I hope this message finds you well. These times are troubled for Kusari, especially for its stalwart warriors like yourself. I am certain you have not lost your way during this turmoil.
I was flattered when you, a young promising officer, showed interest in my work and sympathised with my ideas. Because of this I would like to invite you to join me on one of my endeavours that I have been planning recently. With Yamaguchi departing Honshu it is obvious the government of Kusari is going vabanque with the war, leaving Honshu prone to attacks. Being a member of kizoku (//nobility), I have more freedom in deciding what to do with my assets and certainly this involves the flagship of my clan, "Zuiryu". Availing my position, I invite you to join me in defence of Honshu as our home system while the battlegroups are away. I presume, the war will be over soon at last and not in our favour, so we would rather keep the visibility of system's protection lest unlawful elements feel the freedom from the naval presence. We both know that the KSP is not as active as it could have been as of recently and will not suffice for, say, repelling Blood Dragons attack.
At the same time, the plan I mentioned earlier is not about protecting Honshu but about practicing what I am preaching. In my recent article, I called upon the establishment of Kusari to make efforts on the colonisation front. My colleagues at Tenmei University on Honshu recently mapped the neighbouring to Honshu space and found a few cases that might be star systems for some reason ignored during the previous exploration missions. While stationed in Honshu, I want to render the capabilities of our ships to astronomers from Tenmei to serve as ad hoc observatories. Later on when the threat of internal turmoil subsides I want to embark on exploration mission to these unchartered systems and into the neighbouring to Kusari Omicron systems in search of habitable or terraformable worlds for the Empire. Trusted and skilled commanders as yourself, Okamoto-san, surely will benefit such a mission and I hereby officially invite you to join me in this without a doubt important for the Empire adventure.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
敬具島森正仁 (//"Keigu Shimamori Masahito" - Best Regards, Shimamori Masahito)
It's been a while since the last time we talked. Many things have changed, and, I'm afraid, not in a better way.
As for your offer to side you in the protection of Honshu while our warriors away, fighting Gallia in this pointless bloodshed – you have my consent. It will be an honour for me to serve under your command, Shimamoto-san.
It is my pleasure to share with you that our efforts have not been in vain. It appears that the astronomers in my employ managed to spot a system in the Sigma cluster under a tentative name Sigma-63 that might contain planets suitable for colonization.
The system is located not far from Honshu and should the rift be opened I suppose an expedition can get there with a single jump. At least four planets are orbiting the yellow medium star of F2 spectral class. Fourth and the furthest planet is a gas giant with high contents of Hydrogen in its atmosphere according to spectral analysis. The first two planets are of Earth-type. It is unclear whether the third one is of Earth-type or a gas giant, further investigation will be needed.
Sigma-63-α is located too close to the star and is presumed to be a scorched desert. However, Sigma-63-β and Sigma-63-γ are within the goldilocks zone and can potentially content liquid water. It is yet unclear whether the planets in question have a thick atmosphere but we noticed traces of Argon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen in the atmosphere of Sigma-63-β. Sigma-63-γ appears to have a dense atmosphere with traces of methane preventing us from seeing the surface using spectroscopic analysis. Given the observations, Sigma-63-β looks promising while Sigma-63-γ if found to be terrestrial can be a land of permanent night with strong greenhouse effect. The habitability of those planets is to be examined more carefully, as well as presence of other objects in the system, like moons of the aforementioned planets, other planetoids, etc.
Scheme of Sigma-63 system
While the research is still in an early phase, I do believe I have to practice what I preach. Establishing a new foothold for Kusari might reduce the warmongering among the ruling parties and contribute our efforts to economic development of the new world, thus launching new demand-supply lines beneficial for the whole economy of Kusari. A terrestrial world would certainly also benefit Kusari that so far has inhabited predominantly aquatic worlds. It is still to be determined whether the system in question will indeed be beneficial for the Empire, I look optimistically on this endeavour and will mobilise the efforts of Tenmei University on Honshu wherein my word matters a lot, invite my colleagues from Shin-Todai University on New Tokyo, perhaps invite other stakeholders from Kusari as well. I hope you will continue supporting me in this matter and, perhaps, invite some of your comrades in arms from the Navy to assist us with the expedition.
