Kagoshima Depot

CLASS: Musashi

GRAVITY: Partial

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Limited

POPULATION: Unknown

Kyushu is often referred to as the Samura “company” planet within Kusari, as so many of its inhabitants depend on Samura’s continued largess. As part of an effort to stimulate rice production on Kyushu, Samura gradually organized the Kyushu farmers into cooperatives that would buy Fertilizer and customized seeds from their laboratories in New Tokyo. Consumers paid exorbitant amounts for the rice produced, which everyone swore was much higher quality than that produced in any other part of Kusari, and thus worth the premium price it fetched in Samura’s Tokyo supermarkets.

With the eventual introduction of Trade Lanes, Kusari farmers were opened to competition with the rest of the Sirius Sector. They lobbied the government heavily, financed with Samura money, which had the most to lose from cheaper foreign competitors. The government acquiesced for several centuries, leading to astronomical Kusari Food prices. Eventually, under pressure from the Liberty government, Kusari reopened the agricultural imports market, despite intense lobbying by Samura.

Synth Foods moved in and became an overnight success, opening franchises in the urban areas of Honshu and New Tokyo. Demand for expensive Kyushu Food dropped, and many independent farmers were forced out of business. Feeling betrayed, some of the farmers proceeded to organize the Farmers Alliance, a militant group that lobbies for "farmers' rights" -- which include such things as government subsidies and restrictions on the sale of foreign foods in Kusari. In fact, the Farmers Alliance generally is opposed to foreign influence of any kind, particularly the Trade Lanes that have so damaged their livelihoods.

The general population ignores the Farmers Alliance for the most part, though they do have some support among older Kusari citizens. In reality The Farmers Alliance is little more than a puppet of Samura, who wishes to return to its Food and trade monopoly days. Samura uses them for much of its dirty work, attacking foreign shippers, Synth Foods, and even Kishiro on occasion. The Farmers Alliance likes the Hogosha, as they represent the traditional “criminals” of Kusari that fit in with society. They abhor the Golden Chrysanthemums and their disgusting drug habit. The Blood Dragons are also viewed with suspicion, since whatever Samura says is the truth.

## Bribes & Missions Offered

* Gateway Shipping
* Samura Industries
* Farmers Alliance

## Commodities

* H-Fuel
* Pharmaceuticals
* Consumer Goods
* Cardamine
* Light Arms

## Rumors

* The Kusari government should not allow lower quality imports that threaten the farmers’ traditional way of life. Before Synth Foods was allowed into Kusari, we could charge a premium price for our Rice and Produce. Now all of the Tokyo urbanites prefer cheap Synth Paste.
* We are the unemployed farmers of the garden planet of Kyushu. Our families have toiled for generations, producing Food for all of Kusari. Synth Foods has destroyed our traditional way of life in 10 years. They must be stopped.
* Samura has been very good to us. They built the factories in Kyushu, provided us with special Seeds and Fertilizers, and even provided special Samura Bank loans to my family. We drive a Samura XCV series personal craft, of course.
* We have been able to find many eager recruits in Kyushu. The factories are empty and the fields lay fallow in Kyushu because of the foreigners. Kishiro uses Gaijin labor at Deshima to manufacture its Consumer Goods, products that were once made by Kyushu craftsmen.
* The Golden Chrysanthemums represent all that is wrong with the young women of Kusari. They refuse to accept their traditional honored role as wife and mother in our society, instead becoming drug addicted man-haters. Samura tells us that they are working together with those dangerous Blood Dragons.
* We use this base to attack Synth Food convoys in Shikoku and Tokyo. There are Jump Holes near both systems. Sometimes the council of elders orders us to attack Kishiro Consumer Goods transports, or even Optical Chips. We do what we are told; that is the traditional Kusari way.