Eurorail Inauguration
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"Iberian ham is the envy of the world, Commissioner", Artabanos said, "I will shamefully admit many an occasion of me having a whole ham delivered to the Palace, only to gobble it whole within a few days."
"By Himself, too", Strathclyde added.
"Anyway, a cab ride sounds immensely attractive, Commissioner -- although, you have to know, I haven't driven my own car for six years, let alone my own train. I trust the actual driver will still be on-hand to avoid any... calamities?" Suddenly, images of Artabanos's recent plane crash flashed in front of His retina. The smell, the smoke, the fire, the dirt. The moans and screams of His friends - as well as His enemies - perishing around Him. And all because the Barringtons could find no more elegant way of grasping power than an open assassination attempt. They hadn't even bothered to cover up their tracks, necessitating an effort on Artabanos's behalf to cover up the Barringtons' tracks. What a flop.
"Are you all right, Your Majesty?", Strathclyde asked after Artabanos got lost in thought long enough for awkwardness to ensue.
"Yes, yes, fine", replied the Emperor, "Just... bad experiences with big transport machines recently, is all." He laughed nervously, and wished to god He had His flask with Him.
It wasn't long before the train approached the capital of North Diessen, Het Goor. A city fabled for, in Artabanos's mind, dirt, dirty money, and even dirtier politicians. In other words, it was a lovely place in the mind of most normal people.
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Juncker also interested on Artabanos when everything seemed not to be alright. Once everything went back to normal, Juncker answered: "Don't worry Emperor Artabanos, the driver will be there to avoid any accident, and the security guards will be protecting the cabin to avoid any major incident. I have still continued driving despite I'm now a Commissioner, but if you ask me about what I prefer, then I'll answer that others driving instead of me it's my favourite choice." Juncker smiled.
The Internal Affairs Commissioner then looked through the window, being able to see North Diessen's capital city, Het Goor, on the distance. North Diessen was unknown for Juncker, as he had never visited the country. Still, he knew Inge, the North Diessenian President. Juncker also considered her a great friend, despite they haven't met much during his term. If something was good about that country, that were 2 things: first of all, the fresh North Diessenian crab from the Caspian, a great product like many in Europe; and secondly, the great pre-disposition to solve conflicts with mediation, with Juncker having a very recent example on that by looking at the Caspain Crisis. Then, he looked back to the Inimican politicians and spoke: "Gentlemen, we will be arriving to Het Goor in 5 minutes. We will welcome President Peckan onboard, and then we will depart towards Cair Para, the Duchies' capital city."
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President Pekcan waited anxiously on the platform for the inaugural Eurorail service to arrive. This was the first time she would meet Emperor Artabanos face-to-face, after what could only be described as a tumultuous relationship between her country and her southern neighbour. Recently, her efforts at reconciliation, coupled with what she would without bragging describe as her diplomatic skill, had normalised relations somewhat, to the point where a defence treaty was signed between Diessen, Inimicus, the United Duchies, and Spain, and where Inimician warships defended the Diessenian coast from Reitzmic aggression. Perhaps, however, this strategy of cuddling up to the Inimicians, and the rumoured ruthlessness of their Emperor, would eventually backfire, and Inge would be far better off seeking rapproachment with more traditional allies, democracies, transparent regimes. Unfortunately for Inge, these regimes were far away, mostly in northern Europe, and much too far away to defend against a militarily powerful neighbour like Inimicus. For now, she had to face Artabanos like an ally -- but a reluctant one.
"Platform 1 for the 12:55 Eurorail service to Madrid, calling at Cair Pera, Saint Dominico, Santiago de Compostela, and Madrid. A trolley service of drinks and light refreshments is available on the train. Please note: passengers wishing to join this service must proceed through border controls located on platform 1."
The announcement made Inge shiver, but the sight of the bright new carriages rolling slowly into Het Goor Central station did so even more. Before long, she was repositioned to exactly where 'her' door would come to a halt, and she caught a sight of some familiar faces inside the first class compartment she was about to join.
