A Group Of Unlikely Faces

Roleplay Library
1

World Trade Building, Luthernburg
January 28th

“Surprise Surprise” Jeff Walton said with a large smile on his face, “what brings Her Majesty to the 2nd Tallest Building On this Planet?” He proceeds to say before bowing.

“Have we received any replies to the event?” Naomi replied as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “So far so good let’s see, We have Asendavia, The United Kingdom of Kolosia & North Joralesia…” he paused as she opened her mouth, “The United who ? Jesus, see that’s Morstay influence at the highest level continue though” she sipped her coffee as she opened a document. He proceeded on “UK, Talusi, Zukchiva, Xagrurg; Fortuna they decided not to participate in the war Games, though they will be attending. Assowolf, Furnifold, Neueburg, Rhadamanthia, Lessau, Celannica And Nacata.” He paused for a second.

“We sent out more so we are just patiently waiting on the replies, the accommodation are as requested. We also got the Nature hotel as you request for our Furnifoldian guest.” He smiled and poured himself a glass of Hobsti Tea. "That’s actually really good, Shame the Oans are staying under the radar now, Did you make the special arrangements for Lilith to stay at the palace? " she replied. "As requested your majesty " He smiled and took a sip of his tea.

“I appreciate your hard work, I believe great things will come from this event.” She proceeded to stand up and walked to the window, as she looked out the window from the 128th Floor . “Oh my, Rico is that clouds?!” she slowly stepped back as she remembered she hated heights, “Your Majesty I thought you didn’t like heights” he chuckled .“Well I thought I would peek out the window, until I noticed that we were above the clouds.” She replied before grabbing her stuff, “Thanks Jeff, See you Wednesday”

2

King Franco XVI has departed for Luthernburg on his Private Jet and is expected to land at 2:10 Am

3

After a couple hours of flying over to Kuthernburg in his prviate Concord supersonic jet, Xagrurgian Acting President James Deref lands in Luthernburg, coincidently at the same time Assowolf’s Theodora Quhencia arrives. Their sovereign Republican Guards step off their planes wearing bright red uniforms with bearskin hats, armed with GG EM-2 rifles and march in well-drilled unison toward their respective leaders’ cars to protect them and after they enter them, the guards also enter some SUVs of their own and drive toward the Mirage Resort on 3180 W Victoria Blvd.
[hr]
2 hours later…
After James Deref and Theodora Quhencia settle into their rooms, they begin roaming among the hotel’s halls, interested to see what the hotel is all about.

4

The plane landed as Zoryal was preparing to step foot into foreign soil. After many long hours of flying, they had finnaly arrived at their destination. Stepping off the plane, Zoryal waited as his bodyguard walked out, before both of them headed into their transportation to their hotel.

5

27th January 2018
Luthernburg

Royal Two skidded across the landing platform, its dozens of wheels grazing the ground as it bellowed to a stop. Walter looked outside. Luthernburg was an extraordinary city, pooling in influence from far and wide. His eyes gazed up at the tallest building in the city skyline; the World Trade Center. He couldn’t help admire its stunning modern architecture. It gave him a feeling of home.

He stepped off out of the plane into the cold, early hours of the pink-purple lit sky. It’s colours emulsified by the thin grey fog, carrying it low and high. He was escorted by two men to his chariot. The old model drove off into the sunrise.

6

The long flight across the Pacific left the Fortunan delegates exhausted, so both were relieved when the jet landed in Luthernburg. The two delegates stared in awe at the grand city, its size immensely larger than any of the cities in Fortuna. Both of them were gaped at the towering skyscrapers, but their gaze soon rested onto the World Trade Center. Although they were quite glad that they were in the land of friends of their homeland, it didn’t stop them from feeling a bit intimidated.

Once parked, the Fortunan delegates made there way out of the jet and into the chilly air of the North, first Lorenzo Jackson, head of the Department of Trade, and finally Elsa Colombo, head of the Department of Environmental Protection. They hurried there way into the awaiting SUV, taking them into the city.

