SDN World 3 Story Thread I

[Agent Sorchus]

Khartoum admiralty Office
Early February 1925
Admiral Kader listened impatiently as the Naval Analysts finished their briefing. Really all the analysts could say was the obvious, the Dominion Navy was ill prepared to make a full fight of it and the Sheppistanis needed the might of their navy to ward off the Dominion. We wouldn't even have to consider this if the Sultan hadn't have taken the gulf of Aden incident as an insult to his honor. Unfortunately the economic advisers had supported this initiative due to the economic concerns of losing travel through the red sea and the Suez.

Most of the Navy had their own concerns with the continuing Shepistani Separatist War, but that one incident had not convinced the Navy that there was anything amiss from the status quo in that conflict. The briefing was rapping up with little more said than in any of the previous weeks'.

"Thank you gentleman, is there anything specific that the Navy has to concern itself with that is different than normal?"

"The Economic minister is avid about the prevention of mine warfare in either the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden," one of the analysts said after a moment of contemptuous contemplation.

"Of course and the Admiralty shall take that into consideration."


Later the Sultan's Palace
The gardens of the Palace bespoke glory and ethereal beauty in the light of his name sake. The full moon once again graced the sky with its glorious presence. Only the faintest of touches gave the garden the grace and serenity Allah alone had granted to the moon. Maybe I was too forceful with Dominion and Shepistani's, both nations should know better. The Germans really pulled out all the stops to put down the diplomatic boot, I never expected that many nations of such a diverse background to agree so readily. Or are we really that diverse in Allah's eyes?

One of the midnight trains broke the calm. Actually that was not true, the sound of the horns and the clatter of the rails were mesmerizing. That was the new sound of war industry and progress. Still the sound of drums and horns was recognizable as it had been in the past. War would come again to grace the Lords creation, like it had when Mohammad had spread the word like a true revolutionary. Revolution has been called, but I am bound for their is no way for me to ever give in to the call. If I could spare this world the coming war would I pay the cost? Jesus the Profit would have, but Mohammad would have fought the war on the side o f the righteous. But who truly is...



Open letter from the Sultan of Sudan
to Both the Freedom conference and the Socialist conference of the Hague
In this day of wonder and advancement the sound of progress fills our ears. The wireless hums out glories of technology. It has deafened us to the calls of peace and comradeship. we ignore the cries of our neighbor even as we lust after their homes and resources. It is unavoidable that these passions will drive us, however Allah did not create us to be driven by passions alone. The Generous one gave us a single important trait, one that in this day is underutilized even as we exploit all else that he created. Compassion is the one thing that I hope neither conference forgets, compassion for the worker and compassion for those who seek freedom.

It is with much regret that I nor a representative can bring these words to grace your conferences'.

Sincerly,
Abu As'Ad Badr ibn Anass al-Rashid al-Khartoum

OoC: just use Badr ibn Anass as the name

[Lonestar]

The Gold Palace


"...Moving on to molybdenum. While the Manchu Kingdom is a major supplier, the majority of our molybdenum comes from Cascadia and South America. This will hinder the production of higher grades of steel..."

Finally, the leader of the Labour Party, Lord Winton, spoke up. "Excuse me Doctor, but can you bottom line it?"

Blitzschlag twitched, with his pipe moving. "Lord Winton, the Special Industrial Group has long been tasked with studying what the effects of a Shepistani Blockade would be..."

Lord Fairfax held up a hand. "Doctor. Please."

Blitzschlag shrugged. "Best case scenario? The economy will severely stagnate. Fortunately, our largest trading partner has opt to sit this out, and the Britishers seem to have adopted a wait-and-see attitude..."

"And if they choose to betray us, their 'Enclaves' will soon be removed!" Lord Wythe of the Whigs roared. Blitzschlag shook his head.

"In fact Lord Wythe, we would need to Enclaves to remain as a backdoor, so to speak. Not taking any aggressive action against them would encourage the Britishers to relax the trading restrictions. But the bottom line. Our economy will severely stagnate, for several years. Perhaps a decade. While we produce a lot of finished products, we would be unable to meet the production quotas to maintain anything like our currently quality of life, and specifically, our status on the world stage. The Navy would sit in port. The army would be somewhat better off, but our army can only be used to influence the Schismatics, not others." Blitzschlag paused. "I am, of course, assuming that this is merely a 'paper' blockade, and not a situation where the Europeans and Americans are actively trying to shut off all trade, both from foriegn parties and our overseas territories."

"What will this do to the German economy?"

"Ah, Lord Protector, our primary export to Germany is high protein animal feed. Something like 10% of their feed comes from us. But the Americans would be able to pick up the slack easily enough, and while American labor is much more expensive, the disruption to the German economy will not be all that great. As for ourselves, we will be seeing a shortfall of precision instruments, which, of course, is of extreme importance in fabricating military equipment. We can get instruments elsewhere, but they would not be as good."

There were some mutterings around the table.

"Thank you Herr Doktor." Lord Fairfax said. Blitzschlag bowed and indicated to his aides to remove the posterboards. Blitzschlag, head of the Special Industrial Group, had made a name for himself during the influenza pandemic, where he had seriously proposed isolating the most virulent strains to be released over Shepistani cities. The study had gotten as far as the release of common cold germs into native cantons for modeling purposes. He had a bit of a mad scientist look about him. Probably because he was mad. Lord Fairfax looked around.

"Comments from the Joint War Staff?"

Marshal Piper sighed, and glanced down the binder Blitzschlag had handed out. "Sir, things are very grim. The doctor just got finished giving a best case scenario if that idiot Sänger manages to get most of the big names onboard. But I think we have to assume the worst." Piper leaned forward and intertwined his hands. "The Germans are taking steps to expand their influence in the Indian Ocean, at the expense of ourselves and the Shepistanis. I would be very surprised if this was not just to stage for a war against us."

Richard Ved, from the Social Democrats, was aghast. "Marshal, you are not serious!"

Listen to me you little half-caste... Piper shook his head. "Mr. Ved, the Germans have just spent the last decade consolidating their hold over Central Europe. With Russia to the Right of them, and France to the Left, they are restricted in expanding their power in Europe. There cannot, I think, be any doubt that they are using this idiocy as a golden opportunity to expand overseas."

There was silence as the gathered Powers That Be digested this. Lord Wythe spoke.

"Grand Admiral, what are our military options?"

"We are currently preparing to mine the Gulf of Aden, if the situation calls for it. Battle Squadron #2 and the Station ships will provide heavy screens for the liners that just arrived for the routine Convoy Q1A in Araby to lay the initial barrage. We have people at the Canal watching for the transit of major units of the German and Egyptian Navy, but by our count," Saldana paused as he shuffled some papers "there are three private telegraph companies and two diplomatic lines it'll go through before the information reaches us. If the transiting force decides to just make a bolt for it with only a squadron or so, they could cause a fair amount of trouble. Understand, this is only a temporary option. The HSF is larger than ours, and I think it's safe to assume the Egyptians, at least, would provide capital units for any punitive expedition. It would delay the arrival of the HSF into the Indian Ocean, but not stop it."

"How much of a Delay?" Lord Winton asked.

Saldana shrugged. "They would be here in time for the summer campaign season."

"Would that be enough time?"

"Enough time for what, Lord Winton?"

"To build the ships needed to stop them!"

There was a look of puzzlement around the table. Saldana spoke again.

"Lord Winton, even with all the ships under construction or fitting out...no, we still don't have the ships to stop them."

"What about those damn ships you came to my committee asking for?"

"The Centurions and Mercurys? The committee decided against authorization, remember?" Saldana was keeping a perfectly straight face, while Vice Admiral Berube of Naval Intelligence was struggling to keep a smile under control

Winton turned beet red. "Well, if they were authorized right now would they be ready in time?"

"You are asking if 4 46,000 ton battleships, and 4 42,000 ton Battle cruisers, both brand new designs, would be ready for duty by summer?" Trust a LEFTIST not to understand production... "No, Lord Winton, they would not be ready for duty by then."

There was some chuckling, but Winton spoke again. "Then when, you imbecile?"

"Oh," Saldana paused and scratched his chin. "1930. Maybe a year or 18 months before then, but I like to assume unexpected difficulties will turn up."

More laughter. Lord Winton stood up. "Listen you...."

"That's enough Lord Winton." The Lord Protector said. "Sit down. Foreign Minister Berman, any word from the Schismatics?"

"From their government? Nary a peep sir." Vladimir Berman said. "I understand that Admiral 'Jesus Christ' Fisher wants to have both of our navies to work in tandem against the interlopers in 'the family affair', but, uh, that isn't the actual position of the Maximilian's government."

Saldana piped up. "Sir, I might add that even with the SFS Navy the correlation of forces are extremely adverse...."

"Yes Admiral, thank you." Lord Fairfax said irritably. "In any event, I bet the Schismatics are getting ready to throw us under the bus...."

"The...the bus?" Lord Lars Lars, from the Christian Democrats said. There were equal looks of confusion around the table. "What, uh, what does 'throw under the bus' mean?"

Fairfax furrowed his brow. Where had that phrase came from? "Uh..."

"Judging from the context, I would say it means something like casting blame on us." Blitzschlag said. He was pufifng his pipe furiously and looking at Fairfax in a thoughtful manner. Fairfax found that unsettling.

"Right, so, I think we're going to have to give an apology, of sorts." Fairfax said. Wythe and Lars Lars both stood up and started yammering about the honour of the Dominion, but Fairfax banged his gravel down. Wythe glared.

"Lord Protector, your job is to ensure that the honour...."

"Lord Wythe, my job, as the title implies, is to ensure the protection of this nation. Now, here is what we are going to do..."


Official Grand Dominion Foreign Ministry release

The Grand Dominion has received the note that has been issued, and responds to the onerous demands thusly:

(1)We regret the loss of any life and property in the Grand Dominion Gulf.

(2)While we believe that there is insufficient evidence calling for immediate punishment to the ship's company of the Godfrey, the commanding officer has been relieved and placed on half-pay pending an official investigation. The Admiralty has reiterated to all post captains what is expected of them while conducting searches for contraband in the Grand Dominion Gulf.

(3)Notwithstanding the above, the regret expressed or the relief of the CO of the Godfrey can in no way be construed as an admittance of guilt on behalf of the Grand Dominion. We maintain that these actions are more in keeping with the Schismatics in Shepistan.

(4)Finally, we would like to re-emphasis that the Grand Dominion Gulf is a warzone, and the Grand Dominion reserves the right to stop vessels to search for contraband. The only vessels specifically excluded are British-flagged vessels bound for the Pondicherry enclaves. Any foreign ship found to be falsely flying under the British flag shall be impounded by the Grand Dominion as a war prize.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Letter to the Lord Protector of Grand Dominion

Dear Sir,

The Emperor of the Imperium Romanum would like to restate its offer to discuss with a few matters of collective importance, including the movement of ships through the waters leading to Asia from the Suez Canal. We also would like to negotiate potentially profitable trade deals between our two nations as well. While our name is on the German proposal, we personally believe that a diplomatic solution to the problem will be far more beneficial than open conflict and are prepared to be flexible in our positions. We are prepared to offer discounts on certain goods from Byzantium as well as other possible incentives. Trade is important for both our nations, and war or any possible point of consternation serves to impede trade.

We would also would like to stress our complete neutrality in any Shepistani-Grand Dominion conflict and have no wish in interfering in any affairs between your two nations.

Regards,
Exarch Ignatius Korolev

[Lonestar]

The Gold Palace

"Eh? What's this now?" Fairfax said, glancing at the diplomatic message that had arrived on his desk at this late hour.

Letter to the Lord Protector of Grand Dominion

Dear Sir,

The Emperor of the Imperium Romanum would like to restate its offer to discuss with a few matters of collective importance, including the movement of ships through the waters leading to Asia from the Suez Canal. We also would like to negotiate potentially profitable trade deals between our two nations as well. While our name is on the German proposal, we personally believe that a diplomatic solution to the problem will be far more beneficial than open conflict and are prepared to be flexible in our positions. We are prepared to offer discounts on certain goods from Byzantium as well as other possible incentives. Trade is important for both our nations, and war or any possible point of consternation serves to impede trade.

