Lockheed Province

The Lockheed Province and Isles were a series of small islands in the south of the New Prosperity Empire. The mines under the islands were some of the largest in the Empire, and spread for hundreds of meters in all directions under the ocean. Home to a small, simple settlement, the Lockheed Isles housed some of the largest and most profitable mines in the New Prosperity Empire. While not as heavily used in their later life, the islands still proved to be profitable to the occasional explorer.

Discovery
Located just a small ways south of New Prosperity City, the islands were discovered by GeneralCuster14 on an exploration run. The islands didn't appear to be of much value, only holding a few trees and sandy beaches all around. However, upon further exploration, GeneralCuster14 discovered a massive cave system that linked to the surface. With this discovery, a foundry and stock house was established on the main island for resource collection. It was only a matter of hours before the rest of the Empire was informed and Tlo1995 joined the mining operation underground.

The caves of the Lockheed Isles were relatively easy to navigate, as they were mostly void of sudden pits and random drops. The exploration conducted by the two led to the (at the time) largest iron mine the Empire had ever seen, feeding the nation's massive industrial network. It took weeks to excavate the mines to the point where iron became rare underground, and most of the material had to be shipped back to the mainland overseas. After the caves proved to be valuable, a lighthouse was set up to ease navigational troubles, and a flagpole was set up with the banner of the Empire hanging vertically. Lastly, a field of watermelon was planted to feed the miners in case they ran out of food.

Later Days
The Lockheed Isles were only used for coal mining operations in their later days, with the foundry and stock house being mostly abandoned. The location was frequented by random travelers that sought the mine's once-profitable interior, which was almost completely lit. Some expeditions yielded iron and gold, but the mines were not as abundant with resources as they once were.

The Lockheed Province itself was incorporated into the provincial system when it was established in the later days of the survival server. The province was, by far, the largest of all the provinces in the Empire, though most of it was actually water. To the south of the Lockheed Isles was New Anarchia, a profitable settlement on a large island connected to New Prosperity City by bridge. Part of the province, this island acted as a sort of "governor's island" for the residents of the Empire, as it was highly decorated and frequented only slightly.

Trivia

 * The Lockheed Islands were named after the Lockheed-Martin aircraft corporation. GeneralCuster14 is an aviation enthusiast, and has insisted that most territories be named after aircraft companies. There are some exceptions to this rule, obviously.
 * While the islands that made up the territory were smaller than others, the Lockheed Isles were not the smallest individual islands held by the Empire. The record went to Border Isle, which was only nine meters across at its widest point.
 * The mines at the Lockheed Isles were so profitable that a drop-off system was devised in the Empire. Boxes were set up and labeled with signs to indicate where the mining operation's profits went to. After several days of mining, the players could then take the stockpiled iron and gold and move it to New Prosperity City's central foundry.