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Kusari Liberation Army · (This post was last modified: 03-06-2026, 10:57 AM by Kusari Liberation Army.)

Kusari Liberation Army
Kusari Kaihōgun (鎖解放軍)

ID/IFF: Blood Dragon
Tag: |KLA\-
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I. Summary

The Kusari Liberation Army (KLA) is a far-left terrorist organization composed of radical Blood Dragon elements. Seeing the Empire of Kusari as an oppressive entity in need of destruction, they place firm blame on the economic system of Kusari as their primary target, targeting more corporations than just Samura. Old ways of samurai codes and shogunate revanchism are rejected wholesale. The KLA employs any means necessary to achieve its goals of a popular, democratic revolution in political and economic spheres.

II. History

For centuries, the Ketsuryū, or Blood Dragons, were the ever-present opposition to the Samura-controlled Empire of Kusari. For centuries, the old guard within Chugoku’s clouds enlisted the disaffected of the Empire to fight and rail against the government, the Hogosha, and Samura itself, pointing to their oligarchical stranglehold as the source of the nation’s woes. Every stripe of dissident, be they Hideyoshi restorationists, liberal reformists, or socialist radicals could find a place within the movement. However, after contacting the Order and executing an attack on Tekagi’s Arch in 800 AS, many Dragons began to realize there was far more to the political machinations of their home and the sector-at-large than just Samura’s iron grip. They began to debate and wonder what it would take to create the best future for Kusari. For the time being, at least, opposing Samura seemed to be the common goal of all these tendencies.

However, as ancient Imperial rule over Kusari was replaced by a Gallia-backed Republic, the Blood Dragons, sworn enemies of Samura Heavy Industries and its far-reaching tendrils, were faced with an existential crisis of conscience. Here was a state that, despite being propped up by foreign occupiers, was purged of Samura influence and declared a nominal liberal democracy. And yet, the inequities and shortcomings within society that had inspired many a radicalized student and hardened guerrilla to take up arms remained. What, then, was to be done in the face of a capitalist, modern democracy?

The traditionalist, right-wing vanguard of the Blood Dragon movement, primarily composed of those born and raised within Kyoto and other independent redoubts of Blood Dragon control, had always been preoccupied with sworn vengeance against the Samura-backed shogunate and returning to their rightful place at the Imperial family’s side. They felt that the greatest obstacle of their crusade, one whose evil had been drilled into them since birth, had been surmounted. Now, the final fight lay with a greatly-diminished Samura, and eventually the Exiles cut off within Bretonia.

The moderate liberal faction, mainly composed of sympathizers within governmental and corporate power structures, argued that the Exiles and Gallia were a more pressing threat to the nation than the corporate actors. They would seek to destroy the nascent Republic’s existence as a forward-thinking and free state. To this end, the moderate Dragons focused their efforts on Kusari’s borders, fighting foreign occupiers and imperials-in-exile alike. The keiretsu, meanwhile, would be confronted in the sphere of civil affairs, limited through legislation and action by the liberal government.

Lastly, the radical left faction within the Blood Dragons that drew mostly from university activist groups and illegal labor unions diverged considerably from its partners. Having been exposed to abuse and depredations by the oppressive traditionalist structures and corporate hierarchies that dominated Kusari, they did not believe that the new Republic had done anything to solve the systemic rot that permeated the country at every level. In their minds, it was a farce, still controlled by corporate actors that dominated every aspect of life and sabotaged any attempt at reform. If it came down to it, the liberal republicans would throw away their new democracy for the sake of corporate gain. For the left faction of Dragons, the only answer lay in the abolition of the capitalist system that gave the keiretsu their power, and the establishment of a truly democratic society in the hands of Kusari workers. As such, they focused their efforts on state and corporate targets within Kusari, targeting both Samura and Kishiro.

These divisions proved to be disastrous for any concentrated effort by the heirs of Okamura’s rebellion. Without a unified purpose or strategy to their war, the Republic chose to focus its efforts on the emerging conflicts within the Taus as Outcasts, Crayterians, and Bretonians all challenged Gallic supremacy in the Border Worlds. The Blood Dragons could be safely ignored and discounted, allowing the Golden Chrysanthemums to rise in prominence and danger as they relentlessly attacked shipping and expanded their cardamine distribution networks.

It was not until the confrontation between the Imperial Kusari Navy and the Republic escalated that the Blood Dragons began to rally against a common threat. Once again, Dragons died fighting off the invading Imperials seeking to reclaim their lost power, all the while sustaining losses as the Kusari Naval Forces sought to stamp them out alongside the reactionary invaders. All that was achieved at the apex of the short civil war were concessions granted to the imperials to return the Emperor to power, the reestablishment of the shogunate, and the preservation of a nominal democracy in the Kusari Parliament. Samura and Kishiro, content with their profits from war and fratricide, accepted the compromises that laid the foundation of the Second Kusari Empire.

The betrayal was tragic, but expected, at least by the radicals. Never before had the collaboration between the ruling classes been so nakedly obvious, proving how false the rivalry between corporate entities really was. For executives and aristocracy, the contest for power was a game to be won. For the downtrodden of the Empire, it was a bloody battle to be survived. Slowly, these anti-corporate views gained traction within the Blood Dragons. More than the sworn blood oaths of a long-dead warrior caste, the new generation of Dragon warriors professed ardent faith in the tumult of class struggle and liberation for all.

For years after the civil war’s end, the Empire began to curtail what little freedoms had been won in the peace. Democratic backsliding became the norm as subversive elements within the government increased military spending, bolstered the surveillance state, and brought the keiretsu under their wing. Nationalist sentiment rang out in the halls of power and on the streets, and xenophobic and bigoted views gained new life in the mouths of the ruling classes. A spell had seemingly overcome Kusari, and no amount of feeble handwringing by the social democrats or liberals still in Parliament could feasibly stop it.

