosis and, ultimately, death, with the drugs offering only a temporary reprieve.

Lucy confronted David about his overuse of cyberware. David again refused to downgrade but would admit to Lucy about the civilian casualty as well as concerns over his own mental health. David would implore Lucy to come back to the crew, which Lucy would refuse. David then suggested a peaceful break up to their relationship, deeply upsetting Lucy, as this was not something she was seeking. Lucy began to beg David to wait for her. She would continue fighting against Arasaka to protect him, something that she would continue to keep private.

Faraday's Trap & David's Revenge
Unbeknownst to David, Faraday abducted Lucy before sending him on his next job. Faraday tasked David with retrieving inventory from an Arasaka convoy, something part of Faraday's plan to set a trap for David and earn the recognition of his new superiors at Arasaka. Prior to beginning the job, Rebecca would take note of David's deteriorating state and overreliance on immunoblocker medication.

David used a combination of his Sandevistan abilities and the harpoon on his crew's truck to stop the convoys truck and seize the goods inside.

Militech arrived with a massive armada of vehicles, including a Basilisk and a Missile carrier. They had been tipped off about the cyberskeleton which was being used as bait for them as an intentional plot to lure David into allowing Arasaka to conduct a field test to obtain valuable data.

Faraday would use Lucy to fake a call from her, encouraging David to don the prototype cyberskeleton. She managed to escaped Faraday's trap and contact David, but was too late to stop him from donning the cyberskeleton. Lucy informed David of all of Faraday's plans before being knocked out again. With his foot on her neck, Faraday taunted David with his actions, sending the latter into a vengeful rage.

At this time, Kiwi knocked out Falco and escaped without interference from Militech, making her betrayal apparent to David's crew.

Using the cyberskeleton, David managed to dispatch the entire Militech force with ease. He directed his crew to Arasaka Tower as part of his plan to rescue Lucy, before briefly passing out and counted on his remaining crew members Falco and Rebecca to deal with another Militech convoy as well as Arasaka forces. David soon awoke and destroyed the Arasaka forces with the cyberskeleton, though this took a greater toll on his sanity.

Arriving by shuttle at Arasaka Tower, Faraday would meet with Douglas, who would express displeasure at the events unfolding, as the cyberpsychotic David had caused unpredictable damage to Arasaka. As they argued, David arrived at the tower, and used the anti-grav weapons of the cyberskeleton to cripple Faraday under his own weight. David was about to kill Douglas when Adam Smasher intervened, resulting in a brief fight between the two solos.

Final Battle & Fate
David managed to flee Arasaka Tower with Lucy, with Smasher inadvertently killing Faraday in the process while he pursued them. David continued to slip in and out of sanity until Lucy kissed him, causing David to briefly return to his senses and his desire to see her escape their circumstances and to achieve her dream of making it to the Moon. Lucy expresses her sadness at their circumstances, with the couple being aware that David would not survive.

David and Lucy would descend to the bottom of Arasaka Tower and reunite briefly with Falco and Rebecca. David would speak privately with Falco and implore him to see to Lucy's safety. The team was interrupted by Smasher, who crushed Rebecca, knocked Falco to the side and tanked Lucy's hacks, before resuming his battle with David. David managed to distract Smasher long enough for Falco and Lucy to escape. Smasher, directing all his attention at David, ripped his cyberskeleton apart with simple brute strength. Before dealing the final blow, Smasher pondered that David could make an interesting construct, a comment that David dismissed. David was executed with a shot to the head by Smasher, content in knowing that Lucy would be able to fulfill her dream.

Legacy
Lucy fulfilled her dream of making it to the moon, while seeing a vision of David similar to their first braindance experience together.

Lucy wrote "You didn't take me to the moon, but you were there with me" on David's niche in Night City's Columbarium.

One year later, in 2077, a Merc by the name of V would encounter the braindance of Lt. Col. James Norris at Megabuilding H4, with an addendum warning that the BD was a "cautionary tale" that David did not heed. After watching, V, their curiosity piqued, contacted Muamar Reyes, wishing to know more about David. 24 hours later, Falco contacted V via text message, briefly talking about his experiences with David and his crew, noting that David and V share similarities, but stating that his crew's "15 minutes were up" and not to come looking for them. However, Falco then informed V to visit Muamar, as Falco had a left a package with him--David's Jacket, a final parting gift from one Edgerunner to another.

V
Depending on the chosen Lifepath, V will have one out of three backgrounds which all lead to the same narrative path.

V stayed with Jackie for six months, doing mercenary jobs together while improving their street cred. Eventually, V managed to save enough money to rent an apartment of their own in Megabuilding H10.

Around the last week of April 2077, after completing a job for Wakako Okada, V and Jackie were contacted by another fixer named Dexter DeShawn. They, along with Netrunner T-Bug, were hired to break into Konpeki Plaza and steal a Relic from Yorinobu Arasaka for Evelyn Parker. V undertook preparation for the heist, meeting with Parker to locate the device and retrieving a Flathead from the Maelstrom gang to assist them.

After finishing planning at the Afterlife, V and the crew undertook the heist and successfully retrieved the Relic from Konpeki Plaza. However, they were forced to hide when Yorinobu returned to his apartment and met with his father, Saburo Arasaka, in the room and murdered him. With security increased in the building, T-Bug was quickly discovered and killed by Arasaka's netrunners remotely, moments after breaching the door security. V and Jackie tried to move towards a ladder to escape but an Arasaka's drone found them and shot at them. They jumped off and fell down through a glass roof, leaving Jackie seriously wounded and the container of the Relic damaged, causing the Relic's integrity to drop. To avoid further damage to the Relic, Jackie slotted the shard into his neural interface. Jackie and V escaped on the Delamain cab, after being chased by Arasaka drones. On the way to No-Tell Motel, Jackie succumbed to his critical wounds. Before Jackie breathed his last, he used up his last effort to slot the Relic into V to keep it safe.

At the rendezvous point inside the No-Tell Motel, DeShawn shot V in the head and dumped V's body in the landfill to cover his track, with the Relic remaining slotted in V's neural interface.

However, the Relic successfully resurrected V sometime later, and V tried to crawl out of the garbage. Located by Saburo's ex-bodyguard Goro Takemura, they were brought back to Night City and to Viktor Vektor's clinic. Whilst recovering there, V learned that the Relic was overriding their consciousness with an engram of Johnny Silverhand, and that they had only a short time left to live. Misty then brings V back to their apartment to rest. Later that night, the engram of Johnny Silverhand starts assaulting V, demanding them to commit suicide. Despite some difficulty and struggle, V succeeds in taking the pills that Misty gave them. Meeting with Goro, V was asked to help testify to Saburo's heir, Hanako, and expose Yorinobu's crime. At the same time, they decided to investigate various leads into removing the Relic, including Evelyn and its creator Anders Hellman.

With help from Judy Alvarez, V located Evelyn and learned that she was initially hired by the Voodoo Boys to steal the Relic, though only for Silverhand's engram. Meeting with Placide, they arranged to help them bypass the Blackwall and contact Alt Cunningham, a legendary netrunner and Johnny's former girlfriend. Through Alt, V learned that they could extract the engram through Soulkiller and rewrite it with their consciousness, though only within Arasaka's Mikoshi system. After contacting Rogue Amendiares, V learned that Hellman was attempting to defect to Kang Tao. Working with Panam Palmer and the Aldecaldos, they ambushed his convoy and retrieved him. Whilst interrogating Hellman, V learned that the Relic was permanently connected to their neural system, making the process impossible to undo. Afterwards, V called Takemura to follow up with his own interrogation and unfinished business.

V and Goro met with Sandayu Oda, Hanako's bodyguard, to inform him of Yorinobu's betrayal. When he refused to believe them, they gradually decided to contact Hanako during Yorinobu's memorial parade and began making preparations to do so. After they dealt with the security forces and Oda, Goro was forced to kidnap Hanako and had V meet with her. After telling her what they witnessed, they were attacked by Arasaka forces led by Adam Smasher, though V managed to escape the ambush. Shortly afterwards, V was contacted by Hanako and arranged a meeting at Embers. During it, they learned that Mikoshi was located under Arasaka Tower.

During the meeting, the Relic began to malfunction, forcing V to leave it early. With Silverhand taking control, they were taken to Victor's clinic and learned that the Relic's process was almost complete.

Given some time to be alone, V and Johnny contemplated what options they had. Finally, V made their last call and decided what they were going to do.

Imperial Japanese Army[en.wikipedia.org]
Soviet Army[en.wikipedia.org]
State Peace And Development Council (SLORC)[en.wikipedia.org]
West Point[en.wikipedia.org]

Night International (Night Corp)
Richard Night founded Night International during the early 1990s to gain the resources to create his utopian dream of Coronado City, which would later be known as Night City.[1] After his death in 1998, his wife Miriam Night restructured the company and founded Night's Foundation in 1999. The company's official primary goal was to protect and promote Richard Night's vision of the perfect city.

During the infamous Mob War set between 2009 and 2011, the foundation attempted to gain megacorporate support to end the reign of crime in the city, but to no avail. After the conflict, Night's Foundation was restructured, returning to its corporate roots, and renamed to Night Corporation — Night Corp for short. Allegedly, Miriam realized that to have any power in the city, you have to play by the rules of the big businesses to get ahead. Since then, the corporation remained a constant presence in Night City, expanding their field of activity but avoiding power struggles with other major corporations. Although Miriam would eventually step down from the role of CEO long before the 2070s, her legacy and ideals were always upheld by her successors.

Night Corporation[3] (commonly stylized as Night Corp) is headquartered in Night City. Night Corp is a unique enterprise as it puts its full attention on Night City and its affairs. The company is the largest contractor of public procurements within the boundaries of NC, building and renovating facilities such as roads, bridges, tunnels, metro lines, power plants, net transmitters, waterworks, and sewerage. Night Corp is also known for their charities designed to aid the poor children of Night City, and scholarship programs to benefit gifted youth — Jefferson Peralez was among them. The company is also heavily invested in research for ecology and alternate power sources.[2]

Originally founded by Richard Night as Night International[1][4] (or Night Industries[5]), it was later restructured into Night's Foundation in 1999 by Richard's wife and widow Miriam Night, and later again into Night Corporation.

Richard Night founded Night International during the early 1990s to gain the resources to create his utopian dream of Coronado City, which would later be known as Night City.[1] After his death in 1998, his wife Miriam Night restructured the company and founded Night's Foundation in 1999. The company's official primary goal was to protect and promote Richard Night's vision of the perfect city.

During the infamous Mob War set between 2009 and 2011, the foundation attempted to gain megacorporate support to end the reign of crime in the city, but to no avail. After the conflict, Night's Foundation was restructured, returning to its corporate roots, and renamed to Night Corporation — Night Corp for short. Allegedly, Miriam realized that to have any power in the city, you have to play by the rules of the big businesses to get ahead. Since then, the corporation remained a constant presence in Night City, expanding their field of activity but avoiding power struggles with other major corporations. Although Miriam would eventually step down from the role of CEO long before the 2070s, her legacy and ideals were always upheld by her successors.

After the AHQ Disaster of 2023, Night Corp offered generous pay and free cyberware and biomonitor upgrades to anyone willing to help clean up the crater of radioactive rubble at ground zero. Both the corporation and the City Council claimed that casualties were kept to a minimum, while at the same time they did not provide official statistics to substantiate said claim. Nevertheless, they have never been under pressure to release such documents since most rescue, engineering, and rubble cleanup teams were not local Night Citizens, but nomads — especially from the Aldecaldo nation.

In 2030, Night Corp gave a grant to the recently founded Ziggurat corporation in order to help them transform the old fiber-optic Data Term network into a new system — creating one of the first CitiNets and Data Pools in the world — and restore cheap and reliable communication across NC.

In 2068, NCART was bought out by Night Corp after an incident in which unknown attackers released poison gas in the subway stations across Night City, leading to prolonged riots and NCART's bankruptcy
By 2077, Night Corp was nominated as the fifth biggest and best corporation to work for in Night City, due to an announcement of reducing mandatory workweek hours to 80.[8] The company was considered the leader in providing top-tier investment opportunities,[3] and were sponsoring the NC Corsairs football team, giving them exclusive rights to cyberware equipment designed in the company's top-secret "Football Science Lab."[9]

Around this time, Sandra Dorsett — an employee of the corporation — stole information from Night Corp on a databank, which was something Sandra wished to expose to the public. The databank itself contained the information on tests the corporation had conducted using an AI to condition its own employees. The AI was designed to control not just their workers, but other figures Night Corp deemed useful to them.

Night Corp was involved in many infrastructure projects. They had already finalized their conceptual engineering efforts with the aim of revitalizing the maglev system in Night City, expecting it would one day connect Corpo Plaza with the NUSA's East Coast. The corporation began to repair sections of the old network, as well as drilling a new tunnel beneath the city foundations from its construction site on the Badlands to the north east. Construction was expected to finish in 2078, with the first connections operational by the end of said year, and with the city of Chicago by 2080

Far Asian Co-prosperity Sphere (FACS)
Far Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, more commonly known as FACS, is a public company group founded by various large and small Japanese corporations in Tokyo, Japan. The FACS Group keeps its operations very secretive and deals mainly in governmental affairs, including the various offices in ministries. The main goal of the FACS Group is to undermine the efforts of the Arasaka Megacorporation and to keep Saburo Arasaka from utilizing the SDF, and the assets of the country, to further his ideals on the country and the rest of the world.

FACS made a major accomplished in the form of the Bald-Hill Scandal of 1997. They managed to expose the Arasaka controlled Diet, ministries, and Prime Minister Daijiro Adachi for their crimes. Since then the FACS Group has kept Arasaka from taking over the government and has pushed for an anti-corporate government in Japan.

The FACS Group continued well in to 2020, and many of the corporations involved prospered through the internal competition between them and Arasaka. The FACS Group, and the individual Japanese corporations, could not have penetrated the markets of Asia and America without Arasaka, with this comes a modest amount of respect.[2]

In the mid 1990s the Arasaka Corporation started working its fingers into the Japanese government. Arasaka's opponents became the political sponsors of the prosecution, and even sacrificed some of their own people to the investigation. Arasaka was taking control of the Japanese government and seizing control of the SDF. This worried many Japanese corporations big and small, the idea of one corporation having complete control of the country as well as the military was not one many were okay with. In order to undermine Saburo Arasaka and his SDF plans, these group of corporations would soon united under the FACS Banner, Far Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere.

The FACS Group infiltrated the government with its combined assets to gather information of the Arasaka conspiracy. Soon enough in 1997, the group discovered that many politicians were bought off or put in place by the Arasaka Corporation, even the then Prime Minister Daijiro Adachi was an Arasaka confidant. The FACS Group used this newly discovered information and through multiple MediaCorps working within FACS, were successful in leaking it to the public. The National Police Agency in Tokyo arrested more than 60% of the Diet, multiple employees in the ministries, and the PM for bribery and corruption. The event was dubbed the Bald Hill Scandal and was a topic of discussion for decades after.

The FACS Group used this victory to form a new anti-corporate (Arasaka) government, using bureaucracy as a way to keep out any corruption from outside forces. in the early 2000s Saburo continued to disrupt their effort, by a multitude of behind the scenes manipulation scandals, the leading parties and opposition were repeatedly split and reformed-until finally a government that Arasaka could manipulate was organized. This attempted to reduce the power of the police and the FACS Group controlled Home Affairs Ministry, and increase opportunities for the SDF and Arasaka corporate police. Arasaka managed to get some of its goals reached, by dissolving the national police to half of its original power, however universal Arasaka police coverage was completely blocked. What came of this was a decision that was based on the individual prefectures of Japan that could choose to hire corporate policing or the Japanese national police.

The FACS Group in the 2010s, was still working to undermine Arasaka, however this led to nothing more than a stand still in the government. As neither force was able to fully get rid of the opposition, it was a war of attrition and nobody was able to win. Despite this the various corporations apart of the FACS Group continued their operations of industry both internally and international, because of their continued competition with Arasaka, the FACS Group saw increases in revenue across the globe. Penetrating the American and Asian markets had never been easier than it was in 2020. Despite the FACS Group being founded by various corporations, they still remained independent using only a portion of their revenue to fund the FACS Group operations.

Tsunami Defense Systems
Tsunami was founded by three friends; Toshio Yamabatsu, Timothy Davidson, and Michelle Teguchi in Osaka, Japan, beginning as a Japanese airgun company. The corporation was born in the Net, and this had colored its image to an extent as it was considered a very eclectic, loosely organized group of personnel dissimilar to the standard structure commonly associated with large scale corporations. Tsunami utilized the latest in computer-assisted design and manufacturing equipment and had maintained a reputation for being more than a little ahead of the competition in regards to leading edge technology. This was a reputation that had many mystified as, on face value, it appeared to lack the resources and manpower to rival giants like Militech in terms of research and development.[2]

Originally, Tsunami was in the business of designing, building, and testing prototype weaponry; once it met their approval, they then licensed the design to a manufacturer, who would then produce and market Tsunami's product. During the 2010s, many independent weapons manufacturers produced several designs originally envisioned by Tsunami, and were generally perceived to be high-end, cutting-edge weapons.

Tsunami then, under the branding name "Tsunami Arms", also produced an extensive line of limited issue weapons of their own manufacture including railguns, lasers, special-purpose weaponry, powered armor sidearms and specialized handguns. Many of these designs were custom made to a customer's personal specifications.[2] Much of their custom weaponry were competition pieces, designed for athletes and professionals.

Surprisingly enough, the R&D department was Tsunami's smallest branch, despite Tsunami being considered at the cutting edge of most areas of technology. This is attributed to a small, well-chosen crack team of researchers and Net-surfers. While not a major income source, their think-tank was highly respected for its ability to provide solutions to almost any technical problem in theory, even if that solution could not be implemented due to technical limitations

By 2020, Tsunami was one of the four major weapon suppliers of Japan's Self Defense Force. The corporation, whilst small, was a top grade weapons manufacturer.

At some point, a rogue AI named 'Muramasa' was stolen/escaped from its parent creator, the Arasaka Corporation, and was employed by Tsunami. In Japan, rumors circulated of its asylum with the company, although Tsunami flatly denied such claims. The Arasaka Corporation placed a bounty on the retrieval of Muramasa, which enticed the notorious AI hunter known as 'Blackheart' to begin searching for its whereabouts. Blackheart came close to finding Muramasa, which could have been potentially disastrous for the AI and Tsunami. To counter this threat, Tsunami contracted a team from Night City to travel to Hong Kong and intercept Blackheart.

For many years prior, Tsunami had been a top-secret organization, working strictly behind the scenes, providing designs to governments, wealthy solos, athletes and select corporations, but from 2017 to 2020, they had expanded their services into the mass market. The response was excellent, and Tsunami's economic growth was massive and rapid.

By 2077, Tsunami Defense Systems is one of three top-tier weapons manufacturers in the world. The corporation is well recognized by most for its elite and dizzyingly expensive sniper rifles that utilize their trademark cutting edge technology. Tsunami's flagship pistol, the Nue, became one of their most popular products, and is considered the unchallenged and highest-grade pistol on the market.

Orbital Air
In 2020, Orbital Air worked closely with the Euro-Space Agency's Crystal Palace L-5 colony, a massive orbital hotel complex usually only for the ultra-rich, if it wasn't for them the hotel would have gone out of business. With all commercial space bound cargo dependent upon them, Orbital Air is in a lucrative position.

A large part of Orbital Air's budget and covert resources were put to use ensuring that they remained as the absolute power in orbital technology. During the 2020s, their eye was on the country of China, which had been improving its commercial lift capability rapidly. The Euro-flight Corporation had also expanded its operations. Antoine DuBois, the corporations largest shareholder and CEO of the time, worried about the corporations hold on the monopoly with the increasing competition.

The Johnson Orbital Facility was a major transfer station for passengers who purchased tickets for the Crystal Palace, where they switch from the space-planes to space transport shuttles assembled at the workstations owned by Orbital Air.

Orbital Air built the NCX Spaceport in the 2040s.

In 2077, Orbital Air has been expanding its services and it's reached. All major cities in healthy enough countries will have an Orbital Air space center, containing all the conveniences and style of any airport. The space-planes used in these ports are almost always owned by Orbital Air themselves, that being said there are plenty not owned by them. In the regions of Europe it's more common to ride in a space-plane by ESA (Euro-Space Agency) and in Asia it's more common to ride in ones designed and owned by the JAB (Japanese Aerospace Bureau).

The Luxury comfort of an Orbital Air Space-Plane can only be experienced by attending one of the flights.

Soviet World Oil Industries (SovOil)
In 1994, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was succeeded by the Union of Sovereign Soviet Republics, an entirely new entity based on economic cooperation. Then in 1996, the president of the Soviet Federation, Andrei Gorborev, re-structured the centrally-controlled Soviet oil industry. Soviet republics were arguing over how much control to hand over to the Central Committee of the Soviet Union, and no progress was being made.

In order to facilitate the restructuring, Gorborev named Anatoly Novikovo as the Director of the State Oil Industries Subcommittee. Novikovo, a Siberian delegate to the Central Committee, represented a large oil-producing region. One of the first things Novikovo did to ensure success was promoting Yarno Kurgasyn, a delegate from another large oil-producing region (Kazakhstan) to be his deputy director. With two representatives of large oil-producing regions heading the subcommittee, the committee would eventually be able to successfully push for a consolidated Soviet oil industry, where all of the oil production in the USSR could be controlled by a single corporation - Soviet State Oil Industries.

By 1997, the Neo-Soviets had the capacity to recover only a fraction of the vast fields of oil lying under their federation. After a massive program of expansion and modernization, KeroSov, the previous state-run oil industry, became strong enough to break away from the oligarchs of the Federal Central Committee and become the Neo-Sovetskiy Neftyanoy Kombinat (Neo-Soviet Oil Combine or SovOil). Now sitting on top of the world's largest remaining oil reservoirs, SovOil's oligarch leaders knew that the oil wouldn't flow forever. Despite this they became a wealthy and powerful Corporation, with unmatched access to an incredibly valuable commodity, plus a variety of other products and industries. Unfortunately for them, developments like Biotechnica's CHOOH2 had rapidly undermined their strategic dominance.

