NationStates Jolt Archive

Luxembourg-Findel International Airport, The Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg

‘PRESENTEIER GEWIER!’
The command resulted in the honour guard presenting their bolt-action rifles, before shouldering them. The leading officer then also presented his sabre, ready to turn around and walk with the foreign delegation in order to present his honour guard, all clothed in ceremonial uniform and with the antiquated rifles that were only used for ceremonial duties nowadays.

‘Gutt, gutt. Well done gentlemen. I hope you can do this once again when the delegation arrives.’ The leading officer shouted to his honour guard, before taking up his position once again. A high-ranking member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs waited at the end of the red carpet, together with the

The honour guard lined both sides of a red carpet, leading from a now-unused aircraft staircase to a place where the delegation could get into their cars. Several Monteluci Ducareales VIPs (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=584265) of the IVD already waited around the end of the red carpet, ready to escort the convoy to their destination, Chateau Bertrange. Behind and in front of the IVD cars, the Autobahnpolizei had taken up positions with their Monteluci Duca Pantera Sportwagons (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=591202), while a full squadron of motorcyclists with BMW R1200RT bikes from the same law enforcement agency waited well in front of the first Autobahnpolizei cars.

Out on the road from the airport to Chateau Bertrange (http://dickwalraven.web-log.nl/photos/uncategorized/doorn_28_april_009k.jpg), more cars and bikes from the Autobahnpolizei waited, while others scouted the route for possible obstructions. The convoy was supposed to move at rather high speed, standard for a group of vehicles transporting high-ranking officials in Van Luxemburg. On the Autobahn A1, the outer right lane had been reserved for the convoy between the point where they entered at Luxembourg-Findel and the exit at Bertrange/Aix-des-Bains. The lane was once again guarded by Duca Panteras from the Autobahnpolizei, while Marechaussee officers had mixed between the normal traffic on unmarked Yamaha TDM900 motorbikes. The same had been done on the regular roads between the Autobahn and their final destination, where the Marechaussee and Autobahnpolizei had prepared to lock down intersections in order to allow the convoy to pass through. Eventually, it would pass through the town of Bertrange, close to Luxembourg, before heading onto the driveway at Chateau Bertrange, the residence of the Grand Duke and the place where the Van Luxemburger delegation had gathered. Consisting of the Grand Duke himself, Premier Nicolas Hirtz, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jens Blom, Minister of Economic Affairs Neville Guertin and Minister of Defence Philippe Dermont, together with two officers of the Van Luxemburger Armed Forces and an executive from the VLT Group (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=540064).

In Chateau Bertrange, the delegation would be welcomed into the country, and would be introduced to the Van Luxemburger delegation, where the first official talks would take place, regarding the current international situation and the cooperation between both countries on a global scale, while also going to dinner with eachother. This would all take place in the dining room of the Grand-Ducal Residence, a place the Grand Duke preferred over the official ballrooms in his previous Palace. After an informal evening, they will spend the night at Chateau Bertrange.

Then, the delegations would be driven to one of the VLT factories in Esch-sur-Alzette, roughly an hour of driving away from the residence, where they would be given a guided tour, and engage into talks about trade between the two Grand Duchies. Then, the delegations will be driven to the VLT-kasern in the same city, where the 71st regiment ‘Luxembourg’ (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13850766&postcount=9)is located. There, they will receive a demonstration of the capabilities of the Grand-Ducal Arméi, in cooperation with some supporting elements (such as ships from the Marine and aircraft from the ALD/MLD). The delegation will spend the night at the Hotel zur Post in Esch-sur-Alzette, which has been rented out for the occasion.

On day three, the delegations will return to Luxembourg once again, over the Autobahn A1, to visit the embassy of Noordeinde, and in order to meet with some émigrés from the nation. After this, the aircraft of the delegation are supposed to be standing by once again, as the group leaves Van Luxemburg and departs for their own Grand Duchy. During all these events, the Grand Duke and members of the Van Luxemburger delegation relevant to the activity would be present to guide the Noordeinde delegation.

But for now, the honour guard was supposed to wait for the aircraft from Noordeinde.

(OOC: Voor andere informatie: m'n factbook staat in mn signature.. Trouwens, als je nog wat anders wil doen in VL, geen probleem wat mij betreft, ik was ook niet van plan gruwelijk lang bij ieder punt stil te blijven staan, anders zijn we volgend jaar nog bezig..)

Before the official plane of the President would touch-down on van Luxemburg soil, 2 Noordeinde Airforce Boeing C17 Globemaster III (http://www.military-aircraft.org.uk/transport-aircraft/boeing-c-17-globemaster-iii.jpg) cargo planes touched down, onboard the Presidents own State car and multiple vehicles of the Noordeinde's Secret Service.

The 2 planes immediatley taxied into a hangar and dissapeared out of sight of the public. Several minutes later the official State car, a black Presidential Cadillac limousine (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss250/krijk/LimousinepresidentBarackObama.jpg?t=1242769563) with the Noordeinde and van Luxemburg flags, drove out of the hangar accompanied by several Noordeinde Secret Service vehicles to the other official vehicles.

Minutes later the Official plane (http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/A12A066F_1143_EC82_2E7C76BBA5BA0065.jpg) of President Jonathan Roosevelt touched down, and taxied to the aircraftsteps on the tarmac, where the official welcomming ceremony would take place.

The pilots shut down the engines and the aircraftdoor opened. President Jonathan Roosevelt and his wife Jenny appeared in the door opening and waved to the people for a minute, afther that they walked down the stairs, where they were being welcommed by a high-ranking member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the red carpet.

The first two aircraft were quickly guided into a hangar that was normally used for several governmental aircraft, but these had been relocated to a nearby airport for this event. As the required vehicles were quickly unloaded with the aid of Marechaussee officers responsible for the security of this section of the airport, and indeed for the security of the Van Luxemburger outside borders.

Outside, on the tarmac, the leading officer began barking his orders as the third aircraft arrived, the troops presenting their rifles once again, creating a line of troops on either side of the red carpet. As the Marechaussee ceremonial band began playing the Noordeinde national anthem, the leading officer walked down the red carpet behind the Prime Minister and his wife, until they had reached the end of the path, and could greet the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jens Blom. The man, in his early forties, perhaps lacked a bit of charisma, but compensated for this with his excellent service record. His own vehicle, a VLT L7, waited at the back of the convoy.

‘It is an honour to meet you, Sir. Your vehicle is waiting for you: we will be driving to the Chateau immediately.’ He said, as he walked the Prime Minister to his car, allowing him to get in.

The convoy then began to move, waiting for the minister himself to enter his own vehicle before continuing. Several motorcyclists on fast motorbikes formed the front vehicles of the convoy, blocking off crossing roads in order to allow the convoy to pass by, if they had not been blocked by other police units already. It was only a short drive from the private sections of the airport to the motorway entrance, where several Autobahnpolizei cars locked down the rightmost lane in order to allow the convoy to pass over the motorway at high speeds. The group of cars rapidly accelerated to speeds exceeding 200 km/h, entering the Luxembourg Ringroad – still the A1- with little slowdowns, before exiting at Bertrange/Aix-des-Bains, moving past several blocked intersections, secured with the help of the various law enforcement agencies that were used to police the capital city. The vehicles subsequently entered a somewhat rural setting outside of Luxembourg, and entered the town of Bertrange, which was illuminated in blue by the amount of strobe and LED lights used by the escorting vehicles. As it took a left turn on an intersection in the center of town, several civilians observed the convoy from the terrace of a local café. It however did not attract too much attention, considering this was the usual route to the Chateau, the official residence of the Grand Duke.

