SDN World 3 Story Thread I

[MKSheppard]

"We didn't let them in! Back in the '50s, they allowed all political parties and those bastards gained traction! We can't outlaw them now for fear of gaining more aid from the Russians!"

The Shepistani delegate sniffled.

"So it was the goddamned libruls eh? Don't you worry about them gaining more aid from the Russians. Shepistan has quite a large pile of munitions to dispose of from the 1913 war; which is by now obsolete."

[MKSheppard]

With regards to one and three, Germany contends that the actions were illegal and outside the bounds of international law, but is willing to accept arbitration and would like to suggest either the British Empire or Cascadia for the task.

Shepistan contends that the actions were legal and within the bounds of international law. As you well know, the Shepistani Sea has been a war zone since 1913; and searches have been conducted by both sides over the years on a regular basis.

This fact, in conjunction with the other fact that you are in the process of sending an exceedingly large dreadnought fleet into the Shepistani Sea strikes the Shepistani Federation as very disconcerting, and has been stoking the fires of certain elements within the Shepistani Government for a....harder line solution.

With regards to two, the German Empire believes the offered amount to be acceptable and will ask for no more regarding the Mecklenburg incident.

The Shepistani Federation is willing to pay for the value of the ship's cargo twice over if it is necessary in addition to the toll fees.

With respect to the considerable knowledge of the Shepistani Federation in naval affairs, we are in possession of radio signals that prove that Dominion personnel were still on board when a torpedo was fired at the ship. We therefore reject your explanation as insignificant and will require further efforts on your behalf.

It is a well known fact that the Grand Dominion is full of known liars. They would sell their own mother into prostitution if they could gain an advantage. This story of a torpedo is merely a schismatic ploy to muddle the waters.

[MKSheppard]

Shepistani Naval Base

"What the hell happened to your boat?"



"A Goddamn cruiser ran over it. Get me a line to the Capital."

[MKSheppard]

Telegram to German Reich

The Shepistani naval submarine SFS Argonaut has just reached port after a long and ardurous voyage; and from the information her commanding officer has given us; she was the vessel which fired a torpedo at the Princess of Orient, using a new exploder which regrettably malfunctioned and destroyed the Princess instead of the Schimatic cruiser.

In light of this new information, the Shepistani Federation withdraws it's comments on previous note sent regarding the Princess of the Orient affair. We will be prepared to pay a lump sum of $250,000 to $500,000 to the owners of the ship over this catastrophic incident.

However, we still stand by the claim that the Schismatics would sell their own mothers into prostitution."

[OOC this was sent like 30-45 minutes after the last telegram]

[Akhlut]

"We didn't let them in! Back in the '50s, they allowed all political parties and those bastards gained traction! We can't outlaw them now for fear of gaining more aid from the Russians!"

The Shepistani delegate sniffled.

"So it was the goddamned libruls eh? Don't you worry about them gaining more aid from the Russians. Shepistan has quite a large pile of munitions to dispose of from the 1913 war; which is by now obsolete."

"While your offer is generous, we Mongolians have a state of the art army. Unfortunately, this war needs to be one of the mind, not of the sword."

[Zor]

Dai Nippon Press

Army Looks into Amphibious Tanks

Today, the Imperial Japanese Navy has announced that it is assembling a Think Tank of Engineers to look into the prospects of Amphibious Tanks. In a press conference IJA generals have stated that such a prospect will allow greater security for our boarders and improve the political power of the Empire of the Rising Sun. Both native and foreign engineers are being sought to accompish this goal...

[Beowulf]

Manchu Army Artillery Corps R&D site
Camp Yao
Heilongjiang Province

"You know how our battleships have director controlled AA batteries now, right?"

"You're stating a well known fact."

"Anyways, we've figured out how to do the same with a mobile AA land battery. Meet the Type 1 4t AA gun. It's designed for a battery of 6 guns. Since we're not so foolish as to presume that it'll never end up facing land troops, they can drop to local control, and depress down to -10 degrees. Doesn't really matter what's on the other end, it'll get blown to smithereens. We've got some Common shells designed for it too, so you're not limited to just the timed high capacity AA shells."

"Ok, but all this will only work in daylight."

"Right, but the Air Corps has been doing experiments. At night, airplanes are lucky to get themselves home over a darkened countryside, let alone manage to hit their target. Also, there's provision for a bunch of search lights, to allow the directors to then pick up the planes visually. Moving along, we've got the Type 1's little sister: the Type 2 2.5t AA gun. It's similar in the number of guns per battery, but more mobile and faster tracking. Better for shooting down fighters."

"Fairly impressive. What's this last gun?"

"Oh, it's just an experiment. We're trying boring out a .5t HMG to about .66t, then using a contact fuzed high explosive round."

---

Border Fortress 17
Soviet-Manchu Border

From the Soviet side of the Hailar He, what you could see of it was mostly the watch tower roughly on top. Of course, at that point you were also in position to be hit with direct fire from both Fortresses 16 and 18. It housed Company B, Second Battalion, 35th Artillery Regiment, 3rd Fortress Division, Army of Heilongjiang. It was one of many fortresses. They had been somewhat expensive to build, but cost almost nothing to operate. A bit of coal in the winter, supplies for the men and guns. Administratively, 16, 17, and 18 all belonged to the Second Battalion.

To it's left was First Battalion's trio of fortresses, which contained indirect fire weapons that could support both Second Battalion, and the 3/23rd to it's left. Behind them was the Divisional fortress, which contained heavier artillery, supporting all of the division's forward fortifications. Also supporting them was numerous divisions, both motorized, and leg, and an entire rail line joining the divisional fortresses.

Naturally, although the border was highly militarized, and much of it off limits, there were still ways to trade. And with trade came talk. Raising 324 thousand men wasn't easy. Especially in the Russian Far East, which remained highly underpopulated, due to the extremely severe winter. Few like to live where the average high is still -16.5 Celsius. Talk travelled. And it reached the ears of those on the other side of the border. From there it went to those in power, and they became alarmed.

[Karmic Knight]

Darwin Office Building, Darwin, Special Commission of Australia

Lance Sharkey did not like the position he found himself in that afternoon, in his hands was some jingoistic Melbourne paper that was decrying a recent border incident. Sharkey had found the article sent to him from relatives from Victoria and he had thought to bring it up to the Walloon Major after sitting on the issue for a handful of days.

The Commission Office, Sharkey assumed, had gotten wind of the Melbourne paper floating around the Organization and was bringing in Sharkey himself for questioning and detainment. Withholding information from the Commission Office was frowned upon, frowned upon with a bit of violent tinge.

So Sharkey rose in the elevator, waiting for the floor of the Walloon Major and the Dutch Clerk to appear so that he may get over with the fight for his career. At the aforementioned floor, Sharkey exited and walked with purpose to office number 9, knocked at the door, and entered.

The Walloon Major was first to speak, in heavily accented English, “Mr. Sharkey of Sydney, how nice of you to join us, on time as well. Mr. Van Hearth and myself are quite displeased with your withholding of information from us,” the Walloon Major smiled carnivorously and glanced at Mr. Van Hearth, the Dutch Clerk, before continuing, “Yes, quite displeased.”

“Sir, it was a simple article in a rag, family sent it up the Highway for both my amusement and the amusement of my peers. I assure you nothing will come from it.”

“Knowledge is Power Mr. Sharkey, Knowledge is Power and we need all the power we can get if we want to remain in this city,” Van Hearth spoke at last, “The fact that it was a Pays-Bas group that ended up causing the incident is even worse…”

“The fact that it was a Pay-Bas is enough reason to nationalize the Commission’s troops, we already have the 1st Australian Brigade, what is one more?” the Walloon Major jumped in, “Hell, we even still keep around those Mercenaries from the East Indies,” the Major’s eyes took a flushed hue, “We have no need to station any of the Pay-Bas here, they should be doing more important things, like training for motorised and mécanisée combat!”

“Oh, not this again,” said Van Hearth, holding his head in his hands.

“What again?” said Sharkey to Van Hearth while eyeing the excited Major, “I thought we were discussing this recent border issue, not the issue of the Pay-Bas. About the issue of the border, I feel we should petition The Hague to send someone to discuss this issue with the Cassies. I’m fairly certain, at least from letters from my relatives and the details inside, that the President of Cascadia shall soon be a much more moderate and reasonable voice. Major, do you believe The American would agree with such reasoning?”