In 2002, Sergei Kirsanov - commander of SovOil's security forces - was ordered by Novikovo to lock down SovOil company sites. Kirsanov announced that SovOil was going private and secceeding from the central committee government of the USSR. Though USSR state forces attempted to retake SovOil's facilities, it was impossible without destroying them and risking the USSR's oil supply. Because of this, the Central Committee had to acknowledge SovOil's independence.

Between 2002 and 2008, SovOil rebranded itself as Soviet World Oil Industries. It also began manipulating the Soviet Central Committee, using bribes and boosting politician popularity to ensure economic stability in the USSR. During this time, SovOil began to produce CHOOH2, an alcohol-based fuel used to power vehicles.

In the mid-2010s SovOil and Petrochem fell into a disagreement over territories in the South China Sea, which led to a short, but savage, war that grievously wounded both Corporations. The result was that Petrochem decided to concentrate its efforts towards emerging CHOOH2 fuel technology, while SovOil was forced to dedicate its own to exploring the untapped oilfields of the long untouched Siberian region

Between 2012 and 2020, Yarno Kurgasyn retired from the company. SovOil continued to cement its role as the greatest unifying force in the USSR, wielding its mighty economic influence over the soviet government. In the end, the government that created SovOil became a tool for the corporation. In 2020, The Novikovo family were still the majority shareholders in the company. SovOil is the seventh largest corporation in the world, and it holds considerable political power in the USSR - to the point where the USSR was not considered a world power, but instead SovOil was

The Fourth Corporate War had only delayed that reckoning. SovOil's Central Committee had already moved the pieces around in their long game, making plans that would carry the company into the next step of its evolution, when oil is no longer their prime source of income. The first step toward ensuring the company's survival was diversification. SovOil is the major economic force in the Neo-Soviet Union and much of Eastern Europe, and the company had a guaranteed market share in these areas. The more services and goods SovOil could provide the people of these regions, the better off the company would be when the oil runs out. SovOil is already active in mining, shipbuilding, research, and CHOOH2 agriculture. It had just begun to move into aircraft, computers, synthetics, CHOOH2 power systems, and general agriculture. By 2050, the board hoped to have had product base diverse enough to fight the coming war with their Petrochem rivals, who have yet to fully recover from the chaos of the last War

In 2077, Petrochem has claimed to have mastered the first-ever truly environmentally friendly process for oil production. The promise is that the corporation could still refine oil without harming the planet.

Euro Business Machine (EBM)
Formed in the 1990s, Euro Business Machines (EBM) is a corporation that was developed into the leading manufacturer of computers and high-tech equipment worldwide and ranks among the most significant corporations currently in existence.

During the late 1990s, EBM performed "the greatest free-market hostile takeover in history" under the leadership of well-known corporate raiding master, Dr. Kurt Muller. The operation forced the merging of EBM with a vast number of other prominent computer companies around the world, further reinforcing the fearsome market power EBM already held.

Muller, along with the other two members in the company's triumvirate, Ulf Grunwalder of Munich and Sir Nathaniel Poole of London, together held 52.1% of company shares and collectively contributed the majority vote in EBM's corporate interests. Their long-term objective was to "consolidate as much of the world's high-tech manufacturing as possible under their label, by any means.

At some point, EBM attempted a coup on the government of Germany, but was soon crushed a few months later. EBM dropped off the market and disappeared.

Euro Business Machines owned a variety of subsidiaries.

Japanese Aerospace Bureau
The Japanese Aerospace Bureau traded the ability to mass produce cheap, efficient workshacks for access to space via ESA spaceplanes. As a result, close to 85% of all workshacks and space stations are Japanese built. The JAB does not have much high mass lifting capacity or passenger lift ability, although Japanese technology built the Killimanjaro massdriver (This was the first massdriver used on a Japanese railroad in the 1980s!) The Japanese are also the main manufactures of heavy colony construction equipment, including their recent "mobile construction suits" and invented technology used to create "crete," a mixture of native soils and chemical brew used as a form of high-tech cement in construction of both Luna and Martian colonies and used in building the O'Neill colony at L-5. Recently, the Japanese are beginning to worry about their aggressive EEC partners. They have taken to arming their MC suits with anti-sat weapons.

The Japanese also lead the way in space newtech, diving headlong into the nanotech revolution. Most of the active asteroid mining equipment and life support suits used in the Belt are of Japanese manufacture, and some of the latest technology just appearing from the Japanese research labs into commercial production indicates they are far more technically advanced than many Western corporates had feared.

NASA's Chryse base sports a 58% Japanese presence and current construction of a vast network of living quarters under the existing base is totally regulated by JAB. JAB is also investing heavily in exploration of the Belt, and already has close to a dozen experimental laboratory/factories in operation.

The Japanese are the primary supplier of habitats, parts, gear, and cheap lifting systems for light payloads. They control 50-60% of all massdriver tech. The Japanese want to help NASA as this will give them a heavy payload lifting ability of their own, as well as a crack at the Asteroids and Mars.

Word News Service (WNS)
WNS's initial growth in the United States was slow. Other companies such as Warner-Turner's CNN and the Gannett newspaper empire controlled much of the American international news traffic, and the BBC was still the international organization of record. WNS used a combination of superb reporting and information gathering and modern corporate ruthlessness to consolidate its position. WNS developed and implemented the best and most modem news-gathering system on the planet, gleefully incorporating new technologies into its field ENG (electronic news gathering) and studio systems. The technological edge, along with superb talent recruitment and corporate management, allowed WNS to grow at an unprecedented rate, outstripping all other international news agencies in size and prestige by 2010. WNS still faced competition from CNN and British World Services (formerly the BBC World Service), but after a twenty-year history, it stood unchallenged as the world's top news gathering service

In 2010, WNS along side Arasaka, EBM, and WorldSat as well as Triad forces repelled the invasion of the MLC on Hong Kong. After three years, they were successful in repelling the invasion of Hong Kong, WNS along side the other corporations took control of sections of the city. WNS secured and owned Quarry Bay and North Point, where they built new residential living areas and new offices for their operations in Hong Kong could continue.[3][4]

In 2013, the early WNS policy went by the wayside, and WNS constructed a total of ten 24-hour satellite news channels, in addition to continuing print and computer distribution networks. WNS also continued to sell stories and news-gathering services to other broadcast and media organizations, including both Net 54 and DMS

In 2020, WNS stood as the world's top news-gathering and broadcasting organization. In a change from its early days of operation, WNS now had eight satellite network channels of its own, as well as selling video news to other channels and distributors. The network was also still active in computer and print news, and, as well as spot news, produces features, panel shows, interview shows, specials, and other broadcast material for use on WNS channels or for sale to third parties.

Mitsubishi (Mitsibushit-Suego)
Mitsubishi Corporation was originally founded by Yatarō Iwasaki as Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, this shipbuilding business was later turned into Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and then launched as Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd. in 1934, establishing its position as the largest private firm in Japan, manufacturing ships, heavy machinery, airplanes, and railroad cars. After World War 2 a law aimed at dissolving zaibatsus and dismantling the over concentration of economic power was in effect.

The current Mitsubishi Corporation was founded by the merger of these three companies to form Mitsubishi Shoji in 1954; Mitsubishi listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Stock Exchange in the same year. It changed its name to "Mitsubishi Corporation" in 1971. Concurrently with its relaunch, Mitsubishi opened fourteen liaison offices outside Japan, as well as a US subsidiary called Mitsubishi International Corporation with offices in New York and San Francisco. By 1960, Mitsubishi had fifty-one overseas offices. Mitsubishi's first large-scale investment outside Japan was a liquefied natural gas project in Brunei, committed to in 1968.

In 2002, Sugo Manufacturing merged with Mitsubishi and was renamed Mitsubishi-Sugo. The new corp subsidiary started building AFVs and Tanks, as well as cars. Mitsubishi-Sugo became one of the main manufacturers selling to the SDF. In 2010, Mitsubishi-Sugo develops prototype ACPA for the SDF. Soldiers nickname it "kakashi" (scarecrow). Mitsubishi-Sugo developed the first Japanese ACPA using the SegAtari VR interface.

At some point in the 2000s, Mitsubishi opened a new subsidiary Mitsubishi/Koridansu which focused most of it's attention in space affairs. maintain the intellectual property rights to the basic work-shack module expanded upon by virtually all Japanese corporations developing and manufacturing orbital work-shacks and auto-factories

Association of Southeast Asian Nations[en.wikipedia.org]

Lazarous Group
Nelson Katzadoulos, a wealthy inheritor, came up with the idea for the Lazarus Group. Katzadoulos had remarked that the twenty-first century would need a mercenary organization that offered high-quality services for discriminating customers. His dream was to create a mercenary organization that could offer services of a much higher caliber than the mercenary companies or loaned-out corporate military services of his day.

Katzadoulos, knowing nothing about how to lead a military force, set out to find somebody who was able to. Emile Lazarus, a former Colonel in the U.S Army Special Forces and Medal of Honor recipient, was hired to lead the operations. His well-known name was also used to brand the corporation. Nelson Katzadoulos remained a silent partner, taking care of corporate finances. In 2010, the first Lazarus training facilities were built. The first group of recruits to Lazarus consisted of 5000 trainees who received eight weeks of training from experts in equipment and tactics. Throughout the 2010s, the Lazarus group expanded rapidly.

With its many triumphs and constant operations, the Lazarus Group grew consistently in the decade between its 2010 inception and the present. Auxiliary, basic training, recruitment facilities, and corporate offices opened around the United States and in several other countries, while Lazarus constructed specialty training schools for troops and operatives world-wide. Katzadoulos and Lazarus maintained an even hand at all stages of development, ensuring that all finances were tight and high standards were maintained for all military acquisitions and training.

Presently, the Lazarus Group is the most successful and largest, specialty military service contracting organization in the world. Its reputation remains high, and the corporation continues to grow, boasting over a quarter of a million troops on active service or quick-activation reserve. With increasing tensions, brush fire wars, and corporate armed conflict spread across the world, it looks like the future of the Lazarus Group is rosy indeed

Night City Psycho Squad(Maxtac)
Cyberpsychosis had become a big problem in the 2000s. While state-sponsored therapy was an option, the hardest part had been getting the patient into the psychologist's office. What did you do when a metal-armored, cyberboosted maniac started randomly killing people? If you were the government, you organized a special squad of professional police with one job: hunt down and capture or kill murderous cyberpsychos.

Cybersquads were common to most urban police departments, operating under names like C-SWAT, PSYCHE-DIV, or CYB-Enforcement. They were armed with the best in armor, commo equipment, and vehicles. Most carried weapons that ranged from light cannons upward. They were, by nature, not very nice people.

C-SWAT became MAX-TAC and was still called that by some departments. The official title for the cybersquad in Night City was Cyborg Suppression Unit. Individual units were known as SPAR teams (Special,Purpose Assault Rescue). These units were the bottom line of combat police officers. Created to deal directly and specifically with the ever-present cyberpsycho threat, these officers were trained and equipped with the best resources money could buy. All officers were supremely fit, agile, and able to withstand a great deal of damage. Cyber-augmentation was common among their ranks, if not mandatory. MAX-TAC officers' enhanced abilities made them the equal of any cyberpsycho. Weapons and armor of the most effective kind were placed at their disposal, as are combat vehicles, including fully equipped AV-9s.

Originally a division of SWAT, MAX-TAC's actual role expanded since its creation. While they were the only real force capable of dealing with the cyberpsycho threat effectively, they were also occasionally utilized as a higher-tier SWAT deployment. In any situation where SWAT failed, MAX-TAC would arrive. Their job was almost always to "Hit Hard" and "Shoot to Kill." In many ways, they were as dangerous as those they were brought in to fight—many officers are teetering on the brink of cyberpsychosis themselves. NCPD saw this "fight fire with fire" strategy as effective.

In the aftermath of the Fourth Corporate War, the only remaining remnants of the Night City Police Department were MAX-TAC officers, then led by Max Hammerman in maintaining control over any and all cyberpsychotic elements in Night City. The role of a MAX-TAC squad in 2045 was very similar to those of the 2020s. However, due to the collapse of government after the Fourth Corporate War, MAX-TAC became an independent organization, continuing to follow its leader's philosophy: maintain law and order, and protect the innocent. MAX-TAC officers who broke from this were arrested and confined to local Hall of Justice or security facilities. Despite this, local groups of "Psycho Squad Militia" formed, going after borged individuals regardless of having authority or not.

At some point after the Time of the Red, MAX-TAC was reincorporated into the NCPD.

In 2077, MaxTac continues to live up to their reputation, hunting down any cyberpsychos and lawbreakers too powerful for the regular NCPD to handle.

Netwatch
NetWatch is a global policing organization founded in 2013 by a US/Eurotheatre treaty. It works in tandem with and receives funding, equipment, and personnel from governments, corporations, and other large organizations to patrol the Net and prevent cybercrimes. The organization's Netrunners, known as NetCops, Wolves, Weasels, and The Icemen, were equipped with very powerful software to move through the Net, and would patrol specific "beats", which could cover a city, region, or continent. While arrest and imprisonment were the primary goals of NetWatch, it was also known to use Black ICE programs to kill or maim their opposition

After the collapse of the Old NET due to the DataKrash, during the 2030s and 2040s NetWatch oversaw the development of corporate CitiNets, local VPNs established in Reclaimed Cities. At the same time, it made contact with AIs that had managed to survive rogue malware known as R.A.B.I.D.s in order to work together on getting the Old NET under control. The project did not exist in any official books or records, and was known only as "the Black Wall".

By 2077, one of NetWatch's goals included keeping people from penetrating the Blackwall: a virtual firewall, which was believed to keep free AIs from breaking through and causing mayhem. As such, they were at odds with Night City gangs such as the Voodoo Boys, who wished to break down the Blackwall with the belief that the AIs would help them and humanity as a whole

Microtech
Microtech does one thing, and they do it well: build full-size computers. They concentrate all of their efforts into improving their mainframe computer systems, without dabbling in cybernetic computers or mini-computers. Indeed, they take pride in the fact that their mainframes and workstations are used by other companies to design those types of systems. They are to the 2000s what Cray was to the 1980s and 1990s, but on a larger scale.

Microtech is the industry standard. Defense agencies around the world rely on Microtech mainframes, and the European Space Agency has several. With its hold on the specialized mainframe industry, Microtech is worried not so much about acquiring proprietary data through espionage as protecting itself against such theft. This is where most of its covert and military resources go, as well as a sizable amount of its own computer power. Microtech must be vigilant for external threat as well, however, as there are several larger corporations who would like to acquire Microtech, or see it eliminated in order to further the success of their own products. Accordingly, Microtech is attempting to beef up both its financial and military security

Streetemps
Although it does not advertise itself as such (and in fact does not advertise itself at all), this is a well-known agency used to hire down on-their-luck cyberpunks for run-of-the-mill, though nonetheless questionable, activities. Those who use StreeTemps still prefer working the Street itself for larger operations. StreeTemps does not require any information on what the actual service will be, just what skills are required. Ignorance thus becomes a pat legal defense. They are allowed to remain in business because they are secretly a branch of the NCPD, and keep an eye out for problem areas and potential cyberpsychos.

Kizamasu Inc.
Kizamasu Inc. is a Japanese construction company. Most known for buying the building permits to Houston, Texas

The Seven Nations
In the USA alone there are over 7 million nomads; more than half of them have given their allegiance to one of the seven Nomad Nations of North America. These groups are composed of clans, tribes and families which share common interests, enemies, or goals. The largest of the nations calls itself Snake Nation, while the smallest is a nomad-owned corporation called MetaCorp. Found between these two extremes are Blood Nation, Folk Nation, the Jodes, Thelas Nation, and the Aldecaldos.

They were formed by a series of unofficial treaties and conferences across the USA, and these meetings and gatherings continue today. The largest meetings between Nations come at the end of harvest time. The harvest is special to the nomads, since many are descendants of agricultural migrants. It represents a time of plenty: plenty of food, plenty of work, and therefore plenty of celebration. In times past, up to forty percent of the nomad population of North America has come together in various locations to discuss issues and celebrate during the late fall period.

There are many parallels between gang culture and nomad culture, having both sprouted from the same roots in the Collapse. The two groups have sometimes come to violence over territorial and economic issues. This is greatly mediated by economic factors. The employers of the nomad groups are not subtle. If a gang should disrupt the work of a nomad group then the employer usually has no qualms about eliminating the gang utterly. Feeling no ill against the gangs, especially since many of the groups are descendant of pre-Collapse gang structures, the nomads avoid angering them. During jobs the nomad tribes even employ some gangs in tertiary capacities (sometimes even straight payoffs of goods or services).

Storm Technology
Storm Technologies was started by Dr. Richard Storm in the late 1990s, a low profile company which quietly watched, waited, and learned. In May, 2005, while the rest of the business world was avidly watching the OA/EBM war blossom, Storm made its move, using amassed capital to buyout dozens of smaller companies. By February, 2006, EBM and OA came home to find a new kid had moved onto the block and they were in no position to do anything more than minor harassment Since then, Storm has engaged in a wide variety of high technology fronts. They manufacture mainframes, microcomputers, cyberware, vehicles, and weaponry, and they dabble in other fields such as genetics and aerospace. While they can't always offer the high-quality merchandise that their competitors can, Storm has made enough innovations to make their opponents nervous.

StormTech has been assisted and funded by some of the Seven Nations to mask certain developments in the nomad community. These developments include biotech and nanotech development, transform virus research, the purchase of limited amounts of military hardware, and other goals. StormTech did this originally because of a blood debt owed Malachi Jode by Richard Storm. However, the relationship has evolved from simple giri to a business relationship which allows the nomads some security, and helps StormTech to compete with larger corporations. The reclamation of Chicago is a huge and lucrative project for StormTech.

With toxicity down to manageable levels and much of the nomad population short of work, StormTech has been able to negotiate a lucrative deal with four of the Nations to begin the reconstruction of Chicago in earnest StormTech's connections with many other corporations has allowed it to acquire secondary capital for the project, as well.

Storm Technology is a Chicago company. Many of the people who came to work for StormTech at Chicago Port were survivors of Chicago. StormTech has, since 2017, been sending groups of people into Chicago to salvage certain critical resources. They were one of MetaCorp's first customers in the Jacksuit Project; light ACPA with sealed environments and tool suites allowed employees to work in safety and comfort while inside the plague zone.[1]

After the Night City Holocaust of 2023, StormTech helped the Aldecaldos in recovery of survivors and construction of temporary shelters around the Night City area

CINO (Corporation Internationale Nauticale et Oceanique)
Originally a British shipping firm, CINO deals mainly in the construction of shipping vessels and related navigation and shipping equipment. This is done at their huge dry-dock facility in Le Havre, or at Marseilles.

IHAG (Internationale Handelsmarine Aktiengesellschaft)
The firm's business was divided evenly between vessel construction and actual commercial shipping. Sometimes referred to as "the dirtside Orbital Air" IHAG did a lucrative business shipping freight worldwide. They also handled specialized freight transportation, such as hazardous material, live cargo, and other dangerous items.

IHAG's contribution to marine biotechnology was minimal, their Biomarine division was working on several products which held promise before the bankruptcy. However IHAG sank into serious financial trouble after a foolish attempt to take on OTEC in crypropalan production and development. To further fund their construction and biotechnology efforts IHAG took out several very large loans from the European Bank amounting to approximately 500 million eb. When their main ventures failed, IHAGs cash reserve was reduced to under one million eurodollars and they were forced to default on the loans. Bankruptcy proceedings have just begun.

Ziggurat
Ziggurat was founded in Night City in 2030. The corporation had a plan to transform the old fiber-optic Data Term network into a new system and restore cheap and reliable communication across the city. With a grant from Night Corp and buy-in from the fractious City Council, the brand-new CitiNet was up and operational within months.

Ziggurat branched out from Night City to other metroplexes in North America. By 2040, most cities in the New United States, Pacifica Confederation, Canada, and the Free States now had CitiNets and Data Pools. Ziggurat also was able to restore communication between metropolitan regions by providing simple and inexpensive city-to-city communication via hourly data-packet burst transfers along a cobbled together patchwork of reclaimed phone lines, free-space optics, and even Nomad couriers.

Soon after the Night City Data Pool went online, Ziggurat published the first set of apps to make use of it. Which allowed them to collect fees from the government for setting up and maintaining CitiNets and Data Pools.[1] Ziggurat also monetized their use by collecting and selling data, selling advertising space, and supplying users with in-app upgrades.

Most content on North American Data Pools were created using Ziggurat Apps and consumed via The Garden, the corporation's platform used for producing and sharing content publicly. Any Garden user was able set up their own Garden Patch, a space on the Data Pool made specifically for sharing their text, audio, virtual, and braindance creations. Patches are customized using a limited variety of free overlays or more functional—and thus more expensive—templates. Once setup is completed, users can populate their Patch with text, still imagery, audio and video, virtual, and braindance creations that other users can consume and comment on. Ziggurat runs targeted advertisements before, after, and during Garden content, cutting the creators in for ten percent of revenues.

PopMedia stars during this time often got their start on the Garden and most performers and companies maintained their own Patch in order to reach their audiences with their entertainment, commercials, and products. In 2043, Ziggurat opened offices in the UK and Australia with the intent of penetrating the European and Australian markets. However the corporation was met with much competition.

Quadra
Quadra manufactures retro stylized sports automotive vehicles for the general public consumer-base. The company excels at designing and building muscle cars, such as the Type-66 or their most iconic Turbo-R.

Secure Services Inc. (SSI)
SSI was established in 2062. Outwardly, it was known as a small company in 2077, on a tier well below big-name security corporations like Arasaka and Militech, but with clients all over Night City.

It was recommended to Jefferson Peralez by an acquaintance, who hired them soon after to become their private security. SSI moved into their Charter Hill apartment, turning Elizabeth Peralez's office into the security control room from which Security Officer West would coordinate the team, while Chief of Security Wallace would oversee them from the company offices. The Peralezes were considered VIP status, and the company's priority was to protect them from any and all dangers, including regards to privacy and emotional stability. SSI agents were tasked to report about any behavioral anomalies, no matter if the Peralezes were in their apartment or somewhere else. Unknown to Elizabeth and Jefferson, SSI was a front for an unknown party that sought to mold them into the ideal political couple and pave the way for Jefferson to become Night City's mayor. The operation, codenamed "CONDIN", consisted of three teams of personnel overseen by Chief of Security Wallace: ORANGE, BLUE, and BLACK (Black Echelon).

