Paris Temps

[The Rock Doctor]

Did Gran Colombia not already come to terms with France for the purchase of all four Formidables?

[maddox]

Yes, and France will honor its agreement.  HY1 will bring you 2 elder battleships. HY2 another 2.

[maddox]

Early november 1907

Napoleon the Great. Admirals flagship. Biggest battleship of Glorious France. Somewere around Djibouti Island

"Admiral, we have recieved a wireless from Djibouti HQ. Premier Paixhans has added another task for you.  Outline the successors for the Carnot class. Things like armament, armor, speed and range"

He's sick, he wants to rebuild the French navy in a few months, it took us decades.
Ok, he'll get sick. Send back

"100Ktons, nokgless"

6 Hours later.

Admiral, we got a reply from France

"d'accord"

[maddox]

Le Monde, in one of the best selling editions yet, early december 1907

Today, in the first of a special two part series, we look at the astonishing tale of New Swiss prisoners of war, home at last after years of separation from their families.

Sent to the mainland to fight in the never-ending wars engineered by the New Swiss military-industrial complex, these hardy souls fought with glory and honor against hordes of Middle Kingdom troops and mobs of crazed, un-armed civilians.  Finally captured after running out of ammunition, food, and water, the soldiers found themselves under the dubious care of the Middle Kingdom's vast and unfathomable bureaucracy.  In a gesture of cruelty long eradicated from Europe by the influence of compassionate French culture, the Middle Kingdom maimed these men for life, brutally amputating their right thumbs.

Even this was not sufficient to satisfy the Middle Kingdom.  It intended to kill the entire lot of ten thousand Swiss prisoners, and would have, but for the unexpected intervention of Gran Colombia.  Appalled at the impending slaughter, the Gran Colombians negotiated for the custody of the Swiss.  After striking a deal which required the Colombians to give a small fortune to the Middle Kingdom annually, the Colombians moved to transport the Swiss to the beautiful, bountiful shores of South America.

Not all would arrive there; attacked by an overwhelming force of communist cruisers, the Gran Colombians sacrificed a cruiser of their own to save three of the four transports from the PESN.  The fourth transport, separated from the Colombian convoy, would later be rescued by Glorious France and directly to New Switzerland.

Once ashore, the Swiss learned of the elaborate rehabilitation program developed by Gran Colombia.  The soldiers were hired en masse to work at the huge Darien Canal project.  Taught to use a variety of tools despite their mutilations, the Swiss found renewed self-esteem and job satisfaction as they aided in the construction of a true marvel of world engineering.  The salaries they earned more than offset the exorbitant ransom demanded of Gran Colombia by the Middle Kingdom, allowing the Swiss to be self-reliant through payment for their food, shelter, and necessities of life.

Yet one complication remained:  the Gran Colombian agreement with the Middle Kingdom specified that the Swiss could not be returned home until the war had ended – yet the war never did end.  As the need for large numbers of manual labor dried up in Gran Colombia earlier this year, the Swiss found themselves facing unemployment:  until an unexpected white knight arrived...

With thanks to Rocky

[maddox]

Early november 1907

Ah, minister Dupuytren, I got good news from our feisty admiral.
Geon has accepted the question how to replace the Carnots, and it seems he is seeing the need of Grandeur, together with functionality and combativiness.
His reaction on our telegram "100 000 tons and no kilogram less"

That doesn't sound like Admiral Geon at all, he already hated the Superb just because she's big.
But if he wants 100 000 ton, we only can get 1 ship for the med fleet; but I'll talk to the engineers about a project that size. It will be veritable floating mountain,  that's for sure.  

[Borys]

Late November 1907

When Minister Dupuytren spied that sleazy weasel, the Habsurg Naval Attache von Fernsher, with a face beaming with a mischievious smile, his stomach churned and he almost turned into another corrider as to avoid that despicable man. With an inner sigh he kept on walking towards Destiny. When he closed, THAT MAN made a great show of checking out the corridor, put his hand under his uniform and said, aping the accent of Paris riffraff:
- M'siue, m'siue, do you want to buy plans for 100k ton battleship, eh?

