Consolidation The Great Eagle Origins

[Anatoli Sidorov]

The morning was a quiet one, yesterday, one of my C3 cargo ships was off the berths and swayed gently at anchor. I was going through some paperwork when Pavel knocked on my door. That crazy man was already wishing to lay down his ships. Even though I would like, no LOVE some rest and recovery I was also enthusiastic to start laying ships of our own. Also I had promised him some time of my day so I had to let him in. I took a sip of my black tea and said: "Come in." Pavel came in with a bunch of rolled up papers in a cart and his eyes where glistening with pride. "What do you have there Pavel?" He didn't respond. He just smiled with the smile of a 12 year old and started putting the schematics on the whiteboard in my office and he took the the black and red markers and started writing on the left over spaces of the whiteboard "GOLDEN EAGLE" Ambitious name for a ship class, not to mention the first one to be built from our shipyards as our own designs but let's see what he had in mind. I stood up from my chair and went around my desk only to sit on it's edge from the opposite side, my arms holding the edges of the mahogany desk of mine. Pavel seemed to be too hyped up for this project and he was emitting his enthusiasm to me too. To be honest he had sold me on the idea only for his excitement and nothing else. Then he looked at me and said: "So here we go."

 

[Pavel Petrosky]

P- This is a Kresta II class cruiser. It has a bunch of long range guided munitions in it's original configuration but I am sure Yuri will have a field day converting them and improving them for both gravitational and space usage thus implementing them and utilizing them for our needs. I kept the same name for the sake of simplicity and secrecy as, well for starters, we don't have the weapon systems themselves, despite having the blueprints for them and their operating program. The idea is to have Yuri dig the plans, develop them or even improve them so they can be used efficiently in both atmospheric and space environments.
Anatoli then asked:
A- So, you're tell me that you want us to develop and manufacture our own missiles and ammo for our own ships?
When he finished I asked back:
P- Do you want to try and buy them from the military, at questionable quality, quantity and possible political ramifications or would you like to build a plant tasked with producing ammunition for your own ships, custom built for your own purposes? Minimize intermediaries, minimize risk. You can transport the cargo yourself with Anatoli Rail straight to the shipyard. You make money all around so don't complain. Maybe we create Sidorov Armaments so we can sell at ourselves and to any other potential customers.
After a while Anatoli replied:
A- You mean I should go and create a business to rival the Afotic Industries?
P- As if that held you back from creating Anatoli Shipping when you were studying at university. I shot back. Then he reluctantly said:
A- You have a point there...
P- So I start building it?
A- Name her Irina.
P- Willco sir. Thank you very much.
I replied back and left his office smiling widely.

 

[Anatoli Sidorov]

Since there was nothing for me to do I left my office and started to walk around the office building still deciding what to do. My brain was trying to think of something to do. Playing boss was not too simulating for my brain and I had a feeling that didn't help with the creativity between the employees. Yet I needed to find something to distract my brain with. Pavel was scooting his way to Yuri to present him the plans and now, having finished my paperwork, I was wondering aimlessly. I ended at the cafeteria where I sat a corner table munching a spaghetti salad while thinking Pavel's proposal. Anatoli Armaments. Creating the company would be the easy part. Sourcing the raw materials and means of production also. Now the personnel would be a problem but maybe machinists would accept coming and people from governmental gun industry would come drawn in by a better pay and working hours. I would conferee with some potential investors if I needed them. Anyways, until that point a ship would need to be built. Maybe I should call ahead some metal smelting industries to prepare them for potential contract opportunities. After finishing my salad, I exited the office building, grabbed my safety hat and went for a walk towards the bearths. Cape Frio, Black Swan and Rochester where still in their berths being patched up from the holes and damage they have suffered during my first trans galactic transport for Affotic Industries. Indomitable and Diamond Knot where swaying gently at anchor just outside the shipyard. I entered my small motorboat and started sailing towards Indomitable. As I was slowly motoring towards her, I noticed a wierd gap in the rock face of the nearby mountain. Curiosity overwhellmed me and I motored towards it. It was a bigger that it seemed but the mouth of it was too low to the sea surface. So low I had to duck in order for my head to pass safely under the rock face. Once inside and enveloped by darkness I opened all the lights on the motorboat. Soon it was revealed that I had entered a cave that was extremely spacious. Also it had a very spacious sailable area all the way to the core of the mountain. I motored around for a while admiring the beauty of nature before I exited the cave and finally motored to Intomitable which I boarded and went to the officer's lounge to play the piano. I hadn't managed to sit when through the intercom a call from the VHF was heard transmitting:
?- Base to Intomitable, base to Intomitable, do you copy?
Reluctuntly I stood up and went to the bridge to grab the VHF. Once at the bridge I grabbed the mic and said:
A- Indomitable to base I copy.
Y- This is Yuri Makarov sir. Pavel came by and I wanted to come and ask you some questions.
A- Do they need to be asked now or they can wait until tomorrow?
Y- Some of them must be asked now. Not in an open channel preferably.
A- Ok. Get yourself at Intomitable and we will talk.
Y- Yes sir. I will come over as soon as possible.

 

[Yuri Makarov]

