Tsushima Depot

CLASS: Nobunaga

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Limited

CREW: 350

Tsushima Depot was launched as the start of a vertically integrated chain completely owned and operated by Samura, and has grown in scale over the years. Hydrocarbons imported from the Shikoku system are processed into Polymers here and then shipped to Samura's shipyards and manufacturing plants in New Tokyo. The base once processed Hydrocarbons directly from the massive rings orbiting Aso, but these have since been mined out. Sections of the depot have also been subject to repurposing, instead storing relief supplies bound for Kyushu. It also serves as an impromptu headquarters for Samura to aggregate its brightest minds, albeit sometimes through coercive means, in an effort to project itself as being fully invested in Kyushu's quick recovery. The atmosphere aboard the depot is therefore tense, as company management intends to run a watertight ship in order to deprive Synth Foods of any controversy from which they could profit.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Border World Exports
* Kishiro Technologies
* Samura Industries

## News

Battleship Matsumoto and its task force remain in the Kyushu system to protect the fragile transports from vultures among the Blood Dragons or Golden Chrysanthemums. Some Farmer's Alliance vessels have even been glimpsed to patrol the routes left largely unnoticed by the wider Naval blockade of the system, and have subsequently been given some leniency by Naval Forces and State Police patrols.
While the relief effort is now well underway, criticism has been leveled at Samura for the prioritisation of rebuilding profitable farming infrastructure over the care of the local populations. Spokespeople for the company have repeatedly assured that displaced victims of the storms that continue to ravage the planet are being cared for to the best of their abilities, but that supplies are strained and not all communities are yet able to be reached.

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.

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.

"The Surveyor is more than just a ship, it's a symbol of ingenuity and industrial development to all the Sirian Colonies. It's a pattern that dates back to our origins in the Sol system, and it's a pattern that will persist for many generations to come. Just as we have adapted to meet new challenges, so too must the Surveyor to meet emergent needs."
The Next-Gen Surveyor is slated to roll out multiple updates ranging from technological optimizations to upgraded armor and firepower capabilities. Many of the new modifications directly address a recent study by the Sirius International Institute of Statistics and Economics, citing up to 32 percent losses by BMM and Kruger Minerals to piracy and related factors.
The ship's expanded armour increased the ship's mass by almost 50 percent, which forced Samura's Surveyor team to completely overhaul the ship's power delivery system, powerplant, and hull. The new ship utilizes a power delivery system integrated into the super-alloy frame. The integrated frame was torture tested at the Aso High Altitude Proving Grounds, and sports certifications as best in class for maneuvering with a load under high Gs.
Though time will tell whether the upgrade will prove successful in addressing the increase of piracy, the stock market has greeted the welcome news with a 15 point general increase, and a relative high for Samura and mining sector stocks.

## Rumors

* The gas rings that surround Aso comprise valuable Methane Gases that are mined and used to make Polymers. The Polymers manufactured here are shipped to Osaka for distribution to Rheinland.

* I am getting too old for this job. I would like to retire like they do in Liberty and Bretonia. But, Samura hires its employees for life. If I quit I will dishonor my family. Maybe I could have a mining "accident."

* All of this station's basic supplies come from this system's main planet, Kyushu. It is an easy supply run to make, if not very lucrative.

* Hydrocarbons are shipped to this facility from Fuchu prison in Shikoku. The Hydrocarbons will be used to convert the Gases we mine into Polymers.

* My family members have been joint fitters in the Yokohama shipyards for many generations. I came because Samura is paying well for laborers to mine the Methane and Ethane out of the ice rings that surround this planet. Besides, New Tokyo was getting much too crowded.

* The subsidies that Samura receives from the government to run this plant more than pay for the pilots we hire to attack the Kishiro Polymer production plant that operates in the Border Worlds. Still, the added expense cuts into our profits.

* I would love to take a shower; I haven't bathed in days. At least those damnable Chrysanthemums didn't steal our Food shipments or else we would be starving to death right now. Imagine starving to death in Kyushu -- there's irony for you.

* Recently Kishiro opened a Polymer manufactory in the Border Worlds. Somehow they are able to produce their Polymers for a smaller cost. This has made our operations here more difficult since the market is being flooded by lower priced and obviously lower quality products. I'm sure the shipyards will realize the importance of using better, slightly more expensive components.

* Just beyond this planet lies the Ohka Dust Field. Beyond that is the Border Worlds, the Barrier, Gallia... and adventure. I am tired of being a miner. I wish to discover Sirius like Matsuo, the great Kusari explorer. My father just doesn't understand.

* The young bucks who come to work here do not understand the life they have chosen for themselves. They will understand in twenty years or so that we are nothing more than machines that Samura will throw away when it is done with us.

* I have no idea why the Blood Dragons attack this base. It could serve them no good to harass ice miners. I hate terrorists. Their political objectives are always so extreme, and so are their violent actions.

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