The Hand: News from Thrawn's Domains: 1906

[Ithekro]

January 20, 1906

Glorious is any day in which our fathers may look upon us and see that our will is superior to our enemies' resolve.  What is even better is if we can turn our enemy's resolve into our own, thus the Supercruiser Resolve enters the services of Thrawn.   Long may it haunt our enemies.

February 14, 1906

With an offer from the agreeable infidels of France for five of their older Coastal Battleships, the Blue Water Navy has issued a return and scrapping order for the four ancient round type battleships Cairo gave to our lands.  While these vessels proved their worth to Thrawn and through him they were lifted from the muzzle loaders they were to much stronger 330mm breach loader cannon, their days have ended.  Their newer Anahuac guns will be retained for use on the next model of Supercruiser to be laid down later this year.

March 1, 1906

With the purchase of two small submarines our enemy will not know when to look for us and when to blink.

March 27, 1906

Fort Hope has again sighted opportunistic Swiss attempting to move their cattle into our lands for sheep.  A regiment of our vast armies drove the cattlemen back into Swiss lands along with their thrice damned cattle.

April 12, 1906

Sightings of Swiss warships in the western parts of the Lake of Many Sarrows are unconfirmed and the Battleships of our Lake Fleet have been sent to drive any Swiss that happen to wonder into our waters away with the strickest language possible.

May 30, 1906

Delivery of the French vessels was taken today by Thrawn himself.  "Let not these vessels mend wounds, but may they drive the enemy from our waters when they shall break promise after promise unto the ending of the world."

June 4, 1906

It is yet unknown what names the recently delivered French warships will take within our glorious navy.
It has been suggested that they take their names from rules of old Eygpt under the Caliphate.  Other have suggested even older names from the times of ancient past.  Time will tell.

June 29, 1906

Thrice accused Swiss have again stolen sheep from near Fort Hope.  Be their mothers cry as their sons burn under the fire of rightousness.

July 9, 1906

A successful raid across the border has returned a number of stolen sheep to their masters.  Only three of our men are dead from the incident.  A few thieves were killed in the process.

July 15, 1906

The Swiss jump up and down, yet they cannot deny the evidence of the criminals bodies, not that thier people on the border do not raise sheep.  Let them rant...our people are strong and will previal against their infidel ways.

August 19, 1906

The new Lake Cruisers were launched today with much celebration.  Since the Caliphate fell new ships have been few and far between.  Now we launch two new ships with two more to be finished within the next few months.

September 1, 1906

The Swiss have again objected to use "breaking the words of the treaty".  Our word says that we will remove the two old battleships from the Lakes when the new ships are ready to replace them, and not a day before.

October 12, 1906

Battleships Bringer of Many Tears and Taker of Many Tears wheree launched today with much celebration.  "At last we will have something modern in the lakes that can teach the Swiss how to play their own games."  said an old man from the yard.  These vessels will not be ready for full service until March of 1907.

November 1, 1906

A great day is this day.  This day the Hand of Thrawn is laid down, her guns already await her final days of construction.  For years the Swiss have had the largest and fastests vessels in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans.  No more will that be so.  With the Hand, Thrawn's might will be seen and felt by the infidel that call themselves a republic and an kingdom, defying all logic.  With the Hand, they will be smited.

December 1, 1906

A pity.  The Fengel R.V. was known to our people as a tall ship...a little ugly, but the waste of lives, even heathen live is not aways wished for.  The men of Rohan will weep for the loss of thse Battleship, and Thrawn will wish that it had been the Swiss, for he could always use a new ally.

December 12, 1906

An offer from the infedels of Brandenburg have been approved for next year.  However what they offer is a good Blue Sea's Cruiser to compliment the Justice and Resolve.  Why they would offer such a vessel to be used in the Lakes of Many Tears is beyond reason.  Such vessels shoud serve with the greater and more glorious Blue Sea's Fleets in defiance of our enemies.