It then took another right turn in order to reach the imposing entrance building (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3595/3491377040_1f9fb3c622_o.jpg) of the residence, which was guarded by two Marechaussees in ceremonial uniform (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3653/3356804891_d50fe0097a.jpg), who had already opened the iron gate for the convoy. The cars calmly rolled onto the Chateau grounds, moving on at a gentle pace, before halting at the actual residence. In front of the door, the rest of the Van Luxemburger delegation stepped forward, walking towards the bridge in front of the house (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/3491376268_f91011765e_o.jpg). There, they waited until the Noordeinder delegation had gotten out of their vehicles, before the Grand Duke approached the Prime Minister and his wife.

‘Prime Minister Roosevelt, Miss Roosevelt, may I welcome you to the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg and to Chateau Bertrange? I hope you had a pleasurable flight?’

"Yes we had a great flight, I really enjoyed the last part of the flight when we were flying above van Luxemburg soil, I and my wife Jenny watched out of one of the windows of the plane and well... just wow, what a beautifull country!"

"And althoug we drove really fast from the airport to this beautifull castle if I may say, we really enjoyed the ride, again due the beautifull nature of the country. I really want to thank you for having us here so far it's already a great visit"

‘Well, thank you. I am often surprised myself by the surprisingly different faces of this country. As you can see, I have taken the liberty of inviting some of my best men and women. I will quickly introduce you to the members of my delegation.’ The Grand Duke spoke, turning around to face both the delegation and the Noordeinde Prime Minister and his wife.

‘Premier Nicolas Hirtz. You can say he’s pulling the strings in this nation. I have no actual executive position, you see. Then, there is my Minister of Foreign Affairs, whom you have already met on the airfield.’ The Grand Duke spoke, pointing at the first man in line, then to another man who walked towards the bridge from the direction of the convoy, before continuing.

‘Minister of Economic Affairs, Neville Guertin, and Minister of Defence, Philippe Dermont. Then, we have two officers from the Armed Forces, who will guide you during the trip to the 71st Regiment, being Marschall Florian Wexler, commander of the entire Arméi, and Brigadier Christophe Seyler, commander of the 71st Regiment. Then, last but certainly not least, Miss Kristin Becker, head of the board of directors at the VLT Automotive Group and Hans Schmidt, director of sales at the same company.’ The two military officers stood out from the rest, being the only two men to actually wear a military uniform, even though it was a uniform meant for daily use, instead of field use. Next to this, Kristin Becker was the only female in the delegation.

‘I propose we head inside in order to have dinner? I suppose you must be hungry after such a flight. Besides, it would be possible for us to discuss the current state of international affairs.’

President Jonathan Roosevelt and his wife Jenny shaked hands with the High dignitaries of van Luxemburg.

Afther this formal introduction President Roosevelt and his wife joined the Grand Duke inside to have dinner. President Jonathan Roosevelt and his wife Jenny were indeed hungry, the last meal they had was an improvised breakfast onboard (http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/bae146/images/BAE146cabin_5.jpg) of the Presidents Official Plane (http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/A12A066F_1143_EC82_2E7C76BBA5BA0065.jpg)

The President was also interested in what the van Luxemburg delegation would liked to discuss while having dinner.

The Grand Duke, closely followed by his delegation, walked inside, towards the dining room in the surprisingly spacious residence. He gestured towards the seats for the Noordeinde delegation, allowing to sit down before getting seated himself, followed by part of the delegation.

‘My kitchen staff is already preparing the first course, we have tried to incorporate a bit of the native food in this dinner. I believe our first course consisted of the well-known carpaccio from Weininger Alpine beef cattle, slices from an Arvaglian water melon and a green salad from Sint-Annabeek. With this, we will be serving a 1978 Perretoise sparkling red wine. An excellent example of this rare type of wine, I must say.’

Just as the Grand Duke finished describing the first course, several members of the Royal household entered the dining room, carrying the plates with the dish, as described. Leaving a moment of silence in order to allow the religious people at the table to pray, the Van Luxemburger delegation then waited until the guests ate first, a sign of good habits.

‘As the Minister of Economic Affairs, it is of course my task to take care of the situation in my own nation, but also stimulate trade between nations like us. My ministry has concluded that the Grand Duchy of Noordeinde might be a good trading partner, and it could be interesting for us to remove tariffs and open our borders to eachother. I am sure my colleagues at Foreign Affairs and Defence will agree.’ Neville Guertin began to speak, looking at his colleagues next to him, who all nodded. Then, Philippe Dermont began to speak.

‘Next to this, my ministry is also studying on the possibility of closing a mutual defence pact, however, all of our ministries have concluded we lack a bit of information on the Grand Duchy of Noordeinde. Would you care to explain us something about Noordeinde’s policies regarding foreign affairs and defence, and the economic situation in the nation at this point?’

‘Yes. Besides, Our ministry is also exceptionally interested in the imports and exports of your nation.’ Neville Guertin added, as he cut a small piece off his carpaccio, put down his cutlery and took a small sip of his wine.

Priesident Roosevelt was positively surprised by the carpaccio from Weininger Alpine beef cattle, slices from an Arvaglian water melon and a green salad from Sint-Annabeek.

"Mister Grand Duke, I would like to give my compliments to the cheff and all Kitchen Staff, this meal is really good." The Prime Minister took a small sip of his wine.

Then the Priesident turned to the van Luxemburg cabinet to answer their questions.

"Well first of all I like the idea of becomming trading partners, and remove the borders and have no tarrifs, I really believe that we can stimulate eachothers economy with the export of our nations best products."

"I think it's especially very interesting for van Luxemburg that one of our main products is the car manufacturing industry, we don't build our own brands, but on this moment mostly US brands as Cadillac build cars in our country, and I think Monteluci could be interested in expanding their brand."

"Further about defense operations, on this moment Noordeinde has several operations going on, we have 2 humanitarian Missions going on in the Ang Phillepines and Australiaza, further their are 4 ships near Kardekonian waters, in international waters, due an embargo against them because of an executed opposition journalist."

"But the Department of Defense in general, sir Collin Powel is the Secretary of Defense, you will meet him and several other Secretaries tommorow, I would do the official part and they will be here in the official talks. But in general about Noordeinde's Department of Defense, Noordeinde has the largest Navy Drydock and the largest Aircraftcarrier in the world, as you might have read in the ViZion records book, we can quite say that our Navy is very important to us. Therefor it's one of the most modernized navies, and it keeps on developping it's technologies."

"Our Airforce is very important as well. Or country has over 1000 planes, and we keep on developping planes with the United States of America, the f35 or Joint Strike Fighter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F35) is one of those planes. Actually all of our Airforce planes are American build planes or Brittish build planes like the Harriers which serve on multiple of Noordeinde's Navy Aircraft Carrier. And Noordeinde is very proud as well on the fact that is has a big "Intelligence Squadron" this exists out of SR-71 Blackbirds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-71), Lockheed U2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2)'s and Global Hawks UAV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Hawk)'s. All can gather intelligence from high alltitude to support our troops on the ground."

"Than to our Army, exact numbers of how many soldiers our Army has is classified, so I can't tell much about them. But I can say that our soldiers are very good, and should cooperate very good with the Romulan Republics soldiers while in the field. And our army has an International Intelligence Service that provides information as well to the government and soldiers on the ground to support them while maybe in battle."

"Is there further anything you would like to know?" President Roosevelt asked.

‘I am sure the VLT Group would be interested in exporting motor vehicles to your nation. The VLT delegation will be present during our visit to one of their factories tomorrow. Next to this, I think we can conclude the official Open Borders and Free Trade Agreement on the last day, during the official press conference.’ Guertin answered.