Rather than despair against the rise of ultranationalism and fascism in their home, left-wing militants and radical members of the moderate factions drew a line in the sand. Both keiretsu were complicit in the exploitation and betrayal of the Kusari people, and the powers that be had to be stopped by any means necessary. Kusari needed to be freed from the very chain that had founded it. And so, with elite cadres of Dragon veterans, labor leaders, and intellectuals forming the core of their movement, these disparate groups united underneath a singular banner: The Kusari Kaihōgun (鎖解放軍) or Kusari Liberation Army. With their name clear, they boldly declared their mission as the complete destruction of the Empire of Kusari as a political entity, the liquidation of the keiretsu into democratic, unionized ownership, and the establishment of a workers’ democracy.

III. Organization

The KLA is an asymmetrically-organized group that synthesizes a standing paramilitary order of battle with cell-based guerrilla warfare, along with an internecine network of activists and sympathizers embedded within Kusari society. All three branches follow the agenda and directives set out by the People’s Convention for Liberation, a legislative body composed of ranking leadership and representatives from units, cells, and clandestine civilian components. The Convention is presided over by an elected Coordinating Committee, with two Co-Chairs at the head. The structure comprising these different parts is known as the Three Branches, One Trunk Doctrine.

A. Revolutionary Guard

The most conventional armed force within the KLA is the Revolutionary Guard, a combined arms formation resembling most modern militaries in terms of equipment, doctrine, and discipline, though distinct in its ranking peculiarities. Its name is derived from the view that the current conflict against the ruling class had been initiated by their exploitation and oppression, and that this organized force is merely acting in self-defense to liberate itself. Its land, sea, and aerospace components are a mixture of eager guerrillas lifted from the ranks of the People’s Liberation Units, defectors from the opposition, and hardened veterans with years, if not decades of experience fighting against the enemies of the Blood Dragons. The Revolutionary Guard is responsible for most large-scale space operations, including fleet engagements against the KNF and its allies, logistics chains, and hit-and-run offensives on the edges of their authority. They are primarily defined by lightning attacks that are often over within minutes of the first shots ringing out, striking softer targets and avoiding prolonged battle. Most attacks are conducted with small, elite squadrons of snubcraft and accompanying gunboats, with heavier capital ships serving as mobile bases and support platforms rather than frontline combatants.

1. Ranks/Roles

Rather than a system of increasing hierarchical ranks, the Guard operates off of a more horizontal organization. Initially, soldiers elected their officers, though the tradition is largely being phased out now as the complexity of operations and the need for discipline has necessitated more stable succession and a reliable officer corps becomes essential. Regardless, this democratic tradition has manifested as ranks being more reflective of one’s job or role rather than an indication of superiority. Members of the Guard even treat each other as equals, referring to others as "comrade" or "guardsman".

Rank/Role in RG	Description
Guards’ Marshal	■ The formal head of the Guard. ■ Coordinates strategic operations and doctrine for theaters of war. ■ Rare to find on the frontlines. ■ Often at headquarters.
Cadre Commander	■ Entrusted with command over a unit of soldiers and equipment. ■ Ranges from head of battlegroup to the gunboat captain/squadron leader. ■ Given specific title. (i.e. Cadre Cdr, BDW Daisekigun) ■ Assignment by election, sortition, and/or Marshal's pick.
Specialist	■ Guardsmen with specific skillsets and/or jobs. ■ Includes engineers, quartermasters, pilots, navigators, cooks, technicians, mechanics, political officers, chaplains, etc. ■ Make up a significant bloc of personnel.
Guardsman	■ Standard rank in the Revolutionary Guard. ■ Rank given upon graduation from trainee status. ■ Usually rank-and file in larger units, i.e. infantry, crewmen, etc. ■ All are considered guardsmen.

2. Equipment

Typically, the Revolutionary Guard employs Bushido series snubcraft like the B05-S Tachi and B69-R Nodachi for hit-and run operations and skirmishes with with KNF, KSP, and KOI forces, though more daring pilots have been seen employing the infamous B50P Katana as a lighter and deadly counter to more sluggish opponents. Conversely, the J90 Tanto is typically reserved mostly for scouting and interception missions, though it sees occasional use in combat as the preferred craft of certain fighter aces.

These snub squadrons are usually accompanied by Hachiman-class gunboats used as fire support platforms and for mobile command and control on chaotic battlefields. Capital ships such as the Kagutsuchi-class cruiser and the Togo-class battlecruiser are rarely seen on the frontlines unless the tactical situation offers no other choice, with the former utilized as both a long-range fire support platform and escort ship, typically deployed in scenarios necessitating sheer destructive firepower above other considerations. The Togo-class, however, is a rare leviathan that seldom even leaves the clouds and asteroid fields in which it stations itself, acting as the nexus of Revolutionary Guard operations in a given theater. Never staying in one place for long, it is a slippery and elusive vessel that specializes in the highly mobile warfare of the Guard.

The E56-15 Yari freighter is the unsung hero of the Guard. Not only is this small craft the backbone of KLA logistics, it is also the vessel facilitating the delivery of elite strike teams under concealment, providing communications and tactical support, then extracting teams with its precise tractor beam.

3. Doctrine

Within the Three Branches, One Trunk system, the Revolutionary Guard acts in concert with the People’s Liberation Units and Comrades of Ozu as the conventional arm of warfare. Following the principles of Protracted People’s War gleaned from ancient revolutionary thinkers, the Guard offers hard-hitting support to the actions of PLU cells through parallel offensives in space and on planets, stationing advisors within certain cells, conducting strikes with snubcraft, and lending equipment and expertise on select occasions. Most of the time, this manifests as piracy of enemy shipping lanes, luring enemy patrols into ambushes and baiting them into overextending, black operations behind enemy lines, and above all else, remaining mobile.

The words of the Protracted People’s War ring loud and clear: "Enemy advances, we retreat; enemy camps, we harass; enemy tires, we attack; enemy retreats, we pursue." It is rare for the Revolutionary Guard to choose a fight it has not gamed out the outcomes of and prepared accordingly for. They distinguish themselves from other Blood Dragon groups by rejecting archaic notions of “honor” and pointless bravado for its own sake. To them, these reactionary ideals hold back the movement from achieving true victory. It is folly to not strike where the enemy is weakest and most helpless, especially when they are so much larger and more powerful.

