Canada, British Columbia, Victoria.
Inside Akal Airport, local officials were forming a welcoming party, silently awaiting the arrival of their guests.
They had received notice just last night that China and America were about to hold commercial talks in Victoria and needed the local government to provide a venue. The request came from America, and naturally, the authorities could not refuse.
But why were these two entities holding business talks here?
The Victoria authorities simply treated it as some intriguing little episode, preparing no more than the necessary protocols.
The sky began to fill with the roar of engines, and the people on the ground craned their necks for a while before seeing two C17 transport planes land safely under the escort of four F15s.
The persons disembarking weren't the officials they had speculated about but rather a group of fierce-looking American soldiers.