‘This corresponds with my own reports on your current deployments, Prime Minister. It seems that both of our Armed Forces focus on both humanitarian missions and the defence of the nation. This is good, especially since we are considering a pact, after all.’ Dermont commented, tasting his wine before continuing.

‘Now, looking at the structure of your military and our military forces, I can see some problems. Currently, the Van Luxemburger Marine operates one supercarrier, the 455 metre long ZMS Weiningen (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/VanLuxemburg/arvaglio-weiningen.png), with a second one under construction, supported by three large amphibious assault ships of the same size. However, this is the majority of our fleet’s force projection capabilities, and the Marine focuses on a ‘Green Water’ strategy, meaning they are mostly used for the defence of our homeland, while being able to launch several overseas missions for two to three weeks at a time. We do not have the capability to have a fleet at sea at all times, a ‘Blue Water strategy’ like your navy seems to be able to do. Nevertheless, we tend to make use of the latest technological advancements, especially in regards to electronics, and radar- and missile systems.

We do not have an airforce as most nations have. We rely on the Arméi Loft Divisioun and the Marine Loft Divisioun, the Air Arms of those parts of the military. We tend to operate domestically-designed and –produced equipment, as with all parts of the military, but we generally prefer European defence equipment over American weaponry. Both the ALD and the MLD operate the Eurofighter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurofighter_Typhoon), all built locally by the Schmolz+Bickenbach Flugzeugwerke, or Monteluci Aeronautica for the Tifone-N, a navalised variant of the aircraft. Furthermore, the government-supported Aeronautica divisions of that particular manufacturer also produce smaller training and counter insurgency aircraft (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Armei/index.php?showtopic=6&st=0&#last), large airliners modified for use as radar and communication platforms, etcetera. Intelligence is usually performed by either the reconnaissance versions of the Handley-Page Victor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handley-Page_Victor) bombers in our fleet, but they will eventually be replaced by Monteluci Condor (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/VanLuxemburg/condorbasic.png) Air-to-Ground Surveillance aircraft. Besides, reconnaissance can be done by UAVs and a limited number of intelligence satellites we have.

I like to tell people that the Arméi is essentially the strongest of our forces. They may be small in numbers, but the use of excellent ground equipment has made them a very experienced self-defence force, capable of doing some peacekeeping missions overseas. We always have 4 regiments on a rapid deployment scheme, meaning they are ready to be deployed to anywhere in the world within 2 hours. Of course, they will still need to be transported there.
Usually, our military is a very open institution. If you have read through the factbook (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=561072) that we have made available to everyone, you will find most specifics of the Arméi.

However, you might have found that we do not exactly operate the same equipment in the field, in any of the three branches. That might be a problem when fighting together. With our forces using calibres like 6.8x43mm (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Armei/index.php?showtopic=1), 12.7mm and 15.5mm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRG-15) for infantry weapons, the latter two being heavy infantry weapons, calibres like 30mm (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Armei/index.php?showtopic=3) and 50mm (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13336312&postcount=33) for IFV’s, and calibres such as 100mm, 125mm (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Armei/index.php?showtopic=16), and 140mm (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13290756&postcount=1) for tank guns, I think that our calibres do not match, which may cause some logistical problems.

Of course, this is my thinking. You are free to correct me. Regardless, you and your staff are free to review our military equipment when visiting the 71st regiment. Of course, to come to a complete comparison, it would be interesting to know about the equipment as used by your ground forces.’

"Well our gound forces really don't have the most special weapons, but each and every soldiers carries at least a sidearm, a Glock 17, and as rifle an M16 or M4. Further we just bought multiple Abrams Tanks from the US, which support the "normal" soldiers on the ground. But I think you should ask the Secretary of Defense this question again, he is a former General in the Noordeinde Army, and knows more about it then I do."

‘Yes, that sounds reasonable to me.’ Philippe Dermont answered.

Seeing the group had finished their starter, the main course was served, once again being a dished that mixed ingredients and recipes from various regions. Steak from Apenninen beef cattle, prepared by grilling it on a fire made with wood from the Van Luxemburger olive tree, with a sauce made from tomatoes, and olives coming from the same tree. Served with Piccolo Calzone Arvagliana, small folded pizzas and filled with all kinds of vegetables, prepared in a traditional stone oven. The dish was finished by a small amount of spiced rice. These plates were given to each member of the group seated around the dining table. As these were served, Nicolas Hirtz, premier of the Grand Duchy, came with his first question.

‘As you might have heard before, we have been following some movements of your government, but I feel that I have little information about the country itself. I’ve been down into the archives of the Parliamentary library, but I failed to find an example of a recent factbook. Could you tell me a little something about the nation, the people? It may sound a little strange, but we like to know some backgrounds of the nation we are dealing with, if you understand what I mean.’

‘Of course, you are always welcome to ask your own questions and make your own proposals. We are only too happy to answer them.’ Grand Duke Koen van Luxemburg added, while using a sharp knife to cut a piece off the steak.

"I do understand mister Hirtz, and how great, pizza!" President Roosevelt laughed.

"My wife Jenny sometimes makes me homemade pizza's as well, and Mister Grand Duke again my compliments for your Cheff and the whole kitchen staff the food tastes delicious"

"But comming back to you Mister Hirtz, the Grand Duchy of Noordeinde is Constitutional Monarchy / Parliamentary Democracy. The Grand Duke of Noordeinde is our Head of State, but I as President am responsable for everything he says or does."

"Further we have a 2 chamber system, the House of Representatives, which has 435 members and the Senate, which has 100 members. And both chambers combined is Congress. On the moment Congress has 3 parties, the Democrats, which is also my party, the Republicans and the Independant"

"The Grand Duchy of Noordeinde has 50 states, just as the United States of America, and every state has 2 members in the Senate, and the 2 persons with the most votes become Senator for their State in the Senate. The Senate elections are every 3 years"

"Further The Grand Duchy of Noordeinde is splitted up in 435 small election districts, and to become a member of the House of Representatives you should win your district, and every 4 years we have elections for the House of Representatives."

"And the last election we have is the Presidential election, and again just as the United States of America we have a Electoral College (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)). So their are always Red and Blue states. And well on the moment the Democrats won the last election with me, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

"other little political "things" the Democrats have the majority in the House of Representatives and Senate. But I have good relations with the Republican party so my Cabinet has multiple Republican members as well."

"Further I would like to quote something about my country"

'The Grand Duchy of Noordeinde is a very large, socially progressive nation, remarkable for its devotion to social welfare. It's compassionate, hard-working population of 169 million have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.'

"Is their anything else you would like to know?"

‘Thank you, Mister Prime Minister. It took me a long time to find the best chefs in this country, and hire them for my kitchen staff.’ The Grand Duke answered.

‘It seems that I have run out of questions, Prime Minister. As Grand Duke Koen here just said, you are of course free to ask us anything you may want to know. We are the leaders of this nation, after all.’ Premier Hirtz said, looking over to his colleagues, who grinned at the last remark.

‘Oh, just one question, Mister Roosevelt.’ Neville Guertin began. ‘I suppose that your citizens speak Dutch, judging by the name of the nation and the capital? If so, then they should be able to communicate with people from Sint-Annabeek. You see, some older generations in the Grand Duchy here have some problems with English, and some of them speak better Dutch than English, in fact.’

‘So, if that is true, we are essentially looking at a Dutch-speaking Grand Duchy, with a judicial and political system based off the United States. Am I correct in saying that? I am just trying to get my facts straight here.’ Jens Blom added.