After looking around for a boat and someone to take me to Indomitable I was on my way to meet the boss, or maybe the dream maker. Thanks to him what was denied to me during my service at the military he gave me generously. The lab I wished I had at the military was not only given to me but with way more machines to aid me with my work. Where my requests were denied, Anatoli not only approved them but also requested prototypes for testing. He also allowed me to venture to my own projects allowing me full intellectual creativity. He would sometimes ask me to develop specific tasks but he was not too pressing about it. He wanted results but in reasonable time frames. He was strict but not oppressive. He was persistent but nit stubborn. For his young age he wasn't a boss. He was a leader. When something went wrong, he wouldn't start pointing fingers but he would ask what could he do to help us not fail next time. In general he tried to have us working for him with him yet maintaining overall command but never with an aura of superiority. I wish I would be able to work for him until it was time for me to retire. Once I arrived at Indomitable he was already there, at the top of the ladder, waiting for me. I climbed up and once I stepped on deck he gave me his hands and I took it and shook it warmly. Then he said:
A- Let's go to the captain's office.
In 3 minutes we were sitting at a nice office before he said:
A- I dragged you all the way here, better start talking not to waste your precious time.
Y- Well yes. Pavel came by and requested to develop some stuff of which he had the schematics for. Does he have authorization?
A- Yes.
Y- Ok. Do you want them as they appear or I have the time to further develop them?
A- From what I am told, the weapon systems are not the top of their class but I find no tactical advantage rolling out the best of our abilities. I will let you know when to start building some "wunderwaffe" but that will be done at a later stage with my own personal funds out of any of the enterprises under me. I will talk to you later about an idea I have. Think of it. The more time we appear to be weaker than we are actually are, the more time our enemies have to solidify their underestimation of our power and that will give us great advantage in any possible confrontation.
Y- Ok so we build them as advertised. Will I have your word though that at a refit you will allow me to upgrade the weapon systems?
A- Yes. And it will be even better if this happened after one of the class would be either, destroyed, captured or in general defeated in battle.
Y- Yes sir. When do you want them ready?
A- Pavel has already authorization to take one of the free berths and start laying keel as soon as possible. So you may need to ask him when he will need them ready. The least of time the equipment is assembled and in storage the less the possibility of enemy spies finding out about our revolutionary power multipliers.
Y- Ok sir, thank you for your time. I don't have any other questions.
As I said that Anatoli rose and so signaled the end of the meeting. We walked together to the deck where my boat was waiting for me to take me ashore and after a final farewell and handshake, I descended the steps and went back to shore.

 

[Anatoli Sidorov]

As I watched Makarov motor away I decided to sail around the fjord into which my shipyard was located. Soon Indomitable's propellers were spinning and I eased her out of the anchorage in order to start sailing around the fjord. This turned to be a pretty difficult job. The ship was a bit too long, the fjord itself too narrow and I didn't have the necessary equipment to cartograph all the nooks and crannies. I would have to ask a research vessel to do this job. To turn around the vessel inside the fjord would be an impossible task so I sailed out of it to the open sea, club hauled the ship around and slowly sailed back in to the anchorage spot reserved for my ship. Once I was in my spot and dropped anchor for the night I was soon enough under my linen beddings and enjoying a good night's sleep. The next morning I woke up and I started making me a breakfast consisting of eggs and bacon and a pot of black tea. Then with my caravan in hand I exited to the starboard wing of the bridge, sat on a chair, propped my legs over the railing and started munching my meal while taking in the peace and beauty of the nature that surrounded me with the middle of it all my shipyard sitting quietly until the day's work would begin. I was about to take an other sip of my tea when I heard the VHF chirp in the bridge. I groaned and I got up to go and pick it up. Once I opened the heavily armored door I heard:
?- ...ble do you copy? Indomitable. Do you copy?
Once the transmission was over I hit the PTT button and I replied:
A- Indomitable copies. You guys have a tendency to disturb me at the best of times...
?- Sorry sir. It's me. Pavel. I have ready the list with the materials required and the companies we should contact. Now regarding the other stuff I suppose you spoke with Yuri. Am I correct?
A- Do your lists include the companies from where you want your materials?
P- Yeah mostly Kovalenko Metal Works will provide us with the materials for the hull and other companies will provide us with the piping, electrical and auxiliary machinery. Now what Yuri will need I don't know.
A- Don't worry. Yuri's needs will be handled internally by other companies directly under the Anatoli Industries.
P- So you plan opening more companies than the one I proposed you open?
A- As the need arises yeah. Anyways. Let me finish my breakfast and I will go to Kovalenko Metal Works to finalize the contract details with Andrei Kovalenko myself.
P- Shall I prepare your car for the trip then?
A- Nah. I am thinking of commandeering an Ironhorse 9 and take the gondolas we have with the scrap from the repairs of the ships and take them down there to get rid of them.
P- Oh good idea. The yard was starting to fill up. We have one engine in storage that you could take.
A- Great. Tell the engineers to prep her up and I will be there in 30 minutes and I will handle all the shunting and the trip itself. Ok?
P- You will take 7734?
A- Why not?
P- Well you are familiar with the meaning of the number right?
A- No why?
P- If you turn it around it says HELL...
A- Well the rail route to here is also hell but nothing has ever happened... Also I don't plan on flipping the engine upside down to see the number 7734 spell HELL.
P- Hahahaha, that's a good one. I'll say to the engineers to prep her up but I am not sure if anyone will volunteer to come with you on her... By the way... You have an engineer's licence?
A- It may need to be renewed in some years but yeah I have one.
P- Is there something you can't do?
A- Well I can't drive trucks...
P- Hahahahaha. Yeah ok. I think that this may be the reason why everyone likes you so much. Your determination is something else.
A- Pavel if you want a raise just say it. Leave the flaterries. Anyways. I'll be there in 30 minutes.
I said and closed the VHF to go back to my breakfast. After 10 minutes I finished eating and went to get dressed for the trip. A good pair of pants with a shirt and an overcoat was the outfit I chose for the day. Once I was dressed I attached to my hip my pistol holster along with my RSh-12 and hid it under my overcoat. With 20 minutes in front of me to get myself to the yard, I got on my motorboat and motored my way to the shipyard where I tied the boat to a pier and then made my way to the rail yard. Among the saunters working the gondolas and flatbeds around the yard trying to organize the numerous wagons sitting, some filled to the brim with cargo I made my way to where the locomotives were being stored when not in use. After looking around for a bit, I found a black Ironhorse 9 class B with the number 7734 and a white AS painted on the sides of it. So this was the locomotive I would drive down to Kovalenko Metal Works. She looked pretty clean and that was weird with the use they were getting. A locomotive that clean meant that she wasn't being used at all and she stayed in storage. As I was looking at the loco, an engineer approached me and introduced herself as Elena Mirev. After exchanging pleasantries, she took me for a walk around of the engine and she showed me a holopad with the paperwork for the trip down to Kovalenko Metalworks. Then I asked her: "Why is she in storage?" My question caught her unprepared and she muttered:
E- Wha... What do you mean?
A- She is an Ironhorse class Type B engin,e she should be used to bring in cargo from our suppliers to the shipyard but she is just sitting here...
E- Well, she was the lead engine when our saunters arrived but after that she was pushed into storage with a saunter...
A- All of this because of a number? You guys are very superstitious... anyways have you prepared the locomotive as per the manual?
E- Yes...
A- Ok. Will you join me or I will ride it alone?
I saw the hesitation in her expression and I said: "You don't have to come if you don't want to." before I placed my hand on the railing and start climbing my way to the cab of the train. I didn't look behind me but I heard boots clanking behind me. I slowed my pace for her to wait for her to catch up with me. Suddenly though, as she was pacing towards me rapidly, she slipped forward and crashed on my back. Out of instinct I threw my hands backwards and miraculously caught Elena by her shoulders and she tried to support herself by grabbing on my overcoat in her desperate attempt to stop her fall. While my hands under her shoulders prevented her face meeting the grating of the passageway we were standing on she tried to lift herself up by pulling on my overcoat making me to stumble backwards but i managed to steady myself by taking a step to the back, thus bringing my center of mass between my two points of contact with the grating below me and stabilizing myself. When i was confident that I had no risk of falling down myself I said: "Hand on the railing."
She slowly took her left hand banged it on the railing and she said: "Hand on railing."
A- Steady yourself on your feet.
E- Feet steady under my body. She said after some stomping.
A- Now you can let go of my overcoat and stand on your own.
E- Oh yeah sure, sorry. She replied back and chuckled.
Once she let go of me, I turned around and asked her gently:
A- Are you ok?
E- Yes. She responded shyly.
A- Good. Don't blame the engine for this. The temperature is below freezing and ice can form anywhere.
E- Yes sir. She said and lowered her head.
We entered the cab and asked her if she minded me taking control of the engine.
E- As long as your permits are in order, I have no problem with that.
A- Here you go. I said as I brought up the electronic version of my operator's license.
After looking at it she took out her holopad and typed something on it while I made myself comfortable on the engineer's seat. Once Elena was ready herself, she guided me to the siding where the gondolas with the scrap metal, mainly from the junk that was removed from my damaged ships. Metal plates full with bullet holes, bent support pillars, broken pipes and other junk along with all my impromptu blocking of passageways, barbed wires and kilometers of exposed electrical cord I used to make the whole ship a median of electricity in order to electrocute anyone that dared touch more than one surface of the ship at a time. This was practically the last piece of evidence that could tie me to the war crimes I committed against those pirates that tried to attack my ships. Even though my employees knew me as a caring and helpful employer they didn't know what I would do if anyone of them run into trouble. Soon enough we were arriving at the tunnel ready to leave the shipyard behind us and make our way to the main railway network and from there we would head south to Kovalenko Metalworks.