[P3D]

Late November, during a reception in Paris

"I do not understand how the French Navy procurement works. And now, this 100,000t battleship which can only be at one place at a time."
"And the rumor that they will use an Austrian design?
"Relying on Austria might not be a good idea, even if you are not confident that your own designers can cope with the work. Austria haven't laid down a single capital ship in more than a decade. I'd say the time just went past over them, and they did not notice. They cannot even build troopships for themselves, and has to pay foreign shipyards."
"But...100 thousand tonnes are even bigger than whatever the French had built before."
"If you count the superliners, only twice as large. Or the Greater Napoleon, thrice. But it is ten times as large as the largest Austrian battleship. It would turn out to be an even bigger debacle than the last attempt to build an ultimate warship..."

[maddox]

Early december, Somewere in the Gulf of Tonkin on Napoleon the Great.


Ensign, could you repeat what you just said.
Mes oui Admiral Geon.  The TB that arrived , she was carrying a message from Paris.

And that message is what you just handed over?

Mes oui, mon Admiral. The message as delivered is what you are reading.

How well versed are you currently in political views and naval issues?  Don't worry ensign Alain, I need you to speak freely.
My education and training gave me the basics of what is needed to grow, but I have some politics from my parents. My dad, unfortunatly dead, was one of the socialists of the Jardan gouvernment.

Sorry to hear that ensign. But that is why your name did ring a bell. I'm sorry. We couldn't have anticipated the mass murder at the Moulin Rouge with poison gas.
But if it is up to you. What would you do? Build 3 battleships and escorts, or 1 huge steel monstrosity?

Sorry sir, I don't understand? Is this a political question, or a realistical one?

Give me both point of views, maybe that I understand premier Paixhans better after that.

Political, 1 huge warship that can take on any other ship or even fleets , is perfect on paper. It's a kind of propaganda that pays off very well. In votes as in the grease of the industrialists, money.
Realistic, it's bogus, 1 ship can only be in 1 place at a certain time. France is large and needs a lot of ships at a lot of places at the same time.  Using money for a lot of ships to build 1 monster is a bad option.

Son, you have a promising future ahead of you. Tell the Torpedoboat captain that he joins me for dinner. And you will be there too.

A day later, in Paris.

Idiots ,Morons , couchons. Debieles.
A fleet of 100 000 tons, not 1 ship.

Did admiral Geon did send us that?
Yes Ministre Dupuytren, It seems he wants a lot of ships, not 1 glorious representative of France

[Phoenix]

Idiots ,Morons , couchons. Debieles.
A fleet of 100 000 tons, not 1 ship.

"Undoubtedly, judging from the wonderful powers of perception their radio-telegraphists seem to possess, this little list might be interpreted as being the names the esteemed Admiral suggested for the new ships ?" Prince Pu Lun mused with a small smile as he read the tiny titbit of intelligence...

[maddox]

Mid November 1907,

Premier Paixhans Offices.
"Ah minister Dupuytren, it seems the Army will get a stream of new recrutes if it depends on Mademoiselle Durand.
She brought in a demand to open the army for women. With as example the New Swiss newsletters  that propagate the female warriors at Hainan and Taiwan."

Oh, now the suffragettes are taking the advice of a country that seems to aggrivate everyone and his mother in law.
Premier, I had the joy to talk to that creature. I do not see any reason to change the laws concerning women in the Army, navy or whatever military branch we can invent.
Oh well, no woman of standing and sound mind would ever want to be seen in uniform. The tan aquired by the outdoor training would ruin their health, and will chase away the men.
Just to name one thing. And we're not ready to get a division of withered ladies of negotiable virtue, or peasant girls with Joan d'Arc fantasies.

