I have a certain problem with news these days (both for Navalism and Wesworld) so any news article I can come up with for Japan (either Navalism or Japan) I would call a miracle...
... and I'm no great story writer either but here goes...
=============================================================
December 31st 1907
"General Aragaki Yukie!" the call came as the massive doors to the Great Hall of Zemni Castle swung open.
Taishakuten looked up from his paperwork to see the General entering the Great Hall and wait as the doors closed. He placed the documents on a small table to the right of his throne. "Approach!" he called out, motioning the General to come closer.
Yukie walked forward toward Taishakuten. She wore a gray uniform, well-polished black knee-high riding boots and a red-lined gray cape. She wore a yellow sash around her waist with a black leather belt fastened over it. Her saber hung from the belt on her right and her gloves tucked underneath it on the left. A yellow shawl was partially visible underneath the collar of her jacket. On her head was a hat cocked to the side with a peacock feather fastened to it on the left side. Her extremely long black hair flowed from underneath her hat and part of her hair was tied together at the height of her neck with a yellow ribbon.
Yukie idolized General James Ewell Brown Stuart, the great Confederate Cavalry hero of the War of Secession against the UNK in the early 19th century. The uniform Yukie wore was similar to the one that Stuart wore later in life as Taishakuten had seen from a painting Yukie owned of General Stuart. Compared to what Stuart wore back then and what Yukie was wearing right now, Taishakuten and Lady Kendappa looked fairly plain and simple in their robes.
Besides Yukie's looks being influeced by a Confederate General, the Confederate influence was also great on her command, the Ryukyu Army. When it came to uniforms, banners, training, and many other aspects of her Army, she looked east at the Confederate States Army. This caused quite a few to refer to them as the Confederates of the Orient.
When she was near, Yukie came to a halt and dropped to one knee, bowing her head. "Sire, it is an extreme honour that you were willing to make some time to speak with your humble servant," Yukie stated.
Taishakuten held up his hand. "I am always willing to make time for one whose loyalty is only surpassed by the Shittenou (1)," he stated. "Now what is it that brings you all the way here to Zemni Castle."
Yukie looked up to Taishakuten. She wanted to speak but paused for a second, trying to find the proper words. "Sire... forgive my brutality... but I can no longer bear to watch the atrocities of Those Demons!" she blurted out. The words came out wrong, but it was too late now.
"Oh?" Taishakuten was slighlty amused. "So... what do you plan to do with... Those Demons? What can your Army hope to achieve?"
"I... I don't know... but I do know that I cannot sit still and do nothing, ignoring what is going on!"
Taishakuten was well aware that Yukie's loyalties, like his, lay with the Middle Kingdom and she strongly favored supporting them right away and she had openly declared it on several occasions while Taishakuten had to be more careful due to the Russian-Japanese-Swiss-Manchurian-Ryukyuan mix of the Empire's citizens. He was also well aware that Yukie truly hated the New Swiss.
"You are aware of what is happening within the Empire?" Taishakuten asked after a few moments.
Yukie shook her head. "No, sire. I fear I am only a simple general."
"Modest as always," Taishakuten grinned. "Before, the decision was not easy to make as the Empire was greatly divided on the matter. However the longer the events go on, the clearer things are becoming.
"The Empress of Ice and the Moon is displeased by the actions of the New Swiss, so Lord Ryou says... or should I say 'indicates with gestures'(2). The same is true for the Citizens of the Empire. Even those of Swiss blood within the Empire, the Neo Swiss (3), disapprove of the New Swiss's actions more and more.
"I have had a request from the Republic of Orange to take some minor steps toward the Swiss, to put some pressure on them. The Dutch keep on pressing us to make clear whether we remain neutral or which side we are going to choose. Both the Habsburger Kaiserreich and the Deutcher Kaiserreich Brandenburg want us to take action against the Swiss.
"Now, General Praeger and Lord Griffith, both being Neo Swiss, have let me know that they will support any decision I will make against the New Swiss. Both Baron Tsao and General Praeger will get their units ready for action and Admiral Susasin informed me that he would start making preparations for the navy to go to war. He also made a request to personally lead the efforts against the New Swiss."
"So what is the word, Sire?"
"I shall send word to the proper parties involved: Tenkai (4) shall support their efforts against the Evil Swiss."
"And what about our declaration of war against the Swiss?"
Taishakuten pointed at Yukie. "You shall be our declaration of war."
Yukie looked at Taishakuten, confused. "Sire?"
"You shall go to the Middle Kingdom and help them in their effort to liberate Hainan and Taiwan. Perhaps it is not necessary, but your presence there shall notify the Swiss of our intentions and I shall notify the New Swiss ambassador at that point."
"You're not going to chop off his head and send it together with the declaration of war to New Switserland?"
"I thought I would be using the less dramatic approach this time. Now go! I assume you would wish to get Tennyou's (5) blessings before you go."
"Yes, Sre, I will." Yukie bowed her head and then got back up on her feet. She turned around and then marched to the entrance of the Great Hall and left.
Taishakuten got up and walked onto the balcony outside, looking down at the small group of gray-clad dismounted soldiers awaiting the arrival of their General. After a few moments, Yukie appeared, pulling on her gloves, and joined the group. One of the soldiers handed over the reins of one of the horsed over to Yukie. She proceeded to hoist herself onto the back of her trusted mount, Matsukaze, claimed by many to be the fastest horse in the world. Once Yukie was mounted, the other soldiers got into the saddle as well. Five soldiers lifted the Army's banners - one Confederate, one Japanese and three Ryukyuan - up into the sky, before Yukie gave the order to move out. Taishakuten watched the group gallop out through the castle gates before he went back into the Great Hall.
The time to take action had come and he had a few letters to write before that. Because of certain matters which had to be discussed, the first letter would be handed over to the Brandenburg Ambassador.
=============================================================
The mysterious notes...
(1) Shitennou: Taishakuten's four loyal Generals, Bishamonten, Jikokuten, Zouchoten, and Koumokuten.
(2) The mysterious Lord Ryou never speaks, instead using gestures or writing to communicate with others.
(3) Very original, I know. I wanted something simple to make a difference between the New Swiss citizens and the Japanese citizens of New Swiss blood.
(4) Tenkai is Taishakuten's territory of Shakhalin with Zemni Castle as its capital. In some cases, Tenkai is used to refer to the Empire of Japan.
(5) Taishakuten used 'Tennyou' at times to refer to Empress Kaguya.
With thanks to Carthaginian for allowing me to use the Confederate influence on General Aragaki and the Ryukyu Army... though he might regret that later... ;D
Hmmm, a plan is forming in my mind, it might, might just work and if it does...
... it'll probably be way too late.
Quote from: Desertfox on July 05, 2007, 04:44:23 PM
Hmmm, a plan is forming in my mind, it might, might just work and if it does...
"Before you start a fire, make sure you have taken measures so it does not spread."
"I'll have you know that I only resort to violence when the situation calls for it."
"Of course, by 'situation' you mean 'voices in your head', right?"
"And you don't want to know what they're saying right now."
Inspired by the first RG Veda Bonus Manga...
... which might probably be a bad thing... :D
=========================================================
Special Notice as delivered to the printer by Bishamonten:
QuoteTo the International Community Dudes.
Yo, 'sup.
By orders of the God King überdude, Taishakuten, the Saipan area is declared a War Zone and Saipan a fortress under siege.
No ships are allowed to enter the Saipan Area unless they wish to find out what kind of badass dudes we really are.
Signed
Bishamonten
General of the Northland
PS: We'll waste your ships for sure. Totally.
Special Notice as edited by the printer and released to the world:
QuoteTo the International Community.
By orders of the God King , Taishakuten, the Saipan area is declared a War Zone and Saipan a fortress under siege.
No ships are allowed to enter the Saipan Area unless they wish the destruction of the vessel.
Signed
Bishamonten
General of the Northland
And they get even MORE entertaining...
I have a picture in my head of the old guy in 'The Last Samurai' delivering the first telegram.
Firsty draft of Note to Japanese Embassy:
Yo, no shit, peasants!
Note delivered:
The Habsburg Empire takes note of the Saipan Siege Declaration and will make it available to interested shipping concerns.
Some nonsense mixed with nonsense and more nonsense and stuff that is going on right now in the Navalism universe...
It takes place a couple of days before the international Saipan warning was issued...
=========================================================
The Great Hall of Zemni castle was silent. Lady Kendappa was away on business (as General Jikokuten) and Lady Karura had informed Taishakuten yesterday that her younger sister, Lady Karyoubinga, was not feeling well. Thus Taishakuten was robbed of both the soothing tunes of Lady Kendappa's Harp and the beautiful singing voice of Lady Karyoubinga.
Taishakuten sighed as he stared at his paperwork. Well, at least it was impossible for anyone to sneak into the Great Hall now that it is this quiet.
"You seem troubled, Lord Taishakuten." General Bishamonten looked up from his pile of paperwork. When it came to loyalty, no one was more loyal than Bishamonten. His loyalty was legendary.
Bishamonten. Taishakuten's most loyal General.
"Perhaps you need more rest," Bishamonten told. "You know, your seer, Lady Hanranya, told me that it is necessary for one to get at least eight hours of rest. Also, she told me that it is bad for one's health if one gets up too early every day and..."
"Bishamonten..." Taishakuten stared at the Shitennou for a few moments.
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten?"
"Shut up..."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten."
"Good..."
"Lord Taishakuten. What about this note regarding 'The 21 points of of Wynson'?" Bishamonten held up one sheet of paper from his pile.
"Good question..."
"You think the double 'of' is a typing error? You know, Lady Hanranya told me that accidentally typing a word twice are early signs of Dementia and old age. Also she..."
"Bishamonten..."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten?"
"Shut up..."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten."
"Good..." Taishakuten thought for a while what to do. "Tear up the note and send it back with a note: 'Our deal or no deal'. It should be fairly obvious what's meant with that."
"You know, Lady Hanranya told me that such extremely short notes can easily be misinterpreted by the receiver and could lead to all kind of nasty..."
"Bishamonten..."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten?"
"Shut up..."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten."
"Good... All right then... Send a note that indicates that we will not accept any terms if we do not get what we were supposed to get. We will definitely not pay anything if we do not get what we want."
"... which are Tinian, Aquijan and Saipan. We already own Samoajima... which they want the Swiss to give to the DKB. And then there is of course Western Swiss Neue-Guinea as well as the Aleutians."
"Exactly."
"I shall add it to the note to reinforce the point."
"There is one thing that I do not understand..." Taishakuten grabbed a bottle of wine and poured it into a glass. He held it out to Bishamonten.
"Thank you." The General took the glass and placed it for the time being on a clear space on the desk in front of him. "So what is it that you do not understand?"
Taishakuten poured wine for himself into another glass and placed the wine bottle back on the table. "We were never promised the Aleutians so it makes me wonder how they came into the picture... not that I am complaining. But that combined to the 'The 21 points of of Wynson' makes me wonder if that Swiss Envoy was actually telling the truth."
Bishamonten took a sip from his glass of wine. "So what you are saying is that you thinking of his offer? You know very well that if you were to do that, it would make you extremely unpopular, not only toward other nations, but to the citizens of the Empire as well."
Taishakuten shook his head. "As long as the Swiss are at war with the Middle Kingdom, we cannot accept any Swiss deals."
"Good to know."
"My original idea was to stay neutral and assist the Middle Kingdom in secret against the Swiss though that required more time than I originally anticipated. But that hothead Aragaki could not wait. The offer made by the alliance was pretty much a bonus. Looking at it now, perhaps it would have been better to have used my original plan."
"Rumors have it that the Loose Canon has the ability to defeat you..."
Taishakuten laughed. "She may be an Onmyouji and claim to be a descendant of Abe no Seimei... but that does not mean that she is more powerful than me. Rumors are just that: Rumors."
"True..."
"Of course there is also the Tennyou and 'Lord' Ryou. They're different."
"Ah... yes... Hellspawn Ryou..."
"Just make sure that Fiend never hears those words or there will be hell to pay."
"Yeah, I know... 'Hhell hath no fury'..."
Taishakuten drank his glass empty and grabbed the bottle to refil his glass. Noticing that Bishamonten's glass was empty as well, he held out the bottle.
Bishamonten declined the offer. "You know, Lady Hanranya told me that too much alcohol is bad for one's health. Smoking, too, is a serious killer which is why I strongly discourage smoking by the members of our Armed Forces... especially those who deal with explosive matter. Perhaps we should make the regular citizens aware of the danger as well. As a matter of fact, I thing we should start a worldwide campaign to make everyone on this planet aware of the dangers of smoking. We should probably do the same with drugs. Some of them are really..."
"Bishamonten..."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten?"
"Shut up..."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten."
"Good... and get to work on that note to Off Wynson."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten." Bishamonten got up and walked to another table with a typewriter. He sat down behind it, inserted a blank sheet of paper and began typing. "To Lord Officer Wynson... etcetera, etcetera, etcetera..." It didn't take Bishamonten long to create the letter and once finished, he handed it over to the God King.
Taishakuten read the letter a couple of times and then nodded. "Looks good to me." He then gave it back to Bishamonten.
"I shall send the letter as soon as possible."
"Now how is the situation at the fronts?"
"No news from General Aragaki, but I doubt there are any problems there. No news from the Northeast Pacific sector or the Tasmanian sector. Considering the distance of those two sectors, that is slightly worrying. Latest news is from General Zouchoten. He sent a note that they're putting pressure on Saipan and the Swiss forces on the island. It looks like all enemy vessels that were present have been taken out. Our ships have cut off the island and are shelling suspected Swiss positions."
"Good."
"He wishes to know if the ships are allowed to attack enemy shipping in the area freely. He thinks that there is a chance that the Swiss might attempt to either reinforce the island, pull out the forces, or resupply them."