The biggest issue right now is how to get to the system. I would prefer not involving Ageira or EFL as non-Kusari corporations, while Kishiro and Samura do not specialise in FTL and jumpgate technology. Perhaps, using the old-style jumping technology employed during the first centuries of Kusarian exploration. Less reliable and predictable in destination than modern jump gates, it is still a technology that can get us there. Alternatively, we can dedicate some efforts on detecting gravitational anomalies indicating the jumpholes located nearby. Perhaps, we will be lucky in spotting a jumphole leading to Sigma-63 since the latter is not that far from Honshu on the cosmic scale.
I will keep you informed about the developments regarding the expedition. In the meantime, I would ask you to continue patrolling and protecting Honshu especially now when the Yamaguchi battlegroup is departing to partake in war.
敬具島森正仁 (//"Keigu Shimamori Masahito" - Best Regards, Shimamori Masahito)
I hope my message finds you well. Despite all, the topic of my message is quite grim. I am afraid my service to the Kusari Naval Forces has come to an end. The incapability of Naval Command to realize the meaningless of the war – we are in has lead to many of my comrades leaving the Naval Forces. Keep fighting Gallia means signing a death sentence for all of us. We already made a critical mistake and engaged in the conflict against the one we thought being the weaker, and awaken the beast: the Enclave and the Confederacy, despite ideological difference, remained two parts of the whole – Gallia. The Naval Forces had to face their united fleets, and this is not what we were able to do – in other words, we are losing the war and getting pushed out of Gallia. The only major victory we achieved is the destruction of the Fourchambault Shipyard. Meanwhile the rest was a total fail for us. Hundreds, even thousands of dead, even more – became disabled: this is the price we paid for mistakes of our Command and Government as a whole.
It cannot continue like this. However, my power is limited, and therefore I am reaching you in seek for wisdom. Shimamori-san, what should we do to save the Kusari from the destruction which will be caused by the current actions of our armed forces and political direction as a whole?
I am pleased to be hearing from you again, although truth be told I would prefer more favourable circumstances. If what you are saying is correct, and I certainly believe you and do not not intend to undermine your credibility with my choice of words, then the situation of the Empire is indeed grim. I have received mixed news on the battleground: some members of the navy returning for the repairs were boasting about our forces winning the day, the others, you includingly, report on failure of our advances. Regardless, it seems that the hopes for blitzkrieg of the imperial navy proved to be ill-based after all as they had been warned. The Empire had not recovered neither economically, nor militarily after its countless wars in the past to launch an invasion of such scale. I sincerely hope the Shogun and his military advisors make right stellapolitical conclusions from this war, as well as the cabinet regarding the casus belli and the use of mathematical apparatus in calculating possible gains and losses.
At any rate, the end of this war is looming on the horizon. Regardless the outcome, it is bad for the Empire. Given the initial successes of the KNF and breaching into the Gallic territory, the defeat for Kusari is unlikely. Gallia simply will not have the resources to launch a daring offensive to risk the gains of their costly defence. So I assume, the civilian population is safe. A tactical defeat is still possible if the remaining KNF vessels get caught in a pocket and eliminated. The most likely outcome is a stalemate with Kusari's forces retreating, possibly employing the tactics of scorched earth to render pursuit even less likely. Even if the Gauls agree to a defeat, it would be a Pyrrhic victory for the Empire: the only gains Kusari can "secure" are minimal acquisitions in Taus which we could have used in the past under joint use terms. So basically in that case the Empire would pay a huge price in blood and crippled by war economy for pushing out the economic competition for Samura mining operations in Taus. Quite a bad deal, if you ask me. More importantly, regardless of the outcome, our corporations will not be so eager to jump in exploiting newly acquired space because of the increased unlawful presence. With Gallia and Kusari weakened and not friendly enough to establish joint patrols not to trigger emotional skirmishes over the recent war, there simply would not be enough police forces to counter the lawless elements in the Tau Rim. Diplomatic ties to Gallia will also be cut as I cannot imagine the Gauls being friendly after our aggression, especially with their apparent soon re-unification. And of course I should mention the increasing unlawful activity within Kusari itself that now will have more favourable conditions for their operations. A terrible war however you look at it.
