TNL 49 – Preparation Part Five

In the distance, Raidon can already see the naval base.

"Look!" shouts one of the crew members. "They all hoisted flags. It looks impressive like that!"

"Indeed," Raidon replies, "indeed."

Raidon walks up to Ryker.

"Ryker, when we are docked, could you prepare the ship for a short trip? I would like you to take a squad to Aran to pick up the second platoon of recruits from the capital. That should still be possible before we have to go to Peredur. Oh, and take the rest of the instructors with you if you can. We can use them a lot here."

"No problem, captain. We just need to stock up on fresh water. We have enough of the rest of the provisions on board."

An hour later, the ship docks in the harbor. The lines of the ship are caught by a bunch of recruits on the pier. This makes a lot of sense, because there are only fifteen real soldiers in Centurion and more than fifty recruits, not counting the few cavalrymen, instructors, and Brandon and Gareth. Hence, these kinds of simple tasks are performed by the recruits.

"And now there are dozens more recruits," Raidon murmurs as he disembarks. "I'd better leave my extra soldiers here to guide the recruits. Otherwise it will be a big chaos."

Raidon has the new recruits escorted to the barracks by one of his squads. The other squad remains in port to set sail once Ryker has resupplied the ship. Raidon himself quickly goes to the staff building to relieve Brandon and see if there are any peculiarities that need his immediate attention.

A few days later the ship returns from Aran. They have a new platoon of recruits with them, which is added to the other groups of recruits in the naval base. Raidon and Brandon are waiting for the ship and its crew in port. Ryker is one of the first to disembark.

"Ahh, our generous leaders are waiting for us personally. Why this honor, gentlemen? Or are you waiting for a beautiful lady in need?"

Raidon looks at Ryker in surprise, but Brandon immediately joins in. "Well, your honor, we gentlemen of standing found it amusing to look at you and your working subjects."

Ryker bursts out laughing, "Well answered, boy! But seriously, I need one or two days to resupply the warship and give my men a rest. Two trips in a row have exhausted the crew and the journey to Peredur will also be a tough one."

"No problem," Raidon replies, "we had already assumed that. We leave in three days. Then everyone has time to recover and we can also help the recruits for a few days before they have to make do with the few instructors and soldiers who will stay here."

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Arana has almost two hundred inhabitants. Yet the village is not growing that fast anymore. Most of the people who fled Aran have now arrived in Arana. The ones that have stayed behind now have so much work in the flourishing province that there are few people left who want to build a completely new life on the island.

Two days ago, in a meeting, the residents chose to keep Aulis as mayor. His temporary position has now become permanent. The fact that they have chosen him is mainly due to his performance during the attack on the village. His resolute performance has reflected well on him.

The village nowadays not only has the two farms outside the village, but a few families also live in the small village where new building materials are extracted. Thanks to part of the garrison of Arana, three of the ten soldiers, the lumberjack has settled there today. He fells the trees there, which he then brings to the restored sawmill. There are also two miners living there. One is more of a stonemason than a miner and therefore ensures that a start is made with the mining of stones. The other is someone who has worked in an iron mine for years. He is investigating the three ancient mines discovered by the hunter Dew in the mountains.

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Aulis himself struggles with the problems of making the village prosperous. Now that the village is starting find its way, not only does the garrison expect to be maintained, but naval base Centurion also asks for supplies. Along with all these expectations, Aulis has to make sure that his people can earn something. At the moment there is little money in circulation in the village. Everyone helps each other and the money that is there is used to buy things that can help the village as a whole. An example of this is cattle for the farms, or the sawblade for the sawmill.

He would like the economy of the village to really get going. Many residents have little to do, because many materials have to be paid for. For example, there is a weaver in Arana, but he does not yet have any materials to work with. The tanner has already been able to do some things, but he depends on what hunter Dew takes from the woods. Aulis never expected that it would be such a big job to make a village autonomous.

When Aulis is talking to the weaver at his new workshop, where unfortunately he can not do anything yet, he is suddenly approached by a soldier of the garrison.

"Mayor Aulis?" the soldier begins. "Sergeant Brandon is currently at our garrison building. He would like to have a consultation with you. Do you have a moment for him today?"

"Hmm, Sergeant Brandon. I don't think I've met him before. I do think I have some time now, I can go back here again later."

"Perfect, sir, I'm sure the sergeant appreciates that."

A little later, Aulis enters the office of squad leader Mateo. In the office, Sergeant Brandon is already waiting for him.

"Mayor, I would like to consult with you. Squad leader Mateo has said that you are easy to work with and I would like to expand that cooperation."

"Sure, Sergeant, what can I do for you?" replies Aulis.

"At the moment, there is little on this island that can help us expand the legion. Of course with the exception of naval base Centurion. But with the expansion of the New Legion, we also need more supplies. Think of all the food we consume every day, or the clothes we need. At the moment we get a lot of that stuff from Aran and the garrison there. I would like to see the island become more self-sufficient. That's why I want to ask you when Arana can start sending us the things we need?"

"Damn, that’s a good question, Sergeant." Aulis did not expect such a big demand. "I have to say that life in Arana is getting better and better. We have already made progress in several areas. But I don't think we can meet Centurion's demand." Aulis falls silent for a moment. "How many people do you have there now?"

"Not much at the moment, but soon we expect almost two hundred extra recruits. If you assume three hundred in total, I think you get pretty close. Not everyone will stay in Centurion, so for now that number will be good enough."

"Three hundred, that's quite a number. I don't think we can do much for you right now. I do have people here who can set up small businesses, but I first have to raise enough money for an investment in those companies. Otherwise, they can't even start, let alone support you."

"Money is not a problem. Tell us what you need and we'll make sure you get the money to get started. In Centurion we found a lot of stuff from the old legions, including quite a few coins. Together with the budget for a thousand warriors for the garrison of Aran, that should be enough to help you. I think we can afford enough to donate something. And if it becomes too much, we can always see it as a loan, can't we?"

Aulis doesn't know what he's hearing. An unlimited budget? Or at least so much money that it comes close to that?

"Wow, we could do so much with that," he whispers. "With it we can give the economy of Arana a huge boost. Then it will indeed not be long before we can help with your supplies."

Then Aulis comes up with something else.

"Is there a chance that you could make a few trips to Aran with your trading ship to pick up things we buy? If we do not have to pay the fishermen, that would make a big difference in costs. And last but not least, it would all go much faster."

"No problem. I'm leaving for Centurion tomorrow. Place your orders and let us know what you need from us. Oh, and before I forget, the road from here to Centurion is completely overgrown in some places. Occasionally there is even a tree on the road. Do you think your people could help make that road more passable again? We will of course pay them and provide an escort for safety."

"I'll ask around. Those trees can probably be removed by our woodworker. There are probably plenty of people who want to help get rid of the other vegetation and such. Especially if they get paid. If this continues, I think Arana is finally on her way to becoming a truly prosperous place."

"I hope so too. If our plans succeed, this entire island will fall under the New Legion. So the better you do here, the better it is for us."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Sergeant Brandon leaves again. He leaves Aulis with a head full of ideas on how to make Arana more prosperous.