Ysanne Korpov

This text was originally born as a loose assembly of notes and ideas for Ysannes background story in order to keep it consequential when the character mentions something about her past in current roleplay.

But in the end it kind of grew into a source book "New Berlin 2491" so here it is.

I might go over the text in the future to give it a bit more structure, but for now I think for some of you it might be a fun read when bored.



Long term surveillance and infiltration report
Confidential data, please do not redistribute onto public servers.

At first sight the Saeder-Krupp corporation looks like any other megacorporation which has the power and influence to not just play a significant role on the global market, but also to own one more cities in order to ensure production capabilities, a stable, healthy workforce and its own controlled local economy.
From the outside SK is seen as one of the best employers with good reputation, insurance, education and their products often are reliable, well tuned and serviceable. Up to a point of being overengineered and expensive. If you buy a SK car, what you get is basically a tank.

But how do they manage that?
If you look closer, the society, that SK formed, is not the utopia they try to sell us, it is a rather ruthless caste society. But are they simply evil, cold and brainwashed?

If you ask someone from SK, what he thinks of the SK Security Department “CORporation.SECurity” they will answer it often with something like “I can not say anything bad about CorSec.” And smile. They literally can not, or at least should not, say anything bad about them. Officially CorSec has only a small number of active agents. It does not need many, it has a whole system ideology at its side.

The flying city of New Berlin is not as old as Insilico, for example. But it has a very interesting history nevertheless. During the third Euro Wars, the city was cleansed with short term radiation and Saeder Krupp Industries took over a barely floating ruin, which was about to crash into the earth below.

They promised to rebuild, but under the banner of wealth and prosperity they managed to recreate a new society from the ground up. One shaped into their corporate image.

The destroyed infrastructure and lack of resources demanded a strict enforcement of recycling and using what was available. The corporation did not limit this policy to resources alone, but also expanded its rules to the structure of their workforce as well.
Nothing should be wasted, no material and no human potential. This is how the SK eugenics program was born.
In the beginning the corporation made the first steps with rewards for using their own dating app, called SK.Love, which promised to find the perfect partner for every user and after a few years, the system arranged over 68% of all marriages within the city.

The population grew quickly, space and resources became a problem and once again tensions began to spiral out of control.
SK lost control over huge parts of the city. A solution was needed and within a few days, under the name of "Order 78", the eastern sector was sealed off, where the majority of the corporation infrastructure has been built. Citizens above a certain social score, determined mostly by SK.Love and their positions within the corporation were moved into the sector - citizens below the threshold were forced out.

A wall was built around the corporate sector which only allowed traffic through three checkpoints total. On the inside, the wall was decorated with gardens and artworks, on the outside with automatic defence turrets and armed drone patrols.

The western sector, now called the Free State of New Berlin was given full autonomy and a democratic government. SK left some production facilities, like recycling and waste management, as well as SK Munitions, SK Chemicals and SK Mining in the western part and it is up to debate if it was an act of giving the citizens of the free state a way of income and wealth, or if SK simply had no space or desire to rebuild these industries in the east. These industrial complexes remained a dispute and a trouble spot until today.
SK pays taxes to the Free State, but also has the habit of answering conflicts in the factories with a no discussion policy and brutal violence. There are rumours that in the past even the attempt of establishing a workers union was answered by the demonstration of lethal force. However, sources from the free state are not reliable. Many free state factions see the SK factories in their territory as an occupation and could fabricate the rumor of such incidents as a method of propaganda.

Within the walled off sector, a visitor sees a perfect utopia and will witness a complete opposite of the Free State. No trash in the streets, no poverty can be seen, everything is kept clean.
But this is achieved for a price.

The problem of overpopulation was battled with strictly limiting reproduction. Partners have to apply for a permit if they want to have children. The process is incredibly complicated and mostly depends on the social score of the parents. In theory, you can choose your partner freely, but in practice no family will exist without the allowance of SK. A violation of this rule leads immediately into exile to the Free State. This certainly leads to the tensions mentioned above. SK uses the Free State as something along the lines of the biblical exile from Eden.
Every major sin against the system leads into this fate which acts like the ultimate deterrent. Another hint towards this analogy is the fact, that the automatic defence drones which patrol the outer walls are officially called Cherubim.

The symbol of the city is a five point star.
Cor.Gov (Corporation Government) on top,
Cor.Sec (Corporation Security) and Cor.Sci (Corporation Science) in the middle,
Cor.Ind (Corporation Industries) and Cor.Rep (Corporation Reproduction) at the base.

SK keeps the analogy throughout its structure. The corporation government, basically a CEO board, is above all, while the eugenics program and the industry being the base of their power.

After genetic modifications became more common, but still costly, SK began the SKIV program.
For a significant cost, parents with the permit for a child could donate their DNA as a base and their offspring would be modified in vitro with a predetermined set of genes from a third donor, chosen by Cor.Rep.
Then the birth and childhood would proceed normally, until the age of six.
From then on, SK would take care of the education and training, constantly testing the child. These individuals who showed promising results, had the chance to reach the top jobs and positions within the corporation.
Others who have been born conventionally did not, since their genes are considered a random chance instead of a directed, optimised setup.

Citizens who were born with in vitro modifications, are easily distinguished by "SKIV" (Saeder Krupp In Vitro) in their system identification number and the name stuck. In return "skivs" often call unmodified, therefore lower class citizens, "freebirths". In our ears this might not sound that much as an insult, but you have to keep in mind that a skiv grows up with a deep disgust for the Free State outside the walls and anything "free" has a very negative association.

An interesting thing to know and consider when dealing with SK is, that due to an old European regulation, no genetically modified creation is allowed to spread uncontrollably and therefore every skiv is infertile. But to cater to their basic human desires, SK does offer them a way to circumvent this. Cor.Rep is not only keeping track of the permits and the modifications, but also keeps a genetic database. This database is guarded almost like a sacred relic. Every skiv that has achieved greater success above others in their field, will become the genetic base for the modifications of the next generations.
Or in other words, skivs have three parents. These with which they grow up, and a genetic predecessor from which they get their last name as well. Cor.Rep makes sure that even if the traditional family structure remains intact, the child grows up remembering that it is part of the system, each time it hears and uses its name.

This mixture of tradition, heritage, pride and family management has developed different lines within the program. A scientist line skiv will most probably develop a higher intelligence and curiosity, a military line faster reflexes and more body strength. How much of this is determined by the genes and how much by indoctrination is debatable. But the result is a caste system which demands full devotion for the corporation. Every unwanted trait is being suppressed right from the start.


When dealing with SK we have to consider these aspects. The corporation is a valuable, dependable partner and able to deliver astonishing results. On the outside they are like most other corporations out there, but their internal workings have developed into almost alien structures. This makes infiltration extremely difficult and risky.

Their general attitude and lack of understanding for some of our ways of life sounds alien, cold and almost fascistic at times, especially when they show their disrespect to everything they consider "free".
But we have to take into account that a skiv scientist most probably never experienced hunger or poverty in their life and also never bothered to deal with many aspects of our daily routines. They define themselves by their achievements and not so much by social standards for example.

The world they grow up with trades free choice for efficiency.
SK is showing that you can buy happiness, but only if you keep looking forward instead of left and right at all times.