Paris Temps

[The Rock Doctor]

"Les Joyeux Microbes"?

I have a feeling I won't want to see that film.

[Blooded]

LOL  thats exactly what I thought!  ;D

[maddox]

OOC
Les Joyeux Microbes is an actual 1909 movie.

IC,

Somewere march 1909.

Premier Paixhans, Operation Fessée is in full swing.
Word is out, and the first reports of independend actions are coming in. No warships reported in those unfortunatly.

Monsieur Grange, I don't feel good about this, you sure that operation is needed?

It's currently the most efficient means of making our displeasure know without provoking to a full scale war. The disadvantage is that the enemy has started simular actions, and we're increasing the securite around our military and governmental instalations.

[maddox]

A repeat of the original from the Nverse2.
And a warm up for the grand internnational opening of the Great Canal.
Silently brought in use in februari 1909,and only open for some dedicated transports of the treaty partners.

Le Canal Grande  - Debacle Extraordinaire !!

A Speech by Premier Jardan.
When visiting the Works of the Grand Canal I could hardly believe my eyes: hardly any results, some shallow diggins, most diggings have occurred for other purposes, namely digging graves. The Grand Canal is a cemetery, how has this come to be ??!!
This is surely the most embarrassing show of incompetence I've ever had the misfortune to witness. The gross squandering of resources is clearly evident, lives have been thrown away as casually as ten thousands of Francs. Precious construction materials have disappeared unnoticed and without a single trace of accountability. The bean counters of this project are frankly a disgrace to their service. The engineers were more concerned about their own comfortable lodgings than the workplaces. Workers are being housed in rickety mud-sheds, literally living in the filth, eating, sleeping, dying. Disease reigns the Works. Disaster goes hand in hand with sheer incompetence, aided by graft and conniving.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE ???!!! Who has made this calamity to exist ? Who has allowed this disgrace to continue festering like an open sore in these beautiful lands ?
I stand humbly corrected. I may not have overseen this failure as I should have. The responsibility knows no ceiling and for this I suffer in shame. But amends needs must be made. Measures needs must be undertaken.
I have commanded l'Institut Pasteur to embark unto a voyage in this horrible miasmic swamp of misery. They will examine the cause for the rampant disease in the Works. They will find a cure to save the lives of the still-living workers. They will make recommandations for the lodging of these workers and have them implemented with utmost haste. Professeur Docteur Charles Louis Alfonse Laveran leads this valiant crew of scientists and medical specialists and will have free rein in order to eradicate the diseases.
In addition, the Compagnie Universelle du Canale Maritime de Panama has been sacked for this project and will be replaced by several Professeurs-Ingenieurs Hydrolique et Geographique of l'Ecole Polytechnique de Paris. They will embark with their most promising students and are expected to have these students graduating on this great Works.
It is clear to all that such great works should not be left to money-grabbing entrepreneurs, but should be undertaken by the State who is sublimely suited for this magnitude of world-shaping endeavours.
One of the Canal Treaty Partners failed to fulfill his duties and should be held acountable at least partly for this failure because of unadequate contributions in materials and competent personnel. Hereby one quarter share of the Canal will be offered to anyone who will participate. If no other state steps forward then France will continue this Great Works on Her own. To honour the other Treaty Partners.

[maddox]

August 19 1909, Le Monde

Money pit again?

Our Glorious gouvernement is again trowing money out of the window. The funding for the Green Cross, originaly a good idea, is being abused to give certain gouvernement friends pluch posts with a lot of gravy.
The far away island of Pago Pago is the focal point in this debacle. A hospital, in name attached to the Green Cross suitable to house 100's is placed there, upon a spec of land in the middle of nowhere, 1000's of kilometres from any civilisation.
Docteur Moreau, well known for his gruesome research conducted for the military, was appointed to be head of this useless facility ,has been provided not with a pluche seat, but a villa né palace, including the most modern and expensive gadgets man has invented to waste money and resources upon.
As far our sources can indicate, the total amount of franks lost in this new sceme to fleece the state treasure could have been used to build 18 lokal schools or feed a fair sized city for a year .

People of France, let your displeasure be know at the next elections.

[maddox]

Octobre 17th 1909.

Paris ,Hotel Napoleon, A cold and stormy evening.
Crackling heartfire, comfortable seats, room filled with a haze of fragrant sigar smoke. A young lady in elegant servants dress serving the finest cognac to a few expensively dressed men
*********************************************************************************

Ah Minister Dupuytren.  Life is good, isn't it? Even the Pacific earns its name.

Yes premier, it is peacefull at the moment. But I have a gutfeeling it won't stay that way.
I expect serieus troubles, and I fear our jewel in the south is the potential prize. I want to reinforce Indochina and French polynesia with the 6th 7th and 9th corps.

"NO WORK in the smoking room": reminds Monsieur Grange from a seat in the shadowy corner.

I have to say monsieur Grange has a point there. But yes, I did read your comments today Dupuytren. And I agree. We'll talk about this at the next defence meeting.

I can't help it premier, I feel as if France is in great peril. To many alliances, to many so called friends. Glorious France needs to reinstate itself as the premier empire on the world. And

Stop, Dupuytren, have a cognac. And now we're informal, how's family?  

[maddox]

December 21st 1909

Brest, naval shipyards.

Capitain, I have the honor to give you these orders.  Descartes is going to have her last voyage to French Polynesia. You will travel trough the Great Canal, joined by Isly, Gargantua, Pantagruel  and the 2 A-class liners Aphrodite and Arthemis.
Once arrived in French Polynesia, Decartes will fullfill the duty of guarding the yards in Papeté together with Isly. You and your crew will then sail back with the Liner Aphrodite.

Understood Sir.

Take care capitain, it seems piracy in the Caribean is in an upsurge.

