Founding

Arctara AG did not begin as a subsidiary under Vytal, nor did it emerge from a traditional corporate lineage. Its roots trace back to a company with large ambitions: REDEX Advancements.

REDEX was an independent research and development firm founded in 2756 in Oslo, UEA*, by aerospace researcher and test pilot Zixuan Yu. He had previously worked under renowned physicist Dr. Leonora Stile at the University of Oxford-Luton, a central institution in the development of MPT technology**. He contributed significantly to the early architecture of MPT systems and led multiple high-risk testing campaigns. Yet despite his technical prowess, Yu often clashed with Stile over the future of the tech. 

While the tech was revolutionary, Stile was adamant that it had to go through a 10-year safety cycle - as is standard with new technology in the industry. Yu knew this was the standard, but he argued that this would massively set the project back and render it obsolete by the time the safety cycle would finish. Instead, he brought forward the idea of "Live-Environment Testing", which would create a pathway for the continued development of the technology and bypass the need of a safety cycle, as it would be developed alongside the MPT. It would be a less stable approach, but Yu believed it would massively benefit the project in the long term. Disagreements between the two started off as cordial, but it would slowly develop into several publicized disagreements between the two. The following year, Yu was formally dismissed from the Oxford-Luton program.

Not to be left behind by this, he would form REDEX Advancements to continue research of MPT on his own terms - to moderate success.

As faint rumors swirled of a dedicated racing league, Yu would transform REDEX from a technical R&D firm into a competitive performance-craft manufacturer, one that would revolve its entire identity around creating the fastest spacecraft for racing. A big gamble, given that the RSEC* had barely begun talks of forming a proper league. He believed racing would become the proving ground for the next generation of propulsion, and that REDEX would be the one to lead the charge.

The HSRL

Early Success

To say that Yu's game paid off would be an understatement. In the inaugural season of the new RSEC Hydrus Spacecraft Racing League (HSRL), he registered REDEX into the league with a vehicle that had significant optimizations made over its competitors: a sleek, angular craft that combined raw thrust with adaptive fusion control modules. The team very quickly found itself locked in a dramatic season-long duel with Stile-RD, derived from the Oxford-Luton research team. Early fans loved the rivalry between the two, not knowing that underneath the facade of piloting skills and engineering, the two were battling on philosophy.

In the end, REDEX inched out Stile-RD in a dramatic finale - claiming the league's first ever championship title by two points. The victory was influential throughout the aerospace world, with investors, advanced materials firms, and propulsion think tanks flooding REDEX with attention and capital, eager to align with what the industry was calling the “future of aerospace.”

Backed with resources, Yu began an audacious expansion of the company: upgrading their testing infrastructure, hiring top-tier engineers, and refining their proprietary flow control systems. Most notably, the team began work on a conceptual propulsion upgrade: the Flow Drive. In theory, this upgrade promised unprecedented acceleration and vector control, which would not only give REDEX a massive advantage against others in the HSRL, it would also propel the company to the top of the MPT industry.

Yu would spend millions of credits to try and push this concept into a feasible product, but unfortunately for him, this would prove to be too ambitious.

Flow Drive Technology

In early 2768, REDEX sent a small team to Fort Cydonia for a scheduled testing session. Jean Roquete, REDEX’s head engineer and lead test pilot, was performing a routine trial of the second-phase Flow Drive prototype. Early on he reported a minor control spike with the propulsion system; an error that had become somewhat routine during prior tests. Confident, the team would continue through the session.

Minutes later, Roquete reported yet another control spike, this time in a different chamber of the system. Seconds later, telemetry sent from the test craft showed unusual acceleration patterns, whilst Roquete panicked on the radio. Communication ceased shortly after, and the team was unsure of the status of the craft. Fearing the worst, the team searched around the last known location of the ship, quickly stumbling upon a smoldered wall and scattered debris on the ground.

Camera footage revealed that the ship collided with the outer perimeter wall of Fort Cydonia, disintegrating the vehicle and killing Roquete instantly. This would be the first recorded death caused by an MPT failure.

