News and Stories from the Parthian Empire

[Kaiser Kirk]

News of the Parthian Empire

Monday, January 3, 1910
The month of Anāmaka , the 2,460th year of Empire
The 1,662 year of the Parthian Era

Imperial Council Chamber, Isfahan, Parthia

The Minister for Foreign Affairs finished giving his update, and sat down.

Shahanshah (King of Kings) Alexandros V nodded to the Imperial Councilors.

"Esteemed ones, nothing presented today in these updates substantively changes the decisions made last year as a result of the Report by the CFCPE  Report of the Committee on the Future Course of the Parthian Empire.

Our Ambassador to the Kingdom of Ethiopia should have delivered our qualified offer of a defensive pact at the close of the Gregorian Year... Saturday December 31st. As the Minister reported, we have failed in the negotiations with the Kingdom of Kandy, and our lack of progress in peacefully accomplishing our goals elsewhere simply serves to underscore our need to be proactive.

Councilor Mihran, your report on the expeditionary forces?

Naval Councilor Mihran rises and begins to speak.
"We have now entered into the desired period for action. Previously, the decision having been made to land at the beginning of the periods of best campaigning weather, which is now upon us. The Eastern Expeditionary force is marshaling in Chabahar bay. The Eastern Expeditionary Force is set to sail from Tis on the 8th, and should arrive on the 15th to start the campaign.

The Western Expeditionary Force has started marshaling in the Abbas roadstead.  The voyage, with some time ashore, is expected to take five weeks. Currently, the gathering of materials and men is slightly ahead of schedule, and we expect to be able to depart in the first week of February with arrival on the 15th of March."

Alexandros V  : "Excellent. This is a beginning of a long journey, but in the end, we shall secure a glorious future for our people and Empire."

January 12th
City of Kolamba (Colombo), island of Eelam (Sri Lanka), Kingdom of Kandy*
Dawn finds a Parthian protected cruiser, the seven year old Rakhsh , waiting a pilot to enter the bay. Once in the bay, she sets anchor and lowers a motor launch.

Envoy Suren was waiting at the dock when the motor launch from the cruiser Rakhsh reached the pier.  After the Kandy pilot departed, and the harbor master reviewed the papers, the Envoy boarded the  small craft.

Captain Artzruni of the Rakhsh greeted him and asked "Has the King acceded?"

Envoy Suren replied "Unfortunately not. The Kingdom of Kotte allowed foreign traders to claim coastal land, and it was riven apart. The Kingdom of Kandy will not entertain the idea of granting Parthia domain over her great harbors. I expect you have a document for me?"
 
Captain Artzruni "That is as expected. The fleet is four days behind."<Hands over a scroll, sealed with a great wax seal and bound in ribbons> "This is the Shahanshah's declaration of war and stipulation of terms.  Please deliver it to his Majesty Rajasimiha V in three days."

Envoy Suren "Of course, I have a carriage waiting. I trust my concerns about the Kandians history of irregular warfare and their considerable stock of munitions has been noted? They may not have many soldiers beyond the Royal Guard, but are hard fighters, if we do not bring adequate forces, we will be embarrassed."

Captain Artzruni : "That is beyond my rank. However, I expect your reports of the history here in Kandy have been noted. From the size of the fleet, and at least the deployment orders I have seen, the Empire has devoted considerable forces and is prepared for fighting, especially in the mountains, to take a considerable time period."

*For simplicity's sake, I'm presuming by 1910 that Kandy had absorbed Kotte and the others.

[Kaiser Kirk]

January 14th :
The Bengali squadron* of the Parthian navy, followed by a tremendous flotilla of steamships, slowly steamed SSE. From the spotting tops, to the East could be seen the Indian shore and the old Hellenic port of Tyndis, now known as Quilon (Kollam), the most recent version of which was founded by nestorian christians 1,000 years prior. . The Rakhsh has rejoined the fleet, and sails off the port side of the War Chariot, a battleship.  The signal is sent, and the designated ships break off to form a much smaller squadron, led by the armored cruiser Esfandiar.  Once formed, this squadron sets a course S230W, while the main fleet continues towards the beaches of the Catholic enclave of Negombo, 18nm North of Kolamba.

In Chandahar bay, the gathering ships of the African expeditionary force swayed at anchor. As new arrivals came to the harbor, they were anchored until they could be brought into the port of Tis and inspected. Those portions of African Squadron not deployed had been the first to be inspected, and they – like the Bengali Squadron- were joined by one of the 1902 PCs.  For the outbound leg, the AC Rustam would serve as flagship.  The remainder of the African squadron were to join the main force off the Ethiopian island of Scorota on February 18th , at which time the battleship "Scythed Chariot" would assume the role.

Elsewhere : Wind filling her sails, the Artemisia-XV sailed calmly out of what traders called Porto Praya. Behind her, wallowing at anchor, was one of Parthia's many Naval Supply Vessels and a Buchephalus class armored cruiser still taking on food.  Elsewhere in the world, her sister ships in the overseas fleet  plied the sea lanes and kept the Parthian flag present in distant ports.