Spaceborne operations, as a result of these precepts, are conducted in the form of lightning attacks on enemy infrastructure and high-value targets by snubcraft and gunboats in support. Upon the arrival of enemy reinforcements in significant amounts, KLA fighters melt away and escape into clouds and fields, dispersing to evade pursuit and split enemy forces. In the event of dogged chase, the bulk of the battlegroup the snubcraft are based from will ambush the overextended forces and decisively neutralize any pursuing threats. This is followed by a brief moment to regroup and retrieve surviving units before changing position in the theater.

In addition to attacks on the government and corporations, the KLA also does what it can to disrupt the operations of rival unlawful groups such as the Farmers Alliance and Hogosha syndicates. In these instances, rather than a quiet hit-and-run approach, the Guard leverages its overwhelming advantage in numbers and equipment to crush opposing forces in a timely manner. These turf wars are often brief and bloody affairs.

4. Notable Units

Unit of RG	Description
1st Guards Battlegroup	■ Operations in Chugoku, Hokkaido, and New Tokyo. ■ Preparing for incursions into Chugoku, raiding Samura H-Fuel miners in Hokkaido. ■ Flagship, BDW Danketsu, Togo-class.
2nd Guards Battlegroup	■ Operations in Honshu and Sigmas. ■ Piracy, combatting Kishiro control PLU cell outreach, combatting Corsairs, and disrupting Kansai operations. ■ Flagship, BDW Jinmin, Togo-class (Mothballed).
3rd Guards Battlegroup	■ Operations in Kyushu and Taus. ■ Warfare against Tau colonization by Houses, combatting Samura proxies, aiding allies and PLUs. ■ Flagship, BDW Kokura, Togo-class (Non-KLA).
4th Guards Battlegroup	■ Operations in Shikoku and Independent Worlds. ■ Fighting Hogosha and Samura control, disrupting KSP and KNF operations, observing Liberty unit movements. ■ Flagship, BDW Reimei, Togo-class (Mothballed).
Revolutionary Guard Special Forces (RevSpec)	■ Home of the Blood Dragon commandos. ■ Black operations and espionage. Equipped with extensive augmentations and advanced weaponry. ■ No flagship, vessels loaned by other units. ■ Headquarters, Kyoto Base, Chugoku.
RevSpec, "Yomigun"	■ Anti-alien, anti-infectee specialized RevSpec detachment. ■ Security for blacksites, research, and containment. ■ Autonomous, most operations classified, need Convention 2/3 majority to open files. ■ Headquarters, Ryukyu Base, Tohoku.
Bureau of Research and Development	■ Responsible for all science and engineering projects. ■ Responsible for equipment design, testing and manufacture, ■ Also responsible for Daam K'Vosh, Nomad, esper, abnormal phenomena research. ■ Headquarters, Sendai Research Complex, Sigma-59.

B. People's Liberation Units

The bloodiest work of a revolution is often done in the heart of the imperial core. Those who carry out the business of tearing down the power structures of the oppressor do so from shadowy places, engaging in sabotage, assassination, robbery, espionage, and what state actors would consider terrorism. These daring souls form the backbone of the People’s Liberation Units: cClandestine, decentralized cells embedded deep within Kusari population centers and countrysides with a mission to engender revolutionary fervor among the populace and weaken the power of the Empire and its corporate lapdogs. They wear no uniforms, bear no rank, and their membership is kept hidden from both outsiders and themselves, with only a network of handlers, suppliers, and advisors operating on a need-to-know basis to unite them. Their expendability is part of their design, and most among the PLUs realize that martyrdom in the dark is an expected outcome for many. But for every lost comrade, five more rise in defiance to take their place. The ranks of the PLUs always seem to swell with the downtrodden and disaffected, for those most used to the ruins and squalor of this world have no problem destroying it to build the next.

1. Ranks/Roles

Rank/Role in PLUs	Description
Handler	■ Liaisons both between PLUs and for the KLA-at-large. ■ Responsible for communications, personnel transfers and supplies. ■ Identities hidden from non-essential personnel. ■ No one handler holds all organizational knowledge.
Cell Leader(s)	■ De facto, not de jure. ■ Often democratically elected. ■ Communications between cell leaders done through handlers. ■ Nature, authority, aesthetics of role vary per cell.
Special Friend	■ Informal title for non-KLA contact or sympathizer. ■ Real name replaced by codename to anonymize contacts ( "Our special friend Kitsune-san, Tengu-kun, Jorōgumo-sama, etc.") ■ Sometimes prospective candidates for integration into ranks.
Partisan	■ Common term for PLU members. ■ All PLU members are partisans. ■ Diverse backgrounds, often ideologically or personally-driven. ■ No formal identification, cell culture and system varies.

2. Equipment

PLUs make use of whatever equipment they can source from civilian and black markets, as well as lend-lease assets given by the Revolutionary Guard on select occasions. Most cells prefer to utilize craft and weaponry that can be maintained with ease. Border Worlds, Barrier, Kress, Ceres, CTE, Samura, and Kishiro shiplines feature heavily in PLU formations, among others. Cells employ combat spacecraft up to gunboats.. The appearance of these makeshift flotillas often makes PLU cells out to be disorganized pirates rather than a paramilitary unit. Sometimes, that slovenly look can aid in catching opponents off-guard.

In addition to conventional combat assets, PLUs make heavy use of frigate-class vessels for medium- and long-range logistics. Stalwarts such as the Peregrine-class and Scarab-class are outfitted for combat with reinforced hulls and deadly armaments to participate in blockade running, piracy, and armored transport. Some cells, either through purchase, capture, or salvage, have managed to acquire liner-class ships and converted them into makeshift carriers. Though it is largely unheard of, if a cell had the means to obtain, maintain, and use a dedicated warship, such as a Bustard, they would do so.

Aside from spaceborne assets, operations on planets follow the same logic, focusing on reliability and ease of maintenance as one of the key factors. Stealing military or police equipment is a popular tactic, as well as utilizing arms and munitions available on the civilian market. The Revolutionary Guard also provides air drops of equipment to cells in need, sometimes even delivering a light vehicle or sophisticated weaponry to give PLUs in strategically-important theaters an extra edge.