The subsequent investigation, conducted jointly by REDEX, RSEC safety regulators, and Terran aerospace authorities revealed a critical failure in how the Flow Drive regulates its fuel source. Under specific conditions, the propulsion system can enter a 'runaway state', which would ignite a chain reaction within the microfusion chamber that rendered any manual override useless.

While many dismissed the REDEX incident as an unavoidable accident, leaked memos from a former senior engineer soon suggested otherwise. The documents revealed that the Flow Drive failure was a known defect, flagged by Roquete a year before the test, but Yu reportedly ignored the warnings.

Controversy

Promises

Just a month prior, Yu had promised investors and partnered manufacturers that a functioning prototype would be ready and sent out by the end of the second quarter. By the time the deadline had arrived, they only had a batch that many in the company considered "barely passable". These MPT units would consistently experience minor malfunctions and were only half as performant as promised when operating safely. The errors had existed for well over a year, but were largely dismissed by Yu as "ghosting" from faulty equipment.

In fear of losing investors, Yu made the decision to send these to manufacturers in an experimental mode. This mode would let the MPT unit operate at its promised capacity, however it made the components extremely unstable. Recipients were extremely confused when they performed their own testing with the units, but this didn't worry Yu. His plan was to use the Fort Cydonia testing session to troubleshoot the issues and spend the following months developing a proper batch to send out. With the crash, however, his plan never made it past the testing session.

Once this story reached the public eye, both the RSEC and IASTA* reopened their investigation on REDEX; only this time, it dug deeper into the company's internal affairs. Findings showed exactly what the whistleblower outlined - a significant ignorance of safety precautions and decisions made at the potential expense of human lives. Public statements from the RSEC and IASTA would take the effort to express such.

Yu, desperate and driven by the theoretical gains of the technology, didn't want to let go of the Flow Drive project. Stubbornly trying to prove that his Flow Drive concept was tangible, he stood his ground and publicly claimed pilot error; one of many unpopular moves by him following the second investigation. By then, REDEX's Board of Directors had made multiple attempts to oust Yu - frequently arguing with him in board meetings. However, they could not succeed with the process, with Yu invoking multiple protections in his contract. This was followed shortly after by a case made by Roquete's estate, which was quickly settled privately by REDEX. This used up a significant amount of the company's liquid reserves.

Yu had bought himself some time; but the company would never recover.

Downfall

Realizing how quickly things can get out-of-control, the RSEC would introduce multiple safety measures; in the form of new team equipment, safety protocols, and updated regulations. One of the new regulations introduced was particularly pointed at REDEX, which banned the use of any technology that functioned similarly to the now-cancelled Flow Drive. Yu attempted to argue against the ban, but when teams were confronted with a vote, almost all of them agreed, leaving REDEX's development in jeopardy.

The HSRL was ready to resume operations, and teams returned to the Fantasia venue* in 2769. Many took the break as an opportunity to develop, making the 2769 season one of the tightest in terms of competition. REDEX, however, didn't see the gains that other teams did. The Flow Drive ban, significant brain drain, litigation issues, as well as budgetary constraints had been large contributions to the mediocrity of their racing craft for the season. As a result, their performances usually hovered around the lower mid-field; an unprecedented fall for a team who won the championship the season prior.

Unwilling to give up, Yu persisted with the R&D of his Flow Drive concept outside of the league, rather than moving onto more stable systems. This decision was scrutinized heavily, and would stagnate REDEX's stock price as the year progressed, with many in the industry dismissing the company completely. Their existing workforce gradually started to wane, with remaining employees leaving for other firms. Top-tier engineers, which REDEX sought out, would refuse any offers given by the company, and vacant spots on the engineering floor were quickly replaced by desperate juniors and high-turnover contractors. A revolving door of employees, given that the company would frequently cycle through entire teams of staff over just a few months.