* Bengal Squadron : 4 x 1896 PG Patrol Gunboat / Cruiser 3rd Class , 4x 1904 DD,
2 x 1899 SC, 1 x 1906 PC , 1x 1894 TBC (w/ 8 1904 TB), 1x 1905 ACR,  1x 1900 BB
1x 1897 NSF (51,000 support), 1x 1897 NSF (51,000 support), + 1x 1902 PC (attached)

[Kaiser Kirk]

January 15 : Land Maldives/Diego Garcia, 1 Land & support units

January 15th, the buddist fishermen from the Thiladhunmathee atol  gaped as the  Esfandiar and her squadron sailed past. The column of ships continued south, except a patrol gunboat and a pair of freighter loaded with supplies. The ships would take days to work their way down the island chain, with significant detachments at the larger islands. The local Sultan's forces were completely overwhelmed by the numbers of the Parthians, and there was little active resistance.

The Marianas and Diego Garcia encompass nearly 700nm of ocean. With the peril of coral reefs, the fleet anchored at night, and so the conquest took nearly 8 days.  The Parthians view the rich fishing grounds and dozens of anchorages as a place of great potential, while the islands serve as a strategic East-West barrier with limited safe routes through.

January 16 : Land Colombo, Sri Lanka, 5 Land & support units.

The sandy beaches by Negombo, 18nm north of Kolamba serve as a secure landing area. The Ancient brick forts guarding Kolamba harbor would not last against the guns of the fleet, but orders were to not shell the new cities of Parthia.

January 18th :

With the first Landing Force safely ashore at Negombo, and scouts reporting Kandy forces making contact at the outskirts of Negombo, the Parthians lift anchor in the predawn light, and sail south of Kolamba, spreading their ships along the long sandy beaches south of Town. There the true landing occurs, with the other 4 Landing Forces placed ashore.

Still, this represents only part of the force, yet more vessels continue onward.

January 19th :

The Kandy forces, defeated at the lagoon at Negombo, stumble backwards to find Kolamba swiftly captured behind them. While the field army was equipped with fairly modern artillery from the Kandy Foundry, this is not the case for the old fortifications guarding the city.  The Parthian Army, swiftly moving from the beaches in the south, find their modern field artillery capable of outranging the elderly guns the weakly manned defenses can field.

January 21st :
The Parthian Landing forces regroup, with transports brought into the port of  Kolamba to unload. Pursuit of the fleeing Kandy forces is started, but discontinued days later when the central highlands are reached. The Parthians are in no hurry, and are aware of the Kandy reputation for ambush.

January 25 : Land Tricomolee, Sri Lanka, 3 Land & support units
Tricomolee has one of the finest natural harbors, and is a gateway to the Bay of Bengal. The only reason the Kingdom of Kandy did not expect landings there was they did not comprehend how large a force had been sent against them. Three separate landings, two flanking the bay, and one in it, find that the local garrison has been drawn down and sent west.

January 31st :
At the city center of Kolamba, notice is given that lands belonging to Kandy Nobles shall be confiscated in proportion with the duration of the resistance. Half would be forfeit now, the remaining half to be fully forfeit if the war continues beyond 6 months. Of the confiscated land, half the acres are to be distributed to the local villagers, and half will be reserved for the Crown to dispose of.

As the Kandy Telegraph service is still in operation, this news rapidly reaches the Capital in the central highlands. Indeed, the Parthians are well aware that the Royal Guard may be modern, but is quite small, and would be overmatched by any one of the Landing Forces, much less the 8 allocated.

February 4th :

The Parthian forces on the island of Eelam (Lanka) finish unloading. Their demands for the Surrender of the Kandy forces falling on deaf ears, the preplanning comes into play, with large forces advancing up the central roads towards the Capital in a slow and methodical manner.  The country side is occupied by the remaining Landing Forces. Isolated cases of sniper fire, or local militia are encountered.  These halt the Parthian forces who choose to pause and encircle the opposition with their far superior numbers. Then surrender is demanded, followed by QF shells, and more demands for surrender.  While these scraps result in some destroyed buildings, they are uncommon as the population does not typically have arms. The Parthian commanders have admonished the troops that the villagers are not a foe unless they show themselves to be, and isolated cases of looting and destruction are strongly punished.

February 5 : Land Andamans & Nicobars, 1 Land & support units.

The soldiers and marines on board the transports had been steaming for nearly a month, and had watched landfall on Eelam pass them by. The arrival at the islands on the East Side of the Bay of Bengal was met with some enthusiasm, despite the rumors of cannibals. The Cocos, Andaman and Nicobar islands would prove to be home to native tribes, numbering less than 10,000 and armed largely with spears and bows.  While doughty and with a long history of killing those shipwrecked on their shores, they were fewer in number than the Parthian soldiers which arrived.  Several small clashes saw the tribes evicted from where the Parthians were interested.

[Kaiser Kirk]

February 1st, Stone Town, Sultanate of Zanzibar
Zanzibar had been held by Oman since 1698, and was a source of both cloves, and control of the East African Slave Trade to the Arabian peninsula and parts elsewhere.  The Sultanate eventually split in with the elder brother taking the Muscat throne and the younger brother taking the Zanzibar throne.  The Zanzibar throne came to control a section of coastline called the Zanj, with trade routes reaching deep inland, exporting resources and slaves.

The Muscat throne became part of the Parthian by marriage, and after the upheaval of 1848 eliminated the limited forms of domestic slavery,  the Parthians pressured their Zanzibar relatives to place a stop to the slave trade. Eventually this led to a more direct action, and the Parthian African Squadron originated with steam frigates in the 1870, protecting merchants on the Swahili coast and stopping out the Arabic slave trade.  The near destruction of the Parthian Navy by the Byzantines in 1872-74 spared the couple of vessels in Zanzibar, allowing the squadron to continue.

