West Blue, G-101 Branch base.
Once, this had been an ordinary Marine Branch in West Blue, with aging facilities, low morale, and frequently overdue pay. But ever since it had established a "cooperative" relationship with Bernia's Steel Heavy Industry Consortium, everything had changed beyond recognition.
The base's repair shop no longer contained only wheezing old steam hammers and hand-ground cannon barrels. In their place were high-precision calibration instruments from Bernia, cannons with heavier firepower, sharp blades, and New-Model Flintlocks with less recoil. These "jointly developed" weapons had put the G-101 Branch's combat strength, mission efficiency, and attrition reports among the best in West Blue for several consecutive quarters in the assessments of Marine Headquarters' logistics department.
Yet the deeper ties had taken root in every soldier's life.
Silver Sail Town, outside the base, had originally been a small fishing village that provided basic supplies to the Marines. Now, it had expanded several times over, with clean streets lined with shops. Its largest employers were subsidiary factories established by the Bernia Steel Community: one produced standardized metal components, another handled maintenance and simple repairs for the "cooperative equipment," and a third specialized in high-quality canned military food and naval combat rations-the ingredients came from West Blue farms under Boer's control, and their nutrition and flavor far surpassed standard Marine rations.
The best hospital in town bore a sign reading "Bernia-Marine Joint Medical Center." It was equipped with advanced equipment and surgical instruments, and had recently even acquired basic life-support devices derived from Germa technology. Marine officers, soldiers, and their families received priority service, with expenses deducted from the "cooperation fund."
Most important of all were the "bonuses."
Every Bernia-related "joint patrol"-in reality, escorting Boer's merchant ships-"technical test"-providing combat data for Boer's new weapons-or "sea clearance"-sweeping away Boer's competitors or pirates who