Arlington Company

[Mr. Pink]

Arlington Company History

     Arlington Company was started in 2135 by 32 year-old Francis Kern in the humble Ballston Common Shopping Center in Arlington, Virginia, a mere 5 miles from the capital. The area was just far enough away from the center of D.C. that it saw little mutant traffic, yet close enough to recieve regular traffic from caravans entering and leaving the D.C. area. Initially, Kern's force numbered only 10 strong, surviving by little more than luck and their wits. In the beginning there was but 3 rifles to go around, and barely a box of ammunition. For the first few weeks the traders even thought they were raiders.

     

     Their luck changed upon the arrival of a brilliant young man named Howard Locksley, a 19 year-old caravaneer from Georgia. Locksley saw potential in this ragtag group of gunmen and decided to settle down with them, turning the Ballston Commons into a bustling marketplace within a few weeks. Under the protection of Kern's men Locksley was able to quickly amass a small fortune, something that was difficult to do while always on the move. Setting aside a small part of his funds he reinforced the crumbling commons building, turning it into a finely restored (By wasteland standards) trade center. So they wouldn't look so out of place he used the remaining funds to improve the equipment of Kern's soldiers, turning the pitiful wretches into fiersome warriors. Soon the market grew to a point where 11 men simply couldn't cover enough space to adequately protect it. Acessing the local talent, Locksley hired a further 20 men, bringing the Ballston garrison to a number of 31, more than enough to ward off any would-be raiders. With this increase in soldiers Locksley's men now outnumbered Kern's original 10, not wanting to lose them or seem ungracious, Locksley offered to merge Kern's group into his own, christening the group; Arlington. Kern accepted the terms and was put in charge of the garrison.

     

     Time passed on and soon word of the Ballston market had spread throughout the capital. People flocked in from miles around to trade at the Commons. For many of the region's caravans, the first trip was always a pilgrimage to Arlington. With Locksley's success came people wishing to capitalize of it just as he had. Within a short time a town had sprung up in the ruins of Arlington, and with it, many permanent customers for the Commons. Locksley felt that if he were to wait he would miss a momentous opportunity to further Arlington; control of the town. Locksley soon put much of his effort into buying land and building housing for potential tenants. The more people owed him money, the more control he could exert. It wasn't long until the people of Arlington voted Locksley leader of the town, owing not only their housing, but their safety and possibly lives to him as well. The town secured, Howard began protecting his investment, he erected thousands of feet of walls and watchtowers, hired dozens of new guards to patrol his new-found assets. Arlington was beginning to look a little more serious. A few more years passed, the town continuing to grow and with it, so too did Locksley's wealth, as well as his greed. Locksley was no longer content with owning a single, measely suburb of D.C. His vision was far too great to be content with that... In a lavish movement of funds Locksley began hiring every able-bodied man he could and outfitting them with the standard equipment of the Arlington guards. It wasn't long until Locksley was in control of a standing army of over 250 men, all armed and itching for combat. But, much to Locksley's dismay, there was no enemy to be found. Those that would have posed a threat had either succumbed to the harshness of the wastes or simply moved on. Locksley was in charge of an army with no target...

     

     Now we come to the point in Arlington's history where the aging Kern, now 54 years old, steps into the spotlight. Kern, though the founder of a militant group and a guard by nature, always had a certain soft spot for the wasters, a desire to protect them and get them back to their feet. Seeing Locksley's formation of a large, practically useless army was to him just what he needed to further his own plans. Seizing the moment Kern convinced Locksley to allow him to utilize the excess troops in order to patrol the wastes, keeping trade routes and roads safe for travellers. At first Locksley was reluctant, wishing to send his troops to battle. Kern convinced him to look beyond battle, to the potential economic prospects this opportunity could yield. He ultimately was able to convince Locksley that there was no better advertising than to have your soldiers protecting your customers and saving their lives. Locksley agreed and soon surrendered full control of the guard to Kern, thus alowing himself more time to focus on the town. Now in control of the soldiers, Kern began expanding far into the wastes, establishing dozens of Arlington trading posts and Outposts throughout the area. Arlington was soon a household name amongst the people of the capital. Not a single person hadn't purchased something from an Arlington trader at some point, and many wasters had been saved by Arlington soldiers. The Arlington army had grown to nearly a thousand mean by Kern's death in 2161 at the age of 58. At this point Locksley had become rather ill, suffering from radiation sickness brought on by nothing more than simply living in the wastes. His health declining, he scowered the ranks of his employees, searching for a prospective replacement, should his death arrive soon. He didn't have to search far; 24 year-old Louis Henreys matched what he was searching for. Henreys, though highly intelligent lacked a drive for expansion, something the ailling Locksley felt needed to cease, lest Arlington get too big to support itself. Locksley took on Henreys as his apprentice and taught him everything he knew about running the company. After two years Locksley finally succumbed to his sickness, passing away on the morning of August 12th, 2163.

