Sapporo Station

CLASS: Kuraudoshida

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 400

Constructed by Samura after the completion of the Jump Gate linking Hokkaido and New Tokyo, Sapporo Station was intended to act as a local base from which Samura could survey the surrounding systems for mineral resources. For a time, the station was repurposed to house the DSE construction crews working on the Chugoku Jump Gate, but since it's completion, the station has slowly returned to its original purpose, which is the exploitation of resources in the Hokkaido system. Ever since Kishiro and the GMG signed an agreement in 801 AS to open up Sigma 19 for exclusive exploitation, Samura found itself all but locked out of the H-Fuel markets, despite the majority of their fuel having previously been stored at Osaka Storage Facility.

Realising that GMG's reliance on Osaka would rapidly wane, Samura restarted it's own gas mining operations shortly thereafter, something they had been forbidden to do under the terms of their terminated prior agreement with the Guild. The Gas mining operations continue to meet strong resistance from the unlawful elements of Hokkaido, particularly the Golden Chrysanthemums who have a base hidden somewhere in the Shiden Cloud. Despite this, with a recent influx of funds from the late Osaka's insurance policy, Samura have been stepping up their operation to extract the valuable H-Fuel gases that are abundant in the southern part of the system. Undergoing almost continual upgrades, Samura hopes Sapporo Station will one day anchor a vast network of Gas Miners as Kusari seeks to exert dominance as a major player in the H-Fuel Industry.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Deep Space Engineering
* Samura Industries

* Samura Industries

## News

Partially as a result of the geological activity, the equatorial monsoon season produced some of the strongest tropical storms ever recorded on Kyushu since its colonisation. These storms devastated the world's agricultural sector as they blew through the most fertile tropical lowlands, destroying as much as 20%% of the planet's annual crop yield, on top of damage to infrastructure and tragic loss of human life.
Many rural communities are reported to be struggling, with some farming communities still remaining flooded ghost towns even a month after the worst of the storms abated, though smaller-scale tempests still rage around the equator. A Samura spokesperson outlined the company's intent to restore the planet and its communities to full productivity by the middle of next year, despite the ongoing circumstance.

Immediately upon learning of this, Battleship Matsumoto and its battlegroup were redeployed from Hokkaido, and within two days were poised and ready to face this new threat. Only a short few hours later, a patrol of fighters reported a warship with the transponder reading Battleship Matsuda operating in the relative open, heading for but not yet reaching the relative safety of the Seiran Dust Cloud.
Matsumoto itself departed with its escort to confront the Chrysanthemum battleship, close to the edge of the nebula. Within minutes of it coming into sensor range, bomber and fighter squadrons from both sides closed in and opening salvos were exchanged between the battleships. It didn't take long before the KNF's preparation was shown to be well worthwhile; their superior numbers whittled down or otherwise preoccupied the Chrysanthemum's fighter force leaving a variety of openings in the Matsuda's defensive cover for KNF bombers to exploit.
While the Matsumoto was withstanding a heavy beating from the guns of its older sister, it was plain that the Matsuda was slowly being whittled away as its shields began to fail and the very same engine design flaws that had rendered it immobile in KNF service were now exploited by bomber wings to once again cripple the warship.
After several more minutes, the Matsuda's escape pods began to eject from the ailing battleship, picked up by Chrysanthemum fighters as they fled deeper into the Seiran dust cloud. It didn't take long thereafter for the ship's powercore to falter and fail completely, culminating in a vast explosion that reportedly almost turned night to day on the dark side of Planet Kyushu, if only for a split second.
Matsumoto itself sustained moderate damage in the engagement, relatively untouched by Chrysanthemum bombers however still suffering the ill effects of Matsuda's anti-capital weaponry. Despite its damage, it remains deployed in the Kyushu system to continue the blockade of the cardamine trade and to serve as a show of force to any who would challenge the might of the Emperor.