“I do not pretend to believe I know anything about the interior of The American’s mind, he may be my superior in the Internal Security Ministry, but he maintains loose control out in the farther corners of his mandate.”

“Speaking of The American, has he named his successor as the Internal Security Ministry head?” cut in Van Hearth, “I managed to glean that The American shook up the Foreign Affairs Ministry with Mr. Steacy and I wait to see what he has in store for his former post. Now were he to follow precedent, Dr. Mason would be the front-runner, a member of the same Coalition as The American and he is currently the Deputy Minister.”

The Walloon Major reached into his coat pocket, and with a flourish retrieved a revolver. The carnivorous smile returned to his face as he said, “Now, Mr. Lawrence Louis “Lance” Sharkey, you are formerly charged by the Internal Security Ministry of withholding information of national importance from the Internal Security Ministry. What manner of ignorance do you use to defend yourself?”

Sharkey looked down the barrel of the revolver as he contemplated his answer, “The ignorance of knowledge. I was aware that I knew not enough to be important, and that I should find corroborating evidence as opposed to a simple Cascadian rag.

“I am of the opinion, Major, that this matter does not concern me. I have shared my information with no persons, and I myself have only seen a rag’s opinion on the issue. Security in this matter and the status of the Pay-Bas in Australia are not involved with me, so I will simply defend myself with the knowledge that I am not involved.”

“You are not involved, but you will be,” said the Major throwing the revolver at Sharkey, “Welcome to the Internal Security Ministry.”


Conference Room, Chairman Michaels Home, The Hague, The Union of the Low Countries

Chairman and Minister Brandon Michaels managed his personal mythos with care and precision, he was The American, a foreign born master of the apparatus of the unions and a man with the will to use every esoteric method offered to get his job done. The Union Congressionals were of the opinion that he was the perfect person to follow the leadership of Chairman Hammer, who had acted irresponsibly in his pursuit of glory and power for the Union. They saw him as the status quo, as a compromiser, and as a force of change prevention.

He was all of and none of these things, Michaels was simply a man who had a need, a need to be needed. He needed to be in the centre of the ever-changing storm of state, he needed to ruthlessly cut down opposition to pass whatever measures he felt necessary. He needed to take draconian measures to preserve either peace or war, depending on the issue, he needed to be needed to make that decision.

It was Australia that took him to his well worn conference room, worn to the point of being a bitter reminder of his lack of stability. He did not want war with the Cassies, not now at least. “Jer,” Michaels said, addressing the Deputy Chairman, Jeremy “Jer” vanHumbeck, “How do you defuse a bomb?”

“Carefully,” Jer said cautiously, throwing a confused glance at the Foreign Minister.

“Correct, now our bomb is the lack of a defined border between the Cassies and us, no?” The American did not pause for confirmation, “So the logical step is to define a border. Now, we run into the problem of a hardliner in office, we wait. Now, with someone new, this incident gives us a good opportunity…”

“…To test the patience of the new Cascadian president?” asked the Foreign Minister, Alex Steacy, after it was apparent the American had trailed off completely.

“No, to negotiate a settlement. He will have too much on his mind what with organizing his government, he doesn’t need more headaches coming from our little border,” the American turned from each of the people in the room as he spoke, “No, no, I’m certain he will want to settle the issue, including the most recent incursion. Time is on our side.

“Alex, focus on the conference in May, we do not need that failing at all. I can handle this issue, and Alex can handle any policy changes the new ISM throws around,” he turned from Steacy before he could point out that the American was still ‘ISM.’

“Jer, I need you to find out who had Pay-Bas working on border duty. Non-War Border duty is a Commission level command, not a Union-wide, make that very clear to the other Chairmen and the Trade Congresses, I will not tolerate more sloppiness because the locals aren’t doing their job.”

Results:
Lawrence “Lance” Sharkey and the Walloon Major introduced, and the fallout from Steve’s border incident
Introduction to Deputy Chairman Jeremy vanHumbeck (Jer), Chairman and Internal Security Minister Brandon Michaels (The American), and Foreign Minister Alex Steacy

Dear Mr. Garret,

Allow me to first congratulate you on your victory, I hope this is a sign that the people want better for themselves. I do not write to you for the purpose simple congratulations, I have a request of business.

I am of the opinion that only direct dialogue can resolve this issue, and I hope you feel the same way. The issue is quite simply, Australia. My predecessor as Chairman of the Trade Union Congress offered a kind deal to the broken remnants of the Dutch East Indian Company, the protection and support of the Union in exchange for reforms to conform to the standard that he required. At the time the company had lost the Islands they called home and impressed themselves upon the Top End of Australia.

The Issue is, as I am well aware you are aware, the fact that Cascadia is the legal owner of Australia and this area remains a sore spot of pseudo-recognition. I feel that if we are to operate as modern states, we must come to an agreement about this. The flighty corporate sponsors are long gone and we must discuss what to do with what’s left.

If you request it, I would be willing to personally go to Cascadia, or Australia, or wherever, to discuss this matter personally, but for the moment I trust my representatives in Cascadia, led by Ambassador Palmkoek.

- Brandon Michaels, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress and Minister of Internal Security

[Steve]

Portland, Federal District
16 February 1925

Dear Mr. Garret,

Allow me to first congratulate you on your victory, I hope this is a sign that the people want better for themselves. I do not write to you for the purpose simple congratulations, I have a request of business.

I am of the opinion that only direct dialogue can resolve this issue, and I hope you feel the same way. The issue is quite simply, Australia. My predecessor as Chairman of the Trade Union Congress offered a kind deal to the broken remnants of the Dutch East Indian Company, the protection and support of the Union in exchange for reforms to conform to the standard that he required. At the time the company had lost the Islands they called home and impressed themselves upon the Top End of Australia.

The Issue is, as I am well aware you are aware, the fact that Cascadia is the legal owner of Australia and this area remains a sore spot of pseudo-recognition. I feel that if we are to operate as modern states, we must come to an agreement about this. The flighty corporate sponsors are long gone and we must discuss what to do with what’s left.

If you request it, I would be willing to personally go to Cascadia, or Australia, or wherever, to discuss this matter personally, but for the moment I trust my representatives in Cascadia, led by Ambassador Palmkoek.

- Brandon Michaels, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress and Minister of Internal Security

The letter had come direct from the office of Ambassador Palmkoek over the weekend. SecState Rachel MacKenzie had delivered it personally before appraising the President of how her department was dealing with the change in leadership. It seemed her predecessor, Albaert Cartwright, had been little more than a yes-man for Vice President Halden, who had continued to act as de facto SecState under Halling. Fixing things so that the SecState was again in direct control was taking time, with telephone wires needing changing and new numbers being assigned.
"Who is this Michaels again?", Stephen asked.
"He is called 'the American', he emigrated to the Low Countries are started working for their government as a devoted Socialist. And he's the replacement for that hardcore nut Hammer."
"Ah yes, dear 'Comrade Hammer'. Didn't he threaten to drive our army into the Outback once?"
"While his were on the verge of losing everything to France no less," MacKenzie added with a chuckle. "Anyway, with the new man in charge and that incident in the Numbulwar Border area the Low Countries seem quite committed to beginning major talks."
"Such that he'd come all this way? Even with the Indian Ocean situation?" Stephen scratched at his forehead. "The Byzantine Emperor making a state visit is one thing, especially if his court can handle affairs, but I'd think an official in a state like the Low Countries might think twice before spending a couple weeks at sea just to meet me personally. But I guess that shows how serious he takes it."
"So, what do you want to do?"
"Find out what their terms are," Stephen answered. "If we can finally get them out of Darwin and secure the continent it will do much to ease the tensions in the region."
"And get the Conservatives off your back?"
"And that, yes...."

Dear Sir,

We appreciate your most generous offer of personally traveling to our capital to discuss this situation in person. We would not consider such a thing necessary, especially for a man of your responsibilities, and are quite ready to discuss the situation with His Excellency the Ambassador Palmkoek.

The position of the Cascadian nation as to Australia remains the same, that the entirety of the continent is our's by lawful right, and that the Dutch East Indies Company, their situation understandably grave, nevertheless infringed upon our lawful territories.

