Cotland
03-03-2008, 01:33
The long, slender island had been known to mariners of the Strobovia Strait and the Axacal Sea for a long time, but no one had been bothered to attempt a colonization of the island before. There were no human beings on the island. The only ones to roam the islands had been the wild herds of deer, horses and other wildlife that existed there. For ages, the island had been uninterrupted by the corruption of man. Mother Nature had been allowed to evolve as she had seen fit, with all the glorious wonders that followed. Wild animal herds roamed the warm, lush island at will. Cool streams flowed gently through the landscape, and the air quality was pristine. That was, until the tranquility was disturbed by the flapping sound of helicopters and the annoying hum of the maritime diesel engines that powered the landing craft to the pristine beaches.
Civilization had at last caught up with the island.
The first of the landing craft hit the sandy beach with a thump before its ramp lowered, allowing the people inside to disembark and wade to shore. The leader of the landing party, an officer in the Royal Cottish Navy, was the first to leave the landing craft, stepping into the warm water which reached him to his thighs as he started the twenty-meter walk to the sandy beach. Following directly behind him were the rest of the landing party – a few Naval Infantrymen, a few engineers, some civilian biologists, geologists and what-not, and a TV crew. After all, it wasn’t every day one added a few thousand square kilometers to the Realm.
Looking behind him, the officer had to squint to avoid being blinded by the sun which shone gently upon the island – truly a good omen for the endeavor that the Cottish were undertaking – and motioned for the rest of the people in the landing craft to follow him. In the distance, the officer could see some the ships in the flotilla that had sailed from Geron a week ago, including the newly commissioned heavy cruiser Krakil, the merchantman Sapphire Rain and some destroyers he couldn’t quite remember the names of, anchored ten kilometers off the beach they were landing on.
Smiling as he saw the civilians plump into the water, almost losing their footing and falling into the warm water, the officer turned and continued his wade to shore.
Reaching it, he kneeled and ran his fingers through the fine sand of the beach, thinking to himself how similar this place had to be to the Garden of Eden. Most Cots were religious persons, but this officer was a notch above normal as far as personal religion went. Where most Cots followed the norms of Cottish society and kept their religion and religious practices to themselves in the privacy of their homes, the officer liked to display his religious fervor in public.
This occasion was no exception.
The officer bowed his head deeply and folded his hands before muttering a prayer to almighty God, giving thanks for the glorious land He had bestowed upon Cotland, and asked Him to bless the land and for Him to keep it safe from the turbulent world around the island.
Finishing his prayer, the officer finally rose and found that the rest of the landing party had made their way ashore. Pleased, he issued a few instructions to the landing party so they could get the formalities out of the way.
The men and women of the landing party formed up around the officer while one of the Naval Infantrymen handed the officer a long pole with something covered in a plastic cover, all while the TV crew filmed it all, saving it all on tape for prosperity and the evening news back home in Cotland.
With the plastic cover removed, one could now see that the officer was holding a large Cottish flag. Smiling, he drove the pole into the sand with all his might, embedding it deep enough within the sand to make it stand on its own. With the flag planted, he spoke loudly.
“I, Captain Njål Vilhelmsønn, hereby annex this island to the Realm of Cotland in the name of His Majesty King Haakon VII of Cotland, Monarch of Cotland, Supreme Warlord of the Realm, Protector of the Faith, Defender of the Weak, and a thousand other titles. From this day forward, and if it may please His Majesty the King, this island shall be known as Korangar Island!”
The men and women who observed this all cheered, and the heavy cruiser in the distance, having observed the ceremony via the powerful binoculars, sensors and radio, turned its mighty 203mm turrets towards the sea with barrels elevated to the max and fired a eleven-gun salute in celebration of the new territory annexed.
With the ceremony concluded and the island formally annexed by Cotland, it was time to get the real work going. More landing craft filled with supplies, personnel and some vehicles were being brought ashore, and by nightfall the Cottish would have established the first settlement on Korangar Island.
The progress plan called for a makeshift port to be constructed within a week, and the foundations for a permanent town within a month. The reconnaissance satellites had already picked out the location: A large plain two hundred meters from the beach, with a large forest to the east. Within three months, the plan called for a million civilians to have relocated to the island.
