823 AS, BATTLESHIP NAGUMO - The area around the Tau 29 jump gate in Kyushu earlier exploded into violence after clashes between Republican forces and the remnants of the Imperial navy known as the 'Exiles'. The root of this conflict stems from Kusari's revolutionary shift in government five years ago. In the immediate aftermath of the unsuccessful Tau War against Bretonia and later Gallia (812 - 818) and the decimation of Kusari's fleet, senior elements of the remaining KNF overthrew the Imperial government and removed the Emperor, intending to institute a moderate democratic Republic. Large sectors of Kusari's population have long harboured resentment about this upheaval, and the elements of the Kusari fleet that were stranded in Bretonia with then-Emperor Jien Kogen swore to one day return to their homeland and restore Kusari's "glory" and the Imperial dynasty.

This pledge dramatically developed from promise to practice as the Exiled fleet launched a desperate all-out attack on Kyushu system. Early reports indicated that the Battleship Nagasaki had been deployed to secure a beach-head at the Tau 29 gate and engaged the antiquated Battleship Nagumo after demands of surrender were issued and refused by both parties. Flying under the banner of the Emperor-in-Exile Nara Tetsuya (uncle of the deceased Jien Kogen), the Exiles launched a vicious surprise attack on the Nagumo's fleet, apparently code-named Operation Kamikaze. The battle appears to have ended largely inconclusively, with both fleets suffering damage but the Nagumo eventually conceding the field and withdrawing in order to consolidate its position and call for reinforcements. The sum total of casualties has yet to be determined, but the space around the gate is now littered by the ruins of destroyed vessels, standing testament to the ferocity of the fighting.

This monumental event has already rocked the Republic to its core and highlighted several uncomfortable factors: the Nagumo's fleet was heavily undermanned and intelligence relating to the Exiles' presence in the Taus allegedly lacking. This has already resulted in protests against the government on New Tokyo amid accusations of negligent complacency. Others have cast the finger of blame at the elite and secretive Kempeitai intelligence agency, asserting that the 'blunder' was actually a campaign of deception by Imperial loyalists designed to assist the Exiles in their goals. Another pivotal element that allowed the Exiles to narrowly grasp victory was the desertion of the Republican battlecruiser Akatsuki. The Republic's loose hold on the political allegiance of its officer cadre may well be the most damaging factor in any protracted conflict, with the reaction of many soldiers being hard to gauge until they are committed to the battlefield itself.

Riots have already broken out across Planet Kyushu in response to the Emperor-in-Exile's return, with the KSP ordered to restore the peace. Sources within the KNF claim that the Nagumo did not in fact retreat, and was instead withdrawn to planetary orbit in order to assist with this civil peacekeeping campaign, as the safety of Kusari civilians was of a higher importance than the situation at the jump gate. Whatever the result, Kusari has narrowly missed the opportunity to end what is sure to be a bitter conflict before it could truly bloom. With the Exiles entrenching themselves in their positions and preparing to launch further assaults, it seems full blown civil war is an inevitable element of Kusari's future. As skirmishes intensify in the wake of the Nagumo's retreat, Kusari's overall fate could well hang in the balance.