Kishiro Technologies

Kishiro Technologies
Alignment	Corporation

ALLIES:

Kusari Authorities, Gas Miners Guild

COMPETITORS:

Ageira, Bowex, Bristol, DSE, EFL, GMS, Samura

ENEMIES:

Farmers Alliance, Lane Hackers, Xenos, Corsairs, Outcasts

Kishiro Technologies is one of the great Kusari keiretsu -- sprawling, vertically integrated companies that control whole industries. Kishiro are best known for their developments in Optronics, optical computing systems that power the information superhighways of Sirius. They have also recently created the first working jump drive, a device allowing faster-than-light transit without the need for existing gate infrastructure.

Ships used

Ship	Class
Heavy Lifter	Transport
Repair Ship	Repair Ship
Starblazer	Very Heavy Fighter
Drone	Freighter
Large Transport	Transport
Hawk	Light Fighter
Armored Transport	Transport
Kusari Transport	Transport
Large Train	Train
Kusari Mining Ship	Transport
Kusari Large Transport	Transport
Falcon	Heavy Fighter
Train	Transport
Kusari Heavy Transport	Heavy Transport
Eagle	Very Heavy Fighter
Kusari Train	Super Train
Kusari Explorer	Gunboat

Bases owned

Base Owner System Region Nago Station Kishiro Technologies Tau-29 Tau Border Worlds Shinagawa Station Kishiro Technologies New Tokyo Kusari Yukawa Shipyard Kishiro Technologies Honshu Kusari Isehara Refinery Kishiro Technologies Sigma-59 Sigma Border Worlds

Bribes

Base Owner System Region Newark Station Interspace Commerce New York Liberty Versailles Station IDF Shipping Ile-de-France Gallia Nansei Research Complex Kusari Office of Intelligence Kyushu Kusari Narita Outpost Kusari State Police New Tokyo Kusari Tsushima Depot Samura Industries Kyushu Kusari Akita Border Station Kusari State Police Honshu Kusari Gas Miner Ogashawa Gas Miners Guild Sigma-19 Sigma Border Worlds Norfolk Shipyard Liberty Navy New York Liberty Planet Miura Planetform, Inc. Sigma-59 Sigma Border Worlds Planet New London Bretonia Police New London Bretonia Ames Research Station Zoners Kepler Independent Fuchu Prison Kusari State Police Shikoku Kusari Battleship Hamamatsu Kusari Naval Forces Honshu Kusari Planet Honshu Kusari State Police Honshu Kusari Kansai Research Institute Kusari Naval Forces Honshu Kusari Noshima Freeport Freelancers Shikoku Kusari Osaka Storage Facility Samura Industries Honshu Kusari Planet Pittsburgh Deep Space Engineering New York Liberty Mainz Storage Facility Imperial Shipping Frankfurt Rheinland Planet Kyushu Kusari State Police Kyushu Kusari Yukawa Shipyard Kishiro Technologies Honshu Kusari Roppongi Wreck Interspace Commerce New Tokyo Kusari Furyoku Station Interspace Commerce Sigma-59 Sigma Border Worlds Fulda Border Station Rheinland Federal Police Frankfurt Rheinland Detroit Munitions Ageira Technologies New York Liberty Planet Denver Liberty Police, Inc. Colorado Liberty Deshima Station Bounty Hunters Guild Shikoku Kusari Valley Forge Flight School Interspace Commerce Pennsylvania Liberty Gas Miner Naha Gas Miners Guild Sigma-13 Sigma Border Worlds Luxury Liner Hawaii Orbital Spa & Cruise Sigma-19 Sigma Border Worlds Waterloo Station Interspace Commerce New London Bretonia Nago Station Kishiro Technologies Tau-29 Tau Border Worlds Fort Bush Liberty Police, Inc. New York Liberty San Diego Border Station Liberty Police, Inc. California Liberty Planet Manhattan Liberty Police, Inc. New York Liberty Ohashi Border Station Kusari State Police Shikoku Kusari Baltimore Shipyard Deep Space Engineering New York Liberty Pueblo Station Ageira Technologies Colorado Liberty West Point Military Academy Liberty Navy New York Liberty Shinagawa Station Kishiro Technologies New Tokyo Kusari Aomori Station Gas Miners Guild Honshu Kusari Freeport 6 Zoners Tau-29 Tau Border Worlds Planet New Tokyo Kusari State Police New Tokyo Kusari Yokohama Shipyard Samura Industries New Tokyo Kusari Helgoland Station Gas Miners Guild Sigma-13 Sigma Border Worlds Portsmouth Shipyard Bretonia Mining & Manufacturing Cambridge Bretonia