ORANGE included the security detail who the Peralezes saw on a daily basis, and were allowed access to all of the apartment areas with the exception of Sector Zero. ORANGE agents weren't allowed to engage with BLUE and BLACK agents unless they received an explicit order from said agents or the Chief of Security. BLUE and BLACK were covert teams which carried out an elaborate gaslighting procedure on the Peralezes to manipulate their memories and personalities. The monitoring and gaslighting were done from Sector Zero, a concealed room within the Peralezes residence, though at night BLUE and BLACK agents left it to wander the apartment at will. Medical and psychological observation data from the operation was sent to "management" via special line-of-sight transmitters and a mobile data center managed by BLACK agents. During this operation, Jefferson Peralez was referred to as "target ALPHA".

One night Jefferson came across agent BLUE-66M, with the former shooting the later after Peralez thought it was a burglar. Soon afterwards Jefferson lost consciousness and was carried to his bed by other agents, while 66M was brought to Sector Zero to be patched up. Security Officer West informed Wallace of the situation, and the Security Chief informed SSI Management of the issue while also sending Black Echelon team to recover the wounded agent. SSI wiped out any traces of the incident and tried to convince the Peralezes it had just been a bad dream. To find out what had really happened, Elizabeth and Jefferson hired the mercenary V, whom eventually discovered SSI's hidden room and gaslighting tech. V found the transmitters and pursued the SSI data center van,[3][2] but the drivers arranged for a group of Maelstrom, lead by a goon named Dante, to ambush V and cover their tracks.[4] Depending on V's actions, the SSI BLACK agents either died or escaped aboard a cloaked AV. V could also inform Jefferson that SSI was part of a conspiracy to manipulate him, or lie and say that his political opponent, Weldon Holt, had been using SSI to spy on him. Before talking to Peralez, V received a call from an unknown number who told them it didn't matter what they told Jefferson, as nothing would change. And that they also knew V's secret, warning them not to interfere again

No matter the outcome, Project Condin was suspended and all teams were ordered to withdraw.[5] Not long after the Peralezes fired SSI

The Moxes
The Mox are a small gang made up of outcasts of different backgrounds in Night City. Formed in 2067 in the interest of mutual self-defense purposes, their name comes from the old slang term "moxie," denoting their determination to stand up against their oppressors.[2] One of their emblems is "Moxes" written in calligraphy.

The Moxes like to wear outfits that are a mix of the punk aesthetic and the inexpensive fashion worn typically by prostitutes, however they usually do not wear clothes that would restrain their movements in any way, leaving them looking more like gangers than your typical sex workers. Some members, especially those who focus on combat, have heavily modified bodies that sometimes evoke a "plastic doll" style, but may also be disguised with RealSkinn. One of their gang symbols is a labrys, a double-headed axe, displayed on their walls, clothes, tattoos, or jewelry.[2] The Mox have their own clothing brand that goes by the name ♥♥♥♥♥. While most Mox gangoons carry bats and clubs, Mox Cleavers and Inciters generally carry weaponry similarly used by the Tyger Claws gang.

They are based out of Lizzie's Bar in Kabuki, Watson.

1910-1950's
The Arasaka Corporation was founded in 1915, by Sasai Arasaka in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The company originally was focused on manufacturing and took full advantage of World War II to forward their wealth and power by supplying the Imperial Army. However Sasai foresaw the defeat of Japan and worked to ensure his company and fortune would survive the war by spreading his wealth across the globe, out of the reach of the post-war leadership. Soon enough the Japanese surrendered and the country was in ruin, with most cities destroyed by the constant bombings (with the exception of Kyoto).

On August 15th, 1945, the Emperor broadcast the edict of surrender and renounced his divinity. Saburo Arasaka, a former lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Navy and son of Sasai, was thunderstruck. He was on the verge of seppuku in the compound's cherry tree grove of the hospital when he had a moment of epiphany and a vision. Right at that moment, Saburo saw the wisdom of his father's actions. As family scion, that fortune would soon be his to control, a fortune that, if wielded correctly, would permit a clever man to push Japan back towards a position of power from which it could dominate the world politically and economically. The children of Amaterasu would prevail, if not under the Emperor, then under another deity: commerce. Saburo drew the half inch of dagger that had penetrated his abdominal muscles before the vision had stayed his hand and returned to the household. That same night, he began to study politics, economics, and history, which continued until his father's death.

Although Japan's economy and industry were in ruins, Saburo studied all matters of business, economics, and politics while attending Todai. This was to ensure he had the skills necessary to accomplish his goals. Sasai had capitalized on wartime industry, but against Saburo's impassioned urging, he had made sure that the bulk of the Arasaka fortune was covertly protected in concealed overseas assets and accounts.

1960-1997
In 1960 Sasai Arasaka died and the 41 year old Saburo stepped into his late father's shoes as the head of the Arasaka Corporation. At the time Arasaka was still a relatively small company, having just reestablished itself in international commerce. Before his death, Saburo's father had been slowly retrieving the capital and resources kept secret during the war and after he died, Saburo himself continued the task.

In 1970 Saburo created the Arasaka Security division of the Arasaka Corporation. The new division specialized in high quality personal and corporate manpower, electronic, and computer security and protection.[6] Slowly, over 25 years, Arasaka Security developed a sterling reputation as the most potent company of its type in the world. In 1990, Arasaka emerged on the global 500 list and by the mid 1990s, Arasaka guards were employed by thousands of powerful individuals and corporations around the world and Arasaka intrusion countermeasures and computer security experts were retained by many others. It wasn't long thereafter that the Security division was one of Arasaka's three most powerful holdings, equaled only by the Arasaka Bank and Arasaka Manufacturing.

Saburo's dedication to his study enabled him to foresee the world market collapse of 1994 and the US collapse of 1996. Saburo was able to take the appropriate steps, and through his shrewd manipulation and investments, make the Arasaka Corporation one of the few commercial institutions to profit from the crash. Arasaka was big before the crash, but in the period afterwards it assumed gigantic stature, becoming one of the largest Megacorporations in the world, now ranking at number two on the global 500 list.

At some point in the 1990s, the Arasaka European Group constructed their European headquarters in Paris, France.

In 1997 Arasaka Security moved into paramilitary contracting and began training one of the world's first corporate armies at the corporation's guard and agent schooling facility in the forbidden northern wastes of Hokkaido. An age of ruthlessness followed, with Arasaka destroying or absorbing as much of its competition as it could and buying out any non-competitive companies that Saburo thought would make a good asset.

Arasaka's control over the government of Japan was becoming problematic in the late 1990s. Saburo was close to having complete control with 60% of Japan's National Diet being Arasaka-bought politicians. However, due to growing fear amongst other Japanese corporations about Arasaka's government takeover attempt, a group was formed by large and small Japanese corporations that united under FACS (Far Asian Co-prosperity Sphere) banner. This countered Saburo's control of the government and many politicians were arrested. FACS would continue to undermine Arasaka's plans in the coming decades.

1997-2020
The years from 1997 to 2020, however, had seen the Arasaka Corporation continue to diversify and strengthen. Its major functional arms were still the Arasaka Bank, Manufacturing, and Security groups. Although the corporation was astoundingly wealthy and powerful, and Saburo one of the wealthiest men in the world, he had not forgotten his original goal. During this time Saburo stepped down as CEO and, in his place, his son Kei Arasaka became the nominal head of the Arasaka Corporation. However all major decisions and policies were still subject to Saburo's discretion. Saburo had groomed his son for eventual complete control, and the realization of his personal goals.

During the early 2000s, Arasaka contracted major bodyguard services to Slovakia. Though while not having much political power as other Japanese or Korean corporations within the nation, Arasaka still maintained subsidiaries producing articles for the European market.

In 2008, the Taiwanese Government hired Arasaka to plan out their defense force in fear of a Chinese invasion. Taiwan managed anti-ship, plane, and missile defenses on the Kinmen and Matsu islands, and Hsinchu, Chanhua, as well as Anping. These islands all contained contracted Arasaka troops for constant hourly monitoring of the Communist and Chinese sponsored Militech.

In 2010, Arasaka alongside WNS, EBM, and WorldSat, as well as Triad forces, repelled the invasion of the MLC on Hong Kong. After three years, they were successful in repelling the invasion of Hong Kong, and all four corporations took control of sections of the city.[4] Arasaka secured Chai Wan and Shau Kei Wan, with corporate housing on the mid-levels of the peak and offices on the Bay. They also had their new regional office constructed on the new set of land.[9]

In 2013, Arasaka America faced major terrorist attacks on its headquarters in Night City. A rockerboy named Johnny Silverhand led a riot at the base of the Tower and managed to murder multiple Arasaka employees as well as the CEO of the American branch, Toshiro.

During this time, Arasaka partnered with Sony Corporation in co-producing the Medusa 2000. The weapon gave the user direct interface to a powerful multi-medium zoom lens with image enhancers, telescopic, macro-zoom abilities, anti-dazzle, UV, and thermograph sensors. Any data filmed was stored into data chips or directly into a neural processor storage bank.

In 2020, Arasaka secured a political seat in the government of Portugal. The controlling cooperative alliance had broken in two factions. The cooperative party (The Consensual Progress Party) had two candidates to the presidency, each of them supported by three of the controlling corps (Iberian Agrolndustrial, Amazonian Security, and WNS against Merchant, Arasaka, and Oliveira-Leisure). Tensions between Amazonian Security and Arasaka had risen in attempts to restore harmony and a stable economic growth to the country.[8]

Sometime during 2020, an Arasaka Cargo Submarine and its crew including Captain Hyung Mitsumoto sunk in the North Pacific. This led to the acquisition of IDA (International Defense Alliance), an independent organization that was then put under the Arasaka subsidiary, Sato Commercial Shipping. A covert IDA team was dispatched to the Bonin trench to bring the sub to the surface.

Fourth Corporate War (2022-2025)
In 2021 an oceanic corporation known as Internationale Handelsmarine Aktiengesellschaft, IHAG, announced bankruptcy. Both CINO and OTEC were looking to acquire the stock in the corporation, but each company was too closely matched in buying power for either to get an edge. So they decided to whittle down their opponent's resources and sabotage their attempts at stock acquisition.[5] However, this proved ineffective by itself so the Aquacorp of CINO hired on Arasaka, while OTEC hired Militech. Being the two largest paramilitary corporations in the world, both Arasaka and Militech had been rivaling for many years on different contractors. Arasaka saw this as an opportunity to then whittle Militech's resources.

During this time Saburo Arasaka soon came to consider Donald Lundee a real threat, someone who threatened his goal for the Arasaka Corporation. In 2022, Kei Arasaka was responsible for a great deal of the daily operations and important decisions during the IHAG mess. While he viewed the fight like any other business operation, and would never take it personally, in aligntment with Arasaka tradition he intended to stop at nothing to make sure his side was victorious and would never step down from a direct offense to Arasaka. Kei also had full control over his father's corporation as, during this time, Saburo was in seclusion for security reasons for the duration of the conflict. However, he knew the war wasn't going to end well and began to work directly with General Ubo Tanaka, readying himself to sacrifice major assets in order to win. The only thing left was his contingency plans that he hoped would save the zaibatsu if the worst occurred and Arasaka lost.

The end of the war for the company saw the death of Kei Arasaka and the destruction of the Arasaka Towers in Night City in 2023, as it was destroyed with a mini-nuke by a Militech operative team. President Kress blamed the Night City bombing on Arasaka, despite the fault lying with Militech, and further demonized Arasaka for her own interests. Arasaka's charters to operate in the United States were immediately revoked, its members and board declared terrorists, and its assets either seized or driven off-shore. Arasaka's participation in the Fourth Corporate War almost led to Japanese government breakdown. By repudiating Arasaka after the official end of the war in 2025, Japan's national face was saved and Arasaka was reduced to a Japan-only corporation for the next decade

2040-2076
Even after the defeat in the Fourth Corporate War, Arasaka maintained one of the largest armed forces of any other corporation. The corporation had most of its operations limited to Japan and heavily reduced. Despite the situation, Arasaka still managed to hold onto a majority of their assets.[2] By 2040, the Arasaka Corporation rebuilt itself and was slowly gaining back much of its prior strength. The corporation was also attempting to amend its relations with the NUSA and being welcomed back to continue its operations. Arasaka still had small operations in select parts of the NUSA but nothing official. Arasaka still covertly licensed their troops to other firms worldwide but they would have to use the uniforms of their new "employers." The Arasaka Corporation's goal had also not changed: they wanted to return to the political and economic height it held in the 2020s.[2]

Arasaka may have been under the nominal control of Saburo Arasaka, but for many years there stood factions vying for dominance. As of 2045, there were three major factions struggling to come out on top. Each one hoping their family patriarch, Saburo, would eventually hand the reigns over to them. The Arasaka Factions of 2045 were as follows:

The Kiji (Green Pheasant) Faction: As led by Hanako, this faction was essentially a continuation of the mainline. But as Hanako was something of a recluse, she was more interested in her Netrunning experiments than in gathering power. This group, with Hanako at its center, consists primarily of conservative technocrats who wish to follow the course set by Saburo Arasaka himself. In his daughter, Hanako, they see a guiding force to maintain the old order and stability within the corporation.

The Taka (Hawk) Faction: As led by Yorinobu, Saburo's second son. This faction, headed by Yorinobu, often prefers to take the most direct and uncompromising solutions. Both stubborn and temperamental, he resembles Saburo which has given him wide support among the more militant-minded Arasaka Corp., elite. However, his more pro-Western inclinations and ideas that are innovative as they are controversial have weakened his support for the Board's loyal traditionalists.
Hato 鳩 (Dove) Faction: Centered on Michiko Arasaka, Kei's only daughter and Saburo's granddaughter. This was the liberal wing of the corporation unified those who sought deeper reforms. However while out of the three Hato held little influence, they still enjoyed the growing support of popularity among some politicians and media personalities.
Several smaller factions also existed within the corporation but they did not hold as much power as the main three: Kiji, Taka, and Hato. Arasaka's world influence was still present as it remained at the top after the rebuild era.

In 2067, the Emperor of Japan was saved after an attempted assassination by an Arasaka bodyguard who intercepted the assassin's bullet.

In 2068, Arasaka collaborated with the Yaiba Corporation and designed the fastest and most expensive motorcycle on the market, the Kusanagi CT-3X. The Kusanagi became a favorite among gangers, bosozokus, and celebrities around the world.

During the Unification War, 2069 to 2070, between the NUSA and the Free States, Arasaka supported Night City, regaining its favor and eventually returning to the city in 2070 at the request of then-city councilman Lucius Rhyne.[5] Arasaka arrived in Coronado Bay with their super carrier as the NUSA troops were ready for the invasion of the city, the troops were ordered to retreat in fear of the already unstable NUSA collapsing due to another conflict. The Arasaka Corporation was once again welcomed into the Americas as they rebuilt their American headquarters in Night City.[] They started with establishing the Arasaka Waterfront, bringing down its competition in the area. Arasaka razed the crumbling structures of old Watson, a vast walled complex defended by guards and automated turrets. These became container warehouses, hangars, and autonomous assembly lines. The goal was to get a successful port and supply chain for the city and the Free States.

In the early 2070s, a bioengineer named Anders Hellman was appointed the director of the Relic Project. Using the Soulkiller's source code, Hellman created a new piece of technology that was capable of communicating with personality constructs. Because of his continued work, loyalty, and personal relationship with the Arasaka family - Saburo considered offering him a position of Director of the Kyoto Institute of Technology.

In 2071, the Arasaka security forces prevented mass riots across San Francisco, managing to quell the conflict.

In 2074, in Brazil, an Arasaka investigation destroyed a terrorist cell that was taking place in Rio de Janeiro. The Arasaka soldiers executed all terrorists responsible and ended a series of attacks the country had been facing.

In 2076, the Arasaka counterintelligence department managed to secure a corporate summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, stopping 45 plots to attack and sabotage the summit

In 2077, a Militech operatives team discovered that Arasaka had been hiding the fact that they had a mass driver on the Moon. The ESA was the only organization allowed to operate and own mass drivers, an edge they wanted to keep, because of this Militech tipped off the ESA council in order to effect Arasaka. The ESA called an intimidate meeting to reexamine Arasaka's license in space affairs. The ones responsible for the mistake were Arasaka America, of the Night City operatives branch, many employees feared Japan's response. In an attempt to cover their tracks Arthur Jenkins ordered to a flatline of members of the council, a move that, among other decisions, cost him his life.

In Japan, Arasaka engineers successfully conducted ballistic missile tests on Yakushima. The new electromagnetic missile was to combat the growing terrorist threat as well as other rogue elements that threaten public safety. Rumors also circulated of Arasaka developing new line of reflex boosters that would last twice as long as the current models on the market. The corporation was also looking for willing participates for the experiments.

During a shareholders report, it was announced by the board of directors that Lasombra, Arasaka HQ in Mexico, increased shareholder voting power by 1.5%.

In Night City, Arasaka was voted the number #1 Megacorporation to work for. The Japanese zaibatsu juggernaut would give employees the latest in cyberware technology with a loyalty obligation of only 20 years.

In Tokyo, Arasaka introduced a revolutionary new line of premium biochip called the Relic, which was advertised as a means for buyers to preserve a copy of their personalities for future generations to interact with. It was first reported by Nippon Daily, not long after Arasaka officially confirmed it. The revolutionary new tech was said to be very expensive and would be a service exculsively the 1% who could be able to afford it, this meant that the product would not be made available to the general public within the foreseeable future.

Arasaka had announced it had signed a cooperation agreement with Night City University, offering its professors and students Arasaka Ozukumi Sx cognitive implants on loan at a 20% discounted rate.

Saburo continued serving as Arasaka's CEO up until his death, when he was murdered by Yorinobu. The death of the CEO was covered up and attributed to poisoning, while Yorinobu consolidated the corporation's support and became the new CEO. Some within the corporation viewed Yorinobu's sudden ascension with suspicion, and considered backing Hanako.

Yorinobu made controversial decisions within the company such as selling assets of facilities in Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. The Arasaka Corporation's stock jump up by 3% after the decision was made. Arasaka sponsored the Dashi Parade a classical Japanese festival within Japantown, Night City. The parade would also became the festival in remembering of Saburo Arasaka, one that Hanako would attend prior to the news of her fathers passing. During this time tensions were rising between Arasaka and Militech, corporate sabotage could be what was possibly leading to another Corporate War between the two corporations.

After successfully rescuing his sister Hanako, Yorinobu called an emergency meeting the Arasaka supervisor board in Night City. Top executives from Tokyo, as well as branch directors from Paris, Shanghai, and Kinshasa all to meet in the Arasaka Tower of the American Division headquarters. Yorinobu had a plan for a military coup that would give him and those loyal to his faction complete control of Arasaka Corporation for his plan of sabotage.

1950's-1990's
The Gang of Four traced its origins to the years following the end of World War 2. Although agencies such as the FBI had existed since the beginning of the century, the federal government began creating new ones such as the NSA in the early days of the Cold War to combat the increasingly hostile Soviet Union. At some point in time, these agencies began consolidating their power and operating as a shadow government, eventually eclipsing Washington's authority and coordinating outside of legal bounds.

Since the 1950's, the organization had on file a major percentage of every telegraph, telephone, and radiophone call made in Moscow until 1992. Even the encrypted calls were recorded, though some were not decoded for as long as twenty years. In the United States, they had records of every wire transfer and telegram from every on-line office in the country; detailed information on all manner of transactions, from stock exchanges down to the most insignificant savings account, was kept. The NSA was the most powerful of the Gang of Four agencies, working in or out of the United States with no legal restrictions whatsoever.

In the 1960's the NSA hired over 22,000 people a year as "analysts" - most of these individuals were either "attached" to the Department of Defense or untraceable, concealing themselves within the byzantine amount of paperwork generated by a bureaucratic process. Given the clandestine nature of the military intelligence field, the Gang of Four would continue to grow unchecked in both size and scope, acquiring nigh-limitless influence in Congress, the Pentagon, and various military circles.

The Quiet War (1990-1994)
With the collapse of the Communist Soviet Union in 1989 marking an end to the decades-long Cold War, a rift began to develop between the United States and Europe, which had formed a multi-national coalition known as the European Economic Community. The EEC's growing economic and political capability was poised to overtake that of its American allies, and started exhibiting distaste towards America's "overreaching" foreign policy, further straining diplomatic relations. In 1992, against US wishes, the EEC provided humanitarian and financial aid towards the failing Soviet states. In another show of defiance, the EEC establishes cordial relationships with the USSR, who accepted the new Eurodollar over the US currency, with European nations subsequently withdrawing from NATO as American military aid against a belligerent Soviet Union was now viewed as obsolete.

Faced with an ever-growing Europe threatening American hegemony and concerns towards European developments in space exploration, the Gang of Four engaged in espionage and stock market manipulation in an attempt to undermine the EEC's rapidly expanding influence and to secure US interests. This included directly hacking into both European and Asian stock markets, artificially altering the value of stocks, bonds and currency, and sabotaging military and diplomatic talks between the USSR and the EEC.

First Central American War
During this time, the Gang of Four, attempting to curb the American crack cocaine epidemic, was embroiled in a proxy war with the nations of Central and South America, deciding to obliterate the drug supply chain at its source. To this end, the Gang released an artificial virus which destroyed vast swaths of coca and opium crops and authorized the funding of paramilitary troops to weaken South American drug lords, devastating local economies which were heavily dependent on the income and infrastructure generated by the drug trade.

Consequently, these nations became increasingly destabilized, leading to violent internal conflict and cartel-sponsored insurgencies, with the fighting slowly spilling over into neighboring countries and leading to a full-scale invasion in a conflict that would come to be known as the First Central American War. Although the US attempted to provide military support to assist South American governments in quelling the violence, the war dragged on for several years, partly due to European aid and materiel being provided to drug cartels, and drawing the ire of the drug lords, who would go on to detonate a small-yield nuclear weapon in the heart of New York City in 1993.