3. Tactics/Doctrine

The PLUs represent a significant departure from most Blood Dragon operations. Rather than place the bulk of their faith and trust in organized armed forces and elite commando units to carry the day, the PLUs engage in guerrilla campaigns on planets, stations, and the reaches of space. Though methods and tactics can vary between cells, most operate under the principles of the Protracted People’s War, with a few added twists. Many have seen the effectiveness of the Golden Chrysanthemums’ terror attacks and have adapted to their tactics. Kidnapping, arson, robbery, bombing, hit-and-run attacks, and more all feature heavily in their violent playbook. Their targets range from state forces and Kusari corporations, to rival unlawfuls and the occasional foreign corporate asset.

However, violent action is not the only thing to come out of the cells. Many also engage in aiding impoverished communities with stolen goods, spreading propaganda, smuggling munitions and augments, and helping to protect communities (especially in places forgotten by police). Above all else, the PLUs are meant to win over the hearts and minds of the people they operate around. Abusive practices such as stealing from non-corporate/non-state entities, coercive recruitment, and intentional targeting of civilian bystanders (indirect and direct contributors to keiretsu and Imperial power notwithstanding) are strictly prohibited by Convention ruling. A PLU cell that violates these rules will find itself very quickly disavowed and cut off from supplies and support.

PLUs operating in outer space are typically a ragtag bunch, employing tactics as unconventional as they are questionable and utilizing mostly equipment available on the civilian and black markets. Most cells avoid high casualty rates by avoiding fights that would lead to them, and rarely openly attack concentrations of military or corporate forces, preferring to strike at the soft underbelly. Unlike the Revolutionary Guard, they seldom last long against concentrated and organized enemy forces.

4. Notable Units

Unit/Cell of PLUs	Description
Fugu-7	■ Nicknamed "Funayurei." ■ Located on Planet Junyo, Shikoku. ■ Unemployed fishermen reeling from collapse of fisheries. ■ Attacks against Samura industry, maritime piracy with modified fishing boats, fire pearl smuggling.
Usagi-12	■ Nicknamed "Ryūhashiriya." ■ Located on Noshima Freeport, Shikoku (alleged). ■ Illegal racers and hooligans from around Kusari. ■ Known for pageantry, turf wars with other criminal groups, tech and ship smuggling, arranging "accidents" in races.
Nezumi-45	■ Nicknamed "Sōhei." ■ Located on Planet New Tokyo, New Tokyo. ■ Reimei Buddhist monks, forced underground by ultranationalist Neo-Shinto groups. ■ Assassination of far-right spiritual figures, theft from Keiretsu for alms, self-immolation as protest.
Shika-2	■ Nicknamed “Hōka no Ashigaru.” ■ Located on Planet Kyushu, Kyushu. ■ Disenfranchised tenant farmers, stripped of land, rights, income by Samura. ■ Guerrilla warfare from rural mountain villages, eco-socialist communes.
Same-26	■ Nicknamed “Shin Wakō.” ■ Located in Sigmas, Taus, Independent Worlds. ■ Laid-off ship crews from smaller shipping and security firms bought out by keiretsu. ■ Piracy and guerrilla warfare against Corsairs, corporate shipping, and weak/isolated state actors.
Saru-98	■ Nicknamed "Tanuki." ■ Located everywhere. ■ Decentralized collective of smugglers sympathetic to KLA. ■ Smuggling operations profits (especially black market augments, munitions, propaganda) form significant income source for KLA.

C. Comrades of Ozu

There is no formal designation for the gaggle of groups that comprise the various activist groups, labor unions, and political organizations (legitimate or otherwise) forming the KLA’s base of civilian support and outreach. To give them a more rigid definition would put them in danger and establish easily-discoverable relationships to be exploited by the KOI. Therefore, many within the movement have referred to the various members of these organizations as “Comrades of Ozu” in honor of a martyred hero of the Dragons, once a radicalized student himself. It is their duty to disseminate propaganda, infiltrate organizations to ideologically subvert them as per rank-and-file strategy, raise funds, advance harm reduction agendas, engage in protest and strikes, and other such acts of civil disobedience and activism.

1. Notable Organizations/Groups

Organizations/Groups	Description
League of Autonomous Student Groups (Zengakuren)	■ Large federation of political student associations across Kusari. ■ Organizes protest and marches in opposition to state, keiretsu, right-wing groups. ■ Participates in political violence, street battles with far right and police. ■ Banned on Planet Kyushu, leading to underground status there.
Kusari Socialist Workers Union (KWSU)	■ Federation of banned, clandestine, active labor unions. ■ Conducts wildcat strikes, industrial sabotage, scab intimidation, picketing, etc. ■ Possession of KWSU materials is grounds for termination and legal action in keiretsu.
Kusari Farmer-Labor Party (KFLP)	■ Political party banned for ties to Blood Dragons, lese majeste violations. ■ Socialist platform, in association with progressive and socialist parties in other states. ■ Former members not criminally implicated fled to Kusari Commoners Party and Social Democratic Party of Kusari.
Peace Now!	■ Coalition of anti-war, anti-militarist activist groups. ■ Conducts civil disobedience (i.e. sit/die-ins, marches, blocking military facilities, propagandizing, viral media campaigns, etc.) ■ Tactics have generated notoriety on Neural Net, polarized and mixed reactions from users. ■ Has been subject to legal prosecution in the past, banning debated by parliament.
Kairi Network	■ Grassroots mutual aid network, focused on marginalized and poor communities. ■ Utilizes direct credit transfers and crowdfunding, skirting central banking institutions. ■ Focused on building dual power structures to reduce dependency on state and keiretsu, focus on building local community. ■ No known leadership or structure beyond barebones, collaborative social media coordination.