"... and we do not want that to happen, do we?" Taishakuten then nodded. "Send them a message. Engage and sink all vessels not complying to Green Spear codes."
"All ships?"
"All ships. We can't take any chances. If a nation does not heed the warning, then it is their own fault for sending that ship into such a dangerous zone."
"Understood."
"Also make this publicly known. All nations should be aware that Saipan is designated as a fortress under siege. Any vessel attempting to access or exit the Saipan area will be shot at indiscriminately."
Bishamonten grabbed a new sheet of paper and began typing again. First the orders that would be sent to Zouchoten. After that, he typed the international warning note.
Taishakuten read both notes and gave them both his approval. "What's next on the list of problems?" he asked, looking through his paperwork.
"I got a note here..." Bishamonten looked around and then picked up a piece of paper. "It's from the Twelve Generals..."
"What does it say?"
"It seems your wife was freaking out the troops again last weekend. She drank 15 pints of beer in as many minutes and then took a Benz for a spin outside the walls of Zemni castle."
"Not another Traumatized Horse!?"
Bishamonten nodded.
Taishakuten groaned. "I'll have a word with her tonight..."
"Perhaps you should tell her Lady Hanranya's story that too much alcohol is..."
"Bishamonten..."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten?"
"Shut up..."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten."
"Good..." Taishakute looked up and noticed it was getting late.
"One more interesting thing here," Bishamonten stated. "Gran Columbia is interested in this deal." He held out a piece of paper.
Taishakuten grabbed it and read the letter. "Sounds good. Send them a message with my approval. However do include that the..."
A chime then echoed through the Great Hall.
"That'll have to wait until tomorrow." Bishamonten got up. "The General's Union is opposed to us putting in extra time without payment."
"But..."
"Laterz." With a quick waive, Bishamonten walked away and left the Great Hall in order to return home to his wife.
Bishamonten. Taishakuten's most loyal General.
... between 9 and 5.
Taishakuten then sighed, got up and left the Great Hall himself. He left behind a pile of paperwork that would be even bigger tomorrow.
BACKBONE JAPAN'S TASMAN TASK FORCE BROKEN
News reports came in that four ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, operating in the Tasmania Area, were lost in a cowardly Swiss ambush.
With nowhere to go and facing an overwhelming number of Swiss ships, the Japanese commanding officer bravely engaged the superior Swiss with his weak force, knowing extremely well that with the situation so extremely hopeless, there was nothing he could do other than to bravely face the Swiss and go down fighting with honour.
There are also reports that after the Japanese ships were lost, the Evil Swiss moved closer and began butchering the defenseless survivors that were in the water. It is unknown at this moment if anyone has survived the slaughter by Those Demons.
Unfortunately for Japanese credibility, neutral Green Cross observers already have a complete detailed list of all the survivors from the task force, including the honorless CO who didn't commit seppuku.
Now why should the CO commit Seppuku when he has absolutely nothing to do with Japanese culture (and probably does not know a thing about it)?
BTW, I doubt that a complete, detailed list would be available in Japan on April 6. I think that it might take a bit longer than that.
Quote from: Walter on September 16, 2007, 09:22:30 AM
Now why should the CO commit Seppuku when he has absolutely nothing to do with Japanese culture (and probably does not know a thing about it)?
BTW, I doubt that a complete, detailed list would be available in Japan on April 6. I think that it might take a bit longer than that.
Week or moths more likely, the Green cross is not really functioning yet, it was created less then a year ago, and building a organisation takes time.
... come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised that when such a list arrives weeks or months from now, there would be voices in the Empire stating that the Swiss let those neutral Green Cross observers make the list, then lock them up in a small cabin while they executed the survivors.
OOC
Interesting news. I am not familiar wth this one.
Note: Wynson would be the Rohirrim Royal Family. Thus the 21 Points were penned by either the King or one of his family, in this case his first son and heir.
QuoteI am not familiar wth this one.
What this one?
QuoteWynson would be the Rohirrim Royal Family.
No doubt the letter would be corrected in the final phase, just as the Special Notice was corrected. After all, we do not wish to have weird and insulting text in an official letter. :D
Just expecting the characters to be based on a show I've not seen before.
I don't know if you have...
Majority of names are from RG Veda (Taishakuten, Bishamonten, Kendappa/Jikokuten, Zouchoten, Koumokuten (not mentioned in that story), Karura, Karyoubinga and Hanranya (there are more but these are the ones I used so far))
Only a two part OVA exists so I guess it is quite easy to miss and I doubt it would be shown on TV. The Manga exists of 10 books and was created by CLAMP (IMO among the best in the business).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RG_Veda
The OVA is so-so, but that is mainly because it is only 2 parts and is a small part of that takes place somewhere in the middle of the whole story. The Manga is very good and earlier this week I picked up the last book after what seems like ages since I bought the first book!
Tennyou/Empress Kaguya. Originally a bit like Kaguyahima/Princess Kaguya from Inuyasha by Takahashi Rumiko (The movie Eiga Inuyasha: Kagami no Naka no Mugenj? to be exact) but lately I have been looking more at Ceres from Ayashi no Ceres by Watase Yuu (IMO the best in the business) as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InuYasha_the_Movie:_The_Castle_Beyond_the_Looking_Glass
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres,_Celestial_Legend
The works of Watase Yuu are definitely my favorites. :)
Abe no Seimei is a historical character.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_no_Seimei
General Aragaki Yukie and Lord Ryou are based on nothing but Ryou is a Wesworld character as well (Could be anyone. Who knows. It might even be the dreaded Manzo using a different name in order to move around the Navalism world without being noticed... until he gets his hands on a plane).
Nice work, Walter.
Quote from: Walter on September 16, 2007, 05:37:55 AM
Bishamonten. Taishakuten's most loyal General.
... between 9 and 5.
(http://www.swamphen.net/graphics/animated/smilies/lol.gif)
QuoteIt might even be the dreaded Manzo using a different name in order to move around the Navalism world without being noticed... until he gets his hands on a plane.
At which point we
all dive for a foxhole. :D
January 5, 1914.
An Army testfield in Manchuria...
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/IJA/tank.png)
The large steel machine slowly rolled down the muddy hill. It crossed a trench before passing the spectators that had gathered at the field for the demonstration of the machine.
Once the machine had moved off, Dr. Fu Manchu, Chief advisor to the Governor of Manchuria, Baron Tsao Siu Yan, and head of Japan's technical department, turned around to address the crowd. "... and that, Ladies and Gentlemen, concludes this short demonstration of this latest weapon of the Imperial Army: the Thank. You have seen how our troops can huddle behind the Thank as it moves forward and be protected from enemy fire coming from the front. You have seen how it can cross a trench and how it rolls over a barbed-wire fence without any difficulties. This machine is unstoppable!"
"So if it is unstoppable, that would mean that we can move it through water to some island out there?"
Fu Manchu was looking at the crowd and spotted a smiling Lady Kendappa sitting next to Lord Taishakuten. "Not that unstoppable, My Lady," he replied.
"How nice. I can make a song of how the unstoppable Thank met its end below the waves of the sea..
Fu Manchu ignored her. "If you have any questions, my colleagues will be glad to answer them once we are back in the meeting room."
While the people headed back to the main building, Fu Manchu headed over to the location where the machine came to a halt. The crewmembers, struggling to get out, didn't look too good as they walked away from the machine and lay down on the ground about 10 meters from the machine, breathing in the clean air.
Yes, the Thank could definitely be improved...
Nice. I can imagine the crewmembers saying, "No thanks..."
Considering that I have seen the "Tanks!" - "You're welcome." remarks a few times (and I have used the "Tanks!" remark a few times instead of "Thanks!" in PMs when it is about tanks), I thought it would be original to call it a Thank instead of Tank. :)
Tzar Blooded and the Empress must be really happy with joy.
Oh definitely.
*Sells tanks to Tzar Blooded and the Empress* :D
Apparently no need to spend it on the Kaigun...which become a bit dated since the Swiss war.
"Antique" might be a better word for it... :)
... but that will soon change.
January 22, 1914
Bishop Miguel Ximinez de Palinos entered the Grand Hall of Zemni Castle where he was welcomed by Lord Taishakuten.
"Greetings Lord Taishakuten," Miguel replied. "I was wondering if you had time to listen to me and if you are willing to do me, the Church and God a favour."
"I always have time for a friend," Taishakuten replied. "As for the favour, that would depend on what it is."
"I have a project. A building project... and I was wondering if the Empire was willing to aid me, the Church and God by financing this project."
"In order to strengthen the Catholic belief in this part of the world?"
"Naturally." Miguel stared at Taishakuten. He knew Taishakuten was not one who could be converted to Christianity, however Taishakuten did allow the religions within the Empire to do as they pleased, as long as it would not cause any friction and trouble within the Empire. Eventhough he could not be converted, Miguel knew that Taishakuten was intrigued by and looked favourably on the Catholic Faith, more favourably than other religions, and it was that which would help Miguel to convince Taishakuten about the project.
Miguel then produced a photo from his red tunic and held it out to Taishakuten.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/CC.jpg)
"Interesting..." Taishakuten studied the photo. "Is this your project?"
"That is the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, the Cathedral of Chartres. My project, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Est as I call it, is something similar to that. My colleagues, Bishop Bigglesworth and Bishop Fang, have travelled to France to get a good look at the plans of the Cathedral."
"So how long did it take to construct the Cathedral of Chartres?"
"Uhmmm... something like... 60 years," Miguel stated. "... but with todays technology, I guarantee that we will be able to build the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Est much faster than that," he quickly added.
"And the cost?"
"Ehrm... Fang looked into that and made some guesswork as to how much it would be in today's money. He estimates that the total cost of the Cathedral of Chartres was..." Miguel looked around a bit. "... 2,000,000 Gin?(*)"
Taishakuten looked up from the picture and stares at Miguel. "That is a lot of money you are asking for, Miguel."
"Y... yes. Well... Let's... Let's just forget about it and... and let it be as it is. Just another plan on a piece of paper and I really don't want to waste any more of your precious time with all this nonsense of mine. I will just leave and..."
"You hope to become Cardinal with this project?"
"Hopefully... if Papa Gregorius Septimus Decimus Episcopus Romanus, a.k.a. Pope Gregory XVII, approves of our efforts here... It would be good for Japan as well. I expect many pilgrims in this region of the world to come this way to visit the place, as well as the faithful travellers from Europe who will see this as a welcome and familiar place.... kind of like a home away from home."
"You hope to become the next Pope with this project?"
Miguel shook his head. "You know me, Taishakuten, as well as the others. You know of our almost fanatical devotion to the Pope. If I were to become Pope, then what? I'm just nothing without my almost fanatical devotion to the Pope."
Taishakuten laughed slightly. "What about an almost fanatical devotion to God?"
"That is expected from every Catholic. I'm no different... but Cardinal is as far as I wish to go... Also, I hope that the Pope also looks kindly on the hard work that Bigglesworth and Fang are putting into it."
"I shall work on it," Taishakuten then said.
Miguel stood there for a few seconds and breathed a sigh of relief. "You have my thanks, Taishakuten, as well as the thanks of the Church and God." Miguel then bowed and walked away.
Taishakuten then grinned. "You know, I certainly hope you have forgotten about your other project. I doubt anyone on earth would expect the Iberian Inquisition to make an appearance in this era."
Miguel stiffened and swung around. "NOBODY expects the Iberian Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our four...no... Amongst our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such diverse elements as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope... and nice red uniforms..." Miguel stopped. "Darn! I mentioned the uniforms again... and I did it again."
"Yes, you did."
"You do this on purpose, don't you?"
"Yes I do." Taishakuten held out the phote he got from Miguel. "You forgot your photo."
Miguel shook his head as he grabbed his photo. "I am not sure if your support of the project is a blessing or a curse."
"We'll see when you get started."
"Now, if you will excuse me. I need to pray and ask God for forgiveness for using... unproper language for a person of my position... as usual."
"Take care, Miguel." Taishakuten was still smiling when Miguel left the hall.
================================================================
(*) About $50,000,000 dollars in 1914 and about $1,000,000,000 in today's money.
Nice. Who knows - the plan just might work.
What, no comfy chair?
Unfortunately Miguel Ximinez de Palinos was forced to sell it as well as the Rack and the cuchions in order to get money so Bishop Graham Jones Bigglesworth and Bishop Vance Gilliam Fang could go to France to study the plans of Cathedral of Chartres. :)
... of course his cost estimate of the cathedral is slightly higher so he can buy his stuff back. :D
February 1, 1914
Leaning back in his chair, Brigade General Maiyu Sukat, commanding officer of the Armoured Forces of the Imperial Japanese Army, was reading his daily newspaper. As usual, today's news was rather similar to yesterday's news. A crisis here, a burglary there, a killing somewhere else, a company being ruined, a company being created. The only things that were different each day were the scores in the sports section.
Someone knocked on the door to Sukat's study. "Enter!" he called out.
"Sir." Maiyu Sukat's secretary, Linsa, popped around the door. "There are visitors here to see you."
Sukat looked up from his newspaper. "Oh? Who is it?"
"It's Dou... I mean Viscount Huah von Hitter, Sir, with Lady Au... I mean Oxua" she informed.
Sukat frowned slightly. "Okay... send him in."
Linsa vanished and a few moments she brought the guests into Sukat's study.
"Greeting General!" the man called out cheerfully. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
"It sure has been, Sir Dougulus Kaien," Sukat replied.
With eyes wide, the man looked shocked at Sukat. "Kaien?! Surely you are mistaken, General! Who is this Kaien person anyway?"
Sukat sighed. "Sit down, Kaien. You're obviously here for a reason, are you not? Would you like some coffee or tea?"
"Tea... with two teaspoons of sugar," Dougulus told as he sat down in a chair. "You as well, Auxo?" he asked his assistant.
"Yes please," Auxo replied as she sat down as well. "No sugar," she added.
