Roppongi Wreck

Roppongi Wreck

File:Ku01 04 base.png

Owner

Interspace Commerce

Location

D/E-6, New Tokyo

CLASS: Akebono

GRAVITY: Complete

DOCKING: Yes

AMENITIES: Yes

CREW: 1320

In the early years of the Kusari Shogunate, foreign immigration was strictly controlled and permanent foreign settlement on New Tokyo were strictly forbidden. While the Shogunate was unwilling to bend these rules, it still accommodated foreign business interests by constructing Roppongi Station in 318 AS. Roppongi quickly became home to large numbers of elite repatriates from New York and New London who had long term business interests in Kusari. Roppongi later became the focal point of the 521 AS Kusari-Rhienland Nationalization Crisis, when both Houses seized their Trade Lanes and Jump Gates, expelling Interspace Commerce in the process.

Interspace was permitted to return in the aftermath of the 80-Years War between Rheinland and the GMG, owing to financial transactions between Kusari and Liberty and quickly established several major offices on Roppongi. By the time of the short-lived Kusari Republic, many of the restrictions on foreign companies had been lifted in the interests of progress. Roppongi became a busy trade center and luxury concourse, bustling with corporations, local celebrities and thronging crowds of New Tokyo socialites. Most of the major houses maintained their Kusari embassies or consular services aboard.

In 832 AS, a nuclear dirty bomb was detonated in the station’s lower hangars. Although emergency bulkheads were able to prevent complete disintegration, the interior was heavily irradiated and swept by fires that smoldered for months after. The attack provoked immediate outrage from the other Houses due to the heavy loss of life, and the destruction of embassy facilities. Kusari now faces intense pressure to crack down on the Farmer’s Alliance, who claimed responsibility for the attack. As of 834 AS, Samura Heavy Industries is leading efforts to decontaminate and dismantle the station.

Bribes & Missions Offered

Bribes

Kishiro Technologies Deep Space Engineering Synth Foods, Inc. Universal Shipping Gateway Shipping Interspace Commerce The Core Blood Dragons Golden Chrysanthemums Orbital Spa & Cruise Imperial Shipping

Missions

Interspace Commerce Bounty Hunters Guild

Commodities

Imports

Commodity Price Xeno Relics 181$

Exports

Commodity Price Deployable Mining Container 50,000$

Ships sold

Ship	Class	Price

News

[833 AS] Kyushu Faces Rising Temperatures And Falling Profits

Kyushu, the key to Samura's monopoly on the organically-grown food industry, has faced rising ocean temperatures lately, owing to a vast temperature surge in the mantle plume underneath its largest ocean. This has been compounded by the resultant eruption of several underwater volcanoes, releasing enormous quantities of greenhouse gases into the planet's atmosphere. Partially as a result of the geological activity, the equatorial monsoon season produced some of the strongest tropical storms ever recorded on Kyushu since its colonisation. These storms devastated the world's agricultural sector as they blew through the most fertile tropical lowlands, destroying as much as 20%% of the planet's annual crop yield, on top of damage to infrastructure and tragic loss of human life. Many rural communities are reported to be struggling, with some farming communities still remaining flooded ghost towns even a month after the worst of the storms abated, though smaller-scale tempests still rage around the equator. A Samura spokesperson outlined the company's intent to restore the planet and its communities to full productivity by the middle of next year, despite the ongoing circumstance.

[832 AS] Battleship Matsuda Meets Its Demise!

