NationStates Jolt Archive

Soft, chubby fingers pressed against the cold nail, feeling the frosty yet smooth soil come out of its winter slumber. The snow was still fresh upon the pine trees, the softly caressing fingers flailing and falling down elegantly as the teal blanket was laying casually under a silver sky. From here, a small sliver of blue was visible within the middle of a mackerel sky. Bells were ringing throughout the long frozen seas, the deft waft of water spraying through their noses as the splashing pearls of waves were felt. Rain pattered lightly amongst the dying whiteness of the fluffiest of snow, eating away with impunity as the scent of natural fingers etched themselves into their nostrils. This small group of surveyors were sent here to test the soil, find interesting features of the island and look around to see what they could do.

Here, they felt the warmth of the nature around them, slowly creeping in their veins as beauty stretched around from the darkest of the pitch black weed-choked mazes of the south to the tall and majestic brother-sister peaks of the north, the long and twisting tunnels of the west fragrant with millions of smells. From the east, they could ear echoes of fragility prance throughout their ears as the birds chirped for the first time in the spring wake, crashing against the brittle winter spell. Waterfalls and natural bridges lining the eastern coastline, it was a metaphor of heaven upon the Earth itself, without flaw inside its entrenched beauty.

Here, they wee packing as their minuscule camp was being packed up, their fingers tapping on their equipment as music ran through their ears, their arms greasy and dirty as they walked around, looking at the opening beach. Awaiting a chopper, they smiled back at the perfect paradise of the untouched world, an untouched island, a rarity in such a harsh world. Smiling, as they wiped their uniforms clean; a small insignia of an RS draped in velvet evident.

One of them, a tall and fit man with copper-bronze hair and amber eyes, dropped the cigarette in his mouth as he placed it gently on the nearby glass ash tray, smelling the stench of extinguished flame filling his nostrils. Placing his thumb upon his silver cell-phone, he pressed in the required numbers before placing it to his ear, a droning noise hear before a sudden click and silence. "The island's topography is finished. When is the ride coming?" He asked briskly, hearing laughter from his co-workers in the background as they still splashed in the pristine waters.

The voice on the phone replied; "It's coming in an hour. Enjoy it for the meantime. We need to get things set up for any possible sale, so just wait an hour." It spoke reassuringly, as the man smiled and clicked it closed, placing it back in his pocket before out of the same pocket he flicked out another cigarette. Sighing, he lit up a lighter and held the minuscule flicker towards his lips, feeling its warmth amongst the spring chill, the water blazingly warm as it touched his bare feet. He smiled, slightly sad and happy, wondering what would happen to such a beautiful place.

Readthay Corporations Presents
A fine marketer of mass real estate, Readthay Corporations are willing to sell a prestigious Island at 6,112 kilometers. The terrain consists of swamps, caves and waterfalls, while the temperate climate focus mainly on the spring and summer seasons.

Of course, as corporations as small as these, their worldwide marketing was simply restricted to the Internet.

Company House, New Clanon City

In charge of the land acquisition division the man in his pin striped suite walked down the middle of the office, people busy tapping computers and answering phones. A woman in the corner was clicking through the various on-line pages for land auctions and real estate sales. Hmm Thought the woman as she read the advert, A fine marketer of mass real estate, Readthay Corporations are willing to sell a prestigious Island at 6,112 kilometers. The terrain consists of swamps, caves and waterfalls, while the temperate climate focus mainly on the spring and summer seasons. Sounds interesting... as she sent the page to the laser printer on her right the pin stripped suit man came to her desk.

"Jackie have you got the Q3 report on our assets in Europe?"

"Yes David, look at this it just came up a couple of minutes ago could be an interesting acquisition."

"Good work, I'm sure you will get something nice for this little find." Patting her shoulder as he took the print out and went to contact his superiors. Jackie smiled, she knew she would get a nice percentage added to her next pay check. This was what the job was about, her friends in normal administrative roles wondered why she had a convertible and a nice penthouse in the middle of town, when you got paid several thousand for just finding a new piece of land.


Company Investment Board, Southampton Town, Clandonian Virgin Islands

The nine members of the board from the various sections of the Clandonian East India Company sat in the air conditioned meeting room, the men were some of the richest in the country and had just received a new investment opportunity. Another man entered with a briefcase, he opened in and pulled out a small notebook connecting it to the projector cable on the long table.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, sorry to keep you my flight was delayed."

"Not a problem Sirius if this investment proves to be as profitable as suggested then you might have a company aircraft."

"Thank you sir, as you can see from the map initial geo physical scans indicate possible natural resources of rare metals."

"Oil?"

"We don't know sir, the rock type unknown at this moment in time, our satellites aren't that good yet. Perhaps Space and Defence needs some more investment?"

