Kurita-Steiner

The Kurita-Steiner Family

If there is such a thing as an average founding colonist family, the Kurita-Steiners are it. They are neither the wealthiest nor the poorest, neither the largest nor the smallest, and neither the most or least influential. In fact, they are sometimes called the Second Family because whenever the founding families are ranked in some way, they never come in first yet are never in the bottom half of the list. The extended family also includes some Steiners, Kuritas, and the Steiner-Wu's. The Rohrs-Smythe family have been employees of the Kurita-Steiners for over a century as well. The Kurita-Steiners are of the more traditionalist blue-blood families, preferring to stay out of the public eye when possible, but do make the rounds on the social circuit.

The family was founded by Kurita Takahashi and Lillian Steiner. Their daughter, Sakura Teresa Kurita-Steiner, established the basic structure of the family corporation. The Steiner-Wu family is considered part of the core family, but a minor branch. The Kurita-Lambert family is beginning to take on a similar role, while the Rohrs-Smythe family is mostly unrelated though has a long association with the Kurita-Steiners.

Notable Living Family Members

Ai Magda Kurita-Steiner: The matriarch of the Kurita-Steiner family. Used to be CEO of KS Group, officially retired. Widowed. Frighteningly competent, no non-sense person. Her children and grand-children are slightly terrified of her. Tends to dote on her great-grandchildren. Teresa's great-grandmother.

Takahashi Dietrich Kurita-Steiner: Son of Ai Magda Kurita-Steiner. Former CFO of KS Group, retired. Married to Jin Sun Park, also retired. Currently living on Moon. Teresa's grandfather.

Helmut Steiner-Wu: Only son of Victor Steiner-Wu. The CFO of KS Group. Highly skilled at his job and as a manager, but unambitious. Significantly younger than Ai Magda's children, but older than her grandchildren. Known to all as Uncle Helmut. Kind, quiet, unremarkable. Balding. Not particularly lucky with personal relationships, has two ex-husbands. Does not get along with his niece.

Birgitta Steiner-Wu: Younger daughter of Helmut's oldest sister. Interim CEO of KS Group. Technically competent if unimaginative administrator. Somewhat upset that she is likely to be forced out eventually in favor of Ichiro Wilhelm. Formerly managed Orbital AgriTech, will likely take over MBI. Divorced, has two children.

Halvard Kurita-Svenson: Son of Ai Magda's younger sister. The CIO of KS Group. Eccentric, still manages to keep on the cutting edge of information tech. Not a very good manager, relies on his assistant to handle that aspect of his role. Tends to paranoia. Fan of extreme sports, gets along well with Ichiro Wilhelm. Widower, no children.

Hana Astarte Kurita-Lambert: Tsumugi's youngest daughter. Currently secretary of KS Group. Good at her job, but does not intend to stay with KS Group. Musician, into counter-culture scene. Despises Keichi Erwin, who often hits on her.

Ichiro Wilhelm Kurita-Steiner: Oldest son of Takahashi, runs KuSHI. Has run all three of the shipyards at different times. Skilled engineer, a bit of a dare-devil and lady's man. Unmarried. Expected to take over as CEO of KS Group eventually, but would prefer to remain where he is though afraid to explain this to Ai Magda.

Dorothea Rei Kurita-Rohrs: Older daughter of Takahashi. Married, mother of Patricia and Charles, who are very young. Runs OSuZo. Her husband, Arthur Rohrs-Smythe, currently heads the RMSW.

Frederick Hiroshi Kurita-Steiner: Younger son of Takahashi, fraternal twin of Dorothea Rei. Runs Orbital AgriTech. Much better an administrator than a researcher, though holds a degree in agricultural science. More serious and strait-laced than his brother. Married to Sofia Liu-Vostrokova, father of Teresa.

Tomoe Christine Kurita-Steiner: Takahashi's youngest child, a bit of a black sheep. Quite a bit younger than her siblings. Often argued with her mother, became a ranger instead of joining the family business. Unmarried. Missing in action since 196SE.

Tsumugi Kurita-Lambert: Daughter of Ai Magda's younger sister and older sister of Harvald. Motherly type. Has three children, still married. More competent than she seems, skilled geneticist. Used to manage Orbital AgriTech, now in charge of MBI and MagiHana. Close to Frederick Hiroshi.

Keichi Erwin Steiner-Wu: Particularly noxious and useless older cousin, elder son of Birgitta. Currently running Green Star Line and making a hash of it. Spends more time on party circuit than anything else. Bullies around his younger brother, Feng Werhner, who is shy and unsure of himself but much smarter.

