A New Dawn on Largo Beach [CLOSED]

[The Huterric Union]

After many years of looking at each other's nations and going "They look cool", the Huterric Union and Coconut Palm Island are finally committing to being friendly towards each other. Through their similar stances on many topics they feel a partnership would work out amazing.

President Milán Longton alongside 3 key senators are on board United Huterric Airlines Flight 0013 to Largo Beach, Coconut Palm Island. The flight is coming into land and the views of the city are breathtaking.

"Vė Lansadas. Scön. Iek wall mahgen deas ord" the president says to his senators.

"Like Lansadas. Beautiful. I will like this place"

The flight lands, and the group make it through immigration, and are now awaiting someone from the government to escort them to where they need to be. In the mean time, people are walking up asking for selfies with the president, who happily agrees, being a rather friendly man.

[Coconut Palm Island]

As the President lands and waits in customs, King Alexander, the leader of Coconut Palm Island since 2001, and Senate President Nicholas Curry frantically jump into their car, driven by one of the King's guards.

"I told you we should've left earlier!" said the Senate President to the King. "President Longton is just waiting in customs."

"Relax," the King says to Curry. "Ted here is a former police driving instructor. He'll get us there in half the time the GPS says!"

After a bumpy, shaky, and utterly terrifying ten-minute drive, the two arrive at the airport. Curry gets out of the car, clearly shaken, while the King grins. "Honestly, I'd rather have been late!" Curry says in an annoyed tone.

Finally, the two walk into the customs area. As they see President Longton, they notice him nearly being mobbed by citizens looking for pictures with him. A few news outlets start to arrive as well.

The King and the Senate Leader walk up to President Longton and his 3 Senators. As they do, the crowd squeezes around them, neatly squeezing the Coconut Palm Island leaders into the Huterric Union visitors. "Hey, everyone take a few steps back," says the King firmly. He is ignored, the crowd squeezes in.

Finally, a reporter for the Island Journal shows up. "King, King, do you really think that the Jobs Bill you signed last week will make any difference?"

With a microphone shoved into his face, the King shakes his head. "Come on, today's not about that bill. Today is about our relationship with a country that goes above and beyond to show its citizens the true meaning of liberty."

The group pushes past the crowd, and out the back door, which the King's guard quickly blocks off, giving the group some privacy.

"Hello," the King says to the President and to the Senators. "I'm King Alexander, and this is Senate President Nicholas Curry. We're so glad to meet you!"

[The Huterric Union]

"I'm President Milán L. Longton. You can call me Milán or President. Either one of those two work seeing as we're friends now. It's nice to meet you too. Sorry about that crowd. I always let people take selfies with me and talk to me. Honestly for the leader of quite a powerful country I am way too friendly for my own good. The lady who deals with our nukes, Lydia Bunceston, looks like a nice lady but she's actually quite terrifying to some people. The head of congress just about bricks himself when he walks past her. It's hilarious." The president says, introducing himself. He has a laid back nature about him, and has a smile that makes him incredibly approachable. Longton is quite the leader a powerful country needs in times of tension.

Lydia then speaks up. She has long blonde hair and is wearing an army uniform. Her slender physique combined with the fact she is only 5'6 would not scream "Defense secretary" without her uniform. She says to the king "Hello. Senator Lydia Bunceston. Nice to meet you I suppose. I am the head of the military. Whatever Milán says defense wise I have to pass on to the army. Yes, this is my uniform. Yes, I have served in the Huterric army. Yes, this is my natural hair colour. And yes, this is probably the first time outside of Huterric p-"

She's cut off by Milán, who says "Let's not discuss our you-know-what industry just yet. Let's wait for an informal situation to bring up that. Anyway. Karen Larris is our trade senator. Any...Palm Islander....Coconutian...coconut palmian...well there's enough of that. Any of your country's imports and any companies wishing to establish their presence in the Huterric Union get by laws both her and I approve."

Karen then speaks as the group head into the car. "Yes, nice to meet you." Whereas Lydia looks like a nice person but comes across as quite cold, Karen is the opposite. She looks to be an unfriendly person but is incredibly friendly. Not as friendly as her leader, Milán, though, who she knows is unnervingly laid back at times. She continues "When we get to trade you'll get to know my policies a bit more. I'm one of the more right wing people of the party. To clarify, the Huterric Rose party focuses on libertarianism mainly, and we're a mix of centre left and centre right. Regardless, we're quite business friendly because a left wing party in the Huterric Union is centre-right everywhere else. Milán is a bit more to the left. Although that's still right wing technically. Out political system is weird and quirky but it has done us well for about...222 years."

Once in the car, Milán decides to introduce Alice and let her speak before allowing them to drive off. "Here is Alice Wyncoll, Foreign Affairs Senator. She's the odd one out here because unlike us three who speak Huterric as a first language, she speaks German as her first language. She's from the depths of Newne. We'll discuss our States more when you ask more about them later. Ice breaking comes first."

Milán hopes his friendly yet persistent nature put his new friends, in other words his hosts, at ease. Alice then speaks "Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Alice. I deal with foreign affairs so as a base one I am involved in all diplomatic talks both in and out of the Union which involve us. It's actually not a bad role. I'm busy though, seeing as I go places, then we have Lansadas as a diplomatic hub being home to a few UN offices. It's a fun job. Pays well. Feeds the kiddlyflinks. What more could I ask for?"

Milán then says "OK, now you may start the car. That's us out of the way. How about you guys. Introduce yourselves."

Each Huterric, all in the back seats, put down everything they were doing whilst each person was speaking (having heard all this before and seeing no reason to listen) and stare directly at the King and his senator in a way that was unusual but not weird, but rather quite comforting. Milán, who was doing nothing but listening to his car full of friends, then says "Well, go on, say a few things about yourselves. We're all ears."

Well, the way they are ready to pay attention definitely brings a new meaning to that saying

[Coconut Palm Island]

The Senate Leader looks to the King, who thinks for a few seconds about what he's planning to say. King Alexander doesn't exactly fit the definition of the typical King. Rather than any type of crown or robes, or even a ceremonial pin, he just wears a simple suit, black, without a tie. The King doesn't seem too threatening, more like someone who can be trusted, and is kind. A more cynical person would describe him as idealistic, even naive. As they start to talk, the driver starts the car, and speeds out of the lot uncomfortably fast.

"Well, where to start," he says. "Well, you can call me Alexander, or better yet, just Alex. In our culture, formality is usually waived once you're familiar with someone. I'm just the 'big picture' guy. My friend here," he says as he gestures to Nicholas, "He's the policy expert, and the 'smart one'."

