Ronin

[Ortog]

The Ronin

A ronin was a samurai with no lord or master during the feudal period (1185–1868) of Japan. A samurai became masterless by the ruin or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favour or privilege.

During the Coalition Wars, there was a squadron, fighting on the side of the Alliance, which inscribed its name in the halls of legend. It was a Japanese unit, based on the carrier Yamato, that excelled in bravery. Ultimately, they were completely exterminated but their name lived on; they were the Ronin.

The Ronin want to pay homage to those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for freedom, by adopting their name in the hope some of their glory can be reflected upon us and as an example to emulate.

Political Dissidents

It is precisely freedom, and what it involves, that forced this group of former members of the Kusari Navy Forces to resign their commissions and choose the Sigmas as their new home.

In the present political situation, the Emperor is held hostage by self-centred groups of power that hunger for control and domination of Kusari, their pressuring and manipulation of events having ultimately escalated into a war with Bretonia. These groups, along with some semi-legal groups, form the real power behind the throne, enhances their grasp on Kusari by establishing an oppressive regime which disregards all evolution and progress, imposing a medieval servitude over the House as a whole.

This is not the way of the Samurai; this clashes with our traditions and is a travesty of the ancestral code that we obey, the first and most important duty of which is to serve the Emperor and, through him, the Kusarians, by defending and keeping the traditions of our way of life, and not permitting, by complacency or inaction, an age of darkness and servitude to gain a foothold in Kusari.

In the complicated chess board of Kusari, the Emperor is not a piece to be moved by sordid interests of those who confuse the welfare of the people of our House with their own agendas. The Throne should be place above petty economical and political arenas and the Emperor should be the arbiter of the game. His councillors should have the highest ethical principals and be chosen from those who have made service to the Empire their first and only priority.

Without the right connections and affiliations with the eminence grises that pull the strings, this members of the Kusari Naval Force found themselves in a situation where their career become stale with no discernible prospects. Not able to become an organised opposition as members of the KNF and not willing to become outright rebels and outcasts in their own House, the Ronin had but one choice: exile, since serving the group powers that controlled Kusari and had the ear of the Emperor was not honourable to these samurai.

Exile

Disgusted with the this grim setting, the Ronin resigned their commissions, entered their former service ships, bought as war surplus, and flew to self-imposed exile in the Sigmas. In the border they found solace and a new beginning.

Constantly seeking new areas to explore for natural resources and with an increasing demand for competent escorts for their convoys, the GMG was a natural choice for this group of exiles and so the negotiations started. The Ronin were allowed to become an autonomous group working with GMG but with their own command, allowing those proud samurai to retain their identity while following the orders and policies of the Guild and directions of the Guild Masters.

The Ronin are particularly adept in the organisation and security of convoys that supply H-fuel or Plutonium to several destinations in the Sirius sector, particularly to our allies, the Zoners. All the logistics, security needs, planning and route-designing fit the profile of the men and women of the Ronin, which includes former members of the Kusarian exploration wing.

Due to their background, Ronin is more at ease in a military situation than a police work routine, so in patrolling the GMG zones of influence they are more focused on identifying potential threats and trespassers than in searching for smugglers. However, traffic in drugs or human flesh is dealt with as harshly as an enemy incursion.

Ronin will normally integrate within GMG patrols or serve as a task force to defuse dangerous situations in GMG territory or will serve in exploration missions and scouting assignments.

Members of the Ronin will use not only their former service ships, which were still of Kishiro manufacture, and will still be serviced by them, but also the vessels that the Guild has generously put at their disposal, as well as some civilian line ships.

Note: as soon as the 500 million credits are gathered this proposal will be changed in a faction proposal considering the feedback received meanwhile.