GC 3Q1901

[Borys]

 1 July 1901: Dispatch from the Government of Gran Colombia to National Governments Worldwide

Be advised that as of 0:01 this morning, ownership of the armored cruisers Protector and Guerrero, and the cruisers Skipjack, Sturgeon, and Manta, has been transferred from Gran Colombia to New Switzerland.

Be advised that as of 0:01 this morning, ownership of the collier Generoso has been transferred from New Switzerland to Gran Colombia.

The Republic of Gran Colombia considers this a legitimate transaction of goods and continues to maintain a stance of neutrality in regards to the conflict between New Switzerland and the Middle Kingdom.

For further clarification, please contact the naval attache at our local embassy.



   
Top
The Rock Doctor    
Posted: Feb 21 2006, 12:39 PM


Hegemon
*

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



   
4 July 1901: Actual Events, Collier Generoso

The portholes were covered by wood blinds, blocking out the harsh summer sun and limiting illumination in the captain's cabin to a diffuse glow. Nonetheless, Commander Franco had no difficulty discerning the injuries sustained by the man before him; his former mentor, Captain Mendez was missing much of his left leg, and also his left eye.

"Captain - it's a pleasure to see you", Franco said.

"I'm sure the pleasure is mine", Mendez replied, pulling himself into a sitting position on his bunk. "I know what I look like."

"It's a pleasure to see the man, regardless of his appearance", Franco clarified. "I had heard of the ship being in battle, and that you had been injured. What happened, Sir?"

"Not at all what's been said about it, for damn sure, but we can discuss that another time. Tell me what's happening. All I know is that the damned New Swiss told me we've been sold - not just the ship, her complement too, as if we were livestock - to Gran Colombia. And now I see you before me, wearing a Gran Colombian uniform."

Franco nodded. "It's true. The New Swiss have lost a number of ships lately, and the Chinese are threatening to invade New Switzerland. The Swiss and the Colombians worked a deal - two old armored cruisers, and three of our former trade protection cruisers for your ship and, I assume, something else."

"Technology, I would think. The Swiss are quite advanced in some areas, it would seem...so how do you fit into this, then?", Mendez wheezed. "Excuse me if I start to cough - I inhaled some smoke during the battle, it's done some harm."

"I had the Skipjack, one of the three cruisers included in the deal. But the Colombians only traded the ships, not the men; the Swiss have many a man without a ship right now, so building crews for their new acquisitions should be little trouble. That means we - five skeleton crews' worth - are crowded into a passenger liner bound for Esmeraldas."

"And how is it that you came to be in Gran Colombian service?", Mendez asked, his last word punctuated by a fit of coughing.

Franco patiently waited for the fit to end, then answered, "I am not sure of the politics involved, but Captain Carmona of the Helena led us out with a number of ships and civilians, including the Chairman, when everything imploded in the Med. We lost most of the light craft, but arrived in Gran Colombia early in the year with Helena, five cruisers, and a collier, plus the civvies."

"Carmona. Yes, a good man as I remember him. So the Colombians just took you all in?"

"It seems the Chairman made a deal of some kind. We are all Gran Colombian citizens now, even him."

"And what do you make of our", and Mendez coughed again, "of our new countrymen?"

Franco frowned. "It's difficult to say. There are subtleties that we are only beginning to grasp - Captain Carmona perceives infighting within the officer corps, and suspects that we will be used as pawns by one or more factions. But if there is a pattern emerging from our assignments, we have yet to see it. We are being scattered far and wide.

"As for civilian life, it seems to be generally pleasant, but reminiscent of the Company: one does not criticize Management."

Mendez' sigh was a quiet rattle. "From one cage to another, then."

13 June 1901: Actual Events, Cartagena

"I hope you're satisfied with your trade", President Alizandro said unhappily. "It has proven expensive in ways not anticipated.."

Ricardo, his brother and his defence minister, frowned. "I don't follow. We traded away five ships we had no use for. How would that be a problem?"

Alizandro showed him a piece of paper. "This arrived today from the French embassy. Apparently, the French parliament was considering a motion to grant us favored-nation status - no small matter regarding trade. News of your deal with the Swiss - whom the French despise, you may recall - tipped the vote against us."

"Oh", Ricardo said.

"Oh, indeed", Alizandro replied sarcastically. "I authorized you to conduct a trade with the expectation that you would ensure our dealings were discreet. Armored cruisers aren't discreet!"

"Fine, but it wasn't my idea to tell the world about it", Ricardo complained.

"You'd prefer that the Chinese think they still belonged to us when the Swiss use them?", Alizandro shouted. When his brother didn't immediately reply, he added a loud, "Well?"

"I didn't think about that", Ricardo conceded.

"I'm not surprised!", the president thundered. "And now, with one sixth of our capital ships suddenly traded away, I've got to put aside my plans to visit Cuba, don't I?"

"I...didn't think we were going to use those ships for that", Ricardo remarked apprehensively.