That said, we recognize that your nation has spent treasure in making the main port area of Darwin a functioning city and port. Thus we would be quite willing to provide compensation to the government of your Union in exchange for a withdrawal from Darwin.

Regards,
Rachel MacKenzie, Secretary of State

[loomer]

Kabul Inquirer
21st February, 1925

Celebrations in Afghanistan, 50th Anniversary of Hero's Birth
Today marked the first celebration of the birth of Abdurashid bin Omar bin Khalid Al-Meleke, the man responsible for the establishment of the Republic of Afghanistan, under the new Gregorian calendar. The previous calendar in use stated the great man's birthday to be the 6th of January, but date corrections have been made in this latest modernization.

The entire nation of Afghanistan, from glittering cosmopolitan Kabul to the coldest mountain passes, was lit by revelry today in celebration of the event, with fireworks and gunfire over all major cities and military establishments. Several statues of the great man were also unveiled in cities throughout the nation, including the fifty-five foot solid bronze bust in the People's Hall of Kabul, dominating the floor of debate.

Visitors to the city were also treated to a display by the aeronautical aces of the Republic's Afghani Air Service, including a mock dogfight and skywriting displays, with only one plane crashing. Several injuries were reported in the event, but no fatalities, and the hospitals report minimal loss of life from errant gunfire and the drunken revelry.

Abdurashid bin Omar bin Khalid Al-Meleke is also known as the Hero of Afghanistan and the Great Constructor. He was responsible for dragging Afghanistan from a primitive, fractured state in the 1890s and into the modern world from 1900 until his death in 1920 of a systemic infection from an infected leg wound obtained when his favourite mastiff, Tiger, broke loose in a dogfight.

His son, Jad bin Abdurashid bin Omar Al-Meleke, refused to give comment when found entertaining foreign investors in the Al-Hasa Hotel. Traffic was also delayed in Kabul thanks to the revellers crowding the streets and several car accidents on the newly surfaced roads.

Total deathtoll in Kabul, 63.

[MKSheppard]

"While your offer is generous, we Mongolians have a state of the art army. Unfortunately, this war needs to be one of the mind, not of the sword."

"One of the mind, eh? You'll need a place to...dispose of communist agitators. May I suggest Devil's Island, off the coast of Shepistan? Or as we like to call it....Shroomo."

[Coyote]

INS Shimshon
en Route to Eilat
via Suez Canal








Captain Davidovich was on alert, running multiple reaction drills with his men during their transit. Every meter they crept closer towards their roundabout at the Ras Mohammed, they inched closer to potential trouble with either aggressive Dominionites or their equally aggressive Shepistani foes. Just let me turn stern towards those nuts, and allow me safe passage through the Strait of Tiran... Captain Davidovich thought to himself. His crew was good and he was proud of his ship --rightly so, for he kept things running tight and in order-- but his small torpedo boat was little more than a show of resolve againt the potential weight that could be borne against it by the opposing navies.

The deck of the ship was crowded with bags of coal, making drills that much more difficult. There was little coal to be had in Eilat; most of it was brought down by barges through the very Canal he was using now. Captain Davidovich had many opinions about what had to be done to rectify the situation; he was, like the Defense Minister, convinced of the strategic value of the Negev for the future of the Yishuv. A rail line from Tel-Aviv to Beer-Sheva, and through to Eilat, was his ideal solution, but he knew it had little chance of fruition-- especially as long as the real economic and political power of the Yishuv stayed centered along the Mediterranean coast.

"Boker Tov, Captain," his first mate, Commander Yusif ibn-Adil Mansoor greeted. He unfolded a copy of the Egyptian newspaper Il-Watan --"The Nation"-- that he'd picked up during their hurried coal stop.
"Ah-Salaam aleikhum," the Captain greeted in reply. Commander Mansoor smiled; he'd tried to teach his Captain the proper greetings for morning, noon an devening but the standard, somewhat formal greeting was the only one that had taken root. Captain Davidovich blamed his Hungarian roots for the inability to catch on with Arabic. Even his Hebrew was cluttered and slow, but functional. When he cursed, he went easily to a Yiddish so thickly accented by Hungarian as to be it's own, unique dialect.

"Twelve seconds it took the men last time," Commander Mansoor said. "I think we have sharpened the blade as much as we can today; much more and it will begun to dull."
"We will practice more after dinner," the Captain said. "What does the Sultan have to say today?" he asked with a nod towards the newspaper. A steward brought them thick, Arabic coffee from the galley, which the bridge crew all had.

"The Sultan recommends calm in the face of the neo-Crusader challenge," Commander Mansoor said.
"He didn't call them neo-Crusaders in print, really, did he?" the Captain asked.
"No," Mansoor said with a smile, "That is your faithful Commander Mansoor reading between the lines."

"We have a good ship and a good crew," Captain Davidovich said, "But we cannot turn back a tide of Shepistani or Dominionite ships should they choose to steam north in a fit of pique. Right now, I believe we are the only ones representing any resolve in this part of the Red Sea," he said, looking to the mast. The flag of the Sultanate flew over the flag of the Yishuv, and over the stern, the flag of the Israeli Sea Corps fluttered.
"There is a fityan in Aquaba," Mansoor said, "They can help repel invaders, and your Yishuv Eilat Brigade," Mansoor said, "But yes, between Sharm el-Sheikh and Aquaba, there is little naval prescence but us; just fishermen."

"A lot of responsibility will fall to us, the Yishuv," Davidovich said. "The Sultan has a large army, but it has to watch a large area; an area in which not much exists beyond a few scattered oases."
"You know what would help?" Mansoor asked.
"Airplanes, Zeppelins, and railroads?" Davidovich laughed.
"A Camel Corps," Mansoor said. "The Yishuv should hire the Bedouin to carry supplies by camel to Eilat."

"Not a bad idea," Davidovich said, "As it stands, there's only a weekly flight for mail to be delivered by Air Palestine. No way to get bigger items down to Eilat, except by barge." Always on Davidovich's mind was the notion that any technique that was useful for moving Yishuvnik needs across the vast desert would also be equally applicable for moving Dominionite or Sheppo needs across the same vast distances, should it come to that. The supply line around the Sinai Penninsula was about the only supply line he felt was secure enough for the needs of himself and his men --and their ship.

A lot of work had to be done, and in a very short time.









Results:
INS Shimshon en route to Eilat.
Crew ready and wary for any Dominion or Shepistan interference.

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

The Manhattan Club
120 Kikkar Ben-Yehuda
Tel Aviv









Across Kikkar Ben-Yehuda --which meant "Ben-Yehuda Square", Eliezer Ben-Yehuda being the man primarily responsible for recreating the Hebrew language for the Yishuv-- was another street, known as "Rekhov ha'Yam", which meant, simply, "Sea Street". The street was one of the primary roads in the city that led to the Harbor, hence the name "Sea Street", but when the massive influx of American, British, Canadian and other English-speaking Jews immigrated ot the Yishuv, the name got mistakenly written down by many as "C Street". While the malapropism did, eventually, get sorted out, the name "C Street" had entered the vernacular among the English-speaking community and was still, sometimes, referred to as such by the younger set that frequented the Rekhov ha'Yam.

And so it was that one of the most popular Jazz-klezmer bands in Tel-Aviv was named "The C Street Band", and it was the very band playing that night to a raucous crowd in the Manhattan Club. Andy Gardener just sat down to have a drink when a cigarette appeared in her field of vision.

"Look like you could use a smoke," a man's voice said.
"Emil!" she exclaimed, "Here I was wonderin' if I put my glad rags on for nuttin'. How goes the train business?"
"Lot's of people are interested," Emil said, "Businesses all up and down the coast want in on this. We just have to see if the 'big cheese' in Cairo will go for it."

"Well, here's to," Andy said, hoisting her drink to his fortunes as he did the same. They drank and slammed their glasses down on the table as the band picked up another beat they both recognized.

"Hey, daddy, you Charleston?" she asked, her eyes brightening.
"I do indeed," Emil said, "Remember, I am not such a bluenose as I might have to be at work." They hit the dance floor, and Emil's moves were pretty good. Andy was energetic and not so smooth, being unused to the European partner style, but made up for it with energy.
"I usually danced solo," she said afterwards, "Or me and my girls. Making fun of the drys back home."
"I learned to do this after I saw Josephine Baker perform in Paris," Emil said, "Your friends are not here tonight?"

