News and Stories from the Vilnius Union

[The Rock Doctor]

"If the opportunity presents itself to visit Parthia...," Wiktor said, glancing perhaps at both Parthian ladies, "I'd be pleased to do so.  Or Azteca, of course.  I can only hope it will be under more joyful circumstances." 

He led them out of the armory, leaving the estate staff to clean the weapons, take down damaged targets and otherwise restore order to the place.  "There is, I understand, a naval review of sorts planned for two days hence.  I'll be involved, of course.  Will you be attending?"

[The Rock Doctor]

14 February 1925

The Coronation Fleet Review is the largest assembly of Union firepower in some time. 

Assembled in the first line are the seven operational battleships of the High Seas Fleet.  The Encke, less than two months into her shakedown period, anchors the line and at least looks very nice and shiny, even if her crew has not yet gelled.  Copernicus and Dorffel were in the midst of minor refits when word of the review came and both were pulled out of the dockyards to attend; probing eyes will note that neither ship has a full set of fire control equipment installed. 

The second line includes ten armored cruisers and like ships.  The new Watazka heads this line, with the Aztec light battlecruiser Revenge and the heavy cruiser Uhlan slotted in amidst the Union ships according to completion dates.  At the end of the line are armored cruisers Muszkieter and Jager, which are in the twilight of their careers but are also the largest Union warships to have also been present at the last coronation fleet review in 1903.

The third line includes a dozen light and protected cruisers, old two monitors, and two aviation vessels.  The Labedz is poised to begin a refurbishment intended to rectify some notable configuration problems.  The Oriona continues to provide her basic service as a seaplane carrier supporting capital ship operations.

The fourth and final line includes a number of torpedo-boats, submarines, two sloops and a few auxiliaries. 

The royal procession is focused on the (small) royal yacht Czterny Korony, which has embarked the newly crowned king, his mother, his brother, his sister and brother-in-law, his two children, and a retinue of domestic and foreign guests.  Queen Christine, heavy with child and prone to sea-sickness, has bowed out with regrets.  Lesser dignitaries are hosted on the training cruiser Danube, following astern, and some journalists, including a handful of motion cameras, are transported separately aboard the korweta KR-27.  The three ships spend the better part of the afternoon slowly cruising up and down the lines, during which the following observations are made:

-While passing the Encke, the Minister of Defence notes that the commanding officer of the Carlotta Frolich - still ten months from completion - had requested that his ship be towed to the review, only to have this request vetoed by his superiors.

-While passing the predreadnought Zankomity at the end of the battleship line, Grand Admiral Zahle very casually and quite innocuously notes how small and aged the ship is compared to the mighty Encke and speculates as to when the government may fund a replacement more capable of addressing modern threats.

-While passing the Czarownik, Queen Sophie comments on that time they watched the Attakulla fire her main battery, and mentions to her grandchildren that the gun barrels are so wide she could stuff either of them inside.  Princess Edyta finds this a puzzling anecdote; Prince Piotr begins to cry.

-Reaching the Uhlan, Grand Admiral Zahle recounts the story about how she came to have a centuries-old Union ulan aboard her.  Gunther recalls hearing a seaman tell the Aztec Sultan about it but doesn't add how bored the sultan seemed to be by it.

-As the yacht passes the Revenge, the Aztec ship's female complement shouts out a greeting of some sort, prompting the Prime Minister to discretely comment upon how it is not proper.  The Governor of Zwiazek Erica Polnocnej equally discretely notes that women were a full and complete part of Indigenous governance in that part of the world before the Union showed up.

-Reaching the line of cruisers, King Gunther asks the yacht's captain to dip her pendant to the light cruisers Warta and Yuma.

-Young Prince Piotr, having composed himself, loudly declares that the Labedz is boring because she has no big guns.  Grand Admiral Zahle recalls that time a junior officer speculated about aircraft carriers as the future of naval warfare and was roundly laughed at and tries to remember what happened to that guy. 

-Just astern of the torpedo-boat Ogre, Princess Marie throws up on her husband and the deck, much to her embarrassment. 

