Roppongi Station

CLASS: Akebono

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 1320

In the early years of the Kusari Empire, foreign immigration was strictly controlled and permanent foreign settlements on New Tokyo were strictly forbidden. While the Kusari Shogunate was unwilling to bend these rules, it still accommodated foreign business interests by allowing Interspace Commerce to construct Roppongi Station in 318 AS Despite the restrictions placed on permanent residencies elsewhere in Kusari, and the outrage expressed by conservative Kusari politicians at the Hideyoshi controlled Shogunate for allowing foreigners into the New Tokyo system, Roppongi Station's business flourished, with many corporations opening offices onboard.

When Emperor Hideyoshi was deposed in 321 AS, Roppongi's future was plunged into doubt. Thankfully, even the conservatives had recognised the financial benefits of leaving it alone, and in any case they had no desire at the time to upset Interspace Commerce, who owned the rights to all the jump gates and trade lanes within Kusari. The conservatives were still reluctant to have too many foreigners in New Tokyo, however, and Deshima Station in Shikoku was eventually constructed in 350 AS with the aim of reducing the "outsider" population. Strict travel regulations were enforced for ships entering into New Tokyo.

Most of these restrictions have since been lifted in the interests of progress. Roppongi has become a busy trade center, with Kusari and foreign companies arranging business deals on the station, almost around the clock. Most of the major houses have also established their embassies on Roppongi.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Deep Space Engineering
* Synth Foods, Inc.
* Universal Shipping
* Gateway Shipping
* Interspace Commerce
* The Core
* Blood Dragons
* Golden Chrysanthemums
* Orbital Spa and Cruise
* RGS Shipping

* Bounty Hunters Guild

## 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.

With the end of the war and Bretonia's withdrawal from Planet Gran Canaria, Poole's prominence waned. The cost of policing the system and maintaining infrastructure has significantly outweighed collected tax revenue in recent years, with Planetform's Terraforming Gas operations reporting disappointing year on year returns.DSE has already confirmed that it will begin deconstruction operations shortly, with the dismantling of the Cambridge jump gate expected to be completed by 833 AS.

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Planetform has confirmed its intention to withdraw prior to this point, while settling shareholder anxiety with the announcement of promising preliminary findings for a replacement site in Newcastle.

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It remains to be seen how this united Farmers Alliance will impact affairs on the wider stage, with the security forces of both Houses already strained by their fair share of crime and dissidence.

## Rumors

* I'm on a crew replacement and supply run to the Tau-53 Gate. We've been burning through a lot of spare parts and construction machinery up there. Talk about bait-and-switch advertising! For years the gate was planned to go to Chugoku, then at the last minute Samura unveils new plans to connect to a system we never even heard of before? We could have saved countless credits, and lives, if they were upfront about this. Nothing like telling some criminals you're coming to get them by building a trillion credit jump gate to the middle of nowhere.

* I'm hoping to transfer to duty in the Sigma-19 area soon. It's supposed to be much easier now we have new access to Okinawa in the system. At least you aren't in the middle of some nebula with desperate Kusari terrorists fighting to the death -- although being in a nebula with a bunch of suicidal Outcasts probably ain't much better. Guess that's why they call it hazard pay.

* We use this station to monitor the Trade Lane network within Kusari, Tau-29, and Sigma-13. The Tau Lanes are most affected by the Outcasts, who seem to have been disturbed by the opening of the Tau-29 Jump Gate in Tau-23. Sigma-13 is threatened by Corsairs and Outcasts, though the two groups do not seem to be acting in concert.

* Kusari would have minimal criminal problems if the government agreed to some of the reforms proposed by Blood Dragon and Golden C. sympathizers some time ago. The new government insists on those groups laying down arms first, more likely they just don't want any radical voices in the government.

* Unlike our other House bases, Bounty Hunters Guild members are not allowed to base themselves on our station, at the request of the Kusari government. So we must make frequent visits to Deshima to communicate with the Guild management -- a process that I find distasteful.

* The Tau-53 Jump Gate project has not been insured or sanctioned by IC. We view the Hokkaido affair as a deliberate deception plotted by the Kusari government against its own people. They need an enemy such as the Blood Dragons to justify their enormous public expenditures incurred when opening up the Hokkaido system for Samura's personal gain. There is no better evidence for this than the fact the 'Chugoku Gate' never ended up connecting to Chugoku at all! All this money and fighting, and hey presto - the gate now links to Samura's brand new holdings in the Tau-53 and Tottori systems.

* The most troubling development in this sector is the growing strength of Gallia in the Tau sector. The military seems distracted by the Blood Dragons, and Kusari has a peace treaty with Gallia - but for how long?

* We've never been allowed to establish permanent offices anywhere except on Deshima and Roppongi. Kusari is very distrustful of outside influences. Roppongi was closed for a short duration following the Trade Lane Dispute of 521, when all Liberty representatives were evicted from Kusari space. However, eventually deals were worked out - Kusari needed Liberty's cooperation to maintain the gates and lanes. We're despised by most of Kusari, but they know they need us to keep their empire running.

* Non-Kusari companies based in Roppongi had a rough time dealing with Kusari for centuries. Roppongi was established in 321 AS, when the Hideyoshi dynasty was more open too foreigners - perhaps too open, and we've had to suffer the consequences for the past five centuries. With the current regime backed by Kishiro, things might turn out better, but make no misstake. Kusari does not like outsiders.

* We allow the Golden Chrysanthemums to land here, since they do not attack shipping indiscriminately. Their dispute is with the Kusari government and industry, and its stifling, paternalistic traditions. We at IC would view any reforms of Kusari society as beneficial to IC's interests.

* Roppongi is nice to visit. The foreigners are polite to us, much better than Kusari would ever be. They have lots of luxury boutiques for all those IC employees here, so we take advantage of the opportunity to shop in relative peace. I hate Ainu. If only I could live in New Tokyo again ...

* I think it's time for my afternoon Cardamine break. We sell our cargo here, since they won't let us land on Tokyo. All the hip Tokyo types come here to get their supply. That's how we recruit new girls to join the cause.

* 70% of the New Tokyo population under the age of 30 prefers Synth Paste to Kyushu grown food. But the Farmers have opened up a whole new planet for agriculture. Synth is up for serious competition in the Kusari market now. it's funny, now the playing field is more level than ever, and still the odds are against us.

* Synth Foods is certain that Samura funds the Farmers Alliance movement. The Kusari government has been unwilling so far to open an investigation, which is not surprising, given that many government officals are still on Samura's bribe list. The new government is all about free markets and competition, and yet the Farmers now have a whole new planet opened up for them in Tottori -- how convenient.

* We supply Roppongi with its needs. Being the place this is, that means bringing in Luxury Foods for those IC snobs, who are too lazy to go down to the planet. We also use this as our transfer point for Luxury Goods arriving from Manhattan.

* They don't let us ship our cargo directly to Yokohama -- go figure -- so we stop by here for a little R & R and then do the hop up the yard. Usually we pick up some Niobium at Narita for the return trip to Liberty.

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