The Squadron had grown over the years, and was usually a robust force consisting of a large armored vessel, a cruiser, a scout cruiser, a couple of destroyers and a pair of patrol gunboats, all supported by a fleet support vessel based in Stonetown. Every six months, the deployed vessels were relieved by comparable units and got to steam home.
Arrayed along the Swahili coast, and in Stonetown proper, were marine detachments, which were on the same rotation.

Across the Indian Ocean, a similar squadron had long been stationed in the spice islands, but principally in response to piracy and to ensure fair treatment of Parthian merchants.

Currently, this was not the case. The Bengali squadron was attached to the Kandy Invasion Force, while the Squadron on the Swahili coast had been drawn down to a scout cruiser, a pair of gunboats, and the fleet supply vessel. Even the Marines had been drawn down in an effort to ensure some time on home soil before a long deployment. The senior naval officer was not even a Captain, rather the Commander of the small scout cruiser, a young Commander by the name of Zraunduxt Karen of the Great Noble House of Karen. The Parthian Counsul, a Wurzgam by the name of Vinduyih Gushnap, is in nominal command of all things diplomatic and military, but the Commander's familial connections argue against for making her a friend, not foe. 

The remainder of the squadron was in Chabahar bay, preparing to sail on the 15th. Then they would be reinforced from the Fleet resources and accompanied by a large train of vessels serving to transport the land forces and an extensive array of engineering resources. The first of these vessels had already embarked the newest steam shovels, fitted with continuous link track, and weighed anchor to make it's way down the gulf, pass through Hormuz and make it's way to Chabahar. The time tables called for the fleet to finish consolidating on the 12th, take on supplies and sail on the 15th.

[The Rock Doctor]

I think Jef means that he'll delete his smiley post to avoid cluttering your news thread with horrible little faces.

I don't think he objects to your history item in itself.

[Jefgte]

Rocky is right, absolutly.

;)

[Kaiser Kirk]

So what follows is roughly the originally planned story, adjusted to account for the unexpected Byzantine variable. All of which took more time than I expected. The Zanzibar dynasty is a mess. In the continuing tradition of unlikely but possible, I present : 

Part I :
February 8th , Stone Town, Zanzibar

Sultan Ali Bin Hamud addressed the Parthian Consul he had summoned.
"I am pleased you have come swiftly.  I have ominous news.  The liner Cormorant out of Goa has brought word, she encountered a large formation of warships and transports at sea. They flew they Byzantine flag and were only a couple hundred nautical miles to the North East. What do you know of this?"

Consul Gushnap : <stunned> "I know not what to make of this. Parthia patrols it's own coasts against such surprises, but we do not picket Aden."

Sultan Ali Bin Hamud  : "Are you a fool?  The Byzantines are here because of your Empire's interests. It is not coincidence that when you stockpile supplies for your Emperor's great African expansion, based out of MY sultanate, they choose to strike. Parthia has withdrawn your great warships, abandoning Zanzibar and leaving us vulnerable to such a strike. They may even seek to dethrone me and reduce my Sultanate to a puppet. Whatever indignities the Sultanate endures, and destruction Zanzibar suffers when the Byzantines destroy your base shall be laid at the feet of Parthia. I demand that Parthia demonstrate some commitment, some loyalty, to my Sultanate and do something to defang the Byzantine bite.

Consul Gushnap : <swallows> " I pledge to you on the part of the Emperor that Parthia will protect this Sultanate to the best of abilities, that we will act to preserve and restore the authority of the Sultan. Further, whatever damage the Byzantine wrath inflicts, we shall repair. Now if you excuse me, I must depart and make plans.

–
Commander Karen looked up from the array of charts in front of her and sighed. "Consul, my recommendation is unchanged.  I have a pair of gunboats on the mainland coast, but here just a freighter, and a small cruiser. We can not offer more than a token resistance. To fulfill your promise my recommendation is three parts.  First, I shall steam out to face the Byzantine fleet and proclaim our protection of Zanzibar.  Second, the gunboats will steam north, updated by radio. One gunboat will make best speed for Scorota to intercept the Expeditionary fleet. Since that route is subject to interception, the other will use it's shallow draft to work it's way up the African littoral and will contact the fleet when it draws near.  Third, we shall disperse the Marines, both on the islands and on the mainland Zanj coast, among Zanzibar strongpoints. There we shall fly Parthia's flag alongside the Sultans. No part of the Sultanate can be captured without spilling the blood of our Marines. 

Many arrangements must be made, time is short, what are my orders?

Consul Gushnap: "I suppose that is the best that can be done. One thing I don't understand is how your cruiser will escape the Byzantine force, I did not think it fast."

Commander Karen: "My task is to offer resistance, a line for the Byzantines to knowingly cross. I plan to put much of the crew ashore before we depart, we will have enough stokers to reach cruising speed and to man the forward gun and other such essentials. We will hail the Byzantines, declare our protection, when it is ignored, we will challenge, the we will fire a warning shot and then, my dear consul, we will be blown out of the water. We will tow the ships' boats so the crew has a chance, but I must be last off the ship. I do not expect to survive the action. Now if you excuse me, I need to make preparations.
For Truth and Honor. "

Consul : "I see. I shall tell the Sultan and get his approval for our actions, For Truth and Honor. "

[Kaiser Kirk]

Feb 9th, Zanzibar Army Headquarters

Colonel Khalifa II bin Harub   and Major Amani Karume, Zanzibar Army.

