Cry Tales-4 Against the Mob

Since Cory had made her first million, she made it a point to invest with capable people stuck in a rut due to lack of resources or the political straight-jacketing. It was good business since she did not have to push her associates to work hard. One such investment was in the city of Warkhen- An erstwhile military base of the USSR and now a bustling city of the recently formed Razaran state.

The business Cory had introduced and funded in Warkhen was of mushroom farming and some smuggling of luxury goods on the side. 90% of the product was exported to the west and more than half the seed kits and fertilizers were imported; the side line of acquiring duty-free luxury products made enough profits to fund the major business. Two co-operatives had been established, the types of mushrooms they would grow were different, with little overlap. After three years the business was flourishing and no more "dubious cash" was required to fund the business; in fact they were showing a profit for the last three months. The hundreds of households involved and the dozens of peripheral companies like packaging and export houses connected to the business were all making money. And now the government changed- an efficient coup. The new premiere and his top generals and ministers, all belonged to a single clan- the Marzaleys. The Russian mafia was their lead backer and Razaran would soon become the drug pipeline connecting East to the West.

Cory was worried about her business and her people in Warkhen. A Dictatorship meant that the majority of the profits, if not all, would go to the rulers. And this was the best case scenario. Cory had yet to come up with a solution when the German FIS called. They were worried about drugs and even arms making their way into Europe. They could not act unilaterally because the Marzaleys had cleverly engaged the UN in talks which could last for years.They were ready to provide all support if Cory Dayell could set up an "Intervention" and the German government would owe her one.

Cory spent hours and hours thinking through umpteen number of ways to free Razaran but nothing fit. She was slumped in front of her TV with cold salad in hand; an old movie was running. a story about enmity between brothers and how many lives were destroyed by it. An idea struck her- the Marzaleys and the Russian mob; what if they were separated, poised on opposite sides as rivals?

The very next day a team of geologists and technicians was ready to fly to Razaran under UN blessings for the purpose of quantifying drinking water sources. A few days later one of the top generals of the Marzaleys received a secret report which Cory and her German counterparts made sure at least two other Marzaleys knew. For the next few days the general did not mention the report in any official or un-official circles. Soon a London based minig group was interested in buying mineral rights to a empty piece of waste land in Razaran. Again Cory's group spread the rumors about a valuable finding. The general's safe was busted and the report which showed traces of raw diamond veins in Razaran wasteland stumbled upon by the UN team; there was also a small raw diamond with it.

Before the General could be arrested an accident claimed him and his family; the authorities closed the case, wanting to stay far away from anything with the general's name on it. A Ukranian firm - backed by the Russian mobs- applied for the mining rights and was immediately granted them for almost half the amount previously proposed for the same rights by the London firm. The payment of 5 million Euros by the firm made headlines for a day but was soon forgotten. After about a week, an attempt to kill one of the Marzaleys was discovered, soon all of them fled to Sweden citing a danger to their lives. A temporary government was set up in Razaran under UN supervision and the dates for the elections were announced. Razaran was on the road to recovery.

Cory had identified the General by the distance he maintained from the premiere. He had a wife and two kids- teenagers. She approached the wife with the proposal of "relocating comfortably to London". Cory's guess proved right when the general was ready to bring down the Marzaleys. The German FIS came up with the doctored report which showed signs of diamond deposits in the Razaran waste land. They later arranged the accident where the general was supposed to have died along with his family. The rest was easy for Cory. She sent feelers through middlemen about purchase of mining rights in Razaran. The Germans arranged for a legit firm to apply with an offer for an astronomical amount. This convinced both the mob and the Marzaleys of a windfall. When the 5 million Euros were transferred Cory only had to arrange for the real reports to reach the mob. They were not happy to be conned by the Marzaleys, it hurt their reputation and for them reputation was everything. Cory arranged for the mob hitman to be caught before any Marzaley could die and the rest just fell into place.

PICTURE CREDIT: CATAWIKI.COM