"Could you get that Linsa? And a coffee for me?"
"Naturally. I'll be back as quickly as possible."
The three waited for the coffee and tea to arrive. While waiting, Sukat turned his attention back to his newspaper, but knowing there was nothing of interest, he tossed it aside. After some time, Linsa returned with a tray with four cups. She placed two cups with tea on the small table between Dougulus and Auxo and the sole cup of coffee on Sukat's desk. The final cup of tea was for herself as she sat down in another chair, shoving the tray underneath it.
"So what bring the Silver Knight here to my humble abode?"
Dougulus laughed slightly upon hearing the word 'humble abode'. Quite true considering that this house was below par for a man of Sukat's standing. It was a shack compared to Sukat Mansion in Japan where Sukat Heavy Industries was located. Even Linsa's bright spark could not change that. "I bring news from Manchu."
"Ah... good news I hope."
Dougulus thought about it for a few seconds while he drang some of his tea. "Yes... and no," he then replied.
"... okay... so it is good news but there is a problem with the good news..."
"Something like that," Dougulus admitted. "Together with TWIT (*), Manchu and his team have come up with what they call the Tank."
"It's a Thank, sir," Auxo corrected.
"Thank... yes. Thanks..."
"You're welcome, sir."
"Anyway... the Thank. It's a heavy armored machine that can push its way through enemy lines and TWIT is currently busy creating numerous of these Thanks in order to form a unit... which, of course, shall become part of the Armored Forces under your command."
"Excellent!"
Dougulus put his cup down, got up and got some blueprints from one of the pockets of his coat. He placed them on Sukat's desk so the General could study them. He then sat back down and drank some more tea.
"An interesting-looking machine it is," Sukat admitted.
"Yes, but there are a few problems."
"Such as?"
"It's quite heavy and it drinks a lot of fuel to get to another location. Therefore range is limited. Also because the engine is inside the crew's working compartiment, there is a serious problem with the exhaust fumes which have a serious effect on a soldier's capabilities when inside the tank without proper protection... Auxo has... or should have..."
"Here sir." Auxo got up and handed over a letter to Sukat.
Sukat read the letter that had been sent by Fu Manchu about the health hazards inside the machine. "That is a bit of a problem. Though it doesn't say so in this letter, I assume that Manchu and crew are working on that?"
Dougulus nodded. "Naturally."
Placing the letter aside, Sukat then tapped on the blueprints. "I'm not too fond of the gap that exists in the Thank's offensive range. There is a limit as to how far those guns on the side can turn, leaving a zone fore and aft which they cannot reach."
"Yes, I noticed those gaps as well when I looked at them."
"Sir, the TWIT armored cars have these turning cupolas on top of them housing the machine guns," Linsa told.
Sukat nodded. "Yes, you think Manchu can come up with something similar for the Tank to cover those gaps?"
"Thank sir," Linsa corrected.
"I shall inquire with him about that posibility. Maybe he already thought about something like that... maybe not."
Auxo put her cup down and quickly made a few notes in her notebook about the matter.
"Not much else to tell you." Dougulus got up after he finished his tea and prepared himself for departure. "I'll be going now. Plenty of things to do."
"Yes, I appreciate your visit and the information you have given me about this. I think Tanks shall make an excellent addition to our forces."
"I will keep you informed about the progress of the Tanks."
"Thanks sir," Linsa and Auxo said in unison.
"You're welcome," Dougulus then replied with a smile.
__________________________________________________________________
(*) TWIT: "Tokarev's Weapons Industry, Tenkai". Weapons manufacturer founded by Vladimir Ivanovich Tokarev, cousin of Fedor Vasilievich Tokarev (in Navalism that is).
Next step.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/IJA/Tank2.png)
Colonel Vogel and his TWIT Model 1916 tank. :D
Turrets for the Mark-something were considered, and abandoned due to topweight-instability reasons. Turret looks too modern by about 20 years.
Oh, I don't doubt that it will end up with a stability problem, especially when one puts a big gun in that turret (I get the impression from the "Last Crusade" picture I took that the gun in the turret is of a bigger caliber than the guns in the sponsons).
It requires the 1925 HA tech to actually do it, but nothing in the rules says that it cannot be considered before 1925 (and then dismissed for the reason you gave). :)
Something like the MG cupolas on the Austin Armored car might work...
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/IJA/AC.png)
... or not... at least it would not look too modern by about 20 years. :)
The same would be true for the FT 17 turret, but that one might be a bit too much for stability as well, especially with the 37mm gun in there.
Aha! Here is the bit you were referring to... Mark I no less:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_I_tank
QuoteThe Mark I was a development of Little Willie, the experimental tank built for the Landships Committee by Lieutenant Walter Wilson and William Tritton in the summer of 1915. Working on problems discovered with Willie, the Mark I was designed by Wilson. A gun turret above the hull would have made the centre of gravity too high, so the guns were put in sponsons.
TWIT factory. February 15, 1914.
"Doctor, I have been sent here by Viscount Huah von Hitter regarding the Thank," Auxo told.
"You're lady Au... Uhm... Oxua... right?" Fu Manchu asked. "So what is it about the Thank?"
"The Viscount has visited Brigade General Sukat. The General was worried about the zone that the 57mm guns cannot reach and wanted to know if it were possible to put some weapons cupola on top of the Thank."
Fu Manchu laughed. "Oh, we already thought about that. As a matter of fact, we already tried that," he told. "However the Thank's center of gravity is rather high. If we put some weapon turret on top of that... well, let's just say that last year's test was rather disastrous with the turret we tried on top of it. Judging from our experience with that, we decided to go for the guns in the sponsons on both sides of the Thank as this would not be too problematic for the stability."
"... and those gaps that exit?"
Fu Manchu shrugged. "Turn to face the enemy with either gun perhaps? Or even better, attack with a large number of Thanks. What one Thank cannot hit, another Thank can. As for the rear... Simple! Make sure that the enemy cannot get there... and if they do... turn around. That's the best we can do at this point. Tell the General that."
"What about the engine problem? Any luck with that?"
"Not at the moment... but we are working on it. You want me to give you some of the paperwork so the Viscount can read all about the engine and the turret troubles?"
"Yes, please. I would really appreciate it."
Fu Manchu laughed as he walked away. "I doubt that, Lady Oxua." A few moments later, he got back with a big box filled with a huge amount of paper. With a loud thud, the heavy box was placed on onto the floor. "Here you go!"
Auxo looked down at it. "That's a bit more than I expected."
"A lot more I would assume. About 20 kilos I guess."
"Could... could anyone lend me a hand with that?"
"Sorry miss, but you're on your own with that." Fu Manchu left to get back to work.
Auxo was still staring at the box, wondering how on earth she was going to get the heavy box back to Dougulus's office.
A strange inner voice wispers in a foreign language "steekkar"
steekkar - LOL!
http://www.eurorent.be/product.php?productsubcat=141
OT - to show off my manliness I once ignored a steekkar and manhandled an UPS - I'm lucky not to be in a wheelchair ...
Borys
OT, steekkar is translated as sack trolly ;)
Quote
A strange inner voice wispers in a foreign language "steekkar"
... unfortunately, Japan does not have the proper Administration Tech level to build those things. :D
Nagoya. April 22, 1914
It has been announced that the infamous Neo-Swiss daredevil and auto racer, the dastardly Professor Fate...
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/Fate.gif)
Crowd: "Boo! Boo! Booooo!! Booooo!!"
... will participate in the North African race, together with his trusty sidekick Maximilian Meen. They will be driving the Hannibal Twin-8 Mk. II, an improved version of the Professor's old Hannibal Twin-8.
So Fate is on your side, then.
Cheat... Rat... Liar... Fink...
... yes Fate is on my side. :)
January 6, 1915. The Great Hall of Zemni Castle.
"Lord Taishakuten. This is an outrage!" Rabbi Jacob, leader of the small Jewish community on Kyushu, said angrily. "This is all a deliberate scheme by those vile Italians to have an excuse to invade the lands of our fellow Jews. Kill innocent people, destroy their homes, steal their possessions... and more!"
"What about the charges and evidence?" Taishakuten asked
"All lies."
"I agree with Jacob," Cardinal Muse van Reyback, leader of Japan's Catholic community stated. "Italy accuses New Zion of many things, yet the evidence that has been presented is so thin that it is laughable."
"There were supposed to be witnesses," Taishakuten told. "You are saying that they are lying?"
"There has been plenty of time for so-called witnesses to learn every single line that they are supposed to say during hearings. Two years is a long time to investigate things... and the Jews have always been the convenient scapegoat throughout history so many will actually believe that they are telling the truth, even if they are lies."
"Hmmm..." Taishakuten leaned back in his chair, thinking.
Muse went on. "Major Toht has told me he might be able to get his hands on information that would shed a better light on the entire situation."
"Good. In the mean time, we have nothing that tells us what's right and what is wrong. So for the moment, Japan will remain neutral in this conflict."
"But..." Jacob wanted to object, but he was silenced by a glaring Taishakuten.
"I know you and your followers are eager to help out your fellow Jews in New Zion, but I cannot allow that to happen... at least not until we know more."
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten."
"What if Italy declared war using false accusations and corrupted evidence?" Muse asked.
"Worst case scenario, we declare war on Italy and the fools who help them in this campaign against New Zion," Taishakuten told. ".. but more likely we will let diplomacy take care of it but when words fail, the next step of diplomacy is with guns. First we will see what Toht can come up with. I will send for you when we know more. I thank you all for coming."
Everyone got up and walked away.
"Muse," Taishakuten called the cardinal over. He waited until everyone was gone before he continued. "Does it bother you that you might have to support the decision to declare war on fellow Catholics?"
Muse shook his head. "As far as I am concerned, they're all possessed by the devil. Zionist, Italians... all of them." With that Muse walked away.
Taishakuten smiled slightly. "Maybe we, the citizens of Japan, are possessed as well... Only time will tell..."
Flashback
January 9, 1912.
Thousands of kilometers away from Japan...
... and civilisation...
... and the troubles in the world...
It was cold. Really cold. If Hell froze over, it would be a lot like this place. Even so the vast, rugged white expanse of Antarctice had a certain beauty to it.
Lieutenant Shirase Nobu turned his attention to helping Takeda Terutaro, his lead scientist, packing all his measuring equipment in the packs on the sledges, while Hanamori Shinkichi and Yamabe Yasunosuke were dealing with the dog teams.
"Well, it is time to head back to the Kainan Maru," Terutaro told.
"Back to our last camp you mean," Nobu corrected.
"Naturally. Only an idiot would try to make it back in one go."
"So this is as far south as one can go..."
Terutaro nodded. "Yes, the South Pole. We could go on, but we have nothing on the other side to support us."
"An adventure for the next time perhaps?"
"Let's try to get back to Japan in one piece before that."
"You know, I had hoped for 35 degrees, lots of sunshine and a nice beach with palm trees and pretty women..."
"... they're only here in your dreams."
"First finishing matters here before we leave." Nobu unties a pole fastened to one of the sledges. He unfurls the Japanese banner wrapped around it. "Just to let those who come after us know that we have been here and that these lands are ours." He walked over to the hole in the ice that Shinkichi made about 15 minutes ago and then planted the pole into it. He searched underneath his clothes for a bottle with water he kept there to keep the water from freezing and poured it all into the hole.
"Excellent," Terutaro said. "With these temperatures, it won't take long for the water to solidify and keep the pole into a proper position.
"I'll... just keep it steady for a bit longer," Nobu stated as he held on to the pole. "Yamabe, get the camera ready."
"Got it." Yasunosuke gets the camera from the packs and quickly sets it up.
"Alright. Get into position guys," Nobu told as he let go of the pole. Terutaro and Shinkichi joined Nobu near the banner.
"Ready," Yasunosuke called out.
"Okay... one... two... three... bow!"
Nobu, Terutaro and Shinkichi bowed toward the pole with the Japanese banner and a few seconds later Yasunosuke took the picture.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/Pole.png)
(OOC: this was something I wanted to post much earlier. I had built the ship and pumped money into the Shirase Nobu expedition but never got something of a story out of my mind... until now...)
I presume they only had cold Saki to drink.
Yes, it is very harsh for the sake. A terrible frontier for the sake-loving Japanese. :D
"Yo dude!" General Bishamonten greeted as he entered the great hall of Zemni castle. "The Whops want us to post this radical article in the Japanese Newspapers. Though I would run it past you." Bishamonten handed over the note with the articel to Taishakuten.
"Hmmm..." Taishakuten started to read it.
QuoteThe Empire of Italia does not usually fight its battles in the Court of Public Opinion but as some nations have impinged the Honor of the Empire we will respond by providing some facts to interested readers.
The Republic of Orange despite its claims to the contrary is a Slave holding state. To support these claims the Empire of Italia will provide referenced sections of the relevant Legal Code of the Republic of Orange. Before the Citizens of any country support a position that supports the Republic of Orange the Empire of Italia feels that they should have all the facts and to decide for themselves if they would choose to live under the authority of such a government.
http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=626.0
The reader should note that the Word Slave only appears once in the legal documents referenced and then only to deny that they exist. But if the reader compares the legal rights of those persons to those of a Slave in the period where they were legal in more of the world I think the readers will find that slavery does still exists in the "Civilized World".
We will start with the section detailing the rights of the Native Population:
Natives ("Kaffirs" or "Blacks")
The black primitive masses originally inhabiting the continent. But the tribes were chased away from the better lands, forcing them to live on marginal farmlands. They provide the bulk of the cheap workforce in the mines and agriculture. Laws restrict their employment in the industry, and they cannot live permanently in white settlements. There are strictly enforced segregation laws to avoid unnecessary intermingling of the white and black population. Few lucky ones are able to work in the white towns - for a maximum of three months a year. They are not slaves legally, but they have limited rights and even that is often ignored. Moreover, when black people stay in "white" areas, they must belong to a white (not colored) person who is not only responsible for them, but also have almost unlimited power over them - this is often translated as slavery by ignorant foreigners.
