NationStates Jolt Archive

The Grand Duchy of Saint Lazare, in the interest of promoting a healthy economy and increasing our international prestige as a most profitable and influential center of commerce and diplomacy, has announced a new plan to construct an island of the coast of Saint Lazare. We have decided to build an artificial plot of land in the ocean to serve as an international center, with free and ready diplomacy and high wealth.

The island will be about 600 meters off the shore of the mainland and only a kilometer from the Grand Duke's Palace. Its area will be about 20000 meters square, with plenty of available space. At its center will be an international plaza, surrounded by embassies from around the world. The biggest feature will be a planned office tower building, to serve as the primary center of international diplomacy, banking, commerce, and other endeavors.

All nations are welcome to join in the preparation and investment of this project. You may offer funds, construction plans and equipment, manpower, and other means of investment to allow this project to begin.

The Grand Duchy of Saint Lazare hereby puts forward an investment of $2bil [for sake of simplicity, using dollars and cents :P] to the completion of this project. At the moment, we expect the project to last 10 years, in construction of the island, with an unexpected date for completing the international center and embassies.

INVESTMENTS FOR THE PROJECT:

Saint Lazare - $2bil over 10 years
Franberry - $1bil over 2 years
Cotland - $100mil / naval engineers, equipment, the like...
Cymrea - $1bil
Bjornoya - $25mil (via Visara Co.)
RomeW - $5bil
Soviet Bloc - $500mil


--- ooc: yea, so this thing needs money and manpower; anyone interested? ---

+++ ONLY EARTH II MEMBERS MAY CONTRIBUTE +++

Huahin will invest $5B for the well-being of its former territory.

The Caucasian Democratic Republic of Franberry can invest 1 billion $ over the time of two years. We are very interested in this project.

Huahin will invest $5B for the well-being of its former territory.

We thank our former rulers for their generosity :).

Your contribution has been duly noted.

The Caucasian Democratic Republic of Franberry can invest 1 billion $ over the time of two years. We are very interested in this project.

We appreciate your support and have duly noted it as well :).

on another note, money isn't a necessary contribution - youo can send people to work on this project as well :)

The Secular Empire of Maraque will contribute $625 billion USD over 10 years.

Before we send any workers we must ask what their living conditions will be like, how many hours will they work, will they be fed meals and paid to do this?

The Realm wishes to donate $100 million, and offer the services of the Naval Engineers in undertaking this constructive effort. If permitted, we can arrive in the area with naval engineers for planning the construction in a few days. After plans are finalized, we can have heavy construction equipment and additional personell in the area within a week.

[signed]
The Realm of Cotland

To Secular Empire of Maraque,

We are extremely grateful at your generous investment. It certainly blows the top of many other offers.

Regarding the treatment of workers, we shall offer all workers a maximum worktime of 10hours per day, with a cumulative weekly worktime of no more than 60hours - with at least one day available for a break. In general, we shall follow the rule of the 7-hour work day, with 6 days of work. They shall be paid a minimum of $10 per hour, in addition to various amenities such as free rent in specified housing [minimum 100m2 living space] near the worksite and complementary meals. In addition, those who work from the beginning of construction to the final construction of the island itself shall be granted a $100k bonus. In the event of a traedy, which we hope to avoid, the family of the deceased shall receive $50k in reparations and noted work on a most grandeur project.

We hope that you find these workig conditions to be most sufficient and adequate for your citizens.

Most Respectfully,
Grand Duke Albert Roumillet

[ooc: due to unforeseen conditions, the preceding comments are now void...]



TO Cotland Realm:

We again thank you for your generosity and willingness to invest in such a great project. We hope that your contributions - in addition to many others - will be admired as a true respect for diplomacy and peace in the world.

Most Respectfully,
Grand Duke Albert Roumillet.



<aside> The Grand Duke's hand was getting tired after writing so many replies, but he wholeheartedly intended to make a friendly impression upon his benefactors.

Dear Grand Duke Albert Roumillet,

We don't know how many skilled workers we'll be able to gather, as that accounts to about $420/week, but the average wage in our nation is $1,615/week, so you can imagine how much the average skilled worker in construction is paid.

We've been able to gather 125 willing participants to help construct the island. Their main perk was the possibility of $100K USD if they participate from begining to end, so I hope construction hasn't begun yet.

Signed,
Empress Siv Norris

Construction has not yet begun. WE are still ldrafting plans for the island's construction - both on its structure and its overlay of buildings.

By no means do we justify paying such a sum for our workers, but we feel that if we offer our citizens and workers more amenities, such as free healthcare, education to the university-level, and other social programs, the people have little need for more wealth. But as it stands, we can gladly accept any workers that you have - but only after a final construction plan has been adopted.

We are glad nonetheless that your nation decided to contribute to the project.

We're a little puzzled as to how your nations universeal healthcare and education system is relevent to this.

Our nation has free education and healthcare for all citizens. By no means is our citizens high rate of income to compensate for anything else. It is so every citizen is secured a good and comfortible lifestyle, and our social programs are deeply important to us so we can offer our less fortunate citizens everything they need.