Nicholas reaches to shake the hands of the guests. "I'm Nicholas Curry, the Senate President. I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I've been told that you and the King have been exchanging messages over this past week-- that's wonderful. I've been a Senator since-- well, since before Alex over here was born," he said with a chuckle. Just by looking at Curry, the guests can tell that he's a great deal older than the King. The more the two talk, the more the guests feel like Curry is the one really in charge.

As the car continues at an uncomfortably fast pace, the buildings of the city start to fade away, and, for the first time, the beach is visible. White sand and light blue water line the entire skyline to the right side of the car. As the visitors from the Huterric Union stare, the King laughs. "It's beautiful, isn't it." A moment of silent observation followed.

"Oh, I forgot--" interjects Curry. "You'll be dealing a lot with Rodger Chastain, our Secretary of Defense. He couldn't be here right now, but he asked us to send his regards."

"Yes," says the King. "Chastain's a good man. He's seen horrible things, and because of that, he's appalled by the idea of violence, but at the same time, he's the best military man I've even known. If this country ever got into real trouble, I have no doubt Chastain would be the one to get us out of it."

"And Rick and Kelly," says Curry. "Rick Anderson is the Secretary of Foreign Relations-- his most important responsibility is trade. He's just a young kid, but sharp. And Kelly Johnson is the King's Head Adviser. The Head Adviser basically runs the Cabinet. She's really busy overseeing all of the Cabinet's different duties, but she may stop in for a meeting or two."

Curry seemed like the more serious one, while the King seemed a bit absentminded. As the two continued to speak, it became more and more clear that the Cabinet members being mentioned are really the expert on foreign affairs, and that neither the King nor Curry were really used to diplomatic meetings.

"If Alex didn't say anything already," started the Senate President, "Our form of government is rather unusual. The King, and his Cabinet, have a lot of power over the Island. In fact, they can do anything not prohibited in the Royal Charter. The King can unilaterally pass what are called 'Royal Orders.' But the Senate can override the King's Royal Orders. Now, laws on the other hand, those are passed by both the Senate and the King to address the most important issues. But most everything is done by the King, and the Senate gives their blessing by not striking the action down."

Finally, the car slows to a stop. "We're here," says the King. In front of them is a large, four-story building, completely white and with beautiful pillars, almost like a courthouse. "This is the Royal Palace."

[The Huterric Union]

Milán takes the time to say to the driver "You'd be a wee belter on the H12 Express Lanes". Then, feeling the need to provide context, he says "Oh, the H12 is our most important highway. The number 12 is culturally important so anything of importance involves 12. Anyway, H12 goes through nine of our ten largest cities, and as such has local lanes and express lanes for long distance and local traffic. On express lanes, and on most highways in general, there are no speed limits. He really would be a wee belter wouldn't he?"

Lydia then pipes up and says "Oh thank fuck we've waivered formality." Milán chuckles and says "Yes, yes, Huterrics aren't known for being a formal bunch. Takes effort to be formal and we could be using that effort to work hard and play hard. As you've gathered probably, we are quite the friendly group of people too. Sure, Lydia is a bit cold at times, but she has a lot of compassion and is a considerate lady. Well, when we're finished being brutally honest that is."

The hosts get the impression by now that Milán is very much in charge and, although being an incredibly approachable man, does not mess about and has good work ethic. Alice then turns to Milán and says "Hurr, hev dü segen uber dean Aht 1 Diabetus?"

"Sir, have you said about your type 1 diabetes?"

Milán then says "Oh yes, I did not warn you because I am quite good at monitoring it, and nobody is about to argue with the president of Huterrica injecting himself, but yes I am type one diabetic so don't be alarmed if I'm checking blood sugar".

The car then arrives at the Royal Palace. Milán then says what all the Huterrics are thinking. "This looks a lot like our congress building," he says, before continuing, "Show us around! Where are we staying in here? Looks nice"

[Coconut Palm Island]

"Yes, yes, it's very nice," says the King. "Away from the main roads, and right here on the beach. I mean, the view is beautiful." As they talk, the King leads them up to the front door. A member of the King's guard opens the door. The guard members are scattered around-- all wearing light blue polo shirts, shorts, and sunglasses. As the group walked in, the King discreetly took aside President Longton. "Sir, regarding your diabetes, I just want you to know, should you have any issues-- or need a medication refill-- we have an in-house doctor."

As they walk in, they enter a great lobby with the flag of Coconut Palm Island flying high. The King leads them off to the left, inside a set of doors. "This is the Senate room," he whispers. "But they're in session."

They walk into the room, and the twenty-five or so Senators present that day quickly stand. Each Senator had a chair and a large desk, arranged to point at a single seat-- a very ceremonial-looking throne.

The Senators quickly stand when they notice the King and the guests. The Senator sitting on the throne quickly jumps off, and apologizes to the King. "Here, I'm sorry sir," he said, gesturing to the throne. "I wasn't aware you were presiding today."

"No, I'm not," said the King. "Neither is Nicholas. You can get back to it" The Senator sits down, and quickly returns to business.

King Alexander leans in to President Longton. "Normally, the King presides over the Senate, and the Senate President in my absence. However, today they're discussing a long, boring bill that has very little impact overall. So, we figured we'd slip out."

They go up the flight of stairs, and see more offices, all built around a big open area with a large table in the middle. "This is the second floor, where the Cabinet works," said the King. "They come out here to meet, but each department does pretty well in their offices. Of course, this isn't all there is for the Cabinet members, some have expansion offices downtown, but this is where the important stuff goes on." They walk into a dark room with many screens, some showing maps, others showing video feed of soldiers and policemen. "This is the Secretary of Defense's office. He's out now, but this is where most military and policing decisions are made." They tour a few more offices, each dramatically different. The Secretary of Infrastructure and Innovation, for example, had all of the latest technological devices and a replica of a new "smart" speed limit sign on a table. But by far, the best office was that of the Secretary of the Interior, whose office looked more like a rainforest than an office. Several small animals in cages were surrounded by a variety of leafy plants.

Finally, they got to the third floor. "Nothing special here," said the King. "This is just the Executive Office floor-- I have my office here, and I conduct my meetings here."

"Show him your office," says Nicholas.

"Sure," said the King. They walk into the office. The first thing that they notice is that the wall is glass-- and facing the beach. The King gestured to his desk, behind which was a comfortable-looking office chair. "This is where I go through bills, and draft Royal Orders," he said. On the wall was a couch, and across the room a small TV. "Obviously this is where I work privately," said the King. "Its not really that big. But, across the hall is the room we may meet in when it comes to talk details." He opens the door and leads them to a larger, much nicer room, also with a view of the ocean.

"Finally, the fourth floor," said the King, as they climbed a flight of stairs. "This is the residence. An entire fourth of this floor is where I live. It was designed for an entire family, but since I have not yet married I have quite a bit of room to myself." He points to a series of rooms. "These are the diplomatic suites," he said. "I assure you, they'd beat almost any hotel room. Mr. President, you'll stay in the "King's Guest" suite, basically a replica of my own living quarters."

