Shield of Kowloon

As the self-defense force of Solarity of Kowloon, the Shield of Kowloon ultimately answers to the Empress of Kowloon. However, its complex history lends it a unique composition in sharp contrast to more conventional forces.

Though its primary purpose is the same as any other nation's military - protecting its territories from external threats and keeping space-lanes safe to travel - it is defensive in nature. As a suzerainty of Empire of Tai Pan, Kowloon itself cannot use it offensively, or to expand its borders. On top of this, the majority of this fledgling nation's fleet is composed of ships that had survived the fall of the Wangdaio Colonies and were gifted by Tai Pan as a gesture of good faith. Despite the generosity, this means they are not the most powerful or up-to-date ships available. In order to offset its relatively small size and aging fleet, the Shield of Kowloon uses top of the line training, personnel and whatever force multipliers are available. Meanwhile, it hires of Free Companies - private military forces - to bolster their numbers in times of desperate need.

Even then, Tai Pan itself is only called upon to help with existential threats that the defense force would not be able to handle on its own.

With the formation of Kowloon in late 3017 GSC, a centralized military force directly under control of Bhelith Blackspear was necessary to provide safety and security. However, this force had to be both mobile and efficient to offset its primary weakness; small numbers and limited resources. As a fledgling Suzerainty under Tai Pan however, Kowloon received a sizable donation of previously mothballed ships that originated from the Wangdaio Colonies and had survived its fall. Despite this great fortune however, they ultimately remain short handed.

In order to remedy this problem, Kowloon turned to Free Companies.

Named after the Free Companies of ancient Liang (Tai Pan), their modern namesakes are effectively state sponsored Private Military Corporations. In order to keep piracy down, they were hired by Bhelith Blackspear and Mitsuya Ember to work for them off the books to combat fellow pirates. With the advent of Kowloon however, these pirates saw themselves becoming a much more professional - and well paid - force. Even as professional military forces for hire though, the Free Companies still have certain obligations that must be fulfilled if they are to be allowed to function. This includes not knowingly taking jobs which directly conflict with Kowloon's interests, and when called upon by their Empress, to serve as her defensive military force.

Due to the events surrounding the founding of Kowloon, as well as subsequent events following its founding, the equipment used by the Shield of Kowloon comes from many sources, and is assorted in nature. As a small suzerainty under Tai Pan, it will take whatever it can get. Currently, its inventory mainly consists of material from the former Wangdaio Colonies and Alliance funded rebels that once fought against Tai Pan.

This has lead to an unprecedented logistical clusterflux.