We would also would like to stress our complete neutrality in any Shepistani-Grand Dominion conflict and have no wish in interfering in any affairs between your two nations.

Regards,
Exarch Ignatius Korolev

"Hmmm..."

Fairfax began to scrawl a note, which would later be polished and typed up.

Exarch Korolev,

Greetings and Salutations. I wish your emperor good health.

The Grand Dominion, as always, is ready to discuss matters of trade and conduct with her neighbors. I will be glad to send a special envoy to Constantinople for discussion purposes. Due to the current international situation, the envoy may be delayed in reaching the Golden Horn until appropriate transit arrangements will be made. It is likely that a GDN warships, either a coastal defense battleship or cruiser, will be assigned as transport. This is pending authorization from your government, of course. I am sure that the envoy and ship's crew will also like to make a few ports of call, in order to extend our good will and cultural exchange between our two great peoples.

Yours in Christ

M.B. Bucher
Lord Fairfax
Lord Protector of the Grand Dominion of the Indies

[Siege]

Hotel el-Mataar
Maṣr el-Gedīdah, Cairo



MacBride studied the men carefully. It was hard to tell which one of them was more dangerous. Abu Hamza certainly looked like the leader, a tall young man in a white khameez, black suit jacket and turban. A leader, yes. Dangerous? Not obviously. He carried no visible weapons, but there was something about the casual ease with which he leaned back in his chair that said here was a man to be reckoned with. MacBride did not doubt that within the elegant Cairo villa there were a hundred armed men on call.

The huge Bedouin who stood behind Hamza's chair certainly looked deadliest. He was as out of place in this opulently furnished chamber as a camel in a mosque. His clothing was battered and simple. He held a naked dagger in one hand and a Mauser C96 in the other. Scars marked his impassive face. His nose was broken. Here was a man who had seen many battles and survived them all. In a fight he would be deadly, yet he represented the sort of danger MacBride knew he could handle.

The old man who squatted cross-legged at Hamza's feet did not look dangerous at all. His eyes glazed from the narcotic opium he sucked from his jade pipe bowl. His brown dishdasha was blotched with stains. He looked tiny and frail. His cheekbones stuck out prominently. His eyes were huge and dark as the night. No, he did not look dangerous. Yet appearances here were deceptive. The man was some kind of mystic, MacBride guessed. He would have great powers or he would not be an adviser to so powerful a thief-prince as Abu Hamza.

He discounted the two muscular young men who flanked the door. Each bore a revolver, each showed the hard musculature of constant Silat Mumbai practice but neither presented a threat compared to the other three.

MacBride finally came to a conclusion. Abu Hamza was the most dangerous. The young man had not risen to become a prince of the Cairo thieves guild by being a fool or a weakling. He had about him an air of command, of a man who could summon hidden resources at will. He was as dangerous as a poison scorpion, clever as a jinn.

“You have not heard my question!”

The thief-prince looked up as if startled by the sound of MacBride's voice. He smiled, as if he understood that his opponent's rudeness was caused simply by his condition as a foreigner.

“I was thinking, old friend. I was trying to imagine who would be foolish enough to send an assassin to slay a Sheik who has the ear of the Sultan.”

MacBride heard the curiosity glitter in the younger man's voice. It was well controlled but it was there. If Abu Hamza was an actor then he was a good one. MacBride could easily believe that he was intrigued by the whole business.

Of course, there were other factors that confirmed what the thief was saying. The first and most obvious was that he would not even be speaking to Michael MacBride if he himself had ordered the attack. The second was that he and Hamza had had many dealings over the years. If you dabbled in affairs of questionable legality it was good to have the thieves guild on your side.

The old man looked up at Abu Hamza with the weary eyes of an opium addict. Hamza leaned forward and the man whispered something in his ear. The thief nodded twice and then stood up. He moved across the room, opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony, then he gestured for MacBride to follow.

MacBride stepped out onto the balcony unafraid. From here he could see right over the tumbling torrent of houses, palaces, warehouses and mosques running down the hills all the way to the Nile harbors in the distance. A zeppelin drifted across the clouds, its reflection visible in the water of the great river. “Once, MacBride, my Guild ruled the night from here unto the other side of Cairo. Once I could run to the Nile over the rooftops without ever touching the ground. No more.”

MacBride kept silent, thinking these were bad times when you heard a gangster yearning for the good old times.

“I believe the men who tried to kill you were Desert Scorpions, trained mercenary killers of the Muzziena Bedouins. You should know that we are at war with them and we are losing. They are backed by new and powerful interests. Grand Vizier al-Azhari himself is said to favor them.”

“How do you know this?”

“We have our eyes and we have our ears. Few words are spoken in the halls of the powerful that do not reach me, one way or the other.”

“Why did they try to kill the European Count?”

“I would guess because his agenda of modernity and his new industries are an insult to some of the supporters of the Vizier. Many of their plans are thwarted simply by not having full control over the industrial might of the Sultanate. I would imagine they prepared a dishonorable death for the Count as revenge.”

“You can prove this?”

Hamza shook his head. “I can prove nothing. Even if I could, it would mean nothing. This involves the very court of the Sultan himself. Who could I bring charges against? Who would believe me?”

MacBride nodded slowly. “Then it is as I had thought. We must dismantle this conspiracy ourselves.”

“How? Will you storm the Citadel single-handed? The Sheiks who conspire against you command thousands of men. What will you do? What can you do? The Guild has struggled against them for years, but it is futile. If they want him dead, your Count will die. It is only a matter of time.”

MacBride scratched his chin. “Do not underestimate the Count. I did not think it at first, but I must admit he is resourceful. If there is a way to do this, I have a feeling he will find it...”

[Thanas]

Berliner Zeitung
New Spanish-German Naval cooperation signed

Today, the Spanish ambassador signed an agreement that would shape the ongoing naval cooperation of the two nations for the next three years. Under the agreement, both Spanish and German expertise would flow into the construction of the new flagships of the Spanish Navy. Under the agreement, the Spanish Navy would gain 2 40.000 tonnes Battlecruisers and four 40000 tonnes Battleships. Both classes will have a range of 7500 nautical miles and be armed with 8 and 9 16"inch guns respectively. Both will be heavily armored, with the top speed of the Battlecruisers reported as being 30-32 knots. When questioned whether the gun would be the 16.5 inch 50 cal already in place on the L20alpha battleships or a new version of the trusted 16inch gun already proven itself in numerous campaigns, the representative of Krupp declined to answer specifics, but added that Krupp has always delivered high-quality artillery pieces.

Further details of the Battleships are kept secret, however it has become known to the Berliner Zeitung that the Battlecruisers will be named Ferdinand II and Isabella I, with the Battleships being named the Francisco Pizarro class. Ferdinand II will be built by Vulcan Stettin, while the Krupp owned Germaniawerft at Kiel will built one Battleship. Another BB will be built by the Naval shipyard at Bremerhaven. The other Battlecruiser and the remaining two Battleships will be built at spanish yards that are operated by the majority-state-controlled El Arsenal Real in Ferrol, Spain. Krupp and Blohm&Voss both hold minority shares in that company.

Representatives of both crowns declined to answer whether this new order was a result of the recent tensions in the Indian Ocean, instead referring to the long tradition of the Armada Espanol and the friendship between both nations.


US-German agreement signed
It is believed that the recent tension in the Indian Ocean were also the reasons behind the USA-Germany Naval accords signed today between the President of the United States and the German Ambassador to the USA. Under the terms of this treaty, Germany and the USA will start a cooperation in naval matters. Among other things, it has been decided that Germany will acquire the remaining two Lexington class Battlecruiser hulls and start converting them into carriers. The German company of Blohm&Voss and the Kaiserliche Werft at Wilhelmshaven will complete conversion to carriers, while the remaing two BC hulls will most likely be converted by the American Navy. Two further hulls will be constructed anew to USA specifications. The resulting carrier design, which was a purely american design but will be adapted by the German Navy, will produce a 36000 tonne carrier capable of a 33knot top speed, a range of 10000 nautical miles and 91 aircraft. Carrier conversion will be finished by the end of 1927. A further cooperation has also been announced regarding Battleship designs. German and American companies were eager to trade expertise in armor and gun design before. This new agreement means that the sharing of such expertise and new designs will now be approved.

Rumours also state that this will be only the first stage in new American-German cooperation, but both foreign ministries have denied such speculations for now, though they openly stated that neither the USA nor Germany have reasons to fear each other and both nations have no designs on their respective territories or zones of influence.

[Thanas]

Berlin
Germany
The Reichskanzlei


The following days after the announcement had been busy days for the Reichskanzler. Thankfully, the German populace was in many ways still distracted by the proceedings in the Indian ocean. Nevertheless, the reactions at home had not been surprising regarding the new announcement of rapproachment. The conservatives had screamed bloody murder, as had the national liberals. Support came mostly from the new territories of Austria, the catholics (who were almost centered in the Rhineland, hence their disaffection for negative relations with france, nevermind the prospect of killing fellow catholics) and the SPD. Thus, the Reichstag had been far less volatile as expected, especially with conservatives being mindful that the recent tensions would require Germany to show a unified front.

The Armed forces had been another matter entirely. Which is why Sänger was now being faced by the Field Marshals Ludendorff and von Mackensen, the Commander and the Chief of Staff of the German Military respectively. Also joining him at the table were Großadmiral von Scheer, the Commander of the Hochseeflotte, Generaladmiral Franz von Hipper, Commander of Naval Operations and Generalleutnant Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen, the commander of the German Air Force - if the few planes the Reich fielded could be called such. While they had been respectful and obedient in public, beyond closed doors they were more candid with their disapproval. Or at least the air forces and the Heer was, Scheer just sat there like the cat that ate the canary. And why shouldn't he - with the likelihood of a war with french reduced, the German Navy could afford to claim that it was more important than the army.

Sänger had heard the statements made by each of them and then responded. "Gentlemen, let's take a look at our strategic situation. To the east and the south we are surrounded by allies. Scandinavia is a good friend and we are the one nation who buys most of their products, especially their ore. Relationships with the Balkan confederacy are improving. Am I missing anything?"

"The threat of Communism", Ludendorff remarked dryly. "They'll have to go through Poland first", Sänger countered. "Also, I am certain diplomatic steps could be taken to alleviate any concerns we have." "The exiles won't like that." Sänger sighed. The Russian Exiles - most of them nobles and wealthy bourgeois with their retainers, as well as the usual proportion of artists, dancers and intellectuals- had been allowed to leave Russia due to an agreement he had himself delivered. Their recovered wealth and political acumen had made them a sizable fraction in German politics, except for the problem that nobody seemed to know what to do with them. "The Exiles are a political, not a military problem." Scheer remarked.

The Reichskanzler nodded. "Thank you, Admiral. Now, regarding your concerns - I think the main problem of the army is that they currently lack an enemy they can prepare against. I have also pledged that the army will receive enough funding to meet any probable threat. What are out threats? Generally, there are none except for the recent trouble in the indian ocean. Our army is strong enough to meet and hold out against any European threat. The real troubles for us at the moment is our lack of a strong airforce and the protection of our sealanes. Nevertheless, I agree that the army needs expansion. Will the following plan for our army and airforce be accceptable?"

Several folders were distributed. Ludendorff and Mackensen took a look at them and blanched. "Herr Doktor, this is not what we had hoped for. The airforce numbers are excellent, but the Heer..."Ludendorff started. "Will it suffice?" "Ja, Herr Kanzler", von Mackensen interjected. "Along the new situation of the reservists, it will suffice, but barely." "Excellent. Now for the Navy..."

Scheer nodded. "The Navy supports all plans, especially the recent budget proposal."

"Then the meeting is concluded. Gentlemen, it has been an honor and a pleasure. Admirals, please stay behind." As the rest filed out after shaking hands with the chancellor, Mackensen nodded at Scheer: "How does my ship fare at the moment?" Scheer smiled. "We'll see."