"Wel yes you could say it that way, but the only thing is that we speak English as well as Dutch"

"And I would be delighted to meet with several people from Sint Annabeek and speek Dutch with them, if that's something they would like. And I was thinking, wouldn't it be fun for young children at Noordeinde Elementary schools to write with the Dutch speeking people in Sint Annabeek?. It's fun and they might learn something of how these people of Sint-Annabeek eventually came in The Grand Duchy of van Luxemburg."

‘I’d have to relay that to the Ministry of Education, but I think that’d certainly be possible. Van Luxemburger children do not only learn the national language, Vun Lëtzebuerger, but also their regional language in elementary education.’ Premier Hirtz answered. He wanted to answer the second remark, but was interrupted by the kitchen staff coming in with the last course.

Once again, they carried enough plates for the group, this time filled with real San Giustran ‘Gelato’, traditional ice cream, combined with a Crême Brulée from Villacoublay, not only with a taste of vanilla, but also with traces of chocolate.

‘I am sure we can squeeze some Sint-Annabeekers in, especially considering we already have a moment for you to communicate with the embassy staff and some emigrants, we can turn that into a reception, I think.’ Hirtz turned around to one of his aides, who stood near a wall, already busy entering data into a PDA. As he gave a short ‘thumbs up’ signal, Hirtz turned around again.

‘Yes, it is possible. I am sure some of our citizens currently living in Sint-Annabeek will show up.’ Hirtz answered.

"That would be great. and wow this ice cream is delicious, Jenny is a verry good cook herself, your cheff should pass his recepy for this Ice cream combined with the Crême Brulée from Villacoublay to her, so I can enjoy this at home as well."

The President lauged.

"And if I may ask what's the programm for tonight, anything special?"

‘Of course, I can make sure you can take the recipes with you back to Noordeinde, I will arrange that with the chef.’ The Grand Duke answered.

‘We had a sort of informal evening planned. I could have offered you ballet, but I must admit that that does not exactly belong to my field of interests. So as we come to the end of this dinner, We can go for a walk on the chateau grounds, for example. It is up to your individual choice, of course.’ He then continued, leaning back in his seat somewhat, seeing he had finished his dessert.

‘I can tell you beforehand, those walks usually end in his private garage, where he stores the hundreds of automobiles that are in his collection. I’ve made executive decisions while I walking through that underground garage.’ Hirtz remarked, laughing. His laugh was soon followed by the other members of the delegation, as they all recognised this behaviour of their head of state, in one way or another.

‘That’s all probably just a coincidence.. Besides, nobody seems to really hate it.’ Grand Duke Koen answered Hirtz, now also laughing because of his own behaviour.

‘That is probably because of the national culture, Koen..’ Nicolas Hirtz said, reminding the Grand Duke of something he already knew.

‘Oh, really? Didn’t know that. Well, anyways, we had a sort of informal evening planned, but it is all your decision, seeing you are the guest, mister Roosevelt.’ The Grand Duke answered Hirtz, before turning to the Noordeinder Prime Minister.

"Thank you Mister Grand Duke, Mister Hirtz, well I want my wife to have a good time as well so it's her choice." President Roosevelt sad.

Jenny Roosevelt felt flattered. "Well I like classic music, isn't their any Concert Hall in town where we could go to?"

"Good choice honey, that's just like the first time we met." Priesident Roosevelt smiled to his wife.

‘Well, Bertrange is obviously too small, as a village with only some 5000 inhabitants. Luxembourg is just a few kilometres away, though. I believe Ludovico Einaudi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludovico_Einaudi) performs his latest album with the support of members of the National Philharmonic Orchestra, in the Auditorium of the Former Grand-Ducal Palace (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/VanLuxemburg/Luxembourg/1960-1.jpg). Can we arrange some places for that at this moment?’ The Grand Duke looked around to the aide, who was once again on the phone to make sure they could visit the desired location. As the aide nodded, the Grand Duke spoke again.

‘Yes, it is possible. Well, then I suppose we should make sure we are on time for this happening. And do not worry, I know the way this time, I know where I used to live.’ The Grand Duke grinned, as he rose from the table.

(OOC: ik stel voor dat we de rest van de avond overslaan, ik kan moeilijk klassieke muziek gaan roleplayen.. :tongue: Gaan we door met de volgende ochtend, bij het bezoek aan de VLT-fabriek, of wilde je er nog iets tussenin doen?)

(ooc: haha ja is goed hoor)

IC: At the end of the concert the delegation met with the "Big Star" of tonight, afther that the whole delegation left the Concert hall and a huge convoy started to move, and finnaly drove away from the Concert Hall, heading back to Chateau Bertrange.

Afther arriving at the Chateau an aide walked President Roosevelt and his wife to their chamber, and the night felt in.

The next morning, 9h00.

As the two Marechaussees standing guard saluted, the convoy left the Chateau’s gates again, still escorted by several dozen motorbikes, and a rather substantial amount of police vehicles. Once again, the rightmost lane had been reserved on the Autobahn, but this time not just from Bertrange till the airport, but the full stretch of remaining A1 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13750140&postcount=3), all the way till Esch-sur-Alzette. As before, the convoy drove fast, heading back to the motorway via the same road as yesterday, once again locked down by police bikes and cars. This time, however, another vehicle had been added to the convoy, being a VLT L8 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13239780&postcount=13) owned by the Grand Duke of Van Luxemburg, a vehicle that had no problems with keeping up with the pace, maintaining speeds of around 200 km/h.

It took around one hour to reach the outskirts of the largest city in the Grand Duchy. Lying close to the Autobahn in one of the satellite towns around the city, the VLT factory was relatively easy to locate, thanks to the size of the construction. Having already been instructed on what to do, the security guard at the main gate opened the gates as soon as the first motorbike of the convoy approached, allowing the entire convoy to park directly in front of the factory. There, a delegation from VLT already waited for the Noordeinder delegation.

Getting out of his own vehicle, the Grand Duke was now only supported by his Minister of Economic Affairs, Neville Guertin, seeing the others in the delegation had little to do with this factory visit. Quickly shaking hands with the new delegation members, Neville Guertin then addressed to the Noordeinde delegation.

‘Welcome to this VLT factory, I say. I believe these lovely people from VLT will guide you around on the factory grounds. You may have already been introduced to them, but I will quickly talk you through this again. Kristin Becker, head of the Board of directors of the company, and Hans Schmidt, being the director of sales. Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to ask any of us.’ He said, allowing the VLT employees to take the lead.

‘Welcome to VLT Murmelange. This is one of the many factories in which we produce the VLT L5 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13231412&postcount=10). The L5 is probably one of the most popular family saloons in the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg, and can enjoy a large popularity. This factory, with a size of 100 hectares, is located in the middle of the satellite town of Murmelange and provides work to 10,000 people, producing around 1 million motor vehicles a year. If VLT would start production in a foreign nation such as Noordeinde, they will often model their new factory after this particular one. Therefore, we feel it is appropriate to guide you through this factory. For this occasion, we will be guiding you through the production process of a VLT L5, using one of the many production lines. If you have any questions, just ask. Miss Becker or I will be glad to answer them, and I am sure the Grand Duke or Mister Guertin will be glad to do so too. Any questions before we enter the factory?’ Hans Schmidt said, giving an introduction to the factory.

"No sir, no questions yet, but first of all I like to thank you for receiving us here at your factory, and I like you to introduce you to my second man today, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, and he will support me on the economic and market issues."

"And what do you think of my car, Sir?" The Prime Minister smiled while pointing to his black armored Presidential Cadillac state car (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss250/krijk/LimousinepresidentBarackObama.jpg?t=1242769563) proudly carrying the Noordeinde and van Luxemburg flags.

