Paris Temps

[miketr]

Yavuz was still shaking down before...  That alone could and odds are does account for her improved shooting. 

Michael

[Sachmle]

TELEGRAM
TO: DIEGO JUAREZ Y HERNANDEZ
FROM: ERNESTO GONZALO Y RIVIERA

INTELLIGENCE BELIEVE ITALIANS AWARE OF CONVERSATION WITH GEON STOP RUMORS SPREADING ABOUT POSSIBLE CSA INVOLVEMENT WITH TURKS STOP CEASE DISCUSSIONS WITH FRENCH STOP TROUBLE WITH CONFEDERATES IS NOT WANTED STOP PLEASE RETURN TO BUENOS AIRES EARLIEST POSSIBLE CONVENIENCE END

[Borys]

Ooooo - bodes ill for out NUSA hero ...

[maddox]

Decembre 16th 1912.

Hospitaux central, Paris

Premier Paixhans? Premier Paixhans? Mon Dieu, Premier Paixhans!

Eyes fluttering in a gaunt face, an emaciated body quivering.

Docteur, docteur, Le Premier shows signs of awakening.....   DOCTEUR.

[maddox]

December 20th,


Dupuytren, Jacques, you'll have to take over untill the elections of 1914, otherwise, we'll lose the confidence of the public.

Mais oui Premier. It seems your ministers have anticipated this , and I was forced into the task. It's a big thing, to fill your shoes. But for the moment, neutrality is the best we can do.

Jacques, you will go to the Bahamas. I need you there.

Oh premier?  What's going on? What do I have to do there?

...................
Glorious France has a meeting with 2 of her most important allies, and a very important commercial partner.  My intention was to secure the most powerfull alliance on earth. I know, we already have that, on paper. But 1 of the partners in the east has proven very chaotic and not to be trusted.
Your task there is to think like me, do what I would do, and secure this alliance. But keep in mind that France is the most important to our hearts and minds.

Yes Premier.  I understand. Minister Capet is atm making sure Greece is secure to us, and I'll make your plan work as it should.

Aheum
Minister Dupuytren, I warned you not to talk about work, You need to go now, this conversation was already to exhausting for Premier Paixhans.

Mais Docteur, it's important.

soft voiced, like a velvet glove around a uranium sledgehammer.

Minister Dupuytren, if you don't go now, I'll have you removed. I'm oathbound to get Premier Paixhans back to health. And by Hippocrates, I will do so.

[The Rock Doctor]

My intention was to secure the most powerfull alliance on earth.

Oh, joy...

[maddox]

December 1912

Monsieur Paul Timbre speaking at a congress of industrial magnates

Messieurs, I'm tired of this yearly returning issue requesting funding for Battleships that keep on growing. Parliament just should open the purse for usefull progress, not the piecemeal increments allowed by uncaring politicians.
Already designers are working on 40 to 42 mille tonnes of floating fortresses, just to show the world that France can build the largest ships.

Why wouldn't we build them, that will stop the world trying to outdo us, and by accident, makes that we don't have to scrap a dozen ships every 5 years or so.
The ships I envision are the largest our docks can hold, and build so they have a meaningfull speed  with the engine technology we have.
My architects, who have experience building very large ships like Napoleon the Great and Le Magnifique.

The ship we can lay down tomorrow  because I personaly financed the design.

18 of the largest guns in the world,  the famous 380mm guns in 6 tripple turrets spaced like already demonstrated in the superiour layed out DeCreme .
Armor not thinner than 200mm anywere and up to 400mm were it counts.  Nothing smaller than a heavy cruiser can dent her.
Destroyers and torpedo boats will be demolished before they reach torpedo launch distance by dozens of 140mm guns placed over the ship in twin enclosed mounts supplied each from an armored magazine below decks.

Messieurs, I need your approval to push this down the troaths of our elected politicians, because we have that power to make it so.

See also this topic
http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=3142.0

[maddox]

OOC, a large jump but needed.

Le Monde 9 january 1915

Chantiers St nazaire, one of the most modern yards of the world, specialised in the building of  death and destruction, has secured the contract to build 2 small cruisers for export.
According to our sources, the country ordering them would be New Swiss. What we don't understand, if it is true, is the acceptance by our chosen leaders. Untill last month ,anything New Swiss would have been anathema, unclean, plague ridden. So we ask, who's pockets are being lined with pure diamond and platinium?

http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=3026.msg33185#msg33185

[The Rock Doctor]

Not me

*Pouts*

[maddox]

Paris,the bar in  Hotel  Napoleon
Bonjour Monsieur Grange, Premier Galpoux did give me the command to talk to you about the New Swiss.

