Kabukicho Depot

CLASS: Musashi

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 250

Hogosha translates literally as "guardian" or "protector," reflecting the organization's rather romantic view held not only by its own members, but by a large portion of the Kusari population -- though by no means the majority. Far from protectors, the Hogosha are actually descendents of the organized crime syndicates that grow within the shadow of any sizable human society -- though the Hogosha have an oddly symbiotic relationship with both the government and Samura.

Their political connections would make any serious attempt to dismantle them an embarrassment to Kusari as any number of secrets and deals that had been kept out of the public eye came to light. However, neither do the Hogosha have a free license to operate. Arrests of low-level Hogosha operators who flaunt their activities are frequent and help keep up appearances - very important in Kusari. "Hard" crime, such as drug smuggling, is not tolerated, both by the Hogosha and the Kusari government.

Individual opinions vary, but most police consider the Hogosha a necessary evil required for the smooth functioning of Kusari society. The government simply treats the Hogosha like any other large keiretsu. The Kusari population as a whole has a similar attitude: It is pointless to like or dislike the Hogosha; they are simply a fact of life.

The Hogosha handle Artifact and gun smuggling and the fencing of stolen goods. They also do occasional dirty work for Samura. They view the Blood Dragons as a major threat to their existence and have engaged in turf wars with them, mostly in the asteroid fields of Tokyo. The Golden Chrysanthemums are a new problem, as they have few qualms about dealing in the drug trade or its consequences. Since they have no corruptible leaders or long associations with Samura or the Kusari government and police, The GC, like the Blood Dragons, are dangerous to the Hogosha way of life. They view the Junkers as their only real competitors within the Sirius Sector, and their only obstacle to expansion into the other Houses. They have approached the Corsairs to assist them in their expansion plans, which has resulted in a loose alliance between the two groups.

The Hogosha made a recent arrangement to purchase Artifacts directly from the Corsairs on the cruise ship Hawaii, a move that infuriated the GMG, who formerly served as the middleman between the two crime syndicates. It also raised the ire of the LSF, who applied pressure on Orbital Spa to deny landing privileges to the two factions.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* 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.

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.

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

* The Kanto Field gives us a good position from which to launch attacks against incoming Synth Food convoys from Shikoku. We will be victorious and force them back to Liberty. I've heard, though, that some Alliance members are also attacking Kishiro ships, which doesn't surprise me now they have a hold over the government.

* I'm on supply duty. We're to pick up our basic needs for Kagoshima, just across the Jump Hole in Kyushu. I was an unemployed farmer in Kyushu before I joined up. Samura was good to us through all the tough times -- until Synth Foods came along. Then, everything changed. Now I'm here with these criminal thugs.

* We are Samura's hired muscle. When something unpleasant needs to be done, we're the ones to do it. In exchange, they keep the police off our backs and make sure that Artifact smuggling is not taken too seriously in Kusari. We've had a long and profitable relationship and see no reason to change our ways.

* We Hogosha are legitimate businessmen. Don't believe any of those rumors about us stealing supplies from bases and all. As a matter of fact, I just came up from Tokyo with basic necessities. There's nothing evil in that, is there?

* We will never let the Junkers into Kusari space. For one thing, there is no junk. It was too precious for Kusari industry to ever throw away. The Junkers harbor many criminals that create problems for the other Houses.

* The Kobe Maru was making its weekly Artifact run across the Shikoku system when it was ambushed by the Blood Dragons. The ship is presumed destroyed, and its whereabouts are unknown, although it's been rumored to be drifting somewhere in the Shiun Cloud.

* They're sending me on the Artifact run to Leiden tomorrow. I don't like going there. Those Lane Hackers are drug addicts, and the Liberty Rogues smell badly. The GC will also show up sometimes, which can be dangerous for us. There have been Hogosha "accidents" in the cloud near the base.

* We help the Farmers Alliance by selling supplies and weapons for their base across the jump hole in Kyushu. They are a lot more inspired these days since the new government came to power. In the old days they were just spouting the company line, if you know what I mean.

* We know the holes pretty well in Kusari space. The Hole in this field goes to Kyushu, and then a quick jaunt gets you to Shikoku. In the other direction, it's pretty much a straight shot to Honshu through the Chiba Field. Watch out for those Blood Dragons, though. They can be nasty, especially if you're running Artifacts for us.

* We have a little deal with the police -- no drugs, no problems. Some of the young Bosozoku object to that. They usually get a one-way ticket out of a garbage airlock in short order. The Golden Cs are a different thing. We can't control those zealots. Misguided feminists, that's what they are.

* Our main business is Alien Artifacts. For some reason, the rich elites of Tokyo and Manhattan have always had a fondness for these toys. We used to get them from the GMG, who were the middlemen between us and the Corsairs. They got greedy, like they all do -- started charging too much. So when the *Hawaii* opened, we bypassed them and went directly to the source.

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