When the two were alone in the office, Sänger poured two glasses of scotch and handed one to the admiral. After having taken a few sips, Scheer proceeded to ask: "Reichskanzler, what of the diplomatic front?" "No response from the Sheppos and an apology of sorts from the Dominion." Scheer snorted. "Yes, I have seen the communique. It is a non-offer."

Sänger nodded. "True, but a first step nonetheless. Also, the recent Dominite transgressions have painted themselves in a corner - no nation will see them as being reasonable states anymore. Fairfax apparently has recognized how easily he has been outmaneuvered, which means that we better not provoke him anymore. According to our psychologists, he has a high sense of pride but also quite the calculating mind, if he puts it to use. However, there can be no doubt that the recent diplomatic movement is far from satisfactory."

A knock on the door interrupted the chancellor, the door opening to reveal his valet carrying a message. "A telegram from the Kaiser, Herr Reichskanzler." Sänger took the telegram and after reading it, passed it over to Scheer and Hipper.

SÄNGER - am delighted by honour given by French government - am equally delighted by new Naval plan - do not get too close to the french - am concerned about army - pirates must be punished - do not give in to the barbarians - will return within the next week-Expect a surprise

"Tell his majesty that the Fleet will form an honour guard for his arrival at Kiel." When the valet had departed, Scheer turned to the Reichskanzler. "You had the Kaiser take a vacation so that the press could not get him to make a gaffe and to keep him from being angered by the french, while he was also distracted by the Dominion and Shepistan business. A perfect combination of events - and the Dominion and Sheppistan helped us in that." Sänger declined to answer, finishing his scotch indeed.

"Admirals, let us return to the Indian ocean. What is the status of the fleet?" Hipper replied: "Our ships have shadowed the Schütting until it cleared the contesting space and is now on its way to china. The Dominion did not take the bait."

Sänger nodded, being somewhat relieved. "It was a long shot anyway and I had hated to explain to my Bremer Mitbürgern the loss of a Bremer ship. What is the status of our forces?" Hipper looked at the table. "Sir, they did refuel with the fleet oiler before crossing the Suez and after following the Schütting, they have about 90% of their fuel left. The Egyptians have also offered us the use of their bases for refueling." The Reichskanzler shook his head. "This is generous of them, but I prefer they not get drawn into this. They have been good friends, we should not do anything that might make them a target. The Oiler should have refueled in Genua by now, order it and the rest of the Aufklärungsgeschwader to cross the canal. The Hochseeflotte should be ready to sail at a moment's notice. I pray that it will not come to a war and hopefully the Dominion and Shepistan will be reasonable, but we have to be prepared."

Scheer nodded. "We have also had inquiries by many nations for a multinational force, my staff has drawn the first plans. At the bare minimum, we can count on about 90 Schlachtschiffe and Schlachtkreuzer. There also is another matter - at the moment, the Dominion will probably still sent convoys to the Arabian sea. Shall we interdict?"

Sänger shook his head. "No. No such escalation. Have our ships shadow the convoy, if the Dominion ships approach, let them take a good look at them. keep a respectful distance so that the escorts can guess our presence, but do not give them any excuse to fire at us. If the convoy leaves international waters, break off. Under no circumstances will we be the first to fire."

Hipper interjected. "There is also the concern of a possible mining of the Suez canal." "I am not concerned about that. They know that this would mean war with most European nations and probably some Americans as well. That said, the moment Dominion ships start to lay mines, you will sink them. If the Convoy suddenly resurfaces somewhere in the Gulf of Aden, I want our ships to be in position to sink it. If the Aufklärungsgeschwader cannot find the convoy, "

The Admirals saluted and left, leaving the Reichskanzler to reply to the Dominion's message.


Offizielle Pressemitteilung des Auswärtigen Amtes

The German Empire has received the note of the Grand Dominion and considers it a first step towards a peaceful settlement.

The German Empire thanks the Grand Dominion for opening an investigation into the misconduct of its officers and awaits the results of such an investigation.

Sadly, the German Empire cannot accept the note as an end to the current differences due to several areas in which it was lacking. The Grand Dominion has failed to take any responsibility and has failed to offer compensation for the crimes committed by its Captains. The German Empire furthermore categorically rejects the definition of the Gulf as a warzone as means of shifting blame.

Unless those reasonable and fair demands are met, the German Empire will not be satisfied and will request that the embargo be instated at the end of the next week. The German Empire stresses the importance of a peaceful resolution and would like to add that it will institute a system to make up for lost trade of all nations participating in an embargo.

The German Empire wishes to add that it was not the German Empire that started this, but the actions of officers of Shepistan and the Grand Dominion.

Signed,
Reichskanzler Dr. Johannes Sänger

Arabian Sea
German Aufklärungsgeschwader
SMS Ziethen, flag


Konteradmiral Erich Raeder looked over his assembled forces. The pride of the German Navy, the scouting geschwader had crossed the Suez a week before, shadowing the Schütting. Both Egyptians and Byzantines had given their tacit approval of this, the Egyptians even going so far as to allow a high speed channel crossing at night, with the banks swept for Dominion or Sheppo spies by the egyptian army - and now that the Schütting was out of danger, the Geschwader was ready to be cut loose. The chancellor had hoped the Dominion would take the bait and try to intercept the Schütting, so that their repeated piracy would be exposed and properly punished. But this had not happened and the Schütting was now steaming along happily, soon disappearing over the horizon, her crew much relieved.

The German Geschwader, upon receiving the new orders, was now steaming back into the Arabian sea, preparing to meet with the rest of the Aufklärungsgeschwader. Raeder looked back upon his assembled forces, his heart swelling with pride at the sight of them.

Forming the rear of the squadron were SMS Derfflinger and Hindenburg. The two battlecruisers had been extensively rebuilt to oil-firing ships before. With their 8 x 30.5 cm /50cal cannons they were formidable opponents for anyone who dared to mess with the German Navy. Forming the lead ship of the squadron was SMS Seydlitz, the proud former - now oil-firing - flagship of the HSF Aufklärungsgeschwader, her crack gunnery skils still envied by other nations.

All of those were eclipsed however by the six ships forming the main element of his forces. There were the two Yorck-class Battlecruisers, SMS Yorck and Mackensen, each sporting 8 15inch guns, products of the 1919 Naval law. And finally, the pride of the German Navy, the four Ziethen class battlecruisers, each armed with 9x16"/50 cal guns. With their 16" belt and 7" deck armor, they were often referred to as fast battleships, but the German Navy preferred the designation of Schlachtkreuzer, citing their high speed in excess of 30 knots. Thus, the Ziethen, Roon, Schlieffen and Prinz Heinrich represented the pinnacle of German engineering - well, at least until the six Bismarck class ships would enter service.


Charging forward to meet them were Moltke, Goeben, Von der Tann and Lützow, who were now steaming out of Pola. Raeder would try and wait for them, but if they would not arrive in time, he would try to make the German presence felt without them. Already, some of the 18 seaplanes of the fleet were in the air, trying to find any Dominion ship or major formation.


"All ahead standard."

[Lascaris]

The Volkville, official organ of the Partido Communista Cisplatina

Imperialism on the march! Argentine bourgeois imperialist nationalists and Spanish fascists threatening workers revolutions in Latin America! Argentine warmongers announcing massive military buildup aimed at the peace loving peasants and workers of the fraternal socialist republics of Bolivia and Brazil. Spanish fascists into major build-up with help of German imperialists. Read on page two article of PCC general secretary Arturo Van Huyten on how Cisplatina is the true target of Argentine imperialistic warmongers as socialist states are always peace loving and abhorring aggression. Bourgeois government at Niew Amsterdam doing nothing against the imminent threat to the republic from Argentinospanish fascist imperialist warmongers. Comrade Van Huyten to demand in the parliament in the name of the workers for immediate measures to match the imperialists military buildup. Army units on the Brazilian border must be immediately repositioned to meet the real threat from the south instead of imaginary threats from Brazil.


The Bludgeon, official organ of the Accion des Patriotes

Bourgeois republicanism once more failing the nation! Corrupt government doing nothing against threats to la patria internal and external. Red communists in Brazil massively expanding armed forces in their quest of placing Latin America under the red yoke. Argentine republicans untrustworthy like all governments operating under the fallacious doctrine of bourgeois parliamentarianism, just one step away from socialism. Cisplatina must establish army and navy second to none in the continent in protection of our sacred soil from Reds and crypto-reds alike. Caudillo Arturio Steinmeier tp demant in the parliament in the name of the nation immediate measures to match the communists military buildup.


The Niew Amsterdam zeitung

It is a rare occasion when Accion des Patriotes and PCC two parties best known for their thugs brawling against each other in back alleys agree on something in the parliament as both parties did yesterday in their demands for increased military spending even if they demanded it for diametrically opposed reasons. It is an even more rare occasion when there is some logic behind their demands as it is this paper's opinion that the government and parliament must take into careful consideration the massive military preparations taking place around our borders.


Folha de Florianopolis

Foreign minister Porfyrio Papadakis visiting Rio de Janeiro to continue negotiations on outstanding issues between the two countries as 3rd Armeegruppe continues planned large scale training maneuvers with thousands of reservists participating near the border with Brazil.

Two dozen Brazilians seeking asylum from Brazil collected by border patrols. They will be given residency papers after their interrogation by the DISNA (Dirección de Securitad Nacional) is completed.

The 4 recently completed Piet Heyn class armoured cruisers to conduct extended training exercises in the Indian ocean. Piet Heyn, Hendrick Lonck, Johan Maurits and Jacob Willekens are 18,000 tons ships designed to operate independently far from home in order to protect the republic's overseas trade. The navy and foreign ministries made no comments on journalists questions whether the dispatch of the ships is in any way connected with recent troubles involving German and Chinese merchant shipping in the Indian ocean.

[Evincer]

Lima



It was part of Bruno's job to maintain a very observant eye over everything foreign and domestic. Today, he realized, his emphasis was about to shift to the foreign. As he walked to the Foreign Office, he gazed at one of the new Inkas residences. They really were built well, he mused, and popular because of their convenient links to the subways. But there just were not enough of them, not enough for the Bolivarian Union's growing class of workers.

As he rounded the corner, he saw a policeman with a Destroyer Carbine, a handy little bolt-action in the standard pistol caliber.

"It's a good thing that commercial manufacturers are picking up the slack," he thought, since the army rifles had never become surplussed.

The authorities' dubious continuing decision to build the rifles with match barrels, extensively rearsenelling and refitting them every decade, had slowed production to the point where there were barely enough to equip all of the standing and reserve forces. New troops were going to require new production.

Perhaps the equipping of tertiary forces had become an afterthought. Unlike his new change in orders, the national emphasis had shifted from the foreign to the domestic. Or had it? "Ah, here it is!" The new landmark he had added to his mental map was the construction of the "Phase II" Inkas residence. Ostensibly a larger housing project, it was built like a fortress. Not an armed fortress, like the many gun forts that dotted the coast and Southern border, but rather a mass of concrete and steel that had provided an aesthetic challenge for Bolivarian architects. Extending deep underground, these buildings had clearly been designed to protect people. "In times such as these, the line between the military and domestic becomes increasingly blurred," he said aloud.

Avoiding a streetcar, Bruno made his way through the gardened entryway and gates to the guarded door of the Foreign Office.
Special Agent Bruno Traven prepared to receive his new orders.

[Siege]

Red Sea Fleet Base
Giftun Island, Egypt



The sparse few tourists on the beaches of al-Ghurdaqah saw the warships lumber out of port one by one, picking up speed as they sped onto the free water of the Red Sea. A parade of destroyers and cruisers sallied forth from the fleet base that was the headquarters of the Red Sea Fleet of the Sultanate Navy, lead by the Sheik Shazly, a heavy cruiser of the Misr class.

The vessels would join warships from Jiddah already patrolling the Red Sea. At approximately the same time the ships left Giftun Island the admiralty issued a short bulletin stating that a number of ships had embarked on 'anti-piracy patrols' in the Red Sea. It did not specify whether the ships would patrol solely within the waters of the Sultanate, or if they would also venture farther south.