7

5x Streifenwagen- Deutsche Volkspolizei beim L.O.B.T. - YouTube is making way for Vizekanzler Ludwig Bohmer, who is accompained by his secretary and two officers of the Volkssicherheitspolizei, or VoSiPo, Neueburg’s infamous “People’s Security Police”. During a tremendous five hours trip from Neueburg to Luthernburg, the Vice Chancellor spent most of his time to notice the astonishing differences in architecture and technology between the People’s Republic of Neueburg and the neighboring Kingdom of Kuthernburg. Two opposite worlds, separated by a thick iron curtain patrolled by the omnipresent Volkswehr. The curtain represents the symbol and the reality of Neueburg’s paranoia and self-imposed isolationism and autharchy. While Neueburg’s buildings are mostly grey, with signs of decay and lack of quality material and architecture, Luthernburg’s buildings are an anthem to technological progress and capitalism. Ludwig is not surprised that so many people seek to escape Neueburg to live in neighboring Kuthernburg, he surely cannot blame them.

In reality, the regime of the People’s Republic is scared of the outer world. Propaganda is constantly warning the citizens of Neueburg of the dangers posed by the “Globalist and financial elites” who, according to Reichskanzler Rutter and his National-Syndicalist People’s Party, are “seeking to enslave the workers of Neueburg and exploit its precious natural resources”. But there are no resources in Neueburg. It is a backward, low-technology agrarian nation where fuel is too expensive, and low-quality cars either belong to the Volkssicherheitspolizei or members of the Richskabinett. As a result, Neueburg can indeed be proud of its stunning environment and its biodiversity.

The LADA 1500 has finally reached the hotel, parked next to limousines and other luxury transport vehicles such as busses and vans. Vice Chancellor Bohmer, followed by his secretary, steps out of the vehicle and stares at the huge building. Trying to hide his complex of inferiority, justified in other respects, he silently walks into the hall.

8

After hours of flying the East Cerdan jet touched down on the runway, promptly taxiing off as the Chianskian jet arrived shortly afterwards. The East Cerdan and Chianskian leaders and delegate disembarked at around the same time from their respective aircraft and posed for some photos before getting on the chartered car which had arrived as part of a small motorcade to pick up the delegates.

As the motorcade moved through the city to their accommodation many of them looked around at the various skyscrapers and buildings, noting how the people here seemed to build higher and higher unlike how East Cerdan cities were built outwards most of the time. After a short drive they arrived at the hotel and carrying their briefcases and luggage they walked inside and checked into their rooms.

9

As quickly as the Celan was in departing from the Empire, the Legate flew over the foreign lands of Kuthernburg and landed in the capital, Luthernburg. While he inspected his cold, unfamiliar surroundings from the ground, he took note of the many delegates from other nations that were either already present or soon to be landing. Either way, he did not feel obligated to greet any of them until a more ‘formal’ environment presented itself. Besides, he still must make time to study this nation and its people.

Along with his three personal guards, the Legate entered into a slick, black armored car and traveled to the Marina Park Resort. Without wasting any time, the Legate shortly checked into his hotel room, placed his luggage inside the room, and quickly left to find a local bookstore. Afterall, if he’s going to work in a new nation, he might as well enjoy his free time.

10

Komodu, Hama
January 20

Dajida Taru was in her office in the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, that overlooked the city. The building was build in a modernised version of the Arab style. It was built from concrete and had large windows of glass, but it also had a facade of pointed arches and an arabesque detail above the main entrance. It was located on a hill and was surrounded by gardens of palm trees, cycads and stone patterns and hedges and large lawns. It was a calm and pretty place to work and it’s charm often concealed the busy, difficult and stressful work that took place inside.