Minister Dupuytren. Don't bother, I do not want any female in the army except as nurse. But those nurses should be the best in the world, don't you agree.  Coördinate this with L'institute Pasteur, and possibly the Green Cross that is being raised.
It seems we can do a world of good by getting that done. The NEI war is a good start to show the Civilisation of France.

I have to admit Premier. That would be a good arrangement. The suffragettes get what they want. The world get what it needs. And France is still Glorious and Civilised.
But, I do condemn the New Swiss by forcing the gentle mothers, the sisters, daughters, nieces of possible good men to die in vain.

Your stance is noted. And a diplomatic message will be dispatched to New Swiss.

[swamphen]

We won't remind Minister Dupuytren that the only Blue Max so far awarded this century by Brandenburg went to a woman (Legion Kondor, in the P.D. 'ghost' affair).  ;)

[maddox]

Le Monde 6 December 1907

There is a Great Evil loose in the Pacific, one which if not stopped will engulf the whole world. It has shamed important of French allies and continues to grow.

Can France accept a monolith in the Pacific, with an appetite for wholesale destruction and xenophobia. A monolith that leers towards the whole of the Indochinese penisula.  Siam and French Indochina in the crosshairs.

It is true that the great democracies and other countries of good will have not seen face to face.
But if those countries, with Glorious France leading don't intervene in the Great Conflict, the Great Evil will become greater and greater until the Mogol hordes are at the border.

[swamphen]

Letter to the editor of Le Monde, 7 December 1907

It is good to see the members of the Press of Glorious France have awakened to the grave threat posed by the great expansionist power of East Asia and the Pacific. A nation that seemingly cannot live without causing international crisis after international crisis, and which casts coveteous eyes over the territories of all other nations of the Pacific. I fully agree with yesterday's article that French Indochina is truly within their crosshairs; Siam has already been reduced to a puppet. Dutch Indochina, Burma, the Philippines, and others are all lusted after, to have them all cry "How High" when the Swiss shout "Jump!".

TK

[maddox]

Reply from le Monde to Envoy Takeda,

Monsieur, your letter was very well recieved, but we of Le Monde feel the need of a clarification.

The evil country the article refers to is the Middle Kingdom.
The atrocities commited by that decadent empire are to numerous to list. But the things of recent times are the massacres of Hong Kong and Shanghai. The piling on of dead farmers against the New Swiss machine guns. The annexation of North Indochina, and so on.

The redaction.

[Borys]

We won't remind Minister Dupuytren that the only Blue Max so far awarded this century by Brandenburg went to a woman (Legion Kondor, in the P.D. 'ghost' affair).  ;)

Neither will we point out that the Habsburg Empire allows women to enlist ... always in the forefront of progress, the Habsburgs are ...

http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=538.0

Wiener Kurier, December 1903

WHAT IS THE WORLD COMMING TO?!?
Emilia von Weltschmerzen, the daughter of an illustrious line of Habsburg officers, joined the Army today.
She had originally applied half a year ago, to "do my part", as she said, and was turned down. Using family channels, she gradually addressed her appeals up to the Highest level. It was only after she appealed to the Empress Helena that she finally succeded. The Kaiser admits to having his mind swayed by his wife.
- "Yelena asked me a good question - "Why not"? Some men become soldiers, some monks, some doctors. Women are same. - So even though I think it's a daft idea, I will not stop them. "
The obstinate Freulein was presented to the Kaiser, who only asked her "can you swim?", and graciously chuckled when he heard "yes" in return.
We tried to interview this unique young lady, but were informed that she is busy mucking out the stables of the 3 Dragoner Regiment, and will be able to talk with the press only after finishing Basic Training.
In light of her unique situaton she has separate lodging in the married NCO's quarters. In case of more female volunteers come forth ("not that we are expecting a stampede, mind you"), a dedicated platoon will be formed, a bemused Oberst told us. Fruelein Emilia is expected to serve as battlefield courier.

OOC
A pity I never got round to writing about the adventures of Zugfuerherin (then Gefreiterin) Emilia von Weltschmerzen in the Brasilian Crusade ...
Borys