Diplomacy

View Reputation
Bundschuh -0.65%	Junkers -0.3%
Blood Dragons -0.65%	ALG Waste Disposal +0.3%
Gallic Brigands -0.65%	Cryer Pharmaceuticals +0.3%
Corsairs -0.65%	Interspace Commerce +0.3%
Farmers Alliance -0.65%	Daumann Heavy Construction +0.3%
Gaians -0.65%	Deep Space Engineering +0.3%
Independent Pirates -0.65%	Synth Foods, Inc. +0.3%
Golden Chrysanthemums -0.65%	Orbital Spa & Cruise +0.3%
Unknown -0.65%	Imperial Shipping +0.3%
Sirius Coalition -0.65%	Samura Industries +0.3%
Lane Hackers -0.65%	Universal Shipping +0.3%
Liberty Rogues -0.65%	Ageira Technologies +0.3%
LWB -0.65%	Liberty Security Force +0.3%
Mollys -0.65%	Liberty Navy +0.3%
The Maquis -0.65%	Alaska Security Forces +0.3%
Nomads -0.65%	Liberty Police, Inc. +0.3%
Vagrants -0.65%	Kruger Minerals +0.3%
Outcasts -0.65%	Rheinland Military +0.3%
Red Hessians -0.65%	Rheinland Federal Police +0.3%
Unioners -0.65%	Gas Miners Guild +0.65%
Wild -0.65%	Kusari Naval Forces +0.65%
Xenos -0.65%	Kusari State Police +0.65%
Gallic National Intelligence -0.65%	Kishiro Technologies +0.91%
Unione Corse -0.3%
Hogosha -0.3%

