Takemikazuchi Empire (RBU)

The Takemikazuchi Empire is a powerful military and economic force. Unlike most factions in the BZPB Multiverse, it possesses a majority human population. The Takemikazuchi Empire echoes Japanese history in its aesthetics, culture and laws.

The Empire is headed by Sefer Yetzirah, though the Prime Minister, Long Shortman, oversees most of the day-to-day administration.

Government
Functionally, the governance of the empire is overseen by the Prime Minister, with key decision making being done by the democratically elected parliment. The parliament is highly devolved, and the eight individual colony clusters, as well as the three inhabited worlds of Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar are given key decision making powers and are primarily ruled by their own local governments. The legal system is based upon a written constitution, the original document of which is kept in the capital colony Yamato. The constitution consists of 108 articles.

The Takemikazuchi government experiences very low levels of corruption, and has a high level of transparency. It's theorized that this is because the government makes no attempt to obscure the fact that Sefer Yetzirah is an autarch.

Society and Culture
Generally, life within the Empire is easy, and people enjoy a casual way of life. There is great freedom, coupled with few obstacles to achievement. Due to the incredibly high levels of mechanized labor there is a basic wage simply for being a citizen of the Empire - though the overwhelming majority still seek out work, for personal fulfilment. In particular, many citizens join the military, out of a desire to explore the universe. A key part of the Takemikazuchi psyche is the fact that due to the Dendrobium nebula surrounding it, the Shangri-La system is essentially impenetrable, and as such no enemy force can pose a threat to the homeland or its populace. This means that, generally, Takemikazuchi citizens are relaxed and apathetic to intergalactic affairs.

The Empire has a very low rate of crime, as a result of a highly effective Gendarmerie, a nearly-complete ban on all weapons, and a high Spacenoid population where socialistic thinking is emphasized. The Empire also has complete gender and racial equality, an excellent LBGTQ rights record, a nationalized healthcare system and free higher education. The Takemikazuchi experiences a very low birth rate, to the extent that no new colonies or habitats have been needed to be constructed in nearly a century. The majority of the population are Spacenoids who live in space colonies; the three habitable worlds of the Shangri-La system are also home to extensive surface populations.

Though the Empire is a Secular government, possessing no state religion, there is complete freedom of religion. Multiple religions are practised throughout the Empire, including a small, but noteworthy amount of Sefer Yetzirah worship, though the government and Sefer herself have publicly disapproved of any idolization. The most common religion, understandably, is Shinto.

The overwhelming majority of the population of the Empire approves of Emperor Sefer. However, common criticisms put forth by her opponents include her age (21), the fact that she is an apparent homosexual and therefore unable to produce an heir, and her unorthodox style of leadership, whereby she is absent from Shangri-La for the majority of the time, conducting political missions alone. There are also those who disapprove of her on a purely sexist or homophobic basis.

Technology and Economy
The Empire is approximately 50-100 years ahead of the majority of the rest of the universe, technologically. This is a direct result of Emperor Sefer's teachings. The Takemikazuchi generally do not export their technology; instead, it is put to use refining the resource gathering of the empire - for example, the Dendrobium mining operations on SL-08. The exports of this element are partly responsible for the incredibly strong economy of the Empire. Occasionally, the Empire may produce down-scaled export variants of their technology, though they are hesitant to sell weapons technology which may be used against them.

The Takemikazuchi generally use conventional human technologies, such as nuclear reactors, sublight engines, and FTL drives. However, they shy away from using energy-based weaponry, due to their incredible range which means space colonies could be endangered, even if far away from a battle. Instead, they prefer railguns with smart shells that detonate after a certain distance, ensuring they do not accidentally impact a colony - this is all in spite of the fact that few battles have every actually been fought inside the Shangri-La system. Regardless, the difference in effectiveness is negligible, and the higher resource demands are not an issue for the Takemikazuchi. Developments in railgun technology as a result of this have mean that most personal weapons are railguns too, as opposed to laser or plasma weapons commonly used by other races. Generally, the Takemikazuchi excel in weapons that allow for the integration of self-destruct features in their projectiles, such as rockets and missiles. The Takemikazuchi also excel at superweapon development and deployment, and possess vast reserves of nuclear and antimatter weapons.

Outside of military applications, technology is extremely important to the maintenance of the Empire. The majority of the populace lives in O'Neill-type space colonies - cylindrical colonies where the inhabitants live on the inside wall. The entire colony spits to create gravity, and portions of it are transparent, allowing light and heat to enter. Inside, the colonies resemble romanticized Japanese landscapes; vast fields, quaint villages and bustling cities, all built in the Japanese architectural style. Modern technology is to be found wherever one looks - though often disguised, or designed to be as inconspicuous as possible. There are various cities built in a more modern style, however.

