Diplomatic Relations [IC/Arthropol]

[Arthropol]

7/11/2017

14:00, Toulouse

After driving back to the city centre, they looked for a restaurant. After deciding on one, they ordered a meal, which they ate and paid for. At around 14:50, they took the Toulouse Metro, for the short journey to the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole.

14:56, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole

Alard and Jozef were greeted by the president of the university, as they walked inside. This university was one of many in Toulouse. It was a student city, its student population only second to Arthropol City. Alard had faint memories of the place, having come here for one month as an exchange student while she was studying biochemistry. They walked in with the president of the university. First up, was the science building. It was a massive builiding, built in 2015 after it was subsidised by the Rousseau government. They stepped inside to the first room, where a professor was discussing space time curvature with students. They listened for a while, and asked some questions, and went to the next classroom, a chemisty one. Again, they listened for a while, and Alard asked them a few questions. They repeated it with multiple dirrerent rooms, until they came across a physics room with some kids from school on excursion. There, a professor was teaching them about how aircraft fly. Jozef and Alard, who both had knowledge on the subject, were allowed a while to teach by the professor, who seemed very interested. After they left the room to go to the mathematica building, Jozef said to Alard, "Wow! I didn't know you know so much about aircraft!" to which she replied, "Well, my father was a Cold War Air Force pilot before he joined politics, and my Deputy was a former air force pilot, and his father still works at Airbus. In fact, I think we might get to meet him after dinner tonight." They continued on the tour, until it was time to head back.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/07/17
Time: 16:50 PM UTC +1
Location: Toulouse City Hall, Toulouse, Arthropol

The car pulled up to the city hall, and both leaders stepped out. Toulousain mayor Manuel Berger was waiting for them, for their dinner at the city hall. They all stepped inside the building and sat down to have their meal. The food was catered by a local restaurant downtown. After enjoying their meal, which was quite nice, they went to relax. There was plenty of time before the Toulouse Youth Orchestra concert performing later that evening. They both met Alard's deputy's father who worked at airbus and they all had a very nice discussion. Afterwards, PM Alard opted to go for a swim in the pool, while Jozef went to straighten up his best tuxedo before the concert. He ended up relaxing on the sofa, with his laptop, tracking flights, a way for him to pass the time. He would have gone for a swim, but he didn't have his swimsuit packed as he did not expect the opportunity to go swimming on this trip. He continued tracking flights around the world from his laptop, occasionally looking out to the pool. After she had gone for her swim, and it was getting close to their time to go to the concert, Jozef went up to one of the guest rooms to take a quick shower and change into his tuxedo for the concert. Alard went to one of the other rooms to do the same and change into an elegant evening dress for the concert. Both came down to the front at the same time to go and attend the concert.

[Arthropol]

7/11/2017
2 Degrees Celsius

19:30, Théâtre du Capitole
Jozef and Alard left the city hal, to walk to the theatre, only about 130 m away. Alard said to Jozef, “Tomorrow in Nice, we should really buy you some swimming clothes. Or there won’t be anything to do at the beach, except sit around! I’ll make the change to the schedule on my phone.” They arrived, ready to listen to the Toulouse Youth Orchestra, one of the best orchestras in Arthropol, despite all the members being university students. They could feel the temperature had dropped from yesterday, despite it still being nearly a month to winter.

19:45
After dodging all the media, they managed to find their seats in the special box at the top. Alard took out her phone, and showed Jozef tomorrow’s schedule, they were going to Nice, instead of Bordeaux or Lyon, due to snow and rain. They had opted to take an Arthropol Airlines Regional flight to Lyon. It read:

3:45- Wake up
4:45- Arrive at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, skip check in queue
5:15- AL 4517 Toulouse-Nice
7:00- Land, skip queue
7:30- Breakfast at a local café
8:30- Buy beach clothes for Jozef
9:30- Visit Villefranche beach
13:00- Lunch with uncle and aunt
14:30- Planespotting at Promenade des Anglais near airport
16:00- Visit Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
18:00- Dinner with uncle and aunt
20:00- Relax, play tennis, swim, look at the view, read, etc.

Alard was looking forward to tomorrow, but now, there was the concert.

20:00
The concert started at 8pm sharp, with the curtains opening to an orchestra playing an overture. After the overture, the master of ceremonies introduced the orchestra, and their pieces. They would be playing a varied schedule tonight, with a solo violin.

Jozef opened his program. He saw written inside-

Ludwig van Beethoven- Egmont Overture
Max Bruch- Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor
Interval
Felix Mendelssohn- Violin Concerto in E Minor

The soloist and the orchestra played extremely well, leaving Jozef and Alard impressed. When the pieces were over, the audience gave a standing ovation, cheering for an encore. The soloist came back, and played an encore, as good as the first pieces.

23:17, Toulouse City Hall
After the concert and reception, they made their way back to the City Hall, where after a quick shower and glass of wine, both went to bed. The guest room was large. It had great views of the city Toulouse, and could comfortably live 4 people. The bed was once a large bed, with two double beds next to each other, but they had decided to detach it for the night.

