Of Crowns and Cars (Meillur Only)

[Colfico]

Iukasi Mora watched the Deritan country side pass by, as his blue Hiatara V-01 made its way up the road, the rugged and reliable Colficoan built vehicle, constructed to handle the under developed roads of its home country, and thus not built with the older, and more developed roads of the Celestial Empire in mind, however, it handled it just fine. He had found himself summoned, after the company had sent a car as a gift to the new emperor, and while he found it amusing that the car helped designed had been found that impressive, he still couldnt help but be intimidated by the idea he would be coming face to face with the regent of the Celestial Empire, after all, at the end of the day, he was just a engineer for an automotive company, with nothing to his name besides the work he had done, and the life he had built with his own two hands, much like everyone else in the company. With him was the company CEO, and founder, Niatara Corivick.

The engineer watched as the landscape changed, as he finally arrived in Gaosa, it was certainly different than what he was used to, having grown up in a village on the bank of the Great Colfico River as a fisherman's son. The sound of his trucks four cylinder engine almost certainly standing out, as much as its rugged appearance. It was not long before he reached his destination, and he parked the small truck, and with a clicking turn of the ignition, the car turned off as instantly as clockwork.

He nodded and said "We should be here" Before turning the simple handle on the inside of the door, and swinging it open, as Niatara did the same. He was an unassuming man by Colficoan standards, standing at a meak five feet and six inches, and featuring pale skin and dark, brown hair, and wearing a simple pair of circular wire glasses. Almost as if to contrast him, Niatara stood at five feet, nine inches, and was dressed in his finest tan business suit, and wore a matching fedora on his head. The man, despite his clothes, had a tan complexion, and what hair showed was well kempt, short and red.

Niatara nodded and said "Lets not keep them waiting, this could be huge for the company as a whole."

Iukasi nodded, and followed his CEO up the steps, unsure quite what to expect.

[Kingdom of Derita]

The Inama Palace, though not an actual palace, was well on its way to being just as impressive as one. The lesser twin of the Ijuru Ingoro, it remained mostly unfinished and under construction, scaffolding covered the building as it rose from its perch high on a hill near the center of Gaosa. It looked out over a city of similar sights, traditional buildings, ground floors receded from the streets with colonnades and horseshoe arches, while balconies and grated windows rose up on to the higher levels. In the distance to the west the Dragon Mountains rose up in brilliant emerald, their tops caped with snow. From them countless glittering waterfalls cascaded into the Mynama and Djata rivers that twisted and braid across the landscape and into the city before reaching more waterfalls that fell into glittering tree lined lakes.

The Regent had to admit that his brother had selected a beautiful spot for the capital of the Celestial Empire, and its beauty grew by the day. Much of Gaosa was being renovated or constructed, the heart of the building boom that opened the decade. A building boom that had unfortunately started to cause trouble with their Colficoan neighbors. The Regent narrowed it down to a difference in culture and work ethic. The Deritains were artistic, passionate and dedicated, and praised architecture and forms of engineering as lifestyles and for their spirit in the community. The Colficoans were more dutiful, pragmatic and efficient and had a martial edge to them that took precedence.

Both had their benefits and their drawbacks. The Regent’s people thought big, on a grand scale. Not for a single person, but for an entire family. Not for a single block, but for an entire neighborhood. It meant expertise in road and city design was excellent, but individual products were often somewhat lacking for the everyday person. The Regent however had spent a great deal of time outside of the Celestial Empire, learning about the rest of the world and how they did things. And he found that of all the cities he had visited, the greatest was Aukusa City. For there in that special administrative zone there too was a different culture. Cosmopolitan, technocratic and democratic, almost ruthless capitalism that had turned it into the Jewel of the Western Ocean. The Regent decided to take a page from their book and in order to solve the issues between his country and his granddaughter’s, he had to think small.

Thus when Visalia had sent a car for the Emperor, he saw an opportunity. To see if he could think small and plant a seed for long term peace and prosperity. An member of the Regent’s staff greeted Iukasi Mora and Niatara Corivick, bowing and taking them to a conference room with an view of the lakes to the east beyond the city.

