Summary; An expeditionary force of Mercenaries representing the Nova English Trading Company leaves Port Neil.
A savage rain tore at the ranks of mercenaries as they slowly bordered the requisitioned cargo ships. Men and women pulled themselves deeper into their ponchos and overcoats in vein attempts to keep themselves dry as they waiting their turn to board. There was little in terms of facilities or cover from the elements on the staging area for the Nova English Trading Company’s expedition. Much of the dock areas in Port Neil had seen horrific fighting as Provisional Witan forces pushed out groups of bandits and Ergonian squatters. The city was now a patchwork of checkpoints and walled compounds as local militia and the Light Infantry patrolled the streets.
Oswin Chafer, the Governor of the Council of Directors for the Nova English Trading Company. Had seen opportunity, the city had once been the main shipping hub for the Kingdom of Nova England prior to the Evacuations and the Great Disaster. Despite the fierce fighting that had occurred the port facilities were in an acceptable state with only minor repairs required. The seaport now offered the Company the ability to import/export goods directly to its consumers rather than relying on the Mercurian rail link or weight restricted airfreight. In his non-descript office overlooking scaffold laden docks and warehouses, Oswin tossed a copy of the ‘Shinjitsu’ onto a pile of other international newspapers. War was brewing in the west and had the potential to affect the Company’s investments. He knew that the government despite its close relationship to the USSO had little interest in the tensions abroad. It was still pacifying regions and attempting to rebuild years of neglected infrastructure. If Oswin wanted to protect the Company’s interests, the ball would rest firmly in his court.
Utilising his network of contacts, Oswin made contact with the Field Marshal of the Jingdaoese Forces, Tando Yamato. They had met briefly a few weeks prior during a showcasing of Nova English Military Equipment. During a brief telephone conversation between the two men, a plan of action was agreed and 18,000 mercenaries would aid in security operation, in return a selection of export licenses would be signed by the Field-Marshal. As soon as the call ended Oswin began a flurry of phone calls, calling favours on some and threatening blackmail against others as he set to round up enough trained men and women for the task at hand. Colonial Executive had pledged around 10,000 operatives and some of the smaller Private Military Contractors had provided him with another 3000 operatives. Eventually the final 5000 ‘paid’ volunteers was provided from the Ultra-Nationalist National Reclamation Force. The party’s faithful had been whipped into frenzy at the opportunity to wreck vengeance on Shirithians following the devastating defeat of the Nova English Navy during the Gascon conflict. Meanwhile company operatives secured additional equipment from contacts at LandFara and a former military stockpile that had been secured by the company on the outskirts of the city.
Now three days later Oswin watched the rain battered volunteers from the comfort of his office, exhaling acrid smoke from his pipe. Behind him sat a liaison officer from the Nova English Army and a shadowy figure from the SOE. They were to be attached to the Company’s operation as representatives of the Provisional Witan, in an unofficial capacity to reduce any potential blowback against the Faedertellus. Oswin turned back to his guests and motioned to the glasses of whisky on his desk ‘Gentlemen, a toast to the Faedertellus and the glory of our people!’ The two men raised their glasses in response and downed the whisky in quick succession.