 

[Le Machinal]

Soon after, when we exited the tunnel, we were greeted with the serene embrace of a pine forest. The signal in front of us was green and dispatch cleared us with green lights all the way to Kovalenko Metalworks, so without any need to break or otherwise slow down, we merged with the main North to South line we came southbound. This line was one of the few that headed to the far North mainly due to the lack of industry and habitation in general but since the discovery of the Northen deposits it was considered that Anatoli Transport would be the best contractor to transoort the fuel products from the fields to any potential refineries or final consumers. Hence begun the construction of one of the most ambiguous projects undertaken by Anatoli Shipping. A dual rail under snow peaked mountains and glaciers millennia old and a dense pine forest. The project took 2 and a half years to complete since no money was spared for cost reduction reasons. With a contract to be the sole transporter until the Northen deposits run out, the profits would outdo any expenses that would make me consider any budget cuts for the project. With 500 kilometers of bridges, 200 kilometers of tunnels, 20 maintenance stations and a total of 1500 kilometers of rail was the whole project and it costed around 2.3 billion Terrarian dollars and it would break even in the next years. The shipyard would have been connected and included in the original plans, hadn't it gone bankrupt, so the tunnel we just came out of was not included in the plans but appropriate measure were taken to include a further expansion of the track to it. Despite the difficulty of the terrain and harsh environment with respect to nature the project was completed and it also helped deliver some of the heavy special cargo required at the final parts of assembly of the drilling area along with a new contract to transport essential goods, including parts, machinery and food to the workers that lived there. When I was offered this contract I edited the terms to have the Lalou Drilling Inc. pay only for the needed maintenance, salary and fuel of the trains that would be tasked with transporting the goods all the way up there. Once on the main line going south 7734 was purring like a kitten and the gondolas on the back were moving along with the occasional clang from the road wheels due to the minute gaps between the rail tracks. The nature surrounding us was magnificent. Pine trees surrounded the rails and humidity along the with the fog and droplets on the leafs of the firs, along with the light emitted from the beams of 7734 created a scene straight out of a fairy tale. The reflection of the light from the droplets created an image of such beauty that no human structure could ever replicate. After a while, the tracks took us to the harsh rock face to the one side and under the bridge supports a deep gorge with running water rushed downwards to either a lake or sea. The contrast with the previous environment was impossible to miss yet the harmony of it all was exquisite. The black rock face broken by streams of white snow and small water paths right next to us, to the white capped mountain tops above us the whole scene was impossible to describe in words.
A- Ever been on this track Elena? I asked her just to fill the silence.
Elena was caught by surprise and she stuttered as she replied:
E- Eh no sir, I usually shunt wagons around the yard. This is the first time I exit the shipyards on a locomotive. I am building the hours to request to be part of the engineers that bring stuff in.
A- Good. From now on when I get the itch to drive a train you'll be my cab buddy ok? So until the next time you have a small task. Write down a bunch of questions you want to ask me. Don't be afraid to ask stuff you are what? 23 24 years old? I am 25 so treat me as your peer and not your boss ok?
E- Yes sir. I mean Anatoli...
A- There you go. I will have a chat with mister Kovalenko before we leave again so take your time, check the engine a bit and we will see if we will do an empty run to the shipyards or we will transport something. Anyways the train is yours for the next leg ok?
E- Really? Thank you for the opportunity Anatoli.
With that out of the way we returned into talking about the magnificent views around us. To be honest the view was so nice that at some point I took my camera out and started shooting photos of the scenery. Only when into a tunnel, either me on Elena or me we would look into the cab and monitor the instruments. Luckily we weren't overspeeding and all was fine regarding the engine. We started descending to the valley where Kovalenko Metalworks where located. Elena took care of the comms and soon we were cleared into their yard and into a siding to disconnect the gondolas with scrap metal. once we entered the siding and stopped, I jumped out of the locomotive and went to find Kovalenko himself at his office. I had arranged for him to save me a spot in his schedule and he decided to take me down to dinner at a nearby restaurant where he decided on a ribeye stake for the both of us and a chef's salad as a side dish. He ordered also beers but I explained him that I had to operate a locomotive so I helped myself with some orange juice. When our meal arrived, he finally said:
K- So how can Kovalenko Metalworks help you?
A- My engineers are planning on laying a new ship down and they would like to ask for your company to provide us with the majority of the metal for this project. I have here a pretty good contract regarding the order we would need you to fulfill. I said and passed accross a black leather portfolio with the initials SS for Sidorov Shipyards. Kovalenko opened it and started reading it when he said:
K- Is this for a new class of ships?
A- Yeah how did you know?
K- As you know I supply most of the shipyards with the metal for their ships, I have seen nothing like your order before so either you are not building a ship but something else big enough, or you are building a ship that has not been built before.
A- Yes Pavel wants to lay down a new class and I liked the idea so I gave him the go ahead.
K- Oh Pavel?He is still running these crazy ideas for ships?
A- Yeah and to be honest the ones he has already layed down turned out to be pretty neat ships. They transported HVT from Halcyon to Mustafar pretty successfully and generated a pretty hefty profit to be honest.
K- Oh yeah The Anatoli Transgalactic Shipping of yours. How is this endeavor going?
A- Pretty good. I plan on going public once I will have established myself a few regular customers and some new ships.
K- So you are building new ships for you?
A- For now yeah. But we won't say no to any other potential buyers, probably.
Kovalenko left a deep laugh.
K- Probably... yeah sure, you will try to monopolise the space transport business too?
A- Well why not? After all we are both entrepreneurs taking risks and prototyping to generate ourselves the most profit and competitively crush our opponents. Isn't this what you also did with Mertiris Metalworks and others?
K- You have a point there but I have yet to manage to buy their assets yet.
A- You will manage this soon enough. Just to say, all the other enterprises that we will approach regarding the shipbuilding will be enterprises that use your metals as raw matterials for whatever we will need them to build for us.
K- Oh so little Anatoli here is not only coming here to by stuff from me but also buys stuff from people that rely on me to do business. Second hand income. Much appreciated. I will keep the portfolio and our accountants will go over the minute details later on. Consider the contract signed already.
A- Much appreciated sir.
Soon after, we were leaving the restaurant and while Kovalenko went to his office I went to 7734 where Elena was waiting for me with a smile. When I approached her she said:
E- There is a load destined to Lalou Drilling Inc. Wanna take it?
A- Why not it would be a nice ride all the way to there. Maybe I can also negotiate a little something for us while we are up there.

