[Grundhavn]

Approach to Ixtenco Airport, Ixtenco, Itotemoc Region, Huenya

Bjarne Torvaldsen and Erik Kristiansen both woke up at about the same time, as their plane was making its final approach into Ixtenco, Huenya. They were both part of the first-ever election observation team from Grundhavn to Huenya, which was a moment of pride for many Grundhavs. Their nation, which had previously mostly had interaction with other nations only in trade and commerce, was stepping on to the world stage and their influence was going to be recognized. Wags pointed out that Huenya was on a completely different continent (Caxcana as opposed to Hesperida) and across the Promethean Sea, so it wasn't surprising that this was the first-ever anything from Grundhavn to Huenya. Bjarne and Erik were both election workers in their local precincts who had been selected through a competitive process. They'd introduced themselves at the beginning of the flight, then both promptly fell asleep.

Bjarne spoke first. "Say, Erik, you know much about Huenya?"

Erik replied, "I know they used to be part of the Xiomeran Empire. But there was some dispute or other, a bunch of Huenyans and Xiomerans died, and now they're not part of it anymore. You'd think they would have had some sort of negotiated peace, payments for release of contract, mutual trade agreements, the usual. But you know people from the southern end of the IDU, all that sun makes 'em crazy hot-blooded. Acourse, the Emperor or Empress basically has all the power, so they didn't really have a tradition of democracy or self-government."

Bjarne whistled. "So this election really is important. They're going to be voting for the first time ever. Guess that's why they brought in so many folks from around the IDU."

"Yup," said Erik. "That's why we've got so many security guys around. The Lord Mayor really leaned on all the guilds to make sure we were safe."

Bjarne looked around. He'd seen the black-clothed guys toting weapons, but he hadn't noticed that they were wearing different armbands. There was the coin emblem of the Bankers' Guild, the rings of the Jewelers' Guild, the hammer of the Smiths' Guild, and many others. There were probably five times as many private security personnel as election observers.

"Are they expecting something?" asked Bjarne.

"I suppose they're ready for anything," said Erik. "You know sometimes we get thugs we have to boot out of the precincts, so there'll probably be ten times what we're used to, and I hear there are terrorist groups active in the country too."

Bjarne shuddered. "But we're in a big city. The regional capital, right? Surely there won't be any real danger."

Erik shrugged. "Well, the Federal Intelligence Services is headquartered here, so there'll be spooks around to supposedly stop things before they start. But I don't know that I trust them. There are probably spies everywhere. If anything happens, it'll be because of traitors within the FIS. New states, especially ones coming out of an empire, always have problems with corruption."

"Well, we fixed it, didn't we?" said Bjarne. "So who's going to fix it here?"

Erik snorted. "There's only one candidate with half a chance. That's Quauhxocheupo. Former economist for the Imperial Bank of Xiomera. She's a total professional; understands money, knows the importance of competence, and won't waste money on a gigantic military or generous handouts. Knows how to get out of the way of business too. The kind of person Grundhavn can work with. Ixtenco's a massive port. With the right kind of development and some Grundhavish capital, it could be a real center of trade and an investment that pays off for us."

"That's right, you told me you worked for the State Councillor for Economics & Finance. So this isn't just about making sure the election goes well for you," said Bjarne.

"Yeah, but keep it under your hat. I'm also supposed to do some evaluation of Huenya as a potential trade partner."

"So what about the other candidates?" asked Bjarne. He worked for the Hospital Workers' Union, so finance wasn't the only thing on his mind.

"Well, there's Tiacihitli," said Erik. "He's the Unification Party candidate. His major platform is national reconciliation, but he's also got standard centre-left ideas. You know, tax, regulate, spend. He's Itotemoc, so whatever precinct you're stationed at, he'll probably pull a lot of support. But there's also Yucuyche, the Green. He has a decent understanding of checks and balances, wants to build a culture of democracy, and he's been fighting for that against Xiomera for a while. But he's also trying to outspend Tiacihitli, so he's got no sense of fiscal responsibility."

"Hmm," mused Bjarne. "They all sound fairly normal. So why are we so worried?"

Erik frowned. "Well, there's still the possibility of Xiomeran interference, but this Acxopotl guy is troubling. His party's named after the war god and not only does he shrug off the possibility of going to war with Xiomera, but he wants to give their indigenous religion real power in the country. Kind of a barbarian, if you ask me. No telling what his supporters might do."

"Attention, we are now making our final descent into Ixtenco." A voice crackled over the loudspeaker.

Erik turned to Bjarne and grinned. "Better buckle up."

OOC: please note that any ignorance or offense on the part of Bjarne and Erik about Huenya can be taken as Grundhavish parochialism.