Battleship Hamamatsu

CLASS: Showa

CREW: CLASSIFIED

ARMAMENT: CLASSIFIED

The latest warship to enter service for the Kusari Naval Forces, the Hamamatsu enjoys fielding the most recent technological advancements made on Kure Shipyard.

Due to possessing much better equipped cabins for the crews and an enlarged cargo bay, it was chosen as the vanguard of the Kusari invasion of Gallia in 827 AS. Firmly crushing any opposition, it created a path for other vessels to pour into Gallia and sow chaos into the systems conquered.

Highly successful in its missions for the duration of the war, it was then moved to Honshu, where it guards Kusari's southern border – a place that has seen many important battles in past centuries.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Gateway Shipping
* Kishiro Technologies
* Samura Industries
* Farmers Alliance

## 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.

## Rumors

* The Golden Chrysanthemums might be our number one priority in this system, but it is the Blood Dragons who are the greatest threat to our physical safety. The Golden C. pilots are young and reckless; the Dragons are skilled and fearless.

* I am eager to get some action, we have all been confined to training simulators for far too long.

* This ship is something else. Did you see the engines? And the guns? This thing is fast, and it hits like a bag of rice.

* The Seiran Dust Field is the point of entry for the Blood Dragons that enter the system. Our patrols have spotted them moving between there and the Okha Dust Field. We cannot interrogate the ones we capture as we would like to, so many of their strategies remain secrets.

* Though some of their actions do get a little violent, the Farmers Alliance is not a real threat to Kusari society. Much of our time and resources would be wasted hunting down a paper tiger. The occasional accidental attack on Kishiro occurs, but for the most part they attack only Gaijin shipping.

* My father served on the Nagumo. Never forget.

* One of the greatest threats to Kusari is the spread of Cardamine abuse. The Golden Chrysanthemums have been smuggling Cardamine into Kusari through this system, and it must end. I have ordered all Golden Chrysanthemums to be summarily executed and given flight commanders a red pass on patrols in the Border Worlds and this system.

* Much of our effort is spent redirecting the Gaijin into Shikoku. We are trying to seal this part of Kusari space and, more importantly, New Tokyo from their presence. Bretonians, Gallians and the populations of the Border Worlds are very unsavory characters. They would be more comfortable in the other system.

* This ship plays an important role in keeping the foreign criminals out of our beautiful system. Let them infest Shikoku if they must; Kyushu is ours. Personally, I wish that Kusari was still strictly isolationist. We could always transfer goods at our borders, but the government has grown lax.

* We often have Armored Transports taking Prisoners to Fuchu Prison. As part of our supply contract with the KNF, we bring back Marine contingents used for ship-boarding parties.

* All the basic supplies needed to run this base are brought here from Kyushu. The shipments also bring in mail, since many of the soldiers aboard the Nagumo are from the finest families planet side, and send care packages to their kin aboard the ship.

* The Nansei Research Center is protected by this battleship. It is a great responsibility protecting the best and brightest minds in Kusari. Someone must take the forefront of scientific research in Kusari, and that great task falls upon Samura's shoulders.

* Light Arms are given to every soldier aboard the ship. They are supplied from relay bases in New Tokyo.

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