Operation KINTSUGI (金継ぎ)

Preliminary Phase One: Survey

As a follow up on the suspicious activity patterns of the Kusari Naval Forces and Samura Heavy Industries, the Shogun ordered a squadron of fighters to carry out a special reconnaissance investigation of the Rishiri system. It didn't take long before news of the hasty removal of all Kusari assets from Rishiri reached the ears of the Dragons, who have sleeper agents planted within several media outlets of the nation. The big heads in the media theorize that the pull is a result of an implicit triple threat from the Gallic Navy, the Maquis, and the Outcasts. They suspect it to have been too costly for the nation to support the protection of Samura's multiplexor capital amidst the pressure of several criminal organizations and a rivaling house, and so Samura assets are being moved into heavily protected Kusari territory, that being the new Osaka that has yet to be officially announced. Sensing an opportunity to capitalize on the retreat, the Shogun sent the survey team in hopes of good luck. Thus, the survey squadron, spearheaded by Genbu Hayashi Aiko, was organized and set out for the Rishiri system.

Quickly, the team realized that widely distributed viral code injections used by the Dragons to access the jump gate in Hokkaido no longer function. Critical errors were given on each attempt, leading them to suspect the gate was disabled. They were forced to take the alternate route to Rishiri via the known jump hole within the system. Once they initiated the breach and jumped through, the four ships scattered in order to streamline the operation. The following camera snapshots are what they found. Due to certain technological and display constraints, the image quality may not be as good as it could be, however, it does the job.


As you can see, the system has been entirely abandoned by the Empire in an attempt to cut the costs of protecting trade assets, just as the news said. The other side of the gate has been damaged beyond repair. All lanes in the system have been knocked offline through force. The only intact piece of infrastructure is the gate to Lorraine, which is also simply disabled like the gate within Hokkaido. In terms of externals, Misaki Station appears completely intact. Asahikawa on the other hand has suffered multiple severe damages to some auxiliary segments. It appears that the gravitational stabilizers of every structure in the system have gone offline. Everything they left behind is a husk, and if the proper measures to repair these structures are not taken, the hulks will be lost to the eventual wear and tear of space. This is a prime chance to swoop in and stake our claim first before anyone else has the chance.

So begins the next step in this operation. A large task force consisting of our boarding marines, survey teams, and scientists will be assembled using the Ishizuchi and a pair of freighters to ferry the force into each station. The Shogun has demanded that the unit should consist of this exact amount of members, to be split evenly between both installations:

• 1,000 Marines

• 100 Survey Teams

• 400 Scientists

This unit's goal is to cautiously scout, sweep, and secure both stations for future occupation. Each division has a role to play. The marines and scientists will lag behind the survey teams who will spread out within each station and map out the interior. They will search carefully for any traps that may have been placed to prevent people like us from capturing the stations. These traps will be reported to the marines, who will use their boarding expertise to disarm them. The scientists will be in charge of assessing damages to any and all on station facilities, technology, and structures. The task force will be equipped with adequate oxygen supply to support the prolonged operation which is expected to take several hours at the least. To shorten the time elapsed, our blueprints from when Asahikawa was once La Charite may prove somewhat helpful in determining the station's basic layout, while any changes made by the State Police will be marked down along the way.

This mission is expected to be dangerous as the pullout was only commenced recently, but the benefit of taking initiative on this is worth it. The Shogun will be present aboard the Ishizuchi as the operation begins, residing within the bridge. All information must be relayed to her as the survey develops so that she can give us her orders effectively.

Good luck in there, soldiers.

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Survey complete. Operation KINTSUGI - Initiated.

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