The Constantine System is one of the five corporate-controlled systems of the Empire Cluster. Where Palatine handles finance and Diocletian handles entertainment, Constantine handles production—the forges and shipyards that build the infrastructure the Cluster depends on.
Constantine is an industrial powerhouse. The system's primary world is covered in manufacturing complexes, refineries, and fabrication plants. Orbital facilities handle shipbuilding and heavy construction. The system imports raw materials from across Freelance space and exports finished goods—ships, station components, industrial equipment, and everything else that keeps an interstellar economy running.
Ferrox Manufacturing runs Constantine with ruthless efficiency. Labor costs are kept low. Environmental regulations are suggestions at best. Profits flow upward to shareholders while workers live in company housing and shop at company stores.
The system's primary world and namesake, Constantine is an industrial planet in the truest sense. The atmosphere carries a permanent haze of particulates from centuries of manufacturing. Cities sprawl around factory complexes. The planet never truly sleeps—somewhere, a shift is always starting.
Living conditions vary by district and employment level. Management enjoys comfortable enclaves with filtered air and imported luxuries. Line workers make do with what the company provides.
Zeno Station is the system's primary orbital facility—a massive shipyard complex capable of constructing vessels up to cruiser size. The station also handles ship repair, refitting, and the construction of prefabricated station modules for export.
Zeno's output supplies both civilian and military customers across Freelance space. The Empire Cluster maintains no unified military, but the corporations that buy from Zeno certainly do.
Constantine's economy is vertically integrated under the controlling corporation. They own the factories, the housing, the stores, and most of the transport infrastructure. Independent businesses exist but operate at the corporation's sufferance.
The system exports manufactured goods across Freelance space and beyond. Constantine-built ships are known for being functional and affordable if not elegant. "Constantine quality" is a backhanded compliment—it works, but don't expect craftsmanship.