Pantocratoria
16-01-2007, 08:32
Godthåb, Nabarro Abarca
Egede Airport was a fairly small airport. There were no direct flights from outside Nabarro Abarca. For that matter, there were no direct flights from anywhere except one small airport in Donncona. Most of the people making their way through the airport were locals of Gade returning home. Not many outsiders choose to come to Gade. The island was, after all, mostly a giant block of ice. Still, the people in the airport, a healthy mix of Inuit- and Danish-Nabarrans, seemed quite content with their little piece of the world.
One of the disembarking passengers, however, was one such outsider, although he couldn't quite work out why he had ended up coming to Gade specifically. He had just volunteered to assist the Nabarran Socialist Party in the upcoming elections, and hadn't expressed any preference as to where in Nabarro Abarca he ended up. Jean-Baptiste Venoit was a union organiser from the Pantocratorian Socialist Alliance, who had volunteered to assist the NSP's election campaign when asked whether he could lend a hand by the Regional Secretary of the Pantocratorian Socialist Alliance for Adrienople. He was in his late twenties and tended to dress professionally, even for international flights. He had light brown hair which was cut fairly short and meticulously arranged, green eyes and a trustworthy, clean-shaven face. The flight, however, did have an effect on him, and he looked travel weary as he made his way to the baggage claim area.
The airport was not, of course, especially abuzz with news of the upcoming election. Most people talking loud enough to be heard were talking about personal concerns, how impressive this or that Donnaconan city was and the like. They were mostly speaking in Danish, although a few spoke another language Venoit didn't know but might recognize as Gadic, the native language of Gade's Inuit majority. What was said of the election wasn't good. The locals seemed rather dissatisfied with NSP Leader Isidre Zayas Romero, whose refusal to form a national unity government with the Imperial Action Party as advised by the Commonwealth Interministerial Council and the Danaan Government had precipitated the political crises which led to the election. Terms like "too extreme" and "out of touch" could be heard used to describe the NSP more than once, even in the tiny snippets of conversation overheard in an airport. Strangely, it didn't really touch Venoit's sides. He had heard similar things said about Drapeur and the Pantocratorian Socialist Alliance before their election, besides which, he really was jetlagged and wasn't really prepared to take on-board a great deal until after he had rested a little. He retrieved a suitcase in addition to the briefcase he had taken with him on the plane, and wandered around to the passenger pick-up area where he was expecting to meet somebody from the NSP.
There was indeed someone carrying a sign with Venoit's name on it. His host was a beefy, somewhat gruff looking man in his early thirties. He wore a short beard and had a small scar across the top of his eye. He seemed to be predominantly of European descent though a hint of Inuit ancestry could be detected in his facial features if one looked carefully. He was dressed decently but not especially formally in a black pullover sweater and a pair of dark trousers. Of course, he wore thick boots and a heavy coat unbuttoned in the heated airport. Only the insane would wear less during a Gadic January.
"Hello, I'm Venoit." Venoit said in Danish as he approached the man. Venoit was wearing a business suit at that moment, and had a heavy overcoat and pair of warm boots in his suitcase to pull on before he ventured outside.
"Hermansen, Gottfried Hermansen." the man said, offering his hand. "My flatmate and I'll be putting you up while you're in Gade."
"You're very kind." Venoit replied. "I've a heavy coat and pair of boots in my bag, do you mind terribly if I take a moment to put them on before we go out to the car? Or do you think I'll be OK in regular shoes?"
"I'll wait." Hermansen said. "Gadic winters are hard enough on people who're used to them."
Venoit sat down in a waiting area and started changing his shoes, opening his suitcase to retrieve his boots and coat. As he tied his shoelaces he looked back at Hermansen.
"Do you live far from here?" Venoit asked.
"Just about ten miles or so." Hermansen said.
"How has your campaigning been going so far?" Venoit asked. "What have you been up to?"
"It's been going fairly well." Hermensen said as he walked the Pantocratorian to the parking deck. "We've been focusing our canvassing on the small fishermen in the seat, which does mean a lot of driving though."
"What do you mean, small fishermen?" Venoit asked.
"Family fishermen." Hermensen explained. "They own their own boats and equipment but their at the mercy of big business for canning and distribution. Most of the undecideds are in that group and a lot depends on whether or not they think of themselves as small businessmen or as somewhat independent productive workers. Of course, just as much depends on what's actually offerred in their immediate interests."
