The Emerald Queen

[maddox]

Halifax june 1910

What? Clear slip 5? Ligne de France won't like that at all.

Sorry sir, that are the orders from Paris, the Ministry of Commerce has ordered a slip. And they are paying handsomely for it. So we can pay the fine on the delay.  Also, it shouldn't take longer than 6 months to build the design they have sended.  But why would the Ministry want a warship?

I don't know that either, but as they pay, and it is official, so lets get to it.

Will do so.  But, strangely enough, the CSA is also involved in this? They are sending the boilers. And structural steel

[Carthaginian]

18JUN10
Bordeaux, France
0130 Local

"We're hauling WHAT!"

"Manifest says a 'fuel tank', sir. It's supposed to be a replacement for the Federal Building in the provincial capital. Load weight is damn heavy, though... you think they'd send it full of fuel oil?"

"I wouldn't put a damn thing past the French. I just want to know why they want us off the ship while they load it!"

"Sir... have they seen you without a cigarette since we docked?"

"Ah... good point. Tell the boys that we're on chewing tobacco until we make it to Halifax. And get everyone off- sooner we get this damn thing delivered, the sooner we get paid."

On the way off the dock, the captain stole a look at his cargo. It was a monster if it was a fuel tank... at least 15' in diameter. Of course, it got coll as hell in Halifax in winter. They'd probably need a lot of oil.

[maddox]

Halifax 30 June 1910

Slip 5 Cleared sir. And it seems the first parts are getting delivered already.

A CSA merchant is delivering the nursery,  it was being shipped in 1 piece from Bordeaux.
But why the loading labels mention that the crane needs to exceed 100 tons of capacity? I don't know, what are we going to build for the Ministry of Commerce?

I've got the first plans here, and the slender hull looks more of that of a cruiser than of a yacht.
And I don't understand why those 2 round spaces on the ends have to be done with 6" high grade steel. if I wouldn't know better, the aft one looks like an underarmored barbette for a battleship turret, and the front one, in size best compared to the main barbette of a Gloire.

Sir, what you say, it's a cruiser....  not a yacht.  But we have a crate full of golden faucets for the Emerald queen. Those were delivered from Gran Colombia. And we have a shipping order for 50 tons of pink marble sheets and a bathtub too. I don't get it.

Dockmaster, Dockmaster.  What do we do with that old Battleship twin turret that is placed at dock 5?

WHAT? Who ordered that, where does it come from?
Give me those papers, and when did it arrive?
I don't know dockmaster, it just arrived by Barge and here are the papers.

(face is getting very white now of the dockmaster, almost translucent)
Ok. Put that stripped turret next to dock 5, it seems part of the plans. Put it astern, then it's closer to the spot it needs to be.
And, now I need a break, this is getting ridicolous. I guess a bottle of whiskey is in order.

[The Rock Doctor]

All my gold plumbing are belong to you.

[Tanthalas]

All my gold plumbing are belong to you.

LOL Im trying to decide which french Diplomat wants a Battle Yacht...

[The Rock Doctor]

I think you're looking in the wrong direction.

[Tanthalas]

LOL I was afraid you were going to say that... (drags back out the plans for his Freighter 26 knots just wont cut it now...)

[Carthaginian]

Nursery?
They told us it was a fuel tank!

Why would a nursery need a 100t crane?

[Borys]

Milk is heavy, Baby shit too.
Borys

[Tanthalas]

Milk is heavy, Baby shit too.
Borys

Thats no lie on the Baby shit part man from empty to loaded a diaper gains like 5 pounds I swear.  I remember wondering how so much could come out of somthing that only weighed 9 pounds...

[The Rock Doctor]

Plus, of course, you have to factor in weight for the supporting structure for the nursery, living space for the nurses/nannies/caregivers, and the auxiliary nursery aft.

[maddox]

28 june 1910
New Rhun, French Naval magazine 51.

Contre Admiral Pierre, we have a request from Halifax. The Ministry of Commerce has need of those old Anuhuac 13"L30 guns. It's something about a test.

Those we don't have? I don't know how they know we salvaged a few of those from the "disappeared battlebarges" But I'm glad those old guns will be gone then.

Sir, they only need 3.

