NationStates Jolt Archive

Thaller nodded and smiled, "Thank you sir for your hospitality, you've been most kind to me, how can I ever repay you?"

President Lew said: "Well, you're welcoime.....again, we treat our POW's well. The only thing you have to do is probably..."

He stopped to think. "Well, does the Czar have a videophone? I figure, we could do a teleconference...and speak to him directly, so he's not left in the dark while we talk."

Thaller nodded, "Yes. I have to do what? Go on, I'm listening, sir."

Thaller nodded, "Yes. I have to do what? Go on, I'm listening, sir."

Lew continued: "Answer me this question: do any of the Mississippian government officials have some sort of teleconferencing equipment, or perhaps a videophone? A mundane question, maybe, but I think it will aid in negotiations-y'know, face-to-face communication would be nice when we talk."

Herman shook his head, "I don't know of any who use video conference phones, but our Czar will meet with you in say, Argentina or Bolivia if you'd like. He feels safe there, and they're relatively neutral places. You can be assured of your safety there as well. What do you say? Shall I arrange a meeting?"

Lew went, "Very well, then. I always wanted to go to South America. See if you can arrange a meeting."


The PA System onbard went, "Atteniton all passengers...we are now landing at Chek Lap Kok/Gordon Freeman International Airport Private Hangar #45. Please return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts and turn off any electronic devices you may have."

Herman helped Matsumoto sit down and buckle up, gently kissing her in the process before he sat down next to her and buckled his seatbelt as well.


He closed his eyes as the plane was about to land, he seemed tensed, he always hated landing in a commercial aircraft, or indeed any aircraft he wasn't the pilot of. He had no problems landing an F-14 at night, in a blizzard, on an aircraft carrier in massively rough waves, but trusting somebody else, anybody else, to land a plane in any conditions, it just scared him and made him nervous.

Herman helped Matsumoto sit down and buckle up, gently kissing her in the process before he sat down next to her and buckled his seatbelt as well.


He closed his eyes as the plane was about to land, he seemed tensed, he always hated landing in a commercial aircraft, or indeed any aircraft he wasn't the pilot of. He had no problems landing an F-14 at night, in a blizzard, on an aircraft carrier in massively rough waves, but trusting somebody else, anybody else, to land a plane in any conditions, it just scared him and made him nervous.

The plane landed quite gracefully.....and it taxied safely into the waiting hangar.

It stopped, and the PA went, "Welcome to Hong Kong."

President Lew looked outside, and saw the waiting Range Rover.

"Well, that's our ride. Let's go."

Thaller smiled, "Thanks for the plane ride, it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be..."

He helped Matsumoto get up and collect her things and then he followed the president off the plane.

The President led them to a waiting Range Rover, and he motioned for Thaller and Matsumoto to get in.

Thaller held the door for her, saying, "Ladies first", as he smiled. Stepping in after she'd gotten in, he shut the door as he got situated in a seat.


"So, where are we heading to right now?"

President Lew said, "Well, we are going to my House....trust me, you're gonna like it."

He then said, "Bobby! The Preisdent's House, stat!"

"Yes sir."

The Range Rover sped off from the airport, and went onto the bridge, escorted by several other Range Rovers and several Land Rover Defender 110's from the Hong Kong Capital Division for protection.

Thaller nodded and sat back to take in the scenery on the way there, it was truly a lovely city with many old buildings that were worthy of being photographed, he wished he had a camera with him.

Gordon said, "Nice city, ain't it?"

He pointed to a glass tower. "That there's the HQ of the National Bank of Upper Xen, one of the finest, far-flung and powerful economic institutions you'll ever find. The government actually stores its funds there in secure accounts, but the Bank does general banking as well."

He then pointed to a massive statue, with a crowbar, pointing towards the sky with a resolute gaze. "That there is the statue of Gordon Freeman, our national hero, standing at 900 feet, it is very large, and ranks as one of the highest monuments in the world. Gordon Freeman-my namesake-is actually buried at its base. He freed Upper Xen from the clutches of the evil Lord Nihilanth...a very cruel alien tyrant. Emphasis on alien...and no offense intended, of course."

He then pointed to a busy looking harbor. "That there is Freeman Harbor...one of the busiest ports in the world. Ships by the hundreds of thousands come here. Of course.....we are running out of room in Hong Kong, so we are considering building a man-made Island, to be called New Kowloon Tong. It'll be wonderful...though definetly not as impressive as Fabus Island."

OOC:

Some pics for reference:

Here is the NBUX building (RL Bank of China, but MUCH taller):

http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/china/pictures/bank%20of%20china-hong%20kong.jpg

Freeman Harbor (RL Victoria Harbour):

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/interactive/webcam/image12pm/ig_webc_harb2.jpg

Herman smiled, saying relatively loudly, "Beautiful city..." He then slowly leaned over and whispered to Matsumoto, "Not as beautiful as you though..." Smiling as he whispered.

Herman smiled, saying relatively loudly, "Beautiful city..." He then slowly leaned over and whispered to Matsumoto, "Not as beautiful as you though..." Smiling as he whispered.

Matsumoto chuckled with girlish glee, and said, "indeed."

Thaller yawned a bit, he was starting to get tired, "Any idea how much longer till we get there?" he asked the president.

Thaller yawned a bit, he was starting to get tired, "Any idea how much longer till we get there?" he asked the president.

Lew said, "Should be about 10-20 minutes, tops, unless we have to fight the infamous Hong Kong traffic. Traffic here, Herr Thaller can get downright mean...."

They ran into a traffic jam on Tsing Yi Island...

"Ah, s**t. More traffic. Sorry, Herr Thaller....it'll take another ten minutes."

Thaller nodded, "How about the sidewalk, in Mississippi we use that sometimes if we're in a real bad traffic jam..."

Thaller nodded, "How about the sidewalk, in Mississippi we use that sometimes if we're in a real bad traffic jam..."

"Hm....here that would get you a fine and a manslaughter sentence."

"You feel like getting picked up by a helicopter? I can do that...I am the President."

Herman smiled, "Yes, helicopter, that sounds great."

Herman smiled, "Yes, helicopter, that sounds great."

President Lew said, "This is gonna be sweet."

He pulled out his cell phone, and called up the Capital Division's HQ.

"General Tsu.....I'm gonna need an airlift...Skycrane preferred......rig it to lift a Range Rover, that's a Presidential order!"

"No, I don't care if this is embarassing......I've only done this, what, six times? Relax...I'll get you some more Vat 49 Whiskey, just lift the damn thing."

"Fine....sure....got it. Bye."

He hung up and said, "Herr Thaller, in 15 minutes, we will be picked up by a a Sikorsky Skycrane. Enjoy the Ride....and thank General Tsu and the Hong Kong Capital Division. He really hates it when I do this."

Thaller smiled, "Thank you sir, this is great."

Time passed.....and like he promised, the helicopter arrived. It actually came early.

The Sikorsky Skycrane gently lowered a massive winch, and a huge cage came down oto the sidewalk, along iwth some attendants who rappleled down to help the process along. A buzz in the Range Rover's radio turned into this message:

"Mr. President.....your ride is ready. Your antics never cease to amaze me."

President Lew grabbed the raido, and yelled into it, "Hey, General, old pal....relax...we've got company. Don't humiliate me now, m'kay?"

The voice on the other end went, with a mixture of anger and humor: "Man, just shut the f**k up and drive into the cage unit.....we'll close it shut and get you to your place."

"Thanks, man." President Lew put the radio down and instructed the driver to drive into the cage. After the two attendants closed it and check ed to make sure it was secure, a rope ladder was thrown down to them, and they climbed back up into the Skycrane.

A few minutes later, the Skycrane delicately lifted off, acutely aware that it was in the iddle of an urban setting. After getting some currents adjusted, and almost hitting some buildings, the copter began flying to the President's House.

Herman craned his neck to get a better view as they were approaching, "Very nice, is that the place?"

President Lew said, "Yup....that is the President's House (http://sokamonline.com/HongKong/HongKong97/photo/080-01s.jpg). Nice, ain't it? That's where I live..it is not as fancy as the Stalingrad Estate.....but it is quite grand."

The Sikorsky Skycrane soon moved onto a street in front of the President's House. Setting down the cage there, the attendants that had opened it before rappeled down, opened the cage, and allowed the driver to exit.

Just befor leaving, they secure the cage once again, and out of the helicopter, General Tsu himself popped out. Giving the finger, he yelled in a slightly joking manner to the President, "Gimme a break! I can't keep doing this s**t!"

The President popped out, and said, "A happy f**kin day to you too, buster!"

They waved each other off, and laughed. The helicopter then lifted off, and returned to base.

Getting out of the car, the President chuckled to himself. "Man...good old Tsu."

He then said, "Well, we're here. You guys can come on out."

Thaller nodded, "So we're here... What do we do first?"

"Well, if you've got any personal belongings, kindly remove them from the car, and follow me. You'll have to submit to a search, for security reasons, and we'll have to enter from the West Gate....this is Tourist Season."

He then motioned for them to follow, and began to lead them up a granite staircase. Taking a left, they encountered the Secret Service.

One of the men went, "Welcome back, Mr. President."

Herman nodded his head, "Search? Yes of course, I'm used to such things, I'm from Mississippi, remember?"

He smiled a bit.

The President said, "Fine by me. It'll make the process easier."

The Secret Service man then motioned for Thaller and Matsumoto to raise their arms, and he frisked them. Then, after scanning them with a metal detector for 20 minutes, he then asked them to put their bags through an x-ray machine and a chemical test.

OOC: Not to seem nosy...but whats this I hear about a Zulu-Xhosa Race War thread? I'd like to join, possibly as the Zulus, and get one of my clients, Dornalia, alo based in Africa, into action...unless foreign intervention is not appreciated in this thread, and you wish for it to be Zulus vs Xhosa only.....

Thaller went through the process and then tipped the guard with a 1000 dollar Mississippian bill for, "Not touching something that shouldn't have been touched..." (Thaller has a nice sense of humor)


He then followed the others on inside.


Ooc- You can be Zulu, yes... But foreign involvement is not really welcomed, at least not at the time. Be back later tonight, have to shower, sleep, wake up, write a large paper.

Thaller went through the process and then tipped the guard with a 1000 dollar Mississippian bill for, "Not touching something that shouldn't have been touched..." (Thaller has a nice sense of humor)


He then followed the others on inside.


