Episode 31: The Port City of Telek – A Dead End
The trade fleet, Paraiso 1, was welcomed into the port city of Telek with cheers.
“Wow, amazing. They even built a new pier. What a warm welcome,” she remarked.
“Yes, Ma’am. Due to the severely deteriorating situation in the surrounding areas, the lifeline of Telek is already dependent on Paraiso,” Ringo stated formally.
“Eh, really?”
She was surprised that the situation had changed so drastically after only three trade runs. Certainly, it had been more than half a year since their first visit.
“The surrounding situation is deteriorating at an alarming rate. Without Paraiso’s trade goods, and lacking sufficient political power in this town, it might have already become a ruin.”
“Heeh…”
She was utterly appalled. Telek itself was relatively safe and peaceful, making it hard to believe it was wartime, but the surrounding areas were apparently in terrible shape.
“Refugee camps have sprung up north of Telek, and they are repeatedly attacked by bandit groups. To put it simply, it’s hell on earth. Telek doesn’t have much to spare, so the refugee camps are tacitly ignored. They seem to be selling food, but since they are refugees, there’s no payment.”
“Yeah… it’s hell, really.”
The luxurious transport convoys seeking the cellulose thread and cloth were still making round trips, which was perhaps a stroke of good fortune amidst the chaos. Trade with the royal capital seemed to be continuing.
“We’re carrying salt and water, right? Should we load up on food next time?”
“Let us confirm. However, we cannot provide grains, so it would have to be processed fish or dried seaweed. It is unclear if there is demand.”
There were no granaries around Telek. They basically relied on imports from the royal capital in exchange for trade goods. Fishing was done, but staple foods like grains were essential. Ringo’s analysis suggested that cultivating tubers might be possible in the relatively warm region.
“As predicted, they will likely hold out for a while. But after that, it will be difficult,” Ringo stated.
“…Looks like I need to seriously decide whether to intervene soon.”
The initial plan was to remain neutral, provide information, and prolong their survival. Continue the iron trade and abandon them when the returns stopped. The goal was to minimize The Tree’s intervention (bet) and maximize iron resources (returns). However, this plan was too impersonal, and it would also mean losing a channel, albeit a tenuous one, into the continent. So, they decided to consider other options.
What to bring to the intervention (bet)? Currently, the only option was to send in military force. In other words, a solution by force. For example, protecting Telek alone would not be difficult. From the port, a radius of 20km was within the range of a 150mm smoothbore gun. By adjusting the explosive charge and performing precision shooting, they could hit targets within that range on the first shot. In terms of simple range, it could probably reach 40km. The firing rate was 45 rounds per minute. If they deployed two Alpha-class destroyers, each equipped with three guns, they could rain down 270 rounds of iron per minute.
But, conversely, that was all they could do.
They couldn’t prepare land forces, so they could defend but not invade. They would have to rely on local forces. However, Telek was a small town. It would be difficult to prepare a large force.
“For example, there is also the option of placing Telek completely under The Tree’s control and fortifying it,” Ringo suggested.
“…Considering the current resource exploration situation, that’s a possibility. We haven’t found any mineral deposits around here…”
The exploration range for iron mines was gradually expanding. However, no promising reactions had been found. Either it was buried underground, or there really was no iron.
“The quickest and most reliable way to obtain a large amount of iron resources is to seize the iron mine town. If we are not afraid of exposing The Tree.”
“I see. But that would also trigger the attraction of hostile forces. So far, we haven’t confirmed any groups with the power to be fatal to us, but that doesn’t prove we’re invincible.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Frankly, we are not prepared at all.”
“Ugh! We really need more iron!”
They had a rough idea of how to manufacture combat ships. But now, they had to consider other problems as well.
“If only we had iron, most of our problems would be solved…!”
The stockpiled petroleum-based fuel was still sufficient. However, since there was no prospect of resupply, they naturally needed to consider mining and development for this as well. Fortunately, the diesel engines on the Alpha-class destroyers and transport ships could use jet fuel converted from aviation fuel. Since they didn’t plan to use aircraft for the time being, they could use it normally for several years without any problems.
“We haven’t found any oil fields either. However, oil field exploration is not so easy, so it can’t be helped…”
This also required exploration by aircraft. Or, if they could use wide-area exploration using artificial satellites, a different approach would be possible. However, both were difficult to implement due to resource shortages.
“Should we squeeze Telek dry and then aim for that peninsular nation…? It would be nice if we could have a dialogue, but at worst, there’s a possibility of combat.”
“We estimate that they are a fairly belligerent nation.”
“Secure Telek and the iron mine. We don’t know the reserves of the iron mine, but we can obtain a large amount of iron at once. But development will take some time, and there’s a possibility of a large-scale attack during that time.”
“The opponent is a nation, even if it is in a state of civil war. If there is a foreign enemy, they may unite again. In that case, we may have to face hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers.”
If they were attacked with sheer numbers, they wouldn’t be able to defend. They would use all of The Tree’s power to seize the iron mine. Fortify Telek, refine iron, and increase military production. It wasn’t impossible.
“It’s not impossible, but… the risk is high. Our defense here will be neglected. If we fail, we could lose everything. After that, the chances of recovery…”
“Since it is premised on using The Tree’s existing resources, if we fail, nothing will remain. If we leave resources behind, the probability of failure will increase accordingly.”
“Hmm, it’s troubling.”
The only resources that The Tree could produce independently were cellulose, metals extracted from seawater, and algae that produced oil, which had been successfully produced at the laboratory level. They were so short on resources that it would take years to build even one destroyer.
On the display she was looking at, Kouravia Telek, the merchant guild leader, was already rushing to the flagship of Paraiso, the Alpha-class destroyer Alpha, which had just docked. The communicator Zweii, acting as the fleet commander, was looking down from the bow, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.
“She seems very excited.”
However, that was understandable. In this era of sailing ships, they had arrived in a powered ship without sails. Moreover, it was clearly a combat ship. Furthermore, this fleet was very friendly to Telek. There was no reason not to give them a warm welcome. She treated them with the utmost respect, praising even the simple staircase gangway, and guided Zweii and his party to the guest house.
Apparently, unloading would be postponed until the next day, and a welcome party would be held today. They decided to have 10 communicators participate, and the rest would stay on the ship.
“When they rely on us this much, it’s hard to abandon them.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I agree.”
Even though it was through the screen, they were people whose faces she had seen almost every day for the past six months (mostly through candid shots). It was human nature to want to help them as much as possible.
“At worst, we might give up on the iron mine but defend the town… If the civil war in this country calms down, trade might resume.”
In reality, she had no idea what would happen to the situation. She had created various scenarios, but even the merchant guild leader Kouravia Telek’s friendliness was an action that deviated from any scenario. In other words, there was not enough absolute experience (samples) in the first place, and accurate predictions could not be made.
Also, incidentally, it was later revealed that the concept of such staircase-like lifting equipment did not yet exist for the gangway, and they were simply surprised by it as a new technology. It was a story that reaffirmed that the level of technology was so low that it was impossible to predict what was normal and what had not yet been invented.