Blood Diamonds

[Potenza]

The small ship was guiding gently along the Himyar coast, bypassing Radilo, as it entered waters that seem rarely traveled. It was of modest size, with various nationals aboard.

Nicolo Iachino stood at the front of the ship, smoking a cigarette as he looked nonchalantly on at the coastline, obviously lost in thought. He was soon joined by a young woman, one Elena Schiroli, dressed in a casual business suit and clinging a clipboard to her chest. She was much smaller than Nicolo, but was smaller than most people, and hence even though Nicolo was of average height and build, he seemed to tower over her. She was typical of someone from southwest Potenzan, with darker skin, and jet black hair, which was done in a bun behind her head.

"Any calls while I was up here?" Nicolo asked, turning towards Elena and raising one of his arched eyebrows.

"No, sir," Elena replied, "how far are we?"

"Not far," Nicolo replied, tossing the burnt cigarette over the edge of the ship, "Port Watu should be appearing soon. You've never even been outside the country, have you?"

Elelan blushed slightly, adjusting her black glasses, "Hm...no, sir."

"Well stay with us, and don't wander far. We have the rare privilege of being one of the few white people to get an inside glance of Watustan. Be thankful we're here on business and not vacation. And enjoy your first trip with Bulgari."

 

[Watustan]

The air is warm, cooled down by the breeze near the ocean. Seaguls cry out as they fly over-head. The water ahead is clear with only light waves. The skyline isn't exactly beautiful - the only unwashed, worn colors being the occasional trees against the backdrop of the rusted roofs from shacks, and the fading blue paint of many apartments.By the docks of Port Watu, it is nearly empty save for a group of five people. Standing there in the middle is a tall, rather large man dressed in a military dress outfit with multiple awards pinned to his chest and an officer's cap on his shaved head. This figure can only be assumed to be President Ngabile Sakoine. He has in his mouth a cigar which he puffs casually every so often. Beside him are two very dark men, almost all wearing sunglasses and holding machine guns. They rarely speak or move, looking forward. Sakoine looks ahead as the boat approaches.

"Ah, here they are." He snaps his fingers, and two men sling their rifles as they approach the edge of the dock, ready to help the people off.

 

[Potenza]

As the people departed from the ship, it probably wasn't hard to spot the two Potenzans. One was the tall white male wearing nice khakis and dark brown shoes, with a light yellow collared shirt with the sleeves rolled back. The other was a smaller white woman with her beige business suit. Both were coming down with a single suitcase, rolling it behind them. Nicolo quickly caught sight of the man with the cigar and uniform, smiling to himself. Elena stopped abruptly, positioning herself behind Nicolo.

"Who is that?" she asked in her native Tiburan, "A general?"

"No, not at all," replied Nicolo, "that's the president. Don't you recognize him? Also, from now on, everything in English."

Nicolo and Elena approached, Nicolo bowing gently, "Mister President - a pleasure to meet you. I am Nicolo Iachino, I'm sure my superiors told you I was coming. This is my associate, Elena Schiroli, she will be assisting me on this trip."

Elena glanced at Nicolo through her glasses, then looked back to the president, bowing slightly.

 

[Watustan]

The two soldiers, after assisting them both, would stand behind the two foreigners, taking out their rifles almost in sync. Again, they keep their rigid posture, obviously very well trained. Sakoine takes a step forward with his arms apart in a warm gesture and an even warmer smile on his face. His voice booms in a Watu accent, his confident yet kind voice complimented of his general's uniform.

"Hello, Nicolo! Please, call me Ngabile. We are all friends here." he exclaims.

He then takes a look at Elena and his smile fades. In a soft tone, he comments, "It has been a long time since Watustan has been graced by such beauty. Hello." He then would smile charmingly at him, before clapping his hands once. Promptly, the two men behind the two foreigners would walk forward to the street and get in a black limousine with two Watustan flags on both sides of the car. Behind the limousine is a military vehicle with a machine gun, manned on the back. Inside the passenger seat is a child looking to be about fourteen, wearing loose fitting clothes. He eyes the white woman, as do most of the soldiers. It is rare they see one of her race.

 

[Potenza]

Nicolo laughed at the president's warmth, "Ngabile - so it is. Did I say that right? Ah, all right."

When the president turned towards Elena and commented on her beauty, it made her feel a tad bit...uncomfortable. She bit her lip and looked down, averting her gaze quickly as her cheeks turned a darker tan. She felt even more uncomfortable when they stepped towards the limousine, and she noticed most of the soldiers were eying her. She hadn't felt so observed by the male gender since she started maturing in high school. A friend of hers had joked, "You know you'll probably be the only white woman they've seen - they'll be all over you!" Now Elena supposed she might be right - this was going to be a very long trip.

Perhaps the only thing she really noticed aside from the stares was the young man sitting in the vehicle. She ran a hand on Nicolo's arm and whispered in Tiburan, "That boy...he can't be more than 15!"