Ooc- You can be Zulu, yes... But foreign involvement is not really welcomed, at least not at the time. Be back later tonight, have to shower, sleep, wake up, write a large paper.

The Secret Service man looked at Thaller oddly, took the cash, smiled, and said, "Bribery is illegal here...you know that? I won't press charges this time, sir, but keep in mind, the Xenizen Secret Service can't take gratuities. Move along."

After they walked along, Gordon explained, "Oh, that's Jimmy Chang....the most incorruptible man in Upper Xen. Very trusty and reliable, and does his job almost too well."

He led them inside the house. Inside, Thaller could hear two teenage kids yelling at each other.

"...you stupid-head! I'm going to tell...that was my science fair project!"

"So? What are you gonna do?"

"If you don't fix it, I'm going to reveal your hentai stash!"

"Tell you what....you don't snitch, I fix your stupid solar car, got it?"

"Fine! But it better be like new!"

Gordon said, "Dangit, what are those two kids doing now?"

Ooc- Last post for a few hours, have work to tend to.



Ic- Herman raised a brow and rolled his eyes, he remembered when he was a teenager. He then smiled, "Sir, are those your kids?"

Ooc- Last post for a few hours, have work to tend to.



Ic- Herman raised a brow and rolled his eyes, he remembered when he was a teenager. He then smiled, "Sir, are those your kids?"

IC:

Gordon went, "Yeah. And they're screwing around again...."

He walked into the living room, and was greeted by the sight of a broken car with a solar panel on it and a disk labeled "La Blue Girl episodes."

Gordon picked up the car and the disk. "Fredrick Long-wai Lew! What did I tell you about harming your sister's things! And now I find porn!?"

Fred said, "Dad, it's not what it seems like....."

Gordon said, "Dangit, I have a guest. You are embarassing me! Both of you, apologize to each other and mean it! And then say sorry to Herr Thaller."

Thaller shook his head, "No, they don't have to apologize, I know what kids are like, I was once one myself, believe it or not..." He chuckled a bit at the last part.

Gordon said, "ok." He then turned to the kids and said, "You'd better thank Herr Thaller for the fact he didn't make you say sorry."

"Thank you, Herr Thaller."

Fred turned towards Victoria and then said "Sorry, Vicky.....I'll fix it."

Victoria then said, "Thank you, and I'm sorry too."

Gordon then said "Good. Fred, you're lucky I'm not making you write 'I will not be surly' 100 times.....now pick that stuff up."

Fred did so, and went off to get the job done.

Gordon then went, "And, now here is my daughter...Victoria Fu-mei Lew."

Victoria went, "Hi. Are you THE Thaller....the one on the TV and in Newsweek?"

Herman nodded, "Yes, I am Colonel Herman Von Thaller, they tell me I'm something of a legendary fighter ace. I'm also well-known for my role in the Volunteer Guard, the fact that I'm the Pope of the Mississippian Roman Catholic Church, the Minister of Religion, and the Chief of the Air Force."

Herman nodded, "Yes, I am Colonel Herman Von Thaller, they tell me I'm something of a legendary fighter ace. I'm also well-known for my role in the Volunteer Guard, the fact that I'm the Pope of the Mississippian Roman Catholic Church, the Minister of Religion, and the Chief of the Air Force."

"Yeah....." said Victoria. "Apparently here, the Japanese turned your exploits into a comic book series called 'The Southern Eagle.' My brother's got all of the volumes of it printed so far. He's also got a model of the MiG-41.....he's into the whole fighter jets, guns and girls stage."

"Me? I'm into automobiles and forensic science-if that can be a hobby!"

"You're the Pope of Mississippi, huh? And Air Force Chief? Must be a big set of jobs....saving men's souls and ruling the skies at the same time."

Herman smiled, "I'll send you a spent casing from a 20mm round from a MiG-41 cannon sometime, you can add it to your collection."


He then turned to the girl, "So, you like cars? I'll have a friend send you a new 81 Eldorado."


Thaller then looked to the president, "You have such nice children, I hope to have children someday, my brother is rapidly working on getting children of his own..." He whispered to the president, "Hehehe... My brother is a busy man with his wives, he'll have lots of kids before long."

He then spoke up a bit, "Shall we move along then, sir?"

Herman smiled, "I'll send you a spent casing from a 20mm round from a MiG-41 cannon sometime, you can add it to your collection."


He then turned to the girl, "So, you like cars? I'll have a friend send you a new 81 Eldorado."


Thaller then looked to the president, "You have such nice children, I hope to have children someday, my brother is rapidly working on getting children of his own..." He whispered to the president, "Hehehe... My brother is a busy man with his wives, he'll have lots of kids before long."

He then spoke up a bit, "Shall we move along then, sir?"

Gordon laughed, "Indeed....now let's get going. I believe I should show you your quarters."

He led Thaller to the East Wing, and showed him his room. It was ornately furnished in the Victorian-style, with a bookshelf, a four-poster bed, and an antique grandfather clock, plus a statue of a dragon in it. "This is your room....it's got a nice view of Freeman Harbor, and all the amenities you'll need. The staff'll be happy to send anything up-there is a red button here if you need something."

He then pointed to the guards in khaki with black berets. "Not to seem nosy, but bear in mind, we do have to keep you under watch......we'll be having some boys from the Capital Division and the Secret Service to keep an eye on you. Don't worry, if anybody tries to harm you, they'll ensure you'll be fine."

Herman nodded, "Yes, I see, so they'll be out here at all times then? Oh by the way, not to be a nag, but when is dinner, I'm quite hungry."

Lew went, "It'll be ready in 5 minutes...they've gotta set everything up."

"You can put your stuff here. I'll show you the dining room."

He led Thaller down a large hall bedecked with paintings of leaders and war heroes, and sculptures of famous people. Then, he took a right, he led Thaller into a relatively medium sized room that gave a sense of intimacy and grandeur. On the wall was a painting of Gordon Freeman, and a photo of a Russian looking man in a tunic and a slouch hat, Colt Commando slung on his lap.

The square dining table was set up with fine silverware, and Wedgwood china with dragon motifs on each plate. Glasses for champagne and water were in place, and a lazy susan was in the middle of the table to facilitate serving. It had all manner of sauces, from Vietnamese Hot Sauce to Tabasco to Soy Sauce to Mustard and more. It also had the promised Filet Mignon, and some shau mai dumplings, rice, teriyaki chicken, and even fried chicken of all foods.

Chefs and servers were busy straightening the settings, checking and double checking the arrangements to ensure everything was alright, and generally hustling and bustling about.

"Here is the dining room, Herr Thaller. There is a soda machine off to the side here, if you ever feel the need to use it, and we have much in the way of fine liquors....I'm not a wine man myself, but if you like wine, we've got it."

"I don't know how the fried chicken got here....I think Fred screwed with the menu again."

bump

bump


Ooc- Don't work and trying to make other posts, will reply next shortly. Here is a quick one for now.


Ic- Thaller looked around, "This is a great place you have here, could I get myself a glass of brandy? Would that be okay, sir?"

Gordon Lew said, "Sure. Carl!"

A Vortiguant came up to Thaller and said, "What does our guest want?"

Gordon gave Carl a 50 Xenthaler note and said, "Carl, could you please get Herr Thaller some brandy?"

Carl said, "Yes, sir." He ran to the kitchen, and came out with a glass of brandy.

"Here you are, Herr Thaller. The brandy. It is a Courvoisier."

Thaller took the glass of brandy, "Thank you sir." He took a sip of it, "This is great" he said as he smiled.

He then sat down in a nearby chair, "So, Mr. President, would you like to meet with my Czar someday?"

Thaller took the glass of brandy, "Thank you sir." He took a sip of it, "This is great" he said as he smiled.

He then sat down in a nearby chair, "So, Mr. President, would you like to meet with my Czar someday?"

"Yes," Gordon went. "I hear he is quite an interesting person. And anyway.....your Czar and I do need to talk."

"Perhaps he can meet me here? We will not harm him, or place pressure on him to do something. And we certainly will give him respect if and when he comes."

Thaller shook his head, "No, I think the Czar would rather meet somewhere that is neutral or can totally guarantee his safety. Not that you specifically would want to harm him, but you may have citizens here who might wish him harm, you understand, yes? Might I suggest Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, or Uruguay?"

Thaller shook his head, "No, I think the Czar would rather meet somewhere that is neutral or can totally guarantee his safety. Not that you specifically would want to harm him, but you may have citizens here who might wish him harm, you understand, yes? Might I suggest Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, or Uruguay?"


Lew rubbed his chin and said, "Hm.....we'll go with Chile. I can meet him there."

A chef ran up to him. "Mr. President? Dinner is ready."

Gordon then went, "Of course! Come, let us sit. Have any chair you please."

Gordon walked to an old gong, and hit it, resulting in a near-deafening "DING!". He then yelled, "Kids, dinner!"

Thaller then heard the pitter-patter or footsteps, and Gordon's kids appeared in the room a few moments later.

Gordon then said, "Well, the wife is out at a retreat to discuss education with the Xenizen Teachers Coalition. Let's eat!"

Gordon motioned for Thaller to sit down. Matsumoto appeared in the room a few moments later. "Sorry I'm late. Was busy reading, of all things..."

Gordon said, "It's fine. Better late then never."

Herman sat down and started to eat, "This tastes great, you'll have to tell me what's in it, it's simply great."

Gordon smiled and went, "Cookie, our cook, is awesome....he actually uses garlic, pepper and a secret blend of spices. No joke, he guards them like they were missile codes."

Fred went, "Dad, this is the coolest thing. I'm sitting next to Herman von Thaller!"

Gordon went, "Who is an honored guest, and a man like you and me, and who ended up here as a POW."

Fred went, "And who is only the greatest pilot since the Red Baron and Erich Hartmann! Mr. Thaller, lemme say this-I am not worthy to be in your presence."

He pulled out a comic book with Thaller portrayed in anime-style standing heroically and his MiG-41 in the background on the cover. He bowed his head and said, "Could you please sign this for me?"

Herman smiled, "Oh, you don't need to be so kind, I'm just a soldier, like any other, I just do my job, what is asked of me. I just happen to do my job very well. And of course you can have my autograph."


