Hearst Industries

Hearst Industries

Excerpt from Rediscovered

By Denise Cooper

I know of the Hearst family. They were one of the earliest families to migrate to Nalcott. They were one of the oldest and most distinguished families on the island. They had their fingers in quite a few pies, too. They owned restaurants and real estate, and had investments in various light industries, in transportation... The Hearst family exerted their influence on almost every aspect of island life. Of course, they had been in a steady decline for years, even before the Starfall hit. By the time I was born, the Hearst family's influence had already shrunk significantly. Just the southern corner of the island still truly belonged to them. They also faced a number of internal and external crises (some of which could be said to be self-inflicted). Gradually, the town's population withered and the stores were abandoned. Later, it seems that the Hearts' became involved in the violence with the Wetland gang... But anyway, back to the facts. The Hearst family lost nearly all their industrial properties. Only the chemical plant in front of me remains in their hands. It's no longer operational, but it had been struggling for several years even before that. Much to our surprise, however, it seemed to have survived the Starfall. There's an electronic calendar inside, and it stopped sometime in 2026. That means it was still operational for several years after the Starfall. I believe that there was a small group of survivors who did their best to stay alive by seeking refuge inside the plant. They managed to survive right up to the winter of 2026 (that was one of the harshest years), when they finally succumbed to famine. God Damnit!!! Sorry, I really needed to get that out. We were too late, yet again! More than four years too late. There is nothing worth exploring inside that plant now. We noticed a few rare mechanical parts that might have some value, but my team is already overburdened as it is, so we left them where they were.