"Now," he said, "Your rooms have a fingerprint scanner-- you don't have to worry about keys or card. Why don't you take a minute to look at your rooms, and set down your bags."

[The Huterric Union]

The group of Huterrics settle in their rooms, mainly by looking at them. Karen, Alice, and Lydia don't take long to settle in. Milán takes longer, needing to medicate himself before anything formal.

Given the warm climate, Milán decides to change from his dark coloured suit to a white one with a black tie. He attaches the rose emblem, a symbol of his party, onto his tie and walks out of the room, having unpacked quickly and gotten changed. Huterrica to Island flights aren't long, being aboht 3 hours from Lansadas to the island, and only an hour and a half from the city of Bankson to the island. No time zone difference is experienced, so they arrived at the palace at 10am and there is a few hours until lunch

Milán is the first to walk out if his room and says to Nicholas "Where shall we go now? I'll let the other Huterric senators know where we are of course."

[Coconut Palm Island]

"Well, I promised a tour, so when everyone's ready, let's go to the helicopter," the King responded. When the Senators are all out of their rooms, the King and Senate President Nicholas Curry lead them all down the stairs.

As they reach the first floor, the King points to a table filled with various light snacks and bottles of water. "Take what you want," he said, "I know it's been a long trip." As the group stops to try some of the food, one of the guards walks up to the King and hands him a set of keys. "To the helicopter," he said. "The Largo Beach airspace will be clear until you land, but the airlines request that you don't take over an hour."

"Of course," said the King. "Thank them for their cooperation. Radio us if we need to come down." The guard nodded.

As they walked out, they noticed that the cars were gone, and in their place, a helicopter. The group climbed in.

The King took a seat in the pilot's seat, and President Longton joined him in the front. The Huterric Union Senators sit in the back with Senate President Curry. Everyone dons headsets, as the noise of the helicopter drowns out conversation.

The King quickly takes off. As they get higher, the Royal Palace gets smaller and smaller. "Let's fly over the beach," says the King. They fly over the beach, watching various people surfing, relaxing in the sand, and swimming.

"Our people tend only to work 30-40 hours a week. Most people here in town visit the beach at least once every week; those with houses nearby come nearly every day." As the King goes lower, the occupants of the helicopter notice the people on the ground waving to them. The King waves back.

After flying over the picturesque beach, they bank to the left and fly over the downtown area. The King points out various businesses and innovation centers. "Here's Largo Beach University," said the King at one point. "The best university on the Island. We do some world class research here-- for example, just yesterday, some professor gave me a prototype of a smartphone that can last over a week on a single charge.

They turn and fly over the rainforest. The thick trees make the trees look like a green carpet. The volcano in the distance is barely visible. The King appeared to be having a good time flying the helicopter.

The Senate Leader looked to the King. "Kill the microphone," he said, and the King hit a button. On the inside of the helicopter, an electronic sign reading "Communications Secured" turned on.

"So, you said you were interested in an alliance," said the Senate Leader. "I hope you don't mind me being so upfront, but I was wondering what exactly you pictured? You can speak freely-- the connection is muted, no one outside the helicopter can't hear a word you say."

[The Huterric Union]

"We desire some form of friendly relations between our two nations that works for us both. I can already see some benefits to some form of alliance already. Can. Definitely see a lot of growth both sides. Immigration wise, economically. All a lot of good." Milán says, before he drops his notepad on the floor. Alex picks it up. The page is titled "LARGO BEACH (L.B.) TALK NOTES", and Milán had already filled in "Get LISTEM to communicate with L.B. University".

Milán quickly takes it back, and says "Oh yes, I write the minutes for all talks I am in. Presidential duty. I will, of course, type these up and send to you both. Head of Senate Dominic Whitecastle will see them and so will head of Congress Marc Auckland."

He then gets back on topic, as he admires the beach, "I'm talking free trade, easier immigration but of course to an agreeable extent, and a form of military pact to fit in with either of our policies on defense."

Milán then says one can freely turn on the communications. He then asks "What's the population roughly of Largo Beach?"

[Coconut Palm Island]

"Maybe about two-and-a-half million," said the King. "Plus about three-quarters of a million tourists."

The helicopter is over the volcano when the King gets a message from the ground. "Land at Home Base as soon as is safe," said the radio. "Airspace is no longer clear."

"No need to be alarmed," the King said to the guests, as he lowered the helicopter.

The King radios back, "Mike, what do you mean?"

"Some idiot is flying a drone to you, trying to take your picture. We just don't want them to clip the helicopter." The King sighed and looked to the Senate Leader. "I shouldn't have vetoed your drone control law," the King said, "I'm sorry." The Senate President looked smug.

Turning to the guests, the King said, "Of course, your alliance sounds very reasonable. We especially need trade partners." His voice grew quiet. "I've made some enemies in the international community for my positions and for calling out corrupt government officials. So it's good to have an opportunity to expand our trading and not be so dependent on tourism alone."

They hear a buzzing noise and look out the left window. A drone buzzes by, and the drone's camera flashes at it takes pictures. "Idiots," mumbled the King. "Nothing better to do."

Finally, they land. "Let's head to the Great Hall for dinner," said the King, as they walk into the palace. "Tonight we're having fish. But if anyone doesn't like fish, they can make just about anything else too."

In the palace lobby, the King takes the Senate President to the side, out of earshot of the guests. "When the President dropped his notes, I saw something about LISTEM. Do you have any idea what that is?"

"No," said the Senate Leader. "Come on, let's go to dinner."

[The Huterric Union]

Milán adds "Get the mayor of L.B. in contact with mayor of LNSDS" in his notes. He then says, ignoring the fact that things were going on, "Lansadas has about twenty million people. It's kinda similar in aesthetic to Largo Beach but obviously it's one of the most influential cities so expect a few culture shocks. And yes, I am aware you call out government officials. Before even contacting you I had written something I'll show once we land."

After the plane landed, Milán shows Alex a document that stated he supports the comments Alex makes about corruption, and corruption is not something a true Huterric would value. Milán then says "Being a Huterric isn't very much about being born in the Union. If you're born there, can translate the song Lakulascair Leukh from Huterric to English without the English version, and can recite the pledges of allegiance then you're a native Huterric. However, if you agree with your whole heart about our values of liberty, diversity, equity, and democracy then we'll accept you into our arms as a Huterric. If you value fairness and see corruption as an evil thing then you're at heart to us a Huterric. If you believe love not hate being the answer then you can be considered a nationalised Huterric. We're more focused on your beliefs about our country than the fact you weren't born in our country, and we accept you in easily and it's easy to adapt to our culture because we're very multicultural. It's a true beauty of the Huterric Union. And I love seeing my best friend being able to hug his husband in public without fear of violence. That too. Of course I'm on about Head of Senate Dom Whitecastle."