Damn, send them all, make a mistake in the books, whatever. Those haunted pieces are gone.
Has the ministry said anything about transport?

Yes Contre Admiral, a freighter with escort will get them next week.

************************************************************************************

A week later, battledigger Gargantua, delayed from the trip to Haïti due engine failure, is loading the formentioned 13" guns.
3 are loaded in the hold of the freighter Lausanne (an obvious NS freighter with French Flag), but 2 others are loaded on a barge without markings.
The luitenant in charge is talking to 3 men in expensive suites, but obviously not Europeans. A suitcase is exchanged from hands, and the Luitenant, a bit pale, walks away to an office.

[Desertfox]

3 are loaded in the hold of the freighter Lausanne (an obvious NS freighter with French Flag),

Sounds like the Swiss alright! ;D Money first, loyalty second! Course if I was the French I would send an escort along so that there are no unfortunate 'accidents' along the way. After all the Bermuda Triangle happens to lie along the route...

[maddox]

Excuse me Desertfox...  It's one of the freigthers France held in custody during the Pacific war.  And because the "upheavals" after that war, gently forgot to mention that to the NS.
So the ship, with a French crew, working for the state owned merchant line "Ligne de France" is now a real, undisputed French vessel.

[Carthaginian]

A bit of a flashback...
*cues that wavy effect to begin*


10MAY10
Tredgar Foundry, Virginia
0830EST

"How in the Sam bloody HELL do 1000 tons of steel ingots GO MISSING!?!?"

"Well, it didn't exactly 'go missing,' Sir. We know where it went, we just don't know WHY it went to Halifax, nor WHO ordered it to be sent there. The requisition form was signed by a Jeremiah B. Le'frouge... but after searching through the Admiralty employment rolls, we can't seem to find anyone by that name."

"Well, where did it GO then!"

"Apparently, it went to Selma Machine Works. Seems it was to supposed to be used in construction of some turbines."

"Contact the Admiralty, then... let them know where they need to look. I'm washing my hands of this shit."


17MAY10
Selma, Alabama
1200CST
*snippets of a conversation overhead in the Foreman's office by his secretary*

"Department of the Treasury wants to know where the money came from."
"Need to know the names of the people that contacted you."
"Something about J. B. Le'frouge... I DON'T KNOW!"
"We'll be watching you."


02JUN10
Richmond, Virginia
2100EST

"So, you're SURE of this?"

"Yes First Lord... seems that a set of boilers ordered by Lykes Lines for one of their planned high-speed transports went missing at almost the exact same time. The steel was surplus, and apparently was unnoticed until these forged documents and it's non-existence were noticed. The request form says that it was shipped to 'build replacements for previously machined parts found to be substandard'. The parts that were already produced disappeared, and we didn't notice until this steel was routed there to replace them."

"What about the money issue?"

"I wish I had an answer to that as well, Sir. We know that $2 million went missing... but not exactly where or why. All trails stop at the name 'Jeremiah B. Le'frouge'; when we see him, we hit a brick wall. Strange, though... his signature doesn't seem to be particularly suited to someone in such a high position. His penmanship is very poor, and he even misspelled his own name once."

"Then all we know is that we have someone running around with convincingly forced Admiralty authorization to issue drafts and requisition materials- without our knowing his real identity?

Cross-check with EVERYONE- and I mean EVERYONE- to see what's happening here. If there are any projects, and operations, anything that could make this a legitimate enterprise, I want to know. In any other event, notify me immediately."


JUN0210
Richmond, Virginia
2200EST

*a man staggers from a local bar, frequented by police and investigators. A second man follows him out, speaks, and after a moment of drunken confusion, is recognized*
"Inspector Featherstone... how goes the case?"

"It's all fucked up, man... can't get any traction. Why you ask?"
*WHACK*

"Sorry to do that to you, Jackie... but it's for your own good." The man pocketed the sap as quickly as he produced it. He signals a waiting milk delivery wagon, which responds quickly. The men aboard are clearly not working for a dairy. "Make him disappear... two weeks, maybe three. DON'T HURT HIM! Just keep him secure till this blows over. We've got a lot of covering up to do after all the ground he turned up.

Oh, and make sure he knows WHY he can't look into this any further, and that other people are on the case that won't rest till it's figured out. He deserves to know at least that much."