Rumors

Planet New London We provide Optronics, H-Fuel and Engine Components for Bretonia. They are shipped from our plants in Honshu. It is a long and arduous journey through Liberty and the Independent Worlds, where Liberty Rogues are an ever present threat. Recently, Corsairs have started attacking our ships within New London itself. This is most unsettling. Kishiro distributes most of the H-Fuel produced by the GMG throughout Sirius. That contract used to be held by Samura, but they overplayed their hand by trying to squeeze too much from the GMG. Now they have nothing, and we have a solid partnership with the Gas Miners. The mixture I sold here comes from our new Ogashawa complex in Sigma-19, a joint venture between Kishiro and the GMG. We pick up Gold on some of our return trips - always a stressful journey. It's as if you shine in the dark for the criminal elements like the Mollys and the Lane Hackers. They come like moths to a flame. Gas Miner Naha Samura once dominated the Gas Miner technological developments, but they chose to pursue other technologies, thinking that what they had was good enough. We disagreed and continued to improve on both collection and purification systems. Our Gas Mining ships will allow the GMG to get at least another five decades worth of mining out of this system. My ship is here to pick up a shipment of H-Fuel bound for Deshima. Liberty companies rarely venture into the Sigmas, and for obvious reasons, they don't get their fuel from Rheinland. I don't feel comfortable here; the GMG are not true Kusari anymore. Somehow they have changed during their centuries of wandering. Samura has made immense profits from the H-Fuel monopoly they shared with the GMG for over 400 years. Samura overplayed their hand by taking a far greater share of the profits. When the term was up, we had everything in place to replace them. Nowadays, Kishiro ships the bulk of the H-Fuel produced by the GMG to various distribution points in all of Sirius. Helgoland Station I wonder how Rheinland messed up the Yanagi campaign so badly. They had a huge advantage in ships and men. They must have been ill-prepared to fight inside a nebula. The GMG also suffered terrible losses, but they still secured a decisive victory, one that bolsters their reputation to this day. I am delivering a cargo of Robotics, mainly new external cranes for the drydock. The ones ALG used are set up for heavy demolition, not delicate construction. They will all need to be replaced. Fortunately, the mountings are universal, so it should be easy enough to get this done. It is good that the Yanagi debris are finally cleared away. It is not a pleasant thought to hit a large chunk of an old cruiser while travelling through the Trade Lane. A hit like that overwhelms any shield in moments. We lost quite a few ships that way, until ALG was contracted to clear the wreckage. Gas Miner Ogashawa This base is Kishiro's primary supplier of H-Fuel. We still mine a little ourselves, but our relationship with the GMG has been improving to the point where it is cheaper to let them handle the mining. H-Fuel in New York is imported there from this base, and shipped to Fort Bush for distribution. We also supply Bretonia, but have to go over either Rheinland or Liberty to get there now, since Leeds is a warzone. All the major Sirian colonies need H-Fuel for many purposes, with the exception of Gallia. Fusion reactors of virtually all sizes run on H-Fuel, from small Fighter cores to massive planetary fusion power generators. This means that there is a demand for H-Fuel everywhere, with the price going up the further you venture from the Sigma systems where H-Fuel is produced. The Basic Alloys and Mining Machinery that the GMG needs at this base are brought here by Kishiro from New Tokyo. It is not the longest route, but it can be a dangerous one, especially once you leave the safety of the Kusari core worlds. Nago Station We require a steady supply of Mining Machinery, Food and Pharmaceuticals here. Mining is dangerous, and is often hard on both the miners and their equipment. Repeated attacks by Outcasts do not help matters much either. This base harvests Hydrocarbons from the ice asteroids of the field we are in. Dirty ice is taken to Nago by mining crews, then the Hydrocarbons are seperated from the Water here. We have no shortages of Water or Oxygen at this base as a result, we only need to import food, and Planet Kyushu is conveniently close by for that. My convoy was returning to this base from New Tokyo when we were attacked by Outcasts. Kishiro always loses ships and men on the Nago-New Tokyo Polymer run. We were lucky, I suppose. Four of our cargo pods ruptured in the attack, and the Outcasts were more interested in the floating Mining Machinery then they were in us. We got out of range as fast as we could. The Outcasts always keep us guessing. Sometimes they go after the mining ships further in the field. Sometimes they are waiting at the Trade Lane. And sometimes they are so bold that they attack Nago itself. It forces us to divide our patrols. The lesson of Freeport 7 is still fresh in everyone's mind. A few defensive turrets without fighters to back them up will not save a space station from harm. We run frequent patrols through the Nago field and around this base. We have to, since the asteroids give the Outcasts plenty of places to hide. We used to be able to count on the Kusari Naval Forces to dispatch patrols from Nagumo, just beyond the Kyushu gate, but after the defeat of the Naval Forces at the hands of Gallia, they simply don't have the men for that anymore. I