The UMM is a Zoner company located on New Safeland, North West quadrant, Planet Erie, Pennsylvania.
When on 761 A.S. Zoners colonists landed planetside, and started to build the camps that later become cities, materials were need it to build all infrastructures, from buildings to defences from the wildlife, and to pay those materials, the mining resources of Erie were use. So miners mined, sold it, and brought materials, including steel and other alloys to local steel mills process.
It was difficult moments. Many died! By diseases or even attacks from Erie wildlife, where some creatures found that humans can be some good meals, and to some just snacks. But Zoners made it. And camps become cities and all was fine. Mining operations continued just like there are many, and all needed structures like the constant growth cities, so there were always work for the steel mills.
But another dificulty showed! Liberty! After all hard work was done, afraid of a gigantic Freeport so close their main system, and also greedy for Erie resources, the mighty Liberty Navy wanted to take Erie. Zoners said no, and even when some, mysteriously, become Liberty supporters, most of Zoners were willing to fight for their homes. Liberty didn't want a war, they knew that the Zoners would fight hard in space, and it would be on the ground that the the final battles. Even if they defeated the Zoners on space, on the gound, things would be dificult. During this time, things for the mining and even for all, become even more dificult. Small companies united to face the crisis, as also the steel mills. After the final agreement with Liberty, things become better and united they were strong so united they continued.
Untill one day, a very young man decided that, if the steel mills also worked a lot the mines, and the mines supllied with some materials, and paid others .. why not make just one company? And on 805 A.S., New Safeland, Marius founded made the Union of Metallurgy and Mining.
At the beginning, all work was the same untill one day, a new client from a distant mining outpost asked to repair some vehicles. Marius looked and thought, why not also making land vehicles? He knew what is been outside the safe of the city walls. it wasn't and still isn't easy, and any failure could be the last! So what he did was taking old designs, and improve it! Massive steel was replace by better alloys and even some new polimers, that gives a light weight and better protection. Also propulsion was improve! Electric engines on each wheel, powered by batteries and, if necessary, one or two h-fuel generators. With this, UMM, started to build high quality and reliable vehicles in which their users can rely on the most dificult places, and that is the most important. Many lifes were safe since then, and the sucess of UMM extened not only on new Safeland but to all North West Quadrant, but why not further? All Erie and .. all Sirius!
Now, the UMM has more than 1000 workers, from mining to metalwork to vehicles construction. With an average production of 10 vehicles per day, the high quality is always the first concern. This is not an mass production facility.
Marius is outside the factory, more specifically, near the vehicles production line exit. He is quite nervous, Walter, the test pilot, is returning after making the last test on the new vehicle, the Alter. Few moments later, an Conference gunboat lands, and the prototype is unloaded from the ship. Walter in on the prototype, Marius goes to him:
- Marius - So?
Walter smiles. One of technicians effusively turns to Marius
- Tech - You should see it!! 212 km/h on the desert! Over sand! This baby flew over the dunes.
- Walter smiling - That is true! We already made the first inspection and all is ok! i wil ltake it to the garage to make a more detail inspection.
- Marius relief - Good!
While the prototype was going to the garage, one custumer arrives, with his Supplier, one UMM vehicle. He had a serius dent on his left side. Marius went to the owner.
- Marius - Greetings Jonh! What happened?
- John - We were attack by herd of tanks!! One hit us broadside!
Tanks is the commom name that Eries give to a dinossaur, that has a heavy bone armor.
This type of creatures are very dificult to stop, and even with the signal emitter, one high frequency signal harmless to humans but very unconfortable to most Erie wildlife, many times they attack convoys and camps. That is why there is a special version of all vehicles produced by UMM, exclusively to Erie, that includes a signal emitter, and a heavy gatling type projectile gun or a energy base cannon. Some even add sspikes on the side and electric nets. Is not easy and safe to go outside any city walls.
- Marius - Nobody got hurt?
- John - No! Thank God. It even was the the one where my wife and kids were!
- Marius - How is the camp going?
- John - Is going well! Next week i will gonna need that tower.
- Marius - She is ready. You only need to say when and we will put on place!
- John - Ok then! And when you can fix my truck?
- Marius - I think that there will be no problem! Is just body panel! it didn't hitted the structure. Give me 3 days and i will get this done.
- John - Excelent! So maybe if you can deliver both on my camp!
- Marius - Sure no problem. Need a ride?
- John - No thank you. My others trucks are over there. We will return right now. I just camed to bring some ore and take more suplies and ... leave my truck here!