 

[Anatoli Sidorov]

Soon after, when we exited the tunnel, we were greeted with the serene embrace of a pine forest. The signal in front of us was green and dispatch cleared us with green lights all the way to Kovalenko Metalworks, so without any need to break or otherwise slow down, we merged with the main North to South line we came southbound. This line was one of the few that headed to the far North mainly due to the lack of industry and habitation in general but since the discovery of the Northen deposits it was considered that Anatoli Transport would be the best contractor to transoort the fuel products from the fields to any potential refineries or final consumers. Hence begun the construction of one of the most ambiguous projects undertaken by Anatoli Shipping. A dual rail under snow peaked mountains and glaciers millennia old and a dense pine forest. The project took 2 and a half years to complete since no money was spared for cost reduction reasons. With a contract to be the sole transporter until the Northen deposits run out, the profits would outdo any expenses that would make me consider any budget cuts for the project. With 500 kilometers of bridges, 200 kilometers of tunnels, 20 maintenance stations and a total of 1500 kilometers of rail was the whole project and it costed around 2.3 billion Terrarian dollars and it would break even in the next years. The shipyard would have been connected and included in the original plans, hadn't it gone bankrupt, so the tunnel we just came out of was not included in the plans but appropriate measure were taken to include a further expansion of the track to it. Despite the difficulty of the terrain and harsh environment with respect to nature the project was completed and it also helped deliver some of the heavy special cargo required at the final parts of assembly of the drilling area along with a new contract to transport essential goods, including parts, machinery and food to the workers that lived there. When I was offered this contract I edited the terms to have the Lalou Drilling Inc. pay only for the needed maintenance, salary and fuel of the trains that would be tasked with transporting the goods all the way up there. Once on the main line going south 7734 was purring like a kitten and the gondolas on the back were moving along with the occasional clang from the road wheels due to the minute gaps between the rail tracks. The nature surrounding us was magnificent. Pine trees surrounded the rails and humidity along the with the fog and droplets on the leafs of the firs, along with the light emitted from the beams of 7734 created a scene straight out of a fairy tale. The reflection of the light from the droplets created an image of such beauty that no human structure could ever replicate. After a while, the tracks took us to the harsh rock face to the one side and under the bridge supports a deep gorge with running water rushed downwards to either a lake or sea. The contrast with the previous environment was impossible to miss yet the harmony of it all was exquisite. The black rock face broken by streams of white snow and small water paths right next to us, to the white capped mountain tops above us the whole scene was impossible to describe in words.
A- Ever been on this track Elena? I asked her just to fill the silence.
Elena was caught by surprise and she stuttered as she replied:
E- Eh no sir, I usually shunt wagons around the yard. This is the first time I exit the shipyards on a locomotive. I am building the hours to request to be part of the engineers that bring stuff in.
A- Good. From now on when I get the itch to drive a train you'll be my cab buddy ok? So until the next time you have a small task. Write down a bunch of questions you want to ask me. Don't be afraid to ask stuff you are what? 23 24 years old? I am 25 so treat me as your peer and not your boss ok?
E- Yes sir. I mean Anatoli...
A- There you go. I will have a chat with mister Kovalenko before we leave again so take your time, check the engine a bit and we will see if we will do an empty run to the shipyards or we will transport something. Anyways the train is yours for the next leg ok?
E- Really? Thank you for the opportunity Anatoli.
With that out of the way we returned into talking about the magnificent views around us. To be honest the view was so nice that at some point I took my camera out and started shooting photos of the scenery. Only when into a tunnel, either me on Elena or me we would look into the cab and monitor the instruments. Luckily we weren't overspeeding and all was fine regarding the engine. We started descending to the valley where Kovalenko Metalworks where located. Elena took care of the comms and soon we were cleared into their yard and into a siding to disconnect the gondolas with scrap metal. once we entered the siding and stopped, I jumped out of the locomotive and went to find Kovalenko himself at his office. I had arranged for him to save me a spot in his schedule and he decided to take me down to dinner at a nearby restaurant where he decided on a ribeye stake for the both of us and a chef's salad as a side dish. He ordered also beers but I explained him that I had to operate a locomotive so I helped myself with some orange juice. When our meal arrived, he finally said:
K- So how can Kovalenko Metalworks help you?
A- My engineers are planning on laying a new ship down and they would like to ask for your company to provide us with the majority of the metal for this project. I have here a pretty good contract regarding the order we would need you to fulfill. I said and passed accross a black leather portfolio with the initials SS for Sidorov Shipyards. Kovalenko opened it and started reading it when he said:
K- Is this for a new class of ships?
A- Yeah how did you know?
K- As you know I supply most of the shipyards with the metal for their ships, I have seen nothing like your order before so either you are not building a ship but something else big enough, or you are building a ship that has not been built before.
A- Yes Pavel wants to lay down a new class and I liked the idea so I gave him the go ahead.
K- Oh Pavel?He is still running these crazy ideas for ships?
A- Yeah and to be honest the ones he has already layed down turned out to be pretty neat ships. They transported HVT from Halcyon to Mustafar pretty successfully and generated a pretty hefty profit to be honest.
K- Oh yeah The Anatoli Transgalactic Shipping of yours. How is this endeavor going?
A- Pretty good. I plan on going public once I will have established myself a few regular customers and some new ships.
K- So you are building new ships for you?
A- For now yeah. But we won't say no to any other potential buyers, probably.
Kovalenko left a deep laugh.
K- Probably... yeah sure, you will try to monopolise the space transport business too?
A- Well why not? After all we are both entrepreneurs taking risks and prototyping to generate ourselves the most profit and competitively crush our opponents. Isn't this what you also did with Mertiris Metalworks and others?
K- You have a point there but I have yet to manage to buy their assets yet.
A- You will manage this soon enough. Just to say, all the other enterprises that we will approach regarding the shipbuilding will be enterprises that use your metals as raw matterials for whatever we will need them to build for us.
K- Oh so little Anatoli here is not only coming here to by stuff from me but also buys stuff from people that rely on me to do business. Second hand income. Much appreciated. I will keep the portfolio and our accountants will go over the minute details later on. Consider the contract signed already.
A- Much appreciated sir.
Soon after, we were leaving the restaurant and while Kovalenko went to his office I went to 7734 where Elena was waiting for me with a smile. When I approached her she said:
E- There is a load destined to Lalou Drilling Inc. Wanna take it?
A- Why not it would be a nice ride all the way to there. Maybe I can also negotiate a little something for us while we are up there.