Within a year, Korangar Island was expected to be fully up to date with powerplants, roads, towns, villages and some industry – mostly tourism – through the island. A large area had been designated a national park though, and would be preserved in its present condition. The wildlife would be affected and corrupted by the Cottish though.
Civilization always did that to nature.
Civilization had at last caught up with the island.
The first of the landing craft hit the sandy beach with a thump before its ramp lowered, allowing the people inside to disembark and wade to shore. The leader of the landing party, an officer in the Royal Cottish Navy, was the first to leave the landing craft, stepping into the warm water which reached him to his thighs as he started the twenty-meter walk to the sandy beach. Following directly behind him were the rest of the landing party – a few Naval Infantrymen, a few engineers, some civilian biologists, geologists and what-not, and a TV crew. After all, it wasn’t every day one added a few thousand square kilometers to the Realm.
Looking behind him, the officer had to squint to avoid being blinded by the sun which shone gently upon the island – truly a good omen for the endeavor that the Cottish were undertaking – and motioned for the rest of the people in the landing craft to follow him. In the distance, the officer could see some the ships in the flotilla that had sailed from Geron a week ago, including the newly commissioned heavy cruiser Krakil, the merchantman Sapphire Rain and some destroyers he couldn’t quite remember the names of, anchored ten kilometers off the beach they were landing on.
Smiling as he saw the civilians plump into the water, almost losing their footing and falling into the warm water, the officer turned and continued his wade to shore.
Reaching it, he kneeled and ran his fingers through the fine sand of the beach, thinking to himself how similar this place had to be to the Garden of Eden. Most Cots were religious persons, but this officer was a notch above normal as far as personal religion went. Where most Cots followed the norms of Cottish society and kept their religion and religious practices to themselves in the privacy of their homes, the officer liked to display his religious fervor in public.
This occasion was no exception.
The officer bowed his head deeply and folded his hands before muttering a prayer to almighty God, giving thanks for the glorious land He had bestowed upon Cotland, and asked Him to bless the land and for Him to keep it safe from the turbulent world around the island.
Finishing his prayer, the officer finally rose and found that the rest of the landing party had made their way ashore. Pleased, he issued a few instructions to the landing party so they could get the formalities out of the way.
The men and women of the landing party formed up around the officer while one of the Naval Infantrymen handed the officer a long pole with something covered in a plastic cover, all while the TV crew filmed it all, saving it all on tape for prosperity and the evening news back home in Cotland.
With the plastic cover removed, one could now see that the officer was holding a large Cottish flag. Smiling, he drove the pole into the sand with all his might, embedding it deep enough within the sand to make it stand on its own. With the flag planted, he spoke loudly.
“I, Captain Njål Vilhelmsønn, hereby annex this island to the Realm of Cotland in the name of His Majesty King Haakon VII of Cotland, Monarch of Cotland, Supreme Warlord of the Realm, Protector of the Faith, Defender of the Weak, and a thousand other titles. From this day forward, and if it may please His Majesty the King, this island shall be known as Korangar Island!”
The men and women who observed this all cheered, and the heavy cruiser in the distance, having observed the ceremony via the powerful binoculars, sensors and radio, turned its mighty 203mm turrets towards the sea with barrels elevated to the max and fired a eleven-gun salute in celebration of the new territory annexed.
With the ceremony concluded and the island formally annexed by Cotland, it was time to get the real work going. More landing craft filled with supplies, personnel and some vehicles were being brought ashore, and by nightfall the Cottish would have established the first settlement on Korangar Island.
The progress plan called for a makeshift port to be constructed within a week, and the foundations for a permanent town within a month. The reconnaissance satellites had already picked out the location: A large plain two hundred meters from the beach, with a large forest to the east. Within three months, the plan called for a million civilians to have relocated to the island.
Within a year, Korangar Island was expected to be fully up to date with powerplants, roads, towns, villages and some industry – mostly tourism – through the island. A large area had been designated a national park though, and would be preserved in its present condition. The wildlife would be affected and corrupted by the Cottish though.
Civilization always did that to nature.