8/11/17
0:07
Jozef couldn’t sleep. He was excited for tomorrow, especially the flight to Nice, which he had heard was on Arthropol Airlines Regional’s brand new Bombardier CS100. He stood up. He checked on Alard. She was fast asleep, in her bed. He walked around and looked out the massive window. After a while, he finally felt tired and decided to go to bed.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/08/17
Time: 03:45 AM UTC +1
Location: Toulouse City Hall, Toulouse, Arthropol

Both of their alarms went off, signalling the start to their busy day. It was still dark outside, but no matter. They needed to be at the airport for their 5:15 flight to Nice. They had both kept their bags packed when they arrived in Toulouse. Jozef checked them both in for the flight as Alard went to go take a shower. Jozef had switched on the TV to see what was on, and accidentally hit a tabloid news channel with celebrity gossip. He was going to change the channel, but the topic of discussion was of him and Alard. Apparently rumors had started among the celebrity tabloids and the paparazzi of them together in a relationship which surprised them both as Alard came into the room. "Well, apparently the gossip media tabloids are having a field day with my visit here. Apparently they think we are dating." Jozef told her as he shut off the TV. "But no matter. Shall we head to the airport?" The car was brought around to the front and their bags were loaded into the trunk. Toulousain mayor Manuel Berger bid them farewell as they got into the car and were soon off to the airport.

Date:11/08/17
Time: 04:45 AM UTC +1
Location: Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, Toulouse, Arthropol

Both leaders stepped out of the car at the departures area of the terminal. Their bags were unloaded from the trunk and checked in for flight AL 4517. They also checked in and got their boarding passes for the flight. After breezing through security rather quickly, they ended up at their gate for the flight. The Bombardier CS100 plane was sitting at the gate. The Toulouse-Nice run was the first of the day for this particular plane so it had sat at the gate overnight. The captain of the flight was there, preparing the plane for the flight and offered a brief tour aboard the new plane for Arthropol Airlines Regional. The Bombardier CS100 was the newest in regional jets, taking flight in 2013 and it has proven to be extremely popular since its introduction into service. Jozef was surprised on how advanced the plane was technologically, compared to similar jets in the same role. Theinterior was quite comfortable as they took their seats and the other passengers were boarding the plane.

[Arthropol]

8/11/17
Toulouse- 4 degrees celsius

5:15, Toulouse-Blagnac Airport

The Bombardier CS100's PW1000G engines powered up as it accelerated off the runway. Jozef and Alard sat in their seats near the back of the plane, and sitting behind them were Jozef’s assistant Eric and Alard’s assistant Francis, who were chatting. They were all wearing cheap touristy clothes, to avoid media attention. It was cold in Toulouse, but in Nice, despite it being nearly winter, it was expected to be 25 degrees that day, perfect for a beach visit.

Nice- 23 degrees celsius
6:43, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport

The aircraft taxied to the tarmac. They had landed well ahead of schedule. As the passengers deplaned via airstairs, a small government van arrived to pick them up, instead of the usual passenger bus. Jozef, Eric, Alard and Francis entered the van, which drove straight out of the airport, after Jozef and Eric showed their diplomatic passports to two armed National Guard soldiers. Alard opened her bag. She distributed a set of realistic looking fake moustaches to Jozef, Eric and Francis. She then took out a wig and some sunglasses, and put the, on. They were trying to avoid the media, so they could do everything they had planned in Nice. First stop, they were headed to find a local cafe from them to eat breakfast.

7:22, Café in Nice

After a while, they managed to find a relatively empty cafe near the city centre. After looking at the menu, they all ordered some coffee, and some pain au chocolat. After a long breakfast, where everyone discussed current affairs, they decided to find somewhere to buy Jozef and Eric some wet gear.

8:26, Store

Jozef and Eric looked through the men’s swimwear section, looking for some gear for the beach today. Finally, they bought two rashies and two boardshorts. They paid the cashier with a 50 euro note, and changed into them in the public toilet nearby. They sat back in the van, which started to drive to the beach. They would be going to a private section of the beach a bit away from Nice. It was owned by Alard’s uncle and aunt, who ran a small hotel next to the beach.

9:31, Beach

After some driving and a traffic jam, they arrived at the private beach. There Alard informed them, “You can take off your fake moustaches now, there’s not many people around here,” as she took off her wig ans sunglasses. She then said, “I’ll only be here for a while, I’ll have to go to the hotel at around 11, to do some work. November holidays might have started yesterday, but I still have things I need to do.” They exited the van, and Jozef and Eric went to the beach first. There was already an umbrella, and a cooler box with drinks and wine set up. It was only 9:30, although the temperature was already 24 degrees. Alard and Francis went to the public changing area to change into their beach gear.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/08/17
Time: 09:35 AM UTC +1
Location: Villefranche beach, Nice, Arthropol