"Oh, Sarah's at home," Andy said, "Tammy's over by the bar talking to that horn blower." The band was taking a break, and Andy's friend, the one that had been drunk, seemed to be on her way to chemical euphoria again while talking to one of the guys from the trumpet section. They walked over for introductions.

"Hello," Tammy said, sitting down with them, "This here's Benny Wilensky. He's here from New York-- he played at Tin Pan Alley!"
"Says you!" Andy exclaimed as the men shook hands.
"Real McCoy," Tammy said.

"So what brings you to the sand castle?" Andy asked.
"The book answer is I wanted to play the horn and still be close to my roots," Wilensky said, "But the truth is, it's better to be a big fish in a small pond than a minnow among the sharks, if you know what I mean."
"You blow that horn pretty good, though," Andy said.
"I like it here, though," Wilensky admitted, passing around more cigarettes as Emil ordered more drinks for all of them. "I like the weather, I like the warm beaches, and I especially like this," he said as the barman brought over drinks for them all.

"I didn't know there was so much Prohibition in the States," Emil said.
"It's been percolatin' over there, off and on, since the late 1800's," Benny said. "A lot of states and counties have passed it and repealed it and passed it again. I'm tired of it, y'know? But one thing about us Jews, we love our wine, y'know? I think only the Irish are more pickled 'n we are at any given moment."

"Gotta be somethin' good to this," Andy said.
"You don't like the Yishuv?" Emil asked. "I wouldn't mind staying here, myself."
"Nice place, just too small," Andy said, "I'm a big city girl, and it'll be awhile before Tel-Aviv is big city enough."

"Well, I tell ya what, this place may grow big-time, you know?" Benny asked, "Every now and again, there's some group or another always blamin' Jews for one thing or another. You read that Hitler chap?" he asked Emil.
"Ja, I did," Emil said, shaking his head, "But no one listens to him. People like that have been talking nonsense for years, it's everywhere. You know, back in America, there are still places where the Blacks have to eat and drink seperate?"

"Oh, I know," Benny said, "And there's still Chinatowns and Italian ghettoes, you know what I mean."
"But really," Emil said, "What people are upset about most is that Hitler's book is stirring trouble with the Russians. He says we should have gone to war with the Soviets and taken all their land. He only has a couple chapters about Jews, and none of it original."

"Boys, boys," Andy said, rolling her eyes. "What's with the wet blanket talk? Whaddawe need here, more giggle water? Hey, Garcon," she called to the barman, "More gin; I'm gettin' a earful of bull session over here!" They'd barely finished their other drinks, so slammed them down and eagerly took the fresh glasses.

"I'm getting fried to the hat," Tammy said, her face reddening.
"You always get schnozzled," Andy said. "C'mon, Benny, take my friend here for a hoof around the dance floor while your boys carry the tune for a bit. Emil, you gonna turn this into a flat tire?"
"Not at all," Emil said, and stood up to go dance with Andy again.

They danced some more, and then Benny's band was back on; Tammy danced with a variety of other hopefuls around the bar but Emil and Andy stayed together the rest of the evening, enjoying the shows and alternating between dancing and drinking. As the night wore on, they left the club, this time walking along the nearby harbor, enjoying the sounds of the waves and the occassional bell or horn.

"You know what, Emil?" Andy said, "You're a right swell fella. We oughta take your car up to Yarkon Park and have a picnic, y'know? Just the two of us."
"I'd like that," Emil said, "But tomorrow I have to meet some people in Ashkelon who may be throwing in on the railroad project. I won't be done until late, and then I still have to drive back."
"Okay," Andy said, "So whatcha doin' Shabbat?"

"Shabbat? Nothing," he said, smiling, "We can go to Yarkon," he said.
"I'll hold ya to it." He walked her home, and they stood at the door to her town house.

"So, cash or check?" he asked.
"I said I'd collect on that check," Andy said, "So how's about some cash?" They kissed.
"You have a good night," Emil said.
"You do the same," Andy replied, and went inside after giving him a sly wink. He waited until the light went on in her upstairs apartment before leaving, and catching the last streetcar back across town, to where his own apartment was.

The grin on his face lit up the night all the way back.










Results:
Tel-Aviv night life going strong.
Henschel & Sons representative finding a lot of interest and support for railway project.
Coastal railroad worth the investment, just have to get Sultanate's permission, which Yishuv leaders are handling.

***

[Siege]

Messages from the Diwan



- El Wazir al-'Amala [Minister of the Interior] Habib Maysa al-Jameel has confirmed the construction of three naval factories in Ashkelon, a seaside city in the Yishuv autonomous region. The factories will be crewed by Yishuv workers, and will be owned by KMW, or Klarburg Motoren Werken, the expatriate German industrial concern owned by Count Siegfried Schenk. The factories will help assemble several capital ships the Sultanate has procured from Germany.

- In order to facilitate closer integration of the Levant area with the rest of the Sultanate the Greater Diwan has elected to pursue plans for a new coastal railroad. The Wedjahor Railroad is to run through Beirut, Haifa, Tel-Aviv, Ashkelon and al-Ghazzah to Alexandria. The treasury has cleared funds to begin prospection and measuring of the railway.

- The Greater Diwan is still considering a proposition by the ruling authority of the Yishuv to allow German warships basing rights in Tel-Aviv. The council is not yet convinced that such a base is in the best interest of the Sultanate, and has elected to consult further with Yishuv and German representatives. German warships already have standing permission to refuel in Sultanate naval bases.

- In order to quell unrest among the natives of the Sudan the Sultanate Air Corps has dispatched the zeppelin airship Jibrail to the region. The airship carries four parasite fighters and will be used to deliver Allah's justice from the skies.

[Norade]

Portuguese Expeditionary Fleet

A large Portuguese fleet consisting of nearly two dozen capital ships, a dozen destroyers, a over dozen supply vessels, and at least two submarines set steam for Gibraltar in the early hours of the morning. The fleet had moved from the Lisbon naval base and reports indicated that a PSS Mitológico, as well as other vessels from Portuguese Guiana and Africa, would be moved in to partly cover the loss of the two out going Dreadnoughts. However this was poorly planned and the ships arrived latter than intended with the fleet dispatched from Guiana arriving only as the rest of the fleet was arriving in Eygpt.

The fleet itself traveled at a speed of 10 knots to keep their supply ships at an easy pace. They managed to stray a ways from the coast as well as the Portuguese navy is know for fielding excellent sea boats down to destroyer level. However sailing such a fleet through the narrow opening to the Mediterranean was to be dangerous so they sent a Destroyer ahead a few miles signaling a large fleet coming using both flags and Morse code transmitted by signal lights. Further precaution was taken by slowing so they make the narrows well after dawn so they day was lighter and they could see the shore on each side.

Once they were through they waited at the predetermined point for the German lead group expected to arrive soon and the Spanish force. They had chosen a meeting point far enough from shore and out of sea lanes to avoid being scouted and to avoid incidents with civilian traffic. At the meeting such details as a joint signaling system and sailing order would be covered as well as some strategy and other matters such as supply and securing enough dock space to take on supplies for such ships as find themselves needing it.

(Most of such discussion should be free of spies and will be conducted via PM's between the involved parties.)
Spoiler

Battleships
-PSS Gigante, Gigante-class Battleship, Flagship
-PSS Moura Encantada, Mitológico-class Battleship

Fast Battleships
-4 Cidade-class Fast Battleships, 1916 Model
-2 Cidade-class Fast Battleships, 1910 Model

Cruisers
-4 Rapid-class Heavy Cruisers
-10 Dash-class Cruisers

Destroyers
-12 Class-3 Destroyers

Submarines
-4 Cruiser-class Submarines

Support Vessels
-2 Trooper-class Troop Transports acting as supply ships
-1 Medic-class Hospital ship
-2 Store-class Supply/Refidgeration ships
-4 Refresher-class Coilers
-2 Quencher-class Oilers
-4 Firestorm-class Munitions Ships

[Coyote]

Ashkelon
Histadrut Meeting Hall
Revolutionary Union of Workers and Artists










The Yishuv edition of the Yiddish language daily Der Forverts ("The Forward") carried the news first-- JOBS FOR ASHKELON, the headlines read in Yiddish. Russian newspapers and later, when that day's edition of Il-Watan reached the streets of the city, the word was out.