As he eats lunch, he then says to Alex "So I hear you are considering nuclear weapons. We can talk about that when we get to it. Of course, right now we obviously need to talk as friends because, being the down to earth Huterric I am, I will be honest and say you're an incredibly nice guy. You and I seem.to click well. I feel we can cooperate well. We'll do excellently. Just hope I get re-elected for a few more terms."

Milán then gently holds Alex's right hand with his right hand, and rubs it with his left. Milán then explains "We do this as a symbol of friendship. I hold your hand with my dominant hand and rubs it with my other. It's meant to cover your hand to say 'I got you covered'. Of course though, I'm ambidextrous so I just pick a dominant hand based on my mood. Today's a right handed day."

[Coconut Palm Island]

The Senate President visibly cringed when the President mentioned nuclear weapons-- he was obviously opposed to the concept. The King, however, looked interested. It was clear that the two disagreed on the issue, but it was also clear that the Senate President was trying to respect the King's judgement.

The King tried to reciprocate the gesture to the best of his ability. "I really appreciate it," he said, "I'm glad that we are becoming friends and I hope that you'll be elected to more terms as well. I'm sure you'll have no problem winning, though. You're honest and you have good values."

The Senate President cut in, "On our Island, we have a saying: 'It is hard for an honest man to get elected to a first term; but it is easy for an honest man to win re-election.'"

"And I really like what you said about being a Huterric," said the King. "In fact, before the year 1972, our Island was completely deserted. There are very few true 'native' Coconut Palm Islanders actually born here. I am one, but my father is not. He was about to be given a long prison sentence for speaking against the ruling party of his home country, so he got on a boat and ran to an Island that he knew was deserted with several other friends. When he got here, the others escaping with him liked what he had to say, and they quickly put him in charge." As the King spoke, he gestured for the staff to bring out more food.

"In the end, it's the values that bring people together. We try to be a safe haven for the people being unfairly persecuted in their home countries. Those are the people that come here. The people who just want to live their lives but whose home countries won't allow it. Our democracy works so well because the people who value freedom the most are the ones who have seen what their lives are like without it."

"Yes," agreed the Senate President. "And that's why it's so important to work with a country that shares our values."

[The Huterric Union]

"Oh we take in heaps of people who haven't experienced freedom. Of course we're not an anarchy, we do have rules. But yes, we do value the ability to live your own life. We actually take in a huge amount of asylum seekers who are escaping anti-LGBT laws in their home country. You are bang on about those valuing freedom have seen life without it. It's why the Huterric Union is even a country for fuck's sale. OK a bit of a history lesson." The president says. The king seems incredibly interested,

"Ok, so we originally had 6 states: Huswyae, Wyche, Aclenia, Bruno, Vescus, Finlavart Isle." he starts, emphasising that Wyche is pronounced "wye-tch", and not like the word "witch" as it is commonly mispronounced, and assumed because of its prominence in the media that Alex knew that Huswyae was pronounced "Huss-eye". He continues, "Before the 1650s they weren't united. Then they were. Under an oppressive and freedom stealing empire. Huswyae and Wyche grew sick of this and seceded from the Union to form their own, the FWHU or the Free West Huterric Union. Now, being as west as Canada is north we could still be called that but we decided not to. Anyway, soon all the states except for Aclenia and Vescus joined the FWHU and it was a batt,e for whose side was better. Finlavart seceded and took the whole North Coast of Huterrica. Those guys are important later. Basically it was decided the FWHU was better, and the FHU, just the FWHU without the W, was born. Lansadas at this time was a city state but it joined to be the capital of the FHU at this time. The Finlavartian north did not join in though. it instead developed an authoritarian regime. Fun fact, the murder of Muslims here was the inspiration for the holocaust against the Jews. We then fight the north for killing non-Catholics and LGBT people. Well, we only started once they tried to siege the city of St George. Then we go total war on them. Loads of people flee south. The war cripples them enough to lose the Battle of Fort Boncamp in northeast Huswyae, Then on 12th Fenruary 1796 the Huterric Union was formed of 9 states, 2 of which broke off from Vescus and one from Bruno. You know the one that broke off from Bruno as we've all heard of Marceston.

A few hundred years, have a few elections, become more patriotic, drop a nuclear bomb in a commie country that committed a terror attack, experience a terror attack in 2003 that was twice as bad as 9/11, and here we are." the president says. "Oh yes, 12th February is a huge coincidence and is not why we value the number 12 as so holy kind of lucky. Loads more stuff. Anything else about Huterrica you're interested in hearing about?"

[Coconut Palm Island]

"Yes," said the King. "What kinds of things does your country produce/what services does it mainly provide? Is there really one thing or set of things that you specialize in, like how we specialize in tourism and pharmaceutical manufacturing? I'm asking both for a future trade deal, and also because I'm genuinely curious."

"Also, regarding the attack in 2003-- I had been King for two years when I heard the news that day. Being new, it scared the hell out of me. First, 9/11, than, your nation. But here on the Island, we're lucky enough not to have experienced any large-scale terrorist attacks. However, you may have heard that last month we came pretty close to having a horrific attack. Had it not been for a random good Samaritan that overheard the would-be attackers talking, I wouldn't be here right now, and neither would thousands of others." All of the Coconut Palm Islandians in the room-- including the chef-- nodded solumnly.

"Oh yeah. And some nutjob spy tried to kill my father when he was King about a hundred times. It was almost comical. They tried everything. They even put what they though was a poisonous snake in his bed-- it turned out to be harmless, and he kept it as a pet. No one could kill my old man." The King stopped himself, and suddenly looked very sad. "No one but himself," he said.

The room grew very quiet. The King's eyes grew wet. Finally, he took a deep breath and changed the subject.

"So, like I said, your country's industry. What goods or services do you all specialize in?"

[The Huterric Union]

"Yes, yes. I know many people even in our government couldn't handle that day. 14th July 2003. The image of that building burning before collapsing on the south side is haunting. We're a bit more wary with briefcases being left around, especially in monorail stations seeing that's where the attack took place. Now there's a memorial because the area which the building once stood is now our almost complete Huterrica Square World Plaza, built to compliment the stock exchange immediately north across the H412." The president says, before hearing about the attacks that could have happened in CPI. He offers his condolences to Alexander, going so far as to give him a hug, then sits down to answer the question.