"Eric, I must admit, it is quite nice out here. The beautiful coastline, the clear water, Who wouldn't enjoy this." Eric nodded. Indeed it was beautiful, to enjoy the beach, something rarely enjoyed in The Dreamliners at this time of the year. Alard and Francis came out in their swimwear, and Francis pulled out a little water pistol and drenched Eric. They had some beach fun, tossing a frisbee, the game of volleyball or two and some other fun, the 11 o'clock hour rolled around and Alard left to go take care of business at the hotel. After she had left, Jozef sat on a lounge chair under the umbrella, put on his sunglasses and opened a can of ginger ale. He then pulled out a book 'Crime and Punishment' by Dostoyevsky, one of his favorite authors and began to read where he left off. Eric and Francis were tossing the frisbee. Francis accidentally tossed it to Jozef, who caught it and threw it to Eric, all without looking away from his book. Soon it was time for lunch. Jozef was supposed to have lunch with Alard's aunt and uncle at the hotel. After Alard had finished her work, she went to get Jozef for their lunch. When she came out on the beach, the two assistants were still tossing the frisbee to each other and Jozef was still reading his book. He didn't notice Alard was standing next to him until she spoke. "Dostoyevsky. A brilliant author." Jozef closes the book. "Indeed. I assume its around 1:00?" He asked, putting the book away. Alard nodded and they both left the beach to go meet her aunt and uncle. Eric and Francis, off for the rest of the day, decided to go explore Nice.

Date:11/08/17
Time: 13:00 PM UTC +1
Location: Villefranche beach hotel, Nice, Arthropol

After both leaders changed back into their tourist clothes, they all sat down at a table with Alard's aunt and uncle, the owners of the hotel and the beach. After chatting for a bit, lunch was served. There was plenty to eat and several interesting choices. After eating their meal and chatting a bit more, they departed for their next event, planespotting at Promenade des Anglais near airport.

[Arthropol]

8 November 2017
26 degrees Celsius

14:20, Promenade des Anglais

After a short drive to Nice, the driver found a parking location and parked. There, Alard put on her wig and sunglasses and Jozef put on his fake moustache and hat. They took their camera and headed to the beach. The Promenade des Anglais had originally been smaller, but some years ago, it was extended to people could see the airport view, similar to St Maarten. They put down their beach chairs on the beach near the end of the runway, and the usually crowded was unusually empty since most people were at work or school. After a few minutes of waiting, they could see their first plane. It was an Arthropol Airlines A330-343, headed from New York. Jozef got a few good pictures of the plane. Many planes came that afternoon, including an Emirates A380-861, many A320s, and a few regional jets along with a few widebodies. After a while, they decided to head to the museum. It was a close distance, so they would be walking.

15:55, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

After walking to the museum and picking up a bit of afternoon tea on the way, they headed inside. The museum was very interesting with many artworks. After a while, they headed back outside, where the car was waiting, to transport them back to the hotel.

17:51, Villefranches Hotel

After arriving back at the hotel, while the meal was still cooking, they saw Francis and Eric, who had already arrived back. Francis said, “You guys should take a look at our room. It’s amazing!” They took the lift up to the top floor, where their room was. It was a big room and had a great view. It had 4 separate beds, each with their own television. The bathroom was hanging from the side of the building, and was made out of one way glass, meaning you could see outside, but the people outside couldn’t see you. Alard decided to show Jozef tomorrow’s schedule. They were heading to Lyon, where it was the opposite of Nice. It was expected to be cold, at -2 degrees.

4:45- Wake up
6:00- Arrive at airport
6:15- Air Inter flight 176 Nice-Lyon (Mercure Neo)
7:00- Arrive in Lyon
7:30- Meet Lyonnaise mayor Earnest Simon
9:00- Visit Royale Technologies factory
11:00- SFNA rail demonstration
14:00- Air tour of Alps (CRJ200), lunch
17:00- Return to City Hall, relax
20:00- River cruise of Rhône River, dinner
23:00- Return to City Hall, sleep

That was tomorrow. They began to head down, for dinner with Alard’s aunt and uncle, Robert Bernier and Stéphane Alard.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/08/17
Time: 18:00 PM UTC +1
Location: Villefranche hotel, Nice, Arthropol

They both stepped into the dining room. Robert Bernier and Stéphane Alard had a table reserved in the corner. They both sat down with them and soon dinner was served. After ordering their food, eating it, and enjoying a lovely conversation, they were waiting for the musical performance to begin. However the pianist had called in sick so there was no one to play. Jozef opted to fill in on the piano, surprising the three of them. He went over to the beautiful grand piano and started playing beautiful music. Being several years since he played, he was doing beautifully, and attracting quite a crowd around the piano, including Alard. After a few songs, some bringing a few of the women to tears, Jozef ended his piano playing to a roaring applause. Dinner service had ended and everyone was returning to their rooms for the evening.

Date:11/08/17
Time: 20:00 PM UTC +1
Location: Top floor suite, Villefranche hotel, Nice, Arthropol

They entered their room, Jozef's piano performance was abuzz around the hotel. "I didn't think my piano playing was that good. I was just filling in to pass the time." Jozef stated. "You had attracted quite a crowd around the piano after dinner, even made a few of the other women cry during one of your songs. I didn't even know you could play." Alard replied. "I havent played in front of a crowd in years. I usually play by myself, when I have one of my days off from politics but those days are few and far between. When I can play, I thoroughly enjoy it." He sat down on the bed. Alard went to go change into her swimming gear to go for a nighttime dip. Jozef decided to put on his boardshorts and continue reading his book by the pool, and perhaps a tennis match later on.