The ten Dendrobium gates are also essential to the existence of the Empire. These maintain the great tear in the Dendrobium Nebula that surrounds the Shangri-La system, preventing it from shrinking. They form a tunnel, which any ships entering or leaving the system must pass through - as such, they are the first point of defense against any invading forces. They are incredibly heavily armed and practically indestructible, to the extent that no invading force has ever cleared even the outermost ring.

The sun of the Shangri-La system is encased in an almost completely transparent Dyson sphere, which regulates the output of the sun - preventing solar flares or gamma-ray bursts which could wreck havoc on a Spacenoid civilization. The sphere is also the location of various industrial centers, which use the intense energy of the sun for various purposes. The north and south poles of the sphere are blacked out, providing safe corridors for ships to approach without being burnt to a crisp. In times of war, the sphere becomes the ultimate tool of defense for the Takemikazuchi, as it can be used to generate a deliberate gamma-ray burst large enough to fill up the entire tear in the Dendrobium Nebula. This would completely annihilate any force coming through the breach.

The majority of industry within the Empire is nationalized.

Military
The Takemikazuchi has a strong military, bolstered by its technological developments. Unlike most militaries, the Takemikazuchi rarely engage in all-out battles - instead, they prefer to use surprise attacks, traps and evasion to accomplish their goal without taking any losses. They prefer to use superweapons such as nuclear devices, orbital lasers or black hole bombs to wipe out huge swathes of an opposing force, without ever engaging them in combat. Takemikazuchi ship design reflects this; their ships lack noteworthy amounts of hull-based weaponry, instead focusing on powerful engines, large powerplants and integrated WMDs allowing for hit-and-run maneuvers.

In a straight-up fight, the Takemikazuchi are still to be feared. There is no such thing as drawing the Takemikazuchi into an infantry battle; their forces are always supported by light and heavy armor, air support, and often mech forces. Infantrymen use power armor, cybernetic augmentations and automated drones to mitigate risk to themselves and effectively neutralize enemy combatants. Takemikazuchi weapons and armor technology is second to none. It is military tradition for all infantrymen to carry a katana into battle; this tradition is usually adhered to. Modern military katanas are made with advanced technologies - usually, a standard-issue katana will be of a vibroblade variety, though katanas with laser- or plasma-cutting edges are not an uncommon sight on the battlefield. The Takemikazuchi Navy, known formally as the Dai-Takemikazuchi Teikoku Kaigun, is especially noteworthy. Due to the Takemikazuchi having no outposts outside of the Shangri-La system, Naval fleets are designed to operate autonomously for years on end. Fleets often carry large numbers of non-combat vessels, such as food production hulks. These are rarely a burden on the fleet due to their standard strategy - instead of engaging an enemy fleet head-on, it will warp from system to system, individual vessels breaking off to perform hit-and-run attacks before fleeing to rejoin the fleet. This strategy requires intense planning and co-ordination, but done correctly, the core of the fleet is never exposed to enemy attack.

The flagship of the Navy, the Divine Providence, is an example of a new class of ship designed to incorporate the functions of an entire fleet into one vessel. The ship can operate autonomously for a theoretically infinite period of time, whilst still performing hit-and-run attacks. However, the Divine Providence is a true dreadnought, and is one of the few Takemikazuchi vessels that can hold its own in a line battle.