For the oft-neglected admiralty of the Sultanate the piracy affair was a boon; traditionally they were ignored in favor of the demands for funding the army made, and even the dangerous contraptions of the air corps received more attention than the navy. Such was the fate of naval officers serving a Sultan focused on the affairs of the two continents his domain straddled. But now it looked like they were finally going to receive the funding they had clamored for so long. Inquiries had gone out to the Germans for some of their new ships, and the yards at Alexandria had received orders for new heavy cruisers. For better or worse, the Sultanate Navy would be growing in the coming years.

[Coyote]

He'Kirya Military Headquarters
Tel Aviv
(Converted Royal Hotel)








"You know why the Byzantines and the Sultanate suddenly became so flexible, eh?" Colonel Arik Shaham asked of his peer, David Ben-Gurion, the 'Defense Minister' of the nascent Yishuv.
"And what is your theory, Arik?" he asked lazily, preparing a cigarette for lighting.
"Is it a coincidence that they grant the Yishuv unprecedented autonomy just as the Shepistan-Dominionite war threatens to spill over right here, close to the Suez Canal?" Colonel Shaham asked.

"The Suez Canal?" Ben-Gurion laughed. "That's a Sultanate problem. It has nothing to do with us."
"Bah," Shaham retorted. "The Germans are getting involved, now, as well, and we have a huge German population here. They help us with our Navy, and you say this is a coincidence?"

"They help train our Navy because they are among the best Navies in the world, especially with ships that suit our types of defense needs," Ben-Gurion said. "Also, remember, they have been helping us sine well before this Suez Piracy affair. They wanted to keep an eye on any Russian movement through the Black Sea."

"Another can of worms, David," Colonel Shaham said. "Russia --the Soviet Union-- and Germany narrowly avoid war; then Germany goes and makes friends with France. Will our Russian friends sleep easily with that?"
"The Germans are also reaching out to America and Spain," Ben-Gurion reminded him. "They want to maintain that Bismarckian political influence."

"Or they will be seen as forming a large anti-Communist pact," Shaham said.
Bun-Gurion took a few drags on his cigarette. "What does all this have to do with the Yishuv?" he asked.

"Byzantium, the Sultanate, and the Germans want to use the Yishuv as a base of operations in the Mediterrannean," Shaham said.
"Good for the Jews," Ben-Gurion said. "Fleet bases, money, economic expansion..."
"And the unfavorable attention of the Shepistanis, the Dominionites, and possibly the Russians, if the Soviets becoem paranoid of German diplomatic maneuvering."

"Arik, you forget, we came here to get away from European political intrigue."
"But that political intrigue has followed us here," Shaham warned. "If they use us as a base, and things go badly, the Sultante and Byzantium wash their hands and walk away. Blame the Yishuv. Nothing the Sheppos and Dominos can do about it. To them, anyway."

"So, we're the sacrificial lambs?" Ben-Gurion asked.
"Perhaps," Shaham said.
"I doubt it," Ben-Gurion said. "The Germans don't want to lose a good, stable port in the Med; the Sultan certainly does not want to lose Jerusalem to third parties. Byzantium certainly won't stand by and watch if Shepistan or the Dominion try to step in here, so close to their homes... no," Ben-Gurion said, "Don't be so cynical. We'll help our neighbors as best we can, we'll enjoy the business they bring us, and if things go badly, they'll back us up."

"And of they don't?"
"The desert is a harsh place, Arik," Ben-Gurion said.






Results:
Yishuv takes stock of its new-found autonomy.
Some think it is a golden opportunity; some think it is just Realpolitik in action.

***

[Lonestar]

Battle Squadron #2, Gulf of Aden



The Vanguard, in the Van, of course, continued in it's wide loop of the Gulf, with the other 3 battleships following. Since the stage one of CASE EXODUS had been put into effect, the Battle Squadron had been tasked to patrol the area while awaiting further instructions. Vice-Admiral Tapington stood on the starboard bridge wing, seeking relief from the suffocating heat that the anemic air conditioning worked against inside the skin of the ship. Those jackasses in the Army are getting TANKS with conditioning units now... Tapington thought. Of course, the units in those tanks cost as much as a Duesenberg....

"Admiral?" The OOD had stepped onto the wing. "Received word from the Wake sir, to the Northeast. 'Large Flotilla spotted, capital vessels of the German type.'"

"Thank you LT, remind the Wake not to engage and maintain position in formation."

Battle Squadron #2 Sailed on.


The Gold Palace

"Ha!" Wythe said, once the note had been read to the assembled leadership. "I knew it! Those class traitors are gearing up for war!"

"Class traitors? Why, because they recognize the will of the Russian people instead of the collection of plutocrats and inbred imbeciles that had previously ran the country?" Richard Ved said. Foreign Minister Berman, himself a exile, was turning a shade of puce. Lord Fairfax banged his gravel down.

I think that I would rather go ten rounds with Burmese insurgents than deal with these yahoos one more day. "Grand Admiral Saldana?"

"The German flotilla is going back and forth across the Grand Dominion Gulf, the Enrico Dandalo spotted screens at the Eastern End, and Admiral Tappington has reported the same at the Eastern end of the Gulf of Aden. We have floatplanes up, but Tapington is being cautious: We don't know what the German ROE is for aircraft approaching too closely to the flotilla. All liners are still inport within the port of Aden. The army and naval infantry have done their best for security, but it's safe to say that the Jihadists have already reported that something is up to their Mahdists masters in the Sudan, or the Caliph in Egypt. If nothing else, they know that the Q1B return convoy should have started by now, which may be what the Germans are looking for."

"You think they're planning an interdiction?" Lars Lars said. Saldana shrugged.

"A not insubstantial part of our oil comes from Araby. Dr. Blitzschlag has shown you all the numbers, we're barely breaking even on what's needed internally, and we've had immense difficulties in building up a substantial stockpile for wartime use. Destroying a dozen or so tankers would be an ideal way to kick off a war against us. With the navy so severely limited, our overseas possessions would be cut off. I think Araby would hold out, as would Ceylon, but not our smaller possessions."

"Fine." Fairfax drummed his fingers on the table. "I will not submit our citizens to foreign courts."

"First commonsensical thing you've said all meeting sir, why..."

"Thank you Lord Wythe. I think, however, I would be amenable to having some form of arbitration."

Wythe's face promptly skewed up. "Lord Protector..."

"Admiral Saldana, how much in petty cash do steamers of type that was, ah, 'charged for a toll', typically carry?"

"Not a whole hell of a lot sir. And since the Shepistanis hit the same vessel, I would be very surprised if it was more than 10,000 thalers or so. Everything is wired nowadays anyway, so such merchant vessels can draw on cash for expenses in any port with a telegraph station."

"Dr. Blitzschlag? How much has this cost us already?"

"Hundreds of thousands. The hold up for the return of the Q1B convoy alone..."

"Thank you Doctor. I note that the Schismatics have yet to make an official statement. It would actually be in our benefit if the embargo was leveled against them but not us..."


Foreign Ministry Letter

Reichskanzler Sänger

Greetings and Salutations, I wish the German Emperor good health.

I have received your letter, and unfortunately, I am bound by ancient law to not submit our citizens willingly to a foreign court system. However, I believe the law allows for foreign arbitration. If a third party, such as the Manchu Kingdom or Chiletina, were to agree to act as arbitrator, the Grand Dominion will accept any such rulings(monetary or determination of who is to blame) without protest. The arbitration would be specific to the incident in question, and not allow for any other 'big picture' rulings.

Unfortunately, the Grand Dominion Gulf is a warzone, it's the only entry to the sea that the Schismatics in Shepistan have. As a result we continue to reserve the right to stop and search any merchant vessels for contraband in the Grand Dominion Gulf. There is ample legal precedence for the idea of a 'distant blockade', nations accepted the principle of it during the American Civil War, for example.

Yours in Christ

M.B. Bucher
Lord Fairfax
Lord Protector of the Grand Dominion of the Indies

[Beowulf]

Arabian Sea
German Floatplane

"Hey, we've got a ship down there."

The observer flipped through his Grand Dominion ship recognition book. "Looks like a Dominion Tiger class battlecruiser. Looks like it's providing escort for a couple oil tankers. Probably Manchurian."

Arabian Sea
Manchu Armored Cruiser Black Sky

"Plane at 29!" The binoculars swung to the north east, and began scanning. "Looks like a German float plane!"

"What is one of those doing down here? At least it isn't Shepistani." The officer of the deck picked up the sound-powered phone. "Captain, we've got a German float plane snooping around."

"It's probably nothing, but bring the ship to action stations anyways. I'll be up in a few minutes."

[MKSheppard]

Note from the Shepistani Federation to the German Empire

Due to the continuing state of war between the Grand Dominion and the Shepistani Federation, the entire Shepistani Sea is considered a war zone, and shipping in it must comply with international law, which allows the boarding and search of ships to prevent contraband from being carried to the enemy.

If the German Empire has been inconvienced by a single steamer having to submit to this lawful search; the Shepistani Federation is prepared to offer monetary payment as recompense for any indignities suffered. We are prepared to offer $20,002 US Dollars ($10,001 for each side) lump sum payment for the indignities inflicted on your ship by the Grand Dominion's actions.

You may rest assured that the S.F.S Godfrey's crew carried out their actions in complete accord with the international laws of the sea. We cannot however, make that claim for the Grand Dominion's activities. We suggest you take up this matter with them.

[MKSheppard]

Naval House, Shepistan



Admiral First Class John Calhoun "Jesus Christ" Fisher stormed into his study, trailing several aides whose only duty was to write down the stream of ideas that came from Fisher's lips; and then to pick the ones which made the most sense and publish those in the weekly Naval Orders.

"What's the status on the eighteen-inch gun project?"

"Sir, tests are proceeding nicely; design of the twins and triples are underway. We expect to have a proof article by next year, and enough to begin refitting BatDiv One and BatCruDiv One the year after that."

"Status on the Shepistani Sea?"

"Sir, the Germans are in the sea apparen...."

"THOSE GOD DAMNED BLITHERING IDIOTS!" roared Fisher. "What kind of fools are they? They can close off the Red Sea tighter than a hindoo whore's lockbox with their so-called defensive emplacements south of Aden; like we can to the A-rabian gulf with our own emplacements!"

"Sir; our agents in the Goddamn Naval Ministry report that apparently the Goddamn Naval Staff was all for this solution -- letting the Germans pass through the Suez Canal and then ambushing them like a pack of A-rab mountain men as they tried to pass through Crusader's Gate, in addition to activicating the remote minefields."

"So why didn't they? They're good men -- they've got the right view on the world, even if they are Goddamn Schismatics."

"Apparently the Goddamn government at the time wanted to seek a diplomatic solution."

"God save us from libruls and socialists. A pox on them." Fisher looked off into the distance for a moment, before staring at his closest aide.

"Sims; begin taking down the following: 'For Grand Admiral Saldana, Lord of the Grand Dominion Gulf; suggest we combine our forces and defeat the interlopers. Believe German claims of international force of 90 dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts to be wildly overinflated -- getting that many nations to work together would be like trying to get a priest out of a whorehouse. Believe that if we can destroy the German detachment in the Dominion Gulf, threat of blockade will evaporate. Warmest Regards, J.C. Fisher."

"Send that out with the nightly diplomatic packet to the Goddamns."

"Yessir."

[Steve]

Federal Hall, Portland
9 February 1925


Inaugeration Day had come and thousands of Cascadians were in front of the East steps to Federal Hall, situated along the Willamette River in the Federal District - a solid expanse of land between the Willamette and Columbia that extended out to the towns of Troutdale, Sandy, Damascus, and Oregon City at its furthest extension. Federal Portland was considered a city of its own under the auspices of the Cascadian federal government with a population of roughly two and three quarters million souls, over half of the 4.9 million people in the Greater Portland Metropolitan Zone on both the Oregon and Olympian side of the Columbias. It was along the banks of the Willamette that most of Cascadia's federal government was situated: the Federal Hall, where the two Houses of Congress met, was on the river front in the Rose Quarter, while just up Williams Ave. was the "Green House", the Presidential Residence, with the Federal Supreme Court to the east of both.
The late winter weather was chilly, albeit being slightly warm (comparitively speaking) at 50 degrees. The sun was briefly peeking through the clouds as the hour came, though within minutes it would undoubtedly be completely overcast again and rainy due to the seasonal weather of the region. As a result of this the East Paviliion of the Federal Hall had been built to permit canvas covering over it for Presidential Inaugurations, its designers remembering the fate of American President WIlliam Harrison in 1841.