Dajida Taru was looking out over the city. The Foreign Ministry Headquarters were located in the business district of Komodu. This part of the city was fairly busy, with cars, buses and trains going around transporting people to work or school and tall buildings of concrete and glass filling up the skyline. Some buildings looked like glass boxes, others like prisms, others like pyramids, others like molten glass that had cascaded down a hill and remained solid.

But there was enough traditional architecture to maintain the character of the city. There were buildings made from mud that had wooden poles sticking out of their facades, there were buildings with onion domes, pointed arches and minarets, there were buildings with traditional geometric patterns. There were still rickshaws (person-drawn carriages) for tourists and there were camels here or there. This city was the meeting of old cultures and values with modern tastes and perceptions and represented the transitional nature of Hamanian cultural, social and political circumstances.

Dajida Taru looked at it all, taking a brief break from reading files and having meetings with her staff. She sipped a small cup of strong coffee. The near-black warm bitter fluid restored her energy and warmed her body. One of her staff knocked on the door. She yelled, “Ngena!”

“Minubonawenu, Kosinu. Hello, Madam”.

“Hello, my love”, Dajida warmly replied, “What may I do for you?”

“We received information that the leaders of some nations will be meeting in Kuthernburg for a discussion on various issues to be followed by a joint military exercise”, the aide said, “While we did not receive a formal invitation, we contacted our Kuthern colleagues who said that they would like us to attend if we are interested”.

“Thank you for letting me know”, Dajida replied, “While I think it’s short notice for a military drill, I think it presents an opportunity to engage with our foreign partners on trade and diplomatic issues. Could you please tell me when the meeting will be?”

“I believe it will be in a week or so”, he said, “I’ll get in touch with our Kuthern counterparts and get a date and prepare the travel details”.

“That would be wonderful! Thank you my dear. In the mean time, I’ll bring it up and get permission for it in the Cabinet meeting tomorrow”.

[hr]

Komodu, Hama
January 28

“Good evening, madam!” the pilot yelled above the sound of the turning propellers on the plane’s engines.

“Hello captain! Your uniform is looking sharp today!”

“Thank you madam! May I take your coat and bag, my lady?”

“You’re too kind, my dear, but no thank you, I’ll be doing some reading on the way, please take my coat”.

“No problem, madam, always happy to help”.

“Please greet Mrs Muhammadu for me and the kids”.

“Will do my lady.”

Then she got on the plane and headed for Kuthernburg.

11

After many hours of flight, the Talusian jet, containing Volkbert Hammesfahr, the Talusian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Arnulf II, the King of Talusi, as well as some guards, landed in Luthernburg. Volkbert was the first one to exit the jet. As he exited the jet, he glanced at some of the other delegations that were arriving or had arrived shortly before them. Right behind him was Arnulf, who had chosen to wear a rather simple, but still elegant suit.

“I should’ve brought something a bit warmer to wear,” Arnulf commented nonchalantly.

Volkbert nodded in agreement as they made their way to their escort, which they promptly entered. As their escort made it’s way through Luthernburg, Arnulf was admiring the passing buildings. He was quite impressed by Luthernburg’s architecture, which was more beautiful than the architecture in Rheinlingen. Volkbert, on the other hand, only occasionally glanced at some of the buildings while he smoked. Finally, they made their way through the city and arrived at the Mirage Resort, which was the largest hotel in Kuthernburg at 68 stories tall.

Arnulf nodded in approval as he looked at the hotel. Even Volkbert, normally a person not impressed by many things, nodded in approval. Volkbert took one last drag from his cigarette before putting it out and throwing it in the trash. After Volkbert disposed of the cigarette, the pair, along with their guards, entered the hotel.
[hr]
About half an hour after the Talusian jet landed, the Asendavian jet, containing the Kaiser, Jon VII, and his wife, Yvonne Rokhuag, sister to the Grand Duke of Khiyev, along with some guards, landed in Luthernburg. Yvonne, who was wearing a dark purple, similar to an amethyst, colored dress, was the first one to exit the jet. After her was the Kaiser, Jon VII, who was wearing a grey suit. The Kaiser and his wife stood still for a few moments just admiring Luthenburg before they made their way to their escort.