The Republic of Orange claims it pays all its workers, but if it only pays them enough for subsistence living in abject poverty subject to the order of and I quote here "White (Not Colored) person then if this is not Slavery what is?
Next we will cover the section on the so called Brown People:
Colored ("Kleurlinge"): a mixed group of neither-white-nor-black part of the population, mulattos, people from India and native Khoisans - who has lighter skin than bantu tribes. They are subject to negative discrimination, but their rights are much closer to whites. For example, there are already a limited number of colored officers both in the Army and the Navy, and they can marry white people. They make up a significant part of the urban poor, as blacks are prohibited to stay any extended period id the city. Negative discrimination makes it harder for them to rise up, but there are examples of successful entrepreneurs, engineers and doctors who rose from their ranks.
Although they are considered 'genetically' (no one use this exact word) than whites, their white ancestry is held to allow them to rise up by their own talents. Their political power, mainly to their diversity and low number of colored who are wealthy and educated enough to be enfranchised - thus eligible to vote.
It appears that Brown people are allowed a bit more latitude within the Republic of Orange but are still not afforded the full protection of the Law. They make up a significant portion of the Urban Poor because the White persons of the Republic of Orange appear to allow them to live in the cities full time.
So this is the nation that people see as the champion of the Poor Zionite Nation in East Africa. The Empire of Italia does not ask for your support it simply asks you think what does the Republic of Orange hope to gain in New Zion a huge nation containing and very large number of "Kaffirs and Kleurlinge". Perhaps they intend to sell them off as a work force as they did with most of the Zulu Nation of Africa?
"What's this 'http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=626.0' bit anyway?" Taishakuten asked.
"I do not know, but Colonel Orlik believes it to be some sort of secret code for Italy's agents in foreign nations," Bishamonten told. "Most likely some secret message in the article. They are busy trying to decode it."
"So the Italians want us to post this in our newspapers..."
"Yes..."
"This coming from a nation that, in its past, not only used slaves but butchered innocent people in arenas for the entertainment of its citizens."
"Not dissimilar to what we are doing in Killian's Pit... only we send the condemned into the Pit."
Taishakuten looked at Bishamonten. "At least they have a chance to get out alive... even if that chance it very small with the skills of the Hunters."
"So what will you do? Will you allow it?"
"I think I will wait for a decision until I get Toht's report and we know what Japan's stance is in this conflict."
"Last I heard, he was going to take care of the investigation personally... but a message from Iwo stated that his boat was damaged and he is now stuck there... so it might take a while."
"Iwo??"
"Yes."
"That's the wrong way."
"Yes."
"We'll wait... unless the war is really over in which case we don't care, do we?"
Bishamonten shook his head. "No we don't... Well. Got to run. Need to buy flowers for my beloved Kisshouten."
"Send her my regard."
"Laterz, dude."
===========================================================
OOC: since that bit has already been posted by several others, I just kept that Italian message small since we already know what it says.
February 16, 1915
"Taishakuten, it appears that the nations involved in the Africa conflict have come to an agreement," Kuramaten informed.
"A pitty..." Taishakuten pushed his maps of Africa aside. "Is Major Toht still on Iwo Jima?"
"Apparently he still is, trying to fix his boat."
"Send a message to Iwo Jima. Tell him that there is no londer necessary for him to go to Europe for that evidence. There is no more need for that stuff."
"I will see to that."
Taishakuten was reading through a message, slowly rubbing his chin while absorbing every letter that was written on the note.
"Something bothering you?" Bishamonten asked, looking up from one of the many bills in front of him.
"I was just thinking about the message we received about the nomination to the neutral commission which will oversee the selection of a new New Zion Government."
"We received that message several weeks ago. I thought that you already made a decision."
Taishakuten shook his head. "I was wondering if Japan was the right nation for that job? When the war started, if we had acted instead of waited..."
"Too late now," Kujaku, Taishakuten's foreign representative, said as he suddenly appeared behind Taishakuten. "Whatever you wanted to do or thought you should do, it's too late now for all that... but it is not too late to react to that message."
Taishakuten looked around at Kujaku. "You're eager to take on the job, aren't you?"
"Me?" Kujaku frowned. "Not really... I'm more of a solo player when it comes to diplomacy. This requires the knowledge of more than one... and from different nations."
"If you do not wish to take on this job, should Japan turn down the nomination?"
Kujaku held up his hand "Whoa! I did not say that... There are others besides me. Surely they can do the job as well."
"I know. I will go and search for a suitable candidate."
"Maybe..." Kujaku thought for a few seconds. "I might know one who might be interested in the job and will be able to handle it."
"Good. See to it."
Kujaku bowed and left.
Taishakuten looked at the message again. He had to reply to it right away. "You know, the mail service here in Japan is very unreliable these days, isn't it? A lot of delays with the deliveries of various messages."
Bishamonten frowned. "But there is nothing wrong with the..."
Taishakuten slammed his fist on the table and glared at Bishamonten. "Very unreliable."
Bishamonten then realized what Taishakuten was trying to say. "Yes, very unreliable," Bishamonten agreed. "Got a message yesterday from Zouchoten that was sent six months ago!!"
"He's your neighbour..."
"Just shows you how unreliable the mail is..."
Taishakuten nodded. He then grabbed his pen and a sheet of paper and began to write.
OOC
It seems the Nverse Japanese post has learned from the IRL Belgian post.
June 1915
"I have returned from Lord Taishakuten yesterday," Baron Tsao Siu yan, governor of Manchuria, stated. "He informed me that fundings have been made available for the formation of two new units. The formation will commence in July. I managed to convince him that one of these units should be raised in Manchuria." Tsao stopped and looked at General Yayul Cheolla, who was kneeling before him, his head slighlty lowered. "Zhou speaks highly of you, Yayul, as do the Corps commanders, especially Gun, the commander of the Corps that your Division is part of."
"I am not worthy of such praise, Mylord," Yayul replied, lowering his head a bit more. "I am merely doing my job as commander of the First Manchurian Cavalry Division."
"Yes, you do... An excellent job..." Tsao paused for a few seconds. "I have decided that you shall be the commander of the fifth Manchurian Corps."
"Thank you, Mylord. I am honoured to be found worthy to command your new Corps."
"There is more. As governor of Manchuria, I am a busy man... and it seems that I get more and more work each day to deal with... so I have realized that a few changes need to be made. Considering your skill with the bow, I have also decided to put you in charge of the Black Flag Riders as well."
"To command your elite troops is an extreme honour, Mylord. I shall not let you down."
"Excellent. When the paperwork has been done, it will be sent to you." With a waive of his hand, Tsao dismissed the general and began to deal with the paperwork in front of him.
(edit: forgot the date)
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/mbl1.png)
With his trusty staff in hand, Mabul the Priest entered the General's Taverne. "He's done it! Baron Tsao has informed Yayul that he will command the Fifth Corps of the Army of Manchuria!"
General Dae Jung-Hyun smiled. "That's excellent news, Mabul! We need to tell the others about it and arrange a promotion party for Yayul here in the bar."
Mabul nodded. "I will go and inform the others."
"I will have the bar ready when you get back with the others... and don't forget to get Yayul as well."
Mabul laughed. "It would be rather stupid if I did." Mabul waived his hand around to get rid of a fly that has been annoying him. He watched as it settled onto one of the tables. He grabbed his special staff with both hands and swung it into the air. "DIE YOU PEST!"
"NO!" Jung-Hyun shouted, seeing what the priest was about to do. "Not AGAIN!"
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/mbl2.png)
... Another normal day at the General's Taverne...
(screenshots from the movie "Muyeonggeom")
New Zionist propaganda poster found in several places in the Japanese Empire...
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/NZ-Pr.png)
Sariwon, Korea. November 6, 1916
"So how were things in Phoenix, Dear?" Praeger asked his wife.
"Same as always," Atris replied. "There was always trouble around some corner somewhere in Phoenix."
Praeger nodded. "Yes, and it did not matter who was in charge."
"Well, I was just glad that no matter what happened, people still visited the Swiss National Library. Kept me busy there."
"I'd love to see you busy, Dear, but you are always busy," Praeger grinned.
Atris eyed the newspaper on Praeger's desk and sighed. "Well... I hope people will still visit after that."
Praeger glanced at the newspaper with the headline "Civilian Massacre". He then looked back at Atris. "I know you are capable of dealing with trouble yourself, but seeing how things are right now, I cannot allow you to go back without proper protection."
"You asked the Empress to send some Knights along?"
"Yes. A few A'p Knights are ready. Four in all."
"Okay."
"I decided to ask Griffith for a capable bodyguard. He sent Grunbeld over."
"Locus would have been nicer. Grunbeld really stands out in a crowd. He's just so... gigantic."
"... also, Colonel Vogel wanted to go on holiday to New Switzerland... so he and his buddies will come along as well."
"He's not going to take his..."
"Yes! Isn't that wonderful?"
"What's next? A battleship?"
"You want one? I could ask Susasin for one if you want though I am not sure if it can be arranged for your departure tomorrow."
Atris groaned and shook her head.
Maybe staying here in Korea until the Swiss troubles were over was the best thing to do...
December 26, 1916
All the conflicts in the region didn't make things easy and Auric knew that. He had been working the papers over and over again and it did not look good. All this war was bad for business and the figures were begining to show this.
There was a knock on the door.
"What is it, Ms. Galore?" he asked, not looking up from the paperwork.
"You are quite busy with work right now. Do you want me to cancel your game of golf with Dr. No this afternoon?"
Auric shook his head. "No. I need it to relax after having seen all these bad things. Tell Oddjob to get my stuff ready as usual."
As his assistance left, Auric pushed the paperwork aside. Hopefully he would be able to come up with some ideas to counter the effects of war while he was playing golf and perhaps Julius would have a few ideas as well.
At least his gold was safe.
A few days earlier
December 23, 1916
It was reported that messengers have been seen going back and forth between the Gran Columbian embassy and the residence of Japan's minister of Foreign Affairs. One messenger was believed to have been sent to Zemni Castle for a meeting with Lord Taishakuten.
December 25, 1916
Normally doing business with Japan was fairly straight forward, his predecessor had told him, and during the first few months of his stay here as Gran Columbia's ambassador to Japan, Baron Victor Alejandro de Gruda y Balboa had seen that everything was indeed quite simple and straight forward. But right now, the situation was different. Not just here in Japan but in this part of the world due to the war that has been raging between the various nations. With several more nations recently entering the conflict, things were threatening to get bad to completely out of hand.
But when he had accepted the post as Ambassador of Japan, no one had told him that he would ever have to deal with such horrible weather as he was experiencing now. As a Columbian, Victor was used to the enjoyable weather and warm temperatures of Cartagena, not all this snow and this cold of this freezing place. To make matters worse, it was December so it was winter here and this far north it was definitely noticeable.
When he had met the God-King several days ago, Victor had explained to Taishakuten that it was in the interest of the world that this conflict were to come to an end. However, the God-King had stated that, while he was aware of the importance of the matter, he was unable to deal with this matter himself as he was too busy with other things, but he had told Victor that a higher power was interested to see this conflict come to an end and that Victor should go for a meeting with this person. He had an assistant arrange for a dinner meeting on Christmas Day.
There were a few things Victor had to keep in mind and one of them was to take warm clothes along. As his carriage moved through the fozen lands, it was quite obvious as to why he had to take the warm clothes along. The carriage was heated, but whenever Victor looked outside at all the snow, shivers ran down his spine. He knew people lived here, but he wondered how sane people could even survive in lands such as these, let alone live.
Before Victor knew it, the carriage came to a halt at its destination. The driver dismounted and opened the door of the carriage.
"Mylord, we have arrived," the driver informed.
Cold air immediately rushed into the carriage and at that point, Victor wished he had declined the job and stayed in Cartagena. "Ah well, it's too late now," he mumbled to himself.
Victor climbed out of the carriage and stretched his stiff limbs. He then became aware of the stunning view. He was looking down a large valley with trees and snow everywhere. Directly below was a lovely-looking town with roofs covered with snow and smoke rising from many chimneys. Despite the wintery conditions, the town was radiating peace, warmth and hospitality, exactly what Victor needed right now.
"This way, please," the driver stated, motioning the other way.
As he turned around, Victor looked up at the beautiful castle that was overlooking the town below and which was apparently his destination. He followed the driver up the stairs and into the castle. The warmth inside was as welcoming as the castle itself. While the driver explained to one of the guards the purpose of Victor's visit to the castle, Victor took the opportunity to warm up his chilled body near the fireplace in the hall.
The guard that the driver had been talking to then approached Victor, who had taken of his warm coat. "The Empress is expecting you, Baron Gruda. Please follow me."
Victor frowned slightly as he followed the guard. Empress? He never heard of an empress. He had always believed that Taishakuten was the ruler of Japan, yet despite being "God-King", Victor had noticed that no one ever addressed Taishakuten or his wife as "Your majesty". That would mean that when Taishakuten spoke of 'higher power', he was actually referring to someone who stood above him in Japan's Hierarchy.
Two guards opened a pair of large doors and the guard leading Victor moved to the right as he entered the hall beyond. "Your Majesty, the Ambassador of Gran Columbia, Baron Gruda, is here to see you," he called out.
Victor entered the hall. The Hall had been prepared for dinner and three sets of eyes were watching him.
"Merry Christmas, Baron Gruda, and welcome to Koorikyuuden" the Empress' gentle voice called out. "I am Empress Kaguya. Please join us."
"Your Majesty." Victor almost wanted to bow, but remembered what Taishakuten had said. 'Don't bow.' He did not understand what Taishakuten meant by that and right now he still did not understand as it was the proper way to show respect. Victor gave a nod instead. "I would be honored," he replied before sitting down on the empty chair at the table.