Nonetheless, we thank you for accepting our offer.

Signed,
The Maraquean government

We're a little puzzled as to how your nations universeal healthcare and education system is relevent to this.

Our nation has free education and healthcare for all citizens. By no means is our citizens high rate of income to compensate for anything else. It is so every citizen is secured a good and comfortible lifestyle, and our social programs are deeply important to us so we can offer our less fortunate citizens everything they need.

Nonetheless, we thank you for accepting our offer.

Signed,
The Maraquean government

[ooc: not to argue the point, but inflation must really rock... instead of giving people more money to spend, why not make prices cheaper so people don't need as much money?]

The blessed Chris will invest $5 billion over a period of 3 years, with a view towards establishing a major embassy, and expat community, on the island.

The blessed Chris will invest $5 billion over a period of 3 years, with a view towards establishing a major embassy, and expat community, on the island.

[ooc: are you a member of Earth II?]

[ooc: not to argue the point, but inflation must really rock... instead of giving people more money to spend, why not make prices cheaper so people don't need as much money?]
OOC: The government doesn't hand out money, and inflation isn't bad, it's under 2%. I can't get into how that is, but it is. :p

OOC: Alif, both of those guys are NOT members of E2, thus you can't accept their payments.

OOC: Alif, both of those guys are NOT members of E2, thus you can't accept their payments.

[ooc: as it seems, i can't accept any of this stuff... thanx for it all out, Hirgizstan...]

The Cots weren't entirely sure of how to get the naval engineers to Monaco, so they did the best they could: They put them on a C-11A Dagger medium transport aircraft heading for the Cottish carrier operating south of France, and from there into a H-53N Super Stallion II heavy transport helicopter to Monaco, or Saint Lazare as it was now called. Knowing from past experience that there was a usable heliport in St. Lazare, they hoped that it would still be usable for the large and modified Super Stallion helicopter.

http://maxpages.com/files/jetwash/CH-53%20Stallion.jpg

After a flight of roughly an hour, the helicopter approached Lazarian airspace. While it was armed with two M134A2 Miniguns in the doors, they were pointing directly down into the sea with absolutely no movement or electricity switched on, something which was required for the Minigun to operate. There were nothing on the helicopter which might be a cause of concern for the Lazarians. The insides were only filled with twenty naval engineers and a lot of equipment belonging to the engineers, as well as the three crew chiefs. In the highly digitalized cockpit, the aircraft commander in the right-hand seat tuned onto the propper channel on the UHF radio.

"Lazarian air traffic control, Lazarian air traffic control, this is Rambler three-one, Rambler three-one. Request permission to land at Saint Lazare heliport, over."

The Cots weren't entirely sure of how to get the naval engineers to Monaco, so they did the best they could: They put them on a C-11A Dagger medium transport aircraft heading for the Cottish carrier operating south of France, and from there into a H-53N Super Stallion II heavy transport helicopter to Monaco, or Saint Lazare as it was now called. Knowing from past experience that there was a usable heliport in St. Lazare, they hoped that it would still be usable for the large and modified Super Stallion helicopter.

http://maxpages.com/files/jetwash/CH-53%20Stallion.jpg

After a flight of roughly an hour, the helicopter approached Lazarian airspace. While it was armed with two M134A2 Miniguns in the doors, they were pointing directly down into the sea with absolutely no movement or electricity switched on, something which was required for the Minigun to operate. There were nothing on the helicopter which might be a cause of concern for the Lazarians. The insides were only filled with twenty naval engineers and a lot of equipment belonging to the engineers, as well as the three crew chiefs. In the highly digitalized cockpit, the aircraft commander in the right-hand seat tuned onto the propper channel on the UHF radio.

"Lazarian air traffic control, Lazarian air traffic control, this is Rambler three-one, Rambler three-one. Request permission to land at Saint Lazare heliport, over."

[ooc: I suppose I should mention that the adjective form of Lazare is simply "Lazare" ... and youu are right in saying that there is a heliport, but I also have numerous naval ports that you could simply to undock your personel, but oh well.. the RP is more interesting I suppose :)]


The control team surveyed the radio and picked up the Cot transmission. The head of the control reviewed the heliport, getting the dock team ready for the landing. Once all was set, he radioed back:

"Rambler 3-1, this is Lazare Air Control. Permission granted. I repeat, permission granted. Over."

At that, he sent a dispatch to the Grand Duke's Palace, to inform him of some visitors with Lazare boundaries. Even as the Duke would not be able to meet the engineers, the chief engineer of the project could at least brief their fellow companions on the immense project to be started soon.

EDIT -> make that naval ports...

"Copy Lazare Air Control. We are inbound. Rambler three-one out."

The pilot manipulated the controls, making the large helicopter move forward, gaining speed as it moved forward, no more than fifty meters over the water. It would have gone lower, but there was the risk of hitting the many yachts and other boats in the waters off Monaco. Many people looked up as the helicopter labeled with the markings of the Royal Cottish Navy moved over them, the downwash of wind from the mighty rotor blowing more than one person from his boat and into the warm waters of the French Riviera.