Stephen's little ones sat beside Rachel, who was in a fur coat and long dress for warmth with a scarf and gloves. They were holding hands quietly, glancing at each other from time to time between Rachel's glances to keep an eye on the boys. Sophie was on Stephen's lap, bundled tightly so she didn't get sick, and as one might expect for a 3 year old looking highly bewildered as to why she had to sit in the cold, wet weather among all these suited people without being allowed to play. "Daddy, I wanna go home," she finally whined.
"Don't worry, it's almost time," he said, noticing that the Presidential Guard had finished marching into position. This was the cue for the Chief Justice of the Federal Supreme Court to ascend to the podium, Bible and Constitution in hand, for the swearing in.
The man who rose was considerably paler, and older, then Stephen, an octogenerian who had sat on the Supreme Court for almost half a century. Chief Justice Othello Shackleton was a former British jurist who had emigrated to Cascadia as a young man at the dawn of the new nation, rising fast and swiftly through the courts of the day and becoming a Supreme Court Justice in 1877. He had sat on the Court through all of its greatest and most landmark decisions, such as Olafson v. Idaho that guaranteed the right of women to vote at a Federal level, Reyes vs. Lower California that confirmed the right of migrant laborers to seek citizenship, Dole vs. Cascadia that affirmed the legality of the Hawaiian monarchy as the lawful government of an associated state, and the historic Walker vs. Territory of Cooksland that guaranteed the rights of Australian Aboriginals to property and citizenship. Even at age 84 it was pondered if he might last another decade before illness would force him to step down. Stephen certainly didn't suspect this weather did the living institution much good.

His name was called and Stephen, accepting a short kiss on the cheek from his wife, handed Sophia to Rachel as their lips met briefly. He stood and ascended the steps to the podium, looking out at what looked like a million people filling Federal Plaza (though it was likely less). At Justice Shackleton's instruction he raised his right hand and put his left on the Bible, with a copy of the Cascadian Constitution placed over that book.
A newer innovation was the microphone placed before them that, attached to both a radio transmitter and acoustic devices in the Plaza, allowed his voice to be carried across the Plaza and radio waves to surrounding towns, perhaps even farther with re-transmission of them.
The Chief Justice recited the oath of office and he repeated it. Senator Cadbury of Victoria was next, Stephen standing by as his running mate took his oath as the first Cascadian Vice President to hail from Australia. When this was complete and it was time for Stephen's inauguration address, Stephen returned to the podiuim. He brought out his notes for the speech and placed them on the podium to speak.

"My fellow Cascadians, I am honored to stand before you now as your Chief Executive. You have trusted me with the future of our nation and its progency and that is a responsibility I will not take lightly.
Our nation's prosperity has reached the greatest heights it has known. The bounty of our North American and Australian homelands fuels a mighty industry that sells its wares across the same world that the ships of our Pacific Republic's Navy range at will. The iron of the Pilbara and the copper of Bingham Canyon fuel industries from China to Spain. Our people are supported by a healthy, functioning system of social services that help those who have fallen on hard times rebuild their lives. I will work to ensure our people continue to enjoy all these great and many boons.
We must remember, however, that nothing stays the same. The world is changing around us at a dizzying pace. New technology and devices, new processes and discoveries, promise a future of easier work and healthier living. But they also warn us that even as our lives become easier, it will also become easier for those lives to be destroyed. The great flying machines that have captured our imaginations may one day permit a great armada of these machines to fly over our cities and rain destruction upon them. Our advancements in the fields of chemistry and metallurgy may open the way for deadly gas weapons or supremely powerful explosives that can kill in even greater numbers. The skill of our shipbuilders and the vessels they may now create herald the concept that one day no innocent seafarer may be safe from a predator lurking in silence beneath the ocean surface. The radio now permits hostile ideologies to spread lies and deception to a world ignorant of their ramifications."
"These dangers are many and cannot be ignored. But if we are to keep what our sweat and blood has earned us we must remain steadfast and not lose heart. And to do this we must maintain our faith in the future of our Nation, in our ability to do the right things to preserve ourselves and pass our bounty on to our posterity. When it comes to threats to our people and their security, we must be quick to defend ourselves but cautious to commit to violence, spending our nation's blood and treasure only when the alternative is to be ruined and disgraced. And above all we must not try to remain secluded from a world that the telegraph, radio, and aircraft have made too small for such isolationism."
"It will be the policy of this government that Cascadia will involve itself more thoroughly in the affairs of the world. Our policy will be as it always has been; to keep up the hand of friendship, extended to those nations of the world who respect our territory and our sovereign rights, and to pull our swords only when threatened first. We will strengthen our ties with our neighbors, our friends, and our allies. We must remember our origins and our ties of blood and belief to our cousins in Washington and London just as we remember our ties of friendship to our friends in Peking and Berlin. And we must work to strengthen those ties and any others offered us in the future."

"Just as much, we must remember the old maxim of Vegetius: Si vis pacem, para bellum. 'If you wish for peace, prepare for war'. In their haste to reduce the expenditure of our nation prior governments have permitted the forces that protect our nation to wilt. Only our Navy remains second-to-none: our Army is undermanned and overstretched and our fledgling Air Force is being forced to fly outdated aircraft. These things must change; they will change. The government will restore our armed forces to their proper strength so that they may fulfill their duties completely. If this requires further expenditure from the government, and the increase in government income to match it, then so be it. Our national defense demands this sacrifice and it will be made." For effect he glanced back to his family before continuing. "I have three young children. And like any father in our nation - or, truly, any father in this entire world - I want my children to grow up in a world where they can be unafraid, in a world where they are not only free to worship and to speak as they please, where they are free from deprivation and want, but where they are also free from fear. If keeping these freedoms intact for our children means we must sacrifice of ourselves then that is a price that I am willing to pay and that I know that we, as a people, are willing to pay."
"These are my goals as your President. And we must all do our part, and in turn know that we enjoy the support of our countrymen in these endeavors. I believe, with all my heart, that we will overcome whatever challenges we face and that we will continue to prosper. God bless you and God bless Cascadia. Good day."

There were applause to his speech as he stepped down. His family joined him as they headed to the open automobile that would take them to the Presidential Residence as part of the Inauguration Parade. He was flanked by ceremonial guards as he made his way toward the vehicle, accepting the handshakes of well-wishers along the cordoned off walkway.
A single middle-aged woman, of partial Mexican descent from the look of her, pierced the crowd dressed in a widow's black and her hands clasping a rosary. She moved past the cordon and, before guards could seize her, almost threw herself upon him before sliding down to her knees, crying in Spanish at such a rate that he couldn't understand her. As a pair of Presidential guards pulled her away he held a hand up to them out of curiosity. "Is something wrong?"
"My son. My poor Lorenzo. Please don't kill my son," she pleaded, tears coursing down her eyes.
"Lorenzo who? Wait... Lorenzo Tarrega?"
"Sí, my Lorenzo. Please, he is innocent..."
The name was one he or anyone in earshot would know quite well. Lorenzo Tarrega had been an office manager in the Naval Department's Office of Propulsion and Engineering Studies who had been tried for espionage and treason, charged with giving detailed - and classified - technical schematics of Cascadia's most advanced engine plants to Brazil and the Low Countries, plants that were expected to propel a new class of "fast battleship" over 30 knots per hour despite the design being heavier than the still-building Sovereign-class dreadnought-type battleships. The evidence had been fairly sketchy but quite damning when combined with Tarrega's open political ties to the Cascadian Marxist Solidarity Party. It was hotly argued that it was politics more than any evidence of guilt that led to the jury's conviction, although even it had recommended only prison; the judge had, at the request of the Halling Administration, ordered Tarrega executed as a "Communist insurgent and spy".
The last Stephen knew, the matter was still open. The execution was scheduled in a few weeks and the Supreme Court was about to hear his case. It didn't surprise him to see the mother so hysterical but there was an apparent desperation that made him think something was wrong.
"Ma'am, the Supreme Court will hear your son's case before anything is done, I promise you..."
"They're going to kill him tomorrow!", the woman wailed as she was pulled away again. "Please spare my son, I beg you!"
"Mister President, please..." One of the Guard stepped forward and indicated they should continue moving. Given the fates of leaders like Italy's King Umberto and American President McKinley in the past quarter century, Stephen nodded in silent assent and led the procession on.



Presidential Residence


Stephen was settling into the Blue Room - the normal business office of Cascadia's President in the South Wing of the Green House - when his Chief of Staff entered. Reginald Etps, the grandson of German immigrants and a resident of Portland, who had joined the Liberals at the age of 19 while attending the University of Portland, having been introduced to him by Rachel who knew him from school. A former engineering student, "Reggie" had proven quite the administrative genius as well and had been an advisor since Stephen's days as a Congressman. "Stephen, I believe I understand why that poor woman accosted you on the way here," he informed him.
"Ah, Reggie?" Stephen accepted the paper Reginald handed him and immediately had a deep frown. "When did he sign this?"
"Last night. One of the leftover personnel said it was the last thing he did before retiring for the evening."
Stephen's eyes had already noticed the ostentatious script of former President Allan Halling's signature on the order, but his eyes now noticed the content. "I knew Halling was a spiteful bastard, but to sign Tarrega's death warrant as his last official act? That is disgusting."
"With the death warrant signed the Department of Prisons has begun perparations. Unless the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case he'll be executed at dawn this Thursday."
Having heard this, Stephen put the order down and muttered, "That son of a bitch."
"I'd have to agree, Mister President. Halling is a son of a bitch."
"Oh, it's political, Reggie." Stephen put his hands together on the table in a thoughtful way. "If I don't rescind the warrant, then I'm forcing the Supreme Court to either take a case when its schedule is already full or I'm consigning a potentially innocent man to death. If I rescind the warrant in any way then the Tories will have ammunition for their charge that I and the Liberal Party are Communist sympathizers. Not the best thing given the news from Australia."
"Speaking of that, the Dutch ambassador has an outstanding appointment with the President that you must now fill."

"Flemish," Stephen corrected him.
"Sir?"
"His Excellency the Ambassador Palmkoek is Flemish, not Dutch," the President replied to his subordinate, flashing a sarcastic grin. "Get in touch with the Low Countries' embassy after you find me a few minutes in my busy, eighteen hour work schedule to come."
"Yes, Mister President. And then there is the Indian Ocean business..."
Stephen rubbed at his temples for a moment. "And Halling, of course, was kind enough to not do much since it would prevent him from either accusing me of being a pawn of Berlin or jeopardizing our association with Germany and being too lax on pirates," he remarked sullenly.
There was no love lost between him and his predecessor. Halling had found the renewal of the German-Cascadian Naval Accord a bitter pill when his party had made the retention of Samoa a policy goal, even if Western Samoa had been given up to achieve Cascadian control of New Britain and the Palaus, giving them direct control of bases critical to the defense of Eastern New Guinea. Over this matter Halling had become his bitter political opponent. The former President had tried to ship him off to Berlin as an Ambassador and failed; he'd also tried, in vain, to back a Whig candidate to Stephen's seat from Astoria in 1922.
"The Mecklemburg was a German-owned vessel with a German captain and crew... but it was a Cascadian ship with a Cascadian flag and Cascadian cargo," Stephen remarked. "I think our response is clear: restitution must be paid and the Godfrey's commander punished for his act of piracy. That said, we have to be willing to accept arbitration in the issue of punishment by a fair arbitrator. The SAU perhaps, or Peru. The Grand Dominion is a touchy polity, it would be impractical to be hardline and drive them into defiance."