 

[Anatoli Sidorov]

Soon enough we were on our way to the siding with a total of 32 wagons consisted of flatcars with tied down metal pipes and box cars full of spare parts and fuel transfer pipes. With a length of 548 meters we were nearing the edge of our Ironhorse 9 but I was confident enough that we could make it through with correct throttle adjustments and speed management. It would also do for a nice test for Elena. The weather seemed to be pretty good so I was a bit confident that it would be an easy run. With Elena confident on the throttle and me having checked that everything was tied down correctly and securely and when Elena coupled down with the first car I checked the break lines and after ensuring no humidity was in the line we proceeded to leave the yard northbound with destination Lalou Drilling Inc. Elena was very excited for the opportunity to control such a load and I was pretty confident we would have a good time taking this load all they way up there. After I was done with dispatch and relaxed a bit I observed Elena taking the train out of the sidings into the main line and she headed confidently to the entrance of the mountain passage. I turned around and watched the 32 wagons move in unison and serpent around the sidings to the main line. When we were fully on the main line I asked her:

A- How you fell her?

E- She is heavier from what I am used to shunting around in the yard but I feel confident enough.

A- Good. Welcome to the big boys. get us all the way to Lalou Drilling and I will sign you the papers to get yourself to the shipyard's supply crew.

E- Thank you sir.

A- I said to treat me as your peer. Not your boss. At least when we are not in the presence of others.

E- Ok. So, Anatoli, I have some questions for you if you don't mind.

A- Someone got busy with her assigned homework when I was away?

E- Yep. So tell me, how did you end up opening Anatoli Shipping?

A- Well I started working part time at a small courier service when I finished college to make some money on the side and support me during my time in university. To say the truth I was mostly sitting than working because the person responsible for logging the coming and goings of the parcels was a bit slow and he would be able to process around 400 parcels a day. At my university I took some business classes and I started with a small garage that I rented to park my car but I turned it into a storage center for the newly established Anatoli Shipping. I used my computer to automate the incoming and outgoing package and I could easily process 500 packages per day alone. It took long nights delivering them but it was worth it. When my capital allowed it, I launched a small rudimentary app to help my customers track where their packages were but since I couldn't track it all the way to the recipient it was a bit heart breaking to have them ask if I could know when the package would arrive at it's final destination after I gave the package to an other shipper. The company grew larger and larger since more and more people used my courier service for the last part of their deliveries. After a while I opened and an other branch at the next city and I also bought a small truck to transfer packages from one storage to an other and I also, finally hired some people to help me run the business and once I finally finished uni I started taking some big steps. There also came the worst case of transport chaos ever recorded on the planet and I took some loans to buy other failing companies to secure their assets and in the end I managed to buy 75% of all transport companies. From this crisis, I emerged victorious and I was the only healthy transportation company so I approached the rest 25% and slowly I bought them and I turned the planetary cargo transportation a monopoly but I didn't take advantage of this. I kept my prices low, my reliability high and any new startups failed because I didn't leave any space for competition. With a constant strife for improvement and optimization we have arrived to this point where we are now.

E- So it was strategy and luck that brought you here?

A- Innovation, good risk assessment and yes a bit of luck too.

E- Wow. You are too humble for what you have accomplished.

A- If I wasn't I don't think I would be where I am now.

E- So, next question. When you don't play boss, What do you do? I mean, what do you do during your free time?

A- Well to be honest I don't do much. I mainly play the piano and work out but also I play some games on my computer. If I find anything interesting I may also go to watch a movie but that's all. I usually cook meals for myself and do my shopping alone so yeah nothing interesting going on here. What about you?

E- Well... My father was a railroader, My uncle was a railroader and they retired with good pensions and I was around for all the take your kid at work days and that's how I stuck here.