Crash Of 1994
While the Central American Conflict continued, the EEC became aware of US interference in global stock markets and diplomatic affairs and retaliated by simply leaking the information to global news outlets. With the alleged security of the exchange compromised, the markets quickly collapsed leading to the Crash of '94, further exacerbated by embargoes imposed on American trade by nearly every developed nation. Federal bonds were being sold at such an alacritous pace that the federal government had to print money to be able to buy them, rapidly devaluing the American dollar and causing massive inflation. Widespread unemployment and civil unrest soon followed, leading to prolific violence and extreme poverty.

The Collapse (1992-2004)
As the US economy spiraled out of control, Congress suspected an outside force responsible for the meddling in European affairs and the resulting chaos. This suspicion was further compounded by the assassination of both President James Richard Allen and Vice President Harold Harrison Hunt on August 17th, 1996. This led to an emergency session being convened, where Secretary of Defense Jonathan Seward assumed the mantle of President, since the Speaker of the House was undergoing a surgical procedure and the Pro Tempore of the Senate was unwilling to take the Presidency. Seward quickly declared martial law and suspended the Constitution, citing efforts to control the unrest. Gang of Four-sponsored coalitions in the Senate began to form but were quickly stricken out by the newly-formed administration, and attempts were made by the diplomatic corps to lift trade embargoes, but these would not succeed until 1998.

Millitary Cooperative Intelligence
After the declaration of Martial Law in 1996, several theoretical mathematicians in the military intelligence community began to note a number of aberrant activities and incongruities in the way that the various government agencies were operating in tandem. A glaring discrepancy was the large number of "black ops" being carried out with no government oversight whatsoever. For example, in April of that year, a woman named Alexia Valenze was assassinated for unknown reasons by operatives of the NSA and CIA. The woman was a simple showgirl working for a Las Vegas editorial and allegedly had little to no political affiliations, yet her death was carried out with the care and detail of a high-level political assassination, with costs totaling several thousands of dollars. In the end, the order for her death was traced to an empty office in the State Department. To this day, the motive for her death, and the man or woman who gave the order, remains a mystery.

Suspecting the presence of a cabal in the intelligence community, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff formed the MIC, or Military Intelligence Cooperative, to deal with the vast amount of duplication in the nine intelligence agencies of the United States Military and uncover possible interference in governmental affairs. The MIC was run by long standing Military Intelligence operatives, and despite the cries of the NSA and CIA, the MIC remained its own department, with a high degree of separation maintained between itself and other agencies to prevent outside manipulation of its findings.

Taking this as a discovery of their true motives, the Gang of Four took several putative steps to sabotage the MIC. At first the MIC thought it was under attack from just the NSA. Since the NSA was also attached to the Department of Defense, it was believed that a natural rivalry would exist. But soon tensions arose from the CIA, FBI, & DEA.

The Mideast Meltdown
By 1997, the NSA withheld massive amounts of satellite information obtained from American military and Israeli sources during the "Mideast Meltdown", a limited nuclear exchange between Iran and Iraq. it was obvious that something was amiss - the NSA had over three hundred operatives in the Middle East, yet suddenly none could be accounted for. The agency, possessing intelligence that a nuclear skirmish between the two countries was imminent, had every single operative extracted in secrecy, obfuscating satellite images from the MIC to avoid rousing suspicion. By the time the information was received, the old Russian missile carriers were already in position and it was too late.

The US lost critical assets in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Pleading that they'd needed to pull out their agents undetected, the NSA claimed that any action by the military would have set off the exchange before any operatives got out. The nuclear exchange razed most of the Arabian peninsula, devastating the world's oil supply and crippling the United States, which was still heavily reliant on fossil fuels. It was too much. Later that year, the MIC, under the direction of President Seward, opened personnel files in the Department of Defense and began inquiries.

Shortly after, the MIC discovered alarming evidence that pointed to the NSA, CIA, FBI and DEA having conspired as an independent force for an extended period of time, and immediately recommended the dissolution of the latter two, which was carried out by the government. With the advent of the Wasting Plague, Seward was assassinated while touring the country by an "irate Nomad", who in reality was an operative in the NSA's employ. General William Newell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, soon took his place, but became involved in a Second Central American War instigated by CIA-backed paramilitary troops. Tasked with containing rioting and looting, and enmired in yet another conflict in the jungles of South America, the military was spread too thin to effectively root out the remaining CIA and NSA, the latter of which would continue to subvert the US government well into 2004.

The End (2004-2008)
The acting President Newell, a former Green Beret, used his connections to contact the Special Operations Command, a sub-division of the US armed forces and a core componant of the CIA, promising full immunity in return for testimony on the inner dealing of the agencies. The federal government discovered from these testimonies that the inner circle of the NSA was behind the Gang of Four and responsible for the assassination of circa 13 high-level officials, including the late President Seward. Following this discovery, the CIA was restructured, reformed and reincorporated into the new government.

The NSA was then purged with military force in March of 2004, and a return to civil governance was planned, the administration having mistakenly believed that the conspiracy had been rooted out. However, World News Service star Tesla Johanneson was killed by NSA operatives in Cairo, showing that the agency was still operational and capable to some degree, and another four years of covert fighting in theatres around the world would be necessary to put an end to the Gang of Four.

The last remnants of the NSA were found to be in hiding in Washington D.C., and were crushed with an overwhelming military response, ending the long legacy of the Gang of Four. The members comprising the inner circle of the NSA, however, were never found, and were speculated to have fled to various corporations to escape capture. The first free elections after the lifting of martial law were held on November 7, 2008, but the damage from the years of in-fighting and unrest left the United States of America in shambles, several states having seceded and the total death toll numbering in the hundreds of millions.

1990's
Biotechnica started as a small corporation based out of Rome, Italy. However, in 1991, amidst an energy crisis, Biotechnica developed a substitute for fossil fuel that would end up being called CHOOH2, changing the world forever. They weren't a big corporation and weren't able to keep up with the supply and demand the world would need. As a result, they sold the exclusive license for the production and distribution of the product to Petrochem. CHOOH2 became the standard fuel around the world. Capitalizing on its success, the board of directors sold the license to 14 other manufacturers around the world, However, Petrochem was still responsible for 60% of the world's supply with the largest amount of soil to grow the yeast needed for production.

Biotechnica's products raised their capital by a huge margin and gave them the status of a megacorporation. Biotechnica started making deals with Arasaka, and settled on a mutual beneficial agreement, providing troops in exchange for exclusive biological weapons.

2000's
Their second discovery was kept secret due to it being illegal in the majority of countries. In 2004, Francis Young was successful in human cloning experiments, however it wasn't until 16 years later in 2020 that he succeeded in producing the first self-aware fully functional human clone by implanting a construct personality. Initially, this development was artificial, but soon enough they began experimenting to insert natural digitized personalities in clones using something similar in tech to the Soulkiller. The main R&D cloning facility of Biotechnica located in Night City had a staff of about 200 scientists and security.

The biggest goal for Biotechnica was to bring back the flora and the fauna that changed significantly in the 1990s due to climate changes. They hold facilities worldwide specializing in this field, slowly trying to rebuild the environment. In the 2020s they created a natural park in Night City known as Lake Park. They also cloned animals in an attempt to preserve them and sell to people for a high profit margin.

2022
The Fourth Corporate War saw Biotechnica remain as neutral as it possibly could, allowing them to get through the war without many problems. They supplied Militech and Arasaka with weapons and other biological equipment. However due to their previous deals with Arasaka and their continued protection support from the company, Arasaka got many exclusive devices behind the scenes.

2077
In the 2070s, Biotechnica has been working towards rebuilding the environment, including restoration of forests and bioengineering previously extinct animal species across the world. The corporation has also participated in researching various vaccines and future medicine products as the effects of climate change take its toll on humans.

On the South side of the Badlands of Night City, Biotechnica has many protein farms that has made the landscape more livable than the rest. These immense, tent-like structures on the outskirts are but a few of the many farms Biotechnica manages worldwide, producing synthetic protein derivatives on a massive scale. The Biotechnica protein farms are also the base product for much of Night City's food source.

Biotechnica offers its employees up to six paid vacation days a year. In 2077, the corporation is considered the third biggest and best place to work for in Night City.

In 2077, Saul Bright, leader of an Aldecaldos clan outside of Night City, was negotiating with Biotechnica to have his clan work for them in exchange for reverse transpiration xerophytes, i.e., equipment to help his clan grow crops in the Badlands and thereby be more self-sufficient.Although Saul sought to enter his clan into a more permanent working relationship with Biotechnica in order to provide his people with a steady income, this notion was very unpopular among his followers and, thus, never came to fruition.

Despite the company's apparently positive contribution to society, a team of Biotechnica scientist led by Dr. Joanne Koch was responsible for the unscrupolous capture of Nomads of the Red Ocher clan. Using them as test subjects for Project Nightingale resulted in the deaths of at least 70 clan members. To prevent a leak of the affair, Dr. Koch also ordered Biotechnica security to have her colleague Emilia Morton killed, as well as Media Manuel Mendoza, who started investigating the project

1990's
The Aldecaldo family was the first true nomad family to form, beginning as casualties of the city. Before the Collapse, Los Angeles was arguably one of the greatest cities in the world. It was also, in some areas, one of the worst. In the 1980s and 1990s, parts of Los Angeles devolved into a war zone, as did so many of America's inner cities. There was rampant drug dealing, prostitution, gang activity, theft, arson, and all species of violence. The only thing missing was hope.

Los Angeles was not just where they made movies, it was also what they made movies about. The movies were about cops and gangs, the rich and famous, and the city that made the movies. They still have not made a film about Juan Aldecaldo and with everything that has happened, they never will. Juan's story begins before that, before the quake took so much of LA into the sea.

Juan started life as a migrant. He had a stable home life, and received a decent education in the California school system. He went to college, the first of his family to do so, and received a engineering degree. From there, he entered the defense industry and tried to raise his family as best he could.

The defense industry took numerous hits in the two decades before the Collapse. A lack of war and a lack of budget forced much of the industry to down-size, putting Juan out of work. Much of the extended Aldecaldo family depended on Juan, and he did what he could to help them; taking a job in a grocery to ward off collectors, selling his home to buy enough food. In spite of his efforts, the family spiraled downward into cheaper neighborhoods, again and again, until they were living in the city's worst slum. He implored his son and his daughter to remain in school and escape their bleak future. His daughter, Maria, was killed in a car accident the day before her seventeenth birthday. His son Ramon, greatly distressed by his sister's death, eventually dropped out of school. He started seeing a Filipino girl who was a member of the Red Dogs gang, and eventually he became a member as well. Ramon was shot to death in a so-called robbery/homicide on his nineteenth birthday. His father was only a few blocks away when it happened. The police and of course the ever-present media were at the scene. No one knows what the newsmen said to Juan Aldecaldo, but his reply was replayed on television screens all across America.

"There is no place for you here! I want to see the surveillance camera tapes! Do you even have the sense to look? What are you people, jackals and vultures who make your living off of the poor victims of this country? My son was a good boy - you tell your audience that. He was a good boy with a good family in hard times. If we had been able to send him to school he would have been a great man, not like you and your cameras, a good man. All he wanted was for his mother not to be threatened. For his family to have a nice house. Who of you has such lofty goals? You are as bad as the police. They come here and fill out their reports. They say they will do 'all they can' to find the killers of my son and they lie!"

2000's
In 2002, the Padre died of a heart attack in his sleep. Juan struggled on alone, leading the family as best he could, and the Aldecaldos continued to prosper and grow under his guidance. He began seeking a successor as he grew older, though none would be found for a long time. Elders argued for an election, but Juan wanted no part of politics; he knew any type of internal competition would eventually ruin the family. Just before the Mexico City re-development contract was signed, Juan Aldecaldo suffered a heart attack, and though it set him back personally, he pushed the family forward.

The years in Mexico City were good for the Clan. Juan's health improved, and the family had time to consolidate and re-equip themselves. Though grisly in the beginning, Mexico City proved to be very lucrative as well. When the walkers came across Mexico, they received help from the Aldecaldos, and assistance moving on to other nomad families if they wanted it. The Government was not happy with the Aldecaldos' actions, and they tried to prevent the clan from coming back over the border. There were too many nomads, though, and not enough border guards.

When the Aldecaldo Clan returned to the US in 2015, they brought a few extras with them. They brought the body of Juan Aldecaldo, to be buried near his wife and children in Los Angeles. They brought a new group of nomads, fresh from the Long Walk, and bitter about the way they had been treated. They also brought back America's favorite rockerboy, Johnny Silverhand, who had been hiding with them for most of two years. Their most telling change, however, was a new leader: a man named Santiago. Born in Los Angeles, raised in the Clan, and tempered by dealings with the Long Walk, the charismatic Santiago was appointed leader at Juan's deathbed. For many years he was simply Santiago, but now he was Santiago Aldecaldo

2077
Around 2077, Saul Bright led an Aldecaldo pack[5] to the Badlands of Night City in order to find new work for them, differing from the smuggling traditions which the other Aldecaldos around the NUSA were still doing. In 2077, Saul was negotiating with Biotechnica to have his Aldecaldos work for them in exchange for reverse transpiration xerophytes, i.e., equipment to help his clan grow crops in the Badlands and thereby be more self-sufficient.[6] He also sought to enter his clan into a more permanent working relationship with Biotechnica in order to provide his people with a steady income. While Saul did this as a desperate move to save the clan, others spoke against it, instead preferring to look for other solutions, even to join Snake Nation as they would still be nomads and not corporate slaves.[7][8] Panam Palmer was one of the most outspoken opponents of Saul's plan and vehemently protested any corporate partnership as it would make them dependent on a ruthless corporation. The disagreement even escalated to a point where Panam would temporarily leave the clan.[9] Being impressed with what Panam kept doing for the sake of the clan, e.g., acquiring a Basilisk tank, Saul eventually realized that she was right and even made her co-leader of his Aldecaldos clan

End Of Communism (1990's)
In the last decade of the old Soviet Union, the reformist Premier Gorbachev let Eastern Europe go in order to weaken the conservative military which was resisting his reforms. He then transformed the Soviet Union into the Soviet Federation, in which all of its members were granted the status of sovereign countries.

His successor, Andrei Gorborev, continued with the reforms but had to confront the growing problem of secessionist movements within the sovereign republics. He then created the new Union of Sovereign Soviet Republics, a free trade zone that united the sovereign republics which was similar to the European Community except that it also had its own army and foreign policy.

Rise Of SovOil (2000's)
KGB remnants and Communist hard-liners attempted a coup which was quickly crushed due to the rebels having overstretched themselves, but it was done at great cost in both men and material. SovOil requested the authorization to establish its own security force, arguing that the Soviet Army did not have the resources to defend all of its facilities.

The state gave SovOil the authorization requested. This backfired spectacularly on Moscow, as it led to the Soviet Corporate Rebellion of 2002, in which SovOil declared itself an independent entity. The state took military action to prevent this but its forces were outmatched by the better equipped and motivated SovOil troops. The state was forced to admit defeat and accept the independence of SovOil.

SovOil became the most powerful faction within the Neo-Soviet Union. New secessionist movements then threatened to break up the various sovereign republics but via covert action and diplomacy, SovOil prevented this from happening. SovOil had a vested interest in keeping the USSR intact and stable, and therefore uses its political power, troops, and resources to make it so.

In 2006, SovOil begun to produce CHOOH2 under license from Biotechnica, which it marketed throughout Europe. The last-minute cancellation of a deal with Petrochem, where SovOil would have received updated drilling, pumping, and CHOOH2 technology in exchange for granting partial drilling rights in untapped Siberian oilfields. led to the permanent rift between the megacorporations.

The animosity became hostility, which erupted into violence and escalated into the Second Corporate War, a conflict into which numerous smaller corporations were dragged

2010's
The war between SovOil and Petrochem ended in mid-2010. In the years that followed, the political importance of SovOil leadership for the USSR is proven by the role that its Chairperson, Arkady Cherminino, had in resolving a conflict between Latvia and Lithuania during 2016. The megacorporation showed that it had become the major unifying force in the Union. It had greater resources than any single Republic and, even, the Central Committee.

By the end of the decade, SovOil became the seventh-largest corporation in the world, in terms of value, and continued to sail on the way up, becoming one of the major powers in the world. By leveraging its political power in the Union, where it could draw on the resources of the Republics and the Central Committee as tools when necessary, the megacorporation also maintained Neo-Soviet influence relevant throughout the world

Fourth Corporate War (2021-2023)
Within the USSR, mostly Russia, the nation had little in the way of Arasaka and Militech assets within their borders. The Russian governments had never been on good terms with USA or Japanese militaries. Russia was an acting neutral country, selling weapons, ammo, and equipment to anyone. The Neo-Soviet Rocket Corps was doing much the same, selling cheap rocket lifters for small satellites at rates that undercut the ESA's African Earth-to-orbit railgun cargo lifters, as corporations scrambled to plant more satellites in LEO.

2030's-2040's
Despite the massive reforms of the 1990s and growth of SovOil during the 2020s, Neo-Soviet Republics were still weakened by their antiquated technology. In 2045, the USSR couldn't fully feed its hungry population. A new generation of highly aggressive oligarchs rose as the failure of the economic and social reforms became evident, Unlike the Novosovetskaya partiya (NSP) predecessors who were content to simply siphon off the remaining assets of the State, the Neo-Soviet oligarchs were more akin to the megacorporations of the roaring 2020s: hungry for power, and willing to do anything to accomplish it.

Old powers such as SovOil were preparing for the next step in their evolution, aware that oil would stop being a prime source of revenue. The megacorporation diversified into more services and goods, moving into new areas like general agriculture, CHOOH2 power systems, aircrafts, computers, and synthetics. New players also emerged, such as Zhirafa Technical Manufacturing, which brought the GRAF3 construction drone to the market in 2039. For the first time in decades, Neo-Soviet technology is considerable reliable and inexpensive enough to be purchased in bulk by local governments, and with trust by small communities, worldwide. Within barely a handful of years, many governments and Corporations across the world had come to rely on the Neocorporation's line of aerial and terrestrial combat drones for use by their security and law enforcement

2077
In 2077, the USSR was a nation of irregular contrasts. Many citizens were guaranteed free public health care and access to the latest medical technology, complete with modern aerodynes, and new cities were being built to house and employ the USSR's increasingly sedentary nomad population. However, basic resources remained scarce and pollution was a significant problem. The government created an AI named Geroi with the sole purpose of calculating solutions to these issues.

Bioengineers celebrated the first successful cloning of a cave lion. Scientists from Yakutsk, Tokyo, and Seoul used genetic material from the remains of an ancient female lion discovered in a bog near Kolyma river in Northern Siberia.

The Soviet Union and China during this time, competed to secure a major arms deal with Arasaka that would put the losing country at a severe military disadvantage. The Secretary General of the Soviet Union hired Mikhail Akulov to personally spearhead negotiations with Arasaka on his behalf. The fixer brought Shelma to monitor Chinese activity on the local Net, conceal his purpose in Night City, and check the status of China's talks with Arasaka

The original Jode family came from Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. They were not driven out by economic crisis, but by ecological crisis: as the agricultural lands died, the people who worked them began to die as well. In 1998, the great sandstorms obviated the possibility of anyone farming for quite a while, and those that had the strength began heading west towards California for no other reason than it seemed easier than going east through the more densely- populated areas of Collapse America. This mass of farming peoples (not yet organized in any fashion) drifted into Colorado and there, finding a place where they could rest, settled for a few months.

Life was harsh during this period for the people who would become the Jodes. They wanted nothing more than to rest a while, gather some food, and spend the coming autumn in relative peace. There was enough food to be gathered (if one knew where to look), and the families had to prepare for the crossing of the Rocky Mountains. The locals, however, were not pleased with the influx of hungry strangers. One evening, a few hundred locals mounted a raid to scatter these new refugees.

The farmers and townies that made up the travelers were no different from the farmers and townies who were coming to kill them. They were private people who kept to themselves and wanted no trouble, but they were also prepared if trouble came. Most of these families had basic hunting or protective arms of some sort, and since each understood that other people in America were in as bad a shape as they were, most groups of families had posted sentries. When the attackers struck in the night, they did not have the easy victory they had hoped for; the poorly planned raid fell apart rapidly, and the evening degenerated into a series of disjointed fire fights across the Colorado countryside. Nevertheless, surprise and concentration of firepower worked to the advantage of the raiders, and they withdrew without many casualties.

This unwarranted attack enraged the travelers, for over four hundred of their people were killed during the night The next day, Malachi, a man of God (or so it is told), came up with the idea that each family should send a representative to council. The representative should not be the most capable member of the family, whom he said should stay on watch in case the attackers returned, but someone trusted by all. That morning, one hundred and twenty refugees sat in council. Malachi, by virtue of having had the idea, chaired the meeting. All of them were tired, he said. They still had a long way to go to get to California, and yet what would they do once they arrived? He had heard of people who had lost their homes and livelihoods, as they had, forming a coalition to do jobs for the government-salvage work, irrigation projects, things many of them had done at home. He talked about defending themselves, protecting their children, and the hard winter to come. Malachi asked the representative to speak their minds on the issues at hand. Each, being men and women of few words, spoke succinctly. After about four hours it was clear that everyone present was in accord.

All wanted protection for their families, revenge on their attackers, and the freedom to leave this potential coalition when they felt the time was right Malachi replied that all their fears and wants were well-founded, and that they could meet these adversities together by signing a partnership. Great ideas should always be put to paper, he said; the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution were written down for all to see. No one is sure who wrote the original version of the Compact; its origin is fast becoming a matter of folklore and legend. The wording is generally attributed to Malachi Jode, but he denies it But the agreement they signed the next day was simple, and was the basis and inspiration for the current Nomad Code

Protect your family first, then protect the Clan.
Steal nothing from the others in the Clan.
Hoard nothing that could benefit others in the Clan.
town to repay the locals for their malicious attack, despite Malachi's objections to revenge. They did not plot an overt slaughter, as had been attempted on them. Rather, they planned to steal from the town their livelihood, leaving them without the resources to live through the winter. It did not go that way.