Eventually, the helicopter approached the heliport and slowed down, manouvering into position with great precision and professionality. The landing gear was placed into position and the decent carefully controlled, moving down slowly before it gently touched down at the heliport. The rotors slowed down and the engines were shut down while the rear ramp was opened. A crew chief dressed in an olive flightsuit and helmet stepped out first and checked that everything was safe for the passengers to step outside. When he was satisfied, he nodded and motioned for the passengers inside that it was safe. That was good enough for the sixteen military personell and four civilians who stepped outside while taking off the survival gear. Most of the military people were sailors who had volunteered to help offload the crates they had carried inside the helicopter, hoping for a short leave in Monaco. Stepping outside, the people looked around for any Lazare official to greet them.

The Control Team Manager saw that the Cots had already landed. With the Chief Engineer on his way, he knew that it would be most unpleasant to leave them waiting there. He decided to make the welcome and radioed the team outside to bring them to the Control Center, where at least they had comfortable quarters for the visitors while they waited the short moment.

He passed command to his attache and headed downstairs. At that moment, the Cot Engineers had already been escorted and were in the building. He immediately took the pleasure to greet them.

"BIenvenue au Grand Duché de Saint Lazare. Welcome, Gentlemen! I am Jean-Lucien de Pravat. I am sorry to say that our welcoming committee was quite caught off guard. But I hope that you will find your stay comfortable."

With that, he led the team and the engineers into the conference room, where he invited them to rest after their trip. "I do not know the distance from here to there, but I hear it's a long way. Legs get sore after a while; do relax and enjoy yourselves. If you would like some coffee, this is Guillaume; he can get some for you."

He paused. He could see that the Cot delegation was rather pleased with the plush chairs and asked them one last question: "Is there anything that you need?"

Space would be tight, and the omniscient eyes of Visara could see this could not be a normal set-up so to speak. The sprawling suburban mega-marts, scenic parks, entertainment facilities, and massive infrastructure networks that spread so care-free across the Bjornoyan homeland simply could not fit.

It was with this in mind Visara's region director, Mr. Chester Copperpot decided the best way for Visara to offer its various goods and services to the distant nation of St. Lazare would have to be out of a bizarre sky-scraper building, each floor being a different type of shop, selling anything and everything a local or passerby might want, electronics, food, clothing, gambling services, medical services, imported automobiles, etc. Trying to fit the entirety of a Visara Co. 'Garden' into St. Lazare was simply impossible.

With this in mind Visara's minion went about the tedious task of trying to acquire a land permit to build this structure, wither it be on the mainland or on the newly constructed island. Trying to avoid residential areas as best they could Visara looked for anything they could get land-wise to build their new skyscraper.

The new island; to help with its construction Visara Co. offered the Grand Duke Albert Roumillet some of the most dedicated he had acquired, Pantheaan foreign construction workers. Survivors of the invasion that devastated their nation, these hardy workers were happy to just be alive. Equally skilled in technical aspect and manual labor, the workers if allowed could provide the manpower for the project. Doing so would give the Pantheaan workers a break from the cold, barren landscape of Novaya Zemlya where they were currently working and allow the local St. Luzare populace to keep their high-end jobs.

Mr. Copperpot awaited a response from Grand Duke Albert Roumillet in regards to both a land permit to build the sky-scraper on and on the foreign worker contract.

Space would be tight, and the omniscient eyes of Visara could see this could not be a normal set-up so to speak. The sprawling suburban mega-marts, scenic parks, entertainment facilities, and massive infrastructure networks that spread so care-free across the Bjornoyan homeland simply could not fit.

It was with this in mind Visara's region director, Mr. Chester Copperpot decided the best way for Visara to offer its various goods and services to the distant nation of St. Lazare would have to be out of a bizarre sky-scraper building, each floor being a different type of shop, selling anything and everything a local or passerby might want, electronics, food, clothing, gambling services, medical services, imported automobiles, etc. Trying to fit the entirety of a Visara Co. 'Garden' into St. Lazare was simply impossible.

With this in mind Visara's minion went about the tedious task of trying to acquire a land permit to build this structure, wither it be on the mainland or on the newly constructed island. Trying to avoid residential areas as best they could Visara looked for anything they could get land-wise to build their new skyscraper.

The new island; to help with its construction Visara Co. offered the Grand Duke Albert Roumillet some of the most dedicated he had acquired, Pantheaan foreign construction workers. Survivors of the invasion that devastated their nation, these hardy workers were happy to just be alive. Equally skilled in technical aspect and manual labor, the workers if allowed could provide the manpower for the project. Doing so would give the Pantheaan workers a break from the cold, barren landscape of Novaya Zemlya where they were currently working and allow the local St. Luzare populace to keep their high-end jobs.

Mr. Copperpot awaited a response from Grand Duke Albert Roumillet in regards to both a land permit to build the sky-scraper on and on the foreign worker contract.