D. People’s Convention for Liberation/Coordinating Committee

Every six months, a mass of hundreds of delegates hailing from various military units, ships, cells, and even some civilian groups gathers at Kyoto Base to meet and deliberate on matters of revolutionary import. For a week, speeches are made, proposals are offered, and decisions are deliberated upon that shall define the agenda and aims of the Kusari Liberation Army, as well as its manner of conduct and organization. In the end, motions and resolutions are voted upon and either passed or rejected, and the delegates pick from among themselves the twenty-one members of the Coordinating Committee, a body entrusted with communicating and advancing the resolutions of the Convention to the Three Branches. They also help to facilitate coordination between Branches and ensure rules and procedures are adhered to during the Convention.

The current co-chairs of the Coordinating Committee are Sora Kobayashi of the Revolutionary Guard and [Vacant].

IV. Ideology

The Kusari Liberation Army is technically a big tent organization for several different strains of leftist ideology. The prevailing frameworks are Kobayashi Thought, Reimei Buddhist socialism, Mass Line revivalism, Jizamuraidō and Okamurism. Each of these theories have arisen within the unique material conditions and political environment of Kusari and Sirius at large. These ideologies, at times contradictory in nature, still agree on enough between them that adherents to them are fully capable of cooperating on mutual goals. Frequently, KLA members are encouraged by their comrades to synthesize disparate strands of ideology and conduct their own critical analysis of material conditions. So long as basic precepts of anti-capitalism, social justice, and human liberation from oppressive systems are adhered to, democratic discussion flourishes.

A. Kobayashi Thought

Kobayashi Thought is the name given to the collective ideas and beliefs expressed by one of the founding members of the Kusari Liberation Army, Sora Kobayashi. Once a significant figure within Blood Dragon politics (under the false pretense of noble birth), reactionary elements within Kyoto forced him to flee after making attempts to introduce more progressive reforms to the right wing of the movement. In his exile, he fought alongside the Bundschuh, Zoner Militants, the GMG, and even as a mercenary alongside the KNF against Rheinlander forces in the Sigma War. His decade of travels inspired the writing of several pamphlets, firsthand accounts, and treatises, such as The Straits of the Crow: Revolutionary Potential in the Sigmas, New Dawn Rising: Anarchism in Border and Edge Worlds, and The Multihouse Keiretsu: Capitalism in the 9th Century. These all culminated in his largest work, Galactic Revolution, a summary of his journeys and ideals. In it, he postulates that the recurring crises of the Colony Wars, Gallic Wars, and other conflicts are directly tied to the failures and inequities of the capitalist system interwoven tightly between and independent of Houses, and that shadowy forces (implied, but never directly stated, to be alien) frequently tug at the contradictions and pitfalls of the system to bring about mankind’s ruin. Thus, the only way to secure humanity’s future is to abolish capitalism in a socialist revolution that spreads beyond the borders of any one House.

B. Reimei Buddhist socialism

Reimei Buddhism is a radical synthesis of Navayana and certain sects of Mahayana and Zen Buddhism (especially Jōdo Shinshū and Nichiren). Born in the lowest, most neglected levels of New Tokyo’s sprawling island megalopoli, Reimei Buddhism sees mankind’s ascension to the stars as a grave mistake while the systems governing mankind still perpetuate suffering. By opening up capitalism’s infinite growth to an infinite universe, progress and enlightenment have become impossible, and nirvana cannot be attained in this life or any life until the cycle of “an unending millennium of suffering” is broken. Reimei practitioners believe the prophesied Pure Land, where enlightenment is assured, is a physical place that must be built in the material world by remaking society and aligning humanity once more with nature and brotherly love. To this end, they believe that capitalism must be abolished and a socialist, eventually communist society with Buddhist morality as a guide is required to create that Pure Land and finally make enlightenment possible. Working toward this end would also lead to a transcendence of the soul over the material by learning to master it and render it just, with true freedom in an infinite universe causing a mass awakening and fundamental transformation of mankind. Reimei Buddhists believe any action taken to advance this ultimate goal, if guided by compassion and love, is justified, including violence. The sect has earned the ire of the Kusari government on several occasions for inspiring dissidence and disorder among the poor and marginalized, and recent overtures have been made by more mainstream Buddhist groups and Neo-Shinto organizations to have it banned.

C. Mass Line revivalism

Mass Line revivalism is a Kusari-born successor to ancient, yet still relevant ideals. Revivalists believe a transition to socialism is still possible in the hybridized feudal-capitalist model created by the keiretsu. They believe that, with a force that listens and attends to the will and needs of the working class and peasantry, popular revolution can be brought about through guerrilla warfare. They hold that any state that follows such a revolution must engage in a fully democratic and spontaneous governance of society, decentralized and with the central state leaving planets to govern themselves along communist lines, and that any attempt by a small group to seize power and dominion over the people must be opposed by force. The revivalists heavily criticize the old Sol Coalition’s form of economic organization and governance as state capitalist and revisionist in nature, claiming that, even with their stage of development, they embraced profit motive and essentially reinvented the bourgeoisie. Controversially, revivalists hold that Kusari, not only as a state but as a cultural entity, must undergo a revolution to sweep away old institutions, social values/norms, and cultural relics that tie it to the old nations of Earth. It also seeks to curb the colonial and imperial ambitions of the Houses, aiding in the struggle for liberation by oppressed peoples.

D. Jizamuraidō

Jizamuraidō is an emerging political theory and moral code born among remote villages in the interior of Planet Kyushu’s continents. Holding that traditional Bushidō is inherently reactionary, classist, whitewashing, and exploitative in nature, Jizamuraidō posits that a far more noble and aspirational standard is found in the predecessors of the famous samurai: Independent peasant farmers taking up arms to defend their communities. The code advocates for embracing the way of the warrior as a means of pursuing social justice rather than enforcing existing hierarchy. It emphasizes that humans are guests in the Sirius Sector, and therefore must work to harmonize with new ecosystems to be “adopted by the spirit of each world.” Sustainable development and agriculture, communalism, and democratic decisionmaking are all considered foundational for a proper jizamurai to root themselves to, dedicating their life to perfecting themselves as a member of their community and an artisan of whatever craft calls to them.