He carefully took hold of the comic and made his signature, very careful to make it clearly legible. He then handed the large pen along with the comic back to the kid.

"Keep the pen, it's a survival pen, it has a small compass, two matches, and a fishing string and hook, tucked away inside the base of the pen, along with a small emergency beacon you can activate by twisting the back half of the pen 180º to the right as you pull up on the clip."

Herman smiled, "Oh, you don't need to be so kind, I'm just a soldier, like any other, I just do my job, what is asked of me. I just happen to do my job very well. And of course you can have my autograph."


He carefully took hold of the comic and made his signature, very careful to make it clearly legible. He then handed the large pen along with the comic back to the kid.

"Keep the pen, it's a survival pen, it has a small compass, two matches, and a fishing string and hook, tucked away inside the base of the pen, along with a small emergency beacon you can activate by twisting the back half of the pen 180º to the right as you pull up on the clip."

Fred squealed and went "Woo-hoo!"

Gordon then went, "Alrighty then, Fred, eat your food." Fred agreed, and began to eat.

Gordon ate some food, and asked, "Say, what sort of hobbies do you have, Herr Thaller?"

Herman smiled a bit, "Well, I mostly read the bible, I am the Pope of the Mississippian Roman Catholic Church. Of course much of my time is spent flying planes and running flight simulators."

He looked over at Matsumoto, sitting next to him, and under the table, he put his hand on her leg, then he turned his head back to the kids, "And then of course there are always other activities that pilots might do to keep relaxed and so they can be at their best when flying. You know, sleeping late and such." He had to stifle a laugh at that part.

Herman smiled a bit, "Well, I mostly read the bible, I am the Pope of the Mississippian Roman Catholic Church. Of course much of my time is spent flying planes and running flight simulators."

He looked over at Matsumoto, sitting next to him, and under the table, he put his hand on her leg, then he turned his head back to the kids, "And then of course there are always other activities that pilots might do to keep relaxed and so they can be at their best when flying. You know, sleeping late and such." He had to stifle a laugh at that part.

Fred went, "Well, in that case.....I love Combat Flight Simulator, and I personally programmed a MiG-41 into it. I know nearly everything about that plane that is not classified...and maybe some stuff that is. And when I am not doing that, I have a girlfriend, too."

After saying that, he smiled widely. "Seriously, she's a great girl. And I bet your ladyfriend is a good girl too...."

Herman nodded his head, "So, tell me, how would you like to fly in a two-seater MiG-41? When they come to pick me up, they'll likely send one to get me, I could take you up in it for a while and fly you around, then land, get a picture of you with it, so your classmates can't disbelieve you, and then head off back to the carrier. What do you say?"


He smiled a bit, "Landing a plane on a carrier be tricky... Especially in these weather conditions, if you ever want to be a pilot, I'll show you all the tricks and skills to night landings on carriers in awful weather."


He then leaned over to Matsumoto, and whispered in her ear, "Landing on a carrier is all about knowing how to gently guide the plane in, so it's a soft and pleasant landing... I'll demonstrate later for you."

Thaller finished eating and had a smile on his face, "This food was great, thank you Mr. President for allowing me the honor of dining with you and your very polite and nice family."

Herman nodded his head, "So, tell me, how would you like to fly in a two-seater MiG-41? When they come to pick me up, they'll likely send one to get me, I could take you up in it for a while and fly you around, then land, get a picture of you with it, so your classmates can't disbelieve you, and then head off back to the carrier. What do you say?"


He smiled a bit, "Landing a plane on a carrier be tricky... Especially in these weather conditions, if you ever want to be a pilot, I'll show you all the tricks and skills to night landings on carriers in awful weather."


He then leaned over to Matsumoto, and whispered in her ear, "Landing on a carrier is all about knowing how to gently guide the plane in, so it's a soft and pleasant landing... I'll demonstrate later for you."

Thaller finished eating and had a smile on his face, "This food was great, thank you Mr. President for allowing me the honor of dining with you and your very polite and nice family."

Gordon went, "Thank you, Herr Thaller. Nice to hear that. Now, about that conference we were going to make in Chile...."

He went, "If you want to, you can contact your Czar, and tell him we are on. I've a sattelite phone in the guest room you can use for this purpose."

"If possible, I would like to bring my Secretary of State to this proposed conference too....woiuld he be comfortable with that?"

Thaller nodded, "Yes, that'll be fine, yes of course, certainly. I'll need to contact my people about that though, but I know it'll be fine, I just need to confirm it, okay?"

Thaller nodded, "Yes, that'll be fine, yes of course, certainly. I'll need to contact my people about that though, but I know it'll be fine, I just need to confirm it, okay?"


Gordon smiled and went, "Now see....that is why we have a sattelite phone for you. It is secure, and left specifically for diplomatic use."

"However, if you wish to see a representative in person, that may prove difficult, as there is no DA embassy here."

Herman nodded, "Yes, of course, that will work fine."

Herman nodded, "Yes, of course, that will work fine."


Gordon said, "Sure. That'll be nice. Would you like me to get the phone, or would you prefer to do this later?"

Thaller shook his head, "If you would sir, later please, I'm a bit tired now and would like to retire for the night."


He took out an airforce issue switchblade, a sort of novelty item, they weren't meant for combat, "With your permission sir, your son may have this for being so kind as to allow me to share dinner with him..."

The man wondered how he managed to conceal a knife, but the knife casing was such that it avoided detection from most conventional methods.

Thaller shook his head, "If you would sir, later please, I'm a bit tired now and would like to retire for the night."


He took out an airforce issue switchblade, a sort of novelty item, they weren't meant for combat, "With your permission sir, your son may have this for being so kind as to allow me to share dinner with him..."

The man wondered how he managed to conceal a knife, but the knife casing was such that it avoided detection from most conventional methods.

Gordon went, "I'm not gonna ask how you smuggled that past Jimmy....one of his eyes recieved some augmentations that provided for supersight......but anyway."

"Well.....Fred, you promise not to screw around with it? I'll get the staff to hold you to it."

Fred went, "Yes, Dad."

"Good. You can have the knife..but its stays in a glass case, and you show your friends only when they arrive. DON'T BRING IT TO SCHOOL!"

"Jeez, Dad....okay."

Fred walked up to Thaller and went, "I must say, it has been an interesting day. Thanks."

Herman smiled, "Well, thank you Mr. President, it has indeed been a very interesting day today. So, where am I sleeping tonight? Would you be so kind as to have a servant show me to my room, sir?"

Gordon went, "I'll show you to your room."

He led Thaller to his room, and began to call his brother at the Peninsula to get a room for Matsumoto.

As Herman and Gordon were walking down the hall, Herman whispered to him, "She could stay with me if she wants, I'd not object, sir."

Gordon went, "Hmm..that'll be fine. My brother, anyway, it sounds like he's not having a good night and he said no.....I think it would be better if she stayed here."

Thaller nodded his head, "Okay then, are you going to go get her, or should I go tell her she may stay here, sir?"

Gorodn went, "I think I should tell her....I said I would find some kind of arrangement, and I'm going to deliver."

He found Matsumoto, and expalined to her about how she could stay here, and the Peninsula's manager had refused his offer of a discount.

"Oh," she said. "it was a shame...I had heard the bar was second to none."

Gordon went, "Well, ma'am, we do have a liquor cabinet.....Carl in the Kitchen would be happy to help you out."

She smiled and went, "Thank you, Mr. President." Then, she returned to Thaller.

Herman was waiting inside the room for Matsumoto, he was sitting down in a large armchair, reclined back, smoking a cigar.

Matsumoto walked back to Thaller's room. Standing the door, she went, playfully, "How's my prisoner?"

Herman smiled, "Feeling a bit rebellious, wondering if perhaps my jailor might end up attempting to break the streak of rebellion I'm feeling."

Matsumoto then went, "Hm....feeling rebellious, huh? I think I'll oblige that request."

She sat down next to him, and put her hand on his thigh. Speaking in a velvet tone: "Let's discuss your punishment....."

Thaller nodded and smiled, "You have my undivided attention..."

Matsumoto stroked his neck and went, "Hold on...Lemme get the door."

She closed the door, and went, "Okay......let's see....I'd put you in solitary, but that's too good for you....I'd cane you, but that would be too harsh, what should I do with you?" On that phrase, she made a come-hither Bambi face.

Herman grinned, walked over to her, lifted her up gently into his arms and kissed her. He then said with a smile, "Well, if the jailor is out of ideas, I'll stage a prison riot..."

Matsumoto went playfully, "Hm.....a riot huh? Then I'll have to punish you!"

She kissed him back, and began to draw him closer, somehow managing to slap him playfully in his butt in the meantime.

OOc; This always turns out with the man missing one or both of his kidneys



Ooc- Spam my thread with crap again, and I call the mods. Spam has no place in my threads. Take your opinions and either politely IM or TG me (the three little buttons that are various IMs, learn what they mean, they have a point of being under my name)... So either TG or IM your opinions, or sit on them and keep quiet.

OOC: Going on....

IC: Matsumoto, to accent the moment began to kiss him again, deeply. Holding this for a moment, she let go and went, "Do you have anything to say four yourself before I pass sentence?"

IC- Thaller shook his head, "No, I enter a plea of guilty and throw myself at the mercy of the court."

"Then we find you guilty. Here is your sentence!"

Her eyes grew crazed, and she hugged him tight. They fell on the bed, and she began to unbutton his shirt.....

OOC: Obviously, we don't need to know what happens next.

Ooc- Obviously. :)


Ic- When they had finished, Herman had stepped out on the balcony to smoke a cigarette, something he seldom did. When he finished with that, he walked back into the room, shutting the balcony doors behind him, he looked at her, "So, tell me, what do you want to do now? Tired?"

Ooc- Obviously. :)


Ic- When they had finished, Herman had stepped out on the balcony to smoke a cigarette, something he seldom did. When he finished with that, he walked back into the room, shutting the balcony doors behind him, he looked at her, "So, tell me, what do you want to do now? Tired?"

Matsumoto went to him, and she went, "Well dear....I was thinking we could get some sleep, and then probably tomorrow, after the business gets done, we could probably visit my cousin....I did say I would visit, and she might like you. In fact, she is a contributing writer on that series that the President's son likes so much. Then, we could find a nice restaurant, then find a nice intimate booth in that restaurant, and eat something nice."