"Well, you should understand that due to our geographic diversity and out libertarian business climate, not only do we produce a whole book worth of things, but we also have booming industries. In terms of produce, we are self sufficient when it comes to food for the most part although we import foreign snacks for our large world foods sections of supermarkets. In terms of trade you should have a focus on science and technology, our speciality. We have world class universities like LISTEM and Lakeland University being huge for research and the booming tech industry that is only getting bigger as the globe's tech industry goes adds to our speciality there. We also specialise in retail too, as our retail presence is huge globally. Tourism is a huge industry, because as I said our geography is varied. To add, we have a temperature climate year round and the lowest temperature we get is five degrees Celsius. Of course, to fund our economic growth further we fund infrastructure a lot. In fact, we spend more on infrastructure than any other country" He says. He only decides to name some key ideas beford asking "So we're on the same page, we use Celsius for temperature and metric measurements here, right? We outlawed the use of the imperial system on things such as road signs and packaging about 20 years ago and almost no Huterric understands imperial."

[Coconut Palm Island]

"Well yes," said the King. "But that's relatively new, so we're still in the process of converting everything. But the government still uses metric, the schools teach metric, and the universities measures in metric, so we'll catch on in no time."

The Senate President looked skeptical. "Well," he said, "It might be a little while. Some residents, especially older ones, really are opposed to the change."

"We rely more on trade than you do. Of course, we grow tropical crops, mostly fruits. And lots of fish and seafood. So, if trade were somehow cut off, we'd survive, but our diet would be limited. As far as tourism goes, well, I'd be very happy with a system where we create incentives for members of one of our countries to visit the other, kind of a 'tourist exchange program,' to bring tourists in to both nations. Also, setting up our major universities to work together would be wonderful. Just imagine all of the advances we could make!"

"Yes," said the Senate Leader. "I'm sure you've heard great things about Largo Beach University, or LBU, but you really need to spend some time there to understand how hard they work. A while back, I broke my leg. The old city hospital was told I'd never walk without a limp, but some hotshot at LBU Teaching Hospital-- a first-year, no less-- was able to completely fix my leg."

Finally, the meal concludes and the food is taken away. The group heads outside to the beach as the sun starts to set. "Wow, we were in there a long time," said the King. "Tomorrow we'll deliver breakfast to your rooms, than get started on more talks. I've moved around the itinerary a bit, I'd like to show you Largo Beach University soon. Any final thoughts before we break for the night?"

[The Huterric Union]

"No, not at all. By break do we mean split off or just break off from formalities. It seems quite early, being sunset, to split off until tomorrow, but ultimately I'm not bothered." The president says, before Karen chimes in.

"I 100% get why you rely on trade more than us," she starts, "I mean, you could fit Russia twice in our nation. Once going North-South in the west, once going northwest-southeast in the east. With great size comes great diversity in climate, terrain, people. We have used this to our advantage, and put a focus on what industries thrive where. There's no point establishing a mining industry in the mountainous parts of western Huswyae. That's tourist land we use to bank in on the skiing season in the winter months where it snows and for the tourism in the incredibly warm summer months. Mining is big in Vescus, seeing as the northern parts are typically very cold, and the entire state is full of minerals and isn't touristy. Well, the northeast is touristy for year-round skiing. That's our secret - Cash in on what you can. The northeast is very cold, whereas the northwest is very temperate, and the southwest gets warm summers but cold winters, and the southeast is warm in summer and mild in summer. We've enacted laws that don't greatly affect the people too much, but make it easier to govern."

Alice then speaks up, saying "Oh yes, we say we're free and we are one of the freer countries out there. We do have obligations though. They are the six obligations of Huterric Life. I'll get my superior to go through each one,"

The president then says "ahem, yes. First obligation is to pledge allegiance, with your whole heart, to the Huterric Union. We have a pledge which we make teens say. It was originally based off of the one the US has, but now we're different." He then recites it. "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the Huterric Union, and the liberty that it stands for, representing one nation, indivisible, with equity and democracy for all. I pledge allegiance to the president of the Huterric Union and am grateful for the liberty they preserve, chosen by one united nation ruled by the many, not the few.". He then continues "Each state then adds its own third stanza. For my home state, it's 'I pledge allegiance to the state of Marceston, the truest of the east and the freest of the free, uniting people of all ideals in the pursuit of a better tomorrow'."

He then drinks some water, and says "The second obligation is not to hold dual citizenship. By taking our pledge you renounce your citizenship to any other country because we feel it's wrong to take advantage of our rights and freedoms then go elsewhere and use them there. We kinda feel it's exploiting what we offer as a country, if you get me. The third obligation is to vote in every election you can vote in. This does not extend to referendums seeing as issues covered in them may not affect everyone, but elections do so we expect people to vote. Fourth obligation is to be vaccinated. Self explanatory. Fifth obligation is to own a copy of our constitution. Sixth is to be able to speak Huterric and English. These do not match with our six Huterric values but we feel this makes things work for people too."

Lydia then says "Ok that's enough of their raving about us. how about you lot. What's life like for y'all here?"

[Coconut Palm Island]

"That was more of a question--" said the King. "I just assumed that you all were tired from your travels and wanted to settle in. If you're fine, we can talk for a few more hours." He glanced at the sky, glowing a beautiful shade of pink-purple.

When talking about nation size, Senate President Curry seemed astonished. "Twice the size of Russia?" he asked. "I didn't really realize just how large you all are."

"Yes," said the King. "We're just a humble tropical Island. A large one, mind you, but still, an Island. Our population is around 12-13 million, and although we take in many immigrants, it rises at about 150k/year."

When listening to the Huterric values, the King seemed very interested. "Those are some great points," he said. "We don't have anything as elegant as that. We mostly emphasize two things-- voting and community service. If a citizen both votes and performs 100 hours of community service per year, beyond any community service as a penalty, they get a tax break. We're still working on the pledge, though. We never really adopted one version, and we want it to be perfect, so we're having some time to think it through."

After the President asked his question about life on the Island, the King smiled. "Life is great here," he said. "The government makes a lot of money through our own industries, so we provide a lot of essential services. We have so much automation and so many people, most people only work about 30-35 hours a week, 40 maximum. Minimum wage is almost outrageously high, and taxes are only moderately high. Since houses mostly line the outside of the Island, on the beach, most rich or even middle-class citizens have a stretch of beach, or share one with neighbors. The environment here is very relaxed, as you've observed," said the King.

"And the civil discourse is different," said the Senate Leader. "Way different. Every week the Senate is in session, each Senator has a "town-hall" style meeting where they talk over votes and positions," he said. "It's not like regular politics, where the politician tries to sell their decision. No, it's an honest discussion. And sometimes the Senators are persuaded to change their minds. Here, changing your mind is a sign of intelligence, and not criticized."

Finally, the sun completely sets, and the outdoors start to feel cooler.