During the ride, Jon and Yvonne held hands while chatting about things that had been happening in Asendavia. After a few minutes they stopped talking, but still held hands as they looked at the passing buildings. Finally, their escort arrived in front of the Marina Park Resort. They let go of each other’s hands while they exited the vehicle, but they soon were each other’s hands again as they entered the hotel.

12

On the plane, somewhere over the North Concordian Ocean
January 28

Dajida Taru looked through files and notes that had been prepared for her by her staff which gave her an understanding of the topics that would be discussed, the players who would be in attendance and the possible factors that would shape their perspectives and responses.

Likewise the Cabinet had given her a clear idea of what the nation needed and the means that were available to the nation and the scope of her negotiations with her allies. Her staff sat around her, taking the opportunity to elucidate some of the points that were made in the notes or expound on the information that was contained there. While Mrs Taru had been a leader in her own right, albeit under the King, she was able and willing to ask question and let her staff guide her; she listened to them.

This quality made her an amicable person to know intimately and a respectable person to work with professionally. It had made her a fairly successful diplomat. She was rather similar to Yekaterin Drugova of Stratarin in that she was fairly young, well mannered, did her work dutifully and diligently, followed orders effectively and translated them into simple instructions for those who worked for her. And like Ms Drugova she was more of a civil servant than a politician - a great manager and administrator rather than an ideologist. Unlike Ms Drugova their contexts and challenges were different.

Hama was fairly prosperous and more free (albeit not as free as some Auroran democracies - which a Hamanian intellectual criticised in a recent piece on the Hamanian news broadcast) than Stratarin and also more stable and its foreign policy was less vicious. Mrs Taru had followed Mrs Drugova for some time. Her father’s attempted, the former General Secretary of Stratarin Viktor Drugov, and the coup d’etat by which Mikhail Starikov, the former Procurator General had come to power and her subsequent appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, had been of particular interest to the Hamanian.

In fact, more broadly, women in general who had come to great positions of power in the world intrigued her. Each had her own style, ranging from dictatorial to laissez-faire, and her own level of fame and respect, but each one was a woman nonetheless. From the megalomanic Queen Lilith of Yuno, to her less than inconspicuous and possibly only friend, the kind and liberal Queen Naomi, women displayed remarkable capacity for destructiveness or constructiveness.

It troubled her, however that the dynamics of male-female relations and their respective places in society were still viewed from the perspective of a patriarchal society. Some countries such as Emberwood Coast were egalitarian while others such the the former Ethalrian states, which were known now as the “Ethaln” nations, were matriarchal. Many nations that were dictatorial were not prominently misogynistic, but she couldn’t shake that there was a quiet glass ceiling and that women had to stand in solidarity to break it.

Many of these views she expressed in more nuanced and euphemistic tones, especially since she held some conservative and traditionalist views. She was devoted to her husband and King, but at the same time she pursued top-office and did not tolerate condescension, for even her husband did not belittle her.

She landed at the airport and went to the hotel that had been designated for her. Just from her brief car ride, Kuthernburg was not that different from Hama. It was colder, the people were lighter and the people were less covered, but the architecture was similar, the infrastructure was similar. She knew that her analysis was superficial as there were deep differences between the two. Their laws conflicted on issues such as homosexuality and abortion and a range of other topics.

She arrived at the hotel and got to her room where she unpacked and freshened up. She wore an ivory-coloured dress and hijab. Her head scarf covered her hair and chest while her dress went to her ankle, it was tied at the waist with a thin black belt. She wore a long coral pink top that reached her knees, but had a suit-like collar. She wore light make up and hardly any jewellery; she simply wore a diamond pendant on the lapel of her top in the form of the head of an elephant and a ring. She also wore a black and white checkered scarf that hung loosely around her neck.