"Governor Halsworth in Palembang radiographed a request to hold off on the embargo. Apparently a lot of finished goods in the Sumatran economy are produced from the Dominion, the Governor is concerned that it would cause problems with the natives if the cheap source of goods was lost."
"Australia's factories are exporting, it wouldn't take long for them to pick up the slack," Stephen remarked. "Given all the resources we ship to the Dominion in varying quantities I think they'd hurt more, even if Manchuria stays out of the embargo. That said.... have someone in the State Department deliver a message to Ambassador de Hauteville that I wish to hear out the Lord Protector's position and, if he satisfies our concerns and requirements sufficiently over the Mecklemburg Affair and provides sufficient protections for shipping in the immediate Horn of Africa region - and make sure to emphasize in the note that we are willing to not challenge the status of the Arabian Sea, aka the Grand Dominion Gulf, as a war zone where the Grand Dominion has the right of contraband searches - I would be willing to speak with Reichskanzler Sänger on maintaining trade or at least not beginning the embargo just yet."
"President Halling never officially recognized the claims of either the Grand Dominion or Shepistan relating to the Arabian Sea being a war zone and their ships having Right of Search," Reginald pointed out.
"Nor am I.... yet. There's a difference between simply not challenging their claim and actively accepting it," Stephen pointed. "Anyway."
"Very well. And remember, General Causewell will be by shortly to discuss your plans for army expansion." Etps slipped his notebook into his suit pocket. "But you never told me... are you going to rescind the death warrant on Lorenzo Tarrega."
Stephen gave him an exasperated look. "Of course I am, Reggie," he grumbled.
"Very well, I'll make sure that note is given to the Prisons Department while I send these other notes. Good luck dealing with the Tories, Sir."
"Thank you," Stephen answered. "I take it you're going to be celebrating with Paul tonight?"
"We're going to be seeing a concert," Reginald answered. "And then back to the apartment, I have things that need packing."
"Ah, well, enjoy."
"Thank you, Mister President." Reginald gave a slight smile and nod before stepping out.

Shortly after he did the door opened again. Rafael zipped in, followed closely by Sophie and Tom. They'd removed their heavier warm clothing but were still in their Sunday best, if more wrinkled from playing. Rachel was following them closely, her fur coat off to reveal her short-sleeved blouse that had been worn below the coat. "I don't think this place was built for a family to live in," she remarked with some exasperation. "I'm having to get the biggest bedroom just to fit beds for all three and I've got the Residential director insisting on some smaller beds that are $50 apiece..."
"Fifty dollars? When their normal beds back home were only eighteen god-damned dollars apiece." At that point he blanched and his children broke out giggling at recognizing their father's reaction.
"Looks like another three dollars for the swear jar," Rachel commented bemusedly.
The "swear jar" was something she had come up with to break Stephen of that Navy habit of coarse language, at least around the children. For every child who heard him swear he had to put an entire dollar in - a whole dollar! Fifty cents should be more than enough! - that they would get to spend at a later date for toys or clothing. That, of course, meant that Rafael and Tom were especially keen to make their father curse in their presence as often as possible.
"I still say fifty cents should suffice," he grumbled as he let Sophie climb into his lap, a smile on her face as she inspected the desk he now worked from.
"You can afford the full dollar. And it's more incentive for you to remember you're not speaking around sailors anymore," she answered with a grin. She walked over and leaned over him. "When you're done with work and I've gotten the children settled into their room, I say we retire to our new bedroom as well and enjoy some of that nice Cooksland port my father gave you this past Christmas. We can use it to christen our new bed." Rachel's hand touched Sophie's head affectionally as she scribbled on a blank paper upon the desk, the touch also serving to block her right ear so that Rachel could, leaning close and speaking softly into his ear, inform him of exactly what she had planned for the port and the precise nature of "christening" their bed, plans he had to admit would make an excellent and refreshingly intimate end to this long, busy, and very public day. She finished by playfully licking his ear lobe, a tease to keep him interested.

"Mom, why do you do that?!", Rafael said, looking somewhat disgusted. "How can you let her lick you like that, Pa?!"
"You'll find out when you're older, Raf," Stephen remarked very delicately.



Summary:
Former Congressman Stephen Garrett, Captain (Retired) of the Republic of Cascadia Navy, is inaugurated as Cascadia's 14th President and is the Liberal Party's second candidate to win the highest office of the Republic.
Convicted Communist spy's execution warrant rescinded in lieu of Supreme Court decision to hear his case.
Cascadian Army to begin expanding (as stated in Construction queue list).
Cascadian note to Lord Protector Fairfax on Mecklemburg Affair and status of Arabian Sea to be dispatched. Cascadia is pursuing her own approach to the issue, though President Garrett has not rescinded Halling's commitment to the embargo proposal.
Meeting with Low Countries representative over the further Dutch incursion into Cascadian territory in Australia is desired. The slaying of a Cascadian soldier upon Cascadian soil by the armed troops of another nation is, of course, rather unacceptable.

[MKSheppard]

International Paper Blotter

....MASSACRE AT JAMBOREE!

Fight breaks out between Shepistani and Grand Dominion Boy Scouts at Asian Scouting Jamboree in Tsingtao. 41 dead scouts, and 400 wounded...breaking...

[Raj Ahten]

Prime Minister Morales of Chilitina Welcomes World's Nations to the Freedom Conference.

The Prime Minister welcomed the delegates to Beunos Aires with a rather long winded speech, as was customary for him. Extra thanks went out to Mexico, the United States and Germany though every nation that had sent delegates received a hearty welcome in turn. The speech was full of anti communist rhetoric. Morales said it was called the Freedom conference because,
"We as nations believe in free markets, freedom to worship God and freedom from totalitarian communism."

Morales laid out three major goals he had for the conference.
1.) The capitalist nations of the world should agree to fight the perfidious spread of communism. To this end he proposed the delegates sign an agreement in principle stating their nations would "appose the further spread of communism in the world."
2.)He hoped to work out defensive pacts with other capitalist nations to agree to come to one another's aid if attacked by "any member of the international communist conspiracy."
3.)To combat communist conspiracies an international law enforcement and intelligence sharing body should be established to halt red agitaters in their tracks. (Basically something like Interpol targeting communist/socialist "operatives.") Giving information would be purely voluntary and the proposed body would mainly be a clearinghouse for information.

[Mr Bean]

The Bugle
Page 1 News Blurbs
The Freedom Conference will begin tomorrow in Beunos Aires. The current Tory Governmental declined to send an official representive however two Liberal Party MP's will be attending and as always the Bugle will be there to cover the events as they happen.

Page 5
The HMS Panther newest Grand Admiral Class Battle cruiser launched last year and having just completed workup's is scheduled to be transfer to the Royal NZ Navy to replace the HMS Indomitable as flagship of the South Asian Pacific Fleet. Her route and departure dates always are classified by the Government. However the ship has been gearing up for the last three weeks so departure is expected any day now. As the best armed and fastest ship in the fleet the HMS Panther is yet another demonstration to how much the Tory Government is showing the New Zeland people it's commitment to them. As for the HMS Indomitable it's fate remains unknown. A number of smaller Navy's have made inqurior's about buying her and while the Royal Navy will not comment on the matter there are rumors that the HMS Indomitable might not be bound for the scrap heap just yet. But might more service in the fleet of some other countries Navy.

[Thanas]

Berlin
Germany
The Reichskanzlei

Grand Admiral Scheer almost collided with the British Ambassador to Germany, one Sir Winston Churchill, when he entered the Chancellor's office. "By your leave, Herr Botschafter." The Ambassador just grunted noncommittingly and swayed towards the exit. When Scheer entered the office, he found the Chancellor almost slumped over, clutching his head. Although the windows were all open, the smell of cigars and scotch still lingered. "Herr Kanzler, geht es ihnen gut?"

Sänger nodded, though he remained clutching his head. "The ambassador is rather fond of my scotch and his cigars..which I abhor. But I am fine. What news?" "Cisplatina has dispatched a squadron of their ships to the Gulf of Aden. They are there for...extended exercises." The matter in which Scheer phrased the words made their meaning all too clear for the chancellor. "Good. Good, Admiral. The British ambassadors had some choice words as well...much interesting. It seems our diplomatic offensives have paid off." Scheer smiled. "What did he say, Herr Kanzler?" The Chancellor smiled, though in his rather inebriated state it came off more as a grimace.

"His exact words were, and I quote - ....if those bastards mine the Gulf then there will be hell to pay" Scheer nodded. "So I take it that we have British backing now, Herr Kanzler?" Sänger smiled. "You know, Herr Churchill here has come up with the most wonderful of ideas...but what with the egyptians?"

Scheer nodded. "Our envoys were most successful. I wonder if the Dominion and Shepistan even recognize what a diplomatic gold-mine they opened up with their behaviour...But Herr Kanzler, your recent offer to the British..." "What of it?" Scheer fidgeted a bit. "We all agreed it would be necessary to avoid a naval war in the future, but..." "...but it is unprecedented." "Yes." "You know I have full confidence in you and your navy, Scheer - even against the british. But we can all agree that the British Empire is needed in Europe and elsewhere and besides, a war with them would do nothing for us - at best it would ruin all. At worst, we would loose and be reduced to a second-rate state." Scheer nodded.

After the admiral had left, Sänger called for coffee. One hour later his head was clear enough that he could finally respond to other recent events....

Congratulatory telegraph to the President of Cascadia

Stephen,

my sincere congratulations on your recent electoral success. I hope that we can continue the good work we started before. Germany stands by Cascadia in these troubled times and hopes for a further flourishing in the relations between the two great nations of Cascadia and Germany.

Der Deutsch-Cascadische Bund, er lebe hoch.

Kind regards,
your friend Johannes.

From the German Empire to the British Empire

Your Majesty,

the German Empire has received your most generous terms offered by your ambassador and would like to enquire about the possibility of a visit by the Chancellor and/or his Majesty, the Kaiser, to reach a further understanding regardings future politics of our two great nations, especially in the field of the respective Navies.

We wish your Majesty the best of health and remain your utmost servant.

Sincerely,
Johannes Sänger, Reichskanzler.

Then, there was the matter on how to deal with the Shepistanis and the Grand Dominion.

Note from the Shepistani Federation to the German Empire

Due to the continuing state of war between the Grand Dominion and the Shepistani Federation, the entire Shepistani Sea is considered a war zone, and shipping in it must comply with international law, which allows the boarding and search of ships to prevent contraband from being carried to the enemy.

If the German Empire has been inconvienced by a single steamer having to submit to this lawful search; the Shepistani Federation is prepared to offer monetary payment as recompense for any indignities suffered. We are prepared to offer $20,002 US Dollars ($10,001 for each side) lump sum payment for the indignities inflicted on your ship by the Grand Dominion's actions.

You may rest assured that the S.F.S Godfrey's crew carried out their actions in complete accord with the international laws of the sea. We cannot however, make that claim for the Grand Dominion's activities. We suggest you take up this matter with them.

Sänger looked at the papers and nodded. "Very well. Finally, some process. Prepare the following answer."

From the German Empire to the Shepistani Federation

The German Empire thanks the Shepistani Federation for its thoughtful note and considers it a first step towards a peaceful settlement of the current differences.

Regarding the Mecklenburg incident:
the German government will be satisfied with a note of apology for the extraction of the tolls, restitution in the same amount as has been extracted and the guarantee that outside the territorial waters of the most mighty Shepistani Federation, no such searches will be carried out.

Regarding the sinking of the Princess of the Orient:
The German Empire is most displeased by the fact that the Shepistani government has not replied to any of the issues raised herein, nor has it offered any compensation. While it was a Chinese ship, it was commanded by a german captain and carried several people in which germany had a vested interest and was bound for a German port. We request that the Shepistani Federation addresses these concerns in a timely manner

Sänger nodded. "That should do it - now how about the Dominion."

Reichskanzler Sänger

Greetings and Salutations, I wish the German Emperor good health.

I have received your letter, and unfortunately, I am bound by ancient law to not submit our citizens willingly to a foreign court system. However, I believe the law allows for foreign arbitration. If a third party, such as the Manchu Kingdom or Chiletina, were to agree to act as arbitrator, the Grand Dominion will accept any such rulings(monetary or determination of who is to blame) without protest. The arbitration would be specific to the incident in question, and not allow for any other 'big picture' rulings.