hate to admit it, but the Outcasts are too tough for us most of the time. I loathe having to cede some of my responsibilities to Bounty Hunters. It feels as failure, something Kusari has been feeling a lot of, and it angers me. But we do as we must to survive. These crass outsiders won't be in our employ forever. Once our Navy is rebuilt, you'll see, Kusari shall reclaim what is rightfully hers. Our miners once found a half destroyed Outcast ship, which had been in a firefight and lost. The cockpit was still intact, but life support had given out. They brought the pilot's body back to our base. Some of our scientists ran an autopsy and discovered that they differ from regular human beings on a genetic level. Their cell reproduction requires Cardamine to build RNA. We know now that it is pointless to take Outcast prisoners. They will not live without their drug. Hydrocarbons produced here are shipped to our industrial facilities on Planet Honshu and to the Shinegawa facility. The Optronics baseboards and Optical Chips are made largely out of Polymers, which in turn are made from Hydrocarbons, so we need a steady supply. Any surplus is sold either to third parties, such as Gallic shippers, or to the industries on Kyushu. We sometimes run into patrols from the Gallic Royal Navy if they are pursuing some Outcasts. Tau-29 used to be proudly Kusari-owned territory, now it is nothing more than a buffer zone between our nations. Still, it could be worse. Gallia hasn't made any agressive move towards us in months, perhaps they truly just wanted to get to Bretonia, and needed everyone else out of their way. Though the Samura base is closer to the Outcast Cardamine route, we have our own share of problems with the outsiders. They need the Polymers we produce at this base for their own construction and manufacturing concerns. At least this was the information given to us by the Kusari military consultants we hired. They will often attack the external storage depots. We've had to hire mercenaries to keep the threat they pose acceptable - the Kusari Navy can't help us much now. Shinagawa is in the heart of Kusari. It is a pleasure to leave these barren systems behind for my ancestral home. I get the opportunity when I deliver Polymers to Shinagawa from this base. Whenever I make that run, I am in no hurry to return once I pass the Kyushu gate. I can't wait to cycle back to New Tokyo. Maybe the space born don't mind the dank recycled Oxygen aboard bases, but I get sick of it. I cannot wait to see the sun without looking through three inches of gold-coated clear plate. Mankind was not born to live in a metal shell. Freeport 6 We sometimes trade Oxygen and Water with this station, in return for Food. Most Freeports have at least one biodome, they try to be self-sufficient. Most Zoners are isolationists - they don't like outside influences and keep to themselves. But they are still willing to trade with almost anyone. If you enjoy danger, you could try running the Gallic blockade with either H-Fuel or Hull Panels. Bretonia is in need of both. If you come back this way, take Super Alloys here, or further into Kusari - our shipyard in Honshu can always us that. However, if the Gallic Royal Navy catches you, they will not confiscate your goods - they will simply destroy your ship with you in it. Kishiro sees great new opportunities in Gallia. There are practical commodities like Cryocubes in great demand across Kusari. There are also some quite exotic things to be found, like fine Wine and Holo Sculptures. Kusari corporations were the first to be granted trade access to Gallia, and Kishiro stands to reap the benefits of this peace. Planet New Tokyo Kishiro competes directly with Samura in the New York-New Tokyo Luxury Goods and Niobium trade. We both suffer equally in Libertonian space at the hands of the Rogues and Xenos. Once we enter Kusari, we are targeted by different kinds of pirates. The Blood Dragons attack Samura mercilessly. We Kishiro merchants are targeted by the Farmer's Alliance. The Farmers will never forgive us for turning our backs on the monarchy. We have a large factory staffed with foreign workers at the Deshima Station in Shikoku. Producing Kusari Consumer Goods cheaply and efficiently is the only way to stay competitive with LPI, who uses free prison labor to keep its production costs down. Samura won't let us land on Yokohama, so we must deliver our Shinagawa produced Optical Chips here instead. For the same reason, we ship Aluminium and Diamonds here rather than complete the journey to Kyushu, which is effectively a Samura base. My ship, The Kamakura Maru, just completed an arduous journey from New London with a shipment of Gold. Now I have to leave it in Yukawa for several months. Somewhere in Tau-29, the Outcasts attacked, and a missile penetrated the aft bulkhead of reactor core 3. We patched it up, but it was close call. Kishiro supplies many of the bases within this system, at least those that are not Samura owned. I don't like Tokyo. It always feels like Samura's heavy hand is at work here, even after they lost power. In Honshu the city is much smaller and the ocean cleaner, but neither planet offers much arable land. Our Kusari ancestors came from many light years away in search of more space -- how ironic that we landed here. Kishiro has been patient with Samura's antics in Hokkaido, but we must not squander too much in that endeavor. Gallia is expanding into the Tau systems as we speak, obtaining the mineral wealth that Kusari so sorely needs. Rather than carrying on their feud with the Blood Dragons, the government should