11-05-2019, 02:08 AM
(Written with contribution from [nation]Shuell[/nation])
Kerlian aircraft in Shuellian airspace
Sunday 3rd November – morning
Councillor Letitia Greenwood had her fingers pointedly holding her nose as the airplane descended on its approach to Shuell. She glared at Xia Chiu, whose 5-year-old daughter Jia had thrown up everywhere only moments before. Xia avoided her eyes, red faced, as she tried to clear up the vomit of her daughter, who continued to cry and shout about how much her ears hurt. It was Jia’s first flight.
Towards the back of the plane, Reena Patel and Carolyn Greenwood sat playing a card game. The pair were close in age, though Reena was a year older. They had been good friends as children, though these days with Reena’s reformist tendencies, the two had to avoid political discussion. Carolyn let out a swear word as she dropped a card, sending it fluttering down the plane. Her mother took her finger from her nose long enough to shout a sharp warning about bad language down the plane.
Councillor Electra Georgiou chuckled at the mess, leaning back in her seat. She held a book in her hand, place marked with a bookmark as she glanced out the window, watching the clouds go by as they landed. It was her first visit to Shuell, and she was very much looking forward to seeing the architecture. She had been reading about Shuellian food before their departure, and though it didn’t sound exactly up her alley – lichen was not one of her favourites – she was still interested to try.
Olivia Pierre was asleep, having unintentionally fallen asleep, lulled by the motion of the plane. It did not help that she was severely sleep deprived. She woke at every single sound, paranoid that it was someone out to assassinate her. She was the heir to Pauline Pierre, arch-traditionalist… and she was pro-reform. It was an open secret her mother favoured her younger sister Eva, and Olivia feared that she may arrange an “accident” for her. She was looking forward to Shuell. She could finally get a good night’s sleep safe in the knowledge her mother – or her mother’s allies – couldn’t hurt her.
Xia Chiu finally managed to mop all the vomit off her leg. Her face burned red with embarrassment. She hoped she would have some time to change her clothing and that of her daughter’s before they could disembark. She did not want to embarrass her country by meeting with a Shuellian Director while covered in the vomit of a five-year-old girl. She was kicking herself for not anticipating this possibility. She had only wanted a nice little holiday with her daughter, and she liked sport. This was not what she’d had in mind.
“I sincerely hope we will have enough security,” commented Xia. “I do not like how few people we have. We will be at the mercy of the Shuellians.”
“They will not hurt us,” Electra Georgiou sighed. “Especially with so many people around. And they have no reason to. You are overly paranoid.”
“Maybe they will, but frankly they would be justified,” Reena Patel piped up. “Our families have been responsible for atrocities.”
“You will be silent!” commanded Councillor Greenwood. “If you say anything along those lines in public I will make sure that upon our return you will be locked in a cell for the rest of your life. You are seventh in line. That will not be enough to protect you.”
“I’m sixth in line,” muttered Reena sullenly.
The plane touched down, and as soon as it had decelerated to an acceptable speed, one of the cabin crew on the private Kerlian flight was beside Xia and Jia with a change of clothes. The pair hurriedly fixed themselves, Xia snapping at her daughter to be quiet and comply. She was not usually so harsh on her daughter, but the stress was getting to her. Out of shock at being yelled at and the healthy fear of authority every Kerlian learned from birth, Jia fell silent.
They exited the aircraft, looking around them at the foggy weather as they walked through the rain. They then found themselves waiting in an area as their passports were checked and their luggage was unloaded. Very few Kerlian passports existed in the world, thanks to the emigration ban, and so they were a rare sight for anyone who came across one. Of course, few ever did and those who did often had a reaction. Lauchenoirian border personnel tended to need someone else to double check a Kerlian passport was genuine. The Shuellians, however, were very professional about it.
Accompanying the Kerlian delegation were their bodyguards. Three personnel per Councillor or Daughter, each allowed one sidearm each. The absolute maximum security they had been permitted by the Shuellians. Even then, the rest of the Council had been exceptionally worried before they set off. The whole delegation had to wait around while their luggage was searched for contraband.
“The Xiomerans didn’t treat us with such suspicion, place such restrictions on us and subject us to intrusive and insulting searches,” grumbled Councillor Letitia under her breath as they waited.
“They probably searched your luggage in your room while you were out,” said Olivia Pierre. “At least the Shuellians are open about it.”
“I hardly think they would. They are our friends, and you will not speak ill of them!” commanded Letitia, glaring at Olivia. It was such a shame she was Pauline’s heir; the girl would bring ruin to their country if she ever made it to the Council. Letitia wished she could have Olivia imprisoned, but alas she was too high ranking.
