A Gaijin's Guide to Trading in Kusari

[Zelot]

Fellow Traders, my name is Otis Jethro, of the Interspace Neural-Net Division. I was asked to write this article to help all of you new pilots understand just what the hell is going on in Kusari. First, Kusari can be a very scary place, hard to know who is with ya, and who is against ya. Once you get passed that, finding your way around without running into someone trying to pinch your load can be a daunting task. Finally there is the question of what to carry, and who is going to get their kimono in a ruffle over it. I am going to go over these and many other issues by the end of the article, so sit back, relax, get a glass of Saki, (its pronounced S-A-Kay, remember it, that will be important), and join me on this fun, fact filled trip into the minefield that is Kusari.

There are many different groups in Kusari, all with their own little piece of the pie, its important to know who you are talking to, and what their angle on the whole thing is, before making any decisions in space. Lets take a little run through the different factions in Kusari.

KNF Kusari Naval Forces These are the big boys on the Kusari block, commanded by Shogun Sulu, This is the Military of Kusari, and a mighty one at that, the KNF are the supreme law in Kusari, the Taus and northern Leeds, or Seto as these Kusari call it. When they ask you to stop, you stop, if you dont think you will be able to stop, you better make sure you dont run into them. But generally, they are fairly helpful to traders in need, so long as the ones causing the problem are GC or Blood Dragon, the KNF has been known to be somewhat slow in responding to distress calls when the Hogosha or Farmers Alliance is involved.

[font=Calibri]KSP- Kusari State Police The State police are responsible for anti-smuggling operations in Kusari, as well as normal law enforcement duties. The KSP generally wont give you much trouble, unless you carry contraband. If you are attacked in Kusari, by anyone except the KNF, the KSP generally do a pretty good job of settling the situation, even when the Hogosha or Farmers Alliance is involved. To us Gaijin(remember that one too, you will hear it often, and it means you) the KSP are the most dependable, uncorrupt group in Kusari, and it is a pretty safe bet that is one is around, they will come to your aid. The only problem is they dont really pack much of a punch, with lightly armored crafts; they may come to your aid and not do much good.

[font=Calibri]Samura Samura, where to begin with Samura, Samura is like that really big annoying guy who lives in any neighborhood, you dont really like him but he is so powerful and wealthy that you cant really afford to piss him off. Samura is that guy, rich, powerful, protected by the status quo, Samura is a diversified corporation, with holdings throughout Kusari, the Taus and the Sigmas. For hundreds of years Samura has been the big fish in the big pond that is Kusari commerce, but recently Kishiro has beginning to make strides to even the playing field.

[font=Calibri]Kishiro Kishiro has for hundreds of years been relegated to second fiddle in Kusari by Samura, but recently, Kishiro has began to push its way toward the top, starting with angling Samura out of its H-fuel deal with the GMG, and then with the development of Okinawa. Kishiro might not be the big boy yet, but they are defiantly making headway. A much more progressive company that Samura, Kishiro has deals with people all over Sirius, not shunning those from outside Kusari nearly as much as their Samura counterparts.

[font=Calibri]The Hogosha These shadowy men run the Kusari underworld, gambling, Geishas, loan sharking, you name it, with the exception of Cardimine, they probably control its trade in Kusari. The Hogosha has agents everywhere in Kusari, the KSP, KNF, Samura, Kishiro, and it is rumored they even have agents on Ropponggi station to keep an eye on things. Generally not known to pirate in Kusari core space, if you are found by them in the Sigmas, Taus, or Okinawa, you may be in for a rough ride. My advise when dealing with them give as much respect as possible, if you can show them you are working for the benefit of Kusari , you may get out alive. Inside Kusari Core space, they help the KSP and KNF monitor the Tau Embargo, and act as a cultural police, keeping a close eye on us Gaijin to make sure we dont step out of line.

[font=Calibri]The Farmers Alliance Started as an attempt to pressure the government on behalf of Samura to limit foreign food imports, the Farmers movement has grown into a significant force in Kusari politics. Its political wing, The Farmers Party, is a legal political party in Kusari, most notably, the Governor elect of Kyushu was the Farmers Party candidate. The other side of the Farmers Movment is the Farmers Alliance, the ultra-nationalist milita, formed to interdict foreign shipping in Kusari. While most of what the FA does is technecly against the law, you will have a hard time getting any government official of officer of the law to even admit it goes on. The Kusari establishment very pointedly chooses to ignore some of the more aggressive tactics used by the Farmers Alliance. Farmers Alliance ships are often seen enforcing the Tau embargo, probably because it gives them the perfect opportunity to isolate non-Kusari shipping.

[font=Calibri]The Blood Dragons Decendents of the guardians of the Shogun Hidoshya, upon the Shoguns overthrow, those that remained loyal to the former Shogunate fled to the Chugoku system, to play for their return to power. These ideologues find themselves in constant opposition to the Kusari Government, and do not recognize it as the legitimate government of Kusari. They plan actions against any target connected to the Emperor or Shogun, so if you find yourself running into one of these folks, you will want to show how opposed to the current Kusari regime you are. The Blood Dragons hate Samura even more, seeing the mega-company as being behind to Coup that removed Hidoshya from power. They attack Samura with a passion that is unseen in their attacks on other Kusari groups. One thing to be noted is that the Blood Dragons seem to be just as ultra nationalist as other Kusari groups such as the FA. The Blood Dragons have worked hard to remove almost every outside influence of their movement, seeing themselves, as most Kusari do, as superior to those not from Kusari.

[font=Calibri]Golden Chrysanthimums An oddity in Kusari, the GC have gone against the traditionalist customs in Kusari, forging their own way toward moderintiy. Let me tell you, these women can be fun. The GC is made up of disenfranchised women from all over Kusari, who instead of conforming to the strict cultural tradition in Kusari, have turned their energy to fighting against that tradition. Many observers have noticed the high use of Cardimine among the GC, making many wonder how many of these women are in the movement for the ideology, and how many are addicted to Cardimine, and therefore unable to leave the movement, which provides all the Cardimine shipped into Kusari.

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The last section of the guide will be about the vernacular used in Kusari. This is an important section because all the people you run into in Kusari will talk to you using funny words you have probably never heard before. I am going to run through the Kusari words you will most often hear, so that when you do, you can act as though you understand.

1. Gaijin The word you will probably hear most often in Kusari, it refers to outsider, you, me, basicly anyone not born in Kusari. It is used as a disparaging term, although it is an insult that has made its way into everyday use. A direct translation would be an infestation.

2. Konnichiwa a traditional greeting in Kusari, the equivilant of hello.

3. Sayonara a traditional farewell

4. Baka Fool or crazy, it is often used by the Kusari to describe people who do not understand the complex relations between the different groups in Kusari.

5. Hai Not a greeting like most of us might thing, this is an answer in the affirmative. Hai is the Kusari equivilant of yes.

6. Arigato A Kusari term of thanks.



Well folks, hopefully this little guide will help you in your first runs to Kusari. Will be adding and updating this guide as time goes on, so feel free to send me your suggestions.

Otis Jethro, Vice President Interspace Neural Net Division, CEO of Renzu ship building

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