[The Huterric Union]

"Well, a few things to comment on," the President starts when the reaction the the Huterric speech finishes, "First our size is often misunderstood. Because the thing is, most expect our size to be east-west. We're large east-west, of course, but consider we are Russia north-sotuh on both sides of the east-west divide. The H12. Longest highway in huterrica, and longest highway in the world to be ENTIRELY dual carriageway. Going from the southwest extremities to the southeast of the country. Except there's a bay so it has to go north along the Huswyae east coast, then southeast along the Marceston southwest coast. From Lansadas, the distance in both directions is similar to if you went from Virginia Beach to Salt Lake City. Well, if we go by the traditional east-west divide, the H5, then in both directions the boundaries of our country are 2500km away from that point. North South doesn't look large at all on a map, but remember that Huswyae is a behemouth of a state. If it were independent it would easily be in the top 10 largest countries. Huswyae is imilar to the length of the US coast to coast, 4048km, north south. Add another 4048 from the Huso-Wychean border to northern Labana. Yep. And for the east, remember that Marceston is a behemouth of a state too. Whatever protrudes west of the H5 when applying Russia on is easily slapped onto Vescus or Newne. Nobody realises because theyre used to long distances being east-west. Despite this, the northwest and southwest are very similar in culture. The main divide is east-west as opposed to north-sotuh, as west Huterrica had British influence before forming th Union for the first time, and the east had German influence."

He then goes on about values. "Those were our obligations, not values. Our values are liberty, unity, deomcracy, diversity, equity, and individuality. Now, you may be wondering why Individuality is a value. Well, with our edtensive freedoms and protections and our laid back culture as a whole, we are incredibly keen on people being individual. We want our citizens to be themselves in their own nation. We want our citizens to be able to feel proud of themselves and their country."

The president then listens to what the King had to say, and then gets brutally honest. "Well, I approve of 40 hours a week max, as that's what we typically have our workers doing, and there are 40 school hours a week at Huterric schools. However, for the value of your currency keep your minimum wage below $15/hr. The Huterric minimum wage is 8.50 Terrics per hour, equivalent to $10/hr, and that works well for us. We tax somewhat low, of course, as we believe economic liberty is part of liberty, but with billions of people living in your nation that adds up fast. As for the senators, we have a similar system too. If you're wanting regular politics, get your arse over to Congress." It then became clear that the Huterric Union truly did use a mix of British and American English.

"Oh yes, I should ramble about our school system. That's interesting." The President then says. "OK, so students get 8hrs schooling per day. Of course, this is a jump from the 6. However, the bonus is that we don't set homework. The government has stated if you cannot teach it to someone of a certain age in one or two lessons, wait until they're older when there is less to cover at the moment in time for them to understand it. instead of calling them 'grades', we callthem stages. So stage 2 instead of first grade, stage 1 instead of Kindergarten. At Primary school, starting age 4, you do a range of subjects. Huterric, English, Mathematics, and Science are mandatory and must be covered daily, but the other 4 subjects they get a day from their one teacher is all optional. They can cover history or geography or dance or drama. Then at the end of Primary they sit these tests called the Huterric Baccalaureate Stage 1, shortened to HBS1. These tests don't really matter too much. They monitor progress and studying isn't actually required as they're the basics in the 4 mandatory subjects which by the age of 10 you pretty much know.

Then at secondary school, which starts at Stage 7 (10 going 11) you get 7 lessons per week. This is because students get 15 minutes between two sessions the school picks, then 30 minutes for lunch, and 15 minutes at the start of the day for a session called Administration which is broadly equivalent to homeroom. Students also pick the subjects they want to do. Huterric, English, Maths, and one other language are mandatory though. The other language depends on location. In the west the student has free choice out of a set of a few languages the school offers. in the east, students usually get made to do German, either as a third language, or studied the way we you do English. Note in the west English is studied the way Americans learn it and in the east students can pick it as a third language. Huterric is flat out expected to be your first language so if you were born in the Huterric Union then poor ability in Huterric class always leads to repeating the stage you're in. By law 4 lessons a week are required for those 4 subjects, meaning 16 lessons a week out of 35 are mandatory subjects. Self Care Classes are mandatory, but not graded the way the 4 mandatory subjects are, and usually cover topics to do with social issues, sex ed, and mental health. You can't pull out of these, effectively making sex education mandatory. This leaves 18 periods freed up. The student choice subjects by law have 3 lessons per week, meaning one can take 6 subjects alongside these. Now, there is a whole databse of subjects you can pick that our exam authority, QOHU, offers. However as a minimum we require all schools to offer the three sciences (Chemistry, physics, biology), and allow a student to pick combined where one lesson per week is each science, thus 1 lesson of chemistry and so on. All 3 can be picked to have 3 lessons per week too. It's a free for all what 6 subjects you choose when starting secondary school. This means that in total 11 subjects are taken in total, and examined at the end of secondary school in the HBS2. The HBS2 exam determines your future, basically. If you do badly in them your only option is to do practical skills such as baking or plumbing, whereas doing extremely well in the HBS2 allows you to choose but there's pressure on you, which fortunately is decreasing, to go for an HBS3 for university.

Then for HBS3, which starts at Stage 11, or when you are 15 going 16, you are made to somewhat specialise but you get to do 6 subjects. At this point the entire curriculum is optional. Even Huterric. These choices do affect University. So if you wanted Combined Science as one of your three degrees then you need to pick it at HBS3. And so on. The difference between this and the UK system is that if you wanted to do Chemistry at a UK university you need both Maths and Chemistry, but in Huterrica you only need Chemistry. The rule is if you want to do it at University you need to do it at HBS3. The HBS3 is taken at the end of Stage 15, when you are 18 going 19. So 15 years of mandatory education.

Then at university you do 3 subjects as a degree. This allows for one to be qualified for multiple jobs, and this has shown to decrease unemployment.

Our system has been praised for allowing students to have a work life balance due to not having homework, but we've also been criticised for assigning students their nearest school. Yes, you don't pick your school. Your state government does. Nationwide we are responsible for the laws regarding education, but each individual student is the state's responsibilty."

After a swig of water, the president then says "That's enough talking from me. what about your education? Political system too wile we're at it? oh, and I would love to hear about your healthcare system too!"

[Coconut Palm Island]

"Point taken on the minimum wage," said the Senate Leader. "We monitor the economy closely, though. If businesses start to get in trouble, the Senate has authorized the Secretary of Finance to drop the minimum wage to as low as 6 SD, which is 12 USD. And regarding your education system-- it seems very well-thought-out. I imagine that your nation has a very well-educated population. I really like that three-degree idea, I might suggest that to Largo Beach University and maybe have them try it as a pilot program."