Kurita-Steiner Group (KS Group)

The umbrella corporation under which the various parts of the family corporate empire operate. It is noted for having the largest capital-to-employee ratio in the Inner Colonies, since it consists of a total of ten employees: CEO, CFO, CIO, an assistant for each, a secretary, and three Senior Associates, one for each for KuSHI, Orbital AgriTech, and Green Star Line. The Senior Associates are subject matter experts for each line of business. All employees are in fact members of the extended Kurita-Steiner family.

According to the company by-laws laid down by Sakura Teresa Kurita-Steiner, the controlling interest in KS Group has to pass down to a blood relative of Kurita Takahashi and Lillian Steiner, who also must use the legal surname of Kurita-Steiner. In order to keep in line with this rule, the eldest female in each generation, as well as the males, tends to keep the Kurita-Steiner name.

Major Holdings

Kurita-Steiner Heavy Industries (KuSHI)

The crown jewel and oldest part of the Kurita-Steiner corporate empire, KuSHI is one of the major players in the production of civilian spacecraft, particularly for industrial and heavy transport applications, though they also produce passenger versions of their small and midsized cargo vessels. KuSHI also builds a small number of luxury liners and personal transports every year under the Rohrs Jachten badge. Additionally, KuSHI is a major contractor for the production of colonies, especially SCCIs, though they have never been the primary builder of a full-sized station. KuSHI built some combat vessels early in its history, but it has been 110 years since it last even competed for a military contract.

Steiner Metallwerks (SMW)

The oldest completely space-based shipyard still in operation, SMW is affectionately known as The Metallwerks. It has been continually expanded for over 150 years, and while there are larger yards, few are as self-sufficient as The Metallwerks. In addition to its numerous production docks, there are refineries, asteroid mining facilities, and factories for producing colony components. The one drawback of its age and complexity is that it requires one of the largest administration and control centers in the Inner Colonies just to keep things organized.

Oshima Suteeshon Zosenjo (Oshima Station Shipyard, OSuZo)

Though the Oshima Suteeshon Zosenjo name is as old as the Metallwerks – it has in fact outlived Oshima Station - the current version of OSuZo is in fact the third complete rebuild. OSuZo is a smaller, cutting edge yard that relies on the Metallwerks for industrial support. It is the center of KuSHI's spaceship R&D and testing facilities, and most new designs are built here first to work out production bugs before they are turned over to the Metallwerks.

Rohrs Mittelschiffswerft (Rohrs Central Shipyard, RMSW)

Despite its impressive name, RMSW is in fact a satellite yard of OSuZo and the smallest of the KuSHI yards. Though it is undergoing expansion in expectation of shifting all passenger ship production away from the Metallwerks, currently RMSW has less than a dozen production docks. Two-thirds of these are rated only for small yachts, and all are used exclusively for luxury vessels.

Orbital AgriTech (formerly Matsuda Agricultural Technologies)

Orbital AgriTech is the second largest part of the KS Group, acquired in a hostile takeover 110 years ago after the death of Matsuda Daisuke, the last member of the venerable Mastuda family, longtime rivals of the Kurita-Steiners. Renamed Orbital AgriTech, the corporation provides large amounts of seed stock modified for hydroponic, zero and low g farming, as well as being a leader in botanical genetic engineering. They are somewhat notable in that they use far fewer pokémon to assist in their production compared to competitors.

Matsuda Biotechnology Institute

The last vestige of the Matsuda empire to bear the name, MBI is located on SCCL002 and is one of the most highly regarded genetic and botanical research institutes in the solar system. Though technically owned by Orbital AgriTech, MBI also has an independent board of trustees, who have the right to review budgets and major changes, and its own rather large endowment. This independence has proven to be an advantage for the KS Group, since it gives MBI greater legitimacy than a purely corporate venture, but still feeds into Orbital AgriTech.

Tanabe Seedbank

One of the most comprehensive seed banks off Earth itself, the exact location of Tanabe is a company secret. Rumors persist that it is sited on the far side of the moon. The seedbank was created by the founders of Matsuda and some members of the Kurita-Steiner family see it as a cash drain, and argue it should be turned over to a government.

MagiHana (Magical Flowers)

The fancifully named producer of rare flowers, many of which are proprietary hybrids that only grow in zero-gravity, MagiHana operates as a small boutique patronized by the wealthiest Colonial families when they are throwing a party and wish to impress.

Green Star Line

Founded 80 years ago, the Green Star Line is the private shipping line for the KS Group. Though it occasionally takes on cargo on contract from other corporations, its primary purpose is to move sensitive goods for KuSHI and Orbital AgriTech. It also provides a resource for operational testing of new ship and system designs before bringing them to the public market. It is the smallest of the three general divisions of the KS Group, and is generally turned over to promising young family members as a way to test their leadership ability in a relatively safe environment.

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