E. Okamurism

Okamurism is a peculiar fusion of ideals arising from a desire to reconcile the culture of Hideyoshi restorationism with the left wing of the Blood Dragons. It asserts that the tenets of Bushidō are not only compatible with the spirit of the revolution, but that they are vital to creating the ideal revolutionary to usher in the next era of socialism. It views contemporary Kusari society as corrupt and a moral failure that targets the virtuous as threats to its power. Using Kozue Okamura as an example to aspire to, Okamurists believe a vanguard of revolutionaries imbued with “samurai spirit” must show the masses what true virtue is through their actions and conduct in and out of combat. Through this demonstration, they will inspire deep emotions and cultural truths within the Kusari people and create the perception of material conditions ripe for revolution.

V. Diplomacy

The following diplomatic stances reflect official postures taken up by the KLA, though oftentimes PLUs may have varying diplomacy with different entities. Relations also have nuance beyond an ideological friendly-hostile binary, and are weighted by numerous factors such as threat level, relevance, material cost and benefit, and realpolitik.

A. Allied

Factions/Groups of Note	Rationale
Non-KLA Blood Dragons	■ Comrades united in the same struggle. ■ Sectarian, ideological differences can be reconciled and rectified. ■ Collaborate and coordinate, propagandize and convince.
Golden Chrysanthemums	■ Our only true allies in Kusari. ■ Mutual enemies, pooling of resources and intelligence make cooperation worthwhile. ■ Cultish nature and drug trafficking/addiction worthy of concern. ■ Subtly attempt to distance GC groups from Outcast influence.
The Order	■ Stalwart allies, defenders of humanity. ■ Long history of fighting alien threats together. ■ Potential new epidemic of infiltration in Kusari merits closer cooperation. ■ Our bridge to other like-minded organizations in Sirius.
Maquis	■ Allies in struggle against the former Kingdom of Gallia and Kusari Republic. ■ Renewed war upon fascist Gallic Union and puppet corporations. ■ Mutual goal of tearing down reactionary socioeconomic conditions and structures. ■ Internationalist revolution.

B. Friendly

Factions/Groups of Note	Rationale
Bundschuh	■ Like-minded group of comrades. ■ Potential exists for a formal alliance and collaboration. ■ Mutual friend in the Order (Sinclair Protocol), potential for united front against Nomad and human enemies.
Coalition	■ Aesthetic similarity to Sol's Coalition, not material conditions. ■ "Authoritarian" measures partially justified by siege socialist mentality. ■ Instrumental in forming broader left-wing strategy across Houses, potentially forming an International. ■ Provides material and ideological support.
Mollys	■ Broke the chains of Bretonian colonial and imperial dominion. ■ Ongoing revolution against the Bretonian tyrant. ■ Existence of the Kingdom as an entity makes predation of nascent Molly Republic inevitable. ■ Support of Molly Republic vital to anti-imperialist cause.
Zoner Militants	■ Solidarity with oppressed peoples of Pennsylvania, Omicron Theta, Omega-49. ■ Anti-imperialist struggle is the KLA's struggle, Militant struggle is anti-imperialist. ■ Vital front against House and House proxy expansionism. ■ Material and direct support recommended whenever and wherever able.

C. Sympathetic

Factions/Groups of Note	Rationale
Red Hessians	■ Disorganized, no ideological discipline. ■ Still formidable, threat to mutual enemies. ■ Collaboration possible, hope remains for reignition of revolutionary fervor.
Lane Hackers	■ Bourgeois class traitors, focused on tech and Ageira grudge. ■ Potential hotbed for radicalization and ideological sympathy, espouse anti-capitalism through broader application of Ageira resentment. ■ Recent actions involving open-source release of jump drive tech prove common ground. ■ Outcast connection problematic, Order connection (Sinclair Protocol) promising.
Independent Miners Guild	■ Workers' democracy in action. ■ Participation in capitalist markets compromises ideological purity; not significantly enough to matter. ■ Potential proxy against Outcast threat. ■ Potential supplier for raw materials and production facilities.

D. Neutral

Factions/Groups of Note	Rationale
Independent freelancers	■ Mixed group, mostly innocent bystanders. ■ Individual contractors have potential as enemies and allies alike. ■ Money, influence, glory, and other material rewards often move them. ■ Wild card factor in any scenario. Proceed with caution.
Zoners	■ Sympathetic to victimizing by House oppression. ■ Disappointed in lack of mettle in fight against their oppressors, left open to abuse and exploitation by predatory groups. ■ Enabling of hostile groups to the KLA through providing shelter and supplies in neutral installations. ■ No significant threat on their own to the KLA.
Landwirtechtbewegung (LWB, formerly FA in Rheinland)	■ Formerly absorbed by Farmers Alliance, known Samura proxy. Splintered off in violent separation. ■ Petty bourgeois reaction as primary motivation of war against Synth Foods. ■ Distance and hostility towards mutual foes allows for tolerance. ■ Suspicion over ideological and material capture by Farmers Alliance of LWB members.

E. Distrustful

Factions/Groups of Note	Rationale
Gas Miners Guild	■ Former friends, continued practice of slavery on planetary holdings soured relations. ■ Still an important partner in the Sigmas, roadblock against Corsair, Outcast, and House expansion. ■ Semi-cordial relations important for access to H-Fuel reserves, material support, and training exercises. ■ Execute clandestine action to liberate prisoner population on Planet Miura. Detection by GMG forces unacceptable.
Liberty Rogues	■ Loose criminal underworld in Liberty. ■ Seemingly devoid of ideology beyond accumulation of capital and brutality. ■ Potential inroad for smuggling and piracy of enemy assets in Liberty. ■ Keep at arm's length. Nothing in common beyond objects of ire and legal status.
Gallic Brigands	■ Another criminal network, this time in Gallia. ■ Fractious factionalism, ranging from gentleman pirate democracy to social Darwinian anarchy. ■ Potential inroad for smuggling, piracy, and enhancing network with Maquisard allies. ■ Too chaotic and volatile to consider anything concrete.
Xenos	■ Reactionary, proto-fascist ideology betrays working class revolutionary fervor. ■ Same struggle against corporations and Houses, but for entirely different reasons. ■ Potential for some collaboration against enemies in the Galileo-Kepler corridor region. ■ Recommend aiding progressive and left-wing elements in purging reactionary and nationalist factions.
Junkers	■ Criminal middlemen in decline, still powerful outside of Gallia and Kusari. ■ Enemy of the Hogosha, potential united front. Access to criminal underworld valuable. ■ Still devoid of morals or trust, insular culture sees non-Junkers as expendable. ■ No burned bridges, but no open arms.
Crayter Republic	■ Stratocratic oligarchy, puppet of House corporate interests. ■ Former wide-eyed idealism gives greater disappointment at current state. ■ Potential asset in containing Outcast, Kusari, and Gallic influence in Tau region. ■ Revolution needed to reignite long-dormant fire in population. Position makes them no real threat to operations.
Gaians	■ Ideological similarities, especially with Jizamuraidō adherents. ■ Corsair ties cast long shadow on potential relations. ■ Engage and destroy artifact smugglers and combat craft aiding Corsairs only. ■ Encourage distancing from Corsair allies.