When education was mentioned, the King's eyes gleamed. "Our education system is rather unique," he said. "We have three levels before college. Stage 1, for students 5-11, is where they learn the basics-- algebra, spelling, history, and the like. In a Stage 1 classroom, the students meet from 9AM to 3PM every day, Monday through Friday, but there is no homework. Stage 2 is for students 12-13, where they figure out where they want to become. They also meet from 9 to 3 every weekday. 9 to noon is spent on advanced math, science, language, and social studies, but the afternoon is spent on "career electives," where students learn specific things about different careers. Students pick a career and spend a semester learning about it. They get a chance to learn about their top four possible careers before going into upper-levels. Finally, Stage 3 is like high-school, for students 14-17. These students meet only 9 to 1 PM, and only four days a week, but they are assigned community service projects, job shadowing, and online learning. At this point, students spend time learning in specific areas regarding their interests. Of course, college prerequisite classes are still used. Basically, our goal is to give the kids a true taste of what the career they want is really like before heading off to college. It also helps to inspire students-- they work harder if they have a clear goal in mind. Finally come the tests. At age 13, students take the KAT-1, which just determines their future for Stage 3 education, including accelerated courses. At age 16 or 17, students take the KAT-2, which is out of 1,000 and usually determines college entry (0-500=Community College, 510-850=District College, 860+ = National college). However, the great thing is that students can take these tests as many times as they want before getting into college. Finally, after college, students take specialized tests for careers and medical/law school. Again, these can be retaken, to take the pressure off students."

"Finally is college. That's just like college anywhere else, except it's subsidized or free, depending on circumstances. We also give college students money, in a loan-like system. It's not a true loan, but we give them money to make it through college, and after 5 years out of college, if they earn a certain amount, we slightly increase their income tax to make up for it. Students here can go to one of three schools-- a community college, which accepts everyone in a certain area. Next is a district school, which is much better, each of the 10 have one, but you can only go to your district's school, IF you get accepted. Finally, the best of the best go to national universities. Students from all over the country can apply for a national university, but they are very selective. Largo Beach University is one like that-- with students from all over."

"Our largest flaw compared to you," said the Senate President, "Is foreign language. Unfortunately, students don't even start foreign language until Stage 2 or 3, and there it is optional. Of course, almost everyone here knows English. I'd say 55% speak Spanish, but only 20% speak it fluently. Beyond those, just 12% of the population knows a language other than English or Spanish."

"And our political system is very fascinating," said the Senate President. "We have four main parties. Of course, party affiliation only really matters in the Senate. First are the Liberal Democrats-- the LibDems-- that's me and the King here. Socially libertarian, fiscally moderate-liberal. We work closely with the libertarian party, which is socially libertarian (obviously) but fiscally conservative. Than, there's the Socialist party, which is socially moderate and fiscally extremely liberal. Those three are the main parties. Usually, the LibDems team up with the Socialists on fiscal issues and the Libertarians on social issues. There is a fourth party though..."

"Ah, yes, the National Party," said the King. "Socially authoritarian and fiscally conservative. They actually only have one Senator right now-- they've recently faced a lot of humiliation for some extreme views. But, in the 1990s, they were gaining power, which was scary. They want to close the borders, institute a draft, cut social progams, all sorts of things that we LibDems were against. But, luckily, they don't have much influence at this point."

The King pauses. "What else?" he asks.

"Healthcare," prompts the Senate President.

"Oh, yes!" says the King. "Healthcare! We have a completely free, single-payer system. Because of all of the money that government-run industries make, we can provide universal healthcare that actually works, without waiting lists or bad care. Of course, citizens who want more than we're willing to offer can still carry private insurance and see private doctors, but less than 10% do. The ones that do usually want something we won't cover, like cosmetic plastic surgery. But our true highlight is our mental health services. Psychiatrists are a part of every police force, helping the mentally ill living on the streets rather than criminalizing them. And, as we've described, the government provides safe, clean drugs to adult users-- of course, at a fairly high price. Of course, there are exceptions. Caffeine, alcohol, and marijuana can be sold by retail stores with less regulation, with an added tax. But hard drugs-- including tobacco-- must be purchased at a government-run pharmacy. Even with strong drugs, a safe environment, a consistent dosage, and counselling keeps our overdose rate per capita at about 40% of that of the United States."

"The question we get a lot is, 'How do you pay for it'?" said the King. "It's simple. The government runs a handful of key industries-- internationally recognized. We earn our keep, rather than just taxing it out of our citizens. That's not to say that taxes aren't high..."

"They're high," chimed in the Senate President, "Just not insane. Maybe 1.5x that of the US."

"So, you guys," asked the King. "What can you tell us about your healthcare system and your politics? And anything else we need to understand your nation?"

[The Huterric Union]

"Political system wise, I'll explain elections as the rest is fairly similar to the UK system. We don't technically have national elections, but rather individual state elections that happen at the same time. We use proportional voting, so citizens rank from 1 to 9 their choices. Of course, I won't go through all 9 parties. The country is divided into constituencies, each consisting of a million people. The constituencies pick who they want to represent them for CONGRESS. At the end of the election the electoral map is made. The party with the most votes in each state sends their representative for that state to be their senator. The party with the most senators swears in its leader as the president. Then, using myself as the president, I pick the senators for areas such as healthcare and education.

The only two parties you need to be aware of are the Liberals, which I'm a part of, and the CLAP, standing for the Capitalist and Libertarian Action Party. The way elections work map wise is there are 2 states for each party that are safe. Huswyae and Aclenia are always safe Liberal, then there's Wyche and Marceston that are always safe CLAP. I'm the first Liberal president to be from Marceston, to prove that point. Now, since Huswyae and Marceston are of similar populations, which combined comprise of half of Huterrica's people, their votes cancel out and it's up to the 5 swing states to determine who wins. Bills go through congress, and then if voted for they go to Senate. If Senate approves an optional referendum is held. Then if they vote for the law I enact it."

The president then discusses healthcare. "In the UK the way university works is you are not billed upfront for your studies, but when you finish you have a debt to pay off. You only start paying it back if you're earning more than a certain threshold and if you don't pay it back entirely after a certain number of years the rest of your debt is paid for by the government. We have that system but for healthcare. You get treated, and once you're done you pay it back bit by bit, and if you don't pay it all back we pay it off for you. This is so we can focus our money on free education, one of the 45 human rights that the Twelfth Act sets aside in Clause 5. There are some treatments we do pay for. Abortions and sexual health treatments are dealt with by a government agency called HA-SH, or the Huterric Agency for Sexual Health, which means they're free. Cancer treatment is free unless it was caused by smoking. All healthcare treatments for those under 18 are free, and if you die during treatment then we pay three quarters of the treatment and your family pay the rest which the hospital use to plan funerals and memorials."