-Approaching the torpedo-boat Toruu, Queen Sophie says, "We need to find you a wife, Wiktor, I want more grandchilden."  Prince Wiktor grunts noncommittally but Princess Marie asks about Princess Shirin.  Wiktor notes she is a good friend.  Queen Sophie nods and notes that she is a soldier, which is great, but that her companion was an educated lady of noble status.  Wiktor says he's going to get himself a drink.

[The Rock Doctor]

17 February 1925

"What a relief to have the day off," King Gunther III sighed as one of the servants set down a heaping platter of sliced ham on the dining room table.

"I know, Dearest, you've been so busy," Queen Christine agreed, leaning over as much as her huge belly would allow to pat his hand. 

"Take what pleasure you can in it," Queen Sophie said, impaling a slice of fried potato on her gold fork.  "Your schedule will be intense these next weeks and months as you fully transition into your duties.  Your father found it almost overwhelming, despite the preparations and the transitional period his father's illness allowed."

"Gunther will be fine, Mummy, he's very strong," Christine chirped.

"I know, dear, I raised him that way," Sophie replied with great diplomacy.

"I heard you had some private time with the Parthian princess?" Gunther said, keen to switch topics.

"...yes," his brother Wiktor confirmed after a moment. 

"...and?" Gunther prompted.

"And what?  I liked her.  We had some common interests," Wiktor shrugged.

"I saw that Aztec prince chasing after her," Christine said.  "If we're going to move ahead, we'll need to be aggressive and beat them out."

"Hold on now, what?" Wiktor retorted.

"Come now, Wiktor, the Parthians are clearly the most powerful civilized nation on the planet," Christine sighed.  It was somewhat conventional wisdom that the Golden Horde wasn't considered civilized, despite their enormous economy, population and other accomplishments.  "We'd do well to have a closer relationship cemented through marriage."

"She's not Christian, Christine, I don't care for that," Sophie said. 

"She could convert, Mummy, it need not be an issue," Christine said.  "As your queen, Wiktor, I remind you that it is your duty to represent the interests of the House of Vasa and the Union at all times.  That extends to leaving your wild bachelor lifestyle behind and doing what is right by marrying as required."

"Christine:  You're my sister-in-law, not my queen," Wiktor said, dropping his fork to the table.  "What's more, there is no imperative for me to get married and pump out sons.  Gunther's young and healthy.  You've got a son.  Marie's got a son.  Uncle Carol's in good shape, as are cousins Jerzy and Jan.  Besides, it's the twentieth century:  Union foreign policy isn't going to be determined by whoever my hypothetical wife happened to be."

"The Parthians might disagree," Gunther noted.  "The Aztecs too.  Those houses wield far more power than we do, bro.  Ali and Shirin together could really change geopolitics in the Atlantic, wouldn't you agree?"

"She's a soldier, and I can't say I care for that," Sophie interjected.  "Got shot, even."

"She would have to retire, Mummy, there's no question about that," Christine shrugged.  "As I understand it, the injury was on her hip or somewhere, so it doesn't affect how she looks."

"It might affect her ability to carry children," Sophie said, pointing her fork at her daughter-in-law.

"I suppose, but she danced as if she wasn't badly affected," Christine replied.

"Conceded."

"This is ridiculous," Wiktor muttered.

"What about the other girl?  The retainer?  She seemed more feminine," Christine suggested.  "I can't remember her name."

"Aster.  Aspen?" Sophie offered. 

"Astrid?  Sounds too Swedish," Christine said.

Wiktor pushed his chair back, stripped the napkin off his lap, and tossed it in a bundle onto his half-full plate.  He turned and strode out of the dining room without a sound or a glance backward.

"How gauche," Christine lamented as a servant scurried in to clear away the setting.  "He'll need to shape up if he's to mentor our little prince."

[The Rock Doctor]

13 April 1925

The Vilnius Union celebrates the birth of Casimir Vasa, third child of King Gunther III and Queen Christine, at the palace in Vilnius.  Both mother and child are reported to be in good health following the delivery.