You are doing the right thing, my friend: you are looking into the future and asking how we can save or at least help the Empire. Well, first and foremost we will need to counter the unlawful activities within the home Kusari systems. Bad criminal situation is bad for the economy that is already weakened and strained by the war efforts. Furthermore, we will need to try to alleviate the diplomatic damage done to Kusari-Gallic ties. I indend to organise exchange of the prisoners of war as a token of good will once the war is over. I will think of other diplomatic moves independent of the government to promote mutual understanding. Aside from that, we need to try to promote business activity in order to boost the economy somehow. I had a plan of starting a new stock exchange to that end and support with AHN in terms of information. And let us not forget about our exploration efforts. After all, a new system to claim can trigger business interest and distract the populace from the pessimism of the current situation. How about you, my friend? I hope you are fine. If you have any suggestions on the course of action and views on how to improve the situation - I am all hears and would be glad to consider a friendly point of view.
敬具島森正仁 (//"Keigu Shimamori Masahito" - Best Regards, Shimamori Masahito)
I hope this letter finds you well. I am reaching to you with regard to an interesting proposal. You indicated in your previous communique that you left the service with the Kusari Naval Forces. You still remain an experienced officer of the imperial navy and I guess you would prefer keep applying your expertise in this direction to the benefit of Kusari, even if not as a member of the KNF. Therefore, I would like to invite you to join my clan as a military advisor, whether as a person outside to the clan structure or within it.
If you decide to agree, you would need a ship. Shimamori clan is relatively new and does not have enough funding or influence to construct you a new capital vessel. However, I recently came across an old hull of Kusari "Date"-class cruiser on the auction. It cost me a price of a good large transport but it is worth it - the ship does not need to be constructed from the scratch, saving us a lot of time and finances. "Date" is a bit old for the KNF to employ, so you should not wonder why the KNF had no interest in the hull itself - "Takeda" is a fine vessel as it is. Regardless, we will need to restore the ship and this will require some additional funding that I will try to provide. However, we will need a contractor to repair the ship and upgrade it. While I can use my ties at Tenmei University for some scientists to have a look at the ship, the works itself are to be carried out on a shipyard. I was thinking about Yukawa of Kishiro where I usually run maintenance for "Zuiryu". I hope, Kishiro will be interested in the project.
At any rate, this is the plan should you agree to work with me. My plan is to continue the exploration for new habitable worlds and finally reach Sigma-63 now that the war is basically over. The ship itself will be a good deterring instrument in Honshu against the unlawful elements in the sector. I hope that my proposal will be intriguing for you, Okamoto-san. Please, consider it.
I am looking forward to your reply.
敬具島森正仁 (//"Keigu Shimamori Masahito" - Best Regards, Shimamori Masahito)
My apologies for the long reply, Mr. Shimamori. I had to deal with an important matter related to my retirement. Suddenly, the end of the war did not end the disturbance within the Naval Forces but rather increased tensions.
You honoured me with your proposal to become a member of to Shimamori clan and I'm accepting your invitation. I had never dealt with or even seen the Date-class in action and this might be a unique experience for a starship Captain. Dealing with the flying museum has its dangers but there is nothing we can compensate with Kishiro involved in refitting the ship to modern technologies.
Splendid, I am honoured to accept you into clan's service. Worry not, as a military advisor you shall retain your freedom of action. I will require only your military expertise in a form of good counselling. I will then contact Kishiro regarding the restoration of the ship. Unlike "Takeda", "Date" instead of a forward ram used to have a powerful cannon. Unfortunately, the hull itself comes without the cannon and I suppose we can replace it with a different type of weaponry, perhaps a missile with homing system. I would kindly ask you to consider the options for the frontal weapon, as well as overall features you would like to see modernised in the ship. Thereafter, I shall contact Kishiro to commence the restoration if we find agreement with them on Yukawa.
I am looking forward to your reply.
敬具島森正仁 (//"Keigu Shimamori Masahito" - Best Regards, Shimamori Masahito)
I would prefer a powerful unguided torpedo to be mounted replacing a forward gun. Our enemies use battleships, and even if those are heavily outdated, they remain dangerous to smaller ships, and the cruiser in question is a solid age as well. Therefore, compensating for her weaknesses is required, and, as I mentioned before, Kishiro shall help us in this as, after all, they are the most advanced hi-tech corporation in Kusari, if not in Sirius entire.
It's been a while of silence. However, due to recent events, and the second successful attempt to disrupt the clan's activity at the Honshu's orbit, I wish to request a status update for the "Date" cruiser. Are the bureaucrats still wasting air for purposeless debates?
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