- Marius - Ok then. See you next week. Have a safe journey.
* Marius returns from a delivery of a 30 meters prospector tower and a vehicle that camed to be repaired. He used his new ship, one X-Shuttle that is one of the few ships that can be used well in space and used on atmospheric conditions. And since is a single hull, is very useful to transport heavy vehicles in ready to use conditions.
But he wasn't happy! Reports that his vehicles, even the Alter unarmed will appear on the scanners has one military vehicle. On his office all his main staff was there:*
- Marius - How can this be?
- Walter - Trucks! is the only thing i can say!
- Aristides is Marius right-hand man, and responsible for all sales and contracts - There is no problem with that! I mean ... not a big problem!
- Marius - Why is that?
- Aristides - There is no law in Liberty that forbids the transport of military vehicles, while in Kusari is only for the Taus. Bretonia requires a license to transport and so is Rheinland!
- Marius - Bretonia? Probably some millions!!! We can't pay that for some vehicles to Gran Canaria!! Rheinland is out of question, not that i have any thing against it, by the contrary, but if Liberty knows that we are even just passing by Rheinland with our vehicles, that could be bad!
- Walter - So if we want to sale our vehicles on Gran Canaria ... how we take then?
- Marius - By Kusari, Sigmas, Omicrons and Omegas! Is a long route but is not a problem!
- Aristides - The brochure is almost ready and we will send to all Sirius! Now since the tower was delivered, and we have nothing like that to make ... so waht about we use that warehouse to that production line? i think that we can sell very well the Alter!
- Marius - A new production line just for the Alter will be great! Not only we can produce more vehicles as also frees the main line to the heavy vehicles! And can generate more jobs! How long can be ready?
- Aristides - In about 3 weeks! I estimate that we will need about 120 more workers! And i know were to get then and all Zoners.
- Marius - Good.
- Aristides - I have a new contract! Twenty movers, and thirty supliers and all Erie versions. And the interesting part of this contract, is that is the first for the South East Quadrant!
- Marius - Very good! Who is the buyer?
- Aristides - Is a new company! And is ... let's say half Zoner and half Libertonian! And you know well the Zoner that runs it!
- Marius - Dont tell me that ... is really that piece of (censored)?!
- Aristides - Yes! He really like our vehicles and the region that they are going to explore is not easy.
- Walter - Who is he?
- Aristides - A former Marius's partner! He almost stole all credits from him and all others miners.
- Marius - But before he could escape i caught him and .. gave him a litle treatment and delivered him to the Liberty authorities. But looks like he got away. He knows from where the vehicles come?
- Aristides - Yes he knows and heeven sent his regards!
- Marius - I would sent him some (censored ... and continued to censored ... yes is still censored)! When we can deliver?
- Aristides - In two weeks we can start to deliver! For now all our production is reserved! And i can't put more workers, because we need then on the production of the new sea barriers!
- Marius - Erie is great! If there isn't the humans that kill you, it will be his wildlife, from land, air and sea!! When you have the brochure ready, send a message to the Zoners groups, to come and visit us.
- Aristides - Ok then! But ... what if the Order requires some vehicles? order and Zoners always had good relations!
- Marius - I don't think that they ever need our vehicles, after what happened to Toledo, but even they do need ... Liberty considers the Order as enemy so .. we can't suply the Order! At least directly! So no unlawfuls and Order and Rheinland! We are autonomous but Pennsylvania is surrounded by Liberty core space.
The meeting continued for dealing with trivial administration matters.*
* On the back the factory, there is a laboratory ... well it is one warehouse but it is there were all prototypes are built! And there is a new one and not very common. It is a boat! A sea boat. This case is a fast patrol boat. Not all mines are in land, there is also some undersea, and one company asked us to build some fast action boats, with light armament but a strong signal emitter, to help then defende any atack, mainly from the wildlife that lives on the area, and also to transport divers or small repair submarines.
Marius was there, they were preparing the prototype to be transported to sea for testing. The boat is prepared to transported outside of a ship ... the ones that fly ... hanging by cables, and the X-Shutle is perfect for this.*
- Aristides to Marius - Walter will take this boat and one team for testing. The buyers will send one member of their team to inspect.
- Marius - Good. How long it will this test take?
- Aristides - Just two days! They also request if we can build the big one?!
- Marius - Here can we build one 110 meters frigate? We have no room!
- Aristides - Actually we can ... here! I know is a big investiment and will need a lot of manpower, but ... it is the even bigger one!
