New Power Structures
There are no governments left in this broken future; even the idea of government as it was once known is gone and forgotten. All locus of power rests with two groups: Megacorporations and Cult Consortiums. What is left of cooperative civilization is fostered and upheld by these organizations, so long as it serves their interests. Generations of individuals and families are born into their ranks. A few souls free themselves of their oppressive oversight. Most never seek to leave the relative safety of their influence.
Some would argue there is very little difference between a Corporation and a Consortium beyond their chosen belief systems. Yet, their internal hierarchies and agendas are often vastly different.
Cultists are generally true believers, evangelists, and missionaries of Cult doctrine. They hold and enforce strict codes of conduct that align closely to the mythology they espouse. Cultists are almost universally obsessed with the nature of the Source, daemons, and Voidspace. Consortiums are pioneers in the design and implementation of to further these ends, though most would never admit to such. Many also regularly welcome new converts into their ranks, although leaving a Cult is quite different once indoctrinated.
Privately, the attendants and employees of Megacorporations may be less rigid in their belief systems. Still, publicly, most espouse loyalty and support for the Corp to avoid demotion, censure, and worse. Corporations’ primary goals center on power and influence as they compete with rival Corps over physical and intellectual resources. Most CyberTech is developed in their fortified labs, then deployed to their security forces and research personnel. While some lower-level staff and executives can leave the service of a Corporation - once an individual has risen to a level where they are entrusted with proprietary knowledge or secrets, quitting becomes a dangerous proposition.