[Arthropol]

8/11/17
15 degrees celsius

Villefranche hotel, 21:23

After swimming a while, and playing some tennis, Jozef and Alard decided to have an early night tonight. After they both had a shower, they decided to go to bed.

9/11/17
22 degrees Celsius
4:45

They woke up at 4:45, ready for the day. They packed their bags, and took the lift downstairs. They went outside, where a car was waiting. They went into the car, with Eric and Francis, and they were off to the airport. They were taking an Air Inter commute flight to Lyon.

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, 5:54

After skipping through customs, they made it just in time to the gate. Air Inter 176 was operated by a Dassault Mercure NEO, one of 20 Mercures that Airbus helped install new engines on for Arthropol Airlines and Air Inter. The aircraft looked older than most as they boarded.

IT176, 6:13

After the climb, breakfast was immediately served. It was some fruits in a bag. After eating the provided food, Alard took her handbag and went to the bathroom to change, as she was still in her shirt and pants. In Nice, it was still a good temperature, at around 20 degrees, while in Lyon, winter was already beginning and it was colder, at only 2 degrees. After a few minutes, she came out, in a long sleeve dress with a coat. She told Jozef to do the same, as the weather forecast was played on the overhead TV. A few minutes later, he came out in a thicker suit, long pants and tie. A few minutes after, some drinks and coffee was served, and they began descending towards Lyon.

Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport, 7:03

After deplaning by airstairs, a government car was already there to meet them. It drove off, ready to meet mayor Earnest Simon.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/09/17
Time: 07:30 AM UTC +1
Location: Lyon City Hall, Lyon, Arthropol

The car pulled up to the city hall and both leaders stepped out. Jozef pulled out his heavy winter coat. It was the starts of winter, in November no less but Jozef wasn't exactly used to it yet. They both went up the steps and stepped inside the city hall and made their way to the mayor's office. Mayor Earnest Simon was sitting at his desk when both leaders stepped into the office. "Good Morning to the both of you. I trust your flight was pleasant?" He asked, as he shook hands with both leaders. "It was pleasant, for an early morning flight. I must admit, I understand it's winter, well getting close to it, but I am definitely not used to the cold yet." Jozef answered. "Is that the reason you're wearing that heavy coat?" Alard asked. "No, I came close to getting frostbite once. Better to be safe than sorry. In my years, in flying, life, and politics, I've learned to be a cautious man." They all sat down and started having a rather delightful and interesting conversation about travel, tourism, and The Dreamliners.

[Arthropol]

9.11.2017
0 degrees celsius

8:54 - Royale Technologies Lyon Factory

After talking with Lyonnais mayor Earnest Simon, they were at the Royale Technologies factory, just outside Lyon. They walked in, and the factory manager greeted them. This was the main factory of Royale Technologies, one of the biggest companies in the world. There was also another factory the side, owned by Royale Transportation, a subsidary. They would be testing high speed trains there later. But first, they were going to visit the digital section. The manager showed them through the factory, and offered Jozef a free complementary phone and laptop. After that, they went over the transportation factory to test some high speed trains.

11:00

After entering the transportation factory, they had a look at the buses, high speed trains and aircraft that were on the production line. They walked out the back and there was a test station, this time operated by thr SFNA, the state owned rail operator of Arthropol. They stepped in the train, a Royale Horizon trainset and boarded the first carriage. The carriage was well heated by the air conditioning, and Alard and Jozef both took off their coats. Today, on the test tracks near Lyon, they would be attempting to break the record of 660 km/h om a train, which was set by itself. The train sped up, and a display showed that it was already at 200 km/h after a short while. By the time they were at full speed, they were nearly in Arthropol City already. They looked at the display, and they had broken the record, at 674 km/h. The train stopped, and the drivers switched to the opposite end of the train. They went back to Lyon, at a slower speed where there was a reception with media. After the reception, they left for the airport, to go to the aerial tour. They were hungry, and ready for lunch while having a tour of the beautiful Arthropolian Alps. They had heard last minute the flight had be rescheduled to a 737-300, one of the first built of the type.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/09/17
Time: 14:00 PM UTC +1
Location: Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport, Lyon, Arthropol

Boarding had commenced on the 737-300. Jozef knew the aircraft type inside and out, as it was one of the first aircraft he knew how to fly, though his certification for it was long out of date while the 747 and 777 certifications were current, and Northern Airways stopped running the 737-300 back in 2007. They however were bringing them back for the holiday season. They stepped aboard the plane and took their seats before the wing and engine. Once everyone had boarded for the sightseeing flight of the Alps, the main cabin door was closed and the aging 737 was pushed back from the gate. The usual safety briefing is done as the plane reaches the runway threshhold. After sitting for a short while, the engines spool up and the plane starts rolling down the runway. The compression "Buzzsaw" sound of the engines echoes throughout the plane as it accelerates and soon lifts into the air. The ground sinks below the plane as it climbs and turns on its heading to the Alps for the sightseeing tour.

[Arthropol]

9/11/17

14:31, Alps

After a short while, the 737 descended and began to tour the Alps. A few minutes later, lunch was served. It was some Salade Lyonnaise, a local dish. It was very comfortable in the all business layout, and, they had a clear view of the wing, engine and the beautiful snow covered mountains. After a while, a flight attendant came down from the front, and asked them if they would like to have a look in the cockpit. They could only go one by one, as the 737 only had one jump seat.