Oh Yes Grand Admiral Geon, the New Swiss.  The change in gouvernment has done a lot to their diplomatic stance and skills. Suddenly they realised that France, if provoked enough, could have pulverised them.
When the New Zion issue came up, the NS envoy had a little talk to me, and the result of that conversation resulted in a mayor order for 1500 tons destroyers at the Chantiers St Nazaire.
The deal is simple, we build, and we get the plans and advisors how to construct durable hulls of that size and low weight.

And you trust those fiendish crafty little survivors? I remind you they have sunk  1 French battleship, 2 large cruisers, and 1 sloop without any official declaration of war; not to mention why they became the "New Swiss". We kicked their utterly mercenary asses in the 1800's war , just because they were meddling in Normandie. The leftovers ran like curs with the tails between the legs. And ended up in a country already ravaged by natural disaster and civil war, they could dispose the rulers, and  lately those rulers came back and kicked New Swiss ass. Still they retain a Pacific Empire, and have  fingers in every commercial, merchant and even shady pies. The only thing I can't lay down at their feet is  worshipping the eye.

My My, you sound like Minister DeCreme at his best now. Grand Admiral Geon, what harm is there in  that transaction? It's not as if we're asking the New Swiss to join the Treaty of Nassau. No, let us say its a tentative action to see if the change in leadership really changes things. 
But, you should be thirsty after that rant? 
Garçon, for my friend and me a glass of Moyet 1889. An unopened bottle of course.

Grange, your taste never fails. I have to admit that. 

[maddox]

Januari 10th 1915

Minister  Marveulle,  I hope you understand why I got you out of bed.

No Premier Galpoux, I don't know, and why at this ungodly hour?  It's barely 9 am.

I called you here because I have to tell you that your nifty little plan to make profit of a war has gone down the drain, flushed with sulpheritic acid rinced with cyanide and topped of with fosgene.
Start working on another plan, asap, get your ministry working on a joint statement with the UNK, the CSA and Italia that the treaty of Nassau isn't an empty word. And get a message off to the Russians. Time to remiond them about the treaty of Versailles.

Wha?

No, War, Minister Marveuille, the Orange Republic declared war against the Italians. And close your mouth, you should have seen this coming and should have told us so.
And get me Envoy Jardan to talk to the Gran Colombians.

Euh Premier, what are we going to do?

That ain't your problem, it's going to the ministry of Defence now.

11 december 1915. Djibouti Island HQ.

Messieurs, we recieved a telegram, we're to mobilise all the ships and troops that fall under Djibouti Command.  Paris is also sending us DeCreme as flagship. But she's in the Carribean atm, so she'll take 2 weeks to get here.

[maddox]

Le Monde  January 17th 1915

From our correspondent in Rome

The Republic of Orange despite its claims to the contrary is a Slave holding state.  To support these claims the Empire of Italia will provide referenced sections of the relevant Legal Code of the Republic of Orange.  Before the Citizens of any country support a position that supports the Republic of Orange the Empire of Italia feels that they should have all the facts and to decide for themselves if they would choose to live under the authority of such a government.
http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=626.0

The reader should note that the Word Slave only appears once in the legal documents referenced and then only to deny that they exist.  But if the reader compares the legal rights of those persons to those of a Slave in the period where they were legal in more of the world I think the readers will find that slavery does still exists in the "Civilized World".
We will start with the section detailing the rights of the Native Population:

Natives ("Kaffirs" or "Blacks")
The black primitive masses originally inhabiting the continent. But the tribes were chased away from the better lands, forcing them to live on marginal farmlands. They provide the bulk of the cheap workforce in the mines and agriculture. Laws restrict their employment in the industry, and they cannot live permanently in white settlements. There are strictly enforced segregation laws to avoid unnecessary intermingling of the white and black population. Few lucky ones are able to work in the white towns - for a maximum of three months a year. They are not slaves legally, but they have limited rights and even that is often ignored. Moreover, when black people stay in "white" areas, they must belong to a white (not colored) person who is not only responsible for them, but also have almost unlimited power over them - this is often translated as slavery by ignorant foreigners.

The Republic of Orange claims it pays all its workers, but if it only pays them enough for subsistence living in abject poverty subject to the order of and I quote here "White (Not Colored) person then if this is not Slavery what is?

Next we will cover the section on the so called Brown People:

Colored ("Kleurlinge"): a mixed group of neither-white-nor-black part of the population, mulattos, people from India and native Khoisans - who has lighter skin than bantu tribes. They are subject to negative discrimination, but their rights are much closer to whites. For example, there are already a limited number of colored officers both in the Army and the Navy, and they can marry white people. They make up a significant part of the urban poor, as blacks are prohibited to stay any extended period id the city. Negative discrimination makes it harder for them to rise up, but there are examples of successful entrepreneurs, engineers and doctors who rose from their ranks.
Although they are considered 'genetically' (no one use this exact word) than whites, their white ancestry is held to allow them to rise up by their own talents. Their political power, mainly to their diversity and low number of colored who are wealthy and educated enough to be enfranchised - thus eligible to vote.