The town was a farming community of about two thousand. During the night, the nomads crept in and ransacked all the farms, stores, and homes they could reach. Several of the nomads got out of hand and killed for spite or vengeance, some raped and burned, and some kidnapped young men or women as was their taste. Of course, alert townsfolk fired on the nomads. After a few hours, events degenerated into total chaos. By morning, the nomads had killed a third of the populace, kidnapped many others, and looted everything of value from the town.

Malachi was furious, as were many of the other nomads. They realized that whatever law still existed would be looking for them soon, perhaps with the remnants of the National Guard. They did all they could considering the circumstances: they ran.

A week later, the Earthquake of '98 stripped Los Angeles of its status as a land of milk and honey. Initially, this distressed the nomads, but the more level-headed among them realized there might be work for them there, so they camped in a remote area and sent emissaries to speak with the authorities. As it turned out, the Jodes beat out two more experienced groups for the Los Angeles rebuilding contract, at that time the most lucrative deal that nomads had landed. In order to maintain good relations, the Jodes took the lion's share of the work, but let the more experienced Aldecaldo clan supervise the project and recruit additional labor as needed.

The Jodes worked hard and prospered in LA. After that contract ended, they moved into the Northwest, tilling burnt-out forest into fields. Some stayed in California working other construction jobs, and some joined their nomad brethren on the TransCon Maglev. In every field of endeavor, the Jodes have continued to prosper.

Despite this, the clan was shunned for a time by the rest of the nomads. Their roots were very different from most early nomads, and their ready acceptance of strangers made them suspect Many of the other clans felt the Jodes would become another gang, and make life more difficult for the rest of them. All of these fears turned out to be unfounded, but it took years For the Jodes to prove it to the rest of the nomads.

The name Yode" was not something that was adopted by the clan themselves, it was a reference to the Okies in the Steinbeck classic, The Gropes Of Wrath. First used in a CNN news-blurb in early 1998, the term was a general reference to the dispossessed of the dust bowls of that year, but with the clan's high profile in the rebuilding of LA, the name soon became synonymous with that particular group of nomads. After a while, some members co-opted the name for signing legal documents. The first was Malachi, who signed the name "Jode" on the contract with the City of Los Angeles. There are still debates whether his doing so was a prescient move or a tongue-in-cheek social statement.

Unlike other nomad groups, the Jodes have worked actively to reject the culture of the statics, and are very uncomfortable in what they perceive as "static" situations. Jode encampments are never found within the limits of a city. Many former superstitions have gained religious importance with the clan: the ghosts of the cw, the spirits of the open road, the zeitgeist, fear of imprisonment, and many more beliefs now shape their world view

The Bloods
As a side effect of the Collapse, the city of Miami completed its slide into a total war zone. Miami had been the center of the North American drug trade for almost twenty years, and in the years before the Collapse, it had also been subjected to massive immigration, both legal and illegal, from Cuba and Haiti. The flow of illegal refugees increased alarmingly as South and Central America heated up, and Miami swelled to bursting. A great many of these immigrants were connected with the various criminal organizations of their home countries before coming to America. Without those connections, most wouldn't have been able to leave the war zone.

Naturally, these organizations were dominated by the various drug cartels. After the bioplague destroyed the drug crops in 1992, their authority faded away to nothing. One by one, the drug-producing areas of South America were destroyed. With no commercial crop to provide cheap raw materials, and no end to the drought in sight, these criminal elements began to feed off each other in a desperate attempt to monopolize the synthetic drug industry. In the beginning, violence increased nation-wide as the drug cartels beat themselves to death. But while the shooting eventually stopped in most places, it only got worse in Miami, until eventually the city was in flames. Unable to stop the warfare, the government cordoned off the area and let the combatants exhaust themselves. It was not a question of refusing to save innocent lives; most of the honest (and moneyed) people had fled Miami at the beginning of the troubles. The city had already been destroyed, and the gangs had vowed never to give up their turf.

By early 1996, the war was over; Miami was as bad a city as Beirut, a wasteland of half-demolished buildings and bullet-riddled car wrecks. Above this splendid kingdom stood the Bloods-just in time for the worst of the Collapse.

The original Bloods were a criminal organization with chapters across the United States, though they probably originated in the wastelands of South Central Los Angeles. The Bloods who emerged from the ruins of Miami, however, were of a different mold. Haitian and other Caribbean immigrants to Miami had brought with them both Santeria and Voodoo. The Bloods were now a mishmash of Caribbean, African-American, and Cuban/South American cultures - they were battle-hardened survivors and they had a faith. The leadership of these new Bloods also became matriarchal, with Houngans who had become advisors to the different gang leaders, rebuilding them for the ground up, and separating the most violent members into dispersed groups. The Bloods would find their leaders in religious women like Nelly Sin, Mary Panacea, and Tina Blood-Johnson.

The Bloods today are so far removed from their gangland roots that they do not even resemble the pre-Collapse Bloods. When the Collapse hit Florida, it was just another in a string of disasters; the state had been rocked by civil unrest, hurricanes, and industrial accidents in the decade previous. What set the Collapse apart was that help never came, things never got better, and more people died, until there was almost nothing left except the Mouse, the Everglades, and the Circus.

The Mouse was the Walt Disney Corporation. Disney had spent years and billions investing in the Florida economy. They had built roads and infrastructure, most of the Orlando area economy relied on them, and they even had their own city, Buena Vista. As the Collapse descended on the Sunshine State, they prepared for the worst. Disney was a large and powerful corporation, controlling other large and powerful corporations, so they had contingency plans for almost every eventuality. As the situation worsened, The Mouse dug in and waited. It was the declaration of Martial Law in 1996 that finally forced the parks temporary closure, a closure that would last five years. During that time, The Mouse's reserves drained away. The Disney Corporation filed for re-organizational bankruptcy in 1998. Sometime in 1999, the Bloods moved from the ruins of Miami to a derelict Walt Disney World, and there they found their calling.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus has long been known as "The Greatest Show On Earth." Once headquartered south of Tampa Bay, the circus was sold to Disney just before the Crash of 1994. When the Collapse made it too expensive (and too dangerous) to continue touring, the Circus moved to safer, permanent facilities at Buena Vista. As the parks closed, many of the employees' and shareholders' families were allowed to move onto the grounds to keep them safe and loyal. When the Bloods took over in 1999, the families who remained were allowed, and in fact welcomed, to stay. The combination of the Disney employees, the Circus, and the Bloods created the greatest traveling entertainments of the new millennium. In the year 2000, the Bloods left on their first National Tour. At one time, over ten thousand people traveled with each of the four caravans, although now that number has been reduced to about five thousand per show. Smaller entertainments also struck out on their own, some relying on high-tech and low-tech "sensory experiences." The Bloods entertained not only statics, but other nomad groups as well; two of their longest and most profitable early stops were for those employed in the reconstructions of Los Angeles and Mexico City. They are also one of the few nomad groups to be allowed access to the Canadian market with its lucrative hard-currency corporate clientele. In the beginning, they relied as much as possible on the country's shattered rail system for travel. The circus had done so for many years, but it soon became evident that the rails no longer met their needs. Eventually they used the facilities at Disney World to construct huge trucks and air- ships to transport themselves across the Americas.

In 2008, as civilian control was reasserted in America, the Bloods were forced out of the Disney Complex. The Lazarus Group was hired to reclaim the Complex by interests owned in part by the Disney Corporation. As the troops massed on the western end of the area, the leaders of the Bloods hurriedly met to decide their action. The key point of the meeting was the brief speech by Malcolm Kent-Smith. He wept openly as he said, "There will be great death and suffering here if we choose to stay. Doubtless there will also be reprisals on our traveling elements, which are our best hope for survival. I believe we must take to the road, but should we choose to defend here, I wish to lead the first counterattack. My first loyalty will always be to the extended family of the Bloods, but I cannot bear to live if I must see us destroyed." These words sent the Bloods into a pure nomadic existence; they simply took whatever they felt was valuable, and left. (Lazarus' employers accused the mercenaries of avoiding a fight and letting the Bloods get away with the spoils. Lazarus spokesmen maintain that a protracted war through the massive underground systems integral to Disney World, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and the various resorts would have resulted in far more collateral damage than the losses incurred by Blood theft.)

The Bloods were not bitter or vindictive (with the exception of a few ex-Disney elements), because the Dixie region was not getting any better as a place to live. Services or infrastructure were failing without the support of the Disney Corporation, and they knew that even if they wanted to, they could not hold against a true military force.

The home-clan Bloods then returned to Miami, where they began construction of the Atlantis complex in cooperation with elements of the Aldecaldo Clan. They also sent large groups to travel abroad. They now control the largest traveling entertainments in the world, and have never looked back. Though they are the second youngest of the nomad groups - not becoming fully mobile until 2008 - they are doubtless better equipped than almost any other nation. After all, they had almost a decade of access to a sound base of operations and manufacture. Unfortunately, none of this would make the coming decade much easier. As the Bloods' first male leader in a generation, when Malcolm Kent-Smith succeeded Tina Blood-Johnson, he had a lot to live up to. There were increasing pressures from both the government and the economy that could result in the destruction of the Bloods, Malcolm himself, and the entire nomad community. Even the clan shamans said that the way ahead was cloudy and fraught with disaster

1997-2020
Founded initially in 1996 by Italian weapons designer Antonio Luccessi as Armatech-Luccessi International, Militech, as it's known today, began its journey with the 1998 trials for a new standardized US Infantry assault weapon.

Despite continued bankruptcy and ongoing recovery from the economic collapse of 1994, the US government decided the time had come to replace the M-16A2. The trials ultimately revealed three finalists: the FN SAP, a cheap but clunky and unreliable weapon, considered mainly due to powerful ties between the company Fabrique International and the US government, as well as its ammunition and parts compatibility with other members of the by then defunct NATO alliance; the Colt AR-17X, a good but expensive weapon; and a submission by newcomer Armatech-Luccessi International, a compact, reliable and moderately priced rifle.

USMC General Donald Lundee, a member of the Joint Chiefs overseeing the trials, was quickly sold on the Armatech system, assessing it as being the best combination of price, reliability, sturdiness and accuracy. Unfortunately, due to the collapse of the US economy and near collapse of the government, the national defense budget had not only tightened but also become insidiously coupled with industry influence that had crept into the political infrastructure and, in spite of General Lundee's protests, the contract for the new US Infantry weapon system went to FN.

In 2003, during the Second South American Conflict, US soldiers had been dying in the thousands equipped with unreliable SAP rifles terribly suited for the tropical climate. Lundee had observed this from afar however, having resigned from the Marine Corps shortly after the trials of 1998 to become the CEO of Armatech, at the request of Luccessi. As a former Pentagon chief, he possessed a profound understanding of the modern military-industrial complex, including the extent to which older military contracting corporations had become incredibly bureaucratically top heavy, often touting shoddy and overpriced products that sold through contractual inertia alone.

Lundee saw an opportunity for streamlined and efficient military manufacturing - producing high quality, modern equipment at competitive prices, with the capability to sell technology in the global market regardless of political convention. This pitch, coupled with Luccessi's brilliance in weapons design, allowed Armatech to acquire the capital needed to propel the company into a period of rapid expansion. Armatech's new world prominence and overt visibility came with a new name, Militech Arms International.

The corporation's first major success came in 2004. Given the disaster represented by the Central American Wars, the US finally scrapped the FN SAP and began new trials for a standardized infantry assault weapon. The resulting choice was the Militech Ronin Light Assault Rifle and, shortly afterwards, Militech also won the military side arm contract, directly resulting in sales of these weapons in vast quantities around the globe to nations and corporations alike. At the same time, Militech had begun development of heavy weapon systems, artillery, armored vehicles and aircraft. This greatly expanded catalogue, coupled with the brand's moderate prices and excellent quality, enabled the company to take on several key contracts, winning them over established defense manufacturers that had operated through and beyond the economic collapse.

By the mid 2010s, Militech was the largest defense contractor in several countries, including the U.S, as well as being utilized by a number of corporations, all of which allowed the company to absorb a number of its now failing competitors in order to incorporate their designers and resources.[2]

However despite great success, Militech suffered from internal problems. While Donald Lundee was never doubted leadership or executive abilities, the board of directors did not see him in a favorable light. Lundee was power hungry and did not hide it, he was determined to make Militech the largest force on Earth. During this time Lundee would often put up the corporation and himself against the Japanese conglomerate Arasaka. This rose tensions between the corporations with many that feared a corporate war could break out, these decisions left the various members of the corporation in disagreement. Even Lundee's friend and ally Colonel Emile Lazarus did not favor this choice of direction.

By 2020, an ex-president of Militech Elizabeth Kress became the president of the United States benefiting the corporation. CEO Donald Lundee became paranoid of those who opposed him, while not having complete control of the company many were loyal to him leading to much internal conflict.

Fourth Corporate War - 2023
In 2021, during the escalation of conflict between rival aquacorps CINO and OTEC, Militech's defense forces were contracted as supplementary support for OTEC's security forces, as well as to provide advisors, weapons and supplies.[3] Initially, Militech's ambitions in this conflict were not to directly engage in combat with Arasaka, but to advertise and demonstrate the efficacy of their defense services in the world market. However to Donald Lundee it was a matter of pride to defeat the Japanese, and Saburo Arasaka. By the end of 2021, both OTEC and CINO were engaged in naval warfare, both above and below the surface, as Arasaka and Militech moved into position and conducted early covert operations.

Lundee considered Militech to be at war, and being a soldier for much of his life, could only view Militech's victory as Arasaka's utter defeat.[3] The "Ocean War" between CINO and OTEC officially ended in February of 2022 with a peace accord signed on the 27th of that month. Only 7 days later on March 6th, Arasaka conducted a live trial of the newly completed Soulkiller 2.5, capturing the engram of a Militech executive, the interrogation of whom led to an Arasaka strike on Militech's Night City offices.

During the fall of 2022, following worldwide conflict and warring overspill from the corporate conflict, governments began reigning in the two megacorporations. Southern California and Texas in the U.S consequently opted to nationalize Arasaka and Militech facilities, with the EEC threatening to follow suit if tensions failed to diminish.[3] Shortly after, the war reached a turning point when Arasaka forces invaded a Militech showroom in Italy, causing the EEC to make good on their promise, seizing assets owned by both corporations throughout Europe. Japan followed the EEC, nationalizing Arasaka assets within its borders and its surrounding territories.

On August 20th, 2023, a Militech strike team, including infamous characters Johnny Silverhand, Rogue, Spider Murphy, and Shaitan, entered the Arasaka Towers from its rooftop and deployed a small nuclear weapon within Saburo's office. The violent blast resulted in the complete destruction of the tower, with ejected debris precipitating widespread destruction to the surrounding city. 12,000 people were killed within Corporate Center, with half a million people dying as a direct result of the weapon's detonation, with a further quarter million dying in the hours and days after.

The New United States, led by President Elizabeth Kress declared martial law in the parts of the country still under their control. She blamed Arasaka for the mini nuke detonated in Night City, but rumors persisted that Militech had funded the strike team and supplied them with the portable nuclear device. Kress despite the public demands to hold Militech responsible, never addressed the concerns. Instead she nationalized Militech, and used them to strengthen their federal rule. Some of the most prominent and exonerated Militech officials were offered lucrative positions in the re-formed NUS Department of Defense. This didn't go over well with Militech's hotheaded and proud CEO, Donald Lundee.

2024-2045
The New United States, led by President Elizabeth Kress declared martial law in the parts of the country still under their control. She blamed Arasaka for the mini nuke detonated in Night City, but rumors persisted that Militech had funded the strike team and supplied them with the portable nuclear device. Kress despite the public demands to hold Militech responsible, never addressed the concerns. Instead she nationalized Militech, and used them to strengthen their federal rule. Some of the most prominent and exonerated Militech officials were offered lucrative positions in the re-formed NUS Department of Defense. This didn't go over well with Militech's hotheaded and proud CEO, Donald Lundee.

Even as the Megacorp labored under control from Washington, D.C. as a nationalized Corporate asset, Militech secretly was rebuilding back to its former role as a combination of arms manufacturer and mercenary army. Despite heavy wartime losses, Militech remained one of world's largest producer and seller of all manner of military weapons. As well as a major military supplier to what was the re-uniting New United States, as well as being it's largest customer. Donald Lundee remained in power and one of the most influential people on the Board of Directors. However he didn't own enough stock to control the Corporation, his force of personality, allies, and success record had kept him on top despite internal struggles.

Over the years, Lundee set himself and Militech up against Arasaka so often and for so long that he became personally involved, making it a matter of pride to defeat the Japanese and their attempt to take over the global arms market, for he had also made it his goal to do so. Due to his arrogance and aggressive demeanor, Lundee had made more enemies than friends.[4] That very same temper and arrogance that resulted in a dogged determination to see the war through to the bitter end, only brought to heel by President Kress' reactivation of his commission, and her command to cease hostilities.

2077
In 2077, Militech still maintained the title of one of the largest manufacturers of weapons and military vehicles in the world. They've worked closely with American military and police agencies for decades, providing high-grade weaponry and training. After nationalization of Militech, the NUSA used its assets to strengthen the collapsing power of the country. The corporation had since regained some of its independence, and several of its board members still held high-ranking offices in the Ministry of Defense. Due to the efforts of ex-Militech employees, the NUSA was responsible for over 60% of the corporation's contracts.

During this time Militech produced and released the Corporate Wars: The Musical movie which saw mixed reviews with many praising the film for its story and musical numbers. Others criticized movie for its melodramatic plot and propaganda.

In Night City, Militech was also considered the second biggest and best corporation to work for, in part due to giving its employees up to 50% discounts on all Militech weapons.

President Rosalind Myers announced that she'd be seeking another term as president, though many protested her running again. She was the previous CEO of the Militech Corporation, and with many members of the board being higher ups in the Pentagon, the NUSA and Militech interests and assets were largely one and the same. Many people wished to oppose Militech's control over the NUSA. Washington, D.C. serves as Militech's largest consumer, and should the capital ever run out of money, the corporation would risk losing everything. Militech announced plans to construct a new colony on Mars, and began selling residential modules

2000-2008
The band was originally founded by Johnny Silverhand and Kerry Eurodyne,[2] though the group's name was coined by Nancy Hartley, inspired by fact that historical samurai were willing to die for their cause, even if it was immoral or just plain wrong. Nancy thought that kind of blind loyalty was very stupid, and so she decided to take the name and turn it around into a "street" meaning as a form of mockery. Johnny and Kerry simply thought it sounded cool.[3]

Samurai started as a back-street band, playing in various bars and clubs around Night City, such as the Palladium, Destiny, or Nexus.[4] Their first gig ever was played at the Red Dirt bar.[5]

One night in 2003, after playing in the Rainbow Cadenza, the band was approached by a blitzed 'dorpher, who offered to sign them after witnessing their impressive act; this man turned out to be none other than Jack Masters, the head executive at Universal Music at the time. Within three weeks, Samurai was signed, had a record in production, and was preparing to tour every major city in the world. It took only these three weeks for their first single, "Blistering Love," to achieve #1 hit on the EuroCharts, which soon they followed up with the album, being one of the few times a debut album achieved such status in such a short time.[4][6]

During the next years, Samurai toured around the world, playing concerts with an audience of thousands of people, even managing to sell out the whole Wembley Stadium.[4] They released a total of six albums — with three being studio work, and the other three being concerts and jam sessions optioned by Universal.[7]

In early 2007, the band suffered a blow that would later be decisive. Nancy (keyboardist) was dating a guy whom she eventually married. The rest of the band members didn't see it at first, but ten weeks after the ceremony they realized Nancy's husband was mistreating her. One day, she finally got the courage to talk about it with the other members after her husband tried to force her to quit Samurai. For Johnny and Kerry that was the last straw, and that same day they decided to go to their apartment to kick his ass, but by the time they got there it was already too late. Nancy's husband had started to beat her again, and she, deciding she'd had enough, threw him out of the window from their 83rd story apartment. Nancy was arrested, and after the trial she was convicted to seven months of prison. During that timespan, the band firmly supported her.

By 2008, Nancy finally got out of jail, focused on returning with the rest of Samurai. Unfortunately, those seven months of inactivity had put a split in the band that they were not able to heal, eventually realizing they were each going on different creative directions. Soon afterwards, they all went on their separate ways.[4][6]

Henry (bassist) went to work on a human interface prototype, but an accident fried his brain and he had to rebuild his mind. Denny (drummer) joined a band called Mastermind, which went well for her. Nancy decided to change her name to Bes Isis, and went on to become a major media presence on N54 News. Johnny and Kerry went on to have successful solo careers, usually touring together as a double ticket

2020's
Some sources claim Samurai got together for a reunion tour in 2020, while others state the tour and reunion were simply a joke Johnny made up, mentioning that Samurai couldn't even get to play in an arena, despite older sources mentioning they did world-wide tours.

In 2023, Johnny was recording a new song in one of his studios, which would eventually be credited under the name Samurai, but unfortunately he never got to release it as most of its recordings were lost in the Night City Holocaust, the same incident which took away Silverhand. The last gig Johnny and Kerry ever did together was presumably in The Hammer, being the last time both rockerboys saw each other

2030's-2070's
The unreleased song was rediscovered by a group of Edgerunners, one of them being a rockerboy named Lilayah, who was looking for the song after having found a partial record. This eventually led them to get the original studio version. Afterwards the song was released to the public.[11]

During the timespan between the 2030s and the 2070s, and probably due to the loss of the Old Net, much of the band's history was lost and forgotten, as some authors wrote about Samurai as a band that never achieved major success while old reviews said otherwise.[13]

By the 2070s, some of Samurai's songs were still played on a few of Night City's radio stations — of note was Maximum Mike's 107.3 Morro Rock Radio.[14]

In 2077, most of the original band got together to play a last gig in the Red Dirt bar, which almost a century later was still standing.

