[IC] African Safari Adventure

[Aisling]

AT THE AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS BANQUET
Miranda was glaring at Jonathon once more as he spoke about her being his sexytaria and assistant. She was fuming and she no longer cared if anyone knew it. But she was going to be sweet about the whole thing. Suddenly she had her chance at revenge when Jonathon smiled at her and asked if she would like to say a few words.
“Why, yes of course I would, Jonny. I’d like to thank everyone at Outdoor Magazine for the chance of working for them.” Miranda spoke clearly and calmly.
“I will miss the magazine very much but I am off to bigger and better things. I am sure that Jonny will do his best to keep you in spectacular articles as he admires his newest trophy. Take care everyone!”
Miranda waved carelessly at the audience as she turned and left the microphone and her coworker who was trying to leave the stage after her except that his beloved reporters were surrounding him in excitement because of her announcement.
She quickly left the banquet and headed to her office…. No Jonathon’s office now. Fortunately she never kept any personal items there at all. She hailed a taxi and as the taxi drove away, she typed a resignation letter.
To Outdoor Magazine Staff,
I am quitting immediately for I can no longer stand Jonathon’s accusations and his referral to me as his sexytaria and assistant. Particularly when I have proved several times over that the pictures were mine and I do most of the research. I have been turned down for higher positions, solo articles and promotions because Jonathon says that he does not feel that I am ready for such responsibilities.
I have left my keys and card key with the security officer. Farewell!
Miranda Westlake

Once this was done, she went to her apartment and locked the door, vowing not to answer it at all. She went to the kitchen and got a soda before she headed to her bed room. She called Diane even though it was very late.
“Hey, Di….. You saw it then…… Yeah I will be there tomorrow afternoon at 1…… See you there. Bye now.”
Miranda then took out the letter from Best of the Out of Doors to reread before sleeping.
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Tomorrow morning

Miranda slept well and was up early. She got her breakfast and then showered. After her shower, Miranda went to her laptop and pulled up her files that contained her pictures. She needed something to show Innovative Ideas Company. A quick slide show would have to do. Before she knew it, time had passed and she needed to get ready to leave. As she dressed, she heard a pounding on her door and Jonathon yelling.
“Miranda! Get yourself to this door this instant! We need to talk this misunderstanding out! “ Jonathon shouted as he kept pounding.

Miranda simply ignored Jonathon for she had no desire to ever see him again. Once she was dressed, she decided that Jonathon would need to be escorted away. She called the security then she gathered her things up and left the building by the fire escape.
She hailed a taxi and was whisked off to the car rental. She rarely rented a car but felt that this was one of the times where she might be out of town for a few days. She loved the wind in her hair even though it made her hair tangle up in knots in spite of her long red hair being tightly braided.
Innovative Ideas Company was actually located in Topanga even though they had an office in Los Angeles. It was run by several rich families and no one knew who they were even. The families run the main office and the representatives did their bidding. Most people felt that there might be something underhanded due to all of the secrecy.

Once Miranda arrived at the address she was given, she was astounded at the fact that there was a security guard at the gate. Once she was given the permission to move to the next gate, she began to get nervous. She was given a parking ticket and a valet parked the rental while she walked up to the doors. Another security check and then she wait for Diane to come.
Diane was a tiny female with a neat blonde bun and an immaculate lab coat. A big smile was on her face as she greeted Miranda.
“I can’t believe that you actually quit that magazine at last! What did your boss say? Or didn’t you even tell him?” Diane asked as she lead Miranda inside and down a series of halls.
“Of course I didn’t speak to Ronald. I would have said something that I might regret someday. Of course I can always go back to Oklahoma and help with the ranch.” Miranda laughed with a musical tone in her voice.
The two chatted until they came to a door. Diane knocked and opened the door when a masculine voice spoke.
“Come in.”
“Mr. Stephenwolf, this is my friend that I have spoken to you about on various occasions. Miranda has left her job at Outdoor Magazine. Miranda, this Jacques Stephenwolf. He will be your new boss. I’ll chat with you later. And you will be staying with me.” Diane spoke to Miranda firmly as she smiled.
“I’ll let the two of you get acquainted.”

Miranda held out her hand and Jacques shook her hand firmly.
“Welcome aboard, Miranda. Yes, you are hired and you have Diane to thank for that. Please sit down and we will go over the details.” Jacques flashed her a warm smile.