16:41, Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport

The aircraft landed on the runway, just as the sky was turning red, signifying that sunset was near. They deplaned, and the government car took them back to the City Hall. They decided to go to one of the city’s many parks, and stayed there for a while, and enjoyed the snow. Alard opened her phone, to see that Francis had sent her tomorrow’s and the day after that’s schedule. It read:

10 November
Amenidor- 11 degrees celsius
4:30- Wake up
5:00- Eat breakfast
6:30- Air Atlantique AQ7351 Lyon-Bordeaux (A300)
7:20- Land
7:40- Go to Pont de Pierre
8:00- Visit Mayor Noémie Pichard
9:30- Visit Musical Academy of Aquitaine
12:00- Buy lunch from a restaurant
13:30- Wine tasting in a winery
16:00- Visit Aquitaine Institute of Chemical Sciences
19:00- Dinner at City Hall

11 November- Good Weather in Arthropol City Plan
4:00- Wake up
5:00- Arthropol Airlines AL 3081 Bordeaux-Arthropol Metro (A320)
8:00- Armistice Day commemoration parade at Rue de l’Arthropol
11:00- Minute of silence
13:00- Depart for either The Dreamliners or Nouméa

11 November- Bad Weather in Arthropol City Plan
6:00- Wake up
8:00- Armistice Day commemoration parade
11:00- Minute of Silence
13:00- Depart on Arthropol Airlines flight to Lexian or Papeete via Santiago

It even included a plan, if the forecasted bad weather in Arthropol City looked like it was going to occur. If it did, all flights to Arthropol City would be diverted. When it was nearly 20:00, they walked towards the river, to take a cruise on the Rhône. They had heard that Francis and Eric would be joining them. Alard asked, “So, would you like to go to the Pacific? Visit Papeete or Nouméa?

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/09/17
Time: 20:00 PM UTC +1
Location: Rhône River, Lyon, Arthropol

"I'd be interested in going. I've never really been to the pacific regions and I hear it's nice this time of year." Jozef told her, as they boarded the cruise boat on the river. The snow continued to gently fall as the boat left the dock. They met Eric and Francis on the bow of the boat. After an hour on the water, dinner is served inside the boat. After a lovely dinner, Alard and Jozef went out on deck to view the skyline as the snow continued falling. Around 23:00, the boat docked back and the passengers disembarked. Alard, Jozef, Eric, and Francis dis as well. "That was quite lovely. A nice cruise on the river, something I haven't done in a long time. Thank you very much." The government car pulled up and they all climbed in. They were soon off to the city hall. It was getting quite late and they needed to be up early in the morning to catch their 6:30 flight.

Once they got to the city hall, they all went to their quarters for the evening. Jozef however pulled Eric aside. "Eric. I need you to see what you can arrange for me getting training and certification on the A350 and updating my certification on the 737. Doesn't have to be right now, as it is late, but at some point." Jozef told him. Eric nodded. "I'll see what can be arranged tomorrow morning. Goodnight Mr. President." They both stepped into their quarters for the night. Jozef stood by the window of his room, watching the snow gently fall on the ground. This trip was going quite well, even beyond his expectations. Obviously he would need to return the favor to Alard and Francis, as a way of paying back the hospitality they had shown both him and Eric. Perhaps when the weather was warmer back home. Jozef climbed into the bed and went to sleep.

[Arthropol]

10 November 2017

4:30, City Hall

Everyone woke up, ready for a long day today. They were visiting Bordeaux today. Alard already had her laptop open, with the modified schedules for the next day ready. They were going to Arthropol City, as the weather looked like it would be fine. It read-

11/11/17
4:00- Wake up
5:00- Arthropol Airlines AL 3081 Bordeaux-Arthropol Metro (A320)
8:00- Armistice Day commemoration parade at Rue de l’Arthropol
11:00- Minute of silence
13:00- Meet Deputy Prime Minister/Transportation Minister Laurent Rousseau to talk about high speed rail
15:00- Arthropol Airlines AL 4302 Arthropol City-Noumea (A359ULR, 20 hours)
12/11/17
21:00- Arrive in Noumea, check in at hotel

They got dressed, and went outside. There, they found a small cafe, where they had breakfast together. After, they went back to their room, had showers, and got ready to go to the airport.

6:22, Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport

The government car drove across the tarmac to the gate, where the Air Atlantique A300-600 was already there. They boarded from the airstairs, where most of the passengers had already boarded. After a few more minutes, the aircraft taxied to the runway. The aircraft was packed with people, most reading newspapers or looking outside. The PW4000 engines spooled up with a loud noise as it carried its full load of cargo and passengers down the runway. After arriving Bordeaux, the aircraft would be departing again for New York. After the initial climb, the flight attendants served some coffee and drinks, and soon after, the descent began.