ask the Dragons to lay down their arms and begin real talks, not simply continue the old feuds. Narita Outpost Narita is the transfer point for many foreign shippers in Kusari space. We get a lot of miners here. They sell metals such as Gold, Beryllium and Aluminum, and take back Mining Machinery. Gold is shipped to Narita rather than Tokyo, so we must bring the shipments back across two Trade Lanes that the transports have already traversed -- most inefficient. This smells of a Samura-backed government regulation that needs to be corrected. But even with a new government, Kusari bureaucracy is slow to make changes - this is the nature of government I am afraid. The real reason this base exists is to allow a place for those slimy Hogosha to steal supplies for Samura's factories. We at Kishiro abhor these unscrupulous methods employed by our competitor to gain competitive advantage. Shinagawa Station Kishiro prefers a more focused approach to our businesses than Samura. We left the Food production area centuries ago, because it was clear that the sector was far removed from our core strengths in technology and shipbuilding. Just between you and me, we intend to abandon the cargo shipping business within a few years. The competition is fierce, and the criminal element is making it more costly to insure our cargo. Look at IC and Ageira. They make incredible profits off of technology monopolies and their licensing. That is the future for Kishiro. Food from Deshima is transferred here to smaller ships and redistributed to our bases in Honshu and Okinawa. We also receive regular shipments of Aluminium from Rheinland. Our company was founded in 91 AS by a man of infinite wisdom named Katsuhiro Kishiro. Kishiro-san is the father of quantum optronics as we know it today. His vision has carried us successfully through the centuries. Kishiro is the technology leader of Kusari. We design and manufacture everything from advanced Engine Components and Optronics to Optical Chips and Gas Miners. We also process and ship raw materials like Hydrocarbons and Polymers. We see the Hokkaido campaign was a thinly veiled attempt by Samura to force the taxpayers of Kusari to pay for their access to their H-Fuel fields in Hokkaido, in the name of fighting the threat of the Blood Dragons. The former government had no intention of ever completing the Chugoku Gate. They instead routed the gate to Tau-53, and then on to Tottori. Now it is left to us to deal with the Dragons and the other criminal elements. Unlike Samura in Hokkaido, Kishiro had to pay for the jump gate to Sigma-19. We shared the costs with the GMG, who grant us rights to mine gas there. That is the right way to do business. We are trying to decipher the Trade Lane and Jump Gate technology that Liberty has so closely guarded for many years. Once we have done this we can apply it directly to ships, thus allowing them to instantaneously jump from place to place in the universe without any need for static field generators. It is only a matter of time before we succeed. We view the Golden Chrysanthemums and Blood Dragons as misguided political terrorists who occasionally engage in acts of piracy against our ships. They embody the pent up frustrations that certain elements of Kusari society are feeling towards the glacial pace of change in Tokyo. Now that our influence can be felt in government, we expect these groups to lay down their arms and rejoin Kusari society. Shingawa is Kishiro's center of operations for all of Sirius. From here we coordinate the dispatch of ships to all corners of the Trade Lane network. This is also the research and manufacturing center for Optical Chip production. Those Hogosha are nothing but common thieves. Did you know that some of them are technically employees of Samura by day? In their "off–duty" hours they go and steal from Kishiro and any other competitor of Samura. This kind of behavior is what feeds the terrorists' justification for their actions. We dominate the Honshu system. Samura controls the farmers of Kyushu. Shikoku is more complicated, as it is the one place where there are many foreigners in Kusari. We have exploited the cheap labor rates to open Consumer Goods factories there, much to the dismay of Samura, who once dominated the Kusari domestic market. Deshima Station Kishiro ships all kinds of goods to Deshima. Tobacco from Gallia, Deuterium from Pecos, even Fertilizers. Our facilities here on Deshima produce Consumer Goods. The best of these will be shipped to New Tokyo. Cryocubes and Tobacco are brought here from Gallia through the Independent Worlds. The peace treaty between Gallia and Kusari has made the Taus safer than they have been for years now. Sometimes though, I get the feeling that there is tension between our two militaries. Neither side will admit it though. We do quite a bit of trading between this base and Liberty. We store H-Fuel here for the trip to Liberty, and return to Honshu with Boron. FloraGro is brought in from California Minor in Liberty. That is probably one of the most dangerous runs that Kishiro makes because you must cross most of Liberty, as well as the southern border systems. The Kishiro H-Fuel at this base comes here from Ogashawa in the eastern Border Worlds. Samura supplies H-Fuel here too, but ours is much better. Your ship will fly faster, we promise. Kishiro sends Consumer Goods, H-Fuel, and Optical Chips to Denver. Only the best Kishiro pilots hazard the dangers of the Independent Worlds, but shipping between here and Liberty must be done. Planet Honshu We at Kishiro feel a special kinship with the GMG; we share