1990's
Network 54 was born in 1991 as a cable news service similar to the venerable CNN. Known then as CableNews 54, it gave CNN and C-SPAN rough competition, developing a reputation for tough, accurate, hard-hitting journalism. CableNews 54's quality earned it spectacular success, from which it was able to diversify and expand. As a fledgling corporation, CN54 gained control of several smaller cable networks and pioneered the small-scale development of several new broadcasting and production technologies.

The real big break, however, came in 1998 when CN54 bought the ailing NBC from General Electric, hereby expanding its influence from cable to the broadcast airwaves. With this action, CableNews 54 became Network News 54. Under the guidance of a young programming genius named Howard Wong, Net 54 diversified its programming into all varieties of entertainment, becoming the first Mediacorp to exert major control over both the cable and broadcast domains. Although the reputation for outstanding video journalism continued, "News" became an anachronistic word in the title, kept for style only.

This expansion is what really gave Net 54 the resources to compete with dedicated technology corporations in the development of new media tech. Until the NBC buyout, Net 54's tech research and development had been small-scale and largely theoretical. The corporation's broadcast and production facilities had never relied on cutting edge tech as cable and broadcast video had been established long before the corporation's birth. Although such things as first generation HDTV broadcasting and read-write digital video disc production were used, these technologies had been imported from corporations such as Sony, Microtech and Nippon-Gakki. This changed with Net 54's financial maturity. Using profits from the broadcasting, advertising and recording divisions, as well as several other departments, Net 54 financed the creation of a new subsidiary: International Media Technologies (IMT)

2000's
IMT was extremely well bankrolled by its parent, giving it unlimited freedom to pursue any developments showing potential. This investment paid off particularly well for Net 54. Three IMT departments in particular received special attention. One was a think tank, where several prominent research and analysis teams devoted their time to predicting what technological trends and developments were worth pursuing. Another was the technology research department itself, where the actual lab work was done. A third was the special operations department. Industrial espionage and extraction of competitor's researchers and executives played a large part in the development of new media technology. The end result was that Net 54 became the first mediacorp with a really strong in-house technology research and development capability. Other mediacorps were still buying new tech from other corporations, and this made them slow. Although competitors eventually caught on, Net 54's head start established it as the dominant force in mediatech development. It has been on the cutting edge ever since, with most other mediacorps following its lead.

With IMT under full steam by 2001, Net 54 became the vanguard of mediatech development. Those technologies that were developed by other companies were usually commercially implemented on a large scale by Net 54 first. Thus a history of recent developments in electronic media is easily studied and understood through examining the recent progress of Net 54.

The first shake-up created by Net 54, via IMT research, was in the venerable newspaper trade. In 2002, Net 54 turned the way Americans received their daily news upside down. The initial developments affected people who received printed news at home. A program was offered under which individuals subscribed to the Network 54 printed news service. For one low, monthly fee, subscribers gained access to a news database through the phone system (and later the Net) which allowed them to call up text and photographs from any Net 54-owned newspaper on their television or home computer. A hardcopy printed out on demand. The first advantage of the computerized newspaper service was that the news was always current, as it was constantly updated at the company end. In addition, the subscriber could call up video footage pertinent to subjects of interest. Any sections that the subscriber was not interested in could be deleted. In this way, the information content and diversity of a newspaper came with the excitement of a newscast, and without excess garbage.

Shortly thereafter, a small, portable unit was introduced that could hold up to several thousand pages of print and photos in RAM, and project them on a small flatscreen. With a cheap, home attachment, subscribers to the Net 54 printed news service could transfer whatever information they wanted from their home decks and take it with them on their commute. In addition, old-fashioned newspaper ending boxes were replaced with small stations where subscribers could plug in their newsdecks and receive free updates and the text of any paper carried on the service. For a quarter or two, non-subscribers who owned any of a number of deck types and laptop computers could purchase the same information. Our modern digitized newspaper and magazine services are merely refined versions of this process. After the Net came into being, and other companies started getting on the bandwagon, we reached our present system where anyone who owns a standard portable, personal computer deck can copy the news or a magazine by paying the correct amount at an automated newsstand and plugging in their unit. For home subscribers, things have remained much the same, except that many companies now offer services competing with Net 54. As a result, the old-fashioned printed newspaper has faded into oblivion, although for those who prefer to get their facts on newsprint, the automated stands do offer a fax-style output.

In another expansion from its television roots, Net 54 established a foothold in the music industry in 2005 by introducing Soundchips. Popular with interface equipped youngsters of the 2020s, these are small ROM chips available in vending machines, stores, in promotional giveaways and even as gifts in cereal boxes. Commercial ones usually contain from one to three songs and an obligatory advertisement. The chips are cheap because, unlike reflex chipware, they are one-way, and don't interact with the user's brain. They just send out their signal when plugged in, enabling the wearer to experience the music in flawless, 360 degree stereo brilliance.

Soundchips gained popularity with many large mediacorps because, most underground rockerboys couldn't afford the production set up. Digital discs are easy to produce, and the equipment needed to do it isn't very expensive Sound chips were even cheaper to mass produce, but the facilities to do it were still beyond the reach of street rockerboys. Appeals to corporations, who don't like their sponsored bands having to compete with the street 'boys. Although an entire album can't be stored on one chip, Net 54 and other mediacorps will use the chips as saturation advertising. Teenagers buy the singles, or get them free, and hopefully are enticed into shelling out for the entire album.

Other than soundchips, IMT's developments in new music technology have been fairly limited. Net 54 has been party to some refinements in the industry, but development of music recording and playback technology has remained fairly consistent since read-write laser disc and direct digital RAM storage recording (super-sampling) rendered tape obsolete. In bringing music to the public, however, Net 54 has been a leader. Net 54 owns several music oriented subsidiary stations across the nation and around the world, and is a major force in commercial radio. Their only flaw is that they tend to overemphasize material recorded on their own labels, but to them i

2000's Continued
Despite their forays into music recording, print services, and even radio, video technology has always been Net 54's mainstay. They remain first and foremost a broadcast corporation, and that is where the bulk of their development is concentrated. Most modern home reception is fiberoptically carried, negating interference, but portable receivers still require electromagnetic transmission. IMT was responsible for the development and adoption of digital signal transmission. This was the technology that preceded the development of modern radios and televisions which are nowhere near as prone to interference and fade out problems as their progenitors.

Despite the emphasis on traditional broadcast technology such as radio and television, Net 54 did not ignore the possibilities opened up by the development of cybernetics. In addition to soundchips, there are several other media services which involve interfacing. IMT developed the systems which made it possible to use interface plugs as glorified headphones. Many companies now market personal stereo systems which read standard laser disks, but deliver the music in a form of aural simulation, similar to soundchips. You hear it in your head, via your interface plugs. The advantage to this system is that the reproduction is flawless, no one else can hear it, and the listener can still hear what is happening in the world around them. The drawback is that, as with soundchips, users sometimes note that the music has an ethereal or "unreal" quality about it, since there is no corresponding physical stimulation.

Even video can be received over interface these days. Interfaced reception of video is not interactive, and does not affect the users emotions like braindance does, it simply projects a simulated image instead of a real one. Unfortunately, this technology is being largely ignored in the face of the advent of braindance, which carries simulated reality to its ultimate extent. Braindance is, in fact, the one new media technology in which Net 54 did no development. Although Net 54 produces braindance programs as much as any modern mediacorp, it missed its chance to play a part in the development of the technology when it was outmaneuvered by rival media corp DMS.

With 25% of the total broadcasting power of the nation in its pocket, contracts for all of the hottest stars and shows, and the best news department in professional media, it seemed like nothing could threaten the rule of Net 54. Suddenly, trouble in paradise. In 2005, Net 54 programming genius Howard Wong was wooed away by a staggering offer from an upstart mediacorp out of LA. As new CEO, Wong shrewdly annexed a series of key stations, industries, and bureaus from throughout the world and turned the previously inconsequential Diverse Media Systems into Net 54's only real competition.

Threatened for the first time in its history, Net 54 reacted with vehemence. There ensued a furious and frequently destructive race for consolidation of the few remaining independent stations and communications industries. In 2009, in one of the first of the classic corporate extractions, Net 54 kidnapped Howard Wong from DMS' head office. DMS shot down the aircraft escaping with Wong, killing him rather than let him fall back into Net 54's hands. Net 54 maintained that DMS shot the plane down to prevent the repatriation of Wong, but the DMS legal department countered that Net 54 never could have used Wong in a prominent leadership position because he was still legally under contract to DMS, so Net 54 purposefully killed him in a manner intended to cast suspicion on their rival. There followed a series of retribution extractions and assassinations on both sides that nearly exploded into full blown corporate war.

With the passing of time, the rivalry between DMS and Net 54 had shifted from the battlefield to the boardroom. Each company attempting to outdo the other in the development of new technologies, series, stars and in the breaking of major news stories. The competition for acquisition of smaller companies continued unabated. Although the two companies regularly blame incidents and extractions on each other, the bulk of the casualties are on paper.

2045
Network News 54 was a wavelength monopolizer before the Fourth Corporate War, operating on the same frequency across the NUSA. No matter the part of the country, Network News 54 would be on Channel 54, although after the War their reach into the broadcast markets had been severely curtailed. Despite its name, News 54 still offered many diversions in addition to news. Every regional office offered a slightly different schedule to its district, with syndicated series, non-prime-time movies, and independent local news programs. Certain elements of the broadcasting were universal nationwide, such as prime-time series and bi-hourly national and world news shows. Under the control of Michelle Dreyer, widow of the original founder, the actual Corporate offices were located on the vast prairie spread at Fifty Pines Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

2077
In 2077, Network News 54's Night City regional office is located in the Downtown area. NN54 is one of the two main channels seen in the New United States. It has a noticeable pro-Militech bias, as opposed to its rival, WNS, being pro-Arasaka. The local anchor for the N54 News program is Gillean Jordan. Media Bes Isis handles some investigative reporting. The N54 channel also hosts a variety of shows such as Night After Night with Ziggy Q, Chip In, and Attuned In.

The Meta is the youngest and strangest of the Seven Nations: youngest as they were formed during the Long Walk, only nine years ago; and strangest because they are a corporation. Originally, those of the Meta Family were mostly ex-military and support services people in South America. Jonathan Meta was an Army Officer with years of service and an armload of decorations. The war was all but lost, yet the Government refused to stop. Most who fought in the SouthAm were not able to remember Viet Nam-but Jonathan Meta remembered.

Jonathan Meta was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1960. He had a relatively happy childhood until 1969, when the full weight of the anti-war movement came to his home town. In 1970, his uncle (also named Jonathan) died in Viet Nam. The funeral was a sorrowful thing, while outside, demonstrators waved banners calling Jon's uncle a baby-killer and worse. Jon was unable to understand how the protesters could hate his uncle and his family when they did not even know them. Above all, he could not understand how the people could be so cruel when his uncle had received the Congressional Medal Of Honor. He had been honorable and loyal and had saved dozens of people, yet the demonstrators threw tomatoes and rocks at the casket.

From that day, Jon vowed that he, too, would be a soldier. Being the nephew of a Medal of Honor winner opened a lot of doors, and at age fifteen he entered West Point The stigma of the Viet Nam War had not worn off, and it was not a good time to be in the Army, but Jonathan Meta persevered. He graduated well up in his class. Jon's career becomes sketchy around 1984, and what is known is part true and part conjecture. Jonathan Meta's military records, like so much else, were completely destroyed in the the Collapse. Even the hard copies were lost in his case, and this has allowed him a great deal of latitude in later life. After serving as a platoon commander in an armored division and earning a masters' degree in Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M, he disappeared into the bowels of the newly formed RDF (soon to be called Central Command) where his activities are completely unknown. He was seen in various surprising places, and even filmed at some public appearances carrying the "football" for the President. (This key position involves transporting the access codes and transmitter for launching America's nuclear missiles.) At the beginning of the First Central American War, he disappeared again, this time apparently into the jungles of South America with the newly formed Eleventh Special Forces. He is also rumored to have been a member of the Rangers, Delta Force, the PITTMAN Project, the Medellin Drug Cartel, Disney Corporation, and the Dallas Cowboys- most of which is probably untrue.

In 2008, when the civilians "redesigned" the Federal Government, Jonathan Meta did not exist He was not aware of it until the Second SouthAm War ended in 2011. There was much to be done - equipment had to be moved, reassigned, given away- and then there were the people. There were a lot of Americans in the area, and many would not go home with the troops. Jonathan Meta, the one the military still had records of, had died in Vet Nam, so, like almost two million others, Jon was simply denied transportation to the United States. Under normal circumstances, he could have gotten it all straightened out in the end, he being a general and all. Unfortunately, he was the commanding officer of a unit that did not officially exist, in a Special Forces Group that did not officially exist, in a war that did not officially exist.

Some time in late 2011, an angry Meta left the American Command at San Jose, Costa Rica, and with the aid of several hundred men hijacked three C-5B Galaxy aircraft to the Port of Panama. There they met up with several thousand more Americans who had been cast adrift, and, with bluster and clever planning, grabbed anything that could float, including the remains of a carrier battlegroup and three offshore drilling plat- forms off the Panamanian Coast. Later that year, they declared independence as a sovereign nation, and boasted the threat of nuclear weapons to make refusal to recognize them inadvisable. Now, these moves were not as spontaneous as they seem. All of the original board of directors for MetaCorp were angry men who had again fought in a war, only to be shunned by their fellow citizens. The conduct of their fellow officers who had been running America under martial law also sickened them. They refused to be a part of this society unless accepted on equal terms -separate from their corrupt brothers and sisters. However, declaring independence was not on the original gameplan. All they really wanted was a way home (which the ships finally provided) and to be left alone, but by then, the military wanted them all dead, so there was no way back. Counting on the billions in hardware they took with them, they instead founded MetaCorp as a security and maritime construction firm.

By the end of 2013, MetaCorp was involved in construction of Atlantis Phase II and New Galveston. They used the prof- its from their other jobs, including their growing security division, to construct MetaKey. The Key was completed early in 2020, and opened to the public with great success. MetaKey is a mobile island-city, freely owned by MetaCorp, and has no national laws to deal with. Everything except murder and slavery is legal, almost every major corporation has an office there, and security is fairly enforced. It is Hong Kong, Rio, and Zurich all in one, sitting in the Gulf of Mexico.

One of the things that made MetaKey possible was Meta's development of the JackSuit, the world's first Assisted Combat Personnel Armor (ACPA). Whether the original research was done under US Army funding or not, MetaCorp built the first working ACPA model, then sold the patents (with a ninety-nine year leaseback for corporate use) to Militech in 2017. One of the reasons that there is so little police trouble on MetaKey is that the police are only allowed minimal cyberware. All of MetaKey's law enforcement is taken care of by lightly-augmented officers (who must pass rigorous psychological screenings) or by ACPA Tactical Units, working in triplets.

All this would lead many to see the Meta as anything but a nation, had it not been for The Troubles: Between 2012 and 2015 there were considerable stresses within the nomad community: an increase in competition and a resulting decrease of available work, the transition to a civilian government who wanted taxes from nomads, and the integration of survivors from the Long Walk. The Meta supported those who made the Long Walk from the beginning. They air-dropped supplies and water when they could-after all, they had just been in the same bind-and they provided air cover against the bandit attacks which the Government said "never occurred." The Meta have actively sought to subcontract employment to other clans, including hiring outside help for MetaKey. In the seven years since their independence, the Meta have funneled over three billion dollars into the nomad economy, and this has forced others to accept them as a nation. One of the most important dreams for Jonathan was to build an underwater city for the Meta

World War II[en.wikipedia.org]
Surrender Of Japan[en.wikipedia.org]
Cold War[en.wikipedia.org]
Fall Of The Berlin Wall[en.wikipedia.org]

First Central American War
Due to their interventionist actions in South America, the U.S. received unilateral condemnation by the Organization of American States. The Panama Canal treaty expired, and the Canal reverted to the Panamanian government. The US sent military forces to Panama to retake the Canal, citing national defense issues. The Guardia Nacional took to the hills, fighting a guerilla war from over the Honduran and Nicaraguan borders. By 1994, US troops intervened in these nations as well, and a full-scale war was underway. Much like Vietnam, it was a conflict that pitted natives against outsiders. The US developed new elite mechanical light infantry battalions. These cybersoldiers used the best of the new tech developed in the early 90s.

This decision proved to be invaluable with the advent of real warfare in Central and South America. In 1991-92, the U.S. anti-drug bioagent took effect all over the world. Hardest hit were the drug lords of South America, the main suppliers to the U.S. market. Their power waned with the destruction of their narcotic-producing plants. They used their connections with the large EEC corporations to strike back, attacking the DEA on all fronts. Whether the Euro-corps were actually doing business with the drug lords or were simply taking advantage of an opportunity to weaken American resources, the result was the same. Conflict had already begun a year earlier with a limited intervention in the Canal Zone. The DEA, caught up in the Gang of Four's political paranoia, expanded the war by sending the national armed forces further south.

The result was predictable. In the nearly thirty years since the Vietnam conflict, the lessons hard-learned in the swamps of Southeast Asia had been forgotten. As before, large units equipped with heavy machinery were sent into the combat theater, where they unsuccessfully tried to chase down guerrilla units and irregulars who refused to stand and fight. The pattern started all over again: The enemy would strike and melt away into the tropical forests, sometimes even disappearing into the local populace. Partisan activity took a heavy toll on U.S. forces, as acts of sabotage became the norm. Propaganda campaigns and assistance programs were useless. Local economies had practically run on the wealth brought in by drugs-if you weren't directly employed in producing drugs, then you got your money from someone who was. This was the economic bond that had brought the drug lords to power in the first place, so much power that the actual governments of their countries were practically powerless to move against them. The people of the southern Americas were quite well aware of the fact that the Americans had deprived them of their livelihood, and hated them for it. They were only too glad to strike back in any way that they could.

The new organizational plans proposed to supply the peace dividend were supplemented and altered by developments in South America. As the war in Vietnam had created the Airmobile concept, the first Central American Conflict molded the airmobile unit into a total aerodyne-transport and combat outfit. Tactical experience proved that even helicopters couldn't deal with the thick forests in the face of interlocking anti-aircraft fire; only aerodynes had the speed and aerial dexterity to accomplish this. Most of the world's aerodyne development was accomplished to produce better VTOLs for the war; almost every aerodyne flying in 2020 traces its origins back to the A VX-2, the first viable combat aerodyne.

The U.S. military was becoming increasingly airmobile, and seemed destined to develop the world's first entirely aircraft-based military, which, when combined with new long-range smart weapons and 24 hour, "continuous battle" tactics, began reversing the heavy casualty ratio back in favor of American forces. Then the bottom fell out. The stock market Crash of'94 snowballed into the Collapse of '95, and the Gang of Four began recalling ground units to the U.S., fearful of what might happen. Their concern was justified when federal authority collapsed altogether in 1996 and anarchy began. Mr. Seward, the former SOD had little choice; to save what was left in America, he declared martial law.

Unification Of Germany[en.wikipedia.org]

Crash Of '94 (Stock Crash Of 94)
Threatened by the growing power of the European Economic Community, the Gang of Four began to embark on a suicidal course of covert aggression later to be known as the "Quiet War". As EEC power grew, U.S. "interference" in Europe was less tolerated. Soon the EEC was the world power, and the U.S. was playing second fiddle, particularly in its overreaching international policies.

One example of this came in 1992. As the USSR staggered through the final stages of glasnost, the United States National Security Council (NSC) continued with its outdated "Evil Empire" policies, blocking all aid to the Soviets and ensuring that its NATO allies did the same. Once the EEC was firmly established as a power, one of its first actions was to defy U.S. wishes and send much-needed food and aid to the Soviet states, despite NSC objections. The result was that the Soviets accepted the EuroDollar over U.S. currency and NATO collapsed as the Soviets made peace with Western Europe for the first time in over forty years.

Infuriated by this loss of prestige, and also fearful that the Euros expanding space program (which had a prototype mass-driver on the moon by New Year's 1993) would give the EEC military superiority as well, the NSA embarked on a headlong campaign to undermine the structure of the EEC, using tactics ranging from stock market fraud to the attempted disruption of the first EEC-Soviet military treaty talks.

In an attempt to appear solvent (and to "show up" the economic power of the EEC), the Gang of Four also began manipulating the stock markets of Europe and Asia by hacking directly into the systems. These artificial currency and stock manipulations allowed the Gang to promote an illusion of American wealth, but at a high cost; when this was discovered by the EEC, the Euros simply leaked the info to the world press. With the implied security of the exchange rate undermined, the system collapsed. In later years, this disaster would be called the Crash of '94. In reaction to the discovery of this fraud, the majority of developed countries immediately instituted embargoes on United States trade. These embargoes were crippling to America, and only served to hasten the Collapse.

The Collapse
When the collapse hit it was the elderly that were hit first; the millions of Americans who lived on pensions and investments. Seeing their life savings evaporate, they became homeless, or were forced to move in with relatives. A lucky few were able to re-enter the work force.

Many died from either violence or exposure from living on the streets. Sometimes it was treachery from within; Grandma's silver dining set could buy a grandson a lot of chemical excursions from life's pain. Some families pulled together or were forced into clan-like styles of living. Even homeless, some managed to make it, but millions died.

Both the World Bank and the World Stock Exchange were gone. Which meant the United States government had no one to borrow money from. Federal Bonds were cashed in at a rate so high that the government could barely print money fast enough. This made the dollar plummet in value and accelerated the process.

Assets of the executive branch, especially the military reserves, were committed in growing numbers in a Herculean struggle to control the violence spreading like wildfire across America. However, the struggle was futile as the unrest was not limited to "less fortunate" areas and neighborhoods, and could not be isolated. Let it not be said that the men and women who tried to save America did not fight valiantly. They may have saved millions of lives, but in the end, it just wasn't enough

Mideast Meltdown
Tensions with the countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa reached an end in 1997 when an exchange of nuclear warfare left large swaths land as radioactive glass-like fields. Vast areas of the countries of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Chad, and the Arab Emirates were all but destroyed. Only Egypt, Syria, and Israel managed to survive intact due to being in an already-ruined state caused by the war, and as such, were left alone.[1][4] Due to the use of thermonuclear weapons, radioactive fallout from the war spread worldwide.[citation needed]

The resulting conflicts in the region would see oil prices skyrocket as world oil supply was cut in half. Shortly after, the United States co-opted the entire island of Oahu "to ensure the security of Hawaii and the rest of the nation."