‘It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Locke. I am sure we can reach some agreements during and after this visit, Sir.’ Hans Schmidt answered, nodding to the new delegation member in a friendly manner. Then, he turned to the Prime Minister, looking at his car,

‘Ah, the Maybach. A 62 version, I presume, judging by the orange side marker? Excellent build quality and good reliability, but I think the family ties with lower Mercedes-Benz models should be cut, if you understand what I mean. The interior, and in a way, the exterior, are all somewhat similar to the W220 S-class.’

Kristin Becker decided to go on with the guided tour, regardless of the Maybach discussion.

‘Now, if you would all follow us, we will first go to the first stage of building an L5. Here, we translate galvanized sheet steel into bodywork parts, by using these machines here. They will cut the rolls of sheet steel into smaller parts, and pressed into shape, before we galvanize the steel again. This offers a superior protection against rust, and with two more anti-corrosion treatments further down the line, VLT likes to think that these cars will hardly show any signs of corrosion in their further lives.’ She said, while walking pas the large machines that stamped the parts for the car.

‘The steel mainly comes from domestic iron ore mines, but also from trusted foreign ore mines. The iron ore is transferred into steel by domestic factories under strict VLT quality inspections. We like to have the quality of our steel guaranteed, as we have had some negative experiences with this in the past. And that also translates into an image loss for our company, a thing we cannot permit while having the reputation as a high-quality automobile manufacturer.’

"Sounds good, I am already really impressed how carefull and proffesional the mechanics and machines work here, to deliver the best quallity. I absolutely believe you when you told me that VLT has a high reputation."

President Jonathan Roosevelt smiled. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke took it over.

"Madam, if I may ask, everything that is comming out of this factory looks verry proffesional made, I guess next to what the machines make, their are a lot of handmade parts as well, these handmade parts are made by people and cost money, so my question is, is the car afordable for every van Luxemburger citizen?"

‘For a car like the VLT L5 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13231412&postcount=10), we have automated most of the assembly and production process. It is a car for the average man, or woman for that matter, and it notes consistent sales numbers in Van Luxemburg, ranking in the top 5 of the best sold cars in the nation. The target group for this car is a family, with children, parents aged 30-50, and earning the modal income. Of course, it will not surprise you that a lot of these cars are also sold to lease companies and subsequently leased to companies as company cars. Bear in mind that cars in Van Luxemburg are relatively cheap, though. Our government imposes very little taxes on the sale of cars.

So, yes, this car is affordable to the man in the street, so to say. Of course, a cheaper alternative would be the VLT L3 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13204254&postcount=7), and a somewhat more expensive, but I have to say generally more stylish, alternative would be the Monteluci Duca (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13603318#post13603318) produced by our subsidiary.’ Kristin Becker answered. Hans Schmidt immediately added some extra information.

‘Handmade parts are not very common on the L5. The GT model has carbon fibre parts, and several exclusive options can be handmade, but the customer pays extra for this. After all, we still try to stick to our original mindset of providing cars for the masses, while we raise the bar every time a new model is launched, quality-wise, by developing new robots and machines that can increase the quality and accuracy we need to build our cars. Of course, the more expensive your car gets, the more handmade parts it will consist of. For example, the L7 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13231453&postcount=12) has got more handmade parts than an L5, and the L8 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13239780&postcount=13) is built entirely by hand. And that results in a higher price for that model, naturally.’

Hans Schmidt then carried on with the tour, talking about the next stage of construction.

‘As you might see, we have worked hard to make this factory a pleasurable environment to the people who work here. As said before, this factory has 10,000 employees, and they can all enjoy the green, natural park-like sections that are littered across the factory, while the skylight windows provide lots of natural light that floods in during the day, and moonlight during the evening and night, seeing this plant operates 24 hours per day. This does not only improve the mood of our personnel, but it also provides ideal circumstances for building cars, with the plants and trees in the green sections keeping humidity and oxygen at exactly the right level. Next to this, they also work in an extremely clean environment, which is cleaned 24 hours per day by a team of professional cleaners, but also the employees themselves. The self-service restaurant offers good food as a company service, entirely free of charge. To make sure our employees stay in shape a little bit, we offer voluntary group exercises, at the beginning of each shift. Furthermore, we provide ample services for our employees, be it the possibility to rent a house at reduced prices, or drive or lease a VLT at reduced cost. And then there are lots more services and facilities, but they are almost too numerous to mention.’

The group then continued to the next station, where the chassis parts were welded together by large, orange-coloured robots. Moments later, the body parts were added and welded on by other robots, before the roof, hood and doors were mounted on the cars by employees, assisted by robots.

‘This is where we assemble the body of the cars. As you can see, most of this is again, automated, but still under intensive human inspection. The doors and hood are mounted by employees, as robots cannot fit these on their own entirely. The welding robots on this station mainly fit the panels by using spot welds, since this results in an overall neater welding job. After everything has been fitted, quality officers from VLT will inspect the results at every car, and make sure they live up to the VLT quality demands. If they do not, the car will be removed from the production line and disassembled, before returning to the beginning of this station, or it will be molten and turned back into sheet metal. Our quality officers rarely remove a car from the production line, though.’

"allright, I can see for sure that VLT especially invested in this part of the factory if I'm right?! Because all those orange coloured robots can't be cheap plus all the people which supervise this area of the factory. But what I was wondering about, VLT must have invested a lot of money in this factory, did VLT already earn back that money and even make profit now?"

Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke asked.

‘Well, it is not just this part of the factory: The assembly robots are located all over the factory, and we have invested a lot in our personnel. On the other hand, thanks to these robots, we have lost the need for thousands of other employees. A robot can do lots of things quicker than a human, it has little in terms of a learning curve, it never asks for more pay, never needs to go to the bathroom or take a break, etcetera. You earn back these robots relatively quickly.

So, yes, this takes quite an investment, but this all earns itself back. The employees are motivated, the robots do more work than the average employee, meaning we can effectively produce more cars and produce them in an efficient way. This leave space for us to earn money.’ Hans Schmidt answered, illustrating his story by showing the work of one of the robots.

‘Next to this, VLT receives money from operations such as drilling for oil, or designing equipment for third parties via one of their many subsidiaries. That supports the car building operations, and delivered us a healthy profit, most of which is reinvested into the company again.’ Grand Duke Koen added.

Moving on to the next station, Kristin Becker spoke once again.

‘This is the place where all the bare bodyworks are indexed and identified. You see, every car is the same up till the moment they go in for painting. That is why our robots identify them by chassis number, and then automatically put them in the designated section. So, for instance, these cars are supposed to be coloured dark red metallic.’ She pointed at a steel frame which carried several unfinished cars.

‘From here, they will be galvanised once again, dried at 140-180 degrees, and sprayed with a primer coat, which will also need to dry. Then, the car will go in for painting, which is also done by robot. It will automatically receive the correct coat, and the car will receive four layers of paint, before a special gloss coat will be applied to the car. As that dries, the vehicle will be moved to the next station for the final assembly.’

"Wow, how does the robot read the chassis number if I may ask?"

Asked President. It seemed to be Prime Minister Roosevelt and Adjudant (http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjudant_(functie)) had the time of their life walking through this huge factory, probably because both men have a passion for cars.

"Sir may I ask a question to these gentlemen?" asked Adjudant (http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjudant_(functie)), and best friend of the President Jamy Wilkinson. President Roosevelt approved his Adjudants (http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjudant_(functie)) request.

"Does VLT has some sort of musea here at the factory with al vintage cars they have ever produced."

‘The robot can identify numbers, but we usually let the robot identify the vehicle via a barcode sticker, which is later removed before painting by one of our employees. That is faster than the relatively slow number identification.’

Kristin Becker quickly carried on to the next stations.