With this, the Union's line of succession, as defined by male-preference primogeniture, is as follows:

-King Gunther
--Prince Piotr
--Prince Casimir
--Princess Edyta
-Prince Wiktor (brother to Gunther)
-Princess Marie (brother to Gunther)
--Prince John
-Prince Carol (uncle to Gunther, younger brother to the late king)
--Prince Jerzy
--Prince Jan
--Princess Stanislawa
--Princess Olga
-Princess Maria (aunt to Gunther, younger sister to the late king)
--Prince Hendryk
--Princess Wislawa
--Princess Grazyna
--Princess Ewa

15 May 1925

The House of Vasa reports with regret that Princess Marie has suffered a miscarriage, but is in fair health.

22 June 1925

The aircraft carrier Labedz conducts a launch of her entire airgroup for the first time.  The six fighters engage in an exercise over the Danish Straits, locating and simulating an attack on an observation balloon, before returning to their mother ship.  One of the fighters makes a hard landing that damages its undercarriage and delays the recovery of the two aircraft still in the air, but they land uneventfully a short time later.

With the aircraft carrier Wrona now under construction, the Union Navy has adopted a multi-step process to start training naval aviators.  First will come land-based instruction at a fairly windy aerodrome near Rostock, with the pilots operating from a carrier-sized airstrip.  Later will come work with Labedz herself, beginning with take-offs in small two-seat trainers, followed by touch-and-go operations and finally landings.  This is expected to pose some challenges to aviators on account of Labedz' small size, so the goal is to establish only a cadre for Wrona, which will in turn train up the remainder of her aircrew as well as that of a projected sister ship.

Thinking within the Navy's design bureau is coming around from "Aircraft carriers are stupid" to "Aircraft carriers have some uses, I suppose, maybe".  While the Wrona class is primarily thought to be a scouting platform in the open Atlantic, some initial thinking is taking place about providing fleet air support where enemy land-based air could be encountered.  That implies the need for a larger vessel with more fighters and greater survivability against a full spectrum of land- and sea-based threats.

13 August 1925

The House of Vasa announces that King Gunther III Vasa and family will embark on an overseas cruise to Union territories beginning in April 1926.  Although a precise itinerary is not announced, it is generally expected that the tour will begin in Orimirilandia and then proceed counter-clockwise around the Atlantic.

28 October 1925

With the upcoming Gadolin-class battleships belatedly marking the end of the Third Naval Replenishment Program, the navy is also turning its collective attention to what will come after. 

A new monitor will test out the experimental 450mm/45 gun, and if successful, it provides an option to develop 450mm-armed capital ships in the late 1920s and early 1930s.  Such ships would displace around 45,000 t and up, and canal-compliant designs would likely be limited to two-gun mountings rather than having adequate beam for three-gun mountings.

An alternative is to adopt the 400mm/50 gun now in development.  Not thought to warrant an actual test-platform, the gun would not be as effective as the 450mm but still a step up from the first generation 400mm gun now at sea on the Czarowski and Encke classes.  Ships sizes would likely be slightly larger than the existing types, all other things being equal, and this would be easier on the treasury than 450mm-armed ships.

Also an option is remaining with the 400mm/45 gun and simply evolving from the existing armored cruiser and battleship designs.

This does raise the question of what kinds of capital ships to build - are heavier armored cruisers needed?  Does it make sense to add a knot or two to the existing battleship classes?  Should more of the economic razee-style armored cruisers be included in the mix?  It will keep staff officers on their toes for a while...

[Jefgte]

...This does raise the question of what kinds of capital ships to build - are heavier armored cruisers needed?...

Heavy escorts for aircraft carriers.

[The Rock Doctor]

1 January 1926

The battleship Gadolin is laid down.  At 44,100 t light, she surpasses the preceding Encke class battleships and Czarownik class armored cruisers by over five thousand tonnes, mainly on account of her heavy secondary battery and tall armor belt.

Getting the class funded was not hugely difficult, but the two ships will eat up around a quarter of the navy's shipbuilding budget, perhaps more, for the next four and a half years. 

13 January 1926

The Royal Family's 1926 tour of the overseas territories is postponed amidst rumors that Queen Christine is once again with child, and that the pregnancy is proving a bit more difficult. 