Major Karume "I am telling you, the Parthians abandoned us, they have sold us out to the Byzantines. We both know that they have been stockpiling supplies while also calling their men and ships back to Parthia. Who are they stockpiling supplies for? The Byzantines I tell you."

Colonel Harub: "Rubbish, where do you come up with these mad theories? The Byzantines and Parthians didn't exactly get along."

Major Karume : "True, but they haven't fought in nearly 40 years. The Parthian Emperor has been on the throne for a year, perhaps he has cut a deal, sell out Zanzibar for some regaining some of the territory they lost in that last war.  "

Colonel Harub :"That seems unlikely, the Parthians do not tend to be duplicitous. We have seen no move on their part against us."

...at that point a Lieutenant bursts into the room "Sirs, Parthian Marines are here, they say they have been ordered to join this garrison.  They also say they have been ordered to hoist their flag next to ours, and they have a order from the Sultan confirming it."

The Colonel and the Major exchange long looks.

[Kaiser Kirk]

Feb 10th
The sun hung at the apex of it's arc in the crystal blue sky, as the sea peeled away from the bow. Zanzibar island stood off the starboard side as the vessel carved a turn to the North.  Their destination, Stone Town harbor, was only hours in front of of the small cruiser and Commander Zraunduxt reveled in all of it. The Byzantines were invading Madagascar and other places not located in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, not here, and so her ship didn't have to die. The excellent mood was shattered when the Radio officer handed her a transmission from the fleet supply vessel.

That afternoon, the cruiser lay at anchor alongside the fleet supply vessel in a shallow bay, not in Stone Town Harbor.  Aboard the supply vessel the Consul and the Commander held a conference.
...
"A Coup?  The Zanzibar Army launched a Coup?"

"It's all a little difficult to understand, but it appears they thought the garrisoning of our marines was in fact an occupation and that the Sultan had sold them out in exchange for some grand status back in Parthia, like the Omani throne. So they launched a coup, and have taken the Sultan and imprisoned some of our Marines, others are still fighting. What do you suggest Commander?"

Commander Karen : "Wine, quite a lot of wine. Shiraz I think. Unfortunately that will have to wait. Our Marines are scattered, with the majority on the mainland. We have command of the sea and two large vessels. We need to consolidate them on the island,where they will have numerical superiority over the Sultan's former forces. Then we can liberate the Sultan and fulfill your original promise to restore sultanate if needed. I shall follow the original plan and dispatch the a gunboat to rendezvous with the fleet at Scorota.

[Kaiser Kirk]

February 14th
Commander Karen : Consul, I am pleased to report that Stone Town and Zanzibar island are secure, the last bastion fell this morning. Unfortunately....

Consul Gushnap : Is the Sultan unharmed ?

Commander Karen : We do not have the information.

Consul Gushnap : Your Marines do have the Sultan....

Commander Karen : No sir, the Marines are still searching. Interrogations seem to indicate that Colonel Harub  may have escaped with the Sultan in a dhow fitted with an engine. Indications are they crossed yesterday night from a fishing village on the south end of the island.

Consul Gushnap : "How could this happen? How could our squadron be evaded by a simple dhow?"

Commander Karen : "Sir, at the moment our squadron consists of a supply ship and a single cruiser, this island is nearly 50nm long, with a coastline three times that, we simply do not have the vessels."

Consul Gushnap : "So what you are telling me is that the Sultan is now somewhere on the mainland?

Commander Karen : I am afraid so sir. We have to expect the Zanzibar troops may follow the Colonel. We have the resources and mobility to seize the coastal towns and overwhelm their garrisons,  but if they flee to the interior we can't afford to chase them. Do you think Colonel Harub  will be any more receptive to negotiations now that he's lost Zanzibar island?

Consul Gushnap : I will continue to try through my contacts, but the Colonel believed the Sultan had betrayed his people and we were occupying his nation, which in fact we have now done- at least here on Zanzibar island. I am concerned that this will complicate our negotiations. We must continue to attempt to rescue and restore the Sultan.

Commander Karen : Consul, I think the most effective course of action would be to use your contacts to develop likely locations, and then launch a maritime raid to attempt the rescue. This is something we cannot do if we disperse the marines through the mainland towns and villages. If that does not produce results, we will have to wait for the fleet. Once the fleet arrives we will have the full African Detachment and can can borrow troops from the Expeditionary effort to eradicate the Coup on the mainland and restore the Sultan.

Consul Gushnap : Agreed. Make it so, Truth and Honor.

February 18th : The tiny PG-2 slips from a shallow bay on Ethiopian Scorota , to hail the ships of the African Expeditionary Fleet, under Admiral   Siyavakash Mihran. The column was impressive, with 16 warships and dozens of support vessels. After hearing the report from the PG-2, the elderly scout cruiser was detached to carry word to the port of Salalah, only 260nm away, in Oman. Steaming at 20 knots, the cruiser would reach port later that day.

