ERENVALE, ULIMAROA
The capital city of Ulimaroa, Erenvale. A seaside city that had thrived for years on trade, bringing the raw materials from within the country's heart to the shores and through ships across the world. Though the boom had made Argo its biggest city, and the rise of air transit meant many people now flew directly to Argo, the capital was still the main way the country of Ulimaroa traded with the world. As a result, the trains leading into the rest of the country remained the most important link it had.
And it's two of the owners of those trains who are currently looking at the site of some severe damage. A sandstorm near the city had whipped up, burying several rails in far too much sand. As the sand continues to get cleared out, the head dispatcher of Ulimaroa Central Railways looks over the scene.
"Hmmmmm."
Fredrick Stapleton, nicknamed the Fatalistic Signalman by many for his dour demeanor, lets the cigarette in his mouth slowly burn down as he takes a few more notes on the progress of repairs.
"I'll be able to shift two of the scheduled cargo trains to Line B, and we can shunt another passenger train on the long stretch on the Grange Line. But I'll still have to cancel several trains. I appreciate your coming down here to manage this personally, but I don't believe we can avoid a major productivity loss."
"We'll see about that." declares the firm voice of the man standing next to him.
A long time ago, Cornelius Gold had been Ulimaroa Central's foremost builder, the man standing on the front lines of every single line they laid down. Now, with his days of personal building long behind him, he'd been promoted to head of the workforce division, managing the various people who work on building and rebuilding the lines.
"I recognize your estimates, but I think we'll overcome them. It won't be easy, but with some good work behind us, we'll pull through. Maybe we'll be bottlenecked for a while, but I think we can run some extra cargo trains along the Grange Line too if we stagger them right."
"I admire your optimism."
"Gentlemen. I take it that we have plenty of work ahead of us still?"
The familiar voice turns both Cornelius and Fredrick to face it, as Katharina Richter, the woman in charge of Ulimaroa Central, strides up to them. Behind her is none other than general manager Saito Yamada, the man looking a little abashed as he sees Fredrick after his previous attempt at adjusting dispatches. Fredrick just looks a little exhausted, the man clearly resigned to whatever happens.
"We do, Katharina." "Very well then. We shall leave them to it. Follow me, gentlemen."
Katharina begins to walk off, followed by the three other members of her top-level railroad team. Cornelius coughs a bit, then speaks up. "It's been a long time since we were all together in person, ma'am. About six months, by my count. What's the reason for the short notice?"
"I'll explain when we get to the office."
A small shed near the tracks turns out to be Katharina's temporary office, and she takes a seat, producing a newspaper. Slapping it down on the table, she gestures to four spots on it, making it very clear what the problem is.
The headline, by one Myriam Scuttlebutt, summarizes the official announcement of Grand Worldwide Railways making a large investment in the Argo area.
"...And?" Fredrick asks. "The Baron has always shown an interest in Ulimaroa. He wouldn't have his lines on the other shore if not for that."
"Ulimaroa is one thing. I can tolerate him working on Ulimaroa. I can even put up with that one line in Argo, even if I'd like to see him get out of our territory. What I can't stand is the concept of him trying to take my cities from me. And look at this!"
"Hmmm." Saito mutters as he leans over and adjusts his glasses. "It says here that he's planning to invest in building... wait. Is this correct? Surely she misheard it."
"Scuttlebutt has an exemplary track record. If I had any hope of counting on an inefficient reporter, I'd pick someone else. No, he's planning to do it. He's planning to build his own line between Argo and Erenvale. He knows what he's doing."
"Well. Seems like the problem's a problem after all." Cornelius shrugs. "What do you want us to do? We've got the substance to outcompete him."
"We do, but the problem is the Kobbers. The Baron had encounters with them before. I've already told Saito about this, but we need to win them over. Get their hearts and their minds. I'm expecting maximum efficiency from you two, and everyone working for you."
"Yes, ma'am." "Understood, Katharina."
"Excellent. If Baron von Eisenbahn wants to pick a fight, he'll get one. This is his gauntlet, and I'm picking it up."
SPRING 2025