The events of the 1997 Iran-Iraq War resulted in large losses for United States military assets in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia owing to a massive intelligence failure.

Second Korean War
The Second Korean War began in 1999, with the South claiming that the North had violated their airspace, although no foreign radar picked up any activity. The War brought violence and death for many, but also profit for several corporations. Under the threat of the North's "Nodong 13" nuclear missile, Arasaka's "Family Kabuto" personal shelter made record sales. For many years the war was a bloody stalemate at the border of the two nations.

A year into the War, with both nations locked in a quagmire of blood, a Japanese government official was reported as saying "In the long run, the Korean War will only benefit us." After he was immediately discharged, however, some speculated that Japan might have been involved in aiding South Korea. An investigation was started to see if the theory held any weight.

The War continued for two years with no end in sight. The government of South Korea began to worry that the conflict could possibly destroy all of Korea. That same year though, the South Korean military seized control of 15% of the North's territory, a huge military and morale victory.

In 2004, following several major victories, General I (pronounced "ee") Ryong Yoon took control of South Korea in a coup. I declared his military junta "United Korea", and his private army took control of the sympathetic national army. Later that year, Lt. I HoTong, General I's brother, lead a bombing raid on Subunho dam. Its destruction crippled China's ability to aid the North.

After the North's aid was cut off, their army was significantly weakened and South Korea was able to invade the capital city of Pyongyang. The Battle for Pyongyang lasted for three days until finally Kim Jong Il was officially removed from power, ending the Second Korean War in February of 2005. With General I's victory, the United Republic of Korea was born. General I was elected as the first president of the new country. After the War was over, General (now President) I Ryong Yoon reported to a press conference denying rumors of an Arasaka alliance and any involvement with Japan at Ch'ongwat'ae palace. However I and hundreds of and others were killed by a bomb blast that leveled the building. That same day, I HoTong was shot down in his F-16 by Korean Air Force pursuers, on his way to China. His F-16 crashed on Chinese soil and his body was never found. His reasons for fleeing to China also remain a mystery.

Following I's death a new election was held, and Korea chose national war hero General Sungjin Park to lead them into the future.

Second Central American War
The Second Central American War took place on January 15th, 2003. The US invaded Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The War was a complete disaster which cost thousands of American lives. Eventually, the remainder of the Gang of Four is swept away on a wave of reform.

With a modicum of civilian control and order returning to the United States, the Department of Defense and the Drug Enforcement Agency once again turned their attentions to the Central American problem. They were confident that their new military units, equipped with AV's and the beginnings of cybersoldiery, could defeat the depleted forces of the South American drug lords. They legitimized the war by declaring that the drug lords were still a danger to the U.S. economy, despite the fact that the majority of drugs sold in the U.S. were purely artificial designer narcotics, manufactured domestically ("Buy American!"). It was universally recognized that the war was nothing less than a nearly naked land-grab to supply the U.S. with a captive resource base and a solid hold over the entire western hemisphere. This move is also what delayed the final destruction of the Gang of Four. It was resisted by the Euro-corporations, which already had a solid economic hold over SouthAm.

The war turned into a struggle for domination of the rest of the hemisphere, with the U.S. pouring almost all of its military force into it, and the Euro-corps providing aid, training, equipment and money to the indigenous armies resisting the invasion. This pattern mirrored the decades-old Soviet tactic of fighting wars, "Let's you and him fight." This was not a coincidence; the Euros chose the military advisors of the Neo-Soviet Union to guide the progress of the war.

In this case, the European plan was not to directly contest the American military effort, but instead to make the invasion so costly that the Americans would lose in the end, replicating the pattern established in Vietnam and Afghanistan. Obligingly, the Gang of Four decided to invade with full force into the inhospitable territories of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, fighting in a combination of jungle and mountainous terrain against determined foes, people defending their ancestral homes and lives. Naturally, the American cost in casualties and material loss was tremendous. The war dragged on for almost eight years, draining the U.S. economy. True to the Neo-Soviet plan, the war was terminated not by military loss, but by the lack of military victory. The Gang of Four, struggling to maintain popularity with and power over the American people, had settled on a successful war as the best and quickest plan to bolster their sagging control (a time-tested and proven solution to low popularity, practiced by presidents from Johnson through Bush). It backfired, and the Gang of Four was swept from office by government reforms passed by the new Congress. The war continued to drag on at a reduced level, degenerating into a series of small fire-fights between American troops and indigenous guerrillas. Finally, the U.S. gave up and the war ended with a whimper, the Euro-corps triumphant.

As the U.S. forces began to pull out of their bases and return to the states, one of the most tragic events of the war occurred. During the war, the understaffed military had hired hundreds of thousands of civilian contractors, most of them skilled but unemployed before the conflict began. By the end of the war, over half a million of them were on site in Panama City and other military bases in Panama and Colombia. Unfortunately, severe budget cuts by the new Congress curtailed the amount of money available for the withdrawal to the U.S., and the decision was made to abandon the civilians in Panama, terminating their employment and leaving them high and dry while the rest of the regular military left. The result was the infamous Nomad March of 2010-11, which had a higher casualty count than the war, and culminated in the formation of numerous Mexican Nomad gangs and coastal pirates.

First Corporate War
The first corporate war began when Euro Business Machines attempted a leveraged buyout of Transworld Airlines (TWA), a failing business. EBM attempted to make a deal with the CEO of TWA, but the CEO of TWA let the deal fall through. Orbital Air, another corporation interested in buying TWA (and desperate to claim TWA's air traffic facilities) blocked EBM's buyout attempt.

After realizing what had happened, EBM sought to eliminate Orbital Air's chances of purchasing TWA. EBM hired terrorists to kidnap Orbital Air's business negotiation team, en-route to meet with TWA. However, the terrorists failed in their mission, and later it became known that EBM was responsible for hiring them. Orbital Air, after discovering the identity of their attacker, recruited the Zetatech technology corporation as their ally in the conflict. Zetatech's hackers began a large-scale net attack against EBM, but EBM was able to repel the attack and force Zetatech out of the war.

After defeating Zetatech in cyber warfare, EBM began their own attacks - physical and technological - against TWA and the Orbital Air facilities. Both sides fought each other viciously using terrorism, net attacks, piracy, corporate solos and proxy soldiers from the Third World. During this period, both companies lost hundreds of millions of Eurodollars

Operation Big Stick
The power of the U.S. military machine vis a vis corporations was amply demonstrated during what is called the Mantoga Incident, when the Mantoga Corporation was destroyed by military effort. This took place prior to the return of free elections in 2008, during an abortive attempt to relax military government and appoint a president. On November 5, 2005, Presidential appointee Henry Jacobi was assassinated. Evidence strongly pointed to Mantoga, Inc. involvement and instigation, and on November 17, 2005, the corporation was given four hours to completely pull out of the United States of America. This ultimatum was ignored by the corporation to its sorrow. Exactly four hours after the issue of the ultimatum, Army forces moved on all Mantoga, Inc. facilities, destroying every Mantoga office with concerted air strikes (the most impressive being a pin-point attack on the Mantoga office located in a Chicago suburb; a single air-dropped burrowing bomb shattered the entire office building with the surgical precision of a planned demolition), and overrunning all storage and factory facilities with troops, armor and artillery.

The operation took twelve hours, including mopping up. lntelligence operatives and covert military direct-action units (e.g., assassins) followed up, pursuing and killing Mantoga employees and operatives who escaped the country. On April 3, 2006, Operation Big Stick was officially closed when the last Mantoga, Inc. administrator was assassinated in Bonn, Germany.

This genocidal military action has remained as an example to all corporations on American soil of what happens when the U.S. government is pushed too far

Second Corporate War
In 2006, SovOil began producing CHOOH2, an alcohol-based fuel most commonly used to power vehicles. Petrochem, the primary producer of CHOOH2, offered to supply SovOil with updated technology to help SovOil drill, pump, and create other fuels from untapped oil resources in Siberia. This offer came with the condition that Petrochem receive partial drilling rights.

Shortly before the papers were to be signed on the Petrochem-SovOil partnership, SovOil engineers announced that they had developed drilling technology that made the deal unnecessary, and SovOil cancelled the deal at the last minute. The two corporations experienced a rift.

In 2007, both companies began to expand into the South China Sea. This created tension and, eventually, boiled over into the beginning of the second corporate war.

The war started when the Sabina Bravo, an offshore platform owned by Petrochem, exploded. Petrochem accused SovOil of planting an explosive device on the platform, which kicked off a series of intense and public verbal battles between diplomats representing each corporation. After communication broke down, Petrochem launched the first military attack by ordering their own military divers to plant explosives on a SovOil platform in revenge. The platform was destroyed, and a full-scale conflict ensued.

SovOil had most of the initial success in the war, though both sides effectively crippled each other in just a few weeks in directly targeting and destroying oil facilities. Each company lost approximately 75% of their oil facilities within the first few weeks of the war.

Partway through the war, Petrochem was able to briefly gain the advantage over SovOil by capturing the Spratly Island chain and assassinating Anatoly Novikovo, the CEO and founder of SovOil, using planes loaned from the government of Malaysia.

Despite SovOil's losses, the corporation regrouped and was eventually able to overpower Petrochem. SovOil was able to repeatedly repel Petrochem's attacks. In October of 2009, Petrochem's forces ended up severely weakened after several failed attacks and SovOil took de facto control of the South China Sea.

In the end, it was discovered that the destruction of Petrochem's Sabina Bravo off-shore platform - the event that convinced Petrochem to go to war with SovOil - was in fact an accident that SovOil was not responsible for

Third Corporate War
The hostilities begin when examiners from the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce uncovered a confidence scheme being perpetrated by certain investment counselors at Merrill, Asukaga, & Finch against private investors, using the Rothstein Fund (a subsidiary of the Bank of New York City) as leverage. They notified the District Attorney's office, who began an investigation the next day.

The Rothstein Fund, angered by MA&F's duplicity and not wishing to get dragged down in the investigation, turned everything they had over to the DA's office. They also hired local street netrunners to begin probing MA&F's data fortresses in search of the truth.

MA&F's administration took this move by their former ally as a direct attack. They immediately countered by stepping up net security and unleashed their netrunners to launch an assault on the Rothstein Fund, first hitting Rothstein's financial targets. Then the MA&F strike teams turned their attention to actually destroying Rothstein computer systems, which escalated the fighting.

For several days, situation was a confused melee. Data fortresses became armed camps as everyone nervously watched to see what would happen next. Netwatch responded by limiting net access and cracking down on computer crime, making several sweeps resulting in numerous arrests and flatlines.

Both the Rothstein Fund and MA&F decided to take it to the meat world; they begin hiring mercenaries. During a 12-hour period, short pitched battles were fought in LEO and on Earth, all to destroy the physical locations of the enemy's net communications gear. These battles ended with considerable loss of life and millions of dollars in material destruction.

The next six months consisted of endless net raids, most of them inconsequential and indecisive. Indeed, more damage was done during the 12 hours of actual fire fights than during the entire remainder of the conflict. When it was over, the Rothstein Fund ceased to exist as a single entity. MA&F turned the corpses of two of their executives who had started the whole mess over to the LA DA. They also got stuck with the bill for damage done in LEO and on Earth

Cyberpunk: The Arasaka's Plot
The main character is a man called Sam Gibson who hardly remembers his past before becoming a hire Solo. In 2022 — during Fourth Corporate War — Arasaka wants him dead. Gibson was framed for murder, and he must find out who is behind it. A woman named Ka, a Netrunner, helps him and communicates with him during the game.

Time Of The Red
Following the 4th Corporate War, atmospheric particles from the nuclear blast in Night City — as well as debris from orbital weapon strikes, continent-wide firestorms, conventional explosives, and the wartime burning and annihilation of cities and agricultural areas — cast an eerie red pall over skies worldwide. For nearly two years, the skies were tinged a bloody red, which eventually died down to brilliant red sunrises and sunsets throughout the next decade.

Known as the Time of the Red, this would be the backdrop for the first years of the post-War recovery, only fading away as the world's battered populations began to reconstruct their shattered cities. But despite the weakening of the atmospheric effects, the name had stuck among the War's survivors and, much as the 1920s was known as the Roaring Twenties and the 1930s as the Great Depression.

Though the red skies and periodic "blood rains" (caused when rainstorms pulled the crimson particulate out of the skies and deposited it as a greasy crimson slime reminiscent of blood), the cities and nations of the world cleaned up the last pockets of corporate resistance and got on with their lives

Unification War
In 2069, the recently elected president of the New United States, Rosalind Myers, presented a unification program to extend federal rule over the autonomous separatist Free States under the pretense of strengthening the nation. Most of the those states opposed unification, leading to an inevitable conflict.

The NUSA, backed by nationalized Militech forces and the support of the former Free States of Southern California and Utah, declared war on the loose alliance of Free States: Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, Nevada, and Northern California. Washington, Oregon, and Idaho remained neutral in the conflict at the price of making some concessions to the federal government.The Republic of Texas didn't side with the NUSA or join the alliance, instead had its own agenda and opposed both sides. Other non-mentioned Free States, taken by surprise by the NUSA's aggression, surrendered immediately.

The New United States was the first to act, striking at the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana and Arizona; aided by South California and Utah.

Seeking to re-establish its influence on North America, the Arasaka Corporation took the opportunity to secretly finance the Free States. Despite the new weapons and the corporate "security advisers," the alliance was pressed hard by the NUSA military; made up mostly of Militech's advanced technology and backed up by the rest of federal states.

The conflict kept escalating, leading to the Battle of Ridgecrest, in South California, which became the bloodiest fight in the war, with at least 3,078 people reported dead in one day.

By early to mid 2070, the federal forces had occupied every warring Free State with the exception of Texas and Northern California, though the latter's capital city of Sacramento was carpet-bombed during the night of June the 6th, causing many more casualties in the war.

To the southwest, bordering with the NUSA-allied SoCal, the NorCal metropolis of Night City had avoided the fighting so far by maintaining a position of neutrality, but only barely. Its citizens had been holding their breath as they waited for an invasion from their neighbor, and fears of such an attack caused corporations to pull all of their funding from the ongoing development of the Pacifica District, which soon became a battlefield between Arasaka and Militech.Some parts of the district were occupied by a NUSA detachment led by Colonel Hansen.

The situation in NC was bad enough that the USSR sent humanitarian help, nonetheless, independent observers claimed it was instead trucks of weapons what the Neo-Soviets had sent. To make matters worse, Night Citizens who had fled east to find refuge in Texas found its borders officially closed to them.

At a later point, another NUSA Army division was sighted approaching the city outskirts. However, they were prevented from invading Night City thanks to the actions of then councilman Lucius Rhyne, who used his decade worth of contacts in the Night City Council and asked the exiled Arasaka Corp for protection. On June 12, an Arasaka supercarrier showed up in Del Coronado Bay. Just a few hours later, the NUSA retreated from the area.

FIA agents had infiltrated Night City as well, but after the previous events, they were called off by President Myers.

Following Arasaka's intervention, all parties were unwilling to commit to a full-scale war, and soon afterwards a peace treaty was proposed. President Myers agreed to the terms, as the NUSA was not able to afford the costs of such a conflict escalation. Signed in Arvin, South California, the Treaty of Unification (or the Arvin Accord) signalized the end of the war.

The treaty ensured the Free States would remain autonomous, though they had to extensively cooperate with the New United States, agreeing to participate in the federal government and cease hostilities among themselves. Night City managed to maintain its full autonomy, seceding from both the North Californian and NUSA laws and governance, becoming an international free city. Texas didn't participate in the signing, remaining a fully autonomous and hostile state to the NUSA. Arasaka was the one who gained the most, as the ban imposed after the Fourth Corporate War was lifted and the corporation was able to return to North America.

The peace treaty was unsatisfactory to most parties but was considered preferable than continuing the war and risking another global crisis. Despite this, both sides claimed victory. The Free States emphasized they had preserved their independence, and the NUSA boasted that they were closer than ever to reunify the divided American people.

Night City's newfound freedom came at a price, as corporate interests were once again permitted in the city borders. This lead to an increase of corporations' influence, and to their pumping money into revitalizing the metropolis in order to establish a foothold on the West Coast. The symbolic capstone of these events occurred later that same year, when the newly elected mayor, Lucius Rhyne, and the city council allowed Arasaka to build their new American headquarters downtown, on the site where the previous one had been destroyed in 2023.

A concrete border wall between South and North California was built after the War by the United States. Despite not being a part of NorCal anymore, the NUSA still extended the border through the Badlands south of the city

Beginning
Like the 1st and 2nd Corporate Wars, the 4th Corporate War began when rival megacorps used their finances and military muscle to fight over buying out a company and its resources. In early 2021, IHAG, a megacorp which specialized in underwater shipping and tech, went bankrupt, which lead to two rival aquacorps, CINO and OTEC, squaring off for a hostile takeover of IHAG's remaining assets. At first, both corporations engaged in the typical opening rounds of corporate battle; stock manipulations and economic warfare, but as the conflict grew out of hand, it was only a matter of time before true fighting broke out.

Financially, OTEC and CINO were too evenly matched to leverage a take-over of IHAG in a conventional matter. In November of 2021, OTEC sent a strike force to intercept CINO negotiators and prevent them from attending acquisition talks. In return, CINO netrunners executed an attack on financial exchanges to devalue OTEC's stock. Things escalated from there. Neither corporation realized Eurobank was working behind the scenes to manipulate both corps into driving themselves into debt. The financial institution's ultimate plan was to acquire the assets of IHAG, OTEC, and CINO and position Europe as the dominant global nautical tech and shipping power.

In the beginning, the strategy for both corporations was to devalue the other, in order to force them to back off from the acquisition attempt. As the conflict continued, the rest of the world became increasingly aware of the potential for a global crisis. The economy depended heavily on shipping and ocean-based food, mineral, and energy production.

Arasaka/Millitech Involvement
A year of fighting led to a stalemate, with neither megacorp being able to take down the other. This led to both corporations taking steps that escalated the conflict; hiring the forces of much larger megacorps to provide themselves with the proper militaries and resources to conduct open warfare. OTEC hired Militech, an armaments manufacturer and security force based in the United States. In response to this, CINO hired the Arasaka Corporation based in Japan, the most influential megacorp of its kind in the modern age.

At first neither Arasaka nor a majority of the Militech board were looking for a direct war with one another. While competitors on the world market, their contracts with CINO and OTEC respectively, were simply an avenue to generate massive profit and to promote the effectiveness of their services to the rest of the world. However, an Arasaka advisor working with a CINO strike force was targeted and killed by Militech security at an OTEC facility, as she wasn't wearing her corporate uniform identifying her as a non-combatant. A Militech-owned vessel was targeted by automated Arasaka torpedo systems due to it covertly carrying supplies to OTEC through CINO-controlled waters.

In February 2022, tensions rose to the point that world governments began seizing some of the more isolated properties of OTEC, IHAG, and CINO in a form of "protective custody". This led to direct confrontation between OTEC, CINO, and various governmental forces. These conflicts were the final straw and, on February 22, global pressure forced OTEC and CINO to the negotiation table.

However, Arasaka and Militech's role in the conflict had grown beyond their contractual obligations of security, supplies, and advising. Due to the years of tension between the two, in part due to Donald Lundee's actions, and multiple "accidental" damage caused to each other's assets, the war became personal. While the battles between CINO and OTEC ended in early 2022, a shadow war between the two security corps continued.

The Shadow War
On February 20, 2022, EuroBank had realized their manipulations of OTEC and CINO had run amok due to the involvement of Arasaka and Militech. The financial institution began pushing for peace talks, which Arasaka and Militech argued against. On February 22, both OTEC and CINO canceled their security contracts. By the 27th, a peace accord between the two ocean-based corps had been signed.

On March 6th, Arasaka tested the newly completed Soulkiller 2.5, by planting it in the vehicular smartlink processor of a Militech executive. The program worked perfectly and interrogation of his captured mind led to an assault on Militech's Night City office. This opened a three-month period of covert strikes between the two Megacorps.

The Hot War
By the end of May 2022, the shadow war had gone hot. On June 9th, Arasaka forces attacked a Militech factory in Virginia while Militech-backed mercenaries massacred the employees of an Arasaka factory in Yokohama. By mid-July, strikes on Militech and Arasaka facilities were a daily occurrence. The war wasn't confined to Earth, either. Attacks occurred in orbit as well, disrupting space travel and business even further. Everything was made worse by a strange corruption in the Net. Numbers and data were changed, seemingly at random. It marked the beginning of the DataKrash.

By late Spring of 2022, the war had spread to space, with Arasaka and Militech assets striking at each other. Space travel was disrupted by the chaos. In the summer of 2022, Arasaka had seized a Militech office in Los Angeles. In response, Militech staged a riot at Arasaka's Paris offices. They used the distraction to access the building's HVAC system and pump it full of a short-lived aerosol toxin. Everyone inside died.

In late summer 2022, strikes in Chicago turned into outright war when aerial and orbital support were called in. The battle ended when nomads from the Meta and Folk Nations, both of whom had contracts in the still rebuilding city, used covert teams to demolish both the Arasaka and Militech offices. During this time, Militech released a bioplague killing thousands in the city of Busan, the city was evacuated by the Korean government and later quarantined.

By September 2022, Hong Kong was in ruins as Militech and Arasaka forces turned it into a major battle ground. Any refugees who could escape did so before the battle started. Elsewhere in the world, six Militech research scientists died while plugged into the NET. Militech intelligence suspected Arasaka of using Soulkiller to do the job.

In the country of Brazil, the city of Rio De Janeiro was reduced to rubble. As Militech attempted to destroy Arasaka operations within the city, the battle persisted for hours. At the end of the fighting the city was in ruins.

In late September, a killsat fired an artillery strike at the Crystal Palace orbital habitat, seemingly by accident. Three Highriders died intercepting the projectiles.