The men chuckled, the space and defence director shuffled his papers around at the comment.

"Well you have this boards backing for a expedition to be sent, there is a C-130 waiting in New Clanon City with a team ready to recon."

"The island doesn't have an airstrip sir?"

"That doesn't matter, there will be one soon in the mean time have you been parachuting?"

The man gupled, knowing he would be back in the capital in eight hours learning how to jump out a couple of miles up.

"Don't worry David you will be in safe hands, I have some of the finest men charted for this mission former military men, members of two Para and the Special Air Service."

"You better get going now, the company jet is at the business terminal it will be leaving in two hours time, have fun David."

As the suited man left the office, getting into the waiting four wheel drive outside he looked at the dossier with its satellite photos wondering what it would be like...

New Clanon City Airport, Cargo Terminal Four

The company C-130K stood in the spot lit hanger, various items were being loaded into the special cargo nets with the large parachutes. David had just arrived after a six hour flight looking rather jaded. The former military men and scientists were assembled being briefed from what looked like a former sergeant major.

"Ah Mr Knight, how nice of you to join us at this god forsaken hour. I trust your flight was nice, come meet the rest of the team and perhaps get some more appropriate clothing." Throwing David a green flight uniform and a tough pair of boots. David went to the small bathroom at the end of the hangers administration office, splashing some water on his face. Why do I get to do, I'm only an office man....Finishing up with his new clothes he dumped the rather expensive tailored suit and his briefcase into a carrier bag.

The head military guy was by the name of Smith, former SAS sergeant major had combat experience from Naasha all the way to the invasion of British Londinium. "Ah Mr Knight, I was wondering if I could have a word."

"Sure, err why are we loading guns."

"David, is it ok if I call you David? Have you ever been to an unexplored island, God knows what sort of critter is living there that wants to get a good old bit of flesh off your arm. The place isn't even ours yet, we may even face competition from hostile assets so we need to be prepared."

"OK, OK are your men up for the job?"

"I would think so David, we have been through it all. Where did you do your service?"

"I was in comms why do you ask?"

"Ah so a microwave nerd?" Referring to the nickname those in the Royal Signals were called by other members of the, David's face impression showed displeasure. "So you were pretty lucky getting a high flying city job, guess it was the fact you were specialised in satellite photography?"

"That's still classified under OPSEC?"

"David lad, do you think I a former member of one of the most elite and secret combat units in the world would not know that." Smith ruffled the young man's hair, "Good job you know how to shoot a gat!" Tossing David a G36K from an open gun crate.

"OK men, and ladies I want us ready to taxi in twenty minutes tops so lets get the final shit loaded on and go."

"Smith we are the advance team you know?"

"Aye lad, the matelots are coming a couple of days after once we know the island isn't full of raving cannibals."

Half an hour later the plane set of into the sky, given priority on the runway by controllers of air traffic control. The flight time was nearly seven hours, halfway through a RCAF VC-10 appeared giving them a full tank of juice for the rest of the journey. David tried to fall asleep in the back as the military team messed around, sharpening knives and adjusting their weapons while the science crew sat around on their laptops predicting what percentages with complex formula. The hold was in a cargo configuration so all the seats had been stripped out, the huge air pallets attached to the military grade heavy lift parachutes that would be coming down with the thirty person team.

The Clandonian East India Company had made its move in the conquest for more assets to boost the Clandonian trade empire.

From the Readthay Corporation
To all interested in the recent island discovery...
We will be holding an information training session regarding the island's geographical resources and detailed terrain at our information session. Please send any representatives to our corporate relations headquarters in Newshidde, Sevlington. Any corporate or civilian property acting on the island without notification at this meeting will be treated as trespassing against our legal property.

Meanwhile, in the Tsellian Enterprises in Sentiauhk...
Elnias Herkruun was a shrewd man by all means, though even as shrewd as he was, he was a smart and capable person, a person who understood what to do and what had to be done. When he was notified of the opening in possible land in the Readthay Corporate newsletter, he wasn't astonished to know of an island opening. He astonished, however, to know that apparently a fairly utopia pristine island existed without any form of intervention. It would, by all means, provide a suitable and quiet location for the Tsellian Enterprises to conduct business in peace. At least, that's what he hoped. He was a crisp man with an aging figure; a small belly rounded at his stomach, his feet jovial and bouncy.

He carried a pair of dubious handle bared mustaches amongst a long, grizzly sable silver beard, his head thick with a beautiful mat of snow gray hair, his eyes a smoky blue upon his wrinkled face. He seemed to adorn a sleazy look, though he never changed it in his long time with the company. As a member of the powerful Tsellian board of executives, he controlled a distinctly large portion of the technological behemoth. Though, like his stance on his appearance, he was a procrastinator at best. However, there was nothing to procrastinate about here, as he looked over the long report that was drizzled upon his oak desk.