Egede Airport was a fairly small airport. There were no direct flights from outside Nabarro Abarca. For that matter, there were no direct flights from anywhere except one small airport in Donncona. Most of the people making their way through the airport were locals of Gade returning home. Not many outsiders choose to come to Gade. The island was, after all, mostly a giant block of ice. Still, the people in the airport, a healthy mix of Inuit- and Danish-Nabarrans, seemed quite content with their little piece of the world.
One of the disembarking passengers, however, was one such outsider, although he couldn't quite work out why he had ended up coming to Gade specifically. He had just volunteered to assist the Nabarran Socialist Party in the upcoming elections, and hadn't expressed any preference as to where in Nabarro Abarca he ended up. Jean-Baptiste Venoit was a union organiser from the Pantocratorian Socialist Alliance, who had volunteered to assist the NSP's election campaign when asked whether he could lend a hand by the Regional Secretary of the Pantocratorian Socialist Alliance for Adrienople. He was in his late twenties and tended to dress professionally, even for international flights. He had light brown hair which was cut fairly short and meticulously arranged, green eyes and a trustworthy, clean-shaven face. The flight, however, did have an effect on him, and he looked travel weary as he made his way to the baggage claim area.
The airport was not, of course, especially abuzz with news of the upcoming election. Most people talking loud enough to be heard were talking about personal concerns, how impressive this or that Donnaconan city was and the like. They were mostly speaking in Danish, although a few spoke another language Venoit didn't know but might recognize as Gadic, the native language of Gade's Inuit majority. What was said of the election wasn't good. The locals seemed rather dissatisfied with NSP Leader Isidre Zayas Romero, whose refusal to form a national unity government with the Imperial Action Party as advised by the Commonwealth Interministerial Council and the Danaan Government had precipitated the political crises which led to the election. Terms like "too extreme" and "out of touch" could be heard used to describe the NSP more than once, even in the tiny snippets of conversation overheard in an airport. Strangely, it didn't really touch Venoit's sides. He had heard similar things said about Drapeur and the Pantocratorian Socialist Alliance before their election, besides which, he really was jetlagged and wasn't really prepared to take on-board a great deal until after he had rested a little. He retrieved a suitcase in addition to the briefcase he had taken with him on the plane, and wandered around to the passenger pick-up area where he was expecting to meet somebody from the NSP.
There was indeed someone carrying a sign with Venoit's name on it. His host was a beefy, somewhat gruff looking man in his early thirties. He wore a short beard and had a small scar across the top of his eye. He seemed to be predominantly of European descent though a hint of Inuit ancestry could be detected in his facial features if one looked carefully. He was dressed decently but not especially formally in a black pullover sweater and a pair of dark trousers. Of course, he wore thick boots and a heavy coat unbuttoned in the heated airport. Only the insane would wear less during a Gadic January.
"Hello, I'm Venoit." Venoit said in Danish as he approached the man. Venoit was wearing a business suit at that moment, and had a heavy overcoat and pair of warm boots in his suitcase to pull on before he ventured outside.
"Hermansen, Gottfried Hermansen." the man said, offering his hand. "My flatmate and I'll be putting you up while you're in Gade."
"You're very kind." Venoit replied. "I've a heavy coat and pair of boots in my bag, do you mind terribly if I take a moment to put them on before we go out to the car? Or do you think I'll be OK in regular shoes?"
"I'll wait." Hermansen said. "Gadic winters are hard enough on people who're used to them."
Venoit sat down in a waiting area and started changing his shoes, opening his suitcase to retrieve his boots and coat. As he tied his shoelaces he looked back at Hermansen.
"Do you live far from here?" Venoit asked.
"Just about ten miles or so." Hermansen said.
"How has your campaigning been going so far?" Venoit asked. "What have you been up to?"
"It's been going fairly well." Hermensen said as he walked the Pantocratorian to the parking deck. "We've been focusing our canvassing on the small fishermen in the seat, which does mean a lot of driving though."
"What do you mean, small fishermen?" Venoit asked.
"Family fishermen." Hermensen explained. "They own their own boats and equipment but their at the mercy of big business for canning and distribution. Most of the undecideds are in that group and a lot depends on whether or not they think of themselves as small businessmen or as somewhat independent productive workers. Of course, just as much depends on what's actually offerred in their immediate interests."