From a logistical perspective the tour was fairly straightforward:  Sail to North Eryka via the Azorez and Bermudez, proceed down the Erykan coast, then backtrack over and up to Orimirilandia.  The royal yacht Stanislawa I would have had the honors, likely with a light cruiser riding herd.  Outside of the Caribbean, anyway.  A heavier escort might've shown up there.

22 February 1926

The Ministry of Finance declines a request for a third Wrona-class aircraft carrier, citing a need for the Navy to demonstrate due diligence in testing the existing units for suitability as scouting and fighting platforms.  "Come back for Budget 1928 planning," is the message of the day.

The Navy does not vehemently protest this decision, given that some of its own flag staff were of the same opinion.  While some officers are advocating for more small ships, others - particularly those in the Home Fleet - believe a larger platform is necessary to provide effective air defence for North Sea/Channel operations.  That kind of hull is probably in the 18-25,000 t range.

3 April 1926

The Navy is asked to consider options for a new World Tour to take place in 1928. 

It's in a much better position to actually mount a tour than it was the first time.  There are more long-legged warships and there is a sturdier cadre of auxiliaries backing it up.  Still, it will be a bit disruptive to Navy operations to have a squadron overseas for half a year.

Delicate questions are asked about the likelihood of royal people tagging along, given the...we won't use the word "debacle", but experience might be apt...of the first tour.  Word back from the House of Vasa is that royal participation is unlikely, other than perhaps a send-off aboard the royal yacht.

This being the case, the Navy gives thought to possibly sending a coherent squadron, centred on an armored cruiser and capable of performing trade defence exercises while at sea.  Notionally, this might include an aircraft carrier, one or more light cruisers, and some escorts.

[The Rock Doctor]

23 May 1926

There was, Pilot-Trainee Janicki reflected, rather a lot of effort going into his training - and that of three other trainees - right now.

Their four Borg Kadets were spotted in a line on the after third of the aircraft carrier Labedz, currently thundering west across the Mecklenburger Bucht at twenty-five knots.  An M-class torpedo-boat steamed ahead of the carrier, ensuring no civilian craft wandered into the squadron's path.  A quarter mile astern was a second escort, poised to come in and pick up anybody who botched their take-off and lived to swim clear of the wreckage.

So that was something like eight thousand tonnes of warship and God knew how many officers and men, all waiting on Janicki and his three pals.  No pressure.

The instructions were clear enough:  Take off, orbit Labedz until all four planes had formed up, fly twenty miles west until they were over the Wagrian Peninsula, turn around, fly back to Labedz, and land in the order they'd taken off.  If something went wrong, they had land to west, south, and east to divert to, although the only formal aerodrome in the area was to the southeast at Rostock. 

"Ready?" called the pilot-instructor behind him.

"Yes, Sir!" Janicki replied.  He wasn't sure this was true.  He had a couple hundred hours of flying in the Kadet at this point, including a number of short hops from a carrier-sized strip at the Rostock aerodrome, but this would be his first time actually taking off from a moving ship.  Something only a few dozen people in the entire Union had successfully done to date.

"Set your brakes!"

The brakes were already set, but he confirmed this to still be true.  "Brakes set!"

"Set engine for start-up!"

He adjust the throttle, then flashed an "ok" at the deck crewman. 

The man nodded, came over at a deliberate pace, took hold of the nearest propeller blade with both hands, and shouted, "Engine start!" before shoving the blade downward.  As he jerked back, the propeller spun one revolution and the engine sputtered to life amidst a puff of white smoke. 

Janicki let the engine run for fifteen seconds, then glanced to port to the officer of the deck. 

The officer made a chopping motion toward the bow.  Ahead of the plane, the wide canvas wind barrier folded down against the deck and the plane rocked as it felt the full force of the headwind for the first time.  "Alright, remember what we talked about!" the pilot-instructor shouted.

Right:  Labedz was a steady ship and her deck was high and dry as she knifed through the sea - but her deck also wasn't very wide compared to the Kadet's own wingspan.  The instructor's instructions had been to just idle forward, lining up on the bright yellow line offset ten feet from the deck's centreline, until he'd passed the aft funnel - then, and only then, would he open up the throttle.