"The Industrial Workers' Collective of Ashkelon will meet any production quota," rallied their leader, Yaakov Rubenstein, proudly. The workers cheered; all were buoyed by the notion that their sleepy industrial town would finally become a hotbed of activity.

For now, the rousing speeches and rallies of the day were closing; a festival had been declared, capitalizing on the spontaneous displays by the workers themselves. A small Sultanate garrison looked on with bemusement at the red banners flying; while the collectivists of Ashkelon were enthusiastic in their beliefs, they were never known to be violent or provocative. At the moment, shtetl bands were playing in the peoples' square, and Yishuvniks and Palestinians alike were overjoyed at the promise of work.

Yaakov reached the edge of the square and ran straight into the disapproving stare of Natasha Levitina. "Yaakov Andreyvitch..." she started. He waved her off.
"'Tasha, don't start with it," he said. "I know, I know-- building machine parts for the Monarchist-Imperialist regime from plans that they purchased from the Imperialist Industrialist Regime in Europe, and blah blah blah." He sighed. "You've told me all this before, but what can we do? We cannot wait for 'ideologically pure' work; the people are hungry now. The weavers' collective is the only group in town that has reliable work."

"But what is this work going towards?" Natasha asked, he hand on her hips and her newsboy hat --an odd affectation to be sure, Yaakov thought-- perched at a rakish angle on her head. "We will build machines of oppression that will be used against someone else's workers. Workers we should be in solidarity with."

"You've been reading too much Trotsky," Yaakov said. "I don't like it any more than you do; but sometimes we have to remember that the only thing that seperates 'evolutionary' from 'revolutionary' is the letter 'r'. Change sometimes comes slow, and in the meantime, we will show the workers of the Sultanate just what a real workers' collective can accomplish."

"You are meeting that industrialist tomorrow," Natasha said. It wasn't a question.
"Herr Rathenau," Yaakov said. "He represents the company that will bring the railroad to town. We will need that, too."

"It routes trade and traffic through the elitist sections of the Yishuv, and ignores the interior, where most of the real workers are! The orchards of the Hula Valley, the Kibbutzim of Judea and Beer-Sheva!"
"A railroad has to carry goods, goods our workers make here," Yaakov explained patiently. They had the same go-round all the time. It made it hard for Yaakov to pursue her; they flirted on good days and fought like caged tigers otherwise. Natasha Solomonova Levitina was five years younger than he was, and quite caught up in revolutionary fervor. She had not had to make as many hard decisions in her life; her parents had been the ones to decide to move to the Yishuv when she was barely a teen.

"'Tasha, tell me," he said, "What good is a Worker's Party if no one is working? You want to tell them no?" he asked, waving towards the people in the square.

Tasha harrumphed and walked after him. "I think we should bring someone down from the Soviet Union, or at least from the Dutch Worker's Party, to speak to the people," she said.
"If you can arrange for someone, a luminary, to come address the workers, I am all for it," he said. He knew she;d try; she had connections, still, in Moscow and a few in the Ukraine. She'd write another letter to Trotsky himself, and maybe get another form letter from his secretary in reply. She was the Commissar for the Histadrut labor federation in Ashkelon, and she had an inflated sense of what that meant.

But it didn't hurt to try, to encourage her, Yaakov thought.
"You say that," she said, "But someday, I will get a reply. A real reply," she said.
He looked at her sincerely. "I hope you do," he said.







Results:
Workers in Ashkelon overjoyed at announcement from Sulatane.

***

[Minister of Pigeonry]

Strait of Gibraltar, 04:57

All along Spain’s southern Atlantic coast, stretching from Cadiz to Tarifa and proceeding north to San Roque on the Mediterranean side, the Royal Auxiliary Corps toiled away at constructing a system of makeshift lighthouses. Some of the “Lighthouses” were simply petrol-doused wood piles upon the beaches prepped for dark, others were battery-powered searchlights rigged as beacons to shine out to sea. Across the Strait of Gibraltar, the men of the Infantería de Marina manning the costal defense guns at Cabo Espartel, Tangier and Punta Blanca, near Ceuta, were hard at work as well, erecting their own network of beacons. For now, the forecast appeared clear, but come darkness or poor weather, the “Lighthouses” could be fully activated within twenty minutes providing a gleaming highway down which the gathering vessels could sail safely. In addition to the costal beacons, lit buoys were in the process of being deployed by several small Spanish tugs to mark the deeper channels and warn ships away from sandbars and other underwater hazards.

The two main Costal Defense Command Posts at Cabo Espartel and Punta Blanca made radio contact with the first Portuguese ships as they were handed off by the Spanish Naval Station at Cadiz, the operators there bidding them farewell on their journey through the Strait. The posts on the Moroccan side began to relay regular updates to the battery command center on the Spanish side of the strait which, in turn, passed the information along through the proper channels to the higher-ups in Madrid, Cadiz and Ferrol. Though the former port was filled with a multitude of Gran Flota vessels working through the last of their preparations, none of the warships there had yet to set sail. It had been decided to allow the Portuguese fleet a wide berth and set out after their vessels had moved safely through the strait to avoid confusion.


Gulf of Cadiz, 18:23

Waiting patiently, or, perhaps, impatiently, the Captain of the Köln-Class Light Cruiser Gran Canaria leaned over the port bridge wing railing and squinted, peering out to sea in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Portuguese fleet as it went by. They were too far out to see in any detail and he supposed it was the last of the fleet going by - the masts of the Capital ships had been briefly visible some time earlier but they were now long gone. The “Canary’s” Captain briefly checked his watch and snorted, noting they, (they being the Tercera Escuadra de Crucero) had been at anchor in the gulf for roughly forty-eight hours straight without further word on the operation ahead.

A presence drew the Captain’s attention and he stood up and turned to face the door as a junior officer stepped out onto the bridge wing. “Mmm?” the Captain “asked”, paying the young fellow little mind as he turned back to the sea. “Captain Franco, we’ve just received word that the primary element has been cleared to depart from Ferrol, sir. Admiral Bernardo is leading the fleet from the Guadalajara, they’re due to arrive here in roughly nine hours,” reported the junior officer. “Good to hear, Lieutenant,” he paused, “Good to hear someone is moving somewhere,” replied Captain Francisco Franco, nodding slowly to the sea.


Several miles off the coast from Acoruna, Spain, 18:45

The Baden-Class Battleship Guadalajara slowly slipped out into the Atlantic Ocean bound for Gibraltar, a grand fleet of Spanish warships lining up behind her to join in the precession.

[K. A. Pital]

Vast plains of Mother Russia. Moscow, Lev Trotsky's cabinet.

Lev Davydovich was dealt a heavy blow by the suicide of his secretary Mikhail Glazman. On 2nd September 1924 the man, who faithfully served Lev through the riots in Central Asia, through the fires of the Polish war, put his own life to end for reasons unknown.

Trotskiy felt he was being phased out by the Circle. They no longer called him to their meetings; after Lenin's death, Maria Spiridonova took personal measures to isolate Trotskiy. He didn't really fear her - after all, Dzerzhinskiy was still on his side... presumably. But he certainly knew that the Soviet Union was taking new directions. The period of imperialistic wars did not bring a transition to world socialism, despite many nations overthrowing the bourgeois. A newborn socialist brotherhood was rising, if so far frail, amongst empires and industrial colonialist opressors.

Well, thought Trotskiy, perhaps it would be best for me to continue the work of my secretary and work in foreign relations? After all, the internal politics of the USSR were becoming intensely heated and Lev feared he would not be in favour here, with Bukharin, Kamenev, Zinoviev and Spiridonova, as well as that guy, admiral Schastniy, pushing against his participation in the Circle and in the formal organs of power. That was rather unfortunate. But maybe he should wait until the snake-pit calms down?

He lifted one of the full folders left by his deceased secretary as "not requiring personal attention". And there it was, on the front page, a letter with red marks by secretary Glazman running all over it. "Reply by next month". Too bad he died. Trotskiy grabbed the letter with interest.