"Get used to it," Nicolo said curtly, also in Tiburan, "and stop talking about everything you see. You're a guest - and you represent Bulgari. Don't forget that either."

As the two Potezans stepped into the limousine, Nicolo adjusted his sleeves and said in English:

"I'd like to review your equipment as soon as possible, if that would be all right. I'd also like to see your mines and their conditions, if that's also all right. My superiors are eager to start work as soon as possible."

 

[Watustan]

Ngablie says something in Arabic to the driver, and he starts the ignition. The radio turns on to a song sung also in Arabic. They go on their way through the streets, taking a turn to the left. Many people are on the road, some of whom are riding their bikes. With a honk of the horn, all get out of the way. Most everyone waves and cheers, excited at having the chance to see their president. Ngablie waves back. The people that wave run along with the car.

"They love me." He says with a laugh.

The car speeds up, takes a few turns, and begins to travel along the newly made highway. The road is surprisingly smooth.

 

[Potenza]

"Lovely roads you have here," Nicolo commented, noticing Elena was keeping her eye out the window, taking in the surroundings, "tell me, how many people do you have working on the mines currently? I'm curious about what manpower you have. Also, what is your current output?"

Elena looked out and glanced at some of the people waving, many of them young children. She smiled and gently waved back before sitting back and sighing, taking off her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

 

[Watustan]

Ngablie laughs, shaking his head. "You'll see when you get there."

They make their way into a military fort with rather large walls, a guard post on either side. In the walls are almost hundred of troops, some doing push-ups and others marching. They are dressed in clean, green uniforms and seem to be very stark black, as opposed to the officers who are distinctively more light. The few soldiers that aren't preoccupied, either coming to or from the mess hall, firmly salute the limo as it passes straight into a small hangar. The hangar is dark and mostly empty with absolutely no source of lights whatsoever. The car that was trailing them has since disappeared. The driver gets out and goes to open Nicolo's seat, whereas Ngablie turns to the woman and says, "If I were you, I would stay here. The mines are no place for women."

Ngablie would then, after any conversation from either of them, make his way a helicopter nearby.

 

[Potenza]

Elena blinked and then looked towards Nicolo, who simply said, "Do as the president says," and stepped out, nodding to the driver. He took a moment to glance about, appreciating the scene. He couldn't help but notice a few familiar rifles that he had seen Potenzan Carabinieri carrying - no doubt a gift from the ever so moralistic Beretta company.

He glanced back to Ngablie and awaited his guidance.

 

[Watustan]

Ngablie gets in the back seat of the helicopter. A pilot gets in the front seat. Once Nicolo would get in, the helicopter would fly off over the savannah, wildlife anything but sparse. Also visible are tons of villages scattered around, quite shanty. They approach the vast mountains, landing after an hour or two of flying.

 

[Potenza]

Nicolo took in the scenery, enjoying it immensely. He also took in the company and the situation - it was very rare that anyone got to ride along with the president of Watustan in a helicopter, and who knew how many more would receive that privilege in the future? That he had even been picked was a stroke of luck. Bulgari only wanted at least two people to go for a few reasons: 1) to avoid attention, as smaller parties were often less conspicuous than corporate armies; 2) to avoid risks or accountability. The stability of Watustan was questionable to some, and if twenty or more Bulgari corporate representatives were killed, there'd be a lot of backlash. Either the Potenzan government would have to respond, or Bulgari would look inconsiderate at not protecting their people better.

Nicolo himself had been a prime pick from the beginning. He was efficient and no-nonsense, and always cut to the point. Most of all, he put the interests of the company first. Bulgari recognized, when they invested in Watustan, that they might run into a few moral dilemmas when it came to the mining. Nicolo could be trusted to overlook any "problems" that wouldn't hurt profits or supplies. His first and foremost goal was getting the diamonds and gold to Potenza for refining and crafting. Anything else was irrelevant.

As the helicopter landed, Nicolo permitted the president out first, saying, "I look forward to this - show me everything I'll need to see and know."

***

It had been some time since Nicolo and Ngablie had disappeared, and Elena was feeling just a tad bit anxious. She felt safe in the limo, but she was also entirely unsure of the surroundings and just where they had come, gathering nothing except that it was a military base. Besides, she was used to getting outside when she could, and even staying in a limo this long was giving her something like cabin fever.

"If you don't mind," she said to the driver in her English that was covered with her smooth, soft Tiburan accent, "I'm going to spread my legs outside."

She stepped out and sighed, leaning against the side of the limo and rubbing her small fingers along her soft neck, feeling a few strands of hair escaping from her bun. Watustan was much hotter than was expected, and so she removed her light suit jacket, exposing her silken, form-fitting purple blouse underneath. She glanced about the darkened hanger, trying to see if she could recognize or notice anything out of the ordinary. She had been assigned as Nicolo's personal attendant almost a full year after interning with Bulgari after her graduation from the San Salvo School of Business. Never had she expected herself to be thousands of miles away from home, in an exotic country not at all like her own.