Hotel-11 "Karasu"
Overview
Designation: Hotel-11
Codename: "Karasu/カラス"
Garrison/HQ: Site-███1
Role: Anti-Trafficking, Investigation
Motto: "Sincerity is a witness to truth."
Established: February 22nd, 2001
Description: The Mobile Specialized Team Hotel-11 “Karasu” is uniquely structured and equipped to combat, first and foremost, all forms of human trafficking connected to the anomalous. It is unique for its close ties with organizations outside of the Authority and that the majority of its staff are stationed in national and covert government facilities throughout East Asia in cooperation with local governments.
The MST's scope has been the subject of some controversy due to its overlap with the responsibilities of local law enforcement and other civilian bodies. Nonetheless, the endorsement of GD-ASIA and the backing of ASIACOM as a whole has allowed for Hotel-11’s continued operation.
All MSTs have needs that are respective to their goals. Hotel-11’s deviation from the norm regarding the scope of its operation and the origin of some of its personnel are means to properly combat Kabushiki Kawaii's capabilities and enterprises. Anomalous trafficking often comes under the jurisdiction of other organizations, some of which are civilian, that are outside of the Authority. So, the measures required to properly contain and protect must also change to suit the circumstances.
- Hotel-11 Commissioner General Kochi Kyoku
Hotel-11 is known for its autonomy and diverse hiring practices- members of Hotel-11 are recruited from the Research and Administration divisions of ASIACOM, rather than the Protection and Containment divisions. Scientists, investigators, lawyers, and counselors operate in tandem with one another on a scale beyond most MSTs. Karasu does have several trained field agents, but when executing raids and containment sorties, they often draw from the Protectorate and local ASF personnel to augment their 'discrete' operations.
Further, a significant minority in the employ of Hotel-11 or ASIACOM are classified as anomalous victims of Kabushiki Kawaii, whether through genetic modification, anomalously invasive surgery, or other means. Usually, these recruits are the result of the sizable portion of Karasu's budget that is devoted towards the rehabilitation of these victims, including surgical removal of augmentations, professional counseling, and grants for tuition costs.
…and to answer your question regarding cost, I doubt the “great cost” of ensuring the education of several dozen hardworking, dedicated survivors per year is even a fraction of the CSD budget expended on the gas-masked Bohemian. It is cheaper to rehabilitate, educate, and eventually employ the victims of Kabushiki Kawaii than leaving them to rot in a cell. Total isolation and cybernetic augmentation make for unruly, dangerous, expensive prisoners.
As for the ethics of offering employment to the traumatized, I must emphasize that it is only ever an offer. Should they refuse, they can remain under Authority supervision. Those who have opted for the latter can be safely reintroduced to society with the approval of their rehabilitation officer. We do not coerce these victims into service. And I will not be lectured regarding the origins of Hotel-11’s employees- consider this, what percentage of Maintenance Union personnel were recruited not by merit, but because they were survivors of a containment breach that had escaped to a metropolitan area, with no alternative? SOUTHCOM's employment statistics suggests an unsurprising spike in recruitment immediately following a containment breach.
Nonetheless. I fear there is a great misunderstanding in regards to Hotel-11 and its relationship with the anomalies in their care. The Authority goes to great lengths to "dehumanize" the things that we contain, and I believe that such a mindset is necessary considering what some anomalies are capable of, but I would also posit how dangerous that perspective has become. In our efforts to maintain normalcy and to protect the human race, we try to remove ourselves from what is normal and what is human, to operate beyond what is right in an effort to contain what is wrong. My greatest fear is that, one day, we will succeed.
- GD-ASIA, 2015 Seoul Conference
Hotel-11’s independence has allowed for unique relations with other AoIs in the region, such as the PCAAO’s “Bureau of Anomalous Trafficking.” Further, Hotel-11 often provides data to civilian law enforcement organizations regarding non-anomalous human trafficking operations. While this practice has been considered a major disciplinary issue, the Seoul Conference has allowed for limited, regulated information to be provided to civilian law enforcement under the purview of the Administration Division’s OIRS.
In recent memory I can name five major medical developments which were in some fashion based on information gained from the anomalous world. We permit or even encourage this because it saves lives and because it’s our job to protect the human race. Yes, I provided classified information on the location of a human trafficking center to contacts in the PRC. No, the center was determined not to be anomalous. Yes, it was shut down thanks to our data.
- Transcript of a 2014 Conference between Former Karasu Station-016 Senior Commissioner and OIRS Director ‘Harpocrates’
Due to their unusual autonomy, utilization of anomalies and cooperation with non-Authority bodies, Hotel-11 often comes to blows with the Presidium. While outright overruling of Presidium policies is a line that has so far remained uncrossed, Hotel-11 is known to toe it.