The Empress smiled slightly, seeing how Victor was fighting the urge to bow. "I strongly dislike formal stuff like that," she explained. "Bowing... kneeling... groveling..."
"I have to admit that I was confused when Lord Taishakuten told me not to bow and even more when I was brought before you, Your Majesty," Victor told.
Two servants entered the hall and began to place plates of food on the table and pour wine in the glasses. While the two were busy, the empress introduced the other two at the table, Emperor Mikage and their daughter Yukihime.
"Do you know why I am here, Your Majesty?" Victor asked.
"Yes, I received word from Lord Taishakuten," Empress Kaguya replied.
"He told me that you wish for this conflict to end."
"We always wish for conflicts to end."
"As you are no doubt aware of, Baron Gruda, the conflict has become bigger," Emperor Mikage spoke. "First it was just the Dutch, the Siamese and the Germans and, while not at war, sources indicate that the East Sea Confederation is helping out the Dutch. Now in less than a month, Indochina, the Reformist Republic of China and the Hapsburger Kaiserreich joined the conflict."
"It is truly despicable to see nations that used to be allies turn against each other over an insignificant matter," Empress Kaguya added.
While listening, Victor had tried out some of the food. While the dishes were modest, they tasted great and the choice of wine was excellent. He then nodded "Yes, and that is probably not the end of it. More nations might end up being dragged into this war."
"True and Japan is no exception," Emperor Mikage admitted. "There might come a point where it is necessary for us to choose a side."
"A point we hopefully will not reach. In order to bring this conflict to an end, Gran Columbia is looking for neutral ground to hold a peace conference on," Victor explained. "There are many places where it could be held, but after having considered the many factors, we reckon that it should be held in the Asia-Pacific area since that is the region where the conflict is concentrated."
The Empress nodded slowly but did not say a thing.
"Now we are looking at neutrality," Victor continued. "At this point not many candidate nations are left. Japan and Burma are about the only two states in the region that are neutral in this conflict... and to be honest, given the recent issues between Burma and the Reformist Republic of China, we believe that Burmese neutrality is... questionable."
"So that would leave Japan as only proper option of neutral ground in this region, right?"
Victor nodded.
"That is good to hear from someone representing another nation that is not involved in the conflict," Emperor Mikage stated. "We were not sure if our nation would be the proper place to hold it."
"To me, Japan seems to be the logical option as Japan has ties to both sides and would not favor one side over the other. I have sent messages to President Alizandro about that and hopefully he will see the logic of this choice as well."
"We hope so and hope that other nations see it your way as well... and we hope that the warring nations are willing to meet each other and talk."
"As to a location within the Empire... might I be so bold to suggest Taiwan? It still bears the scars of the Second Pacific War and would remind the representatives of the nations what war does to a nation, that after all these years, the impact of that war is still visible and is still felt by the people."
Empress Kaguya thought about it for a while. "While it is a good suggestion, I fear that it would be depressing and it might have a negative effect on the atmosphere of the peace talks."
The Emperor nodded in agreement. "'This is what they are doing to my lands, therefore they must pay for it' is something that might pop up in the minds of some of those present... but in reality, people move on. They rebuild buildings and work on the fields again. while at some points the remnants of the war are still visible, most of them have vanished and holding the meeting there will probably not have the effect you thing it might have. Probably no effect at all on the representatives of the warring nations."
"I think arrangements can be made at Takashima Palace," the Empress told. "A place where they can relax, where they will feel relaxed. A place where they will feel at home, a place that feels like home. A place that takes away tensions and gives a person energy. A beautiful place. A wonderful place."
"A place I apparently need to visit one day," Victor mused.
"Why not go there to the peace conference if it can be arranged? Either as active mediator or as observer. You're welcome to stay there."
"It would be an honor, Your Majesty."
With the matter settled, the conversation changed to other topics. The worrysome situation in New Switzerland, the everyday strains between the Middle Kingdom and the Reformist Republic of China, how things were in Gran Columbia and if President Alizandro's son, Jose, had already been hooked up with Princess Olga von Hapsburg by their parents.
Once dinner was finished, Victor knew that the region was one step closer to peace. After dinner, Emperor Mikage took Victor down to a tavern in the town for a beer. By the time he crashed down on his bed in the castle's guest quarters, Victor had lost count of the number of beers he had consumed.
January 15, 1917. Zemni Castle Meeting
After having handed over the message from Indochina to the others, Taishakuten waited until everyone had read it. "Your thoughts?" he asked.
"Hard to say since the Indochinese are the ones who have the 'clear evidence' and we do not," General Praeger told.
"Let me put it this way," Baron Tsao spoke as he got up. "How hard would it be for me to gather a reasonable sized group of hardened soldiers, have them dressed in Reformist uniforms and let them loose in Nord Indokina, burning, raping, plundering, pillaging, maiming, torturing, murdering..."
Count Griffith nodded. "I agree. Even if there is clear evidence of atrocities, how sure can we be that it actually were the Reformist who were responsible for that as the Inodchinese claim? You have to keep in mind that the Indochinese moved into Siam and Nord Indokina well before any movements of the Reformist forces... a week if I remember the reports correctly."
"... so you're saying that the Indochinese have had plenty of time to move their troops into position, organize all this and stage those atrocities themselves?" Nakama Yui asked. While it was possible, she was a bit sceptical about it.
"I'm not saying that that is exactly what happened, but it is a possibility."
"Yeah, but I know Soon. She would not fabricate a story like that."
"She does not have to fabricate anything. It is easily possible that she is being fooled and used to bring out this story to make the Reformists look bad. The first casualty when war comes is truth and there is a war going on. It seems a bit convenient that 'they fled the instant the Indochinese Troops turned up'."
"Did they actually flee or did they make a big detour and joined the rear of the advancing Indochinese forces?" Praeger asked. "I'd think that that is easily possible. Who knows? Maybe nothing actually happened and everything was staged and all the bodies that have been found are those of criminals, killed for the purpose of representing innocent civilians slain by the enemy. I seem to remember that we have such plans ready should it be necessary."
"With a little bit of work, it could easily have been the Dutch," Tsao pointed out. "Or Habsburg. 'Blood for the Blood God' anyone? The Indochinese can say all they want, but from here, it is hard for us to determine what exactly happened and who truly are responsible for what happened there so it would seem rather inapropriate to make a judgement based on facts that we ourselves cannot confirm."
Taishakuten leaned back. "So the proper thing to do to send some troops and observers to the area and see what they can come up with," he said.
"I would think we need to send some sort of police force there to deal with it," Praeger stated. "I suggest we send Kerberos out for that purpose. I also know a few guys who we could send as observers."
"Excellent. Let's get to work and in the mean time hope that the conference will produce positive results and stop the madness in the region."
January 16, 1917. Construction site of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Est.
Having returned from Takashima Palace, Miguel Ximinez de Palinos entered the shed next to the cathedral that was being build in Kyoto. The shed was not much but it fulfilled its job as temporary office quite well.
Miguel sat dawn behind his desk and looked around. "BIGGLES!" he shouted.
In a matter of moments, Biggles arrived. "Yes?"
"Where is my typewriter?"
"We had to sell it, remember? Together with your Inquisition gear.""
"Oh yes. That's right." Miguel sighed as he grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper on which he began to write a message to Rome.
In the local newspaper of January 17.
QuoteWanted!
Looking for used typewriter. Cheap. Preferably free.
Contact Miguel Ximinez de Palinos, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Est construction site.
First France will have to build a typewriter delivery system.
This (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Trebuchet.jpg) won't do
Behind the scenes of the Takashima Conference
Excusing herself, Yukie slipped out of the conference room. Looking left for a few seconds, she moved to the right. Running her fingers along the wall of the hall, she stopped at a point about 10 meters from the doors to the conference hall. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she reached under one of the many tables in the hall and pushed on a button underneath it. A pannel slid open and taking one last peek left and right, she walked into the opening. The pannel then closed behind her.
She moved through the corridor and opened another pannel to get into a small room adjacent to the conference room.
"How are things, Lord Zodd. You need anything?"
"I'm fine, General. Thanks," the big man replied. He looked at the ten A'P Knights who were with him in the room.
"A little snack could be appreciated," one of the knights told. "Perhaps some of the General's famed onigiri?"
"I'll see what I can do," Yukie replied with a smile. She then turned to Zodd. "Not much happening right now, but we do want to be ready in case things turn sour in the conference room. Might have happened if the Dutch had decided to show up."
"I've heard a few opinions of others about the Dutch absence. What about you?"
Yukie shrugged. "What can I say that hasn't already been said. It's insulting. Not only to us, but others as well who try to sort out this matter." She then shook her head. "They turn out to be worse than the Swiss. A trecherous lot those Dutch. May their souls burn in Hell."
Zodd laughed. "To imagine that the Great General Aragaki, renowned for her hatred toward the Swiss, hates the Dutch even more."
"Ah!" Yukie held up her hand. "That I never said. That they are worse than the Swiss does not mean that I hate them more than the Swiss."
"Just making sure."
"I'll be back in a while with something to eat." Yukie left the same way she got into the room.
OOC: Nosferatu Zodd from Berserk, not to be confused with General Zod from Superman
January, 1917
After another session at the Takashima Conference, Fu Manchu was intercepted by one of his assistants from Binbou Manchu Works.
"Sir, you are aware that with the various things happening with all the planning that the battleships Kawachi and Settsu have met with various delays with the construction?" the assistant asked.
Fu Manchu nodded. "Yes, I do."
"Now... I have this bold idea that I have been working on and that we could incorporate in those designs..." The man handed over some papers.
Fu Manchu went through them, studying each page carefully. "Interesting. Will this work?"
"I believe it can, but I will have to do more calculations as well as tests to see if it is feasable."
"How long before you are ready to incorporate these plans of yours into the ships?"
"It will take a while, but according to the latest calculations, the ships won't be ready until the end of the year and I can guarantee that I will be able to apply this to those ships before their completion."
"Excellent. Get to work. I expect that those two ships will be finished in that manner."
"Yes, sir." The man got his papers back and left.
January 14, 1917 note to the world
Considering the worldwide financial situation and the rise of various costs across the world as a result of the Third Pacific War, Japan announces an increase in price for ships constructed/repaired/refitted/rebuild for foreign nations. Additional costs include:
- slip/dock rental costs
- slip/dock material and tool costs
- the work force costs
- the administration costs
- paperwork costs
- paperwork storage costs
- Fuel costs (for the fuel needed to get to your nation)
- seaworthiness license costs
- armament license costs (1 for each type of weapon)
- slip/dock usage tax
- slip/dock material tax
- slip/dock tool tax
- construction material tax
- workforce tax
- workforce wages tax
- administration tax
- general paperwork tax
- specific paperwork tax
- general paperwork storage tax
- specific paperwork storage tax
- administration personel headache tax
- administration personel stress tax
- water movement tax (when a dock is used and flooded)
- waterway useage tax (for moving through Japanese waters to get to your nation)
- waterway congestion charge
- fuel tax
- oil tax
- coal tax
- pollution tax on the fuel tax, oil tax and coal tax
- environment tax on the fuel tax, oil tax and coal tax
- seaworthiness tax
- seaworthiness license tax
- armament tax
- gunpowder tax
- fuel/gunpowder risky combination tax
- explosion risk tax
When ordering warships from the Greater Empire of Japan, proper identification papers are needed as the person must be able to show that he/she is of legal age to own a warship.
Also, while the prices of rice from the Japanese regions remain steady, there is an increase in the prices of the various Hainan and Sakhalin wood types.
Auric Goldfinger. Minister of Finance, Japan.
==============================================
(the extra ship construction costs are just IC, OOC the price is fixed (more or less))
January 17, 1917
To: Tatsumi Shirou, Commanding Officer of the Special Armed Garrison
From: Aniya Isao, Director of Defense Division.
Your unit is to report at Yokosuka where it will embark on ships heading for Hainan where you will meet up with a number of observers and investigators who will be heading to the mainland in order to investigate the claims of atrocities supposedly committed by the soldiers of the Army of the Reformist Republic of China. Your unit is expected to assist and protect these observers and investigators while they are performing their duty.
Signed
Aniya Isao
QuoteWhen ordering warships from the Greater Empire of Japan, proper identification papers are needed as the person must be able to show that he/she is of legal age to own a warship.
What is the legal age to own a warship in Japan?
Well, when I typed it, I put 30+ after it, but decided to remove it before I posted it as that bit is just another silly detail of the post. :)
That legal warship buying age can also be variable.
Yes, we could 'bend' it a bit if we do not like the person buying the ship. :D
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For more information, go to the nearest Japanese embassy in your area.
Having landed his plane, captain Satake Genzo carefully guided his floatplane to the shore before cutting off the engine.
Genzo sat calmly in the seat of his Ki-11R plane as the mechanics climbed onto the plane and began to work on removing the two curved halves of glass that covered the cockpit.
Once the glass was removed, the mechanics helped Genzo out of the cockpit of his plane.
"Well done, captain," the chief mechanic said. "That was quite a good run you had there."
"Yes, it went quite well," Genzo replied.
"If we calculated it correctly, your speed over that stretch was about 230 kilometers per hour. Congratulations."
Genzo smiled. "Excellent. And to think that this machine wasn't even at its maximum." He then looks back and forth along the plane. "Would it not have been better if the Ki-11 was build like this with jsut the one wing?"
The chief mechanic shook his head. "With just the one wing, it lacks the lift we believe is necessary for a floatplane fighter like the Ki-11. Just worry about flying the plane and let us handle the technical aspects of an airplane."
Genzo got off the plane. He knew he had to do some more testing, but when it was time for the Caldera Cup, he would be ready.
OOC: The plane is flying at 142 miles per hour ???
That's why I said that you should be using the pointy ends of the float for your plane. It reduces drag.