‘As you can see, we inspect the body and paintwork once again here, and fix up possible rough spots by hand. Then, it continues to the final assembly. It once again receives a sticker with the essential data, including chassis number and other essential details. Then, robots and employees remove the doors again, to make the final fitting easier. We will also start preparing for the electrical wiring. The doors will meanwhile follow their own production line, so they can be finished and joined with the finished car later on. Then, we continue by fitting the dashboard by robot/employee cooperation and linking its systems to the car’s wiring, before moving on to fit all the glass surfaces on the car, with the help of a robot. Once again, an employee will place the windows, to ensure a good fit. Then, we move on to perhaps the most important part of the whole production line, what we call the ‘marriage’. Here, the axles, engine, gearbox and all other parts of the driveline are joined to the bodywork and installed, making it a real car for the first time. Then, the last extras are added, wheels, bumpers, front lights, the remaining interior parts, etcetera. All of these parts are readily assembled and all are destined for this particular car, their ID number corresponds with that of the vehicle. As you may understand, this is a large logistical undertaking, seeing that most of these parts are assembled in other factories, and all parts must come together on one particular car.

Then, last but not least, the car’s doors are mounted once again, and we do a full inspection of every vehicle, both in terms of electronics and driveline. Also, another quality control is done, so we can assure ourselves the quality lives up to our standards. With this test, the car has done some 10 km on a roller test bed, to make sure everything is in perfect working order. Then, the cars are sent outside, and dispatched to their respective customers by either truck or train.’

Then, Hans Schmidt answered the question of the Prime Ministers’ Adjudant, as the guided tour began to come to an end.

‘Yes, yes. Even though there are lots of museums throughout the Grand Duchy, I think the most complete VLT history can be found in the factory-sponsored VLT museum (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/3381727920_4c0f14b1c5_b.jpg) here in Esch-sur-Alzette, at a seafront location close to the main headquarters of the company. It is located where the first office of VLT once stood. Since that burned down in a terrible fire a few decades ago, it has been replaced by modern architecture, something that would fit inside the modern centre of Esch-sur-Alzette. They have most models available, from the first L3s from 1946, to the latest concepts.’

"Mister Schmidt, well as you might guess, just like any other man i'm a huge car fan, is it possible to make a little ride on the factory's terrain? This whole day made me well.. quite qurious to the VLT L5, if it's a good right I bett lots of Noordeinde families might like it as well."

Adjudant Wilkinson whispered something in the Prime Ministers ear.

"And well I and my Adjudant and I guess all tough boys of my Secret Service are interested if this museum is open and if so, is it possible to pay the museum a little visit?"

The President smiled, and hoped that it was possible.

‘I am sure that is possible, Mister Roosevelt. We hold a fleet of L5’s at the factory grounds for road testing purposes, and I am sure these men here can rearrange the programme in such a way we can visit the museum.’ Schmidt answered, looking at the Grand Duke in order to get confirmation. As the man nodded, he did so as well.

‘If you’d allow me to go and search for one of the L5’s from the test fleet, I’ll be right back.’ He said, turning around in order to find the cars he meant.

Several minutes later, a pearlescent white VLT L5 saloon appeared from one of the corners of the building, accelerating rather firm after coming out of the corner, and producing a modest exhaust note, but slowing down in time to slowly roll to a standstill in front of the delegation, before Hans Schmidt got out of the car and began explaining the specifics.

‘This is a VLT L5, logical, with a 1.4 TCi engine producing 200 horsepower. Yes, we have versions with more horsepower, but I am afraid those versions have all been handed over to the automotive press for road testing purposes. As you can see, it is painted in the fashionable colour of this time, white, and it has been equipped with a 6-speed TCG gearbox, meaning it makes use of two clutches instead of one. This allows the system to shift within 6 milliseconds, since it ‘lines up’ the next gear before shifting, making use of the second clutch. If you want, you can also set it to automatic mode by using the button down at the gear lever. The car has a Stationary Shutdown System (3S), that automatically turns off the engine when standing at, for example, a red light. The engine starts again when pressure is applied on the accelerator pedal. Next to this, it has variable valve timing and a variable compression. This means that the engine can run at extremely high, Diesel-like efficiency levels, while still delivering maximum power to the driver. To increase power from a smaller displacement, a turbocharger and a supercharger were used to work together: the supercharger will mainly operate at low speeds to deliver horsepower and torque, and the turbocharger will take over above 2,500 rpm. If necessary, both can be used to force air into the engine when maximum power is required, for example during acceleration or on high (200+) Autobahn speeds.

In the interior, you will find touchscreen monitors, which you can use to operate all the functions aboard the car. Several cameras, and a blind spot monitor make sure you have visibility all-round, with the blind spot monitor being a system which warns you if something is moving around in the car’s blind spots, so you have better visibility all-round.

I think it all just needs very little explanation. It needs to be experienced before you can fully understand it. The keys are in the ignition, I will be seated right next to you if you need any pointers, Sir.’ Schmidt said, offering the Prime Minister a go.

Priesident Roosevelt didn't let mister Schmidt say that twice, he immediatley stepped into the car, and closed the door behind him. At the back the Adjudant of the Prime Minister stepped in and immediatley buckled up.

The Adjudant reminded President Roosevelt to buckle up as well before starting the car, President Roosevelt buckled up as well and started the car.

" Well Minster Schmidt, what shall we do, or where is it safe to make a little ride?"

Getting in the vehicle’s passenger seat, Schmidt fastened the seat belt, and quickly checked the situation.

‘In my opinion, there are two possibilities, Prime Minister. One is that we stay on the factory grounds, and that we’ll make a test drive over this parking lot, inbetween the cars ready for delivery’

Schmidt pointed at a large parking lot, full of brand new L5’s, on which ample space had been left to allow trucks to pass, with the cars divided by blocks in a very predictable pattern, with wide and straight roads.

‘Or, we can have a short drive through Esch-sur-Alzette, towards the museum, after which VLT will return the car to this factory here. Of course, I am sure several unmarked cars can escort you during that drive.’

Hans used the touch screen of the satellite navigation system to indicate where they would be going, the majority of the roads indicated being at least of B-class (secondary Autobahn) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13750133&postcount=2) quality, along with one short stretch of A-class Autobahn (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13750140&postcount=3).

‘It is of course up to you and your Adjudant, Sir. I cannot decide about security risks for you.’

The Adjudant responded immediatley as you would expect of how a someone of the militairy would respond.

"Sir it is to dangerous to get on the highway although our Secret Service vehicles will escort us. I think we should stay on the factory terrain and afther the testdrive we should go further following schedule, were already behind schedule."

President Roosevelt respondend to wht his Adjudant sad. "Well although I would like a testdrive on the highway I must say that your right, Mister Schmidt as you might see, I really someone who doens't like schedules verry much." The President smiled.

"But I think the Adjudant is right, so I guess it would be nice to have a little drive on the terrain here."

‘Very well, then. As you can see, the parking lot is made up out of lots of separate ‘blocks’ , which are all divided by wide and interconnecting roads, that are normally used to allow those car transporter trucks through. The intersections are relatively wide, so you can take them at a relatively high speed, but still you should not go above, say, 40 km/h on those intersections, the last thing I want is that we end up against another L5 parked here, and even though this is a safe car, it can land you a severe whiplash, or similar.’ Schmidt responded before settling in his seat, somewhat moving the seat backwards in order to get some more space in the passenger foot well.

‘Do not worry about other traffic, factory security has locked down the parking lot so we can have a drive here. You won’t run up against a truck of some kind, and those cars won’t move.’ He continued, while using soft finger touches in order to set the climate control system on his side of the car to a comfortable temperature.