Yu's leadership became increasingly erratic as this was happening. REDEX became extremely siloed in how their work environment functioned. Aggressive NDAs became the norm, where if an internal project happened to fail - even in the most minor of cases - information about it would not leave the company, or even the team developing it. This made communicating safety risks between teams effectively impossible. 

This work structure would constantly leak into the public eye, suggesting that Yu would spend more time on PR "reputation management" than focusing on R&D efforts. This negative feedback loop of high turnover and an isolated workplace environment continued, and by 2777, REDEX had fallen to the bottom of the HSRL; regularly finishing behind independent "garage" teams. Sponsorship money had been most of the funding for the team, and with many sponsors declining to renew their contracts, the company would soon run the team at a loss - something they couldn't afford, as they were already starting to go into debt.

Liquidation & Acquisition

Administration

In 2779, REDEX would lose a class-action lawsuit against former partners and ex-employees. By then, the company had completely dried out of money, and had about <significant amount of credits> of debt to multiple creditors. Outside of the company, Yu was facing a criminal trial restarted by ex-employees. This gave significant leeway to the Board, which were successfully able to remove Yu from the company. Shortly after, the Board would unanimously vote to dissolve, and proceed with liquidating the company.

Remaining assets were mostly picked off by various manufacturers, but the racing division was left in a state of limbo after being pulled out of the league in the middle of the 2779 season. It wouldn't be until much later in the year that the Neumann Collective* would successfully acquire the team, along with any IP linked to it.

This acquisition was initiated through a variety of factors, but was mainly driven by Saya Yoshiro.

Yoshiro is a retired multiple-time HSRL champion who had joined Vytal's experimental division in 2777. Knowing how valuable the remaining talent & infrastructure of the racing division would be for Vytal, she quickly drafted up plans with Neumann and Alvarez*. In addition, the Collective was discussing a potential entry into the HSRL for marketing purposes, which had gained significant traction amongst the wider entertainment industry. 

It was an easy pitch for Vytal, and they successfully convinced the Collective to purchase a few of REDEX's assets in late 2779; including the racing division, and any patents or IP that could be useful for their cybernetics company.

The Arcturus Project

REDEX Racing was swiftly folded into the Neumann Collective's portfolio of companies (underneath the management of Vytal), with Vytal quickly moving Yoshiro to a director position for the team. Her technical credibility, along with her racing pedigree, was promising to those remaining in the team, as well as people looking from the outside. Operations at the team resumed shortly after, with remaining employees finally at work after months of uncertainty. Existing infrastructure from the old REDEX project was relocated to a new branch on Erios, allowing for easy access to both the Vytal headquarters and Bethea Speedway. Yoshiro emphasized that the team would not be returning to the league for the 2780 season, and that Vytal would be spending time trying to redevelop the momentum the team lost after the Roquete incident.

The REDEX name was dropped in 2780, with the team now adopting the name "Arcturus Project" - aiming to separate itself from the now-tarnished engineering firm. With help from the Neumann Collective's extensive resources, along with the utilization of existing Vytal engineers, the team started getting the expertise and engineering they desperately needed.

By 2782, rumors started swirling around the team as public RSEC testing logs frequently showed testing sessions being booked at the Fantasia venue during the off-season. The few glimpses that people got of the testing ship generated intrigue in the racing community, with many noticing radical changes leaning away from the old REDEX design philosophy and towards a more modern approach usually seen from the top teams of the HSRL. Fans were beginning to find new hope in a team that looked fruitless just a few years before.

In late 2783, the team would finally announce their new developments to the public, under a formalized name: Arctara Anti Gravity [A.G]. Their next generation racing platform - the RennSport - was taken from Vytal's existing consumer lineup of ships (utilizing the same name), and it looked to be up-to-date with the current competition. However, realizing the stakes and the gap that the team needed to close, Yoshiro never overpromised when talking about the project. Her remarks on the team were always on the safe side of realism, claiming that the team would only aim for the midfield as they adjusted to the sport.

Just a few months after the initial reveal, Arctara finally found itself back in the league for the 2784 season.

[...] TO BE CONTINUED