The history of the Blood Dragons goes back to the fourth century. The founding members of the group were the Shogun’s Royal Guard during the Hideyoshi family dynasty. In a bloody coup during the celebration of the revived Sakura festival in 321 AS, the Shogun was surrounded in the palace by Samura-backed elements of the military and asked to surrender, along with the Royal Guard. The Shogun, humiliated by the shame he had brought his family, committed suicide. The guards, headed by Kozue Okamura, did not acquiesce so easily. In a bloody battle, they fought their way out of the palace and retreated into the darkness of northern Kusari space. Here they regrouped and began a long guerrilla campaign aimed at overthrowing the Samura-controlled Kusari government

The Blood Dragons are a tight group who hold the sympathy and support of individuals in the highest levels of Kusari government. They periodically launch surgical strikes and commando raids from their Kyoto base designed to destabilize the current government to the point where sympathetic officials could potentially seize power. Blood Dragons prefer to target Samura and Kusari Naval Forces bases and ships, although they occasionally attack other House shippers for supplies.

The group is loosely allied with the Golden Chrysanthemums, who provide refuge and a forward tactical base for assault crews in the Hokkaido system. The Golden C. also provide many of the essential Commodities that the Blood Dragons need, a critical function given the complete lack of Blood Dragon landing rights within the rest of Kusari space. The Chugoku Gate construction is viewed as a direct threat to the continued survival of the group.

Constructed by Samura after the completion of the Jump Gate linking Hokkaido and New Tokyo, Sapporo Station was intended to act as a local base from which Samura could survey the surrounding systems for mineral resources. But with construction proceeding ahead on the Chugoku Gate and the resulting increase in terrorist activity, Samura has been persuaded by the Kusari Shogunate to also house officials from Deep Space Engineering and Universal Shipping while providing support for the Kusari State Police.

Kyushu has few appreciable mineral resources but does possess arable land and an ideal climate for rice farming. While the independent farmers of Kyushu provided much of the basic Food stuffs for New Tokyo for over three centuries, a recent Shogunate directive to further develop the planet has resulted in Samura assuming control under government contract. Samura has organized the farmers into collectives growing new, genetically engineered rice purchased from Samura's labs in New Tokyo. But the farmers have had difficulty recouping their investment as Synth Foods products have grown more popular among young Kusari.

After Jump Gates linked New Tokyo with the other colonies, the Kusari Shogunate decided that the resulting influx of foreign traffic needed careful management. As a result, Narita Outpost was constructed to serve as the final destination for all shipments to New Tokyo and as a base of operations for the major foreign shipping firms, primarily Republican Shipping, Bowex, and Gateway Shipping.

We send Food produced at this base to the New Tokyo system where it can be enjoyed in the heart of the Kusari Shogunate. Too bad those Farmers Alliance pirates keep attacking our convoys. That just means higher prices for the children of Kusari. 

Shinjuku Station is the corporate headquarters for Samura, the oldest of the keiretsu -- vast corporate networks -- in the Kusari Empire. The history of Samura is deeply intertwined with that of the Empire, and Samura maintains close ties with the Kusari Shogunate, its ruling governmental body. Samura holds key contracts for the construction of the Kusari Navy and terraforming in the Tau Border Worlds, and previously held the exclusive rights for the distribution of valuable resources produced by the Gas Mining Guild (GMG). However, because the agreement with the GMG has recently expired, Samura faces intense competition for the GMG's business from archrival Kishiro. Samura is also engaged in a protracted dispute with Synth Foods over the lucrative race to feed the ever expanding Kusari population.