Herman smiled and nodded, "Yes of course, that will be fine."

Matsumoto smiled and went, "Well, then.....I guess it is good night.....the fun we had tired me out."

She then flopped on the bed, and began to snore softly.

Herman laid down next to her and promptly fell asleep.

Time passed.....

Several hours later, the couple was woken up by a gentle knocking at about 7:00am, Hong Kong Time.

"Sir? This is Carl from the Kitchen. The President has instructed me to give you a wake up call."

Thaller shook his head and mumbled, "What? Seven o'clock, what happened to sleeping in?"

Carl went, "With your permission sir, the President would like to invite you to join him on a morning run. If not, he respects your decision, but he does expect you to get up at a suitable hour."

Thaller shook his head, "Arghh, my body is still wanting to be up from 9 pm to 6 am and sleep days... My last assignments were all sleeping days and launching night raids in my MiG-41. I'll be down shortly, I need to shower and get dressed."


He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed, he gently whispered to Matsumoto, "It's time to get up, morning is here..." He then kissed her on the cheek, "How did you sleep?"

Matsumoto then went, "Like a baby."

She got up, yawned and began to get changed.

Herman looked at her changing, "Shouldn't you shower first, I'll be showering, might save water if you joined me..." He said the last part with a grin as he walked into the bathroom and started to shower.


Meanwhile, Paul Stahlecker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was calling the President of Upper Xen to discuss something. The phone was ringing, "Hello, hello, is this the Presidential office of Upper Xen."

Gordon, back from his morning jog, picked up the phone.

"Yes. This is the President speaking. Who is this?"

Stahlecker was quick to reply, "Yes, this is Paul Stahlecker, you're Gordon, yes?"




Meanwhile, Herman looked out through the shower cutain and asked her, "Are you coming to join me then?"

Gordon went, "Yes. Paul Stahlecker, Foreign Affairs Minister of DA.....what did you need to speak to me about?"

----------------------------------------------------

Matsumoto then went, "In a moment, dear." She, got ready, began to stroll into the bathroom, and joined him.

Ooc- Speaking of showering, I need to. After this post, be back in 10-30.


Ic-

Paul was quick to get to the point, "We are wondering what is keeping Herman Von Thaller, he has been released yes, or allowed the option of leaving? Also, my Czar has scheduled to meet with you in what was it Argentina or Chile, yes?"




Herman smiled as she joined him and then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Ooc- Speaking of showering, I need to. After this post, be back in 10-30.


Ic-

Paul was quick to get to the point, "We are wondering what is keeping Herman Von Thaller, he has been released yes, or allowed the option of leaving? Also, my Czar has scheduled to meet with you in what was it Argentina or Chile, yes?"




Herman smiled as she joined him and then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Gordon went, "We have scheduled a meeting in Chile. Rest assured, Mr. Stahlecker, you will get Herr Thaller back soon. We plan to release him after the meeting. Why? We will reveal our reasons there."
-----------------------------------------------
Matsumoto then returned the favor to Thaller, and began to kiss him very deeply.

Stahlecker nodded and spoke into a phone, a bit louder than was usual for him, "Okay, thanks... Tell him to call me when he leaves Upper Xen, okay? Thanks." With that, he hung up.



When Herman and Matsumoto were done showering about thirty minutes later, Herman stepped out, quickly dried off, and then got dressed, saying, "We'd better get moving, the President is probably still waiting."

Stahlecker nodded and spoke into a phone, a bit louder than was usual for him, "Okay, thanks... Tell him to call me when he leaves Upper Xen, okay? Thanks." With that, he hung up.



When Herman and Matsumoto were done showering about thirty minutes later, Herman stepped out, quickly dried off, and then got dressed, saying, "We'd better get moving, the President is probably still waiting."

Matsumoto dried herself off, and got dressed. Then, the two walked into the hallway, where the President bumped into them.

"Ah yes! Herr Thaller. Your Foreign Minister, Herr Stalhecker called.....he wants you to call him when you leave. Also, Herr Thaller, he may have heard about the meet.....it has preliminarilily been scheduled to take place in Chile."

Thaller smiled and nodded, "Yes Chile, I'll be there as well if permitted."

Gordon shook his head, with a mixture of apology and resolution. "Look....Herr Thaller, you aren't going to like this...I will go to Chile with my Secretary of State, alone....I have decided not to release you until a solution can be found at the Chilean Summit that is acceptable to both Upper Xen and Decisive Action. Until then, consider yourself in a state of 'Babylonian Captivity:' you will be treated well, but you can't leave Hong Kong."

He then began to say, "So, is there anything else you and the lady were going to do? I've got a Range Rover reserved for you, if you want to go on a joyride."

Thaller nodded, "Yes, I understand... How long will this be, could you tell me, sir?"

He grinned at, Matsumoto, and said, "I think I'll be more than occupied if my jailor decides to continue with her "interrogations" of me."

Gordon went, "Until your Czar and I can make a sutiable agreement for us both......do not worry, I'll tell you when it is time to go. You can hold me to it."

Gordon went, "And again....we have a Range Rover available. I'm sure you two will have more fun than a barrel of monkeys."

Herman nodded, "Okay, I understand, perfectly..."

Gordon said, "So, besides that little detail, there really is no other restriction on movement. Enjoy."

He walked away, and left them to their business.

Herman chuckled a bit, "Free movement eh... Okay, well you take care, sir."

Gordon went, "You too, Herr Thaller."

He walked away, and went to get some work done.

bump

IC:

Gordon went to pack his bags, and get ready to go to Chile. Stuffing a suitcase full of needed goodies (like documents, and toiletries) and packing a garment bag with several suits, he felt secure. He had his run, and had a nice breakfast of ramen noodles.

He contacted Jimmy, the head of the security here, and said, "Jimmy boy, get ready, because soon we are going for a ride. Tell the Secretary of State, if she's not in Okinawa, to get ready to go to Chile, too, on my signal.....it is time to meet the Great Dictator."

Jimmy went, "Got it, Gord. I'll get Sgt. Rock to watch the place."

Gordon went back to work, and called the DA Foreign Minister, Paul Sthalecker. Going to Chile was one thing...but where the site would be, was another question.

He dialed the secure phone, and called Mr. Sthalecker.

"Hello? Herr Sthalecker? This is President Lew....are you there?"

Ooc- the snow storm is largely gone and the snow cleared, but this is assumed to have happened before it was thus.


Ic-

The lines were all down, no answer, until suddenly it was routed through satellites and went to RGISA (Republican Guard Internal Security Army) Command HQ in Jackson City.

"Hello, yes, Mr. Paul Stahlecker is at his estate in Neshoba County, it's largely snowed in, his phone is down. We'll have him contact you over satellite phone shortly, okay? As for the Czar, the Czar is well but is snowed in also, so you'll be lucky to get to meet with anybody, probably it will be Foreign Minister Stahlecker. Is that okay?"

Ooc- the snow storm is largely gone and the snow cleared, but this is assumed to have happened before it was thus.


Ic-

The lines were all down, no answer, until suddenly it was routed through satellites and went to RGISA (Republican Guard Internal Security Army) Command HQ in Jackson City.

"Hello, yes, Mr. Paul Stahlecker is at his estate in Neshoba County, it's largely snowed in, his phone is down. We'll have him contact you over satellite phone shortly, okay? As for the Czar, the Czar is well but is snowed in also, so you'll be lucky to get to meet with anybody, probably it will be Foreign Minister Stahlecker. Is that okay?"

Gordon went, "Yes, that is acceptable."

He then waited as his call was transferred to Mr. Sthalecker's sattelite phone.

IC:

Secretary of State, Taira Yuna, meanwhile, was at the Peninsula, eating a delightful breakfast of eggs benedict and bacon, when she got a call.

"Taira. Who is this?"

Jimmy went, "This is Jimmy. The Mississippians are goin to be meeting soon with the President and you in Chile."

Yuna went, "See, I already knew that. Are we going now?"

Jimmy said, "As soon as the President gets the site, and as soon as the Mississippians can get themselves cleaned up from that storm, we can go ahead."

Yuna went, "Understood. I'll meet the President at the House, and we can use the same plane."

Jimmy went, "Cool. I'll tell him you're coming."

Yuna went, "Thanks....bye."

Yuna hung up, paid the bartender, and got into her Range Rover.

Half an hour later, she arrived at the house, and after an inspection, went inside. She stumbled into Thaller and Matsumoto on the way in, and said:

"So! You must be Herman von Thaller. Good to see you. Have you seen the President recently?"

bump for a response, with respect.

If you are busy, I understand.

Ooc- Forgot to post, was going to but ran off to eat, forgot to when I got back. Sorry for delay.

Thaller nodded his head, "Yes, I saw him earlier today... Why do you ask?"


Meanwhile, Stahlecker was on the satellite phone waiting for it dial the Upper Xen president, it rang, "Hello, are you there Mr... Mr... Gordon?"

Gordon went, "Yes, Herr Sthalecker. This is President Gordon Lew. I just wanted to know where we were planning to place this conference in Chile-I know about the Chile part, but what about where in Chile this conference will be at. Will it be in a certain city, or at another secure site within the nation?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuna went, "Well, I wanted to speak with him.....about the upcoming conference, you know, organize a few last minute things, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera."

She then began to walk down the hallway, and head to the President's Room.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Matsumoto then went, "So.....you want anything for breakfast? Because I'm getting kinda hungry myself."

Stahlecker sighed, "I'm afraid the Czar will have to send his brother George, the head of Internal Security matters, in his place, the Czar recently took ill, I just received word a few minutes ago..."




Herman looked at her, "Well, if you're hungry, sure, let's go see what there is to eat, yes?"

Gordon went, "Sorry, I meant where will I be meeting your representative in Chile. As in, where will the site be? And I am sorry to hear about the Czar-hope he gets well."

Stahlecker replied, "Well the meeting is in Santiago, the capital city, it will be at the presidential residence, we are very good friends with president Pinochet."



Ooc- In my RP world, Banzer (well his son) is in Bolivia, Pinochet in Chile, and Leopoldo Galiteri is in Argentina.

Gordon went, "Very well, then. Thank you, Herr Sthalecker. That will not be a problem. How is Señor Pinochet's health?"