The 1914 record of Norman Spratt in an SE.4 was 134.5mph/216.5kmh. The speed of the Friedrichshafen FF.43 (which the Ki-11 is based on) was 163 kmh (~100mph) with a 120 hp engine. With less drag on the plane with the removal of the top wing and various other bits (including some fuel) as well as making other aspects smoother and the enclosed cockpit and giving the plane 180hp more with the 300hp engine of the Ki-10 (which is 2.5 times the power of the original engine), I expect the race version of the Ki-11 to be significantly faster than the regular Ki-11.
OOC: Then I severely underestimated the speed of my plane.
I view it with some irony that the 1914 ICE tech allowed 200hp engines, which is what I chose to develop prior to the 1916 aircraft. However ICE was dropped, which leaves me with 1914 aircraft and their 120hp engines. Which is why I'm sending the FF29A, since I can't build the FF43 yet, argh
QuoteThen I severely underestimated the speed of my plane.
If you think your plane can go 156 mph (which seems unlikely to me), how fast do you think the Ki-11R (which is a much lighter plane with a much more powerful engine) can fly? o_O
QuoteI'm sending the FF29A, since I can't build the FF43 yet, argh
Well, if you want you can get some Ki-11s (+ the 1913/1916 tech if you don't have it) from Japan and use them as base for your FF43. :)
Heh, I think more that it the Ki-11 will inspire Friedrichshaven to build the FF43 that the Ki-11 is derived from (aka I'll have the 1916 aircraft soonish).
*Looks at Bavarian report*
'Soonish' being what? 1919?
Yours a biplane, mines a monoplane, not to mention.... I meant to put 148 mph.
Quote from: Walter on October 12, 2009, 01:05:37 AM
*Looks at Bavarian report*
'Soonish' being what? 1919?
Likely finish the tech in 1918 sometime...I hope. At which point I can start on 1918 planes. I should be caught up by 21...I think.
Have fun gentelment but remember I think their are only 3 people who are close to having the Float Plane/Carrier tech right now. We are all behind the historical curve on airplane speed and development.
Charles
Not really. Carriers were mainlydeveloped because of the Washington Treaty limitations on capital ships. Besides, this allows me to create my Blimp carrier. 12 Blimbs per ship. :)
Quote from: ctwaterman on October 12, 2009, 09:39:49 AM
Have fun gentelment but remember I think their are only 3 people who are close to having the Float Plane/Carrier tech right now. We are all behind the historical curve on airplane speed and development.
Charles
I presume you mean 1915: floatplanes; flying-off decks for wheeled aircraft ? That makes sense as II/17 is the first possible roll.
Not something for me to worry with until I can send a cruiser out onto the briney deep and say "gee, be nice to see further".
Exactly-
Nobody has floatplanes accept as a Prototype quite yet, all are fully developed aircraft with be Sea Planes. I expect atleast 2 or 3 Float Plane Prototypes in the Cladera Cup and if they survive the usuall problems associated with a Prototype aircraft I expect they will have superior preformance. However, with the changes to the aircraft rules in 1916 nobody has floatplanes as a proven tech just yet :)
Charles
QuoteHave fun gentelment but remember I think their are only 3 people who are close to having the Float Plane/Carrier tech right now. We are all behind the historical curve on airplane speed and development.
Well my Carrier tech roll for the end of H1/1917 was successful and because my BBs are behind schedule (thanks to some GC construction), I can actually finish them like this in H2/1917 with flying-off decks for wheeled aircraft on top of the two superfiring turrets. :)
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/IJN/Kawachi1.png)
Also the Carrier tech has nothing to do with the floatplanes themselves and their abilities. It has to do with ships and the ability to operate floatplanes from them. If you do not build ships for them, the floatplanes operate from a floatplane base (which has nothing to do with carriers).
Hmm should I enter with this small "flieger"EVIL LAUGTHER,or am I to early??? 8) 8)
Hmmm I don't think we have time-machines yet. ;)
That machine is property of the Bavarian Government. :D
Ok, Walter I am completely willing to accept your interpretation of the Carrier Float Plane Tech as I was grumbling about back tracking at least 2 years myself otherwise. So everyone can enter float planes as well as actuall Flying Boats and yes the Float Planes have the edge in speed. Though it is my understanding that a small mistake on landing could cause the plane to fail that stay afloat for 4 hours after landing. :)
Charles
QuoteWalter I am completely willing to accept your interpretation of the Carrier Float Plane Tech as I was grumbling about back tracking at least 2 years myself otherwise.
Well, the tech
is "Aircraft/Seaplane Carriers" so in my eyes it clearly refers to the ships only. :)
QuoteThough it is my understanding that a small mistake on landing could cause the plane to fail that stay afloat for 4 hours after landing.
With Manzo in the race, every plane runs the risk of sinking before the 4 hours are up. Whoops! I did not say anything. ;D
In the local newspaper of May 5.
QuoteWanted!
Looking for used interrogation material. Rack, soft pillows, comfy chair, etc.
Cheap. Preferably free.
Contact Miguel Ximinez de Palinos, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Est construction site.
;) ;) ;) :D :D ;D ;D ;) ;)
Somewere on this world. Agrival Mars's legacy still is alive, but hiding for the world. His 2 favorite henchmen in their lair.
"Brains?
Do we have that rack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rack_(torture)) still in the basement?"
Backup, you did put it there yourself. Why?
"Are the tongs there too? And the Iron Maiden (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_maiden_(torture)) ?"
Yes Backup, you carried all those toys from Mars to the basement. And olied them well, as per instructions. But why do you ask?
"I didn't carry those toys from Mars, nobody is that strong. And because Mig-uel Kzinti-minez der Paling wants to buy those."
How can you know that?
"It's in the paper. Look for yourself."
Since when can you read Japanese? And were did you get the newspaper?
"I don't know?"
QuoteAgrival Mars's legacy still is alive
Uh-oh. Sounds like trouble. :D
====================================================
Second half of 1917, exact date unknown."Your Excellency, I have some surprising news!" Biggles came storming into Miguel's office.
"It's 'Your Eminence' now, Biggles," Miguel corrected. "You're still forgetting that Papa Gregorius Septimus Decimus Episcopus Romanus appointed me to Cardinal earlier this year for all my hard work and ceaseless efforts which have resulted in the construction of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Est. This means that we should not let him down and work even harder on our skills and the spreading of the word of our Lord."
"M... my humble appologies, your Eminence."
"And of course work on the fact that our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our
three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our
four...no...
Amongst our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such diverse elements as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope... and nice red uniforms... Our weapon... At our disposal are... well... you know what I mean."
"Yes, your Eminence."
"Now what it this news you spoke of?"
"The Glorious Habsburgishes Kaiser- und Koenigreich, being devoted followers of Our Lord, have been extremely generous and send a wonderful donation which will help in the construction of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Est in monetary form as well as liturgical vessels and implements."
"Such a wonderful gesture." Miguel blinked. "I certainly hope there is no blood on it." (*)
"No, your Eminence. It is clean. I checked it myself."
"Such wonderful people they are." Miguel had tears in his eyes. "Oh, Lord. Thou hast such loyal servants in that part of the world." He then looked at Fang. "Get Biggles to help you with the donation and inform the work crew about it. It will most certainly boost their morale."
"Yes, your Eminence."
As Fang left, Miguel frowned slightly for he was certain that Biggles was the one who came in to deliver the news.
====================================================
(*) shoud not forget the 'Blood for the Blood God!' side of Habsburg. ;D
June 1, 1917
"Yan-ken-pon!"
A fist, another fist and an open hand.
"YES!" Suizo screamed out in hapiness having won the game of rock-paper-scissors to determine who would be representing Japan at the Caldera Cup. "NUMBER 1 PILOT!"
Genzo and Manzo scowled as Suizo started to dance through the hangar.
"Back up..." Genzo growled. He and Manzo got back into position for the second round to determine who would be Suizo's backup.
"Yan-ken-pon!"
Manzo cursed as his scissors was beaten by Genzo's rock.
"Well, it looks like the order has been determined. Suizo's the racer. Genzo is backup number 1 and Manzo backup number 2," Kawasaki Shozo, the aging founder and heand of Kawasaki Industires, mumbled. The three pilots were now at each other's throats, two of them obviously not happy about the results. Shozo sighed and walked away.
The day before the start of the Caldera Cup. Late evening.
Genzo was messing around underneath the hood of the car. Satisfied with his work, he closed the hood.
"Hope you will enjoy your ride tomorrow, Suizo!" Genzo laughed as he walked away.
==================================================
Caldera Cup day 1. Late afternoon.
Carefully, Manzo opened the bottle with sake and poured the contents of a bottle he brought along into it.
"Hope you will enjoy your drink this evening, Genzo!" Manzo laughed as he walked away.
==================================================
Caldera Cup day 1. Late evening.
*CLANG-CLANG*
"Ouch!"
*CLANG-CLANG-CLANG*
"Hope you will enjoy your flight tomorrow, Manzo!" Suizo laughed as he hobbled away on his crutches.
Office of the Minister of Navy. November 18, 1917
"An interesting deal we made with the CSA..." Grand Admiral Itou Sukeyuki, Japan's Minister of Navy, looked over all the paperwork and handed them over to his friend.
Grand Admiral Ivan Timofieyivic Susasin read the various papers and nodded. "They're not frontline stuff but I think we can do something with them. Our yards will be quite busy, though."
"At least the men won't be complaining about a lack of work."
"Aleksei is in Russia visiting his brother and gathering information regarding a few Russian projects. You remember Aleksandr Kolchak, right?"
Sukeyuki nodded and laughed. "That brings back memories, my friend."
Ivan rubbed his beard. "Yes... all the way back to the Russo-Japan War... 12-13 years ago."
"Vladimir made a real mess of things, didn't he. But we beat him good over here."
"Vladimir..." Ivan spat on the ground. "A traitor he was! Just like his brother Kiril." He spat on the ground again. "At least his name was erased from the Russian history books."
"Do you mind? My office was cleaned this morning!"
"Oh... sorry..."
"Too bad those two got away, right?"
Ivan nodded. "Yes. The last I heard, they fled to the Ukraine and took over the government there." He then shook his head. "I certainly hope those fools never plan a journey to Japan, because there are a great many former members of the Russian Navy here who would just love to drag them to the nearest tree and string them up."
"Let's talk more of the good old days tonight... with a drink."
"Okay." Ivan got up. "I will go to the designers and see what ideas they will come up with." He then left.
Office of the Minister of Navy. November 26, 1917
"Apparently the CSA wishes to cancel the deal..." Sukeyuki mumbled, reading a letter.
Ivan shook his head. "I hate to be in the shoes of the CSA ambassador right now. Well, that is his problem. At least that will give us other opportunities to work on."
Zemni Castle. November 27, 1917
Even with the large oak table flying less than a feet past her head and crashing into the wall, Lady Kendappa calmly kept on playing the harp as if nothing was going on.
"Such trickery is disgraceful! Unacceptable!" Taishakuten growled.
"No doubt they had a reason," Bishamonten replied.
"There is not an excuse good enough to justify their actions!" Taishakuten slammed his fist down on one of the armrests of his chair, breaking it in the process.
"Seriously, dude! It's nothing big to get all upset about."
"It's not because what it is about. It is because it happened!" Taishakuten snapped back "It's a big insult! A slap in the face! We worked hard to get the relations up where it was and they decide to ruin it by doing that. They're no better than those trecherous Dutch!"
"I really think you're slightly overreacting there."
Taishakuten shook his head. "Not really, my friend. They should learn that Japan does not appreaciate it when they try to do something like this to Japan. Get a message to the CSA ambassador and tell him that he has 24 hours to get out of Japan."
"If you say so."
"... and while you're at it, with all their acts of treason, aggression and insults, it surprises me that I haven't kicked the Dutch ambassador out. Send him a message as well that he is to leave Japan right away."
Bishamonten sighed and got to work.
NS approves...
I doubt they do. From reading the Manga, I would believe that Taishakuten's action would have been to throw the ambassadors and their staffs into Killian's Pit and even then, that would be extremely generous of him. I believe that the Swiss would approve of that option. :D
In the local newspaper of November 30, 1917.
QuoteWanted!
Looking for superglue or other very sticky materials to mend the broken CSA-Japan relations.
Cheap. Preferably free.
Contact Miguel Ximinez de Palinos, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Est construction site.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses, and all the king's men.
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Then Cardinal Ximinez came along.
He saw that something had gone wrong.
He used special glue from his divine pen.
And Humpty Dumpty was whole again.
Letter to the Editor of the local newspaper
"Dear Sir, one can make good glue by boiling bones. Skulls are best."
signed:
AFL Veteran
National and International Security and Intelligence Service Headquarters.
January 3, 1918
"You sent for me, Lady Souma?"
Souma looked up from her paperwork and frowned. "Emilio? I thought I sent for Ernst."
"He has gone to a family reunion and won't be back for another two weeks," Emilio told. "I'll be keeping an eye on things until his return."
"O-kay... I sent a report from Colonel Olrik to him. Have you by any chance read it?"
Emilio nodded. "Yes, and I assume it is becoming a nuisance, right?"
"Indeed. It has been deemed to be quite bothersome and we are expected to do something about it."
"I shall send our people to work on it."
Zemni castle. January 5, 1918
There was a soft knock on the door and Bishamonten looked up. "Yo! the door is open," he called out.
The door opened and a pair of amber eyes glared into the hall.
Bishamonten recognized the Empress as she entered the hall. "Your majesty! What a surprise!"
Empress Kaguya looked around as she walked through the hall. "Where is Taishakuten?"
"Well... he... he had to go... you know... Nature called."
Taishakuten then entered the hall. "Bishamonten, make note that we are running out of toilet pa..." He then spotted the Empress. "Your majesty! What a surprise!"
"So I have heard," Kaguya replied.
"How was the holiday?"
"Well, everything was good until I got back. I have heard that you have been a bit... rowdy again when it comes to diplomacy... right after my departure as well."
