Golden Dragon Casino

CLASS: Shukensha

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 1210

The Golden Dragon Casino is a massive luxuary liner operated by the Hogosha through several legal shell companies. For the most part, it is exactly what it claims to be - a luxurious casino which caters to those who can afford its many services. Samura holds contracts for the supply of the station. The Kusari Police and Naval Forces rarely patrol the area where the Golden Dragon has moved to. This allows the Golden Dragon to also serve as a transfer point for illicit cargo, mainly Alien Artifacts, which are rumored to be readily available to those who have the credits.

The Golden Dragon is mainly frequented by wealthy visitors from both Kusari and Liberty. The Hogosha escort guests to and from Deshima to ensure they arrive safely. The Blood Dragons have on occasion made attacks against these convoys, but rarely against the liner itself.

## 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.

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

* The Hogosha have spies everywhere. They have agents within Samura, Kishiro and even the Kusari Government. It would be unwise to try to hinder their activities.

* The race track near the casino is not the only place where young pilots risk their lives for the money, deep within the Tottori system the Hogosha maintain a private arena for pilots to test their skills in dog fights.

* I've heard that theres a lot of money to be made buying alien artifacts from Crete and bringing them back here to be sold in Kusari.

* At the end of each month, the family leaders which compose the Hogosha syndicate are gathered for a secret underground meeting on Anijima Base. This group is known as the Hogosha Kaigi.

* We Hogosha control the black market in Kusari. Others, like the Junkers, try and press in on our business but we have a firm hold. Of course lining the pockets of certain politicians makes things much easier.

* Although the Hogosha are well known for their artifact smuggling and dangerous activities. Rumours suggest that they sometimes send large transport convoys into the deep Edge Worlds to pick up supplies.

* It is said that in the lower levels of the Black Dragons casino, a shadowy figure know only as "The Hand" can be found torturing the enemies of the Hogosha.

* There are many Hogoshan syndicates operating throughout Kusari, but it is only the secretive Black Dragon Society that has members within the government, military and Kusari's big corporations.

* Many members of the Hogosha syndicate enjoy a cigar once in a while, it has kind of become a tradition lately to simply smoke at any given occasion. But remember, if a higher-ranked figure walks by you must instantly bow to express your respect.

* Many reckless pilots have died trying to navigate the racetrack in this system, one mistake and you can find yourself spinning out of control towards a deadly minefield.

* There's a rumour that the Bretonian Queen is addicted to Cardamine and her military has been supporting the Golden Chrysanthemums in an attempt to undermine the Kusari government putting a stop to the trade.

* The Hogosha pride themselves in being the "Higher Class" of Kusari, with most of their money supplied from taxations and the Artifact trade. This is one of the reasons they can afford to own such expensive luxuries.

* It is well known among the Hogosha that those who betray the brotherhood are never seen from again, rumour is that they are all taken by 'The Hand'.

* The Raba Transport not only makes a great transport, but the Hogosha also use it for combat activities. Some hogosha have even been spotted attacking foreign transports in them.

* People who can't afford staying at the luxurious Golden Dragon Casino may find themselves ending up here in Suzuka Station, where over two-hundred rooms are offered for a low price.

* Many of Kusari's high ranking government officials and politicians spend time in the casino. I've heard most of them are in the pockets of the Hogosha which explains why they're here so much.

* Don't tell this to anyone but sometimes I shuffle the cards in such a way that an ace always ends up at the top of the deck. That way I trick the casino visitors so that they lose their money. It's no problem though, I only do it once a week in order to avoid suspicion.

* The Golden Dragon Casino liner makes frequent trips between here and many of the major planets throughout Sirius bringing VIP's and tourists back and forth.

* It is rumoured that the Hogosha and the Farmer's Alliance have a very strong alliance. The two can often be seen working together to stop the flow of goods from other houses. This alliance also benefits Samura, strengthening the relations between the three.

* Most of our recruits complete their training at Anijima Base where they finally become acknowledged as fully-fledged members of the Hogosha syndicate.

* The Hogosha dislike foreigners coming to Kusari from other houses. Foreign trading convoys can often be found being taxed or destroyed by the Hogosha.

* Rumour has it that one of the assassins of the Yakuza family is actually a woman. I hope for their sake that isn't true, the reputation of their organization would decline quickly if people found out that the Yakuza are dependent on women to do their job.

* I'm not sure if you have heard about them before, but the Yakuza family are notorious within the Hogosha community for sporting some of the best assassins our syndicate has to offer.

* I've heard talk that the Gas Miners Guild have been secretly supporting the Blood Dragons finacially in return for some dirty little favours being done.

* Since most of the older generation of Hogosha either ended up dead or faced trial by the Kusari authorities, many families are now taking a different path, one that is less focused on protecting Kusari traditions and ideologies.

* A couple of months ago the Hogosha syndicate purchased exotic women from the Liberty Rogues. About twenty of them arrived at the Golden Dragon Casino. You can say that they will practically have their hands full, if you know what I mean.

* Kamakura base in the Okinawa system has become a friendly destination for Corsairs venturing through the Sigmas to trade their artifacts with the Hogosha.

* The Hogosha has been in a rough state lately, a lot of our higher ranked members have been caught red-handed by the Police enforcement. I even heard that the Kumicho of the Black Dragon Society ended up in jail.

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