[African Expeditionary Fleet : 1x 1900 BB, 2x 1899 ACRs, 1x 1905 ACR, 1x 1906 PC, 2x1904 PCs, 1x 1894 SC,  1x 1897 NSV, 1x 1894 NSV, 2x 1894 TBC, 4x 1904 DD, all trailed by 2x 1896 PG and the freighters and liners to transport ten full expeditionary units, and the remainder of the African Detachment (aka 10.5 land units). ]

February 20th
The Enki and "Amathaunta" slip their moorings, accompanied by eight destroyers they steam for Salalah to take on more fuel and receive updates.

[Kaiser Kirk]

February 24th :  
The African Expeditionary Fleet, having pushed the transports to 10 knots arrives in Zanzibar 2 days ahead of schedule. The Admiral in command hurriedly seeks a conference with the Wurzgam, or Consul, Gushnap. The news is not quite as the Admiral hoped.....
.....
Admiral Siyavakash Mihran : ....The Sultan's dead? And you still don't have the Colonel?

Consul Gushnap: I am afraid that is the case sir. The raid was successful, but the Colonel appears to have executed the Sultan instead of allowing us to liberate him. We believe the colonel fled to the interior with the few loyalists left to him.

Admiral Mihran  : Please tell me that we have the Sultan's family safe.

Consul Gushnap : The sultan was predeceased by his wife, and there are no surviving children.

Admiral Mihran  : So then who is the heir ?

Consul Gushnap: I have been researching that. The question of the succession is admittedly difficult. Normally in the Al Said dynasty, the throne passes to a son, but there are none. A brother or uncle- male siblings of a prior sultan, would be the next candidates, but there are none. The prior Sultan had only a daughter.  The throne can not pass to a female, but may pass through the female line. Preferably to one of the blood, but it can be even to a man married to one of the blood.

This is the case with the current, I mean late Sultan..he is, um was, of the Al-Busaid family, and his claim comes through his wife. They have no children that have survived.  This means the line would trace back up the Al Said lineage.   

Said Bin Sultan was the last to rule both Oman and Zanzibar. He passed in 1856, leaving thirty six children, and the realm was divided among Oman and Zanzibar. So the throne would pass through the children of Said Bin Sultan, or the grand children. Several of his younger sons served as the First through Fourth Sultans of Zanzibar.

The fourth Sultan died without a heir, but he had specified that the throne would pass,  through the female lineage in this case, to his nephew by marriage, the current Sultan Sayyid Hamad bin Thuwaini (who historically had been poisoned by now). With his demise, there is no established heir.

There are no remaining sons of Said Bin Sultan, and currently there are only two daughters still alive. The throne could pass through either of them to their husbands or male sons or grandsons. There are also many grandchildren, some of them male.

Admiral Siyavakash Mihran : Excellent, do we happen to have the eldest daughter or eldest grandson in custody? I don't care if we have to slap them in irons and force them onto that throne, we need to make this succession as valid and smooth as possible.

Consul Gushnap: Custody? I would not put it in that manner, but yes.
The grandsons, I believe Fessul bin Turkee is the eldest yet alive. He serves on the Imperial Council as the representative from Muscat.  The eldest living daughter is Sayyida Sharife, Emperor Alexandros's grandmother.

I would strongly suggest not throwing the Emperor's grandmother in irons. The representative from Muscat is probably not a good candidate either.

Admiral Mihran  : Queen Sharife ? How can she be from Muscat, even in the painting from her youth she does not look Arab at all, the nose is all wrong and she is quite fair.

Consul Gushnap: As I understand the Queen was actually born here in Stone Town, as that was the capital, and her mother was a renowned blond circassian beauty. Regardless, the claim of her grandson would be equal to that of any other.

Admiral Mihran  : So... the individuals with the best claim to the throne are arguably our subject, a member of the Imperial council, or our very own Emperor?  The world will not view this as happenstance.

Consul Gushnap: It is the truth.

Admiral Mihran : Consul, you are a diplomat, you know what the truth is will matter little compared to the perception. 

[Walter]

Consul Gushnap: There are no remaining suns of Said Bin Sultan

Admiral Siyavakash Mihran : No suns... and what about sons? Did he have any sons?

Consul Gushnap: Unfortunately no sons either.

I think you made a minor typo in the text. :D

The eldest living daughter is Sayyida Sharife, Emperor Alexandros's grandmother.

I would strongly suggest not throwing the Emperor's grandmother in irons.

I think it was not a bad idea to use the Joaquin Phoenix image for Emperor Alexandros. Looking at him, you definitely do not want to throw his grandmother in irons.

BTW, is she the paternal or maternal grandmother of Alexandros?

circassasian beauty

I would assume you meant "Circassian", right?

[Kaiser Kirk]

darn it, one's not a misspelling, so spell check missed it, ...still not sure how I did...
and the other is an exotic word, which I carefully retyped from the list of the Sultan's kids-  but still got wrong.

Curiously I can't find that exact quote in my text, but I did find the sun instead of a son.

She would be his paternal grandmother.  I have a couple different timelines sketched out, and they don't quite agree.
She married the Emperor who made the various enlightenment reforms that led to the revolt of the nobles in 1848.   
I have him passing around 1880.  Alexandros's father will be nicknamed "the Builder" as the 1870s war shocked the nation into modernizing it's infrastructure and military. He would also be the one who fought the Deccans in the mid 1890s and found the armored cruiser/TB approach is not greatly for fighting a land power sheltering behind modern maritime forts. 
Alexandros himself took the throne a year ago.

