Nekakami

Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field The Nekakami, also called nekogami, nekekami or kekogami, (Spirit Cats in japanese) were a secret group of assassins for hire. They are the premier spies and assassins of the Combine, masters of deceit and subterfuge.

Overview

This mysterious group is widely known to the enemies of Dragon. The roots of the society are lost in history but some rumors suggest that they exist since Terra's feudal Japanese empire, connecting them with the Ninjas. The first hard facts are from the early stages of the Draconis Combine. The ISF handle them as enemies of the state. They operate normally in four to six man groups, where every member is hand picked for a specific skill set, rounding out the overall talents of the group . These groups are known as Miharu No Seishin and the members consider themselves as Seishin ban. The reason for their success is the intensive training from the early childhood, even better then the DEST.

The nakakami never surrendered. They hid their faces under hoods, and if one was wounded, activated some kind of flare who destroys his face. The Nekakami were master of stealth and assassination. They have been known to gain access to even the most highly protected areas of the Combine, including Unity Palace. Their devotion to their cause is so great that if they are unable to fulfill the contract, they commit suicide. When making contact with potential clients, they leave origami cats behind. These cats can be used to indicate acceptance of a contract, but sometimes are embossed with Japanese characters if more detailed information is required.

Despite the suggestions about connections between the Nekakami and the Black Dragons, the first are very loyal to the Combine and House Kurita, and are ready to defend both against any enemy.

History

The nekogami were among the covert and disavowed assistance the seemingly Amaris aligned Coordinator Minoru Kurita secretly provided Aleksandr Kerensky during the Amaris Civil War. One notable example of this was during the Star League Defense Force's invasion of the Rim Worlds Republic world of Engadine, with the nekogami stepping in to head off the threat of a devastating chemical weapon attack by the defending irregular forces. Defeating the terrorists in a single "night of death", the SLDF commander awoke two days later to find a box containing the head of the tourist cell leader on her bedside table, the calling card of a black origami cat on top baffling the SLDF High Command and General Kerensky as to Kurita's true intentions.

Theodore Kurita would supposedly meet with the nekakami during the Fourth Succession War before reaching a pact with the organization during the 3030s, the nekakami and the yakuza playing a significant information-gathering role for the Kurita heir during the War of 3039. In this conflict Nekakmi operatives allegedly operated on both New Avalon and Tharkad relating intelligence as well as sending an open warning to former Archon Katrina Steiner on July 12 3039, leaving an origami cat on the throne of her daughter Melissa, showing their ability to pentrate one of the most secure building in the Lyran Commonwealth capital undetected.

The 9 of January of 3040, a nakakami assassin tried to murder the Coordinator Takashi Kurita. This assassination was ordered by a yakuza oyabun who believes this was the will of Theodore Kurita, but it was wrong: Theodore rushed to his father's palace and kill the assasin. Some time later, when the Black Dragons made acoup in Luthien to depose and murder Theodore, some Nekakami, disguised as ISF, helped Theodore's son, Franklin Sakamoto, to protect him and defeat the Dragons. After the rebirth of the Second Star League, Theodore Kurita hired a group of four Nekekami to participate, as a hidden asset, to Task Force Serpent, which revealed themselves only to the present head of Task Force Serpent. They were Kasugai Hatsumi (head of this group), Honda Tan, Rumiko Fox (specialty: venom and sniper rifle) and Kieji Sendai (specialty: explosives). In Huntress they blown a Jaguar command center, and Hatsumi died in a sword duel against Lincoln Osis, Jaguar's Ilkhan, severely wounding him.

Career

The following stages (outlined in A Guide to Covert Ops) comprise the training of a Nekakami aspirant, which lasts from birth to the individual's early twenties:

• Nekakami Childhood
• Nekakami Aspirant (from age of ten to twenty) it takes normally 5 year of practice
• Way of the Spirit Cats - during this time the specialization takes place and takes 3 years
• Nekakami Special Training - that the final stages to reach the highest level within the Nekakami and last another 3 years

Bibliography

• A Guide to Covert Ops
• Heir to the Dragon
• Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1
• Historical: War of 3039