Morioka Base

CLASS: Susaki

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 220

 Constructed in late 815 AS, Morioka is a small depot constructed by the Golden Chrysanthemums in the southern part of the Shikoku system. Hidden by the Keiun nebula, it is mainly used by Cardamine smugglers. The Liberty Rogues and the occasional Lane Hacker visits the station for this purpose. Blood Dragons looking to make repairs also visit, but they rarely stay longer then needed.

## 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.

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.

Presenting the potential for cataclysmic damage to personhood and proprety prompted Ageira to shut down the gates leading into the system, as well as the respective trade lanes. In the time since then however, Ames has relayed a stunning report that the storm despite being violent at first, has now settled into quite a passive albeit looming stance over the system. Perhaps more surprising than even this is the phenomena regarding the storm's interactions with the established lane and gate network in the system, seeming to bend and contort around the structure rather than engulf them. This stellar formation has produced the spatial equivalent of a tunnel that travelers into the freshly reopened Kepler have taken to dubbing the "Murky Road", prompting a small degree of sensationalized tourism into the system. Which comes as a small positive after the harsh loss of the otherwise frequent traffic.
This news comes at the tail end of previous publications that cited the storm as having origins in Alberta, supposedly arriving via some form of leakage through the jumpholes in the system. Newer research has allowed for discoveries which now suggest the contrary and this has in turn reinvigorated research into these storms and their enigmatic natures.

## Rumors

* Women have been an isolated part of the community in Kusari for centuries. This is why the Golden Chrysanthemums seek to destroy the system which oppresses them. One day Kusari will have an Empress, who will end the tyranny of men. I just hope I will be around to witness it.

* Morioka has maintained little cultural value, but its economic role is very important to us. Our economy has become much more specialised in recent years and further development of such logistic centres will be needed in the future.

* The Golden Chrysanthemums have expanded greatly in recent years, extending our influence rapidly among the Kusari women. Our movement is now four times larger than that of Blood Dragons, although they are mainly fighters while our organisation has a very large amount of civilian supporters.

* Michiko Arai is crazy about the Blood Dragons, but we should be careful not to become too dependant on their aid. The Golden Chrysanthemums must grow strong so we no longer need them. After all, when the Kusari government falls, we will be facing the Blood Dragons. Both the Golden Chrysanthemums and the Blood Dragons want the same thing. To rule Kusari.

* Our Blood Dragon friends here are welcome, although they can occasionally be troublesome. A few of them tend to favour alcohol a bit too much and sometimes cause a commotion in the bar. Sometimes it can get out of hand and end up with people getting injured. Maybe if they took Cardamine there would be no need for all of this violence.

* The Golden Chrysanthemums have two main sources of income. The first one is piracy, of course. Goods stolen from Kusari transports serve us well. Some of them are distributed from Morioka base to satisfy our most basic needs and the rest are sold off at Morioka, making us a nice profit. The second source is the Cardamine trade. We buy our Cardamine from the Outcasts and sell it in Kusari. These two financial branches make for a solid platform on which we base our entire economy.

* The Golden Chrysanthemums allow me to stay on Morioka and I occasionally join them on raids. I even started to take cardamine to fit in better and to show my dedication to their cause. I know I am unable to become a full member of the Golden Chrysanthemums because I am a man, but that does not stop me from supporting them where I can. The Golden Chrysanthemums on the station do not mind my presence and some of them have become good friends of mine.

* One of our cardamine transports just arrived at Morioka. It is a dangerous journey to travel all the way to Malta, but it is most profitable to buy directly from the source. The Kusari State Police is attempting to discover our smuggling routes, but we are well aware of this and keep changing them. There are many ways to depart and enter Kusari, more ways than they are aware of.

* Mediating with the Junkers is much more difficult than one would expect it to be. The Junkers cannot really come to us, so we have to come to them. It takes a lot of time and effort to reach the Galileo system where such meetings are usually held. If it were not for the fact that they are also enemies of the Hogosha we would have nothing to gain out of this acquaintance. We hope that one day Junkers will be able to press the Hogosha hard enough to weaken them, but so far the influence they have in Kusari is virtually non-existent.