Matsumoto went, meanwhile, "Hm.....we can try breakfast at this place my cousin knows......it's a local dive called Vinny's. It has lots of every kind of food, and it serves a breakfast menu that is quite exquisite. Plus, it may be a little more intimate...no one will know you're there."

Stahlecker frowned, "Senor Pinochet could be doing better, he is quite old you know, but whenever he has a major problem, either we send a doctor to Chile, or he flies to Mississippi, so he is doing fairly well for a man his age."




Thaller nodded, "Yes, that sounds like a good idea, out of the way is it, eh?"

Gordon went, "Indeed. Thank you for the confirmation."

-----------------------------------------------------

Matsumoto responded, "Well then, we have the Range Rover.....I suggest you find something like a big hat or a large overcoat, you'll need it."

"Anyway...technically, I have an XP-25 pistol, it's either that or lug around a lot of Secret Service staff-and that brings too much unwanted attention."

Stahlecker nodded and smiled a bit, "Okay well, I really have to be going then, okay?"




Thaller smiled a bit, "Don't worry... I have something that might come in handy in the event there are any problems... Hold on a second..."


He walked back to the room and where his personal gear was, well the gear that they let him keep, a hat, compass, extra BDU, and two MREs each in their own package... He opened one of the MRE and cut into one of the air sealed packages labeled, "Special Snack", inside was a loaded Walther PPK 380. He took it out, walked back and showed her, smiling as he tucked it into his pocket, "What sort of gentleman leaves unprepared to defend a lady... Shall we then?"

Gordon said, "Well, I can't keep you waiting, see you later then."

He hung up the phone, and was visited by Sec. of State Taira. "So....we have the location?"

Gordon then went, "Yes, Chile. Presidente Pinochet's palace."

"Good," Taira Yuna went. "Should we tell them that we recovered Thaller's MiG-41?"

Gordon, surprised at this, went: "How did you pull that off?"

Yuna went, "Simple. A bunch of Tibetans found it, and reported it to the cops. We had it, and several other downed MiG's crated up and airfreighted to Xian for study. We are still trying to work out the EMP damage, but we have it at 80% operational effectiveness. Top Gun trainees are currently evaluating it, though it doesn't have all the software and really nice goodies-those died in the EMP blast, so we had the boys at Mitsubishi use their kit and some other stuff from the folks at Mikoyan-Gureivich instead. Its a miracle."

Gordon went, "Intriguing......tell them to get to work. I want to know how that monster can go to Mach 4."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Matsumoto went, "Neat....a James Bond gun. My dad had a PPK. I prefer the XP-25-it is electronically fired, and is innately silent. Plus, it can go full auto."

She then went, "Okay...let's do this."

She then led Thaller, after a bit of searching, to the Auto Garage. There, after persuading the Mechanic inside they had permission, they found a Range Rover.

Matsumoto went, "So.....you want to drive?"

Ooc- The MiG-41 that Thaller was in, he blew it up after he ejected. There were charges planted in it. You'd recover nothing more than a few thousand pieces of the classified metal frame it's made of, certainly no intact electronics... And I did RP the self-destruction. After this, I'll probably be gone a bit, I have a long paper to write for a presentation tomorrow.



Ic-


Herman smiled, "Yes, the PPK is a great pistol, isn't it? Drive eh? Only if you don't want to, I'm not sure with of the traffic laws here, perhaps you should..."

OOC: I'll give you that. However, you did count 15 dead MiG-41's-and I did RP unleashing waves of Tien'long EMP missiles at them, so in all likelihood, some of them are mostly intact, if not Thaller's.

However, EMP missiles are more likely to ruin any sensitive Mississippian electronics, so again, we've gutted them and replaced them with electronics made in Upper Xen.

Essay? That's alright. I can wait.

IC:

Matsumoto went, "Okay, I'll drive. We take the right side of the road, like in the Americas. Still, I think I should drive."

They got into the car, and after opening the garage, she eased the Range Rover, girth and all, out of the garage. She then began to drive into the Hong Kong streets.

Ooc- Ah, but standard procedure is for the planes to be either detonated by the pilots after they eject, or incase the pilot is dead, remote detonation can occur via Strategic Air Command encoding systems.



Ic-


Herman smiled as the car pulled out on the first street, "Everything seems so clean here, it reminds me of Mississippi... You've really done a great job with this country, my congratulations to your leadership..."

OOC: Intriguing....but how can Mississippian SAC auto detonate the plane if the EMP missile fried much of the electronics? And even if the pilot was alive, surely an EMP missile, detonated either close to the target (half-a-meter) could make it especially hard for him to self-destruct the plane, or even escape........

IC:

Matsumoto went, "Well, we try. Our National Police Special Branch is like the old American FBI, except it has more powers, and the police here is more prevalent and gets more respect, mostly because they have faster-firing guns and stun batons."

Matsumoto then went, "We actually manage to elimate AIDS, believe it or not. Has that been done in Mississippi?"

OOC: Intriguing....but how can Mississippian SAC auto detonate the plane if the EMP missile fried much of the electronics? And even if the pilot was alive, surely an EMP missile, detonated either close to the target (half-a-meter) could make it especially hard for him to self-destruct the plane, or even escape........

IC:

Matsumoto went, "Well, we try. Our National Police Special Branch is like the old American FBI, except it has more powers, and the police here is more prevalent and gets more respect, mostly because they have faster-firing guns and stun batons."

Matsumoto then went, "We actually manage to elimate AIDS, believe it or not. Has that been done in Mississippi?"


Ooc- They use satellites to activate the destruction sequencing computer, which is kept in an EMP-hardended shell inside the plane, which can set-off the C4 charges.



Ic-

Herman smiled, "Ah, AIDs, we never really had a problem with that, no more than .01% of our population had it, and then we eventually just overcame it by using the cures we developed..."

Matsumoto then said, "Well, we just used a simpler method....we barred those with AIDS from entering the country (we still do, checking all foreign nationals using blood tests), and, dare I say it, we took a page from the Apartheid-era South Africans and 'banned' persons with AIDS from leaving their homes or meeting with more than three citizens at a time. It proved really effective."

OOC:

Okay.....EM shielding and EM resistant hardware? I haven't quite heard of effective EM shields, either in NS or RL....and realistically...if it is lead, it won't work, EM waves are just that, EM waves, not radiation. Unless there's some kind of new super material we don't know about, I might ignore that.

Matsumoto then said, "Well, we just used a simpler method....we barred those with AIDS from entering the country (we still do, checking all foreign nationals using blood tests), and, dare I say it, we took a page from the Apartheid-era South Africans and 'banned' persons with AIDS from leaving their homes or meeting with more than three citizens at a time. It proved really effective."

OOC:

Okay.....EM shielding and EM resistant hardware? I haven't quite heard of effective EM shields, either in NS or RL....and realistically...if it is lead, it won't work, EM waves are just that, EM waves, not radiation. Unless there's some kind of new super material we don't know about, I might ignore that.



Ooc- Air force One is hardened against EMP attack. Norad is hardened against such attack. I believe it is your line in the Xhosa-Zulu stuff as well.


Ic- Thaller nodded, "Yes, I see, so tell me, what sort of government would you say you have, I never did learn, is your leader elected or does the military keep him in power?"

OOC: Not sure if I said anything about using EM shielding in the Xhosa v. Zulu fight, but I'll take your word for it on Air Force One.

A shame I can't reverse engineer a MiG-41, that would be a fun RP.

IC:

Matsumoto said, "Well, we have a republican democracy, with a President, a Vice President, and a bicameral National Congress with popular vote and an Electoral College to elect the Upper House. We have three main parties, one is the Federalists, which are centrist, the Nationalists, which are conservative, and the Green Worker's Party, a left-wing party. President Lew is a Federalist, and they have dominated local elections because of mistakes by the Nationalists (they said some things they shouldn't have, had 'relations' with the wrong persons and took bribes) and the fact that the Greens are half Communist, so nobody will touch them. We do hold the army in high esteem though, and we hold God in high regard too."

OOC: Not sure if I said anything about using EM shielding in the Xhosa v. Zulu fight, but I'll take your word for it on Air Force One.

A shame I can't reverse engineer a MiG-41, that would be a fun RP.

IC:

Matsumoto said, "Well, we have a republican democracy, with a President, a Vice President, and a bicameral National Congress with popular vote and an Electoral College to elect the Upper House. We have three main parties, one is the Federalists, which are centrist, the Nationalists, which are conservative, and the Green Worker's Party, a left-wing party. President Lew is a Federalist, and they have dominated local elections because of mistakes by the Nationalists (they said some things they shouldn't have, had 'relations' with the wrong persons and took bribes) and the fact that the Greens are half Communist, so nobody will touch them. We do hold the army in high esteem though, and we hold God in high regard too."



Ooc-

I never linked EMPs to the Xhosa Zulu RP, it's just that it is your turn to make a reply. :)

As for reverse engineering, why do you think we make it so complicated to produce to begin with (we have trouble mass producing them, someday though we shall get it :) ) and then even after that, we put all the self-destruct systems and such in there.


Ic-

Herman smiled, "Thank you, that was a very informative and in depth answer. Do you have any ideas on how my government works, or shall I explain?"

Matsumoto explained, "Well, many Xenizens beleive that DA is a harsh dictatorship where the Czar rules with an iron fist. They beleive that the Senate is a mere rubberstamp, and that the real power lays in the hands of the Fabus, Thaller and Sthalechker families, who live like 18th century French barons at the expense of the middleclass, who is forced to endure the ravages of the secret police, and is kept in a slavelike condition in exchange for a good life."

"They find it unnerving that 70% of DA's citizens are in the WKM, they think they must have been given death threats if they didn't join. They get even more nervous when they hear about Mississippian Egypt and the DA African Territories, they feel that if DA is allowed to colonize there, there will be a regin of tyranny and death-many of our pundits say Afirca is for Africans, not Rednecks. And they feel that the DA educational system is an indoctrination factory, and they learn hatred of the browner peoples of the earth along with their algebra and thier obviously falsified history."


She continued: "Plus, in DA, we feel that if it wasn't for Roger Fabus, things could have been even worse. And now that the raid occured, many are burning Mississippian flags and boycotting Mississippian goods, and carrying bumper stickers that say 'The Only Good Redneck is a Dead Redneck.' They obviously don't see the people...but still, you know the media, it can shape horrible stereotypes and influence judgement."