It appears that Brown people are allowed a bit more latitude within the Republic of Orange but are still not afforded the full protection of the Law.  They make up a significant portion of the Urban Poor because the White persons of the Republic of Orange appear to allow them to live in the cities full time.   

So this is the nation that people see as the champion of the Poor Zionite Nation in East Africa.  The Empire of Italia does not ask for your support it simply asks you to think what does the Republic of Orange hope to gain in New Zion a huge nation containing a very large number of "Kaffirs and Kleurlinge".  Perhaps they intend to sell them off as a work force as they did with most of the Zulu Nation of Africa?

Comments from the Redaction.
The Palpaté and Paixhans gouvernments should cringe in selfhatred and shame, but the public has punished these slavetraders already. It was France who bought those Zulu's to die en masse in the slums on Haiti and digging the Great Canal. Luckely for the Zulu's that the CSA interveined and saved them from a fate that wasn't humane at all.
It speaks well of the Galpoux Gouvernement that Glorious France didn't use the pretext of those so called defensive treaties to go to war.

[maddox]

Marseilles port ; January 16th 1915. Noon

Premier Galpoux is standing in front of a giant Hammerhead Crane ; what itselfs towers over the superstructure of a massive battleship. A brand new one, and 3 simular vessels are seen on other quays.

A bright red ribon is tightened between the legs of the crane.

Messieurs, Mesdames. Hereby, without further ado, I declare the enlarged port of Marseilles fully functional.   Snip, the ribon parts.

This marvel of French enginering is being host of another marvel, the newest class of our Chevalier Acier Du Mer.  Behind me, the lead vessel of the New Bretagne Class vessels,  Bretagne,  and behind her Lorraine , Alsace and Provence.

Let us celebrate this glorious moment, and as it befits Glorious France, it will be a celibration to be proud of.
A button is pressed and a massive steamwistle announces the end of the very short speech.  The echo dies out over the massive quays and hangars, and a deep drone replaces it.  One the MN airships stately passes over and drops a cloud of rose petals.

When the rose petals reach the crowd, Premier Galpoux again adresses the astonished people .
Mes ouis Mesdames en messieurs, Glorious France can have roses whenever it wants, Science is our greatest aid in this modern age.  And now, the apero is waiting on us.  And he he signs, from 2 hangars a veritable army of waiters  dispence trough the crowd.


2 days later, the squadron of 4 battleships leaves the harbor and set sail to the Suez Canal.

http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=1545.msg34518#msg34518

[Borys]

The Austrian Naval Attache, von Vernseher, looks upon the battleships leaving the harbour with a difficult to decipher expression on his face.

This is but ONE of French battleship squadrons, while Austria had four such ships in total, if one was kind and counted the curently overhauled SMS FRankreich. He also wished that he was again at sea, hopefully - as his rank of Linienschiff Kapitaen befitted - comnmanding a battleship.
He also mused about the possible destination of those ships - SE means Sueze. Are they going to that high-volatility zone, maybe for blood letting and skull taking. God knows what the events off East Afrika bode for the Habsburg Realms?

[maddox]

march 3 1915

Design Bureau of the Santos compagny du Diregibles


As you can see, messieurs, we can outfit the new large airships for extended range or a heavy bomb load in addition to a short range radio and *pulls out some drawing*
These are examples of some of the airships we are currently building for the French Navy.

These design are fine, if the specifications you are stating are correct. But we are looking for something with a bit more fire power for Combat.

We can mount some machine guns at strategic points and the bomb load as we have stated.

I apologize If I am not making myself understood properly French is only my Third Language and I have never purchased an Air Ship before.   Can I use this Drawing.....

Of Course we have dozens like it.

Turns to his Warrant Officer, Chief could you show the man what we had envisioned.

Takes out a greasy pencil, and starts to draw on the gondola section of the airship diagram. 
See what you is make a cut here, here and here along this side and the same along the other side just like on the Old Wooden Ships see, and then you insert a gun in a casemate style mount just like you would aboard a normal ship.   And then you use it to make sure you airship isn't run off by another airship.   I do like your proposal for the Machine guns under the Gondola and up on top of the Frame.  I mean with the Air Planes coming along so quickly sooner or latter someone is going to try to shoot an Air Ship down with one.    

*flustered* Why, you cant do that it would. *stops for a second looking at the drawing* actually I don't know why you can not do that and why nobody else has ever thought of it its brilliant.


for clarity;
Chief Air Ship Designer Kevin Armand La Roche
Giampaolo Isidoro Gilberto, Procurement Officer Italia Marina and his Warrant Officer.