The Proposal [CLOSED]

[bootsie]

It was a beautiful day in Pigletville as the Council of Governors met once again. The meeting was scheduled for one o'clock that afternoon, and it was about thirty minutes until then when a car from Miragea pulled up to the Guslantis Congress Building. Yan Lin Leng, the Oida provincial governor, was the woman that stepped out. Guards descended the steps of the building, and met the governor as she made her way up.

"Good afternoon, diànxià (your highness), it is a great pleasure to have you here on such short notice," said the guard, escorting Leng back up the steps.

"Abigail should not have called us with little time to spare, I have much to do in Oida, and I'm not as young as I used to be," complained Leng. The two continued up the steps, and eventually entered the building. When they got inside, a larger blond-haired woman hugged Leng.

"Mrs. Leng, it is an honor to have you in our presence! It's been aeons since we've last since each other! I can hardly contain my excitement," she said, shaking the Miragean back and forth.

"That'll be enough, Governor Tennfjord," said Leng quite firmly, and the woman stopped hugging her.

"How are you here so early? Isn't it quite a drive from Jaresa?" asked Leng.

"It is, but I've been here for about--like, five hours. Jaresa is quite boring. Most Guslants don't even know one city in my province! I envy having work like you do, I'm sure it's quite fun in Miragea! And please, you can call me Kari." replied Tennfjord.

"Do you know what this meeting is about?" asked Leng.

"I heard that David Mitchell and Felicia Scott of Thomas are here. Something about a new city proposal," said Kari, twisting her braid.

"Thomas? What kind of technology is so important that they must call the entire Council for?" asked Leng.

Kari shrugged, and the two made their way toward the Council's chambers.

 

[bootsie]

As Kari and Yan Lin rushed to the Council chambers, three provincial governors sat on a balcony of Guslantis Congress Building enjoying some wine. These governors were Rita Atwood of Rosar, Alexander Montagne of Argyle, and Walter Bencivenni of Daria.

"Alexander, have another August liquor! We wouldn't want it to go to waste, would we?" said Walter, a stockier older man with olive skin. He was a good friend of Queen Leah's late father, and served as governor for many years.

"You know I'm a connoisseur of wine, Walter," replied Montagne. He had longer black hair that ran to about halfway down his neck.

"Well here, have some white Miragean wine! I'm sure that would be sufficient," replied Walter, chuckling.

"As much as I love Guslantis, the best wine is imported. Rita, how are you enjoying your drink?" Alexander asked the third governor.

Rita Atwood was an older woman who wore a black and white bob wig, and had brighter red lipstick on. She hummed a verse of a song, before taking a small sip of her liquor.

"Rita?" asked Alexander again, and the governor turned her head to look at him.

"It is very delightful. Just the right amount for me," she replied sweetly. It was a surprise how Governor Atwood came to power. She was always this silent, something most Guslants weren't.

"We should probably finish up and head to the council chambers, Abigail would not approve of us being late," said Alexander

"Mmm, that seems like a logical choice," replied Rita.

The three governors finished their drinks, and made their way to the Council chambers.

 

[bootsie]

As Kari and Yan Lin entered the chambers, the rest of the governors were preparing for the meeting. Abigail, the Governor of Theed, and the chair of the Council of Governors was talking to Felicia Scott and David Mitchell, the CEO and COO of Thomas.

Abigail glanced down at her smartwatch. 12:58. Yan Lin wasn't late, but too close to being late for her liking.

"Good to see you," said Yan Ling, extending her hand. Abigail went to shake it, before realizing it was Felicia's hand she was reaching for.

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Leng," replied Felicia, shaking Leng's hand. Abigail stepped back, letting her political rival speak to the CEO of Thomas.

"How is Hachiro suiting you? I'm disappointed that you have him now, but I'm glad his talents are being put to good use," said Leng.

"I love his obsession with customer satisfaction! He is definitely a great asset to Thomas," replied Felicia.

Abigail glanced at her watch again and then cleared her throat rather loudly. She stepped forward, forcing Felicia and Yan Lin to step back.

"Anyways, we should probably proceed with the business at hand. We wouldn't want to keep Felicia and David waiting," said Abigail, beckoning for Leng and Tennfjord to take their seats.

"Of course," said Yan Lin as she and Kari made their way to their chairs. Yan Lin sat down first, Kari hugged the governor seated beside her assigned seat.