History
Symbol of the PTSU.
Senkichi Hanashi, founder of the Paranormal Trafficking Surveillance Unit.
AoI #0194: PTSU, Codename "Kyu"
公安九課 (translated as "Public Security Section 9") is the "Paranormal Trafficking Surveillance Unit" (PTSU) of the National Police Agency's Security Bureau, founded by the Senkichi Hanashi2 to combat and contain the rise of human trafficking and prostitution across Japan among anomalous circles, in addition to conventional black-market sex trafficking.
The agency was poorly funded, due to the interests of a variety of other agencies competing for control over containment in Japan (namely UNAAC, the RPCA's Japanese Branch, and a variety of American groups) in addition to Kabushiki influence in the government, through either financial means or via blackmail.
The Paranormal Trafficking Surveillance Unit was notable for recruiting field agents and personnel who were victims of Kabushiki Kawaii, including rehabilitated RPC-614 instances, who would otherwise be transferred into Authority custody due to their inability to function in serried society.
The unit was effective at stemming the growth of Kabushiki Kawaii’s financial and political influence and was successful in intercepting several high-profile anomalies alongside rescuing victims from the group's experimentation and production lines. But following the "元町事変" (Motomachi Incident) of January 2nd, 2001, the Paranormal Trafficking Surveillance Unit was essentially abandoned. It was deemed a “lost cause” by the Japanese government due to the belief that its operation should be entrusted to the capabilities of existing police forces and the Authority itself, so it was subsequently disbanded.
Weeks later, the Global Director of Asia believed that the remnants of PTSU presented an opportunity to the Authority. After approaching the Japanese Government and the surviving members of Kyu, GD-ASIA drafted the Anomalous Trafficking Agreement on February 22nd, 2001.
This agreement between Japan, several other Asian nations (excluding Mainland China), and the Authority outlined the size and scope of anomalous human trafficking across East Asia and entrusted the Authority with their “removal”.
“While Kabushiki Kawaii has been stretched far beyond the Asian sphere, it still possesses a strong grip on the criminal underworld in the region that must be contained and excised. It poses a risk, not only to the human lives trapped in its horrific trade, but the security and character of the nations where its facilities are allowed to exist.”
- Excerpt from GD-ASIA’s “Anomalous Trafficking Agreement”
With this agreement, a new MST was formed which inherited a majority of the personnel, buildings, and assets of the defunct PTSU. While initially limited to strictly anomalous trafficking activity in mainland Japan, the 2015 Seoul Conference, which was notable for including representatives of the PCAAO, has resulted in the expansion of its jurisdiction and ability to coordinate with organs outside of the Protection Division and the Authority itself under the purview of the Anomalous Trafficking Agreement that now included mainland China.
The continued expansion of MST Hotel-11’s responsibilities and autonomy led to similar behavior from other MSTs who operate under or within ASIACOM. This activity has called into question the intentions of GD-ASIA, whose efforts have further distanced himself and his colleagues from the central Authority body.[citation needed]
Task Force Composition
Commanding Officers
- Commissioner General: Kochi Kyoku
- Lead Research Representative: Dr. James Armstead
- Lead Containment Representative: Okuma Jun
- OIRS Chief Inspector: Masuda Masanori
Equipment
While Hotel-11 is trained in the equipment used by the regional police of the operating area, generally most field agents specialize with the following.
Standard Issue Armaments:
- Handgun: New Nambu M60
- Shotgun: Vepr-12
- Submachine Gun: CZ Scorpion Evo 3
- Non-Lethal: Taser X26
Special Issue Armaments:
- Grenade Launcher: GP-25
- Anti-Material Rifle: Pindad SPR-2
- Anti-Augmented:3 RPG-7
Standard Issue Vehicles:
- Mobile Command: M934 Command Vehicle
- Armoured Car: Kia KLTV
- Transportation Aircraft: Hawker 400XP
- Utility Aircraft: NBO-105 Helicopter
Anomaly Assignments
| Case | Detail |
|---|---|
| RPC-614 | RPC-614 instances are created and distributed by Kabushiki Kawaii throughout Japan and East Asia at large, and so require consistent monitoring and recontainment efforts. The process of transforming a human being into an RPC-614 instance is reversible and remains a top priority of Hotel-11's rehabilitation corps. |
| RPC-319 | Hotel-11 was critical to the efforts of capturing RPC-319 instances and acquiring information on PoIs related to the anomaly. Uncontained RPC-319 entities are being investigated at this time. |