Monsieur Chester Copperpot,

It is with great pleasure that I see your enthusiasm in bringing your company's business to Saint Lazare. Lest you be worried, I have already made plans for construction of your center on the island. Of course, you are most welcome to submit your plan [ooc: we'll assume that the plans are there if you submit them - I'm not the greatest island maker...] to assist our engineer crew in the designs of the island.

Additionally, your guest workers are a welcome addition to the construction project. We will make certain that they are well-fed and cared during the project construction. Please submit the manifest of those workers willing to join the workforce.

Respectfully,
Grand Duke Albert Roumillet

PS>>> Should you need to contact our chief engineer Laurence Chaquetout, he will be in Sainnt Lazare, near the portquarters, on Rue Saint Michelon.

For all making investments and contributions to this project, our chief engineers and architects have nearly completed the designs for the island superstructure and buildings to exist on the island thereafter. We will provide drafts of this as soon as they become available.

[ooc: just so people can see what is being built, I'll post an image of the to-be-built island... I'm still kinda waiting on the consensus to build an airport on the island at the same time...

oh, and contributions are still being taking - more on the manpower side than on the money side :)]

oooc edit: by posting this, i do not say that i have finished it... i still have details that i'm going over on the buildinng placement phase...

As stated by Bjornoya. Pantheans will be honored to build the many skyscapers, forts, etc, etc around Monaco. We burn the fat off our souls.(occ- stolen from the Jarhead movie but whatever). If the unlikely event of a war takes place i would have to pull some of the workforce via military draft. But other then that they are fully managed by Visara. Other then that enjoy your workforce.

It would be useful to have numbers to accompany this statement [if it's already been stated, please link here... thanx :)]

ooc: we literally have millions of Pantheaan laborers, so many refugees. I'll say something between 7,500-25,000 people could be contracted to help construct the island depending on magnitude, how fast you want it done, and how many from Visara you wish to hire. Finding a place to stay might be a problem, but I could have Visara use some kind of massive housboat or something... By comparison Kansai International Airport took 10,000 workers and 10 million work hours to construct.

ooc: well....that will be a sizable workforce :)

housing will be a problem - I would suggest that your company provide the houseboat :)

"No thanks," the highest-ranking naval officer answered, speaking for the men and women under his command. "I think we're all just anxious to get started on the design."

**************

In the port of Port Said, Egypt, several large cargo ships had been loaded with construction equipment, ready for travel to Monaco. Also joining the small convoy were four old naval ships destined for the Lazare government. The six Lynx IIs were safely stowed inside one of the container ships along with the thousand rifles. ETA: 4 days.

After consulting the chief architects [ooc: and flipping a coin], the Grand Duchy has decided to economize the international island project and expand its role as a center of business and diplomacy to include an adequately serviced airport, hoping to elicit more support and likewise increase the profitability of the project in general.

Chef de Génie Général du Projet Pour la Construction de l'Isle Internationale Laurence Chaquetout


==========

[ATTN Cotland]

Laurence Chaquetout looked at his watch as he frantically drove out to the heliport in Fontvielle. The call had come at the last moment, as he had finished finalizing plans to build the island. Now, he has visitors; frankly, he had had enough with visitors, bothering him all day as he tried to make the best project design for the least cost. He had a lot of pressure on his back, as he went through the designs and costs. After settling on the airport deal, his head was throbbing, with the pain that he would have to make a new design, simply because the existing designs wouldn't fit anything else. After crowding the center of the island with a large plaza, surrounded by embassies of the world, along with notable buildings and skyscrapers to house th new businesses and citizens of the principate, the island would look like a over-stuffed box of goodies. And this over-stuffed box of goodies was giving him aches everywhere.

He arrived, nearly ramming the meter as he exited and ventured to the control center. He quickly fixed his appearance, although he didn't really care what kind of condition he met with his visitors. Calmly, he entered the room, trying to fake a smile [it was horrible; he could tell by the look on the Cot engineers' faces]. He dropped the smile and greeted the commanding naval officer and updated the situation for him.

"It's been three weeks and ten bottles of aspirin," he said. "My head hurts and the medicine hasn't been helping my heartbeat any. I've finally managed to pull out the final specs for the island. I don't know how much you can help - and forgive if I am blunt or discourteous, but this project has been my life for these days - and however much you can help simplify the island design, that would be the greatest gift God could give me at this moment. The Grand Duke has been very patient, although I do not wish to test it much longer. What do you say now?

The chief designer was clearly very stressed out with this whole thing, so kommandør Hansen didn't want to stress him out even more. Fortunately, his orders didn't include that. The 45-year old officer stood up and offered his hand to the chief designer.

"Sir, I am Commodore Erik Hansen of the Royal Cottish Navy's Corps of Engineers. The gentlemen here are my staff and best engineers," he said, motioning to his officers. "We have been ordered here to coordinate the design and construction of the island. I would very much like to see the plans you have made so far. I understand that you want to put not only an airport on the island, but also a lot of civilian structures? If so, may I humbly suggest constructing the island as not one large island, but as several smaller ones? One for the airport, connected to the other islands which will be used for the civilian structures via causeways or small bridges?"

Chaquetout pondered over it.