While this troubling trend is observed throughout the Sirius colonies, Liberty is bearing the brunt of the crisis among the four major Houses. Remarkably, even Rheinland, where historical data indicated low Cardamine consumption, has witnessed a notable rise in medical cases linked to the illicit narcotic. Experts postulate that the extensive black market responsible for Cardamine distribution might be facing a shortage, or worse, that Outcast factions deliberately curtail the supply to bolster demand. Regrettably, no law enforcement agency has been available for comment on these concerns.
The long-standing debate over Cardamine's controversial nature, juxtaposing its euphoric and purported medicinal qualities with the genetic alterations it inflicts upon long-term users, continues to echo. A key point of contention revolves around the plight of innocent consumers caught in this crisis. Yet, according to independent polls, a substantial majority of our viewers maintains that the substance must remain banned.
In response to this escalating crisis, Cryer Pharmaceuticals has announced a forthcoming press conference. During the event, the company intends to unveil plans for an expanded production of Stabiline, their touted "wonder drug". This announcement promises affordable access to Stabiline for all patients grappling with Cardamine withdrawal, sparking a remarkable 15%% surge in Cryer Pharmaceuticals' stock following the revelation.

Ageira disputed this finding in their own press release, calling EFL 'fantasists' and countering that their own scientists had narrowed the cause to a rare 'hypernova' stellar event that originated outside the Sirius sector. Both corporations claim that network-wide hardware safeguards have been implemented that would prevent a similar occurrence in the future. Independent researchers have sharply criticized the corporate announcements, accusing both of self-interested misdirection.
Professor Sophia Nagel from Heisenberg Research Station called EFL's accusation 'incoherent' and the hypernova explanation 'nonsense' that did not explain the characteristics of the 'Blackout Pulse'. Despite multiple different Pulse recordings being widely disseminated across the neural net, public efforts have so far failed to triangulate its source.

"The Surveyor is more than just a ship, it's a symbol of ingenuity and industrial development to all the Sirian Colonies. It's a pattern that dates back to our origins in the Sol system, and it's a pattern that will persist for many generations to come. Just as we have adapted to meet new challenges, so too must the Surveyor to meet emergent needs."
The Next-Gen Surveyor is slated to roll out multiple updates ranging from technological optimizations to upgraded armor and firepower capabilities. Many of the new modifications directly address a recent study by the Sirius International Institute of Statistics and Economics, citing up to 32 percent losses by BMM and Kruger Minerals to piracy and related factors.
The ship's expanded armour increased the ship's mass by almost 50 percent, which forced Samura's Surveyor team to completely overhaul the ship's power delivery system, powerplant, and hull. The new ship utilizes a power delivery system integrated into the super-alloy frame. The integrated frame was torture tested at the Aso High Altitude Proving Grounds, and sports certifications as best in class for maneuvering with a load under high Gs.
Though time will tell whether the upgrade will prove successful in addressing the increase of piracy, the stock market has greeted the welcome news with a 15 point general increase, and a relative high for Samura and mining sector stocks.

## Rumors

* One day Sapporo will be converted into a large complex, much like Osaka. Then we will no longer be needed, assuming that the Blood Dragon and GC is gone. I do not believe that day is coming soon.

* The Golden C. are the main problem in this part of the system. On the other side of the Gap, it's Blood Dragons. But that's the military's problem. Anyway, they like to attack the gas miners, or wait for supply ships to pass along the trade lanes.

* Bounty Hunters would be useful up here. Samura could afford to pay them well, unlike us poor State Police officers. We do not like to take bribes. That is the privilege of the New Tokyo bureaucrats.

* Can I buy you a drink? I definitely need one. It was a difficult day. My unit was on a deep reconnaissance patrol in the Shiden Cloud, looking for the GC. We were engaged in battle with the GC for 15 minutes, and then they vanished. Our unit lost Takana-san and Ogawa-san. I was just singing karaoke with them last night, so sad ...

* I hear that the GMG was forced to pay a special 'reparation' tax to the government to help Kusari recover some of the loans given to the GMG during the 80-Years War - more specifically, to pay for the immense costs of constructing the Hokkaido and Tau-53 Gates.

* I've heard a drunk Samura manager brag that one day soon, Kusari will understand the Jump Gate technology that Liberty has controlled for so long. I wonder if it has anything to do with this project.

* There are at least two Holes into this system: one comes from Kyushu, the other from Chugoku. Both are very well concealed in the clouds, where our sensors cannot pick them up. You know when you are close, though. The criminals become agitated and attack like a swarm of stinging insects.

* One day this system will be full of gas miners, and the enemies of Kusari will be distant memories. The police must first find and eliminate the GC base, which lies somewhere to the west of this outpost.

* We have begun gas mining operations here, but they are not up to full production - too many attacks by the Golden Chrysanthemums and Blood Dragons. The Matsumoto should be stationed here, not up by the Tau-53 Gate.

*NOTE: Page generated on the 28/10/2023 at 17:59:46 UTC*