After 2 hours of talking and Miranda going over the employee’s handbooks, Jacques gave her a tour of the building and took her to her own private office. She was left there to read more until the mail came. By then she would have her instructions on what to expect on her first full day. She felt so relieved and happy at her new job.

[Foster]

Private Salva Nhialenkempfer had recently returned to his barracks in Juba from another mission checking the bush for rebel activity in and around the Blue Nile district of South Sudan. As part of the 4th Sudanese People's Liberation Army Commandoes, he kept getting sent on such intensive missions in the wilderness on his own. He set down his kalisnikov and binoculars as his squad-mates went to their bunks; Slava however was greeted by a widely-grinning lieutenant and brought into a disused office.

Rumors were spreading that they were starting to embed foriegn journalists into their units, and apparently they were correct. However the line of questions regarding his knowledge of the wildlife, what was safe to eat, and he once became left-behind and had to survive in the bush with just the clothes on his back on a long slogging march through the Sudd wetlands before collapsing from exhaustion and dysentary at Yirol, where he had to be airlifted back to Juba during the wet season. In either case, the lieutenant smiled, nodded, and told him to take the rest of the week off and prepare for a 'special mission' of hand-holding some foriegner as they took pictures of kittens.

Salva gave a crisp salute, turned, and punched the doorframe with his fist on the way out. Apparently big cats were now more important than people.

[Aisling]

Over the next two weeks, Miranda was put in a variety of tests from vehicle repair to target practice with an Desert Eagle which was a nice upgrade from her Colt that her father had purchased for her many years ago. She was able to set up camp in under an hour by herself with the new equipment. So new that no even knew how it worked outside of the company until now. She was given a spending allowance to purchase what was needed for the trip.

She was now on a boat that was in Mombasa, Kenya waiting for customs to give their ok to disembark. She had done her homework and knew that she would have to most likely stay in h the Lantana Galu BeachHotel until her guide came to get her. She was not yet told of her guide's name but she was sure that the guide would be a good one.

A letter sent out a couple weeks ago to Private Salva Nhialenkempfer. Hopefully, it will arrive in plenty of time so that the guide can be at the hotel by the Miranda got there.
Innovative Ideas Company
PO Box 20178
Los Angeles, Ca

Colonel Philip Aguer, SPLA media-relations division
4th Sudanese People's Liberation Army Commandoes
Juba, Africa
Attn: Private Salva Nhialenkempfer
To: Private Salva Nhialenkempfer
I have received your name as having a possible guide in Juba. Innovative Ideas Company is in need of an excellent guide.
The Innovative Ideas Company started several years ago with fresh new ideas from newly graduated young people by a few backers interested in preserving our planet. Various chemistry majors were hired to make eco-friendly solutions to cleaning whether it was the human body, the home, the work place or the environment itself.
After five years of growth, Innovative Ideas Company started making various product lines that use solar power, focusing on the great out of doors and camping. The camping products that are made are of the finest materials and insure that the product is not only affordable, safe but durable enough to last the life time of the purchaser.
We have now completed the food line for the camper and are field testing it with various people. We also finished our extreme camping gear for the serious camper. Our latest idea is to compile all of our product information, sales catalogue, field test results and exciting pictures of the great out of doors with our consumers.
One of our new field testers, Miranda Westlake will be our field tester in Kenya. She will be arriving in soon. I am sure that she will work with you and will cooperate in any way that she can. You will be given a flat fee of 20,000 and will have a salary of $5,000 a month for 3 months as well as a spending account for various expenses. A MasterCard is issued in the your name with a cap of $10,000. A spending log will need to be kept and weekly expense list will be turned in on each Monday morning by email.
Enclosed is the list of what will be needed and your combination to the briefcase. The briefcase will be sent with Miranda if you choose to accept the position of jungle guide.

Sincerely,
Jacques Stephenwolf
Jacques Stephenwolf

Required items:
1) A four wheel all-terrain vehicle that will be provided for you.
2) Maps of surrounding areas where Miranda can shoot various animals, both during the day and during the night.
3) A central location so that a main camp can be set up at.
4) If there is more, Miranda will contact you personally.