many of the same ancestors. Most of the Kishiro workers in the Optronics and Engine plants know of some distant relative that joined the Guild many years ago. I'm just stopping by to visit some friends before heading on to Ogashawa in the Sigma-19 system. It's a joint–venture, gas loading facility with the GMG that I'm helping redesign to handle more ships. Kishiro and the GMG will be an unstoppable force now the system is connected to Okinawa. The police is not doing enough to control the Outcast attacks in the Chuyu Cloud. Many of us feel that Samura is applying pressure to force Tokyo Command to reduce patrols in our sector of the system. They claim that the settlers in Tottori need protection, but from what? There is no border to an invader like Gallia, and no Edge World pirates like we get out here. Like before, they lobby the government in order to gain competitive advantage with their Gas from Hokkaido. We must bring in many supplies to support our factories here. High Temperature Alloys, Cobalt, and Basic Alloys come from Mainz. Honshu produces all of the Construction Machinery for Kusari -- another market that Samura used to dominate but lost because of its slow pace of innovation. Now it must buy our machinery to construct ships in Yokohama. Honshu is the site of our Optronics plants and Engine Component factories that supply all of Sirius. From here we ship cargo to Liberty, Rheinland, and Bretonia. You will not find a cheaper price anywhere for these two Commodities. Yukawa Shipyard The Yukawa shipyard may be building the new Kusari Navy soon. The current class of Edo ships is obsolete, derived from old Samura designs dating back almost 100 years. We are working in concert with the Kansai Research Center to create a new generation that will be competitive with the new Liberty ships now in development. The Yukawa Shipyard has been in operation since the second century. We have always produced commercial ships, specifically gas miners. Our miners must deal with the extremely high operating temperatures prevalent within the gaseous clouds of the Crow Nebula. Extreme radiation levels are a fact of daily life for a gas miner within the heart of the Nebula. Raw materials are shipped here from all over the colonies. ALG has become an important ally, bringing us High-Temperature Alloys and other products of their Dortmund plant. The rest we import from Narita, Honshu, or Shinagawa. The Blood Dragons are in the area. You can sense their presence in the cloud. They rarely bother us, except for supplies on occasion. Those Farmers Alliance pests are a different matter. We caught them stealing supplies from our storage area the other day. There is a secret area of the shipyard where we build new Hull Panel prototypes for the Kansai Research Station. We also have a restricted area where a second massive onboard field generator prototype is being tested. It's not for gas miners. We ship Superconductors and other research materials to Kansai on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the Blood Dragons view the Naval Forces as the enemy, regardless of their partners, so we must protect ourselves when we enter the cloud. Huge electrostatic fields must be created by a gas miner to attract the desired Deuterium and Helium-3 gas molecules into the collectors. Other gases such as Oxygen are often collected as byproducts. We use specially fabricated Superconductors built onsite to perform this task. The Fugaku was lost in a raid on the Kansai Research Center within the Hiyo Cloud. The fighter became entangled in the mine field during the attack, and the pilot was killed. It eventually drifted off into the cloud. No one has seen it since. Kishiro was locked out of the GMG/Samura monopoly for many years, so we had to develop superior technology that could economically mine less concentrated deposits of H-Fuel than those found in Sigma-13. Now the research and development is finally paying off. We sell our gas miners to the GMG, and we can even mine our own gas in Sigma-19. Yukawa also manufactures Kusari freighters. We have ceded the Transport market to Samura, however. It is difficult to compete with a corporation that steals its building supplies from its competitors. They bribe the Tokyo bureaucrats and police to look the other way. Kansai Research Institute This is the most well paid location for Kishiro research scientists. If we can deliver on our promises, all of Kusari will view us as heroes one day. If we fail, I will enter the airlock and eject myself into the mine field. I'm a direct descendant of Kishiro, the founder of this company. People murmur that I got this post because of my family, but I have worked hard to get where I am. I was first in my class at New Tokyo University. This was a natural choice to honor my family tradition. One day soon, the new Kusari Naval Forces shipyard will be here, within the clouds of this nebula. Yokohama and Samura will merely be a front for the world, building the occasional gunboat to avoid raising suspicion within Liberty. There is a faction of scientists at Kishiro that doubt we can ever catch up with Liberty. After all, they have had centuries to decipher the alien technology. Kishiro only began the effort 50 years ago. Kusari is tolerant of the Artifact trade for different reasons than Liberty and the LSF realize. The Hogosha are required to turn over any that appear to be technology related to the government, in exchange for minimal police interference with their other affairs. They end up here, where we have been patiently unlocking their secrets. Isehara Refinery Here at Isehara