Alice then interjects between the President and the King, who are becoming incredibly good friends, to the point that Senator Curry and the Huterric senators can't even get a word in edgewise. "Milán, clarify the difference between a bureau and an agency."

The president then says "Of course. An agency is government funded and we found them through laws. They always start with HA for Huterric Agency, and a dash is usually put inbetween to mean 'for'. So that's why HA-SH is written with a dash inbetween. A bureau is not government funded, but is endorsed by the government as a source for information about a certain aspect of Huterric life. These places start with HB- which means 'Huterric Bureau for' A well known Bureau is the HB-OTE, or the Huterric Bureau for Odologists and Transport Enthusiasts, which is an online forum, map, and wiki that discusses all modes of transportation in the Huterric Union. Seriously, every grade separated road junction, rail line and station, and metro system as well as state and subdivision and the transport in those places are on there. HB-OTE is the one place to go for transport info in Huterrica and I feel it was the easiest endorsement I've ever made. That place went several years without ever being endorsed. Typically once you're endorsed you have to include 'Huterric Bureau for' in your name. Making worthy organisations into bureaus is one of my favourite parts of my job as I have to do it personally. I have to write personally to every single head of organisation with my heartfelt adoration for them as a citizen and my love for their organisation and my intent to make it a bureau. It's wonderful. I've made good friends doing this."

"Anyway, anything cool about your nation? On the topic of transportation, what's that like here?" The president asks. He puts his arm over the king's left shoulder, being to his right, as an act of friendship and interest for what he has to say.

[Coconut Palm Island]

The King listened with interest as the President spoke, especially about the political system and agencies vs bureaus. When the President spoke up giving civilian organizations bureau status, the Senate President perked up. "That would be a great idea," said the Senate President. "Right now, all of that is run by the government, we don't have anything like your bureaus. While it ensures consistency, we sometimes end up with a giant mess of government bureaucracy. Of course, if we started making less money on government industry, we could dramatically cut back."

Regarding transportation, the King said, "Yes, transportation is one of the big issues right now. With our constant nice weather, walking and biking are used for most everything. 80% of people live within a mile of their work. We also use a monorail-type system to connect locations inside the city. All solar-powered, of course. So, you could basically get anywhere in the city by either walking or biking, or by monorail. For longer trips, the government provides trains, with tickets being free for low-income individuals. For cross-island trips, we also have a small airline that services only locations on the Island. We do charge for that, though."

"Now, the role of the car has been diminishing over the last two decades, which lead us to at one point consider banning cars. We decided against it. However, the only new cars sold on the island are electric-powered, and every "gas" station is equipped with car charging technology. Citizens with old gas cars can continue using them up until 2022, but they get a major discount on an electric car for trading in. Maybe about 50% of citizens have cars."

"As far as 'what's cool'," the King continued, the Senate President looking slightly bored, "The best thing has to be our police and justice system. The police here are very respectful and capable, as you've seen. The folks in the blue polo shirts and khaki shorts or pants, those are the Royal Guard. They're the elite police force-- tasked with protecting me and the other members of the government, and also with preventing and investigating major crimes. They're the best of the best. Than there's the other officers. The entire police force is federal, so we have centralized control over policing policy, but they break into subunits by district. Interestingly enough, there is no official police uniform for street officers, just a badge that's always prominently displayed. And, I suppose, the weapon identifies them too, as very few non-police citizens choose to carry pistols, even though we do technically have open-carry laws. Instead of riding around in cars and being seen as the "enemy" by some people, officers here have great reputations with their neighborhoods, and are trained in de-escalation and conflict resolution as much as they are combat skills. Our violent crime rate is negligible, because nearly everyone trusts and works with the police. And the police earn that trust. When they're not stopping crimes, they're talking with citizens and helping them with everyday problems like flat tires."

"Yes," continued the King, "I've never in any country seen a more friendly, professional police force. For example, last year I was pulled over for speeding. The officer had to write me a ticket for an hour of community service, but he was so nice about it, I didn't even mind. And he didn't realize I was the King until after he'd handed me the ticket. That weekend, after doing my hour of service, I went and had a drink with the officer. We've since become friends."

"Part of the reason our system works so well is that we prioritize violent crime. As you know, things like drugs, gambling, and prostitution aren't even illegal as long as they don't cause problems. Property crimes are investigated, but the rehabilitation centers-- our prisons-- are reserved for violent criminals only. Things like minor theft, traffic violations, disorderly conduct, and the like, are handled by community service sentences, and once in a while mandatory counselling. By focusing our effort on violence, we've managed to have a 90% drop in murders and 60% drop in sexual assaults over just 10 years. And, unlike many other systems, when someone is incarcerated, they almost always come out reformed."

"Yes," chimed in the Senate President, feeling left out, "We're very proud of our police officers and judges, especially how they manage to be compassionate and fair while still preventing crime very well. How does justice work in your great nation, and is there anything special about your police force or your military?"

[The Huterric Union]

"Everyone worships at our feet when it comes to transport. We have a renowned road system which takea a while to explain and ensures safety and standards of road. Our roads are the world's safest. We are also the big dogs when it comes to hospitality and friendliness. Our police is similar to yours, except they're not on the street as such. You can literally call the police to get something done that you need like a tire or a showing around of the city. However, the police are usually called for legal stuff if it's a serious crime so if the police are being called due to something you have done then you're going to jail. As for other people, there aren't many places in Huterrica where the people are rude or unpleasant. Only noticeable place is the city of Laclan, in Huswyae, which has a declining population. Everyone from east to west are wonderful and happy to help you. It's a great thing about our country." The president says, then giving the Kong a chance to respond

[Coconut Palm Island]

"We can't really compare regarding transport," said the King. "Our cities are close enough together that we need roads and trains, but not far enough apart to justify the building of an expansive highway system, especially with the number of citizens using public transportation."

"And yes, most people are pleasant here, too," said the King, "But there are also some who are kind of reclusive. Many people come here for privacy. They're friendly enough, but they often go by a fake name and won't reveal personal information. That's okay, it's considered rude to ask for too much personal information here anyway."

There was a silence. Finally, the King looked at the clock, it was nearly midnight. The Senate President yawned. "Let's pick this up in the morning," said the King. "We can talk more then. We'll meet at ten or so in the Great Hall for breakfast."

They returned to the Palace and entered their rooms.

----

The next morning, at 10AM, they were again in the Great Hall. "Good morning!" said the King.

[The Huterric Union]

President Milán Longton assumes there won't be any formality during breakfast, so ebmnters the Great hall with his dressing gown on. "Good morning, Alex. Nicholas, you too!". The three Huterric senators seemed to have been talking to Nicholas for a while now, so the president assum s the King has been doing other things during his time. The president takes it upon himself to keep himself company. "How are you? What have you been doing?" The president says to the king with a great big smile on his face.