7:20, Bordeaux-Merignac Airport

After a short flight, the A300-600 landed in Bordeaux, where a government car picked them up, ready to go to the Pont de Pierre.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/10/17
Time: 07:40 AM UTC +1
Location: Pont de Pierre, Amenidor, Arthropol

The drive was quite pleasant to Pont de Pierre. The famed "Stone Bridge" as it was known in English translation was quite beautiful to see, as it stretched over the river. This was an important part to the Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit, the logistical schedule for transporting A380 parts to Toulouse, the final assembly site for the monstrous plane. After seeing the bridge, and taking photos, they got back into the car and went to downtown Amenidor, to go see Mayor Noémie Pichard. They got to the Amenidor City Hall around 8 and stepped out of the car. Even though it was only 8 in the morning, the city itself was full of bustle and hustle. The media was also waiting for them at the city hall. "Great, not more tabloid gossip." Jozef groaned. He was still a bit uneasy from the whole gossip tabloids back in Toulouse. "I didnt think my diplomatic visit here would garner so much media attention." Josef told Alard as they stepped inside the city hall.

[Arthropol]

10 November 2017
8:00, City Hall

They had a long talk with mayor Noémie Pichard. They were surprised by how much media there was, despite it being in the middle of the November holidays. After a while, they went to the press conference room, to answer some questions for the media. When it as time to go, they went outside, to catch the metro to the Musical Academy of Aquitaine, sometimes called the Conservatoire de Aquitaine, one of the best in Arthropol and the world.

9:27, Musical Academy of Aquitaine

After a short metro journey to the Musical Academy of Aquitaine, they stepped inside and were greeted by director Phil Verninac. The building was divided into three sections, with the voice and percussion section on the left, the strings section in the middle, and the winds section on the right. First, Verninac decided to take them to the voice and percussion section. The first room in the section was a piano one. One of the piano teachers there was playing piano, having no classes due to the holiday. He invited both Alard and Jozef to play on some of the pianos in the room. Alard could play some easy songs, because she had done piano at school, but Jozef was pretty good at the piano. Next, they went to the vocal classroom, where an opera teacher was there. They tried to do some singing, and both were equally as bad. After that, Verninac took them to the strings building. First, they tried the cello. Then they tried the violin, which Alard was pretty good at. After trying the harp, they went to the winds building where they tried the trumpet, flute and clarinet. After listening to some students play for a while, they decided to go to a local restaurant to get lunch.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/10/17
Time: 12:00 PM UTC +1
Location: Local cafe, Amenidor, Arthropol

"I didn't think my singing was that bad. Only member of my family that could sing opera was my sister, and she still does. I haven't spoken to her in quite a while though. You probably did better than me." Jozef told her. They ordered their food and continued talking until the food arrived. After the lovely meal, and another bottle of wine as a gift for Jozef from the Cafe, they paid for their meal and departed to their next destination on the itinerary, wine tasting at one of the many wineries in the region, then afterwards going to the Aquitaine Institute of Chemical Sciences. They climbed into the government car and went off to their next destination to sample some wines.

[Arthropol]

13:29, Winery in the Gironde Department

After a short drive, they arrived at the winery, which some consider to be the best in the world, to sample some wines. It was a family run winery, with many generations running it, that could be traced all the way from before WW1. The owner, a man who looked about 60, came out. He introduced himself as Bruno Ledoux. First, he took them on a tour of the farm, with the many grape plants. After a while, he took them inside, to taste some wines. There was wine from the early 20th century, to new wines of 2017. First, he opened a red wine from 1967 from them to taste. Then, a white wine and many others. After a while, they decided to not drink too much to prevent getting to intoxicated. They talked a while with Bruno, and after that, they got ready to leave. Jozef purchased a bottle of wine from Bruno, and he told them, "It's a gift for my family." They got in the car, ready to go to the Aquitaine Institute of Chemical Sciences, which was one of the finest chemistry schools in the world.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/10/17
Time: 15:30 PM UTC +1
Location: On the road to the Aquitaine Institute of Chemical Sciences, Amenidor, Arthropol

On the drive there, both leaders started discussing some more topics of travel, what airlines should have and what airlines can do without to remain competitive in the market. Both Arthropol Airlines and Northern Airways were among the largest airlines in the skies today. Then the topic of environmental protection came up, as well as the travel plans in Noumea upon arrival. Francis was working on the schedule for Noumea while Eric was busy going about scheduling training for President Jozef on the A350XWB, and recertification for the 737 series. While they were chatting, the trip continued and soon the car pulled up to the school.

[Arthropol]

10 November 2017
16:00, Aquitaine Institute of Chemical Sciences

After the drive, they went inside the school to have a look. It was pretty empty, as it was the holidays, but the director showed them around the school, and told them about the achievements of some of the past students. After, they went back to City Hall.

19:00, City Hall

After arriving at City Hall, they attended dinner with the mayor, and several other important people. After talking for a while, the food arrived, and they had dinner. After dinner, they went to the guest room, for the night.