He released the brakes and the Kadet rolled forward, passing over the wind barrier with two gentle bumps, going a little too far to starboard before correcting back to the guideline and checking his position relative to the funnel...good.  He throttled up, the engine buzzed, and the Kadet surged.  Her tail was off the deck even before reaching the forward, sloping end of the flight deck, and he was aloft forty feet from the bow.

Which was good considering given how the deck was even narrower at that point. 

But he was aloft, fifty feet above the grey-green waters of the Baltic, and he stayed there, letting his airspeed increase, until he thought it was safe enough to begin the very gentlest of turning climbs to starboard... 

[The Rock Doctor]

19 July 1926

"Good news, bro.  You're going on a tour," King Gunther III Vasa said from his hospital bed.

"...Tour?  What tour would that be?" Prince Wiktor asked from his bedside chair.

"The big world tour in 1928.  The Navy's working on the details."

Wiktor cocked his head and looked at the battered figure of his brother.  "Really."

"Yes, really.  I went on the last one, I learned a lot.  It's your turn.  Besides, not like I can go again."  The King had endured a streak of bad luck through 1926 - Christine had miscarried in March, young Casimir had endured a nasty flu through May, and now here he was laid up in traction after rolling his car on a drive outside Stockholm.  "I'll be lucky if I can walk to the bathroom in a month's time."

"That's probably true," Wiktor said.  For a few, confused hours, there'd been doubt that his brother would survive at all, so a month's reliance on a bedpan was marvelous in comparison.  "So you're not sending me on the tour of the Union, then."

"We're just postponing it.  Again," Gunther sighed.  "Once the whole family's well again, we'll make it happen.  Maybe late in the year, maybe next spring, we'll see.  The weather in North Eryka isn't very pleasant in the winter, so Christine's more inclined till spring."

"Has there been any update on the supposed threat against your life?" Wiktor asked.

"When'd you hear about that?"

"Two days after you crashed and I was being briefed as Piotr's regent."

"Ah," Gunther said.  "Did Piotr hear about that?"

"Christine and I agreed he wasn't ready for a security briefing."  Wiktor didn't add the observation that it was a rare source of agreement between the two of them. 

"Good.  That's good," Gunther muttered.  "Well, not much to say except that a Taino nationalist group - not sure which one, I guess there's a few bumping up against each other down there - one of them had wanted to off me on the tour, right?  The spooks are poking around to see what they can learn before I inevitably travel there, but this accident buys them more time to sort it out and make some arrests."

"Lucky them," Wiktor said dryly.  "And so my itinerary?"

"Down to the Med, through Suez, across Asia.  You can stop in to woo your princess if she's still free at that-"

"We're friends, I'm not-"

"Yes, yes, onto India, through to Japan, across the Pacific, through the Canal, home in a few months," Gunther finished.  "Last I heard, the navy was thinking about sending a large cruiser, a small cruiser, and some other ships, but if you want to take the yacht, feel free."

"It's a lot of ship for one person," Wiktor observed.

"You're going to have a retinue with you."

"Still."

"Well, think on it," the king said with a wave of his non-broken left hand.  "And call the nurse, if you wouldn't mind.  I need to relieve myself..."

[The Rock Doctor]

24 August 1926

The Minister of Defence authorizes the Union Navy to re-establish Stacja Pacyficu, the Pacific Station, at Bannaba (OTL Panama City).

For a few years before the completion of the Trans-Erkya Canal, the Navy had stationed a very limited squadron - typically an old armored cruiser and a colonial cruiser - on the Pacific coast, but this practice had ended once the canal opened.  At that point, the squadron was withdrawn, and units from the Caribbean Station at Johannestadt (OTL San Juan) had come through the canal to show the flag and patrol the waves as required.  The only permanent presence on the coast had been a few patrol vessels and submarine hunters.

The belated change of heart comes a few years after the Costa Rica War, and does somewhat reflect continued uneasiness at the proximity of Mayan naval forces.  However, the larger driver is simply the recognition that, whatever the problem might be, a permanent force stationed in the Pacific will be much faster to respond to issues in the Pacific than a force that has to come from Johannestadt.