It had long been rumored that the grand Battleship Himeji had not been lost in the Tohoku system as previously thought; That it had been brought back and given a second life by the unlawful elements that are the antithesis of the Kusari state. This rumor had been proven true as the Kusari Office of Intelligence reported movements of a Meiji-class Battleship in the Kyushu system, deploying Golden Chrysanthemum fighter wings that seemed to deliberately target Kusari patrols in the northern part of the system. Immediately upon learning of this, Battleship Matsumoto and its battlegroup were redeployed from Hokkaido, and within two days were poised and ready to face this new threat. Only a short few hours later, a patrol of fighters reported a warship with the transponder reading Battleship Matsuda operating in the relative open, heading for but not yet reaching the relative safety of the Seiran Dust Cloud. Matsumoto itself departed with its escort to confront the Chrysanthemum battleship, close to the edge of the nebula. Within minutes of it coming into sensor range, bomber and fighter squadrons from both sides closed in and opening salvos were exchanged between the battleships. It didn't take long before the KNF's preparation was shown to be well worthwhile; their superior numbers whittled down or otherwise preoccupied the Chrysanthemum's fighter force leaving a variety of openings in the Matsuda's defensive cover for KNF bombers to exploit. While the Matsumoto was withstanding a heavy beating from the guns of its older sister, it was plain that the Matsuda was slowly being whittled away as its shields began to fail and the very same engine design flaws that had rendered it immobile in KNF service were now exploited by bomber wings to once again cripple the warship. After several more minutes, the Matsuda's escape pods began to eject from the ailing battleship, picked up by Chrysanthemum fighters as they fled deeper into the Seiran dust cloud. It didn't take long thereafter for the ship's powercore to falter and fail completely, culminating in a vast explosion that reportedly almost turned night to day on the dark side of Planet Kyushu, if only for a split second. Matsumoto itself sustained moderate damage in the engagement, relatively untouched by Chrysanthemum bombers however still suffering the ill effects of Matsuda's anti-capital weaponry. Despite its damage, it remains deployed in the Kyushu system to continue the blockade of the cardamine trade and to serve as a show of force to any who would challenge the might of the Emperor.

[831 AS/747 AGS] Gate Corps Clash Over 'Blackout'!

ABBEVILLE -- 831 AS/747 AGS -- EFL's 'Resilience Taskforce' today reported its findings on The Blackout, claiming to have gathered forensic evidence that proved the cause as Ageira negligence. A spokesperson claimed that the destruction of the Dublin jump gate by Molly separatists had created a hyperspace feedback loop that was propagated and amplified through the Ageira gate network. Ageira disputed this finding in their own press release, calling EFL 'fantasists' and countering that their own scientists had narrowed the cause to a rare 'hypernova' stellar event that originated outside the Sirius sector. Both corporations claim that network-wide hardware safeguards have been implemented that would prevent a similar occurrence in the future. Independent researchers have sharply criticized the corporate announcements, accusing both of self-interested misdirection. Professor Sophia Nagel from Heisenberg Research Station called EFL's accusation 'incoherent' and the hypernova explanation 'nonsense' that did not explain the characteristics of the 'Blackout Pulse'. Despite multiple different Pulse recordings being widely disseminated across the neural net, public efforts have so far failed to triangulate its source.

[831 AS] Bretonia Announces Poole Draw-Down

NEW LONDON -- 831 AS -- The Bretonian government has announced a controlled withdrawal from the Poole system, citing ballooning costs and an increasingly strained state budget. Poole was once of critical importance to Bretonia, briefly hosting a Super Gate to Liberty during the Gallic War, and acting as a launching point for Bretonia's colonial ambitions in Omega 48. With the end of the war and Bretonia's withdrawal from Planet Gran Canaria, Poole's prominence waned. The cost of policing the system and maintaining infrastructure has significantly outweighed collected tax revenue in recent years, with Planetform's Terraforming Gas operations reporting disappointing year on year returns.DSE has already confirmed that it will begin deconstruction operations shortly, with the dismantling of the Cambridge jump gate expected to be completed by 833 AS. Planetform has confirmed its intention to withdraw prior to this point, while settling shareholder anxiety with the announcement of promising preliminary findings for a replacement site in Newcastle.