‘Also, you might want to be careful with the accelerator pedal. Pushing it into the carpet will result in a rather harsh acceleration, seeing the gearbox will go into sport mode and initiate a sort of launch control system and will give you a kick in the back, so to say. Yes, the car will come up to speed rather quickly, but I am just warning you that that can be experienced as rather uncomfortable.’ Schmidt then said, warning the Prime Minister for the car’s potential.

Priesident Roosevelt started the car, and they made their ride on the factory terrain. While driving over this huge parking lot, President Roosevelt was impressed by such a lot of factor hall which surrounded the parkinglot.

Afther probably 15 minutes the President parked his car at the pint where they began this little ride, and thanked Mister Schmidt for the oppurtunity to make a little test drive.

Then the Adjutant walked up to the President.

"Sir I guess this is the end of this factory visit, so I guess were going to the next great topic on the agenda for today."

(OOC: Wat heb je liever? Doorgaan naar het leger, of het museum van VLT nog bezoeken? Oh, maak je trouwens maar geen zorgen over de GDG, die doen geen vlieg kwaad, ze zullen zich gewoon als IVD personeel gedragen :tongue:)

It only took a few seconds before the first convoy car came into sight again, escorted by hordes of motorcyclists, keeping a ‘V-formation’ around the first Autobahnpolizei vehicle, which was then followed by several automobiles used by the Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst, the IVD, the Grand Duchy’s agency responsible for both domestic and foreign intelligence, but also for the security of high-placed officials and other VIPs. They were armoured luxury saloon cars, Monteluci Ducareales, Maserati Quattroportes, Audi A8s, used to transport the highly-trained bodyguards that formed the outer ring of defence around both delegations, with the inner rings being formed by Noordeinde’s security officials for their own delegation, while the Van Luxemburger Grand Duke was secured by his own Grand-Ducal Guard, a private military unit composed of only the best soldiers, from both Van Luxemburger and foreign origin. Despite private military units and small arms use by civilians being almost completely prohibited in the Grand Duchy, the GDG, otherwise known to most as ‘Laval Military Solutions’, was tolerated by the government, along with several other PMC’s that provided invaluable services to the nation. The GDG had several of the same F-segment cars as the IVD had, however, the GDG automobiles would mainly orbit the L8 of the Grand Duke, instead of the entire convoy.

This all made it a very impressive sight, with the convoy being a rather long snake that moved throughout the landscape when at speed, secured by the surrounding police units. And, in secrecy, they were monitored by GDG and IVD operatives, that would observe the convoy in the most dangerous setting, being the urban sprawl of Esch-sur-Alzette. Hiding on roofs with binoculars, acting as pedestrians, or simply looking from windows, the agents made sure that the most important points on the route were secured, sometimes even with the help of sniper teams consisting of Ex-Special Forces, most of the teams consisting of multiple nationalities, persons who had vanished from most databases and now lived their lives anonymous, in return for a well-stacked Swiss bank account.
The GDG units would identify themselves as ‘IVD personnel’ when asked for an ID, often with forged names that were indeed registered with the IVD. As a result of this, the GDG specialists had been announced to the Noordeinde security detachment as personnel from the national intelligence and security agency, in order to conceal the existence of the private military unit.

Nevertheless, these vehicles would escort the two delegations, from the VLT factory to their next agenda point. As driving in town was considered an extra security risk, the guard components had been significantly strengthened, if only for Noordeinde’s prime minister.

(OOC: nouwja ik ben wel benieuwd naar je leger onderdeel opzich, dus maybe kunnen we daar naartoe werken ;).)

While driving towards the Militairy base, the Adjutant of the Prime Minister asked for a status report with all Secret Service personnel, just to make sure that everything was going as it was planned. The two Chevrolet Suburbans (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss250/krijk/SecretService1.jpg?t=1242248738) and three Mercedes Benz S-Class (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss250/krijk/SecretService3.jpg?t=1242248778) vehicles with onboard Secret Service personnel responded positively.

The Adjutant reported to the President about the situation, and that everything went verry smooth so far, and that the van Luxemburg police and other special forces did a great job arranging the extra security downtown.

While driving President Jonathan Roosevelt and his wife Jenny really enjoyed the ride, onboard the Presidential Cadillac limousine (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss250/krijk/LimousinepresidentBarackObama.jpg?t=1242769563) through the old monumental city centre. it is really beautifull.

At the VLT-kasern in Esch-sur-Alzette, the main military base of the 71st Regiment ‘Luxembourg’, the two Marechaussees at the gate, both in their olive green MP uniform, instead of the ceremonial outfit that the guards at the gate of Chateau Bertrange wore, saluted and watched the convoy enter the base, past the checkpoint and through the opened gate.
The convoy the had to take a short road through a very forested area, after which the vehicles ended up on a large square in front of the headquarters building. There, several platoons, both armoured and mechanised, awaited the arrival of the foreign delegation, their armoured vehicles parked behind them. The Panzerwon Draachs (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14096298&postcount=15) and MT-38 Holzwollefs (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13290756&postcount=1) had their guns set to maximum elevation, in order to allow the other vehicles to park almost directly in front of them. In front of these vehicles, the soldiers and crew stood, separated in their respective units and all represented by a commanding officer standing in front of them. With the troops standing in orderly lines, all of them awaited the arrival of the foreign dignitaries, their assault rifles presented.

The base, built just outside the city and near the seaport, was a rather recent construction for Van Luxemburger standards, with the barracks dating back to earlier stages of the Cold War, built in a Parisian style, being well-maintained and painted in a fitting white/beige colour. Bunker-like buildings used for the storage of various pieces of military equipment were dotted between the barracks, partly covered in grass and small bushes to conceal their existence to reconnaissance aircraft and satellites. Around the base, but primarily behind the base, a forest served as a terrain on which exercises would be hosted by the Arméi. With the sea bordering the outskirts of this forest on one side, the base also made an excellent terrain for the training of amphibious landings, especially for the amphibious (Marinekarabinéier) battalion of the regiment.

As the convoy halted on the square, a 3-man group, consisting of 2 men in uniform and 1 man in suit, immediately stepped forward, introducing themselves. They were all familiar faces, since they had already been introduced at Chateau Bertrange.

‘Philippe Dermont, Minister of Defence. These are the two officers that will guide you today. Marschall Florian Wexler, as the commander of the Arméi, and Brigadier Cristophe Seyler, in his position as the commander of the 71st Regiment.’ The man in the suit said, shaking hands. The two officers made a quick salute, before also shaking hands. The youngest of the three, with the rank insignias of a Brigadier, then began a short introduction.

‘I wish to welcome you to the VLT-kasern in Esch-sur-Alzette. This base is the home of the 71st Regiment, named ‘Luxembourg’. It is one of the youngest regiments in the Arméi still in existence today, being founded in 1941. We are one of four regiments currently part of the interregional rapid reaction division, meaning these troops are all ready to move within four hours to a location anywhere in the world. We have our sea lifting capacity ready at the nearby naval base near Esch-sur-Alzette’s seaport, so we can load our troops on a ship within the day and move to a location anywhere in the world. We also have made the necessary preparations for the air lifting of our Airmobile brigade in the same timeframe. We belong to the first units that will be sent to a conflict zone anywhere in the world.’ He said, sometimes pointing towards the troops lined up on the square behind him.

‘Today, we hope to give you a short overview of the equipment we use, as well as a demonstration of the capabilities of our troops by means of a beach landing supported by both the two Air Arms, being the ALD and the MLD, as well as the Marine itself. If you have any questions during the tour, please ask.’ The Marschall said, while he raised his hand to point towards a rather large bunker, being dug into the forested surroundings, somewhat separated from the rest of the buildings.