"Dear comrade!", it begun. Well, well. The Yishuv? Poor girl. She must've gotten a lot of standard replies from Glazman; but Trotskiy didn't recall any from himself. He concentrated on the body of the message. So there are industrial projects in the Yishuv... worker collectives... all right. A visit? Trotskiy hummed. He had to consult with a trusted aide, so he picked the phone and dialled the CheKa.

- Excuse me... comrade Isaev at the telephone? - he asked.

- Yes, I'm listening, - a calm voice replied.

- Comrade Isaev, you have been... informally supplying me with some news for the last few months, especially after the death of my comrade Glazman. I know that you have a lot of... information at hand. You have been most cooperative when it came to dealing with the Circle, and the Supreme Soviet - I avoided many blunders, to be fair. And now I need your advice, a honest one - should I, perhaps, organize a trip to the Yishuv? Leave the nation for a little while? There are matters there which interest me greatly. On the other hand, there is an intense struggle in the Union. The fate of our nation... - he suddenly stopped. - Should I really leave?

There was a lengthy menacing silence on the other side. Finally the man spoke.

- Here's my sincere advice. Yes, Lev. I believe you should.

[Ma Deuce]

The Freedom Conference, Beunos Aires

The confrence was underway, but Prime Minister Randriana had refrained from speaking until he had gotten a bearing of where the conference was heading and what the other delegates were proposing. After the Shepistani and Mongolian delegates had finished their exchange, he was given the floor to make a brief address. After scribbling a few quick additions to his notes, he rose to speak, with he intention of directly addressing Moreles' opening proposals for the conference.

"Honorable delegates, it's a privilege to speak with you here today, and I especially wish to thank Prime Minister Morales for hosting this conference, which I'm confident will result in an effective agreement and a unified response to the Communist threat. I would like to say that while I broadly agree with his main proposals, the devil, as the saying goes, is in the details.

While Madagascar is obviously in favor of halting the advance of Communism in the world given my presence here, I believe this conference should clearly define what that means and how it would be carried out. I do not believe a purely military solution will be successful in this regard, so I propose a system for signatories to pool economic aid to nations in danger of communist revolution so as to bolster them against it, and encourage them to institute social reform to make communism less attractive to their working classes.

We should also issue a declaration to the existing Communist nations of the world that while we respect their sovereignty and accept their right to choose their own form of government, we will call upon them to refrain from exporting their revolution beyond their borders, and to renounce the concept of world revolution. Furthermore, I believe that any agreement produced by this conference should require it's signatories to refrain from attempting to covertly overthrow any other nations governments, communist or otherwise, unless they are already in a state of declared war. I hope that these measures will head off any Communist attempt as portray this conference as an aggressive, hypocritical conspiracy to overthrow their nations, and will make them appear as hypocrites if they refuse to agree to the aforementioned declaration. If some agree and others do not, it could create a fissure within international Communism that we could use to our advantage.

On the other hand, I wholeheartedly support the concept of a mutual defense pact against Communist aggression. While outright military aggression would be a clear situation meriting a clear response, things become murkier in the case of a Communist nation covertly supporting revolutionaries within the borders of a signatory to this conference. Given such activity is unquestionably an act of war while at the same time being often difficult to substantiate, I believe there needs to be clear standards of evidence to prove where such support (if any) came from, and any evidence would have to be reviewed by the other signatories before action could be taken. I believe that the proposed international intelligence and law enforcement agency would assist greatly in this regard, and thus support that proposal wholeheartedly.

I believe that these proposals will provide a balanced and effective response to the threat of international Communism, and hope they will be carefully considered by the honorable delegates attending this conference. Thank you."

[K. A. Pital]

Vast plains of Mother Russia. Winds-a-blowing at the Akhtubinsk Scientific Experimental Airfield.

The cabinet was not just warm, but hot; the people quickly warmed up from the freezing cold of the airfield outside. There were around 5 of them in the room - all active in the I-1 development program, one of the new critical Soviet programs that were very, very important for the air forces.

- So you wanted to impress me, comrades? - Petr Ionovich Baranov looked grim. - I really hope that 68 pound ... machine flies well all the time. Not just at demonstrations. And that it can really carry the full load of 23 pounds, not just on tests, but in combat.

- Certain it does, comrade, - Kostkin and Polikarpov both said in unison. - Please, give the order!

- I can assure you of the machine's reliability, - bummed in Gromov, the test pilot. - It is quite certainly a welcome step forward for our airforce. The constant training on De Havillands, which cannot even serve as fighters, and Fokkers, which, I believe, put our nation in a rather uncomfortable position of bying weapons from imperialists... could be soon history. Please, do approve of serial production.

Baranov recalled the test flights.

The I-1 certainly behaved well, but could the engineer, a plant director and a test pilot be trusted? They could be lying - the I-1's development history already had it's share of incidents, starting from the prototype's test flights in 1923. Then again, the impression left on Baranov was fairly good.

- Remember that I'm just deputy chief of the Air Forces, - shrugged Baranov. - But I fully authorize a series of 5-10 machines. The signature's here, and the money will be coming shortly. Maybe not this quarter, but probably next. Make sure that you have solved the issues by then!

Polikarpov nodded.
- We will, but we cannot guarantee that... it's a very new aircraft.

- Do not dissappoint me, - Baranov waved his hand. - The development of the air forces has been a very painful spot for our leaders. You'll put me under fire if you fail to get the results at least by next year. I know the industries are in a bad shape, and I'm not asking for magic... I'm asking for effort. That's it. You have the engines - the M-5 Liberties' first large batch was supplied last year. This year the GAZ swear they'll make the Liberties damn reliable. After all, they service our civilian fleet as well. So, comrades, I put my trust in you.

- I serve the Soviet Union, - humbly noted Kostkin. - I assure you, my factory will work like hell, in the words of comrade Mayakovskiy. And that work is beginning.

Results: after some test failures of 1924, the work on prototype I-1 plane continues; Baranov visits Akhtubinsk, is impressed; authorizes production of a batch of 5-10 planes, not knowing yet that it would most likely fail...

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

Senate approves expansion of new funding for the National Bureau of Standards and new research funding

The Senate is met today to confirm the expansion of funding for the National Bureau of Standards and approved new research funds for various universities across Byzantium. Universities from the famous University of Constantinople, to the Technical University of Thessaloniki, to even the University of Baghdad stands to benefit from the injection of funds. These funds will help universities hire budding scientists and fund research various exciting emerging fields such as Quantum Theory.

The National Bureau of Standards will receive substantial new funds to further its work in establishing standards, be they the measure of inductance and other important physical constants. Funds will be used to conduct research and the compilation of atomic spectra which will be useful for research and other purposes.

Senate continues to debate the new military budget

The Senate continues to debate the new military budget. Among the items on the cards are continued motorization of the army, along with the expansion and upgrading of the air force. New prototype planes are to be funded, and to be acquired. The army is also seeking funds to fund new tank designs, as well as new artillery types. Then navy is seeking funds to fund the construction of new cruisers and destroyers. The Defence Exarch Ezekiel Douvas is pushing very hard for the approval of the budget.

[Thanas]

Shepistan contends that the actions were legal and within the bounds of international law. As you well know, the Shepistani Sea has been a war zone since 1913; and searches have been conducted by both sides over the years on a regular basis.

This fact, in conjunction with the other fact that you are in the process of sending an exceedingly large dreadnought fleet into the Shepistani Sea strikes the Shepistani Federation as very disconcerting, and has been stoking the fires of certain elements within the Shepistani Government for a....harder line solution.

With regards to two, the German Empire believes the offered amount to be acceptable and will ask for no more regarding the Mecklenburg incident.

The Shepistani Federation is willing to pay for the value of the ship's cargo twice over if it is necessary in addition to the toll fees.

Telegram to German Reich

The Shepistani naval submarine SFS Argonaut has just reached port after a long and ardurous voyage; and from the information her commanding officer has given us; she was the vessel which fired a torpedo at the Princess of Orient, using a new exploder which regrettably malfunctioned and destroyed the Princess instead of the Schimatic cruiser.