- Marius - Even worse! 200 meters! That don't fits here and is too tall! We don't have a shipyard! Just the patrol boats!
- Aristides - We are preparing the Sirius advertising .. do you want to add this ship? And also the our rifles?
- Marius - I don't know if outside Erie people would want one projectile rifle! Here on Erie is great! More reliable than blasters on sand, mud and water! But maybe they would like. And the boat too big for us to transport but i think that we will not sell it outside Erie.
- Aristides - Very good then! After i will send a invitation for all Zoner groups to even visit us.
* The conversation continued! Just another day on a small Zoner company on Erie*
* Today is one of those strange days! The weather is good, business are going great, but .. at the same time is going bad!
Despite no Zoner officials groups had no replied, UMM already received some request to Gran Canaria. Nothing big but is a start. Construction of tall buildings is now necessary on New Safeland, because the city can not grown more horizontally, there is no more room inside the city walls so tall buildings are necessary and for that, UMM proudly is only company that can provide materials for the infrastructures. Also the patrol boat test went great and we get order to build more, as also request for bigger ones. A new cargo ship was bought, one Bumblebee, that can bring good quantities of raw materials that we need .So all is going perfect on business but ... UMM is a big local company and is located on the industrial area on New Safeland but isn't the biggest. Right next door a huge export/import company entered into bankruptcy, not because business weren't going well, but because the libertonian owner runned away with all the money leaving nearly 100 people without their salaries, and that means 100 people unemployed or better ... 100 Zoners unemployed. Marius went there, he saw the opportunity to exppand the UMM factory. More room and mainly one very big docking plattform. When he arrived chaos reigned. The workers were desperated while creditors wanted to remove all equippement to recovery their lost money, but the worst of all .. some Zoners that still defende the independence of Erie from "Liberty claws" were were inflaming the conflict. One of they saw Marius and went to him.*
- Greg - Do you know what they did?!! Do you?!! Come on! Join us! You can build the weapons and i know that you can get some more ships! Together we can make free Erie!
- Marius - Greg!! I told you several times! That is a war that we can't win! Liberty will destroy Erie before give it to us!
- Greg - For God sake Marius ... please!
- Marius - Greg you have a four years son! You want him to die?! For what Greg?! You talk so much about Gran Canaria and thee is freedom there! Really Greg? Is Gran Canaria a real Zoner free planet? What about the Corsairs and the Bretonians?! Greg we live in peace! Governor Sebastian Guillemot looks to be a good man and he his not messing arround! Of course libertonians have more privileges than we do but we are succeeding!
- Greg - Really? What about this people?!
- Marius - I take care of that!
* Marius went to talk with the authorities, and after that with the workers and the creditors! After some talking, the environment calmed! Marius is going to buy the instalations, pay the debt and hire the workers. It was a good business! More space for ships to dock, and to fabricate all products and may be some few more. All went well, and lt's hope that those "flamethrowers run out of fuel"! Erie is a good place to live, anda full scale war can ruin it.*
*Marius was back on the "papers". He really hate it! He is the kind of man, that prefers to be on the workshop than behind his desk, but ... he is the boss, and sometimes even the boss can't do what they want. After the purchase of the of more space, mainly the big docking plattform and the huge warehouse, new new business opportunities appeared. UMM has now enough space to develop and build bigger projects.
On his desk there was a report from Keiichi Tsuchiya, the pilot from the UMM ship. He made the first deliver on Planet Gran Canaria. Two suppliers and four Alter, and he even sent a picture of it, with the two Suppliers already unloaded Aristides enters the room*
- Marius - See this?! The first of many i hope.
- Aristides - Yes! And did yo usaw the rest of the report? After that he brought gold to Fort Bush and then return home full of basic alloys, that we ae going to need tomorrow.
- Marius - And i remember that you didn't want to hire him!
- Aristides - Well ... a former Kusarian smuggler ...
- Marius - He never was caught and his record is clean! Perfect to a Sirius full of pirates.
- Aristides - yes but .. i'm here because of this. *he shows the message sent by Dankien Moebus*
- Marius - That is a lot of money! But he didn't said what vehicles!
- Aristides - But did you notice to whom they are?
- Marius - We are going to sell to Dankien Moebus, not to the Order. After he receives the vehicles he can do what he want with then.
- Arisitides - But .. i though that the Order after losing Toledo ... i don't know!
- Marius - Last time i was there, i saw with my own eyes the piece of burning rock that is now Toledo, but i heard a rumor that the Order has found a new system with a planet. Even so is nothing with us! I don't wat any trouble with Liberty.