And yes, Joaquin works nicely for this :)

[Kaiser Kirk]

February 26th :
The African Expeditionary Fleet, having detached most of it's military vessels and a large number of the attached troops to alleviate the situation in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, resumes it's course to the south.  The warship escort is reduced to the 1906 protected cruiser and 1894 Scout Cruiser, supported by the 1897 Naval Support Vessel.

Admiral Mihran chooses to stay at Zanzibar, his flag hoisted on the battleship, while his lighter vessels check the surrounding seas to ascertain the actions of the Byzantines. The two Torpedo Boat Carriers are dispatched to the mainland coast line, where their torpedo boats become littoral patrol craft. Commander Karen is attached to his staff, and her executive officer is tasked with taking the 1902 cruiser north to Oman to report on current conditions and actions. The pair of 1904 Scout Cruisers are tasked with steaming east to find and track the Byzantine fleet.  The patrol cruisers are dispatched to check island chains and nearer seas.

March 4th, 1910
The 1902 scout cruiser arrived in Salalah from Stone Town, with the updated news from Zanzibar. The news is cabled to the capital, spurring great debate.

March 5th, 1910

In their frantic attempts to rescue the Sultan, the Parthians had seized several beachheads on the mainland. These now became the landing points for the flotilla as troops flooded ashore. The weak forces which had joined Colonel Harub rapidly are expelled and fall back into the East African plains. The vast spaces make trailing Colonel Harub difficult. The chase ultimately takes several weeks across the great and largely uninhabited Nyika (1)aka central plain of the continent. At the foothills, the exhausted men of Colonel Harub are finally caught and brought back for justice. The new territory now occupied by Parthia includes this central plain and extends from the mountains of the west, to the thick forests and mountains of the north east, and the forests and mangrove swamps of the south.

The Zanj, or Swahili coast, is an Arab-African strip along the East African Coastline, and has a long history of trade with the Romans, Arabs, Indians and Persians. Indeed "Zanj" means "Negro" in Persian, and the Shirazi peoples of Zanzibar, Pemba and the Comoros claim(2) descent from Shiraz, Parthia.  When the Mongols and Black Death cut of the overland silk road and disrupted the nautical, the west was spurred into exploration efforts. As the Iberians reached the coast in the 1500s, they sacked many of the rich trading cities, and so weakened the native kingdoms. This paved the way for the Maritime Sultanate of Oman to become established.

These lands, with little loyalty to their Omani rulers, and prospering by trade, see little difference in substituting one Sultan of Omani blood for another, though the lack of an announced succession is felt disquieting.

(1) To quote Wiki : The name "Tanganyika" is derived from the Swahili words tanga ("sail") and nyika ("uninhabited plain", "wilderness"). It might, therefore, be understood as a description of using Lake Tanganyika: "sail in the wilderness".
(2) the veracity of the claim is doubted by most historians, but some support it. The general belief is it grew up after the introduction of Islam. For Navalism, I'm going with the historic alternative that trader families moved along the coastline and became established over the centuries. There is some genetic support for male-dominate trade having created a gene flow from the Middle East & Iran to the area.

March 6th , 1910
The Enki and "Amathaunta" slip their moorings, accompanied by eight destroyers, the scout cruiser and a pair of newly arrived fleet support vessels,  they steam for Stone Town to reinforce Admiral Mihran, arriving there on March 14th.

March 15th, 1910
The steel hulled brig of the Artemisia class had swung at anchor in the bay for nearly a month, and the crew was bored. The look out's cry was met with hope, and then joy as the the African expeditionary force slowly steamed into view.

The weeks to come would see the troops and engineers make landfall, and spread into the interior, past the little desert that had been called the Little Karoo, extending northward to the arid expanse of the Great Karoo, and expanding East and West. The native tribespeople offer resistance, but are overwhelmed by the influx of troops. The southern tip of the African continent, the fertile plains and the natural harbors servicing them, are claimed for the Parthia Crown.

At the end of the week, with the landings going well, the brig, freed from her lonely task of staking claim to the bay, unfurls her sails and follows winds to the north east to Zanzibar. The first of the unloaded freighters and liners will hoist anchor and follow.

[Kaiser Kirk]

March 22nd, 1910
The month of Ādukanaiša , the 2,460th year of Empire
The 1,662 year of the Parthian Era

Shahanshah (King of Kings) Alexandros V gazed at the picture of his grandfather, the former Shahanshah  Vologases X "The Builder", pondering what to do.  The Builder had had 35 years on the throne to build his legacy, albeit one with resounding military defeats in 1874 and 1896. For many, rather than the building iron foundations of Empire, The Builder was now mostly known for the his heart failure on hearing news of the Rajastan disaster.  The loss of the ships to the forts and minefields of Baruch had been an embarrassment and shown the limits of a purely "torpedo boat and raider" navy, while the reliance on outdated static fortified lines made the battles around Kolachi (Karachi) impossible to win.  While his father Bakur's reign was only 13 years, he had worked hard and committed Parthia to a military modernization and expansion... only to be cut  tragically short by pneumonia caught on a hunting trip.  How long Alexandros's reign would be, how he would be remembered, and if he was to learn the correct lessons, these all lay long before him.

Alexandros, however, was himself only 23. This meant he had a lifetime of work before him, as the ministers were insisting.  The Expansion of Empire, gaining new lands for crops, new resources to feed industry, and new harbors to control the sea lanes, that was well underway. Granted the complication of the Byzantine expansion had not been foreseen and would merit a response.