The Regent waited for them. The Regent was a towering man, standing an inch over six and a half feet tall and he still had the look of a general at seventy-one. His features had been quite handsome when he was younger, though his aged face was now blemish with a thin scar. He wore the new style of court dress, loafers, trousers, a inner shirt and a minimalist agbada with gold embroidery and a kofi hat. Every piece of fabric was made of white cashmere, for the nation continued to mourn the death of late Andeja III.

The Regent was not alone. Alongside him was his son, Prince Anakele, standing at six feet and two inches, with caramel skin compared to his father’s coffee complexion. His attire was almost identical to his father’s, though his embroidery was different and hat tilted in a different direction. Lastly there was Kalere Kesi, a woman of five feet and nine inches, she wore her hair pulled tightly back into a bun with a short white shawl over it, as a sign of her mourning the late emperor. Her dress was white as well with an empire waist and lace sleeves. Kalere’s eyes looked over the Colficoans with surprise. She hadn’t known they were such a petit people.

“Presenting, Niatara Corivick and Iukasi Mora,” said the staffer as they entered the room. The Regent though the announcement a bit archaic, but his son had convinced him to lean into some traditions. As Regent, he was the most powerful person in the Empire, and spoke with the voice of the emperor. This and his dual role as prime minister and a imperial prince and a Duke gave the Regent unprecedented power not seen since before he was born. He was, effectively, an autocrat for the time being.”

“The designer of the exquisite car,” said the Regent, his voice like a clap of thunder on the horizon. “His Imperial Majesty sends his regards. He is quite occupied with his studies at Ezikwizalo University, but he greatly admires the car. As do I. I had quite the collection of sports cars in my youth. Please, sit.”

The Regent gestured to the table before them, carved from glossy mahogany, the chairs gilded and stuffed with large satin cushions. Awaiting on the table was were several tiers of fruit filled samosas sprinkled with sugar, flaky maasos in different flavored and colored cheeses, and bowls of diced mango, melon and honeyed strawberries.

[Colfico]

The two sat at the table, and Iukasa was the one to speak first, the CEO notably making no effort to speak before or over his employee, although the engineer did glance his way before finally speaking.

“You humble me, me and my time simply set out to carry out the task set before us to the best of our abilities, and in the end it was the workers in the factory that actually built the Car, they deserve as much credit as I do.”

His voice was somewhat hoarse, the result of damage done by inhalation of ash and smoke during the civil war as a child, but it was all genuine, as much as the man himself was.

The Head Engineer then said “Believe it or not, that vehicle is the first of its kind to be built by the company, we mainly specialize in utility vehicles and motorcycles, however there has been market demand for an increase in the types of vehicles we offer, and so, the C-100 we sent is one of the first of those new vehicles.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

“It is an admirable design,” the Regent said with a nod, the closest most saw to a smile with the Iron Duke. He listened carefully noting the odd tone of his voice, but he made no comment on it.“One that appeals to not only His Imperial Majesty, but also the growing and modernizing market.”

“Indeed,” said Kalere Kesi. “Many of our newer development roads in the Northeast of the country are some of the smoothest, well connected in the world, matching the high quality of Aukusa City, and the growing upper class in the region are becoming more partial to high quality individual vehicles, for special outings and collection alike.”

“And with such designers,” said the Regent, “and craftspersons and assembly workers one the C-100 is certainly a departure from what is typically seen to come out of Colfico. It is certainly a testament to the change in markets no?”

[Colfico]

The designer gave a simple nod and said "It is simply the level of quality expected of every vehicle that comes out of the assembly line at the factory. Visalia holds the same standards of construction and engineering quality that the rest of the Hiatara Automotive Group does, you would find the same quality of construction in any of the vehicles that we build, the difference is what purpose the vehicle was built for. The C-100 was meant to be a luxurious, but reliable and relatively durable sports car, something that could handle the rougher roads of Colfico. We do not rely on looks and the comfort of its ride alone to sell our vehicles."

The designer glanced at the CEO, who simply gave a small nod for him to continue, it was still the Engineers turn.