In light of this new information, the Shepistani Federation withdraws it's comments on previous note sent regarding the Princess of the Orient affair. We will be prepared to pay a lump sum of $250,000 to $500,000 to the owners of the ship over this catastrophic incident.

However, we still stand by the claim that the Schismatics would sell their own mothers into prostitution."

[OOC this was sent like 30-45 minutes after the last telegram]

Berlin
Reichskanzlei

Sänger pondered about the recent messages by the Shepistani Federation and after consulting with several Naval experts, the following reply was sent.

From the German Empire to the Shepistani Federation

Your Excellencies.

The German Empire believes the offered amounts of compensation for both incidents to be enough for both the owners of the ship and the families of the unfortunate victims and will seek no further compensation. We thank the Federation for its most reasonable offer.

The German Empire recognizes the right of all sovereign nations to stop and search vessels within their territorial waters. However, the German Empire categorically refuses to accept that this also extends to tolls. Since you have already offered to pay the tolls extracted, we will assume that this point of view is shared by you as well and will consider the issue settled if you give us your guarantee that such things will not occur again in the future.

As for the survivors of teh Princess of teh Orient, we ask that they be released into the custody of the German Embassy.

The German Empire believes your newest version of events to be the truth and does believe the Shepistani faction to be free of any blame in those regrettable incidents. However, this does not extend to the officers involved. Regardless of malfunctioning equipment, by your own statement your ship fired a torpedo at a civilian ship. This was a most reckless and illegal act.

Therefore, the German Empire requests that the officers and men in question be charged and punished according to the full extent of the law. However, it believes that the Shepistani Federation's criminal justice system is well equipped to handle this and therefore will not demand any extradition.

The German Empire requests an apology for the firing of a torpedo and the extraction of tolls from the officers involved.

As for the general legal issue involved, we once more would like to offer mediation by a third party.

Respectfully,
Reichskanzler Sänger

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

Reichskanzler Sänger

I wish your emperor good health.

The Grand Dominion Gulf war zone is defined as East of Latitude 15 and North of longitude 74. This is well clear fo the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Grand Dominion does reserve the right to stop and search vessels within it's territorial waters. This is especially true along the Araby coast, where the Mahdists in Sudan and the Caliph in Cairo exhort their follows to rise up against us.

We maintain the doctrine of Distant Blockade, many of the nations that are currently in the coalition that you are gathering against us accepted the legal precedents set forth for it in the past, the United States was seizing vessels well past Bermuda during their civil war, for example. This blockade is limited in scope in that we confine it to the Grand Dominion Gulf war zone.

Neither Cascadia or Britain are acceptable as arbitrators, the Melckenburg was a Cascadian-flagged ship and there are those who would argue that Britain could be unduly influenced by having enclaves along the Indian Subcontinent. May we recommend the Manchu Kingdom or the Mexican Empire?

As for the Princess of the Orient, you have received an incorrect version of events. The Commerce Defense Cruiser Enrico Dandalo stopped the Princess of the Orient for a routine search for countraband. The starboard lookout on the Dandalo's bridge noticed a periscope, and so the vessel was ordered to gather steam and come about to ram the suspected submersible. The submersible fired and sank the merchant ship, which still had our boarding party of 6 men and 1 officer onboard. The Dandalo successfully rammed the submersible, and debris and an oil slick was noticed rising. Shepistani Federal Naval vessels of a dreadnought type arrived on scene and fired upon the Dandalo before it could commence rescue of any survivors.

Unfortunately, at this time, neither the logbook or the commanding officer is on hand, as the Dandalo is still at sea keeping an eye out for your lot. Which brings me to the next item.

Reichskanzler, I cannot help but note that you have encouraged a fleet of warships to gather against the Grand Dominion, despite a stated goal of a "mere" trade embargo. Reichskanzler, I would like to point out that you, not us, are the ones intervening in someones backyard, and everyday more vessels arrive with what can only be an express purpose to knock the Grand Dominion and the Shepistani Federation flat. I am under immense political pressure to take a hardline, as a large part of my population looks at your gathering forces and comes to the conclusion that your stated mission of a "trade war" is in actuality a prelude to real war. Why, just this morning, I received an intelligence report that Egypt is shifting significant amounts of troops into Arabia.

Reichskanzler, I have striven to keep the alert level of the Grand Dominion forces as at normal as possible. I have not shifted any additional troops to where they can inflict the most damage(the overseas possession of Araby), and at no point have I had more than two battleship squadrons at sea...and both of them are escorting the routine Q1B convoy from Araby. Gathering several dozen capital vessels in the Indian Ocean goes far beyond mere "commercial escort", and has created a perception that war is imminent.

Regards,

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

[OOC: Shep screwed up, the "toll" certainly wasn't in the Red Sea...at least not the Dominion warship]

After some discussion, the following note was sent in reply:

From the German Empire to the Grand Dominion of the Indies

Lord Protector,

Regarding arbitration one might argue that the Manchu kingdom, being one of your largest trading partners, is unduly influenced in this issue as well. However, the Mexican Empire is acceptable as an arbiter regarding the legality of a distant blockade and the legal extent of such a blockade. The German Empire maintains that such a blockade would not extent to necessary goods such as food, medicine, consumer goods, coal or oil, the abscence of any of which will severely harm the civilian population of any nation.

The German Empire recognizes the right of all sovereign nations to stop and search vessels within their territorial waters. However, the German Empire categorically refuses to accept that this also extends to tolls. Since you have already offered to pay the tolls extracted, we will assume that this point of view is shared by you as well and will consider the issue settled if you give us your guarantee that such things will not occur again in the future.

Likewise, the German Empire will eagerly await the conclusion of your board of inquiry regarding the alleged misbehaviour of your captain in extracting the tolls.

The German empire believes your version of events regarding the sinking of the Pride of the Orient, but has one request for clarification, namely whether your ship hid behind the Merchant and illegally used it as cover from a torpedo attack.

With regards to Egypt and its troop deployments, Germany is not, as I am sure you are aware, in command of the Egyptian army. Rest assured, however, that it had no part in the recent shifting of the deployments.

With regards to our forces in the Indian Ocean, as you are well aware Germany has a large colonial empire which occasionally means long-range deployments and training for such deployements of our forces. Rest assured that the forces have no order to infringe upon Dominion shipping in any way and currently only encompass our Battlecruiser wing, which after all is the main long-range arm of the German Navy.

As for the Hochseeflotte, we are merely coordinating fleet exercises off the coast of Spain with several of our friends and allies. I am sure that should the Dominion want to take part in such an exercise, Dominion battleships will be most welcome.

The German Empire is dedicated to a peaceful solution to this crisis and your recent diplomatic notes have done much good towards such a goal. As a result of this and as a sign of de-escalation, I have ordered the troops convoy carrying pioneer brigades in order to construct a possible German Naval Base in Tel Aviv and to expand the port facilities of Dar-Es-Salaam to remain in port for the time being.

Respectfully,
Reichskanzler Sänger

Pola
125th Pioneer Regiment

Oberstleutnant Erwin Rommel was most dismayed hearing about the new orders. After all, he and his men had hoped to prove themselves against enemy positions in the desert.

[Evincer]

Lima

After dozing off in the dim waiting room, B. Traven was escorted into the Foreign Minister's office, and awakened to the bright reflection of the sun off the polished, junglewood desk. He shook hands with Bustamente and lowered himself into the imported, plush leather chair. Traven noted that the foreign minister was considerate enough to provide a more comfortable chair for his guests than himself.

"So, Mr. Traven, thank you for coming. I know the city has been a-bustle and difficult to navigate recently."

"Where would I be if I could not navigate one of our own major cities?" replied Traven.

Bustamente's face cast into a frown.
"You know we employ very few ... foreign intelligence agents. We of course fixate on domestic security. But a man of your talents is required for the International Conference. You are familiar with the Hague, no?"

"Absolutely, Minister."

"I would ask that you accompany me, please. To provide security behind the curtain, so to speak. I need to be aware if there are any plots, and be given the opportunity to prevent them, if possible."

Traven nodded.
"It will be a pleasant return. Though I would prefer Amsterdam, myself."

There was a hint of disapproval on Bustamente's face, or was that a gleam in his eye?

"We'll prepare your steamer ticket. I'll see you in the Low Countries."