The authorized strength of the station is two light cruisers, four torpedo-boats, and four submarines, of which only the submarines actually exist at the moment.  These will simply transfer through the canal later in the year to take up their new jobs.  The other ships may not be build for some time, so interim plans call for the deployment of two Quackenbruck class sloops to show the flag.  They'll be supplemented in 1927 by the first two Visby-class sloops.  They may not be as fast as torpedo-boats, but they've at least got the armament, and the Visbys will bring along command and floatplane facilities to boot.

22 September 1926

The aircraft carrier Wrona begins trials in the Baltic. 

While she isn't the first warship with a runway to grace the Baltic, she's still a bit of a weird sight to casual observers, with the usual confusion over the lack of a significant armament.  Airplanes don't count so far as they're concerned.

28 December 1926

The korweta KR-32 is completed and prepares to commence her own trials.  Last of her class, she'll eventually lead a patrol group with two to three smaller submarine chasers and/or coastal escorts and three or more harbour patrol craft.  The Union reckons it has enough korwetas on hand for the moment - there's a more pressing need to continue building coastal escorts and larger ocean-going escorts such as the aforementioned Visbys. 

[The Rock Doctor]

2 January 1927

Under cold, grey skies in Rostock, workers begin the process of breaking up the old armored cruiser Muszkieter.

Laid down in 1899, she was one of the few Union warships with enough bunkerage to protect the Union's early expansion efforts from 1910 onward.  Unfortunately, her armament was lacking for her size, and her machinery wouldn't allow sustained periods at full speed, with the full speed not being all that impressive compared to turbine-driven peers of just a few years later.  The Union had kept her in home waters for several years, basically in a reserve function to cover off for the Grenadjar class's refurbishments and the somewhat delayed completion of the Straznik class.  With tensions in the Caribbean seeming to have ebbed, there is no real reason to retain her any longer.

A few items - part of the foremast, her wheel, her bell, an anchor, the old musket that sat in a glass case in her flag quarters - will be dispersed to naval veteran's associations across the nation, to be remembered by those who served aboard her and introduced to those who did not.  The ship's cat has been mustered out of service and placed with a retired gunner's mate in Wroclaw.  The bulk of the cruiser's mass will be discarded or melted down or recycled in some capacity, though.  Pipes, girders, nails, screws, rivets, rails...all across the Union economy, mostly outside military usage.

A bit of it, though, will be back, at sea, in some form, soon enough.

13  February 1927

"Good God in His Heavens, look at that bastard go," muttered one of the fishermen.

His partner held a hand to shade his eyes, both men watching the armored cruiser Husarz running at thirty-two knots, a mile ahead of their boat in the North Sea.  "Fast," he grunted.  "Her wake might give us a rock."

"Might.  I don't remember the navy building 'em that fast."

"Those newfangled turbines and the oil," the partner said.  "Lets 'em go like that."

"Technology today."

"Yeah.  Wouldn't catch me with one of them new diesels, neither.  Stick with what you can fix yerself, right?"

"Right."

27 February 1927

TO:  CINC SCOUTING ONE
FROM:  CINC HIGH SEAS FLEET

NEW ORDERS FROM FLEET HQ STOP YOU ARE TRANSFERRING TO CARIBBEAN STATION EFFECTIVE ONE JULY STOP TRANSFER EXPECTED TO BE INDEFINITE AND SPOUSAL RELOCATION WILL BE PROVIDED FOR OFFICERS AND SENIOR NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS STOP SCOUTING FOUR UNDERSTOOD TO BE REMAINING ON STATION SO BERTHING AND HOUSING MAY BE TIGHT STOP WILL DISCUSS FURTHER AT DINNER FRIDAY STOP

[The Rock Doctor]

13 March 1927

"The Honorable Member for Wroclaw South," said the Speaker of the Sejm.

"Thank you, Mister Speaker.  The proposed amendments to the Elections Act include what I must characterize as radical changes to the very concept of democracy in the Vilnius Union.  Indeed, they are changes I - and many of my reasonably minded constituents - consider not just ill-founded but outright negligent.  Will the Minister of Home Services commit to withdrawing these amendments immediately in the interests of an enduring democratic process?"