Unfortunately, the Grand Dominion Gulf is a warzone, it's the only entry to the sea that the Schismatics in Shepistan have. As a result we continue to reserve the right to stop and search any merchant vessels for contraband in the Grand Dominion Gulf. There is ample legal precedence for the idea of a 'distant blockade', nations accepted the principle of it during the American Civil War, for example.

Yours in Christ

M.B. Bucher
Lord Fairfax
Lord Protector of the Grand Dominion of the Indies

"Most reasonable, I'd say. Here is how we will respond..."

To the Lord Protector of the Grand Dominion of the Indies

The German Empire recognizes and respects your laws and will be satisfied with the rulings of your own naval court regarding the Mecklenburg incident with regards to criminal charges against your captain and/or his officers. We will be satisfied with whatever your court finds to be acceptable.

This does however not extend to the issue of tolls extracted and to your claim of a distant blockade. A distant blockade is, as a general instrument of war, of more than questionable legitimacy. A distant blockade that extends all the way to the Suez canal exits or the Horn of Africa is unacceptable to the German Empire, as is the issue of tolls extracted. However, we would accept the offer of international arbitration and would suggest either the British Empire or Cascadia as arbitrators.

We are however not satisfied with the continuing refusal by your nation regarding the sinking of the Princess of the Orient. We therefore will require guarantees that you will provide compensation and properly punish the people involved, should they be found guilty. We will accept the findings of a Dominion court with regards to possible criminal charges, if the Dominion court will accept the judgement of a German Naval court with extent to the worth of the ship and the proper compensation for the families of the people killed.

Respectfully,
Reichskanzler Sänger.

[Thanas]

Berliner Zeitung
Egypt to purchase license to built new German battleships

According to information released today by the Marineamt, the Egyptian Sultanate has signed a deal with the German Marineamt regarding the purchase of several capital ships. Under the terms of the treaty, the shipyards of the Egyptian Sultanate will built one Yorck-class Battlecruiser and one Imperator class Battleship. The Yorck is one of the most succesfull battlecruiser classes in the world, with the Imperator being the newest German battleship design. The German Navy itself plans to built several battleships of that class. Contracts have already been awarded, but fall under state secrecy for the moment. However, first rumors indicate that the ship will be armed with 9-12 18inch guns and will have a 16-18inch armor belt. As it is the followup to the currently outfitting Bismarck class, the Berliner Zeitung assumes that it will have a heavily armored deck.

Egyptian shipyards will be fully responsible for the construction of the ships with assistance from German engineers. In addition, German companies will either provide the Egyptian industry with the capabilities of constructing the needed components themselves or ship them to Egypt for final assembly. The Naval shipyard at Trieste has reportedly already begun the construction of specialized freighters for shipping 18inch guns and large boilers to Egypt, while Egypt's shipbuilding industry has reportedly begun expansion to do the same. A naval export guessed that about 30% of the components would be manufactured in Germany, at which time the Egyptian industry would take over.

Observers credited the recent tensions in the Indian Ocean as a major reason for the Egyptian purchase. "As we all know, Egypt is one of Germany's main sources of oil and the channel is one of the major shipping routes and a major source of income for Egypt. The Dominion really made a lot of people anxious and I believe the recent developments reflect this." The analyst also noted that Egypt had previously purchased four Baden class battleships.

[Thanas]

Arabian Sea
German BC squadron shadowing Dominion battleships
SMS Ziethen

"Herr Admiral. Herr Admiral." The young ensign was almost shouting as he put down the telephone. "Herr Admiral." Raeder turned around and sternly orderd. "Calm yourself, Fähnrich. Dies ist ein kaiserliches Schiff." "Jawohl, Herr Admiral. A seaplane has spotted two Battlecruisers at full speed coming towards us, masthead confirms. Closing fast, astern."

Raeder smiled, remembering his orders. "Do not change course, do not train guns. Instead prepare to render full honours." "But Sir, these are British ships." "Do as I tell you."

And true enough, soon two giants belching smoke and producing huge waves, the British Ensign flying proudly atop their masts, approached the German formation. HMS Lion and HMS Tiger approached the german ships with the agility and grace shown by their namesakes. Slowing down, they passed the rear of the german formation. After the honours had been rendered by each side, Rader sent the following message via radio:

"From German flagship to HMS Lion, we would be honored if you would take the lead." In response, the British ships once more increased their speed, leisurely overtaking the German center before flanking SMS Seydlitz. The three ships now formed the van.



At this distance, the Dominion ship Wake , which had been keeping a close eye on the German squadron, could not have missed the gesture - and the significance of it. And just to make sure of that, the now combined anglo-german squadron increased speed to 18 knots, limiting the distance for a few minutes before falling back and continuing on its way.

[Steve]

Congratulatory telegraph to the President of Cascadia

Stephen,

my sincere congratulations on your recent electoral success. I hope that we can continue the good work we started before. Germany stands by Cascadia in these troubled times and hopes for a further flourishing in the relations between the two great nations of Cascadia and Germany.

Der Deutsch-Cascadische Bund, er lebe hoch.

Kind regards,
your friend Johannes.

Response telegraph to the Chancellor of the German Empire

Johannes,

I am pleased to see you are well and thank you for your thoughtful message. My warmest regards to you and to His Majesty the Kaiser, may the both of you enjoy continued good health. I look forward to carrying on the work of maintaining the Bund that strengthens both of our nations, all in the spirit of those before us who came to that great decision that Germany and Cascadia would be made stronger and more honored nations by becoming friends than by being enemies.

By standing together our nations can see our way through the difficult tasks before us; we shall work, as does Germany, to a solution in the Arabian Sea that is honorable for all nations. I have already begun the diplomatic process through the Dominion representation here; as a gesture of support to enforcing the right of trade through the Bab al-Mandeb I have expanded upon the order of my predecessor for the dispatch of the Fast Battle Squadron from Perth to escort a convoy preparing to cross the Indian Ocean. On my order, upon the convoy's safe arrival into the Egyptian waters in the Red Sea, our ships will move to link up with your squadron and provide it with strength sufficient to help cooler heads in the Subcontinent prevail in their internal discussions.

Der Deutsch-Cascadische Bund, er lebe hoch.

With warm regards, your friend,
Stephen

CRS California
Departing Bengkulu, Territory of Sumatra


From his place on the bridge of the 40,000T battlecruiser Rear Admiral Peter Wallace looked out upon the waters of the Indian Ocean as his vessel moved along at a veritable crawl, maintaining only 10 knots to keep apace with the merchant vessels behind them. Meant to cruise at 5 knots faster (and capable of double that cruise at a full clip), this left Admiral Wallace feeling horribly exposed to the threat of submarines, which he was more concerned with than the surface raiders that his battlecruisers, with their 16" guns and 9" armor belt, were more adequate to dealing with. That, of course, was why he had brought destroyers.
Behind California and the destroyers Clifford and Wainwright sailed the convoy. German and English were well-known to merchant captains thankfully, otherwise coordinating the affairs of such a multi-national body - consisting of twenty-five vessels from the South Asian Union, Cascadia, Mexico, Germany, Tuscany, Britain, the United States, and a couple other countries - would have been impossible.

On either flank of the convoy were more Cascadian naval vessels of the Fast Battle Squadron and 11th Destroyer Squadron. The battlecruiser Sumatra held the north flank with two more destroyers and the Hawaii the south flank with two destroyers; Utah, the light cruiser Richland, and a destroyer took up the van just behind the destroyer tender MacLaughlin.
"Radiograph message from Fleet Command in Adelaide, sir, relayed via Bengkulu," one of the officers informed him, handing him a piece of paper. On it was a message from Admiral James Marston wishing him a safe and successful voyage.
A safe and successful voyage into waters that the two backward states of the Subcontinent had been warring in for the past decade? Wallace glowered, knowing all the things that could go wrong, and simply answered, "Send reply. 'Thank you. We'll need those prayers'."
"Yes Sir."


Dar-es-Salaam, Deutsch-Ostafrika


The German base and port at Dar-es-Salaam had its usual daily activities going on when the two vessels appeared over the distant horizon. As they approached their operators informed via radio the German officials of the port, speaking decent if not perfect German, of their intention to dock and replenish stores and fuel.
Tugboats went out to greet the capital sized vessels as they approached. Massing over 30,000 tons, they would seem to most to be a decade-old type of battleship or battlecruiser, but upon closer inspection they were clearly something newer and different. The vessels entered port and followed the tugs to their berths, catching the attention of interested German officers and stevedores as they came closer. Atop their flagpoles the tricolor of the Cascadian Republic swayed gently in the coastal wind. The vessels had large enough guns, at least compared to lighter vessels, but their guns weren't nearly as large as those seen on other capital ships.
Soon the names of the two vessels spread through the port; Lightning and Tempest, two of Cascadia's new "Large Cruiser" vessels, present to replenish supplies from a trans-Indian cruise and bound for commerce defense patrols at the Horn of Africa.


Summary
Cascadian battlecruiser squadron, with attached destroyer squadron of 1 CL and 7 DDs, departs Bengkulu along the Indian Ocean coast of Sumatra as escort for a convoy of civilian cargo vessels bound for the Bab al-Mandeb. Upon the convoy safely entering Egyptian waters the Fast Battle Squadron, part of Australia Fleet Command, will seek rendezvous with Anglo-German battlecruisers while 11th Destroyer Squadron with attached destroyer tender replenish fuel and stores in Port Sudan.
Large Cruisers Lightning and Tempest, of the Lightning-class, arrive at Dar-es-Salaam for refueling and replenishment in preparation for patrol in the waters off the Horn of Africa.

[Thanas]

Germany

"Ah, Stephen. Always one step ahead of the game." Sänger nodded. "Sent a response."

Telegraph to the President of the Cascadian Republic

My dear friend,
I have directed the german bases to sent an officer aboard your ships who will inform the Cascadian ships of the current radio frequencies and codes used by our ships in the indian ocean. The German Empire thanks you for the commitment. We will not forget this kindness.

Like you, we all pray for an honorable solution to this miserable situation.

Regards,
Johannes

[Coyote]

120 Kikar Ben-Yehuda
Tel Aviv
The Manhattan Club








"Oh, hell yeah!" the woman said, loud and obnoxious, her American accent recognizable in the club. "Play that jazz!" she said loudly as the band warmed up with a cover version of Louis Armstrong's latest and greatest. "I'm surprised they had sommat like this here," the girl said to her compatriots. "Last week all they had was sommat old ragtime coon music at went out back in the ancient times!" For her, the "ancient times" were, apparantly, 1918.

The woman was unabashedly American; in the lastest Flapper fashions from Chicago, and clearly enjoying her whiskey. The Europeans in the club remembered that in many places in the US, Prohibition politics had taken a firm grip in many cities and counties. As the night progressed, whiskey flowed to the sound sof jazz clarinets and saxes, trombones and trumpets, and the American women smoked their thin, stylish French cigarettes in even thinner cigarette-holders perched in their teeth.

Still, no one complained. The American women were brash and obnoxious, but they were also free spirits, and willing to hop up and dance energetically at each new mumber, to the amusement of the Europeans present. Only in France, so far, and Berlin had much of the "Negro Music" taken root-- for the rest of the Old Continent, there was still a great deal of traditional inertia to overcome.

"So, vhere are you from?" a dapper fellow asked, in a outstanding suit but with his tie loosened. He handed the woman a cigarette, which she gratefully accepted.
"Brooklyn," the woman replied, "Name's Andy."

"Andy?" the man asked, curiosity flickering across his face, "This is a boy's name, ja?"
"Andy for Andrea," the woman said with a laugh, "Andy Gardener, hon. What's your name?"
"Emil," he said, lighting her cigarette with his own. "Emil Rathenau. I'm here from Berlin."

"Ber-lin!" Andy said, finding the name funny for some reason. "Ber-lin and Brook-lyn. So what brings you here, Emil Rathenau of Ber-lin?"
"Besides being Jewish?" Emil asked with a laugh of his own. He motioned to the bartender to have drinks served for their whole table-- himself, Andy, and Andy's two friends. "I'm here on business. I'm hoping to build a railroad."