"Yes. I warned him that it would be a bad idea to..." Bishamonten began.
"Bishamonten!" Taishakuten snapped.
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten?"
"Shut up!"
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten!"
"Good." Taishakuten then turned to Kaguya. "Well, you know that we made a deal with the Americans, right?"
Kaguya nodded. "Yes. That was before I left."
"Right. Now, everything had been done. Paperwork filled in and signed and we were ready for it and then they suddenly cancelled everything."
"That's not very nice of them."
"I thought so, too."
"But no doubt they had a reason for that, right?"
"Yes. I told him that there was no doubt a reason that..." Bishamonten said but was interupted.
"Bishamonten!" Taishakuten glared at the general.
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten?"
"Shut up!"
"Yes, Lord Taishakuten!"
"Good... Now reason or no reason, that they did this is a great insult and..."
Kaguya held up her hand "... and you kicked out the ambassador." She shook her head. "Don't you think that you were slightly overreacting there?"
"Yes. I told him that he..." Bishamonten stopped as he saw Taishakuten and Kaguya looking at him.
"Shut up!" the two said in unison.
"I'll... I'll just leave for a while." Bishamonten got up and left the hall.
Kaguya waited until the general had left. "So..."
"So..." Taishakuten echoed.
"What do you plan to do about this?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Well, they're the ones who broke off the deal. So they're the ones who should be making the first move."
"First move?!" Kaguya groaned. "We should not wait for them! We should be the ones to take action, even if what they did was not right. In my eyes, it is childish behavior on our part to do what we did regarding such a trivial matter."
"Yes, but..."
"Just do something about it."
Taishakuten sighed. "I'll see what I can do to clear up this mess."
"You know, it's amazing you and Saishi ever got married. That you ever met each other."
The door opened and Bishamonten stuck his head around the corner. "That is what I have told him many times. Amazing. A miracle." He was gone before Taishakuten or Kaguya could say something.
"Is he always like this?" Kaguya asked.
"Always," Taishakuten replied. "I think all the paperwork is getting too much for him."
"Give him some time off."
"I will."
"Better yet, just let someone else help you out." The empress then left, leaving Taishakuten behind with a pen and a sheet of paper.
Just
:D
well atleast she didnt give him an office with a view.
Zemni castle. January 9, 1918
Taishakuten: "Bishamonten?"
Bishamonten: "Yes, Lord Taishakuten?"
T: "You're fired."
B: "What?!"
T: "Yes, you're just a General now. No more paperwork."
B: "YES!!! Uhm... I mean. OH NO!!! How terrible! Without me here, how can you survive all this paperwork? Who's brave enough to help you?"
T: "I'll find someone."
B: "Excellent! Laterz dude!" *leaves*
January 12, 1918
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Scotts_Hut_Antarctica.jpg/800px-Scotts_Hut_Antarctica.jpg)
Commodore Shirase Nobu was sitting in his chair near the heater in the hut. As usual, it was cold outside despite the fact that it was light during the entire day.
Nobu had come and gone to Antarctica for numerous years now and he was working on expanding his knowledge on this frigid wasteland. For that he needed more equipment and supplies here and it was quite apparent that the small Kainan Maru alone was not enough for this.
Right now, his ship was en route to Japan to pick up more goods as well as delivering a letter to Taishakuten, not only requesting for more funds to finance the Terra Nova Expedition but also an additional vessel that could assist the Kainan Maru with the transport of goods to Antarctica.
Nobu still had some time left before he and his men would get back outside to work so he stuffed anonther log into the heater, grabbed his logbook and began to leaf through it.
OOC
He could buy coal from the Habsburg mines in Patagonia. But that depends on where the Japanese station is located ... maybe the DKB or Orange or Maoria would be a closer supplier ...
January 24, 1918
"So, this is what we can use against possioble enemies?" Taishakuten asked as he handed the report back to Fu Manchu.
"Yes," Fu Manchu replied. "And my department is working on various other things as well. Improved stuff thanks to some Gran Columbian information we'll be working with."
"Excellent. Keep up the good work."
"Do you think we will ever need to use it."
"In a world like this, you never know."
January 25, 1918
"We should make some preparations for when President Alizandro comes to visit the Empire," the Empress informed.
"Fear not, Your Majesty. There is plenty of time for us to make arrangements on Hainan for the visit," Taishakuten told.
"Plenty of arrangements must be made in order to be ready before June."
"Sounds like you have big plans."
"Yes. After all, I expect that a lot of important citizens will be there to welcome President Alizandro."
Taishakuten frowned. "Expect?"
"There will be a lot of important citizens there."
"That's more like it. So who will we be expecting?"
The Empress handed over a notebook with names.
Having looked through it, Taishakuten said: "We'd better get started then."
January 31, 1918
"Lord Taishakuten, we have received a message from Shirase jima."
Taishakuten accepted the message from the messenger and read it. "Good. Send word to the Navy to prepare to accept a special order when possible. It will probably be later in the year when Shirase's back in Japan."
"Yes, sir."
"In the mean time, I will need to make some arrangements for some additional fundings of Shirase's expedition."
(OOC: Added funding to the report)
February 1, 1918Send to various people of importance in the Empire.
QuoteSir/Madam
As you may have heard, Rey Enrico Alizandro, President of Gran Columbia, and his family will be visiting the Greater Empire of Japan in June.
Due to the tight schedule of President Alizandro, it was decided that Hainan would be the location of the visit so there is no need for the President to make a long journey even longer.
It is believed that the President and his traveling party will arrive on 5 June, 1918 and Her Majesty would greatly appreciate it if you were to be present at Haikou Harbor to welcome President Alizandro and his travelling companions.
Taishakuten
Iwo Message Intercept and Communications Station, Iwo Jima. Late July, 1918"Sir, I just got this message from one of our ships," the private called out, holding up a piece of paper.
Iwo's station captain walked over to the private with his cup of coffee in his left hand. "Thanks," he said as he took the paper. Walking over to his desk, he sat down and looked at the message.
QuoteDDDD 0440 2050 0350 2000 5020 0030 3400 2550 5042 2252 5232 3430 0012 5224 1035 5412 3433 0234 0202 3252 1234 0452 2053 4050 5000 0049 0939 0909 5929 0949 0909 0909 2909 0909 2929 4929 2929 0909 2929 4929 0949 2929 4929 0929 2949 2929 2929 0909 4909 2909 4909 0929 0929 5929 5959 2929 5959 0909 4929 5939 3939 3909 0959 5939 3929 2949 0919 0959 3909 3919 3939 1909 0939 2959 2929 2959 5900 5050 2050 4035 0000 2422 5024 3020 5353 0233 0012 3414 5025 3412 2034 5202 3430 2234 5532 3402 3032 3330 2020 0050 3420 0022 4255 0502 4505 0425 0500 0022 2022 0505 0551 4535 0020 2225 2420 0145 2220 0322 2523 2224 4142 2105 2325 4505 0502 5500 0245 03
The captain frowned slightly when he saw the four D's. He grabbed several books and a pen. After crossing out the four D's , he began to decode the message.
Iwo Message Intercept and Communications Station, Iwo Jima. An hour later.
"The message is here, Captain."
"Good write it down and then send it on to headquarters."
Osaka May 4, 1918
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/SD2.png)
Today the construction began on the Horwolooh building. Once completed, this
69 floor building will become the home of a number of companies as well as the Silver Dragon Hotel and Casino.
I'm waiting for the Horiwood cinemamaking complex ...
Borys
Japanese film industry's at Jollywood. :D
Joriwood!
I think that the Swiss influence in Japan is probably strong enough for it to end up as Jollywood. :)
Sign outside Jollywood:
QuoteJollywood
The city of alcohol, gambling, drugs, sex, Rock 'n Roll and of course movies
:D
In the mean time... the Horwolooh building in the 21st century. :)
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/SD.jpg)
(picture source: wikipedia)
Manchu Firing Range on Shicheng Dao, Manchuria. June 4, 1919.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Paris_Gun.jpg)
"You know, I know you guys are ambitious, but isn't this a little bit over the top?" Hiraken Nabe, Japan's Minister of Defense asked, looking at the big railroad gun.
"It was well within budget," Dr. No told. "Should work well, too."
Fu Manchu nodded. "This gun puts all other guns to shame," he stated. At Manchu's signal, the crew of the gun began to work and load the gun. "And we shall show it to you when we test fire the gun right here, right now."
"Excellent! That way I will have some results to bring to Lord Taishakuten," Nabe said.
"No doubt he will be extremely pleased with this weapon... if it works."
Manchu laughed. "Ye of little faith. Has the Research and Development Department ever let you down?"
"Never," Nabe admitted. "But there is a fist time for everything."
Manchu was still laughing as the gun was raised into firing position.
"Shouldn't we go and hide in a bunker... just in case something goes wrong?" Nabe asked.
"We'll be okay," Julius replied.
"And is it safe to fire the gun like that? Who knows where it will end up."
"We're about 10 kilometers from the mainland and we're firing the gun paralel to the mainland coastline," Manchu stated. "What could possibly go wrong? Really Nabe, you should not worry about that."
"It's just that..."
Manchu held up his hand. "Cover your ears."
Everyone covered their ears and moments later the big gun roars, spitting out flame and lots of black smoke.
With a big grin, Manchu held up a thumb. "Excellent! We're still alive."
"What's the range of this gun anyway?" Nabe asked.
"Actually..." Julius turned his head to Nabe. "... we don't know."
"... which is why we have numerous stations along the coastline that can inform us where the shell comes down," Manchu added.
After about 15 minutes, the Candlestick phone rang and Manchu walked to the bunker to answer it. "Yes? You got something?" He asked, holding the receiver to his ear. "... okay... got it. Thanks." He hung the receiver into the switchhook and put the phone down.
"Well?" Nabe asked.
Manchu began to laugh. "Excellent! It went quite well... a bit better than we expected actually." He then looked at Julius. "That was Station K-2. They reported seeing an explosion."
Nabe smiled. "Results. Good."
"Not that good as it was behind them. A search team has gone out to find the impact site."
"K-2..." Julius mused, folding his arms across eachother. "That's Korea..."
"Yes, it is."
"... over 100 kilometers from here..."
"Yes, it is."
"... and K-2 is way off the line along which we were firing..."
"Yes, it is."
The two men looked at each other for a few moments.
"... I know nothing," Julius stated.
"Neither do I," Manchu said.
Genjo, Korea. June 5, 1919.
Praeger looked around and kicked a piece of blackened wood away that once was part of his summer house at Genjo. "So you're saying that this was caused by some sort of superweapon of unknown origin?"
"I believe so," Rasputin replied.
"Whose?"
"No idea at this point. Could be from the Middle Kingdom. Could be from the Reformist Chinese. Could be from the Russians. Could even be from the Swiss."
Praeger picked up the blackened remnants of a painting. "You know, this used to be a Rembrandt." He tossed it back onto the ground.
"I know, your favorite."
"There's only one man in the world who hates Rembrandts and who would dare do such a cruel thing to the World of Art: Fu Manchu!"
Going back a little bit...
Osaka. 23:47. April 12, 1919.
While the rain steadily comes down, lieutenants Toshirou Murakami and Takashi Sato slowly walked through the dark alley, shining their flashlights around to look for clues while stepping around the six bodies. There wasn't much to see, except for the bodies and a lot of spent shells. While Sato went on, Murakami began searching the bodies.
"Nothing here. No identification papers, no wallets. Nothing." Murakami got up. "And I doubt they left it at home.
Sato slowly nodded. "Unlikely to be a robbery."
"Well, it could be specifically for the identification papers."
"True... but something just isn't right..."
"Go-yo... Official Business," someone said in the distance as a red glow began to illuminate the alley.
The three men wore civilian clothes, but even at this distance, Sato recognized what the three men were. "Shit. Why is NISIS here?" he grumbled.
Murakami looked up and switched off his flashlight as the three men passed the policemen at the beginning of the alley.
"We'll be taking over now," the man with the red lantern told, producing his papers. "You're dismissed."
"So since when is NICIS interested in robbery and murder, Colonel Olrik?" Sato asked.
"Since Lady Souma said so," Olrik replied, obviously in no mood to go into the details. "Let's just say it might be Swiss related."
Sato remembered reading in the newspapers about the numerous murders in New Switzerland the last few weeks which had been linked with the Maorian sponsored Polynesian Independence Movement. If this also had something to do with all this, then it was no wonder NISIS showed up.
Shrugging, Sato then said "Well, there's nothing here to do for us now. Saves us a lot of trouble." He motioned Murakami to go and the two left the alley.
Osaka. 23:52. April 12, 1919.
Olrik lit a sigarette once the policemen were gone and the ones at the entrance to the alley were replaced by NISIS men. He looked down at the bodies on the ground. "Largo, you think you're able to clean up your mess now?"
Emilio nodded. "Don't worry, Colonel. The alley will be clean tomorrow. Quite annoying though that they had to be so troublesome and had to make so much noise when they died. We were fortunate enough that there was enough time to remove their possessions and identification papers."
"You think you'll need help with the mess?"
"Thanks but I think we'll manage." He made a signal to his men standing at the entrance of the alley and they moved in to remove the bodies. "Incinerate them," he told his men.
"A few less rotten apples in the empire," Olrik mumbled as he walked away.
Osaka. May 25, 1919.
Wanted posters of the top eight most wanted hanging on a board outside the headquarters of the Osaka Police, including two recently added suspects on positions 4 and 5.
8:
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/W_T.png)
7:
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/W_H.png)
6:
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/W_M.png)
5:
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/W_B.png)
4:
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/W_S.png)
3:
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/W_V.png)
2:
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/W_K.png)
1:
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/W_R.png)
Clearly, raising 60,000,000 for the bounty that's really needed would require a concerted international effort.
...although one admits that the current #1 would be, so to speak, a much better return on investment.
Some interesting crimes committed in Japan.