"The Honorable Member for Oulu," said the Speaker.

"Mister Speaker, the only thing radical about the changes to the Elections Act is the length of time it has taken to get here.  The Vilnius Union has been a notable laggard in the implementation of women's suffrage, trailing not just most of our immediate neighbours but also lagging notably in comparison to practice in the overseas territories.  This government remains committed to the amendments as tabled and shall not withdraw them as the honorable member would have us do."  A round of muted cheering rose from the seats behind him.

"The Honorable Member for Wroclaw South" the Speaker repeated.

"Mister Speaker, I must question the wisdom of the government's decision to proceed with this foolhardy regulatory package.  Politics is a hard, difficult, even corrupting trade; are we not doing the fairer sex a tremendous disservice by forcing their involvement in it, when they could simply trust their husbands to look out for their best interests?"

A round of more enthused cat-calls rose from the government seats as this statement concluded.  "Order, please.  Order.  We will not have  such conduct in the Sejm," the Speaker grumbled.  "The Honorable Member for Oulu."

"Mister Speaker, I think it is a tremendous disservice to the women of this nation to assume that they are weak and easily corrupted by the democratic process that you, and I, and the honorable member across from me are engaged as we speak.  They have, after all, endured centuries of hard labor, child-rearing, wars, sickness, industrialization and even, Mister Speaker, even in one instance, marriage to the Honorable Member for Wroclaw South."

The Sejm erupted in laughter, the target of the jape folding his arms in front of him and attempting to frown.

"Order in the Sejm.  Order...," the Speaker chastised.

[The Rock Doctor]

April 15, 1927

"Another aircraft carrier?" the Prime Minister exclaimed.  "Haven't we been building aircraft carriers non-stop for the last three years?"

"We've built two small aircraft carriers," the Minister of Defence said, having memorized his speaking points well.  "The other, more recent vessels are seaplane carriers, which are not the same thing."

"Still, that's two aircraft carriers there.  And I feel like there was one a little earlier.  Why another?"

"Different jobs, Prime Minister," the Minister of Defence replied.  "You're absolutely correct that we built a small ship, Labedz, as a sort of test-bed.  We're using her now primarily as a training vessel.  The two more recent ships are intended to help us monitor trade and locate enemy ships in the Caribbean and low-intensity conflict areas.  This new vessel would be built with the intention of protecting our ships in the North Sea and the Channel from enemy aircraft, so it carries more aircraft and is better protected."

"And is much more expensive," the Minister of Finance grumped.

Defence nodded.  "That also.  It's unavoidable but - let me be clear, gentlemen - we saw what Mayan aircraft could do to unprotected Japanese warships not so long ago.  We don't want that happening to our capital ships."

"Are you...are you saying that our capital ships are vulnerable?  Are they behind the times?" the Minister of Mines interjected.

Damn it, Defence thought.  "Not at all," he said dismissively.  "They have extensive anti-aircraft batteries, heavy deck armor, and side protection against torpedoes.  Nonetheless, if you permit enough enemy aircraft to attack unmolested, there will be damage and a degradation of capability."

"This is going to be like submarines where they were a novelty and then we had a few and now they're indispensable and all over the place, isn't it?" Finance inquired.

"It does seem that way," Defence replied.  "I think, in due course, we'll find that we want to build aircraft carriers large enough to launch dangerous attacks against enemy ships - or land targets.  For now, though, we're focused on defensive assets with an ability to scout around our fleet."

"Seems prudent to me," said the Minister of Trade, who had absolutely not agreed to a quid pro quo with the Minister of Defence over drinks the previous night.

"If we say yes, you're going to come back for funding for another one, aren't you?" Finance sighed.

The Prime Minister arched a brow at we.

"Probably," Defence confirmed.  "The fact of the matter is that our ship Wrona has been working up for almost eight months at this point, and my people are confident that we have a handle on the important design considerations here.  Remember that Labedz was an important learning experience for us."

"I remember paying to make all sorts of changes to her after barely a year of activity."

