The Swallow Corporation
The Swallow corporate emblem. Art by Izzy Serenity.
The Swallow Corporation is one of the largest and most influential businesses in the Solar System today. It was originally established in 2095 by the Dutch-born Emiel Bekker as an Earth-based shipping firm. The company took advantage of grants and subsidies from the young World Union to acquire a launch services and shipping contract for the Luna and Mars colonies. Over the next ten years, Swallow diversified into medical science, internet provision, and robotics.
The Swallow Corporation owns hundreds of subsidies, extending its reach into almost every conceivable sector of the economy. Major divisions of the Swallow Corporation include:
Swallow Shipping. The original Swallow business, Swallow Shipping was reorganised from the Bekker-Aaldenberg Shipping Corporation in 2095, and grew significantly over the next fifteen years. Today it is the largest passenger and freight provider in cislunar space, dominating trade between Earth, Luna, and the Lagrange point stations. It also provides low-cost passenger services to Mars and the Asteroid Belt, though it is often criticised for poor-quality accommodation and hidden add-on fees.
Swallow Robotics. Swallow Robotics is focused largely on domestic service robots, including robotic lawnmowers, floor cleaners, launderers, and kitchen appliances. It operates a subscription service model for its products that has been criticised for linking essential updates with higher prices.
Swallow Medical Technologies. Swallow’s pharmacy and primary healthcare service, Swallow Medical Technologies operates automated prescription kiosks, owns a vast number of pharmaceutical patents, and works closely with Swallow Robotics to develop medical and surgery robots.
Swallow Internet Services. Swallow Internet Services provides computing infrastructure for millions of websites across the Solar System. It operates approximately 1,000 data centres in orbit of Earth, Mars, and in the Asteroid Belt, supporting up to thirty per cent of the Solar System’s internet traffic. It also provides quantum computing services for governments, businesses, and scientific organisations.
Swallow Motors. Swallow’s automotive arm, Swallow Motors produces a wide variety of battery electric vehicles, including motorcycles and quadbikes, cars and buses, and passenger drones.
Swallow Colonisation Services. The newest division of the Swallow Corporation, Swallow Colonisation Services was formed to acquire the World Union Department of Colonial Affairs contract for the settlement of Saturn. The Swallow Colonisation Fleet launched on 22 April 2125, is expected to arrive at Saturn in July 2125.
Swallow’s business practices have been the subject of substantial criticism. The company’s expansion has largely been through hostile takeovers of other firms, and it has been the subject of five anti-trust lawsuits. Swallow’s corporate culture, which discourages unionisation and requires its workers to sign extensive non-disclosure agreements, has also criticised by former employees as toxic and in violation of workers’ rights. Swallow’s CEO, Emiel Bekker, is also a figure of controversy: Bekker has lent his support to fringe political and religious ideologies, and is a critic of the World Union’s approach to piracy and the status of its Observer Members. Bekker has consistently advocated for a government run on corporate, libertarian principles, and has promoted space colonisation as a moral imperative necessary for the long-term survival of humanity, a goal that he believes businesses are best trusted with.