"A railroad!" one of Andy's friends squealed. She was obviously much more drunk thn Andy herself was. "Where to?"
"A coastal railroad," Emil said, "Beirut to Ashkelon. We want to make a branch off the Hedjaz Railway and go straight zu Cairo."
"So you been to Beirut?" Andy asked.
"Just last week," Emil said.
"Is it as nice as I heard?" she queried, "They say it's the Paris of the Middle East."
"'They' are correct," Emil replied. "Although I have to say, I like Tel-Aviv, too."

Andy waved her hand dismissively. "It ain't Brooklyn, sweetie. It took me about three days t' find all the clubs worth mentioning. Outside ah' Kikkar Ben-Yehuda, the place is deader n' a doornail."
"But we can drink here," Andy's drunk friend said, her face lit by alcohol.
"Ya got that right," Andy said, brightening. "And I gotta say, there's something about year-round summer. It's th' bee's knees. So, ya gonna build a railroad all by yerself?"

"Ach, no," Emil said with a smile, "I am working for Henschel & Sons, locomotive builders in Chermany. I just help make the business contacts."
"Izzat why you're here tonight?" Andy asked, "making a lot of 'business' contacts?"
"No, I am done for today. I am here to relax, like you. Would you like to go see a movie?"

"You move fast, Emil from Berlin," Andy said with a laugh. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"
"Well, there's a new Andy Keith and Clara Bow movie out, The Plastic Age," he said. "It's opening tonight."
"That just came out!" Andy's other friend, the quiet one, said. She had a different accent than the American women. "How'd they get a reel here so soon?"

"The Eastern Star docked in Haifa last week," Emil said, "They had copies aboard, so I was told. Someone paid a pretty pfennig to get it here so soon. It's still playing in New York. But I figured you'd like to see a movie with a girl from Brooklyn in it, ja?"
"Ya," Andy said. "Where's it playin', and do we all get to go?"
"The Searchlight Cinema," Emil said, "And we can all go. I have a car here."

"So you're quite the Big Butter and Egg man, eh? That's so Jake!" Andy said, with a big grin. She noted Emil's sudden blank look. "That means 'let's go', Berliner boy. You girls game?"
"Hits on all sixes," the drunk friend said.
"I'll go," the quiet girl said, suddenly warming to Emile and giving him a big grin as well.

"Oh, you're Mrs. Grundy all night, 'till Emil here breaks out Rubes, eh? Well, never-you-mind, I saw him first," she said, and put her arm through his as he led them out of the club. Outside, he led them to a beautiful, shiny blue 1924 Mercedes 28/95 Wooden Skiff touring car.
"Ladies," he said, opening the back door for the two friends.

"Oh, man, this is the Ritz!" Andy said. "Be careful; Tammy here is all spifflicated," she said, indicating her drunk friend. "Don't upchuck in this carriage, or Emil with throw you in the Med."
"Well," Emil said with a chuckle, "Just lean way out." He started the car, and the beautifully tuned machine roared out into the uncrowded streets of Tel Aviv. Andy wasn't far off the truth; the night life in Tel Aviv was lively, but confined to an area of just a few square blocks. To a Brooklyn gal --or a Berliner gentleman-- it was sparse indeed.

"So, Gardner, it is a Jewish name in America?"
"It's from Baumgartner," Andy said. "We changed it. I'm glad. Baauumm-gartnerr... so Yidisher Mama, eh?"
"So, you don't hold to the traditions, then?" Emil asked.
"All that stuffy old applesauce about long skirts and sleeves? We don't eat no bacon, but that's about it. Here's the cinema!" she said as they reached the Searchlight. True to the name, the cinema had a massive searchlight scanning the skies for nothing at all beyond the attention the light beam created as it carved across the clear night sky. Emil treated the three women to the movie, and they got popped corn and malted milks as well. By the time the show was out, it was late.

"Well, the streetcars are all shut down, now, so I can drive you home," Emil said. Tammy and the quiet girl --who turned out to be a British girl, not American, named Sarah-- lived nearby in a series of townhouse-style apartments. Andy was in another row house closer to the beach. Emil drove her up to the walk and they sat in the car for a moment, looking at each other.

"You have a good night?" he asked.
"Copacetic," Andy said with a sly smile.
"Zo, then," Emil said, leaning back, "Cash or check?"
"Ah, you do get out," Andy said with a laugh, "Nice. There was a part of me as thought you might be a bit of a bluenozzle at heart."
"We don't all wear stiff collars and monocles," Emil said, "Maybe my uncle, Walther wore stiff collars, I don't remember."

"Well, you're all right," Andy said. "Ciggy and a check, please, and I will come looking for that check, too. The Manhattan tomorrow night?"
"I can make time for that," Emil said as he fished out a cigarette for her and lit it.
"G'night Emil," she said, winking at him as she slid out of the car.
"Good night, Andy," he said, and he roared off into the evening.

"Hm," Andy said as she smoked her cigarette and watched his taillights disappear. Soon, the sound of the Mercedes was gone and she could faintly hear the lapping of the waves from the nearby Mediterranean. "Maybe coming to this sandbox wasn't such a bad move after all."










Results:
Cast of characters beginning to coalesce in the ritzy part of the Yishuv.

*** *** *** *** *** ***

Ha'Kirya Military Headquarters
(Converted Royal Hotel)
Tel-Aviv, Next Morning









"Good morning," David Ben-Gurion said to his friend, Colonel Arik Shaham.
"Boker Tov," Shaham responded.
"Your Hebrew is quite good," Ben-Gurion said, responding in that language.
"I think I have command of it now," Shaham said. "I have to say, it was a good idea to settle on this as a national language. It puts us all on the same footing."

"I know you would have liked English," Ben-Gurion said, "But really, German and Russian are spoken here mostly, with some people clinging to French as the international language."
"Well, Arabic and Yiddish were up for consideration as well," Shaham reminded his friend.

"Yiddish?" Ben-Gurion exclaimed, "Yes, true, and that probably would have been easier, but you know, Yiddish is essentially German by default. But now we have our own language back again, and the children especially are learning in the schools."

"Speaking of German," Arik said, "What is the latest in the world of diplomacy?"
"Today's issue of Ha'Aretz has the latest from the telegraph," Ben-Gurion said, "The country would be shocked to know that so far, we get 1/2 our intelligence from the newspaper. Overtures are being made to placate the Europeans, the Dominion and Shepistan are pledging to cooperate."
"We'll see," Arik said. "Sometimes I wonder if those two just keep a low-level war brewing all the time as an excuse to maintain a huge arms build up and to act belligerently. They are probably partners in this all along, eh?"

Before Ben-Gurion could say anything, Ze'ev Jabotinsky entered the room, and tossed a book onto the desk, where it landed with a loud thump. Dust particles danced in the morning sunbeams from the window. "Can you believe this slop?" Jabotinsky growled, clearly enraged.

"What is it," Arik Shaham asked, turning the book towards him. "What is this, 'Mein Kampf'?"
"Another anti-Jewish piece," Jabotinsky said. "Some filth from a disaffected Austrian veteran."
"What, is it like the Protocols?" Ben-Gurion asked, turning the book towards himself and flipping through a few pages. "Auf Deutsch," he muttered, and closed it.

"Ich kann's lesen," Arik said, "Well, it has been a long time since I used my German, really," he looked through a few pages, and a few more. "A lot of it is just nationalist tripe, and the usual blame-the-Jews stuff. Who is reading this?"
"Limited circulation among the hard-right nationalists. The same types that killed old Rathenau a couple years back."
"And the government?" Arik asked.

"Calling it tripe," Jabotinsky said. "It's limited circulation, had to be printed in Silesia, in fact, you can see the crappy bindwork on it. The government was going to ban it, but then they felt it would make the book more popular in certain circles. The fellow who wrote it is a criminal, actually. Tried to lead a putsch back in '23 I think. Wrote this in jail, would you believe?"

"This is against Jews and Russians," Arik said, "He hates Russians, Slavics... ah, here we go, he wants the German people to rise up and take all of Russia, I see," Arik said with a laugh. "No one will take this seriously!"
"Well, no one is," Jabotinsky said, deflating his anger somewhat. "It's only selling in certain parts of deep Bavaria--"
"They can read?" Ben-Gurion remarked with a gruff laugh.
"--and Austria, where Leuger was active. Otherwise, it is being laughed out of the bookstores."

"Well, they are showing good sense then," Arik said, closing the book and pushing it away. "So what of the real world, then? What things are on the Yishuv's plate this morning?"
"Egypt has gotten a contract to build some German cruisers," Ben-Gurion said, "Maybe we can build some components in Ashkelon. We will put in our bid to sub-contract some of the work."

"Someday, perhaps we can build our own ships, right here," Jabotinsky said.
"It will be a hundred years before we will see that," Arik said, "The Yishuv is small, and likely to stay that way until we make this place bloom. Then more will move here."

"What we need to ask," Jabotinsky said, "Is if we want to expand our coastal facilities to become a base of operations for a German Mediterranean fleet," he said. "If the railway project goes through for the coastline..."

"I don't like the railway proposal, really," Ben-Gurion said, "Then, ha'aretz-Yisrael will become just another place for people to drive through, rather than to."
"Nonesense, I will be a huge boon to the economy," Jabotinsky said.

"What we need," Ben-Gurion said, "Is to develop a railway to the south. We have a huge area of land in the Negev-- that is where our future lies. We need a train going to Beer-Sheva, to Dimona, to Eilat. We need to take command of the vast, wide open spaces we have to the south."
Jabotinsky laughe dout loud, and Arik Shaham smiled.
"There you go again with the Negev," Jabotinsky said. "There is nothing there but sand and rocks. Turn over every rock, and you will find only sand, not a future. There is nothing there. Even the Bedouin just use it to cross to and from other places. Interesting places."

"Not true," Ben-Gurion said, "There is much in the desert-- land. Space to settle. The kibbutzim are already growing orchards there."
"It will always be our own little Bavaria," Jabotinsky said. "But the real future lies along the coast, and the little oblasts for tourists like Tzvat, Tiveria, and Yeruslayim. No tourist will pay money to see dirt. A railroad from the Hedjaz Railway, through Beirut, down our coast and eventually to Alexandria-- now there is a route for commerce!"

"You want to do this by selling our ports to the European powers," Ben-Gurion argued. "But you forget, there are powers contesting the routes on the far side of the Suez Canal, too. The Red Sea is a strategic waterway; why not show some enthusiasm for little Eilat, as well?"
"He has a point, Ze'ev," Arik said.

"Bah," Jabotinsky said. "Right now, it is actually faster to get in a ship and go through the Suez Canal and then go to Eilat. Going overland is folly, a waste of money."
"Then let us build an aerodrome there," Ben-Gurion said. "Would you not like a navy base in Eilat as well?"
"You know I would," Jabotinsky said. "I've always argued with you that keeping all our ships in the Med is foolish. We should at least send one of the torpedo boats to Eilat."

"How about Shimshon?" Shaham asked. "That small commercial dock down there can handle it."
"Barely," Ben-Gurion said, "But I like the idea. Let's run it past the Prime Minister. Otherwise, we'll contact the German government and offer them the services of Tel Aviv as a collier and liberty port. We can do limited repairs as well, and let them and the Sultanate know that Ashkelon is available to handle some of their industrial needs. We can make engine and deck parts, but we can't help with hull work in any way."

"Very well," Jabotinsky said, "Let's go talk to the Prime Minister now..."










Results:
Yishuv leaders hear about new hate book, "Mein Kampf", dismiss it as rediculous.
Argue over the effectiveness of the Coastal Railway and whether the rest of Israel is being neglected.
Decision made to beef up naval presence in Eilat from "none" to one torpedo boat, the INS Shimshon ("Samson") through the Canal.
Contacts made with the German and Sultanate government that the Yishuv industrial city of Ashkelon stands ready to help meet production of new ships.
Tel-Aviv offered as port of operations for a German Mediterraanean Fleet.

***