A- Nice. If you don't mind me asking, what do you do on your free time?

E- I mainly go for walks and hike trails around the shipyard and when I get to go home I watch the telly a bit or ask my father for job tips when necessary.

A- Oh nice. What do you mean by hiking trails?

E- Well there are some clearings around the shipyard that have pretty good view of the fjord and I usually go take my lunch over there. It's a pretty serene and I enjoy the silence over there. Working with my small shunter, around the yard I appreciate some peace and quiet from time to time.

A- Don't you have ear defenders for when you're working?

E- I was given some stupid earplugs that don't even stay into their place...

A- Don't you have those that look like headphones?

E- No they don't sit well with the helmets...

A- Don't you have these like mine?

I said and gave her mine that I had in my backpack. It had a piece of metal that connected the two headphones to each other and an nice Velcro that connected them from above the head to keep them steady without interfering with the helmet. Elena tried them on and put on her helmet then said:

E- Wow, those things exist?

A- As you can see... We don't have these back at the shipyard?

E- To be honest I don't know. I was given these when I started so I stuck with these...

A- Ok... I'll consider buying you all new safety equipment because I don't want to lose any of you due to company negligence...

E- Thanks for your interest.

A- No problem. So what else would you like me to answer for you?

E- would you mind going to the movies with me?

Her question caught me by surprise and my mind was in a state of numbness but the "with me?" part of her question raised a bunch of alarms in my head. The combination of these two words at the end of a question was something that I haven't heard for a long time. The only thing that came out of my mouth was a confused:

A- Huh?

Elena didn’t even flinch. She repeated the question this time looking straight at me:

E- Would you go to the movies with me?

My still confused mind went on self defense and the next thing that came out of my mouth was this

A- I hope you are not trying to win any favors. Do you?

E- Oh you are one of these rare few are you?

A- You are confusing me more and more by the minute…

E- Let me put it this way. If you want you answer. Have you ever been in a relationship? A real one with no demands just with the other person because you enjoyed their company?

A- Well… I don’t even remember being in a relationship to be honest. By the way if anything of all this leaks out there will be consequences.

E- Oh you are one of the rare ones. The kind that was never popular, tried to approach someone but always got rejected and sometimes used and played by other girls so you closed yourself and became self sufficient and didn’t trust anyone with your internal struggles. That’s why you live alone on a ship supposed to be crewed by at least a hundred men but automate everything so you can use them alone with the way you find efficient and somehow most of the time it works. Hell. Even the up armoring of the cargo ships was done in a way that only you understood and it worked somehow perfectly. Either you are a genius or you have done way more stuff than you let out.

A- Ok yes I will go to the cinema with you.

E- Perfect. I am paying for the tickets. You paying for popcorn.

A- Huuuuuh???? Ok I suppose…

E- And I am choosing the movie.

A- Ok…

We drifted into other conversations but the weather decided to make things a bit more difficult. After passing a pretty long tunnel, through one of the mountainous masses, a snow storm was falling. It wasn’t too harsh but it reduced visibility by a lot. Elena immediately tensed and hit all the external lights trying to better visibility but the headlights from the engine lighted up more snowflakes reducing visibility even more. She proceeded to turn them off but I stopped her saying:

A- Safety first, keep the lights on. If you don’t mind I will turn on the heaters not to chill our bones ok?

E- Ok. Any other tips?

A- Well we are a bit heavy so try to keep a steady speed. Small adjustments with the accelerator to avoid wheel spin and sand at your judgment.

E- Ok, I got it.

Elena handled quite well the engine without over correcting and she also threw sand at correct intervals to ensure that the road wheels kept traction. She was handling the engine pretty well and we drifted again back into casual conversation. As we were coming around a bend 4 deer were passing the rails. Fearing the worse I was immediately over Elena and she reacted as I expected. She went to hit the breaks but I held her back and before I could stop her she hit the air horn. The sound wave scared away the deer but it created a worse problem. A small avalanche was created and started tumbling down the mountain to the tracks. Immediately alarms started blairing in the cab that the last 5 cars would be in the impacted zone of the avalanche. Once I calculated the risks I said then:

A- My train! And Elena got up from the chair and I immediately sat down. After some quick mental calculations I decided that we should keep going at a stable speed and hope for the best so I just said calmly:

A- Brace for impact.

Once we reached a safe point in a tunnel I stopped the train and after informing dispatch about the problem we run in I ran with Elena aft to check for any damage. Luckily only some more snow than the rest of the train had been deposited on the last two cars. The cargo was still safe so once we returned to the cab and conferred with dispatch we continued our way northbound while rail crews would be dispatched to clear the tracks. Once we were back again on the move, I asked Elena:

A- How you feeling?

E- I am a bit shaken but I am ok.

A- Wanna take the train for the rest of the trip?

E- No… not yet. Thanks though.

A- Ok. Feel free to ask me to switch at any time you feel comfortable.

I said as I settled down into the seat and started accelerating the engine back to 15 kph. It took a while but finally we were back on cruising speed and moving along the tracks to our destination. Soon enough we exited the harsh mountain pass only to find ourselves into the pine forest covered in snow and ice particles hanging from the edge of the branches. Once again the headlights from 7734 created an unimaginable scene which this time I snapped some pictures of it. Some minutes later we passed the the intersection for the shipyards and continued on the final decent to Lalou Drilling Inc. With Elena again back on the controls she tried her hand on managing the breaks. She used a combination of engine breaking and master breaking to avoid overheating the breaks and soon enough we passed through the gates to Lalou Drilling Inc. With me and Elena toughing it out with the heat of the engine, after an hour we were sent of to go to the shipyards where we would keep the empty cars we brought with us since we needed them to transport out of the shipyard some stuff to other customers. So with a way lighter train and Elena on the controls we ascended the 5 kilometers and took the exit for the shipyard. When we arrived and left the train cars at a siding, we parked the engine at the hangar where it was stored and I helped Elena climb down 7734 and then we parted ways. With a final look at 7734 I went straight to Pavel’s office to inform him about the signed contract with Kovalenko Metalworks and when to expect the first delivery to come.

Ironhorse 9 No. 7734 climbing the mountain pass under a blizzard.


Ironhorse 9 No. 7734 leaving Lalou Drilling Inc.