[Foster]

Salva's "furlough" was short-lived, as he was soon strolling through the motor-pool trying to haggle himself a '97 Toyota Hilux with the larger 2.8L engine, delivering a greater torque of 139 ft-pounds and 90 horsepower. The guard was not willing to give-up the general's '07 model built in South Africa with 143 horsepower. Not only this, but the newer truck still had functional air-conditioning and an extended cab, allowing one to travel in relative comfort despite the 35+ (Celsius) degree heat-wave. At the rate this Nuer was haggling, he was lucky to get a model with a working all-wheel drive at all.

After finally getting a truck that did not show too many obvious signs of mud-induced rust or sun-peeled paint, he had the truck mounted with a PKM machine-gun and a sling-seat, he then went through the streets to find a Dinka willing to drive them around for about two thousand dollars, American. At this point he was thankful the rear-window of the Hilux he'd "leased" from the motor-pool had the rear-window shot-out, so he could direct the driver by nudging his shoulders with his feet.

Maps were actually pretty easy, a quick trip to the tourist office, and borrowing a photocopier for about 15 minutes produced about a hefty booklet of annotated papers regarding places to see, places to avoid, and friendly reminders that the Sudd was going to swell and flood the outlaying areas in about 70 days or less -dicker around the Nile at your own risk.

Then came the issue of procuring provisions. The letter said the client was going to be well-fed, but it said nothing of himself, their vehicle, or water; there was also a chance they could make a grave mistake. Water, paraffin-fuel, and coal-diesel were the important aspects, and lined the truckbed-interior. A roof-rack was also mounted, allowing a tarpaulin to be erected to form a crude tent, as it tended to rain quite hard whenever it did.

Setting-up a base-camp was probably the hardest part, but a few phone-calls set themselves up a reservation in a garrision-town outside Rumbek, notable as being one of the few cities with a modern hospital and a still-functional airport.

As the days passed and he came to trust the hired-help not to crash into a ditch full of mines and explode, it was time to go and fetch this "M. Westlake" person. The military's Beechcraft 1900 VIP business-jet was sent to Kenya's Moi airport specificly to pick-up this person, and to pick up a fresh shipment of firearms, medical supplies, and war-correspondents.

[Aisling]

Miranda was finally released to go to the hotel. Following the directions that she was given, Miranda was able navigate her way to Lantana Galu Beach Hotel. There she parked the specialized jeep with the trailer in a double parking spot. Once she was out of the Jeep, she turned on the OnStar feature which would alert her and anyone around that someone was bothering the jeep or trailer. With her two suitcases, Miranda went inside to register. Then she went to her room where she put her belongings in before going back out to get her other things that she wanted out of the Jeep. She needed to do some research and studying of Juba and the surrounding area.

Once she was back in her suite, Miranda put her laptop on the table in the living room area. Also there was a briefcase of brochures and maps that she had found. Next came a warm soak in the tub before she began to do some work before she ordered her dinner. While waiting for her food, she began to read some of the pamphlets she was able to find.

[Foster]

Salva left the airport on foot, disarmed save for a messenger's-bag of papers, and his uniform 'sanitized' of any distinguishing markings. He more looked like someone outfitted almost holistically in mil-surplus rather than a soldier on-leave in a foreign country.

Many hours later he came across the Lantana G. Beach Hotel, with many expensively decked-out cars parked in front; a few had been looted of small items left unattended, little things that could have been 'misplaced'.

Inside, he was greeted by the stiff wind of an air-conditioner going full-blast in the lobby. Fetching a cool paper cup of water, he showed his identification and asked to check the registry to ensure they rung-up the correct room. Salva was then directed to sit and wait patiently for his client to come down and sit with him in the lobby; he briefly protested, but was informed this policy was for the privacy and safety of their clients.

[Aisling]

Miranda was notified that she had a guest in the lobby. She spoke to say that she was coming right down. After a quick check in the mirror, Miranda went downstairs to meet her guide.
Once she was at the desk the clerk pointed over to a man in uniform sitting in the lobby. She looked at his paper work and was sure that this was the person who was to meet her. She took the paper work and walked over to Salva.

"Private Salva Nhialenkempfer, I am Miss Miranda Westlake. I have been expecting you to arrive. You have a room next to mine. I'll let you settle in then we shall meet in a private conference room where I will tell you about this project I have. I do hope that will be satisfactory to you." she spoke in a warm musical voice and with a smile.