When the Shuellians had finished making their checks, the Kerlian delegation was instructed to wait in the “greeting area”. Carolyn glanced around nervously as they waited. It was the seventeen-year-old heir’s first time outside of Kerlile, and she hadn’t realised how insecure being abroad would make her. All the propaganda about the patriarchal countries was swimming through her head and she had to take deep breaths.
Georgiou on the other hand was very content to wait. She very much enjoyed her trips abroad, and had been heartbroken when they’d had to be paused during the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War. She hoped that she would be able to travel more now. Olivia Pierre was also feeling very secure. Shuellian security was renowned, and she knew that nobody would be foolish enough to attempt an attack on her while she was here. She hoped she would be able to stay for longer, if she was honest, though she feared to admit it even to herself most of the time.
The Kerlians had been waiting a short while when one of their bodyguards, who had extraordinary hearing perked up and nodded at Georgiou, her immediate boss. The Kerlians quickly fell into a formation, the Councillors at the front, the Daughters behind them and the security lined at the back. They stood facing the door as it opened, and in came Director Mueller, flanked by an extraordinary number of bodyguards, sixteen in suits, armour vests and sunglasses, and six which looked like soldiers. Jia Chiu grasped her mother’s hand and moved back a little.
The man at the center was tall, standing at over 6 feet, wearing a tailored suit with a holster around his waist. He was thinner than they expected. His grey eyes swept over the group, and he cleared his throat.
“Apologies for the wait. I am Director Mueller, and will be in charge of your security as you visit Shuell. I’m pleased to see that you followed our instructions on arrival. Your bodyguards will be provided to you now.”
He held his hand up and snapped his fingers, nodding at the men to either side of him. On cue, the men in suits strode over to the Kerlians, 2 for each one of them. The soldiers, however, stayed with him.
“You’ll be taken to the Metzger hotel, if you’ll follow Mr. Krone.”
Mueller gestured at a portly man standing off to the side. Just as quickly as he arrived, the Director of Internal Security left the greeting area.
The Kerlian delegation all glanced at each other, Letitia Greenwood in particular taken aback by the quickness of the greeting. Reena Patel in particular also seemed rather nervous to be around the Shuellian bodyguards, and found herself moving closer to her Kerlian ones. Nevertheless, the Kerlian delegation were all looking forward to getting to their hotel, and were excited to see what Shuell, and the Olympics, had to offer.
Kerlian aircraft in Shuellian airspace
Sunday 3rd November – morning
Councillor Letitia Greenwood had her fingers pointedly holding her nose as the airplane descended on its approach to Shuell. She glared at Xia Chiu, whose 5-year-old daughter Jia had thrown up everywhere only moments before. Xia avoided her eyes, red faced, as she tried to clear up the vomit of her daughter, who continued to cry and shout about how much her ears hurt. It was Jia’s first flight.
Towards the back of the plane, Reena Patel and Carolyn Greenwood sat playing a card game. The pair were close in age, though Reena was a year older. They had been good friends as children, though these days with Reena’s reformist tendencies, the two had to avoid political discussion. Carolyn let out a swear word as she dropped a card, sending it fluttering down the plane. Her mother took her finger from her nose long enough to shout a sharp warning about bad language down the plane.
Councillor Electra Georgiou chuckled at the mess, leaning back in her seat. She held a book in her hand, place marked with a bookmark as she glanced out the window, watching the clouds go by as they landed. It was her first visit to Shuell, and she was very much looking forward to seeing the architecture. She had been reading about Shuellian food before their departure, and though it didn’t sound exactly up her alley – lichen was not one of her favourites – she was still interested to try.
Olivia Pierre was asleep, having unintentionally fallen asleep, lulled by the motion of the plane. It did not help that she was severely sleep deprived. She woke at every single sound, paranoid that it was someone out to assassinate her. She was the heir to Pauline Pierre, arch-traditionalist… and she was pro-reform. It was an open secret her mother favoured her younger sister Eva, and Olivia feared that she may arrange an “accident” for her. She was looking forward to Shuell. She could finally get a good night’s sleep safe in the knowledge her mother – or her mother’s allies – couldn’t hurt her.
Xia Chiu finally managed to mop all the vomit off her leg. Her face burned red with embarrassment. She hoped she would have some time to change her clothing and that of her daughter’s before they could disembark. She did not want to embarrass her country by meeting with a Shuellian Director while covered in the vomit of a five-year-old girl. She was kicking herself for not anticipating this possibility. She had only wanted a nice little holiday with her daughter, and she liked sport. This was not what she’d had in mind.
“I sincerely hope we will have enough security,” commented Xia. “I do not like how few people we have. We will be at the mercy of the Shuellians.”