[831 AS] Bretonia Withdraws From Dublin System

WATERLOO -- 831 AS -- Markets are down across Sirius as the sector grapples with the twin shocks of The Blackout and Bretonia's withdrawal from the Dublin system. Molly separatists appear to have exploited a worker revolt on Graves Station to take control of and later destroy the base. Of even greater concern is the attack that crippled the New London jump gate, forcing the Battleship Essex to retreat. EFL have accused the gate destruction and faulty Ageira infrastructure of causing The Blackout, which the Liberty corporation denies. The Mollys have since declared their ownership of Dublin, while Bretonia has imposed a strict blockade, jeopardizing the sector's Gold supply. Gold exports previously made up a significant element of Bretonian state revenue, helping to fund post-war recovery efforts. While the reconstruction of LD-14 in the Leeds system offers some relief, Interspace Commerce has already downgraded Bretonia's sovereign credit rating, citing increased volatility and risk for lenders. Bretonia has confirmed that action to retake the system will be launched shortly, providing assurances to partners in the other Houses.

[831 AS/747 AGS] 'Blackout' Causes Jump Network Fail

MANHATTAN -- 831 AS/747 AGS -- Two days ago Jump Gates failed simultaneously across Sirius, freezing commerce and neural net access across the sector. When the network resumed 31 hours later, restored communications broke the news of Bretonia's loss of the Dublin system. This twin shock has plunged the market into chaos, prompting fears of sector-wide economic recessions. Interspace estimates indicate that the stoppage alone caused billions of credits in losses. Gallia immediately accused Liberty of culpability for the outage, claiming the destruction of Dublin's jump gate instigated a cascading failure in faulty Ageira infrastructure. Ageira has sharply refuted the allegation, claiming such a systemic effect would be physically impossible. Independent researchers in Cologne and the Edge Worlds have also announced that a hyperspace pulse of unprecedented strength was detected moments before The Blackout, with data about 'The Pulse' being widely shared across the neural net in recent days. House authorities have remained tight lipped, refusing to comment on their own observatories' data.

[828 AS] Birds of a Feather

STUTTGART -- 828 AS -- Many ex-LWB remnants took up the Imperial cause during the Civil War, hoping for a government that would expel Synth Foods from Rheinland. They were left feeling betrayed and enraged when these promises were abandoned. Lacking funding and resources, the fighters looked abroad to find support. An unexpected benefactor was found in Kusari’s Farmers Alliance, who fight a near identical battle against the Liberty corporation. The Alliance has provided leadership, funding and resources to relaunch anti-Synth operations in Rheinland as a wing of their own organization. It remains to be seen how this united Farmers Alliance will impact affairs on the wider stage, with the security forces of both Rheinland and Kusari already strained by internal conflict and crime.

Rumors

Deep Space Engineering

I'm on a crew replacement and supply run to the Tau-53 Gate. We've been burning through a lot of spare parts and construction machinery up there. Talk about bait-and-switch advertising! For years the gate was planned to go to Chugoku, then at the last minute Samura unveils new plans to connect to a system we never even heard of before? We could have saved countless credits, and lives, if they were upfront about this. Nothing like telling some criminals you're coming to get them by building a trillion credit jump gate to the middle of nowhere. I'm hoping to transfer to duty in the Sigma-19 area soon. It's supposed to be much easier now we have new access to Okinawa in the system. At least you aren't in the middle of some nebula with desperate Kusari terrorists fighting to the death -- although being in a nebula with a bunch of suicidal Outcasts probably ain't much better. Guess that's why they call it hazard pay. You see Golden C. out there in Hokkaido also. I guess that's where they've got their base. They are just a crazy bunch, in my opinion. Bartender, give me a shot of whiskey for the road.

