Battleship Myoko

CLASS: Sekigahara

CREW: CLASSIFIED

ARMAMENT: CLASSIFIED

The oldest battleship used by the Kusari Naval Forces, this outdated vessel has, since its commissioning, been stationed in the Shikoku system.

Intended to be put out of active service in 806 AS, it was decided to prolong this term due to rising tensions in the Taus. Though capable of acting as a base of operations for patrols in the system, the Myoko would not fare well against any direct encounter with another warship.

It enjoyed relative calm until 832, when reports came in of Liberty repositioning battleships at their northern border. With fears mounting, the Myoko stands in Shikoku, as both Houses are on path to continue bitter rivalry.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Samura Industries
* Farmers Alliance
* Hogosha

## 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.

Upon further investigation, the Navy has successfully identified the ordnance being transported as being sourced from Rheinland. Going as far as to state that they contained serial codes which correspond with weaponry used by Rheinland's own Military. Naturally given the circumstances around the discovery of these weapons and Liberty's history of hot and cold relations with the neighboring House, it is expected that this development will lead to further scrutiny when it comes to potentially suspicious activity.

## Rumors

* The police are commissioned with capturing criminals, whereas we are not burdened by that limitation. If pirates are harassing shipping, we are fully within our rights to destroy them. Only if they surrender will they be spared.

* The Blood Dragons are fierce opponents, and the police require our help to fight them off. Bounty Hunters are also successful at dealing with them, and I know that Samura has hired many of these mercenaries to deal with the problem. Deshima is home to the Bounty Hunters Guild in Kusari. No where else will you find their bases operating in this part of space.

* After the Shikoku-Tokyo Gate was built in 300 AS, our period of isolation was over. Since then more and more Gaijin have entered our space. At first, the foreigners were closely monitored, and not many were allowed to enter beyond this system. That has changed, and now you may travel rather freely through our space.

* The Xenos in Kepler used to wreak havoc upon our shipping concerns traveling between Kusari and Liberty. They feel as we do toward outsiders. Though I can sympathize with that sentiment, they are not justified in their belief as we are. Well, now we have to deal with Hackers and Rogues in Galileo, not sure if that's an improvement or not.

* Our patrols enter in the Border Worlds in an attempt to stem piracy in this system and in nearby areas. If we can reduce the number of criminals in Galileo, we will reduce the criminals in Shikoku.

* The Lane Hackers make attacks upon our vessels in Galileo. They have a base there in the Komatsu Cloud, though its exact position within the cloud is unknown. They are always able to sniff out the most expensive cargoes to seize. We have taken to escorting the most lucrative shipments; sometimes it is not enough just to run patrols.

* I fly a patrol into the Keiun to hunt down Gaijin pirates. They are mostly coming in from that area. I also escort convoys from the Border Worlds. Often times the ships have been so beaten up out there that to be attacked here in Shikoku almost ensures their death.

* This system is a crossroads of Kusari and Liberty shipping. Consequently, we get a lot of Liberty criminals here. There are Rogues and Lane hackers as well as our own Blood Dragons, Golden Chrysanthemums, Farmers Alliance, and Hogosha.

* My family members are fishermen in Junyo. I thought it would be exciting to become a pilot. Now I wish I could be a fisherman again. I suppose one always to be something else, but this is different. Do you know how often Samura pilots die in this system just running supplies?

* Samura makes runs to this ship bringing HazMat Canisters from Rheinland. The engines of this battleship produce Toxic Waste, which Kishiro takes out to Shinagawa. Kishiro is useful for that sort of thing - handling the waste products.

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