Lutherburg was a major fashion district and she had to dress appropriately. Luckily she exemplified modern sophistication and elegance while remaining true to her Hamanian roots. [edit_reason]Corrected some mistakes regarding Viktor Drugov and Queen Lilith[/edit_reason]

13

Theodora Quhencia is looking at her smartphone in the lobby, looking at documents her staff back at Assowolf sent her to get her opinion on. She took a break from looking at her smartphone and looked out the window, admiring the city’s skyline. The city neo-futuristic landscape reminded Theodora of her vacation in Imperium back in the early 2000’s, where high-tech skyscrapers adorned the cityscape as a symbol of Xagrurg’s technological advances. She begins to recall fond memories of strolling down the streets of downtown Imperium, remembering the lively street musicians to the smells of delicious, hot pastries to people laughing and enjoying themselves. They were fond times indeed. The city had changed in recent months, with the Auroran-Pacific War fresh in many people’s minds. (OOC: Feel free to converse with Theodora.)
[hr]
James Deref is smoking a cigar while also looking out on the city’s skyline from a window, taking in the view. A native of Laona Province, he grew up in the bustling atmosphere of Laona, with early-20th century Modernist architecture donning the city. Though he did respect the neo-futurism of Luthernburg, there was something about Modernist architecture that was appealing to James.

14

Luthernburg International Airport

After Many hours of flying the King has arrived with the most elite of the Royal Guard, he is taken to
Oriental Canyon Resort for his presidential suite

15

While driving through the city, Zoyral looked in awe at the buildings of the city. He had always known that Zukchiva was not even close to modern architecture in most places. Zoyral had still not expected Zukchiva to be so behind on modern times. He decided to talk with his cabinet to see if a project could be started in the future. He was still in contemplation when the car suddenly braked next to an old yet grand building.

Looking upwards, Zoyral realized that they had managed to reach the hotel. He got out, and took out his baggage before waving the vehicle away to where ever the vehicles parked. He quickly walked to the receptionist desk and checking in, before entering the elevator. This was going to be his new home for the next few days.

16

A chilly wind swirled around Jacopo d’Arrigo as he stood on the balcony of his Luthernburg hotel room, overlooking the steep canyon slope below. This room was certainly not for those afraid of heights. Since d’Arrigo had flown countless times with a hang-glider, and had recently “commandeered” a hot air balloon in Kuthernburg, he certainly did not fit that mold. It was Sunday morning, very early, and very cold. d’Arrigo had arrived before most of the other guests for the international conference, because he wanted to meet with the Global Furnifold Commodities Market. It was also the perfect opportunity to give a speech to the employees at Manleh Cousins, and collect a large compensation sum along the way. ‘Killing two Chonvors with one stone,’ as one might say. The ethics behind this was hazy at best, but d’Arrigo communicated that no official from Manleh Cousins was to talk with him about anything policy-related. He did get a gift basket for speaking, and in it was a note outlining some policies Manleh Cousins wanted to be focused on. But, he wasn’t talked to, and therefore, everything was completely ethical…

d’Arrigo had gone stir crazy. Before stepping out onto the balcony, he had unlocked his phone to see if he had received any text messages from Queen Lilith. Not seeing the flash of a bright pink new message indicator (how did she get her text messages to appear like that in his phone, anyways?) the Magistrate locked it, fixed himself a drink, and then had stepped outside, contemplating. He had texted the Queen that he brought along his hang-gliding chute and gear, and was going to take her hang-gliding at the conclusion of the conference. This was what he was most looking forward to, as the conference itself would likely result in he being told by other nations’ leaders that Furnifold needs to agree to some environmental standards or another that would raise the price of doing business in Furnifold. While in theory having environmental standards is a good idea, I really don’t think our nation has the resources to meet them without businesses shutting down under the burden of regulations. The Chancellor is going to laugh in my face when I tell her what the proposals coming out of this conference are likely to be, he thought. But, the theory is solid, and I am here to sell it to my people.
Why would I be here if I didn’t believe in the cause?