we handle the conflux of goods from outside Okinawa space. Collating and registering all the merchandise that passes through our hands here is a constant job, and we work around the clock. Fortunately, we're paid well for it; Isehara is one of Kishiro's foremost concerns. I heard from a friend of mine who works as a guard down in the mines that the labourers are being tortured and starved. Rations are cut as a matter of course, especially if quotas aren't met, and an overseer reportedly snapped off two of a man's fingers after he complained about his blistered hands. We're generally safe from attack here aboard Isehara. The outpost swarms with security, and some of Kusari's best fighter aces have taken up semi-permanent residence. Any pirate threat that doesn't resolve itself, due to inter-criminal struggles, is quickly and efficiently dealt with should it approach us. Kishiro's mere presence in Okinawa is a massive affront to Samura. Once treated as the smaller of the two Kusari kereitsu, Kishiro's moving in on all the economic sectors Samura once monopolized. This goes beyond mere corporate squabbling, Samura's decidedly dirtier than that; they have a finger in every political pie in Kusari, and are rumoured to be sending their agents, the Hogosha, against us to halt our progress here. A Hogosha agent succeeded in penetrating our defensive perimeter two weeks ago and sabotaged weather satellites #17 and #18 before being destroyed. That little shenanigan cost us thousands of credits in repairs and tens of thousands in lost revenue, as Miura can hardly be terraformed without proper sensory equipment. Kishiro prefers a more focused approach to our businesses than Samura. We left the Food production area centuries ago, because it was clear that the sector was far removed from our core strengths in technology and shipbuilding. Just between you and me, we intend to abandon the cargo shipping business within a few years. The competition is fierce, and the criminal element is making it more costly to insure our cargo. Look at IC and Ageira. They make incredible profits off of technology monopolies and their licensing. That is the future for Kishiro. Kishiro's struck pure gold here in Okinawa; they might as well be mining credits planetside, because that's what we're seeing more and more of every day. We're turning profits that would make your jaw drop, everyone wants to buy from us, but especially Interspace Commerce. My grandfather always said the Libertonians would do anything to make some money quickly. Between you and me? The average Bretonian knows the war against Gallia's lost. Many of our top advisors here are former Planetform employees, there's not much profit to be made in Bretonia these days, despite the Gaians' degradation to simple pirates. Many of Cambridge's best scientists are turning to Kishiro and the Gas Miners Guild for work. We are happy to hire the Bretonians, who knows if any treaty with Gallia will hold? Kishiro is the technology leader of Kusari. We design and manufacture everything from advanced Engine Components and Optronics to Optical Chips and Gas Miners. We also process and ship raw materials like Hydrocarbons and Polymers. Unlike Samura in Hokkaido, Kishiro had to pay for the jump gate to Sigma-19. We shared the costs with the GMG, who grant us rights to mine gas there. That is the right way to do business. I fly the occasional mission for the Gas Miners Guild as an escort and fighter pilot. There are also several fat Naval Forces bounties on members of the Golden Chrysanthemum. Being a free-wheeling mercenary, I'm able and willing to collect. I've equipped my Eagle with the appropriate shields and weapons for countering the G.C. There's one pilot in particular, Noriko Sato, which I'd like to bring in. I thought Dragons never die, but it seems I'm mistaken! I was on a routine patrol through the Karatsu cloud the other day when what do I see but a lone target! The Dragon, already damaged and missing a wing, decided to turn tail and flee instead of fighting, but he was too slow for me. I took out his shield with several well-placed shots, and then gave him hell with a Sunstalker. We view the Golden Chrysanthemums and Blood Dragons as misguided political terrorists who occasionally engage in acts of piracy against our ships. They embody the pent up frustrations that certain elements of Kusari society are feeling towards the glacial pace of change in Tokyo. Now that our influence can be felt in government, we expect these groups to lay down their arms and rejoin Kusari society. I can't believe I made it to Isehara! Five months ago, I was a nobody, a grunt in the Kishiro hierarchy, now I'm on the fast track to promotion and wealth, simply by being transferred here. Guess it helps to have an uncle in the Okinawa management division. We dominate the Honshu system. Samura controls the farmers of Kyushu. Shikoku is more complicated, as it is the one place where there are many foreigners in Kusari. We have exploited the cheap labor rates to open Consumer Goods factories there, much to the dismay of Samura, who once dominated the Kusari domestic market. Planet Miura The new trade lane to Sigma-19 gives Kishiro excellent access to our mining fields in that system. Without it, we would have only one escape route in the event of pirate attacks. It also gives us more options to travel to Rheinland, avoiding any Farmers who are looking to take their grievances out on us. The GMG now have a planet of their own. They are going to have to abandon their nomadic lifestyle and build more permanent settlements here. I've seen the