"The Grand Duke was expecting the construction of only one island, whether or not it had any airport at all. With the clamoring economists having finally persuaded the coffers to pay for an airport, I suppose that the Grand Duke would be expecting one island still. However, as you mention this idea, it is better to leave them apart and keep the foundation of the two islands integral. It would work like a little canal system, to isolate the airport from the island and leave the projects therein intact and allow the construction of the second island without much hassle."

Chaquetout reflected on it all. "You know, it sounds stupid now that I have the time to think about it. We can maintain the original plans and build off of them to make an additional island with the same foundation. Cut costs and even cut my headaches. Well, Commander Hansen [ooc: danish?]... let us review this plan once more and see where we can get this going."

[ooc: once I finish this darned map, I'll post it, and we'll have a little chat - I'm hoping not to make a big deal out of the designs any more than I already have - only because I've working on it. The only real reason for the map is so people have an idea of where they are when they visit my beautiful couuntry :)]

ooc - Norwegian I think :p

ooc - Norwegian I think :p
[OOC: Right you are! I'll reply when you get the picture/map up and running.]

Grand Ducal March (http://www.freewebs.com/ducdesaintlazare/ducal%20march.mid)

It was a festive day as months of hard work and preparation became revealed to the public and the world. Laurence Chaquetout had worked with the Cottish team and prepared a plan that was as aesthetic as possible without making it unwieldy. Now, the engineers and architect could worry about actualizing the very ideals of itts construction. It would be 6 years with the current workforce until the islands would be completed, featuring embassies, the Centre des Etats Internationaux, a plaza streching the majority of the island's length, and an international airport on the neighboring island. His worries suddenly faded as the crowd lauded in praises of the grandeur of this project, and he was all smiling as the Grand Duke presented a model design to the investors and respectable others from around the principate and the world.

http://www.freewebs.com/ducdesaintlazare/map.png

OOC: It's crappy for now, but I guarantee that the map will get better. And the numbers on the buildings are for a key that I will make onnce people start applying for embassies on the island. Building 34 is NOT an embassy, so no one can apply for residency there. And just because there's white space on the mainland doesn't mean that the mainland has enough space for your embassies - I just haven't filled it with its proper allotment. And for those of you who care to ponder, the casino is the building near the middle of the map, in the middle of the three buildings, so play on!

[OOC: Excellent. Sorry for the crappy response, but I haven't really slept for 36 hours.]

The large cargoships were cruising along, being just about to pass Sicily. With much equipment and materials, they were ready to begin construction. The Cots also positioned an aircraft carrier within relatively easy reach of Monaco so that they could transfer personell via C-11B Dagger transport from Cyprus or Egypt to the carrier, and from there to Monaco via helicopter. At present, that was the most viable solution.

The Realm would like to reserve space number 3 for our embassy.

[signed]
The Realm of Cotland

To Cotland Realm,

Your application has been approved for future residency in embassy building #3. We thank you for applying and we ask you to patient as construction begins on the islands.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


----------


ooc: to all, construction is slotted to begin - if you'd like to send people to work on this project, post here and I will update the numbers to your list of contributions to the project [if you have any; otherwise, I'll add you to the list]. Construction should take 6 years [what would translate to in RL days? 1 NSyear=1 week? 1 NSyear=1 day?

The Saint Heliport again received the report of the Cottish arrival, but were well-prepared for their arrival. After debarking the equipment onto heavy trucks, a convoy of black sedans pulled up and greeted the naval engineers before ushering them into the cars, so that they could get to the construction site. Having invested much time and money into this project, they only could go forward with the project.

UPDATE -

Progress on the International Island has gone according to plan. The foundations for boh islands have been completely settled on permanent bedrock, and the overlay on the principal island is now set. It will be another two years before we can effectively allow construction crews onto the islands to build the main buildings. Otherwise, we are pleased with the amont of support that we have had from our fellow workers, especially the assisting crews from the Visara Corporation.

Chef de Génie Général du Projet Pour la Construction de l'Isle Internationale Laurence Chaquetout

The engineer removed the white carbon-fiber helmet and swiped the sweat off his forehead. Work here sure was exhausting, with the sun and warmth and all. The bulldozer he was driving was one of the sixteen Caterpillar D9Rs, the primary bulldozer used by the Cottish military. Returning the helmet to his head, the engineer got back to work, pushing large chunks of rocks and rubble to where they were needed. He and nearly three hundred other Cottish naval engineers were busy building the island for the Lazarians, along with thousands of other workers. In the horizon, several large ships painted in the greyish color of the Royal Cottish Navy lay at anchor, transporting equipment and materials from the cargo vessels to the island.

[OOC: Sorry for the absence. Been busy.]

UPDATE - The island's construction has been completed, as according to plan and most welcomely according to schedule. Building construction has begun, starting with the Saint Lazare International Airport. In a short time, we hope to have all of the major embassies finished as well as the few sublevel buildings. We arer also taking applications from international businesses for residencies and land plots on the island, for corporate offices. We have already received one, and we will be accordingly offer them the first plot upon their payment and acceptance of our policies.