Meanwhile, the year period of mourning for his dear lovely Lady Soraya was nearly past.  Sadly, his duty demanded he consider remarriage, as a new wife to provide an heir of the body was desirable. Love was not typically a consideration, he had been lucky to find it in the first marriage.  Her house, the minor noble lineage of the Bahktiaris of Esfarhan, would press him to marry one of her sisters, but that would merely remind him of the loss.  Meanwhile, the Succession Law mandated he place 4 heirs in order of succession.

As there were only one candidate of First Order of the Blood – his younger brother Vache, who was just 20. At 16 years of age, his brother Farrukahn was not eligible.  This required three others of the Second Order of the Blood. This included his Uncles Sanatruk and Qarin bringing the number to three. While her gender demoted her from First Order to Second Order,   Alexandros' younger sister Shirin was just past 18 and so would qualify.  Yes, the list of four could be made without expanding it to the Third Order of the Blood.

Alexandros considered, for each would face the questions of the Council of Magi.  Of the 6, Uncle Qarin,  brother Vache, and sister Shirin had not been listed by his father in the last list two years ago.  Considering them, Vache was a rash and military minded young man, but knowledgeable enough, and Shirin could hold her own in debates.

Alexandros realized that his father had excluded Uncle Qarin because he was a volatile blowhard who kept spouting nonsense about building a wall along the Byzantine border and making them pay for it, but he was far to ignorant and unbalanced and never pass the tests of the Council of Magi without a considerable behind the scenes efforts. Qarin would have to be replaced by another, one of the Third Degree of the blood. That left Aunts Drypetis and Aunt Isias. Aunt Drypetis had married a landless Sikh prince and was a horrid shrew who lived in the palace and obsessed about status and form, while Aunt Isias had married a lesser noble and ran a very successful estate in Gilan.

It was decided, the Order of Succession would be his Uncle Sanatruck, Brother Vache, Sister Shirin, and Aunt Isias. One Item down, Alexandros looked at the stack of papers needing his review and wondered when he'd learn the fine art of how much he could safely delegate back to the ministries.

Up next, a booklet detailing the options for the mess in Zanzibar.

April 1st , 1910
Scattered throughout the Empire, the Parthian Royal Post hand delivered summons to the descendants of Said Bin Sultan.  The descendants were requested to indicate if they wished to contest for the Crown of Zanzibar, or receive a small stipend from the Imperial Demesne.   If they wished to forfeit the proffered stipend, and contest for the title of Sultan of Zanzibar;  they were to be were escorted by Imperial Marshals to a conference at the Al Alam Palace in Muscat.  The conference, hosted by lead claimant to the title, Emperor Alexandros V and his Grandmother Sayyida Sharife (1) on May 1st. At the end of the conference, the new Sultan would be announced.

(1) There is little information on her, so I've picked a birthdate of 1841 for her, making her 69. All we really have is her youngest sister's description of her "Sayyida Sharîfe of Zanzibar and Oman: the daughter of a Circassian lady, she was "a dazzling beauty with the complexion of a German blonde. Besides, she possessed a sharp intellect, which made her into a faithful advisor of my father's" (described in Ruete, Ch. 15)"

April 3rd, 1910
Island of Lanka, Kingdom of Kandy

Prince Vache felt out of place in the Lieutenant's uniform, the Infantry's dark green coat with it's sullen gray trousers did not suit him as well as the Cavalry uniform he normally wore. Still, the Colonel assigned his liaison had been quiet emphatic that an unusual uniform would draw a sniper's round. Vache gazed curiously out across the rice paddies at the forested foothills. Somewhere "there" was the foe.

"Colonel, I have not been privy to the planning sessions, as you know I am only here because I prevailed on my Brother to reassign me from the Scythian plain to let me observe as part of the Inspector General's Report on Needed Improvements. So, I understand that we know there are thousands of Kandy Royal Guard scattered through those foothills, and they come out and raid us, torching these villages. We on the other hand have tens of thousands. Yet, I can not get a clear answer on why do we wait ?"

The Colonel thinks on the matter. "Your Highness, the strategy sessions have identified the desire to make this island, not a conquered land to exploit, but a productive portion of Parthia. Throughout the campaign we have tried to show overwhelming force, and bring pressure. We engage at extreme range to fix them in place, and then commence envelopment. We allow ourselves to plod onwards, they fight briefly, and then expeditious retreat. <waves behind them> The result is that the ruins of villages we passed through was caused almost entirely by the Kandy forces, not ours. You've seen the engineers at work fixing bridges for ourselves, but also the villagers. The Noble lands are mostly forfeit, it is our hope the average villager may eventually look back and view this campaign as the beginning of a prosperous time.

The Royal Guard and the Noble troops, their retainers, basically all those that oppose us, have taken shelter in the central mountains. They normally import food to sustain the capital, which is built on trade and government. The central mountains are far to sprawling to siege, but we have large forces behind field fortifications on the major trade routes. This frees mobile elements for counterstrikes and to cut off any large raids.

The rains start at the end of this month, which will limit movement as the streams come up and the ground becomes slick. Hunting and the collection of fuel wood becomes hard. Smuggling large quantities of anything will become problematic without roads, and we hold all the roads.  It is our hope that the thousands of extra loyalists will strain the city, that some will hunger and sicken, and hopelessness will set in as the size our expeditionary force becomes clear.