change start with the young generations of the Guild settling on Honshu. And now Miura is experiencing a big melting-pot of people from all over Sirius. I often hear the older generations of the Guild complaining. They don't like to leave their space stations, and some probably can't even stand up in normal gravity anymore. Kishiro transports are starting to see more Farmers interfering with our convoys in Kusari, and even out here. The GMG runs them off when they come across them, but they can't be in all place at all times. Kishiro must look to its own security ships in times like these, or enlist the help of Freelancers and Bounty Hunters. It works in Shikoku, and with a more supportive government in Kusari, perhaps it can work in Honshu as well. We ship unprocessed uranium mined on Miura up to Isehara. It used to be our terraforming depot, now it is a dedicated refinery turning the raw uranium into shippable product. I oversee operations on some of our key mine sites. Things can become rather chaotic at times, such is the nature of boom times. You can have a lot of fun in the drinking and gambling dens here on Miura. I can do things here I would be scorned for back on Honshu. I see foreign workers from across Sirius here now, and they bring their vices with them to share! Planet Manhattan The Niobium that we get from the IMG at Java is brought here to sell. It is a long and dangerous run. We constantly get attacked by the Hogosha in Kusari and then have to deal with the Xenos in Liberty. We pick up Kusari Passengers here to be delivered to New Tokyo. There are a lot of people who come to Liberty to shop for Luxury Goods. Beauty and opulence are the benefits of being rich. If you own a ship you are going to need what we have to sell, that's right -- top-quality Kishiro H-Fuel straight from the refineries of Ogashawa, far away in the Sigma-19 system. Newark Station Samura should not be here selling Fuel; we supply more than enough H-Fuel to Liberty. Samura would be better served to stay in Kusari where it can continue its illegitimate business practices in safety. It is unfortunate that Liberty does not use more of Kishiro's quality Optical Chips, but must instead rely upon Ageira, whose only abilities are crafting Trade Lanes and weapons. Kishiro supplies this base with H-Fuel from Fujisawa in Okinawa. Much of the H-Fuel that we attempt to ship here is stolen by Rogues and Xenos, which forces us to raise our costs to cover expected losses due to theft. Fort Bush We ship H-Fuel to this base from Okinawa. You will find that it is of the highest quality. We do not have the connections that Samura has gained through its many years of less-than-ethical business practices, so we must rely upon top quality products to win customers. You want your ship to run with the best fuel at the lowest price? Then you should try our H-Fuel, which we bring here all the way from Okinawa. Now that the GMG no longer use Osaka and Samura, we will be the exclusive Kusari supplier to the Sirius Sector. I'm heading back up to Denver to load up on some Superconductors bound for Yukawa Shipyard in Honshu. Hopefully the Xenos in the Silverton Field won't bother me if I'm empty. Baltimore Shipyard Ageira managed to corner the Liberty market for Optical Chips. But don't worry, we'll eliminate that little slice of competition soon enough. Optronics and Engine Components are brought to this shipyard by Kishiro from Honshu in Kusari space. These Kusari products that will be used in the luxury liners and prison ships will be reliable for many years. H-Fuel is shipped to this base by Kishiro from Okinawa. We are proud to contribute to Libertonian industry. Planet Denver Those cursed Xenos are a serious problem for us in Colorado. We've lobbied the Liberty government to step up patrols, but that has proved unsatisfactory. The Xenos seem to attack only Kusari ships, not Liberty commerce. We don't understand their hatred for us. We ship Pharmaceuticals produced here to Deshima, along with Superconductors bound for our Yukawa commercial shipyard in Honshu. We bring in Engine Components from Honshu, Optronics from Planet Honshu, and H-Fuel from the new gas miners in the Okinawa system. Pueblo Station We get attacked on the way down from Shikoku by Lane Hackers and Rogues, and both ways by Xenos. Kusari space is certainly much safer than this. We don't have crime problems like this. I wish Liberty would clean up the Independent Worlds, since the criminals come from here. We ship Beryllium in from Java. On the return journey we bring Gate and Lane Parts to Okinawa. We also transport Superconductors from Denver, which are shipped onward to the Yukawa Shipyard in Honshu. We've attempted to reverse-engineer Ageira products at our Kansai research center, but so far, unsuccessfully. If we could duplicate the Trade Lanes, we could finally be free of Liberty's stranglehold on that most critical technology. Mainz Storage Facility If you have ever wished to see the wonders of the New Tokyo system, then you could ship Diamonds to the capitol planet and return with Optical Chips from Shinagawa. Go to Ogashawa. There is the main source of Kishiro H-Fuel. You will find the best prices at the source. Every station needs H-Fuel, including this one. Yukawa is in need of the Boron that the Rheinland people mine in this system. If you are willing, you could provide them with this Commodity. Kishiro brings this base Optronics from Honshu. While we are here, we purchase Basic and High-Temperature Alloys plus Cobalt to return to Honshu with.

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