Identity

Name: Akeha-hime Status: Alive Gender: Female Age: 28 (born April 14, 3283) Allegiance: Empire Home System: Hakkaia Occupation: Princess of House Kusari Relations: Kiku Ichimonji (retainer); Daitetsu Minase (captain of the KNF Amaterasu)

Traits

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Personal Notes

Eldest child of House Kuroda, a minor noble dynasty from the fringes of Imperial space, whose recognition stems primarily from its long history (claimed to span as far back as the families of Old Earth), the pride in their heritage, and their isolationist tendencies. Forced into exile following a coup by her twin brother, she and the loyal retainers of the carrier KNF Amaterasu have set a course for the inner Empire in search of the power and prestige necessary to strike down the usurper.

Raised since infancy for rulership as Kuroda tradition dictates, she possesses a wealth of knowledge on matters of feudal governance and etiquette, a formidable reputation as a swordswoman and pilot, and a deep appreciation for the visual and performative arts - a formation broadly on par with that of the most prominent Imperial families, were it not for its strict focus on the backwards confines of Hakkaia. Whether it holds up beyond its gravity wells is an open question, as is whether the princess is willing to learn and adapt.

A true-blooded traditionalist, she is a firm believer in the many facets of the Imperial ethos - including, and perhaps especially, its strict classism - as pillars of social stability and enduring prosperity for the state, with honour being given even greater prominence the cornerstone upon which all rests, from the mere peasant's life to the future of the house. Her brother's treachery and affiliation with modernist groups of interest has only deepened her conviction on the subject, on one hand, and further reinforced her decision to proudly wear, wield and worship the ways of her ancestry -- as such, she is most commonly seen wearing the strikingly ornate garments of her people, with a pair of swords fastened at her hip, and a long smoking pipe in her hand.

In keeping with her upbringing, the princess is bemused by her new patron's willingness to mingle with the smallfolk as much as her affable and approachable persona; she, for her part, projects an air of elegant and distant aloofness, likened by some as the reflection of the moon on still water.

House Kusari

Heraldry Parent house: House Kuroda, Clan Tokugawa (claimed) Systems: Hakkaia (capital), Ariku, Irusamara, Mainani, Mokujin, Reiensei, Sentei, Shingon, Tatuba Etymology: kusari katabira, mail armour worn by their warrior ancestors Foundation: 23rd century Founder: Kuroda Takamune Current head: Akeha-hime, princess of the Nine Worlds Motto: 'Sennen no Midori', eternal fluorishing

Estate(s):

• KNF Amaterasu (formal seat)
• Kinkaku-ji, Hakkaia (formal seat)
• Maizuru-jo, Earth (ancestral)

A minor noble House located at the fringes of Imperial space, renowed for its long and storied history, its exotic traditions and proudly embraced ancestry, and its isolationist tendencies.

While their heads have long maintained their ancestry reaches all the way back to the warrior clans inhabiting the Far East of Old Earth, Imperial heraldists remain split on the subject; what they have ascertained beyond doubt is that official recognition of House Kusari dates back to the early days of the Empire, in the 23rd century, when its founder Kuroda Takamune served with distinction during the Battle of Liberation, earning great favour among the populace and the court alike for his and his crews' bravery in the face of adverse odds (later celebrated in popular song "Kuroda's Last Stand").

Takamune, enlisted as a commoner and named count by the war's end, would continue to fly under the banners of the Imperial Navy's predecessor and expand the Empire's reach with alacrity and conviction; his successors would follow in his stead, very rarely enforcing claims on the founded or conquered sectors they brought into the fold as they focused more on accruing military glory than land. This would change at the verge of the 26th century, when the nearly centenary Kuroda Ieyasu chose nine systems as their domain, petitioned the court for his appointment as governor, and the change of his line's surname to Kusari. The request raised a number of questions among the more attentive courtiers, with the most debated being why a small number of scattered systems on the fringes specifically and why the sudden change in policy or name. Ultimately, the objections mostly fell by the wayside, as the Kuroda service to the Empire had been exemplary, his fellow admirals could not see any military logic behind the choice, and the old - some said privately senile - Ieyasu was known as an eccentric even in his youth, paying inordinate tribute to his ancestor's traditions and insisting that his soldiers did the same. The only condition imposed was that rulership would fall to his heir, Kusari Izanami.

Under Izanami, the claimed systems - which would come to be known as the Nine Worlds - underwent a slow but pervasive cultural shift in the direction envisioned by the late Ieyasu on one hand, and a progressive withdrawal from Imperial politics or military service on the other.

While their dues to the Empire would still be paid on time, be it through manpower or tributes, as the decades passed the House grew more and more isolationistic and inwards-looking, slowing down societal and technological progress -- to the extent Imperial analyst and anthropologist Edmund Satow estimates that by 3311, their holdings have fallen behind a century and a half, and actual control over several of the Nine Worlds has slipped severely. Until recently, however, Imperial approaches to mend the rift had been rebuked - the current sovereign Kusari Matsuda once more did so in 3310.

Since then, the princess has embarked on a voyage across Imperial space to break the self-isolation of her House, as a means of proving it lives still, of rallying favour for its faded name, and learning first-hand of the many changes the galaxy beyond Hakkaia had seen.