*Inquires inside*
Naha Oval. July 2-7, 1919
The cricket test match between the Manchu Cricket Club and the Okinawa cricket team ended in a close 2 run victory for Okinawa on day 6.
Manchu put forward a strong performance, putting 500 runs on the board with centuries from Bardsley and Sharp.
Okinawa was struggling somewhat and despite decent scores from Spooner and Fry, Okinawa lost the last 6 wickets for just 11 runs with Laver taking 7 wickets for just 55 runs.
Okinawa soon came out again, having been asked to follow-on, and were soon in a lot trouble at 2-45 after losing Spooner and Armstrong. However, Gunst and Jardinière dug in, scoring numerous runs and managed to fustrate the Manchu bowlers as several chances to get the two men out early were missed as catches were dropped.
Both men reached their century as the Okinawa score passed Manchu's. When both men had passed the double century mark, there was a good chance for Okinawa to set Manchu a challenging target. In the end, Jardinière misjudged a delivery from Hutchings and got caught leg before wicket, bringing an end to a fine innings of 214, his highest score so far, and a record 3rd wicket partnership of 488.
Despite the loss of Jardinière, The Doctor wasn't finished yet and not long after the loss of Jardinière's wicket, the Okinawa skipper became the first person to pass the 300 runs mark in Test Match Cricket. Gunst finally was out when a delivery from Sharp ripped out leg and middle stump. As Gunst walked away, Sharp mockingly asked him not to go since the off stump was still standing.
After the loss of the final wicket, Manchu had been set a challenging target of 449 to win the match. They had a disastrous start as miscommunication between Gregory and Bardsley resulted in Gregory being unable to get back to his end in time.
However, with a century from Bardsley and strong performances from Rhodes, Noble, Trumper and Woolley, Manchu was getting closer and closer to their target, but in the end, Trumper ran out of partners as Manchu stranded just a few runs shy of their target.
The target was well in sight with 7 runs to go when Lilley was unable to get his hands on a wide Barnes' delivery which went all the way to the boundary for 4 wides, leaving Manchu with just 3 runs for victory. Laver tried to go for a big hit the next ball for the remaining runs, but instead knocked the ball into the stumps to finish the match.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/WGGrace.jpg)
Dr. Wilhelm Gisilbert "WG" Gunst (= Dr William Gilbert "WG" Grace)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Douglas_Jardine.jpg)
Robert Douglas Jardinière (= Douglas Robert Jardine)
==============================================================
Toss: Manchu won the toss and decided to bat
MCC 1st innings: 500 all out
Okinawa 1st innings: 258 all out
Okinawa 2nd innings (follow-on): 690 all out
MCC 2nd innings: 446 all out
Okinawa wins by 2 runs
MCC 1st innings
1 VV Gregory ---- b Carr ------------------ 74
2 CL Bardsley --- b Barnes --------------- 136
3 WL Rhodes ----- c Spooner b Hopkins ----- 66
4* S Noble ------ lbw b Carr --------------- 2
5 TVJ Sharp ----- c Gunst b Carr --------- 105
6 CG Trumper ---- c Spooner b Barnes ------ 20
7 EF Woolley ---- b Hopkins ---------------- 8
8 DV Hutchings -- c Barnes b Armstrong ---- 59
9 DCH Cotter ---- b Carr ------------------- 7
10+ TH Carter --- lbw b Carr --------------- 4
11 FD Laver ----- not out ------------------ 8
Extras (3b, 4lb, 2nb, 2w) ----------------- 11
Total (all out, 159.5 overs) ------------- 500
Fall of wickets: 1-153 (Gregory), 2-264 (Bardsley), 3-272 (Noble), 4-290 (Rhodes), 5-335 (Trumper), 6-358 (Woolley), 7-465 (Sharp), 8-479 (Cotter), 9-488 (Carter) 10-500 (Hutchings)
Okinawa bowling
------------ Overs --- Mdns --- Runs --- Wkts --- Wides --- No-balls ---
Carr ------- 47 ------- 2 ----- 146 ----- 5 ------- 0 -------- 2 -------
Barnes ----- 29 ------- 3 ------ 88 ----- 2 ------- 1 -------- 0 -------
Hopkins ---- 29.5 ----- 1 ------ 97 ----- 2 ------- 1 -------- 0 -------
Hayes ------ 26 ------- 0 ------ 78 ----- 0 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
Armstrong -- 28 ------- 3 ------ 80 ----- 1 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
Okinawa 1st innings
1* WG Gunst ----- lbw b Cotter ------------ 15
2 PB Spooner ---- b Cotter ---------------- 73
3 AL Armstrong -- lbw b Cotter ------------ 15
4 RD Jardinière - c&b Laver --------------- 41
5 W Fry --------- run out ----------------- 62
6 SV Ransford --- b Woolley --------------- 36
7 CB Hayes ------ lbw b Cotter ------------- 4
8 JA Hopkins ---- c Rhodes b Sharp --------- 3
9+ ZR Lilley ---- not out ------------------ 2
10 AFS Barnes --- c Carter b Cotter -------- 0
11 SW Carr ------ b Cotter ----------------- 0
Extras (1b, 3lb, 1nb, 2w) ------------------ 7
Total (all out, 81.2 overs) -------------- 258
Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Gunst), 2-63 (Armstrong), 3-133 (Jardinière), 4-160 (Spooner), 5-247 (Ransford), 6-247 (Fry), 7-253 (Hayes), 8-257 (Hopkins), 9-258 (Barnes), 10-258 (Carr)
MCC bowling
------------ Overs --- Mdns --- Runs --- Wkts --- Wides --- No-balls ---
Laver ------ 17 ------- 7 ------ 55 ----- 1 ------- 0 -------- 1 -------
Cotter ----- 22.2 ----- 1 ------ 82 ----- 6 ------- 1 -------- 0 -------
Hutchings -- 10 ------- 1 ------ 27 ----- 0 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
Woolley ---- 8 -------- 0 ------ 20 ----- 1 ------- 1 -------- 0 -------
Rhodes ----- 12 ------- 0 ------ 31 ----- 0 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
Sharp ------ 12 ------- 0 ------ 36 ----- 1 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
Okinawa 2nd innings (Follow on)
1* WG Gunst ----- b Sharp ---------------- 344
2 PB Spooner ---- c&b Laver --------------- 13
3 AL Armstrong -- c Woolley b Laver ------- 10
4 RD Jardinière - lbw b Hutchings -------- 214
5 W Fry --------- c Carter b Rhodes ------- 35
6 SV Ransford --- lbw b Cotter ------------- 3
7 CB Hayes ------ c Hayes b Laver ---------- 9
8 JA Hopkins ---- b Woolley --------------- 21
9+ ZR Lilley ---- c Carter b Hutchings ---- 11
10 AFS Barnes --- run out ----------------- 10
11 SW Carr ------ not out ------------------ 2
Extras (8b, 4lb, 6nb) --------------------- 18
Total (all out, 217.4 overs) ------------- 690
Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Spooner), 2-45 (Armstrong), 3-537 (Jardinière), 4-603 (Fry), 5-610 (Ransford), 6-625 (Hayes), 7-668 (Gunst), 8-669 (Hopkins), 9-685 (Lilley), 10-690 (Barnes)
MCC bowling
------------ Overs --- Mdns --- Runs --- Wkts --- Wides --- No-balls ---
Laver ------ 48 ------- 1 ----- 152 ----- 3 ------- 0 -------- 1 -------
Cotter ----- 39 ------- 1 ----- 131 ----- 1 ------- 0 -------- 4 -------
Hutchings -- 33 ------- 0 ----- 102 ----- 2 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
Woolley ---- 34.4 ----- 0 ------ 94 ----- 1 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
Rhodes ----- 35 ------- 1 ------ 94 ----- 1 ------- 0 -------- 1 -------
Sharp ------ 32 ------- 0 ------ 99 ----- 1 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
MCC 2nd innings
1 VV Gregory ---- run out ------------------ 1
2 CL Bardsley --- lbw b Barnes ----------- 130
3 WL Rhodes ----- st Lilley b Armstrong --- 54
4* S Noble ----- c Hayes b Barnes -------- 55
5 TVJ Sharp ----- c Lilley b Hopkins ------ 32
6 CG Trumper ---- not out ----------------- 73
7 EF Woolley ---- b Carr ------------------ 48
8 DV Hutchings -- lbw b Barnes ------------ 15
9 DCH Cotter ---- c&b Hayes ---------------- 7
10+ TH Carter --- c Fry b Carr ------------- 8
11 FD Laver ----- b Barnes ----------------- 9
Extras (4b, 3lb, 2nb, 5w) ----------------- 14
Total (all out, 143.2 overs) ------------- 446
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Gregory), 2-110 (Rhodes), 3-206 (Noble), 4-275 (Bardsley), 5-278 (Sharp), 6-358 (Wooley), 7-393 (Hutchings), 8-410 (Cotter), 9-426 (Carter), 10-446 (Laver)
Okinawa bowling
------------ Overs --- Mdns --- Runs --- Wkts --- Wides --- No-balls ---
Carr ------- 44 ------ 1 ----- 128 ----- 2 ------- 0 -------- 2 -------
Barnes ------ 25.2 ---- 7 ------ 77 ----- 4 ------- 4 -------- 0 -------
Hopkins ----- 24 ------ 0 ------ 72 ----- 1 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
Hayes ------- 27 ------ 0 ------ 85 ----- 1 ------- 1 -------- 0 -------
Armstrong --- 23 ------ 4 ------ 65 ----- 1 ------- 0 -------- 0 -------
* = captain
+ = wicketkeeper
If I plan to do something like this again next time, I will make use of existing scores rather than to mess around with all those numbers...
Should be noted that Gunst and Jardenière are like but not exactly the same as Grace and Jardine (who I assume are Normans here in Navalism). Ages would be different as well as OTL Grace passed away in 1915 and Jardine did not start playing test cricket until 1928.
Ok, I need a serious and I do mean a Serious Drink now....
*eyes walter speculatively* So who infested poor helpless Japan with Cricket... was it the Evil New Swiss.... if so you can sue... :o
I play Japan so... have some sake. :)
Looking at the names, it should be obvious that the Swiss are to blame. Also, remember that Australia is part of New Switzerland. :)
I actually like cricket, and since I could not come up with something else news-wise, I thought I should apply this to Japan. The other big game in Japan would of course be baseball. :)
Ok so I now have a really justifiable reason to declare war on the New Swiss I mean instituting a program to teach small defensless native populations to games and then to give the Cricket ????? Its one of the cruelest things any English speaking nation has done. :'(
In that case, you should declare war on the Normans as well... and since there is a possibility that it is Flemish in origin, you will have to declare war on the Dutch, too. :)
Cricket? Gahhh!!!! The Horror! The Horror! You can't blame the Swiss for this one... The only nations worthy of being inflicted such an incredible pain are the Middle Kingdom and Maoria.
NS plays real Football, with Baseball and Basketball starting to make inroads...
Sorry to bring this to you, but you got Australia (with Normans there) so you're stuck with Cricket! ;D Looks like it would be best for you to give Australia to Japan. :D
July 4, 1919QuoteTo Orange,
While Orange may not have signed the Den Haag Treaties, Japan and numerous other nations have and we expect Orange to respect that. Outside the internationally recognized 3nm range of the territorial waters, we are allowed to go where we want, fish where we want and sleep where we want. Any acts by Orange vessels to board foreign vessels outside the 3nm limit will be considered to be an act of piracy by the Greater Empire of Japan.
QuoteTo Italy,
Any attepts by Italian vessels to board a foreign vessels outside the 3nm limit will be considered to be an act of piracy by the Greater Empire of Japan.
OOC: this is how Japan looks at the situations and there is not much Italian or Orange diplomats can do about that to change it.
July 5
The Wrangel MICS picked up a faint coded message today.
QuoteV'z jvgu fghcvq.
After decyphering it, the message was thrown away.
July 12, 1919
Posters have appeared in various cities on which Field marshal Rentichek encourages the people of the world to Join the Imperial Japanese Army (or at least make a donation).
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Navalism/Various/GG.png)
November 7, 1919 note to the world
Considering the worldwide financial situation and the rise of various costs across the region and the world as a result of the Chinese Civil War, Japan announces a further increase in price for ships constructed/repaired/refitted/rebuild for foreign nations. The increase will also affect the following extra costs and taxes:
- slip/dock rental costs
- slip/dock material and tool costs
- the work force costs
- the administration costs
- paperwork costs
- paperwork storage costs
- Fuel costs (for the fuel needed to get to your nation)
- seaworthiness license costs
- armament license costs (1 for each type of weapon)
- slip/dock usage tax
- slip/dock material tax
- slip/dock tool tax
- construction material tax
- workforce tax
- workforce wages tax
- administration tax
- general paperwork tax
- specific paperwork tax
- general paperwork storage tax
- specific paperwork storage tax
- administration personel headache tax
- administration personel stress tax
- water movement tax (when a dock is used and flooded)
- waterway useage tax (for moving through Japanese waters to get to your nation)
- waterway congestion charge
- fuel tax
- oil tax
- coal tax
- pollution tax on the fuel tax, oil tax and coal tax
- environment tax on the fuel tax, oil tax and coal tax
- seaworthiness tax
- seaworthiness license tax
- armament tax
- gunpowder tax
- fuel/gunpowder risky combination tax
- explosion risk tax
As always, when ordering warships from the Greater Empire of Japan, proper identification papers are needed as the person must be able to show that he/she is of legal age to own a warship.
Also, there is another increase in the prices of the various Hainan and Sakhalin wood types as well as an increase in the price of rice, soy, barley, whale, herring, yellowtail, sardines, skipjack tuna, crab, shrimp, salmon, pollock, squid, clams, mackerel, sea bream, saury, tuna and Japanese amberjack.
Auric Goldfinger. Minister of Finance, Japan.