"We take the same pride in every truck and motorcycle that we produce, because they are no less important to the companies success, it is simply that those vehicles have a different purpose, and thus were built to the qualities that best suit those types of vehicles. There are those out there who would disagree that those attributes signify quality, however, that is why Visalia now exists, nobody expects luxury from a Hiataran vehicle, despite the level of quality that we put into every vehicle, Visalia is a relative clean slate for expectations." He then said "However, even with it being a luxury car company, I have no intention of making vehicles that are any less practical and reliable than their Hiataran counterparts, a mechanic that would know how to work on a norman Hiataran vehicle can just as easily work on the C-100, as many of the parts and components are standard components produced by Hiatara." he then said "After all, no one wants a beautiful lawn ornament that breaks down after a measly five years of operation."

[Kingdom of Derita]

The Regent leaned back in his chair as he listened to the designer. He noted that the chief executive officer was largely taking a backseat, pun not intended, in the conversation, not that the Regent minded. He nodded his head slightly, amused by the engineer's comparison of a poorly made car to an expensive lawn ornament. Reliability and durability were vital in the luxury industry. For it meant quality, true quality not merely gilding.

"Very much agreed," said the Regent. "And I am glad you mentioned Visalia's new clean slate. With its new luxurious approach to aesthetics and functions, combined with the fine craftsmanship needed for each vehicle produced, it must be a grand undertaking, one that requires a stable market and customer base with the capital to make sure that the C-100 and down the line its successors make a profit. And with this new expectations, it can be quite interesting, even at times vital in what direction you go, and where you end up."

[Colfico]

The young engineer nodded and said “That is why we take great care in how we build and design our cars, we extensively study the road conditions, driving habits and terrain of the areas where our vehicles are expected to be sold most, however, unfortunately that has left the C-100, by the nature of the type of vehicle it is, limited to the more developed areas of Colfico until the road situation improves, which will take time.”

He then said “Actually Hiatara plans to open up at least three new factory’s by the end of next year, to help keep up with demand, and Visalia will be getting one of them. There are even talks of moving from domestic sales, to exports, however, Hiatara is not comfortable doing so without scouting out those new markets, and the roads those markets drive on, first. We take great care when we design and build a car, we figure out exactly what the goal and purpose of the car or vehicle is befor I, or any other engineer, sets a pen to paper.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

“Have you considered conducting market search for Oran and the Upper Saizon?” asked Kalere Kesi. “The city itself is home to a large growing number of the middle class and, though smaller, a growing community of wealthier citizens. Perhaps it could serve as a place not only for customers, but for producers as well. If you were to building and operate a factory in Oran, then you could build up a much stronger brand identity than you ever could in Colfico. Not to mention with lower export fees Visalia would be making a fortune without transport costs.”

[Colfico]

This time, it was the CEOs turn to speak on the matter, while he had taken a back seat up to this point, this was beyond the engineers scope.

"It has been considered, however, we would like to ensure that sales are successful in those markets in the first place, before committing resources to those areas, and the only acceptable way for Hiatara to do that is through experimentation, and through a trial batch once it is figured out what types of vehicles would be desired in those areas. The needs and tastes of people in one area can be completely different from those in another, and thus, a vehicle that does well in one, may not do so well in another."

[Kingdom of Derita]

"Have you thought on what locations you are thinking of having marketed samples go to?" asked Kalere Kesi. "One can imagine that trying to cast a wide net of consumers can be financially risky, particularly with international markets. The Celestial Empire and Colfico alone we've found have widely different mannerisms and tastes when it comes to how our consumers use their purchasing power."

[Colfico]

The CEO and enginee shared a glance and said "That was what I just said we were doing, it is why we intend to design, and sell, vehicles built specifically for their target market, rather than one vehicle designed to do it all."

The CEO decided to move on, and said "The primary one we intend to focus on, for the moment, is Aukusa, while continuing to develop our domestic sales even further than we already have. However, we are not looking to rush into things, it is a process that, if done correctly, could potentially take years, with as thorough as the company plans to be on the matter."

It was not an exaggeration, the company planned to go as far as measuring roads, and the average height of those in the city, as well as inspecting the average condition of those roads. It was estimated that the process would be very lengthy, if it ever ended at all, after all, conditions were likely to change over time, making adjustments to design necessary.