New Earth Trading Company

Overview
The New Earth Trading Company is considered one of the first ever interstellar trading company, having been founded in the chaotic exploration days of the twenty-second century. Originally engaged in transportation and trade, NETC's commercial success lead to its expansion into other areas, such as robotics. Competition between NETC and the other robotic corporations was fierce, with the former often bending the rules in order to get ahead of Ulsop and Nirasaki. It was NETC that won the contract to design the artificial intelligence of the Space Defense System's Casper drone ships, which was accomplished by the first neural mapping of the human brain, that of Admiral Kinru Dvarahal.

Unfortunately, that same tactical genius would be turned against the Star League Defense Force during the Amaris Civil War. While NETC would survive the civil war and the resulting Succession Wars, much of its high-tech facilities were destroyed in the fighting, forcing the company back into the trading business. It also retained the ability to produce a limited number of military vehicles, supplied mostly to ComStar and House Steiner. The Truce of Tukayyid provided the company a financial windfall as the various realms raced to rearm their military forces post-Clan Invasion.

NETC is the original producer of the Vedette tank, and the only company to use ComStar equipment in their vehicles. This has given them a reputation as being a front for ComStar. They maintain fairly cordial relationships with all the Successor States except the Draconis Combine, some events in the War of 3039 have cooled relations between the Combine and NETC.

New Earth Trading Company prefers to work within a 200 light year radius of their corporate headquarters on New Earth.

The campaign to liberate New Earth during Operation SCOUR was particularly destructive, both in the ground battles and as a result of orbital bombardments. The defending Word of Blake forces ensured that little industry remained after their defeat, making it extremely likely that the NETC facility on New Earth was destroyed.

In the mid-3080's, the Maxwell Planetary Defense Consortium approached NETC about licensing the Myrmidon tank design. Maxwell hoped that the destruction of NETC's Myrmidon production line would make this a deal worth taking.

At some point in the early parts of the thirty-second century, the company ended up secretly producing combat units for a splinter ComStar group which was rebuilding the Com Guard for their own purposes. Among the assets NETC were producing at their New Earth factory were BattleMechs. However, during the Fortress Republic era, elements of the Republic of the Sphere seized the factory and nationalized it for use for the struggling nation.

Early in the Succession Wars Comstar apparently invested heavily in the company, and operated it as a front company. This explains how NETC was able to create new BattleMechs and other military supplies for the ComGuard of the early thirty-second century.

Leadership
During the Star League era the company was headed by a ruling family, the Newcombe family of New Earth. However, since the fall of the Star League the company has since switched its leadership to that of an elected Chief Executive Officer. The CEO of NETC in 3076 is Donald Witherspoon. He has been the CEO since 3048, and oversaw the construction of two new warehousing and transportation facilities on Bharat.

Manufacturing
New Earth Trading Company has manufacturing centers on the following planets:

New Earth
It is believed that this facility was destroyed in 3078 during the liberation of New Earth.