* My wife and two children were killed on Glasgow Outpost during a Kusari Navy foray into Leeds, when a stray firestalker missile slammed into the station. I swore revenge, but the Bretonian Armed Forces wouldn't take me, they have war rules and all of that and I didn't want them to be sued by the military court for whatever I'm going to do next. One of my friends got me in touch with the Golden Chrysanthemums, who eventually transported me out here on one of their undercover transports. I know they are comprised mostly of women, but this wouldn't be the first time a man has joined them.

* I am very respectful of the Blood Dragons. It was two weeks ago that I was ambushed in Shikoku by four Bounty Hunters when a Blood Dragon came to my aid. My ship was still capable of entering combat, but the Blood Dragon insisted on me staying out of range. He told me that he would destroy the four Bounty Hunters on his own, which he did! I've never seen anyone to fight like that before. I will never be able to express my gratitude.

* I often associate with the Junkers. They are enemies with the Hogosha, just as we are; therefore it makes them natural allies to us. The Junkers are little better than the Hogosha, though. Both they and the Hogosha profit from the corrupt local governments, taking a slice of the black market pie. If the Junkers were to replace the Hogosha, then nothing would really change. The only difference that I see between the two factions is the goods they deal in.

* Once you join the Golden Chrysanthemums, there is no turning back to your old life. The cardamine addiction ensures this. Each of us is fully dedicated to our cause. We will fight until we achieve victory or death. Sometimes this means the same thing, when we crash our ships into the flank of a Kusari naval cruiser.

* If you are interested in the history of Morioka base or even of our sisterhood, you would be better off asking Hisako Takahashi. She is one of our eldest Sisters and is over a hundred and seventy years old. She was here when this base was first built, and she will hopefully live to see the day when we have won our struggle and are dismantling it. You'll find her at Chanai Biodomes these days, though.

* Have you ever seen a Blood Dragon fight? There is true honour in their ways. Few pilots can match a Blood Dragon in combat. It's a mind blowing experience to see a warrior of such skill handle his weapon like a true master. The Blood Dragons do not use anything to enhance their combat abilities, they win by mere skill. I would have headed for Kyoto long ago if it was not for their old fashioned ways.

* Morioka is well hidden within the Keiun Cloud. The Kusari police don't dare to chase after us once we leave open space and enter the Keiun Cloud. There are not only Golden Chrysanthemums found in this nebula, but also Rogues and Lane Hackers who come to Morioka to trade with us. The occasional foolish police pilot who does give chase, rarely makes it out alive.

* Have you seen what the Gauls did to Planet Leeds? It was one of the worst places to live in, but now it is a deadly wasteland, unable to support any life at all. I will never forgive Gallia for what they did and I won't hesitate to spill Gallic blood if the opportunity presents itself.

* Fuchu prison is located not far from here, another symbol of oppression by the corrupt government. A lot of the prisoners there are Blood Dragons and I shudder to think what might be going on in there. The Blood Dragons and the Golden Chrysanthemums have launched several attacks on that installation, but so far without much success.

* Morioka was built as a Golden Chrysanthemum outpost on the very edge of Kusari. Smugglers from Liberty make frequent stops here to buy our cardamine, while bringing weapons and other supplies with them to sell. Some of them think that because we are women, we can't drive a hard bargain. Clearly they never met a Chrysanthemum before.

* We have operated this base for our Sisterhood for nearly a hundred and sixty years and we are proud of it. No enemy has ever set foot onboard Morioka, except as a prisoner or a corpse, and the station has only ever been attacked once, in 782 AS None of the attacking Hogosha vessels ever survived to report of its location, so it has remained hidden to this day.

* I sometimes work at the bar here in Morioka on the condition that I do not drink alcohol myself. The Sisters hate drunk men bothering them, but I am not like those Rogues who occasionally show up here. I got in a fight with one of them when he bothered Michiko. That guy ended up in the airlock. I pride myself for introducing Bretonian tea to Morioka. I know this sounds cliche, but a Bretonian man can't survive in foreign space without his tea. It is like cardamine to Bretonians, I tell you. Just between us. Try to mix some cardamine in the tea, you wont be disappointed.

* We have strengthened a lot since the Chanai biodome project was completed, and also due to the Bretonian-Kusari war. The population has increased dramatically and our technology is catching up with the help of Blood Dragons. The Golden Chrysanthemums have climbed to a whole new different level. We're at the peak of our power right now, but even such advances are not enough to take on the Kusari Naval Forces in head on combat.

*NOTE: Page generated on the 28/10/2023 at 17:59:45 UTC*