“They will not hurt us,” Electra Georgiou sighed. “Especially with so many people around. And they have no reason to. You are overly paranoid.”
“Maybe they will, but frankly they would be justified,” Reena Patel piped up. “Our families have been responsible for atrocities.”
“You will be silent!” commanded Councillor Greenwood. “If you say anything along those lines in public I will make sure that upon our return you will be locked in a cell for the rest of your life. You are seventh in line. That will not be enough to protect you.”
“I’m sixth in line,” muttered Reena sullenly.
The plane touched down, and as soon as it had decelerated to an acceptable speed, one of the cabin crew on the private Kerlian flight was beside Xia and Jia with a change of clothes. The pair hurriedly fixed themselves, Xia snapping at her daughter to be quiet and comply. She was not usually so harsh on her daughter, but the stress was getting to her. Out of shock at being yelled at and the healthy fear of authority every Kerlian learned from birth, Jia fell silent.
They exited the aircraft, looking around them at the foggy weather as they walked through the rain. They then found themselves waiting in an area as their passports were checked and their luggage was unloaded. Very few Kerlian passports existed in the world, thanks to the emigration ban, and so they were a rare sight for anyone who came across one. Of course, few ever did and those who did often had a reaction. Lauchenoirian border personnel tended to need someone else to double check a Kerlian passport was genuine. The Shuellians, however, were very professional about it.
Accompanying the Kerlian delegation were their bodyguards. Three personnel per Councillor or Daughter, each allowed one sidearm each. The absolute maximum security they had been permitted by the Shuellians. Even then, the rest of the Council had been exceptionally worried before they set off. The whole delegation had to wait around while their luggage was searched for contraband.
“The Xiomerans didn’t treat us with such suspicion, place such restrictions on us and subject us to intrusive and insulting searches,” grumbled Councillor Letitia under her breath as they waited.
“They probably searched your luggage in your room while you were out,” said Olivia Pierre. “At least the Shuellians are open about it.”
“I hardly think they would. They are our friends, and you will not speak ill of them!” commanded Letitia, glaring at Olivia. It was such a shame she was Pauline’s heir; the girl would bring ruin to their country if she ever made it to the Council. Letitia wished she could have Olivia imprisoned, but alas she was too high ranking.
When the Shuellians had finished making their checks, the Kerlian delegation was instructed to wait in the “greeting area”. Carolyn glanced around nervously as they waited. It was the seventeen-year-old heir’s first time outside of Kerlile, and she hadn’t realised how insecure being abroad would make her. All the propaganda about the patriarchal countries was swimming through her head and she had to take deep breaths.
Georgiou on the other hand was very content to wait. She very much enjoyed her trips abroad, and had been heartbroken when they’d had to be paused during the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War. She hoped that she would be able to travel more now. Olivia Pierre was also feeling very secure. Shuellian security was renowned, and she knew that nobody would be foolish enough to attempt an attack on her while she was here. She hoped she would be able to stay for longer, if she was honest, though she feared to admit it even to herself most of the time.
The Kerlians had been waiting a short while when one of their bodyguards, who had extraordinary hearing perked up and nodded at Georgiou, her immediate boss. The Kerlians quickly fell into a formation, the Councillors at the front, the Daughters behind them and the security lined at the back. They stood facing the door as it opened, and in came Director Mueller, flanked by an extraordinary number of bodyguards, sixteen in suits, armour vests and sunglasses, and six which looked like soldiers. Jia Chiu grasped her mother’s hand and moved back a little.
The man at the center was tall, standing at over 6 feet, wearing a tailored suit with a holster around his waist. He was thinner than they expected. His grey eyes swept over the group, and he cleared his throat.
“Apologies for the wait. I am Director Mueller, and will be in charge of your security as you visit Shuell. I’m pleased to see that you followed our instructions on arrival. Your bodyguards will be provided to you now.”
He held his hand up and snapped his fingers, nodding at the men to either side of him. On cue, the men in suits strode over to the Kerlians, 2 for each one of them. The soldiers, however, stayed with him.
“You’ll be taken to the Metzger hotel, if you’ll follow Mr. Krone.”
Mueller gestured at a portly man standing off to the side. Just as quickly as he arrived, the Director of Internal Security left the greeting area.
The Kerlian delegation all glanced at each other, Letitia Greenwood in particular taken aback by the quickness of the greeting. Reena Patel in particular also seemed rather nervous to be around the Shuellian bodyguards, and found herself moving closer to her Kerlian ones. Nevertheless, the Kerlian delegation were all looking forward to getting to their hotel, and were excited to see what Shuell, and the Olympics, had to offer.
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax