On the Shores of Aliona

[Unidos]

The dunes rolled by, the wind whipping the sand over rippling ridges, the setting sun casting fiery hues all over the desert. What better place to see the splendour of Himyar, than from behind a protective window?

This was not a passenger train - those would not run for another fortnight. For now, the Two Shores company was sending supplies and staff to the facilities, and testing the rails for safety, amongst other things. So it was that Matiu Rames, one of many representatives for the government administration division, was sitting on a bare metal seat in the back of a goods train. All the goods trains had two extra carriages on the back; the second-to-last held supplies for the lake facility, and the last for any passengers or staff. And sitting opposite him was Vicense Cordoniu, leader of the Two Shores initiative, and CEO of the company. He would've preferred a desk job.

'I can see the waters from here,' Cordoniu broke the silence. 'It shouldn't be more than a few minutes.' And a good thing, too. Matiu was beginning to get cramp in his leg.

The train rolled into the docks, coming to a stop. The two stepped off the carriage onto the concrete pavement of the facility and set off on a stroll. The buildings here were small, most of them one-story, apart from the passengers' quarters at two stories tall. All of them whitewashed, to fend off the ever-present sun. Tufts of grass grew here and there, though no vegetation really grew except for around the shores of the lake. It was no Azarel, but for conducting this interview? This was the best hidden place on earth.

'One day,' Cordoniu said, 'I will make this place a paradise on earth. Palm trees will line cobbled streets, and holiday-makers will come from the world over to see the beaches of Aliona. I will shape this desert into the oasis it was always meant to be.'

'A romantic, are you?'

'No. That is how it will come to be known. It is merely a good sales pitch. I will discuss with you what I intend for this place in more, ah, straightforward terms.'

They entered a building with no particularly memorable features. The public would never see the inside of this place, should never see it. The only furniture in here were two chairs, a glass table with a pristine sheet of paper on it, and a dejected-looking fern in a pot. They took their seats, and Matiu took a small device out of his chest pocket - a recorder - and placed it flat on the table, leaving it to run.

'So,' he began. 'First of all, we're going to have to discuss this location's relation with the government of Unidos. It is hereby verified that the facility at Lake Aliona, and all of its surrounding properties, are the responsibility of the Two Shores company. It is also hereby verified that the facility falls within the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Prasina; however, the security of the facility, and the subsequent border control between Unidos and other linking nations, is the responsibility of the Two Shores company.'

'Yes, yes. I know the legality. Now, can we discuss what we came here for?' Cordoniu flexed his fingers.

'Of course. Keep in mind, though, I'm just here to finalise things.'

'Let's see.' Cordoniu laid a small notebook on the table, flipping it to the most recently written page. 'First of all, I should like to know what laws I shall be responsible for enforcing?'

'As a subregion of the Directorate of Prasina, the facility is therefore under the same laws as that entity. You may employ as much security as you see fit for enforcing these laws,' Rames told him, raising his eyebrows and smirking. 'Otherwise, as the facility is not under the jurisdiction of central government, it is not necessary to adhere to central legislation.'

'Good, good. Now, can you tell me - since, you know, I have a business to run here - what are the logistics of hosting a corporation here?'

'In this facility? Again, you'd be subject to the industrial regulations of the Directorate of Prasina.' Matiu coughed. 'As lenient as they are.'

'And, finally: what are the logistics on foreign trade here?'

'The Lake Aliona region has officially been declared a free and neutral trade zone, administrated by Unidos but not de facto ruled by Unidos, under which any nation can operate. This entails, but is not restricted to, the free transport of goods, the free passage of travellers, and the permitted construction of buildings in the region by foreign corporations.'

'Good. Thank you. That's really all I needed to know.'

He turned Cordoniu's attention to the paper. 'Now. I'm going to need you to sign this. This document will verify that you are responsible for the regulation of the Lake Aliona facility, and that you are the legitimate owner of this facility in the eyes of the government. And, unfortunately, in order for this document to be legitimate, it will have to be signed on premises.'

Cordoniu took a while to read over the legal content of the document, and then signed it with a large, extravagant signature.

'There you go,' he smiled.

'Thank you. Interview terminated.' He stopped the recorder. 'Will you be staying here now?'

'Here? Gods, no. It's not even finished yet. It's not far to Roanoke; I'll just take the train and get there at midnight.' Matiu wished he could say the same. The central government had assigned him as the ambassador to the Lake Aliona subregion - and, for reasons still unclear to him, that required him to be present on the site.

'Ah,' he continued, 'I'll be leaving now. I might be sending other people to meet you, depending on how successful I am with my ventures. Do give my regards to Azarel.'

Matiu watched him stroll out of the building. Cordoniu would probably be staying in some luxury apartment, set up for his arrival, while he'd be living in some shack 'until further notice'. Apparently there was satellite internet out here. That'd be something to do before the rest of the staff arrived, and Aliona's empty buildings received their first travellers. Some paradise this was.

[OOC: This post is simply an introductory to the Lake Aliona facility. Any non-diplomacy post concerning the facility will be posted on this thread. This thread may not see activity for a while, and then pop up again, due to the nature of the storyline.]