He turned around and walked back into his room, the cold finally overwhelming him. It was almost always 30 degrees Celsius in Furnifold, except in the mountainous or the arid areas, so this cold weather was really getting to the man. When d’Arrigo walked in, he realized he hadn’t used a hang-glider in years. To him, it may have been like riding a bike, but he was trying to impress (and not kill) the Queen Lilith, so a refresher was likely in order. Still seeing that the Queen had not responded, he thought of a fun idea to put his phone to good use. He remembered that a famous businessman from Absurdistan, Buzzy Bergmann, always live-streamed what he was doing with his followers. The Magistrate was not a follower, but he stumbled upon a live-stream of Buzzy eating cereal, and saw that close to one million people were watching him eat cereal. That was incredible enough to him to prompt him to sign up for the MyLyfe suite of products (Chirper, Quikpik, etc.), and decided to live-stream some goings-on in Furnifold. He only had a few hundred followers, because nobody cared about the Magistrate’s meetings or chatting with other Furnifolds. Some of the selfies he took got shared among the nation’s followers, but there really wasn’t any entertainment value in watching the Magistrate. So, Jacopo figured why not give the people some entertainment…

He grabbed his hang-gliding gear, replaced the long-range camera wedged on his stick with his phone, and made sure everything in his gear looked good enough to glide. Donning the cold-suit, he returned to the balcony and got on the rail. He grabbed and unfurled the large glider, and secured himself with a cable on the rail so as not to fall off prematurely. Luckily the balcony was huge at this five-star resort, and the Magistrate’s hang-glider was comfortably able to be fully unfurled without problem. He got off the rail, realizing that he would need a running start. But first, he needed to live-stream.

The Magistrate opened his phone, hit the live-stream app, and pressed the record button. He would probably not be getting any viewers at first, except maybe Jackson Woolf, until people started to notice that the Magistrate was not in his usual recording place (his office or some chamber or another). He waited a second, realized he was on, mumbled something about the dang-blasted phone working, then started to speak into it.

“Good evening everyone in Furnifold, I am here in Luthernburg, Kuthernburg, and it is just a hair past five am. I am meeting with other world leaders this week to discuss some environmental policies that I believe will help make Furnifold people healthier, stronger, and will set up our economy for the long-term. But first, I share with you something I have always loved, hang-gliding. I wanted to take you along this journey with me.” d’Arrigo moved the stick holding the phone so that the people could get a panoramic shot of the balcony, overlooking the canyon below. He returned the camera to his face. “As you can see, I am staying at a resort overlooking a huge canyon, and it is very cold here. But, when I flew among the Chonvor, it was also very cold, and also very dangerous. This is too. I don’t know what is at the end of this canyon, hopefully it’s something flat.” d’Arrigo smiled ruefully. “I’m going to be a bit of a daredevil; my security team will likely try to barge their way into my hotel room soon, and Jackson Woolf, my Foreign Minister, will probably be calling every number imaginable to ensure my safety. Don’t worry, Jackson, I’ll be safe, I always am. I’m going to be jumping in a bit; I’ll need to take a running start with my glider, so I can clear this balcony. Let me just get everything ready…”

“While I am doing that, let me talk to you about why the environment is so important to protect. The environment is like our soul; it is eternal. Our life returns to Allah when we die, and our bodies nourish the earth, so that new life can be created to praise our God. When we are gone, the environment remains. In our text, it reads that we must care for the earth as we care for ourselves. Many times, we don’t do it. Just like we take each other for granted, we may also take the planet for granted. We, as humanity, as well as other species of Urth, have realized that how we live is not sustainable; it will not provide new life for our God. Therefore, it is imperative we take our jobs as stewards seriously; we must care for the earth so that it may continue to outlive us, to provide a bounty for our children, grandchildren, and further progeny. I will be at a conference here in Luthernburg, discussing and coming to an agreement with other world leaders on exactly how to do that.”