*Marius and Arisitdes continued the "paper work", after it Aristides went to the communication room*
* Marius and Walter return from a "tour" over Gallia. Is not the first time that these men made this, but the first one was last year, when Langedoc was defended by the Council and all Gallia core systems were closed. Marius wanted not only to "look around" but also to get some materials that are produce in Gallia. But before return to Erie they made a stop on Curacao for refuling, and it was there they heard the news*
- Walter - Was?!! Rheinlanders terrorist on Erie?! For what?!
* Marius contact Aristides, but what he knows is what on the news, and inform Marius that there is a conference right there on Curacao. marius and Walter went to the conference room, it was full and both men managed to to sneak in. Why Erie would be attacked by terrorist from Rheinland? Erie is not one strategic target and, although is under Liberty "protection", most of the population are Zoners. Something is wrong! Marius heard the questions and the explanations from the Orbital Spa and Cruise spokewoman, and waited*
* Marius was back to work. The incident of the terrorist attack over Erie is too confused. Erie is not one strategic target, also ... if they were terrorist .. why noboady did a claim of the attack?! All terrorist make claims of their attacks, and how Liberty forces knew that thre was one imminent attack?! But that is another story.
Marius returned from Gallia with some samples, the first report just arrived to his desk. Some have interest, like plastics and petrochemicals and promethene, while others don't. Oil and LPG are too pollutants, despite that oil could be used to make some very good lubribicants. None of this could be found on Erie, because it takes a long time to nature "make" oil and Erie is too young. On other planets there exist some but not on the amounts on Gallia. Plastics and petrochemicals are the ones that Marius had more interest but, they are too expensive and hard to get. Too bad! He leaves his office and goes to the new part of the factory, that he bought few days ago. It is a huge warehouse from one import and export company, that the Libertonian owner fled with all the money leaving 100 Zoners unemployed, and Marius toke the opportunity and get a bigger docking plattform and more physical space to build larger projects.*
- Aristides - Marius there you are! I need you to look at this.
* It was estimate costs for the development of new projects. Some several millions but some of this projects will have some fine revenue, mainly some new sea ships that will be built for Erie's deep sea exploration*
- Aristides - You know that people are talking about that, the terrorist attack was staged by Liberty and OSC, to increase Liberty authority over all Pennsylvania!
- Marius - Aristides i don't care! I think Liberty is not dumb enough to make a full claim over Erie. They know that the there will be a rebellion like the one on 760's, and they will not win ... neither the Zoners! So let's live this way and we are better than on Gran Canaria, that is full of Corsairs and Bretonians!
* Both men continued talking *
- Marius - Did the Phoenix replied to your message?
- Aristides - No.
- Marius - Hmmm!!! We will see! Remember we will not suply directly the Order. You know well what Liberty can do with they find out.
- Aristides - We could make some different ones! We still have some desings very different from our line.
- Marius - Your right! Is better that way!
* So they continue, on a normal thursday, the end of the month and thank Go, no finacial problems and all wages were paid.*
* Marius is on the new part of the UMm factory. A huge warehouse with an equally huge docking plattform capable even to take one Liner. But this plattform is not one piece, it can be divided and it can move inside the warehouse. This is great because now cargo can be loaded or unloaded no matter the weather conditions, and despite most part of that warehouse is been modified for building, mainly the patrol boats and the new exploration sea ship, there is still space for storage. The small bumblebee so it is making her first docking and is going great. The new employees that were receiving training for new functions, unloaded the ship in an instant. All is going well. is friday, so weekend is coming and on UMM all rest on the weekend, this way all can have some quality time on their personel life. Also it is the end of the month and all already received their wages. The company is going well, vehicles are selling well, new projects ... all perfect!*
- Aristides - Looks like there is a message on the Zoner channel!
- Marius - I already saw it! It was a stupid smuggler pretending to be a Zoner. He wanted to tell us that taking contraband passing two Houses, mainly a blockade is good profit! Stupid one! If it is only profit that he wants so he is not a Zoner! I really hope that Liberty or Rheinland catch that guy and blow his ship into pieces and take him to rot in jail for some years!
* Aristides smiles*
- Aristides - I already pick some designs for the Phoenix! When ... if they continue interested, i will show then for they to pick, then we start build the prototype.
- Marius - Good but no overtime! They must agree that the production rate is low! Quality comes first to quantity!
* They continue to talk. The smell of weekend is on the air, and the "terrorist situation" is no longer topic of conversation*
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