11 November 2017
4:00, City Hall

They woke up. They got ready, and had a shower, and at around 4:30, a car picked them up to go to the airport, to take AL3081 to Arthropol Metro Airport

4:50, Bordeaux-Merignac Airport

After arriving at the airport, they boarded the Arthropol Airlines flight to Arthropol City Metro Airport. It was a brand new A320neo, that had just been delivered last week. Despite the flight being Arthropol 3081, the callsign would be Arthropol 2, as the Prime Minister was on board. They sat in the plane, waiting for takeoff.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/11/17
Time: 05:00 AM UTC +1
Location: On the plane to Arthropol Metro, Amenidor-Merignac Airport, Arthropol

The doors were closed as the 5 AM hour rolled around and the plane began pushback as the new CFM LEAP-1A engines started with a puff of white smoke and could be heard running up to idle power over the PA announcement in the cabin. After the usual safety briefing and demonstration, the plane began taxiing to the runway from the terminal. Even though it was an early morning flight, several commercial airliners were already lining up for departure on the runway, most of them were of the A320 family. One by one the planes before Arthropol 2 lined up on the runway and departed like clockwork and soon, it was the turn of the A320neo. The plane lined up on the runway and the engines spooled up to takeoff thrust. There was no "buzzsaw" sound from the engines, which surprised Jozef, since he had grown accustomed to the sound in his many travels. The plane accelerated down the runway and was soon airborne on its way to Arthropol Metro Airport. After a seemingly routine flight, the plane begins its descent into Arthropol Metro. After a bit of a rough descent in, with mild clear air turbulence, the plane touches down in Arthropol Metro Airport and taxis to the terminal. As the passengers deplane, President Jozef is given the opportunity to see the flight deck of the A320neo and the flight crew paused their duties to take photos with the visiting president. Once they deplaned, with the captain giving him an Arthropol Airlines A320neo model, signed by the crew, they collected their baggage and left the terminal. Jozef bought a few more small aircraft models before exiting the terminal. A government car was waiting for them at the arrivals area of the airport.

[Arthropol]

11/11/17
7:00, Royal Palace

After a 10 minute metro trip from the airport to the Royal Palace, they walked in, with two of the National Guard soldiers, armed in combat gear. In fact, the entire street, where the parade was going to occur later, was almost completely surrounded by National Guard soldiers, to deter any communists. Just last year, a communist had tried to attack the Parliament building, but was luckily shot by an off duty police officer. They were going to stay in the Royal Palace for while, before the parade. The Armistice Day parade was one of the three major military parades of the year, also including VE Day on 8 May and Independence Day on 1 October. After waiting a while, they went to their reserved location at the Memorial Statue at the very end of the biggest street, Rue de l'Arthropol. It looked like it was going to rain, but no amount rain was going to stop this parade. As they arrived, Alard got out her blue cornflower badge, and pinned it on her dress. She also gave one to Jozef to pin pon his suit. It was easy to tell who was from where, with the commonwealth people having a poppy, and the French and Arthropolians wearing the blue cornflower.

8:00, Rue de l'Arthropol

The parade started at 8:00 sharp, with the first sound of a jet engine. King Pierre and the royal family had joined them, in the VIP spectator area, with all the veterans and special people that were going to make a speech today. As the sound grew louder, they could see 9 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets overhead. They let out coloured gas, to make an Arthropolian flag in the grey sky. The band started to play, and the flag party marched up. They were holding the flags of Arthropol and some of the other allied nations. They raised the flags on the poles one by one, as the national anthems played. Then the real parade began. First the soldiers, from all 5 services, marched down the street, and gathered in a small area near the memorial statue and arch. Then, the foreign contingents marched down the street in alphabetical order by country name, and stopped behind the other troops. This year, there was a lot of foreign troops, from Australia to the USA. there was an aerial show, with different jets, even an Arthropol Airlines A380 painted in a commemorative livery, with a blue cornflower, and a poppy. After a few speeches, it was nearly 11:00.

11:00

At 11:00, the entire parade had a minute of silence. Not much sound could be heard in the city, except the birds going away, and the waves crashing on the beach. At exactly 11:01, the minute of silence finished. After a few more readings, the troops marched back to Capitale Barracks. The parade was over. After some interviews with media, it was nearly 13:00, and they hurried back to the Prime Ministeral residence to talk about possibilities of high speed rail in The Dreamliners, with Deputy Prime Minister and Transportation Minister Laurent Rousseau over a casual lunch. They found Rousseau talking to a news reporter, and took him, Eric, and Francis, to the government cars. Today, because of the increased terror threat, they would be riding in an armoured motorcade.

[The Dreamliners]

Date:11/11/17
Time: 13:00 PM UTC +1
Location: Prime Ministeral Residence, Arthropol City, Arthropol

The motorcade pulled up at the residence. Deputy Prime Minister and Transportation Minister Laurent Rousseau was waiting for them. Lunch was being made as the group sat down to discuss the possibility of a new high speed rail in The Dreamliners. Laurent started discussions. "So, what kind of system does your nation run for rail transport?" Jozef took a drink of water. "Our rail system is diesel-electric. It's a bit old compared to modern technology today, but it gets the job done." They continued discussions over their lunch and the prospective terms were set. Francis came in, notifying them of their flight to Noumea, departing Arthropol City International in a half hour. They finished their lunch, said their goodbyes to Laurent, climbed into the car and went to the airport.