"What's so special about this island, exactly?" He asked the reporting man standing in front of him, a tall and lanky figure who had a thin yet honest face, his cheeks bold and thin, his hands sliding by his side. "Is there anything I should be notified about?" He skimmed through the report quickly.

"The island's geography shows no human intervention. It's a completely untouched piece of land." The man replied, his voice icy.

"So, it's a testament to Mother nature?"

"You could say that." He said slowly, as Herkruun nodded. "Well, what about minerals, deposits, features, any of that?" He asked further, the man nodding before sliding small photos onto his desk of long, twisted waterfalls and emerald streams amidst a sapphire ocean. "Impressive."

"We sent for images from the Readthay Corporation, and they sent us these." The man said, pointing to them all. "The images here are unaltered, true setting images of the island's many natural features."

Herkruun looked at a fairly interesting photo, his eye locking onto its ravenous and twisting bridges and gateway-like rocks, caves turning and tunneling around a large wall in the causeway. "I like this feature. We'll need to get a piece of that land, it could be useful for researching headquarters development. We could also get some information on echolocation as well with those tunnels." Herkruun said briskly, as the man nodded. "Can we get a call to the Readthay Corporation to have them notified of our interest?"

"We need to actually go to them. They're holding an information meeting." The man replied, as Herkruun sighed.

"Nothing but trouble, these guys." He gasped.

The 1stIP are asking to see if the corporations of this island require security.

Our only requirement is that we receive a small payment and we are allowed to set up a training facility on the island.

If you would like to respond to our request now please do.

Otherwise we will go to the information meeting and provide more information there.


Milton Rachell
Grand Marshall
2nd sphere
1st Peacekeepers

A fine marketer of mass real estate, Readthay Corporations are willing to sell a prestigious Island at 6,112 kilometers. The terrain consists of swamps, caves and waterfalls, while the temperate climate focus mainly on the spring and summer seasons

Jaycob looked over the words of the advert on the screen of his lap top, studying them carefully, trying to picture in his minds eye what the island mite look like. He knew it was important to the Govenrment, but he didnt know why they had become so excited by it. His thoughts became lost as his seat started to rumble, the Engines had been started in the Nimrod.

A young nervous man cat down next to him.
"Im Earl" he shouted over the sound of the engines as the Plane began to move down the runway.
"Its my first time on a plane. So this island, suppose dto be a big deal huh?"

jaycob just nodded and looked away, but the man didnt take the hint.
"So, whats this Newshidde place like then?"

"I dont no" jaycob replied "I've never been thier before, so i dont o how long it will take,and before you ask my name is Jaycob and i deal with the financial side of things"

"Cool, im a Geologist"

The Engines roared as the plane lifted into the sky, Jaycob looked out of the window and hoped ofr the best. he knew thier would be some unscropulous types that would try and get this isalnd by "any means". He just hoped that they would only ahmper thier own efforst, and not his.

Ten miles from the island

The team were assembled in the back listening into the security leader sergeant Smith as he was being called now. Maps and topographic satellite photos were spread out on a crate, a para knife preventing the sheets from rolling up.

"This is is our ideal target area, its an area near the coast where the ground is roughly flat and grassy. This means the novices won't land in a tree if the wind blows us. Speaking of which what's the latest wind?"

The communication and weather officer leaned back on his swivel chair, "There's a good twenty five kilometre breeze from where your jumping, shouldn't be too bad with the amount of gear."

"Thanks." Replied Smith, looking at his watch. "OK five minutes, lets ready the cargo chutes. The huge cargo parachutes were air force surplus, designed to deploy heavy gear quickly into combat zones.

Company House, New Clanon City

Back in Clandonia company representatives were preparing to leave for Newshidde, Sevlington to meet with officials from Readthay Corporation. Heading the team was the a man in his forties by the name of Sir. Adrian Galante a former naval officer from a Super Danskeran SSBN. As he walked out of the meeting the girl who discovered the islands in the first place stopped him in the corridor.

"Aye Jackie, good work on the island find I'm off to discuss it now. Its a bit risky with our advance team already on route?"

"Isn't it just, its a company policy I believe they call it some fancy name like 'advanced franchise operations' or something along those lines."

"Yes, anyway nice meeting you perhaps we can have a drink when I return?"

He winked at her as she walked back to her office, returning to her job of searching for more property.

Sir Adrian arrived at the airport ten minutes later and was on the company Learjet within five minutes on his way to discuss the islands business potential for the Clandonian East India Company.

One minute from drop

The ramp of the C-130K Hercules began to lower, the load master donned his helmet pushing down the visor as the sun glared into the back. The noise of the wind as the aircraft dropped to the deployment altitude of two thousand meters. The pilot signalled to the load master at the back with a thumbs up, the dial on the ramp controls went red showing the correct height. The load master used the control to move conveyor belt along dragging the cargo crates out the back as opening he chutes automatically as the packages were released from the aircraft leaving only the people to jump.

