GC 1Q1902

[Borys]

 La Prenca Nacional: 13 January 1902

President Alizandro told reporters that he is alarmed by apparent European indifference to the situation in Spain.

"King Juan has chosen to eviscerate his nation out of spite at those who happen to question his ability as a ruler. He's attacking the entrepeneurs who built Spain's economy by telling them that they're not entitled to the fruits of their hard labor. He's defending the lazy and incompetent by telling them that they can, in fact, do nothing all their lives and still live comfortably.

"What really concerns me is that the Spain's neighbours aren't acting as if this is contagious. Do they not think that these parasites are going to cross into France, Portugal, and into the rest of Europe to spread the word to the malcontents and leaches elsewhere? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - it is better to stop this radical revolution while it is confined to Spain than once it has extended its tentacles across the continent."

The president said he would be most curious to see how Spain's allies would react to recent events. "They signed alliances with Spain; well, Spain is now under attack, by the People's Empire of Sovereign Nations. It is time for those nations - the Baltic League, Russia, France - to step up and defend the Spain they called their friend, not the new and dangerous beast that wears Juan as a disguise."

He said that Gran Colombia was evaluating how best to proceed. "We will certainly support hard-working Spaniards in their struggle against the forces of mass mediocrity, but we are a nation with modest means. We are developing a strategy at this time and will be putting it into action at the earliest possible opportunity."
   
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Marek Gutkowski    
Posted: May 25 2006, 05:56 AM


Hegemon
*

Group: Head of State
Posts: 492
Member No.: 58
Joined: 24-January 06



   
"Farncly Im suprised that this did not happend sooner"Sead Baltazar
"What?"ask Juan how at this moment wanst playing attention.
"Someone saying 'stop this madness'.How we can stand and watch how a country's way of life is falling apart"
"Well I see it like this:The republics of the world like our slogans and are in tersted how things go.The empires dont give a damn for them I just clean up my closet,Do You think that im alone in having interstate competition? I dont think there is a Kaizer Tzar king or price out there that dont want to get ride of his internal political adveseries?"
"Well that were well maybe.But You are turning the order of thing upside down"
"Did You read "Das Kapital" by Karol Marks?"
"I did There isnt a paragraf in there saing too go communist.Alll there is is that the current state of afairs is not perfect"
"And Im changing it"


OOC: Contagious?I hope so tongue.gif
   
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The Rock Doctor    
Posted: May 26 2006, 09:54 PM


Hegemon
*

Group: Head of State
Posts: 463
Member No.: 57
Joined: 4-January 06



   
16 January 1902: Northwestern Brasil

The village of Santa Isabel do Rio Negro was, as the name implied, on the bank of the Rio Negro, one of the many rivers in northwestern Brazil that eventually merged with the mighty Amazon. Large rafts of timber - the primary legal source of income in the region - drifted downstream as Sanchez and Padre Batista tied their canoe up to one of the community's ramshackle docks.

"I'm going to see the local priest", Batista informed Sanchez, "You'll be at the trading post?"

"Yes. Anything you need?", the bureaucrat asked.

"A new pair of socks would be pleasant", the priest replied. "Otherwise, I have what I need."

"Then I'll meet you back here", Sanchez confirmed.

It took no effort at all to find the Catholic Church; it was the largest edifice in the village, and the only one not wholly constructed from wood. Batista deposited his machete and guns just inside the main doors before continuing inward. The murmur of voices from a pair of small booths suggested that the local priest was engaged in a confession, so Batista entered a pew, knelt, and prayed. After a few minutes, he rose and sat on the hard wooden bench, waiting.

Soon enough, a middle-aged man emerged from one half of the confessional and marched out of the church, head held low. The priest emerged shortly afterward, spied Batista, and joined him.

"Hello, Joao, how are you?", Batista greeted him.

"I'm well, but also surprised", Joao answered. "You're well outside your usual range."

"The Archbishop tasked me with something that has taken me into Brasil", Batista explained.. "There have been tens of thousands of natives crossing the border in the past months, fleeing something here in this country. They have been unable to provide me with a clear sense of what that evil is, but it must be considerable for them to risk the persecution of the Alizandro regime."

Joao sat in silence for sometime; Batista could see that he was thinking, and refrained from interrupting him. Finally, the Brasilian said, "There is something afoot, my friend. There have been waves of refugees coming from downriver, and I surmised that many would make their way into your nation. We appear to be between pulses just now - the last group I saw was five days ago."

"Do you know what it is they are fleeing?", Batista inquired.

"I hear conflicting stories. Some tell me of savage armies, others speak of magic and witchcraft. There are tales of slavery and human sacrifice. Frankly, it brings the Anahuac to mind, but that seems improbable. Why would they be here? Why would they still exist? I had thought they were wiped out by revolutionaries and the Rohirrim."


Batista shrugged, "The Rohirrim are very competent in matters of war, but it's difficult for anybody to completely exterminate an enemy that won't surrender."

"I grant you that - but how could they be here? Surely Gran Colombia wouldn't let them pass through?"

"No", Batista said with a frown. "The Alizandros would slaughter them at the first opportunity. There was no love lost between the regime and the Anahuacs. Is it possible that the problem is a local tribe that has grown in strength?"

"Possible, yes. Logically, though, this should have provoked a response from the French. They don't take well to challenges from the locals."

Batista nodded. The two men watched an altarboy tending to the many candles burning around the altar before them.

"Do you know where the enemy is?"

"Not a precise location, but I've heard numerous tales about the Rio Uatuma and how its level seems to change a great deal. It may be significant that while I have seen refugees from many areas to the east, I have not seen any from those parts."

Frowning, Batista noted, "Suggesting that they either have no reason to flee, or are incapable of doing so.

"Correct", Joao said. "So how do you intend to deal with this?"

"Find it. Investigate it. End it", Batista replied.

"That's a tall order for one man", Joao commented.

Batista shook his head. "Not if he is performing God's will."