 

[Pavel Petrosky]

I was about to leave for the day when Anatoli knocked the door to my office. He waited to let him in despite being able to open the door whenever he liked.
P- Come in.
When he opened my door he came in with a smile and said:
A- Hey Pavel, I finally came back from Kovalenko Metalworks. The contract is signed. We should expect to start receiving our metals for the ship soon enough.
P- Oh really? Great. Has Yuri started developing the whatever we need for the rest of the ship?
A- I hope so. I may drop him a visit tomorrow to see what he has developed for the time being.
P- Ok good.
A- I see you were packing for the day. I won't hold you any longer. I had a long day myself so I understand you. I will send you a note when I'll get word when the first metals will arrive. When you have the keel ready call me. I need to do something on it like a blessing.
P- We will christian it anyways when she will be completed and ready for her sea trials.
A- I know but this will be a small "ritual" let's say for good luck.
P- I see. Sounds interesting. Would you need any preparations?
A- Nah, just gimme an electrode and I will write the ship's name on the keel on my own.
P- That sounds nice.
A- Dismissed. Have a nice afternoon. Ok? We will talk tomorrow.
He finally said and closed the door behind him. After 5 minutes, I secured my files into my safe and I packed my bag and locked the office door before I made my way down to the parking to get into my car to go home for the afternoon. The shipyard seemed to be quieter at this time but it made sense since our working hours were set and almost never we had to stay for overtime. Soon enough I was driving down the highway to go home.

 

[Anatoli Sidorov]

After leaving Pavel’s office, I went to mine to check out if I had any papers in my incoming basket. I entered the office and turned on the lights I saw my two baskets resting where they should. Only 3 papers where in the incoming basket. A five minute work. I took them in my hands and I went over them. They were reports of Diamond Knot, Rochester and Black Swan regarding their state of repairs. Five more days for Rochester, five more days until more personnel would be able to assist with the building of Irina. Good. I took a deep breath, signed over the papers and placed them into the outgoing basket before placing both into my safe for the night. Afterwards, I exited the office building and went to observe my ships in the last light of the day. As I was circling the berths around, I was approached by Elena. Her stomping on the ground was uniquely registered in my mind. As she approached me near the berth under the bow of Rochester, she said:

E- Anatoli?

A- Yes Elena? I said while I turned around to meet her gaze.

E- Well since tomorrow it’s Saturday and at least my program says that I don’t work would you mind if we go to the movies tonight?

A- Well… Are you sure you want to go out together that soon?

E- Why not? After all you are just 3 years older than me. There is nothing bad that can happen. Yeah you are my boss and some may think that I am trying to charm you to gain something but from my side the only thing I have to gain is someone to fill my empty social life.

A- What do you mean empty social life? Don’t you have any friends or a boyfriend? You are too pretty to be without someone to want you around…

E- Well… to be honest, with my friends from school, we lost contact when I went to get my license for the locomotive operator and they went to different universities around Terraria and for a strange reason when I am asked my employment and say that I am an operator, they usually find an excuse to leave.

A- You mean that a 5.6 well built cute faced brunette can’t find a date because she works with trains?

E- Well maybe it has to do with the fact that I have dirty nails. She said and lifted her hand to show me. I took her hand and I checked them over. Yeah her palms were not as soft as anyone would expect from a woman her age but she had pretty neat nails. A coat of nail polish was making her nails glow with the twilight of the sun. Then I said to her:

A- Wanna go home and get yourself ready for the movies?

E- So we will go on a date?

A- If that’s what you call it today why not? I haven’t been to one for ages.

E- Great! she said and almost launched herself at me.

My eyes for a strange reason while she hugged me immediately scanned my surroundings looking for a lens taking a photo or anything else that shouldn’t be there. I didn’t realize I wasn’t hugging her until she backed off and asked me:

E- Something wrong?

A- Well you know… you mostly understood me at the train so yeah… It isn’t that I had anything.

E- Oh yeah, you are cautious not to get hurt, used and stuff again right?

A- It’s not something you did... I said but she interrupted me saying:

E- Don’t worry, I understand it has been a while but you don’t to check behind your back all the time. After all we are just friends and I like hugging my friends.

A- Ok. If you say it like that.

E- Ok now let’s try again but hug me too this time. OK?

A- Ok.

Elena closed the distance once more and after she hugged me I closed my arms around her back lightly.

When she eased her hug, I opened my arms and she said:

E- 8:30 at Stoliscya?

A- Sounds good to me.

And with that we went our separate ways. Me to Indomitable, her to her car to go home.

 

[Anatoli Sidorov]

I arrived at Indomitable with my motor boat and I went to the captain’s cabin and opened my wardrobe and checked to see what I would wear for tonight. I settled for a hoodie and a pair of jeans along with a pair of running shoes. After I had my clothes ready, I entered the bathroom and bathed with hot water heated by the enormous boilers that I always kept on, with one flame but enough to keep the steam system pressured, so once I opened the warm outlet I immediately was met with warm water. I regulated the temperature by partially opening the cold water outlet so soon enough I was enjoying a nice warm bath. After enjoying my bath I exited the shower and went to shave my beard and mustache that I didn’t even like and I ended cutting myself 2 or 3 times. With some cotton, I dubbed out the cuts and luckily no cut marks were visible. Then I threw some perfume and deodorant on me before dressing up and then I motored back to the shipyards, after taking a leather jacket and entered my car on my way to the city. After finding a parking spot, I walked to the entrance of the cinema and waited for Elena to arrive. I was 5 minutes before the agreed upon meeting time so yeah I had some time to kill. I turned my face to the sky where there was a plane passing by it’s lights flickering rhythmically. I said to myself.

A- Soon enough your ships will be conquering the skies where these mere planes think they have for themselves.

I continued observing the plane when a voice called out to me.

E- Again daydreaming and looking to the sky Anatoli?

Somehow I didn’t notice her approaching and she caught me by surprise.

A- Oh Elena, hi.

Then I took the time to look her from top to bottom. She was wearing a pair of black boots and black leggings, a black skirt and a black leather jacket. Her hair was let down straight and she had light makeup on her.

A- Wow you are stunning.

I managed to say.

E- Oh thank you. I hope I didn’t scare you. I came with my motorbike and I feel nice in them when I ride.

A- You ride motorbikes?