Finished with his preparations, he swiveled the phone to overlook the balcony. He continued, “When I glide, I want you to look out at what you see. I want you to stop what you are doing, and I want you to watch, to listen, and to contemplate your role in nature. You’ll see the rush of land as I fly through the canyon, and the expanse of land as the stone walls envelop me below and to my right and left. Life has been bountiful on this Urth, and we as a sentient set of species have the responsibility to ensure that life remains on this Urth. We just need to understand our place on Urth. I think this exercise will help me, and I sure hope, by Allah, it helps you.”

Finished with his soliloquy, d’Arrigo turned the phone around, unhooked the cable on the rail, stepped as far back as he could without messing up the glider’s angle, and ran. He ran until he reached the railing, inhaled quickly, and jumped, gripping the hang-glider tight. The cold air whistled around him as he flew, the walls of the canyon coming into focus and quickly swallowing his glider. He glided and turned his phone around, recording the journey for his followers of Furnifold, and possibly Urth, to see.

17

After his delightful flight of gourmet meals and a private showing of Hamilton in the Imperial Boeing 747-400 Custom, His Sublime Imperial Highness, Marcarius, Emperor of The Esoteric Empire of Rhadamanthia, is whisked to the Royal Suite of the Sublime Dawn Resort & Spa.

It is time that we take a more personal approach to our diplomatic relations. I look forward to meeting other world leaders at this conference.

18

https://s18.postimg.org/w8t3prwqx/bohmer.jpg
Vice Chancellor of the People’s Republic of Neueburg Ludwig Bohmer (left) accompained by Dietrich, his secretary (right)

Provided with a keycard, the 71 years old Vice Chancellor and his secretary, a 36 years old man from Neueburg Stadt, finally reach their room on the 6th floor of the luxury hotel “Herr Dietrich, please open the door” says Vizekanzler Bohmer. His secretary, visibly confused, attempts to open the door by inserting the keycard into the lock “It doesn’t fit in the lock, what kind of key is this?” says the young man “Look, there’s someone coming”. The two men carefully observe another customer, presumably part of a diplomatic delegation, as he sweeps the keycard in the reader and opens the door. “That’s how you open the door. Proceed please.” “Yes Herr Vizekanzler”.

After a few attempts, Dietrich finally opens the door. The secretary walks into the room and stares at the mini fridge filled with beverages, including alcohol “Ehm… Herr Vizekanzler, may i…” he points the bottle of whiskey “NO! It is not legal in Neueburg!” Vizekanzler Bohmer is visibly angry “But Herr Vizekanzler… we are not in Neueburg… nobody can see us here” replies Dietrich, almost begging the Vice Chancellor “I don’t care! I can see you! Look at you, we’ve been here for fifteen minutes and you are already craving for the luxuries and the vices of consumerism and capitalism. Remember, Dietrich, we represent the People’s Republic of Neueburg here, we are not tourists! Make sure there aren’t cameras and audio recorders instead, i don’t want the guard dogs of the financial and capitalist lobbies of Urth to spy me during my sleep or when i brush my teeth, do you job!” clearly upset, the Vice Chancellor takes his jacket off and steps closer to the window.

The view is astonishing. The skyskrapers and the infrastructures of Kuthernburg are clearly the result of extremely advanced engineering. The cars seen from the window appear to be more expensive than a brigade of T-55 tanks. Dietrich is standing right next to Vice Chanzellor Bohmer. The young man is clearly hypnotized and fascinated by the quality of life and the wealth displayed in the Kingdom Kurthernburg. So close to Neueburg, but so different in many aspects “…Herr Vizekanzler, you have to admit the view is astonishing… look, they all seem to be happy. Have you noticed that people here own cars?” his eyes are lost in the busy traffic of Luthernburg.

