Ainu Depot

CLASS: Kikukamonsho

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 320

Most scholars date the start of the group as the publication of Golden Chrysanthemum in Bloom in 642 AS. The author, Yuyu Matsuda, was a young but critically acclaimed poet. Charismatic and well-spoken, Matsuda had a considerable following among young Kusari women who found their lives lacking in direction but were reluctant to become married and fulfil their traditional role in Kusari society.

Yuyu decried what she saw as the corruption of the Kusari male-dominated culture and preached a revolution led by the long-suffering women of Kusari. These ideas were eventually encapsulated in Golden Chrysanthemum in Bloom, in which Matsuda described a fictitious nation called Yomi. A place of fat, lazy male bureaucrats who handed out concessions at the whim of entrenched mega-corporations, Yomi was eventually engulfed in revolution and united under the rule of a benevolent Empress personally selected by the goddess Amaterasu to watch over her people.

Matsuda looked to the foreigners as a model, where women could be president and run corporations. The Chrysanthemum went on to become a best-seller. Unfortunately, in 648 AS, Matsuda crossed the dangerous line between ideas and actions when she was implicated in the botched assassination attempt of the planetary governor of Kyushu. Rather than face the ignominy of imprisonment, Matsuda chose ritual suicide instead. With the death of Matsuda, the radicalization of most of her followers began and an increase in attacks on government personnel and installations followed soon after.

Ainu Depot was the first space station built by the Golden Chrysanthemums, though the exact date of its construction is unknown it is speculated to date back to late 660 AS. Ever since its construction, Ainu has served as a valuable launchpad for raids upon traffic passing through Kyushu and Hokkaido much to the discontent of the Kusari State Police.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Golden Chrysanthemums

* Golden Chrysanthemums

## 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.

The Cardamine shortage has taken a toll on the fighting ability and courage of our sisters, who have refused several combat assignments and we have been forced to rely more heavily on the assistance of our allies, the Blood Dragons, who have of course attempted to discourage our sisters from taking Cardamine and some have even insisted on the necessity of abandoning our sacred rituals for situations such as these.
The Shikoku system itself, where the presence of our allies is limited to say the least, has been a most difficult situation for our movement. The Lane Hackers have repeatedly been unhappy with our deliveries of Cardamine to Leiden, and our convoys heading to Leiden have also been the target of several ambushes by Liberty Rogues attempting to seize our product.
We can do nothing more than wait and pray that the crisis on planet Malta will be quickly averted, and our patrons will once again bestow their Gift upon us as before.

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.

Professor Nagel and her team are certain the Pulse originated from outside Sirius, but are otherwise no closer to identifying its source or mitigating a future Blackout event. "Following the Blackout, we began to see immediate signs of jump hole destabilization in multiple different regions, with many ultimately falling out of phase alignment altogether", she commented. The dramatic upending of Sirius' jump hole network has already prompted many groups to abandon stations and withdraw from systems that appear to risk being cut off.
While months-long trips between the stars are possible thanks to the Liberty Engine and many centuries of innovation, few ships are designed or provisioned to make such arduous journeys. Those who were displaced by Sirius' redrawn map hope that system connections will return, while adventurers and explorers rush to discover new routes.

"These, like all effects of the stimulant, last roughly an hour and leave no permanent alterations. The only permanent effect is Cardamine addiction. None of the other components have addictive qualities." Ishida goes to elaborate further and states that "The full formula is a closely guarded secret and shall not be made public." This new drug is currently focused mainly for the Kusari market, but Ishida has not ruled out the possibility of expanding it further.

## Rumors

* Many Naval Forces fighters have been lost recently in skirmishes with the Blood Dragons. Due to the low visibility and difficult conditions in the cloud, some weapons could still remain on the ships in some of the more remote locations.

* The Blood Dragons can land nowhere in Kusari space, so we must come here to purchase our supplies from the Golden C. girls. They are all drug addicts, which we do not approve of, but they share the passion for a new Kusari, so we help them fight the evil Samura.

* This ship is something else. Did you see the engines? And the guns? This thing is fast, and it hits like a bag of rice.

* The Naval Forces have been trying to aggressively expand Kusari's sphere of influence into the Taus. While there hasn't been any major push so far, they recently tried their hand in deploying an expeditionary force. Normally this would have been a matter the Outcasts handled themselves, but the recent conflict seems to have taken a toll on them. They called on us for aid in reopening Kyushu and relieving its otherwise ironclad blockade, this brought us into repeated skirmishes with the Naval Forces, which eventually escalated with the loss of the Matsuda. It's not a loss we can recover from, but with Kyushu's arteries once again open for smugglers, we've at least made something of this sacrifice.