     

     Henreys, now 26, took the reigns with a passion not yet witnessed since the founding of the company by Locksley and Kern. The enthusiasm was short-lived however, as Louis soon learned the troubles one had to deal with when running a company of this size. He simply did not have the mettle to handle it all on his own. Thinking things out, he ultimately chose to bring in more people to assist in the management of his micro-empire. Using a board of 5 members Henreys soon had righted the company and counter to the wishes of Locksley, had set the company back on a course of violent expansionism. Within 5 years Arlington's land-claims had nearly doubled, as had its army and capital. Profits, however, were a much different story. Arlington was losing money, and fast. The reason why? The board member in charge of the army had been fighting an ongoing war with tribals in some of Arlington's caravan lands. The tribals had been exacting a heavy toll on both men and equipment, utilizing guerrilla warfare to ravage Arlington trade routes. Seeing this as the source of all the problems, which it really was, Henreys fired the man and gave the absurd order to attempt a cease-fire with the tribes. The board was outraged but had no say in the matter. The order was sent and the hostilities ceased. Much to everyone's amazement Henreys had actually stopped the fighting. 32 years passed, Arlington evolving and expanding more than ever. At Henreys' death in 2200 Arlington's forces numbered 6000 strong and had spread to nearly 6 states on the eastern seaboard.

     

     At Henreys' death the board elected chief financial officer Randall Stens, a 30-year old who had begun working for the company when he was only 8 at a fruit vendor. Stens had in him a great charitable spirit, and it was this spirit that drove Arlington into the new century. Under Stens Arlington began spending large amounts of funds attempting to restore the wasteland to its former glory, providing food and shelter to the people of the wastes as well as clean drinking water. From Stens humanitarian policies he garnered much respect from the wasters towards not only him but the company as a whole. From these happy wasters Arlington military numbers swelled, reaching just over 11,000 at his death in 2241. Stens' death at age 71 is a good example of just how much living conditions were improved under Arlington rule, and the wasters noticed this. Many wasters grew up with the dream of joining up with the company, just for the improved living conditions it provided.

     

     Stens' passing was taken with much sadness, as thousands had just lost their benefactor for most of their lives. His death however, was not the end of Arlington, far from it. An ambitious young Army Liuetenant, Richard Glen had begun rising the ranks of Arlington's military soon gaining the attention of the board. Glen was put under sharp scrutiny by the board and has satisfied nearly all of the attributes they were looking for in Stens' replacement. The man was as kind as he was smart. As brave as he was cautious. Glen's admission to the board as chief would herald in the Golden age for the Arlington Company, setting its path for generations to come. Under Glen Arlington expanded as it never had before, sending scouts into the farthest reaches of the States, searching hungrily for new lands, new peoples, and new resources to utilize. Glen had a vision to unite the nation under one banner once again and return it to its pre-war glory.

     

     36 years have passed since Richard Glen's appointment as Arlington's Chief of the Board. Though aged the man is as sharp as ever, steam-rolling forward with his dreams of uniting the nation. It is one of the scouting groups of Glen's glorious Army that has managed to find its way into the wastes. The band has set up its outpost in the old UMF Radio-Station, and eagerly searches out recruits and people in need of the services Arlington has to offer. Her troops are always vigilant, always strong, and always ready to stand up for the wastelanders.

[Plunger]

Another military group with company in the name.

[Mr. Pink]

Another military group with company in the name.

Read the story, Military is not the primary focus. This is actually a company. The military is just a small part of it. We bring in traders and others to improve the quality of life in the wastes.

[bohi]

Love RPing with you guys, sad thing is Arlington died.


I'm sure John can hold us together for now, but we need the replacement quick!

[Storm_Shield]

Well my char John is to sad and confused right now, so he has no idea what to do.

[Mr. Pink]

Disregard this post. Accidental quote.