[The Rock Doctor]

An entertaining read but I have to make a suggestion:  as a mouthpiece of sorts for Thrawn, The Hand should never imply indecision, lack of knowledge, or weakness on Thrawn's part.  Thrawn knows all, and even apparent setbacks should really be clever strategy to make Thrawn's heathen enemies overconfident.

In the case of the Brandenburger offer, for example, you could replace that last sentence with something like, "Thrawn has not deemed this humble publication worthy of knowing His intentions at this time."

Just suggestions...

[swamphen]

What they ask for the vessels and how many we can afford is still not clear.

Well if they're to be built in Firanj shipyards, then $1 per hull for design license rights.  :)

[Desertfox]

Interesting...Im going to have to have a word with those muslims. (Imperial March)

BTW Ithekro do you have a rough Army OOB for them?

[The Rock Doctor]

Im going to have to have a word with those muslims.

...and that word would be "firefight", I'm guessing?

[Earl822]

Ah, were back in business with a bang, literally ;D

[Borys]

Speking to the Hand?
That's must be some idiom, surely?
Borys

[Ithekro]

Rocky:

Last line altered to fit the type better.

Swamphen:

I was hoping to build them in Brandenburg yards as the Hand is going to take a lot of resources to complete on time.  While I'm sure Thrawn could build one or two in home yards, it looks like the torpedo boat and gunboat department needs some improvement, as well as probably fortifications and "coastal: batteries.

Desertfox:

haven't gone that far yet.

This is what the Caliphate had in total in 1898, I'd assume Thrawn would raise his own local armies after during 1901-1905.

INFANTRY (LEVEL 5)
1 Elite Desert Infantry Corps
2 Elite Infantry Corps
2 Desert Infantry Corps
20 Infantry Corps (17 reserve)

CAVALRY (LEVEL 4)
1 Elite Cavalry Corps
1 Desert Cavalry Corps
2 Cavalry Corps (both Reserve)

[Desertfox]

I don't think it was pinned down.  Probably 5 BP and $54 revenue.  Maybe 30 million people?

Did some quick calculations, it would cost $14 to mantain that force in peacetime, war would push the cost up to $52. I might just go to war to force Farinjstan into bankruptcy.

The word would be...Fire!

[Ithekro]

If you are calculating on that entire number or corps (25 infantry and 4 cavalry), that was the entire Caliphate of Cairo's Army in 1898.

Firanj probably has something more like this:

That would give Firanj the following:

1 elite infantry corps
5 infantry corps
2 cavalry corps
+ fort based units.

[Desertfox]

Ah thats right, but juarez had about half (15 Corps?) his army in Australia.

Strangely you came up with almost the exact same number of corps as I have in Australia.

Total:
6 1/2 Divisions Regular
9 Divisions Calvary (all special desert)
1 Division, Special (jungle)
5 Divisions Nat Guard (Reserve)

[Ithekro]

Well I figure that the remainder would be in the forts, however many there are.  One from the Caliphate (pre-lakes) days.  I'd guess...what maybe two or three on the lakes, three on the border and one on the Indian Ocean entrance to the Seaway?  The pre-existing fort (was Perth) would be at the main coastal city in the south...the capital maybe?  This would be the port the French would be given access to after the sale of the five coastal battleships.

[Ithekro]

With the fall of the Caliphate of Cairo, Thrawn took the banner of those lands has his personal standard.  Egypy falling back onto flag with a green field a single cresent moon and three five pointed starts. (historical Kingdom of Egypt flag of 1922 as oppose to the Ottoman styled red field with three cresent moons with a star each).

[swamphen]

"In due consideration of World Events, and reflecting the Cordial Relationship between our Great Empires, the Deutsches Kaiserreich Brandenburg hereby states that the second Teichkreuser to be constructed for the Empire of Firanj by the Reich, previously contracted for ($6/mil in H1/08), shall be provided Free and Clear of all Charge as a gesture of Friendship between our Nations."