Traven shook hands and picked up the newspaper he had left in the lobby.

Radio-vision proposal bears fruit
Experts attracted from around the globe


At least they aren't sending the money on bombs, he thought.

[Lonestar]

The Gold Palace

"Sir, you clearly see the situation our relatively weak navy has put us in. Why aren't you using this to push the bill?" Grand Admiral Saldana said.

Unlike previous meetings, these one was strictly limited to the cabinet, which meant that not dealing with politicos had cut through the amount of bullshit to dangerously low levels. Lord Fairfax sighed, but before he could speak Dr. Blitzschlag of the SIG spoke up.

"Because Admiral, our ability to build modern weapons of war largely depends upon the scale of any trade embargo that is being proposed. It would be foolhardy to begin placing large orders for material that will never get to us at this moment, and we will need as large a reserve of hard currency as possible if the embargo goes through and we are unable to pry certain names on the list off of it."

"What the good Doctor said, Grand Admiral. Unfortunately, we're in a situation of 'hurry up and wait', the bane of all military men and politicians." There were some chuckles. Lord Fairfax turned to Foreign Minister Berman.

"Vladimir, here is our response...."

Reichskanzler Sänger

I wish your emperor good health.

Unfortunately, it would not be militarily prudent to bring an end to searching for contraband in the Grand Dominion Gulf. However, if a merchant or passenger line sends a notarized form stating the destination and cargo of a vessel to the local Dominion Embassy, we will accept it in lieu of stopping and searching those vessels. To this end we recommend that merchant vessels very clearly display their national ensigns, and have their vessel names clearly visible. The goods you recommended will be taken off the contraband list, unless a general war begins again with Shepistan. In which case, as the Americans say, all bets are off. In wartime steel and coal are certainly war material.

In regards to the Princess of the Orient, the Enrico Dandalo did briefly move behind the vessel...as it was building steam and accelerating into a loop to ram the submersible, which happened shortly thereafter. I note that GDN personnel were on board the Princess of the Orient, and we would not have intentionally lined them up to be sunk.,

Finally, Captain Ernst of the Godfrey has been sent to a Non-judicial Punishment board in regards to the Mecklenburg incident. While the board found there to be "insufficient evidence" of piracy(no money was found), it was determined that Captain Ernst acted in a manner unbecoming an officer of the GDN. He has been removed from the Commodore's List, and placed on half pay, not to hold a sea command again. He has also been fined $10,000, to be docked from his pay, which will be transferred to the owners of the Mecklenburg as compensation for any troubles they may have received.

Yours in Christ,

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

Grand Dominion Academy of the Sciences Observatory, Ceylon

"I say Wernstrom, come look at these photos!"

"Eh? What is it Abner!"

Dr. Worthington held up two photos, and pointed at a dot that had clearly moved. "I say, I think we found a Trans-Neptunian Object!"

"By Jove, I believe you are right! In fact, it may even be a planet!" Wernstrom scratched his chin. "We need to have other observatories check this!"

RESULTS: New Dwarf Planet discovered!

[Norade]

Portuguese Air Design Bureau



"This good sirs is out first design, we call it the PAF (Português Aviões Fabricação Companhia) Falcão. It is a solid design predicted to a sprint speed of one-hundred and thirty-five mile per hour and a cruising speed of no lower than one-hundred miles per hour. She has a standard armament of four forward firing .303 machine guns and a rear facing pair of the same for defense, we are also experimenting with a triple .50 machine gun forward, dual .303 rear setup. As well it carries two hundred pound bombs under each wing for bombing trenches or tanks. We can have a prototype ready in less than a month for initial testing if you have interest."

The councils military design aide nodded along and said, "Most impressive, and the other design?"



"Indeed, our next design is a twin engine bomber design we call the PAF Águia, based on our numbers should keep up with fighters with a top speed of at least one-hundred and thirty miles per hour and cruise at above one-hundred miles per hour. She is to fast and to high flying to catch for most aircraft and with her climb speed it will not take long for her to reach such an altitude. Her armament will be a pair of forward firing .50 machine guns mounted on the aircraft's stomach behind the pilot so it can shoot at planes below it, as well as a rear facing quad .303 tail gun just in case. As her main weapon however she can carry a frightening maximum load of four-thousand pounds of bombs, and a more average long range load of two-thousand five-hundred pounds. We believe that once she is built she will be the best bomber in service by any nation."

The aide once again spoke and said, "Very well, we will see these prototypes shortly and look forward to these craft entering service."

Summary
-Single engine bi-plane being designed
-Dual engine bomber being designed

[Steve]

Reilly & Colette Inc., Bremerton
27 February 1925


The day had the average winter weather for Puget Sound - cold, wet, and overcast. A crowd of men and women - mostly men - were gathered at Slipway A in the great Reilly & Colette shipyard along Sinclair Inlet at Bremerton. The city itself had built up around the yard, founded initially by German immigrant and Seattle entrepreneur William Bremer specifically for the purpose of providing Cascadia another major shipyard in the growing Puget Sound region and bought out by the entrepreneurs who founded Reilly & Colette Inc. Intended initially to produce torpedo boat destroyers and cruisers, the yard's owners had instead won support from the Navy for becoming a capital ship-constructing yard after successfully revamping a proposed pre-dreadnought design at the turn of the century.

Today the latest accomplishment of the company was sitting at the ready upon the slipway. The hull of CRS Sovereign was complete, though the ship would be under construction for another year at least to fit her guns, superstructure, and complete all shakedown tests.

To christen the vessel, the company and Navy had asked their nation's new First Lady to complete the honors, and so Rachel had taken the train up two days prior in order to attend. She had left the children with their father and the staff at the Green House, much to Stephen's chagrin, to attend the event and the launching banquet afterward, though she would not be saying for the launching of CRS Senator in three days' time, rather taking the evening training back to Portland.

At the prompting of the shipbuilding company's president Rachel stepped up. From the decorated hull hung a bottle of wine from her own family's vineyards in California, held by two straps of white, green, and blue material with the bottom of the bottle and the neck kept parallel. She double-checked the slip of paper with the formal christening statement very carefully (and discreetly) before taking the bottle of wine in one hand while the other held the yard-provided microphone close. "In the name of the Republic I christen thee Sovereign, may God protect thee and thy crew." She gave the bottle a bit of a push upon completing the statement. The bottle darted back to the hull with more than enough speed to shatter against the steel hull, breaking in half and spilling its contents upon the newly-christened Sovereign.

The band had begun playing Press On Cascadia Fair as the bottle shattered. This was the signal to commence the launching. Barriers were pulled away and the slip triggered to permit the large ship to slide backward and into the water of Sinclair Inlet. From there it would be tugged to a fitting out pier to begin that phase of its construction.


28 February 1925


It was the next day when Rachel returned to the Presidential Residence. The car pulled up and let her exit. She waved off the staff member who came for her bag and carried it in herself.
After leaving her bag at the Presidential Suite she walked down the hall to the "Federal Suite 2", the room she'd picked for the children that was normally reserved for visiting guests of the President. She opened the door, intent on greeting her children...
All she could do was gasp. In the three days she'd been gone, the children's room had become a mess of toys and discarded clothes.
Quite livid, she stormed out and was soon directed, by a very sheepish maid, to the West Lawn. A makeshift baseball field had been set up. She recognized Reggie Etps in the role of a pitcher while Stephen stood at "home base", holding a bat with Tom and clearly trying to help him learn to swing. Sophie and Rafael were behind him... and the first to see their mother. "Mama's home!", Sophie cried joyously, running toward her mother... and then stopping as she got close enough that even her toddler's mind could see that Rachel was Not Happy.
From the looks on everyone's faces, it was clear that they were all aware of where she had gone first. Stephen looked to his Chief of Staff. "Reggie, don't I have some state business today? Meeting with a Congressman or an Ambassador... anything?"
"Afraid not, sir," he answered.
"I was afraid you'd say that," the President mumbled in reply before stepping forward to deal with the one thing that every President loathed dealing with.
A thoroughly angry First Lady.


Summary:
CRS Sovereign and CRS Senator launched. Will update construction queue later to account for ships entering fitting out phase.
During the First Lady's absence, the President has permitted their children to do what children do best: make a mess. Someone's sleeping on the couch tonight....