I have heard such a thing and my crew and I are well prepared for such an endeavor.

[maddox]

19 fevrier 1910

Chantiers Naval, Brest
10 pm , a cold windy sleet filled night.  The arc light lamps shine over the Huge hulking monster, the Ship to the world know as Chanson, but her stern has, below the admirals walk,  in huge gilded letters "Superbe" announcing there is something fishy going on.

Years of labor, and concealment of the things that really matter, the Huge main guns, the largest in the world, are about to show the Glorious capacity of France.

Covers, some already flapping in the cold, harsh wind, are being removed.
The great ships smokestacks already putting out the acrid smoke of antracite burned in efficient furnaces.
Lamps swing around to hide the main turrets in darkness.
Harbor tugs gather at the sides of the glorious ship. Pushing her out to the harbors main passage. All mercantile trafic stopped to give her room to move.
They were forced to, if not by custom officers, then by policemen, and in 1 occasion the brandnew protected cruiser Demarce.

2 am, at sea, Superbe, The giant ships rides glides trought the rough waters. The waves just disappear against the great hull.

9 am, in the grey morning, the battleship re-enters the naval shipyard. Once in dock, the laborers install the fabric tents again, so the turrets and a part on the battle bridge are covered.

But observers noticed that the turrets seems large for the already huge ship.

[maddox]

may 1910

Ah Admiral Geon, how did you like the Superbe.

To large, to expensive, and as usefull as tits on a boar. Sorry to say so Minister Dupuytren.
We can't risk her in any kind of battle, as it would give the prestige of France such a blow the moral of the men will sink below the Lord Kelvin point of 0.

How do you propose to have ships to beat the other nations ships then? Superbe isn't the biggest around you know. The Baltics have several larger ships.

The Baltics don't have a world spanning empire to defend. To post 3 Superbes at every main fleetbase, it would ruin France, having 21 of such beasts.
No, The Valeurs sleightly enlarged to carry the guns of Superbe, that is the biggest I can promote.

Then you like the Robberspiere and Marat. Those are such as you describe.

I would say, less guns more armor, but yes, they are close to my idea.

In any case Admiral Geon, Superbe is for now your flagship. And your orders are also clear.

Yes minister. Take command officially, make a promotion, or should I say intimidation, tour in Europe.
First skirting as close as possible by the Spanish coastal waters, trough the Gibraltar Strait, towards Taranto, entertain the Italian admirality and politicians.
When leaving there, a pair of Italian fast cruisers will escort us to the Solent of Spithead, to enjoy the UNK's attention in a fleet review. Superbe is a centrepiece there.
Then towards Vlissingen. Where we will entertain the Dutch admirality and politicians.
Following that, up north, skirting the Baltics coastal waters, showing off our new pride and joy. Turn west to Halifax, to work out the kinks found. And then, to the operational area, the Caribean and the great Canal.

Yes Admiral, but it can be our corp diplomatic will ask you to visit other places.

That is no problem Minister.

[maddox]

4 July 1910

Tatanto, Italian Fleetbase.

The great grey warship Superbe anchored, and catching the last rays of the sun.

The lights in the admirals quarters doing the best to illuminate the expensive, but elegant and very comfortable interiour.

The stewards are cleaning the large oak dining table, as admirals Sulla and Geon enjoy an exquisite Jamaican coffee seated in the salon. 

Admiral Sulla, How do you look at the deployments we're going to take jointly?
I myself find the Superbe overkill to hunt Pirates in the Caribean.

I agree on that, this great ship is more suited to lead a fleet into a great seabattle than to hunt pirates with at best a steamlaunch and a stolen maxim machine gun.

I wish I never have to lead in such a battle, but if that time is there, I won't hesitate to do so.  For that task Superbe is the best ship in the world, on paper.
It's the men I have to forge to act as 1, body and soul one with the ships, the fleet. When I was a Desk commanding vice Admiral, I never could have imagined that I ever would command such ships. 

Fates in life change Admiral Geon, and some are commanding great ships, and this ship is big, with very big guns.
Is it true that those guns are 390mm? It's rude to have a look and messure them, but it seems these guns are a lot bigger than anything else we have seen, except from the Russians.

Good observation Admiral Sulla, but no, the guns aren't 390mm. It's not that it is classified, but we like to keep it a surprise for the public. If you allow, we could do a gunnery test , for you and yours to observe.

Pity we don't have an island that has to be sunk around here, but we can arrange something. And of course, we have to keep in mind we have to be in time for the Spithead UNK fleet review.
But that shouldn't be a problem.

[maddox]

22 december 1910


Minister Dupuytren, it seems our Baltic friends have send their latest fleet unit to the Caribean.

Good to hear. I think we'll have to send a small message to Superbe.  Get it to the admirality.

Later,
Marconi room Superbe.

baltic bb prssn. enr gc. visual presence superbe. mdp aa 631 execute.
Admiral Geon, we have new orders from Paris Minister Dupuytren orders us to look out for the new Baltic dreadnaught, she's en route to Gran Colombia. And keep her inside detection range.

Ok Lieutenant, also a nice training excersize for the Ears crew.   

[ledeper]

 ;D :-X

[The Rock Doctor]

We'll have quite the sight if somebody else decides that Superbe needs to be shadowed.

[Carthaginian]

"WHAT?!? WHO has moved a ship into the Caribbean?"

"Apparently, Secretary Daniels, the Baltic Confederation has sent their giant into the Caribbean for an unknown reason."

"Have our patrol airships keep a lookout for them, and have Murfreesboro and her sisters readied for a possible shadowing exercise. Don't provoke them, but don't let them think they can slip in without our noticing."

[Sachmle]

We'll have quite the sight if somebody else decides that Superbe needs to be shadowed.

Ask and ye shall receive.  ;)