The current year - Clan Shimazu
Clan Shimazu is one of the largest and wealthiest samurai clans in Imperial Japan. They also field one of the biggest armies, equipped with the best, high-tech samurai armor and weapons. The Shimazu Corp is one of the chief reasons for their success, both on the battlefield and attaining ever greater wealth throughout the years after 1969 pirate invasion. Ten years before this most memorable and somber day, this corporation was formed by one of the then two heads of their clan. The main reason was to invest their considerable wealth into space age technology research & development. That and, of course, training the huge number of engineers that the Empire of Japan needed back then. It was during the Showa era, when the Emperor of Japan ordered all clans to contribute to Japan's economy and quicken the industrialization of the then, very agrarian country. Most of the smaller clans engaged in infrastructural projects, although even after importing foreign engineers, specialists were still in short supply. Clan Shimazu, being one of the richest, invested in the future by building one of the largest universities in Japan, financed tens of thousands promising young Japanese students and paid for the salaries of famous foreign professors. That all payed out in later years, when during the 50s, Japan was able to boost its economic growth even more and build thousands of different factories across the country thanks to clan Shimazu's prudence.
Moreover, five years before the invasion, during the summer of 1964, leaders of the clan, after consorting with the Emperor himself and allied aliens from the Kil'ra race, jump-started one ambitious civil project. It was called the “Future Armor Project” or Yoroi Uchū and while it did not outright produce results, certain elite units of the Imperial Guard and of the Shimazu were equipped with this new form of high-tech protection. That was probably the main reason why Japan suffered fewer civilian casualties that other nations across the globe. By investing in space age technology and demonstrating that real advances can be made in short time, clan Shimazu encouraged other, smaller clans to join them. Together they worked with Shimazu corporation and build a vast tunnel network across Japan, since they had envisioned that such an engineering marvel is needed if they should ever try and construct underwater cities. Such were planned to be built starting 1970, but most resources back then were spent in rebuilding the damaged infrastructure and destroyed by the invader Japanese cities. The existence of those reinforced tunnels made the evacuation of the civilian population easier and armed forces could focus their defense around their entrances. Which made the job of the pirates much harder; they had to deal with multiple other army units flanking them and best the entrenched elite forces who were given command to secure the tunnels. In most cases, the soldiers who stood guard and defended the tunnels died to the last man, but their sacrifice assured the safety of the civilians. Shimazu forces for the fist time used mecha in battle against technologically superior enemy and even managed to win some of the engagements. Their power armors were perhaps not that well defended like those that the pirates used, but the long railguns manufactured by Shimazu corp. engineers nevertheless killed a lot of enemies. Casualties among the pilots were high, but on the second day of the invasion in a daring raid, a group of well trained warriors captured one whole squad of alien mecha. The enemy mechs were then used against the enemy with great success.
Shimazu clan is well known these days for their skilled, specialist troops. Their army is quite big but instead of simply relying on numbers and brute force to win, the clan leaders use high-tech devices and computer specialists to give their troops an edge. They are famous for hacking their enemies' sensors, misdirecting or outright rewriting orders and even projecting “ghost” holo-units on the battlefield. Otherwise, their ground forces are well equipped and supported with enough tank divisions, mecha squadrons all protected and transported by brand new spaceships.
Next part will explore Clan Shimazu's tactics, equipment, mechanized forces and spaceships they use in battle.
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