"We weren't", Alizandro growled, "but they were going to be there if we needed them. Now they're not. So you know what I want you to do? I want you to go back to your office, think a bit, and come back here next week to tell me how what you're going to do about replacing those ships. Do you understand me?"

"Si, El Presidente", Ricardo replied.
   
Top
The Rock Doctor    
Posted: Feb 27 2006, 11:37 AM


Hegemon
*

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



   
20 July: Actual Events - Cartagena

"Senor Presidente", Defence Minister Ricardo Alizandro said to his brother, "It pains me to report that the Armada is currently not in a position to replace the armored cruisers transferred to New Switzerland."

"Explain yourself", President Alizandro replied flatly.

"Over half of the Armada's capital budget is spent on upkeep. We reached that point after the last building cycle, with the expectation that the budget would be increased. It wasn't, nor will it be with this plan that Sebastien has tabled."

"Your precious fleet with benefit from this plan!", Industry Minister de Soto replied indignantly.

"Not for a decade!", Ricardo replied dismissively. "We will be a fifth-rate gunboat power by then, assuming we are even in control of our own affairs!"

De Soto's retort was cut off by a wave of the president's hand. "Ricardo, Sebastien's plan is being implemented. The Armada has to live with that. My question to you is, how are they going to do that?"

Controlling his frustration, Ricardo answered, "What we can do is build a set of fortifications on the south side of the Canal, and another at our base in Esmeraldas. I then propose - in around 1903 - to transfer the capital units in the Pacific Fleet to the Caribbean, and to send the two oldest ships of the First Battle Squadron to replace them. They will be more than adequate with the guns of modern fortresses protecting our two most strategic assets on that coast."

"That sounds reasonable", the president noted. "Moving on to cocoa exports, then..."

27 July 1901: Actual Events - Quito

The distant whistle of a locomotive woke Guillermo Renaldo from the light slumber he'd drifted off to. The reporter opened his eyes and noted the utter darkness of the sky. Checking his pocket watch, he found it to be just after one in the morning.

He'd been on the rooftop of this warehouse for over three hours now, and had obviously drifted off, hardly surprising since this was his fifth night in a row spent in such a manner. Was this the train he'd heard about - the one that took inmates from the local prisons off to labor camps, never to be seen again?

Cautiously poking his head up above the low brick wall that rimmed the roof, the reporter noted several silhouettes - all apparently with rifles - in a loose perimeter around the siding beyond the warehouse's property. Eight horse-drawn carriages were lined up near the rails, the carriages being the windowless ones usually employed for moving freight. The scene was lit solely by the stars and the light of a single lantern held by a man in a suit.

This is it!, he thought. He reached into his valise and grabbed his notepad and pen. He began taking notes that described the scene, while noting the approaching light of the locomotive. Brakes squealing, the train slid into the siding at a crawl - a locomotive, tender, six box cars, and a single passenger car at the end. Several silhouetted men, again armed, were squatting or sitting on the box car roofs, most bracing themselves against the deceleration of the train.

Once stopped, the locomotive vented off steam with a shriek, while the armed men moved into action. They clustered near the middle of the train, and he heard the doors of the box car opened up. A distant voice shouted instructions and the horse carriages were opened two at a time, disgorging nine or ten men each, all shuffling as if clad in heavy shackles. They moved slowly towards the box car.

"I was right", Guillermo murmured. "But how do I find out where they're being taken?"

"I can help you with that", a voice replied from close behind him.

Startled, Guillermo whirled about, dropping his note pad in the process. The man in the white suit - the same man, and apparently same suit as he'd worn in Guillermo's office months ago - stood several feet away, hands in his pants pockets, straw hat tilted rakishly to his right. Two other men, both wearing tan suits, flanked him, hands at their sides. Their hats sat level upon their heads. "We came upstairs as the train arrived", the man in white said helpfully. "I recommend improving upon your situational awareness, Senor Renaldo. It is a necessary asset for men in your line of work."

"In journalism?", Guillermo exclaimed.

"In subversion of the state", the man in white replied. "Would you like to board the train on your own, or will it be necessary for my associates to assist you?"

3 August 1901: La Prensa Nacional

President Alizandro met yesterday with the esteemed ambassador from the Essaylien Empire, Cornelius A'Morgan. The two statesmen discussed the matter of world mercantile trade and security of the seas in light of the conflict in Asia and the tensions between the CSA and the Island Commonwealth.

Our president also raised the issue of the Empire's participation in the New Beleriand Canal. A spokesmen for the President told the press, "The President opined that Essaylian interests might not be well served with a canal that is a decade away from completion, not to mention the difficulties involved with a diverse group of shareholders who are sometimes at each other's throats. He suggested that the Essaylian Empire might wish to consider saving the money it had intended to spend on forts at the New Beleriand Canal, and simply invest in acquiring passage rights to our own Darien Canal, owned and operated by a single nation without. No capital investments or ongoing commitments necessary - just the passage rights fees."