Baltic News - Jan - Jun 07

[khymerion]

North Sea Coast
Early Jan

           Two massive trains rumbled through the yard that looked over the North Sea.  The Battleship Isbre and her consorts made sure that there wasn't any company in the designated area, warding off prying merchant traffic.  Crews fervently worked as the trains came to a halt in their designated areas, undoing the protective covers that had been put in place at the Krupp foundries.  Only massive runes adorn the sides of the railway cars, drawing a bit of curiousity from the onlooking workers but that quickly was brushed aside as foremen started to bark orders about.  Intermixed with the civillian workers were many naval and army personel, all busy issuing orders and exchanging information.

          With a great sounding of an alarm, a long barrel began to rise up above the railway car and its long chain behind it.  One of the finest 12"/45 barrels that the foundries of the Confederation could make, its long slender shape siloetted the bleak winter day.  Gunnery crews were busy informing their army cousins on proper operations and engineers from Krupp were busy taking notes about all that was transpiring.

         With a thundering boom, the massive gun fired and threw its shell miles down range.  The splash was barely noticable at that distance and the entire assembly suffered stress and shock.  Isbre radioed the results and men worked busy to assess any damage and to begin repairs.  The second gun raised her barrel shortly there after, adding her report to the day.   Again, damage was reported all along the gun carriage and this distressed the engineers for Henschel, who had thought they had done a good job at designing the carriage for the massive rifles.   

       By the end of the day, enough emergency repairs were completed to attempt another firing of the twins, soon designated K1A and K1B... only a few of the Icelandic officers knowing that they had true names; Fehu and Uruz, the runes that were painted on the sides of the carriages.  Though there were a few protests by the Henschel and Krupp engineers, the tests proceeded on behest of the General Staff and the Admiralty with final approval given by Fräulein Raynor.   While the second round of tests that day had many of results of the first round, it had proven that the project was a success and be a good avenue to begin practical refinement of the weapon system and firing doctrine.  The entire time she watched this, she could only smile at the thought of the bigger weapons in developement at the Krupp foundries.  She would give her master the hammer he desired.

[swamphen]

NB: I spoke via email with khymerion, life has eaten him alive (pun intended) hence his absence, however he agreed to bury the hatchet.
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mid-September 1907
Brandenburg Gazette

Although exact details have not been released, history has been made as the Deutsches Kaiserreich Brandenburg and the Baltic Confederation have reached an agreement for the normilisation of diplomatic relations between our nations. Ambassadorial-level relations will be established quickly, the restrictions long placed on travel will be lifted, amnesty granted for polticially-related charges relating to those dark days so long ago...

It is expected that the agreement will include a mutual dropping of claims on each others territory, which arose out of Prussia's joining the BC and the Brandenburgian exodus...

[Borys]

The Habsburg Empire is happy to see two nations, both of them friends of the Monarchy, to normalise relations.