Matsumoto then went, "Personally, I don't see all that...I know that there is a Senate, a Czar and Czarina, a Mississippian National Front Party, and there is some private enterprise. They also do allow whites to carry guns, and allow for some private enterprise. Is that true?"

Herman shook his head, "Parts of that are true. We don't force people to join the WKM, nor do we falsify history, we try to be objective and fair, granted the nobles do enjoy far better conditions than any peasants or middle class. Oh and the raid, it was carried out by forces under the command of the Attorney General, who was Curtis Fabus at the time."

Matsumoto went, "Odd...Curtis must have had plenty of power to do such an act. I suppose, to each his own. Here, we try to leave the military in the hands of the Joint Chiefs and the President, any other minor leaders don't get to command troops unless a grave emergency happens."

She then continued, "Well, here we are," pulling into a parking garage near a little hole-in-the-wall eatery. The eatery had a nice looking sign marked "EAT AT JOE'S" with a picture of Porky Pig on one side and an anime character on the other.

Walking inside, an attendant said, "Good day, sir. Smoking or non-smoking?"

Herman looked to her, "Do you want to sit in smoking or non-smoking? I like a good smoke, but I can go without smoking for a meal, I'm not some smoke fiend..." He smiled at that part and then smiled a bit wider and said, "Anyway, this looks like the sort of place I'd find back home, good eating..."

Matsumoto then went, "non-smoking, please. I'd rather not have my meal taste like a cigar."

The waiter nodded, and led them to a secluded booth. After they sat down, the waiter asked, "what can I get you to drink?"

Herman smiled a bit, "Do you have Fabus lager beer?"

The waiter went, "Sorry sir, we only have Heineken, St. Pauli Girl, Sam Adams, Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin Ichiban, Corona and Budweiser."

Thaller frowned a bit, "Well, I guess a Corona will be fine..."

The waiter went, "And the lady?"

Matsumoto then went, "A Corona for me too."

The waiter nodded, and left to get the drinks.

Matsumoto went, "So..."

Herman smiled and put his arm around her, "I guess we sit here and think of what we want to eat, and then we order our food and then sit here and wait some more."

Matsumoto said, "I guess that's the way it goes...."

She went, "So, how did you get started flying?"

He smiled as he started to explain, "Well see, my father was in Waffen SS during the second world war, his brother was in the luftwaffe, and my brother learned some skills about flying from him... My brother Gunther Thaller, was a pilot in the South African air force for a few years, flying missions in Rhodesia and Angola... So I came from a family background of flying, and I always liked the idea of flying. In the 1984 Civil war, I flew in a Volunteer Guard air unit, I was a pilot of a Mirage F1, I scored my first fifty-two kills in that civil war, so afterwards, I simply had to be a pilot, and over the years I gained all the training and skills I could to become the ace I am today..."


He stopped to catch his breath and then asked her, "So, tell me about you, how did you come to work for the intelligence corps?"

Matsumoto went, "Well, I'm actually in the National Police, and my dad was a detective with the Sendai Metropolitan Police. He solved several particularly brutal murders, and was well known for his expertise on fingerprinting, and analyzing gunshot evidence. My mom was a fighter pilot, and flew the F-86 for a while."

"I got interested in crimesolving, and I joined National Police. However, at the Academy, they noticed I had a knack for interrogations, and they noted my interest in other cultures-I happen to like the Who and other rock bands, plus they noticed my geography and anthropology class grades, plus the fact I could speak English with a Yankee accent and speak Spanish. Thus, I ended up in Counterintellgence. Mostly, I haven't moved anywhere, I've been interrogating Triad drug smugglers mostly. Bor-ing."

Herman nodded, "Yes, some of my cousins are in the secret police in my nation and South Africa, well technically, both could be called my nation... I had dual citizenship in South Africa from my birth to 1994, and then after we took it over in 2004, I didn't need dual citizenship as it became part of our Commonwealth... Anyway, I have a doctorate in history, another one in economics, and finally one in anthropology. Perhaps later we could talk about anthropology..."

He grinned a bit, "And then maybe later tonight a lesson in anatomy..."

Matsumoto smiled, and went, "Quite a lesson that will be..."

The waiter came back with the beers. "Here you go, sir and madam. Two Coronas."

He handed them two frosty steins of beer.

He continued: "Here are your menus..."

He handed them the menus, and left.

OOC: The Xhosa v. Zulu thread neds responding

Herman glanced at the menu, "Hmmm... Chicken sandwich would go good... What about you, any suggestions, perhaps they're known for something here?"

Matsumoto smiled and went, "They do make an excellent chicken sandwich...they are also known for their gumbo, and a locally-renowned Kansas City-style barbecue menu, particularly ribs and pork sandwiches. They are also known for their Tempuraburger....a chicken breast fillet fried tempura-style and served on a bun with teriyaki sauce, onion rings, and a side of curly garlic fries. They also have 'The Terminator'- a 72oz steak that entails a reward of $100 and a plaque."

She licked her mouth and went: "I'll take the Tempuraburger."

Herman smiled, "I'll go with the really big steak..."

Matsumoto smiled. "Here goes."

The waiter went up to them. "So...you ready to order?"

The two nodded, and Matsumoto said she wanted the Tempuraburger, and Thaller indicated he wanted the "Terminator" steak.

At that moment the wiater leapt up, and rang a cowbell. He then said, "Attention everyone! This brave soul has taken on the challenge of the Terminator! 72ozs of pure beef! Only a few have met this challenge and won. In about several minutes, we will begin the challenge. In the meantime, use the time wisely, and don't fill up on the bread!"

Everybody went, "Ooohhhh......."

Herman smiled as he tucked a napkin under the table and on his lap, he then got a steak knife and fork ready.


He grinned as he said, "Bring it on..."

After a few minutes, a woman in a cheerleader outfit brought out a huge steak, cooked medium well. Setting it in front of him, she stepped back, and began to join the crowd of people egging him on to cries of "Go Go Go!"

He cracked his knuckles and started to eat, and eat he did, which was hardly a problem for him.

After about ten minutes, he had only two or three small pieces left... He looked at them, and jokingly said, "I don't think I can eat another bite..."

He then paused and laughed, "So I won't eat another bite, I'll eat three more bites..."

With that said, he ate the last few pieces and then set the fork and knife down on the plate.

He looked at the plate, "You're terminated..."

The people in the eatery went wild. One of the patrons went, "Good job man!" Another one went, "You Rock!!" Another patron high-fived him.

The manager, a Texan man stepped out. He screamed "My God that was great! In all my years in Hong Kong I have never seen somebody finish that steak so fast!"

He extended his hand: "I must know your name sir, you are a man of great courage to do that in front of a full lunch crowd!"

Herman smiled, "I am Colonel Herman Von Thaller of the Mississippian Federal Air Force."

The crowd fell silent. Almost immediately, the people hung their jaws in disbelief. This man was among them? The Thaller? the one everybody wanted stuffed and mounted on a trophy wall?

If they thought that, they didn't show it. The manager, in particular, said, "Colonel, let me get you a plaque."

After some grinding and maching noises in the back, a plaque was given to him. It said, "To Herman Von Thaller, King of the Steaks."

"There you go, sir. Have a nice day."

Everybody smiled and said, "Hurrah!" They broke out in a spontaneous chorus of "The Dukes Of Hazzard Theme."

Herman grinned and warmly accepted the plaque, "Thank you all, thank you..."


He looked over to Matsumoto to see if she was done eating and ready to go.


He looked back to the waiter and motioned for the check, since it seemed she was indeed ready to go.

The check arrived, and Matsumoto paid it. "15 Xenthalers. Not bad. About 25 US Dollars, roughly, though that's not an exact number."

She took a bow, and they left the restaurant.

Matsumoto went, "Wow. I thought they were going to rip your head off when they heard your name. Looks like liquor is a good thing, or maybe they were just too happy. Never knew you had it in you."

Herman frowned a bit, "You should have let me cover that... You want me to reimburse you? Or perhaps we'll got out for some ice cream, my treat of course..."


He then smiled, "Ah, the steak, of course, I've always been a good eater."

Matsumoto then said, "Well, you can get ice cream later, m'kay? I'll let you pay."

"The way I saw it, I drove you there, I said I'd treat you, I didn't want to saddle you with the bill."

As they were driving, she then pulled to the side of the curb, and pulled out her phone. She said, "Excuse me for one moment. Remember how I had those relatives? I was gonna phone em up, and tell them I was gonna visit later."

She did just that, and after five minutes, she hung up and said, "Okay, let's go."

Before moving, she put a CD into the car, and The Who's "My Generation" began to play as she began to drive back into the street.

Herman smiled a bit, "Okay, where to now?"

"Cousin's place, Tsim Sha Tsui. She lives near the Louisianan Embassy."

Herman seemed a bit puzzled, "I didn't know Louisiana had an embassy here, they're basically our allies you know."

Matsumoto expalined, "Well, we've been having a good time with the Louisianans, we find them quite cordial. President Lew decided to reverse the isolationist policies of the Greens and opened relations with other lands. He liked the Louisianans, and saw they had what he called a 'fair and just' way of doing things, and opened relations with them. But that is beside the point."

DA, your line.

Ooc- Please realize, I have other threads to post in. :)



Ic- He smiled a bit, "So you're on friendly terms with Louisiana then? Would your nation ever consider joining some sort of alliance between Mississippi, Louisiana, and your nation?"

OOC: Heard, understood.

IC:

Matsumoto shook her head, "Well, see, that is what the brains call, a 'conflict of interest,' and the Nationalists may agree with you, but many Xenizens would not stand for it, they see DA as an 'Evil Empire.' Maybe a peaceful development project, but not an open and formal alliance."

the czar and czarina of egypt are welcome to the state of east germany! we offer what you wish, 5 million battle redy millitary trained soviets! we can mold your lost civilization to a state never before seen under the new empire of communism!!


come with us!

the czar and czarina of egypt are welcome to the state of east germany! we offer what you wish, 5 million battle redy millitary trained soviets! we can mold your lost civilization to a state never before seen under the new empire of communism!!


come with us!