“So what? Do you need a car to be happy, Herr Dietrich? We have equality! We have defeated the financial hyenas who seek to prey and feast on our resources and enslave our Volk! We have achieved a Workers’ and Farmers’ state! Herr Dietrich… let me ask you a question: are you trying to defect, by any chance?” Bohmer stares at the young man. The smile on Dietrich’s face is suddenly replaces by a serious, almost sad face “No… Herr Vizekanzler… i would never betray the Volksrepublik…” Dietrich’s eyes are now staring at the ground.

19

After staring at the city landscape for half an hour or so, Chancellor Theodora Quhencia heads to the bar in the hotel to get a drink. Coincidently, Acting President James Deref also appears in the bar at the same time Theodora enters the place. James notices Theodora sitting at the bar by herself so he decides to sit herself next to her and orders both of them drinks. Theodora, startled by the sudden appearance of James, turns toward him and greets him. James does the same in return. After a couple of minutes, the bartender returns with two schooners filled with scotch and serves them to the two leaders. “So, you got one hell of a job to do until the next election eh?” said Theodora. “You’re damn right about that,” he joked, “Perhaps even that’s an understatement.” “So, how’s your term going so far?” asked James. “It’s been an interesting couple of months since I got into office back in January. It’s a shame of what happened to Xagrurg. It was such a beautiful country before the war,” sighed Theodora. “Who said it still isn’t? The country is mostly finished rebuilding and we’re trying to put the war behind us. The vast forests of Imperium still remain along with the cultural buildings of Laona. Though, Eidenburgh has been an interesting challenge,” said James. “What do you mean ‘interesting challenge?,” said an intrigued Theodora. “A bunch of the residential and commerce districts have been rebuilt but our construction crews keep finding an occasional buried bomb from the war,” said James. A couple minutes of silence pass and then Theodora says, “Do you think it’ll be possible for the Xagrurg-Assowolf alliance to be revived eventually?” “It will happen, though it will take time to mend the wounds the war caused between our peoples,” said James.

20

January 29th, 2018
World Trade Center, 9:AM

As Dawn rose over Luthernburg, Jeff was hard at work getting the finishing touches for the event that was take place in a few hours, “Quickly move the Flag Of Lokania right here, are the sound systems ready?” He says to a worker as he quickly moves from spot to spot. “Quickly people! We are set to start pictures taking at 10am”. He then proceeds to step out of the building and walked over to Victoria Park, he pulls a joint out of his pockets and plugs his headphones in, he turned on his favorite song and took a good look at the sun rise over the fridget air. He inhaled his joint and thinks " What a truly beautiful city".

A few hours later around 9am Naomi arrived to be first to greet the incoming delegates, she admired the beautiful paintings and flowers that were erected around the building. "These are beautiful"she smiled and walked inside, “oh wow 130th Floor” she slowly puts her hand over her face and walked back to the door. The sound of the air show team Blue Dragons in there Kuthern Raptors could be heard in the distance approaching. Queen Maryian IV & Prime Minister Essence Michelle Of Lessau arrived in there 4 car group, “Naomi greetings my love” Maryian says as she kisses Naomi on both cheeks. “Hey there you two, you look younger every time I see you” she smiled and hugs them both. Just as other nations cars approached the building or were coming down Victoria Blvd, The Blue dragons started coming down towards the ground as if they were going to crash into the ground before all 6 aircraft broke apart making a flower as they all went there separate ways. Unknown to everyone else was the sneak pass planed by the recently purchased F-19s, coming from opposite directions on the Blvd they swiftly maneuver just above 600 ft above the ground roaring down the streets at almost 500 mph, the vapors started to show on one of the planes making a beautiful white circle around it before they pulled straight up and disappeared.