"Nice to see you, Governor Ikin," she said to the governor, who smiled back. Kari was very enthusiastic, and the governors were used to her enthusiasm and hugs.

Once everyone was seated, Abigail called the meeting to order.

"Our first order of business is a proposal from the Thomas Corporation. We have Ms. Felicia Scott and Mr. David Mitchell representing the organization today. You two may begin your presentation, I'm sure the governors are excited to see what you have in store for us today," said Abigail, turning the floor over to the guests.

 

[bootsie]

“Thank you Abigail,” said Felicia, smiling. One of the Thomas staff members began placing packets in front of the governors, as Felicia began presenting.


“We are excited about the project that we are presenting today. We are prepared to spend many years and billions of Guslates to make this dream possible. We know this is ambitious, it’s never been done before, and especially not on this scale,” she said. The governors began flipping through their packets as she continued.


“We call it Project Horizon, a multi-year project to create a city of tomorrow within Guslantis’ border. We plan to incorporate not only the technology of Thomas, but many brands including those in the Amica Consortium through the Amica interface. We plan to also use it as our headquarters and base of operations, but also want to keep it open so that all can visit and move in, if they desire,” she said.


“A question if I may, does Thomas have a location in mind?”, asked Montagne.


“We’d prefer to build within the province of Rosar, particularly near our headquarters in Carrotopolis,” replies Felicia.


“Carrotopolis? That’s a major city center, how do expect to have a second city logistically operate?” asked one of the other governors.


“That’s where we need your help. Logistically, financially, and technologically, it will be something of the future. This is why we asked Abigail to call this meeting. We cannot do this without you,” said Felicia.


“Then I believe we have much to do and much to discuss,” said another.

 

[bootsie]

The Council finished its first session, and decided to send a few governors to Rosar to look over the proposed location, and to report back to the Council. Yan Lin was among the governors chosen.


When they arrived, they stepped out and were quickly greeted by a very excited woman with almond skin. She was a very grandiose dress and huge cat eye glasses. Her brown hair was put up in a beehive hairstyle, and her makeup was a tad overdone. She was just a tad less extra than Debra Leopard, but not by much, thought Yan Lin.


“Welcome to Carrotopolis, the crown of the north! My name is Anona Trengrove, and it is my pleasure to serve as the lieutenant governor of the Rosar province alongside Rita! I was just on the phone with Abigail...very nice woman, very pretty, anyway, she told me to give you all a tour of the province, especially the location of Horizon Tower, is that right?” she asked one of the governors.


The governor she asked was Jennifer Vicario, the governor of Medea. She had olive skin, and had darker hair. She was also one of the more attractive governors, at least according to the male governors.


She hesitated, she wasn’t usually the first one to be talked to. Ellis, the newly elected governor of the Xerese province, answered on her behalf.


“That’s correct, we just want to see if Thomas’ proposed location is suitable for a city,” he replied.


“Oh honey, all of Rosar is suitable for a city,” she began, winking at Jennifer before turning and leading the group through the streets of Carrotopolis.


“I shouldn’t have to remind you all, but in the event of a collapse of Pigletville, this province is fully prepared to house the entirety of Guslantis’ governmental infrastructure and resources. We also have won many awards in terms of safety and happiness of our citizens, not something many places our size can brag about. We’re also the most technologically advanced province, but much of that has to do with the work of Thomas Corporation and Ren Industries, two companies that are now part of the same entity. We’re also home to the Worley Research Center, which, even with its acquisition, still is home to many of Meterra’s top scientists and researchers. Another accomplishment we’re proud of is our diversity of people, accepting all races, ethnicities, and sexualities. We’re one of the only provinces to be super open about that,” she said.


Ellis and another governor, Zachariah, looked at each other. As openly gay governors, they weren’t really sure what she meant about the other provinces not being open. They didn’t want to argue with her, so they didn’t say anything. Yan Lin noticed that many of the citizens also were dressed very crazy like Rita and Anona, she thought it may be rude to ask, but she did anyway.


“I notice the fashion in Carrotopolis is very...bold, is there a reason for that?” she asked Anona.


“Like I said, we’re very proud of who we are, and we shouldn’t judge each other on how we dress. Many of us feel comfortable in this style of clothes, so why should we reserve this type of clothing for our closets?” responded Anona.


The group were ushered into a carriage to complete their last leg of the journey to Horizon Tower.