Wow, go away, there were in ME for 2 days before the peasant uprising was crushed (it wasn't even a real uprising, it was a conspiracy orchestrated by Curtis and the NMWO to make Roger think he'd have to crack down to keep his regime safe) the conspiracy was not covered yet, but their return to MS was covered in like page 2-5 of this RP, shows how much you read... Arghh, not meaning to offend you, it's just I really don't like when people who have no post or RP history, make posts about things they have no idea about. Also closed RP... Arghh...

OOC: Heard, understood.

IC:

Matsumoto shook her head, "Well, see, that is what the brains call, a 'conflict of interest,' and the Nationalists may agree with you, but many Xenizens would not stand for it, they see DA as an 'Evil Empire.' Maybe a peaceful development project, but not an open and formal alliance."



Herman nodded his head, "So, how long till we get where we're going?"

OOC: So, I take it then, that Upper Xen's backing of the MFD is really a front?
If so, this'll be intriguing......


IC:

Matsumoto said, "Well, about another five minutes. You comfortable with going up six flights of steep stairs?"

Herman gave a joking frown, "Don't think I can handle it? Heck, I've done twenty miles runs uphill."

Matsumoto said, "Well, then, my dear, you'll be fine. Me, I'm okay, I cna hack it."

She pulled into a parking garage. "Here we are."

She then checked her XP-25 pistol, and made sure it was on safe mode. Then, she got out, and stretched her arms.


OOC: So, not to beat a dead horse, but the MFD was a NMWO ploy? This is going to get odd.

Ooc- The DISFB engineered and created the MFD

Ic- Herman smiled and lifted her up into his arms, "I'd hardly be a proper gentleman if I let you tire yourself out walking up the stairs, eh? Now which floor is it on it again?"

Matsumoto said, "Such a gentleman.....6th floor."

OOC: This is gonna be fun. How should I respond to this DISFB thing?

Ooc- Well, you don't really know IC wise that the DISFB is behind it. Although many people in MS, think that the DISFB needs to be disbanded, if Roger knew all that they were up to, he'd likely disband them.


IC- Herman smiled and then gently carried her up the stairs to the sixth floor.

Matsumoto smiled, and hummed, "Raindrops keep Falling on My Head" all the way up.

When they reached the sixth floor, she said, "Door No. 678 is my cousin's place."

Thaller nodded, and after five minutes of searching, they found Door 678.

He gently set her down and then knocked on the door, whispering to her, "Perhaps you should be the one to say hello, he'd be liable to think I'm a robber, eh?"

Matsumoto replied, "Sure. Anyway, she is a bit leery of odd men....."

She knocked on the door. A woman with glasses, and short hair opened the door. She went, "So, Reiko-chan? How's it going?"

Matsumoto went, "Great, Yuri-chan. This is somebody I'd like you to meet-"

Yuri went, "Lemme guess, Herman Von Thaller, the poster boy for rich genetically enhanced Aryan men with buckets of loyal toy soldiers? I must admit. You are a jerk magnet."

Matsumoto went red, and got a little angry. "Now Yuri, he is our guest....easy on the politics...."

Yuri went, "Well, as long as he doesn't say anything, I'll leave him alone. Come in. I have some coffee brewed. Taster's Choice."

They went into an apartment filled with art supplies, boxes of papers, a Japanese Naval Ensign on one wall, and the flag of the MFD on another wall.
A desk had tons of sketches, tracings and other drawings. It was quite messy, yet a peculiar order seemed to reign if you looked under the surface.

Inside the tight kitchenette, she began to dispense coffee. "So, Mr. Thaller, you want coffee?"

Herman smiled, "Ah yes, I'll have a cup, no sugar..."


He looked at the flag of the MFD, and smiled and started to chuckled, "MFD... Hehehe...."

Yuri smiled, "The MFD! The valiant forces of liberty. The people in Mississippi who dare to fight back against the violent forces of the bloated Fabus regime! They are true heroes. I actually donated funds to them to buy M-14 rifles, and I even met their leader, General William Andrew Jackson 'Big Bill' Thompson!"

She laughed. "I take it you're not so hot to that, huh?"

Thaller almost erupted with laughter, "My brother, who was recently transferred to intelligence, his best friend, Wilhelm Ernst, invented the MFD as something to distract the people whenever the leadership needs to get their attention off of scandals or other issues or downturns in the economy. Whenever we need to rattle the sabre, we have some DIS sponsored terror group blow up one of our government buildings or even yes, create the illusion of a massive civil war... There were never more than 20,000 people in the MFD backed civil war, and they were all foreign mercenaries who never knew what was really going on... So your money, it went to help cement the rule of the Czar."

Yuri barfed. She then went, "Damnit!! And we were going to parade them in front of us on Christmas Day!"

Thaller smiled, "See, you think you know what is what, you don't know... I don't know of a single terrorist attack against our government in the last fifteen years that wasn't actually perpetrated by our government's most ruthless intelligence apparatus, the DISFB."

Even Matsumoto was just a bit taken aback. Still, she kep it quiet and said, "So, let's talk about something else shall we?"

She turned to Yuri and went, "So, how is that contract with the Zhang-Sakura Consortium? Are you doing those specials for that series on Herr Thaller here?"

She went, "Yes......I did a few specials. Made me some cash."

She then began to laugh for no reason. "We were going to have them in fron of us on Christmas Day.......a big brass band, with marching soldiers two, by two. Even get General Thompson to speak out. Well, I am not sure if the president knows this, he's a moron to me, I voted Green Workers."

She then said, "About Thompson, You think he's spying on us now?"

Thaller smiled a bit, "So, Yuri, what exactly is it that you do? Do you work or are you some university radical?"

Thaller smiled a bit, "So, Yuri, what exactly is it that you do? Do you work or are you some university radical?"

She beamed and went, "Well, I draw comic books, what we call manga, but in my spare time, I am a bitter, rabble rousing radical, champion of the rights of woman and man! Proud of it!"

Herman stifled a laugh, "Rights of men and women, eh? Sounds like fun... So you're a marxist then, right?"

She frowned, "Hell no! I am not a hypocrite! I'm from the Green Wing of the Green Worker's Party. Those Reds only merged with us because they couldn't spread their poison by themselves. I embrace the Louisianan method, DuFourist Economics, not Marxist, that is BS."

Herman yawned a bit, "And I'm in the MNFP, the Mississippian National Front Party, and we follow Fabusism, the only true system in the world."

Yuri went, "Eww.........I'd rather eat my crap-"

Matsumoto said, "Okay, that's enough.....now, Yuri, you want to say anything else about your job?"

She said, "Okay, well, as I said before, I contribute to the Southern Eagle series when I am not doing girls' comics, I added a special story arc where you are dueling a bunch of jets from an unmaned Asian power, and you get captured."

Herman frowned a bit, "Hmmm, that comic better include the part where the dishonorable enemy fighter pilot uses EMP missiles in a dogfight meant to be with cannons only..."

Yuri frowned, "I take it the truth is stranger than fiction."

"I heard about that raid.....that would explain the anti-Mississippian hysteria in some parts, like burnings of Mississippian and Kahtan flags in Central by the Falun Gong. Like that guy Archbishop Batov-he is freaky. Waves an iron cudgel, spouts fire and brimstone...."

Thaller shook his head, "No, no, no, I can't see why your people hate us so much... We in Mississippi are neutral towards you, for the most part, even after your coward pilots shot me down in an unfair method going against the rules of the duel... But that is a whole other matter."

Matsumoto said, "Let's chalk it up to the media and the fact that there is much misunderstanding, m'kay? That seems to be the problem here. We are not understanding one another...and the media is showing the stuff in Africa and spinning it a certain way, maybe that is one reason why people are freaking out. And the whole WKM thing. That creeps people out, no offense."

Herman shook his head, "The WKM does have a tendency to scare people, but they mean well."

Matsumoto went, "Well, anyway, there are those that don't see the Mississippians as devils, and not just the Nationalists. Like some within the Committee of Vigilance, and about 56% of the population, as witnessed in a recent NHK Daily Poll."

Thaller shook his head, "Hmmm... I think I know what you mean, but it just seems lots of people in many nations simply hate Mississippi yet they've never been to any territory or the homeland himself, and they've never met a single Federal or Commonwealther."

Matsumoto went, "Well, I suppose that maybe, if it is not too much trouble, I could visit. You know, actually meet the people. Try the food."

She then prodded Yuri. "And...uh...so would I! Yeah...it would be an interesting experience."

Herman smiled a bit, but then frowned, "I'm not sure about that idea... The Mississippian National Socialist Workers Party would probably take kindly enough to you, as they subscribe to the idea that I do, that the Aryan people includes many Iranians and Japanese, but most in Mississippi are of the Mississippian National Front Party, basically a political version of the fraternal WKM."

Yuri said "Ooh! I almost forgot."

She pulled up some old chairs. "If we are going to talk, we might as well do it comfortably."

Matsumoto, Thaller and Yuri sat down, and then Matsumoto said, "Hmm...maybe not then.....would there be room in any other Mississippian territories to possibly take a nice, romantic daytrip?"

Thaller nodded his head a bit, "Well, if you wanted to go somewhere, I think Mississippian Egypt would be the place to go... It's like Mississippi only with a large arab population, a bit over ten percent, so they're used to living in the same nation with non-whites, only they don't really ever see the arabs, the races stay in their own separate neighborhoods away from each other... But they do get along unusually well, one thing that both the arabs and Mississippikaners agree on is that they hate the jews, blacks, and communists."



Ooc- Mississippikaners are white ME Commonwealthers who speak the language "Mississippikaans", a blend of Italian, Mississippian Egyptian English, and Afrikaans. (a large community of South African whites sprung up in ME after 1994)

Matsumoto went, "Well, I did want to see The Pyramids. And ride camels.....that would be a fun experience."

OOC: You ready to RP the Conference?

Herman chuckled a bit, "Actually the Ottomans own Eastern Egypt, including Cairo... But don't worry..." He smiled, "We'll own it someday, all of Egypt will become Mississippian Egypt."

Matsumoto laughed, and went, in imitation of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons, "Excellent....." twiddling her fingers.

Yuri was slightly scared by this.

--------------------------------

Meanwhile, President Lew and the Secretary of State, plus Lew's BodyguRard Jimmy got their bags ready to go, and they all boarded a BBJ to go to Chile.

Lew thought, "Well, this is the easy part...after this, anything goes."