The Emperor's terms allow for the Nobles to keep at least a quarter of their lands, but it expires on the 30th of June. We expect some major attack before then, a show of force, and then hopefully they will come to terms. Else, we shall wait the rainy months out, and when things have dried and their spirits are low, we will start raids of our own.

Until then, the largest threat is the snipers, and the artillery.
As you know, under Emperor Bakur, Parthian policy was to reach out to the Kingdoms along our trade routes and seek to improve relations. The Empire trained many foreign officers in our Academies, and sold them many of our guns. The regimental 45mm and the medium quick fire 90mms were a particular export success. Sadly the Kandy Royal Foundry updated our designs, increased the bore by 2mm, which means our shells fit their guns, albeit with windage, but theirs do not fit ours. Early on we had them raid our supply dumps and leave their rounds, which jammed and destroyed some of our 90mm guns !

Prince Vache : "Fascinating, thank you Colonel. Well, as interesting it is to stare at a rice paddy...wait.. are those bunkers over there?"

Colonel : "Indeed, your Highness, they are dug into the back side of hills.  Any force advancing towards our lines through the paddy can be taken in the rear, while the bunkers are sufficiently stout we can cover them with machine gun or light artillery fire. It makes those paddies quite the moat."

Prince Vache : "I think I prefer the cavalry, riding swiftly over the endless plain, far more glory in that sort of war. "

Colonel : "Your Highness, Glory in war ?  I do believe the next stop on our tour is the Hospital, perhaps you would like to speak on that ?"

Prince Vache <looks grim> : "I suppose that is a cleverly put reprimand, well done Colonel. Shall we proceed?"


May 10th , Stone Town, Zanzibar.
The harbor was swollen with ships recoaling and fitting out.  The Cape Karoo task force had rejoined the main body, and regular freighters to the Cape had commenced.

From the naval side of things, Admiral Mihran's vessels had spent the past 2 months busily scouting the Byzantine activity. The answer was not to his liking, but communications with High Command had yielded the decision not to engage. With no direct threat – the indirect threat to her African communications was recognized, the Parthian Navy would not start a war.   The decision on what to do about the new strategic situation would take time. Leaving only some of the forces of the African Expeditionary Force, though reinforced by 4 ships from the Omani squadron, the remainder were to return home. Parthia's continued interest would be reflected by a naval support vessel, 5 torpedo boat carriers, a patrol cruiser, a pair of scout cruiser, 4 destroyers and 4 gunboats. Oh, and the infantry.

May 1st, Al Alam Palace, Muscat
Emperor Alexandros V and his grandmother sat on the balcony watching the sun slide down over the horizon.
The Emperor looked to his Major Domo "So, they all took the money, no one had second thoughts and have shown up to contest the crown?"
The Major Domo replied "No Sire, it would appear you are formally the Sultan of Zanzibar in addition to your myriad of titles."
Emperor Alexandros V "Well then, I suppose we should summon the Magi, conduct the ceremony, and make the announcement. "

May 20th,
The Ambassador to the Royal Court of Thailand gazed over it's capital city of Bangkok and wondered... how many times and variants of "No" would he have to report before the Emperor bid him give up?
The current Thai King simply was not going to allow a foreign power to become established on territory he claimed, no matter the alliance or treasure offered. The Ambassador, if he was honest, could also not understand why the Kingdom would ceded the lucrative trade port of Malacca, or allow a competitor to be founded at the mouth of the Pearl River. Once again it was time to write the Emperor, a sequence he supposed would continued until Parthia gave up and went elsewhere, resorted to arms to crush the Thai military, or one of the two stubborn crowned heads... no he shouldn't think that.

June 1st  – The squadron at Porto Praya had swelled to three Artesmia class brigs and a Buchephalus class cruiser, supported by the Naval Support vessel, half the standing Atlantic Expeditionary Fleet. However, these were unusual times, and the other half, normally in home waters, was also in the Atlantic.

In Porto Praya,  a second Buchephalus had just arrived fresh from the new colony on the Southern tip of Africa, and brought orders with it. These orders, when opened, confirmed that the Parthian Empire was laying claim to these islands. The squadron was to commence patrols to exert claim to these islands, with particular notice to anchorages.  Notice was to be given to the local governance that they were being annexed by Parthia.  In recognition that the squadron had less than 200 marines, landing and asserting a claim in the face of hostile resistance was not required.  Transports with troops and engineers were to arrive in a month from Cape Karoo.

Slightly over 2,100nm to the Southeast, a small rugged trading and fishing village was shocked at it's visitors. Founded by a trading company now long defunct, located on a trade route long gone dry, the ships were normally few.  On this day, the dawn rose to show not just the Parthian frigate that had lain here for weeks, but a flotilla of colliers and a handful of coastal liners.  This was to be the first of many vessels to arrive here on their way north.

A further 2,200nm WSW of the trading village, a lone Artesmia class frigate, it's sails furled, steamed carefully past the islands outside the bay, and up the mile wide channel to the glorious bay, a magnificent natural harbor, sparsely populated. The Iberians who had reported it to the world had called it Baía de Guanabara , the natives that had known it for ages called it something else. The narrow coastal plain ran only a short distance to the foot of the mountains, but it was fertile and verdant. Tonight, the crew was going to anchor of the large island and set up a vigil, staking a claim for the troops, engineers and colonists to follow.