Date:11/11/17
Time: 14:45 PM UTC +1
Location: Arthropol City International Airport, Arthropol City, Arthropol

They got to the airport with relative ease. Once at the check in area of the terminal, they both checked their bags for the flight. After getting their boarding passes and going through security, they went directly to the gate. Jozef picked up a few Arthropol Airlines and Northern Airways models at one of the duty free shops by the gate. Boarding proceeded as normal, and they all had first class seats on the plane. It was a 20 hour flight from Arthropol City to Noumea, so why not enjoy the way there in first class. Jozef had the first first class seat on the left side at the window, and Alard had the seat across the aisle and Eric and Francis had the seats behind them. Boarding had finished right on schedule and the plane began pushback right at 3:00 on the dot. After the usual safety briefing and demonstration, the A350-900ULR began taxiing to the runway. There was already a line of flights waiting for departure from various airlines. Several planes ahead, and turning onto the runway for departure, Jozef recognized the Northern Airways "Arthropol Hybrid" Boeing 767-300ER (A9-170), flying as NA477 to Lexian. Usually the route was flown by a 747-400, but a scheduling change had put the 767 on the Arthropol City-Lexian flight for this one day. A Patagonia Air Extended A380 landed and vacated the runway as the Northern Airways plane began its takeoff roll. Another jet, this time a Byelorussian Airlines Tu-154 lined up on the runway. The plane waited, and soon the next arriving flight came in, this time a Northern Airways 747-400 flying from St. Joseph as NA478. After the jumbo jet vacated the runway, the TU-154 departed. This process of flights happened four more times and soon it was the turn of the A350-900ULR to line up on the runway. After another arriving flight came in, the RR Trent engines spooled up and the plane began its takeoff roll. Midway down the runway, the plane reached Vr speed and became airborne, climbing higher on the departure vector for the 20 hour flight to Nouméa International Airport.

[Arthropol]

11/11/17
15:07, UTC +1, Arthropol
After taking off, they could see many aircraft in the airport out the window. There was an Air France A320, an Emirates A380 and an Air Atlantique 787-9 waiting to take off on one of the runways. As the flight climbed, one of the crew members said in French, “Welcome aboard Arthropol Airlines. Today our flight to Nouméa will take 20 to 22 hours. We will be having dinner service shortly.” It was repeated in English, Occitan, and a few Polynesian languages.

As soon as the seatbelt sign turned off, Alard went to Jozef’s door and said, “Come on, I want to introduce you to someone.” They went to the First Class galley, where they found a flight attendant. Alard said, “Jozef, this is my sister Céleste. She works for Arthropol Airlines.” They shook hands and Céleste said, “I can show you some of the places where passengers don’t usually go, normally we wouldn’t allow anyone, but I can make a special exception for you two.” She took them to the crew rest, down below the cabin. Inside were some flight attendants and pilots, who were going to fly the end of the journey. This aircraft had an expanded crew rest, as the flight was extremely long. It would take them from Arthropol over Switzerland, Germany and Poland, then through Russia, China, Korea and then Nouméa. It would sometimes have to stop in Asia for extra fuel, if the weather was unfavourable. They returned to their seats.

16:22, UTC +1, Czechia
After a while, Céleste came again and said, “The pilots say you can come to the flight deck!” They went to the cockpit, where the pilots introduced themselves as Captain Maurice Millet and First Officer Roland Saint-Yves. Captain Millet said, “Currently we’re over Czechia, near Prague.” They looked out, and could see the sunset, at FL430. After a while, they left, and Captain Millet said, “I’ll send Céleste to come get you again later, we’re flying a slightly longer route today, and if we’re lucky, we’ll get to see the Aurora Borealis over Russia.

19:31, UTC +1, Western Russia
After some looking out the window and IFE, a young flight attendant came to their door. He introduced himself as Claude and asked them what dinner option they would like from the menu. They ordered their food, and had dinner. After dinner, Francis invited them to his seat, where he had the schedule for Nouméa.

13/11/17, UTC +11
6:00- Breakfast at Seaside Hotel
8:00- Visit Aquarium
10:00- Visit Musée de Nouvelle-Calédonie
12:00- Local cuisine lunch at hotel
13:30- Visit beach
16:00- Afternoon tea at street market, buy fruit
17:00- Return to hotel

22:51, UTC +1, Northern Siberia

Céleste came, and invited them to the flight deck again. Captain Millet said, “Right now, we’re over Siberia, and if you look there, you can see the Aurora Borealis. It looked amazing, and they stayed there for at least half an hour, as the captain made the announcement to the passengers. They went back to their seat, and decided to sleep a while, as it was going to be a long flight.

12/11/17
22:03, UTC +11, Nouméa, New Caledonia, Arthropolian Pacific Territories, Arthropol

After a long flight, that was a bit delayed due to the longer flight path, it finally arrived. Despite it being the longest flight in the world, it still taxied to the domestic terminal, and there was no border control. They could already feel the temperature difference. Despite being in November still, it already felt like summer. A quick look at the weather forecast for the next day showed that it would be 11 degrees in Arthropol City, 0 in Lyon, 6 in Bordeaux, 4 in Toulouse, and 14 in Nice but 32 in Nouméa and 34 in Pape'ete. It was strange, as the Pacific regions would usually be around 26-28 at this time of year. After a short drive in a government car to the hotel, they checked in and went to their room, and decided to sleep for the night.