Herman smiled and patted her gently on the back, "Yes, excellent, you'll love Mississippian Egypt..." He then spoke in Mississippikaans, saying something that translated to, "You don't know their unique language there though, do you?"

Matsumoto went, "Well, I got some of the Italian-derived grammar, Italian is kinda similar to Spanish.....and some hints of Dutch and German. Besides that, anything goes!"

Herman chuckled a little, stifling a full laugh, "Oh in ME, nothing goes unless the government says so, they're very restrictive... Don't worry about the language... I'm sure you'll pick up some from being there, you're a smart woman, I'm sure you'll learn quickly."

Herman chuckled a little, stifling a full laugh, "Oh in ME, nothing goes unless the government says so, they're very restrictive... Don't worry about the language... I'm sure you'll pick up some from being there, you're a smart woman, I'm sure you'll learn quickly."

Matsumoto went, "Hee-hee...I meant the language wise, silly. I was quite confused when you said it, it is quite a fascinating mode of speech...and I don't mind the restrictions, I will adapt."

Herman smiled and then quickly kissed her, after which he said, "I know you'll love ME, I just know it."

Matsumoto simply smiled, and kissed him back.

Yuri could only watch and go "Aww......" as she sketched the scene.

Matsumoto then looked at her and went, "AHEM!"

Yuri stopped sketching them as soon as she heard that.

Herman chuckled a bit, "Dang, you sure do love drawing eh?" He then mumbled under his breath, "Must be a real pain to anybody who you happen to see that values their privacy..."

Yuri laughed, "Yes, well, I don't do this all the time, but it was a moment I just had to immortalize......."

Herman smiled a bit, "Well, if you say so..."

He then yawned slightly and asked, "What now?"

Matsumoto said, "Well, we can go to the beach...Repulse Bay is warm and inviting this time of year. And, the water is quite clean....."

Yuri went, "If you're going, you can have the sketch, I just autographed it. It was nice seeing you, it was always fun to see the family, and always fun to meet THE Herman Von Thaller. Have a good one."

"Just one last question. Any anime fans in Mississippi?"

He smiled and kissed Matsumoto, "I'm sure we'll have fun on the beach..."


He turned to Yuri, shaking his head, "No, not many people like Anime, they think it's too foreign a form of entertainment..."

Yuri went, "A shame...ah well, different strokes for different folks."

She smiled. "Treat her well....."

Matsumoto went, "So, it is about time to go then, I take it?"

Yuri went, "Well, you know, deadlines and such. I gotta get some stuff done...."

Herman smiled, "Don't worry, I will."


He then turned away from Yuri and towards Matsumoto, "Yes, I suppose we should be going."

Matsumoto then said, "Yes...let's."

They left, and walked back to their Range Rover. Starting the car, she began to drive to Repulse Bay.

She then asked him, "You got any swimwear?"

He shook his head, "No, I don't have a swimsuit, what are the laws here regarding that?"

Matsumoto said, "Well, you gotta have one, we frown upon public nudity.....I am sure you are used to that. I got a swimsuit in my pack, always bring one with me when I go traveling, I think I have a pair of trunks for you, I like to plan for emergenices."

Herman smiled, "Sure, that will work... Shall we go then."

Matsumoto said, "Sure."

She then turned to the road which would lead to Repulse Bay. After a few minutes of driving, they reached a parking lot near Stanley Market, close to Repulse Bay.

Getting out of the car, she went, "So, let's go then, shall we? Repulse is close, just a short walk to the beach....you'll love it, it has a number of cool little temples to get your photo taken next to."

Herman smiled, "Well, pehaps someday we'll have to go to a beach near one of my coastal properties, quiet and secluded as it is...."

Matsumoto smiled, and said, as they were walking to the beach: "Well, that will be fun indeed.....would one of those properties be in Mississippian Egypt? That would be even better......exotic shores and intimate settings, wrapped into one spot."

He nodded his head, "Yes indeed, there would indeed be a coastal estate of mine in Mississippian Egypt..."

Matsumoto went, "That is lovely....hmm, I shall have to remember that."

They soon arrived at the beach. The scene was like any other beach, full of happy, frolicking people, with kids running about, and girls playing volleyball, and men showing off their muscles, and familes barbecuing.

She then said, "There is a set of men's changing rooms nearby..."

She handed him the shorts, a pair of simple red and blue swimming trunks. "..so I would suggest, if you want to get started, put these on. I'll be doing the same thing, of course, there is a seperate set of women's changing rooms..."

Herman took the suit and went to change, emerging from the changing room a few minutes later in the suit. He looked around and found her as she was coming out of the woman's changing room, "Shall we go swimming then? How is the water around here?" He nervously asked, "Many sharks?"

Matsumoto said, "Nah..there are no sharks, and anyway, the lifeguards here are really watchful, some of the best...so, let's test the waters, shall we?"

He smiled and jumped into the water, wading out a few feet, "Come on in, it's great!" he shouted like a happy child, it had been a few years since he'd gone swimming like this in a beach and he was excited about it.

Matsumoto jumped in as well, and began doing a fast sidestroke. Swimming to Thaller, she began to tread water, and went, "So.....how's the water?"

Herman playfully splashed her and then swam around her before he took her into his arms and grinned as he said, "Stay close... There might be sharks, you never know, and they, unlike myself, will bite..."

Matsumoto laughed, and then playfully and melodramatically went, "Oh no! Sharks? Who will save me?!"

Herman smiled, "How about me?" and then he pulled her closer to him and kissed her.

Matsumoto said, "My hero!" and kissed him back.

She then said, "You up for a race?" She pointed to a rock in the water, about fifty feet away.

"Let's see who can get to that rock first."

He smiled, "Okay... Go..."

About a second after she started, he'd let her have a lead, he took off himself. He was there in a flash, jetting through the water like a Mako shark, he was a born swimmer.

He was waiting for her as she arrived at the rock, she ended up swimming right into him. He gently pulled her up out of the water and onto his lap as he himself climbed up on the rock, he then said with a grin, "You were a bit too slow..."

"Well, it has been awhile....." she said.

He chuckled a bit, "I'll take it upon myself to teach you proper swimming techniques... But when we get to Mississippian Egypt and can swim in more appropriate attire..." He whispered in her ear, "As in none..."

Matsumoto smiled and said, "Kinky...."

Suddenly a volleyball flew into their area, and landed in front of them.

Herman looked at the volleyball and then looked around to see who it might belong to, half-expecting somebody to shout, "Little help here!" any second now.

Suddenly, a nerdy looking man swam out to Thaller.

Remaining about fifty feet away, he said, "Sir...that's our volleyball. Could you help us get it back?"

Thaller nearly erupted with laughter, but managed to keep quiet, and he immediately tossed the ball back to the man.

The nerd, not amused, went, 'You're an ass, you know that? I simply wanted you to hand me the ball, not laugh! I think its time I challenged you to a duel."

He pointed to a bunch of high schoolers playing volleyball. "You, your girl, and anybody else you can muster versus the Shiritsu Daitou High School Class 12-5 Volleyball team!"

When he heard the word duel, Herman swam for the shore, helping Matsumoto down off the rock first and making sure she got to the shore as well.

After stepping back onto the beach, he shook his head and raised up clenched fists as he assumed a fighting stance, "Call me an ass eh?" he said to the man as he glared at him, "Where I come from, we settle an insult like that with a real duel, man to man... I don't need a team... Come on, let's go..."

The nerd went, "Good thing I was a black belt. You're going down, asswipe. You just met Great Teacher Benkei."

He raised his hands, and then punched Thaller in the face with a hard left hook.

A large crowd soon assembled, and people began to shout to both sides, "Kick his ass!"

Thaller waited for the man to make a predictable move and then he just rushed the man, knocking him clear on the ground.

He quickly jumped down on him, pinning him down as he started hitting him in the head time and time again, as he kept hitting him, he bragged.


"Black belt boy! Hell, I've been wrasling crocs and gators for over ten years back in my country... Anyway, I graduated top in my class with the highest marks in hand-to-hand combat... Your black belt means shit compared to actual experience in real fighting. I don't fight in some pattern manner, see right now for instance, I'm just beating you senseless in a violent manner, not following any patterns or moves that you'd read about in books."


After hitting the man about sixty or so times, Thaller stood up and then asked him, "So, where did you get your black belt again?"

Benkei got up, dazed, slightly bloodied, and kicked Thaller in the testicles. Seeing that Thaller was not dazed, he shoved Thaller on the ground, threw his glasses to one of his students, and began punching him in the face repediately with great fury, occasionally throwing sand into his face, keeping him pinned.

He screamed at Thaller as he was punching him, "I got my black belt at Kenji's Dojo in Harajuku, man! Not that there is a way to fight fair, but you are an ass clown with skin as fair as morning snow, and for insulting my sensei, I will render your fairy honky ass into orange juice pulp! Your gators mean shit!"

Thaller used all his strength and punched the man square in the jaw, breaking both his left hand and most likely the man's jaw, there were two loud snaps, both men knew they'd suffered something broken.


Herman then picked up a nearby rock with his hand, not feeling bad about what he was going to do, since the man threw sand in his eyes.

Thaller smashed the rock against the side of the man's head, hitting him in the temple, it'd most certainly knock him out cold.

Benkei, before he fell, picked up the rock, and threw it at Thaller, screaming, "ASSWIPE!"

He then collapsed. His class surrounded him, and one of his students pulled out a kendo sword and walked up to Thaller.

"Asshole, Teacher didn't have his meds! You'll pay!"

Thaller pulled out a switchblade from the pocket of his swimming suit, it was a special knife, the blade didn't just flip out, it shot out, like a bullet, it was a ballistic knife.

He aimed it at the man and shook his head, "Now stop right there, don't come any closer of you'll regret it... Trust me, you'll regret it..."

Everybody stepped back. Matusmoto went and said, "Oh come on! Let's be civilized.....Jesu-Maria, let's get both of you to a hospital. Especially that guy whose hindquarters you just laid waste to. He needs serious help."

She began to call for a paramedic, and then after a few moments, Matsumoto said, "Okay, they should be coming in a few...holy crap, I still can't believe what happened."

The kid then said, "Fine, mister. You win this time. Hope you feel good, c**ks**ker."

He then walked away.

Matsumoto then said, "Don't you have diplomatic immunity? Cause I think that would come in handy now..."