F. Unfriendly

Factions/Groups of Note	Rationale
Unioners	■ Former labor militants left hollow shell by red-brown alliance and criminal corruption. ■ Deals with Imperial elements in Rheinland and ongoing Corsair relationships result in distrust of any expressed intent. ■ Similar fall as the Red Hessians, but even lower. Internal revolution needed for ideological and diplomatic renewal. ■ Largely irrelevant to ongoing operations.
Technocracy of Auxo	■ Esoteric pseudo-fascist state claiming intellectual and moral supremacy. ■ Tech-hoarding tendency cause for concern, brazen exploitation of dangerous technologies moreso. ■ Self-appointment as an elite arbitrating humanity's access to enlightenment positions them as an ideological antithesis to our cause. ■ Isolationism and small size makes them largely irrelevant to our operations. Caution and defensive posture advised in event of encounter.
Outcasts	■ Slavers and dealers of lethally-addictive narcotic. ■ Extent of influence upon allies and others cause for considerable alarm. ■ Unable to directly confront due to capture of allies. ■ Recommend utilizing proxies to combat Maltese forces and smugglers, agitprop and soft power to pull allies away from their side.
Unione Corse	■ Conservative organized crime syndicate reminiscent of Kusari's Hogosha. ■ Often play both sides of any given conflict within Gallia. ■ Duplicitous, untrustworthy, and attempting to push narcotics and criminal influence into Kusari. ■ Expel by force from Kusari, leave them be beyond Kusari borders.
Gammu Artificial Intelligence	■ Unknown factor in human-alien relations. ■ Reports from Omicron sources indicate negative polarity against Core and Order alike. ■ Recommend defensive posture against entities, further study required for in-depth planning. ■ Capture of any Gammu materiel or wreckage to be handed over to R&D immediately for analysis and containment.

G. Hostile

Factions/Groups of Note	Rationale
House Militaries, Police, Intel Agencies (Non-Kusari)	■ Ideological opposition to every major state in the sector. ■ Bourgeois regimes functioning as engines of colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism. ■ Any significant deal made with these entities likely to have unforeseen consequences further down the line. ■ No active campaign against them, hostile stance still merited.
House Corporations (Non-Kusari)	■ Bourgeois might to an excess, megacorporations emblematic of late stage capitalism. ■ Sole motivation is the consolidation of wealth by any means necessary. ■ Everything we fight to destroy. ■ Targets of opportunity. Piracy and destruction encouraged.
Vagrants	■ Little known about potential Nomad splinter group. ■ Assume hostile intent if encountered, extreme caution advised. ■ Further research needed to formulate effective strategy. ■ Distance from operations noted, threat profile reduced.
Wendigos	■ Infectee component of Vagrant menace. ■ Little known beyond Atum incident reported by Order allies. ■ Research and intelligence work needed to ascertain nature and extent of infection. ■ Elements matching descriptions of Wendigo units to be considered hostile threats.

H. At War

Factions/Groups of Note	Rationale
Corsairs	■ Imperialist ambitions reach all the way into Kusari space. ■ Demand of subjugation or extermination of any and all threats to its expansionism. ■ Architect of volatile and out-of-control artifact trade. ■ Existential threat to all free peoples in Sirius, supply lines in the Sigmas prime target for choking Kusari offensive.
Bounty Hunters Guild	■ Corporation full of traitors and bloodthirsty hounds. Putting the "rat" in corporate. ■ Expertise in tracking and reconnaissance enabled by turncoat pilots giving away information, massive threat to secrecy of any operation. ■ Deshima Station in Shikoku represents key lynchpin in Guild operations for Kusari. Station presence results in tension with Kusari citizenry. ■ Recommend expulsion through destruction of Deshima and targeted clandestine killings of Hunters on claimed neutral grounds.
The Core	■ Purest expression of House imperialism in corporate form reaching beyond borders to enforce capitalist agenda. ■ Conquest and mercenary expansion on imperial periphery represents existential threat to allied networks. ■ Potential for in-House operations elevates concerns. ■ Collaboration with Order and allies necessary to confront, depose, and dismantle Core presence across space.
Hogosha	■ Reactionary backbone of the Kusari right wing, legitimized crime syndicates indicative of institutional rot. ■ Outsized influence in political spheres, underworld black market, and ties to Corsairs. ■ A wound that must be cauterized, disinfected, and closed shut. ■ No quarter given for Hogosha operatives.
Farmers Alliance	■ Bourgeois reactionaries on Samura payroll. ■ Small-minded goals bely extent of external support for paramilitary actions by sponsors. ■ Overshadows true plight of disenfranchised tenant farmer class and underpaid, oppressed wage labor in agriculture. ■ Engage and destroy wherever encountered.
Samura Heavy Industries	■ The root of keiretsu capture of government and the ever-present dominion of the capitalist class. ■ Backing every major reactionary and conservative movement in Kusari, massive hoard of wealth and influence. ■ Grown fat, lazy, and arrogant in its dominance since the end of the civil war. ■ Death awaits them.
Kishiro Technologies	■ Traitors to democracy, used the Republic as a smokescreen to continue economic exploitation, then sold it out. ■ A false friend to social justice, still lobbies against anti-keiretsu measures. ■ Driven by no other ideological motivation than naked greed and continued extraction of value from the Kusari worker, bled dry until devoid of life. ■ An enemy to a truly free Kusari.
Kusari Naval Forces	■ Hammer of Imperial power. ■ Most direct threat to our revolution and operations in space. ■ Any path to victory requires complete destruction of this entity as a fighting force capable of resisting our will. ■ Too powerful to attack head on, utilize hit-and-run and guerrilla tactics against KNF positions, avoid concentrations of enemy units.
Kusari State Police	■ Shield of Imperial power. ■ Ever-present security for corporate holdings, boot on the throat of the downtrodden, content to defend corrupt institutions faithfully. ■ Every KSP officer is a class traitor of the worst kind. No quarter given for dogs of capital. ■ Sites with only KSP protection more vulnerable to attack than KNF/KOI charges. Take full advantage.
Kusari Office of Intelligence	■ Unseen dagger plunging into the back of the people. ■ Unrestrained growth of totalitarian surveillance and policing apparatus represents fundamental threat to Kusari. ■ Experimentation into and uncanny replication of alien technologies suggest hidden forces at play in rise to power. ■ Cooperation with Order necessary to prevent another Niemann's Rheinland and demolish the panopticon once and for all.
Wild/Chochinbi	■ Lost souls, shambling husks, or willing traitors, all enemies of mankind. ■ Recent reports suggest spikes in activity in Tohoku and further regions. Destruction of epidemics paramount to ensuring defeat of fascism and genocidal designs. ■ Presence of even one infectee in a network represents existential threat to entire structure. Exterminate with prejudice. ■ Investigation into current status of Imperial Kusari epidemic pending. Prognosis concerning.
Nomads	■ Archenemy of humanity. ■ Foolish colonizing by mankind met with immediate plans for genocide and forced removal by alien threat. ■ Defeat in the Colony Wars drove alien threat mad. Now hellbent on destruction for the sake of vengeance. ■ Attempts to repeat fate of Rheinland in Colony Wars in Kusari. Must be met with unrelenting, uncompromising force.