* Our base is in Chugoku, through the jump hole in the Kayo Cloud. If you want to bring us supplies, there is good money to be made. We especially need food and reactor fuel like MOX.

* We use Kyushu to access Shikoku, where many of our sisters and brothers are held unjustly in Fuchu prison by the government henchmen of Samura. The new government is not inclined to release them, but we stand a much better chance of a prisoner exchange. Kishiro seems to care more for kidnapped Samura employees then Samura does!

* This is the fastest route for us to access Kyushu and Shikoku, but we must cross the Gap and dodge the military patrols in the Kayo Cloud. It has been a difficult battle, but I believe we will be victorious soon. Samura and the military abandoned the absurd notion of a gate to Chugoku, and have linked it to the dark clouds of Tau-53 instead.

* We use Ainu as our forward base from which to launch attacks into Kyushu. The jump hole lies just south of us here. Our favorite targets are the Samura transports, at least if the police aren't around. On occasion, we have made assaults on the Nansei Research Center, but that is risky with the KNF so close by. We want to go deeper into Tau-53, but it is dark and dangerous for everyone. We will stalk some Samura transports and see where they are going first.

* This is our Kinkakuji, however humble it may seem to you. Here our new recruits must learn the teachings of Yuyu in the "Golden Chrysanthemum in Bloom," our source of inspiration. It says that Kusari will eventually be engulfed in revolution and united under the rule of a benevolent empress personally selected by the goddess Amaterasu to watch over her people.

* We must occasionally make the long journey to Leiden in the Independent Worlds to sell Cardamine and buy supplies from the smelly foreigners. The Lane Hackers are strange, but not so bad once you get to know them. The Rogues are disgusting pigs. They always harass us in the bar.

* The Dragons have been more abrasive as of late, issuing demand after demand, and trying their level best to impose their vision of Kusari on us. They are in no position to be acting with such authority, not when they still rely on us for supplies and safe harbor.

* The Dragons have been more abrasive as of late, issuing demand after demand, and trying their level best to impose their vision of Kusari on us. They are in no position to be acting with such authority, not when they still rely on us for supplies and safe harbor.

* The Naval Forces have been trying to aggressively expand Kusari's sphere of influence into the Taus. While there hasn't been any major push so far, they recently tried their hand in deploying an expeditionary force. Normally this would have been a matter the Outcasts handled themselves, but the recent conflict seems to have taken a toll on them. They called on us for aid in reopening Kyushu and relieving its otherwise ironclad blockade, this brought us into repeated skirmishes with the Naval Forces, which eventually escalated with the loss of the Matsuda. It's not a loss we can recover from, but with Kyushu's arteries once again open for smugglers, we've at least made something of this sacrifice.

* Once we are more established in Kusari, we will no longer need this hellish place. Samura puts much pressure on us. Only the assistance of the Blood Dragons has allowed us to survive at all out here.

* I graduated from New Tokyo University with a degree in Quantum Engineering. I found work at Samura pouring coffee for my male boss. When the Golden C. approached me at a Roppongi bar, I jumped at the chance to finally fight back for the women of Kusari.

* The only place we can land in Kusari space is Roppongi. The foreigners find us more amusing than threatening, and tolerate our presence there. So we buy Luxury Goods in the boutiques onboard, and sell our Cardamine to the highest bidders in the bars scattered around the station.

* The Ohtori was escorting the Yukari Maru from Cali to Ainu when it was ambushed by a Naval Forces patrol crossing Kyushu. The cargo ship fled to safety while its escort turned to fight the attackers to the death. There are rumors that the Ohtori may be still intact somewhere in the Seiran Dust Cloud.

* We are not numerous yet, but that will change as more of the oppressed women of Kusari tire of the old ways. As we speak, underground cells of the disaffected youth are being formed on all the home planets. We encourage them to visit foreign lands, try exotic foods, and experiment with many new ideas.

* We buy our Cardamine from the Outcasts on Cali in the Tau-23 system. They are disturbing people -- always wearing those masks, but we need the Cardamine. It defines our cause and serves as an important security mechanism. All recruits of Matsuda must become addicted to the drug before they are allowed to become full-fledged members. This makes it difficult for the Kusari security forces to penetrate our cell. And of course, they are not women...

* We support the Blood Dragons as well as we can. They need access to our base to rest and resupply after crossing the Gap, or after long Kyushu raids. We do not share the same beliefs, but they are not incompatible. We are all devoted to the overthrow of the Kusari government.

* The Shibuya Maru was making a Cardamine shipment across the southern end of the Shikoku system when it was intercepted by a Bounty Hunter named Jake Rush. He swears that he opened fire and badly wounded the ship. He searched the cloud for some time, but never found the Shibuya. The word around Deshima is that it never made it to the Galileo system. It's probably out there somewhere in the Keiun Cloud.

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