Seven Hour War
In 2022, during the ongoing Fourth Corporate War, the European Space Agency was in the process of completing construction of an orbital space station titled O'Neill 2 (also referred to as Galileo Cylinder and sometimes referred to as O'Neill Gateway), utilizing the highly skilled Highrider workforce originally engaged to build the O'Neill 1. The ESA had recruited workers to the project using catchphrases that included "We'll open the door to the universe." and "The Solar System - a home to all.", drawing ambitious technologists that dreamt of enabling humanity's expansion into space.

Upon leaving Earth, workers for both projects were stripped of their freedom, forced to work excessively long hours under arduous conditions in extremely dangerous environments, given little to no time for rest or recuperation. The ESA, operating similarly to other corporations of the era, employed harsh authoritarian measures to ensure workers would comply with the regime. Peaceful protest of working conditions was met with violent, disproportionate use of force, employed with the intention of breaking the spirit of the workforce.

On the 29th of September 2022, driven by the boiling over of the long conflict between the colonists and their ESA stationmasters, as well as the very real fear of being caught up as collateral damage in the ever intensifying war between corporate rivals Militech and Arasaka, the inhabitants of O'Neill 2 staged an effective, cleverly and quietly organized coup of the entire station, taking complete control. Having observed and understood the resources available to ESA security and potential reinforcement timescales, their plan was simply to overwhelm the station's security forces. They knew they outnumbered security forces 40:1 and that, simply, there weren't enough guns on the station to stop them all.

Once in control, using skills acquired during the construction and operation of the stations, the Highriders deployed the ortillery capabilities of the O'Neill 2, exercising a show of force against the ESA and EEC. Orbital bombardment of a number of key ESA and EEC facilities began, as well as the tactical, defensive destruction of a number of corporate owned orbital weapons

Nationalization
In the fall of 2022, the governments of Southern California and Republic of Texas both nationalized all Arasaka and Militech facilities within their borders. Days after, the EEC declared that if hostilities within their borders did not cease, they would do the same. When a Militech showroom in Italy was invaded, the EEC carried out its threat and began nationalizing all Arasaka and Militech facilities in Europe. Both megacorps protested and suggested the attack was a false flag operation designed to give the EEC the excuse they needed to seize their assets.

Emboldened by the actions of the EEC, Japan also attempted to nationalize Arasaka within its borders. Prime Minister Jirou Kikuchi made an attempt to seize control of Arasaka, but Saburo used his influence keep the PM's hands out of the company. Yorinobu Arasaka, the rebel son of Saburo, played a role in supplying info to the Government of Japan which helped their nationalization of Arasaka's assets.

With Arasaka's local assets under the control of the Japanese government, the United States moved to end the global conflict. President Elizabeth Kress, the ex-Militech president, reactivated the commission of Militech CEO Donald Lundee to work with the government. Under Lundee's command, Militech forces ceased all active offensive operations, a decision Lundee was not happy with. With Arasaka assets in Japanese territory also nationalized, the global war was effectively over. However, there were still Arasaka facilities and operatives in the Western hemisphere. President Kress wanted to completely remove Arasaka from North America for her own personal goals, as well for the benefit Militech.

Bombing Of Night City
All that was left was the conflict in Night City between Arasaka and Militech. Kei Arasaka, son of Saburo, remained in Night City and was cut off from their assets from across the globe. Much of Arasaka's forces relocated to Night City, as the war persisted. Tensions broke in the summer of 2023. By then, a number of prominent national figures in the US had been murdered while connected to the Net. Arasaka had used targeted assassinations via Soulkiller to effect policy change. Militech retreated from the city and considered it a lost cause, and devised a plan to destroy Arasaka.

On August 20, 2023, a small nuclear device was detonated somewhere in the Arasaka Towers by a strike team led by Morgan Blackhand, killing 12,000 employees of the corporation. The explosion destroyed the building. Debris from Arasaka Tower crashed into nearby structures, setting off a series of chain reactions, gas line explosions, transformer explosions, and intense fires. By the end, the Corporate Center of Night City was a radioactive hot zone.

End Of The War
In 2023, the last known pocket of Arasaka resistance was cleaned out of the US and the hot war was over. The US, under President Kress, engaged in a massive PR campaign to place the blame for the Night City Holocaust on Arasaka. The official story held that Arasaka had kept a fail-safe nuclear device in the Tower and had detonated it when it was clear they couldn't win against superior Militech forces. She then promised to restore the country under the name of the New United States.

By 2025 Militech and the national armies of the US finally quelled all the pockets of fighting across the country and the Fourth Corporate War was declared as officially over

Aftermath
Years later, Nomad Santiago's son, Trace published an expose which revealed the truth. The US had sent a nuclear device in with the strike teams that night. Kress and Militech planned to destroy the Night City for their own gain. While Kress refused to respond to the allegations, many citizens protested. Meanwhile, the NUSA was now a functional dictatorship under Kress' ongoing state of emergency. Militech, with its assets, were used to strengthen the country.

In Japan, the Japanese PM, Jirou Kikuchi, made a public statement that the Arasaka Corporation was to be reduced to a Japan-only company for the next decade. The Japanese government nearly had collapsed after the War, however manage to save face after the nationalization of the corporations assets.

Even after the damage that had been done, the EEC was mostly restored.

Yet another baleful legacy of the war that would haunt the globe for many years to come was the near extinction of maritime trade for the next few decades thanks to renegade Arasaka AI controlled self-replicating sea mines, that continued to attack ships throughout the world's oceans even after the war was over (having initially gone rogue during the latter part of the conflict), regardless of affiliation or even if they were military or civilian. Even in the late 2070s when maritime traffic had long since begun to slowly recover (with undersea rail links having taken up some of the slack in the interim, helping to fuel a global renaissance in intra- and inter-continental railways in the process) they were still a lingering threat, not least in the waters around the North American continent. Arasaka's ability to routinely operate oceanic vessels out of its newly 'acquired' dock facilities in Night City after its triumphant return to North America in the aftermath of the Unification War, including both merchantmen and warships such as the supercarrier Kujira, suggests however that they have found a way to reassert at least partial control over their rebellious creations. Most of Del Coronado Bay is still enclosed by a giant seawall built by Arasaka in the early 2070s, apparently as a precautionary measure against stray sea mines setting up shop

In 2022, around the world countries were waking up to the fact that they needed to face the War. Arasaka and Militech (not to mention their allies and operations) were so intertwined into the world's economic system that there was no country that could afford to stand by and let them slug it out. This is due to both companies being involved in international arms supply, security contracts, subcontracts, showrooms and ammunition manufacturing. Thanks to the war, many of these operations became legitimate targets for hostile action.

It was not just the widespread violence of the war that concerned governments. The operations of these two megacorporations pumped considerable amounts of capital into local economies. In Night City alone, there was the Militech showroom retail business, the retail ammo and parts business, as well as the wholesale business conducted by both corporations. There are also the security contracts held by Arasaka, many of which were filled by subcontractors. With the war ongoing, all of their subcontractors had been summoned to wage war against Militech. Arms, ammo, and parts sales had plummeted, as Arasaka and Militech conserved their supplies for themselves; it was becoming nigh impossible to procure Militech's special 6.5mm ammo on the street. The effects on local business were also negative; Che Guevarra's had practically shut down their back-room business in arms dealing, and Taco Hut only offered cheap Mexican knock-offs of good firearms. It began to be difficult to find ammo on the rack in convenience stores; few people realized that 74% of the ammo sold in Night City was manufactured by Militech.

The Shadow War made it perfectly clear that governments around the world were going to have to do something about the escalating conflict. Logically, the solution would be to present a unified front against the warring corporations and tell them to cease fighting or face nationalization. However, since Militech and Arasaka were massive, wealthy, and important, efforts were made on their behalf to let them continue their conflict. Both corporations had their lobbyists working full-time to mollify the growing tide of anger over the destruction that came with the war; businesses which were tied to or depended upon one of the two were lending their lobbying efforts as well.

United States Of America
America was not idle during the Shadow War; when the EEC attempted to subvert Colombia, the U.S. answered with covert warfare of its own. The Colombian conflict came out favorably, although the CIA lost more men than it had anticipated.

The U.S. and the Free States were deeply caught in the economic consequences of the Hot War. Only Texas was free from Militech's pervasive economic impact, and even the Texans got most of their military arms and equipment from Militech. This, and sizable bribes, had made these governments reluctant to move.

However, the war's chaos became ever more difficult to ignore. When Los Angeles, Chicago, and Night City were burning, and the sound of automatic weapons fire was coming back to the District of Columbia, state and federal governments needed to respond. To this end, National and State Guard units were on alert across the nation. Regular military units were also on standby alert; the USAF had put their assets on standby, and featured a daily delta sweep patrol through LEO during the western hemisphere's daytime hours. Hawaii and other U.S. possessions were now firmly under martial law; anyone caught with weapons would be imprisoned, and those who tried to resist were killed for the duration of the war. Corporate immunity was suspended. and at the time it was rumored that the US was considering the European method, where the country would seize and shore up the domestic assets of both corporations if needed

Japan
Japan had put their Self Defense Force on alert readying for the inevitable attacks on Arasaka assets. There had already been plenty of clandestine attacks, and the government was ready to respond with overwhelmingly lethal force if they caught anyone making any more attacks. The government had issued orders to the effects that anyone caught with military gear, engaged in sabotage, or took part in paramilitary violence would be shot on sight.

The Japanese Self Defense Forces was also doing anti-invasion exercises, preparing for the possibility of a Militech-sponsored Chinese invasion. The only country that took that line of reasoning seriously was China, which believed the mobilization excuse was a ploy to cover activities against the Chinese mainland. The prime minster's main concern was to nationalize Arasaka within their borders, restricting resources to the rest of the world.

Despite concerns over being invaded, the people of Japan were enjoying a period of relative peace. Most of the violent yakuza, bosozoku, and gangs were either keeping quiet due to the increase of SDF operations within the country or they were hired by Arasaka. Overall, Japan did not fare too bad, as much of the populace took solace in the record low crime rate, a stark contrast compared to the American continents

EEC
The Shadow War had the nations of the EEC on distinct alert. Their peace had already been disturbed by the OTEC/CINO war, and they knew that it was only the precursor of a more violent and widespread conflict to come. To that end, most EEC members had their anti-terrorist forces mobilsed and ready to move at any moment, on the grounds that the threat to tranquility and business was more important than angering either Militech or Arasaka. Any military or paramilitary actions would be met with a swift and deadly response. At the same time, the ESA readied its forces to move in case of another space war and started selling payload line space for putting new satellites into orbit.

Soviet Union
The Soviet had the advantage of having very little in the way of Militech and Arasaka assets within its borders. Of course, the fact that the Soviets had never been on good terms with America or Japan might have had something to do with it. At the time it was an acting neutral country, selling weapons, ammo, and equipment to anyone with the euro. The Neo-Soviet Rocket Corps was doing much the same, selling cheap rocket lifers for small satellites at rates that undercut the ESA's African Earth-to-orbit railgun cargo lifters, as corporations scrambled to plant more satellites in LEO. The money, supposedly, was going to go to completing the Ural Mountain Gun, the NSRK's land-based, alcohol/steam-powered lifting gun. However, the Soviets did feel the effects of the Avgas War

China
Politically, China was in a unique position. On one hand, they were worried about the recruiting efforts in Korea and Taiwan; believing Arasaka could be planning to use those troops against them. At the same time, the Chinese were making money. Their space program was deep in the black, selling satellite lifters to Arasaka for their artillery/killsat web. Their munitions industry was also making profit; China's arms tended to be considered inferior to Japanese weapons. Thus, during the war, they were still considered inferior, but they were more readily available.

China also kept a close eye on the Hong Kong situation with deep concern; they knew the island was a powder-keg, and it could blow at any moment

Response Continued

Australia
Western Australia was heavily dominated by international corporations and relied on Arasaka troops to bolster their police and military forces. The war was a major concern there; if Arasaka pulled out its forces, Western Australia would be at the mercy of neighboring Federal Australia, and vulnerable to guerrilla attacks from the Aboriginals. In return for continued aid, Arasaka was granted full access to all Western Australian government facilities, and they put them to use. The port city of Perth was a major Arasaka staging and fleet area. Militech had contacted the government of Federal Australia and the Koorie Nationalist Front, and was providing the former with naval and aerial assets, and the latter with arms and munitions

South America
Most of South and Central America was not particularly concerned about the war, since neither Militech nor Arasaka had any reason to fight there with Chile, Colombia, and Brazil being exceptions.

Chile was still recovering from an insurgency. Despite the fact that it didn't topple the government, the uprising did significantly deplete Militech forces in that country.

Colombia was still dealing with the mess that came with too many foreign meddlers. Brazil, dominated as it was by Arasaka interest, was eyeing Colombia with apprehension. Brazilian troops began mobilizing to defend their borders as Arasaka attempted to hold onto its main South American asset

Why The War Started
Arasaka and Militech have been contesting each other for domination of the world's arms market for decades. This competition swiftly became a commercial rivalry, turned to good use in marketing, since most people think in black-and-white, good-or-bad terms. By fostering an "us against them" attitude, Arasaka and Militech salespeople could elicit an ancient tribal response pattern in their customers. Patrons of one company could be persuaded to invest emotional capital in "their side", and would cheerfully buy more products from "their" suppliers. It was a proven sales pattern, and both companies milked it for all that they were worth, painting their rivals as threats to "our way of life."

The darker side of this rivalry was that Saburo Arasaka soon came to consider Donald Lundee as a real threat to him and his goals. Everything Saburo had built was at risk and it was a fight he was willing to take throwing everything he could at Lundee. On top of that Saburo irrationally saw Lundee as the pilot that originally had shot him down in WW2, robbing him of his honor.

Lundee soon used the rivalry between the two corporations to distract his fellow board members from his secret goal of total domination of both Militech and the world arms market. He would claim that the actions he ordered were to counteract Arasaka "dirty pool", and sales figures always vindicated him. After years of putting up himself and Militech against Arasaka, he'd finally be able to fight despite even his friends disagreeing with him.

Lies
As time went on, Saburo Arasaka came to believe Militech, and Lundee, as the major source of everything holding him back. He harbored the secret suspicion that they were actively blocking his plans for world economic control, and were attempting to bring back the 20th-century rule of the United States. Not only that, but they would bring with them all the humiliation of his crippling wounds. These fears began to gnaw on his mind.

As for Lundee, Arasaka became a foe he could deal with in a primitive and decisive manner-with firepower. Lundee always wanted to be the man on top, and turn his corporation into the largest force on the planet. Saburo stood in his way and because of it he hated him. Defeating Saburo and the Arasaka Corporation throwing everything he possessed was his only goal.

Market Wars
Of course, the real conflict was being fought economically, as Arasaka plunged its assets into weapons merchandising and Militech added an ever-growing line of security subsidiaries. For years, neither company succeeded in significantly penetrating into the other's territory. Finally, in 2021, Arasaka's Asian sales exceeded Militech's, striking a crippling blow to Militech's solvency and morale.

Shadow War
After years of sniping at each other, the CINO/OTEC conflict provided ample opportunity for Militech and Arasaka to clash. When it finally and inevitably happened, neither Saburo or Lundee wanted to continue to prod each other. Each coveted a decisive victory, a smash-up so great that the other side would be forced to back down.

Yet neither could accelerate matters too far without risking government and market reprisals; too much war would anger governments worldwide and cause business to abandon both corporations. As the Shadow War dragged on, Saburo and Lundee became directly involved in assigning missions and sparring with each other in a complicated live chess game of sorts.

Final Struggle
By the time the Hot War broke out in June, there was no turning back. Saburo Arasaka and Donald Lundee took the gloves off and began directly slugging each other's organization, with the sole intent of defeating each other. In fact, both corporations were so involved that they wouldn't back down or stop the war; if one of them did, they would lose every market they had ever built up, through a combination of bad publicity and negotiated settlements (as well as damage lawsuits).

During the Fourth Corporate War, on August 20 2023, a Militech incursion team led by Morgan Blackhand and Johnny Silverhand attempted an infiltration mission into the Arasaka Towers of Night City in order to copy or destroy the Arasaka Corporation's Reliquary Database Project, and erase the Soulkiller 3.0 program from their network.

Johnny Silverhand led Team Alpha, consisting of a few Militech SpecOps, a portion of a group of Aldecaldos known as the Lobos, the solos Rogue and Shaitan, the media Lyle Thompson, and a netrunner by the name of Spider Murphy. Their mission was to infiltrate the Soulkiller laboratories on the 120th floor in order to retrieve Alt Cunningham, who was trapped inside the Arasaka network, and destroy Soulkiller 3.0.

Strike Team Beta's objective was to reach the Reliquary Database located in the subbasement, where the Arasaka Command Center was currently located, and to either retrieve the data or destroy it. The objective was to render the database project unusable for the rival corp by using a tactical nuclear device. Since it was located at the lowest point of the Arasaka Towers, inside a heavily shielded complex, the idea was that it would absorb the impact of the blast and prevent massive destruction.

Finally, Strike Team Omega was led by Morgan Blackhand and consisted of the rest of the Militech strike forces. Their mission was to act as fire support, reinforcement, and rescue if needed.

Johnny's team dropped out of an AV on the top floor of the Arasaka Towers in order to secure a quick path to the laboratories ten levels down. It's unknown which path the Omega Team took, but the last one to see Blackhand was one of the Lobos, who witnessed him heading down a stairwell with a heavy suitcase.

After breaching into the building, Alpha Team rushed to the labs, where Spider accessed the Arasaka computers to contact Alt and rescue her. After transferring her into Spider's data suitcase, the netrunner proceeded to download some kind of information into datachips, and uploaded a virus to destroy any information regarding Soulkiller 3.0 from the Arasaka network. When questioned by Thompson about the datachips, Spider lied to him saying they only contained information on the Arasaka development team and other basic corporate knowledge.

Alpha Team was suddenly attacked by Adam Smasher and a group of Arasaka troopers, taking down many of the Militech operatives and Lobos in the first attack, badly injuring Thompson, and pinning down the rest of the team in the labs. While both groups fired at each other, Spider snuck to her data suitcase in order to connect to the Net and scatter the various portions of Alt, each tagged with a marker with the hopes of finding them someday. During these events, Johnny, who barely managed to find cover, was conflicted about what to do. He felt that he had abandoned Alt last time, so the rockerboy assured himself he would not do the same again. With a Militech SMG in one hand and his Malorian in the other, Johnny left his cover, shouting and provoking Smasher, while futilely emptying his guns on the borg. Smasher turned around and fired his autoshotgun at him, cutting Silverhand in half. Shaitan, taking advantage of the distraction, grappled and immobilized Smasher, telling the rest of the crew to leave. Spider Murphy tried to reach Silverhand, but Rogue stopped her, telling the netrunner he was gone. Spider reached inside her jacket and pulled out a data slug Alt had downloaded to her a long time ago. Whispering that she was sorry to Johnny, Spider inserted the chip into the back of the dying rocker's skull. She then tried to reach for her data suitcase, but soon realized it had been destroyed in the crossfire. Wishing Alt good luck, Spider helped Rogue and the surviving Lobos to drag the wounded Thompson into the elevator. Spider knew Johnny would be avenged, and while touching the remaining datachips in her pocket, had the certainty that Rache Bartmoss would be as well.

With their mission complete, Alpha Team began their extraction. Once on the top of the building, they got into the rescue AV. It was during the lifting off when they saw Morgan Blackhand going on against Adam Smasher on top of the Arasaka Towers. A few minutes later, once the AV was quite far away from the building, a nuke went off.

While the Militech SpecOps and the Arasaka troops were in a firefight, somehow the nuclear device prematurely detonated on the 120th floor of the southern tower, inside Kei Arasaka's apartment bunker where the Soulkiller laboratory was located. The explosion, with a yield of either 0.1 or 0.5 kilotons, instantly obliterated the Arasaka Towers, splitting them in half and causing both structures to collapse outward. The entire City & Corporate District turned into ruins within seconds, with almost everyone in the immediate area dying. The blast instantly incinerated over 12,000 people in the vicinity of the Towers, and fatally injured upwards of half a million more. Another quarter million died in the resulting aftermath over the next weeks and months.

As the detonation went off at roughly 366 meters/yards above the sea level, the explosion was technically an air blast, and while this lessened overall long-term radioactivity, most of what remained penetrated only the huge skyscrapers surrounding the blast area. Since much of the metropolis was built on fill, and because the elevation was originally very low, the nuke caused a minor earthquake that liquefied parts of the fill and flooded the inner city. The huge blast turned the tons of raw concrete and steel of the buildings into particulate debris that covered the entirety of Northern California and far out to sea for many months, as well as igniting a fierce firestorm that covered thousands of acres beyond Night City. The combined dust cloud spiraled up into the sky and turned it red with particulate matter for almost two years. Even many years after the explosion, suspended particles caused the skies at dawn and dusk to glow a lurid red, inspiring people who lived through that timespan to call it the Time of the Red.

Night City was barely habitable within 24 hours of the detonation. Lots of Night Citizens were unaffected by the initial fallout as they were mostly cybered up or had radioactivity filters installed in their bodies already. However, the firestorm destroyed a large portion of the city's housing, forcing people to move over to either the suburbs on the other side of the bays, or to the areas further out. The liquified shaking soil caused by the explosion broke gas mains, water pipes, and electrical grids.

Then US President Elizabeth Kress blamed the Night City attack on the Arasaka Corporation. However, she was soon able to determine that the actual weapon used had been supplied by a Militech strike team. The Big Lie pushed forward by Militech and the US was that Arasaka themselves had blown up the Corporate Center of Night City in an area denial attack to stop Militech from seizing control of the Arasaka Towers. The truth is it was never formally decided who had triggered the explosion. In the public's eyes, the reasoning for the nuclear detonation was never uncovered. Some believed it was Militech's overzealous desire to crush Arasaka, while others believed it was an area denial weapon set off to protect the Arasaka Towers.

Within hours of the disaster, President Kress nationalized Militech through the expedience of their CEO, General Donald Lundee, and his reserve commission. Militech was placed thoroughly under the control of the still sizable United States military, and banished all Arasaka forces from the continental USA under the threat of a retaliatory strike on Arasaka's Tokyo headquarters. Other nations swiftly followed the US's lead, nationalizing and/or interdicting assets of both participants of the Fourth Corporate War.