Arkiania Awakens

[DeSchaine]

2nd of Marth, 1588

Grace hated being in the office. She was an operator at heart, not some suit. But, as CEO of the Red Branch Group, there were administrative obligations and daily minutia to deal with. Today wasn't all bad, however, in spite of the executive board meeting she was being forced to chair. Presentations from the various department heads and the CFO outlined ongoing operations and the overall health of the company. In the last month, things had been looking a little better than usual thanks to the large scale operations going on in the South Sea.

It had been a long month for the sea forces of the Red Branch. In total, nearly sixty cargo ships of Arkianian goods had been taken, and their huge masses of cargo stockpiled. Thankfully for all involved, the court had cleared the schedules of two judges and their staffs, appointing them to deal with the admiralty cases exclusivly.

This seriously expidited matters, allowing for a smooth process for dealing with the cargos and Arkanian flagged ships. Those ships, as soon as each case was cleard by the court, were transferred to a subsidiary and reflagged in Taeunas colors. A few hundred people were hired to open the containers and sort the cargo. Most products destined for civilian use, like clothes, toys and household goods, were distributed by the Order of Saint Patrick to various charities worldwide. Some larger items were broken down and sold for scrap. Items destined for government and military use were evaluated and most was also sold for scrap.

Adding to the matter was that several international shipping concerns had begun refusing to take on Arkania bound cargo, in order to save themselves the hassle and costs of having their ships diverted, held and unloaded when they could be used to better effect on other routes. All things imported would be drying up in the Arkanian stores. Fuel too, would be an issue, as some of the ships taken had been tankers of various types. The tanker cargos were expidited through the courts, in order to get the product to whatever new destination its buyer had in mind. Dry cargo containers could be unloaded and stacked, but liquid petrolium and gas products required more storage space than the inspection port had.

All in all, this contract was being especially lucrative for the Red Branch, and would result in a hefty quarterly bonus for all the crews and teams involved.