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Jean-Claude Juncker, Emperor Artabanos and Lord Stratchclyde headed towards the door where every leader would board into the train. The train entered Het Goor's Central station and came to a stop. The doors opened, and there she was, the North Diessan president was standing in front of the first class' carriage's door. Jean-Claude Juncker, along with the Inimican Emperor and Lord Stratchclyde, welcomed Inge Peckan on board to the first ever Eurorail service:
"Ms. Peckan, welcome on board to this Eurorail service. It's great to see you again, this time here, in your own country, on a historic day for every Eurorail country but also for the European Union. It's nice to see you will be joining us on this very exciting trip. How's everything going over here? I have heard everything's going fine since we had that talk in Europolis concerning those islands Reitzmag tried to build on foreign waters. Is that true?"
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Watching the great big train door open was one of the most terrifying sights President Inge Pekcan had ever seen. Behind the sliding door appeared three faced she knew she would see, but was not prepared to meet. Commissioner Juncker had a friendly enough gaze on his face, but it seemed to Inge that the two Inimicians (why were there two in the first place? If Inge had known she could bring an associate, she would've told her trusty Finance minister to come along) were plainly gloating in the occasion.
"Thank you, Commissioner", Inge said as she ascended the steps into the carriage, waving goodbye at some of her supporters (or what little remained of them) on the platform. She had no concrete proof of this, but she was 99% sure the Inimician government was publishing anti-Pekcan material on Diessenian social media ahead of the state elections next month. Technically, and constitutionally, this should not impact these elections, as they centre on the three Diessenian state governments. But in this modern day and age, any publicity impacts the whole political spectrum. Could Inge persuade the iron Inimician faces to divulge some of their secrets on this fateful train ride? She realised the journey had just assumed a whole new character. And she looked forward to it with glee.
"All is well, Commissioner, partly thanks to your effort, of course", Inge continued, "It's such a pleasure to join all of you on this journey. In fact, the creation of Eurorail has allowed me to push for huge investments in railway infrastructure in our parliament -- an excellent consequence of the programme. Anyway, how are you faring, Commissioner? I'm sure Emperor Artabanos introduced you to His famous Inimician breakfast on board? Can't wait to have some myself."
She watched the sightly bemused expression on the all-powerful Emperor's face as she slipped in front of Him and entered the carriage compartment. And so the Eurostar bullet sped off, passing the wetlands of western Diessen, towards its next destination, the United Duchies.
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While the 2 Inimicans, Inge and Juncker were walking back to their seat, Juncker answered: "I'm doing pretty well ok, Ms. Peckan, more than I could be thankfull of right now. Being here today, on this train, travelling from one point of Europe to another, it's simply astonoshing. And yeah, Emperor Artabanos has introduced me to his famous Inimican breakfast. It was delicious, I confess it, as I'm looking forward to eat some of you European-wide known Diessan crab." Juncker said and smiled.
When everybody was seated, the train bullet sped off and headed towards Cair Para through the wetlands of Western Diessen. Juncker admired the views as he kept track of the conversation that was taking place. Suddently, the train found itself over a bridge. It was the Baltic Canal, or that's what the train driver said before crossing it. Juncker's mind immediately thought on the Caspian crisis, a topic he preferred to avoid, but he was making a comment anyway: "The Baltic Canal, one of the reasons why I got so many headaches in December. You really don't want to live the same, believe me." Juncker laughed and awaited for a response coming from Artabanos or Inge.
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John Peter Key was excited as the high speed trains arrival was announced on the trains intercom to the waiting press. It was a mix of all Duchian media, even the hardball eurosceptics would find this a hard project to criticise , while standing there with his transport minister who had done most of the hard work they discussed future routes with with the press. Then the train arrived . He got up the the podium "Ladies and Gentlement and non-binary among you I'd love today to celebrate with you a Moderate achievement or my achievement but its just not true, I have so much to thank Saahir al-Abad who is currently awarding transport bids for our rail and working hard on reforming our rail for his hard work and our coalition partners for working hard with us and our European partners for bringing Eurorail to life especially the fantastic Jean Claude Juncker. Today shows the benefits of the EU, today we have the first consistent Euro-run service coordinated.