E- Since I was 14. My father taught me. We will go for a ride and a beer after the movie. She declared before grabbing my arm and driving us into the theater. Despite our government, nothing was too much restricted so there was a plethora of movies to watch. Elena decided on a horror action movie and we bought chips with hot cheese to munch during the movie. We sat side by side and Elena made a point of holding hands during the movie. Every time she would get scared she would squeeze my hand and sometimes bury her head into my arm. I was moved by her closeness and to be honest but I though she was rushing things. Once the movie was over we exited the theater we went out and asked Elena if I would need my Rimward Pathfinder for the drive or she had other plans. She said:

E- Well we can go first to a bar before the ride I have in mind. You can leave your Rimward there and take it when we get back.

A- Ok just don’t drink too much.

E- Ok. Here is the address. I’ll meet you there. Find someplace to sit and I will come to you ok?

A- Ok. I will do as ordered just because I have never been in one.

E- Don’t you worry. You’ll do just fine.

A- So… see you there?

E- Yep.

She said and we parted once again after she took me one more hug.

Then I walked to my Rimward and proceeded to the address Elena gave me. I knew the place as a biker’s hangout and I was sure that with my vehicle and attire wouldn’t match at all so I parked some blocks away and walked the rest of the way there. There were bikers around the entrance and they gave me a look but I didn’t return it. I entered the bar and there was a somewhat pleasant music playing. I reached one of the corners of the bar stool and when the barwoman came to me for a strange reason instead of saying a beer I said: Ein Bier. The barwoman gave me a nod and she filled me a glass of beer that she slid towards me and I caught easily. I nodded back to her and took a sip. The beer was good and cold enough to my liking. Then I heard a commotion from outside but I decided not to pay any attention. Then the door opened and someone shouted:

?- Oh the choo choo driver. And started laughing. Without any delay Elena shouted back.

E- Zip it Ivan.

Then the whole bar went silent and a few boowed Ivan probably for being rejected like that. Then Elena came to the stool next to mine and the barwoman slid her something she started making when she walked in. She took a sip and before she managed to put her glass down Ivan was behind her. Then she leaned over her near her ear and he said to her loud enough.

I- You have enough nerve coming here and treating me like that.

E- Yeah and you have enough nerve playing macho against a girl that didn’t want to do anything with you prick.

I- You are lucky that we are civilized. Otherwise you know I could rape you on the bar and none would do anything about it. Bitch!

He shot back and immediately my alert level sky rocketed. Then I saw with the corner of my eye, Ivan raising his hand and bringing it down to slap Elena. Instinctively I raised my hand, redirected his strike to the bar and with my other hand twisted his hand, bringing him, due to his momentum, down spinning around himself planting his face on the table. Then I dropped over him and said to him.

A- For a man you really don’t have any manners.

Then I proceeded to twist his hand more making him whimper.

I- Fuck you. He replied back and I twisted his arm a bit more.

A- One more pound of force and you forget your whole arm. You better ask for forgiveness from her. I whispered into his ear and proceeded to add half a pound more bringing him intense pain. Then he cried out.

I- Elena I am sorry. Tell now your bear to let me go.

I threw a look at Elena and she then recognized me fully with a look of horror and amusement and she waved me to let him go. I let him go as ordered but I drove my elbow onto his back making him fall down on the floor. Then I said to him loud enough for everyone to hear.

A- Don’t ever get close to her again. And do everyone a favor and grow a pair of balls instead of the pussy you have down there. Asshole. Then without saying an other word I went back to my beer. Ivan left and Elena came close to me. Then she said.

E- Wow. I didn’t expect you to do that.

A- Well neither I wanted a bar fight.

E- Thanks anyways.

A- How often does this happen?

E- Well not too often. Usually either my father is here and steps in but I haven’t seen him today. Ivan is a common trouble maker but I don’t think that from today on he will come after me again. What about we go for our ride that I promised you?

A- Well why not? I said and threw enough money for my beer and Elena’s drink and a small tip for the barwoman before Elena took my arm and walked me to her bike. It was a Iron Tusken. She climbed onto it and then she helped me to sit behind her. I placed my hands on the metal railings but Elena took them and brought them around her waist and belly. She put on her helmet and in a few we were racing away from the bar. She took us up to the Olympoucia mountain along the whining road up to the first shelter. She stopped at a clearing and she turned around to face me on her bike. Then she removed her helmet and she leaned in and whispered in my ear:

E- I fucking love you for tonight.

A- Oh come on, anyone would have done that for you.

E- I didn’t see anyone else rush to my aid when Ivan attempted to hit me.

A- Well maybe cause they weren’t close enough to act and I acted promptly.

E- I don’t care. You acted for me. You didn’t have to. Yet you did. Thank you.

Then she kissed me on the cheek and she hugged me tightly. I responded in kind and we stayed there for a while. Some time later, she said:

E- Thank you for our date.

A- It sure turned to something more than we both expected.

E- If you say so…

she replied with a touch of desperation.

A- Well I personally didn’t expect a bar fight and a beautiful woman by my side afterwards.

E- Well I didn’t expect to get attacked that viciously and well… she paused and leaned closer to me to whisper, have such a gentleman by my side tonight. She then went to kiss me but I caught her just inches before she touched my lips.

A- Elena, are you sure you want this?

E- Yes, why you are denying it to me?

A- My sweetheart, I’d prefer our first kiss to be with both of us without any alcohol in our system.

E- Ok…

Elena said with some sadness in her voice, but I hugged her tightly and held her close to me.

A- You are a beautiful lady but I don’t want you to rush into stuff ok?

E- You mean it?

A- With all my heart.

E- I have never felt that way with anyone else you know. So respected, so… I don’t know… I…

A- Don’t overthink it. It’ll ruin the moment.

I said calmly and kissed her on the top of her head.

E- Wanna know something?

A- Wat is it?

E- My father was there and watching you from the moment you entered. He approves of you.

A- So this was some kind of a test?

E- Well Ivan was not part of it. He mostly wanted to see how you would approach me at the railing. But then Ivan happened.

A- I hope I made a good impression to him.

E- The best.

We stayed there for a bit more enjoying the view before the cold started bitting us a bit harder and we decided to call it a day and we rode back to my Rimward and after a last kiss on the cheek and a big hug we parted ways for the night, me back to the shipyard and Indomitable, and Elena to her home to her dad where they would discuss probably the tonight’s events.

Rimward Pathfinder in Murmanskya

Elena on her Iron Tusken in Murmanskya