‘That bunker is normally used to store our vehicles. We have cleared part of it to show off the principal equipment of our Armed Forces. From there, we will walk to an observation platform to see the actual demonstration later on.’ He said, as his subordinate, the Brigadier, already took a few steps towards the bunker.

‘Are there any questions as of yet? We have no problems answering them, as pointed out before.’

"No questions sir, but I like to introduce everyone to Secretary of Defense Collin Powel, he is a former high ranking General in the Noordeinde Army. And I wish all of you participating soldiers good luck in this exercise, demonstration."

‘A pleasure to meet you. I like people with practical experience being in the right positions.’ Wexler answered, while shaking hands and making a short salute, before walking towards the bunker.

As they came in, it was obvious that the building was used as a storage, with the many rows of military vehicles all the way in the back waiting to be used in times of war, or when the regiment had to be sent abroad. However, a sizeable area towards the front of the bunker had been cleared, and there, multiple vehicles were parked and several stands had been erected, all crewed by soldiers that could give an explanation of the weapon systems presented and could answer the questions posed, if necessary. Wexler and Seyler first approached the stand in the outer right corner of the bunker, a place where multiple small arms were presented.

‘As you can see, these are the small arms we use with the Arméi. First, we have the FAM-87 (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Armei/index.php?showtopic=1), produced by the Fiorentini weapons factories. It is the main assault rifle for the Van Luxemburger Armed Forces, and is renowned for its accuracy. We have recently bought the Kfg-09 optic for it, which makes it even better in terms of accuracy. The weapon uses the 6.8 x 43mm round, which has better ballistics than the regular 5.56mm NATO rounds, while producing less recoil than the 7.62mm NATO rounds. As you can see, the magazines can be joined together, so that it allows for quick reloading. It is also noted for it’s reliability, and this, combined with the accuracy, makes it one of my favourite weapons.’ Seyler said, as he picked up the FAM from the table, and quickly demonstrated the locking mechanism on the magazines. Then, he continued by picking up a pistol.

‘After the FAM comes the PM250 (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Armei/index.php?showtopic=2). Once again, a SIG-sourced design, it is very compact and very comfortable to fire, since it comes with adjustable grip sizes. Both left- and right-handed soldiers can use this weapon, thanks to the ambidextrous design. It fires standard 9x19mm Parabellum rounds. Then, comes the standard squad support weapon for the Arméi. We call it the MG04 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_Minimi), some others call it the FN Minimi. This machinegun once again fires 6.8mm rounds, and is produced by Müller Waffenwerke in Van Luxemburg. It is also equipped with the Kfg-09 combat optic.’ He said, touching the light machine gun by the handguard.

‘Then, we have three missile systems, the first being the Panzerfaust 3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzerfaust_3). The Panzerfaust was originally designed by the Germans, and we have designated it the PVW-86 in Van Luxemburger service. Every squad has an Anti-Tank soldier who carries this weapon. We make use of the IT-600 version, which is a relatively inexpensive Anti-Tank weapon. The more expensive version of the Anti-Tank troops is the Eryx missile (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ERYX), an ATGM sourced from France. It is wire-guided, which allows it to have a rather high hit rate, when compared to the unguided Panzerfaust.

The third is the LVW-99, also known as Starstreak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starstreak). It is a man-portable anti-air missile, guided by laser. The advantage of laser guidance is that there is nowhere to hide for the targeted aircraft, unless it disappears from the operator’s line of sight. That is also the disadvantage of the weapon: the operator will need to manually guide the weapon to its target. That said, flares and chaff are effectively useless against this weapon.’ He said, pointing at each of the weapon systems presented.

‘I believe we have several of our vehicles standing by there. Are there any questions so far?’

"Not really, but I find it nice to see that van Luxemburg has weapons with such great accuracy, probably to take out the enemy and make the risk of making civilian casualties as small as you can make that risk."

Secretary of Defense Collin Powel sad.

(ooc: kheb een paar kleinde veranderingetjes gemaakt, Prime Minister Roosevelt is nu President Roosevelt, sounds way better:p en de Maybach 62 is vervangen door een Cadillac (http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss250/krijk/LimousinepresidentBarackObama.jpg?t=1242769563) , zie afbeelding;)

‘It is extremely important to have accurate weapons, not just for the civilians only, but also for your own personnel. If your weapon can’t incapacitate a person with the first shot, your troops will be in grave danger, you understand.’ Florian Wexler said, before allowing the Brigadier to continue. They walked to a large Main Battle Tank, its main gun in a slightly elevated position.

‘This MBT is known to our forces as the MT38 Holzwollef (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13290756&postcount=1). It was designed by the Nineveh Armoured Works in Sumer as the MCA-7E. Our tanks are produced at Müller Panzerwerke, under license. It features a 140mm main gun, and is heavily armoured all-round to withstand the modern anti-tank weaponry. Furthermore, it has sophisticated ERA armour blocks and an APS that can kill or confuse incoming missiles. The downside of this vehicle, and the assorted family members, is however that they are heavy.’

He walked on to the next few vehicles.

‘These are those family members. The first is the SPW-08 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13336312&postcount=33), an Infantry Fighting Vehicle armed with a 50mm gun, four light missile launchers and the same armour scheme as the MT-38. It provides space for seven soldiers and three crewmembers. Standing next to the IFV is the TP-08 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13290760&postcount=2), an Armoured Personnel Carrier which is best described as ‘A SPW-08 without a turret’. It features a remote-controlled 15.5mm BRG-15 machinegun, and can also carry 7 soldiers, and 3 crew members.’

‘As I told you, these vehicles are heavy, and therefore are usually only issued to the armoured battalions. The lighter Mechanised battalions make use of these vehicles here. The first is the Panzerwon Draach (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14096298&postcount=15), which we like to call a fire support vehicle or medium tank. It is relatively lightweight, weighing around 30 tons, but still features a powerful 125mm main gun, enough to take out regular MBTs from a distance. However, the vehicle itself only offers protection against 30mm projectiles, and should not be used as an actual main battle tank. In Van Luxemburger practice, it is commonly used as fire support for when the mechanised battalions come in. You see, when the Draach fires first, it has a reasonable chance of taking out the opposing AFV. Of course, another option is to fire from a concealed position, but that is not entirely realistic during an offensive.’

He moved on to the next vehicle in line.

‘This is one of our domestic products, a wheeled IFV named the Monteluci Corazziere (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Armei/index.php?showtopic=3). It was designed in order to make our troops mobile enough to be able to keep up a good speed, operating together with the Draach. It has various armour configurations available, ranging from protection against Kalashnikov gunfire to protection against 30mm projectiles, like the Draach. It is armed with a 30mm main gun, but other versions also allow the mounting of a 15.5mm Remote Weapons Station or a crew-operated 7.62mm FN MAG. It has the capability to transport 10 to 12 fully equipped troops, depending on the version.

Now, Monteluci also produces the main 4x4 in use with the Arméi. This is the M6 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13005158&postcount=1). It comes in roughly two versions, being the M6a and the M6b. The M6b has heavier armouring and more protection against IEDs, while the a version is cheaper and better suited for mass production.

Then, I heard you have been to a VLT factory? The Arméi also utilises VLT vehicles, such as this M5 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12481560&postcount=1) here. It is a military truck, used mainly for logistics and miscellaneous tasks. We also operate a version with a multiple launch rocket system, and a mobile intensive care hospital unit.’

‘Of course, This is all a very short overlook of our inventory. I think the coming demonstration will illustrate my words here best.’ Seyler said.

"Well I am verry interested to see your troops demonstrating their capabilities, and I think as friends, we might actually have some militairy exercises together in the future, because from what I have seen so far I think our militairy personnel could really work togehter well."

Secretary of Defense Colin Powel says.