This will change the way we travel save the environment and link up the Duchies better than ever before. I myself will use Eurorail wherever possible no more will we jet it off to the Spain or Inquista or any of our neighbours that alone will save tons of carbon and that is just one benefit. We can now imagine thanks to Junckers vision , europes vision and the hard work of many people including too many workers to name among our train companies a Europe with one ticketing system for international travel where trains run co-ordinated at high speed and beat the plane and provide uninterrupted travel. You can work on the move uninterupted catch 8 hours sleep, the benefits of the train are endless. I dream like Juncker of the day I can go from Cair Para to Europolis by train and beyond and this day is not far away and its thank to unity , working together and local governments launching routes in partnership with rail companies and agencies and with local agencies working together. United Duchies shall remain committed to this vision and I am confident as one European family we can save our environment one train ride at a time!I will now open up the podium to Mr Jean Claude Juncker and would like to welcome him to the United Duchies!"
He shook hands with Juncker,Artabanos and Strathclyde.The press took their photos and awaited the speech by Juncker. Then him an his transport minister would board the train to Spain where no doubt they would have fruitful discussions.
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Juncker applauded the words coming from the Duchian Prime Minister, John Peter-Key, and as this was a surprise to him and the train had gained some advantage to the original time that it was expected to arrive into Cair Para, he decided to deliver a short but efficent speech:
"Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for being here today on this very special day. I had nothing prepared to say here, as I didn't expect this to happen, and you are lucky that we gained time to time. Today, as the Prime Minister said, we can experience how travelling on a very confortable train through several European countries towards your next destination is, and moreover, we can say that what I promised, it's accomplished. Of course, I've a lot of things left to do, and I hope the next Internal Affairs Commissioner finish them with the same purpose I made them happen.
You must know that this is not a Saturday night dream or a casual encounter, this is looking to the future, on a more united European Union in which we have more choices when we want to travel all around the region. I know many of you prefer the train over the plane, I simply don't mind, but at least you can now go further on your purpose to travel on your favourite mean of transport to wherever you want.
I hope you enjoy this gift which is now yours, and that you use this with responsability and take care of it. These trains are new, and so they must look new during their service. Let's make that possible. Thank you very much"
The audience applauded Juncker words and then Artabanos, Lord Starthclyde, Inge Peckan, John Peter-Key and the Transport Minister of the United Duchies, along with the Internal Affairs Commissioner, boarded back on the train. After everything was ready, it departed on time towards Saint Dominico, the next stop, going through Red Croatia and under the Mediterranean firstly. After departure, Juncker and the other politicians seated just where they were before the arrival, and the Commissioner so¡poke: "The trip is going well so far, and the train is so silent that I couldn't imagine I'm on a train. We are now going to Inquista, which is a great achievement if you think about crossing under the Mediterranean Sea. Also, Mr. Key, this was my first time in the Duchies, and I'm enjoying your landscapes a lot. If all of us on this table can agree on something, that's on the great landscapes we have in Europe and specially in our respective countries."
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"Indeed the tunnel is amazing I have been through plenty of times on the sleeper trains. Unfortunately now the plane is used more but for local countries we still like to us trains if at all possible. I have to say we very much like the spanish landscapes , after all as you know Spain is Duchies number one market for tourism and holidays, no doubt due to the beaches though I've always been suspicious of swimming in pee water , after all how many fish have pissed and pooed in that seawater !" he said . He was looking forward to the tunnel he had for years been a member of the Duchies Railway Enthusiast Society or DRES.
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The train continued its way towards Inquista. After travelling through Czech Slavia, the politicians could reach to see the Mediterranean Sea for a few seconds. Then, suddenly, all the views became dark, and the train lights were the only thing that saved the wagon to not go dark aswell. The driver then made an announcement, telling the travllers about their current location. Juncker listened carefully, even if he already knew where they were. After the announcement finished, Juncker spoke: "The Mediterranean tunnel, that means we are getting closer to Inquista".
The train came out of the tunnel and travelled towards Saint Dominico, where Archbishop Klienberg would be waiting for them. Juncker was ready to welcome the Archbishop on board of the first ever Eurorail service, and finally, head towards Spain, with a stop at Santiago de Compostela to pick up the President of Spain, Jesús Aguilar.
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Archbishop Mikaela Kligenberg arrived at the station and ascended up the red stairs to meet with Jean-Claude Juncker, who was waiting for her onboard the inaugural Eurorail service. It was the maiden journey for the Eurorail voyager, and so, naturally, the Archbishop came dressed appropriately for the occasion.