VI. Goals

A. Short-term

■ Consolidate left-wing factional power within the Blood Dragons.
■ Expand into black market for augments and munitions.
■ Repair and refit mothballed capital ships.
■ Engage in protracted guerrilla warfare against KNF and allies on outskirts of authority.
■ Strangle the flow of commerce going in and out of Kusari.
■ Make alliances with like-minded groups like the Bundschuh.
■ Gather intelligence on and sabotage Tohoku sites of interest.
■ Prioritize vulnerable/out-of-position Imperial targets.
■ Conduct liberating raids on KSP prisoner convoys.

B.Medium-term

■ Support labor unions, mass political organizations, and political parties engaged in our struggles.
■ Push for harm reduction measures such as enhanced social welfare programs, labor protections, democratic concessions, etc.
■ Combat the influence and power of keiretsu and their proxies (Hogosha, Farmer’s Alliance, etc.).
■ Investigate the status of Nomad infection and influence in Kusari and work with anti-Nomad elements to destroy it.
■ Sway Golden Chrysanthemum elements towards ideological common ground and away from Malta.
■ Turn popular sentiment against expansionism and imperial ultranationalism, towards socialism and democracy.
■ Liberate Fuchu Prison and free all prisoners kept in custody aboard the station.
■ Disrupt attempts by Imperial forces and keiretsu to reach Chugoku and compromise our home.

C. Long-term

■ Overthrow and destroy the Empire of Kusari through popular revolution, including the abolition of the offices of Emperor and Shogun.
■ Completely liquidate keiretsu and foreign capital within Kusari (i.e. Deshima Station, Tsukishima Liner Yards, etc.), transferring means of production to democratic worker governance.
■ Punish war criminals involved in the Colony Wars, Tau Wars, the Kusari Civil War, and conflicts waged against the people of Kusari.
■ Release all political prisoners kept in state prisons.
■ Establish a workers’ democracy with guaranteed necessities for a decent life and ample protections from persecution.
■ Promote galactic revolution for all oppressed peoples in Sirius with the aim of establishing a universal socialist republic.
■ Expel the Nomad threat from Kusari.

VII. FAQ (OOC)

1. What's the deal? I thought Blood Dragons were all samurai who wanted to get a shogun again.
An understandable assumption to make. A lot of the traditional aesthetics of the Blood Dragons do lend themselves to feudal era Japan, especially as established by most roleplay in Discovery. However, I was inspired by the descriptions of the Blood Dragons in vanilla (Trent decrying them as the radical left, having a student movement, Ozu being lauded as bringing a new perspective to decaying systems, etc.) to create a new direction for the faction, which has admittedly been stagnant for quite some time. A lot of this faction takes from the real life left-wing movements and groups of Japan in the 19th, 20th, and 21st Century in order to fit in with the theming of Kusari as a whole. The end result, I hope, will be exciting and fresh for others to interact with.

2. What will you guys be up to in-game?
Initially, I would like for the faction to engage in low-intensity warfare with smaller ships and pickier fights. We're a guerrilla movement that's pretty outgunned and in need of some material support and work to be at full fighting capacity, and I would like for us to work up to that. Additionally, I want to try and cultivate a faction culture of character development and growth with particular emphasis on personalities and interactions as a driving force for the overall faction narrative.

3. [Insert faction here] seems weirdly positioned in the diplomacy.
As mentioned above, our diplomatic calculus relies on more than just our ideological affinity or malus for any entity in question. Relative threat, proximity, potential for benefit, cost of engaging the threat directly, and other factors all determine our stances.

4. These ideologies and beliefs seem a bit out there and difficult to parse.
That's no problem! I wanted to make sure whatever beliefs ended up guiding this faction still had some freshness to them, rather than being 1:1 copies of real world ideologies. Instead, they're meant to be natural evolutions of previous beliefs adapted to the material conditions and culture of the people espousing them. If you're ever curious about them or want to talk shop, feel free to DM about it.

With all that said, we look forward to getting out into space, making a name for ourselves and enriching the experience for everyone involved!

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