Isehara Refinery

CLASS: Suika

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 660

Isehara finished construction in 763 AS, four months after the settling of Planet Miura was started. Isehara was originally used to handle the flow of goods to and from the planet, including the Uranium shipments that frequently made their way up from planet-side and the transports full of prisoners to work in the mines. It has since become the base of operations for the terraforming project designed to make the planet more hospitable to human life. The station is administered by Kishiro, but also has a Planetform advisory team aboard.

The station itself has a considerable Gas Miners Guild (GMG) paramilitary security detachment aboard. The GMG considers Sigma-59 their sovereign space, and as such has assumed responsibility for civilian security in the system. With the completion of Planet Miura's docking ring in 818 AS, Isehara no longer needed to harbor supplies for the planet. It has instead become a major orbital refinery for Uranium that is exported to Bretonia.

## News

However, with the recent Farmers Alliance bombing on Roppongi seemingly linked to the sudden increase in Cardamine use among Kusari's businessmen, New Tokyo's residents have expressed sympathy towards the perpetrators, speculating that the Alliance's blatant admission to such a vicious act is not to be taken as a boast or a threat, but as a sign that they will not allow their friends and families to be preyed upon by the greed of corporations that, "do not belong anywhere near our home", said Katsuyori Ichihara, Samura Industries financial consultant, and survivor of the Roppongi attack. "I don't blame them", Mr. Ichihara continued, "that vile drug destroys families."
Due to recent events, Samura Industries has taken it upon itself to act as a substitute for Interspace Commerce within the insurance market and many citizens have already expressed gratitude to Samura and their willingness to provide more financially preferable contracts than what the old management offered.

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.

## Rumors

* Here at Isehara we handle the conflux of goods from outside Okinawa space. Collating and registering all the merchandise that passes through our hands here is a constant job, and we work around the clock. Fortunately, we're paid well for it; Isehara is one of Kishiro's foremost concerns.

* Kishiro prefers a more focused approach to our businesses than Samura. We left the Food production area centuries ago, because it was clear that the sector was far removed from our core strengths in technology and shipbuilding.

* I can't believe I made it to Isehara! Five months ago, I was a nobody, a grunt in the Kishiro hierarchy, now I'm on the fast track to promotion and wealth, simply by being transferred here. Guess it helps to have an uncle in the Okinawa management division.

* I fly the occasional mission for the Gas Miners Guild as an escort and fighter pilot. There are also several fat Naval Forces bounties on members of the Golden Chrysanthemum. Being a free-wheeling mercenary, I'm able and willing to collect. I've equipped my Eagle with the appropriate shields and weapons for countering the G.C. There's one pilot in particular, Noriko Sato, which I'd like to bring in.

* We dominate the Honshu system. Samura controls the farmers of Kyushu. Shikoku is more complicated, as it is the one place where there are many foreigners in Kusari. We have exploited the cheap labor rates to open Consumer Goods factories there, much to the dismay of Samura, who once dominated the Kusari domestic market.

* Kishiro is the technology leader of Kusari. We design and manufacture everything from advanced Engine Components and Optronics to Optical Chips and Gas Miners. We also process and ship raw materials like Hydrocarbons and Polymers.

* Kishiro's mere presence in Okinawa is a massive affront to Samura. Once treated as the smaller of the two Kusari kereitsu, Kishiro's moving in on all the economic sectors Samura once monopolized. This goes beyond mere corporate squabbling, Samura's decidedly dirtier than that; they have a finger in every political pie in Kusari, and are rumoured to be sending their agents, the Hogosha, against us to halt our progress here.

* We view the Golden Chrysanthemums and Blood Dragons as misguided political terrorists who occasionally engage in acts of piracy against our ships. They embody the pent up frustrations that certain elements of Kusari society are feeling towards the glacial pace of change in Tokyo. Now that our influence can be felt in government, we expect these groups to lay down their arms and rejoin Kusari society.

* I thought Dragons never die, but it seems I'm mistaken! I was on a routine patrol through the Karatsu cloud the other day when what do I see but a lone target! The Dragon, already damaged and missing a wing, decided to turn tail and flee instead of fighting, but he was too slow for me. I took out his shield with several well-placed shots, and then gave him hell with a Sunstalker.

* Just between you and me, we intend to abandon the cargo shipping business within a few years. The competition is fierce, and the criminal element is making it more costly to insure our cargo. Look at IC and Ageira. They make incredible profits off of technology monopolies and their licensing. That is the future for Kishiro.

* Kishiro's struck pure gold here in Okinawa; they might as well be mining credits planetside, because that's what we're seeing more and more of every day. We're turning profits that would make your jaw drop, everyone wants to buy from us, but especially Interspace Commerce. My grandfather always said the Libertonians would do anything to make some money quickly.

* A Hogosha agent succeeded in penetrating our defensive perimeter two weeks ago and sabotaged weather satellites #17 and #18 before being destroyed. That little shenanigan cost us thousands of credits in repairs and tens of thousands in lost revenue, as Miura can hardly be terraformed without proper sensory equipment.

* I heard from a friend of mine who works as a guard down in the mines that the labourers are being tortured and starved. Rations are cut as a matter of course, especially if quotas aren't met, and an overseer reportedly snapped off two of a man's fingers after he complained about his blistered hands.

* Unlike Samura in Hokkaido, Kishiro had to pay for the jump gate to Sigma-19. We shared the costs with the GMG, who grant us rights to mine gas there. That is the right way to do business.

* Between you and me? The average Bretonian knows the war against Gallia's lost. Many of our top advisors here are former Planetform employees, there's not much profit to be made in Bretonia these days, despite the Gaians' degradation to simple pirates. Many of Cambridge's best scientists are turning to Kishiro and the Gas Miners Guild for work. We are happy to hire the Bretonians, who knows if any treaty with Gallia will hold?

* We were searching of a planet to call home. We found Miura. Its not quite the ocean world we had hoped for. It was frozen, with a choking atmosphere. Now they say it is bearable. With GMG know-how, and a few hundred years, Miura could be an icy bastion like New Berlin!

* The Corsairs and Hogosha were once our friends and partners in the Artifact business. Then they became greedy and bypassed us to trade directly with each other. Following on from that were the raids and piracy of our ships. We do not forget such betrayals easily. All Hogosha and Corsairs are now shot on sight.

* Sometimes Samura can be so naive. They have never understood where the Blood Dragons get their financial support. We are the silent partner. The GMG decided to aid the fledgling movement of the Blood Dragons to exact our revenge for centuries of theft and humiliation at the hands of Samura.

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