Chef de Génie Général du Projet Pour la Construction de l'Isle Internationale Laurence Chaquetout

To: Saint Lazare
From: Sundassala Corporation
Subject: Office Building

The Sundassala Corporation would like to build a large corporate building in your great city. It would complement your skyline perfectly. It would add beauty to your city. A picture can be seenHere. (http://simlabo.main.jp/simcity/landmark/landpic/chugokugi.gif) We would alos like to fly our airlines into your airport when it opens.

Application has been pre-approved and is in the works. We will provide schematics for your construction purposes to determine the building formats and requirements.

[ooc: I'm tearing out a road to allow your tower to sit right next to your embassy. It will be settled in that pocket on the northern stretch of the island, offering a beautiful view from La Condamine and the Monaco District. Also, just so it doesn't bug you, the land plot is actually smaller than your embassy, but I'm just noting that your embassy isn't going to be a huge building; it's just a bigger plot of land, to allow for more aesthetic construction projects like gardens and amusement parks. I'll update the map soon]

Application has been pre-approved and is in the works. We will provide schematics for your construction purposes to determine the building formats and requirements.

[ooc: I'm tearing out a road to allow your tower to sit right next to your embassy. It will be settled in that pocket on the northern stretch of the island, offering a beautiful view from La Condamine and the Monaco District. Also, just so it doesn't bug you, the land plot is actually smaller than your embassy, but I'm just noting that your embassy isn't going to be a huge building; it's just a bigger plot of land, to allow for more aesthetic construction projects like gardens and amusement parks. I'll update the map soon]

OOC: Ok I'll rp the building.

Building of the Sundassala Corporation's Ivory Tower.

http://simlabo.main.jp/simcity/landmark/landpic/chugokugi.gif


The Sundassala Corporation has recently bought land near the Dweladelfian Embassy to build there first foreign branch. The Ivory tower will be the European HQ for Sundassala Corporation. It will house the offices for 6 of the 7 Sundassala Corporations, branches. The 7th Flare weapon exporters were asked not to make a branch here, due to the government doesn’t want a weapon dealer in its nation. All of the other branches: Sundassala Airlines, Dweladelfian Oil, Dweladelfian Metals, Penguin Foods Corp., Coca-Soda, and
Sandy Beaches Corp.

Materials are being shipped from Antarctica to the part via ship. They will arrive in 1 week. A building manger has already arrived and is surveying the site. The tower will be 70 stories high. The outside will be made of glass. The very top of the building will be the European CEO's office. It will have a helicopter pad at the top.

The Project will take 6 months to complete.

1 week later.....


The materials arrived in the port. Bill Fredrick CEO of Sundassala Corporation flew in to break ground on the construction. Once the materials were trucked to the site construction was ready to begin. On Saturday Bill broke ground with a spade and the construction began. First the construction workers dug up 5 stories of ground for the parking garage. Work was going fast once the reached the bottom of the pit, they began laying down concrete for the parking garage. The first 2 stories were laved down with no problem. Unfortunately one of the concrete mixers broke down so construction went slower. But finally the garage was finished.

Next.....

After the completion of the garage the workers laided down the foundation. Concrete was pored into a big slab. The foundation took 3 days to complete. Once the foundation was laid workers began construction on the first floor and lobby. The lobby is 5 stories high. Elevator shaft was built up 5 stories and then the first 5 stories were laid.

Construction of the main facilities is going according to schedule, as Sundassala has already begun their construction.

[ooc: i'm giving this some time, so I'd really like it if you could slow the updates a little... and not so frequently either...]

The Roman Empire would delighted to donate C500 M (OOC: US$5 billion) to the International Island Project and would like to reserve a spot- if able to do so- for an embassy.

Thank you.

Caesar Valerius IV

The Roman Empire would delighted to donate C500 M (OOC: US$5 billion) to the International Island Project and would like to reserve a spot- if able to do so- for an embassy.

Thank you.

Caesar Valerius IV

To Caesar Valerius IV,

We are grateful for your donation, and we are more than willing to offer you a reserved embassy. At the moment, we have spots 2, 5-31 open. Please response with a number that would most suit your purposes in Saint Lazare.

We will make note of the donation and your embassy selection once done.

Chef de Génie Général du Projet Pour la Construction de l'Isle Internationale Laurence Chaquetout

To Caesar Valerius IV,

We are grateful for your donation, and we are more than willing to offer you a reserved embassy. At the moment, we have spots 2, 5-31 open. Please response with a number that would most suit your purposes in Saint Lazare.

We will make note of the donation and your embassy selection once done.

Chef de Génie Général du Projet Pour la Construction de l'Isle Internationale Laurence Chaquetout

Spot 2 will be nice.