Uniforms
Note: Unlike modern militaries, the Takemikazuchi wear their dress uniform more commonly, only wearing battledress or fatigues when in actual combat.
 * Officers (Dress) - The uniform is shared between both commissioned and non-commissioned officers. As seen in the image above, it consists of a belted jacket, which can be either knee-length, or come to just below the waist, depending on the officer's preference. It is worn with white boots that come to just below the knee, and then either tucked-in slacks, or a skirt - either a conventional military-style skirt or a shorter, pleated skirt, both of which can be worn with either tights, thigh-high socks, knee-high socks or military socks. The uniform is worn with a tight-fitting undershirt that comes in a variety of colors as well as long-sleeved, short-sleeved and sleeveless variations. There are little to no regulations as to how the uniform may be worn, and as such collars are frequently seen unbuttoned, with occasional additions such as scarves and sashes being made to the uniforms, though these become much less common the higher up the pay grades ones goes. In addition, some officers modify the uniform itself, such as cutting the sleeves off - though this is heavily frowned upon as it resembles a pirate style of dress.
 * High Command - The same uniform is worn by those of rank Captain and above, though it is almost always seen with the waist-length jacket and slacks, with no alterations or additions, save for the addition of a dark red sleeveless longcoat worn over the uniform.
 * Enlisted Personnel (Dress) - similar to the officer uniform, though in a dark green as opposed to red, which more closely resembles modern-day military dress uniforms. Unlike the officer uniform it is never seen with the "long" jacket variation.
 * Battledress - Unlike many militaries which outfit their troops with extensive armor, the Takemikazuchi wear a modern-style battledress heavily resembling the US Army's BDU. This is worn over a skintight nanomesh armor, which provides nearly complete protection from projectile weapons and explosions, and very good protection against energy and plasma weapons. The armor possesses a mouth covering that can be drawn up over the lower half of the wearer's face. Over this is worn a set of fatigues, consisting of cargo pants and a hooded jacket. These are also of a nanomesh design, possessing active camouflage systems, allowing them to blend in with the surrounding environment - though it can also alter its color to simply blend in better with the surrounding environment if active camouflage is not needed. In its inert state, it is completely black. The same technology is not applied to the armor worn over the fatigues, though this can easily be discarded if increased stealth is desired. This armor provides an additional level of protection and consists of a helmet and vest which is worn by all soldiers, optional knee, skirt, shoulder and elbow armor which is worn by most, and then additional forearm, shin and thigh armor which is occasionally used. This armor comes in desert, woodland, urban and arctic color variations.
 * Tokubetsu Butai - Tokubetsu Butai soldiers wear this uniform, with completely black armor.

Known Arsenal (Small Arms)

 * The AE86 Battle Rifle - the standard issue rifle of the Takemikazuchi Armed Forces, which heavily resembles a bullpup M14. Like most Takemikazuchi weapons it is a railgun, using an electromagnetic current to fire its caseless 7.62mm ammunition. The weapon is incredibly effective in nearly every situation and as such the basic pattern has remained untouched for centuries, though specialized variants are still commonly produced.
 * The Katana - of the same design as the ancient Japanese sword, various katanas are seen in use throughout the Armed Forces, being one of two standard-issue melee weapons in service (The other being a simple combat knife). Various designs and patterns are produced by both the Integrated Design Bureau, military contractors and civilian manufacturers, and a soldier may choose any one from an expansive list of approved weapons to have at their side in battle, with the millitary covering the cost of any katana up to 400,000¥.

Shangri-La
The Shangri-La system is the home system of the Takemikazuchi Empire. It is notable for being located within a hollow nebula of Dendrobium gas - the same substance the planet SL-08 is composed of. The Shangri-La system is the only known location of this system. Dendrobium is incredibly unstable - it is impossible to travel through it, even to the extent that teleportation is impossible - even Emperor Sefer, who is renowned for her incredible teleportation abilities, cannot pass through it. The only way through this field is a small tear, the diameter of which is equivalent to Earth's moon. This tear is heavily patrolled and guarded, as it is the only way in and out of the Shangri-La system. Due to the fortress-like nature of the system afforded by this wall, and the fact that anyone attempting to force their way through the tear will be met with a triggered gamma ray burst from the system's sun, the Shangri-La system has never been conquered in recorded history. The cloud is known for its incredible beauty, resembling a great, pink fire. Though very few non-Takemikazuchi are ever permitted entry to the system, the sight of it even from the exterior is regarded as one of the many wonders of the Multiverse.

Shangri-La has ten planets, of which three are habitable. These planets are all earthlike. The planet Melchior has a low landmass, whilst Caspar has a high landmass, and Balthazar is situated between the two extremes. The primary use of the planets is for their gravitational pull, which allows for the stable positioning of space colony clusters. The outmost planet, SL-10, is home to the largest concentration of colonies, as it is closest to the tear, and therefore a key location for ships entering or departing the system.

Characters

 * Sefer Yetzirah - Emperor of the Takemikazuchi Empire and leader of the Shinsengumi.
 * Long Shortman - Prime Minister of the Takemikazuchi Empire.

Organizations

 * The Dai-Takemikazuchi Teikoku Kaigun - The Takemikazuchi Navy, responsible for the Empire's space fleet.
 * The Dai-Takemikazuchi Teikoku Guntai - The Takemikazuchi Army, responsible for the ground combat forces of the Empire. Also responsible for maintaining the Gendarmerie - the primary police force.
 * The Dai-Takemikazuchi Teikoku Tokubetsu Butai - Takemikazuchi Special Forces.
 * The Defense Industries Organization - A nationalized manufacturing collective responsible for producing export variants of military technologies.
 * The Integrated Design Bureau - A nationalized manufacturing collective responsible for producing military technologies for internal use.