"Precisely.  It was not a great deal of money because she is an economical testbed."

"I feel like the Sejm will be happier with new armored cruisers," the Prime Minister noted.

"They're coming, Prime Minister.  Very soon, I promise," Defence said. 

"Very well.  Include funding for one unit in the 1928 budget," the leader of the government said.  "Next?"

[The Rock Doctor]

9 May 1927

The royal yacht Stanislaw I departs Amsterdam for a summer tour of the Union of Unions. 

The tour was to have taken place earlier but various health-related mishaps had delayed things somewhat.  Fortunately, King Gunther has fully recovered from his automobile accident, Queen Christine has recovered from her miscarriage, and the royal children are all in good health apart from the usual childhood-related minor mishaps. 

Accompanying the royal yacht on this particular voyage are the training cruiser Danube, with a full load of cadets aboard, and the sloop Roskilde.  A larger escort may join the tour in the Caribbean and on occasion as local deployments allow. 

The Queen Mother is on hand to see the yacht but remains in Amsterdam.  Though she fancies herself well-loved overseas as well as at home, her presence would be a distraction from the king and queen at a time when the whole point of the tour is for Gunther and family to make themselves better known to the Union's overseas subjects.

Prince Wiktor dutifully prepares for a summer in Vilnius, where he'll perform various duties on Gunther's behalf, when and as necessary.

[The Rock Doctor]

19 May 1927

"Frankly, Your Majesty, the debate about women's rights is bewildering and troubling," said one of the elders, a wizened old man of the Nanticoke people.

"How so?" Gunther III Vasa asked, his fork hovering just beyond his mouth.

"It just seems so backwards," the elder shrugged.  "Women are a fundamental part of governance here.  Or were, until the Union imposed its structure of government upon us."

"But women are too pure for the nastiness of politics," Queen Christine frowned.

"Women are not frail little things, Your Majesty," the Governor's wife noted, somewhat unexpectedly given that she herself was from Suomi and not a native North Erykan. 

The queen glanced at her husband, then replied, "It is best that women seek the understanding of their husbands and work through them to secure their interests."

There was silence around the lengthy dining room table. 

"That's more or less what they've been reduced to now, yes," the Nanticoke elder noted.  "There's still informal power and authority, but that's what it is.  We've been talking with the governor about finding ways to shift back to the old ways, but that takes time."

"Oh, that's interesting," Gunther said, raising an eyebrow at the governor.

"It's important to have discussions of importance with all manner of stakeholders," the governor said, then waved frantically at the help.  "More wine, I think.  More wine!"

[The Rock Doctor]

2 June 1927

"Disgraceful!" Queen Christine fumed.  "Utterly disgraceful!  How dare they!"

"They did tell me there was some Taino nationalism here," Kind Gunther shrugged as he examined the options available in the Stanislaw I's liquor cabinet.  Well, liquor suite, if he was being honest.

"Which is foolish and wrong, Gunther, but not like that," his wife blurted, pointing in the general direction of Johannestadt.  "Signs?  Chanting?  Are we some common ironmonger or grain merchant to be protested so?  Or are we the king and queen of the realm?"

"It's harmless, dearest.  Sound and fury signifying nothing."

"Nothing?  Nothing?" Christine repeated.  "It's treachery, Gunny.  Treasonous.  The whole lot of them should've been rounded up and thrown into a cell!"

"You can tell the governor that in the morning over breakfast.  No, wait, don't-"

"Yes!  Yes, I shall do that.  If he won't do his job, I shall have to shame him into doing so," Christine vowed.

Ah, vodka, Gunther didn't squeal aloud.  He took the bottle and began looking for a mix of some kind.  Was there orange juice?  "I think we'll find he'll say that some right to free expression, however distasteful, is essential here.  It's not like this lot is trying to murder me, dear, they just want me to go away and take all the Union military with me."

Which was true.  The lot that had tried to arrange his murder had been neutralized by Biuro Szpilek last year, or so he'd been told.

"Yes.  Well," Christine considered.  "I still find it abhorrent.  Pour me one of whatever you're making, dearest, I've a thirst."