"The Armed Republic of Soviet Bloc, in the interests of furthering diplomatic and potentially economic relations, will donate a total sum of five hundred million United States Dollars [$500 Million USD] to the International Island Project under the interest of gaining a position on the island to be used to broaden both diplomatic and economic ties not only with Saint Lazare but other nations involved in the project and within the region. We are looking to secure position number five on the island and we must inquire whether we can secure an adjoining property as well? If not, we will use the territory as an embassy and trade office. If we can secure an additional plot, the first would be used solely as a diplomatic mission while the second be used as an economic trade office or potentially an outlet for several domestic corporations. Regardless, we still wish to donate the aforementioned sum and secure plot number five. Thank you and we look forward to the increased relations with which this shall bring.”


Kagan Viktor R. Dokhturov

-The Armed Republic of Soviet Bloc

TO Roman Empire:

Spot 2 has been reserved. We thank you again for your donation and your support of the project.


---


TO Armed Republic of Soviet Bloc:

We arer sorry to say that we cannot offer you anything. Of course, we will take your money because that's how we are here.


Of course, that was a joke. We'd be glad to offer your residency in Embassy #5. Unfortunately, we are reserving the other spaces for other embassies, hoping that more nations come to recognize the Grand Duchy. Ergo, we can only offer one spot to each nation. Otherwise, the Embassy plots on the island will become another spot for hectic territory wars, and it wouldn't be over territory that they physically own. We cannot allow that.

Nonetheless, we thank you for your donation of $500mil and we reserve Embassy #5 for your diplomatic station.

Ministère des Affaires Etrangères du Grand Duché de Saint Lazare

Construction Continues

The Constriction is continuing on the Ivory Tower. After the 5 stories were finessed workers began working on the 6-8 floors which is the main gallery. The main gallery will have a restaurant, a ball room, and meeting rooms. The ball room will be two stores high with a huge chandelier. There would be 10 meeting rooms on the 8th floor. They will be able to hold 30 people each. The restaurant would have a great view of the harbor and Monaco international. Works had no problem with this section of the tower. It too a total of 2 weeks to complete this section.

UPDATE - Much of the superstructures for the embassies havev been completed, while the International Airport is completely done. However, since more improvements are needed to provide service from the airport, only limited flights may be allowed to land at the airport. Paths are being prepared for road and pavement construction, and the harbor is being fitted with its accessories and piers. We will continue to update the progress on the island's construction.

Chef de Génie Général du Projet Pour la Construction de l'Isle Internationale Laurence Chaquetout

Despite the presence of several continuing projects and construction sites on the island, the International Island has officially opened its doors, with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting on the Pont de Grand Monaco, stretching across the narrow inlet between the mainland and the island. Grand Duke Roumillet was the honorary guest cutting the ribbon, as traffic began to fill the highway. In addition, the airport now features fully functional ports and facilities. We are open to general business, in addition to our continuing desires to make embassy establishments on the island. We are giving the international community at most 5 years [I'm saying 5 months RL] to apply for residency on the International Island. If after that period there are embassy vacancies on the island, we will begin to open them to other general purpose construction projects, including the more prominent necessity to provide housing to Saint Lazare citizens.

We wish you all well as Saint Lazare adds yet another triumph to its book of memorable accomplishments. We likewise thank our supporters worldwide for their donations and their valuable efforts to make this project work well. We look forward to more prosperous years ahead.

Among the projects still under construction includes the Centre des Etats Internationaux - which will be completed in one year [1 week RL]. Some of the minor offices have been opened for general purposes - such as conference and convention hostings and diplomatic innvitational meetings. The facilities - once fully complete - will feature state-of-the-art security, working in tandem with the local and foreign authorities to provide effective and hopefully deterring protection for all delegates visiting the Centre.

Chef de Génie Général du Projet Pour la Construction de l'Isle Internationale Laurence Chaquetout

Construction on the New Centre des Etats Internationaux has been completed.

Chef de Génie Général du Projet Pour la Construction de l'Isle Internationale Laurence Chaquetout

[OOC: I guess this is the correct place to put this. Note: Writing in red is considered Top Secret IC, and thus not known to you guys.]

The Cottish embassy was just about to be opened, with the electronic equipment, furnitures, decorations, flags and, most importantly, the personnel to man the embassy. With more than twelve floors above ground level and some four basements, the embassy would give the Cots plently of room to conduct their diplomatic mission.

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/econdev/down/images/sites/1212_meridian_plaza.jpg

The building had been constructed of imported stones (marble from Italy, limestone from Cyprus) over the concrete shell and bulletproof insulation, consisting of among others kevlar and other bullet-resistant materials, and large windows made of bulletproof glass, capable of withstanding a 57mm grenade. This gave the embassy not only an astethically pleasing look, but also made it resistant to combat. The Cots had learned from among others the attack against the Layartebian embassy in Cotlandstad so many years ago, and had taken the appropriate measures. Anyway, the main building was some sixty metres long and thirty metres wide, giving it a floor area of some 1,800 square meters per floor. With twelve floors and four basements, that gave a total of 28,800 square meters of space. Sufficient for a relatively small embassy. It also had a nice garden with a lot of flowers and whatnot, and was a good place to relax in breaks.

