NationStates Jolt Archive


A War of Commerce (Closed, Attn: Gurg)

Akimonad
13-09-2008, 15:03
Gurguvungunit. A modern petrostate. And a very difficult name.

Such was a place where Akimonad's largest oil corporations operated, sucking light sweet crude out of the ground and putting it into supertankers to feed the many millions of thirsty engines.

Akimonad's oil corporations, known collectively as the "big three", included the Akimonadi Oil Company (known as Akoco), the East Carribbean Trading Company, which was based out of a colony of Akimonad's in the New Caribbean region but did most of its business in Haven, and Imperial Petroleum.

These three companies had globe-stretching oil empires. Most had oil rigs in areas far from home.

As a result of the increasingly hostile world climate, and the fact that the Akimonadi Navy did not feel like bending over backwards for companies, the oil companies were permitted to have their own private sea corps for the self-defense of their overseas possessions. This was enacted in 1994.

Years later, the companies had acquired ships ranging from boghammars to a few of Akimonad's obsolete Block I Type 07 avisos that were sold by special arrangement. These ships protected convoys and oil rigs in hostile areas.

However it would be false to say that all this power did not go to the heads of the executives.

They had already been charged with conspiring to fix prices in 1983. Now they would conspire again - but this time, damage would be done.

In recent weeks the Gurguvii government had made a series of gestures that the oil companies interpreted as hostile. While the intentions of the Gurguvii government were unclear, it was believed that they intended to force the foreign oil companies out or nationalize their assets.

As a result, the heads of the companies met in secret in Jerarc, where the East Caribbean Trading Company was located and decided that they would take measures into their own hands with their private navies.

And so the sea corps became secret privateers. They were sent out for a first strike on an offshore oil rig owned by a Gurguvii company. They were to capture it if possible or destroy it.

Within two days the improvised armada of Houston-class missile boats, some Type 12 missile boats, a few OPVs and one aviso was nearing the oil rig.

Now they just had to try to be stealthy.
Gurguvungunit
15-09-2008, 01:26
Oil rigs did not mount radar or sonar, did not post watches and generally didn't bother with guards apart from a very small security team hired by whatever company owned the rig. This one, drilling the vast Reginald Bank field for the Gurguvii-based oil company Saurbach Energy Ltd, had two security guards armed with pistols and bullhorns. So when the small flotilla of privately owned warships cruised up to the platform at two in the morning, there wasn't much to be done besides hope for the best.

Tom Neale, chief of the rig's security team, peered uncertainly down at the bobbing group of small warships and hefted his megaphone. He fisted some rain out of his eyes and shivered in his heavy black raincoat before bringing the megaphone to his lips and depressing the button.

"Attention vessels," his voice crackled and fizzed through the megaphone's distortion and the hiss of rain. "Please state your intentions." While it wasn't technically his business what a few dozen warships did on the Reginald Bank, they were armed and extremely close to his platform, so he was willing to overstep his authority a bit. He let the megaphone drop and raised a walkie-talkie with his other hand. "Jack," he said to the other member of his security team. "Get on the horn to Dispatch and let them know that we've got a bunch of small warships sitting in front of us."

OOC: Sorry for the short post, kind of rushed. Wooo war.