"They said there would be a train waiting for me... but I'm bringing my own train," the Archbishop thought to herself as she dragged her several-metre long train up the red stairs. The Archbishop's dress was heavy, but she thought its long train was perfectly symbolic for this whole affair.
Once the Archbishop finally reached the top of the stairs, she entered the station and was guided to the Eurorail train. Archbishop Kligenberg beamed with excitement as she saw Juncker eagerly awaiting her, and greeted him by politely kissing his cheeks. She then grabbed Juncker by his right hand and held it tightly. "Juncker, how good to see you again! How are you doing? Oh gosh, I am soooo glad to see the Eurorail up and running! This wouldn't have been possible without you. I know the Eurorail has always been your dream. You've done an excellent job, I'm so proud of you, and I am also so thankful that you've put in so much work in linking-up Europe's railways!"
Mikaela then took out Juncker's book, I'll Come Back Soon, from her purse. The Archbishop had received an advanced copy of the book before it came out. Mikaela waved it around enthusiastically. "I also want to congratulate you on your book! It's so good. Memoirs are the best kinds of books, because they give us all the inside tea straight from the source. I will say, though, that I was kinda disappointed that I was only mentioned in the book twice. Besides that, I loved it. Hopefully, in the future, you can write a sequel and I can get a whole chapter?"
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Juncker welcomed the Archbishop of Inquista once she she arrived to the Platform where the Internal Affairs Commissioner was waiting for her. He also kissed her cheeks politely, and then answered the Archbishop: "Mikaela, I have to say the same, it's an enormous pleasure for me to see you again. I'm doing pretty well, thank you for asking. How are you doing aswell? You look so astonishing today, and that train is wonderful. I can already predict what you'll answer. said the Commissioner before slightly laughing for his joke. Well, I'm also very excited, and the train seems to be working on time and perfectly. But I have to disagree with you on something, because this is not just my achievemnt, it's yours and all the leaders that will be with us on this very important trip for Europe."
Then Jean-Claude listened to the Archbishop's words about his book, I'll Come Back Soon, and how disappointed she was about not being mentioned a lot of times in the book. Juncker didn't do this on purpose, and he already knew he would need to write a second part of his memoirs, he was decided to be the Premier Commissioner as soon as he was allowed to run again for Commission. The Commissioner then answered back: "I'm really sorry for not mentioning you a lot Mikaela, but I couldn't describe everything you have done for me in these months because I didn't have more pages to write on! But, don't worry, I'm pretty sure I will have to write Part 2 seeing how the book is being received by you and my close friends, which are saying the same you did, so you will all get a special chapter. Also, I'm really grateful about you loving the book, because that's what I intented when I started to write it: making the Europeans and my friends love it." Said the Commissioner.
After that, Mikaela and Jean-Claude Juncker boarded the train, which departed towards Santiago de Compostela, where the Spanish President, Jesús Aguilar, was waiting for them. Meanwhile, Mikaela, Emperor Artabanos, John Peter-Key, Inge Peckan and Lord Stratchclyde, along with the Internal Affairs Commissioner, had a nice chat about the many affairs they were having to deal with. After an hour or so, the train finally approached Santiago de Compostela's station, where President Aguilar and Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the President of the Autonomous Community of Galicia, were waiting. Once the train came to a stop, Jesús approached to the train while Feijóo waved the Spanish President to say goodbye. There, Juncker welcomed him onboard: "Jesús, nice to see you here. We have had a very good trip and despite the short distance between Santiago de Compostela and Madrid, I'm sure you'll enjoy it." Said Juncker to the Spanish President, which answered back the Commissioner. Both Spaniards went to the famous table, where President Aguilar shook hands with everyone there: "Ladies and gentlemen, it's a pleasure to see you all here. I'm very excited to see this working and that we have all reached an agreement when it came to this very important infrastructure. How's the trip going for you?" Asked the Spanish President before asking a waiter for a cup of coffee.
After a brief conversation, the train made its arrival into Madrid, were the Spanish King received everyone. Speeches were delivered, and then everyone left back home. That was the end of the journey.
The Kingdom of Spain