Floor plan (above ground)
The first floor, which was the reception floor, held the entrance lobby, a few smaller offices and waiting areas, a few restrooms and a small, secret armory for the security personnel. The lobby was where visitors to the embassy would come and wait for their escort to the persons they were to see. Being painted bright with a high ceiling, black marble floor and a friendly reception staff, it was impressive to say the least. The Cottish flag standing behind the reception desk helped add to the feeling that this was definately a Cottish area.

On the second floor, the passport office was placed. Here, Cottish tourists who had managed to lose their passports could come and get new emergency passports so they could get back home. Other than that, there were a few offices.

The third, fourth and fifth floors all also held offices, including the security office on the fifth floor, and a cafeteria on the fourth floor, while the sixth and seventh floors were filled with living quarters for those embassy personnel who didn't have housing in the city. This included the thirty-six strong Marine detachment which provided the visible security for the embassy, who had a seperate area where they had their barracks.

The eight floor was the upper intelligence area, where the intelligence officers attached to the embassy worked. Here, encrypted satellite communications equipment, high-tech computers and other technological gadgets helped the Cots gain information about the going-ons in Saint Lazare. Naturally, this wasn't known to the Lazares. The super-computer and servers were located in the fourth basement, which was completely off-limits to anyone but the people who worked there. It was a highly classified area, with two meter thick concrete outer walls and detection sensors outside that again to find out if anyone were trying to get in. Officially, the eight floor were labeled as the communications area, which it was, and the fourth basement as the server and archive rooms.

The ninth floor held the upper cafeteria, a gym room and offices, while the tenth floor held the upper armory. This smaller armory was, just like the other armories, a room with steel walls, floor and ceiling, and with a code-locked steel door to prevent any unauthorized entry. Since this was so far up, the armory held mainly pistols and smaller submachine guns, but also a few sniper rifles for the security personnel. The tenth floor also held a few offices, mainly for the charge d'affairs and various attaches.

The eleventh floor was the place where the ambassador had his large, lavish office. With large (blast- and bullet-proof) windows, he could see not only the city of Saint Lazare, but also the ocean and other embassies. He had a large oak desk, comfy chairs, a sofa group for recieving guests, a 32" LCD TV hanging on a wall and a portrait of the King on another wall. The office was painted in a bright, soothing color which relaxed the ambassador and staff and made it easier to work.

The twelwth floor wasn't as large as the rest of the floors, with only a small area for the Marines on rooftop detail to be able to get to use the bathroom, get coffee and store equipment; a control room for the two elevators in the embassy, and a control room for the satellite dishes on the rooftop. There was also a relatively small helicopter pad, large enough for a Huey II- or Merlin-sized helicopter to land.

Floor Plan (below ground)
The first basement was basically a garage for the vehicles attached to the embassy, namely three M103A1 Mercedes S550s, painted black with diplomatic plates, and two M38A1 Cottish Tactical Light Armored Vehicles, also painted black with diplomatic plates. There was also a small workshop for the cars, and a pause area for the mechanics.

The second basement was the primary armory, which held the heaviest of the weaponry and ammunition attached to the embassy. It was also the area where the 11th ESG (Embassy Security Group), 4th BOF (Black Operations Force) "Omega" resided. "Omega" was completely unknown to anyone but the highest echelons of the Cottish military and Foreign Ministry, with only selected members of the cabinet and selected members of the embassy leadership knowing of their existance. There was one ESG in every Cottish embassy, tasked with ensuring that the embassy remained secure. In the event of an attack, they would ensure that no classified documents of equipment fell into enemy hands, and they would support the Marines in defending the embassy.

The third basement held primarily archives and store rooms, while the fourth basement contained what was described above. The third basement also contained cells for detaining criminals and people who trespassed on the embassy, which was considered sovereign Cottish soil.

Personnel
In total, the embassy would employ some thirty-six Marines, thirty men from 11th ESG, 4th BOF (posing as aides, etc), twelve attaches, eighty aides and assistants, twelve communications specialists from the military, and a maintenance staff of thirty, making for a total of 200 working at the embassy.

Equipment
In addition to a lot of electronic equipment inside the embassy, the Cots had infrared sensors located on the perimeter walls, linked to the security office on the fifth floor, and CCTV covering most of the outer areas and substantial parts of the internal areas of the embassy. In addition, they had encrypted wireless internet access within the perimeter of the embassy, allowing the staff to be connected without all those cables.

In terms of weaponry, the embassy had six sniper rifles, mainly of the type L42A2 Super Magnum; thirty M15A2 carbines; one hundred submachine guns of the types L10A1 and L12A1, a hundred pistols of the types M1A1, M2A1 and M2A2; a small number of L22A2 squad automatic weapons and L23A1 light machine guns; and a finite number of light anti-armor weaponry and hand grenades. They also had sufficient ammunition to protect the embassy until Marines, Paratroopers and/or Special Forces would reach the area to evacuate the embassy or reinforce it.

As for vehicles, the embassy had three M103A1 Mercedes' and two M38A1 CTLAVs, with the ability to store more vehicles in the basement garage. They could also have a medium-sized helicopter land on the ceiling.

[ooc: that's fine where it is - it's actually where I want it. And nice building... :D]

[OOC: You on AIM?]