NEW Story: Lighter
A Government Jet
The Prime Ministers of Vekllei take a vow of humility upon taking office. This means they have to live on the Parliament Grounds in protected rural acreage, in modest homes known as lodges that are built in a traditional Vekllei style. This spirit of servitude exists in many aspects of a Prime Minister’s term, from their humble remuneration to their suits and carriage.
The humility of person, however, does not mean the humility of state. The 4th Commonwealth takes great pride in its industrial and social achievements, and so diplomats and ministers travel in Vekllei aircraft built for diplomacy, as indicators of wealth and taste – social vectors for good business. To this end, the Air Force maintains a fleet of bare-metal jets for official business inside and outside the Commonwealth.
This Comen Firewick ‘60 jet has been extensively modified for the security and comfort of the Vekllei public servant. It is a medium-sized government aircraft mostly used for flights within the Commonwealth, stretching the width and depth of the Atlantic. It is easily identifiable as a government jet by its bare-metal livery, which is consistent among the government fleet and is intended to draw attention to the craftsmanship of Vekllei machines. Like most Vekllei jet aircraft, it is primarily a nuclear-electric vessel that uses auxiliary combustion engines for take-off and redundancy. This is a feature of the air-cooled reactor systems in Vekllei aircraft, which require reaching cruising speed to “switch over” to nuclear-electric propulsion.
The Firewick 60 is well-liked for its distinctive skylights, which allow views of the sky or stars from the cabin. Its interior is well-lighted, though narrower than the wide-body and mono-wing sister aircraft in the government fleet.