Emory Shipwrights is one of the oldest independent human ship design and construction companies still in operation. Their work is consistently sought after for its durability and easy customization.
Ransom Phineas Emory was a bit of a dreamer when he grew up on Earth in the aftermath of the Republic being established. He tried his hands at many careers and never seemed to find a place where he fit. In the late 2250's he took a position as an assistant to the Head of Republic Shipyards and found his place in the universe. Ship design just clicked for him. When Second Contact occurred, Emory was in the room with NorAellians as they instructed Republic scientists on the function of Grav Drives.
The first Terran ships that departed the Sol System to colonize Domovoi and Surya were Ransom's designs. The NorAellian advisor assigned to his office to ensure that the Terrans didn't rip a hole in space privately expressed surprise at just how well Ransom grasped the keys to ship design.
As the Terran Republic expanded their colonial influence, they began "allowing" their citizens to strike out independently. Ransom's son and granddaughter did just that and were two of the principle founders of what became the Empire Cluster in Freelance space. Ransom's son was a marketing genius and his granddaughter's design skills far surpassed Ransom's own. The Emory Shipwright company was founded on the same day that the first colony on Augustus was founded.
Emory is currently run chiefly by Tahla Emory with her son Jameson Emory in line to succeed her and operating as the VP of R&D. Unfortunately, not everything is rosy between mother and son.
Jameson enjoys bucking his very straight-laced mother any way he can. This is not to say that he isn't going to follow in the family business. He absolutely is. In fact, Emory Shipwrights is the only thing they ever agree on. Tahla is an absolutely brutal business woman with a gift for marketing, while Jameson is an almost natural-born engineer.
Tahla was the one behind the acquisition of AetherWorks and the partnership with DynaWorks, a venture that revitalized the Emory name. When Jameson joined the company, the brand got another shot of adrenaline to the system, as he was responsible for an engine and systems update that made Emory and DynaWorks engines the most efficient engines available on the civilian market, outpacing even a good chunk of military ships as well.
Emory is known far and wide for making ships that can take a beating and still get you home.
They specialize in industrial ships and large-scale freighters and whatever they design, you can be certain that it will be highly customizable.
Part of this customization comes from a partnership with DynaWorks that dates back to when Emory bought up AetherWorks from Aetherial Limited. Every Emory ship since then has either come standard with DynaWorks components or they are fully compatible with them, if not both. It's fairly common practice from an Emory salesman to offer alternative DynaWorks modules as an upscale.
Emory ships are designed with an eye for appearances.
Every Emory ship is designed to be a solid workhorse, a dependable hull that can take a beating and still get you home in one piece.
But they are also designed to be style pieces. Some are inspired by the hotrods of old Earth, some are experiments in radical ship design, taking full advantage of the fluidity of space. All of them are unique in some way.
From Matt:
Emory is our CEC from Star Wars. A line about a CEC ship always stuck in my head. I think it was from the first Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels entry on the YT-2400. It said something like "This ship was sold as a stock light freighter with a wink and a grin."
That's the attitude behind Emory ship designs. Yes, they get plenty of business from legitimate shipping and industrial interests, but there's also a thriving independent market for Emory ships because of how easy they can be adapted for, let's say, less than legit operations. Emory is, hands down, the most popular designer of choice amongst the Freelance worlds.