Interspace Commerce

The Tau-53 Jump Gate project has not been insured or sanctioned by IC. We view the Hokkaido affair as a deliberate deception plotted by the Kusari government against its own people. They need an enemy such as the Blood Dragons to justify their enormous public expenditures incurred when opening up the Hokkaido system for Samura's personal gain. There is no better evidence for this than the fact the 'Chugoku Gate' never ended up connecting to Chugoku at all! All this money and fighting, and hey presto - the gate now links to Samura's brand new holdings in the Tau-53 and Tottori systems. We use this station to monitor the Trade Lane network within Kusari, Tau-29, and Sigma-13. The Tau Lanes are most affected by the Outcasts, who seem to have been disturbed by the opening of the Tau-29 Jump Gate in Tau-23. Sigma-13 is threatened by Corsairs and Outcasts, though the two groups do not seem to be acting in concert. Kusari would have minimal criminal problems if the government agreed to some of the reforms proposed by Blood Dragon and Golden C. sympathizers some time ago. The new government insists on those groups laying down arms first, more likely they just don't want any radical voices in the government. Unlike our other House bases, Bounty Hunters Guild members are not allowed to base themselves on our station, at the request of the Kusari government. So we must make frequent visits to Deshima to communicate with the Guild management -- a process that I find distasteful. We are currently investigating rumored Farmers Alliance links with Samura. The attacks on Synth Foods transports within Kusari are blatant acts by Samura to discourage foreign competitors who threaten their business. We will press criminal charges against Samura and refuse their use of Trade Lanes within Libertonian space if they are found guilty. We allow the Golden Chrysanthemums to land here, since they do not attack shipping indiscriminately. Their dispute is with the Kusari government and industry, and its stifling, paternalistic traditions. We at IC would view any reforms of Kusari society as beneficial to IC's interests. We've never been allowed to establish permanent offices anywhere except on Deshima and Roppongi. Kusari is very distrustful of outside influences. Roppongi was closed for a short duration following the Trade Lane Dispute of 521, when all Liberty representatives were evicted from Kusari space. However, eventually deals were worked out - Kusari needed Liberty's cooperation to maintain the gates and lanes. We're despised by most of Kusari, but they know they need us to keep their empire running. Non-Kusari companies based in Roppongi had a rough time dealing with Kusari for centuries. Roppongi was established in 321 AS, when the Hideyoshi dynasty was more open too foreigners - perhaps too open, and we've had to suffer the consequences for the past five centuries. With the current regime backed by Kishiro, things might turn out better, but make no misstake. Kusari does not like outsiders. The most troubling development in this sector is the growing strength of Gallia in the Tau sector. The military seems distracted by the Blood Dragons, and Kusari has a peace treaty with Gallia - but for how long?

Golden Chrysanthemums

We will continue our fight until a woman leads this country. I do not believe in much of the strange things they preach on Ainu, but one thing is certain. The women of Kusari must be freed of the oppressive yoke of our paternal society. Only then will Kusari move forward again. Roppongi is nice to visit. The foreigners are polite to us, much better than Kusari would ever be. They have lots of luxury boutiques for all those IC employees here, so we take advantage of the opportunity to shop in relative peace. I hate Ainu. If only I could live in New Tokyo again ... I think it's time for my afternoon Cardamine break. We sell our cargo here, since they won't let us land on Tokyo. All the hip Tokyo types come here to get their supply. That's how we recruit new girls to join the cause.

Synth Foods, Inc.

Synth Foods uses Roppongi as a distribution point. The Farmers Alliance will most likely be waiting whichever way we go in Kusari. Synth Foods is certain that Samura funds the Farmers Alliance movement. The Kusari government has been unwilling so far to open an investigation, which is not surprising, given that many government officals are still on Samura's bribe list. The new government is all about free markets and competition, and yet the Farmers now have a whole new planet opened up for them in Tottori -- how convenient. 70% of the New Tokyo population under the age of 30 prefers Synth Paste to Kyushu grown food. But the Farmers have opened up a whole new planet for agriculture. Synth is up for serious competition in the Kusari market now. it's funny, now the playing field is more level than ever, and still the odds are against us.

Universal Shipping

They don't let us ship our cargo directly to Yokohama -- go figure -- so we stop by here for a little R & R and then do the hop up the yard. Usually we pick up some Niobium at Narita for the return trip to Liberty. We supply Roppongi with its needs. Being the place this is, that means bringing in Luxury Foods for those IC snobs, who are too lazy to go down to the planet. We also use this as our transfer point for Luxury Goods arriving from Manhattan. We're supplying the Jump Gate Parts used in that crazy money pit they now call the Tau-53 Gate in Hokkaido. We've already shipped enough for those Deep Space builders to construct at least two. Now we know they really were building two gates!

NOTE: Page generated on the 15/12/2024 at 15:51:00 UTC