"Sir how will we find them?" Shouted out David to Smith, the noise of the engines near deafening.

"RFID laddy, I'm not that stupid!" Called back Smith as he donned his goggles.

The jump light turned green as the aircraft approached the landing site, the navigation computer of the aircraft had plotted the correct jump location taking in the wind direction and speed.

"Go go go!" Shouted the load master as he gestured for people to jump out, the security team went first then the scientists, those who had done this thing before leaving David as the last one.

"Errr..."

"You need to go now, we don't have enough fuel for another pass!" The load master practically shoved David out as he tumbled remembering to pull his rip cord as the parachute slowed his acceleration. Watching the other chutes he could see people on the ground as a gust of wind blew him just the slightest of course. Oh crap, he thought as he saw the tree line trying to steer himself away. Too late, he crashed into the canopy scattering birds and snapping branches which broke the fall. Now what as he looked down, a good fifteen metre drop, he would surely break or fracture something if he tried to get down. Seeing some men in the distance in what look liked Smith and his men he shouted out "SMITH!!!" which scattered more animals, then heard the reply.

"David lad, see you got caught up in the trees, now why did you do that?" The sound of laughing as the team approached staring up at David tangled up in the canopy. Smith unfastened his weapon, a G36K aiming the scope at David. "What the fuck are you doing!" A quick burst and David fell to the floor free the tangled mess of his chute. He groaned in pain.

"You alright lad?" Asked a less than sympathetic Smith.

"Yes Sir." He groaned, nothing felt broken he wasn't too sure as he pulled himself up. "Where are we in relation to the desired interest sites and the stuff?"

"The cargo landed about four miles away according to the RFID package locator. We need to get going, Its going to be dark in around three hours and I don't want to be sleeping on the ground so we need to set up camp."

"Aye sir."

The team moved out in a line out of the wooded area to the open grassland where they were originally meant to land. Not far now David thought, he had only been out the service for eight months and already the lifestyle of living as an suit had been affecting his stamina, too many ready meals and chauffeur driven car rides.

"Just over the ridge chaps." Spoke one of Smiths men, folding the lid on the portable GPS unit. Over the ridge the large packs of the air crates dotted around, their deployment chutes blowing in the breeze.

The 1stIP are asking to see if the corporations of this island require security.

Our only requirement is that we receive a small payment and we are allowed to set up a training facility on the island.

If you would like to respond to our request now please do.

Otherwise we will go to the information meeting and provide more information there.


Milton Rachell
Grand Marshall
2nd sphere
1st Peacekeepers

Land allotted may be used to whatever you desire once proper payment has been allocated towards the corporation.

~ Readthay

From the Tsellian bounds, a small fleet of convoy ships and cargo began to drift ever so slowly towards the island, the people roaring about in tumultuous cry as they smiled, seeing the pristine surface of the beautiful and unharmed surface. While it was possible that human intervention could kill this island entirely, it didn't matter very much any more. They simply had to continue going forwards like they always had.

"Well," The fleet captain spoke with a bounce of joy in his voice, a quiver of excitement that felt a small squeal of surprise. "What shall we be doing?" He asked his aides, whom shrugged. "Ah, yes. Once we land on the nearest possible hard ground, we can begin launching the platforms to allow our equipment to be deployed."

A man in a smoke grey shirt nodded his head, his fingers running quickly over his notebook as the click of keys upon his keyboard was heard. He carried silver horn rimmed glasses amongst a tide of neat and pristine hair, his face long yet handsome, his lips dipping down into almost a frown. His nose was fairly sharp, his neck thin and his skin pale, thought every time he moved he jerked his whole body as if it were such a foreign action to him. When he spoke, he had a gruff, experienced tone in his voice.

"I'm fairly sure that we need to deploy a few seismic sensors first." He said to the captain, who nodded in tandem with him. "We need to see if this island is prone to earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis. Plus, we need to check out the receding algae levels and tidal areas. For an island of this caliber and soil this smooth and fertile, it might have spent a good time underwater, so we need to check for any possible volcanic activity."

"You're a bit thorough, aren't you?" The captain asked, his voice a soft and smooth slender, silky sound compared to the other man's stiff and stern noise. "Don't we do a bit of exploration?"

"No need." He replied coldly. "Satellite imagery shows us the surrounding area, and we need to connect the terrain as well with a series of geographical beacons. We need to know it's exact size and area, as well as any species nearby that could prove to be a danger to our plans. On top of that," He said, his fingers stopping from the pounding on his keyboard for a second, "we need to make sure we're the first ones here."